Donald Beyer

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Earl Francis Lloyd, born in my home City of Alexandria. Mr. Lloyd was the first African American player to play a game in the National Basketball Association. In addition, his stellar career included honors as an All-American player at West Virginia State University when in 1948 he helped lead them to an undefeated season. As a professional, Mr. Lloyd helped lead the Syracuse Nationals to the 1955 NBA Championship and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. His achievements will be forever recognized with the dedication Earl Lloyd State Historical Marker on Montgomery Street in Alexandria this Saturday, April 2, 2022. Please join me in commemorating Mr. Lloyd, a native Alexandrian who exemplified excellence throughout his life.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the bipartisan Securing a Strong Retirement Act which includes the Legacy IRA Act. This legislation, led by my colleague Mike Kelly and I, would encourage charitable giving by American seniors. Donating to charity is a hallmark of American society. We are fortunate to have one of the most generous countries in the world. In spite of, or possibly because of, the upheavals in recent years, we have seen increases in American charitable giving to the highest levels in our history. We must do all we can to encourage this impulse, particularly among middle-income seniors who wish to continue giving post-retirement. The Legacy IRA Act would enable seniors to make tax-free contributions from their traditional IRAs to charities through life-income plans. This bill is a win-win, for philanthropic seniors who want to continue giving, and for charitable organizations that benefit from donations. I would like to thank Chairman Neal for his support in including this measure in the SECURE Act and Rep. Kelly for his partnership on this important legislation.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of our first responders for their heroism during the COVID-19 pandemic and every day for their bravery and selflessness. Arlington County's first responders have been on the frontlines, making more than 300 trips in 2021 to Culpepper Garden, consistently risking their own well-being to protect and serve our community members. I share my colleagues' enthusiasm in the General Assembly and on the Arlington County Board in dedicating the Arlington County First Responders Bench at Culpepper Garden to recognize and celebrate all first responders on this day, March 25, 2022. I urge all residents to join the Arlington Network for Community Readiness and help us all prepare for and respond to an emergency and to sign up for the Disaster Volunteer Registry to be a volunteer resource for our area during an emergency. I also commend the staff and residents of Culpepper Garden for enhancing our community in so many ways. As a nonprofit retirement community that is home to 450 low-income seniors who live in 346 independent living and assisted living apartments, they help make our community dynamic and vibrant. Please join me in commemorating these heroic first responders.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in robust support of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. I believe this is the most important vote any of us will ever vote upon. This is the bill that saves our democracy. The most fundamental idea of our exceptional Nation is that people have the right to choose their leaders. And we have made slow progress over the centuries. African Americans, Native Americans, women, 18-year-olds. This bill finally establishes the basic fundamental voting rights for all Americans. With this act we stand against efforts to manipulate voting rules in favor of the few and take our essential democratic privilege away from all Americans. NASA has inspired humanity for centuries, and now a small NASA bill becomes the vehicle to save our democracy.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 852, I call up the joint resolution (S.J. Res. 33) joint resolution relating to increasing the debt limit, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on Senate Joint Resolution 33.

