Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I hereby remove my name as cosponsor of

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the select committee on China.

In February of last year, President Xi of China and President Putin of Russia issued a joint statement redefining democracy proclaiming: ``A trend has emerged towards redistribution of power in the world.''

We must take this statement seriously.

Also, in February of last year, the White House released its annual report on domestic supply chains, highlighting the heavy reliance of many U.S. industries on China.

For example, China provides more than 70 percent of certain pesticides, and three Chinese companies account for 96 percent of the world's dry cargo. The recent COVID pandemic underlined our dependencies on vital medications, like 90 percent of U.S. antibiotic imports are from China.

Such heavy dependencies on any country would be a major risk but being dependent on a communist country with expansionist policies is a significant national security risk.

We must address it.

Mr. Speaker, I will clarify what exactly this bill is doing. Last year, Congress gave an additional $80 billion to the IRS on top of $12 billion of existing funding, which increased the IRS' budget by almost eight times.

This bill still keeps almost $10 billion in additional funding to modernize IRS, which is still almost doubling their $12 billion budget but eliminates over $70 billion of wasteful and egregious aggression against the American taxpayer by the Federal Government.

As someone who spent over a decade in public accounting and also started my own businesses, I never felt that we didn't have enough government. On the contrary.

I hear the same message when I go all across my district--small businesses and entrepreneurs have a hard time surviving.

I hope my Democrat colleagues will also support this commonsense adjustment to relieve the undue burden on American families.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

S. 7, the VAWA Technical Amendment Act of 2022, makes a very small technical amendment to the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization that was signed into law in March of this year.

The Violence Against Women Act provides resources to law enforcement and others to address the needs of those who have survived domestic violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and other crimes against women. S. 7 ensures that Native Hawaiian survivors will also have access to programs and resources provided under the act.

Currently, the Attorney General is directed to make Violence Against Women Act grants to assist Indian Tribes. This bill makes Native Hawaiian communities eligible for the same grants.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, in October 2020, the Trump administration created the Center for Countering Human Trafficking, or CCHT, to consolidate all human trafficking-related DHS components into one law enforcement operations center. This bill would codify this operations center within DHS. Additionally, it would transfer the resources of the Blue Campaign to the CCHT.

The Blue Campaign is a national public awareness campaign to educate the public, law enforcement, and others about the indicators of human trafficking and how to respond to potential cases.

Unfortunately, the Committee on the Judiciary has held no meetings on the CCHT or any of the various programs it operates. We should be evaluating the requirements and consequences of any piece of legislation in the committee of jurisdiction before it is brought to the floor. This is common sense.

Members should have an opportunity to ask important questions and offer amendments to the bill before it is brought to the floor for a vote. Unfortunately, that didn't happen here.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

S. 2899 requires the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to evaluate the security camera, radio, and public address systems in all BOP facilities and to submit a report to Congress with a plan to address the deficiencies.

Once the report is submitted, BOP has 3 years to implement the system upgrades as detailed in the report. The bill also requires the BOP to submit annual progress reports to Congress on the implementation of the submitted plan.

In 2016, the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Justice published a report identifying major problems with the BOP's security cameras. These problems included security cameras with blind spots, cameras that were inoperable, cameras with poor video quality, and other serious deficiencies.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Keller).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, S. 5230, the Help Find the Missing Act, authorizes the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System was created by the Department of Justice 15 years ago to provide a missing persons and unidentified remains database that the public can contribute to and access.

S. 5230 would connect the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System with the FBI's National Crime Information Center, which would create more comprehensive missing persons and unidentified remains databases. This would allow for a more streamlined reporting process for law enforcement.

This bill would also require missing children be reported to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Currently, missing children are only required to be reported to the National Crime Information Center.

Finally, the bill would require the Department of Justice to issue guidelines and best practices on handling missing persons and unidentified remains cases for law enforcement, medical examiners, and coroners to find the missing.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the service of Judge Steven Nation of Hamilton County, Indiana.

