Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I send to the desk a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the order of the House of January 9, 2023, providing for morning-hour debate be extended for the remainder of the 118th Congress, except that House Resolution 950 shall supplant House Resolution 6.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of this Special Order.

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

Madam Speaker, I am grateful to host this last Special Order of 2023, and to allow my colleagues to speak on House Republicans' legislative efforts this week and achievements on behalf of Americans this whole entire year as we have taken over the majority at the start of 2023 and share a little bit about what we have accomplished.

This week we passed legislation to lower healthcare costs, increase price transparency regarding healthcare, allow schools to make their own choices on nutritional aspects, such as the type of milk that they provide to their students, and ensure Americans receive the answers they deserve regarding the inquiry into the Biden family's peddling schemes and nefarious business dealings.

Tomorrow, we will vote on the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2024, a comprehensive and robust bill that will provide for the needs of our servicemembers and enhance our national security efforts, while keeping liberal ideology out of our military.

I am pleased to have some of my colleagues here to speak on these bills and the ways that they have delivered for their constituents throughout the year.

No one has done that more than the Representative that will address this next, particularly on her strong focus with respect to defense. I have an Air Force Base that is part of who I am, part of where I grew up, so close to the community that I get to represent. She is in a very similar situation and has an intense focus on providing for her district and the needs of making sure that our men and women have what they need to secure our Nation and take the fight to our adversaries.

I yield to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Kiggans).

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman's comprehensive view of the defense bill that we are going to be finalizing tomorrow. The Senate is currently voting on it right now actually.

This is one of those amazing things that Congress finds a way to get something done for our servicemen and -women. You talk about TRICARE, not

only talk about TRICARE, but about the housing and the healthcare issues that our servicemen and -women face with rampant inflation going on. They get squeezed more than anybody.

They don't exist in the private sector. They can't go to their boss and ask for a raise. They are serving our Nation, and they are getting squeezed by the same type of fiscal policy that has created this type of inflation.

Our bill addresses so much of that, but it also goes to the lethal aid that we need to defend our Nation, the deterrence that you talk about. Particularly in my district, the F-35 program is so key and important, and the naval shipyards in Mrs. Kiggans' district, so I thank her for the work that she does.

I am thrilled to be a part of something at this time of Christmas to show our servicemen and -women that their Representatives care about them and want them to be successful. We look forward to finishing up that process this week.

I am going to spend some time tonight talking a little bit about the always fun question that we get to talk about. I remember lobbing this question over to the Democrats when they were in the majority quite often: What have you accomplished? You do a bunch of messaging bills, and none of them get passed in the Senate.

Now that we have had the opportunity to be in the majority for just less than a year, as it comes up on the end of the year here, it is good to take a moment to think about what we have accomplished. Can we answer that question?

What do we need to do to address any criticism that may be out there? Have you accomplished enough? Washington is a tough place.

I look forward to having a chance to look back on the year and share a few wins. I will try to articulate it here a little bit, but there is always a unique context.

The part I keep reflecting on is, I came to Congress in January 2021, and I have been here almost 3 years. What is important to look at is juxtapose 2023 with 2021. President Biden was in the White House. The Senate for the last 3 years has been controlled by a Democrat majority.

For the first 2 years of my time here, we had what I will call a triple majority, when you have the White House, Senate, and the House in one-party control.

2023 versus 2021. Immediately, as we entered into the 117th Congress, the Georgia Senate flipped, which I think was a surprise to the Democrats. It was a surprise to the Republicans, but we will work to rectify that.

However, within a month and a half, with budget reconciliation--where it does not have to go through the Senate filibuster because we didn't have the majority in the House--there was a $2 trillion bill passed immediately, a $2 trillion bill that was masquerading as a COVID relief bill. We had addressed the COVID relief bills in a bipartisan approach prior to that. There was a $2 trillion bill that got passed with no offset spending, completely additive to the national debt.

Within months after that, we saw the fastest increase in inflation that we have seen in 40 years to the point where you basically wipe out an entire family's salary for a month of each year with the amount of inflation that happened so quickly.

That doesn't just happen. That happens because of monetary policy. When you add and you load the system with that type of spending, you immediately get inflation. That is not just a Republican saying that; it is not just a Democrat saying that. That is the way economics works. When you load monetary policy and you have so much money chasing so few goods, prices for Americans skyrocket, particularly middle-class and lower-income Americans.

