Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an exemplary Kentuckian, Robert M. ``Mike'' Duncan. Mike was born in Oneida, Tennessee but came to Kentucky as a boy, where his father was a storekeeper in McCreary County. He is a graduate of the University of the Cumberlands and, in 1974, earned a degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law.

Mike Duncan has a distinguished list of professional, political, and personal accomplishments. People that know Mike Duncan will agree that he is an honorable man with a genuine love for his fellow Kentuckians and for this great Nation.

Mike has served as Chair, President, and CEO of the Inez Deposit Bank. He has served as president of the Kentucky Bankers Association and as a Director of the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank's Cincinnati Branch. He is chair of the Board of Trustees of Alice Lloyd College. Always passionate about education, Mike has been a mentor to numerous students over the years. He has served as chair of the Center for Rural Development in Somerset, KY and as a trustee of the Christian Appalachian Project. In 2012, he became the President and CEO of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a non-profit advocacy group.

At the federal level, Mike served our country as Assistant Director of Public Liaison under President George H. W. Bush. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed him to the President's Commission of White House Fellows. Bush also nominated Mike to the Tennessee Valley Authority Board where he served as chair in 2009 and 2010. He also served as a member and former chair of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service beginning in 2018.

Mike began his political career as a driver for Bob Gable. He has gone on to serve in numerous political campaigns and has been a delegate to 10 Republican National Conventions. He served the Republican National Committee as treasurer and general counsel from 2002 until 2007, when he was elected as Chairman. He was first elected as Kentucky's National Committeeman to the RNC in 1992, a position that he has held since that time.

Mike Duncan has been a leader in banking, in education, in federal service, and in the political arena. He is a man who leads with dignity, character, and selflessness. Mike Duncan is a true servant leader and I am humbled to honor his contributions to Kentucky and to the Nation before the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a special man, Coach Alvis Johnson, Jr. of Harrodsburg, Kentucky.

Coach Johnson, born in 1947, grew up in rural Christian County, Kentucky as the son of a sharecropper. He attended Western Kentucky University, where he played football and earned a master's degree in secondary education. He and his wife Rosetta moved to Harrodsburg in 1973 where he taught history, served as athletics director, and coached football as well as boys' and girls' track and field. He served there until 1997, where he was well-respected in the classroom and on the athletics fields. He led the boys track and field team to 4 state championships; the girls track and field to one state championship, and the football team to 3 state runner-up titles. Coach Johnson was a mentor and role model to his students, his fellow teachers, and his athletes. The football and track and field stadium is named in his honor. Johnson had over 50 athletes that went on to compete at the Division 1 level, including his sons, Dennis and Derrick who are now football coaches at Woodford County High School. Coach Johnson went on to serve for 8 years as an assistant athletics director at the University of Kentucky.

Coach Johnson served on the KHSAA Board of Control and led as president in 1991. He was elected to the National Federation of High School Athletics' board of directors in 1992 and became that board's president in 1994, the first African American to do so. He served on the Kentucky Board of Education from 2019-2022. Johnson was inducted into the Kentucky Track and Cross-Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Kentucky High School Athletic Association's Dawahare's/ KHSAA Hall of Fame. He was named the state high school track coach of the year 8 times and, in 1977, was named the Kellogg Corporation National Track Coach of the Year. He was twice named the state football coach of the year. Johnson also received the Disney's American Teacher Award in 1996.

Coach Johnson was a member and longtime deacon at Centennial Baptist Church. He was active in the United Way and many other community groups. Coach Johnson had a positive impact on thousands of lives over his career as a teacher and coach. He showed genuine care and concern for people and his legacy lives on. This legendary man who was a mentor to many passed away on July 15, 2023.

I am humbled to honor the memory of Coach Alvis Johnson, Jr. before the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of an exceptional man, Catesby Woodford Clay, of Paris, Kentucky, who today is celebrating his 100th birthday and a lifetime of leadership in the fields of natural resources and Thoroughbred racehorses. A staunch philanthropist, Mr. Clay has devoutly practiced his Catholic faith with his wife, Elizabeth ``Biz'' Clay, while raising 8 children and shepherding 15 grandchildren into the future.

Although known by friends for his mischievous levity and penchant for boldly-colored clothes, Mr. Clay has been a most serious achiever. For over 73 years, he served Kentucky River Coal Corp, and its successor, Kentucky River Properties, in many roles, including president and board chairman. Kentucky River Properties has risen as a major regional operation with extensive coal reserves and more than 140,000 acres of Appalachian hardwood forests.

