James Comer

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I have no speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which names a New Orleans post office for Dr. Rudolph Joseph Lombard. Dr. Lombard was born and raised in New Orleans and grew up witnessing discrimination in New Orleans which inspired him to become a leading activist. As a college student of Xavier University, he organized a sit-in in 1960 at McCrory's Five and Dime store to protest Jim Crow laws. Dr. Lombard's activism led to the landmark Supreme Court case, Lombard v. Louisiana, which overturned related charges and set a critical precedent for striking down segregation laws. Dr. Lombard was dedicated to justice and equality. However, he is a lesser-known leader in the civil rights movement due to his humility. Today the U.S. House publicly recognizes his contributions. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, as the son of a veteran who served in Vietnam during the Vietnam war, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill which would name a post office in Santa Clarita, California, after William ``Bill'' Reynolds. William served in the Vietnam war and earned both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. After serving, he moved with his wife, Meg, to the Santa Clarita Valley, where Reynolds dedicated his life to advocating for his fellow veterans. Reynolds passed away in 2021 after organizing the memorial wall at Veterans Plaza in Newhall and accompanying the U.S. President to Da Nang in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam war. Mr. Speaker, I support naming a post office in Bill Reynolds' memory. I am proud to honor his life of service to the American people and work to memorialize the memory of America's veterans. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Mike Garcia).

Mr. COMER

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

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I strongly encourage support for this bipartisan bill. I ask all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Agnes Marie Beard of the 1st District of Kentucky who turned 100 years old on July 7th. This momentous occasion gives us the opportunity to reflect upon the extraordinary life and achievements of Mrs. Beard, a cherished member of our community. Born on July 7, 1923, in Columbia, Kentucky, Agnes Marie Beard has witnessed the passing of an entire century, filled with significant milestones and transformations. Throughout her life, Mrs. Beard has exemplified the values that make Kentucky great. She has been a devoted wife to her loving husband and a caring mother to her three children. Her dedication to her family has been the cornerstone of her life. Her unwavering commitment to them and our community is inspiring. I join with everyone in Russell County and throughout the Commonwealth who has had the privilege of knowing her to celebrate her fearless spirit. I am honored to represent Mrs. Beard and wish her a happy 100th birthday.

Mr. COMER

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I continue to support this bipartisan resolution as a majority of my colleagues in the House did 2 months ago. Not much has changed since we last passed this resolution of disapproval. Since Congress sent this resolution to President Biden, we have continued to see rampant crime in the District of Columbia. D.C. residents and visitors are still unsafe in their Capital City. The Metropolitan Police Department continues to face retention and recruitment challenges. Crime levels are still higher in 2023 compared to the same time in 2022. Total crime is up 27 percent. Violent crime is up 16 percent. Homicide is up 19 percent. Motor vehicle theft is up a staggering 118 percent. This is unacceptable. Most notably, as of June 7, D.C. hit a concerning marker. There have been 100 murders in D.C. this year. According to the D.C. Police Union, this is the earliest point in the calendar year that the city has reached this marker since 2003. However, in the Committee on Oversight and Accountability's March 29 hearing, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson claimed that there is no crime crisis in D.C. In another Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing on May 16, U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves refused to take accountability for his office's failure to prosecute 67 percent of cases last year. The D.C. Council and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia have failed the residents of D.C. Congress has a duty to oversee the Nation's Capital and ensure its safety for all residents and visitors. It is time for this body to stand up to the criminals. I call on my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution. The President's veto of H.J. Res. 42 serves no purpose other than to continue to allow crime to spread and hinder our local police from fulfilling their duties to protect the D.C. community and the Nation's Capital City. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to uphold what we and the Senate have done over the last 2 months by voting in favor of this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin), the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. General Leave

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Garbarino).

