J. Hill

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize four incredible young women on the Clinton Arkansas Future Farmers of America team. Together, Gracie Lee, Alyssa Huie, Randilynn Stripling, and Catherine Mills made history by being the first all-female team to win not one, but two State competitions in electricity. Due to the pandemic, the team was allowed to compete in the State contest a second time, making them back-to-back State champions in electricity. This team serves as a great example to all the young Arkansans that are committed to working hard and being pioneers in their fields. I applaud them for their diligence and determination. This team demonstrated great dedication, and I am incredibly proud to represent these history-making young women and all young Arkansans in central Arkansas. Recognizing Melvin Williams

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, today I rise in honor of Women's Armed Services Integration Act. I am proud to recognize the more than 20,000 women veterans in Arkansas. Women have been serving in the military in different capacities for more than a century. Women like Deborah Sampson, who fought in the Revolutionary War, and Loretta Walsh, America's first official enlisted woman of any service. They pioneered the way for women to serve in the United States Armed Forces. And with more women serving now than ever before at any time in our history, action is being taken to continue and build a positive environment for women in the armed services. Further, our Veterans Administration continues its efforts to enhance families, facilities, and services for our growing number of female veterans in Arkansas. I thank the women of our armed services for their dedication and service to our country. Recognizing Gracie Lee, Alyssa Huie, Randilynn Stripling, and Catherine Mills

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the accomplishments and retirement of Catholic High School teacher and longtime friend Mr. Steve Wells. Mr. Wells has been teaching at Catholic High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, for 38 years. His decision to end his long service at the school, having graduated there in 1973, is recognized by many as the end of an era at CHS. Steve's a native of north Little Rock and came back to the school as a substitute English teacher in 1983. The teacher for which he was substituting never returned, and Steve Wells has been teaching there ever since. When you walk into our beloved Catholic High there is a quote that is above the front door. It says: ``Come boys, so that you may become men.'' Mr. Wells did exactly that. And he served as a teacher and a role model for generations of students throughout the years. I congratulate my friend, Steve Wells, on a dedicated career of helping boys become men and wish him the very best in his retirement. Recognizing Arkansas' Women Veterans

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring awareness to the difficulty for many to obtain a critical document for our veterans: That is their form DD-214. You can't do anything as a veteran without a copy of your DD-214. This paperwork is required to verify for our servicemembers their benefits, how to obtain a disability claim, funeral service, research about lost medals. We need a copy of your DD-214. Well, the pandemic has not been good for this need for the millions of veterans in our country. The National Personnel Records Center shut down, and as we come out of the pandemic when our veterans need these resources, they are still terribly behind, despite Congress appropriating more money. It is critical that the National Personnel Records Center go digital so that we can properly verify these servicemembers and give better service for those who have served their country in such a valuable way. It should not be difficult for our veterans to get their DD-214 to pursue their benefits or claim healthcare at our Veterans Administration. It shouldn't be a burden to a spouse, to a family of a fallen veteran to have the proper paperwork to have a proper funeral. So I urge my colleagues to join me and continue to press the National Archives to improve their service for the bravest men and women and their families. Recognizing Steve Wells

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize that June is Great Outdoors Month and recognize the great conservation work of my colleagues in Arkansas in the Governor's office and at the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. As a lifelong outdoorsman living in The Natural State, I have a lot of pride in recognizing June as Great Outdoors Month. For 9 generations, my family has lived in Arkansas and enjoyed the extraordinary natural beauty throughout our State. I agree with many of the earliest conservationists in protecting our wildlife and our wild places and that can be done through reasonable and realistic means, and I am proud to continue my work in central Arkansas. Just last week, I joined Governor Asa Hutchinson and Secretary of Parks and Tourism Stacy Hurst in announcing the new Office of Outdoor Recreation and the addition of a great new wild place in central Arkansas: Blue Mountain just west of Pinnacle Mountain. Just west of Rattlesnake Ridge, Blue Mountain will be a new opportunity for hiking, mountain biking, and enjoying the extraordinary view of Lake Maumelle from the Nature Conservancy and the Arkansas Department of Heritage's latest partnership to expand outdoor recreation. In the same announcement, the Governor announced that our parks and tourism department would work with the Ouachita National Forest and open up Lake Sylvia Recreation Area and the old Camp Ouachita to year- round participation by Arkansans. This is a great partnership between the Federal Government and the State government to offer more outdoor recreation opportunities for our families to enjoy in The Natural State. The National Personnel Records Center Must Go Digital

