Suzan DelBene

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize two brave firefighters from Washington State. Earlier this year Firefighter Brent Duckworth from South Everett and Capt. Nick Adsero from Woodinville, in my district, rescued three-year old twin girls from their burning apartment building in Everett, Washington. On December 13, 2018, both gentlemen were recognized for their heroics by the American Red Cross Northwest Region with the Fire Rescue Award. On January 29, 2018, on what had already been a grueling day, Engine 6 of the Everett Fire Department received their fifth call and third fire of the day to the south end of Everett at a 352-unit complex. By the time first responders arrived, flames had already fanned up to the third floor of the complex. A babysitter who had briefly left the apartment desperately informed first responders that the two young girls were still inside the building. When the crew of Engine 6 raced inside, Firefighter Duckworth and Capt. Adsero knew where to go but the apartment was filled with smoke and visibility was zero. As the firefighters felt around the apartment they were able to find both young girls. Both were rushed to Harborview Medical Center for smoke inhalation and both survived. Capt. Adsero has said he has seen a lot on the job in his 14 years in the fire service, but a rescue like this was a first for him. What is even more amazing is that this was Firefighter Duckworth's first fire. Most firefighters will go their whole career without such a feat as saving a child but on his first fire, Duckworth helped save two. I thank Capt. Adsero and Brent Duckworth, and commend their bravery and service.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Robert Hand who was named Teacher of the Year in Washington State. Mr. Hand is a family and consumer sciences teacher at Mount Vernon High School, in my district. This award goes to teachers who display an unwavering commitment to the success of their students. Mr. Hand has been teaching at Mount Vernon since 2013. He has taught Beginning Foods, Life After High School, and Careers in Education, Nutrition, and Leadership. Along with being an outstanding teacher, he has also held important roles throughout our community, including as an adviser for Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America and for the Social Justice Club. Mr. Hand's outreach to students extends beyond the classroom. His teachings often relate back to his students, in uplifting ways. Mr. Hand is a champion of diversity and has recognized the diversity of his students by displaying eleven flags in his classroom to celebrate their heritage. He is working to continue critical investments in our teachers by helping to develop the Recruiting Washington Teachers program for the Professional Educator Standards Board. Because of his work, Washington students will have quality teachers and mentors for years to come. I want to thank Robert Hand for his commitment to serving his students and enriching the teaching profession in Washington State. Congratulations, Mr. Hand

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Reverend Alexander, or Lex, Breckinridge, and to thank him for offering this morning's prayer. Father Lex serves as the rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in my hometown of Medina, Washington. He always felt the call to ordained ministry in the church, but it took him awhile getting there. He was born in West Virginia. He went on to school in New Hampshire and North Carolina, and practiced law in New Orleans before attending a seminary in Austin, Texas. After serving the church in Austin, he found his way to the great Northwest and to our community. Reverend Breckinridge is joined today by his wife, Zonnie. They have three children and have enriched the Medina community for 9 years. We value his service and appreciate his leadership and guidance that continues to impact so many lives. We appreciate him flying across the country to be with us today.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Craig Dalby of Kirkland, Washington on his retirement from the National Park Service after 35 years of distinguished public service. In his role as the Pacific West Region Chief of Public Information, Mr. Dalby has liaised with the public as an agency spokesperson and has worked with Members of Congress from the Pacific West to promote and preserve our public lands for future generations. For 23 years, Mr. Dalby served as regional lead for geographic information systems, where he was a pioneer of commercial GIS software that modernized the National Park Service and established the technology as a bureau standard. Because of Craig's foresight and innovative thinking, the NPS is now a prolific user of this and other software that make our preserved lands more accessible to our government and to the public. In addition to these contributions to the National Park Service, Mr. Dalby also went above and beyond in his service to the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. Throughout his career, he has worked to conserve and improve our North Coast and Cascades Network Parks and Puget Sound Basin, which are vital to our Northwest landscape and defining elements of our great states. Mr. Dalby exemplifies the versatility, expertise, and dedication of our public servants. I join my colleagues in congratulating him for his achievements and thanking him for his contributions to our western states and to our nation.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to thank our Oversight Subcommittee leaders, Mr. Lewis and Ms. Jenkins, for all of their efforts on the important bills that we have been considering this week. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit with constituents of mine who are serving low-income taxpayers in our community through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. I am so pleased to see that this important partnership will be made permanent by legislation that we passed yesterday. I am grateful to my colleague, Mr. Bishop, for his hard work and for working with me on this bill, the 21st Century IRS Act. It is an important bill that enhances needed reforms to enhance cybersecurity and online access for taxpayers, including small-business owners. It is long past time for the IRS to enter the digital age and to give taxpayers a safe, secure, user-friendly online portal to serve their needs. As a former State Department of Revenue director and a tech industry veteran, I know firsthand that coordination between private sector technology experts and tax administrators at the State and Federal level can produce real results for taxpayers and a better user experience for all stakeholders. We should strive to harness technology to create a more seamless and dependable experience for American families who are becoming increasingly accustomed to conducting their financial business safely online. Something we saw yesterday is an ongoing challenge for the IRS. By codifying things like the Security Summit and the role of the IRS CIO, this bill should create some continuity in terms of prioritizing technology improvements and improving the taxpayer experience. I am also glad that we are addressing improvements for small-business owners, like the development of an online portal for 1099 filings. I know small-business owners in my district and across the country are tired of waiting for more user-friendly, web-based systems, and this is a good first step for them. We should be streamlining the filing process so that they can spend less time and money on tax compliance and more on growing their businesses. While this bill is clearly an incredibly important step forward, I would like to share the comments of a CPA who weighed in on the discussion draft of the legislation as a reminder that this is not the end of our work. He noted that cutting the IRS budget has been steadily cutting the effectiveness of the IRS for many years, and he said: ``We are at a perilous point where honest taxpayers are extremely frustrated. Fix it quick, or it will become too broken to fix.'' After hearing from IRS administrators, taxpayers, and technology experts over the past couple of years, I think we may be in or approaching the red zone of becoming too broken to fix. Just like a pothole that would cost $1,000 to fix today or $10,000 to fix tomorrow, we need to make some smart investments in IRS technology today before they become insurmountably expensive tomorrow. Around 64 percent of IRS hardware is aged and out of warranty, and 32 percent of software is two or more versions out of date. Systems that the IRS relies on to store taxpayer data are failing, and they have serious concerns that they could break down or fail to withstand a cyber attack. These are not issues we can let fester any longer. Let's build on the progress we are making here today to get those systems modernized and really get the job done for American taxpayers.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5437, and I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Paulsen, for all of his work to help advance this important measure. This is a pretty straightforward bill with a straightforward mission: protecting taxpayers from tax identity theft and fraud. I am sure everyone is familiar with a scheme that some enterprising criminals came up with to file fraudulent tax returns so that they could collect money that didn't belong to them. I am sure it is safe to say constituents in every one of our districts went to file their taxes only to find that they had been filed already, and someone else had claimed their return and their identity. In response, the IRS instituted a smart, commonsense program to assign PIN numbers to affected taxpayers, without which they could not file their taxes. These six-digit numbers would be reassigned each year, and electronic returns would not be accepted without them. According to the American Coalition for Taxpayer Rights, it appears that this program has helped protect taxpayers and reduce fraudulent returns. The number of tax returns with confirmed identity theft dropped 32 percent from 2016 to 2017, alone, and 57 percent during the 2015 to 2017 period. Yet tax identity thieves are still claiming millions of dollars in fraudulently obtained refunds. By broadening the IP PIN program to all taxpayers instead of only making it available to identity theft victims and individuals in pilot project States, we can be proactive about keeping taxpayers' personal information and hard-earned dollars safe, and we can make further progress in reducing the instances of fraud during filing season. While we can and must do more to outwit cybercriminals and perpetrators of fraud, this program is a no-brainer that gives a better level of protection than exists today. I look forward to seeing this instituted for all of our constituents and hope we can build on this progress to bring additional security measures and 21st century technology improvements to the IRS. Mr. Speaker, in closing, again, this is a straightforward and simple bill that will protect taxpayers across the country, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Eugene G. Arthurs, a