After graduating from Cathedral High School, Judge Nation received his bachelor's degree in political science from Indiana University and went on to graduate from the IU School of Law--Indianapolis.

In 2019, Nation retired as a Hamilton County Judge after serving 24 years on the bench and 16 years as a prosecutor. After his retirement, Nation was elected to the Hamilton County Council as an At-Large member.

Steve also founded the Youth Assistance Program, providing preventative wrap-around services to at-risk youth and families, as well as Prevail, a Hamilton County-based non-profit advocating for victims of crime and abuse.

Judge Nation has received numerous awards for his lifelong service to our community: the Noblesville Elementary Football League's ``Hall of Fame Award''; the International Association of Truancy and Dropout Prevention's ``Person of the Year Award''; the Hamilton County Community Foundation's ``Community Pillar Award for Family Success''; the Shepherd's Center of Hamilton County ``Healey Advocates for Aging Award''; a pedestrian trail through Noblesville has been named the ``Steven R. Nation Nature Trail''; the highest honor of Hamilton County, the ``Hamilton County Continental Award''; and also the ``Sagamore of the Wabash.'' the most prestigious award from the Governor of Indiana, among others.

Judge Nation and his wife Peggy call Noblesville, Indiana, home. They have two grown children and one grandson.

Madam Speaker, it is my honor to formally recognize Steven Nation for his decades of service to Hamilton County, Indiana.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the public service career of Jim Brainard as he completes his seventh term as the Mayor of Carmel, Indiana.

Under his tenure, Carmel has experienced tremendous growth and received numerous awards. It is considered to be one of the fastest growing cities in the United States and the development of an Arts & Design District, a downtown City Center and a Midtown project has helped create a vibrant, walkable city. Additionally, Carmel is home to over 130 corporate business headquarters.

Carmel has received multiple awards for its high quality of life. Including Money Magazine's No. 1 ``Best Place to Live in America'' and No. 1 ``Best Place to Retire in the U.S.'' and Newsweek's No. 1 ``Best Place to Live in the Midwest.''

The Mayor graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History from Butler University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Ohio Northern University. He also received a diploma from the Oxford Institute on International and Comparative Law from the University of San Diego.

Mayor Brainard has served as a Trustee of a variety of national taskforces, as President of the Butler University Alumni Association and was named one of the ``Most Powerful Hoosiers in the World'' by Indianapolis Monthly.

Carmel has the most roundabouts of any city in the country and Mayor Brainard's book, titled `Carmel, `round about right,' shares the story of redevelopment in Carmel during his administration.

Madam Speaker, I would like to again, formally recognize Jim Brainard for his 26 years of service as Mayor of Carmel, Indiana.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of Mayor Andy Cook of Westfield, Indiana.

After graduating from Northwestern High School near Kokomo, Mayor Cook earned a bachelor's degree in Biology and Environmental Health from Indiana University, Bloomington. After careers with the State Department of Health and the private sector, he joined his son in 1997 to develop Tradewinds, a transportation and logistics corporation headquartered in Westfield.

Since becoming Westfield's first mayor, after helping to transition the town into a city in 2008, Mayor Cook has overseen the transformation of Westfield into one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. Under the mayor's leadership, Westfield has attracted over $1.5 billion in economic development, including capital investments by Abbott Labs, Aptiv, Bastian Solutions, Gordon Food Service, and more.

Mayor Cook spearheaded the development of Grand Park Sports Campus, which attracts 2.5 million visits each year and has served as a catalyst for the city's hospitality and tourism industry. Mayor Cook also encouraged the city's investment in Grand Junction Plaza, a public park and gathering space in downtown Westfield.

In recent years, Westfield has received numerous awards recognizing its high quality of life including being named a ``Top Ten Best Small City'' in the United States in 2022.

