Jason Chaffetz

Mr. CHAFFETZ

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1442) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 90 Cornell Street in Kingston, New York, as the ``Staff Sergeant Robert H. Dietz Post Office Building''.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, Staff Sergeant Dietz, this is what made America great. People like this stepped up and answered the call. They find themselves in a most impossible situation, but they are fighting for their country. It embodies the American spirit. I would urge the passage today of H.R. 1442. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this bill. It is appropriate that the United States Congress honor Sergeant Pinson. I hope that her family will always know how much this Nation is grateful for this young woman's service and sacrifice to her country. She was only 21 years old--21 years old. She answered the call, stepped up, served her Nation. While her life was taken, I think the inspiration and dedication that she gave her Nation should always be remembered. I thank Congresswoman Ann Wagner for bringing this to the attention of the Congress and championing it through. I urge the passage of H.R. 323. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 324) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 11662 Gravois Road in St. Louis, Missouri, as the ``Lt. Daniel P. Riordan Post Office.''

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I urge the passage of H.R. 324. Lieutenant Riordan served with great courage and sacrifice for his Nation. I hope his family, friends, and colleagues, those around him will look to him for inspiration, somebody who steps up and answers the call of their country. I only hope and pray that his family knows how much we all care across the country for people like Lieutenant Riordan. I appreciate the help on both sides of the aisle to get this passed. I really appreciate Congresswoman Wagner, who brought this to everybody's attention and really pushed to get it done. I hope we find it in our hearts to pass this appropriate bill today. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 558) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 55 South Pioneer Boulevard in Springboro, Ohio, as the Richard ``Dick'' Chenault Post Office Building.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. From what I know about Mr. Chenault, he was a great American. I am proud that Congressman Steve Chabot brought this up and moved this bill, because he did everything as an American. He served his country. He served his community. He served his family. He was a volunteer firefighter, fire chief, part-time police officer, and a charter member and president of the Lions Club. For more than 50 years, he had a perfect attendance at the Lions Club. My goodness. He was somebody who gave back to his community and somebody who I would hope young people will learn more about when they see the designation of this post office. We thank his family. We thank him for his service to his country, his family, and his community. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3059) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4500 SE 28th Street, Del City, Oklahoma, as the ``James Robert Kalsu Post Office Building''.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank Congressman Steve Russell for highlighting this person and his life because he truly was an All- American in every sense of the word. He serves as an inspiration to a lot of people, and I do hope that his loved ones will remember him fondly for the great sacrifice that he gave and commitment that he gave to his country, as did millions of other Americans. It is appropriate that we recognize them. And, as was said, I do hope that, as Americans, when we go into these post offices, we recognize people like Mr. Kalsu, who put everything on the line to serve and sacrifice for their country to give us the freedoms that we have here today, that we don't take them for granted, that there are men and women who serve who step up and answer the call of their county. And certainly Mr. Kalsu did that. Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this is a great American. He was serving his country. He served his community. As Congresswoman Slaughter brought up, this was a well-supported person within the community. My heart goes out to his wife, Amy, and their two children, Christian and Charity. They are very young children, but I hope that they remember their father served this country nobly in the United States Army in Afghanistan and in the Army National Guard, putting his life on the line so that other young families could be safe and protected. I hope that his legacy continues on and that, truly, this post office naming will serve as a reminder to all those in the community and our country that these great people step up, serve their country, serve their community, and they are loved by families and they do tough, difficult things that, quite frankly, a lot of other Americans wouldn't do. We honor him this day. We encourage the passage of Congresswoman Slaughter's bill, H.R. 1884. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1831) to establish the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. 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 materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1831, as amended, introduced by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan), my friend, the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. H.R. 1831 establishes a commission to study data across the Federal Government in order to approve policymaking. Under the bill, the President and the congressional leaders will appoint 15 leading researchers, program administrators, and data and privacy experts who will have 18 months to complete their work. The commission will determine the best way to make the data accessible they need to make informed policy decisions. It will consider whether or not a clearinghouse would be a more prudent method of coordinating and protecting data. The commission will also make recommendations on how to incorporate outcome data when designing Federal programs. It will help ensure the taxpayer can track the value of the program from the very first dollar that is spent. Chairman Paul Ryan has tackled many important issues in this bill, ensuring access to existing Federal data to improve public policy decisionmaking. The Government Accountability Office repeatedly calls for more and better data for both GAO and agencies to effectively analyze Federal programs. Policymakers need access to data for decisionmaking so the Federal Government can be an effective steward of the taxpayers' money and resources. The Federal Government administers more than 1,500 different programs, and the Congressional Budget Office estimates the annual Federal spending will exceed $4 trillion in just 2 years' time. We know that some programs are duplicative or wasteful, but what about all the others? Are they working? Do they make taxpayers' lives better? For the most part, we simply do not know and have the analytics to back it up. According to two former Office of Management and Budget Directors-- OMB Directors--Mr. Jim Nussle and Mr. Peter Orszag, less than 1 percent of Federal spending is based on such evidence. The first step in ensuring evidence-based policy is to understand what data the Federal Government already has. From there, we can make an informed plan on how to protect the data while ensuring greater access for decisionmakers and a more informed public. I want to thank Chairman Paul Ryan for his work to give policymakers and the taxpayer access to the data needed to improve program results. Senator Patty Murray has introduced the companion bill in the United States Senate, and President Obama has called for an emphasis on evidence-based policies in his budget as well. I want to thank, again, Chairman Ryan for his leadership and work on the bill, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1831. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to highlight the President's budget, on page 65, where it says: ``The Budget also embraces Representative Paul Ryan and Senator Patty Murray's proposal to create a commission that would make recommendations about how to fully realize the potential of administrative data to improve Federal programs. The proposal exemplifies the high-level and bipartisan momentum for doing more to tap this important resource.'' It is important that we come together. In this case, I want to thank members on both sides of the aisle, there in the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. I am somewhat resistant to creating another commission or board; it seems like we have an awful lot of these, but here, we see some good thinking in a bipartisan way with some support from not only the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, but also the President of the United States. I see fit to pass this out of our committee. It sailed through, and I believe that it is a good bill and would urge our Members to vote ``aye'' in favor of this piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Again, I appreciate the gentlewoman's comments and agree that this is a place where we can come together and work together. This 15-member commission would be directed to determine the best structure for information that is collected and maintained by Federal agencies. One of the things that we will all have to be cognizant about is not only making this information available to congressional researchers and people at the GAO or OMB, but also making sure that the public has access to this information for they are, ultimately, the ones that have paid for it, and they should be able to consume it. In this data-driven age, we should be able to find new methods, whether it is some new app or some other new way to collectively bring this information and have that information that is then passed on and accessible by the public. I also look forward to Congress receiving the recommendations and would highlight one of the things that I think is good about the structure of this bill is that it expires 18 months after its enactment, so there is a built-in exit here. This does not continue on in perpetuity. It is something that has an expiration date, which we should probably look at on a more frequent basis. Again, I would urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 1831. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I simply want to thank those Members who have worked hard on this bill. One that is of special note is Congressman Sean Duffy of Wisconsin. He has done great work on this, particularly trying to hold people accountable at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for the EEOC issues there. This bill would not be a reality without Mr. Cummings. We thank him for his leadership on this. I am proud to support it. I think all the Members in this body should support it. It does further the protections for employees. It makes government better and more responsible. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 1557, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1557) to amend the Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 to strengthen Federal antidiscrimination laws enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and expand accountability within the Federal government, and for other purposes.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. 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 materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 1557, introduced by my friend and ranking member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Mr. Cummings of Maryland. He has done yeoman's work on this content. I was proud to join him as a cosponsor of this important piece of legislation that will help many of our Federal workers as they go through their work in knowing they have even more protections. The Federal Employee Antidiscrimination Act of 2015 strengthens accountability within our Federal workforce. The bill does so by improving agencies' processes for reporting instances of workplace discrimination and retaliation. It also requires agencies to create a system to track complaints of discrimination and retaliation from beginning to end. The bill ensures that agencies report to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission whether disciplinary action has been taken against an employee for discrimination or retaliation. It requires agencies to provide electronic notification to employees when such an action occurs. The bill requires agencies to post additional information about discriminatory practices on their Web site. It also requires that adverse actions taken against any employee for discrimination or retaliation be included in that individual's personnel file. Combined, these provisions bring additional transparency and accountability to the Federal civil service and will help diminish instances of discrimination and retaliation within our government. Obviously, those things can't stand. The bill also makes agency Equal Employment offices a direct report to the agency head. This is an important step and a good portion of the bill that is being brought forth today. This change will help ensure that employees feel safe and comfortable when reporting discriminatory or retaliatory actions. Finally, H.R. 1557 makes clear that employees can report waste, fraud, and abuse within their agency to Congress, the Office of Special Counsel, or the inspectors general. Federal employees are essential in exposing wrongdoing within the government. An agency should never have the ability to tell a government employee that he or she cannot report waste, fraud, or abuse to Congress, the Office of Special Counsel, or the inspectors general. The bill reinforces that obstructing an employee's communication with Congress and other watchdogs is against the law. We should be encouraging open communication between Federal employees and Congress, the Office of Special Counsel, and the inspectors general to protect the integrity of our government and the taxpayers. I want to again thank Mr. Cummings for his leadership and work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1557. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. Smith of Texas and Mr. Conaway of Texas for their good work on this. In the year 2015, five letters were sent to the EPA from the Oversight and Government Reform Committee regarding the waters of the United States rulemaking. All went unanswered until the Science Committee threatened to subpoena. Probably what is the most egregious and most offensive to us is even when we do bipartisan work--in a bipartisan letter, we asked the EPA to provide a response to a request concerning collections of use of fees and fines--and even when we do it in a bipartisan way, those go unresponded to. They failed to even provide a staff briefing on the collection and use of fines and penalties, despite repeated requests. We hear on the floor: Well, you can't take away their money, then they won't able to respond. With the money, they don't respond, so they obviously don't need the money if they are not going to respond--even when we do so in a very professional, bipartisan way, asking legitimate questions about the use of these funds and how this Agency works. In the year 2013, requests were filed for information regarding actions of a previous Administrator, among other document requests. Responses were inadequate, and a subpoena was filed. The EPA only began searching for the documents 6 months after a subpoena was issued, 6 months after this happened. This is just not tolerable. There needs to be consequences for this. They obviously don't need these funds if they are going to be so unresponsive even when we do so in a bipartisan way. I would urge the passage of the Smith amendment. I think it is a good amendment. It is a responsible way to move forward. I appreciate the good work the Appropriations Committee has done in their support and their work. I, again, thank Mr. Smith for his leadership on this issue.

