Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the bipartisan BIOSECURE Act.

I know that some of my colleagues may have questions about naming specific Chinese companies in this legislation, so let me be clear. It is Congress' constitutional duty to write national security laws, and that includes the authority to investigate and name foreign-adversary- controlled companies in law because of the threat they pose to national security.

Make no mistake: BGI, WuXi AppTec, and WuXi Biologics all pose unacceptable threats to national security. The evidence is clear and available to all Members.

I have tremendous respect for my colleague from Massachusetts, who said that he did due diligence that there is complete separation between WuXi AppTec and WuXi Biologics when the CEO of one is the board chair or on the board of the other. To me, it just seems like there might be a little ignoring of some of the evidence.

Courts have upheld laws in which Congress named Huawei and Kaspersky as national security threats and imposed prohibitions on their activities. I am confident that they will do the same for TikTok.

When the evidence in front of Congress shows that foreign adversary companies are a particularly important or especially urgent threat to national security, it is Congress' job to act. Congress now has a duty to do exactly that. Please join me in supporting this vital legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Conference Chair Stefanik's bill, the Countering CCP Drones Act. This bill would add Chinese drone company DJI to the FCC covered list, meaning that any future models of DJI drones would be prohibited from operating on U.S. telecommunications infrastructure.

DJI poses a real national security risk to the United States given its deep partnership with the Chinese military, its expressed allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party, and its surveillance technology operating across U.S. soil. What is more, that very same technology equips the CCP's genocide of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.

Understanding these risks, the Pentagon placed DJI on its blacklist as a Chinese military company. The Treasury Department forbids Americans from investing in DJI. The Commerce Department restricts U.S. companies

from exporting technology to DJI. It is time for Congress to do its part and to start winding down DJI's presence in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support Representative Gimenez' Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act to protect taxpayer dollars from growing our dependence on CCP-controlled battery technology.

As Representative Gimenez noted, the House Select Committee on China has investigated the world's cutting-edge battery manufacturers in China. There is indisputable evidence that two CCP-aligned battery makers, Gotion and CATL, are deeply connected to forced labor and the ongoing genocide in China. Gotion and CATL plan to build factories in the United States and thereby grow our dependence on their slave labor- tainted supply chains.

For my colleagues who care deeply about embracing next-generation energy technologies, I would just say this: We need America to lead when it comes to new energy sources, not China. We cannot lead by following. Buying Chinese technology will only dig ourselves further into dependence on the CCP.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this important legislation and to protect our critical supply chains.

Mr. Speaker, I was recorded as NAY but I intended to vote YEA on Roll Call No. 341.

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

Mr. Chair, my amendment is straightforward.

It prohibits the EPA from issuing a water permit to a company that is based in a foreign country of concern as well as any of its subsidiaries.

The countries of concern are China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. This is common sense.

As a member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, I have seen firsthand how the CCP is trying to disrupt American leadership around the world and replace it with their own authoritarian regime.

Here at home, Americans feel like China is constantly taking advantage of our country and our freedoms. They are sick and tired of seeing the CCP fly spy balloons over our country, bribe our servicemembers to spy on us, hack our computer systems, poison our communities with fentanyl, and depress our children with secret social media algorithms based in Beijing.

Mr. Chair, if you talked to constituents in your hometown and asked them if we should allow CCP-affiliated companies to use 700,000 gallons of water a day, they would all say, of course not.

Unfortunately, in my district, the CCP-affiliated company called Gotion is trying to bully its way into town. The company was rejected in a recall election last November and now it is suing a rural township over its plans to build a factory and use 700,000 gallons of water a day.

The EPA should not be issuing permits to CCP-affiliated companies and their subsidiaries.

We cannot allow China to take advantage of our country's natural resources.

My amendment is necessary, and it is common sense.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, again, I would just restate for the Members that we are talking about countries of concern--China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

When we consider that China and the CCP have been flying spy balloons, bribing our servicemembers, poisoning our communities with fentanyl, and the malign activities that they are engaging in around the globe, why would we submit ourselves and our greatest natural resources? To me it is just common sense. When we are funding projects, when we are developing the future of our country, why would we further our dependence on our adversaries?

Mr. Chair, just in closing, I would ask our colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Chuck and Debby Garriott.

