Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for yielding. And unlike my friend from Knox County, Tennessee, I have the utmost respect for his ability to manage a Special Order with great aplomb, style, and skill.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the time to talk tonight about something that I have reflected on now for the 7 years that I have served in the House. Over those 7 years, I have been to our southwest border 7 times, and I am in preparation right now to go back next week.

So I rise tonight to bring attention to what is a growing crisis at our southwest border and share the fear and the frustration that are experienced there by those communities, their law enforcement officers, their schools, their churches, and to reflect on the Biden administration's just continued neglect there.

Mr. Speaker, this is shocking to us because the first order of good governance by the executive is to protect the homeland, secure it, protect the people. Public safety is such a critical element in each of our communities so it makes no sense to any of us, whether we served for a brief period of time or for decades here, that our executive would leave our borders so open, so vulnerable.

Over the last 6 months, we have had over a million migrant encounters at our southern border, with over 221,000 last month alone. That is a high for the Biden administration; 221,000 encounters. As my friend who just spoke suggested, that doesn't count the ones we don't catch, the so-called getaways.

Mr. Speaker, this overwhelming number of migrants swarming our southwest border, though, should come as no surprise based on the actions of the administration. So shocked, yes, because the executive has abandoned its primary mission. But surprise, no. And let me explain why, Mr. Speaker.

In the earliest days of his Presidency, President Biden repealed the Trump-era policies that discouraged illegal immigrants from flooding our borders and kept our communities safe. And this was after a lot of trial and error. I think Mr. Trump went through possibly three Secretaries of Homeland Security and had a lot of frustration at this very tough challenge.

But in President Biden's decision to do away with those Trump policies that were ultimately working so effectively, he replaced them with nothing. Now here again, I have to express shock--perhaps not surprise, as this is a crisis-oriented administration--but certainly shock because no successful manager ends a working policy and replaces it with nothing.

If you buy a business and you want to change the HR policy, you don't just say: Hey, starting tomorrow, there is no HR policy. I will let you know what it is in a few months. It is nuts.

President Biden's efforts to suspend and terminate the border wall construction are costing taxpayers between $1.8 and $2 billion because we are still paying those contractors to build the wall that is not being built due to contract penalties. Of course, the State of Texas has stepped in, and perhaps they are going to take on some of that and build it themselves using Texas' taxpayer dollars for a national/ international border.

Now, as my friend said a few minutes ago, the administration is moving forward to end what is called title 42. Title 42 has proven to be an effective effort at contributing to border security. And while the Biden administration continues to use it less and less--in fact, last month, Mr. Speaker, 50 percent of all the migrant encounters were processed for expulsion under title 42. So it is a critical element of both public health and public safety at the border.

President Biden proposes to have that policy end here in just a few weeks, in the middle of May. Yet, he has proposed no policy to replace it. Again, we can expect a surge at our border. In fact, the Customs and Border Patrol, the executive branch agency responsible for guarding our border, securing our border, expects that to surge to 18,000 migrant encounters per day.

Now, whoa, let's do the math because that sounds unbelievable, but you are talking 18,000. That is a half a million people per month. We are running right now annualized--I just reported it to you--at about 2 million encounters. And this is a half million per month; six million people.

Really? We really think that is border security? We think that is an appropriate policy for this great Nation?

It is insane. We will see the impact of this crisis throughout our communities. And as many of my colleagues have said, every State is a border State now as a result of this irresponsible approach.

Mr. Speaker, the truth is the Biden administration has made it clear they have no plan, apparently, to secure our border. They certainly had a year and a half to demonstrate that they have one, and it is the American people that are suffering.

So in summary, what are the ramifications?

Millions coming into our country illegally without proper documentation and without the right public health concerns.

Every State now is a border State. As reported a few minutes ago, there were 42 people caught by CBP that are on the terrorist watch list.

Now, let me say, I was at the Chula Vista Station years ago. And it was common practice that people would come in, they would throw their legal documents away--a passport, an ID of some kind--put them in the trash, sew them in their clothing, not disclosed, and say they are from whatever country they said they were from. And that basically creates a new identity for them in our system.

Mr. Speaker, so if 42 people have been caught, how many have come in that are on that terrorist watch list that have a mal-intent on our country? Ramifications; record human trafficking. And the cartels--our great friends in Mexico, virtually a cartel-driven border--making $5,000, $6,000 on Venmo, or in a promise to pay for each person trafficked, they are at millions, hundreds of millions--$400 million a month, some estimate--of making cash off this effort.

Crime along the border is rampant, fentanyl and drugs on our streets. We lost 100,000 people last year to an opioid overdose. The fastest rising cause of death for young people across this country, 25 to 50 years old; 100,000 dead, double what we lost in the Vietnam war, and fentanyl is pouring across that border.

In fact, we have interdicted--again, what we have caught--we have interdicted enough fentanyl, this vitally poisonous drug, to kill 7.4 billion people, and this is spiraling costs to our counties and our border States.

