Earl Blumenauer

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to introduce the Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act. With serious comorbidities and complications associated with it, diabetes has a significant impact on the health of our country. Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower extremity amputation in the United States. Research shows that approximately 50 percent of people with diabetes will develop at least some degree of peripheral neuropathy and that 25 percent can expect to develop a foot ulcer at some point. As many as 24 percent of people who develop a foot ulcer will go on to have an amputation. The good news is that preventive measures such as therapeutic or diabetic shoes can help avert the progression of neuropathy and the need for amputation. However, current Medicare statute does not allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to fulfill certification requirements as a patient's primary care providers. This means that patients who typically see these providers need to be referred to a physician for certification and continue to see them afterwards. Not only does it increase costs, this policy interrupts patient care and delays access to time-sensitive services. My legislation would allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to fulfill these documentation requirements, which is within their scope of practice. Enacting this legislation would streamline this administrative process and allow Medicare patients to get the care they need in a timely fashion. I urge my colleagues support this bipartisan legislation.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I want to take the opportunity today to celebrate the accomplishments of Duncan Campbell who, in addition to being a business entrepreneur and a philanthropist, I am grateful to call a friend. Duncan is a pioneer in changing the way we help America's children and young people who are facing the greatest challenges in life. Starting as a childcare worker for juvenile offenders and later working on the Governor's Children Agenda and serving as Chairman of the Multnomah County Juvenile Services Commission, Duncan has spent decades dedicated to the pursuit of improving the lives of children who are born into unfortunate circumstances. I especially want to highlight a program he created, Friends of the Children, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Friends of the Children is a mentoring organization that enrolls children ages 4 to 6 who are facing the most extreme challenges, and provides them with salaried, professional mentors who meet with them every week through high school graduation. Each professional mentor, called a Friend, works with 8 to 10 children. Children spend 16 hours per month with their Friends, working to achieve a set of individualized goals that place them on a path to success. The Friends model created by Duncan is now gaining national recognition as a solution to some of our greatest challenges, and I find it a privilege to advocate for it here in Congress. It can be used to prevent foster care placement and improve stability for children already in the system. Investing in paid, professional mentoring would reduce the burden on existing systems and increase the number of children receiving evidence-based services. The program has been carefully analyzed by a wide variety of experts. It works. It's extraordinarily successful, having grown into a national network of 30 cities. Friends of the Children is a program unlike any other. It is the solution to breaking the cycle of poverty and trauma. With the intensity and duration to change life trajectories, it provides more equitable opportunities for youth experiencing trauma or living in extreme poverty. The Friends of the Children relationship-based service model addresses the needs of our country's most vulnerable youth, empowering them to move beyond their circumstances to become healthy, contributing citizens. I encourage my colleagues to partner with chapters that serve their constituents and hear more about how their communities benefit from this program. I offer my congratulations to Duncan, on the work he's done these last 30 years and I look forward to working with him for years to come.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in permitting me to speak on this. It is not quite as simple as my friend from Florida implies. Today we are voting to upend the healthcare system and interrupt patient care. Ending the public health emergency prematurely would have far-reaching implications, and this is a waste of time. The Biden administration has already made clear that they are planning on ending the emergency in May. Why are we spending time abruptly ending this declaration, which is going to end in 3 months anyway, when we could have instead had a serious conversation about making this as smooth a transition as possible? There are many things that are involved here. Congress already started this work in the omnibus by beginning a process to wind down Medicaid enrollment policies and extending important programs like telehealth. I was happy that my bipartisan legislation to extend Medicare's Hospital at Home program was extended in this manner. We fought for this because we viewed the waivers and policies of the last 3 years as a blueprint for future opportunities to innovate and extract value from our healthcare system. This work was bipartisan because both sides of the aisle saw the benefit of the pandemic-era policies. It is unfortunate that instead of continuing to build on that work, my colleagues are posturing. I have heard from hospitals in my district, and I imagine you have heard in yours, how important it is to extend, not end, the waivers that address their capacity and staffing challenges. If this bill were enacted, those operations would be upended. State Medicaid programs would be in unnecessary chaos, with millions at risk of losing their health insurance. Seniors would lose access to COVID tests because Medicare would no longer