Brian Mast

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the passing and the important contributions of a great Floridian for his unrelenting determination to protect the Florida Everglades. Nathaniel Pryor Reed was a man whom I was proud to know, and he was one of Florida's most influential environmental leaders. He served six Florida Governors and two United States Presidents, advising them on environmental protection and conservation. He worked instrumentally in the legislation of the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act. He was an avid fisherman and a conservationist. He served on more nonprofit boards than I can count, and he was a founding member of the Everglades Foundation, serving on the board of directors since its inception 25 years ago. He championed the bipartisan saying: ``The Everglades doesn't care what party you belong to, she cares what you do.'' Nathaniel ended every phone call by sending his sincerest best wishes, and he always truly meant it. Today we send him our sincerest and remember his unwavering commitment to America's Everglades and his service to our Nation.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask a question of this body. I would like every Member of this body to think about this: What would you do if one of your neighbors each and every day was taking their garbage and throwing it over your fence into your yard? What would you do if that were the case? In the case of my community, it is not just the garbage of neighboring communities that enters its way into our community, it is toxic water pollution. So if somebody throwing garbage over your fence would infuriate you as an individual, then I would ask you to imagine how you would feel if your neighbor was knowingly poisoning the kids in your backyard, your children? I don't think that I know of words. I don't think I know of a four- letter word that would describe this for me. I don't know of an emoji that I could text anybody. I don't know an emotion that I could use to adequately describe the feeling of having my community poisoned, knowingly and willingly, year after year after year. Now, the World Health Organization says that any amount greater than 10 parts per billion microcystin algae is poison for humans and that it causes everything from nausea to liver disease. That is a pretty broad spectrum. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection just reported that the level released into our waters is more than 150 parts per billion. Let me say that one more time. The World Health Organization said that anything greater than 10 parts per billion is poison. The water being released into my community that plays no role in producing this toxic water is being exposed to water that is more than 150 parts per billion, 15 times what is considered harmful to human health. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to resume its poisoning operations later this week. As a result of that, I would like to ask three things: Number one, to the Department of Defense, who is currently conducting a systemwide review of its policies: Do not release one more drop of this poison water into my community, into Florida's Treasure Coast, into the epicenter of population for hundreds of thousands of people. Our community did not create the problem or the conditions leading to this poison, and we must not be forced to have the health of each of our citizens put at risk as a result of someone else's garbage being thrown into our yard--or, rather, by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releasing it into our backyard. Number two, I would ask this of our President: The situation has resulted in a state of emergency in years past, and the Governor has already declared a state of emergency for Florida and a number of counties, including for Martin and St. Lucie Counties. I call for a Federal state of emergency to be declared right now. I also ask this. Previous administrations had this request come before them, and those administrations did nothing. I would ask this of our administration: Bring in the cavalry. Bring in every bit of water cleanup operation you can find that can be yielded by FEMA, by the Coast Guard, by Fish and Wildlife, by anybody else that can go out there and clean this poison, these toxins out of our waterways. Number three, to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Federal court cases demand that everything--all the water that goes south of Lake Okeechobee, where this toxic water stems from--not be exposed to anything greater than 10 parts per billion of phosphorous. That actually slows the rate of water flow to the south, where that water actually belongs, where God designed that water to go. Yet my community is getting toxic water with parts greater than 150 parts per billion, which is, as I said, 15 times greater than what is safe for human contact. That is not equitable. That is not right. So I would ask that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who has the emergency authority granted to them under section 7-13 when there are pollution emergencies: Use that authority now to stop poisoning my community, to protect the hundreds of thousands of people on the Treasure Coast of Florida, and send that dirty, toxic water south.