Joseph Kennedy

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, in a country that celebrates freedom, this policy tells our servicemembers that they do not have the freedom to be who they are. Where is the freedom in that? Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members of the House to support this resolution.

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, equal has always been our Nation's North Star. Endowed by our creator, inscribed by Jefferson in our Declaration of Independence, engraved above the doors to the highest court in our land, codified in our Constitution after a war tore our country apart, it is that pursuit of equality, that journey for a more perfect Union, that sets America apart. At times, we have stumbled. We have enslaved men, women, and children because of the color of their skin. We have segregated those same families in the first breaths of their freedom. We have stigmatized fellow Americans based on their race, their ancestry, their god, the nation of their birth, the hand that they hold, and their very identity. Some willing to die for our freedom fought wars only to meet a government that offered them a handshake and a return to second-class citizenship. Today, this House has a chance to not repeat the mistakes of our past, to move one step closer to that sacred promise by telling brave trans men and women in uniform that they cannot be banned from military service because of who they are--because that is the very foundation for this policy: targeted discrimination against transgender Americans. Supporters will say otherwise. It is about unit cohesion, they say-- except for the fact that the five chiefs of staff for the military branches have testified that they are aware of exactly zero instances of a transgender servicemember negatively impacting discipline or morale. It will degrade our military, they say--except that 56 retired generals and flag officers told us that it is the ban that would degrade readiness, ``even more than the failed Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy'' did. It is science, they say--except that the Department of Defense relied on data nearly half a century old and ignored plenty of other studies. Just ask the American Medical Association, the American Psychology Association, the American Psychiatric Association. It is about cost, they say--except that the military spends ten times more annually on erectile dysfunction medication than we have on trans- related care in the past 3 years combined. It is not a ban, they say. Ask any one of the brave transgender servicemembers or veterans in the gallery today exactly what this ban means.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, President Trump's budget landed with a thud on the backs of working Americans this week. Its message is quite simple: this administration will reward wealth with one hand and target working families with another. To this President, avoiding the estate tax for wealthy heirs is an entitlement, but the healthcare of everyday Americans is expendable. To this President, carried interest on passive income is a worthy tax benefit for executives, while a livable minimum wage for a working parent is a burden we cannot afford. To this President, a lengthy record of felony convictions won't deny your tax credit for a private jet, but a conviction for misdemeanor drug possession could cost you the roof over your head. A budget that puts Americans first doesn't deem millions of Americans unworthy. A budget that puts Americans first doesn't starve them of housing, of healthcare, and of food because their President counts stock market gains as more important than our common humanity. But putting Americans first has never been the fundamental policy of this administration. It has always been to draw a bright line between the wealthy and the striving. I stand to reject this budget.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Senator Harris Wofford, a giant in our Nation's history and a dear friend. For decades, at every single inflection point in our Nation's march towards equality, Senator Wofford stood proudly and strongly on the side of justice and decency. But he wasn't one who could be confined only to our shores. Before, during, and after his time in the United States Senate, Harris sought out injustice around the world and asked how he could help. Not only is he an inspiration to any aspiring public servant, he has been a close friend to generations of my own family. To his husband, Mr. Charlton, his children, Susanne, Daniel, and David, and all of the members of his family and friends who loved him so dearly, know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and that Harris' memory and our Nation will never forget.