Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the tragic loss of Wintergreen Police Officer Mark Christopher Wagner, II, and to honor the legacy that he has left behind.

On June 16, 2023, Officer Wagner responded to a call for help following an assault in the Wintergreen community of Nelson County, Virginia. He was the first officer to arrive at the scene when he bravely ran into harm's way, as these officers do every day, to apprehend the suspect who would fatally attack him.

My prayers are with the family, friends, and loved ones of Officer Wagner as they grieve the loss of his life and begin to process life in his absence.

Psalm 34 reads: ``The Lord is close to the brokenhearted . . .''

We grieve this tragic loss and we pray for the peace and comfort that only the Lord can provide to Officer Wagner's family.

Every day, Officer Wagner was committed to bravely protecting the Wintergreen community. He was an exceptional example of sacrificial service, giving his life to secure and defend the lives of others. I am humbled to recognize the valor of Officer Wagner and the courage and dedication he demonstrated to his community.

May God bless his family.

Mr. Speaker, it is refreshing to hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to be so sober about the issue of impeachment coming after being in the majority for 2 years when, for the first time in the history of the country, there were two impeachment charges brought in this very House.

Impeachment should not be political. It should not be cavalier. It should not be flippant. That would be bringing impeachment charges based on a phone call, where there was questionable content to a phone call, something that this current President is actually being investigated for by the House Oversight Committee as we speak.

It would be a cavalier, flippant impeachment investigation with just 1 week left in someone's term just to tarnish or attack their personal legacy with no opportunity for that to move forward other than just the charges.

It would be cavalier to announce right after an election that: We are going to impeach the MFer.

That is what happened with our friends on the other side of the aisle.

There does need to be more consideration about whether or not impeachment is justified for depleting our Strategic Petroleum Reserve on the eve of an election for political reasons.

There should be more consideration as to whether or not a President should be impeached for taking authority that he says he doesn't constitutionally have the power to do, such as the eviction moratorium or the student loan transfer scheme.

More consideration might be warranted for the very things that are being investigated by the current Committee on Oversight relative to bribery allegations and influence peddling allegations.

What more investigation is needed for the border invasion? What more investigation is needed for the violation of Article IV, Section 4, responsibility to protect the States from invasion?

How long will we let this border invasion continue? Are we to let it go on for another year and a half? How many is too many after 7 million illegals have invaded this country?

There are 1.5 million got-aways. Of those criminal got-aways, if only 1 percent are dangerous individuals, that is 15,000 reckless, dangerous individuals intending harm on this country. Would anyone take those odds that only 1 percent of those 1.5 million got-aways are, indeed, bad actors?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for her leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry to report to my friends on the other side that we are not voting today on whether or not to censure President Trump, but one Adam Schiff.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this censure resolution. Adam Schiff has denigrated the office which he holds, and the standards of this very body. The American people, when they elect their Representatives, place trust in them that they will act with honesty and integrity.

Adam Schiff had access to our Nation's secrets and then intentionally created a web of lies, falsely alleging his tales of foreign interference and Russia collusion. He perpetrated blatant falsehoods, publicly, loudly, and repeatedly to the American people.

How many times did we hear him claim that he had seen evidence of Russian collusion?

He betrayed the trust of the American people. This resolution will censure Schiff for his gross abuse of power using his position as chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to access our Nation's most sensitive information to then mislead the American people and his colleagues here in this Congress.

The other side often speaks of decorum and holding up the integrity of this body. Now it is time for them to put their actions to their words.

Will they continue to support the lies promoted by the Congressman from California, or will they vote in favor of maintaining the integrity of this distinguished body?

I challenge them to vote today for integrity, to vote for truth, and to vote to censure Adam Schiff in this House.

Madam Chair, I rise in support of the CHOICE Arrangement Act because it charts a course for Americans to take charge of their healthcare.

This bill includes several important provisions, including one of my bills, the Self-Insurance Protection Act. Self-insured healthcare plans give employers more choices to build and tailor health plans that best meet the needs of their employees.

