Doug Lamborn

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Georgia (Mr. Allen).

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those words. I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly), my friend and colleague.

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Kelly for his heartfelt words. I now yield to the gentleman from the great State of Tennessee (Mr. Rose).

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of North Carolina (Mr. Budd), my good friend and colleague.

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his kind words and for his heartfelt remarks. I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Georgia (Mr. Clyde).

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cloud), my friend and colleague.

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I remember the time Mr. Gohmert and I went to Israel together. That was a very special and, you can say, life-changing experience. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Texas (Mr. Gohmert).

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce).

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a friend, patriot, and man of great faith, Retired Col. Victor ``Vic'' Fernandez. A 30- year Army veteran, Vic served his country valiantly and led the effort to establish the Pikes Peak National Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A Colorado native, Vic grew up in Trinidad with a longstanding family tradition of military service. His great grandfather fought in the Civil War, his father in World War II, and his uncle was captured at the battle of Corregidor in World War II and later survived the Bataan Death March. Vic followed this tradition of service to his country and graduated from West Point in 1959 with a degree in mechanical engineering. Vic's 30-year career included two Panama tours, two Germany tours, and multiple stateside postings in addition to his time in the Vietnam War. Vic served two tours in Vietnam, and upon his return, was disheartened at the poor reception he and other soldiers received. Because of this experience, Vic dedicated his retirement to ensuring that soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan did not share the same experience. He and his wife Sherry, spent many late nights at airports and military bases, often waiting until 2 a.m., to greet returning troops with a warm handshake, a cheeseburger with fries, a welcoming smile, and prayer. Additionally, Vic served as president of the Pikes Peak Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America. He was also a founding member of the Board of Home Front Cares and the Southeast Family Center and Armed Services YMCA. In 1999, Vic became the chairman of the Pikes Peak Veterans Cemetery Committee. He advocated for a National Veterans Cemetery in the Pikes Peak region. Vic wanted a place that would serve the veterans of Southern Colorado for generations to follow. In 2006, he, and the other founding members of the cemetery board, Ralph McCutchen and Joe Henjum approached me with their vision. On my second day in office in January 2007, I introduced H.R. 295, which directed the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a national cemetery for veterans in the Pikes Peak region. In May of 2008, I conducted a field hearing in Colorado Springs to address The National Cemetery Administration's longstanding 75-mile rule. A typical spring day in Colorado, VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs William F. Tuerk and other distinguished guests traveling to the hearing were greeted with sunny weather in Denver upon arrival. By the time they drove through Castle Rock, snowflakes were falling. The field hearing started over an hour late, because of poor road conditions, due to a white-out blizzard on Monument Hill. Vic and everyone involved in the hearing could only attribute the storm to divine intervention. During the hearing, Vic offered passionate testimony and argued that `these geographic and weather pattern hindrances make the Veterans Administration internal 75-mile rule a useless tool in the state of Colorado. The combination of the geography, weather patterns and a foolish regulation serves only to assure that the Veterans and their families in the Pikes Peak Region and southern Colorado are not properly nor fairly served by Fort Logan.' Because of providential weather conditions and the testimony of Vic, and others, Under Secretary Tuerk decided it was appropriate to break the VA's longstanding, 75-mile rule and establish a national cemetery in Southern Colorado. Years later, after legislation for the cemetery was signed into law, Vic told a reporter, `I think God is keeping me alive so I can be buried there.' Vic had dedicated over 20 years passionately advocating for this national monument. In 2018, the Pikes Peak National Cemetery opened, with the capacity for 197,000 veterans to be interred. Because of his vision, the Pikes Peak National Cemetery will serve as a permanent monument and final resting place for generations of our nation's heroes. In addition to his deep-rooted patriotism, Vic was a man of dedicated spiritual conviction. A longtime parishioner at St. Francis of Assisi in Colorado Springs, he served as a Grand Knight in the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's chapter that he helped to establish. Vic was a giant amongst men and lived his life tenaciously in service to his Creator, his nation, his family, and his community. His lifetime of service has left a permanent impact on the Pikes Peak region. Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in Congress join me in honoring this man of great faith, passion, and patriotism, my friend, U.S. Army Retired Col. Victor ``Vic'' Fernandez.

