Donald Beyer

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend, the ranking member, for this hourlong discussion. I will point out that all those billions and maybe trillions of dollars that apparently are still in coffers, one of the best things we can do is get new management at the executive level who will actually spend the money allocated by Congress, and I think the Senate is working on those confirmations right now. There is nothing that has the sense of theater about the children in Virginia who are three times as food insecure as they were a year ago. We have millions of Americans out of work. We have this remarkable chart that shows that our unemployment rate hit an official 14.8 percent back in the spring, and we knew that was undercounted by all the people who left the workforce who weren't counted at all. They said it was probably closer to 20 percent, the highest since the Great Depression. Now, we are formally down to 6.7 percent, but, once again, that is double the pre-pandemic level and doesn't capture the nearly 5 million workers who have given up looking for a job and left the labor force since February. That would push the unemployment rate almost at 10 percent. We cannot afford to be passive. My friend, Mr. Schweikert, talks about the multiplier factor, and I am a huge fan of the multiplier effect. But the multiplier effect means putting money in the hands of people who will spend it. So we are in defense of our $15 minimum wage. That is money that will go into the hands of people who will spend it that day, that Friday, that weekend. Alan Blinder and Mark Zandi, two prominent economists, found that fiscal monetary responses in 2008 and 2009 substantially reduced the severity and length of the Great Recession. Our wonderful chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jay Powell, a Republican, has said that monetary policy has gone as far as it can. Interest rates are near zero. It is up to us now, those who control fiscal policy, to make this comeback. The Hamilton Project found that the Biden proposal would return us to the CBO's pre-pandemic projections after the third quarter of this year, not 2024 which would be where we were without it. We face a once-in-a-generation challenge: a public health crisis caused a massive economic hit worse than the Great Recession, and responding to either one of these crises, the COVID or the economy, requires a smart, multifaceted, comprehensive approach. It is not a blank-check approach. We have outlined piece by piece by piece how this money would be spent, and we still have much granularity to go. We have don't have the luxury of choosing which crisis we respond to. We have got to overcome both of them to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans and ensure the livelihoods of millions more. Another luxury we don't have is time. We can't waste months and months and months trying to figure out whether we are actually going to spend that money in those coffers or whether bipartisanship will work. We have to set the structure up so that if reconciliation is necessary--the same reconciliation my Republican friends used on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act--it is ready to go. The American people--Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and those who don't fit in any of those groups--want us to take action. Giving shots in people's arms, ramping up testing and tracing, ensuring unemployment benefits don't expire on March 14 and that they are there when they are needed most--I thank the gentleman, by the way, Mr. Schweikert, for piling on automatic stabilizers, almost every economist I know thinks that is a good idea--and helping families put food on the table. This is what Americans want. We need to move now to get our country and our economy back on track, and this budget resolution starts the process. Today, we are taking a very important step for the American people. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise to support the CASH Act, which will send $2,000 checks to the American people. I want to thank Chairman Neal for coming together very quickly to create this act in a thoughtful way. The American people are hurting this holiday season, and they need our help. Our bill would increase those payments to $2,000, which would also include adult dependents and students. We realize that $600 is not enough for people facing eviction and hunger. For many, this will just pay a past-due rental bill for July. It is good and important that we are sending support to small businesses, strong unemployment aid, nutrition and rental assistance, but this relief is coming 7 months later than it should have. It is vital that Congress not penny-pinch the American people now. This CASH bill is bipartisan, and if Senator Mitch McConnell would put it on the Senate floor, it would be bicameral. Let me push back, too, that this is too much. We have 40 million Americans who work full-time and made less than $18,000 last year. With the minimum wage at $7.25, there isn't a single two-bedroom apartment you can rent in a county in America for that money. There are tens of millions without healthcare. My family sells new cars and used cars. I have watched the debt burden of so many people just rise and rise and rise over the years. Is there a better way? You know, my Republican friends hate it when so-called Big Government decides what we need. The best way to let people manage their family is to put the money in their hands, give them that American freedom. Somehow, we can print money to do a $4 trillion tax cut over 20 years, but we can't print enough money to help the American people. This is a good bill. I salute Chairman Richard Neal, and I hope every Democrat and every Republican will vote for it.