Donald S. Beyer, Jr.

To require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to establish an education program on unleaded aviation gasoline, and for other purposes.

in committee

Wildlife Corridors and Habitat Connectivity Conservation Act of 2026

in committee

Millionaires Surtax Act

in committee

“Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Catherine Lavelle Kessmeier for her 30 years of outstanding federal service, including over 25 years as a civilian attorney for the Department of the Navy (DON) Office of the General Counsel (OGC). Since she began her distinguished career with DON OGC in 1999, Ms. Kessmeier has held several attorney positions. Notably, she became a member of the Senior Executive Service in January 2013. In August 2021, she was selected to serve as the Principal Deputy General Counsel (PDGC), the most senior career attorney position within the DON. During her tenure as the PDGC, she twice served as the Acting General Counsel of the Navy--a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed position-- from August 2021 to February 2022, and from January 2025 to July 2025. Ms. Kessmeier distinguished herself as an exceptional and resilient attorney, including leading the DON's legal response to the unprecedented environmental crisis associated with the Red Hill fuel release and advising Department of Defense and DON senior leaders on numerous international, fiscal, and contracting law matters associated with the trilateral defense partnership between Australia, [[Page E448]] the United Kingdom, and the United States. With unrelenting dedication and unwavering commitment to advancing the DON mission, she provided proactive, accurate, and innovative legal advice on complex, politically sensitive, and highly visible issues that intersected with the complete spectrum of DON OGC practice areas. Additionally, Ms. Kessmeier established an unrivaled standard of leadership while overseeing and coordinating the provision of quality, effective, and consistent legal advice and counsel by hundreds of DON OGC attorneys, bolstering Navy and Marine Corps readiness throughout the global enterprise. Over the course of her exemplary career, Ms. Kessmeier received various awards for her extraordinary contributions to the DON and the Nation. These include the DON Meritorious, Superior, and Distinguished Civilian Service Awards, the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive, and other performance-related recognition. For these reasons, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Ms. Catherine Lavelle Kessmeier as she retires from decades of federal service. ____________________”

2026-05-14 · Defense

“Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 150th anniversary of the Appalachian Mountain Club. The Appalachian Mountain Club was founded in 1876 in Boston, Massachusetts with the mission to foster the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the outdoors and is the Nation's oldest conservation and recreation organization. For 150 years, the Appalachian Mountain Club and its 90,000 members and 11 Chapters have led efforts to protect forests, waterways, wildlife habitats, and public lands, while fostering responsible and joyful outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship. The Appalachian Mountain Club's first testimony before Congress in 1895 contributed to the creation of land that later became Mt. Rainier National Park. In 1911, it helped secure passage of the Weeks Act, leading to the creation of the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire and Maine. Nearly 80 years later, the Appalachian Mountain Club supported the creation of the Forest Legacy program to conserve critical forestlands across the country and advocated for protections from acid rain that contributed to the adoption of the landmark 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act. Today, AMC continues to do irreplaceable work on conservation. Since 2003, it has protected over 130,000 acres as part of its Maine Woods Initiative, helped create the Highlands Conservation Act to conserve natural resources in the 3.4 million acres of the Highlands Region across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, and advanced the designation of the New England National Scenic Trail. It has also supported the adoption of the Great American Outdoors Act and the EXPLORE Act, to ensure outdoor recreation access for generations to come. And AMC has played an essential role in making the Appalachian National Scenic Trail the truly one-of-a-kind trail it is today. The Appalachian Mountain Club has been a champion of the Appalachian Trail since its conception in 1921, its construction from 1923 to [[Page E311]] 1937, and today through maintenance of sections of the trail in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. It has operated a hut system on the trail since 1888 and now stewards more than 1,800 miles of trails across the Northeast, while supporting public land managers throughout the region on additional trail construction and rehabilitation projects. The 150th anniversary of the Appalachian Mountain Club provides an opportunity to recognize its historic legacy, honor its dedicated staff, members, volunteers, and other supporters, and reaffirm the importance of conservation and outdoor recreation to the Nation's future. The organization's efforts have helped improve access to outdoor recreation and strengthened the connection between people and the natural world. I am proud to honor and commend AMC on the occasion of its 150th anniversary and expresses gratitude for its lasting contributions to conservation, outdoor recreation, and the stewardship of America's natural resources. ____________________”

2026-04-09 · Climate

“Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following letter from the National Taxpayers Union, signed by 469 economists, opposing the Trump Administration's sweeping national tariffs as dangerous economic policy, for consideration by the Supreme Court as it evaluates the potential violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA): 469 Economists: Biggest Trade Threat is if Tariffs Are Left in Place In the case of Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, the Trump Administration's submission to the Supreme Court of the United States argues that terminating its sweeping national emergency tariffs would have catastrophic consequences for our economy. This is backwards. The greater threat to the economy of the United States is not that the Trump Administration's tariffs will be struck down, but that they will be allowed to remain in place. As economists, we know that broad-based tariffs impose net costs on the economy. They divert resources from their most efficient use, while making it more difficult and expensive for U.S. businesses to access inputs and capital goods, like steel and machinery for manufacturers and fertilizer and agricultural equipment for farmers. Additionally, by increasing production costs for domestically made products and reducing the amount our trading partners can earn by selling to the United States, tariffs reduce export opportunities for U.S. producers. The Trump Administration's April Executive Order, Regulating Imports with a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices that Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits, asserts that trade deficits constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the economy of the United States. However, this allegation is not backed by sound economic theory or empirical evidence. Trade deficits primarily reflect underlying macroeconomic factors such as the U.S. savings rate and the desire of our trading partners to invest in the United States. The United States has experienced trade deficits for 49 consecutive years, yet, during this period, real GDP, national wealth, and median incomes have all grown substantially. Moreover, U.S. industrial capacity reached a historic high in August. Even if you believe trade deficits are harmful, no serious claim can be made that they are either catastrophic or constitute a national emergency. In technical terms, the U.S. current account deficit is offset by a surplus in the capital account. There is no inherent threat to our economy if our trading partners invest in U.S. companies or buy Treasury bonds instead of purchasing American-made exports. In fact, it is not uncommon for the U.S. trade deficit to increase when the economy is growing and to decrease when it is not. The significant reduction in the trade deficit during the Great Recession is the most prominent recent example. As the Supreme Court considers the Trump Administration's argument that the trade deficit represents an extraordinary threat, we respectfully encourage it to consider the centuries of economic theory and I evidence and the overwhelming consensus among economists that suggest otherwise. ____________________”

2026-02-03 · Economy