Brian Higgins

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, our national policy for transportation and budgetary commitment is a disgrace and an embarrassment. Our roads and bridges are a mess. Transportation for America says that we have 69,000 structurally deficit bridges in this Nation. We have over 2,000 structurally deficient bridges in New York State, and we have 99 structurally deficient bridges in my home community of western New York. Every second of every day, seven cars carrying our families drive on a bridge that is structurally deficient. In the city of Buffalo, we are preparing to make a decision about the future of the elevated Skyway bridge, a roadway classified by transportation officials as being structurally deficient, fracture- critical, and functionally obsolete. Federal investments should help communities make smart decisions and become more self-sufficient. Investing in smart infrastructure is not simply about tearing down our crumbling bridges; it's about rebuilding our Nation.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, history has shown that our Nation experiences robust economic growth when we invest in America and in Americans, in education, in scientific research, in roads and bridges. In order to experience this growth, we cannot allow sequestration to make dramatic cuts to medical research. If the looming budget cuts are allowed to occur, my home State of New York could lose more than $131 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health to conduct lifesaving research. Mr. Speaker, western New York is the home to Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the Nation's first cancer center, home to promising advances in cancer research. It lies along the Buffalo-Niagara Medical campus, an economic engine for our community. However, in order to achieve medical or economic success, funding must be sustained over the long term. We should be increasing, not cutting, funding for medical research. And I urge this House to reject sequestration for this critical investment.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Again, I want to thank you for your leadership on these issues and for bringing us together tonight to discuss this important issue. Hopefully it will be the first of many or a continuation of this discussion. But even groups like the United States Chamber of Commerce, they put out a report stating that we will lose $336 billion over the next 5 years because of bottlenecks, because of inefficiency in our infrastructure. You can't identify the problem without supporting a solution. My point is that Democrats and Republicans in this Nation should come together to support a robust nation-building program right here in America. It benefits American small businesses; it benefits returning veterans; and it has a measurable influence on improving this economy. The New America Foundation, as I mentioned previously, has a report, ``The Way Forward.'' It's not a right or a left group. It's a centrist group that is very prestigious and basically says, a $1.2 trillion investment in infrastructure--roads and bridges, sewer systems, water systems, the electricity grid--will create 27 million jobs in a 5-year period. It will create 5.2 million in the first year alone. That's 433,000 jobs every month for the first year. Can you imagine what the stock market would do if the jobs report came out next month and said that we created 433,000 jobs? Our economy is consumer confidence. We are all economic actors. When we're confident, we move; when we're not, we don't. So I just think it's very clear that what's worked in the past is what will work in creating the kind of economy that everybody in this Nation wants very desperately.

Mr. HIGGINS. I want to thank my colleague from California for his leadership on the infrastructure issue. I think the problem that we see here in Washington is that the discussion is focused on the wrong thing. When you have a recession--an economic contraction--what your objective needs to be in terms of public policy is growth, growth in the economy. What we are experiencing now is anemic growth. For example, our growth rate is about 2 percent or less. That current rate of growth is not enough to sustain the current level of employment. In other words, if we don't grow this economy, our unemployment rate will necessarily go up. We talk about debt and deficit in this Chamber, but if we remember, less than 12 years ago, we had a budgetary surplus of $258 billion, meaning that we were taking in $258 billion more in each year than we were spending. How was that possible? It was made possible by having created 22 million private sector jobs in the previous 8 years. What was the policy then? The policy was to invest in the American economy, to invest in the American people, in education, scientific research and infrastructure. So I think the lessons from our most recent past are very instructive today as to what we should be doing in Washington to promote growth. The gentleman from California spoke of a plan that I was working on, and that is a $1.2 trillion investment in rebuilding the roads and bridges of America. That plan, advanced by the New America Foundation, would create 27 million private sector jobs in 5 years. The first year alone, over 5 million jobs which would reduce the current unemployment rate from where it is today to 6.4 percent and in the second year, 5.2 percent. Now, public infrastructure as we know is a public responsibility. It's never a question as to whether or not we're going to rebuild our roads and bridges. The question is when does it make most sense to undertake that responsibility. And I would submit to you, the time to do it is now. Money is cheaper than it is ever going to be. Equipment is cheaper because it is idling, and labor is cheap because of the high unemployment rate. We need to do nation-building right here at home. And when you consider we just spent as a nation $89 billion rebuilding the roads and bridges of Afghanistan, we just spent $67 billion rebuilding the roads and bridges of Iraq, nations of 30 million and 26 million respectively. And for this Nation, for America, a population of over 300 million people, and the American Society of Civil Engineers puts the quality of our infrastructure at a D, when the World Economic Forum rates us 24th in overall quality when in 2001 we were number two, we are going to spend less than $53 billion. That's not only weak; it's pathetically weak.