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Today I rise in support of the Long Bridge Act of 2020, which I proudly colead with my colleague from Virginia, Congressman Rob Wittman. The existing Long Bridge is the only rail bridge connecting Virginia to Washington, D.C., and it is the main rail connection between the southeast and northeast for both passenger and freight rail. The Long Bridge is old and rusty and ugly and a treasured part of our landscape. It was authorized by Congress in 1808 and signed into law by President Thomas Jefferson. It cost $200,000 to build initially. Now, during peak hours, the two-track bridge is at almost 98 percent capacity, which makes it a significant chokepoint along the East Coast from Washington, D.C., all the way to Florida. That is why the Long Bridge Project is so crucial. It would double the capacity of the Potomac River rail crossing by adding a second two- track bridge adjacent to the existing bridge. Mr. Speaker, I cannot stress how impactful the new Long Bridge Project will be, projecting an annual $6 billion in benefits to the region by 2040. However, the land where construction will take place on both sides of the Potomac River is controlled by the National Park Service, and it is currently prohibited by law to transfer land to the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia for the purposes of railroad construction. That is where our bill comes in. The Long Bridge Act of 2020 is a simple fix to allow the National Park Service to transfer control of this land for the purpose of the Long Bridge rail project. So I wholeheartedly support this bill. This will enable the Commonwealth of Virginia to move forward with this vital construction. I thank my colleagues from Virginia, D.C., and Maryland on both sides of the aisle for supporting this bill. And I thank, again, my colleague, Rob Wittman, for his efforts on behalf of the Long Bridge Act of 2020.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my amendment with Representative Ayanna Pressley. This amendment works to ensure that people with disabilities are able to access registered apprenticeships on an equal basis with their nondisabled peers. Three cogent facts: The workforce participation rate for people with disabilities is still less than one-third that of nondisabled peers; number two, among people with disabilities actively seeking work, the unemployment rate is twice that of nondisabled workers; and number three, people with disabilities are less likely to have meaningful access to participate in apprenticeship programs. This amendment ensures that individuals with disabilities will be able to access apprenticeship programs that will help them develop the skills and build a work history that will open doors to their future. This can also help employers understand the value of this workforce and learn from experience that accommodating a disabled employee is usually a simple, inexpensive process that benefits the employee, the employer, and, ultimately, all of us who benefit from having an engaged and diverse workforce. I thank Representative Susan Davis for this bill and the leadership of our chairman, Bobby Scott.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the National Children's Museum Act. I give great thanks to Eleanor Holmes Norton, Rodney Davis, Peter DeFazio, and others who worked so hard on this legislation. Children's museums are extraordinary gifts for the life of the mind. We give our kids imaginations, dreams, possibilities, and whole new universes. Children's museums change the trajectories of their lives, and this is the legacy of the National Children's Museum in the Nation's Capital. For decades, the museum was much beloved in the city. We often took our kids to the old convent in northeast D.C., but after moving in 2004 in order to grow, it has been fighting to get back to its roots ever since. We are lucky to have it located now in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, again in the heart of D.C., but still it faces barriers to reach its past success. Even though this august body made it a congressionally designated museum in 2003, it is the only such congressionally designated museum expected to pay rent in a Federal building. With this bill, the nonprofit museum will be able to thrive and remain financially viable and accessible to our Nation's children and work with the GSA in a way that makes sense. Mr. Speaker, I urge my friends not just to vote for this bill, but after we have crushed the pandemic to bring their children and grandchildren to be thrilled and inspired by our National Children's Museum.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I recognize the 100th anniversary of the Parker-Gray High School in the City of Alexandria, Virginia. Parker-Gray High School opened in September of 1920 and provided countless African American students with a comprehensive education during a time of segregation. Though faced with adversity--lack of resources, teachers, and facilities--Parker-Gray was able to provide students with what is now understood as a fundamental right. The alumnae of Parker-Gray took their education and were able to apply it to not only the City of Alexandria, but to all aspects of their lives. Please join me in honoring the 100th anniversary of Parker-Gray High School. It is important that we continue its mission and ensure the Parker-Gray legacy lives on.