Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, the Texas Hill Country is well-known as one of the most beautiful regions in the State and it just witnessed one of the most horrific disasters in our State's history.

I saw it last week myself when we went down to Kerrville, and you could see homes gone and roads shattered and families broken. I met first responders who pulled neighbors from waters that just destroyed lives.

I heard the stories like that of Jeff Ramsey and his wife, Tanya, two constituents from Texas-26. They were Texans, and they were parents trapped in their camper at Hill Country Campground as the flood swallowed everything around them.

In those final moments, Jeff picked up his phone and he said good-bye to his kids. ``Hey, buddy, I love you so much. I think this is it for us. Tell Rache-y I love her.''

Mr. Speaker, what do you say to that? What do you say to a son who lost his father or to a daughter who only has her father's final words? What we are going to say is that we will never forget them. That we will honor every life lost, including Jeff, Tanya, and every other life taken by those unforgiving waters. We will honor and remember the young girls and staff at Camp Mystic and the vacationing families enjoying their Independence Day weekend.

This flood stole lives and stories and futures and Texans. Today, we mourn them and we honor them and we will remember them. We will carry their names and their stories, but we also thank the first responders who jumped into this mess in dangerous conditions and who are still working to clean up the flood.

I think, in particular, of our colleague Congressman Morgan Luttrell, who is out working right now, as well as Mr. Roy who has been working around the clock for his district over the past 2 weeks.

Mr. Speaker, God bless Kerrville, God bless Texas, and God bless the

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commend Mr. Ray Fletcher of Cooke County, Texas, for a lifetime of devoted service to our nation, The Great State of Texas, and his local community.

Mr. Fletcher first answered the call to serve when he joined the United States Air Force in 1981, where he trained and served as a Nuclear Weapons Specialist. Over the course of an honorable 22-year military career, he rose to the rank of Senior Master Sergeant, exemplifying leadership, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to the security of our country. He retired from active duty in 2003, but his public service was far from over.

Immediately upon retirement, Mr. Fletcher began his second career in direct service to the people of Cooke County as the Emergency Manager and Fire Marshal. In this role, which he held for an additional 22 years, he became a cornerstone of public safety and emergency preparedness in North Texas. Mr. Fletcher led Cooke County through seven federally declared disasters, investigated over 400 fires, and oversaw numerous other critical incidents that required his seasoned judgment and calm leadership. Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Fletcher was instrumental in coordinating the Individual Safe Room Grant Program, a vital initiative that led to the installation of 425 storm shelters across Cooke County. His foresight and dedication undoubtedly made Cooke County a safer place for all who call it home.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Ray Fletcher's contributions to his country and community reflect the very best of American values. I am proud to represent such a distinguished citizen in the 26th Congressional District of Texas. On behalf of a grateful community, I thank him for his selfless service and wish him continued happiness in his well- earned retirement.

Mr. Speaker, if FOX News or talk radio or any other conservative media outlet came to me and asked us if we should provide them with taxpayer-funded handouts, I would say no, and I believe that most of my colleagues would as well.

I certainly think that far-left propaganda outlets like NPR should be defunded. Remember, this is an outlet that believes writing articles about fat phobia and queer animals constitutes serious journalism. They have the right to say whatever they want to, but they do not have the right to our tax dollars.

To my colleagues who say that this is only a small part of our budget, I would ask them what, outside of border security and national defense, would they like to cut from our budget? They have never seen a foreign country they don't want to shower with our tax dollars or an illegal alien that they don't want to give welfare to.

This is a logical first step to get our finances under control. I urge my colleagues to vote for this rescissions bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to Democrats trying to give voting rights to illegal aliens.

Mr. Speaker, once again, Democrats are taking the 20 percent side on another 80-20 issue. The American people do not want illegal aliens voting. They shouldn't be here to begin with. They have no claim on our resources. They certainly should not influence our political system in any respect.

Mr. Speaker, every single one of them needs to be deported. Thankfully, we have a President who is actually doing that.

For so long, Democrats have called conservatives conspiracy theorists. They have slandered us for saying that the Democratic playbook, which they themselves have articulated, is to open up our borders to ultimately provide amnesty, a path to citizenship, and voting rights to illegal aliens.

Mr. Speaker, they are doing that right now. That is exactly what they are doing, and they are fighting for it. Allowing illegal aliens to vote is not only grotesquely unjust, but it waters down the meaning of citizenship for American citizens who are here.

Mr. Speaker, our government should represent our people, American citizens. Illegal aliens have no right to vote. They shouldn't be voting, and they need to be deported.

Mr. Speaker, China has state-sponsored media. North Korea has state-sponsored media. The United States does not need taxpayer-funded propaganda.

Mr. Speaker, we have the opportunity this week to rescind a billion dollars that is in the pipeline right now for NPR and PBS, two outlets that routinely spew anti-American and anti-Christian propaganda. They sow racial division in this country, and they promote weird, woke values that most Americans find disgusting.

Mr. Speaker, this is something that we have talked about for a long time, and finally, we have a President who is serious about rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse from the Federal Government. This is the perfect place to start.

Let's pass this rescission bill. Let's end taxpayer-funded propaganda. Let's take our country back.

