Jake LaTurner

Mr. LaTURNER

Mr. LaTURNER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to address this body for the last time. I have always felt immense gratitude for God's blessings in my life, but since deciding not to seek reelection last spring, that gratitude has only deepened. As a son of Kansas, I am guided by our State motto, ``ad astra per aspera,'' ``to the stars through difficulties.'' It is a truth I have seen lived out in my own family, generation after generation. My grandmother dropped out of school in the ninth grade because she had only one dress and could no longer endure the ridicule of her classmates. Yet, after raising six children, she returned to school, earned her GED, and became a nurse. This was a testament to her resilience. My grandfather, the eldest of the six siblings, faced his own struggles. After losing his father at the age of 18, he became the first in our family to graduate from high school. He served his country in Korea, where he lost sight in one eye. Unable to pass a physical, he worked odd jobs until he found his calling in public service, becoming a lay judge in our county. My father continued this legacy of determination. As a single parent, he worked long hours managing the local Sonic while putting himself through college. He became the first in our family to earn a degree, going on to serve as an educator and later as the mayor of our hometown, Galena, Kansas. I share these stories, Madam Speaker, because they remind me every day that I did not get here on my own. To put a finer point on it, my grandfather's father was killed in the mines at the age of 41, leaving behind a widow and six hungry children. They endured hardships most of us cannot fathom. Yet, three short generations later, his great-grandson was called ``the gentleman from Kansas'' on the floor of the United States House of Representatives. What a country this is. It is not just my story. It is the American story. It is the story of what is possible in this extraordinary country when opportunity is paired with sacrifice, when freedom is protected, and when institutions like this one work to preserve that dream for those yet to come. This Chamber, at its best, exists to ensure that the ladder my family climbed remains sturdy and strong for future generations. I am confident that, in the 119th Congress, we will take up that charge, improving our economy, securing our border, making our streets safer, and showing true American leadership on the world stage. I humbly offer two parting suggestions. When I first arrived here, I visited then-dean of the House, Don Young. He told me that when he arrived in 1973, it was customary for freshman Members to wait 6 months before speaking on the House floor. To his surprise, I adopted this tradition. I did so partly out of deference to the dean, but mostly because it showed respect for this institution, an institution and a system of government that our Founders painstakingly designed to safeguard against human nature. It is all of our responsibility to protect and preserve it. My second suggestion concerns our role on the world stage. We must be thrifty, strategic, and we must never outsource our sovereignty, but we still have a critical role. One small but impactful example is preventing children from dying of starvation. Ready-to-use therapeutic food, or RUTF, is an American- made, nutrient-dense paste that has saved millions of lives across the globe. The State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee increased funding by $300 million while reducing overall spending by over 10 percent, and this body passed it. That increase should be realized. It is the right thing to do. I thank Tim Shallenburger; Mark Dugan; Sam Brownback; Lynn Jenkins; Jake Conard; and Braden Dreiling, my chief; and all of my staff, past and present, for serving both our district and this institution so ably. I thank the people of Kansas from the bottom of my heart for trusting me to represent them in the State senate as State treasurer and in Congress. Most importantly, I thank my friends, both at home and my colleagues here. They are my supporters who helped me get here. I also thank my family. I especially thank my grandparents who helped raise me; my dad; my brother; my sister; my wife, Suzanne; and our four children, Ava, Joe, Maggie, and Gus, who are here with me today, for joining me on this journey and for their incredible sacrifices. To my kids, the best title I have ever had is ``Dad,'' and that title is about to get my full attention. Above all, I thank God for his blessings on my life, my family, and this Nation. Madam Speaker, the future is bright, and for the last time I yield back.

Mr. LaTURNER

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the pride of Hays, America, a dedicated staffer of 7 years, my longest-serving staffer, and my real life friend, Braden Dreiling. Braden and I met when I was a State senator and he was a front desk staffer for the majority leader. Our professional relationship rose from a Cracker Barrel lunch and grew into a true partnership. He has been my chief and my most trusted confidante. He is also always the first and the last in the room, always wanting and expecting the best from me. He always has a level head regardless of circumstances. Braden and his wife have two beautiful daughters, and although his service in Washington is coming to a close, I know that he will make his friends and family proud as his service to Kansas will continue on.

