Chuck Fleischmann

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Louisiana (Ms. Letlow). I congratulate the great State of Louisiana on the election of our Speaker. They also have our great majority leader, as well. Ms. Letlow has been just a wonderful member of the Appropriations Committee, and it has been great to have her on the committee representing Louisiana.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, once again, my distinguished friend and colleague from Pennsylvania has been consistent in his opposition to these regional commissions, and I do appreciate the gentleman's positions on this. However, I respectfully disagree. The amendment would reduce funding for the Denali Commission, which is funded at $17 million in this bill, the same as fiscal 2023. The regional commission helps distressed communities across Alaska with basic infrastructure, like water and sewage systems and power generation. Mr. Chair, I respectfully urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, again, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for bringing this motion on behalf of my distinguished friend from South Carolina. Like the previous amendment, although this one is a bit more draconian, I respectfully rise in opposition to it for the reasons I alluded to earlier, and I urge a ``no'' vote. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, this bill provides $40 million for the Northern Border Regional Commission, the same as last year. This commission seeks to create jobs in distressed communities of the four-State northern region. While the impact to overall spending in this bill would be small, the impact felt by these communities would be large. Mr. Chair, I respectfully urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, once again, I thank my distinguished colleague and friend from Pennsylvania for being consistent and very thorough in all of his investigations, and I do really appreciate this. This has been insightful, but once again, I must respectfully rise to oppose the amendment. The energy and water bill includes flat funding for the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission. The amendment would reduce this amount by 99 percent, leaving only $250,000, not even enough to cover all administrative costs. This commission seeks to create jobs in some of the most poverty stricken areas of our Nation, and funding should not be decimated. Mr. Chair, I respectfully urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose this amendment.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, my friend and colleague from Pennsylvania once again has been consistent in his opposition to these regional commissions. This amendment seeks to cut funding for the Southwest Border Regional Commission in half. This Commission seeks to create jobs in some of the most poverty-stricken areas of our Nation. This bill provides $5 million equal to fiscal year 2023. This amount ensures this Commission can continue its work and cutting it in half would virtually do nothing compared to the overall spending in the bill. Mr. Chair, I respectfully urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Ciscomani), my dear friend and also a fellow member of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chairman, once again, I thank my distinguished friend from Pennsylvania and colleague for his very thoughtful work on this entire project. He has covered all of these regions. Mr. Chair, this amendment seeks to cut funding for the Great Lakes Authority in half, and I strongly oppose it. This is a newly authorized regional commission intended to create jobs in communities that need it most. As we crafted this bill, Mr. Chairman, we actually listened to Members and got Members' requests. This Commission, the Great Lakes Commission received a tremendous amount of bipartisan support for it. It is newly created, and that is one of the reasons that it has not had its funding. It has never had funding because it is brand-new. Mr. Chair, in that regard, especially in terms of the strong bipartisan support for this bill and for this Commission, I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lieutenant Colonel Joe Sahl, Commanding Officer of the Nashville District of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and recognize a lifetime of service to our Nation. LTC Sahl received his commission in 2004 and has served our Nation in assignments across the United States and around the world. He has served in the 62nd Engineer Battalion, the 1st Armored Division, the 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, as an Engineer Company and Brigade Engineer Observer/Coach/Trainer at the National Training Center, and as commander of the 273rd Forward Engineer Support Team--Advanced. He has also served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District and as Deputy Commander of the Jacksonville District before his command of the Nashville District. LTC Sahl assumed command of the Nashville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on July 1, 2021. The Nashville district administers water resources development and navigable waterways operations for the Cumberland and Tennessee River basins. I have had the privilege of working with Col. Sahl on the Chickamauga Lock Replacement Project on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, TN. LTC Sahl has been awarded and recognized for his service, including the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Meritorious Unit Citation, the Army Superior Unit Award, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, and the Combat Action badge. It is with great pleasure that I extend my heartfelt gratitude to LTC Joe Sahl for his years of service with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Nashville District and wish him the very best in his future assignments.