Bioeconomy Research and Development Act of 2021

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and all of the chairs of the committees and members who helped bring the America COMPETES Act to where it is.

Madam Speaker, today I offer my amendment to the America COMPETES Act. My amendment simply adds ``media and entertainment'' to the list of eligible programs for nontraditional industries or occupations.

The U.S. media and entertainment industry plays a prominent role in defining who we are as a nation, not only within our borders but across the world. The media, as I know the media is plural, but the media as an institution continues to serve as one of the main narrative-creating and image-defining institutions conveying America's values and ideals to audiences around the world.

Yet the lack of diverse talent in the industry's workforce fails to reflect our population, therefore, stunting our ability to accurately portray the U.S. as a multicultural symbol on a global scale, and also sidelining millions and millions of Americans from participating in an industry with well-paying jobs.

By expanding apprenticeship programs, we can build a foundation for more Americans to begin professional careers in the media industry, particularly those that have been traditionally excluded, such as Latinos and other minority communities that are often underrepresented and undervalued.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, to address some of the concerns, the media and entertainment industry is one that involves different STEM fields such as a wide variety of engineering positions, for example, many of which have gone unfilled in different media corporations.

Also, as the gentlewoman knows, the GOP in particular has made a big deal about our film industry yielding to different Chinese demands, for example. So it is important that our government collaborate with the industry to make sure that we have a well-prepared workforce that is able to, again, make sure that the America media is robust.

We also want to be sure that--as you have industries like the media industry that continue to, for example, go film television and movies overseas, that American workers are well-prepared to take on those jobs so that industry does not have a single excuse to go somewhere else but to one of our cities and States in the United States. That is exactly what this amendment will help do, is to bring about a more prepared workforce to take on these roles so that industry doesn't have an excuse to go somewhere else.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to amendment 56 by Representative Crenshaw.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I believe the information being solicited is important, although I don't think that we need to pass a law to get it, and we shouldn't have to pass a law to get it. In that sense, I think the amendment is overkill.

As chairman of the Oversight Subcommittee on Foreign Affairs last Congress, I saw how incredibly difficult it was to get basic information and simple briefings from the Trump administration. So I am sympathetic to getting information from an administration.

The checks and balances put in place by the Constitution require the executive branch, no matter the party, to be responsive to congressional oversight. As we saw during the last administration, the executive branch has become increasingly empowered to not cooperate with Congress on basic oversight matters; that much is true.

The Foreign Affairs Committee has found statutorily mandated briefings, however, generally backfire. They give the executive branch an excuse not to provide basic briefings on important subject matters on which we do not mandate briefings through legislation.

These topics vastly outnumber those with statutorily required briefings. By writing mandatory briefings into statute, Congress is conceding to the executive that it does not need to be responsive to legislative branch inquiries unless a statute says so.

Although I am opposing this amendment, I think the information is important. I would also join Representative Crenshaw in a letter requesting that kind of briefing from the Biden administration this year and the next and until the next administration.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, again, I agree this is important information. However, this should not be our approach, except on issues where the executive branch has continuously, and over a period of time, refused to respond to basic inquiries.

On climate issues, the Foreign Affairs Committee has not had any issues obtaining core information that is shared on a bipartisan basis. In fact, both Secretary of State Blinken and Special Envoy Kerry addressed this question in their hearings in front of our committee last year.

Again, I would be willing to work with Representative Crenshaw, and everybody else who is interested in a bipartisan way, to request this hearing.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source