Rick Crawford

Mr. CRAWFORD

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 75th anniversary of Explosive Ordnance Disposal in our Nation's Armed Forces, and their mission is even more important and dangerous today than it was 75 years ago. Today I rise to honor two EOD techs who gave their lives in just the past few weeks to keep others safe from harm. U.S. Navy EOD Senior Chief Petty Officer Scotty C. Dayton, age 42, was killed in Syria on Thanksgiving Day, the 24th of November, 2016, in the ongoing conflict in Syria against ISIS. He died from wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. Assigned to EOD Mobile Unit Two, Virginia Beach, Virginia, he was operating with Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve near the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa. He is survived by his wife, Kristin; and two children, Hailey and Cole. EOD Chief Jason Finan, age 34, was killed near Mosul, Iraq, 20 October, 2016. He also died from wounds sustained from an IED. Assigned to Mobile Unit Three, Coronado, California, he was operating while deployed with Navy SEALs, advising Iraqi forces in operations against ISIS and retaking the city of Mosul. He is survived by his wife, Chariss; son, Christopher; and mother, Gloria. As a Nation, we will be forever grateful for the ultimate sacrifice both of these men made in service to their fellow sailors and their country. In this 75th year of Explosive Ordnance Disposal, please take the time to remember the important role that EOD techs play in our national security and the risks they take every day to keep us safe.

Mr. CRAWFORD

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the ranking member and express my appreciation to the chairman for his support of the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Chairman, first, let me applaud the chairman's efforts and dedication to moving this reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act. Continued investment in water infrastructure projects is critical to my constituents and communities all over the country who rely on water infrastructure to protect our communities and to strengthen the competitiveness of private enterprise. The amendment I am offering today builds upon past successes of the chairman and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. It seeks to amend the Water Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act, or WIFIA, so that it will better address the problem of groundwater depletion, an issue that is becoming more and more widespread throughout communities all over the United States. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, groundwater is the source of drinking water for about half of the total U.S. population and nearly all of the rural population. USGS also estimates that groundwater provides over 50 billion gallons per day for agricultural needs. In order to ensure adequate water availability for our communities and our farmers, it is vital to advance infrastructure projects that produce pressure on aquifers that supply groundwater. In many parts of the country, water availability is at risk due to rates of groundwater pumping that outpace the ability of regional aquifers to recharge. The problem has only grown worse with the recent onslaught of widespread drought. WIFIA was passed in the 2014 WRDA bill, and is an important tool that will accelerate water infrastructure investment in many important water projects. However, the program does not provide support for alternative water delivery projects aimed at reducing aquifer depletion. My amendment to WRDA clarifies the law to ensure that these types of groundwater conservation projects qualify for WIFIA financing. Secondly, it makes a technical modification to ensure that WIFIA financing arrangements consider the total cost of the project, which will help advance projects already under construction. Aquifer depletion threatens our communities and industries that rely on a constant supply of groundwater, so it is critical to support investment in projects that aim to address this serious problem. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CRAWFORD

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, September is National Rice Month. For those of us in the agriculture community, there are two numbers that stuck out. One is 2050; the other is 9 billion. Let me explain. By the year 2050, we expect the human population will be at about 9 billion people. Beyond all the other concerns we have about such a large population, among those concerns is: How will we feed that many people? I believe that hearty, wholesome grains like Arkansas rice will be a part of the answer to that important question. Rice is nutrient-dense, containing over 15 vitamins and minerals, including folic acid, B vitamins, iron, and zinc. It is easily stored, transported, and an incredibly versatile kitchen staple for families around the world. In an age of concern over healthy, affordable foods, rice supplies an answer that other grains can't match. A one-half cup cooked serving of rice costs less than 10 cents and provides complex carbohydrates that fuel the human body. But here in the United States Congress, one of the problems I run into is that people don't know that we grow rice in the United States. I do what I can to spread the word about American rice production, including sending other Members Rice Krispies Treats on their birthdays. If we are going to use rice as a tool for solving the world's need for cheap, affordable foods, we have got to keep telling the story about American rice. I can't think of any other food more important for feeding the world.

