Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, Americans demand that their elected leaders step up and do the work of the people.

Madam Speaker, 3 weeks ago, this body did exactly that. It passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act to avoid a debt default and to put in place commonsense controls on our out-of-control Federal spending.

The Limit, Save, Grow Act will reduce our Federal deficit by $4.8 trillion over the next decade and lifts the debt ceiling to avoid this looming crisis, all while protecting seniors and veterans.

We have demonstrated to the American people that we are committed to doing the work of the American people on critical issues, providing real solutions and working to retake our place on the world stage.

Yet, our bill was met by even more silence from the White House and childish derision from leadership in the Senate--no negotiation, no counterproposal. In short, not an ounce of work from the executive branch nor the other half of the legislative branch.

Maybe they were too busy. Maybe they were on vacation. Maybe they hadn't thought through the disastrous consequences of doing nothing.

No work, no solutions, no negotiations, no plan--the Biden-Schumer default is coming for your Social Security check because they refuse to show up for work.

Just remember, the Limit, Save, Grow Act restores funding to fiscal year 2022 levels. If you liked veterans' benefits in 2022, you will like them in our bill. In fact, the House GOP, through the Appropriations Committee, has announced our proposal to increase the budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs by nearly $18 billion.

For the record, I am a proud veteran, and I am insulted by our opponents' false accusations.

Now is the time to show Americans what true leadership looks like. I implore our President and our Senate colleagues to come to the table and do the work that the people have sent us here to do. Their inaction and inability to work to find common ground have not gone unnoticed by our citizens. I am here to do the work of the people. My Republican colleagues are here to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Augusta Presbyterian Church in Oriskany Falls, NY, which is celebrating its 225th Anniversary this year.

Augusta Presbyterian Church was first formed on September 7, 1797, when Reverends Asabell North and Joel Bradley formed a Congregational society in Augusta's log schoolhouse with nine charter members.

For the first 8 years, services were held everywhere from private homes to schoolhouses, in barns and in the open air. From 1805-1816, the congregation worshipped in the Town Hall. In 1816, the present Augusta Presbyterian Church building was completed, and the congregation has met there ever since.

For 225 years, this church has been a symbol of the community, bringing generations together and helping others in any way they can. I commend the Augusta Presbyterian Church for their 225 years in the community and know that they will continue to serve for many years to come.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairwoman for yielding.

Mr. Chair, within just a few years, our Nation will task the first women with the awesome responsibility of commanding our nuclear submarines. These submarines will serve on the front lines of any future global conflict, and they are among the most feared and powerful weapons in the world. Women who will command these boats will lead many of the finest sailors our Nation has ever seen.

In nearly every case, these women's paths to this extraordinary responsibility and this extraordinary call to leadership begin with and traveled through their competitiveness in sports.

Leadership, excellence, teamwork, inspiration, and sacrifice are all learned and earned on the sports field. They are champions. They are scholars. They are warriors.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 734 in celebration of the dramatic impact that women's competitive sports has brought to our Nation and are now adding to the defense of our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago, Syracuse University made a commitment to high school students to help prepare them for college. It also made a commitment to educators to help them continue to grow in their profession, and it made a commitment to the education community as a whole to continue important research.

The Syracuse University Project Advance is an enhanced concurrent enrollment project that is serving over 200 other partner schools. It has helped more than 750 educators become Syracuse University adjuncts.

We celebrate 50 years of the Syracuse University Project Advance program today. As a supporter of choice in education, I applaud SU for their continued efforts locally to provide programs that give students access to the tools necessary for their careers and prepare them for college.

The Syracuse University Project Advance increases dialogue between a major local university and our local high schools. It offers innovative courses, and it allows students the option to stay local and be prepared for the next chapters in their lives right in their hometowns.

Mr. Speaker, the redefinition of these waters of the United States rules is really only about one thing, and that is Government overreach.

When faced with a crisis, the Government is given a broad mandate and loves very vague rules.

Just recently, we remember the incredible rules of the COVID crisis and the extraordinary powers granted to Government to effect this crisis.

Mr. Speaker, if you remember the definition of essential businesses, essential personnel, essential services, then you have some idea really of what the waters of the United States redefinition desired by activist courts and desired by current administration means.

