Tulsi Gabbard

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, Congressman Joyce, who has been a great leader on these issues relating to our nursing workforce. I appreciate working with him as co-chair of the House Congressional Nursing Caucus, where we are able to bring a lot of these issues and challenges to life. We all know that nurses and caregivers are the heartbeat of our healthcare providers. Day in and day out, they provide lifesaving care with empathy, compassion, and care in the most trying and stressful situations. But across the country, we continue to see nursing workforce shortages, especially in our rural and underserved communities, like many in my home State of Hawaii where people on different islands are literally separated by a body of water sometimes from getting access to the care that they need. In the next 2 years alone, the United States is on track to face a shortage of nearly 200,000 nursing professionals. These shortages not only drive up the cost of healthcare for those most in need, but they actually endanger the wellbeing and care of our patients. As our healthcare system faces heightened and complex challenges, like an aging population, increase in chronic diseases, an ever- worsening opioid epidemic, and so much more, our healthcare workers must have the training they need to address the needs of our communities. Reauthorizing Federal funding for vital programs that provide nurses with training, education, and support, will help grow our nursing workforce, both in my home State of Hawaii and across the country, and expand access to the quality care for our children, our veterans, our seniors, and all of our communities. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and empower our nurses and healthcare professionals to continue serving and caring for the people in our communities.

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Hawaii County Police Officer Bronson Kaliloa, who died yesterday after being fatally shot Tuesday night during a traffic stop in Mountain View. Bronson was just 46 years old, a father of three, a graduate of Waimea High School on Kauai, a 10-year veteran of the police force and a public servant recognized by his community, fellow officers, and family and friends as one-of-a-kind because of his dedication to service, his kindness, and heart of aloha. He was part of the Puna Patrol Division, who, over the last few months, have been working around the clock to support their community in crisis, due to the ongoing volcanic activity and lava flow, helping residents who have been displaced from their homes, businesses, and farms. We mourn with the community of Puna, the Hawaii Police Department, and Bron's ohana he left behind: Casey, Samson, Grace, and Nathan. We can never forget the sacrifices our law enforcement officers and their families make every single day to serve and protect.

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for introducing this amendment of which I am a proud cosponsor. This amendment provides additional funding for the Native American CDFI Assistance Program, also known as NACA, which supports critical economic development in Native communities like mine in Hawaii, those in Alaska, and communities all across the country which already face significant barriers to accessing financial mainstream services and capital. NACA accounts for a small portion of the CDFIs, but it provides significant support to Native CDFIs, including Native Hawaii organizations in my home State of Hawaii. Of the $22.7 million in CDFI awards made to Hawaii since the fund was launched, 41 percent of total dollars awarded came from this NACA Program. It has funded organizations like the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, which supports Native Hawaiian communities with homeownership counseling and mortgage loans, small business access to capital, and loans to farmers and ranchers. While the NACA Program is unable to meet the demand by qualified Native CDFIs at its current funding level, a cut to NACA in FY 2019 would be especially devastating to our Nation's impoverished and underserved Native communities. I urge my colleagues to join my colleague from Hawaii, Representative Colleen Hanabusa, and me to support this noncontroversial, bipartisan amendment to restore funding to NACA. The amendment, when considered with Representative Palazzo's CDFI amendment, would restore NACA to the current enacted level of $16 million so that Native CDFIs may continue growing small businesses, creating jobs, and promoting vital economic opportunity and development in Native communities.

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to amend the rule to make in order the Quigley amendment to restore funds to help our States secure their vulnerable election systems.

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, Article I, section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress the exclusive authority to declare war, but the last time Congress officially declared war was December 8, 1941, the day the U.S. entered World War II. Ever since, Congress has failed to uphold their constitutional responsibility and has instead ceded power to the President. So we remain in a state of perpetual war, led by Presidents in both parties, at great cost to the American people, with no declaration of war by Congress and no input from the American people. The direct and indirect costs of these Presidential wars are astounding. They take a toll on our troops, our veterans, and on the American people. Since 9/11 alone, we have spent trillions of dollars on regime-change wars and nation building, while people in our community suffer and struggle because of a lack of resources here at home--not to mention the cost borne by our troops, those who pay the ultimate price as well as those who come home with wounds that are both visible and invisible. The American people deserve accountability. Mr. Walter Jones and I have introduced bipartisan H. Res. 922 to make sure that Congress fulfills its constitutional role, ends Presidential wars, and has robust debate before making a decision to send our troops into battle.

