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19 public bills, H.R. 7934- 7952; and 2 resolutions, H. Res. 1116-1117 were introduced.
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Reports Filed
Reports were filed today as follows: H. Con. Res. 73, authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the National Peace Officers Memorial Service and the National Honor Guard and Pipe Band Exhibition (H. Rept. 119-544); H.R. 6480, to direct the Administrator of General Services to submit a report to Congress on the state of the real estate portfolio of the Public Building Service, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-545); H.R. 6267, to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on the impediments to digital documentation and verification in the aviation supply chain, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-546); H.R. 5663, to modify the termination of the aviation consumer protection advisory committee, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-547); H.R. 6618, to require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a study on drone incursions on wildfire suppression, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119- 548); H.R. 6460, to amend title 49, United States Code, to clarify exceptions for limited recreational operations of unmanned aircraft, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-549); H.R. 3410, to allow for the operation of civil supersonic flight in the national airspace system under certain conditions, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-550); H.R. 2247, to amend title 49, United States Code, to authorize the use of physical or digital copies of certain certificates for certain Federal Aviation Administration inspections, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-551); H.R. 6427, to amend title 49, United States Code, to permit the use of State highway standards for airfield pavement construction and improvement under certain circumstances, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-552); H.R. 6481, to direct the Administrator of General Services and the Director of the Federal Protective Service to establish guidance relating to emergency communication protocols for public buildings, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-553); and H. Res. 1115, providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 556) to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture from prohibiting the use of lead ammunition or tackle on certain Federal land or water under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1958) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify that aliens who have been convicted of defrauding the United States Government or the unlawful receipt of public benefits are inadmissible and deportable; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4638) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien who has been convicted of harming animals used in law enforcement is inadmissible and deportable, and for other purposes; and relating to consideration of motions to suspend the rules (H. Rept. 119-554).
Page H2529
Speaker
Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he appointed Representative Collins to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
Page H2487
Recess
The House recessed at 12:30 p.m. and reconvened at 2 p.m.
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Recess
The House recessed at 2:04 p.m. and reconvened at 3 p.m.
Page H2491
Suspensions
The House agreed to suspend the rules and pass the following measures: Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act: S. 1884, to clarify the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016, to appropriately limit the application of defenses based on the passage of time and other non-merits defenses to claims under that Act;
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Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act
H.R. 1422, amended, to impose sanctions with respect to persons engaged in logistical transactions and sanctions evasion relating to oil, gas, liquefied natural gas, and related petrochemical products from the Islamic Republic of Iran;
Pages H2500-03
Agreed to amend the title so as to read
``To impose sanctions with respect to persons engaged in significant transactions related or incidental to the processing, refining, export, transfer or sale of oil, condensates, or other petroleum or petrochemical products in whole or in part from the Islamic Republic of Iran'';
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Save Our Sequoias Act
H.R. 2709, amended, to improve the health and resiliency of giant sequoias;
Pages H2503-09
Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act
H.R. 4467, amended, to modify the boundary of the Vicksburg National Military Park in the State of Mississippi;
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Small Cemetery Conveyance Act
H.R. 4284, amended, to amend the Small Tract Act of 1983 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to convey, without consideration, certain cemeteries;
Pages H2510-11
Deploying Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions And Legacy Applications Act
H.R. 1665, to require the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to establish online portals to accept, process, and dispose of certain Form 299s;
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Reauthorizing the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009
H.R. 2294, amended, to reauthorize the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009;
Pages H2513-14
Shivwits Band of Paiutes Jurisdictional Clarity Act
H.R. 3073, to confer jurisdiction on the State of Utah with respect to civil causes of action arising on or within the Indian lands of the Shivwits Band of Paiutes;
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Gateway Partnership Act
H.R. 5254, amended, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement with the Gateway Arch Park Foundation to host private events in Gateway Arch National Park buildings;
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North Rim Restoration Act
H.R. 5729, amended, to authorize direct emergency acquisition flexibilities for the National Park Service for the purpose of retaining, vetting, approving, and expediting contractor approval for the clearing, rebuilding, maintenance, and improvement of the Grand Canyon grounds that have been impacted by the Dragon Bravo Fire;
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National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Extension Act
H.R. 2196, amended, to provide for an extension of the legislative authority of the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs;
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Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act
H.R. 528, amended, to require the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a program for Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Program;
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Chiricahua National Park Act
H.R. 6380, amended, to establish the Chiricahua National Park in the State of Arizona as a unit of the National Park System;
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Agreed to amend the title so as to read
``To redesignate the Chiricahua National Park in the State of Arizona as Chiricahua National Park, and for other purposes''; and
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Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act
H.R. 831, amended, to establish an interest-bearing account for the non-Federal contributions to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program.
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Suspensions: Proceedings Postponed
The House debated the following measures under suspension of the rules. Further proceedings were postponed. Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act: S. 3971, to extend the SBIR and STTR programs; and
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Mitigation Action and Watermen Support Act of 2026
H.R. 4294, amended, to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a pilot program with respect to the sale of blue catfish caught within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
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Senate Referrals
S. 327 was held at the desk. S. 836 was held at the desk. S. 2074 was held at the desk.
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Senate Message
Message received from the Senate appears on page H2491. Quorum Calls--Votes: There were no Yea and Nay votes, and there were no Recorded votes. There were no quorum calls. Adjournment: The House met at 12 p.m. and adjourned at 6:02 p.m.
Every speech and line is the Congressional Record's own text, read from GovInfo. Speakers are matched to members by GPO's own metadata. Referandom places each turn on the Clerk's video by matching its words: 142 of 205 spoken turns were found. Turns without a time are still listed; they just can't seek.
Morning-Hour Debate
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of January 6, 2026, 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 the parties and each Member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to 5 minutes, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 1:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and military service of Specialist Krystofer Lopez of Biglerville, Pennsylvania, who died following a training exercise at Letterkenny Army Depot in Franklin County on March 12.
Specialist Lopez served as a military police officer for the Letterkenny Directorate of Emergency Services Law Enforcement Division and was a Personnel Force Innovation member assigned to the 947th Quartermaster Company, which is based out of Letterkenny.
Specialist Lopez is remembered for his love of this great country and his commitment to the United States Armed Forces. Specialist Lopez was described by his twin sister, Kiki Lopez, as a man who always went above and beyond. Kiki noted that her brother always made sure to put his family before himself.
Specialist Lopez enlisted in the Army during his junior year of high school and wrestled for Biglerville High School. As a tribute to Specialist Lopez, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania flags over all State facilities, public buildings, and grounds are lowered to half-staff. In recognition of his dedicated service and his sacrifice, Specialist Lopez was posthumously promoted to the rank of Specialist.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the entire 13th Congressional District and a grateful nation, I offer prayers and condolences to Specialist Lopez' family, his friends, his fellow soldiers at Letterkenny Army Depot, and to the entire Biglerville community.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Phil Riccio of Altoona, Pennsylvania, as a recipient of the Outstanding Service Award for Pennsylvania as presented by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Throughout his nearly 30-year career as an educator, athletic director, and head coach of the Altoona Area High School football team, Coach Riccio has been an inspirational leader and advocate for high school sports.
To the spirit of the Outstanding Service Award and the mission of the national organization that bestowed it, Coach Riccio is devoted. He is devoted to ensuring that all students have an opportunity to enjoy healthy participation, achievement, and good sportsmanship in any education-based activity.
Mr. Speaker, it is with pride that I join everyone in the Altoona Area School District and the entire community in congratulating Coach Riccio on his selection for this prestigious award. I thank Coach Riccio for his enduring impact on the development of the district's students.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Jesse Shriner for 50 years of dedicated service as a member of the Alexandria Volunteer Fire Company in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.
Jesse was recently honored by the fire company with three prestigious awards: the President's Award, the Chief's Award, and the Firefighter of the Year Award. Collectively, this trifecta of awards pays tribute to Jesse for his enduring dedication.
Over the years, Jesse has served the fire company as a trustee, as a chaplain, and a fire police officer.
Jesse's community impact also includes his past leadership as president of the Juniata Valley Lions Club.
His 50-year commitment to public safety and the protection of property is an inspiration.
Mr. Speaker, I express gratitude to Jesse for the many ways that he has contributed to the Alexandria Volunteer Fire Company's legacy of service and extend him best wishes.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Wayne Myers on his selection as Pharmacist of the Year by the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association.
The selection of Dr. Myers honors his longstanding commitment to advancing independent community pharmacies.
Dr. Myers is owner of Norland Avenue Pharmacy in Chambersburg and Carl's Drug Store in Greencastle.
Dr. Myers has enrolled Norland Avenue Pharmacy as a Long-Term Care at Home Pharmacy, thereby increasing medication packaging and delivery services to improve the safety, adherence, and access for vulnerable patients.
Mr. Speaker, I extend congratulations to Dr. Myers on his selection as Pharmacist of the Year and express my personal gratitude for his enduring commitment to the core values of independent pharmacies, that is service, integrity, innovation, and ultimately community care.
Mr. Speaker, last Thursday, the Jewish community in West Bloomfield, Michigan, narrowly avoided a fatal act of anti-Semitic terrorism. The temple may be burned and battered, but every single life inside that sacred space was saved and spared.
Michigan is forever grateful to the private security guards who sprang into action and put their lives on the line to avoid serious tragedy. Because of their bravery and training, as well as the quick response of law enforcement, the congregants of Temple Israel are alive and safe.
We saw the images on our television screens. Dozens and dozens of police vehicles showed up immediately. We thank Oakland Sheriff Mike Bouchard, along with the West Bloomfield and Bloomfield Township Police Departments for answering the call.
In far too many houses of worship--in synagogues, in churches, in mosques--Americans now find themselves praying under the watchful eye of armed guards. No one should have to fear gathering at a synagogue, sending their kids to religious school, or simply practicing their faith.
Tragically, this appears to be our new normal. Anti-Semitism is at its highest levels in decades. Driven by hate and vitriol and stirred up by social media, it has become widespread and all too common.
It has consequences. Anti-Semitic incidents are up 900 percent over the last decade. In just one year, we have seen deadly attacks in Boulder, Colorado, as well as Washington, D.C. A temple in Mississippi burned down. America's only Jewish Governor and his family were victims of arson. America's Jewish community is scared by what this means for them and their place in our society.
There is nothing like it when we see this hit our own community. When I got that first phone call on Thursday afternoon, I nearly fell to the ground.
Michigan's 11th District is home to one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in the United States. They make our State and our country better in every way, and I am proud to represent them here in the Halls of Congress.
I spent the last few days speaking with parents, religious leaders, and community members. I was honored to join the congregation for Shabbat services on Friday night. They are shaken, but they are resilient. They are grateful for the outpouring of support the world has shown their community in recent days.
Mr. Speaker, we must call out anti-Semitism wherever we see it. It is no longer just enough to condemn it, though. We must root it out everywhere, and Congress must act. We have to fund Holocaust education programs. We must invest in efforts to combat anti-Semitism. We must urgently fund the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to ensure that houses of worship, regardless of faith, can keep their congregations safe from acts of terror.
Congress has fallen short. The security guards who saved Temple Israel were only there thanks to private grant funding from the Jewish Federations of North America. We must make sure we never come this close to tragedy again.
I want to offer a glimmer of hope. In the worst moment, we saw the best of Michigan. In the aftermath of the attack, the 140 students-- young children--and the staff inside this building were escorted safely across the street to the Shenandoah Country Club, founded by the Chaldean Iraqi immigrants who escaped persecution themselves.
In a world of division, lies, and fear, the Chaldeans welcomed their Jewish neighbors with open arms. They offered them shelter, food, and safety. They gave the kids coloring books and M&M's. Chicken tenders and fries were brought out. The parents were given the space to process and call loved ones.
Then 24 hours later, this Iraqi Christian country club hosted the whole congregation for Friday night Shabbat services.
This is America, and this is Michigan. That selflessness, that patriotism, and the love for thy neighbor makes me so proud to be a Michigander and the Congresswoman for Oakland County. We come together in times like this because that is who we are.
Mr. Speaker, Jewish families in Michigan and around the world are rightfully shaken, but they will do what they have done for centuries. They will endure. They will keep going. Temple Israel will reopen. We will rebuild. In Michigan, we write our own story. We will not be defined by one act of extremism.
Our Jewish community should be proud of who they are. We want them to know that we see them and we stand with them from the neighborhoods of West Bloomfield to the Halls of Congress. We will be alongside them in times of celebration and in times of difficulty. They are resilient, they are unbreakable, and their Congresswoman is with them.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the student athletes of Hunter Huss High School in Gastonia, North Carolina, for winning the North Carolina boys' State basketball championship.
In North Carolina, basketball is a part of who we are. From packed high school gyms to college arenas, our State takes great pride in the game. This tradition is alive and well at Hunter Huss High School.
These students spent countless hours practicing, preparing, and pushing themselves to be their best. Their hard work and determination paid off in a season that we will never forget.
A State championship is never won by just one person. It is a testament to the coaches, to the families, to the teachers, and the supporters who stood behind this team all season long.
Mr. Speaker, achievements like this bring our community together, and I can say that Gaston County and all of North Carolina are very proud of this great team. We congratulate the Hunter Huss Huskies for an outstanding season and a well-earned State title.
Mr. Speaker, as this headline on the whiteboard proclaims, we in New England received welcomed news on Friday that, after years of hard work and massive investments by both the private sector and the government, a new, reliable source of energy for our electrical grid was officially turned on.
This project, known as Revolution Wind, will add 700 megawatts that will power over 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut. At a time of tight supply and rising energy costs, adding hundreds of megawatts and electrical capacity is an obvious way to reduce costs, rather than just offloading the burden onto energy users.
This project is locked into a 20-year contract price of 9 cents per kilowatt-hours at a time when the average price from other sources to the region's grid is 30 cents per kilowatt-hour. Obviously, this is a beneficial response and solid solution to addressing New England's and our Nation's high-cost economy.
Even more significant is the fact that this power source is not at the mercy of the global fossil fuel markets that
Today, home heating oil in Connecticut is $5.10 per gallon, up from $4.28 per gallon just last week and $3.74 per gallon a year ago. Gas at the pump is going for $3.65 per gallon. It was $2.90 per gallon 1 month ago.
Mr. Speaker, the men and women who have been hard at work at the State pier in New London, Connecticut, for the last 6 years, transforming a decrepit, underutilized dock into a state-of-the-art port that can handle massive cargo carriers, delivering enormous towers, blades, and the nacelles that connect the towers and the blades. Sensors are mounted on the nacelles to detect wind speed, which then moves blades into the wind to maximize output. It is ingenious.
Union operating engineers, electricians, and laborers kept this project moving forward, despite the persistent, hostile obstruction of the Trump administration's Department of the Interior, which issued two illegal halt work orders in 2025. The Department's orders were soundly rejected by Federal district courts in Washington, D.C., and Virginia.
The Department's unfounded claims that Revolution Wind posed a national security threat were decisively and swiftly dismissed given the fact that the Department of Defense, in consultation with the Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard, thoroughly examined this project and issued a permit in December 2024.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record a letter dated December 13, 2024, from the Assistant Secretary of Defense, who found that this project ``would not have adverse impacts to DOD missions in the area.''
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Connecticut?
Mr. Speaker, I think all of New England and the mid- Atlantic States owe a huge thanks to Judge Royce Lambeth, the Reagan appointee who lived up to his oath and twice asserted the power of the judiciary, a coequal branch of government, to rein in the administration's ludicrous, harmful abuse of executive power.
