On the recordJune 14, 2022
I am delighted to be yielded to by the gentlewoman. I thank her for championing this outstanding legislation, and I thank my good friend for acknowledging the en bloc. I will say that there is good news. The good news is that the Recovering America's Wildlife Act is once-in-a-generation funding for the conservation of threatened species of animals and plants as well as habitat preservation. I will discuss the importance of it as I also present to the body my amendment. Let me, first of all, say I pay tribute to Ellison, 7 years old, and to Roy, 7 years old, my twin grandchildren who love every species that they can find within their backyard or anyplace else that you would take them. I see in their lifetime the vision of this legislation. They love the outdoors. They love to see crawling things, and they are a boy and a girl. Yet, what are we facing today? The world is facing an unprecedented loss of wildlife. Bird populations have declined almost 30 percent in the U.S. and Canada since 1970. Over 40 percent of America's freshwater fish are at risk of extinction, and State agencies have identified 12,000 species of wildlife in need of conservation. The Speaker pro tempore knows that Texas and Louisiana experienced a catastrophic oil spill some years ago. I remember visiting oyster fishermen and others who were devastated. We need to get in there and make a difference. Mr.…
