Brad Wenstrup

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support Mr. Barr's legislation, the Otto Warmbier North Korea Nuclear Sanctions Act. North Korea has continued to prove a dangerous and destabilizing force to the northeast Asian region, as well as to the United States and its allies. Its repeated missile tests, nuclear weapons tests, and heinous human rights violations demand that the United States continue its diplomatic and economic isolation campaign. Today's bill is named for my constituent, Otto Warmbier, from Wyoming, Ohio, in the greater Cincinnati area. Otto passed away on June 19 after spending 18 months in detention by the North Korean regime, the brutality of which was far beyond human decency or civility. The pain and heartache endured by Otto, his family, and his friends can never be undone or erased, but Congress can continue to take action by passing H.R. 3898 today and imposing the most far-reaching sanctions yet to be directed at North Korea. There is no simple solution to countering such complex national security threats, but it is critical that we utilize both economic and diplomatic tools to hold hostile regimes like North Korea accountable when they act repeatedly and aggressively against our interests, our allies, our citizens, and our security. Mr. Speaker, I strongly and sincerely urge support of this bill by every Member of this Chamber.

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of Charles L. Gribi, who recently left this earth on September 15, 2017. A Cincinnati native, Charles grew up in Riverside, and throughout his childhood held numerous jobs in an effort to support his family through the Great Depression. His compassion for the safety and service of others does not stop there. After winning a scholarship to Xavier University in Cincinnati, Charles enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at the start of World War II. His medals from World War II include the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with 5 clusters, each cluster representing an air battle. A revered Cincinnati native and WWII veteran are just two ways to describe Charles. He was also an adored father and grandfather, and he will be greatly missed. Thank you, Charles, for your life full of dedication to your country, your community, and your family.

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish a Happy 100th Birthday to Margaret Barger of New Richmond, OH. Throughout her 100 years of life, Margaret has been an incredible member of our community here in Ohio's Second District. It's people like her who set the example of how life should be lived to its fullest. A retired school teacher, Margaret has spent her life dedicated to the life and improvement of her community and those around her. Her public service and spirit is an example to others is admired. Margaret has made New Richmond a better place throughout her lifetime, through her kindness and dedication to all. Happy Birthday Margaret.

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish a happy 100th birthday to Vickie Hale of New Richmond, OH. Through her life, Vickie has been an incredible member of our community here in Ohio's Second District. It's people like her who make the world a lot nicer. A retired school teacher and member of the New Richmond Historical Society, Vickie has spent her life dedicated to the life and improvement of her community and those around her. Her public service and example to other is admired. VIckie, as well as her husband John, a World War II veteran, have made New Richmond a better place throughout their lifetime, through their kindness and dedication to all. Happy Birthday Vickie.

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the story of La Soupe, a local nonprofit here in Cincinnati, with the rest of the country and to recognize them for their contributions to our community. La Soupe is a non-profit organization run by a local chef, Suzy DeYoung. They take the food-waste donations of local grocery stores-- food that would otherwise be thrown out at the end of the day--and turn it into delicious soups, that are then given to people who are hungry. In 2016 alone, La Soupe successfully rescued 125,000 pounds of food from going to the landfill and donated over 95,000 servings to people living in food insecurity. La Soupe's impact in the Greater Cincinnati area should be shared with the country as we work to address poverty, and the challenges that Americans experiencing poverty face every day. La Soupe is a prime example of why the federal government needs to focus on empowering local poverty and hunger initiatives to thrive. They know the community best--and are positioned to provide the local solutions that are needed to help their neighbors. Thank you to Suzy, and the staff at La Soupe, for their dedication to the wellbeing of all members of our community. I look forward to watching the further success of La Soupe, and the impact it makes on Ohio's Second District, and the country.