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

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. COMER

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

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, the D.C. Council's Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act is irresponsible. It prioritizes the leftist defund the police movement over public safety and law enforcement of our Nation's Capital. It is playing with the livelihoods of all who live in or visit D.C. by rolling back policing in the District. This will only embolden criminals and demoralize D.C. police officers who put their lives on the line every day. The U.S. House must swiftly exercise its constitutional responsibility to oversee the District of Columbia and reject this misguided legislation from going into effect. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to unite in support of a safe National Capital City and support this necessary resolution of disapproval. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.J. Res. 42, a joint resolution disapproving of the District of Columbia Council's Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022. The men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department serve their community every day to help keep the District safe and secure. In doing so, they routinely place themselves in dangerous situations to protect others. Yet, progressive policies from the D.C. Council continue to hamstring District officers and needlessly place them in unsafe situations. The D.C. Council's Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 does just that. For example, it requires burdensome and time-consuming approval hurdles before officers may put on riot gear for their own protection. It creates new mechanisms for activists to harass officers and their families by obtaining personal information on the officers. It also creates additional liabilities for officers that are not found in other police departments. These are just a few of the many impractical and outrageous proposals of the legislation. The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department has seen over 1,190 police officers leave the force since the beginning of 2020. That is about one-third of the police department. Nearly 40 percent of those officers resigned. That means they chose to leave the department instead of dealing with the increasingly impossible burdens placed on them by the council. Since then, crime has been soaring in the District. Compared to this time last year, homicides are up 25 percent, motor vehicle theft is up 106 percent, and all crime is up 25 percent. These troubling statistics cannot be allowed to continue. The council has continued to overlook its law enforcement officers in favor of progressive, soft-on-crime policies that only benefit criminals. The almost 700,000 residents of D.C. and approximately 20 million annual visitors to our Nation's Capital deserve to feel safe. Ensuring a vibrant and safe National Capital for all Americans to visit is a key ingredient of the District's future financial health and a necessity for the Federal Government workforce, and our police deserve to have the resources to ensure the safety of all. The D.C. Council's Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act does neither of those things. If the D.C. Council wants to continue down this path, they will have to answer to this Congress. We are not alone. The D.C. Police Union, representing 3,500 members, and the U.S. Capitol Police Labor Committee have both endorsed this resolution of disapproval. D.C.'s reckless reforms have also caught nationwide attention, with the National Fraternal Order of Police and the National Association of Police Organizations both asking Congress to block the D.C. reform package. Additionally, the California Coalition of Law Enforcement Associations, the Fullerton Police Officers' Association, and the Las Vegas Police Protective Association are all strongly in favor of H.J. Res. 42. We see such broad national support for this disapproval resolution because other jurisdictions know just how awful the D.C. Council's anti-policing so-called reforms would be as a precedent for America's cities. Additionally, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declined to sign this legislation into law. That should be a signal of how extreme it is. The D.C. Council did not listen and proceeded to pass it anyway. We also have a recent precedent to consider. Recently, 31 House Democrats and 31 Senate Democrats joined President Biden and House Republicans to block the D.C. Council's Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 from becoming law. Congress successfully blocked the District's attempt to lessen penalties on dangerous criminals, and now we must act again to address the D.C. Council's reckless attempt to weaken local law enforcement. The dangerous policing reforms addressed by H.J. Res. 42 are even worse for the current crime epidemic in D.C. We must ensure that these pro-crime, anti-police policies are not allowed in our Nation's Capital City, which Congress has a special interest in overseeing. If the D.C. Council wishes to engage Congress to seek reforms addressing specific problems in local law enforcement, then the Oversight Committee stands ready to have those conversations with D.C. leaders and my colleagues in the House. This police reform package, which D.C. has presented to Congress for approval, does far more harm than good and must be rejected. To be clear, this is precisely the role of Congress when it comes to matters of the District's governance. Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress is granted ``exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever'' over the District. The Home Rule Act does establish a degree of local governance, but under the Home Rule Act, Congress maintains a role to scrutinize and approve of District legislation. Just because Congress has not been fulfilling this role in recent decades is not a reason to avoid this responsibility now, especially when we know the Nation's Capital City is plunging into a crime crisis. Now is the time for Congress to lean in and provide the oversight the District so badly needs. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support my colleague Mr. Andrew Clyde's resolution of disapproval, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde), the sponsor of the resolution.

Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 298, I call up the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 42) disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, and ask for its immediate consideration.