H.Res. 1119

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1119 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Rules Committee met and reported a rule, House Resolution 1119, providing for consideration of three measures.

The first is H.R. 6531, the Targeting Resources to Communities in Need Act, under a closed rule. The rule self-executes a manager's amendment from Chairwoman Maloney and provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and provides one motion to recommit.

The second is H.R. 7309, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, under a structured rule. The rule self-executes a manager's amendment from Chairman Scott, provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Education and Labor, makes in order 39 amendments, provides en bloc authority, and provides one motion to recommit.

The third is S. 2938, to designate the United States Courthouse and Federal Building located at 111 North Adams Street in Tallahassee, Florida, as the ``Joseph Woodrow Hatchett United States Courthouse and Federal Building'' under a closed rule.

The rule provides 1 hour of debate equally divided among and controlled by the chairs and ranking minority members of the Committees on Oversight and Reform and Transportation and Infrastructure and provides one motion to commit.

Finally, the rule deems passage of H. Res. 1118.

Mr. Speaker, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, known around here as WIOA, is our Nation's flagship workforce development law. WIOA is the culmination of decades of policymaking by Congress to create a federally supported, State-managed system of programming for job training, adult education, and career services, as well as programs to connect employers with jobseekers, and help with placement, recruitment, and retention.

WIOA helps achieve our country's key goals of reducing poverty and driving economic growth by helping working Americans get the skills, knowledge, and experience they need to successfully participate in today's job market. With a new skill, certification, or degree, workers can apply for better-paying jobs, earning more for themselves and their families.

WIOA and its predecessors have been a successful formula for workforce development for over 60 years, and today's bill will ensure that WIOA can continue serving workers and their families in our changing and dynamic economy.

Today's bill is an overdue reauthorization for WIOA. While the bill makes a variety of important technical adjustments to keep the law relevant as our economy changes and evolves, the bill also upholds the core programs and services that have a demonstrated record of success.

The bill's main achievement is raising WIOA's funding levels to meet the needs of our workforce. Since the 1980s, the number of working Americans has doubled, but the funding for our workforce development programs has fallen by over 60 percent even as jobs and our economy have been invented and changed at a dizzying pace. Most of the drop in funding happened within the last 20 years as that pace accelerated.

The story of WIOA is the same as that of many of our Nation's key programs to help working families. Twenty years of harmful budget cuts and misguided austerity led by Republican Presidents and Republican majorities in Congress have resulted in WIOA lacking the proper funding to meet the needs of the American workforce and to allow members of that workforce to reach their full potential.

The funding authorized by this bill will allow WIOA programs to train over 1 million workers a year, creating real, tangible benefits for workers and employers. Put simply, with this boosted funding, workers will be able to get better jobs, and businesses will be able to hire better employees. That is a rare win-win policy achievement that we should all be able to get behind.

Today's WIOA reauthorization bill also has an added focus on youth employment opportunities, adult education, and support for formerly incarcerated individuals.

The WIOA reauthorization bill will reauthorize programs to help disadvantaged and disconnected youth and provide them with summer programming, employment and educational opportunities, as well as youth-specific training programs.

The bill will provide community colleges with funding and technical assistance to offer employment and training programs for in-demand industries--a successful model that we have seen utilized in my community--and the bill will create a Department of Labor program to specifically help individuals released from prison transition back to the workforce.

Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I want to highlight three of my amendments to WIOA. As chair of the Congressional Youth Mentoring Caucus, one of my priorities is to make sure that youth are able to access job training and meaningful employment opportunities. We know that mentors can have a positive impact on youth in their career exploration and early employment opportunities.

My amendments will ensure that WIOA's programming better targets youth who are most in need of services and is specifically geared to ensure positive outcomes for young people. The amendments will make summer and year-round employment opportunities accessible to more young people.

Finally, the amendments will make sure that employers, programs, and staff that mentor youth will have the tools required to provide the support and skill development needed to help young people succeed in their chosen careers.

All in all, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act will address both recent and long-term challenges in the labor market. Right now, our economy has a shortage of approximately 4 million skilled workers, and that shortage is expected to continue to grow. Reauthorizing WIOA is a key to this problem, so I encourage all my colleagues to help American workers and pass this bill.

Mr. Speaker, sadly, this rule also includes three suspension bills that failed on the floor after our Republican colleagues obstructed the business of the House of Representatives.

Included in today's rule is the Targeting Resources to Communities in Need Act and two naming bills which were all blocked by House Republicans with no other purpose than to obstruct the work of Congress on behalf of the American people.

Passing bills on suspension is one way in which Congress tries to streamline its work in order to devote more time to the most pressing issues of the day. Suspension bills are bipartisan bills narrowly tailored to the problems they address. To get on the suspension calendar and to be considered with an expedited process, a bill must have demonstrated strong bipartisan support.

By the time a suspension bill gets called up on the House floor, majorities of both Republicans and Democrats have to be willing to back the bill. However, some of our colleagues across the aisle have compromised the suspension system solely to waste the time of the American people and for political theater.

One of the bills we must reconsider now is the Targeting Resources to Communities in Need Act which would use proven strategies to improve the direction of Federal funds to areas of persistent poverty. This bill will greatly improve the effectiveness of many of our safety net, housing, hunger, and job training programs.

The bill is bipartisan, bicameral, and would benefit low-income Americans in both rural and urban communities. Yet, House Republicans tanked the bill.

The other two bills would rename a courthouse after Judge Joseph Hatchett and a post office after Representative Lynn Woolsey.

