Floor Statements

Before I get started, Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx), who serves on the Education and Labor Committee.

Free Speech at George Washington University

Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. Foxx again for her great leadership.

Next, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan).

Honoring the Life of Raymond G. ``Jerry'' Strawbridge

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Duncan for his comments. I appreciate that very much.

Today I rise in honor of Black History Month and the everlasting resiliency of patriots in the Black community who have risen above circumstance to live the American Dream.

As we get started, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Tenney), my really good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman. I really appreciate it.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Donalds), my great friend.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for his comments.

Mr. Speaker, on that note, I would like to highlight something that I want those who are listening to be aware of. As you listen to those of the Republican Party, those who believe in these conservative values of love of God, country, family, that as we talk about our history, as we talk about things we are doing and have overcome and achieved, notice the sense of hope that we bring to the message. Notice the sense of unity.

Yes, we look back on the past because we have a lot to learn from the past. But we look at the past in the way of what we have achieved and how far we have come, not where we are today. And I want Americans to think through the last couple of years. Are we tired of being afraid? Are we tired of being angry? Are we tired of fear? Listen to the messages of our great history and you will see that this country is a country of second chances. This country is a place where you come here no matter what language you speak, how poor you are, you have the opportunity to live your own American Dream.

It was the Marxist, Karl Marx, who said it very simply. ``The first battlefield is to rewrite history.'' Why would the Marxists--why would the hard left want to steal our history, change our history? Because within our great American history we have pride in our past, appreciation for our present, and a vision for our future.

We are American people and it is within our DNA that we are hopeful. And only through the nuances of changing history which, by the way, has been done since the 1940s by the Progressive, ``father of the public school system,'' John Dewey, that this change has been happening.

We have talked about the success of Tulsa, a remarkable success. Just a few decades after the Civil War ended, you have this environment of success where people could live the American Dream, a little town where 600 businesses were established with over 50 millionaires, and six of them had their own private planes. It was started back in the early 1900s.

In 1921, that little community was destroyed within 12 hours, not by the American people, but by Southern Democratic KKK members. That is the nuance.

We have been fighting against evil for a long time, and we will continue to. But let's just make sure that we, the American people, know who the fight is against. It is not against those of us who believe in God, country, and family, a free market, the belief in looking at each other from the inside out versus the outside in.

We are friends, no matter what side of the aisle we sit on, those of us who believe in our American way, those of us who see our future as coming closer together, not dividing us. We are on the same team, my friends. Let's remember that.

I am going to read the introduction that I have from one of the books I wrote earlier: For those who grew up in the Deep South, in the days of the KKK and Jim Crow segregation, pride in community was not founded on the embellishment of opportunities lost due to racism. Instead, it was built on the highlighting of the great accomplishments achieved, in spite of the obstacles.

The can-do outlook that prevailed in the past generations cleared the pathway to prosperity and celebrated creative, courageous, and self- respecting community determined not to be held back. That community succeeded in their quest. That community was my dad's generation and the ones before that who believed in this great country, who went to war to fight for this great country.

I am going to talk about a couple of my heroes. I have had a chance, thank goodness, growing up in the Deep South in the days of KKK, Jim Crow, and segregation, in Tallahassee, Florida, to be raised by a community who was proud of who they were, a community whose parents and teachers collaborated, talked, and respected each other, because the goal at the end of the day was their children would go out and give their community a good name, give their family a good name, and represent the race that could achieve anything by overcoming obstacles.

My hero is not an NFL player, a basketball player, or some person on

Madam Speaker, the so-called America COMPETES Act is not a genuine attempt to hold Communist China accountable for its aggressions toward American security and prosperity.

If you ask the Democrats, they will say this bill takes strong action to combat the Chinese Government. But in reality, this bill includes zero measures to hold Communist China accountable for the cover-up of COVID-19, human trafficking, torture, forced sterilization, or slave labor. Yes, slavery is alive and well today in Communist China.

This bill provides no resources to enforce our sanction laws or increase our military strength. It omits provisions on export controls, security assistance, to our allies, and it fails to curtail Communist China's military modernization and weapons development.

If there was ever a bipartisan issue, this should be it. This $325 billion, 3,000-page do-nothing bill developed behind closed doors fails in multiple ways to protect America's interests.

I call upon my colleagues to support meaningful legislation that will achieve enforceable laws and show real results.

This should be called the America concedes act; no question; another spend and waste of taxpayer money.

Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend from Louisiana for his great leadership.

Madam Speaker, over the past year, I spent time throughout Utah's Fourth District. I have heard from Utahns from all walks of life, and month after month, they have shared the same concerns: soaring inflation, skyrocketing prices, and decreasing wages.

That is no surprise because gas is up 49.6 percent. Used cars are up 37.3 percent. Gas utilities are up 24.1 percent. Meat, fish, and eggs are up 12.5 percent. Electricity is up 6.3 percent.

On top of this, as real wages have decreased 8 out of the last 11 months, our economy is still missing millions of prepandemic jobs, and employers are continuing to struggle with persistent labor shortages.

What is this administration doing to help? You can't make this up: dismissing inflation as high-class problems and transitory; adding to the national debt with money we don't have on programs we don't need; and, just last week, advocating to nuke a filibuster the President defended for decades to push through a radical Federal takeover of all elections.

Our economy should be thriving right now, but inaction, on purpose, by this administration has massively increased our national debt, which still sits at $29 trillion, by the way; stifled growth; and financially crippled American families and small businesses.