be able to pay for them. These are just a few examples of the complexity and how irresponsible this legislation is. It certainly does not honor the more than a million Americans who have lost their lives to this disease. After a traumatic 3 years full of loss, the last thing the public needs is additional chaos at the hands of the Federal Government. At the start of the pandemic, we saw an often divided Congress come together to bring meaningful relief to American families. I had hoped that we would continue that same spirit of cooperation and dedication to our constituents at the end of this chapter. I know we have all heard from our hospitals and healthcare systems about the needs they still have. I believe we can work together to make this a stable transition and learn lessons from the pandemic. I urge my colleagues to reject this legislation and instead come to the table to work to ease the transition in a reasonable fashion.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, had I voted, I would have voted ``yes'' on passage of H.R. 500, the Financial Exploitation Prevention Act (Roll Call No. 94). By allowing registered open-end investment companies to delay the redemption of a security if the request was believed to be the result of financial exploitation, this bill protects American's hard-earned savings. Should this legislation become public law, it will bolster our financial security by preventing abuse of seniors and vulnerable adults.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced the Restoring Equal and Accountable Legislators in the House (REAL House) Act. This legislation would expand the number of members of the U.S. House of Representatives to restore the chamber's direct link to the public and foster greater diversity among Representatives and the Electoral College. Members of the House of Representatives are their constituent's most direct connection to the federal government and its resources and services. The COVlD-19 pandemic underscored the importance of the proactive and local constituent services unique to House members. However, the number of constituents living in a single congressional district has dramatically increased since the number of House members was arbitrarily capped in 1929. Current district sizes threaten the direct constituent connection on which the House was founded. Simply, congressional districts are too large. Today, there are 435 voting members of the House of Representatives, a cap from when the U.S. population was only 122 million people. With the current U.S. population of 328 million people and the same number of representatives, the size of congressional districts has nearly tripled. The average congressional district now includes 800,000 constituents. If Congress fails to act, by 2050 each member of Congress is on track to represent more than 1 million people. This growing imbalance makes it more difficult for members to be responsive to the will of the people, and voters are more likely to sit out elections when their voice and input are not fully represented in government. The artificial cap also has a more insidious effect: an unrepresentative Electoral College. In the Electoral College system, each state gets a certain number of electors based on its total number of representatives in Congress. As the disparity between the largest and smallest states widens, the votes of those in larger states matter less and less. The REAL House Act will help our government better reflect our districts and constituent needs. To restore the House's direct link to the public and to foster greater diversity among Members and the Electoral College, we must increase the number of Representatives. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to enact this legislation and finally overcome the arbitrary cap of 435 voting members of this chamber.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I was very encouraged with today's reports that the Republican leadership is planning to teach their Members about how the debt ceiling works. This is a very good sign, especially after the embarrassing first week with 15 votes to elect a Speaker, and the House leadership ending up exactly where it started. Unfortunately, the leadership is hallowed out, but they have empowered the exact same element or any other faction who want to hold the Speaker hostage. But there is a key difference going forward. They are playing games with the full faith and credit of the United States, which is underpinning the global economy. Note, the debt ceiling is not just a way station on the way to a full government shutdown. While government shutdowns have real costs and consequences, the debt ceiling has massive ramifications that you cannot unwind. This game of chicken with the global economy is very much more consequential. You can recover from the shutdown. But the Trump attacks on professionals, for example, drove thousands of people out of government service, and it is going to take years and millions of dollars to repair. These implementations of political slogans have real consequences. In the end, I suspect we will be right where we started. The only way to reduce the deficit, to balance the budget books, is to actually reduce government spending, which they refused to do in the Trump administration when they were in total control of the government. They instead had a huge increase in the deficit. There were, of course, tax cuts that were a part of that, unfunded, and there was a major spike in military spending. My friend, Hal Harvey, a leader in climate science, is fond of saying that you can't refute science, math, and economics. That is exactly the situation that my Republican friends are facing with this game of chicken with the debt ceiling. There is no gimmick, there is no commission, and there is no slogan that avoids the painful truth that you actually have to reduce spending. There are real things we could do. I would suggest any Member could avail themselves of a secret weapon that is in each and every one of our districts. There