Nancy Mace

Ms. MACE

Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend an incredible effort put forth in my State during the pandemic. The Arc of South Carolina is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Their work is critical in South Carolina and South Carolina's First Congressional District, and they deserve to be recognized for all of their efforts. Like many organizations during the past year and a half, the Arc of South Carolina has struggled to acquire PPE, hiring staff, and coping with different social distancing guidelines, particularly given the scope of their work. Margie Williamson and her team had to continue providing services at disproportionately high costs compared to businesses who received State and Federal assistance. A staggering number of their staff fell ill to COVID-19 during the pandemic, but their team and their organization was able to provide superior support to all of these families with enormous needs nonetheless. I cannot begin to thank the staff, not only at the Arc of South Carolina, but every worker across the State everywhere who persevered. You are the heroes of South Carolina's pandemic story. The Arc of South Carolina is dedicated to helping families, and I wanted to highlight all they were able to accomplish during the most challenging of times. Antonio Greene's Act of Kindness

Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a local Amazon driver named Antonio Greene, who learned that someone living along his route was undergoing chemotherapy. When Antonio learned this, he thought back to his own family. He lost his parents and grandmother over the last couple years, and occasionally he would buy cards and flowers for members of his family to offer encouragement and support. Greene, a North Charleston native, did the same last summer for another individual in South Carolina's First Congressional District who had been immunocompromised during the pandemic. Antonio's act of kindness has landed him among seven people to be recognized by the JFK Foundation, and I applaud all of those individuals carrying out small acts of kindness during the pandemic. I commend Antonio and anyone who has risked their own health and safety to protect others during COVID-19. Those who showed compassion in ways like this always deserve this kind of recognition. Restaurants Overcame Uncertainty During Pandemic

Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to restaurants and the resilience of so many in this industry; specifically, Vintage Lounge, Butcher & Bee, Harold's Cabin, and Chasing Sage in South Carolina's First Congressional District. These restaurants did not take any aid or receive any relief during the COVID-19 crisis. They were even closed during the beginning of the pandemic and they were unable to receive any restaurant relief funds as well, but they survived despite these challenges. Every restaurant owner with hopes of making it through the COVID-19 crisis had to choose a survival strategy that worked. I would like to bring attention to all four of these restaurants, which are now open or in the process of reopening post-pandemic. This is a major feat worth celebrating, especially since they faced unprecedented challenges to an already vulnerable industry. In Charleston, in South Carolina's First Congressional District, our hospitality and restaurant industry has been critically hit. These companies and restaurants had to prompt guests to wear masks, in line with city regulations; and if they weren't out by 11 p.m., they had to go, by State order. But so many were determined to uphold the same hospitality standards they had in place prior to the pandemic. Vintage Lounge, Butcher & Bee, Harold's Cabin, and Chasing Sage, among hundreds of other restaurants, are now open for business again. I commend their stories of success during the pandemic. Recognizing Tee Young and Preston White

Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great honor and pride to bring awareness to two constituents in South Carolina's First Congressional District for their fantastic effort they put forth in our community. Tee Young and Preston White helped facilitate the First Annual Crosstown Basketball Tournament, which was held in Hampton Park this last Saturday, just next door to my alma mater, the Citadel. These young men arranged the tournament as a way to bring the east and west sides of the city of Charleston together and provide a nice evening for the community filled with food and basketball. I cannot be more proud of Tee and Preston showing Charleston and South Carolina and all of our communities how we are stronger and better together and showing how strong Charleston is. God bless these young men, the State of South Carolina, and the United States of America.

Ms. MACE

Ms. MACE. Madam Speaker, June 17, 2015, was one of the darkest days in Charleston, South Carolina, history. Six years ago today, nine church members were gunned down by a white supremacist at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Today I rise to honor the lives of those lost that day. South Carolina's African-American community showed enormous restraint and an outpouring of love during this time, even to the irredeemable; and today we stand together, wrapped in the pride of Charleston Strong. So today I would like to recognize Reverend and State Senator Clementa Pinckney, Cynthia Hurd, Reverend Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Tywanza Sanders, Ethel Lance, Susie Jackson, Depayne Middleton Doctor, the Reverend Daniel Simmons, and Myra Thompson. You will always be remembered, and may you rest in peace.

