Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. House Of Representatives U.S. House Of Representatives 20220726

Now we continue our commitment to live gaveltogavel coverage of house of congress. Live coverage on cspan. A communication from the speaker. The clerk the speakers room, washington, d. C. , july 26, 2022. I hereby appoint the honorable Jimmy Panetta to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. Signed, nancy pelosi, speaker of the house of representatives. The speaker pro tempore the chair will receive a message. The messenger mr. Speaker, a message from the senate. The secretary mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore madam secretary. The secretary i have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed without amendment h. R. 3359, an act to provide ford system for reviewing the cases filed, cold case murders, at the instances of certain persons and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the order of the house of january 10, 2022, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. The chair will alternate recognition between the parties. With time equally allocated between parties and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and minority whip limited to five minutes. But in no event shall debate continue beyond 1 50 p. M. The chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Joyce, for five minutes. Mr. Joyce mr. Speaker, i rise to address the house and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Joyce thank you, mr. Speaker. As students prepare to return to classrooms, it is now more clear than ever that the lockdowns of the past two years have dealt a devastating blow to the education of our nations children. Isolation and a lack of hands on learning was detrimental with students falling behind grade level in both reading and math. In fact, new Research Shows that students have only recovered between 15 and 35 of the learning that was lost during school shutdowns. Students are not learning the math, the science, the history, and the english that theyll need to be successful. And over the long term, the consequence of this learning loss could be catastrophic for our young people. Instead of addressing this crisis headon and involving parents directly in their childs education to help get them back on track, the Biden Administration has taken steps to limit parents involvement and federally mandate what our children are taught in classrooms. To take on this problem, im proud to join my republican colleagues as a cosponsor of the parents bill of rights. This important legislation would ensure parents know what their children are being taught in schools and that they have the chance to be heard and to be part of their kids education and not a bystander. This bill would give parents the right to see their School Districts budget and spending, because its time that we have transparency throughout our education system. This would go even mort to give further to give parents the opportunity to protect their students privacy by making sure that a school cannot change their policy on privacy without parental consent. Our students are counting on us. Theyre counting on us to find solutions to the challenges they face every day in school. Its time to increase family involvement, enforce high standards, and make sure were preparing our kids of all ages for success in education. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to celebrate Sigrid Andrew for her role as Medical Center director as James Van Zandt Medical Center in altoona, pennsylvania. Ms. Andrews 26 years of service to the United States department of Veterans Affairs culminated with her time leading the van zandt Medical Centers team to where she has been a leader of support for our veteran community. Her years of experience, not only as a nurse, but as a leader in operational management, led her to find inonovation and solutions to a variety of unique challenges that face our veterans each and every day. On a personal note, Sigrid Andrew has been instrumental in the developmental and deployment of the Homegrown Health Care Initiative, which allows third and fourth year medical students to return to their communities in central pennsylvania to care for patients and build the skills that they will need as young doctors. Doctors who will be trained to address the physical and Mental Health issues of our great veterans. Sigrid andrews tireless work to help address the rural physician shortage has been extraordinary. And without her, the Homegrown Health Care Initiative would not be where it is today. Sigrid andrews persistence, her intelligence, and her dedication to excellence has been an essential tool to support the veteran community throughout pennsylvania. On behalf of the people of pennsylvanias 13th congressional district, i thank Sigrid Andrew for her hard work and her commitment to the veterans of the United States military. I wish her all the best. Thank you, mr. Speaker, and i yield. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from texas, ms. Garcia, for five minutes. Ms. Garcia madam speaker, i rise to recognize President Biden and House Democrats efforts to lower costs for American Families. Because of putins invasion, americans have seen higher costs everywhere, from the gas pump to Grocery Stores to goods across the shelves at local stores. Farmers, ranchers, and consumers have been victims of these price hikes because of putins invasion. President biden, House Democrats arent standing for this. Thats why last month my Democratic House colleagues and i passed the lower food and fuel costs act. This bill will lower costs of goods for hardworking American Families by addressing supply chain risks, lowering the cost of food and gas prices, strengthening the food supply chain, and ensuring robust competition in the meat and poultry sector. This will bring a muchneeded drop in the prices of goods for the American People. Im also glad to report that with President Bidens leadership, gas prices have declined by an average of 65 cents over the last 40 days. Yes, you heard me right, madam speaker. 