Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I ran for Congress, like many of my colleagues, to make change, to represent my district well, and to work hard with my colleagues in a bipartisan way to deliver the solutions that the American people expect from us.

Unfortunately, we are again here today using the taxpayers' time to play a part in more political theater.

January 6 was a terrible day for this institution, for the Capitol Police, the Members and the staff serving here, and the country. That is why the Senate Rules Committee conducted a thorough investigation into the events that day and publicly released their findings. That is why there are still investigations going on at Federal agencies. That is why the House Committee on Appropriations, Financial Services, Homeland Security, Judiciary, and Oversight and Reform are still conducting investigations.

The redundancy of another committee is not only unnecessary, but it is a distraction. It is a distraction meant to mask humanitarian failures at the border, massive spikes in crime in cities across the country, and absolute inept leadership in confronting our foreign adversaries.

The Speaker's obsession with dominating this investigation is concerning. Her puppet committee has no prohibition on interfering with ongoing law enforcement investigations, potentially distracting from putting those responsible behind bars, because it is clear that this is not the priority here. The only priority here is a self-serving agenda to put D.C. politicians first and give them their cable news talking points.

If we are going to spend time and resources on investigations, we should be doing many things in this House that have been ignored by the Democrats, like investigating the origins of COVID to hold China accountable, cleaning up a humanitarian crisis at the border created by Democrat policies. But there is no outrage on the left for half a million people who died of COVID, for the countless children who have been harmed at our border.

I will be voting ``no'' on this select committee.

Mr. Speaker, there are very few issues that we work on that have such an impact on every single person's daily life as an infrastructure bill. It is what moves people. It is what moves goods.

That is why we need a bill that makes us globally competitive. We need a bill that builds roads and bridges. We need a bill that decreases traffic and improves people's quality of life. Doing so, by the way, would decrease carbon emissions. But this bill actually bans new roads by stripping States of their ability to prioritize building new roads or bridges.

We need a bill that makes it more efficient to move products from place to place, and we need a bill that takes control out of the hands of bureaucrats and empowers local leaders because they know best what their community needs. Unfortunately, this bill does none of those things.

What it does do is increase inflation, cost, and debt. There are zero proposals to pay for this bill. It is not a serious attempt to legislate. It is another partisan wish list and, sadly, another missed opportunity to uplift the everyday lives of Americans.

This misguided legislation is not what the American people need. I hope calmer heads will prevail, and we see that a real bipartisan effort to get this important work done actually happens.

Mr. Speaker, I urge opposition.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this en bloc amendment.

The American people overwhelmingly have been telling us that Congress must pass an infrastructure bill which focuses on true infrastructure and not superficial projects perpetuating frivolous spending. We have crumbling roads and bridges on the verge of collapse across the country, and my Democrat colleagues with a straight face are prioritizing road art over actual roads.

This amendment would maintain the current probation on defining infrastructure as art. It is, once again, clear where the priority of the majority is, and it is not on transportation, roads, and bridges.

The fact that we even have to have this debate on this amendment shows how out of touch some of my colleagues are. The INVEST in America Act does little to streamline permitting and get relative costs in order.

In California 40 percent of the cost of building a new home is related to government fees. In Texas it is 20 percent. Mr. Speaker, you can expect similar costs when it comes to other infrastructure projects.

My amendment included in the en bloc ensures States, such as California, can choose if they want to have exuberant costs--just not at the cost of the Federal Government.

Mr. Speaker, this amendment would encourage States to right size their permit costs and not award high-permit-cost States with a Federal bailout, and I urge adoption.

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

Mr. Speaker, my amendment would fix an ongoing problem that I see back home and in other areas of the country which highlights the need for local control to be able to fix local problems.

One example is U.S. Highway 75, just across my district line in Dallas. The highway received funds over 10 years ago to install HOV lanes to help alleviate congestion in the area. Unfortunately, 10 years later, these lanes are not being used and are actually creating more congestion. Due to Federal DOT regulations, these lanes cannot be removed even if the funds are repaid for the cost of installation.

This amendment would allow for increased flexibility to local elected officials to properly manage traffic flow as patterns change. Because these funds would be repaid to the DOT, these funds could be used to fund more and essential future transportation projects.

