K. Conaway

Mr. CONAWAY

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Austin Scott).

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer).

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Smith), a former member of the Agriculture Committee.

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman.

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen).

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon).

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Faso).

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

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is left on both sides.

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

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, before I finish, I would like to also add my thanks to the majority staff and the minority staff in the House, as well as the minority and the majority staff in the Senate. Untold hours were spent getting us to this place by these hardworking men and women who labor in relative anonymity. Collin and I get all the gratitude, pats on the back, hugs, and smooches, and they do all of the hard work. I would like to recognize Matt Schertz, my staff director; Bart Fischer, deputy staff director and chief economist; Patricia Straughn; Nicole Scott; Rachel Millard; Josh Maxwell; Jennifer Tiller; Paul Balzano; Trevor White; Callie McAdams; Caleb Crosswhite; Carly Reedholm; Mollie Wilken; Mindi Brookhart; John Weber; Jeremy Witte; Ashton Johnston; Yasmin Rey; Darryl Blakey; Abigail Camp; Ricki Schroeder; Margaret Wetherald; John Konya; Maggie Mullins; Faisal Siddiqui; Brian Martin-Haynes; Kevin Norton; Brandon Reeves; and Nicole Bayne for all of their hard work and all of the time spent away from their families over the last year-plus getting to this point. Mr. Speaker, in a few minutes, there are going to be red and green lights go up behind your head. Pressure that is facing America's farmers and ranchers and their families is just unimaginable to those of us who aren't directly in the business: pressures of 5 years of reduced income; 5 years of burning through savings and capital; 5 years of really difficult circumstances; commodity prices low with no real relief on the horizon; trade turmoil across the world; lots of things going bad; as I mentioned earlier in my conversation, a 30 percent increase in bankruptcies. But, Mr. Speaker, the one thought that troubles me the most is the increase in suicides. The pressures of losing a multigenerational farm and ranch operation must be incredible to cause men and women to decide to make an awful decision as a result of those pressures. This bill will help alleviate that. This bill takes a look at those pressures, takes a look at the stresses and strains across all of rural America--economic development issues, the issues within just the practice of farming and ranching--and says here are Federal resources that we want to put against those problems, against the issues of farmers going out of business, and continuing to provide to the American consumer the most abundant, safest, and affordable food supply of any developed nation in the world. Across these last 2 years, with President Trump in office, you have seen an awful lot of comments about ``buy America'' and ``let's produce things in America.'' There is nothing more American than food produced in our Nation, and this bill will keep us in that vein. It will keep those farmers and ranchers taking those risks, risks that none of us could imagine, year in and year out: worrying about Mother Nature, too much rain, too little rain, rain at the wrong time, too hot, not hot enough, all of those things that they have no control over. They will fight that fight day in and day out, and they are the best in the world at doing it. What they can't do, though, is fight against the cheating in the trade world that is out there, fight against commodity prices that they can't control. They can't control their input costs. They are takers of those costs, and they are takers of prices. They are at the mercy of an awful lot of pressures and stresses and strains that this bill tends to address. So, Mr. Speaker, the green lights, in my view, when they start lighting up, will be the Members who have taken a look at all these things, all these issues that are facing rural America and our farmers and ranchers, and will say, yes, this bill does, in fact, address those; it does get at those issues; it does offer 5 years of stability for these folks, 5 years of lenders being able to know what the safety net will look like and being able to lend against next year's crop, 5 years of certainty. We all work better under certainty, and knowing what this farm bill looks like, wrong or different, is far better than the option of us rolling this over to next year and starting this process over. Those green lights will be Members who have looked at all of that and said, yes, this bill is worthy of my support, worthy of my vote. Mr. Speaker, the red lights will say something entirely different. It will say that we looked at those exact same issues, we looked at these solutions, these Federal resources, and said either they are too much, not enough, they want it to go somewhere else, or, Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, there will be some who will say, well, there just weren't things in there that we would like to have happen. Mr. Speaker, the House version that we passed back in June took some mighty bold steps toward reforming SNAP and moving in a direction that most of us believe was supported by the American people. Asking SNAP recipients to work 20 hours a week in order to maintain that public benefit, that public effort, we believe was the right way to go. That was not supported broadly by the body across the building, and we made the compromises necessary to get us to this place. In spite of that, though, Mr. Speaker, we made good reforms toward the SNAP process, toward program integrity, and making the program work better for folks who need these programs. The House version never intended to touch, nor did it touch, the folks we will always take care of: the elderly, the mentally and physically disabled, those who are temporarily out of whack. It never touched that. What it did, Mr. Speaker, was go after those folks who are able- bodied, should be working and should be in the workforce. We have 7 million unfilled jobs today, and there is work ahead of us to make this happen. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, I thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. I thank Collin Peterson for his hard work on the conference committee. I thank our Senate colleagues who took a different view, but we are here today. Mr. Speaker, I pray that when the lights go up behind your head that there are more green lights than red lights, we can get this to the President's desk, and get that certainty for rural America that is necessary. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. CONAWAY