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Madam Chair, I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their support for this very timely and important resolution. I have been on the ground there and have seen how the United States Geological Survey's HVO is literally monitoring the activity 24 hours a day, sending out realtime updates to people whose lives and homes and farms hang in the balance. Unfortunately, the volcanic activity that we are seeing there right now is continuing at a very aggressive rate with no end in sight, so his support for this amendment comes at a critical time, and I really appreciate it on behalf of my constituents there. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. GABBARD. Madam Chair, this amendment would increase the United States Geological Survey's surveys, investigations, and research account by $4,798,500 to accommodate for impacts caused by recent volcanic eruptions. The offset for this modest increase comes from the Interior Secretary's administrative account. On May 8, 2018, in my district, the Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island, Hawaii, began erupting. The volcanic activity and destruction has yet to stop or wane. It has destroyed over 700 homes, forcing thousands of people to evacuate, to seek emergency aid and shelter, and to somehow find a new future for their lives. There has never been a more critical time where the United States Geological Survey's Volcano Hazards Program on Hawaii island has been sorely needed; however, their office was severely damaged by the seismic activity from the ongoing volcanic eruptions. Hawaii island itself has seen hundreds of these types of seismic eruptions over the last month and a half. As a result, the staff currently occupy empty spaces at University of Hawaii at Hilo, like classrooms, or they telework, undermining their quality of work, with the staff potentially putting their lives at risk. The United States Geological Survey provides essential information for the health, safety, and well-being of people all across the State of Hawaii, and in neighboring locations such as the Marshall Islands, which has been blanketed by volcanic smog following the Kilauea eruption. To most effectively do their job, this team needs a workplace where they can house their equipment, conduct research, and most effectively uphold their mission, which is to enhance public safety and minimize social and economic disruption. This amendment will provide the necessary resources for this team to at least temporarily relocate to a suitable location and continue to carry out their lifesaving historic work. Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to help us immediately address this situation and pass our amendment. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GABBARD. Madam Chair, I rise as the designee of the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Hanabusa), and I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. GABBARD

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

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Chair, since 9/11, an estimated 3.7 million veterans and servicemembers may have been exposed to burn pits, a common method of disposing of waste during war. Now, these burn pits include things like human waste, batteries, plastic, damaged equipment all being dumped into a giant pit, doused with jet fuel, and torched. Much of the waste burned in these pits is toxic and it gets into our troops' eyes, mouth, throat, and lungs. I know this is true, because I was there and I breathed these toxins in every day. These burn pits aren't put somewhere very far away from where our troops spend their time. They are usually right next to where they live, work, eat, and sleep. Many burn day and night, some burning around the clock, 7 days a week. Exposure to burn pits can produce serious and potentially life- threatening health effects, including neurological disorders, rare forms of cancer, lung diseases, and more. Recently, a widow named Jill Wilkins reached out to my office to share her story. She told me about her husband, United States Air Force Reserves Major Kevin Wilkins, who was an RN and who deployed to Iraq in the summer of 2006. After prolonged exposure to the toxic chemicals from burn pits, when he came home, he died from a brain tumor in April of 2008. He was only 51 years old, leaving behind his wife, Jill, to take care of their two children by herself. Now, despite the millions of brave young men and women who have been exposed to burn pits, people like Major Wilkins, they are continuing to be denied their claims and healthcare through the VA. The DOD and VA have been hesitant to admit that there is sufficient data to quantify this link and to prove the connection between service- related burn pits exposure and the resulting illnesses that some of our troops and veterans are dying from. What is most troubling about this is that these burn pits are still being used today. We cannot continue to repeat the dark stains of our past that we have seen in abandoning our Vietnam veterans who have suffered illnesses due to their exposure to Agent Orange. Even now, I and many other Members of Congress continue to hear from Vietnam veterans about their battles with the VA to get the benefits and care they need after their exposure to Agent Orange. Burn pits are the Agent Orange of our generation of veterans. We cannot let this generation go ignored, without the care and services they desperately need. Our troops didn't hesitate to raise their hands and volunteer to serve this country and put their lives on the line. We cannot turn our backs on them when they return home. Passing this amendment authorizes $1 million in burn pits research, which takes an important step towards fulfilling our Nation's promise to take care of our veterans. We have seen some DOD- and VA-funded studies, but we need to do more to get to the point where the VA does the right thing. We need to pass the Burn Pits Accountability Act that I have introduced with my friend and post-9/11 veteran, Congressman Brian Mast. We know that there is a correlation between burn pit exposures and these illnesses. This amendment takes a small step toward continuing the research, and serves as a shining light to our post-9/11 veterans that they are not alone and that they have not been forgotten. It builds on this progress to ensure that every servicemember and veteran who was exposed to burn pits gets the care and services that they have earned and deserve. Mr. Chair, I appreciate Chairwoman Granger and Ranking Member Visclosky for their attention in raising this important issue and in allowing these amendments to come to the floor. Our veterans care very much to see that Congress is taking action in the absence of leadership, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment on the table.