Yet it is the welfare of people that has always been a top priority for Mr. Clay. He championed corporate charitable efforts that resulted in millions of dollars in contributions and scholarships for Kentucky colleges and public school systems, in addition to the establishment of an endowment fund for nursing scholarships and funding for drug addiction treatment.

As the scion of a prominent family whose roots extend throughout the annals of Kentucky, he was the third generation to run historic Runnymede Farm, birthplace of 4 Kentucky Derby winners including this year's victor Mage. Mr. Clay bred top racehorses over 7 decades that won major races in Europe and Asia in addition to North America.

Beyond forging an international reputation for elite horses, Mr. Clay served as a member of the Kentucky Racing Commission and as a 45-year stalwart on Churchill Downs' board of directors. He was feted as the 2009 Honored Guest by the Thoroughbred Club of America.

A graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a U.S. Army veteran of World War II, Mr. Clay has generously supported Catholic missions from Kentucky to Africa and Asia. His son, Catesby ``Chris'' Jr., followed his spiritual path to become an ordained priest.

Thus, I am honored to recognize Catesby Woodford Clay on his 100th birthday for his gentlemanly stewardship of a unique family heritage, his devotion to charitable causes, and his lifetime of success while committed to faith and family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a special man, Jesse Commasel Tull, Sr. Mr. Tull fought for freedom as a soldier in the United States Colored Troops as a member of Company C, 119th U.S. Colored Infantry. Tull's Company C was 1 of 8 U.S. Colored Troops regiments assigned to various locations in Kentucky, including Camp Nelson, located in Jessamine County near the Kentucky River. Attaining the rank of Sargent, Tull performed guard, garrison, and recruitment duties at various points across Kentucky. He helped to enlist and emancipate many men and their families and thus aided his country to ultimate victory in the Civil War.

In addition to his important military service, Mr. Tull became a Reverend in Jessamine County, ministering to many believers. He organized the Historic First Baptist Church of Camp Nelson, Ky. This church, located at the Camp Nelson Refugee Camp where soldiers' wives and children lived, was 1 of 3 African American churches organized in the area to minister to African Americans in their transition from slavery to freedom.

Sgt./Rev. Jesse C. Tull served his country as a soldier and served God as a preacher. His descendants include his great grandson the Rev. R.P. Gates, Sr., current pastor of the Historic First Baptist Church at Camp Nelson. Rev. Gates has helped keep the story of Jesse C. Tull alive as he is remembered as an important part of our Nation's history.

I am humbled to honor the memory of Sgt./Rev. Jesse C. Tull, Sr. before the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1684) to require the Secretary of State to submit an annual report to Congress regarding the ties between criminal gangs and political and economic elites in Haiti and impose sanctions on political and economic elites involved in such criminal activities, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, prolonged political instability, exceptionally high poverty levels, a resurgence of cholera, food insecurity, a paralyzed economy and crippling inflation prices, continuous devastating natural disasters, lack of access to adequate healthcare, and distressing levels of insecurity--these are the ongoing crises facing the people of Haiti.

Tragically, they are being made worse by corrupt oligarchs and political elites in the country who use gangs as a tool to advance their personal interests and gain power.

Those lawless gangs are responsible for an exponential rise in violence and horrific human rights abuses. They are wreaking havoc against an already vulnerable population.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentleman from New York, Ranking Member Meeks, who worked with Chairman McCaul and their bipartisan cosponsors to help confront those predators with this bill.

This bill ensures that the Secretary of State will impose sanctions on Haiti's economic and political elite responsible for mobilizing these gangs to carry out their dirty work which has unleashed violence with no end in sight.

The bill also requires annual reports to Congress on the ties between these gangs and political and economic elites in Haiti.

To help the Haitian people restore democratic order, we must hold corrupt elites accountable for the violence they are instigating. Prohibiting these criminals from traveling to and operating in the United States is an important step in that direction.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on the Judiciary,

Washington, DC, June 15, 2023.

Hon. Michael McCaul,

Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman McCaul: I write regarding H.R. 1684, the

Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act of 2023. Provisions

of this bill fall within the Judiciary Committee's Rule X

jurisdiction, and I appreciate that you consulted with us on

those provisions. The Judiciary Committee agrees that it

shall be discharged from further consideration of the bill so

that it may proceed expeditiously to the House floor.

