Kyrsten Sinema

Ms. SINEMA

Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 9, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Amendment No. 2 Offered by Mr. Tonko

Ms. SINEMA

Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask that my colleagues join me in celebrating Oskar Knoblauch's 2013 Characters Unite Award honorable mention. This award is presented by the USA Network to those who have made considerable achievements improving civil and human rights within their communities. Mr. Knoblauch's story is nothing short of incredible. As an adolescent, he was a victim of the holocaust. Relying on relationships and intellect, he and his siblings survived the horrors of this abominable era. Today Mr. Knoblauch has overcome the scars of his past and is using them to encourage tolerance and fight prejudice. He travels the country to give presentations, and has written a novel about his ordeal for those he cannot reach through speeches. Oskar Knoblauch has dedicated himself to preventing the same evils that he experienced. My constituent, Mr. Knoblauch, is an outstanding example of character, service, and triumph. It is my utmost privilege to represent him in Congress. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Oskar Knoblauch on this exceptional honor and in supporting him in his continuing efforts to increase respect and understanding across our nation and around the world.

Ms. SINEMA

Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask that my colleagues join me in celebrating Keogh Health Connection's Tenth Anniversary. This milestone represents a decade of excellence in connecting Arizona's uninsured population with affordable health care. Keogh Health Connection was established in 2003, inspired by the passion for service held by its founders, Karlene and Kevin Keogh. This couple recognized that the available healthcare resources can only help those in need when people know how to access them. Through working with families and individuals on a case by case basis, and making referrals to an increasing number of partner organizations, this non-profit has shown tremendous growth over the past decade. It has served over 200,000 residents of Maricopa County, a number of which are in my district. By taking action to fill a critical need in its community, Keogh Health Connection is truly commendable. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating this organization and its staff on reaching 10 years of service, and in wishing them many more successful years to come.

Ms. SINEMA

Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask that my colleagues join me in honoring Rita Brock-Perini on her induction into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame. This accolade is reserved for the men and women in community who have unceasingly served their country after the conclusion of their active duty. Capt. Brock-Perini epitomizes what this honor stands for. After being raised in a formerly rural region of Arizona as one of ten children, she pursued higher education in nursing at St. Joseph's School of Nursing and Arizona State University. During the Vietnam War, she answered her nation's call for service and enlisted in the Air Force Nurse Corp until 1971. Afterwards, she investigated medical fraud for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services until her retirement in 2003. Today, Capt. Brock-Perini has continued her career in service in a plethora of ways. She is a commissioner on the Phoenix Military Veterans Commission, the Vice President of the Veterans Medical Leadership Council, and a judge advocate for the American Legion. Additionally, she has worked with NPR and the Veterans History Project to share her unique story with generations to come. From these accomplishments, it is clear that Rita Brock-Perini has dedicated her life to superior citizenship. I am privileged to represent her in congress. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating her on her induction to the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame, and in thanking her for all she has done for her country and fellow veterans.

Ms. SINEMA

Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 590, had I been present, I would have voted, ``no.''

Ms. SINEMA

Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. My first real job back in 1993 was at a domestic violence shelter. I was in college studying to become a social worker. During my time at the shelter, I helped women and children at our shelter escape the cycle of abuse. Some women came through our doors again and again before finally getting free. That is why I worked hard to pass the Violence Against Women Act for these very families. Yet too often, women in our country escape their abusers for only a short time. Some abusers track down women and children in order to keep the cycle of abuse going. VAWA helps these families stay safe from their abusers, like Jane, who lives in Phoenix with her three kids. Jane and her kids fled their home State and moved to Arizona to escape their abuser. He had been chasing Jane and the kids for years, following them from home to shelter to their next home. Jane couldn't get away from him. When she came to Arizona, Arizona's Address Confidentiality Program provided her with an alternative address to use legally instead of her real address. It prevented her abuser from finding her. Thanks to VAWA Jane is safe. Mr. Speaker, I hope we will all double down to end domestic violence in this country.

