Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Sharia Free America Caucus, which I am proud to have joined.

Across the world, ideologically driven Islamic movements have destabilized entire regions; displaced tens of millions of people; and fueled terrorism, repression, and violence.

Where civil law is subordinated to Islamic authority, freedom, prosperity, and security collapse. Sharia law is not a personal creed. It is a political and legal system and one that rejects equality before the law, suppresses dissent, and fuses radical religious doctrine with state power. History shows that where Sharia gains influence, constitutional government gives way to coercion.

In Texas, my constituents are increasingly alarmed by the consequences of mass migration and the importation of ideologies that are fundamentally incompatible with our Western civilization.

The purpose of this caucus is clear: to ensure that Sharia never gains a foothold in America--not now, and not ever.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the late Brenda Gormley and to honor her 24 years of distinguished public service to Denton County, Texas. Her commitment to emergency preparedness and volunteer training strengthened Denton County and North Texas, leaving a lasting legacy.

Brenda's involvement in emergency preparedness began in 2005 when she was introduced to the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) during a visit to the Highland Village Fire Department. What started as a simple inquiry quickly turned into a lifelong passion. She served as a CERT manager and instructor, earning recognition as a Texas CERT Master Instructor.

After Hurricane Katrina, Brenda served as a shelter manager and helped establish the Denton County CERT program at the request of Assistant Chief Roland Asebedo. Starting with fewer than a dozen volunteers, she grew the program into one of the most respected in Texas, expanding it to more than 500 background-checked, active members who received free, hands-on training open to all Denton County residents.

Under Brenda's dedicated leadership, Denton County's Citizen Corps Council received the National Award for Outstanding Citizen Corps Council in 2009. She served as Secretary of the Denton County VOAD Citizen Corps Council and as Past Chair of the North Central Texas Regional Citizen Corps Council, helping implement, expand, and sustain Citizen Corps programs regionally and statewide. Brenda's significant contributions to community preparedness and public service were recognized by Governor Greg Abbott at the state level and President Barack Obama nationally.

Brenda also helped develop the G517 CERT Master Instructor curriculum and the G417 CERT refresher curriculum for Texas. In 2011, she was honored as the first recipient of the Jack Colley Citizen Corps Leadership Award for her exceptional leadership and service. She further enhanced Denton County CERT by creating specialized response teams, often called upon to assist first responders.

Mr. Speaker, Brenda Gormley embodied the true spirit of public service and neighbors helping neighbors. I request my colleagues to join me in honoring her extraordinary dedication and contributions to the safety and security of her neighbors in Denton County and across Texas. Our sincere condolences go to her family, friends, and colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time on this important issue.

I strongly oppose this bill because it would jeopardize our national security, and it locks in harmful last-minute agreements from the Biden administration.

Union bosses love this bill for one reason: It protects their telework perk. It also shields them from accountability and gives them effective veto power over a duly elected President with a mandate to clean up a bloated Federal bureaucracy.

Specifically, this legislation would nullify President Trump's executive order titled ``Exclusions From Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs.'' The executive order wisely designated various agencies as having a national security focus as their primary functions and exempts them from collective bargaining.

Union officials do not and should not have the right to use their collective bargaining power to undermine President Trump and jeopardize our national security.

One example of this just fairly recently is ICE not being able to modify cybersecurity policies without giving its union bosses an opportunity to negotiate, delaying needed cybersecurity updates.

In another example, union bosses threatened to block the Office of Personnel Management from implementing basic IT security controls.

There is a troubling pattern where union bosses block measures that they don't like, forgetting that they work for the American people and not the other way around.

The President's executive order also improves care for veterans. On August 6, 2025, the VA announced that it is terminating most union contracts to comply with the executive order.

Employees at the VA currently spend 750,000 hours engaging not in care for veterans but in union activities. That is every single year. The President's executive order will lead VA employees to spend more time helping veterans and less time in union activities.

It goes even further. This bill forbids the Trump administration from unwinding any collective bargaining agreement signed before March 26, 2025.

After Democrats lost the 2024 elections, the Biden administration hurried to ink multiyear deals that they knew they would never have to enforce, deliberately tying the hands of their successors and rewarding union leadership on their way out.

One example is especially egregious: the Social Security Administration deal that allows maximum telework, prohibits management from reducing it, and applies to 98.5 percent of the agency's workforce.

The Protect America's Workforce Act is nothing short of an attempt to prevent President Trump from reforming the Federal bureaucracy. It undermines national security and rewards union bosses who think that they run the government. I urge opposition.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 323) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 80 Prospect Street in Avon, New York, as the ``Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz Memorial Post Office Building''.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would rename a post office in Avon, New York, for Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz.