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the City of Falls Church, Virginia. The City of Falls Church has recently been ranked the 3rd healthiest community in the United States in 2020 according to the U.S. News Healthiest Communities Report. Falls Church received nearly a perfect score for measurements including population health, education, and a perfect score for local economy--the highest score for economic health in the nation. Settled more than 300 years ago and situated less than 10 miles from the Capitol, Falls Church has had a front row seat to many of the nation's most historic moments. Tradition holds that a copy of the Declaration of Independence was read from the steps of The Falls Church, the city's namesake, in 1776. Please join me in honoring the City of Falls Church for achieving such a monumental accomplishment.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I too rise to ask my colleagues to support the Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act led by my colleague, Mr. Katko. This is a bill that the Mental Health Caucus co-chairs, Mr. Katko and Mrs. Napolitano, and I have been working on for several years. Two years ago, I spent a long afternoon at the local suicide lifeline in northern Virginia. It was fascinating; it was important; and I learned a great deal. Number one, I learned that an awful lot of young people want to do texts rather than phone calls, and they didn't have that capability. I learned that they were in desperate need of more staff. I learned that they needed more volunteers, and when I said that I would like to be a volunteer, I learned that it took four long weekends, then you had to commit to 40 hours of training, and then you had to commit to at least one 4- or 5-hour shift per week for the next year. I also found that it had a remarkable success rate. They said they had talked to something like 3,000 people the previous year. I asked: ``How many had been lost?'' Two out of 3,000. But I also found out that they have wait times sometimes up to 60 minutes just to get on a call. A crisis can't afford to wait 60 minutes, and that is why we developed this legislation to give the lifeline the resources it needs and the quick answering times it has to have to be successful. We also built in oversight capability so it can be more effectively reviewed and improved. It has to constantly evolve. The work is certainly even more important now that we know about the new 988 designation by the FCC. We have heard a lot about that this afternoon because we know there is going to be a lot higher demand. One of the things I have done the last couple of years at every event is I say: Okay, everybody here raise their hand who knows the suicide lifeline number. No one raises their hand ever. But that will be different. In fact, I am very confident that, within a few years, the 988 will go international, and it will be the standard all over the world. It is especially important now during the pandemic. I just looked it up while we were waiting that a survey this July--2 months ago--found that 36 percent of young people 18 to 29 years old are experiencing clinical depression. Madam Speaker, 48,000 Americans died by their own hand in 2018. We can't save every life, but the Suicide Prevention Lifeline is remarkably successful in helping people through that singular moment of despair in their lives. Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues again. It has been bipartisan, and it has been very important. Good friends like Mr. Gianforte, Mr. Katko, Frank Pallone, and Anna Eshoo helped us through, and my dear friend Debbie Dingell led here today. I thank them for prioritizing these mental health supports when we need it most.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, today, I rise to urge my colleagues to support the bipartisan bill, H.R. 4585, the Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act, that I introduced with my friend, Greg Gianforte. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and for that very reason, this bill couldn't be more important. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and the second leading cause of death for 15- to 34-year-olds. Overall suicide rates increased 35 percent from 1999 through 2018. Suicide can be prevented, but unfortunately, it is still a taboo topic for much of American society. The stigma against discussing suicide and seeking help is a significant barrier to prevention. It is one of those things where if suicide happened in a family, then no one would ever talk about it. It is important to tackle this head-on. I can't tell you how many times I bring this up at an event--it is something that I have been working on with good friends like Greg--and there is this discomfort. People look away; they shuffle their feet; and some people slip out of the back of the room. Yet, every time at the end of the event people will come up and say: Thank you so much for talking about that. I lost my aunt. I lost my brother. Nobody talks about it. A change in social norms from a culture of avoidance to a culture of engagement is needed in order to ensure that those who need help can actually seek it. The United States Air Force has developed a similar initiative tailored to the Air Force in order to change the culture surrounding suicide, and researchers found that it is associated with a 33 percent drop in the relative risk reduction in suicide. This reflects the importance of engaging, but the second piece is knowing how to do it. The Federal Communications Commission has the new 988 number we all talked about, but of course, we have to tell people about it, which is why it is so time sensitive. The Campaign to Prevent Suicide would, number one, act to change the culture around suicide so Americans know to intervene rather than to ignore. Again, when I was growing up, you were not supposed to say, ``Debbie, are you feeling suicidal?'' because you might give her the idea to do it. Now, we say, ``Debbie, do you feel like hurting yourself?'' or, ``Do you want to kill yourself?'' I was so thrilled when I went to the emergency room last year. I got something in my eye. I just had something in my eye, and the first thing they said is: Do you feel like killing yourself? I thanked the nurse, and I thanked the doctor for making sure that I was okay. Of course, it will be an awareness campaign for the new 988 number, but also it will educate media and social media because the world has changed. Today, often it will be a Facebook post or a tweet or an Instagram that might be the first hint that somebody is thinking about killing themselves. We are dealing with a suicide epidemic made worse during the pandemic because the very stress of the pandemic exacerbated it for all of us. With 200,000 dead who are in the news all the time, we have a death anxiety that mostly only people in battle have. So, this is really, really important. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this good bipartisan bill to save lives and to save the enormous burden of grief that families feel.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of Mr. Ed Bearss, former chief historian for the National Parks Service from 1981 to 1994, author, and WWII veteran. Mr. Bearss just celebrated his 98th birthday. Mr. Bearss served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the invasion of Guadalcanal and the Russell Islands. He received the Purple Heart after being badly wounded by gunfire at ``Suicide Creek,'' Cape Gloucester. Blessed with an impeccable memory, Mr. Bearss returned home to finish his education and became a regional historian for the National Parks Service in 1955. During his tenure as Chief Historian of the National Parks Service, Mr. Bearss helped craft national parks policy for 14 years. After retiring Mr. Bearss continued to advocate for historic preservation through tours and lectures. He was an anchor for historic programming with the Smithsonian Institute and National Geographic Society. Please join me in a moment of silence to honor and thank Mr. Bearss for the many years of service to his country both at home and abroad.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory of Benjamin Thomas, a young African American man who was lynched by an angry white mob just down the road from this Capitol in Alexandria, Virginia one hundred and twenty-one years ago. He was accused of assaulting a young white girl but was never given the chance to defend himself. During the evening of August 8, 1899, Thomas was pulled out of a city jail by a large crowd. He was bound with a rope and dragged six blocks to a lamppost on the corner of King and Fairfax Street. He was then stripped of his clothes and hanged. Before dispersing, the mob proceeded to shoot his body several times. No one was ever charged for this heinous crime. The lynching of Benjamin Thomas is only one of 86 documented lynchings committed in Virginia between 1880 and 1930. These acts of premeditated violence were deliberate attempts by whites to terrorize and control black populations across the state. While the local black community of Alexandria was outraged in the wake of Thomas' death, fear of additional white violence prevented any further action. This was often the case, as members of these mobs rarely faced any consequences for their actions, or worse were implicitly or explicitly supported by members of law enforcement. It is incumbent on all of us, particularly those born into privilege, to remember this shameful episode of our history and others like it. In doing so, we are better able to see the continuous chain of racially motivated violence against black Americans that spans our nation's history. We can truly honor the memory of Benjamin Thomas along with the countless number of named and unnamed victims of racial violence by seeking justice for all Americans and working to build a more inclusive society.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Neal for doing this. I found this the most healing experience since John's loss. Madam Speaker, as we approach the end of our life, it is fitting to think about how we will be remembered. Will they say: Was he brave? Was he kind? Was he humble? Was he honest? But time wipes all memories away, and what is left? What impact did we have on the lives of others, of the people to come? John Lewis is the best of men, the most Christ-like person I have ever known, and he changed the personal trajectories of tens of millions of people. Born into poverty and racism, John has become the desperate hope that we need. Hammarskjold wrote that all life asks of us is that we live it with courage. I grieve, we all grieve deeply this most courageous man, and thank God for his life.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of Judy Chu's NO BAN Act. In the words of John Lewis: ``When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up; you have to do something.'' The NO BAN Act is doing something. It is stating in clear, powerful legislation that America will never again let racism or religious intolerance be a barrier to lawful immigration. We will not allow ignorance or xenophobia to dictate America's immigration policies. Our strength has always--always--been our diversity. A functional Muslim ban or a ban of entire countries simply because they comprise a race or a religion that some President does not like is not just evil, it is stupid. Watch which American communities recover most quickly from the pandemic--those with the most diverse populations. Madam Speaker, I stand here today, as I stood at the airport at the onset of the ban, to ensure our immigration system cannot be hijacked by hatred.