Jim Langevin

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 5766, the Securing Public Areas of Transportation Facilities Act of 2018. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5766 was introduced to address the growing risk of terrorist attacks in the public areas of transportation facilities. In recent years, there has been a growing appreciation that public areas of airports and transportation facilities, where crowds tend to gather, have become soft targets for terrorists. We have seen that internationally and domestically, as there have been violent incidents in public airport areas in Brussels, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Fort Lauderdale. Last year, there was an attempted attack on New York City's transit system as well. H.R. 5766 seeks to bolster protection for the public-facing sides of transportation systems. It does so, in part, by authorizing a working group to streamline communication and collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security and key stakeholders. Additionally, it directs DHS to disseminate technical assistance to operators such as vulnerability assessment tools and cybersecurity guidelines. Finally, H.R. 5766 requires TSA to review its regulations, policies, and procedures regarding the transportation of firearms and ammunition and submit a comprehensive report to Congress on its findings and any planned modifications. The presence of firearms and ammunition in public areas of transportation facilities is a timely concern. In January 2017, an arriving airline passenger in Fort Lauderdale retrieved a gun and ammunition from his checked bag and opened fire on travelers in the baggage claim area, killing five people and injuring six others. In 2017 alone, TSA reported that its officers discovered 3,957 firearms at security checkpoints, 84 percent of which were loaded. Mr. Speaker, given the prevalence and availability of guns in this country, the very least we can do is evaluate TSA's policies for transporting them and ensure that they are sensible and tailored to the risk. Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5766 is an important piece of legislation that has strong support on both sides of the aisle. It is nice to see the bipartisanship once again. It directs meaningful, sensible action to help enhance the security of public-facing areas. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 5766, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5733, the DHS Industrial Control Systems Capabilities Enhancement Act. H.R. 5733 would codify the Department of Homeland Security's role in leading Federal efforts to secure industrial control systems. I want to commend the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon) for his hard work on this legislation. I have enjoyed collaborating with him on it, and I am grateful for his support and his support of the amendment that I offered in committee to make the act, I think, even better. Mr. Speaker, we depend on control systems to deliver basic necessities like clean water, a steady energy supply, reliable transportation systems, and medical care. This is not a new role for DHS, which has been working on control system security since 2004. However, enactment of H.R. 5733 will help provide clarity to DHS and its Federal partners at a critical moment in our Nation's history. Cyber threats, Mr. Speaker, to critical infrastructure have never been greater, yet leadership from the White House is dangerously lacking. Over the past few months, we have seen top cyber officials at the White House leave, resign, or, in the case of the Cybersecurity Coordinator, have the position eliminated altogether. What is more, the President appears to be making major foreign policy decisions with little, if any, regard for cybersecurity. The President ignored warnings from the intelligence community about Chinese telecom company ZTE when, in May, he directed the Commerce Department, by tweet, to save this habitual sanctions offender. The same month, the news broke that the Chinese Government had hacked into the networks of a U.S. Navy contractor and syphoned off sensitive military data. This month, DHS officials reported that the North Korean Government is ramping up its cyber intrusions on critical infrastructure in the U.S. and around the world. With respect to Russia, we know that the Kremlin has the capability to turn off the lights with a cyber intrusion, as it has done in Ukraine. We also know that Russia has been able to successfully infiltrate the networks of a wide range of U.S. critical infrastructure operators, including power plants. DHS, through the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, or the NCCIC, provides critical infrastructure owners and operators with valuable cyber assistance and resources to help secure their systems. The NCCIC, and specifically the Industrial Control Systems Computer Emergency Response Team, or ICS-CERT, has longstanding relationships with critical infrastructure stakeholders and the expertise to help owners and operators harden their defenses. Expertise in operational technology, or OT, cybersecurity is even harder to come by than the more traditional information and communications technology, or ICT, space, and all of my colleagues know how much of a workforce challenge we are facing there. Congress is wise to recognize the amazing resource we have in ICS- CERT by formally authorizing it with Mr. Bacon's bill. Security solutions in the ICT space do not always map well onto operational technology, and being conversant in the nuances is essential if we are to protect the systems that we so heavily rely on. During the committee consideration, I was also proud to offer an amendment to codify ICS-CERT's coordinated vulnerability disclosure program that ensures ICS vulnerabilities can be reported securely, promptly, and responsibly. Through this program, manufacturers are assured of a chance to patch vulnerabilities before they are publicly announced, and security researchers are assured that their voices will be heard. ICS-CERT is to be commended for running a progressive program that recognizes that most security researchers want to help make the internet and the scary devices that connect to it a safer place. The coordinated vulnerability program does just that by helping critical infrastructure owners and operators who receive notices from ICS-CERT about discovered vulnerabilities and effective patches before malicious actors have a chance to exploit any flaws. Mr. Speaker, this bill would empower ICS-CERT to carry out this mission fully and effectively. Mr. Speaker, I want to again commend the gentleman for his work on this important piece of legislation. I urge my colleagues to support the measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, there is no question that industrial control systems are a high-value target for our adversaries. Critical infrastructure owners and operators use these systems to deliver the services that underpin our day-to-day lives, and destruction to one of those systems could have tremendous economic ramifications or could even be the difference between life and death. We know that our adversaries--most notably Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea--have all targeted U.S. critical infrastructure and the operational technology employed across these sectors. Mr. Speaker, it is important that we solidify DHS' longstanding leadership role in securing critical infrastructure, particularly with respect to industrial control systems. It has been a pleasure working with my colleague Mr. Bacon, the gentleman from Nebraska, on this bill. I deeply appreciate both his service to the country as well as his contributions both on the Armed Services Committee and on the Homeland Security Committee. Likewise, it has been a pleasure working with him over these years. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 5733, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5206, the OBIM Authorization Act of 2018. First, I want to begin by commending the gentlewoman from Arizona for sponsoring this piece of legislation. It is very thoughtful and certainly very timely. Of course, I am not surprised that she would come up with such a great idea, knowing that she originally hails from Rhode Island and comes from great roots. So I am not surprised that she would come up with a great idea like this. Mr. Speaker, for the past decade, the Department of Homeland Security has collected biometric data from foreign nationals and U.S. citizens for a wide range of purposes, including counterterrorism, border security, credentialing, national security, and public safety. Over that time, the Office of Biometric Identity Management, or OBIM, has become a repository for more than 240 million biometrics, such as fingerprints and photographs collected by DHS. OBIM is charged with analyzing biometric data, sending updates to critical terror watch lists, and sharing information with trusted partners inside and outside the Federal Government to support law enforcement, public safety, national security, and homeland security. Given the sensitivity of this type of biometric data and its increasing integration into security programs, I am pleased that H.R. 5206 requires this office to comply with privacy policies and procedures established by the DHS privacy officer. This is a good bipartisan bill. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5206 authorizes the department's existing Office of Biometric Identity Management, which is charged with collecting and using biometric data to enhance DHS's counterterrorism, border security, and national security operations. Increasingly, Federal agencies see the value of adopting biometrics as an additional security measure. As more and more Federal programs make use of such personal data, it is absolutely vital that privacy be baked in from the start. Importantly, H.R. 5206 requires a privacy- forward approach to all that OBIM does. For these reasons, I support this measure. This is a good, bipartisan bill, and, again, I commend the gentlewoman from Rhode Island, who is now from Arizona, for sponsoring this bill and getting it through committee. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill as well, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5207, the Immigration Advisory Program Authorization Act of 2018. H.R. 5207 authorizes an important function within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Immigration Advisory Program, or IAP. Under this program, CBP deploys officers to overseas airports to advise law enforcement partners about certain passengers before they board U.S.- bound flights. This important program seeks to essentially push out our borders to prevent travelers who may pose a threat to the U.S. from ever boarding an inbound flight. Importantly, beyond simply authorizing the program, the bill requires CBP to notify Congress whenever a new agreement is put in place with a foreign partner. It also requires CBP to assess how the overseas deployment of officers may affect officer coverage at U.S. ports of entry. While I certainly appreciate the sacrifice made by officers serving abroad, I would note that this authorization is coming at a time when CBP has acknowledged that it is currently 4,000 officers short of what it needs to carry out current operations, both domestically and abroad. Mr. Speaker, there is continued bipartisan support for CBP to push out our borders to prevent individuals who pose a threat to the U.S. from making their way here to our country. H.R. 5207 authorizes an existing DHS program that has proven helpful to our foreign partners in carrying out our shared interest of preventing terrorism, and it reduces the burden of deporting individuals who would be denied entry into the U.S. upon landing here. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentlewoman for sponsoring the bill. I support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize LGBT Pride Month, a time to celebrate the diversity of the LGBT community and honor the strength and courage of LGBT people throughout history. I was thrilled to attend the annual LGBT Pride Fest this past weekend in my home State of Rhode Island, a wonderful celebration that illustrated just how far we have come in the fight for equality. But the struggle isn't over, Mr. Speaker, and it is more important than ever that we stay strong and vocal. We, as a society, cannot and should not accept that LGBT people face discrimination in this country every day, whether they are in a cake shop, the armed services, or in a school bathroom. That is why I am proud to cosponsor the Equality Act, which was introduced by my good friend and colleague from the Ocean State, Congressman David Cicilline, and is cosponsored by 196 of my colleagues. Discrimination is never justified. Let's celebrate our diversity and promote a culture of tolerance and acceptance, not only during Pride, but every day of the year.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6042, which will delay implementation of the Medicaid electronic visit verification system requirement by 1 year and promote stakeholder feedback as part of its implementation. The Medicaid EVV system requirement under the landmark 21st Century Cures Act was established to ensure accurate billing and delivery of personal care services in the homes of Medicaid beneficiaries. We want to make sure that Medicaid patients are accurately getting the care that they received, that Medicaid is properly billed for those services, and that we do everything possible to wring fraud out of the system. Unfortunately, the short implementation period, compounded by a delay in CMS guidance and a lack of stakeholder input, has presented significant challenges for affected populations, especially seniors and people with disabilities. I am pleased to join my colleagues, Representative Guthrie and Representative DeGette, in supporting this important piece of legislation. I am glad to see that Representative Guthrie's bill largely mirrors the bipartisan, bicameral legislation I introduced to address this issue last month. The collaboration and the inclusive approach it took to bring this bill to the floor is the same dynamic Medicaid beneficiaries, family caregivers, personal care and home health providers, and other stakeholders are hoping to see from CMS when the agency defines EVV system requirements so that States can design effective and thoughtful EVV programs. Delaying implementation by 1 year and encouraging input from relevant stakeholders will be paramount to the success of the EVV programs and is a part of our enduring promise to protect vulnerable populations, people who would otherwise suffer from adverse outcomes should the policy be hastily implemented. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Guthrie, Congresswoman DeGette, Chairman Walden, Ranking Member Pallone, and all those who had a hand in bringing this bill to the floor today for the opportunity to join in leading this important effort.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4991, the Supporting Research and Development for First Responders Act. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4991 would authorize the National Urban Security Technology Laboratory, also known as NUSTL, within the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate. Established in 1947, NUSTL has a long, rich history of supporting the first responder community. This laboratory, located in New York City, is central to the research and development of technologies that give first responders the tools to mitigate, respond to, and recover from national security threats. In recent years, NUSTL's work has fostered the emergence of thousands of innovative radiation detectors for use in the Securing the Cities program. NUSTL's engagement with homeland security stakeholders has ensured that as technology is developed, the particular concerns of end users, such as first responders, are taken into consideration. With the homeland security threat evolving daily, the importance of this lab to national security cannot be overstated. While the good work of NUSTL is evident to myself and my colleagues on the House Homeland Security Committee, President Trump, unfortunately, does not have the same level of appreciation. In the last two budget cycles, the Trump administration, in its efforts to free up resources to build a wall along the southern border, has proposed completely cutting funding for NUSTL. The elimination of this laboratory as a first responder resource is absolutely senseless. I am glad to see that our committee worked in a bipartisan fashion to craft this legislation, which would ensure that the work being performed at NUSTL will continue. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in advancing research development of technologies for first responders by supporting H.R. 4991. Mr. Speaker, NUSTL's work is integral to protecting our Nation's first responders from threats. On the one hand, it is unfortunate that the Trump administration's proposal to cut spending for NUSTL is what prompted the creation of H.R. 4991 in the first place; however, it has given this Chamber an opportunity to recognize the value of NUSTL and push for it to maintain its place at the Department of Homeland Security. So I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 4991, and I thank my colleague across the aisle for his work on this important bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5762, the Joint Task Force to Combat Opioid Trafficking Act of 2018. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from New York, Chairman Donovan, for his kind and strong words of support for this bill. This has been a truly bipartisan effort on the committee, and I thank the gentleman for his work on this and for his support. Again, Mr. Speaker, we are in the midst of a public health emergency that is devastating communities across the country, including my home State of Rhode Island. No matter your race, gender, age, religion, or socioeconomic status, Americans are suffering from the opioid overdose epidemic. We know that approximately 42,000 fatalities were attributed to opioids in 2016, and we know that fentanyl is exacerbating the problem. This powerful synthetic opioid, which is 25 to 50 times stronger than heroin and 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, has caused 15 times more deaths in Rhode Island during 2016 than in 2009. In its purest form as a powder, or as grains similar to the size of salt, fentanyl's lethal potency often harms people when unknowingly mixed with other illicit drugs, like heroin, or marketed on the street as a different substance entirely. Since the majority of opioids interdicted by the United States are seized at ports of entry and the southern border accounts for at least 75 percent of all opioids collected, I am pleased to offer a solution that will strengthen the Department of Homeland Security's fight against this drug crisis. This bill authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a task force to enhance the internal integration of the department's border security operations to detect, interdict, disrupt, and prevent narcotics, including fentanyl, from entering the United States in the first place. Secretary Jeh Johnson was the first to use the joint task force model to achieve better unity of effort across the department's components when it comes to fulfilling the Homeland Security mission. All of DHS' many agencies, from Customs and Border Protection to the U.S. Coast Guard, have an important role to play when it comes to combating opioid trafficking, which makes the joint task force a particularly apt structure to address the crisis. If Homeland Security Investigations is looking into a fentanyl distribution ring in Omaha, they need to coordinate efforts with Customs offices in El Paso so that packages en route to Nebraska are properly inspected. The JTF model is intended to ensure this coordination is baked into the culture at the various components and that cases don't slip through the cracks. The goal is not to add red tape for the hardworking DHS personnel protecting our Nation but to keep them all on the same page as a single, unified effort. This coordination is worth it. Mr. Speaker, Congress recognized the value of Secretary Johnson's pilot JTFs when we formally authorized them in 2016. As new challenges confront the department, we must make use of this organizational structure in innovative ways to maintain the synergies that drove the creation of DHS in the first place. Stopping the proliferation of fentanyl is particularly well suited to the JTF approach. Unlike many more traditional narcotics, fentanyl is often shipped directly to dealers from overseas. Fentanyl's extremely high potency allows these shipments to be small enough to go undetected unless carefully scrutinized. That is why it is essential that the joint task force on opioids collaborate with private-sector organizations and any other Federal, State, local, Tribal, territorial, or international entity to increase operational effectiveness, coordination, and information sharing. We need to work with partners, especially the United States Postal Service and private parcel delivery services like UPS and FedEx, to ensure suspicious packages are inspected. Having a single task force coordinating the department's efforts makes it much easier for other organizations to know to whom to go. The collaboration called for in this bill, combined with the implementation of Ms. Tsongas' INTERDICT Act, which focuses on drug detection technologies, will ensure that DHS is maximally effective in combating the flood of synthetic opioids trafficked into the United States. The crisis gripping our Nation, Mr. Speaker, is complex. We recognize that. We cannot succeed in stemming the opioid epidemic unless the Federal Government recognizes the opportunity to integrate and collaborate not only across agencies but also with our private-sector partners. I hope my colleagues will join this bipartisan effort to curb the prevalence of illicit opioids on our streets, in our communities, in our neighborhoods, and in our homes by supporting H.R. 5762. Mr. Speaker, now more than ever, we need to take action to curb the flow of synthetic opioids into America. The need plays out in tragedies around the country every day. Rhode Island's Brandon Goldner was just 23 years old when, after being revived seven times in a 2-month period, he tragically lost his life to an opioid overdose. Losing Brandon and so many others to opioids demands that we, as lawmakers, act quickly to reduce the stigma associated with drug use and ensure that there are adequate treatment options that are available. I am proud to come from a State that has developed a comprehensive strategy to combat the opioid crisis by supporting local and State partners at every level of education, treatment, and prevention through the creation of a statewide overdose prevention and intervention task force. This is a constant battle, and reducing the prevalence of opioids available to those who might use or abuse the substance is an important step that we can take today by passing this bill. Every one of my colleagues has their own Brandon story. Everyone has talked with grieving parents, children, friends, and coworkers. Mr. Speaker, I am proud that the Committee on Homeland Security is doing its part to ensure that we bring a whole-of-government approach to combating this whole-of-society problem, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill. The bill before us today will enhance internal DHS operations, force the collaboration across Federal agencies, and develop partnerships with the private sector to limit opioids coming into our country and getting distributed throughout our communities. Like every bill that makes it to the floor, this legislation is the result of a collaborative effort. Mr. Speaker, I must thank Senator Claire McCaskill, who has been a true champion in driving policy to address the opioid crisis and who first proposed applying the JTF model to this epidemic. She has been a true leader on this issue. I also thank my good friend and long-time colleague on the committee and cosponsor, Congressman Peter King, who has helped ensure that this effort is a bipartisan one. Likewise, I owe a debt of gratitude to our ranking member, Mr. Thompson, and our chairman, Mr. McCaul, who worked with me in turn to make a good idea even better legislation. Like anything we do, nothing would have been possible without the tireless work of our staff, in particular that of Rosaline Cohen and Alex Carnes with the committee, and Elyssa Malin in my office. Mr. Speaker, I have said before that the opioid epidemic is incredibly complex. With the number of factors driving this tragic increase in overdoses, there is no silver bullet to this public health emergency. Rather, it demands a whole-of-society approach. This bill will bring that unity of effort to the Department of Homeland Security, so that it can be a more effective partner in turning the tide against opioid abuse. I hope all of my colleagues will join with me in supporting the creation of this joint task force and support this bill. Again, I thank Chairman Donovan, the gentleman from New York, for his words of support and his effort to see that this bill got to the floor in the first place. I hope to see it pass. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4627, the Shielding Public Spaces from Vehicular Terrorism Act. Mr. Speaker, the tactics and targets of terrorist organizations are ever changing. Most recently, ISIL-inspired groups have called for jihadists to use vehicles to carry out attacks on so-called soft targets like shopping malls, mass transit centers, and other places where people gather. ISIL has claimed credit for 21 vehicular terrorist attacks in major cities like Berlin, Nice, London, and Barcelona. These attacks have also hit closer to home, including in October 2017 in New York City, when a terrorist used a rented pickup truck to mow down pedestrians on a popular bike path, killing eight and injuring 13. In light of the elevated terror environment, H.R. 4627 would direct the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate to conduct research on emerging and evolving terrorist threats, like vehicular attacks. The bill would also provide flexibility for homeland security grant funding to be used for securing public spaces through target-hardening activities, including the installation of bollards. Additionally, I am pleased that the bill includes key language authored by my friend Representative Val Demings, the gentlewoman from Florida, to codify a current Department practice that prohibits the use of grant funding to purchase firearms or for training on the use of firearms. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Donovan) for his words of support on this bill. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 4627 to help secure our public spaces from emerging terrorist threats, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings).

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. In closing, I once again thank Chairman Donovan from the great State of New York for his support of this bill and for his comments, and I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings) for her work on this important piece of legislation. I want to reiterate my support for the Shielding Public Spaces from Vehicular Terrorism Act. Passing this bill will reenforce our commitment to combating emerging and evolving terrorist threats and protecting public spaces. As the co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, I am well aware of how technology can dramatically alter our conceptions about homeland security. The advent of more connected devices from pacemakers to power grids has only impacted the attack surface, and the internet makes it possible for these devices to be targeted from anywhere on the globe. With respect to vehicle attacks, imagine a connected car being hacked to run down pedestrians or an autonomous vehicle's sensors being tricked to not see humans at all. These are the emerging challenges that we face, and it is imperative that we continue to do whatever is necessary to strengthen the capabilities that we depend on to keep all of our citizens safe. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, this very minute, terrified children are crying in cages, put there by our government at our Nation's borders. Innocent babies, taken from their mothers and fathers, are being held hostage by the President. This is wrong, Mr. Speaker. I never thought I would witness such cruelty in our country. President Trump could stop this with a phone call, and congressional Republicans could end it with a vote. Their inaction is despicable, and it speaks volumes. Mr. Speaker, I love this country, but today I am ashamed. I am sickened by the heartlessness of this administration. These families are refugees fleeing violence, hoping simply to survive. How can we tear them apart and put them in actual cages? Mr. Speaker, mark my words: This is a turning point in our Nation's history. We must decide what kind of country we want to be, what kind of people we want to be, and what we stand for as a nation. I am proud to cosponsor the Keep Families Together Act to end this policy and turn the page on one of the saddest chapters in American history. Mr. Speaker, this isn't over by a long shot.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to decry last week's Supreme Court decision in the Ohio voting case, Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute. Mr. Speaker, the ruling appears to willfully misinterpret the plain statutory language of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. It lays waste to congressional intent and sets a dangerous precedent of being permissive of voter suppression across the country. The NVRA was enacted with the express purpose of increasing voter registration and protecting against voter purges, and it plainly prohibits States from removing voters from rolls ``by reason of the person's failure to vote.'' Yet this is exactly what the State of Ohio is doing. Ohio officials are purging voters if they do not vote in three consecutive Federal elections. I believe every person should vote in every election, but there may be valid reasons why they have not. We should be erring on the side of caution. Our democracy is built on each person having a voice. Yet the Supreme Court has affirmed Ohio's right to silence those voices. Congress must now act to correct this injustice and restore the rights the Court has so carelessly cast aside.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with an aching heart for the innocent children being ripped from their parents' arms at our Nation's borders. Families fleeing violence with legitimate claims of asylum are having their children taken from them thanks to an inhumane policy put in place by this administration. Weeping 2- and 3-year-olds have been forced onto immigration buses specifically equipped with car seats to be held in overcrowded cages, a crisis of this President's own making. What kind of a country tears hundreds, if not thousands of families apart, inflicting trauma on the young and vulnerable? What happened to ``give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses''? What happened to America being a beacon of hope? This zero tolerance policy betrays our core values, and it must stop immediately. I have joined my friend and colleague, Congresswoman DeLauro, as a cosponsor of her resolution condemning this policy, and I call on the administration to halt this horrendous practice and exercise some compassion for those who need it most.

Mr. LANGEVIN

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

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Chairman, I offer this amendment today to direct $3 million to the Office of Science within the Department of Energy for important nuclear fusion science work being done across the country. Specifically, these funds would support divertor test tokamak research and development. The fusion community has identified the need for a tokamak specifically designed for divertor testing as a necessary research facility to drive divertor innovation. Fusion science, Mr. Chairman, is the future of energy production, offering unique and substantial advantages compared to other approaches. Fusion power is a safe, clean, and sustainable energy source that could provide the United States with energy independence and a nearly limitless energy supply. The future is closer than we think. Sustainable fusion energy production is a very real possibility within the next 10 years. However, there are outstanding technical issues that must be solved before we can harness fusion as a practical energy source. Among them is dealing with extreme temperatures generated through the process, over a million degrees. A tokamak designed with divertor tests in mind could test potential solutions to this problem. These funds support the immediate need of design conceptualization, which will help keep the United States as a world leader in this area. We must seize this opportunity and vigorously pursue this research and development work. This work may also have critical national security implications. The House Report accompanying H.R. 5515, the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act that recently passed the House, contains language asking the Department of Defense to explore this technology and its potential use towards our national security objectives. History has shown, Mr. Chairman, that research funding fosters innovative ideas and new technologies that can produce order-of- magnitude improvements over those presently employed. The current fusion science research program suggests promising advancements in plasma and material science, which could readily support defense initiatives. To ensure this critical work continues and that we capitalize on its findings, Congress must act to fund this important work. Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman Simpson and Ranking Member Kaptur for taking my request into consideration. This investment is critical in providing for our collective national and energy security, and I respectfully urge its adoption. Mr. Chair, I thank my colleagues for the consideration of this amendment. I think it is important to try and meet the future energy needs and national security needs of our country, and I again urge its adoption. Mr. Chair, I yield back of balance of my time.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Here is the bottom line. Ocean planning works, and I can assure you that this is not a top-down approach. Ocean plans are regionally led initiatives where stakeholders and researchers collect data and then come to the table to voice their concerns and work out their differences. With ocean planning, we can use our waters wisely and sustainably. In the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, we have already finished our plans. Now, for some reason, many of my colleagues across the aisle don't believe in this open discussion amon stakeholders, but we have seen what happens when oceans are brought to the brink. Species have been pushed to the edge of extinction undermining the livelihoods of our fishermen and destroying the vibrant ocean ecosystem. It baffles me that we continue debating this. Ocean planning is the way to ensure local and regional voices are heard and that we sustainably pass our waters on to the next generation. So I urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment, which I thank Mr. Beyer for leading. I also want to recognize and commend my colleague in the other Chamber, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, for his extraordinary work in combating climate change and fighting for a sustainable ocean policy. This is the right thing to do, again, regionally led, definitely not a top-down approach.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize National Gun Violence Awareness Month and the 33,000 American lives lost each year to gun violence. These tragedies are preventable, Mr. Speaker, and it is truly shameful that Congress has yet to take meaningful action to address this epidemic. Even more appalling is the fact that 1,300 of these deaths are children, young lives cut short by meaningless and avoidable violence. Last month I introduced the Child Gun Access Prevention Act, which would prevent children from accessing guns by holding gun owners responsible when they leave their firearms unlocked. Millions of children live in homes with unsecured guns, Mr. Speaker, and they are at an increased risk of unintentional shootings and youth suicides. We have also seen the devastation caused when a child takes a parent's gun to school with the intention of causing harm. A child should never access a gun unsupervised. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation. We absolutely must do more to protect our children from gun violence.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Chairman, I thank the ranking member for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I would like to begin by thanking Chairman Thornberry, Ranking Member Smith, and Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, the chair of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, on which I am proud to serve as ranking member. I thank them all for their contributions to this bill that is before us today. Each year, our committee's legislation addresses issues vital to the defense of our Nation, and their leadership was key in crafting this bill. I would also like to thank the ETC staff for their work on this bill, particularly, Lindsay Kavanaugh, Pete Villano, Jamie Jackson, Eric Snelgrove, Katie Sutton, Mark Pepple, and Nevada Schadler, as well as my personal staff, Kathryn Mitchell-Thomas, and my two fellows, Brian Mandock and David Wagner. Mr. Chairman, this bill contains many critical provisions that will enable and enhance our national security. We added $1 billion beyond the President's request for the Virginia- class and Columbia-class submarines, ensuring continued naval and strategic superiority beneath the seas. We also incorporated my provision to require the Department to include energy and climate resiliency efforts as a factor for consideration in major military installation master plans so that we can be better prepared to face climate change head-on. The ETC portion of the bill ensures that we are also ready for future threats by strengthening cyber operations and increasing preparedness for countering weapons of mass destruction. It also bolsters capability at the pointy tip of the spear, especially when it comes to supporting our Special Operations Forces, who execute our Nation's most difficult missions. We bolster this capability by embracing risk, enhancing innovation, and improving oversight. To ensure we maintain strategic overmatch with near-peer adversaries, we invest heavily in research and development, with a specific focus on transitioning critical capabilities to the warfighter. For example, the bill includes $40 million in additional funding for electromagnetic railgun programs as well as $10 million to grow future cyber warriors through the DOD Cyber Scholarship Program. The bill guides the Department as we confront new threats across the globe by expanding upon previous initiatives--for instance, encouraging the use of initiatives modeled on the successful Hack the Pentagon program to update cyber vulnerability and mitigation assessments of Department facilities--and by exploring ways to safeguard the integrity of increasingly globalized supply chains that support critical technologies. As we look to protect our country from threats beyond the next ridge line, it is essential these science and technology initiatives remain prioritized. We will not defeat next-generation threats resting on the success of our past. In closing, Mr. Chairman, I again thank and congratulate Chairwoman Stefanik and all of the members of the subcommittee for their efforts as well as the members of the House Armed Services Committee for their dedication to national security. Again, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their outstanding leadership of the committee. I look forward to voting in favor of this bill.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, as co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, I rise to recognize May as National Foster Care Month and to acknowledge the 437,000 foster youth across the country. On Wednesday, I will be joined by Yolanda Washburn, a former foster youth from Providence, Rhode Island. Yolanda is a vocal advocate for children in care. She is committed to making positive change, and she is on track to become a counselor. As someone who has aged out of foster care, Yolanda has overcome immense odds to find such success. I look forward to hearing her recommendations for improving the foster care system. No one understands the system better than those who have lived in it. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my good friend, Congresswoman Bass, for organizing Shadow Day again this year and for her tireless work as the leader of our caucus. I am thrilled by this opportunity to amplify her voice and the voices of foster youth everywhere.