As our economy is reeling today from the oil and gas aftershock of the war in Iran, the news this weekend that offshore wind can provide a reliable, affordable source of energy that is produced in America and for American energy consumers is hopefully going to force a reconsideration of the attack on renewable energy by this administration and, unfortunately, my colleagues in the House who have legislatively crushed this industry, depriving American consumers of an affordable source of home-grown energy.
Wind power alone will not solve our energy demands, but 700 new megawatts surging into New England is undeniable proof that our Nation's innovators, our building trades union, and the merchant mariners are up to the job to power our country in the 21st century.
Mr. Speaker, hardworking Americans deserve to keep more of what they earn. For millions of workers across our country, especially in restaurants and the service industry, tips are not extra income. They are a critical part of the paycheck.
That is why I was proud to support the Working Families Tax Cut Act, which reduces Federal taxes on tips and delivers real relief to workers who rely on them to support their families. Nearly 6 million Americans report tipped wages. Under this reform, workers can now deduct up to $25,000 in qualified tips each year.
The impact will be especially meaningful in States like Iowa. In the first year alone, tipped workers across Iowa are expected to save approximately $59 million in Federal income taxes.
That is money that will stay in the pockets of hardworking Americans who earned it. That is money for groceries, rent, childcare, prescription drugs, and everyday expenses. It is real relief for workers who put in long hours serving in our communities. Reducing taxes on tips rewards hard work, strengthens families, and supports the local businesses that power our economy.
I was proud to help pass the Working Families Tax Cut Act, and I will continue fighting to ensure that hardworking Americans can keep more of what they earn.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Davenport native Kevin McKee, who represented Team USA at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Paralympic Winter Games in Italy and has now earned his fourth Paralympic Gold Medal. Kevin competed in his fourth Paralympic Games as a member of the United States sled hockey team, continuing a remarkable career of representing our Nation on the world stage.
A proud Davenport native, a player at the Quad City Veterans Outreach adaptive sports center, and member of the Chicago Blackhawks sled hockey team, Kevin has worn the Team USA jersey since 2012.
Born with a rare spinal disorder, Kevin has turned determination into excellence, helping to lead Team USA to a Paralympic Gold Medal in 2014, 2018, 2022, and now again in 2026.
With a 6-2 victory over Canada, Team USA once again captured the gold medal, demonstrating the strength, teamwork, and resilience that define American athletes.
Kevin McKee's perseverance and leadership make Davenport, the Quad City Veterans Outreach Center, the State of Iowa, and our entire Nation proud. I congratulate Kevin and the entire Team USA sled hockey team on this incredible achievement, and I thank them for representing our country with such pride and excellence.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Chief Jeff Bladel on his retirement after 31 years of dedicated service with the Davenport Police Department.
Appointed chief in 2022, Chief Bladel followed in his father's footsteps, who served as Davenport's police chief from 2000 to 2008.
A lifelong Davenport resident, Chief Bladel returned home after serving our Nation as an airborne military officer in the United States Army and committed his career to protecting his community.
Under his leadership, the department strengthened data-driven crime reduction efforts and advanced key public safety initiatives, including the Department of Justice's Public Safety Partnership, the Smart Policing Initiative, the National Network for Safe Communities, the Quad City NIBIN initiative, and a co-responding program
Chief Bladel also helped to implement group violence intervention strategies that connected at-risk individuals with community resources to break cycles of violence.
Over the past 3 years, the city has seen a reduced number of crimes. Chief Bladel leaves behind a safer Davenport and a lasting legacy of service, leadership, and community partnership.
Mr. Speaker, I wish a very happy birthday today to Lola VanDeWalle, who happens to be the genesis behind the Quad City Veterans Outreach Center.
Happy birthday, Lola.
Mr. Speaker, I wish my daughter, Taylor, a very happy birthday.
Happy birthday, Taylor.
Mr. Speaker, I extend happy birthday greetings to Davenport's Vince Martinez, a soon-to-be 100-year-old on April 5 and World War II veteran. May he continue to live long and continue to help all of our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, I have spoken here about how this administration did not adequately warn U.S. citizens in the Middle East before launching attacks against Iran. They left American citizens in the Middle East stranded and told them that they were on their own.
Mr. Speaker, I applaud them for correcting this mistake and working really hard to try to get people flights out and helping them to evacuate. Unfortunately, it looks like that was only a temporary response because this week, I am having constituents tell me that, once again, they are being told that they are on their own.
One family I am working with is in Kuwait right now and was told to take a commercial flight out and that the State Department couldn't help them. The problem is that Kuwaiti airspace is actually closed right now. The family was told that they would have to take a bus to Saudi Arabia and that the State Department wouldn't really help them with that. Even if they did get there, there are frequent restrictions on flights in Saudi Arabia due to continued missile and drone threats.
Again, I am left wondering why we are telling Americans that we have billions of dollars to spend on bombs, missiles, and warships, but we don't have the money to get American citizens who want to get out, out of the Middle East, particularly ones who are in dangerous areas where there are no commercial flights.
It is insulting to tell the American people to foot the bill to get out of the Middle East in a dangerous position when we didn't warn them in the first place.
Once again, I am calling on the administration to help Americans who need to get out, get out. The safety of the American people should come first.
Mr. Speaker, AI is massively reshaping our economy and our small businesses. When most people think of companies leading on AI, they think of the Big Tech companies, but there is more to this AI economy than those big companies. They are AI small businesses and startups that play a key role in innovation. They are the drivers of innovation, economic growth, and American technological supremacy.
They can often be more agile than bigger tech companies and create fantastic solutions and products, but they aren't always working on an even playing field.
That is why I am introducing this week the small AI innovators empowerment act. This bill would look at challenges that small AI businesses and startups face, including areas like access to funding, hiring and retention of talented employees, and the impact of regulatory uncertainty.
Supporting small-tech businesses helps us to stay ahead of international competition as our world becomes increasingly reliant on AI. I thank Congressman Obernolte for sponsoring this bill with me.
I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting AI small businesses by supporting this small AI innovators empowerment act.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate The Flower Gallery of Virginia on its 50th anniversary. The Flower Gallery has contributed to the joy of residents in our community, including Manassas and Northern Virginia, since 1976, when Doug Burroughs first bought the shop from his employer.
Over that time, The Flower Gallery has helped our community celebrate life's milestones, including many birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries. It also provides local youth and civic organizations with flowers for fundraisers and community events.
I congratulate Doug for creating such a beloved institution and for 50 years of success. I am wishing Doug and The Flower Gallery many more years of prosperity.
Mr. Speaker, we know that this administration has been constantly attacking our Nation's Federal workers and contractors. They have chased out people with specialized skills and decades of experience, making our country less safe and less healthy, while also making our agencies either understaffed, or led by unqualified loyalists.
The latest attack might actually be one of the worst, and that is the creation of the Schedule P/C positions. We knew that there would be an attack on Schedule F. This basically would make it easier for career civil servants to be fired and to be replaced with loyalists who are not qualified.
Federal workers would lose job protections, and it would make it incredibly difficult to attract people, retain them, and get the best talent in the country to come work in the Federal Government. We have been working on this across many administrations, and this is undoing a lot of that work.
The reality is that Federal workers and contractors pledge allegiance to our country and not to a President or an ideology. This rule would hurt our country for many years to come, and it would do irreparable damage to our institutions and to the people who rely on them.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this rule. It is not well thought out, and it is going to hurt us in the long run.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to welcome the American Optometric Association to our Nation's Capital for the 2026 Federal Keyperson Summit.
Since 1898, the AOA has distinguished itself among medical specialists and policymakers for its outstanding leadership, reliability, and advocacy for optometric professionals and students.
From years of standing at the forefront of innovation and high quality in healthcare, we understand that steadfast leadership is essential for positive outcomes in public health policy and a patient's health.
The advocates of the AOA are a model of just that, providing insight on pertinent issues so that optometric doctors, professionals, and students are primed to deliver the critical, high-quality care that patients deserve.
I am confident that this year's summit will prove to be a valuable experience, and I commend the advocates and members of the AOA for their dedication to their profession and patients.
Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Bruce Frankel, a longtime youth baseball coach and active member of his community in Larchmont, as he celebrates his 73rd birthday this month.
Bruce has been deeply involved in the village he has called home for more than two decades. He currently serves on the village's zoning board, co-chairs the Larchmont Traffic Commission, and is an active member of the Larchmont Temple.
He is best known by Larchmont families for his time coaching in the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Little League and the town's travel baseball program.
Through this program, he has taught hundreds of kids not only the fundamentals of baseball but also the values of hard work, determination, adaptability, and perseverance.
Mr. Speaker, from the floor of the House of Representatives, I wish a happy birthday to Bruce Frankel and thank him for all he has done for our community.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3971) to extend the SBIR and STTR programs, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Van Duyne) and the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Texas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 3971, the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act, which reauthorizes the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs through September 30, 2031.
The SBIR and the STTR programs are critical to American innovation and help ensure the United States remains a step ahead of foreign adversaries.
This reauthorization package is the culmination of countless hours of bicameral and bipartisan negotiations over several months.
I thank my colleagues in the House--Chairman Williams and Ranking Member Velazquez with the Committee on Small Business and Chairman Babin and Ranking Member Lofgren with the Committee on Science, Space & Technology--for their work to get these programs reauthorized.
I thank Chairman Ernst and Ranking Member Markey for advancing this bill through the Senate.
Today is the day we get these programs back online for small businesses across the country. The SBIR and the STTR programs have helped small businesses turn big ideas into real solutions by providing early-stage funding for more than 40 years. These investments have produced groundbreaking technologies that strengthen America's economy and our national defense.
Unfortunately, both these programs were shut down for the first time for the last 5 months due to the Senate's inability to pass a short- term clean reauthorization while negotiations continued.
This lapse created uncertainty for small businesses, delayed critical innovation, and risked allowing critical technology to fall into the hands of foreign adversaries.
This reauthorization package contains several bipartisan reforms that restore stability and strengthen the programs by safeguarding American technology, reducing administrative burdens, and accelerating the development of emerging technologies.
This bill also aims to bridge the valley of death between research and commercialization by providing training for acquisition officials, improving data collection across participating agencies, and modernizing technical and business assistance for small businesses.
The chairman and ranking member have shown their commitment to ensuring these programs remain strong, operate efficiently, and support small business innovators, while advancing research and development.
From lifesaving medical advancements to next-generation defense capabilities, the SBIR and the STTR programs empower Main Street to deliver real solutions for both the government and the private sector.
I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and their staff for working to find a bipartisan path forward to reauthorizing these critical programs. I look forward to seeing this bill enacted and the new innovative ideas that follow. I urge my colleagues to support this unanimous commonsense solution.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 3971, the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act.
Mr. Speaker, the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer, SBIR and STTR, programs saw their reauthorizations lapse last October. As a result, nearly $6 billion in funding for small, innovative companies was frozen.
These programs are overwhelmingly successful, boasting a demonstrated return across over 40 years of operation,
I am proud to say that, after months of uncertainty, we are finally turning the lights back on. The product before us today is the result of that monthslong deliberation while the program was lapsed. Thanks to the hard work of everyone involved, this legislation is something we can all be proud of.
Ideas from our majority like strategic breakthrough funding will help attract both private capital and government buy-in to rapidly scale promising technologies.
At the same time, ideas from myself and Senator Markey serve to strengthen our program's Phase III by investing in contract officer training and ensuring the PCRs advocate for small firms with successful products in the government. Together, these provisions mark a cohesive effort at bridging the valley of death for small, innovative companies.
Longstanding bipartisan priorities such as strengthening the program's data collection system, as well as making improvements to technical and business assistance and the Innovative Corps program, have finally made it across the finish line.
In addition, my colleagues on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee made real improvements to the foreign due diligence program, protecting small firms from espionage by our adversaries.
Over and above all, after a period of tremendous uncertainty, a reauthorization period of longer than 5 years will give small businesses and agencies the certainty they need for long-term planning.
The lapse in authorization over the past 5 months has been excruciating and unprecedented for small firms and labs who are at the cutting edge of technology. It has also been painful for families who are waiting for a cure for diseases that afflict their loved ones, only to see the companies working on those cures lose funding.
This lapse was avoidable, and the costs were real. We must be active in efforts to ensure it never happens again.
I am grateful for the work of my colleagues and our staff for bringing this agreement together in the spirit of compromise. That is how this program has always worked and must continue to work. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Velazquez for yielding time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a big win for small businesses and innovators in my district and across the country, as well.
For years, I proudly led the bipartisan RAMP for Innovators Act, a bill that gives our small businesses the tools they need to turn great ideas into market-ready products.
Today, I am thrilled that a significant portion of that work is included in the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act. Thanks to this bill, these very important provisions and improvements will soon be law.
Today's passage is a testament to what bipartisan and bicameral collaboration can achieve. It was a real disservice that the SBIR and STTR programs lapsed last year, which are the lifeblood of innovation on Main Street. They help both entrepreneurs and small businesses in places like Pennsylvania's Sixth District turn ideas into real products and businesses.
Thanks to this legislation, the programs are back and stronger than before.
Importantly, the bill incorporates key provisions for my RAMP for Innovators Act that give small businesses more control over their commercialization efforts. Under this legislation, companies can now use technical and business assistance funds not just to utilize outside experts but to also hire new staff, expand existing teams, and to train their employees to move their technologies to market.
Agencies will continue to provide oversight to ensure that funds are used effectively, but awardees now have a lot more flexibility to direct these resources to where they are most needed.
Additionally, this bill ensures that SBIR and STTR recipients can participate in the Innovation-Corps, or I-Corps, programs, which provide key trainings that help turn research into market-ready products. Under the provisions in my RAMP for Innovators Act, businesses can use TABA funds and other funding sources for participation in I-Corps, giving small businesses the flexibility they need to fully take advantage of these opportunities.
Having scaled a lot of businesses in southeastern Pennsylvania, I know how critical these resources are. They can literally mean the difference between a promising and even life-changing idea sitting on a shelf and a product that creates jobs and strengthens our economy.
I thank Representative Balderson for his continued participation and bipartisanship on this, the RAMP for Innovators Act, and to Senator Coons for championing these provisions in the Senate. Together, we are ensuring that small businesses have the support that they need to grow, hire, and bring bold ideas to market.
This is a really proud moment for Main Street, for innovators, and for my community. I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' for the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing.
Mr. Speaker, I once again thank my colleagues in the Senate for their hard work in bringing this together, as well as our House partnership of myself, Chairman Williams, Chairman Babin, and Ranking Member Lofgren for working in a bipartisan way to reauthorize this program.
The time for delay is over. I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and get this bill to the President as soon as possible.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of S. 3971 to support small businesses across the country in advancing technology and innovation. It is time for small businesses to access SBIR and STTR programs again after 5 long months.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 3971, a reauthorization of the SBIR and STTR Programs.
For more than 40 years, and Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR), and later its companion program the Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR), have been contributing to U.S. leadership in technological innovation through support for small business research and development.
I have had a front-row seat to the explosive growth of entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley over my lifetime. I understand well the importance of innovative small businesses to our local economy and to the U.S. economy. I also understand the challenges these businesses face accessing capital. The SBIR program has long been called ``America's Seed Fund'' because they invest in small businesses at the higher-risk early stages before private capital is willing to invest. I also recognize that every agency has a different mission, and tailors their SBIR program accordingly. While that diversity in missions was an undercurrent in the negotiations, in the end we arrived at a good compromise that continues to support competition and innovation while giving the agencies necessary flexibility.
Last fall, as these programs faced imminent closure, the House sent the Senate a one-year, simple extension to keep the programs open to small businesses as the parties continued to negotiate. Unfortunately, there was not unanimity in the Senate to keep supporting small businesses across the country as we continued to negotiate some policy changes, The 6-month halt in the program has had real consequences for businesses and their employees, for innovation, and even for clinical trials and their patients. All of that was avoidable.