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Joyce Smith, who is retiring as Chief Executive Officer of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. NACAC, founded in 1937, is an organization of more than 14,000 professionals from around the world dedicated to serving students as they make choices about pursuing postsecondary education. Ms. Smith has served NACAC for 33 years, including 22 years as CEO. She has been in the college admissions profession for more than 40 years. Under her leadership, membership has increased from approximately 6,000 members in the mid-1990s to more than 14,000 college counseling and admission professionals today; attendance at NACAC's signature event, the annual national conference, has more than doubled in 20 years from 3,518 attendees in San Francisco in 1997 to 7,934 attendees in Boston in 2017; and the National College Fair program hosts 95 fairs throughout the U.S. annually, with nearly 200,000 students each year gaining exposure to more than 1,700 colleges, universities, and other postsecondary programs. Madam Speaker, Ms. Smith has worked tirelessly on behalf of students around the country and world, helping to ensure they reach their academic dreams and fulfil their potential. The profession and the college application process are constantly changing but Ms. Smith has led the association with distinction. Our students and our colleges are better because of Ms. Smith's leadership. Please join me in wishing Ms. Smith the best in her retirement.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. I rise in support of this legislation to protect jobs, support small businesses, and save lives. It is good that we agree on this funding, but Americans need more, much more. As of this morning, 26 million Americans have lost their jobs, in some States as many as one-third of their workforce. Workers need our help in a way that doesn't stop or expire. Congress will have to do more to save small businesses both in funding, in making changes, and exercising oversight to ensure that it goes to small businesses. State and local governments desperately need our help. The idea that we would tell States and localities to bear the brunt and then let them go bankrupt, and lay off medical workers, police, firefighters, and teachers is despicable, and we must reject it. Letting State and local governments flounder would dangerously weaken the response ahead of the virus' second expected wave. The American people deserve and need to be able to participate in their democracy safely, without having to risk their lives, and Congress should support State efforts to set up voting by mail. Finally, postal workers are risking their lives every day to deliver our mail. They deserve our support, and the Federal Government needs to keep their agency from going bankrupt. Only Congress can achieve these things, and we cannot delay. The need in this country is urgent, and the American people are depending on us.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, the last pandemic, I want to draw attention to the research investments in the CARES Act. The Department of Energy has funds for its high-end computing capabilities. The National Science Foundation will do molecular and cellular research. NIST will ensure the validity of and the reliability of the testing, and the EPA will do research on the risk of transmission. Mr. Speaker, my grandfather lost his wife and first son in the flu epidemic in 1919, yet this is not the last novel virus. But with the bold, sustained commitment to science, we can make COVID-19 the last pandemic.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, it has been 97 years since the equal rights amendment was introduced in the 68th Congress and 48 years since the ERA passed the House and Senate. In those 48 years, I have had three daughters and one granddaughter. Those four young women are brilliant, precocious, and accomplished, with strong character, great morality, and true nobility. These women are every bit the equal of any man I have ever met, yet our Constitution does not recognize their equality nor prohibit discrimination against them. I am very proud that the Commonwealth of Virginia was the 38th State to ratify the ERA. We must permanently remove the deadline for State ratification and provide an essential legal remedy against gender discrimination. Does this sound like a political stunt: ``Women shall have equal rights in the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.'' No. These words belong in the United States Constitution. There is nothing partisan about recognizing men and women have equal rights under the law. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I recognize the 30th anniversary of Homestretch, a Falls Church organization dedicated to empowering homeless families in Northern Virginia to secure permanent housing and to attain the knowledge, skills and hope they need to achieve lasting economic self-sufficient. Homestretch has assisted substantially in the efforts of Fairfax County and the City of Falls Church to end homelessness by providing housing and comprehensive services to over 1,000 homeless families with over 3,000 homeless children since its inception in 1990. The organization contributes to the goals of One Fairfax by equipping families to escape homelessness and poverty permanently through programs that help them acquire skills and education, reduce debt and repair credit, enter lucrative career paths and restore their health. Furthermore, Homestretch significantly contributes to the economic empowerment of homeless parents with children in Northern Virginia by launching them into such careers as nurses, chefs, teachers, accountants, realtors, dental assistants, pastors, commercial drivers, social workers, business analysts, pharmacy techs, master plumbers, restauranteurs, and auto mechanics. In addition to its wide array of services for homeless families, Homestretch also provides quality