Jefferson Shreve

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, Indiana is the Crossroads of America. This National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, and I thank the professional drivers who deliver what our farms grow, our factories make, and our families need. They work long hours, they miss time with their families, and they take seriously the responsibility that comes with driving a big rig. Last month, I hosted our Nation's top trucking safety official in Indiana to hear directly from our Hoosier drivers and trucking businesses. Truckers who follow the rules of the road shouldn't have to compete with operators who cut corners, and the families traveling beside them deserve to know that every commercial driver is properly trained, licensed, and qualified. Whether someone is behind the wheel of a semi or riding in the family car, they deserve to get home safely. To the drivers who make that their business every day, I thank you.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 284, S. 307 and YEA on Roll Call No. 285, S. 32.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the House's consideration of my bill, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act. The purpose is straightforward: Qualified American mining and mineral processing projects should have access to a coordinated, transparent, and timely Federal permitting process. That is what FAST-41 provides. It brings Federal agencies together. It establishes a public timetable, and it holds the government accountable for reaching decisions. No environmental law is waived. No project is rubber-stamped. FAST-41 simply ensures that our Federal Government conducts its reviews efficiently and reaches a decision. Mining was added as an eligible FAST-41 sector back in 2021. It was the right decision. In my home State of Indiana, we build things. We build cars, engines, aerospace systems, defense equipment, and the infrastructure that powers communities. All of these depend upon reliable access to minerals and processed materials. Copper carries electricity. Iron ore and other inputs become the steel used in our vehicles, bridges, and buildings. Critical minerals support our military and advanced-manufacturing base, in Indiana and across our country. Yet in 2023, the Biden administration proposed narrowing the mining projects eligible for FAST-41. Under that proposed rule, a company could invest millions of dollars developing an American project, only to learn that a shifting Federal definition had made it ineligible for that coordinated review. It creates uncertainty, discourages investment, and pushes mining and mineral processing abroad, often to supply chains dominated by China. We should not make the United States more dependent upon a strategic competitor for minerals essential to our economy and our national security. My bill does two things. First, it writes mining and mineral processing directly into the FAST-41 statute. Second, it prevents implementation of the 2023 proposed rule that would narrow the sector's eligibility. America can maintain high environmental standards and still build. We can conduct thorough reviews without accepting needless delays, and we can produce more of the materials we need here at home, under American laws, with American workers, and in support of American national security. I thank Chairman Westerman for his leadership and Congressman Blake Moore for partnering with me on this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support the Protecting Domestic Mining Act.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of fiscal year 2027 National Security and Department of State Appropriations Act. This legislation candidly and simply delivers on conservative promises, helps put America first while conducting vigorous oversight of our foreign assistance programs. It upholds longstanding pro-life protections, and holds foreign governments that violate religious freedoms are held accountable. Importantly, this legislation delivers on my number one priority, pushing back on the Chinese-linked foreign scam operations that have bilked Americans out of countless of billions of dollars. It provides the critical tools to fight human trafficking these syndicates engage in and, frankly, rely upon while building up the law enforcement capacity of partner nations to stop these scammers. Mr. Chair, I support these commonsense provisions in the underlying bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember Brett Scrogham, a young Hoosier from Greenwood, Indiana, whose life was taken in Indianapolis nearly 2 weeks ago. Brett was 23 years old. He was a son, a brother, and a friend to many. He had recently graduated from IU's Kelley School of Business in Indianapolis, where he was among our top students. He had just started his career in Indianapolis, working in commercial real estate for a good friend of mine. That part of Brett's story hits close to home for me. I started my own career in Indy at that age in the same field. He was headed to an Indianapolis Indians game in the light of day with his family when he was killed in a carjacking attempt right downtown. That happened in my hometown. It happened in our hometown, and it is painful for me to say that out loud. A family should be able to go to a ball game in our capital city and come home safely. Parents should be able to watch their son build a career, start a life, and become the man they raised Brett to be. Instead, his family is grieving a loss no family should have to endure. Today, I want his family to know from this well of the House that Brett is remembered and that his life mattered.