Ted Yoho

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the memory of a great man who had a profound impact on our local community. Mr. Donald Louis Crutch was a father, husband, Rotarian, and dedicated member of the community. His wife, Lisa, was his high school sweetheart and together they raised four great children: Tiara, Dontai, Taniyah, and DaVontai, and he leaves behind a large and loving family of cousins, nephews, nieces, uncles, aunts, and friends. His contributions will be forever remembered. He was the founder of two nonprofit organizations: the National Pink Tie Organization, and the Honor Guards of America. You could always find Don wearing a hot pink shirt in support of those battling cancer, and he would never accept less than six lemons in his ice tea. It was these little things like his megawatt smile and warm handshake that made him a pillar of our community. While we miss Don greatly, his legacy will live on.

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 353, my bill that directs the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to regain observer status for Taiwan in the World Health Organization. I would first like to thank Chairman Engel and Ranking Member McCaul for working with my team to bring this great legislation to the floor. From 2009 to 2016, Taiwan attended the World Health Assembly, the World Health Organization's annual summit, under the status of an observer. However, following the election of Taiwan's current President Tsai Ing- wen, the People's Republic of China has stepped up its campaign to marginalize Taiwan's participation in the international community. In 2017 and 2018, due to increased political pressure from the People's Republic of China, Taiwan did not receive an invitation to the World Health Assembly. Taiwan's exclusion from the World Health Assembly, serves no purpose other than to placate Beijing's insecurity. The World Health Organization exists to address shared transnational health challenges, and Taiwan has proven time and again that it is a model contributor to world health. Since 1996, Taiwan has invested over $6 billion in international medical and humanitarian aid efforts impacting over 80 countries. The United States and the U.S. Congress have long supported Taiwan's participation in international organizations, and this legislation will continue this important work. My bill will help ensure that the U.S. diplomatic strategy to advocate for Taiwan's presence at the World Health Assembly adapts to Beijing's increased efforts to box out Taiwan. A similar bill, which I introduced in the 115th Congress, passed the House with unanimous support. Taiwan is a benevolent actor on the international stage, and it deserves to keep the place it has earned. The next World Health Assembly will take place in May of this year. Passage of my bill will be a timely opportunity for the House to recommit to longstanding U.S. policy, and take a firm stand in the face of Beijing's increasingly oppressive tactics. I urge my colleagues to support Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization as an observer by supporting this legislation.

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. ``Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.'' Section 6: ``The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place. ``No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.''

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Madam Speaker, I would like to discuss border security, not as viewed by Washington elites, but how it is viewed by average Americans. Democratic leaders and the media will tell you that most Americans don't support President Trump's proposed southern border wall. They will tell you that a border wall is not needed; it is immoral; it won't fix the country's illegal immigration problem. I currently represent Florida's Third Congressional District, and here I have a picture of my district's public creative space, the 34th Street graffiti wall that is well known in Gainesville. This wall is used by local organizations to express their thoughts on issues and display information for community events. Recently, local residents painted their support of President Trump's proposed wall for all passersby to see. The wall reads: ``Keep the government shutdown until the wall is funded. Call Congress. We the people demand Congress fund and build the wall now.'' It is a great example of everyday Americans voicing their support for what matters most to them. It is clear that Americans do support President Trump's security stance, despite exaggerated reports by the media and my colleagues on the other side. I have heard from hundreds of my constituents who are in support of the wall. Their voices have been heard, and I will remain strong for border security and protecting this Nation.

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Mr. Scalise, may I ask a question?

Mr. YOHO. Does the court reporter have a record of Mr. Guthrie's statement? Can we have that read back, please?

Mr. YOHO. A parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. YOHO. I would like to know if the court reporter has taken a transcript and recorded Mr. Guthrie's ask for a recorded vote.

Mr. YOHO. If that Record shows that he did ask that and it didn't ask for a vote, is this vote null?

