Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Bill Katip as he prepares to retire from his position as president of Grace College.

Having served as Grace College president for the last 22 years, Katip led the institution in several groundbreaking initiatives including an accelerated three-year bachelor's degree program, a four-year bachelor's and master's program and Deploy--Grace's competency-based seminary program.

As a result of these initiatives, and many more, Katip has led the school through historic milestones, including Aspire, its $40 million comprehensive campaign, and recruiting the school's largest-ever incoming class of students for the 2021-22 school year.

As successful as Katip was in strengthening Grace College's standing academically and financially, he also maintains a beloved reputation among students. Over the years, Katip made it a point to attend campus events, travel with students on trips and, most importantly, to be someone in a position of authority by whose example Christ's light shines upon the world.

I have known Dr. Katip for many years and had the opportunity to call upon his assistance several times in preparing for hearings in Congress. I know him to be not only an outstanding college president and counselor, but also a consummate friend and Christian.

I wish him and his wife, Debbie, Godspeed in a most deserved retirement. Even with his departure from Grace College, his legacy will endure, and his presence will be felt on the campus and beyond for years to come.

Madam Speaker, today, at least on one question, Americans are more united than ever before. This week, as we mark the 1-year mark of the Biden Presidency, the vast majority of the American people agree that the Biden Presidency has been a failure.

After 1 year in office, President Biden's approval rating is the lowest ever recorded after the first year in office of any President in American history.

Why is no mystery. By every measure, Americans are worse off today than when Biden took office. Inflation, crime, the debt, the border, Afghanistan, a never-ending pandemic, Americans have endured humiliation abroad and division at home, and all of these disasters are man-made.

Everyone knows why inflation is at a 40-year high. Everyone knows why Americans' wages have been cut by 3 percent or more. Democrats spent trillions and then passed the largest Federal budget in history.

How, in less than a year, did we go from energy independence to begging Saudi Arabia for oil? Well, maybe it has something to do with the President banning new natural gas production in the United States.

You see, the media wants to make things complicated. They want you to believe that no one really knows why you are paying close to $4 per gallon at the pump. They want to separate the consequences of the last year from its cause. But don't be fooled, Madam Speaker.

There is a border crisis because the Biden administration stopped building the wall, cut deportations by 90 percent, and reversed every single one of President Trump's successful border enforcement measures.

Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45 because it, too, is pouring across a wide-open southern border. It is that simple.

Crime immediately shot up after Democrats' antipolice riots, because of Democrats' antipolice riots.

There are still hundreds of Americans stranded in Afghanistan because the Biden administration didn't prioritize its own citizens for evacuation.

President Biden's COVID policies do not work. That is why COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all rose during the Biden Presidency. Americans endured mandatory vaccinations, pointless mask mandates, endless school closures, and never-ending Dr. Fauci interviews. And it was all for nothing.

Americans can see what is in front of them. That is why they have rejected this administration. The proof is in the pudding, and the pudding is stale.

The question is, can Americans endure 3 more years just like the last one? I believe that they can, but they shouldn't have to. That is why the Republican Study Committee is here tonight. We will hold the Biden administration accountable every step of the way. We will make sure that the past year of crises and catastrophes never repeats itself.

Madam Speaker, tonight, I will yield to a number of my colleagues, like the next speaker. The gentlewoman from the great State of Indiana (Mrs. Walorski) is going to share some thoughts with us.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from the great State of Indiana for her comments. I know she and I both agree that Hoosiers are sick and tired of this leadership, or lack thereof, that we have seen from President Biden over the last year.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx), the ranking member of the House Education and Labor Committee and a great mentor and colleague.

Madam Speaker, from Indiana to North Carolina to Kansas and beyond, the American people are feeling the effects of this disastrous administration.

I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes), my colleague and my friend, a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and a leader in the Republican Study Committee.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Estes for his comments.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Moore), one of our leaders in Congress on the Republican side fighting for veterans every day on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and my colleague and friend.

Madam Speaker, as President Biden continues to fail the American people in so many ways and his poor leadership has created crisis after crisis after crisis, I can't think of anywhere in the country that shows us just the opposite type of leadership than the free and open State of Florida.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cammack), one of Florida's great leaders, a freshman leader in the Republican Study Committee, my colleague and friend.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Florida for her comments.

I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman), one of the greatest voices of common sense in the entire Congress, a senior Republican leader on the House Education and Labor Committee, my colleague, and friend.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Fitzgerald), my colleague and a freshman Member of the House.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garcia), a fellow veteran and friend.

Madam Speaker, thanks to our next speaker, I have been to the border in Arizona and Texas, both during President Trump's Presidency and now during President Biden's Presidency. What our next speaker has taught me along the way is the night-and-day difference. The border was under control under President Trump; it is wide open under President Biden.