Joseph Hatchett was a pioneering Black lawyer and judge from the State of Florida. Born into the Jim Crow south, Judge Hatchett set many important firsts as a Black judge, ultimately becoming the first Black man to serve on the Florida Supreme Court.

Judge Hatchett was a committed public servant for the State of Florida, a fact recognized by both of Florida's Republican Senators and all 27 of the State's Representatives who cosponsored the resolution to name a Florida courthouse after Judge Hatchett.

And yet, House Republicans tanked this bill, too, including 10 Florida Republicans who had previously supported the measure.

What purpose does this stunt serve? What constituent base wants you to do this? It is nonsense and a waste of everyone's time.

If a Member doesn't like a bill, that is fine. That is how this place works. But we need to work together, in good faith, for the American people. It is a bad-faith move to torpedo bipartisan suspension bills at the last minute. It is bad for Congress, and it is bad for the country.

This Congress has seen a worrying increase in this kind of parliamentary nonsense from a small but vocal sect of the Republican Party. And while it is a small group of Members who initiate this nonsense, the whole party has been happy to go along with it.

With these three suspension bills, the minority leader continues his long and troubling streak of being unable or unwilling to control the behavior of the members of his party.

It is not a good path for our country. We have been trending down this road for a while, and January 6 was the painful result of this type of behavior.

We should not be here to fight each other. We should be here to help the American people. Some of our colleagues seem to have lost sight of that mission, and the whole country is paying the price.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Rules.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I will redirect the focus to the underlying bill that we are considering with this rule, and that is the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

The purpose of that bill is to unleash the full power of our investments in infrastructure, clean energy, and the care economy. It is essential that we have a skilled workforce to power those industries forward.

Now, we have seen what can happen when we make those kinds of investments. We have seen them in my district as we have invested in training our young people through our technical institutes, through our community colleges, with our employers, and with our apprenticeship programs. We are seeing the fruits of that labor, as it were, as we see people prepared to get the good jobs that we are bringing to our region.

The continued investment in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is really critical for my part of the country and critical for every district across this country.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the Statement of Administration Policy in which the administration urges the House to pass the WIOA Act of 2022.

Statement of Administration Policy

H.R. 7309--Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022--Rep.

Robert C. ``Bobby'' Scott, D-VA, and 55 cosponsors

To unleash the full power of investments in infrastructure,

clean energy, and the care economy, it is essential that we

have the skilled workforce to power those industries forward.

It is equally important that the benefits of new job creation

are shared by all Americans, and in particular those who have

traditionally been left behind in the labor market. The

Administration strongly supports House passage of H.R. 7309,

the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022, and

looks forward to working with the Senate on this critical

bill.

The public workforce system should adapt to dynamic and

rising demand for worker skills training and related

services. The U.S. currently invests just one-fifth of the

average amount spent on workforce and labor market programs

by advanced economies. Workforce development is critical to

strengthening our economy and increasing our competitiveness.

Our investments must match employers' needs and workers'

goals of finding and keeping good quality jobs.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022

authorizes three critical Administration priority programs as

new national programs--the Sectoral Employment through Career

Training for Occupational Readiness, Strengthening Community

Colleges, and Reentry Employment Opportunities programs.

These programs will ensure greater access to quality training

opportunities and supportive services, particularly in

infrastructure and supply chain sectors that will create

pathways for people in underserved communities to middle-

class jobs. H.R. 7309 also increases employment programming

for underserved youth, establishing a new funding stream for

summer and year-round employment activities to deliver young

people the work experience they need to connect with future

employment and education pathways.

The Administration urges the House to pass the Workforce

Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

We all know that Americans are feeling pain at the gas pump, but Big Oil companies are raking in billions upon billions of dollars. They had record-breaking quarters about which they bragged to their shareholders during 2021, with the top 25 companies making more than $205 billion in profits last year.

As the war in Ukraine rages on, this is a time when we can all make choices, choices that reflect our moral fiber. Instead of choosing to do the right thing, oil and gas companies are choosing to take advantage of American consumers.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a May 7, 2022, USA Today article titled ``Oil giants reap record profits as war rages in Ukraine, energy prices soar: Here's how much they made.''

[From USA Today, May 7, 2022]

Oil Giants Reap Record Profits as War Rages in Ukraine, Energy Prices

Soar: Here's How Much They Made

(By Wyatte Grantham-Philips)

As households around the globe struggle with rising energy

bills, some of the world's leading oil giants reported record

profits for the first three months of this year.

Profits for Exxon Mobil, Shell and more also rose by

billions despite significant costs of exiting operations and/

or investments in Russia amid war in Ukraine.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the price of oil

climbed in 2022's first quarter--as countries that rely

heavily on Russia for energy scrambled for alternative fuel

sources amid uncertainty.

The benchmark for global oil prices, Brent crude, averaged

at $102.23 a barrel during the first quarter--67 percent

higher than during the same period last year, according to

the Associated Press. In the United States, for example,

drivers have consequently found increasingly expensive gas

prices at the pump.

Home heating bills and electricity prices also inflated

worldwide--as natural gas prices climbed from $3.50 per

million British thermal units to about $5.60.

High oil and gas prices have boosted the profits of major

energy companies, further contributing to global inflation

and the cost-of-living crisis.

The net profit margin of S&P 500 companies, which include

energy giants such as Chevron and Exxon Mobil, in the first

quarter has been running at 12.3 percent based on estimates

and earnings reported so far, according to FactSet. That's

down from a peak of 13.1 percent in the second quarter of

last year, but above the pre-COVID-19 level of about 11

percent.

