Gerald Connolly

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. I thank my colleague, and I thank the distinguished chairman of the committee as well. I want to talk about the FITARA bill, the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act, that I am a coauthor of with the distinguished chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Mr. Issa. This is the most sweeping reform legislation since Clinger-Cohen. Today, Federal IT acquisition is a cumbersome, bureaucratic, and wasteful exercise. In recent decades, taxpayers have been forced to foot the bill for massive IT failures that ring up staggeringly high costs and exhibit astonishingly poor performance. Program failures and cost overruns plague the vast majority of major Federal IT investments, while Federal managers report that 47 percent of the budget is spent on maintaining antiquated and inadequate IT platforms even today. The annual pricetag of this wasteful spending is estimated at $20 billion a year. The Air Force, for example, invested 6 years in a modernization effort that cost more than $1 billion but failed to deliver a usable product, promptly its Assistant Secretary to state: I'm personally appalled at the limited capabilities that program has produced relative to that amount of investment. Mission-critical IT investment failures not only waste taxpayer dollars, but they jeopardize our Nation's safety. Our bill would modernize, streamline, and make more transparent by actually posting 80 percent of all acquisitions on the Web site. It would streamline the decisionmaking process. Right now, the 26 major Federal agencies, Madam Chairwoman, have over 250 people called CIO, chief information officers. We would designate one per agency who is responsible primarily and accountable primarily for IT acquisitions. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I again thank the distinguished chairman and the distinguished ranking member of the Armed Services Committee and their very able staff for cooperating with Chairman Issa and myself on this very important reform legislation, and I certainly hope when we get to conference with the Senate it will persevere. Madam Chair, today, Federal IT acquisition is a cumbersome, bureaucratic, and wasteful exercise. In recent decades, taxpayers have been forced to foot the bill for massive IT program failures that ring up staggeringly high costs, but exhibit astonishingly poor performance. Program failure and cost overruns still plague the vast majority of major Federal IT investments, while Federal managers' report that 47 percent of their budget is spent on maintaining antiquated and inadequate IT platforms. The annual price tag of this wasteful spending on Federal IT programs is estimated to add up to approximately $20 billion. The Air Force invested six years in a modernization effort that cost more than $1 billion, but failed to deliver a usable product, prompting its Assistant Secretary to state, ``I am personally appalled at the limited capabilities that program has produced relative to that amount of investment.'' Mission-critical IT investment failures not only waste taxpayer dollars, but they jeopardize our Nation's safety, security, and economy. From malfunctioning Census handheld computers that threatened to undermine a critical constitutional responsibility, to a promised electronic border fence that never materialized, time and time again, agency missions have been sabotaged by failed IT acquisitions. This status quo is unacceptable and unsustainable. I want to thank Chairman Issa for working with me in a productive and bipartisan manner to develop Amendment 117, a modified version of H.R. 1232, the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act, which was favorably reported by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform with unanimous support in March 2013. Our comprehensive proposal seeks to streamline and strengthen the Federal IT acquisition process and promote the adoption of best practices from the technology community. We have solicited extensive input from all stakeholders to refine and improve our amendment in an open and transparent manner. The resulting bipartisan amendment would elevate and empower agency CIOs with authority over, and accountability for, effectively managing the IT portfolio. It would also enhance OMB's role, tasking it with leading enterprise-wide portfolio management, and coordinating shared services and shared platforms across government. This bipartisan amendment would also empower agencies to eliminate duplicative and wasteful IT contracts that have proliferated for commonly-used, IT Commodity-like investments, such as e-mail. In this era of austerity, agencies cannot afford to spend precious dollars and time creating duplicative, wasteful contracts for products and licenses they already own. In addition to improving how the government procures IT, this amendment would also enhance how the government deploys these tools. It would accelerate data center optimization to achieve greater operating efficiency and cost-savings, as recommended by the U.S. Government Accountability Office; provide agencies with flexibility to leverage efficient cloud services; and strengthen the accountability and transparency of Federal IT programs. If enacted, 80 percent of the approximately $80 billion annual Federal IT investment would be required to be posted on the public IT Dashboard, compared to