Mr. Speaker, there is no plan. There is no policy. There are national security ramifications with an open border. It is irresponsible. It is incompetent. And I call on Secretary Mayorkas to resign his job as a failure. This administration has failed the American people and the border.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Louisiana for his leadership.

Madam Speaker, April 26, 2022, marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted.

Over a lengthy career, Olmsted was an author, journalist, public official, city planner, landscape architect, and creative genius who transformed the American landscape.

Olmsted's philosophy and designs influenced the development of beautiful and functional landscapes, including parks and parkways, college campuses, planned communities, estates, cemeteries, recreation areas, and specialized landscapes for arboreta and expositions including, the U.S. Capitol grounds, New York City's Central Park, Yosemite Valley, Hot Springs National Park, and Stanford University.

Olmsted is remembered as the premier landscape architect in the United States during the 19th century and is considered to be the founder of landscape architecture in the United States. He was also one of the first individuals to promote the idea of national parks in his 1865 Yosemite Report.

Olmsted believed that thoughtful landscape designs should promote community, advance democracy, provide recreational opportunities in urban environments, nurture and invigorate public health, and encourage the development of livable communities.

Olmsted's associates, sons, and successor firms carried out his philosophy and designs well into the 20th century, leaving a tremendous legacy of historic landscapes that continues to benefit the people of the United States and visitors throughout the world.

Olmsted inspired the development of large parks and park systems for public benefit in urban areas, creating a legacy of parks that are a singular feature of the urban experience.

Olmsted's landscape designs play a vital role in the enrichment of quality of life in hundreds of communities across the United States who are celebrating this bicentennial anniversary as part of a coordinated national and local celebration.

I commend this occasion and celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7276, the Ukraine Invasion War Crimes Deterrence and Accountability Act.

I am a proud cosponsor of this important legislation, and I thank Chairman Meeks and the committee for working with Ranking Member McCaul on this critical, bipartisan bill.

Last weekend, the world saw in Bucha what the Ukrainian people have been telling us since the start of this invasion, that the Russians are indiscriminately torturing and executing Ukrainian men, women, and children.

It is important in these periods of conflict that the United States contribute to collecting, analyzing, and preserving critical evidence of war crimes and other atrocities.

For two decades Putin has gone unchecked and never paid a diplomatic or even economic price for his 22 years of mania. He has never faced, until he met the Ukrainians, true armed resistance. He leveled Grozny, destroyed historic Aleppo with his coconspirator and partner, Assad, and he waltzed into Crimea, Mr. Speaker, in 2014 without firing a shot. The line has been finally drawn in Ukraine.

This House, on a bipartisan basis, has worked to document Assad's mass murder in Syria. As a result of that work and the work of the United Nations Mechanism, we have had a recent conviction in Koblenz, Germany, of a Syrian intelligence official for crimes against humanity.

The U.N. recently approved an independent inquiry into Ukraine. That is precisely the same step of a decade ago in Syria. Enacting this legislation will ensure that the United States contributes to this effort.

I encourage all my colleagues to support this important bill, and I thank Mr. Meeks and Mr. McCaul for their leadership.

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, I rise today to recognize the remarkable achievement of Petit Jean Meats, marking 100 years of business in central Arkansas.

Petit Jean Meats was established in 1922 by the late Felix Schlosser, searching for a better opportunity after escaping an inflation-ravaged Germany.

He found that opportunity in Morrilton, Arkansas, and opened a small retail market, which has now expanded into a 48,000-square foot processing plant.

The story of Petit Jean Meats is truly inspirational, and today, it is still owned by that same family.

Current owner David Ruff says: ``We still do things the old-fashioned way, which gives our meats that old-fashioned flavor.''

I commend Petit Jean Meats for this outstanding achievement, and I wish them continued success.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the attack on families in rural America by the Biden administration in their reallocation of Emergency Rental Assistance funds.

As of March 31, unspent ERA funds from rural States, like my home State of Arkansas, are being taken and given to a handful of blue States, like New York, California, and New Jersey, who have already received and spent their own share of Emergency Rental Assistance funds.

As the Treasury claws back this money, this reallocation of funds will disproportionately affect rural America. The reallocation of ERA money is unfair and turns a blind eye to the needs of renters who have not received rental assistance simply because they live in rural areas of our country.

To stand up for rural Arkansans and Americans across the country, I have introduced the Protecting Rural Renters Act, which will prohibit the ERA funds originally promised to our rural areas from being reallocated elsewhere.

This act would simply remove the State allocations from the statutory claw-backs and effectively prevent these funds from being taken away from our rural citizens. This is in the best interests of our Nation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize award-winning journalist Brent Renaud, who was killed in Ukraine at the hands of Russian soldiers.

Brent was a Little Rock native who traveled around the world to share the stories and lift the voices of individuals who otherwise may not have been heard.