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I thank the ranking member for bringing forth this resolution that I cosponsored. Mr. Speaker, Nord Stream II is an underwater gas pipeline that, if completed, will transport natural gas from the Russian Federation-- Russian gas--through the Baltic Sea to Germany. This project may seem innocent enough, but it does several very dangerous things. One, it circumvents Ukraine, and the impact it has there. Two, it further dominates the European energy supply. Three, it will threaten European security and stability. And, four, it attempts to drive a wedge between NATO allies. This project is being sold to our European allies and partners as many things. They are being told, and we are being told, that the current routes lack transit capacity to meet the demand in Western Europe. Mr. Speaker, this is false. There is a 55 billion cubic meter surplus in transit lines existing currently through Ukraine that Nord Stream II plans to completely circumvent, which is the capacity of the Nord Stream II. In other words, Mr. Speaker, Russia is working to strangle Ukraine's existing pipeline. Once Nord Stream II reaches its planned terminus in Germany, it is to move southward away from Western markets and back into existing lines. Mr. Speaker, the impact that that will have on the Ukraine pipeline is that, if it goes empty, then it will cease to exist and cease to operate. The argument that if Russia tried to use Nord Stream II as some leverage they could revert back to using the gas going through Ukraine lines is simply false and is misleading. We are also being told that the pipeline will reduce gas prices in Europe. This also is false. Nord Stream II circumvents market competitors and further reinforces Russia's dominance in the market, essentially creating zero incentive to lower energy prices. We are also being told that Nord Stream II is a commercial deal with zero geopolitical impact. Compared to Nord Stream I, which is owned by a variety of stakeholders from Western Europe, Nord Stream II is 100 percent Russian owned and operated through Gazprom, which is controlled by the Russian state, i.e., Vladimir Putin, who is known to pursue political goals and whose chairman, Alexey Miller, is currently sanctioned by the United States. Mr. Speaker, the handwriting is on the wall. It could not be clearer, and we can no longer kid ourselves what Nord Stream II is and what it is not. It will provide greater latitude for the Russians to continue defiance of global norms, sovereign borders, and international law. The project is simply another tool for Vladimir Putin to wield in Russia's ever-increasing aggressive and subversive activities against the West. Mr. Speaker, Nord Stream II is a danger to peace as we know it. Our German and NATO colleagues should see clearly what it is. It allows Vladimir Putin to have an additional place to put his boot on the jugular of Europe. Mr. Speaker, I encourage support for this resolution.

Mr. CONAWAY

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time and bringing this bill forward. Mr. Speaker, as the title says, this bill authorizes the National Park Service to study the feasibility of maintaining the George W. Bush Childhood Home. It has already undergone a reconnaissance study, which says that the Service does believe that it meets these criteria, but this will be the final piece in that process. Mr. Speaker, last week, our Nation honored, mourned, and celebrated the life of George H.W. Bush, as we should. As a part of that, I think it is really timely that, this week, we have an opportunity to further that memorialization of the Bush family by pushing the National Park Service further in its responsibilities to maintain this home. We are reminded, as of last week, of the importance of preserving the visual imprints of our past for the benefit of our future. The Bush family is the epitome of the American Dream. They not only worked hard and achieved success, but built on their accomplishments and devoted their entire lives to public service. Personal success means nothing, Mr. Speaker, without the initiative to give back. The George W. Bush Childhood Home serves to educate its visitors and celebrate the strong work ethic and earned west Texas grit of the Bush legacy, of the home that tells the story of two Presidents, two Governors, and a remarkable First Lady. It was in this home that George H.W. Bush and Barbara jump-started their lives to west Texas, his career in the oil and gas business, and raised George W. Bush through the formative years of his childhood. This home was the backdrop for the quiet beginnings of a young family that found themselves moving West, like so many families before them, seeking their own opportunities and a path through life. Mr. Speaker, there are currently no National Park Service units relating to the George W. Bush childhood, career, or Presidency located within the Permian Basin or lower Panhandle region of Texas. I can think of no better first addition to the system than a structure that celebrates the Bush family, the pride of west Texas. Although the site is currently open to the public, oversight by the National Park Service will ensure that it is maintained and gives many more Americans access to the site to be inspired by one of America's and Midland's premier families.