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am pleased that today the House will take action to protect our Nation's full faith and credit. S.J. Res. 33 will ensure that the United States continues to be a nation that pays its bills, period. Without today's action, for the first time in our history, the United States Government could default on its debt obligations because of the debt limit, and this would be ruinous for U.S. workers and their families. It would trigger a financial crisis on par with that of 2008, resulting in catastrophic economic damage with millions of jobs lost, businesses shuttered, and a banking system in chaos. At a time when our recovery is strong but uncertain, we risk the loss of six million jobs, an unemployment rate of nearly 9 percent, the elimination of $15 trillion in household wealth, and a decline in real GDP of 4 percent. Nonpartisan Moody's Analytics economist Mark Zandi predicted that following a default, a global market panic on the scale of the 2008 financial crisis would ensue. J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon predicted that such a default could ``cause an immediate, literally cascading catastrophe of unbelievable proportions and damage America for 100 years.'' If the United States were to default, it would likely prompt a lasting downgrade of the country's credit that would drastically increase costs for mortgages, car loans, student loans, credit card bills, and other borrowing. This would threaten the livelihoods of the very people we are here to represent. I want to be very clear. Raising the debt ceiling is not about incurring new debts. We are simply ensuring the Federal Government keeps its existing commitments, that it pays the bills we have already racked up. By raising the debt limit, we are meeting our existing obligations to members of the military, veterans, and recipients of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. In fact, 97 percent of the debts currently necessitating an increase were accrued prior to the Biden administration, many of which were passed with bipartisan support. This includes emergency pandemic relief measures, increased defense spending, and continued government operations. Madam Speaker, the time to act is now. Treasury Secretary Yellen has issued a dire warning: Without congressional action by tomorrow, the government will be left with insufficient funds to finance government operations. Over 50 million seniors could stop receiving Social Security checks for a time. Troops would go unpaid. Millions of families who rely on the monthly child tax credit could see delays. Our current economic recovery would reverse into recession, with billions of dollars of growth and millions of jobs lost. As the 2011 debt ceiling crisis shows, even narrowly avoiding a default costs the country billions of dollars. While raising the debt ceiling does not, on its own, create new debts for the United States Government, a failure to do so certainly would. Congress has addressed the debt limit 79 times since 1960 to prevent default; 30 times with a Democrat in the White House, 49 times under a Republican President. In fact, under President Trump, Congress took action to address the debt limit three times and did so without drama. Today's action should be no different. I urge my colleagues to support this measure to lift the debt ceiling, continue paying our bills, and ensure our continued economic recovery. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, very briefly, it seems my Republican friends would like to make this debate about the bipartisan infrastructure bill and about the Build Back Better bill despite the fact that these were wildly popular with the American people. Listening to my Republican friends, it sounds like we are in a desperate country instead of one that has created 6 million jobs so far this year, an all-time record that has 6 percent GDP growth expected this year. Our unemployment rate is 4.2 percent. It has recovered faster than any time in American history. We are about to fund daycare for American working families, bring 3- and 4-year-olds to school. The child tax credit will be extended. Our infrastructure bills are going to build more roads and highways, electric grid, broadband, fix the lead pipes. All this is in two bills that are paid for--that are paid for--every penny. When people suggest that the benefits may be extended, we have also promised to pay for them if that, in fact, happens. You complain that we haven't done the appropriations bill. This House did the appropriations bill. But in the Senate, which requires 60 votes, the appropriations bill didn't happen over there. Madam Speaker, this is not about two very good bills, two paid-for bills that don't increase the deficit, that don't add to inflation. It is about the simple fact that we need to pay our bills. It is a simple bill. This vote should be simple. During the Trump administration, the Republicans added $7.9 trillion--50 percent--to the national debt. Their Tax Cuts and Jobs Act alone added $1.9 trillion. We have to pay for that. That is what we are paying for tonight. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues, Democrat and Republican, to vote for this good Senate joint resolution to lift the debt ceiling. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5746) to amend title 51, United States Code, to extend the authority of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to enter into leases of non-excess property of the Administration, as amended.

