Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, it is not our duty to raise the debt limit; it is our duty to not spend so recklessly and so egregiously and irresponsibly that we bankrupt this country, and we rob our children of their freedoms and the opportunities that we have all been blessed with as Americans. That is our duty.

I won't give Republicans a pass on this, Madam Speaker. This place is broken. We play by a different set of rules--if we are honest--than the American people. The pay-fors just for the infrastructure bill are total jokes. It is a gimmick. It is Enron accounting scams. People in our country who operate that way would be thrown in prison. So we are all accountable.

But I have never seen this kind of spending spree to accelerate the curse that we are putting on the heads of our children. James Madison said: `` . . . a public debt is a public curse, and in a Republican Government a greater curse than any other.''

Trillions of dollars have been spent. We were promised bipartisanship and restoration of unity in this place. We are jamming more bipartisan spending bills starting with COVID, which was a bailout of union pensions and which was a bailout of blue States and Democrat-run cities. Very little went to COVID. That is deception.

We are accelerating what Admiral Mullin said was the greatest threat to the United States. He said that the greatest threat to our national security was our national debt. So we promised the cradle-to-grave cash, entitlements, and more handouts without any regard to responsibility and without any requirement for work, and we are going to bankrupt the next generation. We are going to steal from them what we have enjoyed.

This is not a profile in courage.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reconsider all of this spending that is bankrupting the country, and I urge them to vote ``no'' on the reconciliation bill.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I was unable to be present for one of last week's votes. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 280.

Mr. Speaker, to my colleague, my Democrat colleague: From west Texas, our heartfelt condolences to Corporal Lopez and his family for that ultimate sacrifice.

I am about to really launch into the debate over the tax-and-spend bill, but we stand united for our troops and for those who are willing to give up their tomorrow, or their today, so that we can have a future in this country.

God bless the Lopez family, and I thank the gentleman for his remarks.

Congratulating Wylie Little League Baseball Team

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a few outstanding members of the next generation of west Texans.

The Wylie Little League baseball team from Abilene, Texas, represented not only District 19 well but the whole State of Texas in the Little League World Series there in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

This team knows what it is like to compete in true west Texas fashion. The success of this team is unprecedented, winning against teams from Washington, New Jersey, and Nebraska.

To the Wylie All-Stars, their proud parents and coaches, and especially Manager Reggie Regala, west Texas is so proud of you, all of your achievements, and your outstanding representation of west Texas and Congressional District 19. Thank you.

Go All-Stars. And God bless west Texas.

A Tax on Every American

Mr. Speaker, we are, as a Nation, looking down the barrel of the largest tax-and-spend proposal in the history of the United States, this while our Nation suffers from a recession and major runaway inflation on account of policies from my Democrat colleagues to sideline labor by paying people more to be on unemployment than to go to work. So you have labor sidelined, which distorted supply and demand.

You also had a bill that was $2 trillion, with the flag of COVID relief wrapped around it, to bail out union pensions and blue States and blue cities that were broke before COVID ever hit our shores. This has created inflation, a tax on every American.

The answer from my Democrat colleagues is to tax the middle class, to chase jobs back overseas. After the tax cuts lifted 6 million people out of poverty, gave us the largest wage increase in 20 years, the largest household income increase on record, we want to tax our job creators. We want to load the working man and woman and families with lower wages, with higher cost of goods and services. That is what the tax will translate into for these folks.

This is not only the largest tax increase; it is not only the largest spending boondoggle; it is the largest redistribution of wealth, the largest expansion of government, the most radical reimagination of our government's role in the American people's lives in the history of our country. I believe that. I don't think that is hyperbole.

What are we taxing? To make America less competitive and to put more burden on the American people? To what end? To pay for the green new

disaster, in my humble opinion, their extreme environmental policies based on the premise that we will have an apocalyptic end of the Earth in 10 or 15 years, trillions of dollars, while we cede economic leadership to the likes of China and Russia. We give them the keys to the kingdom, and we end up defaulting our energy independence, which is such an important part, not only of our economic prowess, but of our national security. We are racking up debt that is completely unsustainable.

Mr. Speaker, this bill represents $27,000 per household on top of $200,000 per household already of the $28 trillion in debt. This bill will not be paid for. We continue to put a deferred tax on our grandchildren, and we rob them of their freedom and their future in this great country. All of this is because of an income inequality crisis or a climate crisis. Before, it was the COVID crisis.

Let me tell you the crises the American people are concerned about: the chaos and lawlessness at the southern border, along the border of my home State.

They are concerned about the runaway inflation and the crisis of being able to make ends meet.

They are concerned about the crisis of the debt that will be borne by their children and grandchildren.

They are concerned about the sustainability of the safety net for our seniors, Medicare and Social Security. Both are insolvent in less than 10 years, and my Democrat colleagues didn't spend a dime, not a dime, of the trillions of dollars, to make sure that wasn't the case and that we could fulfill that promise.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana, my dear friend. I am honored to be here and to stand with you and so many of my colleagues who believe, like we in west Texas believe unquestionably and unequivocally, that life is sacred, and it is a gift from God. We celebrate that, and we praise God for that.

We also believe that whether you are 2 weeks in the womb as an unborn citizen of this great country or you are 2 years old or you are 22, you deserve the constitutionally protected right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

If anybody questioned whether the Democratic Party has been hijacked by the radical left, look no further than H.R. 3755, abortion on demand for any reason at any time, right up until the child is born, when the child is viable to live independently outside the womb, when the child can feel pain in the termination of its life.

Mr. Speaker, this would put us on par with the likes of North Korea, China, and only seven countries in the world that allow for late-term abortions.

It usurps States' sovereign rights to determine their values and their culture of life and to restrict reasonably this horrible procedure where people would abort a child simply because they didn't get a boy when they wanted a girl, or somehow they discovered that the child has Down syndrome.

They can't put these reasonable protections in place because this is yet another top-down from Washington, a one-size-fits-all to impose Washington values on the American people.

I can just tell you, Mr. Speaker, I am proud of Texas' record of passing pro-life legislation that reflects the pro-life values of the people of Texas.

I stand against H.R. 3755. As for me and my house and the people of west Texas, we stand for life, which is why we oppose this.

Madam Speaker, with respect to the rule and bills, if someone were to devise a plan to intentionally destroy the great State of Texas, they would do the following:

They would sabotage their sovereignty by opening its borders and granting amnesty and citizenship.

They would steal the right to safeguard the integrity of their elections.

They would strip the freedoms of both employees and employers by forcing unionization of the workforce.

They would destroy its agriculture and energy economy by abusing their regulatory authority and weaponizing the tax code in the name of a politically manufactured climate crisis.

They would crush the most prosperous economy in the Nation under the weight of the highest tax rates in the world.

They would quench the spirit of self-reliance.

They would diminish the dignity of work by trapping their citizens in an endless cycle of government dependence and poverty.

And they would permanently plunder the freedom and independence of the Lone Star State by saddling future generations with a debt they could never repay.

While this legislation, Madam Speaker, may not have been written with the intention of destroying the State of Texas, it is clear that should these bills pass, that is exactly what it would do, and not only to my great State but to the entire Nation.

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

Madam Speaker, COVID was the excuse to bail out blue States poorly managed and union pensions poorly managed. Our current recession has been the excuse to pay people more to be on unemployment than to be at work or to permanently expand the social welfare programs that were supposed to be temporary and targeted.

The supposed climate crisis is the excuse for destroying our energy independence. And if you listen to my colleagues' comments today, you would think there was rampant voter suppression and a rise of racial discrimination in voting. That is not true. That is

simply not true. It is divisive, and I would suggest that it is dangerous for our country.

The real crisis, Madam Speaker, is America's confidence in the integrity of our elections because elections are the backbone of our democracy, and so we need to make sure we do everything to ensure a free and fair process and an accurate outcome.

That is the responsibility, according to the Constitution, of the States. We don't need Federal Government lawyers or the DOJ to be weaponized against States' efforts to make these reforms with respect to voter ID, mail-in ballot eligibility, and other integrity reform measures.

Madam Speaker, let's stick to the Constitution. Let's uphold it. Let's protect the States' right to secure and improve election integrity for our citizens and our electoral process in this great country.

Mr. Speaker, to comment on my Democrat colleague's comments that they are just trying to build America back better, nobody in the United States of America in their right mind believes that what is happening in this country--the disastrous economic policies, the spike in crime in the neighborhoods from sea to shining sea, the chaos that burns out of control at the border--believes that you are trying to make America better.

I associate myself with the comments of Representative Roy from the Lone Star State. It is absurd for us to be mandating and restricting the American people when we have hundreds of thousands of people pouring into this country, and in the last 2 weeks we had a 900 percent increase in COVID-positive people illegally crossing our sovereign border into the United States.

We can't take anybody seriously, not the President, and with all due respect, not our colleagues who think they are trying to make our country better, stronger, and safer. That is just absurd. It is ridiculous.

I can hardly get through my comments about the appropriations on account of some of this rhetoric that is empty. It is absolutely hollow in the ears of those who hear it who live on the border and who are experiencing the devastating effects; not the least of which are the poor, vulnerable people who are coming over here and paying a high price by the cartels who we, because of the policies of this administration, are enriching and empowering every day.

I rise in strong opposition and great concern as a result of the proposed massive and irresponsible spending bills that reflect, Mr. Speaker, the

Democrats' insatiable desire to expand the Federal Government beyond recognition, beyond the recognition not only of our Founders, but of our citizens here today, and to, once again, jam through their partisan priorities.

These spending levels are beyond fiscally unsustainable. They are going to push us to the brink of bankruptcy, into a place where we can see the sovereign debt crisis from the precipice upon which we stand. We won't be able to print money or borrow to bail out of that crisis, Mr. Speaker.

American families have worked hard. They have made sacrifices, tightening up their belts. And by the way, dealing with the every-man tax of inflation while our Democrat colleagues continue to push these massive spending bills. It is completely irresponsible.

It is unbelievable that my Democrat colleagues would ask the American people for a 21 percent pay raise, $100 billion. The White House wants a 40 percent pay raise for the crimes fight, for the chaos at the border, for the inflation, for the fact that their policies have locked people into unemployment, and the policies they are proposing will trap them in poverty for the rest of their lives, and generations to follow.

Mr. Speaker, aside from the insulting disregard for our national debt for our children and grandchildren, this is the greatest threat. It is not the existential threats. It is our insatiable appetite to expand the government, government's power, and the costs associated.

If these bills, these supposed funding bills are enacted, here are the policies that will follow:

Abortion providers will be funded and abortion, and the abortion manufacturers that abort, terminate unborn children at a rate of almost 1,000 a day.

Allow illegal immigrants to receive our tax dollar financial aid and Federal employment. What a disrespect to the law-abiding American citizens.

Choke out our ag and energy producers with extreme environmental policies, disrupt the supply chain, undermine our ag and energy independence.

The list is too long, Mr. Speaker.

Give contraceptives to students without parental knowledge.

Fund sex changes at the VA.

These are the priorities, these are the values reflected in the budget of my colleagues?

Mr. Speaker, this is a radical reimagination of government's role in the life of its citizens and a drastic departure from America's values and interests, and I oppose it. I pray to God I can get a Democrat to oppose it. I doubt it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and honor the memory of Tony Lee Dill, a west Texas farmer, who I had the privilege of representing and the great blessing of calling my friend.

Tony was born on June 3, 1960, to G.W. and Sue Dill in Terry County, Texas. Tony had a lifelong passion for the land and a love for people that was second to none.

Tony wasn't just a great farmer, he was a great leader, dedicating much of his life to being a voice for agriculture in rural America. He was absolutely committed to public service for his community, for his industry, and for the country he loved.

When I first met Tony, he was president of the Western Peanut Growers Association.

Tony was the epitome of a west Texan and a great American farmer. Tony was honest, humble, and hardworking. Tony was a gentleman, a man of great faith and love for the Lord, and he was happiest when he was with his family, his beloved wife, Donna, five children, and eight grandchildren.

I know they miss Tony something fierce, and I do, too, but I am confident that Tony is in the presence of the great farmer, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and all that share Tony's faith will be with him for all eternity.

God bless and go west Texas.

Honoring Josh Bartlett

Madam Speaker, last week west Texas witnessed an unspeakable tragedy. One of Lubbock County's true heroes, Sergeant Josh Bartlett, lost his life in the line of duty. Our hearts are heavy with grief for the Bartlett family, and our prayers are with them along with the injured officers and their families, especially including Sergeant Shawn Wilson.

Sergeant Bartlett dedicated his life to the sacred calling of wearing the uniform in defense of his country and community, honorably protecting and serving his fellow Americans. We are all heartbroken for his wife Rebecca and their children, Zachary, Christian, Logan and Kasidy. Like so many in law enforcement, Josh watched over our families while taking care of his own as a husband and a father.

We must never forget that the men and women in blue represent the very best of our Nation, the bravest and most dedicated among our citizens. We all owe them the highest respect and deepest gratitude for their willingness to sacrifice their lives to protect ours.

West Texas, Madam Speaker, is a family, and west Texans unapologetically, unreservedly love and respect our brothers and sisters in law enforcement. We know they stand between us and the bad guys, and we stand with them and their families, especially in these times of sorrow and loss.

May God comfort all the families affected in this tragedy, and may He protect and keep those who keep watch over us along the thin blue line.

Congratulating the New Deal Lions

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the New Deal Lions on winning their first 2A baseball State championship.

The Lions' State championship win comes after a playoff loss in regionals and a 2020 season where they canceled six games due to COVID. Fueled by those setbacks, the New Deal Lions took head coach Jason Ybarra's motto, ``Unfinished Business,'' to heart during the 2021 season.

Led by Kyler Reed, Harley Patterson, and Noah Rodriguez as team captains, the New Deal Lions season included not only a State championship, Madam Speaker, but a 13 and 0 record district play.

Kyler Reed retained district MVP, Harley Patterson was named offensive MVP, Tanner Seeley was awarded defensive MVP, and Noah Rodriguez was recognized as the Newcomer of the Year.

So congratulations to Lion Nation. This team of young men, along with their coach, represent the west Texas value of hard work and dedication and the west Texas spirit of excellence in all things.

God bless and go west Texas.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I was unable to be present for several votes.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 193; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 194; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 195; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 196; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 197; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 198; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 199; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 200; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 201; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 202; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 203; and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 204.

Mr. Speaker, I oppose this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is in a long line of attacks from a hostile administration, and some of my Democratic colleagues, against oil and gas, conventional fuels, which has blessed our country with a safe, affordable abundant supply of energy. It fuels our economy. It keeps energy costs low for consumers and working families. It gives us energy independence.

In addition to the Paris climate and millions of jobs going away in the future as we implement that, pipeline and critical infrastructure cancelations, public land drilling moratoriums, weaponizing the tax code--because that is what is next--as they do away with ordinary and necessary depreciation and general business expenses, the posture from my colleagues is hostility toward an industry that has been so good to this country and to working families.

In this case, we would go back to the Obama-era regulatory regime that is costly and burdensome, not to the multinational oil and gas companies. They welcome it because they will just increase their market share. It is the mom and pop, small business, independent producers who make up 85 percent of the production of oil and gas. They can't take this. They will shut their doors. We will shutter family-owned small businesses.

And for what?

Trace amounts of methane gas. The cost benefit does not make any sense. This is a sledgehammer-to-a-fly approach. The real emitters on methane gas, if that is your goal, downstream, large-scale industrial utilities, and other industrial operations, that is where we ought to focus. That is what the Trump administration focused on, gave room for innovation, respected State regulation, and that partnership and Federalism.

Mr. Speaker, that is my position. I implore my colleagues to join me in opposing this and get back to some reasonable approaches to stewarding our environment and economic growth.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Plainview Rotary Club, which is celebrating 100 years of service.

Since May 1, 1921, the Plainview Rotary Club has consistently served not only the Plainview community, but also the entire Texas Panhandle region and beyond. While times have undoubtedly changed over the past century, the Plainview Rotary Club's foundation of ``Service Above Self'' has not. With almost 60 members, this clubs impact echoes throughout West Texas.

Whether it is working with the Salvation Army at Christmas, providing dictionaries to Hale County third graders, awarding students with perfect attendance, giving protective equipment to medical personnel, or promoting community improvement projects, Plainview Rotarians are known for putting service into action.

These individuals exemplify the principles of West Texas exceptionalism. For that, I wish to thank each member of the Plainview Rotary Club for their continuous, dedicated commitment to improving the lives of others. It is an honor to represent these members in our Nation's capital.

Again, congratulations on 100 outstanding years, and go West Texas

Madam Speaker, it is an honor to congratulate my friend, Eddie McBride, on 23 outstanding years at the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce.

Eddie has served as the president and CEO of the Lubbock Chamber since 1999. Under his leadership, the Lubbock Chamber has received countless awards, including the best chamber in the Nation and numerous star accreditations.

Again, my dear friend is an exceptional leader, even though he attended Texas A&M University. Then he served his Nation in the United States Air Force for 20 years.

Upon moving to Lubbock in 1976, Eddie immersed himself into our community, served on numerous boards, including the Texas Association of Business, Workforce Solutions South Plains, and Covenant Health for decades. Eddie has served with excellence and integrity, always putting our community's interests above his own.

I congratulate Eddie on an outstanding career, and I thank him from the bottom of our hearts for his service and contributions to Lubbock and to west Texas.

We wish the very best for you and your wife, Debbie; your children, Chelsea and Patrick; and the entire McBride family.

God bless you. And go west Texas.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Sergeant Jerrod Burtnett, a true west Texas hero.

On December 27, 2019, vast fog surrounded Sergeant Burtnett as he investigated a series of crashes due to zero visibility in Lubbock County. After checking on a bystander along the side of the road, a fast-moving tractor-trailer lost control, hitting a number of vehicles, as well as Sergeant Burtnett, causing him serious injury.

Sergeant Burtnett won the Purple Heart for his actions that day, and his experience is a reminder to us all how dangerous the job of being in law enforcement is.

It is an honor to recognize Sergeant Burtnett for his bravery and his steadfastness to enter a dangerous situation to help the people of Texas.

On that cold, foggy day, Sergeant Burtnett exerted the valor, courage, and selflessness that epitomized the men and women in blue.

May God bless Sergeant Burtnett and his family, and all those in uniform who risk their lives to protect ours.

Sanctuary City for the Unborn

Mr. Speaker, I believe life is a gift from God, begins at conception, and that unborn children have the same right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as you and I do.

Nothing gives me more joy or sense of purpose than being a champion for the unborn. I know the vast majority of west Texans believe, as I do, that all life is sacred, God-given, and should be protected at all stages.

The Lubbock community recently stood together against the stain of abortion on the fabric of our country by voting to become a sanctuary city for the unborn. Now, whether or not this ordinance is upheld in the courts, I am immensely proud that my hometown has made a statement, not only to Texas, but to the whole country, that as for us, the people of west Texas, we stand for life.

Mr. Speaker, west Texans firmly believe, as I do, that we ought to promote a culture of life and that life at every stage is equally valuable, equally precious, not only in light of the Constitution, but in the eyes of God.

Like the citizens of Lubbock, I will continue to fight for the voiceless, vulnerable, unborn Americans and their constitutionally protected right to life.

God bless America. God bless the unborn. And go west Texas.

Madam Speaker, I thank my fellow Texan, Representative Fallon, for the opportunity to speak.

To my colleague, Judy Chu, I have enjoyed working with her and serving with her on the Ways and Means Committee, and I have respect for her.

Let me be clear, Madam Speaker, the Atlanta shootings were heartbreaking and absolutely unconscionable. I condemn, as I imagine all of my colleagues do, all hate and all violence against any person for any reason. I mourn for all Americans who have lost their lives to any senseless act of violence.

Today, my colleagues have brought forth a resolution that I believe is laced with political jabs and unsubstantiated assertions about labeling a virus by its geographical origin.

To say that the term ``Wuhan virus'' drove this individual to commit unthinkable crimes is both premature and illogical, and it needlessly politicizes this horrible tragedy. It is inappropriate, and I believe it is unwise, for Congress to presume a motive in the middle of an ongoing investigation.

For the sake of our country, we must stop politicizing heinous acts of violence committed by sick, evil individuals. We must stop making claims that supersede and ignore personal responsibility. When an individual commits a crime, they are responsible for that crime, and our judicial system is there to ensure that the individual is held accountable and brought to swift and certain justice.

Again, I mourn for the lives lost in Georgia, but today's resolution does not strike me as simply and only a sincere attempt to highlight injustice or to condemn hate crimes. It reeks, Madam Speaker, of scoring political points. That is my read.

It seems to be a veiled criticism of President Trump. It is needless and more divisive identity politics. We definitely don't need more of that in this country. I think it is political opportunism. So I encourage my Democrat colleagues and my Republican colleagues to reject this and to vote ``no'' for those reasons.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I was unable to be present for one of the votes.

Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 109.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I was unable to be present for one of the votes.

Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 123.