Just being in the majority, what has taken place in 2023? We curbed trillions of dollars of spending. When the majority at that time, the Democratic Party, had the White House, House, and Senate, they could virtually pass any type of fiscally related, budget-related bill that they wanted without having to go through the Senate filibuster to reach compromise.

In those circumstances, they can pass a bill on party lines. They chose within the first month and a half to pass a $2 trillion bill that led to the most rapid increase in inflation that most Americans have seen in their lifetime. You are seeing inflation still high. We are still reeling with the effects of that, but it has leveled off because Republicans are in control of the House of Representatives.

Just by being in control of the House of Representatives, and the hard work that it took to win back the majority, we immediately curbed all of that spending. It wasn't just the $2 trillion bill. They passed an Inflation Reduction Act, the IRA, that had nothing to do with inflation, but that was nearly a trillion-dollar bill. They thought maybe it was going to be $400- to $600 billion. It is now estimated to be well over that.

What that bill was was a failed Solyndra-type policy. It is broadly accepted among Republicans and Democrats that the Obama-era kind of mini Green New Deal with Solyndra and this tax break that was given to them was a massive failure. This isn't just, again, a Republican saying that. That is largely accepted that a $500 million bill was largely a failure. That is a lot of money, and that is a big failure for the type of policy you are trying to create. That was $500 million.

The Inflation Reduction Act, which basically mimics what took place with Solyndra, where you are trying to pick winners and losers in the energy world, was in the range of $400 billion, which is far more expensive than what it was even billed to be.

By being in the majority, we keep all of this stuff at bay, and we keep that amount of monetary supply from ever even reaching the system. With the addition of having to raise interest rates as high as we did, that will curb inflation. If I say nothing else, that is an enormous win for what our Republican majority is doing.

President Biden had a $5 trillion tax-and-spend plan--much of which he wasn't even able to accomplish because it wasn't popular enough even among Democrats to pass--that we were able to defeat over the last 3 years, but still that amount of spending got put through.

As I talk about some more things here, that is key. I hope that Americans can understand that by Republicans creating a split government, we make it so that we don't allow a Democrat agenda. That is, during the election, when it was former Vice President Biden and current Senator Bernie Sanders, they were going back and forth saying: Oh, I don't agree with your policies, you know, Senator Sanders. I am the more moderate candidate. I will be smarter with fiscal responsibility. That was what the former Vice President, candidate at the time, Biden said.

As soon as he got the White House, House, and Senate under one-party control, they basically implemented a Bernie Sanders-type approach. He probably wanted several more trillion, but to put a $5 trillion tax- and-spend policy together, it was catastrophic, and every single American felt it.

I could go on and on about the fiscal side of things. It is clear that in order to get inflation under control, Republicans in the majority are the best thing that we have going for us in the House. We level off that spending, and we try to curb that back down. I am hopeful that we can continue to be successful at that.

I am the father of four young boys. I am terrified of their future with the amount of money that we are borrowing for our national debt each year, what we are having to spend more and more to cover the debt servicing. It is really scary.

Let me take it out of the fiscal side. In January of 2023, Americans were done with COVID. We didn't need these COVID policies to still exist. We needed to move on. Republicans put a bill on the floor to end the COVID emergency that was still in place with President Biden after almost 3 years in the White House.

The very week we put that bill--we announced that bill was going to be voted on on Wednesday or Thursday. By Tuesday, the White House had announced, yeah, we are actually going to pull that back now. That type of stuff doesn't happen unless we are in the majority, and we force the White House to pull back. They recognize it is not popular. Even Democrats were going to support our resolution to end the COVID emergency, and the White

House responded. They respond when we push back on bad policy.

These things are simple examples, but as you can see, we are in a position to be able to force the Biden administration to accept commonsense policy.

Another one, Chairman Comer and the Representative from Georgia, Andrew Clyde, put together some very sensible, well-thought-out resolutions to push back on the direction that Washington, D.C., was approaching some of their crime legislation and how they were dealing with basic crime in the city.

All of a sudden, we didn't know how it was going to play out, but they put that up. Democrats recognized it. They actually read it and said: Do you know what? This actually makes a lot of sense. We can't be this soft on crime.

Just by us putting forth that legislation, the White House came out and said: You are right. We are going to sign that into law.

This doesn't happen that often. Usually, there is just kind of: If the Republicans suggested it in the House, we are just going to veto it.