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 on H.R. 5746, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support passage of the bipartisan NASA Enhanced Use Leasing Extension Act of 2021, H.R. 5746. I want to thank my colleagues, Ranking Member Brian Babin of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, Representative Troy Carter, and Representative Young Kim, for being original cosponsors. Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense bill that would enable public- and private-sector entities the opportunity to benefit from NASA property that is not fully used, while helping NASA manage its vast facilities and maintenance challenges. The act would extend NASA'S authority to enter into leases for underutilized, non-excess real property, including office space, testing and launch facilities, and hangars, to other Federal, State, and local government agencies, academic institutions, and private- sector entities. NASA's existing enhanced use lease authority, or EUL, expires on the last day of this month, December 31, 2021. While several short-term extensions have previously been enacted, this act provides a clean, 10-year extension that will create more certainty for NASA and the many EUL partners who benefit from the authority. According to the July 2021 NASA testimony to the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, that I chair and Dr. Babin is the ranking member of, the agency has 70 ongoing leases at six NASA centers. The authority also allows NASA to retain lease revenue and apply it toward maintenance, capital revitalization, and improvement of NASA's real property assets. That is important because with the majority of NASA's facilities dating back to the Apollo era and over 80 percent beyond their design life, maintenance is an ongoing challenge. NASA currently manages a deferred maintenance backlog of $2.6 billion. The revenue NASA receives from enhanced use leases, $10.8 million in fiscal year 2019, can help avoid further increases to that backlog. EUL authority also benefits the private entities, the Federal, State, and local government agencies, and the academic institutions that enter into lease agreements to use specialized facilities and properties, such as launch infrastructure, while also providing the valuable service to NASA of maintaining the properties. In addition, co-locating other Federal, State, and local government agencies, private-sector entities, and other institutions on NASA properties creates a vibrancy and community at NASA centers that benefits NASA and its workforce, including through partnerships with those institutions. Mr. Speaker, NASA's leadership and success in expanding our knowledge through groundbreaking scientific discoveries and extending human presence deeper into space inspires our youth, advances our technological capacity, and strengthens our economy. Enabling such an inspiring mission requires unique infrastructure and extensive property and facilities. We need to ensure that NASA has the tools and flexibilities to continue its successes for decades to come. Those tools include the ability to manage property that may no longer be actively or fully used by NASA, at least at this time. The bipartisan NASA Enhanced Use Leasing Extension Act of 2021 ensures the benefits of EUL authority will continue for the next decade, and in so doing, provides stability to NASA and its EUL partners. Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan bill is good for NASA, good for the entities that benefit from EUL authority, and good for the taxpayer. We cannot afford to let this important authority lapse and risk delays and disruption to the many new leases currently being processed by NASA. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and support passage of H.R. 5746 so that the Senate can swiftly pass it and send it to the President's desk for signature and enactment. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter).

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time to speak on this bill, and I am prepared to close when necessary. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I concur with my friend Dr. Babin that we are very fortunate to be led by Eddie Bernice Johnson, our chair, and Frank Lucas, our ranking member. It is a joy to work on this committee, and we actually work together in a good way. I would like to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin), the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter), and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim) for cosponsoring this and helping put this together, and our wonderful Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee staff, who actually took the time to put the title of this bill in iambic pentameter, the NASA Enhanced Use Leasing Extension Act of 2021. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to vote for this good bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his extraordinary leadership on the Ways and Means Committee in putting this together, and I urge all of my colleagues to support the Build Back Better Act. Mr. Speaker, this bill finally makes it clear that our government's most important responsibility is to give every American the possibility for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Build Back Better Act makes the boldest actions to fight the existential crisis of climate change. It contains some of the most important benefits for American families ever contemplated by Congress: lowering drug prices, paid family leave, affordable childcare and healthcare, universal pre-kindergarten, and an extended child tax credit. Mr. Speaker, this bill would boost our economy in the best and strongest way by investing in our workforce and increasing labor force participation. It will create long-term structural benefits for our economy that strengthen our supply chains, reduce the effects that drive up energy prices, and restrain inflation. Along with the recently enacted infrastructure bill, it will create millions of jobs. Mr. Speaker, a vote for the Build Back Better Act is a vote for sustained, long-term economic growth that will benefit generations of Americans. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak about the importance of economic competitiveness. This is an economic issue that the President has prioritized in his efforts to build back better, recognizing that promoting competition can lower prices for families, increase wages for workers, and promote innovation and even faster economic growth. On July 9, 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order on ``Promoting Competition in the American Economy,'' which stressed the importance of a resilient economy that incorporates a fair, open, and competitive marketplace, and warned against excessive market concentration which threatens basic economic liberties, democratic accountability, and the welfare of workers, farmers, small businesses, startups, and consumers. In the Joint Economic Committee, which I chair, we held a hearing earlier this year on corporate power, specifically on the rise and concentration of corporate market power in the