Mr. CHAFFETZ

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise in the hope that we will, as a nation, pause and thank the men and women who have served in our armed services. Every day, men and women who wake up and serve their Nation do so at the risk of their own lives. They leave behind loved ones and families and brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers and kids. They serve, who knows where? When they enter the service, they don't know where they are going to serve, but they know that they love the United States of America, and they are willing to put their lives on the line. That has happened throughout generations of time. Millions of people have answered that call to serve. The least we can do as a nation is be grateful and give pause, give prayer, and give thanks to these men and women who will serve us in the future and who have served us in the past. May God bless them, and may God bless the United States of America.

Mr. CHAFFETZ

Mr. CHAFFETZ. I thank the gentleman for yielding. And I thank those who are with us tonight because this topic is one of, I think, the most important to our Nation. It certainly was key to the foundation of this Nation. And the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Walker) is right, because if you go back and you read that farewell address that Washington gave, it is one of the most inspirational pieces. He had the power. He had the position. He had the respect of the people. But he did probably the most admirable thing that we have seen in this Nation, in that he voluntarily gave it up because he knew that the power didn't reside in the President. He knew that the power didn't reside in him, as an individual. He understood that the power of this Nation stood with the people. And with that power comes a responsibility. It is a responsibility that all of us hold, as citizens of the United States of America. For it is truly a privilege and an honor to be a citizen in this country. I hearken back a couple hundred years ago to those who blazed new trails and decided that this Nation was going to be an inspired nation, inspired by God, that we weren't bashful about recognizing that God played a role in our lives and that the power of prayer was an important part of our Nation. But also incumbent upon that was that every man, woman, and child-- every able-bodied person--do their part, that we all had accountability and responsibility not only to take care of ourselves but to also do what we can to help foster a greater community. You see, this was a new idea. It wasn't that way across the world. There were dictators, and there were others that really wanted to rule and control people. But the inspiration that our Founders had in the foundation of our Nation was rooted in this idea that the people--the people--had the power. Fast-forward now to those who serve--whether they serve in the armed services, whether they serve in the Federal Government or the State government or wherever they might serve, it should be a recognition that we serve the American people, that we serve them. So as we look at all the issues that face us--whether we are going to spend money, whether we should pass this bill or not--let's remember a couple of things. And I would mention this to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Walker) because I know he knows this. And I know it. But I want my kids to know it. As we look at things we do in Congress, as we look at the men and women who serve our Nation, most do it in a very admirable way. They are patriotic. They are hard-working. They care about this Nation. But we have some that don't really meet that standard. And it is probably most fair, most humane, most decent that we hold people to a high standard. One of the things I want my kids to understand about government, about life in general, is that when they talk about the government and they talk about the Federal Government, it is really interesting. We will have this happen in our committee from time to time. We will say, well, whose money is it? And they will say, well, it is the government's money. No, it is not. It is the people's money. You see, every time we decide to spend money in Congress, what we are really deciding is, should we pull money out of somebody's pocket-- should we pull money out of your wallet, take it over here, and hand it to somebody else? Now there are some worthwhile causes for doing that, right? There are some worthwhile things to do: the protection of our Nation, for our armed services. I buy that. I get that. But we are spending far too much money on too many things. We can't be all things to all people. So going back to my original premise here, as I try to teach my own kids and try to remember myself, we have to be exceptionally responsible stewards of these assets and resources that aren't ours. They are an individual's. For you see, at the heart of this, it is something that I think President Washington understood: that the most powerful thing upon our Nation is the power of the people, and it is their own self- determination that should rule the day. You limit their self- determination the more you regulate them and the more you pull that money directly out of their pockets and give it to somebody else. Now, there is room for regulation. There is room for certain things in the public good. But I tell you, most of what happens, most of what goes on in Washington, it is far too much. It is excessive. And we have to remember at its core that accountability and responsibility for those of us who are fortunate enough to serve in a public role is imperative, but it is also imperative that each individual takes upon themselves their own accountability and their own responsibility. As able-bodied men and women, children, you have got to pull your own weight. You have got to carry your own bucket. You have got to do what you have got to do not only to help yourself but to help your community, your friends, and loved ones as well. And that is the heart of what I think the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Walker) brings to this body. I know he cares about it passionately. It is what we are here talking about tonight. There are a host of examples where we are not holding people accountable, and we want to change that. I hope we are able to talk about that a bit tonight. But for the moment, I would say to the gentleman, thank you for allowing me to participate.