Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, on a variety of issues, from the Environmental Protection Agency's war on coal jobs in West Virginia to the designation of ANWR in Alaska as permanent wilderness, the President has used unilateral executive action to stifle domestic energy production. It is time for the President to stop pandering to radical environmentalists and do what is right for hardworking American families.

The business community, organized labor, partisan majorities in Congress, and a clear majority of the American people support construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

The President's own State Department concluded that the project is in the best economic interest of our Nation and that the project would have no impact on carbon emissions and no negative impact on the environment.

Mr. President, enough is enough. It is time to create 42,000 jobs and reduce energy prices for hardworking families. Sign this bill into law. It is time to build the Keystone XL pipeline. I ask that you do this not only for the hardworking taxpayers I represent in West Virginia but for all Americans struggling in this economy.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Congressman Jim Jordan and Congressman Barry Loudermilk, for arranging this special session tonight to address a critical issue looming before our Nation.

Senator Harry Reid and the President are currently risking the full funding of our national security to protect the President's unilateral and unconstitutional executive action on amnesty.

On 22 occasions, President Obama himself said he did not have the authority to grant executive amnesty before flipping and denying the will of the American people and taking unilateral action anyway. This attitude follows a pattern of unilateral action, executive action, including the President's war on coal, and it must be stopped.

Now, Senator Reid and his allies continue to block any consideration of the bill passed by the House to fund the Department of Homeland Security. This obstruction is intended to protect the President's unconstitutional executive amnesty.

Sadly, no one is surprised that this President would use this unlawful, unilateral action to pursue his own radical agenda. But now Senator Reid and the President are edging closer to putting the American people in danger to protect that agenda.

The Constitution clearly gives the power of the purse to the United States House of Representatives--this Chamber right here. And the American people said clearly last year that they expect us to use our authority over spending to keep government operating in a responsible manner.

I call upon Senator Reid, President Obama, and their Democrat allies to end this political gamesmanship. Instead, bring up the bill to fund Homeland Security for consideration and passage.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the great honor of addressing the Nation as a newly-elected Representative for the people of West Virginia's Second District.

My name is Alex Mooney, and I grew up in a home where the American ideals of personal freedom and limited government were cherished.

My mother was born and raised in Cuba where, at age 21, she was thrown in jail for 7 weeks as a political prisoner by the communist regime of Fidel Castro. After her release, she fled here to the United States where she was welcomed with open arms to restart her life in freedom.

My father was a feisty Irishman from New York and a Vietnam veteran. He was an ardent conservative and had great pride in leaders like Ronald Reagan.

Through the hard work of my parents, my three siblings and I had the chance to live the American Dream. My older brother, Vincent, is a professor of electrical engineers at Georgia Tech. My younger brother, Patrick, is a successful businessman. My younger sister, Margarita, is a professor of sociology at Yale University where she conducts research on happiness, virtues, and the common good. I was blessed to have the opportunity to attend Dartmouth College where I played football and rugby and graduated in 1993.

In 2001, my father suffered a stroke and was dying. There was one doctor who was particularly compassionate in her efforts to comfort my family and me through that difficult time. She also happened to be very pretty. One year later, that neurosurgeon, Dr. Grace Gonzalez, agreed to marry me.

My wonderful wife and I have been blessed with three beautiful children. My son, Lucas, is 11; my daughter, Camille, is 9; and we were pleasantly surprised on October 13 of last year with a third child, Gabrielle. My wife and I have been doing the hard work of homeschooling our older children, imparting on them an appreciation for the special place America holds in the world, just as my parents did for me.

My parents also taught me personal responsibility enshrined in the Constitution must always be protected. Their example showed me we must never cower in the face of tyranny, never give up on the God-given rights we are entitled to, and never stop fighting for the American Dream. They taught me the importance of serving one's Nation and community.

I knew early in life I wanted an opportunity to fight for the values which have made our Nation a beacon of freedom and prosperity around the world. As a young State senator, I fought for relief for hardworking taxpayers, for more personal responsibility, for the right to life of unborn babies, for a prosperous business climate, and to protect our Second Amendment rights.

Last fall, the people of the Second District of West Virginia afforded me the tremendous honor of representing them in Congress.

Our Nation faces great challenges. Our President and his liberal allies on the left would see us lose the values which make us who we are, lose the values my father fought for and my mother escaped despotism to enjoy.

West Virginia is blessed to be abundant in natural resources. I will fight so that West Virginians and all Americans are able to seek prosperity from our natural bounty. I expect to spend much of my time at my home in Charles Town and crossing the district, listening to the citizens I serve.

During my first week in office, I didn't wait to begin delivering on West Virginia priorities. I cosponsored legislation to gut onerous provisions of ObamaCare, to audit the Federal Reserve, and authorize construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. I also cosponsored bipartisan legislation to protect the unborn after 20 weeks when they are capable of feeling pain.

I am fortunate to serve on the House Natural Resources Committee, where I will focus on policies which contribute to the energy security of our Nation and the expansion of our production here at home.

I have also been selected to serve on the important House Budget Committee, where I will fight to fulfill my commitment for a balanced Federal budget. It is totally unacceptable for West Virginians and all Americans to live within their means while the Federal Government continues to allow its spending and debt to run rampant.

We are a nation whose values are emulated around the world by people seeking freedom, justice, and constitutional self-government defined by the rule of law.

This legacy faces great challenges today, and I am proud to stand here on the floor of the United States Congress, vigilant in the defense of our defining principles and West Virginia priorities.

I want to thank Congresswoman Ileana

Ros-Lehtinen for arranging this important Special Order to show solidarity with the Cuban people as they continue to live under an oppressive regime.

Mr. Speaker, President Obama has senselessly yielded ground, with no stipulations for reform, to the Cuban regime, with the announcements of a secret deal going around Congress to ``normalize'' relations. This misguided grab for a legacy item has cost our country and the Cuban people a valuable bargaining chip for their freedom.

Of course, this is yet another foreign policy failure or, more accurately, unilateral surrender from this administration. From the bright red line in Syria, which was crossed with impunity, to sending a secret message to President Putin that, ``After the election, I will be more flexible,'' to now rewarding tyrants in Cuba who continue to deny basic human rights to their oppressed citizens, President Obama has chosen wrong policies.

The despotic government the President would normalize relations with has, for decades, sought to subjugate the Cuban people's appetite for freedom. The many realized American Dreams of Cuban refugees, including my mother, are a great testament to the greatness of the United States and our constitutional rights. As the beacon of freedom in the world, America must continue to use sensible policy to protect our values around the world and in our own backyard.