Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our Speaker, Kevin McCarthy.

Let's be very clear here. We would not have a House Republican majority without the relentless efforts of this man, our Speaker.

Under his leadership, Joe Biden's policies have had a check and balance. His policies have created a horrific border crisis--10,000 illegal immigrants a day surging across our border. Under Speaker McCarthy, Republicans have passed legislation to secure our border.

Joe Biden has done everything to squash American energy, selling our oil reserves to China. Under Speaker McCarthy, Republicans have passed legislation to unleash American energy dominance.

Joe Biden has spent taxpayer dollars like there is no tomorrow. Under Speaker McCarthy, we have returned to passing single-subject appropriations bills and ending the status quo of omnibus spending.

One of the most valuable pieces of advice that I received was from Kevin McCarthy when I got here to D.C. He told me to separate the signal from the noise. The noise is those who are causing chaos for their own personal benefit while ignoring the needs of their constituents and this country, grinding our work here to a halt. The signal is the many accomplishments that we have delivered for the American people with Speaker McCarthy at the helm. The signal is the failures coming out of the White House time and time again. The signal is the work that we must do today and going forward to save our country for my kids and yours.

My colleagues here today have a choice: Be a chaos agent or get back to work. I call on my colleagues: Let's separate the signal from the noise. Let's support our Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, so we can get back to work for the American people.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the fiscal year 2024 Homeland Security Appropriations bill that will help to secure our border.

Since President Biden took office, there have been over 6 million illegal immigrant encounters at our southern border, and because of President Biden's open-border policies, we have seen countless illegal immigrants, including known people on the terror watch list, violent gang members and sex offenders released into the homeland. With this bill, we are finally doing what President Biden won't. We are securing our border.

My colleagues and I have been to the border, something the President hasn't bothered to do. We have spoken with law enforcement on the front lines. These brave men and women told us directly that this administration has undercut them at every turn and that they needed more resources to deter illegal immigration rather than incentivize it.

While their pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears at the White House, we here as House Republicans have heard them loud and clear. In this bill, we deliver for them and for every State that, as a result of these policies, has become a border State.

We are restoring border security technology funding to its highest level. We are funding the 22,000 Border Patrol agents that CBP requested, and we are finally restarting border wall construction instead of letting those materials that taxpayers paid for rust away on the side of the road.

We are fully funding ICE detention capacity as a deterrent, and we are providing funding to deport illegal immigrants. Our southern border is a lawless free-for-all under the Biden administration, undermining the safety and security of Iowans and every American.

This bill delivers on our promise to secure the border and keep America safe, so let's shut down our border, and let's keep our government open and move this bill forward.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan bill to recognize today as National Stillbirth Prevention Day. There are 21,000 babies stillborn in the U.S. each year, and the way I see it, that is 21,000 too many.

One in four stillbirths are preventable. Every baby lost to stillbirth is a heartbreak that we can prevent, but amidst this grief, there is hope. I am humbled to be joined today by women who have endured stillbirths. These women are some of the strongest people I have ever met. Out of their pain, they have found a purpose: preventing stillbirth and ensuring expecting moms have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies.

The stillbirth rate in the U.S. is unacceptably high. By leveraging Federal resources for evidence-based care, research, and education, we will save lives and save babies. We can and we must do more for moms and their babies, and together we can end the tragedy of stillbirth.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall No. 276.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize NASA astronaut

Raja Chari, a native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, a decorated Air Force pilot, and commander of the NASA SpaceX Crew-3 mission.

Raja recently returned from a successful mission to the International Space Station, a milestone in U.S. space exploration. I had the privilege of meeting Raja yesterday to hear more about his mission with his team, and I appreciate his passion for ensuring that the U.S. wins the 21st century space race--not China.

Raja is an inspiration to the next generation of aspiring astronauts, fighter pilots, and scientists. He is a role model for my two boys, Max and Jax, and other young Iowans who truly want to shoot for the stars.

From Cedar Falls, Iowa, to the International Space Station, Raja has made America proud, and he has made Iowa proud.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Christina Schauer, a veteran and nurse from Dubuque, Iowa, whose courage and dedication to serving others are unmatched.

Christina served our country overseas as a combat medic in Iraq. Our veterans face immense challenges when returning home, and unfortunately, our women veterans are often afraid to speak up about their experiences. They may feel invisible or that their service wasn't worthy. As a result, they may be less likely to seek the care that they have earned.

Christina is working to right this wrong by sharing her own story. She has championed women veteran visibility, empowering her sisters in sacrifice to talk more about their service and seek the healthcare and the benefits they deserve.

So, Christina, thank you for your service and for your commitment to empower women veterans. You are an inspiration to all of us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this so- called Inflation Reduction Act.

Last year, we warned that spending trillions of dollars would cause prices to spike but Democrats did it anyway--ramming through a trillion-dollar Washington pork buffet, sticking families with the bill.

Now, Speaker Pelosi is arguing for yet another tax-and-spending spree, wasting hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars on Green New Deal priorities and raising taxes on middle-class families.

This will worsen inflation. It sics the IRS on hardworking Iowans-- adding 87,000 new IRS agents to target taxpayers.

Iowans are begging for us to get prices down, but instead, this bill takes more of their hard-earned paychecks. And for what? So the wealthy can get a discount on their electric vehicles? So we can increase bureaucracy at the EPA to impose new regulations on our farmers?

Mr. Speaker, this bill ignores the pain that Iowans are feeling. It is the worst policy at the worst possible time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on this latest tax-and-spending spree.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to present a reasonable solution to a challenge that millions of American women face: access to birth control.

Seventy percent of women aged 18 to 64 reported using oral contraceptives throughout their lifetime. A majority of women also support making birth control available over the counter without a prescription. That is why I will be offering a motion to recommit this bill in a few moments, to stand for those women.

Women should be able to access their preferred birth control method conveniently. Unfortunately, that is not the reality for many women. In rural Iowa, some women have to drive an hour to be able to see a gynecologist. That means taking a day off of work, finding additional childcare, spending hours in a car, and paying expensive gas prices to get there.

This is unreasonable when we have safe and effective birth control options that have been FDA-approved that still aren't available over the counter.

My amendment would require the FDA to give priority review for over- the-counter access to routine-use oral contraceptives that the agency has already deemed safe for women aged 18 and up.

I want to emphasize that this is for regular birth control pills, not emergency contraceptives like Plan B.

Making birth control available over the counter would have a significant impact on women's lives. My colleagues across the aisle give you a whole lot of lip service about supporting women. They claim that their policies, no matter how far outside of the mainstream, are the only way to support women. That is just not true.

Madam Speaker, I am proposing a solution today that the overwhelming majority of American women agree with, making their regular birth control pill available at their local pharmacy.

We have an opportunity here to work together to enact meaningful legislation that will benefit women. Instead, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have offered a bill that I simply cannot support. Their bill attacks conscience protections for providers, expands access to abortion pills, and risks women's health.

But I am not willing to vote ``no'' and just give up on this, so that is why I am offering a solution that we should all be able to get behind. We should work together to make oral contraceptives more accessible.

I ask my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the motion to recommit today, adopt my amendment, and give women an over-the-counter option for birth control.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record prior to the vote on my motion to recommit.

Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Newsradio 600 WMT on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the station being on the air.

WMT is a local news staple. The team provides informative coverage on local and national news, as well as insightful and witty on-air shows.

Over the years, WMT has brought on diverse guests from around the country, amplified the voices of Iowans, and shared countless stories with their listeners.

So thank you to the entire team at WMT for all you do to keep Iowans updated, entertained, and in the know.

Congratulations again, and I look forward to WMT's next 100 years on the air.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor a dynamic leader from Iowa's First Congressional District, Dr. Liang Chee Wee.

Dr. Wee is retiring after serving as the president of Northeast Iowa Community College for nearly 13 years. His passion for inclusivity ensured that everyone who stepped foot on the NICC campus, students, educators, employees, and members of the community all felt at home.

Under his leadership, NICC became a space for addressing challenges in the community, and the college has made great strides in promoting growth for minority-owned businesses in the area.

Dr. Wee always has a smile and a kind word of encouragement for everyone that he meets. His authentic servant leadership will be missed at NICC, but I know that his work to improve our community is far from over.

So thank you, Dr. Wee, and congratulations on this exciting new chapter in your retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for yielding on this very important topic.

Mr. Speaker, families across this country are desperate for help. Babies are going hungry. Mothers and fathers are faced with empty shelves, and there is no formula to be found.

As a mother, this is heartbreaking. As a Congresswoman, this is unacceptable. That is why I will be offering a motion to recommit this bill in just a few moments.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, 67 percent of children rely on infant formula for some portion of their nutrition by the time they are 3 months old. One of my children had to have formula. That is 2.7 million babies that need formula their parents cannot find on the shelves in their local supermarket or anywhere, for that matter.

We need to address this supply chain crisis right now. Our families deserve solutions. The Biden administration ignored the warning signs that a formula shortage was imminent, sitting on their hands until the shelves were bare. Their incompetence underscores the need for funding to come with guardrails and accountability for the FDA's failures.

Throwing additional money at a problem is the wrong approach. American families need a plan to fix this crisis and to get that baby formula back on store shelves, and they don't need us spending more of their hard-earned money to do it.

My amendment would redirect a targeted amount of unused pandemic funds to address the baby formula shortage. It would use $5.75 million of existing Federal funds to respond to this crisis immediately, right now.

My amendment would also require the FDA to report to Congress on the shortage, ensuring that the American people know exactly what the administration is doing or is not doing to get formula back on the shelves.

We would also immediately require an assessment of all baby formula stockpiled by the Federal Government. Can this formula be redirected to the marketplace for families? Can we do that right now?

This amendment ensures the FDA Commissioner can't travel anywhere unless it is related to the baby formula crisis until this crisis is addressed.

Mr. Speaker, we have seen the impact this baby formula crisis is having across our country--the mom whose baby can tolerate only a certain kind of formula, the dad who is scouring Facebook groups tonight trying to see if he can find what his baby needs, or the grandparents who have gone to three grocery stores, driven miles, and are still empty-handed.

We have an opportunity here to really work together and enact meaningful legislation that will get baby formula back on store shelves as soon as possible and ensure that our families are not ever left in a lurch like this again.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues tonight to join me, join us, in fighting for families, for babies, and for taxpayers. We can do it all together. Vote ``yes'' tonight on the motion to recommit. Adopt my amendment, and let's get this baby formula crisis under control.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record immediately prior to the vote tonight on the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. 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 honor the five Sullivan brothers of Waterloo, Iowa, as well as those who are working to preserve their legacy by saving the USS The Sullivans.

On January 3, 1942, a month after the bombing at Pearl Harbor, George, Frank, Joe, Matt, and Al Sullivan of Waterloo, Iowa, enlisted in the Navy.

At the time, Navy policy separated brothers, but they enlisted under the condition that they could serve their country together, and they did until November of that year when a Japanese torpedo sunk their ship, the USS Juneau.

Nearly all the sailors aboard the USS Juneau died, including all five of the Sullivan brothers.

The Sullivans weren't just heroes in Iowa; their story was told nationwide. In 1943, less than 3 months after their passing, a Fletcher-class destroyer was named in their honor. The ship's motto is ``We Stick Together,'' a permanent symbol of the Sullivan brothers' commitment to each other and our country.

But earlier this month, a leaky hull caused the ship to start sinking at its berth in the Buffalo Naval Park. So, Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to thank those who are working to refloat and repair the ship to ensure that the Sullivan brothers' legacy continues. Their service and sacrifice are emblematic of the shared experience and patriotism of those in the Greatest Generation.

Freedom is fragile. We know that we must always honor those like the Sullivan brothers of Waterloo who fought and died for our freedoms and for our country.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 471, the PAUSE Act, to protect all Americans from Biden's border crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stand for students, to stand for parents' ability to make decisions for their own kids. Across the country, children are struggling. Despite being nearly 2 years into the pandemic now, tens of thousands of students started this year off still being forced to learn from behind a screen, cut off from their peers.

Many school districts are mandating masks for children of all ages against their parents' wishes. Parents should have the option to send their kids to school in person and to decide whether or not they want to have their kids wearing a mask at school. Thanks to the leadership of our great Governor of Iowa, Governor Reynolds, and our hardworking teachers in Iowa, parents have had the option to send their kids to school in person in class for over a year.

Governor Reynolds stood for families by banning school mask mandates and allowing parents--parents--to make this personal health decision for their own children. That is at the heart of this issue we are talking about today. Parents should be empowered. They should be empowered to make choices that impact their children's physical and mental health, their development, and their future.

As a mom, I know why parents across the country are standing up and speaking out when they are being told that they can't decide what is right for their kids or their family. And it is infuriating to watch the very same people who push for kids to wear masks all day long, and they are bending the rules for a photo op or maybe a night out on the town. Meanwhile, kids are sitting at home instead of going to school, and they are interacting with their friends in settings that are not normal. They are interacting from behind a screen. That is why I introduced the Unmask Our Kids Act.

My bill would condition Federal education dollars to schools on those schools doing two very simple things: one, schools cannot receive Federal dollars if they enact wide-reaching mask mandates. They have to allow parents to decide whether their child will wear a mask at school; and two, parents have to have an in-person learning option. Schools must offer an in-person learning option. Our kids deserve normalcy. They deserve a chance to learn in person. They deserve a chance to play with their friends at recess.

This is about giving parents a voice and the final say when it comes to personal health decisions that impact their family. This is about giving school-aged kids who have endured so much over the last 2 years a chance to finally just be kids, to be normal. The next generation is too important not to fight for.

When it comes to our children and their well-being, we will not cave, and that is why this legislation is so important. So let's put politics aside here. Let's put kids first. We should pass the Unmask Our Kids Act today.