What I have learned and what I have stressed more than ever before is that what is going on at the border impacts my district in northeast Indiana every single day.

Our next speaker is the co-chair of the Border Security Caucus. No one does more in Congress to highlight these issues and work toward protecting and securing our border than Dr. Brian Babin.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin).

Madam Speaker, when I became the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, which is not just the largest conservative caucus in Congress but the largest caucus overall in the entire United States Capitol, I had to choose someone to lead the Republican Study Committees' Budget and Spending Task Force.

For almost 50 years, this task force and the Republican Study Committee has put forth a fiscally responsible balanced budget in the Congress to lead the way toward fiscal responsibility. And no one has done a better job of that in my time in Congress than Kevin Hern, a small business owner from the great State of Oklahoma. He has chaired and run this effort well.

Over the last year, we put out a budget that we showed to the Congress. We could balance the budget in 6 years. That is in stark contrast to what the Democrats and President Biden have done to put forth the largest budget that this country has ever seen.

I don't just appreciate the leadership of Representative Hern; I am proud of the effort he put forward.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Hern).

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Oklahoma again for his leadership and the important words that he had to share with us tonight.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Carl), a new member of the House Committee on Armed Services who is playing an outsized role on the Committee on Armed Services as we work hard to support our troops who need our support more than ever before.

I thank the gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Carl. It is such a powerful statement as we think about the drugs that are flooding over the border, that are impacting communities, destroying families.

The lack of attention by this administration to do anything about it is appalling to the American people. As they see what is going on at the border, they know the border is wide open. They know that this President is responsible for the lack of leadership to secure the border that has allowed drugs to flow into communities and affect and destroy so many families across this country.

Enough is enough. We call on the President. We ask President Biden to step up to the plate and address this issue so that more families aren't ruined, and more communities aren't destroyed because of the amount of drugs and the drug epidemic that is affecting our country.

Again, I said in my opening statement fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. Why isn't the President paying attention to that statistic and doing anything about it to address it?

Madam Speaker, next, I yield to a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, someone who I know has a heart for our veterans, someone who has served under four Presidents since he has been in Congress. His perspective is powerful.

I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina, (Mr. Wilson), my colleague, mentor, and friend.

Madam Speaker, last but not least, I yield to the gentleman from the great state of Texas, (Mr. Arrington), my friend, someone who fights so hard for freedom, for families.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend for so many important comments that he and the others have shared with us today as we mark the 1-year anniversary mark of President Biden taking office as the current President of the United States.

Once again, this President ends his first year in office with the lowest approval rating of any President in American history. The American people are feeling the decline of America. They see it, and they hate it because they know it doesn't have to be this way. They are crying out for leadership. They are begging the party in power--the Democratic Party that controls the Congress and owns the White House under President Joe Biden--to do something about inflation, because they feel it and see it every day when they go to the grocery store. And they beg the Democratic Party to do so something about it. They are begging President Biden to address inflation, the worst inflation of my lifetime.

They are baffled why the party in power and this President are completely tone-deaf to the needs of the American people as they suffer through this disastrous set of consequences of the policies of this President.

Madam Speaker, you heard a lot tonight about the effects of the COVID lockdowns and policies that have hurt our kids in schools and have hurt so many working Americans as they feel the pressures of these lockdowns and the failed policies of this administration. You have heard a lot tonight about the effects of fentanyl and the drugs that are coming over the wide-open border because of the failed border policies of this President.

You have heard a lot tonight about the embarrassment that Afghanistan has caused the American people on the world stage. The American people know that when we put America's interests first in our foreign policy, the world is safer and better off. But under this President, America is less safe from North Korea to the Middle East, China and Russia, all of these countries are seizing on America's weakness under President Biden's leadership, and the world is less safe because of it.

Madam Speaker, I call on the Democratic Party and President Biden to step up to the plate. America can't afford to suffer another 3 years of what they have suffered through over the last year.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 857 of Fort Wayne as they prepare to celebrate their 100-year anniversary.

Founded less than five years after the end of the First World War, VFW Post 857 has been a fellowship among American patriots in and around Fort Wayne all of whom served our country at some point in overseas conflict for now a century. With over 500 members including an Auxiliary, Post 857 remains a most honorable and beloved local institution.

This institution over the years and generations has been the fraternal home of patriots like Donald Kurtz, Edwin Davis, David Roth, Don Van Osdale, Edgar Grider, and so many others. I am inspired by these men and the mission of the organization to which they belonged--a mission which includes not only helping veterans recover from the wounds of war but, even more importantly, to ensure that the memory of those who have served is never forgotten.