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Mark Watson and recognize a lifetime of service to his community. For over 50 years, Dr. Watson has been employed as City Manager serving the City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee as well as six prior cities in the states of Texas, Montana, and Arizona. Mark has been serving in his present role since 2010. In 2017, Dr. Watson was recognized by the International City/County Management Association for his 45-year career in public service. The following year, Dr. Watson received the Community Partnership Award by the International City/County Management Association for his efforts in developing a public, private partnership for the redevelopment of the renowned American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge. Dr. Watson has continued the community's focus on economic diversification and has addressed infrastructure needs throughout Oak Ridge for the purpose of being the service provider for the city and the Department of Energy complex. Mark has worked in many communities identified as rural, suburban, agricultural, military, medical, scientific, and communities bordered internationally. Mark received his PhD from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and his Bachelor and Master's Degrees in Public Administration from the University of Kansas. His alma mater recently recognized him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in City Management. Dr. Watson frequently lectures at universities nationwide and most recently received the University of Tennessee MPPA Fellow in Professional Practice for his contributions to the education and professional development of MPPA students at UTK. It is with great pleasure that I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Mark Watson for his years of service and wish him the very best in his retirement.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 548, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Requisition Act. I thank the chair and the distinguished ranking member both for their very kind words of support for this very important legislation. This legislation has passed in this House before. It needs to pass tonight. It needs to go to the Senate and it needs to be on the President's desk. It has been far too long. The Eastern Band of Cherokee have been waiting and had a lot of promises made to them over the years which have been broken. This a great bill for America, and it is a great bill that we honor our wonderful Eastern Band of Cherokees. The great State of Tennessee, my home State, gets its name from the historic Overhill Cherokee settlement called Tanasi, located in present-day Monroe County, Tennessee. Tanasi served as the capital of the Cherokee people from as early as 1721. Unfortunately, as a result of misguided Federal policies, the Cherokee people were forcibly removed from their homes in Tennessee and the surrounding States. This tragic period in American history led to the Trail of Tears, a journey on which the United States forcibly marched 15,000 Cherokees to the Indian Territory. My bill, the Eastern Band Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act, returns important historic sites back to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Tribal Nation comprised of descendants of those Cherokees who resisted removal in the Great Smoky Mountains and escaped the Trail of Tears. It is on these same lands where the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have for decades honored the birthplace of Sequoyah, whose likeness we all have the opportunity to pass as we make our way from the rotunda of our Capitol to this House floor. H.R. 548 would return 76.1 acres. I want to be clear: It is only 76.1 acres of TVA land back to the Eastern Band of Cherokees in trust and grant two permanent easements over TVA property to be held in trust for the Tribe for creating recreational trails between the sites. The Tribe is committed to improving the educational resources of the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum and to provide a means for economic development for the local community through cultural tourism. The Cherokee Nation has a rich history in the Third District of Tennessee, and I am grateful to be engaged in the process to safeguard their story. Madam Speaker, I strongly urge Members of both Chambers to understand the importance of the Cherokee Tribal land preservation and support H.R. 548 so that it may be brought to President Biden's desk in a timely manner.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Dr. Thomas Zacharia, who will retire at the end of this year, concluding an exemplary career. Throughout his 35 years at ORNL, Dr. Zacharia has delivered groundbreaking scientific and technical accomplishments for energy, national security, and economic benefit to the Nation. Through the 1980s and 1990s, his extraordinary vision served as the guide for establishing a world-leading computing institution at Oak Ridge. His visionary leadership has resulted in the deployment of four number one computers in the world since 2009, with the Frontier supercomputer breaking the exascale barrier in May 2022. As laboratory director, Dr. Zacharia has expanded ORNL's scientific impact in national security, isotopes, biology and environmental systems science, and energy technologies. Dr. Zacharia's extraordinary journey from postdoctoral researcher in 1987 to lab director from 2017 to 2022 is well recognized. I thank him for his service, and I wish him well in his future endeavors.