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Florida Sportsman founder Karl Wickstrom, who passed away on June 26, 2018 in Stuart, Florida. Throughout his life, he was a passionate and inspiring champion for Florida's waterways. For decades, he supported organizations like the Rivers Coalition in the fight for cleaner waters in our community. His strong legacy of environmental activism will live on in the important work that each of the organizations he supported continues to do. In addition to his lasting legacy in the form of laws protecting Florida's environment, he is also responsible for inspiring an entirely new generation of champions for clean water. Because of his journalism and activism, his ideas for environmental protection will continue to reverberate through our communities for decades to come. Mr. Speaker, it is incumbent upon all of us to take up this legacy, continue his fight, protect our estuaries and send the water south. While we continue to mourn the loss of this environmental visionary and pray for his family, let us also use this opportunity to fulfill his vision for a safer, healthier and stronger Florida.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because it is the 24th day that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has intentionally discharged toxic water from Lake Okeechobee in Florida's interior into the Treasure Coast of Florida, which is my community. Today, I have a group of warriors with me, the River Kidz. They are here in Washington fighting to show that what is happening in our community is not okay. It is not right, and it is not just. The River Kidz are a group of young people from the Treasure Coast of Florida whose health and community have been threatened. While many kids across the country right now are gearing up to go to camp this summer or spending their days on a boat or at a beach or fishing, our kids are doing all that they can to avoid contact with our water because every single day our water is being made more and more toxic. As we speak, there is a toxic algae bloom over 100 miles in diameter laden with cyanobacteria. It is being drained into Florida's east coast, and, in fact, as we speak, satellite imagery shows that nearly half of the entire lake of Lake Okeechobee is covered in algae. It is a threat to the health of every single man, woman, and child who is exposed to it. The toxic algae blooms are also devastating to threatened species like manatee who inhabit our waters but cannot escape from the water. The billions of gallons of discharge that is evacuated from Lake Okeechobee into the coastal estuary wipes out our entire estuary of seagrass the way a wildfire wipes out a forest, leaving no habitat for the rest of the sea life that is meant to exist there. Mr. Speaker, you might be wondering: Why would anybody in Washington care about this beyond to say for a few moments what a sad situation it really is? Washington needs to care. Washington needs to care because this is a situation that is created by the fact that Florida's water system is functioning exactly the way that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed the system to function. In other words, this is happening on purpose. The Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule, which is what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uses to decide when and where water out of Lake Okeechobee will be discharged into places it does not belong, is designed to ``share adversity.'' Let me say that again. The Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule is designed to share adversity. Shared adversity means shared toxic water into a community that did not share at all in the polluting of the source of the toxic water. Mr. Speaker, let me explain this in a way that people here in Washington, people here in the Capitol, can relate to. It would be like if a Senator on the other half of this building flushed their toilet over there, and instead of sending that sewage into pipes that go underneath the street and into a water treatment plant, the Corps of Engineers set up a system here where they had a pipe that dumped the sewage onto the floor of the House of Representatives. That is what shared adversity by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers looks like. In the case of my community, it is not just a pipe, though. It is millions of gallons a minute that destroys our environment, destroys our economy, destroys small businesses, and affects the health, as I said already, of every single man, woman, and child who comes in contact with the water, and it threatens our entire way of life. The Treasure Coast of Florida can no longer be forced to share adversity that they played no role in creating. The River Kidz, myself, and the entire Treasure Coast of Florida demand that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stop immediately its willful pollution of our home that is done on behalf of others.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Major General Wayne P. Jackson, Retired, a true patriot and fellow veteran who I had the honor of joining in throwing out the first pitch earlier this month at Roger Dean Stadium. Born in Chicago in 1929, General Jackson was commissioned in 1951 as a Second Lieutenant after several years of enlisted service in the U.S. Army Air Force and U.S. Navy. His 37 years in the service was defined by profound courage and many accomplishments. He served in various overseas theaters of operation and has commanded Signal Corps, Military Intelligence and Civil Affairs units. As a General Officer he served as the Director of Counter Intelligence and Security, the Assistant to the Chief of Staff for Intelligence at the Department of the Army Headquarters, the Commanding General of the 352nd Civil Affairs Command, and the Deputy and Commanding General of the 97th Army Reserve Command. General Jackson has also been awarded the Expert Infantry Badge, the Parachute Badge, and the Master Aviator Badge. His decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal and several other military awards and decorations. However, General Jackson's life of excellence extends not only to his military service, but to his academic work as well. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Arts degrees in psychology at the University of Tulsa. He did post graduate work at the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Southern California. His military education includes the basic and advanced officer courses at the Signal and Military Intelligence Schools. He has also completed the advanced courses at the Civil Affairs and Infantry Schools. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College. General Jackson and his wife, Lahoma reside in Jupiter, Florida. His son Wayne Jr. and two daughters, Jacky and Jennifer, four grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren also reside in Jupiter. In the tradition of his father, his son Wayne Jr., is also retired from the U.S. Army. General Jackson has lived a life of excellence and of many great accomplishments both in the military and as a civilian. Mr. Speaker, that is why I am honoring General Jackson and thank him for his many years of service to our country. I have no doubt that he will continue to accomplish great things in the years to come.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, today is day 22 of water exactly like this being discharged into my community in Lake Okeechobee. You can see exactly how disgusting it is. What you cannot see is the disgusting smell that emanates from it. You cannot see the toxins that are inside of it. You cannot see the airborne pathogens that come off of it. What you see behind me is a satellite image of the hundreds of square miles of algae bloom that are in this lake that are being discharged miles and miles away into my community. My community did not put the algae bloom on the lake; they did not put the nutrients into the lake that caused this algae bloom; but my community pays the price, all under the umbrella of flood control for other communities. I believe my community is owed, at a minimum, one answer: How much pollution is too much? How much danger to our community is too much? How much before this will stop?

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I have a great 5-minute speech prepared here, but I am just going to tell you the way it is. For the last 2 weeks, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been using my community as their own personal septic tank. That is not hyperbole. That is the truth. Now, it hasn't just happened this way for the last 2 weeks. They just started discharging water into my community 2 weeks ago. This has actually been going on for decades where, year after year after year, the Corps of Engineers decides that it is okay to discharge water that they know is toxic into an epicenter of human population. How do they know this water is toxic? Because the Federal Government sued the State of Florida at one point in history, saying: Listen, we don't want you to send this water down south toward the Florida Everglades because it is killing the Florida Everglades. It is too toxic for what needs to go in there. So now the Corps of Engineers sends it to people. They send it to the kids who are out at fishing camp. They send it to the fishermen who are trying to pull fish out of the water, and they send it to the beaches where, instead, they have to put up signs that say: No swimming. Don't touch the water. Hazard to human life. What kind of community is this where this is sent to? This is a community, the treasure coast of Florida. It is an area where beautiful waters from the Atlantic flow in. They make the water crystal clear. It used to be laden with sea grass, with sea life, and with waterfowl, and now you can find next to none of that because the water is no longer blue. The water no longer has sea grass and thriving fish beds in it because the water is black. It is black because the flowing waters in from the Atlantic Ocean can't keep up with the toxic waters that are discharged into that estuary, into that nationally recognized estuary, by the hand of the Federal Government, by the hand of the U.S. Corps of Engineers. Where the water isn't black, the water is green, like this, with toxic algae and cyanobacteria, things that no person should ever have to come in contact with. I will tell you, this body recently did a good job for what has to occur to fix this issue in the long term. We passed the Water Resources Development Act, where we went out there and put a placeholder into that bill for a southern reservoir, a reservoir south of our area to send this water so that they don't have to send this water to the epicenter of human population in our area. We did a good job of doing something known as asking for a LORS review, a review of the schedule at which level we can keep the Lake Okeechobee water in that lake so that they don't have to discharge that water into our community. We did a good job in making sure that we put resources toward how you can clean up algal blooms. Those were all very important things for the long term, but it doesn't help the people in my community today and tomorrow, the people who have to worry about their children coming in contact with the water because of the human health risks associated with it. It doesn't help the business owners, whom I have to see day after day with tears in their eyes because they are closing their doors for the last time because they can't survive because of the way this devastates our economy from top to bottom. When you destroy the environment in our community, you destroy us. You destroy every