Fred Keller

Mr. KELLER

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill honoring an American veteran and hero, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson).

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2473, which honors Corporal Howard Arthur Tibbs. Corporal Tibbs was one of the storied Tuskegee Airmen and served in the 99th Fighter Squadron and the 477th Medium Composite Group in World War II. He was born and raised in Salem, Ohio, where his family had long resided. After his time in the military, he graduated from Youngstown College and enjoyed a long career with the Internal Revenue Service. In recognition of his bravery and contributions to this country, Corporal Tibbs was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 after passing away on January 26, 1986, in Newark, Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this bill honoring an American veteran and a true hero. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLER

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill honoring an American war hero, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7899, which honors Army Specialist Joseph ``Joey'' W. Dimock, II. Joey, as he was known to his loved ones, grew up in Wildwood, Illinois, where he was actively involved with his church, swim team, and Boy Scout Troop 672, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. He joined the Army his senior year of high school and served for nearly 3 years with the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He was serving his third overseas deployment, his second deployment to Afghanistan, when he died on July 10, 2010, in a noncombat explosion at an ammunition holding facility. For his time in service, he was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Army Commendation Medal. Specialist Dimock was a true American patriot that paid the ultimate price in service to a grateful Nation. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill honoring his sacrifice and service. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLER

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Guidance Clarity Act, small business owners and individuals across the country will soon have the confidence that agency guidance--however helpful and clarifying it may be--is not legally binding. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this necessary bipartisan legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Luetkemeyer).

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, agency guidance serves an important function in the Federal regulatory system. Agency guidance helps regulated parties and the public understand how agencies will interpret the laws and administer their programs. However, agency guidance can be--and has been--abused. For example, agencies can use guidance documents to intimidate small businesses and individuals into compliance with agency views, sometimes under the threat of enforcement action. Small businesses and the American people often do not have the legal resources or necessary background to know when an agency statement is binding law. It is tough for the public to determine what agency statements are binding and what are not. Even Federal agencies have a tough time understanding the difference. They have been known to try to start enforcement actions based simply on guidance. Agencies have also been known to attempt to issue binding rules by quietly slipping rule language into guidance documents. This clearly bypasses the Administrative Procedure Act's requirements that were put in place to protect regulated individuals and small businesses. The courts coined the term ``non-rule rule'' to describe this Big Government sleight of hand, and the courts have rightly struck down such rules that only appeared in agency guidance. The Guidance Clarity Act offers a simple solution to these problems. It requires agency guidance documents to include the following explicit statement: ``The contents of this document do not have the force and effect of law and do not, of themselves, bind the public or the agency. ``This document is intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies.'' With that stroke of the pen, gone will be the days in which agencies can use guidance documents to force small businesses and individuals to comply with nonbinding agency views. Gone too will be the days of the agencies trying to issue non-rule rules that bypass the Administrative Procedure Act's requirements for legislative rules. I thank Senator Lankford for his hard work to make this legislation the law of the land. I also thank the sponsor of the companion bill in this House, the ranking member of the Small Business Committee, Blaine Luetkemeyer, who has worked tirelessly on this bill since he first introduced it during the 115th Congress. Also, I thank House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Maloney, Ranking Member James Comer, and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Gary Peters for their critical efforts to help make passage of this bill a bipartisan success. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLER

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in 2019, President Trump signed the Civil Rights Cold Case Investigations Support Act into law after it passed with broad bipartisan support in Congress. The act directed the National Archives and Records Administration to make a collection of previously sealed civil rights cold case records available for public scrutiny. It also required the National Archives to establish a process for Federal agencies to transmit cold case records--older records from about 1940 to 1979--to the National Archives. To do this, an independent agency review board was established to review the National Archives' civil rights cold case records and evaluate which public record disclosures should be postponed. The review board is also charged with investigating cold case records and requesting relevant documents held by government agencies and the courts be transferred to the National Archives. However, this board was not fully formed until this year, leaving the review board with less time than Congress intended before it terminates at the end of 2024. The bill before us today, the Civil Rights Cold Case Investigations Support Act, will extend the review board's term until 2027. This extension will allow the board to increase the volume of cold case documents made available to the public. This will enable journalists, students, and others to lend their expertise to help investigate and resolve unsolved civil rights cold cases. According to the Department of Justice, about 115 civil rights cases remain unsolved, and the older the cases become, the less likely they will ever be solved. The 2019 law was necessary to establish a specific process for addressing cold case records instead of having citizens rely on the Freedom of Information Act to directly request individual records from law enforcement agencies. The Freedom of Information Act is a valuable Federal records transparency tool, but it is not designed for enabling efficient access to open criminal cases. Every cold case that is solved as a result of this legislation will provide long-awaited answers to the surviving family members of the victims and bring about resolution to the local communities where these crimes occurred. S. 3655 will ensure that the review board has the necessary time to complete its critical work. Mr. Speaker, I thank Senators Ted Cruz and Jon Ossoff for moving this bipartisan legislation through the Senate. Mr. Speaker, I also thank the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney and Ranking Member James Comer for their support. Mr. Speaker, I urge that my colleagues support this important bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan bill continues to make information regarding cold cases available to the public. The American people deserve transparency from their Federal Government. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLER

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3510, the Disaster Resiliency Planning Act. Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and wildfires cause significant damage across the country to Federal real property assets. According to the Government Accountability Office, over the past 5 years, Congress has spent billions of dollars to repair Federal assets damaged by natural disasters. Yet, for decades, Federal agencies have made minimal efforts to prepare for natural disasters and make their real property assets more resilient. This is unacceptable. Billions in taxpayer dollars have been wasted to repair assets left unprepared in the face of reoccurring and predictable risk posed by natural disasters and extreme weather events. Natural disasters are a fact of life, and the U.S. Government maintains a sprawling footprint of buildings and facilities across our great Nation. We must recognize these realities. The Disaster Resiliency Planning Act does this. It tasks the Office of Management and Budget with issuing guidance requiring Federal agencies to incorporate natural disaster resilience planning into their real property asset management and investment decisions. This will help save taxpayer dollars and ensure Federal agencies are acting in a fiscally responsible manner. Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense, bipartisan bill that will save taxpayer dollars and ensure Federal property recovers from natural disasters more quickly. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLER

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 1941, the Metropolitan Areas Protection and Standardization Act, or MAPS Act, is a technical but important bill. Maintaining government-wide statistical standards may seem mundane, but these standards have real-world consequences. We saw this last year when the Office of Management and Budget tried to make updates to the definition of core-based statistical areas. Out of the 734 public comments submitted, 712 comments opposed definitional change. As a result, the Office of Management and Budget delayed its proposed recommendation. Municipalities and other organizations should not feel caught off guard by standards changes in the future. The MAPS Act will help provide transparency if the Office of Management and Budget tries to revise core-based statistical area standards in the future. This bill will provide better visibility into how these statistical standards are used in Federal domestic assistance programs to determine funding eligibility; and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Rural Health Association, and the National Association of Counties all agree that this legislation is needed. I thank Senators Rob Portman and Jerry Moran, as well as Chairman Gary Peters, for moving this bipartisan bill through the Senate. I also take a moment to thank Carolyn Maloney, the chairwoman, and Ranking Member James Comer for advancing this legislation through the House Oversight Committee. I support this legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, S. 1941 will provide transparency into the Office of Management and Budget's work in the area of statistical standards. This bill does not restrict OMB from continuing its work keeping important statistical standards up to date. Instead, it provides transparency into future revisions of core-based statistical area standards. It also provides visibility into use of such standards in Federal domestic assistance programs. I once again encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLER

Mr. KELLER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania, my friend and colleague. Our history goes back a little farther than before we knew each other, and that is to Lancaster County. I worked for a business headquartered in Lancaster County that taught me a lot of things. It taught me how to budget, it taught me how to look out for the future and plan, and it taught me how to listen. I think that is the thing that we do best when we are representing the people who sent us here to do their work. During President Biden's interview with 60 Minutes, that marked the first on-air, sit-down interview between the President and an American journalist in 7 months. It is abundantly clear why his handlers have been keeping him away from the cameras. He is completely out of touch with the American people. He can tell us stories about when he was in Scranton. That was back in the seventies. I was 8 years old when he came to Washington, D.C. So he can tell us stories from before I was 8 years old. But he has been here for 50 years. He ought to remember that the last time we had this kind of inflation, President Reagan was leading our great Nation out of the disaster of the Carter years. It looks like President Biden has failed to learn from that history because those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it. Unfortunately, the President is forcing all of us to repeat that history of runaway inflation. During his interview, President Biden pushed back when pressed about inflation soaring to record highs arguing that the month-to-month inflation rate has remained steady at 8.3 percent compared to 1 year ago. I guess we are supposed to say thank you. But thank you doesn't put gas in the car, thank you doesn't put food on the table, and thank you doesn't make sure that families can save for their children's education. Keep in mind, Madam Speaker, this is the same President who told the American people inflation was transitory. So I don't know if he means it is going to come back worse than it is now or what he is thinking. But now he is spiking the football and taking credit for persistent inflation not getting worse. That is interesting. It is not getting worse. It is almost like somebody who lights one house on fire and then takes credit for the house next door not catching on fire. I just can't understand it. The President can try and spin the narrative on inflation all he wants. But last night Americans watched the President speak, and they got a glimpse into the future of our country if Washington Democrats remain in control. The reality is that inflation is at a record high. American families are making tough decisions about their budgets, decisions that President Biden hasn't had to make since 1973 when he started collecting his check from the taxpayers. But the people for whom he works are having to make those decisions. Hardworking Americans deserve real answers on how their government plans to reduce inflation, not just maintain historically high levels of it. Washington Democrats can't give the American people straight answers because it is their policies that have put us in economic turmoil. Republicans have a plan, and my colleagues so very well laid it out here before me: regular order and making sure that every person's Representative and every State senator has input on the legislation. The Republican Study Committee produced a budget that would balance in 7 years. Think about that: a balanced budget. That is what all the families have to do who are living through these disastrous policies of President Biden and the Democrats that have caused them to lose 1 month's income. Think about that, Madam Speaker, 8.3 percent inflation. It is not a hard equation. I can write it on a chalkboard for the President. One divided by 12 is 8.3. So you have 1 year, there are 12 months in the year, that is 8.3. It is not a hard equation, although they don't have a problem spending money. President Reagan used to say that you can't accuse them of spending like a drunken sailor because at least the sailor is spending his own money. What they are spending is not their money. They are spending our children's money. They are robbing the future from our children. Talk about taxation without representation, regular order needs to be restored. When we talk about the plan we have for balancing the budget, we are talking about elimination of waste and to stop leaving a financial disaster for the next generation. Those are the issues that really matter to the American people whom we all come here to represent, the hardworking men and women who have worked their entire life and those who get up and go to work every day to earn a living to support their family. I am committed to fighting for what they believe is important, not what the Democrats and the President inside the Beltway think is important. His policies are creating an issue with people being able to take care of their family and realizing the American Dream. Madam Speaker, when you look at the energy policy, when you look at the massive spending, and when you look at the President standing in Independence Hall telling us that half the American people aren't good, that is not how you lead a nation. That is not how you be responsive. Quite frankly, how we be responsible is we listen, and we include the people in the solutions and in the discussions, and we work to make sure that America is strong and safe and that our children have a bright future. That is our job, and I am committed to making sure that I help all my colleagues here in Congress achieve that goal.

Mr. KELLER. Excuse me. If I may jump back in. I don't think he could do this by accident. Even to get things this bad, I don't know that you can do it by accident, quite frankly. It is an assault on American energy, and it is an assault on American jobs. I just wonder what is going to happen when somebody has an electric vehicle, they get home from a long day's work, they are told they can't charge their vehicle, and their child needs to be rushed to the doctor or the hospital. When my son was 3 years old, he had an accident. We got him to the hospital, and they life flighted him to the trauma center. If we had run out of gas, he would have died. So do you know what, Madam Speaker, I think maybe they need to think about Americans and Americans' priorities which is their family and what it means to have the American Dream. I have benefited from living the American Dream. A kid as poor as I was would have been labeled disadvantaged or at risk, but we didn't let our government label us or anyone else. We worked hard, and we realized the American Dream. I just want that to be alive and well for future generations. So I will stop pontificating. I really appreciate the opportunity to be here this evening.

Mr. KELLER

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, today, we recognize the late Ricardo Marques, Jr., an outstanding American who passed away in July after battling cancer. Everything that Rick did in his accomplished life was done for his family and in service to our great Nation. Rick was a marine who defended our Nation honorably prior to joining the Bureau of Prisons. Rick spent nearly 30 years with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, working at both USP Lewisburg and FCC Allenwood in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District prior to retiring. Having toured both of these facilities, it is clear that the men and women who work there are outstanding individuals. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that it takes an enormous amount of fortitude and sacrifice to do that work. Everyone who knew Rick remembers him as a natural-born leader and as a man who left a lasting impression of love and respect on everyone he encountered. America is better off because of Rick's contributions and work. It is my hope that Rick's family finds comfort in his legacy and lifetime of service.

Mr. KELLER

Mr. KELLER. Madam Speaker, the economy shrank for the second quarter in a row. Americans are now facing a recession that was totally avoidable but brought on by President Biden and Washington Democrats' Big Government spending and war on American energy. Proving just how out of touch President Biden is, he shrugged off talk of a recession and said Americans are just facing an economic transition. This administration has spent more time trying to convince Americans we are not in a recession than actually working on the problem. Americans are hurting right now, and as the price of gas and groceries continues to rise, Washington Democrats are preparing legislation in Congress that will raise taxes on farmers, businesses, and working families. The Democrat elite don't live in the real world, and they continue to put the priorities of their radical agenda over working American families--the same people they profess to help. Our economy is shrinking, and Big Government spending is growing. Americans cannot afford Washington Democrats' far-left agenda.

Mr. KELLER

Mr. KELLER. Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member, Dr. Foxx, of North Carolina for yielding. Unlike the multi-employer pension program, which was recently injected with billions of taxpayer dollars, the single-employer insurance program is self-sufficient. It is funded by premiums paid by employer sponsors to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. By most accounts, PBGC's single-employer insurance system is healthy and not in need of bailouts. Yet a bailout is exactly what H.R. 6929 is. You cannot give public money out to one person without first taking it from another. This bill does not help Pennsylvanians without a pension plan or with losses in their personal retirement accounts. On the contrary, this bill is an irresponsible giveaway that sets a dangerous precedent for the Federal Government's involvement in pension plans going forward. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this bailout will cost taxpayers nearly $800 million over 10 years; not including the lifetime cost of the bill, which could reach $1.3 billion. I wonder how the people that have to pay that in the next generation are going to pay their rent, afford their college, and afford their groceries. Congressional Democrats and the Biden administration have already spent tens of billions on insolvent and failing multi-employer plans, without holding trustees accountable for failing workers or retirees, or meaningfully reforming the pension system to prevent future insolvency. Once again, the Federal Government is offering a pension bailout. Hardworking taxpayers who have their own retirements to worry about cannot continue to shoulder this burden. We cannot set this kind of precedent for a single-employer system. If Congress gives special treatment to this plan covered by today's bill, the other 5,000 single- employer plans also managed by PBGC will pressure Congress to do the same for all. Is Congress then expected to top up or provide a lump sum to every future terminated plan? These are serious implications that cannot be ignored. The vast majority of participants in terminated plans receive their full benefits. The Delphi plans are no exception. Nearly three-fourths of participants were not subject to the PBGC's statutory guarantee limits. This body must remember it works for the taxpayers, not political interest groups. Americans don't work hard each and every day to fund irresponsible pet projects. We need more fiscal sanity, not more pension bailouts. On top of all these issues, the manager's amendment is simply a budget gimmick to make the bill appear to cost nothing. In reality, it accelerates the time period in which single-employer plans are required to pay their variable rate premiums to the PBGC to fit within the budget window, and it adds nothing to the PBGC's bottom line.