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for yielding on such an important topic. I am glad to be here tonight because I think it is important that we go out and make our case to the American people and tell the truth, which is not what you are going to hear in the media or from our Democratic colleagues, as we have heard earlier today. The government now has been shut down for 25 days, breaking the record for the longest partial government shutdown in history. We would like to express our empathy and concern for those affected, and may this be resolved sooner than later. Why has this been so long? Because Democrats refuse to come to the table to negotiate a solution. Instead, they would rather bring up messaging bills that don't fund vital programs. Also, they can say they didn't support President Trump's border wall. In fact, today, we passed a bill that passed in the House that we passed last Congress. It was on hatred and hate speech and all that. They won't address this issue. They want to walk away from this. They don't want to support President Trump's border wall so they can go to their constituents and say they won. This is all about the 2020 Presidential election. They aren't concerned about border security or the security of the American people. This is not a game. We are not talking about a game. We are talking about the rule of law, security for the American people and our Nation. This President has been confronted with an unprecedented degree of obstruction from the Democratic Party. President Trump has asked the Democratic leadership if they would negotiate over the wall if the government was reopened. Speaker Pelosi said no. She has said over and over again that walls are immoral and not one penny for a wall. Ms. Pelosi, I am asking you, and the American people are asking you, to do what is right: negotiate border security and pay our patriotic workers who aren't getting paid. This obstruction is unnecessary and hypocritical. How is funding for border security unreasonable? The answer is that it isn't. Democrats have supported fences at the border in the past. In 2006, over half the Democratic Senators, including Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, and Barack Obama, voted to build 700 miles of security fence; 138 Democratic House Members voted for that bill. Democrats must realize the importance of border security but would rather sacrifice security for political gamesmanship. This is a matter of national security and can no longer be ignored. On average, 2,000 inadmissible, illegal migrants arrive at our southern border daily. That means, in the last 25 days, approximately 50,000 illegal migrants have sought entry at our border without going through the proper channels. And there are proper channels. I remain a strong supporter of border security and will continue to defend the need for this essential funding. Our porous border and weak enforcement laws have allowed for illegal immigrants to go unchecked. Liberal cities and liberal States with liberal policies supported by our liberal colleagues continually put Americans in jeopardy. Just last night, three MS-13 gang members were picked up and arrested for assault on a 16-year-old. Their ages were 20, 19, and 17. All three were gang members of MS-13. Two of them had been previously released by a Federal judge, and all confirmed that they came into this country in 2016 under President Obama's illegal DACA program. If you talk to the Democrats, they tell you that $5.7 billion is too much to pay for protection at our southern border; but what they won't tell you is, if the U.S. were to grant amnesty or a path to citizenships for all illegal aliens currently living in our country, it would cost an estimated $2.6 trillion. That is an easy choice from the perspective of $5.7 billion as the price to pay for our national security. We are facing unprecedented obstructionism from the Democrats, and we can't reward them by backing down. We can and will win if we continue to fight. When I talk to people in my district, when you can break down why are we here, what our cause is, and what our principles are, they support us. People on the border that are border security guards support us. That is why I believe the Democrats will have to come to their senses and negotiate as more and more Americans support our view from what you have heard here today. I appreciate the Freedom Caucus for standing up and pointing these things out. Meanwhile, this shutdown wore on through the weekend, and I along with my Republican colleagues stayed in town to end it, but the Democrats chose, instead, to go to Puerto Rico to party with over 100 D.C. lobbyists while calling on non-U.S. citizens to be able to have the right to vote, and they watched the play, ``Hamilton.'' It is no wonder we haven't been able to negotiate a deal with the Democrats. They won't deal. In the face of their refusal to negotiate, we don't have any choice. I and my colleagues are prepared to be here through the weekend, every weekend, until we can put enough pressure on the other party to be reasonable and come to a solution. The right thing to do is to negotiate.

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague and great friend, Mr. Rice, for allowing me this opportunity. The gentleman is truly a man of the people. Madam Speaker, 25 days, 25 days the government has been shut down--25 days--making this the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Why has this been so long? It is because the Democrats refuse to come to the table and negotiate a solution. Instead, they would rather bring up messaging bills that don't fund vital programs, all so that they can say they didn't support increased border security. Well, let's take a look at the last 25 days. On the average, 2,000 inadmissible migrants arrive at our southern border daily. That means, in the last 25 days, approximately 50,000 illegal migrants have sought entry at our border without going through the proper channels. And there are proper channels. Additionally, in December, 27,518 family unit aliens were apprehended for crossing the border illegally. If those numbers remain consistent, that means over 21,429 family unit aliens have been apprehended for illegally crossing in the last 25 days. In fiscal 2018, 2,028 illegal aliens arrested had homicide charges. If this number remains consistent, that means 139 homicide charges for illegal aliens in the last 25 days. Further, on an average, 300 Americans die per week from heroin, and 90 percent of that heroin in the U.S. comes through our southern border. That means, in the last 25 days, approximately 1,000 Americans have died because of heroin illegally crossing our border. This doesn't even include the amount of fentanyl that crossed our southern border in fiscal year 2017, which was enough to kill every single American via overdose. If you talk to the Democrats, they will tell you $5.7 billion is too much to pay for protection at our southern border, but what they won't tell you is how much more it costs the Federal Government and American citizens by not securing our border. The argument the Democrats want you to believe is that this argument is strictly about the border wall. Therefore, they fear, if President Trump gets any funding for the wall, they lose, like this is some kind of game that we are playing to win. This is about them wanting power and winning the White House in 2020--shameful. This is about border security, period. Democrats, I ask you to do what is right: Come to the negotiating table to end this shutdown. You don't lose, but America wins.