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to encourage all Arkansans who are not currently vaccinated for COVID-19 to consult with their doctor about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The best way to combat the spread of these COVID variants is by receiving the vaccine. As more information and research develops around the delta variant of the coronavirus, I want to ensure that all Arkansans stay safe and remain healthy as we prepare for this spread. The only way that we can fully reopen our economy and get truly back on our feet is with more people being vaccinated for COVID-19. Each FDA conditionally approved vaccine is backed by science and doctors who have worked hard over the past year to develop, manufacture, and distribute these critical vaccines. So work with your physician. Help protect your family and the Arkansas community by getting a vaccine shot soon. Recognizing Great Outdoors Month

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge all Arkansans to check the status of their passports well before traveling. Due to backlogs in the State Department, passport renewals by mail are taking longer than usual. There is a backlog of up to 10 weeks for their expedited service and 18 weeks for their regular service. This lag in service at the State Department is affecting Arkansans wanting to travel for mission trips, study abroad, or take a family trip in the aftermath of the pandemic. So far, my office has helped 70 people this year receive their passports, and we have opened more than 90 cases in the past 6 months. And this compares to opening cases and receiving passports of only about 200 in the 5 previous years So, to my friends in Arkansas, check your passport prior to your trip, and if it is expired, get it renewed as soon as possible I encourage everyone to stay up to date on passport services and travel advisories and to check COVID-19 protocols, masks, testing, and quarantine issues before you travel. Arkansans Must Get Vaccinated

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my resolution, H. Res. 117, which calls on the Egyptian Government to end the culture of impunity for attacks on Christians and to undertake the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of individuals who carry out attacks on Copts and other Christians in Egypt. I was the lead on a nearly identical resolution in previous Congresses. I truly appreciate the support I received from my original cosponsor, the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), and nearly 50 of my House colleagues who have cosponsored the resolution in this Congress. Madam Speaker, Egypt and the United States are important partners in the fight against terrorism. Egypt's role at Camp David has led to some of the closest ties between the United States, Egypt, and Israel in their history, and we are grateful for their most recent engagement between the terror group Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Government of Israel. Madam Speaker, I respect President el-Sisi and his good relationship with the Coptic Pope. He has attended Mass on multiple occasions. He has had some churches reconstructed, and he has constructed the largest Christian cathedral in the Middle East in the new administrative center in Egypt. And President el-Sisi is relentless in holding terrorists accountable for their atrocities. People all around the world, regardless of their religious affiliation deserve the same freedom to practice their chosen religion like we have enjoyed here in the United States for more than 200 years. The respect for human rights and religious freedom is a fundamental tenet of American foreign policy. I will continue to advocate for the Coptic Christians and all Egyptians, be they Christian or Muslim, who together take their water from the Nile. Arkansans Should Check the Status of Their Passports

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the tireless dedication of members of the FBI in recently seizing approximately $2.3 million from the hacker group responsible for the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack. After the Colonial Pipeline paid the hackers the entire $4.4 million ransom, and with the money seemingly lost forever due to bitcoin encryption, these FBI agents were able to recover more than half of the demanded sum. I am also proud to recognize that the FBI conducted 800 arrests in 16 countries thanks to an encrypted messaging app it developed as part of a 3-year digital sting operation on international crime. Just as encrypted, untraceable communications have become pervasive in how criminal enterprise operates on a global scale, ransomware attacks have been on the rise as they prey on the digital vulnerability of our businesses and infrastructure, often with little hope of recovery or justice. I applaud the vigilance and ingenious methods of the investigating agents and encourage their continued efforts to ensure safety in our digital age. Reintroducing Coptic Christian Resolution

