Bryan Steil

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I think there is great opportunity as it relates to education and, in particular, workforce development. I think not lost on many of us, as we look out at the disconnect between workers and jobs available, there are over 10 million jobs available across America, yet we continue to have a disconnect between getting workers who are looking for work and the jobs that are available. We saw in Lorain, like we see in southeast Wisconsin, signs looking for workers. As we walked into the hearing, I remarked that there were ``Help Wanted'' signs across the street, yet there were many people who were still unemployed. Hopefully, we can look at the workforce development aspects of education in the United States to make sure that we are connecting workers with the jobs that are available.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, today Washington is once again kicking the can down the road. We are adding nearly $2 million in debt per minute. What is this institution doing about it? Kicking the can down the road, while at the same time the Democrats across the aisle want to spend trillions more. By borrowing another $480 billion, Speaker Pelosi and President Biden are simply kicking the can down the road. We can't continue to avoid our responsibilities and spend ourselves into oblivion. Those across the aisle are not being honest with the American people who are going to have to ultimately pay for this. This is not responsible. Prices for workers, families, and seniors continue to rise because of Washington's out-of-control spending. Yet, Washington refuses to take accountability for its spending problem. Today's vote will simply kick the can down the road once again and fail to get our spending here in Washington under control. I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill. We must stop the out- of-control spending in Washington.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the time of the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, the mishandled evacuation from Afghanistan was a tragic disaster. The fundamental misunderstanding of the situation on the ground, a faulty plan for withdrawal, and poor strategic decisionmaking in Washington put our troops in harm's way, leading to the abandonment of American citizens and the deaths of 13 brave American servicemembers, including critical injuries to two marines from the First Congressional District of Wisconsin. My amendments to the national defense bill are directed at getting answers for our troops and the American people, and I ask my colleagues for their support. My first amendment would require the Treasury Department to report to Congress on the current status of the U.S. and U.N. sanctions on the Taliban. We must look at the current gaps in our sanctions and ensure that the Taliban is not able to finance their takeover by profiting from the drug trade and rare earth minerals. My second amendment would require the Treasury Department to regularly report to Congress on any sanctions waivers provided to allow transactions between financial institutions and targeted individuals. In addition, my amendment requires the Treasury Department to list out foreign banks that conduct significant transactions for persons that have been sanctioned for human rights abuses or corruption. My third amendment will hold Iran accountable. Iran has been emboldened. At a time when this administration is signaling that they intend to remove sanctions with Iran, we must ensure U.S. sanctions are enforced to prevent the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Congress must understand the full nature of Iran's power and undertake a full audit of how Iranian-backed groups in the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces took advantage of U.S. assistance given to the Iraqi Government in the anti-ISIS campaign. Finally, I introduced an amendment with my colleague, Congresswoman Dean. Our bill improves intelligence coordination to combat the illicit financing of human trafficking. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support these amendments.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor John Boie. A native of Milton, Wisconsin, John Boie competed for Team USA at the 2020 Paralympics held this year in Tokyo, Japan. John was a member of Team USA's Wheelchair Basketball and helped lead the team to a gold medal victory in a 64-60 win over Japan. John and his teammates secured a gold medal for the United States at the second straight Paralympics for Men's Wheelchair basketball. During a preliminary game against Iran, John was the heart of Team USA's defensive effort turning 11 first half turnovers into 18 points. The win over Iran contributed to the team's 4-1 record in pool play allowing them to advance to the final knockout round at the 2020 Paralympics Games. The team demonstrated strong chemistry, bolstered by a common thread with five players having ties to UW-Whitewater, including John himself. Together, the team competed in a thrilling gold medal matchup with the United States defeating Japan 64-60 in a come from behind win after trailing during the third quarter. In addition to scoring four points for Team USA, John's strong defensive effort throughout the game helped the United States secure victory. John's love for sports began at a young age. Despite suffering from an incomplete spinal cord injury after an accident involving a tractor, John continued to demonstrate a love for the game of basketball. John