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor General Gary L. Thomas, United States Marine Corps, for the life of service he and his family have performed to our great nation. The theme of his distinguished career is one of achievement with highest honors throughout his 37 years in service to the United States of America. General Thomas was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1984 after graduating from the University of Texas-Austin. In his 37 years as a Marine, General Thomas deployed in support of military operations in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Notably, his bravery and skillful command of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323 in the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom ensured the success of follow-on combat operations in the skies and on the ground. Additionally, his masterful leadership in combat while in command of Second Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) in Afghanistan enabled coalition air forces to effectively provide fires, transport, and reconnaissance to ground forces. In various higher headquarters staff positions, including his time as the Marine Corps' Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources, General Thomas had a lasting impact on the Nation's military readiness, enhancing our preparedness to face challenges around the globe. We are all safer due to his diligence and faithful dedication to duty. General Thomas' final tour in the Marine Corps is as the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. During a tremendously challenging period for the Marine Corps, the Department of Defense, and the Nation as a whole, General Thomas provided guidance and leadership with exceptional skill and drive. His broad knowledge base and expertise, his ability to foresee the impact of policy changes on the current readiness and future health of the Marine Corps, and his camaraderie and goodwill with senior leadership throughout the Department of Defense and U.S. Congress proved to be supremely valuable in his role as the Service Vice Chief. His sound judgment and recommendations reached the highest levels of leadership in the Legislative and Executive branches of the U.S. Government. General Thomas' steady leadership during these challenging times is just one more example of the type of Marine that he is--one of our very best. Over his years of faithful service, General Thomas has earned the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star, among other awards. General Thomas has served our Nation for 37 years and will retire on October 15, 2021. His extraordinary professionalism has had a profound and lasting influence on generations of Marines and our entire institution. His leadership and mastery of the art and science of the profession of arms are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Marine Corps. I am delighted to have this opportunity to recognize not only General Thomas, but his entire family for their incredible service to the U.S. Marine Corps and our great Nation. Their sacrifice and dedication is truly remarkable, and a testament to the caliber of patriots our country produces. I wish him and his beloved wife, Catherine, all the best as they embark on a new chapter in their lives. God bless the Thomases, God bless the United States of America, and Semper Fidelis.

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4350. We have maintained the bipartisan tradition of the Armed Services Committee. Now, while this administration promotes weakness abroad and tyranny at home, robust support for defense in this bill ensures that our adversaries understand that our military has the resources required to stymy their aggressive ambitions which will guarantee that our military will succeed if called upon. This legislation will enhance readiness by funding the unfunded requests of the services and the co-coms. It will maintain our commitment to the nuclear triad and modernization and aggressively enhance our space capabilities. It protects our troops against punishment for personal politics, prohibits dishonorable discharge for COVID vaccination refusal, and requires a plan for exemptions. And it begins to hold the Biden administration accountable for Afghanistan. Now, while this bill fosters U.S.-Israeli cooperation, including $300 million for multiple collaborative programs, anti-Israel Democrats have stripped the continuing resolution of $1 billion for the Iron Dome missile defense system. What does it say about the Progressive Caucus that they object to Israeli citizens defending themselves from missile attacks? It is reprehensible and anti-Semitic. Nevertheless, this bill as it currently stands is a bipartisan bill. I thank the chairman and ranking member for maintaining the collaborative nature of our committee. I want to thank especially the chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee, John Garamendi, for his leadership and commitment to bipartisanship. I thank my readiness team, Ian, Dave, and Whitney, for their invaluable hard work during this process. Madam Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in opposition to this amendment to add a package of unrelated lands bills to the National Defense Authorization Act. Collectively, this pair of bills, this one and the next one, amendments, would impose unnecessary and harmful restrictions on more than 2\1/2\ million acres of lands in Colorado, California, and Washington, including nearly 1\1/ 2\ million of acres of new wilderness designating many miles of wild and scenic rivers and creating 100,000 acres of national monument expansion. These restrictions will have the effect of greatly reducing opportunities for multiple uses of these lands and will restrict forest management practices that will render these lands more prone to catastrophic wildfires. In Colorado alone, this amendment would designate approximately 570,000 acres of new wilderness areas, 23,000 acres of expanded wilderness, and 14,000 acres of potential wilderness. Now, we already have 3.5 million acres of public lands in Colorado that are designated as wilderness, so that protection is already there. Now, I do commend my colleague for her efforts to work with local stakeholders to address some of their concerns over the years that she has been working on this issue. But this package, unfortunately, does not come close to the kind of balance and consensus that should be required for a package of this magnitude. Many of the local communities impacted by this amendment and that I have heard from have raised significant concerns, including the loss of motorized access and recreation, which would threaten their local economy. A wilderness designation also makes it much more difficult or even impossible to remove excess fire hazards or invasive species. There is no real management of the land. Future generations lose access to the land, at least for average, everyday people. In a true wilderness area, you can't even ride a bicycle. This bill is inconsistent with previous designations and existing land uses by arbitrarily adding wilderness areas and wild and scenic river designations where those designations are not really appropriate. Supporting the declaration of areas that do not actually possess these characteristics undermines the integrity of the Wilderness Act and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act for what was originally intended. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert), who has a district where, actually, this designation would take place.

