Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I agree with my colleagues and share the chairman's concerns about the safety risks with this amendment.

I recognize that some of my colleagues believe we don't need the B83 and want to retire it, but regardless of how they feel about it, I hope my colleagues can appreciate that completely cutting off funds for a nuclear system all at once is dangerous.

These weapons were built many decades ago, and their components are aging. That is why we are modernizing our deterrent. Yet, we need to do ongoing safety and surveillance monitoring to ensure they remain safe and secure, and that requires ongoing funding.

Defunding a nuclear weapon may sound like a good talking point, but it is a reckless policy. Even the Biden administration understands that. They are not proposing to cut off funding, but that is exactly what this amendment would do.

Mr. Chair, I urge all my colleagues to vote against this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I also rise in strong opposition to this amendment. The chairman is right. Now is not the time to open the door to cutting the ICBM fleet.

China's ICBM forces are rapidly expanding, and Russia's nuclear forces, the largest in the world, continue to grow, as well. In the face of these growing threats, we need to strengthen our deterrent, not weaken it.

Our ICBM forces continue to play a vital role in deterrence as the most responsive leg of our nuclear triad.

Unlike submarines and bombers, land-based ICBMs are always ready to execute Presidential orders and provide the day-to-day, 24/7 deterrent that our Nation relies on. They have prevented nuclear attack for 60 years.

If you ever want to see nuclear proliferation in this world, start cutting our nuclear forces. All the countries that rely on us will attempt to secure their own nuclear capability. They will have no other choice. That would destabilize the world.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate Chairman Rogers' leadership on this legislation.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in favor of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. This bill prioritizes our military, safeguards their rights, and puts forward a fighting force that will stand against those who threaten the United States of America.

As chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, I have had the distinct honor of working closely with my colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee on this year's NDAA. This bill fully funds modernization of our nuclear triad, establishes the nuclear sea- launched cruise missile as a program of record, prevents the Biden administration from attempting to retire any element of our nuclear arsenal, and prohibits them from sharing nuclear information with Russia until the Russians reciprocate.

Additionally, the bill removes outdated missile defense policy limitations and crucially requires and funds acceleration in our development of hypersonic capabilities.

Finally, it advances our organization in military space, including with the establishment of a space national guard.

My colleagues in the House will be pleased to know that this bill also takes significant steps to end wokeness in the military by banning critical race theory and ending DEI overreach. Our military is not a social experiment. It is a fighting force that should be empowered to prioritize those missions.

To this end, the bill includes a 5.2 percent pay raise for servicemembers, expands opportunities for military spouses, and expands access to childcare and schools for military families.

I also thank Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts for his bipartisan efforts as ranking member of the subcommittee.

Mr. Chairman, I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to honor the life of community service of Mrs. Stephannie Fortune, who was taken from us too early by leukemia on June 13, 2023. Simply put, Mrs. Fortune was a loving champion of the Pikes Peak Region.

Stephannie Fortune had a remarkable career as a public servant in numerous capacities. Most recently she served on the Colorado Springs City Council and was a champion for the U.S. Olympic Museum which opened in July, 2020. Early in her career, Stephannie was part of President George H.W. Bush's advance team; served as Assistant Director and Legislative Liaison for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment; as Executive Director for University Partnerships and Public Policy at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs; as President of Governmental Affairs and Public Policy for the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce; as Chief of Staff to Lt. Gov. Jane Norton; and as Chief of Staff to U.S. Congressman Scott McInnis. Everywhere she served, she made an impact with her strong will, determination, and compassion.

Stephannie's love for community was also evident in her service on numerous non-profit

boards. Her impact was felt by: Pikes Peak United Way, the Colorado Springs Conservatory, Pikes Peak Workforce Investment Board, the Girl Scouts of Colorado, Colorado Springs Leadership Institute, the Colorado Springs Chamber's Center for Regional Advancement, Care and Share, and the YMCA.

In particular, Mrs. Fortune loved the youth of our community. She led church youth groups at First Presbyterian Church, mentored younger co- workers, and at Pikes Peak United Way helped start Colorado Springs Promise, providing life coaching to local high school students. She also worked to reopen the Westside Community Center.