Mr. CONAWAY

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the time and for leading this effort tonight to recognize National Bible Week and the importance of it. Mr. Speaker, above your head is emblazoned the national motto of our country, which says, ``In God we Trust.'' We all say that quite often, but, quite frankly, we have no idea of how to trust in a God that we don't know anything about. So the question is: How do we know God and we know we can trust Him? Mr. Speaker, we know God because the inspired Word of God is the Bible. Through the chapters of the Old Testament and the New Testament, those truths are laid out by which we can know God and understand His ways, or try to understand His ways, try to understand the fact that His Son came to this Earth and lived and died to save us from our sins, that we might rely on Him as our personal savior and the only gateway in which we can spend eternal life in Heaven, but is also here for us to live our daily lives day-to-day. In the truths of the Bible, we can live our lives, interact with each other, and do that in a way that is pleasing to God. John Adams wrote that only a moral and religious people can self- govern. We have enjoyed a self-governance scheme of governance now for 242 years, but that moral and religious high ground that John Adams was referencing is founded in the truths of the Bible. If each of us is free to decide what is true on our own, then we are in big trouble. That is where our Nation is leading us today. We are separating ourselves from that moral high ground that is laid out in the Bible in very clear and convincing terms to our own peril. There are a lot of things going on in this Nation that God can't bless. Most of us here tonight would argue that we are a blessed nation: blessed with resources, blessed with oceans on both sides that have protected us during the infancy of our Nation, blessed with hardworking people, blessings up and down the list in which God has blessed us. Are we, in fact, a blessable people? When God looks at America today, does He look at a people who are blessable or worthy of being blessed? We have things going on in our Nation today, Mr. Speaker, that are an abomination. We have killed 60 million babies in 45 years. God can't long bless a nation who stays on that path of killing those infants. Putting it a different way, those early children who were aborted following Roe v. Wade would be 45 years old today. They would be at the prime of life. They would be leaders in this Nation. They would be doctors, lawyers, researchers, scientists, and others who might have made this world an entirely different place, a much better place than it is. But they were not allowed to live those lives that God had planned in the womb for each of those lives to the fullest. This Nation can't long continue to be blessed if we stay on that path. How do you correct that? You reclaim that moral high ground by living a moral code. I live the Judeo-Christian moral code that is set forth in the Bible we are honoring tonight. Jesus Christ is my personal savior, and I will spend eternity in Heaven based on His death, resurrection, and my belief in that. We as a nation must begin to turn back to that code. Each one of us have to live that code in order to reclaim that moral high ground. We can't legislate it in these votes in this Chamber. You can't do it in the State capitols. You can't do it in county commissioner's courts, or you can't do it in city council chambers. This is a decision that each one of us has to make personally to make that happen. 2 Chronicles 7:14, the promise out of the Old Testament, has been referenced several times tonight. It is a promise that God has made that we can claim. In fact, Mr. Speaker, I would argue that our Nation has never been in more need of claiming that promise than we are tonight. Turning from our wicked ways is the key phrase in that passage. Obviously, seeking God's face and praying is the next step. But we have to turn from the wicked ways, and that involves deciding what, in fact, is and is not wicked. The basis for that decision is in the Scriptures of the Bible, the inspired Word of God that we are honoring here tonight. My call is that we claim that promise and that we begin to lead those moral and religious lives that are required to continue to self-govern. If we don't, then self-governance will be lost on future Americans. Think about this last idea. We celebrated this month since the end of World War I. The last 100 years, I would argue, there has never been a nation that has done as much good for the rest of the world and asked so little in return as the United States of America. I personally believe that was God's divine mission for us as a nation, to protect liberty and freedom, the way that we have done the last 100 years. Looking at the next 100 years, Mr. Speaker, who will take up that mantle if we lay it down or it is taken away from us? Are we going to look to China, Russia, or radical Islam to protect freedom and defend liberty the way we have done the last 100 years? I would argue that is not what is going to happen. If those truths are going to be defended and available to future generations of all of us in the world, then America must reclaim the moral high ground and protect self-governance the way we must. Mr. Speaker, this is an important week. I appreciate my colleagues' conversations tonight. I would ask that God continue to bless each and every one of us, that God bless Texas, and that God continue to bless the United States of America.

