Ted Budd

Mr. BUDD

Mr. BUDD. Mr. Speaker, during the pandemic, much of our lives has been forced online. Our children are learning remotely. Our businesses are conducted through webcams. Even Sunday church services are now live-streamed on Facebook. For the estimated 500,000 North Carolinians who lack dependable internet access, these temporary changes have been debilitating. Making sure rural families have quality internet access is a top priority for me, Mr. Speaker. That is why I sponsored the RURAL Act, which is now the law of the land. It helps ensure that rural telephone and electric co-ops have more dollars for broadband investment. No one in our district should have their level of internet access determined by their ZIP Code, and I am going to keep fighting for broadband access across all of our rural communities.

Mr. BUDD

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, due to a telephone call regarding a personal family matter, I missed one vote in the three-vote series on Monday. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 141, Escobar of Texas Amendment No. 3.

Mr. BUDD

Mr. BUDD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the amazing work being done to produce a vaccine for the coronavirus. Some of the best work in our country is coming from FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies' Innovation Center in my home State of North Carolina. On Monday, July 27, President Trump visited the Morrisville laboratories and touted the progress that has been made in Operation Warp Speed toward producing an effective vaccine in historic time. The Morrisville laboratories play a crucial role in that effort because they are working on a bulk drug substance for one of the possible vaccines. It is impossible to overstate how important a vaccine will be for our Nation, and I am proud that North Carolina is on the front lines of that research. Mr. Speaker, I thank the President for highlighting these facilities' exciting work, and especially thank the researchers, the doctors, and the scientists for their tireless work, and wish them every success possible. Restoring Law and Order

Mr. BUDD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stand up for law and order and safety and security in our country. In an era where some in the opposition party advocate for defunding the police, violent crime and rioting has swept across the Nation. No city has endured more violence and less government action than Portland, Oregon. For 60 days, local officials have refused to protect the fundamental rights of their citizens, mainly the right to life, to liberty, and to personal property. I believe that if State and local officials won't secure these rights for their fellow Americans, then the Federal Government should do it for them at the direction of the President. I fully support the President's deployment of Federal officers to restore law and order and safety and security on the streets of Portland. One of the most heartbreaking episodes of the violent crime that has occurred recently occurred in Kansas City, Missouri, where a four-year- old, LeGend Taliferro, was shot and killed while he was asleep in his own bed. It was just a month ago on June 29. Mr. Speaker, the only way to deal with violent criminals is to meet them with strength. And that is what the President is doing by initiating a Federal law enforcement operation, appropriately named Operation Legend. Very simply, this operation will focus on putting more cops on the streets in high-crime cities, making more funding available for local police departments, and use Federal officers when local officials refuse to act. Mr. Speaker, we are never going to defund the police. Instead, we are going to empower them to stop this crime surge that is terrorizing our American brothers and sisters.

Mr. BUDD

Mr. BUDD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the excellent law enforcement personnel who serve North Carolina's 13th District. I would like to specifically mention a heroic act that happened on July 14 in Rowan County. A detective named Josh Simmons saw a burning car as he drove down Highway 52. When he approached, he found an elderly woman unable to get out. He pulled her from the car just minutes before it went up in flames. Detective Simmons said of his actions: ``The way I was raised, you take care of people. I didn't know who was in the car. It didn't matter who they were. They just needed help.'' Mr. Speaker, this is a great example for all of us. Our community is truly lucky to have such courageous folks serving and protecting us. Healthy Skies Act

Mr. BUDD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to put forward a new proposal to help reopen our country with speed and with safety. Between business, leisure, and tourism, air travel is a mode of transportation that must be trusted if our country can fully reopen. In fact, before the pandemic, commercial aviation drove 5 percent of our GDP and helped support more than 10 million American jobs. Unfortunately, there are currently no concrete proposals to lessen the fear that has gripped air travelers and crippled the aviation industry. And that is why I am proposing a bipartisan bill called the Healthy Skies Act, along with Congressman Ralph Norman and John Larson. This bipartisan legislation instructs the TSA Administrator to create a pilot program that would temporarily screen the temperature of all travelers going through TSA security before they reach the gate area. Having the TSA temporarily screen passengers for elevated temperatures has a number of practical advantages. It ensures that each passenger experiences a consistent nationwide process to prevent infected individuals from boarding planes and spreading the virus. This will give travelers the peace of mind they need to confidently start flying again, while discouraging folks who might be sick from even attempting to come to the airport in the first place. Reopening America should be the top priority of our government. Making sure air travelers are healthy enough to fly is a commonsense way to boost passenger confidence and jump-start economic activity. And that is how we can stop the spread of COVID-19 and continue a great American comeback.