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California for her support and for her observation about the utility of fax machines; the gentleman from North Carolina as well for his comments of support; and my colleague, Mr. Graves, for his leadership, his advocacy on this piece of legislation, and for his determination in getting this done. It was a long, long slog to try to navigate our way through the morass to get there, but we did, and Mr. Graves' office deserves a lot of credit for that. We were able to clear the House unanimously last year, Mr. Speaker, and I am excited for our prospects this year. Importantly, as well, Mr. Speaker, today is the first time that identical texts have been introduced in the United States Senate. Senators Carper and Portman are taking the lead, and I look forward to our offices working together to get this bill across the finish line. For all the attention that is placed on Members of Congress when we are in Washington, there is no more important responsibility of this job than helping our constituents back home. Whether assisting a veteran seeking benefits or a retiree accessing Medicare, we can ease the burden off of our neighbors' shoulders by getting them the help that they have earned. When one of our constituents calls our office, whether it is in Newton, Massachusetts, or in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, they don't ask us about our political parties or policy positions; they just ask for a little bit of help. Usually, those neighbors only reach our office when they have fought every other battle possible first; but too often, archaic rules, as outlined by Mr. Meadows, build obstacles in our efforts to provide that help. With the CASES for Constituents Act, we can modernize our government, streamline that process, and more directly assist them when they need it. Let's bring the casework process a step closer to the 21st century and provide electronic access to privacy release forms. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Madam Speaker, a few days ago I walked into a Coast Guard base in Boston and I saw something I never thought I would witness on American soil. Members of our Armed Forces were lined up at a food pantry while they were on the clock because their employer, the United States Government, wasn't paying them for the work that they put in that day. Madam Speaker, look around this country, and you will see nearly a million civil servants and more than a million contract workers who are forced to deter medical care, find part-time jobs, return Christmas presents, take out loans, pawn valuable possessions, draw down retirement savings, just to afford to feed their family and to keep a roof over their head. You will find families that are terrified that their food stamps will run out. You will see notices threatening eviction for families who are upholding their end of their rent, while the government defaults on its own obligations. You will see businesses struggling to stay afloat under lost Federal support. Domestic violence organizations will have to turn away survivors because critical grant funding isn't coming through. Yes, this is about a misguided and demagogued immigration fight. And, yes, this is squarely about a President who couldn't keep his promise. But at its core, it is about an administration that has spent 2 years treating the livelihood of working families as a bargaining chip, quickly traded away time and again to protect power, profit, and political gain. Theirs is a system that asks American workers to make painful sacrifices that those in power only read about; a system where tax cuts for international corporations are paid for by Medicaid cuts for working families; where healthcare premiums skyrocket for the sick and the suffering; where healthcare industry executives reap the reward. Theirs is a system where labor protections for workers are wiped out as distant CEOs lay off loyal employees and gut pensions; where a safety net that keeps our fellow Americans afloat shrinks and tears as their President smiles and holds the scissors; where profits accrue to those who have already profited, and the loss is borne by those who can least afford to bear it. Beyond the shutdown, beyond this President, our government needs to prove to the American people that we are fighting for them. Because right now, they don't believe we are in their corner, and I don't blame them.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Madam Speaker, last month, a judge delivered a ruling to gut the Affordable Care Act, a warning shot that was fired at millions of Americans of all ages, backgrounds, and beliefs. The decision changed little immediately, but that didn't matter. Patients again panicked because, yes, they have been here before. The family with a young child who will spend their entire life battling diabetes, the father in remission, the young woman facing addiction desperately seeking treatment, over the past 2 years, they have watched their government, led by a Republican Congress and a reckless President, come after their healthcare coverage again and again and again. So families wake up wondering if this is the day. Is this the day where they succeed, the day the President finally wins, the day my coverage goes away, the day I have to face my loved ones, my kids, my ailing parents, and tell them that we can't afford the care to make their suffering go away? They deserve better, and that is why I ask everyone to support this rules package.