Brian Mast

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 369, I mistakenly voted ``no'' when I intended to vote ``yes.'' Amendment No. 5 Offered by Mr. Gosar

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about two very honorable lives, Paul Besaw and Lahiri Garcia, who were both taken from us far too soon by the criminal acts of one who was illegally in our country. A death of our innocent neighbors is especially devastating when it could have been prevented had our immigration laws been upheld and had they been working. Paul and Lahiri were paramedics in my community, dedicated to saving lives, but on January 1, a man illegally in our country, driving drunk, collided with their ambulance and killed both of them. Paul left behind his loving wife, Dawn, and his 6-year-old daughter, Allison, who you see here behind me. When I spoke with Paul's widow, she rightfully said that if our country wasn't ``too afraid or inept to enforce immigration law,'' her husband would still be with her today, and she is absolutely right. Lahiri's wife, Julie Garcia, told me how hard it was for her four children to not have their father this Father's Day. She expected to grow old with her husband, but because this man wasn't sent home the first three times he was pulled over, she will no longer have that opportunity. Both wives, both mothers, expressed to me sincere disbelief. They don't understand why this was allowed to happen, and, for the life of me, I can't understand why it is allowed either. The bottom line is that this should never happen to anyone. Sanctuary cities are a violation of the rule of law, they are absolutely unacceptable, they cannot be tolerated. We must enforce this rule of law. It is, in fact, the right of every American to be protected by this government. It is not the right of anybody to spend one day, one moment, in our country illegally or without invitation. Today, Congress is addressing this epidemic. Our bills, they crack down on dangerous sanctuary policies that put these kind of innocent lives at risk. So let us ensure that unlawful immigrants convicted of crimes are, in fact, detained and are, in fact, deported. Mr. Speaker, let's pass these bills. More importantly, let us be convicted that what happened to Paul and what happened to Lahiri is never allowed to happen again.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the patriotic efforts of the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2017 Veteran's Associate Program (VAP) and its Executive Sponsors Andrew Karp and Brian R. Carosielli, as well as William T. Golden, Co-Head of the NY Chapter of the Military Support and Assistance Group, for their steadfast and selfless commitment in helping members of the military transition into careers in the financial services industry. Recognizing the unique experience and leadership of our servicemembers, Bank of America Merrill Lynch once again conducted a 10-week rotational program to provide on-the-job training and experience to assist veterans transitioning into the financial services industry. Ten veterans from the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines participated in this year's VAP program; all were subsequently offered full-time placement in either the Office of the Chief Financial Officer or the Global Banking and Markets division. Efforts like the VAP at Bank of America Merrill Lynch distinguish the service of the men and women in our military and make our country stronger.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for yielding me time, and the ranking member, both of the gentlemen, for their leadership, and also our Senator from Florida, Senator Rubio, for his leadership on this bill. This is a great bill, and that is why I couldn't be more happy than to rise and speak about this bill. For a long time, our veterans have deserved better, and this bill is exactly that: It is better. Veterans across the board--Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard--they have common experiences and common healthcare challenges as a result of certainly combat, but also as a result of just simply the austere life of being in the military. Whether it is a daily life of jumping out of planes or roping out of helicopters or kicking in doors or jumping off the back end of trucks, you live an austere life. Oftentimes, I hear people say a year in the military can be like a dog-year. It is tough on you, and that is why the VA is so critical. It is so critical that the VA maintain an expertise in providing for our unique healthcare needs. I get my healthcare from the VA. I know many VA employees who are hardworking and certainly unyielding in their dedication, but I have also encountered many who are not, plain and simple, many who lack the hunger or who lack the appropriate mentality or the decorum to care for our men and women who are willing to give their last breath in defense of our country. This is the reality. Every single veteran needs to be treated like the most important patient ever to be seen every single time they walk into the VA. Anything less is a failure. In the past several years, this bureaucracy of rules, it has obstructed the VA's ability to go out there and fire employees who have been charged with armed robbery, who have been accused of being drunk while performing surgeries, and this simply cannot stand. There should never be somebody allowed to service our veterans who would receive a dishonorable discharge in the military for what their actions are. They shouldn't be allowed the honor of serving people who served this country in World War II or Korea or Vietnam or Panama, Kosovo, Bosnia, Somalia, the Gulf war, Iraq, Afghanistan. Folks shouldn't be given that honor lightly. It is exactly why this bill, the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act is so important. The bill establishes whistleblower protections so that we can ensure veterans get the best possible care and make sure that no veteran is ever dishonored twice by the same person. I want to thank you again for yielding me time. I want to thank you on behalf of every single veteran across this country for this great bill.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the subject of my Special Order.