Mr. CRAWFORD

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize the 100th birthday of Mr. Luther Almer ``Jack'' Bearden, who was born on September 8, 1916. The youngest child of Charles Luther and Addie Mae Wallace Bearden, Luther Almer became ``Jack'' as a young boy when he took water to the cotton fields as a ``water jack.'' The name has stuck with him for almost a century. Born in Boydsville, Arkansas, Jack grew up during the Great Depression chopping and picking cotton by hand. By the age of 16, Jack would surrender his life to Christ, changing the course of his life forever. Four years later, he met 16-year-old Martha Geneva Bateman, whom would become his wife of 75 years. Throughout the many years of their marriage, they would serve God in church, visiting the sick, Women's Associations, and Men's Brotherhood events. In 1942, Jack gave his first sermon, ``Ye Must Be Born Again'' from John 3:7 at Boydsville Baptist Church. In his 73 years as a preacher, Jack started five mission churches and pastored 25 churches in Northeast Arkansas and Missouri. To support his family while pastoring, Jack held a multitude of occupations throughout his life. He was a cistern digger, carpenter, cotton picker, cotton chopper, song leader, pianist, and temporarily ran a store. He is an inspiration to all those who have the opportunity to meet him. Jack and his late wife Geneva were blessed with three daughters, one of whom passed away at birth, and a son who passed on to heaven in 1998. They were also blessed with 10 grandchildren, 23 great- grandchildren, and 5 great-great grandchildren. I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to the lifetime of achievements of Mr. Bearden and to wish him all the very best.

Mr. CRAWFORD

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to rise today to commemorate Izard County and the City of Horseshoe Bend as a Purple Heart County and a Purple Heart City. I am honored and humbled to represent so many veterans throughout the First Congressional District of Arkansas. Izard County is home to over 1,400 veterans and Horseshoe Bend is home to nine (9) Purple Heart recipients. As a veteran of the United States Army, I have a great admiration and the utmost gratitude for all the men and women who have selflessly served our Nation. The Purple Heart is our Nation's oldest and one of the most recognized military medals. It was originally established by General George Washington on August 7, 1782, as the ``Badge of Military Merit.'' On February 22, 1932, the 200th anniversary of General Washington's birthday, it was renamed the Purple Heart Medal by the Army War Department. The Purple Heart may be awarded to members of the Armed Forces or to any civilian national of the United States who has been wounded, killed, or who has died or may die of wounds received while in combat against an enemy, while a member of a peacekeeping force, while a Prisoner of War, as a result of a terrorist attack, or as a result of a friendly fire incident in hostile territory. Since its inception, the Purple Heart has been awarded over an estimated 1.9 million times to those wounded or killed while serving our Nation. On September 12, 2016, a special duel ceremony will be held to establish Izard County and the City of Horseshoe Bend as a Purple Heart Community. The contributions and sacrifices of the men and women from the State of Arkansas, Izard County, and Horseshoe Bend who served in the Armed Forces have been vital in protecting the freedoms every American enjoys today. Mr. Speaker, please join me once again in recognition of Izard County and the City of Horseshoe Bend as a Purple Heart County and a Purple Heart City.

Mr. CRAWFORD

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Donnie Neely for her 50 years of service at Baxter Healthcare Corporation in Mountain Home, Arkansas. On June 7, 1966, Ms. Neely reported for her first day of work at Baxter's Mountain Home, Arkansas plant which had opened just two years earlier. She planned to work only three months to buy school clothes for her kids. Now 50 years later she is still with the plant. Ms. Neely operates a machine making injection molding parts used in numerous healthcare settings, and the parts she makes are shipped to manufacturing sites around the world. She has always felt pride about the work she does, particularly when seeing those products in action while visiting relatives in the hospital. Ms. Neely is known by her supervisor as the model employee, someone who can be depended on every day, and an employee who works well with all her coworkers. Ms. Neely's commitments extend to her family. Her daughter now works at the plant as well. She got those school clothes, and much more, thanks to her mom's dedication to Baxter Mountain Home. I thank Ms. Neely for her fifty years of dedicated and faithful service in Arkansas.

