Alexander Mooney

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Madam Speaker, as you just heard from the previous speaker and you read often in the press about a potential government shutdown, let me just tell you how this works. The House passes a bill, then the Senate considers a bill. In the Senate, you either vote on the bill with majority vote or the minority party may choose to filibuster that bill. If the minority party chooses to filibuster the bill, which requires 60 votes for cloture, that shuts down that bill from passing. We have passed 12 appropriations bills out of this Chamber right here that are still sitting in the Senate waiting to be taken up. One, the Democrats need to drop the filibuster. I wish the majority party over there would actually put the bills on the floor and make the country see the filibuster live for all to view. You might see that over the weekend. I hope the majority leader does that. What would cause a lack of funding for the government is simply the minority party, which is the Democrats, in the Senate abusing the filibuster and causing the government not to be funded. That is what is causing it. That is a fact. You may have different opinions on other issues, but the fact of the matter is this is the way the process works. A filibuster means you can't even get a vote on the bill. That is being done by the Democratic Party in the Senate right now. They have done it all year. It is dysfunctional. It needs to stop.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for bringing this important bill to the floor. We have heard it mentioned that, in 2002, in a bipartisan way, we already have law that a baby born alive, at any stage of gestation, any weeks of life, born alive, it is already illegal to kill the baby, and that was a bipartisan bill; so I can understand why my friends on the other side of the aisle want to keep changing the subject. Every vote today should be for this bill. We have already agreed that you have to save the lives of these children. The problem is that we don't have strong enforcement mechanisms. This bill provides enforcement mechanisms. This bill specifies any medical care. This should be a unanimous vote. That is what we need to talk about here today--in fact, life begins at conception--to have laws that protect babies born alive. Now, remember, these are babies who are born alive. There have been questions about whether or not it happens. Melissa Ohden, who testified in the Judiciary Committee a couple of years ago, was a baby born alive. She started her own network, the Abortion Survivors Network, where she has had contact with 203 other abortion survivors. Sometimes when they go in to start the abortion, they start the treatments, the dilation, and the chemical treatments, the baby comes out alive. I know people listening to this here today might believe that this is a horror story and that this doesn't happen. It happens in America. We need to fight this, make it illegal, and pass this bill, so that those babies are given the same protection as any other child who is alive. This is a no-brainer. The only shame today is that when this vote is cast later, if there are not 435 ``yes'' votes on that board today, that should be the shame of this situation. These are live babies. This is a no-brainer bill. I am proud to represent the State of West Virginia, where respect for human life is cherished. Every Member of this body should respect human life. If it is already law, you should have no problem voting for it. That is all the more reason to support the bill before us today. The voters of this country have elected us to do the job of the pro- life majority. It is time we pass bills like this, and more bills like this, so that we can show people we care about the unborn children.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Clark Barnes for his service in the West Virginia Senate. Clark served as a State Senator from Randolph County for ten years and in 2015 became Senate clerk. A preacher's son, he worked as a ranch hand at a camp for deaf teens, served in the Army, handled permits for a mining company, ran his own construction business, sold life insurance and worked for Miracle Ear in the hearing aid business. Clark put in 30 years as a Miracle Ear entrepreneur and operated in 13 locations. Clark's work ethic cannot be matched. His dedication to his work life in both the private and public sector is simply astonishing. At 67, Clark has decided to retire and move to Florida to enjoy a few months fishing before seeing what lies in store. Enjoy retirement, Clark.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following article congratulating Leah Devine being named Outstanding West Virginia World Language Teacher of the Year. [From the Inter-Mountain] Elkins Native Wins Teacher of the Year Honor Elkins--A local Spanish instructor and Elkins native recently earned teacher of the year honor. Leah Devine, an online Spanish teacher with the West Virginia Virtual School was named Outstanding West Virginia World Language Teacher of the Year by the West Virginia Foreign Language Teacher's Organization in October. ``Languages, culture knowledge and understanding international customs all can broaden a student's perspective and encourage the student to see the world through new eyes. When students can reflect on the greater world, they can also in turn reflect on their own language, communities, customs and daily practices,'' Devine said about the value of learning languages and developing global and cultural literacy. Devine teaches virtually in five counties in the state, including Randolph, Monroe, Greenbrier, Summers and Kanawha. Within these counties, she instructs students at Western Greenbrier Middle School, DuPont Middle School, Mountain View Middle School and Peterstown Middle School, Pickens School, Summers County Middle School and Summers County High School. ``Basically, the students are on online curriculum most of the time, but three days out of the week, I call them and I teach them,'' Devine said. ``When I teach them lessons, they're seeing the same things I'm seeing and we're doing a lot of the same skills we would be doing if we were in a face-to-face setting--such as answer this question, ask your neighbor this or tell me what color shirt you're wearing.'' She went on to say the classes are proficiency based and interactive while they are primarily conducted over phone or online. While the majority of her teaching is done virtually, Devine said she is able to visit her students three times per year. Before she began teaching virtually, Devine taught for six years in a face-to-face classroom setting. She is now in her 12th year of teaching. ``Part of what I do is I go visit my students and teach them face-to-face, and when I'm there we do cultural activities,'' Devine said. ``Some of the things I've done is teach about the food made in Venezuela, and I was able to bring the students from Pickens to El Gran Sabor for a field trip.'' She explained students were to order in Spanish when they visited the restaurant, and several months later, the students made Venezuelan cuisine for their parents. ``They were taking what they learned food-wise to cook and prepare a meal using recipes in Spanish,'' Devine said. Devine earned a masters in instructional design and technology from West Virginia University. She is also the immediate past president of the West Virginia Chapter of American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, and the secretary of the West Virginia Foreign Language Teachers' Association. When she was a student at Elkins High School, Devine studied Spanish with Brad Martin, longtime language teacher at EHS. ``I learned a great deal from Mr. Martin as his student, and as I started my professional career I became increasingly aware of how phenomenal of a teacher and role model he is,'' Devine said. ``(Martin) has inspired other language teachers around the area and has multiple former students currently teaching world languages.'' She also noted 20 years ago Martin was awarded the teacher of the year award by the West Virginia Foreign Language Teachers Association. In March, Devine will travel to Atlanta for the Southern Conference on Language Teaching to represent the Mountain State as teacher of the year and compete for the regional title. ``I'll also attend workshops to learn things that will help to improve our profession that I can bring back and share with West Virginia students as well as my peers and colleagues,'' Devine said. While she said she does not currently have plans to teach any additional languages, she hopes to learn more, possibly Italian and Portuguese. ``We live and teach in an interconnected world where learning languages is a key to unlocking opportunities,'' Devine said. ``It is our duty as language teachers to help our students build confidence and skills that they can use to explore the world around them and the global community.''