In 2016 Stephannie married her true love, Kent Fortune. Their marriage was a vivid representation of how Mrs. Fortune lived, exhibiting mutual respect and sacrificial love.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in Congress join me in honoring the life and love of Stephannie Finley Fortune, who lovingly served and sacrificed for her community, family, and Colorado's 5th Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate Commander Doyle Flannery on his retirement from the United States Navy after 23 years of faithful service to our country. CDR Flannery's retirement also marks the end of 72 years of Flannery family service to the United States Navy and our country. An esteemed and respected member of the U.S. Navy, Commander Flannery most recently served as a Joint Operations Planner for North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command. In this capacity, he was responsible for the Commander, United States Northern Command Theater Posture Plan, which documents forces, infrastructure, and agreements required to execute the NORAD and USNORTHCOM missions.

Whereas, CDR Flannery's distinguished career began at the State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College where he earned a degree in Marine Transportation and a USCG License as a Third Mate (Unlimited). He would later go on to earn his ``wings of gold'' and qualify as a Naval Aviator in July 2002. CDR Flannery accumulated 2,500 flight hours in the SH-608 and MH-60R. He served in Helicopter Anti- Submarine Squadron (Light) FOUR THREE, USS Dubuque (LPD 8), and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron FOUR SIX.

Whereas, On shore duty, Commander Flannery completed high profile jobs including as a

Fleet Replacement Squadron Instructor Pilot Helicopter in Maritime Strike Squadron FOUR ONE, Aircrew Systems Requirements Officer on the Chief of Naval Operations Staff, Air Warfare Directorate, and as an International Project Manager for the Biological Threat Reduction Program assigned to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

Whereas, CDR Flannerys awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal and other personal, campaign, and service ribbons.

Proclaimed, that as CDR Flannery embarks on a new chapter in life, it is my hope that he may recall, with a deep sense of pride and accomplishment, the outstanding contributions he has made to the United States Navy. I would like to send him my best wishes for continued success in his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following Proclamation in tribute to Vice Admiral Jon A. Hill.

Whereas, on the occasion of his retirement from the United States Navy, I wish to recognize Vice Admiral Jon A. Hill for nearly four decades of military service to this great nation. In his most recent assignment as the Director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Vice Admiral Hill made significant contributions to the successful development and fielding of a layered Missile Defense System in order to protect the U.S. homeland, deployed U.S. forces, our allies, and international partners. The significance of his contributions to the Nation's defense is powerfully highlighted as we witness the ever more aggressive development of offensive ballistic missile capabilities by our adversaries and the spread of increasingly diverse missile threats, to include maneuvering and hypersonic threats.

Whereas, prior to coming to MDA, Vice Admiral Hill distinguished himself during his first Flag Officer tour as Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Integrated Warfare Systems. In this role, he was accountable for developing and certifying the deployment of all surface ship combat control systems, radars, missiles, launchers, electronic warfare, naval gunnery systems, and surface and subsurface anti-submarine warfare mission capabilities within the Fleet and joint force. He held several other high-profile leadership and acquisition engineering positions, including Aegis Shipbuilding (PMS 400), Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren Division and Port Hueneme Division, and PEO Theater Surface Combatants. He also served on the Assistant Secretary of the Navy staff for Research, Development and Acquisition (ASN RD&A).

Whereas, I would like to make special note that, Vice Admiral Hill, having previously served as Deputy Director for nearly three years, came into the Director position recognizing the need for significant updates to the Agency's mission, organization, and processes in order to position the Department on a path to counter advanced ballistic, hypersonic and maneuvering missile threats. During his tour as MDA Director, the Department of Defense made significant progress in addressing current and emerging ballistic and hypersonic missile threats by fielding, upgrading, integrating, and improving missile defenses to provide U.S. Combatant Commands and the Services a highly effective missile defense capability to defend the United States and its deployed troops, allies, and international partners around the world. He implemented a clear strategy focusing on increasing capability and capacity of fielded missile defense systems and making measured investments in advanced technologies, balancing rapid development and fielding of capabilities with leap-ahead technologies for the future system.