Mr. LaTURNER

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mills).

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would name a post office in Casselberry, Florida, for Colonel Joseph William Kittinger II. Kittinger was a command pilot in the U.S. Air Force, where he researched high-altitude bailouts. On August 16, 1960, he set a record for the longest free fall, highest parachute jump after leaping from a gondola at 102,800 feet. In 1972, during the Vietnam war, he shot down a MiG-21 North Vietnamese plane. Later that year, his own plane was shot down, and he spent a year in the Hanoi Hilton POW camp. I support naming a post office in memory of Colonel Kittinger, an American hero who paved the way for future astronauts and adventurers. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5867) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 109 Live Oaks Boulevard in Casselberry, Florida, as the ``Colonel Joseph William Kittinger II Post Office Building''.

Mr. LaTURNER

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Luna), a fierce advocate for this legislation.

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation and would just add how honored I am by the presence of Paula in the gallery. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would rename a post office in Florida for Staff Sergeant Ryan Christian Knauss. Committed to protecting his country, Knauss joined the Army at the young age of 17. He served in Afghanistan where he supported the humanitarian evacuation of Americans and Afghani refugees. On August 16, 2021, Staff Sergeant Knauss was processing eligible Afghani refugees when a bomb exploded, killing him and others. Knauss earned numerous awards and decorations, including the Congressional Gold Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Purple Heart. I support naming a post office in memory of Staff Sergeant Knauss, and I encourage my colleagues to support this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6633) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 9355 113th Street in Seminole, Florida, as the ``Army SSG Ryan Christian Knauss Memorial Post Office Building''.

Mr. LaTURNER

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I encourage my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3640, which names a post office in Mount Clemens, Michigan, for Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson. Jefferson served in the military during World War II, completing combat training at Selfridge Field in Mount Clemens and pilot training at the Tuskegee Army Airfield. During his time with the Tuskegee Airmen, Jefferson was shot down over France and captured by Nazi ground troops. He was imprisoned in German-occupied Poland before being freed by General George Patton's U.S. Third Army. Jefferson returned to Michigan where he became a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, earned a teaching certificate, and obtained a master's degree in education from Wayne State University. Jefferson taught elementary school science in Detroit, was appointed assistant principal, and retired in 1979 after 31 years of service to Detroit Public Schools. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTURNER

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3851, which names a post office in Battle Creek, Michigan, for Sojourner Truth. Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in New York State as Isabella Baumfree. She escaped slavery in 1827 and took her new name, Sojourner Truth, in 1843. After meeting Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1850, Truth began to passionately advocate for women's rights and courageously fought against racial injustices. In 1851, Truth gave her famous ``Ain't I a Woman?'' speech to criticize race and gender discrimination at a convention in Akron, Ohio. In 1857, Truth moved to Harmonia, a former utopian community that was later incorporated into Battle Creek, Michigan, where this post office is located. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3851) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 90 McCamly Street South in Battle Creek, Michigan, as the ``Sojourner Truth Post Office''.

Mr. LaTURNER

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill naming a post office for Robert Hayden, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3639, which names a post office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for Robert Hayden. Hayden was born in Detroit, Michigan, where he attended Detroit City College, now Wayne State University, before going on to earn a master of arts degree from the University of Michigan. During his lifetime, he published nine collections of poetry with much of his work touching on the Black American experience. In 1969, he began to teach at the University of Michigan, becoming the first Black faculty member in the university's English department. In 1976, he became the first African American to be appointed consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress, a position that is known today as poet laureate. Hayden passed away in 1980 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3639) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2075 West Stadium Boulevard in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as the ``Robert Hayden Post Office''.

Mr. LaTURNER

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2685) to make data and internal guidance on excess personal property publicly available, and for other purposes.

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. LaTURNER

Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support this commonsense bill to support CBO in carrying out its mission, and I yield back the balance of my time.