are amazing young people who are involved with civics, with leadership congresses, with the efforts to understand how government works. I think we ought to employ them. They understand the dynamic: Cut spending, raise taxes, or just collect the taxes that are due and owing, which would be hundreds of billions of dollars. Unless and until we do this, all the rest is simply meaningless slogans and posturing, unfortunately with real risks of threatening the full faith and credit of the United States. My friends have no alternative to the borrowing, and I am afraid that we are going to end up going through this meaningless exercise, agitating ourselves, confusing the public, and losing an opportunity to make real progress, improving the budgeting process, and making the tax system more effective to just collect the taxes that are already due and owing, which we are ignoring. I strongly encourage the process that my Republican friends are involved with in terms of educating Members about the impacts of the debt ceiling, and I hope that we are able to come together to deal with the realities of what that implies.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in permitting me to speak on these resolutions. This is a poll-tested focus group effort to change the subject. We all know that attacking facilities or not providing healthcare to an infant is already illegal. This is a veiled attempt at distracting from the real consequences of the Dobbs decision. People have had their rights taken away and can no longer receive the care they wish. When we see doctors consulting their lawyers when patients are dying on operating tables because they are afraid of abortion bans, voting on this resolution is an embarrassment. It is unconscionable that when people are living in fear, even dying because they are denied healthcare, the House is ignoring this in favor of a political stunt. I stand with the American public and in opposition to this legislation.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in permitting me to speak on this. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor much encouraged, having heard the words of the Speaker and the chairman-designate, Mr. Gallagher. I was one of those people 25 years ago who was part of the consensus that we could engage Communist China into the world economy. I had an opportunity to travel extensively, meeting with the Chinese leadership at that time. They were saying the right things. I think some of them were sincere. It was an encouraging opportunity. But over the course of the last 20 years, it has taken a wrong turn. We have watched the Chinese play a cynical game. They have not lived up to their obligations under the WTO. We don't have a procurement provision, for example. We have watched repression increase, and we have watched this current regime in unprecedented ways exploit opportunities. I have legislation to close the de minimis loophole that allows China to import 2 million packages a day, untaxed and uninspected, and Heaven only knows in terms of forced labor, in terms of illicit goods that are coming in here. I have had legislation to try to change that. I think this select committee can be a forum to bring us together on a nonpartisan basis to take areas in which there is profound agreement, like closing the de minimis loophole. I commend the Speaker and the leadership moving forward. I look forward to working with Democratic leadership on this, to use it as an opportunity to get us back on track, particularly given the insidious nature of the current regime's forced labor. We have made great progress legislatively to give us more tools. I think there is a potential for this select committee to build on it and make more progress, and I look forward to working with them. I will support the proposal.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate how Mr. Neal laid out the facts here. The Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act is a sham. The facts are that this legislation will shield tax cheats at the expense of working families. The last time Republicans were in charge, they systematically defunded the IRS. The agency lost nearly 20 percent of its funding, shed more than 20,000 employees, and the audit rate for millionaires dropped 70 percent. We heard one of our Republican colleagues make that point. This legislation will enable those at the top of the heap to be able to remember the taxes they should have reported. It raises, as we have heard, $187 billion in revenue. This bill, if enacted, would add to the deficit $114 billion because it is misguided and misdirected and wrong. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge the rejection of this legislation enforcement of the laws for everybody.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in allowing me to speak on this. I appreciate the leadership of Mr. Cohen. This is the culmination, hopefully, of years of struggle to try and end this barbaric practice. There are those who are apologists for the industry. It shouldn't take this long, and repeated efforts, with hundreds of cosponsors, Congress after Congress after Congress. It has been my privilege to work with Mr. Whitfield from Kentucky, Ted Yoho, Kurt Schrader, our colleague from Oregon, and lately the leadership of Mr. Cohen, raising the banner and moving forward. We should have zero tolerance for this barbaric practice. Forcing horses to be tortured, looking at the devices that they use to train them to have that distinctive gait. Concrete shoes. We have had hearing after hearing here on Capitol Hill, and whenever we have an opportunity for people to be exposed to the abuses of this industry and see these barbaric practices, people marvel that we haven't been able to stop it. Part of the problem is the self-regulation of the industry and that there isn't a sense of urgency to stop torturing these animals. Mr. Speaker, I have been pleased to work repeatedly with colleagues on a bipartisan basis to stop it. I don't know what the compliance rate is, whether it is 96, 97, 90. The fact is, we are talking about hundreds of horses being tortured and for no good reason. I strongly support the legislation from my colleague and the vast coalition that has been put in place to end this barbaric practice. Some of the champions that have been involved in the past, like the Humane Society, have been there repeatedly, working to get the support, get the cosponsors, get it passed; but despite overwhelming support, despite a terrible record in protecting horses, it has taken far too long. I am hopeful that this Congress will finally put an end to the barbaric practice, stop temporizing, stop apologizing for those who abuse horses and end this horrific practice once and for all.