Alexander Mooney

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say happy birthday to a true American hero, Corporal Hershel ``Woody'' Williams. Woody is one of the last two surviving United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipients of World War II and the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the Battle of Iwo Jima. Born on October 2, 1923, Woody Williams grew up on a dairy farm in Fairmont, West Virginia. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in Charleston, West Virginia, on May 26, 1943. Woody completed 2 years of service and was trained to use both tanks and flamethrowers. Williams, a corporal, landed in Iwo Jima in 1945. American tanks were trying to open a lane for the infantry when they encountered a network of reinforced Japanese concrete pillboxes, buried mines, and black volcanic sands. Corporal Williams went forward with his 70-pound flamethrower in an attempt to reduce the devastating machine gun fire from the fortified enemy positions. Covered by only four riflemen, he continued this arduous task for 4 hours under heavy enemy small-arms fire. He resupplied and returned to the front lines time and again to wipe out one enemy pillbox after another. On one of these returns, to the point of the spear of the battle, a wisp of smoke alerted him to an air vent of a Japanese bunker. He approached this heavily fortified position close enough to put the nozzle of his flamethrower through the vent, killing all the occupants inside. On another occasion, he was charged by multiple enemy riflemen who attempted to kill him with fixed bayonets. Woody was too quick, and he used his flamethrower to send them to their makers. These actions occurred on the same day as the raising of the U.S. flag on the island's Mount Suribachi. 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. President Truman awarded him the Medal of Honor in 1945. In 2013, the Hershel ``Woody'' Williams Medal of Honor Foundation was launched to carry out Woody's vision of recognizing and honoring Gold Star families around the country. The goal of the foundation is to establish at least one Gold Star family memorial monument in every State over the next 5 years to honor families who have sacrificed a loved one in service of their country. Woody spends his time traveling the country supporting the military families and reminding all of us that freedom has not been and is not free. Upcoming memorial dedications are in Fort Knox, Kentucky, on September 23; Fall River, Massachusetts, and Port St. Lucie, Florida, on September 25; Palmetto Bay, Florida, on October 15; Barboursville, West Virginia, on October 30; Annapolis, Maryland, on November 11; and Medina, Ohio, on November 12. Woody's passion and love of his country and fellow man has never ceased. We can all learn how to be better Americans from Woody, and I wish him a happy upcoming 93rd birthday.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, one of the most meaningful things a Member of Congress does is nominate some of the best and brightest students from our congressional district to serve our Nation's service academies. U.S. service academy graduates receive a first-rate undergraduate education with options to pursue advanced degrees. They spend a minimum of 5 years serving their country on Active Duty as a military officer and are provided with an education and experience that will provide a world of career opportunities. The full 4-year scholarship is valued at more than $350,000, which includes tuition, room and board, medical and dental care, and also a monthly salary. Students learn discipline, moral ethics, and teamwork in a structured environment that fosters leadership and character development. Last year, I had the privilege of nominating 20 high school seniors for admission to one or more academies. Half of the young men and women that I nominated received admission to at least one service academy. Calling each nominee in my district, as I am doing here, to tell them that they have been selected to these prestigious institutions was one of the most special moments of my freshman year in Congress. I hope to make many more phone calls this year. This is a picture of me calling Drew Polczynski last year to tell him he had been accepted to West Point. If you are highly motivated, looking for a challenge in your life, and want to serve your country, I hope you will consider attending a U.S. Service Academy. I will be hosing information sessions throughout my district this year. These sessions are a great opportunity for students to explore the possibility of attending one of several prominent academic institutions and meet with admissions representatives. I hope students and their family will attend these events throughout the Second Congressional District. If you are interested in a congressional nomination, please contact my office in Charleston at (304) 925-5964, or my office in Martinsburg at (304) 264-8810, and ask for the individual who oversees academy applications. Humanitarian Crisis in Syria

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend I met with members of the Syrian community in Charleston, West Virginia, to discuss ways that the Federal Government can help the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria. This is us meeting. In particular, we discussed H.R. 5732, the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2016. The bill would hold Syrian human rights abusers accountable for their crimes. The bill would impose sanctions on individuals who do business with dictator al-Assad's brutal regime and would require the President to publish a list of people who are complicit in the grave human rights violations that have occurred and continue to unfold in Syria. Despite promises and agreements to the contrary, chemical weapons are still being used regularly by the Assad regime in Syria. We cannot look the other way while innocent children are murdered. I am a proud cosponsor of this critical bill, and I thank my colleagues, Congressman Eliot Engel and Chairman Ed Royce, for introducing it. I encourage the leadership here in the House to bring the bill to the floor for a vote immediately. The innocent Syrian people have suffered enough. The current civil war has resulted in 4 million refugees and nearly 500,000 killed. My mother fled Fidel Castro's Communist Cuba after being unjustly thrown in jail by Fidel Castro's tyrannical Communist regime. We must protect persecuted individuals who have no one to stand up for them.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, on June 22, it was the feast day of St. Thomas More. I was unable to get to the House floor that day, so I am going to tell you a little bit about him today. Sir Thomas More was known in the early 1500s as a Renaissance man who was an English lawyer, author, social philosopher, and a statesman. More is most notably known for his opposition to King Henry VIII's separation from the Catholic Church and refusing to acknowledge King Henry as the supreme head of the Church of England. Thomas More was later convicted of treason and lost his own head in 1535. St. Thomas More was canonized in 1935 by Pope Pius XI and was hailed by Pope John Paul II as the ``heavenly patron of statesmen and politicians.'' At a time when our country faces deep partisan divides, let us look toward St. Thomas More for guidance and strength. In the words of St. More, ``When statesmen forsake their own private consciences for the sake of their public duties, they lead their country by a short route to chaos.''

