Paul Tonko

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I rise to call on President Trump and the Senate to reopen the Federal Government immediately. A legion of Federal workers went to work again this morning with no idea how or when they will be able to pay their bills or support their families, workers like Tracy from my hometown of Amsterdam, New York. Tracy has worked for the USDA for more than three decades helping upstate New York farmers, with nowhere else to turn, find the funds they need to stay afloat for another season. She says: ``When you start to lose farms, equipment dealers go out of business. Everybody suffers--the charities, the churches. If you can't pay your bills, you can't go to the local pancake breakfast on Sunday'' to help a not-for-profit. This weekend, bitter cold hit New York's capital region. Tracy tells me she hasn't gone down to the basement because she is afraid to see the level of heating oil left in her tank. Just as tough is the mental toll this shutdown is taking. Until recently, Tracy was furloughed. Now she is working, working without pay. She worries about the farmers who rely on USDA loans to get seed and fertilizer for the coming season. When asked what she would say if she were standing here in this spot today, she said: ``We need to take care of one another. It doesn't matter what party you are. We need to help and uplift each other.'' Madam Speaker, I urge the United States Senate to heed Tracy's call, move forward with any one of the many bills that we have passed here in the House to reopen this government, restore paychecks to our dedicated Federal workers and the critical services they provide to our neighbors who need it, who need it most.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Chemical Facility Anti- Terrorism Standards Program Extension Act. This bipartisan bill is supported by the full committee and relevant subcommittee chairs and ranking members of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Homeland Security. The Department of Homeland Security's Chemical Facility Anti- Terrorism Standards, or CFATS, program is an important part of our Nation's counterterrorism efforts to secure high-risk chemical facilities. The program was created in 2006 and it had its first long-term reauthorization in 2014. Unfortunately, without further congressional action, CFATS will terminate later this month. The bill before us would grant a clean, 2-year extension of the program. I believe this will give the new Congress ample time to continue program oversight and make any reforms necessary for the next long-term extension. For one, I strongly believe we should be looking at all aspects of risks at chemical facilities, not just terrorism. Chemical fires, explosions, and releases can have serious consequences, regardless of whether an incident was an accident, a natural disaster, or an act of terrorism. A holistic approach to chemical risks, which obviously includes security, should also account for workers and communities' safety and facilities' resilience. Recent natural disasters have exposed previously unaccounted for vulnerabilities at some facilities. During Hurricane Harvey, we saw the potential for devastation, when a power outage and equipment failure led to a significant chemical fire at the Arkema facility in Crosby, Texas. Ensuring that these critical sites are resilient to risks associated with climate change and extreme weather events will be critical for the long-term safety and security of not only the sites, but also surrounding communities. I want to recognize the efforts of Jacqueline Cohen and other members of the Energy and Commerce Committee Democratic staff for their work on this bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 251, and I hope we can continue bipartisan efforts to improve the program as we work toward a long-term reauthorization in the 116th Congress.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate Luigi Battaglioli, a visionary senior at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School, whose app was recently selected as the winner of the 2018 Congressional App Challenge for New York's 20th Congressional District. Luigi's submission stood out in an impressive field from students across our district. His app, CodeGeek.org, is an online classroom that teaches novice students how to code through video lessons, educational texts, and challenge assignments. Growing a modern, sustainable, and competitive economy requires exceptional STEM training and education. Luigi's commitment to making coding accessible to anyone on the internet truly embodies the spirit of the Congressional App Challenge. He has earned the pride and praise of our entire capital region community. May his work inspire others to share his passion in the coming year and beyond.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to S. 1934, which would roll back public health standards under the Clean Air Act for dirty diesel generating units in remote areas of Alaska. This legislation would undermine protections for human health, protections for the environment, and protections for our climate. Adding insult to injury, this bill is being brought up under suspension of the rules at the last minute, over the objections of Democrats. The Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has jurisdiction over the Clean Air Act and where I serve as the Environment Subcommittee ranking member, held no hearings on this subject nor considered any legislation relating to this matter. EPA already gives special considerations for diesel generators in remote areas of Alaska. These special considerations allow remote areas to use stationary diesel generators that are certified to marine engine standards rather than more stringent land-based, nonroad engines. However, all diesel generators in these areas that are model year 2014 or later, and not for emergency use, must be certified to meet EPA's tier 4 emission standards. If they cannot meet tier 4 standards, then they must meet certain alternative requirements for particulate matter or install an emission control device that reduces PM emissions. S. 1934 directs the EPA Administrator to revise downward the existing New Source Performance Standards for diesel generators, so that these units would have to meet only EPA's tier 3 standards rather than the more protective tier 4 criteria. Certainly, it is legitimate for Congress to consider assisting these remote areas with unique power needs and pollution problems. However, we should be looking to help these areas obtain cleaner, healthier air, not rolling back standards and pretending that the pollution and associated health and environmental problems don't exist. Further, I note that the bill directs the EPA, in consultation with the Department of Energy, to submit a report assessing options for the Federal Government to meet the energy needs of remote areas in the State of Alaska in an affordable and reliable manner while addressing air emissions. That study is the right first step, and I would be happy to support it and then work with my colleagues to find ways to help these areas, based on the results of that particular study. Unfortunately, this bill takes the backward approach of rolling back standards and then studying the problem. Perhaps if our Republican colleagues had come to us sooner than this week, we might have been able to find a way to come together on legislation. Unfortunately, Republicans have chosen to take this up without consultation, at the last minute, over our objections. They have left us no option other than to fight. I wish it were otherwise. For the past 2 years, the Trump administration has engaged in a consistent effort to undermine the Clean Air Act and its protections for everything from mercury and hazardous air pollutants to smog and particulate matter. We have seen the Trump administration walk away from the Paris climate agreement, undo the Clean Power Plan, and gut fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for motor vehicles. We must continue to stand firm against these actions that endanger public health, our continued economic well-being, and most certainly our planet. Mr. Speaker, with that, I urge my colleagues to stand up for our public health, for our climate, and against those continued rollbacks of our Nation's most successful environmental statute, the Clean Air Act. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote a strong ``no'' on S. 1934, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I respect and I share the gentleman's concern for the people of Alaska. I am talking about a bill that is drafted incorrectly. While it may be specific to Alaska, it is not specific to remote areas. So we can share compassion for the people. I am just saying, if we had done this in regular order and exchanged dialogue with one another, perhaps the outcome would have been stronger. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, to Karen, from this side of the aisle, I wish her well, too. It was enjoyable working with her, and I look forward to working with the Members of the other side of the aisle in the 116th Congress on this issue and others. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers, so I will close saying that I am concerned about the loosely defined language in this bill. I am concerned about the attacks on the Clean Air Act that are so important to all Americans. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, on that, I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Senate amendment to H.R. 1222, the Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act led by Congressman Bilirakis and Congressman Schiff. This legislation builds on the success of current efforts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to improve and expand research, surveillance, and public outreach and education programs relating to congenital heart disease. Each year more than 40,000 babies are born in the United States with a congenital heart defect, and 1 million children and 1.4 million adults are currently living with congenital heart disorders. Even though congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect in America, there are still many unknowns surrounding the condition. This legislation will help expand our understanding of congenital heart disease across the lifespan, and has the potential to improve the lives of the millions of children and adults living with congenital heart disease. Mr. Speaker, I therefore urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I echo my support for the Senate amendment to H.R. 1222, it is worthy of our support. We will continue to build on the research and education concerning birth defects, and, most importantly, we will enable individuals and families who live with birth defects to have more hope. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Senate amendment to H.R. 6615, the Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization Act of 2018, led by Congressman Pascrell and Congressman Rooney. This legislation would reauthorize programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that would work to reduce the incidence of traumatic brain injury in the United States. These programs also help improve our understanding of the prevention and treatment of traumatic brain injuries through surveillance efforts. This reauthorization would expand upon existing efforts to reauthorize CDC to establish a new national concussion surveillance system to determine the prevalence and the incidence of concussions in the United States. I commend the sponsors of this bill and the work they have done. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), who has done tremendous work on this issue.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I again encourage Members to support this legislation. As was indicated, it has taken a long 20 years to achieve this success. Hopefully, we can support this and provide, again, a great initiative on behalf of those who suffer from traumatic brain injury. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act, legislation that I have introduced with my good friend and fellow Energy and Commerce Committee member, Congressman Brett Guthrie. I thank both Chairman Walden and incoming Chair Pallone for their support of this particular legislation, and I greatly appreciate the partnership with Congressman Guthrie and his staff for helping to get this important legislation over the finish line today. Alzheimer's is a brutal, devastating disease. Anyone whose life has been touched by Alzheimer's or related dementias knows the heart- wrenching toll that these diseases can and most often do take on an individual, on a family, and on a community. Since first coming to Congress, I have been laser-focused on how we can reduce the devastating burden that Alzheimer's disease has on our families and our Nation. We have had great success, many successes in recent years with legislation such as the National Alzheimer's Project Act and the Alzheimer's Accountability Act helping to coordinate our medical research agenda and strengthen our case for the unprecedented investments that Congress has appropriated to effectively treat and find a cure for Alzheimer's. With the HOPE for Alzheimer's Act, we were able to get CMS to provide coverage for comprehensive care planning services to Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers following a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. These care planning visits are a critical tool for families struggling for answers and help to lessen the burden of this disease. Now we are taking another huge step forward with the passage of the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act, legislation that will invest in public health-oriented strategies for tackling Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. We know that in 2018, Alzheimer's and related dementias will cost our country $277 billion. By smartly investing in a public health infrastructure for this disease, we can reduce this cost burden on the local, State, and Federal Government, and improve care for those who have received an Alzheimer's diagnosis. The BOLD Act will enhance our public health infrastructure in three main ways: First, it will create Alzheimer's disease and related dementias public health centers of excellence. They will be dedicated to promoting effective Alzheimer's disease and caregiving interventions, as well as educating the