We are putting forth commonsense policies that the American people broadly agree with. By doing so, we are forcing the Biden administration to come onboard.

How many times did President Biden say: We are doing a clean debt ceiling. We are not going to address anything in the debt ceiling.

The debt ceiling gives us an opportunity to address the fiscal state of our Nation. Republicans stood firm. We put together a really strong bill, sent it over to the Senate, and let the White House know that we are going to demand significant changes in our trajectory. That was met with months and months of inaction from the White House.

What took place after they started negotiations? They recognized that President Biden was not going to be able to continue to spend like he was. He was going to have to accept that Republicans are going to stand firm to lower discretionary spending.

For the first time in over a decade, maybe more, we are going to spend fewer dollars in our discretionary budget than we did the year before. Usually, these grow at a rate of 1 to 5 percent. This is a time where we are actually going to reduce it, saving over $2 trillion in a 10-year span, cutting out that much from the budget, putting caps on it.

We got that accomplished, and we are working through that process right now. I look forward to finalizing that in the first part of the year and realizing those true cuts.

Are there bills that we force President Biden to sign? Yes. I am really proud of the work that we have done.

Are there things that we have accomplished here in the House that are historic? Look at H.R. 1 and H.R. 2. They are the two best energy and border immigration bills that you have ever seen come out of this place.

If we adhere to it, we would be living in true prosperity with respect to how we approach our energy. We would be doing it cleaner, safer, and with better standards than anywhere in the world.

We would be trusting our industry instead of outsourcing and sort of outsourcing that guilt. ``I am okay with Iranian oil. I am okay if Russia continues to do that.'' We don't sanction the Nord Stream pipeline, but we sanction and get rid of our own pipelines. It does not make sense. The energy policies of the Biden administration do not make sense.

What are we doing as a majority to push back? We stood firm on the debt ceiling to make sure that we got portions of H.R. 1. We would love for that whole bill to be passed. It is apparently not going to, but we took portions of that.

Some of the worst going on in our economy right now is this horrible permitting process through these archaic NEPA standards. We stood firm and said this doesn't go through unless you give us this type of permitting reform.

We are doing the exact same thing right now, using our majority. For the first time that I have been here in 3 years, Democrats in the House and the Senate are saying: If we are going to move forward on Ukraine, I get that Republicans are going to stand firm on the border.

We were having 1,000 to 2,000 encounters from the last three Presidents, Republican and Democratic Presidents, mind you. We are over 10,000. We have had millions and millions of encounters. We do not have control of our southern border, and Republicans are saying, with our majority, we are going to stand firm.

That is going on right now, similar to how we used the debt ceiling leverage to be able to accomplish some very good policy changes.

It is not easy to be in split government. It is a lot of back and forth and a lot of, ``This is your fault. It is not our fault,'' a lot of name-calling, a lot of back and forth on this.

We are standing firm on the key things that matter to our Nation-- energy and immigration and border policies that make sense and are humane.

We cannot have the cartels running the border. They are making billions and billions of dollars by taking advantage of policy. It is so simple. It would actually improve President Biden's approval rating if he would recognize that the Migrant Protection Protocols that were in the previous administration were actually quite positive. They saved lives. They saved our National Guardsmen and -women's lives. They saved immigrants' lives.

It is nonsensical that we can't do it. We are going to use any opportunity we can to do that. That is how we are using our majority.

I have talked about H.R. 1 and H.R. 2. Those bills should be passed. If they truly went on policy, the Senate would recognize that, and we would have a much better outlook for some of the key things that we are doing.

It is not a reality, I get that, but what from those bills can we make sure that we get done? That is the stuff that we are working on. That is where we are pushing our majority.

Another one that I have been heavily involved with--and I think back 3 years ago. It was considered a conspiracy theory that there were any nefarious business dealings going on with Hunter Biden. The media wasn't reporting it. Social media entities were kind of squashing it. They were suppressing this information. This was all during an election year.

Fast-forward 3 years. You have now Hunter Biden not willing to show up to a deposition, but he is here saying he did a lot of wrong things, admitting fully.

Another nine indictments have just come out. It would have been more if the investigation wouldn't have been slow-played so that the 2014 and 2015 tax crimes weren't covered under a statute of limitations or limited from that statute of limitations. There would be significantly more to be able to prosecute Hunter Biden on.

The American people 3 years ago thought that that was just a hoax. If we are not in the majority--if Republicans are not in the majority, there is no admission that what Hunter Biden had done with his business dealings was illegal. There would have been no subpoena power to be able to share that.