the 50 percent coverage that exists today. Consistent with the principle that public contracts are public documents, our amendment also strengthens transparency in regard to the final negotiated price a company charges a Federal agency for a good or service. Today, far too many agencies negotiate blanket purchase agreements in silos, without any knowledge that another agency has already negotiated a BPA with the same exact vendor, for the same exact product, but at a different price. Nearly two decades after the Information Technology Management Reform Act and the Federal Acquisition Reform Act were enacted as Division E and Division D of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996--reforms that are better known today as the foundational ``Clinger-Cohen Act''--a bipartisan consensus is finally forming around the urgent need to further streamline and strengthen how the Federal Government acquires and deploys IT. The bipartisan Issa-Connolly Amendment 117 will enhance the statutory framework established by Clinger-Cohen to create an efficient and effective Federal IT procurement system that best serves agencies, industry, and most importantly, the American taxpayer. I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this important bipartisan reform measure.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Chair, I am pleased to cosponsor this bipartisan amendment, which would prohibit the Defense Department from circumventing Congressional intent with regard to Russian state arms dealer Rosoboronexport. This amendment prohibits the Department of Defense from purchasing military helicopters from Rosoboronexport--a company that has been supplying weapons to Syrian President Bashar al- Assad's regime in its ``campaign of terror against its own people,'' as characterized by Secretary of State Kerry. The civil unrest and violence that has engulfed Syria and fueled instability across the region just entered its third year. This week, the United Nations reported that 93,000 people have been killed in this conflict. In addition, more than 1.6 million Syrian refugees are now displaced across five countries, and it is estimated that half of the population of Syria will be in need of aid by the end of this year. Russia has been the Assad regime's main arms supplier, recently announcing that it would provide Syria with advanced S-300 missile defense batteries. The Syrian Army also requested 20,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles, 20 million rounds of ammunition, machine guns, grenade launchers, grenades, and sniper rifles with night-vision sights from Rosoboronexport. The bipartisan amendment before us today, which I am pleased to cosponsor with Representatives DeLauro, Granger, Moran, Kingston, Ellison, and Wolf, would simply clarify the restrictions outlined in last year's defense authorization bill, which prohibited the Pentagon from using FY13 funds to enter into any contract with the Russian state arms dealer. Unfortunately, the Defense Department ignored that Congressional direction and found a way to maneuver around the law. Defense officials announced in April that they would use FY12 Afghanistan Security Forces Funds to purchase 30 more Mi-17 helicopters from Rosoboronexport. The signing of this contract is imminent. Our amendment would ensure that no funding is used to purchase equipment from this Russian arms dealer unless it cooperates with a pending Defense Contract Audit Agency review of another contract in which Rosoboronexport is suspected of overcharging the U.S. Navy. Moreover, the amendment would also ensure that future helicopter purchases for the Afghan National Security Force will be competitively bid. I urge my colleagues to support our bipartisan amendment, which will hold this Russian arms dealer accountable for its reprehensible role in the Syrian conflict, as well as ensure that the Pentagon complies with Congressional intent.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the bipartisan Hanna- Graves-Shuster-Hunter-Connolly Amendment 72, a modified version of H.R. 2232, the Make Every Small Business Count Act of 2013, which Mr. Graves introduced on June 4, 2013. This common sense amendment will strengthen the Federal Government's ability to fulfill its long-standing commitment to promote the viability and growth of American small businesses through Federal contracting. Amendment 72 will ensure that our Nation's procurement policy incentivizes the use of small business contracting at every tier by allowing prime contractors to receive credit towards meeting their small business contracting goals for lower tier subcontract awards to small firms. This will not only maximize small business subcontracting opportunities in the Federal space, but it will also ensure parity between government--which receives credit towards its small business goals for all tiers of subcontracting--and prime contractors--who only receive credit for first tier subcontractors. As the Chairman of the House Small Business Committee has noted, this incongruity has actually created a disincentive against considering small businesses for lower tier subcontracts, even though emerging, innovative small firms are often best suited for this type of work. This bipartisan amendment also removes a restriction in current law preventing agencies from negotiating subcontracting goals beyond the first tier, which in turn will allow for higher goals in a given