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise on the heels of Memorial Day to discuss what we must learn from those we specifically remember on this and every Memorial Day going forward. All among us, every single person in this Chamber, every single person that visits here, we all have those days of the year where the history that is buried down deep inside of us is stirred up for whatever reason that may be. For some of us maybe it is that we lost a loved one right around Christmas and now we can't get through the holidays without remembering that person each year and the ways in which that person touched our life. Maybe for others it was right around your birthday when you lost a loved one or somebody passed, and on each year on the celebration of your own life, you find yourself remembering the loss of that life, the loss of that friend. Maybe for you that history is buried down inside and gets stirred up because of a certain smell in the air that brings you back to a time and place in your life. It can be hearing a special song that had meaning and somehow connected that person to you. For others, maybe it is driving past a certain restaurant or an intersection or a park that really weighs heavily on your heart. I find those feelings each and every day as I look down at my wrist and I read these bracelets with the names of friends who left this world in the most honorable way that any person can: in defense of our Nation. Men like Army Ranger Medic Jonathan Peney. On his fourth tour in Afghanistan, he died on June 1, 2010, from wounds that he sustained while giving medical aid to another wounded Ranger. He was only 22 years old. When I speak to his mother, I know just how much she misses him. Or Army Sergeant Justin Allen. He was killed on July 18, 2010. I can remember the last thing that I said to him. I remember the mission vividly that we were on, and I remember the Rangers who spoke about him the next day on the flight line as we sent him home. I remember Bradley Rappuhn and Andrew Nicol and the compound that we were assaulting when they passed. You know, for me and many others across this Nation, the day that stands out above all for us is a day that is just a few days from now. It is Memorial Day, the day that America has specifically set aside to remember the men and women that relinquished their life while serving in the United States Armed Forces. And it rests as the day that is most heavy on our hearts. This day is so heavy on my heart that, to my shame, one year I asked my wife, Brianna, that she and our children, Magnum and Maverick, not accompany me to the cemetery that I was going to be speaking at that Memorial Day. I asked that she stay at home with our two little boys. I made that request because I didn't want my little boys to have to see me in pain. And at that point in life, I just wasn't strong enough. I wasn't strong enough to tell them why their daddy had tears or was crying on that day. And today I try to be more courageous, and I try to tell my boys why I have tears on that and every Memorial Day. And whenever I hear the slow solemn hum of taps, whether it is on Memorial Day or Veterans Day or in the presence of some newly fallen comrade or playing on a TV in the background, I have to pause and wipe my eyes and regain my composure. Or when I hear that cold crack of a 21-gun salute, I do find myself too numb to the sound of gunfire to be startled by it, but it still reverberates to my core as though I was struck by the shots myself. That is the pain that I feel. You know, those little boys of mine, they need to know that there were brave men and brave women who showed strength and courage and patriotism with every fiber of their being on their behalf so that they may live free. That they may live free. Think about that. They served never thinking about personal gain or personal sacrifice, but thinking about their personal contribution to our Nation. And as we find ourselves on the heels of Memorial Day, I believe every Member of this House, every Member of Congress, must reflect on every tear shed across this Nation, every empty seat at every dinner table, every name etched onto a piece of stone that is for a son or daughter of America who gave everything for the freedom and the life of others. We in this Chamber must think daily about all the men and women who have fought and died for this cause, this Nation that they loved more than their own breath. I think about those that I knew personally, those that I have heard about. I think about those who came long before me. And I ask myself every single day: Would they be proud of the work that we do in this Chamber, how we represent our Nation and the values that they fought for that they gave their life for? Would they want us as a member of their team? I used to tell folks that, to date, in our theaters of war, I have lost 67 close friends. That used to be true. But the reality is I no longer know how many friends I have lost. I have stopped counting. What I know is that we must live the way that they lived every day: without excuse, without regret. Full throttle, as one of my friends used to say. For some of them, their blood has stained my own uniform. Some of them I lost simply being on the same mission. And some were on other missions in other places around the world. And each year on Memorial Day and many other days, I think most often of one of my friends specifically, Ranger Sergeant First Class Lance Vogeler, who, after four tours in Iraq and eight tours in Afghanistan, made the ultimate sacrifice on October 1, 2010, while in battle just a few short days after my own injury. I know that he is deeply missed by me and all of his friends, and certainly by his wife and his two children that he left behind. You know, I can remember him telling me about them one night as we were in Afghanistan and he and I sat against a fence in the dark of night waiting for a helicopter to come and pick us up. I can remember him telling me about his family. I wasn't there when he passed, but I am told that his last words were of his wife and of his children. I think often if he would be proud of the way that this place conducts itself. He is the definition of a hero. He is exactly what Memorial Day honors. And knowing him, I know that none of us here can measure up, but I want to know that we honor him and every other hero who is remembered officially in just a few days with our actions in here each and every day. We owe it to men like him to fight to make America the strongest version of itself that it could ever be. I want us to honor each of those close friends that I have lost in our theaters of war and every other who has traded their life for our freedom, for our America, with their own actions on each day. As we approach Memorial Day, I always remember well a lot of things about those friends. I remember their smiles. And I remember the jokes that we would play on each other. I can remember hiding somebody's gear or adding a big rock into their pack without them knowing, just to weigh it down, make them sweat a little bit more. And I can remember where they were from. I can remember the time that we spent training together, shooting together, jumping out of aircraft together, roping from helicopters together, blowing things up together. I can remember their hobbies, and I can remember their plans for what they wanted to do whenever they returned home. I can remember the pictures that they themselves would carry in their breast pocket of the ones that they loved most, just like the one that I would carry of my wife, Brianna, and our one son that I had at that time. I can remember their lifesaving actions on the battlefield. I can remember their acts of valor, and I can remember the way that we each confidently put our lives in each other's hands. I remember some who are no longer with us today who placed themselves in the line of fire to carry me from the battlefield that I not become a casualty of war. I can remember their loyalty and their determination and their grit, and, for some of them, I can remember their last breaths. I can remember saluting their casket with the most beautiful flag that I have ever seen draped gracefully across it, and I can remember seeing that flag folded and handed to those whose pictures they had been carrying. I can remember seeing the way that those family