Congressional Record—House H3967
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May 15, 2018 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H3967 ability of State leaders to invest Fed- who currently have the skills to take ership work here and her work here eral resources and prioritize economic the positions of retirees nor the thou- this evening in bringing attention to growth and local needs. It fails them in sands of private sector jobs being cre- this critical matter. having the flexibility to be able to ated every day in this new economy. Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. react to immediate workforce needs. And with over 6 million jobs available ALLEN. He and the other members of In an effort to close the skills gap, in this country as we speak, we have to the committee who have been here to- my colleague Congressman RAJA ensure that our young people today are night, as well as Members who serve on KRISHNAMOORTHI and I introduced H.R. equipped for the job market of tomor- the committee, bring real-life experi- 2353, the Strengthening Career and row. ences and help us better understand Technical Education for the 21st Cen- In fact, I enjoy meeting with young what it is that we need to be doing on tury Act. people and talking about this era in the committee and in the Congress. H.R. 2353 makes impactful changes to which, when they are educated, they Again, this skills gap is something the law by giving authority back to the have the greatest opportunity of any that is of concern to all Americans and State and local leaders, who have a generation that I am aware of to find a should be of concern to all Americans. thorough understanding of the regional job in an upward economy in just about The Education and the Workforce Com- workforce; aligning career and tech- every field that they desire. mittee is doing its best to present good nical education programs with high- As someone who has worked in the legislation to pass here so that the skilled, lucrative, and in-demand jobs; construction industry for my entire ca- Federal Government can again give the and increasing transparency and ac- reer, I know firsthand how difficult it structure that is needed for business countability, while also assessing the is to find skilled workers. And as a and industry to do what it needs to do. success of skills-based education pro- member of House Education and the We are the greatest country in the grams; and limiting the Department of Workforce Committee, this is why I world. We will continue to be the Education’s role in the CTE programs, was proud of supporting the Strength- greatest country in the world as long empowering the State and the local ening Career and Technical Education as we respond to the needs of our cul- leaders. for the 21st Century Act and the PROS- ture and keep our country moving in Now, while this bipartisan legislation PER Act, both pieces of legislation the right direction. passed the House unanimously last that bridge the gap between the busi- Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues year and still awaits action in the Sen- ness community and our education ef- again and I yield back the balance of ate, in a time when critical industries forts. my time. Make no mistake, getting an edu- have vacant jobs but not enough quali- cation is essential, but it is equally im- f fied workers to fill them, it is impera- portant that our education efforts are THE HISTORY OF ROBERT tive that we work to get this bill aligned with the in-demand jobs in our MUELLER signed into law for the prosperity of communities. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. our economy and for the future of our In order to cultivate a qualified FERGUSON). Under the Speaker’s an- workforce. workforce for the future, our education Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentle- nounced policy of January 3, 2017, the and business communities must work Chair recognizes the gentleman from woman for the opportunity to weigh in together so our kids and grandkids Texas (Mr. GOHMERT) for 30 minutes. on this important topic. have the opportunity to achieve the Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I do ap- American Dream. As I said, I believe preciate the words of my friend from THOMPSON for his time tonight. Again, that opportunity is the best today that I appreciate the work that he has done North Carolina (Ms. FOXX), and she has it has ever been. an amendment that is going to help a in this field session after session, and I Back home in Georgia’s 12th District, lot of folks in my district. appreciate the way he approaches his I have visited small business after Mr. Speaker, I continue to hear some work on the Education and the Work- small business. And one question I al- people say that they think Robert force Committee. We respect the gen- ways ask is: What is your biggest chal- Mueller is going to be fair-minded, he tleman greatly, and he is well re- lenge? And the answer to that question spected by all of his colleagues here. almost every single time is: Workers. is going to do a good job. But I think Mr. Speaker, we are all pushing to As a business owner, the greatest joy probably more than any of my Repub- get the bill passed out of the Senate in my life was creating jobs. I look lican friends that profess to think they and are very, very hopeful. In addition, back, and I look at the buildings we know Robert Mueller, I don’t think we keep our fingers crossed. built in the construction industry, and they know him as well as I do, and on the research I have done on the man, b 2045 we got pretty good at it. But I will tell you, the one thing, when I look back, the dealings I have had with him, the We pray, we keep our fingers crossed, and the greatest joy that I had in life, questions I have asked him. and we hope. was giving folks a good job, allowing But I don’t think they know him as Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman them the dignity and respect that they well as Eric Holder does, and Eric Hold- from Georgia (Mr. ALLEN), another one deserve, to empower them to fulfill er said a month or so ago he has known of the great members of the Education their God-given right to provide for Bob Mueller for 20, 30 years, and, in es- and the Workforce Committee. their families, to provide for their com- sence, he wasn’t going to stop until he Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank munities, and yes, provide for this Na- found something he could pin on Don- the gentlewoman for her work in orga- tion; an opportunity I believe should be ald Trump. nizing this Special Order this evening. available to all Americans. That is the essence, and I think he is Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight One of the top factors in where a right. the importance of workforce develop- business decides to locate is based on We see from Robert Mueller’s history ment in America. workforce, and with Georgia being that when he decides somebody is not a Over the past 11⁄2 years, this Congress named as the number one State to lo- good person, even when he is 100 per- has been working diligently to turn cate your business for the past 5 years cent wrong, then it justifies in his this economy around and get Ameri- in a row, our workforce needs in Geor- mind putting them in prison, leaving cans across the country back to work. gia are growing each and every day. them for the rest of their lives, de- After passing the most comprehen- I will continue to work with my col- stroying their lives, destroying any sive tax overhaul in 30 years and roll- leagues in this body on the House Edu- friendships, family, caring relation- ing back Obama-era rules and regula- cation and the Workforce Committee ship. He doesn’t care. tions, our economy is beginning to to ensure that we have an available He has destroyed good people, com- thrive, and the need for a developed workforce equipped with the skills nec- pletely destroyed good people, and as and established workforce is more cru- essary to jump directly into that work- he has said more than once after he has cial right now than ever before. force. destroyed good people, and in the case The simple fact is our workforce is Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to of Dr. Hatfill, the government had an aging and there are not enough people thank Chairwoman FOXX for her lead- over $6 million payout to him for the VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:34 May 16, 2018 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K15MY7.067 H15MYPT1 dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with HOUSE H3968 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE May 15, 2018 way Bob Mueller destroyed his life as people, shut down the U.S. Capitol and There was no—let me repeat—there an innocent individual, he said he had Washington’s mail system, solidified was no evidence whatsoever that Ste- nothing to apologize for. the Bush administration’s antipathy ven Hatfill was the anthrax killer. And see, in his mind, he doesn’t for Iraq, and eventually, when the facts Talking to some folks in Washington think he does.