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Madam Speaker, last year, I spoke on the House floor about my serious concerns about the Export-Import Bank's interference of energy companies and the country of Australia. In 2013, the Export-Import Bank approved a loan of $640 million in financing for U.S. equipment to develop an open-pit iron ore mine in Australia. The mine is owned by the wealthiest woman in Australia. This is not an appropriate use of U.S. taxpayer dollars. According to unions, public officials, and the Iron Mining Association, these subsidies threaten to displace nearly $600 million worth of U.S. iron ore exports and cause a reduction of $1.2 billion in domestic sales. Today, injustice toward U.S. companies in Australia has been continued regarding a Florida company, APR. APR constructed an $80 million power plant in western Australia to help the people and businesses of western Australia. Once the power-generation facility was almost built, an Australian bank, ANZ Bank, seized the power plant, even though it had no legal title or ownership interest in the plant. It claimed an ownership interest in the plant based on an unfair law in Australia which is unique to that country. This incredibly unfair Australian legislation allows U.S. companies and U.S. banks to lose their title or lien interest to their own assets, even though the Australian companies and banks are expressly barred from doing so by contracts they signed with U.S. companies. APR lost its $80 million power plant, lost the use of equipment and ability to generate electricity for western Australians, and lost the revenue associated with the plant. That power plant and revenue was wrongfully taken by the bank. Australia legislates that U.S. companies that lease assets in Australia are at peril of losing their assets based on this unfair and inequitable law. This law is called the Personal Property Securities Act and is contrary to the basic right to own and possess private property guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution and the fundamental right to due process and equal protection, also guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. This law has the demonstrated ability, such as with APR, and the potential to seriously harm many other U.S. businesses and U.S. interests in Australia and must be immediately addressed. Last night I conducted a telephone townhall meeting in my district and was asked by a constituent about the status of the Trans-Pacific Partnership legislation. This matter is important and topical for us because of the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement which the Obama administration is supporting and many in Congress are pushing for a vote on soon, such as this year. Laws like the Australian Personal Property Securities Act should make it very difficult for any Member of Congress to vote for the Trans- Pacific Partnership. If Australia is going to continue to be our trading partner, there must be a level playing field for all parties involved. U.S. companies cannot be at a disadvantage when they do business in Australia or any other country. I strongly encourage our U.S. Trade Representative to address the situation so an inequity caused to APR and the potential inequities presented for other U.S. companies be corrected before a vote is called on the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, on Friday afternoon, I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of one of West Virginia's finest gentlemen, Nicholas ``Corky'' DeMarco. A lifelong West Virginian, Corky was a leader in our State, in both private and public service. For those of you who did not have the privilege of knowing him, let me tell you a little bit about him. I got to know Corky through our discussions about how West Virginia can benefit from our natural bounty. Under Governor Cecil Underwood, Corky served as the director of operations for the State and helped bring more jobs and industries to West Virginia. Most recently, Corky served as the executive director of the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association. During his time with the association, he more than tripled their membership and made significant contributions to the oil and gas industry in West Virginia. His devotion to growing jobs in our State was strong, but his love for family came before anything else. For Corky, the most important thing in life was his family: his wife, Catherine; two grown sons, Matthew and Joey; and his stepson, Jason Milano. I join all West Virginians in keeping Mr. DeMarco's family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Corky will be truly missed. Opioid Addiction

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, overuse of prescription pain medication is one of the leading causes of opioid addiction. When a patient has more narcotic pain medication than they need after a medical event, this excess medication can fall into the wrong hands. Narcotic pain medication in the wrong hands often leads to addiction. In fact, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has found that 1 in 15 people who take nonmedical prescription pain relievers will try heroin. Last year, the number of fatal overdoses from prescription painkillers increased by 16 percent--and 28 percent from heroin--in the United States. In West Virginia, the story is even worse. According to a recent study by the Trust for America's Health, the Mountain State has the highest rate of overdose deaths in the entire United States. This issue is above party politics. It is a plague that all Americans must come together to solve. That is why, in February, I introduced H.R. 4499, the Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing Act. This bipartisan bill strikes a harmful provision of ObamaCare that places unnecessary pressure on doctors and hospitals to prescribe narcotic pain medication. This concern was brought to my attention while meeting with doctors and other healthcare professionals in Charleston, West Virginia, who are active in our State's medical society. I thank them for bringing this to my attention. It is a perfect example of how government works well. You bring an issue to your Congressman's attention, and he takes action to solve it. This was their idea. I thank them for bringing it to our attention. I encourage everyone to bring the ideas you have to help fight back against the opioid epidemic to your local Congressman. I am proud to say that, less than a week ago, the Department of Health and Human Services announced they are implementing the important policy changes contained in my bill. Almost word for word, the new rules are exactly what my bill says need to be done. Since I first introduced the PROP Act in February, I have been calling on Congress to pass my bill. This bipartisan legislation has 27 Republican cosponsors and 16 Democratic cosponsors. My bill puts doctors, not the Federal Government, in control of opioid-prescribing decisions. This change in policy is an important fight against opioid abuse. I want to thank the 43 cosponsors in the House and the 8 cosponsors in the Senate in our successful effort to pass this bill's policies through regulation and help put an end to opioid abuse.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, on June 23, my home State of West Virginia experienced some of the worst flooding in our State's history. Here is a picture of a damaged home in Elk View, in Kanawha County, West Virginia, very typical of what was seen during the flooding. More than 20 West Virginians lost their lives, hundreds lost their homes, and thousands lost access to water and electricity for an extended period of time. Like my colleague, Evan Jenkins, from West Virginia's First Congressional District, who spoke earlier, my thoughts and prayers are with all those who have suffered through this terrible tragedy. I traveled throughout the flood-damaged areas last week and was truly moved by what I saw. I saw and met a pastor who emptied his entire bank account to buy food for his neighbors. I saw an army of volunteers, all of different political, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, donating their time and money to help. I saw members of the National Guard using their military training to help those in need. Mr. Speaker, I saw West Virginians coming together in the most trying of times, as resilient as ever, and full of hope: a hope that we can rebuild, a hope that recovery is not a question but a certainty. West Virginia will rebuild, and we will rebuild stronger than ever. But this is going to be a long road to recovery. Our communities have been tested. As we continue to rebuild, I want to make sure that all of my constituents in the Second Congressional District know that I am here to help. If you need a hand in applying for FEMA assistance or figuring out which Federal programs you are eligible for, please call me at my office in Charleston at 304-925-5964, or my Washington, D.C., office at 202-225-2711. I am blessed to be part of a wonderful community in West Virginia's Second District. I am grateful for the strength and hard work of so many. While the flood waters may have receded, our work is far from over. Recovery will take weeks, months, even years, for many West Virginians. So our call to service remains, and I have no doubt that my fellow West Virginians will continue to answer this call. God bless West Virginia.