Floor Statements

Nigeria is the deadliest place on Earth to be a Christian today. Since 2019, tens of thousands of Christians in Nigeria have been slaughtered as part of a sustained pattern of religiously motivated violence by jihadis, ignored or enabled by the Nigerian Government.

Extremist groups like Boko Haram are allowed to operate without any meaningful response from authorities.

A courageous leader named Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was convicted in a farce show trial for speaking out about what is happening. He is currently serving a life sentence in prison, convicted on false terrorism charges.

I implore my colleagues to support my resolution, H. Res. 1321 calling on the Nigerian Government to conduct another trial in accordance with its own Constitution based on: evidence, with access to legal counsel, medical care and international law pertaining to humane conditions of detention, or, better yet, release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu immediately and unconditionally.

America gives billions to Nigeria. We will not continue to fund a Christian genocide. We have the moral obligation to stand up so our Christian brothers and sisters can worship the Lord, our God, in peace.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 187.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 134.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas whose devastating good looks are only exceeded by his patriotism and sense of humor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to advance a transformative vision for our Nation's energy future through my bill, the Securing America's Critical Minerals Supply Act.

This legislation is a bold and necessary step to ensure that the United States leads the world in energy innovation, security, and independence. At a time when global supply chains are increasingly weaponized and controlled by foreign adversaries, America cannot afford complacency.

The Securing America's Critical Minerals Supply Act redefines the term ``critical energy resource'' to provide the Department of Energy with a clear and unmistakable mandate: Secure the minerals essential to powering our energy sector and lowering costs for Americans.

This first step ensures the Department remains squarely focused on protecting and strengthening our Nation's critical energy resources, while making sure Americans are able to put more money in their pockets.

Mr. Speaker, this bill could not come at a more important time. Today, China controls more than 90 percent of global rare earth refining capacity. Russia maintains roughly 44 percent of the world's uranium enrichment capacity and supplies a significant share of nuclear fuel imports to the United States. These are not just economic statistics; they are strategic vulnerabilities.

If we are serious about an all-of-the-above energy strategy, then we must secure the minerals that make those technologies possible.

Mr. Speaker, this is where Michigan comes into focus. Michigan's geology is rich with opportunity. The Upper Peninsula, in particular, holds significant deposits of copper, nickel, cobalt, and platinum group metals, minerals essential for defense technologies and next- generation energy systems. For more than a century, the Upper Peninsula helped power America's industrial rise. Today, it still possesses the potential to power America's energy future.

Researchers at Western Michigan University are actively working to map and evaluate Michigan's critical mineral potential, preserving and analyzing decades of geological data to better understand what resources lie beneath our soil. Their work demonstrates that Michigan is not just a part of the conversation. We are the solution, and we will continue to lead.

Mr. Speaker, strengthening domestic critical mineral production is not just about national security. It is about economic revival. By unlocking responsible--responsible--development of critical minerals in the Upper Peninsula, we can create good-paying jobs, attract investment back to Michigan, strengthen local supply chains, and bring new life to communities that have long contributed to America's prosperity. Boosting domestic mineral production means boosting Michigan's

economy, supporting miners, engineers, small businesses, and families across our State.

My legislation directs the Department of Energy to conduct ongoing assessments of supply chain vulnerabilities, develop strategies to strengthen domestic production, and invest in innovative technologies that expand American mineral independence. It equips our Nation to counter anticompetitive tactics and human rights abuses in global markets while ensuring our own energy systems are resilient, secure, and self-reliant.

This is about unleashing American energy. This is about reshoring and reindustrializing American manufacturing. This is about reducing dependence on foreign dictators and despots. For Michigan, it is about harnessing the full economic potential of both of our great and strong peninsulas.

The Securing America's Critical Minerals Supply Act is a cornerstone for building an energy-independent America, one powered by American workers, American resources, American ingenuity, and Michigan grit.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in unleashing the full potential of America's energy might.

Mr. Speaker, right now, the median cost of a new home in Michigan is over $430,000, and more than 78 percent of households cannot afford it. Nearly 8 in 10 Michiganders are losing their shot at homeownership. They are locked out, priced out, and pushed away from the American Dream.

Now, after 4 years of Bidenflation, which saw home costs double, Michigan Democrats are pushing new building codes, expecting to add another $15,000 to the cost of a new home. Regulatory costs already add $93,870 per home, and for every $1,000 increase, Mr. Speaker, 3,393 households are already priced out of the market.

