Jim Bridenstine

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. I thank the chairman of the Science Committee for yielding and for his strong leadership on working this bill through regular order so that all of the amendments that we have made, all the Members have had their voices heard in this bill. Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose the amendment of the gentlewoman from Maryland. The language she is proposing to insert into our House bill is authored by Senator Cruz of Texas, and it does have bipartisan support with Senator Nelson of Florida. But there are provisions that we got included because of the open process that we went through that are not included in that bill. I would like to just run through a few of those that I, myself, got included into this bill, starting with section 110, which was an amendment I offered at markup that will require a GAO report to capture the role of space support vehicles--training vehicles, if you will--in the commercial space industry; regulatory and statutory barriers to the services these vehicles offer and recommendations for updates that will address these barriers. This is critically important in my neck of the woods. In the State of Oklahoma, we have a spaceport at Burns Flat. There are businesses there that are very interested in doing training for commercial crew and commercial spaceflight participants. This was a provision of the bill that went through an open process. It was an amendment that was accepted in a very bipartisan way. And I am hopeful that when the full bill gets to the floor, it also will be accepted in a bipartisan way. Additionally, title III of this bill incorporates H.R. 2261, the Commercial Remote Sensing Act, which was also bipartisan legislation that I introduced with my friend from Colorado (Mr. Perlmutter). This title sets metrics to give Congress a full picture of the workload facing the Department of Commerce when licensing remote sensing activities and what issues are preventing them from meeting statutory deadlines. Title III also recognizes the importance of seeking input from the Advisory Committee for Commercial Remote Sensing, which is largely made up of private sector representatives. This legislation will be crucial as industry expands beyond traditional remote sensing satellites and activities and as Congress looks to update the statutes governing these activities for the first time since the 1990s. My case for this being bipartisan is that I worked very hard with the other side on the amendments that I ultimately got into this bill. There were some amendments that maybe were not as bipartisan. But I would attest that there is support on the other side of the aisle for a lot of the provisions that we got into this bill. I look forward to taking a vote on this bill. I oppose the amendment in the nature of a substitute. I encourage all my colleagues to pass the bill that went through regular order in the House of Representatives. I hear a lot of people talking about regular order. This was a very open process. Everybody had their voice heard. I encourage passage of the bill but not passage of the amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to just echo the comments of my colleague from Oklahoma, the vice chairman of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Mr. Lucas, and of course the ranking member, Ms. Bonamici. I think your summation of this bill is right on target. Mr. Speaker, I would like to attest that H.R. 1561, the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act, is the very first step in what will lead us to a day when we have zero deaths from tornadoes. I want to repeat that. This is the very first step of what is necessary to move us to a day where we have zero deaths from tornadoes. Those of us from the great State of Oklahoma understand this all too well. Mr. Speaker, I would like to first thank Chairman Smith, Vice Chairman Lucas, and the Subcommittee on Environment Ranking Member Bonamici for their tireless efforts to see this bipartisan legislation move forward. The burgeoning commercial private sector for space-based weather data and aviation-based weather data has voiced its support for this legislation. I would like to mention letters to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology from PlanetiQ, Tempus Global Data, Panasonic Avionics Corporation, GeoOptics, and Spire Global. H.R. 1561 builds on the foundation laid by my House-passed Weather Forecasting Improvement Act from last Congress and directs NOAA to prioritize activities that will save lives and protect property. This is critically important to my State, which is in the heart of Tornado Alley. In fact, I just went home for the weekend. Saturday night, about midnight, all of the tornado sirens started going off. My wife and I got up. We got our kids out of bed. We brought them downstairs. We set up their beds in my closet. My wife and I turned on the TV, and we surfed the Internet trying to find out where the tornadoes were and where they were touching down. This is critically important, and I am sure my experience this weekend, which is not unique to this weekend, is also an experience by many of my constituents and others throughout the State of Oklahoma. We must do all we can to improve our ability to predict the weather. H.R. 1561 will help NOAA to develop more accurate and timely warnings for not only tornadoes, but also hurricanes and other high-impact weather events. It calls on NOAA to develop a plan to regain and maintain our forecasting capabilities that are second to none in the world because right now we, unfortunately, are lagging behind our counterparts in Europe, the U.K., and Canada. The bill encourages better cooperation across NOAA offices and enhances collaboration with universities such as the University of Oklahoma, which is a national leader in weather research. Mr. Speaker, I am particularly proud of a new section in this year's version that we have worked closely with industry, NOAA, and other Members of Congress to include. H.R. 