members would cling to that flag. As I remember these moments, I want to see, more than anything, that the way we, here in the House of Representatives, conduct ourselves honors the way those who gave the last beat of their heart conducted themselves on our behalf. If statues of those men and women surrounded our floor here, would they look onto each of us each day and would they swell with pride over our service, or would their hearts sink? Would they turn away and be ashamed? Would they look on and be proud? The goal of American heroes has always been country first, themselves second. They knew, those who gave on behalf of this place, that the establishment of this country, the maintenance of America, its safety, the protection of each and every citizen is not a product of chance. It is not a product of luck. It is not a product of indifference. So they stood between every American and evil with purpose and resolve regardless of what it was going to cost them. They knew the job was never easy, it was never safe, it was always dangerous, and it was almost always deadly. While they may have disagreed on how to conduct a mission, I know they never wished for the failure of their comrade or, for that matter, the failure of any American ever. They certainly never wished for the failure of the leaders of our Nation. My office is in the Rayburn House Office Building, and in one of our entrances is the name of each who has fallen in the war on terror listed year by year. All of those friends of mine are listed there. When I see them, I stop, and I think about them every single time. I wish that the name of every single American who has fallen well in defense of our Nation adorned each and every wall of this Chamber in here, as it does in my office building, that we would look on each time we speak on this floor and question ourselves as to whether our motives are as pure as their motives were. Every American child, every adult, every man and woman has the limitless opportunities to enjoy their life, to become whatever it is in the world they want to be, to achieve whatever they have the courage to attempt and the determination and the fortitude to spend themselves in fully to accomplish. That limitless opportunity each citizen has and each of us in here in the House is afforded has been paid for with the blood and the spirit of men and women who traded their own life to fulfill an oath to our great Nation. Their oath was the same that we as Members of Congress vow to fulfill: to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; to bear true faith and allegiance to the same; to take that obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, so help us God. And though we take that same oath, I know we do not always show the same commitment. Those heroes never thought about what was easy or popular to masses or what they would get out of their actions. It was not reelection on the line for them. It was their life on the line, and they gave it freely. As I think about Memorial Day, I wish we could, daily, see every heroic name across our walls here and recall the harrowing stories of the Second World War and the over 400,000 U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine, Coastguardsman, and each and every Merchant Marine who fought and died in Europe and in the Pacific and in Africa for the freedom of the entire world from being ruled by an evil and intolerant empire. They died in places named Ardennes Forest and Midway and Guadalcanal. I wish we thought about each vote we took and looked at the names of our over 36,000 servicemembers who would never return home from the frozen mud of Korea and think is that what they fought for at the Chosin Reservoir. I wish we could recount the names and the stories of the over 58,000 servicemembers who died in combat or while captured or who went through torture and starvation before giving their life or while missing as a part of the Vietnam war in places like Khe Sanh and Saigon. I wish we saw the names of the servicemembers who put their country first and themselves second while serving in the Dominican Republic or Iran or El Salvador or Beirut or Grenada or Panama or the Persian Gulf as we thought about what we will say when we are given the chance to speak on this floor and if our words would be worth even one second of their life. I wish we could think about the Delta operators or the Army Rangers or the Black Hawk pilots who gave it all in the dusty sands of Somalia, Medal of Honor recipients like Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randall Shughart, who volunteered to go into a situation that they knew would claim their life in order to save their fellow fighters. They were devoted to their duty, and their duty was to their brothers and to their country. Or those who fought and died in Bosnia and Kosovo and on the USS Cole, and all those who fought in places that we may never know because of threats to us that we never even knew existed, we need to ask if they would give the last beat of their heart for the way in which we legislate our country. Most personally for me, I would think deeply on the thousands of soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, coastguardsmen who defended this country with the last beat of their heart in a place like Iraq or Afghanistan or Syria, would they be proud. These were the men and women who I served alongside, men and women who served selflessly and repeatedly year after year, knowing full well the hazards of their profession. I couldn't be more proud than to have the few moments that I did with the best and the most honorable that our Nation has ever produced, who sacrificed their whole self because it was best for the men and women to their left and to their right in battle, because it was best for the freedom and the liberty and the security of every person. I don't know how to ever make the pain of their loss go away. I do know how to honor them. We do it with the way that we live each day going forward that they do not have the opportunity to live. They would want every American to cherish the gift of freedom that they have been given by God, which was defended by those angels whose names are now etched in row after row of plain white markers in Arlington National Cemetery. They would want us all to live exactly as they lived: with no regrets, loving this country more than we loved ourselves, fighting as hard as they fought, never quitting, never giving up. We owe it to them to do so, to not ask ourselves what we can take for ourselves, but to ask what we, ourselves, can give. I want my kids to grow up honoring these men and these women who have sacrificed. I want my young boys to know that they get to give me a hug or a smile, but there are men and women who are willing to risk never having one more of those from their own families, and I want them to live the way that those heroes lived. I want my children to know it is honorable to have the courage to mourn them, and I want them to have the resolve to not squander the opportunities which have been paid for with the selfless blood of every American warrior. I get grief in my heart when I think of all those who have gone in defense of our flag, but I also think about each of the great warriors that they were, and I smile because there can be no more