65 cents in the last 40 days. And to bring savings for the American People, House Democrats passed the Consumer Fuel pricing gouging prevention act to further fight putins price hike. While democrats are determined to deliver results for americans, republicans showed little support on this cost saving bill. While sad on their part, i was not surprised. On the Public Health front, just this year, Pharma Companies have raised drug prices over 1,100 times. 1,100 times. Drastic greedy increases like these have led to insulin in the u. S. Doubling in price since 2012. This really hurts states and congressional districts like mine that have historically struggled with Health Issues like diabetes. In texas, more than 12. 4 of the people or nearly three Million People have diabetes. And in the houston area where i live, almost 14 of the residents have diabetes. And madam speaker, even in my own family, and you recall im one of 10, six of us have been struck with diabetes and i have one brother thats already under dialysis treatment. Shockingly, reports show that one in four diabetics have rationed insulin in texas due to high costs. Many residents have died because of needing to ration this lifesaving medicine. This is simply appalling and unconscionable. No one in our great nation should gamble with their life because of high costs. Thats because House Democrats passed the affordable insulin now act, to cap the price of insulin at 35 per month. Because no one, and i mean no one, should have to ration insulin in america. So while republicans remain focused on placing their pleasing their Political Base and stripping women of their rights, democrats remain laser focused on lowering costs for hardworking americans across our nation and standing with families. Democrats are the party who put people above politics. We stand with the American People. Together, were building a better america for generations to come and for the future of our children. Thank you, madam speaker. And with that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from tennessee, mr. Rose, for five minutes. Mr. Rose madam speaker, on thursday, the bureau of Economic Analysis will release its Second Quarter Gross Domestic Product numbers. An overall measure of our countrys economic output from april through june. For decades, a rescission has been recession has been defined as two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth. Therefore, if thursdays Second Quarter g. D. P. Number is in the negative, then by definition the United States economy will be in a recession. However, that wont stop the white house from doing everything it can to deny the obvious. In fact, the White House Council of economic advisors is actively trying to change the definition of the word recession. In a blog posted published on july 21 titled, quote, how do economists determine whether the economy is in a recession, closed quote, the white house argues that it is unlikely that the decline in g. D. P. In the First Quarter of this year, even if followed by another g. D. P. Decline in the Second Quarter indicates a recession, closed quote. I hope those students who will be taking economics 101 in the fall are taking notes, because the Biden Administration is attempting to change the decadesold answers to the test questions for purely political purposes. Instead of President Biden and his administration attempting to bait and switch the public on the definition of a recession, they should change course on their policies that are crushing our economy and creating significant pain for millions of americans. President bidens disastrous economic policies are having a Ripple Effect on the housing market, on gas and food prices, real wages, and, of course, overall inflation. Now well find out on thursday whether, by definition, were in a recession. Madam speaker, it didnt have to be this way. We didnt have to borrow and spend ourselves into this mess. The president didnt need to cancel the keystone pipeline. He didnt need to restrict new oil and gas it leases on public lands. He didnt need to create new regulations on every sector of the economy through the securities and Exchange Commission and other bureaucratic government agencies. Thankfully, the days of complete Democratic Party rule in washington are likely coming to an end. The American People are fed up with their leftwing economic policies and will reject them soundly at the voting booth in november. Until then, republicans, like me, who stand for fiscal conservatism, will continue to call them out and hope for more accountability. At the end of the day, the president is responsible for this economic mess he created. He must do better. But if he cant, republicans will. Thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands, ms. Plaskett, for five minutes. Ms. Plaskett thank you, madam speaker. I ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Ms. Plaskett thank you. Madam speaker, 57 years ago this week, president lyndon b. Johnson signed into law the medicare and medicaid act. By increasing health care across access for elderly and lowincome americans, this act was a giant leap forward in building a more perfect union. Today, nearly 64 million americans are enrolled in medicare, and over 83 million americans receive assistance from medicaid. We know that these programs are highly effective. Extensive Research Shows that medicaid coverage is associated with a range of positive health outcomes. Medicare and medicaid saves lives. Medicare and medicaid also have considerable economic benefits. Medicaid significantly helps reduce poverty and has been tied to economic mobility across generations and higher educational attainment, income, and taxes paid. Despite the benefits of medicare and medicaid, my republican colleagues are trying to dismantle these programs. In 2018, a House Republican Budget Proposal slashing 50 537 million from medicare over a decade. Yet, while House Republicans tried to gut medicare and medicaid, House Democrats are working to expand these programs t to more americans. Im fighting to improve medicare and medicaid in my district of the Virgin Islands of the United States and to the other u. S. Territories which have long suffered health care inequities. Before 2017, in the Virgin Islands, nearly 30 of residents didnt have health insurance. This is a rate hire than the National Average of 9 . As of 2021, 34,000 individuals in the Virgin Islands, over a third of our population, relied on medicaid and chip. However the Virgin Islands has historically been denied the same medicare and medicaid benefits available to the states. Unlike the states, federal medicaid funding to the Virgin Islands is capped. Before the storms of 2017, the federal government covered just 55 of medicaid costs of the Virgin Islands, which is substantially lower than the 83 that would have been covered if the Virgin Islands retreated were treated as a state. In addition the Virgin Islands and u. S. Territories are exc excluded from receiving lowincome subsidies under the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit and exclude interested dish, the disproportionate share of Hospital Program under both medicaid and medicare. Through recent legislation i worked to temporarily increase the federal share of medicaid funding to the Virgin Islands from 55 to 83 . An increase federal medicaid funding to the Virgin Islands by hundreds of millions of dollars. This has allowed 20,000 of our most vulnerable virgin islanders to retain ak its to Health Care Access to health care. Unfortunately these provisions are only temporarily and a permanent solution is needed to ensure the people of the Virgin Islands have access to Affordable Health care. Thats why i introduced h. R. 3434 with representatives from the other territories. This bill would eliminate the unfair medicaid funding limits for u. S. Territories. Increase medicare reimbursement to hospitals in the u. S. Territories, and allow residents of the u. S. Territories to be eligible for lowincome subsidies under the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit. Permit the dish payments to u. S. Territories, and take other measures to improve access to health insurance. Im calling on the senate to address the medicaid issue for the Virgin Islands, for puerto rico, guam, northern marianas, American Samoa to help almost hundreds of thousands of americans. Im calling on the senate to address this in any Health Care Reconciliation bill with what was passed for the territories here in the house. When president johnson signed the medicare and medicaid act into law, he promised no longer will Older Americans be denied the healing miracle of modern medicine. No longer will young families see their incomes and their hopes eaten away simply because they are carrying out their deep moral obligations to their parents, to their uncles, and to their aunts. Unfortunately this promise has yet to be fulfilled to residents of the Virgin Islands and the u. S. Territories. As we mark 57 years of this legislation, let us commit to fully realizing this hope by expanding access to medicare and medicaid to all americans. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from north carolina, ms. Foxx, for five minutes. Ms. Foxx thank you, madam speaker. At the state and local levels Public Employees are often promised defined benefit Pension Plans that are subsidized through the tax code and exempt from erisas funding, notice, and disclosure requirements. Too often state and local governments have not kept their end of the bargain and are failing to Fund Employee pensions adequately. The number suggests Public Employee pensions are dangerously underfunded. Economists estimate that state Pension Plans are collectively underfunded by as much as 5. 8 trillion. According to the center for Retirement Research at boston college, public Pension Funds have on hand an average of just 75 cents for every dollar expect the expected to owe retirees and future benefits. Simply put there is not enough money setaside to meet retirement obligations. This raises serious questions about the promises that public employers make and the practices they use to address underfunding. Im especially concerned with recent news reports that some states and localities rather than making responsible decisions to manage their plans are adopting a risky practice. Betting on the stock market with borrowed money. According to the wall street journal in 2021, more than 100 state, city, and county governments borrowed money for their pedges Pension Funds and invested in stocks and other investments. Nearly 13 billion in pension Obligation Bonds were sold last year. Which is more than in the prior five years combined. Heres the problem with issuing pension Obligation Bonds. They can backfire. Investing with borrowed money can increase with returns when markets are rising, but it makes losses more severe in down markets. This is especially concerning given the recent struggles in the stock and bond markets. According to recent reports public Pension Funds have lost 10. 4 on average in 2022. When investments using borrowed money dont perform as hoped and returns fall below the bond interest rate, the city, state, or county winds up paying even more than if it hadnt borrowed in the first place. In light of recent multibillion dollar taxpayer bailouts of private sector Pension Plans, there is no question where state and local governments will turn when investments fall short and trillions in pension payments come due. I urge public employers to make decisions to fund their Pension Plans responsibly. Plans should not be gambling with the Retirement Savings of the hardworking men and women who depend on these pensions. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair now recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. Ruiz, for five minutes. Mr. Ruiz i rise today to celebrate the Coachella Valleys very own lee espinoza, an icon, legend in the boxing ring and inspiration to us all. From picking peanuts in the fields of mexico to training world renowned boxers on the national stage, lee is a fighter. The owner of the coachella boxing club, hes truly the godfather of boxing in the valley. He has trained world champions and put coachella on the map for producing some of the best boxers in the game. Born in 1949, his success stems from his humble beginnings. In his early years he worked on his fathers farm picking peanuts alongside his grandfather. After the devastating loss of his father, lee eventually moved to the u. S. With his mother where they lived in co coachella and later to lair. Ultimately he settled back in cocould he chel la where he coachella where he married his life. Together they had four children, vince, ruiz, and candy. It was his son whose interest in boxing and winning big trophies opened the door for lee to become the coach he is today. Lee took ruben to the india boys and girls club every day after work to train with his coach who in turn also taught him the ways of coaching. When lee took over coaching, he formed a boxing club that competed successfully against others throughout Southern California and arizona. While training in a cramped single room, lee steadfast dedication as a coach shined through in the success of the athletes he guided both inside and outside the ring. His first professional fighter fought twice for the International Boxing federation, world title, and competed in the 1984 olympic tryouts. Even when poncho decided it was time to retire from boxing, lee helped him find a job so he could take care of his family. Thats the thing about lee. When hes in your corner, you know that hes going to do everything that he can to help you succeed. In the ring and off the ring, hes truly a caring man, a man of character, with a lions heart of gold. In 1985, he officially opened the Coachella Valley boxing club in an old fire station next to city hall. What started as a club with six kids grew to 50. Over the years hes trained outstanding athletes who won two International Female boxing titles. An International Boxing federation champion, the diaz brothers each of whom won National Titles and competed before international audiences. And jocelyn who won the 2021u. S. A. Boxing national championships. For poncho, sandy, the diaz brothers, and others hes trained lees mentorship helped him more than triumph in the ring. His devotion to the growth laid the found days for success and his own success and stories hes given the athletes hes trained someone to look up to. His contributions to our communities have shaped our valleys history and left a lasting mark on the sport of boxing. Hes been inducted into the california boxing hall of fame and the west coast boxing hall of fame for all hes achieved. Growing up in coachella i was inspired by lee and his grit, determination, and work ethic. I looked up to him because i knew he was making a difference in our humble farm worker community. It is my hope that by telling his story here today and recording it in our nations history, athletes across the country and future generations will also be inspired and feel that same sense of hope that he has given to many of us in our valley and across the nation. Thank you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from iowa, mrs. Millermeeks, for five minutes. Mrs. Millermeeks thank you, madam speaker. I rise today to recognize dr. Michael welsh of the university of iowas college of medicine. He recently won the 2022 shaw prize in life science and medicine for his discoveries of defects causing cystic fibrophysical and development of medicines that reverse the defects. Hes spent the past 40 years of his career researching Cystic Fibrosis and looking for solutions. The shaw prize is awarded to those whose discoveries in Biomedical Sciences created solutions to illness. His research and discoveries should be highlighted. Im excited to see where his Research Takes him and those he inspires and mentors and how the university of iowa will contribute to the cure of Cystic Fibrosis. I rise today to recognize the accomplishments of a gina catholic high schools softball team. Last weekend they concluded the state softball tournament and won the 2a state championship title. This victory marks Regina Catholic high schools fourth 2a state championship in 11 years. Despite a difficult first inning, they were able to come together and work as a team and fishish with a 64 victory. I want to congratulate both teams as both teams are in my district and how outstanding that two of my districts teams would be in the state championship softball tournament. They put on a spectacular championship game and showing the talent that our district has at the state level. I look forward to cheering on both teams next year as they compete for another state title. I would like to wish a happy birthday to steve. I also want to wish a happy 43rd anniversary to mary and kirk on august 11. Happy anniversary. On august 13 kirk and kathy will celebrate their 39th wedding anniversary. Happy anniversary. I want to wish a happy birthday to blake dickerson. I want to wish a happy birthday to william. Thank you, madam chair. I yield back my time. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from connecticut, mr. Larson, for five minutes. Mr. Larson thank you, madam speaker. I rise to address the body on Social Security and request to extend and revise my remarks. Madam speaker, as we speak we are at war. We are at war with a Global Pandemic, Global Pandemic that is has swept across many nations. Including our own where we have lost now more than a Million People. 