Donald Beyer

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Reverend Dr. Lloyd Odell Roberts, he was a man of unwavering faith, devoted service, steadfast leadership, and deep love for his family and community. His life, which spanned more than nine decades, was marked by a commitment to serving God, his country, his church, and those around him. He leaves behind a legacy that will continue to speak through the many lives he touched. Rev. Roberts proudly served his country for 20 years in the United States Air Force. His military career reflected the discipline and dedication that would characterize every chapter of his life. He retired honorably in 1972 with the rank of Master Sergeant. Following his military service, Rev. Roberts continued his commitment to public service as a Capitol Police Officer. During his tenure, he had the distinction of serving under the Honorable Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Whether in uniform or in service to his community, Rev. Roberts understood that leadership was not simply a position, it was a responsibility. Rev. Roberts was united in marriage to Barbara Lee Chisman whom he shared three children with. His family remained one of the greatest sources of meaning and joy throughout his life. Throughout his life, Rev. Roberts served several churches in Northern Region and surrounding region, including years of service as Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. His ministry extended well beyond the walls of the local church. Rev. Roberts served faithfully in numerous leadership positions, including First Vice Moderator, member of the Baptist Center Board, and teacher within the Northern Virginia Baptist Association. He believed that the church had a responsibility to meet people where they were and to serve the broader community. Rev. Roberts remained connected to the church and to the faith that had guided him throughout his life. Whenever possible, he faithfully attended First Baptist Church of Glenarden, maintaining a spiritual connection to the congregation that had welcomed him and his family nearly six decades earlier and where he had first answered the call to preach. Rev. Dr. Lloyd Odell Roberts departed this life peacefully on Sunday, May 24, 2026, at the age of 94. His journey carried him from Williamsburg, Virginia, to the United States Air Force, to public service, and ultimately to a lifetime of pastoral ministry. Along the way, he was a husband, father, grandfather, pastor, teacher, mentor, community leader, and faithful servant of God. Rev. Dr. Lloyd Odell Roberts lived a life of purpose, served with distinction, led with conviction, and walked faithfully in his calling. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Rev. Roberts and his enduring legacy.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Dan Hall, as he prepares for retirement after more than 36 years of service to the U.S. House of Representatives. Dan is the Chief Clerk of Committees for the Office of Official Reporters, who serves as the chief liaison between the Official Reporters and House committees, in the House Clerk's Office. Dan's office provides stenographic and transcription services to House committees, ensuring an accurate record of everything said and done during hearings and legislative markups. Dan started working with the Clerk of the House in January 1990. Dan has served as Chief Committee Clerk since 2001 and has worked under eight different Clerks of the House and eight different Speakers of the House. Early in his career, Dan oversaw the transition from typing transcripts from stenographic notes to the computer-aided translation software that is currently used. Some of his current responsibilities include managing the committee editors' team, managing the committee transcripts workflow, and assisting in the overall scheduling of committee assignments, including the coordination and liaison with reporting and transcription contractor services. Dan has developed unmatched committee institutional knowledge. He has frequently been called upon to answer new committee clerk questions, he has provided reporting and transcription procedures presentations at Committee Clerk Briefing Seminars, and he has appeared before other groups that the Committee on House Administration has assembled to better explain the types of services that the Official Reporters provide to House committees. Dan has also been instrumental in facilitating the Office of Official Reporters' heavy workload when supporting the House's special investigations. Dan's operational skillsets have been a critical asset to the success of the Clerk's office. Dan is extremely organized, a great multi- tasker, and adept at solving problems. Dan can also retrieve a nuanced committee procedural email from decades ago. In sum, Dan is the Clerk's Office chief ``go-to'' person when it comes to House committee questions. In his spare time, Dan enjoys traveling, especially to the Caribbean and North Carolina's Outer Banks. He and his wife, Carolyn, have taken many trips to Aruba, which is one of their favorite destinations. He also enjoys crosswords--his longest streak of correctly solved New York Times crosswords was 1084 consecutive days. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives, I want to thank Dan Hall for his wonderful service to our great institution and to his country.