Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Central High School Dragons and the Everett High School Warriors baseball teams on winning the PIAA Class 3A and Class 2A championships, respectively.

Through practice, hard work, and determination, these teams battled through difficult seasons in order to seize their championship victories.

For the Central High School Dragons, their championship came after an undefeated season. For the Everett Warriors, a hard-fought 1-0 victory in the final game of the year was needed in order to raise the championship trophy.

For both these teams, their refusal to quit when games were close is a testament to their commitment, to their communities, and to each other as players.

I am proud of what these young men have accomplished, and I look forward to seeing their continued success as they embark on careers.

end the southern border crisis

Madam Speaker, in the past 50 years, we have seen such change on our southern border. In the past 10 years, we have continued to see changes on our southern border.

Madam Speaker, 50 individuals on the FBI terrorist watch list have been apprehended on our southern border.

Madam Speaker, 50 potential terrorists, with only the intent to harm American citizens, have been apprehended on our southern border.

What is President Biden's response? To leave our border wall unfinished and our citizens vulnerable to attack.

We cannot allow these open border policies to continue. We cannot allow these terrorists to continue to enter the United States through a porous and vulnerable southern border.

Now, with a potential surge of more than 18,000 migrants expected to cross the border if title 42 is repealed, more terrorists will attempt to enter our country.

It is time to secure our border. It is time to codify title 42. It is time to put an end to this crisis.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Right now, today, as we all are here in the Halls of Congress, our Nation is facing a mental health crisis. And this crisis followed 2 years of lockdowns and remote learning that have left so many Americans feeling isolated, lost, and, in some cases, hopeless. Particularly, our young Americans feel all of these emotions.

I rise today in support of this legislation that would help to address this crisis head-on by helping to ensure that those who are struggling can receive the help that they so desperately need, that they need, and they need our attention to it right now.

The Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022 expands access to care for millions of Americans, including children and teenagers who are desperately in need of this assistance.

As a doctor, I have treated patients who have later lost their lives to mental illness. Just last week, we had physicians here on the Hill, pediatricians, family doctors, telling us that they have seen the shift of the pendulum; that they see on a daily basis more and more cases in their patients, specifically involving mental health.

And there is not a single American who has not in some way been impacted by the effects that mental illness is having today.

In the past year, over 107,000 Americans have lost their lives to drug overdoses. Far too many grandparents, far too many fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters are dying. We cannot wait to act any longer. We need to act and vote on this legislation.

To help address the tragedy of addiction, this bill increases support for opioid recovery programs that will help people who are struggling to receive the care that they need.

This bill would go on to make mental health screenings a part of each person's annual physical exam and evaluation and help to ensure that everyone who sees a doctor is able to have a conversation frankly, concisely, clearly, about their mental health and the mental health issues that they are facing.

Most importantly, this bill would provide a whole-of-care approach that would fund prevention, treatment, and recovery services for the people who are suffering with addiction. We have worked as a committee, as a conference addressing these important issues.

I urge all of my colleagues to vote to pass this important piece of legislation.

Madam Speaker, last week, a report from Moody's found that the average American is now spending an extra $460 a month on everyday items like gas and groceries. Because of this staggering inflation caused by President Biden's failed policies, the average American family is being impacted.

The burden of this out-of-control inflation has fallen on working families, who can least afford to pay for the skyrocketing price of goods.

Now, instead of addressing the root causes of inflation, President Biden and Vice President Harris are once again championing their build back broken agenda, an agenda that would pour gasoline on a fire that is already far out of control.

Americans cannot afford this reckless spending, and we cannot afford to allow radical socialist policies to further destroy our Nation's economy.

It is time to return to fiscal restraint. It is time to stop spending money that we don't have. It is time to stop spending money on things that we do not need.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma for holding this incredibly important Special Order, and I thank him for yielding.