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1058, the VA Provider Equity Act, as amended, which would strengthen access to the comprehensive first-class healthcare that veterans deserve. Podiatric care is one of the top needs at VA medical centers across the country. Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan report high rate of musculoskeletal ailments resulting from lower extremity injuries inflicted by improvised explosive devices. Veterans of previous wars also experience higher instances of foot and ankle ailments caused by aging, diabetes, and service-connected disabilities. All of this leads to increased demand for podiatric care at the VHA. However, VA struggles to recruit and retain podiatrists due to a disparity in pay and leadership opportunities in comparison to both podiatrists in the private sector and to other physicians employed by the VA. This is because VA first established standards for podiatrists in 1976, and podiatric education, training, and practice have changed considerably since that time. Nonetheless, VA's outdated standards have remained unchanged. This has translated into increased wait times. As of 2015, 93 percent of new podiatry patients wait more than 15 days for an appointment, and podiatry is the fourth most referred-out surgical service to community care. My bill, H.R. 1058, the VA Provider Equity Act, would make VA's doctors of podiatric medicine equal to doctors of osteopathy and medical doctors within VA in terms of pay and ensure that VA podiatrists are eligible for the same promotions and leadership opportunities as other VA physicians, which is consistent with the private sector. This bill will make it easier for VA to recruit and retain the specialists our veterans so desperately need. In turn, this will result in better care for veterans and savings to the taxpayer, as a recent study from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that podiatry services provided to diabetic patients could have saved between $29 million and $97 million in 2014, in the State of California alone. Mr. Speaker, as the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and the rest of our colleagues in Congress continue to work together to help our veterans receive the care they need, I urge the passage of this bill.

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Byrne), my friend and colleague.

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the Nadler amendment.

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Chairman, the Nadler amendment would allow detainees currently housed at GTMO to be transferred to the United States. As in previous conflicts, it is appropriate and lawful to hold detainees that we engage in our armed conflicts. Guantanamo is the safest and most appropriate location to house these detainees. Members can visit there. It is secure and relatively distant from the United States. Moving to the U.S. puts our homeland and citizens at risk. Our enemies have, when able, attacked and, on occasion, freed detainees, even committing suicide to do it. I have seen the attempts. I have served in Iraq at a detention facility. And as far as Guantanamo being a recruitment tool, it might just be a recruitment tool, and here is why. Because if you are caught trying to kill Americans and committing acts of terrorism, you get to go to a Caribbean island that provides humane conditions for the detainees. Go visit there and you will see that. They have appropriate access to healthcare, the same healthcare that our troops get. They have recreational activities, and they have cultural and religious materials. But, more important than anything else, our troops, and the detainees that they hold there, are all safer in Cuba. It is very difficult to sneak up and attack Guantanamo Bay. The recent terrorist attacks in Europe should remind us all that there is significant risk, and that we face significant risk in this world. Yes, we wish the war on terror was over. But guess what. It is not. This would only increase the risk right here in our own backyards. Congress has passed, and the President has signed into law, restrictions on Guantanamo detainee transfers to the U.S. every year since fiscal year 2010. To house these terrorists, these enemies of freedom on our own land is dangerous. I ask for your support in defeating this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon), my friend and colleague.

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Stefanik), my friend and colleague.

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

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I missed two votes on June 22. If I were present, I would have voted on the following: Rollcall No. 316: On Ordering the Previous Question, ``yea.'' Rollcall No. 317: On Passage of H. Res. 396, ``yea.'' personal explanation