Whereas, to meet the rising threats to national security, Vice Admiral Hill focused the urgency of the Agency on homeland defense, to include the defense of Guam, and countering hypersonic missiles. For four years, Vice Admiral Hill pursued a strategy to improve the reliability, enhance the discrimination capability, and expand the battlespace of U.S. homeland missile defenses. In response to the growing North Korean ICBM threat, in 2021, he oversaw the completion of Initial Fielding for the Long-Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) at Clear Space Force Station in Alaska and planned delivery of the highly advanced homeland defense radar to the Space Force for operational acceptance in 2023. Once operational, LRDR will support the Ground- based Midcourse Defense (GMO) capability against Pacific theater long- range missile threats, improving homeland missile defenses against an increasingly dangerous North Korean threat.

Whereas, under Vice Admiral Hill's guidance and leadership, he oversaw improvements to homeland defense and delivered new interceptor capabilities. Vice Admiral Hill ensured

that the Ground Based Interceptor fleet underwent a much-needed Service Life Extension Program to improve reliability and availability, a critical activity that has been of great interest to this Congress. With these ongoing efforts and Vice Admiral Hill's persistent attention to this activity, the existing interceptor fleet will be extended beyond 2030. If these efforts were not enough, in 2021, the Agency also demonstrated an advanced booster that enables an earlier release of the kill vehicle to greatly expand the engagement area and time to counter the inbound threat. He also upgraded the homeland defense ground system infrastructure, communications network, fire control system, and missile fields at Fort Greely, Alaska to improve the reliability, capability, and cybersecurity resiliency of the GMO weapon system and support acceptance of the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI). With his eye on the missile challenges of the future, Vice Admiral Hill oversaw the award of two NGI contracts in March 2021 to rapidly advance the development process to deliver this new capability as soon as possible.

Whereas, recognizing the growth in the hypersonic missile threat, Vice Admiral Hill increased focus on new tracking sensor and interceptor programs. He oversaw development of the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) program to deliver satellites to track hypersonic and ballistic missiles that will work together with other Space Force missile tracking satellites also under development in the Defense Department. He diligently ensured MDA continued to work closely with the Space Force to implement his vision of making the HBTSS a part of the overall satellite constellation for defeating the global maneuvering threat.

Whereas, Vice Admiral Hill also championed the development of an Aegis Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) capability to leverage the existing and future space- and terrestrial-based sensors, Command and Control, Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC), and proven Aegis engage- on-remote technology. In his pursuit of a layered defense capability against the hypersonic threat, he saw the benefit of Aegis GPI working together with Sea Based Terminal (SBT) defenses. With SBT Increment 2 already deployed, he pushed for the SBT Increment 3 upgrade for delivery in 2024 to expand capability to defeat multiple advanced maneuvering threats.

Whereas, given the evolving regional threat to Guam from China and others, Vice Admiral Hill also moved quickly to address a requirement identified by U.S. Inda-Pacific Command for a persistent 360-degree layered missile defense capability on Guam, a strategically important forward base for the United States. He steered the Agency, with collaboration from the U.S. Army and Navy, in the development of a defensive architecture to improve the defense of Guam. He put the Agency on the road to developing the AN/TPY-6 radar to provide persistent long-range midcourse discrimination, precision tracking, missile engagements, and hit assessment to protect Guam and the Aegis Guam System from engaging missile threats.

Whereas, during his four years as Director, Vice Admiral Hill also continued improvements in the Command and Control, Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC) infrastructure, which provides persistent acquisition, tracking, cueing, discrimination, and fire-control quality data to Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), GMD, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), and Patriot, and for coalition partners to support homeland and regional missile defense. In response to a request by the Commander of U.S. Forces, Korea, he oversaw delivery of a THAAD Remote Launcher capability in FY 2020 to increase the THAAD defended area and improve defense against specific regional threat concerns. He also directed the development for a Patriot Launch-on- Remote capability with THAAD, which was fielded in October 2022. This increased Patriot-defended area and engagement opportunities by allowing the Army's Missile Segment Enhanced (MSE) Interceptor to leverage the THAAD AN/TPY-2 Radar.