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, this weekend I visited Flint, Michigan, where I met with neighbors and residents, one of whom was named Joyce. Joyce is one of the more than 100,000 residents in Flint who have and continue to endure a life-threatening water crisis in their city which has gone on for years. Like too many families in Flint, Joyce's family has suffered incredible loss due to the criminal contamination of Flint's water. Joyce's son's name is Joseph. He was a father of three, and as any of us would, he believed that the water that he drank, bathed, and cooked with--the water that he gave to his children--was clean. He had no reason to believe otherwise. But after the city of Flint changed its water source from Detroit's water system to Flint River in 2014 to cut costs, Joseph began to develop rashes and bacteria that ate away at his flesh forcing him to tape his skin together on his face and on his back with band-aids. It was so bad that his doctors kept asking him if he had traveled to a Third World country recently. Where in the world had he been that had caused his organs to deteriorate as rapidly as they were? Joseph died leaving behind his three children; his family; and his mother, Joyce, who continues to keep his memory alive. Joseph's story is tragic and heart-wrenching, and the sad part is that this is not a one-off case. Samples of drinking water from Flint found 13,000 parts per billion of lead in the community's water, which is nearly 900 times higher than the EPA's maximum limit of 15 parts per billion. Scientific evidence shows that this lead contamination has killed at least a dozen people in Flint from Legionnaires' disease. It has deteriorated the short- and long-term health of tens of thousands of people in the community, including at least 9,000 children under the age of 6. It has created ripple effects causing fetal death and lower fertility rates that continue to have an impact on those who are affected and will continue to have an impact on this community for generations to come. Now, there are other cases of other illnesses such as cancers and things that are not even being tracked but are likely related to this contaminated water, and that will continue. It has been over 1,500 days since this crisis began and the people of Flint today still do not have clean water. Understandably, they don't trust their government to tell them the truth after they have been told the water is clean and safe time and again, only to show that it is not and people continue to get sick. These are the same officials who decided to put cost savings over human lives who later reassured the community that the water was safe when they knew that it wasn't. Now, despite this heartache, death, and destruction, those responsible in local, State, and Federal Government have not been held accountable for creating and perpetuating this horrifying crisis. Poisoning over 100,000 people through their water is criminal, yet not a single person has been charged. Not only that, but the State has declared the water in Flint to be lead-free and has shut down the only bottled distribution facility in the city. The need is still there, so we have churches and volunteers in the city who are coming together and cobbling together a means to distribute bottled water in whatever way that they can, taking care of each other, and demanding accountability for those responsible for this devastation. Understandably, they feel they have been forgotten, that their voices are not being heard, and that they have been left behind. All they are asking is that this country--our country--hear their personal stories and shine a light on the problems that still continue. We understand that this is not a problem isolated to Flint, Michigan, but is a problem that faces communities all across the country. We know that Flint is not alone. With the aging and crumbling infrastructure in this country, we know that too many of our communities don't have safe water to drink. We need Federal investment in our country's dangerously dilapidated water infrastructure now. In my home State of Hawaii alone, it is estimated that we will need over $1 billion in drinking water investment over the next 20 years just to ensure that our people have safe water to drink. I am a co-sponsor of the WATER Act which will make these critical improvements to our drinking water and wastewater services, replace old, lead-ridden pipes, and stop sewage overflows and other problems that are contaminating our national water infrastructure. We must hold those responsible for the poisoning of Flint accountable for the lives that they have ruined. Along with passing the WATER Act into law, we need to expand water testing in high-risk areas. We need to send a message to this country that we stand together. Water is life. We cannot survive without it.