Reverend Charles ``Chuck'' Michael Garriott and Deborah ``Debby'' Cacace Garriott met while they were both in high school and married January 26, 1974, in Pikesville, Maryland, both at the age of 20. Their marriage has brought about the blessing of four children and seven grandchildren. Their son Phillip and his wife Brooke Garriott have four children: Blevin. Kiefer, Hazel, and Harper. Their daughter Katie and husband Tony Yang have three children: Avery, Linus, and Cason. Their daughter Anna lives in Washington, D.C., and their son Peter in Los Angeles, California.

Chuck and Debby have used their life together to invest in friends and family. Chuck served as a pastor in Oklahoma for many years and has served as the Executive Director of Ministry to State, a ministry that has invested in the spiritual lives of our leaders in the Nation's Capital, since 2004. Debby cares for patients as a physical therapist while also investing in the lives of men and women through Ministry to State.

They enjoy spending time with their family and at the beach. Debby enjoys her community garden plot and Chuck enjoys writing and

keeping busy with his hands. They count it as a privilege to have spent their entire married life in Christian ministry sharing the love of Jesus.

Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call no. 469, I mistakenly voted yes when I intended to vote no.

Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress

Bacon (Hartzler)

Beatty (Cicilline)

Bilirakis (Fleischmann)

Brooks (Fleischmann)

Buchanan (Bucshon)

Carter (TX) (Weber (TX))

Cawthorn (Gohmert)

Cherfilus-McCormick (Neguse)

Chu (Beyer)

Cleaver (Adams)

Conway (LaMalfa)

DeFazio (Pallone)

Demings (Dean)

Diaz-Balart

(Reschenthaler)

Dunn (Cammack)

Evans (Beyer)

Gallego (Correa)

Garcia (TX) (Escobar)

Gonzalez, Vicente (Correa)

Gosar (Weber (TX))

Herrera Beutler (Meijer)

Horsford (Garamendi)

Jackson Lee (Cicilline)

Jacobs (NY) (Sempolinski)

Jayapal (Cicilline)

Johnson (TX) (Stevens)

Kelly (IL) (Cicilline)

Kirkpatrick (Pallone)

Lawson (FL) (Stevens)

Lynch (Trahan)

Mace (Nehls)

Mast (Waltz)

McEachin (Beyer)

Meng (Escobar)

Murphy (FL) (Peters)

Newman (Beyer)

Ocasio-Cortez (Neguse)

Palazzo (Fleischmann)

Payne (Pallone)

Pfluger (Ellzey)

Porter (Neguse)

Rice (NY) (Morelle)

Rice (SC) (Meijer)

Rush (Beyer)

Ryan (OH) (Correa)

Salazar (Waltz)

Sewell (Cicilline)

Sherman (Garamendi)

Simpson (Fulcher)

Soto (Escobar)

Speier (Garamendi)

Steel (Obernolte)

Steube

(Reschenthaler)

Torres (NY) (Correa)

Vargas (Garamendi)

Wasserman Schultz (Schneider)

Waters (Takano)

Wilson (SC) (Norman)

Madam Speaker, this morning, the Commerce Department announced that the economy shrank for the second quarter in a row. This means that under President Biden, we are now in a recession. And yet, the House is not acting responsibly to help the American people.

The Biden administration's policies have led our country into one crisis after another: Inflation, high gas prices, soaring grocery prices, supply chain problems, recession, children left behind in school, a record number of deaths from overdoses, vaccine mandates, and people quitting the workforce, and an overrun southern border with 500,000 people known to have gotten away in the past 10 months.

Meanwhile, House Democrats have focused on extreme policies, allowing abortion up to the moment of birth, forcing taxpayers to pay for abortions, and attacking the due process and Second Amendment rights of the American people.

None of these policies will help hurting Michigan families and seniors who are paying an extra $729 a month because of Biden's record inflation.

When Republicans led the House, we had low inflation, affordable energy, and a strong economy.

Madam Speaker, over this past weekend, the Democratic Party in my home State published a graphic saying public schools do not exist to serve the parents of those students and, rightfully, there was an outcry before they took it down and disavowed what they posted.

Parents absolutely have the right to know what their kids are learning, and over the past year and a half they have been fighting back against administrators and unions who have kept students out of the classroom.

When public school teachers in Chicago went on strike earlier this month, the phones rang off the hook at the city's private schools as parents finally had enough and searched for classroom opportunities for their kids.

Support for parental involvement in education and for school choice has risen over the past year, and my colleagues and I will soon be introducing a resolution to honor National School Choice Week that will be next week, from January 23 through January 29.

Parents and students should be given every opportunity to find a classroom where the kids can attend in person, see their friends, and learn directly from a teacher.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose the nearly $5 trillion spending package the Democrats have tied together.

