Mark Green

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 901.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 901, the Research Security and Accountability in DHS Act. The Science and Technology Directorate is the principal of research and development for DHS. In 2022, the DHS Office of Inspector General found that S&T failed to safeguard sensitive information in research and development projects. This bill requires S&T to develop a proper standard for safeguarding sensitive information which has become especially critical given the heightened activity of our adversaries. This bill carried by former Representative Anthony D'Esposito passed the House last Congress, and I thank the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Strong) for his attention to this issue this Congress. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Strong).

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I again urge my colleagues to support H.R. 901, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 993) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop a plan to identify, integrate, and deploy new, innovative, disruptive, or other emerging or advanced technologies to enhance, or address capability gaps in, border security operations, and for other purposes.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 993.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 993, the Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act. As the tactics of the cartels evolve, we must ensure that our frontline Border Patrol personnel are equipped with the proper technologies to be prepared. This bill would position Congress to better equip frontline personnel with the tools and resources necessary to aid President Trump in his mission to secure and protect the United States border. I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa) for his work on this matter. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I again urge my colleagues to support H.R. 993, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1166) to prohibit the Secretary of Homeland Security from procuring certain foreign-made batteries, and for other purposes.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1166.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a valued member of my team and a true American patriot, Mr. Stephen Siao. Stephen has been my chief of staff since I first entered the House of Representatives in 2019. From day one, Stephen built and nurtured a high-functioning office dedicated to serving the people of Tennessee's Seventh Congressional District. Over the course of three terms, Stephen consistently exceeded expectations and faithfully fulfilled his oath to the Constitution. Whether it meant staying up late to help a stranded constituent secure a passport or ensuring our servicemembers at Fort Campbell have the safest barracks, Stephen's dedication to public service was unwavering. Under his leadership, my office has helped over 7,100 constituents with casework, a testament to his tireless efforts. Stephen is not only an exceptional leader but also a remarkable mentor. He has spent countless hours guiding and supporting junior staff, many of whom have gone on to achieve great things. Stephen's generosity to others has been the hallmark of his time in the House of Representatives. He consistently encouraged his colleagues to do the right thing, even if it was the hard thing. He has a resolute commitment to faith, country, and those whom the Lord blesses him to lead and serve. His loyalty has meant the world to me and my team. For me personally, I most admire Stephen's humility. I often describe him as having an ability-to-humility ratio of infinity. At the beginning of the 118th Congress, my colleagues entrusted me with the chairmanship of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Among the most consequential decisions I made after taking the gavel was to bring Stephen on as the staff director. I knew Stephen's strong work ethic and unwavering integrity made him the ideal choice to lead the committee staff during a challenging time in America's history. As staff director, he navigated the complex impeachment proceedings of a sitting Cabinet Secretary, a first in our Nation's history. Stephen also led the committee's efforts to write the border security portion of H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act. Additionally, Stephen spearheaded our efforts to modernize the Department of Homeland Security to address challenges of the 21st century. Thanks to his leadership, our Nation is safer. Beyond his many accomplishments, Stephen will be dearly missed for the selfless love and unwavering support he has shown countless colleagues. While shunning the spotlight and any recognition, this dedicated public servant has always put others first. His mentorship and wisdom, often delivered with a touch of Tolkienian wit, will be deeply missed. As he embarks on this new chapter, I wish him well, echoing the words of Gandalf the Grey: ``All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.'' Stephen has taken this advice to heart, always using his time in this body wisely and inspiring us all to do the same. On behalf of the people of the Seventh District of Tennessee and the United States Congress, I wish him well as our Nation calls him further up and further in toward another post serving our country. I thank Stephen. May God bless him.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an individual whose dedication and sacrifice have helped to secure our Nation. I would like to recognize Troy A. Miller, a remarkable individual whose 31 years of service to this country have culminated in his final role leading U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner. In this position, he directed CBP's 65,000 employees in executing its three core missions of counterterrorism, border security, and trade enforcement, while facilitating $4 trillion in trade and facilitating travel of over 410 million people through ports of entry. As he prepares to retire, I rise to recognize a career defined by integrity, selflessness, and an unwavering commitment to public service. Every time he was asked to fill a critical leadership role, he quickly answered the call and served with distinction. I also want to extend my appreciation to his family who have supported him throughout his incredible career. I offer my sincere thanks to his wife, Jennifer, and his daughter, Alexandria. Troy led CBP, the Nation's largest law enforcement agency, through a myriad of challenges, to include the COVID-19 pandemic, surges of migration along the Nation's borders, and hurricane relief efforts. Among his many notable achievements, Troy confronted the scourge of fentanyl by evolving CBP to not only match but surpass the sophistication and persistence of the criminal organizations responsible for trafficking this lethal drug across our borders and into our communities. His efforts brought together coordinated intelligence and special enforcement operations to find and intercept fentanyl