was introduced to wheelchair basketball after attending a wheelchair basketball summer camp at UW-Whitewater when he was eleven years old. John would go on to attend UW-Whitewater where he would become a three- time collegiate wheelchair basketball champion. John would go on to win a silver medal during the 2018 World Championships. John represented the United States and Southeast Wisconsin with honor. He made both his country and community proud with his composure, talents, and determination. While this is his first gold medal, John's passion for success suggests that it won't be his last. I know Southeast Wisconsin will be backing him 100 percent in his future endeavors. John's perseverance through adversity helped lead to this historic success. I was proud to watch John represent Wisconsin and the United States on the world stage. On behalf of Wisconsin's First Congressional District, I would like to congratulate John on his tremendous accomplishment and wish him the best of luck.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, this House just passed a spending framework for $3.5 trillion in new government spending. And immediately following, what is next? A plan for a Federal Government takeover of elections. H.R. 4 is focused on overturning the Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder and reinstituting Federal power over State election laws. Preclearance was established in 1965 because there were blatant attempts to disenfranchise African Americans. We are not debating that today. We have made great progress since 1965. What is the purpose of H.R. 4? H.R. 4 is a Federal power grab. This bill would gut voter ID laws across the country. The bill would allow the Biden Department of Justice to veto State voter ID laws. In my home State of Wisconsin, some said commonsense voter ID laws would lower turnout. They were wrong. In 2020, Wisconsin had the fourth highest voter turnout in the country. This bill would make it harder for States to maintain accurate voter rolls. Accurate voter rolls are essential for local election officials to accurately administer elections. This bill is a Federal overreach. Instead of Federal overreach, let's get to work and make it easier to vote and hard to cheat.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I rise to sound the alarm of Bernie Sanders' and Speaker Pelosi's spending spree. Let's not forget that earlier this year Biden and Pelosi have already spent trillions of dollars. Speaker Pelosi has brought us back to Washington late in August, but not to address the crisis in Afghanistan. No, she brought us back to push through another $4.5 trillion in new spending. If we printed that amount of money in bills, it would fill 50,000 semi-trailers. 50,000 semi-trailers of cash, that is what is before us. Who is ultimately going to pay for this? American families, American workers, American farmers, through higher taxes. And as the cost of everything from school supplies to food to gas continue to go up, all of us will feel the pain of this wasteful spending spree through higher prices. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this wasteful spending plan.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Madelyn (Maddy) Bernau. A native of Waterford, Wisconsin, Maddy competed for Team USA at the 2020 Olympics held this year in Tokyo. Maddy was a member of Team USA's Shooting Team and competed in the women's trap and mixed team trap shooting. At 23 years old, Maddy became the first Wisconsinite to win an Olympic trapshooting medal on July 31, 2021. Maddy's training, skill, and strong composure helped her secure a bronze medal during the mixed trap shooting competition. Maddy and her teammate Brian Burrows were up against strong competition from the Slovakian team. The match came down to a shoot-off between the Americans and the Slovakians. A miss by the Slovakians gave Maddy the window of opportunity she needed to win the shoot-off. Seizing the opportunity, Maddy pulled the trigger and hit the target, securing the Olympic bronze medal for her team and for America. Shooting clay targets is something Maddy has been perfecting since the age of 12. At Waterford High School, Maddy was a standout. She would go on to attend Martin Methodist College in Tennessee where she would compete in trap shooting at the collegiate level and earn a degree in biology and biomedical sciences. In June of 2018, Maddy won her first international competition as a member of the USA Shooting Team, securing a gold medal in the women's trap at the International Junior Grand Prix in Porpetto, Italy. In March of 2020, Maddy earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic trap shooting team. Her goal of representing the United States on the Olympic stage would become a reality. Maddy represented the United States and Southeast Wisconsin with honor. She made both her country and community proud with her composure, talents, and determination, While this is her first Olympic medal, Maddy already has her sights set on the next target, the 2024 Olympics. I know southeast Wisconsin will be backing her 100%. Maddy's hard work and determination throughout the years led to this historic success. I was proud to watch Maddy represent Wisconsin and the United States on the world stage. On behalf of Wisconsin's First Congressional District, I would like to congratulate Maddy on her tremendous accomplishment and wish her the best of luck.