Peter DeFazio

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Malliotakis).

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, it was very fitting the tributes that we heard. We all have stories about Don, and I wish we had more time to share, but his many decades of work will stand as a monument to his life, and this bill, in particular, will honor his extraordinary service on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. I think it was called Public Works when Don first came to serve here. Madam Speaker, I urge support for this bill. As I mentioned earlier, we are finally recognizing that the Coast Guard has been under resourced for decades. We are beginning to deal with that problem, their shoreside infrastructure, their assets at sea, and in particular, the extraordinary people who serve in the United States Coast Guard. Madam Speaker, I am proud to have named the bill for Don. I would urge that this bill be unanimously approved by our colleagues, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, the President just announced that he will ban the importation of Russian oil. It is a tiny fraction of the oil we consume, so it shouldn't mean a big run-up in price. In fact, prices have already run up 30 percent since the invasion of Ukraine, they have already priced it in, and they are already profiting from it. We need to become energy independent, as the President pointed out. We have to break our addiction to Big Oil. We need to be self- sufficient on renewables, but we don't need to price gouge the American people on the way there. Last year, the oil companies reported record profits, bought back $7 billion worth of stock, and had record dividends. This year, they say there is a $22 billion stock buyback, bigger dividends, bigger profits. They should not be price gouging during a crisis. I am introducing legislation for a price gouging profits tax with rebates to consumers. Colleagues, join me in this effort. Don't let Big Oil gouge the American consumers under the guise of an international crisis.

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I thank Mrs. Maloney for getting us to this point today, and I thank the ranking member also. Postal reform has been languishing around here for more than a decade, and we are finally there. The two largest elements of this bill--one was already just mentioned by Representative Connolly, the absurd prefunding mandate that was stuck in at midnight in a conference, and no one knew it was there. It was back during the Bush administration. They were trying to kill off the Postal Service. It said you will prepay healthcare for the next 75 years of employees. That means people who weren't even born yet, people who might go to work for the Postal Service someday, that might retire, we are prepaying their healthcare. That has been an incredible burden on the Postal Service. Now, that is going to be fixed. We are going to do away with that. That is a bill I have carried for many years, the USPS Fairness Act. We had, actually, 277 cosponsors on that bill in this Congress. I am very pleased it was included as a key part of reform. The other one is to have postal retirees sign up for Medicare like our Federal retirees. That saves another $23 billion. Those two things alone will put the Postal Service solvent into the near future, and we will take other steps to increase efficiency. The Postal Service is critical. They will go where the private sector will not go, does not want to go. I have people who live in the most remote parts of my district, very remote. They make a living on eBay and selling things. If the Postal Service wouldn't pick up their packages and wouldn't deliver their packages with that box rate, they couldn't make a living. FedEx isn't going to go out there; UPS isn't going to go out there. In fact, they dump all the stuff about 25 miles away from Powers and say: Hey, take this out to that little town. We don't want to go out that far. It is an absolutely crucial service for tens of millions of Americans, and today, we are going to ensure its future. Madam Speaker, I urge passage of this bill, and I thank the chair and the ranking member for their work.

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, this bill does not look back. Yes, we saw the abuses of Donald Trump over using the 1976 National Emergency Act in ways that it had never ever been used before to move money around to things because he couldn't get it appropriated through a Republican Senate and a Republican House. He couldn't get it done, so he moved the money around. Anybody who works in the House of Representatives or the Senate should be insulted that you want to empower a President--what about if Joe Biden starts doing that? Don't you want to have these tools? Or any other future President of either party? This isn't about Donald Trump. It is about the Trump era, which exposed things that need to be fixed, and this law does that. Subpoena power--our subpoenas should be enforceable, whether they are from a Democratic Congress or a Republican Congress. They are not. The Department of Justice needs to have a firewall between the White House and the Department of Justice. You can't have the President calling up the Department of Justice, telling them to prosecute people or make stuff up. Any President of any party shouldn't be able to do that. Then the President embargoed, stopped money that Congress, a Republican Congress, had sent for Ukraine. Just stopped it. But apparently, on the other side of the aisle, they feel like their job is to be handmaidens in case Trump comes back. They don't want to put in the protections now when Joe Biden is there, who they carry on about as abusive all the time. Why not put in the protections now? Because you want Donald Trump to be able to come back and continue these sorts of abuses.