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Colorado, Mr. Buck, for leading this Special Order effort and for recognizing me to talk about this issue and the general problem in the Senate today of having legislation considered, debated, and passed in a way that we can go to conference committee. As the gentleman mentioned, the Senate has already failed to act, and is currently failing to act, as we stand here, on over 270 House-passed bills. One of those bills is a really important one, very important to the committee on which I serve. I am proud to be on the Financial Services Committee. The tradition of that position was held by my predecessor, Shelley Moore Capito, who served on that committee for 14 years. Ably led by Chairman Jeb Hensarling from Texas, we work in a bipartisan fashion, as much as we possibly can, to bring relief to the American people, give consumers choices in banking products, and the ability to get a small loan or get a mortgage for their house. We are doing very important work there. So, as was mentioned, on June 8 of 2017, this year, here, the U.S. House of Representatives, where I now stand, passed H.R. 10, the Financial CHOICE Act, by a vote of 233-186. I was very proud to vote for that legislation, as I know were a lot of my colleagues. The Financial CHOICE Act, if you are not familiar with the bill, after the financial crisis in 2007, Democrats held all the Chambers in the House, the Senate, and the Presidency, and they passed sweeping legislation that fundamentally changed the way our economy works for the worse; much more interference in your lives in banking, and the ability to make loans and consider requests for bank loans were done. Basically, Dodd-Frank is to the financial services industry what ObamaCare is to the healthcare industry. It is a government-knows- better, one-size-fits-all, federally mandated set of laws that have hurt the very people they claim they want to help. It hurts the same people they want to help. So we are repealing most of that, and we are going to empower consumers, give you the choices back. So we have passed this bill. Let me just give you one example of something in the bill, to be specific. There was something that was designated in the Dodd-Frank bill called too big to fail. You may remember that term, ``too big to fail.'' That is a situation where Washington bureaucrats had decided that certain banks--the theory is that they are so essential to the global economy that failure would be catastrophic. So it takes the ability to fail out of the banks' system, which then makes them act more risky. Big does not necessarily refer to the size of the company, just what the government decides is essential, too big to fail. So the first bank that was too big to fail was Bear Stearns. In March of 2008, the Federal Reserve lent $30 billion to JPMorgan Chase to buy the failing investment bank. Bear was a small bank, but very well- known, and there was a worry that it would destroy confidence in other banks. So your tax dollars were used to, essentially, bail out banks. So this bill repeals the authority of the Financial Stability Oversight Council to designate firms as systematically important institutions. It prohibits the use of Exchange Stabilization Funds to bail out banks. Most Americans I talk to don't think their taxpayer dollars should be used to bail out banks, so this bill would stop that. So we passed that bill. We sent it to the Senate. We didn't think the Senate would pass the exact same bill, word for word, that the House passed. We thought they would consider our bill, take the parts they like, maybe change some parts, maybe add some parts, or move some parts, pass a bill in the Senate, and then we would go to a conference committee to reconcile the differences. One of the biggest travesties I have seen around here of the political process, Mr. Speaker, is the failure to have conference committees in the Congress any longer. The House passes all these bills, over 300 over there; 270 are waiting for the Senate to do anything on. Anything. And we wait for the Senate to act so we can have a conference committee and reconcile the differences. It is important to understand that no one in the House is demanding they get their way on every bill, every provision, all the time. We simply want to have a product sent to the Senate, have the Senate do their job, do their due diligence, pass legislation in whatever form they can get out of the Senate, and have a chance to go to conference committee, reconcile the differences. There is some give-and-take there. They won't get everything they want. We may not get everything we want. You can reconcile those differences, and it has to go back and pass again. Over the past 3 years, my third year in Congress now, I have taken to reminding folks things they learned in fifth grade, in fifth grade grade school, about how I am just a bill sitting on Capitol Hill, and how it is supposed to go to one Chamber; then it is supposed to go to the other, and they appoint a conference committee to reconcile the differences. Instead, as the previous speaker, Congressman Biggs from Arizona, mentioned, the filibuster is abused. You have 48 Democrats in the Senate who filibuster everything. Everything. And for some reason, my colleagues on the majority side of the aisle, the Republicans, don't put the bills on the floor to make the American people see them filibuster, and obstruct, and shut down, avoid conference committees, avoid passing anything in the Senate that would require action, and, therefore, just stop anything from happening. It is a travesty of the political process. Neither Republican nor Democrats should stand for such an abusive system in the Senate. So I think we should put the bills over there and make them act. We have actually started passing pieces of the CHOICE Act, one small bill at a time, in order to get other stuff over to the Senate, in the hope that they will just do something, act on something. But we shouldn't have to do that, frankly, Mr. Speaker, because the Senate can simply pass any bill they want, or any Senate bills they want, and then we can consider it in the House as well. We have led by passing the CHOICE Act bill, which is the right thing to do. You know, as disappointing as it was to see the U.S. Senate fail to pass anything on healthcare, maybe the one silver lining was the American people could finally see what happens if three Republicans join with 48 Democrats to vote against the bill. We did not have the votes to pass anything on healthcare, and the whole healthcare reform plan died at that moment. We are sitting here today with a failing healthcare system that is going to continue to fail. ObamaCare is going to continue to fail. It is not getting any better. It is getting worse. Look, our bill wasn't perfect, Mr. Speaker, but at least we did something in the House to address the problem. I am not saying this bill is perfect, the CHOICE Act for financial services, but we are doing something to address the problem that consumers are demanding, where they can have more choice and more access to funds to buy a home or start a small business. We are doing something about it, and the Senate is doing nothing. They don't pass anything. In fact, we have passed all 12 appropriations bills in this Chamber. All 12 are sitting over there in the Senate, waiting for someone to act. I think the first thing they should do is bring up the military funding bill. We are in November already. In December, next month, funding runs out. We have passed our appropriations bills. The Senate is doing nothing on appropriations bills. They should bring that military bill to the floor of the Senate, right now, and have a vote. It passed this Chamber with a strong, bipartisan majority. Funding the military is not a partisan issue. There are votes, I believe, in the Senate and the House to fund the military. But if the 48 Democrat Senators want to filibuster, abuse their power, abuse this filibuster tradition, which was mentioned is not in the Constitution, it is simply a courtesy extended to the minority party; if they want to continue to abuse that power, the American people should see them, ruthlessly, politically, try to shut down the military, and then try to blame the President or blame the House when they won't pass anything. They should pass a military appropriations bill that helps fund our troops. We will reconcile the differences and send it to the President's desk. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how the process is supposed to work. That is what kept our democratic republican form of government, constitutional form of government, with democratic elections, the rule of law, a republican constitution; that is what has kept our country, to this point, functional and working well, having that bipartisan, bicameral process. What is currently happening is really a travesty to this process, where it is being abused by the Senate. They have all these bills over there. It is high time for them to take action, pass something, pass the best product they can on this issue, and let's go to conference committee and reconcile the differences. Mr. Speaker, I urge the Senate to act as quickly as possible on the CHOICE Act, on whatever provisions they want to. We are trying to repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Another part of that, the fiduciary rule, has really hurt consumers. These are other parts of the CHOICE Act that need action. The American people need and expect relief.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Hershel ``Woody'' Williams and commemorate a naval vessel, which was christened in his honor on Saturday, October 21, in San Diego, California. The ship will provide for accommodations for up to 250 personnel, will offer a 52,000-square-foot flight deck, and will support helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft. Woody Williams grew up on a dairy farm in Fairmont, West Virginia, and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in Charleston, West Virginia, on May 26, 1943. Woody landed in Iwo Jima on February 21, 1945. Woody fought through the remainder of the 5-week-long battle and was wounded on March 6, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart. As a result of Woody Williams' courageous service in the 21st Marines, 3rd Marine Division in the Battle of Iwo Jima, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Truman. Today, at 93 years old, he is the last living Medal of Honor recipient from that battle. I join all West Virginians in congratulating Woody Williams for this incredible honor. He is an unparalleled advocate for veterans from all eras and a fine example of what it means not only to be a West Virginian but an American.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Madam Speaker, I had a family commitment and could not attend votes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yea'' on rollcall No. 591.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, we had a Democratic President, John F. Kennedy, who cut taxes when he was President. I think he would take issue with a lot of the things that have been said by his own party. It has been 30 years since we addressed taxes in this country. President Ronald Reagan addressed it 30 years ago. We are way overdue for tax cuts in the United States of America. Everybody knows that the 35 percent tax rate on corporations has driven companies overseas. West Virginia saw, just a couple of years ago, one of our largest remaining corporate headquarters, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, relocate overseas to avoid the taxes that are too high in this country. We all know that is a problem. We have a plan we are putting forward to try to solve it. I say to my friends on the other side of the aisle: Where is your plan? You have no plan. This is all political. All you do is make political attacks. You have had meetings recently and said: Don't offer a plan. Let's just attack the Republicans for their plan. At least we have a plan to address this because hardworking taxpayers in West Virginia and America need and expect us to deliver on these tax cuts. So I rise in strong support of the budget today so we can move forward with our tax cut plan.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud President Trump for his comments last week which criticized the few NFL players who have chosen to kneel in protest during our national anthem. The President is right to publicly object to this disrespect to our flag and Nation. While we can disagree on politics and policies, we should not denigrate our flag and our national anthem. I must mention that most NFL players stood in respect for the flag. It is just a few who didn't, who gave them a bad name and the sport a bad name. In response to President Trump's criticism, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called the President's remarks divisive. I would respond to Mr. Goodell that it is you and your players who disrespect our flag and our national anthem who are being divisive. The President defending our flag is not divisive. My father and thousands of other Americans fought under our flag in the jungles of Vietnam. Young men and women have died recently in service to our flag in Iraq and Afghanistan. In my house, we honored our flag not only because of my father's service, but because of the deep sense of patriotism my parents instilled in me. My mother, Lala Suarez Mooney, was born and raised in Fidel Castro's Cuba, where she and other members of her family were thrown into jail for opposing Castro's Communist regime. When she was 20, my mother escaped Cuba and fled to America with barely a penny to her name. My mom and millions of other immigrants leave the flags of these other countries--brutal dictatorships, Communist regimes, and other oppressive regimes--to come to America to live under our flag. All Americans, whether you came as an immigrant or you were born here, you stay to live under this flag. If you don't like it, you don't have to stay. You can go. No one is making you stay. We love this flag. Listening to my parents' inspiring stories, I knew from a young age that I absolutely believed in the American ideals of liberty as set forth by our Founding Fathers. It is with this same sense of honor and patriotism that I support President Trump in calling for all NFL players to honor our flag and remember what has made our country great. For a few hours many Sundays, I usually enjoy time with our son watching our favorite football teams battle on the gridiron. We root for different teams. As a nation, we forget about our political and other differences and come together to enjoy the sport of football. By these few players wrongly deciding to turn the game into a political statement, we lose that moment of national unity and respect for our country. Sports have always been a unifying factor and a chance for the Nation to come together. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, owners, coaches, and a few players are showing a lack of respect for our Nation and her military who gives them the freedom to play football. As the men and women of our armed services face challenges at home or abroad, we should put our differences aside and unite around our flag as a beacon of hope and understanding. I certainly respect anyone's right to protest peacefully and the right of an NFL team owner to discipline disorderly conduct or rude behavior. Sadly, three NFL teams did not even leave the locker room to hear the playing of our national anthem. Just one person on those three teams, Pittsburgh Steeler Alejandro Villanueva, came out of the tunnel of the locker room. You can see other people standing back there in the tunnel. He came out of the tunnel of the locker room to honor our country. Villanueva is a West Point graduate, former Army Ranger, and Bronze Star recipient. He knows the value of our flag. Sadly, instead of receiving the praise he deserved, many in the media attacked him. Even his coach, Mike Tomlin, said that when Alejandro Villanueva came out of that tunnel, he was ``not respectful of our football team.'' Not respectful of the team? Really, Coach? How about respect for the flag? How about our country which soldiers die for and the flag that allows you to play that football game? Unbelievable. I hope all the young people out there look at Alejandro Villanueva as a beacon of honor and duty to his country above himself. Professional athletes in this Nation, whether they like it or not, are an example for our young people. They should stop injecting anti- American politics into sports. I applaud, again, President Trump for standing up for our flag and our national anthem. All NFL athletes should stand together and do the same.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the football players of Clay and Braxton County High Schools, both in my congressional district, the Second District of beautiful West Virginia. I commend them for exercising their right to pray before a football game on September 1. After one person complained about prayer at football games, Clay County High School decided to institute a moment of silence instead. Much to everyone's surprise, during that moment of silence, both teams ran onto the field, knelt, and prayed together. In a spontaneous action throughout the stands, individuals stood and joined the prayer. In this time of great divisiveness in our Nation, gestures like these remind us about what is great in America. Our First Amendment protects all Americans from laws that hinder our religious freedom, our right to free speech, and our right to worship God as we see fit. Even though Braxton and Clay County are bitter rivals in football, they came together to share this moment to worship the Almighty God. I commend them for this gesture. For the record, Braxton County won the game 23-13. To the gentleman from Texas, thank you. I appreciate your good work here and your words for the American people.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following remarks by Peter Onoszko, President of the Jefferson County Commission: ``With malice toward none and charity for all'' thus said President Abraham Lincoln in his Second Inaugural Address in 1865. Even though the Civil War would continue for several more months before the final victory over the Confederate States, President Lincoln was already setting the country on the path of reconciliation. Regardless of the military victory, the President knew that unless there was a reconciliation the military victory would be meaningless. The path of reconciliation has been slow and tortuous. However, in the decades following the Civil War all but the most senior of the former Confederate military and civilian leadership had their United States citizenship restored by Congress. The post-War careers of Confederate general officers is illustrative of the reconciliation. Depending on how one counts, there were between 425 and 562 Confederate general officers. Of these numbers, 3 were recalled to active duty during the Spanish-American War and served in the United States Army. 51 were appointed to various federal civilian positions ranging from US ambassadors to foreign governments to US marshals to membership on various federal commissions to postmasters and so forth. 45 were elected to the US Congress as senators and representatives and at least one was appointed to a federal judgeship. What of the ordinary soldiers and how they felt? In 1905 on the 40th anniversary of the Civil War, Congress authorized the first campaign medal ever awarded to members of the Armed Forces and this was the Civil War Campaign Medal awarded to all who had served honorably in BOTH the Union and Confederate armies. Perhaps the most poignant demonstration of reconciliation was the Battle of Gettysburg Reunion of 1913 marking the fiftieth anniversary of that great battle. Thousands of surviving veterans from both the North and the South gathered at the site of the battle. During several days of the reunion, Confederate and Union veterans toured the battlefield walking arm in arm as they revisited the site and reminisced with each other, recognizing that there was an unbreakable bond that had risen among all who had participated. By 1978 the United States Congress had restored US citizenship to all of the senior leadership of the Confederacy, in some cases posthumously. The last was Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, who posthumously had his US citizenship restored by an act of Congress in 1978. In signing this act President Jimmy Carter observed that this was the final act of reconciliation. Paralleling the reconciliation of ``the Boys in Blue and the Boys in Gray'' was the reconciliation between white and black Americans. This also followed a tortuous path. Starting with the Emancipation Proclamation promulgated in 1863 and continuing with the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution between 1864 and 1870, slavery was abolished and black Americans were recognized as full citizens of the United States with all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto. Unfortunately the full acceptance of black Americans was legally obstructed in many sections of the country for the next century with the enactment of ``Jim Crow'' laws which made racial segregation and discrimination legal (``Separate but equal'' as the US Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson [1896]). However, the path toward racial reconciliation continued. The Armed Forces were racially integrated by President Harry Truman during the Korean War and Plessy v. Ferguson was overturned by the US Supreme Court in 1954 with the Brown v. Board of Education decision which ruled that ``Separate but equal is not equal at all'' to cite several examples of the country moving toward complete reconciliation. The struggle to legally abolish racial discrimination and insure civil rights for all Americans of whatever racial background, in which struggle both black and white Americans participated, came to a head in the civil rights protests and demonstrations of the 1960s. This resulted in the landmark Civil Rights Legislation of the era which ended racial segregation and outlawed discrimination on the basis of race. In our lifetime we have had an African American president, African American cabinet officers, including two secretaries of state, two African American Justices on the Supreme Court, several African American four-star generals including one Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, many Members of Congress in both the Senate and House, along with African American leaders in business, industry, science, medicine, academia, and the arts. Tragically today there exist small radical minorities among both white and black Americans who seek to undermine over a century and a half of progress toward the reconciliation between regions of America and the races of Americans, creating harmful division and discord between our people and threatening to destroy our country. This has got to stop. We are ALL Americans and as Abraham Lincoln said in 1858 ``A house divided against itself cannot stand.''