Self-insured plans are popular. In fact, in 2022, 65 percent of workers were enrolled in self-insured plans. Small and midsize businesses are turning to self-insured plans because of the flexibilities they provide in offering high-quality healthcare coverage at an affordable cost to employees.

Stop-loss insurance is a critical component of an employer's ability to successfully self-insure in a way that best suits their needs. Most employers choose to purchase stop-loss insurance to manage financial risk, shielding them from potentially catastrophic medical claims that could sink their businesses.

Unfortunately, Washington bureaucrats have tried to regulate stop- loss insurance into nonexistence. The Obama administration threatened to regulate stop-loss as traditional health insurance, a move that would make self-insurance inaccessible, and force individuals onto the ObamaCare exchange and drive up costs.

My bill would make sure the Biden administration can't mandate the decision of small business owners and weaponize regulations to prevent access to stop-loss policies for small business owners.

Additionally, some State laws unfairly limit small businesses from accessing the self-insured market solely based on the size of their operations. My legislation would protect the ability for businesses to self-insure and ensure that no government entity can prevent them from making the best possible decision for their business and their employees.

Another key provision of the CHOICE Arrangement Act would make Association Health Plans more accessible for small businesses and self- employed workers.

This policy is a big win for my home State of Virginia. Last year, Virginia passed a law allowing realtors to form Association Health Plans. Sadly, the Biden administration has threatened to block implementation of the State law because it doesn't comply with ObamaCare.

Voting for the legislation today would allow for the Virginia law to flourish without Federal Government intervention. The Medicare for All mentality thinks that businessowners aren't equipped to provide quality health coverage for their employees. That simply is not the case.

A majority of Americans, 159 million, in fact, have health benefits through their jobs, and they like their plans. Madam Chair, 78 percent of employers decide to enroll in employer-sponsored insurance when given the option.

The CHOICE Arrangement Act responds to the needs of the American people, and I hope all of my colleagues can support this effort to empower small business owners across America.

Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago, President Biden ignored the will of this Congress and issued a veto message of my resolution, which would have nullified his reckless, unconstitutional, immoral student loan transfer scheme.

As others have said, he is not trying to forgive student loans, he is trying to saddle unsuspecting taxpayers with the burden of paying for others' student loan debt.

Republicans and Democrats should come together, as they have already done on a bipartisan basis, and send a strong message on congressional authority to the executive branch.

Again, President Biden simply does not have the authority to forgive student loans, and thus, spend hundreds of billions of dollars, taxpayer dollars, hard-earned taxpayer dollars, as he transfers debt to those who did not incur it.

The power of the purse belongs to the legislative branch. It belongs to the House of Representatives. I suspect the Supreme Court will confirm that if we don't override this veto.

The President seems to even know this himself. When talking about student loan forgiveness on CNN just about a year ago, he said, ``I don't think I have the authority to do it by signing with a pen.''

Student loan cancellation, again, doesn't make the debt go away. It transfers the costs from the borrowers to the taxpayers, those who never went to college, those who worked hard and paid off their student loans, or those who worked their way through school to avoid student loan debt.

In fact, 60 percent of the constituents in my district do not have a college degree. Yet, the Biden administration wants them to have to pay for the college education of others, even those earning up to $250,000 in a typical family, or a nontypical family, I should say.

So we are going to make plumbers and welders and carpenters pay for the student loan debt for the high-income earners.

There were a handful of Democrats in the House and the Senate who supported my resolution when it was first sent to the President's desk. I urge more of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to act today to stop the unilateral actions of President Biden that are worsening the higher education financial crisis, unfairly transferring debt to those who didn't borrow it, and usurping the constitutional congressional authority of this House.

Mr. Speaker, that won't take very long.

I thank my good friend from Colorado, Mr. Buck, for his leadership on this Special Order on this critical issue tonight.

One of the key responsibilities, if not the number one responsibility, of the House of Representatives is to protect the fiscal and economic health of the country and the government, at least our ability to meet our obligations, our ability to fund our priorities, our ability to borrow when necessary--not to the degree that we do today--in times of crisis.