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, a century ago, the Chinese Communists took control of one of the great countries in global history. The Chinese Communist Party marks, this month, a century since the beginning of China's descent into authoritarianism. Just as the Chinese Communist Party used violence to impose its will onto the Chinese people during the Chinese Civil War, now it uses that same violence and threat of violence to crush any dissent within its borders. We saw this last summer, when the CCP silenced the democratic voices of Hong Kong, swiftly marching troops into the city to stop demonstrations for freedom. Beijing has blatantly ignored the terms of its 50-year treaty with the United Kingdom and ignored Hong Kong's legislature, arresting pro-democracy activists and lawmakers en masse and crushing a long history of press freedom with the recent closing of Apple Daily. As I speak, over a million Uighurs and other Muslims have been interned in concentration camps for reeducation. Families have been separated, lives destroyed, and cultures all but erased in the name of the magnificent Chinese Communist Party's ultimate authority. Respect for human rights is a fundamental tenet of American foreign policy. The continued suffering of the Uighurs, the citizens of Hong Kong--and all other individual rights of speech, privacy, assembly, and religious belief are trampled by the Chinese Communist Party. It is no 100-year celebration here on the House floor, Madam Speaker. The American people stand with the hardworking people of China. The Congress of the United States stands with the hardworking people of China, and we will work to continue to advocate for freedom of people, assembly, belief, and press in China. Applauding FBI Cyber Busts

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of strong national security policies, policies like the remain in Mexico policy, enforcement of our existing interior immigration laws, and the completion of key miles of fencing and technology that protect our southwest border--policies, Madam Speaker, that President Biden hastily removed on his first day in office, without any plan to replace them. President Biden and the Democrats in the House and Senate supported ending those Trump-era policies. Those policies, Madam Speaker, were working to rein in the flow of illegal immigration. Now, with no plan and no substitution, the result is pure political theater, simply because those were Trump policies. While they were working, President Biden stopped them. President Biden appointed Vice President Harris to serve as the border czar. One would think that she would act in critical ways to replace those national security policies that were working under the Trump administration and that President Biden ended. Not only did she not present solutions to the historic number of hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were pouring across our southern border, but she refused to visit the border for nearly 100 days since being appointed border czar. She even laughed at the idea of visiting the border, comparing it to taking a trip to Europe. Finally, after cries from the American people and calls from House and Senate Republicans, she did agree to take a trip to the border. Madam Speaker, I have been to the border seven times over the past 5\1/2\ years, most recently in April. Specifically, I traveled to the Rio Grande sector in the Rio Grande Valley. The conditions I found there were worse than I have seen on my previous trips. In fact, Border Patrol estimates that the drug cartels in Mexico made $400 million in February alone in human trafficking. Think about that, Madam Speaker: $400 million in one month by charging $5,000 to $9,000 to traffic hundreds of thousands of people across the border, some innocent, some not. These drug and human trafficking challenges are just part of the crisis at the border because while Customs and Border Patrol are working on the humanitarian elements of this crisis, drugs are coming across the border and criminals are coming across the border. In fact, Madam Speaker, we have interdicted in the first 6 months of this year enough fentanyl to kill all in America. It is shocking that we have interdicted that much fentanyl drug that it could kill everyone in this country because it only takes the amount in a Sweet'N Low packet, Madam Speaker, to kill 500 Americans. This is a deadly drug. The Vice President chose to visit El Paso. El Paso is nearly 1,000 miles west of the Rio Grande Valley, where this crisis has its epicenter. If she had gone to the Rio Grande Valley, she would have seen cartels dropping off migrant families by the dozens and holding camps for migrant families struggling to get the water, time, and care that they need. Regardless of who designed the policies, the Biden administration should be for stronger national security policies on the border. But the Biden border crisis is out of control, and it is going to take more than a short public relations visit to El Paso to fix it. I encourage the Vice President and the administration to come to the table with Republicans in the House and Senate and implement strong national security borders and reform our broken illegal immigration system. Announcing American Hostage Task Force