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, on May 1 of last year, I came to this floor to speak on behalf of the Syrian people. I called for stronger leadership from our Commander in Chief, President Barack Obama, in the Syrian conflict. Specifically, I urged the President to establish no-fly zones to protect innocent lives. At that time, 200,000 Syrians had already died. The administration has failed to act, and, today, Syria remains in crisis. The number of Syrians killed through the civil war has now doubled to 400,000. Many of these casualties are civilians: women, children, doctors, and teachers. So, Mr. Speaker, I come to this floor again to say that this slaughter of innocent human life must end, and it will not end unless the United States takes the lead fearlessly and immediately. I meet regularly with Syrian Americans who live in my congressional district in Charleston, West Virginia. They have told me the stories of their friends and families in the city of Aleppo, which is a financial and cultural center in Syria. Aleppo is now on fire and under siege. Just last week, a civilian bus was the victim of an airstrike where 10 were killed, including three women and two children. Sadly, this type of violence is a daily occurrence in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria. Hospitals, markets, schools, bus stations, warehouses: none of these places are off limits for bombings and destruction. If America does not take immediate actions to end the current humanitarian crisis, thousands more will die, and we will look back on this period of history knowing that America failed both the Syrian people and the cause of freedom. We must move quickly to protect the innocent civilians who are under attack. This means America must use its influence to stop the current flurry of airstrikes on civilian areas, and Russia must be part of this solution. If America fails to lead in negotiating a cease-fire immediately, the catastrophic losses of life will continue. We must accomplish a longer term cessation of hostilities, and we must allow the Syrian people free movement so that the innocent are able to escape harm's way. A no-fly zone must be established so that Syria is able to heal into a place that promotes justice and freedom for all citizens. Does this photo of Syria look familiar? You may remember seeing similar destruction in Bosnia almost 20 years ago. This is Bosnia. The war in Bosnia in the mid-1990s provides a thought-provoking blueprint as we search for solutions in Syria. With the disintegration of Yugoslavia in 1992, the region devolved into an ethnic civil war--first in Croatia, then in Bosnia. Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic began instituting a policy of ethnic cleansing by which whole populations were forced from their homes and were killed. For 4 years, the United States remained passive in the conflict, but in the summer of 1995, under President Bill Clinton, America took decisive military action with a series of airstrikes that brought Milosevic to the bargaining table, that forced peace, and that, ultimately, removed Milosevic from power. Today, Bosnia and Croatia are flourishing countries and are top destinations for many international tourists. Here is Bosnia today. We must apply these lessons of the war in Bosnia to the current conflict in Syria. The United States must take decisive leadership in returning long-term stability to Syria. Unless America and our allies are willing to use force, Russian and Syrian leaders will not respect us or have reason to negotiate peace. To enable the citizens of Syria to live free from fear and to thrive, we must do at least three things: establish safe zones along Syria's border with Turkey; ramp up our efforts to train Syrian opposition forces who have proven they are not extremists; and help Syria institute a new coalition government. Peace in Syria is impossible while Assad remains in control. He has proven this point time and again by his reckless and evil use of chemical weapons and other cruel tools of war on his own people. America cannot address the humanitarian crisis and restore long-term stability to Syria on our own. We must engage with our partners around the world who share a mutual interest in the cause of freedom. But, no matter what, President Barack Obama must act now, or even more lives could be lost. I encourage my colleagues in this chamber to join me in this call to action.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, each spring, a nationwide high school visual arts competition is sponsored by the Congressional Institute and Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Since the art competition was created in 1982, over 650,000 entries have been submitted. The Congressional Art Competition is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent of our Nation's bright and talented youth. The winner of this prestigious award in each congressional district will have his or her artwork hung on display for 1 year in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol. I rise today to recognize the artistic ability of a young woman from the Second Congressional District in West Virginia--Kayla Barbazette from Capital High School in Charleston. Ms. Barbazette is the winner of the 2016 Second Congressional District of West Virginia's Congressional Art Competition. Congratulations, Kayla. Her entry, ``Human Water Basin,'' was chosen from dozens of outstanding entries this year. The competition was open to all high school students in the Second Congressional District of West Virginia. Kayla is pictured here receiving her first place prize with West Virginia Cabinet Secretary Kay Goodwin of the Department of Education and the Arts. I thank all of the impressive artists for allowing us to celebrate their talents. I wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Jim Braden, pictured here with his granddaughter Cates. Jim is a native of Ripley, West Virginia, who is being honored on April 30 for his significant accomplishments and contributions to the coaching of young men and women for over 52 years in Tennessee and West Virginia. Jim Braden's roots in Jackson County, West Virginia, baseball began with his father, Ed Braden. Ed Braden was a member of the Sandy Valley baseball club in the 1940s, which received numerous county pennants that earned them the right to play in the Little World Series. Ed built houses to accommodate the influx of people relocating to work at the new Kaiser Aluminum plant in the 1960s. He also founded Braden Plumbing and Heating in Ripley and was responsible for installing the first bathrooms in many Jackson County homes. Throughout the years, Ed was a staple at Ripley High School baseball and other athletic events. While at Ripley High School, Jim Braden was in a car accident that cut his baseball career short. Once he recovered from the accident, Jim, still a high school student in Ripley, West Virginia, started coaching youth sports teams. After a brief period at Glenville State College, Jim Braden proudly served our country for years in the Vietnam war as a part of a U.S. Navy helicopter squadron. Upon returning to the United States, he took employment as a teacher at Roane-Jackson Technical Center. Jim moved to Farragut, Tennessee, in 1980, and enjoyed a long career as an industrial sales consultant. But he took his love of baseball and, most notably, his Cincinnati Reds with him, never forgetting his West Virginia roots. His sister, Pam Braden, is on the board of Ripley Convention & Visitors Bureau. Braden and his wife, Catherine, raised their two children, Laura and Mark, while Braden continued coaching baseball, basketball, and football. In Farragut, Braden was instrumental in organizing and implementing the countywide Knox County Middle Schools baseball league. He created the Dugout Club's Web page and continues to serve as one of its Web masters. He also serves as a guiding force to help raise funds for facilities and other activities supporting Farragut baseball. Braden has coached numerous Division I and professional baseball players, including former Minnesota Twins pitcher Kyle Waldrop, Eli Lorg, and Cale Lorg. He also coached White Sox player Nicky Delmonico, Curt Powell from the Detroit Tigers organization, Nick Williams from the Marlins organization, and Philip Pfeifer from the Dodgers organization. Thank you, Coach Braden, for your service to our country and for coaching generations of young baseball players. Congratulating Brittany French