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 1\1/2\ minutes. I rise in opposition to this amendment because it restricts approximately 400,000 acres of land in Colorado, and although the stated goal of the language is to protect and enhance outdoor recreation--and I agree with that goal as stated--the practical effect of this amendment would not be that at all. For one thing, the active management of land that is under wilderness designation to prevent wildfires is much restricted, if not made impossible. In a State with a lot of wildfire risk, that is simply not acceptable. Rural county commissioners have talked to me and other opponents of this bill and have raised concerns about negative economic impact of the withdrawal of 200,000 acres of oil and gas land and what effect that would have on their communities. This amendment would also lock away approximately 1 million acres of public lands in Arizona and permanently ban mining and other multiple- use activities in that State. This misguided and mistitled land grab has nothing to do with protecting the Grand Canyon. Instead, it seeks to ban development of one of the largest tracts of uranium deposits in the country. The result of this is to make us more reliant on adversaries such as Russia. We already import 97 percent of our uranium from foreign sources, and that would only become more precarious if this took effect. Since 2018, the majority of uranium imports have come from adversarial nations such as Russia. What this amendment is doing in the National Defense Act makes no sense at all. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, let's actually hear from Representatives who live in these areas. I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar).

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert). The gentlewoman is from the western part of the State where this would actually take place, and I believe she is in touch with the people in her district.