honorable way to leave this world than in a pile of brass while fighting for the greatest nation ever to be established on the face of this Earth. We here need to think of the thousands who gave their lives selflessly, without expectation of anything in return, true selfless servants serving simply to do what was best for the United States of America. Some were infantrymen; some were mortarmen; some were engineers or tankers or something else. They were men and women who, through the ages, created the reputation and the legacy and the tradition that made me say: ``That is what I want to be. That is how I want to serve. That is how I want to help.'' Here, we must learn from those who we think about most on Memorial Day. We need to look at them and their names and their lives and their stories and their sacrifice and demand the same thing out of ourselves. They pushed through the cold. They pushed through the snow. They pushed without adequate supplies. They fought back tanks. They always pushed forward in the face of bombarding artillery. They pushed so hard that their weapon would overheat. They pushed through trench foot. They did it with fixed bayonets, which they used to defend their own foxholes and then used them to carve our enemy out of their foxholes. They stayed in the fight when they were wounded, even though it would certainly mean a bitter end that was very far from home. They did not stop because they were tired. They did not stop because they were exhausted or freezing or hungry. They did it even though they had to sleep on the ground or sleep in the field or sometimes never sleep at all. They only stopped when the job was done. They only stopped when the mission was accomplished. This is the grit with which Americans have always defended America. We have taken that same oath in this House, and American heroes, they set the precedent for every generation about how to do that job. To do it for them was not just a job or a paycheck, it was a calling. It was a calling that few have the stomach to undertake and that, certainly, even fewer still are capable of ever doing. It requires uncommon characteristics such as courage and valor and selflessness. Today those words are thrown around very lightly by many, but those we remember on Memorial Day have actually lived and breathed the definition of these characteristics. They did it by flying aircraft or driving armored vehicles. They did it by setting sail with the most powerful fleet ever seen on our seas. They did it by yoking their bodies with a rifle or a pistol, by carrying hundreds of rounds of ammunition and hundreds of pounds of gear, wearing a helmet and explosives, carrying everything that they required to save the life of another servicemember as well as everything that they needed to survive for days or months on end. They did it while being targeted by snipers, while having bombs or mortars or grenades hurled at them, while having an RPG fired at them. They did it while walking in fields of mines and improvised explosive devices. They did it by carrying that load for miles and days across mountains, across rolling hills, and through fields and forests and rivers. They did it while carrying letters for their friends, which they promised to deliver to their family should anything ever happen to them. They did it while missing births and birthdays and ball games and bath times and holidays and every other good time that they missed with their families. They did it in the face of mortal combat. They did it while holding both the lives of their friends and the lives of our enemies in their hands. We honor those we remember who are not with us today by taking no charge more seriously than honoring their sacrifice with the lives that we now live. What those heroes have done in defense of our Nation can never be taken away from them. We must remember that so, too, what we do here in defense cannot be taken away by the years that pass if we endeavor to be warriors, willing to defend America at any and all costs. Those we remember are a testament to the importance of the values and ideals sewn into the fabric of our Nation, the absolutes. And all I can say is: Thank God for men and women like that, for creating such patriots for us to revere as the standard by which all other Americans should serve America. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I, too, am a person with preexisting conditions, and I believe it is not just something that I should do; it is a responsibility for me to be the staunchest advocate for people out there who have preexisting conditions. That is why I am such an ardent supporter of this bill. I think every American and every person out there with preexisting conditions should be asking themselves: How is it that they have coverage if every single insurance provider has pulled out of the market? If there is no entity to go to out there and provide insurance, how is it that preexisting conditions could possibly be covered? I have had the question constantly: How is it so difficult for Republicans to get this bill passed, to get this through the floor? The answer is this, and this is again the question that every American should be asking themselves: Who is going out there and saying that preexisting conditions won't be covered? It is the exact same group of people that went out there and lied to the face of every single American, telling them that if they liked their plan, they would keep their plan; if they liked their doctor, they would keep their doctor; that the average American family was going to save $2,500 or more on health insurance. That was a bold-faced lie. It was orchestrated by architects who specifically went out with the intention to prey on the American people. That is who is going out there selling these lies against my party. I resent that completely because we have come up with a plan, with a strategy to go out there and save health care for the American people, and I couldn't be more proud of that.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friend from Pennsylvania for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize my committee colleagues from the great State of Florida, Ms. Frankel and Mr. Webster, on promoting this important piece of legislation. I am very proud to be a cosponsor of this bill. There is no question for Florida that the emergency management capabilities are among the best in the Nation, but some disasters are even beyond what we can handle and what we can handle in an effective and timely manner. Right now in our State, we are battling wildfires across the State. We are on the eve of a brand-new hurricane season which happens year after year. These FEMA disaster relief programs are necessary, they are critical, and they are one of the most important responsibilities of the Federal Government to help States and their citizenry recover; but, unfortunately, there is an issue going on. Many counties in south Florida are still fighting to this day with FEMA to defend the legitimacy of disaster relief aid that they received following one of the worst hurricane seasons in our State's history, where hurricane after hurricane after hurricane crossed the shores of Florida. Mr. Speaker, victims of a disaster or a national emergency who may not even have shelter over their heads--or food or water or basic necessities--should not be victimized again by their own government just because they lack the paper trail from decades ago when they were undergoing this sort of devastation in their life. By reinstating a 3- year statute of limitations on the reclamation of funds, when there is no evidence of fraud, no evidence of waste, no evidence of abuse, this bill moves more of the onus for recordkeeping and combating fraud away from relief recipients and back to where it belongs, back on to FEMA, and during that time when it is most essential, immediately after the recovery process. Mr. Speaker, I think that is just common sense. Once again, I fully support this bipartisan bill, and I commend Chairman Shuster and Chairman Barletta for their assistance in getting this important bill to the floor.