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Ms. Brittany French of Berkeley County, West Virginia, for being named the National Volunteer Fire Council's Junior Firefighter of the Year. As a member of the Junior Volunteer Fire Company and the Volunteer Fire Department in Hedgesville, Brittany is a third-generation firefighter. Brittany has continually demonstrated a passion for learning about health and emergency services. She studied these subjects, earning several certifications at James Rumsey Technical Institute during her junior and senior years in high school. She is now enrolled in the paramedic course at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, allowing her to continue her education while still serving her community. Brittany clearly enjoys helping others and has excelled in doing so. She previously won first place in EMT skills in a statewide health competition. She has helped the fire department fundraise, and she continues to be actively involved in her church. Brittany is among West Virginia's most devoted young leaders. I am honored to join her family, friends, and the dedicated firefighters with whom she works in congratulating Brittany on being named the National Volunteer Fire Council's Junior Firefighter of the Year.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the following young men and women from the Second Congressional District on their appointments to one of our Nation's military academies: Miss Sara Elizabeth Burton from Hedgesville High School in Berkley County and Mr. Zane Kessler from Teays Valley Christian Academy in Putnam County have both received appointments to the United States Air Force Academy. Mr. Drew Polczynski from Jefferson High School in Jefferson County received appointments from both the Merchant Marine Academy and West Point. His mother, Julie, informs me that he plans on attending West Point in the fall. Mr. Charles Willis from Carlisle High School received a Presidential appointment to West Point. Finally, Mr. Jeremy Hammes from Herbert Hoover High School in Kanawha County and Mr. Seth Kirby from Wirt County High School have both received appointments from West Point. Congratulations to all of these hardworking, dedicated, intelligent, and patriotic young men and women on their appointments.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of an outstanding member of my community in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia's Second Congressional District, Ed Wilson. This afternoon in Martinsburg, Ed Wilson is being named the Shenandoah Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America's 2016 Distinguished Citizen of the Year. This award is given to exceptional members of the community who have ``noteworthy and extraordinary leadership.'' Past honorees include Senators Robert Byrd, Jay Rockefeller, Shelley Moore Capito, and Joe Manchin, as well as Brigadier General V. Wayne Lloyd, the former head of the 167th Airlift Wing in Martinsburg. My friend, Ed Wilson, also truly personifies all that this award embodies. Born in Woodbridge, New Jersey, Ed's journey of faith and service included a very early milestone. At the age of 10, he joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society. This Catholic charitable organization, whose local chapter was founded by his wife, Midge, offers not a handout, but a hand up. This same ethic lies behind the mission of the Boy Scouts, who Ed has worked with for so many years. Ed served in the Navy for 3 years before earning a position with the intelligence community as a linguist and analyst. Ed worked for the CIA for 31 years, 24 of which were overseas. He was stationed around the globe, in Europe, the Middle East, Central America, and Asia. Finally, in 1977, Ed and his wife, Midge, moved to Falling Waters, in Berkeley County, West Virginia, where they have been committed to serving our community and its needs ever since. Ed's work for our community has been called legendary by some, and I couldn't agree more. He has served with 16 agencies, charitable organizations, and community projects, including Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Eastern Panhandle, Catholic Charities, March of Dimes, Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce, Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival, and the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle. Ed likes to say that life is too important to be taken seriously. I do agree, but I must add this. One of the serious reasons why the Boy Scouts honors Ed is the importance of his lifetime of service. Ed provides an important role model for young men about the importance of commitment, virtue, culture, and just basic decency. With that in mind, I not only congratulate, but also thank my friend, Ed Wilson, for all he has done for our country and community. We Need an All-Of-The-Above Energy Policy. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to comment on a recent statement made by the leading Democrat candidate for President and former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who just on Sunday night on CNN was asked about her policies. She said, ``I am the only candidate which has a policy about bringing economic opportunity, using clean, renewable energy as the key into coal country because we are going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business.'' Mr. Speaker, we need a President who has an all-of-the-above energy policy, not one who so blatantly discriminates against coal. This attack and war on coal that Hillary Clinton plans to continue, just like our current President, has devastated our State. We are in a recession in West Virginia. We need a President who will fight for our coal miners, promote the all-of-the-above energy policy, and utilize our country's natural resources, including coal. This is important to West Virginia and everyone in the country, so I call upon all of us to look at the importance of this upcoming discussion on this issue.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, there are few places in our country that have both strong historical significance and scenic beauty. Harpers Ferry is perhaps the greatest example of both. Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, was founded in 1734 by Robert Harper, who purchased the land for 50 guineas, or around $262. Over the next 282 years, this quaint town was the backdrop for some of the most important events in American history. From the earliest settlement of this great Nation through the founding of the railroads, the beginning of Meriwether Lewis' adventure with William Clark out West, John Brown's raid, numerous Civil War battles and skirmishes, and the beginning of the civil rights movement, Harpers Ferry has stood the test of time and watched our American history unfold. As for the scenic beauty, none have described it better than one of our Nation's great founders, President Thomas Jefferson. After visiting Harpers Ferry on October 25, 1783, the author of the Declaration of Independence said he viewed ``the passage of the Potomac River through the Blue Ridge as perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in nature.'' Let me tell you, this picture does not do the town justice. Harpers Ferry is a national treasure that has been enjoyed by millions of families for centuries. This past July, however, this quaint town of only 283 residents was struck by a large fire that swept through the downtown business district and destroyed 10 businesses, which is 30 percent of the commercial district, and 2 apartments. Even before the embers from the fire