Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, the pursuit of the American Dream, the dream of one day owning a home, is quickly becoming increasingly unattainable for so many Americans, thanks in part, to costly regulations and market factors.

With housing prices surging, evidence shows that we have a supply problem, but let's look more into why this might be.

In my home State of Colorado, regulations account for 39 percent of the cost of building a new home. Thirty-nine percent of the cost is government imposed regulation. For those who might be wondering what that means, that means if you pay $5, $2 of that, Mr. Speaker, is just because of regulation. That is what is causing the problem.

Government should exist to provide order and protection for its citizens. It shouldn't be there with overbearing mandates that make life more difficult and expensive, especially for something as fundamental as property and homeownership.

One of the contributing factors to these regulatory costs is the agenda informed energy codes that States like Colorado are mandating. They ignore science, and they even push aside stakeholders, the builders, the people who actually build the homes and make this American Dream. They push them aside in the creation process. Unelected bureaucrats have mandated these energy codes blinded in their pursuit of climate change altering results.

Instead, I argue these codes should promote affordability, and they should decrease the regulatory burden on our homebuilders instead of increasing that burden.

Simply put, it is impossible to achieve a more affordable home building atmosphere while adding regulations to the books instead of removing them.

Mr. Speaker, it really is that simple. To incentivize States to roll back these mandates, I introduced the Freeing Residential Affordable Markets From Excess Regulations, or FRAMER Act. This piece of legislation would require States to reimburse homebuilders for the cost difference between State mandated energy codes and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's minimum standard for homes built within Federal Opportunity Zones.

Stakeholders in my district, builders and citizens who want to reach the American Dream, tell me that the cost of energy code mandates totals in the thousands in added costs. In some cases tens of thousands of dollars are added to the cost for a home.

It is long overdue that States change their ways. If we want to make housing more affordable, then we have to make it cheaper for homebuilders to do what they want to do, build.

The only way we can do this is to get the government out of the way and remove these costly regulations that are only increasing the cost of housing across America to help every American realize the American Dream.

Removing that regulation is part of what the Housing for the 21st Century Act does. It cuts red tape, and it makes a difference for average Americans.

I am very proud to have supported this piece of legislation. I do hope that the Senate will take this up and get it over to the President so that he can sign it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Florida for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, I can't help but notice. Some of my colleagues talk about whether or not someone is a real doctor. I don't understand how someone is not a real doctor when they show a patient an ultrasound. Giving them all of the information and letting a woman make a decision is somehow not celebrated here.

If we were really for life, wouldn't we be excited that a woman looked at that ultrasound and said: You know what? I have decided I want to have that baby.

That is not a choice everyone in this body wants that woman to make. They want them to make a different choice for some reason.

Mr. Speaker, I am here today to support the pregnancy centers across America, including Life Network in my home of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Pregnancy centers offer hope, and they offer opportunity. They promote life and give necessary and lifesaving resources to struggling mothers and fathers. It is these very pregnancy centers whose only focus is for the enrichment and support of these often inexpectant parents who are the target of a punitive and distasteful action by the previous administration.

In Colorado's Fifth Congressional District, Life Network has served 3,900 patients, providing high-quality pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, early pregnancy care, and more for free to anyone who walks through their door.

This is just the impact in my district. I know that the presence of similar pregnancy centers across the country are providing hope and support to thousands of parents each day. Funding for these mothers and fathers, many of whom are underserved, should never be politically taken away.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Fischbach for introducing the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, which I strongly support, to provide a statutory protection for pregnancy centers under the Temporary Assistant for Needy Families program.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to welcome Jared Anderson and the Friends of Club 21 Choir here to Washington, D.C.

The choir, composed of talented individuals living with Down syndrome and who are based in Colorado's Fifth Congressional District, will be performing the national anthem to launch the March for Life rally this Friday.

