[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 26, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H1957-H1958]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNIZING SHERIFF DEREK SANDERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Washington (Ms. Perez) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, Thurston County Sheriff 
Derek Sanders was injured in a car accident while driving his patrol 
car. Since the accident, I have been in touch with Sheriff Sanders. He 
has incredible strength and resilience. Amazingly, just 2 weeks after 
being airlifted to Harborview Medical Center for his injuries he has 
been cleared to return to work.
  Mr. Speaker, as I stand here in Washington, I will continue to send 
my thoughts and prayers to him and his family back home. I hope he has 
a speedy recovery. I am so grateful to Sheriff Sanders and officers 
like him who accept the risks of their job to keep our public safe.


                           Veteran Wait Times

  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the long 
wait time veterans endure when trying to get through to the VA.
  As the granddaughter of a veteran, I have deep respect for the 
sacrifice that comes from serving our Nation in uniform. We make a 
sacred promise to veterans: If they step up to serve, the Nation will 
be there for them when they take off the uniform.
  Yet, the wait times for primary care appointments at the Vancouver VA 
hospital in my district are 3 weeks; physical therapy, 4 weeks; and 
mental health, 8 weeks.
  To make matters worse, those times are absolutely an underestimate. 
The Veterans Health Administration reports average wait times on its 
website using the time at which an appointment is scheduled by staff 
rather than when the appointment is requested. This does not take into 
account the time veterans are forced to wait on hold just to get an 
appointment.
  Last April, the Office of the Inspector General called this out in 
its report, but it still has not been remedied.
  A lot of time is spent in this Chamber talking about our national 
debt, and rightly so, but we already have a kind of debt that we are 
failing to serve.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join 
me in keeping our end of the bargain and making healthcare more 
accessible for our veterans.


                         Postal Service Delays

  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the 
unacceptable state of the Postal Service in my community and across 
rural America. Those of you who live in urban communities might have 
experienced the mail just comes on time. I have constituents whose 
bills are delivered weeks or days after they are due, making it 
impossible to pay them on time and ruining their credit.
  This summer, a mail carrier in my community got sick and there was no 
one to deliver the mail for months. In another instance, a postal 
master key was lost in Clark County, which has led to incredible, 
rampant mail theft in the area. In all of these cases the Postal 
Service seems unwilling or unable to fulfill their mandated duties.
  Mr. Speaker, this isn't just about southwest Washington, it is all 
across rural America. This state of affairs is unacceptable. The United 
States Postal Service is a lifeline to our communities and a critical 
piece of infrastructure for connecting our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand 
up and find a bipartisan solution with me to fix these issues, reform 
the Postal Service, and improve service for Washingtonians.


                             Consolidation

  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out of deep concern for 
growing consolidation of agricultural farms throughout the food supply 
chain.
  These mergers put small farmers, small businesses, and workers at a

[[Page H1958]]

huge disadvantage. There are fewer options for processing plants, cold 
storage, distribution, and retail.
  I have heard concerns about consolidation at farm bill listening 
sessions I have hosted in Centralia and Battle Ground. We are seeing 
consolidation everywhere, including meat processing plants, fruit 
processors, and beverages distributors.
  In my community, Corwin, a local beverage distributor was just bought 
out by a huge conglomerate, and now their beer and wine division is 
closed. The potential merger between Kroger and Albertsons would only 
add to this pressure. It is hurting our small producers.
  The cost to transport and distribute goods is no longer sustainable 
and is forcing small businesses to close. This drives up the cost at 
the checkout stand, and it makes it more challenging to rely on 
American-grown goods. This is a national security threat.
  Mr. Speaker, I am here to serve the people of southwest Washington, 
not big businesses. Every merger that cuts costs and skirts 
accountability is a blow to working people; to farmers, to processing 
plants, grocery cashiers, and families at the checkout stand.

  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand 
with me to find a solution to these critical issues.


                           Celebrate Loggers

  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate generations of 
loggers in Washington State, including my grandfather, Dale Gilmore. If 
you visit my office in Longworth, you will see a chainsaw that is 
almost 9 feet long. It is a McCulloch Model 99. It is the same model of 
chainsaw that my grandpa ran in the woods up and down the peninsula.
  It was shipped here in a crate built by the Stevenson High School 
shop class under the leadership of Scott Midland. I brought it here to 
remind this Washington, D.C., what real work looks like.
  The lifespan of men who ran these chainsaws could be pretty short, 
but they chose to sacrifice to provide for their families. The power 
that comes from mastering a skill should invoke humility and respect 
for all of the people who choose to work with their hands in the woods.

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