[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 29, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H3298-H3301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  SUPPORTING STRONG NATIONAL SECURITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 2021, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of strong national 
security policies, policies like the remain in Mexico policy, 
enforcement of our existing interior immigration laws, and the 
completion of key miles of fencing and technology that protect our 
southwest border--policies, Madam Speaker, that President Biden hastily 
removed on his first day in office, without any plan to replace them.
  President Biden and the Democrats in the House and Senate supported 
ending those Trump-era policies. Those policies, Madam Speaker, were 
working to rein in the flow of illegal immigration.
  Now, with no plan and no substitution, the result is pure political 
theater, simply because those were Trump policies. While they were 
working, President Biden stopped them.
  President Biden appointed Vice President Harris to serve as the 
border czar. One would think that she would act in critical ways to 
replace those national security policies that were working under the 
Trump administration and that President Biden ended. Not only did she 
not present solutions to the historic number of hundreds of thousands 
of immigrants who were pouring across our southern border, but she 
refused to visit the border for nearly 100 days since being appointed 
border czar.
  She even laughed at the idea of visiting the border, comparing it to 
taking a trip to Europe. Finally, after cries from the American people 
and calls from House and Senate Republicans, she did agree to take a 
trip to the border.
  Madam Speaker, I have been to the border seven times over the past 
5\1/2\ years, most recently in April. Specifically, I traveled to the 
Rio Grande sector in the Rio Grande Valley. The conditions I found 
there were worse than I have seen on my previous trips. In fact, Border 
Patrol estimates that the drug cartels in Mexico made $400 million in 
February alone in human trafficking.
  Think about that, Madam Speaker: $400 million in one month by 
charging $5,000 to $9,000 to traffic hundreds of thousands of people 
across the border, some innocent, some not.
  These drug and human trafficking challenges are just part of the 
crisis at the border because while Customs and Border Patrol are 
working on the humanitarian elements of this crisis, drugs are coming 
across the border and criminals are coming across the border.
  In fact, Madam Speaker, we have interdicted in the first 6 months of 
this year enough fentanyl to kill all in America. It is shocking that 
we have interdicted that much fentanyl drug that it could kill everyone 
in this country because it only takes the amount in a Sweet'N Low 
packet, Madam Speaker, to kill 500 Americans. This is a deadly drug.
  The Vice President chose to visit El Paso. El Paso is nearly 1,000 
miles west of the Rio Grande Valley, where this crisis has its 
epicenter. If she had gone to the Rio Grande Valley, she would have 
seen cartels dropping off migrant families by the dozens and holding 
camps for migrant families struggling to get the water, time, and care 
that they need.
  Regardless of who designed the policies, the Biden administration 
should be for stronger national security policies on the border. But 
the Biden border crisis is out of control, and it is going to take more 
than a short public relations visit to El Paso to fix it.

[[Page H3299]]

  I encourage the Vice President and the administration to come to the 
table with Republicans in the House and Senate and implement strong 
national security borders and reform our broken illegal immigration 
system.


                 Announcing American Hostage Task Force

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to announce that the 
Congressional Task Force on Americans Wrongfully Detained Abroad has 
been initiated by Congressman Ted Deutch from Florida and myself.
  The inspiration for me to form this task force was Majd Kamalmaz, a 
former resident of central Arkansas who was traveling to Syria to 
attend a family funeral where he was wrongfully detained and has been 
held in Syria ever since. I am dedicated to bringing him home safely to 
his family.
  Having a loved one detained or held hostage abroad is unimaginable. 
It is a heartbreaking experience for any family.
  Representative Deutch and I created this task force not only to help 
these struggling families but to be a resource for our colleagues in 
the House, as there are over 50 families here in America who are 
struggling with a member of their family held abroad. We want to help 
Members of Congress help their constituents cope with this issue.
  Every channel of the United States Government should be working to 
bring these Americans home and to disincentivize the wrongful detention 
of Americans in the future, by state actors or nonstate actors.
  Madam Speaker, I am committed to bringing Majd Kamalmaz home to his 
family. Ted Deutch and I are committed to using this task force to 
bring other Americans wrongfully detained home, into the arms of their 
loved ones.


                    Marking 100th Anniversary of CCP

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, a century ago, the Chinese Communists took 
control of one of the great countries in global history. The Chinese 
Communist Party marks, this month, a century since the beginning of 
China's descent into authoritarianism.
  Just as the Chinese Communist Party used violence to impose its will 
onto the Chinese people during the Chinese Civil War, now it uses that 
same violence and threat of violence to crush any dissent within its 
borders.
  We saw this last summer, when the CCP silenced the democratic voices 
of Hong Kong, swiftly marching troops into the city to stop 
demonstrations for freedom. Beijing has blatantly ignored the terms of 
its 50-year treaty with the United Kingdom and ignored Hong Kong's 
legislature, arresting pro-democracy activists and lawmakers en masse 
and crushing a long history of press freedom with the recent closing of 
Apple Daily.

  As I speak, over a million Uighurs and other Muslims have been 
interned in concentration camps for reeducation. Families have been 
separated, lives destroyed, and cultures all but erased in the name of 
the magnificent Chinese Communist Party's ultimate authority.
  Respect for human rights is a fundamental tenet of American foreign 
policy. The continued suffering of the Uighurs, the citizens of Hong 
Kong--and all other individual rights of speech, privacy, assembly, and 
religious belief are trampled by the Chinese Communist Party.
  It is no 100-year celebration here on the House floor, Madam Speaker. 
The American people stand with the hardworking people of China. The 
Congress of the United States stands with the hardworking people of 
China, and we will work to continue to advocate for freedom of people, 
assembly, belief, and press in China.


                       Applauding FBI Cyber Busts

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the tireless 
dedication of members of the FBI in recently seizing approximately $2.3 
million from the hacker group responsible for the Colonial Pipeline 
ransomware attack.
  After the Colonial Pipeline paid the hackers the entire $4.4 million 
ransom, and with the money seemingly lost forever due to bitcoin 
encryption, these FBI agents were able to recover more than half of the 
demanded sum.
  I am also proud to recognize that the FBI conducted 800 arrests in 16 
countries thanks to an encrypted messaging app it developed as part of 
a 3-year digital sting operation on international crime.
  Just as encrypted, untraceable communications have become pervasive 
in how criminal enterprise operates on a global scale, ransomware 
attacks have been on the rise as they prey on the digital vulnerability 
of our businesses and infrastructure, often with little hope of 
recovery or justice.
  I applaud the vigilance and ingenious methods of the investigating 
agents and encourage their continued efforts to ensure safety in our 
digital age.


               Reintroducing Coptic Christian Resolution

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my resolution, H. 
Res. 117, which calls on the Egyptian Government to end the culture of 
impunity for attacks on Christians and to undertake the arrest, 
prosecution, and conviction of individuals who carry out attacks on 
Copts and other Christians in Egypt.
  I was the lead on a nearly identical resolution in previous 
Congresses. I truly appreciate the support I received from my original 
cosponsor, the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline), and nearly 
50 of my House colleagues who have cosponsored the resolution in this 
Congress.
  Madam Speaker, Egypt and the United States are important partners in 
the fight against terrorism. Egypt's role at Camp David has led to some 
of the closest ties between the United States, Egypt, and Israel in 
their history, and we are grateful for their most recent engagement 
between the terror group Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Government of 
Israel.
  Madam Speaker, I respect President el-Sisi and his good relationship 
with the Coptic Pope. He has attended Mass on multiple occasions. He 
has had some churches reconstructed, and he has constructed the largest 
Christian cathedral in the Middle East in the new administrative center 
in Egypt. And President el-Sisi is relentless in holding terrorists 
accountable for their atrocities.

                              {time}  2045

  People all around the world, regardless of their religious 
affiliation deserve the same freedom to practice their chosen religion 
like we have enjoyed here in the United States for more than 200 years.
  The respect for human rights and religious freedom is a fundamental 
tenet of American foreign policy. I will continue to advocate for the 
Coptic Christians and all Egyptians, be they Christian or Muslim, who 
together take their water from the Nile.


          Arkansans Should Check the Status of Their Passports

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge all Arkansans to check 
the status of their passports well before traveling.
  Due to backlogs in the State Department, passport renewals by mail 
are taking longer than usual. There is a backlog of up to 10 weeks for 
their expedited service and 18 weeks for their regular service.
  This lag in service at the State Department is affecting Arkansans 
wanting to travel for mission trips, study abroad, or take a family 
trip in the aftermath of the pandemic.
  So far, my office has helped 70 people this year receive their 
passports, and we have opened more than 90 cases in the past 6 months. 
And this compares to opening cases and receiving passports of only 
about 200 in the 5 previous years
  So, to my friends in Arkansas, check your passport prior to your 
trip, and if it is expired, get it renewed as soon as possible
  I encourage everyone to stay up to date on passport services and 
travel advisories and to check COVID-19 protocols, masks, testing, and 
quarantine issues before you travel.


                     Arkansans Must Get Vaccinated

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to encourage all Arkansans who 
are not currently vaccinated for COVID-19 to consult with their doctor 
about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
  The best way to combat the spread of these COVID variants is by 
receiving the vaccine. As more information and research develops around 
the delta variant of the coronavirus, I want to ensure that all 
Arkansans stay safe and remain healthy as we prepare for this spread.
  The only way that we can fully reopen our economy and get truly back 
on our feet is with more people being vaccinated for COVID-19.

[[Page H3300]]

  Each FDA conditionally approved vaccine is backed by science and 
doctors who have worked hard over the past year to develop, 
manufacture, and distribute these critical vaccines.
  So work with your physician. Help protect your family and the 
Arkansas community by getting a vaccine shot soon.


                    Recognizing Great Outdoors Month

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize that June is Great 
Outdoors Month and recognize the great conservation work of my 
colleagues in Arkansas in the Governor's office and at the Arkansas 
Department of Parks and Tourism.
  As a lifelong outdoorsman living in The Natural State, I have a lot 
of pride in recognizing June as Great Outdoors Month. For 9 
generations, my family has lived in Arkansas and enjoyed the 
extraordinary natural beauty throughout our State.
  I agree with many of the earliest conservationists in protecting our 
wildlife and our wild places and that can be done through reasonable 
and realistic means, and I am proud to continue my work in central 
Arkansas.
  Just last week, I joined Governor Asa Hutchinson and Secretary of 
Parks and Tourism Stacy Hurst in announcing the new Office of Outdoor 
Recreation and the addition of a great new wild place in central 
Arkansas: Blue Mountain just west of Pinnacle Mountain. Just west of 
Rattlesnake Ridge, Blue Mountain will be a new opportunity for hiking, 
mountain biking, and enjoying the extraordinary view of Lake Maumelle 
from the Nature Conservancy and the Arkansas Department of Heritage's 
latest partnership to expand outdoor recreation.
  In the same announcement, the Governor announced that our parks and 
tourism department would work with the Ouachita National Forest and 
open up Lake Sylvia Recreation Area and the old Camp Ouachita to year-
round participation by Arkansans. This is a great partnership between 
the Federal Government and the State government to offer more outdoor 
recreation opportunities for our families to enjoy in The Natural 
State.


         The National Personnel Records Center Must Go Digital

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring awareness to the 
difficulty for many to obtain a critical document for our veterans: 
That is their form DD-214.
  You can't do anything as a veteran without a copy of your DD-214. 
This paperwork is required to verify for our servicemembers their 
benefits, how to obtain a disability claim, funeral service, research 
about lost medals. We need a copy of your DD-214.
  Well, the pandemic has not been good for this need for the millions 
of veterans in our country. The National Personnel Records Center shut 
down, and as we come out of the pandemic when our veterans need these 
resources, they are still terribly behind, despite Congress 
appropriating more money.
  It is critical that the National Personnel Records Center go digital 
so that we can properly verify these servicemembers and give better 
service for those who have served their country in such a valuable way.
  It should not be difficult for our veterans to get their DD-214 to 
pursue their benefits or claim healthcare at our Veterans 
Administration. It shouldn't be a burden to a spouse, to a family of a 
fallen veteran to have the proper paperwork to have a proper funeral.
  So I urge my colleagues to join me and continue to press the National 
Archives to improve their service for the bravest men and women and 
their families.


                        Recognizing Steve Wells

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
accomplishments and retirement of Catholic High School teacher and 
longtime friend Mr. Steve Wells.

  Mr. Wells has been teaching at Catholic High School in Little Rock, 
Arkansas, for 38 years. His decision to end his long service at the 
school, having graduated there in 1973, is recognized by many as the 
end of an era at CHS.
  Steve's a native of north Little Rock and came back to the school as 
a substitute English teacher in 1983. The teacher for which he was 
substituting never returned, and Steve Wells has been teaching there 
ever since.
  When you walk into our beloved Catholic High there is a quote that is 
above the front door. It says: ``Come boys, so that you may become 
men.''
  Mr. Wells did exactly that. And he served as a teacher and a role 
model for generations of students throughout the years.
  I congratulate my friend, Steve Wells, on a dedicated career of 
helping boys become men and wish him the very best in his retirement.


                  Recognizing Arkansas' Women Veterans

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, today I rise in honor of Women's Armed 
Services Integration Act. I am proud to recognize the more than 20,000 
women veterans in Arkansas.
  Women have been serving in the military in different capacities for 
more than a century. Women like Deborah Sampson, who fought in the 
Revolutionary War, and Loretta Walsh, America's first official enlisted 
woman of any service.
  They pioneered the way for women to serve in the United States Armed 
Forces. And with more women serving now than ever before at any time in 
our history, action is being taken to continue and build a positive 
environment for women in the armed services. Further, our Veterans 
Administration continues its efforts to enhance families, facilities, 
and services for our growing number of female veterans in Arkansas.
  I thank the women of our armed services for their dedication and 
service to our country.


Recognizing Gracie Lee, Alyssa Huie, Randilynn Stripling, and Catherine 
                                 Mills

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize four incredible 
young women on the Clinton Arkansas Future Farmers of America team.
  Together, Gracie Lee, Alyssa Huie, Randilynn Stripling, and Catherine 
Mills made history by being the first all-female team to win not one, 
but two State competitions in electricity.
  Due to the pandemic, the team was allowed to compete in the State 
contest a second time, making them back-to-back State champions in 
electricity.
  This team serves as a great example to all the young Arkansans that 
are committed to working hard and being pioneers in their fields. I 
applaud them for their diligence and determination.
  This team demonstrated great dedication, and I am incredibly proud to 
represent these history-making young women and all young Arkansans in 
central Arkansas.


                      Recognizing Melvin Williams

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the determination 
of Little Rock native, Melvin Williams. A terrible and unfortunate 
injury in high school ended his football dreams. His grades slipped, 
and Melvin dropped out of school.
  Years later, Melvin had earned his high school diploma at a program 
at Goodwill Industries. The Excel Center at Goodwill is a fully 
accredited and cost-free public high school in Little Rock for adults 
19 and older.
  Not only is Mr. Williams now working toward a business degree at the 
University of Arkansas Pulaski Tech, he is one of Goodwill's newest 
employees. He is in charge of recruitment and retention at Goodwill.
  Goodwill Industries of Arkansas CEO Brian Marsh says, ``Melvin is 
exactly who we need for this role.''
  I congratulate Melvin on his accomplishments and for being a 
wonderful representative for Goodwill Industries.


                       Congratulating Ellis Freel

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Miss Ellis 
Freel on being a recipient of the Congressional Award Gold Medal.
  The Congressional Award Gold Medal requires the recipient to complete 
a minimum of 400 hours of volunteer service, 200 hours of personal 
development, and 200 hours of physical fitness and 5 days of 
exploration or expedition.
  Miss Freel cites the most challenging obstacle in completing the 
requirements of being a gold medalist as her 5-day wilderness 
expedition. Due to restrictions from the pandemic, Ellis had to make 
adjustments that taught her patience and flexibility.
  Miss Freel serves as a wonderful asset to her hometown of Bryant, 
Arkansas, her college campus at the University of Arkansas and to 
Arkansas' Second Congressional District.

[[Page H3301]]

  



     Recognizing Finalists of the Arkansas State Coding Competition

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the finalists from 
central Arkansas in the fifth annual Arkansas State Coding competition 
and a finalist for the Arkansas Computer Science Educator of the Year 
Award.
  The team taking third place at the State coding competition this year 
was from eStem High School in my hometown of Little Rock. The three-
person team included Elijah Keen, Spencer Knight, and Sergio Markin. 
Each student received a 529 college savings plan worth $500, in 
addition to winning $4000 for their school.
  Also, a special congratulations to Kimberly Raup for being a finalist 
in the 2021 Computer Science Educator of the Year Award. She teaches at 
Conway High School, and she received a $2,500 award for being named a 
finalist.
  Congratulations to these students and to Ms. Raup on their awards, 
and a special thank you to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock 
for hosting this event.
  It is events like this that allow our central Arkansas students to 
showcase their coding and STEM talents to show the importance of 
computer science for our youth.


                         Happy Birthday America

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I bring birthday greetings to our beloved 
Nation. I rise today to celebrate freedom and independence and 
democracy right here in the United States.

                              {time}  2100

  Madam Speaker, 245 years ago, our brave Founding Fathers gathered 
together in Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence. And 
on that hot July, in that stuffy room in Philadelphia, they came 
together to change world history, to change history here in the United 
States, and to open up a lifetime of opportunity for generations of 
Americans yet unborn.
  Madam Speaker, what amazes me about that time is that small committee 
of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, thinking through of 
how would we break with Great Britain, how would America leave Great 
Britain.
  Madam Speaker, Jefferson was concerned. In his rough draft, he said 
of Great Britain and the United States: ``We might have been a free and 
great people together.''
  Those words are not placed in the final copy of the Declaration of 
Independence, but it shows the struggle that the Founding Fathers had 
and Thomas Jefferson had as a principal author of how to make that 
break with a people they had respect for, and a king and a king's 
policies they despised.
  ``We might have been a free and great people together.''
  But think of the momentous feelings they had, the prayers they had 
every day on their knees for strength to take on the most powerful 
country in the world, with the most powerful Navy and military in the 
world.
  As Jefferson said: `` . . . it becomes necessary for one people to 
dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another . . 
. '' To pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
  Jefferson, while he didn't include that statement about being 
partners as a free people going forward, he argued, ``we have appealed 
to their''--the British--``native justice and magnanimity.'' And they 
were rejected.
  Madam Speaker, think of the bravery there. As the signers of the 
Declaration, those Founders came together and said in the final closing 
words of the Declaration of Independence: ``And for the support of this 
Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine 
Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, 
and our sacred honor.''
  And they did that for those generations of Americans unborn in this 
great land.
  So 245 years later, we have proven our resilience and our strength 
once again in coming through the pandemic, defeating COVID-19. And I am 
optimistic about the future of our beloved country. While it has been 
challenging over the last year and a few months, but compared to the 
challenges those Founders faced, compared to the challenges this 
country has faced many, many times before, we show our strength, we 
show our true mettle, we pull through as one Nation under God many 
times before.
  So on this Fourth of July, I invite all Americans to celebrate our 
country's birthday with their friends and family. Honor our cherished 
freedoms. And may we never forget the sacrifices of those generations 
before us in public service, in uniform, on the battlefield, who have 
sacrificed so much so that we may enjoy those freedoms that we have 
today. God bless each of you and God bless our great country.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________