Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3113, the Modernizing Access to Our Public Land Act, or MAPLand Act.

Access to America's lands is critical. Driven in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing more people hunt, fish, hike, and bike than ever before. Recreating on these lands creates fond memories, improves the physical and mental health of Americans, and contributes significantly to our economy.

Each year, outdoor recreation across the country injects $887 billion into our economy. These dollars support communities in Utah and nationwide, contribute to high-paying jobs, and connect us through our shared hobbies and interests.

There are roughly 640 million acres of land in the Federal estate. Of these, more than 9 million acres in the Western United States have no permanent legal means of access.

Land users understand firsthand the shortage of information that exists on which lands are opened, how they can be accessed, and more. In fact, tens of thousands of important land access files are currently outdated or only in paper form, filling up cabinets in office building basements. This just simply isn't good enough for the 21st century.

This lack of access to crucial information prevents us from enjoying all that our lands have to offer, and it makes it more difficult for the hardworking employees at our land management agencies to do their jobs.

It is time to fix these problems by modernizing the data behind our Federal lands. My bill, H.R. 3113, the MAPLand Act, will do just that.

Madam Speaker, this bipartisan and bicameral commonsense legislation will help our Federal land management agencies work together better by creating shared data standards and improving the digital information available to all who visit our lands.

Making this information more detailed and accessible in the digital age is one of the many reasons why this bill enjoys such broad support. This is about helping families spend more time together outside, about improving the way that our government works, and about fostering and sharing the joy of the great outdoors.

I am grateful to Ranking Members Fulcher and Westerman and Chairmen Neguse and Grijalva for cosponsoring the MAPLand Act and helping drive it forward.

I am also grateful for staff members and stakeholder groups who worked closely with my office at all hours on this important effort that will bring our lands into the 21st century. This has truly been a collaborative effort that will reverberate for years to come and one that I have been proud to be a part of.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support my legislation, and I hope my colleagues in the Senate will consider and pass this important bill expeditiously.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Haven J. Barlow. Utah lost a community giant who lived to be 100 years old. It's hard to believe, but Haven's life was nearly cut short when at just nine months old a train struck the Model T Ford he was riding in, killing his mother and 3 other passengers. Fortunately he survived and lived a full life in service of others. Haven served our country as a Navy Ensign in World War II and was the longest serving state legislator in Utah history, first elected in 1953 and served until 1995.

Haven's service to Utah and Davis County is immeasurable where he spent much of his time focused on matters pertaining to education. He led the fight to establish and fund the first state vocational institution in Davis County--now Davis Technical College, the establishment of Weber State/Davis Campus, and Utah's creation of the weighted pupil index (WPU) ensuring a child can get the same level of education regardless of where they lived. In addition, Haven helped establish the Hill Aerospace Museum, the Freeport Center, the restoration of Utah's Governors Mansion and was behind the original Utah Symphony Endowment fund.

Haven was married to Bonnie Rae Ellison for 58 years before her passing and raised 6 children.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Haven J. Barlow. Utah lost a community giant who lived to be 100 years old. It is hard to believe, but Haven's life was nearly cut short when at just 9 months old, a train struck the Model T Ford he was riding in, killing his mother and three other passengers.

Fortunately, he survived, and he lived a life full of service to others. Haven served our country as a Navy ensign in World War II and was the longest-serving State legislator in Utah history, first elected in 1953 and served until 1995.

Haven's service to Utah and Davis County is immeasurable, where he spent much of his time focused on matters pertaining to education. He led the fight to establish and fund the first State vocational institution in Davis County, now Davis Technical College, the establishment of Weber State/Davis campus, and Utah's creation of the weighted pupil index (WPU), ensuring a child can get the same level of education regardless of where they lived.

In addition, Haven helped establish the Hill Aerospace Museum, the Freeport Center, the restoration of Utah's Governor's mansion, and was behind the original Utah Symphony Endowment Fund.

Haven was married to Bonnie Rae Ellison for 58 years before her passing, and raised six children. He is a Utah legend, and we honor him in his passing.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 4521. I won't let my constituents be fooled by an attempt here to recycle priorities from President Biden's failed Build Back Better plan.

While this bill plays a role in formalizing a necessary discussion-- and again, you will hear from my comments that there is large bipartisan support on what we need to do here to address the effects of a great power competition on the American economy--this is a superficial partisan effort that will not properly confront China and will only make inflation worse for American families.

This pandemic dashed any illusion that the Chinese Communist Party can be a trusted partner for American business, or they will take any accountability when their recklessness results in devastating supply chain disruptions.

