Dusty Johnson

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, there are a few things that I know for sure. The first is that when you use American ports you should be subjected to some very basic rules of the road. Things like not being allowed to unreasonably discriminate against American cargo, that is one thing I know for sure. Another thing I know for sure is that although this bill is not a silver bullet, and nobody is alleging that it is only the ocean carriers that are responsible for this supply chain crunch, this will help. This better aligns the interests of the ocean carriers with the interests of American manufacturers and American farmers and ranchers. That will go a long way toward helping to resolve the supply chain crunch. Mr. Speaker, finally, one more thing that I know for sure, and that is when you have 360 national, State, and local groups, when you have 90 Members of Congress, when you have a bipartisan coalition that has come together to embrace this concept in what is all too often a partisan environment, then I think you know you have a good policy solution. With that in mind, I once again thank the gentleman from California for his leadership, and I urge all of my colleagues to support the bill, and ask the Senate for their expeditious consideration of it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson).

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let's be honest. It has been a pretty difficult few years to be a cattle producer. People in that business understand the cyclical nature of prices, so that is not so much their beef, if you will. But in that environment, it is much more difficult to have black swan event after black swan event hit these hardworking men and women. From the Holcomb fire to COVID-19 disruptions, it has been an incredibly volatile marketplace. They are trying to make a living and they are trying to pay their bills in that kind of environment with less price transparency than they have ever had. Now, it used to be relatively easy. Of course, I think we all know that price discovery is a critically important part of any fully functional marketplace. It used to be easy. You just went down to the sale barn, you sat in the seats, and you were able to see exactly what Mr. Mann was selling his cattle for and exactly what Mrs. Hartzler was buying them for. But as we have seen a migration of sales away from the sale barn and to alternative marketing agreements, that has left our producers less prepared to understand what is going on in the marketplace. That is why I was so grateful to see a broad cross-section of stakeholders come together in Phoenix a few months ago. They said: Gosh darn it, we are tired of having the livestock industry fight amongst each other. Let's settle on what we can agree on, things that we can actually get done in the 117th Congress. Mr. Speaker, they came out of that meeting with a clear clarion call for what Congress can do to help. There were three majors items, but the cattle library, along with the bill we just passed, the Livestock Mandatory Reporting program, were the heart of one of the three recommendations. What this bill does is takes the information, basic nonconfidential information, from those alternative marketing agreements and makes it available, and it makes sure that there is a mechanism for that information to be put into resources that can actually be used by the independent cattle producers and the small feeders that are so critically important to this marketplace. This has been widely bipartisan, and this is embraced by a fantastic cross-section, from the U.S. cattlemen to NCBA to Farm Bureau to National Farmers Union to the Livestock Marketing Association, good people who have come together and understand that while this does not solve the problem, it is a critically important step in moving us in the right direction. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler).

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize the real leadership that Mrs. Hartzler has shown on these issues for years and thank her for that. One of the great things about Congress is most of us were just normal people before we got here, leaders in our industry, and the next speaker is certainly that. He is somebody who understands the finance of ag operations and the operation of these farms and ranches. He is one of the strongest freshman voices in Congress. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann).

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller), a Member who has firsthand experience with the true operation of America's farms and ranches.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks).