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Chair, I inadvertently voted ``no.'' I meant to be recorded as: ``yea'' on rollcall No. 202.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address the work being done by the Department of Defense regarding the threat of climate change, and to reinforce congressional intent on this important issue. Last year's National Defense Authorization Act expressed the sense of Congress that climate change is a direct threat to national security. We have studied a number of readiness factors when it comes to our Armed Forces, but for too long, we have not given this major, multifaceted threat the attention that it deserves. Current and former military leaders and members of the intelligence community agree that climate change poses a security challenge that has the potential to affect our tactical and strategic readiness. Secretary Mattis was correct when he stated: `` . . . the effects of a changing climate--such as increased maritime access to the Arctic, rising sea levels, desertification, among others--impact our security situation.'' Naval bases, such as Norfolk or Key West, are already at risk for flooding. In fact, Norfolk frequently deals with nuisance flooding, and that risk will only increase as storm surges increase in magnitude and tides continue to rise. Inland bases will experience other weather volatility, such as extreme heat and wildfires, all of which can impact their ability to train, and ultimately impacts readiness. The displays of dominance in the Arctic will grow, where new sealanes will connect continents more directly than ever before. The changing global climate, Mr. Speaker, will also lead to greater instability in the form of economic migration, increased competition over resources, and possibly more failed states, which we know to be breeding grounds for extremism and terrorism. Mr. Speaker, it is clear that a changing climate will alter our joint battle space. So when the U.S. Congress instructs the Department of Defense to take these threats seriously and evaluate the risk posed to our national security by climate change, we need exactly that. Our intent is clear, and there can be no room for misinterpretation. Last week, The Washington Post reported that during revision of the Department's January 2018 Screening Level Vulnerability Assessment Survey report, Department of Defense officials omitted information pertinent to how our military installations report their vulnerability to sea level rise, how climate change is affecting the operating environment in the Arctic, and the potential risk to the Department's ability to conduct training and testing activities that have important impacts on our readiness. While I appreciate the need to update reports when it is appropriate and necessary, it is unacceptable to attempt to bend congressional intent for political convenience. The Department of Defense must answer tough questions as to what motivated these changes, if not a skewed political narrative. In fact, the issue of climate change and its impact on national security has become more bipartisan over the last several years. In fact, last year, in the National Defense Authorization Act, Congress instructed each service within the Department of Defense to assess the top 10 military installations likely to be affected by climate change over the next 20 years. We also instructed combatant commanders to incorporate the effects of a changing climate into their strategic battle plans. Forty-six Republicans joined with Democrats to support this language on the floor of the House, and I expect that when this report is delivered to Congress later this year, it will make candid assessments in line with the clear language we supported in that floor vote and that was signed into law by the President. Mr. Speaker, we must ensure that the Department remains resilient and is prepared to address the effects of climate change on threat assessments, resources, and readiness, as well as to conduct operations both today and in the future. Congressional oversight plays an undeniable role in that process. Mr. Speaker, the dangers of climate change on our national defense are real, and we support the researchers on the front lines of these critical threat assessments. Together, we can continue to craft a sane and sober strategy to defend the United States from a variety of threats, including climate change. That is the expressed intent of Congress for the upcoming climate report, and is a necessity as we prepare for our Nation's future.

Mr. LANGEVIN

Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, today National Security Advisor John Bolton eliminated the position of special assistant to the President and cybersecurity adviser. I could not more strongly disagree with that decision. As the co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, I have followed the work of the executive branch very closely on this issue over many years. I have had my critiques of President Bush, of President Trump, and, yes, even of President Obama. But always, from President Clinton through the current administration, I have always felt that we are moving in the right direction in better protecting the country in cyberspace--even if too slowly and with a few bumps along the way Today, we took a giant step backwards. Cybersecurity, Mr. Speaker, is the economic and national security challenge of the 21st century, and as such, we need to be increasing our focus on it, not weakening it. I have respected and admired the work of our three cybersecurity coordinators, the late Howard Schmidt, Michael Daniel, and President Trump's pick, Rob Joyce. I am sorry that their legacy is being tarnished today. I have introduced legislation with my friend, Mr. Lieu, to reinstate and empower the coordinator position, and I hope that the House moves to take it up quickly. Our national security demands no less.