Mr. HIGGINS. That's correct.

Mr. HIGGINS. That's right. And according to Transportation for America, there are 69,000 structurally deficient bridges in the United States. There are over 2,000 structurally deficient bridges in New York State. There are 99 structurally deficient bridges in my community of western New York. Every second of every day, seven cars drive on a bridge in this Nation that is structurally deficient.

Mr. HIGGINS. Well, I think you made a very good point, particularly with your leadership on the Make It in America initiative. Keep in mind, when you invest in American infrastructure you're buying labor from American businesses. You're buying supplies and material from American businesses. You're buying engineering and design services from American businesses. And we also forgot a very important element of our economy. It's the thousands of returning veterans who've been serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan. The unemployment rate today for those returning veterans under the age of 24 is 19 percent. There was a program started by the Department of Defense, it's now a not-for-profit called Helmets to Hardhats, and what it basically does, it identifies 60,000 American businesses and some of the trade unions. They collaborate to get together to identify veterans who have already had extraordinary training and discipline and leadership and teamwork, and it accelerates their apprenticeship program. So these individuals could be making 60, $70,000 a year, if there was work to be had here. So it's an investment in America. It's an investment in American businesses, and it says to our returning veterans in a real sincere and genuine way, thank you for your service.

Mr. HIGGINS. Well, I would just say, back to the power of America, you hear in this Chamber a lot of tough talk about China. The best way to respond to China is to stand up to them, to compete with them. They cheat on their currency, they treat their workers poorly, they destroy their environment. But whining about China is not going to resolve this problem; investing in America and the American people will. You also mentioned the issue of austerity, and I think it's important to bring up. Historically in this Nation, the economy went into recession. We had the Great Depression in the early thirties. The American economy was starting to show signs of anemic growth right after the Great Depression in late 1936. Congress and the President pulled back with austerity measures; the economy went into recession again. In Japan, in the 1990s, they were experiencing financial problems. They imposed comprehensive austerity measures. That economy remains in a recessionary mode and has been for the last decade. You see what's going on in Europe today; austerity doesn't work. Again, I go back to our recent history. The year 2000, budgetary surplus in this Nation of $258 billion made possible by having created 22 million private sector jobs by investing in infrastructure, scientific research, and education. The best tax policy is not right or left; it's bringing lost taxpayers back to productivity. That's the best, quickest way to do it, and you're helping American businesses in the process.

Mr. HIGGINS. Well, you pay for it as you pay for transportation improvements at the local, State, and Federal level. You issue debt to finance the life of the project.

Mr. HIGGINS. That's right.

Mr. HIGGINS. A little over 1 percent for a 5-year Treasury note. It's one-half of 1 percent.

