the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. joyce, for five minutes. mr. joyce: thank you, mr. speaker. since the wright brothers first took flight in 1903, exploration, commerce, and transportation have relied on the ability to fly. for decades, regional airports have been the sole provider of flights in and out of rural communities, and it is crucial that we protect the essenal air service program for years to come. it is time to invest in our next generation of pilots, ensuring that students from across the cotry are properly trained and equipped to fly the passengers and the cargos that our economy needs. in the past 2 1/2 years, we've seen the consequences of failed aviation policy from the biden administration. leading to record number of deys and cancellations for travelers across our country. these delaysre the resultf the department of transportation that has failed to put in place systemshat support our the securing growth and robust leadership in american innovation act will provide the reforms necessary to support air travelers and ensure that t

mr. joyce: mr. speaker, i rise to address the house and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. joyce: mr. speaker, in president lincoln's second inaugural address, he called on our nation to care for those who shall have borne the battle. as we debate legislation this week to support our nation's 16.5 million veterans, we must remember that charge that was given to us by president lincoln, to care for those who have given so much of themselves, of their time, in order to keep our nation free and our nation safe. it's essential that we honor our commitment to those men and women and fully fund veterans' benefits and v.a. programs. we owe an incredible debt of gratitude to those who have worn the uniform in service of the united states. from in-patient hospitalizations to outpatient primary care to addiction services, our veterans' hospitals provide the essential services that our veterans can rely on. while working as a doctor, i was pro

mr. joycef pennsylvania. mr. joyce: thank you, mr. secretary. thank you for agreeing to appear before us today and thank you, chairman griffith, for allowing me to wave on. secretary becerra in march of 2022, the foundation for government accountability submitted multiple foia requests seeking information on the enforcement of hospital price transparency roles. after c.m.s. prolonged delay in complying, a court subsequently ordered c.m.s. to produce all the required documents by april of 2023. although c.m.s. has provided nearly 2,000 paeupbls of documents, -- pages of document, i would like to raise two concerns. first, based on f.g.a.'s initial review of the documents, it appears that c.m.s. is not adequately enforcing the hospital price transparency role. secondly, c.m.s. is withholding over 38,000 pages of responsive documents. claiming trade secret exemptions. first, mr. secretary, can you tell us today what percentage of hospitals are in compliance with the price transparency role? sec. b

mr. joyce: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, for the past two years the american people have been led by a president that has failed to bring accountability to the exerive -- executive branch. this weekend the house energy and commerce committee uncovered the embarrassing and disastrous fact that h.h.s. secretary becerra failed to lawfully reappoint key n.i.h. officials before their terms expired. this failure to reappoint the above n.i.h. directors, jeopardizes the legal validity of more than $25 billion in federal biomedical research grants made in 2022 alone. this is yet another example of the biden administration's reckless decisionmaking. our republican commitment to america means creating a government that's accountable. since january, house republicans have fought to expose the wrongdoing by president biden and those that he appointed. it is time to put a stop to the reckless actions that the biden administration continues to pursue that has led to 74% of americans believing that our nation is on the wrong

mr. joyce: mr. speaker, i rise to address the house and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, mr. joyce: -- without objection. mr. joyce: mr. speaker, justice that is not blind is not truly justice. our courts, our law enforcement, and our laws have always strived to uphold that ideal. that is why it is so disturbing to see the whistleblower % this week. as we continue to investigate the business dealings of the biden administration, his family, and associates, it continues to become clear that the president has pressured the agencies he's entrusted with overseeing into providing his family special treatment and special favors to avoid the consequences of their unlawful acts. this isn't justice. it's time to put a stop to a two-tiered justice system that has flourished during joe biden's presidency. we must stand for the role of law -- rule of law and condemn anyone who deliberately uses their position as a public servant for personal gain