That is why I am very pleased that my colleagues and I on the Energy and Commerce Committee are taking this issue seriously and advancing real, practical solutions.

Through efforts like my Path to Affordable Homes Act and the important legislation that Congresswoman Houchin introduced today, we are working to cut unnecessary regulatory barriers, expand housing affordability, and ensure families, seniors, and future generations have a fair shot at homeownership and building generational wealth.

Mr. Speaker, this is how we restore common sense. This is how we restore affordability. This is how we give the American people a chance to get ahead, stay ahead, and have an ownership stake in their future.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5184.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 322.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise for the families in my district and across America who are getting crushed by medical bills they never saw coming. Enough is enough. It is time we put patients back in charge of their own healthcare.

Let me tell you what is happening out there, Mr. Speaker. The average family health insurance premium now tops $24,000 a year. That is more than a lot of folks pay in their mortgage or rent. That is insane.

Barack Obama stood right here in this Chamber and promised us affordable care. He said that if we like our doctor, we can keep him; and if we like our plan, we can keep it.

That was determined to be the biggest lie of 2012.

What we got instead was the most expensive healthcare system on the Earth with hospitals and insurance companies cashing in while working families foot the bill.

In the last 25 years, medical costs have gone up over 121 percent, and since ObamaCare passed, healthcare spending has exploded another 60-plus percent. Even Bernie Sanders admits that the status quo isn't working.

Just last week Kelly from St. Clair Shores called my office. Her family of four is staring at a $40,000 bill because of a medical emergency under the so-called Affordable Care Act. Eileen in

Shelby Township is as healthy as can be. Yet her premium just jumped $10,000 this year. That is the ACA in a nutshell: You are in trouble if you are healthy, and you are really in trouble if you get sick.

This is what affordable care looks like in their world. This isn't what care is in the real word. Mr. Speaker, everywhere else you see it works when patients and people make their own decisions.

Mr. Speaker, if you need a plumber at 2 a.m., there is no problem. He is at your door in 1 hour, Mr. Speaker. If you show up at the ER, though, Mr. Speaker, bring a book and a sandwich because you are going to be there for a while.

Michigan has the longest wait times on average of any State in that immediate region and some of the longest wait times in the country. If you want a flat-screen TV, Mr. Speaker, you can have one delivered to your doorstep in hours. However, a lifesaving dialysis machine will cost you $30,000 and might take you weeks to get.

Do you know why, Mr. Speaker?

It is because government doesn't meddle in television manufacturing and people have choices.

Mr. Speaker, you can fix your eyes for $1,500, but if you need your heart fixed, it will cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Do you know why, Mr. Speaker?

It is because people have choices.

Here is the truth: Every single time Washington gets its mitts deeper into healthcare, prices go through the roof and care gets worse.

That is why I introduced the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act. The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act is pretty simple. Before a person walks into a hospital or to a doctor's office, he ought to be able to know what the heck something costs: No more games, no more surprises, and no more $47 aspirin.

This is bipartisan, bicameral, and commonsense stuff. In literally every part of life elsewhere, buying a car, groceries, or a cell phone, you know the price before you swipe your card and before you put your hard-earned cash on the register, Mr. Speaker. You can shop around, find a better deal, and walk away if it is too rich for your blood. It is your choice, Mr. Speaker. Only in healthcare do they hide the price until after you have already gone on the table, Mr. Speaker. Then they send you a bill that ruins your life and puts you in debt.

While hospitals and insurance companies rake in record profits, American families are drowning in medical debt, more medical debt than credit cards, car loans, and everything else combined. My bill ends this nonsense and gives the power back to you, Mr. Speaker.

Every hospital in America will have to post their real prices online in plain English where everyone else can see them. If they don't hold the prices, we fine them and hold them accountable to the people. Fines will actually mean something.

Mr. Speaker, insurance companies will have to give you a straight answer online, on the phone, or in the paper about exactly what your care is going to cost you before you get it. For the first time, they will have to publicly post their real rates and drug prices, too.

Sunlight is the best disinfectant, and that is all the people demand.

Mr. Speaker, the people back home know how to spend their money better than the Federal Government. We give them a price, and they will find the best deal. Give them the power, and the prices will come down. That is how the real world works.

We are keeping a promise that should have been kept a long time ago: real transparency, real competition, and real power will be back in the hands of patients.

I am asking every one of my colleagues to join our bipartisan bill, Republican and Democrat, to stand with the families getting hammered by these bills.

Mr. Speaker, cosponsor the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act. Let's finally give the American people, all of the people who sent us to represent them, honesty and the control they deserve.