early education for homeless and low- income children through its licensed preschool, Kidstretch, and ensures the educational success for youth in their program through its dedicated collaboration with the Fairfax County and Falls Church City Schools. Homestretch has achieved unparalleled success in equipping homeless families to secure and maintain long term employment and permanent housing, with 90 percent families completing the program by moving into permanent housing that they can afford on income they earn; and with 95 percent of its graduates never returning to homelessness. The organization enjoys deep community support with over 800 volunteers over 1,400 donors each year and demonstrates that dramatic transformation of lives is possible, given the right structure, support and opportunity. I commend Homestretch's staff on their organization's 30th anniversary, I am sincerely grateful for their tireless efforts to improve the lives of many of Northern Virginia's most vulnerable families and for giving them the tools to succeed.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, N. Eric Weiss, Ph.D., a specialist in financial economics, retired from the Government and Finance Division ofthe Congressional Research Service (CRS) at the Library of Congress on January 3, 2020. In addition to his 15 years at CRS, Dr. Weiss also worked as an economist and econometrician at the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Policy Development and Research for 12 years and the Bureau of Economic Analysis for 3 years, for a total of 30 years' service to the American people. CRS and the Congress have lost an exceptionally able and dedicated public servant with his departure. A native of Massachusetts, Dr. Weis earned a bachelor's degree from Cornell University in economics and government; he earned a master of arts and doctorate of philosophy, both in economics, from Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Weiss began his career teaching microeconomics to MBA and undergraduate students at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and although he left academia for federal service, he returned occasionally to teach at the Institute for Urban Studies at the University of Maryland at College Park and the Department of Finance and Real Estate at the Kogod College of Business at American University. Prior to joining CRS, Dr. Weiss also worked in the private sector, providing data management and programming services to clients such as Fannie Mae and various federal agencies. Dr. Weiss joined CRS in September 2005 as a specialist in financial economics, initially with a concentration in small business lending. He retooled his research portfolio as the housing finance crisis of 2008 to 2009 developed, bringing his nationally-recognized expertise to the forefront as CRS supported Congress in responding to a range of housing-related policy issues, including the state of the housing and mortgage markets and the effectiveness of federal policies toward home ownership. During this period, he provided targeted analysis for Members and staff on the activities of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) to provide liquidity in the mortgage market and promote homeownership for underserved groups and locations. In reports and memoranda for, and personal briefings with, Members and staff, he provided insightful analysis and detailed information on the costs, benefits, and risks of the GSEs, along with their impact on the housing and mortgage markets particularly after being placed under conservatorship. During this period, Dr. Weiss worked closely with Congress as it drafted the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. For legislation and oversight hearings, he briefed Members and staffers on current issues and policy options. Dr. Weiss's published work for CRS demonstrated a detailed understanding of the complex and significant policy issues surrounding these institutions and their operations, winning him praise and achievement awards from CRS. In addition to his primary coverage areas at CRS, Dr. Weiss (along with fellow colleague Dr. Edward ``Ted'' V. Murphy) authored ``Congress and Financial Crises,'' U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, The Evolving Congress, committee print, prepared by Congressional Research Service, 113th Cong., 2nd sess., December 2014, S. Prt. 113-30 (Washington: GPO, 2014), pp. 325-352, which provided historical documentation of Congress' responses to financial crises. Dr. Weiss was also active in professional associations, including the American Economics Association, the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, and Women in Housing Finance. He has been a regular participant in, and contributor to, numerous academic conferences in his fields of expertise. Away from the office, Dr. Weiss and his wife, Sheila, are the proud parents of two adult daughters--Holly and Andrea. In addition to having more time with family during retirement, he plans to pursue his numerous recreational, artistic, and social interests, including photography, scuba diving around the world, running, woodworking, and membership in a CRS staff book club. On behalf of the Members of the Joint Economic Committee, I express my deep appreciation to Dr. Weiss for his many years of service to Congress and the American people. I wish him good luck and Godspeed as he completes his professional career and opens a new chapter in a life of commendable public service and rewarding personal achievement.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Majority Leader Hoyer for his exemplary leadership and thank the distinguished chair of the Ways and Means Committee, Richard Neal, for his friendship and his wise counsel. Madam Speaker, you be the judge. Two weeks ago, the World Economic Forum held its annual conference in Davos, and the central theme of the meeting this year was climate change, the most critical issue we face. President Trump spoke at the conference, but instead of focusing on climate change, he made what amounts to a campaign speech, claiming that he has worked a miracle with the U.S. economy. The fundamental basis of his argument is wildly wrong. He claimed that the economy he inherited from Barack Obama was ``in dismal shape.'' On the basis of this fundamental rewriting of history, he claimed credit for the strong U.S. economy. The economy is booming, he proposed, not because Barack Obama helped dig us out from the worst recession since the Great Depression or because of the hard work and ingenuity of the American worker, but because of Donald Trump's magical touch, the same magical touch he had with his Atlantic City casinos which went bankrupt, and Trump Shuttle and Trump University and Trump Mortgage and Trump Steaks and the Trump board game and Trump Vodka. That is quite a record. I am a businessman. With my brother, my sister, my dad, we spent 46 years now building a highly successful company. And I know it is not easy, but I also know that when a businessman has a string of spectacular failures, you wouldn't hire him to be CEO of your company, let alone President of the United States. But here we are. Serendipitously, with much luck, I became vice chair of the Joint Economic Committee recently, and I couldn't be more thrilled by the confidence of my Democratic leadership and the opportunity to serve. The Joint Economic Committee studies and advises Members of Congress about the economy. We are like the economic think tank for the economy to delve into the issues and, when necessary, to set the record straight. So, when the President stands up at Davos and claims that he is an economic miracle worker, supposedly saving the economy from what he claims is the disaster he inherited, the Joint Economic Committee has to step up to the plate. I was more than pleased when Majority Leader Hoyer asked me to help lead this hour of discussion. So, today, we will talk about the supposedly dismal economy. Was it a wreck, as the President imagines it? Far from it. Has he worked miracles with the economy? No way. The data shows that this is not true. Did his tax cuts supercharge the economic growth? Very weak evidence. And did his tax cuts pay for themselves? Again, no way. Has the President's trade war helped American businesses and consumers? We will argue it has done much more harm than good. And The Washington Post Fact Checker found that, during his Presidency, Donald Trump has made more than 1,500 lies or misleading statements about the economy, and he brazenly repeats them even when corrected. I suspect, next week, in this very Chamber, when he gives the State of the Union Address, we will hear many of those same misleading claims again. Madam Speaker, when you hear him make a claim about almost anything, you can pretty much know, more often than not, that it is not true. So, in his Davos speech at the World Economic Forum, when he said that the economy he inherited from Barack Obama was dismal, he also said: ``We have the greatest economy we've ever had in the history of our country.'' This claim and many others did not make it by the fact checkers at the Associated Press. This isn't unusual. He is often caught red- handed, in flagrante delicto, making easily debunked claims on a wide range of topics. And since the beginning of his administration, his record of falsehoods is astonishing. The Washington Post Fact Checker says Trump has made over 16,000 false or misleading claims in his first 3 years of office. When you hear this President say almost anything about the economy, it is likely to be more wrong than right. For example, he did not create a strong economy; he inherited it. This is made absolutely clear in a rigorous, carefully sourced new report by the Democratic staff on the Joint Economic Committee. This is what the report shows: that the economy Donald Trump inherited from Barack Obama was strong and getting stronger. Madam Speaker, you can see this on the chart right here. Unemployment was below 5 percent, GDP growth was 2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016, and 227,000 jobs were being created every month. President Obama led the economy a very long way back from the economic records that he inherited from his predecessor. Here is how bad it was. At the worst of the Great Recession, unemployment had reached 10 percent, but by the time President Obama left office, unemployment had already been cut more than in half, down to 4.7 percent. When he took office, the economy was hemorrhaging 700,000 jobs per month. By the time he left, the economy had already added jobs for 76 straight months, the longest in American history. Inflation was low. Wages and incomes were rising. It was a remarkable turnaround. It was not, as the President said at Davos, dismal. The President called the current economy a miracle due to his golden touch, but, no, he inherited this from the previous economy. So let's thank the President, but not this President. Let's thank my old boss, President Obama. The President often cherry-picks a strong month of job growth and implies that it is representative, but let's look at things in the long term, which is how economists actually measure these things. In the first 35 months of the Trump administration, his economy added 191,000 jobs per month. In the last 35 months of Barack Obama, his economy added 227,000 jobs per month. That is a 36,000 job-per-month difference over a comparable 35 months each. Donald Trump wants you to forget that, but let's not let him get away with it. The job market is strong. Unemployment is 3.5 percent. But, again, he didn't create low unemployment; he inherited it, and you can see that in the long-term trends. It was at 4.7 percent; now it is down to 3.5. But his signature policy impact, the $1.9 trillion in tax cuts, didn't go into effect until 2018. So unemployment had already dropped to 4.1--that is the Obama effect, the 4.1. So the last six-tenths of a percent cost us $1.9 trillion, and it might be much higher than that. Madam Speaker, was the cost worth it? Is the President an economic genius? You be the judge.