Rod Blum

Mr. BLUM

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4043, the Whistleblower Protection Extension Act, a bill I introduced with Ranking Member Elijah Cummings. The Whistleblower Protection Extension Act reauthorizes the whistleblower ombudsman program. Whistleblowers are the front line of defense against waste, fraud, and abuse in the Federal Government, but too many Federal employees are unaware of the laws that protect them and the options available for dealing with retaliation and other actions intended to silence them. To address this problem, Congress created the ombudsman program in 2012. The program directs agency inspectors general to designate an ombudsman for whistleblower protections at the agency. They provide information to employees on whistleblower protections and remedies in the event of retaliation. This program was originally a component of the 2012 Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act and was set to expire after 5 years. Over the past 5 years, the ombudsman program has received high marks from the inspector general community. This benefits the country as a whole and makes the Federal Government more efficient. For that reason, it is imperative that we pass H.R. 4043 and make the ombudsman program permanent. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4043) to amend the Inspector General Act of 1978 to reauthorize the whistleblower protection program, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BLUM. 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 the bill under consideration.

Mr. BLUM

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. DeSantis), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3737, the Social Media Use in Clearance Investigations Act of 2017, introduced by the gentleman from Florida, Representative DeSantis. According to the Pew Research Center, 7 in 10 Americans use social media today. A significant portion of those Americans' personal and professional interactions occur online. It is just common sense that the government should check the social media of individuals who apply for security clearances, but it doesn't. H.R. 3737 will move the government toward implementing checks of social media for individuals we trust with our country's most sensitive information. The bill requires a study of the use of social media in security clearance investigations to inform government-wide implementation of social media checks. The study will provide comprehensive information on existing pilot programs, lessons learned, and costs. We must begin the process of strengthening the system now, and that starts with determining best practices for moving forward. H.R. 3737 will help ensure that government checks social media before issuing security clearances. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BLUM. 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 the bill under consideration.

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3737) to provide for a study on the use of social media in security clearance investigations.

Mr. BLUM

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Buck), the sponsor of the bill and my esteemed colleague.

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1132, the Political Appointee Burrowing Prevention Act, introduced by the gentleman from Colorado, Representative Buck. This important bill will protect the integrity of the civil service and ensure the American people are served by a competent, nonpolitical career workforce. Under current law, each administration appoints a political staff to help advance the administration's political goals. These political employees leave at the end of the administration to make way for the next administration's appointees. In contrast, the career civil service is designed to carry over from administration to administration. These employees should be hired based on their qualifications and promoted based on their performance. Despite the significant differences between the two types of positions, however, political appointees are currently allowed to convert to career positions. This practice is known as ``burrowing.'' As the Government Accountability Office explained: ``Circumstances surrounding conversions can raise questions as to whether the individuals selected experienced favoritism or enjoyed an unfair advantage in the selection process.'' GAO went on to say: ``Any appearance of this could compromise the merit system's integrity.'' H.R. 1132, the Political Appointee Burrowing Prevention Act, will enact in law the requirement for OPM to review political conversions. The bill also raises the bar for political conversions, requiring an agency certify the conversion is necessary to meet its mission. To ensure Congress can continue to monitor for abuse, the certification must be provided to Congress before it is approved. Finally, the bill prohibits political conversions within 2 years of leaving a political appointment. This ensures sufficient time has passed between when political appointees finish their appointment and when they may become a career employee. In closing, this bill protects the integrity of the merit-based system so career politicians stay free of politics. The American people deserve nothing less. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BLUM. 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 the bill under consideration.

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1132) to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for a 2- year prohibition on employment in a career civil service position for any former political appointee, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BLUM

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on February 8, 2018. Had I been present for Roll Call No. 67, I would have voted ``aye.'' Had I been present for Roll Call No. 68, I would have voted ``aye.'' Had I been present for Roll Call No. 69, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. BLUM

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, the only time I hear some of my colleagues express their concern about the deficit is when this body is considering policies to let hardworking American families keep more of their hard-earned money. This is not the government's money. It is the people's money. They earned it. If tax revenues to the government are a concern, then certainly we should pass tax cuts. After President Kennedy cut tax rates, revenues to the government increased from $95 billion to $280 billion. After President Reagan cut tax rates, revenues to the government increased from $600 billion to $1.35 trillion. Furthermore, annual GDP growth rates increased into the 4 to 5 percent range following these tax cuts. We are going to witness this increase in economic growth again under President Trump with a tax bill this House will consider later this week. As Ronald Reagan said: ``We don't have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven't taxed enough. We have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much.''