You can imagine the effect it will have on our lives, Mr. Speaker.

The Clean Water Act was a broad power given in 1974 to clean up polluted waterways.

Guess what, Mr. Speaker?

It worked. We have clean waters and clean rivers. It has been an extraordinary success since the high point of pollution in the 1970s. With a government that is hungry for power, as we learned most recently in COVID, bureaucrats remembered that vague rules allow for extraordinary powers. You are not a farmer; you are a polluter. You are not a homeowner; you are a polluter. You are not a home builder; you are a polluter. You are guilty until proven innocent.

My colleagues across the aisle say that this provides clarity, and it does.

But clarity for whom?

This rule provides clarity only to EPA regulators who will have extraordinary authority. It doesn't provide clarity to homeowners, farmers, and home builders.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Past Chief and Current Assistant Chief Jon Barrett on attending his 10,000th alarm with the Cicero Volunteer Fire Department.

Chief Barrett grew up in a house across from Cicero Fire Station No. 1, he officially joined the Cicero Volunteer Fire Department (CVFD) as a full member on August 1, 1996.

In the 27 years of his membership, Chief Barrett has held the firematic ranks of Captain, 2nd Assistant Chief, 1st Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief, and Chief of Fire. He has served as Vice President and President for the Corporation. Along with interior firefighter duties, he is a New York State Emergency Medical Technician Basic (EMT-B), and a New York State Fire Police Officer. He has served as the Cicero Fire District Building and Grounds Maintenance Employee and the Apparatus Maintenance Employee.

Chief Barrett has received the Onondaga County Volunteer Fireman's Association (OCVFA) Medal of Valor and Red Jacket Award, the Lt. Howard ``Howie'' Crowell Officer of the Year Award (2004), the Liberty Mutual Insurance Firemark Award, and the Central New York Emergency Medical Services (CNY EMS) Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) of the Year Award. On several occasions he has received the CVFD Top Responder award, Top Ten Responder award, Life Save award, and the Stork Pin for assisting in out-of-hospital births. Chief Barrett also serves as a member of the Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) on the Training Education Committee.

On December 23, 2022, Chief Barrett attended his 10,000th alarm since the CVFD started electronic alarm record keeping on January 1, 1998. His first alarm in that system was on January 2, 1998. In his nearly 27 years as a member, he has averaged over 373 alarms per year.

I commend Chief Jon Barrett for his dedication to protecting our community and congratulate him on his 10,000th alarm.

Mr. Speaker, I am equally honored to stand here with the gentleman and fellow veteran, Mr. Mast, as well as my New York colleague, Mr. Meeks.

Mr. Speaker, America has always stood up to bullies. I am a veteran of the Cold War. For half a century, our Nation stood against the tyranny of the Soviet Union.

I volunteered to serve in the Navy, making six strategic deterrent patrols in the Pacific aboard a nuclear submarine.

The mission was clear: to project strength, to stand ready to defend our Nation and our allies, and to deter the aggression of our enemies.

Today, we are reminded what happens if American leaders fail in that mission. The Russian military, emboldened by their invasion of Ukraine, making veiled threats of nuclear escalation, suppressing the voices even of their own people, they have deliberately provoked this Nation-- you and me.

On March 14, 2023, one of our MQ-9 Reaper drones, flying safely in international airspace and in accordance with international law, was attacked by two Russian Su-27 fighter jets.

These lawless pilots dumped their fuel, hitting our aircraft in mid- flight, forcing an American reconnaissance asset to ditch in international waters.

I remain shocked not only at the unprofessional and reckless nature of the Russian pilots, but also of the Russian Government's accolades and awards that it heaped upon them.

Mr. Speaker, I am reminded from my naval service that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. That is exactly why I have proposed H. Res. 240, a resolution condemning the reckless actions of the Russian military resulting in a loss of a U.S. aircraft.

The resolution is simple. It recognizes the events that took place, highlighted by the declassified video from European Command. It resolves that the House of Representatives condemns the Russian military's actions and reaffirms that the United States will not be deterred from operating our drones in the Black Sea. This resolution speaks not for a single political ideology but on behalf of all Americans who desire peace.