This package would massively expand the role of the Federal Government into the lives of every American, and it would significantly raise taxes on people and businesses in Michigan.

There is no doubt we need to invest in roads, bridges, runways, harbors, and rural broadband, but tax increases in this package will make America less competitive.

We need a tax structure that attracts businesses so that there are more jobs in America, more products are made here, and our supply chains are more secure.

This $5 trillion spending package will do just the opposite. It will raise taxes, make our country less competitive, and increase the overall cost of living and doing business in America.

These costs will be passed on to all of us, increasing inflation and hurting families and seniors across the country. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Madam Speaker, it is my great pleasure to recognize the Class of 2021 graduates from the United States Military Academy at West Point and twenty-seven exemplary graduates from the state of Michigan.

From Plebes to Firsties, and now Second Lieutenants in the United States Army, the Class of 2021 has come through one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of their lives to join ``The Long Gray Line.'' I commend the graduates for their dedication to support and defend the American Constitution and uphold the ethical standards of the United States Army and United States of America. While their career of professional excellence and service to our Nation has just begun, I am confident these new officers embody the values of ``Duty, Honor, Country'' and will be steadfast leaders Until the Battle Is Won.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Olivia Bennett, Tully Boylan, Zachary Calderone, Gurjiwan Chahal, Charles Debczak, Scott Donnellon, Luke

Ensing, Ben Fernquist, Connor Fischer, Ananth Ghosh, Marta Grivins, Paul Harrington, Emma Lawson, Julien Levesque, Curtis Manore, Connor McQueen, AnnMarie Moolenaar, Dylan Moser, Shreyans Munot, Isabel Olds, Gavin Poulin, Joseph Price, Jessica Reimchen, Sarah Richardson, David Rose, Gerrrit Rummel, and Nathan Schubring; the United States Military Academy at West Point Class of 2021 graduates from Michigan. I am positive the Class of 2021 will excel in their future endeavors, and I ask my colleagues to join me in extending their best wishes as they begin their service to our Nation.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table H.R. 3401, with the Senate amendment thereto, and concur in the Senate amendment. This bipartisan bill passed the Senate with 84 votes and could be sent to the President's desk for his signature today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge Catherine Reynolds for her superior leadership and service to the people of Michigan during a trailblazing 40-year career at CMS Energy Corporation and Consumers Energy Company.

Cathy, who will retire this month, joined the company in 1979 during an era of unique challenges for women in the corporate world. She started as a proofreader in the ``steno pool'' where all the typing in the company was conducted.

In 1983, she earned her law degree at Thomas M. Cooley Law School and transferred to the company's legal department. There, she worked in a variety of areas, including 10 years in litigation before focusing on marketing, electronic commerce and corporate issues.

Cathy was appointed assistant general counsel over the general practice group of the legal department in 2004 and handled issues including contracts, property, environmental, marketing, human resources, labor, benefits, property tax and insurance matters.

In 2006, she became the company's first female corporate secretary. And in 2013, Cathy was named the company's first female senior vice president--serving as Senior Vice President and General Counsel.

She served as a director on the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Jackson County, Michigan and American Bar associations.

Cathy has handled each of her roles with professionalism, integrity and grace. She set an extraordinary example at the company, serving as a calm, insightful influence on the many co-workers she mentored throughout her career.

On behalf of the Fourth Congressional District of Michigan, I send my congratulations on Cathy's well-deserved retirement and many thanks for 40 years of inspiring and empowering generations of women to excel.

Madam Speaker, the Appropriations Committee has now passed legislation with $75.3 million in funding for the construction of a new lock at the Soo Locks.

This is the first time in decades the construction of a new lock at the Soo Locks is being funded in legislation.

I have been pushing for this funding with my work on the Appropriations Committee, and I am grateful for the support of our colleagues.

Right now, the lock is 50 years old, and it has survived harsh winters through extraordinary maintenance.

However, if it were to fail for an extended period, it would create a cascading problem for the economy and national security, because iron ore that goes through the locks would have no way to get from Lake Superior to factories across the country.

Also, this is an issue that Democrats, Republicans, and President Trump all agree on.

When President Trump came to Michigan last year, I was joined by Congressman Bergman and Congressman Mitchell. We told the President about the Soo Locks, and he pledged his support. That was backed up in March when the Army Corps of Engineers requested $75.3 million in its budget for next year.

I appreciate and want to thank President Trump for his leadership on this. That request is funded in legislation now, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to keep this construction moving forward in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.