Mr. Speaker, so much of what we have heard tonight from the other side of the aisle is nothing but shrill and hysterical calumny from a political party who have nothing to offer the American people but confiscatory taxes, open borders, and men in women's sports.

They talk about cruelty, Mr. Speaker. I will tell you what is cruel: Cruelty is deliberately facilitating the mass importation of millions of illegal aliens, many of whom are murdering and raping and pillaging our people on our soil.

Mr. Speaker, this bill will fund border security. It will fund ICE, and it will fund the largest deportation operation in American history.

Mr. Speaker, we are taking our country back. I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a tremendous honor for the heart of Texas' 26th Congressional District, Flower Mound, Texas, named the best place to live in America. My family and I are blessed to call it home.

The distinction didn't come from luck. It came from leadership, vision, and a community where hometown charm meets national excellence.

In Flower Mound, top-tier schools set the standard, green spaces stretch for miles, and small businesses like Flurry's Market + Provisions bring neighbors together. It is a town where families plant roots, where freedom is felt, and where opportunity isn't just a promise; it is a way of life.

At the heart of Texas-26, Flower Mound shows what happens when faith, family, and hard work form the foundation of a community.

I congratulate the local leaders whose dedication made this recognition possible. Flower Mound isn't just the best place to live in America, it is proof that the American Dream lives right here in north Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for hosting this Special Order.

Over the past 4 years, Joe Biden and the Democrats have inundated American communities with massive numbers of violent, illegal aliens who are murdering, raping, torturing, and pillaging our people on our soil.

They did it the entire time, not by accident but as a deliberate policy decision, to open up our borders and flood our country with people that they believed would be future Democrat voters for life.

We have to remember it was also a part of a policy that was done with the approbation of a cheap labor lobby who wanted to import millions of people who would act as a virtual, new serf class of laborers to reduce American working-class wages in this country.

The consequences of this were absolutely catastrophic for the American people. Almost 15 million illegal aliens, perhaps more, depending on what estimates we use, have come into this country.

Thankfully, this nightmare is finally over because we have a President who

actually cares about the American people. We have a President who doesn't make excuses. We have a President who doesn't tell us lies, like the executive needs to rely on new laws to enforce our border. We have a President who actually just gets the job done.

His border enforcement efforts have caused known got-aways to fall by 93 percent with an average of just 132 a day right now. Even as this nightmare in this country is finally coming to a close, we have colleagues on the other side of the aisle right now who are facilitating this invasion as best they can and going back to their districts and helping protect illegal aliens who have no business being here in the first place. They are teaching them how to evade ICE detection.

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely disgusting. We have got to codify President Trump's border policies into law so that we don't let the other side of the aisle unleash the same kind of hell on our country that they did over the past 4 years. We have got to codify every single executive order including his remain in Mexico policy. I have got a bill, the REMAIN in Mexico Act, which would do precisely that. We have got over 100 cosponsors.

Mr. Speaker, I think we need to bring this bill to the floor. This is what the American people want. This is what the President wants. I think we need to act fast.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Arrington for his leadership throughout this process.

Mr. Speaker, President Trump delivered historic results. He is securing our border, restoring common sense, lowering costs, and reestablishing America's strength in the world. He is stopping our tax dollars from funding woke, perverted projects that the other side of the aisle seeks to push.

Today, 60 percent of American taxpayers are facing rising taxes and uncertainty. To address these challenges, this resolution provides for the extension of the Trump tax cuts, funds the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, and cuts at least $1.5 trillion in waste, fraud, and abuse from our Federal budget.

This is something that should receive bipartisan support. Our commitment to fiscal discipline is clear. Conservatives on the Budget Committee added a provision that incentivizes a total of $2 trillion in reductions.

Mr. Speaker, the American people are begging for Washington to unlock the Trump agenda, which this bill does. They gave us a mandate to save this country, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, across this Nation, men and women rise before dawn, lace up their boots, and power America forward. They drill, refine, transport, and innovate, fueling homes, factories, and cities.

Yet, time and again, Democrats in Washington try to strangle their livelihoods with bans, red tape, and radical restrictions.

Just last month, Democrats pushed policies to lock away 670 million acres of land and water from energy production. While they push their anti-energy agenda, hardworking Americans pay the price at the pump, on their utility bills, and on their paychecks.

Congressman August Pfluger's Protecting Energy Production Act stops this sabotage. It blocks any President from banning fracking, unlocks leasing on public lands, slashes red tape, and restores energy independence. More energy means lower costs, better jobs, and a stronger America.

We must pass the Protecting American Energy Production Act.

Mr. Speaker, it is the honor of my life to serve the people of Texas' 26th Congressional District. My district encompasses parts of Denton, Cooke, Wise, and Tarrant Counties, all the way north to the Oklahoma border.

Our district offers a tapestry of landscapes that reflect the best of Texas, but what truly makes our district special is its people. From the ranchers

who raise horses, beef cattle, sheep, and goats to the entrepreneurs driving new innovation, the healthcare workers caring for our loved ones, and the educators shaping the minds of tomorrow, we are guided by our patriotic love of country.

Our district has a legacy of strong leadership, and I thank and congratulate Dr. Burgess for his service to our district.

Today, I honor the kind and hardworking men and women from Texas' great 26th Congressional District who entrusted me to serve on their behalf. I am honored to call it my home, and I am honored to be their Representative in Washington.