Haley Stevens

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I am happy to congratulate Sara Ansari and Shiv Taylor of New York, New York, on the birth of their new baby girl, Luciana Alice Ansari Taylor. Luciana Alice Ansari Taylor was born on October 17, 2019, at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, New York. Luciana weighed eight pounds and two ounces and measured 21 inches long. I would also like to congratulate Luciana's maternal grandparents, Sue Carter Ansari and Dr. Shapoor Shalilvand Ansari, and her paternal grandparents, Kanika Garga Taylor and Indra Bishnoi. Congratulations to the entire family as they welcome their newest addition of pure pride and joy.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I am happy to congratulate Lindsay Holst and Dan Wagner of Chicago, Illinois, on the birth of their new baby girl, Eloise Holst Wagner. Eloise Holst Wagner was born on November 25, 2019, at Northwestern Prentice Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. Eloise weighed seven pounds and four ounces and measured 20 inches long. I would also like to congratulate Eloise's grandparents, Gregg Holst and Michele Grossman of Reading, Pennsylvania, Tom and Carol Brubaker of Perkasie, Pennsylvania, John Wagner of Birmingham, Michigan, and Terry Ryan Kane of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Congratulations to the entire family as they welcome their newest addition of pure pride and joy.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 30 seconds. Mr. Chairman, it is a fact that pharmaceutical drug companies spend more on marketing than they do on R&D. It is a fact that life expectancy in this country is going down, and it has gone down for the third year in a row. It is a fact that we are in a moment of crisis, and now is the time for us to pass the Lower Drug Costs Now Act. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Mrs. Lee), who is my good friend.

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rose), my friend.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Chair, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Madam Chair, I want to thank our majority leader for designating his time in managing the floor on the heels of the passage of today's historic vote. Today is a beacon of hope for so many families who have been burdened by the outrageous costs of prescription drugs in this country. Lower Drug Costs Now Act lowers drug costs now for the families who are counting on us, the families who are burdened with exorbitant costs of prescription drugs that they cannot afford. Lower prescription drugs for the parents of a child with a rare disability who are wondering how they can afford to pay that bill. Lower prescription drugs for the retired American who worked all of their life and now cannot afford to pay for that medication. Lower prescription drugs now for the senior who is afraid to go to the pharmacy to pick up that prescription drug because of what it might cost. Lower prescription drugs for a third of Americans who do not get their prescription drugs because they cannot afford them. That is what we are here today to do. Some have chosen to listen to the drug companies. Some have chosen to take their cues. Take it from somebody who worked in an innovation research lab about the plight of research and development in this country and the investments that go into funding basic innovation research and how that gets done through public-private partnership. But do not put the American people at the expense of that plight because we know that our basic research dollars rest within the National Institutes of Health, that they rest within the work that we are doing in the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. This legislation today, my friends, this legislation appropriately named after our beloved colleague, Elijah E. Cummings, someone who was never afraid to stand up for what was right and who led by true and pure example, we were so blessed to have stood in his light. And while serving as the Chair of the Oversight Committee, he showed us the way by uncovering many of these corrupt practices that have caused drug prices to be out of reach for so many. I am also especially pleased to highlight provisions in this bill that were long championed by one of my great friends and mentors, former Congressman Sander Levin. These provisions for the first time will allow our Nation's older adults to receive coverage for dental, vision, and hearing under Medicare. I hope Mr. Levin is proudly watching as the House in which he served for 36 years, this very body, delivers on this effort. I can speak for members of the freshman class, who have stood on the shoulders of the Members who have come before us to say that we were sent to Washington with a mandate to bring down the cost of prescription drugs and to deliver for the American people. H.R. 3 is a long overdue change to the way we do business around here. This will untie the hands of the Federal Government to negotiate prices for the oldest and most expensive drugs in Medicare part D and apply those prices to all Americans. In my district, in Michigan's 11th District, southeastern Michigan, H.R. 3, the Lower Prescription Drugs Now Act stands to benefit over 100,000 people enrolled in Medicare part D alone, as well as over 600,000 people who are enrolled in private health insurance. We all know someone who has had their life impacted by cancer, whether it be a parent, a cousin, a relative, a dear friend. For the 9,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer in Michigan this year, H.R. 3 will lower their medication by 65 percent from $69,000 to $23,000 per year. For the 4,500 Michiganians diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, H.R. 3, the Lower Prescription Drugs Now Act will lower the cost of their medication from over $100,000 to $37,000 per year. And the list goes on. Many of these patients live as close as a 10-minute drive from Canada in Michigan where Canadians are paying cents on the dollar for the exact same drugs. We ask why should that be in a country as wealthy, as prosperous, as innovative, as creative, and successful as ours? Drugs like insulin. H.R. 3 will finally level the global playing field for Americans. The tremendous savings generated from H.R. 3, the Lower Prescription Drugs Now Act, will go right back into the research to develop new drugs with some of the savings also bringing us one step closer to stemming the devastating tide of the opioid epidemic. I ask my friends to join me in commandeering this opioid epidemic that is ravaging far too many communities across this beautiful country. Far too many communities. Where recent graduates from high school say we go to our high school reunions in graveyards, in cemeteries because of this opioid epidemic. I am proud that this historic piece of legislation also includes a bill that I had the privilege of authoring to lower prescription drug costs for lower-income, older adults, who are enrolled in the lowest cost part D plan that covers their medication needs. The time is now, and I urge my colleagues, I implore them, to follow the will of their constituents and pass H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. DelBene).