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, I spoke in this Chamber about the threats made against Jewish community centers across this country. I rise today because, this week, we have taken bipartisan action to address these threats. As Members of Congress, we have a responsibility not only to speak out against hate, but to take real action to put an end to bigotry and violence. This week, I joined with a bipartisan group of my colleagues introducing the Faith-Based Community Center Protection Act. I also want to thank Senator Heinrich for his leadership on this issue in the Senate. Our bill provides over $20 million in additional funding to the Department of Homeland Security specifically dedicated to safeguarding faith-based community centers, and it would double the Federal penalty against making bomb threats from 5 years to 10 years. Think about that, bomb threats from just 5 years to 10 years. These are commonsense changes, and this is a simple, affordable solution to a very serious problem. Mr. Speaker, today I am calling on my colleagues to join us as defenders of human dignity because it is the decent, humane thing to do.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. If the gentleman would yield, that is certainly an issue that we can point to. But when you talk about post-traumatic stress and so many other issues that are diagnosed by the Department of Veterans Affairs----

Mr. MAST. I appreciate that. When I get to speaking about the specifics of this matter--and you used a very broad, general term, like the term ``post-traumatic stress disorder.'' That is something that is, unfortunately, layered upon nearly every veteran that exits service today. So to go out there and have this ability to put people into this NICS, who have this sort of label placed upon them, that is exactly the crux of this that I am getting to that is not specific enough. It does not point to what is specifically an issue that anybody is facing.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I take issue with a term that was thrown around far too loosely twice in just the last couple of minutes by my colleagues from the other side of the aisle here where each of them used the term ``crazy.'' They used the term ``crazy'' twice. I take serious issue with that. This is the reality: our servicemembers that endeavor onto the battlefield, they face snipers that are targeting them. They face mortars being dropped on their head. They face improvised explosive devices like the ones that took my legs and so many of my friends. There are aviators that fly beyond the lines of our enemy. They face the threat of being shot down or captured. There are marines, there are sailors. And all of us--you know, the reality is we do come home with demons that are associated with a life that is surrounded by death. That is certainly the truth. But to say for one moment that that is something that allows the term ``crazy'' to be layered upon any one of these heroes that goes out there and serves in defense of this country, that goes out there and has the willingness to have their uniform stained with the blood of their friends, I find that to be a disgusting use of that word. I resent the fact that it has been done, Mr. Speaker, and I would respectfully ask that there be an apology made to those that put on the uniform and go out and defend this country on behalf of every single American.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote for this rule and to bring each of these bills to the floor.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by saying this. I was prompted to say this by the remarks from my colleague from Florida just now. I believe that there is absolutely nothing that is common sense about preventing those who defend America from having the opportunity to defend themselves. There is no common sense in that whatsoever. I listened to your emotional remarks here, and I listened as you gave zero specifics on the mental illness that my colleague specifically talked about being worried about. Specifically, what mental illnesses is it that had you concerned? I would encourage you to have the courage to be specific and say exactly what it is that you mean so that there is no confusion. Now, the true intent of my remarks today are to talk about my favorite part of going to the VA, and that is sitting next to my fellow veterans when I sit down at one of the clinics at my local VA hospital. Whether it is a marine from Iraq, whether it is a sailor from World War II, a soldier from Vietnam, an airman from Korea, whenever we sit down next to each other, there is a camaraderie that exists immediately. One of the first things that is said is usually some sort of off- topic joke about the branch that the other person comes from. It is that camaraderie of shared service that unites us in a way that half a century of age can't divide. I can tell you, we have common experiences, and we have common healthcare challenges as well. It is important for veterans to come together and for the VA to establish and maintain expertise in providing for our unique healthcare needs. Unfortunately, too many VA facilities have lost their hunger to provide care. They have lost the passion to meet the individual needs of veterans, and it has become way too much of a rarity that a veteran's needs are truly met when they enter the VA facility. You cobble that together with enough bad experiences from underperforming employees, and it forces veterans to ask: Where else can I go for my care? That is why I am excited to see the House bring forward two bills this week that get at the crux of the matter: authority to hire the best employees and the ability to remove underperforming employees. Today we will debate the VA Accountability First Act. We will provide the VA Secretary the flexibility to either remove, demote, or suspend an employee for misconduct. It can be very little that is more important to go on at the VA. Tomorrow we will debate H.R. 1367 that will bolster the Secretary's situational awareness to recruit and retain the very best employees. You know, when a veteran like myself or my peers goes to the VA, we are not given a choice in our provider. We go there, and they look at a person like me and they say: Your last name is Mast. We are going to assign you to Alpha clinic. This is your provider, and there is no choice. The veterans deserve nothing less than the kind of care and accountability that these bills endeavor to provide.

