Joe Neguse

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, that is what parents and families are concerned about back in Colorado. So, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this rule so that we can get on to the business of addressing those concerns I have articulated on behalf of parents and families across our great country.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Clerk, I rise to nominate Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker of the House. Madam Clerk, we have heard a lot today, yesterday, and the day before about the potential history that may be made in this Chamber. But it is worth repeating to the American people watching the history that has already been made by the elevation of the dedicated, talented, passionate, and committed public servant and leader from the State of New York, the first African American and the first person of color to lead any political party in the House of Representatives in the history of our country, and that is Hakeem Jeffries. Madam Clerk, it is with great pride that I rise to nominate the gentleman from New York, the man who has been the lead vote-getter 10 times and counting to be the Speaker of the House. Madam Clerk, the last several days have been difficult for the country and for the American people as they have watched what has unfolded in this Chamber and as they have seen the dysfunction laid bare on the other side of the aisle. I suspect that some Americans watching will recall the dysfunction of years past. My colleague on the other side of the aisle talked about history, Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, and the like. Madam Clerk, I would like to take you through a more recent history because I can tell my friends that as a Member-elect from the great State of Colorado, this is not their first rodeo as far as dysfunction is concerned. Four years ago today, I was sworn in with my colleagues from the class of 2018 during what became the most difficult and the longest government shutdown in the history of our country. Why? Because of the dysfunction and the chaos on the other side of the aisle. The country then did what it has so often done: it looked to House Democrats to govern and to lead, and under the leadership of one of the greatest Speakers in the history of the country, Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi, that is exactly what we did. If we want to talk about history, then let's talk about recent history. Two years ago tomorrow I stood here with so many of my friends in this Chamber as our democracy was attacked as our colleagues on the other side of the aisle tried to overturn an election. And the country, yet again, did what it has done before: it looked to House Democrats to lead and to govern. That is exactly what we did when we certified the election, and we safeguarded the transfer of power. So here we find ourselves again in unprecedented times in the early days of the 118th Congress. The first time in over 100 years in which the House of Representatives is unable to organize because the House Republican Conference cannot select a Speaker. It is a sad day for this institution, but the country will do what it has done before: It will look to House Democrats to govern and to lead, and under the leadership of Hakeem Jeffries, that is exactly what we will do. Now, we have heard from so many over the course of last 3 days about the wisdom, the leadership, and the talents of this extraordinary leader from Brooklyn. But let me say why I believe that he is the person for this moment. Centuries ago, our Nation's second President, John Adams, laid bare his fear that Members of this body would gain influence by meanness, not greatness; by ignorance, not learning. Hakeem Jeffries' leadership is rooted in greatness and not meanness. It is rooted in learning and not ignorance. His approach is rooted in common sense, and not the empty and jaded cynicism and noise that we see so often in our political sphere. He is a leader for our times, which is why I believe he is the leader for this time. The bottom line, I say to my colleagues, is this: it is 6:30 p.m. here in Washington, D.C. The House of Representatives, this sacred institution, needs a leader. It needs a Speaker. It needs a leader who will inspire us, a leader who knows that our best days are yet ahead, and a leader committed to our communities, our Constitution, and our country. I am here to say that leader is Hakeem Jeffries of the great State of New York. Madam Clerk, it gives me great honor as the chairman of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee to nominate Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker of the House.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, today I wish to honor the life and legacy of my dear friend and former colleague, Marguerite Salazar. Marguerite passed away on Tuesday, November 1, 2022. She is survived by her husband, Arnold, her two children, Ursula and Max, and her grandchildren, Marcos, Alicia, and Jacquez. She was 69 years old. Marguerite worked tirelessly throughout her life to increase access to high-quality health care for all Americans. She served as the CEO of Valley-Wide Health Systems for over twenty-five years. Her dedication to her work led to her appointment by President Barack Obama as Region VIII director of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, where she oversaw implementation of the Affordable Care Act in six states. She would then go on to serve as Colorado's State Insurance Commissioner, and later served as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. I cherish the time we spent working together. As a passionate and tireless advocate for others, Marguerite contributed greatly to her community and to all those who had the honor of knowing her. She will be remembered as an incredible public servant, a loving mother, and a caring friend. Coloradans across our state send our thoughts and prayers to the Salazar family and to all of Marguerite's loved ones. As we mourn her passing, we will be comforted by our memories and inspired by her legacy.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Nadler for his leadership and for yielding the time. I also thank my good friend and colleague, Mr. Cicilline from Rhode Island, who chairs the Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law Subcommittee in the House. I have had the privilege of serving with him in the last couple of years, including as vice chair of his subcommittee, during the course of the bipartisan antitrust investigation that we undertook in the 117th Congress. I am here today, Madam Speaker, to rise in support of my bill, the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act. The current filing fee structure established in 2001 does not match ongoing merger activity by American businesses. That is why this bill is not a particularly complicated or complex bill. We know these mergers require thorough review by our antitrust enforcer agencies, because it has allowed larger businesses to avoid paying their fair share and hurting small, mid-sized, and medium-sized businesses. This bipartisan legislation adjusts that antiquated merger filing fee structure and fixes the filing fees to the Consumer Price Index. The bill includes a number of other provisions that I know have been discussed at great length today. Let me just say it is a commonsense policy that ensures Federal antitrust enforcers have the income to support, ultimately, this important work that they are doing. But I have to say I have been a bit shocked by the tenor of the debate on the House floor today. Just to reiterate something that I think the chairman articulated previously, this is a bipartisan bill. Every Senator voted for it. I imagine that the ranking member's objections come as some shock to Senator Cruz or Senator Lee or Senator Hawley. These are not Democratic Senators, they are Republican Senators, and they support this bill. I am befuddled as to understanding why the ranking member doesn't. In any event, it is a good bill, it merits the support of Members on both sides of the aisle, and I am hoping that the ranking member may see the light when the vote comes up.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk a big game about deficit reduction. They used the same parliamentary procedure, budget reconciliation, when they were in power and in control of this majority, and they blew a $2 trillion hole in the deficit. House Democrats here today, putting people over politics, have put a bill on the floor that would reduce the deficit by billions of dollars. Apparently, that is not enough for my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. This bill will lower costs. It will create better-paying jobs for the American people, and it will invest in climate action and the existential threat of our time facing my constituents in Colorado. Since 1982, Colorado has experienced natural disaster after natural disaster that has cost our State over $55 billion, including the most destructive fire in the history of my State just this past December. It is time for us to take this climate crisis seriously. That is exactly what this bill does, through investments in R&D, through investments in energy storage and battery technology, and so much more to enable our transition to a clean energy future. I am proud to support this bill because I believe it delivers for the American people. Mr. Speaker, I certainly urge my colleagues to support it, as well.