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, GM went to bed with a record $3.2 billion in profits last quarter alone. Its shareholders went to bed with a 5 percent surge in stock prices, plus the $10.6 billion the company has spent on buybacks since 2015. Meanwhile, 14,000 GM workers spent a sleepless night wondering if their jobs and livelihoods would still be there for them the next morning. There is no better snapshot of our country's current, toxic brand of capitalism, where we are operating in a system that demands that workers labor harder and harder to meet basic human needs but refuses to share even a slice of the success that they helped create. For those of us in this Chamber this morning, it is about more than one company or one balance sheet. It is about 50 years of giving the private sector explicit permission to cast workers aside. It is about an economy that has become the antithesis of what our country stands for: equity, decency, justice, and hard work. President Trump has made his response to these economic inequities very clear. His is a country of bitter rivalry between fellow citizens forced to endlessly spar over the scraps of that system: ``My wages can't go up unless your food stamps are taken away.'' ``Your medical bills can't fall unless my insurance goes.'' So Americans spend their days fighting each other over economic crumbs while our system quietly delivers the entire pot to those at the top. That is the reality that our new Democratic majority must address for the coal miner in Kentucky, the daycare worker in New York, the fifth- generation farming family in Ohio, the first-generation immigrant family in Massachusetts, the mostly White towns in West Virginia devastated by an opioid epidemic, and the communities of color across our country terrorized by the war on drugs. Forget where they are from or what they look like or how they vote. All of these Americans face an economy that does not operate for them. They live in cities and towns that are likely to be medically underserved, educationally ostracized from today's job market, plagued by inadequate infrastructure, and burdened by crumbling homes or houses that no one can afford. They disproportionately shoulder the hard words that can make life hurt: ``eviction,'' ``addiction,'' ``bankruptcy,'' and ``violence.'' They hail from the places where polling locations disappear, where the biggest economic engine is a payday lender, where lead poisons their children's water, and where injustice and insufficiency fester for generations before a government thinks to step in. This is the challenge of our time. It is the injustice that we have to solve not just because of our politics, but because our system will not survive if we don't. I believe in that system. American capitalism has done great good for a great number of people. It has given the average American a better standard of living than anywhere else in the world, lifted millions out of poverty, and powered our globe. But its current iteration is badly broken, and the sooner we admit it, the sooner we can strip it to the studs and build something better. A moral capitalism is judged not just by how much it produces, but by how widely it shares, how much good it does for how many, and how well it takes care of each and every single one of us.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, this month we mark the 60th anniversary of the enactment of the National Cultural Center Act, which established the institution now known as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The 85th Congress and President Eisenhower envisioned a cultural center which would present performances of dance, drama, music, opera, and poetry, develop arts programming to encourage the participation of and educate citizens of all ages, from the young to the elderly, and provide a space for civic activity. Today, the Kennedy Center accomplishes these original mandates from 1958 to serve the nation through cultural innovation and inclusive programming. This past season, the Kennedy Center showcased 2,203 performances and reached 1,405,796 students through school and community programs. The Kennedy Center has broken ground on an expanded physical campus for civic activity and increased accessibility; the REACH (Renew, Experience, Activate, Create, and Honor) will open the week of the National Cultural Center Act's 60th anniversary. I invite my colleagues to join me in thanking the many members of the public who over the past six decades have partnered with and supported our national cultural center.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the bill before us, S. 3021; and specifically, Mr. Speaker, the Fair Ratepayer Accountability, Transparency, and Efficiency Standards Act written into title III, culminating more than 4 years of work on this issue. In 2014, due to an unintended loophole in the Federal Power Act, my constituents were locked out of challenging a nearly $2 billion rate increase, because at the time the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was deadlocked 2 to 2 on whether to approve or deny the change. With this bill before us today, we can close that loophole and ensure that no ratepayer suffers the same consequence that continues to threaten the bank accounts and pocketbooks of my constituents. It is especially important today given that the commission currently has only four sitting commissioners. While this is not the bill that I first introduced more than 3 years ago and it is not the one that the House unanimously passed each of the last two Congresses, it is a compromise with our Senate colleagues and is an important step in the right direction. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the bill before us, H.R. S. 2031. Specifically I rise in support of the Fair Ratepayer Accountability, Transparency, and Efficiency Standards Act, written into Title III, culminating more than four years of work on this issue. As my colleagues have heard time and time again, my constituents in New England pay among the highest retail electric rates across the country. And in 2014, due to an unintended loophole in the Federal Power Act, my constituents were locked out of challenging a nearly $2 billion rate increase because at the time, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was deadlocked two-to-two on whether to approve or deny the change. As written, the Federal Power Act allows for rate changes to take effect by operation of law if FERC fails to act within the statutory 60-day time period. Due to a deadlock in 2014, no action was taken. And as we have since learned, the Federal Power Act only allows for appeals of official FERC Actions, not rates that take effect by operation of law, including deadlocks like the one that left my constituents voiceless. With this bill before us today, we can ensure no ratepayer suffers the same consequence. It is especially important now given the current status of the Commission with only 4 sitting commissioners. This bill represents a compromise with my Senate colleagues. The bill states that any rates that take effect by operation of law, due to a deadlock or a Commission that lacks sufficient members for a quorum, are appealable both at FERC and in the courts. It is intended to ensure that FERC and the courts consider the merits of a rate change and whether such a change is just and reasonable as required by the Federal Power Act. It would not allow FERC or the courts to simply dismiss a challenge because FERC failed to issue an order. Additionally, I would like to highlight two concerns with this language and make clear congressional intent in the process. First, this bill would not apply to rates that the Commission either chooses, or inadvertently allows, to take effect upon expiration of the statutory clock. It has been my understanding and my experience that FERC can and will continue to address all rate filings with the due diligence and scrutiny each deserves, and I hope FERC will continue to do so even on the most contentious of cases. I expect FERC will abide by the requirements of this legislation and not take advantage of any loophole to avoid a contentious filing. Second, while unusual, this bill would require each of the sitting commissioners to explain in writing their view on the rate change. To my knowledge, there is no other similar requirement in any part of the Federal Power Act or Natural Gas Act. However, it is my belief that if and when the time comes to address a deadlock, commissioners will use the opportunity to explain their views for purposes of transparency and good government. While this is not the bill I first introduced more than three years ago, the one that passed the House unanimously in each of the last two Congresses, it is a good compromise and a significant step in the right direction. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, Brett Kavanaugh does not belong on our highest court in the land. Mr. McConnell can withhold all the documents he wants. Mr. Kavanaugh's words betray that silence. His emails show that he will dismantle Roe v. Wade. His rulings show that protections for preexisting conditions are no longer safe. His words show that marriage equality and LGBTQ rights would no longer be etched in stone. His silence shows that a President will be handed a shield against accountability. To those harmed by his rulings, he offers not even a handshake. When pressed, he offers just a lawyerly dodge and a shield of confidentiality. But the American people marched for a woman's right to choose. They took to our streets to end gun violence. They fought for marriage equality. If you believe that healthcare is a right for all and not a privilege just for a few, then we need you to raise your voices today. Mr. Kavanaugh should not be on our court.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Nancy Schon, a lifelong resident of the Fourth District of Massachusetts and a renowned sculptor, on the occasion of her 90th birthday on September 24, 2018. Born in 1928, Nancy's interest in art began at a young age. Nancy graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts with Honors in Sculpture in 1952, and her early work was inspired by her family, which has grown to include four children, many grandchildren, and a great grandchild. Later in her career, Nancy began creating Public Art with a focus on teaching lessons. Her most famous piece, ``Make Way for Ducklings,'' can be found in the Boston Public Garden and has a theme of promises kept and family values. This focus on lessons continues in her other pieces, such as the ``Tortoise and Hare'' sculpture at the finish line of the Boston Marathon and the ``Winnie-the-Pooh and Friends'' sculptures at the Newton Free Library. Art has led Nancy many places, including the former Soviet Union, where she joined First Lady Barbara Bush to present her copy of ``Make Way for Ducklings'' to Raisa Gorbachev as part of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). Nancy is active with non-profit organizations, and helped get the Lynch Family Skate Park built in Cambridge. Nancy is also an author, her memoir; ``Make Way for Nancy'' was published in 2017. Across Massachusetts, we are proud to call Nancy Schon our neighbor and are grateful for her continued creativity. Mr. Speaker, I wish Nancy Schon a very happy 90th birthday. I am deeply humbled to represent her in Congress, and I hope her 90th year is the best one yet.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to amend the rule and make in order the Quigley amendment to restore funds to prevent Russia from, again, interfering in our elections.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Raskin, for his kind words and for his leadership on this bill and legislation in bringing it to this point and for all of his efforts in combating domestic violence as well. I also want to thank my colleagues, in particular Congressman Young; Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers, the Republican Conference Chair; Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard; Congresswoman Brooks; as well as the chairman, Mr. Goodlatte, for his leadership in making sure that this bill comes to the floor today; as well as Senator Sullivan from Alaska who is the original author of this legislation and has been working with me on this for the past several years. I am grateful for his leadership as well. Mr. Speaker, I remember far too many times in a courtroom as a State- level prosecutor the challenges of bringing domestic violence cases to trial. I remember to this day talking to victims and seeing perhaps a paragraph in a police report and something that didn't quite seem right; doing an interview with the victim and peeling back layer after layer after layer of isolation and of control, and of the creation of a state of dependence and of perpetual fear. I remember getting ready to try a case one day. The victim came in with her daughter. The victim had a black eye. She sat next to her husband, the defendant, throughout the entire morning of the case. She blamed the black eye on a newborn child who was sleeping in her bed. I remember watching countless efforts for a restraining order as the attorney badgered a victim, and watching a victim get so disenchanted with our court system that she said she would never come back. Standing in a courtroom, Mr. Speaker, with those survivors, you start to see our justice system through their eyes. It is, at times, an endless and impossible maze where abuse and injustice is relived and replicated on every single occasion. That is why we as a Congress must ensure that no survivor is ever forced to stand alone before a judge, because we know and the data well proves that, oftentimes, these cases can be a matter of life and death. It is, in fact, the most predictable form of homicide we have in our Nation. We know how prevalent and pervasive it is. Nearly 8 million women are raped, assaulted, or stalked every year by a current or former intimate partner. We know that low-income women and men are at higher risk of domestic violence and rape. We know that more than 80 percent of survivors with access to a lawyer successfully obtain restraining orders, while those who stand alone obtain one less than one-third of the time. Mr. Speaker, passing the POWER Act will begin to restore our sacred promise of an equal justice system. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. KENNEDY

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

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman and Ranking Member Schiff for all their support and advocacy to make this amendment possible today. Mr. Chairman, just a few weeks ago, DNI Director Dan Coats warned our Nation and the world that ``we continue to see Russian targeting of American society in ways that could affect our midterm elections.'' It is indisputable that Russia succeeded in meddling in our election in 2016. It is indisputable that their success, with little consequence, will inspire similar attacks in the future. And it is indisputable that our response to these threats has been inadequate. States, cities, and towns have scrambled to secure their own elections without enough guidance and support from our national intelligence community. Voters continue to face a torrent of misinformation online. Candidates for Congress, city council, and school boards race towards November 6 uncertain that they will become Putin's next target. The multiple Federal agencies that are responsible for our Nation's response rarely coordinate or receive little guidance from our Nation's government at the highest levels. Mr. Chairman, this amendment helps to begin to consolidate and concentrate our response to foreign efforts to influence our political processes and elections with one center drawing expertise across all relevant sectors of our government. If anything, our adversaries have grown more confident in their ability to sway our elections and sow discord and dysfunction at every level of our society. Our urgency lies now in one simple truth: Our democracy stands tall when our elections stand secure. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment because those who put ballot boxes in our crosshairs do not ascribe to one political party or the other. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, about 15 years ago, I walked into a community in the Dominican Republic with a loose grasp of the Spanish language and little idea about the history or culture of those I would be living with for the next two years. For months, I worked hand in hand with that community to build sustainable ecotourism that continues to grow today. Wrestling with the existing industry there was hard. Battling with entrenched government interests was hard. But the hardest part, the one that took months to achieve, was earning the trust of those people. People who to this day I'm proud to call some of my closest friends. And that is what the Peace Corps is all about. Men and women, young and old, walking into foreign lands and remote neighborhoods offering their own helping hand on behalf of this nation. Diplomats of democracy and decency embedded in the farthest corners of our globe. Volunteers exporting our values and our ideals in search of a kinder, fairer world. American might can be found on battlefields and military bases, yes, but it can also be found in the college graduate teaching in a small village in India or the recent retiree teaching a stranger in Belize how to build a business. Enactment of this bill will allow current and future Peace Corps Volunteers to carry out their important duty while improving their access to care and ensuring their safety and security abroad. Before they even step foot on a plane, Volunteers will be made fully informed of the risks they face in the country in which they have been invited to serve. And once the jetlag has worn off and they've written their first letter home, we will guarantee that these Volunteers will have access to well-qualified medical officers and support staff at overseas Peace Corps posts. In addition, this bill promises to take a number of steps to address and combat instances of sexual assault by reauthorizing the Sexual Assault Advisory Council through 2023 and requiring the Peace Corps to provide information to host families regarding sexual assault prevention and awareness. And because we recognize that tragedies can occur and this service is not without risks, for any Volunteer who returns home with a service- connected disability, this legislation will help minimize bureaucratic delay and work to ensure that they receive the medical care they deserve without delay. Through their selfless and tireless work, Peace Corps Volunteers leave lasting, positive impressions in countries all across the world that can endure generations. With the bipartisan passage of this bill, we are one step closer to protecting our Volunteers currently serving around the world and ensuring the Peace Corps' influence reaches new heights. I thank Congressman Poe for his advocacy and his staff for helping advance this important piece of legislation. Before concluding, I would like to offer one point of clarification. Under Section 102 of this bill, if the Director of Peace Corps determines that the injury or illness is probably related to their service outside of the U.S., a former Peace Corps Volunteer will be able to access health care for such condition for 120 days. During this 120 period, the Department of Labor will provide a written authorization for physician or medical facility to provide medical treatment or examination to a former Peace Corps Volunteer. This authorization is referred to as a ``voucher'' under this legislation, and is the mechanism by which the Peace Corps Volunteer secures medical services from a medical provider when they seek medical services. For purposes of clarification, this voucher will be similar to Form CA-16 issued by the U.S. Department of Labor provides medical coverage for a 60 day period. Under FECA, a federal employee injured while in the performance of duty has the initial right to select a physician of his/ her choice to provide necessary treatment. These medical expenses will be paid out of the Employees' Compensation Fund established under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. In addition, this bill promises to take a number of steps to address and combat instances of sexual assault by reauthorizing the Sexual Assault Advisory Council through 2023, and requiring the Peace Corps to provide information to host families regarding sexual assault prevention awareness. And because we recognize that tragedies can occur, and that service is not without risks, for any volunteer who returns home with a service-connected disability, this legislation will minimize bureaucratic delay and work to ensure that medical care is received without delay. Through their selfless and tireless work, Mr. Speaker, Peace Corps volunteers leave a lasting, positive impression in countries all around the world that can endure for generations. With the bipartisan passage of this bill, we are one step closer to protecting our volunteers serving around the world and ensuring the Peace Corps' influence continues to reach new heights. I want to thank my colleagues, Mr. Poe, Chairman Royce, and Ranking Member Engel for all their work on this important legislation, and I urge swift passage of H.R. 2259.