Ms. MACE

Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for giving me a minute on this issue. I want to thank our veterans that have given lifelong service to their country. Nearly two decades ago, Congress authorized the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but ever since, three President's, both Republican and Democrat, have used this permission to drag out conflicts and to get us into new ones. Americans who weren't even alive on 9/11 or during the invasion of Iraq are still fighting and dying there, in Syria, across Africa, and who knows where else. Our Founders wisely gave Congress the exclusive constitutional authority over whether our Nation goes to war. Sadly, Congress has failed to perform this sacred duty for far too long. This is about restoring the powers set forth in Article I. Congress can go to war with anyone under Article I. When Washington drags us into a war, they aren't the ones who go do the fighting and dying, our children are. The very least we can do is give their parents a say in when and where and if their kids will fight and die thousands of miles away.

Ms. MACE

Ms. MACE. Madam Speaker, I rise today with great honor and pride to announce that Clarence Cummings, Jr., a 21-year-old constituent of mine from Beaufort, South Carolina, will be an important part of the 2021 Olympic weightlifting team and their effort to bring home the first gold in over 60 years for the red, white, and blue. Mr. Cummings' record is extensive, to say the least. He holds 23 American records in weightlifting. In his weight class, he holds the Junior World Record in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total. He is world respected and well regarded for his feat in the clean and jerk. He was the IWF Junior World Champion in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. In 2016 and 2017 he was the IWF Youth World Champion. He is also the Pan-American Champion for 2019 and 2020. I also want to point out that Mr. Cummings accomplished all of these records before he turned 21. I am immensely proud, as I know everyone in the Lowcountry is, of Mr. Cummings for all of the hard work and determination and dedication he has given to his sport and to his country. I cannot wait to watch him win the gold medal for the United States in the Olympic Games in Tokyo. His journey is truly an inspiration to weightlifters, to athletes of all types, and to all Americans. I cannot be more proud. God bless Mr. Cummings, the great State of South Carolina, and the United States of America.

Ms. MACE

Ms. MACE. Madam Speaker, today, I rise to speak on behalf of a great American and constituent of mine, Rich O'Brien. Rich's story is one that inspires hope. He is the operations manager for PGA HOPE Charleston. PGA HOPE stands for Helping Our Patriots Everywhere, and it is the PGA's flagship program to do military outreach. As one of the leaders of the golf therapy movement, he is a testament to hope. Madam Speaker, 12\1/2\ years ago, he was on his deathbed, paralyzed from the neck down after a catastrophic injury where he broke his back, his neck, and had four skull fracture injuries and brain damage in every lobe. Rich died three times at the scene of the accident before an EMT was able to revive him and eventually place him into an induced coma. He was lucky, though, and eventually regained feeling in his fingers and toes and learned to walk and talk again. He was able to use golf therapy to rehabilitate his injuries. Following his own recovery, he started helping others to use golf therapy and became an advocate for others with disabilities. As Charleston welcomes the PGA Championship this weekend, Rich deserves applause and praise for his charity and willingness to help other veterans like him through golf therapy.