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Chair, I think we are all here to make sure that every Alzheimer's patient and every family affected by Alzheimer's has access to the lowest, most affordable prescription drugs possible, which is why we are so pleased to be ushering in today's piece of legislation. Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford).

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Chair, I yield myself 30 seconds. As a subtle point of clarification, today, as we embark on a historic moment, we are looking to pass the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now legislation, not the invest in R&D act. Embracing the status quo for the millions of Americans who are counting on us is certainly fully and wholly unacceptable. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Kirkpatrick).

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, we have heard compelling argument today. We have heard compelling argument around the need and the reason to lower the costs of prescription drugs now. We are taking bold and reasonable steps today to bring down the costs of prescription drugs in this country. It is a significant and historic day that ushers in a beacon of hope for so many. The answer from our Democratic majority today is solutions, solutions based on fact, solutions based on the guiding principle of the people, who we represent, to deliver for them. The question is, when will we do something? Today, our legislation, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, that is what we are going to be passing, lowering drug costs now for the people who cannot wait, for the child of parents who are pushed to the brink, for the older American who is afraid to go to the pharmacy to pick up their prescription drug because of what it might cost, for the senior who is afraid to go to the doctor just to get that prescription, for the one- third of Americans who forgo their prescription drugs because of their costs. President Truman said that America is not built on fear. America is built on imagination. America is built on courage. And America is built on the willingness to do the job at hand. That, my friends, is what our majority is doing here today, tackling a solution for the millions of people, the countless number of people, whose voices only make their way into this Chamber by those who represent them, not the large multinational company that has more money than it knows what to do with. It is for the individual, hardworking American, which is why, today, I ask my colleagues to join me in passing the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act for every American, for the people, by the people. This is a historic and proud day, Mr. Chairman, and this is what we came here for. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman from Texas is prepared to close, I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker of the House.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rouda).

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin), who is my dear friend.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Crow).

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, last week, tragedy struck the South Lyon community in Oakland County, Michigan, as we learned of the death of Trevon Tyler. Just 17 years old, Trevon died from complications following knee surgery. Trevon was a beloved member of the South Lyon community and a member of the South Lyon East High School football team. His coach called him ``the nicest, most fun-loving, caring kid.'' He ``walked with a pretty big pep in his step. He always said hi to everybody. Everybody loved him. He was a little bit of a jokester, had this big laugh, always made you smile.'' Trevon's incredible family, friends, classmates, and teammates are all heartbroken by his passing. His life was cut tragically short, but he will always be remembered by that smile, his laugh, his friendship, and his contributions to our community. Today, we are called to live our lives more like Tre, with joy and love at the forefront.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mayor Richard Ziegler. Mayor Ziegler has served the City of Wixom for more than twenty-two years. Those decades of service include two years as Mayor, almost twenty years as a member of the Wixom City Council, and eight years as a Wixom police officer. Mayor Ziegler's career is a quintessential model of civic engagement and leadership. In his many years of service, he has been intimately involved in the decision-making processes of his city; addressing public concerns and safeguarding the values of the community. He and his wife, Melody--who herself served the Wixom Police Department for twenty-four years--have chosen to devote their careers to promoting the quality of their community. We, in Michigan's 11th Congressional District, are so very grateful for their work. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in reflecting on the remarkable career of Mayor Ziegler and his many contributions to his community in Wixom, Michigan.