I want to make a couple of key points, if I may. Before the pandemic hit, before the China virus reached our shores, our annual spending was about $4.4 trillion. Spending this year is projected to be about $6.2 trillion, so an increase of $1.8 trillion, or about 40 percent, over 4 years.

The most ambitious of the somewhat serious proposals in this majority Conference to deal with the spending or to cut spending this year in this Congress is to cut about $130 billion. That is the most ambitious of what I would say is serious that is getting any traction in this Congress--in other words, to cut from a projected $1.6 trillion of nonmandatory, discretionary spending to $1.47 trillion.

Think about that $130 billion, which is the ambitious plan. That is the stretch goal. It represents less than 10 percent of the increase in spending from pre-COVID to today over 4 years.

We have grown our spending in the discretionary spending by $1.8 trillion in 4 years, and yet we are only projecting to cut it or even suggesting to cut it by $130 billion.

Said another way, we are on track to have a deficit this year of somewhere between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion. Revenues are down, spending is up. Again, the most ambitious, the stretch goal of the somewhat serious plans in this Congress is to cut spending by $130 billion. Less than 10 percent of the projected deficit.

If we got through the $1.47, we would retain 90 percent of the projected deficit this year. In addition to it crushing us from a fiscal future standpoint, it is unsustainable. As you know better than I, we are on track to hit some $53 trillion in national debt in 10 years, if we don't have any new emergency exceptional special spending, but just on the current track--unsustainable.

Our friend from Arizona (Mr. Schweikert) talked about the interest on the debt and how that is growing, and it is just unsustainable. Even in the immediacy, the American people are getting crushed today by this spending.

The massive inflation we haven't seen in 40 years, a diminishing purchasing power by some 15-16 percent on average over the last 2 years. In other words, $1,000 2 years ago is worth $850 today. It is even worse in the essentials. Groceries are up much higher. Everybody needs to buy groceries. Utility costs are much higher. Energy costs in terms of gasoline at the pump, which is probably the biggest factor that impacts senior citizens, low-income, fixed-income, middle-income Americans, or anybody else. Housing costs are through the roof.

We have inflation crushing the American people. How have we responded to the inflationary costs?

We are crushing them with the massive increase in interest rates historically utilized to combat a hot economy to try to head off inflation, to cool the economy--that is the theory. I never really agreed with that theory, but that is the theory.

Instead, what we are doing, we caused the inflation, not from a hot economy, but we caused the inflation from the massive spending. What we are doing is this futile attempt to combat inflation by raising interest rates. We went from an average mortgage rate being about 3 percent a year ago to now 7 percent. That extra 4 percent--figure an average mortgage is $300,000 in today's prices. So, 4 percent of $300,000 is $12,000, divide that by monthly. The average mortgage is $1,000 a month more than it was a year ago. That doesn't even account for the higher costs in housing, utility costs, and the grocery costs. All of that is primarily a result of the massive spending that is just crushing the American people. It is crushing their purchasing power. It is crushing their ability for their kids or their grandkids to make a start, buy a home, establish themselves in their young career. It is a result of the disastrous policies by this administration.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Buck for his leadership on this all important issue and keeping the attention where it belongs.

No tough ones.

Mr. Speaker, we work for the American people, the GAO works for us, and by extension the American people. So 77,000 buildings approximately, as you mentioned, it costs a couple billion dollars a year to sustain those buildings, the maintenance of those buildings, operate those buildings, maintain them, staff them, whatever it might be.

What about the value of the 77,000 buildings?

Why wouldn't we sell those buildings and realize the revenue to the Treasury?

Not just the $2 billion a year of not having to maintain those buildings. Let's just say that the average value of that building is $100,000. Let's be real conservative, let's say it is a million dollars--77,000. What is that?

That is $77 billion worth of assets if the average building was worth a million dollars. If it is only worth $100,000 on average, that is $7.7 billion. That would be not much more than a rounding error, the way that we spend money in the trillions here. When you take that over time, it ends up to be a few billion here, a few billion there, and before long you are talking about real money.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize one of Campbell County, Virginia's, finest: Captain Mike Lawhorn.