``Profit margins should be coming down,'' Lindsay Owens,

executive director of Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive

economic policy research group, previously told USA TODAY.

Instead, she noted, ``they're actually growing.''

Here's a breakdown of the profits and earnings some of the

world's oil giants made in the first three months of 2022:

Shell earnings rise to $9.1 billion

In the first quarter, Shell's adjusted earnings rose to

$9.1 billion from $3.2 billion in the same period last year.

Net income rose to $7.3 billion from $5.8 billion in last

year's first quarter. Shell said that it would also take a

$3.9 billion charge to cover the cost of exiting investments

in Russia, which the London-based energy giant pledged to do

after the invasion of Ukraine.

BP records $6.2 billion profit

BP posted its highest quarterly profit in over a decade--

with the British energy company announcing on Tuesday that

its underlying replacement cost profit rose to $6.2 billion

in the first three months of this year, more than doubling

the $2.6 billion from the same period last year.

BP PLC also said its net loss in the first quarter totaled

$23 billion, after accounting for a write-off of its nearly

20 percent stake in Russian oil producer Rosneft in response

to the Ukraine war.

Both BP and Shell's recent profit reports have contributed

to calls in Britain for the government to impose a tax on

energy companies' windfall earnings, in hopes of helping

consumers struggling with rising energy prices. Prime

Minister Boris Johnson has rejected the idea, saying the tax

would reduce investment in Britain during efforts to

diversify the country's energy industry.

The British government's ``refusal to tax the super-profits

of energy companies is completely unforgivable when people

are too terrified to heat their homes,'' Ed Davey, leader of

the Liberal Democrats, told the Associated Press.

Exxon doubles profits from last year to $5.48 billion

At the end of April, Exxon Mobil reported $5.48 billion in

profits during the first quarter of 2022--also more than

doubling its profits compared with the same period last year.

Revenue for the Irving, Texas-based company was $90.5

billion, far exceeding the revenue of $59.15 billion during

the same quarter in 2021.

But, after abandoning Russian operations due to the war,

Exxon also took a significant hit, writing down $3.4 billion.

Chevron reports $6.26 billion profit

Also at the end of April, Chevron reported a quarterly

profit of $6.26 billion, over four times its earnings of $1.4

billion in the first quarter of last year. Revenue for the

San Ramon, California-based energy producer surged 41

percent, to $54.37 billion.

Sinopec totals $3.45 billion net profit

According to Reuters, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, or

Sinopec, reported 22.61 billion yuan ($3.45 billion) net

profit under Chinese accounting standards for the first

quarter of 2022, compared to 17.93 billion yuan ($2.69

billion) last year.

Sinopec also saw a 25 percent surge in net income.

Phillips 66's adjusted earnings of $595 million

For the first quarter of the year, Phillips 66 reported

first-quarter earnings of $582 million, with adjusted

earnings of $595 million.

In 2021, Phillips 66 reported a first-quarter loss of $654

million, with an adjusted loss of $509 million.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, today's rule should be an easy one for this Congress to pass, particularly if there were two parties here interested in solving problems rather than just pointing blame.

It is clear that we need to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. WIOA is an investment in ourselves. It is an investment in the American worker and the American economy. WIOA creates and propels economic opportunity, particularly for our youth. Passing the reauthorization bill will help millions of Americans get better jobs to support themselves and their families. It will make it easier for workers to get the skills and training needed to compete in the modern job market, and it will maintain our country's competitiveness in the global economy.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote for the rule today and to support the underlying legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1119, I call up the bill (H.R. 7309) to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 7309, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, or WIOA, is the backbone of our Nation's workforce development system. Each year, WIOA programs help working people across the country get the skills they need to find better-paying careers and help employers access a dedicated and skilled workforce.

Unfortunately, our investment in workforce development has fallen significantly over time. While the U.S. labor force has grown approximately 50 percent over the last four decades, Federal investment in workforce development has fallen by two-thirds when adjusted for inflation. Federal investment in workforce development has fallen by two-thirds.

This underinvestment hurts workers, it hurts businesses, and it hurts our economy's competitive edge. Other developed countries spend between one-half of 1 percent to 1 full percent of their gross domestic product on workforce development. We spend only one-tenth of 1 percent.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022 addresses this chronic underinvestment so that we can finally meet the needs of workers and businesses, fill job openings with qualified workers, reduce supply chain shortages, and lower costs for families.

By investing approximately $80 billion over the next 6 years, this legislation would more than double the number of people receiving training services in fiscal year 2023 and allow us to train 1 million workers per year by 2028.

The legislation modernizes WIOA to help expand work opportunities for disconnected youth. It makes critical reforms to improve Job Corps, and it expands sector-based training so that we can train for entire sectors such as electric cars, trucking, and nurses. It strengthens community colleges' capacity to help workers succeed in in-demand industries. It helps justice-involved individuals re-enter the labor force and obtain sustainable career paths.

Madam Speaker, if we want to keep our global competitive edge, if we want to lower costs, and if we want to accelerate our economic recovery, then we must pass the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022.

This legislation is the product of a largely bipartisan, year-long effort, including a bipartisan roundtable and three bipartisan hearings in our committee. While many of my counterparts across the aisle have voiced opposition to the size of the investments in the bill, I remain hopeful that all of my colleagues will join me in voting to stand with America's workers.

