Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I rise today during National Police Week in strong support of the Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act.

This bill, which I was proud to help move through the Judiciary Committee, is a practical measure and a declaration of our unwavering support for the Nation's law enforcement officers. They are the bedrock of our communities, and they ensure peace, order, and safety.

By allowing Federal officers the opportunity to purchase retired service weapons, we can save taxpayer dollars and ensure officers have firearms with which they are the most comfortable.

This bill and others like it this week present a clear question: Will we stand up for our police or will we stand idly by as unwarranted and inappropriate criticism continues to be thrown their way?

I know what my answer is. I stand with our police.

I extend my gratitude to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Fry), my colleague and good friend, for introducing this bill. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this bill.

Let's send an unmistakable message to our law enforcement officers across this Nation: We see you. We appreciate you. We stand by you. I particularly thank my friends and individuals in law enforcement that I've known so well over so many years in the great State of New Jersey for the work that they do. I am proud of them. I am proud of what they represent, and I am thankful for their sacrifice.

I think we all know that we are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of the rule of law. As President Reagan once said years ago, ``A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation.'' We are very rapidly moving there.

At this very moment, we don't have control of our southern border. Tens of thousands of migrants are marching, waiting, and illegally crossing our borders every day with tens of thousands more well on their way.

We are witnessing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the history of our Nation. Migrants are dying from starvation, from disease, from lack of water. Women and children are being trafficked and they are being abused.

Our administration knew this was coming, yet they have no plan.

How irresponsible is that?

With title 42 set to expire tonight and no concrete plan in place to handle this situation, we are facing a crisis of epic proportions. This crisis will result in communities suffering, migrants suffering, and our Nation suffering, but it isn't too late. It still isn't too late.

We can secure our borders and we can protect our citizens. It will take leadership and a willingness to reject talking points and a willingness to do what is best for our Nation and for our people, and right now it is the House Republicans who are standing up and they are the ones making the effort.

This bill restarts the border wall. It hires more CBP agents. It ends incentives to abuse unaccompanied minors.

It ends catch and release. It reinstates the remain in Mexico policy.

We need action from our leaders, real leaders. We need action from our elected officials and actions from those who have the power to make a difference.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for bringing this forward.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, again, I thank the chairman for his help and his support. I thank the Congressman, Dr. Andy Harris, for traveling the great distance to New Jersey to be at the hearing that we had in the field. I thank Congressman Chris Smith for his support and traveling, as well, and I thank Congressman Scott Perry. They were all there.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment and to clear up the misconceptions that continue to float around amongst the mainstream media, this administration, and pro-wind advocacy groups, and highlight what is nothing less than an existential threat to our coastlines and the millions of people and communities who rely upon them.

Proponents of offshore wind claim that it is a necessary step in order to transition the United States to clean energy. Yet, oddly enough, BOEM's own environmental impact statement admits that offshore wind will have no impact of any substance on combating climate change and will, in fact, increase greenhouse gas emissions.

Proponents say that it will stimulate economic activity and create thousands of U.S. jobs. Yet, offshore wind turbines are being constructed in Europe and China and not in the United States, and offshore wind companies are attempting to circumvent the Jones Act so they can use cheaper foreign vessels and cheaper crews.

Plus, BOEM has admitted that commercial fisheries will have to--this is important--completely abandon their fishing grounds as a result of offshore wind. Destroying one job to create another is not job creation.

Let's talk about the offshore wind companies themselves.

Orsted, which is building offshore wind farms off of New Jersey's coast, is based in Denmark and used to go by the name Danish Oil and Natural Gas.

Equinor, which is building offshore wind farms off of New York, is based in Norway and is a self-described petroleum refining company.

British Petroleum, BP, which is building offshore wind farms off of New York and Massachusetts, is based in England.

Avangrid, which is building offshore wind farms off Connecticut, has its parent company based in Spain.

These are foreign-owned companies that have bought millions--not thousands, I am not exaggerating here--millions of acres of our ocean, our American ocean, in the Atlantic and intend to expand into the Gulf, Pacific Ocean, and our Great Lakes, as well.

Every great body of water this country is blessed with will now be at the mercy of foreign-owned energy companies, thanks to the Biden administration.

More than 50 percent of our energy, if this plan were to go to fruition, would come from foreign countries. We would rely upon them, and they would not be under our control. That is shameful.

They say that the surveying and construction of these offshore wind farms are not resulting in marine mammal deaths. Well, Mr. Chairman, I have lived there, and I see it.

