James Comer

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a great Kentucky Statesman and a true friend. This past weekend, Kentucky lost one of its best. My dear friend, and the former majority leader of the Kentucky House of Representatives, Bam Carney. Bam represented his home county of Taylor and Adair County in the Kentucky General Assembly for many years. He rose as high as majority leader, and remained there and would have been there as long as he wanted to be majority leader until he fell ill. And those of us who have kept up with Bam over the past year and-a-half know that he fought a battle that few people could have fought over the past year and-a- half. I am sad to report that this past weekend, Bam passed away, but he will never be forgotten. The history books will write about Bam Carney, and they will talk about his role as majority leader of the Kentucky House of Representatives. They will also talk about his role as a great educator, and a leader for education in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I want to take a few moments to recognize Bam Carney, my friend. When you are involved in politics, you get to meet a lot of political people. And I had the pleasure of serving in the Kentucky House of Representatives with Bam Carney. I remember when he arrived in Frankfort, Kentucky, a few years after I got there. And Bam immediately made an impression on me. He wasn't like everybody else in Frankfort. Bam was genuine. What you saw is what you got. Bam and I became very close friends. In fact, I considered Bam Carney one of my best friends. We worked together on legislation, our families became close, we played a lot of golf together. I never beat Bam, by the way. Not many people did beat Bam Carney on the golf course. But we became friends. He stayed at my house on weekends. We traveled together. Bam was someone that you could trust. Bam was someone that--in politics it is rare to say--but you always knew where he stood. And if he told you something, then that was good as gold because he stuck with his word. Bam wasn't like most politicians. Bam didn't want to hide from the controversial issues or the tough issues, the issues that Bam knew might not be the most popular issues in his district. But Bam did what was right and what he felt was right for the people he represented. Bam was a career educator; a basketball coach. Bam played college baseball at Berea. Bam was a Christian. In fact, one of the last things that he said was he was ready to go to heaven. And I know that is where he is right now. Bam was a great brother, a great father. Bam was a great leader, a great friend, just an all-around great person. Kentucky lost a great statesman this past weekend in Bam Carney. I hope that those of us who knew Bam can learn from the greatness of Bam Carney, the great person he was, the great leader he was, and the great representative of the people that he was. Bam represented the people, not the special interests. Madam Speaker, I can't say enough heartfelt things to Bam Carney's family: His mother, his brothers, his sister, his two sons. They have endured a lot over the past year and-a-half through Bam's sickness, and they never left his side, never gave up hope; always having a positive attitude. Bam Carney is the kind of person that we all need in legislative bodies, someone you can count on and someone that is honest and someone that is in the legislative body for the right reason. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the time today on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to recognize the great life of a great Kentucky leader and a great Kentucky friend, Bam Carney. Honoring the Life of James Otis Catlin

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Ann Whitaker for her upcoming 50th anniversary with the Annie Gardner Foundation in Graves County, Kentucky. Ann began her career with the Annie Gardner Foundation on July 5, 1971, as an administrative assistant. She has helped so many in the Mayfield community, going above and beyond to assist the less fortunate in their times of need. Those who are lucky enough to know Ann describe her as dependable, compassionate, and sincere. Anyone who spends half a century with one organization is incredibly dedicated and genuinely loves what they do. Ann is loved by all of those in her community, and I am honored to represent her in Congress. Once again, I congratulate Ann on this achievement. I look forward to hearing about all the wonderful work she will continue to do in her role at the Annie Gardner Foundation and beyond.

Mr. COMER

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

Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, this amendment strips out the three provisions of this legislation that do not have bipartisan support in order for the IG Independence and Empowerment Act to move forward with the full support of the U.S. House. Both sides of the aisle can then come back to the table to fix the remaining provisions in a manner that addresses concerns on both sides of the aisle. Specifically, my amendment strikes title I, which would artificially constrain the President from removing or reassigning an IG to one of nine specific reasons listed in the provision. As drafted, title I would have the effect of prohibiting a President from removing an IG who is acting in bad faith and undermining a duly elected President's policies in a purely partisan manner. My amendment also strikes title III, which strictly limits who the President could name as the acting inspector general to the ``first assistant.'' This provision does not include any commonsense exceptions, creating unintended consequences. For example, it could elevate an individual to acting IG who may be engaged in the same misconduct which caused the original IG to have been removed. Lastly, my amendment strikes title V of the bill, which grants inspectors general the authority to issue subpoenas to compel the testimony of former Federal officials, including political appointees. While I support granting IGs testimonial subpoena authority, the current provision lacks necessary safeguards and could result in it being used in a politically abusive manner. Madam Speaker, I support the goals behind these provisions, as well as the other seven titles of the bill, which have strong bipartisan support. However, my amendment addresses the problematic language in these three sections. That is why I ask my Republican and Democrat colleagues to pass this amendment to enable us to negotiate a bipartisan solution for the inspector general community that can be signed into law. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question are postponed. Amendments En Bloc Offered by Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York

Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, through their work, inspectors general help improve government efficiency and effectiveness. Their nonpartisan audits and investigations work to root out waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in all Federal agencies. In fact, the Committee on Oversight and Reform and IGs have this common mission, but IGs occupy a unique spot within the Federal Government. They have a responsibility to their respective agency and to Congress through the notice requirements. When the political parties of the executive branch and Congress are different, political fights can understandably erupt. Unfortunately, this has recently led to a politicization of IG investigations. That takes us to today's bill. Many provisions in this bill are a step in the right direction to empower IGs to conduct robust oversight. However, I remain concerned about some of the provisions in this bill. Title I in this bill would unnecessarily constrain the President's ability to remove an IG, shifting the delicate balance between the executive branch and Congress. Maintaining the current balance would enable Congress to use its own oversight authority if it believes there is wrongdoing by the President or an agency head in the removal of an IG. Next, in title III, the majority has proposed to dramatically limit who can be appointed as an acting inspector general if the IG has voluntarily left office or been removed. In doing so, this hinders the President's ability to appoint an IG with whom they have confidence. While there are legitimate concerns about IGs serving at multiple agencies, this provision goes too far in limiting the President's authority over a subset of executive branch employees. Finally, I have serious concerns with title V, the provision authorizing an inspector general to issue testimonial subpoena authorities to compel testimony from former Federal employees. While it may be helpful for IGs to investigate certain allegations of misconduct, it also provides IGs with a tool that can be easily abused for political purposes. For example, this authority would enable new Biden-appointed inspectors general to subpoena former Trump administration officials under the guise of any investigation, regardless of the real purpose for the investigation. Finally, this provision does not provide the necessary protections for former Federal employees who may be subjected to the legal fees of dealing with a subpoena, instead forcing them to pay for counsel to defend against and respond to these subpoenas. Without meaningful protections to ensure that testimonial subpoena authority would not be used to seek out political retribution, I cannot support this provision. Rooting out waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement, and misconduct is one of the most important jobs of this committee, and inspectors general serve on the front lines with us in this mission. We must ensure that all of our inspectors general have the tools they need to conduct robust oversight of their respective agencies. That is why committee Republicans offered multiple amendments at the markup to address these concerns but still empower our IGs. We again offered compromise amendments at the Rules Committee yesterday, but my Democrat colleagues have only allowed one of these amendments to be made in order. I am hopeful that Democrats will take the opportunity to pass a major bipartisan bill by adopting this amendment. If they choose to continue down their partisan path, I hope my Democrat colleagues can stop the repeated attacks on the Trump administration. Instead, we should focus on ensuring our inspectors general are focused on and equipped to conduct robust oversight over agency operations and spending. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Just a couple of things I want to make sure that everyone understands with respect to this bill. This bill is a combination of 10 different bills. Republicans support seven of the 10 bills. Seven of the 10 bills we could pass pretty close to unanimously in this Chamber that would strengthen the IGs and not hamper a President's ability to terminate an IG that may not agree with their ideology. No one in Congress would hire a staffer that adamantly opposed their ideology. No one in the private sector would have a staffer be a spokesperson or an employee that fundamentally disagreed with the direction that person wanted to lead their company. And the same should be true with the President of the United States. With respect to President Trump's termination of inspectors general, I want to mention a couple of terminations that the President did. President Trump removed the Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson because he flaunted strict whistleblower procedures to provide the Ukraine whistleblower report to Chairman Schiff. Now, we support good government. We want to protect whistleblowers. We want to encourage whistleblowers to come forward. Adam Schiff did more to damage prospective whistleblowers than any Member of this body. And the IG was complicit with him in that. That was a rightful termination by President Trump. Acting Inspector General Christi Grimm purposely released an outdated and misleading report claiming there were shortages of medical equipment at hospitals which was found to be entirely inaccurate and likely was politically motivated. That is why President Trump terminated her. So there are examples of a President rightfully terminating an inspector general, and I don't think that this bill is the right path to move forward. This is overlegislating. We are passing a lot of bills out of this Chamber that are dead upon arrival in the Senate. When we pass a bill that has bipartisan support, that makes a difference in the Senate. We could achieve that, and I have an amendment that goes a long way towards making this bill bipartisan. So with respect to oversight, I think the American people are upset over COVID-19. Speaker Pelosi created a Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis, which is a subsidiary of the House Oversight Committee, we share the same staff. We have been asking for hearings on the origins of COVID-19 and had no response, no luck from my friends across the aisle, so we had a hearing today. We had a forum. And it was very productive. And I think the people of America appreciated that. That is oversight. So our committee can go a lot further with respect to oversight, and I think that we could come to a bipartisan compromise to strengthen the IGs without politicizing the IGs, without hampering a President's ability to get rid of a bad IG. I strongly oppose this bill. I hope through the amendment process it can get better, that it can pass in a bipartisan manner, and we can strengthen the IGs, and we can send a message to the Senate that we have a bipartisan bill that you should take up and President Biden can hopefully sign into law. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am excited to listen to the enthusiasm from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and their newfound passion for oversight. The Republicans on the Oversight Committee have been asking for many hearings on many different areas of potential oversight, potential waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the Federal Government. But thus far, in this new Congress, my friends on the other side of the aisle have only been interested in oversight of the previous administration. I am getting really excited for the taxpayers of America because I feel like, today, I am hearing that my friends on the other side of the aisle are interested in ensuring that there is good government, that we have transparency. One thing that I would like to mention in this bill is that the Oversight Committee is responsible for oversight, and we want to work with the inspectors general. We have a lot of agreement in this bill, and I will talk about that during my closing remarks. But I do believe there is the potential for us to compromise and have a bipartisan bill that actually might have a chance to become law down the hall. But I hope that this newfound enthusiasm for oversight will carry over, and we can do what the Oversight Committee is supposed to do and not rely as heavily on unelected bureaucrats. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I rise to oppose the amendments en bloc. Madam Speaker, some of the amendments in the proposed package attempt to be helpful and improve the bill, but most are just Band-Aids attempting to cover up flawed provisions. For example, one amendment attempts to paper over the flaws in title I by expanding the requirement for the President to provide his or her rationale to Congress detailing why an IG was removed. Yes, understanding the President's rationale for removing an IG is very important to Congress. This amendment, however, fails to address the fundamental issue in the section, specifically limiting the reasons for an IG's removal or transferred to only nine constraining reasons. Another provision in this package seeks to amend title II, but title II already passed earlier this Congress as a standalone bill by voice vote under suspension. This amendment to title II would undermine that broadly supported bill by creating an easy-to-abuse loophole for a President to remove an IG immediately, rather than waiting the 30 days for Congress to review the required notice of removal. My Democrat colleagues have stated constantly that the goal of their legislation is to ensure that it is incredibly difficult to remove an IG, yet they support an amendment that would gut this and allow our President to circumvent the will of Congress. This is what happens when the majority decides to go it alone rather than seeking to work together to craft strong bipartisan legislation. This bloc of amendments is the perfect analog for this legislation-- many good provisions mixed with a few poison bills, which undermine the intent of the legislation as a whole. Therefore, I must ask my colleagues to vote against this package of amendments. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to report some very sad news that late last week Kentucky lost a champion, and my congressional office lost a friend and a true warrior with the passing of our beloved field representative, Amelia Brown Wilson, at the young age of 39. Amelia was born and raised in Monroe County. Like me, she graduated from Monroe County High School and her family and my family go back many generations through Monroe County. Amelia was someone that I noticed coming up along the public school system as someone who was going to be a future superstar, someone who had class, who had brains, who had a work ethic, who had charisma. And I followed Amelia through her educational career. Amelia's older sister Kelly and I played ball together on the varsity girls' and boys' basketball team of Monroe County. We also went to Western Kentucky University at the same time. Amelia obviously was a little younger. Amelia went to the University of Kentucky because she was the biggest University of Kentucky fan in the history of Kentucky. She got three degrees from the University of Kentucky. I don't know anyone else that can say that. Amelia got her bachelor's degree, her master's degree, and her Ph.D. all from the University of Kentucky. Amelia worked right out of the University of Kentucky in the Cooperative Extension Service as the family consumer scientist for Fayette County, which is Lexington, Kentucky, for many years. Amelia and I always kept in touch, and I knew she was someone with a very bright future. But while Amelia was at University of Kentucky, she had to receive a liver transplant, and she went through that battle. And for the 20 years after her liver transplant she battled sickness almost daily, but you would never know that because Amelia always had a positive attitude. Amelia was one of the kindest, most sincere people that you would ever meet. Amelia is someone that everyone who met her loved her, respected her, and was inspired by her, especially if they heard her story. Amelia was very active in the Kentucky Organ Donor Program. She was a spokesperson for that program and gave speeches around the State and got thousands and thousands of people to sign up on the back of their Kentucky driver's license to be a Kentucky organ donor. So we will never know how many lives Amelia saved because of her testimony and her story that she would deliver all over Kentucky. When I was elected Commissioner of Agriculture in Kentucky, I asked Amelia to come join me at the Department of Agriculture and be my Kentucky Director of Agriculture Tourism. She did that. Madam Speaker, I had about 275 employees. I can say with confidence that Amelia was the most popular employee in the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. Everybody loved her. And when I got elected to Congress in 2016, Amelia followed me. She was the one employee who I asked to go from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture in Frankfort, Kentucky, with me to create my new field office in Madisonville, Kentucky. Amelia was my field representative for the northwestern part of the First Congressional District of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, every county judge and every mayor--every elected official--Democrat and Republican--in those counties worked with Amelia, respected Amelia, loved Amelia, and are saddened by the tragic loss of Amelia's life this past week. I can't say that I have ever met a person who was more sincere and more inspiring than Amelia Wilson. She is a Christian. She is someone who lived a purpose-driven life, and she is someone who we will all greatly miss. Heaven gained an angel last week with Amelia Brown Wilson. Our prayers go out to her husband, Allen; and her mother, Sarah Faye; and her sisters, Kellie and Keri Jo.

