Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chair, I rise today to speak in support of my amendment to the Protecting Free Speech from Government Interference Act.

As we all know, the First Amendment is the foundation of our Republic. It protects our right to speak, to worship, and to express ourselves without fear of government retribution.

Unfortunately, we have seen an alarming trend of government officials attempting to censor and silence viewpoints with which they disagree, which are frequently conservative viewpoints.

This censorship often takes the form of using private companies to do the government's bidding, otherwise known as government-by-proxy censorship. The government can pressure or coerce these companies to silence certain viewpoints, effectively bypassing the protections afforded by the First Amendment. This is an egregious violation of our constitutional rights and it must be stopped.

That is why I am proud to offer my amendment, which will strengthen the Protecting Free Speech from Government Interference Act.

My amendment requires the Attorney General to submit an annual report to Congress evaluating compliance with this Act by Federal agencies and employees in the executive branch, including any instances of censorship.

My amendment will shine a light on the Orwellian practice of using taxpayer dollars to suppress speech through leveraging private companies and hold the government accountable

for any attempts to circumvent Americans' First Amendment freedoms.

I thank Chairman Comer for his leadership on this critical issue and for his support of my amendment. Together, we can make sure that the government is held accountable and that our fundamental rights are protected.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting my amendment and the Protecting Free Speech from Government Interference Act.

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

Mr. Chair, the gentleman from New York's remarks in opposition to my amendment are puzzling.

I think my commonsense amendment should pass with broad bipartisan support as it simply requires transparency and accountability via the mechanism of a report to Congress. That is not a novel idea. It is actually a very good one. It keeps the average American citizen informed.

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer).

Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing.

I thank my friend from Kentucky (Mr. Comer) for his support for my amendment to the Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act.

It is clear that this should be a bipartisan issue, and we must come together to protect Americans' fundamental right of free speech.

My Democrat colleague on the other side of the aisle's opposition to my amendment is disappointing but not surprising. The Democrats have consistently shown that they are willing to use any means necessary to censor speech with which they disagree, whether it is through government officials or private companies. My amendment simply requires transparency and accountability from the executive branch, and I fail to see how anyone can be opposed to that.

Again, I urge all my colleagues to support my amendment to the Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act. We must take a stand against government-by-proxy censorship and ensure that the First Amendment is upheld for all Americans.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky, Chairman Comer, for yielding.

It is no secret that crime has beleaguered Washington, D.C., for years. Yet, in the midst of rising crime rates in D.C., our Nation's Capital is now on track to become even more dangerous.

The D.C. Council is advancing a severely misguided bill, the Revised Criminal Code Act, to eliminate minimum sentences and reduce maximum penalties for numerous violent criminal offenses.

This legislation isn't just reckless. It is radical. Washington's own Democratic Mayor Bowser vetoed the legislation telling the council: ``This bill does not make us safer.''

Well, for once, I agree with the Mayor because eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for all crimes except first-degree murder, eliminating life sentences, and reducing maximum penalties for violent crimes including burglary, carjacking, and robberies will undoubtedly embolden criminals and threaten the safety of both residents and visitors here in Washington, D.C.

But ultimately, the D.C. Council ignored Mayor Bowser's valid concerns and overrode her veto.

Many have asked why, as a Congressman from northeast Georgia, I am leading the effort to block the D.C. Council's radical rewrite of Washington's criminal code.

It is because I care, and I would expect and hope that everyone here in this Chamber would care, too. Congress has the responsibility and the authority to take this action.

Article I, Section 8, Clause 17 of the Constitution grants Congress the authority to ``exercise exclusive legislation, in all cases whatsoever, over such District.''

But we don't just have a constitutional obligation to stop this soft- on-crime bill from becoming law, we also have a moral obligation to protect America's safety and security in our Nation's Capital City.

Just 2 days ago in his State of the Union Address, President Biden said right here in this very Chamber: ``We have an obligation to make sure all our people are safe,'' and adding: ``Public safety depends on public trust.''

For once, I agree with the President because all Americans deserve to visit our Nation's Capital without facing fear or violence, and all Americans should be able to trust public officials to implement policies that protect their safety and well-being.