Mr. BUDD

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I want to rise in strong opposition to H.R. 5332, the Protecting Your Credit Score Act of 2019. Although I will not be supporting the gentleman from New Jersey's legislation, I want to make sure that people know that I consider him a friend, and I thank him for his efforts to try to bring reform to the credit reporting industry. There are some good ideas in this bill, such as the one-stop-shop approach for consumers to freeze and unfreeze their credit for all three nationwide bureaus that we have just talked about, as well as access to credit reports and scores. But even this idea is taken too far in the bill, and it leaves too many unanswered questions about exactly how it is going to be carried out. Now, it is really unfortunate that a bipartisan compromise was not reached. I know the ranking member and his staff worked tirelessly on this with the gentleman from New Jersey and his staff. But there are a few other points I want to make. You know, it is a chief priority for committee Republicans to protect consumers' personal information. That is something that both sides have brought up. Yet, we are preparing to vote on a bill that still makes Social Security numbers the primary way to identify a person, despite the fact that we know Social Security numbers threaten consumers' personal information. Worse yet, the bill will mandate furnishers to match all nine Social Security digits. Another concern with this bill is the creation of yet another ombudsman at the CFPB to deal exclusively with consumer reporting agencies. This provision is unnecessary and duplicative. The CFPB already has an ombudsman to deal with consumer-facing issues. There is no logical reason why the proposed authorities cannot simply be given to the existing ombudsperson. This is simply another move by the Democrats to expand the statutory authority of the unaccountable CFPB. Madam Speaker, I urge opposition to this bill.

Mr. BUDD

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Lauren Matheny of Greensboro, North Carolina. Lauren was born on March 30, 1971 in Gainesville, Florida and spent many of her early years in Ormond Beach. Beyond being a devoted wife, loving mother, and friend to many, Lauren was a proud teacher at Holy Trinity Episcopal Day School in Greensboro. Words cannot do justice to the impact she had on so many students' lives. In 2018, Lauren was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. From that time on, she courageously fought against her ailment with determination and dignity. Lauren set an example in her battle against cancer that will live on for years to come. As an educator, she enriched the lives of her students, her children, and so many in the community. Evidence of this enrichment was demonstrated when over 300 members of her community came together to organize a fundraiser on behalf of the Matheny family. On April 8, 2020, Lauren passed away with her family by her side. Her contributions will not soon be forgotten. Please join me in gratitude for Lauren's life and in praying for her husband, Zack, her three children, and the entire Matheny family.

Mr. BUDD

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the military service of Butch, Guy, Cloyd, and Pete Stafford. These brothers served our country for a combined 73 years. Raised in the Bell Orchard community of Guilford County, North Carolina, the Stafford brothers farmed and worked the land, attended Jesse Wharton and Rankin Schools, and were members of Hillcrest Baptist Church. It didn't take long after turning 18 for any of these brothers to begin their service to our country. Cloyd served eight years in the National Guard, Pete served 21 years in the National Guard, Butch served 22 and a half years in the Navy, and Guy served 21 and a half years in the Navy. It's not often that you come across a family so devoted to service to America, which represents a piece of history larger than any one person. It shows a powerful belief and dedication to our country's bedrock principles of service, selflessness, and sacrifice. I'm thankful for their devotion to the United States. There's no question that the Stafford brothers set an example and passed down a legacy to their children and grandchildren that will live on for generations to come. Please join me in gratitude for the Stafford brothers, who honorably served their country and have continued to be steward citizens in our community.

