Ralph Norman

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. 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. This is essential legislation that would protect the lives of children who survive the trauma of an abortion, children who deserve to be given the best medical care, a bill that should not be controversial.

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, if this unanimous consent request cannot be entertained, I urge the Speaker and majority leader to immediately schedule the Born-Alive bill.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of the life of H. Leon Comer, Sr., who passed away at the age of 91 on Tuesday, March 5, 2019. He was a man born of humble means who never lost sight of where he came from. He was the son of the late John Stoll Comer, Sr., and Annie Lee Roach Comer, where he was one of seven siblings. He was born in Rock Hill, South Carolina, where he attended Oak Ridge Elementary School and later served in the United States Merchant Marines. He was married to Francis Watkins Comer for 64 years and had two children, Brenda Comer Sutton and Leon ``Chip'' Comer, Jr. Leon Comer believed in the value of hard work and, after working as a manager of a beer distributor in the greater Rock Hill market for 12 years, he founded Comer Distributing in 1971, with only five employees, distributing 250,000 cases of beer, with only three routes. The original building, consisting of only 5,000 square feet, was located on Pendleton Street, and later expanded to 17,000 square feet to a much larger site on Carmel Road. Comer Distributing expanded into the greater Columbia market in 2012 and, 1 year later, added another 11,200 square feet of space. The company opened in a two-story office building in 2018, along with an expanded warehouse. The company has grown to 70 employees, providing 1.5 million cases of a variety of brand-name beverages each year. Leon retired in 1990; however, over the course of his lifetime, he served on many boards, clubs, and commissions, including the Rock Hill Economic Development Board; York County Natural Gas Authority; York Masonic Lodge #385; Hejaz Shriners; Winthrop Eagle Club, where he was a founding member; Ducks Unlimited; the South Carolina Beer Wholesalers Association, serving twice as chairman of the board; the Waterfowl Association; the American Legion; Frank Roach Post #34; the USC Gamecock Club; and many more organizations and local groups. Leon and his wife, Frances, were longtime members of St. John's United Methodist Church, where he was very active for many years. The lives that have been positively affected by the giving and donations to Christian causes, such as the men's shelters and the Boys and Girls Clubs, will be remembered for years to come. The company is now being run by his son, Chip Comer, and the legacy of his father can be summed up by the words of Chip when he said the following: ``My father is the epitome of what I would always want to be, as he taught me so many life lessons growing up.'' Leon Comer left an indelible imprint on the many lives that he touched, and he will be remembered as a man who epitomized the meaning of ``true service above self'' and was a man who dedicated his life to serving his faith, his family, and his country. May God bless Leon Comer and his family.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chairman, I am a contractor. We do business and we build projects. If you want to see something that is going to skyrocket cost, the fact of asking what party and where they donate money has nothing to do with transparency. It just has to do with what political affiliation you have and it could weigh heavily in who is selected for a job, which has nothing to do with the job that you are doing. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of Congressman Cole's amendment to maintain the status quo and prevent the government from using politics as a litmus test when evaluating bids from contractors. When the government buys goods or services, the only concern should be getting the best job at the best price, not who the company did or did not donate to in the last election. Companies should compete on value, not party loyalty. We see what happens when politics influences who receives government money. Let me give you an example. In December 2011, The Washington Post released a bombshell report finding ``Obama's green technology program was infused with politics at every level.'' The Post found, through its review of thousands of memos and emails, that ``Political considerations were raised repeatedly by company investors, Energy Department bureaucrats, and White House officials.'' Do you know what the result was? $500 million of taxpayer money went to a solar company, Solyndra, which went bankrupt. We can't let that happen again, but that is what requiring companies bidding on contracts to disclose their political activity as part of the bid process would lead to. Also troubling about this provision of H.R. 1 is that it repeals something we all just agreed to less than 1 month ago. If this amendment isn't adopted, H.R. 1 will repeal a provision of the funding bill we just passed. Two hundred and thirteen Democrats voted for the funding bill. I know this is a town of evolving political positions and flip-flopping, but I think that might just set a new record. I can't believe this body would vote for something like this and a month after to repeal it. Back home they call that a bait and switch.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Newhouse for leading the effort on this. And I rise to oppose the Green New Deal for many of the reasons that have already been said, but this is the most amateurish resolution that has come before this Congress in a long time, not from only my point of view but many others who have served longer than I have. We were asked to consider a policy that would change every aspect of American life, deciding what we eat, how we travel, how we stay warm, and even what jobs we can take and what homes we are allowed to live in. We are presented with a total overhaul of society, but with no explanation how. There is no roadmap, no method of implementation, and, of course, no price tag. All we know is that this will be dictated by a cabal of better-knowing bureaucrats. Yet every estimate shows just how unrealistic this green deal really is. According to the American Action Forum, the total cost could run as high as $93 trillion over 10 years. This totals 21 times our current Federal budget of $4.4 trillion. That can only mean one thing for the American people: taxes, taxes, and more taxes. This resolution is so lacking in detail, we might as well vote on the merits of a scrap of paper that says, ``solve the problem.'' This is no way to govern. The only details we do have are from a survey that enjoyed a brief existence online before it was removed out of embarrassment and has since been denied. One source of embarrassment was the call to get rid of cows. To my knowledge, this is the first time that a Member of this House has called for bovine genocide. That the deal's supporters are now hiding these facts reveals that the true agenda behind the Green New Deal is too horrifying to be shared with any of the public. As a rule of thumb, any law that cannot be shared with the people cannot serve the people.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to raise my voice for those who have no voice. You know, while we may have disagreements in this Chamber, I never thought I would have to come to this floor for this reason, to denounce the killing of children after they have been born. But I am here today because one of our Nation's governors has endorsed infanticide in all but name. Even though the media may be distracted by the Governor's latest scandal, I refuse to allow this atrocity to be ignored. It is wrong, plain and simple. I wish to live in a nation where we respect the sanctity of all human life; where condemning the murder of a child is not for debate, but a matter of course. Until then, I will not stand by silently. I will continue to call out those who attempt to corrupt our values, whether through State laws allowing abortion on demand or Governors commending abortion. These actions do not represent the values of the American people. They represent the views of a small but powerful group of ideologues with no respect for the sanctity of life or the rights of the voiceless. I find it bizarre that the party of birthright citizenship will not endorse the birthright to life.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, specifically about the drones, we were talking to one of the agents, and he said: Tell me one drone that has ever run down an illegal alien and put him in handcuffs? Drones don't do that. Electronic devices alert you. Like the illegals that we saw at the end of the day who were near us, the cameras picked it up. But you have to have a body, somebody like these brave agents, to go catch them. That is what they do. But it is just words, as far as I can tell, to anybody who ever witnesses this. To hear the ranchers, we asked about vacations, with all of the crime. When you see their truck chained in the carport, as we saw, because somebody tried to steal it, we asked how they take a vacation. He said: Well, we have to stagger it. These are older people. They were 70 and up. At this stage of their life, for them to have to worry about their life, worry about their property being destroyed? How many waterlines did we see that were cut? How many fires did he point to on the mountaintops that were set fire? So these people are trying to make an honest living. Ranchers are some of the most honest, hardworking people I know. It is in their DNA. For them to have to worry about their safety, about their life, as was described when one of the ranchers went up to the person who was hobbling and he got shot and killed, you know, to hear----

