Blake Farenthold

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5658) to amend title 5, United States Code, to codify the Presidential Innovation Fellows Program, and for other purposes.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 5658, the TALENT Act of 2016, introduced by our distinguished majority leader, Representative Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, California. I commend the leader for bringing before the House this bill as part of his Innovation Initiative, rethinking what government does and how government operates. Mr. Speaker, the TALENT Act makes permanent the Presidential Innovation Fellows program that was created by the administration in 2012. This highly competitive program recruits talented innovators and technologists to Federal agencies from the private sector. During this short timeframe, fellows work on initiatives to transfer ideas into tangible results for American taxpayers at startup speeds. Since 2012, 96 top innovators have been recruited into the program from across the country. Presidential Innovation Fellows are rethinking what government does and how government operates. Consider one example of the program's work. Presidential Innovation Fellows improved services available to veterans, transitioning servicemembers, and their spouses. As a result, veterans now have better access to a resume-builder, a military skills translator, and detailed career and training resources all together in one place. Mr. Speaker, the Presidential Innovation Fellowship program is demonstrating results and should continue. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5658. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), the majority leader.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. This is a great piece of legislation. Regardless of which side of the aisle we sit on and regardless of whether we think government is too big or too small, I think almost everybody in this Chamber should be able to agree that the government needs to do its job well. It needs to spend taxpayer money efficiently. It needs to get the job done for the American people. One of the ways it can do that is by adopting modern technology and taking advantage of the disruption that we have seen in the private sector that has brought us innovations like our phone that now is more powerful than a desktop computer just a few years ago. I agree with the gentleman from California. It is absolutely imperative that we provide better, more efficient service to our veterans, but the same should be true in dealing with every area of government. You should get as good service from the government as you do in the private sector. We can talk all we want about the Federal bureaucracy, and I am sure I will probably disagree with some of the folks on the other side of the aisle about some of the pros and cons of this. But I think what we have seen in California, in Texas, in the Carolinas, in Boston, and all over this great Nation, as we have seen this boom in technology, as we have seen the changes that are coming that we are able to do more with less, we are able to do things faster, we are able to be more efficient, and we are able to give people more leisure time. This innovation economy, this mindset of the entrepreneur is something that this program brings into the Federal Government. Many people spend long careers in the Federal Government where it is often disincentivized to innovate. This short-term program that brings the best of the best into the government for short periods of time to shake things up and to rethink how we do things is one of the ways that we can make it where the Federal Government actually can compute its way out of a paper bag. It is a way we are able to help our veterans. It is a way we are able to help all of our citizens by providing the services that we choose to provide as a government in the most efficient manner, and it gives us an opportunity for somebody who is standing outside of the box to take a look at what we are doing so maybe we can act a little bit outside of the box and do a better job. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this phenomenal bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, today FBI Director James Comey announced his recommendation not to prosecute Hillary Clinton. I am extremely disappointed with this decision. In fact, Mr. Comey said that it was extremely careless of Secretary Clinton to store public emails and classified emails on her server. There were 110 messages in 52 chains that contained information that was classified at the time, 8 of which were top secret, 36 secret, and 8 confidential. We really need to protect our national security. The FBI Director talked about the word ``intentionally.'' Well, if this had been defense information, some of which it may have been, the statute only requires criminal liability to show the form of gross negligence. I think extremely careless comes to gross negligence, and I encourage the FBI and prosecutors to continue to look at this and do what is right. We need people in government who are not extremely careless. We need people who are careful.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, on roll call Nos. 297 and 298, I missed votes because of a flight delay due to weather conditions. Had I been present, I would have voted Yes.