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Chair, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to support my amendment, which would direct the newly titled United States Export Finance Agency to include in its outreach plan an emphasis on small businesses in sectors impacted by retaliatory tariffs. For nearly a century, the Export-Import Bank has been a powerful force for creating the good-paying jobs of the future by ensuring that small businesses can compete on a fair and global playing field. Mr. Chair, today we recognize our phenomenal chair of the Financial Services Committee for her leadership and stewardship in seeing us to this point. It has been through consistency, it has been through commitment to our small businesses that we arrive at this place where today we will be voting this bill into law, for we must compete in foreign markets, we must not cede any ground to China, and we certainly must prevent any uncertainty making its way into our marketplace here in America. So that is why today is particularly significant if we reflect on the past when it was called into question if this Export-Import Bank would be reauthorized. Today we are renaming it and reclaiming our ground. Just this year, the Export-Import Bank has financed approximately $9 million of exports from companies in my district in southeastern Michigan, helping small and mid-size businesses reach global markets that they would not otherwise be able to access, selling best-in-class products from a best-in-class workforce in southeastern Michigan to the markets who desire it. This bipartisan initiative is critical for advancing America's economic preeminence in the world and lifting up communities in a place where I call home. Many of us have heard from businesses in our districts about the negative impact of tariffs on their bottom lines and on their export activities. In no short order have I heard that being repeated in southeastern Michigan, in the hub of American manufacturing, particularly for automotive. Taxpayers in Michigan alone have paid $1.6 billion so far in additional tariffs that were placed on imported products between May 2018 and August 2019. Our Michigan businesses, including manufacturers and farmers, have faced $589 million in new retaliatory tariffs as a direct result of the trade actions taken by the current administration. This isn't winning. It is no coincidence that exports from my State as a result are projected to drop 7 percent this year alone. Now, more than ever, we must be paying attention to the needs of our small and midsized businesses, which are bearing the brunt of a self- inflicted and go-it-alone trade war. Our friendly reminder is that small businesses are the lifeblood of our U.S. economy, making up over 99 percent of all firms in this country. As the Export-Import Bank continues to help businesses access new markets--small businesses that have been harmed by retaliatory tariffs--they must be a part of this central mission. The reauthorization that we are passing here today has the support of a wide range of stakeholders--quite remarkable--from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to the National Association of Manufacturers to the AFL- CIO. Our workforce will benefit from this action. Our economy will benefit from this legislation. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in ensuring our small businesses reeling from the tariffs know that they are supported by the great resources of the U.S. Export Finance Agency. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Chairman, I think ringing throughout this amendment is the importance of our manufacturing economy. That is also what we are standing up here today to deliver for manufacturers, small businesses, and our labor force here in Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), the chairwoman of the Financial Services Committee.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise within this Chamber this evening to give an address on the state of our manufacturing economy. It is certainly very significant to do so this evening in the well of our House of Representatives, one of the more sacred and distinct places of our democracy, where we deliberate, exchange, and make our Nation's laws. Certainly, the weight of a great history is also upon us, and some profound and oftentimes troubling questions are asked of us. How do we make government work for the people we represent? How do we restore trust, faith, and accountability in our Federal Government? Henry Clay once said that government is a trust, and those elected into office, into Federal Government, are its trustees, and they work together for the benefit of the people. We hear and see the aching headlines of dysfunction, of inability, of stagnation, questions around progress and where we seek and look to go. Trust in government is at its lowest levels, according to Pew. We are waiting for an infrastructure deal. We are waiting for tenets of social justice, of economic justice, of equal opportunity for education. This House of Representatives in this 116th Congress has passed some remarkable bills, over 200, in fact, bills that colleagues who preceded me worked for years to get to the House floor. Now, the American public waits for those bills to become law, to be passed through our Senate, to be signed into law. That is why we are here today. It is very intentional this evening that I speak from the well of this Congress to whoever may be listening. The facts are also upon us. Today, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the third time this year as the U.S. economy continues to slow down amid ``ongoing trade disputes and weak global growth.'' For is it such a fact that 98 percent of the world's consumer base exists outside of the United States that we are in a race to sell our best-in-class product from our best-in-class workforce to the international markets before us. We are closing out this decade in just a few short weeks. It feels like months. We are entering into a new decade, and we are asking ourselves what our competitiveness agenda will be. Tariffs, the tariff war that we are in so far has cost U.S. businesses $34 billion since January 2018. Individual households are now at risk to pay hundreds more for consumer goods as they are increasingly impacted by this trade war: individual households, our American middle class, bearing the burden of this fallacious trade war. Yes, we need to be tough on China. Yes, we need accountability. Yes, we need to take on illegal dumping and currency manipulation and strong-arming and the taking of our IP, but we