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, bolstering our infrastructure against cyberattacks and ransomware attacks is an issue that concerns every American. It is not Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative. As we have seen from the recent Colonial Pipeline hack and the shutdown of the world's largest beef supplier, JBS, there are alarming cybersecurity weaknesses in America's critical infrastructure. Immediate action must be taken to protect America's infrastructure against our adversaries. That is why we must pass my amendment to the surface transportation bill. My proposal is simple. It is focused. It does not grow the size of the Federal Government. My amendment requires the GAO, the Government Accountability Office, to study the vulnerabilities within our transportation system to combat cyberattacks. This study will show us and accurately allow us to plan, invest, and put forth policies that address our susceptibilities to future threats. I thank my colleagues from Massachusetts and Pennsylvania for joining me in this effort, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this act. American families' access to affordable loans depends on ensuring financial institutions have accurate credit history and can collect debts. The bill undermines both of those core requirements of our financial system. By making it harder for lenders to learn about borrowers and collect these unpaid loans, the bill will actually end up reducing access to credit and increasing prices. Let me repeat that. It is actually going to end up reducing access to credit and is going to increase prices. In other words, the bill before us today will actually hurt the very people it is intended to help. I think that is a really critical point here. By actually implementing this bill, what we are going to do is see higher prices, make it more difficult for individuals to obtain loans, and actually hurt those people that this bill is intended to help. I want more American families to have responsible access to the loans they need to be able to achieve their dreams. As anyone who has bought a home or a car or started a small business knows, access to affordable credit can be a critical lifeline. But, unfortunately, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, and in this bill in particular, they think that sometimes they know best. This bill, as a result, will actually hurt American families, it will hurt small businesses, and it will hurt the financial stability of our financial system. I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise during National Police Week to honor the men and women of the law enforcement community and to condemn the ongoing attacks of those members of our law enforcement community. In particular, to Wisconsin's law enforcement community, I say: Thank you. The past year has been particularly tough on our law enforcement officers. Just outside the State Capitol of Wisconsin in Madison is the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial. Last year, this memorial was vandalized. A criminal took a sledgehammer to the granite, which is etched with the names of the men and women who died in the line of duty protecting our communities. Last week, six more heroes had their names added to the law enforcement memorial, but the ceremony was interrupted by antipolice protestors. During the prayer, protestors yelled that the deaths of these officers, whose names were being etched into the memorial, were not a sacrifice. Antipolice protestors held up signs with hateful words and disrupted a solemn ceremony with vile chants. It was disgusting to see the absolute lack of respect and the display of hatred and complete ignorance. Contrary to the antipolice protestors at the ceremony, these officers are heroes. They died protecting us. They died protecting our communities. Let me tell you about just one of them. Officer John Hetland was one of the names added to the Wisconsin memorial this year. He was a 24- year veteran of the Racine Police Department. Officer Hetland was a hero. He made a commitment to serve and protect our communities, whether on or off duty. When a local business was being robbed at gunpoint, Officer Hetland attempted to stop the suspect. Officer Hetland was murdered. He was shot in the chest by this criminal. He died protecting our community. We have seen antipolice rhetoric go too far. After riots broke out in Kenosha, officers from Kenosha, Racine, Walworth, Rock, Waukesha, and Milwaukee Counties and across the State of Wisconsin put their lives on the line to defend Kenosha and protect the people in our communities. I will never forget hearing those same vulgar chants when criminals attacked officers in the streets of Kenosha. As fires were being set throughout the city, I remember watching officers duck as Molotov cocktails were being thrown at them, as water bottles filled with concrete were being thrown at them and hurled in their direction. Even as an officer was struck in the head by a brick and knocked unconscious, the criminals cheered. That is unbelievable. That is heartbreaking. Violence towards our police officers is something our Nation cannot tolerate. We should collectively speak out against the attacks on our police and against the calls to defund the police. We should be supporting our men and women in law enforcement. To the members of the law enforcement community, I want you to know this: The people of Wisconsin's First Congressional District say: Thank you; thank you for keeping us safe.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Tiffany), my colleague and good friend.

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, although I do not support the underlying bill, H.R. 1, these five amendments brought before us improve what is otherwise a bad bill. I think these studies would be helpful, in particular, to our servicemembers. And we recognize the unique position the State of North Dakota has in our system. Madam Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on the en bloc, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), my colleague.

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Armstrong), my colleague and good friend.

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer), my colleague.

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, we must protect voting integrity. The bill before us today, H.R. 1, nationalizes our elections. It imposes poorly drafted, unconstitutional mandates on States. The bill weakens critical voter integrity provisions. Let me explain. Madam Speaker, first, the bill guts voter ID protections. For example, in Wisconsin, a State with strong voter ID laws, this law would allow an individual to vote without an ID by simply providing a sworn statement. That is it. Are there other areas where we would allow individuals to avoid our laws so easily? Could you board an airplane by simply providing a statement as to who you are? The purpose of this provision is to weaken the integrity of our elections. Madam Speaker, wait, there is more. This bill legalizes ballot harvesting. In Wisconsin, we saw a clerk in Madison conduct ballot collections in broad daylight. This bill would legalize ballot harvesting nationwide. The purpose of this provision is to weaken the integrity of our elections. Madam Speaker, if that is not bad enough, just wait. There is more. This bill will allow Federal funding of congressional campaigns. It would give government money to fund politicians' reelection campaigns. It would give government money to buy negative TV ads. I am not sure about all my colleagues in this House, but I can tell you that not once has an individual told me that the problem with our elections is there is just not enough money. Madam Speaker, we need to strengthen our election system. We need to protect the integrity of our elections. This bill nationalizes our elections, weakens voter integrity, is an affront to the First Amendment, and is a poor use of government money. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this bill, H.R. 1.

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Murphy), who is my colleague and good friend.

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of Catherine ``Cathy'' Wagner of Burlington. Cathy was born and raised in Southeast Wisconsin and dedicated her career to serving our Racine County community. Growing up on the family farm, Cathy developed strong values and a hard work ethic that would remain with her throughout her life. Cathy graduated from Burlington High School and later joined the ranks of Rochester Volunteer Fire Company and enrolled at Gateway Technical College to study firefighting and police work. Cathy Wagner was a dedicated public servant. She served a combined 31 years for the Rochester and Burlington Town Fire Departments. She was a firefighter, an EMT, and became Assistant Chief of the Rochester Volunteer Fire Company. Cathy instilled this passion to service in her two children, who are involved in the Rochester Fire Company. When her son was born with spina bifida, Cathy enrolled in nursing school to learn how she could better care for him and would go on to obtain a master's degree in nursing. For years, she worked as a registered nurse in hospital rooms where she was able to follow her passion of caring for others. Cathy passed away on February 2, 2021. She is remembered by her family, colleagues, and friends for her generosity, empathy, and service. Cathy was a valued member of our community and inspiration to many. She is remembered by colleagues at the Rochester Fire Company or being ``the heart and soul'' of the department. Racine County will be forever grateful for Cathy's dedication to public service. Cathy's work to make our community a better place will always be remembered. On behalf of Wisconsin's First Congressional District, I offer my sincere condolences and prayers to Cathy's children, family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time. She will be missed by many, but her passion for service and positive impact on those she met will continue to inspire us all.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember the life and service of Matthew J. Bunker. Matthew grew up in Delavan, Wisconsin and attended Delavan Christian School and Faith Christian School before receiving an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. From an early age, Matthew knew that he wanted to serve America by joining the military. Matthew's dedication and talents were recognized when my predecessor, Congressman Paul Ryan, awarded Matthew an appointment to attend the United States Military Academy. After graduating from West Point, Matthew served with the Army's 1st Cavalry as a Recon Scout at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Washington. After his honorable service in the Army, Matthew pursued his lifelong dream of becoming an explorer. Matthew loved the outdoors and adventure. He scaled mountains in the Pacific Northwest, hiked, mountain biked, and photographed those moments along the way. In addition to being an avid outdoorsman, Matthew was a man of strong faith and moral conviction. Wherever his adventures took him, he kept his family and God in mind. His father said that Matthew only loved two things above the outdoors: his family and God. Matthew Bunker passed away Friday, June 26, 2020 while descending Mount Rainier on a backcountry hike and ski descent. He was 28 years old. He was known for being smart, caring, having a great sense of humor, and for being a talented photographer, painter, and writer. My prayers are with his family, especially his mother Carolyn and his father Joe, who is a member of the First Congressional District's Service Academy Nomination Board. May we remember Matthew and his service to our country and to others. May his adventurous spirit, strong faith, and moral conviction be an inspiration to us all.