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I was there along with him, and I just wanted to emphasize the statement--I don't think I will ever forget-- from an angel mom who said: Congressman Norman, a wall won't stop everyone. No wall will stop no one. And put that picture up right there. What we found on the border was--particularly where the wall ended where Mr. Gohmert showed the rope was.

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, right. All along were bottles of water. We walked up on a sleeping bag. We walked up on all types of----

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, exactly. That is where it stopped. You know, and in talking with these agents, who are drastically understaffed, they can't do--they can't chase down everybody that comes. I will tell you, every agent we talked with had no hesitation to run after one person or run after a group of 10 or more. And my question to him was: How do you handle that type? That is how dedicated they are. That is how diligent they are. They are sacrificing their safety. The other thing I would point out that you and I saw to show you how deceptive these drug runners are, they use carpet; they have stitched together a carpet-type that wraps their feet so that you can't tell where they go. You can't track them. And that is all along. You can see where they are going, but you can't see the actual footprint that they are leaving. The other thing that stuck out to me that I thought was just amazing were to talk to the ranchers. That one rancher had had four home invasions. Now, think about it. How would you like to wake up, as he did, in the middle of the night, with a person dressed in black staring at his wife? How would you like, what the sheriff told us--I am not going to name his name--when his home--a bounty was put on his head. He woke up, because he had surveillance, to see four people coming in to kill him. How would you like to see the rape trees that you and I saw? Children's underwear, clothing, it really is a humanitarian crisis. It is a crisis, as Congressman Griffith mentioned, the drugs in this country, the photo you showed where the ropes were, 60 percent of the heroin comes in there, 40 to 60 percent. So anybody, once you go down there--and what was sad is when they said we were some of the few who had. Our nine were some of the few who have ever visited the border. When you put a face with a situation like we saw with the ranchers, like we saw with the Border Patrol agents, like we saw with the Angel Moms--and the Angel Mom is the one who made the comment about the wall: A wall's not going to stop everyone. No wall stops no one. Her husband or her son was killed. The other Angel Mom we talked to, an illegal alien came in a store. The illegal asked for cigarettes. He gave it. While he was counting change, he shot him in the face. These are the type of real-life stories. Anybody who says that this thing isn't real, go down to the border. You look at what we saw and I think you will change your mind. And I think that now, if we don't do it now, it will never happen.