1561 authorizes a pilot program for NOAA to purchase commercial space-based weather data and test it against NOAA's proprietary data. It also calls on NOAA to publish standards it expects from any purchased data from the commercial sector. Mr. Speaker, this has the potential to be a major paradigm shift provision. This is the first step towards changing the business model. I believe we need to change the business model, moving to a day where the government does not purchase, own, and operate huge monolithic billion-dollar satellites but, rather, utilizes the innovation of the private sector to provide the data necessary to feed our data assimilation systems and our numerical weather models. This will ultimately allow NOAA to focus its resources on the research and development necessary to improve our modeling capabilities, computing capacity, and warning lead times outlined in this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I believe there will come a time when there will be zero deaths from tornados. I think this bill will help us implement the necessary steps to get there. I, once again, thank my colleagues on the Science Committee for all their hard work, and I look forward to working with our counterparts in the Senate to move this legislation to the President's desk. I encourage all my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take some time this morning to celebrate the life of a remarkable American, the late Smith Wildman Brookhart, III. Mr. Brookhart was born on January 22, 1935, and passed away last month. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Gail Anderson Brookhart; three sons and their wives; and 10 grandchildren. One of Smith's sons, Tom Brookhart, and his wife, Debra Brookhart, are my constituents and good friends in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Let me talk for a moment about Smith Brookhart's life. After graduating from East High School in Duluth, Minnesota, Smith attended Iowa State College in Ames, Iowa, receiving his degree in 1957. He served our country in uniform as an ensign in the United States Navy. His service included two Antarctic expeditions. As a Navy pilot myself, I can tell you Antarctic expeditions are not something that are friendly; I will just say that. Ultimately, Smith moved his family to Branson, Missouri, where he became the CEO of Ozark Mountain Bank. He served in that capacity for over three decades. He was very involved in the development of Branson, Missouri. My family and I have had occasion to visit Branson. It is a very family-friendly town where Christians are very welcome. I know that Smith's Christian faith was very important to him. At age 69, Smith received a heart transplant and was given a new lease on life. There is a beautiful line I read in Smith's obituary, which I would like to read: ``Smith would not want to be remembered for the accolades of his efforts, but for a life rich with friendships.'' Mr. Speaker, today, I honor Smith Brookhart, a remarkable American, father, grandfather, community leader, patriot, and servant of Christ. I would like to close with Romans 8:38: ``For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'' May God bless Mr. Brookhart.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Mr. Chairman, I thank our chairman for his leadership on this very important bill. I think it is highly appropriate that we ask our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to actually read the bill. If they did, they would find out that it prevents the EPA from releasing any confidential information. It prevents the EPA from releasing any confidential information. The idea that you are using or that somebody on this floor would use confidential information, they are hiding behind that in an effort to hide the actual science. My children are in elementary school. They are required to show their work. If they don't show their work, their integrity could be questioned, which would be appropriate, by the way. Mr. Chairman, is it too much to ask for the EPA to follow the same guidelines I give my children in elementary school? Show your work. We need to see it. This is an Agency, as the chairman noted, that is funded by taxpayers at a level of $8 billion a year. This is also an Agency that promulgates rules that cost the economy hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars every year, as well. In my home State of Oklahoma, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with the Clean Power Plan going forward and now new regulations on ozone, we are looking at the cost of electricity going up. We are looking at the cost of doing business going up. By the way, when the cost of electricity goes up, it doesn't hurt me; it hurts the poor. This is a war on the poor. If we are going to punish poor people in my district, I would like to see the science behind it. I think it is perfectly appropriate that we have perfect transparency as it relates to the science behind the EPA. The Secret Science Reform Act is a very simple bill. It simply makes the EPA show its work, as my children do in elementary school. It is not truly sound science unless the results can be replicated, and this bill would allow others to test the results and to challenge the assumptions of the EPA. If we are truly for good science, for sound science, we must pass this bill. I encourage my colleagues to vote for it.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Madam Clerk, I present for the election of the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 114th Congress the name of Judge Louie Gohmert, a Representative-elect from the great State of Texas. Madam Clerk, Judge Gohmert proudly serves the First District of Texas. He is serving his fifth term in the House of Representatives. Prior to being elected to serve in Congress, he was elected to three terms as district judge in Smith County and was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to be the chief justice of the 12th Court of Appeals. Madam Clerk, this is not about Judge Gohmert; it is about establishing a strong check on the executive branch. I think a quote applies to my friend Louie Gohmert. It is from Mark Twain. He said: In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and he is brave and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot. My constituents from the First District of Oklahoma are looking for this kind of patriot.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Earlier, you made a statement about there being no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. I would respectfully ask the gentleman to maybe rephrase that. There are mass graves in Iraq. As somebody who----

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. You have tens of thousands of people in mass graves as a result of chemical weapons in Iraq, killed directly by the regime of Saddam Hussein. When you continue to perpetuate this idea that there were no weapons of mass destruction, WMD includes chemical weapons, biological weapons.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Mr. Speaker, the President refuses to secure the border, ignoring our laws. He has promoted citizenship for anyone who makes it into our country illegally. In so doing, he has caused mass illegal migration into our country. This has resulted in human trafficking, abuse, and even death. The President has turned U.S. military bases into refugee camps, denying Members of Congress access to these camps. He has allowed media tours, but the media can't ask questions, can't talk to medical staff or employees, can't talk to the children, can't bring recording devices, and can't take pictures. It is very reminiscent of the former Soviet Union. Mr. Speaker, the President's lawlessness on the border has undermined our national sovereignty and national security. Now the President wants our constituents to pay $3.7 billion to solve a problem he created. Without a secure border, this is just the beginning. Members of both parties must demand that the President finally secure the border and faithfully execute the law.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 96th anniversary of Republic Day in Azerbaijan. Yesterday, in 1918, Azerbaijan received its independence from the Russian Empire and officially declared the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR). At the time of its independence, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first-ever modern parliamentary republic in the Muslim world and was an early adopter of full political rights for women. The Azerbaijan parliament granted women the right to vote shortly after its nation's founding, preceding even the United States in granting such a right to men and women equally. Unfortunately, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic's initial independence was short lived, as the Soviet Union invaded the country in 1920. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Azerbaijan regained full independence and reestablished the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. For the last 23 years, Azerbaijan has been a reliable strategic ally of the United States in an often-hostile region of the world. Azerbaijan has been a partner with the U.S. on economic, trade and military issues, even supporting U.S. and NATO operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In my state of Oklahoma, our National Guard has established a strategic relationship with Azerbaijan through the National Guard State Partnership Program (SPP). This program connects state and territorial National Guards to military and civilian personnel in 70 partner nations and I am proud of the relationship between the Oklahoma National Guard and our friend, Azerbaijan. I congratulate the people of Azerbaijan on this important anniversary and thank them for their continued support and partnership.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Madam Chair, my amendment transfers $12 million from the Census Bureau to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research for the specific purpose of weather research. We now know that technology exists that can predict tornadoes nearly 1 hour in advance. This technology will move us toward a day when we have zero deaths from tornadoes. My amendment today will direct funds to research and technology vital to saving lives and property. I want to thank Chairman Wolf for working with us towards this goal. The $12 million added by this amendment is for weather research in NOAA's office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, as authorized in my House-passed, bipartisan Weather Forecasting Improvement Act. Specifically, this increase provides for a total of $76 million for weather laboratories and cooperative institutes to advance observational, computing, and modeling capabilities and quantitative assessment tools for measuring the value of data and specific observing systems. The funding will accelerate research, development, and the development of critical technologies like new aerial weather observing systems; transformative global, national, and regional weather models; advancing high-performance computing using graphic processing information technology networks; and observing system simulation experiments to deliver substantial data improvements in weather forecasting and prediction of high-impact weather events such as those associated with hurricanes and tornadoes. This will save countless American lives in the future and allow our citizens to better protect their personal property. This should be NOAA's highest priority. Another critical part of the Weather Forecasting Improvement Act is a joint technology transfer initiative between NOAA Research and the National Weather Service. I urge the Weather Service to follow through on this House's bipartisan voice vote back in April and transfer the full $20 million authorized in that legislation to NOAA Research to carry out the transition of the latest scientific and technological advances into the Weather Service operations. This will sunset outdated and expensive operational methods and tools to enable