Debbie Dingell

Mrs. DINGELL

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1664, introduced by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey), would authorize the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a monument in the District of Columbia commemorating the extraordinary acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice displayed by the Medal of Honor recipients. The Medal of Honor is our country's highest military decoration, and since its creation during the Civil War, the medal has been awarded to more than 3,500 members of the armed services. This bill would honor the unparalleled bravery and sacrifices of Medal of Honor recipients and ensure that the medal's values of courage, sacrifice, patriotism, citizenship, integrity, and commitment are shared for generations to come. I would like to thank Representative Veasey for his leadership on this important legislation and urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey).

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, my colleague said it well. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. DINGELL

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1154) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating certain land as the Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area, and for other purposes.

Mrs. DINGELL

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2278) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to designate the September 11th National Memorial Trail, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), the author of this important piece of legislation.

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

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2278, introduced by Representative Gerry Connolly, would designate the September 11th National Memorial Trail Route to honor the family members and loved ones who were victims of that day's attack, as well as the heroes of September 11. The route will consist of a series of trails and roadways linking the three sites of the September 11 attack: the World Trade Center in New York; the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia; and the Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. As we approach the 20th anniversary of this horrific act of terrorism, this bill would honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 Americans who lost their lives and would serve as a lasting reminder of the heroism and perseverance of our Nation's first responders. I thank Representative Connolly for introducing this important legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. DINGELL

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. DINGELL. 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 the measure under consideration.

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. DINGELL

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

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2365) to extend the authority for the establishment of a commemorative work in honor of Gold Star Families, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2365, introduced by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Kim), would extend the authorization for the establishment of a commemorative work to Gold Star Mother Families until January 2, 2027. The Gold Star Mothers Family National Monument would honor the mothers and families of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in service of our Nation. The Gold Star is a widely recognized tradition that dates back to World War I when families would display service flags bearing a blue star for each family member serving abroad and a gold star for each family member who had been lost in combat. Although this commemorative work was originally authorized in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2013, the authorization expired in January 2020. In November 2015, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts approved a location for the memorial on the National Park Service property west of the Arlington National Cemetery visitor center. Following that approval, the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission has engaged in consultation with the Gold Star Mothers National Monument Foundation regarding the memorial's design. This bill would build on these efforts by extending the authorization needed to establish the monument. While we can never truly repay the debt that America owes to our Gold Star Mothers and their families, H.R. 2365 would bring us closer toward fully honoring the sacrifices that they have made. I would like to thank Representative Kim for introducing this important legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and the Gold Star families, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. DINGELL

Mrs. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I stood here nearly a month ago to deliver a very similar message: once-in-a-lifetime storms are becoming our reality in Michigan. In the last month, southeast Michigan has flooded three times in the city of Dearborn, nearly 20,000 homes have been impacted. My constituents can't recover from one flood before it worsens and another one hits and there is more damaged property, more lost valuables. People are angry. People are scared. And they have every right to be. That is because we have known the solution to these disasters for a while. The time for climate action is now. This starts with investing in resilient infrastructure to protect our communities from the impacts of climate crisis. We need to invest in infrastructure that can withstand natural disasters and make it easier on the American people to recover. We can't continue to have these floods couched as once-in-a-lifetime, if you call them that, when people are dealing with unimaginable damages in my city for the third time in 4 weeks. We need a strong infrastructure package that takes bold action and addresses change head-on.

Mrs. DINGELL

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1029) to Waive the application fee for any special use permit for veterans' special events at war memorials on land administered by the National Park Service in the District of Columbia and its environs, and for other purposes.

Mrs. DINGELL

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

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2497, the Amache National Historic Site Act, introduced by the chair of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, my colleague from Colorado, Representative Joe Neguse. H.R. 2497 would establish the Amache imprisonment site in southeast Colorado as a national historic site to ensure permanent protections and provide for the interpretation of the Amache site of Japanese- American incarceration. Following the United States' entry into World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order forcibly removing more than 120,000 people, primarily of Japanese descent, to 10 remote military-style prisons across the Nation. The Granada Relocation Center, commonly known as Amache, was one of those 10 centers and was the only one located in the State of Colorado. Although Amache was the smallest of the relocation centers, it became the tenth largest city in Colorado with more than 10,000 people passing through the camp between 1942 and 1945, nearly two-thirds of whom were American citizens. Most had never been to Japan and most were given a week or less to leave their homes and dispose of everything they owned, everything they had worked hard to build up for themselves. This unjustifiable, horrific, and unconstitutional incarceration of Japanese Americans is, without doubt, one of the darkest chapters in our country's history. And while these incarceration sites no longer hold prisoners, many of the wrongfully imprisoned are still with us today, even as anti-Asian rhetoric continues to permeate our country. As we continue to reckon with our Nation's painful legacy of systemic racism, it is critical that we honor and share the stories of those who came before us. It is vital that we remember and learn from their fights against injustice and for equity. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 2497, and join me in working to ensure that we remember this dark time in our Nation's history so we may honor those who lived it, share their stories, and continue to heal as a country. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2497) to establish the Amache National Historic Site in the State of Colorado as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. DINGELL

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

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 325, introduced by Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, provides a 2-year extension for the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children to publish its report and make policy recommendations for Federal, State, and Tribal programs that serve Native children. Native children experience severe health and socioeconomic disparities compared to all other racial and ethnic groups in the United States due to the cycles of intergenerational trauma. It is the Federal Government's trust responsibility to provide for the health and well-being of Native children. However, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed much of the Commission's essential work. Passage of S. 325 will grant the Commission an extension of time and ensure that the report best addresses the needs of Native children through much-needed expertise and cultural wisdom. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished Senator from Alaska, Senator Murkowski, for introducing and championing this critically important legislation, as well as my dear friend and Committee on Natural Resources colleague, Don Young, for leading the House companion bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 325, and I reserve the balance of my time.