contract and expand subcontracting opportunities for small businesses. The large and small businesses in my District are not asking for unfair competitive advantages or undeserved credit towards meeting small business contracting goals. They simply want a chance to fairly compete for Federal contracts and appropriate credit for subcontracting with small businesses at all tiers. In accomplishing these goals, our bipartisan amendment truly represents a win-win for all stakeholders, since increased competition in Federal contracting enhances innovation and job creation, while bolstering our industrial base. I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Chair, I am pleased to offer a simple bipartisan amendment with Representatives Wolf and Schneider to expand an existing report required by Section 1242 of the bill. The amendment clarifies that the report ought to include information on how the Egyptian military is supporting the rights of individuals involved in civil society and democratic promotion efforts through non-governmental organizations or NGOs. This a timely issue, given the guilty verdict rendered by an Egyptian court June 4th against 43 NGO workers--including 17 Americans--because of their involvement with pro-democracy groups. The guilty verdict renews concerns about Egypt's commitment to democratic principles. In fact, I am circulating a bipartisan letter with my Virginia colleague, Representative Wolf, urging Egyptian President Morsi to immediately reconsider this action and permit the NGOs to continue their important work. So far, more than 50 Members of Congress have signed our bipartisan letter, including Representative Schneider, who also cosponsored this amendment. The United States supports the aspirations of the Egyptian people to become a free and fair society, in which all NGOs--regardless of their nation of origin-- are allowed to operate freely. I hope that Egyptian officials will come to this same realization and return property confiscated from the NGOs 18 months ago, remove their staff from the no-fly list, and permit them to continue their work supporting a fair and open election process and helping to improve the lives of all Egyptians. If the U.S. government and the American people are to have any confidence that the Egyptian government is undertaking a genuine transition to a democratic state, under civilian control, where the freedoms of assembly, association, religion, and expression are guaranteed and the rule of law is upheld, then we must see a swift and satisfactory resolution to this case. As my colleagues will recall, this ordeal began a year and a half ago, when Egyptian forces raided both American and non-American NGO offices. During the raids, Egyptian forces seized records, computers, other electronic equipment, and hard currency. At every turn Egyptian authorities assured the NGOs and U.S. authorities that the situation would be appropriately resolved, only to renege on their word. For example, three days after the raids, U.S. NGOs were waiting for the return of their confiscated property as promised by Field Marshal Tantawi while simultaneously, another Egyptian official--Fayza Abou Naga, the government minister in charge of coordinating foreign aid-- was holding a press conference saying the property would not be returned. Abou Naga also accused the NGOs of illicitly funneling money to the April 6th Youth Movement. When I traveled to Egypt in March of last year, my colleagues and I raised the issue of the NGOs with General Tantawi. During that trip, we also met with the Egyptian staffers who were facing charges. They were in a precarious position, and their situation has only worsened with the June 4th verdict. We cannot in good conscience ignore the results of the recent trial, which comes on the heels of a draft law that further restricts NGOs, fails to meet Egypt's international commitments with respect to freedom of association, and lends credence to the opinion that there is an ongoing war against civil society in Egypt. U.S. law with regard to this issue is clear in the restrictions placed on the $1.3 billion in military aid for Egypt: Prior to the obligation of funds appropriated by this Act under the heading `Foreign Military Financing Program,' the Secretary of State shall certify to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of Egypt is supporting the transition to civilian government including holding free and fair elections; implementing policies to protect freedom of expression, association, and religion, and due process of law. With the current state of affairs in Egypt, any such certification that Egypt is, in fact, implementing policies to guarantee the pillars of a free society would be met with skepticism. That is why news reports of Secretary Kerry's recent action to waive the restrictions on that military aid are of particular concern. It is not too late to include these important NGO issues in a larger discussion about releasing (or withholding) other tranches of money to Egypt. Our amendment would further support the transition to democracy by requiring the Pentagon report on how Egyptian military activities contribute to an atmosphere where pro-democracy NGOs can operate freely. I encourage my colleagues to support the Connolly/Wolf/ Schneider amendment and to sign the related letter to President Morsi of Egypt.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to strike the last word.