Mr. NORMAN. I did, Congressman Gohmert. And to see what they sell, bullets for the drug-runners to carry out.

Mr. NORMAN. The bullets were packaged in a small plastic bag.

Mr. NORMAN. I have never seen bullets sold like that, and this is what we are dealing with. This is what we are dealing with.

Mr. NORMAN. The rations, the Army MREs.

Mr. NORMAN. MREs, which was food that would last for weeks. And I guess the other thing is these are professionals. They are armed. The rations that they carry out, they are planning to stay there for a long time, until they get the drugs over, and then they come back. It is our duty--we are not doing our duty to not stop this or make the effort to stop it. So, Congressman, I want to thank you for showing the pictures. What makes it real is to go down there and see it. And there is no way you can make the case that this is not a crisis, this is not a safety issue, this is not a--we are in it for the sovereignty of the country.

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, that was his sister, who could talk about him. So that is why there is urgency to this thing. And, you know, go down there. Like Congressman Griffith mentioned, this is just a start. The $5.7 billion, it is a start to really get the job done and add enough fence to help these agents. If you do it for nothing else, help these agents so that at least it is quarantined where they come in. I compare it to a football game. I think I mentioned I had a friend of mine who is deathly opposed to the wall. I knew he went to the Clemson-Alabama game, and I knew he had tickets. I said: Did you have a problem? He said: With what? I said: Getting into the game. He said: Oh, no. I had a ticket. I said: Did you go in at one place? He said: Yeah, I went in at one place. We were in line, not for long. I said: You couldn't just walk in? Then he got it. He said: That is different. I said: Well, wait a minute. If you go to a football game and have it walled off where you had to go to a point of entry, you tell me how that is different than what we are talking about on this wall. He said, and this astounded me: Well, it wasn't a concrete wall. I said: Okay. It was a combination of metal. It was a combination of posts, concrete. It was a barrier. How would you feel if people had just walked in there and taken your seat and hadn't paid for it? What is the difference? He couldn't tell me. He could not tell me, because he couldn't. That is what we are talking about here, but we are talking about human lives. Back on that story about the husband who watched the rape, what they did to him is stabbed him. They stabbed him in the side as to make a point that he was to bring the drug money back and watch his wife get raped over a 3-day period. So if anybody can watch that and see these people, I mean, really.

Mr. NORMAN. Three days in a row.

