[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 165 (Thursday, September 23, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H5095-H5096]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         IOWAN GOOD SAMARITANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a group of 
Good Samaritans who recently brought Iowa nice to Louisiana.
  Earlier this month, the New Sharon Fire Department of Mahaska County 
joined dozens of recovery teams from across the Nation to perform 
disaster relief efforts and assist in search and rescue operations in 
Louisiana after Hurricane Ida.
  Thanks to the generosity of the New Sharon and Mahaska County 
community, the New Sharon Fire Department has aided in recovery efforts 
both in the Hawkeye State and elsewhere across the country for 16 
years.
  In 2018 the New Sharon Fire Department assisted local Texas recovery 
teams in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and last year they traveled 
to help local communities that were devastated by Hurricanes Laura and 
Sally.
  I thank the New Sharon Fire Department and the citizens of Mahaska 
County for answering the call to serve and being incredible examples of 
the generosity and selflessness of Iowans.


             The Generosity of the Quad Cities Bicycle Club

  Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share an Iowa nice 
story about looking out for one of our own.
  Joseph Stewart, a resident of Bettendorf in Scott County, relied on 
his bicycle for years to make his 3-mile roundtrip commute to work 
every single day, but after his bicycle broke, the time of his daily 
commute doubled. For over a month after losing his only means of 
transportation, Joe would walk in between the highway and the railroad 
tracks to make it to work, not missing a single day of work. This is 
when Quad Cities Bicycle Club member Kathy Storm noticed Joe walking 
with a big smile on his face despite his circumstances.
  The Quad City Bicycle Club is known for their generosity, with 
members donating bikes to share their love of cycling with other 
members of the community.
  After getting to talking, Kathy learned Joe's situation and later 
showed up to his place of employment with a big surprise--a new bike 
that was donated by the club.
  It is stories like these that make us smile and inspire others to 
help their own neighbors. And this is just one small example of why 
Iowa is the best place to live, work, play, and raise a family.


                           Iron Dome Funding

  Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on the 
importance of the United States continuing to support our allies, 
specifically Israel.
  Israel has long been a key strategic ally for the United States. Our 
relationship is mutually beneficial, and it is important that we work 
to support them whenever we can. That means fully funding the Iron Dome 
missile defense system must be a top priority of this Chamber.
  The Iron Dome is a mobile all-weather air defense system designed to 
intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells whose 
trajectory would take them to an Israeli populated area. This system is 
purely defensive and designed to protect civilians. Innocent bystanders 
of all ethnicities, nationalities, and faiths rely on the Iron Dome for 
safety and protection.
  When terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah fire thousands of 
rockets into Israel, as they did earlier this year, the Iron Dome 
system quickly destroyed them and saved countless lives. Unfortunately, 
the majority wants to play games with this vital program. Earlier this 
week, the funding for the Iron Dome was stripped from the majority's 
continuing resolution amid protests from progressive Members.
  For years, the United States has consistently funded the Iron Dome on 
a strong bipartisan basis to help Israel defend itself from rocket 
attacks from terrorist organizations. There has never been a situation 
where military aid for Israel was held up because of objections from 
Members of Congress. It is disgraceful that the majority would remove 
the $1 billion in funding for the Iron Dome to appease the far left 
that seems to have taken over their agenda. Not funding the Iron Dome 
puts lives at risk for absolutely no reason. While I appreciate the 
majority introducing

[[Page H5096]]

standalone legislation to fully fund the system, it should not have 
come to this to ensure the safety of our allies.
  After a summer that saw 2 weeks of fighting between Israel and 
Palestine, it is beyond clear to me that we must support Israel. Israel 
has long been a U.S. ally in a region marked by decades of conflict and 
turmoil. They are a strong democracy and share our views on many 
issues.
  I am proud to say what many in the majority will not, that I firmly 
stand in support of Israel and continuing to build our partnership for 
years to come.

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