Ben Luján

Mr. LUJAN

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

Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Chairman, my amendment is similar to that of my friend from New Mexico. It would simply increase funding for the Defense Environmental Cleanup Act, specifically the NNSA labs, by just under $22 million to bring it up to the level of the President's request and decrease funding for the NNSA Office of the Administrator by the same amount. I offer this amendment because, to put it simply, it's a more effective use of taxpayer funds for NNSA to remove dangerous toxic waste from their lab's property than it is to maintain the current levels of redundant oversight bureaucracy. Last June, the Las Conchas fire burned 150,000 acres in my district in New Mexico and encircled Los Alamos National Laboratory. Had the fire burned contaminated areas on the lab property, a plume of toxic smoke would have threatened the health of everyone in its path. The lab has promised to clean these areas, many of which contain waste from, if you can believe this, Mr. Chairman, the Manhattan Project and Cold War weapons programs; but Congress must also fulfill its obligation to appropriate funds for the cleanup. While the NNSA labs have pressing environmental issues that demand our attention, there has been increasing evidence that paring back the NNSA's Office of the Administrator could actually make the Agency and its labs more cost effective and productive. A recent report by the National Academies of NNSA's management of its laboratories concluded that the NNSA's oversight had become inefficient and a distraction from the labs' vital mission. Following a series of hearings, the House Armed Services Committee added provisions to the FY2013 National Defense Authorization Act that this body passed a few weeks ago to change NNSA's approach and reduce its personnel. This amendment is consistent with these provisions. If there are going to be fewer authorized NNSA personnel, then NNSA's funding should reflect that. My budget-neutral amendment reduces outlays by $3 million next fiscal year by simply moving funds from the NSA regulatory arm to a place where they put boots on the ground and support cleanup. And while I very much appreciate the work of the chairman and the ranking member and the entire committee in this for their commitment to cleanup, it's my hope, Mr. Chairman, that I be able to emphasize to our distinguished leaders managing the floor of the dire situation that needs attention in New Mexico and around the country. Mr. Chairman, I urge adoption of this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to recognize the career achievements of Peter Joseph Valencia, Jr. who recently celebrated his 70th birthday while in service to the third Congressional District of New Mexico. Mr. Valencia was born and raised in Farmington, New Mexico and received his B.A. in Economics from Fort Lewis College and his M.A. in Business Education from Adams State College. He then served in the U.S. Navy in the 1960s on the Flag Allowance Staff of Rear Admiral Monroe in San Diego, California. After his time in the military, Mr. Valencia worked in Employee Relations for El Paso Natural Gas Company in Farmington and was later appointed by two New Mexican Governors to serve as the Deputy Commissioner for the New Mexico Motor Transportation Department. In 1981, he returned to Farmington to run his family's business; however, when then-U.S. Congressman Tom Udall opened a new district field office in Farmington in 1999, Mr. Valencia was a perfect fit for a position that he continues to hold to this day. Mr. Valencia has devoted his life to public service and is proud to be able to continue to serve the people of San Juan County at the age of 70. He is a staple of San Juan County and has developed a sterling reputation while partnering with the Navajo Nation, Jicarilla Apache and neighboring Chapter Houses. As a Field Representative, Mr. Valencia has maintained a level of excellence and diligence in helping all people of Northwest New Mexico. Along with his service to New Mexico's third Congressional District, Mr. Valencia is a dedicated family man. He has been married to his wife Lynda Valencia, a retired public school teacher and administrator, for over 40 years and has three children--DeAnza Sapien, Peter Valencia III and Felix Valencia--and a granddaughter, Miranda Sapien. Mr. Speaker, it is with great appreciation that I ask my colleagues to stand with me in thanking Mr. Peter Joseph Valencia for his leadership and excellent service to the people of San Juan County, the surrounding communities of New Mexico, and this country. Please join me today in recognizing his remarkable achievements and wishing him many more years of success.

