Martha McSally

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Today, we are considering a critical piece of legislation that would require the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a full assessment of the threats that are coming across our southern border. Evaluating our border threats regularly seems like common sense, especially given the ever-evolving nature of cartel and smuggling activity; yet DHS has not conducted a systematic threat assessment of our southern border in over 20 years. A lot has changed since then. Southern Arizonans know well that our border is not secure. Transnational criminal organizations are trafficking drugs, money, people, and weapons into and through our communities. This poses a significant public safety risk and national security threat. For my constituents, this is not just an abstract issue but is something that is a part of their everyday lives. The brave men and women of the Border Patrol do all they can with the tools they are provided, but they are restricted by outdated strategies and political leadership that does not have the resolve to let agents do what they do best--secure the border. In addition, not only is our strategy based off of outdated information, but the metrics used to measure that strategy are inconsistent and incomplete. The last time DHS measured security along the border, which was in 2010, a mere 44 percent of it was under operational control. Recently, DHS claimed they have been over 80 percent effective along the border; yet the best analytical research, using all available data, puts the true probability of apprehension much closer to 50 percent. Likewise, a month ago, in a hearing I led as the chairwoman of the Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee, the Border Patrol confirmed they have only a little over 50 percent situational awareness of the border. That means, of illicit activity coming across our, roughly, 2,000-mile southern border, we only know of a little over half of it. We will never secure the border unless we have a full awareness of where we are getting beat by the cartels. The first step to fixing something is actually understanding the problem. My bill requires a full assessment of the threats along our southern border, including where we have vulnerabilities, where we can better leverage technology, and what percentage of situational awareness and operational control we have. Once we understand and identify the gaps in our defenses, then we can develop a better plan to address those shortfalls through a change of strategy that modifies how we deploy agents, technology, and infrastructure. That is why my bill also requires the U.S. Border Patrol to design a new strategic plan that is based on a new threat analysis required by this bill. Mr. Speaker, there is always a lot of talk about securing the border here in Washington, D.C. It is time to actually take some action. This bill is a critical first step in building trust in our system and in our ability to accurately measure illicit activity along the border and respond to it. I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, once again, I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 4482. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, in 1963, the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, making it illegal for an employer to pay women less than a man for the same work. Yet the reality is today, over 50 years later, women are still making less than men. This is unacceptable and something which we all have a stake in fixing. Here in the House, we are working on putting forward new ideas and solutions to empower women to fight for equal pay. We must also continue to encourage young girls to enter STEM and other higher-paying fields and to make sure they know they can be whatever they want to be. Lastly, we must do a better job recognizing that caring for aging parents or children is a responsibility for women and men in our society. Mr. Speaker, I have been fighting my whole life for women's rights and equality. I know we still have work to do, and I am committed to making equal opportunity for women a reality. After all, this is America, where we pick the best man for the job, even if it is a woman. And that means making sure she is getting paid what she deserves.