United States and how it harms consumers, workers, and small businesses. In that hearing, we found that as business concentration has increased in the United States, the rise of concentrated corporate market power in the U.S. is associated with weak investment rates, lower productivity growth, and higher prices. Indeed, firms invest less per dollar of profit today now than they did in the second half of the 20th century, making labor less productive and suppressing wages. Congress over the years has acted to promote competition, including legislation like the Lanham Act to regulate the registration and use of trademarks and protect from unfair competition. Further, the Lanham Act provides federal judicial protection against infringement for trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Specifically, the law provides federal causes of action for trademark dilution and several unfair competition claims, such as unregistered trademark infringement, false advertising, false endorsement, and false designation of origin. I am concerned by cases where domestic, foreign, or multinational corporations are using the Lanham Act to suppress or restrict competition within the United States, particularly with small businesses. It is especially disheartening when those goods or services are dedicated to the health and safety of minority communities, where the impact of these cases will be felt most. Our economy has traditionally been a powerful engine for innovation that has provided unmatched prosperity to millions. However, unprecedented corporate concentration and anticompetitive practices are preventing us from reaching our economic potential. I urge my colleagues to champion the Biden agenda for economic competitiveness and take steps to tackle pernicious behavior.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the life of Thomas H. Birdsong III, a dear and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather--as well as an accomplished native son of the Commonwealth of Virginia--whom we lost on August 20, 2021, at the age of 94. Born and raised in Suffolk, Virginia, Mr. Birdsong was a member of America's Greatest Generation--an only child who heard and heeded the call to serve from an early age, joining the United States Navy during World War II. It was a call he would continue to answer following the war, a committed servant of both his country and his Commonwealth throughout his life. A 1949 graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia--and a recipient of numerous accolades from the College in the decades since, including an Honorary Doctor of Law degree--Mr. Birdsong would go on to serve two terms on the College's distinguished Board of Trustees, including a term as vice chairman. In addition to funding a variety of improvements to the campus itself, Mr. Birdsong's generosity made it possible for several students to attend the College and thereafter call it their own. Further still, Mr. Birdsong has helped ensure the College's future through his establishment of a charitable unitrust that has become part of the College's endowment. Mr. Birdsong's philanthropy stemmed from his great professional success, rooted quite literally in his beloved home state. Over the course of a successful, 72-year career with Suffolk-based Birdsong Peanuts, Mr. Birdsong was inducted into the Peanut Hall of Fame by the American Peanut Council in 2000 for his ``Outstanding Contributions'' to the peanut industry. He was continuing to serve as the company's chairman upon his death. As a businessman, Mr. Birdsong was a noted conservationist, patron of the arts, and a trusted and well-regarded corporate leader, whose many contributions to American commerce included time spent on the Advisory Council for the United States Secretary of Agriculture. Please join me in honoring the life of Thomas H. Birdsong Ill, a Virginian whose legacy of servant leadership lives on in the hearts of all of us grateful for the noble and timeless example he set.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the legislation to pay America's bills and avoid a catastrophic default. Raising the debt ceiling doesn't incur new debts. It simply allows the Treasury Department to continue to pay the debts that this Congress already voted to incur. Ninety-seven percent of the debt subject to the current increase was passed before President Biden took office. The big drivers of this debt limit increase were the CARES Act programs we all supported, higher defense spending under the previous President, and enormous Republican tax cuts that were not paid for, which mostly went to the wealthy. Since 1960, Congress has raised the debt ceiling 78 times, mostly when a Republican was in the White House. Mr. Speaker, this has always been a bipartisan vote. In 2017, when Donald Trump was President, more than 90 percent of the Democrats voted to increase the debt limit. In 2019, when Donald Trump was President, more than 90 percent of the Democrats voted to increase the debt limit. It should be a bipartisan vote now. The simple fact is, if it wasn't, if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling, it would mean we refuse to pay our debts, and that would lead to destruction. I am confused, too. In one way, this is very asymmetric. We help the Republican Presidents, but they refuse to help us. I don't understand that. My friend from South Carolina, in front of the Rules Committee, said this is because of the Build Back Better bill, the proposed $3.5 trillion that is coming. That fails to recognize that during the Trump administration, the U.S. Federal debt went up $7.8 trillion, more than the theoretical maximum of Build Back Better. But even more importantly, Build Back Better would not add one penny to the Federal deficit. We have worked very hard to raise revenues from the people who can most afford it, whose lives would not be diminished one iota by the revenues that we would raise. Millions of Americans would lose their jobs if this debt ceiling doesn't go through. The unemployment rate would shoot upward to 9 percent; payments would cease for Social Security recipients, veterans, and hospitals that take Medicare and Medicaid; and our Federal workforce and our troops wouldn't be paid. Ten years ago, the Government Accountability Office said the U.S. had to pay an extra $1.3 billion in borrowing