Since day 1 of his Presidency, Joe Biden has chosen to weaponize his power to attack the energy industry and raise the price of gasoline for Pennsylvania drivers. This impact financially, for every Pennsylvanian, and in fact, for every American citizen, is being felt tonight as we hold this Special Order.

By canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, by canceling new drilling leases, and by suggesting that the energy beneath the feet of my constituents is not an acceptable source of power, President Biden has turned his back on American energy. Sadly, he has turned his back on the American people. Because of the President's policies, America right now is drilling less oil than before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To counter this war on American energy, I am proud to be working with my colleagues to introduce the Blueprint to Save America and to help return our Nation to energy dominance. Not just energy independence, but energy dominance.

It is time to reverse President Biden's executive actions to stop new drilling. It is time to produce the coal, the oil, the natural gas, and the Marcellus shale that is needed to power our cities, our communities, and our grids.

I thank the gentleman for holding this Special Order tonight to bring attention to the roadmap that we have built to return our country to that needed energy dominance.

President Ronald Reagan once said that we maintain ``peace through strength.'' By rebuilding our energy infrastructure and once again becoming a net energy exporter, we can help our allies while at the same time lowering the price of energy right here in America.

I look forward to continuing to advocate for this budget that will help my constituents back home in Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, again, I thank my colleague, Representative Hern, for holding this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate National Dairy Month this June and recognize the incredible work that is done by small dairy farms in Pennsylvania, I am reminded of the words written by Rick Harvey: ``And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, `I need a caretaker.' So God made a farmer. God said, `I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again . . . then go to town and stay up past midnight at a meeting of the school board.' So God made a farmer.''

In Congress, I am proud to represent the incredible dairy farmers of Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District who operate our farms and work to provide the milk, the butter, the yogurt, and the ice cream that Americans eat each and every day.

As a doctor, I have seen firsthand the advantages that providing whole milk has for our Nation's young people. The nutrients, the vitamins, that milk provides are essential to the development of healthy brain tissue, healthy bones, and healthy muscles. That is why it is so important that we once again have whole milk back in schools in the cafeterias so our students can have this each and every day.

This June, as we celebrate National Dairy Month, let's remember and let's thank our farmers who do so much to support our health, our nutrition, our Nation, and each and every one of us.

Stop Runaway Spending

Mr. Speaker, right now, American families are facing higher prices and supply chain shortages in our Nation's grocery stores.

Right now, the cost of beef is up 10 percent from last year. The cost of bacon is up 15 percent. The cost of oranges is up 16 percent. Chicken is up 19 percent. The cost of eggs is up more than 30 percent.

Last week, I spoke to a mother in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, who told me that she was still unable to find baby food on store shelves. When she could, that price had shot up nearly 15 percent.

These price hikes are unsustainable, and as prices are rising faster than wages, families doing their grocery shopping are forced to make hard decisions about what they can buy and what they can provide for their families.

Inflation is a tax on all Americans, and the skyrocketing costs that we are seeing right now are a direct result of President Biden's failed policies, policies that pumped trillions of dollars into our economy without a second thought about what that money would do to Pennsylvania families in my district.

It is time to stop this runaway spending, and it is time to get our economy moving once again.

Madam Speaker, last week, I heard from a woman in my district who told me about the direct impact that rising energy prices are having on her family. This year, her energy bill will climb from $135 to $398 a month.

This constituent is not alone, and because of this record-setting inflation, two-thirds of Americans have been forced to use their savings just to pay for everyday expenses.

With gas now costing more than $5 a gallon, with diesel costs up nearly 70 percent higher than they were a year ago, it is Pennsylvania families who are now paying the price for President Biden's failed energy policies.

Instead of using American energy, President Biden is preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia in an attempt to bring more foreign oil into our markets here in America.

Americans cannot afford these record-setting prices, and we cannot afford to allow the Biden administration to continue its war on American energy.

Madam Speaker, this week we mark the 78th anniversary of the D-day landing in northern France.