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in wholehearted support of H.R. 4336, the Women Airforce Service Pilot Arlington Inurnment Restoration Act. This is the right thing to do. I want to thank the chairman for quickly moving this through the committee and to the floor, and Chairman Thornberry for signing off on it, so that we could do the right thing to allow these amazing women and these pioneers who went before us and who opened the door for so many of us women in the military to serve, that they could be laid to rest in a place of honor and a place of rest for the most hallowed, the most amazing men and women who have served and gone before us. The fact that these women were denied this right is unconscionable and, quite frankly, infuriating when we heard about it. Let me tell you a little bit about the WASPs. The WASPs during World War II raised their right hand and said: I will support. We needed pilots, we needed men and women to do whatever it took for the war effort. So these women went through training--1,074 of them went through training. An additional 28 actually already had flying experience and were directly brought in. So it was actually 1,102 that said: I am going to be a pilot. I am going to support the effort. General Hap Arnold, at the time the head of the Army Air Corps, had intended that they be militarized. They went through military training, they marched, and they slept in barracks. They went through everything that the men alongside them did. The intent was to be militarized. The only reason they weren't militarized was because of hang-ups and sexism about the role of women in the military back then. Heaven forbid we have women military pilots. We couldn't handle it back then. These women served anyway. They flew 60 million miles ferrying airplanes all over the theater. They towed targets for the ground gunners to practice shooting at targets. They trained male pilots to then head off to the war effort. Thirty-eight of them perished in training in the line of duty. Yet they still were in this quasi- civilian military status. They had no veterans benefits. They were passing the hat around to support getting their bodies back to their families. There was no recognition at the time, but they still served. At the end of the war, they were discharged and told to go home--the men needed the cockpits. It wasn't until 1977 that this Congress passed a law finally giving them veterans' rights so that they would be treated as veterans. After the fact, they were given honorable discharges and they were given the medals that they deserved at the time. We thought that this was finally over, the fight was over, that they would be recognized for all that they deserved, and they would be able to be laid to rest with full military honors. But a bureaucratic, technocratic glitch created another door that shut to them. This is an extraordinary example, by the way, of somebody taking action to bring a wrong to our attention and for us to be able to make it right. I want to highlight Elaine Harmon, who passed away, as one of the WASPs. She passed away last year. I met with her family and I read her hand-written will. She wanted to have her ashes in Arlington. She requested it. We thought that they were allowed, so the family put in a request. It wasn't until they got a letter back saying, ``Denied, WASPs are not allowed in Arlington,'' that they didn't just accept that no. In the legacy of Elaine Harmon--and, by the way, these women were feisty; they were strong; they were not going to take no for an answer. In that spirit, her children and her granddaughter--and Erin Miller is with us in the gallery today--said, ``We are not going to take no for an answer. We are going to get awareness on this, and we are going to get my grandmother and the WASPs the right that they deserve.'' I first heard about this through the media in early January. We sprung into action working with our colleague, Susan Davis, getting sponsors. We are over 190 right now. This has been fast-tracked through the committee in order to allow them to be laid to rest there. Elaine Harmon's ashes are sitting on a shelf in her granddaughter's closet. We need to make this right as quickly as possible. Let me just say, Mr. Chairman, this isn't just about the pioneers that we read about in history books. These WASPs were personal mentors to me. When I first went through combat training, we didn't really have any women we could look up to, and these amazing women came alongside me as wing-women to encourage me and to mentor me. I had three of them sitting in my front row at my chain of command ceremony when I took over command of an A-10 squadron. Dawn Seymour, Ruth Helm, and Eleanor Gunderson, they personally supported and encouraged me along the way. It is because of their service that the doors were opened for those of us in the military to serve. It is ridiculous that Arlington would close the gates to them at the very time they were opening up all positions to women in the military. This is the right thing to do. I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation, especially during Women's History Month. The least we can do is allow the WASPs, including Elaine Harmon, to be laid to rest in Arlington as quickly as possible. Let's get this passed today. Let's get it through the Senate and onto the President's desk so that she can be laid to rest. As for the rest who remain who choose to have their ashes laid to rest in Arlington, this is their right. The only reason they were not Active Duty at the time was due to sexism. It is time for us to shut this remaining door and give them this final resting place.

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Vail Unified School District for their outstanding education achievements. Year after year the Arizona Department of Education recognizes Vail as a top-performing school district and its schools are continuously labeled A-plus. As with any organization, leadership matters. Vail superintendent Cal Baker, who I have worked with on many issues related to education, sets a tone from the top of innovation and excellence, but he is not alone. He has many wingmen and wingwomen, including an engaged school board, dedicated staff and teachers, involved parents, and selfless volunteers, who all work together to provide high-quality education to kids. Vail's out-of-the-box learning model doesn't just benefit its students, but benefits others across the State where Vail's best practices are exported to other school districts. Recently it was my honor to participate in Vail Pride Day where we recognized excellent performance in so many students. I gave out the Board Community Award to members of the Vail Parent Network for their work in advocating for education. I congratulate Vail on their many achievements and their impact on so many kids by setting them on a course to achieve their dreams and full potential.

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, it has been said that no veteran dies alone. Yesterday, southern Arizona proved that true in an amazing way. Recently, Sierra Vista resident Sergeant First Class Sidney D. Cochran passed away at the age of 93. He served 20 years in the U.S. Army, serving in both World War II and Korea, but died without any family to attend his funeral. A call went out at the end of last week on social media to encourage anyone to attend his service. Over 300 people came out to show their respects. The Sierra Vista Herald reported that American Legion Riders escorted Sergeant Cochran to the cemetery, where members of the Tucson-based Patriot Guard Riders were waiting to greet him. Fort Huachuca's Honor Guard carried him to his final resting place, and an Arizona National Guard helicopter conducted a flyover. The manager of the cemetery remarked that she had never seen a service like that before. Mr. Speaker, I applaud everyone in my district who took the time to give Sergeant Cochran the honor he deserved. Southern Arizona is unique for so many reasons, and not least of all is the amazing way our community shows appreciation for our veterans and their service.