Madam Speaker, this week, on November 29, our Nation marks a milestone, the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

In 1975, President Gerald Ford, Michigan's only and greatest President, signed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act into law, making a simple but powerful promise that every child, no matter their disability, deserves a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive setting possible.

That promise changed America.

Before 1975, more than a million children with disabilities were shut out of public schools. Too many were pushed into charity-run facilities or psychiatric institutions. Far too many were left without any education at all.

We turned that injustice around. IDEA opened doors that had been closed for generations. Since its inception, it has empowered families, equipped teachers, and given children the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed.

Today, IDEA protects nearly 8 million students, roughly 15 percent of all public school children in this country. It requires our schools to identify and support students who need services, including children experiencing homelessness and those attending private schools.

For 50 years, IDEA has been the backbone of special education, ensuring access, accountability, and equality for millions.

As we honor IDEA's 50th anniversary, I am proud to introduce the IDEAL Act, a bill that fully funds and strengthens the original IDEA program. This legislation keeps faith with families, teachers, and students by giving them the resources and support they were promised over half a century ago.

It modernizes services, reinforces accountability, and ensures that every child, regardless of circumstance, can reach their God-given potential.

Madam Speaker, 50 years ago, only one in five children with disabilities had access to public education. Today, millions succeed because of IDEA.

With the IDEAL Act, we reaffirm our commitment. We finish the job. We keep moving forward, not backward.

I urge my colleagues to support the IDEAL Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual head of the Orthodox Christian Church, the second largest Christian church in the world. This week, His All-Holiness is visiting the White House and members of Congress, and I am proud to join in recognizing his leadership.

Patriarch Bartholomew has been a tireless voice for peace, religious freedom, and human dignity around the globe. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Templeton Prize, joining the ranks of Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, individuals who have dedicated their lives to advancing humanity's purpose and moral compass.

Michigan, and especially Macomb County, is blessed with a vibrant Greek-American community. More than 7,200 residents in Macomb trace their heritage to Greece, with Sterling Heights home to the largest concentration. Within Macomb County alone, nearly 4,500 Greek Orthodox faithful gather in worship and service. Parishes like St. John Greek Orthodox Church and Assumption Greek Orthodox Church are not just places of faith, they are pillars of community life, strengthening families, serving neighbors, and preserving treasured traditions.

On behalf of Michigan's 10th District, I extend my gratitude and pride to His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew for his spiritual leadership and his enduring contributions to people of faith in Michigan, across America, and around the world.

Mr. Chair, dramatic pause for effect, I rise today to speak in favor of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025. I thank my friend, Chairman Guthrie, for his very hard work and leadership in getting this done.

Fentanyl is a scourge on our Nation, leaving a trail of heartbreak and destruction in its wake. We cannot allow this poison to continue tearing our families apart, and I am proud the House Republicans are, once again, leading the fight to protect our communities and get fentanyl off our streets.

Nationally, in 2022, the United States saw over 107,000 overdose deaths in 1 year. That is 45 more deaths in 1 year than we lost during the entirety of the 20-year war in Afghanistan. It is unconscionable.

While I am thrilled to see that opioid overdose deaths have declined from an estimated 83,000 in 2023 and 54,000 in 2024, there is still so much more that we have to do.

The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 plays a critical role by ensuring first responders have access to lifesaving naloxone, increasing treatment options, and bolstering support services.

I am especially pleased to see that provisions of my Road to Recovery Act were included in this SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025. The bipartisan Road to Recovery Act reauthorizes lifesaving resources vital to addressing opioid addiction and substance abuse across the country.

It provides critical resources for SAMHSA's National Helpline, a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.

Mr. Chair, the American people are tired of Democrats and Republicans bickering. I imagine both Democrats and Republicans agree on fentanyl and any direction on fixing this scourge is a step in the right direction.

Mr. Chair, with this bipartisan legislation and action that we are taking to save lives, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this crucial legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairmen Guthrie, Congressman Griffith, and their staff for their professionalism, especially on moving this important measure forward.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.J. Res. 87, my resolution of disapproval to overturn the Biden administration's California Advanced Clean Trucks rule.

Mr. Chairman, I am kind of disappointed but not surprised at my colleagues' lack of understanding for exactly what we are trying to do here. I would expect bad-faith negotiations here and elsewhere. Let me highlight a couple of points that we have heard over the recent few minutes.

