Pete Stauber

Mr. STAUBER

Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I find myself in rule debate today because my very reasonable amendment was not made in order. The amendment was germane to the bill, written with proper offsets, and in accordance with House rules. The denial of my amendment was purely political. I wanted to debate my amendment on its merits because the passage of my amendment would mean jobs for families in Minnesota's Eighth Congressional District. In northern Minnesota, there are vast reserves of copper, nickel, and other precious metals, offering the opportunity for northern Minnesota to power our economy while providing high-wage union jobs and diminishing our reliance on foreign resources. The Twin Metals project has a long and difficult regulatory review ahead because our approval processes are the strongest in the world. Twin Metals is following the process. We require that they cross every ``t'' and dot every ``i,'' and they will employ our friends and neighbors in good mining jobs of the future. Unfortunately, politicians in Washington and the Twin Cities metro area oppose this project. They know that we have the strongest environmental reviews in the world, and they know Twin Metals will have the opportunity to succeed, so they decided to change the rules. They included language in this spending bill creating a ``study'' that does nothing more than delay this project. It is changing the rules when they know a project has a great chance to be successful. Instead of including it in the base bill, they snuck it into committee report language. Instead of making my amendment in order, they decided to reject it, all because they want to interfere with a promising project in Minnesota District Eight. Twin Metals will offer a mine plan of operation in the coming months. In that mine plan, they will lay out how they will extract our minerals and store tailings in an environmentally sound way. They will illustrate how they plan to meet or exceed all existing standards.

Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, this is unacceptable. I want to debate the merits of my amendment by discussing how this will follow the rules and benefit jobs in my district. Instead, I am here to discuss the failed process and how antimining groups changed the rules to benefit their antimining ideology. Mr. Speaker, I oppose the rule, and I urge my colleagues to do so as well.

Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 3056, an emergency supplemental to provide critically needed funding for the humanitarian crisis at the border, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. STAUBER

Mr. STAUBER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory Daniel del Castillo, a dedicated public servant from the state of Minnesota who passed away suddenly on May 8, 2019. Daniel joined the State Department in 2008 and served his country with distinction in several different capacities all over the globe. He served at the embassies in Kathmandu and Cairo, as a Political Advisor to U.S. Africa Command, and at the National Security Council before joining Secretary of State's Executive Secretariat in the summer of 2017. As part of secretariat staff, he advanced travels for the Secretary of State to Manila, Beijing, Doha, Mexico City, Brasilia, and Paris, among other places. Daniel dedicated his life to his country and his loss will be felt deeply at the State Department. To his coworkers, Daniel was thoughtful and intelligent. They could always rely on his calm demeaner and valuable insight into policy and the State Department's role in the world. Daniel was a husband, son, and friend. He is survived by his wife Renae Ask; his mother Marcia del Castillo; his two older sisters Deborah and Michele del Castillo; nieces Isabella and Cezanne; nephews Giovanni and Alessandro; and two great-nephews, Hayden and Hudson. My prayers are with them as they mourn his loss.

Mr. STAUBER

Mr. STAUBER. Madam Speaker, I was unable to vote on May 23, 2019 because I had the privilege of advocating for Duluth, Minnesota's 148th Fighter Wing in a meeting with Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 229; YEA on Roll Call No. 230; and YEA on Roll Call No. 231.

Mr. STAUBER

Mr. STAUBER. Madam Speaker, as we head into Memorial Day weekend, I want to honor an American hero who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Radioman 3rd Class Dante Tini from Virginia, Minnesota, was stationed aboard the USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7, 1941, when torpedoes ripped through the hull of the ship. Thirteen days later, he was declared missing in action. He was just 19 years old. For 77 years, Dante Tini's family prayed for answers and closure. Just last year, Dante's remains were matched with his family, beginning the process of returning him home. This Saturday, Dante Tini will be laid to rest next to his parents in his hometown of Virginia, Minnesota, which was his wish when he enlisted. It was an honor and privilege for my office to help in coordinating this effort, and we look forward to this Saturday when we join his family to welcome him home. While this Memorial Day is a special day to pay tribute to the fallen, it is important to keep their memory alive and to pay tribute to these special Americans like Dante Tini year-round. God bless the family of Dante Tini, and I ask for continued prayers for our country.