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, 6 years ago today, DACA provided a shining light for hundreds of thousands of young Dreamers from all across this country to come out from the shadows and live freely without fear in a nation that for many has been the only home they have ever known. These are people who were brought here as young children through no choice of their own, but no longer. Now, since DACA was rescinded, their status and future hang in limbo with great uncertainty. Their futures and dreams are put on hold as those fears of being ripped from their families and deported to strange, foreign countries has reentered their lives. We cannot afford to wait another day. The vast majority of Americans support Congress passing a final solution, a permanent solution, for these Dreamers. The majority of Congress supports finding a permanent solution for these Dreamers. Let's stand together, work for the good of the people in this country, and pass a solution for these young people all across the country.

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, just 6 months ago, my constituents and people all across Hawaii received a harrowing alert that came across their cell phones saying that a ballistic missile was incoming and to take cover immediately. It turned out to be a false alarm, but the terror that my family, friends, people all across the State of Hawaii experienced was very real, shining a light on the stark reality and the seriousness of the North Korean nuclear threat that hangs over them and this country. The agreement that came from the U.S.-North Korea summit that just concluded late last night, committing North Korea to complete denuclearization, is a first step, but there is far more work to be done. We have to be vigilant to make sure that the details of this deal ensure complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of North Korea. You hear talking heads on TV talking about who put up more points on the scoreboard, missing the seriousness and the actual point of what we are dealing with, that this is not a game. There are lives at stake. In the interest of peace and humanity, we should all be rallying around our country's success and continuing to pursue diplomacy and peace to remove this threat and denuclearize North Korea.

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, water is life. Growing up in Hawaii, we have a unique appreciation for the protection of our resources, from our mountains all the way down to our oceans. It is something that we grow up with, that we have a responsibility to take care of our home, to keep it clean, not only for us, but for future generations. Today is World Oceans Day, and we have the opportunity to celebrate the beauty of our world's oceans and also commit to keeping them clean. Right now we see all over the world that our oceans are under siege. Temperatures are rising, pollution riddles our waters and beaches, coral reefs are dying off, and marine life are being killed. So as you recognize World Oceans Day, we can think about how, in our own lives--individually, as a family, as communities--we can do our part to take care of our planet by changing things like making sure we are not using toxic sunscreens that kill off our coral reef or the single-use plastics that pollute our waters. We cannot wait for the tide to change. We have got to take action to make sure that our oceans and our planet are safe and clean for all life for generations to come.

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Chairman, this legislation is a bright light of bipartisanship that is sorely needed by communities like mine in Hawaii and those in Florida as well. There is nothing more necessary and basic to life than water. Strengthening and upgrading our water infrastructure is critical to protecting the health, safety, and welfare of communities all across the country. Those like mine, who are surrounded by water, and those in our coastal communities are acutely aware of the dire need for investment. For example, for us in Hawaii, we rely on our ports for the vast majority of the basic needs and supplies that we have to ship in for our residents. We have also experienced historic floods in Hawaii recently, like other States, exposing the urgent need for investment in water infrastructure. Just one example, risk experts in Hawaii have warned that the Ala Wai watershed's high vulnerability to devastating flooding could result in financial devastation to the tune of over $1.1 billion, damaging more than 3,000 structures, and speaks to the fact that the area is home to over 150,000 residents and over 80,000 visitors every day. This bipartisan legislation will secure critical funding for flood risk management both on the Ala Wai Canal, other places in Hawaii, and across the country, helping to provide that necessary safety and security for our residents. This is a critical piece of bipartisan legislation that deserves the support of Congress. Let's take this opportunity to better the lives of our constituents and residents across the country by strengthening our national infrastructure and ensuring clean and safe drinking water for all.

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, our veterans, our servicemembers, and their families sacrificed greatly in service to our country, with some paying the ultimate price, sacrificing all. For those who do come home, there are often visible and invisible wounds that they carry with them for a very long time--if not for the rest of their lives. It is our solemn responsibility as a country to stand by them, to ensure that they receive the care and the services and the respect that they have earned and that they deserve through their service. So the fact that, today, a veteran or a Gold Star family member who wants to use a national war memorial for a special event--whether it is a vigil, a religious service, a parade, or any other kind of event--is slapped with an application fee by the National Park Service costing anywhere from $70 to over $100 is, frankly, unacceptable. Our war memorials are often a place of healing, a place where our brothers and sisters in uniform, our fellow veterans, gather to remember those whom they served with who never made that trip home, for Gold Star family members to go and pay homage to and share new memories with their loved one that has been lost. This is a gathering place that is so important both for those who have served and those who remember and honor those who have sacrificed everything. It is unacceptable that our Nation's heroes have to pay a fee to honor our fallen brothers and sisters in this way. This legislation is necessary, and we have the opportunity to get it passed today. I appreciate the leadership of my colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. Rothfus), someone who I know personally is deeply committed to serving and honoring our veterans and never forgetting the cost of war and who pays the price. We introduced this legislation to waive the application fee for veterans and Gold Star families applying for a permit at war memorials on Federal land because this legislation honors the special bond between veterans that spans across conflicts and generations that we see displayed in this country, most prominently on Veterans Day and Memorial Day, but something that goes on throughout the year. We must continue to honor this into the future. This simple change in this legislation will lift this financial and bureaucratic burden that our veterans face as they pay their respects, remember the lives and sacrifices of their friends, and our Gold Star family members of their loved ones. I want to thank the men and women of the National Park Service who work to make sure that our war memorials are kept up and reflective places for healing, and I thank my colleague for his leadership and the support of the committee to bring this bill to the floor today. I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

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

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna).

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Chairman, make no mistake: the authorization in section 1225 of the underlying bill authorizes our U.S. military to go to war with Iran. One of the main reasons why I voted against this bill in committee was specifically because of this provision that authorizes the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State to ``develop and implement a strategy with foreign partners to counter the destabilizing activities of Iran.'' The provision does not define what destabilizing activities they want our troops and taxpayer dollars to counter. It does not define a clear objective or end state for our troops to achieve. In addition, this provision shuts the American people out from this decision entirely by circumventing Congress' constitutional responsibility to declare war and giving unilateral power and unending authorization to counter Iran to this and future administrations without defining in any way, shape, or form what the objective really is. It sidelines Congress and the American people entirely, with the only requirement being that the administration report to Congress after their plan is being implemented and only for the next 4 years, while the authorization for war has no expiration date. It gives after-the-fact license for what is already happening in the Middle East. Since 2015, without express congressional authorization, U.S. troops have been providing direct military support to Saudi Arabia and Yemen through information sharing, logistical support, and refueling Saudi warplanes which have dropped U.S.-made bombs on Yemeni civilians. The most recent attack was on a Yemeni wedding party, with 2 rounds of bombing killing more than 20 people and wounding dozens of others. This Saudi-led interventionist war has created one of the worst humanitarian disasters in history, worsening a situation that has led to mass starvation, cholera outbreaks, devastation, thousands of civilian deaths, and tens of thousands of injuries. This provision gives total authority to the administration to keep U.S. troops in Syria or any other country in the Middle East as long as they deem necessary--an intention clearly stated by members of this administration. To name a few examples, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said last month that U.S. troops would stay in Syria indefinitely until their goals are accomplished--namely, to counter Iran. National Security Advisor John Bolton said in a 2015 op-ed entitled ``To Stop Iran's Bomb, Bomb Iran'' that ``the United States could do a thorough job of destruction, but Israel alone can do what is necessary. Such action should be combined with vigorous American support for Iran's opposition, aimed at regime change in Tehran.'' Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently advocated that the U.S. will ``crush'' Iran with economic and military pressure unless it changes its behavior in the Middle East. So it is clear that, if left unchecked, war hawks in the Trump administration will drag our country into more Middle East wars, leaving destruction in its wake around the world and here at home. Trillions of taxpayer dollars have already been spent on these regime-change wars in the Middle East since 9/11. Rather than dumping more taxpayer dollars in these wars, as this provision authorizes, we should instead be investing in rebuilding our community right here at home. For too long, the U.S. has engaged in military adventurism and interventionist wars, sending our troops overseas with no clear objective or end state. Countering Iran is not an end state that our military or diplomats can achieve. Without a clear objective, you end up in endless war. So what is the objective of this authorization for war? Is it regime change in Iran? Regime change in Syria? More war against Iran and Syria? Yemen? I strongly urge my colleagues to consider the serious consequences of section 1225 being enacted, because it would authorize any or all of these. It is Congress' responsibility and constitutional role to declare war. The American people have a right to real debate on such a declaration. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of my amendment to uphold this responsibility. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire how much time I have remaining.