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Sherman for speaking. Mr. Speaker, last year, President Trump teamed up with his trillionaire donor Elon Musk to dismantle USAID and pause or permanently cancel a large portion of our international assistance programs. This was done in the name of furthering Trump's America First policy, but it is mostly combating mostly fictional and exaggerated claims of waste. The authors of this policy claimed that their goal was to achieve deficit reduction, to further Trump's America First policy on largely imaginary claims of waste. Far from reducing waste, the headlong rush to shutter USAID has forced the government to set aside billions of dollars for lawsuits, pay former employees to stay at home, and settle outstanding agreements with contractors. Our national debt passed $40 trillion this week, the latest in a strong string of facts to show how little Trump and company actually care about fiscal responsibility. The decision and the chaotic and callous way it was implemented has led to needless death, suffering, and damage to our national security and international reputation. But the worst impacts have been the devastation this has inflicted on poor and sick people around the world. In defense of the aid cuts, Elon Musk claimed zero people in Africa died. Secretary Rubio likewise claimed no one has died, claiming that lifesaving aid programs would be maintained or replaced. These statements are lies, and they are insults to our intelligence. Available government data shows large reductions of spending from 2024 to 2025, such as a 48 percent cut to global health programs, 39 percent cut to the Food For Peace program, a 65 percent cut in development assistance, and a 21 percent cut to international disaster assistance. Several large-scale independent studies and reporting from numerous news outlets have shown the human toll on these reductions. I thank my colleagues who pointed out names and photographs. Let me give some examples. The Gates Foundation estimates that child deaths will rise for the first time in the 21st century in 2025, and projects that if the aid cuts continue at a similar scale, we should expect an additional 12 million child deaths by 2045--12 million kids. Harvard University's Atul Gawande, one of the leading public health experts in the world, published an analysis nearly a year ago finding that hundreds of thousands have already died as a result of the USAID cuts, less than 10 months after they were implemented. A study published by UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health projected that the elimination of foreign aid funding last year would lead to 14 million preventable deaths by the end of this decade, over a third of them children. In a more granular report, research from Oxfam has shown that cholera cases have risen by 62 percent in 2025 compared to the previous year, just as USAID clean water and sanitation programs were cut--one-to-one correspondence. These are numbers, but each statistic represents suffering and misery that our government chose to inflict on some of the most vulnerable people in the world. I love and greatly appreciate The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof. He has gone to Africa and written in heartbreaking detail about the individual human costs of aid cuts. He writes about deaths of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Uganda dying due to the lack of ordinarily available food assistance, medicine, mosquito nets, and other U.S.-provided aid. I am a Representative that serves Northern Virginia, so I have heard from hundreds of former USAID employees and their private sector partners who worked on these cut programs. Besides the justifiable outrage felt by these men and women due to how they were treated by this administration, by Elon Musk, and his band of DOGE acolytes, what has really struck me is the grief that they feel being unable to continue to serve our country and help some of the world's most vulnerable people. They understand that U.S. international assistance is not charity. It is a critical component of our national security strategy, alongside diplomacy and defense. They reduced the risk of lethal diseases, like Ebola and the avian flu, from spreading to our shores. They promoted economic growth and democracy in developing nations, enhanced counterterrorism initiatives, and alleviated international crises and disasters. But it is up to us to build and improve what remains of our aid infrastructure. We can and we should work to reduce the risk of this happening again, and I look forward to rebuilding USAID in the years to come. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of our time, such as it is.

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman very much for her eloquent words. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), a longtime leader of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a good friend, and a national leader.

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean).

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Subramanyam), my dear friend.

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Amo).

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), the Democratic leader of the Rules Committee.

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to open this Special Order to discuss the destructive, counterproductive, and tragic choice by the Trump administration to disband the U.S. Agency for International Development and to dramatically cut U.S. international assistance. I thank the many Members who will be joining me this evening to raise this important topic and for their leadership in fighting back against this senseless decision. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel).