At the time of his tragic death, Brent was in Ukraine, covering the current refugee crisis that has developed because of Russia's unwarranted and illegal invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine.

Brent made a difference in the Arkansas arts community as co-founder of the Little Rock Film Festival and serving as a mentor within the community.

My prayers are with Brent, his family, his friends, and all that were blessed to know him.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of World War II veteran Alice Beatty and to honor her service in the Women's Auxiliary Army Corp.

Alice Beatty was born in Conway, Arkansas on August 23, 1921. At the age of 21, Alice joined the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps and landed on the beach at Normandy just weeks after D-Day.

Alice Beatty was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one bronze star, the World War II Victory Medal, three overseas service bars, and the Women's Army Corps Service Medal in recognition of her service during World War II.

Alice was also the first woman in the state of Arkansas to receive the French Legion of Honor Medal.

Alice was a pioneer of her time, and I am proud to highlight her service to our Nation and honor her memory during Women's History Month.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Louisiana for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues on this House floor and remember our good friend, the dedicated dean of the House, Congressman Don Young, from the great State of Alaska.

Don had a fire in him. He exuded joy in everything he did. And when he walked into a room, you knew he was there.

Don was passionate in his desire to serve the people of Alaska, and for almost 50 years, he did just that. Don loved this House and chaired two of our key committees, Natural Resources and Transportation.

As a freshman, yes, I, like, so many new members, sat mistakenly in his seat. The big bear growled me away.

Once during a vote series, I voted ``no'' on a Don Young bill building roads in Alaska and walked out of the Chamber. Three minutes later, the whip team is texting me. Representative Ann Wagner is texting me: Don Young is screaming your name on the House floor. He wants to know why you voted ``no''. I went to dinner.

The next morning, I found him and asked if he still needed me. He asked why I was a ``no''. I told him, and he smiled with that great big smile and asked if I could vote for his Alaskan fishing bill the next week. I said, yes, you bet, Mr. Chairman. You bet.

I would like to extend my condolences to Anne, his children, and all who loved him. Don was a great man who will not be forgotten. May his life of service be an example to us all.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Louisiana.

Madam Speaker, inflation is a thief, and many of us believe that the Federal Reserve is behind the curve in fighting that thief.

History is repeating itself, Madam Speaker, and Jay Powell is now fighting and facing precisely what his predecessor Arthur Burns called the ``anguish of central banking'' in 1979.

Sustained stagflation, high current inflation, growing high inflationary expectations, and now a commodity shock, these are all of the problems that Chair Burns faced in the 1970s.

While I welcome the Fed's action to shrink the balance sheet and start with the 25 basis-point increase in short-term rate targets, this process should have started in 2020. In my view, they should have been more aggressive this week and supported a 50 basis-point increase in short-term rates.

It is time for Congress to reassess and debate the central bank's mandate. In my view, the Fed should have a single mandate focused on containing inflation and keeping prices in check for Americans at the pump, at the grocery store, and whenever they pull out their wallet.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, and I appreciate the opportunity to work on it with my good friend and co- chair of the HBCU Caucus, Alma Adams. Alma and I have worked tirelessly over the past year and a half on issues of importance to our HBCUs. We were elected together in 2014 and have both been actively engaged in helping lead on HBCU issues before this Congress over the past four terms.

All four of Arkansas' HBCUs have received bomb threats, Mr. Speaker. University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, our land grant university, was the first to receive a bomb threat. Later, Philander Smith, Arkansas Baptist College, and Shorter College all received bomb threats, all in my hometown of Little Rock.

These bomb threats began on January 4, and we are seeing continued bomb threats even as of last week. According to the FBI, at least 28 historically Black colleges and universities have received such a threat, and they have received threats multiple times.

Imagine being a student and learning your school has had a bomb threat. Imagine being a parent and learning that your child's school has had a bomb threat. It would be terrifying. As a student, a campus community member, or a parent, this cannot stand.

These bomb threats are meant to invoke fear in our HBCU communities. This violence is unacceptable, and it cannot become the norm for our historically Black colleges and universities. I am deeply disturbed and saddened that we even have to be on the floor today to carry on this conversation.

We are condemning these threats by this resolution. I expect an overwhelming bipartisan support. I urge it. I thank Alma, again, for her leadership on it. I thank Mr. Scott and Mrs. Miller-Meeks.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Harding Academy in Searcy and Robinson High School in Little Rock as Arkansas State Football Champions.

Harding Academy defeated Prescott with a score of 47 to 25 to come the 3A Football State Champions, marking the third year in a row they have won the state championship with a grand total of 9 championships.

Robinson High School defeated the reigning State Champions, Shiloh Christian, 41 to 14 to become the 4A Football State Champions. This marked Robinson High School's fourth state championship victory.

I am proud of the hard work and dedication from the players, coaches, and administrators who made these accomplishments possible.

