Niki Tsongas

Ms. TSONGAS

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

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Chairman, many of our Nation's public lands, those lands which belong to all Americans, are managed under a multiple use mandate. This means that they are managed to support a wide variety of uses, including hunting, fishing, hiking, and other recreation activities, alongside responsible energy development, the preservation of historic and cultural resources, the conservation of some of our Nation's most iconic landscapes, and wildlife habitat protection. The resource management plans that were recently finalized by the Bureau of Land Management to protect the greater sage-grouse and the broader sagebrush sea landscape strike the appropriate balance between the many uses of our public lands. The plans, which were developed in close consultation with the States and which reflect an unprecedented collaboration among stakeholders, allow for the responsible resource development, recreation, and preservation of the habitat which the greater sage-grouse requires to survive and thrive. Without these plans, it is highly likely that the greater sage-grouse would need to be listed under the Endangered Species Act. However, language in the underlying bill blocks funds from being used to implement the resource management plans, upsetting the carefully crafted balance that is required under the multiple use mandate. This harmful provision could also put the many other species that depend on this landscape at risk, including elk, mule deer, and pronghorn antelope; and it would deprive hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts of opportunities to use their public lands and enjoy the benefits of renewable wildlife resources. This is why hunters and sportsmen across the West support the sage- grouse conservation plans and strongly oppose any effort to block the plans from moving forward, including groups such as the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, the Archery Trade Association, and the Dallas Safari Club, just to name a few. My amendment would allow the BLM management plans to go into effect if failing to implement the plan would impact the multiple use mandate and, thereby, deprive outdoor enthusiasts of their ability to use these Federal lands. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, which protects opportunities for sportsmen and sportswomen and other outdoor enthusiasts, who depend on our public lands. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Chairman, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act requires the Bureau of Land Management to manage the public lands it administers according to two principles, as we both agree: multiple use of the landscape and sustained yield of renewable resources. Multiple use and sustained yield mean balance. Opportunities to hunt, fish, and watch wildlife are just as important and have just as much legitimacy under the laws as activities like grazing, mining, logging, and drilling. Unfortunately, the balance has swung too far toward the second set of activities, resulting in significant damage to wildlife habitat and diminished uses and yields for people who wish to enjoy the outdoors. Updating and implementing resource management plans is critical to maintaining balance and complying with the law. In this case, it not only guarantees that those who wish to enjoy the great outdoors can do so, but, in complying with the multiple use mandate, it does all that is necessary to prevent the greater sage-grouse from being listed under the Endangered Species Act. This very balanced plan recognizes the needs and interests of all parties who seek to use these lands so as not only to protect the great sage-grouse, but to make sure our sports enthusiasts also have access to it. The failure to implement this plan could put all of those uses in danger. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. TSONGAS

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, our Nation has been repeatedly confronted by senseless and tragic acts of gun violence; and now our country grieves with yet more heartache following the shocking and horrific attack in Dallas last week, an attack that took place during a peaceful protest where citizens were exercising their basic rights as Americans, as Dallas police officers supported and protected this fundamentally American right. As President Obama said: ``There is no possible justification for these kinds of attacks or any violence against law enforcement.'' This event added to an already heartbreaking week, after the deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana. Today, I am thinking of their families, friends, and loved ones, as I am of the 49 lost at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando just a month ago. I believe that law-abiding citizens have a constitutional right to own firearms, whether for sport or personal protection; but I also know that responsible personal freedom and public safety are not mutually exclusive. Shootings have become unacceptably commonplace in our country, and Congress has a responsibility to do more to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill. In fact, recent polls show that support for universal background checks hovers around 90 percent. No other developed country in the world has the same rate of gun violence as the United States. According to United Nations data, the gun homicide rate in our country is more than 7 times that of Sweden, 6 times that of Canada, and, unbelievably, 21 times that of Australia. As President Obama stated, following the shooting in Oregon: ``We are the only advanced country on Earth that sees these kinds of mass shootings every few months.'' I agree with Dallas Police Chief David Brown when he said that police departments cannot be expected to solve our Nation's gun violence problem by themselves. As policymakers, we must be doing more. We should all be inspired by Chief Brown's commitment and willingness to work through personal heartbreak toward a more just and violence-free society. Chief Brown's urgency is echoed in letters I have received from young people in my district. Headlines in our communities and those that make national news do not go unnoticed by our Nation's youngest citizens, children who are growing up with heightened fear, some even afraid to go to school. Abbey, age 13, from Gardner, Massachusetts, wrote to me: ``Every single day at school, I am scared an armed intruder will come in,'' going on to say that ``the amount of gun violence in our country is piling up, and we need to stop it.'' Andrew, a high school freshman from Dracut, wrote: ``I have been noticing there are more shootings lately, maybe because I am getting old and paying more attention to what is happening around me than I did before.'' Imagine, at 14, he is feeling old as he watches our news. Miriam, from Acton, wrote: ``I am only 17 years old, so this current climate of fear and violence is all I have ever known. However, I know that this amount and frequency of bloodshed is not and should not be normal.'' As a mother, grandmother, and American citizen, it is unconscionable that our children and grandchildren are growing up in a world where they see mass shooting after mass shooting, met only by a moment of silence on this floor. Mr. Speaker, in Congress, we have a moral responsibility to pursue change. We must address the senseless violence and injustice afflicting our Nation with ``the fierce urgency of now,'' to quote the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Our call to action is made more painful and more real with each passing day. Mr. Speaker, bring a vote to the floor on commonsense, universal background check legislation that will keep guns out of the hands of terrorists, criminals, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill.