That begs the question: Why is BOEM offering incidental take authorizations to these companies? For those who don't know what that means, for those who don't understand it, it is the accidental harming or killing of marine species. It is not just whales. It is dolphins and others.

Wind companies need these ITAs because these industrial wind grids are leased right on top of the foraging grounds and the migration routes for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. NOAA's own scientists have sounded the alarms on how these projects will affect right whales not just now but for many decades to come.

I beg to differ. I beg to differ with the proponents who claim that offshore wind will boost our ecotourism along the coast. Would you choose to go to a shore that consisted of thousands of industrialized wind turbines that rise to nearly 1,000 feet tall?

Realize, Mr. Chairman, there is no casino in Atlantic City that is this tall.

Orsted themselves conducted a survey in my home county, Cape May, which is a tourist county, on whether tourists would return after these wind grids are built. Fifteen percent said they wouldn't even think about returning, and Orsted considered this a good thing. Perhaps they forgot to look into what exactly a 15 percent reduction in tourism would do. It would be a loss of $1 billion.

Mr. Chairman, I could talk about defense and standing up for my constituents. Please vote for this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, in January, I had the pleasure of attending the ribbon cutting ceremony for Salem Medical Center in South Jersey, which recently became an affiliate of Inspira Health. This medical center offers an abundance of necessary medical services, high quality care, and best-in-class resources to residents in Salem County. These services include mental health resources, cardiology, orthopedics, wound care, gastroenterology, surgical services, urology, bariatric services, and 24/7 emergency services. In addition to providing essential medical services, the Salem Medial Center also employs about 350 people in the South Jersey community. I thank all the staff at the medical center for the crucial work they do for our community, and it was my pleasure to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony. God Bless the Salem Medical Center, and God Bless our United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, in January, I had the honor of speaking to a group from the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 8-4 of Absecon Island, South Jersey. The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed, all volunteer component of the Coast Guard. Comprised of about 23,000 people, these volunteers work with the U.S. Coast Guard to help with noncombatant and non-law enforcement missions. Specifically, Flotilla 8-4 works to promote recreational boating safety in the South Jersey area, as well as assists the Coast Guard through auxiliary food service assistance, pollution response, search and rescue, communications, incident command, emergency management, and air and surface operations. The service Flotilla 8-4 makes the Coast Guard personnel more available for their duties, while at the same time saving taxpayer dollars. It was my pleasure to speak with this group and I want to sincerely thank them for their volunteer work and all that they have contributed to both the U.S. Coast Guard and the South Jersey community. God bless Flotilla 8-4, and God bless our United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I want to honor the achievements of the longest serving Freeholder in the State of New Jersey, Joseph Vicari. Joseph was first elected to public office in 1979 as part of the Dover Township Committee. He held office in Dover Township until 1994, during which he served five years as the mayor. Because of his experience as a teacher, principal, and superintendent, Joseph made improving education in South Jersey a focus during his tenure. He also worked to protect our beaches, successfully fought for a new veteran's clinic, expanded the library system, promoted small businesses, and eased the burden on county taxpayers by seeking the highest possible number of grants. Additionally, Joseph successfully led the county through disasters like Super Storm Sandy and the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, after 43 years of dedicated public service, he has decided not to seek re-election. In his retirement, Joseph plans to spend time with his wife of 51 years, Joyce, his children, and his 2 grandchildren. Throughout Joseph's extensive tenure, he has improved Ocean County for the best and I am very proud of him for all his accomplishments. God Bless Joseph, and God Bless our United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, Ron and Liz Jaworski of Cumberland County, South Jersey have been unanimously selected as the recipients of the CEO Group Lifetime Achievement Award. Ron had a distinguished 17-year NFL career, including a Super Bowl appearance, Pro Bowl selection, MVP award, and an Eagles Hall of Fame induction. Ever since he retired from the NFL, he has been teaching and coaching football on both TV and radio as a NFL and Philadelphia Eagles analyst. Additionally, Ron is the host of a podcast about cardiovascular heart health. Liz is also very accomplished and has won many awards. She was honored by the Salem County Chamber as an ``Outstanding Female Entrepreneur'', was selected as one of the ``South Jersey Super Women'' by South Jersey Magazine, named a ``Woman to Watch'' by South Jersey Biz, and was recognized by the NFL Players Association as the ``Humanitarian Woman of the Year.'' Additionally, Liz is a breast cancer survivor. Successfully overcoming breast cancer actually inspired her to serve on the committee for the Pink Roses and Teal Magnolias, which is in support of women who have breast or gynecological cancers. Aside from these successful career accomplishments, Ron and Liz were selected to receive this award because of their philanthropic and civic contributions to the South Jersey community. As a couple, they created the ``Jaws Youth Playbook Foundation'' through which they have raised over million dollars to improve the health and wellness of at-risk youth in America. Ron and Liz have also held annual bike drives for disadvantaged children and funded numerous parks in the South Jersey area. I want to sincerely thank this selfless couple for their generosity and service, and they should be so proud of all the work they have done. Ron and Liz have truly made a difference in our community, and they are more than deserving of this award. God Bless Ron and Liz, and God Bless our United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, last month, I had the pleasure of attending Charles ``Chic'' Cossaboone's retirement party. Chic worked at the Southern State Correctional Facility in South Jersey for 25 years and retired last November as a Senior Corrections Officer. In his free time, he also coached football, wrestling, and lacrosse to the youth in our South Jersey community. Since his retirement, Chic has been spending time with his high school sweetheart, Amy, and his three children, Jessica, Kathleen, and Charley. His future plans include working for Dietz Masonry in Ocean View, South Jersey. It was a pleasure to attend Chic's retirement party and he should be proud of his long and successful career at the correctional facility. God bless Chic, and God Bless our United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for doing this today, and I thank him for leading the fight.