In the Ways and Means Committee, we have jurisdiction over the IRS. Some very brave IRS whistleblowers came forward and provided some testimony.

We have to keep that completely quiet. We are not publicizing this. These are private meetings. We are not trying to get clicks because of this. We got ahold of this testimony, and we had to be mum about it. We couldn't say a word. From Thursday the week before all the way until Thursday the next week, I wasn't allowed to say a word about it.

We knew on that Thursday we were going to be releasing the whistleblower testimony that basically claims that there was an investigation into Hunter Biden and that the Department of Justice was slow-playing it, was giving preferential treatment. There were inconsistencies on how they were prosecuting or moving forward with this investigation.

That was to take place on Thursday. We were going to release all this information. For the last 3 years, there could have been a plea deal announced with Hunter Biden.

It was Tuesday morning. This was to be released on Thursday, but Tuesday morning, all of our phones blew up with a notification that said Hunter Biden just went into a plea deal.

I called our committee and asked if we knew about that. I mean, we are set

to release this information, the whistleblower's testimony, on Thursday. Did we know about this? No, we didn't. This just came out.

It immediately reminded me of why it is important for Republicans to be in the majority and what we are doing in this majority.

We said: We have to end the COVID emergencies. We are going to put a bill on the floor.

Within a day of when the White House realized we were going to put a bill on the floor, they decided to end the COVID emergency measures.

Fast forward to June when this whistleblower information was going to be released. There was, all of a sudden, a plea deal on Tuesday before we were going to release it on Thursday.

What has happened since? We released this information. It is very credible information. They have been vetted over and over again.

The information they provided is disturbing. It shows illegality. It shows a connection from Hunter Biden to what extent President Biden-- maybe Vice President at the time, from 2016 to 2020, before he ran--is involved.

There are alias emails. There are WhatsApp messages. This reeks. The American people recognize that. The vast majority of people say: Okay, there really was corruption going on here.

That was to be released on Thursday. We released it on Thursday. That plea deal has fallen through. There have been significantly more allegations and indictments that are going to be posed to Hunter Biden.

It was clearly a plea deal that was not sound. Now that the whistleblower information is out there that we used our Republican majority to release to the public, to let them make the decision, we all of a sudden are changing the way that Americans know what is going on with their government.

I get a little frustrated when I hear, ``What are you doing with your majority?'' We are creating government accountability.

Go look at the Commitment to America that we started off with, that Speaker McCarthy pushed hard to get ready to go for when we took back the majority. You can go down the list, from energy, pro-growth tax policy, immigration and border, and government accountability.

We created, in the first of this term, a competitiveness against China. It was very bipartisan, very sincere, no messaging along with it. They just put out a report on how to go about doing it.

Our Ways and Means Committee is working with GSP to incentivize closer allied countries, to bolster them up, get them involved in our trade agreements so we can move some of our manufacturing from China.

These are the ways that we are creating a productive way forward on how we are leveraging our majority to deliver for the American people.

The last 3 years have been tough to watch on an international stage. National security and foreign policy is something that I get heavily involved in. I have a background in it. I love seeing our Nation work to solve some of these problems.

Our allies in Israel know that they have our support. This has largely been bipartisan, and I have appreciated the dialogue that it has created with our colleagues.

Ukraine is in a tumultuous place with the regime, with President Putin and what he has done. They have been able to fight back with our assistance.

We need to make sure that we don't let--the reality is that we have a major border problem. The fixes are actually quite simple.

I still remember talking to Vice President Pence and the process they went through to create a simple policy that said: Make your asylum claims, but you have to remain in Mexico during that process.

That alleviates the pressure at the border, and that disincentivizes the cartel activity so they have no real leverage down there.

Now, they are lying to people, saying as soon as you get across the border, you get lost in the system, but you will be in America, and all will be well. That is a lie to those immigrants who are coming here, hoping for a better future.

It is a simple fix. That is all we are asking for, and we are going to require it as we move forward on supporting our friend and ally Ukraine.

We are taking control. We are making sure our government works, and we are using our majority to solve problems.

There are a whole bunch of additional things on this chart. As I look back, I am extremely proud of the work that we have done over the last year.

I will end with the National Defense Authorization Act. It has authorized $886 billion for critical national defense priorities. That is an increase of $28 billion over the fiscal year.