Whereas, the fielding of the THAAD 4.0 Region Specific system build enabled the integration of the Army's MSE interceptor and M903 launcher with the THAAD Weapon System, and MDA personnel and equipment needed to execute this upgrade by moving it to the U.S. IndoPacific Command Theater in September 2022. This capability was so successful, the Army asked that it be deployed to other regions.

Whereas, Vice Admiral Hill guided program plans to strengthen regional defenses by continuing deliveries of Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IBs and SM-3 Block IIAs for use on Aegis BMD ships and at Aegis Ashore-Romania. He also continued advancement of the Aegis BMD system in collaboration with the Navy to counter growing and more complex threats, including improvements in system and missile reliability as well as increases in Aegis BMD engagement capacity and lethality, including work on the Aegis Weapon System, Aegis Ashore-Poland, the SM- 3 Block IIA program, and Sea Based Terminal defense. He also accomplished a critical milestone for Aegis BMD by demonstrating in the November 2020 the capability of an Aegis BMD-equipped vessel to defeat an ICBM-class target using the advanced SM-3 Block IIA missile interceptor developed in partnership with Japan.

Whereas, Vice Admiral Hill oversaw the construction of the Aegis Ashore system in Poland to support European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) Phase 3 and improve European NATO defenses against medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Vice Admiral Hill approved a Technical Capability Declaration in February 2023 in advance of acceptance by the Chief of Naval Operations of the site and US/NATO operational validation. He oversaw the retirement of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) 3.6.x from the U.S. Navy fleet after decades of successful operational deployment and the upgrade of Aegis BMD ships to the latest software and level of capability. He pushed for collaboration with the Navy to give BMD-equipped ships the capability to simultaneously perform both operations against ballistic missiles and anti-air warfare operations against aircraft and anti-ship cruise missiles. Vice Admiral Hill also spearheaded the software upgrades to Aegis missile defense destroyers equipped with the SPY-1 radar to support the Space Force Space Domain Awareness mission.

Whereas, Vice Admiral Hill demonstrated a commitment to expand work with U.S. international partners, to include conducting joint analyses to support partner missile defense acquisition decisions, cooperative research and development projects, deploying BMD assets, Foreign Military Sales, and co-production efforts. He pushed for investments by U.S. allies and partners in their own missile defense capabilities to enable them to build more effective regional security architectures that complement U.S. regional missile defense capabilities.

Whereas, Vice Admiral Hill consistently advocated for investments in technology today to defeat tomorrow's threat, and he encouraged pursuit of several efforts in the Agency's Advanced Technology program by adopting an integrated, strategic Science and Technology (ST) approach to identify, develop. and transition key enabling technologies to the Missile Defense System and the Warfighter. Vice Admiral Hill sought to enhance current kinetic kill capabilities with directed energy and other non-kinetic solutions to keep pace with the volume and complexity of threats, and to work with OSD and the Services to develop the technologies to support the development and integration of lasers and high-power microwave systems.

Whereas, we are grateful that Vice Admiral Hill guided the Agency through the COVID-19 pandemic by encouraging flexible telework policies and continuing the push for superior information technology equipment needed to support the maximum telework posture. He brought the Agency out of the pandemic by shifting the workforce posture to what he called ``Workplace Next,'' which is designed to provide flexibilities with work options and improved quality of life for MDA personnel. His ``Stellar Team, Noble Mission'' motto energized a geographically dispersed MDA workforce.

Whereas, Vice Admiral Hill demonstrated superior leadership, extraordinary dedication, and exceptional professionalism as the key interface between the Agency and OSD, Joint Staff, Combatant Commands, Services and Military Departments, the Department of State, and international partners. He was also instrumental in developing a very successful Congressional engagement strategy to support the Agency's on-going programs and plans. Vice Admiral Hill's vision, persistence in pursuit of excellence, and leadersl1jp greatly enhanced the Missile Defense Agency's ability to develop and expand a truly global missile defense capability.

Whereas, during Vice Admiral Hill's tenure as the Director of the Missile Defense Agency, the Department of Defense made significant progress in fielding missile defense capabilities to defend the nation, its armed forces, and our international partners. Vice Admiral Hill reorganized, reformed, and reinvigorated MDA in the execution of its core mission developing missile defenses to counter advanced threats to our Nation, our deployed forces, and our international partners. He established a new leadership team to improve development, delivery, and support to the warfighter. He also resolved systemic cultural and process issues between programs and functional support organizations enabling the workforce to function adeptly as one MDA team.

