What Ken Calvert said, and what was done

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Harriett Shockey. Harriett Shockey was born in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1936. When she was 17 years old, her parents gave her the wonderful gift of a baby sister, called Candy, whom she loved deeply.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the ACT for ALS Reauthorization Act, H.R. 8205, legislation that will reauthorize programs that support research and development of drugs and other therapies to address ALS.”

“Mr Speaker, I rise today to honor a man whose career in service to our Nation spans nearly five decades--Dr. Christopher J. Scolese--an engineer, a leader, and a quiet patriot.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to Taylor Cole, an American patriot who made incredible contributions to our national defense, who was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident in the Cajon Pass on Sunday, April 5, 2026.”

“In his personal life, Taylor lived life to the absolute fullest. He was a seven-time national skydiving champion and a member of the United States Parachute Team. Taylor was also considered one of the top BASE jumpers in the world, with more than seventeen years of active jumping and over a thousand jumps to his name.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, as chair of the California Republican delegation, I rise to welcome our newest Member of the body, the gentleman from California (Mr.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to my good friend and Navy veteran, Ward Beecher, who passed away on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. Ward lived a life grounded in love, service, family, and country, and he will be deeply missed.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Mr. John Forbes as he departs service to this body to assume the role of Clerk for the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4638, the Federal Working Animal Protection Act. This legislation was inspired by a member of Customs and Border Protection's Beagle Brigade named Freddie.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to approve my bipartisan legislation, H.R. 831, the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2025. My bill is simple and straightforward: it would establish an interest-bearing account for the nonfederal contributions for the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, a cooperative effort between federal and nonfederal entities in Arizona, California, and Nevada to recover endangered species.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Mr. William ``Bill'' Adkins as he departs service to this body to assume the role of Principal Deputy Director for the National Reconnaissance Office.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and commend Rebecca Delgadillo Evans, a remarkable public servant whose distinguished career reflects the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and dedication to the administration of justice in the United States.”

“Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend from Oklahoma, Chairman Tom Cole, for a job well done. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Senate amendment to H.R. 7148, which includes my bill, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026.”

“Madam Chair, I thank Chairman Cole for yielding. Madam Chair, we cannot thank Chairman Cole enough, as Chairman Womack said, for his steadfast leadership and his clear-eyed purpose to get us back to regular order and to see this end today with the passage of four final appropriations bills.”

“Madam Chair, finally, in closing, I thank my entire staff both on the majority side and the minority side who worked diligently together. As the ranking member mentioned, we are losing one of our key staff members who went over to NRO as a deputy director, Bill Adkins.”

“Mr. Speaker, through their service and sacrifice, our veterans willingly put themselves in harm's way to ensure the security of our country. It is our turn to ensure that they are protected from scams and fraud.”

“Mr. Speaker, the sudden passing of our close friend and colleague, Doug LaMalfa, has caused both shock and sadness throughout the entire House of Representatives. We lost a friend and a colleague.”

“Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned of the sudden passing of our dear friend and colleague, Doug LaMalfa. As a fourth-generation rice farmer, Doug's experience shaped his advocacy for his northern California constituents.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my good friend Woodrow ``Woody'' Harpole, who celebrated his 80th birthday on December 21, 2025. Woody has been a respected business leader, community volunteer, and trusted friend to my hometown of Corona, California, for nearly five decades.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to my good friend, a visionary entrepreneur, civic leader, and philanthropist, Duane Roberts, who passed away on Saturday, November 1, 2025.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate Bobby Spiegel, who is retiring after serving the Corona Chamber of Commerce for the past 24 years. Bobby has been a true leader in Riverside County for decades and served as an effective advocate for small businesses throughout our region.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) as it celebrates a major milestone in the district's history. This year, EMWD will mark its 75th Anniversary and a proven legacy of service to our community.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to Phil Green, who passed away on Saturday, July 19, 2025. Phil was an incredible father, citizen, and advocate for ALS patients, and he will be deeply missed.”

