Tom O’Halleran

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, on the third day of this reckless government shutdown, I rise to urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find common ground and end this gridlock. Families in Arizona and America are hurting. It is past time for Congress to come together to boost our military. We must reauthorize funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, community health centers, and the Special Diabetes Program for Tribal communities, and many others. Mr. Speaker, we can't go back to business as usual and continue to fund our military a few weeks at a time. Secretary Mattis and our military leaders have been clear about the dire impacts of continuing resolutions on our national security time and time again throughout this year. We are facing increasing global threats. We cannot undermine our defense leaders and our troops by refusing to work together. We are here to solve problems. For our brave servicemembers and families across our communities, let's get the job done.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay my respects to a hero. George Willie, Sr., of Leupp, Arizona, passed away this week at the age of 92. He was a highly decorated Navajo Code Talker who served with the Second Marine Division from 1943 to 1946. According to his family, George delivered and received coded messages using the Navajo language at the Battle of Okinawa. His love for his family was unwavering and his commitment to his country was steadfast. Pat and I are keeping George's wife, Emma; his 10 children; and his grandchildren in our prayers as they mourn his passing. A celebration of his life is scheduled for Friday at the First Presbyterian Church in Leupp, and George will be laid to rest with honors at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Camp Navajo.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, today is the final day of National Native American Heritage Month. I rise today to honor and celebrate the rich history and traditions of Native Americans and to note the work we are doing in Congress to invest in infrastructure, education, and healthcare across the entire Indian Country. It is an immense privilege to work with Tribal communities across Arizona's First Congressional District. With more than 12 Tribes and nations in my district, I see the impact of Native American heritage in every town I visit, especially their strong commitment to family, community, and traditions--traditions, by the way, that people from all around the world come to see every year. It has been inspiring to see the many tributes my colleagues have shared here with this body throughout the month. It underscores the immense and immeasurable contributions of Native Americans to this country. Yesterday I spoke about the Navaho code talkers and all the code talkers and the veterans who have come from Native American lands. As a member of the congressional Native American Caucus, I am proud to work with Tribal leaders to strengthen the relationship between our country and their sovereign nations. There is a great deal to do to ensure rural, Tribal communities have access to 21st century infrastructure, education, and healthcare, but I am confident that the work we are doing will make these critical investments. Mr. Speaker, one of the founding principles of this great country is the celebration of diversity of its people. When we recognize that as a strength, we truly are a more perfect union.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, Native American Heritage Month affords us the opportunity to honor the Native American veterans who fought for this great country. I rise today to celebrate the indispensable contributions of all Native American code talkers. Throughout much of the 20th Century, Native American soldiers used their native languages to develop unbreakable codes for military operations. Their actions were critical for many Allied victories. Every day, I am reminded of the contributions of the code talkers who served at Iwo Jima. A tribute to their service hangs in my office, and it contains this quote from Major Howard Connor, a signal officer for the Navajo code talkers: ``Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines never would have taken Iwo Jima.'' I want to extend my sincere thanks to all the brave code talkers who served with honor and our veterans. One of the founding principles of this country is the celebration of the diversity of its people. When we recognize that, we truly are a more perfect union.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support Small Business Saturday on November 25. Small Business Saturday takes place every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It is a day for Americans to support their community and their local businesses. As a former small-business owner myself, I know the value that our small, locally owned businesses add to our local economy. Arizona is the proud home of more than 500,000 small businesses that employ nearly 1 million Arizonans. These small businesses are the lifeblood of our local economies, and they are vital to the future of our communities. Our entrepreneurs are local community leaders. They hire local employees and they contribute to local causes. This holiday shopping season, we have the chance to show appreciation for our local businesses and all they do for our communities. I encourage all Americans to go out and shop at their favorite local small businesses or dine at their favorite local restaurant and support Small Business Saturday on November 25.