Mr. CONNOLLY. I rise to invite the distinguished chairman of the committee and the ranking member to engage in a colloquy. As a Member that represents a large technology community in northern Virginia, I share Chairman Carter and Ranking Member Price's urgency for cultivating a robust cyber workforce, and I appreciate the committee's thoughtful report language identifying this as a Homeland Security priority, with specific actions for the Department to pursue so that they can lead by example. I look forward to working with them and their staffs on this vital initiative. With that, I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of our colloquy be entered into the Record at this point. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. CONNOLLY. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Chair, I have collaborated with the Chairman and Ranking Member on this statement and I am pleased to submit it into the Record with their concurrence. I appreciate the Committee's efforts to ensure the Department has the necessary cybersecurity resources to safeguard our Nation's digital infrastructure. In recent years, prominent intelligence, defense, and homeland security officials have expressed alarm over the rapidly increasing cyber threat and our inadequate cyber defenses, and we ignore those warnings at our own peril. Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta recently noted the potential of escalating cyber threats to culminate in a new ``cyber Pearl Harbor; an attack that would cause physical destruction and the loss of life'' and ``paralyze and shock the nation and create a new, profound sense of vulnerability.'' America's critical infrastructure remains a prime target for cyber attacks that are rapidly escalating in terms of scale and sophistication. Failure to secure the sensitive networks that underpin our financial institutions, utilities, and government leaves our country vulnerable to attacks that could cripple our economy or endanger our national security. Enhancing our cybersecurity capabilities should be a top homeland security priority, and it is absolutely vital that we cultivate a robust cyber workforce to carry out that mission. I share the Committee's ``serious concerns'' that our current cyber workforce training and recruitment efforts are inadequate to meet the scale of the threat. A recent SANS Institute report card found DHS is failing to utilize its full authorities to effectively recruit and retain cybersecurity personnel and neglecting to develop advanced in- house cyber skills. If our Nation is to have robust cybersecurity capabilities, we must cultivate a talented and well-trained cyber workforce capable of managing the protection of our government's networks and lead by example. That means we have to start educating people about the training and career opportunities in cybersecutity starting in our secondary schools and ramping up college recruitment. When I consulted the Chairman on this matter, he said shared my view and that the Committee believes there has been too little strategic planning and too few resources focused on development of the current workforce and developing a future workforce pipeline. That is why the Committee directs DHS to leverage its existing network of 12 Centers of Excellence around the country to address workforce needs. The bill also directs the Secretary to work with her counterparts at the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Labor to develop a veteran's cybersecurity workforce program targeting those veterans who are unemployed. Further it directs the undersecretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate to look across other agencies to see where DHS could leverage existing cyber capabilities. The Chairman further acknowledged that this will continue to be a challenge and focus area across all Federal agencies and the Committee. Even in my district, which is home to the one of the largest concentrations of technology firms in the country, rivaling that of Silicon Valley, we have a shortage of skilled cyber warriors. In a wired 21st Century, the Federal Government must have the necessary tools to recruit, retain, and develop a first-class cybersecurity workforce. I look forward to working with the Committee moving forward to achieve that mission.

Mr. CONNOLLY. I yield to my friend from Virginia.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Chairman, I think this is a very important debate. I remind my colleague from Virginia that I was on the board of supervisors in Fairfax County during the Karzai trial, and most certainly it was a difficult time, but we handled, professionally, that trial. He was tried fairly, convicted, and executed in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is not beyond our reach to be able to handle these difficult cases. Madam Chairman, I believe that this is a very important debate. I believe the author needs to be heard in the exposition of this argument, and I'm pleased now to yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).

Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. CONNOLLY. I thank the distinguished chairman and the distinguished ranking member and their staffs, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY. I yield to the ranking member.

Mr. CONNOLLY. I thank the distinguished chairman.

