Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, the American people deserve to know the true cost of government spending.

Last month, working families adjusted their budgets around a 5 percent jump in prices, an effect of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that many economists predicted would occur.

Despite these predictions coming true, many Democrats--not all, I hope--are eager to use the same partisan budget reconciliation process again to spend even more.

That is why I have introduced the Stop Inflationary Spending Act to require the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to project the inflationary impact of reconciliation bills. This would mean the American people would know the impact on their family budget before Democrats use a partisan process to spend $6 trillion on unaffordable initiatives that dramatically increase the role of government in their lives and constrain growth in the real economy, which is the private- sector innovators, entrepreneurs, and hardworking people.

Madam Speaker, inflation is a tax on everyone. When inflation was a significant concern in the 1980s, CBO issued inflationary projections for individual bills. Restoring this practice for reconciliation bills that spend big is a commonsense reform.

Mr. Speaker, we are here with over 600,000 American fatalities from the COVID virus.

Anyone who referred to the COVID virus as the China virus, or originating in Wuhan, has been somewhat ridiculed along the way. Yet, the evidence continues to mount that the origins of the virus were certainly from Wuhan and very likely from the Wuhan virology lab.

Leader McCarthy recently put out eight pillars of action, an action plan, for what we, in a bipartisan manner, as Americans, should mandate, should require, should pursue.

The first, number one, is declassification of intelligence; bringing transparency to U.S. intelligence about what China knew about the virus, about its origins, and when they knew it.

Number two, prohibit the dangerous gain of function research in and with China.

Number three, prohibition on the National Institutes of Health that are funding adversarial foreign governments. We need to ensure American tax dollars don't fund foreign governments intent on harming the U.S. and our allies.

Number four, an overhaul of the World Health Organization and counterintelligence investigation. Transparency and clear understanding of the inner workings of the World Health Organization is what Americans and the world are demanding.

Number five, utilizing existing authorities to perform investigations and launch independent investigations of COVID's origins.

Number six, visa restrictions and sanctions on any agency or individual who there is evidence to show was involved in any form of coverup or misleading of the general public when it comes to COVID's origins.

Number seven, yes, waive Chinese sovereign immunity; allow families of COVID victims to sue China for any damages.

And, unless the above is met, we relocate the 2022 Olympics from China. The world cannot gather in China for peaceful games when we have strong evidence to believe that this virus originated in Wuhan and was covered up.

Mr. Speaker, in less than 6 months, the Biden administration's policies have disrupted the fundamentals of our economy and have caused significant inflation.

In March, congressional Democrats pushed through the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, some thought after the recovery began, in a highly partisan process without one Republican vote. This level of spending was unwarranted. Even many liberal-minded economists estimated it was three times bigger than needed and warned of inflationary pressures not seen in a generation as a result.

Inflation occurs when too many dollars are chasing too few goods, and predictability, this influx of spending resulted in prices increasing 4.2 percent in April and 5 percent last month. The reality is that inflation is a tax, Mr. Speaker, on every American family who is now paying more for essential goods, such as food and gasoline and many others, and whose savings are now worth less. Again, even liberal- minded economists called this the least responsible fiscal policy of the last 40 years.

At the same time, businesses are struggling to compete with Federal unemployment benefits. In one month, 4 million Americans walked off their jobs. Last month, there were a record 9.3 million open jobs, a level not seen since the beginning of World War II, when Americans were leaving to go fight the war. Yet, the Biden administration denies the correlation between open jobs and excessive, untargeted unemployment benefits.

Undeterred by the data, the Biden administration shows no sign of letting up, proposing a $6 trillion budget this year that will put our country on a path to record debt and that reports show will disrupt our long-term economic growth.

The Biden administration is persistent in its charade that inflation is not occurring, unemployment benefits don't deter work, and their policies won't significantly disrupt our country's strength and economic growth.

The reality is, the Biden agenda only grows government, not the private-sector economy.

This can be a great American decade if we unleash the power of American innovators and entrepreneurs, but we can't do that under the yoke of excessive and untargeted spending, increased taxes, and inflation. We must, Mr. Speaker, grow opportunity in America, which creates the American Dream. Government should only serve this purpose.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, the gentleman from Louisiana, our Republican vice chair, for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, since the onset of the pandemic, our small businesses have been faced with immeasurable challenges. Though our recovery from the pandemic is underway, businesses now face an unnecessary worker shortage due in part to enhanced unemployment compensation payments that disincentivize work.

Each week, I speak with small business owners from across my district who tell me they have open jobs, but can't fill them and compete with enhanced unemployment. One of the largest employers in my district, East Penn Manufacturing, is hosting weekly job fairs to fill hundreds of good-paying manufacturing jobs they have available and are going unfilled.

Enhanced unemployment compensation was never intended, Mr. Speaker, to be permanent, but it is now disrupting the labor market on the onset of what can be a strong recovery. As more Americans continue to get vaccinated and our COVID cases continue to decline, it is time for us to stop this disincentivizing work.