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, I don't know that I can say it any better than the Members of Congress here who have so much firsthand experience with working ranches and farms. This is a beautiful bipartisan solution. If you believe in the marketplace, then you understand the importance of price discovery, and you cannot have price discovery if you don't have transparency. This just provides additional leverage and additional tools to the hardworking, independent cow-calf operators and small feeders who have seen their position, their leverage, in the marketplace erode in recent years. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to enthusiastically support this promarket legislation. I look forward to the Senate expeditiously taking up this issue as well. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa), the lead Republican on H.R. 4489.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I think it has been said very well. Mr. Rosendale just reminded us that this only mirrors the authority that other agencies have to be able to gather up the interest from those interest-bearing accounts. Ms. Schrier did a good job of reminding us that had this been in place in recent years, it would have been $7 million more that could have been invested in forest management and in forest health. And I just want to echo all of those findings. This is absolutely a commonsense, bipartisan bill, and I am looking forward to its passage. But I can't let the passage of this bill, which would be a big success, go by without calling attention to how much more needs to be done with regard to forest health. I remain disappointed, as so many do, of the fact that this Congress, this administration has not prioritized highly enough forest management. Mr. Speaker, here is what I know from the Black Hills of South Dakota: A managed forest is a healthy forest. And I want to say that one more time because there will be no truer statement spoken on the House floor on this day: A managed forest is a healthy forest. Today, millions of acres in this country are at risk of severe wildfire with potentially catastrophic impacts to our communities. Six of the worst fire seasons on record have occurred just over a period in the last few years. Our agencies, Federal partners, communities, and our States need more tools to proactively manage and mitigate this threat. Again, a managed forest is a healthy forest. And so, yes, by all means, let's celebrate this bill. It is an important technical fix that will improve in a narrow way the funding needs of the Forest Service. But let us keep in mind, to an even greater extent, in the days that follow that the resiliency of our forests remains a critically important national priority, and one that deserves greater attention from this body. Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation, I encourage the Members to vote ``aye,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he would consume to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber), one of this body's leading voices in policing, in mining, in infrastructure.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I hope the body will forgive me a digression before we talk about chronic wasting disease, which is, as the chairman says, critically important. I do also want to talk about Mr. Kind. So many Americans believe that every Member of Congress is a kind of villain with scales and fangs and horns, and that they are all just despicable people, or at the very least somebody who belongs to the opposite tribe is a despicable person. I just don't know anybody in Congress who believes that is true of Ron Kind. I will recount a story about a dinner where I had my two oldest boys with me. One of them was seated next to Mr. Kind. My son stole Mr. Kind's dessert, and rather than erupt in anger or an accusatory finger wag, he handled it with great grace and friendship. My boys remind me still of that evening spent with Mr. Kind. Mr. Speaker, as he seeks, certainly, a less stressful and perhaps a better and more rewarding future, let us remark on the type of impact that a decent person can still have in these Halls, and this bill before us today is ample evidence of that. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thought Mr. Kind, Mr. Stauber, and Mr. Scott said it all very well. This is important because chronic wasting disease can wreak such havoc upon our herds. I want to start by thanking Chairman Scott for facilitating the timely consideration of this bill, and not just this bill, sir, but also livestock mandatory reporting, the cattle contract library, and Ms. Schrier's forestry bill. These came together, sir, and I want to thank you for that. I want to recognize Mr. Kind, as well as Mr. Thompson, for the work that they put into this important bipartisan solution. I also want to express my appreciation for the coalition that Mr. Kind mentioned, such a broad coalition of stakeholders from the farmed and wild deer stakeholder groups and the sportsmen community at large. They provided a tremendous amount of insight so we could get this legislation right, and they were relentless in working with all of us to find common ground to craft this legislation and make sure that it was able to pass out of committee unanimously, and, hopefully, we can get a similar vote off the House floor. As it has been said, but as it bears repeating, chronic wasting disease is a contagious, neurological disease that affects deer and elk and moose. It is always fatal. Unfortunately, it is not a highly localized disease particular to a particular State or region of the country. CWD has been detected in 27 States. Given the lack of any known cure, I fear that that number of States will only continue to grow. H.R. 5608 authorizes up $70 million of much-needed appropriations each year with the funding split evenly between CWD research and management efforts, all of this with the hope of one day eradicating this disease altogether. The funding would support high-priority research to improve CWD detection methods and to continue invaluable research on genetic resistance. It would support the use of the latest and most effective on-the-ground management tools and strategies at the State and Tribal levels. The bill would also help improve public awareness of the disease by requiring the development and dispersal of educational materials which would be based, obviously, on the latest available science. Mr. Speaker, I know combatting this devastating disease would be a slow and challenging process, but I think we should all acknowledge that passage of this bill would be a critically important step in that journey and can help us protect those vulnerable deer populations. I appreciate my colleagues' attention to this