Mr. CONNOLLY. I yield to the chairman.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, I rise to invite Chairman Carter to engage in a colloquy. Chairman Carter and Ranking Member Price have done a lot of good work to craft this bill in a bipartisan fashion that strengthens our ability to provide for the safety and security of our constituents' communities. As you know, this is a shared responsibility with local and State governments. I'm pleased to see this year's bill makes a significant investment in supporting the public safety activities of those partners. I rise to call attention to the elimination of the Office of National Capital Region Coordination and ask the committee's assistance in ensuring the department not only maintain, but demonstrably improve its collaboration with our local and State partners in the absence of this stand-alone office. I share the committee's concerns with the performance of the Regional Coordination Office, which according to multiple GAO reports, has fallen considerably short of its goals. Two natural disasters of 2011-- a record snowstorm and an earthquake--showed that gaps in regional communication and coordination unfortunately still exist in the National Capital Region. During my tenure on the Fairfax Country Board of Supervisors, I was a founding member of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments' Emergency Preparedness Council. The attack on the Pentagon on 9/11 revealed gaping holes in even basic communication between the Federal Government and regional partners. For example, following the attack, the Federal Government allowed early release of all of its workforce with zero coordination with local governments, thus creating some of the worst gridlock in the history of Washington, D.C. Thankfully, a proposal to also close Metro that day was rejected or the situation would have been even worse. This is not just any region of the country. This is the Nation's capital, and the number of Federal assets throughout the region demands that the Federal Government play an active role in coordinating preparedness and response efforts with our local and State partners. In fact, section 882 of the National Security Act of 2002 specifies that the department help assess, advocate for, and assist our State and local partners. I would ask the chairman of the committee if it is the committee's intent to hold the department responsible for fulfilling those functions without this standalone office?

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. CONNOLLY. I am pleased to join my colleague once again in sponsoring this important amendment to restore funding to our Nation's elite Urban Search and Rescue teams. Our modest, simple, straightforward amendment, which has the support of the International Association of Firefighters, would provide level funding, as my colleague just indicated, for the Department to continue supporting the 28 national teams currently spread across 19 States, including our respective home States of New York and Virginia. When people are trapped in the unstable rubble of a collapsed building, the window of survivability can be measured in hours. Without highly trained responders, rescue attempts can actually imperil victims and rescuers alike. Thankfully, because of this training, we have made strategic investments in specialized research and search and rescue teams. These elite firefighters and emergency medical technicians are not just first responders, though they are that. For people awaiting rescue, they are often the last hope. As my colleagues are aware, federally supported search and rescue responders were on the scene recently in Oklahoma after the tornadoes there and in New Jersey and New York after Superstorm Sandy last year. Prior to coming to Congress, Mr. Chairman, I served for 14 years in local government in Fairfax County, Virginia. For 9 of those years, I shared an office with the fire department. I saw daily the selfless dedication of men and women who put their lives at risk in service to others. Fairfax County is home to one of the most elite US&R teams in the country--in fact, in the world. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Agency for International Development, FEMA, and Fairfax County government, the team serves American interests both here at home and abroad. The team is comprised of highly skilled career and volunteer fire and rescue personnel whose daily duties are to serve the community by responding to local fire and medical emergencies. But when called into service, that team, designated as Virginia Task Force One, is mobilized for quick response to domestic disasters, natural or manmade, with special expertise in collapsed building rescue. Our team was deployed in Oklahoma City in the wake of the terrorist bombing in 1995 and was among the first on the scene at the Pentagon on 9/11. It was also dispatched to Mississippi and Louisiana in response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It has answered the call for help in multiple States, including California, North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Kansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, to name a few. When disaster strikes, whether natural or manmade, domestically or internationally, the US&R teams have rushed to the scene, saving countless lives and preserving and protecting property. Their heroic efforts have shown this to be a wise investment that absolutely must be maintained. I urge my colleagues