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Justin Furrow on his years of service to the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. For the past five years Justin has served as chair of the Chamber's public policy committee during a time of unprecedented transition. He helped stand up a new department within the organization, oversaw staff changes, and worked tirelessly to help guide the Chamber as it worked to improve the environment for the business community in Chattanooga and Hamilton County. He was also chair of the committee when the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce was named the ACCE National Chamber of the Year in 2017. He has balanced his volunteer time with a full-time law practice, chairing the labor and employment law section at Chambliss, Bahner, & Stophel law firm in Chattanooga. A native of the area, he is a graduate of the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga and got his law degree at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Justin's service to the Chattanooga area is commendable and I am privileged to recognize his years of distinguished service. I look forward to seeing him continue to serve bis community in the years to come.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Madam Speaker, the dying ember that is the Democratic majority in both Houses once again seeks to burn the American people. $80 billion for the IRS, and they champion it. I will stand with the hardworking American people of this Nation. Democrats, you can have the IRS. Raising taxes at a time of recession, at a time of economic gloom, I will stand with the hardworking entrepreneurs of America any time over raising taxes. Madam Speaker, the American people know better. The American people deserve better. The American people will get better in November. I urge a ``no'' vote on this bill.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Chattanooga Bar Association on reaching the milestone of its 125th anniversary. Since 1897, the Chattanooga Bar Association has made it its mission to work for the betterment of the legal profession and the administration of justice; to take an active interest in governmental affairs; to stimulate a feeling of respect, esteem, and good-fellowship among members of the Chattanooga Bar Association; and to provide and promote legal education of the legal community and the public at large. During its 125 years, the Chattanooga Bar Association has produced many outstanding members who have shaped the history of Tennessee and our Nation. J.B. Frazier was a member of the board of directors during the first 5 years of CBA's existence and is the only Chattanoogan elected Governor of the State of Tennessee. He later served in the United States Senate. Estes Kefauver served as the secretary-treasurer and vice president of the association before being elected to serve as Tennessee's Third District Congressman. Incidentally, that is the seat which I presently hold. He then went on to the United States Senate and made two bids for the Democratic Presidential nomination before being selected as Adlai Stevenson's Vice Presidential nominee during the 1956 Presidential election. I am extremely proud, myself, to have been a member of the Chattanooga Bar Association since I began my law practice as a young man in 1986. In 1996, I became the youngest person to serve as president of the Chattanooga Bar Association, the 99th president, an honor that is still near and dear to my heart. Throughout its 125 years, the Chattanooga Bar Association has shown our community, State, and the Nation the best of what it means to be a lawyer, to practice law, and to pursue equal justice for all. I am proud to recognize and honor the Chattanooga Bar Association as they celebrate their 125th anniversary. I congratulate the CBA and wish them much continued success in the future.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for his hard work on this arduous project, this omnibus bill. I also want to extend my thanks to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, Chair DeLauro and Chair Roybal-Allard, for their hard work. We disagree with many of the things that the majority has put forth in this, but we in the minority have gotten a lot of key wins for the American people in this bill. Coming over, Mr. Speaker, tonight on a cold, damp Washington evening, I was thinking about what I would say. This is a job well done. I rise in support of this bill. This is not the bill that I would have written. This is certainly not the bill that the majority would have written. Within this beltway, within this town, we have a dialect. We have a Washington-speak sometimes that should and does befuddle the American people. So, tonight is time for straight talk. Straight talk means that the needs of our Nation, the needs of the United States of America, change on an annual basis. The world doesn't stay the same. A few weeks ago, the world changed for the worse when Russia invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine. Things change. Priorities change. Funding needs change. That is why, as appropriators, we come together every year and, ideally, address the