Club 21 came and visited me just a couple of months ago here in Washington, D.C., and it is really one of the highlights of my time as being a Member of Congress. They have uplifted the Pikes Peak community onto the national platform, amplifying and empowering these brilliant performers through the arts and education.

I thank them for dedicating their time, their energy, and their passion in advocating for every human life.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me in giving a warm welcome to the Friends of Club 21 Choir.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 20 years of ministry of Pastors Todd and Kelly Hudnall of Colorado Springs Radiant Church. Pastor Todd's compelling expository preaching of the Bible has strengthened Radiant Church as well as the broader Pikes Peak region.

The Hudnalls have raised their children in our community, and we admire their testimony of a Christ-honoring home. I thank the Hudnalls for courageously applying Bible teaching to

every sphere of life, including public issues of concern.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me in congratulating Pastors Todd and Kelly Hudnall for their 20 years of ministry, and here is to the next 20.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the resilience of Harrison High School senior Zariea Patrick.

In 2023, during Zariea's sophomore year, she and her Harrison classmates were playing basketball when Zariea took a hard elbow to the side of her head as she went for a layup, leaving her with a concussion.

As her symptoms worsened, an MRI at the hospital confirmed a tumor lodged in the right side of Zariea's brain. What followed were regular trips to the hospital for chemotherapy, which took a terrible toll on her physical well-being.

In the spring of 2024, they believed that the tumor showed improvement. Unfortunately, she recently learned that she would have to start chemotherapy all over again. Despite this, her perseverance and her bright smile continue to light up the entire community.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me in praying for Zariea during her battle with this tumor.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of the SPEED Act.

America's permitting system is broken. Today, an estimated $1.5 trillion in economic value is tied up in projects waiting for approval, costing our economy roughly $140 billion every year in lost growth.

Instead of encouraging responsible development, our system too often rewards bad actors driven by ideology rather than legitimate concerns.

Endless litigation has become the single biggest obstacle to building energy, infrastructure, and critical projects in this country. At the same time, energy demand is projected to grow by 50 percent by 2050.

The question is simple: Will we rise to meet that demand? We won't, not with our current permitting process.

The SPEED Act brings commonsense reform. It limits judicial review under NEPA to 150 days. It directs stakeholders to engage during the public comment process and tightens the scope of review, so agencies take a hard look at expected impacts.

The bill allows America to build again, produce energy again, and stop being held hostage by litigious groups content to see jobs and investment move overseas. Permitting reform unleashes American energy and the American economy.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support the SPEED Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, which I am a cosponsor of, led by my friends, Representative Boebert and Representative Tiffany.

The truth is, Congress should not have to step in to delist the gray wolf, but here we are. That is because the Endangered Species Act listing process no longer works as it was intended to do.

The gray wolf has exceeded recovery goals. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, has repeatedly concluded that the species should be delisted. Yet, every time, radical, litigious groups step in to block that decision.

They ignore science. They ignore facts. They ignore the law. They don't want recovery. They want permanent Federal control.

Meanwhile, wolves are wreaking unchecked havoc on ranchers, farmers, wildlife, and rural communities, which are paying the price.

In the State of Wyoming, since they reintroduced the wolf, their moose population has decreased by 80 percent. Why are we choosing wolves over moose in the State of Wyoming?

I spend more time in wolf country than probably many of the Members on this House floor. The elk populations are being decimated. They are starved. I hear my colleagues on the other side talking about how in 4 days, they killed 30 wolves. Do you know what? That is called wildlife management. You can do that.

When you have a hunting season for deer and set a goal to kill 200 deer, there are 200 deer killed in a week. It is wildlife management. That is what we do. That is what the professionals do and do exceedingly well.

I find it interesting that it is the people in this Chamber who don't have wolves in their district who want wolves in other people's districts.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, we heard so much from the gentleman from Montana who knows a lot about health insurance.

Healthcare is more than these enhanced premium tax credits. The Democrats have tried to make it about enhanced premium tax credits, but healthcare is more than that.