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from west Texas for this important bill. Mr. Speaker, recently, I created the Congressional Task Force on American Hostages and Americans Wrongfully Detained Abroad with my colleague, our good friend, Ted Deutch from Florida. I thank Representative Pfluger for being one of the first Members to join that task force. Mr. Speaker, that is why I come and rise in support of my friend, Representative Pfluger's resolution. This resolution calls for the release of Trevor Reed of Texas; and expresses support for Paul Whelan of Michigan, another American unjustly imprisoned in Russia. From this debate, we have heard and learned some of the details of Trevor's arrest, sham trial, and absurd sentencing for his alleged crimes. All channels of the United States Government must engage with friends and enemies alike to ensure that Americans in situations like Trevor and Paul are brought home expeditiously. This is especially the case for Members of Congress who represent the concerned families of those held hostage or wrongfully detained. Here in Congress, we must continue to collaborate with the administration in situations like these to disincentivize wrongful detention and taking hostage of Americans in the future. Let this be a message to Trevor and Paul and their families: We are committed to bringing you back to the United States safely. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the full committee for his support of this effort and work. I also thank my friend from west Texas. I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and appreciate him calling us together tonight to talk about the mistakes that President Biden is making, the crises that his policies are brewing across a number of areas. Tonight, I rise, Mr. Speaker, to address the state of our economic future. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress came together last year on a bipartisan basis and targeted relief to provide for families and hardworking Americans. Now, as vaccines are distributed and Americans are returning to work, the Biden administration is spending an unprecedented amount of money in an untargeted way. Six trillion dollars, Mr. Speaker, and $6 trillion of deficits for 10 years to come. They are funding a manic, untargeted wish list that, in my view, is going to impoverish our kids and grandkids and contribute to too many dollars chasing too few goods. When you combine this fiscal policy with the Federal Reserve buying of $120 billion of Government debt every month, you are brewing inflation, Mr. Speaker. In my view, inflation is just a tax on hardworking Americans trying to save for retirement, trying to save money for kids in college, trying to buy the necessities of gas, food, build a new home, add onto a home; and this inflation is a tax on working Americans. Joe Biden and his illiterate economic policy, both in monetary policy and fiscal policy, are contributors. Mr. Speaker, Republicans have a better way. We have a better way to target spending, balance our budget, and not impoverish our kids and grandkids. If Republicans take this House back, Mr. Speaker, we will get our economic house in order.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, as I noted in our debate earlier today, I stand in opposition to the legislation en bloc offered by the majority, and that is why I am offering an amendment that replaces the entire underlying bill with a study to be conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The amendment would require the SEC to summarize and describe any inconsistencies in the methodologies related to environmental, social, and governance metrics before--repeat, before--they mandate any type of disclosure from public companies. My amendment will provide us with much-needed information on the differences between the five or six standard setters, among many others, currently in the market. They all have different approaches and ways to measure climate and other ESG risks. This causes confusion, Mr. Speaker, and turmoil, both for the public companies trying to determine these metrics and issue their financials and for investors trying to understand what has been disclosed. As we have discussed during the general debate, H.R. 1187 is a compilation of five different bills. During this amendment debate, I want to focus particularly on the bills offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Vargas) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Casten). When we marked these bills up in the Financial Services Committee, I pointed out that even though Democrats believe these bills are in alignment, as they both address the need for climate-related disclosure, they are in tension with one another. For example, Congressman Vargas' bill suggests that a disclosure system is sufficient by providing an annual report describing the long- term ESG strategy and ESG-related metrics, which presumably would include climate risk. On the other hand, Congressman Casten says that a disclosure should report the same metrics, but additionally needs to disclose the social and human impact of a company's actions, analyze how the company's reputation might be affected by climate, detail the board's oversight, and has a long list of statutory additions. The Democrats often say that we need to mandate measuring climate risk because this is science. But Deloitte & Touche reported that science has not agreed on the methodology for measuring climate risks, and even when companies try to measure these risks, the information isn't measured consistently, timely, and in a relevant way, increasing uncertainty. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Huizenga for the time on the floor today. Mr. Speaker, I would say to my friends on the other side of the aisle: We are not debating climate change here. We are debating the proper way to financially disclose risks on financial statements of companies that may or may not experience impact from climate change. No one is over here denying about climate. We are here talking about what the right way is to do this. And H.R. 1187 is not the right way to do climate disclosure on behalf of taxpayers, shareholders, and employees of public companies. I have spent the better part of four decades in leadership in both public and private companies, and I have been engaged throughout those years in calling for quality corporate governance practices. I can say with absolute authority that mandating these disclosures as outlined in H.R. 1187 is not only not necessary but would be expensive and lead to increased litigation costs. As my colleagues have already said, the information is already to be disclosed if it meets the materiality standard. The idea of materiality has been refined over many decades, and it is what makes our capital markets the envy of the world. As Justice Marshall stated in the Supreme Court opinion from 1976: ``Some information is of such dubious significance that insistence on its disclosure may accomplish more harm than good. . . . If the standard of materiality is unnecessarily low . . . management's fear of exposing itself to substantial liability may cause it simply to bury the shareholders in an avalanche of trivial information, a result that is hardly conducive to informed decisionmaking.'' We articulated this in a letter to the SEC that my colleagues and I sent regarding their plans for financial disclosure. In that letter, signed by 22 of my Republican colleagues in the House, we outline our concerns about the SEC going far afield of its statutory mission to protect investors; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and facilitate capital formation. We also warn that the nature and scope of climate change disclosure rightfully depends on a particular company's business line and their carbon footprint. One-size-fits-all, uniform mandates would be deeply misguided for an issue as complex as the impact of the climate over many, many years on individual businesses. This rings more true here in Congress. Congress does not know what is best for a public company. These decisions are best left up to the board that already has a fiduciary obligation to its shareholders to manage this kind of issue. Our publicly traded companies are responsive to shareholder engagement. Over the last two decades, they have dramatically improved their governance practices by increasing diverse, independent directors and increasing their boards' attention to the business judgment rule and fiduciary duty of care. Look at Procter & Gamble as just one U.S. iconic company. In 2000, their annual proxy statement was 56 pages. Today, it is 111 pages. Like the vast majority of public companies in the S&P 500, P&G has significant disclosures of ESG initiatives, their political contributions, and their sales around the world. Let's not make it more difficult for public companies. As policymakers, we should be promoting policies that bolster investment options for Americans, not limit them. This bill limits that. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote against the legislation.