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Chairman, local communities that have the most at stake when it comes to the forest in their backyards deserve their voices to be heard. As someone who lives in a national forest and has worked to review and provide feedback on proposed forest plans, I can assure you that these documents that guide the direction of individual national forests for years are, in fact, a major Federal action. My firsthand experience is why I propose that we strike the language of section 801 of the bill before us. Section 801 proposes that forest plans not be considered major Federal actions under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. If this were to become law, local input would be reduced. We should be looking for ways to increase local buy-in, not undermine it. In addition, section 903 proposes to modify the determination of extraordinary circumstances so wilderness protections and the protections of the Endangered Species Act do not have to be considered. This is a dangerous provision and allows our bedrock environmental laws to be ignored. My commonsense amendment would simply remove these concerning sections that allow bureaucrats to make major decisions without considering all the facts. Mr. Chairman, I encourage all my colleagues to support my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the fact that there are many items within the bill that do allow for the issues to be addressed. But taking this part of the bill and understanding that, when our national forest plans are put forward, we are part of it--I live in the national forest. I have watched three fires outside my front window. I have lived through watching, time and time again, the ramifications of not addressing these issues appropriately. I was co-chair of the Arizona Forest Health Oversight Committee for 3\1/2\ years and have been addressing forestry issues for 20 years. Mr. Chair, I just simply believe that, when it comes to wilderness areas and other areas of major concern, we should not disregard it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. I am opposed in its current form.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill it or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended. Mr. Speaker, schools and counties across rural America are facing a funding and economic crisis. It has now been over 2 years since Congress has failed to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools program. This is beyond unacceptable. Schools and counties across rural America are facing a funding and economic crisis, and the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act will go a long way to helping ensure children get the education they need to achieve success in today's economy. Across my district, I have heard families, teachers, and school administrators in forest counties tell me about the dire straits schools will be in if SRS is not reauthorized. In Greenlee County, in eastern Arizona, the school superintendent shared with me that if the county doesn't see SRS dollars, they will have to close the school that provides special education services. This is after the school has already gone through major changes to save money. Across rural Arizona, schools face issues with access to technology and the educational opportunities that came with them. Reauthorizing Secure Rural Schools will allow more schools to develop innovative educational opportunities. In Yavapai County, where they are using distance learning, schools can share teachers. Making sure that students don't miss opportunities because they live in rural America is the right thing to do, and reauthorizing SRS will better enable coordination and support for students. Mr. Speaker, the people of rural Arizona and America are tough and innovative, but the simple fact is that they need resources to keep schools open and educate children. It is past time that we reauthorize SRS, and I call on my colleagues to do so today. Across rural America and rural Arizona, the need for infrastructure is only growing. In Gila County, a bridge is needed to make it safer for residents to cross a creek. SRS funding would make it possible for the county to make a greater contribution to get the project completed. If we are serious about passing a bipartisan infrastructure plan, it is critical that we make sure that local communities can begin planning. Reauthorizing SRS would allow that to happen. Nationally, there are 720 counties and 4,400 school districts that depend on Secure Rural Schools for education, as well as other critical services and programs, like law enforcement and infrastructure. Rural America is ready for a renaissance, but for it to happen, we need to make sure that folks have equal access to opportunities in school and in the workforce. That means that we need to guarantee that schools have the resources that they need to educate our children and achieve their potential. That means we need to make sure that communities have infrastructure that supports local economies and keeps people safe. That means we need to make sure that rural Americans have a fair shot. Mr. Speaker, I call on my colleagues to support my commonsense amendment on behalf of kids across rural America. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I am opposed in its current form.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended. Mr. Speaker, increasing accountability and transparency across our government is a shared principle we can all agree on among this body. Whether at the VA or other Federal agencies, the American people deserve to know that Federal officials from the top down are being held to the standards we expect of them. We owe it to our veterans, to our seniors, and to the hardworking American taxpayers to ensure that their tax dollars are utilized appropriately and efficiently, as intended. Waste, fraud, and abuse, have no place at our agencies, and those who help uncover it deserve our admiration and our protection. I am proud that we are coming together to increase protections for whistleblowers of Federal agencies, a long overdue effort. But, Mr. Speaker, in light of recent reports and events that have revealed a disturbing pattern of improper use of tax dollars on air travel by senior Federal officials, I believe we must go further. The reports of Cabinet officials abusing the rules for air travel that applied to them are not isolated. Not one, not two, not three, but at least four Cabinet officials are