Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3239 introduced by my friend from Wisconsin, Representative Fitzgerald.

Public Law 111-350, which was signed into law on January 4, 2011, enacted title 41 of the United States Code by restating existing laws relating to public contracts. H.R. 3239 makes clarifying and technical improvements by updating statutory references to title 41. Article I, Clause 18 of the Constitution tasks Congress with making all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution its vested powers.

The clarity of legislation is imperative for the other branches to implement and the citizen to follow. The Office of the Law Revision Counsel prepares the titles of the U.S. Code and other technical updates to the Code by combining enacted laws by the same subject matter.

H.R. 3239 is a product of that effort. Providing clarity in the Federal Government public contracting process allows for transparency and lowers potential barriers to entry, which will give more businesses the opportunity to compete in the bidding process.

I appreciate the work of OLRC and Representative Fitzgerald on this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3241, introduced by Representative Bush, which makes technical changes to title 54 of the United States Code relating to National Park Service and related programs.

Title 54 was enacted by Public Law 113-287 on December 19, 2014. Laws to codify titles of the Code do not create new law. They simply restate the many laws that Congress has already created in a more organized and readable manner.

After codifying a new title in the Code, often other technical corrections through the rest of the Code are needed to update cross references to that new title. This bill does just that.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3241, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 704, the Artistic Recognition for Talented Students Act, or ARTS Act.

The Constitution authorizes Congress to promote the progress of science and the useful arts by securing, for limited times, to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.

Our copyright system is designed to help fulfill that mandate by promoting the work of authors, musicians, artists, and other creators. Creative industries contribute hundreds of billion of dollars to the U.S. economy each year.

This bill makes it easier for some of our brightest, young creators to obtain copyrights on their award-winning work. Promoting and encouraging the next generation of American creators ensures that our creative economy will remain strong for decades to come.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join in me supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2571, the Advancing Mutual Interests and Growing Our Success Act, or the AMIGOS Act.

The bill makes nationals of Portugal eligible for E-1 and E-2 nonimmigrant visas, as long as Portugal allows reciprocal visas for U.S. nationals. E-1 visas are temporary visas available for treaty traders, and E-2 visas are available for treaty investors.

As stated in the Immigration and Nationality Act, these visas are available to aliens who are ``entitled to enter the United States under and in pursuance of the provisions of a treaty of commerce and navigation between the United States and the foreign state of which the alien is a national, and their spouse and children solely to either carry on substantial trade, including trade in services or trade in technology, principally between the United States and the foreign state of which the alien is a national, or to develop and direct the operations of an enterprise in which the alien has invested a substantial amount of capital.''

Alien employees of treaty traders and treaty investors may receive visas if they are coming to the United States ``to engage in duties of an executive or supervisory character; or, if employed in a lesser capacity, if they have special qualifications that make the services to be rendered essential to the efficient operation of the enterprise.''

E-1 and E-2 visa holders may be admitted initially for a period of 2 years, and can apply for extensions in 2-year increments.

The U.S. has entered into treaties of commerce since at least 1815, when we entered into a Convention to Regulate Commerce with the United Kingdom. Currently, the nationals of 82 countries are eligible for E-1 and/or E-2 visa status.

During fiscal year 2020, almost 26,800 E-1 and E-2 visas were issued, down because of the pandemic from roughly 50,000 during fiscal year 2019.

While the AMIGOS Act passed the House last Congress, the version we are considering today is somewhat different. The updated text includes language, added at the request of Senator Lee from Utah, aimed at preventing abuse of the E visa program whereby an individual essentially purchases citizenship in a U.S. trade treaty country simply to be eligible to get a U.S. E visa. Specifically, the language requires that an alien be domiciled in the U.S. trade treaty country for at least 3 years before the individual can apply for an E visa.

I thank Senator Lee for his commitment to ensuring the integrity of our visa programs.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, S. 1340 will improve judicial economy by redefining the judicial districts of my home State of North Carolina.

Fort Bragg, which is located in North Carolina, is one of the U.S. Army's largest military installations. It spans six counties and is approximately 250 square miles large. Fort Bragg is located in two judicial districts, the middle district and the eastern district of North Carolina. This has led to inconvenience for both defendants and the courts system.