Mr. KELLER. PBGC is going to receive the same amount of money with or without the manager's amendment. I encourage my colleagues to oppose this legislation and the dangerous, fiscally irresponsible precedent it sets.

Mr. KELLER

Mr. KELLER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I am Fred Keller. My pronouns are he and him, and I am a man standing at the podium wearing a blue suit, demanding that border czar, Kamala Harris, get serious about securing our southern border, rather than playing identity politics. The number of illegal aliens crossing at our southern border has already surpassed last year's record of 1.7 million encounters. The U.S. Border Patrol confirmed in its latest report that there were over 200,000 encounters in June alone, the fourth consecutive month that encounters have been this high. Border Patrol's report also revealed that 15,000 unaccompanied children were apprehended and released to sponsors without verification or documentation to ensure those sponsors are legal residents or U.S. citizens. This loophole in the Biden administration's sponsor assessment process puts these children in danger by exposing them to illegal activity, human trafficking, and other dangers. Yet, in the same month that this report was released, Secretary Mayorkas said that the border was secure. Meanwhile in Congress, Democrats refuse to hold a hearing on securing the southern border. In fact, Republicans on the Oversight Committee have requested a hearing on this issue, not just once, not just twice, but six times. Every request has been ignored by the Democrat majority on the committee. Beyond their blatant detachment from reality, the Biden administration and House Democrats have made it clear they are unwilling to take action to secure our border and protect Americans. With a new majority after the November elections, Republicans in Congress will tackle this issue head-on.

Mr. KELLER

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to help advance the First Responder Fair RETIRE Act through the House. This legislation ensures that our Federal law enforcement and public safety officers can continue their service to our Nation after being injured in the line of duty. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLER

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).

Mr. KELLER

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, over 2 years ago, committee Republicans opened an investigation into the veterans' records requests backlog at the National Personnel Records Center. Pennsylvania veterans and their families were frustrated and concerned with the lengthy delays they were experiencing as they tried to access their own documents outlining military service. American veterans and families rely on these records to prove eligibility for medical care and the benefits they are entitled to. What we found was deeply disturbing. The records at the NPRC are on paper. They cannot be accessed remotely. When the NPRC shut down in-person operations and told its workforce to go home, the backlog piled up to more than 500,000 military service records requests. Veterans put their lives on the line for our country. The least we can do for them is to ensure they have access to the care and benefits they have earned. Based on our findings, we urged the chairwoman to hold hearings. We pressed the NPRC to get staff back to work in person. But under the current administration, the backlog has grown to over 600,000 pending requests, with more added daily. That is why, in June of last year, I introduced the RECORDS Act to require the NPRC to get back to work in person. Finally, after significant pressure from congressional Republicans, the NPRC returned to full in-person staffing on March 7 of this year. I am pleased that this legislation has finally reached the House floor. The Access for Veterans to Records Act incorporates improvements Republicans made to ensure the backlog is fixed. This bipartisan legislation requires the NPRC to maintain in-person staffing levels. The bill also authorizes the funds necessary to speed up the digital preservation of records, so we will not face this problem in the future. Finally, the bill contains reporting requirements to ensure proper accountability for addressing the current backlog and preventing future issues. The Access for Veterans to Records Act is a bipartisan bill that demonstrates how Congress can work together to advance legislative reforms that are truly responsive to the needs of the American people and those who have given so much for our country. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 7337 is a bipartisan bill directly addressing a current problem facing America's veterans. I am thankful that the chairwoman and her staff worked with me to bring this necessary legislation to the House floor. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.