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the 2016 Service Academy appointees from the 27th Congressional District of Texas. The following outstanding young men and women have accepted academy appointments: Joshua Aaron Agosto, Burkburnett High School, United States Merchant Marine Academy; Lucas Antonio Beltran, Richard King High School, United States Naval Academy; Roberto Esai Cervantes, Calallen High School, New Mexico Military Institute, United States Merchant Marine Academy; Julian Eduardo Flores, St. Stephens's Episcopal School, United States Air Force Academy; Amanda Nicole Madrid, Richard King High School, United States Air Force Academy; Matthew Joseph Moffitt, W.B. Ray High School, United States Military Academy; Austin M Nguyen, W.B. Ray High School, United States Military Academy; Gavin Senterfitt, Richard King High School, New Mexico Military Institute; Alana Stern, Gonzales High School, United States Naval Academy Preparatory School, Greystone Preparatory School at Schreiner University, United States Naval Academy; Tanner Strawbridge, W.B. Ray High School, United States Naval Academy; Clayton Daley Thompson, Flour Bluff High School, United States Naval Academy Preparatory School. I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating these remarkable students achievement. I'm confident they will serve our country well and I pray success will follow them in all their future endeavors.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor and a privilege to be here. A little over a year ago, there were some horrible floods just outside the district I represent in Wimberley, Texas, that took the lives of several constituents vacationing there in Corpus Christi, Texas. In fact, some of the bodies of the young children who perished in that horrible flood have yet to be recovered. My family's prayers and the prayers of the Nation go to those grieving families and the survivors and for the repose of the souls of those who passed. There has been a lot of flooding in Texas over the past year or so, just as recently as last week. I represent Wharton, Texas. The river in Wharton rose just as it had gotten repairs from the previous flood a few months earlier. All the Sheetrock was newly installed and ready to go; and sure enough, another flood comes and the damage to the property continues. Unfortunately, the floods of last week and the previous weeks did not result in loss of life in the district that I represent. Thank the Lord for that. I tell you, in the past 14 months, another county I represent, Bastrop, has experienced the worst flooding it has seen in 35 years. It is currently dealing with $2.5 million in damaged infrastructure, and 20 roads still remain closed today. Of the 100-plus homes damaged in the past 14 months, more than half were determined to be unlivable, and four families still remain in temporary housing. Earlier, in Wharton County, more than 1,000 people were evacuated and 150 homes flooded. It has really been tough. I was driving through and visited with the emergency management folks in Wharton. You look at the fields of green. I posted on Instagram the picture of a milo field. It said, ``Amber waves of flooded grain.'' Cotton fields are under water as well. In addition to the property damage, I think our farmers in Texas may suffer from an overabundance of water. As I grew up in a farming family, our complaint was it either rained too much, too little, or at the wrong time. I will tell you that these floods have just been horrible in Texas. I do want to thank the folks from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for their quick response. What it has told us is that we are taking way too much time for projects to stem the flooding, levees and the like, to get approved by the Army Corps of Engineers and the other Federal agencies. The funding for it is difficult to come by. We end up spending all this money with FEMA. If some of that money were redirected to preventive maintenance or preventing these floods, we might save lives and certainly save property as well. I think it is something that this Congress should look at: preventing problems rather than just reacting to them. I also want to commend the first responders and the emergency management personnel throughout Texas who have done so much. I also want to offer my thoughts and prayers to those brave servicemen who perished in Texas in the training exercises as well. It has been a tough few months here back in Texas. But you know what? We are Texans, and we will survive. We will mourn those we have lost, and we will rebuild, and we will continue to reflect that which is the greatest of the American spirit: perseverance through adversity. I thank Mr. Al Green for the opportunity to speak.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I rise today, disgusted that the Secretary of the VA this week compared veterans waiting in line for much-needed health care to waiting in line at Disney. People don't die waiting in line for Space Mountain. The Secretary said: We care about the overall experience, like Disney does, not the specifics. Well, guess what. Disney cares about wait time. In fact, there is an app for that. I can get on my phone right now and tell you it takes 90 minutes to get on Space Mountain in Florida. The VA needs to take an example from Disney. They are legendary for their customer service, cleanliness, efficiency, and the fact that they never say no to anyone. Our VA right now is a national disgrace. Despite Congress passing numerous reform laws giving the VA virtually everything they ask for, including billions of dollars in appropriations, our veterans are still waiting for the health care they earned. Madam Speaker, it is absolutely imperative that the VA learn from Disney. We have to get the President and the Secretary of the VA to deal with this national disgrace. Americans, our veterans especially, deserve better.