visionary leader, dedicated scholar, and passionate advocate for science and technology, on the occasion of his retirement from SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. Dr. Arthurs led SPIE from its headquarters in Bellingham, WA. During his tenure, SPIE grew to 19,000 members and 264,000 constituents representing optics and photonics experts and industry leaders in 166 countries, making Bellingham the home to a top international scientific society. Dr. Arthurs' distinguished career as a physicist, educator, CEO, and global photonics community leader provided him with the opportunity to share his passion for the science and beauty of light with students, researchers, and politicians across the globe. He was one of the driving forces behind the launch of the National Photonics Initiative (NPI), an alliance of top scientific societies uniting industry and academia to raise awareness of photonics. He has been a tireless spokesperson for the need of the science and technology community to engage with policymakers. Before he joined SPIE in 1999, he spent 25 years working in photonics in the United Kingdom and the United States. He was the first member of his family to get a science degree, receiving his Bachelor of Science with honors in physics and his doctorate in applied physics from Queens University Belfast. He taught optoelectronics at Queens and conducted research at the Imperial College of London before immigrating to the United States in 1980. I would like to thank Dr. Arthurs for his commitment and dedication to the field. He has been an asset to the science policy community, and his guidance in the creation of the NPI provided a solid foundation in photonics advocacy work. I wish him the best and hope he continues to find inspiration in his future endeavors.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, it should come as no surprise today that we are voting again on a bill that couldn't pass muster because it was cobbled together in a hurry, hidden from the public, and denied any meaningful vetting or debate. Tax reform is hard. It is even harder when you go it alone, cooking things up in back rooms out of the light of day. But the real travesty here is that this bill won't help everyday Americans in the long term. To call it once-in-a-generation tax reform is an insult to those who came before us: Republicans and Democrats who linked arms and, through years of partnership and compromise, crafted the 1986 bill that House Democrats passed with President Reagan. That is the model we should have followed, because the fact is, we can all agree that our Tax Code is out of date and leaves countless families behind. This year, the U.S. Department of Labor released data showing that there were around 6 million open jobs unfilled across the country at a time when around 6.8 million Americans are looking for work. I believe Congress has a responsibility to the American people to tackle this problem from every possible angle, including tax policy. But the Ryan-McConnell plan doesn't just fail to acknowledge or address the problems that American workers are facing today, it cuts people's legs off from underneath them just when they are trying to get traction. Chairman Brady likes to talk about this bill leapfrogging us to the front of the pack, but the truth is this bill doesn't leapfrog us anywhere but backward. This bill does nothing to put educational opportunities in the reach of more Americans trying to get ahead in the 21st century economy and does nothing to modernize research incentives that could support new breakthroughs that create the jobs of tomorrow. It explodes the deficit, making it that much harder to finance desperately needed investments in infrastructure that could put people back to work. Why are Republicans giving away the house to companies whose CEOs are already talking about stock prices, not jobs? As a former CEO myself, I know that economic growth is created by great ideas and great talent, not indiscriminate corporate tax cuts at the expense of investments in the people who have always powered our economy. I think tax reform should be about modernizing the Code to make us competitive in the 21st century. That means being fiscally responsible, forward-looking, and investing in families. Unfortunately, this bill is a letdown for the American people, and we will no doubt be cleaning up this mess for years to come, not just today.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, in this tax bill, Republicans have gifted the wealthiest corporations and individuals with massive new tax cuts and loopholes to take advantage of. But when I go home to my district, there isn't a mother working two jobs to put food on the table or a farmer struggling through a bad year or a senior trying to pay for a prescription who has ever told me that tax reform means corporate cuts on the backs of them and their families. They know Republicans always promise that the benefits will trickle down to working people, but they never do and they never will. What is worse, Republicans have made it clear that cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. This bill takes care of corporate special interests, the wealthy, and the well connected, while putting middle class Americans' finances and healthcare on the chopping block. We need tax reform that helps middle class families. This bill does the exact opposite. I urge my colleagues to oppose it.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, over the past few weeks Republicans have been cutting backroom deals that benefit the wealthy and well-connected out of the light of day, piling hurt onto people who won't be able to speak for themselves. Now we are on the verge of being force-fed a bill in which corporations get massive tax cuts while hardworking Americans are forced to pick up the tab. Over the life of the Ryan-McConnell plan, 36 million middle class families struggling to pay for healthcare, education, childcare, housing, and retirement are going to see their taxes go up. Now millions may lose healthcare coverage as well. What happened to fiscal responsibility? Economists are telling us that the increased debt won't be paid for by economic growth, and CEOs are openly sharing their plans to reward their shareholders with their new tax breaks--not create jobs. This bill is reckless, and I urge my colleagues to support this motion.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, in this Ryan-McConnell tax bill, Republicans are touting the largest set of corporate tax cuts in our country's history. They are raving that their corporate cuts will create jobs, even though we know that trickle-down economics has never worked and never will. Instead of bringing Democrats and the public into the process, Republicans have made the most cynical tradeoffs, only hurting people who need help the most. This is wrong. Tax reform should be about coming together and making choices that reflect our values. Yet, under this plan, teachers, who buy supplies for their students, like pens, pencils, and paper, will lose the ability to deduct those costs from their tax returns, but corporations still can deduct supply costs. Firefighters will no longer be able to deduct their State and local income or sales taxes, but corporations still can. Homeowners will no longer be able to deduct all of their property taxes, but corporations still can. And if workers have to move because their employer is forcing them to relocate their families or lose their jobs, they will no longer be able to deduct their moving expenses, but corporations, even those offshoring jobs, still can. This bill increases taxes on 36 million working families and rips away key lifelines that help people struggling with long-term illness, childcare, and education expenses. It blows a $1.5 trillion hole in the deficit and burdens our children and grandchildren with debt, triggering an automatic $25 billion cut to Medicare. This bill gives massive permanent tax cuts to corporations, but working families will have to live with the temporary scraps thrown at them. Bottom line: this bill hurts Americans from cradle to retirement, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this budget proposal. With many working families and businesses still struggling to adapt to a rapidly changing economy, our top priority in Congress should be helping expand opportunities, opportunities to sustain long-term economic growth and security so no American is left behind. Unfortunately, the bill we are voting on today is not a serious budget designed to help middle class families. Instead, this budget is simply a vehicle to rush through a partisan tax proposal using a process known as reconciliation. And what is worse, the Ryan-McConnell tax plan would add trillions of dollars to the deficit, making our children foot the bill for tax cuts that disproportionately benefit the wealthiest. In fact, the Tax Policy Center has estimated that the Ryan-McConnell tax plan could raise taxes by an average of $1,209 a year on families earning between $50,000 and $150,000 a year. This is moving in the wrong direction. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this dangerous budget proposal. With many working families and businesses still struggling to adapt to a rapidly changing economy, our top priority in Congress should be to help expand opportunities and sustain long-term economic growth and security so no American is left behind as we forge new paths ahead. To spur robust job growth, we must invest in our education system to provide the training and skills workers need to be prepared for the jobs of today and tomorrow. We should invest in infrastructure that will put people to work and make our communities better places to do business, and we should invest in growing a strong middle class, the backbone of our economy. But instead, we are debating a budget that will go nowhere in the Senate simply so it can be used as a vehicle to give the wealthiest Americans a massive tax cut on the backs of middle class families. This reckless budget cuts early childhood, K-12, and higher education programs, as well as job training and apprenticeships. It guts nutrition assistance, which provides benefits to more than 43 million Americans a year, almost half of whom are children. It continues the destructive cycle of neglecting our already crumbling infrastructure, even though we know the longer we wait, the more costly repairs will be in the future and the less economically competitive our communities will be. Slashing programs that help working families in order to line the pockets of the wealthiest Americans has never led to jobs or economic growth, and it never will. Every dollar we spend is a reflection of our values, which is why I am deeply disappointed that this budget demonstrates an utter disregard for middle class Americans, a lack of vision for what our future could look like with smart, targeted investments, and a complete lack of empathy for the most vulnerable. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Madam Speaker, today I rise for Stephanie from my district. This is her story. Stephanie and her husband were building their family. They had one beautiful daughter when she got pregnant for the second time, a planned and wanted pregnancy. But at 19 weeks, Stephanie got heartbreaking news. Her fetus had a devastating fatal birth detect. Based on her age, medical history, and test results, she was strongly advised to terminate the pregnancy. Stephanie ultimately decided not to carry the pregnancy to term. She told me, through tears, that her daughter needed her mother, and it wasn't worth the risk. It is a profoundly difficult situation for any family, but it was their decision. H.R. 36 punishes women like Stephanie. It takes personal medical decisions out of families' hands and lets politicians decide. It also places a cruel burden on survivors of sexual assault and child abuse. It is unacceptable. On behalf of Stephanie, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.'' We must stop the bans.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of my friend and constituent, Mr. Jeffrey H. Brotman, who recently passed away at the age of 74. Jeff was a Washington state native well known for his business accomplishments. From growing up working in his father's stores to opening Bottoms and eventually as a founder of Costco, Jeff's work made a significant impact around the world. But he wasn't just a business leader. Jeff's generosity and tireless dedication to bettering our community will have a lasting impact on the Puget Sound region. Jeff was a dedicated Husky and served as a University of Washington trustee. He also chaired the Million Dollar Round Table, working to bring people together to help others today and long into the future. In recognition of his work, he received the 2014 United Way Beacon Award for Visionary Philanthropy. I would like to commemorate Jeff's lifetime of achievements. He will be remembered by his uplifting demeanor and abiding optimism, and as a committed community servant whose important work will continue to echo in years to come. My thoughts are with his wife, Susan, his children Justin and Amanda, and all of his family and friends.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended. Like all my colleagues on this side of the aisle, I strongly support reauthorization of the home visiting program before it expires on September 30. We know it has an incredible track record of success improving child and family outcomes in our most vulnerable communities. We also support a timely reauthorization of the program before its expiration, to ensure families across the country who are benefiting from home visiting do not face a disruption in services. Unfortunately, Republicans have put forward a partisan bill with reckless policy changes that are not supported by experts and with only three legislative days remaining. It is incredibly disappointing, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this summer, I got to see firsthand how impactful this program can be. The families who choose to participate receive regular home visits from nurses and social workers, often from the same neighborhoods, who help to create healthy and supportive home environments for children and parents alike--parents like Jessie, from my home State of Washington, who struggled before she got connected with home visiting. Jessie says: ``Home visiting changed my life and helped me break the cycle of poor parenting.'' The results can't be denied. It has been shown to reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect by 50 percent, while, at the same time, reducing domestic violence, improving children's school readiness, and increasing parents' self-sufficiency and economic well- being. It is precisely the kind of evidence-based model that we know gives us a great return. Unfortunately, there are huge unmet needs for home visiting services across the country. Last year, more than 29,000 eligible families were unserved in Washington State alone. That is why I am so disappointed this legislation fails to make the meaningful investments we need to lift more families out of poverty and into the middle class. Democrats even offered a proposal to double funding over 5 years, which was fully paid for, but the majority refused to allow a vote. Instead, they have included objectionable policy changes that are not supported by experts who have said the bill's matching requirement for States is the single greatest threat to home visiting. We should not be taking steps that undermine the program or that reduce the number of States and communities that are working to help families thrive. We should also not have waited to consider this issue until days before the program expires, like we have done with the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, the Community Health Center Fund, the National Health Service Corps, and so many other programs that are essential for the children and families that we represent. It is unacceptable that so many programs are at risk due to Congressional inaction. We need to do a better job of providing families, States, and providers the long-term stability that they need. My amendment is a step in the right direction. It eliminates the bill's dangerous policy changes and, instead, provides a clean, 5-year reauthorization of the home visiting program, giving States, counties, and Tribes the tools and visibility they need to help more children and families succeed. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``yes.'' Home visiting has a long history of bipartisan support, and I hope we can come together to take the program forward, not backward. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I am opposed in the current form.