matter, and I urge the entire House in casting a resounding ``yes'' vote on the bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. LaTurner for yielding. It has been said before, but it bears repeating: 24 days. That is how long Tribal Governments have to utilize their CARES Act funding before the December 31 deadline. I talked to a number of Tribes that, rather than rushed to spend this money in recent months, tried to be thoughtful and deliberate about how to make these critically important investments. As a result, a number of them have millions of dollars left unspent. In that kind of environment, it is proper and prudent for us to extend the deadline, and we should do so. That is why I wholeheartedly support this bill. But I wouldn't feel right if I didn't point out that there is a better way, and it is, indeed, right before us, Madam Speaker. The solution is S. 3011, the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act. Now, the House companion to that Senate bill has been led by Democratic Representative Carolyn Bourdeaux and myself. It has overwhelming support--125 bipartisan cosponsors. Our bill would do the exact same thing as the one before us tonight. Well, that is not quite right. I think our bill is superior in a few ways. First off, it doesn't just provide flexibility to Tribal Governments as this bill would rightfully do. It also provides that kind of flexibility to States and localities that also desperately need it. That is not the only way in which the Bourdeaux-Johnson bill is superior, and the dean of the House alluded to it earlier when he was talking. Our bill has already passed the Senate. This bill has not. In fact, the bill that I am talking about passed the Senate unanimously, and it has been sitting on the Speaker's desk since October 20. Yes, it is true we find ourselves with only 24 days for Tribal Governments to act, but it didn't have to be that way, and it doesn't have to be that way. My question for the Speaker would be: If our bill was good enough for 100 Senators, why is it not good enough for the House? And this legislative approach just means that we are going to go a few more days until tribes have the certainty they need. So Madam Speaker, I would close with this. If we brought S. 3011 up tonight and passed it, it could be law before midnight and tribes would not have the uncertainty that they continue to face.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the life of Marcella Rose Ryan LeBeau, Wigmu>ke Waste Wi> (Pretty Rainbow Woman), of the Cheyenne River Oohenu>pa (Two Kettle) Lakota Nation. Marcella LeBeau, a decorated veteran of the Second World War and a constant advocate for Indian country, passed away on November 22, 2021 at the age of 102. Mrs. LeBeau was born in 1919, in Promise, South Dakota, and was a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. After the death of her mother and grandmother, LeBeau attended an Indian boarding school where she faced much discrimination and was barred from speaking the Lakota language. When LeBeau was 23 she enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps and served in England, France, and Belgium during the Second World War. As a nurse with the 76th General Hospital Unit, she treated frontline soldiers during the Invasion of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. According to Mrs. LeBeau, ``it was the greatest honor of my life to serve.'' After the war, LeBeau continued to serve her community as an R.N. for 31 years until she retired as the director of nursing for the Indian Health Service on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. Marcella also served on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Council from 1991 to 1995 where she succeeded in leading a campaign to ban smoking in tribal buildings. Mrs. LeBeau remained active in organizations and advocacy for Native Americans' rights and health and was a co-founding member of the North American Indian Women's Association. Mrs. LeBeau married Gilbert LeBeau in 1947 and together they had eight children, 29 grandchildren, 46 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. LeBeau has been recognized and honored in many ways throughout her life. In 2004, LeBeau was awarded the French Legion of Honor for her service in World War II, which is the highest honor given by the French government. She was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2006 and awarded the Women in History Award from the Spirit of the Prairie Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 2016. LeBeau also received an honorary doctorate degree in Public Service from South Dakota State University in 2018. In 2020, the National Congress of the American Indian recognized her with a leadership award, and USA Today named her as one of the most influential women of the century. On November 6, 2021, she was inducted into the National Native American Hall of Fame. Madam Speaker, Marcella LeBeau dedicated her life to the service of her family, her tribe, and her nation. I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring her contributions to our nation and the people of South Dakota. I extend my deepest condolences to the LeBeau family, Marcella will be deeply missed.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Madam Speaker, October 11 is, in South Dakota, Native American Day. Now, when America turns its eyes to Indian reservations, so often-- too often--the focus is on poverty, despair, dysfunction. But there are wonderful stories from Indian Country as well, stories of hope, opportunity, hard work, success, entrepreneurship. With that in mind, I want to talk to you about Tashina Red Hawk. She is a 17-year-old member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. She is an excellent student, and she is a rodeo queen. She is my friend, and let me tell you, Madam Speaker, she is impressive. Tashina graduated early from high school, and then, when the pandemic hit and her college classes went online, rather than do what so many teens did, spending more time on social media or video games, she decided to become an entrepreneur. It is just an amazing story. Her local coffee shop had remained closed during the pandemic, so Tashina saw an opportunity. She wanted to save money for college. Again, as I said, she is an excellent student. She wants to be a veterinarian. Now, she knows that path is not going to be easy, and it is going to take a few dollars in the bank. She knew that this business opportunity would give her a wonderful chance. Here she is in front of Tashina's Coffee. She also wanted to make sure that her local community, her small town, had the same amenities that large towns do, and I think we can all agree that a powerful cup of coffee is a great amenity. From firsthand experience, I