John Rutherford

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Richard N. Reilly on a well-deserved retirement after many years of service to the United States of America. Richard has been a U.S. State Department Pearson Fellow in my Washington, D.C., office over this past year and has provided invaluable guidance and assistance to both my staff and my constituents. A native of Minnesota, Rich began his service to our Nation as an Army infantryman and then he continued on later with a 20-year career as a naval officer. Following his time in the military, Rich joined the State Department as a Foreign Service officer advocating for America's interests abroad. On behalf of the Fourth District of Florida and a grateful Nation, I offer my heartfelt thanks to Rich for his many contributions to our country and wish him a relaxing and fulfilling retirement enjoyed with wife, Susan; his children; and their new granddaughter, Peyton. Congratulations, Rich.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Mr. Charles Schuck and celebrate his 100th birthday, which occurred this past August. From the time he graduated high school, he has served our country dutifully in many roles including as a Sergeant in the Marine Corps during World War II, the Chief of the Flight Standards Division during the Vietnam War, and, most recently, a volunteer at his local elementary school. Mr. Schuck embodies the American spirit, and I am honored to tell his story here today. Mr. Schuck was born on August 5, 1919, in New York City and is the son of a German immigrant. Growing up he always had a passion for aeronautics and mechanics, this led him to become an aircraft mechanic upon his graduation from Stewart Tech. He then worked for an airline where he taught Army mechanics aviation skills. Following this, he joined the Marines and received the rank of Sergeant out of boot camp. He was stationed in El Toro, a Marine Air Station in California. After the war, he joined the Civil Aeronautics Administration where he quickly moved up the ranks from Maintenance Inspector to Chief of the General Aviation Maintenance Branch. In 1962, he was selected to attend the War College at Maxwell Air Force Base and in 1964 was stationed in Hawaii as Chief of the Flight Standards Division. Here, his experience and expertise proved invaluable during the Vietnam War. He has also held high positions in the Federal Aviation Administration and was instrumental in setting standards in the Pacific Theater. He received both an Outstanding Performance Rating and a Special Achievement Award from the FAA for his service. He then transitioned to the Experimental Aircraft Association where he advised policymakers on aeronautic and aviation issues for 21 years until his retirement at the age of 81. Today, he lives a healthy and happy life and continues to teach about patriotism and aeronautics. As a volunteer at his local elementary school, he engages with children about our flag, how airplanes and helicopters fly, and his love for our country. He is very much appreciated by the students, parents, and faculty alike. Madam Speaker, it has been a privilege to share the story of Mr. Charles Schuck and recognize his exemplary achievements. On behalf of a grateful nation, I thank him and wish him all the best as he reflects on a century full of memories.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, in 2016, Vladimir Putin and his cronies waged a war on our elections with the goal of sowing discord and division in America. Do you think he has been successful? Somewhere in Russia right now, Putin is laughing at us today. The majority is giving him exactly what he wants: a divided America with pure, partisan politics, with nasty political rhetoric at an all-time high. And some across the aisle are discrediting the results of future elections already. It seems to many Americans that, for the past 3 years, the House majority has been carrying out the wishes of the Kremlin. The sad part is the Democrats have vowed to continue their sham investigations even after today's vote. Impeaching a duly-elected President in a purely partisan manner with no crimes to show for it--not one element of a crime defined--disgraces the integrity of our democracy. Now is the time to end the partisan politics, come together, and put America first. Mr. Speaker, I urge this body to vote ``no'' to partisan impeachment.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I was unavailable due to delays in travel and missed Roll Call Vote 655 and 656. Had I been present, I would have voted Aye on Roll Call No. 655 and 656.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, this morning, Speaker Pelosi announced that yesterday's hearing in the Judiciary Committee will, with ``leading American constitutional scholars,'' give Congress no choice-- no choice--but to impeach the President. But let's take a look at who exactly testified at yesterday's impeachment hoax. Professor Karlan donated over $12,000 to liberal Democrat politicians, went after the President's 13-year-old son, and she can't even walk past the Trump Hotel without having to cross the street. Professor Gerhardt donated thousands of dollars to former President Obama and Hillary Clinton. He also worked against Justice Kavanaugh during his nomination process. Professor Feldman called for the President's impeachment in 2017 based on a tweet, just over a month into his Presidency. However, Professor Turley, who voted against the President, had this to say about the lack of evidence against President Trump: ``Impeachments have to be based on proof, not presumptions.'' Abuse of power? Madam Speaker, an impeachment with this fact pattern is an abuse of power by the House of Representatives.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I recognize the Meninak Club of Jacksonville, Florida, which is celebrating 100 years of service and camaraderie within our northeast Florida community. Meninak members are often leaders of business, military, and civic organizations who join together to make a positive impact on others. For a century, they have made a difference in the lives of many through their annual charity project and numerous scholarships for students, including $25,000 in Youth Leadership Grants each year. Since 1933, Meninak has also sponsored the Ocean Marathon Swim, a 3.5-mile swim competition for members of the American Red Cross Volunteer Life Saving Corps at Jacksonville Beach. Their many charitable works include building affordable homes for those in need, working with the Salvation Army during Christmastime, and mentoring local disadvantaged folks in Jacksonville. I congratulate the Meninak Club for 100 years of ``lending help where none is available.''

