Martha Roby

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. But even after leadership changes, data showed that the Central Alabama VA's two medical centers in Montgomery and Tuskegee were ranked the worst and the second worst in the Nation for delays in patient care. By any measure, the Central Alabama VA was the definition of a failing VA system. We had a severe problem, and it required immediate attention. But, Mr. Speaker, getting the attention of the top VA leaders proved difficult. Once our problems left the front page, there wasn't a whole lot of followup. My veterans in Alabama were subject to some of the worst healthcare service in the country, and no one wanted to take responsibility. Mr. Speaker, I began to think maybe it was because we were depending on a broken bureaucracy to fix itself, that maybe it was because we were asking VA leaders, rather than requiring them, to intervene. Mr. Speaker, I decided that it was time that we changed that. So, in July, I filed that legislation and began working with the Veterans' Affairs Committee to get a hearing and a vote. I don't sit on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, so I want to thank the chairman, Jeff Miller; the subcommittee chairman, Dan Benishek; and all the members of the committee for being receptive and working with me on this bill. I also want to thank all the committee staff for their hard work. There is no question this bill represents a major step forward and a foundation to build upon. It should be noted that almost 2 years after the scandal first broke, we are making progress in central Alabama at the VA. Staffing is up, wait times are down. We are building a Community Veterans Health Network that I believe one day can be an example for the entire Nation. We have a long way to go, and I am truly optimistic about the future. But, Mr. Speaker, it shouldn't have taken this long and it shouldn't have taken a Member of Congress breathing down the necks of top VA officials to get the attention that our veterans deserve. You know, sometimes I wonder what would have happened if our courageous whistleblowers hadn't stepped up or if the reporters we worked with didn't think it was a story? What if the truth about the missing X-rays, the manipulated pulmonology records, and the crackhouse never came out? What if we want exposed all of that? Would our veterans in central Alabama still be subject to the worst health care in the country? Would we even know? I don't want what happened in central Alabama to ever happen again anywhere. This bill helps to ensure that by requiring key VA health metrics to be published for everyone to see and making sure that the VA officials at the very top cannot hide behind the layers of bureaucracy when it comes to severely failing centers. Again, I ask my colleagues to support this bill.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to draw attention to the important role that agriculture plays in this country. I am honored to serve in a district in which agriculture represents the largest employer and is responsible for $11 billion in economic impact. It is why, during my time on the House Agriculture Committee, I was proud to help craft a new farm bill that delivers modern, more conservative policy for our farmers. That is why now, as a member of the Appropriations Committee, I have remained diligent in making sure that the promises we made in the farm bill are kept. We faced a challenge last year in the crop insurance program when it was gutted in the budget. This is the system that we promised our farmers to help transition away from direct payments. Cutting it was unfair. I was proud to help restore that program funding before the end of the year, but it demonstrated something of a disconnect. Mr. Speaker, not everyone in Congress represents a district with such a large agricultural footprint. What I try to explain to my colleagues is that, when you mess around with the crop insurance program, you aren't just affecting farmers who put seed in the ground. You are affecting the ones who sell the seed, who build the equipment to cultivate and harvest the crop, and those who help process the goods for their final products. That farming dollar turns over many times, and there is an entire agriculture supply chain that is affected by the farm policies we set in Congress. My farmers know I have their back and I always will as long as I am in Congress.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 50, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.'' Stated against:

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, this week we are again taking important and long-awaited action on behalf of farmers, foresters, and anyone who owns land by sending to the President's desk a joint resolution ending the aggressive overreach by the Environmental Protection Agency into private lands. S.J. Res. 22 is a joint resolution with the U.S. Senate to end the EPA's ridiculous waters of the United States rule seeking to expand the definition of ``navigable waters'' to include puddles, ditches, and other small bodies of water, making them subject to inspection. Of course, we all want to ensure that rules are followed to keep our waters clean, but making puddles and ditches subject to inspection just to expand the reach of Federal regulators has nothing to do with clean water. Mr. Speaker, you might recall that the House voted to put a stop to the waters of the U.S. rule last year, and the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a nationwide stay on the rule. However, this joint resolution is the measure we needed to finally send this bill to the President and put the responsibility for this harmful rule on him. I will continue to fight against this radical environmental agenda being forced on Americans by this administration through executive overreach. The Congress is right to take steps to stop it.