As the gentleman from Montana pointed out, enhanced premium tax credits would cover 7 percent of the American people. That is what we are talking about with their solution. It would be 7 percent.

Even if we were to fix that 7 percent, what would the fix mean?

Let's talk about who these people are.

These are folks in the enhanced premium tax credit who make, for a family of four, over $128,000 a year. That is what we are talking about. We are not talking about people who are making 40 or 30 or $50,000. Those tax credits continue under this broken, failed Affordable Care Act system. Those continue.

What my friends over here want to do is pull money out of our pockets and give it to people who are making for a family of four over $128,000 a year.

Is that their solution for 7 percent of the people?

That doesn't make sense. That is what it would do.

What effect would it have?

It would reduce premiums by 5 percent for 7 percent of the population all making over $128,000 for a family of four. That doesn't sound like much of a solution to me because it is not a solution.

The solution is free market reforms.

The fact of the matter is that the enhanced premium tax credit is a Band-aid on the gaping wound of ObamaCare. It is a Band-aid on the gaping wound of the Affordable Care Act.

The left loves to mislabel things. We know that they called the spending package that they passed 4\1/2\, 4 years ago the Inflation Reduction Act. What did it lead to? It led to 22 percent inflation. In 1 year, 9 percent inflation. We are still dealing with the effects of their misnamed Inflation Reduction Act.

They called this the Affordable Care Act, and it has been nothing of the sort. It is anything but the Affordable Care Act.

My friends on the other side of this aisle created this mess. No one over on this side, not one person who is here serving in this body on this side of the aisle, voted for our current healthcare system--not one voted for the Affordable Care Act.

Those on the other side of the aisle who did vote for it promised a few things. What did they promise? Lower premiums. Where are the lower premiums? This is the ObamaCare system that we are living under right now. They promised lower premiums. We are not getting those.

They promised better healthcare. Are we getting better healthcare? I don't think most Americans believe that we are.

They promised that if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. Sure, if your doctor takes the insurance that they force you into.

We are currently living under ObamaCare, under the Affordable Care Act, so if you don't like our healthcare system, news flash, you don't like ObamaCare, you don't like the Affordable Care Act.

The fact of the matter is that this law was written behind closed doors in a backroom deal here in this building and down at the Obama White House with and by insurance companies. There you go, with and by insurance companies. That is a fact.

The scam is this: The scam is that the money is taken from average Americans and sent as a subsidy not to other Americans, but to big insurance companies. That is the scam. That is the scam. The profits of these big insurance companies are at an all-time high. UnitedHealthcare profits are up 1,200 percent under their plan. I get lectured all the time that we are the ones for big business, the ones cutting the deals. They are the ones that cut the deal with the insurance companies, and they put it to the American people when they did.

Those same insurance companies are denying the claims of the very same taxpayers who pay taxes to subsidize their profits. What a scam, a government-sponsored scam.

Under the ACA, the government colluded with insurance companies to ensure customers for themselves, for the insurance companies, and to profit from subsidies provided by the government.

Government intervention does not work in healthcare. In Medicare and Medicaid, the government sets reimbursement rates that underpay doctors and cause access issues.

Very quickly, what are the solutions?

We are $36, $37 trillion in debt. We have to fix this system. We can't throw money at the problem. We can't just continue to throw more money. We have to fix a broken system.

How do we fix that? We need long-term solutions for healthcare. What are the real solutions? There are lots of them. I don't have time to go through every one individually today, but the bottom line is that we need to get the government out of dictating healthcare to the American people. We need to return to a patient-centered, market-driven solution in healthcare that doesn't pick big insurance companies over the American people. The American people should have a choice about who they see and who they pay for their insurance.

That is the solution. It isn't this scam. It isn't this election-year gimmick that some are trying to make it out to be. It isn't the solution that fixes a 5 percent fix for 7 percent of the population. It is real, honest healthcare reform for all the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome the Swire Coca-Cola manufacturing plant to Colorado Springs. This week, the company announced a 620,000-square-foot facility at Peak Innovation Park near the Colorado Springs airport. This is an investment of $475 million and will create at least 170 jobs. It will modernize production for more than 230 beverage options across 60 well-known Coca-Cola brands.

I also congratulate the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce for bringing this economic boost to the Pikes Peak region. This news shows once again that Colorado Springs is becoming an economic titan of the West and a destination for global brands.

Mr. Speaker, I am personally very excited for easier access to my favorite drink, Diet Coke, right in my hometown.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1676) to amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to require the Secretary of the Interior to

approve the wildlife conservation and restoration program of a State within a certain period of time, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1676, the bill now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1676, the Make SWAPs Efficient Act of 2025, sponsored by Representative Donalds from Florida.

This bill advances a goal shared by both House Republicans and the Trump administration to promote government efficiency by holding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service accountable when reviewing State Wildlife Action Plans, or SWAPs.

SWAPs serve as blueprints for identifying each State's and territory's unique conservation needs. By law, States must have an updated SWAP to receive funding through the State Wildlife Grants program, and SWAPs must be updated every 10 years.

The SWAPs of 44 States, the District of Columbia, and three territories are up for renewal in 2025. In the past, the approval process for SWAPs has taken as long as 18 months due to bureaucratic delays at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Last year, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service entered into a memorandum of understanding to simplify the review process for these plans. This bill is intended to complement that work by directing the Secretary of the Interior to approve SWAPs within 180 days of submission.

I commend Representative Donalds for his continued leadership, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1676.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Donalds), the lead sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, this bill will help make the Federal Government more efficient and ensure our conservation programs work as they were intended.

Once again, I thank Mr. Donalds for his diligent work and attention to this issue. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2388) to take certain Federal land in the State of Washington into trust for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 2388, the bill now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2388, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act, sponsored by Congresswoman Randall. H.R. 2388 would take approximately 1,083 acres of National Park Service land into trust for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.

The Tribe is located within the Olympic Peninsula in northwest Washington and has approximately 984 enrolled members.

The Tribe signed the Treaty of Point No Point in 1855, which entitled them to share a small reservation not on their traditional lands. After signing the treaty, most Tribal members opted not to live on their reservation, instead choosing rivers, shorelines, and sites of their ancestral burial grounds.

Through the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, the Federal Government acquired 372 acres of land and assigned it to 14 families in the Tribe. In 1968, the Tribe received Federal recognition, which included the acres given to the families. As a result of Federal recognition, the Lower Elwha Reservation was formally established for the Tribe.

The approximately 1,083 acres of National Park Service land in this legislation were acquired in the 1990s through the Elwha River Ecosystems and Fisheries Restoration Act. The act required the National Park Service to identify lands to be transferred to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe for housing, cultural, or economic development purposes and place them into trust.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2388 takes approximately 1,083 acres of National Park Service land into trust for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Randall for her work on this legislation, I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2389) to take certain land in the State of Washington into trust for the benefit of the Quinault Indian Nation, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks into and to include extraneous material on H.R. 2389, the bill now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2389, the Quinault Indian Nation Land Transfer Act, sponsored by Congresswoman Randall.

H.R. 2389 would place approximately 72 acres of U.S. Forest Service land, known as Allotment 1157, into trust for the Quinault Indian Nation.

The Quinault Nation is located on the western coast of Washington State in the southwestern corner of the Olympic Peninsula.

In the treaty of Olympia, or the Quinault Treaty, the Quinault Indian Tribe ceded their lands and, in return, received tracts that became the Quinault Indian Reservation. The treaty was dismissed after the passage of the General Allotment Act, and the Tribe's lands were separated into 2,340 80-acre allotments to individual Tribe members.