Officer Mazurkiewicz served with the Rochester Police Department for 29 years. Officer Mazurkiewicz was also an active member of the Rochester Police Locust Club for his entire career.

Officer Mazurkiewicz was tragically shot and killed while on duty while conducting surveillance duty. He is survived by his loving wife of 28 years, Lynn, four children, and three grandchildren.

I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Tenney).

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support this bill naming a post office for Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz, who gave his life in the line of duty.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1008) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 298 Route 292 in Holmes, New York, as the ``Sheriff Adrian `Butch' Anderson Post Office Building''.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would rename a post office in Holmes, New York, for Sheriff Adrian ``Butch'' Anderson.

Sheriff Anderson served Dutchess County for over 50 years, as mayor of Pawling for 8 years and sheriff for 47 years.

His numerous philanthropic efforts include his role as a board member of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Hudson Valley. He was also chairman of numerous organizations, including the American Heart Association, the March of Dimes, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

Sheriff Anderson is survived by his wife, Danielle, and children.

I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler).

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues in the House to support this bill naming a post office for a local civil servant, Sheriff Adrian ``Butch'' Anderson.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1009) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 86 Main Street in Haverstraw, New York, as the ``Paul Piperato Post Office Building''.

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 this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would rename a post office in Haverstraw, New York, for Paul Piperato.

Paul served the county of Rockland for over 30 years, 15 of them as county clerk. He was responsible for numerous innovative services in the county clerk's office, and his passion for the people who he worked with was evident in the quality of his work.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler).

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support this bill naming a post office for a local public servant, Paul Piperato, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1830) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 840 Front Street in Casselton, North Dakota, as the ``Commander Delbert Austin Olson Post Office''.

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 this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would rename a post office in Casselton, North Dakota, for U.S. Navy Commander Delbert Austin Olson.

Commander Olson entered the U.S. Navy from North Dakota and served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

On January 11, 1968, he piloted a mission that took off from Thailand and, while descending into the target area, the aircraft crashed, killing Commander Olson.

Commander Olson's remains were not recovered until 2001, and he has been memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Commander Olson was married to his wife, Patricia, and had two children, Dana and Eric.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Dakota (Mrs. Fedorchak).

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support this bill naming a post office for Commander Olson, who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to a grateful nation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2283) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 201 West Oklahoma Avenue in Guthrie, Oklahoma, as the ``Oscar J. Upham Post Office''.

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 this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would rename a post office in Guthrie, Oklahoma, for Oscar J. Upham. Oscar John Jefferson Upham was a private serving in the United States Marine Corps during the Boxer Rebellion and Spanish-American War, ultimately earning the Medal of Honor for his service in Peking, China, in the summer of 1900.

In addition to serving in the marines, Mr. Upham worked as a letter carrier for the Guthrie Post Office for 40 years. He retired from the U.S. Postal Service, and he died February 14, 1949, in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where many of his family still live today.

I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support this bill naming a post office for Oscar Upham, an American military hero.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2466) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 5225 Harrison Avenue in Rockford, Illinois, as the ``Jay P. Larson Post Office Building''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would rename a post office in Rockford, Illinois, for Jay P. Larson.

Mr. Larson worked as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service for 25 years. Serving with enthusiasm and commitment, known for his joy and warmheartedness, Jay Larson was tragically killed in a mass stabbing spree in March 2024 while delivering the mail.

Mr. Larson is survived by his mother, seven siblings, 10 nieces and nephews, and many friends.

I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support this bill naming a post office for Jay P. Larson who served his community with distinction as a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1461) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 521 Thorn Street in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, as the ``Mary Elizabeth `Bettie' Cole Post Office Building''.

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 this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would rename a post office in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, for Mary Elizabeth ``Bettie'' Cole.

Mrs. Cole served as the associate director of office services, director of the mailing department at Point Park College, local historian, and beloved member of her community.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support this bill naming a post office for Mary Elizabeth ``Bettie'' Cole, a local historian and beloved community member.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2175) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 130 South Patterson Avenue in Santa Barbara, California, as the ``Brigadier General Frederick R. Lopez Post Office Building''.

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 this measure.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would rename a post office in Santa Barbara, California, for Brigadier General Frederick R. Lopez.

Brigadier General Frederick Lopez served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 31 years, both in Active Duty and in the Marine Corps Reserve. As a result of his service, he has been awarded numerous decorations and medals.