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, just like the previous amendment, this amendment was successfully added to last year's NDAA, but the conferees properly dropped it from the final conference report, so it ultimately failed. It is simply unacceptable that we would add an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that not only has nothing to do with national defense, but this actually hurts our national defense by empowering adversaries like Russia with their uranium production while limiting our own domestic national production of uranium. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mrs. Susan ``Cheri'' Cheryl Mainard Ofner, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, patriot, and friend. Cheri was born July 27, 1951, in Dallas, Texas to the late Loretta and Aston ``Dee'' Dale Mainard. She was the oldest of four children, and at an early age, developed a love for sports, her country, and the Lord. Cheri was a woman of great faith and spent her life dedicated to learning and sharing the Word of God. As a young girl, Cheri's family moved to Houston, and attended Springs Branch Baptist Church, where her mother taught Sunday school. Cheri attended school as a National Merit Scholar at the University of Texas, where she secured a highly competitive spot on the gymnastics team. It was during gymnastics practice where Cheri met the love of her life, Lee Ofner, in January 1971. The couple's first date was watching Superbowl V, played between the Baltimore Colts and the Dallas Cowboys. In 1972, Cheri graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance & Accounting, and in 1973 married Lee in a ceremony at her home church in Houston, Texas. A few years later, in 1975, Lee earned a Doctorate in Dental Surgery degree from Baylor College of Dentistry and began his U.S. Navy tour in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The couple moved back to Dallas after Lee completed his tour with the U.S. Navy. Together with Cheri's degree in business and Lee's doctorate in dental surgery, they established a successful dental practice in 1977. During this time, Cheri and Lee had two children, Jay and Courtney. Cheri was an all-star mom, attending every soccer practice, school musical, ballet, Bible study, etc. She even coached Courtney's gymnastics team. The Ofners eventually retired from dentistry, and ultimately, found their forever home in 1991 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Cheri and Lee immediately became involved with their new community, joining several Bible studies, volunteering on campaigns for the Republican party, and helping with various events and fundraisers at the Colorado Springs Christian School. Since putting down roots in the Pikes Peak region, the Ofner family attended several churches in Colorado Springs, including Fellowship Bible Church, Woodmen Valley Chapel, Rocky Mountain Calvary, Mountain Springs, and most recently, The Road@ Chapel Hills Church. For the last few years of Cheri's life, she and Lee cared for her father Dee, a WWII veteran, in their home, for which Cheri was extremely grateful. Cheri is survived by her husband of nearly fifty years, Lee; her loving children, CDR (USNR) Jay (Jennifer) Ofner of Mililani, Hawaii; and MAJ (USAF, Retired) Courtney (Kirk) Olsen of Colorado Springs, Colorado; her beloved grandchildren Amanda, Evie, Aaron, and Kylie; and her wonderful siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Romans 12:11 commands that His believers, ``Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the LORD.'' Cheri did just this and lived her life with conviction, passion, and unadulterated love and excitement for her Heavenly Father. She leaves behind her husband, family, and friends who loved and adored her and who are celebrating her life and reunion in heaven with the Lord God, Almighty. I ask that my colleagues in Congress join me in honoring my friend and fellow patriot, Cheri Ofner, in saying, ``well done, good and faithful servant.''

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the fiftieth anniversary of Silver Key, a non-profit organization in Colorado Springs, Colorado, whose mission is to support a healthy quality of life for seniors, allowing them to age safely with dignity and independence. Silver Key was founded in 1970 by Betsey Myers-Burroughs, Clifford King, and a group of concerned citizens who wished to improve the well- being of older individuals in the Pikes Peak region. From extremely humble origins grew a Nursing Home Volunteer Program to help alleviate isolation and loneliness for elderly residents. Silver Key soon broadened its mission to assist seniors who desired to age in place, independently, in their homes. Thanks to visionary leadership, impassioned volunteers, dedicated staff, diverse funding sources, and the philanthropic culture of this community, Silver Key has helped more than half a million seniors remain safe, independent, healthy, and thriving over the last half- century. They have grown to include services such as Silver Key Connections Cafe, home-delivered meals including Meals on Wheels, Reserve & Ride transportation services, volunteer events, and service opportunities, and vital Silver Key Health & Wellness Services providing a wide array of senior assistance services including behavioral health, companionship, case management, and government food program distribution. Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in the House of Representatives join me in honoring this important organization's history and mission. I congratulate and thank Silver Key and all of those who make independence and health a reality for senior citizens in Colorado's Fifth Congressional District.

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the fifth anniversary of the Mt. Carmel Center of Excellence in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A dream of Colorado businessman Jay Cimino, Mt. Carmel opened its doors in 2016 to support our veteran-rich community in impactful and meaningful ways. Their state-of-the-art facility and staff have become a cornerstone in the Pikes Peak region, providing functional, comprehensive care to veterans in need. In addition, Mt. Carmel Center offers transition and employment assistance for those separating from the military, individualized and group counseling and support, family wellness classes, training, networking, and various other services, at little or no cost to our veterans through public-private community partnerships. I congratulate and thank Mr. Cimino, Army (COL) Retired Bob McLaughlin, and all of those who make Mt. Carmel a reality for veterans in Colorado's Fifth Congressional District. Their steadfast commitment to giving back to the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms is unparalleled and unmatched. May God Bless the work done at Mt. Carmel, may God Bless our veterans, and may God Bless America.