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I thank my kind colleague from Missouri for this opportunity. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1865, which will give our law enforcement officers and their long honorable history the recognition that they so deserve. The National Law Enforcement Museum Commemorative Coin Act will have the Treasury, as was mentioned earlier, mint a commemorative coin in recognition of the newly opened National Law Enforcement Museum here in Washington, D.C. The proceeds collected from the sale of this coin will be given to the museum to support its operations. As you know, Madam Speaker, millions come from around the world to visit our Nation's Capital every year. They learn about our culture, our history, and our founding principles. Now, they may also visit the National Law Enforcement Museum to learn about our heroic police officers who dedicated their lives and, in too many instances, made the supreme sacrifice laying down their lives in order to keep their community safe. As a former sheriff of Jacksonville, Florida, I saw the personal sacrifices and brave actions by countless officers under my command. Law enforcement officers around the country put on the uniform every day and they head out to protect their community, willing to sacrifice their life for their friends and neighbors. Sadly, too many of those officers do not return home from their shift. So far this year, 99 officers have lost their lives in the line of duty, offering their full measure of devotion to their community. This bill will ensure that their stories be told for generations to come. I thank my good friend, Congressman Pascrell from New Jersey, co- chair of the Law Enforcement Caucus. His support, respect, and true concern for law enforcement across this country is greatly appreciated by all of those organizations and men and women that he just listed. Madam Speaker, I hope that all of my colleagues will join me today in supporting our brave law enforcement officers across this country and pass this important bill.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I was unavailable and missed rollcall Vote 570. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 570.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the secretive and un-American impeachment investigation taking place right now in the House of Representatives. Behind closed doors, our President is being tried, tried by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle using an undemocratic process that wouldn't hold up in any American court of law. Democrats talk about Russian collusion while using Soviet-style investigative techniques against President Trump, denying him due process. In fact, one of my Democratic colleagues from New York recently said: ``The President says he is innocent, so all we are saying is prove it.'' Really? Mr. Speaker, I spent 41 years in law enforcement, and I know a little something about due process, and that sure isn't it. What is taking place before us is an insult to fairness, a mockery of justice, and a political witch hunt designed to reverse the will of the American voter. There were over 62 million people who voted for this President. The Speaker hasn't even formally held a vote on whether or not this is an impeachment inquiry. If this is an impeachment inquiry like the Speaker says, come to the floor and hold a vote. Some have called this process fair because Republican Members of certain committees--only certain committees--are allowed to be in the room during depositions and interviews. However, they are not even allowed to call witnesses or openly discuss the smears that have been selectively leaked by the Democrats. But this is not about us. It is not about the Members of this Congress. It is about transparency for the American public. The American people deserve to know what is going on. Let's recap the last 3 years of searching for a smoking gun that just did not exist. First, Democrats claimed that President Trump colluded with Russians to influence the 2016 election. That was the message played every single night on television--collusion, collusion, collusion. Then, Democrats supported Robert Mueller and told him to go find that collusion, which, of course, he didn't. So they dragged Robert Mueller into a congressional hearing room, and this time, they had no problem being open and transparent before the cameras. But when that failed, I thought the dog and pony show was going to be over. I had to hope that my colleagues on the other side would get this legislative body back to work for the American public, but, no, here we go again. We have a whistleblower with secondary information, which the only way they could do that was to change the rule in secret--secret depositions in the underbelly of Congress, targeted leaks, and rampant speculation. Mr. Speaker, this is the House of Representatives, not the KGB. It is about time my friends on the other side of the aisle started acting like it. If you actually believe the President has committed an impeachable offense, why hide the truth from the public? If you don't like this President, you will have an opportunity to vote against him in November 2020. Until then, let's stop wasting the taxpayers' hard-earned money on frivolous, expensive investigations to nowhere and come together to solve America's problems.