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, the ranking member of the Committee, Mr. Engel, for his advocacy for this legislation, for his leadership on the Foreign Affairs Committee, for the time that I spent on that committee as well, and for all of his support for this legislation. I echo the gratitude toward the chairman of the committee, Mr. Royce, and all that he and his staff did to usher this bill through to this point; of course, my colleague, Mr. Poe, and his team, for the leadership that they have shown on it and all that he has done in order to make sure that this bill has come with the broad bipartisan support that it has. And that, as he says, is just the way it is. I also want to say I would be remiss not to reference our dear colleague, former colleague, Sam Farr, who, if you asked him what day it was, would respond with a Peace Corps story. This is an act that is close to his heart, an organization that is close to his heart that he spent an awful lot of time dedicating himself to, and I am grateful for the recognition that he deserves, and so many others today. Mr. Speaker, about 15 years ago, I got off an airplane in Santo Domingo not knowing what to expect, and a couple of weeks later, was welcomed with open arms into a pretty rural community on the side of a highway in the Northern Dominican Republic. Over the course of the next two-plus years, families that I didn't know, in a language that I barely spoke, accepted me as one of their own. They cared for me when I was sick. They would literally take half of the food that they had on their plate and scrape it off so that I had a meal to eat. Folks that were making a couple of dollars a day, at best, intermittent electricity, intermittent running water, but whatever they had they were eager to share with me. And my story and this is not unique. This is told over and over again by the hundreds of thousands of individuals who have had the opportunity to serve our country as Peace Corps volunteers around the globe. You listen to those stories, and they echo from East Timor and the Philippines, through Mongolia and the Far East, to sub-Saharan Africa, across the continent, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Central America. Over and over again, the stories that you hear, you ask any Peace Corps volunteer, and they believe that they serve, not just are serving the greatest Nation in the world, but they are also in service in one of the greatest nations in the world, and every volunteer says the same thing. What you also see from those volunteers is this extraordinary generosity of spirit, this dedication to living out the ideals that we hold so dear, that we speak of in this Chamber, about reaching out to others and asking what we can do to help them in service, through our own actions, through the support of the Federal Government behind; what we can do, day by day, step by step to try to make our communities and their communities, our world, a little bit better. That is what the Peace Corps stands for. That is what has been repeated day after day, volunteer after volunteer, in hundreds of countries around the world at various times and through all of those volunteers and their experiences. That is why this bill today is so important, for Mr. Speaker, American might can be found on battlefields and military bases, but it is also found by that college graduate who is teaching in a small village in India, or a retiree who is teaching a stranger in Belize how to build a business. By passing this bill, we can allow current and future Peace Corps volunteers to carry out their important duty while improving their access to care and ensuring their safety and security at home and abroad. Before they even set foot on a plane, volunteers will be made fully informed of the risks that they will face in their country where they have been invited to serve. And once that jet lag has worn off and the nerves settle down, they have written their first letter home, we will guarantee that these volunteers have the access to well-qualified medical officers and support staff in Peace Corps offices overseas.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, Ms. Clarke, for her leadership on this issue and so many others in Congress as a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Healthcare and immigration policies run through the veins of our society. Mr. Speaker, over the course of the day today and over the course of the last several days, my colleagues have eloquently described the shortcomings of the immigration bills brought forward by Republicans. I echo their outrage at what has taken place over the past few weeks on American soil and their fury that Congress still is so unwilling or unable to address it. As this debate has unfolded, one chorus in particular caught my ear, these voices that say: Our own kids are suffering. Our own country has issues. We feel for these children at the border, but how do you expect us to take care of them when you have made it so hard for us to take care of our own? Mr. Speaker, it is those voices that I want to speak to this evening first to say: You are right. Mr. Speaker, we have children in this country who will not get one hot meal today let alone three. We have children who will show up to schools without books, children who will spend a winter without coats or Christmas presents, or a summer without clean water and cool air. We have children who are abused or ill, who are abandoned, and who are oppressed. All of this is in the most powerful country in the world. We should be ashamed and united in our rage that, as a country, a nation as rich as ours makes it so damn hard for families to be able to survive. We are united by a resolve to do better because if a place, a country like America, can't meet its people's needs, then who can? So, Mr. Speaker, some dream up walls, frantically grasping at what they can have and pushing others away in a desperate attempt to make sure that there is enough left over for them and their families. It is a ferocious instinct to defend ourselves and our loved ones, and one that any parent can understand, particularly those parents arriving at our border today, those who risk everything to show up on our shores and beg for mercy. Can we not see in them that same parental, basic human instinct to bear any burden to protect your child? If we were they, I know of no parent who wouldn't walk through jungles and deserts and risk gangs and violence for the chance of a brighter future for their child. In a perfect world, all borders would be peaceful, all governments would be strong and good, all families would be whole, all neighborhoods would be safe, and all communities would have the resources to fix what is broken and pick up those among us who have fallen. But ours is not a perfect world. So, night after night, children show up on our doorstep terrified and traumatized. Yes, we have our own tragedies, our own struggles, and our own monsters to defeat. No, we cannot right every wrong; we cannot save every soul; and we cannot shoulder the world's inequities alone. But we absolutely can offer small and weary heads a safe place to rest. We can make space for people with no place else to go. We can do that and still take care of our own. We can welcome the tired, the poor, and those yearning to be free and still be free ourselves. We can help the very hungry afford food, the very sick get care, and the very cold shelter without jeopardizing our own dinner, our own health, and our own bed. We can choose both. Americans do every single day. Across the country in soup kitchens and shelters, in schools, on battlefields and operating tables, our people struggle, they stretch, and they extend. They do it when it is hard and when it is uncomfortable and inconvenient. So no matter how many times this administration doubts their capacity or their compassion, they reach out. No matter how many times they try and force us to choose between taking care of someone else and taking care of ourselves, they do choose both. We cannot fall for that false choice, because if we, the United States of America, cannot figure out how to muster the resources, the courage, the boldness, and the political will to ensure that no child suffers on our shores, who will?

