Joe Cunningham

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Madam Chair, my bipartisan amendment will allow the Air Force to repair and rebuild bases that were badly damaged by recent natural disasters and will restore funding for critical projects aboard the Nuclear Power Training Unit at Joint Base Charleston. Without the additional $270 million my amendment provides, the Air Force has stated that they will need to divert funding from projects across the country to rebuild Tyndall and Offutt Air Force Bases. This would have disastrous effects on the readiness of our armed forces and on our national security. The operational success of our Navy is dependent on highly trained crews. The NPTU uses real nuclear power plants aboard retired submarines to train sailors to operate and maintain our nuclear power fleet. And starting this month, the Lowcountry will be the only place in the Nation where sailors can learn these highly technical skills, which are fundamental to our Navy's ability to maintain its worldwide presence and ensure the security of the global commons. That is why it is urgent that we pass this amendment and ensure the NPTU has the resources to modernize and repair its training facilities and ensure that the pipeline of newly trained nuclear operators is not disrupted. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Dunn).

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Madam Chair, I thank my colleagues Mr. Dunn, Mr. Fortenberry, and Mr. Bacon for their commitment, and for joining me in offering this bipartisan amendment. I also thank the men and women of our Armed Forces. I urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of this bipartisan commonsense amendment. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Academic Magnet High School in North Charleston, which was just ranked the number one high school in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Academic Magnet students embody hard work and determination in the classroom, along with the passionate teachers and administrators who work tirelessly to help students achieve their goals and dreams. Scholarship, honor, and character are the principles that guide students and faculty at Academic. Academic Magnet has a graduation rate of 100 percent, a college readiness score of 100, and is nationally ranked as one of the top STEM high schools in the country. This educational achievement should not go unrecognized. I know, personally, the quality of students that they produce by the legislative assistant we have, Paniz Rezaeerod, and I am honored to recognize them today. I am proud of this institution for representing Lowcountry excellence in South Carolina's school system.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Madam Speaker, as a former ocean engineer, I rise on behalf of South Carolina's First Congressional District, the Low Country. And I rise, quite frankly, as someone who typically votes with Republicans on these motions. But not today. I had hoped that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would want to engage in a constructive dialogue that addresses the devastating impacts of flooding, intensifying storms, and rising sea levels. But not today. This is not the way that it used to be. President Teddy Roosevelt established 150 national forests and five national parks. President Reagan signed into law 38 bills that added more than 10.6 million acres to the National Wilderness Preservation System, all with the support of the distinguished Members of the Grand Old Party. But not today. The Grand Old Party has an illustrious history with environmental conservation, a history it should be proud of. But not today. This Republican body does a disservice to that environmental record by turning a blind eye to science and facts. There are certain things that go beyond politics, impacts that touch each and every one of us, regardless of partisanship, regardless of ideology. Climate change is one of them. The Low Country knows this more than most. In downtown Charleston, our medical district, which is home to Charleston's VA hospital and our medical university, is the area that is most prone to flooding. During a recent hurricane, the Medical University of South Carolina was forced to float surgeons across the campus in jon boats to treat patients, including our veterans and our children. Parris Island is one of the only two bases that makes enlisted marines, and the only base that makes female enlisted marines in our country.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Madam Speaker, a few weeks ago, I hit a 100-milestone that I thought was pretty important--my 100th day in Office. However, I stand here today to celebrate a slightly more important centennial milestone. On Friday, April 26, Hilton Head resident Arthur George Benzle turned 100. Born in Ohio, Arthur moved to New York City for his first job at UPS when he was only 19 years old. His rent was 15 dollars a month on his 40 cent hourly pay, and he would ride the subway for five cents. Arthur worked over 30 years in a produce brokerage business, making junior partner and partial owner of AG Benzle & Son. Arthur describes meeting his wife, Martha, ``the luckiest day of his life'', and is dedicated to a life of travel--visiting 66 countries and counting. His favorite country is still the United States for its ``freedom, beauty, and diversity''; I wholeheartedly agree with Arthur here. I want to wish a very happy 100th birthday to Arthur Benzle, and many more years of travel, golf, and family.