Keep making central Arkansas proud.

Madam Speaker, I am delighted to be able to speak on the House floor today and talk about what we are witnessing, all Americans, as we turn on our televisions and see the horrors in Europe.

For the first time in eight decades, we are witnessing a mass, unprovoked ground and air invasion in continental Europe. Not since World War II have we seen this sort of aggressive, evil action by one European nation against another, let alone such action by a global power and member of the United Nations Security Council.

The tragedy unfolding today has no precedent in recent history, not even the terrible civil war and ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia.

Let's be clear, Madam Speaker, Putin feels emboldened and believes that he can wield his power anywhere in the world, including in his own backyard in a pitiful but ruthless attempt to restore his idea of some 18th century Russian kingdom with himself as czar.

Putin is emboldened by the fact that he has personally, and Russia as a nation, not paid any significant economic or diplomatic price for his previous violations of international law, the U.N. Charter, or common decency and norms.

One only has to recall the poisoning in a London park of an opposition voice in 2006, forging a partnership in 2015 with the butcher Assad in mass destruction, murder, and mayhem in Syria, waltzing into Crimea without firing a shot in 2014, and his border incursions into Georgia in 2008.

Putin has simply marched on, trampling international law and sovereign borders, all the while thumbing his nose, Madam Speaker, at international norms and the negligible reaction of his neighbors.

In fact, his neighbors, dependent on the European drug of choice-- Russian natural gas--for so long they just stared glassy-eyed at their enabler, unable to stand up for themselves and fight back. Now, these neighbors have rejected the dominance of Putin's pushing and are fighting back.

That is why America once more steps into the breach as the essential, indispensable nation. Our resolve encourages a stronger European Union and a stronger NATO.

During the 20th century, our freedom-loving people consistently stepped up to push back against the disposition and destruction of individual rights, international norms, and sovereign nations.

Europe doesn't want to go back to their ancient, feudal fights, and Ukrainians don't want to return to vassal state status under the boot of Russia.

Ukrainians want to go forward. They don't want to go backward. They don't want to go back to the Berlin Airlift, Checkpoint Charlie, the Fulda Gap, and Churchill's Iron Curtain.

At the height of the Cold War, Madam Speaker, I traveled through Checkpoint Charlie to the other side of the Iron Curtain. I have witnessed what life is like in communism, socialism. I have laid a wreath at Auschwitz. I have laid a wreath on Decoration Day at the American Cemetery in Normandy. And, Madam Speaker, Americans don't want to go back to those days either.

Our boys sacrificed their lives in the forests of Germany, the beaches of France, the hills of Italy, and the sands of North Africa to prevent this very thing from happening again.

That is why American leadership is critical. Partnering with our transatlantic allies, we must muster the military, economic, and diplomatic clout and might to hit this bully in the nose. Bullies only respect clout and might.

While Europe and the United States were timid in the Obama-Merkel days, our collective leadership must fill the void now and push back once and for all against the assault on sovereignty and freedom we are witnessing in Europe.

If not now, when? If not in Ukraine, on the borders of Ukraine, where, Madam Speaker?

If we fail here, despots will race to trample borders around the world, and democracy and freedom everywhere will be in peril.

Russia's Special Drawing Rights

Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to how the International Monetary Fund fuels Russia's war on Ukraine by providing them a blank check in the form of special drawing rights, or SDRs.

Last week, I with 40 of my Republican colleagues in the House and the Senate, we wrote Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging that all IMF member countries not bail out Russia by facilitating the exchange of Russian SDRs with their own hard currency.

Russia was handed a blank check of nearly $17 billion equivalent in SDRs by the IMF just last year and has an estimated total of $24 billion in SDR reserves. This should have never happened, Madam Speaker, and that is why I have been so adamant for years about limiting the issue of IMF special drawing rights.

Earlier last week, the United States and other countries expanded economic sanctions against the Russian Central Bank, and while this is a late but welcome development, we must do more.

For decades, Russia has been accumulating a war chest that includes gold, international reserves, and importantly, special drawing rights. And with the ruble tanking in open markets, the Kremlin's access to foreign currency reserves being cut off, these SDRs are one of the only remaining ways that Russia can access financial resources for its warmongering in the Ukraine.

That is why now is the time for the U.S. to lead at the IMF for calling on all member countries, including China, Madam Speaker, to formally agree not to facilitate any exchange of their currencies with Russia's SDRs.

We are already seeing China and Russia deepening their ties, forming the latest and newest axis of evil. We cannot allow Moscow to turn to Beijing for an SDR bailout. As the largest shareholder of the IMF, the United States has a responsibility to ensure that these resources are not hijacked to fuel Russian bombs and tanks.

Small LENDER Act

Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the latest Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the CFBP, proposed small business data collection regulation. It is called section 1071.

Access to capital for small businesses is the lifeblood of each of our local economies, and for many, the community bank lender is often leading the way in supporting our entrepreneurs in small businesses across our districts.