Fortunately, we are here today with a very good bill that provides new forms of support and resources for innovative small businesses, increases access and competition, and strengthens guardrails. I am especially pleased that the bill authorizes the programs through fiscal year 2031. Small businesses need certainty that the funding will be available, and agencies need certainty to manage the program efficiently.
I thank Small Business Committee Chairman Williams and Ranking Member Velazquez and Science Committee Chairman Babin, for their partnership in getting this done. I thank all of the committee staff for their hard work and patience through these months of negotiations. And I thank our partners in the Senate for continuing to work with us to find a path forward. I strongly urge all of my colleagues to support S. 3971 without delay.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Van Duyne) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 3971.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1884) to clarify the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016, to appropriately limit the application of defenses based on the passage of time and other non-merits defenses to claims under that Act.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lee) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 1884.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Florida?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to bring this legislation before the House today. I thank my bipartisan colleagues in both Chambers who have worked to advance this important effort.
In the House, I thank Ranking Member Jamie Raskin and Representatives Scott Fitzgerald, Jerry Nadler, and Maggie Goodlander.
In the Senate, I thank Senators John Cornyn, Ted Cruz, Richard Blumenthal, and Chuck Schumer.
The Nazi regime committed unimaginable atrocities during the Holocaust, murdering millions of Jews and destroying families, communities, and livelihoods.
The regime also carried out a systematic campaign of cultural theft. Hundreds of thousands of works of art and cultural objects were confiscated or misappropriated from Jewish families and other persecuted groups across Europe. These were not simply possessions. They were pieces of family history, identity, and legacy.
After World War II, the United States and our Allies attempted to return stolen artwork to their rightful owners, yet many pieces were never reunited with the families from whom they were taken.
In the decades since, these works have surfaced in museums, galleries, and private collections around the world.
In 1998, the United States convened the Washington Conference on Nazi-Confiscated Art with more than 40 nations. The conference produced the
That law was designed to ensure that Holocaust survivors and their heirs would have a fair opportunity to pursue claims in court and that those claims would be decided on their merits, not dismissed because too much time had passed.
Unfortunately, courts have sometimes applied technical defenses in ways that undermine Congress' intent. This means that families who lost everything during the Holocaust can still be denied their day in court because of procedural barriers. This bill fixes that problem.
This bill removes the upcoming expiration date in the original law and clarifies that these cases should be decided on the facts, not dismissed on technicalities.
As someone who previously served as a judge in Florida and now serves on the Judiciary Committee, I believe deeply that Congress must speak clearly and provide judges with standards and guidance to apply in their courtrooms.
Justice should not depend on procedural loopholes or arbitrary decisions when families are seeking the return of property that was stolen during one of history's greatest crimes. Behind every claim is a family story.
Even today, descendants of Holocaust victims are still searching for works of art that once hung in their grandparents' homes. In some cases, families spent a generation preserving photographs, letters, and fragments of evidence in hopes of one day recovering a painting or a sculpture that represents their family's past.
For many of these families, these cases are not about the monetary value of the artwork. They are about restoring a piece of history that was taken from them.
The Nazi regime stole not only lives but legacies. They stole hundreds of thousands of artwork pieces in what has been termed the greatest displacement of art in human history. The Nazis looted over 600,000 works of art and artifacts. To this day, more than 100,000 of these works are not yet recovered. More than 100,000 works of art and artifacts are still missing.
This legislation helps to ensure that survivors and their heirs have the opportunity to reclaim those legacies and that their claims are heard fairly in American courts.
I thank the many organizations that are supporting this effort, including Art Ashes, the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Women International, the Florida Holocaust Museum, and many others who continue working to preserve memory and pursue justice. Despite the passage of time since the horrors of the Holocaust, it is never too late to do the right thing.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and ensure that families seeking the return of their stolen heritage are given the justice that they deserve.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 1884, the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2025, or the HEAR Act.
As the lead House Democratic sponsor of this bipartisan legislation, I am proud to have helped bring together my colleagues to ensure this bill is passed and sent to the President's desk.
During the Holocaust, the Nazis stripped Jewish families of countless works of art, culture, and heritage. The effects of these atrocities are still being felt today by survivors and their families.
In 2016, former Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte and I introduced the first HEAR Act, which was a landmark bill that aimed to aid these victims and their families in recovering their rightful property, a small act of light in the memory of the darkest period in human history. I am grateful that Congress passed that measure unanimously and that President Obama signed it into law.
Unfortunately, time has demonstrated that the original HEAR Act was not sufficient. In addition to the bill's impending expiration, more than 100,000 of the over 600,000 works of art looted by the Nazis remain unrecovered. We must confront this unacceptable and repugnant reality, which continues to allow entities and individuals to profit off the Jewish people's pain.
We must reaffirm that, in the United States, every family member with a credible claim deserves to have their day in court, with their case heard on the merits alone. Justice must not be denied due to procedural technicalities and legislative sunset provisions.
While we cannot reverse the horrors of the Holocaust, we can ensure that in an American courtroom, the truth of a family's legacy carries more weight than a legal loophole.
Some might have you believe, Mr. Speaker, that this bill addresses a problem mostly for Europe to resolve, but they would be wrong. In fact, the September 2025 report from the World Jewish Restitution Organization found that U.S. museums hold well over 100,000 objects that were in Europe during the Holocaust, yet only about 10 percent of those objects have been made publicly accessible online for provenance research. Additionally, among 160 major museums in the United States, only 21 percent provide easily accessible object-level Nazi-era provenance information.
If relevant pieces are not made available for research, how can we even know the true scope of this problem? What do the holders of these pieces have to hide?
This is not an issue that is relevant only to decades-old legal cases or an issue faced only by a few dying survivors and their families. Nazi-looted art is still being discovered regularly.
Just a few months ago, an online auction was intercepted in Ohio for two 17th century floral paintings by a famous Dutch still-life painter with original Nazi inventory numbers, S-16 and S-17, still on the back. The works had been sitting in an abandoned safe deposit box in Texas for decades before surfacing.
In 2023, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office seized seven works by a famous Austrian expressionist painter, valued at nearly $10 million, that had for decades been displayed in a variety of museums and collections in New York. The DA's office rightfully returned the pieces to the heirs of Fritz Grunbaum, a Jewish collector murdered at Dachau concentration camp in 1941.
That is why we must reauthorize and improve the HEAR Act of 2016 by passing the bill before us today, to ensure that the provenance of pieces that can be proven are able to be fully litigated on their merits alone, and to send a clear message from the Halls of Congress to those who knowingly hold Holocaust-looted art that the United States will no longer tolerate such barbaric behavior.
It is important for us to be abundantly clear about what this bill does and does not do.
Fundamentally, this bill seeks to ensure that claims regarding Nazi- looted art are decided on their merits alone, without hiding behind procedural technicalities.
The bill also eliminates the original HEAR Act sunset provision, which is scheduled to expire in December 2026. That deadline was intended to encourage museums and holders to complete provenance research on the relevant pieces and to resolve any applicable claims.
Unfortunately, this limited time frame has allowed some institutions to delay, withhold information, and run out the clock. I hope we can all agree, Mr. Speaker, that justice for victims of the Holocaust and their families should not come with an expiration date.
Here is what this bill does not do. It does not decide who wins and loses any case. It does not undermine, in letter or intent, any agreements made by any entity regarding any Holocaust-related or other matters. It does not impact or seek to influence any other categories of Holocaust claims outside of those that are art-related and specifically described in the legislation.
The issues this legislation seeks to address are not new. In fact, it even appeared in the early 2000s popular TV show ``The West Wing.'' In a second-
The show is obviously a work of fiction, but if all similar claims were resolved in such a way in reality, there would be much less need for this legislation. Unfortunately, like much of ``The West Wing,'' such a resolution is too good to be true.
Finally, there are many individuals and organizations that have worked hard to draft and promote this legislation. I thank all of them, and especially the Art Ashes organization. Without their tireless advocacy, this day would not be possible.
I also thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lee) for her partnership in introducing this bill in the House.
I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation to ensure that victims of the Holocaust and their families are able to have their claims heard on their merits alone.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Representatives Lee and Nadler, for bringing this very important piece of legislation to the floor today.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support, as a cosponsor, of the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act, the HEAR Act.
Mr. Speaker, during the Holocaust, the Nazi regime and its collaborators systematically looted hundreds of thousands of works of art and cultural treasures from Jewish families across Europe. These were not simply valuable objects. They were pieces of family history, family identity, and family heritage.
For decades, many survivors and their heirs have fought simply for the chance to have their claims heard in court. The original HEAR Act, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in this Chamber in 2016, tried to ensure that these claims would be decided only on their merits, rather than being dismissed because of technical objections, such as the passage of time.
Mr. Speaker, however, the courts did not follow Congress' intent on many issues, and new legal barriers have emerged that threaten to close or have closed the courthouse doors once again.
This legislation expressly reverses the ability of defendants to use non-merit-based offenses, such as the Supreme Court's decision in Germany v. Phillipp, which held that Germany's expropriation of German Jews' property in the Holocaust was simply a ``domestic taking'' and not a violation of international law under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.
If not corrected by Congress, that decision would prevent Holocaust survivors and their heirs from recovering most of the art held by foreign governments and their museums. It would excuse the historical and moral culpability of Nazi Germany and its allies and collaborators for perpetrating the Holocaust. An affirmative vote today closes that huge loophole.
Mr. Speaker, time is not on our side. Roughly 30,000 Holocaust survivors remain alive today in the United States of America, many now in their nineties, some of whom live in my district. They deserve to see in their lifetimes--and the world needs to hear--that in these times of rising anti-Semitism, Congress wishes to right these historical wrongs.
Mr. Speaker, this bill does not guarantee outcomes. It simply ensures that claims are heard fairly and decided on their merits. Passing this legislation reaffirms our Nation's commitment to justice, historical truth, and the memory of those who suffered one of history's darkest crimes.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the HEAR Act.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Nadler for his extraordinary leadership on this legislation and on this issue.
I rise in strong support of S. 1884, the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2025. This bill, which has already passed the Senate by unanimous consent, amends the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016 in a number of key ways to ensure that Holocaust survivors and their heirs have a fair opportunity in court to recover all of the artwork that was stolen by the Nazi regime or what is left of it. In doing so, this bill will provide these victims the chance to obtain some small measure of justice for the horrors and the injustices and indignities their families have endured.
During its reign of hatred and terror, the Nazis committed theft and murder on a mass industrial scale through the relentless killings of the Einsatzgruppen in the Bloodlands of Europe and through the death camps they established at Auschwitz, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor, and many others.
For the victims' families, these pieces of art are both stolen objects and stolen connections to their own family members whose memories the Nazis have tried to permanently erase from history.
In many cases, the artwork serves as the final tangible connection of the victims' families to their lost family members, providing proof of their existence and a testament to their suffering and their loss.
Congress passed the 2016 HEAR Act, which established a 6-year Federal statute of limitations for claims arising from Nazi-stolen artwork out of concern that the State statutes of limitations would prevent most litigation. In its findings, Congress observed that the unique and horrific circumstances of World War II and the Holocaust make statutes of limitations especially burdensome to the victims and their heirs. It further noted the difficulty of piecing together their cases from a fragmentary historical record ravaged by persecution, war, and genocide. This costly process often cannot be done within the time constraints imposed by what was then the existing law.
Alas, several court decisions since the 2016 HEAR Act's passage have undermined the statute's purpose of trying to give victims a fair hearing on the merits of their cases regardless of the passage of time. These decisions have dismissed numerous cases precisely based on passage of time defenses like laches or adverse possession or other non-merits defenses like forum non conveniens, the act of state doctrine, or foreign sovereign immunity.
This bill addresses these court decisions and related concerns. It eliminates the HEAR Act's sunset provision so that defendants no longer have an incentive to simply run out the clock on victims' families. It also prohibits courts from dismissing lawsuits on grounds related to the passage of time or other non-merit defenses. Finally, it clarifies that claims for recovery of the artwork fall within an existing expropriation exception to foreign sovereign immunity regardless of the victim's citizenship or nationality.
This bill will help give victims and their heirs the chance to obtain a small measure of justice for the grave and dehumanizing wrongs they suffered as a result of the Holocaust. It will also give victims' families a chance to recover at least a partial connection to their loved ones, a connection that was stolen in every single way possible by the Nazis.
I applaud Representative Lee, and I applaud our Senate colleagues who have worked to advance this bill. I especially recognize my colleague Representative Nadler for his longtime aggressive and unswerving leadership on seeing justice done in this case and to see passage of both the 2016 Act and this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly advocate for this legislation, and I urge all of our colleagues to support it.
Mr. Speaker, it is just for Holocaust survivors and their heirs to continue to have their claims relating to art stolen from them
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lee) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 1884.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1422) to impose sanctions with respect to persons engaged in logistical transactions and sanctions evasion relating to oil, gas, liquefied natural gas, and related petrochemical products from the Islamic Republic of Iran, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Latimer) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from California?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1422, the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act.
For decades, the Iranian regime has brutally suppressed its own people while exporting terror across the globe. Tehran has pursued nuclear weapons, expanded its missile and drone programs, sponsored terrorism, and targeted Americans and our allies.
On February 28, under President Trump's leadership, U.S. Central Command launched Operation Epic Fury after Iran rejected diplomatic off-ramps and refused to dismantle its nuclear program.
Since then, the regime has escalated further by targeting civilian infrastructure and threatening to hold the Strait of Hormuz and our global energy supply hostage. These actions are funded by Iran's illicit oil and gas sales, and now is the time to cut off its revenue streams.
H.R. 1422 strengthens secondary sanctions on entities that are enabling Iran to evade existing restrictions and profit from its petroleum trade.
This bill sends a very clear message that the United States will not tolerate those who finance the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1422.
Mr. Speaker, no one in this Chamber should be under any illusions about the nature of the Iranian regime. For decades, Iran has funded terrorist proxies, threatened our partners and allies, supplied training and arms that killed and maimed dozens of American forces in Iraq, and pursued weapons capabilities that destabilize the Middle East and endanger global security.
Congress has long acted in a bipartisan way to confront that threat. One of the most powerful tools available to the United States has been economic pressure, sanctions that deny the regime the revenue it uses to fund terrorism, repression, and regional aggression.
That is precisely what this legislation seeks to strengthen. The House Foreign Affairs Committee passed this bill out of committee almost 1 year ago. The purpose was straightforward: to tighten enforcement against Iran's oil trade and target the global financial networks that allow Tehran to continue selling its petroleum despite existing sanctions.
This bill provides the executive branch with additional tools to do exactly that, although it is unfortunate that some of the sanctions authorities have been watered down at the Trump administration's request.
This legislation expands secondary sanctions authorities to target foreign companies that knowingly purchase, transport, refine, insure, or finance Iranian oil and petroleum products. That includes shipping companies, port operators, insurance providers, and other logistical actors that help move Iranian crude around the world.
Crucially, it focuses attention on the network of foreign refineries and intermediaries, particularly in China, that have become the primary buyers of sanctioned Iranian oil, giving the executive branch clearer authority to penalize those actors and disrupt that trade.
Taken together, these measures are intended to close loopholes in the existing sanctions architecture and make it far more difficult for Tehran to generate billions of dollars in oil revenue.
Unfortunately, the Trump administration spent years talking about maximum pressure. The reality looked very different. In practice, the administration often failed to fully enforce the sanctions authorities already available to it and at times actively undermined them. Last year, President Trump pardoned the founder of Binance, who pleaded guilty to a sanctions evasions crime pertaining to Iran in 2023.