one of us in our community. This cannot continue. This has to stop. I call on the U.S. Corps of Engineers that, until the moment comes where you can say the water you are sending into our area is not toxic whatsoever, until that day comes where you would go into that water yourself or bring your own family members for a vacation and for a swim in our waterways, then don't send one more drop of that water into my community. I put on the same uniform as the members of the Corps of Engineers. We wore the same Army uniform, and I know that we carry the same passion for how we do things. We had an ethos: You always place the mission first; you never accept defeat; you never quit; and you never leave a fallen comrade. Right now my community is being left behind by the Corps of Engineers, and it is not right. I could say that not one moment during my time in the military would I have ever considered risking the life of one community in the name of something that may potentially happen in the future. It is not right; it can't occur in our community; and that is why I call on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop their discharging of toxic water immediately.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Chairman, again I applaud the committee on their work, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Chairman, I want to begin by thanking the chairman, Chairman Shuster, and the committee for all of their work on WRDA. It has been timely, and they have been a joy to work with. WRDA 2000, however, authorized a plan known as the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and it granted the authority to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works to provide credit to the State of Florida for reasonable cost of any work that was performed toward the completion of the project. However, current law does have some ambiguity that my amendment clarifies with respect to when the work is performed. Now, the Army Corps ultimately has the discretion to determine what work performed by Florida is integral to the project, and this amendment makes no change to that discretion whatsoever. Questions have been raised with regard to the scope of the Army Corps' authority to grant credit for work Florida has done that is not explicitly stated in the Project Partnership Agreement. My amendment clarifies that, so long as the Secretary and Florida agree that the work completed during the construction phase is integral to the project, the Secretary does, in fact, have the authority to provide credit for that work that is done. I appreciate the full committee and the subcommittee's leadership working with me on this language, and I encourage my colleagues to adopt this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Dennis Frisch, a podiatric physician who practices in his hometown of Boca Raton, Fla., for his installation on March 18, 2018, as President of the American Podiatric Medical Association. Dr. Frisch has dedicated his life to service in his profession and his community. After graduating from Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine and completing his residency at the Franklin Boulevard Community Hospital in Chicago, Ill., Dr. Frisch went into private practice in Boca Raton. 30 years later, he continues to provide podiatric care in that community. He has been board certified in podiatric surgery by the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons for nearly 25 years and is a founding member of the American Society of Podiatric Surgeon. Dr. Frisch has also served as president of the Florida Podiatric Medical Association, winning the FPMA Podiatrist of the Year Award and its President's Award. In addition, he has twice been named one of the top 150 Most Influential Podiatrists in America and was appointed by Governor Charlie Crist to the Florida Board of Podiatric Medicine, serving for 6 years. Dr. Frisch has also been an active member of the American Podiatric Medical Association. He was elected to its Board of Trustees in 2007 before becoming Treasurer. He is also a member of APMA's Annual Meeting Committee and Scholarship Committee, as well as serving as the APMA Barry University liaison. Dr. Frisch is also active in the Boca Raton community. He has served two terms as president of the Boca Raton Rotary Club and served for eight years as a Commissioner for the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Parks District. Currently, he is an appointed Board member to the City of Boca Raton Parks and Recreation Department Advisory Board. And last, but most importantly, Dr. Frisch is a proud husband to his wife Jennifer, father to his two children, Ashley and Daniel, and Pa Pa of two grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, I wish Dr. Frisch great success as he takes the helm of the American Podiatric Medical Association.