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. Madam Speaker, it's with great disappointment that I rise today in opposition to this bill, not because the issue of violence against women is not real, but because this House bill does not do enough to address domestic violence and protect women. Sadly, instead of taking action on a bipartisan bill that has passed the Senate that meets the need to protect America's women, the Republican majority has chosen confrontation over compromise with a bill that is seriously limited, particularly in the protections it offers to Native American women. It was my great hope that the House Republicans would rise to do the right thing. Don't hide behind excuses--do the right thing. Let's close the loophole that allows abusers to get away with violence, especially against Native American women. It's not right that abusers game these loopholes to beat their victims. Reject this bill and take up the Senate version.

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 248 on H.R. 5326, I mistakenly recorded my vote as ``nay'' when I should have voted ``yea.''

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Heinrich amendment. I want to thank my friend from New Mexico for offering this amendment to ensure protection of our wilderness areas. Mr. Chairman, I'm from the western United States. I'm a supporter of the Second Amendment. I'm a hunter and a fisherman. My family raised sheep and cattle on allotments in the area where I was raised. Like many other States in the West, we New Mexicans value our access to public lands for hunting, fishing, shooting, and recreational enjoyment. I want to make sure that everyone understands that I'm not opposed to everything in this bill, but I do have specific concerns with language that would create a loophole in the Wilderness Act. This loophole would undermine one of the defining laws that protects public lands and enables us to have pristine areas to hunt and fish--critical areas that should be preserved for future generations to enjoy. But this bill, as written, walks a dangerous line. I had concerns in the committee markup of this bill, and today I reiterate these concerns--specifically, language in section 104(e), which opens up for interpretation to allow motorized vehicles in sensitive areas, completely undermining the effort to protect these lands. Although the majority has indicated that they have clarified this problem in the manager's amendment, a CRS memorandum issued on April 13, 2012, on section 104(e) of H.R. 4089 has confirmed my concern that section 104(e) ``could lead to motorized use and inappropriate commercial activities in congressionally designated wilderness areas.'' If the majority states through the manager's amendment that their intention is not to open up these areas for motorized vehicles, then let's make absolutely sure that this won't happen. I'm glad to see that they see that there's a problem as well, which they've attempted to address. But sadly, the loosely worded amendment won't accomplish that. Let's work together to support the Heinrich amendment and make sure that we don't combine motorized vehicles with Second Amendment issues in our backyards. I think we can work together, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name as a cosponsor of H.R. 3261.

Mr. LUJAN

Mr. LUJAN. Eugene R. Crawford.

Mr. LUJAN. John Ashi Benally.

Mr. LUJAN. Royal L. Begay.

Mr. LUJAN. It would certainly be an honor, Mr. Gosar.

Mr. LUJAN. I thank my colleague from Arizona (Mr. Gosar) for bringing us together tonight as we get a chance to visit and celebrate heroes that are amongst us, whether it's in spirit or body, as we are still so fortunate to have Chester Nez with us, one of the original 29 as well. With me tonight I have a few excerpts of articles that have been written around the country that capture some stories recently in the Fronteras Desk. An author by the name of Laurel Morales captured the story of Chester Nez. It starts like this: ``Growing up in New Mexico, Chester Nez and many of his fellow Navajo were punished for speaking their language.'' You talk about a language as they were pulled away to boarding schools, so many of the young Navajo across the country, and the importance of what they were able to accomplish during World War II. In the words of Major Howard Connor of the 5th Marine Division, he declared that were it not for the Navajos, the marines would never have taken Iwo Jima, and the importance of language and what they were able to accomplish. The article goes on to read that years later, Nez was shocked to learn that he'd been recruited by the marines specifically to devise a code using the same language the government tried to beat out of him. It was extremely ironic. One of the very things they were forbidden to do--speak Navajo--ended up helping us save the war. Mr. Nez goes on to say that he and his fellow Code Talkers first developed an alphabet, as you described, Mr. Gosar, using everyday Navajo words to represent letters of words, as you talked about-- submarine: iron fish; besh-lo: iron fish; and hummingbird: dah-he-tih- hi to talk about fighter planes. It's amazing how when we talked about the Japanese and how they were so effective at cracking codes, how they couldn't crack this one. Mr. Nez goes on to say in the article that being one of the last original Code Talkers, he lives in Albuquerque with his son--a father of six children. He has nine grandchildren and eight great- grandchildren. It goes on to say that ``today, with so many people leaving the reservation, Navajo elders like Nez fear their language is dying. Nez hopes Navajo children learn the story of Code Talkers so they understand just how critical it is to learn their own language.'' And thank you for bringing us together, Mr. Gosar, this evening to help celebrate the history of our Code Talkers, as it wasn't until Senator Bingaman moved legislation back in 2000 to be able to give honor to our original 29--a few of them, at the very least, and their families--with gold medals, and silver medals to the others that were also trained to go on. So I think this is an example of a few stories that we'll be submitting and sharing this evening to be able to celebrate the lives and stories and the history, especially on today as we remember Pearl Harbor and all the sacrifice and all the families we lost that day and so many brave soldiers as well. Thanks for bringing this tonight. I look forward to many stories and continuing to share many of the articles that we've been able to find capturing the history and personal stories of our friend, our heroes, the Code Talkers from all throughout New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.