The administration also failed to meaningfully disrupt the Iran-China energy trade or marshal the sustained diplomatic effort required to build international pressure against Tehran's illicit oil exports.
As a result, Iran continued generating billions in energy revenue while the administration's policy drifted. Now we find ourselves in a very different, and far more dangerous, situation.
The United States started a war with Iran that Congress did not authorize and the American people overwhelmingly think makes us less safe. Thirteen Americans have died in the conflict, and over 140 have been injured. The administration started this military campaign without a strategy or an endgame. The regime has not collapsed, but gas prices are up 30 percent. Americans are paying $2 billion each and every day because of this administration's impulsive and illegal war.
Consider the trade-off: The money Trump has already spent on this war could have paid for a full year of ACA premium tax credit extensions for Americans here at home.
What about that price at the pump?
In a ham-handed attempt to fix a problem of its own making, the Trump administration has suspended sanctions against Russian oil used to finance Putin's war machine, while at the same time it dawdles on a peace solution in Ukraine. It is possible that the President will soon declare victory and move on. However, the question of Iran will remain, as will its threats of retaliation and destabilization. It may very well emerge from this conflict damaged, unstable, and led by a leadership even more extreme and vengeful than before.
That is why tools like the ones in this bill remain important. Sanctions can help contain the regime's ability to rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, reconstitute its military capabilities, and restart its nuclear ambitions.
Strong enforcement of these sanctions can also ensure that Iran cannot, once again, finance stabilizing activities across the region through oil revenues flowing into Tehran.
At the same time, the future of Iran is highly uncertain. Only time will tell whether the conduct of the administration will, in the long run, cause more harm than good. However, our responsibility is to ensure that the Iranian regime does not have the resources to rebuild the machinery of repression at home or violence abroad.
This legislation strengthens the tools needed to maintain that pressure for those with the sense to use it.
Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation. I urge its support, and I reserve the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Does the gentlewoman from California seek unanimous consent to reclaim her time?
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler), who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa and is the author of this important bill.
Mr. Speaker, for decades, Presidents and Members of Congress of both parties have talked about peace in the Middle East. Stability in the Middle East and freedoms for all who live there is something that all of us should be able to agree on, and almost everyone also agrees that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and that Iran is the greatest state sponsor of terrorism.
Unfortunately, 53 of my colleagues from across the aisle last week chose not to support that belief by voting against a resolution that declared Iran the greatest state sponsor of terrorism.
For the first year of this term, President Trump has prioritized putting in place maximum pressure on the Iranian regime and prioritizing negotiations to stop their uranium enrichment, to stop their nuclear ambitions, to stop their ballistic missiles program, and to stop their financing of terrorism. Unfortunately, the regime refused to negotiate in good faith.
Two weeks ago, President Trump executed Operation Epic Fury to take their ballistic missiles program off the table for them. This offensive also destroyed their air defense system and their naval capabilities.
Look where our partners and allies in the region are. They are opposed to a nuclear Iran. They are opposed to an Iranian regime that possesses dangerous intercontinental ballistic missiles, and they support the United States maximum pressure campaign.
That is because they know this military engagement did not happen in silo. This was not a war of choice. The fact is Iran has been at war with the United States for 47 years. The regime has chanted ``death to America'' for 47 years. The regime is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans, thousands of Israelis, and thousands of Muslims.
Mr. Speaker, you see them lashing out indiscriminately and striking civilian targets in Arab states.
Why?
It is because they are the face of evil, and they are the greatest force for terrorism around the globe.
This comes after the regime funded Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7. It comes after they funded constant Houthi attacks and funded Hezbollah.
Where did they get this financing from?
They get it from the illicit oil trade, the oil trade in which China is the biggest purchaser of Iranian petroleum.
I was proud last Congress working alongside then-Senator and now- Secretary of State Marco Rubio in passing the SHIP Act so that we could actually enforce sanctions against the Iranian regime and their illicit oil trade. It comes on the heels of a regime in Iran that has sought to destroy the United States and Israel and our partners.
Maximum pressure means strength in the face of these egregious and tragic offenses. My bill, the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act, builds on the Trump administration's existing sanctions regime to give them more tools to cripple the illicit oil trade and to cripple this unholy alliance between China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, and other bad actors.
Now, it does so by authorizing the administration to place secondary sanctions on enablers of Iran's illicit oil trade that have financed their proxies, that have financed their missiles program, and that have financed their nuclear ambitions and their uranium enrichment. This includes essentially any company that has engaged in a transaction involving the processing, refining, export, or transfer of Iranian oil.
If someone is knowingly providing financial support to the Iranian regime's largest influx of cash, we should know about it, and we should stop it. That is what this bill does.
This bill expands the authorities to cripple this oil network, to stop the financing of ballistic missiles, to stop the financing of uranium enrichment, to stop the financing of Iran's nuclear ambitions, and to stop their financing of terrorism. This is a multifaceted approach.
We saw under the Biden administration an administration that not only did not enforce sanctions against Iran, but it also allowed the illicit oil trade to explode to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars.
Those funds are what funded October 7. That is what funded the death and destruction that we have seen across the Middle East.
We saw under the Obama Administration an attempt to appease the Iranian regime, to drop off pallets of cash in the hopes that somehow that would stop them from pursuing nuclear weapons, that that would somehow stop them from possessing enriched uranium, and that that would somehow stop them from financing terrorism.
Peace through strength means understanding that sometimes you must take action and that sometimes you must use military force. After the regime refused to negotiate in good faith and was mass-producing ballistic missiles at such a rate that it would be almost impossible in the future to stop their nuclear ambitions, President Trump took action.
This was not an illegal war. This was not a war of choice. Republicans and Democrats have said ad nauseam that Iran cannot get a nuclear weapon. Sadly, it seems some of my colleagues would be okay if they did so, as long as Donald Trump wasn't President. Some of my colleagues hate Donald Trump so much that they care more about the fact that he is President than they do about the fact that he is stopping the Iranian regime's 47-year reign of terror.
I have listened to some of my colleagues over the last 2 weeks in amazement. They have completely reversed their positions on so many issues, including 53 who just last Congress voted to say that Iran is the greatest state sponsor of terrorism but now no longer believe that. You have candidates running for Congress who are saying that the United States is the terrorist regime. It is insanity.
The fact is that we have a responsibility to stop this regime cold, to cut the head off of the snake. That is precisely what we are doing through military action and through a sanctions regime that has crippled Iran's capabilities.
There is more work to be done, and that is why we are passing this legislation. I thank Chairman Mast and Ranking Member Meeks for supporting this through committee. I thank President Trump and the administration for supporting this bill today.
Mr. Speaker, it is a testament that, even if there are disagreements, we can find bipartisan support. We can find a path forward. We should be giving this administration and future administrations every tool necessary to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
Mr. Speaker, this bill will be critical for closing loopholes in our existing sanctions infrastructure against Iran, strengthening the President's authorities to limit Tehran's oil trade. I compliment the bill's sponsor, my colleague from New York.
Last year, after an air attack, President Trump announced that we had obliterated Iran's nuclear capacity, but here we are again. Apparently, the job last year wasn't sufficient.
Trump's war of choice with Iran this year has made this bill even more necessary because while the President may want to move on from this war he started at some point in time, war is a two-way street. Just because he may want to claim victory, as he already has, and even though Iran's capabilities will be reduced, Iran may very well pose an even greater threat now that diplomacy has been taken off the table by this President.
To limit the long-term threat posed by Iran, it is critical that we further limit Tehran's ability to circumvent existing sanctions, tighten the screws on its ability to sell oil, and ensure that it does not gain access to the resources it needs to reconstitute either its nuclear program or its weapons capabilities.
This President has put us at considerable risk by starting this war and enabling a regime that is perhaps even more hard-line than the one that preceded it. While we can't close Pandora's box, we can and should take all steps necessary to prevent Tehran from building back the arsenal it now would surely want to use against us.
This bill accomplishes some of that task, and I support it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1422, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to impose sanctions with respect to persons engaged in significant transactions related or incidental to the processing, refining, export, transfer or sale of oil, condensates, or other petroleum or petrochemical products in whole or in part from the Islamic Republic of Iran.''.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2709) to improve the health and resiliency of giant sequoias, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Elfreth) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2709, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2709, the bipartisan Save Our Sequoias Act, led by Representatives Fong and Peters of California.
More than 120 years ago, President Teddy Roosevelt camped at the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in what is today known as Yosemite National Park, and he famously recorded in his diary: ``The majestic trunks, beautiful in color and in symmetry, rose around us like the pillars of a mightier cathedral than was ever conceived even by the fervor of the Middle Ages.''
Mr. Speaker, today, the majestic cathedral that inspired one of the Nation's greatest conservation Presidents is facing an existential threat. In just 2 years, 2020 and 2021, we lost 20 percent of the world's mature giant sequoias, which grow only in a specific area of California in the Sierra Nevadas in a combined size roughly the area of Washington, D.C., in about 70 distinct groves. That is the only place on Earth where they grow naturally. Even though there is one planted out on The Mall here in Washington, it hasn't fared quite as well as those in California.
Saying this is unprecedented is an understatement. The last known death by fire of a giant sequoia before this century dates back to 1297 AD.
Throughout their ancient lives, known to span over three millennia, giant sequoias standing in California today have lived through the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the birth of Christ, and the founding of our great Nation. These trees withstood thousands of years of fires, earthquakes, floods, and anything that Mother Nature could throw their way, but in the next 25 years, these iconic trees could be extinct in the wild because, quite simply, we have been loving them to death.
For the 1,000-year period from 800 to 1800, giant sequoias experienced an average of 30 fires per century. These low-severity fires cleared out undergrowth and shade-tolerant species, such as white fir, allowing the semi-serotinous sequoia cones to open and begin the regeneration process, but decades of fire suppression and a lack of forest management dropped the number of fires in these groves by a factor of tenfold, down to just three fires per century, with some groves untouched by fire for over a century.
In combination with historic drought conditions, this created a perfect storm of hazardous ladder fuels that carry fire up into the crown of the giant sequoias, creating virtually unstoppable infernos.
In the words of Dr. Christy Brigham, a scientist at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks: ``Bureaucracy is slow. Wildfire is fast.''
We are going to need to get a lot faster if we want to save these trees. At its normal pace, it would take the Forest Service 52 years to treat just its 19 highest priority groves. That is time we simply do not have.
That is where the bipartisan Save Our Sequoias Act comes in today. This legislation gives Federal, State, Tribal, local, and private land managers the tools they need to expedite the restoration work necessary to protect giant sequoias.
The Save Our Sequoias Act expedites environmental reviews, formalizes interagency coordination through the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition, and declares a congressional emergency to increase the pace and scale of forest management efforts.
I will briefly clarify the intent of Congress regarding this legislation as it relates to the Wilderness Act. Over the course of several months of bipartisan negotiations involving the Natural Resources Committee, the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, and various stakeholders, several improvements were made to the legislation.
During these negotiations, there was clear, universal, and unambiguous agreement that the Wilderness Act did not preclude the National Park Service from fulfilling its mission under the Organic Act of 1916 to replant giant sequoias in groves that had been essentially clear-cut by wildfire.
Because there was a clear consensus and prior statutory evidence demonstrating the compatibility of the Wilderness Act with these activities, which are fully outlined in the committee's report, the final legislative text did not include any amendments to the Wilderness Act, which would have been unnecessary.
This bill, again, is a culmination of years of bipartisan work, and I thank the many co-leads of this legislation for their dedication and commitment to putting aside partisan politics and doing what is best for this iconic species.
I also recognize and thank many of the supporters who are instrumental in the crafting of this legislation, including the Tule River Tribe, Tulare County, Save the Redwoods League, CAL FIRE, Sierra Forest Products, Clay Jordan, Teresa Benson, and Garrett Dickman, as well as Drs. Stephen Sillett, Robert Van Pelt, Kristen Shive, and Christy Brigham.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this important bipartisan piece of legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 2709, the Save Our Sequoias Act, offered by my colleague, Representative Fong from California.
The Save Our Sequoias Act establishes a framework to support the ongoing restoration and recovery of giant sequoias, an iconic keystone species found only in the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.
Sequoias are the largest trees on Earth. Some of them grow to be more than 300 feet tall. They are some of the most fire-resilient species, even evolving to need frequent, low-intensity fires to reproduce and survive, but climate change, drought, and historic fire suppression have led to catastrophic wildfires that are burning hotter and more intensely than ever before. These climate change-driven wildfires are posing an existential threat to giant sequoias, which are struggling to survive.
Over the past decade, nearly 20 percent of the entire population of giant sequoias has died. H.R. 2709 is a targeted bill that would codify existing emergency response efforts by the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and partners to promote reforestation and reduce future wildfire risk in giant sequoia groves.
These efforts are working. The Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition reported that 2024 was a landmark year for conservation work, with restoration and fuels-reduction efforts successfully completed across nearly half of the total sequoia growth acreage.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my Republican colleagues sincerely for their willingness to negotiate in good faith with us on this bill. In our shared commitment to protecting these iconic trees, these national treasures, we came together to address many of our outstanding concerns, ensuring that new authorities provided by the bill prioritize ecological integrity and science-backed decisionmaking without undermining core environmental standards.
The bill was strengthened by that very legislative process. It is a clear, old-fashioned example of how bipartisan negotiations can produce balanced, strategic approaches to forest, wildfire, and public land management. It is an approach I urge the Natural Resources Committee to continue to take.
Looking at the bigger picture here, Mr. Speaker, this bill is just one piece of the puzzle. Our Federal land management agencies, including the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service, require funding and staffing to fulfill their congressionally mandated missions. These agencies cannot protect the giant sequoia without Congress giving them the necessary tools to carry out that work. New authorities alone will not save the sequoia.
The survival of one of America's most extraordinary national icons is at stake, and I urge Congress to take seriously its responsibility to support and steward our national parks, forests, and public lands from coast to coast.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I echo the remarks from my colleague, Ms. Elfreth, about how this is the way we should do legislation. We took a field trip out to the sequoias, a bipartisan field trip. There is tons of research from academic institutions on what is happening in these sequoia groves. We looked at it. We worked together to create bipartisan legislation.
Honestly, we are way past time that we should have passed this bill, but I am so thankful that we have been able to get it on the floor today. I look forward to it passing out of the House and then moving on over to the Senate.
This bill sparks something else. We passed a very bipartisan bill in the House called the Fix Our Forests Act based off of the work we did on the Save Our Sequoias Act. That bill is over in the Senate right now waiting for Senate action. As we are moving into spring and will soon be moving into the summer months when wildfires are raging, that is another bill that we can't delay in getting passed.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Valadao), a cosponsor of the bill who was on that field trip that we took when we saw the devastation in the sequoia grove.
Mr. Speaker, that was a really good tour. I think it was about 4 years ago. As a dairy farmer, it is always interesting for us to learn the different parts of growing plants and animals and the impact they have.
Mr. Westerman's expertise on this piece of legislation specifically really shown through on those days when we were driving around and spending a lot of time with then-Speaker McCarthy and a bipartisan group of Members. We learned a lot.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge support for the Save Our Sequoias Act. For generations, the giant sequoias have stood as one of the most recognizable symbols of California. These trees are remarkably resilient to fire and were once considered virtually indestructible.
Today, they face a crisis of our own making. More than a century of fire suppression and forest mismanagement has allowed dangerous levels of fuel to build up around these groves, turning natural fires into catastrophic, high-severity wildfires.
Since 2015, these fires have caused unprecedented destruction. In just the last few years, nearly one-fifth of all giant sequoias have been lost. Without urgent action, we risk losing countless more. That is why I am proud to cosponsor the Save Our Sequoias Act.