Madam Speaker, I thank the chair of the Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee, Ms. Wilson, for her work on this critical priority, and I urge support of the legislation.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici), the chair of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Mrvan), a distinguished member of the Committee on Education and Labor.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Espaillat), a distinguished member of the Committee on Education and Labor.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney), a distinguished member of the Committee on Education and Labor.

Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Connecticut.

Madam Speaker, could you advise as to how much time is remaining on both sides?

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin), a distinguished member of the Committee on Education and Labor.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Hayes), a distinguished member of the Committee on Education and Labor.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, the evidence is clear that our economy has made meaningful progress toward recovering from the pandemic. Thanks to the efforts of Congress and the Biden-Harris administration, our economy has added a record 8.3 million jobs since the start of 2021, and the unemployment rate has fallen to 3.6 percent.

Despite this progress, we know that job openings currently exceed job applicants and employers are clamoring for skilled workers. In fact, research suggests that workers are leaving their job to seek better career opportunities in record numbers. This bill takes a critical step forward to empower workers to fill those competitive job positions and, in turn, helps reduce supply chain shortages, lower costs for families, increase their incomes, and improve our business competitiveness.

Madam Speaker, investing in workforce development has historically been a priority for both Democrats and Republicans. That is why our committee conducted an extended bipartisan process to put this legislation together, despite the opposition we have heard from our colleagues today.

As our economy rebounds from the pandemic, we should all agree that we must take this opportunity to expand access to high-quality job training opportunities for America's workers.

I thank my colleague again, Ms. Wilson, for her leadership in bringing this critical legislation to the floor, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to section 4 of House Resolution 1119, I rise to offer amendments en bloc No. 1.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, this en bloc contains several bipartisan amendments from our colleagues to continue improving the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022.

This en bloc contains commonsense proposals that strengthen the underlying bill, and I thank my colleagues for their contributions.

Madam Speaker, I strongly urge support for both the en bloc and the underlying bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the chair of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development of the Committee on Appropriations, and a strong supporter of sector grant training.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Gottheimer).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reiterate that this is an en bloc amendment containing commonsense, bipartisan proposals that strengthen the underlying bill. I strongly urge support for both the en bloc amendment and the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to section 4 of House Resolution 1119, I rise to offer amendments en bloc No. 2.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, this en bloc amendment contains additional Democratic amendments from my colleagues to continue improving the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022.

This en bloc amendment contains proposals that strengthen the underlying bill, and I thank my colleagues for their contributions.

I strongly urge support for both the en bloc amendment and the underlying bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Delaware (Ms. Blunt Rochester), who is a former member of the Committee on Education and Labor and a strong supporter of workforce development.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

I reiterate that this en bloc amendment contains commonsense proposals that will strengthen the underlying bill.

Madam Speaker, I strongly urge support for both the en bloc amendment and the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to section 4 of House Resolution 1119, I rise to offer amendments en bloc No. 3.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, this en bloc amendment contains several amendments which I oppose; therefore, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am the only speaker on this side. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I focus my comments on two of the amendments in this en bloc that undermine the improvements we are putting forward in this legislation.

The first strikes language from the bill that prevents nonregistered apprenticeships from receiving WIOA funds. If you want to have a nonregistered apprenticeship program you can do that, but we ought to fund the registered programs first since they are much better, and we shouldn't spend money on those nonregistered programs.

Registered apprenticeship programs are a proven strategy that have demonstrated high-quality training and wage progression across multiple industries. This bill supports efforts to expand registered apprenticeships to additional populations and industries, by reserving 50 percent of the funds for programs serving individuals with barriers to employment.

Many of my colleagues have opposed the so-called Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs, or IRAPs, because that program discards key features that are the cause of success for our registered apprenticeship program, including quality standards, worker protections, national recognition, and the fact that virtually all registered apprenticeship graduates end up in jobs that pay well above the median wage.

The second amendment in this en bloc amendment group prohibits WIOA funds from being used to reimburse any healthcare services. I am not sure where they find that physical health is included. Mental health counseling and substance abuse is included as possible funding.

The question about whether WIOA will pay for health services is a distraction from the work we are trying to do today, to ensure an equitable recovery, and provide opportunity for economic advancement for all individuals in all communities.

This legislation reflects the input from stakeholders across the country who know what it takes to expand access to high-quality job training, career navigation services, and other critical services.

The statute has long provided for flexibility for local programs. The statute also allows for the provision of supportive services, such as assistance with transportation, childcare, dependent care, or housing; services that are crucial to facilitating individuals' ability to participate in WIOA-funded programs.

In fact, the legislation specifically ensures that treatment of substance use disorder is a permissible use of supportive services under WIOA.

Fundamentally, needs of individuals seeking job training are not always distinct from health needs. These programs should meet people where they are to facilitate full participation to ensure continued and sustained economic success.

Updating and improving programs authorized through WIOA, such as the bill we are considering today, will lift up communities and help us achieve that goal. This is what we need to do today by voting ``no'' on this en bloc amendment and ``yes'' on the underlying bill.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, we are here today to modernize and reauthorize the Nation's premier job training program to help jobseekers and workers connect with well-paying jobs and career pathways.

Although the substitute offered by our colleagues does not meet the urgent needs to strengthen the programs, I do want to make it clear that we welcome the opportunity to have further discussion as the bill heads toward the Senate. My goal is to forge common ground wherever we can, and I am hoping that this can be the beginning, not the end, of the conversation.

The Republican substitute reauthorizes funding for the formula programs, regrettably, at roughly the same levels as we have today. The status quo is not working. As a result, the substitute will not provide the level of intensive training needed to move people into higher wage jobs.

