Bradley Byrne

Mr. BYRNE

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1027 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1027 provides for consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 5515, the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. This NDAA process has once again been a textbook example of how Congress should work. After extensive hearings in the House and the Senate, lengthy committee markups, hundreds of amendments, separate passage in both Chambers, and a conference committee, we have reached the point of final passage. This has been a process that has followed regular order and allowed so many Members to have a role in the process. Here in the House, that is a testament to Chairman Mac Thornberry, Ranking Member Adam Smith, and their very capable staffs. This is the earliest the House has passed the final version of the NDAA in 41 years, which is a remarkable feat. A considerable amount of time and effort has been put into this product, and I know I join other Members of the House in expressing our deep gratitude for their efforts. This year's NDAA offers the next steps in our effort to rebuild our military and reform the Pentagon. I know many of us have been deeply troubled by the readiness crisis that struck the military over the last several years. This has resulted in training accidents and failures that took the lives of our servicemembers. To reverse that trend, this year's NDAA allows for increased funding for training, as well as $2.8 billion for the procurement of spare airplane parts. In response to recent naval incidents in the Pacific, the NDAA directs the Navy to review their operational chain of command and current training plans for surface warfare officers. The strategy of peace through strength requires us to continue to produce and procure the best tools and resources possible. In an effort to build toward President Trump's goal of a 355-ship Navy fleet, the NDAA authorizes the construction of new ships, including a Ford-class aircraft carrier, additional Virginia-class attack submarines, and three littoral combat ships. Given the range of challenges in the nuclear domain, the NDAA supports the Nuclear Posture Review's recommendation to pursue a lower- yield ballistic warhead while also making important investments in our missile defense programs. Very important, the NDAA authorizes a 2.6 percent pay raise for our servicemembers, which is the highest increase in 9 years. This is critical to recruiting and retaining the best and the brightest. Additionally, this NDAA focuses on policies specific to Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran, as well as provisions relating to nonstate actors and terrorist organizations. I am also pleased that the conference report contains a compromise final version of the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act. Congress has come together in a strong bipartisan manner to recognize the growing threat of countries like China in weaponizing financial investment, threatening our advanced technologies, and undermining our defense industrial base. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS, is an interagency body led by the Treasury Department tasked with reviewing foreign investment for national security concerns. However, United States law governing CFIUS has not been modernized for more than a decade, and it is not designed to address today's modern, evolving threats. The Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act gives CFIUS much-needed additional authority to address real national security threats without unduly burdening foreign investment in the American economy and slowing American economic growth in the process. I could go on and on about the important reforms and priorities in this legislation, but these should give you an idea of our focus on standing up to our adversaries and supporting our servicemen and - women. Mr. Speaker, just this past weekend, I was able to spend time with some of these fine servicemen and -women in the Pacific, where they are taking part in the RIMPAC naval exercise, the largest in the world. It is amazing to see the work these young men and women, some of them very young, do on a daily basis. Whether it is landing planes on an aircraft carrier or steering a massive warship, these individuals are asked to carry out incredibly complicated and dangerous tasks, and they do it exceedingly well. It is the least we can do to show these courageous and patriotic Americans we have their backs by passing this NDAA on a strong bipartisan basis. We deal with a lot of complicated and, frankly, divisive issues in this body, but, today, on this issue, I hope we can show, for our national security and the people who devote so much to keep us safe, we can rise above the divisiveness of today's politics. Let's pass the NDAA for the 58th straight year and make sure all our servicemen and -women know we have their backs. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting House Resolution 1027 and the underlying bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the remarks of the gentleman. I would remind the gentleman that this so-called closed Congress has passed over 600 bills. Record numbers of bills have been passed by this Congress. This is a remarkably productive Congress, and all of us should take pride in the fact that over 80 percent of those bills were passed in a bipartisan fashion. So we have every reason to be proud of the work that we have done here not just this year, but last year as well. I also want to address what the gentleman had to say about an AUMF. We, indeed, as a Congress have a role to play in the foreign defense policy of this country. The bill that underlies this resolution that we have today is the National Defense Authorization Act. It is several hundred pages of policy that is set by the Congress. So we are participating in a very active fashion, both in oversight and in helping set this policy. I am very proud of the work that the members, Democrats and Republicans, in the House Armed Services Committee have done. This bill shows that Congress has a constitutional role that we are fulfilling. And I believe the very strong, bipartisan vote we are going to see on the bill demonstrates that all of us, or at least most of us, the vast majority of us, feel the same way. I want to say this very clearly. The young men and women who serve us every day abroad and put their lives at risk deserve from us not partisan divisiveness on this day, they deserve our unity. They deserve to hear from us that we are not going to sit and have some partisan bickering but that we have their back. If we can't do that on this day, then we need to all go home this August and reexamine our consciences. There are other days and other times to debate other issues, but on this day, let's stand up as one House and as one country for the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, a vote against the previous question is a vote against this bill, which is there to defend America and support our servicemen and -women. Make no mistake about it: You can't change the subject. The subject is the defense of the country. The subject is standing behind our servicemen and -women. Now, let's make this clear. It was under the previous administration that Russia meddled in our elections, not under this administration. It was under the previous administration that Russia illegally seized Crimea. It was under the previous administration that we refused to arm the Ukrainians, who were simply trying to defend themselves. We are now arming them. This administration is doing that. I remember in the Presidential election of 2012, the Republican nominee for President said that the biggest threat to the United States of America is Russia, and he was laughed at. They are not laughing now. This bill provides what we need to have to pushback against Russia, to arm the people who want to fight against Russia, and to stand with our servicemen and -women. To try to distract from that with some debate over a previous question on something that has nothing to do with defending this country, I wish we wouldn't do that in this House. But I understand we have to make some partisan points before we leave here for August, and I a disappointed we are making those partisan points. We have an opportunity to stand up as one body and as one nation for our servicemen and -women. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would remind my friends on the other side of the aisle that today Russia faces more sanctions than they have faced since the end of the Cold War; more sanctions today than under the previous administration. This Congress and this President is pushing back against Russia. I am proud of what we are doing to push back on him, and we may not be done with that yet. We may need to do more. I stand ready to do more. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would remind the gentlewoman that in this bill, ZTE is prohibited from doing any business with the United States Government, and any company that does business with the ZTE is prohibited from doing business with the United States Government. If we did what she suggested we do, we would have to find some way to save a billion dollars out of mandatory spending under the Defense Department. There is very little mandatory spending over at the Defense Department. Let me tell you what it is. It is the retirement. It is what we require people to pay for their TRICARE, the people who have already served in the armed services. We have to make them pay more money for their healthcare. I don't want to penalize those people who have already served our country. I stand with them. For that reason, I think this bill is plenty strong against ZTE. I think we have reached a good compromise here. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased the gentleman's amendments were included in the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, today we are here to talk about not only defending the United States of America from all of our adversaries, Russia, especially, but to stand behind the men and women in uniform. And, yes, I do associate myself with them. I am not one of them, but I am one of their supporters. And I hope that the vast majority of us in this body will stand up with them and be their supporters today both on the previous question on the rule and also on the bill when it comes before the body. If we really want to push back against Russia, we will stop the games, and we will pass the rule, and we will pass the bill. That is how we stand up against Russia. Having a bitter, partisan debate before we do so only helps our enemies. Let's stand together on this issue. We will come back after the break in August and debate the other issues, but let's send a clear message to those brave young men and women, that we have their back. We can do that by doing our duty today. Mr. Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 1027 and the underlying bill.

