Brett Guthrie

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Fong).

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and to insert extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 27.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 93, I call up the bill (H.R. 27) to amend the Controlled Substances Act with respect to the scheduling of fentanyl-related substances, and for other purposes.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from North Dakota (Mrs. Fedorchak), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, illicit fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances remain one of the greatest health threats this Nation faces. That is why both Congress and the Trump administration are working to keep fentanyl out of our communities across the country. What we know about these lethal substances is that they are largely created with chemicals sourced from China and trafficked into our country and communities by Mexican drug cartels. Part of making this Nation safer and more secure is empowering law enforcement with the tools necessary to prosecute those who traffic this poison into our communities. The HALT Fentanyl Act plays an important role in that objective by permanently placing fentanyl- related substances into schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act so law enforcement can crack down on drug traffickers. This will help save lives. Last Congress, this bill passed the House with 289 votes, and I am hopeful for a robust vote today. I am confident this bill can pass the Senate and be signed into law. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I just want to note that the bill before us today schedules illicit fentanyl. We had testimony to say this will save lives. That is the vote before us today. Hopefully my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will vote for it. We can talk about criminal justice reform, but the people who are putting the poison into our cities and our children deserve to go to jail. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Griffith).

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, we are going to work on the SUPPORT Act, but the vote before us today that people are going to put their names to, a yes or no: Do we want to make illegal derivatives of fentanyl produced and conceived in China sent to Mexico and across our border to kill our people? That is what the vote is going to be today. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta).

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, speaking as the primary sponsor on the Republican side of the bipartisan bill, the SUPPORT Act, we do need treatment. We have worked on treatment. We have record treatment that has happened since the SUPPORT Act first passed, and we will work on it again this Congress. We know it is going to expire by the end of March. What is happening is the scheduling of illicit fentanyl. What that means is, fentanyl is scheduled. What the people in China do who send their recipes for fentanyl to Mexico to be manufactured and sent across the border is if they could slightly change the molecule just enough that it is no longer fentanyl, it is no longer scheduled. Our police officers have to find it and get it tested. Once they get it tested, they have to go back and say, okay, that is fentanyl. It is deadly. Let's go to Congress and get Congress to put that on the schedule. Then we put that on the schedule. Then they start to process and slightly change it again. That is the reason we put this in an emergency order to begin with. That is why we want to put it in permanently because we know that it is effective. We have had testimony to say that it is effective. We had my friend from New York (Ms. Gillen) come and say that she read that the DEA says this will save lives. Other groups say this will save lives. We have testimony that this will save lives. There is so much we need to do in helping people with their substance use disorders and struggles. There is no doubt there is a lot we need to do. What we need to do today, what we are going to put our name on and record our vote on, yes or no, is: Do we believe that derivatives of fentanyl that are being trafficked from China to Mexico across our border, do we believe that should be schedule I and give the tools to our law enforcement officers to fight it? That is what we are voting on today. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill. We had Mr. Cullen from Pennsylvania testify this morning in a hearing on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee for Health, who lost his son. We all know people who suffer from this. We need to keep up the fight. This is important for us to do, and I encourage a ``yes'' vote. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McDowell), a new member of the Republican Conference, a new Member of Congress, and my good friend.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, all I will say is that we know, and we have had testimony. We have had testimony from so many people who have come before our committee. We know that if we have illicit fentanyl that is no longer illegal, it is not going to save lives. It is going to cost lives. We know this emergency order is expiring at the end of March. This needs to be done. It has to go to the Senate. Somebody mentioned earlier on the other side that it lingered in the Senate. We now have a Senate that will take this up. We have a President that will sign it. We need to get this done so we can protect children and not delay this until we have another study when we know what is going on in our neighborhoods, our homes, our communities, and our country. Mr. Speaker, I urge the defeat of this amendment and support the underlying bill. I yield back the balance of my time. THE SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the previous question is ordered on the bill, as amended, and on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Mrs. Trahan). The question is on the amendment by the gentlewoman from Massachusetts.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Bresnahan).

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, we know that if this emergency declaration expires, that illicit fentanyl will no longer be scheduled and individuals will no longer be subject to arrest and prosecution. I don't believe we need to study this. That is why we have the emergency in place because of the problem. Putting this off until a study comes back, people are going to die. I don't think we need to certify that people are going to die. I think that is self-evident. Mr. Speaker, I urge opposition to this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. Boebert).