Mr. BUDD

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Fred Starr of Greensboro, North Carolina. Fred was born on December 11, 1932 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He graduated from Trinity College in 1955 and went on to serve his country in the U.S. Army for two years. After more than a decade in sales and management positions, Fred eventually found his way to Thomasville Furniture Industries. He started there in 1974 and rose up the ranks to become President and CEO by 1982. He oversaw Thomasville Furniture Industries until 1998. Outside of being active in the furniture world, Fred was deeply involved with many different organizations in our community. Some of the positions he held included President of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, Vice Chairman of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, board member of High Point University, board President of the Eastern Music Festival, and chairman of the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival. When thinking of the giants in the North Carolina furniture industry, Fred Starr is certainly at the top of the list. He had a significant impact on his community and on the state of North Carolina. His contributions will live on for years to come. Please join me in gratitude for Fred's life and in praying for Sue, his wife of 62 years, and for the entire Starr family.

Mr. BUDD

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I would ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks, to include extraneous materials on the topic of this Special Order.

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I am joined by my colleagues today to discuss how sanctuary city policies threaten the safety of American citizens. Before I dive in, I want to commend the Trump administration for its crack-down on sanctuary cities, and I applaud the recent Second Circuit Court of Appeals' decision allowing the Department of Justice to withhold funding from sanctuary cities. Now, back in June, Immigration and Customs Enforcement released a list of criminal illegal aliens that were allowed back into their sanctuary communities by local officials. One such criminal is Rosalio Ramos-Ramos, he is a Honduran citizen who was deported four times before authorities arrested him in Washington State in October of 2017. Once notified of Rosalio's arrest, ICE issued a written detainer request, asking the local authorities to imprison him for an additional 48 hours so that they could decide whether or not to begin deportation proceedings. Instead, local authorities ignored the detainer request and released Rosalio back into the community. In January of 2018, he murdered his cousin, and then he hid the body in a dumpster. In another instance, in 2015, Garcia Zarate, an illegal immigrant from Mexico shot and killed 32-year-old Kate Steinle, a very well-known case, and a tragedy, while she was walking with her father and her friend on Pier 14 in San Francisco. Prior to the shooting, Garcia Zarate had been deported five times, and was supposed to be deported for a sixth time. He had been transferred to San Francisco's jail to serve a sentence for selling marijuana, but local authorities released him a few days later, despite a detainer request from Federal law enforcement. Situations like these are more common than they should be in our country, and many local officials protect illegal immigrants and ignore Federal immigration laws up to the point of leaving dangerous individuals in their communities. As you can see from these horrific examples, refusing to honor detainer requests and frustrating local law enforcement has dire consequences. Not only does it make our Nation less safe, it leaves no room for the victims of these offenders to obtain justice. That is why I introduced the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act, along with my colleague, Representative Bradley Byrne, here in the House, and my fellow North Carolinian, Thom Tillis, over in the Senate. This legislation would allow anyone who is a victim of murder, rape, or any felony, to file a lawsuit and bring civil action against the State or the sanctuary city if that city failed to honor a lawful immigration detainer request from the Department of Homeland Security. Any individual who is injured or harmed by an illegal immigrant, who benefited from a sanctuary city's policy, will be able to sue the sanctuary city or State. My bill also requires sanctuary cities to waive a criminal's immunity as a condition of receiving certain Federal grants. If the jurisdiction doesn't agree to waive immunity, it will not be eligible for grants for public works, grant planning, and administrative expenses, and grants for training, research, and technical assistance. I am extremely proud that President Trump endorsed our bill during his 2020 State of the Union address. It is time for Congress to force sanctuary cities to comply with Federal law enforcement, and to stop them from letting dangerous criminals remain on our streets. It is finally time to give victims of sanctuary city policies a legal pathway to justice. During my trip to the southern border last year, I witnessed the humanitarian and security crisis up close and personal. I saw the sorry state of some areas of our border. I saw places that were only defended by thin, barbed-wire fences. These weak defenses allow practically anyone to break into our country, and that includes dangerous members of drug cartels who fuel our country's devastating opioid crisis. I will continue to support policies that crack down on sanctuary cities across the United States. Madam Speaker, with that, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Norman), my dear friend, someone who has been a staunch advocate for securing our border.

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa), a great friend of mine and a hardworking Member.

