Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today on H.R. 3684, the INVEST in America Act. I support improving America's infrastructure, but even a broad definition of infrastructure doesn't include creating a massive network of centralized planning, unreasonable regulations, and undisciplined debt. This is not how we win the future. We have shown how working together can result in positive improvements for drinking water systems. Take the America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, AWIA, which was a huge bipartisan win for water infrastructure. Today, while the bill before us renews several AWIA authorizations, H.R. 3684 is plagued by significant controversial policy choices. First, it authorizes drinking water loan fund spending amounts that are triple those requested in the President's fiscal year 2022 budget, $1.35 billion versus $4.14 billion. It also layers an expensive, new, 10-year, $45 billion public and privately owned lead service replacement program on top of two existing EPA programs. It does so even though EPA is at least 2 years away from determining where lead service lines should be replaced, and the costs involved. Second, the legislation makes radical changes to EPA's regulatory authority for drinking water contaminants. It promotes stringency rather than health. It will raise costs on all customers, including low-and middle-income families and punish communities with the lowest rate bases. H.R. 3684 strikes the requirement in the Safe Drinking Water Act that costs of a regulation be in line with its health benefits. That allows communities to protect public health without overspending their finite public health resources on minimal risks. Communities must be allowed to prioritize their limited resources on their most pressing concerns. The INVEST in America Act also removes language permitting our lowest and smallest communities--with EPA approval--to use more affordable technology that protects people's health. This bill authorizes $4 billion to pay off unpaid bills from the last 15 months--even though Congress has already provided at least $1.1 billion to do this. Importantly, water systems that participate in this program are prohibited from collecting old amounts from their customers for 5 years, regardless of income. This will cripple water systems' ability to meet expenses and plan. If that is not enough, H.R. 3684 creates a new, $8 billion entitlement program at the EPA. This is EPA's first-ever entitlement program. It creates barriers for smaller, poorer, water systems and requires EPA to study the need for this program only after it starts handing out all this money. Without dramatic changes, I can't support this bill, and I urge opposition. I encourage all Members of the House to support Republican amendments that correct its deficits, including my amendment with Ranking Member McKinley, which builds upon the 2018 bipartisan efforts and reauthorizes more than $11 billion for the bipartisan drinking water programs from AWIA. I also have to address the so-called auto safety title that the majority dropped into this bill. In mid-April we agreed with the Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats to circulate a draft auto safety title to stakeholders, largely written by the Democrats, that included a proposal promoting autonomous vehicles. We worked in good faith--even when the majority backed off on their commitment for a legislative hearing. Our patience seemed to be rewarded with this rushed measure without even a markup. It is notable that the framework for autonomous vehicles is missing in this legislation before us. We must provide a pathway for America to beat China and lead in the testing and the deployment of AVs. This deficiency is a gift to the trial lawyers who make money off of unsafe roads. It rewards the Teamsters, who completely misunderstood that our jurisdiction only includes passenger vehicles and not trucking. Their opposition hurts their brothers and sisters in labor who want to make these vehicles. Sadly, this failure will hurt vulnerable communities. AV legislation, autonomous vehicles, self-driving cars, would deliver a whole new form of mobility for seniors and people with disabilities. Our economy and national security is also compromised here as well. Inaction cedes the leadership of driverless cars to China, just like we did for communication equipment companies. It is not acceptable. We can do better. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to amendments en bloc No. 5. En bloc No. 5 is filled with proposals that spend excessively on new programs, create duplicate programs, ignore scientific and public input, and place serious burdens on rural communities. For instance, one amendment, which I might add is very well-meaning, creates a new program with a price tag of $200 million per year, or eight times the amount for the existing program that covers physical upgrades and training to deal with all terrorism threats and resilience. There is a proposal in this bloc to require EPA to establish a website for testing private water wells. Yet, for those seeking information, EPA already has a website to provide information to the public on private well testing, preventing water pollution, identifying contaminants, and contacts for emergency response. In another area, en bloc No. 5 requires GAO to provide Congress policy options for best practices for EPA to use with States and local governments to include the public in a consolidation process. The study is unnecessary and punitive to rural communities. Section 1414 of the Safe Drinking Water Act already has mandatory assessment requirements for systems that have problems. Mr. Speaker, I have identified here only a few of the provisions that I find troublesome. There are other matters in this amendment that are difficult when it comes to workability and also that have other policy concerns. On a separate note, I must express my opposition to the inclusion in the previous bloc of amendments of the NO EXHAUST Act, a partisan Energy and Commerce bill. This amendment provides subsidies for the rich to buy electric vehicles at the expense of the taxpayers and everyone else's electric reliability and utility bills. The amendment makes no consideration for American jobs, our growing reliance on China for critical minerals to make batteries, or the strain that electric vehicles undoubtedly will place on the grid. The amendment even mandates new building codes so everyone has to install expensive electrical equipment in their homes and buildings for EV chargers, even if nobody is driving an electric vehicle. These kinds of policies will harm hardworking American families, especially those in our rural communities. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to join me in opposing this en bloc amendment.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this resolution of disapproval of the EPA's methane policy rule. This resolution is another attack on the hardworking American men and women who supply energy that is so important to our economy and our national security. Don't be mistaken, this is an attack on American energy security. Remember those gas lines from the 1970s? Remember the energy security and dominance truly captured in the last few years? In 2020, America became energy independent. It was a longtime goal. President Jimmy Carter established the Department of Energy with a goal of becoming energy independent, recognizing how important a diverse supply of energy is to America. So why is the majority moving forward right now? Gas prices are already on the rise, threatening our economic recovery and causing pain at the pump for Americans who are ready to put the pandemic behind them. We are still recovering from the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack, which shut down the Nation's most important pipeline, causing supply shortages and price spikes. If it is not already obvious to the Democrats across the aisle, affordable and reliable supplies of gasoline are absolutely critical to our economy. It is critical to our way of life. This is a misguided resolution. Taken together with President Biden's executive orders banning oil and natural gas drilling on Federal lands and canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, it will likely drive gas prices even higher. So why is the majority pushing this resolution? This resolution has next to nothing to do with protecting the environment or reducing methane emissions. The States and the EPA already regulate methane emissions, and we have a well-established program that supports the industry to go even further. Reducing methane emissions is a priority for all of us, for the oil and natural gas industry; and thanks to innovation and industry action, the United States methane emissions rates in the largest producing regions have declined 70 percent in the last decade, even as our production is surging. The United States is the world's leading producers of oil and natural gas. That is something that we should be celebrating. That is so foundational to our economy, to our national security. In addition to that, we are leading the world in emission reductions at the same time. The United States of America has led the world in reducing carbon emissions, more than the next 12 countries combined, more than any other country in the world. Again, that is something that we should be celebrating. Let's not jeopardize that progress to fulfill the Green New Deal wish list. We all know that this resolution is unnecessary. President Biden has made his intentions very clear. His administration has declared war on affordable fossil energy and energy security. President Biden has already canceled the Keystone pipeline and banned drilling on Federal lands. Now Democrats are proposing this resolution to clear the pathway for President Biden and the EPA to impose burdensome new regulations on the energy industry. This is just the tip of the iceberg to regulate other sources under section 111 of the Clean Air Act, regardless of their overall contribution to air pollution. Mr. Speaker, I would submit we should be focusing on results, not on feel-good measures. This is an attack on American energy. Who is next? The EPA has its crosshairs on the backbone of American industry, including manufacturing, paper, chemicals, plastics, and metals. Millions of good-paying American jobs are on the line. Our competitiveness is on the line. American leadership is on the line. Our national security is on the line. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this harmful resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, on June 15, 2022, I voted against bills En Bloc. Had H.R. 610, H.R. 293, H.R. 587, H.R. 1144, H.R. 1921, H.R. 2008, H.R. 2332, H.R. 2545, and H.R. 3642 each received a standalone vote, I would have voted in support of each bill. I opposed the En Bloc because I oppose H.R. 1703.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I want to also thank my colleague from Washington State (Mr. Kilmer) for his attention to the Puget Sound, and his commitment to putting us on a better path. The Puget Sound is in crisis. The salmon in Puget Sound, the salmon that are most crucial to the orcas, are in crisis. You can see right here; this is the State of Salmon report. This is the graphic Washington State of Salmon report, and it says that the Puget Sound Chinook, the Puget Sound steelhead--over here--are in crisis. And I might just point out, the Snake River Chinook are actually approaching goal. The Snake River steelhead are making progress. It is part of the reason that I believe the Puget Sound SOS Act is so important, to bring much needed oversight and enforcement of Federal pollution standards in Puget Sound. But we must do more. Despite NOAA's research indicating that these salmon stocks are the most critical to our orcas, the State of Washington continues to allow outdated sewage treatment plants to illegally dump raw sewage into the Sound, creating conditions that are literally suffocating the salmon. Over the years, 80 sewage treatment plants have illegally dumped toxins into the Sound, and now the Washington State Department of Ecology is considering permits to allow 58 plants to continue poisoning the water. It is unacceptable. By establishing a Puget Sound Recovery National Program Office, I hope this bill will finally push the EPA to hold the State of Washington accountable for the damage that unchecked pollution in the Sound is doing for our endangered salmon and orcas. It is also critically important that we stop this pollution at its source so that the money we are authorizing for the Puget Sound Recovery Act is actually effective. Madam Speaker, I am urging leadership in my State, stop the sewage, save our Sound, save our salmon, save our orcas.