Carol Miller

Mrs. MILLER

Mrs. MILLER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize two of my constituents, Isaac Pyle and Emma Mustowe, who each earned the West Virginia Golden Horseshoe award. The West Virginia Department of Education describes the Golden Horseshoe award as being ``unique in its statewide recognition of scholastic achievement.'' The award is given annually to two hundred and twenty-one 8th grade students who have outscored their classmates on a West Virginia history exam and essay about West Virginia current events. A minimum of two students from each county and one student from the West Virginia schools for the Deaf and Blind are selected for the award. In a ceremony during Golden Horseshoe Day, the state superintendent of schools uses an antique sword to dub each kneeling student either a lady or knight of the Golden Horseshoe Society. This is arguably one of the greatest awards of that school year for 8th- grade students. Soon to be knighted is Isaac Pyle of Webster Springs. Isaac is the son of Jeremy Pyle and Dr. Allison Pyle. An exceptional student, Isaac is a captain of the West Virginia History Bowl Team for Webster County High School. As the winner of his school competition, he has qualified four times for the state Math Field Day and has qualified for the state spelling bee. Isaac proudly maintains a 4.0 GPA and is enrolled in advanced courses. Emma Mustowe of Webster Springs will also join the rolls as a Lady of the Golden Horseshoe Society. The daughter of Tobby and Janna Mustowe, Emma is a talented writer and performer. She is a winner of the Webster County Young Writers Competition. She is a captain of the West Virginia History Bowl Team for Webster County High School and a winner in the Webster County Regional Literature Fair. Emma is also a member of the award-winning Webster County High School Showband. As Congresswoman for the Third Congressional District of the State of West Virginia, it is my distinct honor to rise today to recognize the dedication and achievement that Isaac Pyle and Emma Mustowe have put forward in winning the Golden Horseshoe award. I congratulate them on being model students and exemplary West Virginians.

Mrs. MILLER

Mrs. MILLER. Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to speak against the rule for H.R. 1585. Domestic violence is a major problem in our communities and throughout our country. I am in complete support of providing all the resources needed to the victims of abuse and for the law enforcement that protects these vulnerable women. What could have been an opportunity to work together as a unified House of Representatives and to provide a great bill that we can all be proud of, our colleagues across the aisle dismissed our input on during the legislative process, silenced our voices, and put forth a bill which strikes the unique balance of overreaching where it is unnecessary and underperforming where resources are needed the most. I don't dispute that my Democrat colleagues are well-intentioned with their legislation, but they missed the mark. In this bill, they diluted important funds meant to help the victims, handcuffed our law enforcement, and reduced their effectiveness. Additionally, they have taken a bipartisan issue and used it to weaken the Second Amendment, reduce religious freedoms, and even possibly cause further harm to victims. As a woman, a wife, and a mother, as well as a grandmother, who represents a State where one in three women are victims of domestic violence, I say with assurance that my Republican colleagues are committed to reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act in a way that preserves and strengthens the law, provides the needed support for victims of domestic abuse, and strengthens our judicial system. We want to work together on this issue which affects so many people around the country. We can put forth a good bill together. I have often said that good governance is finding the issues that we can all agree upon, Republicans and Democrats alike, and put aside our differences to come together, solve the problem, and make this country better.

Mrs. MILLER. So, put aside our differences to come together, solve the problem, and make this country better than before we got here. This could have been that chance. We can do better. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against the rule and vote against the underlying bill.

Mrs. MILLER

Mrs. MILLER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to speak against H.R. 1585. I stand before you as a woman, a wife, a mother, and a grandmother. I represent a State where one in three women experience domestic violence. This is a scourge on our society and must stop. The Violence Against Women Act should have one clear goal, to protect women from domestic abuse. Any solution put forward must provide law enforcement and the justice system with the tools to do this to the best of their ability, and to keep this objective free from partisan manipulation, dilution of resources, or political games. Unfortunately, this bill does not do that. My Republican colleagues, under the leadership of Ranking Member Collins and Mrs. Lesko, who has been a recipient of domestic violence, have sought to come together with our friends across the aisle to find a bipartisan solution to help women, to no avail. Now is not the time to play politics. This is an issue where we can and should find common ground. It is not the time to hold the safety of women as a bargaining chip against infringements on religious liberty or weakening of the Second Amendment. We can and must do better. I urge my colleagues to vote against this legislation and come together to pass a bill that protects women, instead of trying to use it as a political pawn.