Let's talk about lowering prescription drug costs. I wonder what my colleagues think about our truck drivers and how their lifesaving drugs get to their constituents. I wonder if they just appear out of thin air, or maybe the trucks that carry these things will actually just get there on unicorn tears, hopes, and dreams. That doesn't happen.

We actually need trucks to get our lifesaving drug medications to the pharmacies at lower costs. Mr. Speaker, if you increase the number of trucks required because you increase the payload capacity, you are going to actually do more harm than good.

Let's talk about infrastructure. Apparently, my colleagues think we are doing nothing to address infrastructure when literally their plan will contribute directly to crumbling infrastructure due to the heavy weight of these trucks. They could also crash into barriers, which would endanger lives. This would make sure the number of around 45,000 fatalities in this country would increase. I wonder how many American lives they would sacrifice on the altar of their Green New Deal initiatives.

How do we pay for these roads, Mr. Speaker? We pay for these roads with gas taxes, and the gas taxes that these gas trucks would not be paying would take directly from the funds that we need to build our roads all across the country.

In addition to air pollution, Republicans care about clean air. We care about clean water. We also care about common sense. Maybe in California they can plug their trucks into a tree, but in the rest of the country we are relying on an energy grid that is still at least half reliant on an all-of-the-above approach where we have economic, reliant energy and we are still including things like natural gas and coal.

These are the types of things that happen in the real world, and common sense applies in other areas outside of California. In Michigan, we are not afraid of the future, but we demand to be a part of it. America called on us during two World Wars and a global pandemic, and my legislation ensures Michigan stands ready to answer the call once again.

My family is no stranger to how important the trucking industry is. My father started a trucking business with one truck, one trailer, and no excuses. Then a generation later, I started a trucking company during the COVID pandemic.

He grew up in the Jim Crow South and moved to Michigan in search of opportunity and for the American Dream. Tooth and nail, he fought harmful regulations and misguided rules that would have prevented his company from ever getting off the ground.

More than 50 years later, his son stands before the United States House of Representatives to continue the fight against harmful regulations and misguided rules that put thousands upon thousands of livelihoods at risk.

This Biden rule is not just bad policy, Mr. Speaker. It is the scam of the decade to put California's failed EV policies in charge of the entire trucking industry in Michigan and the United States. Does anyone in this Chamber actually believe that this is the United States of California? Perhaps Californians do, but in Michigan we do not want to be dictated by Sacramento. There are about 49 other States that would agree.

Gavin Newsom may be content with being the number one State for declining population, losing nearly 1.2 million Californians from 2020 to 2023. Mr. Speaker, I assure you that I am not. This Biden-era waiver allows California to ram its comply-or-die, zero-emission truck rule down the throat of the American trucking industry, essentially gutting the trucking industry all across Michigan and across the country.

It is a Green New Deal mandate that will crush our trucking industry and drive costs up on everything and increase deaths on our highways. Those are facts.

This policy, if left unchecked, would mandate truck manufacturers only sell expensive, less reliable, zero-emission trucks, no exceptions, no choice. This is going to increase the number of trucks required, which is going to increase the cost of everything from gas to groceries.

The death of the American trucking industry is not just an unintended consequence of this radical California policy. Mr. Speaker, it is the goal. They intend to set unworkable emission standards that will cripple our supply chains and make it impossible for tens of thousands of trucking companies to do business because they are unwieldy and inconvenient.

This policy is unsustainable, unrealistic, and a job killer. Most importantly, it will end lives. Telling the Michigan trucking industry and all other industries that they are willing to move forward with this policy is unacceptable.

Today, the House of Representatives will send a resounding ``no'' to the radical left and a resounding ``yes'' to the middle class, to our job creators, to our employers, and to our truckers who keep America running.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to do simple math, use common sense, and put this Biden-era California waiver to bed once and for all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 2444, the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act of 2025.

I especially thank my chairman, friend, and mentor, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), for his leadership and support. I also thank my good friend, the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Dingell), who has been a mentor to me on the ways of D.C. and bipartisanship. The gentlewoman has been a family friend for such a long time.

I also have the pleasure of sharing the opportunity on this bill with Erin Houchin, my classmate; Robin Kelly; and Pat Ryan, my West Point classmate. This is an example of Congress coming together, reaching across the aisle, and working in the best interests of the American people. There are so many more instances of this type of bipartisanship than what may be seen on the news. Yet, Mr. Speaker, this is exactly how Congress is supposed to work, and I am very proud of my bill.