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong opposition to the possible housing of illegal immigrant detainees on Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. An active military base like Maxwell-Gunter is no place to house detained minors, and I wasted no time making it clear to the Obama administration that I am paying attention to this and that I am going to fight any attempt to bring detained minors on the base. I have written the Secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services to express my strong objection and to explain why this is such a bad idea. I have also been in touch with leaders on base in Montgomery to discuss the potential effect on their missions. Our personnel at Maxwell-Gunter are engaged in serious military activities: training, education, cyber warfare, many times in classified settings that are very sensitive. Their mission does not need to be distracted by being forced to house and secure hundreds of detained minors. The most compassionate action we can take is to return these children to their homes. Housing illegal immigrants at an active military base like Maxwell-Gunter is a terrible idea, and I will continue to work every angle to shut it down, just like we did 1 year ago.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Capitol Book & News, one of Alabama's oldest independent book stores, who will be closing their doors after 65 years of business. Founded in 1950 by Victor Lavine, Capitol Book & News has been a staple in Montgomery, Alabama's community providing books and recommendations to customers. Thomas and Cheryl Upchurch, owners for the past 37 years, are known for their trusted advice and suggestions on what books to read. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to acknowledge Capitol Book & News' positive impact on Montgomery's community and to thank them for their loyal and dedicated service to their customers.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 79, a concurrent resolution directing the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make corrections in the enrollment of H.R. 719. This resolution directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make several corrections in the enrollment of H.R. 719, the Continuing Appropriations Act 2016, including by adding at the end of the text of the House-passed version, H.R. 3134, the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015. The House passed H.R. 3134 by a vote of 241-187 on September 18. The bill precludes any Federal funds from being authorized or appropriated for 1 year for any purpose to Planned Parenthood Federation of America or any affiliate or clinic of that organization unless entities certify that affiliates and clinics will not perform and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs elective abortions during such period. The bill also redirected funding from Planned Parenthood facilities to federally qualified health centers to provide women's health services. This resolution and the related enrollment process sends a signal about this House's commitment to bar funding for Planned Parenthood and gives the Senate the opportunity to limit funding in the continuing resolution. Mr. Speaker, this is actually the exact same language in the Defund Planned Parenthood Act sponsored by my friend, the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Black), which the House passed earlier this month. Mrs. Black is a tireless defender of the unborn, and I have been privileged to work with her on several pro-life measures, including a very similar defund correction to the spending bill back in 2011. So why this correction? My colleagues might be wondering if I just saw what happened in the Senate. Why take up this bill when the votes just aren't there in the Senate? The answer is simple. Because I believe, as long as there is an opportunity before us to defund Planned Parenthood, we should take it because, when it comes to this fight, I want to leave it all on the field. I understand that, so far, we have lacked the votes in the Senate to include defund language in the continuing resolution, and I realize this is a last-ditch effort to do this and that the chances of this correction maneuver succeeding in the Senate are low. But I believe, Mr. Speaker, I believe that we have to fight until the very end. I have always been up front with those I represent about the low likelihood of defunding Planned Parenthood, especially in a stopgap spending bill. Pro-life advocates in my State and around this country understand the math; and while they hope that Senate Democrats will change their hearts, they don't really expect them to. What they do expect is for us to try, to fight to the very end, and to exhaust every possible option in our effort to stop tax dollars from flowing to this organization. That is why, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House and in the Senate to support this defund correction and to join me to fight until the very end to defund Planned Parenthood. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks, and to include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 79.