Three years ago, I had the honor of visiting the Normandy coastline to see the Utah and Omaha beaches, to see the memorial where the 2nd Ranger Battalion made their heroic stand, and to see the graves of the men who did not come home and who are now buried in the French countryside.

Those who fought in Normandy and across France on the road to victory in

Europe came from all walks of life. Those individuals were bound by a common goal: to stand for freedom and to liberate the oppressed. They were part of our Nation's Greatest Generation. And now as they grow older and move on to their eternal salvation, we must continue to remember their courage and to remember their sacrifice.

Their legacy of service and bravery is at the heart of what makes the United States the greatest nation on Earth.

Madam Speaker, this past week, I joined a group of 12 of my colleagues to visit our southern border and to see firsthand the crisis that President Biden's open border policies have created.

What we saw were massive gaps in our border wall that allow for the cartels to traffic money, drugs, and human beings across our southern border. The Border Patrol agents whom we spoke with told us that in the Rio Grande sector that they are encountering nearly 10,000 migrants each month.

In the past year Border Patrol agents have apprehended people from 174 nations attempting to cross our border. And even more troubling, they have encountered 42 individuals on the terrorist watch list.

According to Border Patrol data, over 1,200 pounds of fentanyl were seized in the month of April alone, and at a time when we have just seen over 100,000 Americans killed by drug overdoses, this spike in fentanyl trafficking has made each and every State a border State.

It is time to address this crisis. It is time to finish our border wall--a wall that President Biden has refused to complete while $350 million of unused border wall rust away underneath the Texas sun.

In his budget for this year, Joe Biden doesn't even mention the crisis on the border. Instead of giving our Border Patrol agents the tools that they need, President Biden has proposed to cut $800 million from the Department of Homeland Security budget. If President Biden were to visit the border, he would see this crisis firsthand. But, instead, he has chosen to hide from the problem and continue to allow deadly drugs to flow into our communities and kill our citizens.

The American people can't afford to wait any longer. It is time for the

President to order the completion of the border wall and finally-- finally--keep all Americans safe.

Mr. Speaker, this week, as gasoline prices climb to over $5 a gallon at home, Pennsylvania families are now paying twice what they paid when President Biden first took office just 18 months ago.

By Biden's canceling of new drilling leases and decision to impose burdensome standards on our energy producers, the President has turned his back on the energy crisis that our communities right now are facing.

A new report out this week finds that at this rate, Americans are on track to pay over $5,000 a year for gasoline. These prices are unsustainable, and instead of addressing the problem, President Biden has chosen to side with the far-left activists instead of the working- class Americans who are paying these prices at the pump.

The answer is clear: We need to produce American energy for American families to lower the cost of gas and stop the runaway inflation that is right now crippling our Nation.

Madam Speaker, as we stand here today, gasoline in my hometown of Altoona, Pennsylvania, costs an average of $4.49 per gallon; that is the highest price that we have ever paid for gasoline.

On day one of his Presidency, Joe Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline. Just last week, President Biden doubled down on his failed policy of crushing American energy producers by canceling three key oil and natural gas leases.

It is this reckless leadership that has led to record-breaking prices that have made it so hard for rural Americans to afford to drive to work, go to doctor appointments, visit relatives, or bring their kids to a baseball game.

It is time to turn away from these failed policies and, once again, rely on the energy that lies beneath the feet of my constituents--the energy that comes from American coal, American oil, American natural gas, and American Marcellus shale.

Madam Speaker, we cannot afford these high gas prices, and we cannot afford this failed leadership.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Gardners Candies, a staple of the Central Pennsylvania community, on celebrating one hundred and twenty-five years of operation.

Founded in 1897 by James ``Pike'' Gardner in Tyrone, Pennsylvania, Gardners Candies began operations in a small store along with a wagon that allowed ``Pike'' to sell candy throughout the region.