Yesterday, I stood on this floor fighting to protect Americans' First Amendment rights. Today, I am standing here fighting to protect Americans' Second Amendment rights. God help our Constitution.

Congress has afforded far too much deference to unelected D.C. bureaucrats in Federal agencies, and it is time, with our majority, to rein in that extreme power.

The left has talked about taking your gas stoves away, has censored your speech, and now the ATF, under the guidance of this administration, is coming to take away millions of pistols from law- abiding gun owners, individuals who own pistol braces, which were originally approved by the ATF themselves.

What has changed? What is different? What is new? I will tell you what has changed. What has changed is now we have an administration that is desperate to erode our Second Amendment rights in more and more pervasive ways as every year passes. It has continually chipped away at Americans' constitutional rights because of the lack of understanding of what the actual roots of gun violence are.

The administration is abusing the powers delegated to the ATF to illegally track gun owners, perform unauthorized compliance checks at people's homes, and now banning popular modifications that, I will say it again, they approved in the first place.

It has to stop. We are tired of it. Americans are tired of it. This has to end. That is why I am proud to join these efforts to protect gun owners across this great United States of America.

As their duly elected Representatives, we must fight back. We must stand tall. We must be tough and stand against this abuse of power on their behalf.

Let me say this: As a duly elected official and a gun owner myself, all I have left to say to the ATF is enough is enough. Our right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

South Jersey. I am going to teach you that. South Jersey is a lot different.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Buck for doing this and putting this together.

Blatant attacks on conservative speech are truly nothing new. First, the left and Big Tech removed a sitting President from social media platforms. Imagine that: a sitting President removed.

Then Big Tech companies deemed conservative views on COVID ``misinformation'' and removed sitting Members of Congress from Twitter. Then these same Big Tech companies deemed the Hunter Biden story ``misinformation'' and wiped any mention of it from their platforms.

Yet, Democrats can freely post that former President Trump was involved in Russian collusion, despite that being proven a lie. Democrats in Congress can tweet anti-Semitic rhetoric with no repercussions from Big Tech or even their own party. It is unbelievable.

When an outsider of politics came in and took over Twitter, thank God, Democrats knew they were in a little bit of trouble. They did everything possible to stop the overhaul of the platform, which desperately needed to be done. It is because they knew our government was involved in censoring Americans, censoring American free speech.

Our First Amendment is unequivocally the most important right afforded to us, the most important right given to us, from our forefathers. It is a blessing from God.

We teach our children to have a voice. We teach them to stand up for what they believe in. Yet, this trend being perpetuated by the left that differing viewpoints should be censored cannot stand.

With DIRECTV making the decision to remove Newsmax, it is essentially depriving millions of Americans from hearing directly from their Representatives. It is definitely censorship, and it is departing from our Nation's, from America's, core principles.

That is why I am standing here. I am standing here, and I am fighting here for Newsmax on DIRECTV.

It is not just about Newsmax. It is about Americans' right to freedom of speech. We cannot lose the America, the America that we know and the America that we love, but we are so painfully close to losing it in so many ways, and this being the most important way.

We cannot allow the silencing of views. We must foster and encourage debate in this great country. Everybody should be at the table. All the issues should be discussed and hammered out.

Whether you are a Democrat, a Republican, or an independent, everyone deserves a voice. Everyone deserves to be heard. This is America. Everyone deserves to exercise their First Amendment right without any interference, without interference from big companies, without interference from Big Tech, without interference from government. That is what our Founders intended. That is what America is about. We have the responsibility to stand up and fight for and love that America.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding. We are proud of you, and I look forward to working with you.

You guys have got to be kidding me. Seriously?

You were in control. You had the House. You had the Senate. You had the Presidency. If you thought there were any good bills or good ideas to stop this or bills that were better than anything we are putting forward, why didn't you do them? You had the control.

You didn't need us for a whole lot of other things. You voted and rammed through things that we didn't want, rammed things through that were radical, and yet, this commonsense type of legislation, nothing happened. You can't be serious. That is a bad argument.

Since there has been one-party rule in Washington--Democratic rule-- Republicans were forced to watch President Biden drain more than 250 million barrels, nearly 40 percent--40 percent--of our petroleum reserve. This puts our national security at risk. It puts the American people at risk.

For our military, what will they do if they need the petroleum reserve?

For Americans, what will they do when natural disasters strike, and their town needs the petroleum reserve?

For our rescue and emergency personnel, what will they do if they need the petroleum reserve?

Why would anyone ever vote against this bill?

Maybe if you want to lower gas prices temporarily for political gain, you would oppose this bill.

Make a choice. Do what is right. Vote for this bill.

Madam Speaker, last month I had the pleasure of attending Alexander Mazak's Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Alex started his scouting career 10 years ago as a Tiger Cub Scout and worked his way all the way up to the rank of Eagle Scout. For his Eagle Scout project, which he named the ``Remembrance Tree Project,'' he planted 40 trees at Reed's Organic Farm and Animal Rescue in Egg Harbor Township, South Jersey. Alex also built benches for the farm. In his free time, Alex plays the violin, has a black belt in karate, participates in CrossFit, and is working towards getting Scuba Diving certified. Alex should be proud of his many achievements, and it was my pleasure to attend his Eagle Scout ceremony. God Bless Alex, and God Bless our America.

Madam Speaker, today, I would like to honor the lifelong achievements of my friend, Don Williams. Don was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began his broadcasting career in the early 1980s. Ever since then, his radio show has received top ratings from listeners across South Jersey. Over the years, Don has become a friend of mine and I enjoy frequently joining him on his radio show. In addition to being a popular radio host, Don has an abundance of other noteworthy career highlights. These highlights include broadcasting an announcement with Paul Harvey, interviewing Steve Wynn and James Kalstrom, meeting Rush Limbaugh, being inducted into the New Jersey Broadcasters Hall of Fame, becoming a member of the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, and interviewing several Medal of Honor recipients. Don currently lives in Brigantine, South Jersey with his wife and two dogs. His radio show continues to play every Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Don should be proud of his broadcasting achievements and his contributions to the South Jersey community, and it is my pleasure to call him a friend of mine. God Bless Don, and God Bless our United States of America.

Madam Speaker, I would like to honor the achievements of Sheriff Charles Miller. Sheriff Miller began his career in law enforcement as a patrolman for the Salem City Police Department in 1979. Then, in 1984, he was hired as an Investigator in the Salem County Prosecutor's Office. Sheriff Miller worked through the ranks at the Salem County Prosecutor's Office to become the Chief of County Detectives. After this, he retired from the Prosecutor's Office and accepted a position as a Security Domestic Planner with the Salem County Department of Homeland Security. Chuck stayed in this role until he was elected to be the sheriff of Salem County in 2006. He is currently serving his fourth term as Sheriff. During his tenure, Sheriff Miller has broadened leadership roles and developed new initiatives at the Salem County Police Department. Additionally, he has been an advocate for protecting the quality of life for seniors in Salem County, South Jersey. Sheriff Miller should be proud of his contributions to the South Jersey community, and it is my honor to have the opportunity to acknowledge his success. God bless Sheriff Miller, and God bless our United States of America.

Madam Speaker, this month, I had the pleasure of attending Kyle Mains' Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Kyle started his scouting career at 8 years old as a Cub Scout. Then, at 11 years old, he became a Boy Scout until he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout this year. During his time as a scout, Kyle has never missed a weekly scouting meeting or any of the scout's monthly camping trips. He truly demonstrates the scouting ideals of ``trustworthy, loyal, helpful, and friendly.'' Currently, Kyle attends Rowan University where he studies computer science. Kyle should be proud of his scouting accomplishments, and it was my honor to attend his Eagle Scout award ceremony. God Bless Kyle, and God Bless our America.