The average amount the adult formula program spends per participant today is about $2,000, not nearly enough to provide quality job training to lead to good jobs with competitive wages, benefits, and other hallmarks of job quality. The Republican substitute continues the unacceptable status quo with respect to underinvestment in training.

To meet the moment, the underlying bill also codifies SECTOR grants, which are demonstrated to be effective in training workers for jobs in high-demand sectors.

The gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) talked about electric cars. We need a lot of training in that area, but regrettably, the substitute omits the SECTOR grants.

Our committee meetings held last year highlighted bipartisan support for reentry programs for justice-involved individuals. In response, the bill codifies the program at the Department of Labor and commits $250 million for fiscal year 2023, more than double the amount appropriated this year, and provides stable funding amounting to $2.3 billion over 6 years.

With 600,000 individuals released from our prisons and jails each year, close to half of them experiencing repeat contact with the criminal justice system within a year, funding levels in the substitute do not come close to meeting the critical needs to invest in services to help these individuals obtain and retain employment.

We also reject the requirement of the substitute for non-Federal match to receive a grant. This matching requirement is not part of the existing grant program and would exclude many grassroots organizations that are best positioned to meet the needs of justice-involved individuals in our communities.

When we provide subsidies to employers in the form of on-the-job training or customized training, we also need to make sure that it is matched by job quality.

The Republican substitute, regrettably, leaves too many disconnected youth behind.

To help our youth, whether in school or not, gain life skills, the bill invests almost $1 billion in fiscal year 2023 for summer and year- round youth employment opportunities. The evidence is abundant that these youth employment opportunities increase lifelong earnings and reduce engagement in the criminal justice system.

The Republican substitute also fails to meet the moment and address the needs of the workers in the 21st century, so I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment.

In the remaining time, Madam Speaker, I would like to thank members of my staff on the Committee of Education and Labor. They worked hard on this legislation, starting with Kevin McDermott, Scott Estrada, Lorin Obler, Phoebe Ball, Danyelle Honore, Jessica Schieder, and former staff members Richard Miller and Katie McClelland.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, Republicans are committed to preparing America's workforce for the 21st century. This reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, WIOA, will not help our country live up to its potential. In fact, this reauthorization moves our workplace development system in the wrong direction.

Our labor market is not facing a lack of job openings or a lack of workers. Currently there are 11.3 million open jobs, but unfortunately there are too few Americans with the skills needed to fill them effectively. That is why we need a robust workforce development system that will prepare workers for in-demand skills.

During the Education and Labor Committee markup of H.R. 7309, Republicans offered an amendment that would empower employers to respond to local economic needs; streamline the workforce development system by increasing local collaboration and putting program qualification decisions at the State and local level; strengthen outcomes and accountability by adding evidence-based practices, maintaining common performance-based metrics, funding programs with a track record of success, and improving transparency measures; and reduce bureaucracy by requiring the Department of Labor to address regulatory bottlenecks.

Democrats blocked all those commonsense proposals.

Republicans also pushed to allocate more funds for upskilling workers and support robust postsecondary education programs that focus on in- demand skills. Instead of embracing innovative models, Democrats rely on an 85-year-old Federal apprenticeship model from the Great Depression. This model has not been working and throwing more money at it won't change that.

Our Nation's job creators are in a far better position to help run workforce development programs, but this bill puts Washington in the driver's seat. Instead of putting workers first, this legislation makes bureaucrats and labor unions the priority.

For example, provisions in this bill increase the size of State and local governing boards and dilute employer input to increase the power of labor unions. Too often, labor unions have the interests of their union bosses in mind instead of the interests of workers. Giving big labor an outsized role on these boards will render these programs less responsive to industry needs.

H.R. 7309 also promotes progressive gender ideology and critical race theory by requiring States to develop and publish State equity reports regarding performance outcomes on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Leave it to the left to destroy equality in pursuit of equity, a word one author aptly described as ``dispensing unequal treatment in order to achieve equal outcomes.'' Taking the focus of our job programs off upskilling workers and putting it onto a woke agenda will do a disservice to all our jobseekers.

This legislation also increases cumbersome administrative hurdles for employers. If we want employers to participate in these programs, we need a system that has fewer barriers and is easier to navigate. This process should be streamlined instead of making it more complex.

Instead of making this program more efficient, provisions in this reauthorization will end up costing taxpayers more. H.R. 7309 will require Job Corps contractors to comply with onerous local prevailing wage requirements. This will significantly increase the cost of all Job Corps projects without improving the program's effectiveness.

On top of that, the bill weakens expectations for Job Corps' success. Job Corps is a program that has been fraught with negative issues for decades. This is a program in which 30 different government reports and audits have raised concerns over its safety and security. People have literally been killed in this program, and the left wants to make it less accountable. Other provisions in the bill water down performance metrics, reducing the ability of Congress to measure the success of workforce development programs.

More accountability and measurable outcomes are clearly necessary. According to a 2018 investigation by the Tampa Bay Times, some local workforce boards had significantly misreported their outcomes and took credit for finding thousands of jobs for people who never even participated in the program.

Other data demonstrate that these programs are not always effective, even when being operated honestly. Less than one-quarter of young enrollees and barely one-third of adults exited programs with occupations related to the workforce development program in which they were enrolled. Clearly, something isn't working. Let me repeat: Fewer than 25 percent of young enrollees and only 30 percent of adults came out of the programs into jobs related to the workforce development program in which they were enrolled.

If we hope to enhance our Nation's economic competitiveness and upskill workers for in-demand jobs, we must create a workforce development system that actually works. This bill utterly fails to do that. The American people deserve so much better.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, in FY 2021, taxpayers spent about $1.8 billion on adult, dislocated worker, and youth activities under title I of WIOA. According to the Department of Labor, only $537 million, or less than 30 percent of that money, went toward ``training services.''

Most people assume that our Nation's workforce development system is primarily focused on providing workers the skills they need to be successful in the modern economy. Unfortunately, that is not accurate.

Not surprisingly, with so little focus on actual skills development, the outcomes for these programs are poor. Among youth participants, less than one-quarter exited the program with employment in an occupation related to the services they received from the system. Among adults and dislocated workers, a little more than one-third exited with employment related to their program.

Republicans would like to address these shortcomings and believe this reauthorization presents an opportunity to do that. The Republican proposal we offered during committee, and to the Rules Committee, increases the percentage of funding going toward skills development. We proposed reforms to bring more employers to the table and engage more employers in the workforce system.

Unfortunately, the Democrats' bill rejects those proposals and, instead, would actually make these problems worse. As a result of provisions in H.R. 7309, an even smaller portion of WIOA funding will be directed toward skills development.

The bill will also dilute employers' involvement in State and local governance of the workforce system, which is the opposite of what we should be doing.

Madam Speaker, this bill is a missed opportunity. I urge my colleagues to oppose the base bill so we can get back to work and truly reform this program to get more workers the skills they need to fill the economy's open jobs.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, by reversing some of the key reforms made in the bipartisan 2014 WIOA reauthorization, H.R. 7309 takes our workforce system backwards. It does this by imposing more bureaucratic hurdles to job creators and reducing program accountability. It is time to stop being so frivolous with taxpayer dollars.

This bill proposes pouring more money into an already expensive program. In FY 2021, taxpayers spent $1.8 billion on programs under title 1 of WIOA alone. This is too much money, especially as inflation is still at a 41-year high.

The House of Representatives has been entrusted with the power of the purse. It is time we took this responsibility more seriously. The Nation deserves a workforce system that will actually prepare Americans for in-demand jobs. Unfortunately, this bill fails to protect taxpayers at a time of rampant inflation, pushes a radical progressive agenda, expands Federal control over the workforce, and embraces that failed status quo rather than pursuing opportunities for innovation.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, this en bloc includes several amendments that I believe would improve the underlying legislation so I will vote for the en bloc.

Unfortunately, I must also note that the en bloc includes three amendments to which I have concerns.

The Gottheimer amendment reduces the flexibility the workforce system needs to meet the needs of workers.

The Harder amendment will reduce the percentage of funds going to help youth receive the skills they need to enter the workforce.

And the Lee amendment authorizes a duplicative study that would not be a reasonable use of taxpayer funds.

However, on balance, this en bloc will improve the underlying legislation. This group of amendments better focuses WIOA on in-demand jobs, decreases duplication by encouraging better alignment between K- 12 education providers and local workforce development boards, and includes information on entrepreneurship in career and skills development services.

Madam Speaker, I hope my colleagues will support this set of amendments, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, the amendments in this en bloc will refocus the workforce development system on the individuals it was created to serve: jobseekers and employers.

We must make sure that WIOA is helping all American jobseekers get the skills they need to compete in our modern economy. We must also make sure that WIOA programs are helping employers connect with skilled workers, instead of saddling them with unnecessary requirements that have no proven effectiveness.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the amendment. This Democratic en bloc creates new programs, authorizes new funding, expands bureaucracy on workforce development boards, imposes new mandates on States and local areas, detracts from skills development services, and transforms WIOA from a workforce program into a welfare program.

This laundry list of problems is not what our Nation's jobseekers need. I cannot agree to saddle employers and workers with new Federal mandates that will make it harder for them to grow the economy and better individual lives.

I urge my colleagues to oppose the package, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, we should focus on empowering jobseekers to select skills development providers that will prepare them for in-demand jobs and make sure that employers are involved in this process so we can close the skills gap.

We should also streamline the workforce system so that funding is not wasted on unnecessary bureaucracy and administrative overhead. This funding should instead be directed toward upskilling workers.

Unfortunately, this Democratic en bloc misses the mark on each of these fronts.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this group of amendments, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Good).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

This en bloc includes several amendments that I believe would vastly improve the underlying legislation.

First, these amendments would bring needed flexibility and innovation to the workforce development system when it comes to apprenticeships. Democrats have, unfortunately, chosen to double down on the outdated registered apprenticeship model rather than meet employers where they are at. This group of amendments includes proposals that encourage innovation to occur so that apprenticeships can meet the needs of more employers.

Second, one of the amendments would ensure that States provide a realistic and workable timetable for awarding grants and contracts for adult basic education. This is simply good governance. States should not hold on to funding indefinitely that is intended to be directed toward jobseekers. This amendment will make sure the funding goes where it is intended and doesn't get stuck with bureaucrats to the detriment of individuals seeking basic education services.

Third, WIOA should be focused first and foremost on providing skills development services for jobseekers. It is unfortunate that H.R. 7309 adds vague language encouraging supportive services to include ``healthcare supports.'' While I was pleased that the longstanding Hyde amendment was secured and will apply to WIOA funds for fiscal year 2022 appropriations, I will always fight to see the Hyde amendment applied to ensure Federal funds do not support the killing of babies. It is of utmost importance that taxpayer dollars do not go to pay for killing babies, and this amendment would guarantee that.

The right to life is our most fundamental and sacred right and must always be protected. I will always remain vigilant to ensure that taxpayer funds do not pay for the killing of babies.

Madam Speaker, I hope my colleagues will support this set of amendments, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have a couple of other speakers, so I am not prepared to close.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jacobs).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller).

Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, the amendments in this en bloc will refocus the workforce development system on the individuals it was created to serve: jobseekers and employers. We must make sure that WIOA is helping all American jobseekers get the skills they need to compete in our modern economy.

We must also make sure that WIOA programs are helping employers connect with skilled workers instead of saddling them with unnecessary requirements that have no proven effectiveness.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Iowa (Mrs. Miller- Meeks) for her great work on this committee and for bringing forth this amendment. It is an excellent amendment, and I support it.

We need to do everything we can to improve the workforce development programs in our country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania for yielding the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, today's rule provides for consideration of three bills: H.R. 7309, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; H.R. 6531, the Targeting Resources to Communities in Need Act; and S. 2938, to name a post office after Joseph Woodrow Hatchett. The latter two bills failed on suspension last week and so now must be considered under a rule.

We were also expecting to consider H.R. 7688, the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act. But after hours of debate in the Rules Committee on this bill, the Democrats had to pull it for lack of support within their own party. Perhaps they realized that, in fact, there is no evidence of price gouging. In fact, this point was made by the Secretary of Energy, Secretary Granholm, in a recent Energy and Commerce Committee hearing where she said: ``I'm not sure anyone is saying there is wholesale gouging.''

You know what? We could focus instead on increasing domestic production rather than blaming an industry, an industry that has also been suffering supply and demand difficulties that are significantly influenced by global factors and government regulation.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act reauthorizes programs from the 2014 bill of the same name but makes no needed reforms to workforce development programs. Instead, it increases government control, adds onerous requirements to program administration, and decreases flexibility and the ability to actually achieve results. What are the results that we want? Pulling people out of poverty and enhancing the labor market.

First, the bill authorizes $78 million over 6 years. It does this without making workforce development programs more efficient, without making them tailored to the actual job market, and this funding will further exacerbate what is now becoming increasingly evident as an inflationary crisis.

The bill expands the size of State and local workforce boards, making room for organized labor. It also introduces Federal definitions of job quality, a determination that actually should be made by employers. How is a Federal agency in Washington, D.C. best equipped to determine the job quality for someone in Krum, Texas, a town of around 4,000 people back in my district in North Texas?

This bill also requires burdensome equity reports. If our goal is to pull people out of poverty and get them into the workforce, then every eligible person should have the opportunity to access these programs, not just a certain few who meet certain criteria.

Finally, this bill maintains the current Job Corps system without adapting to the changing needs of eligible youth and continues the inflexibility of the current apprenticeship system. I have long been concerned that many young people do not always recognize their best path to prosperity. For example, many students are conditioned to believe that they can only get a good job by attending a 4-year university. Meanwhile, a licensed plumber or an electrician or a welder can often make more than someone with a university degree. Apprenticeships have been a good way for someone to learn these special trades. However, the program's structure is left over from the time of the Depression in the 1930s and needs to be updated to meet today's vastly different work environments.

Another concern I have is the amount of student loan debt burdening our labor force. Flexible training or certificate programs could lead to less debt by giving jobseekers alternatives to the traditional 4- year university path.

Additionally, we should be looking at ways to encourage the private sector, private employers, to provide student loan repayment programs for their employees, perhaps through a tax credit or other incentive. The Federal Government has a student loan repayment program, and it is a significant incentive for many young people to join public service.

The Republican substitute amendment would have added flexibility into many programs and reformed our workforce development systems to ensure that employee skill development is aligned with employer needs. A huge factor in successful programming is knowing the programs are actually meeting the actual needs.

The Republican substitute amendment would have ensured that States and localities could use funding to survey employers to understand the most in-demand skills.

Mr. Speaker, in the post-COVID world, employers and employees have adapted to different styles of training and workforce environments. The Republican substitute amendment encourages workforce boards to provide services virtually to meet the changing needs of today's workforce. We should be inserting additional flexibility into these programs rather than simply maintaining the status quo, a status quo that was developed many, many decades ago.

Unfortunately, the Republican amendment was defeated during the Education and Labor Committee markup and likely will be defeated when it is considered on the House floor.

Continued partisanship is not the path forward when it comes to equipping the workforce for the modern labor market.

Mr. Speaker, I urge opposition to the rule, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, Republicans will amend the rule to consider H.R. 6858, the American Energy Independence from Russia Act, introduced by Ranking Members McMorris Rodgers and Westerman.

In the past 2 months, Democrats have denied consideration of this essential bill five times, choosing instead to continue their assault on domestic energy production through drilling and export restrictions and massive tax increases on producers.

Republicans remain committed to America's energy independence by approving the Keystone XL pipeline, by removing restrictions on the United States liquefied natural gas exports, by restarting oil and natural gas leasing, and protecting energy and mineral development.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record, along with extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. Speaker, here to explain the amendment is one of the most lucid speakers that we have on this subject.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock), one of the most thoughtful leaders in the House Republican Conference.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), my colleague on the Energy and Commerce Committee and a valuable member of the Republican Conference.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gimenez).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly thank my colleagues who have come to the floor and spoken in favor of defeating the previous question in order to consider H.R. 6858, the American Energy Independence from Russia Act.

We have seen the damage that one-party rule has done in this town over the last 18 months and, unfortunately, the victims of that damage are the American people. So here, today, in this body, there is a chance to vote against the previous question and bring up this important amendment to begin to get some relief for the American people.