“Mr. Chair, I think there may be a misunderstanding about bioindustrial manufacturing, what it is and what it is not. Bioindustrial manufacturing is not cultivating meat. However, bioindustrial manufacturing is critical to energetics, such as hypersonic fuels, critical chemicals for munitions and missiles, and materials that literally increase the bang for the buck.”

“Mr. Chair, I greatly admire the gentlewoman from Georgia's passion for ensuring support for our overseas allies are a wise use of taxpayers' dollars, but support for Taiwan must be part of that equation.”

“Mr. Chair, the amendment strikes $15 million for HIV prevention education activities undertaken in connection with the United States military training exercises and the humanitarian assistance activities conducted primarily in African nations.”

“Mr. Chair, the gentlewoman's amendment would strike $500 million in funding for the vital Israeli missile defense capability. Over the past 2 years, Israel repeatedly has been attacked by Iran and its terrorist proxy groups, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.”

“Mr. Chair, Jordan remains an indispensable ally in an extremely dangerous region. Our partnership with the Kingdom of Jordan is critical both to the regional and U.S. national security.”

“Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the gentlewoman's amendment. Sadly, we saw for years how the Biden administration failed to provide Ukraine the resources necessary to fight back in an effective way against Russian aggression.”

“Madam Chair, I state to the gentlewoman that certainly I look forward to working with her as we move forward with this legislation to make sure that we have the right type of language.”

“Madam Chair, I certainly rise in support of the amendment. The amendment prohibits the expenditure of funds to create, procure, or display any map that depicts Taiwan as part of the territory of the People's Republic of China.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in proud recognition of four Corona High School students, Seth Hernandez, Billy Carlson, Brady Ebel, and Ethin Bingaman who were selected in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft.”

“Following the administration's lead, this bill leans forward on shaping a more efficient and effective Department of Defense by reducing $6.5 billion, almost 45,000 civilian employees. Mr. Chair, altogether, this bill is a good bill.”

“Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman for the purpose of a colloquy. Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time. I was done with full debate.”

“Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman to enter into a colloquy. Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, I think I have a slightly different script. We are friends, and we will get through this.”

“Yes, please. Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, that is the status of Afghan nationals living in the United States under temporary protected status. For 20 years after the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, the United States maintained a significant military and diplomatic presence in Afghanistan.”

“Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for her remarks. As the gentlewoman points out so powerfully, for over two decades, Afghan interpreters, translators, and contractors stood side by side with U.S. servicemembers in some of the most dangerous circumstances imaginable.”

“Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, I support this package of en bloc amendments to the Defense bill that are in the interest of Members on both sides of the aisle, and I urge its adoption.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Kiya Batmanglidj on the occasion of his retirement from Federal service. Over the past 21 years, Kiya has honorably served the United States in both military and civilian service.”

“Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding me time. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the fiscal year 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to approve my bipartisan legislation, H.R. 252, the Secure Our Ports Act. This bill is designed to strengthen our national security by prohibiting foreign adversaries from owning and operating critical infrastructure in the United States.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Mr. Matthew Bower on the occasion of his retirement from Federal service. Over the past 22 years, Matt has honorably served the United States in both the executive and legislative branches.”

“Over the last 10 years, Matt has consistently proved to be a tremendous source of knowledge to the chairs of the Subcommittee on both sides of the aisle, the numerous defense clerks, and his staff colleagues alike.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to my good friend, Navy veteran, and acclaimed political adviser, Stuart (Stu) Spencer, who passed away in Palm Desert on Sunday, January 12, 2025.”

“Stu is survived by his beloved wife of 32 years, Barbara Spencer; two children from a previous marriage, Karen Spencer of Palm Desert and Steven Spencer of Dana Point; a stepdaughter, Debbie DeSilva of Carlsbad, and six grandchildren.”

“Mr. Chair, the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act is desperately needed to better manage our forests in California and across the country. Wildfires are an unfortunate part of our lives.”