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, is she declaring a conflict of interest on this legislation? Tongue-in-cheek. Excuse me. We are all excited, awaiting the good news in terms of her family, and I think it is appropriate that we have this legislation on the floor today to help families all across the country. The complexity that we found out in terms of the infant formula supply leaves us all scratching our heads in terms of all these elements. I appreciate Congresswoman DelBene early zeroing in on this, mobilizing support, helping refine legislation, and enabling us to act very quickly. This is an area that I hope that we will be able to have further conversations because I think there are issues in terms of healthcare supply chain and industrial policy. It isn't, I think, quite so easy to snap our fingers and make sure that we are protecting this because it is a complicated matter. I know that at times, there are differences in terms of how much we should be interfering with the private sector and what they do. I think this might be an area that we can work together to figure out ways that we can hit the appropriate balance, meet the need, not be too intrusive, but make sure we are not behind the curve. The administration and Congress has made significant progress in this crisis, invoking the Defense Production Act, increasing the flexibility of WIC as was referenced, easing restrictions on imports to supply chain shortages, and enacting our Formula Act to temporarily suspend tariffs on infant formula. We are expanding that work today to include formula base powder imports. Like finish formula, infant formula base powder imports face a substantial tariff when imported at a time when families need all the help they can get. I don't want to take undue time, but I just want to commend our team working together, sending the appropriate signal, and hope it provides a foundation for other areas where we might be able to look for ways to thread that needle to be able to have partnerships with the private sector and with government to be able to make sure that we deal with these fragile supply chains. One of the things the pandemic has demonstrated is how fragile our supply chains are. The notion, with so many industries dealing with just in time, puts them in a situation where the supply chain is so brittle that it produces results that horrify us all, like dumping milk on the ground because we couldn't get it to producers. So I hope it leads to a broader conversation about things we can do to ease the pressures on supply chains and that this is an area where we can continue to work together and make a difference.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, it is my honor and pleasure to extend my personal congratulations to an exceptional educator and outstanding constituent, Dr. Robert D. Kelly as he celebrates inauguration as the University of Portland's 21st President, first Black president, and first lay president. Dr. Robert Kelly has more than 25 years of experience working in higher education. A 1994 graduate of Loyola University, Dr. Kelly served on the University's Board of Trustees from 2003 to 2017 while serving in key leadership roles at institutions including Union College, Loyola University Chicago, and Seattle University. He has been a champion for students in various roles from athletics to ministry, community service to equity and inclusion. Dr. Kelly received his Ph.D. in Education Policy, Planning, and Administration from the University of Maryland and his master's degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from the University of Vermont. Dr. Kelly is assuming this leadership mantel at an instrumental time for the City of Portland, Multnomah County, and the State of Oregon. We are happy to have him and look forward to his leadership. On behalf of Oregon's Third Congressional District: Welcome to Portland, Dr. Kelly. Go Pilots.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, today I am pleased to introduce legislation to remove barriers to increase access to advance care planning in the Medicare program. As we look for ways to lower health care spending, how we approach end of life care must be part of the conversation. When more than 90 percent of health care expenditures are spent on treating chronic conditions, it's clear that we shouldn't spend money on unwanted care and instead empower patients and families to think about these decisions before it is too late. Improving Medicare coverage of voluntary discussions with providers about living wills, power of attorney, and other end-of-life treatment preferences can allow for these delicate and complex conversations to happen in a thoughtful manner. Since 2009, I have introduced multiple pieces of legislation and built bipartisan support to improve Medicare coverage of these services to ensure that patients' wishes are respected and families are well prepared for this emotionally demanding time. In 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) put forward a proposal, based on my Personalize Your Care Act, to allow physicians to bill for advance care planning. In the first year alone, these codes were used by more than 22,000 providers on behalf of more than 570,000 beneficiaries. In the last two and a half years, we've seen tremendous loss and we must meet this moment. This legislation does just that by making this service free for beneficiaries and letting clinical social workers offer the service, allowing more patients to access this benefit. I urge support for this legislation.