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 190, Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in vigorous support for the 2027 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act. This bill delivers for Indiana servicemembers, our veterans, military families, and our taxpayers. This includes $27.5 million for a new aviation maintenance hangar and operations building at our Shelbyville Army Aviation Support Facility. This investment matters. It gives 900 Indiana guardsmen assigned to our 38th Combat Aviation Brigade the modern facilities they need to support rapid homeland deployment, strengthen readiness, and improve recruitment and retention. This bill also includes more than $1.6 billion for two sorely needed VA centers in central Indiana, a replacement to our 75-year-old Roudebush VA Center in Indianapolis and a new outpatient care facility in Fishers, Indiana. Together, these facilities will serve 250 million veterans across Indiana and provide the quality care they have earned through their service to our country. This bill is a win for Indiana, for our National Guard, our veterans, and Hoosier taxpayers.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Daniel J. Riley for his decades of distinguished service to the City of Greenfield and the State of Indiana. Mr. Riley's career reflects steady leadership, sound judgment, and a deep commitment to public service. A graduate of Rochester High School and Indiana University Indianapolis, he has spent nearly his entire professional life investing in the people, institutions, and communities that strengthen our state. As President of the Greenfield City Council, Daniel Riley has helped lead the city through a period of significant growth, working to ensure that Greenfield's expansion is guided by purpose, planning, and a clear vision for the future. Prior to his service in local government, he devoted much of his career to public education and community development. Mr. Riley's contributions extend well beyond city government. Through his work with the Lilly Endowment, the leadership of his own consulting firm, and his service to numerous nonprofit organizations, he has consistently brought thoughtful leadership and practical problem- solving to every role he has undertaken. In recognition of those contributions, he was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash. After more than 50 years of service, Dan Riley will retire in June. Although his formal duties may be concluding, Dan's record of service will endure in the stronger institutions, better communities, and countless lives he has helped shape in Greenfield and across Indiana. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Daniel J. Riley for his outstanding service and wishing him all the best in his retirement.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, this August, Washington will hear a sound we know well in Indiana, the roar of IndyCar engines. The Freedom 250 Grand Prix will bring IndyCar to our Nation's Capital as we mark 250 years of American ingenuity. IndyCar was born in my hometown of Indianapolis. It is rooted in a tradition that goes back more than a century, built by American workers, American engineers, and American manufacturers. IndyCar reflects who we Hoosiers are: competitive, inventive, always pushing forward. I will be honest, Washington could use a little less gridlock and a little more green flag. This event isn't simply a race. It is a statement. America leads. America builds. America innovates. This August, we will put that on display at 200 miles an hour right here in our Nation's Capital. Mr. Speaker and ladies and gentlemen of the House, let's prepare to start our engines.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 32.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, last night the country watched something nobody predicted: Indiana, national football champions. Our Hoosiers beat Miami 27-21, and finished a perfect season and brought the title home to Indiana. I say that as a proud IU alum, former chairman of our IU Alumni Association, over 800,000 living alumni strong. My wife, Mary, and I have been cheering on our Hoosiers since our college days. We will be talking about this play for a long time: Fourth and five, Fernando Mendoza puts his head down, bounces off defenders, spins, stretches, and powers in for the touchdown. Coach Curt Cignetti took over just two seasons ago. There were no shortcuts and no gimmicks. It was just work and belief. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate IU's president Pam Whitten, our AD Scott Dolson, every player and coach, and our Hoosier fans who never gave up. Coach Cignetti said of the season: ``It would be a helluva movie,'' and he is right.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, across my home State of Indiana, I hear the same thing time and again. People work hard. They pay their taxes, and they expect Washington to treat their dollars with respect. Hoosier hospitality means that we help neighbors who truly need it, but fraud turns this virtue into a target, and hardworking Hoosiers foot the bill. This is not left versus right. It is honesty versus the dishonest, trust versus waste. For every dollar stolen by fraud, it is a dollar we cannot spend on public safety, on our national security, or on helping working families get ahead. We owe taxpayers accountability, stronger oversight, and closed loopholes that invite abuse. Protect the taxpayers. Protect the programs, and punish the scammers.