While we are still finding wasteful cuts within the entire discretionary budget, this bill sets the standard for the readiness and modernization improvements that Congress needs to make sure that our defense has what they need to excel.

This includes a 5.2 percent increase in servicemember basic pay to account for inflation. It can't account for all the inflation, but like I started with, we try to level that off using our Republican majority to squash massive funding measures that go out from the Biden administration.

We are also trying to increase what we can provide to our servicemen and -women. It commits $360 million to bolster housing assistance and childcare support for military families and funds crucial military construction improvements across the country.

It accelerates advanced radar and technology development to address emerging threats to our homeland, provides DOD with a multiyear procurement certainty to increase stockpiles of critical minerals and rare earth elements, and funds the ground-based strategic deterrent.

The bill also prevents land purchases by Chinese-backed entities and prevents DOD research grants from going to universities that partner with Chinese entities.

The NDAA for fiscal year 2024 also includes several conservative wins, such as banning the teaching of CRT in the military, ending the bureaucratic DEI overreach, establishing a parents bill of rights for military schools, and preventing the military Green New Deal.

It is not where we need to be establishing energy policy. You can just grab H.R. 1 if you want to establish a real energy policy.

All these wins are with a Democrat-controlled White House and Senate. These are significant wins.

When you really think about it, I didn't expect to have so many under a split government. It goes back to what Leader Steve Scalise said, that these are commonsense policies. When you cut through the politics of it and you can build better relationships with our partners on the Democratic side of the aisle, you can really look through and see that, yes, this makes sense.

I was kind of told by my media network that this is bad. Some voices back in my primary would say that I can't support anything that a Republican does. But this is actually quite reasonable. We need more of that.

We are sincerely trying to push more of that, and that is why we have been able to accomplish so much with opposition of the party in the White House and the Senate.

This is just the first 11 months of work, but my colleagues and I look forward to--first, a merry Christmas and a happy new year; I hope that we get back to be with our families--coming back ready to build on these wins and finish a lot of what we started: to get our fiscal house in order, ensure we have a strong defense, and deliver for the American people.

That is something that every single one of us, regardless of party, wants. We differ on the approach many times, but we want the same end goals.

I urge my Democratic colleagues to recognize that the stuff we are putting forward is truly common sense, and not to let politics continue to get in the way. As we approach how to navigate and get that done in the crazy political system like we have, common sense will win out.

My colleagues and I are really just thrilled and proud to be able to emphasize and show what we have done, and I look forward to building on these.

As we wrap up the NDAA this week and look to finalize the funding for much of this, let's continue to keep the American people as the guide on what

we want to accomplish, not our own personal political endeavors, but to truly know what is best for the American people and do a better job of that.

We as a Republican majority will continue to deliver with those types of commonsense policies.

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

Mr. Speaker, American leadership has always been the most influential, powerful agent for freedom, peace, and democracy.

One month ago, the House stood up to protect our values and national interests by passing a bipartisan package to help Israel defend itself from Hamas.

I recently attended a screening of the footage from Hamas that Chairman McCaul and Ranking Member Meeks invited us all to, and I am so grateful for their leadership to have us do that. I knew it was footage that would be tough to see, but I knew it was footage I needed to see. I won't ever be the same after having seen that.

As we support our ally, we must take a comprehensive look at the Biden administration's Middle East policy.

Encapsulating all of my thoughts today in my remarks is a simple concept: With foreign policy, although it would be desired by all, you can't have it all. You have to make tough choices when it comes to foreign policy. You don't get to have everything that you would ever want. You cannot have it all with respect to foreign policy.

I will share a little bit about how important it is to take a stand.

While I am grateful for President Biden's clear support for Israel, his administration's attempts to placate Iran, the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world, have been a critical misstep.

For the past 3 years, the Biden administration has embarked on a deeply misguided and contradictory quest to resurrect the Iran nuclear deal while begrudgingly continuing one of the Trump and Pence administration's most successful efforts at peace in the Middle East, the Abraham Accords, and the recognition of Israel by its Arab neighbors in embracing diplomatic and economic ties through these accords.

Rather than maintaining the maximum pressure campaign that sanctioned and starved Iran of foreign revenue, the Biden administration has balked at enforcing sanctions. They have allowed Iranian oil exports to surge back to levels higher than they were in 2018 and attempted to unfreeze billions of dollars in Iranian assets from foreign banks.

