Steve Russell

Mr. RUSSELL

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, it is now my privilege to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Faso), my friend and colleague and the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSSELL

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4574) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 108 West Schick Road in Bloomingdale, Illinois, as the ``Bloomingdale Veterans Memorial Post Office Building''.

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks, and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to stand with my colleague from Illinois in support of H.R. 4574, introduced by Congressman Krishnamoorthi. The bill names the United States Post Office at 108 West Schick Road in Bloomingdale, Illinois, after Bloomingdale veterans. The Eighth Congressional District of Illinois is home to more than 23,000 veterans, including many Active-Duty veterans groups. This bill honors Bloomingdale, Illinois, veterans who served this country proudly and continue to be a positive force in the community. We thank the veterans of Bloomingdale and all veterans for their service, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to echo the comments of my colleague from Illinois and also hope that the name of this post office will recognize the millions of veterans throughout our history that have returned home, led productive lives, have entered further public service, and have done so with gratitude, without issues, and have rendered great service to the Nation. Mr. Speaker, I would like to make the gentleman from Illinois also aware that I have no further speakers and am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSSELL

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4840) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 567 East Franklin Street in Oviedo, Florida, as the ``Sergeant First Class Alwyn Crendall Cashe Post Office Building''.

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks, and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor today to support H.R. 4840, introduced by Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy. The bill names the United States Post Office at 567 East Franklin Street, Oviedo, Florida, after Sergeant First Class Alwyn Crendall Cashe. Sergeant First Class Cashe served in the United States Army and was stationed in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was killed on November 8, 2005, as a result of injuries sustained while rescuing his fellow soldiers from an improvised explosive device explosion. With severe burns, Sergeant First Class Cashe returned repeatedly to the vehicle, determined to save his fellow soldiers. For his heroic actions, he was awarded the Silver Star. Sergeant First Class Cashe exemplified bravery and sacrifice, and he died putting his comrades before himself. I had the privilege to know and serve with his commander, then- Lieutenant Colonel Gary Brito, who is now a serving general officer. I should also point out, Mr. Speaker, that Sergeant First Class Cashe has been considered and recommended for the Medal of Honor, but to date, no actions have been taken. It is my hope that his case will be reviewed and come under further scrutiny. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill to name a post office in honor of Sergeant First Class Alwyn Crendall Cashe, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to make the gentleman from Illinois aware that I have no further speakers and am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSSELL

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 3210) to require the Director of the National Background Investigations Bureau to submit a report on the backlog of personnel security clearance investigations, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, and concur in the Senate amendment.

Mr. RUSSELL

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, in connection with my official duties, I was not present for votes on January 29, 2018. Had I been present, I would have voted Yea on Roll Call No. 45, and Yea on Roll Call No. 46.

Mr. RUSSELL

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, in connection with official business, I was unable to attend votes on November 15, 2017. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 635; and YEA on Roll Call No. 636.

Mr. RUSSELL

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2989) to establish the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission, as amended.

Mr. RUSSELL

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3031) to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for flexibility in making withdrawals from a Thrift Savings Plan account, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. RUSSELL

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 378) to amend title 5, United States Code, to enhance the authority under which Federal agencies may pay cash awards to employees for making cost saving disclosures, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I speak in support of H.R. 378, introduced by the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann), the Bonuses for Cost- Cutters Act of 2017. The people in the best position to identify waste throughout the Federal Government are the employees on the front lines at the Federal agencies. They are the ones on the ground who know when agencies waste money. It is in the taxpayers' best interest to encourage Federal employees to report waste when they see it. H.R. 378 increases the incentive for Federal employees to report wasteful spending by authorizing a reward of up to $20,000 for blowing the whistle on waste. This incentive is especially necessary at the end of the fiscal year when too many agencies adopt a ``use it or lose it'' mentality regarding their budgets. Some agencies fear that if they do not spend every last dollar in their budget, that Congress will somehow decrease their future funding. That dynamic leads to the most outrageous expenditures in the last week before the end of the fiscal year on September 30. Under the structure put in place by H.R. 378, agency leadership will also be able to verify that spending identified by whistleblowers is actually wasteful. This was a concern raised by our colleagues in the minority. We are thankful for their constructive work in getting this bill to a mutually agreeable compromise. The bill also maintains Congress' constitutional role in the appropriations process. As we know, Congress is responsible for authorizing spending by the Federal Government, and this bill is careful to respect that authority. After the agency's chief financial officer affirms that the spending in question is indeed wasteful, the agency must submit a report to the President. The President may then submit a recommendation to Congress to eliminate the wasteful spending in question. H.R. 378 is the result of a bipartisan process, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill as an example of what we can achieve when both sides put their minds to reform and husband the taxpayers' dollars. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUSSELL

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2302) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 259 Nassau Street, Suite 2 in Princeton, New Jersey, as the ``Dr. John F. Nash, Jr. Post Office''.

Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I speak in support of H.R. 2302, introduced by the gentlewoman, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman from New Jersey. The bill designates the post office located at 259 Nassau Street, Suite 2, in Princeton, New Jersey, as the Dr. John F. Nash, Jr. Post Office. John Nash was a brilliant mathematician, publishing groundbreaking work in many areas. One of his most famous contributions was to the field of game theory, creating what is known as the Nash equilibrium. For his achievements, he won a Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 1994, and the Abel Prize from the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters in 2015. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to hearing more about Dr. Nash's life from the gentlewoman from New Jersey, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.