cooled, members of the community had begun to take action and began making plans to rebuild. The town council, the Merchants Association, and the community at large stepped up to take care of the people who were displaced by the fire. Jobs and housing were found for everyone who needed them, and space was offered for businesses that were able to immediately reopen. The Harpers Ferry Historical Town Foundation established a fund to collect and distribute money to help displaced residents, businessowners, and employees meet their most immediate needs. Over the past several months, in addition to the support the fund received from people who live in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, thousands of visitors from across the country and some from abroad have contributed to this fund. The president of West Virginia University, Dr. G. Gordon Gee, brought a team to Harpers Ferry to help the town and the town council establish a plan. This plan enabled property owners to rebuild and restore their buildings, to develop a marketing plan, and to provide engineering and archeological services to prevent the demolition of their historical treasures. The superintendent of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Rebecca Harriott, stepped forward with meeting spaces, security services, and additional personnel to protect town residents and visitors from the fragile, burned-out spaces. The Jefferson County Commission provided in-kind and financial support to reimburse the town for the unanticipated expenses of fighting the fire and providing for safety in the middle of Harpers Ferry's busiest part of the tourist season. Local, State, and Federal officials were a constant and reassuring presence for the town. The town council and the Historic Landmarks and Planning Commissions have worked together to streamline processes and enable property owners to quickly move ahead with the restoration of the burned buildings. This past Monday I personally visited Harpers Ferry in Jefferson County, where I live with my wife and three children, to see the progress that is being made to repair the structures. The mayor, Greg Vaughn, was kind enough to show me around the damaged buildings and introduce me to those who were impacted by the fire. I can't tell you how encouraging it was to see how the town has come together to rebuild after the fire. Harpers Ferry is no stranger to disaster: war, fire, floods. This is a town that endures. Today, Mr. Speaker, Harpers Ferry is still open for business, still thriving, still an elegant and evocative journey into the formative years of our Nation. I invite you to come visit.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, every morning, countless West Virginians wake up fearing that they lost a loved one to drugs the night before; and every morning, far too many West Virginians find this fear has come true. The prescription drug abuse epidemic in our State is a tragedy that we cannot afford to ignore. It ravages our communities, rips families apart, stunts the development of our youth, and further ruptures our State's already ailing economy. Overuse of prescription pain medication is one of the leading causes of opioid addiction. When a patient has more narcotic pain medication than they need after a medical event, this excess medication can fall into the wrong hands; and a narcotic pain medication in the wrong hands often leads to addiction. In fact, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has found that 1 in 15 people who take nonmedical prescription pain relievers will try heroin. Last year, the number of fatal overdoses from prescription painkillers increased by 16 percent and, from heroin, 28 percent in the United States. In West Virginia, the story is even worse. According to a recent study by the Trust for America's Health, the Mountain State has the highest rate of overdose deaths in the entire United States. This issue is above party politics. It is a plague that all Americans must come together to solve. That is why, yesterday, I introduced H.R. 4499, the Promoting Responsible Opioid Prescribing Act. This bipartisan bill strikes a harmful provision of ObamaCare that places unnecessary pressure on doctors and hospitals to prescribe narcotic pain medicine. This concern was brought to my attention while meeting with doctors and other healthcare professional workers in Charleston, West Virginia, who are active in our State's medical society. In other words, this was their idea. I thank them for bringing this to my attention, and I encourage others to bring any ideas to help fight back against the opium epidemic to your local Congressman. In 2006, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, and the Department of Health and Human Services developed a survey called the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, pronounced ``H-caps,'' for short. HCAHPS is a standardized survey used to measure patient perspectives and satisfaction on the care they receive in hospital settings. At first, hospitals used this survey on an optional basis. However, when ObamaCare became law in 2010, it put in place ``pay for performance'' provisions that use these survey results as a factor in calculating Medicare reimbursement rates for physicians and hospitals on quality measures. This provision of ObamaCare was intended to save money and to force improvements on hospital performance. However, it has led to unintended consequences in the area of pain management. The HCAHPS survey contains three questions on pain management: One, during this hospital stay, did you need medicine for pain? Two, during this hospital stay, how often was your pain well- controlled? Three, during this hospital stay, how often did the hospital staff do everything they could to help you with your pain? Because of the tie to reimbursement, hospitals and physicians are pressured to perform well under HCAHPS, including the pain management questions. However, doctors, not the Federal Government, know how best to treat patients, and that includes the question of how best to use narcotic pain medication. The PROP Act would remove these pain management questions from consideration when CMS is conducting reimbursement analysis. However, the patient would still answer the survey questions so that hospitals can monitor patient satisfaction. By severing the relationship between HCAHPS questions on pain management and reimbursement, doctors would no longer feel the undue pressure to overprescribe opioid narcotics to people they believe may be abusing it. This simple change will help reduce access to narcotic pain medication for patients who do not need it, thereby reducing the risk of addiction. I would like to take the time to thank the bipartisan cosponsors of this bill: Annie Kuster, Chairman Hal Rogers, Stephen Lynch, Frank Guinta, Tim Ryan, and Barbara Comstock. Our bill has been endorsed by the American Medical Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. I encourage my colleagues in the House to consider cosponsoring my bill, H.R. 4499, the PROP Act.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, last month, I received notice from Michael Botticelli, the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, that, after a year of hard work from Federal, State, and local officials, Jefferson County, West Virginia, was designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. This designation will bring critical resources to Jefferson County to combat the drug epidemic that is ravaging our communities and way of life. I would like to thank a few people for helping secure this designation: Tom Carr, the executive director of the Washington-Baltimore HIDTA Bureau. Tom was kind enough to even go down to Romney, West Virginia, to participate in a roundtable discussion I led with local officials. Jefferson County Sheriff Pete Dougherty, who leads Jefferson County law enforcement in combating drug trafficking every day and who worked hard on this HIDTA application. U.S. Attorney Bill Ihlenfeld, who prosecutes dangerous drug dealers and who also gave his invaluable input to the HIDTA application. I thank the entire West Virginia delegation for helping to lock in this designation: Senators Capito and Manchin and my colleagues Congressmen McKinley and Jenkins. Every American needs to do his part to fight back against the drug addictions that are plaguing our country.