Emanuel Cleaver

Mr. CLEAVER

Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from New Hampshire.

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

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this bill is one of the most amazing things that I have had the opportunity to support since I have been in Congress. And this bill is simply amazing. It ensures official recognition of creativity and innovation displayed by members of the Ghost Army in saving lives, contributing to the defeat of the axis powers during World War II. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Kuster for her work in ensuring recognition of this brave and talented group of citizen-soldiers and their unique contributions to the war effort. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CLEAVER

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3146, the Securing America's Vaccines for Emergencies Act of 2021, introduced by my colleague, Mr. French Hill. The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated that ensuring the availability of the essential medical supplies, articles, and equipment to fight disease is essential to our national defense. This bill would better equip us to respond to the current pandemic, as well as future public health emergencies, by amending the Defense Production Act of 1950, to ensure that the definition of national defense includes the availability of medical articles. H.R. 3146 strengthens our ability to respond to public health emergencies through measures designed to secure the drug supply chain. Specifically, the bill requires the development of a strategy on securing supply chains for medical articles. This includes reporting to Congress on an analysis of existing supply chain vulnerabilities for medical articles and recommendations to address these vulnerabilities, including measures to diversify supply chains and other efforts to mitigate risk, while promoting American competitiveness, scientific leadership, and industrial innovation in this area. This bill will also provide for investment in supply chain security for eligible entities if the President certifies to Congress that such an investment is important to meet the national defense needs of the United States. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Hill for his work in ensuring that we, as a country, learn the lessons from this COVID-19 pandemic and are better prepared to respond to the next public health emergency because of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Vargas).

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this time last year we watched as our brave healthcare workers struggled all over this country to respond to the mounting COVID-19 crisis, often with inadequate personal protective equipment and limited medical supplies. This bill ensures that we can direct our significant scientific innovation and industrial capacity towards ensuring essential medical supplies are readily available, and that our supply chains are resilient in the face of threats to our collective health and well- being. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Mr. Hill for his work on this important issue, and I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CLEAVER

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3008) to amend the National Housing Act to authorize State- licensed appraisers to conduct appraisals in connection with mortgages insured by the FHA and to require compliance with the existing appraiser education requirement, and for other purposes.

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and insert extraneous materials thereon.

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3008, the Homebuyer Assistance Act of 2021, which would make a commonsense update to the Federal Housing Administration's requirements governing appraisals to allow licensed appraisers to conduct home valuations for FHA-backed mortgages. The current requirement to utilize a certified appraiser for all FHA loans is simply outdated as it was put into place at a time when there were no minimum Federal standards for State licensure of appraisers, leaving concerns about consistency in competency across States. Now that we do have minimum standards for licensure, FHA's certification requirement is not only out of date and out of alignment with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, it is also creating marketwide pressures for lenders to require certified appraisers for all loans, even if they are not FHA loans, just in case the mortgage switches to an FHA loan midway through the process. This, in turn, makes it harder for licensed appraisers to obtain work at a time when certain areas are experiencing appraiser shortages, and we are already struggling to effectively recruit new and diverse appraisers. Licensed appraisers who are perfectly qualified to conduct appraisals for GSE loans should be just as qualified to conduct appraisals for FHA loans. I would like to thank Mr. Sherman for introducing this legislation; and the Republican cosponsor, Mr. Van Taylor, for supporting this all- important bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), who is a sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I again want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) for bringing this legislation forward and for the support of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Taylor). This bill removes unnecessary barriers to the home-buying process, which will help millions of FHA borrowers over time. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CLEAVER

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3125) to enhance authorities under the Defense Production Act of 1950 to respond to the COVID-19 emergency, to provide additional oversight of such authorities, and for other purposes.

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3125, the COVID-19 Emergency Medical Supplies Enhancement Act of 2021, introduced by my colleague and friend, Mr. Vargas. The Defense Production Act of 1950 provides the President with a wide range of authorities to enhance the domestic industrial base to shift towards the production of goods and materials essential to the defense of our country. At the time this law was written, they did not anticipate that personal protection equipment, vaccines, and other medical supplies could be essential to the defense of our country. This pandemic has made abundantly clear that medical materials to ensure our public health are absolutely essential to the defense of this country. This bill would ensure that our Nation has access to medical materials necessary to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by allowing certain medical materials to qualify for purchase and increased production under the DPA's authority. It would also amend the DPA to ensure that the DPA's authorities could be used to address preparation for the next public health emergency to help get the United States ahead of deadly future pandemics. Additionally, in order to respond to the evolving needs of local authorities to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, this bill would provide the Federal Government with the authority to allow State, local, and Tribal governments' orders for qualifying goods and materials to be prioritized ahead of the Federal Government. Finally, to streamline engagement with the private sector on supply chain support for production of essential materials to counter COVID- 19, this bill provides a framework that includes a dedicated outreach representative and reporting to Congress on purchases made and contracts entered into under DPA authority. I would like to thank Mr. Vargas for his hard work in ensuring that the President has the necessary tools at his or her disposal when they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. For these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Vargas).

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time, which will be very short like this bathing suit. Mr. Speaker, this bill takes the lessons we have learned over the past 14 months and builds on the DPA's purpose of harnessing our domestic industrial base in the interest of national defense to ensure that we have the medical materials necessary to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and to future pandemics. I thank Mr. Vargas for his vision and hard work in ensuring that our Nation can bring together its leadership and scientific innovation and our impressive domestic industrial base to support our collective public health and well-being through access to necessary medical materials. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CLEAVER

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2655) to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prohibit certain securities trading and related communications by those who possess material, nonpublic information, as amended.

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CLEAVER

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.

Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Representative Axne for her leadership on H.R. 2959, the COVID-19 Fraud Prevention Act. This bill would create a joint Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Securities and Exchange Commission fraud working group to better protect consumers and investors against fraudulent schemes during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In the wake of the pandemic outbreak in the United States last year, millions of American families lost work and struggled to keep food on the table, pay their bills, and a roof over their heads. As early as April 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that more than 20 million workers had lost their jobs. As consumers across the country struggled with their finances and to stay protected against infection, predatory scammers and unscrupulous actors have profited from consumers' concerns and anxiety. Scams targeting consumers' economic stimulus payments and unemployment benefits have delayed or prevented consumers from receiving the resources that they desperately need. At the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions hearing held in March entitled ``Slipping Through the Cracks: Policy Options to Help America's Consumers During the Pandemic,'' Carla Sanchez-Adams, managing attorney with the Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, shared the story of a client she called Ms. Y, who lost her job because of the pandemic, fell ill from COVID-19, and became a victim of fraud. Ms. Sanchez-Adams said: ``Ms. Y qualified for unemployment benefits through the Texas Workforce Commission. Ms. Y does not have a bank account, so her only option to receive her unemployment benefits was to have the funds deposited on a prepaid card . . . '' The Texas Workforce Commission ``disbursed $6,000 in unemployment benefits through the'' card. ``Soon after receiving her card, Ms. Y got COVID-19 and had to be hospitalized. When she was released, she tried to access the funds . . . and discovered there was'' not one single penny left. ``When she called . . . to inquire about the problem, she was told that someone had called, requested a new card be issued to an address in Michigan, and that someone in Michigan had used all the funds.'' Ms. Y is, unfortunately, not alone in experiencing this kind of shameless profiteering during a national crisis. Representative Axne's bill would help ensure that consumers who have been impacted by fraud can report it and have access to legal resources to combat it. It would also provide coordination between the CFPB and the SEC to combat these fraudulent schemes. Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers and am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time until Mr. Hill yields back.

Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Madam Speaker, the COVID-19 Fraud Prevention Act led by Representative Axne would provide essential resources and support for consumers and investors to protect them against fraudulent schemes that have been rampant during this tragic pandemic. The House passed this unanimously by voice vote in September of 2020. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me again in supporting this legislation. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CLEAVER

Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, let me, first of all, thank Chairwoman Waters for including my legislation, my Debt Collection Improvement Act, into the Stop Debt Collection Abuse Act, which would, among other things, extend the protections in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to debt owed to a Federal, State, territory, District of Columbia, and local government agency, and limit the excessive fees that debt collectors may charge. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act was enacted in 1978 to eliminate abusive debt collection practices by debt collectors and to ensure that those debt collectors who refrain from using abusive debt collection practices were not competitively disadvantaged. Congress has found abundant evidence of the use of abusive, deceptive, and unfair debt collection practices by many debt collectors, and Congress expressly found that abusive debt collection practices contribute to social ills. Those findings are still true today. Unfortunately, when Congress enacted the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act in 1978, it did not apply the law to debt collectors hired by Federal Government entities. As one witness before the Financial Services Committee pointed out, extending the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to debt collectors hired by government entities is important because collection by or on behalf of the government is already unusually coercive as a result of the government's immense and unrivaled police power and other means of seizing citizens' assets. This title within the bill also ensures that fees from debt collectors working on behalf of the Federal Government cannot be unreasonable, and requires the GAO to conduct a study into the use of third-party debt collectors by State and local governments. This title within the bill is supported by more than 20 civil rights organizations and consumer rights groups across the Nation. The Comprehensive Debt Collection Improvement Act before us is a timely piece of legislation. America's hardworking families, small businesses, and students deserve to be treated with respect, integrity, and fairness, including those who owe debt to the Federal Government. Americans currently find themselves in greater debt than at any other time in history, including prior to the great financial crisis of 2008. The debt burden stands at approximately $14.56 trillion and includes all types of consumer secured and unsecured loans. No American should have to deal with abusive, predatory practices from debt collectors, especially when those debt collectors have been hired by the United States Federal Government. This bill strengthens consumer protections by rectifying loopholes in existing Federal law that enables private companies hired by the Federal Government to unnecessarily harass individuals. If Congress is going to set up fair debt collection practices to hold the private sector accountable, the Federal agency collecting a debt from consumers should be held to the same standard.