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 448, I call up the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 79) directing the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make corrections in the enrollment of H.R. 719, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mrs. ROBY. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. ROBY. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, not everyone, I recognize, in this country is pro-life, like I am. But those who are should not be forced to have their tax dollars fund an organization that aborts more than 350,000 unborn babies every year. Federal law has long prohibited public funds from being used to actually perform abortions. However, Planned Parenthood gets millions in grants and reimbursements for other services that they provide, like pregnancy tests, birth control, Pap smears, STD tests, and other various treatments. Of course, low-income women should have access to these critical services. But why is it necessary--why is it necessary--for those services to be funded at the Nation's largest abortion provider? It isn't actually, but the abortion industry and its supporters--it is what they want you to think it is. And they talk about women's health because they don't want to talk about abortion. They don't want to talk about how ugly it is and how painful it is not just to the mother having to make the decision, but to the unborn baby who doesn't have a voice, who doesn't have a say. When it comes to funding, they like to pretend, Mr. Speaker, that abortion doesn't exist and that Planned Parenthood is the only place where low-income women can get health care. Taking away Federal funding from Planned Parenthood means attacking women's health, they say. That is not true. The truth is that there are more than 13,000 federally qualified and rural health centers throughout this country that offer low-cost health care to women. In fact, these centers outnumber Planned Parenthood clinics 20-1. If those who defend Federal funding of Planned Parenthood truly just wanted to make sure that low-income women have access to health care and not abortion, then why not simply support these noncontroversial community health centers instead? If this argument is really about making sure women have access to health care, then we would all agree right here, right now, to support these community health centers. But you see, Mr. Speaker, that is not what this is about. You see, while federally qualified and rural health centers provide a wide range of medical services, they don't perform abortions. That is what they really want. They want to preserve the pipeline of funding to the Nation's largest abortion provider. This talk of women's health is nothing but a charade, a false pretense, that I believe more and more Americans are realizing is phony. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this concurrent resolution. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, no taxpayer should be forced to fund an organization that aborts more than 350,000 unborn babies every year. This is a commonsense truth that even pro-abortion activists have a hard time arguing. Guess what--they changed the argument. They pretend that abortion doesn't exist and that Planned Parenthood is the only place where low- income women can get health care. Taking away taxpayer funding from Planned Parenthood means denying women access to health care, they say. That is untrue, and anybody spreading that should be ashamed. There are more than 13,000 federally qualified and rural health centers throughout this country offering low-cost health care to women. They outnumber Planned Parenthood clinics 20 to 1. If this was really about making sure women had access to health care, we could all agree right now that supporting these community health centers is the right thing to do; but that is not what this is about. It is because community health centers don't perform abortions; Planned Parenthood does. That is what this is about. It is about preserving a pipeline of funding to the Nation's largest abortion provider. We all get this. Let's drop the phony women's health charade.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I've travelled throughout Alabama's 2nd Congressional District the last few weeks and I've listened to the concerns expressed by those I represent. I want to clearly state my views on the President's proposed nuclear agreement with Iran. Many remain puzzled as to why we are negotiating in the first place with a regime that has a stated intent to destroy the United States and Israel. Remember that just days after this deal was reached, Iran's Supreme Leader applauded and encouraged a large crowd gathered in Tehran as it chanted ``Death to America!'' and ``Death to Israel!'' Also puzzling is, even if we are going to negotiate, why be so unwilling to walk away when our stated objectives fall one after the other? I share my constituents' frustration at a flawed, weak deal that seems to serve Iran's interests at the expense of our own. How is that? First, inspections are not ``anywhere, anytime'' like negotiators originally said would be a deal-breaking must. In fact, at certain sites the Iranians could have up to 24 days' notice before inspectors are allowed in. That's a joke. And, even then, Americans are prohibited from making unilateral inspections. Second, the ``snap back'' provisions the Administration points to as accountability mechanisms are weak by their own admission. Secretary Kerry and President Obama have repeatedly said that our unilateral economic sanctions don't work and put the United States at a disadvantage. Yet, the threat of those very sanctions ``snapping back'' into place is supposed to be the way we make sure Iran lives up to the agreement. They can't have it both ways. If our sanctions aren't strong enough on their own now, why would we rely on them as a way to hold Iran accountable in the future? Third, under this deal, as much as $150 billion would flow into Iran's coffers. Let's not kid ourselves to think that the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism won't turn around and fund those who want to harm Americans and our allies. So, not only will we have paved the way for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon and potentially initiated a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, but we will have strengthened the hand of this adversarial state while weakening our own. I will continue to work with my colleagues to point out these weaknesses and make those supporting the deal explain why to the American people. One silver lining is that the agreement is subject for review in the next administration because this is an executive agreement and not a treaty. Let's pray our next president doesn't adhere to a foreign policy doctrine of ``leading from behind.''

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dorothea McBride who is retiring from the Department of Veterans Affairs after 27 years of dedicated service. A Registered Nurse, a Veteran, and Patient Administrator at Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare System, her tireless work has been instrumental in helping the veterans of Central Alabama. Under particularly challenging circumstances, Dorothea has provided critical health care to many of our nation's most dedicated servants. Whether responding to veterans directly or working with my office on Congressional inquiries, she has demonstrated an exceptional level of professionalism and patriotism, literally saving lives. Dorothea McBride cares deeply for the veterans in her care. She never failed to respond diligently and with compassion and courtesy when asked for help. Along with my staff, I want to wish her all the best in the next chapter of her life. We will never forget her service.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, it has been almost a year since the director of the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System was fired after numerous reports of mismanagement and malfeasance surfaced--the missing patient x rays, the falsified records, the employee who took a veteran to a crackhouse, and the utter lack of discipline and order. The removal was possible under new authority granted under the VA reform law that we passed last year, and I was hopeful that this action was indicative of a new VA leadership that finally got it, that was willing to cut through the bureaucracy and make the decisions necessary to turn around failing medical centers. I did hear a lot of nice promises--commitments to work through the system to make sure that the problems were fixed--but, Mr. Speaker, the problems were not fixed. Communication and coordination between various levels of management are still badly out of sync at a time when we can least afford it. It seems like, every time I think we are in a position to make real progress in central Alabama, something falls through the cracks, the ball gets dropped, an opportunity is missed. Every time, the VA leadership can point to the various layers of bureaucracy for why these problems exist--promises, excuses--but not action. Mr. Speaker, I believe the problem is that we have been depending on a broken bureaucracy to fix itself. I believe the problem is that we have been asking the VA leaders to intervene in this troubled system rather than requiring them to. I believe it is time to change that by breaking through the bureaucracy to get results on behalf of our precious veterans. What happens when a public school continues to fail to meet basic standards? The State Department of Education steps in to take over, and it takes charge of turning the place around. It is a process that isn't pleasant, but everyone from principals and teachers to students and parents understand the consequences of the failure to improve. I believe we need a similar mechanism at the VA when medical centers continuously fail our veterans. Today, I am filing legislation to compel the Department of Veterans Affairs officials to intervene and take over failing VA medical centers. It is called the Failing VA Medical Center Recovery Act. It offers the VA new tools to turn around the worst of our healthcare centers, and it puts the responsibility for doing so squarely on the Secretary of the VA. The VA needs a team of leaders who is equipped with the expertise to identify solutions and the authority to execute them. Under my bill, the VA will recruit teams of the best managers and medical professionals who can rapidly deploy to failing medical centers to take over and take charge. These takeover teams would be managed through the newly authorized office of failing medical centers and would have the new legal tools needed to make a difference at each location. This is an antibureaucracy bill. This is the team that no complacent VA employees want to see coming because they know that the status quo is about to get shaken up. Just like a failing school, this can serve as a motivation to keep performance from dropping off. Also very important is that the determination of a failing medical center will be based on data, not on the Secretary's whim or what media attention it is garnering. My bill sets up an automatic trigger that compels the VA to act under the law. I am glad the Secretary used his authority to take control of the situation in Phoenix--but why not Montgomery? Why not Tuskegee? Why not come and take control of the worst and the second worst situations in our country, especially after we have repeatedly asked and have pleaded for him to do so? I am tired of asking, and that is why my bill requires the VA to step in and take charge. Mr. Speaker, some might misperceive this as an attack on the VA, and it is not. It is actually a gift. Entrenched bureaucrats might hate this plan, but reform-minded leaders at the VA should welcome new tools and new resources to fix medical centers and help veterans access care. I have spoken to many of my colleagues about this bill, and I am pleased as to how well it is being received. I look forward to working with Chairman Miller and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move this legislation forward. Let's have a real conversation about getting results on behalf of our veterans.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 3107.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and I thank all of our colleagues that are here to talk on this extraordinary issue that has stunned us all. Last week, in the wake of the first video, Planned Parenthood responded by forcefully and categorically denying that the organization sells body parts of aborted babies for profit. The tone of Dr. Deborah Nucatola describing the way in which babies' organs are harvested and sold was unfortunate, they said, but there is nothing to see here. Well, just this afternoon, as I was sitting on the plane to come back to Washington, I watched the second video that has been released, showing a different senior official at Planned Parenthood discussing the same thing. Dr. Mary Gatter, president of Planned Parenthood's Federation of Medical Directors' Council is shown negotiating prices for the tissue and even joking about her poor negotiation abilities, but that she wanted to settle on the prices soon because she wants a Lamborghini. Once again, the candid words of top Planned Parenthood officials believe the public spin on their PR teams--they felt like