756,000plus are over the age of 65. Madam speaker, these are also the individuals who are most dependent during these times because they are on fixed income and are most impacted by inflation. Madam speaker, this war will continue because there is another wave of omicron coming our way called ba275 that will land here sometime in the fall. And all the more reason that we have a plan to address this. Our plan is to make sure that we assist our seniors who are most in need. And so we reach out to our colleagues on the other side and ask them to join us in expanding Social Security benefits. Congress, that has the sole responsibility to do this, hasnt done it in 51 years. When you go back home to your district, in which case on average 145,000 people in your district are on Social Security, they need our help now. Its what Martin Luther king called the fierce urgency of now. Now because were in the midst of covid. Now because theres another more deadly wave on its way. And the group impacted the most are our senior citizens, theyre our veterans. Because as everyone knows, Social Security not only is a pension plan, its spousal and dependent coverage. And more veterans rely on Social Security than they do on the v. A. And they are in need of our help. Congress, as an institution, hasnt acted in 51 years to enhance a program. Madam speaker, as you know, a gallon of milk cost 75 cents in 1971. And Richard Nixon was president of the United States. Thats how long its been since congress has acted. We can no longer kick the can down the road. We are at war. We are at war with a virus thats attacking our people. They need our help. They need our response. During war we come together as a body. We roll up our sleeves. We have a plan that will extend those benefits. Republicans have put forward three concepts and ideas. One, the republican study plan that cuts Social Security across the board by 21 with the idea that people are living longer so we should boost the age. For every year you raise the age, thats a 7 cut. The plan here says you have a new plan that says work until you die, for gods sake. This cannot stand. Senator scott has proposed a plan for Social Security that ends it in five years. And mr. Biggs before our committee testified that Social Security ought to be privatized. We say none of the above. Join us in expanding benefits to people who need them the most, to people who are impacted the most. These are your brothers, your sisters, your mother, father, your aunts, uncles, the people you worship with, your coworkers, thats who Social Security impacts. More than 65 million americans currently and with 10,000 baby boomers a day becoming eligible for Social Security, the time to act is now. We cannot kick this can down the road. We have a markup pending in the ways and Means Committee to get this bill to the floor. And the sooner we vote on it the better. This is something where democrats and republicans should join together. Social security is the most efficient and effective government program. Its run with under 1 administrative cost. I come from an insurance capital of the world. Any Insurance Company would love to have a 99 loss ratio. Come together. Join us to protect Social Security. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair now recognizes the gentleman from indiana, mr. Pence, for five minutes. Mr. Pence madam speaker, its summer and hoosiers all over the great state of indiana are renewing our plowed and long proud and long standing tradition of attending our great county fairs. County fairs are a time for communities to gather, to celebrate, and to encourage young hoosiers in agriculture. My team and i have spent our summer attending county fairs across indianas sixth district. I encourage all hoosiers to attend their local county fair, and the indiana state fair which runs from july 29 through august 21. Madam speaker, i rise today to honor Decatur County and its county seat, greensburg, indiana, in its bicentennial celebration. Decatur county and the wonderful city of greensburg were founded in the year 1822 by veterans and war heroes of the war of 1812. And it still stands today as a model county and city. Decatur county and the city of greensburg will long stand as a beacon of hope from the communities filled with hospitality to the famous tree city courthouse. I ask that all hoosiers and americans join us in celebrating Decatur Countys grand bicentennial anniversary. I rise to honor to celebrate the bicentennial of henry county. It was founded on june 1, 1822. It is home to the indiana Basketball Hall of fame and served as the home court to the movie hoosiers in knightstown, a birthplace of Wilbur Wright also finds its home there. Henry county includes the old national road, the oldest of the great crossroads of america. So madam speaker, i ask that all hoosiers and americans join us in celebrating henry countys grand bicentennial. Madam speaker, i rise today to honor state representative tom sanders. Representative sanders is retiring after nearly three decades of public service, and im proud to join hoosiers in celebrating a friend who has had an impact on our community. He served henry county and our entire state. Therefore, madam speaker, i wish him an enjoyable retirement and thank him for his many years of service. Madam speaker, i rise today because hoosier farmers are struggling under democratic leadership here in washington, d. C. While many of us understand the cost of inflation on our pocketbooks, we often forget that inflation is clobbering farmers who produce our food and fuel. Under President Bidens policies, farmers are struggling to just break even as input cost outpaces commodity prices. So madam speaker, after many letters ive written to multiple agency heads, i regret to report that democrats are not fact the party of all americans. Ill never stop fighting for hoosier farmers and the Agricultural Industry here in the nations capital. Madam speaker, i rise today to say a hearty thank you to the brave and courageous First Responders who serve the community of greenwood, indiana. When tragedy hit their Community Last week, they were the first on the scene to respond. We commend local and federal authorities for their swift and coordinated action. Thank you to the Greenwood Police chief james isen and Johnson County sheriff burgess for your leadership and thank you to all of those who serve with you. Inflation, inflation, inflation. Madam speaker, inflation is costing the average family 6,000 per year. 6,000 per year. For hoosiers, this is gas and groceries, college tuition, and college repairs car repairs. Despite democrats denial, we all know where this is headed a recession. Were in it. Hardworking hoosiers cannot afford democrat policies any longer. I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to stop crushing the American Dream with their outoftouch policies. Thank you, madam speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. Panetta, for five minutes. Mr. Panetta madam speaker, i rise to recognize the Heroic Service of u. S. Army retired special forces major john j. Duffy. Recently, major duffy was recognized as a recipient of the medal of honor, not just for his service but his gallantry and intrepidry above the call of duty. A resident of my district, he served four combat wtours in vietnam, operating often behind enemy lines. He was the recipient of 64 awards and decoration, 29 of which are for valor. Recently at the ceremony at the white house, major duffy received the medal of honor from president joe biden. The medal was in recognition for his actions in on april 14 and 15 in 1972 when major duffy was the advisor for the second brigade of the 11th airborne battalion for the republic of vietnam. Over those two days, major duffy value antley de valiantly defended a battalion sized group by the enemy. During the battle, major duffy took charge after his c. O. Was killed in action. Despite the constant attacks by the enemy and being shot multiple times, he refused to leave and returned to enemy fire as he attended to his wounded soldiers. During the eventually evacuation of the base, he led the operation and continued to tend to his soldiers that were wounded in action. He finally left the base, but he was the last man to do so. Major duffy exemplifies the heroism thats required to earn this award and represents the type of service and sacrifice that is at times necessary in combat, for our brothers in arms, and our country. Thats why we are so proud to call Major John Duffy our neighbor, veteran, and countryman of the United States of america. Madam speaker, i rise to recognize the vibrant life of diane porter coolly, a pillar of Santa Cruz Community. Born to a family that settled in Santa Cruz Community in the late 1850s, he had a deep connection to the people and land. Her father, tom, was one of the four founders of driscoll berries, and she was part of agriculture until her passing earlier this year. Diane worked tirelessly to protect and preserve the environment and was an outspoken advocate for the people of the valley. She was a dynamic agent of change who championed the creation of the elkhorn foundation, the arts council, the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County and the land trust of Santa Cruz County. Madam speaker, diane porter coollys outreach and i philanthropy extended far and wide throughout our community. As we say goodbye to a daughter of over 95 years, may she continue to inspire us for generations to come. Thank you, madam speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from indiana, mr. Baird, for five minutes. Mr. Baird madam speaker, i seek permission to address the house for five minutes and to revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Baird madam speaker, today i rise to address an issue plaguing my constituents and my fellow hoosiers and americans across the country. Catalytic converter threats. From the outside looking in, it may seem like a small problem but Law Enforcement, auto dealers, and the growing number of victims of these crimes will tell you otherwise. In communities across the country, thieves are targeting families, schools, businesses, and disrupting transportation plans and leading drivers to shell out hundreds or even thousands of dollars in repair costs. For those of you who are unfamiliar with catalytic converters, this auto part is required to reduce the potency of toxic emissions from internal combustion engines and is usually made up of Precious Metals like rode rodium and paladium which can be sold for hundreds of dollars on the black market. The thieves ability to remove them from the car in a matter of seconds makes them a prime target for criminals looking to earn cash with little risk. My bill takes a prolonged approach to tackling this economic and epidemic by including traceable identifying features on catalytic converters, strengthening enforceability of catalytic converter thefting. By linking stolen catalytic converters from their origin, codify catalytic converter thefts as criminal offenses with criminal penalties, its my great hope we can curb these costly thefts. Im deeply concerned about the costly impacts these thefts have on americans, especially at a time when American Workers are taking less and families are paying more for everything thanks to soaring inflation rates. I recognize the strains this has put on so many victims of this crime and i want to call all i can do to empower Law Enforcement so we can address this problem. Americans have enough to worry about. Spending their hardearned paycheck to replace stolen car parts shouldnt be one of them. I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have joined me in this effort to empower Law Enforcement and dealer deter future theft by joining the part act. I believe that this widely bipartisan issue can be an easy win for congress by offering a straightforward and impactful solution for Law Enforcement struggling to address these rampant crimes across the country. I hope you will join me in putting an end to this issue by supporting h. R. 6394, the part act. Madam speaker, i rise today to speak about h. R. 3588. This is an important piece of legislation that i was proud to introduce with my friend from pennsylvania, congresswoman houlahan. The mathematical and statistical modeling education act provides a much needed solution to improving the quality of Stem Education in america. This legislation advanced mathematical instruction by incorporating modern tools and context including data, statistics, and computation. Mathematical modeling is currently taught on a limited basis, yet is the foundation for the important work or nation is addressing within research, development, and technological innovation. In addition to being both a bipartisan and bicameral piece of legislation, this bill has the support of several organizations, including the american mathematical society, the society for industrial and applied mathematics, and im proud to lead this effort in providing for the security of americas Global Competitive edge. I urge all members to support this bill. Thank you, madam speaker. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. Stile, for five minutes. A mr. Style thank you very much, madam speaker. I rise to recognize the 10year anniversary of the horrific attack at the observing creek sikh on august 5, 2012. I rise to honor the memory of those we lost in that attack. On august 5, 2012 a shooting took place at the chic temple of wisconsin sikh temple of wisconsin. The senseless act of violence should have never occurred. In particular in a house of worship. None ofless, the Oak Creek Community came together. The Sikh Community with compassion and stayed true to the sikh principle of responding tto relentless optimism. Translating to relentless optimism. I choin the Oak Creek Community to remember and honor the victims of this tragedy. Madam speaker, every day i am home in wisconsin i leather about the impack hear about the impact of prizing prices and the impact they are having on families budgets. Wisconsins families and seniors have continued to share their concerns with me about rising costs. A 79yearold woman in jane, wisconsin told me im rest and more careful about what i buy in the Grocery Store because im on a fixed income. A woman in oak creek said, brian, im on a fix income and with the increased cost of medication, groceries, and gas its difficult to stretch money until next months payments. A 68yearold woman from kenosha, wisconsin, said briian, im delaying my briian bryan, im delaying my requirement. We need to change course. Its time we unleash american energy, get spending under control. And address the issues American Families are facing every day. Madam speaker, illicit fentanyl is devastating our communities. In racine county, last year, 68 people died from an illicit fentanyl overdose. In kenosha county, 48 people died of an illicit fentanyl overdose death. It is the leading cause of deaths for individuals aged 18 to 45. We must keep working to keep these drugs off our streets. Im pleased to announce two of my amendments passed the house last week. The First Amendment will support funding to combat fentanyl from entering the country and strengthening border security. The Second Amendment will support funding for high intensity Drug Trafficking areas. This will be used to combat the increase in Overdose Deaths from fentanyl and related substances. These amendments are important step in keeping these dangerous substances off our streets. In order to stop illicit fentanyl flow, we need to secure the border, fund Law Enforcement, and make fentanyl related substances a permanent schedule 1 drug. I encourage congress to take the steps necessary to protect our communities from this illicit substance. Madam speaker, the covid19 shut downs exacerbated a worsening crisis in our country. What im talking about is our childrens Mental Health. I reason cently september a letter to the recently sent a letter to the c. D. C. Regarding youth Mental Health. They have not released data on suicide rates among children. Why . The data on suicide rates in children is an important tool needed to strengthen our Mental Health infrastructure across our country. As we approach the coming school year, this Critical Data will help us make informed decisions to support our children and improve their Mental Health. I urge the c. D. C. To release this important data regarding our childrens Mental Health. Madam speaker, id like to discuss an issue impacting veterans in my district. Im continuing to hear stories from families in wisconsin about the quality of care at the staterun wisconsins veteran home in union grove. It was reported in may that the staterun Veterans Home ranks amongst one of the worst state run Veterans Homes in the entire country. This is unacceptable. The substandard care veterans have suffered at the union grove facility is abhorrent and must be addressed immediately. Two months ago i asked for a federal review of the staterun facility. Our veterans and their families should be receiving the highest quality care at any facility in wisconsin. The quality of care at this facility has long been a concern of mine. Its abundantly clear that the Veterans Home at union grove has much larger issues than many imagined. We need to ensure our veterans are receiving the care they deserve. I continue to call on the department of Veterans Affairs and c. M. S. To provide a federal review of the union grove Veterans Homes. Madam chair, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. Lamalfa, for five minutes. Mr. Lamalfa thank you, madam speaker. This time last year President Biden claimed that high prices and rising inflation were temporary. If we continued down this administrations path and trusted their policies then prices would go down again. Last months Consumer Price index score came out and revealed that inflation has soared to 9. 1 . The highest rate in 41 years. So obviously his at the same time of inflation was transitory, temporary, what have you, is false. The numbers around bearing up. The Commerce Department is days away from releasing its first estimate of the economys output in the april through june quarter. The economy already shrank 1. 6 in the january through march quarter. Many economists are forecasting another negative output rate. Two outputs in a row means that the the r word. The ones the Biden Administration and his cabinet dont want to say. It could mean the recession. That will validate the feelings of americans across the country struggling to afford the basic necessities amidrising prices. Despite record high prices the treasury secretary is trying to spin the definition of a recession claiming that since our nations Unemployment Rate isnt that high that our economy must be doing great. Thats not being felt at home. Thats obviously false. The American People are feeling unprecedented financial pain in all aspects of their lives. Fuel, electricity, their health care, homes, everything. Is going up. Its becoming unaffordable for lower income, middle income americans. Wholesale prices have surged 11. 