We are closing out the first year of Biden's Presidency with the worst inflation of 40 years; open borders; emboldened adversaries; a botched withdrawal from Afghanistan; and a repeated push to increase the size, scope, and reach of the Federal Government.

This year, I encourage President Biden to start paying attention to the real needs of real Americans. Maybe then we will start seeing real results.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 2959, the Supplemental Impact Aid Flexibility Act. This bill would allow school districts participating in the Impact Aid program to use previously reported student headcounts on their Impact Aid applications for the 2022-2023 school year.

Impact Aid supplements funding for schools and students in areas that collect less in local property taxes due to the Federal Government's presence. School districts that receive Impact Aid payments include those with military bases, Indian reservations, and Federal low-income housing in or near the school district.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a big toll on school districts and communities across the country. It is especially difficult for federally impacted school districts to calculate headcounts due to fluctuations during the pandemic.

Headcounts determine how much aid more than 1,000 federally impacted school districts receive. That aid helps pay for staff salaries, bussing, technology, and other educational supports and services for students. This bill ensures the Impact Aid recipients will not be affected negatively by the pandemic and temporary falling enrollment that have resulted. This frees up valuable time and resources to help students, while schools maintain a reliable source of funding as they address the academic, social, emotional, and safety needs of the students.

This bill will have no impact on government spending because Impact Aid is a discretionary program, and its funding level is established through the annual appropriations process.

The trade association for Impact Aid school districts, the National Association for Federally Impacted Schools, is strongly supportive of this bill.

This bill is similar to the one signed into law by President Trump on December 4, 2020.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 2959, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).

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

The Supplemental Impact Aid Flexibility Act ensures that students and schools relying on Impact Aid will not be affected negatively by the pandemic.

Specifically, the bill allows schools to use their previously reported headcounts so that services students rely on will continue. This frees up administrators to use their valuable time and resources addressing the educational needs of the students.

Students in over 1,000 federally impacted districts deserve the resources they receive from the Impact Aid program. This aid helps pay for a wide range of services that students rely on from bussing and technology to educational support services.

I encourage my colleagues to support S. 2959, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, late yesterday afternoon my Republican colleagues and I learned that Democrats were dropping H.R. 1 and H.R. 4 into what was supposed to be a NASA bill.

The American people join me in wondering why Democrats must resort to procedural gimmicks to ram voting rights bills to the floor.

The answer is simple: Democrats are out of touch with Americans, who repeatedly rejected the Biden administration's far-left agenda, including its latest attempt to destroy the power of States to run their own elections.

Unfortunately, we are hearing the same message today that we have heard over and over again from the Democrats: That minority Americans are not smart enough, not educated enough, and incapable of following basic rules to vote in Federal elections. And I am personally offended by this narrative.

Earlier this year, Senate Democrats held a hearing titled: ``Jim Crow 2021: The Latest Assault on the Right to Vote'' where they compared the recent voting laws in Georgia to the Jim Crow laws in the days of segregation.

As I stated in that hearing, I grew up in the Deep South during the era of actual Jim Crow laws that suppressed voting.

What does actual voter suppression look like? It looks like poll taxes, property tests, literacy tests, and violence and intimidation at the polls. It looks like the segregated schools I attended in Florida or the separate drinking fountains and restrooms that my race was forced to use.

One section of the Georgia law that brought so much outrage from the left simply requires everyone applying for an absentee ballot to include evidence of a government-issued ID on their application.

I can assure you, my friends, minorities are capable of getting a driver's license, passport, government check or any other number of acceptable IDs.

Today's misnamed For the People Act won't fool Americans who have not forgotten how far we have come since 1965 and who hold sacred their constitutional right to vote.

I ask my colleagues to join me in rejecting this latest attempt to remove power from the people and the States that best represent them.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

A couple months ago, as Claudia mentioned, my good friend from New York's 22nd District invited me for a tour of two of upstate New York's historic sites impacted by Harriet Tubman. Harriet has been one of my heroes since I was 12 years old in the seventh grade.

This was my first visit to Peterboro. What a remarkable experience it was to see firsthand the property of my longtime hero, someone who once was the property of someone else. I encourage everyone who visits the northeast to make this stop as part of your trip.

I thank my good friend for her invitation and for sharing this time as we discuss courageous Americans who understood the blessing of freedom.

I rise today to honor of the extraordinary life and unmatched legacy of Harriet Tubman, one of the most notable abolitionists in American history.

As many of you know, Harriet escaped the horrors of slavery and through her work during the abolitionary movement overcame unspeakable odds to secure the dreams of future generations.

My great-great-grandfather Silas Burgess came to America shackled in the belly of a slave ship. He was sold on an auction block in Charleston, South Carolina, to the Burgess Plantation. In his youth, he escaped to west Texas along the southwestern route of the Underground Railroad. He later became a successful entrepreneur, starting the first Black church, the first Black elementary school in his town and purchased 102 acres of farmland that he paid off in 2 years.

There are thousands upon thousands of untold stories of slavery to success all due to courageous conductors like Harriet Tubman. The true miracle of

the Underground Railroad though is something that most of us miss. It was total trust in faith between conductors like Harriet and the facilitators of the Freedom Railroad. Whether it was south to north or south to west, as with my great-great grandfather, White, Christian Americans took the great risk of reprisal from the prevalent KKK in their community as they opened up their barns, cellars, and food pantries to create a safe and secret route to freedom for over 100,000 slaves prior to the Civil War.