this was necessary to get what they wanted in order to make a profit. What we haven't heard from Planned Parenthood is a response to perhaps the biggest revelation, that its providers alter abortion procedures in order to gain access, as my colleagues have already discussed in great detail. What I found really stunning about Dr. Mary Gatter's comments that she made today is she discusses deliberately breaking the rules in order to obtain intact organs. She considers out loud on this video how to alter the abortion process to get intact baby organs. She said, We need a less crunchy option--this is sick to hear those words come from my mouth, that we need a less crunchy option when we are talking about a baby; this violates their rules--she says, as long as we do it in a way that doesn't cause more pain. These doctors sure sound like they know that there is a competitive black market at play and are willing to engage in illegal activity to tap into it. This is sickening, and it will not go unaddressed. I said last week to my colleague--and I will say it again--that I do not care how much weight Planned Parenthood throws around this town. They are not above the law. If Planned Parenthood really has nothing to hide, then these officials will have no problem with a complete investigation. It is our responsibility to protect those who cannot defend themselves and to stop illegal activity when we see it. That certainly seems to be what is happening here, and I thank all of my colleagues for standing up for the unborn.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 2722.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Madam Speaker, I rise to raise awareness about a disturbing development. Today video surfaced of Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood's senior director for medical services, admitting-- in fact, bragging--about the harvesting and trafficking of fetal organs after abortions. To those who haven't seen the video, I urge you and encourage you to watch it. But you need to be forewarned: the casual and callous way she details how babies can be killed in such a way that their tiny hearts, lungs, and livers can be taken and sold for profit is simply horrifying. To quote Dr. Nucatola: ``We have been very good at getting heart, lung, and liver. So I am not going to crush that part. I am going to basically crush below, I am going to crush above, and I am going to see if I can get it all intact.'' Madam Speaker, this is one of those moments as a nation that we have to ask ourselves: ``Who are we? Are we really going to tolerate this inhumanity? Are we going to look the other way while babies are brutally killed and organs are harvested for profit?'' These are not specimens. They are babies for goodness' sake. I may only have 1 minute today, but I promise, Madam Speaker, we are not done talking about this.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Madam Chair, I thank my friend from North Carolina. This is a great opportunity today for all of us ladies to be down here on the floor together, having a little conversation about what we recognize and can see matters to the majority of Americans, and that is the safety of this country and our national defense, our ability to defend against enemies. To my friend from North Carolina, there are a lot of those out there right now. As we watch the lack of leadership in this administration, we have seen these enemies raise their heads, and it is by no mistake because they will seek to fill a void, and that is exactly what is happening around the world. All of our colleagues that have talked earlier in this hour about the bad, bad deal with Iran, this comes at a time not only where we are seeing the atrocities of ISIS and other groups around the world, but also at a time when we have cut our military not through the muscle, but into the bone. All of us here, we all have military interests in some respect throughout our districts. I know you have a large military presence in your district and others here joining us today, our colleagues; so everyone here has not felt the pain of what these cuts look like. To my colleagues, if we don't do something about this sequester here, when it goes into full implementation--we are already cutting combat aviation brigades. We will have to cut even more. Of course, I represent Fort Rucker, where we train these folks at the Army Aviation Center of Excellence, so, certainly, these realities are not lost on me; and I know you represent Fort Bragg and others here. The gentlewoman from Tennessee has a large military presence. I guess the conversation that I want to have with you guys today on behalf of our constituents is: What are we going to do about it? We have got to figure this out because, if we don't, it is going to be irresponsible as it relates to our readiness and our ability to defend this Nation. We owe it to our military families, our men and women that wear the uniform, to ensure that they have everything that they need every time we send them into harm's way. This is really a dangerous time in our country, and certainly, it is not lost to everyone here as it relates to Iran and the bad deal that was negotiated there. We have got to be willing to do our part as it relates to that deal. Here in this legislative body, we have to be willing to use the tools that we have and stand up against it and use the courage that we all have in our hearts to fight against this, knowing that it is going to not just have a huge impact on our security here at home, but our very important allies in the Middle East. I just got back from a codel in the spring where we went to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Israel. Our allies over there are looking at us right now, going: What? What? Anyway, I share my frustration with you, and I know you share it with me as well. We need to give the Army what they need. We need to give our military what they need and know that we are having the appropriate impact in the parts of the world that are under so much pressure right now as it relates to this plan. I hope we can continue this dialogue. I appreciate all of you coming to the floor and letting me be a part of this. I am very concerned. This is what literally keeps all of us up at night, worrying about the future of our country and our safety not just here at home, but for all the men and women that are serving our country abroad. Again, I hope that we collectively can put our heads together and figure out a way to end this sequester, particularly as it relates to defense, once and for all.