Mr. MAST. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Madam Speaker, I rise today because there have now recently been at least 100 threats made against more than 75 Jewish community centers across the country. These threats and the recent vandalism of Jewish cemeteries are despicable. I can probably find much more harsh language to use, but we probably shouldn't use it here on the House floor. Community centers of all faiths should be places where people can find peace and not feel targeted for their beliefs. As a nation, we have to demonstrate that we will do everything within our power to prevent future threats and stop potential attacks. One of my first acts as a new Member of Congress was to join the bipartisan task force to combat anti-Semitism. I am sad that we even have to do this. Our group works across the aisle to combat global anti-Semitism. I have also cosponsored the Combating European Anti- Semitism Act, which instructs the Secretary of State to track anti- Semitism in Europe. But it is clear from these attacks, Madam Speaker, that we must also do far more here at home to combat anti-Semitism. In the coming days, I will be working with my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, to determine the additional steps that we can take to combat anti-Semitism in the United States and keep our communities safe. I make this encouragement. I encourage all of my colleagues to ask themselves one question: What if it were their child's elementary school? What if it were their child's daycare? What if it were their child's afterschool program that had the threat of a bomb, just like the one that took my own legs?

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of including Everglades restoration in the President's infrastructure plan for America. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan is the most ambitious ecosystem restoration ever attempted and represents the ultimate infrastructure package for Florida, but many critical projects designed to add harmful Lake Okeechobee discharges and algal blooms into my community are far behind where they should be and becoming far more costly by the delay in full funding. The President has touted his record of building world-class projects ahead of schedule and under budget; so I am calling on him to create an Everglades restoration infrastructure task force, secure the full funding, and accelerate the CERP projects to completion. Mr. Speaker, my constituents have waited long enough to realize the massive benefits of Everglades restoration. Now let's seize this moment and put this President and this Congress to work to finish the job.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because the opioid abuse epidemic continues to worsen across this country. In Florida alone, heroin and fentanyl deaths have risen by nearly 80 percent. Local governments in Florida are responding as best they can with their limited resources, but they cannot solve the problem alone. The 18th District of Florida includes parts of Palm Beach County, where my colleague, Lois Frankel, resides, which is one of the hardest hit counties in the State. In 2016, the county received more than 4,000 overdose calls, and there were approximately 500 opioid-related deaths. Mr. Speaker, our Nation's veterans are uniquely vulnerable to this crisis. We must never forget our responsibility to these brave men and women to ensure that, when they leave the battlefield overseas, they aren't left to fight their personal battles here at home all alone. I commend Congress for passing legislation last year to combat this epidemic, but we have to do more. I urge my colleagues to pass the bipartisan STOP Act to crack down on illicit opioid shipments into the U.S., and I also hope that we can continue to work together in other ways to fight this epidemic. Only by working together at the Federal, State, and local government levels can we defeat this terrible scourge that is creating new tragedies daily.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the story of Hadar Goldin. Hadar was born in the Galilee region of Israel in 1991. He was a gifted young man--a happy person with a lively personality. He was an accomplished painter and, I am told, an inspiration to everybody that knew him. He served as a lieutenant in the Givati Brigade of the IDF. Mr. Speaker, I did not know Hadar personally, but, during my time serving alongside the IDF, I knew so many who were just like him. I met some of the most humble and compassionate people that I have ever known. I chose to serve alongside the IDF because our friends in Israel fight for the same values that we fight to protect in our country: human dignity, freedom, and liberty. I can tell you from experience that we soldiers often label our uniforms with sentiments that are important to us. Hadar had his rifle belt embroidered with the words ``strength and humility.'' He fought not out of hatred for his enemy but to protect his homeland and his family. He used the embroidery as a reminder that a soldier has the courage to use his weapon when needed, but even more importantly, has the humility to restrain from its use in the name of peace. But on August 1, 2014, when Hadar was only 23 years old, he was killed by Hamas terrorists, just 2 hours after a ceasefire had been declared in the Operation Protective Edge war in Gaza. Hamas terrorists maliciously dragged his body away from his home and into an underground tunnel. They stripped and left his clothing and have held his corpse ever since. Americans are no strangers to the term ``missing in action,'' as we still have, shamefully, thousands unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. This is a painful and uncertain future that no family deserves. This should never, ever be condoned. Last week, I had the opportunity to meet with Hadar's family. They are unable to give their son the proper burial because Hamas is holding his body hostage. Mr. Speaker, we know that Hamas does not value human life. They seek to destroy all that Israel and the United States hold dear. Even the last administration called for the condemning of this action in the strongest possible terms. They called it barbaric. We must now enter into a new chapter--one where we support our Israeli allies and stand side by side with them in the fight for freedom. This was a ceasefire that Israel entered into at the urging of former Secretary of State John Kerry and the United Nations. They should bear some responsibility for ensuring his body is returned home. Mr. Speaker, I urge the United Nations to step up for what is right. Show some spine, show some resolve, and stand against Hamas. Do not be a rug that Palestinians trounce across as they shop the United Nations to fulfill their agenda while never being held accountable for their acts of terrorism and their acts against basic human dignity. I urge the new administration to take the necessary steps to help bring Hadar home and ensure his family can finally give him a proper burial--the kind of burial that every soldier, regardless of their uniform, deserves.