need to do so in a way that positions us for success, that positions the American middle class on a trajectory for growth and reclaims what we have lost since the mid-1990s. That income, median income, has not increased since the mid- 1990s. That rests upon us as an economic charge. Today, industrial activity is at its lowest point since June 2009--an Earth-shattering year, by the way, in the middle of a Great Recession-- today, with productivity inventories and new orders falling. I represent these manufacturers in southeastern Michigan. I represent a shining, incredible asset, the most robust supply chain of auto manufacturers in the country. I have devoted this first year in my first term in Congress hand in hand with these small businesses, with these midsize companies who employ countless people who live in the neighborhoods, who send their children to the schools I represent. To the other service businesses who benefit from this strong economy, why get in the way of growth? So far, Michigan has lost 6,200 factory jobs. And we are not the only State with this type of industry as its lifeblood that is showing signs of a slowdown: States like Ohio, which has also shed 2,400 manufacturing jobs; Pennsylvania has 9,100 fewer manufacturing workers. I hear from these individuals, these small firms, and they are wondering what it is going to take to reignite investment in our workforce and investment in them. A trade war that we have now spent more in agricultural subsidies than we have on the entire U.S. auto rescue. The auto rescue was not a man-made crisis. It was part of a larger economic conundrum, a set of economic policies that set us on a trajectory of near implosion, of implosion of our financial banking, insurance, housing. And the lifeblood of our industrial base and good, bipartisan policymaking, of which I was a part of, came together to save the auto industry--200,000 Michigan jobs, millions more across the country--an auto industry that is humming on incredible and remarkable innovation today. I know this. I see it. Some more facts: 2 to 1 patents in autonomous vehicle technology coming out of my district; 75 percent of the R&D; rampant proliferation of electric vehicle technology going into industrial parks and seeing what is akin to, and nothing short of, an innovation renaissance. We are waiting for the electric vehicle tax credit bill. We are waiting for an economic policy not of resistance, not of fighting, but of positioning us for success. The statistics and the facts and the headlines are real, and they mean something in Michigan's 11th District to the manufacturer in Livonia, to the small business in Novi, to the hub of automobile manufacturing taking place in Auburn Hills, that I-75 corridor. And yet we want to compete; we want to sell; we want the investment in our American workforce. Who and how are we paying for it? This is a referendum on our economic policy that is coming from agencies and administrators whom the body that I serve in has oversight appropriating and authorizing authority over. Our Federal deficit has swelled to nearly $1 trillion. It is basically at $1 trillion in this year. It happened quietly. It was maybe a peep of a headline. We can't even fathom what a $1 trillion deficit in this country means. This isn't to shame any individual about their spending habits, because, I guarantee you, any of my colleagues engaging in such personal egregious behavior would be declared bankrupt and unfit for office. Our Nation cannot function with a $1 trillion deficit for the long- term. It comes at the expense of every American, and particularly an undue and saddled burden to the next generation, to those under the age of 18 who cannot even place a vote yet and are counting on us to enact policies. So when the headlines start to rumble, of which they have, about a manufacturing slowdown, about an acute manufacturing recession, how can that be when we have such incredible innovations proliferating? It is because we have not reconciled our economic policy. It is because we have not embraced an economic policy for the middle class as a whole of government. Our Democratic Caucus has, our Democratic Caucus reverberating the mantra of ``for the people.'' That mantra has a value for the people because, you see, this tax cut that we passed last Congress, that was passed last Congress without a Democratic vote, 80 percent of it going to the largest corporations, not doing anything for our middle class, not doing anything for our small and midsize manufacturers. Remember that headline, ``Cuts to Research Funding,'' sending us a generation back on scientific research. It is one of the reasons, as a subcommittee chair for the Research and Technology Subcommittee, we have had over a dozen hearings around how to manifest our country's research and technology agenda for inclusive growth. Productivity. Erik Brynjolfsson, MIT professor and author of a great book on the future of work in the digital age of manufacturing, recently testified in front of my committee, declaring several things which are of note to this body. He declared, his research, the research, the primary facts that drive these headlines, our research tells us that we face two urgent economic challenges: a lack of productivity growth and too much inequality. What do we do next? How do we reclaim this agenda of economic rights, of economic growth for everybody? As Mr. Brynjolfsson went on to say in his testimony, for two centuries since 1776, since ``The Wealth of Nations'' was written, Americans benefited as we created an economic system that generated shared prosperity. But, over the past several decades, the benefits of economic growth have been much more unequal. Not only has median income barely grown since the 1990s, as I previously stated, but other social indicators, have worsened. Deaths from