mr. joyce: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, more than 500,000 pennsylvanians lack access to fast and reliable internet service at their homes. often adding a layer of difficulty to students who are trying to learn, to businesspeople who are trying to have commerce from their homes, or to patients who are trying to connect with their physicians for telehealth visits. as i travel throughout my district, i hear from farmers who struggle to implement precision farming due to a lack of g.p.s. signal. when i visit school, i hear from teachers about students who struggle to complete their homework simply because they lack access to high-speed internet in their homes. these problems are persistent and each contribute to a larger issue that rural communities are suffering from a lack of access to broadband internet. to ensure that our rural communities are not left behind, it is time for congress to commit to building out rural broadband infrastructure as part of the agriculture and rural development appropriations. ensuring hi

mr. joyce: thank you, madam chaimplet i'm proud to join -- chair. i'm proud to join my colleagues in leading this commonsense effort to help our country's veterans access medical treatment. research has shown that medical cannabis can be safe and effective treatment in targeted pain management for ptsd which unfortunately impacts many of our veterans. despite their efficiency, bureaucratic red tape continues to deny veterans these life-altering treatments. in legal states like ohio and 37 other, the federal government should not prevent a v.a. doctor from recommending a medical cannabis as a viable treatment option if they believe it will help their patient. as the son of a world war ii veteran who was wounded and left for dead on the battlefield, i've seen firsthand the many challenges our nation's heroes face when they return home. we should all be resolved to help expand access to treatments for the medical challenges, both mental and physical, our nation's veterans experience. that's why i ask my colleagues to support this amendment, to help eli

the germany of >> and i recognize their last witness mr. joyce from pennsylvania. >> thank you mr.ecretary. mr. secretary thank you for agreeing to appear before us today and thank you chairman for allowing me to wait on secretary becerra in march of 2022 the foundation for government accountability submitted multiple request to cms seeking information on enforcement of hospital price transparency roles. after cms prolonged if the a court subsequently ordered cms to produce all the required documents by april of 2023. although cms is provided nearly 2000 pages of documents i would like to raise two concerns. first based on the initial reviewew of the documents it appears that cms has not adequately enforcing a hospital trice bands -- transparency roles secondly cms is withholding over 38,000 pages of response to documents claiming trade secret exemptions. mr. secretary can you tell us today what percentage of hospitals are in compliance with the price transparency roles? >> congressman thank you for the question and it's an important subject. i apologize that i came repair to talkd

mr. wenstrup: i recognize dr. joyce of pennsylvania for five minutes of questions. mr. joyce: thank you mr. wenstrup for holding today's hearing, and thank you dr. garry and dr. anderson for testifying before this committee. this committee has worked tirelessly peeling back the layers on the events that transpired amidst the devastating coronavirus pandemic. the members of the committee have been charged with a great responsibility by the american people. our job is to shine a spotlight on the public health officials and agencies for their mishandlings and to hold them accountable. we are tasked with analyzing their misguided, their ambiguous and their flawed policies. so that we can learn how to better prepare and address any potential public health emergencies in the future. this committee's investigations will finally expose the true origins of this deadly virus that destroyed millions of lives and livelihoods across the globe. in april, just a few short months ago this committee held a hearing with the former director of the national intelligence agency, john ratclif

. >> agenda might use back record is our last witness mr. joyce of pennsylvania,. >> think it mr.ecretary we are close but. >> mr. secretary thank you for agreeing to appear before us today.rm thank you chairman griffith for allowing me too waive on. secretary becerra in march of 2020 the foundation for government accountability submitted multiple foia request to cms, seeking information on the enforcement of hospital transparency rolls. after cms prolonged delay and complying, court subsequent order cms to produce all of the required documents by april 2023. other cms has provided nearly 2000 pages of documents, i would like to raise two concerns. first, based on fta initial review of the documents, it appears cms is not adequately enforcing hospital price transparency role. secondly, cms is withholding over 38000 pages of responsive documents claiming trade secret extensions, first, mr. secretary can you tell cindy what percentage of hospitals are in compliance with the price transparency role? >> congress and thank you for the question it is an important subject but i apologize