This bill provides land managers with the emergency tools and resources they need to protect the remaining groves by strengthening coordination among Federal, State, Tribal, and local partners. It establishes a comprehensive assessment to prioritize wildfire risk reduction. It also streamlines reviews so critical forest management can move forward quickly, while maintaining strong scientific standards.
The Save Our Sequoias Act also encourages private partnerships to support restoration and establishes a comprehensive reforestation strategy to regenerate groves lost to recent wildfires.
Mr. Speaker, protecting the giant sequoias is about safeguarding a natural legacy for future generations. I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation, and I thank the chairman for his efforts on this legislation over the last few years.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, when I was in forestry school, the thing we learned about giant sequoias is they had this really thick layer of bark. At the time we didn't even really think it was possible to kill a giant sequoia with wildfire. That is because, as I mentioned earlier, it was 1297 when the last known death by fire occurred. Trees are like history books because we can count the rings and go back in time. We can see what happened.
These trees have withstood fires for millennia. In the blink of an eye, we could lose them all because the fire doesn't just burn down around the trunks anymore. With these other trees growing up into the crowns, it creates a ladder to take the fuel up into the crowns of the trees.
Henry Ford once said that failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. The Save Our Sequoias Act is our opportunity to begin managing giant sequoia growth more intelligently.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Save Our Sequoias Act. I urge the Senate to swiftly take up this bill, and send it to the President's desk.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2709, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4467) to modify the boundary of the Vicksburg National Military Park in the State of Mississippi, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Elfreth) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4467, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4467, the Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act, which was introduced by Representative Thompson and is cosponsored by the entire Mississippi congressional delegation.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation conveys two small parcels of National Park Service land to the State of Mississippi to build a new state-of- the-art welcome center for Vicksburg National Military Park.
Vicksburg National Military Park marks the site of the Battle of Vicksburg, one of the true watershed moments of the Civil War. Over the course of 6 weeks in 1863, Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant encircled the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg National Military Park, ultimately forcing its surrender on July 4, 1863. The victory gave the Union full control of the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy in half. It is widely recognized by historians as a turning point in the war.
Today, Vicksburg National Military Park contains more than 1,300 monuments and markers; 20 miles of reconstructed trenches; the USS Cairo gunboat; and the Vicksburg National Cemetery.
The park serves as a major destination in Mississippi for education, reflection, and historical tourism. In fact, in 2022, more than 400,000 visitors came to Vicksburg, generating approximately $36 million in economic activity and supporting hundreds of local jobs.
While that economic and educational impact is substantial, it is currently constrained by aging visitor facilities that limit public engagement. To address this, the State of Mississippi is leading an effort to build a new state-of-the-art welcome center, which would be financed with non-Federal dollars.
H.R. 4467 helps support this effort by transferring two small parcels of National Park Service land, totaling approximately 7 acres, to the State so they can build this new facility for visitors.
This legislation is an important and practical step that will enhance the visitor experience without unnecessary expense to the Federal taxpayer. This is a model for future public-private partnerships and a win-win for both the Federal Government and the State of Mississippi.
By improving visitor experiences and enhancing a site integral to American history, this bill also directly advances the goals of President Trump's executive order on celebrating America's 250th birthday.
I thank the entire Mississippi congressional delegation for their work advancing this practical bill that will improve public access and education during America's 250th anniversary year at this hallowed site.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4467, a bill offered by my colleague, Representative Thompson of Mississippi.
H.R. 4467 authorizes the National Park Service to convey two small pieces of property within Vicksburg National Military Park to the State of Mississippi. This partnership will enhance the visitor experience at the park by facilitating the construction of a new visitor center, built and eventually staffed by the State of Mississippi.
Strategically partnering with the State will empower our Federal park rangers to provide visitors with a deeper understanding of such a sacred and important place.
The siege of Vicksburg was a crucial moment in the Civil War. Positioned on the Mississippi River in central Mississippi, Confederate President Jefferson Davis called the city of Vicksburg the nailhead that holds the South's two halves together. As President Lincoln saw it, Vicksburg was the key to winning the war.
Eager to capture this important city, Union General Ulysses S. Grant ordered the siege of Vicksburg in 1863. By July 4 of that year, the Union Army finally had full control over the Mississippi River. Coupled with the defeat of the Confederate troops at Gettysburg, the siege of Vicksburg was a turning point in the war, paving the way for Union victory.
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of our Nation, we must reflect on all parts of our history--the good, the bad, and the ugly; the lessons we need to learn; and the mistakes we cannot afford to repeat.
Sites like Vicksburg Military National Park are where Americans can learn about our past, and sanitizing these hallowed sites is a disservice to our Nation's history. H.R. 4467 is an opportunity. My hope is that the new visitor center will convey the full weight of the painful battle and the context of the Civil War to share the uncomfortable truth rather than perpetuate, unfortunately, this administration's erasure of history.
I thank Representative Thompson and the entire Mississippi delegation for introducing this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4467 and to
Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense bill that helps a local community improve a pivotal Civil War-era military park while reducing the Federal estate.
As we celebrate our Nation's 250th anniversary, this bill will allow Mississippians to take the lead in telling the story of Vicksburg for generations to come.
Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4467, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4284) to amend the Small Tract Act of 1983 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to convey, without consideration, certain cemeteries, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Elfreth) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4284, the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Representative Leger Fernandez' bill, H.R. 4284, the Small Cemetery Conveyance Act.
Mr. Speaker, all across the West, there are small, historic cemeteries in rural communities that sit on or adjacent to Federal land.
These are places where families and communities have laid their loved ones to rest for generations long before jurisdictional boundaries were drawn on a map. Due to the Federal Government's large footprint all around these large cemeteries, basic access for upkeep, ceremonies, or simply paying respects to loved ones can turn into a bureaucratic mess.
H.R. 4284 is a commonsense fix. It gives the U.S. Forest Service, which administers a significant portion of the lands near or under these cemeteries, clear authority under the Small Tract Act to transfer small cemetery parcels to the people who are best positioned to care for them, the local and Tribal Governments with close connections to those laid to rest.
Rather than going through the lengthy process of requiring an act of Congress to convey each individual parcel on a one-off basis, this bill establishes a legal framework for communities to gain possession of historic cemeteries.
The legislation respects local stewardship and reduces the Federal footprint, all while ensuring safeguards are in place to make sure that these hallowed sites are used as cemeteries in perpetuity.
This bill puts locals in charge of the cemeteries they have maintained for centuries, allowing the Forest Service to focus on their core mission: restoring health and resiliency to our Nation's overgrown, fire-prone Federal lands.
This bill removes red tape from the burdensome process of transferring land in these special cases so that local communities can more easily honor their loved ones and be stewards of the places where their ancestors are at peace.
I support this bipartisan piece of legislation. I thank Representative Leger Fernandez and Representative Hurd for their work together on this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4284, the Small Cemetery Conveyance Act, introduced by the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez).
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4284 amends the Small Tract Act of 1983 to allow States, local governments, federally recognized Tribes, and land-grant mercedes to request small conveyances of cemetery land. As the chairman said, this is an important update that sets out to fix a deeply personal problem for many rural communities, particularly in the West.
Land grant and Tribal communities have existed long before the United States of America or the Forest Service were around. Today, many of these communities find their cemeteries located on Forest Service land, and this bill will enhance access and improve stewardship of these important tracts.
While H.R. 4284 waives the need to pay for or exchange land for these sites, this does not signify a giveaway or sell-off of these public lands. This is, rather, about dignity and respect.
Importantly, this bill requires all conveyed lands to be managed as a cemetery in perpetuity, and this ensures an ongoing public purpose and allows communities to take care of their ancestors for generations to come.
I thank the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez) and the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Hurd) for their efforts to return these important burial sites to their constituents.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, this is a simple, bipartisan measure that serves the spiritual needs of rural, Tribal, and local communities across the West. It lightens the administrative burden on the Forest Service and reduces the Federal footprint. Above all, it returns the protection and care of local cemeteries to those with the closest connections to them.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4284, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1665) to require the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to establish online portals to accept, process, and dispose of certain Form 299s, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Elfreth) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1665, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the DIGITAL Applications Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Representative Cammack.
This important legislation directs the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture to establish online portals to accept, process, and track applications to deploy broadband infrastructure on Federal lands.
The United States faces a persistent digital divide, with tens of millions of Americans still lacking access to basic broadband services. Many of these Americans live in rural areas or on Tribal lands near federally managed land.
For these communities, broadband isn't a luxury. It is essential infrastructure. It means students can do their homework at home; small businesses can reach customers and compete in the modern economy; farmers and ranchers can use precision tools; and families can access telehealth, emergency services, and basic information. Without reliable internet, entire communities are left at a disadvantage.
In too many cases, the problem isn't a lack of interest from providers but, rather, the Federal permitting process.
Today, broadband providers face a system that is slow, opaque, and unpredictable. Applications can sit for months with little to no communication. Providers have no idea where their applications stand, whether more information is needed, or when a decision might come.
That uncertainty makes it harder to plan projects and invest resources, ultimately delaying the delivery of internet access to the communities that need it most.
This permitting morass is exactly how the Biden-Harris administration wasted $42 billion in taxpayer funds to deploy broadband infrastructure across the country and failed to connect a single household.
Throwing money at this problem is not the answer. We need commonsense permitting reform. Representative Cammack's legislation offers a real, straightforward solution to a discrete problem.
By creating online portals for broadband application, agencies can bring transparency and accountability to the permitting process. Applicants will be able to track their submissions, see where they are in the review process, and understand exactly what is needed to move forward.
This kind of transparency is a simple fix that can bring more predictability to developers and help speed deployment. H.R. 1665 will help build essential infrastructure faster, smarter, and with more transparency.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bipartisan legislation, and I commend Representative Cammack for her leadership on this effort.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1665, the DIGITAL Applications Act, sponsored by my colleagues, Representative Cammack and Representative Matsui, which would promote accessibility and transparency in the permitting process for communications use authorizations.
While many agencies are working to modernize their systems, application processes too often continue to rely on
H.R. 1665 complements ongoing agency efforts to modernize the Federal permitting system by requiring the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service to establish online portals for processing applications to locate or modify communications or broadband equipment and infrastructure on Federal lands.
This is a bipartisan solution to address delays in the permitting process appropriately, while also supporting expanded digital connectivity across our public lands in the year 2026.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Representatives for bringing this commonsense solution. It is about time we bring internet access to every corner of our country. I also thank the bill's sponsor.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support of H.R. 1665, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his support.
Today, I rise in support of H.R. 1665, the DIGITAL Applications Act, legislation that I introduced to modernize how our Federal agencies process applications for communications infrastructure on Federal lands.
At its core, this bill is about something very simple: bringing outdated government processes into the digital age.
Today, companies seeking to deploy broadband infrastructure on Federal lands must often submit a form 299 to the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture to obtain authorization for communication facilities, such as towers or related equipment. These authorizations can take the form of easements, right-of-ways, leases, or licenses.
Despite the importance of these projects, particularly when connectivity is needed more than ever, and public safety is a priority, the application process itself is far too paper-based, fragmented, and slow. In 2026, that just doesn't make sense.
The DIGITAL Applications Act fixes that by requiring the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to establish online portals to accept, process, and manage these forms. These portals will allow applicants to submit materials electronically, track the progress, and improve coordination across agencies. It is a straightforward reform, but one with real impact.
For communities across the country, especially rural communities like the ones I represent in Florida, delays in permitting infrastructure can mean delays in access, weaker wireless coverage, and slower deployment of technologies that are critical to support economic growth and public safety.
When we talk about closing the digital divide, it is not just about funding new networks. It is also about removing unnecessary red tape and bureaucratic barriers that slow down this progress.
This bill does exactly that. By digitizing the application process, we can reduce these administrative delays, increase transparency, and provide applicants with a clear path forward when seeking a path to build infrastructure on these lands.
The DIGITAL Applications Act also reflects strong bipartisan cooperation, and I thank my colleague, Representative Matsui, for working so hard with me on this to advance a commonsense solution.
At a time when Americans expect government to operate with the same efficiency they experience in the private sector, modernizing outdated systems should be something that we can all agree on.
This bill improves government operations, supports broadband, and helps ensure that our communications infrastructure keeps pace with the needs of the 21st century.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the DIGITAL Applications Act.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I once again thank Representative Cammack for her leadership on the DIGITAL Applications Act. This legislation will help get rural America online to support students, small businesses, farmers, ranchers, and families. It will help constituents in my home State of Arkansas, as well as Americans across the country, who live in remote areas near Federal lands.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1665, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1665.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2294) to reauthorize the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Elfreth) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 2294, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2294, to reauthorize the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009, sponsored by Representative Ezell from Mississippi.
The Integrated Ocean Observing System, or IOOS, is a public-private partnership of coastal observation systems that provide local decisionmakers with the latest science to prepare for and protect coastal communities from disasters, while also supporting numerous industries that operate in our marine waters.
The legislation before us would authorize the program through fiscal year 2030, ensuring continued support for fisheries, maritime industries, and coastal communities.
Mr. Speaker, I commend Representative Ezell for his leadership, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2294. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to support H.R. 2294, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act, or IOOS, a commonsense, science-based solution that brings together my colleagues on both sides of the aisle around our shared commitment to protecting our coastal communities.
I am proud to work with my colleague, Representative Ezell, as one of the bipartisan group of 25 cosponsors on this critical issue.
Timely ocean and coastal data is essential to keeping our coastal economies, like the one I represent, running and to protecting our communities.
H.R. 2294 reauthorizes the IOOS program that delivers that invaluable data and that helps us with everything from our emergency preparedness to our fisheries management programs in the States that we represent. IOOS helps to track changing ocean temperatures, measure wave activity, predict harmful algal blooms, monitor sea level rise, and improve storm surge forecasts that help emergency managers make lifesaving evacuation decisions.
IOOS provides data to States, ports, the Coast Guard, FEMA, and any other business or agency that needs real-time access to ocean conditions.
With natural disasters causing an estimated $12 billion in average annual damages, sustained investment in IOOS remains essential to ensure accurate weather and climate forecasts that protect our infrastructure, public safety, and economic resilience.
This bipartisan bill extends IOOS through 2030, strengthening partnerships with regional ocean observation systems and ensuring that critical ocean data continues to flow to Federal, State, and local decisionmakers who depend on it.
From the Gulf Coast to the golden coast of the Chesapeake Bay, when Republicans and Democrats work together on science-based solutions, we can protect both our natural resources and the communities that depend on them.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my bill H.R. 2294, the Reauthorization of Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009.
This bill ensures the continued operation of the Integrated Ocean Observing System, which is a nationwide network of buoys, radars, underwater gliders, and forecasting models that collect critical ocean and coastal data. These tools help provide real-time information on ocean conditions, weather patterns, coastal hazards, and marine ecosystems.
This information is essential for a wide range of Americans who rely on our oceans and coastlines every single day. It supports commercial fishermen, shipping and maritime operations, offshore energy development, hurricane forecasting, and coastal disaster preparedness. It also helps Federal, State, and local officials make informed decisions to protect both lives and livelihoods along our coasts.
For coastal States like mine, Mississippi, and many others across the country, accurate and timely ocean data is not a luxury. It is a necessity. When hurricanes threaten our shores, when fishermen head out to work, or when communities are preparing for coastal flooding, the data collected through the Integrated Ocean Observing System helps ensure they have the best information available to stay safe and make informed decisions.
My bill simply reauthorizes this important program and strengthens coordination between Federal agencies and regional observing systems so that the data being collected is more accessible and more reliable and more useful for the communities that depend on it.