the cost- effective transfer of new methods and tools into operations. Madam Chair, NOAA is the only Federal agency tasked with providing accurate and timely forecasts. I believe this amendment is a big step forward in reflecting this priority. Again, I am grateful for the chairman's guidance in working on this amendment, and I am thankful for his leadership on this issue. I hope that we can work together to keep weather research funding at this level when it comes time to conference with the Senate. This amendment will save lives and property. With that, I urge the support of my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Well, I thank my good friend, the gentleman from Florida, who is championing a cause that is near and dear to my heart, a platform that I have spent many hours in. I flew combat off of an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf and the north Arabian Sea. In the E-2 Hawkeye, I flew combat in Afghanistan, flew combat in Iraq. I can tell you that the missions that we did, airborne battle space command and control, and control of the assets that provide close air support to our troops on the ground, was critically important to the mission in both theaters. I can tell you that we did air intercept control in order to have dominance of the skies. We provided airborne early warning. It is not without reason that the E-2 Hawkeye is the first aircraft that comes off of the aircraft carrier when we launch a mission, and it is the last aircraft to come back. We are the first ones to the fight, and we are the last ones home. It is also not without reason that when the E-2 gets airborne, when the rest of the air wing is on the deck and the ship is steaming across the ocean, the Hawkeye is always working because we are that airborne early warning asset that can provide threat recognition to the carrier battle group. The Hawkeye is a critical node in America's force structure, and I would say that I was also involved in generating the requirements for the next generation Hawkeye, the E-2D. And Congress has recognized the value of the E-2D by providing the Navy with multiyear procurement authority. Multiyear procurement drives down costs by enabling block buys, improving supplier surety, and stabilizing production lines. As my friend from Florida knows, the Navy requested four E-2Ds for the fiscal year 15 budget request, which is one less anticipated. I would just like to thank the chairman of the committee for being able to work with us on ensuring that we can get another E-2D Hawkeye.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Mr. Speaker, on May 20 of last year, a massive tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, with very little warning. The Moore tornado killed 24 Oklahomans, injured 377, and resulted in an estimated $2 billion worth of damage. A warning was issued only 15 minutes before the tornado touched down, just 15 minutes. In fact, 15 minutes is the standard in America. Mr. Speaker, America can do better than 15 minutes. The Weather Forecasting Improvement Act is the first step toward restoring America's leadership in weather and weather forecasting and prediction. I would like to thank Chairman Lamar Smith and the Science Committee staff for their very hard work. H.R. 2413, the Weather Forecasting Improvement Act, is critical legislation that will save lives and protect property and critical infrastructure. I would also like to thank the former Environment Subcommittee chairman, Chris Stewart, now a member of the Appropriations Committee, and my friend and colleague from Oregon, Representative Suzanne Bonamici, for making this truly a very bipartisan effort. Mr. Speaker, this bill is about priorities. When America is over $17 trillion in debt, the answer is not more spending, but to prioritize necessary spending toward its best uses. Saving lives and protecting property should be the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's top priority. This bill codifies that priority. H.R. 2413 directs NOAA to prioritize weather-related activities and rebalances NOAA's funding priorities to bring weather-related activities to a higher amount. The bill completes this reprioritization in a fiscally responsible manner. H.R. 2413 does not increase NOAA's overall authorization. I would like to repeat that. H.R. 2413 does not increase NOAA's overall authorization. It doesn't spend one more dime. Mr. Speaker, this bill helps get weather research projects out of the lab and into the field, thereby speeding up the development and fielding of lifesaving weather forecasting technology. By requiring coordination and prioritization across the range of NOAA agencies, H.R. 2413 will help get weather prediction and forecasting technologies off the drawing board and into the field. This bill authorizes dedicated tornado and hurricane warning programs to coordinate research and development activities. It directs the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research to prioritize its research and development. And it codifies technology transfer between OAR--the researchers--and the National Weather Service--the operators--a vital link that ensures next-generation weather technologies are implemented. Mr. Speaker, perhaps most importantly, H.R. 2413 enhances NOAA's collaboration with the private sector and with universities. Oklahoma is on the cutting edge of weather research, prediction, and forecasting with absolutely world-class institutions such as the National Weather Center and the National Severe Storms Laboratory at the University of Oklahoma. And I would like to anchor here, just to brag for a second, about what is happening at the University of Oklahoma. As a Navy pilot, I have seen firsthand phased array radar technology being used to detect, track, and target enemy aircraft many, many miles away. What this technology is now being used for at the University of Oklahoma is to detect and track clouds and very small particles in clouds. Those particles can provide reflected radar energy that goes into a data assimilation