Proclaimed, that I, Congressman Lamborn and the 5th Congressional District of Colorado shall commemorate Vice Admiral Hill as he prepares to retire from a highly commendable career of military service and wish him Fair Winds and Following Seas.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following Proclamation on ``EndJewHatredDay.''

Whereas, hate crimes targeting the Jewish community continue to rise in the United States, we must strongly condemn any and all acts of antisemitism; and

Whereas, April 29, 2023, marks the recognition of the second annual ``EndJewHatredDay,'' where individuals throughout the United States unite to end all forms of antisemitism and bigotry towards the Jewish community; and

Whereas, we must all commit to protect the Jewish community and respect Jewish culture as a crucial element of America's religious freedoms; and

Whereas, ``EndJewHatredDay'' shall serve as a day where we mourn the trauma and history of hatred against the Jewish people and vow for these actions to ``never again'' be repeated.

Proclaimed, that I, Congressman Doug Lamborn and the 5th Congressional District of Colorado shall wholeheartedly condemn antisemitism in all forms and declare every April 29 to be ``EndJewHatredDay.''

Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman, who is doing a great job as chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, for yielding.

Madam Chair, what should be crystal clear by now is that our friends across the aisle do not have solutions to the energy crisis. For the last 4 years, Democrats have controlled both Chambers of Congress, but in that time, not one single piece of serious legislation was ever introduced which would have lowered the cost of energy. After seeing costs rise for years on end, voters decided that they had had enough and elected Republicans to solve this crisis.

In 2019, a gallon of gas cost just over $2. Today, it costs almost $4. The price of groceries has gone up, as the price of energy to ship and keep them cool has gone up as well. Some items have seen as high as a 55 percent increase.

What has been done to help ease energy costs?

What solutions do my friends across the aisle have?

As a result of President Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the United States pumped $75.8 billion of taxpayer money into unreliable green tech. Besides that, Americans have pumped trillions of both public and private dollars into these industries for decades, but solar and wind combined still only make up 10 percent of American electricity generation.

Instead of making existing technology more affordable, this administration and its allies in Congress dumped billions of dollars into technologies that cannot provide reliable and dispatchable energy to even a fraction of the country. This so-called solution has done nothing to lower costs for the average American. We have higher costs. There is more potential for rolling brownouts. This is the best that my friends across the aisle can do.

An intelligent person would think, why not continue to invest in affordable and proven technology while we are waiting for these alternatives to become viable?

They might be in the future at some point. That is great. But right now it is only 10 percent of our national electrical production.

The PJM Interconnection, for example, which is a grid that services over 65 million people, has announced that they will be short 26 percent of their total energy obligations because radical environmentalists are retiring energy sources while providing no reliable backups.

EPA also recently finalized what they are calling the ``Good Neighbor'' rule by denying 26 different State plans to conform to EPA ozone regulations.

This denial means that 26 States, including my State of Colorado, will have sources of energy generation completely shut down while having no viable backup whatsoever.

This decision guarantees that costs and shortages will continue to increase for the American people with no end in sight.

Maintaining affordable energy is crucial to our way of life. It is what keeps water treatment plants open. It is what keeps hospitals open. It is what keeps traffic lights, libraries, schools, trucks, ships, and airplanes operating.

When the cost of powering these essential processes go up, costs go up. If the grid shuts down, everything relying upon it goes down. This will have catastrophic consequences.

Those of us around the country have seen what happens in places like California with its unrealistic energy policies and want nothing to do with it. High prices and shortages come with overregulation.

Let's face the facts: Current green tech cannot come anywhere close to powering our Nation right now or in the foreseeable future.

The Energy Information Administration expects fossil fuel demand to continue rising, not decreasing, beyond the year 2050.

Ironically, as an aside, fossil fuel industries have always made a higher profit when there is a Democratic President because of the increased per barrel price of oil, but that is just an aside.