wherever it attempted to infiltrate our borders--whether in cargo, among travelers, or through small packages. Furthermore, he extended these efforts beyond our borders, taking the fight to local cartel leaders and dismantling the foreign supply chains responsible for aiding the proliferation of this criminal activity. Troy also made his mark as a true champion of the dedicated CBP workforce. He was not only a fierce advocate for the agency's technology, infrastructure, and resource needs, but also a driving force in fostering a culture that prioritized the health and well-being of its people--CBP's greatest asset. Troy recognized the critical importance of mission readiness and understood the intense pressures associated with a career at CBP. He spearheaded the development and expansion of CBP's workforce care program, making significant investments in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of its personnel. He focused on removing stigmas, delivering services directly to employees across the Nation, and providing specialized support to help CBP's workforce navigate the tough operational situations they face every day. Through his distinguished career at CBP, Troy made significant advancements to the national and economic security of the United States. Between December 2021 and November 2022, Troy served as CBP's Deputy Commissioner, the agency's senior career official, responsible for overseeing the daily operations of CBP's expansive mission. Prior to his role as Deputy Commissioner, Troy served as the Director, Field Operations for CBP's New York Field Office where he was responsible for CBP's national security, anti-terrorism, immigration, agriculture, and trade enforcement operations at two of the country's busiest international airports--John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport--the East Coast's largest container seaport in New York/Newark, and CBP's Pharmaceutical, Health and Chemicals Center of Excellence and Expertise. Troy also served as the first Executive Director of the CBP National Targeting Center, where he expanded CBP's targeting, research, and analysis capabilities, and strengthened interagency and international coordination to screen, vet, and mitigate high-risk cargo and travelers. He established Counter Network and Counterterrorism Divisions within the National Targeting Center, transforming CBP's approach to identifying threat actors and dismantling the transnational criminal and terrorist networks that support them. Under his leadership, and pursuant to National Security Presidential Memorandum- 9, the National Vetting Center was established as an interagency solution for vetting support and strategically located at the National Targeting Center. To this day, Troy's national security targeting expertise is recognized worldwide. From 2013 to 2015, Troy served as the Acting Assistant Commissioner, Office of Intelligence and Investigative Liaison, where he initiated an organizational restructuring in direct support of field components and border enforcement entities that partner with them and promoted initiatives to transcend physical borders. In addition, he has held numerous leadership positions including Assistant Port Director, Seattle; Director of Targeting and Analysis, Office of Intelligence and Operations Coordination; and Director of the National Targeting Center- Passenger. Troy began his federal career with the U.S. Customs Service in 1993 as a Customs Inspector. He received the Distinguished Executive Presidential Rank Award in 2016 and was awarded the Meritorious Executive Presidential Rank Award in 2021. Troy's 31 years of devoted service to our great Nation is a shining example of a life to which we should all aspire and is deserving of our gratitude. His meaningful contributions to CBP have strengthened the organization and his legacy will be the foundation for future leaders. Troy will be missed, but we wish him well as he enters this new chapter of life alongside Jennifer and Alexandria.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 8663) to require the Science and Technology Directorate in the Department of Homeland Security to develop greater capacity to detect, identify, and disrupt illicit substances in very low concentrations.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, once again, with a strong voice of support for H.R. 8663, the DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act of 2024. This critical piece of legislation will equip DHS S&T with the authority it needs to improve the safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of drug detection equipment and reference libraries to protect frontline DHS personnel who seek to protect our Nation from the flow of illicit fentanyl and other drugs amidst the catastrophic mess at our southwest border. I am glad that the Senate took swift action and passed this measure and concur with the amendment, which requires DHS to coordinate with the DEA and upholds the authority of other Federal agencies utilizing drug equipment and reference libraries. I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaLota) for his diligent work on this legislation in the House, as well as the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa). I also thank Senator Cornyn of Texas for working across Chambers and championing this important legislation through the Senate. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill so we can get it to the President's desk as soon as possible, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaLota).

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Again, I strongly urge my colleagues to concur in the Senate amendments to H.R. 8663, and I appreciate the New Yorkers who contributed to this bill as well as Mr. Correa. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9748) to require the Under Secretary of the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security to develop a Department-wide policy and process to safeguard research and development from unauthorized access to or disclosure of sensitive information in research and development acquisitions, and for other purposes.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 9748.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 9748, the Research Security and Accountability in DHS Act. The Science and Technology Directorate is the principle of research and development at DHS. In 2022, the DHS Office of Inspector General found that S&T failed to safeguard sensitive information in research and development projects. This bill requires S&T to develop a proper standard for safeguarding sensitive information, which has become especially critical given the heightened activity of our adversaries. I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. D'Esposito) for his leadership on this issue, and I am proud to join him as a cosponsor. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. D'Esposito).

Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I, again, urge my colleagues to support H.R. 9748, and I yield back the balance of my time.