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Alan Slobodin for 30 years of service to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. I am proud to join the entire Committee in honoring his significant achievement and distinguished career on Capitol Hill. Alan, a Bethesda, Maryland resident, graduated from Temple University in 1979 and received his JD from George Washington University in 1984. After receiving his JD, Alan served in private practice then as counsel on the House Committee on the Judiciary. He later became the President and General Counsel of the Legal Studies Division of the Washington Legal Foundation where he directed activities of legal publication and education programs for a major, national, pro-business public interest law center and advocated pro-free enterprise legal ideas before federal and state judges, Members of Congress, state legislators, the Executive Branch, and the media. In 1995, Alan began his distinguished career with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce where he has proudly served six Republican Full Committee Chairs, eight Republican Oversight Subcommittee Chairmen, three Republican Ranking Members, and five Republican Subcommittee Ranking Members. As Chief Investigative Counsel since 2011, Alan has strengthened the public health of our Nation by conducting extensive oversight of public health agencies, spearheading scores of hearings, and leading many committee investigations into various topics such as the COVID-19 pandemic, drug and device safety, the opioid crisis, and bioterrorism preparedness among others. In addition, Alan has mentored generations of Energy and Commerce Committee staff and earned the respect of Members and staff on both sides of the aisle. On behalf of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and all the past Chairs and Ranking Members of our Committee that Alan has been dedicated to assisting; I thank him for his career of service and dedication to our Nation and our Committee.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for yielding. I appreciate that. Mr. Speaker, I am here to honor one of my dear friends. When I first got on the Energy and Commerce Committee, the battle that was going on in that committee was over healthcare policy, and Dr. Burgess knew it frontward and backward. As a matter of fact, I always liked looking at his copy of the Affordable Care Act. I think it was tabbed, and he even diagrammed sentences, I believe, in that to make sure he understood it and could explain it and tried to figure out how to fix it. He was always going that direction. I was on the committee when he was chair of the subcommittee, and I became his vice chair. That is when he became more than a friend; he became a mentor. He was somebody that I just admired the way that he studied, he learned. He was an expert on whatever subcommittee you were on, particularly healthcare. He mentored me. He set a standard that I tried to live by when I had the chance to become the subcommittee chair, now chairing the Energy and Commerce Committee. It is a privilege. Congress truly is a snapshot of America. We come from all walks of life. We bring different perspectives. Chairman Burgess being an OB/ GYN, I will never forget the series of hearings we had on maternal health. If you controlled the studies for all the things you think was causing a problem in maternal health, we still were having issues with maternal health and the life expectancy of the mother. We had detailed hearings because he brought his experiences, his care, and said this is a problem that should not exist in this country. One of the hearings I remember most is when we had Parkland Hospital from Dallas and other hospitals from New York talk about how we take care of the mothers of our children after they give birth and policies came out of that. I think it is a legacy you will have about tying your career and your political drive, but, most important of all, you love Texas and you love this country, and that is infectious. I appreciate your chairmanship in the Rules Committee and your mentorship of me.

Mr. GUTHRIE

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

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), my good friend.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, I want to close by saying that there has been quite a bit of hard work put into this bill and quite a bit of persistence. Without referring to anybody in the gallery, I know there are people here who have worked really, really hard to get to where we are now. Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1351, the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act. In 2022, there were approximately 34,000 children and adolescents placed in these youth residential treatment programs. These programs play a pivotal role in helping young people navigate mental health and behavioral health challenges. Unfortunately, there have been many instances of youth being mistreated in certain residential treatment programs. This is unacceptable. S. 1351 will require the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study examining the state of youth residential programs. It also requires recommendations on how to improve oversight, disseminate education and training resources, and enhance interagency coordination, among others. Every residential treatment program should be a secure place for children to heal. Parents and guardians deserve transparency. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my good friend's leadership when he said everybody of every ability. He is here and he has served everybody in the 118th Congress. He is going to be missed and his leadership is going to be missed and we appreciate him very much. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I, again, thank my good friend from the Hudson Valley, my Rockbound Highland home, who, unfortunately, didn't beat Navy this weekend. He is from a great area of our country, a beautiful place, and has well represented the Hudson Valley. I look forward to working together again at some point in some place. Mr. Speaker, it is a great bill. I encourage a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 670, the Think Differently Database Act led by Representative Marcus Molinaro. This legislation will make it easier for individuals with disabilities to understand what Medicaid covered services are available to them. The Medicaid program provides health coverage to nearly 80 million people, and in 2021, an estimated 9.5 million people were enrolled in Medicaid on the basis of their disability. As a jointly funded Federal-State program, Medicaid program eligibility and coverage can differ significantly from State to State. One caregiving report found that online information about caregiving services can be hard to find, confusing, inconsistent, and not consumer-oriented. This bipartisan bill would direct HHS to establish a website that is designed to help people with disabilities determine their Medicaid eligibility, making it easier for them to get to the care they need. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Molinaro for his tireless work as a champion for people with disabilities. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Major Mario Flores, U.S. Army, for his outstanding work on behalf of the Department of Defense. Major Flores served as a Department of Defense legislative fellow in the U.S. Senate, and later as a congressional liaison for the Army Reserve. Mario commissioned in the United States Army in 2011 through the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program at DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois where he received a B.S. in Business and later an M.S. in Legislative Affairs from George Washingtdn University. Through various assignments with 3rd Special Forces Group, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Targeting Directorate, and Special Operations Command, Mario has made direct contributions to the U.S. National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy. Mario specializes in strategic and tactical targeting operations and is a graduate of the Joint Targeting School, the Joint Special Operations University's Special Operations Intelligence Course, and the Special Forces Combat Course--Support, and the Basic Airborne Course. Mario is also a committed advocate for our Nation's veterans. In 2020, Mario was appointed by then-Virginia Governor Northam to serve a four-year appointment on the Virginia State Board on Veterans Services. In this role, he is responsible for advising the Virginia Department of Veterans Services on relevant policies in support of Virginia's veterans. In addition to his military service, Mario's civilian background includes extensive government and private sector experience including being a Public Policy Congressional Fellow for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Fellowship Program, having various roles at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and joining General Dynamics Information Technology. Following his completion of his next level of military education in early 2025, he will be returning to the civilian workforce while also continuing his service in the U.S. Army Reserve. Mario has been instrumental as an Army Reserve congressional liaison, especially working with my office to support Fort Knox. I thank Mario for his dedicated service, for his professionalism, and for his passionate service to our country and to our community. I also want to thank his wife, Jazmine, and I wish them both the best in their future endeavors.