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5590 sponsored by Representatives Kinzinger and Clarke. I commend my colleagues for their hard work on this legislation. We know that there is more that the Department of Health and Human Services needs to do to address the opioid crisis. We know that we need to do more not only to bring down opioid prescribing, but to expand access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders. H.R. 5590 would direct the Secretary of HHS to examine potential obstacles to an effective response to the opioid crisis and issue recommendations for addressing them. It directs the Secretary to look at barriers to both wider use of nonopioid alternatives to manage pain, as well as therapies that treat opioid addiction. Mr. Speaker, while this is an important bill, I want to underscore that it is incremental. I also want to reiterate my continuing concern that while Democrats support working on a legislative package to address the opioid crisis, as we have over the course of the day-to-day and over the course of the past several weeks with our Republican colleagues, we must also assure that we first do no harm. The Trump administration and Republican efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act would do serious harm to our healthcare system and to individuals suffering from opioid use disorders specifically. For instance, the Trump administration continues to undermine the individual market by promoting junk insurance plans, such as short- term, limited duration health plans. These plans would allow insurers to once again exclude individuals with preexisting conditions, such as opioid use disorder, and charge individuals more based on their health status. It would make coverage for individuals who need comprehensive health coverage, such as individuals with opioid use disorders, less affordable and accessible. Moreover, apparently Republicans are not done with their efforts to repeal the ACA. Despite public backlash to repeal efforts last year and despite statements today expressing concern about the opioid crisis, news reports indicate that Republicans are once again planning to make another effort to try to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The opioids package cannot be considered in a vacuum. Ongoing efforts to sabotage and repeal the ACA will not only reverse the gains that we make from these efforts today, but will inflict lasting harm to our healthcare system and our ability to fight the opioid crisis. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on H.R. 5801, the Medicaid PARTNERSHIP Act. This legislation requires Medicaid providers to have a program that requires providers to check a qualified prescription drug monitoring program, a PDMP, before prescribing a schedule II controlled substance and encourages integration of the PDMP into a provider's clinical work flow. Today, Mr. Speaker, more than 30 States have some form of mandated provider PDMP check. This legislation would require all Medicaid programs to have such a policy in place. Integrating PDMPs with Medicaid is a critical tool in this crisis for our providers to be able to prevent opioid addiction. Research has demonstrated that these types of mandates can encourage registration and use of a State's PDMP by providers. That is why I support investing in our PDMPs so that they are good realtime systems that our providers can actually check easily. Importantly, this legislation preserves the ability of States to work with providers to design a mandate that best meets the needs of all involved. State flexibility and proper financing of our PDMPs is critical to achieving the intent of this legislation, which, if enacted, I will closely monitor going forward. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KENNEDY

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from Rhode Island for all of his work and dedication on this issue. Mr. Speaker, I urge the House to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.