Ms. SINEMA

Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask that my colleagues join me in honoring Mark E. Lopes for his nomination to the position of United States Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank. If confirmed, he will be one of 14 members on the board of executive directors and will represent the United States in all aspects of overseeing the conduct of the bank. Mr. Lopes, an Arizona native, has a distinguished and varied career in public service that makes him eminently qualified to carry out this role. He served as a Peace Corp volunteer in Paraguay and then worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as a Presidential Management Fellow. He spent the next portion of his career as a staffer on the House Appropriations State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, and as the Senior Policy Advisor on the Senate Foreign Relations Development and Foreign Assistance Subcommittee. He later returned to USAID, and has risen to the position of Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Latin American and Caribbean Bureau. These accomplishments clearly demonstrate Mr. Lopes' passion, sacrifice, and dedication. He is the epitome of expertise in International Development and it is my privilege to represent him in Congress. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mark E. Lopes on this momentous career achievement.

Ms. SINEMA

Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating Harold ``HB'' Branch III on receiving the inaugural Universal Learning Centre Courage in Learning Award. This honor is given to an individual who has overcome adversity through the utilization of education. For Mr. Branch, this honor is well deserved. Overcoming childhood tragedy, abandonment, and poverty, he rose to receive national and international recognition for his written poetry and performance. He has also achieved notable success in public speaking and business training. Today, he serves at-risk youth of Arizona through his organization, HomeBase Poetry. This foundation gives youth a creative outlet to develop academically, socially, and professionally. I admire the efforts of Mr. Branch to help our youth grow and succeed. In doing so, he has helped lift up our communities and cultivate artistic talent. Mr. Branch is a true inspiration and a model of excellence in service. It is my privilege to represent him in Congress. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Harold ``HB'' Branch III on winning the 2013 Courage in Learning Award, and on the remarkable life achievements this award represents.

Ms. SINEMA

Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask that my colleagues join me in celebrating Professor Alberto Rios, Arizona's debut Poet Laureate. He will serve a two-year term in this venerable position. His duties include annual public readings and a major literary project aimed to educate the public about poetry. The Arizona Commission of the Arts selected Professor Rios because of his remarkable credentials. For nearly 40 years, Mr. Rios has preserved the culture and history of our great state through writing and community outreach. He has achieved recognition on both a local and national level. In his three decades of teaching at Arizona State University, Mr. Rios attained the status of Regents Professor--the highest distinction for a faculty member. As my colleague, I applaud his work in helping to make ASU a preeminent institution for higher education. As a devotee of the arts, I thank him for everything he has done to promote and advance artistic expression. Through his life's work, Professor Rios has helped enrich communities throughout Arizona. Professor Alberto Rios represents the best in arts, culture and service to the public. It is my privilege to represent him in Congress. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Professor Alberto Rios on this exceptional honor and in wishing him the utmost success in his upcoming term as Poet Laureate of Arizona.

Ms. SINEMA

Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, a government shutdown is an abandonment of Congress' duty, and it's irresponsible. We must focus solely on creating a commonsense solution that ends this shutdown. I believe Members of Congress need to talk to and listen to one another, even when we don't agree. I listen to my Republican colleagues and, while I don't agree with them all the time, I'm open to hearing their ideas because this country deserves a Congress that finds commonsense solutions. I voted, over the past week, to keep the process moving forward, but the process and Washington are clearly broken. Nine months of cynical posturing has led to this shutdown, which is hurting hardworking Arizonans in my district. Mr. Speaker, there is no more time for games or gimmicks. We have to find a reasonable, bipartisan solution. We cannot end this shutdown without House Democrats and Republicans voting together. Let's get to work now.

