E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 116 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 166 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2020 No. 129 House of Representatives The House met at 9 a.m. and was our alliances, and a culture that is in Forces. We have made progress and, called to order by the Speaker pro tem- line with the values of our Nation. this year, witnessed historic barrier- pore (Mr. CUELLAR). This bill is truly transformational breaking firsts: when it comes to advancing diversity f Chief Master Sergeant JoAnne Bass and inclusion, as well as fairness and was selected as the first woman to DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO justice, in our military. serve as the highest ranking non- TEMPORE We are at an inflection point when it commissioned officer in a service com- The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- comes to race in this country, dem- ponent; fore the House the following commu- onstrated by peaceful protests across Lieutenant Junior Grade Madeline nication from the Speaker: the country and at a time when a pan- Swegle became the Navy’s first Black demic has widened disparities in female tactical jet pilot; WASHINGTON, DC, healthcare, education, economic oppor- July 22, 2020. The U.S. Army just welcomed its I hereby appoint the Honorable HENRY tunity, and housing along racial lines. first female Green Beret. CUELLAR to act as Speaker pro tempore on Our armed services are not immune However, there is more work to be this day. to these currents. done: NANCY PELOSI, The military has historically prided Women have never exceeded 27 per- Speaker of the House of Representatives. itself as leading in opportunity and ad- cent of nominations made by Members f vancement for men and women of of Congress to the prestigious service color, but we have fallen far short of academies; MORNING-HOUR DEBATE our expectations. Today we are still In 2009, more than 6,000 cases of sex- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- grappling with a military that doesn’t ual assault in the military were re- ant to the order of the House of Janu- fully reflect our country’s diversity. ported. The Pentagon estimates these ary 7, 2020, the Chair will now recog- Forty-three percent of the Active-Duty reports amount to just 30 percent of as- nize Members from lists submitted by servicemembers are people of color, yet saults, primarily against women. the majority and minority leaders for only two of the 41 most senior generals Women and men, whose trust in their morning-hour debate. and admirals in the military are Black, fellow soldiers has been shaken, need and only one woman. The Chair will alternate recognition our support and for this Congress to As recent events have brought a between the parties, with time equally step up. reckoning in our society, we are still allocated between the parties and each This year’s NDAA takes important debating symbols of oppression. White Member other than the majority and steps to create a more diverse and in- supremacy, racism, and other toxic be- minority leaders and the minority clusive military. It builds on the work whip limited to 5 minutes, but in no liefs exist within our ranks, impacting how Black soldiers advance, their as- in 2008 of Majority Whip JIM CLYBURN, event shall debate continue beyond 9:50 signments in career fields, and how Representative HANK JOHNSON, and a.m. they are treated and assessed. former Members of this Chamber Eli- f African Americans comprise just a jah Cummings and Kendrick Meek. As single-digit percentage of fighter pilots members of the Congressional Black THE CULTURE WE CREATE IN OUR Caucus, they recognized years ago that ARMED SERVICES MATTERS and navigators, only 5 percent of Army Green Berets, 2 percent of Navy the military was not living up to the The SPEAKER pro tempore. The SEALs; and only 0.6 percent of the Air potential unlocked in 1948 when Presi- Chair recognizes the gentleman from Force’s power rescue jumpers are dent Truman signed the executive Maryland (Mr. BROWN) for 5 minutes. Black. order removing racial segregation in Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Speak- Structural racism still exists in our the Armed Forces. er, I thank Chairman SMITH and my military formations. Fifty-three per- Together, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. JOHNSON, colleagues on the House Armed Serv- cent of minority servicemembers re- Mr. Cummings, and Mr. Meek led the ices Committee for their bipartisan port they have seen examples of white effort to create the Military Leader- work on this year’s National Defense nationalism or racism within the ship Diversity Commission, whose rec- Authorization Act. ranks. These issues didn’t happen sud- ommendations in 2011 are the basis for We advanced progressive ideals to denly, but festered unchecked by a cul- many of the diversity and inclusion support our military families; improve ture of indifference or intolerance. provisions found in this year’s NDAA, readiness; sharpen our technological This culture extends to gender dis- which are some of the most significant edge; and foster American leadership, parities we still see in our Armed steps towards diversity and inclusion b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H3615 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:33 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22JY7.000 H22JYPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with HOUSE H3616 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 22, 2020 that Congress itself has taken since the all over the world. He was a command standing, kind, and loving individual, desegregation of the Armed Forces in pilot with more than 8,000 hours, flying who was a friend to all. 1948. in nine different types of aircraft. He Kyle was employed by Industrial It seeks to foster opportunities for also served in the position of Adjutant Conveyor Belt Services for 10 years and women and minorities. General until his retirement in 1999, worked hard in all he did. We bring new visibility to congres- after more than 40 years of service in While reminiscing on Kyle’s abun- sional nominations to our service acad- the U.S. Air Force and Air National dance of joy that he brought to all fam- emies to train a more diverse next gen- Guard. ily, friends, and others, they recalled eration of leaders. I had the honor and privilege of at- that ‘‘he had one of the best smiles We create a special investigator to tending church with General Bland and ever.’’ He represented what it looks review and investigate racial dispari- his lovely wife, Harriet, at Wesley like to truly live life to the fullest and ties in the military justice system and Monumental United Methodist Church. not take any day for granted. personnel practices. It was evident Jesus Christ was the Kyle was a 2007 graduate of Bene- We create a special prosecutor for Lord and savior of Bill’s life, and he dictine Military School and loved the sexual assault committed at our mili- used all the gifts God gave him to serve outdoors, hunting, fishing, golf, and tary academies. others and bring glory to God. He was baseball. We foster and train a greater number an active and faithful member of the My thoughts and prayers go out to of minorities within the special forces church, where he served on the board of all who knew and loved him during this and aviation communities. trustees for 17 years. difficult time. We tap into the talent at our histori- General Bland will surely be missed CONGRATULATING BRUNSWICK-GOLDEN ISLES cally Black colleges and universities by his friends, family, our church com- CHAMBER OF COMMERCE and other minority-serving institu- munity, and all who knew and loved Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speak- tions. him. His legacy of selfless devotion to er, I rise today to congratulate the We hold the Secretary of Defense and our country and those in need will re- Brunswick-Godlen Isles Chamber of service component leadership account- main for countless years to come. Commerce for the U.S. certification at the highest five-star level. able for progress and give them the CELEBRATING THE FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT Accreditation with the U.S. Chamber tools to make it happen. TRAINING CENTER’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY of Commerce is the only program of its This package updates workplace and Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speak- kind. It defines excellence in chamber climate surveys to include experiences er, I rise today to celebrate the Federal planning and recognizes chambers for with supremacist and extremist activ- Law Enforcement Training Center’s, or outstanding contributions toward posi- ity, anti-Semitism, and racism, allow- FLETC’s, 50th anniversary. ing leadership to understand the full Since the Consolidated Law Enforce- tive change in their communities. extent of these beliefs and better tailor ment Training Center was created in There are currently only 204 chambers responses and disciplinary action. 1970 before becoming the Federal Law across the country that have earned Finally, after decades of inaction, we Enforcement Training Center, they the accreditation designation, and only reckon with one of the darkest periods have continued the mission of safe- 128 are five-star. The Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of our history, the institution of slav- guarding our homeland and serving as of Commerce has been the voice of the ery.