costs because of debt limit brinkmanship. If you want to address the debt, the obvious way to do it is to pay for your spending, to be fiscally responsible. That is exactly what my Democratic colleagues are doing with the Build Back Better bill, where my colleagues and I on the Ways and Means Committee spent many, many months figuring out how to best pay for these investments. It is pretty ridiculous, Mr. Speaker, that the party that claimed a $2 trillion handout to the wealthy would pay for itself, mostly in dividends and stock buybacks, now complains about the debt. If you are really worried about the debt, there are ways to address it without taking a wrecking ball to the U.S. economy. Preventing a recession should have unanimous support in this body. It is a concerning prospect that we will have to do all this again in 2 or 3 months, and Republican leaders are already promising even stronger opposition to avoiding the self-inflicted destruction of our economy. Sooner or later, if we don't all recognize the risks and take an adult, responsible approach to governance, the worst will happen, and we will default.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the American Suffragist Marker Dedication occurring on August 26, 2021. In November 1917, on the sidewalks outside the White House, women stood on the pavement in silence. They stood in rain and shine and cold, brandishing signs demanding passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. With passage, would come the right to vote for most American women. In mid-November 1917, 32 suffragists were arrested in front of the White House. Many were past the age of 60. The charge was ``Obstructing Traffic.'' The ``Silent Sentinels'' were ordered to be imprisoned at the District of Columbia (Occoquan) Workhouse in Lorton, Virginia. Along with unwashed bedding, putrid food and fetid water, the women were subjected to undue hardships and torture, resulting in the infamous November 14, 1917 ``Night of Terror.'' A number of women prisoners were threatened, chained to their cells, beaten and hurled against walls, floors and metal fixtures. One woman suffered a heart attack and was denied prompt medical attention. A few days later, violent force feedings began for suffragists who had initiated a hunger strike in retaliation against the brutality. Bruised, ill and broken, the suffragist prisoners were brought to Alexandria, Virginia on November 27, 1917, for a hearing at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Judge Edmund Waddill, Jr., agreeing the women's treatment had been unduly harsh, ordered the release of the suffragists from Occoquan. Freed from the brutality of Occoquan, many resumed their cause for enfranchisement. The 19th Amendment was ratified August 18, 1920. Certification of the Amendment by U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby occurred a few days later, on August 26, 1920. August 26 is now known as Women's Equality Day. This Women's Equality Day, August 26, 2021, Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson, the Office of Historic Alexandria and Alexandria Celebrates Women will dedicate an historic marker to honor the women who bravely endured imprisonment and torture in their efforts to gain equality at the ballot box and to recognize the site of the landmark hearing that took place in Alexandria.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of our Capitol Police Officers and Firefighters, including the heroes from Arlington County, who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The attack on the Capitol was an attempt to overturn an election through violence and fear, and our Capitol Police and Firefighters stood firm to protect our democracy and uphold our Constitution. These brave men and women risked their lives in their protection of those trapped in the Capitol. We must honor these officers who sustained injuries in the line of duty, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick and Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Officer Jeffrey Smith, two of my own constituents who passed away due to injuries from the January 6 attack. The United States Capitol Police protect the U.S. Capitol every day. They protect our legislators, they protect our staff, and they protect journalists and other visitors. Their presence is imperative to the democracy that the United States takes pride in, and it is only fitting that Congress honor their courage and ideals. January 6, 2021 will be remembered as one of the darkest days of our democracy, yet that day will also commemorate the heroism and selfless bravery of the Capitol Police, D.C. Firefighters, and other law enforcement officers.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the American Physical Therapy Association. The APTA is the leading professional membership organization for the physical therapy profession, with a mission to build a community that advances the profession and improves the health of society. As the predecessors to modern-day physical therapists, reconstruction aides were strong women who played an integral role in the recovery of many soldiers during World War I. Through their work, they demonstrated the value of the physical therapy and the impact it would have in the future of American healthcare. The vision of the physical therapy profession is to transform society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience. The efforts to launch a physical therapy education program began in 1960, with the first two classes of physical therapist assistants entering the workforce in 1969. Throughout its history, physical therapy has had a role in military hospitals, on the response team during the polio epidemic, and is currently helping those recovering from the novel coronavirus. The work of a physical therapist spans many settings, from hospitals to homes, schools to veteran facilities. Physical therapy has been effective at reducing pain and being a first-line approach that has assisted countless Americans. During these difficult times, physical therapists and physical therapist assistants have faced their challenges head on, treating the most vulnerable and working with those recovering from the severe effects of COVID-19. Please join me in commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the American Physical Therapy Association.