to support the Grimm-Connolly amendment to ensure that this successful partnership with our local partners and first responders is sustained, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the dedication of the newest Fairfax County public middle school, South County Middle School in Lorton, Virginia, and to congratulate Principal Marsha Manning on being named the 2013 Nancy F. Sprague Outstanding First-Year Principal for Fairfax County Public Schools. Responsible for the education of more than 180,000 students, the Fairfax County Public School System (FCPS) is the largest public school system in Commonwealth of Virginia and the 11th largest school system in the nation. With a budget that exceeds $2.4 billion, the school system offers a full range of educational opportunities to each of the students who attend one of its 196 schools. Nearly 75% of local high school graduates go on to some form of post-secondary education, and in 2012, Newsweek magazine designated all eligible FCPS high schools as the most challenging public schools in the nation. In 2012, the average SAT score in Fairfax County was 1654; 140 points higher than the Virginia average and nearly 200 points higher than the national average. These extraordinary accomplishments at the high school level would not be possible without an exceptional middle school system that thoroughly educates and prepares students in grades 7-8 for the challenges of high school. It is my honor to recognize our newest middle school, South County Middle School in Lorton, Virginia. Following the transfer of the former Lorton prison property to Fairfax County in 2002, the explosive growth in the southern end of Fairfax County continued to accelerate. In 2005, the doors to a new secondary school opened to accommodate children in grades 7 through 12. The new school, South County Secondary School, had a maximum student capacity of 2,500 and immediately exceeded capacity, requiring a number of temporary trailer classrooms to be installed on site. In 2008, as Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, I was honored to work with the community and my fellow Supervisors to set aside $10 million from the county budget expressly for the purpose of constructing a new middle school that was desperately needed to alleviate overcrowding and provide an environment conducive to education and our children's well being. South County Middle School opened its doors in September 2012, and on June 5, 2013, we celebrate the formal dedication of this institution. Principal Marsha Manning has led the school during this inaugural year with professionalism, dedication, and devotion to the children in her charge. Ms. Manning, a 23-year veteran of FCPS, began her career in 1990 teaching English at Washington Irving Middle School. She then went on to serve as an assistant principal at Mark Twain Middle School, and in 2005, helped to open South County Secondary School where she served as a subschool principal. It was a natural fit for her to take the reins as principal of the new South County Middle School, where she, the school, and the students have thrived. She has been described by her colleagues as a person who displays ``hard work, integrity, and exceptional passion'' and is credited with instilling pride and a sense of identity to the school and students--a task that usually takes years. I congratulate Principal Manning on being named the 2013 Nancy F. Sprague Outstanding First-Year Principal, a recognition very well deserved. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in commending the faculty, staff, administration, parents, and entire South County Community for their unwavering dedication to the students of South County Middle School. The commitment displayed to the education, safety, and well being of our children is instrumental to their health and future success, and it is one of the primary reasons that Fairfax County is often rated as one of the best counties in the country in which to live, work, and raise a family. I thank each of you for your tireless efforts, and wish years of success to the Mustangs of South County Middle School.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize 51 graduating seniors in my community for their record of academic and athletic accomplishment and for their admirable decision to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. I also express my appreciation to Our Community Salutes of Northern Virginia for providing this opportunity to be among the first to say to each of these young men and women: ``Thank you.'' I have had the privilege of working with Our Community Salutes of Northern Virginia since its inception in 2011. That year my office was contacted by one of the founding parents who upon learning that her son and other students at his school who had decided to enlist would not receive any recognition during graduation, joined with other parents to organize the first enlistee recognition ceremony of its kind in the region. The first ceremony recognized 9 students. In two short years that number has grown to 101. With graduation season upon us, thousands of young people in my community, and millions across the nation, are preparing for the next chapter in their lives. Some will pursue higher education or vocational training, others will seek to enter the workforce immediately, and many will answer the call to serve their community and their country. The United States of America has distinguished itself from other nations through the entrepreneurship and spirit of our people, the knowledge that we can achieve any goal if we set our minds to it, our inherent compassion and generosity, our fierce patriotism, and the extraordinary sacrifices and dedication to country exhibited by the members of our Armed Forces. The young men and women from our community who will be enlisting possess an abundance of each of these qualities. I join with their families and friends in congratulating and commending the following graduates on their enlistment in the United States Marine Corps: Kamo Abdulrahman; Jonathan Aguilar; Kevin Amaya; Jackson Burgess; Benjamin Burruss; Daniel Chhieu; Emily Collins; Latrice Coram; Larry Davis; James Degrafft; Kevin Diaz; Ludvigsen Diaz; Aaron Elassal; Jacob Facas; Mario Fajardo; Azad Fattahi; Ismael Ferman; Christopher Foerter; Spencer Gonsalvez; Veronica Gonzalez; Matthew Gregory; Jeffrey Hong; Nicholas Hunter; Mateusz Laguna; Gwendetta Mabry; Isaac Martinez; Tyreek Minter; Robert Mondloch; Yenifer Montalvo; Matthew Moser; Jason Pabontancara; Omar Paniagua; Tae Park; Erik Ploompuu; Herson Reyes; Jorge Ribera-Pedraza; Carlos Rodriguez; Leonel Santos; Romeo Sarmiento, III; Bradley Sherman; Simranjit Singh; Joshua Skym; David Smith; Kyle Stears; Brittany Thompson; Christian Valencia; Leopoldo Valiente Marquez; Joseph Stephen Vanwijngaarden; Deyvis Vasquez Soto; William Vo; Jaime Zamora Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding the courage and dedication of these graduates and in assuring them and their families that the full support and resources of the U.S. Congress and the American people will be behind them on every step of their journey in defense our nation's freedom.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize 8 graduating seniors in my community for their record of academic and athletic accomplishment and for their admirable decision to enlist in the United States Air Force. I also express my appreciation to Our Community Salutes of Northern Virginia for providing this opportunity to be among the first to say to each of these young men and women: ``Thank you.'' I have had the privilege of working with Our Community Salutes of Northern Virginia since its inception in 2011. That year my office was contacted by one of the founding parents who upon learning that her son and other students at his school who had decided to enlist would not receive any recognition during graduation, joined with other parents to organize the first enlistee recognition ceremony of its kind in the region. The first ceremony recognized 9 students. In two short years that number has grown to 101. With graduation season upon us, thousands of young people in my community, and millions across the nation, are preparing for the next chapter in their lives. Some will pursue higher education or vocational training, others will seek to enter the workforce immediately, and many will answer the call to serve their community and their country. The United States of America has distinguished itself from other nations through the entrepreneurship and spirit of our people, the knowledge that we can achieve any goal if we set our minds to it, our inherent compassion and generosity, our fierce patriotism, and the extraordinary sacrifices and dedication to country exhibited by the members of our Armed Forces. The young men and women from our community who will be enlisting possess an abundance of each of these qualities. I join with their families and friends in congratulating and commending the following graduates on their enlistment in the United States Air Force: Robert Avara; Lance Clark; Megan Cumpas; Megan Drechsler; Julie Jones; Luis Martinez Ramirez; Bradley Mauldin; Anthony Morgan; Kyle Pelar. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding the courage and dedication of these graduates and in assuring them and their families that the full support and resources of the U.S. Congress and the American people will be behind them on every step of their journey in defense of our nation's freedom.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize 13 graduating seniors in my community for their record of academic and athletic accomplishment and for their admirable decision to enlist in the United States Navy. I also express my appreciation to Our Community Salutes of Northern Virginia for providing this opportunity to be among the first to say to each of these young men and women: ``Thank you.'' I have had the privilege of working with Our Community Salutes of Northern Virginia since its inception in 2011. That year my office was contacted by one of the founding parents who upon learning that her son and other students at his school who had decided to enlist would not receive any recognition during graduation, joined with other parents to organize the first enlistee recognition ceremony of its kind in the region. The first ceremony recognized 9 students. In two short years that number has grown to 101. With graduation season upon us, thousands of young people in my community, and millions across the nation, are preparing for the next chapter in their lives. Some will pursue higher education or vocational training, others will seek to enter the workforce immediately, and many will answer the call to serve their community and their country. The United States of America has distinguished itself from other nations through the entrepreneurship and spirit of our people, the knowledge that we can achieve any goal if we set our minds to