Nation's changing needs--whether in defense; education; Department of Energy; and, in my case, homeland security--to address the needs of the American people. Now, this is an omnibus bill, ``omni'' from the Greek meaning ``all,'' not ``cromni'' meaning ``some,'' but ``all.'' Now, think about that. In one of the most partisan-charged times in American history, Republicans and Democrats, Senators and Members of the House, and the White House can come together and forge an agreement that gets all 12 bills done. To the American people watching, this is an accomplishment. It is not perfect. Of course, it is not. Now, the priorities that I champion in this bill, $1.9 billion to build the wall--very important. I know the majority doesn't like that. We got that in. The Iron Dome, I stood in this Chamber a few months ago, and I bellowed at the majority for stripping that out. I was very upset that day, and I knew a lot of people in the majority wanted Iron Dome in there like all the Republicans did as well. We got that in this bill. Our beloved ally, Israel, will now be able to defend itself with the Iron Dome. Our great United States Coast Guard will be getting more ships and more funding in the homeland bill. ICE beds will be funded. There are a lot of key priorities. Yes, I respectfully and strongly disagreed with Chair DeLauro when she was talking about her opposition to the Hyde amendment, and she has a right to her opinion. That is what is great about this Chamber. But we have the Hyde protections in this bill to protect the unborn. That is law in America, and that will remain law in America, those Hyde protections to make sure that the right to life, that sacred right to life--that abortions are never paid for by the American taxpayer. So it was a compromise. There were some things in this bill, obviously, that I don't particularly care for, but key missions through the Department of Energy in my beloved city of Oak Ridge--my goodness, when we vote for this, please know that in the Department of Energy, the NNSA, the National Nuclear Security Administration that is in the Department of Energy, funds to keep our Nation's nuclear arsenal safe and secure, the funding is there for the uranium processing facility, $600 million. So this is a compromise bill. There is no question about that. But think about this, my friends in the majority and in the minority, to all of the staff who worked tirelessly to get this bill done, this is not easy work because of the bona fide differences that exist between the parties. We have gotten it done for the American people. No, it is not perfect. But, yes, it is good. It is going to help the people of Ukraine. It is going to help our country move forward.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of Mr. Robert C. ``Bob'' White. For 11 years, Bob has served the people of Tennessee's Third Congressional District, first as my field representative, then as my deputy district director, and finally, as my senior adviser. Bob has been instrumental in helping myself and my office do the people's work in the House of Representatives. Bob retired last month from his career in public service. Throughout his tenure as a public servant, he ceaselessly showed what we are all here to do: to serve our constituents, those who have elected us to represent them in Congress. Madam Speaker, I thank Bob for his service, friendship, and devotion to our State and Nation. I wish him success in the next chapter of his illustrious career.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Terry Bobrowski and recognize a lifetime of service to his community. For 35 years, Terry served East Tennessee communities through his work at the East Tennessee Development District. Terry led as the Executive Director from February 2002 until his retirement earlier this year. Terry previously served the ETDD as Director of Economic Development. Under Terry's stewardship, the ETDD established a Planning Advisory service that transitioned a major community planning program from the State of Tennessee to provide expert assistance for strategic planning to communities throughout the East Tennessee region. ETDD also maintains a public infrastructure inventory database, provides GIS support to help communities throughout this region make data-driven planning decisions, and assists federal agencies in providing services throughout the region. Terry has also served his community, lending his leadership to several local and national organizations. Terry served as President and Board Member for the National Association of Development Organizations, past National Chairman of the Rural Transportation Planning Task Force, past Chair of the Tennessee Development District Association, past Board Member of the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, past Board Member of the Southeast Regional Directors Institute, and is a member of the East Tennessee Industrial Council, the Tennessee Economic Development Council, and the American Economic Development Council. Terry has been a recognized subject matter expert in rural and regional planning. During his career, Terry has provided testimony to the President's Rural Development Task Force, the U.S. Senate Steering Committee on Rural Development, and the U.S. House Subcommittee on Transportation & Infrastructure. It is with great pleasure that I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Terry Bobrowski for his years of service with the East Tennessee Development District and wish him the very best in his retirement.