facing scrutiny for irregular and irresponsible use of agency resources for official and nonofficial air travel. In light of Secretary Price's recent resignation, it is clear that Congress must conduct greater oversight. That is why I am offering this final amendment on the underlying bill. My amendment simply extends whistleblower protections that are created under the bill to Federal employees who disclose information about travel, including improper use of aircraft. Not only would this make clear to agencies that any violation of laws, rules, or regulations concerning travel or government aircraft is unacceptable, it will also ensure those who come forward to expose any wrongdoing will have appropriate protection from retaliation. Regardless of party, those who serve the American public must be held to the highest ethical standards. Our ability to hold government officials accountable to taxpayers is a hallmark of our democracy, and we must work to uphold that principle. The resources invested to agencies to fulfill their missions of serving Americans should not be abused or frivolously flaunted for personal gain or convenience. This is not about Republicans or Democrats. We must come together to stand up for accountability and transparency. The moment we begin treating disregard for the rules by our elected and appointed officials as partisan politics, we risk ceding the very values that make our democracy great and unique in the world. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting my commonsense amendment on behalf of American taxpayers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, as a Member of Congress, as a father, and as a grandfather, nothing I do is more important than ensuring every child in Arizona and America has the opportunity to live up to their God-given potential. No matter where they live, kids deserve to grow up healthy, with every chance to succeed. That is why it is beyond unacceptable that, for the first time ever, Congress missed the deadline to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program. For decades, CHIP has been a bipartisan program and has been reauthorized with broad support, until now. It has now been 11 days since CHIP expired. This is an outrage for children across the Nation who depend on the affordable, quality care they receive, thanks to CHIP. It is especially troubling for Arizona. Arizona has had the unfortunate distinction of being one of the worst States for healthcare access for children. Until last year, it was the only State in the entire Nation without an active Children's Health Insurance Program. Arizona froze CHIP KidsCare program in 2010. At its height, the waiting list for coverage after the freeze topped 100,000. I repeat: the list topped 100,000 because of a freeze put on by the State of Arizona. Two years ago, Congress reauthorized CHIP and included enhanced match rate funding for States under the Affordable Care Act. Thanks to advocates on the ground and with bipartisan support in our State legislature, this enhanced funding finally paved the way for our State to reopen KidsCare. Last year, KidsCare began enrolling children--over 23,000 so far. We have just begun the hard work of educating and reaching out to the working families who qualify for coverage. Arizona is one of a handful of States, as you can see here in this chart in blue, that would run out of Federal funds to cover children by December of this year, absent congressional action. Families in these States are the most at risk for losing critical access to care, until Congress steps up to the plate and passes a robust reauthorization with enhanced rate funding. I have met and heard from many of these families and their providers. I know what is it stake for them. Cate Arnquist is a mother from Tucson, Arizona, whose 8-year-old son, Zachary, was approved for coverage through KidsCare last month. This is a huge relief to Cate, who recently moved to Arizona with her husband and works at a local elementary school. Cate said: It's important for me to know that if I need to take him to the doctor, I will be able to take him. As a parent, your kids are always your biggest priority. I think every parent wants to make sure their kids are healthy. Cate, I couldn't agree with you more. Kids like Zachary deserve to know that their elected officials here in Congress are looking out for them. Graciela is a working single mom who lives in Phoenix. Her 17-year- old daughter, who suffers from high blood pressure, relies on KidsCare coverage. Graciela says: I just pray and ask everybody who is behind CHIP to think about it. They don't know how hard it is sometimes when you are a parent and you don't know what to do. Should I put a plate of food on the table or should I take my kid to the doctor? These are questions no parent in Arizona or in America should have to ask themselves. Doctors in our community agree. A pediatrician practicing in Gilbert, Arizona, shared an important story with us about a family with five children in her practice. The father works as a grocer, but makes $20 too much to qualify for Medicaid. That is $20. One of the children has significant developmental delays and another child has a serious neurological disease. After the youngest child was born, it became clear that he most likely had the neurological disease as well. The doctor referred this child for evaluation, but the family was unable to take him to the neurologist because they could not afford the office visits and diagnostic testing necessary. Had KidsCare been open at the time, the family could have applied for coverage, since they qualified, based on their income. This story and our experience in Arizona should be a cautionary tale for the rest of the States who may freeze their program if Congress fails to reauthorize CHIP now. No family should be put at risk when they need help for their kids. Working families like these are doing their best to make ends meet and raise healthy kids. Reauthorizing CHIP isn't just the right thing to do morally, but it is