Mr. HIGGINS. It's virtually free money.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, left unresolved, the uncertainty of the fiscal cliff, with spending cuts and increased taxes, will exact real and permanent damage on the American people and on the American economy. What we need is leadership--leadership that was lacking and that created the fiscal cliff in the first place--one that provides a balanced approach of spending cuts and increased revenues, one that is bipartisan and one that is aspirational. Throughout the history of our Nation, we only experience job growth when we invest in our own people and in our own economy--in education, in scientific research, and in road and bridge building. To invest and to grow this economy and to grow jobs, we have to produce the kind of strategic investments that are required. We need to get to work now to avoid this catastrophe.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I along with Congresswoman Kathy Hochul would like to pay tribute to several Western New York UPS employees who have delivered outstanding service for the company and for the country. Tim Pfohl has been with UPS for 23 years. He is a member of the UPS Safety Committee, a mentor to new drivers and has 14 years of accident- free driving. Tim served in the U.S. Marine Corps for six years. He and his wife Barbara, who reside in Hamburg, NY, are the parents of two sons, Dylan and Tyler. Dan Veranjes, also a Marine, served our country for eight years including duty during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Dan has been on the UPS team for 13 years. He is known for his customer skills and is always there to help out new employees. Dan is married to wife Erika and together they live in Hamburg, NY with their four children: Isabella, Griffin, Caleb and Zoe. Mike Burns is not only a veteran of the Marines; he is a 26-year veteran with UPS. Mike served as a Reservist for six years out of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Center on Porter Avenue in Buffalo and received military training in Norway. Mike has an exemplary record at UPS with 16 years of safe driving and an injury-free career. Lancaster residents Mike and his wife Jennifer are the parents of 10-year-old- Madelyn. UPS is one of the largest employers of reservists and returning veterans. On any given day UPS has about 3,100 employees who are on military leave and there are nearly 25,000 additional UPS employees working today who have served in the military at some point in their lives. In fact, Erie County Department of Veterans Director MAJ Carlos M. Benitez, a retired veteran of the New York Army National Guard, also previously worked for UPS. We commend UPS for their commitment to our active-duty and returning veterans and recognize these Western New York employees for extending the same dedication and leadership in the UPS workplace as they did in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Double Ten Day, the National day of the Republic of China. On October 10th, Taiwan will celebrate the 101st anniversary of China's military Wuchang Uprising, the start of the Xinhai Revolution, which led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, the end of 2,000 years of imperial rule in China and ushered in the Republican Era. By the end of the 1683 century, Ching rulers governed all of China. After the first three emperors, the Ching Court began to decline, becoming weak and corrupt. In response, a group of national capitalists began inciting uprisings. One of the leaders of this nationalistic group, Sun Yat-sen, spent much of his youth in the United States and wanted a Western-style government for his country with a parliament and separation of powers. After the success of the uprisings, Sun Yat-sen became the first president of the Republic of China, a post from where he promoted the idea of a democratic society. Dr. Sun is now remembered as the father of modern China. When the Republic of China lost control over the mainland in 1942, the government retreated to Taiwan where its constitution remains in command today. Taiwan is an exemplary standard of civil, liberal government in East Asia, and the Republic of China has stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States to defend and promote the very values and ideals that inspired Dr. Sun and founded the Republic all those years ago. Mr. Speaker, I thus urge my colleagues to acknowledge the Founding Father Sun Yat-Sen and his vision to a democratic China, and join me in congratulating the Republic of China in Taiwan on its 101st anniversary.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, this week, The Washington Post reported that unless America doubles its spending on port infrastructure, we are on track for export losses of $270 billion by 2020 because our ports do not have sufficient capacity. That translates into a $697 billion drop in the American economy and a loss of 738,000 jobs. But ports are not the only area where our anemic infrastructure investment has become a drag on the American economy. We will lose hundreds of billions of dollars of growth over the next 5 years because of our inability to move goods and people efficiently. Congress just passed a bill to spend $52 billion on roads and bridges in this country, all we can afford according to some Members of Congress. But somehow we found money to spend $150 billion rebuilding the roads and bridges of Iraq and Afghanistan. I have introduced a bill, a 5-year, $1.2 trillion investment in roads and bridges, ports, and transit airports because it's time to do nation-building right here at home.