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Majority Whip Clyburn for yielding and for his service to the rest of the delegation of South Carolina. This weekend we lost the most transformational leader South Carolina has ever seen. Fritz Hollings left his mark on our economic development, our education system, civil rights, desegregation, and countless other areas. There is no doubt we are all better off because of his service. Hollings was once referred to as a ``Senator from central casting,'' and, in many ways, he represented the ideals of public service: service to his country in uniform during World War II, to the Lowcountry in the State house, and to his State as Lieutenant Governor, Governor, and U.S. Senator. He was a true statesman who exemplified character, courage, integrity, and honor. The action he took was often not easy or politically popular, but it was always with what was best for South Carolina in mind. As we honor his life over the coming days and weeks, I hope we can all pause to reflect on how his legacy can guide us now more than ever. Hollings made a lifelong career out of fearlessly doing what was right, working across the aisle to reach remarkable achievements, and always putting the people of South Carolina over politics. We need that sort of leadership now more than ever.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Madam Speaker, today I rise to acknowledge the remarkable accomplishments of both the Bishop England High School girls basketball team and the Goose Creek High School girls basketball team, who are South Carolina's State champs in the class AAA and AAAAA, respectively. The Lady Gators rallied from behind to defeat Spring Valley with just seconds left in the game. Senior Mary Davis scored two free throw points to send the Goose Creek girls ahead. And then, with less than half a second on the clock, Shayla Nelson swatted a last-second attempt to defeat them. The very next day, the Lady Bishops beat Keenan High School for their sixth state title in the last 8 years, captured on the front page of ``The Post and Courier'' back home in Charleston. I would say that that makes for quite a sports dynasty. It was a great season for Lowcountry basketball. And as a former high school basketball player myself, I could not be more impressed and proud of the Bishop England and the Goose Creek girls basketball teams. Onward towards next season.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of H.R. 1381, the Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Representative Raul Ruiz and Representative Brad Wenstrup, for all their hard work on this bill and for their leadership as co-chairs of the Bipartisan Congressional Burn Pits Caucus. As the Members of this body are aware, one of the many perils our men and women in uniform face overseas is the threat of toxic exposure from burn pits. To dispose of their waste, servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan tossed every variety of waste into massive pits to be set on fire, not knowing the harmful chemicals they were likely breathing in as a result. Even today, we still do not fully understand all the risks associated with exposure to burn pits. That is why Congress established a voluntary registry for veterans who served in the vicinity of burn pits to document their experience and to learn more about ongoing studies. The data from this registry further enables doctors and the VA to better study the health impacts of burn pit exposure and to develop lifesaving treatments. H.R. 1381 would strengthen this registry by allowing the families of deceased veterans to update the registry with the veterans' causes of death. This added data will give medical researchers a more complete picture of the effects of toxic burn pit exposures and bring us closer to giving veterans the answers and the treatment that they deserve. As a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am pleased to support H.R. 1381, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this commonsense and pragmatic bipartisan bill.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand here today in support of H.R. 972, the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park Act. I joined Majority Whip Clyburn in reintroducing the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park Act, which expands the Reconstruction Era National Monument in Beaufort, South Carolina, and makes it a national park. This bill also creates a national network of reconstruction era historical sites so they can receive the recognition that they deserve. The Lowcountry's vibrant reconstruction history is often overlooked or misunderstood, and this act would seek to correct that. I am honored to work with Majority Whip Clyburn to preserve, protect, and promote reconstruction history. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 972.