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Affordable HOMES Act. Indiana ranks fourth in the Nation in manufactured home production and in Indiana's Sixth District, 7,000 manufactured homes provide key housing to our citizens. For Hoosier families, the dream of owning a home has slipped out of reach. To right this ship, we need less Washington red tape in our own backyards and the freedom for families to choose the type of housing that works for each of them. That is what this bill does. It cuts unnecessary Federal regulation. It streamlines the rules. It lowers the cost of manufactured housing, thereby making the American Dream a little more attainable for more families. I thank my colleague, Congresswoman Erin Houchin, for leading on this legislation. She and I know Hoosiers want common sense coming out of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, a simple principle should guide us: where we live should not determine the quality of healthcare that we can get, but for too many Hoosiers, especially in our rural communities, this isn't the reality. That is why the Working Families Tax Cut Act matters. Through the new Rural Health Transformation Program, Indiana is receiving $207 million in first-year funding, the first of 5 years of support, to strengthen rural healthcare statewide. This funding will support hospitals and strengthen emergency care for Hoosiers who can get that care close to home. For communities from Connersville to Richmond and across Rush, Shelby, and Henry Counties, this means quality care closer, shorter drives for appointments, faster response times when minutes count, especially for our seniors, veterans, and working families. This is the right kind of investment, helping our rural communities stay healthy without raising taxes, without growing bureaucracy, and without leaving Hoosiers behind.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, before I was able to vote, the vote was closed. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 362, H.R. 498.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Madam Speaker, just a year ago, I was sworn in in this Chamber to represent the good people of Indiana's Sixth District. Since then, I have traveled the district from Columbus to Rushville, Connersville to Winchester, listening to Hoosiers. They are generous with their time, candid with their opinions, and not shy about telling you when you are wrong. My office has handled some 50,000 constituent inquiries. We have helped over 450 Hoosiers with the IRS, the VA, and the Postal Service. We have recovered about $5 million for hardworking families. That was their money. We were just the middlemen. This year, six of my bills passed the House, including the Build the Wall Act, which was signed into law by President Trump. It repurposes unspent COVID funds to complete construction of our southern border wall, and it didn't cost taxpayers an additional dime. I have focused on legislation that cuts red tape, unleashes American energy, lowers costs, and brings costs down for Hoosiers. Washington makes this harder than it should be. I will keep working at it. Next year, I will keep traveling our district, listening first, and doing my level best to bring some Hoosier common sense here to Washington.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman for yielding. I appreciate the time, and I appreciate my colleague Mike Collins' work on this commonsense package of clean water reforms. I am grateful that my bill, H.R. 3934, the Water Quality Standards Attainability Act, is included. My bill serves to maintain State and local leadership in setting their water quality standards under the Clean Water Act. Let me cite a compelling example of why this legislation is necessary. In 2020, the EPA approved in Indianapolis, in my district, new standards for stormwater management. These updates were an aid to ensure that Hoosiers had access to clean water and that our localities were able to deliver on this responsibility. In early '24, under the Biden EPA, this approval was revoked for the infrastructure updates that were already well underway, costing our taxpayers needless millions. This unpredictability has been a practice of our Federal Government for too long. It is time our local governments and taxpayers have the transparency and certainty with which to cost-effectively invest in our infrastructure. My legislation will ensure that the regulatory whiplash is in our rearview mirror. My bill will ensure that when States write their rules, they consider affordability and accessibility to water treatment technologies. Through this legislation, we are providing certainty and predictability in the EPA approval process and a little Hoosier common sense in delivery. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, for the first time in my life, Indiana University has won the Big Ten football championship outright, beating formerly number one Ohio State 13-10. The pundits said Ohio State brought the third-most talented roster in the country. Indiana was ranked 72 at the start of the season, but our Hoosiers refused to be defined by those numbers. They responded with discipline, toughness, and a belief in one another that reshaped Indiana football. This championship is a testament to the student-athletes who committed to the rebuild, the staff who kept driving, and our Hoosier fans, who stayed loyal for generations, awaiting this moment. Mr. Speaker, as a former chairman of IU's Alumni Association and on behalf of 805,000 living IU alumni, we celebrate this historic achievement for our university. Congratulations to Coach Cignetti and our Hoosiers for bringing the Big Ten title home. Now on to the Rose Bowl.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 305, H. Con. Res. 58.