system, into a numerical weather model, and we can now predict tornadoes over an hour in advance, which is a goal of this piece of legislation. Saving lives and property requires us to be able to warn people based on the forecast of a tornado, not just based on the detection of a tornado, moving from 15 minutes to over an hour in advance to detect tornadoes. Not only is this possible, it has been done. And they are doing it currently at the University of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, this bill also clarifies that NOAA can purchase weather data through contracts with commercial providers and place weather satellite instruments on private payloads. Leveraging the private sector will lead to lower costs for better weather data; again, saving lives and property. Mr. Speaker, the imbalance of NOAA's resources is leaving America further behind our international competitors. The Science Committee received compelling testimony showing that the European Union has better capabilities in some areas of numerical weather prediction, forecasting, and risk communication, and other countries, such as Britain and Japan, are closing in fast. Misallocating resources can have terrible consequences, as my constituents and the people of Oklahoma understand all too well every tornado season. The Weather Forecasting Improvement Act is a first step toward rebalancing NOAA's priorities, moving new technologies from the lab bench to the field, and leveraging formidable capabilities developed in the private sector and at universities. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Mr. Speaker, Pat Grant passed away on November 26, 2013. Whether you called her ``colonel,'' ``attorney'' or ``champ,'' Pat Grant was one of the most extraordinary women you would ever hope to meet. She dominated women's golf in Oklahoma during the 1930s and 1940s. In addition to her golf prowess, Grant served her country for 22 years in the United States Army. After the Army, Grant practiced law for 30 years. It was said of Grant: She was not only the perfect example of an athlete; she was the type of American our country needs to look up to. People started noticing Grant when she won the Oklahoma State High School Golf Championship as a 13-year-old freshman at Cushing High School. She would win it three times before graduating in 1938. Then it was on to Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee. There was no golf team at Oklahoma Baptist University at the time, but she was given a scholarship for teaching golf to other students. She graduated from OBU in 1942 and was the first woman to be inducted into the OBU Athletic Hall of Fame. While at OBU and at the age of 18, Grant won the Oklahoma Women's State Amateur Championship in 1939. In 1940, at the Indian Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Grant won the State championship again. Her third straight championship came at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa. During that championship, she set a new course record for women at Southern Hills and won the championship match 9 and 8. She held the trophy for the fourth straight year with a 7 and 6 win in Shawnee. The legend was beginning to take shape. Grant became known for hitting long, booming drives, some as long as 250 yards. It was rumored that sometimes she even talked to her golf ball. There was no State championship in 1943, 1944 or 1945 because of World War II; but when play resumed in 1946, Grant won the State Amateur Championship again. With that victory, Grant became the only person in Oklahoma history to win the State championship 5 years in a row. That record still stands today. When World War II broke out, Grant put aside her ambition of becoming a professional golfer so she could serve her country. ``It seemed like the right thing to do,'' she said. ``We were at war, and I didn't want to sit around here and do nothing,'' she said. Her career in the Army was as illustrious as her accomplishments on the golf course. Grant and her sister, Mary Margaret, enlisted in the Army in 1942. Grant went into the Women's Army Corps, and Mary enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps. Grant was commissioned as a lieutenant in April 1943. While in the military, Grant held duty assignments all over the globe, including assisting the chief legal counsel during the Nuremberg Trials. Grant also served as the personal escort to Eleanor Roosevelt when the former First Lady toured Germany in 1948. Grant received 23 letters of commendation while in the Army and won golf tournaments all over the world. ``It was good publicity for the Army for me to be playing in all these golf tournaments,'' Grant said. ``It was great for me because the Army was paying my way. That's what you call a 'win-win,' '' she added. In 1965, after 22 years of Active Duty, Grant retired from the Army with the rank of lieutenant colonel. She was one of only 60 women to attain such a rank at that time. As if her life were not full enough, Grant landed in San Antonio to earn a law degree in 1966. Just as she protected her country, Grant fought for rights and justice through her family law practice. Because of her service to others, Grant was named Woman of the Year by the Texas Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs in 1972. Retirement came for good in 1995. Grant moved to Cortez, Colorado. At the age of 90, she was still active and full of life. Grant flew an ultralight aircraft every Saturday morning when weather permitted. ``It has been a good trip,'' Grant recently said. ``God has chosen a life of adventure for me. I wouldn't trade it.'' Grant loved God, and she loved her neighbor, and she spent her life dedicated to family, friends, and country. She was inducted into the Women's Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame in April of 2010. She passed away on November 26, 2013, at the age of 90. She was a great role model for all Americans.