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the Alden Farmers Market, a staple in Western New York since 2003 that brings community together over fresh, locally grown produce every Saturday morning in the summer. Open from late May until early October, the farmers market sponsored by the Alden Chamber of commerce, located in Alden Village Plaza allows friends, family and neighbors to enjoy a plentiful variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers, plants, chickens, beef, baked goods, honey, maple syrup, candy, spices, soaps and jellies while learning techniques of how they were made straight from the merchants and producers themselves. This rare level of personal service and knowledge, combined with the variety of fresh local products is unique to Western New York and surrounding farms and has become a practice that all western New Yorkers take pride in. Mr. Speaker, on Saturday October 6 the Alden Farmers Market will mark the end of its 10th season. Small closing ceremonies will include musical artist Sara Elizabeth Genco, a costume and pet parade, and a second raffle drawing. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me and all Western New Yorkers in thanking the Alden Chamber of commerce and all local merchants and farmers who participated in this great Saturday morning tradition.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. First, I want to thank Jeff Duncan for his leadership and friendship on this issue and for his hard work on this. It's a very important bill that obviously enjoys bipartisan support. I rise in support of H.R. 3783, the Countering Iran in the Western Hemisphere Act. This important legislation is of particular interest to western New York, and it addresses a pressing national security concern for the United States. Mr. Speaker, Hezbollah, otherwise known as the ``party of God'' in Arabic, is a militant Shia organization committed to violent jihad. It is based in Lebanon, but serves as a proxy for Iran, Syria, and Venezuela. During hearings in the House Committee on Homeland Security, we heard expert testimony linking Hezbollah to criminal activity throughout the Western Hemisphere. We learned that there are roughly 80 Hezbollah operatives in the 15-nation region of Latin America and that it is involved in the South American drug trade and radicalization efforts in Mexico. We also learned that Hezbollah has an active presence in four cities in Canada and 15 cities in the United States. I questioned the witnesses about Hezbollah's activity in North America. I asked, If Hezbollah is not targeting the United States, what are they doing here? The response was that these activities were not significant because they were largely limited to fundraising. Mr. Speaker, I don't see the distinction between terrorist activity and fundraising for terrorist activity. If Hezbollah and, by proxy, Iran are using safe havens in and around the United States, we must have a strategy to address it. As I said, this is of particular concern to western New York because one of the communities in which Hezbollah has a presence is Toronto, which is 90 miles north of Buffalo. The Buffalo-Niagara region is within 500 miles of 55 percent of the United States population and 62 percent of the Canadian population. Our Peace Bridge is the busiest border crossing between the United States and Canada. Our Niagara Power Project is the largest energy producer in New York State, and the Department of Homeland Security, citing budgetary constraints, just dropped our preparedness funding. You can understand if we don't feel comfortable with Hezbollah 90 miles away for those who live in Buffalo. Mr. Speaker, this bill would address the threat Hezbollah poses to communities like mine. It requires the State Department to conduct a thorough assessment of the threats we face and to develop a strategy in coordination with our allies and partners in the region to address Hezbollah's growing presence and activity in the Western Hemisphere. Again, I want to thank my colleague, Jeff Duncan, for his work on this issue and his leadership on this issue. I also want to thank Chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen and Ranking Member Berman for their support. I urge passage of this bill.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Chair, earlier today I missed rollcall vote 584, on final passage of H.R. 6213. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, tonight, I will join Members of Congress Mike Quigley and Pat Meehan in an ice hockey game with and to benefit the wounded warriors. The Wounded Warriors is a great organization that takes care of our returning injured soldiers. Congress, however, is not living up to its responsibility to do the same. The unemployment rate for returning veterans under the age of 24 is 29 percent. Congress just approved $53 billion for road and bridge repair next year--a very weak response to a big and important issue, particularly when you consider that we just spent $90 billion rebuilding the roads and bridges of Afghanistan. If you really want to say ``thank you'' to the veterans on behalf of a grateful Nation, let's nation-build at home and put our veterans to work in rebuilding the America they so honorably defended.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize September as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and I'm proud to represent the Nation's first comprehensive cancer center, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, an amazing place that continues to turn kids into survivors. Thirty years ago, less than 50 percent of those with childhood cancer lived beyond 5 years of their diagnosis. Today it's over 80 percent. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over the past 14 years, childhood leukemia deaths fell by 3 percent in each year. We know that cancer research saves lives. The only failure in cancer research is when you quit or you're forced to quit because of lack of funding. Last weekend, our community held a fund-raiser, along with the St. Baldrick's Foundation, in memory of Anna Rose Leavoy, a young girl who lost her battle with cancer only 2 weeks after her second birthday. We must recognize the urgent need to fully fund cancer research, to raise awareness for children like Anna Rose, and to find a cure.