On May 30, Rustburg High School's faculty and staff named Captain Lawhorn the winner of this year's Hugh D. Pendleton Award of Leadership, which recognizes exceptional community leadership.

As a graduate of Rustburg High School, a lifelong resident of Campbell County, and a veteran of the United States Air Force, Captain Lawhorn has dedicated his life to bravely serving his Nation and his community.

Captain Lawhorn has climbed the ranks in the Campbell County Sheriff's Office, beginning as a school resource officer at Rustburg High School in 1998, and now serving as captain of the administrative services division where he has been dedicated to ensuring school and court safety since 2018.

Captain Lawhorn participated in the FBI National Academy in 2022, becoming the first only Campbell County Sheriff's employee to complete this distinguished and challenging program.

I am honored to represent such an outstanding member of the Campbell County community, and I thank and congratulate Captain Lawhorn for his lifetime of service.

NCAA DIII Men's Baseball Championship Winner--University of Lynchburg

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the extraordinary accomplishment of the University of Lynchburg's men's baseball team.

On June 8, the Lynchburg Hornets earned a 7-6 victory over Johns Hopkins University to win the NCAA Division III National Baseball Championship, representing the program's first national title.

In the third and final game of the championship series, the University of Lynchburg fell behind by four runs in the top of the first inning, but they clawed their way back with two runs in the bottom of the first and second innings, and three in the fifth, to claim the lead for good and clinch the title.

The Hornets' 48 wins this season set an Old Dominion Athletic Conference record for victories and reflects the countless hours of discipline and dedication required to reach this pinnacle of success.

I congratulate the Lynchburg Hornets for their victory in the NCAA Division III National Championship, and I am honored to represent this championship team from my hometown and the Fifth Congressional District of Virginia.

A Path to Fiscal Responsibility

Madam Speaker, the number one responsibility of the House of Representatives is to secure and protect the fiscal stability of the United States of America. What that means is we are protecting and ensuring our ability to meet our obligations, to fund our government, and when necessary, to borrow to meet those needs in extenuating circumstances.

We just came through a debt ceiling battle where the debt ceiling was raised unconditionally through January of 2025, and there was the scary narrative that was used that we were facing some kind of a national default if we didn't raise the debt ceiling.

However, there was not going to be any default because there is more than enough revenue coming in to meet the approximately $70 billion a month that it takes to pay the interest on the Nation's debt, to service our debts, and to prevent an actual default.

However, if we do not make true reforms and cuts in spending, we will surely have a national default in the near future.

Madam Speaker, it is incumbent upon us that we use the upcoming budgetary process, the appropriations process, to cut our spending and put us on a path to fiscal responsibility.

As the new Republican majority, we must ensure that the appropriations process reflects the priorities of our majority: that we secure our border; that we strengthen our military; that we defund climate extremism; that we restore American energy, reliable and affordable energy; that we defund DEI; that we defund CRT; that we defund LGBTQ programs; that we defund abortion; and that we defund indoctrination in our education systems.

This will have the result, as we restore fiscal responsibility, of reducing inflation that is crushing the purchasing power of the American people; that we reduce the interest rates, we allow the Federal Reserve to stop raising interest rates because we are reducing inflation, and those interest rates that are crushing the cost of housing and mortgages for Americans across the country; that we reduce gas prices that are crushing middle-income, lower income, and fixed- income Americans; that we help our farmers to reduce the grocery prices that are making it so hard for Americans to put food on the table; and that, again, we restore fiscal responsibility to ensure the fiscal future for our children and our grandchildren.

Mr. Chair, I rise as the designee of Mr. Clyde from Georgia.

Mr. Chair, again, I rise in support of the Mr. Clyde's amendment to the REINS Act. This amendment simply says that if requested in writing by a Member, the Comptroller General shall make a determination whether an agency action qualifies as a rule for purposes of this chapter and shall submit to Congress this determination not later than 60 days after the date of the request.