I would take a moment to thank Representative Costa, who has joined me in this bipartisan effort of standing up to tyranny and the direct act of aggression against our military.

At this time of escalating tensions around the world, we must speak out against brazen provocation. Today, the world can see that Americans across the political spectrum speak with one voice in condemnation of this act.

By standing together here on the floor of the House of Representatives, we project strength by standing together, we reassure our allies that we are committed to defend ourselves and our friends, and together, we will ensure the peace through deterrence in unity.

Mr. Speaker, this month marks the 60th anniversary of the loss of the nuclear submarine the USS Thresher, SSN 593.

On that fateful day, on April 10, 1963, 129 sailors and shipyard workers went out on an engineering trial. They encountered engineering problems that they were unable to recover from and, tragically, all hands were lost.

The submarine service that I served in became much safer as a result of this tragedy, and I am honored, as the first nuclear submarine veteran to serve in Congress in 50 years, to remember those that were lost today.

Even more importantly, we remember the widows that were created that day and the children that grew up fatherless. We stop and we remember them and say thank you for the life that you have lived without those loved ones.

Madam Speaker, I rise today on this important day to commemorate those who served in Vietnam. I want to call attention to one servicemember, Colonel Marshall McRee, who passed from us just 4 years ago.

Colonel McRee started his life in North Carolina poor. He chose a college because they offered a football scholarship and clothing that he could not afford.

President Kennedy called him up to rush to Florida as a young officer in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Colonel McRee went on to serve for 30 years. He did two tours in Vietnam. In early 1965, he served first as an adviser but then in the fierceness of battles in 1967 and 1968, in the Battle of Caisson, supporting the Marine Corps from his artillery position, supporting marines on long-range patrols during the day, and defending his perimeter all night.

Marshall McRee earned three Bronze Stars with a V for valor for his service to our country. He returned to a Nation that was ungrateful, and he returned to a Nation that spit upon him when he returned.

There are those in our highest levels of government today who are among those who protested against our veterans before, more recently, it became popular to support the veterans.

I want to add that Marshall McRee did not stand alone. His wife of over 50 years, Patricia McRee, was part of the fabric of the Army community that when the telegrams would bring news of loss, she was part of the fabric of women who came and supported young women who were now widows with children who were now fatherless. That was the Army and the fabric that they provided.

I am proud to talk about Colonel and Mrs. McRee because they have a beautiful daughter who happens to be my wife. I am very proud to be a part of their family, and I am proud to stand up and talk about the Vietnam veterans who deserve our respect.

Reducing Energy Prices

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1 to lower energy costs for New York's 27th Congressional District.

As an expert in energy and a nuclear submarine officer in the Navy, I understand firsthand the importance of reliable energy for American families, businesses, and national security.

I stand here in support of H.R. 1 for the men and women of New York's 22nd District.

A constituent of mine, Steve Turner, shown right here behind me, is a Marine Corps veteran with cancer who is unable to pay his electric bills. Five days a week of treatment and soaring energy prices have brought this hero to his breaking point.

This is unacceptable. I can't cure Steve's cancer, but I will be damned if I let Steve continue to suffer the indignity of soaring energy costs taking food off his table.

H.R. 1 takes critical steps to promote American energy independence and will lower costs for people like Steve and the rest of central New York and the Mohawk Valley.

Burdensome regulations and radical policies are hurting working and middle-class Americans through no fault of their own--taking their jobs and putting our country last. Let's streamline the process by reinvigorating oil and natural gas production, renewables, and nuclear energy dominance. The Lower Energy Costs Act is a commonsense solution to our Nation's energy challenges.

Madam Speaker, Steve and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Chair, regarding amendment No. 20 on H.R. 5, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 159.

Madam Chair, let's lay out the fundamental rights of parents. That is what we are discussing here today.

Number one, every parent should be given a choice and a voice on how their child receives an education.

Number two, school curriculum should not be used to politically indoctrinate our children.

Number three, parents deserve options. They deserve a choice on how their child receives an education.

In my family, my wife and I made a personal decision to homeschool our children. Every parent should be free to make that choice, not just the wealthy ones.

What is the parents bill of rights? What are the pillars of this bill?

Parents deserve the right to know what is being taught in schools and to see the reading material. It is very simple.

Parents deserve to be heard.

Parents deserve the right to see where the taxpayer dollars are going, how they are spent, and how they are being used. It is a fundamental principle of good governance.

Parents have the right to protect their children, to protect their children's privacy.

Parents absolutely should be updated and informed in the instances of violence that seem to be increasing in our schools, many of which go unreported.

I am very honored to be a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and to support this bill, to support parents, and to support parents' rights, particularly that our children get the best possible education. This is a significant step forward.

Mr. Speaker, this picture accurately captures the administration's definition of a navigable waterway. This child playing with a paper boat in a puddle created by a rainstorm would be subject to the almost comical definition of navigable waterways this bill would amend.

This child's family--if they had saved enough money to build their first home on this site with this rain puddle--could find themselves at the mercy of the impersonal, bureaucratic, and deliberately ambiguous rules of the EPA. Very quickly, this child's family would be drowned by the costs, paperwork, and Byzantine rules of a faceless bureaucracy.

Stop using EPA bureaucrats as agents against the American people: homeowners, small business owners, farmers, rural communities, and many others. These WOTUS rules are designed to give nearly unlimited power to EPA field agents to further control our delicate economy.

Nobel Prize-winner humanitarian Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a victim of the cruel Soviet system, warned us with these words: ``Unlimited power in the hands of limited people always leads to cruelty.''

Protect American families and support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer perspective on the purpose and mission of this 118th Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to speak here on the House floor for the first time. I am the first nuclear submarine veteran to serve in the United States House of Representatives in the last 50 years, and only the second in our Nation's history.

One particular submarine patrol, we pulled into Pearl Harbor to take World War II veterans out to sea with us for the day. By naval tradition, we stood at attention and saluted the USS Arizona as we passed by. One part of the experience we shared with these veterans was to demonstrate the tremendous pressure of the ocean.

In the control room with the periscopes, we would tie a string from one side of the hole to the other, about the width of this rostrum behind me. Our submarine's hole is made of high-strength steel to keep the water out and the crew safe. On the surface, this string would be taut like a guitar string and would sit about a foot off the deck. But as we submerged our boat, the pressure of the sea would compress the hole and that string would begin to droop. By the time we reached many hundreds of feet below the ocean, that string would lay flat on the deck. The incredible pressure of the ocean visible for everyone to see.

Now, like that submarine that I served on, America is under tremendous pressure. And like that string sitting on the deck, we can all see it. It is inflation. It is the border. It is the lawlessness of our Federal agencies. It is clear that our Nation is in trouble.

The failed policies of the current administration are only taking us deeper and deeper. Now, with a Republican

majority led by Speaker McCarthy, we have the leadership for this critical moment in time.

In 1963, the nuclear submarine, the USS Thresher, was conducting engineering trials off of Cape Cod when they encountered an engineering problem. The crew was able to bring the boat to within 100 feet of the surface, but they lost their battle as the submarine descended below what is called ``the crush depth,'' all hands were lost.

Americans have voted for a Republican majority in this House to reverse the policies of the current administration and to start to relieve the pressure that is all around us. The commitment to America is exactly that plan for exactly that purpose--to unite this Chamber and to lead America back to safer waters.

A typical submarine crew would be about a quarter of the number of seats in this Chamber. Imagine for a moment that many people together in a steel tube, hundreds of feet below the ocean for months at a time. I have spent 500 days at sea, and I can tell you that after so many days not everyone on the boat is going to like each other. The thing about submarines is there is no easy way off. No matter what we think of each other at the end of the journey, we arrive in the same place together.

Let's talk about where we want to end up. For starters, when something is broken on the submarine you don't scuttle the boat with the crew aboard. You keep fighting to fix what is broken, triaging critical systems, and getting the boat to a safe depth. That is exactly what we witnessed last week as we chose Speaker McCarthy. He has been chosen to restore faith in this Chamber and unite our party.

Freedom is a fragile thing. We saw that under Democrats' one party rule. A strong Republican Conference is key to securing a better future for our children, our grandchildren, and for generations to come.