public on Alzheimer's disease, cognitive decline, and brain health. These centers will implement the CDC's healthy aging public health road map and will take key steps to support health and social services professionals, as well as families and communities. Second, the legislation will allow for State and local cooperative agreements with HHS that will be awarded to State health departments, subdivisions of States, or Tribal entities to develop and carry out Alzheimer's interventions. These awards will help States build a foundation and also help those States that are already investing in a public health approach to Alzheimer's to amplify their initiatives through public-private partnerships. Finally, the BOLD Act will create data analysis and reporting cooperative agreements with HHS that will ensure that data on Alzheimer's, cognitive decline, caregiving, and health disparities are analyzed and disseminated to the public in a timely manner. We need this legislation more than ever. The burden of Alzheimer's disease does not take a day off, and Congress cannot afford to either. In closing, I again thank Chairman Walden, Ranking Member Pallone, House leadership, our Senate sponsors, and everyone who had a hand in this success today. Without such dedicated bipartisan Alzheimer's champions throughout Congress, we would not be making this strong step forward. It is mighty progress. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Maxine Waters). Representative Waters is from California's 43rd Congressional District and has invested a lot of time and work on the Alzheimer's issue, especially in her role as co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge passage of this legislation. The BOLD Act is another bit of foundation that we have done to move forward and conquer Alzheimer's and related dementias. Those of us who function in government understand full well that our Federal, State, and local budgets have been impacted severely by Alzheimer's disease, but, most importantly, families have been burdened by this disease. So it is so important for us to move forward with this legislation that provides, again, hope to those families and individuals living with Alzheimer's disease. Mr. Speaker, I ask for support of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2278, the State Offices of Rural Health Reauthorization Act of 2018. I thank Chair Walden and incoming Chair Pallone, along with Congressman Schrader and Congressman Mullin, for their work on this important legislation. This legislation would reauthorize the Federal grant program that supports Offices of Rural Health in each State, including the Charles D. Cook Office of Rural Health with the New York State Department of Health for the first time. These offices assist States in strengthening rural health delivery systems and improving access to quality services in rural areas. This work is particularly important because patients and providers in rural communities can face obstacles that can: result in reduced access to care, increase health disparities, and inhibit individuals from experiencing optimal health. To ensure that States can continue to meet the requirements of this grant program, this reauthorization legislation provides new flexibility for State offices to meet their Federal match requirements, as well as to request a waiver that would allow the State office to continue to receive Federal funding if an office faces an extreme hardship in meeting that requirement. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 2278, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Schrader), who represents Oregon's Fifth Congressional District.

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support, again, of the legislation before us. I want to commend Congressmen Schrader and Mullin for their great work on this important legislation. It shows great sensitivity to the healthcare needs of rural America and to the corresponding health delivery systems. For that reason alone, this is worthy of our unanimous support. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate an accomplished composer, educator, and music innovator from New York's capital region, Professor Evan Mack, recently named a Musical America 2018 Professional of the Year. Professor Mack's first major opera premiered at New York's Baryshnikov Center in May of 2011, an impressive achievement for a first-time composer. Since then, he has composed numerous operas, including a grand opera based on William Kennedy's 2014 novel, ``Roscoe,'' that received a concert performance with the Albany Symphony featuring Deborah Voigt in 2016. He also cowrote one of the first-ever operas for Twitter, #IsOperaDead, a five-act opera performed in the span of 1 minute and 40 seconds. He also serves on the faculty at Skidmore College and was a resident artist at the prestigious Yaddo. Professor Evan Mack, on behalf of all of your many fans and supporters in upstate New York, congratulations on being named a 2018 Professional of the Year by Musical America.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this legislation and, as a farm bill conferee, I would like to pass along my sincere thanks to the Members and staff who worked diligently to put together a good final product for the American people. This farm bill strikes the right balance by providing certainty to our hardworking farmers, while protecting our most vulnerable by rejecting the harsh SNAP cuts that were contained in the original House Republican bill, a very meaningful restoral. In fact, today, I was reminded, as I volunteered at the Capital Area Food Bank, that they serve 500,000 individuals who are food insecure annually in the Maryland, D.C., and Virginia area. I am particularly pleased with provisions that will benefit New York's dairy farmers and producers of specialty crops, which together form the backbone of the agricultural economy in my 20th Congressional District and across upstate New York. This farm bill also recognizes the importance of expanding broadband access to the American people and, particularly, to those who don't have access to a high-speed connection. I am disappointed, however, that we were unable to agree on stronger language to ensure Federal money is spent wisely. Investments in broadband internet infrastructure have the greatest impact on American lives and should be dealt with in a very resourceful way. Specifically, I argued for more interagency coordination. The Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Agriculture, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, need to coordinate with each other, not merely consult, when funding critical broadband internet infrastructure. When it comes to broadband internet spending, this bill provides limited investments and, because of that, we have a duty to stretch every dollar as far as possible. It is unfortunate that this concept was not included in the farm bill, but I plan to continue advocating for legislation that would require greater coordination amongst Federal agencies as we build out broadband. I was proud to work on a bipartisan basis to provide coordination language in the ACCESS BROADBAND Act which has already passed the House and is now being considered in the Senate.

