Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Diann Ball, a devoted public servant, as she celebrates her retirement after 50 years of service to the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City, North Carolina. For more than half a century, Ms. Ball has served the Marianna Black Library and the Fontana Regional Library system with unwavering commitment and passion.

Ms. Ball began her journey at the Marianna Black Library on February 3, 1973, marking the inception of her career within the library system. Starting at the age of 18, like many others, Ms. Ball began with recording and cataloging books, diligently placing them on shelves and assisting patrons in finding their desired titles. As time progressed, she took on additional responsibilities, including organizing and conducting library programs, eventually taking on the role of program coordinator. Through these endeavors, Ms. Ball played a pivotal role in expanding access to learning and fostering a love for reading among individuals of all backgrounds throughout the rural and historically underprivileged mountains of Western North Carolina.

Ms. Ball's involvement in the Marianna Black Library's mobile library program, called ``Rover the Bookmobile;'' demonstrated her enduring dedication to promoting literacy. Through this program, books were brought directly to patrons who would otherwise be unable to visit the library themselves. Ms. Ball contributed to educational advancement by supporting persons of all ages in their research and educational endeavors, facilitating an environment conducive to teaching and learning. Her dedication to empowering individuals to grow intellectually is truly commendable.

Ms. Ball's contributions have elevated the Marianna Black Library and the Fontana Regional Library system, making them better, more accessible and inclusive places for all. Her extensive knowledge of both the library and her community has made her the go-to person for information, particularly for visitors seeking information regarding their family history. Ms. Ball's warm and familial approach to assisting individuals has left a lasting impact on countless citizens in Swain County.

As we celebrate Diann's 50 years of service to the people of Swain County and the town of Bryson City, we extend our deepest appreciation and gratitude for her invaluable contributions. She has truly exemplified the spirit of public service throughout her distinguished career, and represents the best that Western North Carolina has to offer.

Mr. Speaker, due to a flight cancellation, I was unavoidably detained from voting today. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 213 and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 214.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 47 courageous law enforcement officers who have fallen since 1906 in North Carolina's 11th District. It saddens me to say that in the past 3 years, we have lost Ryan Phillip Hendrix from the Henderson County Sheriff's Office, Donald William Ramey from the Transylvania County Sheriff's Office, and John Horton from the North Carolina Highway Patrol.

In towns and cities across our Nation, citizens are traveling to Washington, D.C., this week to participate in National Police Week to honor and to remember our law enforcement officers past and present.

President John F. Kennedy, from the other side of the aisle, announced the first Police Week in 1962 to honor police officers for their faithful and loyal devotion to their responsibilities, and for their courage and dedication to their communities.

It is a distinct honor to represent the numerous brave men and women in law enforcement in western North Carolina, and I rise today to thank all of our law enforcement officers in cities and towns across the Blue Ridge, across the entire State of North Carolina, and across our Nation.

We need them now more than ever, and we must never stop backing the men and women in blue who protect us, our loved ones, and our communities. May God continue to bless our Nation's law enforcement officers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Limit, Save, Grow Act.

This legislation takes monumental steps in reining in Federal spending by not cutting but just returning to spending levels of just a year ago and spurring economic growth and restoring the fiscal sanity that our Nation desperately needs.

As our national debt is at nearly $31.5 trillion or $95,000 per person, our current fiscal trajectory is simply unsustainable.

It is immoral, and it is unfair to future generations who will be the ones responsible for paying off this insurmountable debt.

This legislation will help restore the American economy, unleash American energy, and reverse decades of runaway spending.

I applaud the work of Chairman Arrington, his leadership, and his tireless efforts to help bring us to this critical moment in our Nation's history. I am proud to support this legislation.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1, to lower energy costs. United States energy independence is critical to meeting domestic demand, and growing needs from the rest of the world.

Rather than pulling out all of the stops to keep domestic production moving forward to meet this increased demand, the Biden administration has instead begged the OPEC cartel to boost their output, culminating in a failed appeal from President Biden to the Saudi Crown Prince in July of last year. To me, this is exactly why we are here in support of H.R. 1 today.

As a result of the historic increases in inflation under the Biden administration, the average American family is spending an extra $395 to purchase the same monthly necessities as they did a year ago.

In November 2022, one in six families were behind on utility bills, and we are not out of the woods yet as natural gas prices rose over 14 percent just last month. This is especially concerning as 47 percent of U.S. households use natural gas to heat their homes.

The Lower Energy Costs Act seeks to reverse the troubling energy policy strategy that the Biden administration has carried out, and it prioritizes American energy dominance ahead of misguided Green New Deal-style policies.

Mr. Chair, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the Lower Energy Costs Act.

Madam Speaker, due to a district emergency, I was unavoidably detained from voting today. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 143.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 140, Protecting Speech from Government Interference Act, and I applaud and appreciate Chairman Comer bringing this bill forward.

In a recent hearing held by the Oversight and Accountability Committee with former executives from Twitter, a clear and very disturbing pattern emerged: A coordinated effort between a privately owned social media giant and the Federal Government to suppress critical reporting ahead of the 2020 Presidential election.

Mr. Chairman, the Federal Government and its legions of unelected bureaucrats must not be the final decisionmaker of what information Americans can and cannot read.

The onus is on Congress to provide a way to effectively prevent Federal bureaucrats from suppressing lawful speech. This bill, H.R. 140, would do just that.

For almost 100 years, the Hatch Act has served as an important barrier against taxpayer-funded employees participating in political activities while on official time, and added suppression of free speech to its list of prohibited activities.

I urge strong support for this legislation, and I am encouraged by Chairman Comer's commitment to thoroughly investigate the ever- increasing encroachment by Big Tech companies into the privacy and First Amendment rights of millions of Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Philip Evola as he celebrates his 100 birthday on February 16, 2023.

Mr. Evola is a first generation American who was born into an Italian immigrant family on February 16, 1923, in Flushing, New York. He has dedicated his life to working hard, and being a dutiful husband, father and neighbor. He and his late wife, Norma, moved to Western North Carolina more than 30 years ago, where he still enjoys the beautiful scenery and his loving community. Mr. Evola is the epitome of the American Dream, and it is my honor to recognize him today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the dangerous crisis our Nation is experiencing on our southern border.

Two weeks ago, on a tour of my district, I had the honor of meeting law enforcement officers in Clay, Madison, and McDowell Counties. These counties are in very different parts of North Carolina's sprawling 11th Congressional District, yet these officers all shared with me that the number one problem they face every day--number one--is the flow of fentanyl into our mountains.

Keep in mind that western North Carolina is a thousand miles away from the southern border. Yet, because of the Biden administration's lax border policies, every State is now a border State, and we are all suffering from the consequences.

Since day one, this administration has ceded control of our southern border to drug cartels and dangerous gangs.

In addition to fentanyl, we have seen a flow of unlawful migrants and illicit contraband pour into our country at rates never seen before, and China is a key source of the ingredients used to make fentanyl that is killing our children and fueling this crisis that is affecting so many. There needs to be a change.