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about a growing problem in the United States: Employers across our country have millions of job openings but are unable to find workers with the skills needed to fill those jobs. According to a recent study by CareerBuilder, nearly 50 percent of employers nationwide cannot find skilled workers to fill open positions. Many of these jobs are located in lucrative career fields like welding, emergency medical response, electrical engineering, robotics, and carpentry. This gap between employers and our workers is holding our economy back; it is exacerbating our unemployment problem; it is hurting our communities; and it is placing unneeded pressure on our families. The American economy needs qualified workers with the skills and drive necessary to fill these open jobs. I believe part of the answer to how we address this problem is career and technical education. Career and technical education, or CTE, is simply education that specializes in the skilled trades, applied sciences, information technology, and similar disciplines. Career and technical education occurs in schools across America. In my home State of West Virginia, about 65,000 students each year participate in CTE courses. Those who do are much more likely to succeed. Over 80 percent of West Virginia participants meet industry- driven performance requirements for the technical skills they receive, and 95 percent go on to additional postsecondary education, the workforce, or the military. I hear about CTE all the time as I travel across my district in West Virginia and visit schools and community colleges. I have seen the classrooms and the students whose eyes light up when they show off their work. I have spoken to the faculty and administrators who have committed their careers to training up a next generation workforce, and I know that just a little more support will make a huge difference. While there is no silver bullet to our Nation's unemployment problem, additional investment in CTE is one way to help put people back to work and grow our economy. The skills provided by CTE are some of the most highly sought-after skills in our economy today. But ironically enough, these are the hardest jobs to fill in the United States because of the lack of adequately trained individuals. According to a recent study by the Manufacturing Institute, over 2 million manufacturing jobs will go unfilled in the next decade because of the skills gap. I believe we can help. That is why I joined with seven of my colleagues to introduce H.R. 4263, the TEACH Act, also known as the Technical Education and Career Help Act. My bipartisan bill will invest in our CTE programs by providing new resources for the technical education teachers without authorizing any new spending. My bill will authorize the Higher Education Act's teacher residency grant program to be used to help schools recruit and train high-quality CTE teachers. This is currently not allowed. My bill will increase the quality of training that students receive by recruiting midcareer professionals in relevant technical fields. Having teachers with real work experience in the fields that they teach will ensure students receive the best training. I would like to thank Congresswoman Katherine Clark for cosponsoring this bipartisan bill with me, along with Representatives Rod Blum, Bruce Poliquin, Tom MacArthur, Jim Langevin, Pete Aguilar, and Ami Bera. Our bill has been endorsed by a broad group of experts, including the Alliance for Excellent Education, the American Federation of Teachers, the Association for Career and Technical Education, and the Future Farmers of America. My bill is an example that Republicans and Democrats can work together. My bill will help provide new hope to our communities by equipping hardworking West Virginians and all Americans with skills they can actually use. We need to invest in career and technical education now or we will miss out on this important opportunity. I encourage my colleagues in the House to support the TEACH Act and consider the important difference it would make across our great country.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the lives of two outstanding Americans who passed away in October. Both men were part of the Greatest Generation and served our country honorably during the Second World War. William Bostic Jr., also known as Bill, passed away on October 30. He was a native of West Virginia, born in Renick in 1922, lived most of his life in Ravenswood in the Second Congressional District, and was the son of William Bostic Sr. and Nancy Lou Dale Bostic. In 1943, he was called to serve his country, and serve it well he did. Bill served in the Pacific Theater, where he was injured in the line of duty. On February 8, 1945, Corporal Bostic was serving as a member of an artillery liaison party when the enemy began attacking with rocket, artillery, and mortars in support of demolition units. Bill, with complete disregard for his own safety, left his foxhole and crawled to a point where he could better communicate with the supporting artillery. After establishing communications, he was struck by enemy mortar fragments and, though seriously wounded, refused to leave his post until the enemy attack had been repulsed. His utter disregard for his own personal welfare and his devotion to duty assisted materially in the adjustment of artillery fire that broke up the enemy attack. For this act of gallantry, Bill was awarded the Silver Star. During his 11 years of service to our country, he also earned six Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart, and a Good Conduct ribbon, just to name a few. Bill is survived by his wife of 65 years, Pauline Bostic. She still lives in Jackson County, West Virginia. He will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Mr. Douglas Clayton Fargo, Doug, is another true American hero who passed away. Doug lived in Charles Town, West Virginia, for over 25 years. After graduating from high school, Doug enlisted with the U.S. Army and served from 1944 to 1946. He fought in nine major battles and was quickly elevated in rank from a private to a sergeant as he served under the great General George Patton. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Combat Infantry Badge for his services. In 1951, he was recalled to Active Duty and served another 2 years in the Korean war, where he received his field commission as a lieutenant. He led 11 combat patrols and was awarded a second Bronze Star and a second Combat Infantry Badge, as well as 18 other ribbons and decorations. After his retirement, he remained active in the community and stayed involved with a number of veterans organizations, including the Korean War Veterans Association, Forty and Eight, Kiwanis, and Military Officers Association of America. Doug was preceded in death by his first wife, Maria Laura Mae Fargo, and his second wife, Eileen Fargo, as well as the last love of his life, Eunice Steed. Additionally, Mr. Fargo lost his grandson, Adam Joseph Fargo, on July 22, 2006, when he was killed in action while fighting in Iraq. Doug will also be buried in the Arlington National Cemetery. Bill and Doug were fantastic men who served their country and their communities with honor.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. I thank Congressman Bill Johnson for inviting me to speak this evening. Ladies and gentlemen, this is it. This is one of the last chances to save the coal industry in my State of West Virginia. There is no time to hesitate. We have to act now. That is why I am proud to have introduced my bill, H.R. 1644, the STREAM Act. In the 8 years since President Obama took office, our unemployment rate in West Virginia went from the fifth lowest to the highest unemployment rate in the country. This is a direct result of the Obama administration's continued war on coal, which is a war on West Virginia's economy. Three months ago, the Office of Surface Mining, under the Department of the Interior, released its latest set of regulations that will cripple the coal industry not only across the country, but especially in West Virginia. Understand that the EPA, or the Environmental Protection Agency, already overregulates the coal industry. And now the Department of Interior, under this President, is doubling down and doubly overregulating the coal industry. Even more ridiculous is the heart of this rulemaking, which is to fundamentally change the definition of a stream to include temporary puddles of water. Temporary ``streams'' are essentially ditches that fill with water after it rains. A recent study from the National Mining Association estimates that these new proposed rules will kill as many as 77,000 coal jobs across the country. I have a chart here showing where many of these jobs are going to come from. Between 5,000 and over 10,000 jobs in Western mining States will be lost here in this pink region. In the interior of America, the interior States, between 5,000 and 14,000 jobs will be lost. My colleague from West Virginia was just mentioning how that affects families and how you have to make announcements at schools to come and support the children because of these totally unnecessary losses of jobs through these regulations. And certainly last but not least, in the area that I represent, West Virginia and the Appalachian region, we have between 30,000 and a little over 50,000 coal mining jobs that will be lost due to this new stream protection rule that the President is trying to impose. 