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate Harry Bowen, a veteran from Sierra Vista who was recently selected as the Veteran of the Year by the Greater Sierra Vista Area United Veterans' Council. Mr. Bowen has continued the proud tradition of service to our country long after leaving the military. Mr. Bowen served in the United States Army during Vietnam and retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 3. After his service in the Army, Mr. Bowen has actively served in the Military Officers Association of America in many capacities including as the Employer Support to the Guard and Reserve Outreach coordinator who works to educate companies on the benefits of hiring veterans as employees. He is also active in the Warrant Officers' Association, and the American Legion Post 52. Recently, Mr. Bowen joined the Cochise Serving Veterans Committee-- as a founding member--to aid in helping homeless and at-risk veterans in Cochise County. He has served on the board for the Cochise County Stand-down event for two years and his involvement is credited with making the Cochise County Stand-down the largest event of its kind in Southern Arizona. The extent of Mr. Bowen's service and civic involvement is not limited to Veteran Service Organizations. He has also served the Kiwanis club in several capacities since 1993, and has led the American Cancer Society Relay for Life event in Sierra Vista for 9 years. To quote his friend, ``It is clear he does not perform his duties or take on these leadership roles for any kind of recognition, but for the love of service to his fellow veterans and countrymen.'' Harry Bowen is an excellent representative of the veterans of Southeastern Arizona who have continued to exemplify the time-honored values at the core of our military: duty, service, and an abiding commitment to a cause greater than any one individual. Congratulations to Mr. Bowen for being selected as Veteran of the Year, a well-deserved honor.

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to talk about a very special group of women who were mentors to me and who were pioneering heroes of our country. These women were the Women Airforce Service Pilots, the WASPs. Some people don't know that much about them, but here is a picture of them as they flew airplanes in the World War II era. When we needed everybody to serve in whatever capacity one could in our country, they needed women to step up and become pilots in order to do all sorts of different missions, like towing targets for the gunners on the ground to learn how to shoot things down, like training men to go on to fly in combat, like ferrying airplanes all over the theaters to deliver them where they needed to be in the combat zone and bringing them back for maintenance. They were test pilots and engineers. You name it. These women were asked to step up and serve. They went through training. They put on the uniform. They lived in the barracks. They learned how to march. They were pioneers for women like me, who later on served as aviators in the military. There are just a little over 1,000 of these amazing women who served in World War II. They weren't given Active-Duty status, although that was the intent of General Arnold when they set up this program. If you think back then, the thought of having women military pilots was a little bit of a cultural hang-up. We will let women be Rosie the Riveter, and we will let women serve in support positions. But pilots? Now, that is kind of crazy talk. So they had a little bit of a problem culturally, but they didn't care. They chose to serve anyway. They said, ``I am going to step up and serve my country. I am going to do that as a pilot. I am going to do this with honor and with valor,'' just like their male counterparts did in these very same missions before them, alongside them, and then after them. Thirty-eight of them died in training or in conducting missions. Thirty-eight of them paid the ultimate sacrifice. They weren't even given veterans' benefits or any benefits after perishing in the line of duty, but they still continued to serve because their country needed them. It was not until 1977 that they were actually given veteran status after the fact. They were then given honorable discharges. They were given the medals that their male counterparts got for serving as Active Duty in the military. They were allowed to be buried, with honors, in veterans' cemeteries across the country and were given full military honors, which they deserved. They were actually allowed, as they should be allowed, to be in Arlington National Cemetery, alongside other heroes who have gone before them. Yet, we just found out within the last few weeks that that has been rescinded by the Department of Army. That happened quietly back in March of 2015 to these heroes, who deserve to be recognized and who deserve to be a legacy in Arlington National Cemetery so that future generations will know what they did and will know of the doors that they opened in the way that they served. It was rescinded by the Army. We didn't know about this until Elaine Harmon, one of the WASPs, passed away. I saw her handwritten will when I me with her family last week. It reads, ``I desire to be in Arlington National Cemetery. I want my ashes there.'' Her family put in the request like everybody else does, and they were denied. We now found out that the Army has rescinded that and that it is no longer allowing these pioneering women to be laid to rest in Arlington. Elaine Harmon's ashes are sitting on a shelf in a closet in her granddaughter's home, awaiting her final resting place in Arlington, which she deserves. The Army gave us some bureaucratic answer about, oh, they are running out of space, and, by mistake, they opened it up. In 2002, they actually allowed women to be in Arlington. Only two women took advantage of this and asked to be, in their own right, in Arlington. Then the Army turned around and rescinded it. Again, they gave some bureaucratic answer. They are on the wrong side of this. We have looked into all of the legalities. The Army has all of the authorities that they need to allow these heroes to be laid to rest in Arlington, but they are choosing not to do so. We have introduced legislation. We are going to make sure that it happens, but we are calling on them to actually change it tonight. Right now, the Secretary of the Army or the Secretary of Defense or the President could tonight say: Do you know what? Elaine Harmon and the other WASPs--there are only a little over 100 who are still living--are going to be allowed to have their ashes in Arlington National Cemetery alongside other heroes. This is the least they could do, and they could do it tonight. So I am leading the Special Order tonight. This is a bipartisan Special Order. This is bipartisan legislation, and it is bicameral. When we raised awareness of this issue and got the legislation together, we had nearly 80 sponsors right away on this bill who said: Let's change this thing. Today the Senate introduced a similar bill, and we are going to work together to get this thing done. We want to continue to raise awareness to this issue, this egregious violation of these women. We want this thing changed now. It takes a little bit of time sometimes around here to work through legislation. In the meantime, Elaine Harmon's ashes are sitting on a shelf in a closet. That is not the way we treat our heroes. That is not the way we treat our pioneers who paved the way for military aviators, like me, to be able to serve in the way we did, and it needs to be changed tonight. We have a number of individuals here on both sides of the aisle who are going to be sharing this time with me tonight. I first yield to my good friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis), who is the lead Democratic cosponsor of this bill.

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Ms. McSALLY. Thank you, Congresswoman Davis. I really appreciate your partnership on this issue. Together we can show the American people that we can be united on these things that matter to support our veterans and support our heroes and, again, put the pressure on the administration that we have oversight of to actually fix this wrong right now. I really look forward to continuing working with you on it. I yield to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Poliquin), who is joining this discussion as a cosponsor on the bill, very strongly supporting this initiative.

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Poliquin. I really appreciate his strong support and strong words in support of this effort here. I yield to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin), my good friend. I think back to how many years ago it was this week, actually, when I was your guest at the State of the Union Address. So I have appreciated your support to me when I was in the military and the fights that we had to make sure that women were treated fairly and, also, your strong support on this particular effort.

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Langevin. Again, I appreciate your support on this bill and your friendship over the years. I look forward to working together to getting this mission done and then additional things in the future. Thank you so much for your strong support for our heroes. I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen). She has been a strong advocate, as others who have spoken today, for the WASPs and especially the push for the Congressional Gold Medal. I am just honored to have you as a cosponsor and a strong advocate on this bill.

Ms. McSALLY. I want to thank the gentlewoman from Florida. As soon as I mentioned it to Ileana, she was like: This is wrong. We have got to get involved. We have got to fix this. So I appreciate your strong advocacy before I got here, and your continued advocacy as a wingwoman in this cause. You know, for the WASPs in this story and this cause, it is not just the right thing to do for the country. For me, it is also personal. These women opened the door for me to be able to be a pilot in the Air Force and, when the doors were opened, to transition to be a fighter pilot in the Air Force. I will be honest with you, I didn't hear about them when I was in high school. This is one reason why it is so important that we allow them to be laid to rest in Arlington, so that it is part of the education for future generations. It wasn't until I went off to the Air Force Academy that I actually learned about the WASPs and learned about what they did. I just didn't even imagine that we would have women military pilots in the 1940s in World War II, but we did. I got to meet some of these amazing women when I first came to Tucson to fly the A-10 Warthog, started my training. There were several of them that lived in southern Arizona, and I got to become friends with them, and they became mentors to me and encouragers to me. As the doors were opening up for us to transition into fighters, there was hardly anybody we could really look to who understood what it was like to be in challenging circumstances where you are the only woman. People have attitudes about whether you can or cannot or should or should not do what you are doing as an aviator. But these women understood that. They put up with the same biases and the same discrimination as they served. They flew in World War II. As I was looking around for someone to have as a role model, these women were incredible friends to me and supporters and wingwomen to me. Here is one picture I want to show you. This is Ruth Helm, one of the Tucson residents who, sadly, made her final flight over the last year. This is when she was inducted into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame. This is a picture of the two of us in civilian clothes as she was inducted there. These women paved the way for me, but they encouraged me. Even at my most challenging times, when I was feeling discouraged, I would sit down with them, and they would just fire me up to live to fight and fly another day. Despite the fact that they were told to leave the military after all they did, they still were proud. They didn't have a chip on their shoulder. They were grateful for the opportunities that they had. They laughed off some of the challenges that they went through. They just started encouraging me, ``Come on, you can do it. We did it.'' I just was able to kind of get back in there and continue to push forward because of what they did before me to open up the doors for me.

Ms. McSALLY. I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Ms. McSALLY. I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for joining the conversation tonight, again, to continue to highlight this egregious action that was taken that is putting our heroes in a place, especially Elaine Harmon, right now, where she has nowhere to be able to rest in peace. The place that she wanted to be is denying her, even though her service and the criteria are very clear that she has earned that right. I really appreciate you joining this bipartisan mission. We are not going to rest until the mission is complete. I want to thank the gentlewoman for that. As I was mentioning, this isn't just the right thing to do, but this is personal for me. As I transitioned into fighters, these women, these pioneers who opened up the door for me to even have the opportunity to become a fighter pilot, they mentored me. They walked alongside me. They encouraged me. They gave me some perspectives from their own training and their own experiences. They made me laugh. They made me cry. They were friends who just paved the way for me. You think about the debates we have had in this body over the years. I mean, women couldn't be pilots again in the military until, the late 1970s or early 1980s, they finally opened up the door for women to be pilots. But they could only serve in noncombat roles. When they had that debate, that didn't have to be theoretical or hypothetical. They had the example of these amazing women who did what they did in World War II--again, over a thousand of them, under extraordinary circumstances, flying by themselves, often just trying to figure it out in bad weather and how they were going to land and dealing with emergencies and clearances and just doing what it took in order to get the mission done, get the plane where it needed to be, train the men to go off and fly in combat, tow the targets, do the simulated strafing runs, all the test piloting, everything, to include risking their lives. Thirty-eight of them died. This is personal to me. These three women pictured in this photo-- Dawn Seymour, Eleanor Gunderson, and Ruth Helm--they are sitting in this photo in the front row of the change of command ceremony that I had where I took over command of an A-10 fighter squadron, which was an historic day for our country that we finally had a woman doing that. It was an historic day for me to be able to take command of a squadron. I invited them and asked them to sit in the front row. I honored them in my change of command speech because I wanted to make sure that everybody there knew that I only had the opportunities that I had in the military because they paved the way. These three women are personal friends of mine. Two of them have since had their final flight. Dawn Seymour is still with us, but the other two have passed away. We have to keep their legacy going. We have to make sure the next generations know how they served with honor at a time when the country needed them. We have to make sure that Elaine Harmon and any of the other WASPs who want to have their ashes in Arlington Cemetery are allowed to do that. Let's be clear. The only reason these women were not considered Active Duty at the time was because of gender biases and discrimination against women. That is the only reason. Had they been a man doing those jobs, they would have been Active Duty in the Army Air Corps; they would have been discharged honorably; and under the current guidelines, they would have been eligible to have their ashes at Arlington. The only reason they were not Active Duty at the time was because of gender discrimination. Now this is 2016. It is time for that to stop. We thought it was over in 1977 when we finally retroactively gave them that veteran status. They were given those honorable discharges and the medals that they deserved from serving in World War II. We opened up the door for them to have military honors and to be laid to rest in veteran cemeteries around the country. Arlington Cemetery opened up the doors to them finally--a little late, but in 2002. Last March, without telling anybody, they quietly rescinded that. It was just the last slap of gender discrimination against these amazing pioneers. It needs to be overturned immediately. This is the right thing to do for Elaine Harmon and for the other women who are still living. There are about 100 of them who are still with us; and for the next generations who need to know about their service, they deserve to be laid to rest next to the other heroes who are there. The Secretary of the Army has all the authority he needs to let Elaine Harmon's ashes be in Arlington. Let's be clear. This does not take legislation. He has all the authority he needs to make that happen tonight. If he won't do it, the Secretary of Defense can. If he won't do it, then President Obama can. We should not wait another day, Mr. Secretary, Mr. President, before making the decision and calling on Elaine Harmon's family and saying, ``It is approved. Elaine can rest in peace in Arlington National Cemetery,'' which is what she deserved and what she asked for. We should not be lingering another day. As we continue to call on the administration to do the right thing, we are not going to sit by idly. We have got our legislation introduced. We have got almost 80 cosponsors in the House. We have got a Senate version of the bill that was introduced today, led by Senator Mikulski and Senator Ernst, also a bipartisan bill. We are going to continue to push this forward to make this right for our heroes, these Women Airforce Service Pilots, these WASPs. It is the least that we could do for all they have done for us. The last thing I want to say before I close out is that this just seems to be a cruel irony and a cruel contradiction if you think about it. Just last month, the Pentagon announced that they are opening up, finally, all positions in the military to women. It has been a long road to get to that place. I have been a strong advocate for that happening for a very long time. We are a country that is about equal opportunity. We are a country that treats people as individuals. Our foundations are based on not treating people as a class. We should always, and in the military as well, pick the best man for the job, even if it is a woman. It has been a long haul to get over our biases as a country about what we think women as a whole group could or should do in service to our military. Gradually, positions have been opened. Gradually, women have continued to show that, when called, they will serve valiantly and with honor. They will fight and they will die, if needed, for our freedoms and our liberty. At the time that the Pentagon is opening up all positions to women in the military that they are qualified for, they are closing the doors to Arlington for the pioneers who made that happen. That is a cruel hypocrisy and contradiction, and it needs to be made right tonight. So again, I call on the Secretary of the Army, Secretary of Defense, and the President--perhaps he could announce it in his speech tomorrow night--that one of the legacy things that we are going to do for our heroes, for our pioneers, for these amazing women, is to allow them to be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. We owe it to them. They paved the way as trailblazers. We owe it to them to be able to rest alongside the other heroes and to be able to continue to educate the next generations about their legacy. All I will say to the WASPs is: I have got your back. You had mine, and I have got yours now. It is the right thing to do. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues from Arizona and around the country to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the shooting that took place on January 8, 2011, in Tucson, Arizona. On that sunny, chilly Saturday morning, six people were killed and 13 were wounded at a Congress on Your Corner event, hosted by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. The Congresswoman was among the injured, along with the member of her staff who would succeed her, Congressman Ron Barber. For many, the pain of that day will always be with us, but Tucson has not languished in grief. As we remember the victims, we also remember how our community rose up with courage and unity to support those grieving and to honor their loved ones. Signs of that courage are all around us. The January 8th Memorial Foundation is working to build a permanent tribute to the victims as well as to our community's response. Just feet below us in this building is the Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room, a lasting tribute to the congressional staffer who died while serving the men and women of southern Arizona. Today and this weekend people around southern Arizona will be coming together to celebrate the lives of our friends and loved ones who were taken too soon and to celebrate the difference they made and continue to make. There are hikes, bike rides, runs, storytelling, discussions, gatherings, and much more. While we know some wounds may never fully heal, by carrying on the legacy of those who died, we ensure their memories are never forgotten: Christina-Taylor Green, Dorothy Morris, Judge John Roll, Phyllis Schneck, Dorwan Stoddard, and Gabe Zimmerman. Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House observe a moment of silence in remembrance of those we lost.

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4239, the Tracking Foreign Fighters in Terrorist Safe Havens Act. This legislation fulfills a recommendation of the Committee on Homeland Security's Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel, of which I was proud to be a member. In fact, our chairman, Mr. Katko, and another member, Mr. Hurd, are with us today to speak on this important legislation. Our bipartisan task force investigated America's security vulnerabilities for 6 months. We produced a final report in September that made 32 key findings and over 50 recommendations to make Americans safer. Today's bill, which I cosponsored, is the direct result of one of these recommendations. We know that ISIS is adept at propaganda and has used social media extensively to attract fighters to their cause. At least 30,000 people from 100 different countries have traveled to Iraq and Syria, including 250 Americans. But their calls to action now extend past Syria and Iraq. In fact, our Task Force found ISIS now has a direct presence, affiliates, or groups pledging support in at least 19 countries. In my 26 years in uniform, including six deployments to the Middle East and Afghanistan and a final assignment at U.S. Africa Command, we watched foreign fighters flow to safe havens in Africa and the Middle East to get training and join the Islamic extremist fight. ISIS has accelerated this dangerous dynamic and is expanding, despite the President declaring otherwise. So our efforts to track these fighters should not be limited to Iraq and Syria. That is why our Task Force recommended that the intelligence community regularly track and update Congress on foreign fighter flows to all terrorist sanctuaries, which is what this bill requires. The administration's response to ISIS can only be described as anemic. We must take decisive action to defeat the ISIS threat and protect Americans. I am pleased that, in the last month, the House has taken action on several of our Task Force's recommendations. It is obvious that more work remains. And if the President won't act, the House will. I urge all Members to join me in supporting H.R. 4239.

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate local leaders in Cochise County, KE&G construction, and Cemex for their outstanding work on the Palominas Flood Protection and Groundwater Recharge project. This project is the first-ever aquifer protection and recharge effort of its kind implemented at a regional scale, and aims to protect flows of a desert river and its lush streamside habitat while also replenishing the water supplies of local residents. The Palominas project embodies the values of the residents of Cochise County who not only want to ensure protection of our waterways and natural resources, but are looking for solutions to provide more economic opportunity. One-size-fits-all requirements from Washington fail to take into account Arizona's unique landscapes, but the formation of local partnerships allowed the community to come together to create a solution to benefit all, including the citizens, businesses, and native plants and animals. This project received top state and local honors in Arizona and was recognized internationally for offering a long-term solution to the recurring problem of sheet flow flooding at a local elementary school and the need for aquifer recharge. The project includes a 17 million gallon detention basin that holds storm water runoff, as well as dry wells and infiltration trenches covering 290 acres. These dry wells and infiltration trenches provide additional storage capacity during storms, reduce the loss of water through evaporation, and increase the amount of water recharged into the nearby San Pedro River. Dennis Donovan, a civil engineer overseeing the project for Cochise County told the Arizona Republic that the project includes the large detention basin with berms to slowly steer the water into a wide channel before spilling over four foot walls that ``slow down the storm water to where, to the best it can, it (sinks and) recharges.'' The water control mechanisms in the basin keep storm water from washing through in a day leaving the basin dry again the next. The Sierra Vista Herald noted that, ``CEMEX's Sierra Vista Plant joined forces with KE&G Construction to complete the project within a three-month time frame. Working through more than two inches of rainfall, these dynamic teams beat the heaviest rains of the summer monsoon season.'' The health of the San Pedro River is important to Fort Huachuca and the vitality of the surrounding community. Projects like these help to protect the future of the San Pedro River and demonstrate the commitment of the Army and the community to preserving their natural environment.

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairwoman Miller for this thoughtful legislation. I rise today in support of H.R. 159. I was a proud member of the Committee on Homeland Security's task force on combatting terrorists and foreign fighter travel. The task force bipartisan report, which was a culmination of 6 months of investigative activities, contained many troubling findings related to the ease with which foreign fighters from Visa Waiver Program- participating countries could seek entry into the United States. Of the estimated 30,000 foreign fighters that we are aware of, at least 4,500 hold western passports. This is made even more alarming by the fact that 30 of the 38 Visa Waiver Programs are in Europe. I am pleased that this legislation that we are considering today takes steps to address many of the task force's findings related to this program. The bill prohibits individuals that travel to Iraq and Syria from using the program. It requires termination of a participating country for failing to screen against INTERPOL's criminal and terrorism databases. It authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to suspend participating countries when it is determined that they pose a high risk to the national security of the United States. ISIS has better resources and is more brutal and more organized than any terrorist organization to date. We must use all the tools at our disposal to defeat them. I am particularly pleased that this bill recognizes the need to continually update and secure the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, a key task force recommendation. As part of this effort, we must leverage new and innovative technologies. The bill requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to explore opportunities to incorporate technology into ESTA that will detect deception and fraud. A number of promising deception detection technologies have been developed, including one developed at the University of Arizona in my district. Deception can be difficult to detect when you are interviewing an individual face to face. It is even more difficult to detect the deception in online forums like ESTA uses. The technology developed at the University of Arizona called Neuro- Screen identifies typing, scrawling, and other computer-use patterns to capture motor nervous system signals associated with deceptive and suspicious behavior. We must leverage technology, such as Neuro-Screen, to enhance screening programs like ESTA. Mr. Speaker, we all want to ensure that people from around the world can travel here to experience all the wonders and the freedoms of the United States. As we welcome travelers here, we must do so in a way that keeps us safe. That is why I support H.R. 1158. I urge all our Members to support this thoughtful bipartisan legislation.

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of Howard Henderson, a man who was cherished by many throughout southern Arizona. Howard moved to Douglas, Arizona, in 1984, when he became the owner and president of KDAP-FM and KAPR-AM radio stations. He wasted no time making his mark, both on the air and in the community. Howard hosted ``The Trading Post'' morning show, one of the most popular and listened-to shows in the area. He broadcasted over 1,000 high school games and supported community events, including serving on the local fair board. His on-air personality and active presence in Douglas earned him the nickname, Mr. Wonderful. I got to know Howard over recent years. Like many, I was touched by his professionalism, his grace, and his dedication to the community. On November 20, Howard passed away, after battling cancer, at the age of 65. We will miss hearing his voice on the airwaves and seeing his smiling face around Douglas, but we will never forget his impact on southern Arizona.

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, it was recently reported that over 100 ISIS oil tanker trucks were destroyed in Syria in an attempt to finally cut off the terrorist group's oil revenue. And what asset did we call on to efficiently and effectively get the job done? None other than the A-10 Warthog. The mission took advantage of the A-10's unique and lethal capabilities. The pilots employed their powerful 30-millimeter guns and 500-pound bombs to obliterate the trucks. Time and time again, we have seen the A-10's number called up to protect us. Twelve A-10s were recently deployed to Turkey to strike ISIS targets like these fuel trucks. A-10s are also deployed in Europe to deter Russian aggression and along the border with North Korea. Despite the administration's persistent and flawed arguments for seeking to mothball this irreplaceable asset, A-10s continue to demonstrate their value on the battlefield. Now, when the world turns to us to destroy this dangerous and growing threat, we turn to the A-10. It proves again that, until we have a suitable replacement for this one-of-a-kind attack jet, we must keep it flying.

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate your leadership on this bill over this last year and that, also, of our colleagues, working hard to make sure this is a good bill that gives our troops everything they need to protect our country and keep it safe. I commanded troops in combat. I know what it is like to make sure that we were ready to deploy anywhere in the world. We need to make sure that our troops that are at home, on alert, or deployed in harm's way have the equipment, the training, and the certainty that they need in order to keep us safe. Right now we have men and women who raised their right hand that are right now out there on the front lines putting their lives on the line, and the last thing they need is more uncertainty. The President's veto last week gives them uncertainty, and we need to stop that right now, today. We have been able to push past some of the issues with our colleagues. I urge everyone to support this very important bill. A couple of provisions just related to my district. We have got protections for the A-10 and the EC-130, very important assets that are deployed right now in the fight against ISIS and in other places around the world, saving American lives. This bill protects those assets from being retired. It is an important bill to pass to show certainty to our troops that we have got their backs. We also have missions down in Fort Huachuca in asymmetrical capabilities that are important for us and our defense. Whether it is unmanned aerial vehicles or cybersecurity, electronic jamming, we need to send the message to them that we are going to give them everything they need. Unlike Congressman Sam Johnson and his experience in Vietnam, we have got to show the troops that we have got their backs. This bill has important provisions in it across the board, including those for retirement benefits, sexual assault victims. It is a good bill. The President should not be playing politics with it. I urge our colleagues on both sides of the aisle that we need to work together, support this bipartisan bill, and get it passed. We need to make sure that our troops know we have their backs. We have their backs.

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, next week we celebrate Veterans Day, a time to honor the men and women who served our country in the military. Today, I want to recognize a standout veteran from my district, Daniel Standage. Daniel served 10 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, until a neurological condition he suffered from eventually rendered him completely blind. He received a 100 percent service-connected disability, but that hasn't held him back. Daniel completed a blind rehabilitation program at the Southern Arizona VA. He enrolled at the University of Arizona and was instrumental in establishing its student veterans center, a place that offers assistance to transitioning student veterans. The center now is a national model for Student Veterans of America. Today, Daniel is a staunch advocate for veterans across the country. He credits his education as being the most important factor in helping him overcome his disability, and he now helps countless other veterans earn their degrees. In advance of Veterans Day, I thank all the men and women like Daniel who serve and served our Nation and continue to make a difference today.

Ms. McSALLY

Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3503) to require an assessment of fusion center personnel needs, and for other purposes, as amended.