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act. By passing this landmark legislation, House Democrats are making lasting investments in the American people, our infrastructure, and are lowering taxes for working families across this country. It fights inflation. It is fully paid for. We accomplished this by making sure big corporations and the wealthiest pay their fair share, all while creating hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs that don't require a college degree. It is no wonder why this bill is popular with a strong majority of Americans and very unpopular with the Republican minority. As chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I am particularly proud that the Build Back Better Act will provide a vital down payment in the fight against climate change. The transportation sector is the largest source of carbon pollution. Important investments in my committee, and others, included in this bill to decarbonize transportation will address the climate crisis with the urgency it deserves, something I have been pushing for a long time. The nearly $40 billion from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will support climate investments by reducing carbon emissions from surface transportation, aviation, ports, and public buildings; ensure critical transportation connections to affordable housing and reconnect bisected neighborhoods; robustly fund high-speed rail; supply ports as they struggle with the supply chain crisis; and ensure climate-resilient and affordable investments in our wastewater infrastructure. For working families, the Build Back Better Act will provide universal pre-K, childcare, lower healthcare costs, and establish a permanent program of 4 weeks paid family medical leave. It makes historic investments in housing and includes provisions to ensure affordable pricing for certain prescription drugs. This legislation also includes investments in tax enforcement to catch the tax cheats, the wealthiest tax cheats in America. Again, the Republicans don't much like that part of the bill. It should be clear: The Build Back Better Act will lower costs for families, put money back in the pockets of hardworking Americans, create hundreds of thousands of family-wage jobs, and good benefits. By passing this bill, along with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we are truly catapulting Americans into the modern era, making the largest investments to combat climate change in American history. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, on November 3, 2021, I inadvertently voted in favor of H. Res. 760 when I intended to vote against it. Even though the resolution passed by a large margin in the House of Representatives, I oppose this resolution and am disappointed it passed the House. Let me be clear: I strongly support those in Cuba who are protesting against the repressive and anti-democratic Cuban regime, and I support this resolution's sentiment in solidarity with Cubans who are demonstrating peacefully for fundamental freedoms. However, this resolution is flawed and does not present real solutions for Cuba or its people. It completely ignores the U.S.'s decades-long failed policy toward Cuba and fails to acknowledge the negative impact that this failed U.S. policy has had on the Cuban people. Throughout my time in Congress, I have worked with my colleagues to change the decades-long failed U.S. policy toward Cuba. Among the goals I've worked toward are lifting the ban on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba and lifting the restrictions on selling food and medicine to Cuba. I have supported legislation that would achieve these goals. I was also a supporter of former President Obama's proposals to allow U.S. companies to establish banking relations, ease travel restrictions, and export some goods including agricultural products-- and I strongly oppose former President Trump's reversal of these Obama- era policies. At the beginning of President Biden's administration, I joined several of my colleagues in urging President Biden to take executive action to reverse the Trump administration's wrong-headed policies toward Cuba, return to the Obama administration's diplomatic proposals, and pursue an end to the nearly six-decade-long economic embargo of Cuba. As a longtime supporter of reviewing our country's position on Cuba, I will continue to support reform efforts.