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment, which is included in here, that encourages the Department of Defense to provide free Wi-Fi access of the Internet to military personnel who are deployed overseas. Right now our military personnel, in some instances, are required to pay twice as much as a typical American family would pay for access to the Internet. Access to the Internet is a way for our troops to keep their morale high by staying in touch with their families back home by using technology like FaceTime and Skype. This amendment does not require any expenditure by the military. It merely instructs the military to work towards this goal: to make it available where possible and to indicate that it should be a priority. It doesn't cost anything, but it is a great morale booster, and it should be great for our troops. I urge my colleagues to support this.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of an amendment that directs our service academies to notify the Members of Congress of acceptees at least 48 hours before publishing the acceptance or letting the acceptee know. As most Members of this body know, we are actually the interviewing source for the service academies. Young men and women seeking to serve this country attending a service academy apply for a nomination from their Member of Congress, most often go through a very lengthy vetting process, and we develop a relationship with these young men and women. Historically, the service academies have allowed us to call them and tell them they are accepted and congratulate them. This year, in some instances, the service academies have quit doing that, which was a longstanding practice. I believe that it is appropriate that those who interview and work so hard to get those young men and women into our service academies should be the ones delivering the news to them rather than them reading it on a Web site or in a piece of mail. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment when it comes before the House.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, we are here today talking about modernizing a law, but we are modernizing a law that encompasses a centuries-old principle. Back in the days when the Founding Fathers wrote our Constitution, they were concerned about the government rifling through our papers. Today we have electronic papers. Stuff is stored in the cloud. This piece of legislation brings us back in line with the intent of the Founding Fathers that the government can't just rifle through your papers. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, Reavelyn Pray is among 60 students selected from across the country out of 300 highly competitive applications for Council on Undergraduate Research ``Posters on the Hill'' presentations in Washington, D.C. Pray's selection is the first time a Del Mar College student has been accepted for Council on Undergraduate Research's ``Posters on the Hill,'' and she will present her research findings illustrated on her poster titled ``Engineering Plants to Produce Petrochemical Alternatives in Vegetative Tissues.'' Research projects submitted for ``Posters on the Hill'' went through a rigorous review process and were selected as the best from around the country.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Robstown baseball coach Steve Castro, who passed away in October of last year. Steve Castro was a pillar of the community who taught baseball to hundreds of kids from 1975 to 2010 at Robstown High School. Castro taught more than the game of baseball; he taught his team the meaning of hard work and the meaning of teamwork. Under Castro's coaching, the Robstown baseball team drew crowds of more than 3,000 people. He brought families and friends together every time there was a game. In 2014, Castro was entered into the Texas High School Baseball Association Hall of Fame, the fifth Hispanic coach to receive the honor. This year's Cotton Picker Baseball season will be officially dedicated to the man who brought fans and players together for 35 years. Steve Castro will be remembered as a legend by the students he taught and the families he brought together every night for a game.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor General Marc Anthony Cisneros, who recently received the Daughters of the American Revolution Medal of Honor. The Daughters of the American Revolution is a volunteer organization whose members donate their time and energy toward preserving American history, funding scholarship programs, and honoring great Americans like General Cisneros who have dedicated their lives in outstanding service to the United States of America. General Cisneros led an illustrious career in the U.S. military from 1961 until 1996. He is most remembered for his role as a commander of the U.S. Army South in the 1989 Panama invasion, where he led the effort to depose General Manuel Noriega. It was his leadership that minimized casualties while achieving a total victory in the war. I join the Daughters of the American Revolution in thanking General Cisneros for his service.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Coastal Bend Council of Governments for their 50th anniversary. The group exists to serve 11 counties and 32 cities in South Texas with a host of services, including water quality management and waste management, and coordinates region-wide projects for its member towns and cities. In an age of too much government, it is great to recognize such a creative and efficient collaboration between local governments and private entities. This terrific volunteer association not only serves, but protects the people of South Texas with 9-1-1 emergency services, criminal justice services, and Homeland Security programs. For 50 years, the Coastal Bend Council of Governments has provided the Coastal Bend region with cost-efficient services through its unique partnership of the public and private sector. I honor their collaborative service to the South Texas community.