One of these individual Tribal member allotments was Allotment 1157, which was sold by the Indian allottee to a logging company for $60,000 in the 1960s. The logging company faced legal challenges by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the early 1990s. In 1996, the Trust for Public Lands purchased Allotment 1157 and sold it to the U.S. Forest Service for $3 million. The Forest Service currently manages the land.

The Quinault Indian Nation has attempted to reacquire ownership of the land that sits on their reservation for the benefit of their Tribe. The Tribe has the support of local stakeholders and the Federal Government and plans to use the land for heritage and cultural purposes. Gaming on these lands pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act would be prohibited.

I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2389 takes approximately 72 acres of U.S. Forest Service land into trust for the Quinault Indian Nation and adds the 72 acres to the contiguous land of the Quinault Indian Nation.

This legislation supports Tribal sovereignty, and it has the support of the Tribal leaders and local stakeholders.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2290) to provide that the memorial to commemorate the sacrifice and service of the women who worked on the home front to support the efforts of the United States military during World War II may be located on the National Mall, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 2290, the bill now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2290, the World War II Women's Memorial Location Act, led by Representatives Dingell and Fulcher.

During World War II, more than 18 million women stepped up to serve this country on the home front. While many Americans recognize the image of Rosie the Riveter, their work went far beyond the factory floor. My grandmother served as a Rosie the Riveter, stepping up to fight on the home front, as well. Women became welders, code breakers, pilots, medical professionals, truck drivers, and community caretakers. Their contributions were essential to the Allied victory, supporting our troops overseas and redefining women's roles in American society.

In 2023, Congress authorized the creation of a memorial to honor the women who worked on the home front during World War II. Under the Commemorative Works Act, placing that memorial on The National Mall or in the surrounding area requires an additional act of Congress. H.R. 2290 provides that authority, ensuring this memorial can be located in a place of national prominence alongside other monuments honoring wartime service and sacrifice.

This bill is bipartisan and straightforward. It properly recognizes the contributions of millions of American women whose work was essential to victory in World War II. By authorizing this memorial to be placed on or near The National Mall, we affirm their legacy and ensure future generations will learn from their examples of patriotism, responsibility, and service.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 2290, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is about ensuring that the contributions of millions of women on the World War II home front are remembered alongside other monuments in Washington, D.C. This bill commemorates America's wartime service and sacrifice. H.R. 2290 guarantees that future generations will see their stories represented in a place of national prominence.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2306) to reauthorize the Adams Memorial Commission, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2306, the bill now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2306, the Adams Memorial-Great American Heroes Act, led by my colleague, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Moolenaar).

Mr. Speaker, although our Nation's Capital contains towering and iconic tributes to many of our Founding Fathers, we still have no memorial for President Adams and his family.

Their remarkable dynasty of public service gave America not one but two Presidents, a Secretary of State, an ambassador, an abolitionist, and one of our most accomplished first ladies.

John Adams was a chief architect of independence, our Vice President, and our second President, whose lifelong correspondence with his chief political rival, Thomas Jefferson, stands as a shining example of the power of speech and shared principles.

Abigail Adams was an early advocate for women's rights and shaped the second Presidency through her letters and advice to her husband. Their son, John Quincy Adams, served as our sixth President and later was a fierce opponent of slavery in this very body, as the only former President to be elected to the House of Representatives.

In 2001, Congress sought to finally cement the legacy of the Adams family in our Nation's rich history by approving the creation of a memorial to the Adams family in Washington, D.C. In 2019, Congress further authorized the Adams Memorial Commission, a bipartisan panel comprised of Members of Congress and Presidential appointees, tasked with spearheading planning, raising private funds, and educating the public on the Adams family legacy of patriotism and civic duty. With the majority of commission members approved as of last year, the commission has begun the site selection process for the memorial.

Representative Moolenaar's bill extends the authorization of the Adams Memorial Commission until 2032, allowing its members to continue their work to create the first memorial in Washington, D.C., dedicated to honoring the Adams family. The bill would authorize a new site for the memorial just south of the White House, where John and Abigail Adams were the first Presidential family to reside.

During a legislative hearing in the Federal Lands Subcommittee, Jackie Gingrich Cushman, the chair of the Adams Memorial Commission, testified: ``The Adamses exemplified strength of character, belief in God, and the importance of family, education, and public service. John Adams and his family demonstrated that ideas, hard work, and determination can change an entire nation for the better. This memorial will inspire new generations of Americans by reigniting pride in our shared American values and our constitutional Republic.''

This bipartisan bill will give our Nation the opportunity to honor John Adams and his family with the memorial they deserve. As America approaches its 250th birthday, there is no better time to honor a family whose ideas and sacrifices helped build our Nation and protect its principles for generations to come.

I commend Representative Moolenaar for his leadership in this effort and take a moment to recognize the late Representative Gerry Connolly of Virginia, who we sadly lost earlier this year. Representative Connolly not only sat on the Adams Memorial Commission but also was the main Democratic sponsor of this legislation and a champion for the Adams Family Memorial.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2306, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Moolenaar), the lead sponsor of the bill.

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

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

Just down the hall from this Chamber, we get to take our constituents many times on a tour through Statuary Hall and we see the desk location where John Quincy Adams served as President.

Some of our Founding Fathers tolerated slavery. John Quincy Adams knew it for what it was, a stain on our soul, and he worked so hard, dedicating his life to eliminating slavery. I can't help but think of the divine providence that allowed John Quincy Adams for one term to serve in the same Chamber as Abraham Lincoln. I think God smiled upon our Nation when he did that to pass the torch on to Abraham Lincoln and end that scourge for America and for mankind.

Mr. Speaker, by reauthorizing the Adams Memorial Commission, H.R. 2306 would provide the time needed to thoroughly design, locate, and construct a memorial truly worthy of the Adams family's commitment to America.

I, once again, recognize Representative Moolenaar for his bipartisan commitment to honoring one of America's most accomplished founding families ahead of our Nation's 250th birthday.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2916) to authorize, ratify, and confirm the Agreement of Settlement and Compromise to Resolve the Akwesasne Mohawk Land Claim in the State of New York, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2916, the bill now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2916, to authorize, ratify, and confirm the Agreement of Settlement and Compromise to resolve the Akwesasne Mohawk Land Claim in the State of New York, introduced by the gentlewoman from New York, Congresswoman Stefanik.

The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe is located on the border of New York and Canada along the St. Lawrence River. Following the Revolutionary War, the Seven Nations of Canada and the State of New York signed the 1796 Treaty, which gave the Tribe its reservation.

In 1824 and 1825, New York acquired land from the Tribe without the Federal Government's approval, violating the Non-Intercourse Act, which reserves to the United States the exclusive right to acquire Indian lands and prohibits conveyance without Federal approval.

After decades of court proceedings, a 2022 Northern District of New York ruling determined that the State of New York's 1825 purchase of land violated the Non-Intercourse Act. Mediation between the parties resumed and culminated in a settlement signed earlier this year.

The settlement would return approximately 3,500 acres of land to reservation status and would allow the Tribe to acquire up to 14,000 additional acres from willing sellers. Additional provisions in the settlement include waived tuition and mandatory fees for Akwesasne Mohawk students attending State University of New York institutions and preferred-rate power from the New York Power Authority.

The settlement requires no Federal monetary contribution and clearly defines the reservation's boundaries.

Negotiated settlements related to Indian land claims under the Non- Intercourse Act require congressional approval, and that is why we are here today.

H.R. 2916 would authorize, ratify, and confirm the Akwesasne Mohawk Land Claim Settlement Agreement and bring final resolution to a longstanding claim.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Stefanik), the lead sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2916 gives the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe clarity on their reservation land and resolves a centuries-old violation of the Non-Intercourse Act. This settlement is long overdue and widely agreed upon. It is up to Congress to take the final steps and authorize the settlement.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.