A business and family man, Mayor Cook and his wife of 40 years, Barbara, have three children and many grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, I would like to again, formally recognize Andy Cook for his 14 years of service as Mayor of Westfield, Indiana.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of Elwood, Indiana police officer Noah Jacob Shahnavaz. Officer Shahnavaz was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on May 18, 1998. After graduating from Fishers High School in 2016, Officer Shahnavaz enlisted in the United States Army, where he served as a Sergeant in the 591st Military Police Company and was awarded the

distinguished Air Assault Badge. He was deployed to the Middle East and served in two border missions.

Following his honorable discharge after five years in the Army, Officer Shahnavaz answered the call to service once again and enrolled in the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, joining the Elwood Police Department in August 2021. After less than a year in the force, Officer Shahnavaz was killed in the line of duty on July 31, 2022, making the ultimate sacrifice for his community after a career dedicated to serving others.

The men and women of Indiana's 5th Congressional District mourn Officer Shahnavaz's tragic and untimely loss. As someone who exemplified selfless duty to community and country, he leaves a legacy and example worthy of our highest admiration. Officer Noah Jacob Shahnavaz is a true hero. He will never be forgotten.

Madam Speaker, my district in central Indiana represents a cross-section of our Nation, cities, suburbs, and rural farmland, none of which have proven themselves immune to the devastating possibility of opioid addiction.

Americans know that we must use every tool at our disposal to combat the opioid pandemic killing young and old. Unfortunately, the Federal Government ties the hands of doctors, limiting their ability to hold long-acting injectable addiction treatment to just 14 days after receipt from pharmacy.

To remedy this problem, last November, I introduced the IMPACT Act with Congresswoman Dean, which passed the House as part of H.R. 7666. I am grateful to my colleagues for their support of this legislation, and I urge the Senate and administration to do the same.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act.

Bureaucracy, as we all know, is an enemy in any crisis, so streamlining processes and improving speed and agility are extremely important.

I just recently went to Ukraine twice, and I want to share with you the brutality of this war, the atrocities that happened to the civilian population. It is very difficult to express in words. It is very disturbing.

The strength and resiliency of the Ukraine people and their optimism are very inspiring to me as an American and inspiring to a lot of people around the world.

I talked to one of the American reporter journalists, and he said: I have been reporting here for a while, and I can tell you, Ukrainians don't even realize how much they are like Americans.

I talked to one Ukrainian servicemember, who actually grew up in the Kharkiv area close to the Russian border, and he told me: You know what? I always thought that we would become brothers and sisters, but to tell you the truth, we are not brothers anymore. This is a different people. I look at them, and we are West, and they are East. They are barbaric and lost in the last century or before.

I think it is very important for us to make sure that we support the Ukrainian people in this war and fight for freedom to bring stability and international order back to try to defend this fight for freedom and defend Europe and all of us from further escalation of this conflict.

I think it is also important for us to add some oversight and make sure that we do have military to share to make sure that these processes do work. I truly believe this collaboration of our great United States of America and our great American people with the strength and resiliency of the Ukrainian people will bring victory and peace back.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I thank the bipartisan collaboration on these issues and support of this Congress and this body. It is very important for us to be strong and stand together because this is a national security issue that we need to have resolved. I truly believe our country, the greatest country in the world, is an inspiration for a lot of people, and we are going to defeat the enemies of freedom and democracy around the world.

Madam Speaker, I urge support of this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of the late Dr. Robert Hagen.

Dr. Hagen moved to Lafayette, IN in 1987 to pursue an opportunity with the Lafayette Orthopedic Clinic, where he worked as an orthopedic surgeon for 34 years until his retirement in 2019.

Dr. Hagen was committed to his neighbors and community. In 1985, Dr. Hagen started Unity Health Care in Northern Indiana. Additionally, he worked with the Purdue campus of the IU School of Medicine, and was a team physician for two local high schools for over 25 years. He was state president of the Indiana Orthopedic Society in 2000, a member of the Board of Councilors of the Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons from 2011 to 2017, and United Way campaign chairman in 2017.

Dr. Hagen dedicated a big part of his life fighting for health care reforms to improve health care value and make it more affordable for all Hoosiers and all Americans. His efforts will not be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, I hereby remove my name as cosponsor of