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to be here today to be the sponsor of the SMARTER Act. This is just good government. We have a situation now that if you want to merge your company with another company, you could go before the Federal Trade Commission or you could go before the Department of Justice. Now, you would think that the Clayton Act that governs antitrust law would say: All right. Well, we are going to get treated the same, no matter which way we go, the law is the law. But that is not how it works. A big piece of this is the procedural aspect of it. If your merger is reviewed by the Department of Justice and they have a problem with it and they need a preliminarily injunction to stop it, they go to Federal Court before a judge, as the Founding Fathers intended, the executive branch agency, and there is a dispute, and it is litigated in front of a Federal court. But if you go before the Federal Trade Commission, they could go to Federal court like the Department of Justice, but they can also go to their own court. They have got their own court with an FTC employee as the judge. Now, we have got administrative law courts that work, but they can also do both. You have got a situation that the merger could be delayed. In these business transactions, as in life, time is money. Just the threat of going through this administrative process has the effect of giving the FTC the ability to extract concessions that the DOJ wouldn't. Look, we need to be treated fairly no matter which agency reviews it. This is the main gist of the SMARTER Act. Let's make it the same if you go to the DOJ or the FTC. This isn't just something that we, Republicans, pulled out of our hats. This is a recommendation from the bipartisan Antitrust Modification Commission. They have testified that this is part of what they think needs to be done to make a better, more efficient government. Listen, nobody wants to be tied up in red tape. As you go through a merger and you draw the short straw and end up in front of the FTC, you have got another spool of red tape that you could very possibly get rolled up in. I don't think that is fair and I don't think the American people think that is fair. Now, my colleague on the other side of the aisle, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson), says this guts the antitrust laws. It doesn't. It just makes them fairer. It makes the review the same no matter where you go. It is commonsense, good government. I don't have anything else to say. I don't see how you can be against fairness.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from New Jersey's commitment to the free market, because I think we all believe a free and fair market is in the best interest of America and in the best interest of every American consumer, but we have got to take a look at the procedure. This is, primarily, procedural in nature so that those companies that are seeking mergers, whether they go through the FTC or through the Department of Justice, are simply treated the same. If the gentleman is concerned about the fact that there are too many mergers--that we are getting bigger and bigger companies and that it is stifling competition--that is a legitimate conversation for us to have in the context of changing the law with respect to monopolies, mergers, and acquisitions. What we are trying to do here is not change that law, but make that law fairer and applied equally, regardless of whether one is in front of the Department of Justice or whether one is in front of the Federal Trade Commission. If the gentleman takes that argument, then he is saying, right now, the FTC has an advantage in stopping these mergers because it has all of these other procedures in place, as opposed to the Department of Justice. Why should one get stuck with a tougher row to hoe based on which agency one goes in front of? That is just not fair.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. In reclaiming my time, I think the gentleman has a problem with the fact that there are so many mergers and that he thinks it is anticompetitive and not good for folks. That is an opinion that the gentleman is, certainly, entitled to, but that is, I think, out of the scope of what this bill is trying to do. Mr. Speaker, this bill takes existing law and says, look, let's apply it the same regardless of which agency one is before. I think that is the difference there. I would be happy to meet with the gentleman in his office and see if we can find some ways that we can agree so that we might reform the overall antitrust system. I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mr. FARENTHOLD. In reclaiming my time, my point is that, if the gentleman thinks we have too many mergers, let's change the law, but let's have a fair procedure. What this bill is designed to do is to have a fair procedure for those who are engaged in that activity.