In addition, back in 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which is also the subject of this rule, was enacted on a bipartisan basis. But once again, one-party Democratic rule could not be satisfied with that, and our colleagues have blocked Republican efforts to try to improve the 2022 version of this bill and find any sort of compromise.

Our workforce development programs need to be modernized and modernized accurately in order to match the changing labor market. But this bill lacks the necessary reforms and, instead, adds burdensome requirements and centralized governance to these many programs. This is not the way to prepare employers and potential employees to thrive in a post-pandemic world.

Again, we have an opportunity to defeat the previous question and consider rationalizing our energy markets. I urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question, a ``no'' vote on the rule, a ``no'' vote on the underlying measures, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for the recognition and the yielding of time today.

Mr. Speaker, I spent, like you, much time in Louisiana visiting small businesses and visiting with people who are just trying to make ends meet. It was National Small Business Week a few weeks ago. Visiting businesses, I heard over and over and over again the pervasive impact, the incredible impact, of high gasoline and high energy prices.

Stephanie Towns in Chicago said: I have got kids. I have got to get them to school every day. The gas prices are just so high, I can't make it.

Mr. Speaker, we have had people talk about the inability to visit and take care of grandchildren, the inability to fuel their cars to go to work, the inability to even buy groceries because of the profound cost that we have seen related to energy and related to gasoline.

But this shouldn't have been a surprise to anybody. During the campaign, President Biden said: ``We are going to phase out fossil fuels.'' ``I guarantee you we are going to end fossil fuel.''

The Secretary of the Interior, the Cabinet official responsible for producing American energy, said, ``I am wholeheartedly against fracking and drilling on public lands.''

Incredible, incredible statements.

I will say it again. None of this stuff should be a surprise to anybody. This is a post we put up on January 27 of last year, and we said, ``As a result of President Biden's energy policies, this is exactly what is going to happen.'' Let me say it again, January 27 of last year, 6 days after some of these policies. We are going to have higher electricity bills, higher prices at the gas pump, lost revenue for hurricane protection and flood control and coastal restoration because there is revenue sharing. That is where these dollars go--I have no idea what the President is going to tell these communities whenever we end up having another hurricane on the Gulf Coast--higher delivery costs that would be passed on to consumers; more dependence on foreign energy sources like Iran, Russia, China, and other countries that don't share American values; and a net increase in global emissions.

I remind you, Mr. Speaker, under President Trump, we saw emissions go down an average of 2.5 percent per year. Under President Biden, we have seen them go up 6.3 percent.

Why is this happening? We have seen this administration try to blame price gouging, try to say that we are going to fix it through the Strategic Petroleum Reserve releases. We have heard him even say that we are going to come in, and this is a result of what is happening with Ukraine and Russia.

But let me go back to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. As a result of their announcement to release all of this oil, guess what has happened? China has bought some of it and others. We have actually moved it from one storage cavern to another, and they are paying to store it in the other place. It doesn't make any sense.

Meanwhile, prices have only gone up. I have a feeling Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster are going to be the next responsible entities for higher energy prices.

Don't take my word for it. Look, the Blackstone CEO said we are going to end up with a real shortage of energy. What happens when you have a shortage of supply? Prices go up. If we have a shortage, it is just going to cost more, and it is probably going to cost a lot more; exactly what we have seen. The Blackstone CEO says if you try to raise money to drill holes, it is almost impossible to get that money. They have prevented access.

Here are the real reasons this administration came out and, on the first day, issued an executive order saying that they were going to ban new oil and gas production in the United States. Under this administration, under the Biden administration, we have nearly tripled dependence on Russian oil. They, through this House of Representatives, passed a bill with up to a $10,000 a mile a year pipeline fee. They have increased royalty rates through this House of Representatives by up to 50 percent, and the administration unilaterally announced the same thing.

Mr. Speaker, what happens when you impose higher costs? Do you think the money just invents itself? No. They pass it on to consumers, and boy, have they nailed it. They have nailed it.

Let me quote a former Treasury official for the Biden administration: Lower gasoline prices ``undercuts the administration's climate change goals--where really to care about fossil-fuel consumption, we don't want lower prices for fossil-fuel buyers, we prefer higher prices.'' They nailed it. They nailed it.

The problem is the impact to the average American. We can't afford this. It is undermining our ability--like I said, grandchildren, groceries, energy bills, we can't even afford to live our lives.

Mr. Speaker, as noted by Mr. Burgess, there is a solution: the American Energy Independence from Russia Act. If we defeat the previous question, we are going to be able to bring up this legislation that unlocks American energy, allows us to produce energy.

I don't know what these people have against Americans. Why are we carrying out policies that benefit Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia? Do you know who I care about? I care about domestic energy producers. I care about American workers. Why can't we meet our own energy demands just as this bill does?

Congressman Westerman and Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers have legislation that unlocks American energy, allows liquefied natural gas terminals to be permanent, reduces the regulatory burden. It ensures that the Keystone pipeline can be built, not the policies that Democrats are advocating for where, in the United States Senate, Senate Democrats said they want to urge Saudi Arabia to use their swing capacity to increase world oil supplies or the current runup of world oil prices is effectively a tax on American families' energy discretionary budget, except that the money goes to the OPEC cartel rather than the U.S. Treasury.

Actually, on this one, Mr. Speaker, I fully agree. I urge that we defeat the previous question; we unlock America's energy resources; and we lower energy prices for all Americans.