No matter how you slice it and no matter what industry, there is not a single American who isn't impacted by supply chains. In Michigan's 10th Congressional District, supply chains are the equivalent of rocket fuel, providing the firepower for the number one manufacturing district in the entire country to power Michigan's local and State economy.

Having strong, reliable supply chains is essential to ensuring that every American can get the food, fuel, medication, and every other consumer good that they desire.

This bipartisan bill is about bringing jobs back home and lowering costs for hardworking families. In today's world, supply chains are no longer just about cheaper prices at Meijer or Wal-Mart, they are vital to America's national security interests, as well.

Mr. Speaker, we must do everything in our power to ensure that our Nation's supply chain is resilient, shock resistant, and protected from nefarious foreign adversaries; this includes the Chinese Communist Party. The threat from China is real, and the time to act is now.

During COVID, we witnessed the risks of depending on a hostile supply chain with shortages in medicine, PPE, ventilators, and critical healthcare supplies when they forced us to rely on our adversaries for these lifesaving resources.

I will say that again. During a pandemic caused by a Chinese-made virus, the American people were forced to depend on the CCP for lifesaving supplies. That will never happen again.

It is ludicrous and absurd, a clear wake-up call that we would be foolish not to heed. To achieve a strong, resilient supply chain, we must have a coordinated, whole-of-government approach that decreases our dependence on adversaries and leverages American ingenuity. It is crucial for our economic and national security.

Promoting resilient supply chains is a step in the right direction. This legislation specifically will create a supply chain resiliency program to identify and address gaps in critical industries and emerging technologies, establish an early warning system to predict and prevent supply chain disruption, and reduce dependence on adversarial nations by incentivizing domestic manufacturing.

Resilient global supply chains are the cornerstone of American innovation and leadership, and we must take clear and decisive action in the global competition.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, H.R. 2444, the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act of 2025.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this very, very important and special bill, H. Res. 554, a resolution affirming America's support for religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq.

A special thank you to Senator-elect Slotkin, Representative Moolenaar, Representative McClain, and Representative Bergman, and, most importantly, the Chaldean community in my district and in southeast Michigan for getting us here.

I am truly blessed to be a part of this, and I am proud to have shepherded this bill through committee.

I vowed since coming to Congress to be a voice not just for the Chaldean community in my district but for all those fighting for religious freedoms abroad. That is why for one of my very first congressional hearings, I questioned Secretary Blinken about the plight and the struggles of Christians and ethnic minorities in Iraq. I believe that advocating for religious liberties abroad is vital to our moral standing not just in the United States but around the world.

This resolution authored by Senator-elect Slotkin expresses more than just America's support for the restoration of the rights and dignities given to religious and ethnic minority communities in Iraq. With untrustworthy actors aligned with Iran and ISIS continuing to be an obstacle to freedom in Iraq, this resolution is a powerful first step.

To my fellow Iraqi Catholic and Christian brothers and sisters, this moment is a long time coming, but more is yet to come.

My hope is that the leadership in Baghdad hears us loud and clear today. Congress is watching, and we stand ready to act.

I appreciate Chairman McCaul and Ranking Member Meeks for allowing this resolution to come to the floor. I know our Chaldean community in Sterling Heights and across the State of Michigan have prayed hard and advocated for this very moment.

Mr. Speaker, in this moment here today, with my bipartisan colleagues, we will be able to show Chaldeans here and those around the world who pray for religious freedom that our God truly does answer prayers.

Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the Africa Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I have time and time again brought attention to the crises going on on the African Continent while the rest of the world looks the other way.

Mr. Speaker, where is the press? Where are the celebrities? Silent.

Today, Sudan is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with close to 9 million people internally displaced. Over 800,000 people face catastrophic hunger. Sudanese civilians are scattered around the region as they flee escalating violence by warring parties: the RSF and

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the West Point class of 2024 for graduating this past spring and for their continued commitment to service. It is no small feat.

I, myself, a West Point graduate of 2004, am celebrating my 20th reunion this fall, and time has flown.

I ask each of them to lead with the West Point motto in mind. ``Duty, Honor, Country'' is not just a slogan. It is a way of life as they embark on their lifetime of service.

I also congratulate them on going 3-1 against Navy. They are winners.

On a more serious note, our country will be better off for their leadership.

I am honored to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the following three grads of the 2024 class from Michigan's 10th Congressional District: Lucas Dickerson from Sterling Heights, Alexzandria Goss from St. Clair Shores, and Chelsy Tene-Kuate of Macomb.

God bless the class of 2024. Their service and their sacrifice will never be forgotten. Godspeed and God bless them all.