Beyond his military service, Lopez served 7 years for McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Company as a flight test engineer and 29 years for Raytheon as an electronic warfare engineer and director of engineering.

Lopez has been an active member for his community, serving on the board of directors at the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation in Santa Barbara and has served with the National Academies of Science and Engineering.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support this bill, naming the post office for Brigadier General Frederick Lopez, a highly decorated U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1372) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 300 Macedonia Lane in Knoxville, Tennessee, as the ``Reverend Harold Middlebrook Post Office Building''.

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 this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would rename a post office in Knoxville, Tennessee, for Reverend Harold Middlebrook.

Reverend Middlebrook played a crucial role in the civil rights movement during the sanitation workers strike in Memphis and later founded the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission in Knoxville.

Reverend Middlebrook was president of the Bolivar Human Development Corporation, an adviser to the Hardeman County Bi-Racial Commission, coordinator of the Hardeman County Political Action Commission, and an advisory board member of the Tennessee Public Service Commission.

Reverend Middlebrook was a loving father to his three children, two of whom followed his footsteps to work in public service.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett).

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

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support this bill naming a post office for an honored community member, Reverend Harold Middlebrook.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is great to hear from Ms. Ocasio- Cortez, the new leader of the Democratic Party. Unfortunately, we didn't get to hear from Mr. Zohran Mamdani, their other leader.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to vote this evening to reopen the Federal Government. For 40 days the Democrats shut our government down to pursue unrealistic policy proposals that they know the American people do not want.

Mr. Speaker, the American people do not want healthcare for illegal aliens. They do not want our tax dollars funding leftwing media outlets. They do not want to drive up our debt $1.5 trillion as part of a short-term continuing resolution.

Mr. Speaker, the last 40 days have been nothing but pure political nihilism. I am glad this nightmare is over so we can get back to work on behalf of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present to you the Global Medical Response (GMR) Stars of Life award recipients for 2025. A proud member of the American Ambulance Association (AAA), GMR is a leader in emergency medical services across the country--providing care to communities and residents of all walks of life.

The AAA created the Stars of Life program to celebrate the contributions of ambulance professionals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in service to their communities and the EMS profession. By honoring the contributions of these heroes, the Stars of Life program also highlights the critical role EMS plays in our healthcare infrastructure.

The opportunities to save lives--whether it's someone who suffered a cardiac arrest following a motor vehicle incident in Evansville,

Indiana, or a 12-day old infant who stopped breathing in Clackamas, Oregon--are the situations for which EMS professionals train and prepare. But we should also honor the everyday professionalism, skill, and commitment to doing what is right for the patient that is at the forefront of everything emergency medical responders do, both on duty and off. By putting their own lives on the line every time they answer the call for help, EMS professionals are heroes in their local communities, even if some are too humble to see themselves that way.

I thank all first responders for answering the call and I thank the 2025 GMR Stars of Life award recipients for providing care to the world at a moment's notice. I include in the Record the following Global Medical Response's 2025 Stars of Life Award Recipients:

Carlos Bautista, Base Aviation Manager, Fixed Wing Pilot,

EagleMed, Dodge City, Kansas; Chris Crawford, Paramedic,

Field Training Officer, American Medical Response, Portland,

Oregon; Nathanael Day, Flight Nurse, Paramedic, EagleMed,

Dodge City, Kansas; Rudy Drago, Dispatch Lead, AMR River

Medical, Lake Havasu City, Arizona; Aaron Durette, Paramedic,

Field Training Officer, American Medical Response, West

Hartford, Connecticut; Arianne Emling, Flight Nurse, Base

Clinical Lead, Air Evac Lifeteam, Marion, Illinois; Jimi

Estrada-Velazquez, Paramedic, American Medical Response,

Riverside, California; Marc Flores, Flight Paramedic, Air

Evac Lifeteam, Abilene, Texas; Kenny Glimmee, Flight

Paramedic, REACH Air Medical Services, Alpine, California;

Aaron Goodloe, Paramedic, American Medical Response, Kansas

City, Kansas; Dylan Graves, Lead Paramedic, Field Training

Officer, Clackamas County, Oregon; Terry Gray, EMT, Crew

Chief, American Medical Response, Seattle, Washington; Julie

Humes, Flight Nurse, Air Evac Lifeteam, Macomb, Illinois;

