17th Annual Brent Berry Food Drive
Floor Speech
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Mr. CLINE. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the 17th annual Brent Berry Food Drive in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.
Named the Brent Berry Food Drive in honor of their son, Brent, the family took the initiative to help those in need.
This year, the food drive was the largest food drive in the event's history, breaking its record in 2022. Members of the community donated $100,000 worth of food, enough to fill six schoolbuses and two trailers.
With the help of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Salvation Army, this food was distributed to thousands of individuals across the city.
Buck Berry, the lead organizer of this food drive, grew up not knowing where his next meal would come from. His family received help from the Salvation Army so they wouldn't go hungry, and that stuck with him into adulthood, and he felt motivated to provide that same goodness to his community.
This self-sacrifice shown by the Berry family has impacted the lives of so many in the Sixth District for 17 years, and I commend them for their dedication to community service. Recognizing Kool Kids Diggity Dogs
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Mr. CLINE. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize a local hot dog business in my district, the Kool Kids Diggity Dogs, for their giving back tailgate at the Roanoke Rescue Mission during the Super Bowl on Sunday.
The goal of the event was to provide a great meal for the big game for the homeless population in Roanoke, and they did just that.
The employees of the hot dog business served up free hot dogs, chips, and drinks to those in need.
In addition to the plate of food, the employees went above and beyond and provided clothing and hygiene products.
The display of community spirit by the Kool Kids Diggity Dogs stands as a testament to the civic spirit of the town and as an example of Jesus' instructions to us in his sermon on the mount: ``And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.''
I want to thank Melvin Ward, the owner of the business, and the rest of the volunteers for their selfless service and wish them much success with their business in the future.
Recognizing Harrisonburg High School Electric Vehicle Team
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Mr. CLINE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Harrisonburg High School Electric Vehicle Team for being invited to compete in the 2024 UAE Electric Vehicle Grand Prix.
The Harrisonburg High School Electric Vehicle Team has been competing in the Electric Vehicle Grand Prix as this competition empowers each constructor to use their knowledge and design and build a car that can race the most laps within the time span of an hour.
The Harrisonburg car is unique, as it is equipped with built-in data collection so the team can get feedback in real time to improve technique.
After 2 years of hard work and dedication to build the most efficient car, these young engineers were selected to be one of six teams representing the United States in the International EV Competition in Abu Dhabi.
The engineers of this car include: Jack Rocker, Joshua Nafziger, Johanna Mayfield, Monica Espinoza Martinez, Colin Snider, Peter Johnson, and Davis Bert.
As these young engineers enjoy life in the fast lane, I join all Americans in expressing our support and hope that we see them standing at the top of the podium in Abu Dhabi as winners of the Grand Prix. Secretary Mayorkas has Failed
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Mr. CLINE. Madam Speaker, this weekend while Americans were preparing for the Super Bowl, Secretary Mayorkas appeared on NBC's ``Meet the Press'' and claimed that the Department of Homeland Security did not bear responsibility for the broken immigration system in this country.
The Department of Homeland Security website states that the job of the Secretary is to: counter terrorism and enhance security, secure and manage our borders, enforce and administer our immigration laws, and provide essential support for national security.
The Homeland Security Committee outlined for the House how he has failed in every single category. I commend my colleagues for taking action yesterday to impeach Secretary Mayorkas and hold him accountable for his failures.
Let me give an example for each one.
He has failed in his responsibility to stop the influx of terrorists into this country. Last year, there were 169 people whose names appear on the terrorist watch list who were stopped trying to cross the southern border--a record.
He has failed to secure and manage our borders. There have been over 7 million illegal crossings of our southern border, 1.7 million known got-aways who evaded U.S. Border Patrol, and has empowered and emboldened ruthless criminal cartels to control our southern border and poison our communities with enough fentanyl to kill every American. In 2023, CBP seized a record of over 27,000 pounds of fentanyl at the southwest border.
He has failed to enforce and administer our immigration laws. On day one, Joe Biden and Secretary Mayorkas ended the Trump-era remain in Mexico policies, the strongest border security laws implemented in generations. He also has the authority to use the current laws in place to secure our border but has neglected any law in the book and this has led to the crisis that has engulfed this country.
He has failed to provide essential support for national security. Border Patrol agents have apprehended individuals from more than 160 countries since January of 2021, including from countries that sponsor terrorism or major U.S. adversaries.
Additionally, between October 2022 and August 2023, CBP recorded nearly 75,000 encounters of aliens who represent a potential threat to national security.
He has failed. It is time to remove him from office.
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