I have been inspired by the story of the American heart since I was 12 years old, growing up in my proud southern, segregated Black community.

Born enslaved in Maryland in 1822, Harriet spent her childhood as a nursemaid, field hand, cook, and wood cutter.

When Harriet was 12, it was reported that she refused to help an overseer punish another slave resulting in a severe injury when a 2- pound iron weight was thrown at her head. This caused her to suffer seizures and bouts of uncontrollable narcolepsy throughout her life.

Harriet married John Tubman, a free Black man, in 1844.

After rumors spread that Harriet was about to be sold, she fled to Philadelphia, then to Baltimore after returning to rescue her parents, sister, and two children.

Over the next decade, Harriet led dozens of these trips rescuing more than 70 slaves along the Underground Railroad. As the railroad's most famous conductor, it has been said that she never lost a passenger. In 1858, Harriet bought a small farm in upstate New York where her family resided, later to be named the Harriet Tubman Home.

During the Civil War, Harriet served Union forces as a scout, spy, nurse, cook, recruiter, and laundress. Under the command of Union Colonel James Montgomery, Harriet became the first woman to lead a major military operation in the United States when she and 150 African- American Union soldiers rescued about 700 slaves in the Combahee Ferry Raid.

After the Civil War, Harriet opened her home to serve orphans and the elderly. She joined Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony in their quest for women's suffrage. She believed in equal rights for everyone and lived a life of courage, serving others until around the age of 92.

I often say that the Black American history is so rich because of the heroes who have come before us, heroes like Harriet Tubman, Gerrit Smith, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Lucretia Mott, and so many others who recognized injustice, strove to help their brothers and sisters, and dreamed of a world outside the chains of slavery. Each focused on building pockets of freedom that would soon spread throughout our country. It was a movement that has inspired untold millions around the world.

Indeed, we all stand on the shoulders of these great people who came before us, but the Black community, particularly my proud race, holds our ancestors especially dear. They fought hate, overcame the horrors of slavery, and on their backs built a world in which we can own and build our homes and businesses, get an education, worship our faith, vote, run for office, and stand on the floor of the House of Representatives, honoring the legacy of one of the most notable abolitionists in American history.

What a difference men and women pursuing their dreams in a free country can make. It is our responsibility to never forget or allow history to be erased as to what we the people have done together over our 240-year history. This as we continue to resolve to grow together as a more perfect Union.

I have just a few thoughts I want to leave you with before I conclude. And that is a little bit of the highlights of the good hearts of our American people. It is our Nation's mission statement that ends with the idea that we can have not only second chances but as an imperfect Union that we can become more of a perfect Union.

I start with my great-great grandfather Silas Burgess. To show what a more perfect Union looks like is the fact that he came to this country in the belly of a slave ship, lived through the evils of a plantation, and yet escaped by going west because of good Americans, German and Mexican Americans who opened up their homes and their barns and their fields to give him an opportunity to move forward and keep his hopes alive. And even though he saw the evils of being a slave, he saw the good hearts of these good Americans that led him to become a Christian, led him to be able to forgive, to build and serve instead of destroy.

I see the form of a more perfect Union with my dad in the fifties who came back from World War II and could not get his postgraduate degree in Texas because of Jim Crow laws, was able to go to Ohio State because some White administrator, who I will never know who that was, said yes and gave my father an opportunity to get his Ph.D., and again, to help form a more perfect Union.

I experienced this myself in the sixties when going to the University of Miami I was the fourth Black student to get a scholarship in the most southern school down south. At that time there was a commitment by the President, Henry Stanford, to end segregation and it allowed me to move forward based on my character versus the color of my skin.

I saw a more perfect Union in the seventies when a Jewish owner of the Oakland Raiders, Al Davis, committed to ending the Jim Crow barriers of the NFL and put meritocracy above color, and we had the first Hispanic quarterback, the first Hispanic coach, the first Black coach, the first female CEO because meritocracy has no color.

What we have seen in our country and we have to continue to remember is the power of we the people, the power of the team. We think about Harriet Tubman as a conductor, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Martin Luther King, all conductors. We have many conductors today throughout our country, and at the same time we have many more people who built our freedom highways and railroads.

We the people roll up our sleeves and give hope to others. We need to rediscover our history, remember the havens of Peterboro, places where Americans across this country, regardless of skin color, came together to allow others to have an opportunity to see what freedom is all about.

We can see those experiences in Booker T. Washington in Tuskegee in the early 1900s. We can see that experiments succeeded in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the early 1900s of Black Wall Street. And we can see it today throughout our country. We see it here in this House.

What we must remember is our past should give us hope for a much greater future, and we also must remember to sprint away from anyone who leaves us hopeless.

Madam Speaker, if I can add to that, because I think the most important thing about our Nation is to remember our history, to really understand that we have within our hearts, because of our foundation, this desire to want others to succeed. We want to feel good that we have been part of something that makes a difference. And it is not just the 2000s, it is actually throughout our country's history.

And to know what happened, again, from my great grandfather, throughout our history, again we can find those moments in which we have helped each other. We have all given some credence, something given back to this country, the more we know about that, the more we will feel better about who we are today and our vision for the future. So we have to make sure we keep that in mind, for sure.