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. BYRNE

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, we have a skills crisis in our country. We actually have more job openings than we have unemployed Americans. This is keeping our economy from reaching full potential. So how do we solve this problem? Well, a big way is through expanding career and technical education programs. As the demands of the workforce continue to change and become more complex, these programs are critical to building the workforce of the 21st century. I have seen these programs firsthand back in Alabama in our high schools, when I was the chancellor of post-secondary education, and I saw it at work in our 2-year colleges. They benefit the local economy by helping fill open jobs, but they make the lives of our students intrinsically better by connecting them with the skills they need to thrive. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and show the strong bipartisan support that we showed when it passed the House the first time. Career and technical education is for everybody in America, and America's House needs to stand up and support it.

Mr. BYRNE

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Dr. Mack Morris on his 50 years of ministry. Dr. Mack Morris currently serves as the Senior Pastor of Woodridge Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. Dr. Morris, a native of Dothan, Alabama, has faithfully served the Lord, our local community, the people of Alabama, and beyond for over half a century. Dr. Morris felt the call of the Lord and surrendered to the ministry at Maple Avenue Baptist Church in Geneva, Alabama in 1967. He was licensed to preach at the White House Baptist Church in Bay Minette, Alabama in 1968. Within his period of dedicated service, Dr. Morris was called and served faithfully at all the following churches in Alabama: White House Baptist, Bethel Baptist, Tillman's Corner Baptist, Heritage Baptist, Old Spanish Fort Baptist, Jubilee Baptist, and Woodridge Baptist. Dr. Morris has been a supportive, faithful, and loyal advocate for his community throughout his ministry. Dr. Morris has served on the Alabama State Board of Missions and Executive Board of the Alabama Baptist State Convention, as Moderator of the Mobile Baptist Association, as the first president of the Board of Regents at the University of Mobile, and as a trustee at the University of Mobile for eleven years. During his 50 years of ministry, Dr. Morris has spread the Word of the Lord and His Saving Grace by officiating over 165 weddings, conducting over 547 funerals, and has seen the salvation and baptism of over 2,500 men, women, and children. On behalf of Alabama's First Congressional District and the countless people his ministry has impacted, I want to recognize and share my deep gratitude with Dr. Mack Morris for his tireless service to our community.

Mr. BYRNE

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer a straightforward amendment to prohibit any effort to redirect funds allocated under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, which is commonly known as GOMESA. For those who don't know, GOMESA calls for a Federal revenue sharing agreement between the Federal Government and four Gulf States: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The program is designed to split up revenue from selected oil and gas lease sales in the Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf of Mexico. The neat thing about GOMESA is it ensures appropriate funding for the coastal areas that provide the workforce, assume the environmental risk, build much of the infrastructure, and support the offshore oil and gas industry. It only makes sense that the coastal areas should receive an adequate share of the revenue. Previously, there have been administrative efforts to direct the money away from the Gulf States, and, instead, devote the resources to national projects. While I appreciate the Trump administration not including any such proposal in this year's budget, I still believe it is important for Congress to send a clear, bipartisan message that we do not support moving GOMESA funds away from the Gulf Coast. In fact, just this year, the Department of the Interior disbursed almost $188 million to the four Gulf oil and gas producing States. Alabama received $21 million this year, and the two coastal counties in Alabama received an additional combined amount of $5 million. I have seen these GOMESA funds put to good use back in my home State of Alabama, whether it was for environmental rehabilitation protection projects or programs that boost the coastal tourism economy. GOMESA is working by supporting and promoting our Gulf Coast communities. If you talk to our local mayors and county leaders, they will tell you how critically important GOMESA funding is for their region. It would be detrimental to go against congressional intent and redirect these funds away from our respective coastal communities. By including this amendment, we can make clear that Congress does not support reallocating these resources and show our strong support for the Gulf Coast. Mr. Chair, I ask for an ``aye'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BYRNE

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 995. As many of us have stood on this floor and said, We have planes that can't fly, ships that can't sail, and troops that can't deploy. Under the Obama administration, we saw an alarming trend where we allowed our Armed Forces to be hollowed out, and we allowed a critical readiness crisis to develop. Over the last 2 years, members of the House Armed Services Committee and others have fought tirelessly to ensure our military gets the level of funding they need, not only to fix our current readiness crisis but also to build up our force to a size to match the current threat environment, which is the most complex one we have faced since World War II. While I am proud of the work we have done so far to raise the top line Defense number, there is another critical piece to the puzzle. Continuing resolutions are just as detrimental to our national security as the Budget Control Act caps. Every day we don't pass the Defense Appropriations bill, we are denying resources to our servicemembers and making it harder for them to do their job. Continuing resolutions and budgetary uncertainty also end up costing the taxpayers more money. The Secretary of the Navy has said that the Department of Navy alone wasted $4 billion since 2011 because of continuing resolutions. That is $4 billion of real money that could have been used to fund more ships, more planes, or more maintenance. Under a continuing resolution, the Department of Defense and the services are not allowed to enter into any new contracts. Every year we have delayed the timelines of scheduled maintenance availabilities and procurement schedules. All of these things are crucial to maintain deployment rotation and ensure the U.S. presence is felt around the world. Compare this to your personal finances. For half the year you are able only to pay your current expenses, like car payments and utilities. You know you will get money later in the year for new things you want to buy or invest in; however, you don't know how much you will get or whether you will get it. Does that sound frustrating and ineffective? We have the world's greatest military. Yet, we are hamstringing them with an irresponsible funding cycle. Let me put this in very blunt terms. The inability of Congress to pass government funding bills on time has endangered the health, safety, and lives of our servicemembers. Just look at the aviation accidents and recent collisions of Navy ships. These incidents can be blamed, at least in part, on the readiness crisis. As Members of Congress, we have a responsibility here. We are not the ones on the front lines and deployed around the world, but we play an integral role: getting those servicemembers their funding on time. In a time where we face great power competition with Russia and China, radical Islamic extremism in the Middle East, and Iran and North Korea, there is no shortage of national security priorities. Here, in the House, we have passed our Defense funding bill on time yet again, but we need our colleagues in the Senate to follow suit. I know it is a priority for my Alabama colleague, Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby, to get our military funded, so I hope we can do our job responsibly and on time.

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, let's not let petty political games get in the way of funding our Nation's military, protecting our servicemembers, and ensuring the safety and security of the American people. Let's pass this resolution and demonstrate our strong commitment to passing a Defense funding bill before the end of the fiscal year.

Mr. BYRNE

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 965 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 965 provides for consideration of H.R. 200, the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act. This structured rule makes in order 11 amendments, including 4 minority and 2 bipartisan amendments. Mr. Speaker, I was born and raised in coastal Alabama, so I have spent my entire life experiencing the long-held tradition of fishing off the Gulf Coast. Some of my best memories growing up were fishing with my family, and I have carried on that same tradition with my children. I look forward to fishing with my grandchildren once they get a little older. This isn't a tradition unique to the Gulf Coast. All along America's shores, countless families and friends have made so many memories while fishing. No one wants to be a better steward of our Nation's fisheries than those of us who actually enjoy fishing. No one wants a healthier fish stock than those of us who have spent our lives on the water. That is where H.R. 200 comes in. This bill includes commonsense reforms to ensure that our Nation's fisheries remain strong, while also being accessible to fishermen from every walk of life. Now, I know this bill is about much more than just those of us who like to fish recreationally. Commercial fishing is a major economic engine in many of our coastal communities, so the bill also ensures access to our oceans and ocean resources for our commercial fishermen. Just consider these numbers that demonstrate the overall impact of fishing on the U.S. economy: In 2015, the fishing industry generated $208 billion in sales and supported 1.62 million American jobs. Approximately 11 million saltwater anglers spent a total of $60.9 million on fishing trips, which generated roughly $22.7 billion in income. And I want to make one other point. The underlying bill will also ensure that all Americans have access to fresh, sustainable seafood. That is important to our Nation's restaurants, but it is also especially important to seafood lovers like me. If you doubt the importance of the fishing sector, let me tell you about red snapper fishing in my home State of Alabama. It is a major economic driver for our coastal communities. From restaurants, to gas stations, to bait and tackle shops, to the charter boat industry, red snapper fishing is critically important to the economy in our coastal communities and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, the Federal Government has failed for years to adequately count the number of red snapper in the Gulf. This has resulted in ridiculously short red snapper seasons, which hurt our fishermen and the economies in our coastal communities. So, how bad was the Federal Government in counting red snapper? Well, they weren't even sampling for red snapper on reefs, despite the fact that red snapper are reef fish. It made absolutely no sense. Colleges and universities, like the University of South Alabama, have been able to do a much better job of assessing the health of the red snapper stock with far fewer resources. Their data has proven to be much more accurate and up to date. Thankfully, along with my Gulf Coast colleagues, we have been able to work with the Trump administration and the Commerce Department to ensure adequate recreational red snapper seasons over the last 2 years. But this bill includes reforms I authored to help fix the mismanagement of red snapper for all sectors, once and for all. That means allowing for greater State control, especially as it relates to stock assessments and data collection. That is one of the best things about H.R. 200. The bill eliminates unscientific timeframes to rebuild fish stocks that unnecessarily restrict access to fisheries. Our national fishery policy should be based on sound, accurate data. The bill goes against the Washington-knows-best approach that has failed so many times in the past. By providing greater flexibility to fishery managers, we can allow for better management strategies that reflect regional needs and demands. We should empower people who live and work in the local communities, instead of letting bureaucrats in Washington decide what works best. As I mentioned earlier, the bill will allow more Americans to have access to fresh, sustainable seafood. Currently, around 90 percent of seafood consumed in the United States is imported. This is especially troubling when you consider that we have an abundance of fish right here in our own waters. With reforms included in this bill, we can boost access to affordable domestic fish. Mr. Speaker, by passing H.R. 200, the House can support our Nation's fishermen, American consumers, our coastal communities, and the overall American economy. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting House Resolution 965 and the underlying bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The gentleman referenced a letter from the Seafood Harvesters of America. In their letter dated June 21 of 2018, this group claims that section 12 of the bill repeals a section of the MSA. There hasn't been a section 12 in this bill since November of 2017. There is no section 12. The letter also claims that section 4 undermines rebuilding timelines. Section 4 of this bill simply states that all references in H.R. 200 are to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, unless otherwise stated; doesn't do anything like what is claimed. As the most egregious example, this group is so committed to opposing this bill, no matter what changes we make, they reference a bill that, for all intents and purposes, no longer exists. The gentleman also said something about this bill being job- destroying. Mr. Speaker, let me tell you about the destruction of jobs. When the present regime was running the fishery in the Gulf of Mexico for red snapper, they limited the number of days for fishing to such a small number that it destroyed hundreds, if not thousands of jobs across just my part of the Gulf Coast when people were no longer allowed to go out and go snapper fishing. Charter boat folks lost their jobs. People that sell ice or bait lost their jobs. It was the Federal bureaucracy that was destroying jobs. This bill will give us a commonsense regime that will restore jobs. So, far from being a job-destroying bill, this bill is going to create jobs. The gentleman also referred to a bottoms-up approach. I have been working on this issue for over 4 years, and I can tell you, the bottom, which is us recreational fishermen, we haven't been listened to one single time by the Federal bureaucracy. They closed their doors in our face. If you want to have a bottoms-up approach to this sort of thing, this bill supplies it. What we have got right now certainly doesn't do it. One of the most important things that is involved here is, who does the science? Do you let a bunch of Federal scientists far away from where the fisheries are make these decisions? Or do you let scientists that are in the areas where the fisheries exist, do you let them do the science? I am not talking about just any Tom, Dick, or Harry out there that calls himself a scientist. I am talking about Ph.D. scientists with accredited universities who know the fishery. This bill would allow that to happen, so that you could get good, accurate data, because they don't have it today. Let me go back to what I said initially on the red snapper issue. The Federal scientists were sampling for red snapper on sandy bottom. These are reef fish. You are not going to find reef fish on sandy bottom. You find them on reefs. And if you talk to real scientists, they will tell you there is no way you are going to get an accurate assessment of this fish stock if you are looking for them on sandy bottom. You have got to look for them on reefs. Let me tell you, there are over 170 groups that have signed on to being supportive of this bill. I do not have time to read all the names to you, but let me just read a few. The first one is the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation. I go to their events up here, like many other Members of Congress. When I was at one just recently, there were hundreds of Members of Congress there from both parties. It couldn't get to be any bigger, and it couldn't get to be any more bipartisan. The Coastal Conservation Association, the Premier Recreational Anglers Association in America, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, which the gentleman referred to as if they were opposed to it. They support the bill. The National Coalition for Fishing Communities and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. This is a very broadly, deeply supported bill among people who are actually fishing. Now, it may not be supported by people who don't fish and who don't know anything about fishing; but for those of us who do fish, whether we are commercial fishermen or recreational fishermen, we like it. And it is time for Congress to understand that the waters of the United States of America do not belong to the Congress, and they do not belong to these Federal departments and agencies. They belong to the people of America, and the people of America have a right to fish in their waters. This bill will help restore that. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I appreciate the gentleman's remarks. I want to make sure that I can assure him and everybody in this House this bill doesn't cut funding to anything. It's an authorization bill, and it reauthorizes the Magnuson- Stevens Act with some changes, but those changes do not include a reduction in funding. But here is the thing about fishing that people that don't fish don't understand. Those of us that fish, we care about this fishery more than anybody else because if we overfish the stock, we don't get to fish anymore. No one has a greater interest in making sure that the species in our waters are maintained than those of us that fish, whether we are commercial fishermen or recreational fishermen. So there is no interest here that is being served to try to somehow harm our fishery. We believe, and it has actually been demonstrated to be true, that local communities, regional people, can better regulate, sample, bring science to the health of these fish stock than giving it to some bureaucrat in Washington that doesn't know one single thing about our fishery. We care. We care deeply, because it is a way of life for us, and the last thing we want to do is do anything that would harm these fish stock out there. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, we are here today to talk about the fisheries of America. If the folks on the other side of the aisle want to address the issue that they just referenced, then I am sure they could foreswear taking any corporate contributions, any anonymous contributions to their accounts for themselves. So they could lead by their example, and I look forward to seeing them do that. Mr. Speaker, we are here today to talk about the fisheries of America, and I reserve the balance of my time.