Mr. LUJAN. Cosey S. Brown.

Mr. LUJAN. John Chee.

Mr. LUJAN. Lowell S. Damon.

Mr. LUJAN. James Dixon.

Mr. LUJAN. Oscar B. Ilthma.

Mr. LUJAN. Alfred Leonard.

Mr. LUJAN. William McCabe.

Mr. LUJAN. Jack Nez.

Mr. LUJAN. Joe Palmer.

Mr. LUJAN. Nelson S. Thompson.

Mr. LUJAN. John Willie.

Mr. LUJAN. Only to say again, Mr. Gosar, as we celebrate tonight, to never forget about the contributions of the Navajo people to our great Nation, with the work that they've done not only through the Cold War, but going back to all the work that was done. As we pointed out earlier, in the words of Major Howard Connor, if it were not for the Navajos, the marines never would have taken Iwo Jima. It's a great night to be here to celebrate, and I thank you for bringing us together. I would like to submit into the Record an article from the Santa Fe New Mexican, dated August 29, 2010, also capturing the story telling and talking about Mr. Chester Nez, as well as the article, ``The Last of the Navajo Code Talkers,'' by Laurel Morales, which was listed in the Fronteras Desk. [From the SantaFeNewMexican.com, Aug. 29, 2010] An Original Code Talker Keeps Tale Alive--Few Remaining Members of Elite Navajo Marine Unit (By Felicia Fonseca) Albuquerque.--Tourists hurry inside a shop here to buy books about the famed Navajo Code Talkers, warriors who used their native language as their primary weapon. Outside, on a walk sheltered from the sun, nine of the Code Talkers sit at a table autographing the books. Each is an old man now. They wear similar caps and shirts, the scarlet and gold of the Marine Corps, and turquoise jewelry. One of these men, who signs his name as Cpl. Chester Nez, is distinguished from the others. Below his signature, he jots down why: 1st Original 29. Before hundreds of Code Talkers were recruited from the Navajo Nation to join the elite unit, 29 Navajos were recruited to develop the code--based on the then-unwritten Navajo language--that would confound Japanese military cryptologists and help win World War II. Of the Original 29, only three survive. Nez is one. The Code Talkers took part in every assault the Marines conducted in the Pacific, sending thousands of messages without error on Japanese troop movements, battlefield tactics and other communications critical to the war's ultimate outcome. ``It's one of the greatest parts of history that we used our own native language during World War II,'' Nez said in an interview with The Associated Press. ``We're very proud of it.'' Nez tells the story succinctly. He is the last of the original group able to do so. One can hardly speak or hear, and the memory of the third is severely tested by Alzheimer's disease. The 89-year-old Nez is limited, too. He is in a wheelchair after diabetes led to the amputation of both legs. These days, he'd rather ``just sit around, take it easy,'' he said. As a boy, Nez lived in a traditional Navajo home and helped his family tend to sheep in Two Wells on the eastern side of the vast 27,000-square-mile reservation. He played with toy cars, went barefoot, and spoke only his native language. That changed when he was sent to one of the boarding schools set up by the federal government to assimilate American Indian children into the broader culture. At boarding school, Nez said he had his mouth washed out with soap for speaking Navajo--ironic indeed, considering the vital role that the unique language--and Nez--would come to play. Nez was in 10th grade when a Marine recruiter came looking for young Navajos who were fluent in Navajo and English to serve in World War II. He jumped at the chance to defend his country, and to leave boarding school. He kept the decision to enlist a secret from his family and lied about his age, as did many others. ``I told my roommate, `Let's try it out,' and that's what we did,'' Nez said. ``One reason we joined is the uniform-- they were so pretty, dress uniforms.'' About 250 Navajos showed up at Fort Defiance, Ariz., then a U.S. Army base. But only 29 were selected to join the first all-Native American unit of Marines. They were inducted in May 1942. After basic training, the 382nd