It further states that the Comptroller General, in consultation with the director of the Congressional Budget Office, shall make a determination to whether a rule is a major rule under the provisions of this act and shall submit to Congress this determination not later than 90 days after the date of the request.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment to the REINS Act.

Mr. Chair, my amendment is a commonsense one that I hope everyone can support. It would simply require Congress to do a review of all agency rules within a 5-year period. If Congress did not vote to continue certain rules that are in place, then the rules would simply cease to exist. It puts the responsibility where it belongs, on the people's elected Representatives.

The Washington regulatory state we all know to be cumbersome. It is actually hurtful to American businesses, families, and the American economy. By reining in the regulatory state, we can allow Americans to live and operate in an economy the way they want to. Washington bureaucrats cannot and should not tell my constituents in Virginia's Fifth District what they can and cannot do.

The REINS Act will hold the Biden administration accountable for all major rules they present.

For far too long, Congress has let the executive branch run roughshod over Congress and the American people. Today that ends.

Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to support the Amendment and the underlying bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, it is bad enough that we have unelected bureaucrats in the departments and the agencies making rules that oppress the American people, that suppress their freedom, that tell them how they can live, how they can heat their home, what kind of a car they can drive, and it goes on and on.

All this amendment does is require Congress to take responsibility every 5 years to vote to retain a rule. If it is not worth voting on to retain, then it probably should not be retained.

Once again, I would hope that all Members of Congress could agree to operate under their constitutional responsibility for the laws that affect their constituents and Americans across the country.

Mr. Chair, I encourage all Members to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, the REINS Act is a very important piece of legislation for us to pass to rein in the unaccountable bureaucratic state that is telling Americans what kind of cars they can drive and much more than that with the regulations and rules that are coming out of the unelected bureaucratic states.

Rules like the VA abortion rule that was recently put in place by the Biden administration would not qualify as a major rule under the REINS Act. My amendment would make any agency rule that increases access to abortion subject to congressional review.

I am proud of this amendment because it is the first standalone pro- life amendment vote the House will take this year. My amendment will counter the radical, pro-death agenda the Biden administration promotes throughout their entire administration.

The REINS Act will significantly restore appropriate and constitutional

congressional oversight for the out-of-control bureaucracy. It is a step toward ending the ``Washington knows best'' attitude that too often prevails in this town. It is a step toward freedom and less government oppression for all Americans. It is a step toward fiscal responsibility.

Mr. Chair, in addition to the underlying bill, I urge all of my colleagues to support my pro-life amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, it is refreshing to hear for the first time, I think, since I came to Congress 2\1/2\ years ago that my friends on the other side actually care about the freedoms of Americans, as they continue to try to control every aspect of Americans' lives.

Yet, the other side used to be the party of ``safe, legal, and rare'' when it came to abortion. I am unashamedly, unapologetically a believer in life from conception. I don't believe we ought to be negotiating the timeline when it comes to when you can kill a child in the womb.

However, the other side has become the party of abortion at any time, for any reason, up until the moment of birth. I challenge my friends on the other side to tell us when they actually would restrict abortion.

The Republican Party should proudly be the party of life.

The Supreme Court, which recently, about a year ago, overturned Roe v. Wade and the Dobbs decision, returned the responsibility on abortion to the people's Representatives. It ought to be up to Congress to vote to approve any agency rule that increases access to abortion. That is what this amendment does.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the service of 99-year-old Reverend Willard Smith of Pittsylvania County, Virginia.

My office came to know Reverend Smith when he and his wife requested assistance with a Federal agency. We were more than happy to successfully resolve his case.

Mr. Smith was drafted into the U.S. Army at age 18 during World War II, where, as a member of the 553rd Quartermaster Service Battalion, he brought supplies to the front lines and prisoners back to camp.

During the war, Reverend Smith came to know the Lord and relied on his Christian faith and the truth of the Bible for his strength to persevere through such challenging times.

Upon returning home to Virginia after the war, Reverend Smith began serving the North New Hope Baptist Church congregation in Danville, Virginia, where he has faithfully pastored for over 60 years. Now that he is 99, Reverend Smith continues to serve his congregation and give back to the Danville and Southside communities.