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I came to Congress with a mission to make the federal government a better partner to local communities to make them more livable, healthy, and economically secure. Last week, Congress made unprecedented progress on fulfilling the fundamental premise of this mission. The House and Senate both passed the Inflation Reduction Act, a historic investment in our nation's health, climate, and economy, including several provisions I authored to combat the climate crisis. President Biden is expected to sign the legislation into law this afternoon. The Inflation Reduction Act will save Americans $288 billion on health care over the next ten years. Critically, it will allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, starting with the ten most expensive prescriptions. These negotiations will bring down costs for patients and taxpayers alike. When combined with new provisions capping Medicare beneficiaries' out-of pocket costs at $2,000 a year, the legislation will make an extraordinary difference in peoples' lives. This package is the single largest investment in climate action in our nation's history. It will deliver $385 billion in energy and climate investments, including for electric vehicles, solar and wind energy, pollution reduction, and support for the vulnerable communities most impacted by environmental degradation. Long term extensions to the production and investment tax credits, including direct pay and transferability provisions, are critical components in ending our dependence on fossil fuels. I am also pleased that the investment tax credit was expanded to include energy storage projects, a key piece of the puzzle in delivering renewable energy to households at any time of day. Combatting the climate crisis also means investing in infrastructure that is sustainable and efficient. Clean transportation incentives like an expanded electric vehicle credit for new and used vehicles, an expanded credit to charge e-bikes and e-scooters, and incentives to electrify commercial fleets will help accelerate the reduction of carbon emissions and fossil fuels in our day-to-day activities. Likewise, any construction projects in the 21st century must be made to meet the needs and goals of our communities. That's why I advocated for provisions in this package that make commercial buildings more energy efficient and sustainable. While working families in our community and across the nation are struggling to pay for basic goods like gas, groceries, and rent, ultra- wealthy corporations are raking in record profits. Inflation is hitting Americans hard while many corporations aren't paying their fair share. This legislation will enact a corporate minimum tax of 15 percent. Currently, hundreds of the largest corporations in America pay substantially less, or nothing, in taxes. This provision ensures that large corporations will pay a minimum of 15 percent in taxes. The legislation also makes polluters pay by including my legislation reinstating the Superfund tax on crude oil. It is no secret that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is outmatched. Decades of chronic underfunding have left the IRS understaffed and overburdened, allowing hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes owed to go uncollected. This legislation provides $3.2 billion for taxpayer services and $45.6 billion for enforcement, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will raise more than $200 billion in additional revenue for the federal government. By investing in the IRS, we can finally close the ``tax gap'' between what people owe and what they end up paying. The Inflation Reduction Act represents more than the sum of these individual provisions, it is proof that our system works and that the United States has the capacity to solve our most pressing challenges in the years ahead.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to make one point. The extent to which this is a partisan bill is a result of selective memory and a willful refusal on the part of my Republican colleagues to work with us. This legislation is replete with items that I am proud to have authored with Senator Grassley: The small energy wind tax credit; 30D in terms of electric vehicles; the 179 building tax credit. These are historically bipartisan in nature. There was a time when the Republicans used to work with us on that. They have chosen to move in the opposite direction, to their shame. We are going to remedy that today.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman, and I appreciate his leadership and his courtesy. Madam Speaker, this legislative package is something that refuses to die. It will reduce inflation, lower energy costs, and lower the cost of prescription drugs. But it is not just about inflation, it is about addressing the climate crisis and the crisis of confidence in government. Last week, President Biden met with some of the foremost experts on the Presidency and American democracy to better understand the critical state that we are now in with the future of our democracy and how we avoid its destruction. We have our moment of making American history now. It is our moment for the future of our planet, for our children and grandchildren, and ourselves. I am pleased to have worked for over a decade on these provisions dealing with green energy, investment tax credits, energy efficiency in commercial buildings, and legislation to make polluters pay by reinstating the Superfund tax. Seniors and working families will see significant savings by allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices and capping the monthly cost of prescriptions, something the Republicans made illegal in 2004. And critically, it takes steps to restore the ability of the IRS to function, closing the $400 billion tax gap and not making the American public pay for poor customer service because of their mindless attack on this important institution. Because the Inflation Reduction Act represents more than the sum of these individual provisions, it is proof that our system works and that the United States has the capacity to solve our most pressing challenges in the years ahead just when we need it most.