3 . Small Business Confidence has dropped to 48year low with businesses struggling to hire new employees and fill open jobs. These bureaucrats in the Biden Administration arent suffering the financial consequences of their policy that policies are causing average americans. They dont feel them the same as regular people do. This is the same administration when gas prices hit an alltime high told people to go out and by electric vehicles. Sure, 2340 problem, 50,000, 65,000. Our secretary of transportation says it will require more pain to benefit electric car drivers and owners at 65,000 vehicles with chinesemade replacement battery packs. Our nation is facing a recession meaning that the sales of new homes, consumer confidence, spending, and real wages are dromg and dropping and inflation is still rising. President biden has aloud the American People and main street businesses to suffer while reckless spending policies continue 20 make things to make things worse. I heard this firsthand from my own constituents. Real people deal with this every day. The price of everything at the cash register, supermarket, its going up. And their wages effectively are going down. In a telephone town hall i hosted recently i asked participants have rising costs impacted our spending habits . 90 said yes. They can spend less. They can do less. There are similar figures across the board. A new fox news poll revealed that 75 of americans reported experiencing hardship because of inflation. We need to work to repair our economy through cutting wasteful spending, burdensome regulations, our dependence on foreign oil. Why are we going to saudi arabia and asking for their oil when we have so much on our own backyard, our own energy we could make ourselves completely selfsufficient as we were a couple years ago and help our allies around the world with that as well. Focus on things that help the American People. Lower income and middle income families especially. Instead of helping more Illegal Immigrants come to the country. Instead of helping china become richer with more and more of our assets and business. I keep having to ask the question, President Biden and your cabinet whose side are you on . I yield back. The speaker pro tempore many the chair recognizes the gentleman from arkansas, mr. Westerman, for five minutes. Mr. Westerman thank you, madam speaker. Today one in five americans are affected by dyslexia, making it the most common learning disability. Yet there are still children in u. S. School systems that go without being diagnosed. Instead they are written off as having a lack of effort or plain lack of intelligence. Despite misconception, dyslexia is not connected to ones level of intelligence. In fact, where students have a difficult time reading they often excel in creative thought and critical thinking. My bipartisan legislation, the 21st century dyslexia act, will federally define dyslexia and label proper treatments an diagnosis. Enabling teachers, students, and parents to assist aspiring students to achieve successful accept ij academic careers and equal opportunity in the classroom. Madam speaker, 3,000 years. That is how long some giant sequoias have been alive. To put this in perspective, these trees started growing before the concept of democratcy, the english language, and the birth of cease. The largest grove in Yosemite National park has been a source of inspiration for generations. When the washburn fire hit the grove, the fires intensity dramatically increased thanks to 50 years of thinning and prescribed burns. There is a stark contrast between areas that have a history of proper management and those that have been disregarded. While the fire subsided surrounding areas that did not receive sufficient management were destroyed. As a licensed forester, i take it upon myself to sook sciencebased solutions for the conservation of our forests. The Mariposa Grove serve as a prime example how mechanical thinning and prescribed burns are necessary tools for proper force management. It is my hope the grove continues its legacy of inspiration by encourage agnew generation of proactive force manage thament will protect these iconic trees for the enjoyment of generations to come. Its past time for the Natural Resources committee to mark up the bipartisan save our sequoias act and for the house to pass it to protect these Iconic National treasures. Madam speaker, recently we have talked a lot about the dire situation of some of californias most iconic trees, the sequoias, we have yet to discuss a condition of californias oldest trees, the great basin bristle cone pine trees. They signify resilience, longevity, and perseverance. To cope in difficult times they almost committeely die off, leaving but a few strips of bark that can continue to grow alonged grouped or skyward for thousands of years. To ward off pests, they trap them in their thick resin. Due to severe drought and mixed forest, ba brk beetles have overcome the pines which have succumbed to them the way they have not before. The good news in the past month a Forest Service pathologist confirmed that methuselah, the 5,000 bristle cone pine, has yet to face bark beetle devastation. There is still time to work on the drought. We must follow the pines example of resilience and perseverance. Adapting our laws to the needs of the Natural World to stave off catastrophic wildfire and drought. Madam speaker, i rise to recognize the hardworking farmers and ranchers of arkansas who are being crushed by unprecedented drought and heat on top of outofcontrol inflation thats created suffocating input cost for basic farming inputs such as fuel and fertilizer. Although this devastating farm year cant be salvaged, hopefully President Biden and the democrats in congress will realize how detrimental their actions have been on raising food and fuel prices on those who can least afford it lowincome and fixedincome americans. I plead with my colleagues across the aisle to embolden common sense and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to clause 12a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until 2 00 p. M. Today. Next, centers for control and prevention