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. In my State, 90 percent of the power is generated by coal-fired plants. If these rules come into effect, it will make it even more expensive just to keep the lights on. According to a recent study, if the Obama administration successfully implements its radical environmental policies, the average American family will experience an increase in their home energy costs per year of $1,707 by the year 2025. So, if you are listening to this: $1,707. This affects you and your home energy cost. Not only does it kill jobs in the coal industry, it will affect your home energy costs to the tune of $1,707 a year. This is what we are trying to fight here. The average American family earned $53,657 last year. The average family in West Virginia earned $41,059 last year, which is $12,598 under the national average. So this home energy cost increase will be detrimental for all Americans, but especially for West Virginians. Going into these long winter months, increased energy costs will be devastating to those on fixed incomes, like the elderly and the impoverished. According to the Applied Public Policy Research Institute for Study and Evaluation, energy costs are adversely impacting lower income seniors afflicted by health conditions. This leads them to forgo food for a day, leads them to reduce medical or dental care, fail to pay utility bills or become ill because their home was too cold. This does not have to be the case. If we utilized the energy that our country is so blessed with, people would not have to make these tough choices. Instead, we see these hard choices become commonplace under the over-regulation of this administration. When I traveled the State of West Virginia asking to represent the people of the Second Congressional District in Congress, I promised that I would defend the coal industry. West Virginia and our country needs the STREAM Act to pass the House and Senate and be signed into law.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, it has been nearly 4 weeks since President Obama visited my district in Charleston, West Virginia, to discuss the ongoing drug epidemic that is plaguing my State. West Virginia has the highest overdose rate in the country, with 29 out of every 100,000 people each year dying from drug overdoses. This is an issue that affects all West Virginians. We all know someone who has been addicted or has been directly affected by drug abuse. Drug addiction knows no boundaries. It affects the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the Black and the White. That is why we have to do everything we can to fight back. We have to help coordinate efforts on the Federal, State, and local levels. One of the best ways to ensure that we have a cohesive strategy is to work with the HIDTA program, also known as the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. The HIDTA program was created by Congress to provide assistance to Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be high drug-trafficking regions of the United States. The purpose of the program is to reduce drug trafficking and illegal drug production in the United States by doing the following: First, facilitating cooperation among Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies to share information and implement coordinated enforcement activities; Second, enhancing law enforcement intelligence sharing; Third, providing reliable law enforcement intelligence to law enforcement agencies needed to design effective enforcement strategies and operations; Fourth, supporting coordinated law enforcement strategies which maximize use of available resources to reduce the supply of illegal drugs in designated areas and in the United States as a whole. One of the counties in my district, Jefferson County, has recently applied to the HIDTA program. It is imperative that Jefferson County become a designated area. On August 6, I sent a letter along with my colleagues in West Virginia, Congressman David McKinley and Congressman Evan Jenkins, to Michael Botticelli, the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, urging him to make Jefferson County a HIDTA area. It is of the utmost importance to include Jefferson County as a Washington-Baltimore HIDTA-designated county to help combat the growing drug epidemic not only in our State, but also in our entire country. Jefferson County is dangerously close to three major drug markets: Washington, D.C., which is 60 miles away, right here; Baltimore, which is 70 miles away, here; and Philadelphia, which is 171 miles away. Our Interstate Highway System directly links all three areas to Jefferson County, and a traveler can reach both D.C. and Baltimore in a little more than an hour, making it incredibly easy to bring drugs into our community. There is also a large number of tourists that visit Jefferson County each year. It is estimated that around 4.3 million visitors come to Jefferson County annually to visit a number of tourist attractions, including the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, eight historical homes of President George Washington's family, Charles Town racetrack, Shepherd University, and many others. While Jefferson County greatly benefits from a large number of tourists, it is a growing concern that the ratio of police to visitors is growing too wide. The most dramatic reason for Jefferson County to become a HIDTA is the high drug use statistics of the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. Cocaine use the past year is 16 percent above the national average, and nonmedical use of pain relievers is 15 percent above the national average. Illicit drug use other than marijuana in the past month is 27 percent above the national average. It is time to act now before the situation in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia becomes grimmer. Jefferson County needs to be designated as a HIDTA county.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share a growing concern in our country, which is that one of our founding principles, our freedom of religion, is being taken away. I have here a beautiful picture of the Constitutional Convention, the signing of the Constitution at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. The very First Amendment to that Constitution, the very first one, our Founding Fathers solidified our citizens' right to freedom of religion. The amendment says: ``Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.'' Despite this freedom being explicitly laid out in our Constitution, we have seen Federal, State, and local governments continue to violate our founding principles. One of the most notorious violations of religious liberty was recently rehighlighted by His Eminence Pope Francis. The Little Sisters of the Poor have been fighting an ongoing battle against ObamaCare's contraception mandate. These Catholic nuns are forced under ObamaCare to provide contraception to their employees, even though their faith tells them that this is morally wrong. It is outrageous and offensive to force these nuns to violate their religious liberties to comply with the will of the President and his allies. These are Catholic nuns trying to take care of poor people, and the government is getting in their way and imposing on their religious values. Another example is Kelvin Cochran, a resident of the city of Atlanta. Chief Cochran was appointed by President Obama in 2009 as the U.S. Fire Administrator for the United States Fire Administration before returning to become the fire chief of Atlanta. He came under attack for his Christian beliefs. Chief Cochran is also a deacon at Elizabeth Baptist Church, where he leads a men's Bible study. His faith inspired him to write the book called ``Who Told You That You Were Naked?'', a book that explains and examines the state of man since the fall of Adam. In his book, Chief Cochran briefly discusses the clear biblical teaching that sex is reserved for marriage between a man and a woman. Kelvin had 30 years of distinguished service, including under the Obama administration, when he was fired for sharing his faith. Sadly, these types of religious freedom violations are happening in my own district in the State of West Virginia. Almost a year ago, a high school student who is a Christian, in Buckhannon, West Virginia, was forced by his teachers in his public high school to attend a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender club, and then he was punished for expressing that he did not want to attend the club on the grounds that it went against his religious beliefs. The hypocrisy of those who claim to promote tolerance, yet display such an intolerance towards those with traditional religious values, is stunning. These are just a few examples. These attacks know no boundaries. They are not based on political party, race, sex, or ethnicity. These attacks go after everyone in America. Mr. Speaker, we need to let the citizens of our great country know that we disapprove of these continued infringements on our religious freedom. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in signing on to my resolution, which I plan to introduce tomorrow, to express the sense of the House of Representatives that Federal, State, and local governments should not infringe on the ability of citizens to act in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia for their recent acceptance into the Museum Assessment Program (MAP). This program will help develop and improve the College's already outstanding collection, which includes pieces from Native American history, to traditional Appalachian culture, and showcases West Virginia's rich history. This accomplishment required the hard work and dedication of the students, faculty, and staff of Davis & Elkins College. It makes me proud to see colleges like Davis & Elkins thriving. I wish everyone involved with this great achievement the best in their future studies and careers.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, last Thursday, President Obama used his veto power for the fifth time since taking office. This time, it was to reject the $612 billion defense authorization bill: H.R. 1735, the National Defense Authorization Act. President Obama vetoed the defense bill on the same day that an American was killed in Iraq. With so much uncertainty and conflict around the world, I would have expected our President to have understood the importance of supporting this bipartisan defense bill. This veto is inexcusable. Not only is this a blatant show of disrespect for our troops, but it is disrespect for our Nation. The National Defense Authorization Act also contains key provisions that will greatly benefit my State of West Virginia. The provisions include the drug interdiction and counterdrug program, the National Guard State Partnership Program, and $3.9 million in funding for the Charleston, West Virginia, Air National Guard Base. It is shortsighted and wrong that the President refused to sign this critical defense bill. The bill gives our troops essential resources, but President Obama vetoed it because he wants concessions in other areas of government spending. It is time to stop playing politics with our military. I urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to join together to override this veto. Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, I stood on the floor of this Chamber and shared the stories of my constituents who have family members in Syria who are experiencing the political turmoil that is seen on the news daily. These stories paint a disturbing picture of what life is like in Syria right now. Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is inflicting a reign of terror on his own people that include the worst kinds of torture, the repeated uses of chemical weapons bombardments, and the siege and starvation of innocent people. Assad has killed more than 130,000 of his own people and has forced an additional 3 to 4 million to flee the country. These problems have been exacerbated by the failure of leadership from the United States of America. It is not just that Obama has a bad plan for how to handle the crisis in Syria. It is that he has no plan at all. Edmund Burke once said: ``All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.'' That is exactly what the Obama administration has done: nothing. Evil is triumphing because of it. Innocent people will continue to die if we do not act now. We must take the first step and establish a no-fly zone so that Assad cannot continue to bomb his own people from the sky. It is so photos like these won't be commonplace in our news. This critical action will help, but we have to do more. I call upon this administration to wake up to that fact.

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia

Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, my State of West Virginia is experiencing a crisis. West Virginia is leading the country in a rather grim category: drug overdoses. This issue goes beyond party lines, and it is ripping our State apart. President Obama is bringing national attention to our drug crisis by coming to my district this afternoon to discuss the prescription drug and heroin epidemic. The statistics are disturbing. Overdoses in West Virginia increased by 134 percent between 2012 and 2013, which accounts for about 34 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 West Virginia residents. This overdose rate is more than double the national average. There is no magical solution to this epidemic. We need local, State, and Federal officials to work together to effectively fight back. One of the ways that we can do this is to have the Federal Government support the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program, also known as HIDTA. The HIDTA program provides needed funds to law enforcement to combat drug trafficking while also helping local treatment and prevention efforts. I have been hosting roundtable discussions across my district to hear directly from communities that are affected by the drug epidemic. I recently held one of these discussions in the town of Romney, West Virginia, in September, to talk about the ongoing issues they face in that community. Officials at the meeting agreed that we need to utilize all resources available at the local, State, and Federal levels, and we agreed that HIDTA was a key tool in fighting back. It was also pointed out that foster parents are needed to help care for children whose parents are struggling with drug addiction issues. So you can help, too. But addressing drug trafficking is not the only thing that needs to be done to help fight the epidemic. We need to help the youngest victims of our shared battle with this crisis: infants who are born addicted. That is why I cosponsored and voted for H.R. 1462, the Protecting Our Infants Act of 2015, which passed the House unanimously and is awaiting action in the U.S. Senate. This bill addresses a condition called neonatal abstinence syndrome by helping to find the best way to diagnose, evaluate, and coordinate Federal efforts to help research and respond to this debilitating condition. Infants who suffer from neonatal abstinence syndrome can experience seizures, respiratory impairments, tremors, fever, and difficulty feeding. Research published by the Journal of Perinatology found that the number of infants suffering from withdrawal grew nearly fivefold from 2000 to 2012. Evidence also shows that an infant is born with drug withdrawal every 25 minutes in the United States. In West Virginia, it is estimated that, in 1 out of every 13 births, a baby is addicted to drugs. This is a problem that needs serious attention immediately, but this is just one crucial step. To help fight addiction, one of the latest tools available to the public in West Virginia is a new 24-hour call line that has been launched to help people battling substance and mental health issues in West Virginia. The call line is 1-844-HELP4WV. The line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with the promise of never being put on hold. We must continue to work together to fight this epidemic.