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Monica Babine. On May 26, 2021, Monica was presented with the 2021 Digital Equity Champion Award for her outstanding work in the field of digital equity. For more than 30 years, she has worked on this issue that is so critical to Washington's 5th Congressional District. Currently, Monica is the Senior Associate of the Program for Digital Initiatives at Washington State University's Division of Governmental Studies & Services. In this role, she works with business, government, economic, and community development organizations to increase broadband awareness, access, and use across the state of Washington. Monica has a keen understanding that access to reliable, affordable broadband is basic infrastructure in our 21st Century digital economy. Her work to help close the digital divide and expand access to broadband in Eastern Washington's most rural communities cannot be overstated. Monica has proven time and again to be a true leader in her field, creating the Broadband Action Team model and serving as a valuable resource for local leaders interested in broadband planning. As a result of her work, more people than ever are engaging to identify local broadband needs and make plans to address them. Monica's focus on rural communities has made her an incredible partner, and I am grateful for her efforts as we continue working together to address this issue in Congress. Her tireless work to bring together members of our Eastern Washington community, including policymakers at every level, is so important to help close the digital divide once and for all. Madam Speaker, for her commitment to expanding access to broadband, her exceptional leadership, and her ongoing work to improve the lives of people around her, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Monica Babine.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, my heart is heavy as I rise today to honor the life of my dear friend, Cat Davis, who passed away on May 26, 2021. Cat was a remarkable soul, and she was one of God's greatest gifts to everyone who knew her. My prayers are with Cat's family as we mourn her passing. I first met Cat and her mom, Sally, at a unity dinner that I hosted several years ago in Spokane, Washington. Cat had bright purple hair that caught everyone's attention. When she first approached me, she gave me a big hug, and I knew right away that her stand out hair color was the perfect match for the clear vibrancy she had for life. In that moment, not I, nor anyone else could have imagined the depth of suffering she had been enduring. Under the surface, Cat was fighting for her life as she battled Scleroderma, a rare autoimmune disease without a cure. During our first meeting, Cat told me she needed a stem cell transplant, but Medicare refused to cover the surgery. This would have devastated most people, but not Cat. Instead, her will to live and her desire to fight this illness only grew stronger. In June 2017, Cat and Sally travelled to D.C. to meet with the Director for the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services in my office in the Capitol. Cat passionately shared her story and pleaded for them to grant the transplant surgery, and they responded positively. It had been worth the difficult trip from Spokane to D.C. Cat would eventually be granted approval for surgery, and with it, a second lease on life. I watched as Cat continued to approach each day with hope, enthusiasm, and deep understanding of the impact a life lived for others has. As our friendship continued to deepen over the years, she and her mom became a special example to me of love enduring all things. As the Bible says in I Corinthians, ``Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love.'' Cat's love and friendship will forever be imprinted on my heart, and for that, I will always be grateful. Madam Speaker, Cat Davis lived an amazing life that deserves to be celebrated. In honor of Cat's love, legacy, and passion that has inspired all those who knew her, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Cat Davis. May God grant her eternal peace in His kingdom.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1629, the Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act. The Orphan Drug Act was enacted to incentivize the development of drugs that treat rare diseases. Products designated as orphan drugs may be entitled to 7 years of market exclusivity, meaning a drug produced by another manufacturer that contains the same active ingredient to treat the same condition is barred from entering the market during this time. However, we have seen in recent years that some drug manufacturers, in an effort to block competition from the market, have tried to take advantage of a loophole in existing law. H.R. 1629 will close this loophole and prevent potential abuse of this program in the future. We must preserve incentives to innovate, especially for drugs that treat rare diseases, while preventing bad actors from attempting to exploit those incentives to benefit from a national crisis, as was done during the opioid epidemic. This legislation strikes that careful balance. This bill garnered both Republican and Democrat support last Congress. I hope we can continue to work together to move H.R. 1629 forward in the future on a bipartisan basis. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I voted no on H.R. 1065, however, this vote was a mistake. I support H.R. 1065, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Stated against:

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlemen from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce), a great member and leader on the committee.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Van Duyne).

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am disappointed that we are kicking the can down the road on a short-term extension of DEA's emergency scheduling order to keep dangerous fentanyl analogues in schedule I. While I will vote in favor of this bill today because allowing this lifesaving order to expire is unacceptable, this short-term extension from the Democratic majority fails to meet the gravity of the situation facing our communities, our border, and our country. They have had 2 years to come to the table and work with us on a permanent solution to combat fentanyl and fentanyl analogues and the dangers that they pose to Americans. If we don't act, these dangerous drugs being smuggled across our southern border would effectively become street legal. We need a permanent solution to save the lives of people in despair and to protect our communities, and we need Democrats in the House and the Senate to wake up and take it seriously. Nearly all States are seeing a spike in synthetic opioid deaths, with 10 Western States reporting a more than 98 percent increase. This pandemic has made it worse. In my home State of Washington, the fentanyl positivity rate has increased 236 percent, more than any other State in the country. My community lost two teenagers recently from a suspected fentanyl-related death. They had their whole lives in front of them. Just a few milligrams of fentanyl, what can fit on the ear of Abraham Lincoln on our penny--that is a pretty small amount--is lethal. Fentanyl analogues are oftentimes more potent, and more than a thousand of them have been created over the years to mimic fentanyl's opioid effects and outsmart the law. With class-wide scheduling, any dangerous variant of fentanyl is controlled under schedule I. According to the DEA, right now, there are 27 new fentanyl-related substances that have been encountered and immediately controlled under the class-wide scheduling order. All of those substances are many times more potent than heroin and pose serious health and safety risks. One recently encountered substance was approximately eight times more potent than fentanyl. In addition to the ongoing, unprecedented humanitarian crisis at the border, fentanyl and other dangerous opioids are also pouring across our border at an ever-increasing rate. The Border Patrol just reported a 233 percent increase in fentanyl seizures at the southern border just in the last year. If the class-wide scheduling of fentanyl-related substances is allowed to expire, drug traffickers will be further emboldened to smuggle this poison into our communities. The Trump administration also worked hard to make the Chinese Communist Party accountable for the fentanyl analogues that were being manufactured in China, forcing them to crack down on it. If we let this expire and do not make it permanent, we will be sending a clear message to the CCP that it is okay for them to ease up and let this illicit industry continue to grow. Moving forward, we must work with the DEA and other agencies to make this scheduling permanent, just like Mr. Latta's FIGHT Fentanyl Act, while making reforms to improve scientific research on these substances. I am glad that the majority is agreeing with us that we cannot let this expire. I am gravely disappointed that it is only a few months. This extension will buy us far less time than the 1-year extension Republican leader Jim Jordan and I put forward and the 7-month extension that was requested by the Biden administration. If this 5-month extension is signed into law, I call on Democrats and Republicans to begin working immediately on a longer term solution. We stand ready to immediately begin the bipartisan work necessary to get a permanent fix signed into law. I am committed to working over the next 5 months to solve this issue once and for all and not just settle on a short-term extension. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this temporary extension, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie), the lead Republican on the Health Subcommittee.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tampa, Florida, (Mr. Bilirakis), a leader on the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), the only pharmacist on our committee, and a leader on this issue.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Fitzgerald).

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson), a colleague and leader on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry), one of the leaders of this legislation and the leader of the Financial Services Committee.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 578, the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act. This legislation is bipartisan, a companion of H.R. 1202, that was led by Representatives McHenry, Gonzalez, and Matsui. S. 578 will designate sesame as a major food allergen. This means that, with the enactment of this legislation, manufacturers would have to list this ingredient on the food packaging label of products containing sesame. Recent studies indicate that sesame allergies are of growing concern in the United States, with a prevalence rate on par with allergies to soy and fish, which are both listed as major allergens under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. This commonsense legislation will provide consumers with the information they need to protect themselves and their families from certain dangerous and life-threatening allergic reactions. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), an important leader on this legislation as well as on the committee.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 189, the John Lewis NIMHD Research Endowment Revitalization Act, which was introduced by my colleagues, Representatives Barragan, Carter, and Taylor. This bill will authorize the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to award research grants to current and former centers of excellence that conduct research on minority health disparities. Health inequities are disproportionately experienced by minority populations, and these disparities can have adverse impacts on health outcomes, economic opportunities, and overall quality of life. The current COVID-19 pandemic has only underscored these disparities, which is why this bill is so important. Continued support of these centers of excellence is critical in advancing minority health, addressing health inequities, and expanding educational and training opportunities for those interested in further advancing research in this space. I would like to thank my colleagues and especially my colleague on the Energy and Commerce Committee on the Republican side, Representative Buddy Carter, for leading this initiative. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.