can tell you that her coffee really is excellent. She works so hard, Madam Speaker, long days, long weeks, to make this business a success. Tashina is passionate about instilling a sense of independence and hard work among other young people on her reservation. This woman is going places. I am proud to say that she is my friend. Her father sums it up well. He said, Tashina ``is not a victim. She is an advocate.'' Now, Tashina's story is one of many throughout Indian Country and the State of South Dakota that don't get the attention that they deserve. I think of so many Tribal leaders that I have met with over the years who choose self-reliance: Leslie Crow, our office's inaugural Ben Reifel fellow. She is a teacher, a college instructor, a small business woman. I think of Lakota Vogel. She is the executive director of the Four Bands Community Fund, and she works with Tribal members to build economic opportunity on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. I think of Myrna Thompson, secretary of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, whose long-term service as secretary of that Tribe has been a consistent and reliable source of leadership for her people. Madam Speaker, there are so many others. It has been clear to me that Native American people across this country are resilient. And those who choose hard work and independence over reliance, they are so often successful, and they are so often strong. They provide us a great opportunity. We can be more like them. We can be more like Tashina and Lakota and Leslie and Myrna. This Native American Day, we should all take a moment to admire their hard work and entrepreneurship, and we should follow their example. If there were more Tashina Red Hawks, we would have a better Nation.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the members of the Sioux Falls Little League baseball team, who represented the great State of South Dakota in the 2021 Little League World Series. Sioux Falls had a remarkable season placing fourth after a truly amazing series of victories. Through their hard work and perseverance, they have become the most successful Little League team in South Dakota history. They are also the first team in the history of the Little League World Series ever to pitch four no-hitters. During their historic Little League World Series run, this team has shown incredible determination, teamwork, and resiliency. So many South Dakotans truly enjoyed following along and cheering on the hometown team. I, along with the entire State of South Dakota, am proud of them for this outstanding accomplishment and for representing our State on the national stage. My sincerest congratulations to Easton, Hayden, Noah, Alex, Gunnar, Beau, Kye, Boston, Sam, Brayson, Jacksyn, Opland, Gavin, Cason, Maddux, and Brekken, as well as Coach Mike, Coach Jeff, Coach Devin, and Coach Ryan. I commend each one of you on your success, and I look forward to seeing what great things you will accomplish in the future.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Police Chief Matt Burns for his 25 years of service with the Sioux Falls Police Department. Chief Burns' career with the Sioux Falls Police Department began in 1996 as a patrol officer. He later went on to serve as a SWAT team member, detective, lieutenant, and assistant chief. In 2015, Burns became chief of police. During his honorable career, Burns has spearheaded several key initiatives including promoting, designing, and funding the New Public Safety Training Center and leading the effort to host remote Basic Certification Academy classes. Despite the many challenges the city of Sioux Falls has faced in recent years, I am grateful for Burns' leadership in keeping the community of Sioux Falls safe. I commend Chief Burns for his outstanding record of service, hard work, and leadership. I extend my deepest congratulations to him on his well-earned retirement.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate University of South Dakota alum Chris Nilsen for placing first in the pole vault at the U.S. Olympic Trials and qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. During the Trials, Chris made his first six attempts, clearing both the Olympic standard and the championship clinching height without a miss. He currently ranks fifth in the world heading into the Games. His success at the Trials is just one of the many impressive feats in his pole-vaulting career. As a Coyote, Chris was a three-time NCAA Champion and seven-time All- American. He was also named USTFCCCA National Field Athlete of the Year. He graduated from USD in 2020. This is not the first time Chris Nilsen will represent USD and the U.S. on the big stage. In 2019, he won gold at the Pan American Games. He also represented the U.S. at the 2017 World Championships and qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials at the age of 18. I want to congratulate Chris on winning the event and punching his ticket to Tokyo. I look forward to cheering him and the rest of Team USA on at the Olympic Games.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Fifty million, Madam Speaker. The WHO estimates that 50 million abortions are performed each year. It is a soul-rending number. Of course, abortion is a deeply divisive legal, political, and moral dispute, but despite that fact, for 45 years, this body has been able to come together to accept the powerful message of the Hyde amendment, that taxpayer funding should never be used for abortion. When I think about what we can do together, that is a powerful message. It is in that spirit that I ask unanimous consent that the relevant committees be discharged from any further consideration of H.R. 18, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, and I ask for its immediate consideration by this House.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, railroad hauls 40 percent of America's long-haul freight, but it makes up only 2 percent of our transportation-based emissions. Now, unfortunately, the INVEST in America Act tells freight railroads that they need to replace all of their older locomotives with newer, albeit only marginally cleaner, fossil-fuel burning locomotives. And this will be incredibly expensive. Again, only slightly cleaner. And that cost will slow industry's progress toward the development of zero emission locomotives. There is a cleaner, a better, a less prescriptive, and a less expensive way to make this transition. You think about slowing the deployment of those locomotives will actually hinder the majority's fight against climate change. Mr. Speaker, I would say that this part of the INVEST in America Act moves in the wrong direction, like so many parts of the INVEST in America Act, and it is one more good reason to vote ``no.''