Unemployment assistance programs should be revised to target those unable to work, such as parents with children at home due to school closures or those not physically able. Those who can work and choose not to should not be able to receive generous unemployment compensation at a rate often more than $20 per hour.

The U.S. Department of Labor reports 8.1 million jobs were open in March, and there are plentiful well-paying jobs in every industry offering incentives for new hires across Pennsylvania. Despite this, Pennsylvania's unemployment rate is even higher than the national average.

That is why last week I sent a letter to the Governor of Pennsylvania urging him to better target supplemental unemployment compensation to those who truly need it and reinstate work search requirements that were waived last year. Despite an abundant job market, our economy added only 266,000 jobs last week.

Mr. Speaker, as I close, businesses are creating new jobs every day. We owe it to them to at least create job seekers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, during this National Police Week, to honor and thank all men and women in blue who dutifully protect and serve our communities.

Public safety is the most important factor in quality of life. In recent years, antipolice rhetoric and violence have increased dramatically. In 2020 alone, 128 police officers were fallen and died in the line of duty, one of the deadliest in history for law enforcement.

Fully aware of these dangers, more than 800,000 brave police officers across America still faithfully put their lives on the line to protect each of us every day. That is 0.25 percent who protects all the rest.

On Tuesday, I was honored to join police officers from Lebanon County, in my district, at a ceremony honoring officers who made the ultimate sacrifice. I thank Pier Hess Graf, the Lebanon County district attorney, for handling, running, and emceeing the event.

I joined many Republican colleagues this morning on a bike rally led by Leader McCarthy to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, where we honored our Nation's fallen police officers.

As the son of a police officer, Detective Stanley Meuser, I know well the tremendous sacrifices our police officers and their loved ones make. This week, and always, we all owe our police officers and their families all of our support.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky, my good friend, Representative Guthrie; and my good friend from Maryland, David Trone, for their work on this bill.

Madam Speaker, the plight of addiction continues to affect communities across the country and in our great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Substance use disorder, like any disease, doesn't just affect the individual. Their family, spouse, children, and friends also suffer alongside them, hoping for recovery. The critical support system they comprise is a potent tool in combatting addiction and an effective partner we should aim to empower.

That is why this bill, the Family Support Services for Addiction Act, is so essential and why I am truly very proud to be working with my good friend, Representative David Trone, to see it become law. His commitment to this cause is impressive and honorable.

Our bill provides grants for community organizations, providing critical support to families trying to navigate the complex insurance coverage and treatment options.

Too often, this system overwhelms concerned families looking for the best option for their loved one. By passing this bill, we ensure more families will be connected to a lifesaving treatment option tailored to their needs.

Unfortunately, Madam Speaker, this crisis has only become more acute during the pandemic. According to the CDC, 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred between May 2019 and May 2020, the highest number recorded in a 12-month period. To combat this epidemic of drug use, we must use every tool we have; and the network of support that families provide is an essential tool to overcoming addiction and restoring our communities.

I, again, want to thank Representative Trone for his work on this bill, on this very important issue; and the committee leaders for moving this much-needed measure to the floor today.

Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 131.

Stated against:

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentleman from Louisiana, Vice Chair Mike Johnson, for yielding.

Madam Speaker, we can all agree our Nation's transportation and infrastructure system is in need of investment to improve our quality of life and economic competitiveness. Very unfortunately, the Biden administration has thus far chosen a go-it-alone approach in solving this problem with a $2.3 trillion proposal, whereby less than 8 percent would go toward improving our Nation's roads, bridges, highways, airports, ports, and waterways, traditional infrastructure.

The rest is filled with provisions that have nothing to do with traditional T&I as we all know it, including $173 billion for electric cars and car electrical ports for powering; $400 billion to expand Medicaid programs, which is not infrastructure; and hundreds of billions of dollars to implement provisions of the Green New Deal.

As a means to pay for it, the Biden administration and Democratic leadership plan to raise taxes by over $2 trillion. At a time when our economy is in recovery, and we are supposed to be on the side of American manufacturing and repatriating jobs, bringing these companies back to America, the idea of significant tax increases is another upside-down policy and will certainly not attract business but only export them.

Additionally, our infrastructure plan needs to be supplemented by private capital investment. That is where accountability comes from. That is why I plan to introduce the Infrastructure Bank for America Act, which would add to existing government funding with private investment, increasing access to capital for worthy infrastructure projects that deliver on R&I and deliver value to the American people at a fraction of the cost to the taxpayer.

Contrary to the Biden infrastructure plan, IBA investments would not be restricted and would help finance surface transportation projects, grid security, broadband, and revitalization of cities and towns across America and my district.

Thus far, the Biden administration has failed to reach across the aisle in a meaningful way to accomplish anything. We should unite to fix our roads, bridges, highways, airports, and other gateways to growth and innovation, not exploit this opportunity and pass a $2 trillion liberal wish list that will raise taxes, impose Green New Deal mandates, and add trillions to our national debt.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Foxx very much for yielding. I appreciate the opportunity to speak, Mr. Speaker.