Ms. TSONGAS

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 1217, the bipartisan expanded background checks legislation, to honor the memory of Luis Vielma, a victim of gun violence who never received a moment of silence on the House floor.

Ms. TSONGAS

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, my home State of Massachusetts has enacted some of the most comprehensive gun violence prevention laws in the Nation, including universal background checks. Thanks to these commonsense reforms, Massachusetts has one of the lowest rates of gun deaths in the Nation. Nevertheless, lax gun laws in other States make us a net importer of firearms, and we are certainly not immune from the tragic impacts of gun violence. Americans have a right to be free from violence in our own communities, in our homes, in our schools, in our churches, and in our workplace. But it is clear that the States cannot do it alone. Congress must do more to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill. You can't know if someone falls into one of these categories without a background check. Mr. Speaker, our constituents sent us here to cast a vote on their behalf, and that is what we should be doing. Let us have a vote on commonsense, bipartisan legislation that allows background checks for all gun sales.

Ms. TSONGAS

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, last week, I had the opportunity to hear from the families of victims of gun violence. Each story was unique and heartbreaking. But for all the differences in their tragic circumstances, one common thread was echoed by every individual in the room: too many guns are too easily available. One mother said: ``Until we get these guns off the street, the cycle is going to continue.'' One way to start to get the guns off the streets is through background checks. My office has heard from thousands over the last 2 weeks, over the phone, over Facebook, over Twitter. We have heard that Congress can no longer bend to the will of the gun lobby and prevent the passage of commonsense legislation that could save lives. During that meeting last week, a mother told me: ``Changes can be made because I have a voice.'' Mr. Speaker, now is the time to heed our constituents' call and pursue real, commonsense legislation that helps get guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

Ms. TSONGAS

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would undermine a provision included in both the House- and Senate-passed NDAAs that is aimed at ensuring that the Department of Defense adheres to the law, a law that DOD indicated that it would follow once a 100 percent American-made shoe was available that met its cost and durability standards. Well, today the domestic shoe industry has rebounded--employing thousands of workers throughout the country--and several versions of a completely American-made shoe are now available to the Defense Department, but they have yet to provide those shoes to new recruits. After testing and approving two 100 percent American-made athletic shoes last year, Defense Department officials underscored their quality, writing that one of those shoes ``scored higher overall than any other neutral/cushioned running shoe we have tested thus far.'' This is quite an endorsement, since the Defense Department has been testing sneakers for more than 20 years. Even so, should recruits require something more specific, they can receive a waiver. And Stars and Stripes reported last week that, when the Navy switched to Made in America shoes in 2004, ``stress fractures had been reduced by 69.7 percent.'' We should ensure that all recruits have the best quality shoes to choose from always--and the best is American made. As for cost, industry has committed to providing new recruits with running shoes that cost $15 per pair less than the cash allowance currently provided to new recruits. And to be clear, any U.S. footwear manufacturer that makes 100 percent American-made shoes is eligible for this contract. The provision in the House- and Senate-passed NDAA supports American workers, provides a better value for American taxpayers, and supports American servicemembers by supplying them with the highest quality athletic shoes available. I strongly oppose this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Poliquin), with whom I have worked so closely.

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga).

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. McSally).

Ms. TSONGAS. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Chair, first of all, I would just like to set the record straight. Cash allowances are a circumvention of the Berry amendment. They are not Berry-compliant. Then just to address a couple of the issues that have been raised, first of all, as we have heard, requiring the Defense Department to abide by the Berry amendment would not advantage only one company, and it would not limit the varieties of shoes that are offered to new recruits. As we have heard, multiple companies that employ thousands of Americans have expressed their interest in manufacturing athletic shoes and would provide new recruits with the highest quality of brands to choose from. Beyond the fact that there are multiple companies, they also would provide multiple models, as we have heard--the stability, the cushioning, the motion control. All of these would have to pass rigorous testing. As we have heard, one of those shoes has already scored higher than any other shoe that has been tested over the course of 20 years. As Stars and Stripes reported again--just to reiterate from last year--when the Navy switched to Made in America shoes in 2004, stress fractures had been reduced by 69.7 percent. I believe we should close this loophole to make sure that all recruits have the best quality shoes to choose from, and the best is American-made. I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