Unfortunately, this bill further limits local government control. Local leaders know better than bureaucrats in Washington how to solve problems, and my amendment would provide the relief needed to local governments without any Federal cost.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, while I appreciate the gentleman's comments on increasing traffic and increasing congestion, what I would remind him is that this is going to be looked at by local elected officials. And if those local elected officials deem that this is an unused lane, which is what we are seeing on Highway 75, we will actually be opening up and relieving congestion by allowing those elected officials to be able to say we are going to open this back up, which will have much more response to alleviating traffic, alleviating problems with congestion, allowing many more people to be able to drive on that lane, as opposed to paying money to create more congestion, more carbon emissions, and less efficiency.

Again, these cities would be paying back those dollars which could be used for necessary future transportation costs.

Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining?

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

Again, I would argue that this is an opportunity to be able to get money back from cities that have found that the HOV lanes have not had the impact, have not had the necessary effect on creating less congestion, but what they found is they have actually created more congestion.

So in areas where traffic patterns may have changed, where additional highways or other roads may have alleviated those conditions, where 10 years prior HOV lanes were necessary, they are no longer necessary, instead of keeping them closed, we will actually be able to open them up and provide the help that these funds were initially used for.

Mr. Speaker, I would encourage adoption of this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 184.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my colleagues' bill, H.R. 2016, the Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act.

When I was Regional Secretary for HUD during Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Maria, and Hurricane Irma, I saw firsthand the bureaucratic web of red tape and inefficiencies that prevented getting help to those who needed it the most in a timely manner.

I spoke with several of you in this body on both sides of the aisle, who came to me fighting for your constituents, asking why it was taking so long to get aid. I felt and understood your frustration, but had to explain the long list of policies, procedures, and red tape that our regulations demanded. And, boy, I never felt like more of a bureaucrat than when I spoke with you.

It is a very difficult position for our folks to be in. These inefficiencies have serious costs.

This is a bipartisan piece of commonsense legislation to establish procedures to streamline and consolidate processes. When we allocate dollars, they need to get to those who are suffering the most. And the last thing we need is for them to be caught up in a bureaucracy of the government's making.

The faster FEMA is able to help get to communities of need, the faster they can recover. It is critically important that these agencies all work together.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of the U.S. House of Representatives and all of the communities that Dallas Medical Center and Dallas Regional Medical Center serve, and the West Coast University--Texas students pursuing careers in healthcare at a time when we need them more than ever, it is an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to personally thank them and all of our healthcare heroes for their service and selfless acts of caregiving during this pandemic.

These frontline caregivers demonstrate tremendous courage and put themselves on the line every day to ensure the health and safety of our community.

During the last 15 months, the effects of the Covid pandemic required a personal sacrifice from each one of them unlike any other time in our country's history. These frontline healthcare workers experienced long, long hours for months on end, caring for thousands of critical patients, and losing more life than anyone can bear to witness.

These nurses and staff provided care for others while worried about their own health and the well-being of their family. Yet, they came to work every day.

For their uncommon bravery and resilience, I say ``thank you!''

To express this appreciation, thess certificates commemorate the healthcare heroes at Dallas Medical Center and Dallas Regional Medical Center.

In addition, I have another certificate to recognize the students of West Coast University--Texas, which focuses on educating and training the next generation of nurses and healthcare workers. These students have chosen to pursue careers in healthcare despite witnessing one of the most challenging times in the history of their profession. I have deep respect for their courage and service to our community.

Words are not enough to express the gratitude that I feel for the healthcare workers throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the State of Texas, and across the country.

All of them deserve to be honored and celebrated.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize our men and women in uniform who dedicate their lives to keeping communities across our Nation safe.

This past year was the deadliest year for police officers in decades; 264 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty.

As mayor or Irving, I was a proud advocate of our local police department. And as the Representative of the 24th District in Texas, I will continue to stand with our law enforcement.

Rather than defunding and devaluing those in uniform, I know from experience that community policing works and community policing only exists with the support of our officers, higher retention, and improved recruitment.

I thank our police officers, first responders, and their families. Getting up every morning and putting on the badge is a level of courage few will ever understand.

We join you in respecting, honoring, and remembering your fallen brothers and sisters in blue.

Madam Speaker, I recently visited the border in my home State of Texas. The crisis there is astounding, as thousands of illegal immigrants enter the country on a daily basis. The Biden administration has been silent and in denial of any crisis, as we have seen record numbers of apprehensions, drug crossings into the U.S., and no answer for the humanitarian crisis of 20,000 unaccompanied minors.

President Biden appointed Vice President Harris as his immigration czar, and we have seen her travel all around the country, but not to the border. We have got a border czar who has not even been to the border.

Democrat leadership has been silent, not once questioning her absence from this humanitarian crisis. Instead, this week, they bring us more bad legislation. Today, we are debating spending nearly a billion dollars to give access to counsel to foreign citizens when they are not even subject to a criminal investigation. That is a right we do not even afford our own citizens.

My Republican colleagues and I continue to expose the crisis on the border, having seen firsthand the horrific situation. Yet the Democrats' solution is to hire attorneys, forcing Border Patrol to hire new personnel and construct new space to comply with this misguided legislation, which does nothing to address the hundreds of thousands of people surging our borders at record numbers, the girls and the boys who are being sexually assaulted and exploited, and the thousands of pounds of illegal drugs and weapons pouring into our country.

If the Vice President actually went down there, agents could show her the miles of unprotected border they have been pulled off of to instead act as babysitters. She might be able to understand that the policies put in place under the previous administration actually worked.

We should be focused on securing our border and letting our agents do their jobs. The lack of compassion, the lack of humanity that we have seen under the Biden administration is appalling. The gentlewoman from Washington said we should treat everyone with dignity and respect.

Have you seen the conditions that are down at the border right now?

It is the exact opposite of dignity and respect. And these words mean nothing if we refuse to follow them with action.

The legislation in front of us does nothing to stop the Biden border crisis, and it is just another attempt to prioritize the interests of aliens over the American people.

Madam Speaker, I urge opposition.

Madam Speaker, this issue should already have been taken care of.

Last week, my Republican colleagues and I offered an amendment to extend this ban until at least 2022, but it was blocked, only to see Democrats draft this much weaker bill. It is another game and example of why Americans are fed up with Congress.

When House Democrats rejected the Republican-led amendment banning fentanyl last week, they knew that fentanyl causes a massive blight in our communities across the country. They knew that tens of thousands are left dead from overdoses every year, but refused to support it because of the names on the bill. And now they want to extend the ban of this highly addictive, highly dangerous, deadly drug by only 5 months.

Last month, CBP agents seized 639 pounds of fentanyl, adding to the 2,098 pounds seized this year alone. That represents a 233 percent increase of drugs being smuggled across the border

this year. It is a direct result of Biden's border crisis.

Vice President Harris was appointed as the so-called immigration czar, but has spent more time in New Hampshire than at the border. And if she were to visit, she would see the toll that the influx of migrants is taking on our border. It is not just a humanitarian crisis, but it is leaving us vulnerable to increased drug smuggling that is ravaging our streets. She would hear directly from the DEA agents, just like my colleagues and I did, why it is so important to schedule fentanyl as a schedule I drug permanently, not just for 5 months.

A 5-month extension is not long enough. Let's just stop playing politics. There is no excuse why we are not working toward a permanent ban.

Mr. Speaker, the crisis at the border is astounding in its scale, as thousands of illegal immigrants, enabled by drug cartels and human traffickers, enter the country on a daily basis, many of them unaccompanied minors, untested for COVID-19. Yet our colleagues across the aisle accuse us of using this crisis at the border as an excuse. Context matters and policies have consequences.

This is a surge at levels we have never seen before, and it is a direct reaction to the Biden administration dispensing with numerous measures which protected our southern border.

Yet, it is another day of political theater today on the House floor and another set of bills without any real debate.

In addition to the lackluster effort here in Congress, our President needs to enforce our laws. I and 20 of my colleagues from Texas recently urged the Texas Attorney General to hold the President's feet to the fire and enforce the laws, such as Title 42.

The President can use whatever language he wants to to describe what is happening on our southern border, but his reckless policies are creating a disastrous situation for Texans, putting our health and safety in grave jeopardy.

Today could have been an opportunity for real debate and to send a message that this manufactured crisis needs to stop and make true reforms to our immigration system, yet that could not be further from the truth.

It is obvious we have a broken immigration system, but Democrats' flagrant disregard of laws to appease the far left is dangerous and out of touch with the challenges real Americans are facing right now. Ignoring laws, such as Title 42, denying a border crisis, that is not leadership, and Texans know better than to take that sitting down.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the legislation we are considering today.

In cities across America, violent crime has increased; and in cities across America, laws already exist to severely punish violent criminals. But despite this, we are seeing local elected officials, district attorneys, and prosecutors refuse to enforce existing laws and police who are continuously held back from doing their jobs.

Instead of offering real solutions to improve public safety, it seems the majority is determined to punish law-abiding citizens while doing nothing to actually close loopholes in the system.

If the bills we are considering were really stopping gun crimes and violent offenders from owning guns, then my amendment would be one we are discussing today, to prevent minors aged 15 to 17 who have committed violent crimes from having their records expunged and thereby able to purchase a firearm.

But rather than take up my amendment to prevent felons from sidestepping our laws, the majority felt it more critical for public safety to expand background checks to ranchers and farmers with pest control issues. This is absurd.

Nothing in H.R. 1446 or H.R. 8 would prevent those seeking to harm others from acquiring firearms. The people of my district deserve better than this, which is why I will be introducing legislation that will actually prevent violent criminals from clearing their record.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill and side with law-abiding Americans and side with those of us who want to take guns out of the hands of violent criminals.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act, to get our kids out from behind screens and back in the classroom.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman's amendment, and I will be supporting it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1, the underlying bill, the ``destroy election integrity and centralize all power in Washington, D.C., act'' that Democrats are, once again, pushing because they never have and never will believe in the rights of our States and the limited power of Federal Government.

Some of my colleagues who took every opportunity to emphasize that democracy was on the ballot in this past election have returned to Congress eager to change election laws in their favor.

H.R. 1 is wholly about control--control of free speech and control of how elections are conducted. And when they exercise this control, their purpose is to crush opposing views, because opposing views will not be tolerated when there are Democrat majorities at stake.

America's strength lies in its free speech and decentralized elections, and we must continue to make our election system more resilient to natural challenges and foreign actors. H.R. 1 fails to do this on all fronts.

Mr. Speaker, I was elected by the people of the 24th District of Texas to stand up for freedom, the rule of law, and limited government. I urge my colleagues to vote against this vile new form of tyranny in

Madam Speaker, I rise today to thank Sergeant Jon Meador for his service with the Grapevine Police Department and to congratulate him on his retirement. His 30 years of law enforcement service is incredibly deserving of recognition, and, on behalf of the North Texans he has dedicated his career to serving and protecting, I am proud to extend my sincere appreciation for his selfless service before the House of Representatives.

I was impressed to hear of Sergeant Meador's background prior to joining law enforcement, specifically his experience in the banking industry that he utilized to investigate financial crimes in conjunction with the FBI, ICE, and the Secret Service. The courage and dedication he has displayed during his many years of service in law enforcement is admirable and the law enforcement community is better for having the benefit of his service and knowledge.

In these unprecedented times, I know it is a source of comfort for North Texans to have law enforcement officers like Sergeant Meador working tirelessly to serve and protect us. It has always been my view that public service is among the most admirable of callings, one that demands the very best among us tackle monumental challenges in the name of selfless service to others. Sergeant Meador's incredible service to the public will be remembered by many in Grapevine and I join them in congratulating him on not only heeding the call to serve, but for doing so with the devotion and passion he has exhibited for the past three decades.

It is my honor to congratulate Sergeant Meador on his successful career and retirement.

Today, I should be in my district working for my constituents. Instead, I am back here in Washington because the majority could not resist another made-for-TV impeachment.

American workers are losing their jobs and struggling to feed their families. Small businesses are being forced to lay off workers and close their doors. Families are, tragically, losing loved ones to the coronavirus.

Instead of creating or even saving American jobs, or negotiating additional COVID relief, we are debating an impeachment that has been preceded by no inquiry, no meaningful debate, and no due process.

In 1 week's time, Joe Biden will be the President. The American people need us to rise above the heat of the moment, to focus on their needs, and to deliver real solutions.

Because the majority decided we should debate whether or not to remove a sitting President in just 2 hours, I will be brief: I oppose this Article of Impeachment.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H. Res. 8.

I came to Congress expecting to engage in vigorous debate with my colleagues to ensure legislation was passed in its best form. I am ready to legislate with Members on both sides of the aisle, but the majority is not interested in bipartisan legislating or even permitting the free expression of ideas. Instead, because Republicans made historic gains in the House, Democrats are changing the rules to limit their own Members from defecting.

Since the very first Congress, the motion to recommit has protected the rights of the minority, both Republican and Democrat alike.

The majority would overturn a century's worth of precedent by eliminating the motion to recommit and also pave the way for reckless spending by forgoing critical pay-as-you-go requirements to fund costly socialist policies.

Finally, and most ridiculous of all, Democrats are banning terms like ``mother,'' ``father,'' ``daughter,'' and ``son'' from the House rules.

With so many tasks and obligations the American people expect us to undertake, this proposal demonstrates Democrats' true intentions, which is to advance radical liberal policies that have no meaningful impact on the American public.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this resolution.