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, on Monday I accompanied President Donald J. Trump to his speech at the 2017 National Boy Scout Jamboree and thus missed votes Monday night. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 408, and YEA on Roll Call No. 409.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a truly outstanding constituent in the field of health care, Greg Elliot of Charleston, West Virginia. Mr. Elliot has been selected this year as one of the recipients of the prestigious Joe Warner Patient Advocacy Award. The National Center for Assisted Living, a branch of the American Healthcare Association (AHCA/NCAL), is the nation's largest association of professional long term health providers. They bestow this annual award on Association members who have worked diligently to educate Members of Congress about the needs of long term care patients, and to advance quality in the long term and post-acute care community. These members share the same passion and commitment to progressing long term and post-acute care as the late Joe Warner of Illinois-based Heritage Enterprises, for whom the award is named. All the recipients share a compassionate and caring view of our nation's frail, elderly, and disabled. Greg Elliot's commitment to improving long-term care continues today as the Vice President of American Medical Facilities Management in West Virginia. Mr. Elliot is a second-generation owner of AMFM, which operates 17 long-term care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers throughout West Virginia. Three of these centers are located in my congressional district including the Braxton Health Care and Rehabilitation Center in Sutton, Clay Health Care Center in Ivydale and the E.A. Hawse Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Baker. AMFM Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers employ more than 1,700 West Virginians, provides care for more than 1,100 patients, and is the largest privately held-multi-facility nursing home company in West Virginia. Greg is frequently in Washington visiting my Congressional office advocating on behalf of West Virginia seniors. I always appreciate his ideas and insight into health care issues and I look forward to many more meetings in the future. With Greg Elliot's leadership, AMFM has received countless awards such as the Silver Achievement in Quality Award from the American Healthcare Association. He also received Administrator of the Year Award from West Virginia Health Care Association. The third-party research institute, My Inner View, has ranked AMFM facilities in the top 10 percent in the nation 46 times for customer or employee satisfaction. Mr. Elliot is currently on the board for the Charleston Area Alliance & Chamber of Commerce, and is an At-Large Representative on the American Healthcare Association Board of Governors. Greg Elliot has been very involved in charities throughout West Virginia. In fact, to date the AMFM Charitable Foundation has donated more than $500,000 for charitable organizations throughout West Virginia including food pantries, local volunteer fire departments, libraries and women's shelters. Mr. Elliot founded The AMFM Grill Team, a group of employee volunteers that band together to provide great BBQ to the AMFM centers and surrounding communities. In 2016 following the devastating flooding in our state, the team went to two flooded communities and prepared hundreds of meals for the affected residents. Greg Elliot resides in Charleston, WV with his wife Jennifer of 16 years, his 10-year-old daughter Elizabeth and their two dogs. Greg enjoys the outdoors, cooking out, and all things electronic, especially building robots with his daughter. Mr. Speaker, please join me in thanking Greg Elliot for his years of dedication and care to our nation's frail, elderly and disabled. His career and life accomplishments truly reflect the ideals embodied in the Joe Warner Patient Advocacy Award.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a truly outstanding constituent in the field of healthcare, Greg Elliot of Charleston, West Virginia. He has been selected this year as one of the recipients of the prestigious Joe Warner Patient Advocacy Award. The National Center for Assisted Living, the Nation's largest association of professional long-term healthcare providers, bestows this annual award on association members who have worked diligently to educate Members of Congress about the needs of long-term care patients, and to advance the quality in the long-term and post-acute care community. Mr. Elliot is a second-generation owner of AMFM, which operates 17 long-term, skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers throughout West Virginia. Greg is frequently in Washington visiting my congressional office, advocating on behalf of West Virginia seniors. The third-party research institute, My InnerView, has ranked AMFM facilities in the top 10 percent in the Nation 46 times for customer or employee satisfaction. Greg Elliot resides in Charleston with his wife of 16 years, Jennifer; his 10-year-old daughter, Elizabeth; and their two dogs. Mr. Speaker, please join me in thanking Greg for his years of dedication and care to our Nation's frail, elderly, and disabled. His career reflects the ideals embodied in the Joe Warner Patient Advocacy Award.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and memory of West Virginia's Circuit Court Judge John Yoder, who passed away on June 7, 2017. Judge Yoder served on the 23rd Judicial Circuit, which included Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan Counties in the eastern panhandle of the Second Congressional District, which I represent. He practiced law in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, for 23 years. Judge Yoder earned a bachelor of arts degree at Chapman University, and then studied law at the University of Kansas. He also obtained an MBA at the University of Chicago. John Yoder was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 to serve as the director of the asset forfeiture office for the U.S. Department of Justice. He continued his distinguished career as a public servant, including two stints as a West Virginia State senator before being elected as circuit court judge. Judge Yoder is one of the early pioneers of State drug courts and was well known for his big heart and compassion. I join all West Virginians in keeping Judge Yoder's family and friends in our prayers. He will truly be missed.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 10, the Financial CHOICE Act. This critical piece of legislation rolls back onerous Obama-era regulations on the financial services industry that are strangling small businesses and hurting hardworking American taxpayers. As I held roundtables across West Virginia, I heard from small- business owners and job creators that Obama-era regulations make it harder for community banks to make loans to small businesses and first- time home buyers. The Financial CHOICE Act will remove stifling Federal regulations from out-of-touch Washington bureaucrats and return financial decisionmaking to you, the individual consumers and to the small community banks. I know that President Trump is committed to supporting the reforms in the Financial CHOICE Act, and I look forward to continuing to work with our President to grow our economy and bring much-needed relief to West Virginia consumers and small-business owners. I want to thank Chairman Hensarling and my colleagues on the Financial Services Committee for their leadership on this important legislation.