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, today, I vote to impeach President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. I don't hate the President, but I love my country, and I have no other choice. Voting for these Articles of Impeachment is the only moral course of action, the only way to honor our oath of office. I have no doubt that the votes I cast today will stand the test of time. This has nothing to do with the 2016 elections. I am so disappointed that my Republican friends approve of the President's abuses of power and solicitation of foreign interference in our elections. This is the very definition of the willful suspension of disbelief. They know in their hearts that what the President has done is deeply wrong. They know that they would vote without hesitation to impeach a Democratic President who had done these things. I remind all Americans, the President did not rebut the facts--the many, many facts--which have led to these Articles of Impeachment today. For the sake of our democracy, our Constitution, and our country, we must do the right thing and vote to impeach President Trump.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Chairman, I have been speaking about the need to ban forced arbitration since I joined Congress. It is wonderful to finally have this bill, the FAIR Act, up for a vote in Congress, and I really want to thank Congressman Johnson. I think what is so troubling about forced arbitration is that, when we finally discover that we have become a victim of it, we feel helpless and taken advantage of. These forced arbitration clauses are buried in the fine print of everyday contracts, and before you know it, we are unknowingly giving up our legal rights. But I come before you, Mr. Chairman, as a small business owner to say this is completely unnecessary. As a small business owner of 46 years, we are selling 4,000 and 5,000 cars a year, and we have never had to resort to mandatory binding arbitration. In fact, what we say is that, if you have a conflict, we would love to go to arbitration with you, and we will respect whatever the arbiter says; but, if you don't like it, you can still sue us, giving the maximum choice to the consumer. As a result, you rarely have a conflict that gets out of hand. One only needs to think of the Wells Fargo case where Wells Fargo was sued by several of its customers for using their personal information to open all these fake accounts; but, when they filed suit against Wells Fargo, they found out they had this mandatory forced arbitration clause buried in the customer agreement. Mr. Chairman, I encourage us to support this good bill.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank my colleague, Mr. Levin, for his leadership on this amendment. I have been invested in this issue throughout my time in Congress, and earlier this year my Republican colleague, Chris Smith, and I introduced the Atlantic Seismic Airgun Protection Act, a standalone bill that would amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit oil, gas, and methane hydrate-related seismic activities in the North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida. This amendment would do just that. Our coastal economy relies on healthy ocean ecosystems that generate $95 billion in gross domestic product every year and support nearly 1.4 million jobs every year. Seismic blasting poses a major threat to marine life, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, which is on the verge of extinction. Because they are extremely loud, these dynamite-like blasts are likely to have significant, long-lasting, widespread impacts on the behavior and survival of fish and marine mammal populations. If these are impacted, it is a serious danger to our coastal economies. This amendment will protect our marine life and our coastal economies, and I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment.

Mr. BEYER

Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in celebrating the exemplary life of Ms. Virginia ``Pixie'' Flynn Bell. Ms. Bell passed away on August 2, 2019 at the age of 85 and is survived by ten of her thirteen children and three granddaughters. Ms. Bell was born in 1934 in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in Maine, where she graduated from Edward Little High School in 1952. Ms. Bell valued education, and in December 1997 at the age of 63 she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. Ms. Bell spent her life in dedicated service to her country and local community. She served in the Air Force and worked as a senior advisor to elected officials in Virginia, including governors, U.S. Senators, U.S. Congressmen, state Senators, state Delegates, and Fairfax County Supervisors and Chairmen. As a longtime member of the Virginia Democratic Party, Ms. Bell was passionate about political organizing. She was a hard worker and strategic thinker, committed to bringing greater diversity to the Democratic party. Her colleagues and friends remember her for her welcoming spirit and mentorship. Madam Speaker, for these reasons, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in remembering the life of Ms. Virginia ``Pixie'' Flynn Bell.