Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of a grateful Nation and the citizens of the Twenty-Fourth District of Texas, the 2023 Congressional Veteran Commendation is hereby presented to Phillip Doll, Petty Officer First Class, United States Navy, of Euless, Texas for the honorable service he performed while in the Armed Forces of the United States of America and for his continued service to his community.

Mr. Doll enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1983, serving aboard the USS Mississippi, a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser as well as a Navy recruiter. His decorations include the Good Conduct Medal, Navy Expeditionary Medal, the Navy Gold Wreath Award with 4 Silver Stars, the National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the Navy Battle ``E'' Award, the Navy Recruiting Service Ribbon, and the Navy Achievement Medal.

The selflessness Mr. Doll demonstrated in the U.S. Navy continues with his service to his community. He currently serves as a member of the Park Hollow Homeowner's Association Board (HOA), where he has spent countless hours maintaining the common areas of the Homeowner's Association. He has fixed motorcycles, generators, and lawnmowers for friends and neighbors. He is an advocate for legal gun ownership and has helped neighbors learn firearms safety. Mr. Doll is always ready to lend a hand to the neighbors in his HOA.

Mr. Doll's service is consistent with the finest traditions of the United States Navy and reflects great credit upon himself, the State of Texas, and the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of a grateful Nation and the Citizens of the Twenty-Fourth District of Texas, the 2023 Congressional Veteran Commendation is hereby presented to Frederick Tiede, Sergeant, United States Army, of Fort Worth, Texas for the honorable service he performed while in the Armed Forces of the United States of America and for his continued service to his community.

Mr. Tiede enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1986, serving as both an infantryman as well as a small arms repairer, with deployments to both Korea and Afghanistan. His decorations include the Army Achievement Medal (7th Award), Meritorious Unit Commendation, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two Campaign Stars, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, and NATO Medal.

The selflessness Mr. Tiede demonstrated in the U.S. Army continues with his service to his community. He currently serves in the Texas State Guard supporting the state's efforts in responding to crises and diligently works to serve as a counselor and mentor to his troops, especially being available any hour of the day or night to them.

Mr. Tiede's service is consistent with the finest traditions of the United States Army and reflects great credit upon himself, the State of Texas, and the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of a grateful Nation and the citizens of the Twenty-Fourth District of Texas, the 2023 Congressional Veteran Commendation is hereby presented to Joseph Campbell, Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army, of Colleyville, Texas for the honorable service he performed while in the Armed Forces of the United States of America and for his continued service to his community.

Mr. Campbell was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army in 1986, serving as an officer with both cavalry and infantry units with deployments to Bosnia, Albania, and Iraq. He is a graduate of U.S. Army Airborne, Air Assault, Ranger, Pathfinder, and Northern Warfare schools. His decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with four bronze oak leaf clusters, the Army Meritorious Unit Award, the Army Achievement Medal with one silver and one bronze oak leaf cluster, and the NATO Medal. Additionally, he is a five-time recipient of the Gold German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency.

After his service in the U.S. Army, Mr. Campbell continues to devote himself to bettering our community. He currently serves as Vice- Commander of the Department of Texas for the American Legion. He also served as Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 10454 and is a member of the International Growth Committee. He was a recipient of the President's Lifetime Achievement Award and was selected as the Grand Marshal of the 2023 Tarrant County Veterans Day Parade.

Mr. Campbell's service is consistent with the finest traditions of the United States Army and reflects great credit upon himself, the State of Texas, and the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of a grateful Nation and the citizens of the Twenty-Fourth District of Texas, the 2023 Congressional Veteran Commendation is hereby presented to Jason Steinbeck, Major, United States Army, of Euless, Texas for the honorable service he performed while in the Armed Forces of the United States of America and for his continued service to his community.

Mr. Steinbeck was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army in 1992, serving as both a calvary officer and a tactical intelligence officer, deploying as part of U.S. peacekeeping efforts in support of the United Nations Mission in Haiti in 1995. His decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the United Nations Medal.

The selflessness Mr. Steinbeck demonstrated in the U.S. Army continues with his service to his community. He currently serves as a member of the Park Hollow Homeowner's Association Board (HOA), volunteering countless hours to maintain the financial viability of the Homeowner's Association and ensure a safe neighborhood. Jason helps many neighbors with lawn maintenance and home maintenance. He works with the local governments including the City of Euless and Tarrant County to maintain the integrity of the HOA's common areas. He is also a contributor to North Texas Basset Hound Rescue and the Tunnel to Towers organization.

Mr. Steinbeck's service is consistent with the finest traditions of the United States Army and reflects great credit upon himself, the State of Texas, and the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of a grateful Nation and the citizens of the Twenty-Fourth District of Texas, the 2023 Congressional Veteran Commendation is hereby presented to Kevin Sellers, Colonel, United States Air Force, of Grapevine, Texas for the honorable service he performed while in the Armed Forces of the United States of America and for his continued service to his community.

Mr. Sellers was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Air Force in 1995, serving as an acquisitions and material officer, with deployments to both Afghanistan and Iraq as part of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, respectively. His decorations include the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Achievement Medal, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Meritorious Unit Award, the AF Outstanding Unit Award with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the National Defense Service Medal with one Service Star, the Iraq Campaign Medal with one Service Star, the Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal, the Overseas Ribbon, the Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Longevity Service with six Oak Leaf Clusters, the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Pistol), and the Air Force Training Ribbon.

The selflessness Mr. Sellers demonstrated in the U.S. Air Force continues with his service to his community. He currently serves as a Tarrant County Precinct Chair, the Service Officer for the Grapevine Rotary Club as well as a member of its Foundation Board, and the Commander of the Airport Cities Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 10454 in Grapevine.

Mr. Sellers' service is consistent with the finest traditions of the United States Air Force and reflects great credit upon himself, the State of Texas, and the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Korean American Day, celebrated

annually on January 13th in recognition of the first group of Korean immigrants who arrived in the United States on that date in 1903.

In 2003, President George W. Bush became the first to proclaim January 13th as Korean American Day, which went on to be officially recognized by the United States Congress in 2005. North Texas is blessed to be home to a large and vibrant Korean American population. On this day, we also celebrate the history, achievements, and contributions of our Korean American community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Texas-24 Hometown Heroes, the Fort Worth Police Department.

For several years, Fort Worth Police officers have rallied together to provide Thanksgiving turkeys to community members in need. Continuing the tradition, this year, Fort Worth police officers provided more than 600 turkeys to families in need. The officers organize turkey giveaways across Fort Worth where they also provide services such as entertainment for children or hot meals to-go.

Fort Worth's Chief of Police, Neil Noakes, took an active role in distributing turkeys with the help of other officers and volunteers. Chief Noakes made note of his officers' dedication to their community and also highlighted that their roles do not end at law enforcement. By the end of the turkey giveaway, they had distributed three and a half tons of turkey to members of the Fort Worth community.

I want to thank the Fort Worth Police Department for all they do to take care of our North Texas community while also keeping us safe.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Texas-24 Hometown Hero, Dallas Fire-Rescue Captain Kenneth Zacharie. Earlier this month at a Nimitz High School basketball game, Kenneth, alongside an Arlington Lamar High School Athletic Trainer and Arlington EMS supervisor, worked to save a young athlete when she collapsed on the court during pregame warm-ups. The young athlete went into cardiac arrest and Kenneth swooped into action, using chest compressions and a defibrillator. As a result of his heroic actions, the student-athlete is now on the road to recovery.

Kenneth's wife coaches the Nimitz High School girls' varsity basketball team. Luckily, Kenneth brought their three sons to the game earlier than usual and was there when the student-athlete collapsed before the game began. As the Captain of the Rapid Intervention Team, Kenneth is no stranger to serious situations and was able to work with others to provide a swift, lifesaving response.

I'd like to thank Captain Kenneth Zacharie for being a shining example of the heroes that make North Texas such an amazing community to live in.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Phil Farco for his 45 years of leadership in the construction industry. Mr. Farco's company, Mason-Dallas, provides a variety of services by selling market-leading brands of acoustic and vibration isolation components and through custom fabricating solutions for unique installations.

Mason-Dallas was founded on October 23. 1978, initially a small family business that was founded as a single-source manufacturer's representative dedicated exclusively to providing sound and vibration isolation that prevented large HVAC units and related equipment from disrupting the offices and tenants on the floors below. Phil Farco took his business beyond just a manufacturer's representative, entering the custom manufacturing sector by fabricating unique solutions for specific acoustic and vibration projects. Mr. Farco's vision and hard work led Mason-Dallas to grow beyond its original scope, earning the company a reputation as an industry leader for innovative manufactured solutions.

Thanks to Mr. Farco's leadership. Mason-Dallas is a trailblazer in the industry, providing state-of-the-art solutions for a wide variety of venues. Among its portfolio of premier facilities are iconic landmarks such as the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, renowned as the home of the Dallas Cowboys, and the corporate offices of American Airlines. The Charles Schwab DFW Corporate Campus in Westlake, DFW International Airport Terminals D and E, and the distinguished George H.W. Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M University also bear the imprint of Mason-Dallas's cutting-edge expertise. Furthermore, the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Field, the Toyota North American Headquarters in Plano, the TCU School of Music, the Texas A&M College of Dentistry, and the Winspear Opera House in Dallas all stand as a testament to the company's commitment to facilitating optimal functionality across diverse and prestigious venues.

It is an honor to join the many congratulating Phil Farco on his 45 years of leadership and innovation at the helm of Mason-Dallas.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution and to call attention to the ongoing crisis at our southern border.

President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have turned our southern border into a land of lawlessness, triggering one of the worst national security, humanitarian, and public safety disasters our country has ever seen.

On day one, President Biden immediately repealed strong border security policies that were working. Under Biden and Mayorkas, we have shattered every illegal immigration record on the books, even as Mayorkas knowingly deceives Congress and the American people by saying, ``our border is closed.''

This administration's policies deliberately unleashed chaos by turning control of the border over to Mexican cartels and human traffickers, while simultaneously obstructing States' efforts to secure the border and denying CBP and law enforcement officers the resources necessary to stop the flow of deadly drugs, human slaves, and, very likely, terrorist cells into our country.

As a Representative of the great State of Texas, I see the results, the consequences of these deadly policies every day throughout my State.

This bill is crucial for ensuring public policies and public spaces that are paid for with taxpayer dollars do not become vast encampments for unvetted migrants, many of whom will be indebted to violent cartels.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this important national security reform. It is clear that Secretary Mayorkas has no regard for the rule of law, and he does not take securing our border seriously.

Make no mistake, as long as Mayorkas remains in office, our border will remain unsecured and vulnerable to human and drug trafficking.

I stand firm in advocating for his impeachment, and I call on the Biden administration to offer border States the support they need to keep our communities safe.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because our Nation is in crisis. One cannot overstate the absolute border disaster and national security threat that we have been living under as a direct result of Biden's, Mayorkas', and the Democrats' deliberate actions.

None of this is an accident. On day one, they got to work eliminating successful Trump border policies that had us at the lowest levels of illegal immigration in years, actually, probably illegal immigration in our history. From that first day, the Biden administration made clear that they would not enforce our laws and that they would not protect our country. They did this knowing the consequences.

They ignored Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement whose officers warned that these actions would create an unprecedented disaster and dangers for Americans.

Guess what, Mr. Speaker?

That is exactly what happened.

President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have opened our borders to more than 10 million illegal immigrants, including millions of known got-aways and God knows how many potential terrorists and narco gang members into our country. By the way, that is more than the population of 38 States.

Mr. Speaker, we have had enough. Cities all across America are being overrun. Mexican cartels own the southern border. They are causing tens of thousands of fentanyl deaths in our country ushering in a new era of human slavery and crushing our cities and towns.

We are feeling the pain of Biden's border crisis not just in New York City where the border crisis is defunding the police department and other city services, but all across the Nation where it is driving up crime rates in our communities, letting fentanyl kill our children, and allowing terrorists into our Nation.

What is happening in New York City should be a wake-up call for cities all across America, but it is just the tip of the iceberg. Texas right now is being particularly hit hard and continues to have to fight its own Federal Government to be able to take care of its citizens.

Our Nation is less safe because our borders are not secure, and President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas continue to make things worse. It is clear. They have no regard for the law, they don't want to secure our borders, and they don't care about keeping us safe.

If they cared about keeping Americans safe, why would they want our public spaces, which are paid for with taxpayer dollars, to become massive encampments for unvetted illegal immigrants, many of whom are indebted to dangerous and violent cartels?

Although this national security bill is an important reform, it is clear that as long as Secretary Mayorkas remains in office, our border will remain unsecured and vulnerable to human and drug trafficking.

Taxpayers in cities all across the country are footing multimillion- dollar bills. Hundreds of thousands of families are losing loved ones in fentanyl-related deaths.

The American people deserve better. I stand firm in calling for Secretary Mayorkas' impeachment. I urge the Biden administration to work with border States like Texas to offer the support that we need to keep our communities safer.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Texas-24 Hometown Hero, Ryan McDermott. Ryan was an advocate for all North Texans. He had a talent for reaching out to new people and organizations while truly valuing each person he met. One of his new projects was to establish constituent services expos at senior centers across DFW so he could meet people where they were and offer them help with Social Security, Medicare, or other services.

Always offering support and assistance to everyone he met, his enthusiasm showed what a truly noble soul he possessed. As an incredible advocate for our North Texas Job Fair, Ryan recruited the most new businesses of anyone on staff. His work to make the North Texas Job Fair a tremendous success connected people who needed new job opportunities with employers who were thrilled to have new workers. Ryan's efforts changed people's lives for the better.

As a member of Team Van Duyne, Ryan was always there to help others with all projects and shoulder responsibilities that made each of our days a little easier. Ryan tragically passed away on October 24, 2023, and will be sorely missed by so many.

I am forever grateful to Ryan for his incredible service to North Texas and all those whose lives he touched. We ask for prayers for his family and to remember him as the incredible man he was.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor our Texas-24 Hometown Hero, Southlake Carroll's Water Polo Team, the Lady Dragons.

In only their second year as a UIL program, the Southlake Carroll Lady Dragons Water Polo team has already achieved back-to-back appearances at the UIL 6A state tournament. This year, they took 2nd place at the State Championships.

The Lady Dragons finished their 2023 season as District Champions, Regional Champions, and State Runner-Up, achieving a 23-2 overall record for the season.

Congratulations to the Southlake Carroll Lady Dragons Water Polo team on an amazing season and all of their accomplishments. I look forward to cheering them on next season and wish all graduating seniors the best of luck.

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

Mr. Chair, my amendment No. 144 prohibits funds from being used to enforce unnecessary reporting requirements from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on ambulatory surgical centers.

I was first made aware of this requirement by my constituents when I toured a local outpatient facility back home in north Texas. As they pointed out, this forces ambulatory surgical centers to report the COVID-19 vaccination status of each employee every quarter or punish them with a payment reduction.

Mr. Chairman, I am sure my colleagues on both sides of the aisle hear the same thing when we return to our districts. Healthcare facilities are struggling to find workers at every single level, yet CMS does not hold every facility to the same standard.

CMS removed COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements for hospitals on May 31, which was 20 days after the President declared the public health emergency was over. Meanwhile, CMS continues to require ambulatory surgery centers to report their workers' vaccination status or face a sharp cut in payment.

To be clear, my amendment is not meant to dissuade individuals from choosing to receive a vaccine. Rather, it will give them a choice similar to every other healthcare worker who wants the freedom to choose what is best for their health.

Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this amendment and to support our healthcare workers who not only serve our communities but also support thousands of small ambulatory surgical center businesses.

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

Mr. Chairman, I urge the gentlewoman from Connecticut to actually read the amendment. I am in no way saying that people should not get a vaccine. What this does is it allows them the freedom to choose.

If the gentlewoman believes that healthcare workers should all be vaccinated, then tell me why that does not extend to hospital workers. We know a lot of people go to an ER when they need help, yet this is potentially calling out just workers at ambulatory surgical centers.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Texas-24 Hometown Hero, FMC Fort Worth Warden, Freddy Garrido. Warden Garrido has spent almost 30 years in the Bureau of Prisons and is retiring on October 31, 2023. During his impressive career, Warden Freddy Garrido has served selflessly to promote responsibility and lifelong skills for those incarcerated. Through his passion for service, Warden Garrido has used his role to give an underserved community hope and a second chance. Warden Garrido served at various duty stations including, FDC Oakdale, FCI Forrest City, FCC Butner, FMC Lexington, FCC Florence, FCC Victorville, and FCC Beaumont before moving to North Texas at a critical time to provide leadership and direction at FMC Fort Worth. Those who work closely with him say that his attitude and leadership style make them more empathetic and compassionate in fulfilling their own duties. During his time at FMC Fort Worth, Warden Garrido has made leadership development and training a priority. By establishing vocational programs, like a ``second chance cafe'' and HVAC program, the incarcerated have the opportunity to learn valuable life skills to equip them upon their release into society. I want to congratulate Warden Garrido on his retirement and thank him for his outstanding career of service.