Joseph Ketcham, Paramedic Supervisor, MedicWest, Las Vegas,

Nevada; PJ Lowe, Advanced EMT, American Medical Response,

Jackson; Mississippi; Matt Magiera, Paramedic, Medstar EMS,

Summerdale, Alabama; Beau McFarlin, Flight Paramedic, Air

Evac Lifeteam, Marion, Illinois; Alexander Megquier,

Paramedic, American Medical Response, West Hartford,

Connecticut; Douglas Milks, Paramedic, American Medical

Response, Buffalo, New York; Magen Morris, Paramedic, Special

Events Administrative Supervisor, MedicWest, Las Vegas,

Nevada; Holly Nasello, Paramedic, Life Line, Prescott,

Arizona; Trey Phillips, Flight Nurse, Paramedic, Air Evac

Lifeteam, Snellville, Georgia; Rick Pringle, Paramedic, Field

Training Office, AMR Temple EMS, Temple, Texas; Julie Purick,

Critical Care Paramedic, American Medical Response,

Rochester, New York; LeAnn Riley, Emergency Dispatcher, 911

Call Taker, American Medical Response, Modesto, California;

Ryan Rizen, Clinical Education Manager, American Medical

Response, Evansville, Indiana; Samantha Sabol, Paramedic,

Field Training Officer, AMR Temple EMS, Temple, Texas; Missy

Satterfield, Flight Nurse, Paramedic, Air Evac Lifeteam,

Abilene, Texas; Morgan Stanley, EMT, American Medical

Response, Independence, Missouri; Talitha Crowe, EMT, AMR

Temple EMS, Temple, Texas; Dustin Wilson, Paramedic, American

Medical Response, Stockton, California; and Brannen Zilka,

Paramedic, American Medical Response, Concord, California.

Mr. Speaker, Washington, D.C., is the Capital of the United States. It should reflect the glory, the beauty, and the grandeur of the most powerful civilization that has ever existed on the face of the Earth.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, that is not the case under Democrat rule. Under Democrat rule, especially in our Nation's Capital, we are forced to live under the cloud of anarcho-tyranny where criminals roam free and law-abiding families live in fear.

Mr. Speaker, under President Trump's leadership, Republicans are restoring law and order to cities that have been virtually abandoned by the left. That is why I introduced the District of Columbia Juvenile Sentencing Reform Act. It will make sure violent criminals are treated like violent criminals, no matter what their age.

Mr. Speaker, in 2021, Uber Eats driver Mohammad Anwar was murdered in D.C. during a carjacking by two teenage girls. One of the criminals was 15 years old. She was convicted of felony murder, and she was given a maximum sentence under D.C. law. She will be free when she turns 21 years old. That is 6 years for murder. That is 6 years for taking a father away from his family. This bill ensures that that travesty of justice never happens again.

Mr. Speaker, the reality of crime in D.C. is bleak. D.C.'s homicide rate in 2024 was 27.3 per 100,000. That is the fourth highest in our Nation. The first 6 months of 2025 alone, juveniles in D.C. were arrested 900 times. Many of those arrests were for repeat violent offenders. Around 200 juveniles arrested for violent crimes in 2024 had prior violent crime arrests.

Mr. Speaker, this isn't rehabilitation. This is a revolving door of crime that the left has created in this city. Meanwhile, the D.C. Council passed reforms to weaken policing and reduce penalties for carjacking and robbery. As a matter of policy, they are choosing criminals over innocent Americans.

Mr. Speaker, we hear from the other side of the aisle that locking up criminals by some weird and bizarre logic increases crime. The reality, which we all know because it is self-evident, is that when a criminal is in jail, by definition, they are not committing crimes on our streets and not terrorizing innocent Americans.

We are told that if we care about public safety, we shouldn't put criminals in prison. Mr. Speaker, this is insane. They know it. The American people know it.

If we want to live in a law-abiding society, we have to get these violent and ruthless offenders off of our streets. That is what Republicans are doing, and that is what Democrats on the other side of the aisle are fighting right now.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation lowers the age for transfer to adult court from 16 to 14 for the most heinous crimes. We are talking about murder, first-degree sexual assault, armed robbery, and burglary.

It expands the cases that can be tried by the U.S. Attorney's Office, ensuring that woke, weird prosecutors like D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb can't let violent offenders slip through the cracks. It sends a simple message. Democrats may tolerate crime, but Republicans do not.

Mr. Speaker, every American should be able to walk down our streets without fear of being murdered or raped or having their car broken into. Every parent should be able to put their child to bed without wondering if their home is going to be broken into.

This bill restores order and common sense to the laws of our Nation's Capital. The American people and every visitor in D.C., as well, deserve nothing less.