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

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, we are not in Kansas anymore, since we are using ``Wizard of Oz'' analogies. To put a finer point on it, we are not debating climate. We are debating the right way to disclose financial risk for climate, from climate. To put a finer point on it, a report released by the Governance & Accountability Institute features a breakdown of all the Standard & Poor's 500 publicly traded companies that are currently disclosing climate risk and which standard setter they are using. The outcome shows that 51 percent use one company, 14 percent use another, and 5 percent use another. Vastly different outcomes. And, in fact, the bill proposed by the majority dictates which one of those should be used, and it happens to be the one that only 5 percent of companies are currently using. So there are five or six of these different standard setters out there, and it is important for the commission to figure out which one of these makes the most sense before we mandate in a rulemaking. Bogging down these companies with additional, unclear, unwieldy disclosures just to prove a political point is not just unfair, it is expensive. It leads to increased litigation risk and hurts long-term capital formation. This is not how we should be operating as policymakers and precisely why I am offering this amendment to get the work done right up front before it turns into another government mandate. My amendment is simply good governance. It will replace the bill with a study of all disclosure frameworks related to the environment, social and governance metrics, as well as those particularly related to climate that any public company may use when making disclosures to our investors, whether voluntarily or pursuant to a statute. And it would analyze the differences and conflicting factors between the reporting frameworks. This information is what we need in Congress, and we should be able to review it before drafting, let alone voting on legislation that will lead to a mandated new disclosure framework. Mr. Speaker, my amendment is simply good governance that will replace the bill with a study, and I believe that is the right way to go. I urge my colleagues to support this. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the rising rate of religious persecution around the world, where billions are persecuted for practicing their chosen faith. One of the tools we have to combat global religious injustice is the Office of International Religious Freedom at the State Department. However, this office remains without leadership. Thus far, President Biden has neglected to appoint an ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom. That is why I led a bipartisan and bicameral letter to President Biden to take action and appoint an ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom. Religious freedom is one of the most basic human rights, Mr. Speaker, yet religious persecution continues around the world in countries like Iran, Russia, and China. President Biden must act now and nominate this ambassador and give the U.S. Government a leading voice to combat this persecution and ensure a future where all mankind can freely practice their religion of choice without fear.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I commend my friend from Louisiana for bringing our Members to the floor tonight to talk about something that is so essential to American life, our careers, our work, our independence, our ability to pursue happiness. This pandemic has thrown many off track for that, and it is House Republicans that want to make sure we pursue policies that get people back to work, back to opportunity, back to independence. Our small businesses in my home State of Arkansas and local economies across our country are recovering from the devastation of the pandemic. They now face a threat that has resulted from President Biden and House Democrats' inflated and fiscally irresponsible approach to unemployment benefits. The Wall Street Journal reports there are over 8 million job openings, Mr. Speaker, in the United States right now. That is almost more jobs open than every person currently out of work. Instead of encouraging these positions to be filled, my friends on the other side of the aisle have disincentivized going back to work and have made these benefits so appealing that it has disrupted labor markets across the country, particularly in Arkansas, particularly lower-income labor markets. Medical workers, small businesses, and restaurants all tell me that this is creating problems for them. It has hurt States so much that a handful of individual States are now rejecting participating in Federal unemployment benefits. This is not the direction we need to go, and it does not take an economist to understand this is not a permanent solution. We cannot keep tying policies back to a once-in-a-century pandemic that will systematically change our country forever. The solution is simple, and it is what House Republicans are advocating and have been advocating for months. We need policies that encourage Americans to get back to work, not policies that encourage reliance on the Federal Government.