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding, and I appreciate the opportunity to talk about this. You know, as a physician, we take an oath. We say: Do no harm. And today in America and here in Washington, D.C., we are debating physician-assisted suicide, where we are authorizing physicians to take someone's life--to assist in taking someone's life. To me, this undermines the very thing that healthcare is all about. Who is most affected in this situation? Our most vulnerable citizens: the disabled and the poor. As a doctor, I can tell you, what has always been in my heart is this is about care and about comfort, and those are our priorities. Physician-assisted suicide does not provide comfort. It merely ends life. In Washington, D.C., a doctor can decide that you may be going to die within 6 months if you have a terminal disease--a terminal disease if you are untreated. Many terminal diseases would be terminal if they are not treated. With that, the doctor can write a prescription. There is no tracking of that prescription once it is given and there is no witness of the patient taking this prescription. They can simply go home to die alone. In one State where there is physician-assisted suicide, they have had an increase in suicides outside of physician-assisted suicides. I think that what we are saying to too many people is: You are not needed. Again, this undermines what I think we are all about and what healthcare should be all about. I think of the movie, ``It's a Wonderful Life,'' which so many people watch every Christmastime. Mr. Potter says to George Bailey: ``George, you are worth more dead than alive.'' Is that really who we want to be? As a resident in Chicago in the 1980s, one of our responsibilities was to do physical exams on everyone admitted to the hospital regardless of what they were admitted for. I can remember a doctor coming up to me and saying: We just admitted our first AIDS patient, but you don't have to go see him. And this is a time when people didn't know what was going on, what was causing this, how it was being spread. And I thought that was wrong and I went in anyway to examine this patient. I had to go in like it was a lunar landing because there was so much uncertainty about what was causing death to so many people. This patient was very sick. I learned so much from this one patient because there were so many things wrong, but it didn't compare to what I learned when I finished that exam and he looked at me and said: You just examined me more than anyone. I have never forgotten, throughout my entire medical career, the value of human life and what it must feel like to be discarded. He died the next day. I still know his name. And he taught me a valuable lesson on his very last day of life: Healthcare is about cures, it is about caring, it is about compassion, and society should be about the same thing, and the ideal that every person has value until their very last breath. I am pleased to say that the President's budget addresses this issue, and we will, too, here in the House because you and your loved ones matter.

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Buddy LaRosa for his countless years of service to the city of Cincinnati, having touched the lives of so many. Recently, West Elder Street near Findlay Market in Cincinnati was renamed Buddy LaRosa Way. The exact spot was picked because, according to Buddy, that is the exact spot where he sold shopping bags for 3 cents when he was 10 years old. This was the beginning of his successful pizza empire, LaRosa's Pizza, a Cincinnati favorite. But great pizza isn't Buddy's only contribution to the Cincinnati area, not by a long shot. Buddy is one of the most generous people I have had the pleasure of knowing through my life. He has dedicated his time and energy, making many contributions supporting the people of our community and changing their lives. Naming Buddy LaRosa Way is a reminder of how the city of Cincinnati has been forever positively changed by Buddy LaRosa's heart and soul. Thank you, Buddy.

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Major General David Wilmot on his retirement from the United States Army, and to thank him for his dedicated service to the United States of America. During Major General Wilmot's many years of service in the Army, including his most recent assignment as the Deputy Surgeon General for the Army National Guard, Assistant Surgeon General for Quality and Safety, and Deputy Chief of Staff, Quality and Safety, Office of the Surgeon General of the Army, he has proved a top leader in medical readiness, shaping readiness, health care, and personnel issues for the Army National Guard. In our current time of needed growth and development of the United States Armed Forces, medical readiness and personal is more necessary than ever, to ensure our warfighters are properly equipped for the job our country sends them to do. Major General Wilmot's experience has truly been a service to this country, and those who fight for its freedom. Congratulations to Major General Wilmot on his retirement.

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Colonel Steven Owens on his retirement from the United States Army, and to thank him for his dedicated service to the United States of America. Colonel Owens' many years of service include a deployment as the ARNG Medical Advisor for the Multi-National Corps--Iraq Surgeon's Office, Baghdad, Iraq, where he was hand-selected to be 1st Corps Surgeon's Liaison with the Iraqi Ground Forces Command Surgeon and Medical Trainer for COIN. I have had the pleasure of serving under Colonel Owens, in his assignment as Deputy Director for Reserve Affairs and Sr. ARNG Advisor at the Office of the Surgeon General at the Defense Health Headquarters, and have greatly appreciated his leadership and expertise. Congratulations to Colonel Owens, to his wife Lonna, on a new chapter, and I thank him for his mentorship and friendship.

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Colonel Damon Mathis on his retirement from the United States Army, and to thank him for his dedicated service to the United States of America. A recipient of the Expert Field Medical Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the British Parachutist Badge, the Army Staff Badge, and a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit, Colonel Mathis is a proven leader in military health. I've had the pleasure to serve with Colonel Mathis, in his assignment as Director of Reserve Affairs in the Office of the Surgeon General, and have greatly appreciated his leadership and expertise. Congratulations to Colonel Mathis, and to his wife Jane, on a new chapter, and thank him for his mentorship and friendship.