Mr. NEGUSE

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 5118.

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 5118, the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act. This legislation represents another major effort to act on climate by responding to record-setting wildfires and drought that are impacting communities across our country. I represent Colorado's Second Congressional District, and it was barely over 6 months ago, in December, when the Marshall Fire burned through Boulder County and became the most destructive fire in Colorado history. The fire destroyed a 30-acre subdivision in a matter of hours; nearly 200 homes burned to the ground and caused over $1 billion in damages. This comes on the heels of my district experiencing the first and second largest wildfires in the history of Colorado in Larimer and Grand Counties in 2020, and as parts of the western United States is currently experiencing their driest drought conditions in over 1,000 years. Fires have become the primary occupation of so many of our offices. Countless constituents come to us, grieving the loss of their homes, but also seeking the resources that they deserve from the Federal Government. We have a duty to provide our constituents with the support that they need to rebuild and to recover. The reality is that we are living with a new normal as climate change results in a hotter, drier, planet where historic drought and record- setting wildfires are not merely a possibility, but an inevitability. Wildfires no longer occur in a season, but throughout the entire year. I am grateful to my colleagues, to Chairman Grijalva, Chairman Scott, Chairwoman Maloney, Chairwoman Johnson, Chairman DeFazio, Chairman Pallone, Chairman Nadler, Chairwoman Velazquez, Chairwoman Waters, Chairwoman Lofgren, and House leadership for helping bring this package to the floor. This is exactly the kind of response that our constituents desperately want to see from Congress. H.R. 5118 provides a whole-of-government response to the droughts and the wildfires impacting American communities across the country, and it combines more than 50 standalone pieces of legislation originating from nine different House committees, including Republican and Democratic bills. We began this important work last year, as my colleagues know, working with President Biden to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included historic investments to reduce wildfire risks, improve ecosystem resilience, and ensure reliable water supplies. The Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act builds on those investments. It provides an increased starting wage for our brave and courageous Federal wildland firefighters. It invests in water security and in drought resilience and advancing wildfire science. As climate-change-induced drought means long-term reductions in rain, snow, and necessary water supplies, this legislation invests in drought-proof water projects like water recycling, modern desalination, advancing water data management and technology, protecting and restoring ecosystems. The bill also advances projects to deliver reliable water across Indian Country, including by incorporating key provisions from my bill, the Tribal Access to Clean Water Act. And it provides significant resources to prevent key Colorado River reservoirs from declining to critically low water levels, protecting the supplies of a river that 40 million Americans, 40 million, rely on. H.R. 5118 also includes several other important pieces of legislation introduced by many Members in the body today. Provisions from Tim's Act, named after a heroic smoke jumper, Tim Hart, who tragically lost his life fighting a wildfire in New Mexico, would increase pay and benefits for Federal wildland firefighters, and that provision is part of this bill. Finally, the bill includes provisions that would provide flexibility in Federal FEMA cost shares to support our local communities and to protect watersheds impacted by wildfire. Madam Chair, this bill is a good bill, and it meets the moment for the American West. And for that reason, I will encourage my colleagues today to support it. I look forward to hearing from many of my colleagues who will speak on the bill. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me just say this: The gentleman is entitled to his own opinion but not to his own facts, and I take great umbrage at his reference to the word ``disgrace.'' He knows and my colleagues know just as well as anyone in this Chamber that the pay increase that was authorized by the bipartisan infrastructure law, which, by the way, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle voted against, all but 13 of them, that pay increase expires a year from now. Every wildland firefighter in the United States will receive a pay diminution if this bill isn't passed, if we don't authorize the pay increases that are in this bill. It is a disgrace to suggest anything otherwise. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren).