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding, who is a great friend of mine. I think the pictures you have up there speak a loud picture of the other side of the 21-day shutdown, of what is really going on. Yesterday and today, we have heard a lot from our Democratic colleagues about what 20 days was, what 21 days was. And, yes, there are people who have been furloughed; and, yes, it is tragic for them if they can't pay their bills. But we know this is a temporary inconvenience. We passed a bill today, in this Chamber, that will be signed into law that these people will be made whole. So it is a temporary inconvenience, and we don't like it. Neither side likes this. But when you look at the cause of this, when we go back to the cause of this--and we saw that meeting in the White House with Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and President Trump. After that, there was a press conference where she said not one penny will go to a wall. As you have illustrated so eloquently, how many times have President--or Senator Obama at the time, Senator Feinstein, Senator Schumer, and Ms. Pelosi supported a wall, border security, and the hypocrisy that it is okay then but it is not okay now because they want to label it ``Trump's wall.'' What this President is trying to do is fulfill all of our obligations to the Constitution, to uphold the Constitution from foreign and domestic enemies. Border security is something we all do, border security at our homes. I imagine 90 percent of Americans lock their doors at night because of security to protect their families. Mayors and police chiefs of towns protect their citizens. That is their job.

Mr. YOHO. No, not at all. They do it because they want to protect the people whom they have been tasked to do. That is all we are asking for here is border security. So 21 days ago the government shut down, a partial shutdown: 76 to 80 percent of the government is funded. There is a small portion that is not funded. And again, I feel bad for the people who have been furloughed, but today, the legislation passed, as I said, where they are going to be made whole. Since 21 days ago, the government has been shut down, making this the longest--or we are tying the previous record for the longest shutdown in U.S. history? Why has it been this long? Because the Democrats refuse to come to the table and negotiate a solution. When you have two sides, where one is willing to work and compromise and the other one says not one penny, you are not even at a starting point to compromise. Instead, they would rather bring up messaging bills that don't fund the vital programs. Also, that they can say: We didn't support President Trump's border security. This is hatred at the highest level, yet they talk about tolerance and all this other stuff. They have such a disdain for this President. And again, all he is trying to do is secure this Nation. Well, let's take a look at the last 21 days; on the other side, as you have brought up here, 21 days. On average, 2,000 inadmissible migrants arrive at our southern border daily. This means that in the last 21 days, without a secure border, approximately 42,000 migrants have sought illegal entry at our border without going through the proper channels. If they come through the proper channels, as you said, we allow over a million people in this country, to immigrate here. We have proper channels for people to come through. But over 42,000 immigrants have sought illegal entry at our border without going through the proper channels. Additionally, in December, 27,518 family unit aliens were apprehended for crossing the border illegally. If those numbers remain consistent, that means over 18,000 family unit aliens have been apprehended for illegal crossings in the last 21 days. In fiscal year 2018, 2,028 illegal aliens arrested had homicide charges already. If this number remains consistent, that is 115 homicide charges for illegal aliens in the last 21 days. Further, on an average, 300 Americans die per week from heroin. Ninety percent of all the heroin in the U.S., and marijuana and cocaine, 90 percent of that comes from our southern border. Secure the border, Ms. Pelosi. That means that in the last 21 days, if we have 300 dying a week--21 days is 3 weeks--that means at least 900 Americans have died because of heroin illegally crossing our border. Secure the border, Ms. Pelosi. This doesn't even include the amount of fentanyl that crossed our southern border in 2017, which the amount that has come in is enough to kill every single American via overdoses. If you talk to the Democrats, they will tell you that $5.7 billion is too much to pay for protection at our southern border. But what they won't tell you is how much more it costs the Federal Government and Americans by not securing our borders. And again, we want to be sensitive to the people who have been furloughed. As I said, and I know I am going to take some heat for this, it is a temporary inconvenience. But for these people that you have on this picture, for the countless other people we can talk about--Kate Steinle in San Francisco, Mollie Tibbetts, Peter Hacking-- all were killed by illegal Mexicans who have come into this country, and I find this very egregious. Peter Hacking, a father of nine, a blended family, had been married to his wife approximately a year. He and two of his children were killed by a Mexican that came into this country illegally. That person that killed these people, a person who should not have been in this country, got 2 years in prison. It is a sham that the Democrats want to use politics to say this is not about security of this Nation. Ask those people. For the people who have been furloughed, it is a temporary inconvenience. They are going to be made whole. But for these people, it is a permanent damage, not just to their families, but to their communities and to this Nation. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me, and I will be here if he needs me to weigh back in.

Mr. YOHO. Absolutely. And we are going to continue this on--it will be 22 days, 23 days, hopefully, not long, but we are going to highlight what is going on. The compassionate thing is--and as you brought up, this is not anti-immigration. This is not anti-Mexican. I made reference to three people that were killed by people from Mexico who were here illegally. That doesn't mean all Mexicans are bad. I have worked with a lot. I come from an agricultural background. They are hardworking people, just like Americans are. This is something that if we don't have rule of law, you can't have a law-abiding society. I want to address one other point, if you will allow me.

Mr. YOHO. President Trump has taken a lot of heat about Mexico paying for the wall. I talked to the President about this when he was a candidate, and I think that is an issue that we do need to talk about. When you look at the facts, Mexico, since 2008, has received $3.2 billion, with a B, in foreign aid. That comes to about $320 million a year in foreign aid. I am a proponent of foreign aid. They had also started the Merida Initiative in 2008. Since that period of time, $1.6 billion has been invested into that program. That is strictly counterdrugs. It has been $1.6 billion since 2008, and I ask you: Is the drug problem today better in America or worse?

Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, it is worse. So my proposal is that we, as a body, start looking at rerouting that money. If 90 percent of those drugs are coming through legal ports on our southwest border, in addition to the open, porous border, would it not make more sense to secure our borders, whether it is more screening at the legal entries, but let's also take care of the illegal ones. And so in reality, that money that was earmarked for Mexico in foreign aid and drug initiatives, I propose that we reroute that and let's do those things that we know we can do. That will stop the amount of deaths, the 300 deaths a week that are happening from fentanyl, or heroin, and then the cocaine and the marijuana coming in. A border wall and beefed up border security will do that. And I ask Ms. Pelosi to please negotiate and get off the moral high horse that you are caving into the President. This is not a partisan issue. This is an American issue, and it deals with our constitutional responsibility. I thank Representative Gohmert for his leadership on this.

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express and demonstrate the importance of STEM education in the lives of America's youth. STEM education is vital to the economy, with STEM-related jobs growing faster than ever and the need for well-educated and well- trained young STEM professionals greater than ever. STEM education also facilitates critical thinking skills, innovation, creativity, as well as cooperative learning. Just one example of the impact that STEM education has at an early age is Janani Kumaran, an eighth grader from Gainesville who placed second out of over 2,000 entries in the Broadcom Foundation MASTERS of STEM middle school competition. Janani created a project using snails to reduce the negative effects of the invasive aquatic plant hydrilla found in many bodies of freshwater in Florida. Congratulations to Janani. I look forward to everything you and the other great youth of America will be able to achieve because of STEM education, to keep our country great.

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Madam Speaker, the President has shown his willingness to negotiate and has negotiated. The President has proposed various dollar amounts he is willing to accept for border security, has said he is ready to discuss DACA, and has listened to the other side's request for materials other than concrete to be considered for a structure on our southern border. The crisis at the southern border should not be a partisan issue. It is an American and immigrant crisis. The solution should be one that is best for America and not a party; for if it is best for America, we all benefit from that. Yet the Democrats continue to dig in their heels and not budge. Republicans have shown time and again that they are willing to talk. The House should oppose this bill that will not bring our country any closer to a border security solution or resolve the partial government shutdown.

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Law Enforcement Appreciation Day to show my support and utmost respect for peace officers across the Nation. Sadly, last year, we lost over 100 law enforcement officers in the line of duty. Of that number, three came from my hometown. I am reminded today of the continued sacrifice these officers make and the dangers they face day after day and night after night. It is important that we always show our appreciation for those who work tirelessly to keep us safe. A lesson could be learned from them on service. They serve people, communities, and a nation, not political ideologies. This selfless service is both physically and mentally demanding on officers and their families. So, today, we honor not only those who serve but those who serve alongside them. Law enforcement officers deserve our utmost respect and recognition today and every day. Please join me in thanking these brave men and women for their sacrifices and service to our country and our communities.

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green) for organizing this Special Order. It is an honor to be here to advocate on behalf of one of America's citizens. I have the honor of chairing the Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee on Foreign Affairs. I have been to Vietnam, and I got to meet with their Prime Minister, with their ambassadors, and with so many people over there. The Vietnamese people are a wonderful people. They have a society that is a communist society, but it is opening up. Vietnam has made great strides in the last 15 to 20 years, moving in the direction that we would like to see, with an open society, free markets, as much as they can be in a communist country. When I was there, the thing that surprised me was the vibrancy of the people, their outlook on life. They yearn for freedom and liberties, just like all people do. That is an innate thing that our creator has endowed all of us with, that yearning of freedom and liberty. I became aware of Michael Nguyen's plight. We have intervened on phone calls. We have written letters. We have talked to the incoming chair of ASEAN. We just asked them; I am not going to demand. I am not going to try to have a power game against Vietnam. But what I do want to do is just talk to them, human to human. We have an individual who left Vietnam, adopted America, and become an American citizen. He has been a model citizen. He is the parent of four children, a family man, a businessman, and he went over to Vietnam with the intent of visiting relatives, elderly relatives, and he got caught up in a situation. We talked to the Ambassador. We talked to people in the legislature from Vietnam and said: I don't want to interfere in Vietnam law, and, certainly, if this guy is involved in what you are saying, by all means, prosecute to the fullest extent of the law because we would do the same thing. But I think what you have here is a case where a person was caught up in something. If you look at his past here and his record here and the people we have talked to in Vietnam, this is a good man. This is a family man that went over there for honorable reasons. And so we asked the people of Vietnam to look into this matter and to address this and do what is right, do the humanly right thing. If you are a parent, if you are married, you have got a mother and father. You have got a spouse. Think of your children. If you were to be removed from your family with no phone calls, no lawyer--and these are things that we value in this country, the liberties and freedoms that we have, that we have had and we have been fighting for over 200 years to preserve and protect. To have that taken away from you is just unthinkable. I know the pain and the suffering that not just Michael Nguyen, but his family is going through. Here we are in the Christmas season, and this is the season that we should all come together. I am asking Vietnam, the leaders of Vietnam to look into this case and to rapidly go through it as fast as we can. Because, like I said in the beginning, we value our relationship. They are our 16th largest trading partner. We have a military agreement where they have allowed our military vessels in there for other reasons for national security. This is something that we want to make sure that our relationship with Vietnam continues to grow. But I can say this: If human rights issues get in, as Mr. Green brought up, this is one of our own American citizens. If Vietnam overlooks these things, it is going to be hard for us as a nation to move forward with them in relationships. So I am going to plead with the Vietnamese leadership to expedite the case of Michael Nguyen and to do what is right. Return him back to America. Return him back to his family, and let's try to do that before the end of the year. I appreciate Mr. Green for doing what he has done. He has done a stellar job. And I appreciate all of the Members who have stood up for such people. These are things that happen in Congress that the American people don't know we do, that they should applaud both sides. This is not a partisan issue. This is an American issue that we all should be proud of that we are fighting for somebody who is an American citizen. I know Vietnam, if they are listening, and I am sure they are, they will do the right thing, and the right thing is to return Michael.