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Mr. Speaker, last week, we celebrated Thanksgiving. We gathered with family and friends to thank God for his provision, his goodness, and his mercy. But for some families, this Thanksgiving was bittersweet. Such was the case for Senator Jim Inhofe's family. They lost their son, Perry, in a tragic aviation accident on November 10. Dr. Perry Inhofe was a highly skilled surgeon associated with Central States Orthopedics in Tulsa. David Long, Central States' CEO, said: Dr. Inhofe was known as a very caring and compassionate physician. He was the kind of doctor who made you feel you had his full attention and that your health was the most important thing to him. Continuing an Inhofe family tradition, Perry loved flying with his children and teaching them about flying. From what I understand, he was a good pilot. Dr. Inhofe is survived by his wife, Nancy, and two sons, Glade and Cole. I wish to express condolences to the whole Inhofe family. I pray they will be comforted and strengthened by the fact that Perry was a believer in the living Christ, who said: I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. Amen.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the upcoming National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan); an important day which led to the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912. Taiwan and the United States have been good friends and strong security and economic partners for many years. Both countries believe that Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law are critical to maintaining a flourishing society. Taiwan is not only an economic player in the Pacific, it also plays and important role in the U.S. economy. In 2012, Taiwan was the 11th largest U.S. trading partner and it's the 7th largest market for U.S. agricultural products. In light of this, I encourage the Administration to solidify a bilateral investment agreement with Taiwan, as it would boost both trade and investments for both parties. Taiwan is a vital part of the Asian economy and an APEC (Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation) member. I would like to see Taiwan joining the Trans Pacific Partnership as soon as possible. I encourage my colleagues to support Taiwan in their efforts to join the TPP.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, October 28, 2013, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3304, a bill to authorize and request the President of the United States to award the Medal of Honor to Bennie G. Adkins and Donald P. Sloat of the United States Army for acts of valor during the Vietnam Conflict and to authorize the award of the Medal of Honor to certain other veterans who were previously recommended for award of the Medal of Honor. I am a proud original co- sponsor of H.R. 3304. The late Mr. Donald P. Sloat was a constituent in the First District of Oklahoma. Then-Specialist Four Donald P. Sloat served our country during the Vietnam Conflict. On January 17, 1970, then-Specialist Four Donald Sloat, a machinegunner with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry, Americal Division was killed saving the lives of three of his fellow soliders by shielding them from a grenade blast with his own body. For his gallantry and intrepidity, then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates determined that Mr. Sloat's actions merited the Medal of Honor. I submit the following letter from Secretary Gates to Representative Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. In his letter, Secretary Gates notes that the Medal of Honor must be awarded ``within three years after the date of the act justifying the award.'' Congress must waive the time limit before the President of the United States can award the Medal of Honor to Mr. Sloat. By passing H.R. 3304, the House of Representatives took the first step in ensuring that Mr. Sloat receives the honor he so richly deserves. Secretary of Defense, 1000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC, January 11, 2013. Hon. Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon, Chairman, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing in response to requests from Senator Tom Coburn and Representative John Sullivan for award of the Medal of Honor (MoH) to then-Specialist Four (SP4) Donald P. Sloat under the provisions of title 10, U.S.C., section 1130, of ``Consideration of proposals for decorations not previously submitted in timely fashion: procedures for review.'' I reviewed the proposal for award of the MoH to then-SP4 Sloat for saving the lives of three of his fellow soldiers by shielding them from a grenade blast with his own body on January 17, 1970, during the Vietnam conflict. After giving the nomination careful consideration, I believe then-SP4 Sloat's actions merit award of the MoH. However, title 10, U.S.C., section 3744, requires that the MoH be awarded ``within three years after the date of the act justifying the award.'' Therefore, a statutory time waiver to title 10, U.S.C., section 3744, is required before the President of the United States may, if he so chooses, award the MoH to then- SP4 Sloat. The final award authority for the MoH rests solely with the President of the United States. My favorable determination in no way presumes what the President's decision might be. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs. A similar letter is being sent to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Senator Tom Coburn, and Representative John Sullivan. Sincerely, Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of our guest chaplain, Dr. Rod MacIlvaine. Rod MacIlvaine is the founding senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, a community just north of Tulsa. He also serves as a fellow with the Veritas Center for Faith, Freedom, and Justice at Oklahoma Wesleyan University, and he is an adjunct professor in the doctor of ministry department at Dallas Theological Seminary. His ministry at Grace Community Church concentrates not only on worshipping the risen Christ, but also on equipping people to serve the city, especially helping people recover from substance abuse and painful pasts. For the past 10 years, he has also worked through a missions organization he cofounded called ``Grace Missions International.'' He and his wife, Cindy, have been married for 34 years, and they have four children: Sarah, Kristin, Caleb, and Jared, and six grandchildren, including one adopted from Uganda. I want to thank Dr. MacIlvaine for serving as our guest chaplain today.