Mrs. MILLER

Mrs. MILLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 540, which names a post office located in Fairport, New York, in honor of Louise and Bob Slaughter. Louise Slaughter was a Member of the House body for over 30 years. From 1987 until she passed away last year, Representative Slaughter was a tireless advocate for the people of her upstate New York district. In addition to her numerous legislative accomplishments, Representative Slaughter made a mark on this body as the first woman to chair the House Committee on Rules. Representative Slaughter was an intellectual and a beloved Member of the House. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Woodall).

Mrs. MILLER. Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the gentleman's comments, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER

Mrs. MILLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 829 introduced by Representative Lee Zeldin. The bill names a post office located in Mastic, New York, in honor of Army Specialist Thomas J. Wilwerth. Specialist Wilwerth joined the United States Army while he was still in high school. He felt called to defend our Nation after the terrorist attacks on September 11. After graduating high school, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team based out of Fort Carson, Colorado. In December 2005, Specialist Wilwerth was deployed to fight in Operation Iraqi Freedom. On February 22, 2006, Specialist Wilwerth and two others in his unit were killed by an improvised explosive device. Specialist Thomas Wilwerth was 21 years old when he gave his life in service to his Nation. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Zeldin)

Mrs. MILLER. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER

Mrs. MILLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bill that makes a technical change to correct the address of a post office named last Congress. The post office is named after Captain Humayun Khan, who sacrificed his life in service of our country. Captain Khan served in the Army Reserves while he studied at the University of Virginia and was commissioned as an officer after he graduated in 2000. In 2004, he was deployed to Iraq, and he was killed on June 8, 2004. This bill corrects the address, to ensure that the correct facility is named in Captain Khan's honor. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER

Mrs. MILLER. Madam Chair, I rise today to speak in opposition to H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act. I am a mother and a grandmother. I have raised two boys and one husband. I have owned businesses, managed employees, made payroll, served in the State legislature, and herded buffalo. I don't need any more men trying to tell me that they need to protect me from being paid less. I am perfectly capable of negotiating a fair wage for a fair day's work and choosing exactly what is important to me when making my own decisions. The bill proposed by my colleagues across the aisle tells young women entering the workforce that they are unable to negotiate for their own jobs or take control of their own life and that they need to be coddled by the government in order to succeed. What arrogance. We are not some delicate and helpless group that needs men to tell us just how bad we have it and just how much they need to make sure that we are looked after. I can take care of myself, thank you, and so can every single woman in this country. This bill is nothing more than a trial lawyer's dream and a job creator's nightmare. The Equal Pay Act already makes it illegal to pay unequal wages for equal work. The men can go try to find somebody else who needs their help. In the meantime, I am going to focus on actually helping women earn more by creating good-paying jobs, by growing our economy, and by building a system that allows for flexible work schedules and nurtures entrepreneurship. We can't legislate respect any more than we can legislate common sense. Women know real respect is earned. We don't need the men's help, and we don't need the government's help. We just need them both to get out of our way. I wholly oppose this legislation.

Mrs. MILLER

Mrs. MILLER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 962, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mrs. MILLER. Madam Speaker, if this unanimous consent request cannot be entertained, I urge the Speaker and the majority leader to immediately schedule this bill.