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1091. This resolution calls the atrocities committed against the Rohingya what they are-- genocide--and asks the government of Burma to release two innocent journalists who were framed for helping to bring these crimes to light. I want to thank my predecessor, as chair of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, Congressman Chabot, and Ranking Member Engel for introducing this resolution. Since August 2017, 700,000 Rohingya have fled their homes in Rakhine to neighboring Bangladesh to escape the horrible violence perpetrated by the Burmese military. In total, almost a million Rohingya refugees have been driven out of their homes in northern Rakhine and are sheltering in Bangladesh. They, the Rohingya, didn't just decide to pick up all their belongings one day and leave. They are fearing for their lives, and so they left. The United Nations released a report just months ago asserting that the Burmese military systematically targeted civilians in a manner consistent with genocidal intent. This fact-finding mission and other international NGOs have documented the violence, including torture; rape; killing unarmed civilians, including women and children; and burning down the Rohingya villages. Make no mistake; this is genocide. In a recent committee hearing on Burma, I spoke about the importance of journalists documenting these atrocities. However, we are seeing journalists inside Burma being punished and jailed for doing the basic requirements of their job. This resolution rightly calls for the release of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, the two Reuters journalists who were framed wrongfully and sentenced by the Burmese government to over 7 years in jail after investigating the very violence we are calling a genocide here today. How many more times do we and the world allow this to happen again? We either stand together as civilized nations, call this what it is-- genocide--or we look the other way again as nations of the world did in World War II in Nazi, Germany, or during the Darfur genocide. We either are serious about this or not. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join my fellow colleagues as an original cosponsor on this resolution and urge the rest of the House to join in support. When we say never again, we must mean never again. The House is today taking an important first step and speaking clearly on these atrocities.

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, with this resolution, the United States recognizes its longstanding and multifaceted relationship with the Republic of Korea, one that runs much deeper than the headlines of today's news may convey. Once among the world's poorest countries and devastated by war less than 70 years ago, you would find it difficult to believe the stories of Korea's past by visiting Seoul today. I led a bipartisan codel to Seoul this September to meet with members of the parliament, Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Defense Ministries, and North Korean defectors. The U.S.-South Korea partnership is so much more than a military alliance. Our partnership cultivated the Miracle on the Han River and showed the world how a nation can transition from aid to trade. As stated, South Korea is now our sixth largest trading partner and tenth largest importer of agricultural products. South Korea has lived under the threat of war since its founding, but it has managed to lift its people out of extreme poverty and become an aid donor, a leader in international fora, one of the greatest sources of investment in the United States, and a shining example to many other countries in the region. As revisionist powers challenge the vision and values that underpin the South Korean miracle, the United States needs partners more today than ever before, partners that embody and promote the open border from which we have both deeply benefited. With this resolution, the House recognizes the United States' special bond with the Republic of Korea, and the need to deepen and cultivate this partnership to promote peace and prosperity of both nations well into the future.

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 428.

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this time to honor the late President George Herbert Walker Bush, our 41st President of the United States, and express our condolences to the Bush family. President Bush accomplished many policy objectives during his nearly 30 years in government, but I believe his greatest legacy is his complete devotion to this Nation and its people. In and out of office, President Bush dedicated his life to public service and helping others. He belonged to that era of Americans known as the Greatest Generation. Whether it was serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II or achieving the highest office in the land, President Bush never failed to demonstrate selflessness and compassion. When faced with conflicts and adversity, President Bush always responded with grace and honor. He lived at a time when Americans and America knew who we were. His lifetime of service was rightly recognized in 2011, when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian honor. Even though he is no longer with us, his legacy of kindness and self- sacrifice will live on. As we transition into the 116th Congress, I would like us to remember President Bush for his complete devotion to this country and its citizens. It is an honor to have a career in public service, and I am grateful our country had a role model like President Bush. I hope my colleagues in Congress feel the same. At a time in history when the Nation feels divided, we must remember those who have stood before us and worked to bring the American people together for the good of the country. The alignment he had in life is a simple one. In fact, our Nation would be better served if we followed it. It is: God, country, and family. I ask that we honor late President Bush, we remember his encouragement to work hand-in-hand with our neighbors to give back to our community and to our country. The American people are lucky to have such a compassionate and honorable leader and we will forever be grateful for his service to this great country.

Mr. YOHO

Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor and privilege to recognize the crewmembers of the USS Cony, a Navy Fletcher Class destroyer that was commissioned from 1942 to 1969. I would like to welcome the esteemed shipmates and their families to Washington, D.C., as they celebrate their 36th annual reunion. During World War II and the Korean war, the USS Cony protected and transported goods throughout Asia and the Pacific. The USS Cony received 13 battle stars for its service and outstanding achievement that deserves recognition today. The Cony and its crewmembers also played a crucial role in defending the U.S. during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and I commend the valiant efforts of the men and women who served this country while aboard the USS Cony. Although the Cony was decommissioned long ago, her legacy lives on today. Thank you to all the members, past and present, of the United States military for your service and sacrifice.