Yet, under the D.C. Council's radical crime bill, residents, small businesses, constituents, and our own staff here on Capitol Hill will inevitably encounter additional danger and violence.

As the President delivered his State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, there was a shooting blocks away in the Navy Yard and a stabbing over in Georgetown.

Earlier this week on Capitol Hill, a Capitol Hill reporter's wheels were stolen right off his car. The same crime happened to one of my Democrat colleagues, Congresswoman Barragan, last month.

Just last week at the Potomac Avenue Metro station, a crazed criminal shot and killed a 64-year-old Metro mechanic, Robert Cunningham, who heroically attempted to stop the violent criminal from shooting a woman nearby.

Clearly, crime after crime is on the rise here in D.C., yet the D.C. Council's bill will only make matters worse.

Combating crime is not a conservative or a liberal objective. It is not Republican or Democrat. It is simply a commonsense one. In fact, it has been my honor to work with a local Democrat, Denise Krepp, who formerly served as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner here in D.C. For years Ms. Krepp pleaded with Democrats to be tough on crime for the sake of the residents she served, yet she was routinely ignored.

In a letter sent to this very body in December--which I shall include in the Record--she urged Congress to introduce a resolution of disapproval to block the D.C. Council's Revised Criminal Code Act. It is an effort I am honored to lead and an effort that I am proud the House will pass today.

Because we must send a clear message to the Senate, to the White House, and to the American people that the people's House rejects soft- on-crime policies that jeopardize Americans' safety and security, I urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``yea'' on my commonsense resolution, H.J. Res. 26.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the December 12, 2022, letter from Ms. Krepp.

December 12, 2022.

Re. B24-0416--Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022.

Rep. Pelosi,

Washington, DC.

Rep. McCarthy,

Washington, DC.

Senator Schumer,

Washington, DC.

Senator McConnell,

Washington, DC.

Representative Pelosi, Representative McCarthy, Senator

Schumer, and Senator McConnell: My name is K. Denise Rucker

Krepp and I'm an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in

Washington, D.C. I'm writing to you today to ask that you

enact into law a joint resolution disapproving the Revised

Criminal Code Act of 2022 (RCCA). The bill hurts victims of

violent crime.

Currently, convicted rapists must serve their full prison

sentence. The RCCA creates a new right to petition for early

release from prison. The D.C. Councilmembers who drafted this

provision call it proportionate, balancing the interests of

victims and those who commit the crimes.

Rape is an irreversible crime. Victims don't get to rewind

the clock and as a locally elected D.C. official I

respectfully ask that you disapprove the bill, stopping it

from becoming law.

Additionally, I respectfully ask that you conduct oversight

over prosecutions of violent crimes occurring in Washington,

D.C. At a March 2022 meeting, the U.S. Attorney for the

District of Columbia told me that he didn't know what crimes

his office prosecutes each year and that it is unreasonable

for me to expect him to know this information.

I've been a locally unpaid, no staff elected official in

Washington, D.C. for eight years. Over this period of time,

I've tracked the murders, armed carjackings, assaults,

robberies, stabbings, shootings, and rape that have occurred

in my single member district. The U.S. Attorney for the

District of Columbia has staff and resources, and it's

reasonable for him to know what crimes his office

prosecutes. Please ask him to do so and to share this

information with you and DC residents.

Thank you.

K. Denise Rucker Krepp,

ANC6B10 Commissioner.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials.

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

Mr. Speaker, on January 13 of this year, the ATF finalized its unconstitutional rule pertaining to firearms with stabilizing braces. Under this new ATF rule, any pistol-braced firearm would be considered an illegal short-barreled rifle, subjecting these firearms to draconian regulations under the NFA, the National Firearms Act of 1934, and turning millions of law-abiding gun owners into criminals literally overnight.

Unelected antigun bureaucrats informed law-abiding gun owners possessing pistols with these braces attached that they will have only 120 days to register them once the rule is published in the Federal Register. This 120-day amnesty window started yesterday, January 31.

As we have seen across the world time and time again, what comes before gun confiscation? Gun registration. That is right. That is exactly what ATF is now demanding.