the smart, economic decision for our communities. I understood that when I was a Republican State legislator and fought for KidsCare, and I understand it now here in Congress. We all know that when children have meaningful access to quality, affordable, comprehensive healthcare coverage, our schools, families, and our State's bottom line all win. Healthy kids have a better shot in school and grow up to be healthy adults. When we invest in them, when we invest in their families, we are investing in their futures and our future. We must do better. Instead of playing partisan games and spending time on bills that make coverage and affordability worse for Americans, we need to make CHIP reauthorization front and center of our focus. While I am pleased that the Senate Finance Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee have started to take up action, it is past time to get a robust bill to the President's desk. CHIP has long been a bipartisan program, and I will keep working with anyone, regardless of office or party, to make sure our kids have the care they deserve. They are counting on us. We cannot let them down. I am pleased to be joined this evening by my colleagues who are committed to fighting for kids in our communities. I want to thank them for joining this Special Order hour to fight for CHIP and a strong reauthorization process. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Rhode Island for caring about our Nation's children. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Wisconsin for her comments. Mr. Speaker, I am kind of new to this body, but when I came here, I came with the same intention as I did when I first got into the Arizona State Legislature. One of the first issues I worked on was this program, a program that helped kids stay healthy, a program so that they could be successful at school, a program that is imperative. Yet, today, millions of people around this country, millions of families around this country are asking themselves: What are they going to do about my children's health? What is going to happen? Who is going to be there for my child? When I was a police officer, I had, sadly, the ability to see people in poverty day in and day out, what it meant to their families, but especially what sick children look like, what it means to see children taken out of homes in ambulances instead of having preventative care, what it means for a child to have to be in a hospital instead of having had the ability to have preventative care, what it means to a child with disabilities to have to go through that process and not have the physical therapy that is needed. This happened time and time again before CHIP became reality. I don't think America wants to go back there. I think America wants to move forward and make sure our children are healthy and able to withstand the issues in our society that lead us to make sure that they do. I cannot understand, for the life of me, why we would keep these families--it is 11 days now. It is going to mean many more. We will have to find some level of agreement. Yet, as was just mentioned by the gentlewoman from Wisconsin, we are funding this by taking money away from the elderly, from those also in need, from those also at risk. I have to say that when I patrolled the streets of Chicago, I did so to make sure that people were saved and safe. And I can't believe that I have come to this body and found out that we are willing to keep these families waiting, we are willing to sit back and not understand the core issues of what it means to those families to have to suffer through this process of the unknown of their child's future healthcare. I have to say that this is an issue that most Americans and most of this body agree to. I don't know why we have gone down this path of taking money--or thinking of taking money away from the elderly. It is wrong. But I do know that we should get this dealt with quickly and make sure the families in America that need it can provide for their children's health. Mr. Speaker, I yield to Representative Langevin, the gentleman from Rhode Island.

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Rhode Island not only for his discussion today, but also for all his work on behalf of the children of America. I think that his record speaks for itself, and it is obvious that what we just heard came from his heart. So I thank the gentleman for his remarks. I asked my fellow colleagues, when they start to work on this bill again--hopefully, they do it in a speedy fashion--that when they wake up in the morning, they think of what it means to have their child potentially without healthcare, what it means to have the unknown that we don't know if next month or the month later they will lose that coverage because Congress has failed to address the issue that they have all agreed on for 20 years. We have to and we must find a way to come to agreement. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 3005.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Chairman, my amendments address critical health needs in Indian Country by providing the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service additional funding to complete projects. My first amendment ensures communities, including the Hopi Tribe in my district, have resources for funding to complete their arsenic medication project. My second amendment fulfills part of our trust relationship with federally recognized Tribes by ensuring Indian Health Service clinics and hospitals opening this year receive staffing and operations funding. In my district, the Gila River Health Care Red Tail Hawk Health Center is scheduled to be opened, but has not received staffing or operation funding. These healthcare facilities are badly needed to increase access to healthcare in the community.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act, to protect Riccy, a mother of two, who was recently arrested and detained despite having DACA.

Mr. O'HALLERAN

Mr. O'HALLERAN. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.