All Americans, men and women, should be treated equally and receive equal pay for equal work. I happen to be the father of two daughters, and I will do everything in this House to ensure that that continues to be the case and is, in fact, the case.

If this truly were an Equal Pay Act, Mr. Speaker, I think we would have a bipartisan initiative here. We would have bipartisan agreement. The problem is this is not what it is, Mr. Speaker, it goes well beyond dealing with equal pay.

What it does is it provides equal pay for as many attorneys and trial lawyers as possible. And therein lies the problem. Once again, we have what looks like legitimate legislation that sounds good and feels good, Mr. Speaker, yet when you look at the details, it is far left extremism, which poisons the legislation and doesn't allow reasonable Members like myself to be supportive.

And this isn't the first time. This occurs very often, and it is the reason why we don't get things done, nor do we get bipartisan cooperation. Because cooperation is the way that we will achieve and complete bills of importance, particularly that are named equal pay for all, equality for all.

That is what our goal is. It would be great if a bill like this had the substance that provided the ingredients to provide for equal pay.

Mr. Speaker, over the last few months, the situation at our border has evolved into a serious crisis caused by policy changes from the Biden administration that have incentivized illegal immigration. This is not my opinion; this is the information I received firsthand on my recent trip to the border.

These policy changes include: ending the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy; implementing catch and release; and suspension of the portion of title 42, which allowed for expelling unaccompanied minors. I witnessed massively overcrowded rooms, or pods, where many children are being held for weeks at a time.

The enormous influx of illegals has given the drug cartels the insidious opportunity to ship drugs into our country, leading to an increase in fentanyl smuggling by more than 2,000 percent and illegal weapons by more than 100 percent.

Of grave concern to those I spoke with is the rumor that title 42 will be fully rescinded by the White House, which would lead, Mr. Speaker, to an unmitigated disaster at our border.

We ask President Biden and Vice President Harris to actually visit the border, speak with the agents on the ground, and learn what is going on. This is not a Republican or a Democrat issue; this is a humanitarian and national security crisis that can be solved.

Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member from Ohio, Mr. Jordan, for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to oppose H.R. 6.

Under the leadership of President Trump, illegal border crossings dropped dramatically, and our border was secured.

Since taking office, President Biden has halted construction of our border wall, attempted a moratorium on deportations, and, in so doing, created significant incentives for illegal immigration.

In February, over 100,000 illegal immigrants were apprehended at our southern border, three times the number in the same month the year previous.

Speaking to Border Patrol agents, Republicans and Democrats are told the same thing: This is a humanitarian crisis. Violent cartels are taking advantage of innocent people to smuggle drugs into our country.

Yet, the Biden administration placed a gag order on CBP agents. What is going on here? Are we going to face the problem, or are we going to hide it with gag orders?

Now Democrats are introducing H.R. 6, which only exacerbates the Biden policies at the border by creating the incentive of amnesty with no discussion of border security.

Madam Speaker, it is time for the House to wake up. This is disastrous policy, and it is in full view. There is no hiding from it. We should oppose H.R. 6 on humanitarian grounds.

Mr. Speaker, over the past year, Congress passed five bipartisan and targeted relief bills, totaling $3.7 trillion, to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. These packages succeeded in supporting our economy through the worst of this crisis.

Now, Democrat leadership wants to spend another $2 trillion on an excessive plan that directs just 1 percent toward vaccines, 1 percent, and provides far beyond what is needed to fuel our continued recovery.

States will receive $350 billion on top of the $500 billion already allocated. Revenue is actually up in these States.

Supplementing unemployment compensation while small business is hurting for employees is the wrong move to be made at this time.

Mr. Speaker, in this bill, felons, including currently incarcerated murderers, were not exempt from receiving these stimulus checks that are intended for taxpayers.

Federal workers, Mr. Speaker, will receive up to $35 an hour, in addition to their full salary, to care for a child learning from home.

Why do Federal workers deserve such privilege, Mr. Speaker, when we should be focused on economic recovery, getting our children back to school, and vaccine distribution? That is what is in the interests of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Ohio for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, once again, Democratic leadership is proposing legislation that would do nothing to prevent criminals from accessing firearms while greatly restricting the Second Amendment rights of law- abiding citizens.

These bills are being sold to the public as an effort to pass universal background checks. But House Democrats fail to recognize that every commercial gun sale in the United States already has a background check.

Mr. Speaker, ending gun violence in America is a goal we all share, but H.R. 8 will subject law-abiding gun owners to criminal penalties for simply handing a firearm to another person.

For instance, if you loaned a friend a rifle to go hunting, they could face a year in prison or a $100,000 fine. This is simply ridiculous.

The same would be true, Mr. Speaker, if you loaned an abuse victim a firearm for self-defense. H.R. 1446 would create arbitrary delays for firearm purchases and could allow the FBI to delay a firearm transfer indefinitely.

These bills would do nothing to keep Americans safer and, in fact, threaten the public safety and our constitutional right to bear arms.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act, to get our kids out from behind screens and back in the classroom.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 69.