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer my amendment.

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, for too long, companies like Purdue Pharma have lied, cheated, and swindled the American people, leaving death, addiction, and despair in their wake, all because of their greed and their desire to improve their bottom line. Through marketing lies and overdistribution of these dangerously addictive drugs, they have oversaturated parts of our country already struggling from high levels of addiction, while knowing but not disclosing their highly addictive nature and risks. Because of their tactics, this opioid epidemic now takes 115 American lives every single day. The time for holding these drug companies and their leaders accountable is long overdue. These companies rake in billions of dollars in profit every year on the backs of the American people, and not one of them has been prosecuted or held accountable. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting bicameral legislation, the Opioid Crisis Accountability Act, that would prohibit illegal marketing and distribution of opioids and empower prosecutors to punish those who break the law. We cannot allow perpetrators of this epidemic to continue ruining lives in this country. We must hold those responsible accountable for the damage, heartache, and suffering they have caused.

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, over the last several days, the people of Hawaii have faced extreme and severe weather, heavily impacting the communities of Waimanalo, east Oahu, and most heavily, the island of Kauai. Far too many people are living and struggling in chaos as a result of record-breaking rain, flooding, and landslides that have completely devastated communities, homes, and businesses. It has led to hundreds of people being evacuated. Many people are still struggling without water and electricity. They are stranded, separated from their children and family members on different parts of the island, and relying on airlifts from the Hawaii National Guard for basic supplies. Time and again, our Kauai community has come together, proven to be strong and resilient, mobilized to support and take care of each other. I want to say a big thank you to Mayor Carvalho, the Hawaii National Guard, the Coast Guard, our first responders, organizations like the Red Cross, churches, schools, and members of our community who have stood up and taken action, leaders like: Joel Guy and Ryan Sebring; Doug Phillips, who was running boats; Laird Hamilton, who was running water rescue; Hanalei and the Takeshiros, who were running their Zodiac up and down the Wainiha River; Malama Kawai, Mocu Chandler, Laura Richards, and so many more. I am looking forward to being on Kauai tomorrow to offer my support to those who are helping provide relief to those most affected as our delegation stands ready to help Kauai recover from this disaster.

Ms. GABBARD

Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, from the very first day at the U.S. Air Force Academy and throughout one's service in the U.S. Air Force, you learn about how to live the Air Force values: integrity first, service before self, and strive for excellence. J. Gary Pennett did his best to live these values, and has gone above and beyond in answering the call to serve throughout his more than four decades of military and public service. Throughout his life, J. Gary Pennett has served in the United States Air Force, in the Department of Defense, and in his current role at the Missile Defense Agency. As Director of Operations at the Missile Defense Agency, Pennett utilized his people-first approach as the chief architect of recruiting, hiring a diverse, professional, and highly- skilled workforce. Even in the face of extreme budget uncertainty, government furloughs, shutdowns, and declining budgets, Pennett has found opportunity and success in the most trying circumstances-- ensuring that his Agency delivers on its promise to defend our nation. I thank Mr. J. Gary Pennett for his service to the people of Hawai'i and our country, and congratulate him as he closes this chapter in his career of service performed to the highest standards. We wish him well as he begins the next. Aloha.