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, today I introduced the Afghan Adjustment Act. This legislation would establish a pathway to permanent legal status for newly arrived Afghans displaced at the end of the 20- year U.S. mission in Afghanistan. Without this legislation, the tens of thousands of Afghans who were admitted to the United States under temporary humanitarian parole, including those who supported the U.S. mission in Afghanistan during the past 20 years, face tremendous legal uncertainty. These Afghans can only pursue permanent legal status in the United States through the asylum system or, for those who are eligible, the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program. Both paths have substantial backlogs, long processing times, and logistical obstacles for these individuals. I first became involved in the cause of Afghan allies nearly 15 years ago after being contacted by a social studies class from Portland's Lincoln High School. Those discussions prompted me to work with former Senators John McCain and Ted Kennedy to create the Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) programs. Ever since, I have continued to work to strengthen these critical programs and provide a permanent, safe outcome for the brave men and women who risked their lives to help the United States. Congress must keep our commitment to provide safe, legal refuge to the those who willingly put their lives on the line to support U.S. mission in Afghanistan. Following previous wartime evacuations and humanitarian crises, including the Vietnam War and the rise of Castro in Cuba, Congress has provided a legal adjustment process for those evacuated to the United States and should do so once again, without delay. I look forward to working with my co-leads, Representatives Peter Meijer, Jerry Nadler, Adam Kinzinger, Zoe Lofgren, Mariannette Miller- Meeks, Jason Crow, Fred Upton, and Scott Peters in the House and Senators Amy Klobuchar, Lindsey Graham, Chris Coons, Roy Blunt, Richard Blumenthal, and Lisa Murkowski in the Senate to enact this legislation and finally establish a path forward for Afghans admitted to the United States on humanitarian status.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, today I will vote to pass the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act. This legislation would remove barriers for research into cannabis and facilitate access to an increased supply of cannabis for research purposes. The cannabis laws in this country are broken, including our laws that govern cannabis research. Because cannabis is a Schedule I substance, researchers must jump through hoops and comply with onerous requirements just to do basic research on the medical potential of the plant. The Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act amends the Controlled Substances Act to streamline the registration process and expands opportunity for our researchers to investigate the potential and impacts of cannabis. My partners in the House and Senate and I worked closely with experts in Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure this legislation will expand cannabis research, not restrict it. Specifically, the use of ``practitioners'' includes ``NIH-funded researchers,'' according to feedback from HHS. This ensures that this legislation will not restrict researchers already considered entities eligible to conduct research under the Controlled Substances Act. H.R. 8454 is designed to streamline and broaden access to researching marijuana. Enacting this legislation will be an important step forward in making the federal government a real partner in the path forward on cannabis. In addition to this legislation, we must continue to advance banking access for cannabis businesses; prioritize expungements, clemencies, and resentencing for cannabis convictions; make robust investments in cannabis research; develop accurate tests for impairment; ensure our veterans can access medical cannabis; and invest in communities targeted in the failed war on drugs. The Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act demonstrates the power of good faith bipartisan engagement on cannabis policy and the opportunity of this moment to enact laws our communities need. I look forward to working with Senators Dianne Feinstein, Brian Schatz, and Chuck Grassley and my co-lead Representative Andy Harris to enact this legislation and expand our Nation's cannabis research capabilities.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, today I introduced the Right to Try Clarification Act. This legislation would expand access to life- changing treatments by including Schedule I substances that have completed phase 1 clinical studies in the Right to Try Act. Oregon has a long legacy of ensuring that end-of-life patients have access to the full spectrum of treatment options to alleviate their condition and improve their quality of life. Patients and doctors deserve to discuss treatments--including psilocybin--that researchers find provide immediate and sustained relief from pain, anxiety, and depression for people battling terminal illness. Federal restrictions have obstructed access to end-of-life care for too long, this legislation will change that and ensure that all patients have the Right to Try. The psychedelics laws in this country are broken, including our laws governing patients' access to new and promising end-of-life care. Forty-one state legislations have passed Right to Try laws, in addition to our federal Right to Try statute, to allow terminally ill patients access to treatments, including psilocybin, that are still in investigational stages. Both psilocybin and MDMA have demonstrated tremendous care potential in phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials. The Drug Enforcement Agency, however, has refused to accommodate Right to Try laws, denying terminally ill patients their freedom to elect their preferred treatments. These patients deserve to be able to discuss and pursue treatments with their doctors that researchers are finding provide immediate, substantial, and sustained relief from anxiety and depression for people battling terminal illness. That is why the Right to Try Clarification Act is necessary to ensure patients have the Right to Try these treatment options. I look forward to working with Senators Cory Booker and Rand Paul and my co-leads Representatives Nancy Mace, Madeline Dean, Andy Biggs, and Luis Correa to enact this legislation and clarify and strengthen the Right to Try.