Ms. MACE

Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, for the last eight years, Charleston, South Carolina, has been named the number one city to travel to. Even despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen thousands of folks come and visit our beautiful, historic city. In the next 10 days, Charleston is going to welcome a PGA Tournament in Kiawah, South Carolina. There is opportunity everywhere. Our airports are full. We are seeing a record number of travelers this month and this year alone. People are on the roads driving to our beautiful city. Yet with all of this great tourism that we are having, we are having a massive labor shortage. Take, for example, one of my friends, Wade Boals, who owns Saltwater Cowboys in Mt. Pleasant, a beautiful waterfront restaurant where you can enjoy sunsets and a great cocktail or adult beverage of your choice. Rather than be excited about all this tourism, he is desperate to find help, desperate to find workers and staff to work his restaurant. So imagine a restaurant that once had 20 employees now has three, and the demand on those staff who see no end in sight right now. But he is not alone. In the State of South Carolina, there are 85,000 jobs available in the last 30 days, and we have 116,000 people on unemployment today. If you want a job, you can have a job. And Wade is offering great benefits, great salary, right on the waterfront. There is no better place to work than Mt. Pleasant, right on the water. The $1.9 trillion COVID relief package, meant as a short-term financial solution to help those most in need, has really turned into an entitlement. We are making people dependent on the Federal Government for their day-to-day life, when opportunity is all around them every day, even in the middle of the pandemic. It turns out, when you pay people to stay at home and not go to work, they actually do that; they stay at home. Wade is just one example. There are examples everywhere. Literally everyone in every industry that I talk to, businesses large and small, are having the same problem. Employers are desperate to find employees. Everywhere, even in the supply chain--you look at what is happening this week with our supply chain. Truck driver shortages, a shortage of CDL drivers. Many of those folks are on unemployment right now, rather than go back to work. We have enormous needs in every industry across the country today. The reality is that no business, large or small, could ever waste as much money as our Federal Government does. When I look around us here today, I see a House of Representatives that has the slimmest majority in a generation, and I see a U.S. Senate that is evenly split 50/50, yet we are chasing radicalism. This is not a referendum on socialism or radical policy. This year should be a referendum on both Chambers working together, in a bipartisan way, to get our kids back in school and our people back to work and through COVID-19 successfully.

Ms. MACE

Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, I have seen more damage done in the first 100 days of this administration than I thought possible in 4 years. Rather than unity, it has been division. Rather than working together, it has been partisanship. We are hearing even today in the comments that we are trying to stoke racial division in this country. This is nothing but a naked power play today. That is all this is about. People who can't get their radical agenda passed under the system our Framers set up now want to blow it up. This is nothing but ideological terrorism by those willing to completely ignore our Constitution and system of government. Whether it is attacks on the First, Second or Fourth Amendment, or turning our Federal seat of government over to two more far-left Senators, they simply do not care. They want what they want. This is not about a balance of power. This is about more power. This is about government-run healthcare; a $93 trillion Green New Deal; packing the Supreme Court; higher taxes; and a bigger, less efficient form of government.

Ms. MACE

Ms. MACE. Madam Speaker, today I rise to wish a very happy birthday to a South Carolina hero, a community leader and someone who just yesterday turned 104 years young, Lieutenant Colonel Retired Sam Mulrain. Lieutenant Colonel Mulrain has done so much in his life and I am proud to recognize him today, and I am grateful for all of his accomplishments. His legacy is inspirational to our Nation and the Lowcountry. We owe Lieutenant Colonel Mulrain so much for his contributions, both in military service and in his humanitarian efforts. He was part of the Greatest Generation, storming the beaches of Normandy where he was wounded and received the Purple Heart. He played baseball with Hall of Famer Phil ``The Scooter'' Rizzuto. In and around Hilton Head, the community knows him for his tireless dedication to public service. Today, we in Congress, wish Sam a very happy birthday.

Ms. MACE

Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, today I have the privilege to present congratulatory remarks to the College of Charleston cheerleading team on their historic weekend, winning their first national championship. For the first time in school and program history, the College of Charleston cheerleaders won first place, under the direction of their head coach, Samantha Pairet, who stands as an exemplary leader of young athletes in South Carolina and around the country. The team traveled to Daytona April 7 through 10 to compete in the Intermediate Small Coed Division I performance division, where they received a score of 94.23 and were crowned the Intermediate Small Coed Division I national champions. Way to go, Cougars.

Ms. MACE

Ms. MACE. Madam Speaker, as a single working mom, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act, to get our kids out from behind screens and back into the classroom.

Ms. MACE

Ms. MACE. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers and am prepared to close. It is a real honor to be here today, and the distinguished whip is correct that this is long overdue, to recognize Joseph Rainey and his accomplishments. He fought tirelessly for civil rights and education and opportunity. He fought for freedom for every working American in this country. To be here today in Black History Month to recognize his legacy and his legend, he will not be forgotten, and we ensure that today. I hope that future generations of South Carolinians and Americans across the country can be inspired by his courageous leadership here in this House. I urge my colleagues to support this bill today. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MACE. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Rice) for his remarks.