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. LaMalfa, and I appreciate his thoughts. Madam Speaker, at this time, I yield to someone who is focused on securing our border, making sure as well that West Virginia remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family, almost heaven, if you will. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Miller).

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Norman. Madam Speaker, at this point, I would yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Byrne), a friend and colleague who led the effort with me to introduce the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act. Like all of us here tonight, he is tired of hearing stories about illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities committing horrific crimes against American citizens. I want to thank him for spearheading the effort against this dangerous sanctuary city policy.

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Byrne for his friendship and leadership on this. Madam Speaker, at this point, I would like to yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Bishop). I want to thank him for his leadership on the Immigration Detainer Enforcement Act. This bill makes it easier for local law enforcement to comply with lawful detainer requests from the Department of Homeland Security. I also want to thank him for his steadfast leadership on the Committee for Homeland Security.

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin). I thank Mr. Babin for his leadership as co-chair of the House Border Security Caucus and for fighting to make America safe.

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen). I appreciate his steadfast leadership on highlighting the danger that sanctuary cities pose to cities across America.

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Williams), a great capitalist and a great baseball coach.

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Watkins). I appreciate his support on this bill.

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Steube). I thank the gentleman for his history of being a strong proponent of Federal immigration enforcement at the State level and for his time in the Florida Legislature, and I appreciate his support here, as well.

Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I thank Mrs. Miller for being here tonight. I appreciate her support on this. Madam Speaker, I thank all of my colleagues who have made it tonight to speak on the dangers that sanctuary cities pose to the communities around us. It strikes me as common sense to pursue legislation that allows families and victims legal recourse against the municipalities and policies that have caused them so much damage. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BUDD

Mr. BUDD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss the coronavirus. I want to reassure folks that since we first learned about this virus, our government has been very proactive in its response. The President took charge and assembled a task force, headed by the Vice President, that brought together the best and the brightest doctors, scientists, and health experts that our country has to offer. The President also took the crucial step of implementing a travel ban on China to slow down the spread of the outbreak within our borders. While our government is appropriately handling the spread of the coronavirus, our citizens can help as well. Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to go to cdc.gov, follow the latest developments, and learn about easy ways that you can avoid getting sick. America must always be ahead of the game on viral threats like these, and I am proud to say that our leaders are doing a great job. Essential Support Faith-Based Organizations Provide for Communities

Mr. BUDD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the essential support that faith-based organizations give to the communities around them, including during times of crisis. During Hurricane Florence, in 2018, volunteers from Samaritan's Purse were on the ground after the hurricane had devastated thousands of homes across my State. Lorraine Jenkins, a resident of New Bern, my mother's childhood home in North Carolina, said that she ``had faith but needed a little more strength'' when she returned to her home to find it flooded with 18 inches of water. Thankfully, several volunteers from Samaritan's Purse were there to pray with Lorraine to give her the strength that she needed. During Hurricane Dorian, in 2019, the Salvation Army provided over 43,000 meals, 55,000 drinks, 25,000 snacks, and 48 full cleanup kits to victims. Mr. Speaker, faith-based organizations also provide key support services to children, many of whom are victims of the opioid crisis. This crisis has left over 92,000 children in foster care and in need of loving homes. Faith-based adoption agencies play a pivotal role in finding homes for these children. Sadly, despite the clear benefits faith-based organizations provide to the communities around them, there remains an ongoing push to strip them of Federal funding or to even shut them down for following their sincerely held religious beliefs. That is why, this week, I am introducing the Equal Treatment of Faith-Based Organizations Act, along with several of my colleagues. My bill codifies into law parts of the recently proposed HHS rule to ensure equal treatment for faith-based organizations. My bill reverses the discriminatory policy from the previous administration that required faith-based providers of social services to disclose their religious affiliation and refer potential clients to other providers. My bill also allows faith-based organizations to apply for Federal funding on equal footing with secular organizations. Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government has no business discriminating against faith-based organizations purely on the basis of their sincerely held religious beliefs. I am proud to lead this legislation and to protect the good work that faith-based organizations do every day.

Mr. BUDD

Mr. BUDD. Mr. Speaker, due to traveling with President Trump to North Carolina, congressman Budd had to miss votes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 79 and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 80.