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, Monday July 23 started like any other day in our congressional offices. But shortly after noontime, the unthinkable happened. Our office was called by our dear friend Sandi Schmid. During that call, Sandi told our District Director Megan Corbett Rizzuto that her daughter, our longtime Executive Assistant and Office Manager Jackie Schmid, had suddenly passed away. To suggest that we were blown away is a severe understatement. There's little that can be said at a time like this, when someone so young is taken suddenly from our midst. Jackie was universally loved among civic, government and political leaders throughout our community. Acting as the hub of our Buffalo office, Jackie was at the center of all of the action, and played a role in virtually everything our office would do for the constituents I was elected to serve. On Saturday July 28, Sandi and the rest of Jackie's family honored me by asking that I eulogize her by sharing a few thoughts about her life and legacy. Jackie was a giver, a contributor. She gave more than she got--a lot more. She gave so much of her time and of herself to the many causes she loved so much. Mr. Speaker, Within this extension, you will see the remarks I delivered last Saturday in honor of Jackie, and you will also see the obituaries published in the Buffalo News and the Am-Pol Eagle. Eulogy of Jackie Schmid Delivered by the Honorable Brian Higgins, St. John Gualbert Church, Cheektowaga, NY, Saturday, July 28, 2012 St. John Gualbert was an 11th century Benedictine monk. One Good Friday, he entered Florence with armed followers and came upon a man who had killed his brother. He was about to kill the man in revenge. Suddenly the man fell to his knees, said he was sorry and begged Gualbert to be spared. Gualbert spared him, forgave him and helped the man to his feet. He encouraged the man to go forth and do good for the world. Gualbert then entered the Benedictine Church in Florence to pray, and the figure on the crucifix bowed his head to in recognition of Gualbert's act of mercy and forgiveness to his fellow man. This is a story of redemption and second chances. Thank you, Father Michael Burzynski for welcoming us to your beautiful church this morning. You make us feel very much at home here, and Jackie would be most proud of you and of this loving community. St. John Gualbert's was Jackie's spiritual home. She attended grammar school here and remained very active in support of this church throughout her adult life and her final days. Today we say goodbye to the only daughter of Sandi and Bill Schmid. A loyal friend, a beloved colleague in government and politics, a civic leader and Polonia's goodwill ambassador to WNY and to the world. A leader like few others, holding important positions within the Cheektowaga Symphony Orchestra, the Cheektowaga Patriotic Commission, the Pulaski Day celebrations, the Cheektowaga July 4 celebrations, the Annual Western New York Dyngus Day celebrations, the Cheektowaga Democratic Committee, and so much more. In fact, the Cheektowaga Chamber of Commerce named Jackie as its ``Citizen of the Year'' for 2012--an award that will now be bestowed posthumously. Jackie's was an impressive list of civil and cultural engagement. Someone once said to Sandi: ``Jackie runs everything in Cheektowaga.'' To which Sandi replied, ``Not everything. She never ran the vacuum cleaner, or the washing machine, or an iron.'' But while it is her civic involvement that she will be remembered and honored for, it is her loving and generous heart that we will truly miss. I along with my colleagues in our Congressional office knew her as a trusted friend and advisor. Jackie was loved and admired by her colleagues-- truly loved and admired. She held the title of Executive Assistant, but she was much more than that. She ran the office and set the tone for our workspace. Jackie organized birthday parties for her colleagues and helped with weddings and showers, and any time there was a need for someone to provide music, to find tables and chairs or to secure a hall for a fund raising event, Jackie always ``had a guy.'' She was always ready, she was always ``on it,'' and incredibly willing to help. Jackie directed our student interns and was so loved by them that she would often receive phone calls and postcards from them long after their service was completed. She engendered a rare degree of love, respect and loyalty. She was charismatic and had a following of dutiful friends who would eagerly walk through walls for her. There was one persistent constituent caller who routinely called Jackie with his complaint of the day. Something he had seen on television or had heard on talk radio, often fueled by a vote I had taken with which he had disagreed. Jackie was polite but would give it right back to him when he crossed the line. One Christmas Eve he called not with a complaint, but rather to wish Jackie a Merry Christmas. Because Jackie was kind to him and showed a respect a caring that he rarely received. If Jackie loved you, you knew it. If Jackie liked you, you knew it. If Jackie didn't like you, you didn't know it. But we did! Lyndsey Barnes is our newest staff member. She said that she was originally reluctant to accept a position in our office because she was uncertain that she could handle the job responsibilities. Chuck Eaton, our chief of staff, said, ``The job, you can learn. But you get along with everyone. And most importantly, Jackie likes you.'' Jackie gave Lyndsey the confidence and