[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 30, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H726-H731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2033
 JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS PURSUANT TO HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 101 
                TO RECEIVE A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

  The recess having expired, the House was called to order by the 
Speaker at 8 o'clock and 33 minutes p.m.
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms, Ms. Kathleen Joyce, announced 
the Vice President and Members of the U.S. Senate, who entered the Hall 
of the House of Representatives, the Vice President taking the chair at 
the right of the Speaker, and the Members of the Senate the seats 
reserved for them.
  The SPEAKER. The joint session will come to order.
  The Chair appoints as members of the committee on the part of the 
House to escort the President of the United States into the Chamber:
  The gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy);
  The gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise);
  The gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. McMorris Rodgers);
  The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stivers);
  The gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Messer);
  The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins);
  The gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Smith);
  The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi);
  The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer);
  The gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn);
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley);
  The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Sanchez);
  The gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Bustos); and
  The gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth).
  The VICE PRESIDENT. The President of the Senate, at the direction of 
that body, appoints the following Senators as members of the committee 
on the part of the Senate to escort the President of the United States 
into the House Chamber:
  The Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell);
  The Senator from Texas (Mr. Cornyn);
  The Senator from Utah (Mr. Hatch);
  The Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Thune);
  The Senator from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso);
  The Senator from Missouri (Mr. Blunt);
  The Senator from Colorado (Mr. Gardner);
  The Senator from New York (Mr. Schumer);
  The Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray);
  The Senator from Michigan (Ms. Stabenow);
  The Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Klobuchar);
  The Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Manchin); and
  The Senator from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin).
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms announced the Dean of the 
Diplomatic Corps, His Excellency Hersey Kyota, the Ambassador of the 
Republic of Palau.
  The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps entered the Hall of the House of 
Representatives and took the seat reserved for him.
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms announced the Chief Justice of 
the United States and the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court.
  The Chief Justice of the United States and the Associate Justices of 
the Supreme Court entered the Hall of the House of Representatives and 
took the seats reserved for them in front of the Speaker's rostrum.
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms announced the Cabinet of the 
President of the United States.
  The members of the Cabinet of the President of the United States 
entered the Hall of the House of Representatives and took the seats 
reserved for them in front of the Speaker's rostrum.
  At 9 o'clock and 5 minutes p.m., the Sergeant at Arms, the Honorable 
Paul D. Irving, announced the President of the United States.
  The President of the United States, escorted by the committee of 
Senators and Representatives, entered the Hall of the House of 
Representatives and stood at the Clerk's desk.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  The SPEAKER. Members of the Congress, I have the high privilege and 
the distinct honor of presenting to you the President of the United 
States.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  The PRESIDENT. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, 
the First Lady of the United States, and my fellow Americans:
  Less than 1 year has passed since I first stood at this podium, in 
this majestic Chamber, to speak on behalf of the American people and to 
address their concerns, their hopes, and their dreams. That night, our 
new administration had already taken very swift action. A new tide of 
optimism was already sweeping across our land.
  Each day since, we have gone forward with a clear vision and a 
righteous mission: to make America great again for all Americans.
  Over the last year, we have made incredible progress and achieved 
extraordinary success. We have faced challenges we expected, and others 
we could never have imagined. We have shared in the heights of victory 
and the pains of hardship. We have endured floods and fires and storms. 
But through it all, we have seen the beauty of America's soul and the 
steel in America's spine.
  Each test has forged new American heroes to remind us who we are and 
show us what we can be.
  We saw the volunteers of the Cajun Navy racing to the rescue with 
their fishing boats to save people in the aftermath of a totally 
devastating hurricane.
  We saw strangers shielding strangers from a hail of gunfire on the 
Las Vegas strip.
  We heard tales of Americans like Coast Guard Petty Officer Ashlee 
Leppert, who is here tonight in the gallery with Melania. Ashlee was 
aboard one of the first helicopters on the scene in Houston during 
Hurricane Harvey. Through 18 hours of wind and rain, Ashlee braved live 
power lines and deep water to help save more than 40 lives.
  Ashlee, we all thank you. Thank you very much.
  We heard about Americans like firefighter David Dahlberg. He is here 
with us also. David faced down walls of flame to rescue almost 60 
children trapped at a California summer camp

[[Page H727]]

threatened by those devastating wildfires
  To everyone still recovering in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Puerto 
Rico, and the Virgin Islands--and everywhere--we are with you, we love 
you, and we always will pull through together. Always.
  Thank you to David and the brave people of California. Thank you very 
much, David. Great job.
  Some trials over the past year touched this Chamber very personally. 
With us tonight is one of the toughest people ever to serve in this 
House, a guy who took a bullet, almost died, and was back to work 3\1/
2\ months later: the legend from Louisiana, Congressman Steve Scalise.
  I think they like you, Steve.
  We are incredibly grateful for the heroic efforts of the Capitol 
Police officers, the Alexandria Police, and the doctors, nurses, and 
paramedics who saved his life and the lives of many others--some in 
this room.
  In the aftermath of that terrible shooting, we came together not as 
Republicans or Democrats, but as representatives of the people. But it 
is not enough to come together only in times of tragedy. Tonight, I 
call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common 
ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people. This 
is really the key. These are the people we were elected to serve.
  Over the last year, the world has seen what we always knew: that no 
people on Earth are so fearless, or daring, or determined, as 
Americans. If there is a mountain, we climb it. If there is a frontier, 
we cross it. If there is a challenge, we tame it. If there is an 
opportunity, we seize it.
  So let's begin tonight by recognizing that the state of our Union is 
strong because our people are strong. And, together, we are building a 
safe, strong, and proud America.
  Since the election, we have created 2.4 million new jobs, including 
200,000 new jobs in manufacturing alone. Tremendous numbers. After 
years and years of wage stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages.
  Unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low. And something I am very 
proud of: African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever 
recorded, and Hispanic-American unemployment has also reached the 
lowest levels in history.
  Small business confidence is at an all-time high. The stock market 
has smashed one record after another, gaining $8 trillion, and more, in 
value in just this short period of time. That is great news for 
Americans. 401(k), retirement, pension, and college savings accounts 
have gone through the roof.
  And just as I promised the American people from this podium 11 months 
ago, we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history.
  Our massive tax cuts provide tremendous relief for the middle class 
and small businesses.
  To lower tax rates for hardworking Americans, we nearly doubled the 
standard deduction for everyone. Now, the first $24,000 earned by a 
married couple is completely tax free. We also doubled the child tax 
credit.
  A typical family of four making $75,000 will see their tax bill 
reduced by $2,000--slashing their tax bill in half.
  In April, this will be the last time you will ever file under the 
old, and very broken, system; and millions of Americans will have more 
take-home pay starting next month--a lot more.
  We eliminated an especially cruel tax that fell mostly on Americans 
making less than $50,000 a year, forcing them to pay tremendous 
penalties, simply because they couldn't afford government-ordered 
health plans. We repealed the core of the disastrous ObamaCare. The 
individual mandate is now gone.
  We slashed the business tax rate from 35 percent all the way down to 
21 percent, so American companies can compete and win against anyone 
else anywhere in the world. These changes alone are estimated to 
increase average family income by more than $4,000--a lot of money.
  Small businesses have also received a massive tax cut and can now 
deduct 20 percent of their business income.
  Here, tonight, are Steve Staub and Sandy Keplinger of Staub 
Manufacturing--a small, beautiful business in Ohio. They have just 
finished the best year in their 20-year history. Because of tax reform, 
they are handing out raises, hiring an additional 14 people, and 
expanding into the building next door--a good feeling.
  One of Staub's employees, Corey Adams, is also with us tonight. Corey 
is an all-American worker. He supported himself through high school, 
lost his job during the 2008 recession, and was later hired by Staub, 
where he trained to become a welder. Like many hardworking Americans, 
Corey plans to invest his tax-cut raise into his new home and his two 
daughters' educations. Corey, please stand. And he is a great welder. I 
was told that by the man who owns that company that is doing so well. 
So, congratulations, Corey.
  Since we passed tax cuts, roughly 3 million workers have already 
gotten tax-cut bonuses--many of them thousands and thousands of dollars 
per worker; and it is getting more every month, every week. Apple has 
just announced it plans to invest a total of $350 billion in America 
and hire another 20,000 workers. And just a little while ago, 
ExxonMobil announced a $50 billion investment in the United States--
just a little while ago.
  This, in fact, is our new American moment. There has never been a 
better time to start living the American Dream.
  So to every citizen watching at home tonight--no matter where you 
have been or where you have come from--this is your time. If you work 
hard, if you believe in yourself, if you believe in America, then you 
can dream anything, you can be anything, and, together, we can achieve 
absolutely anything.
  Tonight, I want to talk about what kind of future we are going to 
have and what kind of a nation we are going to be. All of us, together, 
as one team, one people, and one American family can do anything.
  We all share the same home, the same heart, the same destiny, and the 
same great American flag.
  Together, we are rediscovering the American way.
  In America, we know that faith and family, not government and 
bureaucracy, are the center of American life. Our motto is ``In God We 
Trust.''
  And we celebrate our police, our military, and our amazing veterans 
as heroes who deserve our total and unwavering support.
  Here tonight is Preston Sharp, a 12-year-old boy from Redding, 
California, who noticed that veterans' graves were not marked with 
flags on Veterans Day. He decided all by himself to change that and 
started a movement that has now placed 40,000 flags at the graves of 
our great heroes. Preston: a job well done.
  Young patriots like Preston teach all of us about our civic duty as 
Americans. And I met Preston a little while ago, and he is something 
very special; that, I can tell you. Great future. Thank you very much 
for all you have done, Preston. Thank you very much.
  Preston's reverence for those who have served our Nation reminds us 
of why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the 
Pledge of Allegiance, and why we proudly stand for the national anthem.
  Americans love their country, and they deserve a government that 
shows them the same love and loyalty in return.
  For the last year, we have sought to restore the bonds of trust 
between our citizens and their government. Working with the Senate, we 
are appointing judges who will interpret the Constitution as written, 
including a great new Supreme Court Justice and more circuit court 
judges than any new administration in the history of our country.
  We are totally defending our Second Amendment and have taken historic 
actions to protect religious liberty.
  And we are serving our brave veterans, including giving our veterans 
choice in their healthcare decisions. Last year, Congress also passed, 
and I signed, the landmark VA Accountability Act. Since its passage, my 
administration has already removed more than 1,500 VA employees who 
failed to give our veterans the care they deserve, and we are hiring 
talented people who love our vets as much as we do. And I will not stop 
until our veterans are properly taken care of, which has been my 
promise to them from the very beginning of this great journey.
  All Americans deserve accountability and respect, and that is what we 
are

[[Page H728]]

giving to our wonderful heroes, our veterans. Thank you.
  So tonight I call on Congress to empower every Cabinet Secretary with 
the authority to reward good workers and to remove Federal employees 
who undermine the public trust or fail the American people.
  In our drive to make Washington accountable, we have eliminated more 
regulations in our first year than any administration in the history of 
our country.
  We have ended the war on American energy, and we have ended the war 
on beautiful, clean coal. We are now, very proudly, an exporter of 
energy to the world.
  In Detroit, I halted government mandates that crippled America's 
great, beautiful autoworkers so that we can get Motor City revving its 
engines again, and that is what is happening.
  Many car companies are now building and expanding plants in the 
United States, something we haven't seen for decades. Chrysler is 
moving a major plant from Mexico to Michigan. Toyota and Mazda are 
opening up a plant in Alabama--a big one--and we haven't seen this in a 
long time. It is all coming back. Very soon, auto plants and other 
plants will be opening up all over our country.
  This is all news Americans are totally unaccustomed to hearing. For 
many years, companies and jobs were only leaving us, but now they are 
roaring back. They are coming back. They want to be where the action 
is. They want to be in the United States of America. That is where they 
want to be.
  Exciting progress is happening every single day.
  To speed access to breakthrough cures and affordable generic drugs, 
last year the FDA approved more new and generic drugs and medical 
devices than ever before in our country's history.
  We also believe that patients with terminal conditions and terminal 
illness should have access to experimental treatment immediately that 
could potentially save their lives.
  People who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to 
country to seek a cure. I want to give them a chance right here at 
home. It is time for Congress to give these wonderful, incredible 
Americans the ``right to try.''
  One of my greatest priorities is to reduce the price of prescription 
drugs. In many other countries, these drugs cost far less than what we 
pay in the United States, and it is very, very unfair. That is why I 
have directed my administration to make fixing the injustice of high 
drug prices one of my top priorities for the year, and prices will come 
down substantially. Watch.
  America has also finally turned the page on decades of unfair trade 
deals that sacrificed our prosperity and shipped away our companies, 
our jobs, and our wealth. Our Nation has lost its wealth, but we are 
getting it back so fast.
  The era of economic surrender is totally over.
  From now on, we expect trading relationships to be fair and, very 
importantly, reciprocal.
  We will work to fix bad trade deals and negotiate new ones, and they 
will be good ones, but they will be fair.
  And we will protect American workers and American intellectual 
property through strong enforcement of our trade rules.
  As we rebuild our industries, it is also time to rebuild our 
crumbling infrastructure.
  America is a nation of builders. We built the Empire State Building 
in just 1 year. Isn't it a disgrace that it can now take 10 years just 
to get a minor permit approved for the building of a simple road?
  I am asking both parties to come together to give us safe, fast, 
reliable, and modern infrastructure that our economy needs and our 
people deserve.
  Tonight, I am calling on Congress to produce a bill that generates at 
least $1.5 trillion for the new infrastructure investment that our 
country so desperately needs.
  Every Federal dollar should be leveraged by partnering with State and 
local governments and, where appropriate, tapping into private sector 
investment to permanently fix the infrastructure deficit, and we can do 
it.
  Any bill must also streamline the permitting and approval process, 
getting it down to no more than 2 years, and perhaps even 1.
  Together, we can reclaim our great building heritage. We will build 
gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways, and waterways all 
across our land, and we will do it with American heart and American 
hands and American grit.
  We want every American to know the dignity of a hard day's work. We 
want every child to be safe in their home at night. And we want every 
citizen to be proud of this land that we all love so much.
  We can lift our citizens from welfare to work, from dependence to 
independence, and from poverty to prosperity.
  As tax cuts create new jobs, let's invest in workforce development 
and let's invest in job training, which we need so badly. Let's open 
great vocational schools so our future workers can learn a craft and 
realize their full potential. And let's support working families by 
supporting paid family leave.
  As America regains its strength, opportunity must be extended to all 
citizens. That is why this year we will embark on reforming our prisons 
to help former inmates who have served their time get a second chance 
at life.
  Struggling communities, especially immigrant communities, will also 
be helped by immigration policies that focus on the best interests of 
American workers and American families.
  For decades, open borders have allowed drugs and gangs to pour into 
our most vulnerable communities. They have allowed millions of low-wage 
workers to compete for jobs and wages against the poorest Americans. 
Most tragically, they have caused the loss of many innocent lives.
  Here tonight are two fathers and two mothers: Evelyn Rodriguez, 
Freddy Cuevas, Elizabeth Alvarado, and Robert Mickens. Their two 
teenage daughters, Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens, were close friends on 
Long Island. But in September 2016, on the eve of Nisa's 16th birthday, 
such a happy time it should have been, neither of them came home. These 
two precious girls were brutally murdered while walking together in 
their hometown. Six members of the savage MS-13 gang have been charged 
with Kayla's and Nisa's murders. Many of these gang members took 
advantage of glaring loopholes in our laws to enter the country as 
illegal, unaccompanied alien minors, and wound up in Kayla's and Nisa's 
high school.
  Evelyn, Elizabeth, Freddy, and Robert: Tonight, everyone in this 
Chamber is praying for you. Everyone in America is grieving for you. 
Please stand. Thank you very much. I want you to know that 320 million 
hearts are right now breaking for you. We love you. Thank you. While we 
cannot imagine the depths of that kind of sorrow, we can make sure that 
other families never have to endure this kind of pain.
  Tonight I am calling on Congress to finally close the deadly 
loopholes that have allowed MS-13 and other criminal gangs to break 
into our country. We have proposed new legislation that will fix our 
immigration laws and support our ICE and Border Patrol agents. These 
are great people. These are great, great people who work so hard in the 
midst of such danger so that this can never happen again.
  The United States is a compassionate nation. We are proud that we do 
more than any other country anywhere in the world to help the needy, 
the struggling, and the underprivileged all over the world. But as 
President of the United States, my highest loyalty, my greatest 
compassion, my constant concern, is for America's children, America's 
struggling workers, and America's forgotten communities. I want our 
youth to grow up to achieve great things. I want our poor to have their 
chance to rise.
  So tonight I am extending an open hand to work with Members of both 
parties, Democrats and Republicans, to protect our citizens of every 
background, color, religion, and creed. My duty and the sacred duty of 
every elected official in this Chamber is to defend Americans, to 
protect their safety, their families, their communities, and their 
right to the American Dream, because Americans are dreamers, too.
  Here tonight is one leader in the effort to defend our country: 
Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Celestino Martinez. He 
goes by DJ and CJ.

[[Page H729]]

  He said: Call me either one.
  So we will call you CJ.
  He served 15 years in the Air Force before becoming an ICE agent and 
spending the last 15 years fighting gang violence and getting dangerous 
criminals off of our streets. Tough job.
  At one point, MS-13 leaders ordered CJ's murder, and they wanted it 
to happen quickly. But he did not cave to threats or to fear. Last May, 
he commanded an operation to track down gang members on Long Island. 
His team has arrested nearly 400, including more than 220 MS-13 gang 
members.
  And I have to tell you what the Border Patrol and ICE have done. We 
have sent thousands and thousands and thousands of MS-13, horrible 
people out of this country or into our prisons.
  So I just want to congratulate you, CJ. You are a brave guy. Thank 
you very much.
  And I asked CJ: What is the secret?
  He said: ``We are just tougher than they are.''
  And I like that answer. Now let's get Congress to send you--and all 
of the people in this great Chamber have to do it. We have no choice. 
CJ, we are going to send you reinforcements and we are going to send 
them to you quickly. It is what you need.
  Over the next few weeks, the House and Senate will be voting on an 
immigration reform package. In recent months, my administration has met 
extensively with both Democrats and Republicans to craft a bipartisan 
approach to immigration reform. Based on these discussions, we 
presented Congress with a detailed proposal that should be supported by 
both parties as a fair compromise, one where nobody gets everything 
they want, but where our country gets the critical reforms it needs and 
must have.
  Here are the four pillars of our plan:
  The first pillar of our framework generously offers a path to 
citizenship for 1.8 million illegal immigrants who were brought here by 
their parents at a young age. That covers almost three times more 
people than the previous administration covered. Under our plan, those 
who meet education and work requirements, and show good moral 
character, will be able to become full citizens of the United States 
over a 12-year period.
  The second pillar fully secures the border. That means building a 
great wall on the Southern border, and it means hiring more heroes like 
CJ to keep our communities safe. Crucially, our plan closes the 
terrible loopholes exploited by criminals and terrorists to enter our 
country, and it finally ends the horrible and dangerous practice of 
catch and release.
  The third pillar ends the visa lottery--a program that randomly hands 
out green cards without any regard for skill, merit, or the safety of 
American people. It is time to begin moving toward a merit-based 
immigration system--one that admits people who are skilled, who want to 
work, who will contribute to our society, and who will love and respect 
our country.
  The fourth and final pillar protects the nuclear family by ending 
chain migration. Under the current broken system, a single immigrant 
can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives. Under 
our plan, we focus on the immediate family by limiting sponsorships to 
spouses and minor children. This vital reform is necessary, not just 
for our economy, but for our security and for the future of America.
  In recent weeks, two terrorist attacks in New York were made possible 
by the visa lottery and chain migration. In the age of terrorism, these 
programs present risks we can just no longer afford.
  It is time to reform these outdated immigration rules and finally 
bring our immigration system into the 21st century.
  These four pillars represent a down-the-middle compromise, and one 
that will create a safe, modern, and lawful immigration system.
  For over 30 years, Washington has tried and failed to solve this 
problem. This Congress can be the one that finally makes it happen.
  Most importantly, these four pillars will produce legislation that 
fulfills my ironclad pledge to sign a bill that puts America first. So 
let's come together, set politics aside, and finally get the job done.
  These reforms will also support our response to the terrible crisis 
of opioid and drug addiction. Never before has it been like it is now. 
It is terrible, and we have to do something about it.
  In 2016, we lost 64,000 Americans to drug overdoses: 174 deaths per 
day, 7 per hour. We must get much tougher on drug dealers and pushers 
if we are going to succeed in stopping this scourge.
  My administration is committed to fighting the drug epidemic and 
helping get treatment for those in need, for those who have been so 
terribly hurt. The struggle will be long, and it will be difficult; but 
as Americans always do, in the end, we will succeed, and we will 
prevail.
  As we have seen tonight, the most difficult challenges bring out the 
best in America.
  We see a vivid expression of this truth in the story of the Holets 
family of New Mexico. Ryan Holets is 27 years old and an officer with 
the Albuquerque Police Department. He is here tonight with his wife, 
Rebecca. Thank you, Ryan.
  Last year, Ryan was on duty when he saw a pregnant, homeless woman 
preparing to inject heroin. When Ryan told her she was going to harm 
her unborn child, she began to weep. She told him she didn't know where 
to turn but badly wanted a safe home for her baby. In that moment, Ryan 
said he felt God speak to him: You will do it because you can. He heard 
those words. He took out a picture of his wife and their four kids. 
Then he went home to tell his wife, Rebecca. In an instant, she agreed 
to adopt. The Holets named their new daughter Hope.
  Ryan and Rebecca, you embody the goodness of our Nation. Thank you. 
Thank you, Ryan and Rebecca.
  As we rebuild America's strength and confidence at home, we are also 
restoring our strength and standing abroad.
  Around the world, we face rogue regimes, terrorist groups, and rivals 
like China and Russia that challenge our interests, our economy, and 
our values. In confronting these horrible dangers, we know that 
weakness is the surest path to conflict, and unmatched power is the 
surest means to our true and great defense.
  For this reason, I am asking Congress to end the dangerous defense 
sequester and fully fund our great military.
  As part of our defense, we must modernize and rebuild our nuclear 
arsenal, hopefully never having to use it, but making it so strong and 
so powerful that it will deter any acts of aggression by any other 
nation or anyone else. Perhaps someday in the future there will be a 
magical moment when the countries of the world will get together to 
eliminate their nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, we are not there yet, 
sadly.
  Last year, I also pledged that we would work with our allies to 
extinguish ISIS from the face of the Earth. One year later, I am proud 
to report that the coalition to defeat ISIS has liberated very close to 
100 percent of the territory just recently held by these killers in 
Iraq and in Syria, and in other locations as well. But there is much 
more work to be done. We will continue our fight until ISIS is 
defeated.
  Army Staff Sergeant Justin Peck is here tonight. Near Raqqa last 
November, Justin and his comrade, Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy, 
were on a mission to clear buildings that ISIS had rigged with 
explosives so that civilians could return to that city, hopefully soon 
and hopefully safely.