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Major General Margaret Wilmoth on her retirement from the United States Army, and to thank her for her dedicated service to the United States of America. A true leader and trailblazer in her field, Major General Wilmoth served as the first nurse and female commanding general of a medical brigade with responsibility for wartime readiness of all the U.S. Army Reserve medical assets in the Southeastern United States, including Puerto Rico. A recipient of the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Expert Field Medical Badge, and the `9A' Proficiency Designator in Medical-Surgical Nursing awarded by The Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, Major General Wilmoth has been a true leader and expert in the U.S. Army Reserves, and in shaping military health care. Congratulations to Major General Wilmoth on her retirement.

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in gratitude for the hard work and commitment of Lieutenant Colonel Vincent B. Myers, who has served as the Medical Army Legislative Liaison to my office for the past two years. A Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army and an experienced health care provider, Vince has been essential to my office and the House Armed Services Committee, as we work toward the goal of enhancing medical readiness and providing top care for our service members. On May 11, Vince will continue his committed service to the United States as he takes command of McDonald Army Health Center at Fort Eustis, Virginia. I know that in this role, Vince will serve with conviction and honor. I congratulate Vince, and thank him for his work and friendship.

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, along with my colleagues in the Ohio delegation, to congratulate Congressman Steve Stivers on his promotion from colonel to brigadier general of the Ohio National Guard. Ohio is a State rich in history and a long list of American leaders who call it home. Steve's promotion marks another milestone in our great State's history. Steve Stivers, a native of Ripley, Ohio, and proud Ohio State Buckeye, is the first brigadier general since Rutherford B. Hayes to represent Ohio in Congress. Rutherford B. Hayes represented my district, the Second District of Ohio, from 1865 to 1867, before going on to serve as Governor of Ohio and then President of the United States. On behalf of the Ohio delegation, we offer congratulations and our gratitude for Steve's service. Mr. Speaker, Steve Stivers' leadership adds to our State's storied legacy of servant leaders and citizen soldiers. Our State and our Nation are fortunate that Steve Stivers has dedicated his life to defending the cause of freedom both in the ranks of the National Guard and in the Halls of Congress.

Mr. WENSTRUP

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed.

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. WENSTRUP. Mr. Chair, my manager's amendment makes a number of minor technical changes to the reported version of the bill and would significantly reduce discretionary costs while maintaining the overall intent of the bill. The biggest change that would be made in the manager's amendment is the removal of section 11 of the bill, which would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to track a number of hiring effectiveness metrics. That section alone scored at $6 million because the Congressional Budget Office expected that the VA would have to hire an additional employee in each Veterans Integrated Service Network in order to gather that information. I disagree with that assertion and I intend to continue working on that provision to, hopefully, include it in future legislation in some form. In addition, the manager's amendment would authorize but not require the VA to track and match qualified job applicants for vacant positions using the recruiting database that the bill would establish. The CBO estimated that the VA would have to hire up to 40 additional employees with an average compensation of $100,000 per year to accomplish that task, meaning that provision in total would cost $19 million. Again, I disagree with the assertion that such a task could not be accomplished using existing staff. The Subcommittee on Health, which I am proud to chair, is holding an oversight hearing next week where I intend to ask the VA how the Department would utilize the recruiting database and whether it would entail additional employees. Should it appear that the VA would not use the recruiting database to identify qualified candidates for open positions in a timely manner and to promptly fill prolonged vacancies, I will certainly reconsider mandating that in future legislation. The manager's amendment would also stipulate that the additional human resources training that the bill would require be done virtually. Finally, it would extend the timeline to implement the executive management fellowship program from 90 days to 1 year, which would provide the VA additional time to set up this important new leadership development program and would extend the GAO reporting deadline from 1 to 2 years, which would provide the GAO additional time to complete their investigation into the VA succession planning. Mr. Chair, I urge the adoption of the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.