Enhancements to domestic manufacturing that support American workers and increase global competitiveness are long overdue but, sadly, it will continue to go unaddressed by this bill because, simply, this legislation does not require these organizations to reexamine their relationship with the CCP.

In addition, it is another attempt to create a big, large piece of legislation where you can add in a whole bunch of climate change priorities. And the American people--and as I talk to my constituents, they want us to address the issue at hand, not just lump a bunch of things in together. And, again, that is what we are doing here by making it a China bill.

There is an appetite and desire among many of my colleagues to send a clear message to the Communist Party in Beijing. My constituents want a China bill that confronts intellectual property theft, the genocide of religious minorities, CCP influence in civil society, the antagonism of our allies, and a bill that finally holds the CCP accountable for their covering up of COVID-19.

Despite the grave threat our Nation faces from the CCP, American ascendancy can be maintained only if we remain the preferred partner across the world and the primary destination for innovators and job creators.

Congress can and must do better. Let's get back to work.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so that we can immediately consider H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act.

As a father of four, I know just how important it is to families across the country that our schools stay open and our kids keep learning.

I want to pause for a moment to highlight what we are hearing right now. I fully appreciate my Democrat colleagues talking about federalism. I am very supportive of that in the face of sweeping Federal mandates that are going to inflict an enormous workforce burden on all of our private-sector companies in my district with a Federal vaccine mandate. We are trying to say: Don't do that. That is not the right approach.

I am hearing the same thing, that it is not the right approach to tell each school board what they are doing. Let me set just a clear concept of what we are talking about here. There is Federal money involved. We want school boards to make decisions--I have even incorporated it into my speech that I will share here in a minute--to use these Federal dollars that are designed to help keep schools open.

We need to make sure that these schools stay open. Let's all embrace federalism. That is the goal. President Biden just realized it a few weeks ago when he said we can't solve this at the Federal level. We fully embrace that.

In-person learning is critical for our children's well-being. From mental health to reading and math skills, American students are struggling.

COVID is spreading, and we can embrace commonsense precautions, embracing federalism, like masks and testing, where relevant. But our kids need to be in the classroom.

Rolling school closures are exacting a staggering toll on our children, particularly those with special needs or those who are already vulnerable or behind academically.

Low-income families with parents who work outside the home are most at risk when schools shut down. Moms and dads race to find makeshift childcare just to be able to go to work and feed their families, and vulnerable kids fall further and further behind on their schoolwork. We cannot fail these students.

Congress allocated $54.3 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund to help schools reopen and stay open. Those funds must be used to prioritize the expenses that keep schools open.

Madam Speaker, I am grateful for Utah's educators and superintendents who are working hard to do what is right by our students. They are working hard; I see it. Families across the country are trying the best they can, and we must commit to supporting them in return.

A vote for the previous question is a vote for our students and our future.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize Mr. Don Lind of Utah; a proud Naval Aviator, esteemed scientist, and veteran astronaut who has contributed significantly to our nation's exploration of space.

After serving a church mission to the Northeastern United States and graduating from the University of Utah, Mr. Lind went on to pursue a Ph.D. in High-Energy Nuclear Physics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1964. During this time, he held the rank of Commander in the Naval Reserve as an aviator and logged more than 4,500 flight hours.

Don began working at NASA in 1964 during a time of intense competition when America's dominance in space was still in question. He quickly set himself apart and was selected into NASA Astronaut Group 5 just two years later. Commander Lind's proficiency in developing tools for use on the lunar surface, studying the properties of low-energy particles in interplanetary space, and developing payloads for early space missions made him an invaluable member of the group.

In 1985, Commander Lind became the final member of the ``Original Nineteen'' to go to space when he served as Mission Specialist 1 on STS-51-B. This important mission was instrumental in capturing images of the Earth's aurora and deploying the Northern Utah Satellite, which was designed to measure antenna patterns of L-band radars. The program faced immense adversity, yet Don's determination ensured its success.

Following his time with NASA, Commander Lind returned to his home state of Utah and moved to Cache Valley, where he inspired countless students as a professor at Utah State University.

Back home, Don continues to serve others by magnifying church callings and loving his seven children and many grandchildren. Today, Commander Lind, now 91, resides in Smithfield, Utah and remains an icon of Utah's many contributions to space exploration.

I join with Americans across our nation in thanking Commander Lind for his dedication to our community, to our greatest ideals, and to the state of Utah. The sacrifices of men and women like Don Lind have buoyed our collective conscience, encouraged our nation through times of great uncertainty, and lifted our eyes and minds to the endless possibilities that surround us.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania.

Madam Speaker, today, I stand in opposition to President Biden's vaccine mandate on businesses issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed that the Biden administration is severely misusing his power. While OSHA's delegated authority was intended to be used with precision and tact, President Biden has wielded it carelessly.

Just yesterday, in keeping with the Fifth Circuit's ruling, OSHA itself suspended implementation of this mandate. Even so, my colleagues and I in Congress know we, too, must fight against this mandate.

The COVID-19 vaccines are miracles of modern medicine and has saved lives and quickened the end of the pandemic.

My family has embraced it. I am comfortable with my parents having used this to live a more outward life, but we cannot forget that America is founded upon principles enshrined in our Constitution that protect an individual's ability to make their own decisions.

When I swore to uphold the Constitution, I promised to fight against efforts to undermine these rights, and I stand by that oath today.

Madam Speaker, I urge support for this CRA.

Madam Speaker, it is very much an honor to share the podium with my colleagues from Utah. Utah is a very special, very unique place.

At this time of Thanksgiving, I would like to focus on what Utah really is. We often get lauded as having the lowest unemployment in the country and the strongest economy in the country, or as the fastest growing State in the country. What Utah is, is the most philanthropic State in the country. It shares more volunteer hours and dollars than any other State. That is the type of stuff that our delegation and Members of Congress, the community that we serve, are really proud of. We reflect on that often, particularly during this time of year.

We are more than a week away from Thanksgiving Day. Like Utahns across the State, my family--and I have three little boys, a fourth boy on the way, and an amazing wife who deals with a lot during this crazy time of my time in Washington. We look forward to this annual opportunity to come together, enjoy each other's company, and give thanks for all of our many blessings.

Turkey and stuffing are staples, but each Thanksgiving Day looks a little different from the last. That is okay. Unfortunately, this year's Thanksgiving is going to be much more difficult than others.

Americans are bracing for this year's turkey tax, which we expect to be the most expensive in modern history as inflation rates hit their highest level in decades.

My colleagues from Utah can talk about this a little bit better than I can because they are a little bit older than I am, but they talk about how this hasn't been this high in the last 40 years. That is how old I am.

I don't want to experience this type of inflation. I haven't had to yet, and I am very concerned about what we are going to have to experience.

That was not a cut at their age.

According to the Department of Labor, the Consumer Price Index for October was 6.2 percent, the highest in over three decades. This high rate means that, compared to last year, home heating will be 50 percent more expensive, a gallon of gas will be 61 percent more expensive, and the cost of groceries will be 5.4 percent more expensive. Beef is 20 percent higher; pork is 14 percent higher; and the cost of used cars is 26 percent higher.

This is data. This is directly related to policy decisions here in Washington.

As Utahns get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving and find reprieve from this challenging past year-and-a-half, inflation is threatening to stifle this entire time of year.

In fact, real wages have decreased in 7 of President Biden's first 9 months in office. As President Biden rushes to spend trillions more, as he is doing now, to spend trillions more as of this week, economic pressure will only continue to drive everyday costs up and incomes down.

The Wall Street Journal editorial board said: ``The current burst of inflation isn't an accident. . . . This is the result of reckless policy.'' This is simply incompetence.

CNN noted President Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan fueled inflation by sparking demand that it could not keep pace with.

Even The Washington Post editorial board--I did not expect to ever be using sort of liberal media outlets to defend some of my points when I came to the House floor. But The Washington Post says that you cannot ignore that the American Rescue Plan bears some of this blame.

We cannot simply spend more. We have to stop President Biden's tax- and-spend monstrosity.

All of this comes as the administration botched a military exit from Afghanistan, created a sustained crisis at the border, and has failed to address a looming debt crisis.

With this as the backdrop, Thanksgiving may feel uniquely challenging. Yet, through the most difficult times in our Nation's history, Thanksgiving Day has been a celebration when communities come together to give thanks for life's great blessings.

Following the Battle of Gettysburg in October of 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving to be a national holiday to ``heal the wounds of the Nation.''

As our Nation experiences great challenges, I can't think of a better holiday to observe this coming week.

My colleagues and I in the Utah delegation are working every day to carve a more prosperous path forward for our State and communities. There is hope on the horizon.

Earlier this month, Democrats and Republicans in this House came together to pass the Fiscal State of the Nation Resolution, which I cosponsored. If agreed to in the Senate, this resolution will mandate the U.S. Comptroller General conduct an annual joint session before the members of the House and Senate Budget Committees to provide a report on the fiscal health of our Nation.

This is a huge, important time to have done something like that after what we have seen over the last year. This expertise would provide our leaders with the information they need to correct our course and back away from our patterns of destructive spending.

Back home, I have also convened a debt and deficit task force, which has provided me an opportunity to work with local leaders to begin crafting innovative solutions to our Nation's debt crisis.

My colleagues from Utah and I genuinely hope to help those in our home

State find more blessings in the days, months, and years ahead. As we work toward those brighter days, let us reflect and be grateful for the good moments we have had this year.

Though our year has been filled with difficulty, it has also been filled with, in the words of Lincoln, ``the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.''

Today, I am back in Washington with my colleagues to continue the important work we do on behalf of Utahns. I look forward to next week when I will join my family and the community in Utah in celebrating this important holiday.

Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 358.

Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress

Axne (Spanberger)

Babin (Nehls)

Bilirakis (Fleischmann)

Boebert (Van Drew)

Bowman (Tlaib)

Cardenas (Gomez)

Cawthorn (Nehls)

Doggett (Raskin)

Frankel, Lois (Clark (MA))

Gaetz (Greene (GA))

Gonzalez, Vicente (Gomez)

Gosar (Greene (GA))

Jayapal (Pocan)

Khanna (Auchincloss)

Kirkpatrick (Stanton)

Lawson (FL) (Evans)

Long (McHenry)

Meeks (Kelly (IL))

Meng (Jeffries)

Payne (Pallone)

Pingree (Kuster)

Rush (Underwood)

Sires (Pallone)

Steube (Franklin, C. Scott)

Strickland (Jeffries)

Swalwell (Gomez)

Waltz (Salazar)

Wilson (FL) (Hayes)

Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee for his support of this legislation and also to my colleague from New Mexico, Representative Leger Fernandez, for her kind words of support and her support of the bill overall, as well as, most importantly, our committee staff. I thank them all very much.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3616, the Bear River National Heritage Area Study Act, which would conduct a study to determine the area's suitability for a national heritage area designation. This would help local communities in the area protect important elements of their heritage and promote the area's tourism industry.

This important bill enjoys significant local support and, if enacted, would help the region better share its incredible history with the world.

The Bear River basin, which stretches through northern Utah and southeastern Idaho, played a key role in the settling, expansion, and development of the American West.

Native American Tribes, such as the Shoshone, called this area home because of its lush environment and favorable weather. Today, with the construction of the Boa Ogoi Cultural Interpretive Center in southeastern Idaho, these stories will soon be told like never before.

Eventually, explorers and adventures, fur trappers, and religious pioneers also settled in the area and began to build homes. The region's natural water supply makes it ideal for farming, and it quickly became home to thriving frontier towns. Generations of family farms in northern Utah and southeast Idaho can trace their origins to these early days.

Later, the driving of the golden spike at Promontory Summit marked the completion of the transcontinental railroad, an element of pride for the entire area. This pivotal moment launched our great Nation onto the global stage and into the modern world.

Today, this special place is home to thriving communities that support jobs in the tech, agriculture, education, manufacturing, service, and tourism industries.

As we look backwards to retell the history of this region, these industries are looking forward to writing the next chapter of the Bear River basin's story.

I am grateful for Chairman Grijalva, Ranking Member Westerman, Representative Leger Fernandez, and their fantastic staff for all their help on this effort.

Madam Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting the Bear River National Heritage Area Study Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Staff Sergeant Paul Lincoln Olmstead, who passed away on September 21, 2021.

Born with an instinct to protect and defend others, Lincoln embodied the Green Beret motto to ``de oppresso liber'' or ``to free the oppressed.''

Lincoln served as a special forces engineer in the Utah National Guard's 19th Special Forces Group. This elite group of operators serves as the tip of the spear of the greatest fighting force the world has ever known.

Just 5 years into his service, Sergeant Olmstead had become a Green Beret and a special forces sniper.

Lincoln will always be known as a disciplined professional with a steadfast commitment to the mission at hand. Lincoln proudly served his country, and we owe him our deepest gratitude. Lincoln will be remembered as a loving husband to his wife, Danaya, and a dedicated father to his son, Tavian, and daughter, Alexa.

Madam Speaker, I rise to highlight one specific danger of the Democrats' $3.5 trillion reconciliation package. My colleagues have highlighted many concerns and many issues that this tax-and-spend monstrosity will advance, partisan priorities like taxpayer-funded abortions, the Green New Deal, a $2.1 trillion tax increase on businesses and hardworking American families. The provision that I am speaking of specifically threatens our individual freedoms and personal privacy.

This provision is an expansive IRS mandate that would give the government unprecedented access into our wallets and spending patterns. This provision would force our neighborhood banks and local credit unions to hand over constituents' private financial information directly to the IRS.

This decree levies an outrageous compliance cost on the credit unions and banks that serve my community, meaning higher fees and lower saving yields for First District families.

More importantly, this intrusion into our transactions poses extraordinary privacy concerns and subjects Utahns' financial information to hacking, political targeting, and government surveillance. This abusive provision will collect massive amounts of personal financial data on middle-class families.

Imagine the ways that any administration, Democrat or Republican, could be tempted to use that information and to intrude on our private businesses and lifestyle choices.

Even still, this will not close the tax gap. This provision isn't targeting wealthy tax evaders, as President Biden claims. It is targeting normal, working-class, everyday Americans. $3.5 trillion, and for President Biden to say it is not going to cost us anything?

Democrats know they can't tax enough to make up that difference, so they are finding these unique, obscure ways to employ or to basically deploy the IRS on everyday working Americans in their regular checking accounts.

I condemn this unconstitutional and invasive Federal overreach, and I stand with Utah families who depend on the security and privacy that their financial institutions provide.

I encourage my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to oppose this provision, and I look forward to voting against the entirety of Speaker Pelosi's reconciliation package.

Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Hern for leading this entire session and the opportunity to close.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to close today's session by remembering the sacrifice and heroism of Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover who bravely gave his life while defending Abbey Gate from violent extremists in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 26, 2021.

After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Staff Sergeant Hoover knew he wanted to be a marine. At the time of his death, Staff Sergeant Hoover had served as a marine for 11 years and was on his third tour in Afghanistan.

In Utah we have been devastated by this news.

On Sunday after the attacks, I joined hundreds of Utahns gathered at the State capitol for a memorial vigil to honor Staff Sergeant Hoover. I also attended his funeral service before being laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery and was overwhelmed by memories shared by his family and friends. He was treasured, loved, and admired, and he gave all for our freedoms.

Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover will rightly be remembered as a hero in the Halls of Congress, in Utah, and across the Nation that he served.

Madam Speaker, I was unable to vote. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 272.

Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 272.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank my friend from California for the debate as well.

Mr. Speaker, we debate this often. We have made our points. We have done this in committee for several months. I want to highlight a couple of things here of what I believe is misinformation about this program, specifically related to the cost and effectiveness of the current Minuteman III.

The amendment sponsors will claim that the Congressional Budget Office has concluded that Minuteman III life extension will cost $37 billion less than GBSD. The Office of the Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Air Force have come to a different conclusion.

I recall conversations in a committee hearing with Secretary Roth, an appointment of President Biden, talking about when you look at the overall benefit of GBSD, if we continue to try to fix our old carburetor or my old furnace, it is not going to be more effective for what the long-term gain is.

The Democrat sponsors will claim that the Air Force has stated that they can extend the Minuteman III. Admiral Richard told us that a life extension is not possible. We simply don't have the parts. We have the engineers at Hill Air Force Base that are looking on eBay, trying to get actual parts for this.

Mr. Speaker, this is not possible. It is time to modernize.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my intense opposition to H.R. 3755, the abortion on demand until birth act.

States have long had the right, even under Roe v. Wade, to pass laws to protect life and women's health. But with this bill, House Democrats would override the will of my constituents and the American people, eliminating State and Federal pro-life laws across the country.

The bill is so extreme that it would throw out Utah laws that are actually in line with Roe v. Wade. It would overturn a Utah law passed in 2006, which requires minors to receive parental consent before receiving an abortion; a Utah law passed in 2012, which requires those seeking an abortion to wait 72 business hours before a face-to-face informational visit and an abortion; and a Utah law amended in 2009, which bans abortion at the point of viability.

This bill would legalize in Utah essentially all abortions up until birth. The vast majority of my constituents in the First District, including those on the right, those in the center, and those on the left, support commonsense protections of third-trimester babies. The bipartisan partial-birth abortion ban, which protects children from painful--my wife is 6 months pregnant, sorry. It would also explicitly preempt the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and eliminate conscience rights for doctors and nurses who don't want to participate in abortions.

Our focus in Congress should be oriented toward ensuring every child has opportunities, no matter the circumstances of their conception or birth, and that pregnant women and mothers have the resources they need to support the families so they can make the right choice.

Democrats' radical attempt to federalize and expand abortion until birth is unconscionable in every way for the First District of Utah and for our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in adamant opposition to