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, recent State Department revelations show that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad continues inflicting atrocities on his own people. The discovery of a crematorium at Saydnaya military prison will only make it more difficult to account for the thousands detained and executed by Assad. According to numerous nongovernmental organizations, the Assad regime has abducted and detained between 65,000 and 117,000 people between 2011 and 2015. Credible reports have the regime executing up to 50 people daily. Assad uses the excuse of fighting terrorism to justify this gross campaign of inhumanity against innocent civilians. We know he has used mass graves and crematoriums to dispose of the corpses of the murdered. The savagery must stop. I am proud to represent many Syrian Americans in Charleston, West Virginia. I urge my colleagues to join me in publicly condemning the atrocities committed by the Syrian regime of President Assad. Syrians deserve to be safe and free.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my outrage at the chemical attack in Syria on April 4, 2017, that killed upwards of 70 civilians, including children. I am proud to represent many Syrian Americans in my congressional district in Charleston, West Virginia. They share their concerns with me on a regular basis. This type of violence is a regular occurrence in Syria. Hospitals, markets, schools, bus stations, warehouses--none of these places are off limits for bombing and destruction by Bashar al-Assad and his allies. The slaughter of innocent life will not end unless the United States of America takes the lead. Peace in Syria is impossible while Bashar al-Assad remains in control. He has proven this time and again by his reckless and evil use of chemical weapons and other cruel tools of war on his own people. We must establish safe zones for innocent civilians. I call upon President Trump and other world leaders to do whatever they reasonably can to end these atrocious attacks on the innocent, and return stability and peace to Syria.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the rule and the underlying joint resolution to begin the process of rolling back President Obama's war on coal. That is the rule we are debating today; that is the bill before us, not to be confused with the other issue that is being discussed. I was proud that, in the last Congress, I was the lead sponsor of the STREAM Act, H.R. 1644, which would have prevented the implementation of a new coal regulation that would have cost upwards of 70,000 good- paying jobs. My legislation passed the House of Representatives in January of 2016, with bipartisan support, and sent a clear message to President Obama's administration that the so-called stream protection rule was bad policy. Unfortunately, my bill never received a vote in the U.S. Senate. Despite the clear message from Congress, the Obama administration, in the final days, issued a disastrous stream protection rule. Again, he did this as he was leaving the Presidency in the final days before he left office. But don't let the clever name fool you. The new regulation will have far-reaching impacts for the coal industry--an industry, I might add, that provides over 90 percent of the power generation for my home State of West Virginia. The rule prescribes a one-size-fits-all approach in defiance of common sense and the Federal law. There is no need to rewrite over 400 regulations, as this rule does, other than as a blatant attempt to regulate the coal industry out of business. We cannot allow this rule to move forward, and thus we need to support the rule and the underlying joint resolution of disapproval. Let us not forget that former President Barack Obama promised that he would bankrupt the coal industry. People are losing their jobs and the dignity that comes with work. Our communities are also suffering. Fewer jobs means less economic investment and less hope. I encourage my colleagues to visit West Virginia or Appalachia and see firsthand what President Obama's policies have done to our communities. It is heartbreaking to hear the stories and see the faces of struggling families as they try to pay their bills. I stand today with those communities in rolling back the policies that have caused so much harm and pain. These new regulations would be catastrophic to the coal industry and all of the hardworking American families that depend on coal to keep their energy costs low. The shame of it all is that it is preventable. We must end this war on coal now, and that process begins today. I made a promise to my constituents of the Second District of West Virginia that I would fight for the coal industry and bring back jobs to my State. Today is the first in many steps this Congress, along with President Donald Trump, will take to make good on the promises we made in November. Again, I encourage support for the rule and the underlying resolution of disapproval.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on an issue that I care deeply about: protecting the unborn and defending life. This week, I reintroduced the Life at Conception Act. I am honored to be the lead sponsor of the Life at Conception Act, which simply defines human life as beginning at the moment of conception. As a result, unborn babies are entitled to legal protection under the Constitution. We had a record number of original cosponsors this past Congress, and I pray this bill will pass Congress swiftly. I believe that we have a moral obligation to protect the unborn at every stage of development. It is something I have always been passionate about. I was president of my college's pro-life group, the Dartmouth Coalition for Life. I can still remember the conversations I had with my fellow students as I discussed the value of human life with them. It was a great feeling to know that I was opening eyes to the value of all human life one student at a time. Protecting life is one of the issues that compelled me to run for office. When I first asked for the opportunity to serve you as your representative in Congress, I promised I would be a strong defender of the unborn. I am proud to say I have delivered on that promise. The Life at Conception Act is a crucial part of the long-term battle to protect the unborn. It started 44 years ago to the week, in 1973 in the Roe v. Wade decision when the Supreme Court asserted that, because the beginning of life is not legally defined by Congress, it is up for interpretation by the court. The Life at Conception Act simply fills that gap and defines that human life begins at the moment of conception. Even Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat, recently restated publicly his belief that human life begins at conception. There is bipartisan agreement on this issue. It is important for Congress to define human life because the unborn are the most helpless among us. They need us to have enough courage to step up and protect them. My bill also sets a standard for promoting and encouraging a culture of life. If enacted, it would simply affirm what we all know in our hearts and minds to be true: that unborn babies deserve our protection. Last year, the Life at Conception Act had 146 cosponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives, including my two colleagues in West Virginia, David McKinley and Evan Jenkins. I hope that more Representatives will join me in promoting respect and protection for all human life. I continue to be guided by my faith and values. I look forward to working with my colleagues to defend the innocent and give voice to the voiceless. I welcome the marchers this week coming for the annual March for Life. I thank them for their participation in defending the unborn.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor and a privilege to serve the constituents of the Second Congressional District of West Virginia for a second term. As we begin the 115th session of Congress, my top legislative priorities are rolling back anti-coal regulations that have been imposed by President Obama's administration over the last 8 years; fighting the drug epidemic; repealing ObamaCare and making health care more affordable and accessible; and investing in our roads, bridges, airports, and other key infrastructure. West Virginia needs good-paying jobs. President Obama has spent the last 8 years waging a war on coal on our country. During this session of Congress, we must continue to work together to promote an all-of- the-above energy strategy that conserves our natural resources, cultivates our economy and jobs, and promotes American energy independence. One of our Nation's and our States' greatest natural resources is our fossil fuel. Fossil fuel, including coal, supplies around 85 percent of our Nation's energy. West Virginia produces about 15 percent of that total. Under the outgoing administration, we have seen our West Virginia energy industries come under attack even though we have made significant strides in recent years to improve the quality of our air, land, and water. By rolling back harmful regulations like the so-called stream protection rule, we can save 30,000 jobs in the Appalachian region right now. That is why last year I introduced my bill, the Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act, also known as the STREAM Act. My bill was passed by the House last year with bipartisan support, and I will continue to fight to stop this outrageous rule from taking effect. Another top priority for this Congress must be stopping the drug epidemic in our country. Drug abuse ravages our communities, rips families apart, and further ruptures our State's already-ailing economy. This issue is above party politics. It is a plague that both parties must come together to solve. There is no magical solution to this epidemic. We need local, State, and Federal officials to work together to effectively and efficiently fight back. This past Congress I worked with Members on both sides of the aisle to find commonsense solutions to fight back against this scourge. That is why I introduced H.R. 4499, the Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing Act. This bipartisan bill struck out a harmful provision of ObamaCare that places unnecessary pressure on doctors and hospitals to prescribe narcotic pain medicine. I am proud to say that the Department of Health and Human Services announced that they changed their policy and implemented my bill. This change in policy is an important part of the fight against opioid abuse. I will remain steadfast in my efforts to fight this epidemic. Another important way to fight back against the drug epidemic is by making health care more accessible and affordable. The first step to do this is to repeal ObamaCare. Healthcare costs are on the rise because ObamaCare adds burdensome taxes, regulations, and mandates onto American consumers. The limited choice in health insurance plans is harming families and their budgets. ObamaCare will kill 2.5 million jobs in 10 years. It has continued to raise health insurance costs and has placed the Federal Government in between patients and their doctors. Research done by the National Center for Policy Analysis found that average monthly premium costs increased for almost everyone regardless of their age, race, or gender after ObamaCare was implemented. As a Republican in Congress, I want to ensure that everyone has access to health care, but I want it to be quality health care that people choose for themselves. That is why Republicans have come up with a plan that we call A Better Way. Our plan recognizes that people deserve more patient-centered care, not more bureaucracy. That means more choices, not more mandates. The A Better Way plan offers many improvements that will help West Virginia's Second Congressional District, including commonsense reforms such as allowing health insurance sales across State lines. Simple changes like these will lower costs and increase choice for Americans. Finally, it is imperative to pass bills that invest in our Nation's deteriorating infrastructure. President-elect Trump has said that updating our Nation's infrastructure is a top priority for his administration. The Federal Highway Administration has classified more than 142,000 bridges as either ``structurally deficient'' or ``functionally obsolete.'' Also from the Federal Highway Administration, traffic delays cost the U.S. economy more than $50 billion annually. Most major roads are rated as ``less than good condition.'' Improvement to other Nation's infrastructure would greatly benefit West Virginia, which needs road, bridge and rail repairs. We are also in need of water, sewer, and power line repairs. By improving the transportation, our country will open the opportunity for job growth and expansion. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and the Senate, as well as the new administration, to make sure that these legislative priorities take hold.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge swift passage of H.R. 2403, the Coal Healthcare and Pensions Protection Act. This important legislation protects the pensions of coal workers who have spent their lives producing affordable, reliable energy for our country. These miners were promised a pension when they signed up for the job, and, ever since the Truman administration, Congress has made sure that the commitment is honored. It is our duty to continue to uphold this promise made to our miners. Without help from Congress this year, the United Mine Workers of America pension fund will be insolvent in 2017, resulting in massive cuts to benefits for 22,000 West Virginia mine workers and their families. The Coal Healthcare and Pensions Protection Act provides relief funding for these pensions without increasing spending of taxpayer dollars. Our country's hardworking coal miners are responsible for fueling and shaping our economy over the last 250 years. Retired coal miners and their widows deserve our respect, appreciation, and, above all else, the benefits that they were promised. With 47 Republican and 40 Democrat cosponsors in the House, this bill is strongly supported by Members on both sides of the aisle. Again, I urge our leadership to bring H.R. 2403, the Coal Healthcare and Pensions Protection Act, to a vote immediately. Congratulating Dr. Tom Price