Mrs. ROBY. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman and just her shared concern here that we have for our men and women in uniform, for Army aviators, and for their families as well. If the sequester goes into full effect not only when we are cutting from 12 CABs now--combat aviation brigades--to 10, there is a potential that we could have to go to 9. What that means directly for Rucker is that we will decrease our student load, the number of Army aviation pilots that we are training. What that means for our country is that we are no longer ready. I mean, you could make the argument that that, in fact, is the case now. They are going to do everything we ask them to do with what they have. We know that about the United States military, the best in the world. Yet, we are spreading them more and more thin. We are fighting an enemy overseas right now. Whether you want to call it ``war'' or not, it is happening, and our men and women are in harm's way. There are boots on the ground, and if these cuts move forward, they are going to suffer more. I appreciate the gentlewoman for drawing attention to Rucker, and I know that she feels as passionately as I about the military.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the negotiations taking place right now in Switzerland over Iran's nuclear capability. With all that has been going on lately, I fear not enough attention is being paid to what I believe is one of the most important issues facing our country right now. Last week, the Obama administration quietly announced yet another deadline extension to the multilateral negotiations over Iran's nuclear capability, and this week, negotiators blew past that deadline once again. Of course, the goal for the United States and our allies must be to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. However, recent reports out of Switzerland have raised concerns that our negotiators have already conceded too much on major points like uranium enrichment, economic sanctions relief, and inspection access. Mr. Speaker, the very fact that we keep extending the deadline tells you all you need to know about the priorities at play for this administration. It seems that President Obama and Secretary Kerry are so concerned with striking a deal--any deal--that they are unwilling to walk away from a bad one as deadlines keep passing. The Boston Globe reported that negotiators have spent their downtime speculating which movie stars would play them in a Hollywood movie about the Iran deal. If this is true, Americans should be outraged. This is an extraordinarily important issue that will have an extraordinarily far- reaching effect on this country and the world for many years to come. The fact is we have had extension after extension and concession after concession to the point that I am not sure a good deal is even possible at this point. A few months ago, I traveled to the Middle East with the Speaker as part of his delegation to the region, and we visited countries that would be directly affected by dealing with a nuclear Iran--Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia. Our allies in the region are rightfully concerned that what is being brokered isn't good at all. We cannot forget how high the stakes are here. If a bad deal is ratified, we aren't just talking about a nuclear armed Iran. We are talking about setting in motion a nuclear race, a chain of events that could allow multiple countries in this very volatile region of the world wanting to become nuclear as well. And after seeing the international community reward Iran's hostility and obstinance with a nuclear deal, who would blame them? Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the leadership of my colleagues in this Chamber and in the Senate. And I agree with Senator Corker, who is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who wrote a letter to the President, ``Walking away from a bad deal at this point would take courage, but it would be the best thing for the United States, the region, and the world.'' We may not be able to control the outcome in Switzerland, but we can control how we respond if a bad deal is put forward. This Congress can have the final say whether or not to lift sanctions in Iran. It can have the final say on the deal, itself, by way of a resolution of disapproval. I believe Members of Congress must prepare to stand up and have the courage that it would take to stop a bad Iranian deal from happening. For some, this will take a lot of courage, but it is necessary. We cannot allow President Obama and Secretary Kerry to put their desire for a legacy achievement above the best interests of this Nation and our allies.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate myself with the gentlewoman from Florida's remarks. I also would like to thank all of our colleagues here in this Chamber today that have not only come out and supported us, but also supported the Young Survivors Coalition as well. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the survivors. Each member of this team played either in memory of or on behalf of someone who is currently struggling with the fight with cancer. So I would just say to mine, Rhonda McCall Walker, Mr. Speaker, who came from Alabama and attended the game, along with so many others, that we support these individuals. This is a really incredible thing that the Members of Congress do. Mr. Speaker, to the Bad News Babes, I would just say we are on it for next year, too. So keep your guard up. I would like to also recognize the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor), who is the MVP. She played an incredible game. And ``most improved'' is the gentlewoman from Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema.