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[Pages H7384-H7385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE PLAGUE OF ROBOCALLS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Babin) for 5 minutes.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great uncertainty. I am
uncertain that I can make it through this speech without being
interrupted by a robocall, which has become a daily or, rather,
sometimes an hourly nuisance.
For far too long now robocalls and spoofing have become a hindering
plague upon the phones of millions of Americans. I hear from
constituents on a daily basis about how their lives are habitually
interrupted by phony phone calls, and how their cell phones, once seen
as necessities, are now sources of frustration.
In many cases, these calls are dangerous and disguised, seeking to
steal valuable information by tricking the unsuspecting. In other
cases, these aggravating calls disrupt important business, intrude on
leisure activities, disturb family dinners and, even worse, are not
restricted by the time of day.
{time} 1030
These calls have been distracting, irritating, and deceiving
Americans for long enough, and that is why I have introduced a bill
called the Double the Enforcement and Fines of Everyone Associated with
Terrible Robocalls Act, or, in short, the DEFEAT Robocalls Act. This
bill ensures the harshest penalties for the individuals who are caught
making illegal robocalls and spoofing calls. Simply said, the bill
takes all the fines and penalties that those making robocalls currently
face and doubles them.
It is time that we hold those who continue scamming Americans all
across the country liable for their actions in a manner as serious as
their crime.
I am encouraged to see Congress' recent legislative actions to
prevent robocalls from being a daily hindrance, and I call on my
colleagues to continue moving swiftly to send a bill to the President's
desk so that we can restore Americans' trust when they answer their
phones.
Honoring the Life of Dr. Christopher Columbus Kraft
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Dr.
Christopher Columbus Kraft, who served as NASA's first flight director
and one of the agency's preeminent leaders.
Kraft passed away on July 22, 2019, at the impressive age of 95 years
old and only 2 days after the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon
landing.
It is impossible to overstate the vital role that Kraft played in the
formative years of NASA.
After graduating from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1944 with a
bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering, Dr. Kraft started work
at NASA's precursor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics;
and toward the onset of the space race in 1958, President Eisenhower
established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and
tasked Project Mercury with getting America into space and putting a
man into orbit.
During this time, Kraft essentially created the entire concept of
mission control and successfully directed all six crewed Mercury
missions, including those that made Alan Shepard the first American in
space and John Glenn the first American in orbit.
In Project Gemini, Kraft was promoted to the head of mission
operations. Now in charge of a team of flight directors, he served ``on
console'' during many historic moments, including Ed White's first
spacewalk in Gemini 4.
Achieving all of this proved to the country and the rest of the world
that America could succeed in space, and certainly set the stage for
the Apollo missions to the Moon.
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During Apollo, Chris Kraft soon rose to the position of deputy
director of the Manned Spacecraft Center, now known as Johnson Space
Center, which I proudly represent, and in 1972 was promoted to serve as
the Center director.
Before Dr. Kraft's retirement in 1982, he contributed to a myriad of
other projects, including Skylab and the first space shuttle missions.
While our space program continues to grow by leaps and bounds and our
hands and hearts reach outward for Mars, we should remember the man on
whose shoulders we stand and the great debt owed not only by NASA and
our Nation, but also by our entire planet, to this incredible
individual. Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. Kraft for his service to our
country, ``flight.''
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