The Committee takes this action with the understanding that

forgoing further consideration of this measure does not in

any way alter the Committee's jurisdiction or waive any

future jurisdictional claim over these provisions or their

subject matter. We also reserve the right to seek appointment

of an appropriate number of conferees in the event of a

conference with the Senate involving this measure or similar

legislation.

I ask that you please include this letter in your

committee's report to accompany this legislation or insert

this letter in the Congressional Record during consideration

of H.R. 1684 on the House floor. I appreciate the cooperative

manner in which our committees have worked on this matter,

and I look forward to working collaboratively in the future

on matters of shared jurisdiction. Thank you for your

attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Jim Jordan,

Chairman.

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

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

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, what is going on in the nation of Haiti is a human tragedy. I again thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) for leading this bipartisan bill, which, as he eloquently described, would require the Secretary of State to submit an annual report to Congress regarding the ties between criminal gangs and political and economic elites in Haiti, thereby enabling the Secretary of State to identify and impose sanctions on political and economic elites with links to criminal gangs. Hopefully, that effort would improve the conditions that the people of Haiti are going through right now.

Mr. Speaker, this bill deserves our support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3203) to impose sanctions with respect to Chinese producers of synthetic opioids and opioid precursors, to hold Chinese officials accountable for the spread of illicit fentanyl, and for other purposes, as amended.

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 material on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my legislation, the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act, that is currently before the House.

The fentanyl crisis is one that is affecting families and communities across the United States. As of 2021, 70,601 Americans died as a result of synthetic opioid overdoses. As of 2020, 82.3 percent of all opioid- involved overdoses were the result of synthetic opioids. Last year, almost 70 percent of all drug overdose deaths were caused by fentanyl-- over 100,000 American lives destroyed because of this.

This has certainly impacted my home State, the Commonwealth of Kentucky. A recent drug overdose report from the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy reported that there was a 14.5 percent increase in overdose deaths in my home State.

According to cases autopsied by the Kentucky Office of the Medical Examiner and toxicology reports submitted by Kentucky coroners, the rise in the death toll was driven largely by an increased use of fentanyl, accounting for approximately 70 percent of all overdose deaths in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Unfortunately, this scourge has spread with the help of our greatest strategic threat, the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party. We know that China has historically been and remains the primary source of fentanyl in global circulation.

Since the Trump administration tightened controls on the shipment of fentanyl into the United States, the CCP has adjusted their practices and begun producing precursor chemicals and outsourcing final production to cartel laboratories in Mexico to then exploit our porous southern border and poison the American people.

In 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 4,800 pounds of fentanyl, or enough to kill over a billion people. Just a tiny little bit of this very deadly synthetic opioid is enough to kill.

This figure more than tripled in just 2 years to 14,700 pounds in 2022. In the first 2 months of 2023, Customs and Border Protection seized 12,500 pounds. Much of this is originating from China exploiting the cartels and exploiting our open southern border.

We must attack the production of fentanyl at its source by targeting the source of the precursors in China. My legislation places sanctions on Chinese producers of synthetic opioids and opioid precursors and holds senior government and Chinese political officials accountable for the spread of illicit fentanyl.

Specifically, it amends the Fentanyl Sanctions Act to expand the definition of a foreign opioid trafficker to include any Chinese entity that produces, manufactures, distributes, sells, finances, or transports synthetic opioids or active pharmaceutical ingredients or chemicals used to produce synthetic opioids and fails to take credible steps to detect or prevent opioid trafficking, including know-your- customer procedures or cooperation with U.S. counternarcotics efforts.

The expanded definition also includes any senior officials of the PRC Government or other Chinese political official who has significant regulatory or law enforcement responsibilities and fails to take credible steps to combat foreign opioid traffickers.

Their culpability, the culpability of the Chinese Communist Party in this epidemic in our country, does not end when the precursor products land in Mexico or illegally cross our southern border. We must look at every step of fentanyl's deadly supply chain.

This bipartisan legislation passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee by voice vote earlier this year and is a needed step to control this deadly drug.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Foreign Affairs,

Washington, DC, February 9, 2023.

Hon. Patrick McHenry,

Chairman, Committee on Financial Services

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman McHenry: Thank you for consulting with the

Foreign Affairs Committee and agreeing to be discharged from

further consideration of H.R. 3203, the Stop Chinese Fentanyl

Act of 2023, so that the measure may proceed expeditiously to

the House floor.

I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure

does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of

your committee, or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives

on this measure or similar legislation in the future. I would

support your effort to seek appointment of an appropriate

number of conferees from your committee to any House-Senate

conference on this legislation.

I will seek to place our letters on H.R. 3203 into the

Congressional Record during floor consideration. I appreciate

your cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward

to continuing to work together as this measure moves through

the legislative process.

Sincerely,

Michael T. McCaul,

Chairman.

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

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

I thank the gentleman from Virginia for his bipartisan support of this important legislation. This is a bipartisan bill for good reason, Mr. Speaker: Because China has blamed the rise in overdose deaths in the United States and illicit fentanyl in the United States on the United States.

The Chinese Communist Party has refused to address its role in this crisis. While Mexico is now the principal source of illicit fentanyl and its analogues, cartels manufacture these drugs in covert laboratories with ingredients, precursor chemicals sourced largely from Communist China.

China is the primary source of chemical precursors used to synthesize fentanyl and other novel synthetic

opioids, and this illicit fentanyl made in Mexican labs is then smuggled into the United States across our open and unenforced southern border, making its way into communities and killing Americans, killing many Americans in my home State of Kentucky.

No, Kentucky is not a border State, but Kentucky is impacted by the fact that these Chinese precursors are making their way into China and then smuggled across our southern border.

This is a huge problem, and we need to hold those individuals, those Chinese Communist Party officials, accountable for this scourge, for poisoning the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to defend the American people, to stop this scourge, and to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for their role in this poison that is pouring across our borders.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1176) to amend the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019 to provide that the United States, as a member of any international organizations, should oppose any attempts by the People's Republic of China to resolve Taiwan's status by distorting the decisions, language, policies, or procedures of the organization, and for other purposes.

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 material on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, Taiwan, an island of democracy and stability, is a key U.S. partner facing an increasingly aggressive Chinese Communist Party. Chinese military aggression is the most visible type of coercion against Taiwan, but CCP influence is widespread. In almost every international organization, the CCP is taking over leadership positions and pushing Taiwan aside.

For far too long, the CCP has employed an insidious strategic approach to suppress Taiwan's participation in the international community. The Chinese Communist Party has undermined Taiwan and spread propaganda about that democracy's ability to participate in international organizations. We cannot turn a blind eye to this assault on the very institutions we helped build after World War II.

There is no clearer example of the Chinese Communist Party's nefarious tactics than their manipulation of U.N. Resolution 2758. Passed in 1971, that resolution recognized the PRC as the U.N. representative for China.

It said nothing about Taiwan's U.N. representation or sovereignty, yet the CCP propaganda wrongly claims that this resolution asserts PRC representation over Taiwan. Beijing has used it as a weapon to prevent Taiwan from participating in international organizations. This resolution, which was intended to bring nations together, has instead been exploited to isolate Taiwan. We cannot allow this blatant assault on freedom to go unchallenged.

Taiwan is a vibrant and thriving democracy rooted in freedom, pushing the envelope on advanced technology like semiconductors. By supporting Taiwan's participation in international organizations, we bolster our own national security, enhance regional stability, and safeguard the interests of the United States and our allies.

The consequences of Beijing's actions extend far beyond Taiwan's borders. The CCP's suffocating grip prevents Taiwan from sharing its invaluable expertise in areas such as public health, technology, and humanitarian aid.

For example, Taiwan is not a member of the WHO because of the CCP, but it was Taiwan that came forward at the end of 2019 with an early warning of COVID-19. Meanwhile, the CCP robbed the world of critical time needed to counter the pandemic, causing millions to die around the world. This is what happens when the CCP manipulates

international organizations, and this is what happens when Taiwan is excluded from international organizations: Millions die.

By supporting Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations, we demonstrate to the CCP that we stand firm in our commitment to promoting freedom, democracy, and human rights.

I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), a fellow co-chair of the Taiwan Caucus, for introducing this bipartisan bill, of which I am a proud original cosponsor.

H.R. 1176 will send a clear message to the CCP that we will not tolerate their attempts to suppress, delegitimize, and coerce Taiwan and its people. The Taiwan Relations Act holds that it is United States policy to maintain their capacity ``to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion. . . .'' That policy must include the stance we are taking today, to resist the Chinese Communist Party's coercive tactics at international organizations.

Mr. Speaker, this bill deserves our unanimous support. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Curtis), the Republican principal sponsor of this bill and author of the bill. He is a great friend to the people of Taiwan and a member of the Taiwan Caucus.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the right to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I, once again, commend my colleagues, the gentleman from Virginia and the gentleman from Utah, for their leadership in introducing the Taiwan International Solidarity Act for standing with the people of Taiwan.