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Well, I really appreciate it. I would like to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. DeSantis), who has been such a great leader on constitutional issues in this body. And I'd like to say that, here you have a gentleman who went to Yale undergraduate and he played baseball. He got a law degree from Harvard, and then he decided to join the United States Navy. He has served bravely in the United States Navy as a JAG officer, and now he's serving in the United States Congress. So if there is anybody in this body who has the credibility to discuss these constitutional issues, it is my good friend from Florida, Ron DeSantis. And I appreciate your leadership on these issues. When you think about the constitutional process, Mr. Speaker, there is one particular issue that is near and dear to me, that is near and dear to my constituents, that we have seen this body go through earlier this year, and that is the issue of gun control. I think it was back in April. The President had an agenda and Harry Reid had an agenda, and their agenda was to outlaw certain types of guns. These guns didn't operate any differently than other types of guns; they just looked scary, so they wanted to ban them. Interestingly, that effort died in the Senate and it never came to the House of Representatives. So then they started another effort, and that effort was for what would eventually be a national gun registry. They called it ``universal background checks,'' but ultimately it would be a national gun registry, and that effort died in the Senate. Now, the constitutional process, if the President wants his agenda enacted, he needs to go to the United States Senate or the House of Representatives and pass a law, in a bicameral process, and eventually it needs to go to his White House for signing. Ultimately, this bill did not have the will of the American people. This bill did not have the desire of the Members in this body to pass that bill. So what the President did recently--which I believe is egregious--is he decided to enter the United States of America into an international treaty to accomplish the very objectives that the House of Representatives and the Senate had rejected, and that's the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. Under this treaty, anybody who purchases a gun internationally--if a gun comes from another country, maybe a Glock from Austria--well, then you have to enter into an international database. You have to enter your name and your address and your phone number. There will be an international database of anybody who buys a gun that was ultimately produced in a country other than the United States. And let me be clear about this, because I've talked to a lot of gun manufacturers. Many parts of many guns are not made in the United States. You could have a handle that's made in China. You could have a trigger that's made in Mexico. If you look at most of the guns that are made in the United States, major parts of them are made elsewhere, which means that we are going to have a national gun registry that will have an international body overseeing our national gun registry per the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. Now, for the President of the United States to have an agenda item that doesn't get through the Senate, that doesn't get through the House of Representatives, that never comes to his desk for signing, that he is ideologically committed to this--which is a violation of the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution--for him to then enter into a treaty, an international treaty where there will be an international body responsible for overseeing this treaty, to me, is an egregious lack of leadership and certainly violates the intention of the Constitution. The President knows full well that the Senate will never ratify this treaty. And this is another important point, I think. The President has had other agenda items. He wanted to sign us up for other treaties--the United Nations Convention for the Rights of Children, the United Nations Convention for the Rights of Women, the United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Disabled. There are all these conventions, and they're all seemingly very good conventions; but what I would say is this: The United States of America has laws, and those laws are far more stringent than these treaties. For what purpose would we sign on to a treaty when our laws themselves are stronger at adhering to the principles that these treaties are trying to promote? Why would we sign on? Why would we turn over our sovereignty to an international body? I personally don't understand it. The United States is a leader in the world. We can lead the world by example, but signing over our sovereignty so that there will be an international body that comes in and inspects our country because the President has an ideology that he couldn't get through the House, that he couldn't get through the Senate, that ultimately these treaties were not going to be ratified by the Senate, I think it is egregious. Certainly the Second Amendment of the United States is, quite frankly, not up to debate by foreigners, and it is not up to debate by foreign bodies. Foreign governments cannot come into the United States and force us to overturn our own constitutional amendment--the Second Amendment. That is, I think, another example of where this President has overreached beyond his constitutional authority in certainly passing laws--not actually passing laws, but creating treaties because he can't get his laws passed--that would violate our Constitution.

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. I just wanted to ask you a quick question, which is, when you consider the fact that the media reporting is very different from what I have perceived in this body as a Member of Congress, I am more astonished every day at how the media reports the story. But the very last ask that we made before the government shutdown was about 1 o'clock in the morning, so I guess technically the government had been shut down for about an hour. That very last ask was simply a meeting. It was simply a conference so that people on their side and people on our side could come together and discuss ObamaCare and some of the problems that we have with it. Now, when you talk about the Constitution and the constitutional process that we have and you have divided government--I would like to ask the gentleman from Florida--is that not a perfectly reasonable adult way of handling disputes?

Mr. BRIDENSTINE. I appreciate that, and it is perfectly appropriate that we have the gentleman from Arizona here as well. The gentleman from Arizona, and when you serve in this body, you get to meet a lot of very interesting people that have done amazing things in their lives. The gentleman from Arizona who we heard from earlier had an opportunity to serve in this body back in the 1990s, and then he left. He had a term limit pledge. He honored his term limit pledge. And then he came back recently as a newly elected freshman with the rest of us, and it is an honor to serve with him. But in that hiatus when he was back in Arizona, he ran for the governorship of Arizona, and he darn near won. Interestingly, he ran against the person who won, who was Janet Napolitano, who became the Secretary of Homeland Security here in the Obama administration. I would like to discuss some things about why it is so important for me personally. I am a Navy pilot, as the gentleman from Florida said, and I have flown combat. But interestingly, I have also flown counterdrug missions in Central and South America. And I can tell you without a doubt that the drug cartels that we fight down in Central and South America, they don't try to get the drugs into the United States of America anymore. Their only objective is to get the drugs to northern Mexico, where they are vertically integrated with gangs and other cartels who bring the drugs across the border without a hitch. Now, because we have these drug wars in northern Mexico--and, by the way, there are over 100,000 people who have been killed in the last 7 years in these drug wars in northern Mexico, but that exists because we have an open border policy on the south side of the United States. So if you were to hand a 16-year-old kid a backpack with $1 million worth of cocaine and you say to him, Hey, go across this border and get to that point, you're going to be very well rewarded. A 16-year-old kid will do that in many cases in these impoverished areas in northern Mexico. Interestingly, another 16-year-old kid will see that backpack and want it for himself, and the next thing you know, you've got one killing the other, and then you get a third killing the second. And then you have these gangs form, and this is how you get to a point where you have cartels and gangs that are killing not only each other, 100,000 people, but they are also killing judges. They are killing police officers. They are killing politicians. And on top of it all, they are not just transporting cocaine, they are transporting young girls in the slave trade. And they are transporting weapons. This is happening in northern Mexico just south of our border. Mexico is on the brink of a failed state because of this, and it is the direct result of an open border policy. Now the Secretary of Homeland Security, former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has been on record. What does she say? She says that the border is secure. That's what she says. I have just got to tell you that I know firsthand that it's not. And the people who live in Arizona know that it's not. The people who live in Texas know that it's not. The border is not secure. But here's what we have done in this body. We have passed laws to secure the border. Has the border become secure? No. Have thousands of people died since those laws have been passed because we haven't secured the border? Yes. The President's job per the Constitution is to faithfully execute the laws, not pick and choose which laws he wants to follow based on political preference, which is what he has been doing. So if it is all right, I would like to yield to the gentleman from Arizona. You have been near and dear to this for a very long time. If you have some comments, I would love to have you share them.