mr. jackson: i thank the honor annual representative. i yield to congressman joyce beatty from the great state of ohio. mrs. beatty: first, let me say thank you to the chair of the congressional black caucus, congressman steven horsford for shaping our message tonight and reminding us so eloquently of what our role is to be here as a member of congress, as a member of the congressional black caucus representing the some 80 million americans and some 18 million black americans to our special order hour chairs, the gentleman from illinois, and the gentlewoman from florida, thank you for your leadership role. thank you for your oipg remarks reminding us that words matter. reminding us that as leaders those elected to represent diverse bodies across this wonderful america that we live in, thank you to my classmate, congressman donald payne for giving us a history and setting the record straight. mr. speaker, we are here today, because we want america to know how important our work is. we want them to know when we say we are woke, we are proud, we are speaking to constit

joyce. i also rise today, mr. speaker, to talk about the 88th birthday of social security. that will take place on august 14, and we are calling upon members all across this nation joined by great groups like the national committee to preserve and protect social security, social security works, the afl-cio. and the list goes on, but please save the date as the day to action. the day to action because congress hasn't taken any action. in fact, it might interest people in the gallery to know that congress hasn't done anything to enhance social security in more than 52 years. here we find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic. a pandemic that, in this country, has impacted people over the age of 65 more severely than any other group. slightly over a million people have perished over 856 thousand are over -- 856,000 are over the age of 65. those same individuals are the ones because of global inflation have found themselves in the situation as people on fixed incomes often do, they are the one that is are most severely hurt. so as reverend king would say, the fierce urgency of n

joyce and allen. thank you for all the work you have done. and you will not be forgotten. thank you. thank you. mr. chu other callers in the queue? >> there are no callers in the queue >> okay >> i will express apol i don'ts to paul. thank you for try to call in paul if you wanted submit 150 word statement we will include this in the minutes. mr. president. public comment is now closed. colleagues if we can return to item number 19. i have circulated an amendment approved as to form to the annual salary ordinance police section and will let me put this in a bit of context. mr. president, we have member who is have not receive third degree item. >> i sent it to everybody. e mailed. e mail today to everyone. let me look here. during of the course of this meeting. duplicated aso containing police department amendment. colleagues attached is my propose the ma'am to the police section was aso right sizes the police department command staff to reduce one of 2 assist an chief positions and 3 of 8 command are positions the ordinance substituted 7. 69 rank and file kwshg 4 positions savings eliminating the

. >> i now recognize dr joyce from pennsylvania for five minutes . >> thank you mr chairman let's regain the focus of this hearing which is and again i quote investigating pandemic immunity acquired therapeutic or both in january 2022 data from the cdc morbidity and mortality weekly report showed that during the delta surge case rates for individuals with previous infection and no vaccination were nearly four to five times lower than case reports for those individuals who were only vaccinated cdc data showed the hospitalization rates also followed that similar pattern yet despite this data and decisions made by other nations including the eu to recognize the recovery from covid-19 on the same level as vaccination status the administration still maintained or fought to maintain a variety of vaccine mandates either through cms the department of labor that failed to account for the importance of natural immunity. dr mccary in your opinion as a physician, what impact does the administration's disconnect between the data and the policy regarding natural immunity had on the credibility of the

mr. trump's knowledge about election security, and his potential criminal intent. >> ken dilanian, really appreciate that. thank you. back with us now, former federal prosecutor and msnbc legal analyst, joyceexplain the legal significance of donald trump being receptive to our elections being sound? >> this is part of the narrative prosecutors will build about donald trump's state of mind, what lawyers call mens rea. it's an essential element prosecutors would have to prove at trial. what you do, when you can't get inside someone's state of mind, you have to find circumstantial evidence of what they knew and what they were thinking, and you use that evidence, you accumulate it piece upon piece. here prosecutors are going back to an early stage where donald trump seemed to be aware that elections would be fair, that they were well protected. that's a great starting piece. they'll also have evidence about trump saying during the campaign that he would not commit to accepting the results of the election if he lost. there was always this notion that he would accept an election if he won, but not if he lost. and then that builds into evidence that prosecutors have acquired if they've gotten eve

mr. speaker! >> any of that stuff. >> i would like to be recognized to have the words colored people stricken from the record. i find it offensive and very inappropriate. >> that rebuke came om ohio congresswoman joycety. and then crane later apologized and offered this, when he said, in a heated florida debate on my amendment that would phit discrimination on the color of one's skin in the armed forces. i misspoke. every one of us is created in the image of god and created equal. end quote from the congressman. more from a democrat and chair of the congressional black caucus, congressman, thank you for being with us. what did you make, first, the congressman from arizona making that remark on the house floor during this debate over the defense authorization bill, appropriation bill. and then his apology afterward. what did you make of all that? what's going on? >> well, jim, thank you for having me on. i'm here in orlando, florida, in a democracy for the people event talking to constituents with the black caucus institute about the issues that matter from voting rights to the courts to our schools. but what that member did, representative crane from arizona, was unbecoming, it was unprofessionalal,

mr. speaker. i rise today to commend a faithful public servant of this great institution on the occasion of her retirement. for decades, our very own joyce hamlett has worked in this chamber, upholding and protecting our traditions. on behalf of house democrats, it is a distinct privilege to publicly honor her incredible career of service to the united states house of representatives. 35 years of poise, professionalism and particular art. and in the early 1990's after spending time in the prior decade as a cafeteria and elevator operator, she secured a position with the sergeant at arms where she began to firmly enforce the rules of decorum on the house floor. emphasis on the word firmly. upon arisk in the congress as a new member, i quickly came to the conclusion, don't mess with joyce. as house democratic leader, i came to the same conclusion, don't mess with joyce. in connection with her exemplary service with chamber security, joyce was elevated in 2007 to the position of keeper of the mace, as has been mentioned, the first black woman to hold that role in the 234-year history of this great institution. joyce's career in the house ha

joyce and allen. thank you for all the work you have done. and you will not be forgotten. thank you. thank you. mr. chu other callers in the queue? >> there are no callers in the queue >> okay >> i will express apol i don'ts to paul. thank you for try to call in paul if you wanted submit 150 word statement we will include this in the minutes. mr. president. public comment is now closed. colleagues if we can return to item number 19. i have circulated an amendment approved as to form to the annual salary ordinance police section and will let me put this in a bit of context. mr. president, we have member who is have not receive third degree item. >> i sent it to everybody. e mailed. e mail today to everyone. let me look here. during of the course of this meeting. duplicated aso containing police department amendment. colleagues attached is my propose the ma'am to the police section was aso right sizes the police department command staff to reduce one of 2 assist an chief positions and 3 of 8 command are positions the ordinance substituted 7. 69 rank and file kwshg 4 positions savings eliminating the

joyce and allen. thank you for all the work you have done. and you will not be forgotten. thank you. thank you. mr. chu other callers in the queue? >> there are no callers in the queue >> okay >> i will express apol i don'ts to paul. thank you for try to call in paul if you wanted submit 150 word statement we will include this in the minutes. mr. president. public comment is now closed. colleagues if we can return to item number 19. i have circulated an amendment approved as to form to the annual salary ordinance police section and will let me put this in a bit of context. mr. president, we have member who is have not receive third degree item. >> i sent it to everybody. e mailed. e mail today to everyone. let me look here. during of the course of this meeting. duplicated aso containing police department amendment. colleagues attached is my propose the ma'am to the police section was aso right sizes the police department command staff to reduce one of 2 assist an chief positions and 3 of 8 command are positions the ordinance substituted 7. 69 rank and file kwshg 4 positions savings eliminating the

mr. speaker, i also rise to recognize joyce hamlet, keeper of the mace. mr. davis: she grew up in the tobacco fields of north carolina, to become the bearer of the historic house mace. joyce, thank you for being fair, getting on me just like you got on everyone else. you have fulfilled your duties. you haven't dropped a mace. congratulations on your retirement. i look forward to seeing you in north carolina. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to denounce yet again the radical right-wing war on women, which is attacking fundamental rights and putting our military readiness at risk. before i came to congress, i served our nation in the united states marine corps. as a marine, i'm appalled to see that for the first time in over 150 years marines are without a senate-confirmed leader b