Timothy Walz

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I was absent for the vote on the Passage of H.R. 4607 (Roll Call No. 95). Had I been present, I would have voted no. I was also absent for the vote on the Passage of H.R. 1119 (Roll Call No. 101). Had I been present, I would have voted no.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I was absent for the vote on the passage of H.R. 1865 (Roll Call No. 91). Had I been present, I would also have voted yea. I was also absent for the vote on the passage of H.R. 4296 (Roll Call No. 89). Had I been present, I would have voted no.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I was absent for Roll Call No. 57 (on the Motion to Table the Appeal of the Ruling of the Chair) and Roll Call No. 64 (H.R. 1153, Mortgage Choice Act of 2017). Had I been present, I would have voted No on each of these votes.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I was absent for Roll Call No. 51 (H.R. 4547, Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act), Roll Call No. 56 (H.R. 772, Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act), Roll Call No. 61 (H.R. 3851, War Crimes Rewards Expansion Act), and Roll Call No. 62 (H.R. 1997, Ukraine Cybersecurity Cooperation Act). Had I been present, I would have voted Yes on each of these bills.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I was absent for Roll Call No. 60 (on the Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to Senate Amendment to H.R. 1892--Further Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018). Had I been present, I would have voted No.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 36, H.R. 4712, I intended to vote ``no'' when I accidentally voted ``yes.''

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Sergeant Major Robert Hawkins of the United States Army for his extraordinary dedication to duty and service to our Nation. Sergeant Major Hawkins will soon transition from his current assignment as an Army Congressional Legislative Liaison Officer in the House of Representatives to serve in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology. A native of Alexandria, Virginia, Sergeant Major Hawkins began his military career as an airborne infantryman in 1990. He subsequently served in assignments to the Republic of Panama; Fort Myers, Florida; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; and three times at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Sergeant Major Hawkins has served in multiple leadership and staff positions throughout his distinguished career. His combat deployments include one tour in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and three tours of combat in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2014, Sergeant Major Hawkins was selected as a fellow in the Army Congressional Fellowship Program. He subsequently served 12 months as a defense legislative fellow in my congressional office, representing the First Congressional District of Minnesota. While working on our team, I came to know Sergeant Major Hawkins as a shining example of the Army values set forth in the Noncommissioned Officer's Creed. ``Competence'' is indeed Sergeant Major Hawkins' watchword, and his commitment to doing what good NCOs do, accomplishing every mission, while taking care of his teammates, was second to none. For the next 2 years, Sergeant Major Hawkins served as a Congressional Legislative Liaison Officer in the United States Army House Liaison Division. As the primary link between House Members, their staff, and the committees, along with the Army, he has provided insight and understanding of Army policies, actions, operations, and requirements. His firsthand knowledge of the military, its culture, and its tradition has been of tremendous value to congressional offices. Sergeant Major Hawkins was especially effective in his service to Members and staff as he escorted them on fact-finding and oversight delegations within and outside the United States. Members and staff found him to be a thoughtful, intelligent, dedicated soldier in the very best traditions of America's Armed Forces. Mr. Speaker, it has been a pleasure to know and serve with Sergeant Major Hawkins during his time as Army Congressional Fellow and Congressional Legislative Liaison Officer in the House of Representatives. On behalf of a grateful nation, it is my honor to recognize the selfless service and sacrifice of Sergeant Major Robert ``Bobby'' Hawkins and his family. I wish Sergeant Major Hawkins the very best as he begins a new chapter of dedicated service to our Nation in the United States Army.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I was absent for the vote on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 1730 (Roll Call No. 673). Had I been present, I would have voted yea.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise today in recognition of the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Council on American- Islamic Relations--Minnesota Chapter (CAIR-MN). CAIR-MN works, as part of a nationwide network of chapters, to diligently protect and enhance some of the fundamental principles that have shaped America since its inception. They fight to defend the constitutional right to religious freedom. They promote community engagement, inspire civic activism, and defend civil liberties. CAIR-MN's work with Muslims in America has expanded the notions of social justice in our communities and supported the active participation of all our nations' citizens and residents. Today, too many Americans have a distorted, inaccurate, or unclear understanding of Muslims, who they are, and what they believe. Fortunately, for ten years now, CAIR-MN has taken on the truly difficult, necessary, and rewarding task of dispelling misinformation, enhancing our society's understanding of Muslims and Islam, and combatting bigotry and intolerance. It is my hope that CAIR-MN will continue its remarkable contribution to our society for many more decades to come. Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing CAIR-MN for the ten years of invaluable service they have provided to the State of Minnesota and the United States of America.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Sergeant Major Robert Hawkins of the United States Army for his extraordinary dedication to duty and service to our Nation. Sergeant Major Hawkins will soon transition from his current assignment as an Army Congressional Legislative Liaison Officer in the House of Representatives to serve in The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology. A native of Alexandria, Virginia, Sergeant Major Hawkins began his military career as an Airborne Infantryman in 1990. He subsequently served in assignments to Fort Kobbe, Republic of Panama; Fort Myers, Florida; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and thrice at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Sergeant Major Hawkins has served in multiple leadership and staff positions throughout his career. His combat deployments include one tour in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and three tours in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2014, Sergeant Major Hawkins was selected as a Fellow in the Army Congressional Fellowship Program. He subsequently served twelve months as a Defense Legislative Fellow in my office, representing the First Congressional District of Minnesota. While working on my team, I came to know Sergeant Major Hawkins as a shining example of the Army Values set forth in the Noncommissioned Officer Creed. Competence is indeed Sergeant Major Hawkins' watchword, and his commitment to doing what good NCOs do, accomplishing the mission taking care of his teammates, was second to none. For next two years, Sergeant Major Hawkins served as a Congressional Legislative Liaison Officer in the United States Army House Liaison Division. As the primary liaison between Members of the House of Representatives, their Staffs, Committees, and the Army, he has provided insight and understanding of Army policies, actions, operations, and requirements. His first-hand knowledge of the military, its culture, and traditions has been of tremendous value to Congressional offices. Sergeant Major Hawkins was especially effective in his service to Members and staff as he escorted them on fact-finding and oversight delegations within and outside the United States. Members and staff found him to be a thoughtful, intelligent, and dedicated Soldier in the best traditions of America's Armed Forces. Mr. Speaker, it has been a pleasure to know and serve with Sergeant Major Hawkins during his time as an Army Congressional Fellow and Congressional Legislative Liaison Officer in the House of Representatives. On behalf of a grateful Nation, it is my honor to recognize the selfless service and sacrifice of Sergeant Major Robert Hawkins and his family. I wish Sergeant Major Hawkins the very best as he begins a new chapter of dedicated service to our nation in the United States Army.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I was absent for the votes on the Motion to Go To Conference on H.R. 1 (Roll Call No. 653) and the Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 1 (Roll Call No. 654). Had I been present, I would have voted nay on Roll Call No. 653 and I would have voted yea on Roll Call No. 654.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I was absent for rollcall Nos. 655 (on the passage of H.R. 3731), and 656 (on the passage of H.R. 3317). Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on both these votes. Personal Explanation

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I was absent for Roll Call No. 624 (on the passage of H.R. 3071). Had I been present, I would have voted yes.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the ranking member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, as the co-chair of the National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus, as the co-chair of the Congressional Veterans Jobs Caucus, and probably more importantly, as a retired enlisted soldier to bring to your attention a number of provisions in the GOP tax bill that will negatively impact the men and women currently serving and transitioning from the United States military. Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear. Tax reform is a laudable goal. It would have been nice had we actually done it, had we actually had debates, had we actually had witnesses. Zero, zero, zero. What we have is a closed-door bill brought forward and forced upon the House. In my opinion, trying to think that the American people would not watch what happens here is pretty risky. These are folks in the military who risked everything to give us the right to debate things here. We should at least probably debate their future in an open manner. I hope we will strongly consider, Mr. Speaker, each of these following provisions in this bill that will put the prosperity of America's heroes at risk. As the legislation is written, this tax plan includes provisions that will specifically harm members and veterans to help pay for tax cuts for corporations and the ultrawealthy. How can you justify giving a tax cut for carrying interest, but not for carrying a rucksack? That is what that vote will be today. Be very clear about this. When you cast your ``yes'' vote, you are being very clear. The first thing it does is it repeals tax credits proven to help veterans find employment when they come home, such as the repeal of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which includes the Help Hire Our Heroes Act. This credit is available to employers who hire veterans who have a service-connected disability, or are unemployed, or receive SNAP benefits. Between 2013 and 2015, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit helped nearly 300,000 veterans find employment. But, again, don't take my word for it. The people who are telling you not to do this are the Air Force Sergeants