  Clearing the second floor of a vital hospital, Kenton Stacy was 
severely wounded by an explosion. Immediately, Justin bounded into the 
booby-trapped and unbelievably dangerous and unsafe building and found 
Kenton but in very, very bad shape.
  He applied pressure to the wound and inserted a tube to reopen an 
airway. He then performed CPR for 20 straight minutes during the ground 
transport and maintained artificial respiration through 2\1/2\ hours of 
emergency surgery.
  Kenton Stacy would have died if it were not for Justin's selfless 
love for his fellow warrior. Tonight, Kenton is recovering in Texas. 
Raqqa is liberated. And Justin is wearing his new Bronze Star, with a 
``V'' for ``valor.'' Staff Sergeant Peck: All of America salutes you.
  Terrorists who do things like place bombs in civilian hospitals are 
evil.

[[Page H730]]

When possible, we have no choice but to annihilate them. When 
necessary, we must be able to detain and question them. But we must be 
clear: Terrorists are not merely criminals. They are unlawful enemy 
combatants. And when captured overseas, they should be treated like the 
terrorists they are.
  In the past, we have foolishly released hundreds and hundreds of 
dangerous terrorists, only to meet them again on the battlefield--
including the ISIS leader, al-Baghdadi, whom we captured, whom we had, 
whom we released.
  So today, I am keeping another promise. I just signed, prior to 
walking in, an order directing Secretary Mattis, who is doing a great 
job--thank you--to reexamine our military detention policy and to keep 
open the detention facilities in Guantanamo Bay.
  I am asking Congress to ensure that, in the fight against ISIS and 
al-Qaida, we continue to have all necessary power to detain 
terrorists--wherever we chase them down, wherever we find them. And in 
many cases, for them, it will now be Guantanamo Bay.
  At the same time, as of a few months ago, our warriors in Afghanistan 
have new rules of engagement. Along with their heroic Afghan partners, 
our military is no longer undermined by artificial timelines, and we no 
longer tell our enemies our plans.
  Last month, I also took an action endorsed unanimously by the U.S. 
Senate just months before: I recognized Jerusalem as the capital of 
Israel.
  Shortly afterwards, dozens of countries voted in the United Nations 
General Assembly against America's sovereign right to make this 
decision. In 2016, American taxpayers generously sent those same 
countries more than $20 billion in aid.
  That is why, tonight, I am asking Congress to pass legislation to 
help ensure American foreign-assistance dollars always serve American 
interests and only go to friends of America, not enemies of America.
  As we strengthen friendships all around the world, we are also 
restoring clarity about our adversaries.
  When the people of Iran rose up against the crimes of their corrupt 
dictatorship, I did not stay silent. America stands with the people of 
Iran in their courageous struggle for freedom.
  I am asking Congress to address the fundamental flaws in the terrible 
Iran nuclear deal.
  My administration has also imposed tough sanctions on the communist 
and socialist dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela.
  But no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally 
than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea.
  North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon 
threaten our homeland. We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to 
prevent that from ever happening.
  Past experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only 
invite aggression and provocation. I will not repeat the mistakes of 
past administrations that got us into this very dangerous position.
  We need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean 
regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose to 
America and to our allies.
  Otto Warmbier was a hardworking student at the University of 
Virginia, and a great student he was. On his way to study abroad in 
Asia, Otto joined a tour to North Korea. At its conclusion, this 
wonderful young man was arrested and charged with crimes against the 
state. After a shameful trial, the dictatorship sentenced Otto to 15 
years of hard labor before returning him to America last June--horribly 
injured and on the verge of death. He passed away just days after his 
return.
  Otto's wonderful parents, Fred and Cindy Warmbier, are here with us 
tonight, along with Otto's brother and sister, Austin and Greta--
incredible people. You are powerful witnesses to a menace that 
threatens our world, and your strength truly inspires us all. Thank you 
very much. Tonight, we pledge to honor Otto's memory with total 
American resolve.
  Finally, we are joined by one more witness to the ominous nature of 
this regime. His name is Mr. Ji Seong-ho. In 1996, Seong-ho was a 
starving boy in North Korea. One day, he tried to steal coal from a 
railroad car to barter for a few scraps of food which were very hard to 
get. In the process, he passed out on the train tracks, exhausted from 
hunger. He woke up as a train ran over his limbs. He then endured 
multiple amputations without anything to dull the pain or the hurt. His 
brother and sister gave what little food they had to help him recover 
and ate dirt themselves--permanently stunting their own growth. Later, 
he was tortured by North Korean authorities after returning from a 
brief visit to China. His tormentors wanted to know if he had met any 
Christians. He had; and he resolved after that to be free.
  Seong-ho traveled thousands of miles on crutches all across China and 
Southeast Asia to freedom. Most of his family followed. His father was 
caught trying to escape and was tortured to death. Today he lives in 
Seoul, where he rescues other defectors, and broadcasts into North 
Korea what the regime fears most--the truth.
  Today he has a new leg. But, Seong-ho, I understand you still keep 
those old crutches as a reminder of how far you have come. Your great 
sacrifice is an inspiration to us all. Thank you.
  Seong-ho's story is a testament to the yearning of every human soul 
to live in freedom.
  It was that same yearning for freedom that nearly 250 years ago gave 
birth to a special place called America. It was a small cluster of 
colonies caught between a great ocean and a vast wilderness. It was 
home to an incredible people with a revolutionary idea: that they could 
rule themselves, that they could chart their own destiny, and that, 
together, they could light up the entire world.
  That is what our country has always been about. That is what 
Americans have always stood for, always strived for, and always done.
  Atop the dome of this Capitol stands the Statue of Freedom. She 
stands tall and dignified among the monuments to our ancestors who 
fought and lived and died to protect her--monuments to Washington and 
Jefferson, to Lincoln and King.
  They are memorials to the heroes of Yorktown and Saratoga--to the 
young Americans who shed their blood on the shores of Normandy and the 
fields beyond, and others who went down in the waters of the Pacific 
and the skies all over Asia.
  And freedom stands tall over one more monument: this one--this 
Capitol, this living monument. This is the monument to the American 
people.
  We are a people whose heroes live not only in the past, but all 
around us--defending hope and pride and defending the American way.
  They work in every trade. They sacrifice to raise a family. They care 
for our children at home. They defend our flag abroad. They are strong 
moms and brave kids. They are firefighters, police officers, border 
agents, medics, and marines. But above all else, they are Americans. 
And this Capitol, this city, this Nation, belong entirely to them.
  Our task is to respect them, to listen to them, to serve them, to 
protect them, and to always be worthy of them.
  Americans fill the world with art and music. They push the bounds of 
science and discovery, and they forever remind us of what we should 
never ever forget: the people dreamed this country, the people built 
this country, and it is the people who are making America great again.
  As long as we are proud of who we are and what we are fighting for, 
there is nothing we cannot achieve.
  As long as we have confidence in our values, faith in our citizens, 
and trust in our God, we will never fail. Our families will thrive. Our 
people will prosper. And our Nation will forever be safe and strong and 
proud and mighty and free.
  Thank you, and God bless America.
  Good night.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  At 10 o'clock and 37 minutes p.m., the President of the United 
States, accompanied by the committee of escort, retired from the Hall 
of the House of Representatives.
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms escorted the invited guests 
from the Chamber in the following order:
  The members of the President's Cabinet; the Chief Justice of the 
United States and the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court; the Dean 
of the Diplomatic Corps.
  The SPEAKER. The Chair declares the joint session of the two Houses 
now dissolved.

[[Page H731]]

  Accordingly, at 10 o'clock and 38 minutes p.m., the joint session of 
the two Houses was dissolved.
  The Members of the Senate retired to their Chamber.

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