From holding raffles to support the home repairs of veterans to throwing children's Halloween parties to hosting motorcycle rides alongside Northeast Indiana Honor Flights, and more, Hoosiers thank Fort Wayne's VFW Post 857 for their service and stewardship to the community over the years and generations.

This record is testament to VFW Post 857's longevity and achievement, for which Indiana, and northeast Indiana, is grateful. May God bless them, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of Mr. Robert E. Tiffany of Angola.

On Saturday, January 29, Robert will celebrate his 100th birthday. On behalf of the United States Congress, I want to congratulate him on this wonderful occasion. We hope his heart is filled with joy knowing he has experienced our country's greatest blessings, including the affection of family and friends over a long, well-lived life.

Our Nation owes Robert a debt of gratitude for his dedicated service to our country while serving in the United States Army Air during World War II. Like many of the Greatest Generation, he enlisted following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In piloting B-17s over Europe, Robert took part in the Allied strategic bombing campaigns against the German war machine. By the time he left the Army in 1944, he flew a total of 23 missions.

Following his departure from service, he returned home, where he established a career, raised a family and lived out the American Dream. This record is a testament to his service and an appeal to future generations of Americans, that they too may answer the call to help keep lit the torch of American liberty, just as Robert did.

May God Bless him, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Senator Dennis Kruse of Auburn, Indiana, as he prepares to retire after a long and distinguished career in public service. Dennis is a model statesman in the Indiana Statehouse, where he has served for 32 years; first as a state representative from 1989 to 2004, and then as a state senator.

During his tenure in the senate, he served as Senate Education Committee chairman, where I had the opportunity to work with him. In this role, Dennis introduced and helped pass numerous pieces of legislation to improve education in the state, including bills to establish the state's formal teacher evaluation system, to improve school discipline, to enhance before- and after-school programs and teacher preparation, and more.

Senator Kruse was also a culture warrior long before most of us were. He introduced bills in the statehouse to codify the Christian view of marriage; to bring back prayer to public schools; to prohibit sex changes for minors; and more. More recently, he announced that he will be introducing bills this next session to protect medical freedom and to allow public displays of religious historical documents. Also notable is his longtime commitment to constituent services, which remains a model for officials state- and nation-wide.

Senator Kruse is not only an exemplary public servant; he is also a great man whose devotion to his community and family is palpable. I am proud to call him a mentor and a friend and I am honored to have worked alongside him. I wish him and his wife, Kay, the best as they prepare to enter a new chapter of their lives. Let this document serve as a testament to Dennis' commitment to the betterment of those whom he served and to the legacy that will endure long after he is gone.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Cathie Humbarger of Fort Wayne, as she retired recently from her position with the Right to Life of Northeast Indiana.

Cathie's decades-long leadership in the pro-life movement has been extraordinary. Formerly the communications director for the National Right to Life and Vice President of the Indiana Right to Life, Cathie has defended life at every level and before every audience possible. As just one example, she was a very public proponent of a bill signed into law by Governor Eric Holcomb last spring to codify new restrictions on the ability for minors to get abortions and for clinics to prescribe abortion-inducing pills.

As another, for years, Cathie helped organize the annual summer ``Pro-Life Boot Camp''

at the University of St. Francis to equip high school and college students with the tools necessary to defend life in the public space. Cathie was also essential in helping mobilize Northeast Indiana's contingent to attend the annual National March for Life in Washington, D.C. One of the highlights of my time in Congress was being joined on stage by Cathie at the 2017 March as Vice President Mike Pence gave one of the most forceful defenses for life ever.

Beyond her professional accolades and achievements, of which there are many, Cathie is one of the kindest, most genuine, and dutiful people I have ever known. I am proud to call her a friend of many years and wish her Godspeed as she enters a new chapter of her life. This document serves as a testament to Cathie's career and character, and an appeal to future generations--that they be inspired by Cathie to carry on the fight for life in the years and decades to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Kevin Ryan of Fishers for his dedicated service to Indiana's financial sector as he prepares to retire as CEO of Financial Center First Credit Union.

Kevin's credit union career spans decades dating back to the 1980s. Most notably, he has led Financial Center First CU as its CEO since 2009. During his years leading the Financial Center, the credit union has doubled in asset size to $828 million, with membership growth also doubling to more than 80,000. To this end, Financial Center is one of the nation's leading credit unions in financial literacy outreach, receiving national awards every year from 2014 to 2021 for those efforts.

Kevin's success with Financial Center made a tremendous impact on the lives of countless others in other ways, as well. Over the years, Financial Center raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through its annual golf outings to donate to organizations feeding the hungry, including the Mozel Sanders Foundation, the Salvation Army Food Pantry, and Gleaners Food Bank.

In addition to this work, Kevin sought a way to pay tribute to Hoosier veterans. So, he traveled to credit unions around the state to raise funds to construct the Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame, which honors veterans with ties to Indiana. Now, generations of Hoosiers will have the opportunity to honor Indiana's heroes who fought to keep our country free.

I am proud to honor Kevin as a testament to his work and legacy. I thank Kevin for all that he has done for our state, and we wish him the best as he begins the next chapter of his life.

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

Madam Speaker, here we go again. For the first time in history, Democrats have complete control over a select committee. I hope the American people are paying close attention. I hope they see what happens when Democrats get total power. They abuse it. They intimidate, they threaten, and they harass. And they try to put their political opponents in jail.

In a matter of weeks, the committee has passed three criminal contempt citations. Today, we vote on holding Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress.

On September 23, 2021, the select committee served former Congressman Meadows a subpoena for a sweeping set of documents and a deposition. In October, President Trump instructed Mr. Meadows to maintain his executive privilege in any response to that subpoena. Mr. Meadows then told the select committee that he would give them any information they requested that wasn't protected by executive privilege.

Mr. Meadows gave the select committee over 6,800 pages of information, including 1,100 documents and 2,300 text messages. Mr. Meadows agreed to sit for a deposition if it was limited to areas not protected by executive privilege. He tried to cooperate, but the select committee didn't care.

Mr. Meadows even sought an independent ruling on the question of executive privilege, but the select committee voted to hold him in contempt anyway, just like they did with Mr. Clark, who offered to participate pending the Supreme Court's decision in Trump v. Thompson.

Apparently, the select committee's rules go like this: Ignore the former President and don't wait for legal rulings. Immediately do everything that we say without objection, or we will refer you for criminal prosecution.

They don't care about fairness or due process. The point isn't cooperation or factfinding. They care about punishment. The point is prosecution. And, of course, the point is the headline that they are going for: Former Trump Chief of Staff found in contempt of Congress. But that headline omits the ugly and partisan truth about the select committee.

According to the committee's charter, H. Res. 503: ``The Speaker shall appoint 13 Members to the select committee, five of whom shall be appointed after consultation with the minority leader.'' But the committee has zero members appointed in consultation with Leader McCarthy. And it doesn't have 13 members; it has 9.

According to the committee's charter, if Mr. Meadows had come in for a deposition, the minority must have been allowed to question Mr. Meadows for the same length of time as the majority, except no members of the committee were named by the minority.

This isn't nitpicking. The Supreme Court has found that a select committee must follow its own rules to act with legal force.

So we have the select committee as it exists legally and on paper, and then we have something completely different. I don't know what to call it, but it doesn't resemble the select committee that Democrats voted to pass

on the House floor. It is just nine members picked by Speaker Pelosi.

The group is trampling on Americans' constitutional rights and the rights of Congress, like Mr. Meadows, and current Members of Congress. They even include Americans whose sole offense, according to Chairman Thompson, was planning a legal, permitted, and First Amendment- protected political rally.

Thanks to media reports, we know that Democrats have seized their enemies' call and text records, geolocation data, and personal contacts. We know of hundreds of instances. It could be more.

All we know for sure about this partisan investigation is that it is massive. It is happening without accountability, and it is happening in secret.

The select committee should serve as a warning to all Americans. This is what you get when Democrats get free rein: secret snooping, harassment, contempt for the rules of Congress, criminalization of dissent, and it all ends with their opponents in jail.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record three articles.

First: ``J6 Committee Misleading Witnesses About Republican Staff Presence,'' by Mollie Hemingway, that was published in The Federalist.

Second: ``The Democratic Norm Breakers: The January 6 committee wants to subpoena GOP phone records,'' by The Wall Street Journal editorial page.

Third: ``Civil Liberties Are Being Trampled by Exploiting `Insurrection' Fears. Congress's 1/6 Committee May Be the Worst Abuse Yet: The Unconstitutionality of the 1/6 Committee,'' by Glenn Greenwald, published by Substack.

[From the Federalist, Nov. 10, 2021]

J6 Committee Misleading Witnesses About Republican Staff Presence

Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney ran to CNN a few weeks ago to

accuse conservative stalwart Rep. Jim Banks of falsely

presenting himself as the Jan. 6 commission's ranking member.

Banks is, in fact, congressional Republicans' choice to be

their top investigator on the committee, but he has been

prevented from fulfilling his duties by Speaker of the House

Nancy Pelosi.

However, it's Cheney who appears to be misrepresenting

herself as the ranking member--that is, the top Republican--

on the committee.

January 6 Select Committee staff have been falsely telling

witnesses that Republican staff will be present for

interviews, according to multiple eyewitness sources and

documents. In fact, not a single Republican-appointed member

of Congress nor a single staff member representing the

Republican conference is part of the controversial committee.

Witnesses are being told that John Wood, a longtime friend

and ally of the Cheney family, will represent Republicans

when witnesses testify. But neither Cheney nor her friend is

representing the Republican conference. In fact, Cheney was

appointed to the committee in early July by Pelosi herself.

``John Wood works for the Democrat Party, just like Liz

Cheney, who was appointed by Pelosi and is not the Ranking

Member of the Select Committee. She is misleading witnesses,

before they testify under penalty of law, about the motives

and the position of the person questioning them,'' said

Banks, who has continued leading Republicans' investigation

of the federal government's handling of the Jan. 6 riot at

the Capitol. Cheney's work with CNN was designed to prevent

him from being able to gain answers to the questions the

select committee was ostensibly set up to answer.

Cheney was given six days to explain whether she considers

herself just the Democrat-appointed vice-chair of the

committee or also the Republican ranking member, as is being

represented to key witnesses. She has not responded to

multiple requests for comment.

The misrepresentation to witnesses is key because the

absence of any ranking member--meaning, in this case, any

Republican-appointed member--or minority party staff means

the committee appears to be failing to adhere to ironclad

rules for its work.

Pelosi ``blew up'' the Jan. 6 committee when she took what

she herself admitted was the ``unprecedented'' step of

refusing to seat multiple Republican-appointed members,

including the highly respected Navy officer and Indiana

Republican Banks, who was to be the committee's ranking

member. She also banned Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who

currently serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary

Committee.

Pelosi chose two of her key Republican allies and anti-

Trump obsessives to fill two of her slots for the committee.

As such, they do not represent the Republican conference,

which opposed their selection, but the Democrat conference,

which supported their selection.

Cheney was promoted to vice-chair in September in thanks

for her stalwart work on Pelosi's behalf. Cheney, who has

been censured by Wyoming Republicans for working against

Republican voters and their interests, and who lost her

position as House Conference chair for hijacking multiple

briefings for Republican policy initiatives to talk about her

personal vendetta against Trump, is facing precipitously low

poll numbers and a challenge from popular Republican Harriet

Hageman.

Cheney was joined by lame-duck Adam Kinzinger of Illinois,

who recently announced his retirement rather than facing

certain defeat from Illinois constituents who don't share his

anti-Trump obsession. Kinzinger was appointed by Pelosi in

late July to make the committee appear more bipartisan after

she'd vetoed Banks and Jordan. Cheney, her selection for

vice-chair, was brought in for the sole purpose of helping

Democrats with their tribunal.

The resolution establishing the committee, purportedly to

investigate the federal government's role in detecting,

preventing, preparing for, and responding to the Jan. 6 riot,

says depositions taken by the select committee must follow

House rules.

Those rules clearly state, ``Consultation with the ranking

minority member shall include three days' notice before any

deposition.'' Also, ``A deposition shall be conducted by any

member or committee counsel designated by the chair or

ranking minority member of the Committee that noticed the

deposition. When depositions are conducted by committee

counsel, there shall be no more than two committee counsel

permitted to question a witness per round. One of the

committee counsel shall be designated by the chair and the

other by the ranking minority member per round.''

Additionally, the rules say, ``Deposition questions shall

be propounded in rounds. The length of each round shall not

exceed 60 minutes per side and shall provide equal time to

the majority and the minority. In each round, the member(s)

or committee counsel designated by the chair shall ask

questions first, and the member(s) or committee counsel

designated by the ranking minority member shall ask questions

second.''

The point of these rules is to structure depositions so the

minority and the majority counsel have the same opportunity

to question witnesses and gather information for their

separate reports. That's why they rotate and why they're

allotted equal time. Having questions alternate from one

hostile lawyer to another hostile lawyer who is working with

the first makes a mockery of the provisions. It also means

that the hostile lawyers can coordinate and cherry-pick which

information to leak or publish, and which to conceal from the

public because it contradicts their preferred narrative.

The rules do not envision the circumstances that accompany

Pelosi's uni-party select committee. The House Rules ``become

nonsensical in a situation like this,'' said one

congressional aide, adding, ``This isn't just a partisan

investigation--it's a coverup.''

For the select committee to be in accordance with the rules

regarding consultation for depositions, Cheney must be

considered simultaneously the ranking member for the minority

party while also being the vice-chair for the majority party.

Hill lawyers say Pelosi's handling of the committee casts

doubt on its adherence to

the rules. Because she vetoed the ranking member from the

committee, it has no ranking member. But the committee rules

require consultation with the ranking member before taking

certain basic actions, such as taking depositions, including

those pursuant to subpoenas.