despair, namely, suicide, drug addiction are skyrocketing. We also know that life expectancy has declined in this country for the third year in a row. He goes on to say that these challenges, this schism of inequality and lack of productivity can be solved. I have taken up that challenge and believe that a middle-class economic agenda can reverse course for us, reinvesting in public education, making higher education affordable, on-ramps and pathways to opportunities for the skilled workforce, tax credits for companies that want to do on-the-job training. For is it not the case that our workforce spectrum, our future, those students being educated for the jobs that they are in demand to fill and those in the existing workplace who are swinging through the jungle gym of opportunities, making their way at their place of employment, they represent who we should be investing in. They represent a phenomenal opportunity for us to support not the household name businesses, but the businesses that want to train those workers and deserve credit for doing so, the businesses that want to sell--I have a lot of them in Michigan who want to sell their products internationally--giving them the opportunity to do so through good policy that invests in global citizenry, invests in global outlook, and allows us to bring American innovation to the world. The plight of American greatness in the post-9/11 era has been the plight of innovation that we, as Americans, proliferated the internet, the use of information technology that is captured on the internet. It started in the late nineties with less than 10 percent of information technology on the internet. By the year 2007, 98 percent, and then today, an entirely different internet. We now talk about the Internet of Things, the interconnectedness of devices through the technology and the wireless networks, which have a great and profound benefit to our manufacturers in Michigan. We are leaders in this industrial Internet of Things space. We are designing, producing, making, and shipping in ways that we never have before, and it needs to be shared, the prosperity. That is, what we know, we all want. So we look to revive some of the successful economic policies of 10 years ago, of pieces of legislation like the States' small business JOBS Act that spurred investment of American products into international markets. We also raised the question of supply-chain security. This is particularly important to those of us in Michigan, in Metro Detroit, recognizing how important that supply chain was in World War II. We manufactured our way to a new world order, to the ringing notions of freedom that we helped to usher in throughout the West, creating a system of government that was admired and bestowed and that grew our middle class. We recognize the troubling dilemma that we have with our rare earth minerals. In May, China, frustrated, threatened to cut off supply to the U.S. as part of the U.S. trade war, supply of these rare earth minerals that go into our devices that secure the production of some of our incredible innovations, like our smartphones. America depends on China for 80 percent of its rare earth imports, and that is not a desirable position to be in. We must reclaim our supply chain. We have to reclaim or categorize an agenda for rare earth minerals. The global rare earth market is projected to grow in value from $8.1 billion to $14.4 billion by 2025, as driven by the demand for electric vehicles, cell phones, and other products. Here is a story of a manufacturer in Michigan, a company in Northville called soulbrain MI, that develops and delivers quality lithium-ion electrolytes in steel cases--which they are paying tens and tens of thousands more for, not realizing a profit--which is a core component of the lithium-ion batteries that go into our electric vehicles. It is just one of two producers that we have in the United States, and yet they pay the price because of the policies, the overregulation, and the failure to support the small businesses and the manufacturers. The subsidies have gone to agriculture. And there was not one investment or change for our manufacturers, albeit, the several great pieces of legislation that we have passed out of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. Many of my colleagues are paying attention to this. Many of them are working on this, but we need the legislation to come to the floor. We need it to be voted on in the Senate, and we need to usher in a new manufacturing agenda. The world is demanding our electric vehicles. It is demanding our technology. It is demanding our manufacturing. Let's revive the great ability to sell our products. Let's revive the great ability to advocate on behalf of our labor force, our 21st century labor movement. Let's reconcile the reality of today's economy and policies that have been 19th or 20th century proposed solutions to 21st century problems, and let's get smart about how to win and compete again. It is a new era that begets a new trade orientation for us. Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss in this Special Order hour, of which I am reeling with passion for our manufacturing economy and have profound excitement and only want to see it succeed through an economic agenda that I believe this House majority can usher in, that I believe that this Congresswoman from Michigan's 11th Congressional District can champion the great requests, but I would be remiss to leave out, in these remarks, another moment and marker in time as we will close out session tomorrow and resume our in-district work activity, recognizing that we will be hitting 1 year since this 116th Congress was elected-- and how magnificent this year has been. With so much energy and gusto, we made our way to freshman orientation shortly after that election--less than a week after-- meeting our colleagues, meeting our deliberators, meeting those, the small, collective composite of us, the 435 of us in this House Chamber who are charged with making this Federal Government work for the American people. Let me say, by the way, that this manufacturing agenda has tremendous return on investment should we so choose to embrace it as a nation. We know our House majority is ushering it in. We know we are balancing the equities and advocating for all components of a good trade deal, inspired by the Buy American content, pushing for the enforcement standards, embracing the need for certainty to come to our small and midsized manufacturers, the manufacturers in Michigan's 11th Congressional District, the people who are wondering: How will my taxpayer dollars work for me? It has been an incredible moment in time to be a part of this 116th Congress. And while we will not be together as a body on both sides of the aisle to look at each other and to recognize what has happened in a year since what sometimes feels like dramatic action with elections, we can reflect on some of the moments that oftentimes don't even make it into news headlines or Twitter feeds or proclamations from Members of Congress, but ways in which we have embraced this new orientation of government in the Democratic House majority of our For the People agenda: bringing up issues for the labor movement, whether you belong to a union or not, for our middle class; the long overdue passage of Butch Lewis, the Butch Lewis Act, bringing the pensions of many to solvency, a classic example of doing nothing is greater than the cost of doing something; solving people's problems, making their taxpayer dollars work, not forcing small businesses to feel a pinch, not looking job layoffs in the face but saying, ``We are investing in you.'' We are championing legislation and policy that embraces and puts people at the forefront, those who are not armed with the biggest lobbyists or the fanciest offices but who are counting on those who hold the stewardship of trust to deliver for them. We will also recognize, in this 1-year anniversary mark--without being in one another's presence--that we still have a lot of work to do. The bipartisan elixir, in my humble opinion, is our manufacturing economy. It is our ability to make things. It is our ability to help the people whom I have spoken to directly, whose factory floors I have walked on, whose office rooms I have sat in looking at that pathway to growth, not disinvestment. Too many have told me: We have had to invest elsewhere, we have had to remove ourselves from deals. We need to be competing effectively as a continent with the rest of the world. We need to take Asia by storm because we know they want our goods. We know they want our innovations. And it is that ability to do original research, the ``if not but for the Federal Government'' approach to basic research investment that catalyzes and proliferates new technologies of scale. I am looking forward, Mr. Speaker, to continuing to learn and to grow and to advocate fiercely on behalf of my economy in Michigan's 11th Congressional District for the betterment and the semblance of our future. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. By bringing up my resolution today, H. Res. 552, we are making clear to the Russian Government and President Putin that Congress will not tolerate the indefinite detention of a U.S. citizen without evidence. For nearly 10 months, my constituent, Paul Whelan of Novi, Michigan, has been held in a Moscow prison without adequate due process. Paul was detained last December and continues to be held in a horrifying prison. We have repeatedly asked the Russian Government to provide Paul with a fair and transparent judicial process, to no avail. The State Department has been unwavering in their work on Paul's behalf, especially Ambassador Huntsman. The Russian Government has not provided timely updates about Paul's case. They have not let him select his own attorney. And they have not provided unrestricted consular access. Next week will be Paul's fourth pretrial detention hearing. Enough is enough. After many months in prison, Paul's health is deteriorating. Paul's family is wondering. Everyone is in the dark, but most especially Paul. It is long past time that we bring Paul home to his family and get him the medical care he needs. This bipartisan resolution calls on the Russian Government to provide evidence of his wrongdoing or else release Paul immediately. This is our sense of Congress. It must be our sense of Congress, for we stand up for Americans abroad. I thank my friend, Mr. Walberg, for joining me and for the Michigan delegation. And I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this timely resolution.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, we are standing here today in support of the PACT Act, to make it a crime to commit abuse that has already been detected in videos or the videos that we have made illegal. We need to render the acts illegal. We need to enforce detection. We need to support enforcement writ large. We need to stand up for the rights of animals and stand up against animal cruelty. I come from the great State of Michigan, and this is something that I have heard from my residents from all corridors throughout my district. We are home to great equine farms as well as other establishments that care for animals, and that is a message that we want to put forward. We want to stop animal abuse on the front end and also stop other forms of domestic abuse that may arise from it. I led the Department of Justice appropriations process that directs the use of Department of Justice funds to enforce our Nation's animal cruelty laws. Today, with the PACT Act, we are realizing another important step in protecting the rights of animals and in stopping abuse before it starts.