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise today to call attention, along with Congressman Jamie Comer, to one of Kentucky's most fearless, tireless public servants, who recently retired from the Commonwealth's highest court at the beginning of this month and who is my father, Justice Bill Cunningham. He began his long and distinguished career by serving as a JAG officer in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam war, serving in Germany, Vietnam, and Korea. He returned home to serve later as the city attorney, then the public defender, then the prosecutor, followed by circuit court judge, all before being elected to Kentucky's highest court, the Kentucky Supreme Court, where he has been a justice for the last 12 years. His skills in the courtroom were not just limited to the courtroom. Growing up the youngest of five unruly boys, we found that he brought those skills home with him. I recall one time when three of my older brothers came home late, past curfew, with the smell of alcohol. Their stories did not jibe with one another, so he immediately sequestered each brother in three separate rooms and went from room to room interrogating each of them, only to find out their story of a flat tire fell apart very quickly when they could not decide on which tire was flat and who fixed it. He acted as the judge, the jury, and the executioner of our household in disciplining five boys. I recall one time being disciplined at school for fighting. I came home. My father told me: If you are in trouble at school, you are in trouble at home. He took a 25-pound weight, put it in a backpack, and made me carry that backpack around with me everywhere I went--to school, back from school to home--with the message that, if I was going to be a weight on him, he was going to put a weight on me. No doubt, such behavior would probably call attention to child services these days. He is the bastion of public service; he is the example of integrity; and, last but not least, he is my hero. Thank you, Dad, for all of your hard work, for leading by example. He treated every single person with dignity and with respect. Even today, when he goes inside the walls of Kentucky's State Penitentiary, the maximum security penitentiary, he walks around in the yard and people approach him--people he has prosecuted, people he has sentenced to the penitentiary--and they come up and want to shake his hand because he treated every single person with dignity and with respect. I want to thank my father, Justice Bill Cunningham, for making this world a better one. And to my mother, who will be the beneficiary to all of his newfound free time, I wish to say to her: Good luck.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to share the story of a very remarkable group of children: the James Island Ocean ActKIDvists-- Betty, Louis, Makena, and Liam--all between the ages of 6 and 8, who have made it their mission to protect our oceans and our marine life. Recently, they successfully lobbied the Charleston and James Island City Councils to ban plastic bags, straws, and foam containers, collecting over 300 signatures in support of the ban. At town council meetings, these young activists had the courage to speak up for the marine life that could not speak for itself. It is our job to preserve the low country's vibrant natural resources for future generations to come. I am proud of the James Island Ocean ActKIDvists for helping lead the way. I thank Betty, Louis, Makena, and Liam.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Madam Speaker, I rise to support H. Res. 41 rejecting white nationalism and white supremacy. Today, on what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 90th birthday, I am honored to join Majority Whip Clyburn in denouncing the racist remarks of Representative Steve King and condemning white supremacy and white nationalism in all forms. Hatred and bigotry should have no home in America, and certainly not one in the Halls of Congress. Dr. King was one of the finest citizens this country has produced: a champion for justice and a fearless crusader for equality. Today and every day, we must honor the life and legacy of Dr. King, while also acknowledging the work which remains. We must strongly condemn hateful expressions of intolerance wherever and whenever we see them. America is strongest when we stand together. From the Lowcountry to the heartland, I believe that today is a promising start.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM

Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Madam Speaker, today, I would like to call attention to an issue that gravely impacts the lives of South Carolinians and folks up and down the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts: offshore drilling. Most actions in Congress are viewed through a partisan lens. The opposition to offshore drilling and seismic airgun blasting, however, crosses party lines. In a time when Democrats and Republicans cannot agree on much, that this singular issue has gotten bipartisan support is even that much more significant. H.R. 291, the Coastal Economies Protection Act, legislation that I introduced earlier this week, places a 10-year moratorium on oil and gas drilling and seismic airgun blasting off the Atlantic and the Gulf Coasts. Our vibrant natural resources define South Carolina, generating revenue and jobs and creating our unique way of life. Risking our thriving tourism, recreation, and fishing industries to oil exploration could have devastating economic repercussions across the State, and, frankly, these industries are too important to the health of South Carolina to risk.