Ms. SINEMA

Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time for our Nation to raise awareness about the persistent scourge of suicide. Tens of thousands of Americans die each year purposefully by their own actions. They are our neighbors and our friends, they are our sons and our daughters, and too often they are the men and women who have served our country honorably in the United States military. An estimated 22 veterans commit suicide every day in our country. That is one life lost every 65 minutes. We have assembled today's Special Order to accomplish three things: First, we seek to demonstrate our continuing support for the individuals, organizations, and agencies whose efforts in addressing this preventable epidemic continue in the face of difficulty. Second, we are here to challenge the VA, the Department of Defense, and our fellow lawmakers to do more. The number of veteran deaths by suicide is increasing, despite current efforts. Clearly, what we are doing now isn't working. We are failing in our obligation to do right by those who have served so honorably. And finally, we send a message to military families who have experienced this tragedy. To grieving families across America, know that your family's loss isn't forgotten. We are working to stop this epidemic and prevent future suicides. We work for the memory of your loved ones and for the prevention of future losses. My colleagues here today believe, as I believe, that no one who comes home after serving our country should ever feel they have nowhere to turn. Sadly, many of our young vets feel just that. Earlier this year, a young veteran in my district committed suicide. Daniel Somers was an Army veteran of two tours in Iraq. He served on Task Force Lightning, an intelligence unit. He ran over 400 combat missions as a machine gunner in the turret of a Humvee. Part of his role required him to interrogate dozens of terror suspects, and his work was deemed classified. Like many veterans, Daniel was haunted by the war when he returned. He suffered from flashbacks, nightmares, depression, and additional symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, made worse by a traumatic brain injury. Daniel needed help. He and his family asked for help the best way they knew how. Unfortunately, the VA enrolled Daniel in group therapy sessions instead of connecting him with a private counselor or therapist where he would be able to talk confidentially about his experiences. He attended the VA group sessions even though he knew--due to the classified nature of his work--that he could not fully share what gave him nightmares. Like many, Daniel's isolation got worse when he transitioned home to civilian life. He tried to provide for his family, but he was unable to work due to his disability. Daniel struggled with the VA bureaucracy. His disability appeal had been pending for over 2 years in the system without any resolution. Daniel didn't get the help he needed in time. On June 10 of 2013, Daniel wrote a letter to his family. It begins: I am sorry that it has come to this. The fact is, for as long as I can remember, my motivation for getting up every day has been so that you would not have to bury me. As things have continued to get worse, it has become clear that this alone is not a sufficient reason to carry on. The fact is, I am not getting better; I am not going to get better; and I will most certainly deteriorate further as time goes on. From a logical standpoint, it is better to simply end things quickly and let any repercussions from that play out in the short term rather than to drag things out into the long term. He goes on to say: I am left with basically nothing. Too trapped in a war to be at peace, too damaged to be at war, abandoned by those who would take the easy route and a liability to those who stick it out--and, thus, deserve better. So, you see, not only am I better off dead, but the world is better without me in it. This is what brought me to my actual final mission. Daniel's parents, Howard and Jean, were devastated; but in the midst of their pain, they bravely shared Daniel's story and created a mission of their own. Their mission is to ensure that Daniel's story brings to light America's deadliest war--the 22 veterans that we lose every day to suicide. I am grateful to Howard and Jean for their courage and their strength, but we cannot leave this great task to Howard and Jean alone. The rest of the country must stand and join Howard and Jean in their work to prevent suicide. Each of us can do something to raise awareness, to be that light for a struggling veteran in our communities. Businesses can display signs like this one to let veterans know that help is always available, and mental health professionals can volunteer with organizations like Give an Hour to provide free counseling to veterans and their families. We can all learn to recognize the signs of crisis by visiting veteranscrisisline.net and then reaching out to the vets in our lives. Here in Congress, we, too, can do more. We need a VA that provides real and meaningful help to veterans in need. We who enjoy freedom every day, thanks to the sacrifices of our military servicemembers, must all step up to end the epidemic of veterans' suicide. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan, Congressman Dan Benishek.

Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Congressman Benishek. I appreciate your words very much. Our next speaker who will join us this afternoon is my colleague from Florida, Congressman Patrick Murphy. I yield to him.

Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Mr. Murphy. I yield to another colleague from the great State of Florida, Mr. Ted Yoho.

Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Mr. Yoho. Next, I yield to the distinguished Congresswoman from Illinois, a proud veteran herself, Representative Tammy Duckworth.

Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Representative Duckworth. I yield to another fine colleague from the great State of Illinois, Representative Rodney Davis.

Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from the great State of California, Susan Davis.

Ms. SINEMA. Thank you so much, Congresswoman Davis. I yield to my colleague from Washington State, Congressman Jim McDermott.

Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Congressman. I yield to my distinguished colleague from California, Congressman Tony Cardenas.

Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Representative Cardenas. I now yield to my friend and colleague from southern Arizona, Congressman Ron Barber.

Ms. SINEMA. Thank you so much, Congressman Barber. I now yield to my colleague from Nevada, Congresswoman Dina Titus.

Ms. SINEMA. Thank you so much, Congresswoman Titus. I now yield to my colleague from Pennsylvania, Congressman Matthew Cartwright.

Ms. SINEMA. Thank you, Representative Cartwright. I now yield to my colleague from New York (Mr. Owens).

Ms. SINEMA. Thank you so much, Congressman Owens. I now yield to the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster).

Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from Illinois (Mr. Enyart).

Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.