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a fellow Hoosier and Purdue University engineer, Mr. Yuri Kubo. Yuri is a native of Columbus, Indiana, back in my district. He was recently selected as one of just 10 candidates from a field of 8,000 to join NASA's next astronaut program. That is rarefied air by any measure. Over the next 2 years, Yuri and an elite cohort will train at NASA Johnson Space Center down in Houston as they prepare for missions to the International Space Station, the Moon, and whatever comes next. Yuri reflects the kind of scientific talent that Indiana grows. Purdue, my own alma mater, has long been a launchpad for many of America's sharpest engineers and explorers, and he is rocketing that tradition forward. We are filled with Hoosier pride back home to see Yuri representing our State on a stage that is literally out of this world.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the air traffic controllers and the men and women of the FAA. For 43 days, while the Democrats kept our government closed, the aviation system that they rely upon and the traveling public depend upon was pushed to the brink. As a member of the Aviation Subcommittee, I have seen up close how critical a fully functioning system is to safety and commerce. The Indianapolis International Airport is in my district. I spent time in the tower. I spent time in INDY Center, the regional air traffic control center. I met with the team running traffic in and out of the second largest FedEx air cargo hub in our district. When the good people who keep our skies moving tell you what is at stake, you pay attention. Their work is why I pushed to secure funding to modernize our outdated air traffic control technology. We have to invest in the next generation of controllers, cut the bureaucratic lag, and build a system worthy of the people who run it. I intend to keep at it.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on ROLL CALL No. 281.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reflect on my very recent visit to Israel. It was a humbling journey through the Holy Land, where the history and resilience of the Israeli people left a deep impression. I stood inside Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher, a profound moment for me as a Christian. I was grateful to have met Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel's President Herzog, and our own Ambassador Mike Huckabee. Each visit afforded a deeper understanding of the enduring bond between our nations. Our delegation visited the site of the Nova music festival, where Hamas terrorists carried out one of the most horrific attacks on October 7. The trip was both sobering and inspiring. It reaffirmed my conviction to stand with the people of Israel, while working toward the goal of a more peaceful Middle East.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, it sounds like my case in salesmanship is going to be modest with the support that this act enjoys from colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I am someone who has built a business from the ground up, including several million square feet of space. It is a reality that to construct space is one thing; the carry cost of maintaining it is quite another. There is general recognition increasingly within this Congress that we have more space than our Federal Government needs. That is certainly the case at the courthouse level in our Federal courthouses and the supporting office space. My legislation, the CASE Act, directs the GSA to construct the courthouse space that is necessary and no more. I worked with the U.S. courts on this bill. The resulting legislation is straightforward. It is clearly bipartisan, and it is commonsensical. The CASE Act codifies the court's sharing policies for our magistrates, seniors, and bankruptcy judges. For the larger courthouses, it limits the number of courtrooms to two for every three judges. The bill codifies this administration's approach to rightsizing our Federal Government. That is something that we share in common, both sides of the aisle, toward being good stewards of our taxpayer dollars. The GSA, as was noted, is still forced to build to standards that account for potential judges, despite Congress not having authorized any additional judgeships over the past 30 years. This act is a move toward making taxpayer dollars go further. I thank my colleague, Ms. Norton, for joining me on this legislation and for her good work on this issue. I urge passage.

Mr. SHREVE

Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, our Department of Defense is charged with protecting America's critical infrastructure. Our current standards are simply insufficient. The United States is vulnerable to attack on our defense infrastructure by our adversaries, as we were reminded of today like no other. Fortifying our defense critical infrastructure is imperative, and funding it is our job. My amendment No. 269 directs a comprehensive review of current interagency coordination of DOD implementation to ensure physical and cybersecurity for our air, rail, and maritime infrastructure that underpins our military readiness. My amendment No. 270 directs our Secretary of State with developing a comprehensive strategy to counter Iran's and Hezbollah's missionary and propaganda operations in Latin America. Iran's goal in Latin America is to export its ideology to the region, so as to cultivate anti-Americanism in our Western Hemisphere. There must be a clear plan and strategy to counter their malign influence. Mr. Speaker, these two amendments were unanimously passed yesterday and included in the National Defense Authorization Act, and I thank my colleagues for supporting these amendments.