Mr. STAUBER

Mr. STAUBER. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Rutherford for yielding to me to speak today. This week is Police Week, a time to honor our brothers and sisters in the blue and brown. Every day law enforcement officers--local, county, State, and Federal--walk out of their homes leaving their loved ones behind and put their own lives on the line for the safety and security of others. They are our last line of defense, the protectors of our communities, and I am so honored to have served alongside some of these brave men and women. As a local law enforcement officer with the Duluth, Minnesota, Police Department for 22 years, I have seen and experienced firsthand the violence committed against law enforcement officers, those who are only there to uphold the law and improve the safety of our communities. That is why I have cosponsored legislation like the Thin Blue Line Act and the Protect and Serve Act, which hold the perpetrators of these heinous crimes accountable. So, now, more than ever, we must show our support for our law enforcement officers. We must make a commitment to them as they have committed to our friends, our families, and our communities. I am happy to stand here today with so many of my colleagues to show our support for the men and women in the blue and brown. I look forward to working with them in the 116th Congress to advance legislation that will support them, both when they are in and out of uniform. The men and women in law enforcement deserve our respect, our admiration, and our prayers and love every single day, 365 days a year, 24 hours every day. I stand before you, Madam Speaker, having done a total of 23 years in law enforcement. I can tell you that the men and women whom I served alongside with, I would go into any dangerous situation with them. We love our law enforcement officers, and we love their families. This Congress stands ready to defend them and their needs, their requests, and any help they need from this Congress.

Mr. STAUBER

Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my friend, Father Richard Kunst, an ordained Catholic priest for the Diocese of Duluth in northern Minnesota. Before ordination, Father Kunst was a Senate staffer for United States Senator Rod Grams out of Minnesota. He earned his B.A. in political science from Saint Mary's University in Winona, Minnesota, and a master of divinity from Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. Father Kunst has had several parish assignments in northeastern Minnesota, including parishes in Brainerd, Cromwell, Floodwood, Meadowlands, and three different assignments in Duluth. He was the vocations director for the Duluth diocese for 12 years and has been the bishop's representative for the diocesan newspaper, The Northern Cross, since 2005. Father Kunst has also been the auditor of the diocesan tribunal since 2000. As a hobby, Father Kunst collects artifacts associated with the history of the Vatican and the popes and has one of the largest private collections in the world. I consider Father Kunst to be a great friend to my wife and me, and I am grateful that he can be here today to open this wonderful Chamber up with a prayer.

Mr. STAUBER

Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of World Down Syndrome Awareness Day, which was Thursday, March 21. One of the greatest blessings in my life is my 16-year-old son, Isaac, who has Down syndrome. Each day, he brings joy to our lives, and I am so proud of everything he has accomplished. World Down Syndrome Awareness Day is an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges that Down syndrome brings, but it is also a chance to celebrate just how incredible people with Down syndrome truly are. It absolutely breaks my heart--just breaks my heart--when I hear some people say that they would rather get an abortion than have a child with Down syndrome. The sheer ignorance of those individuals is disheartening to me. They do not see what a blessing all of God's children are, even if they are different, and that is unfortunate for them. If they met my son Isaac, I know they would have a change of heart. When we talk about disabilities, I want us to talk about the abilities of those like my son Isaac. Instead of focusing on what they can't do, let's focus on what they can do. The limit to what people like Isaac can accomplish is not determined by their condition but by how much we love them and give them the empowerment so they can navigate the world of work, education, and public life. As Isaac's dad and now as a Member of Congress, I am committed to strongly advocating for the inclusiveness of those who live with disabilities and the protection of their lives, always.