Mrs. MILLER

Mrs. MILLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because we must secure our border. We are in the midst of a national security and humanitarian crisis on our southern border which must be addressed. Earlier this month, Congress secured important and necessary funding to protect over 55 miles of our most dangerous border where it has been so desperately needed. We have also provided funding for over 600 new border officers. This was a good step in the right direction, but as we see again today, our colleagues from across the aisle remain unwilling to address our intensifying border crisis. With the national emergency declaration, President Trump is taking the steps our country needs to stay safe and secure. Yes, this is an emergency. Cartels, human traffickers, and drug smugglers take advantage of our weak border for their own gain, and it must be stopped. We need to stop traffickers from bringing young girls and women into our country where they are sold into prostitution and slavery. As a mother and a grandmother, this breaks my heart. We need to stop violent gangs like MS-13 from entering our cities and bringing their violence and evil onto our streets.

Mrs. MILLER. Mr. Speaker, we need to stop violent gangs like MS-13 from entering our cities and bringing their violence and evil onto our streets. We need to stop the drug smugglers from devastating our communities and flooding our towns with opioids, like heroin and fentanyl. My home State of West Virginia has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic and especially from illegal drugs smuggled across the border. Just several weeks ago, Customs and Border Protection seized enough fentanyl to kill every person in West Virginia 32 times over. Imagine how much more is still slipping through the unsecured areas. Our country cannot afford inaction any longer. We need to build this wall.

Mrs. MILLER

Mrs. MILLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stand for life. I am a wife, a mother, and a grandmother. I have felt life quicken in my womb. I know the blessing of children, all of whom are created in God's image. And that is why I am so saddened by the pro-abortion discussions taking place around the country and in places like New York, Virginia, and others, where State legislatures are debating and legalizing abortion all the way up to birth and, in some cases, after a child is born. I am sickened that laws are being written which allow for a baby who survives an abortion attempt to no longer receive support and care once they are born. This is infanticide. There is no other way to say it. This is an affront to life. We must demand more from our country and our citizens. We must ensure protections for the youngest and most innocent of our citizens, both inside and outside the womb. We must take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. We must take care of our children. We must take care of and respect and cherish life.

Mrs. MILLER

Mrs. MILLER. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Hershel ``Woody'' Williams for his service and commitment to the ideals that make our Nation great. Woody was stationed in the Pacific theater during World War II. A young marine, he fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal and in Guam, before landing in Iwo Jima on February 21, 1945. On the day the flag was raised, Woody's unit was surrounded. Under a barrage of enemy fire, Woody charged ahead, flamethrower in hand, attacking the enemy and opening a gap in their defenses that enabled his fellow marines to forge on. We won. For his display of heroism, President Truman awarded Williams the Medal of Honor. As part of his ongoing legacy, the U.S. Navy christened the USNS Hershel ``Woody'' Williams in 2017, and the VA named their Huntington medical facility in his honor. He also flipped the coin at the 2018 Super Bowl. What a guy. A lifelong West Virginian who resides in Ona, Woody continues to advocate for Gold Star families throughout the country. I am proud to call Woody a friend, and I thank him for his service.

Mrs. MILLER

Mrs. MILLER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak out against white supremacy. As a Christian, I live my life by the guidance and teachings of Jesus Christ and by the many great lessons in the Bible. Matthew 7:12 tells us: ``So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.'' This is the golden rule, that we treat every person as we wish to be treated. This is why I stand here today to say that there is no place for white supremacy, anti-Semitism, racism, or bigotry of any kind in Congress.

Mrs. MILLER

Mrs. MILLER. Madam Speaker, I rise tonight with my colleagues to speak about the important issue of border security. We are in the midst of a crisis on our southern border, and it is time for our colleagues across the aisle to stop playing politics and to start focusing on our national security. While Washington Democrats toe the party line and oppose President Trump and anything he supports, our Nation is under assault from unchecked illegal immigration, from terrorists, from human traffickers, and from drug smugglers. Sadly, as West Virginia and the Nation are battling an opioid epidemic, the Democrats continue to turn a blind eye. In the last year alone, the amount of fentanyl and heroin confiscated at our southern border was enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States. The security of our Nation rests with a strong border. We need to build this wall. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for the opportunity to discuss this important issue.