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Florida Air National Guard's 125th Fighter Wing on their return home after a 4- month deployment in support of Operation Spartan Shield. During their deployment, the 125th Fighter Wing served as an essential and direct combat support component of that mission that provided intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in southwest Asia and contributed to a successful mission. I thank these brave Air Force men and women who are willing to go abroad and risk their lives for our freedom. We are incredibly proud of the more than 1,600 Air Force men and women who make up the 125th Fighter Wing to provide 24/7, 365 air homeland defense to combatant commanders worldwide, while simultaneously protecting the life and property of Floridians during times of crisis. I especially want to thank their families and the northeast Florida community for supporting these brave men and women before, during, and after they are sent into harm's way. Also, Mr. Speaker, as a 41-year law enforcement officer, I know what due process is and I know what fairness is when I see it. This impeachment process provides no due process, nor fairness.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Alabama for yielding. Mr. Speaker, we have a crisis at the border. Finally, our colleagues across the aisle have recognized that this is not a manufactured crisis. Just this month, over 800,000 illegal aliens have now crossed our southern border in 2019. That is two times more than crossed in all of 2018. These numbers are at historic highs in large part due to our broken immigration system that incentivizes illegal crossings, and H.R. 2203 does nothing to fix it. This bill does nothing to stop children from being used as pawns by traffickers to cross our border. This bill does nothing to support law enforcement officers, which as a lifelong enforcement officer myself, I take particular issue with. This bill does nothing to hire more immigration judges, which are desperately needed in order to decrease the growing and historic backlog of cases that we have now seen. This bill does nothing to alleviate the pressure on our detention facilities. In fact, this bill will make these problems worse; worse, Mr. Speaker. Requiring the release of all migrants after 72 hours in detention will incentivize even more people to cross our southern border, because they are guaranteed to be released into the interior of our country. This bill negates the positive steps that President Trump has taken to secure our southern border. A bipartisan majority in the House and Senate did not support these ideas before when we passed the border supplemental in June, and they will not support them now. Instead of giving law enforcement the resources they need to keep our communities safe, House Democrats are tiptoeing around real solutions, and are more interested in obstructing our President than solving problems for the American public. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 2203.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Ms. Victoria Warmouth for her exemplary dedication to duty and service as an Army Congressional Budget Liaison for the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller). Ms. Warmouth is transitioning from her present assignment to serve as a Legislative Liaison for the United States Forces Korea. Victoria is a proud native of Palm Harbor, Florida, which is located on the west coast of the state outside of Tampa. She earned a bachelor's degree in both Political Science and International Affairs at Florida State University, and a master's degree in International Affairs, Comparative and Regional Studies Europe from American University in Washington, D.C. Victoria has served in numerous positions during her professional career. She worked in the House of Representatives for over six years, primarily for the late Honorable C.W. Bill Young (R-FL-13), Chairman of the House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee for Defense and Chairman Emeritus of the full House Appropriations Committee. During her time in Chairman Young's office, Victoria served in several different roles, including Legislative Assistant and Senior Policy Advisor. Victoria's primary responsibilities included managing the Appropriations Committee portfolio for six subcommittees, analyzing seventy-six department and agency budget requests in the President's budget submission, and developing legislative priorities on a wide portfolio of issues. Following Representative David W. Jolly's special election victory in March 2014, Victoria coordinated the opening of his Washington, D.C. office, submitting all of his Fiscal Year 2015 appropriation requests and preparing new legislation that was introduced in the House of Representatives. In SAFM-BUL, Victoria served as the Congressional Analyst prior to her promotion to the Congressional Strategist. While serving as the Congressional Analyst, Victoria performed a variety of functions, including providing analytical and advisory support to senior Army management officials on the appropriations process and coordinating information provided to House and Senate Appropriations Committees. In her role as the Congressional Strategist, Victoria analyzes and synthesizes data from a variety of Army and congressional sources to develop measurable and comprehensive Congressional Engagement Strategies for Army senior leaders, including congressional marks appeals to advance the Army's appropriations priorities. Madam Speaker, it has been a genuine pleasure to work with Ms. Victoria Warmouth during my tenure on the House Appropriations Committee. On behalf of a grateful nation, I join my colleagues today in recognizing and commending Vicki for her service to our country, and we wish her all the best as she continues her service to the United States.