Ms. MACE. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time. General Leave

Ms. MACE

Ms. MACE. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 772, a bill that would name a Minnesota post office after Jim Ramstad. From 1968 to 1974, Jim Ramstad served as a member of the Army Reserve. In 1981, he was elected to the Minnesota State Senate, where he would go on to serve for 10 years. He was then elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he represented Minnesota's Third Congressional District. During his time in Congress, he strove to reduce discrimination against those suffering from mental health and addiction problems. He retired from Congress in 2009 and went on to serve as a fellow at Harvard University and as an adviser to Minnesota's Hazelden treatment center. I urge my colleagues to support this bill honoring an inspiring American leader that proves that everyone deserves a second chance. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MACE

Ms. MACE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 813, a bill that would name an Albuquerque, New Mexico, post office after Jose Hernandez. Mr. Hernandez enlisted in the Army after graduating from Arizona State University and was then stationed in Germany and deployed to Iraq in 2003. After his discharge from the Army, Jose Hernandez moved to New Mexico and began working at the U.S. Postal Service as a civil engineer and letter carrier. In 2009, he was tragically killed while protecting a mother in a domestic dispute. He intervened to try to peacefully end the fight, but was shot by the woman's son. His hometown mourns this tragic loss. I urge my colleagues today to support this legislation honoring a true American hero. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MACE

Ms. MACE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 208, a bill to name a Mississippi post office for Colonel Carlyle ``Smitty'' Harris. Smitty Harris enlisted in the Air Force in 1951, and would later go on to serve for 28 years as a pilot instructor, operations officer, and faculty member at the Air War College. In 1965, while on a combat mission over North Vietnam, Smitty's F-105 was struck and he was forced to bail out over North Vietnam where he was captured. He spent the next 8 years as a prisoner of war, where he was confined in various prisons and tortured. During his time in prison, he is known for creating the tap code, which POWs used to communicate secretly between cells. After nearly 8 years as a prisoner of war, he returned home to the U.S. and to his loving family. His son called him his hero and role model. But the truth is, he is every American's hero. He has earned numerous medals and accolades for heroic service on behalf our Nation. Those include: two Silver Star Medals, three Legion of Merits, the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Bronze Stars for valor, two Purple Hearts, and two Air Medals. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues today to support this legislation in recognition of this great American hero, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MACE. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Kelly).

Ms. MACE. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues today to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MACE

Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, this is not the reason I wanted to give my first speech in our Chamber, in our hallowed Halls. This is not what I wanted to do in my first week in office. But after the violent events of last week, watching and witnessing how heartbreaking this was, thank God I sent my kids home on Monday morning because I was worried about the rhetoric leading up to the events and to the rally on January 6, the violence that could transpire. Not only were our lives in danger but if my kids were here, their lives would have been in danger, too, the two most precious people in my life. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. House of Representatives has every right to impeach the President of the United States. What we are doing today, rushing this impeachment in an hour- or 2-hour-long debate on the floor in this Chamber, bypassing Judiciary, poses great questions about the constitutionality of this process. I believe we need to hold the President accountable. I hold him accountable for the events that transpired, for the attack on our Capitol last Wednesday. I also believe we need to hold accountable every single person, even Members of Congress, if they contributed to the violence that transpired here. But, today, I am asking my colleagues to remember the words of the legendary, great leader in this country, Dr. Martin Luther King, who once said the time is always right to do what is right. If we are serious about healing the division in this country, Republicans and Democrats need to acknowledge this is not the first day of violence we have seen. We have seen violence across our country for the last 9 months. We need to recognize, number one, that our words have consequences, that there is violence on both sides of the aisle. We have contributed to it. We need to take responsibility for our words and our actions. We need to acknowledge there is a problem, take responsibility for it, and stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution. God bless every Member in the Chamber today, and God bless the United States of America.