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill. We must protect the North Atlantic right whale, which, as you heard, is already at risk of extinction. This bill threatens to put them right over the edge. With only 70 reproductively active females left, the North Atlantic right whale can't afford to wait another 7 years for protection. They realistically could be extinct right now. We can and must act now. Entanglement in fishing gear is a leading cause, maybe the leading cause, of North Atlantic right whale deaths. In 2023, a provision delayed critical protections intended to reduce these deadly entanglements. As a result, the earliest measures to protect these North American right whales could be implemented in 2029. That is 3 years from now. This bill would further delay the implementation until 2035. That is a 13-year waiver from the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act requirements. I am wondering why 6 years has not already been enough. Delaying these protections doesn't ultimately serve the fishing industry's best interests. It will only delay changes that the industry ultimately needs to make any way, leaving them less time to adapt. If they haven't done it in the last 6 years, why do we think they will do it in the next 13? Now is the time we should be working with them and in partnership with the industry to effectively support them. Mr. Speaker, I don't minimize that the lobster industry is facing uncertainty and economic hardship, but that is a roller coaster of tariff implementations and rollbacks, rising inflation increasing the cost of fuel and bait, and warming waters that reduce larval lobster survival and encourage survivors to migrate northwards to Canadian waters. Mr. Speaker, if my colleagues across the aisle truly care about protecting lobstermen and fishermen, they would join me in opposing Trump's tariffs, his antagonism of our Canadian neighbors, his war of choice in Iran, his degradation of our environment, and his denial of climate change. We could do better by our lobstermen by working with them to ensure they have the support they need without sacrificing an entire species. Mr. Speaker, I hope all my colleagues will join me in opposing this bill and instead work on a solution that would be a win-win for everybody.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, as our Nation marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, I rise to recognize the courage, dedication, and sacrifice of firefighters, paramedics, emergency communications personnel, police officers, and public safety professionals in Arlington County, Virginia, and in communities across our Nation. For Arlington, September 11 is not only a National Day of Remembrance. It is part of our history. On that day, when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon, Arlington's first responders answered the call with extraordinary courage, skill, and resolve. They responded in the face of danger, uncertainty, fire, smoke, and devastation to help save lives and protect our community. Twenty-five years later, we continue to remember the victims, the survivors, the responders, and those who have carried the physical and emotional burdens of that day ever since. We also recognize that the duty to serve did not end on September 11. Every day, firefighters and paramedics continue to respond to emergencies, enter dangerous situations, provide lifesaving care, and stand with members of the community in their most difficult moments. Such work demonstrates unparalleled bravery and discipline. Firefighters run toward burning buildings when others are running out. Paramedics provide care in moments of fear, pain, and crisis. Emergency communications personnel answer the first calls for help. Public safety professionals carry responsibilities that are both physically demanding and emotionally profound. As we honor their bravery, we must also recognize the burdens they bear. Our responsibility is not only to thank those who serve, but to support their health, wellness, resilience, and long-term well-being. On this solemn anniversary, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the Arlington County Fire Department and all firefighters, paramedics, emergency communications personnel, police officers, and public safety professionals who protect our communities. We honor those who answered the call on September 11, those who continue to carry its legacy, and those who serve every day with courage and compassion. May we never forget the lives lost on September 11, the bravery of those who responded, and the continuing service of the men and women who are always there for us in our moments of greatest need.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Commander John James Battisti for his 20 years of outstanding Naval service as an active-duty judge advocate. During the past three years, Commander Battisti has served as the Deputy Director of Legislation and Policy for the Department of the Navy's Office of Legislative Affairs, where he was responsible for managing all aspects of the Navy's participation in the National Defense Authorization Act legislative process. Prior to this assignment, he served as the principal Legal Advisor to the Director of the Navy Staff, where he was responsible for the legal oversight of all initiatives generated by Navy commands throughout the world for decision by either the Secretary of the Navy or Chief of Naval Operations. Commander Battisti began his distinguished career with the Department of the Navy as a defense counsel at Naval Legal Service Office, Mid Atlantic. His assignments included serving as Assistant Fleet Judge Advocate to Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet aboard USS Blue Ridge (LCC- 19); Assistant Officer-in-Charge of Naval Legal Service Office Pearl Harbor; Assistant Fleet Judge Advocate to Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Branch Head within the Office of the Judge Advocate General's Administrative Law Division; Master of Laws student at Georgetown University Law Center; and Region Environmental Counsel to Commander, Navy Region Southwest. Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing our deepest gratitude to Commander John James Battisti for his exemplary dedication to our Nation as he retires from Naval service. Throughout his 20 years of public service, Commander Battisti has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the defense of our Nation and the safety of our service members. His profound patriotism, stellar leadership, and tireless work ethic leave an enduring legacy that has strengthened our National Defense.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the Etheredge/Etheridge Family Reunion, taking place from August 20 to August 23, 2026, and to honor a family whose story reflects the resilience, perseverance, faith, and achievements that define the American experience. The family's traceable history begins in Edgefield County, South Carolina, where their ancestors were born into slavery and were the property of Joseph Etheredge, a farmer and slave owner during the nineteenth century. Following emancipation, like many formerly enslaved people throughout the South, members of the family adopted the surname of their former enslaver, transforming a name once associated with bondage into one that would become a lasting symbol of strength, family, and achievement. On Christmas Day in 1895, Samuel Etheredge, one of the family's earliest known ancestors, purchased 195 acres of land from Joseph Etheredge, a transaction recorded in the Edgefield County Courthouse. That purchase represented far more than the acquisition of property--it symbolized freedom, opportunity, and the beginning of a self-sustaining African American community. Samuel Etheredge later sold twenty-acre parcels of land to his sons, establishing what became affectionately known as Etheredge Town. Life in Etheredge Town was centered on faith, education, hard work, and community. Families shared resources, raised livestock, hunted and fished, operated a grist and syrup mill, and developed businesses and skilled trades. Even after a devastating storm destroyed their church, they rebuilt it with lumber harvested from their own property, demonstrating remarkable determination and unity. Today, descendants of the Etheredge/Etheridge family reside throughout the United States, from the East Coast to the West Coast. They continue to make meaningful contributions to their communities through leadership, public service, education, business, military service, ministry, healthcare, and civic engagement. The 2026 Etheredge/Etheridge Family Reunion is not merely a gathering of relatives. It is a celebration of generations who transformed adversity into opportunity, preserved their heritage, and created a lasting legacy for future generations. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Etheredge/Etheridge family and the enduring legacy of this extraordinary American family.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and celebrate the 50th anniversary of public service for a longtime constituent of Northern Virginia, Richard M. Ashton. Richard is an outstanding career professional whose tireless dedication to public service has made a lasting impact on our Nation. He has achieved this milestone after years on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Rich has served the American people with distinction, integrity, and expertise. After receiving his bachelor's and law degrees from Catholic University, Richard entered the honors program in banking law at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, where he completed two years of service. He began serving in the Board's legal division in July 1976, with responsibilities in litigation, legislation, and legal services. Since 2005, Richard has served as one of the Board's Deputy General Counsels, supervising the legal division's litigation and enforcement functions. Serving under eight Federal Reserve chairmen and six general counsels, Richard has been invaluable to the Fed's achievement of its mission as a result of his deep institutional knowledge, unflagging work ethic, and mentorship of generations of banking lawyers. Rich has served the Federal Reserve and the American people with great distinction. I therefore ask my colleagues to join me today in congratulating Richard Ashton on 50 years of dedicated service to the U.S. central bank and recognizing the significant contributions he has made to our country.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Walkinshaw for the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6332. As Mr. Walkinshaw has said, this legislation would name the post office at 10660 Page Avenue in Fairfax as the Gerald E. Connolly Post Office in honor of my dear friend and former colleague, the late Congressman Gerry Connolly. Mr. Speaker, I used to tease Gerry all the time about the 41-mile Gerry Connolly Cross County Trail in Fairfax County that was a hiking, biking, and bridle trail. It went the whole arc, from one side of Fairfax County to another, but it is difficult to imagine a more fitting tribute to Gerry's lifetime of public service than this post office because of what he has done. He wrote, sponsored, and passed the most important postal reform in this century, literally this millennium. He loved the Postal Service. He fought for it year after