For over a century, Gardners has produced gourmet chocolate including their famous, ``Original Peanut Butter Meltaway.''

In 2021, Benzel's Pretzels and Gardners Candies entered into an agreement to bring together these iconic brands in the production of Gardners' chocolate covered pretzels.

I'm proud of the family sustaining jobs created by the candy making companies in our community. From producing classic treats to creating quality jobs, Pennsylvania is known the world over for its candies and confectioners, and I am proud to have some of the world's finest right here in our community.

On behalf of Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District, I congratulate Gardners Candies on this milestone and wish them every continued success.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to congratulate the men and women from Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District who have received appointments to our Nation's service academies. Through their academic work, their commitment to physical fitness, and their readiness to serve, these students have demonstrated that they are ready to begin the training that will ultimately lead to their commissioning as officers in our Armed Services.

This morning, I am proud to recognize:

Elizabeth Pfisterer of Adams County, who will attend the United States Military Academy at West Point;

Brian Johnson of Blair County, who will attend the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis;

Eli Burtner of Somerset County, who will attend the United States Military Academy at West Point;

Nathan Kirkwood of Franklin County, who will attend the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis; and

Meagan McHale of Franklin County, who will attend the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Nassau County, New York.

Thanks to these excellent young men and women, their commitment to our Nation and to our military must be recognized. The soldiers, the sailors, the airmen, and marines that you will one day be asked to lead deserve officers who are disciplined and thoughtful.

Thank you for your commitment to our country, and may God bless you and your families as you begin this new chapter of your lives. Today, I congratulate you.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for holding this Special Order and for his leadership, for having these discussions at such an important time.

Mr. Speaker, right now, millions of refugees have been displaced from their homes. Children are being forced to go without food, clothing, and shelter, and thousands of civilians are being murdered in the streets.

These are the effects of the Russian Federation's war against the free and sovereign people of Ukraine. The human cost of this war is devastating. We need to bring an end to the hostilities. The United States must stand ready to support the people of Ukraine with the tools and the weapons necessary to fight against and defeat the Russian Army.

There is another component to our mission that cannot be overstated. As our NATO allies continue to support President Zelenskyy in Ukraine, they will face economic retaliation from Russia.

Just this morning, Russia announced that it would halt the sale of natural gas to Poland and Bulgaria. While this decision will create difficulties for the people living and working in these NATO countries, it also provides the United States an opportunity to stand with our allies and show Putin that his cheap and dirty gas is not needed to power this war.

President Ronald Reagan once said, ``We know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong, but when they are weak. It is then that tyrants are tempted.''

Unfortunately, President Biden's energy policies have so far not shown the strength that this moment requires. It is time to approve the permits needed to bring more American energy, like coal, oil, natural gas, and Marcellus shale to the market. We need to supply our neighbors and our allies with affordable American energy. It is time to promote American energy dominance and show Russia that its energy reserves do not give Putin a blank check to attack his neighbors.

America can provide the energy that our friends and allies need. It is time to come to the aid of Poland and Bulgaria, and it is time to produce and supply American energy.

Again, I thank Mr. Johnson for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, last week, I visited with the police officers in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to hear firsthand about the drug epidemic that is facing communities in my district.

One of the officers told me a story of how just the night before, he recovered over 150 bags of heroin after receiving a 911 call for a man abusing a puppy on a public street. This story gets to the heart of what these deadly drugs do to our communities.

Instead of addressing this crisis by securing our border, President Biden has chosen to end title 42, a program that has helped our Border Patrol agents protect Americans.

Mr. Speaker, it is time to fight the drug epidemic that has allowed heroin, crack cocaine, and fentanyl to take the lives of so many Pennsylvanians, so many Americans.

It is time to secure our border and make title 42 the law of the land.

It is time to face the drug crisis head on.

It is time to protect all of our communities.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 471, the PAUSE Act, to protect all Americans from Biden's border crisis.