Mr. TONKO. I will continue working with my colleagues to improve coordination of Federal broadband programs so we can increase efficiency and eliminate duplicative or wasteful efforts. Finally, while I am grateful for the overall outcome of the legislation, as a conferee representing the views of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I was disappointed that on many issues in this legislation involving committee jurisdiction, the committee was not properly consulted. It is my hope that, in the future, all conferees will be allowed greater involvement and their voices will be heard, especially on issues that cross committee lines. Again, I would urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Garamendi for leading us in this Special Order that speaks to an urgency. More and more, people are beginning to recognize that it is within our responsibility to provide for the stewardship of our Earth, of the environment, and to pass it on to generations coming. As you just acknowledged the birth of a grandson, congratulations to Mr. Garamendi and his wife, Patti. It is important, it is incumbent upon us to do that. When we see the denial and the disregard--the denial for science, for climate change as a concept; the disregard for the Earth, the environment, and for public health--it is troublesome. Here we have in recent weeks heard about and presented the U.N. report through the IPCC, the international committee that looks at climate change, and they are indicating that there is precious little time, if any, by which to act--a timeframe that is becoming more and more urgent. It is so important for us to address the science of this issue, to look at the stats, to look at the data that is compelling, that speaks to everything from public health to job creation to a greening up of our thinking so that our policy and our resource advocacy will go toward what is a crisis situation. Just very, very recent, we have witnessed a report on the climate that is under the auspices of the Trump administration where they have responded to the United States Global Change Research Program, a Presidential initiative started by President Ronald Reagan that incorporates, I believe, some 13 agencies and their thinking about climate change. Members of his own cabinet are recommending and advising and he is rejecting. I simply don't understand how we can ask people to utilize their expertise, invest their time and energy into forecasting where we are going to be and where we are, acknowledging where we are, and the work that is needed, and then to walk away from that presentation based on facts and science and data. You have witnessed at your end of the country what has happened with wildfires. I have seen 500-year storms three or four times over in a decade. So the nomenclature is even off target. We are witnessing tremendous damage, loss of lives, property damage, and farming impacts with very rich soil being washed away, erosion of our coastal zones. What more do we need to have as evidence? The Department of Defense; the farming community; the business community; States like California, the gentleman's home state; and New York, my home State, get it. We pull out of a Paris accord because we are not going to be part of an international community--the only industrial nation to pull out of that accord? It is revolting that we will not respond to this issue. As you indicated, we have been talking about this, we have been pushing this leadership since 2010 with the takeover of the House. We began our efforts in 2008 and 2009. We needed to continue to move forward. The efforts to go forward have been thwarted by a resistance to addressing this issue. I find it unacceptable. As we look upon the next few weeks before we take over with the majority in the House, we need to set a very ambitious tone that will move us forward with a number of issues being addressed under the umbrella of climate change. We have witnessed what has happened out there with the economy. We have calculated the hundreds of billions of dollars that are impacted because of public health costs, the damage to property, and the like. We need to move forward. We need to do this based on science and factual evidence that is available, that is at our fingertips. The time for denial is over. The time for disregard is over. The time for action is now. And we need to move forward, even asking as ranker on the Environment Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee for hearings in this regard, just hearings so that we can take testimony and advance the cause of the action that is required. Those requests have been falling on deaf ears. So we need to do better. We need to move forward with a sound plan and to understand that across the country more and more people are expressing their concern about climate change. They are witnessing it in the news every night. These wildfires have been greater in number, in severity. I believe this is probably the worst in history. So we need to do a lot more.