[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 82 (Tuesday, May 16, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H2354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       SECURE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Mann) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I am proud that my House Republican colleagues 
and I passed H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, last week.
  President Biden's open border policies have created chaos at our 
southern border and the resulting crime surge and fentanyl crisis. I 
urge my Senate colleagues to also pass this commonsense legislation, 
which would finish the border wall, add Border Patrol agents, end catch 
and release, protect children from human trafficking, and stop the 
fentanyl crisis.
  The border crisis is getting worse and worse every day. People on the 
terrorist watch list are being apprehended regularly, and there is no 
telling how many have snuck in illegally. I have been to the southern 
border, and what I saw was shocking. I saw human heartbreak, scared 
children, overcrowded facilities, overwhelmed Border Patrol agents, and 
evidence of human and drug trafficking being committed by the Mexican 
cartels.
  Mr. Speaker, I saw whole giant sections of the unfinished border 
wall, with the materials to finish these sections lying in piles in the 
sun. We need to fix this humanitarian crisis now, and we have done our 
part in the House to do just that.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that the U.S. Senate and the President will step 
up to the plate, as well.


                          National Police Week

  Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, this is National Police Week, and I am proud 
to use my voice and my vote in Congress to honor the brave men and 
women who wear the badge and put their lives on the line to protect all 
of us.
  Since President Biden took office, crime rates have skyrocketed. In 
the last 3 years, the number of officers shot in the line of duty is up 
52 percent; in major American cities, homicides are up 13 percent; 
rapes are up 23 percent; and aggravated assaults are up 33 percent. 
Meanwhile, Federal arrests are down 35 percent. These numbers confirm 
that we need to do a better job supporting our law enforcement officers 
and ensure that they have the resources they need to do their job.
  I support law enforcement officers. This week, as a part of my 
commitment to the Big First, I am honored to support commonsense 
reforms to issues affecting police, oppose any efforts to defund them, 
and memorialize law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

  I am going to memorialize four of those officers from the great State 
of Kansas now, who paid the ultimate price while protecting their 
fellow Kansans: David Leroy Ingle from Iola; Stacy Annette Murrow from 
Linn County; Robert Price Craft from Marion County; and Sidnee Taylor 
Carter from Sedgwick County. May they rest in peace.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask everyone to join me in praying for law enforcement 
and in thanking your local police officers this week for their service.


                       Honoring Dr. Marty Vanier

  Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great Kansan and 
member of the Kansas State University family, Dr. Marty Vanier, who is 
receiving the Jay Dillingham Award for Agricultural Leadership and 
Excellence this week.
  The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City selected Dr. Vanier 
as a recipient of this year's award for good reason. She has deep roots 
in Kansas agriculture, having grown up on her family's ranch where they 
raised commercial and registered Hereford cattle. She has held several 
leadership positions in the fields of veterinary pharmaceutical and 
food safety. She is now the director of the National Agricultural 
Biosecurity Center at Kansas State.
  Dr. Vanier received her undergraduate degree from Kansas State. She 
began her career in Washington, D.C., serving with the Animal Health 
Institute and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1987, she returned 
to Kansas State and has since worked for the university's Department of 
Animal Sciences, the Office of Strategic Partnership Development for 
the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, and the Kansas State 
Agricultural Biosecurity Center, which she now directs.
  Dr. Vanier has the unique ability of bringing her diverse experiences 
to bear as an educator. She is a student, professor, veterinarian, 
advocate, scientist, and philanthropist all at the same time.
  Her thoughtful, systematic approach to leadership has made her a 
favorite in the classroom and among so many others.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Dr. Vanier on this well-deserved award.

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