Floor Statements

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

I rise in support of H.R. 2472, honoring John Armor Bingham. John Bingham served in this Chamber from the 34th through the 38th Congresses, representing the great State of Ohio.

After losing election in 1862, President Lincoln appointed Bingham as judge advocate of the Union Army. He presided over many significant military trials and also served as a prosecutor for the military tribunal of the Lincoln assassination conspirators.

He was then reelected to the House, serving in the 39th through the 42nd Congresses. He is most notable for having authored Section 1 of the 14th Amendment to our Constitution.

Over his years of public service, John Bingham loyally served his country.

I encourage my colleagues to support this bill honoring a former Member of this Chamber.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson).

Mr. Speaker, I support this 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. 228, which names a post office in Anderson, California, for Norma Comnick.

Ms. Comnick owned and operated an insurance agency, from which she retired in 2004. She also served the Anderson community for more than 20 years, including five terms as mayor. She was a dedicated citizen and local public servant to her community.

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

Madam Speaker, after nearly 25 years of service as President of the Pennsylvania College of Technology, Dr. Davie Jane Gilmour is retiring.

During her accomplished tenure, Dr. Gilmour has guided Penn College through challenges, growth, and innovation, ultimately shaping the institution into a national leader in applied technology education.

Penn College has stepped up in a big way to develop Pennsylvania's workforce and close the skills gap, largely due to Dr. Gilmour's vision and commitment to giving students the tools to excel in high demand fields.

Dr. Gilmour and I share that vision, and I have enjoyed working with Penn College in Congress to develop policies that bring job creators and the workforce closer together, expand opportunities for career and technical education, promote economic development, and spur job creation.

I thank Dr. Gilmour for her service, vision, and tireless commitment to Penn College's important mission. I wish Dr. Gilmour all the best in her future endeavors.

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

Today, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5407, the bipartisan Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act.

The mental health of our Nation's students is on the minds of many Americans. According to a study by Boston University, mental health issues increased steadily over the past 8 years among college students. In fact, 60 percent of students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem, including increased rates of anxiety, depression, and thoughts of suicide.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 25 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds surveyed in 2020 had seriously considered suicide. Unfortunately, these issues were made only worse by the pandemic. Clearly, something needs to be done.

That is why I joined my Pennsylvania colleague, Representative Wild, in introducing H.R. 5407. This legislation will encourage institutions of higher education to develop comprehensive mental health and suicide prevention plans to support college students.

H.R. 5407 directs the Secretary of Education to encourage institutions of higher education to develop and implement comprehensive campus mental health and suicide prevention plans. The bill also directs the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services to work together in a way that will allow the institutions to draw from existing evidence-based approaches and programs enacted by the 21st Century Cures Act, the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, as well as other existing Federal and State programs.

We all want to see our Nation's students thrive and succeed. Yet, many students are battling severe depression and contemplating suicide. We must all come together to prevent such tragedy. The best way to do this is to ensure that students know safe resources are nearby, so they can get the mental health support they need.

It is time to break down barriers to mental health access. This means breaking down the stigmas and the practical barriers associated with seeking mental health services. That is what this bill seeks to do.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote for H.R. 5407, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

In closing, I want to discuss the importance of what we are doing. COVID-19 burdened young people with more anxiety, stress, and isolation than ever before. Now, they need support that works.

According to one study, mental health problems among young adults rose 50 percent over the past 10 years. Many of us have seen the young people in our lives struggling, and it is devastating to watch.

I am dedicated to serving the needs of students nationwide. To me, this bill is a no-brainer.

Empowering postsecondary institutions to develop comprehensive suicide prevention plans and partner with community-based mental health organizations will do much to solve this mental health crisis. This critical investment in the mental health of our young people is an investment in the future of this country.

Lastly, I express my gratitude to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for working together on this important legislation.

Madam Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 5407, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

I stand today in support of H.R. 6493, the bipartisan Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act of 2022.

Sadly, college students were not exempt from the tremendous pressure brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. For many students, these escalating

pressures have resulted in behavioral and mental health challenges, such as substance abuse.

Even before the pandemic, studies found that young adults were turning to dangerous substances as 18-to-25-year-olds were reported to have the highest percent of opioid use of all age groups.

This is why I am proud to join my colleagues in support of this bill today.

H.R. 6493 promotes evidence-based prevention and recovery efforts on college campuses by providing colleges and universities the tools they need to support students struggling with substance abuse.

Specifically, this bill requires institutions of higher education that receive Federal funding to adopt an evidence-based program to prevent alcohol and substance misuse by both students and employees. The bill also ensures that the institutions are equipped with proven, evidence-based methods by directing the Secretary of Education to coordinate with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop best practices for colleges and universities when implementing substance abuse programs. Such coordination and cooperation are crucial.