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Midshipman Chandler Washburn and the entire United States Naval Academy mixed crew team for their victory at the historic, now historic, King's Cup this past July. The King's Cup is a prestigious race between eight allied military forces, and has only been held twice, once in 1919, and this year on the 100th anniversary. The U.S. Naval Academy defeated countries like Canada, France, and Germany on their way to winning the cup. The Northeast Florida community is incredibly proud of Chandler and his fellow midshipmen on this extraordinary accomplishment. Chandler graduated from the Episcopal School in Jacksonville and is now a sophomore at the Naval Academy. Like all those representing us at service academies across the country, his commitment to both academics and military service inspire us all. On behalf of the Fourth District of Florida, congratulations to Chandler and the Naval Academy mixed crew team for a victory they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I was unavailable and missed Roll Call Vote 465. Had I been present, I would have voted Nay on Roll Call No. 465.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle announced they will soon bring to the floor the Raise the Wage Act, a bill to increase the Federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour. While supporters of this legislation have good intentions, the repercussions would spell disaster for our economy, for small businesses, and the very same low-wage workers who they intend to help. Nonpartisan estimates of the Raise the Wage Act expect it could cause up to 3.7 million people across the country to lose their jobs. Mr. Speaker, that is almost as many people as in the entire State of Oklahoma, the entire State of Oklahoma unemployed. Cities that have already imposed a $15 minimum wage have been the first to see the negative effects of this initiative. Recently, the University of Washington conducted a study on the efficacy of Seattle's newly mandated $15 minimum wage, and the results were very clear. Costs to low-wage workers in Seattle outweighed the benefits by 3-to-1, and the average low-wage worker lost $125 a month. While most of the discussion regarding the Federal minimum wage is focused on major metropolitan cities, what about the rural areas across the country where the cost of living is much lower? This bill would effectively eliminate small, rural businesses and skyrocket costs for goods and services. Finally, let's look at who is currently making minimum wage in the U.S. Half are under the age of 25, and almost a quarter of them are teenagers. A $15 minimum wage would threaten the job prospects of young folks who are looking to enter the workforce for the first time, hoping to gain the skills needed to move ahead in a real career. Over 80 percent of economists agree that a $15 minimum wage would have a negative impact on youth employment. Look, I cannot support a bill that is guaranteed to shutter business and lay off workers around the country. I hope that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will reconsider this attempt to backtrack on the economic success of recent years and, instead, support bipartisan policies that will help all workers get ahead.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Clarence Hollowell from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, for his service to our country and to our Jacksonville community. Mr. Hollowell is a veteran of the United States Army, who now spends his weekdays serving his community as a U.S. postal worker and his weekends at local cemeteries cleaning the headstones of our fallen veterans. From start to finish, each headstone takes about 2 to 3 weeks to clean and, incredibly, Mr. Hollowell has cleaned over 600 of them. He does so selflessly, purchasing his own materials, and meticulously scrubbing each headstone with a toothbrush until the stone glistens white. In his own words, Mr. Hollowell says that ``Everybody's got to have a project, and I think if you can help the community, even better.'' On behalf of the Fourth District of Florida, I thank Mr. Hollowell for his service and his inspiration to his community.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table H.R. 3401, with the Senate amendment thereto, and concur in the Senate amendment. This bipartisan bill passed the Senate with 84 votes and could be sent to the President's desk for his signature today.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding. Madam Speaker, I am truly saddened this evening to rise in opposition to what should be a humanitarian assistance bill for those who are suffering at our southern border. For over 50 days, my Republican colleagues have been begging the House majority, begging them to deliver badly needed relief to our agencies on the southern border that are overwhelmed by a record number of migrants. For over 50 days, the majority has remained silent while our agencies ran out of resources and migrant children suffered from a lack of sufficient resources to properly care for them. The Speaker talked about keeping America safe. Hardly. She said that this is a vote for the children, the children, the children. At the same time, she is asking us to vote for a bill that withholds resources from the very agencies that are responsible for the care, custody, and control of those who are suffering at the border. I am really glad, Madam Speaker, that, finally, my colleagues across the aisle have recognized this is a crisis at the southern border. It is not a manufactured crisis, as they claimed it was for over 2 months. But this bill does nothing to solve that crisis. It is nothing more than a political messaging bill for a large-scale disinformation campaign about that humanitarian crisis, which my colleagues across the aisle, again, once called a manufactured crisis. Specifically, this bill restricts DHS from sending additional employees to the southern border. Congress is now going to tell DHS how to deploy their staffing. That is amazing. It withholds overtime funds for exhausted officers. It provides money to inspect DHS but provides nothing--can't use a dime--to investigate human trafficking. When we know that these children who are suffering are being trafficked across that southern border, there is not a dime to go after those traffickers. ICE has asked for 54,000 beds to handle this surge and alleviate the overcrowding, but the majority only gives them, in the previous underlying bill in appropriations, 34,000 beds, not the 54,000 that they asked for, 34,000 with another 7,000 contingent. The Speaker and the majority want to listen to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, but they do not want to listen to our own DHS agencies that are on that border and responsible for care, custody, and control of those individuals. Finally, there is no funding for extra judges to help process more than 100,000 migrants per month. What we need is proper assistance, not political messaging. I spent my entire adult career in law enforcement, and I know that giving money with burdensome strings is not leadership. It is not the way to get things done. We have to allow the folks on the ground the flexibility to do their jobs, or we are simply wasting taxpayers' hard-earned money and, more importantly, wasting precious time. We have wasted 2 months as the situation at the southern border has only worsened. I can assure my colleagues that the agents on the ground have a better idea of what is needed to be done than Washington bureaucrats or the U.N. commissioner. Unfortunately, there are many in this legislative body who despise our President so much that they are willing to suffocate our agencies with inadequate funding and regulations that endanger the safety of both migrants and our surrounding communities. Yet, they are not just poking the President in the eye.

Mr. RUTHERFORD. With this bill, they are impairing our DHS men and women on the ground who are trying desperately to manage this humanitarian crisis at the border. They are poking them in the eye, also. ICE, DHS, and HHS employees provide care for every single man, woman, and child who crosses into our country. They deserve our support. What they need are the resources to do their job effectively, and this bill does not provide that. It is frustrating to listen to.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. RUTHERFORD. I am in its current form.

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, my motion is very simple. I propose to add $64 million to the operations and support account for Immigration and Customs Enforcement for basic pay and overtime, bringing the total for pay up to the President's request. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a law enforcement organization with a legislative mandate to uphold the laws of this country. Officers at the border are tasked with transporting families from the intake facilities and moving kids out of DHS custody and into HHS children's care sites. Further, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is working to combat human trafficking at our border. Over the past 2 months, enforcement officers uncovered 735 fraudulent documented fake families. These traffickers are exploiting our laws and forcing our children to make this dangerous journey north in hopes that they will be released into our country. ICE plays a vital role in stopping trafficking and punishing those who traffic in innocent children. I suggest if the majority truly cares about these children, vote ``yes'' on this amendment to give ICE the resources and the pay to stop human traffickers. Madam Speaker, I have been to the border and I have seen the hard work that these officers do. Officers are working overtime to process the record number of migrants trying to enter through our southern border. However, Madam Speaker, this bill does not fairly compensate ICE officers for their additional hard work going after human traffickers, and I ask Members to vote ``yes'' for the children, for the children, for the children. As a lifetime law enforcement officer, not paying these officers for their work is unacceptable. We would never treat our local law enforcement officers like this back home. These hardworking men and women should not be punished by the partisan politics in Washington. Madam Speaker, we are asking those on the ground to do a job, and this Congress has a responsibility to compensate them. I urge my colleagues to support this motion and vote ``yes'' to pay our Federal law enforcement officers for the work they do each and every day keeping this country safe. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague from south Florida for, as was mentioned earlier, having the courage to stand up for our State and protect it from the scourge of drilling. I have to tell you, just last November, Mr. Chair, 69 percent of Florida voters supported banning drilling in the State waters off of Florida's coast. It is no secret that our Florida beaches and our oceans drive our economy. Drilling could affect not only our beautiful beaches and thriving tourism but, also, our national security. I have met with Department of Defense officials multiple times, and they have continued to share serious concerns about how offshore drilling activities could impact their operations. The eastern Gulf is a vital training ground for our military, and on Florida's Atlantic Coast that I share with my colleague, we are home to Mayport, NAS Jax, and Kings Bay, just to name a few. Mr. Chair, this important amendment will protect our coast, our economies, and our national defense. For all these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. RUTHERFORD

Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Chair, I would like to speak in favor of the amendment.