The Iranian regime is flush with cash thanks to the global energy crisis and the administration's policy of appeasement. Iran uses this cash to fund, equip, and train a terrorist network across the region. This includes groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

According to reports from The Wall Street Journal, 500 or so Hamas terrorists trained in Iran in the months leading up to the October 7 attack on innocent Israelis. The Iranian regime has developed this terror network not just in Gaza and Lebanon but also in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen for one purpose: to cause just enough chaos to make the Arab world think twice about sustainable peace with Israel and the reliability of U.S. diplomacy.

The Biden administration says its Iran appeasement is geared toward preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, a goal I think we could all get behind, but it has obviously emboldened Iran and undermined regional security.

We need our four main regional security partners--Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkiye--to work together in unity, and we need America to lead on this front.

President Biden's approach creates tremendous doubt that the United States is more committed to the security of our partners than to a delusional accommodation of Iran. What must Riyadh, Cairo, and Istanbul have thought these past 3 years while watching the U.S. respond meekly to Iranian proxy groups disrupting political order, trafficking illegal weapons, and lobbing rockets at American diplomats with impunity?

Iran would love nothing more than for Saudi Arabia to think twice about normalizing relations with Israel, given the current crisis. Iran would love nothing more than for Egypt to decide that the opportunity costs for working with Israel on humanitarian corridors in Gaza, something that I have been calling for in a bipartisan fashion, is too high. Iran would love nothing more than for Turkiye to decide that it is more beneficial to work directly with Iran rather than through the United States.

The Trump-Pence administration correctly understood that the Abraham

Accords were the best chance we have for sustainable peace in the Middle East. We are stronger together than we are apart.

President Biden is undermining regional security and unity by appeasing the region's chief destabilizer: Iran. We must enforce sanctions, communicate clearly that we stand on the side of Israel and our partners, and line up our diplomatic and military commitments with our national interests that are also the national interests of Israel and the Arab world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my sympathies to the family and friends of Anthony White for the tragic loss of their father, husband, friend, and coach.

My remarks will be particularly directed to Anthony Jr. and Olivia Grace.

I met their father 25 years ago this very week when I actually voted for him to be the next Wendy's High School Heisman recipient, an award given to members of the community that excelled in athletics, academics, and citizenship.

He then later went on to play University of Utah football, and his crowning achievement was taking a school that hadn't seen success for years and turn it into a championship team in Buena Park in southern California, most recently creating that same type of success for Santa Ana Junior College.

Anthony was an incredible human being that will leave a legacy that is beyond description. I hope they can always remember what he has done for not only them as his dad but every community and every person he has touched. We are all better for knowing Anthony. Losing him has been tragic.

We want San to know that her husband has touched so many of us, and we want to just share with her that we will be here for her after his passing.

We offer our prayers and condolences to his entire family.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to be here tonight to talk about some of the key pieces of legislation House Republicans are championing this week, from fighting President Biden's unfair student loan program to protecting consumer choice in purchasing a vehicle to holding universities accountable for their influence from foreign adversaries. We are laser focused on putting Americans' interests first.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann).

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

Mr. Speaker, President Biden is once again circumventing the rule of law and leaving hardworking Americans who never went to college with a $559 billion bill to cover unpaid student loans.

House Republicans will bring to the floor H.J. Res. 88 expressing our disapproval of President Biden's Saving on a Valuable Education, SAVE, plan which would drastically alter the Income-Driven Repayment program and make America's student loan program even more expensive for taxpayers. Let's be clear: This sets the precedent that Federal education loans do not need to be repaid.

Using American tax dollars to give a blanket subsidy to those who earn disproportionately more money than others is government at its worst. For those who never went to college, for those who are struggling with inflation and don't need more money flooding into a broken system, and for those who already paid off their loans, any effort to wipe the slate clean is completely unfair.

I, along with many other House Republicans, support universities focusing on a strong ROI to keep costs down. We support Federal student loan reforms. We do not support blanket student loan forgiveness for political pandering in an election year.

Even though the system has plenty of room to improve, it is my job to highlight ways the State of Utah is getting it right. Utah has the lowest average student loan debt per borrower in the country and the lowest percentage of graduates leaving campus with student debt. The University of Utah's medical school and nursing program at Weber State University work to hold down student debt by designing instructional schedules to allow students to work while attending college.

I have had to apologize multiple times to constituents in the First District who built businesses after paying their way through school or other programming and paid their taxes, only to have their hard-earned dollars transferred to folks who have chosen a career and a different approach that required carrying some debt that they planned for.