I am honored to represent wonderful constituents of Virginia's Fifth District such as Reverend Smith, who is an example for all Americans to follow.

Mr. Speaker, as we prepare to honor the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for our freedom this coming Memorial Day, I rise to honor the life of Lynchburg, Virginia, native Private First Class Desmond T. Doss.

Doss served the United States Army as a medic, becoming the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945 after fearlessly saving 75 wounded men under fire at the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.

The popular movie ``Hacksaw Ridge'' was based on Doss' story and accurately captures the valor and heroism he displayed during that deadly battle. Desmond Doss demonstrated true sacrifice and conviction, standing firm in his faith and for his love of country.

This week I plan to introduce legislation to rename the Lynchburg VA clinic after Private First Class Desmond T. Doss, to memorialize his outstanding legacy for generations to come.

We are forever grateful as a Nation for the sacrifices made by those who fight and have fought to keep our country free.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chair Foxx for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be the sponsor of this resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to hold President Biden accountable for his reckless, unfair, unlawful, unconstitutional student loan transfer scheme.

President Biden simply does not have the authority to ``forgive'' loans and thereby spend, unilaterally, more than $300 billion.

In fact, he even admitted that to CNN host Anderson Cooper in February 2021, saying: ``I don't think I have the authority to do it by signing with a pen.''

Democrats, in fact, knew he didn't have the power to do it and advised him not to.

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on July 28, 2021, said: ``People think that the President of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness. He does not. He can postpone. He can delay. But he does not have that power. That has to be an act of Congress.''

My friends and colleagues on the other side of the aisle piled on.

Representative Jared Golden of Maine said: ``This decision by the President is out of touch with what the majority of the American people want from the White House, which is leadership to address the most immediate challenges the country is facing.''

Representative Chris Pappas of New Hampshire said: ``This announcement by President Biden is no way to make policy and sidesteps Congress and our oversight and fiscal responsibilities. Any plan to address student debt should go through the legislative process, and it should be more targeted and paid for so it doesn't add to the deficit.''

Representative Sharice Davids of Kansas said: ``It is not how I would have addressed this issue.''

Yet, the President decided yet again to act unconstitutionally. Like the timing of the depletion of our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, this so-called student loan transfer scheme--interesting timing--was just before the election.

Despite his better judgment, a barrage of legal challenges, and this current effort by this Congress to nullify his actions, President Biden has preemptively announced that he will veto my resolution. I invite the President to reconsider his position.

Federal involvement in higher education, as a matter of fact, has done nothing to bring down the cost of college. In fact, for every $1 increase in student loan subsidies, colleges have increased their tuition by 60 cents. All across the country, more than 92 percent of all student loan debt comes from Federal loans, totaling over $1.6 trillion.

This debt is held by just 13 percent of the population--in fact, the most elite 13 percent. It is estimated that two-thirds of the student loan transfer scheme would go to the top half of earners, not to mention that 70 percent of the debt is owed by students who went to graduate school.

Mr. Speaker, 60 percent of the constituents in my district don't even have a college degree. Yet, the Biden administration wants them to have to pay for the education of others who will have a significantly higher lifetime earning potential.

Student loan cancellation doesn't make the debt actually go away. It simply shifts the costs from the student loan borrower and transfers it to hardworking American taxpayers.

It is also worth mentioning the key role this policy plays in the fiscal health of our Nation as we address our debt ceiling. The principle of this resolution, nullifying President Biden's student loan transfer scheme, was one of the key provisions of the Limit, Save, Grow Act. Saving $315 billion by simply asking Americans to honor their commitment to pay back their own student loans will help us get our country's spending under control.

Student loan borrowers are responsible for the debt they incurred, and Congress is responsible for the $32 trillion that we have spent.

House Republicans take that seriously, which is why, a month ago, we passed a plan to responsibly raise the debt limit while providing historic savings for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I invite Representative Pelosi and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to stand by their word and vote with me today in favor of this resolution to nullify President Biden's student loan transfer scheme. Congress must reclaim its power and act today to stop the unilateral action of President Biden that is exacerbating the higher education financial crisis.