Mr. CONAWAY

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise also this morning to honor the life and legacy of my friend, Damon Nelson. A lot of wonderful, lofty things have been said about him this morning in this Chamber. Every single one of those was true. I certainly identify with each and every one of those remarks. I will not repeat those but will walk a different path. I did not realize the extent to which Damon impacted staffing across the Hill. Once he passed, I began to get information about folks whose lives had been touched and whose careers here in Washington had been started as a result of being hired and mentored by Damon over the years. There are people on my personal staff whom I did not realize had a direct connection to Damon because he had started their careers here in Congress and on the Hill through his mentorship and help. I got to know Damon extremely well as a result of working on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and his role as staff director, particularly when I took over running the Russia investigation. Damon was my direct contact with the staff. He did a masterful job at trying to expeditiously conduct that investigation, making sure that we dotted the i's and crossed the t's, making some really difficult decisions as we walked that path. In addition to that, Damon handled the rest of the business of the Intelligence Committee, that important business that continues to go on in addition to the Russian investigation, doing a masterful job of shepherding all of that responsibility. He did it with class. He did it with a calmness and a self-assuredness that made it work. Damon's humor and, yes, sarcasm, which has been mentioned often today, was a signature of his, but he used it well and in an appropriate manner. It was never in a hurtful or harmful manner, but to keep up the atmosphere. Mr. Speaker, Damon's memory will live on in all our lives. Those of us who knew him will not forget him. He was that kind of an individual. Obviously, my heart and prayers go out to his wife, Dana, and his family. He adored, loved, and worshipped his wife. She is in a hurting place today, as is his family. All of us who knew him as a friend will miss him. Mr. Speaker, I miss my friend. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Stewart).

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, we had an opportunity yesterday to share with Dana, his wife, his mom and step-dad and hear the staff talk about Damon. It was clear that Damon had created a family, that they loved him, that they respected him as a professional, and that his leadership was evident across this entire exchange. It was heartwarming to hear those stories about Damon and the way he led the staff of the committee. We will miss him. I ask our Nation to continue to pray for his wife and family as they walk this dark path, knowing that he made this world a better place to live and that he helped mightily across a long period of time to help protect us from some really bad folks. We love you, Damon Nelson, and we will miss you.

Mr. CONAWAY

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the National Adoption Day celebration that will take place in Ector County on November 16th at the Crossroads Fellowship Church. Throughout the day, local courts in Ector County will finalize the adoption process for families in the community. It is no coincidence that National Adoption Awareness Month falls in the same month of Thanksgiving. During this time of year, we reflect on the many blessings in our lives, such as family. Our families play an instrumental role in our lives by helping shape our character, providing unconditional love, motivating us through challenging times, and giving us a lifetime of memories that we will always cherish. Sadly, over 100,000 children are waiting to find their permanent home. Many of these children have various medical, developmental, and emotional needs that require special nurturing from parents and families. Our world is fortunate enough to be blessed by people who open their hearts and homes to these children. These selfless individuals provide an important service not only to these children, but also to our communities and country. These new families hold a special place in my heart because I am adopted myself. My father adopted my little brother, sister, and me, so seeing other children who have the benefit of a loving family warms my heart. I want to thank the Court Appointed Special Advocates of the Permian Basin and other adoption organizations across the nation that make National Adoption Day possible. I also want to thank the dedicated individuals who make a powerful difference in the lives of children through adoption.

Mr. CONAWAY

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 2) to provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2023, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and request a conference with the Senate thereon.

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the ranking member's motion is very much in the spirit of the House position. I am really appreciative of that. Quite frankly, it makes our bill better. H.R. 2 makes the historic commitment to protecting our Nation's livestock herd and, frankly, our national security by establishing and funding forward-looking animal health initiatives that address existing and emerging pest and disease threats. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to continuing this discussion in conference, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's motion, and I ask Members to support it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONAWAY

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding and for his dedicated work on the committee leading us through these rather tumultuous times on a lot of fronts, but he has done a terrific job, and I have been proud to serve on the committee with him. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to speak in support of the 2018 Intelligence Authorization Act. Intelligence gathering is of utmost importance in our national security and is essential in keeping Americans safe here at home. It is imperative that we provide to those dedicated individuals of our intelligence community the tools, resources, and support they need to carry out missions successfully, and Mr. Chairman, this bill does just that. The successful completion of increasingly difficult missions by these consummate professionals ensures policymakers are provided the crucial information that they need to make the most informed decisions to counter our near-term threats and those peaking on the horizon. This bill addresses both challenges of a constantly changing threat environment and advances in technology to keep American cybersecurity at the forefront of global efforts and a step ahead of our adversaries. Mr. Chair, as you and others in the room know as well, our democratic elections have become the target of foreign influence campaigns, not only here at home, but across the Western world by adversaries seeking to undermine and disrupt one of our most sacred democratic institutions. Mr. Chair, this bill allows for a path for the IC to advise and inform those on the front lines of our elections of the perceived threats from abroad. In addition, it also ensures that Congress stays informed of ongoing adversarial influence campaigns again democratic elections across the globe and here at home as well, as well as the actions that our IC is taking to counter those threats. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of this year's Intelligence Authorization Act. I encourage all of my colleagues to vote for it. I look forward to implementing this in the next year, and the oversight, authorities and tools that it gives Congress to be able to continue to provide the correct oversight for our intelligence agencies across the executive branch.