Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, first I would like to thank my colleague from Florida, Mrs. Cammack, aka Cat, for organizing tonight's Special Order hour to recognize our National Police Week.

This morning, I had the privilege of joining Leader McCarthy and several of our colleagues at the National Law Enforcement Memorial to show our respect for the fallen and our support for the men and women in uniform.

Last year was one of the deadliest years on record for law enforcement officers. So now, more than ever, we need to back the blue and show our continuous support for law enforcement.

When I was a child, I can remember my grandfather telling me: If you ever get in need or get scared, go to a police officer.

Law enforcement has not changed. I still encourage my children and my grandchildren to do the same. I think we have changed the way we view law enforcement.

To all law enforcement officers in this country: Please know that I support you. You are making a difference in our community. You are helping the American people, and we are forever grateful.

On this National Police Week, I encourage all Americans to honor the sacrifices that are made by men and women in uniform, and thank every police officer for the job they are doing.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Louisiana for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on this year's National Police Week to recognize the brave men and women in law enforcement all over the country, as well as honoring the many police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. While some folks around this country and across the aisle are calling for defunding and debanding the police department, I am proud to be a strong supporter of our law enforcement, and I will always back the blue.

Nothing was more obvious than this last week and a half when I was with the Border Patrol. We have got to put more money into our law enforcement. We are choking them down. We have got to get them more resources. Now more than ever, police officers are in need of increasing resources as well as increasing support from our communities that they serve.

Police officers are willing. They choose an incredible and tough job with long hours and not enough pay, so it is critical for us to give them support and the respect that they deserve. I will continue doing all I can do to support law enforcement in south Alabama and all over the country. I encourage all my colleagues to support and fully fund the police.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my concern for the unprecedented crisis at our southern border because of the Biden administration's reckless open-border policy and failure to enforce our Nation's immigration laws.

We are seeing thousands of illegal immigrants crossing the border every single day, and there is no sign of letting up. The President and the Vice President are nowhere to be found.

That is not leadership. We need leadership. We have a crisis at the border, and leadership, we are making a call for help, please.

The Vice President was appointed as the border czar weeks ago and has yet to take a single trip to the southern border. That is unacceptable.

We must have strong border protection for the health, safety, and security of American citizens. It is time for this administration and the far left to put America first by enforcing our immigration laws and putting an end to this horrific crisis at our southern border.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act, to get our kids out from behind screens and back in the classroom.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to voice my opposition to the reckless spending plan being pushed through this Congress. This so- called COVID relief bill is nothing more than a liberal wish list of special-interest pork completely unrelated to COVID relief.

With more than $1 trillion of previous COVID relief funds remaining unspent, it would be irresponsible to rush through a massive, partisan spending bill that does nothing to help the American workers or get our kids physically back into school. Our priorities should be reopening our economy, getting students physically back in school, and spending more for our vaccine distribution.

COVID relief should be temporary, targeted and tied to COVID. But this plan does nothing of the sort.

Mr. Speaker, what an honor to get to speak before you. This is a thrill.

I rise today to honor several hometown heroes from my district who have made an impact on the community over the course of the year.

First, I would like to thank my colleague from Florida, Congresswoman Kat Cammack, for organizing this Special Order hour.

I also reached out to my community, and I asked for the leaders in our community to give us some of what they think to be hometown heroes. Let me just run through a few real quick.

Last year has been tough on millions of Americans across the country as we battle the COVID pandemic and endure countless hardships, but I am proud of so many folks in south Alabama who have made our community a better place. Many of them are unsung heroes. I would like to take a moment today to honor a few of them.

Brian Copes, manufacturing instructor for the city of Chickasaw School System, is a leader in the effort of developing inexpensive prosthetic limbs that will change many lives of amputees throughout Latin America.

Students from all disciplines have been working together to create a real nonprofit business. Eventually, these students will travel to Latin America, not only to fit the amputees but also to aid the amputees in rehabilitation as they learn to walk and use their new limbs.

Another one is Natalie Fox, assistant administrator and chief nursing officer for USA Physicians Group. That ``USA'' stands for University of South Alabama, which we are very proud of. And USA Healthcare has been a leading coordinator in the University of South Alabama Healthcare System community testing and vaccination sites for the Mobile region.

To date, she has overseen the successful implementation of over 26,000 COVID-19 vaccines administered since December 15, and over 50,000 coronavirus tests performed since the pandemic began. Natalie has worked tirelessly to meet the high demands on the healthcare system for the past year, and I am incredibly thankful for her hard work and her dedication to the people of south Alabama.

Jennifer Myrick of Fairhope, Alabama, has been a critical figure in the recovery efforts after Hurricanes Sally and Zeta, which hit the area. Jennifer worked through the Fairhope United Methodist Church to set up an independent point of distribution to hand out critical supplies to the public.

She has also headed up a feeding program for those supplies and is an active member of the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster through Baldwin County Emergency Management, where she helped fulfill many needs throughout the county.

Jennifer also worked with the Fairhope Police Department to keep police officers, dispatchers, and correction officers fed through this long stretch between both of these hurricanes.

Kathy Couey, a recreation supervisor for the city of Chickasaw, Alabama, goes above and beyond her duties every day in her day-to-day responsibilities to make sure the city is a better and healthier place for families to live. Her creativity is limitless, with a true servant's heart.

With so many people working and learning from home over the past year, staying active and getting outdoors has been critical to people's physical and mental health. Kathy's hard work has made Chickasaw a better place to live and raise a family.

Virtually no person across the country has not been impacted in some way by the pandemic, natural disasters, and the countless other challenges that we have faced. We have come a long way. Although we are living in difficult times, I could not be prouder than I am to be an American today.

And I couldn't be more thankful for so many incredible people all over my district and all over the Nation who have worked hard each day, not for fame, not for recognition or for money, but for the betterment of their friends and neighbors. This is what makes America strong.

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to take a moment today to recognize just a few of those unsung heroes who have made an impact in our community over the past year.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and the legend of Henry Louis ``Hank'' Aaron, a native of Mobile, Alabama.

Hammering Hank is a baseball legend respected not only for his performance on the field but also for being a civil rights icon who helped pave the way for equality in professional sports.

Hank Aaron is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He became the first player in major league history to record 500 home runs and over 3,000 hits, ultimately defeating Babe Ruth's home run record.

Hank Aaron's leadership and character reflect the best of American values, and his legacy will live on for generations. I am proud to call him a fellow Mobilian.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the lives of millions of innocent babies who lost their chance at life because of Roe v. Wade.

Life is precious. Life is a gift from God, and every human is made in God's image. Every person born, or pre-born, has inherent dignity and has the right to life.

We have a fundamental duty to fight for the vulnerable and ensure that life is protected, recognizing the right to life is a worthy cause. It is not radical, and it should be bipartisan.

I am proud to be an advocate for the unborn. I firmly believe in our responsibility as a society to defend life. I will continue to push for pro-life legislation in Congress, including eliminating the use of taxpayers' funding in any way to perform abortions.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in fighting for life to protect the most vulnerable among us. Together, we can build a culture that respects God's gift. That gift is life.