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3146, the Securing America's Vaccines for Emergencies Act, the SAVE Act. I want to thank my friend from California, Juan Vargas, a colleague on the House Financial Services Committee, for our collaboration on looking at the Defense Production Act--we are going to talk about it today--and how we could improve it for better preparing the United States for a global pandemic. The SAVE Act amends that Defense Production Act to protect medical supplies for Americans by bolstering our supply chain during times of crisis. The Defense Production Act, as my friend, Mr. Cleaver, noted, was first signed into law by President Truman in 1950 in response to a shortage of materials during the Korean conflict. Designed to incentivize production, avoid inflation, and, as I say, boost goods critical for the national defense, the DPA successfully brought American manufacturing to the forefront at the battle at hand at that time. Initially, the Defense Production Act, as you can tell by its name, was used in response for military needs, but over time the United States Congress has expanded it to other areas considered essential to national defense, and those include critical responses to national emergencies. When President Truman signed the DPA, he shared: It is your fight, the fight of all of us, and it can be won only if all of us in the fight can fight it together. At that time, he was saying that in response to the Korean conflict, but this quote still resonates with us now the same way as it did so long ago. A little over a year ago, our country faced another nationwide crisis that called on the need for the Defense Production Act to be placed in the American spotlight. In response to a global health crisis, America experienced shortages of necessary medical supplies, basically overnight. Supply chains were tested like never before, and it became increasingly clear that America needed to do something different in order to respond to the alarming increase in demand for medical gloves, N95 masks, and ventilators. In my home State of Arkansas, our hospitals had medical materials stacked from floor to ceiling stamped ``Made in China.'' And much of those supplies, Mr. Speaker, in the PPE category ended up rejected and put in a dumpster because they did not meet the quality standards; they were out of compliance. Our national and State emergency stockpiles were prepared for a localized outbreak, not a national 50-State pandemic. Fortunately, President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act, which allowed for greater domestic manufacturing of these necessary medical supplies. And while that was taking effect, the hospitals and our great Arkansas business, academic, and medical community banded together to be able to coordinate critical supply purchases, and even locally, manufacture badly needed face shields to protect patients and health professionals alike. Even more alarming than the lack of supplies might be our reliance on countries, particularly China, for basic pharmaceutical components. Our Nation must develop a strategy to diversify our supply chain to ensure that we are not in that same short supply situation in the future. In my view, last spring, Mr. Speaker, we were caught without such critical planning. That is why I introduced the SAVE Act in April of last year when we were first responding to these challenges, and I am pleased to have reintroduced it this year with my friend and colleague, Congressman Vargas. This bill amends the DPA to ensure that medical materials are within that Defense Production Act scope. While all of us hope that we are nearing the finish line of COVID-19, we cannot forget about the shortages that we once faced, because the reality is, unfortunately, perhaps likely, this country will face the same situation again. This bill allows us to be better prepared for that future, whether it be in the short, medium, or long run. It will allow us to diversify supply chains that are required for our national defense. It will permit the United States to be less reliant on foreign countries like China for critical PPE or, most importantly, pharmaceutical ingredients or other medical products. The SAVE Act requires a national strategy and progress reports on the diversification of that essential medical supply chain. At the same time, it makes explicit that our strategy needs to take into account cooperation with our allies. We must maintain a strong trading environment that fosters continued innovation. Making critical supply chains more resilient doesn't mean closing ourselves off from our friends around the world in partnership on these important items. Just to cite one example, Mr. Speaker, the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 consists of 280 components sourced from 86 sites across 19 countries. International cooperation makes treatments like this possible. But we must ensure these items don't fall under the exclusive control of an adversary. My legislation will help prevent that. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the SAVE Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from California, Mr. Vargas. We will be talking about this when we discuss his bill in a few minutes. We have collaborated on this, and it is about planning, it is about a strategy, it is about not being caught at low tide with no bathing suit, and that is what this country needs is a better strategy. President Bush warned us of that after he studied this issue when he was President. The stockpiles are important. Our FEMA planning is important. But our medical supply chain and those critical components are critical to the health and safety of our country. It is critical to our ability to defend ourselves, and hence, an appropriate amendment to the Defense Production Act. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I urge a ``yes'' vote on both sides of the aisle, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Iowa for reintroducing this bill. There is no doubt that fraudsters and other bad actors have been out taking advantage of consumers during the pandemic because they are out taking advantage of consumers every day anyway. Moreover, many of them are disproportionately targeting seniors. The Federal Trade Commission, looking over the pandemic, has some 436,000 reports of fraud amounting to some almost $400 million. The Securities and Exchange Commission has stopped 49 companies from trading, suspended for concerns over misleading information. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the CFPB, has gotten almost half a million complaints. So this effort among the regulators that Mrs. Axne is proposing in H.R. 2959 establishes the Consumer and Investor Fraud Working Group. This working group includes representatives from the CFPB, the SEC, and is established to help coordinate and share information across the Federal Government. The working group will focus on providing resources to consumers and investors and help them avoid falling victim to the fraudulent schemes and scams that have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and after. In addition, the working group will produce a quarterly report to the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee. This will allow Congress to monitor its actions and resources as it is made public. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3008, the Homebuyer Assistance Act of 2021, sponsored by my friend from California (Mr. Sherman) and cosponsored by my colleague from Texas (Mr. Taylor), who are both superb active members of the Committee on Financial Services here in the House. The committee reviewed many of the issues faced by the appraisal industry. There were two concerns heard loud and clear from the witnesses: the prolonged backlog for appraisals and the decreased quality in appraisals used in transactions involving loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration, the FHA. H.R. 3008 addresses these concerns in two ways. First, the bill amends current law to expand the pool of appraisers eligible to participate in FHA-insured transactions from being just certified appraisers to include both certified and licensed appraisers. Additionally, the bill addresses the different training requirements that each must meet. Currently, certified appraisers must have 1,500 hours of supervised experience without any property value or complexity restrictions. Licensed appraisers need only 1,000 hours of supervised experience, and there are some property value or complexity restrictions on licensed appraisers. So H.R. 3008 sets minimum trending requirements for both types of appraisers in FHA transactions. Certified and licensed appraisers must have at least 7 hours of approved training by The Appraisal Foundation or their State licensing agency. These changes will help break that logjam and bring FHA's appraisal rules in line with the current appraisal rules used by our government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, in the secondary market and in the conventional mortgage market. Moreover, the changes that Mr. Sherman and Mr. Taylor proposed will help alleviate the appraisal backlog at the FHA and increase the quality of work being performed. That would benefit both homeowners and taxpayers alike. As a former community banker in Arkansas, I understand firsthand how the appraiser shortage has been a problem in my home State. For example, in Arkansas, there has been a consistent delay in home purchases in rural areas because of the increased burdens that this shortage has brought about. This has created a ripple effect that has had a negative impact on the economies or in those neighborhoods. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friends, Mr. Sherman and Mr. Taylor. I urge all Members to support this bill; and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I thank my friend from California for his attention to this effort, particularly with the Federal oversight of how the DPA is used; what we can learn in this extraordinary past year that we have experienced; and how we can be better prepared not only now as we assess those contracts and the use of the Defense Production Act in this pandemic, but how we, as I said, can have a blueprint for the future. I congratulate him for his work and I appreciate his leadership. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, so I yield back the balance of my time.