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, on November 3, 2021, I voted Present on S. 1064, the Reinforcing Nicaragua's Adherence to Conditions for Electoral Reform (RENACER) Act of 2021. Let me be clear: I strongly oppose Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega and his repressive and antidemocratic regime. The ills of Ortega's authoritarian regime are manifold. Ortega and his cronies have intimidated or arrested virtually all potential political opposition in the country. Ortega has engaged in numerous human rights abuses, and he has enriched himself and his allies while decimating the Nicaraguan economy and its people. While I sympathize with this legislation's intent to crack down on Ortega and his cronies, it's not clear that the legislation as written would effectively achieve these aims. Instead, the legislation's text appears to require broad-based sanctions that could contribute to further economic collapse in the country, negatively impact the Nicaraguan people, exacerbate a migration crisis, and further consolidate Ortega's grip on power. This legislation also did not go through the normal legislative process in the House. Instead of receiving scrutiny through the traditional committee and amendment process, this legislation was put on the floor last-minute as a suspension without adequate input from Members or the House Financial Services Committee--which I understand had significant reservations with the legislation's text. As we've seen in other countries where the U.S. has engaged in broad- based sanctions, these types of sanctions do not always achieve their intended result. When appropriate, I support smart, targeted sanctions that limit adverse effects on civilian populations. Unfortunately, this legislation--and the lack of adequate legislative scrutiny--does not meet that standard.

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4660) to designate the Federal Building and United States Courthouse located at 1125 Chapline Street in Wheeling, West Virginia, as the ``Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse''.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4660.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4660 designates the Federal Building located at 1125 Chapline Street in Wheeling, West Virginia as the Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. Federal Building and Courthouse. This legislation was introduced by Congressman David McKinley of West Virginia. Congressman McKinley has long sought this designation to honor Judge Stamp's career and legacy. Frederick P. Stamp Jr. was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, received a bachelor of arts degree from Washington and Lee University, and a law degree from the University of Virginia. He was a private in the United States Army from 1959 to 1960, and a first lieutenant in the Army Reserves from 1960 to 1967. After 30 years in private practice in Wheeling, from 1960 to 1990, he was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, where he served as chief judge from 1994 to 2001. Judge Stamp's service to his community, his State, our Nation, and the judicial system is widely respected. I strongly support H.R. 4660, as an overdue recognition of his service, and I urge my colleagues to join me. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4679.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 4679 names the Department of Transportation headquarters building in Washington, D.C., after our former colleague Norm Mineta. This recognition is long overdue. Secretary Norm Mineta is a great American patriot. He, along with his family, suffered the grave injustice of being forcibly relocated and interned during World War II. But he was not bitter toward his country or his government. Instead, he spent his career serving his country by participating in and improving government. For almost 30 years, Norm represented San Jose on the city council, then as mayor, and then from 1975 to 1995 as a Member of Congress. Norm served on the Committee on Transportation and Public Works throughout his two decades in Congress, and we served together for 7 years. Norm chaired the Subcommittee on Aviation, the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, and finally the full committee. Norm was a primary author of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, ISTEA, which, as President George H.W. Bush said during the signing ceremony, was ``the most important transportation bill since President Eisenhower started the interstate system 35 years ago.'' Norm was also a cofounder of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and served as its first chair. Norm's skills and accomplishments have been widely recognized by both sides of the aisle. Norm was President Bill Clinton's Secretary of Commerce and President George W. Bush's Secretary of Transportation, where he was the longest-serving Secretary of Transportation in U.S. history, January 2001 until July 2006. Norm was the first person of Asian-Pacific descent to serve as Secretary of Commerce or Secretary of Transportation, and he was the first DOT Secretary to have served in a previous Cabinet position. Following the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, Secretary Mineta worked closely with the then-chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation, Mr. Mica, and myself as ranking member to create the Transportation Security Administration. Prior to that time, the security at airports was always provided by the lowest bidder. In fact, one of the companies was owned by previous felons. We professionalized aviation security in the TSA. That agency was 65,000 employees, the largest mobilization of a new Federal agency since World War II. For his contributions to this institution, to our government, and to the field of transportation, Secretary Mineta deserves this recognition. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4679) to designate the Federal building located at 1200 New Jersey Avenue Southeast in Washington, DC, as the ``Norman Yoshio Mineta Federal Building''.

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

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I recommend this legislation to my colleagues for this long-overdue honor for the longest-serving Secretary of Transportation and the only one who ever served previously as Secretary in another part of the administration. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.