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is the right thing to do. Now is the time. I applaud the gentleman for having these pictures. This brings it to life.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration of life. Psalm 127:3 reminds us: Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. With 4 children and 16 grandchildren, I know what a special gift each child is. On the eve of the March for Life, I am proud to gather with my colleagues to recognize the important work being done to protect each life each and every day. I look forward to supporting legislation that recognizes the value of life and provides protection for each life, starting from the very beginning. I will remain a strong advocate for the sanctity of life and continue to be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. We should celebrate every life and cherish the potential each child possesses. As we March for Life, we show the world the value we place on life today and every other day of the year.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Hartzler for her efforts on this Special Order. I don't know that I can add a whole lot to what has been said. But let me tell you about a conversation I had with a liberal who did not believe in a wall. He didn't think it worked. He happened to go to the national championship game between Clemson and Alabama. I asked him: How was the game? Of course, he was a Clemson fan. I said: Did you have tickets? He said: Yes. I said: Let me ask you, did you have any trouble getting in? He said: No, I had tickets. I said: Did you go to a point of entry? Yeah, we had a line. I said: Well, could you not just walk in? Was there a wall? He said: No, there was a fence. I said: Okay, there was a fence. But was there a barrier, whether concrete or steel? Was there a way that you could not get in and you had to go in to a certain point of entry? He said: Yes. I said: Well, explain to me what is different with our country? If anybody can walk in that stadium, would they not take your seat? Would they not violate what you paid for? He just kind of looked at me. I said: Do you not see the similarities? He did, but he didn't want to admit it. Madam Speaker, I am very frustrated with the inaction of Congress. I am appalled that we haven't taken the security for our great Nation seriously. How many Kate Steinles are going to have to be shot? How many Mollie Tibbetts are going to have to be raped and killed? How many police officers on the border are going to be shot before we say that we have got a crisis in this country? I have got a chart behind me that shows what $5 billion is to our total Federal budget spending. It is one-tenth of 1 percent. Madam Speaker, you try to look and see what percentage this is. You really can't see it. So as has been said, it is not about the money. I really don't think that those who argue against it can really say that they don't work, as my friend who went to the college football game knows it works, because he said it did. Now is the time to take action, not to hold this President in contempt, like has been done, for political reasons, having the safety of this country and all Americans at risk. We shouldn't even have to have this debate. I urge Congress to take action. I urge Congress to put partisan politics behind. Let's do right for the country. Let's do right for America.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this Special Order. You know, I walked in this Chamber tonight, and I thought: This brings a new meaning to ``major in the minor.'' We have something that is as important as the sovereignty of this country in securing our borders, and here we are, at the last hour, saying we are going to get out of here before Friday on something this important. You know, I was in line, getting some work done, and the President came on. He challenged Speaker Pelosi, and he challenged the Senator. He said: Bring the fight on. We are going to stay here. We are going to fund the wall. We are going to get the $5 billion. Now we hear talk that maybe we won't. We are going to pass a continuing resolution for 2 months. I am sick of it. Nobody can fund your business month by month by month. Here we are, abdicating our constitutional obligations to make this country sovereign. As has been pointed out by Mr. Meadows and Mr. Jordan, the drugs, all the things that come into this country--I am for immigration, but it is legal immigration. We need to sit up here as long as it takes. If it is the next 6 months, sit up here until we get it. If we think we are going to get it when the gavel passes on January 3, it is not going to happen. I support what we are doing. Now is the time for us to have a backbone, finally, and support this country and make sovereign borders a law. Fund it. You know, $5 billion? How did the previous administration get $153 billion to give to a rogue country? We can't come up with $5 billion? It is sad, to say the least. I support what we are doing. Hopefully, we can get this thing done. Sitting up here, it is time to fight.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Gail Smith Cobb, a woman who touched the lives and hearts of so many in South Carolina for 84 years. Gail Cobb's life was dedicated to ensuring Union County was a great place to live, work, worship, and go to school. She started serving her community when she was secretary of the Union County Recreation Commission and then became the program director of the commission, where she started multiple programs and events for residents. From there, she became the director of the Union County Recreation Department, overseeing the hiring of employees, park maintenance, and programming. More importantly, she worked for the county council in maintaining effective budgets and funding for the recreation department. On top of her work within the local government, Gail also served on the board of directors for the Salvation Army for over 5 years and sat on the Union County Fair board for 10 years. As an active member of the community and important leader in the Union County High School Athletic Booster Club for over 30 years, she made her community a better place for everyone. Gail volunteered and gave most of her time and effort to support all of the athletic teams and cheerleaders within the Union County athletic program, and she spent tireless hours distributing tickets and collecting money to ensure the program's success. In the recent playoff game between Chester and Union, she was recognized for her efforts, and the game was dedicated on her behalf. In life, Gail was a shining example of a tireless servant. She was a woman of faith and service. She will be greatly missed by the community. In rest, may she find peace