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 2021 Truman Scholars. These 62 individuals were chosen from a record applicant pool of 845. These students were nominated based on their records of leadership, public service, and academic achievement. They are: Sagal Ahmed, Joris Alawoe, Abigail Alvarez, Oseremhen Arheghan, Sarah Beisner, Mercedes Blancaflor, Tarik Brown, Tatyana Brown, Alessandra Brussel Faria, Sophie Cardin, Yu Jing Chen, Ronnie Clevenstine, Jarrell Daniels, Dominique DiSpirito, David Edgerton III, Cosimo Fabrizio, Max German, Carlee Goldberg, Catherine Hadley, Nicholas Hakes, Halima Hamud, Noah Harris, Austin Hickle, Emma Hotz, Chanise Jackson, Cassandra James, Andre Jimenez, Gurtaran Johal, Dhwani Kharel, Jessica Lambert, Chase Lee, Mia LeJeune, Abel Liu, Destiny Magnett, Thor Manson, Gregory Marchal, Kehani Mendiola, Gregory Miller, Rachel Miner, Jenna Mu, Daud Mumin, Araoluwa Omotowa, Iesha-LaShay Phillips, Sage Phillips, Lexi Raikes, Makaila Ranges, Tayna Rivera Rodriguez, Abigail Roston, Grace Roy, Eli Sabin, Naomi See, Sakshi Sehgal, Hillary Shah, Olivia Shipp, Abigail Smith, Klarke Stricklen, Coleman Warren, Claire Wayner, Sena Wazer, Max Williamson, Samuel Zahn, and Felita Zhang. The Truman Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 to honor President Harry S. Truman's legacy of extraordinary public service. The Truman Scholarship serves as a living monument to that legacy. As a former Truman scholar myself, I look forward to seeing how this class continues that legacy.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Professor Michael Roche of Vermillion as the first recipient of the Spirit of South Dakota Award. The Spirit of South Dakota Award was created to celebrate and honor South Dakotans that display unusual perseverance, compassion, and innovation, and are beloved by their community. Michael Roche has been a professor at the University of South Dakota since 1974 where he taught courses on criminal justice and criminal law. During his nearly fifty years of teaching, Roche has made a lasting impact on students and faculty alike. Among his list of impressive accomplishments, he was named the 2001 South Dakota Professor of the year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Roche is also the author of numerous books and articles on the criminal justice system and worked extensively inside the South Dakota penal system. I can say with certainty that South Dakota's criminal justice system is better off because of his work. While Professor Roche may be retiring from USD, he is leaving behind a legacy in the halls of USD and in the hearts of his students. Professor Roche truly exemplifies the Spirit of South Dakota and I'm honored to present him with the first award.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. Speaker, I am opposed to D.C. statehood, but I am not opposed to suffrage. If your goal is truly suffrage rather than increasing Democratic control of the Senate, boy, do I have a plan for you. My bill would reunite the residential areas of the District with Maryland, as was done with Virginia in 1847. This plan would give full voting rights that we have heard so much about this morning without ignoring the Constitution or the practical realities of what constitutes a State. So I say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: If your goal is truly suffrage, then let's do this together. Let's set aside the divisive rhetoric we have heard, and work together to craft an appropriate and bipartisan solution to give representation to the people of D.C.

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota

Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dhwani Kharel on being named South Dakota's 2021 Truman Scholar. The Truman Scholarship was established by Congress in 1975 as a living legacy to President Harry Truman to support and inspire the next generation of public service leaders. Dhwani was one of 62 Scholars selected from a record number of 845 applicants. As a junior at Dartmouth College, Dhwani has already demonstrated a commitment to public service and leadership. She is actively involved in sexual violence prevention advocacy on Dartmouth's campus and has interned at both the Congressional Research Service and the Brookings Area United Way. I commend Dhwani for her outstanding record of service, hard work, and leadership. I have no doubt she will excel in the future as she plans to pursue a career in the legal field to advance women's rights. As a Truman Scholar myself, I am honored to congratulate Dhwani on this honor. I look forward to seeing all that she accomplishes.