For those colleges and universities that may need additional help for student recovery services, the bill updates an existing Federal grant for these uses. We know that colleges and university staff can serve as a critical support system for students suffering from an addiction or mental health issue. This bill will also empower staff to do so.

With college students experiencing increased loneliness, isolation, and depression, it is important that these students have access to alcohol and substance misuse prevention programs.

H.R. 6493 will keep students from falling into substance abuse, thus ensuring they start their future out on the right foot and on a path to a successful career. I urge my colleagues to support this bill today.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time.

Through this commonsense bipartisan legislation, we will support institutions of higher education in their work to address the health and well-being of students and employees.

The isolation brought on by the pandemic exacerbated the mental health challenges students in this country were already facing. Data shows that substance abuse is a serious problem on college campuses. Some students may feel anxious about pursuing a degree in higher education and moving away from home for the first time, the challenges surrounding the pandemic have exacerbated those feelings.

Current and future generations of college students will be well- served with access to high-quality mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment services. The best thing postsecondary institutions can do is give students tools to handle those pressures in a healthy way.

Today, I am honored to stand in support of this legislation, H.R. 6493, as I believe it will give vulnerable students the assistance they desperately need.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time and for his hard work.

Mr. Speaker, it has been a year-and-a-half of President Biden and Washington Democrats' disastrous tax-and-spend policies, and American families are feeling the effects of rising inflation in their paychecks, at the gas pumps, and in the grocery store.

Instead of working to eliminate wasteful government spending, the President's 2023 budget calls for the highest sustained spending burden in American history, $73 trillion over 10 years, all at the expense of our children and grandchildren, who will be forced to pay for this outrageous spending and debt.

Going to Speaker Pelosi's ``Show me your budget, and I will show you what you value,'' I have my granddaughter with me tonight. I value her future. I value the fact that she is not going to have to pay for this spending, that she will be able to keep more of the money she earns instead of having the government take it to pay for Speaker Pelosi's and President Biden's liberal agenda.

The Republican Study Committee's budget is a departure from Democrats' irresponsible policies and a return to fiscal sanity for American families.

Republicans have built a comprehensive plan that balances the Federal budget in just 7 years, works to eliminate waste, and enables Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money.

Growing up in America, raising a family, and running a business taught me that budgets matter.

After reading President Biden's 2023 budget, it is clear he doesn't have a clue on how to budget responsibly. It is time we stop leaving financial disaster for the next generation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Hern and my colleagues on the Republican Study Committee for their work in putting forth a responsible budget that meets the needs of the American people, places the American people first, and doesn't cater to the wishes of Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for hosting this Special Order.

Madam Speaker, this week, President Biden visited Philadelphia and attempted to spin a narrative fully detached from the reality Americans face every day. Speaking to a group of labor unions, the President professed to be advancing a pro-worker agenda. He proclaimed, ``We are changing people's lives.''

Well, he is right, only not for the better. Inflation is at a 40-year high, costing Pennsylvania families an additional $517 more per month.

Gas prices are above $5 a gallon, forcing families to spend $2,800 more at the pump than last year.

Pennsylvanians are smart, hardworking people. They know that they are not better off today than they were just 18 short months ago.

While the President continues to blame Republicans in Congress for the economic disaster he has created, the fact remains that Democrats control the House, the Senate, and the White House. If the President truly cared about stopping skyrocketing inflation, he would stop calling for more out-of-control spending, stop shutting down American energy production, and stop blaming others for his failures.

It is time that he has faith in the American people and gets out of the way.

Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Rollcall No. 254.

Madam Speaker, a survey by The Wall Street Journal found that 83 percent of Americans describe the state of the economy as poor or not so good. President Biden's approval ratings are in free fall, and the American people are correct in holding him accountable for skyrocketing prices.

Since entering office, President Biden's policies of Big Government spending and attacks on American energy have weakened America's economy and placed enormous burdens on working families.

My Republican colleagues and I have called on President Biden to reverse course. The President should take immediate steps to unleash American energy, stop the out-of-control spending, and focus on the real issues that are hitting Americans in their pocketbooks.

President Biden is completely out of touch. What is worse, our children and grandchildren will be responsible for paying for his mess. President Biden must stop blaming others for his failures and start embracing the solutions that are in the best interests of the American people.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly) for allowing me to speak on such an important issue. As my colleague mentioned, my friend, any loss of life is tragic. What is even more tragic is the loss of life that could have been prevented.

I want to make sure that there is no doubt where I stand when it comes to defending human life, especially the life of the unborn. That is why every day I wear this pin on my collar that represents the size of a baby's feet at 10 weeks after conception, a baby that has a heartbeat, a baby that is alive.

I have two children and three granddaughters, and after holding each one of them in my arms for the very first time after they were born, I know what we all know, that before they were born, they were children. They are human life, and they deserve the opportunity for that inalienable right of life.

When two healthy individuals go to the doctor for a procedure and only one life comes out of that procedure, that is not healthcare. In fact, it is the exact opposite of healthcare.

We hear a lot of people talking about reproductive rights, and I am all about people being able to exercise all of their rights, but when an individual exercises their reproductive rights, the baby, the child, deserves to be born.

The left has said many times that overturning Roe v. Wade is radical. Well, from what we have heard about the decision, it simply puts it back into the legislatures of the States. Overturning Roe v. Wade is not radical. What is radical is allowing abortions up until the day of a baby's birth. That is radical. One thing that I want to be remembered for when the good Lord calls me home is the fact that during my lifetime, if nothing else, I will be remembered that I fought for life. I fought to defend those babies before they were born.

The chart that we see over here says that there have been 327,649 abortions so far this year. That is almost 2,500--it is 2,482 abortions per day in the United States of America. I call that a pandemic. And that is one that is preventable.

I think we should be doing everything we can in the people's House to make sure all the babies in the United States of America have that constitutional right, that inalienable right to

life. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, in Fiscal Year 2021, Customs and Border Patrol seized 11,000 pounds of fentanyl at our southern border. During the same period, opioid deaths jumped to 75,000, up from 56,000 deaths the prior year.

This is no coincidence. Even in a hearing on combating the opioid crisis this week, not a single one of my Democratic colleagues called for President Biden to end his open border policies that have allowed the free flow of fentanyl or other illicit drugs into the United States.

During the hearing, the former Acting DEA Administrator testified that securing the border is a commonsense approach to stopping drug traffickers and giving power back to our law enforcement.

On one hand, Washington Democrats say they want to solve the opioid crisis. On the other hand, they are supporting policies and politicians that have left our border open.

Washington Democrats need to get serious. If we want to solve this opioid crisis, we must secure the border and restore law and order.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Congressional Western Caucus, we were hosted by Congressmen August Pfluger and Jodey Arrington recently in west Texas. We went there to explore, as they say it, food, fiber, and fuel.

I am going to talk a little bit about the fuel part of that trip and how west Texas is poised to really contribute to America's energy dominance. Just like northeastern Pennsylvania, west Texas' energy is world class. We toured oil and gas drilling sites on the Permian Basin and heard from producers about some of the cutting-edge solutions they are implementing to reduce carbon emissions and get American energy to market more cleanly and efficiently.

From Midland, Texas, to Montrose, Pennsylvania, and much of the land in between, America is blessed with an abundance of natural resources. American energy--oil and natural gas--is right beneath our feet, ready to power our Nation and the world.

Instead of embracing this fact, President Biden has thrust our Nation into an energy crisis by tying the hands of America's energy producers. This administration has made it very clear where it stands on the future of American energy.

Make no mistake: American oil and natural gas is the key to lowering prices at the pump, stopping inflation, and building a stronger workforce. It all starts with harnessing American energy, from west Texas to northeast Pennsylvania, but that is only possible if this administration gets out of the way and allows American producers to take the lead.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to President Biden's disastrous tax- and-spend policies, the American people are now facing the highest levels of inflation in more than 40 years. Americans have seen the effects of inflation in their paychecks, at the gas pumps, and in the grocery stores ever since Joe Biden took office.

The latest Bloomberg report concludes that the average U.S. household will have to earn an extra $5,000 this year just to keep up with inflation.

Instead of scaling back wasteful government spending, the President's budget calls for the highest sustained spending and taxes in American history. Fanning the flames of inflation with more reckless spending only makes it harder for American families to afford essentials.

Instead, Congress must work to eliminate waste and enable Americans to reclaim control of their money and their lives.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 471, the PAUSE Act, to protect all Americans from Biden's border crisis.

Mr. Speaker, many times, we have heard President Biden and his administration say that the crisis we are facing at our southern border is seasonal. There is nothing seasonal about 1 million illegal aliens crossing our southern border in 6 months. There is nothing seasonal about 400,000 illegal alien got-aways going undetected into our country.

The crisis at our southern border is the direct result of President Biden overturning successful policies put in place by Donald Trump.

First, Biden halted the construction of the border wall. Then, he rescinded the remain in Mexico policy. Now, he is taking aim at one of the final remaining Trump policies, title 42, which allows law enforcement to expel illegal aliens who pose a health risk.

The Department of Homeland Security predicts that as many as 12,000 to

18,000 illegal aliens will cross our southern border per day if title 42 is lifted--18,000 illegal aliens in 1 day. In 3 days, that would be greater than the population of Pennsylvania's capital city, Harrisburg--in less than 3 days. In a little more than a day, it would be greater than the population of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the largest city in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District.

If President Biden removes title 42, it goes beyond bad judgment. It is reckless, and it will turn the crisis into chaos at our southern border.

That is the executive branch, homeland security.