And yet, the CFPB's new regulation, if finalized, would actually hurt small business by making the cost of credit more expensive and imposing significant compliance costs that would fall the hardest on the smallest lenders across our Nation.

That is why I, along with Congressmen Williams of Texas and Luetkemeyer of Missouri have introduced the Small LENDER Act, a new bill that would provide regulatory relief to small business lenders by exempting them from this proposed CFPB 1071 rule and providing an additional year to comply, plus a 2-year safe harbor.

Specifically, my bill would expand the definition of a small lender as one that originates at least 500 small business loans per year, instead of the 25-loan limit proposed by the CFPB.

It would also codify a ``small business'' as one with gross revenues of $1 million or less instead of the $5 million threshold that the rule proposed.

Finally, the bill extends the effective compliance date with the final rule to be 3 years plus that 2-year grace period instead of only 18 months as proposed by the CFPB.

In the absence of Congress repealing section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act, this bill would prevent some of the most harmful aspects of the rule from going into effect. I urge my colleagues to support the Small LENDER Act.

Economic Crisis of Inflation

Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the economic crisis that has been fueled by the Biden administration's out- of-control spending and the very accommodative monetary policies of our Federal Reserve.

2021 was the worst year, Madam Speaker for consumer inflation since 1981.

Last year, inflation cost the average worker roughly two paychecks and the average family $3,500.

And inflation doesn't just impact major corporations, but also our small businesses, 61 percent of which have had to raise prices in the last month in order just to try to keep up with inflation.

Of course, getting people back to work will greatly aid supply chains, thus we need to encourage work. But President Biden's policies of vaccine mandates, higher regulations on employers and policies to cut the supply of energy hurt the cause of getting our citizens back to work.

The President has called this inflation ``transitory'' and caused only by ``supply chain'' disruptions and greedy corporations. Madam Speaker, in my view, this is just pure political theater.

Yet, instead of addressing these concerns, working to get spending under control and our Nation's economy fully back on track, President Biden spent the bulk of his State of the Union speech doubling down on those policies that got us into this inflationary situation in the first place.

Central Arkansans' pockets are hurting.

The President should stop proposing to spend trillions more. The President should cut regulatory burdens hindering hiring employers like truck drivers, general contractors, and health service employees.

The President should unleash American energy to help bring down prices for U.S. consumers and help our struggling allies in Europe.

I urge the Biden administration and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to reach across the aisle to help bring relief to the American people and get back to our prepandemic spending priorities and alleviate the burdens that many face across our country, particularly the burden of inflation.

Crisis at the Southern Border

Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the crisis at our southwest border.

In January, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported over 153,941 migrant encounters at our southwest border, which represented a 320 percent increase over January of 2020.

Of the over 150,000 migrants who were encountered, the Biden administration opened the door and said come in, releasing about 60,000 migrants into the United States.

Deportations are down 70 percent when compared to 2020, averaging about 100 a day, and that was in the face of 7,000 migrants appearing at our border each day.

Officials at our southern border have estimated that nearly 400,000 illegal immigrants have successfully crossed the border without being caught. So not being interdicted, not being processed, not being turned back.

Those numbers, like the inflation that we are experiencing, are out of control.

These numbers are unacceptable, and we need to get back on track. I have encouraged the Biden administration for over a year now, return to those Trump-era policies that were controlling the flow across the border, resume construction on the wall, resume support of our personnel on the border, resume the efforts to control and secure our southwest border.

America's Energy Independence

Madam Speaker, today I rise to bring awareness to an issue that concerns all Americans, and that is America's energy independence.

Every day the U.S. is importing nearly 600,000 barrels of oil from Russia. As we continue to increase sanctions against Russia, we must also keep the American people in mind, who are already feeling the effects of inflation each day when they visit the pump.

We need to boost domestic production now. That should be our priority, boosting American production. Prior to the pandemic we were producing 13 million barrels a day. Today, we are producing about 11 million barrels per day. That would more than make up for this Russian oil that for some reason we are still importing.

This week, I received a call from a constituent. This constituent is on a fixed income, and she shared with me her concerns about filling up at the gas station. She shared with me her concerns about Ukraine and asked if she should expect her gas bill to increase even more as tensions rise. And the answer to that question, Madam Speaker is I believe that is right, that is what is going to happen.

And that is why we can benefit Europe and benefit American consumers by unleashing American energy production and get back to those 13 million barrels a day. That way we can offset what we have been importing from Russia and benefit our American consumers.

Great American Outdoors Act

Madam Speaker, I rise to highlight the important work being accomplished through the success of the Great American Outdoors Act, the bipartisan conservation legislation signed into law by President Trump.

In Arkansas, I recently had the opportunity to visit one of those sites and visit with leaders at the National Forest System spearheading this effort at Blanchard Springs Caverns in the Ozark National Forest.

These incredible caverns not only attract thousands each year to Arkansas, but they have a robust economic impact on the surrounding areas as they are enjoyed by all Americans each year.

Thanks to funding by the Great American Outdoors Act, the cabins are able to undergo much-needed renovations to improve the existing trail system and lighting system throughout the caverns and invest in preventative measures to enhance the safety and resiliency of the underground system. This allows the caverns to be enjoyed by American families for years to come.

Madam Speaker, these improvements that are underway as a result of this bipartisan achievement are the first major capital expenditures spent on this beautiful cavern since it was opened during the Nixon administration. So, I look forward to these funds continuing to support various projects in the Natural State and look forward to their enhancement in the years to come.

Opioid Crisis

Madam Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to the opioid crisis in Arkansas and across our Nation.

Each day, over 250 individuals lose their lives to an opioid-related overdose. According to the CDC, we lost a record number of 99,106 people between March 2020 and March 2021. What a milestone. What a grim milestone.

My home State of Arkansas has one of the highest opioid-prescribing rates in our Nation. In Arkansas alone, we lost at least 225 of our neighbors in this crisis.

Opioid misuse and addiction begin at home, coming from a familiar medicine cabinet. More Americans lose their lives to addiction than from car accidents, guns, or HIV.

This is a crisis, a growing crisis, and one that is reaching new highs. These deaths are preventable, and it is up to each of us to do our part to save lives and combat the disease that is addiction.

That is why, last September, I introduced the bipartisan Preventing Overdoses and Saving Lives Act with my colleague from Michigan, Representative Debbie Dingell. My bipartisan bill will create a grant program allowing States and localities to conduct research on the opioid crisis, create a strategic plan on how to respond to the crisis, and implement co-prescribing under certain circumstances. Increasing access to naloxone reduces opioid fatalities. If this bill passes, it will save lives.

Madam Speaker, we have seen that in Arkansas, one of 14 States that offers co-prescriptions for opioid prescription recipients. I would like to see that broader across our Nation. Lives will be saved.

In this bill, I urge all of my colleagues to join Congresswoman Dingell and I in this fight.

Be Pro Be Proud

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak about Be Pro Be Proud, an initiative launched in 2016 as a response to the workforce shortage experienced in my home State of Arkansas.

Be Pro Be Proud is a technical program that introduces students and young adults to skilled trade jobs and the well-paid opportunities that these jobs unlock.

In the past 5 years, Be Pro Be Proud's mobile workshop has completed over 500 stops in the State of Arkansas and recruited over 20,000 individuals who have joined the movement to learn more about key trades, new opportunities, and finding that career that is right for them.

After seeing the tremendous success in Arkansas, the initiative has expanded to surrounding States. We have traveled around the country exposing young adults to this kind of opportunity--in middle school and high school--a career that starts immediately after high school graduation.

In January, I had the pleasure of joining Governor Asa Hutchinson and State and local leaders to announce that Be Pro Be Proud was awarded $1.45 million in a grant to support the launch of a second mobile workshop to bring this story to schools all over Arkansas.

This expansion will see additional communities visited by Be Pro Be Proud sooner and better, and that means faster opportunities to be witnessed by our young people when they graduate from high school.

Recognizing the Life and Legacy of Sam Chaffin

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and legacy of a dear friend and a great Rotary International colleague, my friend Sam Chaffin. I was sad to share the news with my friends that Sam passed away in November.

Born in 1936, in Magnolia, Arkansas, he was a proud graduate of the University of Arkansas, where he earned a master's degree in industrial engineering. Shortly after graduation, Sam opened his own business, Eagle Material Handling of Arkansas, which specialized in material and manufacturing management.

In 1975, Sam joined the Rotary Club of Little Rock, Club 99. During his time in Rotary, Sam served in many leadership positions, including foundation chair, president of our club, and district governor. Through our work together in Rotary, we had the opportunity to go to Lacombe, Louisiana, following Katrina and help many, many families rebuild their homes.

Madam Speaker, we couldn't have done that at our club, the Rotary Club of Little Rock, without Sam's instrumental leadership. He was a friend to all who were blessed to know him. My thoughts are with his wife, Charlie; children, Cole and Marty; and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Sam, thank you for your impact on our community, our Rotary Club, Rotary International, and our State.

Recognizing Scipio Africanus Jones

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an exemplary Arkansan, Scipio Africanus Jones.

Scipio Jones was born into slavery in Arkansas in 1863. Throughout his life, he attended Black schools near his hometown, eventually earning his bachelor's degree from Arkansas' own Shorter College.

Although there were no schools for African Americans to study law in Arkansas, Scipio took on the challenge himself and began studying independently and, in 1889, passed the Arkansas Bar. He began his career in Pulaski County and, in 1900, was admitted to the Arkansas Supreme Court.