Platoon was tasked with developing the code. There Nez met Allen Dale June and Lloyd Oliver, among the others. Using Navajo words for red soil, war chief, clan, braided hair, beads, ant and hummingbird, for example, they came up with a glossary of more than 200 terms, later expanded, and an alphabet. At first, Nez said, the concern was whether or not the code could work. Then it proved impenetrable. ``The Japanese did everything in their power to break the code but they never did,'' he said. Nez no longer remembers the code in its entirety, but easily switches from English to Navajo to repeat one instruction he delivered during fighting on Guadalcanal. ``I always remember this one,'' Nez said. ``Enemy machine gun on your right flank, destroy!'' The Navajos trained in radio communications were walking copies of the code. Each message read aloud by a Code Talker was immediately destroyed. ``When you're involved in the world of cryptology, you not only have to provide information, you have to protect that,'' said Patrick Weadon, curator of the National Cryptologic Museum. ``And there's no better example than the Navajo Code Talkers during World War II.'' The Code Talkers were constantly on the move, often from foxhole to foxhole. Nez had a close call in Guam with a sniper's bullet that whizzed past his head and struck a palm tree. Once while running a message, Nez and his partner were mistaken for Japanese soldiers and were threatened at gunpoint until a Marine lieutenant cleared up the confusion, his son, Michael, said. ``Of course Dad couldn't tell them he was a Code Talker,'' Nez's son said. The Code Talkers had orders not to discuss their roles--not during the war and not until their mission was declassified 23 years later. In 2001 Nez, Dale and June traveled aboard the same plane to Washington, D.C., to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. The recognition, which they didn't receive when they returned home from war, propelled them to a sort of celebrity status, along with the release of a movie based on the Code Talkers the following year They appeared on television, rode on floats in parades and were asked to speak to veterans groups and students. Nez threw the opening pitch at a 2004 Major League Baseball game and blessed the presidential campaign of John Kerry. Oliver traveled with other Code Talkers as guests of honor in the nation's largest Veterans Day parade in New York last year. When residents of Longmont, Colo., heard that June and his wife did not have a permanent home, they raised money to buy one for the couple. The last three survivors of the Original 29 don't live on the Navajo Nation, where they are celebrated with a tribal holiday. They wonder about each other, but it's unlikely they'll reunite again. After World War II, Nez volunteered to serve two more years during the Korean War and retired in 1974 after a 25-year career as a painter at the veterans hospital in Albuquerque. June, 88, has spent the past few weeks in and out of hospitals in Wyoming and Arizona, and requires round-the- clock care. His third wife, Virginia, calls herself ``the charm'' and the protector of an endangered species. She's a walking promotion for him and the Marine Corps, yet she's careful of how much she says because he thinks it is unwelcome bragging. Oliver's wife, Lucille, echoes similar sentiments about her husband. Oliver displayed few reminders in what, until earlier this year, was his home on the Yavapai Indian reservation in Camp Verde, Ariz.--a few framed pictures, a Marine cap above his bedroom window and a U.S. flag above the doorway. ``He just put the past behind him, I guess,'' she says. Oliver, 87, speaks audibly but his words are difficult to understand. His hearing is impaired and he prefers not to have a hearing aid. Both June and Oliver had brothers who later served as Code Talkers. Nez tells the tourists seeking autographs in Albuquerque that he's part of the Original 29, but few appear to grasp what that means. ``Most of them,'' he says of the tourists, ``they just thank me for what we did.''

Mr. LUJAN

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