year. He served on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for 15 years and, again, was an immensely important leader on that committee. He fiercely believed in the Federal Government's commitment to the American public for affordable and reliable mail delivery for every single household in our country, but he was also a steadfast champion for the unsung heroes, the postal workers, who made that possible. He led the defense against the DOGE attacks on the Postal Service and efforts by this administration to privatize the Postal Service. As Gerry Connolly often reminded us, public service is leaving communities better than we found them, and Northern Virginia is a better place for Gerry's time in public service. I first met Gerry and Smitty when they came in as a young married couple 42 years ago when we volunteered on the same Governor's campaign. Over the years, everything that could be done by any human being to make life better for the citizens of Northern Virginia, Gerry did--as a civic association leader, a supervisor, a chairman, a Congressman, the president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and, most of all, as the Democratic chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform--everything that he did. Let me just say, Mr. Speaker, I will miss him greatly. This is a due and appropriate honor.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 50th anniversary of the Friends of Dyke Marsh. Since 1976, Friends of Dyke Marsh have partnered with the National Park Service to preserve, restore, and stabilize the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve, a 480-acre freshwater tidal wetland on the Potomac River in Fairfax County and one of the last freshwater tidal marshes in the Washington, D.C., area. Congress wisely designated Dyke Marsh as ``irreplaceable'' in 1959, and it certainly remains so for the 300 species of plants, thousands of arthropods, 38 species of fish, 25 reptiles, 22 amphibians, and nearly 300 species of birds that call it home. The people, wildlife, and ecosystems of Virginia are indebted to the engaged and concerned residents who, since the 1970s, have protected that irreplaceable landscape. Those residents founded Friends of Dyke Marsh to preserve the area and advocate for its survival. As marsh habitat dwindles elsewhere along the Potomac River, Friends of Dyke Marsh have worked to protect the area from the erosion, invasive species, pollution, and climate impacts that threaten so many temperate wetlands. Today, the group's work includes scientific studies, biological surveys, educational programs, stewardship activities, nature walks, trash cleanups, invasive plant control work, and comprehensive restoration planning. As the United States Geological Survey warns that Dyke Marsh could be gone entirely by 2035 due to erosion, that work is more important than ever. In my time in Congress, I have been proud to partner with the Friends of Dyke Marsh to champion efforts to support and secure funding to protect Dyke Marsh and ensure it thrives. Today, I am proud to honor Friends of Dyke Marsh on the occasion of the organization's 50th anniversary, thank all those who have been part of it over those five decades, and express gratitude for the community's enthusiasm and devotion to our irreplaceable natural places.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize my friend and the current CEO of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Mr. Robert Gebbia, for his extraordinary leadership in suicide prevention and in recognition of his planned retirement at the end of the year. There is no better time to recognize Robert than in this season where we devote great attention to mental health awareness. For nearly three decades he has guided the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to national prominence. Under Robert's leadership, AFSP has expanded to 73 chapters across the country and become the largest private funder of suicide prevention research in the world, investing nearly $100 million in lifesaving initiatives. He has led national awareness campaigns, educational programs, and Out of the Darkness Walks, providing support and hope to millions of individuals and families affected by suicide. He has also strengthened public policy and advocacy, uniting thousands of volunteer advocates to secure State and Federal funding for suicide prevention and mental health programs nationwide. In addition, Mr. Gebbia has served in numerous national leadership roles, including as a founding member of the National Council for Suicide Prevention, a member of the National Lifeline Advisory Committee, in the executive committee of the National Alliance for Suicide Prevention, and as past chair of the board of directors of the National Health Council. His vision and dedication have shaped suicide prevention strategies and initiatives across the United States. As we honor Robert Gebbia, it is fitting to recognize his decades of service, his commitment to research, advocacy, education, and his enduring impact on communities nationwide. His leadership has saved lives and strengthened the field of suicide prevention, leaving a legacy that will benefit generations to come. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Robert on his retirement and thank him for his enduring service to champion the cause of preventing suicide.