In 1919, 12 Black sharecroppers had been sentenced to death for their alleged role in the Elaine Massacre, while 87 other defendants also awaited trial. Scipio Jones' primary goal was to secure a fair trial for the 87 defendants. After his partner's unexpected passing, he became the lead attorney in the appeals process for the 12 defendants who had been sentenced to death.

Of the 12 original sharecroppers who had been sentenced to death, charges were dismissed against six, while the other six had their sentences commuted. The remaining 87 defendants received pardons from the Governor of Arkansas.

Following these immense legal victories, Scipio Jones remained an advocate for the Black community across Arkansas. In recognition of his advocacy, the United States Post Office in downtown Little Rock was named in his honor in 2007.

In 2020, President Trump signed into law my bill, which facilitated a large, full-sized portrait of Scipio Jones to be displayed in that post office. Last week, I had the honor, with all of our citizens, to gather and unveil this beautiful portrait of Scipio Jones at the post office named for him.

Special thanks are owed to John Gill, Garbo Hearne, artist Wade Hampton, and the Central Arkansas Library System for all of their collaboration in making this wonderful portrait a reality. It will serve as a reminder of the legal skill, persistence, bravery, and diplomacy of Scipio Jones, permanently honoring him as the amazing legal leader and citizen that he was.

Honoring Daisy Bates

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Daisy Bates and her brave actions that shaped American history and Arkansas history.

When Daisy Bates moved to Little Rock in the early 1940s, she immediately joined the NAACP and became a leader in our African- American community. As a civil rights activist in Little Rock, Daisy Bates played a leading role in the integration of Little Rock's schools and served as a mentor to the Little Rock Nine.

Her bravery and leadership led her to achieve the unimaginable-- sparking change across our whole Nation. Just last month, I had the opportunity to visit with students and speak about her impact and her legacy at the Daisy Bates Elementary School in Little Rock.

Daisy's accomplishments deserve to be recognized, and I am proud that Daisy Bates and her legacy will be memorialized here in the United States Capitol. Soon, her statue will become part of the collection in the National Statuary Hall, commemorating her bravery, strength, and leadership.

Madam Speaker, I look forward to honoring that memory and continuing her fight for equality every time I pass that statue in our Capitol.

Recognizing Army Colonel Mike Ross

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Retired Army Colonel Mike Ross and his selfless leadership with Veterans Villages of America.

Colonel Ross is a combat veteran with 37 years of military service. He has received numerous awards, including the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and the Meritorious Service Medal.

Currently, Colonel Ross serves on the board of directors for Veterans Villages of America, where he operates a food pantry for veterans, military personnel, and their immediate family members. They also network in our communities to meet the needs of our veterans--and I mean all the needs of our veterans. Colonel Ross is indeed tireless.

Although he is retired, he continues to give back to others, serve others, and work tirelessly for American military families and our veterans to ensure they are well cared for.

Madam Speaker, I thank Colonel Ross for his outstanding service and dedication to our community and central Arkansas veterans.

Recognizing Montine McNulty

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the career of Montine McNulty.

After serving 25 years as the head of the Arkansas Hospitality Association, Montine has announced her well-deserved retirement. Early in 2020, Montine thought about retirement, but when COVID-19 hit, she made a decision to stay and guide her organization through the pandemic in the midst of such great uncertainty.

Montine, I commend your embodying of the motto, ``Service Above Self,'' and I hope you enjoy every moment of your retirement.

Madam Speaker, it is also important that we take a moment and recognize Katie Beck, the new head of the Arkansas Hospitality Association. Katie has had a distinguished career in serving Governor Hutchinson's communication department, and I know she will bring that drive, that spirit, as the new head of the AHA.

The Arkansas Hospitality Association is very valuable for our State, and I look forward to seeing where Katie takes the organization while continuing Montine's legacy.

Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time remains.

Madam Speaker, the United States currently has one of the highest prison populations in the world. Every year, we spend about $34,000 per inmate in our State. In Arkansas, the current rate of reentry after re-offending is about 57 percent, one of the highest in the Nation.

We can do better, which is why I introduced the bipartisan Shift Back to Society Act. This bill would enact policies that avert individuals from re-offending, keeping people out of prison. This is accomplished by providing funding for our historically Black colleges and universities for educational programming that they design for offenders who have or who have almost completed serving their time, so engaging to better prepare people we know that are going to be released.

By developing this pathway to education, we directly decrease the rate of recidivism. The more education an individual has, the less likely they are to re-offend. This legislation will save millions in current spending while creating an opportunity that will keep individuals out of prison and transition

them back into being productive members of society.

As we currently face an uptick in crime, both in Arkansas and across our Nation, I am proud to bring forward a bill that will save taxpayer dollars as well as improve paths for successful reentry shifting back to society.

Congratulating Mike Poore on His Retirement

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my good friend, our superintendent of Little Rock Public Schools, Mike Poore.

Mike has decided to retire, and I wish him a happy and healthy retirement. In 2016, Mike made the move from northwest Arkansas to Little Rock with the goal of transforming the district, which at the time was under the control of the State.

In March 2020, when the world turned upside down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mike did not skip a beat. He worked to make sure every teacher and every student had the technology needed to continue learning with as little disruption as possible.

He worked mightily with the district teachers and staff to make sure students were back in the classroom. Madam Speaker, that was a great accomplishments of our State to have over 80 percent of our kids in the classroom during the midst of the pandemic. Mike led that way.

His other accomplishment included raising money for students in the community, increasing teachers' salaries, and being named Arkansas' Superintendent of the Year.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mike for his service and dedication to the Little Rock School District, his long-lasting impact in our community is appreciated.

Congratulations and our best wishes for his retirement.

Recognizing Eagle Scout Marcal Young

Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize fellow Eagle Scout Marcal Young of Little Rock. I am congratulating him on his career with the Boy Scouts of America having been active with that organization for over 40 years.

Since its founding, the Boy Scouts of America have remained committed to the idea that educating our youth in citizenship, service, and leadership is best for their development, and an amazing opportunity of service for our Nation.

Marcal has embraced these principles, and in 2018 was named Scout Executive of the Qupaw Area Council. Throughout his career, he has had a positive impact on thousands of young people and their families, and as a result, their communities.

With their character development and value-based leadership programs, over 2.5 million young men have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.

In 1972, I earned the rank of Eagle Scout at Troop 27 at Holy Souls Catholic Church in Little Rock. To this day, it is one of my proudest accomplishments.

I am grateful for Marcal and his commitment to Scouting and making those achievements possible for youth across the communities of our State. His leadership and influence will be remembered, and I wish him the very best in his well-earned retirement.

Recognizing the Retirement of Margaret Ellibee

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the retirement of Margaret Ellibee and commemorate her service of 11 years as chancellor at the University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College.

UA Pulaski Tech, a 2-year community college in the heart of my district, has moved mountains for its students and faculty under her leadership.

Margaret Ellibee's critical decision to raise admission standards not only led to increased graduation rates but also reduced student loan default rates, positively impacting the school's performance and trustworthiness.

Madam Speaker, I thank Margaret for making these achievements possible for our students and faculty, and I am grateful for her bold and robust leadership. Her legacy will be remembered for years, and I wish her the very best of a well-earned retirement.

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

Madam Speaker, in the first session of the 117th Congress, I missed votes on Roll Call numbers 262, 324, and 386. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call 262, YEA on Roll Call 324, and NAY on Roll Call 386.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Texas for yielding. I want to say, first and foremost, I thank him for his consistent, loud, smart, and well-reasoned comments on our open border and the impact on our citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I too want to bring attention to this criminal issue.

I have this Sweet-N-Low packet that so many of us put in our coffee in the morning, and that illustrates, Mr. Speaker, that that one amount of sweetener, if it were fentanyl, would kill 500 Americans.

In Arkansas, fentanyl deaths are up 441 percent since 2015. Over 600 Arkansans have lost their lives. Every 5 minutes we lose a neighbor to an accidental drug overdose. Just last year, as my friend from Texas said, we lost over 100,000 Americans to accidental overdoses, which is now the leading cause of death between the ages of 18 and 45. We were here on this floor 3 years ago lamenting 55,000 Americans dying in 1 year--the same we lost in the entire Vietnam war--and now it is 100,000.

Fentanyl is directly responsible for 64 percent of those deaths, Mr. Speaker, and a majority of that fentanyl within the United States comes from our porous Southwest border--the border that the Biden administration has continuously failed to secure--as it flows directly into our communities.

Last year, enough fentanyl was interdicted--that is what we caught-- by our overworked Border Patrol to kill every American seven times over. It isn't enough to confiscate it at the border. We need strong leadership to discourage it from arriving in the first place, and we can do that by permanently scheduling fentanyl as a schedule I substance and increase the criminal penalties.

We need strong leadership and strong policies to secure our border and respond to the illicit fentanyl that has been found in every street drug. Until then, sadly, as noted by my friend from Texas, Americans will continue to die at the hand of fentanyl.

Cheering on Team USA

Mr. Speaker, as we cheer on Team USA this week and celebrate our athletes participating in the 2022 winter games, it is important we do not overlook the sins of the host nation, China.

China has carefully crafted their image to distract the world from their blatant human rights abuses and their totalitarianism.

The International Olympic Committee has worked to portray China in a positive light. The truth is, China is an authoritarian state set on the destruction of anyone and anything that doesn't adhere to its world view.

The Chinese Communist Party believes that its administrative control over its people is the most effective form of governance. The Uyghurs continue to face genocide and crimes against humanity. The people of Hong Kong have seen the destruction of their liberal state. China seeks to expand its influence in the world through its predatory lending and its failed Belt and Road Initiative.

We can do better. We need American leadership to counter this.