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I say thank you to my Republican colleague and neighbor from Utah and that we are glad we can get his bill into this important bipartisan Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act package. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. O'Halleran).

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would, again, simply say the irony is rich. My colleagues will vote against the authorization for more wildland firefighter pay, and then when we fight for the appropriation, they will vote against it, too. So, it is a bit difficult to hear them make those claims. I also would say that the 10-year Forest Service management plan is something we support, I support. I am glad to hear my colleagues support it because they all voted against it. Literally, a year ago, when we passed a bill in this Chamber to authorize the Forest Service to spend $20 million to invest in forest management in Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada, where were they? They voted against it. Now, they claim to support it, yet they will vote against a bill that authorizes more projects along those same lines. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone).

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I have just a few key points. First, I understand why there is some confusion on the other side regarding the firefighter pay provision because, again, my colleagues voted against increasing firefighter pay a year ago when the bipartisan infrastructure bill was before this body, so I understand that they are prepared to vote against it again. I would just simply say with respect to the provisions of this bill, and whether they are bipartisan, partisan or not, I suspect that Representative LaMalfa, whose H.R. 4505 is in this bill, would disagree. I suspect H.R. 5345, a bill introduced by Mr. Moore which is also in this bill, I think tends to refute that fact. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stanton).

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford).

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I have great respect for my colleague from Washington, and we have worked together closely in the past. I would just say that we are considering a number of amendments today, including an amendment from the Republican leader, Mr. McCarthy, who spent a great deal of time on the floor just a few moments ago talking about his particular amendment. Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury).

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez).

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I would say first, we are glad that we got Mr. LaMalfa's H.R. 4505 into this bill, and I am looking forward to supporting it today. I have to, again, respond to this argument that has been made about the 10-year plan. I would hope that my colleagues and I could agree to argue the merits of the bill based on the text of the bill. The bill makes clear that the activities that the Forest Service is mandated to implement include the Wildfire Crisis Landscape Investments plan titled: ``Confronting the Wildfire Crisis: Initial Landscape Investments to Protect Communities and Improve Resilience in American's Forests'' dated April 2002. What is that document? That is the 10-year plan that the Forest Service authorized that we voted for back last November. So this codifies that and builds upon it by giving the Forest Service more resources to do even more landscape restoration and forest management across the country. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Ruiz).

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Panetta), who has become a real leader here in our caucus and in the Congress on forestry and forest management.

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the majority leader.

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, might I inquire how much time is remaining for the respective sides.

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chair, I heard with great interest my colleague from California's remarks. I have to say I did take umbrage with his characterization of the bills within this omnibus package, as I think he put it, as ``political messaging bills.'' I don't think that Mr. LaMalfa, a Republican from California, would characterize his bill, the Tribal Biochar Promotion Act, as a political messaging bill. His bill is in this bill. I don't think that Mr. Moore, a Republican of Utah, would characterize his bill, the Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin States Program Act, as a political messaging bill. His bill is in this bill. I don't think that Ms. Lofgren would characterize her bill, the Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act, as a political messaging bill. That bill is before the House today. That is probably the best place for me to begin to close. We have heard a lot from the other side about various mischaracterization's of firefighter pay and wildland firefighter pay and what this bill does and does not do. For the benefit of every American watching, I would encourage you to read the bill. This body approved a pay increase for wildland firefighters a year ago. All but 13 of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle voted against it. You can check the Record. That pay increase expires a year from now. This bill seeks to make that pay increase permanent. One could only hope that my colleagues who have made much about appropriating language will join me. I look forward to asking the ranking member after this vote to join me on the bill to appropriate the firefighter pay increase that this bill will authorize. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, how much time do I have remaining.

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Chair, I have great respect for the ranking member. We work together and have had rigorous and robust debates about forest management. We have partnered on some bills, and we have opposed each other's respective positions on others. But the signs that the other side have been using during this debate about firefighter pay and the like are simply not true. I understand if my colleagues on the other side believe that the firefighter pay increase that is authorized by this bill and that makes the pay increases that were authorized last year permanent, I understand if they believe that it is too expensive. They are welcome to make that argument. I disagree. But I hope that every Member of this Chamber can, again, adhere to substantive debate on the text of the bill that is before the House, and the text of this bill authorizes an increase for wildland firefighters who are bravely sacrificing so much for our country. It authorizes additional dollars for the Forest Service to do incredibly important forest management work to prevent the next fire in Colorado, in Utah, in New Mexico, and in Arizona. The bill authorizes significant investments to ensure that the drought we are experiencing at record levels in the West can be addressed. Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Chair, I certainly appreciate the gentlewoman's support, her attention, and her description about the need for funding to help rural communities recover from natural disasters and emergencies. I certainly share the desire to ensure that rural communities have access to clean and reliable drinking water. I am looking forward to the House considering Mr. McCarthy's amendment as well as the many Republican bills and bipartisan bills that are included within this Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.