Mr. CRAWFORD

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Chairman, I offer this amendment in defense of agricultural producers across the country who continue to face the heavy hand of EPA regulations. The EPA's Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure rule for on- farm fuel storage requires farmers and ranchers to make costly infrastructure improvements to their oil storage facilities to reduce the possibility of an oil spill. These regulations fail to take into account, however, the relative risk of oil spills on farms, and they do not recognize the simple fact that family farmers are already careful stewards of the land and water. It is clear that no one has more at stake in the health of their land than those who work on the ground from which they derive their livelihoods. Even if EPA wants to resist common sense, USDA actually studied risk of oil spills on farms. It determined that more than 99 percent of farmers have never experienced a spill. In the 2014 Water Resources Development Act, we made modifications to the exemption threshold and required EPA to go back to the drawing board and conduct a study to determine how to balance the needs of financial resources of small producers with their assessed spill risk. Instead, the EPA defied Congress' wishes and hastily put together a study without evaluating risk specific to agriculture. It offered the same unsubstantiated conclusions that it found in the original SPCC rule and could not cite a single incident of a spill on a farm. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Chairman, to require that all of our producers make a significant investment to prevent such an unlikely event seems out of touch with reality and disregards the already overwhelming number of safeguards our farmers already employ. My amendment would restrict the EPA's ability to enforce SPCC regulations on farms so that farmers and ranchers can go about their business of producing America's food and fiber without having to worry about unnecessary compliance costs and red tape. Let me say that on three separate occasions, the House unanimously passed my bipartisan legislation, the FUELS Act, which rolled back these same SPCC regulations on farms. We passed this same amendment during last year's consideration of the Interior and environmental appropriations bill. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to again support our farmers and ranchers and vote ``yes'' on this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Chairman, first let me start by thanking the gentleman from Washington for joining me as a cosponsor of this amendment. Our amendment is simple. It prohibits the EPA and other agencies from using funds in violation of a longstanding law, formally known as the Anti-Lobbying Act. Earlier this year, the Government Accountability Office ruled that the EPA violated the law by engaging in grassroots solicitation intended to urge the public to support the waters of the United States rule, a vast expansion of Federal jurisdiction. The GAO found that EPA went to unprecedented lengths using social media and other online tools to manufacture public support for the rule and to sway the opinions of Members of Congress. GAO cited two specific violations by the EPA that occurred during the critical time when the Agency was preparing the final WOTUS rule. The first violation was an effort through an Internet tool called Thunderclap which enabled the EPA to reach 1.8 million people who simultaneously shared a message supporting the WOTUS rule. Not only did EPA write the message itself, but it disseminated the message covertly, failing to identify itself as the author. Secondly, the GAO found that EPA violated the law by hyperlinking its own Web site to an outside advocacy group's grassroots campaign effort. The site asked members of the public to take action by contacting their Members of Congress using a form letter written in support of the WOTUS rule. These unprecedented actions were crafted by the EPA in a deliberate effort to undermine Congress and advance its extremist environmental agenda. Even though the independent, nonpartisan GAO ruled EPA's actions clearly violated the law, nobody at EPA was ever held accountable, and no appropriate remedial action has been taken to prevent this from happening again. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Chairman, as I indicated before, the GAO cited two specific violations by the EPA that did, in fact, violate the Anti- Lobbying Act that was mentioned by my colleague from Minnesota. That occurred during a critical time, as I indicated before. The Anti-Lobbying Act allows agencies to promote their own policies, but it prohibits them from engaging in covert propaganda efforts intended to influence the American public. Our amendment simply reinforces this important law. It will prevent agencies like the EPA from undermining Congress through the use of publicity and propaganda tools that interfere with the lawmaking process. The amendment serves as another important reminder to executive agencies of its proper constitutional role. Congress, not unaccountable Agency bureaucrats, is responsible for writing the laws that our citizens must live by. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CRAWFORD

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I would like to use this time to engage in a colloquy with my friend, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart). Instead of moving forward with my amendment, as I had intended, that would enable our agriculture producers to sell products to Cuba on credit for the next fiscal year, we have agreed to work together and find a long-term solution that will work for our agriculture producers over time. Until today, there seemed to be no path forward for an agreement, but I have gotten commitments from the leadership and my friends from Florida that there will be a proper path forward. We have agreed to find a solution that does a number of things: Supports a long-term solution for our agriculture producers to sell commodities to Cuban buyers by eliminating restrictions in current law that weaken our producers' competitiveness; Lists a number of the impediments, a cash restriction being one of those, a cash requirement for purchases; Support for the thorough examination of the Cuban market potential for agriculture producers through a deliberative process across each relevant committee of jurisdiction; and Examines other long-term solutions that enable the United States to expand market access to the Cuban people. At a time when net farm income has dropped by more than 55 percent, it is critical that we work together to find ways to make this work on a long-term basis because there is no easy fix. Our producers are ready to sell products to the 11 million people in Cuba that represent a market value in excess of $1 billion a year. I thank the hard work and efforts of the agriculture, business, humanitarian, and religious organizations in supporting this amendment. I look forward to working with my colleagues from Florida, the committee chairs, the leadership, and the Agriculture Committee on a solution we can all agree on.

Mr. CRAWFORD

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, May 16th, 2016 I was inadvertently detained on Roll Call Votes 194 and 195. Had I been present to vote I would have voted YES on each. On Tuesday, May 17th, 2016 I was inadvertently detained on Roll Call Votes 196, 197, 198, and 199. Had I been present to vote I would have voted YES on Roll Call Votes 196, 197, and 199. I would have voted NO on Roll Call Vote 198.

Mr. CRAWFORD

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, on April 28 through 29, 2016, I was inadvertently detained on Rollcall Votes 176, 177, and 179. Had I been present to vote, I would have voted ``yes'' on each. In addition, I was inadvertently detained on Rollcall Vote 178. Had I been present to vote, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. CRAWFORD

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, 19 students from Valley View High School in my hometown of Jonesboro, Arkansas, have been studying our Nation's constitutional democracy for several months in an intensive course. The course called We the People is taught to students particularly interested in the history and principles of the United States Government. Last week, those students put their knowledge to the ultimate test in Washington, D.C. They competed in a simulated congressional hearing by evaluating, taking, and defending positions on a variety of historical and contemporary issues. Our government functions more efficiently when passionate citizens engage in the political and policymaking process, and I am proud that these students are already preparing themselves for that process through their education. Traci Smith, the group's civics teacher, deserves our thanks and respect for the incredibly important role that she plays in preparing our rising generation. I would also like to applaud the efforts of the We the People Arkansas State coordinator, Jeff Whittingham, associate professor at the University of Central Arkansas who has done such a remarkable job through the years organizing and directing the We the People program for our State.

Mr. CRAWFORD

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, as co-chairman of the Congressional Explosive Ordnance Disposal Caucus, today I rise to honor the life and service of Gunnery Sergeant Michael D. Stanton II, United States Marine Corps, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Retired. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Gunny Stanton was born on January 27, 1963, and passed on February 6, 2016, in Dunedin, Florida. At the start of his career, Gunny Stanton was a telephone technician, but he soon took those technical skills and put them to work as an explosive ordnance disposal technician. When Gunny Stanton first began his training, he attended the basic EOD course at Eglin Air Force Base. While in training, his block tests and final examination scores were so high that his records remain intact to this day. In the course of his 18 years in the Marine Corps, Stanton earned many awards too numerous to list in this space. He is preceded in death by his father, Michael Dale Stanton Sr.; and a brother, Brian Stanton. Gunny Stanton is survived by his loving family: his wife, Terri Stanton; his mother, Gloria Mueller; and a brother, Timothy Stanton. While I know that his family and friends will remember him in their own personal way, I would like all of us here in the House of Representatives to remember him as a courageous leader and a fine marine who each day bravely faced the challenges inherent in the life of an explosive ordnance disposal technician.

Mr. CRAWFORD

Mr. CRAWFORD. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 1707.

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 1707 would designate the Federal building located at 617 Walnut Street in Helena, Arkansas, as the Jacob Trieber Federal Building, United States Post Office, and United States Court House. Judge Trieber, a Prussian immigrant, eventually became the first Jewish Federal judge in our Nation's history. Settling in Helena, Arkansas, Judge Trieber issued rulings to protect against racial discrimination more than six decades before the Supreme Court would. For his unmatched dedication to justice, a lifetime of service, and his many landmark rulings, we seek support in renaming the Federal building in his honor. Appointed to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas by President McKinley in 1900, he served for 27 years and became one of the country's most distinguished jurists and renowned constitutional scholars. Working simultaneously on more than 1,000 cases each year, Judge Trieber issued nationally important rulings on controversies that included antitrust cases, railroad litigation, prohibition cases, and mail fraud. Several of his rulings, especially the ones regarding civil rights and wildlife conservation, still have implications today. Judge Trieber took an early interest in civil rights, especially after seeing how discrimination against Jews consumed his home country of Prussia. After the move to his new home in the United States, Arkansas became very dear to him, but the blatant racism he saw firsthand affected his outlook on life and his work even more than what he had encountered in Prussia. Judge Trieber ``sought to communicate-- through his own life and deeds and his commitment to equal justice-- that racism was detrimental to the people of Arkansas'' and that only until the State's race relations problem was solved could the ``State's great potential be achieved.'' Since Arkansas' judicial system alone could not prevent the commonplace violence and racism, Judge Trieber took it upon himself to fight against injustice through several landmark rulings, two of which dealt with employment discrimination. He also fought against unfair election laws, which he correctly believed were unfair to women and Blacks. Going against conventional thought and even at risk to himself, Judge Trieber ruled against local hate groups, writing that ``the rights to lease lands and to accept employment for hire are fundamental rights, inherent in every free citizen.'' Although he was overruled in 1906 by the Supreme Court, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had finally granted the comprehensive protection against racial discrimination that Judge Trieber had long sought. In 1968, the Supreme Court overturned their original ruling against Judge Trieber's interpretation, saying that his interpretation of the law was at last vindicated. In 1927, Judge Trieber departed this life and was buried in Little Rock at Oakland Cemetery. He would never live to see the changes he fought so hard for, but by renaming the Federal building in the town he loved, we preserve his memory and acknowledge his very early role in the most important civil rights movement our Nation has ever seen. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1707) to designate the Federal building located at 617 Walnut Street in Helena, Arkansas, as the ``Jacob Trieber Federal Building, United States Post Office, and United States Court House''.

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her eloquent comments, and I urge my colleagues to support S. 1707. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CRAWFORD

Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 261) to designate the United States courthouse located at 200 NW 4th Street in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as the ``William J. Holloway, Jr. United States Courthouse''.

Mr. CRAWFORD. 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 material on S. 261.