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Naval Air Station at Corpus Christi as it celebrates its 75th anniversary this month. NASCC or, as it was once known, the University of Air, has been training pilots, navigators, aerologists, gunners, and radio operators since 1941. NASCC was founded in 1938 under the 75th Congress to train new pilots and technical crew to bolster our Nation's air forces. The air base serves the southeastern portion of the United States, from Texas to Florida, and trains naval aviators nationwide along with other pilots from our foreign allies. Today NASCC is not just a naval base. It includes tenant commands for the U.S. Army, Coast Guard, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Corpus Christi Army depot rebuilds and updates rotary winged aircraft--helicopters--and is saving our country millions of dollars. The depot facility and other tenants make the base extremely cost effective for both the Army, Navy, and taxpayers. The Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Patrol operate a variety of aircraft from the base, including predator drones surveilling our border, which is great because we have a new generation of pilots interacting with UAVs getting their training at NASCC. NASCC's current commander officer is Captain Randolph F. Pierson, who joins a long line of leaders to serve in Corpus Christi. During World War II, it was said there wasn't a naval aviator who hadn't earned their wings at the air station. These World War II naval aviators were critical members of the U.S. military, giving the U.S. an edge in battles across the Pacific and over Europe with our superior air power. It was American air power, combined with U.S. naval power, that played a critical role in turning back the tide of Japanese at the Battle of Midway. It was American air power that dealt a decisive blow against the Japanese in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, winning one of the last largest air battles in history. After World War II, it was American air power that flew food supplies to the starving people of Berlin during the Berlin Airlift. This was all accomplished with graduates of the Corpus Christi University of Air, NASCC. Today the training program is approximately 18 months and, due to the increased complexity of modern aircraft, it just takes longer. Six hundred people per year are trained at the facility and go on to serve their country in the U.S. Navy and Marines as pilots, engineers, and technical crew. These folks learn skills through the program that propel them through a successful life in the military and a successful life in the private sector after their service ends. Some of the notable flyers who have earned their wings at NASCC include former President George H.W. Bush, who was in the third graduating class. He was commissioned just 3 days before his 19th birthday. Naval Air Station Corpus Christi graduates also include several Members of Congress, including fellow Texas Representative Pete Olson, Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina, and Senator John McCain of Arizona. Some NASCC grads are not content to remain in the blue skies of the Earth. Many astronauts who led the charge into space after getting their wings at NASCC include Neil Armstrong and John Glenn. Other notable graduates include game show host Bob Barker, actor Tyrone Power, Vice Admiral James Stockdale, and Medal of Honor winner Edward ``Butch'' O'Hare. The Navy's distinguished flying team, the Blue Angels, were headquartered in Corpus Christi until 1955. Today, CNATRA, the Chief of Naval Air Training, now Admiral Bull, based in NASCC, commands the Blue Angels. The people of the United States owe much to the graduates of NASCC. These heroes have fought for our country since the construction of the base in 1941. I believe it is important to not only honor the men and women in uniform who serve at bases like NASCC and those around the country, but also to honor their families and the civilian workers who make it all possible. Due to its importance to our country during World War II and over the years until today, it is my privilege to let you know about NASCC. After 75 years of operation, the Naval Air Station is still training pilots, still serving the country, and still being a symbol of pride to Texas and the entire Nation.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. I thank the chairman. Mr. Speaker, it shouldn't take an act of Congress for these women to be inurned in Arlington National Cemetery. We have heard from numerous people on both sides of the aisle that this is simply the right thing to do. The Army should have just said, ``Yes, let's get them buried there.'' The President should have used his pen and phone and ordered the Army to do it if they wouldn't. Guess what. We are here now, and it is going to take an act of Congress, and it is going to be a very strong act of Congress. I can't imagine not passing this out of this House unanimously, and I suspect we will see similar results in the Senate. The remains of this woman should not have to rest in her granddaughter's closet. They should be inurned in Arlington now. I urge my colleagues to pass this bill unanimously. I urge the Senate to act quickly. I urge President Obama to sign this into law. It is, simply, the right thing to do. We have just got to do it.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 80th birthday of Ms. Connie Hunt. Born on March 7, 1936, Connie spent her career in civil service. She served the government at every post where she, and her husband lived until her retirement in 1986. She has also been active in the Calhoun County Republican Party for over 20 years, serving as Chairman or Vice Chairman for 18 of those years. While volunteering as a tutor for high school students, she worked tirelessly to bring civics to life for Calhoun High School students with the Calhoun High School Young Republican Club. Connie Hunt is a proud Texan and a tremendous friend to the conservative cause. She has been an enthusiastic supporter of the principles that make our country what it is, and her dedication and achievements are the types of things that make the United States so exceptional. I am so proud to have constituents like Connie. Happy birthday.