Mr. STAUBER

Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Coach Mike Guzzo of Silver Bay, Minnesota, for impacting the lives of countless young athletes across the great State of northern Minnesota. When Mike and his wife moved back to his hometown of Silver Bay in 1984, they thought the move might be temporary. However, not long after his return, Mike began to coach youth hockey. Arguably it was his most important role as a coach and mentor that caused him to stay in Silver Bay for the long term. Mike spent over 30 years coaching the great game of hockey in the great State of hockey. At the end of this season, Mike hung up his skates and whistle and retired. When asked what he would miss most, Mike said it would be his players. Growing up playing the sport of ice hockey myself, I will always remember the coaches for whom I played. I have carried the lessons that they taught me throughout my adult life. Coach Guzzo, I thank you for serving as a role model to these athletes both on and off the ice. I know from my experience as a player that they will always appreciate everything that you have given to the hockey community. I also want to thank Coach Guzzo for his dedication to the Silver Bay community and rural Minnesota. This community of Silver Bay matters, and Coach Guzzo, your life made it better. Coach Guzzo, to you and your wife, I wish you a happy, healthy, and long retirement.

Mr. STAUBER

Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Chair, my name is Pete Stauber, and I was a law enforcement officer for 23 years in the great State of Minnesota, the city of Duluth. In December of 1995, at 10:32 p.m., at the intersection of 6th Avenue East and 4th Street in Duluth, Minnesota, a criminal who should not have had a firearm tried to take my life. I was shot in the head, and by the grace of God, I survived. A few years after that, while on duty in a hostage situation, another criminal pulled a gun on me. Face-to-face, I was staring down the barrel of a handgun. The suspect pulled the trigger. The gun malfunctioned, and I was in a fight for my life. When it was all over, by the grace of God, I was alive. The individual was handcuffed. Both those individuals were career criminals. Back to when I was shot in the head, Mr. Chair: I begged the U.S. attorney, along with our police department, to charge the individual with possession of a handgun by a felon. They didn't do it. That individual was allowed to circumvent our community for another 8 years before he was finally put in prison, where he belonged. No more harming other people. Representative Collins' Mass Violence Prevention Act gets the county attorneys and our Federal attorneys present to prosecute these individuals who have no respect for life. I carried a handgun for 23 years, Mr. Chair, as a tool to defend my life or somebody else's life from great bodily harm. I support the individual right of law-abiding citizens, the right to keep and bear arms. Both my wife and I live in rural Minnesota. When we need to protect ourselves, when it takes awhile for law enforcement to get there, we have the ability. There is nobody I know who wants somebody who is going through a mental health issue or a career criminal or a drug dealer to have these. We need to start respecting life. Life is precious, from conception to natural death. I am a very proud husband of an Iraq war veteran who understands the value of life. Mr. Chair, I rise against this. There are better ways to get mothers and fathers, county attorneys, Federal prosecutors, local police departments, and sheriff departments to work together to have a fusion center so, when a young individual types into a computer ``I want to be a mass school shooter,'' there is an instant response to identify the individual and work through it.

Mr. STAUBER

Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues in opposition to the Green New Deal. This disastrous plan, cooked up by out-of-touch Washington elites, simply does not work for Minnesota families. According to the Energy Information Administration, 68 percent of Minnesota's energy consumption comes from a combination of coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydropower, and gasoline, all of which are to be banned completely by the Green New Deal in 10 years. Allowed under this radical pipe dream are wind, solar, and biomass, which barely account for 15 percent of Minnesota's energy consumption. Picture a family in Ely, Minnesota, where wind chill temperatures reached 71 below zero this January, waking up in a warm house heated by natural gas. They start a hot pot of coffee, powered by our affordable electric grid; take a hot shower, again, heated by natural gas; drive their kids to school in their van, powered by reliable, affordable gasoline; go to work, possibly at a mine or a local hospital; drive home again in that same gasoline-powered car; make dinner for their family, using their gas-powered stove; and then wake up again and do it all over. The little things that we take for granted every day are powered by conventional energy. The Green New Deal would have a severe impact on our everyday lives, something that northern Minnesotans do not want or need. The Green New Deal would force every Minnesota family to turn in their cars for electric vehicles and retrofit their homes to run on renewable sources, like solar or wind. I understand elites from D.C. and New York City may love this plan, but I know the reality. I encourage my colleagues, especially those who support this plan, to go back to their districts, like I did last week and really listen to their constituents, listen to their concerns, listen to how this plan would devastate the middle class and devastate hardworking Minnesota families. Retrofitting homes, buying electric cars, and ending the mining, airline, and much of the shipping industries may be fun ideas for the ultra-wealthy, but I know what it really means for middle-class families in northern Minnesota. We cannot let these unrealistic ideas get in the way of actual progress. We must develop renewable forms of energy, but at the same time, not shut out conventional, affordable energy sources on which millions rely. Do not let the Green New Deal distract from what northern Minnesotans care about: expanding rural broadband for better internet access, bringing good paying jobs back to our communities, and protecting Social Security and Medicare. With the projected cost of tens of trillions of dollars, the Green New Deal puts all of this at risk. I will not risk the future of Medicare and Social Security. I will not risk the future of middle-class families. However, I will stand up for the farmers, our miners, our small business owners, manufacturers, and workers threatened by this Green New Deal.