If I could add a little about Peterboro. This was, again, a new experience for me. And what that particular place represented for so many Americans, particularly Black Americans, was a place of hope. They knew that once they got to Peterboro, they were literally very close to Canada, which was their, really, freedom. That was it.

They could then know they weren't going to be hiding and going through all the stealth and knowing they could be recaptured. So that hope is a big factor we talked about. And I hope that those that are listening to our conversation know that actually our country is built on that.

What we have done so far today is talked about what our country is capable of because we have done it in the past. And the more hope we can give to our fellow Americans that this is a country, the best in the history of mankind, that we can serve each other, that we can build, not destroy, and that we can become a much better country because that is actually within our mission statement, to be a more perfect union. And we can do that, and that is what we have done, again, very successfully.

I am just very excited to have this opportunity to spend this time with you. It was a great opportunity. I can't wait to get back. If I can say, for anyone who is listening, please check this place out. Harriet Tubman, as always, for many of us we know she is a hero, go to her place to see her property--a person that once was the property of someone else--her property and what she did and what she gave away to so many because she just loved the process of service. It was a great experience, and I can't wait to get back and check it out again.

I would love to.

If I could just leave one message as my last final word to those who are watching. This country is a place that has thrived because people can envision themselves doing much, much better. And we do that when we, the people, get together and we really put our hearts and soul into making sure our next generation is a much better place than our time is, and we do that better than any other country.

I am thankful for the opportunity to visit the home of my hero since I was 12 years old, and that was kind of exciting to hear that you were that close to the area and to have the invitation to come up and see it. So thank you so much for that.

Thank you so much. Exactly the same. We have a remarkable freshman team. I am so honored to be serving with you at this point. Let's keep this thing moving forward, for sure.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the previous question so that we can immediately consider H.R. 6056, the Parents Bill of Rights Act.

As a father of six children and a grandfather of 15, I know from experience that parents who are informed and engaged are always the best advocates for their own children.

I also grew up in a home with teachers. My dad was a college professor for 40 years, and my mom was a junior high school teacher.

Recent attempts to discredit the role of parents and to silence their genuine concerns should be very concerning to every American. There has never been a time more important than now to stand with and for America's parents.

I have heard directly from Utah's moms and dads. They don't want Washington bureaucrats and career politicians dictating the decisions that determine the education, development, health, and well-being of their children. They want and deserve a say.

Democrats' and the leftist teachers unions' efforts to nationalize education, mandate curriculum, and impose one-size-fits-all models from D.C., while ignoring the will of teachers, parents, and students, have been extremely harmful.

This last year, we have seen the academic and emotional needs of young learners totally ignored. Keeping our children out of the classroom went against the science. It also went against good old- fashioned common sense.

Here are some sobering facts. During the 2020 through 2021 school year, students fell behind an average of 5 months in math and 4 months in reading. Low-income and minority children fell an additional 1 to 2 months behind their White and wealthy peers.

Even before the pandemic in 2017, the United States Department of Education found that 75 percent of Black boys in the State of California failed to pass standard reading and writing tests. In 2019, only 15 percent of Baltimore eighth grade students were proficient in reading, and about 10 percent were proficient in math.

This is beyond politics and party lines. It is about the future of our great Nation. It is about the success of our children.

There is an urgent need to raise the bar of education in our country. We cannot do this by pushing parents out of the driver's seat and ignoring academic needs for our students. Our Parents Bill of Rights will address both concerns.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to be here today with the Utah House delegation to say a few words ahead of the Thanksgiving season to those we are so fortunate to represent here in Washington. We all agree that it is a blessing, as a team, to represent the great State of Utah.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Stewart), my friend from Utah's Second District.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Curtis), my friend from Utah's Third District.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore), my friend from Utah's First District.

Madam Speaker, before I get started, I just want to say what an honor it is to serve with my friends from Utah. They are remarkable men.

As the holiday season approaches and families across our great Nation gather for these special moments, I am reminded of what brings us all together as Americans: Not our creed, race, or ZIP Code, but the gratitude for one another that lifts us higher and brings out the best in each of us.

I am the father of 6 children and 15 grandchildren. My pride doesn't come from my years on the football field or decades in the corporate world. It comes from the joy of watching them grow up and start families of their own. I am so deeply thankful for them and the entire Owens family.

To my fellow Utahns: I am thankful to call Utah's 4th District my home. It is the honor of a lifetime to represent our State. I am constantly inspired by the resiliency of our communities.

We have faced a couple of very difficult years. The COVID-19 pandemic kept us from our friends, families, and loved ones. Disruptions from work, school, and worship made everyday life very different. There are empty seats at the table this year. We pray for comfort and healing for those families as they navigate this time of grief.

With the current economic crisis at home, rising prices at the gas station, grocery store, and everywhere in between, more and more Utah families are worried about losing a job, keeping the doors of their small business open, paying their mortgage, and making ends meet.

Even during the toughest of times, I know the spirit of Utahns. I have seen how families across our State have helped each other through dark times toward better and brighter days.

I am wishing all Utahns good health, especially the men and women who have put on the uniform to serve in our great State, across the country, and abroad. They make the world and our country a safer place.

Especially during the holidays, I think Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms are very appropriate: The Freedom of Speech, the Freedom to Worship, the Freedom From Want, and the Freedom From Fear. This is the American way. This is the American Dream. As Americans, we hold these freedoms incredibly dear and commit to protect them for future generations.

It is within our DNA to confront our crises and weather rough storms to leave our country a little bit better than we found it for our children and our children's children.