For stabilizer brace owners who do not wish to register their firearms, the ATF provides four alternatives.

The first: Turn in the entire firearm with the attached stabilizing brace to the ATF. That means forfeiting your firearm.

The second: Destroy the whole firearm. Again, another forfeiture of your firearm.

The third: Convert the pistol brace into a long-barreled rifle that does not require registration but is also much more difficult to use with a brace.

The fourth: Permanently remove and dispose of, or alter the stabilizing brace, from the firearm so that it cannot be reattached.

If gun owners who possess braced firearms refuse to register, destroy, turn in, or alter their firearm after this 120-day window, they face National Firearms Act violations, felony violations, including hefty fines of up to $250,000 and up to 10 years in prison for having an unregistered short-barreled rifle.

In other words, the ATF's rule turns law-abiding gun owners into criminals, into felons, for simply doing nothing.

That is right. If they do nothing, then after 120 days, they are in felony violation of ATF's reinterpreted law, all for simply maintaining their Second Amendment freedoms.

What exactly are these alleged hazardous stabilizing braces? A pistol brace, also known as a stabilizing brace, is simply an accessory that is attached to the rear of a large firearm in order to anchor the gun to the shooter's arm to better stabilize it, allowing them to be more accurately shot one-handed, just like what you see right here. This is a stabilizing brace.

These braces were actually designed to help disabled veterans enjoy the sport of shooting. In fact, as a Federal firearms licensee, my company has sold many of these pistol brace firearms to assist disabled veterans so they can improve their shooting capabilities and their accuracy.

Unfortunately, these beneficial braces have faced uninformed and unwarranted backlash from unelected bureaucrats for years.

In 2012, the ATF provided a letter determining that pistol braces were legal to use and to shoulder. This decision was then reversed 3 years later by the ATF. In 2015, stabilizing braces became illegal to shoulder, turning braced firearms into unregistered short-barreled rifles. The braces remained legal if held at arm's length but illegal if brought back to the shoulder. How does that make any sense?

This flip-flopped again in 2017 when stabilizing braces were once more determined to be legal to shoulder by the ATF, as long as the original design of the brace remained unmodified.

Here we are in 2023 as braced pistols are vilified yet again, declared by the ATF to be unregistered short-barreled rifles requiring registration and their owners classified as felons if they simply do nothing.

Clearly, as in most cases of unconstitutional gun control, unelected bureaucrats who have little to no knowledge of firearms or respect for Second Amendment rights are steamrolling ahead with unlawful restrictions, which will impact, estimates say, anywhere from 3 million to up to 40 million firearms across the country.

Why? To advance the less dangerous dream of disarming our Nation and dismantling our Second Amendment rights. That is what gun control is all about.

The ultimate goal is an unarmed and subjugated America. I can assure gun owners across this great Nation that I and Second Amendment-loving Republican colleagues will do everything in our power to never allow that to happen.

We are fighting this, and we are not going to give up. Congress cannot allow the ATF to brazenly disregard both our Constitution and Congress' role, its sole role in legislation, its legislative authority.

I don't know if ATF Director Dettelbach needs a copy of the Constitution to revisit the explicit language of the Second Amendment or the direct powers granted to the three branches of government, but the last time I checked, only Congress has the authority to make laws.

Let me say that again. Congress makes laws, not unelected antigun bureaucrats at the ATF or any other part of the executive branch, for that matter.

Yet, given the ATF's severely misguided decision to advance its unconstitutional pistol brace rule, I am actively leading the fight to stop this grave injustice.

We have three key tools available to us in Congress to fight the ATF's tyranny.

The first is H.R. 646, the Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today Act, or the SHORT Act, which I reintroduced yesterday with Senators Roger Marshall and John Kennedy. This legislation repeals elements of the National Firearms Act, thereby prohibiting the ATF from registering and banning pistols with stabilizing braces.

The second element is a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act, which we will introduce in a matter of days to block the ATF's rule from infringing on Americans' Second Amendment rights. Congressman Richard Hudson, our NRCC chair, has joined me in co-leading this in the House, while Senators John Kennedy and Roger Marshall will introduce the resolution in the Senate.

The third way that we can fight this here in Congress is through the power of the purse. As we write the ATF's appropriations for fiscal year 2024, we can prevent taxpayer dollars from funding this backdoor gun control through what is called a limitation amendment. As a new member on the Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, I look forward to assisting in this effort.

With these three initiatives, we can work together to stop the ATF's unconstitutional overreach.

It would be better if the ATF simply decided to rescind the pistol brace rule so we would not have to take these permanent measures, but we are fully prepared to do so if they will not rescind it.

I am proud to have several of my colleagues here tonight to expose the ATF's unconstitutional rule, as well as to highlight how Congress can stop this latest form of gun control from infringing on law-abiding gun owners' Second Amendment freedoms.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van Drew).

I thank my good friend from New Jersey, from one of those blue States where you don't necessarily think that there are passionate gun owners. I appreciate them.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert), who is also the co-chair of our Second Amendment Caucus here in Congress and my good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Colorado for her unwavering defense of the Second Amendment of our Constitution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Crenshaw).

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Texas for those inspiring words.

I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Massie), my good friend.

I thank my good friend from Kentucky because he is absolutely right. We have the power of the purse.

I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber), my good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Texas for those great words. He is absolutely correct. When the government fears the people, there is liberty.

I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gaetz), my good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Florida for that is, indeed, a great statement: A shot across the bow; a great example of what the United States Navy would do.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett), my good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the great State of Florida (Mrs. Cammack).

Mr. Speaker, I thank my great colleague from the State of Florida for those encouraging remarks. I thank all of my colleagues who participated here in this Special Order tonight. It is incredibly important that we show Americans that we are united and unwavering in protecting and preserving our Second Amendment freedoms.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 6 o'clock and 46 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, February 2, 2023, at 9:30 a.m.

Madam Speaker, right here in our Nation's Capital, crime continues to soar at an alarming rate. Yet, the D.C. Council is determined to advance a severely misguided bill to reduce penalties for violent criminal offenses.

In fact, some of the very crimes that the D.C. Council included in their radical legislation are on the rise. For example, last year, robberies were up, vehicle theft increased by 8 percent, and carjackings skyrocketed by 14 percent. Yet, the D.C. Council is fighting to reduce--yes, reduce--penalties for these offenses. You just can't make this stuff up.

Now, to her credit, D.C. Mayor Bowser opposes this dangerous effort, correctly claiming: ``This bill does not make us safer.''

For once, I agree with Mayor Bowser because combating crime and protecting citizens is not a conservative issue, it is a commonsense issue; it is an American issue.

In the face of D.C.'s failed leadership, Congress must take immediate action to prevent this disastrous bill from emboldening criminals and threatening the safety of residents and visitors.

In the coming weeks, I will introduce a joint resolution of disapproval to stop this insanity in its tracks. I look forward to leading this fight, and I urge all of my colleagues, Republican and Democrat, to join me so we can ensure that no American faces fear and violence in our Nation's Capital.

Defense of Americans' Second Amendment Freedoms

Madam Speaker, I rise today in the defense of Americans' Second Amendment freedoms.

The Biden administration is moving forward with yet another gun- grabbing tactic in order to register and ban millions of firearms, moving one step closer to the left's ultimate goal of disarming our Nation and dismantling our Second Amendment freedoms.

Earlier this month, the ATF finalized an unconstitutional rule pertaining to firearms with stabilizing braces. Under the ATF's new rule, any pistol-braced firearm would be considered an illegal short- barreled rifle, making these guns subject to the draconian regulations under the National Firearms Act of 1934.

Let me be clear: Unelected, anti-gun bureaucrats at the ATF do not have the authority to make laws. That authority rests right here in Congress.

Congress cannot continue turning a blind eye to the Biden administration's weaponization of the National Firearms Act and ongoing assault on Americans' Second Amendment freedoms. The time to act is now, and I am proud to lead this fight.

Next week, I will re-introduce the Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today Act, or the SHORT Act, to repeal elements of the National Firearms Act, thereby prohibiting the ATF from registering and banning pistols with stabilizing braces.

Additionally, as soon as the ATF's unlawful rule is published to the Federal Register, I will introduce a Resolution of Disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to override the Biden administration's unlawful overreach.

I have always done my utmost in the defense of our constitutional right to keep and bear arms. It is now time, now that the House is under the Republican majority, to go on offense.

Madam Speaker, I want gun owners to hear me loud and clear: We are fighting for you and your Second Amendment freedoms, and we will never give up.

Lawlessness at the Southern Border

Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight the lawlessness happening at our southern border.

To no one's surprise, President Biden attempted to conceal the ongoing chaos, chaos created by his disastrous policies at the southern border, by releasing the latest CBP report on a Friday night news dump. But these tactics can't hide the truth.

Last month, over a quarter of a million, over 251,000 illegal aliens were apprehended at the southern border, making December the highest monthly total on record.

More than a quarter of a million in a single month. If that doesn't pressure

the Biden administration to fix this crisis, what will?

In a dangerous addition, 17 suspected terrorists were caught illegally crossing the border in December, bringing the total number of individuals to 38 who were on the terrorist watch list and caught at the southern border, in just the first 3 months of fiscal year 2023.

How many suspected terrorists have to cross the southern border before the Biden administration will take this border crisis seriously?

To make matters worse, CBP has already seized over 9,000 pounds of fentanyl so far this fiscal year, which is enough to kill more than 2 billion people, over 6 times the population of the United States.

When will the Biden administration finally put an end to the wide- open southern border that allows this deadly drug from China to devastate our communities?

While the White House willfully destroys our southern border and subsequently demolishes our national security, House Republicans are determined to secure the border and put Americans first.

Part of that commitment is ensuring that every solitary individual responsible for this self-inflicted crisis will be held accountable, starting with Secretary Mayorkas, whose impeachment is long overdue.

Without accountability, Americans will not have the safe and secure Nation they deserve.

I have an amendment at the desk, No. 91.

Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 21, the Strategic Production Response Act.

If enacted, my amendment would help hold the Biden administration, which has proven to be the least transparent administration in American history, accountable.

Under President Biden's anti-American energy policies and his embrace of the radical left's Green New Deal agenda, America's energy independence has been severely jeopardized. In response, my amendment would require President Biden and his administration to submit their plan to Congress addressing his misuse of our Nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve prior to the next drawdown of our reserve.

My amendment would ensure that the plan the administration develops actually addresses our Nation's energy security and shows in writing to Congress that it does not sell our country's emergency energy supply to our adversaries, including companies aligned with the Chinese Communist Party that have direct connections to the President's son.

Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment to submit the administration's plan to this body so we can do the work the American people sent us here to do, which is to restore American energy independence, unleash domestic energy production, and hold the Biden administration accountable for creating this crisis.

Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. Rodgers).

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Offered By: Mr. Clyde

Amendment No. 90: Page 2, line 15, strike ``a plan to'' and

insert ``a plan--``.

Page 2, line 15, before ``increase'' insert the following:

``(A) to

Page 2, line 25, strike the period at the end and insert

``; and''.

Page 2, after line 25, insert the following:

``(B) to narrow the qualifications of eligible bidders

determined by the Secretary, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. Sec. 6241,

for all future sales, exchanges, or loans from the Strategic

Petroleum Reserve, to only include bidders that--(1) are

based in the United States; and (2) will distribute petroleum

products in the same quantities as purchased from the

Strategic Petroleum Reserve to United States end-consumers

within 18-months of purchase.

Offered By: Mr. Clyde

Amendment No. 91: Page 2, line 15, insert ``and submitted

to Congress'' after ``developed''.

Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday, on January 22, our Nation mourned the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the treacherous ruling that paved the way for the murder of more than 60 million innocent babies, all precious, all worth saving, and all made in the perfect image of God.

Thankfully, the victorious Dobbs ruling overturned Roe v. Wade last year, rightfully returning the issue of abortion back to the States. However, while we champion this momentous win in the fight for the unborn, we cannot forget the millions of lives lost to the evils of abortion.

Today, I introduced a resolution to recognize January 22 as the ``Day of Tears'' to honor and mourn the loss of these unborn children.

But in the face of President Biden's pro-abortion agenda, we must do more to defend the sanctity of human life. May God raise up more warriors to protect innocent life because life, after all, is our first and foremost fundamental unalienable right.

Last week, I proudly introduced--with nearly 90 original cosponsors-- the Protect the UNBORN Act to block and defund President Biden's pro- abortion executive orders. Congress must take action to protect the unborn and prevent taxpayer dollars from funding the left's radical and destructive abortion agenda.

We must never downplay the evils of abortion. As an unapologetic pro- life advocate, I am proud to defend the unborn and fight for the sanctity of life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the 2023 college football national champions, my alma mater, the University of Georgia Bulldogs.

In a stunning triumph last night, the Georgia Bulldogs defeated the TCU Horned Frogs 65-7, marking the largest margin of victory in bowl game history. After boasting an impressive undefeated record in the regular season, last night's historic win proved without a doubt that the Dawgs are victorious and on top.

Congratulations to the talented young men that put their all into the game, including a Heisman finalist and four-time College Football Playoff MVP, quarterback Stetson Bennett.

Congratulations to Head Coach Kirby Smart and the entire coaching staff for leading the Georgia Bulldogs in becoming back-to-back national champions.

Go Dawgs.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma for yielding.

Last week, as I fought as one of the 20 conservative Members to secure victories for the American people by dismantling this institution's broken system and restoring this people's House as it should be, part of the status quo here in Washington, which we fought to change, is politicians making empty promises of government accountability.

But believe me in this, Mr. Speaker, when we vowed accountability is coming, we meant it. Establishing the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government hands the House a powerful tool to uncover the two-tiered justice system that is rotting our Republic.

It is no secret that alphabet agencies have been dangerously weaponized against the American people. As an alarming example, the FBI has coerced citizens to relinquish their Second Amendment rights and has used Big Tech companies as private-sector proxies to silence Americans' free speech.

It is time to thoroughly investigate our Government agencies' atrocious behavior and abuse of power in disregarding and destroying America's precious freedoms, and this select subcommittee will have the teeth to do just that.

I thank Speaker McCarthy and Chairman Cole for their invaluable support in bringing this resolution to the floor for a vote.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting for this resolution so we may deliver transparency, answers, and, yes, accountability to the American people as we have promised.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Last week I was part of the 20 conservative Members who fought for a significant institutional change in order to restore the people's voice in the people's House.

Of the many victories we secured for the American people, the Thomas Jefferson motion to vacate the Chair is the most important to me, as it holds the Speaker accountable to the people.

This Jeffersonian motion stood strong for more than 200 years before then-Speaker Pelosi removed it in 2018, consolidating power in the hands of a select few in leadership.

By restoring this historic rule, every solitary Member has the authority to hold the Speaker accountable for following all of the rules, including passing single-subject bills, allowing Members at least 72 hours to read the legislation before voting on it, and reinstating the Holman rule which allows amendments to decrease funding for certain government programs all the way down to the individual job description.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my Republican colleagues and Speaker McCarthy for working in good faith to produce and pass a rules package that ensures this body is working for the people and not for itself. I encourage every Member to vote for it. Fixing a broken Washington, D.C., is a major win for every citizen.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the 2022 recipients of the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission awards.

The Georgia Mountains Regional Commission, or GMRC, offers guidance and resources to nearly 50 local governments, fostering leadership, economic development, and prosperity to improve northeast Georgia communities.

GMRC recently celebrated its 60th anniversary and honored this year's accomplished award recipients.

I am pleased to congratulate:

Joe Rothwell, regional planner for GMRC, as employee of the year;

John Sell, community and economic development director of White County, as appointed official of the year;

The mayor of Dawsonville, Mike Eason, as elected official of the year;

The mayor of Lavonia, Mr. Courtney Umbehant, as GMRC council member of the year; and

Ken Schubring, GMRC vice chairman, who received this year's chairman award.

I am proud to honor this year's Georgia Mountains Regional Commission award recipients, and I thank each of them for their hard work and dedication to serving northeast Georgians.