Mr. STAUBER

Mr. STAUBER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight the critical need to replace Enbridge's Line 3, an aging pipeline dangerously corroding and operating at only 51 percent. Line 3 pipeline replacement project is on its fourth year of review and has met or exceeded every single required environmental standard. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission unanimously voted to issue its Certificate of Need last year. The project will create more than 4,000 construction jobs and enjoys the support of construction trade unions throughout the state. The project is supported by dozens of elected officials and thousands of Minnesotans. It will also generate an additional 19 million dollars in property tax revenue, providing a significant funding increase to rural schools. With all this benefit, it was greatly disappointing to hear we would have further delays. Unfortunately, certain state officials in Minnesota feel beholden to, in the words of our operating engineers, ``environmental extremism.'' These environmental extremists are the same folks that vandalized the current pipeline just last week, ironically creating a dangerous situation for themselves and the environment they claim to protect. The voters of northeastern Minnesota sent me to Congress to advocate for their jobs and safe use and protection of our natural resources. Therefore, I will continue to champion commonsense projects like the replacement of the Line 3 pipeline.

Mr. STAUBER

Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the critical need to replace Enbridge's Line 3, an aging pipeline dangerously corroding and operating at only 51 percent. Line 3 pipeline replacement project is on its fourth year of review and has met or exceeded every single required environmental standard. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission unanimously voted to issue its certificate of need last year. The project will create more than 4,000 construction jobs and enjoys the support of construction trade unions throughout the State of Minnesota. The project is supported by dozens of elected officials and thousands of Minnesotans. It will also generate an additional $19 million in property tax revenue, providing a significant funding increase to rural schools. With all this benefit, it was greatly disappointing to hear we would have further delays. Unfortunately, certain State officials in Minnesota feel beholden to, in the words of our operating engineers, ``environmental extremism.'' These environmental extremists are the same folks who vandalized the current pipeline just last week, ironically creating a dangerous situation for themselves and the environment.

Mr. STAUBER

Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 57.

Mr. STAUBER

Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from the State of Missouri for her leadership. It is a privilege to stand here on this important issue. Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss the pressing issue of border security. Across our southern border, we have thousands of miles of unprotected terrain where weapons, human trafficking victims, and drugs are easily smuggled into this country every single day. Believe it or not, the drugs that are crossing our southern border even make their way to the most northern communities in my great State of Minnesota. Just last year, more than two dozen people were arrested for their involvement in a large heroin trafficking network that brought drugs to St. Louis County, where my family, friends, and constituents live. This is unacceptable. During my 23 years as a law enforcement officer, I worked tirelessly to keep illegal drugs off the streets and out of the hands of our young children. I have given too many death notifications to unsuspecting parents. The pain and anguish of each family will never be forgotten. Mr. Speaker, it is high time we recognize that our porous borders are intrinsically tied to the drug crisis, the rise in human trafficking, and illegal immigration in this country. I urge the Democratic leadership to put partisan politics aside so we can finally work together and secure our borders. The health and safety of the American people are depending on it, and doing nothing is no longer an option.