it, our inherent compassion and generosity, our fierce patriotism, and the extraordinary sacrifices and dedication to country exhibited by the members of our Armed Forces. The young men and women from our community who will be enlisting possess an abundance of each of these qualities. I join with their families and friends in congratulating and commending the following graduates on their enlistment in the United States Navy: Jessica Blas Salazar; Kafahni Crowell; Tyler Deleeuw; Bryan Ignacio; Jinsuk Lee; Jay Lee; Hasmeed Machuca; Ashley Sager; Timothy Skubal; Daniel Vanderplas; Evertt Vasquez; Christina Vithaya; Lars Yates Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding the courage and dedication of these graduates and in assuring them and their families that the full support and resources of the U.S. Congress and the American people will be behind them on every step of their journey in defense our nation's freedom.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize 28 graduating seniors in my community for their record of academic and athletic accomplishment and for their admirable decision to enlist in the United States Army. I also express my appreciation to Our Community Salutes of Northern Virginia for providing this opportunity to be among the first to say to each of these young men and women: ``Thank you.'' I have had the privilege of working with Our Community Salutes of Northern Virginia since its inception in 2011. That year my office was contacted by one of the founding parents who upon learning that her son and other students at his school who had decided to enlist would not receive any recognition during graduation, joined with other parents to organize the first enlistee recognition ceremony of its kind in the region. The first ceremony recognized 9 students. In two short years that number has grown to 101. With graduation season upon us, thousands of young people in my community, and millions across the nation, are preparing for the next chapter in their lives. Some will pursue higher education or vocational training, others will seek to enter the workforce immediately, and many will answer the call to serve their community and their country. The United States of America has distinguished itself from other nations through the entrepreneurship and spirit of our people, the knowledge that we can achieve any goal if we set our minds to it, our inherent compassion and generosity, our fierce patriotism, and the extraordinary sacrifices and dedication to country exhibited by the members of our Armed Forces. The young men and women from our community who will be enlisting possess an abundance of each of these qualities. I join with their families and friends in congratulating and commending the following graduates on their enlistment in the United States Army: Eric Alvarez Carranza; Damaris Aparicio; Niel Barasona; James Blersch; Gabriel Brey; Mayerling Castillo; Tyler Cirillo; Andrew Coreas; Stacy Darpoh; Tyler Davis; Timothy Driscoll; Austin Dunn; Zachary Francis; Jocelyn Garcia Gonzalez; David Gillespie; Lewis Green; Icavetta Gregory; Enmanuel Hernandez; Nathaniel Holmes; Rezaul Khan; Joseline Lopez Martinez; Yenis Lopez-Arias; Oscar Luna Rivera; Francis Nguyen; Dino Ponce; Cody Smith; Mathias Sobarzo; Danny Ventura Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding the courage and dedication of these graduates and in assuring them and their families that the full support and resources of the U.S. Congress and the American people will be behind them on every step of their journey in defense of our nation's freedom.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the St. Matthew's Lutheran Day School of Prince William County, Virginia, on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, and to recognize the school for its continued dedication to the education of our youngest citizens. St. Matthew's Lutheran Day School was established after Senior Pastor David Bohannon went door-to-door in 1971 to gauge the interest of the surrounding community for early childhood education opportunities. The day school, open to any member of the surrounding community, began in 1973 with 88 children. Now there are 250 students enrolled at St. Matthew's. The school has served several thousand children from Prince William County since 1973. St. Matthew's students graduate well-prepared for elementary, secondary, and post secondary education. I commend the administration at St. Matthew's for using a comprehensive curriculum that focuses not only on academic learning but also on imaginative play and hands-on learning. Activities at the Day School include group time, circle time, center time, snack time, playground time, and story time. These activities encourage a positive and interactive learning environment for the three- to five-year-olds served by the St. Matthew's Lutheran Day School. St. Matthew's began its 40th anniversary celebration entitled ``Early Years Are Learning Years,'' in April with an Open House, during which the school displayed student artwork. The school will continue to celebrate through the end of the year by hosting literacy concerts throughout the community. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the St. Matthew's Lutheran Day School for serving families and children in our community for 40 years. I extend my personal appreciation to the staff of the Day School for their commitment to empowering our children by providing access to a high quality early childhood education.