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today and it is such an honor to recognize the official renaming of the United States Post Office located at 201 Tom Hall Street in Fort Mill, South Carolina, as the J. Elliott Williams Post Office Building. James Elliott Williams was born in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and lived an extraordinary life. Mr. Williams was in the United States Navy for 20 years and served in and during the Cold War, the Korean war, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam war. One example of his heroic actions occurred during the Vietnam war where he and his men fought off enemy combatants behind enemy lines for 3 hours in south Vietnam. Under Petty Officer Williams' leadership, the American Naval force killed roughly 1,000 Vietcong guerillas, destroyed over 60 vessels, and disrupted a major enemy logistics operation. James E. Williams retired on April 26, 1967, as the most highly decorated enlisted sailor in the history of the United States Navy. He was the recipient of multiple awards during his service in the Navy; including, the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, and the United Nations Service Medal. Additionally, during his last 7 months in the Navy, he received every sea service award for heroism. On May 14, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson, in the name of Congress, presented James Elliott Williams the Medal of Honor. In the 20th century, three sailors of American Indian heritage received the medal. Petty Officer Williams was one of the three. Mr. Speaker, it was my great privilege to put forward this legislation with the entire South Carolina delegation and have it signed into law to honor the life, service, and sacrifice of James Elliott Williams.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Grover C. Fewox, who died September 13, 2018. Mr. Fewox went to war at the age of 17. He was one of 16 million Americans who served in World War II. His wartime service was concentrated in the bloody ocean battlegrounds of the Pacific aboard the Sperry, a submarine tender and the first United States Navy ship to be launched after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. His career began on April 29, 1942, as a seaman apprentice in the United States Navy. He was honorably discharged on December 13, 1963, as a senior chief torpedoman, after 21 years of dedicated service. While serving in the United States Navy, Mr. Fewox was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and seven Good Conduct Medals. Like so many others answering America's anxious calls to service, he found the experience of war to be rites of passage to manhood. He was never much for war stories, but he surely enjoyed a constancy of fellowship with his fellow travelers in organizations such as the Fleet Review Association and The American Legion. Mr. Fewox served in the Navy for 16 years after the war ended, and when he retired in 1962, he moved to Charleston to work at the naval weapons station. He had begun a second career of public service, and he and his wife, Neta, would raise three daughters in Hanahan, South Carolina. Mr. Fewox and Neta committed to their marriage in the early days of the war. He mailed her an engagement ring from a West Coast duty station. As the years passed, they had a date every day. It was a standing happy hour, of pause for undistractible table talk over refreshments of drinks and some snacks. It was a discipline that nurtures bonds; it was the practice of that love story that grew stronger after 72 years. Upon his retirement, he received a letter of appreciation from the commanding officer of the naval weapons station in Charleston, South Carolina. Among other things, the letter said: Your performance as an electronic mechanic was very professional, as evidenced by a Sustained Superior Performance Award and cash award for the period of June 5, 1967, through June 5, 1968, and again May 4, 1977, through May 4, 1978. In addition, you have received numerous letters of appreciation for superior performance and are a member of the 1,000 Hours Sick Leave Club. Your attention to duty, cheerful cooperation, adaptability, knowledge, and general attitude toward your work within the Ordnance Department have been most praiseworthy. Your contributions to the team effort of ``Service to the Fleet'' and the resultant high quality of accomplishments are greatly appreciated. Your dedicated service reflects great credit not only to yourself but to the naval weapons station as well. As you complete your civil service career, allow me to add my personal ``Thank you and well done.'' You can reminisce with pride that you have given your best to the naval weapons station in Charleston. I know that your fellow workers and your many friends join me in wishing you and Mrs. Fewox the blessings of a long, healthy, and happy retirement. It was signed D.M. Agnew, Commanding Officer of the naval weapons station. There are 7,200 World War II veterans still with us in South Carolina. Because of Mr. Fewox and others who made up the Greatest Generation, America won that horrible war and then led the rebuilding and reknitting of the world, kindling global trade patterns and commercial alliances. It was a postwar world order anchored by America's strength and determination to nurture freedom and human dignity. Undoubtedly, America is a better place because Mr. Fewox answered the call.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Smith, Representative Dunn, Representative Higgins, Representative Lucas, Representative Weber, Representative Knight, Representative Rohrabacher, Representative Hultgren, Representative Babin, Representative Comstock, Representative Abraham, Representative Biggs, Representative Marshall, Representative Lesko, Representative Lipinski, Representative Rosen, Representative Bilirakis, Representative Gallagher, Representative Bill Johnson, and Representative Walter Jones for their continued leadership in providing support for our veterans and enabling critical science research. I would also like to thank the stakeholders and researchers who have provided valuable feedback as we develop this legislation. H.R. 6398 supports a program that will encourage innovation in basic science and big data research at DOE, and ensure that we as a Nation are doing everything we can to improve healthcare for our veterans. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this commonsense legislation and yield back the balance of my time.