Amending the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act of 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time to speak in support of this act named after our friend, Frank LoBiondo. I thank the gentleman also for his time as chairman of the full committee.

As a Representative of Florida, the State with the second largest coastline in the country, I do have a profound respect for the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard, and as a veteran as well. It has been an honor to work on such a bipartisan committee, which likewise has been filled with members who support the Coast Guard across a diverse set of evolving mission sets.

Every hour of every day the Coast Guard protects America's waterways. They promote a healthy environment, they ensure the safety of mariners, they enforce our laws, they keep us safe from piracy, and they keep us safe from smugglers.

Day in and day out I have had the opportunity to see some of their work firsthand. Recently I met with a search and rescue team in Pollocksville, North Carolina, as they worked tirelessly on behalf of communities impacted by Hurricane Florence. I see my local Coasties in places like Fort Pierce. I see them saving mariners young and old, those lost at sea. There is no doubt that their selfless heroism and their decisive work saved many lives in the Carolinas, just as it did in Florida's Panhandle after Michael and across the Nation, wherever disaster befalls us.

I am proud to support this bill, which also authorizes $10.6 billion to strengthen and support the U.S. Coast Guard in its invaluable defense of our waterways and of our homeland.

I am especially glad to see the inclusion of my bill, the Jupiter Island Land Transfer Act. This provision will finally resolve a decades-old conservation issue in my district and transfer four critical acres of unused Coast Guard property to the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge to ensure the endangered turtles will continue to thrive. By protecting this land, we are doing our part to help ensure that the natural beauty of the Treasure Coast is maintained and continues to be the driver of our economy for many decades to come.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting the brave and hardworking men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard and their indispensable work by supporting the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act.

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