This season of thanksgiving, I hope that we can continue to support one another and unite in our shared gratitude. Despite our daily struggles, we have so much to be thankful for. I pray that Utahns across our beautiful State will continue to be blessed this holiday season.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the senior member of our delegation, Chris Stewart.

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

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Louisiana for his leadership.

Madam Speaker, as crisis after crisis emerges from this administration, I would like to take a moment to discuss an issue that has been on my mind and in the hearts of millions of Americans: the crisis at our southern border.

It is a humanitarian, national security, and public health crisis that must be addressed immediately. I have seen these horrific scenes for myself down in McAllen, Texas, and further south through the Darien Gap where families, women, and children endure a dangerous trek to America.

For the past 9 months, the border has served as a hotbed for drug smugglers, human traffickers, child trafficking, and illegal immigration, and is a direct result of the disastrous and harmful open border policy of President Biden and Vice President Harris.

These policies are enriching the cartels, smugglers, and human traffickers who prey on and abuse women and children crossing the border. Some report earnings as much as $14 million a day.

These are horrendous crimes and they have no place in our country. Here is what we know: During the month of August, almost 19,000 of the 208,000 illegal immigrants to cross the border were unaccompanied minors. With a record number of minors crossing the border alone, we need to be actively taking steps to prevent predators from exploiting these innocent children.

Another fact: The number of illegal immigrants taken into custody along the southern border topped 1.2 million since February. This does not count the hundreds of thousands of got-aways. This crisis is not seasonal, is not inherited. It appears like a purposeful chaos by our Democratic Party. We must restore security at the southern border, end illegal immigration, and take immediate steps to prioritize the health and safety of all Americans.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gaetz).

Threat of Assassination

Madam Speaker, Utah is, in the Fourth District, now paying more for everything thanks to the Biden administration's disastrous economic policies. It is throwing our country back to a 1970s economy, and there is no end in sight.

The Democrats' solution? Pack far-left policies into their $5.5 trillion spending package and tell the American people that it cost them nothing. It is a bogus talking point that couldn't be further from the truth.

In reality, this tax and spending bill would perpetuate labor shortages in Utah and across the country, which will harm economic recovery and hurt families in my district; violate Americans' financial privacy by increasing IRS access to our personal bank data;

and it will also mandate financial services providers to report financial transactions of $200 per week or greater. The IRS has no business tracking the checking accounts of Americans.

They will also reduce our country's energy independence, causing gas prices to skyrocket nationwide, now, by the way, hitting record numbers in Utah.

It will impose devastating taxes on small businesses as they attempt to get back on their feet.

President Biden and Democrats in Congress want to use this trillion- dollar spending bill to fundamentally reimagine our country's economy, and they are going to raise taxes on the middle class to make it happen. That means higher prices for families at the gas pump, in the grocery store, and everywhere in-between and the highest inflation levels we have seen in over 30 years.

This fiscally irresponsible spending spree places a staggering debt on the next generation of Americans and leaves our country's economy worse off.

Honoring Taylor Hoover

Madam Speaker, 31-year-old United States Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover from Utah was killed in the line of duty on August 26 by a suicide bomber in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was taken too soon, heroically assisting the evacuation efforts of U.S. citizens and Afghan allies.

In his faithful service to others, Sergeant Hoover and the 12 other servicemembers who were lost on that tragic day embodied the military's core values: honor, courage, and commitment.

I pray that they find solace in his memory and healing in the love of their family and friends. From Hillcrest High School and all the way to Arlington National Cemetery, I know this tragic loss will be felt by many.

We will never forget the sacrifice and service of Sergeant Taylor Hoover. God bless the Hoover family and all of our Nation's Gold Star families.

Honoring Todd Grossgebauer

I would like to honor a true public servant and a Utah hero, Commander Todd Grossgebauer, who lost a hard-fought battle against cancer over this last summer.

Todd was the second employee hired by the Riverton, Utah, police department. He also served the Provo Police Department for 26 years. He studied at the FBI National Academy. He was a patrol division watch commander and instructor at UVU's Law Enforcement Academy.

Todd and all of our brave men and women in law enforcement put their lives on the line every single day to protect our communities. They truly are hometown heroes.

As we reflect on and honor the sacrifices of our law enforcement officers, I pledge to always back the blue. I am thinking of Todd today and praying for his wife, Brenda, and their entire family.

Honoring Brent Jex

Mr. Brent Jex is a retired police detective of 20 years in the West Jordan Police Department and served as president of the Utah Fraternal Order of Police since 2012.

As a member of Utah's Joint Criminal Apprehension Team, Brent has participated in the arrest of the most dangerous and notorious criminals in the Intermountain West. But even more impressive is his dedication to advocating for our men and women in uniforms' mental health.

Right now, even more than ever, our officers are under scrutiny and stress that none of us can imagine. They have a voice with Brent as the president of FOP.

Referring to mental health treatment, Brent has said, ``Before I thought it was a sign of weakness to have to go seek treatment. Afterward, I realized that it is a sign of weakness not to.''

Brent represents the best of us. He is an invaluable member of the law enforcement community and the State of Utah as a whole.

Brent, thank you for all you have done and all you do to keep our community safe.

Honoring Utah's Small Businesses

Madam Speaker, like many industries across the country, the COVID-19 pandemic took an unyielding toll on small businesses. Over the past several months, I have had the pleasure of visiting hundreds of small businesses across my district to hear firsthand how they are coping through economic recovery. One thing is for certain: Utahns are innovative.

Owlet, located in Lehi, is saving countless lives across the country with its in-home monitoring system for prenatal and newborn babies.

Greek House is a family-owned and -operated restaurant in Taylorsville, currently celebrating its first birthday in Utah's Fourth District.

Local advanced manufacturing companies like Hexcel Company, Rock West Composites, Inc., and Advanced Composites Inc., are leading in the defense, commercial, and aerospace industries.

Neuroxorx in Sandy is providing innovative long-term physical, occupational, and speech therapy for adults and children affected by paralysis.

Grifols in Salt Lake City is a small plasma donation center that helps save and improve lives across the country.

These companies and everything in-between perfectly showcase the innovative and service-oriented spirit of Utah's Fourth District. They think big and bold in their pursuit of excellence.

To every small business in every corner of Utah's Fourth District, thank you for all you do to save our State.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to continue sounding the alarm on the Biden Administration's economic and spending crisis that is hurting families in my district and killing American jobs.

This Big Government, ultra-inflation, and massive spending agenda has a big problem: the economy. It is spiking the price of groceries, gas, lumber, and everything in between.

Gasoline is up 42.7 percent. Chicken is up 7.2 percent. Eggs are up 9.9 percent. Public transportation is up 8.4 percent.

As I have heard from my families all across my district, Americans cannot afford this.

Utahns say they are paying more for just about everything. In fact, a recent statewide poll found that 85 percent of Utahns are very or somewhat concerned about inflation and rising costs.

Inflation is a tax on every single American.

With consumer prices reaching a 13-year high, it is clear this administration's agenda is bad for economic recovery and unsustainable for working-class Americans trying to make ends meet.

The Democrats' solution? Rush through the most expensive piece of legislation in the history of our country.

Another startling fact: This $3.5 trillion spending plan is more than the GDP of Canada and Mexico combined.

While the White House continues to spread false realities to the American people, let's talk about the facts: The true cost of the bill is $5.5 trillion, not $3.5 trillion, and certainly not zero. It is going to increase the national debt by $2.4 trillion. It will lead to 5.3 million jobs lost nationwide. The median family income will drop by $12,000. Each American household will be burdened with $35,439 of debt.

Americans across the country and Utahns in the Fourth District want to see fiscal responsibility restored at the Federal level. This out- of-control spending must stop.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Louisiana.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to abortion on demand until birth act. I have watched over the last 40 years as abortionists have targeted my race. It was a race that, as a child in the 1960s, had more men committed to marriage, over 70 percent than any other community. Black women were more likely to get married than White women until 1970.

In that community, Black men taught their sons to respect women, to honor their wives, and to be stellar examples for their children.

Over the last 40 years, my race has remained silent as abortionists have murdered close to 20 million of our children. This equates to 40 percent of the Black race exterminated by a multibillion-dollar death industry.

This same industry, and the Democrats who are promoting this bill, are teaching our young girls that killing their babies after being born alive has no consequences, that a living, beating heart is nothing more than a hangnail.

Black women represent 12 percent of America's female population but make up almost 40 percent of the women who end up on the operating table of a wealthy abortionist.

In civilized countries, the taking of 20 million lives would be called genocide. The left now calls it choice.

Over the decades since my youth, we have turned more than 70 percent of our Black fathers into whiners, whinnies, and wimps as they, with no shame, desert their families. They then convince the mothers of their children to absolve them of their responsibility, to man up, to find the character and backbone to provide and protect their own namesake and legacy.

The celebration of the killing our most innocent is pure evil, my friends. We cannot kill the most innocent among us and think we will be blessed.

Take it from someone who has seen this movie before. Compare the Black family of my youth in the 1950s and 1960s with the shell of the Black family today.

The pathway to the destruction of our precious family unit, manhood, womanhood, and our American culture begins with the wanton destruction of our babies. If we continue to allow this to happen to our great Nation, evil wins and America loses. I pray that our Nation finally turns its back on this dark and destructive industry.

Madam Speaker, I would like to take a moment to discuss

the devastating drought affecting Utah this year.

Ninety percent of the West is experiencing extreme drought conditions. This includes every county in the great State of Utah-- already one of the driest States in the Union.

Drought impacts lives and livelihoods. One of the Juab County farmers in my district runs a farm that has been in his family for three generations. This year, his farm has yielded zero output because of the drought. Unfortunately, his story is not unique.

Aquifers are not recharging, springs are dry, wells are pumping harder than ever before, and farmers are facing increased power costs. This means fewer crops and fewer dollars in the pockets of our rural farmers. On top of that, Utah's drought conditions make devastating wildfires more likely and harder to fight.

Each one of us has an important role to play in conserving resources and adapting for the near future and beyond. Utahn livelihoods and generational family farms are at stake, and I stand ready to assist local leaders and our State's Federal delegation to ensure the safety and prosperity of every Utahn.

I call upon the Biden administration to step up their efforts on the interagency working group that is supposed to be addressing these severe conditions.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to moving the previous question so we can immediately consider my bill, H.R. 4698, the Say No to Indoctrination Act, which prohibits Federal funds from advancing the hateful critical race theory concepts.

I grew up in the Deep South during the days of KKK, Jim Crow, and segregation. I have felt the pain of racism and have seen and experienced firsthand when people act unjustly toward others due to the color of their skin. And, yes, it still happens today when individuals choose hate.