This is a bipartisan commonsense measure that supports science, strengthens coastal resilience, and ensures we continue to have the tools necessary to understand and respond to changing ocean conditions.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues and Chairman Westerman for helping get this bill on the floor. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the Save Our Sequoias Act. I thank Chairman Westerman for his leadership and collaboration.
I introduced this legislation with my California colleague Representative Scott Peters to safeguard our remaining giant Sequoia groves, the most in my district, by cutting red tape and restoring resilience to our forests.
Giant sequoias, the world's largest trees, are only naturally found in 70 groves across 37,000 acres in California.
Unfortunately, over the last century, fire suppression practices and forest mismanagement have led to a dangerous buildup of fuels, which, in combination with increasingly intense wildfires, has caused the unparalleled destruction of these iconic trees.
In the last 5 years alone, there has been a nearly 20 percent loss of our giant sequoias. That is not to mention that at its current pace it would take the U.S. Forest Service 52 years to treat just the 19 most at-risk giant sequoia groves.
Our giant sequoias are a true national treasure. We cannot afford to let burdensome regulations prevent us from safeguarding them.
My bipartisan bill would enhance interagency coordination between State, Federal, and Tribal partners, accelerate forest restoration efforts, and provide important science-based resources to land managers to protect these ancient trees from further destruction.
The world's only giant sequoia groves provide critical economic, scientific, and cultural benefits for our local Tribes, researchers, and our communities. Speeding up fuels reductions and wildfire mitigation practices in these remaining groves will boost the resilience of our forests and protect these giants for years to come.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the 29 Members from both sides of the aisle who cosponsored this bill, as well as the staff on the House Committee on Natural Resources for helping to pass this important bipartisan bill, which would ensure California's remaining sequoias endure for generations to come.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
This bill provides communities with real-time data and information about the ocean and coastal areas and the Great Lakes. This helps them remain strong and resilient even in the face of natural disasters.
Once again, I thank Mr. Ezell for his diligent work and attention to this issue. It is incredibly important to coastal communities and incredibly important to those who rely on the data and scientific information that comes from our great waterways.
Mr. Speaker. I urge the passage of H.R. 2294, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2294, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3073) to confer jurisdiction on the State of Utah with respect to civil causes of action arising on or within the Indian lands of the Shivwits Band of Paiutes, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Elfreth) each will control 20 minutes.
Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3073, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia?
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, in 2022, a 10th Circuit Court of Appeals case studied the Shivwits Band of Paiutes accordingly due to the opportunity for economic development when the court ruled that Utah State courts lacked the jurisdiction to hear cases involving on-reservation conduct. If an issue were to arise between the Tribe and an outside investor, there would be no guarantee that a State court could intervene. As a result, outside groups have grown hesitant to work with the Shivwits Band.
H.R. 3073, the Shivwits Band of Paiutes Jurisdictional Clarity Act introduced by Ms. Maloy of Utah would clarify in statute that the Utah State courts hold jurisdiction over civil cases involving members of the Shivwits Band on their Tribal land. In addition, this legislation would follow congressional precedent by amending the Long-Term Leasing Act to allow the Shivwits Band to lease land held in trust for up to 99 years.
I commend Ms. Maloy for her work on behalf of her constituency. I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 3073, offered by my friend from Utah Representative Maloy.
H.R. 3073 would confer civil jurisdiction to the State of Utah over actions arising on or within the lands of the Shivwits Band of Paiutes. Under this legislation, these civil causes of action could be heard in Utah State courts, providing both the Tribe and outside partners with a clear forum to resolve disputes.
The bill also amends the Long-Term Leasing Act to allow the Shivwits Band to lease their lands for up to 99 years. Similar amendments have been enacted for a number of other Tribes, and this bill provides the Shivwits Band with that same authority.
Madam Speaker, I urge support for the bill to help address challenges the Shivwits Band has faced in pursuing economic development opportunities, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 3073, the Shivwits Band of Paiutes Jurisdictional Clarity Act.
This narrow bill gives a Tribal neighbor a fair opportunity to pursue economic development and build a stronger future for their people.
My office has worked closely with leaders from the Shivwits Band of Paiutes to understand the challenges they are facing. This legislation is the result of those conversations and reflects the solutions the Tribe believes will help them move forward while serving their members.
The Shivwits Band wants to pursue economic opportunities on their lands, but the recent decision from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals that has already been mentioned placed new barriers in the way, complicating, maybe even threatening, their economic plans.
The court held that even when a Tribe clearly waives sovereign immunity in a contract and consents to State court jurisdiction, State courts may still lack authority to hear disputes unless a series of additional requirements are met.
These requirements are not easy to meet.
Those hurdles created uncertainty for the Shivwits Band in attracting potential business partners. Without clarity for business partners, opportunities for the Band would be lost. Leaders from the Shivwits Band have spoken clearly on the need for a better path forward.
This is what they said in their own words:
``The Shivwits Tribe and local community leaders have found a new way forward: collaboration instead of conflict, and cooperation instead of contention. This bill allows the Tribe to align interests with potential business partners that can help drive economic development on Reservations.''
H.R. 3073 provides that path forward. It clarifies that Utah State courts can resolve certain civil disputes involving the Shivwits Band when those disputes arise from agreements where the Band has clearly and voluntarily waived sovereign immunity.
At the same time, the bill fully preserves Tribal sovereignty. Nothing in this legislation forces the Tribe to waive immunity. The choice remains entirely theirs.
Madam Speaker, for those reasons, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3073.
Madam Speaker, in closing, I, again, commend my colleague from Utah. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 3073 ensures that the Shivwits Band of Paiutes' sovereignty remains intact, while offering legal certainty in economic development with outside investors. Additionally, the Tribe would
Madam Speaker, I thank Ms. Maloy for her work. I urge the passage of H.R. 3073, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3073.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4294) to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a pilot program with respect to the sale of blue catfish caught within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Elfreth) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4294, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia?
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4294, the Mitigation Action and Watermen Support Act, also known as the MAWS Act of 2026, the legislation I was proud to cosponsor with Congresswoman Elfreth.
Having grown up on the Chesapeake Bay, I understand firsthand how important it is to protect our marine wildlife and restore the bay's ecosystem. In fact, I worked in the commercial fishing realm and recreational fishing realm for a number of years there, and my son today is also a commercial fisherman, knows the bay well, and knows how problematic the blue catfish is to the Chesapeake Bay.
Unfortunately, the blue catfish has become an invasive species that poses a growing threat to the biodiversity of the Chesapeake Bay's waters and the seafood industries that depend on a healthy bay. These fish are aggressive predators that consume many of the species that define the Chesapeake Bay, things like blue crabs, striped bass, and other native fish that are vital to the Chesapeake Bay's ecological balance and to the watermen whose lives depend on them.
I hear daily from watermen across the spectrum saying how harmful the blue catfish are to the Chesapeake Bay. When I have had a chance to go out there and see the number of blue catfish in the bay watershed, it is astounding the biomass that is there. It is a wonder anything in the bay can survive based upon the volume of the blue catfish that are there.
This does have an impact on watermen up and down the bay, not just in Virginia, but also there in Maryland.
While positive steps we know have been taken to address this issue, more has to be done. The MAWS Act establishes a pilot program within the Chesapeake Bay office aimed at tackling the growing threat that these invasive blue catfish pose to the Chesapeake Bay and the fisheries that sustain our coastal communities. It is key to our economics to make sure we have crabs that people go to restaurants to enjoy and that we have striped bass that people go to restaurants to enjoy. If not, then these blue catfish will be the only thing left in the Chesapeake Bay.
By supporting increased harvesting of blue catfish and studying its impact on the bay's biodiversity, this program will help protect valuable native species like blue crabs and striped bass and the watermen who depend on them.
The legislation also explores practical uses of these harvested fish, including in the pet and animal food industry. This will help ensure their removal while making sure that we have sustainable commercial fishing industries there in the Chesapeake Bay.
We know we want to do all we can to support the hardworking men and women who make their living on the bay.
This is a bipartisan, commonsense approach that supports our watermen while helping to restore the balance to one of America's most important ecosystems. The Chesapeake Bay, by far, is the most diverse and productive water system on the face of the Earth. This imbalance is causing big problems in the bay. This will go a long way to make sure we create those opportunities for our watermen and also open up more economic opportunities for the commercial fishing industry.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I am grateful that H.R. 4294, the MAWS Act, is included in today's suspension package, a piece of legislation I was so proud to work in partnership in crafting with the gentleman from Virginia.
The Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the Nation that is responsible for $100 billion in annual economic value, is facing a critical, albeit delicious threat, the invasive blue catfish. These blue catfish were introduced into tidal areas of the bay in the 1970s for recreational purposes under the assumption that they would stay in the freshwater and not venture into the brackish water of the larger bay. That assumption has turned out to be catastrophically wrong. Blue catfish are now not only in every tidal area of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but they are the most abundant biomass in many of them, and the threat is real.
Blue catfish can live up to 20 years. They can weigh up to 100 pounds. They eat approximately 10 percent of their body weight every day and have an extremely fast metabolism. The imbalance my colleague from Virginia just spoke about in our ecosystem has created a situation where because they eat so much, their meals frequently consist of staples of our seafood industry and staples of Maryland and Virginia's culture: baby blue crabs, rockfish, even oysters, causing significant economic damage to our seafood industry at large, which is a central part of our economies in the bay region.
Making matters worse, these blue catfish, because they are invasive, have no natural predators in the bay to control that population growth. Because of this, they now estimate there are tens of millions of these fish throughout the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and that is growing rapidly.
The good news, Madam Speaker, is that blue catfish are nutritious and delicious, and they are high in protein and omega-3s. According to a new report from bay scientists, these catfish do not retain PFAS like other fish.
The market for human consumption has grown significantly across the region, due to a concerted marketing campaign, processors who make bold investments, chefs who are willing to take a risk with blue catfish dishes popping up in restaurant menus, and filets on sale at your local market.
However, that market has a few critical limitations that are inhibiting our ability to control this catastrophe. First, blue catfish are the only fish inspected by the USDA. All other fish are under the jurisdiction of the FDA, and this adds significant hurdles for seafood processors and watermen who want to sell blue catfish for human consumption.
I would be remiss, Madam Speaker, if I didn't highlight that this very red
Second, State health regulations indicate that blue catfish filet is safe for human consumption in fish no larger than 25 pounds. This means there are tens of millions of fish over 25 pounds or up to 85 pounds actually, that watermen struggle to sell because they cannot be processed for human consumption, and the market is not there.
Fortunately, they are completely safe for inclusion in the pet food industry.
Third, on the other end of the spectrum, there are millions of more than 1- to 2-pound blue catfish that are not big enough to filet and consequently aren't sold for processing for people. The smallest fish are among the most aggressive predators of the species that our industry relies on, stealthily eating eggs in otherwise hard-to-access habitats.
We have made significant critical progress like the USDA grant program which provides financial support to processors and food banks, but there remains the problem that only the very narrow window of 2- to 25-pound fish can be sold for human consumption.
We are left without a solution to the question: What are watermen supposed to do with every other size?
They can't just throw them back.
We can do our part, everybody here, and everybody watching at home, including my mother, can do their part in ordering the blue catfish when we see it on a menu. Again, it is delicious and nutritious. This is not a problem we are capable of eating our way out of.
That is why I introduced the bipartisan MAWS Act, alongside House Natural Resources Vice Chairman Wittman, to invest funds to address invasive blue catfish and strengthen our local seafood economy, while also providing a new source of protein to pets nationwide.
The MAWS Act establishes this pilot program within the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office to facilitate a market for Chesapeake Bay blue catfish in the pet and animal food industry.
This program will complement the growing market for human consumption by forging new partnerships with pet and animal food manufacturers nationwide that otherwise do not have a footprint in the Chesapeake Bay, and it would establish a sustainable outlet for fish that are outside the window for human consumption by giving watermen and processors more opportunities to sell the smallest and largest blue catfish.
NOAA will enter into cooperative agreements with pet and animal food manufacturers to ensure watermen and processors are properly incentivized to catch blue catfish in the bay, and establish transportation, processing, and manufacturing structures for that long- term market need.
By having a customer base with consistent and reliable price points, watermen can feel confident that it is worth their while to catch blue catfish of all shapes and sizes, knowing there will be somebody at the end of the dock to buy it for a fair price.
Price points for this pilot program will be established in a collaborative effort between watermen, processors, manufacturers, scientists, and economists.
We spent a year crafting this bill, compromising to make sure that everybody's voices were heard and everybody had a seat at the table, ensuring every corner of the industry has a seat and a voice in the decision of what the baseline market price for fillet, byproduct, and whole fish will be for this program.
Additionally, in the many months of engagement on this bill with watermen, processors, and manufacturers, we learned that transportation mechanisms are a complex web of coordinated pickups, often with processors going right to the front door of the homes of watermen to pick up their daily catch.
In order to make participation in this program feasible and promote the establishment of long-term transportation processes, 15 percent of the total grant funding can be used by grantees to establish these new routes across the Chesapeake Bay in partnership with established routes led by processors.
Throughout this 2-year pilot program, NOAA will collect data on the ecological and economic impacts of the program. NOAA will report back to Congress on best practices, lessons learned, and recommendations for additional species in other watersheds that may benefit from this program.
Our seafood industry across the Chesapeake Bay is the heart of our economy, but many factors far outside the control of watermen and processors have left the industry in a dire situation. Extreme weather, deep freezes, unexpected waterway discharge, and a national affordability crisis are threatening the livelihoods of our watermen, not to mention the ever-increasing blue catfish population.
The MAWS Act, again, is the result of intensive collaboration and creativity of stakeholders across the watershed as we sought to address the ecological and economic damage of the invasive species in a way that complements--again, complements--and strengthens the growing market for human consumption.
This is not an either/or approach. This is a yes/and, all-hands-on- deck approach.
If this innovative approach is successful, it is our hope that a similar tool can be utilized to combat invasive aquatic species in other waterways across the Nation. Think carp that are wreaking havoc in the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes. Think snakeheads that are invading North Carolina, Missouri, Arkansas, and more.
I am proud to lead the effort of this one-of-a-kind legislation in partnership with my colleagues from Virginia, Representative Wittman and Representative Kiggans, as well as Representative Hoyer.
I thank the chair and his staff for providing such technical assistance to this bill, and I thank my colleagues for supporting this bill.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
Madam Speaker, again, I reiterate my appreciation to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman), the committee staff, and all the stakeholders who spent the last year crafting this creative solution to a problem that threatens the economy and ecology of the greatest natural resource we have in Maryland and Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay.
This is an innovative solution. When you visit with other folks who are policymakers, what we hate to hear is, ``We have always done it this way,'' or, ``We have never done it that way.''
This moment, this crisis that we are experiencing in the Chesapeake Bay, requires innovation, creativity, partnerships, and collaboration. That is exactly what the MAWS Act represents, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
Madam Speaker, as we have heard, this bill does quite a bit to open up free markets for fishermen who want to be able to use this very abundant resource. Blue catfish are incredibly abundant--in fact, to the detriment of other species that everybody loves.
Opening up free markets and opening up opportunities for those fishermen is incredibly important. What this also does is to take down bureaucratic impediments.
We know, right now, because of the structure that USDA has to inspect these plants that process catfish, it creates an inordinate stress on that industry. For many of them, because they don't predominate in processing blue catfish, they can't afford to have a full-time USDA inspector in their plant.
What this will do is to say: Let's look at other ways to be able to utilize it. This is a great source of protein. As the world today looks for protein--remember, there is a protein deficit around the world, and we have an overabundance of protein here in the Chesapeake Bay with these blue catfish--we ought to be looking at other ways to do that, not just for human consumption.
As Ms. Elfreth talked about, there is a place for human consumption of these fish, but there is also a place outside of that that commercial fishermen could fill if we allow them to be used for other purposes, especially for pet food.
If you look at one of the industries today that is the fastest growing industry in the United States, it is the pet industry. Why wouldn't we look at these opportunities that will help our watermen, help the environment, and help other populations like crabs and striped bass? We want to do that. We want to make sure we are doing those things that will help our economy and that will alleviate some of the bureaucratic impediments for these individuals to work hard and make a living on the water.
As I said, my son is a waterman. He goes out every day with no assurance about what he will catch. He is one of the true last independent businesspeople left in the United States. When you go out today, you are not sure if you are going to catch anything.
If you have something that creates undue pressure on what you are relying on to make a living, then you want to try to alleviate that and create that balance there. This does that.
This takes some of the pressure off the blue crab population that, for the last decade, has been under tremendous pressure in the Chesapeake Bay. It takes pressure off the striped bass populations that right now are in decline.
Watermen in Virginia and Maryland rely on the striped bass. It is a heavily managed fishery, but when you have these other pressures on there, we want to make sure that we have the right balance.
What this does is to open up the door to make sure that those things happen, that we look to enhance coastal economies that right now are under significant duress. Watermen struggle and have to fish multiple species in order to make a living. This would be a great enhancement for them.
If we can do this, it helps the area economically. It also takes away some of the burdens on seafood processors that have those burdens. Sometimes, they can't get into this industry because of the regulatory burdens. This is a great way for us to do that.
The economic impact is going to be significant, I would argue, not just for the Chesapeake Bay but also for the surrounding areas that rely upon the bounty that comes out of the Chesapeake Bay.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4294, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4294, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5254) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement with the Gateway Arch Park Foundation to host private events in Gateway Arch National Park buildings, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Elfreth) each will control 20 minutes.
Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5254, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia?
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5254, the Gateway Partnership Act. This is bipartisan legislation sponsored by Representatives Bell and Wagner of Missouri. This bill creates an innovative new model for public-private partnerships at our national parks by authorizing the National Park Service to enter into an agreement with the Gateway Arch Park Foundation to host events and community programming at Gateway Arch National Park.
Gateway Arch towers over the city of St. Louis, Missouri, and welcomes millions of visitors each year to the first city built across the Mississippi River. With its silver curve soaring over 600-feet high across the riverbank, Gateway Arch serves as a reminder of the grit and bravery our Nation's early pioneers showed when they left all that they had and all that they knew behind to venture out toward the American West. The arch also links America's original pioneer spirit of the past with the drive to forge new futures today.
Recently, the park's main philanthropic partnership, the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, completed a trailblazing, multimillion-dollar public- private partnership that reconnected the city and waterfront area and created a new visitor center and green spaces. It also revitalized historic buildings around Gateway Arch.
H.R. 5254 helps ensure that these newly renovated facilities, such as the Old Courthouse and Arch Visitor Center, are used to their full potential by allowing the foundation to host events in these spaces.
Allowing the foundation to fully utilize these facilities would not only create new jobs but also generate an estimated $780,000 in additional revenue for the park. H.R. 5254 does this while maintaining strict guardrails around the usage of the park to ensure public access is not impeded and no park resources are damaged during these events.
The bill is narrow, limited, and bipartisan. It is a commonsense way to leverage private expertise and local investment to strengthen a signature national park and generate new revenue to support its operation.
Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 5254, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5254, offered by my colleagues Representative Bell and Representative Wagner of Missouri, which will support the relationship between Gateway Arch National Park and the Gateway Arch Park Foundation.
The Gateway Arch Park Foundation was formed in 2009 to help fund and coordinate the CityArchRiver project, a transformational revamp of the Mississippi Riverfront and Kiener Plaza, right under the iconic arch, that greatly improved public safety and the overall visitor experience.
Since then, the foundation's partnership with the National Park Service has thrived. This is exactly the type of public-private partnership we need across all of our national parks.
As the official philanthropic partner of the park, the foundation hosts several popular events, including Blues at the Arch and Winterfest, both of which draw thousands of visitors and generate significant revenue that is reinvested back into supporting the park.
The bill we are considering today establishes a new pilot program that would allow the foundation to host private events at Gateway Arch National Park.
This will allow the foundation to host more events and potentially generate even more resources to support the ongoing management of the park.
The authority granted by the bill is a powerful tool when used appropriately, but it cannot become an excuse or rationale to supplant or cut funding from the National Park Service or its staff, especially now when the agency is being pushed to the limit by this administration.
Public-private partnerships like this one managed by the Gateway Arch Foundation are essential. They provide critical support through the National Park System, but we must remember that the agency has lost nearly 25 percent of its full-time staff since the beginning of last year. That figure is neither sustainable nor rational.
Expanding partnership tools should not be an excuse to replace the expertise and experience of the dedicated professionals at the National Park Service.
With that context in mind, this bill requires careful guardrails. Thanks to the cooperation of my colleagues across the aisle, H.R. 5254 will allow managers of the Gateway Arch to test out a time-limited authority. The bill includes significant safeguards for National Park Service-sponsored events, cost recovery authority, and robust reporting requirements so we can understand the full scope and impact of this new pilot project.
Allowing a philanthropic partner to have exclusive after-hours access to park facilities will be a unique arrangement within the National Park System. I thank the majority for working with us to ensure it includes the right checks and balances.
Madam Speaker, I also thank my colleague and friend Representative Bell from Missouri for introducing this legislation and advocating for his hometown national park, hopefully creating a blueprint that could be utilized across this country.
While most Americans know about the iconic St. Louis Arch, famously known as the Gateway to the West, not everyone knows about the full history of the site. The park is also home to the Old Courthouse, the site where Dred Scott first tried and unsuccessfully sued for his freedom from slavery.
This is a transformational American story. While President Trump is doing his worst to sanitize American history and remove signs at national parks across the country, boosting its visibility is more important now than ever.
Celebrating 250 years of this great Nation means honoring and acknowledging the progress we have made since the days of the Dred Scott decision, not burying the truth or the full telling of our shared history.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, by creating a time-limited pilot program allowing private philanthropic partners to host events at park facilities, H.R. 5254 creates an innovative new model for improved public access, better visitor experience, and new revenue streams to support park operations.
This bill will create jobs, boost the local economy, and provide new opportunities to celebrate America's 250th birthday at one of the most iconic national park destinations in the Midwest.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5254, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5254, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5729) to authorize direct emergency acquisition flexibilities for the National Park Service for the purpose of retaining, vetting, approving, and expediting contractor approval for the clearing, rebuilding, maintenance, and improvement of the Grand Canyon grounds that have been impacted by the Dragon Bravo Fire, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Elfreth) each will control 20 minutes.
Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5729, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia?
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5729, the North Rim Restoration Act, introduced by my friend and colleague Representative Crane of Arizona.
Madam Speaker, this vital legislation gives the National Park Service the streamlined authorities necessary to rebuild and restore one of the natural wonders of the world and iconic historic structures.
Last year, the Dragon Bravo fire tore through the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, one of the true crown jewels of the National Park System. The fire burned nearly 150,000 acres of land. It left a deep mark on the once-peaceful landscape, severely damaging pristine evergreen forests, decimating wildlife habitat, and destroying more than 100 buildings and structures.
Among these structures destroyed was the iconic Grand Canyon Lodge, which millions of visitors had enjoyed visiting for nearly a century. Since the fire was contained, the North Rim has been partially closed to visitors.
The year before the fire, over 11 million visitors to Arizona's national parks contributed $42.2 billion to the State's economy. As visitor numbers declined after the fire, the ripple effects have been felt well beyond the North Rim, especially by small businesses and gateway communities in northern Arizona.
These communities depend on tourism and recreation. Without quick action, visitor numbers may never rebound, harming small businesses in rural Arizona for years, even for decades. Representative Crane's bill offers a bold and decisive solution to this problem. His legislation provides streamlined, practical recovery tools that will allow the National Park Service to quickly begin infrastructure rebuilding and forestry recovery efforts in the areas affected by the Dragon Bravo fire.
This bill will allow the National Park Service to use temporary emergency contracting authorities for up to 7 years to quickly hire highly qualified contractors, allowing them to move at the pace and scale necessary to repair fire damage, rebuild burned structures, and conduct essential forest management activities necessary to restore full access to one of the most visited landscapes in America.
The Grand Canyon is not only a national treasure but also an engine for local jobs and the outdoor recreation economy. H.R. 5729 is the right solution at the right time that will ensure the North Rim's much- needed recovery from the Dragon Bravo fire is not slowed down by avoidable red tape.
Representative Crane's bill ensures the North Rim can recover to its full glory. It restores access for millions of American families. It will support our local communities that rely on park access and a strong outdoor recreation economy.
I thank Representatives Crane and Tiffany as well as Chairman Gosar for their collective work on this important effort. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5729.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 5729, the North Rim Restoration Act, offered by my colleague Representative Crane of Arizona.
Last summer's devastating Dragon Bravo fire burned nearly 150,000 acres of the Grand Canyon's North Rim, causing irreparable damage to crucial water infrastructure, well-loved trails, and 106 buildings, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge.
After the fire, safety concerns forced the Park Service and the nearby Kaibab National Forest to restrict visitor access, effectively closing the North Rim overnight. The loss of tourism has been devastating for communities and businesses. The loss for this Nation cannot be overstated.
Arizona's $29.3 billion tourism economy is fueled by visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park, with nearly 5 million people visiting this crown jewel each and every year. Restoring and rebuilding at the North Rim is a serious priority.
It will take an all-hands-on-deck approach to rebuild the iconic North Rim lodge to get visitors back to this wonderful landscape.
H.R. 5729 will allow the National Park Service to use expedited contracting authority to efficiently move projects along as quickly as possible. However, the single best action we can take is to ensure our Federal land management agencies have the sustained resources and staff required to fulfill their mission of wildfire mitigation and ecosystem restoration, along with the tools necessary.
To recover from tragedies like the Dragon Bravo fire, the seventh largest fire in Arizona's history, we must fully fund our national parks, forests, and public land management agencies.
I would be remiss if I didn't point out that most of the emergency authorities in this bill could have been granted with the stroke of the President's pen if he had approved an emergency or disaster declaration. That likely hasn't happened because disaster recovery at FEMA has been deeply politicized and delayed by this administration.
We can never and should never play politics with rebuilding and recovery efforts. While I appreciate what this bill will do for the North Rim rebuild, I urge my colleagues to work with us and collaborate on the larger issues of staffing, funding, cutting of red tape, and disaster recovery we are seeing in communities across this country.
Madam Speaker, I urge support for H.R. 5729, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the North Rim Restoration Act of 2025. Last July, a lightning strike ignited the Dragon Bravo fire, which grew into the seventh largest wildfire in Arizona's history.
It burned more than 145,000 acres. It destroyed over 100 structures, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. It also forced the closure of the North Rim. The result was great uncertainty for gateway communities whose livelihoods depend on a steady flow of visitors.
In the days and months during and after the fire, I traveled to the region to meet with park staff, local employers, and community leaders. Each conversation revealed different consequences of the disaster, but one concern came up repeatedly: the layers of bureaucracy threatening to slow recovery and prolong economic hardship.
Families and workers cannot wait years for the infrastructure and housing needed to bring the North Rim back to life. That is why I worked closely with local stakeholders to draft the North Rim Restoration Act of 2025. This bill gives the Department of the Interior emergency contracting authority for all recovery efforts from the Dragon Bravo fire.
This is a bipartisan approach that would minimize unnecessary delays. At the same time, it preserves community input, environmental standards, and mandatory reporting every 180 days to ensure transparency, accountability, and responsible use of taxpayer dollars.
Although last year's July 4 lightning strike brought months of hardship to the region, we now have a chance to restore this iconic destination as we honor America's 250th anniversary.
Passage of this bill sends a clear message to every visitor, worker, and family who cherishes the North Rim. This place will not fade into memory. It will endure as a living legacy.
As I prepare to close, I thank the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, Chairman Westerman, and everyone who has played a role in advancing this legislation. As a result of their dedication and persistence, we are on the verge of securing House passage just 5 months since introduction.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this effort and help ensure a full and timely recovery.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Crane for his thoughtful and aggressive efforts to make sure we can restore the Grand Canyon National Park to its former glory and for his work in highlighting the incredible stress that this places on the communities there.
I thank him, too, for offering this legislation at a key point to make sure that the right things happen so that people in his district can indeed get back to what they know is highlighting a great, great national treasure.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 5729 gives the National Park Service limited accountable authorities to expedite the restoration and rebuilding process following last year's Dragon Bravo fire so that the treasured North Rim of the Grand Canyon can fully reopen and do so safely.
I thank Representative Crane once again for his leadership on this effort and for his insightfulness. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5729, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2196) to provide for an extension of the legislative authority of the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Elfreth) each will control 20 minutes.
Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2196, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia?
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2196, the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Extension Act, which is sponsored by Representative Hudson.
Emergency medical service providers are often the first people on the scene in a moment of crisis. They respond to accidents, natural disasters, public health emergencies, and everyday calls for help. More than 1 million Americans serve as EMS providers across the country under one shared mission: to save lives and protect the public.
Despite that service, there is still no permanent memorial in our Nation's Capital dedicated to EMS professionals who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
In 2018, Congress authorized the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish such a memorial. Since then, the foundation has moved through the Federal approval process and is now working on site selection and environmental review. Like many memorial projects, progress has been steady but slow due to design approvals and the need to raise private funds.
Unfortunately, the authorization for this important memorial expired last year, and the foundation needs this authorization extended to finally complete its mission.
Representative Hudson's bill provides a straightforward solution. His legislation extends the foundation's legislative authority for an additional 7 years, allowing their work to continue so that this memorial can finally be completed.
Importantly, this memorial will remain funded entirely through private contributions, with no cost to the taxpayers. This legislation also does not expand the project or change its purpose. It simply ensures that the effort to honor fallen EMS providers can be finished.
Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Hudson for his leadership on this bill. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2196, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2196, offered by my colleague, Representative Hudson of North Carolina, which provides the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation with a straightforward extension to establish the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial right here in Washington, D.C.
This is a deeply meaningful and important project that deserves our full support. Congress first authorized the establishment of this memorial in 2018, and the foundation's work to finalize its design and construction is almost complete.
Unfortunately, the initial 7-year authorization recently expired. Today, this bill allows us to take the simple step and let the foundation continue its work to honor the service and sacrifice of the medical emergency service community for generations to come.
Every year, EMS providers around the Nation respond to millions of calls, ranging from health emergencies to mass shootings. Whether they serve at the Federal, State, local, private, volunteer, military, or Tribal level, these brave men and women are dedicated to commitment and service.
The memorial will be a small token of our appreciation for those who help others when they need it most. It is the least we can do to give to these heroes, who serve our communities around the Nation and across the globe, a place of honor in our Nation's Capital.
I look forward to the completion of this meaningful memorial, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Extension Act provides the time needed to complete a project that honors the service and sacrifice of EMS providers without imposing a cost on taxpayers.
Representative Hudson's legislation keeps the memorial on track and ensures that EMS professionals are recognized alongside other public safety heroes in our Nation's Capital.
Once again, I thank Representative Hudson for his leadership on this effort and for his dedication to those who serve this Nation humbly and selflessly.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 528) to require the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a program for Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Program, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Elfreth) each will control 20 minutes.
Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 528, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia?
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 528, the Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act, sponsored by Representative Pettersen.
Madam Speaker, this bipartisan legislation, which is also part of the Fix Our Forests Act, would create a post-disaster reforestation and restoration program at the Department of the Interior.
Across the country, catastrophic wildfires are burning hotter and more severely, turning once-pristine landscapes into charred moonscapes. Hurricanes, windstorms, mudslides, and other natural disasters can also leave behind millions of acres of land in need of reforestation.
In many cases, if Federal land managers don't move quickly to replant and restore scorched or uprooted lands, once-lush forests can permanently decay into low-lying scrublands that are unproductive and vulnerable to future fire and erosion.
When these forests disappear, they take with them clean water, wildlife habitat, and the livelihoods of communities that depend on them for recreation and employment. With millions of acres of forests lost to catastrophic wildfires and other disasters, our Federal agencies are bearing the strain of an enormous backlog of replanting and restoration work.
In 2021, Congress passed legislation to partially address the Forest Service's priority reforestation needs, although no similar authority was included for the Department of the Interior. H.R. 528 offers a straightforward solution to tackle the crisis and provides consistency across all Federal land management agencies.
This bill directs agencies within the Department of the Interior to identify priority landscapes most in need of reforestation and to proactively partner with States, Tribes, local communities, and institutions of higher learning to advance high-priority restoration projects.
This bill is a practical, bipartisan way to prioritize vital restoration work that requires immediate action. By allowing Federal agencies to work with trusted partners, we can clear the way for reforestation, get to faster restoration, and serve the communities that rely on healthy, resilient forests.
I thank Representative Pettersen for her work on this bill, as well as for her work on Fix Our Forests Act.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in strong support of Representative Pettersen's H.R. 528, the Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act.
Madam Speaker, this legislation would establish a program at the Department of the Interior to address ecological damage caused by unforeseen events, including wildfires and weather events, and support efforts to restore ecosystems, particularly those where disruption has hindered the natural recovery.
As the impacts of climate change cause more frequent and intense natural disasters, we must take a whole-of-government approach to respond to these crises and rebuild. This includes critical investments in predisaster mitigation measures, like strengthening infrastructure and housing, enhancing early detection, supporting our country's wildland firefighters, and focusing on post-disaster resilience.
These kinds of upfront investments will ensure communities impacted by wildfire can rebuild and recover in a way that makes them more resilient against future natural disasters. This bill is a commonsense step toward better land management and stronger community resilience in the face of climate-driven wildfires and extreme weather.
Recovery after a wildfire is a lengthy and challenging process, and this bill will help build stronger, more resilient communities that can stand up against the threat of wildfires for generations to come.
Madam Speaker, I urge support of H.R. 528, and I urge my colleagues to support this critical piece of legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, this bill is a bipartisan, commonsense step to help land managers within the Department of the Interior tackle forest reforestation after wildfires, storms, and floods by working with capable non-Federal partners in the areas that need help the most. This legislation will help restore desolate landscapes to thriving forests.
As I mentioned before, the legislation previously passed the House as part of the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act. I hope to see that legislation sent to the President's desk soon so that land managers have every tool they need to restore forest health, prevent wildfires, and protect communities.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 528, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6380) to establish the Chiricahua National Park in the State of Arizona as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Elfreth) each will control 20 minutes.
Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6380, the bill before us for consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia?
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6380, the Chiricahua National Park Act, introduced by Representative Ciscomani of Arizona. This simple, bipartisan bill redesignates the Chiricahua National Monument as Chiricahua National Park.
Located in southeast Arizona, Chiricahua is a remarkable place that is known as the Land of Standing-Up Rocks. It is a home to unique volcanic formations, miles of scenic trails, and a landscape shaped by both natural forces and human history. From its ancient volcanic hoodoos and pinnacles to historic sites conserving the history of prehistoric and indigenous people, early pioneers, and ranchers, there is truly no place in the country like Chiricahua.
Every year, visitors to this area enjoy unique outdoor recreational activities, including hiking, stargazing, camping, bird-watching, and horseback riding. Across the country, outdoor recreation contributes $1.3 trillion to the U.S. economy. Last year, Arizona saw the second highest growth rate in its outdoor recreation activity amongst all States.
By creating the Nation's 64th national park and Arizona's fourth national park, Representative Ciscomani's legislation would further boost Arizona's outdoor recreation economy, create jobs, and support small businesses in rural gateway communities.
Importantly, this bipartisan bill does not expand the site's boundaries or change its management. It simply recognizes the national significance of Chiricahua by elevating it to full national park status. The change would place Chiricahua alongside other flagship parks and help raise its profile and support increased tourism.
The bill has significant local support. Representative Ciscomani has worked hard with all affected stakeholders to address any potential concerns. Representative Ciscomani added new language to the bill this Congress to ensure continued access for traditional uses for Tribes in a way that respects cultural heritage while maintaining public access to the park without creating new precedents.
In short, this bill honors a place of exceptional natural, historical, and cultural value without changing its footprints or management framework. I commend Representative Ciscomani for the years of hard work that he has put in to make the dream of Arizona's fourth national park a reality.
I cannot think of a better time than during America's 250th anniversary to send this meaningful legislation to the President's desk, and I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6380, offered by my colleague, Representative Ciscomani of Arizona, which would redesignate the Chiricahua National Monument as the Chiricahua National Park.
Located in the unique Sky Island ecosystem of southeastern Arizona, Chiricahua National Monument is known as the Wonderland of Rocks, which sounds magical. This unique and stunning landscape is filled with pinnacles, spires, and balancing rocks that inspire a sense of awe and wonder.
Chiricahua's rock formations are also a biodiversity hotspot that supports a variety of wildlife amid the flowering desert environment. This includes Apache foxes, javelinas, black bears, mountain lions, white-tailed deer, and over 200 bird species.
The monument is truly a special place that protects beautiful and important ecosystems, but that is only a part of its story. Tribal communities have deep ties and connections to the landscape.
Justine Jimmie, the deputy attorney general of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, testified on this proposal during the 2024 hearing before the House Committee on Natural Resources. Her written statement noted: ``The land that is now Chiricahua National Monument has been our homeland since time immemorial--long before the formation of the United States and before the U.S. Cavalry took our land to give to settlers, pioneers, and miners.''
This history is a history that cannot be ignored, which is why Tribal engagement has been such a critical component in building support for this bill, and I thank the bill sponsor for doing that.
The bill ensures Tribes can continue to access important and sacred sites, even permitting temporary closure of areas of the park for Tribal ceremonies. That is a key part of upholding our trust obligations and ensuring Tribal support for this redesignation.
The National Park Service itself has noted that the wealth of cultural and natural resources across Chiricahua's landscape makes it a strong candidate for national park status.
I am excited about the prospect of designating our Nation's next national park, but I also want to be very clear about what comes next. Our parks and public lands have been short-staffed and underresourced by the current administration, with nearly a quarter of the National Park Service staff departing the agency, some voluntarily and many others involuntarily, since the beginning of last year.
Madam Speaker, after approving the designation of this new national park, I urge for full resources and full staffing so that it can meet its mission.
As Congress continues to come together to create new national parks to protect our Nation's most special places, we must continue to do everything in our power to make sure our national parks have the staffing and resources they need for the next 250 years and beyond.
Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Westerman and my colleague, Representative Wittman, for this time.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, the Chiricahua National Park Act.
I also thank my colleague from Maryland because these were not easy words to pronounce: Chiricahua, javelinas, and so on. Arizona threw her a curveball on this one, but she did very well with all of that.
For more than a century, the remarkable landscape of Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona has inspired visitors from across the country. Known as the Wonderland of Rocks, this extraordinary area protects towering volcanic rock formations, deep canyons, and one of the most biologically diverse mountain ranges in the entire Southwest.
For the people of Cochise County and southeastern Arizona, Chiricahua is more than a beautiful landscape. It is a source of pride, a place where families enjoy the outdoors, and a very important part of the region's identity.
This legislation simply redesignates the monument as a national park, recognizing its national significance without expanding its footprint or changing existing land management.
Just as important, this bill supports economic opportunity in rural Arizona. The redesignation would help raise Chiricahua's national profile, attract more visitors, and strengthen tourism across southeastern Arizona. That is why this effort is widely supported by the local business community, along with local leaders and stakeholders who see the potential for responsible economic growth tied to outdoor recreation and conservation.
Arizona is already home to world-renowned parks like Grand Canyon National Park, Saguaro National Park, and Petrified Forest National Park. With this legislation, we would add another extraordinary landscape to this list.
Madam Speaker, this is a commonsense, bipartisan step that protects a national treasure in my district while supporting rural communities.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Chiricahua National Park Act.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 6380 recognizes the national significance of the Chiricahua in southeastern Arizona while helping unlock more tourism and investment for surrounding communities.
Elevating this site to national park status will raise its profile, attract more visitors, and support local jobs without expanding its boundaries or changing its management.
I thank Representative Ciscomani once again for his strong leadership, his dedication, and his passion for this effort.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6380, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to redesignate the Chiricahua National Monument in the State of Arizona as Chiricahua National Park, and for other purposes.''.
Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 831) to establish an interest-bearing account for the non- Federal contributions to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) and the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Elfreth) each will control 20 minutes.
Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 831, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia?
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 831, the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2025, sponsored by Representative Calvert from California.
The Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program aims to conserve native fish populations, increase habitat for migratory birds in the Lower Colorado River Basin, and allow for continued water and power deliveries.
The Federal Government contributes 50 percent of its funding, and three Lower Basin States provide the remainder. In recent years, however, the pace of funding has outpaced the pace of work, leaving available funds idle.
This legislation would authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to place the program's non-Federal funds in an interest-bearing account, providing approximately $2 million annually that would otherwise be borne by the Lower Basin States.
I commend Representative Calvert for his continued leadership, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 831.
Madam Speaker, if I could, this is the last of a marathon of bills. I think the breadth of the bills we saw today are a testament to this committee, from protecting sequoias in California to addressing invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake to supporting national parks in Mississippi, Missouri, and Arizona to the bill before us now. I am just in awe of this committee's work product.
I thank the chair, the ranking member, and the committee staff. This is what Americans sent us to do, and I am grateful to be a part of it. I thank my colleague from Virginia for his professionalism, as well.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 831, offered by my colleague Representative Calvert of California.
As we stand here today, the seven basin States are continuing negotiations on an agreement that will shape the future of the Colorado River, which has ramifications across the region.
The post-2026 operations are critical to managing the already overallocated river in a changing climate which has led to unprecedented drought conditions and declining water levels at key reservoirs.
I appreciate the work the States have already done to move toward a solution
The Department of the Interior must also ensure that the 30 Tribal nations in the basin are part of a long-term solution, as part of the long history of collaboration in the basin, to accomplish the shared goal of continued delivery of water and power while protecting ecosystems.
Lower water levels have accelerated the spread of invasive, nonnative species and the reduction of critical habitat for native fish and wildlife.
H.R. 831 authorizes an interest-bearing account for non-Federal contributions to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, allowing these funds to accrue interest that can be reinvested back into the program.
This program brings together Federal, State, and local partners to protect endangered species while also ensuring the continued water operations and maintenance activities of the Lower Basin. It is funded through a 50/50 cost-sharing agreement between the Federal Government and the three Lower Basin States.
Currently no non-Federal contributions to the program are held in a non-interest-bearing account. By authorizing an interest-bearing account, H.R. 831 will help provide additional funding to further support the stability of the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program and help balance water operations and ecosystem health in the Lower Basin. I urge support of H.R. 831.
Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stanton).
Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Act, a bipartisan bill that is absolutely critical to the future of my home State of Arizona and the American West.
The Colorado River is the lifeblood of our region. More than 40 million people across the seven basin States depend on it for drinking water, agriculture, and economic vitality. In Arizona alone, it supports our cities, our farmers, our Tribal communities, and our economy, including our critical semiconductor industry.
But this river is under enormous pressure from a drought now entering its 25th year, from overuse, and from a changing climate that is reshaping the West as we know it. At the same time, dozens of native fish, migratory birds, and plant species that depend on this river are fighting for survival.
The Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program is an incredibly successful collaboration between the Federal Government, the States, and key stakeholders. It has been doing the hard work on the ground for over two decades to manage habitats and protect native species.
This program has successfully established thousands of acres of native riparian and aquatic habitat, stocked the river with native fish, and increased the numbers of breeding migratory birds over more than 5,000 acres.
The program also provides a measure of reliability and certainty for future river operations. States like Arizona have a responsibility under the Endangered Species Act to protect these vulnerable habitats while balancing the need to deliver Colorado River water to users across the State and region.
This fund gives the Lower Basin an essential tool to protect the health of the river, and it is one less thing to fight over at a time when tensions over the river's future are exceptionally high.
The Lower Basin States of Arizona, California, and Nevada are continuing to put our money where our mouth is, contributing millions to the conservation of this critical resource.
This bill simply ensures that the money we contribute to the program can accrue interest as it sits in the Treasury's coffers. Dollars that our States put in will go a lot further at no additional cost to the taxpayers of this country.
I thank my colleagues for their partnership in getting this bill to the House floor, especially Congressman Ken Calvert of California and Congresswoman Susie Lee of Nevada.
Madam Speaker, I urge colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this commonsense, bipartisan legislation.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this critical piece of legislation. I thank the gentleman from Arizona for helping out today and using the word ``riparian'' on the House floor. That is always one of my favorite things.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
I also want to reflect on Representative Elfreth's words, and that is the incredible work by the Natural Resources Committee, the leadership there with Chairman Westerman and Ranking Member Huffman, and an incredible staff. They do a lot to bring these bills to the floor to make sure, too, that they work through to make sure they can receive bipartisan support. Truly, what Congress needs to do is get bills through that have impacts on these districts.
Madam Speaker, you heard from Members today about the incredible impact these bills have on people's lives and on their districts. That is what makes legislating important. We should never forget that. People send us here to get things done, to get bills like this done. While they may be somewhat parochial in how they affect certain regions, it is critical to the Nation that we understand that all of us benefit when these great national treasures and natural resources are enhanced and conserved. That is really what makes it great.
I appreciate Representative Elfreth's work and her cooperation on H.R. 4294 in making sure we find a way to productively use a resource that is now in overabundance and making sure that we do everything we can within that realm.
It is key to us as members of the Natural Resources Committee to make sure we get these things done. We are entrusted not only as legislators, but we are entrusted by the people who elect us to be the stewards of what they own: the great lands, treasures, and natural resources of this Nation. That is what makes us great.
There is no other place on the planet that has this great abundance of resources that have such great impact on communities. We are all honored to be here today as advocates for that, along with our fellow Members, to make sure these pieces of legislation see their way to being signed into law.
I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I thank the incredible staff on the Natural Resources Committee for what has culminated today in a number of fantastic pieces of legislation that will make a difference in people's lives. We will continue to preserve what we hold great in this Nation, and that is our true national treasure, our natural resources.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to approve my bipartisan legislation, H.R. 831, the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2025. My bill is simple and straightforward: it would establish an interest-bearing account for the nonfederal contributions for the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, a cooperative effort between federal and nonfederal entities in Arizona, California, and Nevada to recover endangered species.
At a time when Congress and the Administration are looking to streamline government processes and make the taxpayer dollar go further, this bill is a perfect example of this effort. Funds deposited in the account can be accessed as needed and provide expanded opportunities for longterm investments in critical habitat restoration projects. This is especially important because over time, the pace of funding has exceeded the work expenditures, and Reclamation has accumulated over $60 million in contributed funds for future costs.
There are multiple examples of funds established by congressional action in the U.S. Treasury that are directed to be invested or to earn interest, such as the Social Security Trust Fund. It's simply common sense that we provide this same mechanism to an oversubscribed program that can deliver more benefits, more quickly.
I want to thank the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, my friend Bruce Westerman, for steering this bill through his Committee.
I urge all of my colleagues to approve this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) that the House suspend the
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.
The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 6 o'clock and 2 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.