Republicans also aren't neglecting permitting realities by ignoring unused drilling permits. We simply recognize that those permits on their own are insufficient to generate investment and production, especially when this administration is doing everything it can to discourage the producers of conventional energy.

What should be clear in this debate is that Republicans are the ones who know how energy works, and we are passing legislation.

H.R. 1 is serious legislation that will lower costs. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act. This legislation reinforces parents' indisputable rights to the protection and education of their children.

We have seen a push towards centralizing education by the government, a mentality seen too often with the left taking away those decisions from parents. This bill returns choice to the caretakers of our most precious resource: The next generation.

Why do we need this bill?

We had a Democrat politician running for Governor in Virginia who lost, who said: ``I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.''

Can you believe that?

I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.

Republicans believe in education, especially when parents are in control. It is ironic that the leftwing has censored or banned books. Harry Potter books have been burned because leftists don't like the author.

Leftwing school districts in California have banned ``Of Mice and Men'' and ``To Kill a Mockingbird.''

Mr. Chair, this bill puts parents in control. Everyone who cares about the welfare of our youngest citizens should support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to come to the floor of the House of Representatives to discuss the need for TRICARE beneficiaries to have access to quality healthcare.

I thank Mr. Buddy Carter, my friend from Georgia, for his leadership on this important issue.

The military population in my home district of Colorado Springs is well over 100,000 people. It includes Active-Duty, National Guard, Reserves, retirees, and veterans, including their families and dependents, the number of TRICARE beneficiaries in my district is substantial.

The impact of Express Scripts cutting the number of in-network pharmacies and reducing reimbursements has been felt in Colorado Springs.

I have heard from constituents who have had trouble finding quality pharmacies for their prescriptions and who are faced with increasingly long wait times, decreased hours of service, and unscheduled closures.

Additionally, beneficiaries in my district have had to change their pharmacy numerous times as TRICARE rates continually fluctuate.

The process of finding a new pharmacy takes up a substantial amount of time and beneficiaries ultimately cannot reliably depend on a pharmacy to consistently deliver their necessary medicine.

The men and women serving in our military, retirees and their families who serve alongside them, deserve more options for their healthcare, not less.

Access to quality, accessible, reliable pharmacies should not be something that our military families have to worry about.

I urge the Defense Health Agency and Express Scripts to carefully consider the impact these recent changes have made on military families and to make the changes necessary to facilitate increased pharmacy access and availability to beneficiaries of the TRICARE network.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to remember the lives lost due to the Roe v. Wade decision. There are an estimated 64 million American souls who are missing as a result. We gather today on this 50th anniversary, solemnly, but hopefully.

As Members of Congress, we are tasked with representing our constituents, even the unborn ones. I will always speak out and fight to protect the sanctity of these lives.

It is difficult to imagine how we as a Nation allowed this decision to stand for almost 50 years. I have hope and know that the Supreme Court has provided for us a brighter future with their decision in Dobbs.

Last Congress, as was just stated, I introduced the Second Chance at Life Act. Chemical abortions can be reversed with no harm to the child if the pregnant mother develops second thoughts midway through the chemical abortion process. My legislation, again, in this Congress, will give the opportunity of life for thousands of unborn children.

So, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Representative Smith and Representative Fischbach for their leadership in the Congressional Pro- Life Caucus and for holding this Special Order.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of U.S. Space Force Major Mark Crimm, who served as my 2022 Defense Fellow. Major Crimm, call sign Reaper, has been an integral part of my office, helping constituents and veterans in Colorado's 5th Congressional District.

Major Crimm is a decorated warfighter, expert Guardian, and has been essential in developing national defense policies and legislation, especially in military space. Reaper assisted with House Armed Services Committee hearings and mark-ups and provided invaluable support developing the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act.

Major Crimm is originally from Wyoming and is married to Elyse, a Colorado native, who also serves in the U.S. Space Force. They have a newborn daughter, Lexington.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues in Congress to join me in thanking U.S. Space Force Major Mark Crimm for serving our Nation, my office, and many grateful constituents.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the James N. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023.

As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, there are several provisions I am excited about. The bill directs the establishment of a national hypersonic initiative and requires a strategy to use unconventional capabilities to defeat hypersonic threats.

The bill also fully funds nuclear triad modernization, restores funding for the nuclear sea-launched cruise missile, and prohibits retirement of the B-83 gravity bomb.

It funds two additional Patriot batteries in the Guam defense system, and it advances planning for an East Coast missile defense site.

The NDAA also requires a public strategy for the protection of satellites and directs the establishment of resilient and responsive space capabilities. Additionally, it replenishes American stocks of munitions that have been provided to Ukraine and have begun to be depleted.

Finally, I am very supportive of the provision to rescind the COVID- 19 vaccine mandate and end separations, protecting the rights of our servicemembers.

I conclude with one final public thank you to my good friend and colleague, Jim Cooper, for his service and steadfast partnership.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Weber for yielding.

Louie, I sat next to you for 16 years, I think, in the Natural Resources Committee or one or two removed from you, and at the end we were right next to each other, and you would give me a lot of quips during hearings, during witness testimony. One thing you always struck me as being is a happy warrior.

You are a warrior in the sense that you are passionate and committed to your conservative views and you are happy about it. You have good humor. We just saw a minute ago you poked fun at yourself in a humorous way. So that combination is very rare, and we need more of that. We need people who are happy, positive, and have good humor. You have all of those attributes.

I won't go into these stories because it would take forever to give the background, but you remember some times in Israel we were together floating in the Dead Sea, or you found the dead cat, or other things like that. There are stories we could go into, and I won't do that.

But it has been a real honor serving with you, and I wish you the best. The people of east Texas have been very well represented, and I am sure they will have to make do with somebody else and they will eventually like that person, but they are going to truly miss you, and you will be missed here.

We wish you the best and Godspeed.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor for me to come to the floor tonight to commemorate the 81st Annual National Bible Week, a week in which we celebrate the tremendous influence of the Bible on the freedoms we enjoy today in America.

In 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared the week of Thanksgiving to be National Bible Week, on the eve of World War II. In the years since, every President has issued a national proclamation, as have many governors and mayors.

The Bible has had a profound impact on my own life as well. When I was an 18-year old freshman at the University of Kansas, I was approached by some people who asked me if I knew what was in the Bible. I said I believed I knew what it was all about; however, I had never read any of it for myself.

The only honest thing I could do at that point was to read it for myself. So when I read the gospel of John, I ended up discovering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, who became my Lord and Savior.

In that gospel, He said, ``I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.''

So we recognize the Bible's powerful message of hope. We cherish the wisdom of the Bible. We acknowledge its profound role in the founding of our country; and we thank God for providing this holy book. It has truly been, as it says, a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

We are here, in keeping with tradition, to recognize National Bible Week.

Mr. Speaker, we have a number of fellow Representatives from all across this great country of ours who want to comment on National Bible Week, on the importance of the Bible to them, to their districts, and to the country.

We will go now first with Mr. Robert Aderholt, and then continue down the list in the order that people arrived here.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt).

Mr. Speaker, secondly, we have the gentleman from Texas, Representative Babin, and then the gentleman from Mississippi after that.

I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin).

Mr. Speaker, next I yield to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Guest).

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose).

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate what the gentleman had to say. Tomorrow will be the 81st anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day. That day has lived in infamy.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his words.

Mr. Grothman mentioned John Adams. I have a great quote here from John Quincy Adams, the younger of the two that became President: ``I speak as a man of the world to the men of the world; and I say to you, Search the Scriptures. The Bible is the book of all others, to be read at all ages, and in all conditions of human life; not to be read once or twice or thrice through, and then laid aside, but to be read in small portions of one or two chapters every day, and never to be intermitted, unless by overruling necessity.''

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for sharing that message from the heart, and I appreciate what the Bible has done in his life.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for his words.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter) for reminding us of what the reason for the season really is.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those thoughts on this commemoration of National Bible Week.

To conclude, Mr. Speaker, I have two more quotes from other Presidents of the United States.

Ronald Reagan, in his own declaration of National Bible Week when he was in office, said: ``When I took the oath of office, I requested that my mother's Bible be opened to 2nd Chronicles 7:14, which reads, `If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.' This passage expresses my hopes for the future of this Nation and the world.''

Lastly, to make this bipartisan, President Truman said during an address at the Attorney General's Conference on Law Enforcement Problems: ``The fundamental basis of this Nation's law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings which we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul. I don't think we emphasize that enough these days.''

If that was true in the late 1940s, that is certainly true today.

He continued: ``If we don't have the proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the State.''

I am going to conclude by saying this, Mr. Speaker: It has been an honor and a pleasure to commemorate National Bible Week this evening. I am grateful for all of my colleagues who joined me to honor the Word of God.

The Bible is the single most important book ever written. It has the power to change lives. It has liberated many from oppression by its clear teachings. It is truly an amazing and remarkable piece of writing. It contains pure truth about God, about life, the nature of mankind, and our own hearts as human beings.

I am thankful for the Word of God, the impact that it has had on my life, on the lives of those who have spoken here today, and on the life of our great Nation.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of U.S. Army 1SG (Retired) Henry Donnell Allen, Jr., beloved husband, father, grandfather, veteran, first responder, and community activist.

Henry was born in Osceola, Arkansas, on July 16, 1955, to the late Henry Donnell Allen, Sr., and Melvina Lumpkin Allen.

Henry served 24 years in the United States Army's 3rd Armed Calvary Regiment as a Calvary Reconnaissance Scout. Henry's love for his country was unparalleled.

He met and married Caron Allen in August 1994.

Henry and Caron joined Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church of Colorado Springs in 1996. He faithfully served the church as a Deacon and as Director of Security. The congregation knows Deacon Allen as a ``man of integrity'' who was always willing to offer his assistance and a friendly smile to others.

After retiring from the U.S. Army, Henry joined the El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO), serving first as a security technician and then as a deputy sheriff. He retired in 2011.

A longtime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Henry became very active in 1998, first serving as Chairman of the Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs Committee and then Chairman of Legal Redress for the local branch and the State Conference. He was elected as President of the Colorado Springs NAACP in 2013 and served until February 2016.

Henry founded a local branch of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in February 2016. Under Henry's leadership, the SCLC Conference brought a commitment to the Pikes Peak region to bring about the promise of ``one nation, under God, indivisible,'' together with the commitment to activate the ``strength to love'' within the community of humankind.

Henry strived to be a voice for those who had none. His leadership was instrumental in the effort to rename a 10-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 24 in honor of the Buffalo Soldiers, an African American regiment that served primarily on the Western frontier after the Civil War.

He served on the D-49 School Board. Ensuring that children had access to quality education and character-building opportunities was a priority for Henry.

Additionally, Henry was a leader within the local Republican Party. His patriotic spirit and commitment to service inspired complete strangers to get involved with the political process.

Throughout his 67 years on this earth, Henry followed in the footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., epitomizing the words found in Micah 6:8.

``He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the

LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to

walk humbly with your God?''

Henry was a champion for justice. As a member of law enforcement and a veteran, Henry advocated for both his brothers and sisters in uniform, as well as those who were treated unfairly in his community.

He loved mercy and compassion. Henry always lent a helping hand to the underprivileged. Feeding the hungry, caring for the homeless, and protecting the oppressed generated strong community ties and deep relationships with others.

Henry walked humbly. Although he was usually the sharpest dressed man in the room, Henry never made anyone feel insignificant or unworthy. Though personally confident and professionally accomplished, he treated everyone with dignity.

Henry had many joys in his lifetime, but his family and his unwavering faith were the greatest of those. He is survived by his cherished wife, Reverend Doctor Caron Allen; children, Marcia T. Wilson (Laderrick), Jeana Allen-Morris (Kevin), Mauricia A. Pledger, Paula P. Mitchell, Sherida L. Allen, Melissa M. Allen, Brian R. Allen, Denise A. Rucker; 22 grandchildren; and 23 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents and his sons, Alexander T. McGowan and Jason R. Allen.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in Congress join me in celebrating and honoring the life of Henry Allen, Jr., a leader, a believer, a patriot, and a friend to so many.

Henry has surely heard the words spoken in the Gospel of Matthew:

``. . . the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you

who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared

for you from the foundation of the world . . . For I was

naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I

was in prison, and you came to Me.' ''