S. 1340 redefines the judicial districts so that Fort Bragg and a sub-installation, Camp Mackall, are located in a single judicial district, the eastern district. This change will streamline and improve judicial administration and efficiency.

I want to thank Senator Tillis and Senator Burr for their work on this bill. I also want to thank the former member from North Carolina, Mr. Holding. And I also want to thank my law school classmate, Representative Ross, for sponsoring and the rest of the North Carolina delegation for joining me in cosponsoring the House companion, H.R. 2746.

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

Mr. Speaker, this is sensible and prudent to the administration of justice in my home State.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2679, the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association Charter Amendments Act of 2021.

The Federal Bar Association was founded in 1920 as a nonprofit organization seeking to strengthen the Federal legal system and administration of justice. In 1954, Congress chartered the Federal Bar Association as a congressionally chartered organization under title 36 of the United States Code.

The FBA serves the Federal legal community and public by promoting standards of professional competence and ethical conduct, providing educational programs, and facilitating the administration of justice.

The FBA is also committed to bringing civics education programs to classrooms across the country. As a congressionally chartered organization, it takes an act of Congress to make changes to the FBA's charter. The FBA has not amended or updated its charter since 1954.

H.R. 2679 amends the FBA's current charter to allow the organization to choose the location of its principal office, restrict its officers from engaging in political activity, and change its charter language to conform with language used in other congressional charters. In addition, this legislation will allow the FBA to make simple changes to its bylaws without an act of Congress.

I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Chabot from Ohio, for his diligent work on this legislation. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I chose this photo--I could have picked a formal team photo--because I thought this captured the joy of the moment I am bringing to the Nation's attention.

Today, I rise to honor the Wingate University Bulldogs and Coach Jeff Gregory for a spectacular victory in the Division II College World Series. When Bulldogs fans filled the bleachers at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary last Saturday, they witnessed history. Playing in their first ever College World Series final, the Wingate Bulldogs defeated Central Missouri, the number two ranked team in the Nation, 5-3.

In reaching the championship, Wingate joined the ranks of only two other North Carolina Division II schools, and despite losing their opening game, the Bulldogs won four straight to become the first team in 16 years to overcome an opening round loss to win it all.

Bulldogs, through your tenacity and persistence, you have won an incredible victory. I am proud today and always to represent Wingate University.

Congratulations, Bulldogs.

Madam Speaker, last but certainly not least, today I rise to honor the life of the eighth wonder of the world on what would have been his 75th birthday: Andre Roussimoff, better known as Andre the Giant, who spent his final years in the small town of Ellerbe, right in the middle of the Ninth District of North Carolina.

Standing 7 feet 4 inches tall and weighing over 500 pounds, Andre was known for his time in the World Wide Wrestling Federation, where he was a fan favorite. During his professional career, he headlined WrestleMania and also defeated Hulk Hogan to win the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. To nonwrestling fans, he is best known for playing the role of Fezzik in the 1987 film ``The Princess Bride.''

Despite his great size, those who knew him found him to be gentle and kind. Andre passed away at the age of 46 in 1993, and his ashes were scattered on his beloved Ellerbe ranch.

I am proud today to pay tribute to the memory of Ellerbe's most famous resident.

Mr. Speaker, I had not intended to speak, but the careful mask of bipartisanship seems to have faltered here at the last, with the majority leader's attacks on the minority leader, who has not spoken, and the minority leader in the Senate for comments he has made in public but not in debate.

So what was an image of bipartisan cooperation has now become one more partisan attack. It caused me to believe that it was important to stand up and say this: How can you have a bipartisan commission with an all-Democrat staff? How do you do that?

And why is it that there is no willingness to look into all of the riots and the arson and the violence and the burning? If we are concerned about the danger that police officers were in on January 6-- and certainly they were--then why don't we have that concern for the dangers, the violence, the injuries, the deaths that have been faced by police officers across this country?

Why is one form of political violence equivalent to 9/11 when a blind eye has been turned by this Congress, or at least by the majority in this Congress, to that same phenomenon across this country for a year? Where is the inquiry into that?

When the images are raised, the lurid images of insurrection--let me just say this. If it was an insurrection, it was the worst example of an insurrection in the history of mankind. It was a riot, it was a mob, it was significant, and it was troublesome.

But this is not bipartisanship, and I fear that the gentleman from New York may find that he has been played.

Mr. Speaker, just like that, America faces four simultaneous crises: loss of control of the border, energy supply disruption, a sudden spurt of stagflation, and a key ally under assault.

Why is all this happening at once on the eve of the 4-month anniversary of Inauguration Day?

Because a weak President signals a weak America. The President sets the tone, and, today, it is very different than the previous 4 years.

On the world's stage, our adversaries are newly emboldened, and our allies more vulnerable. After several years of creative Trump peace deals, Israel is already under attack.

Is that a coincidence?

No. Hamas and other terrorists knew that with Trump there would be consequences. They know with Biden there will be none.

At our southern border, we have plateaued at a 20-year high for illegal border crossings. It is not slowing down. The word is out: You can cross without consequences. In fact, Biden and his allies think progress is expanding the throughput.

Persons are also now experiencing gas shortages, last seen with Jimmy Carter. Even before, the price at the pump sky-rocketed.

Why?

Because this President doesn't value or fight for American energy independence, like the last one. Instead, he cancels our pipelines and green-lights Russia's. Now families have new worries about their fuel budgets, while being lectured to by this legislation on leftist green energy fiascos.

Perhaps, most pressing of all, our economy is not recovering as it should, while all the warning signs of inflation grow stronger. Practically every day I hear the same thing from North Carolina small businesses, that they cannot find workers. And after that last pathetic jobs report, it is clear that this isn't isolated to any home State.

Biden isn't fighting for jobs. He is paying more to not have one.

What we are seeing across the board is trickle-down weakness, and the adverse effects are clear. For the first time in 4 years, America has a President who backs down without a fight, and it is costing us. Biden is nowhere to be found on the issues that matter. In his absence, Republicans will keep fighting for the American people.

Madam Speaker, 172,331 border patrol apprehensions in March, a 233 percent increase in fentanyl seized, the worst crisis in 15 years, but more than that, no peak in sight.

President Biden and the Democratic majority bury their heads in the sand. They have put the United States Government, charged with enforcing the border, in the service of Mexican drug cartels and their criminal enterprises. I have been there. I have heard from the CBP.

And Democrats choose this moment to advance this bill to hobble the authority of the President of the United States to protect the Nation by excluding foreign nationals he or she might identify as posing a danger. Think North Korea.

In fact, they strip the President and transfer to the secretary of state and Homeland Security the President's longstanding authority to protect the Nation in this way.

And in case you would have concluded otherwise by the rhetoric, this is not limited to a religious criteria for entry.

I offered an amendment in the Judiciary Committee to defer the effectiveness of this unwise legislation--to understate--until the current crisis can be brought under control by restoring the Trump administration's successful remain in Mexico policy. But Democrats rejected that and refused to consider it on the floor.

Customs and Border Protection advised us on our trip the week before last that they told the administration revoking the remain in Mexico policy would cause a disaster. But they did it anyway.

And here they have doubled down. Just the latest evidence that today's crisis is intentional. There is no intention to control it. There is an intention, yes, there is a plan, but the plan is to build out the capacity for bringing people illegally into the United States. This is a crisis. They serve not the people of America. You can't have a country if you don't have a voice.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor Dorothy Williams Moore on the occasion of her 100th birthday.

Dorothy was born in Hamptonville, North Carolina. She graduated from Catawba College, class of 1942, majoring in home economics. On March 20, 1946, she married Thomas Moore and moved to Charlotte. Dorothy and Thomas had four children: Luther, Louanna, Neil, and Cynthia.

Dorothy has proudly served as a mother, homemaker, and substitute teacher. She also taught Sunday school.

Thomas passed away in 1986, after nearly 40 years of marriage.

Dorothy still lives in Charlotte. She has five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. A double cancer survivor, she loves music and sang in her church's choir until the onset of COVID-19. She also enjoys sweets, especially chocolate ice cream.

It is an honor to pay tribute to Dorothy on her 100th birthday. She has led an amazing life, and her family is overjoyed to celebrate with her.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.