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, today I introduced the Bicycles for Rural African Transport Act. Transportation access in the developing world is limited. In sub-Saharan Africa, more than seventy percent of people rely on walking as their primary mode of transportation. For these individuals access to a bicycle is revolutionary. Bicycles can be impactful tools for effective foreign aid and international economic development. Low-cost, high-impact investments in bicycles will allow us to use existing foreign aid more effectively. Many developing-world rural populations suffer from time poverty, which limits opportunities to access education, healthcare, employment and job training opportunities, and markets. By reducing time poverty, bicycle access significantly improves school attendance for rural girls. In one trial, girls with bicycles were 19 percent less likely to drop out of school. In recent years, USAID has conducted a small rural mobility program to study the bicycle's development impacts. In Tanzania in 2019, USAID donated 2,160 bicycles to health care workers as part of AIDS treatment efforts, allowing the workers to reach more patients and reducing AIDS transmission in the area. In Malawi in 2020, USAID established a revolving loan fund to finance bicycles for workers on a sugar cane cooperative, reducing their commute times and increasing productivity. USAID's work on this program has clearly demonstrated the value of bicycles for rural transportation in developing nations. This legislation authorizes a permanent rural mobility program at USAID which will promote rural, sub-Saharan communities' access to services and opportunities through affordable, fit-for-purpose bicycles. This more systematic approach will allow USAID to maximize the potential impact of bicycle projects and ensure the United States continues utilizing this simple, revolutionary development tool.

Mr. BLUMENAUER

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8351) to amend the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily rates of duty on imports of certain infant formula products, and for other purposes.

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam 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 under consideration.

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The news about supply chain disruptions have filled the news, but none is more compelling and urgent for communities across America than facing challenges due to the infant formula shortage. This is an urgent issue for our families. Between supply chain issues due to the pandemic and the closure of a Michigan infant formula plant, out-of-stock rates have reached perilous levels. The out-of-stock rate was 31 percent in mid-April and rose to 90 percent in 10 States by the end of May. In my State, Oregon, we faced an out-of-stock rate higher than 85 percent. While these numbers alone tell a horrific story, there is no number that can capture the fear and frustration felt by families who are searching for formula to serve their babies. As a parent and grandparent, I can assure you that there is nothing as anxiety- and anger- inducing as not being able to properly care for your child. I have heard stories of families going store to store or posting on social media asking for help as they try to find the formula their family needs. Families have enough to worry about without worrying about how to feed their baby. The Federal Government must provide the support needed to help these children and families and explore every possible option. This administration and Congress has made significant progress by invoking the Defense Production Act, increasing flexibility for the WIC program, and easing restrictions on imports to fill supply chain shortages. While the FDA has exercised enforcement discretion to increase imports, imported infant formula remains subject to high tariffs. These tariffs, which increase the cost of the formula imports by an estimated 27 percent, only exaggerate the suffering families face at this time. It is unacceptable that families would be taxed on a product that they need and have no other way of getting in the midst of this crisis. Our Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee is committed to leveraging our jurisdiction to reduce these costs. I especially appreciate my colleague Suzan DelBene for her partnership and leadership on this legislation. She was integral to this effort, and we wouldn't be here today without her. The Formula Act reaffirms Congress' constitutional authority to regulate commerce from foreign nations by temporarily suspending tariffs on imported infant formula through the end of this year. This change should help make formula more affordable and accessible to families in every State. I am grateful for the support of Chairman Neal; Ranking Member Brady; Ranking Member Smith, who is managing the bill for the Republicans; and the Ways and Means Committee in bringing this bipartisan legislation to the floor today. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. DelBene), a committee member and a leader on this issue.

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee.