[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 11968-11969]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            VETERANS HOUSING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Gallagher) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GALLAGHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of veterans across 
the State of Wisconsin who have put themselves in harm's way to defend 
this Nation.
  As citizens, we have a clear moral obligation to ensure that they are 
able to receive the quality care that they need, deserve, and earned. 
The Department of Veterans Affairs is predicated on this very idea.
  Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, in my district, is a facility for 
homeless and at-risk veterans in northeast Wisconsin. Just last week, 
veterans housed there were notified the VA would no longer renew grants 
for housing programs, an action that will result in the closing of this 
facility by the end of the calendar year.
  This unfortunate news has caused significant stress, uncertainty, and 
anxiety among the veterans community in northeast Wisconsin, and 
specifically among the veterans at King, who now face the possibility 
of homelessness.
  We cannot let this happen. We would be abandoning our duty if we let 
this happen. That is why I was proud to coauthor a letter with the 
Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, requesting answers from Secretary 
Shulkin on this vital matter.
  While we await answers, we must continue to bring attention to the 
concerns of our veterans and remain committed to working together 
across the aisle to ensure that our veterans receive the housing and 
care they vitally need and care that they have earned.


                    Global War on Terrorism Memorial

  Mr. GALLAGHER. Mr. Speaker, I had the honor last week of welcoming a 
group of American heroes who journeyed from northeast Wisconsin to 
Washington, D.C., aboard the Old Glory Honor Flight.
  Generations of veterans, representing every major conflict since 
World War II, visited the very monuments that honor their courage and 
commitment.
  Just as these vets visited their respective memorials, so, too, 
should the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve in 
the ongoing war on terrorism in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 
war that I was

[[Page 11969]]

fighting 8 years ago. They, too, should have something to honor their 
sacrifice.
  Under current law, a war must be over for at least 10 years before a 
memorial can be built in its honor. That is why Representative Moulton 
and I have introduced legislation that would allow for a global war on 
terrorism memorial.
  This war is unlike any preceding it. It has no end date. There will 
be no victory date, no V-J Day. Threats continue to rise, and so the 
longest ongoing conflict continues. After 15 years, and over 6,800 
American lives lost, there is still no end in sight.
  This memorial is for the brave men and women who have died fighting, 
who continue to fight, and are still joining the fight against 
terrorism. If we are going to continue passing the torch from one 
generation to the next, we need to build this memorial so that future 
generations never forget their duty to do the same and to pass that 
torch.


                          Farm Technology Days

  Mr. GALLAGHER. Mr. Speaker, agriculture is a driving force behind our 
economy and a way of life in northeast Wisconsin, which is why I was 
honored that Farm Technology Days decided to hold their annual event in 
Kewaunee County at Ebert Dairy Enterprises, an impressive sixth-
generation family farm in Algoma.
  Farm Technology Days is the largest agricultural show in Wisconsin, 
and one of the largest in the Nation. The 3-day event showcases the 
latest improvements in production agriculture, recent research 
findings, and technological developments.
  Mr. Speaker, 15,000 hamburgers and 11,000 bowls of ice cream later, 
the event was a huge success for our local ag economy. The first day 
alone saw an attendance of over 10,000 people.
  Because of the hard work of the Ebert family and the nearly 2,000 
volunteers who pitched in, northeast Wisconsin was able to demonstrate 
the powerful role we play in Wisconsin's agriculture industry.

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