Once an unknown academic theory, the increasingly pervasive CRT says that racism permanently stains the fabric of American society. The critical race theorists believe that we are defined solely by our skin color. They believe that America's institutions preserve white supremacy. Some even believe that our Nation is hopelessly racist.

To try to make this divisive theory understandable, teachers often separate students into separate groups based on intrinsic characteristics like race, color, and national origin. In doing so, students are taught to judge others based on their appearance. In the 1960s, this was called pure racism.

In the span of a few weeks, Democrats have gone from claiming that CRT was only a myth to boldly embracing it. They have gone from dismissing parental objections to endorsing indoctrination in schools across the country. The American people are right in their distrust.

Make no mistake, I want our students to learn about the hundreds of moments that shaped us into the country we are today. Students should learn about slavery and its legacy. Students should learn about the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Emancipation Proclamation, Juneteenth, Jim Crow, the Tulsa race massacre, and the Civil Rights Acts.

They should also be taught and be proud of a Nation that, for over 200 years, has progressed, a country that has shown its commitment to its mission statement that all men and women are created equal.

We have not always lived up to our ideals but have come closer with each passing generation in doing so.

Racism exists. I grew up with it and have zero tolerance for bigotry and hate. More can be done to create a world that teaches greater tolerance and respects the dignity of every individual, regardless of race, color, or creed. CRT is not the solution.

It is absolutely wrong and un-American to indoctrinate our children into believing that because of their skin color, they are forever part of the oppressed or oppressor class. Hate has no place in our schools, and CRT has no place in our classes.

We live in a world of imperfect people and in a country that from its inception understood this. It was, therefore, placed within our mission statement a goal to grow, to change, and to form a more perfect union.

I choose to believe in a country where we are judged not by the color of our skin but by the content of our character.

I choose to believe in a country that empowers all individuals to dream big and to live fulfilling lives.

Madam Speaker, if you share my belief in our great Nation, then you, too, will vote to defeat the previous question so we can take up and pass, on behalf of the American people, the Say No to Indoctrination Act. I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to once again highlight our newest Federal holiday, Juneteenth, or Emancipation Day.

For Americans who are not familiar with this day, it has been celebrated within the Black community for over 150 years. This was the day when the message finally reached Black Texans living in Galveston that slavery was over and that they were indeed free.

The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862. Union General Gordon Granger arrived with over 2,000 troops to deliver this message to the former slaves on June 19, 1865, 3 years later.

The lesson that can be learned from this special day is twofold. For almost 3 years, Black Texans lived as slaves at a time when the price had already been paid for them to live free. As it was with Juneteenth 1865, it would be the Republican Party that delivered the message to my race: You are free.

In America, in the land of freedom, success is a personal choice. It is not easy, nor is it guaranteed. But if you choose to dream, work, sacrifice, and remain patient, you can, regardless of your skin color, live your American Dream.

The remarkable success of the late 1800s all-Black Greenwood community speaks to the tenacity, pride, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit of a race that rose in less than 50 years from slavery. Its destruction in 1921, within 12 hours, also highlights the vulnerability of the American Dream in the absence of the rule of law. Deep Greenwood, referred to as ``Little Africa'' and ``Black Wall Street,'' was the most wealthy and prosperous Black community in America in the early 1900s.

During the 1820s, several successful and prominent Black entrepreneurs were drawn to Oklahoma due to a nationwide economic depression and the discovery of oil. The local economy boomed, with Blacks in Tulsa representing all professional occupations, from day laborers, cooks, and shoe shiners to physicians, schoolteachers, and entrepreneurs.

Racism and the influence of Jim Crow laws made it so that Blacks could work in White areas but could not spend their money there. This led to the creation of Deep Greenwood.

With business dollars circulating only within their own community, many Blacks began to buy land and start their businesses. Black Wall Street became the center of the town, featuring restaurants, jewelry stores, hotels, theaters, places of worship, and three Black newspapers.

By the way, in the 1960s, when I was growing up, this describes my segregated community, a community of entrepreneurs where, across our country, 50 to 60 percent of Black Americans belonged to the middle class.

Over 600 business owners helped Black Wall Street become influential, including a funeral parlor, barbershops, dental and medical offices, schools, libraries, a hospital, insurance and loan companies, airline charter services, a bus service, international businesses, and nightclubs.

The Black community was thriving, and their collective success rivaled that of Tulsa. But in these times of racism and deep prejudices, the success of Black Wall Street created a tinderbox of tension.

On May 30, 1921, a 17-year-old White woman accused Dick Rowland, a Black shoe shiner, of criminally assaulting her when he accidentally stepped on her foot. She slapped him, and in response, he grabbed her arm to prevent her from hitting him.

Realizing his self-defense move might cause problems, he fled the scene. The next day, he was jailed. The Tulsa Tribune printed a story announcing that a ``negro would be lynched tonight.''

Three hours after the Tulsa Tribune released the story, hundreds of White men gathered at the Tulsa courthouse where Rowland was being held. Many Blacks who wanted to protect Rowland from being lynched rushed to the courthouse to defend him.

False rumors about the incident caused a struggle between White protestors and Blacks in front of the courthouse. Shots rang out, and 12 men were killed.

As the fighting continued, Tulsa Whites began an all-out assault on Deep Greenwood, including dropping firebombs from the air. Fire engulfed the entire Black district. Deep Greenwood burned all day on May 31. At the end of the attack, Black Wall Street was no longer standing.

In total, 300 people were murdered; 35 acres of commercial and residential property were destroyed; 1,400 homes and businesses were looted and burned; 10,000 people were left homeless; $1.8 million in damage, which in today's dollar amounts would be $27 million. It was estimated the total value lost would be valued at $200 million in today's dollars. Over 600 businesses were destroyed, and as is today, these businesses were the engine that powered the self-sufficient middle class.

By the time the police chief asked the National Guard to help quell the ``negro uprising,'' it was too late. The city was already destroyed. A grand jury held him responsible for dereliction of duty. He was removed from office, found guilty in the trial, but never served any time in jail.

I would like to introduce you to some of the Black leaders in Deep Greenwood, Oklahoma, the city of millionaires.

Dr. A.C. Jackson, a physician, transcended the color lines, servicing both Black and White patients. He was considered the most skilled Black surgeon in America, with a net worth of over $100,000, which, in 2019, would have a value of over a million dollars. Dr. Jackson was murdered during the massacre at age 40.

E.W. Woods was the first principal of the all-Black Booker T. Washington High School. Woods set the standard for high expectations at school.

John Stradford was the owner of a 45-room luxury hotel in Greenwood, the largest Black-owned-and-operated hotel in Oklahoma, and one of the few Black-owned hotels in the United States. He was the son of an escaped slave, and he came to Oklahoma in 1899 and was the wealthiest man on Black Wall Street.

Simon Berry owned a nickel-a-ride jitney service, a bus line, a boutique hotel, and a charter plane service.

John and Loula Williams owned a 1911 luxury Norwalk Touring. This couple launched multiple venues, a theater, a confectionary, a rooming house, and a garage.

Buck Colbert Franklin, an attorney in Deep Greenwood, was known for defending the survivors of the Greenwood massacre. He was the father of civil rights advocate and historian John Hope Franklin.

These successful Black leaders all faced the darkness of the 1921 massacre.

John Stradford's hotel laid in ruins after the burning of Deep Greenwood and was never rebuilt. Stradford was indicted for inciting a riot and fled Greenwood.

The Mt. Zion Baptist Church was just 40 days old and was destroyed. The cost to rebuild and furnish was $135,000.

During the riot, homes were looted and burned, and thousands of Black people were left homeless.

There were 88 indictments served against Blacks and Whites alike, but all charges were either dismissed or ignored.

The KKK used the massacre as a recruiting tool, stating that ``the riot was the best thing that ever happened to Tulsa'' and sold postcards in Tulsa's downtown streets to raise money.

Republican Representative Dyer from Missouri introduced a Federal antilynching bill, the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill. Democrats in the Senate delayed the bill and eventually killed it. Between 1882 and 1968, nearly 200 antilynching bills were introduced in Congress, and seven U.S. Presidents between 1890 and 1952 also asked Congress to pass a Federal antilynching law. All efforts failed to pass due to the stalling tactics by the Democratic Congress and Senate.

The comparison of 1921 Tulsa and the 2020 summer can be summarized in these words: a lack of rule of law.

In 1921, what had taken nine decades to build in Greenwood was destroyed within a matter of 12 hours. Ninety-nine years later, following the murder of George Floyd, riots stretched throughout our country in predominantly Black urban cities. Over the summer of 2020, more than 1,500 businesses, residences, and government buildings were destroyed, along with the lives of 25 Americans.

Jeremiah Ellison, a councilman in Minnesota, where a police precinct house itself was set on fire, advised the mayor to leave the vandals alone. ``The focus of anger is the police and this building,'' he reasoned. ``If we let the crowd do its thing, we might spare the neighborhood.'' History will forever note how wrong he was.

In Portland, Oregon, the summer riots of 2020 have resulted in $23 million lost. Yet, the Portland mayor, Ted Wheeler, tweeted that Federal officers were bringing violence and life-threatening tactics to the city. ``The best thing they can do is stay inside their building or leave Portland altogether,'' he said.

In Kenosha, Wisconsin, over half the people arrested in the aftermath were from out of town. Property damage topped $50 million and put close to 40 businesses out of business.

Even in my own Salt Lake City, cop cars were burned. The Salt Lake City Council chairman declared that overturning and burning a police cruiser was a ``small sacrifice over physical clashes between officers and civilians.'' Meanwhile, 21 police officers were injured.

At the end of the summer riots of 2020, over 20 States witnessed violent riots, with insurance claims between $1 billion and $2 billion.

Once again, most tragically, 25 American citizens lost their lives, including a respected retired Black officer who was murdered in cold blood protecting the store of a friend.

In New York City, politicians passed no-bail laws, allowing criminals and rioters to return to the streets the very next night to loot and again attack New York City police.

In Portland, as the city is still reeling and businesses remained hostages to criminals, thousands of rioters' charges have been dropped.

We must learn several things from our history. Whether it be the destruction of 1921 Black Wall Street businesses or 2020 Black urban cities throughout our Nation, consistent is a pattern of failure of elected officials to uphold the rule of law. Instead of championing Black and minority business owners, many of these officials stood aside as these communities were destroyed. Consistent with the acts in 1921 and that of 2020 was the criminal predators' justification, always in the name of so-called racial justice.

From these two dark chapters, accountability must be a lesson learned. As we demand equal opportunity for all Americans for life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and property, we the people become more unified and free.

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