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the distinguished service of the USS Alexandria (SSN-757) as the United States Navy prepares to decommission this remarkable submarine after decades of faithful service to the defense of our Nation. USS Alexandria was commissioned on June 29, 1991, and will have an inactivation ceremony on the 35th anniversary of that date, on June 29, 2026. Submarines are known as the ``silent service,'' but I can tell you that she had 5 deployments in the Western Pacific and 10 deployments in the European Theater. She was deployed on September 11, 2001, and stood ready to act if needed, on scene but unseen. During her 35-year lifespan, her crew executed over 30 special operations vital to our national security. They were underway on nuclear power for over one million miles. She participated in joint training exercises with other nations, including testing operability and tactics in Arctic waters and surfacing through the ice. She made poll visits around the world as an ambassador and to communicate our Navy's presence, assurance of freedom of navigation, and dedication to preserving peace. Her annual unclassified operations reports are on file at the Navy's History and Heritage Command. As the USS Alexandria concludes her active service, we pay tribute not only to the submarine itself, but also to the thousands of sailors, officers, civilian mariners, shipbuilders, maintenance workers, and military families whose hard work and sacrifices made her missions possible. The decommissioning of the USS Alexandria marks the end of a proud chapter in naval history. While her service at sea may be ending, her legacy will endure through the men and women who served aboard and supported her. They embody the enduring values of duty, honor, and country. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the extraordinary service of the USS Alexandria (SSN-757) and in expressing our gratitude to all who contributed to her distinguished record of service to the United States of America.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Catherine Lavelle Kessmeier for her 30 years of outstanding federal service, including over 25 years as a civilian attorney for the Department of the Navy (DON) Office of the General Counsel (OGC). Since she began her distinguished career with DON OGC in 1999, Ms. Kessmeier has held several attorney positions. Notably, she became a member of the Senior Executive Service in January 2013. In August 2021, she was selected to serve as the Principal Deputy General Counsel (PDGC), the most senior career attorney position within the DON. During her tenure as the PDGC, she twice served as the Acting General Counsel of the Navy--a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed position-- from August 2021 to February 2022, and from January 2025 to July 2025. Ms. Kessmeier distinguished herself as an exceptional and resilient attorney, including leading the DON's legal response to the unprecedented environmental crisis associated with the Red Hill fuel release and advising Department of Defense and DON senior leaders on numerous international, fiscal, and contracting law matters associated with the trilateral defense partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. With unrelenting dedication and unwavering commitment to advancing the DON mission, she provided proactive, accurate, and innovative legal advice on complex, politically sensitive, and highly visible issues that intersected with the complete spectrum of DON OGC practice areas. Additionally, Ms. Kessmeier established an unrivaled standard of leadership while overseeing and coordinating the provision of quality, effective, and consistent legal advice and counsel by hundreds of DON OGC attorneys, bolstering Navy and Marine Corps readiness throughout the global enterprise. Over the course of her exemplary career, Ms. Kessmeier received various awards for her extraordinary contributions to the DON and the Nation. These include the DON Meritorious, Superior, and Distinguished Civilian Service Awards, the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive, and other performance-related recognition. For these reasons, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Ms. Catherine Lavelle Kessmeier as she retires from decades of federal service.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. The American people deserve a first-rate customer experience when they interact with the IRS. This legislation will help the agency reach that goal. The IRS has been under tremendous pressure to do more with less in recent years, and based on the success of last year's filing season, it has proven it can rise to the challenge. This bill will focus the agency's efforts on providing timely information to taxpayers, speed the digitization of forms and correspondence, and implement other resource- and time-saving measures. These provisions will take some of the load off of the IRS, its limited resources, and overworked staff, all while improving the experience for the taxpayers. I greatly appreciate the bipartisan support for this bill and the leadership of tireless and annoying Congressman Schweikert. I hope that the success of this initiative will lead to more bipartisanship on tax administration going forward, and I look forward to working with my colleagues across the aisle to further improve the IRS. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, firstly, I thank my friend and colleague from Arizona (Mr. Schweikert) for his leadership on the Taxpayer Experience Improvement Act, and I am proud to support him on this. The IRS has made great strides since the pandemic to improve customer service for taxpayers, contributing to a successful filing season last year. The agency was able to process more than 165 million income tax returns and deliver refunds to 104 million taxpayers, the overwhelming majority on time and with no issues. This is in large part thanks to the funds provided to the IRS through the Inflation Reduction Act, which reversed decades of underinvestment in the agency. However, even during what was a relatively smooth filing season, millions of taxpayers experienced delays receiving their refunds or difficulties communicating with the IRS due to issues on the agency's side. It is hard to overstate how disruptive delayed refunds and unresolved notices can be for taxpayers. Families structure their annual budgets around the timely arrival of the refund checks, and a lengthy delay can throw their budget into chaos, particularly if the taxpayers aren't able to find out when they can expect to receive a check. Similarly, a notice from the IRS to the taxpayer can cause enormous confusion or anxiety, especially when an individual is unable to get in touch with the agency quickly enough to answer their questions and address unresolved issues. While this bill wouldn't reverse the recent ill-advised staffing and funding cuts pushed by this administration that are undermining the progress we made with the IRA, it will go a long way toward alleviating the harm to taxpayers. The provisions in this bill aim to reduce the long-term demands on the agency by increasing the level of information available to taxpayers online and facilitating plans to digitize tax returns and correspondence. It would also require the IRS to provide personalized electronic updates to taxpayers regarding the status of their returns and refunds, which should reduce the agency's incoming call volume. Additionally, it would push the agency to implement customer callback technology and add a real-time service dashboard to its website to display call volumes, wait times, and promote the availability of its callback services. All these add up to an improved taxpayer experience and a more efficient IRS. I greatly appreciate Mr. Schweikert's efforts with this bill to improve the IRS, and I hope that we can build on our success here and give the agency the resources it needs to provide the stellar customer service the American people deserve. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this measure. I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. Let's not forget that one of the opening acts of this war of choice against Iran was the massacre of scores of school children, little girls committed by our military, in our name. While the President mumbled futile lies to escape his responsibilities as Commander in Chief, Hegseth did beat poetry about replacing politically correct legality with unhinged lethality. If that wasn't reckless enough, it was amplified by the President's own social media tirades where millions of people were reduced to targets in an early morning threat to obliterate an entire civilization--a contemptible failure of moral leadership. Sorry for being PC, but those kids would be alive today if Congress had done our job and restrained the President's lust for power. We have a chance to act before more lives are lost and more damage is done. I have never been more embarrassed for my Republican friends in Congress who have alternated between total silence and cheering on this madness. It is long past time for us to grow a brain, grow a spine, and stand up for the true interests of the American people.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7613, the ALERT Act. I thank the committees of jurisdiction for their tireless work on this bill and for adopting significant feedback from the stakeholders, including the families of Flight 5342 and the National Transportation Safety Board. I extend a personal thank-you to Ranking Member Larsen for his collaboration and support. He and his team have been wonderful to work with through a difficult process. This bill provides a meaningful and comprehensive response to last year's January 29 collision at the National Airport, which tragically took 67 lives. We must do everything we can to keep this tragedy from happening again. This bill would implement all 50 recommendations from the NTSB's final report on the collision. It would reevaluate the arrival rate at National Airport, which is too high. It would establish a time-based flow management system to make our air traffic controllers' workload more manageable. This bill would reevaluate our air traffic control tower facility level to hopefully bring more resources and staffing to the tower. This bill would improve our helicopter route charts and aims to put guardrails on military helicopter flights in this very congested region. This bill is an incredible step forward for National Airport, for our region, and for our country, and I hope to see it passed this evening. However, the ALERT Act is not perfect. It includes ADS-B carve-outs for some general aviation aircraft, and there are still concerns about military helicopter flights in this region not being adequately addressed. The families of Flight 5342 still have legitimate concerns and put out a statement today on their hopes for improvements to the bill in the Senate before it becomes law, which I support. I am disappointed to see the ROTOR Act, which had strong ADS-B requirements, fail on the House floor earlier this year. Madam Speaker, our goal is to adopt the strongest aviation requirements possible. I firmly believe that the ALERT Act accomplishes much of this goal, but that we can and should make this bill stronger. I look forward to voting in support of the ALERT Act today, as I did with the ROTOR Act earlier this year, with the understanding that more work is needed. Madam Speaker, as this bill advances, I urge my colleagues in the committees of jurisdiction to make improvements, to close any loopholes, and to prioritize safety for all over the convenience of a few. I thank the committee leaders for their work on this bill.