Obviously, Taiwan does hold some status in some regional organizations, international organizations, and it holds observer or other status in several other bodies. But Taiwan cannot participate in organizations that are key to transnational issues, such as the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, or INTERPOL, as has been pointed out. China continues to advocate for Taiwan's exclusion in these international organizations and blocks Taiwan's participation in the United Nations.

This bill would amend the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative Act, or the TAIPEI Act of 2019, to reiterate that the United States, as a member of any international organization, should oppose attempts by the People's Republic of China to resolve Taiwan's status by distorting the decisions, language, policies, or procedures, of international organizations.

This bill encourages U.S. allies and partners to oppose the Chinese Communist efforts to undermine Taiwan's official diplomatic relationships and its partnerships with countries with which it does not maintain diplomatic relations.

The bill adds an additional requirement to report to Congress on the PRC's attempts to promote its One China position in undermining Taiwan's membership or observer status in international organizations and Taiwan's ties and relationships with other countries.

Mr. Speaker, I traveled to Taipei back in September of last year. This was a major topic of discussion, Taiwan's systematic exclusion from international organizations, and the coercive actions of the Chinese Communist Party in working against Taiwan being a participant in the international community. This is wrong.

The United States needs to stand with the Taiwan people and the democracy, that island of democracy and stability. That is why every Member of this body should support this important legislation and stand for Taiwan's inclusion and constructive participation in international organizations.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a special man, Mr. Caleb Conley. Mr. Conley served as a Sheriff's Deputy in Scott County, Kentucky. On Monday, May 22, 2023, Conley was shot and killed in the line of duty during a traffic stop. He was 35 years of age.

Deputy Conley served our nation in the United States Army for 8 years. He served in the 478th Engineer Battalion. He served in Iraq and was among a group that executed more than 1,600 combat missions and was credited with locating 164 improvised explosive devices. Following his time in the military, Conley began a career in law enforcement. He won multiple awards for his law enforcement service and was especially known for his enforcement of impaired driving. In 2022, Conley was named Scott County Deputy of the Year. The award has since been renamed in his honor.

Deputy Conley loved serving others and he loved being a law enforcement officer. He was a dedicated family man and a true friend to many. Conley was a dedicated volunteer in many community activities. He is survived by his wife Rachel, their 2 children Riley and Olivia, and his parents William and Jolene Conley.

Caleb Conley was a man of strong character and a true patriot who loved his country. He was a dedicated law enforcement officer who paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep his community safe. He deserves our unending respect and gratitude. May we always remember the life of Caleb Conley. I am humbled to honor him before the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the accomplishments of a special group of women from Transylvania University. Transylvania is located in Lexington, Kentucky and holds a special place in Kentucky history as the first institution of higher learning west of the Alleghenies.

Today Transylvania is honored for another place in history. The women's basketball team, under the direction of head coach Dr. Juli Fulks, won the NCAA Division III Women's National Championship. This is the first NCAA Championship in school history. The women completed a perfect 33-0 season and defeated Christopher Newport University 57-52 for the championship: Madison Kellione, from Harrison County, Kentucky, was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Members of the team include Amara Flores, Gracie Haywood, Madison Kellione, Keaton Hall, Sierra Kemelgor, Aubree Littlejohn, Sadie Wurth, McLain Murphy, Samantha Cornelison, Sydney Wright, Kennedi Stacy, Laken Ball, Kennedy Harris, Dasia Thornton, Micayla Hurdle, and Emile Teall. The coaching staff includes Juli Fulks, Hannah Varel, Loren Bewley, Tim Whitesel, and Lea Wise Prewitt.

This team and its perfect season, culminating in a championship, brings pride not only to the Transylvania campus, but to the city of Lexington and indeed the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I congratulate Coach Fulks, all the staff members, and especially the players on winning the NCAA Championship and having such a memorable season. I am proud to honor them before the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a special man, Mr. Gilbert Thomas Sowers. Mr. Sowers, a resident of Richmond, Kentucky, is a patriotic American who served our country in the United States Army. He celebrated his 90th birthday on December 15, 2022.

Mr. Sowers was the son of William and Lily Durbin Sowers. He volunteered for military service in April of 1952 at the age of 18. He was sent to Pennsylvania for basic training and was later transferred to Germany. Mr. Sowers volunteered to go to Korea with the Second Infantry Division, where he was in charge of gathering intelligence. Following his first tour to Korea, he returned to Kentucky and married his wife, Betty.

Mr. Sowers went to work at the Madison Frozen Food Locker but, after 2 weeks there, he entered the National Guard at the rank of Sergeant First Class. He was sent to Korea for a second time in the late 1950s and to Germany in the 1960s with his family. In 1964, Mr. Sowers and his family moved back to the States, where he became a drill sergeant and then a mess hall sergeant. He is known still today as a great cook. Mr. Sower's next order took him to Vietnam as a Field Kitchen Supervisor. Not only did he cook; Mr. Sowers was involved in combat as well. He earned a Bronze Star for his heroic actions in helping to evacuate wounded soldiers after an enemy mortar attack in June of 1968. Following his tour in Vietnam, he served one more tour in Germany then retired from the service in 1975 after 24 years, 6 months, and 23 days of service to the United States.

Mr. Sowers serves as a Baptist preacher and the Chaplain of the local Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 1066 in Richmond. He has also participated in missing man ceremonies. He represents all his fellow veterans with honor and dignity.

Mr. Sowers is a true patriot. He served our country proudly and I am humbled to honor the service of Mr. Gilbert Thomas Sowers before the United States Congress.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment, which is imperative to bringing home an essential supply chain and protecting our national security, all while protecting the environment.

Rare earth elements and critical minerals are essential components in the daily lives of Americans, as well as in national security technology from home computers, televisions, and vehicles, to major weapons systems, including lasers, guided missile systems, jet engines, and alloys for armored vehicles.

Currently, China controls the bulk of the global supply of these critical minerals and rare earths that support America's economy and defense industrial base.

The demand for these minerals will steadily increase as the global economy adopts new technologies, placing the United States and its allies at a growing disadvantage unless steps are taken to shift production and sourcing away from Chinese Communist Party-controlled entities.

The risk of supply disruptions is amplified by U.S. dependence on unreliable foreign sources and red tape that disincentivizes domestic sourcing.

It is estimated that 80 percent of rare earth minerals in the United States come from China. For too long, bureaucratic red tape and uncertainty in the permitting process forced critical mineral and rare earth operations overseas.

This amendment works to jump-start American critical mineral, rare- earth element, and carbon production to make our supply chains more resilient while creating opportunities for coal and coal byproducts to be used in new, clean, and innovative ways.

According to Bureau of Land Management estimates, there are nearly 5,200 coal-related abandoned mine sites that have yet to be fully reclaimed. Through this amendment, we are creating an avenue for rare earths to be extracted from coal waste at these abandoned mine sites.

This would not only help the United States with this critical supply chain need but also address our Nation's environmental and reclamation needs.

Specifically, this amendment would include projects related to extraction, recovery, or processing of critical minerals, rare earth elements, or carbon from coal, coal waste, coal processing waste, or pre- or post-combustion coal byproducts, or acid mine drainage from coal mines as covered projects eligible for FAST-41 permitting for the purposes of securing the economic and national security of the United States.

Mr. Chair, whether you are like me, a member of the Congressional Coal Caucus or a member of the Sustainable Energy Caucus or a national security hawk or a member of the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, every Member of Congress should be for this win-win-win solution, a win to reclaim these abandoned mine sites and fix an environmental problem, a win for the coal industry and the workers in the coal industry who need alternatives to combustion of coal now that we are in the transition phase of our energy development in our country, and certainly a win for national security. This is a way for us to end overdependence on the Chinese Communist Party for critical, national security sensitive supply chain needs.

The United States must innovate and secure its supply chain of sensitive strategic materials in order to reduce reliance on Chinese Communist Party-controlled materials overseas.

Mr. Chair, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``aye'' on my amendment, which I expect to be fully bipartisan, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the accomplishments of a special man, Mr. Joe Bologna. Joe is a resident of Lexington, Kentucky.

Joe was born in Detroit. He served our nation in the United States Air Force. While serving in Vietnam, he learned to cook for thousands. Following his discharge, he and his wife Anne moved to Lexington and decided to enter the restaurant business. On March 1, 1973, he opened Joe Bologna's restaurant near the University of Kentucky's campus. Serving authentic Sicilian pizza and his famous breadsticks, the restaurant quickly grew in popularity. He moved across the street to a larger location in 1989 to accommodate his growing business. Joe Bologna's is housed in a historic building erected in 1891, which first housed a Presbyterian church and then a Jewish synagogue. The beautiful building features stained glass windows and a cathedral ceiling.

Joe Bologna knows the secret to being successful in the restaurant business is hard work and persistence. His business has survived

through fire, recessions, inflation, and the COVID pandemic. At the age of 77, Joe is still found at his restaurant cooking, serving, greeting customers, and even busing tables.

Joe Bologna is the picture of the American success story. I congratulate him on the 50th anniversary of his restaurant and thank him for his service to our country in the Air Force. It is my honor to recognize Mr. Joe Bologna and Joe Bologna's restaurant before the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman, the chairwoman of the committee, for her leadership in fighting the politicization of capital allocation and the politicization of retirement savings.

Mr. Speaker, today House Republicans stand on the side of retail investors. We stand up for millions of Americans around the country who are increasingly asking themselves this simple question: When will I be able to retire?

This Congressional Review Act measure that I am offering is a bipartisan, bicameral joint resolution, disapproving of a Department of Labor rulemaking that will politicize Americans' retirement accounts and jeopardize their retirement security.

This measure simply states that retirement plan sponsors be required to prioritize maximum financial returns for investors ahead of nonpecuniary factors like environmental, social, and governance standards, a political agenda.

We do so in a moment where one in five Americans have saved nothing for their retirement, including one in three baby boomers, the generation closest to retirement.

We do so in a moment when 78 percent of Americans are either extremely or somewhat concerned about affording a comfortable retirement.

We do so in a moment where the gap between the amount of money that Americans have saved for retirement and the amount that they will need for retirement is $3.8 trillion.

That is why, Mr. Speaker, Congress must act to block the Biden administration's recent rule that green-lights so-called ESG investing in millions of Americans' retirement plans, plowing them into less diversified, higher fees, and lower-performing portfolios at precisely the time that we need to maximize financial security for Americans approaching retirement.

So let's consider the facts. According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, ESG funds carry 43 percent higher fees than non-ESG funds.

That is what they want. They want Americans to be forced into higher fee funds. A recent study from NYU and the University of Southern California found that over the past 5 years, global ESG funds have underperformed the broader market by 250 basis points per year, an average of 2.6 percent lower return than non-ESG funds.

This stands to reason because ESG funds are, by design, less diversified. This is investing 101.

When you discriminate against energy stocks, and you are heavy in tech, when you are in a tech sell-off, and when energy underperforms the market, who loses? The American retail investor who is unwittingly invested in these fraudulent, cancerous funds.

This means that an investor who put $10,000 into an average global ESG fund in 2017 would have realized a $1,750 lower return than if they had invested in the broader market.

While some of my friends on the other side of the aisle argue that ESG investing is actually driven by investors themselves, not ideologues at asset management firms and the White House who want to push their environmental or social causes at the expense of retail investors, a 2021 study conducted by the University of Chicago and FINRA proves investors largely do not care.

Mr. Speaker, 21 percent of investors don't even know what ESG stands for. Is that popular? Is that what popular ESG is?

And this neutrality nonsense. Look, nobody is saying you can't invest based on your values, but this bill would steer people unwittingly into these funds.

The status quo does not deny people to invest based on their values. It just says that the default has to be to maximize returns.

So, Mr. Speaker, this debate today is not about investor protection. It is about the ability of investors to maximize returns.

It is also about energy security. Even if you don't have a retirement account, this radical ESG movement is hitting your wallet.

Since President Biden took office, his administration has waged a war on

American energy production; not just holding up leases or blocking infrastructure, but through financial regulation and the weaponization of financial regulation to divert resources and capital and financing away from the American energy sector.

There has been a 25 percent decline in investment in natural gas and in oil investments since 2021, and the result? Gas prices are up 40 percent, and diesel prices are almost double.

Household energy costs hit a 10-year high this winter, costing average American families $1,200, according to a report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.

These price hikes and the decline in investment in our energy supply come at the exact time that the Biden administration itself estimates that by 2050, almost half of our Nation's energy supply will be made up of oil and natural gas.

Mr. Speaker, we need more, not less, capital investment and financing of American energy.

I implore the administration. It is time for you to end your assault on energy production that is fueling 40-year high inflation.

We, as Members of Congress, cannot allow this administration to continue to perpetrate their war on American energy at the expense of investors.

Mr. Speaker, I don't know if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle don't understand the existing law and what this resolution does and what the Department of Labor's new rule is, or whether they are just trying to confuse the listeners and watchers here today because the truth is that this is not material for the vast majority of Americans.

The studies show that most Americans don't even know what ESG is. To the extent Americans do find it material, nothing in this resolution prohibits an American from allocating their capital the way they want to.

What this resolution will do is stop the Department of Labor from coercing Americans into lower performing, higher fee, less diversified, politicized funds. We must stop the politicization of allocation of capital.

When my friend from Illinois says: Well, why are Republicans picking losers? Really?

In 2022, the S&P 500 energy sector ended the year a whopping 59 percent higher than where it started. Amid a brutal bear market in which the S&P 500 overall lost 20 percent, if you were invested in ESG in 2022, you were a massive loser because you were divested from energy.

Stop the politicization of capital. If you want to give Americans freedom to choose what is material for them in investing, vote against the Department of Labor rule, which would conceal what the Department of Labor is doing, which is steering Americans into investments that have political values that they disagree with.

Give Americans true transparency. Go back to the Department of Labor rule under the Trump administration, which says the default should always be consistent with ERISA, maximizing financial performance.

If you want an alternative, if you want to subordinate financial returns to the environment, to climate change, to social justice, to whatever, and you really don't care about your retirement security, then you can choose that.

Let the American investor decide, and the default should always be maximum investor returns.

Mr. Chairman, I have amendment No. 48 at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I support the underlying legislation to increase domestic energy production to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve that has been recklessly and dangerously drawn down by the Biden administration in a cynically political move to try to lower energy prices before an election.

But we know that in a move to placate radical environmentalists, President Biden blocked the Keystone XL pipeline at the beginning of this administration. His administration suspended oil and natural gas leasing and permits when he took office. But for the last year, the President and his supporters have been pleading for more domestic energy production.

The President can't have it both ways. In just over 2 years, the President has depleted the crude oil and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve by 40 percent. Not only did this scheme fail to bring down prices in a meaningful way for Americans, but it also threatens our energy and national security should a true national emergency occur.

This is not just negligence from the administration. The administration is waging an active war against the oil and gas sector.

Now, we all know about the war against leases, and we know about the war against energy infrastructure like Keystone. But ground zero, Mr. Chairman, for this war against domestic energy production is the weaponization of financial regulation to discriminate against American energy production and redirect capital away from American energy production.

This is all happening at the precise time we need more, not less, energy production. The Energy Information Administration recently projected that global energy consumption will increase by 50 percent in the year 2050 with almost one-half of energy consumption coming from natural gas and other fossil fuel energy.

So why do we need this amendment?

Because this is a capital-intensive enterprise. In order for oil and gas production to happen, Mr. Chairman, you have to have the financing for that, and this Administration has weaponized the financial regulators to limit access to financing and to limit access to capital.

For example, initiatives by the Federal Reserve working with a Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System, otherwise known as NGFS; the Securities and Exchange Commission's proposed Rules to Enhance and Standardize Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors; the Financial Stability Oversight Council's report and recommendation on climate-related financial risk; the FDIC's principles for climate-related financial risk management for large financial institutions; and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's principles for climate-related financial risk management for large banks.

My amendment would simply pause any and all of these climate-related financial regulations so that financial institutions can provide the capital and the financing for the oil and gas producers so that we can, in fact, replenish the petroleum reserve.

There is no question that the war on energy is costing families and small businesses increased costs. Just in the first year of this administration, investment and oil and natural gas production dropped by 25 percent.

It is time we unleash American energy to lower costs over the long run. That means we need access to capital--access to financing--for American energy.

My amendment would give American energy companies access to our deep, liquid capital markets so that we can continue to power this country's economy and replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

That is why I am offering this amendment: to protect American energy producers and to protect their access to capital markets so that we can facilitate the replenishment of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

I would argue we need to unleash our financial institutions and our asset managers and investors to give our energy producers the financing that they need to rebuild our economy, to lower costs at the pump, and to lower energy costs across the board.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and, of course, support the underlying piece of legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Point of Order

Mr. Chairman, I would respectfully argue that the amendment is core to the proper functioning of the

underlying bill. The amendment's purpose is the same purpose as the underlying bill: it is to facilitate the replenishment of the SPR for the exact drawdowns covered in the bill. The amendment furthers the objective of the underlying bill. In fact, it is arguably inextricably linked and indispensable to the purpose of the bill in so far as producing more oil and gas requires access to capital for those producers of oil and gas.

Mr. Chairman, you can't produce oil and gas if you can't get financing for it. That is why I respectfully oppose the point of order.

Offered By: Mr. Barr

Amendment No. 48: Add at the end the following: