Bruce Westerman

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I again thank the gentleman from Tennessee for his work on this legislation. I thank the chairman and the chairwoman for their work on this package of bills. Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 328. members recorded pursuant to house resolution 8, 117th congress Adams (Brown) Burgess (Lucas) Cooper (Clark (MA)) DeFazio (Brown) Frankel, Lois (Clark (MA)) Garcia (TX) (Escobar) Hice (GA) (Greene (GA)) Huffman (Stanton) Khanna (Bowman) Kirkpatrick (Stanton) Lawson (FL) (Evans) Lynch (Trahan) Meng (Jeffries) Moore (WI) (Beyer) Napolitano (Correa) Ocasio-Cortez (Escobar) Payne (Pallone) Rodgers (WA) (Joyce (PA)) Rush (Underwood) Salazar (Cammack) Sires (Pallone) Tlaib (Omar) Wasserman Schultz (Soto) Wilson (FL) (Hayes)

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, it is great to represent the great State of Arkansas. I want to say thank you to the HEAT Team and to Mr. Joyce for holding this Special Order on the Democrats' assault on American energy. As gas prices have recently reached the highest level since 2014, Americans are seeing the effects of the decisions that were made on day one by President Biden. In the Natural Resources Committee, Democrats continue to attack safe and reliable energy production, spend millions to kill American energy jobs, impose new taxes and fees on working families, and make our Nation more reliant than ever on foreign adversaries for critical minerals and energy resources we could be producing more cleanly, cheaply, and effectively right here at home. One glaring example of that--and there are many--is in the Natural Resources Committee when we marked up this atrocious, now $5\1/2\ trillion, spending bill that the Democrats are trying to push through Congress. There is actually a line item there, a $350 million line item to close down a copper mine. Now, Madam Speaker, how can you talk about green energy when you want to close down copper mines in the United States? Now, this copper mine is in Arizona, and it was agreed to on a bipartisan bill by Senators Harry Reid and John McCain. The mine is being developed. As a matter of fact, the owner of the mine has spent $2 billion developing this mine. It is 7,000 feet below ground, but Democrats want to yank that lease out of their hands. They want to close it down. Now, what does that tell investors who want to invest in mining in America? It says: We are closed. We are not open for business. Madam Speaker, you can look at numerous other examples. A cancelation of the Keystone XL pipeline immediately eliminated 1,000 union jobs as well as 10,000 projected jobs associated with the project. The President's ban on Federal oil and gas leasing has resulted in lost revenues for energy producing States and led our National Security Advisor to beg OPEC Plus--which includes Russia, Iran, and Venezuela-- to increase supply and bail us out. If this administration's leasing bans become permanent, nearly 500,000 jobs could be lost by 2040. Additionally, in 2019, States received a total of $1.81 billion for mineral revenues and used these funds to support public schools, environmental restoration, coastal resiliency, and many of our important programs. This administration has disregarded the fact that energy development supports major environmental efforts at the Federal level, such as the Land and Water Conservation Fund which is specifically funded by offshore drilling revenues. To justify its actions, the administration has argued that a major scale-up in renewables will replace lost jobs and generating capacity. That is nonsense. Forcing a national switch to alternative energy against market forces will result in massive unemployment, higher energy prices, and possibly rolling blackouts from insufficient power. The Democrat's plan simply will not work. It will not work for the economy, and it will not work for the environment. Here is why it won't work: The Democrat's plan is all about electric vehicles. We are going to make electric vehicles. Well, Madam Speaker, if you look at global greenhouse gas emissions, the U.S. accounts for 15 percent of it. Transportation is 29 percent. If you could eliminate every internal combustion engine, Madam Speaker, you would only affect global emissions by a little over 4 percent, and that is if you didn't have to use fossil fuels and emit carbon to make the electricity to power these cars. We are talking about a minimal impact on global carbon at a huge cost for American consumers. We don't even have the grid that can handle all of these electric vehicles. There are many, many technical problems with it. China, the world's greatest polluter, last year built 38 gigawatts of coal power plants. That is one large coal-fired plant every week. We have to ask ourselves: Why would China go to coal? That is simple. It is because coal is reliable, and coal is low cost. When we look at what our energy policies should be here in the United States and when we look at what will actually work for our economy and especially for the global environment, we should be asking ourselves: How do we make the most reliable, lowest cost, and the cleanest technology--technology that developing countries will adopt? Because they are not going to adopt expensive technology. They are going to continue building old technology. We have got to be the innovators if we truly want to affect the global environment. Again, I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this important matter, and I appreciate the gentleman for hosting this Special Order.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt we need infrastructure funding in this country. Too bad we couldn't have taken this bill through committee and debated that. But oh what a tangled web we weave when we practice first to deceive. Mr. Speaker, my, my, what a tangled web of deceit House Democrats have woven, with this bill as only one of the threads. Let's take a brief look at a couple of the biggest lies that are spun in this dangerous web. The first lie is that this is a bipartisan infrastructure bill. This bill is not bipartisan, and Democrats know it. You can't have a bipartisan House bill that didn't go through committee that will not go to conference and has no Republican amendments. If you want a bipartisan bill, then stop the deceit. Pull this bill, send it to committee, and let's go through the bipartisan process. The second lie is that this is an infrastructure bill. Mr. Speaker, a half truth is a lie, and saying this is an infrastructure bill is like saying that a hurricane is a rain shower. There are rain showers in a hurricane, but there is so much more, just like there is some infrastructure in this bill, but there is so much more. In fact, this $1.2 trillion bill is just a down payment on the $5.5 trillion package that looks like it was developed at a socialist symposium on taxing and spending. It is deceitful to say that this is a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. It is only the beginning, and it is intricately linked to trillions more. This is a down payment on trillions more spending that slaps American taxpayers in the face with line items such as the $200 million line item for Speaker Pelosi's neighborhood golf and country club, Presidio Park, that is surrounded by billionaires living in $30 million homes. I urge my colleagues not to adopt this bill, which is just the beginning. Its passage would be the beginning of the end of our country as we know it. I urge a ``no'' vote.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Cory P. Collins, a Fire and Emergency Services Engineer at Pine Bluff Fire Station No. 6 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Engineer Collins passed away on August 21, 2021, after a battle with COVID-19. Cory was a 9-year veteran of Pine Bluff Fire and Emergency Services where he served his community honorably alongside fellow emergency responders who were like brothers to him. He excelled as a firefighter and was promoted to engineer in May 2018. Engineer Collins was a ``jack of all trades,'' and in his free time, he enjoyed working on numerous projects, spending time with his family, and escaping to the outdoors. He will be greatly missed by his family, his brothers and sisters at Pine Bluff Fire and Emergency Services, and by his community. I take this time today to honor Engineer Collins' exceptional service to our Pine Bluff community. His steadfast approach and dedication to his neighbors during the current public health crises will be forever cherished. With a heavy heart, I thank Engineer Collins and his family for their unwavering dedication to the city of Pine Bluff and surrounding area.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for the hard work that went into preparing this NDAA. I rise today in support of one amendment in particular included in this en bloc package, which would add the bipartisan Alexander Lofgren Veterans and Parks Act or the VIP Act to the bill. The VIP Act would provide free lifetime passes to our national parks and public lands for veterans and Gold Star family members and free annual passes for active duty military members. I am a proud cosponsor of both the amendment and identical legislation which passed the House earlier this year with an amazing 420 in favor to zero against vote with over 150 bipartisan cosponsors. Senator Sinema and Senator Boozman from my home State of Arkansas are leading the bipartisan Senate companion of this legislation. In addition to its broad support here in Congress, the VIP Act has also been endorsed by over 60 organizations representing a diverse coalition of conservation, recreation, and veterans' groups. In just the past month, as we have watched the horrible situation unfolding in Afghanistan, the country has awoken again to the sacrifice and heroism displayed by our brave men and women in uniform. These men and women often return home carrying both visible and invisible wounds from their time in combat. During the Biden administration's botched evacuation of Afghanistan, the VA's crisis hotline had a 9 percent uptick in calls. Despite the fact that suicide rates among veterans were the lowest in 12 years, an average of 17 veterans per day still died by suicide in 2019. That is what makes this amendment so vital now more than ever. Our outdoors can be a place of healing and hope for our veterans, particularly wounded or paralyzed veterans who turn to nature for solace and comfort. Financial barriers should not be a factor for our veterans as they try to access the majestic and iconic parts of our country that they fought so hard to defend. Our veterans, active duty military, and Gold Star families deserve permanent, free access that can never be taken away from them. While we can never fully repay the debt we owe to our veterans and Gold Star families, this amendment is a small gesture to symbolize their sacrifices were not in vain, and that they we will never forget their bravery and heroism. That is why I am also a strong supporter of an amendment that passed in an earlier en bloc passage to locate the Global War on Terrorism Memorial on the National Mall here in Washington, D.C. Our Nation's patriots who selflessly fought to defend this Nation in the wake of terror attacks against our homeland deserve nothing less than a lasting tribute in our Nation's capitol in a place of prominence on the National Mall. I strongly support the amendment and would urge the eventual NDAA conferees to ensure it stays in the final text and will fight to make sure that it does. Before I conclude, I would be remiss if I didn't mention several wildfire-related amendments. I believe that better pay and benefits for our wildland firefighters is both well-deserved and well-earned, but we must address both the short- and long-term issues facing our firefighters and Federal lands; which means addressing the catastrophic forest health crisis through better management. Nearly six million acres have burned this year, and States like California and Oregon saw some of the largest fires in their State's history. Fire seasons are getting longer and more intense because of our lack of forest management, which in turn puts a heavy physical, mental, and emotional strain on our wildland firefighters. I would like to extend an invitation to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to work on this issue together so that we stop putting our firefighters in impossible situations year after year. I urge my colleagues to support the Miller-Meeks, Gallego, Westerman, and Grijalva amendment.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 256. members recorded pursuant to house resolution 8, 117th congress Aderholt (Moolenaar) Amodei (Balderson) Barragan (Raskin) Beyer (Connolly) Blumenauer (Bonamici) Bowman (Omar) Brownley (Clark (MA)) Calvert (Garcia (CA)) Cardenas (Correa) Comer (Keller) Curtis (Moore (UT)) Davids (KS) (Kim (NJ)) DeFazio (Brown) DeGette (Blunt Rochester) DeSaulnier (Thompson (CA)) Deutch (Rice (NY)) Diaz-Balart (Cammack) Duncan (Babin) Emmer (Cammack) Escobar (Garcia (TX)) Fleischmann (Bilirakis) Frankel, Lois (Clark (MA)) Gaetz (Gosar) Garbarino (Miller-Meeks) Garamendi (Sherman) Garcia (IL) (Garcia (TX)) Gomez (Raskin) Granger (Cole) Graves (MO) (Long) Grijalva (Stanton) Hagedorn (Meuser) Harshbarger (Kustoff) Herrera Beutler (Simpson) Jayapal (Raskin) Johnson (TX) (Jeffries) Katko (Malliotakis) Kelly (IL) (Clarke (NY)) Khanna (Lee (CA)) Kind (Connolly) Kirkpatrick (Stanton) Lawson (FL) (Evans) Luetkemeyer (Long) Maloney, Carolyn B. (Clarke (NY)) McEachin (Wexton) McHenry (Budd) McNerney (Huffman) Meeks (Perlmutter) Meijer (Moore (UT)) Meng (Jeffries) Moore (AL) (Brooks) Moulton (McGovern) Mullin (Lucas) Napolitano (Correa) Nehls (Jackson) Newman (Casten) Nunes (Garcia (CA)) Payne (Pallone) Pingree (Kuster) Pocan (Raskin) Porter (Wexton) Pressley (Omar) Reed (Arrington) Reschenthaler (Meuser) Rodgers (WA) (Joyce (PA)) Roybal-Allard (Aguilar) Ruiz (Correa) Rush (Underwood) Salazar (Cammack) Sanchez (Aguilar) Scott, David (Cartwright) Sires (Pallone) Steel (Obernolte) Stefanik (Tenney) Steube (Cammack) Stevens (Dingell) Stewart (Owens) Strickland (Larsen (WA)) Suozzi (Panetta) Thompson (PA) (Meuser) Timmons (Cammack) Titus (Connolly) Tonko (Pallone) Torres (CA) (Correa) Trone (Connolly) Vargas (Correa) Velazquez (Clarke (NY)) Wagner (Long) Walorski (Baird) Watson Coleman (Pallone) Wilson (FL) (Hayes) Welch (McGovern) Young (Malliotakis)

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with Mr. Newhouse and my colleagues to discuss the catastrophic drought situation facing the Western United States. In my home State of Arkansas, we usually have plenty of water throughout all four seasons, but the West is different. As the lead Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee, I have heard personal accounts from folks across the West about the crippling effects of the Western drought both in the past and the present. This map shows the vast majority of the West is under severe drought. While we can certainly take short-term action to mitigate drought, we must ask ourselves two questions to solve this issue long-term. First, how did we get here; and, next, how can we avoid another situation like this one? Before we answer these questions, some important context is necessary. Decades ago, water engineers understood that the arid West would remain dry and its rivers went through boom and bust cycles of floods followed by intense drought. Under the initial direction of President Teddy Roosevelt, who signed the landmark Reclamation Act of 1902, dams were built to capture water in wet times for people to use during the dry times. Major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Denver, would not exist today if it weren't for these projects. Consumers nationwide still enjoy the fruits, nuts, and vegetables produced by these waters. Yet, starting in the 1970s, serial litigants began weaponizing a series of well-intended laws to curtail these projects. The Endangered Species Act has been the particular weapon of choice for many of the organizations that are actually headquartered in the cities created by water projects. Not only did litigation compromise existing projects, but it also prevented us from building additional dams. Our current policies failed to measure accountability and results for environmental actions, and our bureaucracy has a paralysis-by-analysis approach when it comes to building new dams. We put a man on the Moon in shorter time than it takes just to study a new dam today. Our California Republican colleagues did something about this. They authored, along with Senator Dianne Feinstein, an innovative law signed by President Obama in 2016 that streamlined the dam studies and facilitated construction. The Trump administration then moved at a record pace to finish the never-ending studies on potential dams throughout the West. But today, the other side of the aisle is blocking the reauthorization of that critical law and is halting progress on a process that provides an all-of-the-above strategy to water supplies. The drought is not only having impact on water supplies for our communities, but it is also making a terrible situation even worse in our poorly managed forests. Every night we see the newscasts about raging forest fires that are destroying communities and scorching habitat for endangered species like the northern spotted owl. For months now we have sounded the alarm, only to be met with inaction from both the administration and our Democrat colleagues. While water may not be abundant out West, it is abundantly clear the administration has no plan. In contrast, we do. We have the Resilient Federal Forests Act, the Trillion Trees Act, the reauthorization of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, and bringing balance to the Endangered Species Act, to name a few, so we can avoid the next drought. We have the ability to overcome and avoid droughts, but we must have the political will to act. The American people deserve nothing less. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber).

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous materials on the subject of my Special Order.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for reminding us that we do need to have our priorities in order, that there are important things that we are failing to address here in Congress. We are getting ready to break for the August break, and nothing will have been done to address wildfires or drought. I don't think that is what the American people deserve, nor what they want. It is a lack of priorities and a lack of leadership. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa), who understands agriculture because he is a farmer. He understands drought because he lives in California. He understands abundant water supplies because of where he lives in California. And he also understands catastrophic wildfire and how that is related to lack of management.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield to another gentleman from California, who certainly understands agriculture, and he understands drought conditions, water management. He is also a farmer. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Valadao).

Mr. WESTERMAN. I thank the gentleman again for his leadership on the Congressional Western Caucus. I thank him for the solutions-based approach he takes to problems, whether it is drought or other issues that we face with natural resources across the country. Hopefully, we can continue to work together and to bring more people in across the aisle that recognize that we do need to have action. Talking about things in D.C. don't solve farmers' problems in Washington State. It doesn't fix forest fire problems across the West and across the country. We need to talk and come to solutions and take action. So I do appreciate the gentleman's work. I yield to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert), who also lives in a place that is very prone to fire and is subject to drought.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Obernolte for bringing his expertise in water to the House floor. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Newhouse), the chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, someone who is no stranger to agriculture, no stranger to drought, and certainly no stranger to the importance of water.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments and for his work and for his solutions approach to what we can do to intervene in these drought situations. Next I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Obernolte), who is no stranger to dry conditions and to the effects of drought.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Stauber for his leadership on the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources and his participation in all the things we work on trying to do conservation through the Natural Resources Committee. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Bentz), whose district has been greatly affected by drought. He is the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife. He is a water lawyer. He has got experience both firsthand and academically.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California, and I also agree with him that we haven't taken action. D.C. is fiddling while the West burns again. Here we are, getting ready to break for August recess with nothing to show, nothing to tell the people in the West on what is being done to mitigate these wildfires, to mitigate the drought. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller- Meeks), who just got the VIP Act passed earlier today.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for highlighting how the drought is affecting the Midwest, not just the West, and for pointing out that our colleagues across the aisle and the administration not only have not taken any action and don't have a plan; they also won't listen to us who have plans, who want to take action. That is why we are here, why we are making this case that we have to take action. We can't just stand by and not try to do anything to help. Again, I thank the gentlewoman. She passed a bill with 420 votes affirmative and 0 against. I think she knows how to work in a bipartisan manner, and she wants to do solutions to help people. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore), another freshman Member from the West, who certainly understands drought and natural resources.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah. I turn now to California, an area of California that is very dry, an area that has experienced a lot of forest fires. From talking to this gentleman, I know that a lot of those forest fires can be prevented, that we could have an abundance of resources, yet we seem to waste and mismanage these resources. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock).

Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his leadership in the past in getting bipartisan legislation in place. I remember a couple of years ago I was out around South Lake Tahoe and I saw the fruits of the efforts of Representative McClintock, working in a bipartisan manner with many groups, to do the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, part of what was in the bipartisan WIIN Act. And I felt proud as an American from Arkansas to be in California and seeing the forest actually being managed and knowing that it was my colleague, Mr. McClintock, that pushed for that. And more of that needs to be done, enough of it is not happening. We need more land that gets treated like that. It looked like a park. From a forestry perspective, I would have maybe taken a few more trees out, but it was way better than what was left around it and it is making great progress, and that is because of solutions-based approaches to getting the job done and making a difference out on the ground. But we have got 80 million acres of forest land in this country that is subject to catastrophic wildfire. When you mix that with the drought conditions that we are seeing today, Madam Speaker, it is a recipe for disaster. Mr. McClintock talked about a lightning strike that was left to burn, when it could have been put out early. We see massive destruction. We are seeing that in eastern Oregon, and we will continue to see it. We are seeing one of the worst wildfire seasons that we have ever seen. I think Americans need to understand how important healthy forests are to good watersheds. Teddy Roosevelt knew that. He talked about the importance of developing the West and protecting the watersheds and the timber in the upper parts of the watersheds, because that timber acts as a filter. It acts like a sponge that holds water and releases it slowly so that you don't get all of it running off at one time. We have these massive forest fires, next comes the flooding and the landslides and the degradation to our streams. We want to help species like the Chinook salmon. But when we are washing the topsoil into the streams, that is not helping any kind of fish. We let wildfires burn right down to the edge of the stream. If we were doing forest management, we would thin the forest. We would be the gardener and the caretaker. We have solutions. We have proposed legislation but, unfortunately, Congress has failed to act. Not only has Congress failed to act, but Congress has failed to be able to come together and talk about these issues, and we need to do that. I hope that over this August recess my colleagues across the aisle will have a change of heart, so when we get back here in September, these bills will come to the floor, and we will do real bipartisan work that is good for the environment, that is good for the economy, and that is good for America. We stand ready to do that. Republicans are ready to work for the good of America--for rural America, and we want to make a difference. We invite our friends across the aisle to join us. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I also include in the Record several news articles that speak to the importance of this bill that have appeared in papers all across the country. Honoring America's Real VIPs (By Reps. Bruce Westerman (R-ARK.) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R- IOWA), Opinion Contributors) [From The Hill, July 4, 2021] This year, we celebrate the 245th birthday of the United States. Independence Day is a great day to picnic with friends, spend time outside, and enjoy a fireworks show, but it is also much more than that. It is our duty to honor the men and women who, for the past two and a half centuries, have kept our county free. We owe a debt of gratitude to American military members and their families and we want to repay them in a very small way by giving them lifetime access to our national parks. There are few things that instill American pride quite like watching the sun set over the Grand Canyon, seeing bison roam through Yellowstone, or hiking through the forest in Acadia. From sea to shining sea, we are a nation of incredible beauty and biodiversity. Congress recognizes the mental and physical health benefits of outdoor recreation for current servicemembers and veterans. Last December Congress passed and President Trump signed legislation establishing an interagency task force to identify barriers and make recommendations to increase the use of public lands and other outdoor spaces for veteran medical treatment. Removing barriers and increasing access to our public lands is exactly why we have introduced the bipartisan Veterans in Parks (VIP) Act: to give servicemembers, veterans, and Gold Star families free passes to all national parks and federal recreational lands for life. It is the least we can do for those who gave so much for our country. Currently, active duty servicemembers and veterans are able to receive a one- year free access pass to all parks with entrance fees. With more than 135 co-sponsors, the VIP Act would codify the active duty and veterans passes, as well as make the pass for veterans a lifetime pass. It would also amend the previously codified Gold Star families annual pass and make it a lifetime pass. As a veteran of the U.S. Army who served for 24 years, Congresswoman Miller-Meeks is no stranger to the myriad hardships that come from being a member of the military. We both are also privileged to represent a host of servicemembers in Congress and want to make it even easier for them to enjoy time with family and friends in America's most beautiful landscapes. Our national parks are for all of us. No one is more worthy of experiencing open access to these incredible places than the men and women who fought to keep us free and the families who made the ultimate sacrifice. Unfortunately, it is often all too easy to pay lip service to the military's sacrifice but then not follow through with action to recognize their service. We aim to change that, one legislative recognition at a time. If you or a member of your family has been a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, we are grateful for your service, today and every day. We hope to see you in a national park soon.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to speak today in support of H.R. 4300, the Alexander Lofgren Veterans in Parks Act, also known as the VIP Act, which is sponsored by Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks from Iowa. This bipartisan bill, which currently has 150 cosponsors, would provide free annual passes to our national parks and public lands for current military servicemembers and free lifetime passes for veterans and members of Gold Star families. We can never fully repay the debt owed to our military servicemembers, veterans, and Gold Star families. However, as a small acknowledgment of their sacrifice, this bill will ensure that they can always access over 2,000 Federal recreation areas across the country that they fought so hard to defend free of charge. By codifying these passes under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, it guarantees this benefit can never be taken away from these brave men and women. This bill is important not only because it honors the sacrifice of the men and women of our military and Gold Star families but because our public lands hold a special value for veterans, particularly those wounded in combat. Captain John Paluska, a constituent of Representative Miller-Meeks and a Purple Heart recipient, summed up the purpose and meaning of this bill perfectly when he testified before our committee earlier this month: ``I mentioned the word `freedom' earlier. Is it a concept? Is it a place? Is it the result of an action? What does it mean for each of you on this committee? For me, it is all of those, and I find this each and every time I am so very fortunate to visit the outdoors and our national parks.'' This bill would not only allow our veterans and Gold Star family members to always enjoy the freedom of our national parks, but it will remove any financial barriers they may face to accessing places they use to heal the emotional and physical burdens they carry with them. In addition to the 150 bipartisan cosponsors of this bill, there are also 60 organizations currently endorsing the measure. These organizations represent a diverse variety of interests, from the outdoor recreation industry to veterans groups, and include The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, REI, Vista Outdoor, Audubon Society, and The Nature Conservancy. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record five letters in support of the bill from the Outdoor Industry Association, Sierra Club, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, American Cultural Resources Association, and Evangelical Environmental Network. Outdoor Industry Association, July 9, 2021. Hon. Joe Neguse, Chairman, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, Washington, DC. Hon. Russ Fulcher, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Neguse and Ranking Member Fulcher, On behalf of our 1,200 manufacturer, supplier, sales representative and retailer members, Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is proud to support the ``Veterans in Parks (VIP) Act'' to give veterans and members of the Armed Forces free access to national parks and public lands. Spending time in nature can provide countless mental and physical health benefits for everyone, including our nation's servicemembers. Through studies and anecdotes, we know outdoor activities are linked to improved mental health and long-term psychological well-being. Additionally, increasing access and opportunity to outdoor spaces is an important way to honor those who have risked their lives to protect us and this country. The outdoors can be a restorative force for all, helping individuals and communities thrive. We are pleased to see the commitment to ensuring those who served our country have the resources they need to participate in outdoor activities and experience everything our beautiful national parks and public lands have to offer. OIA is committed to honoring and respecting servicemembers through access to the outdoors and outdoor recreation, and we look forward to seeing this bill become law. Sincerely, Lise Aangeenbrug, Executive Director, Outdoor Industry Association.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2365, offered by Congressman Kim, would extend the authorization of the Gold Stars Mothers National Monument Foundation to construct the Gold Star National Mothers Monument. Legislation signed into law during the 112th Congress authorized the Gold Star Mothers National Monument Foundation to erect a monument on Federal lands in Washington, D.C., that would honor mothers whose children gave the last full measure of devotion defending the United States as members of the Armed Forces. This bill would allow more time for the Foundation to ensure the monument's construction and completion by extending the authorization until January 2, 2027. We can never fully understand the lifelong grief that these Gold Star Mothers must face, and I hope that this new memorial serves as a collective place for them to heal and remember their brave children who valiantly fought to defend our country. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2497, offered by my friend, Representative Neguse from Colorado, would establish the Amache National Historic Site in Colorado as a unit of the National Park System. In 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued an executive order, later enforced by law, to forcibly remove tens of thousands of Japanese Americans, including nearly 70,000 American citizens, from the West Coast to internment centers further inland during World War II. The smallest internment camp was located a mile from Granada, Colorado, and was officially known as Amache. Over 7,000 residents of Japanese ancestry, most of them American citizens, were imprisoned at Amache from 1942 to 1945. The Amache site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2005. Amache is currently owned by the town of Granada, Colorado, and maintained by a group of student volunteers who, led by their high school social studies teacher, are known as the Amache Preservation Society. During a hearing on the bill in the Natural Resources Committee earlier this year, we heard testimony from an Amache survivor, Mr. Bob Fuchigami. Mr. Fuchigami was just 11 when his family was forcibly relocated to Amache and during his powerful testimony, he said the following about the bill: ``Designating Amache a national park site would shine a light on our forgotten history and help tell a more complete story of America. Amache is our collective story. It is an American story.'' Adding the Amache site to the National Park System will help educate Americans about this dark chapter in our Nation's history and help us not to repeat the mistakes of our past. Sites like Amache help to remind us of the challenges our Nation has faced and the mistakes we have made as we have endeavored to form a more perfect Union. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill so that in Mr. Fuchigami's own words we can ``help shine a light on this forgotten history.'' Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 1664, offered by Congressman Veasey, would authorize the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a commemorative work on Federal land in the D.C. area to recognize Medal of Honor recipients. The Medal of Honor is our Nation's highest medal for valor in combat awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces. The medal was first authorized in 1861 for U.S. Navy sailors and marines, and the following year for Army soldiers. Since then more than 3,500 Medals of Honor have been awarded to members of all Department of Defense services and the Coast Guard. Medals of Honor are awarded sparingly and only bestowed on the bravest of the brave whose courage and valor in combat is well documented. According to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, at least 10 Arkansans have been awarded the Medal of Honor since its inception. This includes John Henry Pruitt, an Arkansan who is one of only 19 soldiers to ever be awarded the Medal of Honor twice. Our State Capitol in Little Rock also boasts its own Medal of Honor Memorial, which depicts a bronze eagle surrounded by plaques honoring each individual Medal of Honor recipient from Arkansas. I would like to thank Congressman Veasey and Congressman Blake Moore of Utah, a freshman on our committee, for their leadership on this important bipartisan bill. I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.