Now, with the government saying they don't need to plan for it, we are teaching our children the exact wrong thing that made our country so great. I am deeply frustrated that I am going to have to continue to apologize.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the House Republican Conference, I send to the desk a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of this Special Order.

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

As vice chair of the House Republican Conference, it is shaping up to be a busy, productive week for House Republicans. I am looking forward to hearing from my colleagues to discuss the issues our Conference is focused on this week, including the crisis at our border, support for Israel, and investigations into the Biden family's alleged illegal financial dealings with foreign nations.

We have an energized and diverse conference, eager to make the American Dream possible for the next generation.

My team and I are ready to help Members shine and deliver their message straight to their constituents and the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. McClain), for the first remarks of the evening.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative McClain. I appreciate the comments and I appreciate the clarity and work that the Oversight Committee does on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Donalds).

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Florida who has a strong and clear message.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Fallon).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for a passionate speech, laced with facts that have been identified for months and months and months. I appreciate the communication.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Owens), my good friend and colleague.

Mr. Speaker, waiving regulations on Federal land is a dangerous precedent, and this piece of legislation is very, very important.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin).

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Babin for his remarks.

Mr. Speaker, our Texas delegation, as we are all in border States and as we see this piece of legislation this week is geared toward what is going on in New York, as we are all border States, I am from Utah, other States, we relied on the testimony and the experience from our Texas delegation, our Arizona delegation particularly, they have been through the worst of it, and we appreciate that.

We will continue to hear from our Texas delegation and someone who has been a very consistent voice on this.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Van Duyne).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her remarks and her clear communication and the heartfelt pleas to solve this issue. There are so many simple policies. If we put them in place, they are wins for everybody. They are political wins, and they are policy wins. We don't understand why we don't take to see what has worked well in the past and try to reimplement it.

Mr. Speaker, we welcome another border State.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of California (Mr. LaMalfa) to share his remarks.

Mr. Speaker, he makes one really important point and I highlight this quite a bit: We, as a Republican majority, have to so many times force President Biden to do very commonsense things and that is so important. His comments actually highlight that well.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to share these messages. I thank my colleagues for being here to communicate such clear messages on such important aspects of legislation that we are going to be focused on this week.

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

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

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my bipartisan amendment urging the Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA, to provide a complete accounting of unpaid and partially paid claims by the COVID-19 Uninsured Program, as well as an accounting of how funding from various pandemic-era laws have been used to pay claims generated by providers under this program since it began. The amendment also presses HRSA to provide a plan for the payment of remaining legitimate claims that were made under this program.

The COVID-19 Uninsured Program provided reimbursement for claims submitted by healthcare providers who provided testing, treatment, and vaccination services for uninsured individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the spring of 2022, HRSA closed the program and provided little notice or time to submit claims for services already provided under that program.

I have heard from providers in my home State of Utah who are owed funds by the administration for services performed prior to the program's closure. Providers that submitted legitimate claims should be compensated for these medical services.

I also believe that Congress must continue to provide robust oversight on this program and other pandemic-era laws to ensure funds were used appropriately and in line with congressional intent.

For example, a July 2023 HHS OIG report estimated that nearly 19 percent of the uninsured program payments made on behalf of 3.7 million patients were improper.

A full accounting of HHS' use of pandemic funding will ensure Congress has the tools and information necessary to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars.

I have been supportive of efforts to address improper payments by Federal agencies more broadly and to ensure that our government operates efficiently and effectively. Understanding how these dollars have been utilized by the Department would build on these efforts.

The administration has continued to provide funding for other testing, treatment, and vaccination initiatives following the program's closure. In addition, the Fiscal Responsibility Act rescinded billions in funding for the provider relief fund because that money sat unused for well over a year following HRSA's closure of the uninsured program. PRF funds had been intended, in part, to reimburse providers for services provided to uninsured patients.

I strongly encourage the administration and HSRA to work with Congress and provide an accounting of the funding for the uninsured program. The American people deserve accountability and cooperation from the executive branch.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chairman, in 2015, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council was created specifically to improve ``the transparency, predictability, and outcomes of the Federal environmental review and authorization process for certain large-scale critical infrastructure projects.''

One of its core missions is to enhance coordination between Federal and State environmental reviews and provide more transparency.

As my constituents in Utah and my colleagues here know, our permitting system has long been too complex. Earlier this year, the House passed H.R. 1, the landmark bill aimed at lowering energy costs and improving our permitting process.

We also passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act this year, which includes important wins to expedite permitting. It was broadly accepted, broadly supported.

Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle understand the importance of permitting reform because we cannot reduce emissions, lower energy prices, or address vulnerabilities in our supply chain without it.

Unfortunately, in September, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council proposed a rule to limit the scope of mining projects eligible for this expedited process.

This proposed change is shortsighted and exacerbates the permitting delays that stifle the domestic mining industry and our efforts to produce cheaper, cleaner energy. This will hurt critically important mining projects in my home State of Utah and across our entire Nation.

Congress established the steering council to address the delays that continue to be one of the most substantial risks to meeting mineral production goals. This proposed change will threaten U.S. national security and mineral production objectives.

I urge the administration to reverse course, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I will just close with this: We have a shortage. We have to rely on foreign sources for some of our critical minerals.

If this rule goes through, it will limit the scope of what we need. It will limit the scope of what we need for our Department of Defense, for national security, and for the environmental agencies.

We have to be able to look at what we can do better here in America so we can provide cleaner technology.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2717, the Hershel ``Woody'' Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act. I thank the chairman and ranking member for their leadership in prioritizing this important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, Woody Williams was born on a West Virginia dairy farm in 1923 and was first drawn to the Marine Corps by their trademark uniforms. At 5-foot-6, Williams was unable to enlist in the Marines due to height restrictions. After that regulation was changed in 1943, Woody enlisted and was in the Pacific theater in less than 90 days.

On February 21, 1945, then-Corporal Williams landed on the beach at Iwo Jima, where he distinguished himself by repeatedly risking the threat of enemy fire and bayonet charges over several hours while singlehandedly destroying enemy pillboxes, or concrete trenches, to make way for American tanks and infantry.

His gallant actions took place on the same day as the famous flag raising on Mount Suribachi, which he witnessed from about 1,000 yards away.

After returning home, President Harry Truman awarded Corporal Hershel Williams the Medal of Honor, our Nation's highest recognition for valor in combat. He recognized his ``aggressive fighting spirit and valiant devotion to duty throughout this fiercely contested action, [sustaining] and [enhancing] the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.''

Following his distinguished marine career, Williams continued to serve others in many capacities. Some of my colleagues may remember last summer when Hershel Williams lay in state in the U.S. Capitol rotunda as the last World War II Medal of Honor recipient to pass away.

Since its inception by President Lincoln in 1862, 3,517 brave soldiers have received the Nation's highest honor for going above and beyond the call of duty and risking life and limb in selfless service to their countrymen. This elite class represents less than 0.001 percent of the 40 million brave sons and daughters who have served in the Armed Forces since the American Civil War.

While a permanent memorial for Medal of Honor recipients has been discussed for years, it was not until 2021 when President Biden signed a bill that Congressman Veasey and I introduced to authorize the creation of a new monument to honor those who have been awarded the Medal of Honor. Today, we continue this work to authorize the creation of this monument in the Reserve, also known as the great cross-axis of The National Mall.

The monument will stand as a testament to those who protect our Nation's values, such as the nearly half dozen from my home State of Utah. We envision it as an educational platform for future generations to learn about what has been required to maintain our Republic.

By siting this monument near the Lincoln Memorial, we can pay fitting tribute to the President who established the award and embodied its principles. Our work to form a more perfect Union is unending, and I find it fitting that a monument honoring our Nation's greatest heroes will be visible from the memorial honoring one of our greatest martyrs.

Today, our Nation finds itself sharply divided along partisan lines. This monument will remind our great Nation and its people that there is far more that unites us than divides us. It is my hope that constructing this monument in its rightful place will inspire all Americans and allow us to pay our respects to and learn from these individuals and these families who, in Lincoln's words, ``have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.''

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2717.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 365, and YEA on Roll Call No. 366.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, all this amendment is doing is adding seven flights, because in 1966, we went with an overregulated approach, and the citizens of the Western United States need to be able to come to the Nation's Capitol. It is the most expensive place to travel to.

All we are trying to do is lower prices and increase competition. Traditionally, these are very conservative principles that we all should be able to support.

We all support the free market. We have to be able to look and say: Things were different in 1966 than they are now. Planes are more quiet.

This is not a safety issue.

This is simply special interests playing over here. Let the free market decide.