Additionally, my resolution will do what should have been done a long time ago: End the student loan repayment pause that has already cost taxpayers $195 billion.

In short, this bill is needed to help steer our government spending in a more responsible direction, and I urge all of my colleagues on both sides to support this commonsense legislation and vote in favor of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 288th birthday of Amelia County, Virginia.

Located in the rolling hills of Virginia's southern Piedmont region, Amelia County was founded in 1735 and named in honor of Princess Amelia, the daughter of King George II.

Amelia County has since contributed to the rich history of the United States, appropriate for it being located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the most historic of all States.

In fact, the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1843 to 1845 for the 28th Congress, John Winston Jones, was born in Amelia County.

During World War II, the county's Morefield Mine provided significant strategic minerals that were very important to the successful American war effort.

Just a few days ago, on May 13, I was honored to be able to join Amelia County for its annual Amelia Day Festival to celebrate the historic founding of this great county, now 288 years old.

Members from the Amelia County Public Schools band, Amelia Academy chorus, and the Amelia County High School chorus performed to commemorate this wonderful occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent the great people of Amelia County, and I appreciate all that they contribute to Virginia's Fifth Congressional District and our great Commonwealth.

Shrink Washington and Grow America

Mr. Speaker, I commend our Speaker and this House, this very body, for negotiating and passing a responsible bill to raise the debt limit in exchange for spending cuts and reforms.

While the White House and the Senate stood on the sidelines for 90 days, this very body came together in initiating a debt limit increase. While many of our Members did not want to increase the debt limit, we negotiated that with responsible and reasonable spending cuts and reforms.

Democrats in the White House and here in Congress would, if they had their way, raise the debt ceiling by some $4 trillion with no reforms or spending cuts, promising to do what Washington never does, cut spending in some future undefined date.

Certainly, a default will occur if we continue on the current track when we can no longer borrow, we can no longer sell our debt, and we can no longer service our debt. Republicans here in the House are determined not to let this happen, and that is why we have done our job.

What have we passed out of this House?

Returning spending to pre-COVID levels for nondefense discretionary spending. We put 1 percent caps on future growth in spending. We have eliminated hundreds of billions of dollars in woke climate environmental extremism that is in the phony inflation increase act and the phony Inflation Reduction Act.

We have eliminated the half-a-trillion-dollar student loan transfer scheme, eliminated the expansion of the IRS, and rescinded unspent COVID funds, which are tens of billions of dollars more. Most Americans understand that those are reasonable, and all of these should be rescinded and eliminated.

We also have reinstated work requirements for able-bodied Americans of working age without dependents in return for Federal assistance. This is important not just to save tens of billions of dollars, but to grow our economy and get back to the Trump-growth of 3 to 4 percent a year, instead of the Biden growth of 1 percent a year.

We have got the REINS Act, which will require a floor vote on every significant rule or regulation coming out of the regulatory bodies, the unaccounted bureaucrats who run our agencies and departments.

We also have H.R. 1, our energy bill, which will return us to American energy independence, which is critical for our national security, as well as our economic security.

Default will not happen June 1, or any time thereafter, unless it is willfully caused by the Secretary of the Treasury, who chooses not to prioritize payments toward the obligations on our debt, Social Security, Medicare, our veterans, and our defense.

As a matter of fact, I authored a letter to Secretary Yellen, joined by many of my colleagues, asking: What is her plan to ensure we don't have a default and to prioritize payments?

What will happen if we don't raise the debt ceiling? You would have the forced reduction of $100 billion on a monthly basis in discretionary spending.

Democrats in the House, the Senate, and in the White House will not allow that to happen. We need to hold the line and have the Senate pass the Save, Limit, Grow Act, which was passed 3 weeks ago in this very body. They need to do their job and avoid whatever consequences there might be for reaching the debt limit.

What we ought to do in this House body, rather than negotiate down and weaken the bill that we passed, we ought to be adding H.R. 2, our border security bill, as we see the hundreds of thousands of migrants on a monthly basis that are invading our country as a result of this President's border policies.

I applaud my House colleagues for doing our job to protect the financial integrity of the United States, which is our number one responsibility as the House of Representatives, and passing this responsible spending bill that will avoid any consequence from not raising the debt limit and will put us on a path of future fiscal responsibility.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Texas for his leadership on this initiative and on this bill.

It is sad that we find ourselves today having to force the administration to enforce the security of the United States border, that we have to force the Department of Homeland Security to secure the border.

What this bill will do is codify into law the effective policies under the previous administration that left this President with a secure border. What did this President have to do to maintain a secure border? He did nothing but keep the policies in place that he inherited.

We are currently averaging some 10,000 illegals per day invading the country. What is the response from the Democrats on the other side in this administration? We can do better.

We are having some 300,000 illegals invade the country on a monthly basis. Think of the three largest football stadiums in the country, that equivalency invading our border every day, invading our country.

Yet, we cannot get one Democrat vote, I predict, to vote to secure our border, to protect our country's national security, our health security, our economic security.

This bill will build the wall. It will hire more border agents. It will enhance technology to assist them. It will require transparency and accountability from this derelict Department of Homeland Security. It will enhance compensation for our Border Patrol. It will support local law enforcement in their efforts to help secure the border.

The fact is, no country in the history of the world has been more welcoming to migrants from all over the world, from all races, all nationalities, all ethnicities, than the United States of America. We support legal, lawful immigration, and that is why this country permits a million legal migrants every year. But we must stand united against illegal immigration, and this bill does just that.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Cammack for hosting this Special Order tonight and honoring the brave men and women who put their lives in harm's way to keep our communities safe.

Every day, some 800,000 law enforcement officers put on the badge and leave their families behind not knowing what the day will hold.

They serve silently on the front lines, faithfully upholding the law and fighting to reduce crime and to save lives.

Our party truly backs the blue. It stands proudly with these valiant men and women, including those serving this Capitol complex even tonight.

Sadly, however, those on the other side want to defund the police and restrict their ability to enforce the law, but we want them to have all the support and resources they need most to effectively execute their duties.

In fact, I have a former State trooper on my own staff, and I am grateful for his service to our Commonwealth.

Unfortunately, these last few years have seen mass retirements and decreasing morale in police departments, so I stand with my colleagues to express deep gratitude to all law enforcement officers who stand in the gap to serve and protect.

Thanks to them, families in our communities can sleep better knowing you stand watching, ready to respond when needed. I thank them on behalf of a grateful Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Kiley for hosting this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, Julie Su has already auditioned for the job as Secretary of Labor, failing miserably and proving beyond a reasonable doubt that she is unfit for the position.

For 2 years now, Ms. Su has been second in command at the Department of Labor, and all we need to do is look at the rules and regulations that have been issued under her watch.

Her department of labor has incentivized and pressured retirement plans to focus on woke ESG guidelines instead of making investment decisions based on return on investment.

Her department of labor has undermined the right of religious organizations to hire according to their beliefs if they want to participate in Federal contracts, discriminating against them and essentially violating their civil rights.

Her department of labor has redefined the definition of ``joint employers'' to harm the independence of franchisees.

Her department of labor has undercut independent contractors to make the Federal Government more like California. Yes, that is what we want to do. That is the example we want to follow, and then maybe people will start fleeing the United States the way they are fleeing California today.

Her department of labor has raised the minimum wage for employers on Federal contracts to $15 an hour.

While she was the secretary of labor in California, she ignored the warnings from the United States Department of Labor to improve fraud protection against the jobless benefit payments she was issuing. This is coming from the Biden administration that wants to give as many benefits to as many individuals as possible with essentially no verification of qualifications.

Of course, in this administration of failing forward, instead of being reprimanded, she is being considered for a promotion to the Nation's top labor job.

We all know who Julie Su is. We know that she will take her orders from anti-American Big Labor and further assault right-to-work.

All Senators who value small businesses and workers' rights should oppose her nomination.