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins) for including me in this Special Order tonight and for yielding to me and for becoming a friend of mine. Mr. Speaker, it is with tremendous honor and humility that I rise to represent the hardworking values of the 18th Congressional District of Florida, with communities like Palm Beach Gardens, home of the PGA tour; Stuart, Florida, home to the U.S. Sailing Academy; Port St. Lucie, the spring training home of the New York Mets; and Fort Pierce, Florida, the home of the only Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in the entire country. It is an amazing place for anyone to go to. Before I go any further, I do want to--and I know I am joined by the rest of my freshmen colleagues, and probably the entire body, when I say that our thoughts and our prayers have been with our new colleague, Mr. Rutherford from the Fourth District of Florida, the sheriff as I call him. He is a friend and a patriot. I know that we are all praying for his speedy recovery. As I talk to people in my community, there is one issue that keeps them up at night more than any other issue, and that issue is the water quality in our area, or rather, the lack thereof. I can tell you, it is nonnegotiable. It is a nonnegotiable priority for me, that we allow the water in our community, water that used to be so blue that it looked like something out of a postcard, to once again become clean for this generation and for future generations. When I was studying at Harvard, I studied the environment. I did very specific work in watershed infrastructure. I can tell you, it doesn't take an academic to know that these waterways are irreplaceable treasures. They are central to the economy and the quality of life in our region. It is why most people I know make our 18th District home, why they call it some place that they want to live for the rest of their life. It is the water and it is the weather. To tell you the truth, if you take the water away, the weather isn't always that comfortable. Right now there is water being discharged from the center of our State, Lake Okeechobee into the Treasure Coast of Florida, destroying our community, putting our people out of business, killing sea life, and making people sick. What makes our community so beautiful is literally being robbed from us, and this cannot continue. Our lagoon and our estuaries have to be restored. I will work endlessly to strengthen the partnership between our local, State, and Federal agencies to upgrade that infrastructure; not just talk about it, but actually get it done because this is life or death for the community that I represent. Mr. Speaker, if I sound heated over this, it is because I am heated over this. When I look back at history and see that the Panama Canal took less than a decade to build once the United States Government got involved, that the Hoover Dam was built and open in 5 years, as far as I can tell, construction technology has only improved since the 1930s, but the infrastructure restoration surrounding Lake Okeechobee and the Florida Everglades is taking decades. It is an absolute embarrassment that the water infrastructure projects in Florida are taking so long and at such a great social and economic cost to communities like my own. We can't afford to wait any longer, and this will be my top priority. Another issue that I hear about constantly is from people in our community talking about the role America's weak foreign policy over the last 8 years has played in destabilizing the Middle East and making our country and communities--places like Fort Pierce, where the terrorist who attacked the Orlando nightclub lived, where he worshipped--making our country less safe. As a Member of Congress, I will work every day to provide the men and women of our armed services with the tools and the flexibility that they need to do their job and to come home alive. When I was serving in the Army, I had the honor to work alongside the best men and women that I have ever known. I worked as a bomb technician in our highest level of military special operations; and under the cover of darkness in Afghanistan, our job was to kill or capture the most menacing targets each and every night that we could find. I witnessed firsthand the extremists that want to literally destroy our way of life. My scars and the scars of my fellow veterans and peers, they should be a continual reminder of the enemy that we are fighting and why the work that we are doing is so important. For me, on September 19, 2010, I found my last explosive device, and it wasn't that much different from so many others that have claimed the lives of friends of mine. It was homemade explosives encapsulated in pieces of glass--nails, ball bearings, shrapnel that was meant to detonate whenever it was stepped on. Mr. Speaker, the people that put that bomb there, that manufactured that device, who have killed or wounded our bravest men and women, their goal is to wipe our country and our allies off the face of this Earth, to bring that same war to our hometowns as they have done in so many places already, places like New York and Boston and Chattanooga, San Bernardino, Fort Hood, and Orlando. Eight years of failed international leadership has created a vacuum of power that is being filled by ISIS and other terrorist groups. ISIS right now has more money, more land, more resources than al Qaeda did at 9/11. Sitting back and waiting for peace, that is not a strategy. Containment, that is not a strategy. We need an aggressive strategy to root out extremists, eliminate any safe haven to prevent future attacks on the United States of America. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, I am as well aware as anybody that defeating those who come against us out of a hatred, it comes at a cost. Friends of mine--too many friends of mine--have lost three or four limbs, have been blinded, have been covered on their entire body with burns, have had massive head trauma or some combination of all of the above injuries. Sadly, I am also aware of how often the VA fails these men and women, and I can tell you that it is not an option. We have to do better. We owe our veterans better than the care that they are getting right now. Improving care for our veterans, it starts with reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs. I strongly believe that the best way to do this is to give veterans the flexibility to choose anytime, anywhere medical care. The increased competition will force the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide a higher quality of care to our servicemen and -women. Beyond this, we have to eliminate the corruption and the incompetence at the Department of Veterans Affairs to reduce the claims backlog currently plaguing the VA hospitals across the country. These pending claims make it nearly impossible for the men and women who fought in places like Iwo Jima, the Chosin Reservoir, Saigon, Mogadishu, Kandahar, Mosul, and any other places to live their life, as they have to wait years for a decision from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Fixing these problems will ensure that the future generations of servicemen and -women are not burdened with the same challenges that today's veterans are facing. In addition to physical health care, we have to do more to help veterans with mental health care. There is a stat that is thrown around all too often that there are more than 20 veterans a day who take their own life. I have known some of them. I could tell you how that is an unacceptable rate that far exceeds the average of the civilian population. But the fact is, to lose just one veteran from suicide is completely unacceptable. This is very personal to me. I have seen firsthand the impact that war can have on soldiers returning home, all of whom daily work through the trauma of having friends whom they are forced to remember who didn't come home with them. Not a week goes by where I don't get a call from someone who wants to talk about the fact that they want to step in front of a bus or go to sleep in their garage with the car running and never wake up. Often this call comes after a traumatizing experience that they have just had at the Department of Veterans Affairs. We need to be there for one another, and we need to be there for our veterans. I think often about something that President Kennedy once said. He said: The cost of freedom has always been high, but Americans have always been willing to pay that price. Our veterans, they do pay that price. They make tremendous personal sacrifices. But just because they are always going to be there and they are always willing to make these sacrifices for our freedom, that doesn't mean that we can take their service for granted, which is exactly what is happening every single time one of our veterans is failed. I am committed to doing all that I can to increase mental health resources for our veterans and doing anything, whether that is legislatively or personally, to reduce veteran suicide rates. But we also have to do more to assist returning veterans in finding jobs and starting new careers once they do exit the military. I know that the men and women that I served with were among the most talented and hardworking men and women that I have ever met in this entire world. Veterans know what it is like to work in high-pressure situations, to be held to a standard of excellence. They know the stress of loading their body down with hundreds of pounds of equipment and trekking that across long distances, working together as a team. They know what it takes to go out there and get the job done, no matter what challenge is placed in front of them. And they know what it is to not just risk the bottom line, but to actually go out there and put their own life on the line. Veterans are among the most qualified employees for any position. But veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, they face an unemployment rate that is substantially higher than the national average. I am committed to working with local businesses and community leaders to discuss ways to reverse this troubling trend, as well as supporting legislation that will help our veterans use the very unique skills and talents that they have developed for the rest of their life. Mr. Speaker, following my service in the U.S. Army, I made a very conscious choice to volunteer with the Israeli Defense Forces because our countries share common ideals of freedom and democracy and mutual respect for all people, something that I know firsthand is not common in most of the Middle East. During my time in Israel, I served alongside soldiers driven by love for their fellow man rather than by hatred for their neighbors. I learned with each family that I got to know just how much each family truly desires peace with every neighbor of Israel, regardless of their religion or their history with those countries. The same cannot be said of Israel's enemies. For the United States, the choice is very clear: we either stand with a historic friend and ally who shares our values, or we cave to groups like the Palestinians or countries like Iran who represent everything that the United States is not. I have found that the most important time to stand for what is right is when it is the most difficult time to stand for what is right. This moment in history is no different. We have to be proud of who we are, and we have to stand with those who stand with us and stand against any terrorist regime who seeks to threaten even one of us. Mr. Speaker, the last thing that I want to say tonight is simply that it is a tremendous honor to have the opportunity to serve the people of Florida's 18th Congressional District. I know very well that the office that I occupy, it doesn't truly belong to me. It belongs to those people. And the simple fact is that the status quo has not been good enough for them. Families across the country, they are hurting, and I know that we have a lot of work to do. I have laid out a number of priorities to help the 18th District and to strengthen our country, but I also know this: the problems Washington, D.C. is facing, they cannot just be fixed with bills and laws. One of the most important lessons that I ever learned in the military, that I ever learned in combat, was that inspiration matters. Military leaders that I had who displayed courage and valor and selflessness, they drew the exact same thing out of every single soldier that surrounded them. And that is my goal as I am here in the Halls of Congress, every day, that I work to, above all, inspire each peer that I have here, Republican and Democrat, to have courage and to make sure that their sense of duty is to America above anything else, and to make sure that we serve selflessly and, every day that we are given the honor to serve here, to make this country and our communities that much better.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Georgia for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because the current administration has literally undermined peace with their shameful failure to veto U.N. Resolution 2334. Condemning Israel is condemning the most peaceful country in the Middle East, and it is done simply to appease Palestinians--a group that has been historically defined by their responsibility for terror-- and this does not bring us one step closer to peace. I can tell you that after defending freedom in the U.S., I chose to volunteer alongside the Israeli Defense Forces because our countries do share the uncommon ideals of freedom, democracy, and mutual respect for all people. During my time with the IDF, I did learn at the tables of Israeli families just how much each one of them truly desire peace. By failing to veto this hateful U.N. resolution, the administration has sent a terrible message. We must counter this underhanded condemnation of Israel with a unanimous show of support today for H. Res. 11.