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Vernon Anderson of Calloway County on his induction into the Kentucky Trapshooters League Hall of Fame. Vernon has qualified 10 times for the Kentucky State trapshooters team and has been a member of the Kentucky Trapshooters League's board of directors for the past 12 years. He humbly describes himself as a consistently good trap shooter, but anyone who can hit 99 out of 100 moving targets at various distances is nothing less than a great shot. Vernon has always paved the way for younger generations to participate in trap shooting. In 2015, his activism led trap shooting to become an official high school sport in Kentucky. He then became Calloway County High School's coach, where he has passed on his knowledge and passion for the sport to students. Once again, I would like to congratulate my friend Vernon on this great honor and thank him for his continued service to the students of Calloway County, Kentucky. economic issues and rising inflation

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss the current state of our economy. With ill-advised lockdowns finally ending, our economy should be firing on all cylinders. Unfortunately, we are, in many ways, stuck in the mud. America has seen a string of disappointing jobs reports that fall short of expectations, and excessive government spending is driving up what is effectively a tax increase on every American--inflation. Over 8 million jobs are available, even as the government pays people not to work. This is creating a dramatic workforce shortage and forcing our job creators to compete with the heavy hand of government. In fact, our labor participation rate sits at just 61 percent, the lowest total this century when you exclude the opening months of the pandemic. And the massive spending rammed through by President Biden and Speaker Pelosi is only hurting us. Inflation is surging, affecting the price of everyday items Americans buy, like milk and gasoline. This $2 trillion in new spending came despite an economy that was reopening and on the mend, and it made Americans less likely to work and the government more likely to waste hard-earned tax dollars. But for our Democrat friends, this wasteful spending knows no bounds. President Biden has proposed an outrageous $6 trillion Federal budget that is a slap in the face to every American taxpayer. Instead of focusing on a responsible infrastructure bill that repairs our roads and bridges and puts people to work, we see a focus by this body on ramming through the Green New Deal and more wasteful spending. As leaders, we must change course to create a stronger recovery. As our economy reopens, we must respect taxpayers, support small businesses, and empower Americans to prosper through the dignity of work. Honoring the Life and Service of Private First Class Ernest Robertson

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Private First Class Ernest Robertson of Russell County, Kentucky, who served and paid the ultimate sacrifice in the Korean war. Ernest was killed in action at 24 years old, but his remains have never been recovered. After basic training at Fort Knox, Ernest was assigned to the U.S. Army's Far East Command, M Company, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. On April 23, 1951, he suffered a terrible injury and was captured by North Korean forces. On May 6, one day after his 24th birthday, Ernest was killed in action. The service and sacrifice of our troops must never be forgotten, even long after they have perished. It is truly a tragedy that some brave soldiers have not yet made it home after their horrible death. We must appreciate their sacrifice and remember the cost of freedoms we enjoy here in the United States. I join with all the First District of Kentucky in thanking Private First Class Robertson for his service, and his family for their efforts to remember him. He will always be in our thoughts.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Terry Hamby of Trigg County, Kentucky, for receiving the Distinguished Public Service Award for his outstanding leadership as chairman of the World War I Centennial Commission. Under Terry's leadership the commission completed the construction of the United States National World War I Memorial here in Washington, D.C. There is no one who better understands the sacrifices of our servicemembers than Terry. He served for 26 years in our Nation's military, first in the Naval Air Wing during the Vietnam war before joining the U.S. Army Reserve. After his retirement, Terry continued to honor and serve our Nation's military, and was appointed to the World War I Centennial Commission, and elected chairman in 2017. In just four years under his leadership, the United States National World War I Memorial was completed and opened to the public. I am privileged to represent Terry in Congress, and I appreciate all he does to recognize our Nation's military. I join Terry's family, friends, and all of those impacted by his life of service in congratulating him on this enormous contribution to our Nation. Congratulating Vernon Anderson

Mr. COMER

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

Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber).