Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, thank you to my friend from the Show Me State and the ranking member and our fearless leader on budget.

Speaking of show me, I would like for somebody to show me why this is good for the American people, Mr. Speaker.

We all want to help our fellow Americans. We all want to help our country get back to its feet from this pandemic and the unintended consequences from government actions, but this resolution is a disaster in and of itself on so many levels, Mr. Speaker.

Let's start with this spirit of unity and peace and bipartisanship. This President, one after another, has taken more executive actions than all three Presidents combined that have killed jobs, that have undermined the security of the American people, and now, the first major legislation is to use reconciliation to ram this through.

This isn't about relief and recovery, Mr. Speaker. This is about a Trojan horse to sneak policies that would not otherwise go anywhere in this Chamber because it couldn't. There are Federal wage mandates, when our small businesses are sucking air trying to get on their feet, make payroll, provide a service. And we want to kill 4 million more jobs. That is a CBO estimate. That is in healthy times. That is in good times.

This isn't a recovery relief bill. It is a massive bailout and a windfall to poorly managed cities and States. My colleagues are asking $350 billion. Census data shows that we have lost State revenue to the tune of $37 billion. What is the $350 billion going to go to, Mr. Speaker? I ask my colleagues.

It is to bail out cities and States with poor management who have been reckless and irresponsible in their behavior and they want the taxpayers to bail them out.

They are asking 10 times the amount of what they need. It is irresponsible. This is a series of bad policies. These are barriers, not incentives, to recovery.

There is $500 billion, a massive redistribution of wealth to people who are unaffected by COVID, to people who are in this country illegally, Mr. Speaker.

This resolution increases the unemployment insurance so that 80 percent of the people are actually being paid more on unemployment than at their previous job. Are you kidding me?

Please, tell me this is not a recovery bill, Mr. Speaker. Look, we don't need another job-killing Federal mandate, reckless spending, liberal, partisan wish list. We need to open up this great country's economy, get our kids back to school, and bring America back.

Please work with us to do that for the sake of this country.

Madam Speaker, I was unable to vote due to a family death. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 18.

Madam Speaker, Lee Roy Wilson, 90, a longtime resident of Rule, TX, passed away Sunday, January 3, 2021. A funeral service was held at 2:00 PM, Wednesday, January 6, 2021 at the First Baptist Church, Rule with Rev. Scott Hensley officiating.

Lee Roy Wilson was born October 5, 1930 in Rule, TX to Okla (Nabors) and Roy Wilson; he was the last surviving child of 10. He married Frances (Wade) Wilson on November 14, 1953 in Pinkerton, TX and they enjoyed 56 years of marriage. Lee Roy served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. After his discharge he worked in the oil field for 34 year as a production supervisor for Sojourner. He also farmed and worked as a hunting guide for many years. He loved hunting, gardening, and sharing his vegetables he raised with his friends and family. Lee Roy's greatest loves were God, his family, and the many friends he had. He loved being able to attend annual Wilson and Wade reunions so he could spend precious time with his family.

He is survived by his children, Melinda Casey, Roy Wilson (Becky), Fran McCown (Jerry); grandchildren, Sandy Anderson (Jody), Blayne Casey, Jeff Casey, Stefanie Bonds (Kelly), Lesli McCarroll (Ryan), Lee Taylor Wilson, Zach Tinnin (Sarah), Joey Wilson (Dusty), Cole McCown; great grandchildren, Callie Ervin (Matt), Tanner Anderson, Will Anderson, Addison Bonds, Kadynce Bonds, Knoxlee Bonds, Braxton Wharry, Jaxon Wharry, Stephen McCarroll, Brendan Tinnin, Connor Tinnin, Gavin Tinnin, Shelby Wilson, Riley Wilson, Quaid Wilson; great-great grandchildren, Ace, Wade, and June Ervin; brothers-in-law, Don Wade (Sue), Sonny Wade; numerous nieces, nephews and their families.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Frances; son, Johnny; granddaughter, Chelsea Tinnin; 2 brothers; and 7 sisters.

Madam Speaker, I rise with great sorrow to oppose this second attempt at a baseless impeachment from my Democrat colleagues.

This week's attack on the U.S. Capitol was completely unacceptable, and the people involved should be met with swift accountability.

The President didn't incite a riot. The President didn't lead an insurrection. There are no high crimes and misdemeanors requisite of an impeachment.

I am not saying the President didn't exercise poor judgment, but to criminalize political speech by blaming lawless acts on the President's rhetoric is wrong, Madam Speaker, and a very dangerous precedent.

The criminals who stormed the Capitol that day acted on their own volition. They are responsible for their actions.

This is an important moment, Madam Speaker, for our Nation. We have the opportunity to come together and do what is right for our country. The votes are certified; President Trump has conceded. Let's focus on the future and get back to the people's business.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the great State of Florida (Mrs. Cammack), my friend.

Madam Speaker, as Americans, we believe governments receive their just powers from the consent of the governed. That sacred transaction can only happen legitimately in a free and fair election.

Election integrity is the very lifeblood of our unrivaled system of self-government. The law and the Constitution gave Congress not only the authority but, I believe, the responsibility to serve as the last check on the integrity of our Presidential elections. We either believe, according to statute, that every elector was ``lawfully certified'' and ``regularly given,'' or we don't.

States certainly have broad delegated powers to administer Federal elections, but they still must operate within the bounds of the Constitution.

Despite receiving numerous petitions--to the detriment of the country, I might add--the Supreme Court failed to answer the most important question of the 2020 election: Can entities outside of the State legislatures make election law?

The plain language of Article II of the Constitution answers the question unequivocally no.

The decisions made today in these Chambers are of the utmost consequence, and the horrible precedent that will be established if we don't act will have lasting impact on our beloved Republic.

Madam Speaker, this proceeding is not just about the integrity of this election. It is about ensuring the integrity of all future elections.

I take no pleasure or pride in making my objection today, nor do I wish for any State electors to be disqualified. However, based on the law, the Constitution, and my conscience, I cannot support certifying votes from any State that violated the Constitution.

Madam Speaker, this decision is not about loyalty to a President. It is about my fidelity to the Constitution and the oath that I swore.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a special guest who is here with us in the gallery today, Jesse Burleson, the head coach of the Hardin-Simmons University Cowboys football program, located in the heart of the big country, Abilene, Texas.

Coach is joined today by his wife, Lois, and his daughters, Lainey and Marisa.

Under Coach Burleson's leadership, the Cowboys have enjoyed unprecedented success, going 36 and 4 in the past four seasons, making four consecutive playoff appearances, and graduating 14 All-Americans and two Rimington Trophy winners.

Coach stresses the importance of hard work, discipline, and the necessity of making sacrifices to achieve goals. The most important thing that these Cowboys will learn while they are playing football at Hardin-Simmons is that God loves them, that He has a plan for them, and that if they follow Him, there is nothing they cannot overcome or achieve in this world.

Thank you, Coach Burleson. Hooyah, Cowboys. Go west Texas.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 2740 that would prevent funds from being used to contribute to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Mr. Chairman, at the heart of America's economic prosperity and unrivaled security is an abundant, affordable supply of domestic energy, and the lion's share of that, 90 percent, is fossil energy. The hardworking energy producers of west Texas and the folks in my district are leading the way.

In the Permian Basin of west Texas, we went from producing a million barrels of oil a day to 4 million a day, soon to be 8 million in just 3 or 4 years, making it the most active oil and gas producing region in the world.

The blessings of these natural resources have given us an overwhelming advantage for economic prosperity as well as national security. To ensure we continue these advantages for the next generation, I offer this amendment that would prevent U.S. taxpayer dollars from going to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a costly, ineffective, and irresponsible program that has produced the likes of the Paris climate accord.

The climate activists' agenda, Mr. Chairman, and extreme ideological views promoted by the Framework Convention embrace the view that the only means to successfully reduce carbon emissions is to eliminate conventional fuels, which, by the way, power our Nation's economy, again, at 90 percent.

This framework is flawed in its assumptions, fraught with political bias, hostile towards our main source of energy, and amounts to a jobs program for ideological bureaucrats, and I oppose it and so do the people of west Texas and most of the people in this country.

And did I mention that we spend billions of dollars to subsidize the biggest polluters to comply with the mandates from this framework and completely transition away from conventional energy sources?

America would pay out of the nose to fuel their vehicles and heat their homes. It would hurt our poor people more than anyone else.

The Paris accord is the most recent product and egregious example of this framework. At best, the Paris Agreement is political window dressing. At worst, it is a tax on middle- and working-class families, with a price tag that, in just 5 years, would amount to $250 billion in costs to our economy and 2.7 million jobs. Meanwhile, it would have forced us to subsidize the world's biggest polluters, like India, and it would give a pass to hostile powers like Russia and China for years.

I believe we have an environmental stewardship responsibility to our creator and to our children, but we must be responsible to balance those stewardship responsibilities with our economic and national security interests.

Here is the irony, Mr. Chairman. The irony is that America is already leading the way for a cleaner environment, and we are leading by example, not by words, by flowery words, fancy phrases, big speeches, fear-mongering. We are leading by example.

And we are doing this not through Big Government solutions, one-size- fits-all, top-down mandates. We are doing it through innovation and technology development in partnership with industry, and the results are remarkable and measurable.

Greenhouse gases are down by 14 percent since `05, the rest of the world up 20 percent; carbon emissions down 20 percent, the rest of the world up; methane gas cut in half. Since 1970, all the six key pollutants in the Clean Air Act, down 73 percent.

And this President is the only one who has put in a legally sound greenhouse gas emissions standard that will reduce the coal power plants' emissions by 34 percent of the levels they were at in 2005.

That is progress. Those are real results.

It is reckless and naive to bind taxpayers to international agreements that compromise our freedom and our economic security and virtually do nothing to impact the environment. Instead, we should put forth solutions that encourage the continued development of all energy sources while setting high but reasonable standards for environmental quality in human health, and achieve those objectives not in hostility to the energy source that has blessed us with all the things that I have mentioned and not through abuse of Presidential powers, but in partnership with States and other important stakeholders.

I urge my colleagues to support this very important amendment.

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

Mr. Speaker, I find it ironic and hypocritical to hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who speak from this august Chamber about the children and the families at the border when, today, we are going to vote on legislation that doesn't lift a finger to help those children and those families. It doesn't give a dime to our President and make the investment in infrastructure and healthcare and the things that this President has asked for repeatedly to help those children.

Instead, we hear demagoguery after demagoguery, and it is all talk; it is no action. And the action we need is not amnesty for people who are in this country illegally. What we need is real solutions to putting the American citizens first, their security and well-being first.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the legislation the Democrats are bringing to the floor today that will grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, incentivizing even more people to come to this country illegally and which would do nothing to combat the national security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border that continues to grow worse every day.

The title of the bill is the ``American Dream and Promise Act''--the ``American Dream and Promise Act.'' This may be a dream for those who get placed in front of the line in front of millions of people who respect our immigration laws; it may be a dream for folks who get blanket immigration, a pass and citizenship to this great country, who have committed violent acts, criminal acts, folks who are convicted of DUIs, gang members; but it is not the dream of the American citizen. In fact, it is a nightmare what is happening on the border of this country.

And it is anything but a promise. It is a failure. It is a broken promise to do our first job, and that is to protect the American people, to provide for a common defense.

From denying we have a crisis in the first place, despite all the evidence to the contrary, to irrationally calling walls immoral, to repeatedly refusing to get the President the resources he needs to secure the border and safely detain the children and families who have made the dangerous trek, Democrats have been derelict in their constitutional duty to defend our borders and to stop this flow of illegal immigrants into our country.

We have a responsibility to safeguard our sovereignty as a nation and know who is coming into this country.

President Reagan said: ``A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation.'' Right now, we have zero operational control of our borders.

For the second straight month, Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 100,000 people trying to cross the border illegally, the highest number in 12 years. That is an average of 4,500 people a day. Homeland Security experts say we apprehend one out of three. So we are talking about thousands upon thousands of people that we don't even apprehend.

Just last week, Border Patrol agents in El Paso encountered a thousand people who just walked across the border. We couldn't do anything. We just let them go. We don't have the capacity. We don't have the resources.

Even The New York Times and President Obama's Homeland Secretary Jeh Johnson--no fans of this administration, for sure--have admitted that the system is being pushed past the breaking point and that having over 4,000 people cross every day constitutes a crisis.

The situation is so bad, the Border Patrol agents are being forced to release folks into the interior of our country because they have run out of room to house everybody.

And from the great State of Texas, my home State, where we are on the front lines against the fight against illegal immigration, I can tell you that our brave patrolmen and -women are simply outnumbered and overwhelmed.

And yet, in the midst of this unprecedented border crisis, what is the solution from the Democrats? A blanket amnesty to millions of people, to reward those who come over here illegally over the millions who have respected our laws and waited in line to become citizens, waiting for years to become citizens.

To grant amnesty to illegals while abandoning our own citizens and their security needs is disconnected from reality. It is disrespectful to our citizens, and it is downright un-American.

Mr. Speaker, I wish today's vote was an isolated incident. Unfortunately, it is the latest in a long litany of examples that exposes just how extreme the Democratic Party has become, whether it is advocating for open borders, allowing for abortion up to point of birth, or putting our country on the road to ruin with failed socialist policies, and it is just another example of Democrats showing they are more interested in opposing and obstructing a President than solving real problems.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the effort to establish a national veterans cemetery on the south plains of west Texas.

Dating back to the Civil War, the 147 national cemeteries across America are a powerful way to honor those who have gone before us who wore the uniform of the United States and remind us every day of the 1 percent of Americans who were willing to sacrifice everything in defense of our freedom and security.

For some, they serve as what President Lincoln called ``a final resting place for those who gave their lives that our Nation might live.''

Yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting with several distinguished veterans who have made it their mission to see this vision become a reality.

Among them were four generals, who have chosen to reside in a little slice of heaven that Chairman Mike Conaway and I call west Texas. I am so honored that they are with us here today in the gallery.

General Edgar Murphy was the commanding general of the 49th Armored Division of the Army National Guard for the State of Texas. In his distinguished 42-year military career, he was awarded numerous medals, including the Legion of Merit. Today the Armed Forces Guard and Reserve Center in Lubbock is named in General Murphy's honor.

General Anne Sobel is a former major general in the Arizona Air National Guard who served as the first female homeland security director for the State of New Mexico. Today she continues by serving and teaching at my alma mater, Texas Tech University.

Brigadier General Gary Harber is a veteran with 42 years of service and a master army aviator. General Harber also served as the NATO northern regional wartime construction manager and commander from 1989 to 1995, responsible for the United Kingdom, Norway, and Denmark.

Last but certainly not least is my good friend Lieutenant General Bernie Mittemeyer. General Mittemeyer served 28 years in the U.S. Army, earning numerous awards and decorations. He served as our Surgeon General of the Army from 1981 until his retirement in 1985, and he also served as commanding general of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to represent over 40,000 veterans in my district and rural America. If you take into consideration eastern New Mexico that this national cemetery would serve, it is over 70,000 veterans.

We must ensure that the commitment we make to our veterans isn't reserved only for those veterans living in population centers, whether it is long-term care, services for the disabled, or respect that is owed our honored dead. We must never forget all veterans, including those living in rural parts of our country.

Madam Speaker, no group of Americans believes more adamantly in the importance of a strong defense and the mission of our military to keep us safe and free than the good people of west Texas.

Their duty was to serve. Our duty is to remember them. One of the best

ways we can do that is by giving them a hero's burial in a national cemetery.

God bless our veterans. And go west Texas.

Madam Speaker, what a joy and a pleasure and an honor to serve under the ranking member's leadership in the 115th Congress, my first term. I thank him for letting me lead the subcommittee and initiate the legislation that will have an impact--I believe a tremendous impact--on the lives of folks like my friend Bill, so I thank him.

Madam Speaker, I enjoyed working with Chairman Takano, and I congratulate him on his chairmanship. I thank him for being a great colleague and for being a friend to the veterans, most importantly.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Levin for being such a gracious gentleman and statesman, to come up to me on the floor of the House and tell me he was going to pick up this ball and he was going to run it all the way down the field and into the end zone so that we can score points, not politically for Democrats or Republicans, but for the American people who expect that we take care of our veterans and, most of all, for our military men and women who are transitioning and have unique challenges in that regard, as Bill had. It meant so much to me.

If I don't say anything else here, I want to say thank you. I say that on behalf of Bill's family because I know it means a lot to them.

He is worthy. Bill Mulder is worthy to be on this legislation. Don't ask me, ask his teammates, his fellow Navy SEALs.

I mean, just look at him. He is Captain America. I am so jealous. I was always jealous. He was tough. He was strong. He was courageous.

Madam Speaker, I promise you this, that when he stood between you and me and the enemy, we were safe, and the enemy was scared, as they should be.

Thank God for Bill Mulder, and thank God for our men and women who wear the uniform.

Our country makes a tremendous investment in preparing our citizen soldiers to be freedom fighters, to be part of the greatest fighting force in all the world, but then we invest a fraction of that in their transition back to civilian life.

This is an investment in prevention, as has been said. If we can do a better job on the front end, then we can prevent folks from struggling with addiction, unemployment, homelessness, suicide, and a number of challenges that disproportionately affect our veterans.

Next Monday, we will celebrate Memorial Day and take time to pay tribute to those who not only served but made the ultimate sacrifice, those American heroes who never made it home.

However, even when our soldiers do return home from war, it doesn't always mean that the conflict is over for them. There is often a battle that continues to rage on. It is a big reason that we see so many soldiers take their own lives.

One of those veterans, sadly enough, was my friend Bill, my fellow Plainview Bulldog for whom this bill was named. I am so proud that this legislation bears his name, and I am so grateful that you guys kept it that way.

Bill was a warrior's warrior. He served this country with honor and distinction.

Like many veterans, Bill's greatest fight wasn't on the battlefield. It was the struggle that often ensues from the mental, emotional, and physical wear and tear of military service.

After 20 years as a combat Navy SEAL, Bill bore scars you couldn't see, and he struggled to make that transition from Active Duty to civilian life.

For a lot of these folks, it is not the skills gap that is important. It is not always the education gap. It is not even redefining your mission and purpose after such a sacred calling as to wear the United States uniform. Sometimes, it is a mental health issue.

I am grateful that we have included that in that comprehensive assessment and in this legislation because that was the case for Mr. Mulder.

Madam Speaker, I am sorry for going on a little long.

Let me just say, we owe this to the likes of Bill Mulder.

I really believe, Ranking Member, Chairman Takano, and Chairman Levin, of all the things I worked on, on the Veterans' Affairs Committee--and it was a tremendous honor; I didn't serve our country in the military, so this was my way of serving those who served--I don't believe anything is going to have a greater impact. And it may just save lives. I believe it will. I really do.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to be a small part of it. God bless our veterans. God bless those guardian angels that keep guard over us every day. God bless the United States of America.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the warnings to not mention the President, but you know what? They are going to continue to come. They won't be heeded.

People say they have respect for the rule of law. Do they even have respect for the House rules and the dignity that we have as leaders of our country to follow those rules?

How can we ask the American people to follow rules we pass when we don't follow the rules even on the House floor?

Madam Speaker, I know you understand this. My heart is heavy because I sit here, prepared to speak about one thing, but I feel like I have to say that I am very concerned for my country when my colleagues on the Democratic side speak of socialism as if history isn't littered with examples of failure, of destitution, of destruction of not only the economies of countries that go down that road of ruin but what it does to their people.

We see this in the most recent example of Venezuela. How can we be talking about these big-government, socialist ideas like the Green New Deal? Even Speaker Pelosi calls it a fantasy.

When colleagues on the other side aren't talking about giving Washington more control over the American people's lives, they are talking about party over country, unpatriotic rhetoric, in my opinion, and political theater.

That is the agenda. That is what they have. That is the bold vision of where they want to take this country. Not me, and not the people of west Texas. I can promise you that.

I mentioned the Green New Deal as the Democrats' signature legislation to steward the environment. They want to eliminate airplanes, ladies and gentlemen. They want to eliminate cows.

They want to give everybody a paycheck, guaranteed income whether you work or not. Whether you are capable of working or not working, everybody ought to get a paycheck, guaranteed, full faith and credit of the United States of America.

That is where this country would go if we didn't have a Republican Senate, if we didn't have a Republican President, and if we didn't have Americans with better sense.

Look, is the climate changing? Yes, it is changing. What are the factors? What are the variables? How serious? Which variables are contributing over the others?

Let me tell you what is real. What is real is the responsibility we have to steward our environment.

I want clean air and water for my three children. I think, as leaders of this great country, we ought to be responsible for providing not only a land of opportunity for the future of our children but a clean land of opportunity.

Let's just get the facts straight for the American people. America has been leading the way in this regard. The Clean Air Act is one example.

We had six key pollutants that we identified, in a bipartisan way, that had an impact on our health and well-being in this country. We have reduced those pollutants by 73 percent since 1970. At the same time, we have grown this economy 230 percent.

America is leading the way. In greenhouse gases, from 2005 to 2017, U.S. energy-related emissions fell by 14 percent when the rest of the world increased their emissions by 20 percent.

Folks, through American innovation, through reasonable regulations, we have been able to lead the world and provide for a cleaner environment and steward God's great Earth, a gift to us.

We do have a stewardship responsibility. We have a calling to our creator and our children.

I don't want the American people to be misled, certainly not at a $93 trillion cost and a plan that eliminates cows and airplanes. Give me a break.

The committee of jurisdiction, the Energy and Commerce Committee, hasn't even taken up that legislation. But that is what they have.

I hope we can work in a balanced way. I hope we can find ways to continue to do what we are doing, which is to steward our resources, provide for a cleaner environment for our children, and at the same time, make sure that we have opportunities for our kids to pursue their dreams and dream big and do better for their families because just talking about dirty fossil fuel is not enough of a plan.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Texas Cowboy Reunion, which was recently inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Located in the small west Texas town of Stamford, the Texas Cowboy Reunion has been preserving the heritage of the American cowboy and the West for almost 90 years.

Madam Speaker, Texans have always been a resilient people, and what started as a way for Stamford to lift the spirit of its citizens from the depths of the Great Depression has developed into what is known as the world's largest amateur rodeo. To this day, it continues to attract people from all over to honor the pioneers of the past, through barrel racing, calf roping, and other timeless cowboy traditions.

Every year, on the Fourth of July, my family and I look forward to taking in the rodeo festivities and just being back home with friends and my fellow west Texans.

So congratulations to Matt Mueller and everyone at the Texas Cowboy Reunion on this well-deserved recognition. I will see them all in July.

God bless, and go west Texas.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to shed light on a very deceptive practice and the reason the American people refer to politics in Washington as ``the swamp.'' That is giving bills names that, not only have nothing to do with the legislation, but actually mislead the American people to believe it is something that it is not.

This Democrat bill being considered today, entitled the Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act, has absolutely nothing to do with preexisting conditions and protecting people with preexisting conditions.

This bill actually prevents a policy that allows States to have the freedom and flexibility to provide for their citizens' healthcare needs. Where they have exercised that flexibility, we have seen an average of 20 percent in the reduction of healthcare costs.

There are laws on the books, Mr. Chairman, passed by Democrats and Republicans alike, that prevent and punish people and companies who participate in such false advertising. In fact, there is a good reason the FTC has strong truth in advertising laws and strictly enforces them against misleading and deceptive practices, because it hurts people, it hurts consumers, and it actually, in this case, compromises the American people's trust.

Mr. Chairman, the American people are sick and tired of political games, they are tired of politicians and their duplicity, and they are tired of their elected representatives deceiving them. That is what this is.

Mr. Chairman, I encourage my colleagues to not vote for this bill that takes the American people as fools and

preys on their fears, and I encourage both sides to stand in opposition of this bill.

Mr. Chairman, at the heart of America's economic prosperity and unrivaled security is an abundant, affordable and reliable supply of domestic energy.

The lion's share of America's energy supply, nearly 90 percent, comes from fossil energy resources, and the hardworking energy producers of West Texas are leading the way. This is thanks to the great American work ethic, entrepreneurial spirit, and drive for innovation.

In the Permian Basin in West Texas, we went from producing a million barrels of oil a day in 2012 to four million today, and we are on a path to producing 8 million barrels a day within just a few years.

The blessings of these natural resources have allowed us to become the most powerful and prosperous nation on the face of the planet. It has allowed us to build the largest middle class in the world; helped us to produce the new technologies and innovations that have improved the quality of life and given us the highest standard of living in the world.

It has been the lifeblood of this land of opportunity, where we now have more jobs than we actually have people to fill them.

Having an abundant supply of energy doesn't just fuel this economy. It also is an overwhelming advantage in terms of national security. Energy independence gives us choices that many nations would be envious of. It allows us to export that same freedom to our allies and to democracies around the world.

Forcing our President to stay in this terrible deal would undermine many of those advantages, and it would penalize the American people, and cost hundreds of billions of dollars. It would cost us millions of jobs.

At best, the Paris Agreement is a feel-good-do-nothing political window dressing, at best. At worst, it is a tax on the middle and working class. It is a millstone around the neck of our job creators. And it is a gift to our enemies, and we must oppose it.

It would punish the American people. It would punish our children and their future in this country.

Look, I want responsible stewardship of the environment, like everybody in this Chamber. And I want clean water and clean air for my kids. But I also want them to grow up in the safest, strongest, freest nation in the world.

The irony of this discussion is that the United States is leading this debate. We are leading in our actions.

The irony is the innovations and technology that created the shale revolution have already resulted in significant reduction in carbon. Since 2000, the U.S. has led the way by cutting emissions by almost 20 percent.

We need policies that are not hostile to America's main source of energy. Instead, we should put forth solutions that encourage the continued development of all energy resources, while setting high and responsible standards for environmental quality and human health. And we should carry out this mission in partnership, not in hostility, in partnership with States and industry.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Red Raiders of Texas Tech and a new standard of excellence in west Texas.

Sports teaches us a lot about the game of life. It teaches us that anything worth doing is worth working hard for. It teaches us the virtue of competition, the value of setting ambitious goals, and the necessity of making sacrifices to achieve them.

Through sports, we learn how to work as a team, how to be resilient in the face of adversity, and how to display grace in victory as well as defeat.

No one embodies these traits better than Coach Beard and the Texas Tech men's basketball team who have earned their first trip to the Final Four.

Coach Beard says the tough times pass, but the tough people last. Let me tell you, these Red Raiders are as tough as west Texas.

To the team, listen to the coach: Four to one, four parts mental, one part physical.

To my fellow Americans, get your guns up because Texas Tech is in Minneapolis, and we are coming home with the national championship.

Go Tech.