[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 88 (Wednesday, May 24, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H2552-H2553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
                 BRONZE STAR AWARDED TO DANIEL HOLIHAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
New York (Ms. Malliotakis) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize one of my 
constituents, 100-year-old World War II veteran Daniel Lawrence Holihan 
of Staten Island, New York, who tomorrow will be awarded the Bronze 
Star from Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro for his heroic 
achievement.
  In January, the members of the VFW Post 7172 on Staten Island, led by 
Captain Timothy Forsyth, contacted my office about a veteran who they 
believed should be recognized for his achievements on Iwo Jima in 
February of 1945 as a member of the Underwater Demolition Team 
Thirteen.
  Five days before the historic battle of Iwo Jima, the USS Barr was 
ordered to the eastern side of the island where Team Thirteen was 
ordered to erect a navigational light on Higashi Iwa, an islet about 
4,000 yards offshore.
  Despite the heavy artillery fire of the enemy, 3 officers and 15 men 
assigned to the task, including Petty Officer Daniel Holihan, were 
miraculously successful in carrying out their mission without a single 
casualty. These men worked tirelessly for 5 days to clear the water's 
edge and make way for the historic battle of Iwo Jima.
  Petty Officer Holihan, along with several other enlisted members of 
his team, was initially recommended for the award of the Bronze Star 
Medal; however, because Mr. Holihan was transferred to the East Coast 
at the end of the war, he was not able to participate in the 
presentation of this prestigious award.
  Earlier this year, I wrote to the Secretary of the Navy highlighting 
Mr. Holihan's contributions and asked that his service receive the 
honor it deserves from our grateful nation. In response to my request, 
tomorrow, Secretary of the Navy Del Toro will award Mr. Holihan the 
Bronze Star for Valor for his heroic actions and his selflessness.

[[Page H2553]]

  I, like those who I represent in New York's 11th Congressional 
District, am very proud and grateful for Mr. Holihan's service to our 
great nation and the bravery that he displayed nearly 80 years ago.
  As we head into Memorial Day weekend to honor those who did not 
return from war, those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, I also want to 
give thanks to our servicemembers like Daniel Holihan who were willing 
to give their lives, but thankfully returned home.


                   Deadly Fentanyl Must be Controlled

  Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the HALT Fentanyl 
Act. This is the Drug Enforcement Administration's top legislative 
priority.
  If we do not take action to permanently schedule fentanyl-related 
substances, we will see many fentanyl-related substances becoming 
street legal, we will see law enforcement lose their authority to seize 
these extremely lethal drugs, we will see drug traffickers continue to 
be empowered to push these deadly drugs on our children, and we will 
see our U.S. Customs and Border Protection lose their authority to 
seize these substances crossing the border.
  In 2022, last year, more than 109,000 people died from fentanyl 
overdoses, with the majority coming from illicit fentanyl and fentanyl-
related substances. It is the number one killer of young Americans aged 
18-49.
  In addition to that, it is important to note that the DEA has 
announced results of a years-long national operation, Operation Last 
Mile, which specifically targeted fentanyl traffickers run by the drug 
cartels operating right here in the United States.
  According to the Department of Justice, there are two cartels who use 
multicity distribution networks, violent local street gangs, and 
individual dealers across the U.S. to drive addiction.
  The DEA's operation led to the arrest of over 3,300 individuals and 
the seizure of nearly 44 million fentanyl pills, more than 6,500 pounds 
of fentanyl powder, more than 91,000 pounds of methamphetamine, 8,500 
firearms, and more than $100 million. The fentanyl powder and pills 
seized alone equate to nearly 193 million deadly doses of fentanyl 
removed from our communities across the United States.
  It is so incredibly important that we not only pass the HALT Fentanyl 
Act to keep DEA having the tools they need to do their job, but we also 
pass House Republicans' border security package. We know that the drug 
traffickers are raking in $13 billion a year from human trafficking and 
drug trafficking over our southern border.
  According to the DEA, the Mexican criminal organizations are now the 
most prominent wholesale-level heroin traffickers in the DEA Chicago, 
New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington field division areas of 
responsibility; and they have greatly expanded their presence in New 
York City.
  We must pass our border security bill in the Senate, and we must pass 
the HALT Fentanyl Act here in the House and in the Senate, as well.

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