Ms. TSONGAS

Ms. TSONGAS. ``I was not ready to tell my boyfriend or parents that actually, I may have been raped behind a dumpster, but I don't know by who or when or how. If I told them, I would see the fear on their faces, and mine would multiply by tenfold, so instead I pretended the whole thing wasn't real. ``I tried to push it out of my mind, but it was so heavy I didn't talk, I didn't eat, I didn't sleep, I didn't interact with anyone. After work, I would drive to a secluded place to scream. ``I didn't talk, I didn't eat, I didn't sleep, I didn't interact with anyone, and I became isolated from the ones I loved most. For over a week after the incident, I didn't get any calls or updates about that night or what happened to me. The only symbol that proved that it hadn't just been a bad dream, was the sweatshirt from the hospital in my drawer. ``One day, I was at work, scrolling through news on my phone, and came across an article. In it, I read and learned for the first time about how I was found unconscious, with my hair disheveled, long necklace wrapped around my neck, bra pulled out of my dress, dress pulled off over my shoulders and pulled up above my waist, that I was butt naked all the way down to my boots, legs spread apart, and had been penetrated by a foreign object by someone I did not recognize. ``This was how I learned what happened to me, sitting at my desk reading the news at work. I learned what happened to me the same time everyone else in the world learned what happened to me. That's when the pine needles in my hair made sense, they didn't fall from a tree. He had taken off my underwear, his fingers had been inside of me. I don't even know this person. I still don't know this person. When I read about me like this, I said, this can't be me, this can't be me. I could not digest or accept any of this information.''

Ms. TSONGAS

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, this position is shared by both Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley and Marine Commandant Robert Neller. I urge my colleagues to reject this rule that denies the current reality of military service, limits gender equality, ignores a bipartisan vote, and does not allow for an open and transparent debate on the floor of the House.

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak against this rule that repeals a provision that was added to the NDAA, the National Defense Authorization Act, after a bipartisan, recorded vote in committee which expands the Selective Service System to include women. That provision was in line with the Secretary of Defense's decision to eliminate the ban on women serving in direct ground combat positions and the recognition that women are much needed across all aspects of military capability. This rule precludes Congress from having an open and transparent debate about this very important issue that impacts women's equality. If we want a full hearing, is there no better place than on the floor of this House? This rule would prevent that. Gender equality is achieved when women and men enjoy the same rights, opportunities, and responsibilities across all sectors of society, including military service, and when the abilities, aspirations, and talents of women and men are equally valued. Including women in the draft is a step toward that equality.

Ms. TSONGAS

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I missed a vote on H.R. 4901 in order to attend a family wedding. Had I been present for this vote, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall 179 (H.R. 4901). personal explanation

Ms. TSONGAS

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop).

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, due to its rich and diverse history, it is really only fitting that the future Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park be preserved as a lasting memorial to the native cultures, historic structures, and priceless natural resources that reside on the land. I want to thank Representative Sanford Bishop, who worked in partnership with Representative Austin Scott--both of Georgia--for their work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support its adoption. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. TSONGAS

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Thanks to the leadership and hard work of my colleague, Representative Larson of Connecticut, Congress established the Coltsville National Historical Park at the end of 2014. The law that established the park authorized the National Park Service to utilize a 10,000 square foot building known as the East Armory for the purposes of park administration. However, during the planning phase for establishing this new park, local stakeholders and the Park Service have determined that the Colt Armory Complex is better suited for this purpose. This bill simply makes that change and authorizes the use of the Colt Armory Complex. I support this simple fix to the enabling legislation that responds to the on-the-ground dynamics of this particular park, and I want to thank the majority and my colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee for expedited review of this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson), my distinguished colleague.

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

Ms. TSONGAS

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 4119 is a simple, bipartisan bill that authorizes the exchange of two small parcels of land to provide needed access for our veterans in Mississippi. The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5699 is located adjacent to a portion of Gulf Islands National Seashore. And while have having a national park in your backyard is a desirable condition, the post has found themselves landlocked and in need of direct access to their facility. To solve this issue, the Gulf Islands National Seashore Land Exchange Act will exchange approximately 2 acres of land owned by the VFW with 1.5 acres owned by the Federal Government. The acreage acquired by the VFW will be used to establish a short driveway directly to the post, while the land given in exchange to the Federal Government will be managed as part of Gulf Islands National Seashore. This exchange is supported by both the VFW post and the National Park Service and is a simple and logical solution to a local issue. I am pleased to see the National Park Service and the VFW working together to form a solution for this issue. I urge all Members to support this commonsense, bipartisan bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

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