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize The Weiss School, a K-8th grade school in Florida, whose students designed the WeissSat-1 satellite selected by NASA to be launched into space. I have had the opportunity to meet a number of these incredible students. They devote themselves fully to the pursuit of knowledge. Some of them remarked to me that the worst part about school was that they had to leave at the end of the day and they wished that there were apartments there. I think that speaks to the incredible high quality of their teachers and the faculty in that institution of learning. The WeissSat-1 was selected for its outstanding design and scientific importance, as part of NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, an excellent program that, unfortunately, has a very uncertain future. The CubeSat Launch Initiative was established in 2008 as a mutually beneficial program to spur innovation in the STEM community and simultaneously advance NASA missions. Since its inception, NASA has selected 149 CubeSats, built by 85 organizations across 38 States, and they have launched 58 of these CubeSats to date, all of them at a fraction of the cost of developing satellites in-house. NASA's Office of Education is currently being restructured and the future of the CubeSat program is in jeopardy. Students and teachers from the Weiss School are in the House gallery today to witness the introduction of a resolution that they themselves helped to write. The WeissSat-I resolution that I will introduce today with bipartisan support from my Florida colleagues will raise awareness of the CubeSat Launch Initiative and encourage continuance of the program as NASA reorganizes their Office of Education. I would like to thank the students of the Weiss School for their dedication, their faculty, their teachers for their work in helping their students to reach the highest and fullest potential that any students could reach.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I dedicate my time today to a man, who as a resident of Jupiter, Florida, I am honored to represent in Congress. His name is Mr. Thomas Corey, a decorated Vietnam hero who proudly served our country as a combat infantryman. During the 1968 Tet Offensive, he received an enemy round in the neck that hit his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed and a quadriplegic for life. But this did not stop him from dedicating his life and work to our veterans, and our country. Since then, he has done extraordinary work: he has served on many Advisory Boards with local governments, and with the VA Medical Centers in West Palm Beach and Miami, the VA Research Foundation of Palm Beaches, VSIN 8 Management Assistance Council, Friends of Veterans Board, Friends of Fisher House Board, as President of the Vietnam Veterans Peace Initiative, and as the founding president of the Vietnam Veterans of America's Palm Beach County Chapter. Mr. Corey has even returned to Vietnam 16 times since 1994, representing the Vietnam Veterans of America's Veterans Initiative program dedicated to recovery efforts for our Vietnam Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action, as well as to studies on the health effects of Agent Orange. In that capacity, he met with top Vietnamese and Laos leaders, leaders and members of the Veterans Association of Vietnam, U.S. Ambassadors, and the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting in Vietnam and Laos. For these extraordinary efforts, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize. He was also the first recipient of the Vietnam Veterans of America's Commendation Medal, the VV A's highest award for service to veterans, their families, and the community. He is also a member of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars,1st Cavalry Association and the National Association of Uniformed Services. To this day, Mr. Corey is still fighting for his fellow veterans, serving as Ombudsman and Program Specialist with the Director's Office at the West Palm Beach VA. I can't think of anyone who has given more for his comrades, and for his country, than Mr. Thomas Corey, and I could not be prouder to represent him in Congress.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I dedicate my time today to a man whom I am honored to represent in Congress. His name is Mr. Thomas Corey, a decorated Vietnam hero who proudly served our country as a combat infantryman. During the 1968 Tet Offensive, he received an enemy round in the neck that struck his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed, a quadriplegic for life. But with true American grit, that did not stop him from dedicating his life and his work to our veterans and to our country. He was a tireless patient advocate, working on medical research and family support for disabled veterans. Mr. Corey returned to Vietnam 16 times, promoting reconciliation for individual veterans, accounting for those missing in action, and to study the health effects of Agent Orange. For these extraordinary efforts, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He was also the first recipient of the Vietnam Veterans of America Commendation Medal, their highest award for service. Mr. Corey, your Nation is grateful to you. I am grateful for you. America is proud and blessed to have men like you who never stop fighting for this country on and off the battlefield. And, Mr. Corey, I salute you.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Madam Speaker, this legislation does stir a great number of emotions in me. I do know what it is to protect life, take life, and to see life lost, and our role should always be to protect the innocent. But I also know that our role as a society has been to subsidize the genocide of our unborn, and that reflects how desensitized we have become to the true value of a child each year, as we kill hundreds of thousands of the most innocent among us: unborn children who smile, who grab, and who are self-aware and feel pain. If we truly are what we do, then who are we if we purposely bring unthinkable pain to a baby boy or baby girl just before their life is snuffed out of them? This legislation is a leap forward for our collective conscience as a nation, and it is a strong step forward in returning value to life that we see, especially the most unique life that exists out there: that special creature that was created by God.