Mr. CLEAVER

Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, it is with a deep and poignant gratitude that I rise today to celebrate the American heroes who lost their lives seventy-seven years ago during Exercise Tiger. Paving the way for the D-Day invasion that would take place on June 6, 1944, Exercise Tiger, while once kept secret, is now regarded as having been both a tragedy and a critically instructive component of the Allies' mission to end World War II. The lives lost on that fateful day were honored by the soldiers who learned from Exercise Tiger and carried their memory into battle during the liberation of France. It is a story we must never allow ourselves to forget. Before the assembled British, Canadian, and American forces could carry out the D-Day invasion, 4,000 soldiers conducted a massive simulated landing to rehearse and prepare for that immeasurably vital military act. However, what started as a military exercise ended as one of the greatest military tragedies of World War II. The calm, dark night of April 28, 1944, burst into chaos and combat when German U- boats ambushed the Tank Landing Ships (LSTs) transporting American soldiers. Almost 750 American servicemen, including over 200 Missourians, would give their last full measure of devotion when their vessels were either destroyed or severely damaged. But Allied forces would not be deterred, as the brave soldiers on those vessels banded together to repel enemy attacks and move forward with their mission. Even in the face of immense loss, a well-equipped enemy force, and little help from nearby Allied forces, the tenacity and determination of the soldiers and sailors involved ensured that the landing operations would continue mere hours after the initial attack. Allied Commanders planning the eventual D-Day invasion learned from Exercise Tiger and incorporated new strategies to ensure soldiers would be protected from barrage before landing on the beach. Without the bravery of the forces that fought that day, it is possible that even more American, Canadian, and British lives would have been lost on D-Day, and that the invasion of France, which hinged on secrecy, speed, and synchronicity, would have failed. It is not hyperbole to say that the soldiers and sailors of Exercise Tiger changed the course of world history and that we are forever indebted to their sacrifice. It is a time-honored tradition in the United States for us to gather and celebrate the heroism and sacrifices of the countless fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and children who have died to protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats. On the last Monday of May, thousands congregate to quietly observe and remember the names found on marble headstones cascading across Arlington National Cemetery. On the fourth day of July, we join friends and family for a celebration of our nation's independence. On each November 11th, we reach out to the veterans in our lives, thank them for their service, and if we are lucky, listen to their stories of service. Scattered between these national celebrations are memorials hosted in small towns and big cities across America that pay tribute to the local legends who fought to protect the freedoms we hold dear. Every year since 1989, the Exercise Tiger Commemorative Foundation, alongside the Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light, have celebrated the heroes of Exercise Tiger with a wreath-laying ceremony at stations across the United States. It is now the longest-running wreath tribute in Coast Guard history. Moreover, this year, the Exercise Tiger Commemorative Foundation has worked with the Audrain County Commissioners to memorialize and celebrate the oft-overlooked heroism of our nation's Black soldiers and sailors. We must never lose sight of the fact that while Black soldiers were fighting for the freedom of France, they themselves were not free in America. As they parachuted in Normandy and stormed Omaha and Utah Beaches, our nation was upholding the horrors of segregation and Jim Crow. They did so because they believed in the promise of America. We are all eternally indebted to that faith and their sacrifices, and I want to thank the Foundation and the Audrain County Commissioners for working to ensure that all our veterans receive the praise, glory, and honor they have earned. A 5,000-pound anchor, located in Audrain County, serves as the memorial for the heroes of Exercise Tiger. However, it is more than just a relic of the past. Rather, it is a constant reminder that our freedom was paid for by the sacrifices of those who came before us. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a blue ribbon was wrapped around that anchor, and it was only to be cut down when a vaccine was developed. On April 28, 2021, as our scientists, healthcare workers, and soldiers engage in a noble crusade against COVID-19 at vaccination sites across the country, that ribbon will be removed. While its removal does not signal the end of the pandemic, it does celebrate the fact that we are accomplishing what seemed impossible just months ago. We have demonstrated, like the Greatest Generation before us, that America can overcome any threat when we are united, be it a fleet of enemy submarines or an elusive virus. That capacity will always be worth celebrating. Madam Speaker, please join me and my colleagues in honoring the nearly 750 Americans, including 201 Missourians, who gave their lives during Exercise Tiger. Additionally, please join me in extending a heartfelt ``thank you'' to the Audrain County Commissioners, the Exercise Tiger Commemorative Foundation, and the Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light, for organizing these memorial events each year since 1989. On April 28th, it is my fervent hope that we all take a moment to remember the victims and veterans of Exercise Tiger and to re-affirm our commitment to honoring their legacy each day through selfless service to others in our community.