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my colleague and Budget Committee chairman, Dr. Tom Price, on President-elect Trump's recent appointment as the new Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services. Chairman Price has become a friend to me over the past 2 years and will continue to do great things in his new job in the Trump administration. When I was first elected to serve West Virginia's Second Congressional District in 2014, I promised my constituents that I would fight to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare. My first month in office on February 3, 2015, House Republicans successfully voted to repeal ObamaCare. In December of that same year, the Senate passed our legislation to repeal ObamaCare. President Obama vetoed it at that time. But we will have a new President next year. Healthcare costs are on the rise because of ObamaCare. ObamaCare adds burdensome taxes, regulations, and mandates onto American consumers. The limited choice in health insurance plans is harming families and their budgets. ObamaCare has killed 2.9 million jobs a year, has continued to raise health insurance costs, and has also placed the Federal Government in between patients and their doctors. Who are these 2.9 million Americans? They are disproportionately low-wage workers earning well below the average annual wage for all workers, which is less than $46,000 a year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The people who are hurt the most by ObamaCare are the ones that ObamaCare is supposed to help the most. Research done by the National Center for Policy Analysis found that the average monthly premium costs in every demographic rose substantially after ObamaCare was implemented. West Virginians who get their health insurance through employer- sponsored programs are paying some of the highest rates in the United States. In West Virginia, premiums through employer-sponsored health insurance programs have climbed at a steady rate of about 6.4 percent annually since 2010, and it keeps getting worse. The 33,421 West Virginians who are currently enrolled in the Affordable Care Act do not need to see their rates hiked up again. As a Republican in Congress, I want to ensure that everyone has access to health care, but it will be quality health care that people choose for themselves. That is why House Republicans have come up with a plan we call A Better Way. Our plan recognizes that people deserve more patient-centered care, not more bureaucracy. That means more choices, not more mandates. A Better Way plan offers many improvements that will help West Virginia's Second Congressional District, including commonsense reforms to allow health insurance sales across State lines. You should have the freedom and flexibility to choose the care that is best for you. Insurers should compete for your business and treat you fair. You and your family should have access to the best lifesaving treatment in the world. Under Chairman Tom Price's leadership, I believe that our healthcare system in America will thrive. Again, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to my friend, Dr. Tom Price.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, right now, down the street at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, our very own West Virginia attorney general, Patrick Morrisey, is arguing against the unconstitutional coal and job-killing plan known as the Clean Power Plan. Time and again, President Obama has put radical leftwing environmentalists ahead of hardworking Americans. Obama's so-called Clean Power Plan is no different. This plan is a laundry list of unnecessary environmental restrictions that will increase energy costs and put even more Americans out of work. In West Virginia, we rely on coal for over 90 percent of our power generation. This regulation will shut down our power plants, kill our coal jobs, and dramatically raise home energy prices for West Virginians. I have been working at a Federal level to help put a stop to these job-killing policies. Last year, I sent a letter to Governor Tomblin, along with Representatives McKinley and Jenkins of West Virginia, urging him not to comply with the Clean Power Plan. Under the plan, States are forced to come up with a State Implementation Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a timeline that would be very harmful to our State. This January, my first bill to pass the U.S. House of Representatives was aimed at putting a stop to the stream protection rule. When the rewrite of the rule was first proposed by the Office of Surface Mining, or OSM, they described it as a ``minor'' regulation that would only impact one coal region. However, the proposed stream protection rule contains sweeping changes that amount to modifying or amending 475 existing rules. The proposed rule would destroy up to 77,000 coal mining jobs nationwide, including up to 52,000 in the Appalachian region. My bill, H.R. 1644, the Supporting Transparent Regulatory and Environmental Actions in Mining Act, simply requires a study to be completed to determine if the rules governing mining need to be updated or changed. It calls for all scientific data used in rulemaking to be made publicly available and prevents the Office of Surface Mining from overstepping their regulatory role in implementing Clean Water Act provisions. When I campaigned to represent the people of the Second Congressional District of West Virginia in Congress, I promised that I would fight for the coal industry and the hard workers of our State. West Virginia and our country need the Clean Power Plan to be stopped indefinitely before more damage to the coal industry is done.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my friend, Delegate John Overington, and the West Virginia State Legislature for passing the balanced budget amendment resolution in March. West Virginia has joined 27 other States in calling for a constitutional convention under Article V to force the Federal Government to add a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution for one simple reason: the Federal Government has a spending problem. America has run up a debt of over $19 trillion, largely to fund past and present expenditures using money that should belong to future American generations. West Virginia families and businesses have to operate on balanced budgets, and I believe the Federal Government should also have to operate within its means. America cannot afford to continue spending like it has been. That is why I cosponsored H.J. Res. 2, the balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. I encourage my colleagues in the House and Senate to cosponsor this important joint resolution. Happy Birthday to Corporal Hershel ``Woody'' Williams