``So how can you consult with the ranking member when you

don't have one?'' asked one Hill attorney.

The multiple sources consulted for this article include a

document which confirmed January 6 Committee staff

represented to a witness that Wood would be the Republican

counsel during their interview.

``If this was a real investigation, that'd land you in jail

for prosecutorial misconduct,'' Banks said of the false

representation. ``Fortunately for Liz, this is a sham

investigation,'' he added.

Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan).

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

Madam Speaker, let's be very, very clear. The Democrats aren't interested in finding out how a disorganized horde of rioters managed to break into the United States Capitol on January 6. They don't want to learn more about

the security breakdown that occurred that day, and they don't care about protecting the Capitol from future attacks. They have proven it to us.

None of the 51 subpoenas that the committee has publicly touted have anything to do with Capitol security. As they have proven yet again today, over and over again, they only care about attacking their political enemies.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis).

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

My Republican colleagues and I have repeatedly condemned political violence in all of its forms, including the violence on January 6.

But the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, who was elected by Democrats to oversee Federal law enforcement, secured a Presidential pardon for Susan Rosenberg, a domestic terrorist who set off a bomb in the Senate Cloakroom in 1983. That is a fact.

Merrick Garland, appointed by Democrats to head the Justice Department, helped the Obama administration to dismiss an indictment against Elizabeth Ann Duke, a fugitive who was also arrested for setting off a bomb inside the United States Capitol.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).

Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs).

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Again, what you have heard today proves what we have said all along. This select committee is not at all interested in doing anything to prevent something like January 6 from ever happening again. It is all about burying their political opponents. That is what they are about to do today by holding Mr. Meadows in contempt. It is what they have already done two times before. It is an absolute shame. We shouldn't allow it to happen.

I urge all of my colleagues to vote against this resolution today.

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

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Cameron Collier of Decatur, Indiana for his dedicated service to our Nation as an officer in the United States Navy. Cameron has just retired from the Navy, and I wish to reflect the gratitude I, and all northeast Indiana, have for him.

Having graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2001, Cameron reported to Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 2003, where he underwent training in preparation for deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During Iraqi Freedom, Cameron served as a Radar Intercept Officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman.

In 2006, Cameron moved to Annapolis, Maryland with his family, where he served as the Training Officer on staff at the Naval Academy. He left active-duty service in 2010 to pursue a career in financial planning, yet remained an officer in the Naval Reserve, attaining the rank of Commander in 2016. In this capacity, he also served as Chairman of my Service Academy Board, responsible for interviewing and evaluating high school students in Indiana's Third District seeking a nomination to U.S. service academies.

I hope Cameron's heart is filled with joy knowing he has played an essential part in securing our country's greatest blessings. As he retires from the Navy and prepares to move on to the next chapter of his life, understand that his record of service will stand as a shining example to generations of Hoosiers contemplating serving our country for years to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Beth Sherman for her dedicated service to LaGrange County, Indiana. Residents of LaGrange County owe a debt gratitude to Beth for her leadership at the LaGrange County Chamber of Commerce.

Beth joined the chamber in 2006, and soon after became its executive director, a position in which she served for 12 years. Under her leadership, the chamber's membership doubled, and business in the county blossomed. The chamber's membership stands at more than 400 businesses today, up from the 146 members in 2006 when Beth started. The county's unemployment rate is roughly half that of the national average, and future job growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 47.4 percent, considerably higher than the US average of 33.5 percent. These benchmarks, and others, can be attributed in large measure to Beth.

Her commitment to helping local businesses grow was palpable, as she advocated tirelessly for its members, brought members of the Chamber together through events, helped to transform the Chamber's marketing and outreach efforts, and more. Aside from her work in the chamber, Beth is a beloved member of the LaGrange County community and intends to remain active in retirement.

I am proud to include in the Record this document as a testament to Beth's work and legacy. Because of her, more Hoosiers in LaGrange County have good jobs, can support their families, and enjoy a higher quality of life. Although she will no longer lead Chamber, her legacy will endure, and her commitment to the community and state will serve as a proud example for others in the years to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Bill Bradley for his service to LaGrange County, Indiana. Residents of LaGrange County owe Bill a debt of gratitude for his role in making the region a better place to live and do business.

The LaGrange County EDC works to attract new investment to, and strengthen local business in, the county. They do so quite successfully. LaGrange County's unemployment rate is roughly half that of the national average, and future job growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 47.4 percent, considerably higher than the U.S. average of 33.5 percent.

At the helm of the LaGrange County EDC for the last three years has been Bill, a stalwart champion of business in northern Indiana for nearly three decades. He also led the Jay County Development Corporation; helped in the creation of the New Allen Alliance, the Adams County Economic Development Corporation, and the Economic Development Corporation of Elkhart County; and served the Logansport- Cass County Economic Development Foundation and the Wabash Economic Development Corporation. Additionally, he has served as a board member of the Indiana Economic Development Association, several workforce developments boards, and has been an active Rotarian most of his career. His career is remarkable, and our region is more prosperous because of him.

As Bill prepares to retire, let this document serve as a testament to Bill and his life's work, for which LaGrange County, and the whole of northeast Indiana, is grateful.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Norvin D. McClure of Fort Wayne.

Our Nation owes Norvin a tremendous debt of gratitude for his service to our country in the United States Army during World War II. Serving in an Engineer Combat Battalion in the European Theatre, his sacrifices were critical to the defense of our homeland, of Europe and to the security and prosperity of millions.

Most notably, Norvin's service earned him the French Legion of Honor award, the highest distinction awarded by France. Established by Napoleon in 1804, the Legion of Honor, known as Ordre national de la Legion d'honneur, is awarded only to the most exceptional of soldiers who served in defense of the French Republic. As a combat engineer, Norvin was charged with one of the most perilous tasks of any soldier during the war: removing mines and booby traps left behind by a retreating fanatical Wehrmacht. But for Norvin and his heroic actions, many more Americans would have been killed and the Allied advance across Western Europe would have been even more difficult and deadly than it was.

Norvin's unit continued into Germany, and then Austria, where it remained involved in combat operations until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. Norvin returned to Indiana, raised five children with his wife, Maryann, and became a Locomotive Engineer, a job he had for 44 years. I'm proud to extend my regards to him. On behalf of Congress, let me say: we hope Norvin's heart is filled with joy knowing he has experienced our country's greatest blessings, including the affection of family, friends, and a grateful Nation, over a long and well-lived life.

May God Bless Norvin, and may God Bless the United States.

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

Madam Speaker, 3 months ago, for the first time in the history of Congress, Speaker Pelosi vetoed Jim Jordan and me from serving on the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.

Not all firsts are worth celebrating. It was a shameful and divisive decision with real consequences. Today, because of that decision, there is no committee conducting a legitimate investigation into January 6. Congress is prohibited from conducting criminal investigations, period.

But that is exactly what the select committee is doing, conducting an illicit, criminal investigation into American citizens. Steve Bannon was a private citizen before, after, and during January 6.

So why is the select committee interested in Steve Bannon?

It is simple. He is a Democratic Party bogeyman. The select committee despises Steve Bannon's politics, so they are abusing their power to put him in jail.

The committee explained it is seeking documents from Mr. Bannon because he helped ``construct and participated in'' the permitted and legal Stop the Steal rally.

To date, the select committee has subpoenaed 11 other private citizens for organizing the Stop the Steal rally.

Here, in the land of the free, 12 American citizens are under congressional investigation for the sole crime of planning a legal political protest. Never in the history of Congress has a committee or a political party stooped so low.

Congress has no authority to conduct criminal investigations. Congress can only issue subpoenas to serve a legislative purpose.

The question that the committee must answer is: Why are they seeking information about a permitted political rally?

What legislative purpose does that serve?

Is the committee considering laws to limit Americans' right to political protest?

It is clear that the select committee doesn't give a lick about Congress' subpoena authority.

Does the committee share the same disdain for the First Amendment?

I wouldn't put it past them. As we all know, the Department of Justice has a highly active criminal investigation into the January 6 attack. They have made something like 600 arrests--as I said, very active, even hyperactive, compared to the Biden Department of Justice's typical reaction to political violence. But the Department of Justice's investigation isn't comprehensive.

There are still questions that only Congress can answer. Congress still has a role to play, but the select committee has completely abandoned that role.

Why else does the select committee want to hear from Mr. Bannon?

Because on January 5, Mr. Bannon warned that ``all hell was going to break loose tomorrow.''

So according to the select committee, no person could have predicted that violence might occur that day. According to the committee, that because Mr. Bannon warned of violence on the 5th is proof that Mr. Bannon had ``foreknowledge'' of the attack on the 6th.

Never mind that the FBI found that the attack wasn't coordinated. Never mind that the Capitol Police received actionable intelligence about potential violence occurring weeks before the 6th. Never mind that every Member of Congress, every single D.C. resident, and every American with internet access knew that violence was a possibility on January 6.

The question the committee should be asking is this: How did the United States Capitol Police, the D.C. Metropolitan Police, and the FBI all have no

clue that ``all hell was going to break loose?''

Steve Bannon, a private citizen, knew.

So why didn't the Capitol Police have enough riot shields?

Why did it take multiple hours to deploy the National Guard?

These are worthwhile questions, and Congress has a duty to answer them because January 6 was an enormous intelligence failure. There was a breakdown in security, a breakdown that was repeated on Good Friday when Officer Billy Evans was brutally murdered.

The issues that plagued the Capitol Police on January 6 have not been fixed. In fact, according to a Capitol Police whistleblower, the officers most responsible for the intelligence failure on the 6th were promoted by Speaker Pelosi's team.

To be clear, the select committee is engaged in an unconstitutional, political investigation. It is a sham investigation conducted by a sham committee that refuses to answer real questions about what happened on January 6.

The Capitol was attacked, and instead of figuring out what went wrong, the committee launched its own attack on Congress' norms.

The Select Committee's politicization of January 6 cuts both ways. The committee's inaction has made the Capitol less secure, and the committee's actions have further separated Congress from its constitutional role.

The American people and the United States Capitol Police deserve a real investigation into the 6th, and the select committee has abandoned them.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to make the moral vote. Do the right thing. I urge Members to vote for the rule of law, for the institution of Congress, and against the select committee's dangerous abuse of Congress' oversight authority.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, no one has said that the select committee doesn't have a legislative purpose.

Let's be very clear. There is important work that, frankly, we wish they were doing; like answering, why was this campus left unprotected? And what are we doing to keep it from happening again? That hasn't happened yet.

What we are saying is that the subpoenas that have so far been issued do not ask for information that would meet any legitimate legislative purpose.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from the great State of Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis).

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

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

Madam Speaker, you don't have to look far to realize the absurdity of what is happening in Congress today. In fact, Politico just reported moments ago that the Capitol Police whistleblower is telling us-- telling Politico--that they have not been contacted by the January 6 select committee.

The Capitol Police whistleblower said that the United States Capitol Police deserves more scrutiny than it has gotten so far and that he would talk to investigators if they reach out to him. And the select committee has not reached out to the Capitol Police whistleblower.

Yet, here we are today focused on holding a private citizen in contempt, an unprecedented action by this sham committee and their sham investigation.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my colleague from Florida (Mr. Gaetz).

Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan).

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Norvan D. McClure of Fort Wayne. Our Nation owes Norvan a tremendous debt of gratitude for his service to our country in the United States Army during World War II. Serving in an Engineer Combat Battalion in the Europe, his sacrifices were critical to the defense of our homeland, of Europe and to the security and prosperity of millions.

Most notably, Norvan's service earned him the French Legion of Honour award, the highest distinction awarded by France. Established by Napoleon in 1804, the Legion of Honour known as Ordre national de la Legion d'honneur, is awarded only to the most exceptional of soldiers served in defense of the French Republic. As a combat engineer, Norvan was charged with most perilous tasks of any soldier during the war: removing mines and booby traps left behind by a retreating fanatical Wehrmacht. But for Norvan and his heroic actions, many more America have been killed and the Allied advance across Western Europe would been even more difficult and deadly than it was.

Norvan's unit continued into Germany, and then Austria, where it remained involved in combat operations until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. Norvan returned to Indiana. raised five children with his wife, Maryann, and became a Locomotive Engineer, a job he had for 44 years. I'm proud to honor him. On behalf of Congress, let me say: We hope Norvan's heart is filled with joy knowing he has experienced our country's blessings, including the affection of family, friends, and a grateful Nation, over a long and well-lived life.

May God Bless Norvan, and may God Bless the United States.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the distinguished career of Mr. Kevin Woodward of Wells County.

Kevin has been essential to the common welfare of Wells County and its residents for over 30 years.

Most in Wells County know him to be a distinguished public servant. In 1990, Kevin was elected to the Ossian Town Board. In 1994, he was elected to the Wells County Council. Then, in 2000, he was elected commissioner of Wells County, a role in which he would serve for 21 years. As commissioner, Kevin worked diligently and tirelessly to respond to citizen concerns, fulfill state and local requirements, and see that county operations run smoothly.

So outstanding was Kevin's tenure as commissioner that he enjoyed overwhelming popular support and often the backing of both local Republican and Democrat parties. He believed in a ``common sense approach to local government,'' rooted in discerning the concerns of hardworking, tax-paying Hoosiers.

Apart from his public service, Kevin is family man with roots deep in Wells County. Born and raised in Ossian, Kevin has been married for 38 years to Linda, with whom he has two sons and two granddaughters.

This is a testament to Kevin's long and distinguished service to Wells County. As he enters retirement, I wish him Godspeed in this new chapter of life, and to know that the county, and the whole of northeast Indiana, is forever grateful for him.