Association, the United States Air Force Association, AMVETS, Army Aviation Association of America, Association of the United States Army, Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, Gold Star Wives of America, Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America, Marine Corps League, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. They are telling you, if you vote ``yes,'' you are hurting the opportunities of America's veterans. The GOP tax bill also repeals the disabled access tax credit. This simply allows small businesses to claim a tax expenditure when they make their buildings more accessible for people with disabilities. Its elimination will discourage small businesses from making their workplaces accessible and friendly to those disabled veterans. Mr. Speaker, by eliminating the deduction for interest payments or student loans, the GOP tax bill will make education even more expensive or out of reach for our veterans. While the GI Bill pays a portion of it, it does not pay it all. A large percentage of veterans also rely on student loans. This will hurt many veterans who rely on that to make school work. This bill will make it more expensive for military families to sell their homes. How wrong is that? The bill requires a homeowner to have owned and lived in a home for at least 5 years of the last 8 years to get a tax exemption on the money made from the sale of their home. No one serves in one location that long. No exemption was written in it. Had it been brought to the floor, we would have offered an amendment, and I bet you money, my Republican colleagues would have accepted it. They didn't get that chance because somebody wrote it for them and passed it down here and is going to tell them to vote ``yes'' on it. That is simply wrong. I don't question their commitment to veterans. I question the way they wrote this bill. That is real life. These things will really happen, and it is verified by all kinds of outside sources. By repealing the medical expense deduction, the GOP tax bill will hurt veterans struggling with costly medical bills. Most veterans aren't in the VA. Most veterans don't qualify for the VA because they make more money than the threshold, or they are not disabled to the point where they get there. So most of them receive their health benefits through their employer. But when those expenses get too great, one of the things we have in current tax law is they are allowed to deduct those expenses. They are taking that away. When you vote ``yes'' today, you are taking that away and giving billionaires a tax break. Once again, it is going to be a choice. It is very simple, yes or no; green light, red light. You will be able to decide on that. This hurts veterans. By prioritizing corporations and the ultrawealthy over the middle class, they are directly harming veterans. Be very clear: a veteran's median income is $37,466. They are not going to see savings from this bill. If they are a disabled veteran or have a child going to college, they will pay more so that a very few of us can get a tax break. Corporations, by the way, can deduct State and local taxes. Veterans can't. A corporation can deduct property tax. There is a lot more in here that is bad. Bring this back to the floor. Work with us. Protect America's heroes. Do what is right.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I was absent for rollcall No. 622 (on the passage of H.R. 2201). Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this vote.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Florida for his long service to this Nation's veterans, as well as his family's service to our veterans. It is appropriate we are here the week of Veterans Day bringing important legislation to the floor once again, a committee that understands our responsibility, is not political or partisan, it is to this Nation's veterans in keeping the promise. Mr. Speaker, I do rise in strong support of H.R. 918, as amended, the Veteran Urgent Access to Mental Healthcare Act offered by Mr. Coffman. I would also like to take note of the work that Mr. Coffman has done on many issues. This one, in particular, is near and dear to my heart. His leadership has helped get us to the point where we are making progress on this. As you heard the gentleman from Florida say, the issues that come with service in this Nation's military can be physical injury or they can be the mental injuries of war. We also understand that with that comes changes in behavior, and there are reasons that people are removed from service, and I am incredibly proud that this committee has taken this issue head-on. Of those who are removed because of issues that they started to acquire from their service in uniform, this legislation is going to ensure that those people with less than honorable discharges get the care; specifically, focusing on military sexual trauma, the idea that we have warriors in uniform who are assaulted, in many cases, by fellow servicemembers, and because of the inability to reintegrate in that unit, they are discharged with less than honorable paper, precluding them from getting the services that they have earned. With more than 20 veterans a day--and I think those numbers are probably low--taking their own lives, this issue of making sure that all servicemembers and all veterans have access to mental healthcare, removing those barriers, is of prime importance. Secretary Shulkin has made the first step in this. Mr. Coffman has continued to make sure that this committee stays focused on this, continuing to add more and more access. For that, this legislation ensures the initiative becomes permanent. It puts it into law and it takes us the next step forward. For that, I am grateful. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. O'Rourke), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, but, more importantly, probably the most effective voice in this Congress on veterans' mental health and suicide.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I have two more speakers. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Gabbard), a veteran herself, a veteran of the conflicts in Iraq, and a strong voice for our veterans and specifically for our veterans with mental health issues.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Kilmer), who, since coming to Congress, has focused on the issues of care for veterans, and for that I am grateful.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to thank all of the speakers here who laid out exactly what this bill does. It is the right thing to do. It is something that needs to move forward. I would also suggest that, as we approach Veterans Day, one of the best ways we can honor those who gave service to this country is conduct our business in the House of Representatives the way it was done on this piece of legislation: in a bipartisan manner, with common goals, common values, smart thinking that was put into it to move this forward for the care of a fellow citizen, and doing the right thing. So, for that, I thank everyone involved with this, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 918. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1133. And, again, the gentleman was very clear: by allowing the VA to provide healthcare to non-VA eligible donors, veterans can more easily receive lifesaving donations from their families and friends. Family members of veterans are often the best match for providing a veteran with a live organ donation and are typically more willing to be a live donor. Under current law, a veteran can receive only a live organ donation from another veteran receiving the transplant at a VA hospital. This is one of those pieces of legislation that, I think, when many of us saw it brought forward, makes great common sense. It is the right thing to do. I understand possibly why they put that in there. But all of us know that it is going to be that exact scenario that it is going to be a family member or someone near who is going to want to do the transplant. If the best place to do that for the veteran is at the VA hospital, and they can get them in, it makes great sense to do it. So I do want to also thank Representative Carter for bringing this forward. This is, again, improving care, and making sure that we are focusing on the issues that we can make a difference on. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I thank Judge Carter. Everybody make note of this. Common sense is going to prevail. We are in full support of H.R. 1133. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote accordingly, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the manager's amendment to H.R. 1900, as amended, the National Veterans Memorial and Museum Act. I would also like to say that when I came to Congress, this is how I thought things were supposed to work: citizens come together, they come up with a great idea, they decide that they are going to honor our Nation's veterans, they talk to their Members of Congress, they bring it here, we all work together, we come up with a plan to put it in place, and we come to the floor to pass a piece of legislation. This is one of those times where that little cartoon, ``I am just a bill sitting on Capitol Hill,'' actually worked that way. For that, I am grateful for the work that has been done. I would especially like to thank Chairman Roe for his willingness, as we looked at this bill, to put some guardrails in place making sure that before we designate the memorial and museum to U.S. veterans of all eras, that it truly is the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. The materials provided to Members of the Veterans' Affairs Committee clearly demonstrate the intent to create an architecturally stunning, state-of-the-art institution in the heart of the country that honors veterans and educates the country about those sacrifices. That is an incredibly noble cause. Just as important to the eventual success of this effort is the responsibility of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee to ensure that it be established and operated to the highest possible standards forever, as are the museums and cemeteries under its jurisdiction run by the National Cemetery Administration and the American Battle Monuments Commission. I feel the legislation we are voting on today does exactly that. Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the efforts of the gentlewoman from Columbus, Ohio (Mrs. Beatty). I would also like to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stivers) for working with us on this. The gentleman truly represents the best of what it means to be a representative. His good-faith effort to continue to improve on a piece of legislation, taking in the concerns that people had to make it work, it is, to me, incredibly encouraging. I thank the gentleman for that. His work is going to ensure that this is going to be a spectacular museum and monument to our Nation's veterans. Under the bill before us today, the museum will submit a report to Congress before it opens. The report will address the issues of budget, governance, operations, vision, and veteran outreach. There is a provision we are adding as part of the manager's amendment that allows Congress to remove that designation after 5 years. We will not need to do that. This will be a wonderful facility. We put this in place as part of our responsibility of oversight. With the addition of these provisions, I believe the committee has done its due diligence before recommending the House to confer this national designation. In addition, it has put in place the necessary guardrails to ensure that this will be built in Columbus, Ohio, to the highest standards. I am proud to say this will be the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his words. I appreciate his work. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty), a staunch and truly effective advocate for her constituents and for veterans across this Nation. This museum will reside in her district.