Mr. BLUM

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding and for his time managing today's floor debate. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1074, a bill I first introduced in the 114th Congress, which would repeal a 1948 law that granted the State of Iowa criminal jurisdiction over offenses committed by or against members of the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa. Prior to this 1948 law, the Tribe had largely policed itself, and there was little, if any, Federal law enforcement on the Tribe's land. Historically, determining who may exercise jurisdiction over crime in tribal communities is complex. Generally, crimes committed by or against Indians in Indian Country are under the jurisdiction of the United States, pursuant to various Federal statutes. The 1948 Act was passed at a time when the Federal Government was attempting to shift its responsibility and obligations from tribes to the respective States. In 1953, Congress passed a law, commonly called Public Law 280, transferring criminal jurisdiction over all crimes, regardless of the Indian status of the offender or victim, in Indian Country of six States from the Federal Government to those States. Even though Iowa was not one of those States, for years it has been treated as if it were a Public Law 280 State. With respect to the law enforcement on the settlement today, a lot has changed since 1948. Today, the Tribe has a fully-functional criminal justice system, which includes a full-time police department whose officers are certified by the State of Iowa. The Tribe maintains and employs law-trained judges and a prosecutor who, together with a probation department, handle all criminal cases which arise on tribal lands. H.R. 1074, and its Senate companion bill, have bipartisan support from the entire Iowa delegation, as well as the support of the Iowa State Legislature, which passed legislation signed by then-Governor Terry Branstad in April 2016, that began this process of conferring jurisdiction to the Tribe and the Department of Justice. As my friend from California previously mentioned, the entirety of the Meskwaki Settlement is located in Tama County, Iowa, in my district. Since I have come to Washington, I have gotten to know the Sac and Fox Tribal Council and their representatives, and I was happy to first introduce this bill in 2016 after its approval by then- Governor Branstad. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this bill, and I hope it continues to move through the legislative process so that the Tribe may once again have jurisdiction over many of the crimes committed against their members on their land, and restore another portion of the Tribe's sovereignty, which has been removed since 1948.

Mr. BLUM

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 562, I call up the bill (S. 585) to provide greater whistleblower protections for Federal employees, increased awareness of Federal whistleblower protections, and increased accountability and required discipline for Federal supervisors who retaliate against whistleblowers, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. BLUM. 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 S. 585, currently under consideration.

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of S. 585, the Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017. This bill addresses problems that were exposed in the tragic case of whistleblower retaliation at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick was a doctor employed on a probationary basis by Veterans Affairs, who committed suicide hours after he was fired for questioning overmedication of the veterans he cared for. This bill would, for the first time, create minimum disciplinary standards to require that managers who retaliate against whistleblowers are punished. First offenders would receive at least 3 days of suspension, and repeat offenders would face mandatory termination. The Kirkpatrick Act also adds whistleblower protections to Federal employees hired on a probationary basis, like Dr. Kirkpatrick. Agencies will be required to grant priority to requests for transfer from probationary period whistleblowers. The bill would create a number of other whistleblower protections, many of which are overdue. For example, accessing the medical file of a whistleblower for the purpose of retaliation would be declared a prohibited personnel action. The Department of Veterans Affairs would also be required to devise a plan to prevent that sort of unauthorized medical file access. The bill also requires apparent suicides by whistleblowers to be referred to the Office of Special Counsel for further investigation. Agencies would be required to initiate training programs for supervisors and information disclosures for employees regarding whistleblower protection. The Senate passed this bill by voice vote earlier this year, and passage through the House would send the bill to the President's desk for signature and enactment. I urge my colleagues to support this bill to honor the memory of Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick and to protect future whistleblowers. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

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

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

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I claim the time in opposition to the motion to recommit.