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would eliminate the dangerous cuts to Tribes who don't meet the bill's match requirement. I urge all of my colleagues to support it. I am proud to represent a number of Tribal communities in the Puget Sound region that each have a rich history, identity, and culture. But they face unique challenges. The need for home visiting services is particularly high among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Young people who live on reservations are twice as likely to become teen parents. Nearly three- fourths of the parents served by Tribal home visiting services live below the Federal poverty level. And the majority of Tribal beneficiaries have less than a high school diploma. The good news is that Tribes are already using home visiting resources to implement evidence-based models that have decreased depression, substance abuse, and stress among parents, while improving health among children. Seventy-seven percent of Tribal home visiting programs have improved family outcomes in at least four different areas, such as improving maternal and newborn health, increasing school readiness, reducing domestic violence, and strengthening parents' economic self- sufficiency. The bad news is the need for help in Indian Country has far exceeded the limited funding available through the home visiting program. In fact, less than half of qualified applications for Tribal home visiting can be granted under the current funding levels. Some States have tried to address these shortages with State resources, like my home State of Washington, which has voluntarily used State funding to meet the needs of Tribal families. But it is not enough. The underlying bill provides no new resources to address the nationwide shortfall in Tribal funding. Instead, it adds a match requirement that could be the end of home visiting on reservations altogether. Most Indian Tribes struggle economically and already face challenges providing help to families. I understand that Tribal administrators have said almost none of them could meet the match requirement in this legislation. Indian Tribes have also generally considered Federal match requirements to be a violation of Tribal sovereignty. As such, they may have to refuse the funds and shut down home visiting programs if the bill is enacted with the match requirement. I appreciate that the chairman has delayed the implementation of the Tribal match and reduced it to 30 percent. But, realistically, the effect will be simply to give Tribes more time to shut down their home visiting programs. The match requirement will still be completely unworkable for them in 2022. The Federal Government has a responsibility to our Tribal communities to do everything we can to support their people, strengthen their families, and expand economic opportunity. Mr. Chairman, the underlying bill takes a dangerous step in the wrong direction for our Tribes, but we still have the opportunity to stop it. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, 26 States and the District of Columbia have legalized some form of marijuana, including my home State of Washington. Yet marijuana possession or use for any purpose is still prohibited under Federal law, leaving my constituents, including cancer patients, at risk of prosecution. That is why today I am reintroducing the State Marijuana and Regulatory Tolerance Enforcement Act, the SMART Enforcement Act. My bill will fix the conflict between State and Federal law by giving States a waiver from the Controlled Substances Act. It also resolves the banking issues currently forcing dispensaries to operate in an unsafe all-cash basis. These waivers will ensure people in States that have different laws from the Federal Government on marijuana are protected from prosecution, provided they meet certain requirements, because people in these States should not live in fear of unpredictable actions from the Attorney General and the Department of Justice on this issue.

Ms. DelBENE

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman's willingness to work with me on this important issue and also Representative Kaptur for her support. Our Nation can't afford to lose its critical production capability. We should not allow American workers to be left behind, so I look forward to working with the gentleman and the gentlewoman. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time, and I withdraw my amendment.

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an important amendment to this year's Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill. It fixes a serious problem that must be addressed to protect hardworking Americans in my district and across the country. Both parties can agree that our Nation should be spending taxpayer dollars on goods manufactured here at home, not overseas, whenever we can. Doing so not only supports American jobs in our communities but also reinforces our national security. Even President Trump called for strengthening enforcing laws that promote American industry and American workers. So I hope my colleagues from both sides of the aisle can come together on this issue. Particularly in these uncertain times, it is imperative that we protect American production capabilities by supporting U.S. manufacturers. Every year since 1991, Congress has included a provision in the Department of Defense Appropriations bill to require that military agencies purchase anchor chain from American businesses. For the last 2 years, the House and Senate have supported an amendment of mine clarifying that this requirement applies to the Army Corps of Engineers. Unfortunately, the Corps has continued to ignore clear congressional intent and has made several acquisitions of foreign-made anchor chain from countries like China and Korea. Until the Army Corps follows the policy, I will keep fighting to support U.S. manufacturers and their workers, and I hope the whole Chamber will join me in this effort. My amendment strengthens the existing language in this bill to better protect the critical production capability, support our manufacturing industry, and put American workers first. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.