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today especially pleased to have had my personal pastor, Todd Mullins, give our opening prayer this morning to the House of Representatives. I am honored to welcome Pastor Mullins onto the floor of the House of Representatives as our guest chaplain this morning, and I thank him for sharing those very important words with our colleagues and that scripture as well. Todd Mullins is the senior pastor of Christ Fellowship in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where he served since his father founded the church in 1984. I can say a great deal about my friend, Pastor Todd Mullins, but the most important thing that I could say about him is that he is a man of God, and that he works every single day to try to help and change lives. I think that is the most important thing any one of us can do. That is why I am so proud to call him a friend. He is a person who has devoted his life to working on the lives of others.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Florida for the time. Without action from Congress, the authority for the VA Secretary to carry out many essential activities that are critical to helping our veterans will expire. I get my healthcare from the VA. I get it alongside a great number of my best friends in life, and I can tell you, my favorite part about going to the VA in West Palm Beach, Florida, is when I meet one of my fellow veterans in the lobby. It might be a veteran from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf war, Iraq, or Afghanistan, and the first thing that we do with one another is we jab at one another about the different branch that the other person served in: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard. But after that, it gets back to the very serious work that we are all at the VA to have completed. The heroic men and women that I have had the honor of fighting alongside have earned--they have earned; that is the most important word, they have earned--the very best care that our country has to offer. But without this immediate action from Congress, veterans could lose those benefits--healthcare, support for the homeless, and many other provisions--and this is absolutely unacceptable. This bill, the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2017, does everything that was already mentioned, which is extremely important. It extends the number of expiring authorities to include nursing home support, support for our caregivers, support for transportation, childcare assistance, adaptive sports programs, housing and home loan services. This legislation also makes some important technical changes that will aid the VA's implementation of the Forever GI Bill, a critical priority for ensuring that as many veterans as possible can use that important program. This is the definition of must-pass legislation. I urge my colleagues to pass this commonsense legislation.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a member of our 18th District community, Mr. George T. Farrell, who has been working diligently to engage minority voices in the electoral process through education, communication and active involvement in community events. I met Mr. Farrell at his organization's Juneteenth Celebration in Palm Beach, Florida, during the summer of 2015. Since then, I have witnessed his steadfast commitment to developing the highest standards and best practices for increasing civic engagement among minority communities. Mr. Farrell's organization was also recently approved by the Florida Department of State to serve as a Third-Party Voter Registration Organization. With increased grassroots activity, active social media and daily communication with thousands of citizens, I have no doubt that Mr. Farrell will continue to be successful. Mr. Speaker, I applaud his hard work and wish him the best in the future.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Chairman, I rise today because I represent the Treasure Coast of Florida, and it is facing an environmental disaster that, sadly, communities across the Nation face, from down along the Mississippi, up in Michigan, to the east coast of Florida. We face these disasters year after year. This disaster is toxic algal blooms. The water that is discharged into my area comes out of Lake Okeechobee and goes into the Treasure Coast of Florida. It puts people out of business, kills sea life, sea grass, manatees, and fish. It makes people sick. It destroys home values and businesses. It is all because of a guacamole-like toxic algal bloom that can occur year after year. This can't continue. Our communities can't wait any longer. Our lagoons, beaches, and water have to be restored. My amendment increases the Aquatic Plant Control Research Program within the Army Corps of Engineers' Engineer Research and Development Center, or ERDC, by $500,000 above the appropriated level. The Aquatic Plant Control Research Program is the only federally authorized research program directed to develop the kind of technology for management of nonindigenous aquatic plant species, like these toxic blooms. When I talk to the Corps about the issue in my community and the communities across the country, I am told that they don't have the technology to scale the type of equipment that cleans out fish tanks to the level that we are facing in these large bodies of water. This amendment replaces the $500,000 shortfall from last year's appropriation and makes important investments in the research in order to ensure that the Army Corps has all of the information required to develop that technology that can scale the size needed to successfully complete their mission. Mr. Chair, I urge immediate passage, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. MAST. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the four Fulbright scholarship recipients from Florida's 18th Congressional District. The Fulbright scholarship is a competitive, merit-based grant program for international educational exchange. Each year, the program grants students the opportunity to study, research, or teach abroad. Dr. Nancy Ackles of Juno Beach, Amanda Fleming of West Palm Peach, Dr. Jan Fritz of Palm City, and Laura O'Connor of Jupiter are all recipients of this prestigious honor. Dr. Ackles will be traveling to Uzbekistan to teach English; Ms. Fleming will be living in Asia, working to enhance communication with the Vietnamese people; Dr. Fritz will be spending her time in Hungary as a sociology scholar; and Ms. O'Connor will be working in Spain as she teaches English to the local community. On behalf of the 18th Congressional District of Florida, I want to again congratulate these outstanding students and scholars for receiving the 2018 Fulbright scholarship. I am proud to represent them in Congress.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Chairman, I rise today because veteran suicide is an epidemic. Nearly every week, I hear from a veteran who is thinking about taking their own life--maybe walking into their garage, turning on their car, and never coming out. That is why I introduced the Oath of Exit, and why I urge you to pass this bill as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The bill creates a voluntary operation oath for members of the Armed Forces with a specific aim of reducing veteran suicide. The idea for this bill came from friends of mine who have struggled with suicidal thoughts since leaving the military--people like my friend Boone; people who have actually been there on the edge. I think we all know that, throughout our lives, the most important commitments that we make are spoken-- whether it is an oath upon joining the military, the vows at our wedding, or saying the Pledge of Allegiance--and this verbal commitment to reach out to a brother- or sister-in-arms is important, as well. Mr. Chairman, integrity is more than a word to a servicemember. So, if we commit that we will reach out to a brother or a sister because we need help, then we will do it.

Mr. MAST

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to praise the work of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and, specifically, chapter 717. My friends and neighbors there who serve in this chapter are working to erect a monument on the Treasure Coast of Florida to those who were injured in battle while defending our great Nation. They may have been targeted by a sniper, a victim of an improvised explosive device, or they may have been charging a hill somewhere in Vietnam. The marker that they have worked to erect at Indian Riverside Park in Martin County will bring awareness and recognition to the true cost of freedom, which is the blood that is shed by selfless men and women who have served across the world in defense of others because of their sense of duty to America. I thank all members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart for never forgetting and never for one second taking for granted the price paid by our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coastguardsman. May God bless the work they are doing. Alzheimer's Awareness

Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today so that we think about the over 5 million Americans, including thousands of Floridians and nearly half a million American veterans, who are living with Alzheimer's and dementia. Alzheimer's is the only one of the top 10 causes of death that cannot be prevented, cannot be cured, and cannot be slowed. As the sixth leading cause of death in Florida, and with so many affected by this incurable disease, we have to continue to stress the importance of early diagnosis and the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and related illnesses. But awareness is never enough. As a member of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease, I am determined to make progress for all those affected. We must act proactively to achieve breakthroughs in prevention and treatment. We also have to act to ensure that those who currently have Alzheimer's have the tools that are needed to manage their symptoms, reduce pain, and increase comfort. Nearly half of all people with Alzheimer's and other dementias are in hospice care at the time of their passing, but less than half of nursing homes have some sort of palliative care program. For people with advanced dementia, palliative care improves their quality of life, controls costs, and enhances both patient and family satisfaction. As the demand for this kind of care grows with the aging population, more has to be done to ensure that there is a workforce equipped to provide that care. That is why I recently signed onto the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act, a bipartisan bill that will help our Nation's seniors who are struggling with the effects of Alzheimer's. I have spoken to a few Members in this House who have not been touched by this serious illness in one way or another. Whether they have been impacted personally, supported a loved one during a tough time, or prayed for a friend who needed help, we all know how difficult that situation is. This is a great bill. I urge my fellow colleagues to think back to that person that they have known and how much this could have benefited them. Mr. Speaker, let us take some decisive action to help patients with Alzheimer's and their families. Let's pass this bill.