encouragement she needed to get off to a good start in our office. And she always provided friendship to her. Carol Burns and Bill Greeley often gave Jackie a hard time about all of the events Jackie would organize in Cheektowaga, civic polka parties and church fundraising events among dozens of others. Jackie would remind them, ``Listen. On my first day of work, the Congressman told me that my job was to keep Cheektowaga happy--and that's what I'm doing.'' Jackie not only kept Cheektowaga happy, Cheektowaga is what Jackie lived for and loved. At the funeral home for yesterday's wake, seventeen different people introduced themselves to me as Jackie's best friend. Many more thought they were as well; that was her gift to all of you and all of us. Unconditional love, devotion and friendship. Not only did they make their way because of Jackie's love, she made her way because of theirs. And especially because the love and the life she found in her mom Sandi. Theirs was not always an easy relationship. Like with any relationship, they had their moments. But Sandi always gave Jackie strength and purpose, joy and friendship, and stood by her always, especially in these last and hardest days. None of us can know or certain how long we have on this earth. We cannot know what hardship and tragedy will test us along the way. We cannot know what God's plan is for us. What we can do is live our lives as best we can with purpose, and love and joy. We can leave bitterness and that which is unimportant behind, to reach beyond for love and forgiveness. We can learn from our mistakes and grow from our failures. And we can use each day to show those who we are closest to us how much we care about them, and how much we love them. And we can treat others with the kindness and respect that we wish for ourselves. This is Jackie's legacy. This is how she lived her life. We do not grieve today because of the prestige and praise attached to her name. We grieve because we loved this kind and giving woman. A woman who was moved, not for the sake of greed or self-aggrandizement, not for wealth or power, but only for the people and community that she loved so very much. Jackie has gone home now guided by her faith and by the light of those she loved and lost. At last she is with them once more leaving those of us who grieve her passing with the memories she gave and the good that she did. Today, St. Peter is at the gates of Heaven, sitting at the table, selling split club tickets. God has turned to Peter and said, ``Slide over. Jackie is here now. She's on it.'' May God Bless Jackie, and may she rest in eternal peace.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, our economic problems are eminently solvable. They just require confidence in the American people. But the American people have lost confidence in Congress, and it's easy to see why. Exhibit A: the inability to reach a deal on a grand bargain on debt reduction. Last year, the Speaker and the President negotiated a plan to reduce the debt by $4 trillion through a mix of spending cuts and revenue increases, revenues that would come, not from raising taxes, but closing special deals, institutionalized corruption. That plan represented a balanced and bipartisan approach. The economy today would be performing much better had that deal been enacted. But the Tea Party-controlled Republican House rejected the deal. Exhibit B: the refusal to act boldly to create jobs and rebuild the infrastructure of America. We just spent $89 billion rebuilding the roads of Afghanistan. Last week we passed a bill to spend just $52 billion a year in rebuilding roads and bridges right here in America. That's a weak plan. In fact, it's pathetically weak. That is why the American people have lost confidence in Congress. The best tax policy is to invest in America and the American people and to bring lost taxpayers back to work.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, on Monday, I hosted a field hearing of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, on which I serve as ranking member. This was an opportunity for the committee to hear from local officials on the decision to eliminate Buffalo-Niagara from the Urban Area Security Initiative program. Niagara County Sheriff Voutour and Erie County Commissioner of Emergency Services Daniel Neaverth testified that the capability gains made under this program cannot be sustained without fully funding this program. The Federal investment that supported the security gains achieved over the past 8 years in this program will be lost unless we fully fund this program. Madam Speaker, the witness testimony made clear that the decision to eliminate Buffalo-Niagara from the Urban Areas Security Initiative program was ill-advised, shortsighted, and counterproductive. Congress and the Department of Homeland Security must reverse this course and restore Buffalo-Niagara's eligibility for this all-important program.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, today the House will vote on legislation to block all new Federal regulations. I'm concerned that this bill would damage our ability to improve aviation safety, which the bipartisan western New York delegation has long promoted. We fought alongside the families of Flight 3407, who lost loved ones in a preventable air crash near Buffalo. Due to their passion and dedication, Congress passed historic aviation safety reforms 2 years ago. But this bill would prevent many of those reforms from becoming reality. Our colleague, Kathy Hochul attempted to offer an amendment to protect these reforms from this moratorium. Inexplicably, the Rules Committee blocked her amendment. These reforms have the support of both parties, but now partisan politics is getting in the way of lifesaving regulations. I urge the defeat of this anti-safety legislation.