Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I was shocked when President Biden said ``we need to secure the border'' during his State of the Union address. In his first year in office, over 2 million illegal immigrants were apprehended at the southern border, deportations decreased by 70 percent, and 11,000 migrants were arrested who had previous criminal convictions.

Actions speak louder than words, and when Mr. Biden halted construction of President Trump's border wall and attempted to reverse the remain in Mexico policy, we knew that he didn't want to secure the border. The Biden administration's open border policies put immense strain on law enforcement as they work to combat the fentanyl crisis wreaking havoc on our communities.

In fact, Cumberland County, Tennessee, Sheriff Casey Cox recently took a trip to the southern border to gain a better understanding of the issue after a local 18-year-old woman died of a fentanyl overdose. Much like on my own trips to the border, Sheriff Cox observed how understaffed and ill-prepared we are to face the crisis under the Biden administration.

Madam Speaker, I urge the President to back up his words with action and do what he said: secure the border.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for yielding me time this evening.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to remind President Biden that the State of the Union is in crisis, more so than at any time in my lifetime.

After sitting in the House Chamber last night listening to the President speak, I couldn't help but think about the people of Tennessee that are struggling to make ends meet.

They are struggling due to skyrocketing inflation that has been fueled by President Biden and congressional Democrats' insatiable desire to recklessly spend trillions of dollars by

borrowing massive amounts of money from China and elsewhere, and highly mortgaging our children's and grandchildren's and their children that follow after them, the future for these generations. It is gutless, and it is wrong.

Madam Speaker, the State of the Union is not strong. In fact, under only 1 year of President Biden's leadership, migrant encounters at our southern border have increased 96 percent. More police officers were killed than in any year since 1995. The price of gasoline has increased 33 percent. The fentanyl that comes across our southern border has become the leading cause of death among people aged 18 to 45, with an American dying every 5 minutes and 15 seconds.

Afghanistan has been surrendered back to the Taliban, leaving behind hundreds of Afghans who were aligned with us during that long struggle, along with billions of taxpayer dollars in modern American weaponry. Now, another American ally is under attack by out-of-control Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

It is time to wake up and recognize that Biden's administration and Congressional Democrats' policies are failing the American people. In fact, those policies have begun to do real damage to us at an ever- increasing pace.

The people of my State, Tennessee, see right through this charade and implore the President to act now before it is too late and reverse his policies to match the rhetoric that we heard in the State of the Union address.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Vice Chairman Johnson for organizing this Special Order hour tonight and for yielding me time to speak.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to ring the alarm bell regarding the United States' current financial crisis caused by the Biden administration and Democrats' far-left policies and out-of-control spending. Just last week, the national debt eclipsed $30 trillion.

As our national debt balloons, American taxpayers will be left to foot the bill, not only for the billions and trillions of dollars we are spending annually but also on a dramatically increasing cost-- interest on the debt.

The Federal Government has continued to kick the can down the road, ignoring the explosive problems caused by our out-of-control spending and greatly diminishing our future generation's quality of life through no fault of their own. What a gutless and inexcusable thing to do.

Well, our time is running out, as we expect interest rates to rise in the immediate future. If interest rates rise to just 5.1 percent, as was the case in 2021, American taxpayers would suddenly be burdened with an annual interest payment on the national debt of $1.5 trillion, twice the budget for the Department of Defense, or almost 75 percent

of all income taxes collected in fiscal year 2021.

Put another way, three-quarters of the income taxes Americans pay would go toward nothing more than paying interest on the national debt, while only a quarter would be left to pay for much-needed programs and expenditures like the Justice Department, infrastructure, and defense.

Americans' pocketbooks are hurting. Whether at the gas pump, at the grocery store, or for the energy that heats your homes, prices are going up everywhere due to President Biden and Democrats' far-left policies and out-of-control spending.

Just last week, House Democrats doubled down on these disastrous decisions by ramming through their $325 billion America COMPETES Act-- more like America concedes to China act, if you ask me--which only will worsen America's economic crisis.

How can anyone sit here today and encourage this reckless and irresponsible behavior? I have two sons; Guy, who is 4 years old, and Sam, who is 10 months. They will have to make payments on this massive debt for their entire lives, and the generations that follow will do the same unless we act. We must rein in Washington's out-of-control government spending to prevent future generations from paying the price for our financial mistakes.

This ticking time bomb, otherwise known as our national debt, has been ignored for far too long. With rising interest rates on the horizon, now is the last time and the best time for President Biden and Members of Congress to take a serious look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we really think the American people are okay with our country being steered off this fiscal cliff.

Madam Speaker, we are in the middle of the coldest season of the year, which means Tennesseans and Americans across the country are turning up their thermostats. Unfortunately, the price of staying warm has skyrocketed after 1 year under the Biden administration. Americans are paying an average of 32 percent more for their heating costs compared to last year.

Most households are paying between $700 and $1,700 more this year to heat their homes. This drastic rise in prices is not a shock to the Biden administration. Back in October, the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicted that this winter Americans would pay approximately 30 percent more for natural gas, which is the most common resource for heating our homes.

That prediction did not stop President Biden and far-left Democrats from pushing radical energy policies, such as pausing new oil and natural gas leases on public lands for several months, and implementing senseless restrictions on the oil and gas industry that decreased our Nation's overall supply.

President Biden needs to change his energy policies before we are plunged into an even deeper crisis.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for yielding.

Madam Speaker, Democrats marketed the America COMPETES Act as a bill that would decrease our economic reliance on China and ramp up our domestic production. However, as we have already heard, a more appropriate title for this bill is the America concedes act.

Unfortunately, the Democrats employed the same strategy with this bill as they did with the Build Back Better Act. They used the legislation as a vehicle to ram all their far-left social policies through Congress without any Republican input.

Democrats claim this bill would crack down on the Chinese Communist Party, but it does nothing to prevent them from growing their influence here in the United States and around the world, nor does it hold China accountable for their role in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The America concedes act does more to answer the Democrats' radical social agenda and further their massively expensive climate change schemes than it does to improve domestic production.

Why does this bill, which authorizes or appropriates hundreds of billions of dollars, include $2 billion in foreign aid to combat climate change or $8 billion for the United Nations Green Climate Fund?

These provisions, along with many others, have nothing to do with our economy but everything to do with Democrats' obsession with furthering their leftwing agenda. This bill is just another attempt to move toward changing our great Nation into a mythical socialist utopia.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to stop thinking about their woke political agendas and start focusing on getting our economy back on track.

Madam Speaker, President Biden ran his campaign on a message of unity. Since day one of his administration, he has been defined by the divisive policies that are the wrong

approach for Tennessee families and workers.

In 2021, we saw cartels take control of our southern border. We saw the worst inflation in decades. We saw Afghanistan fall into the hands of terrorists as we hastily and incompetently withdrew our forces from the country, leaving billions of dollars of modern military equipment and hundreds of Americans and Afghan allies behind. Finally, we saw abusive government overreach in the form of vaccine mandates taken to new heights.

With President Biden in the White House and Democrats in control of Congress, Americans know 2022 will be no better. According to a recent Momentive Poll, more than half of Americans are more fearful than hopeful about what 2022 has in store for them and with good reason.

Just take a glimpse at the state of our economy. The Consumer Price Index rose 7 percent in December, the highest rate seen since 1982. This comes on the heels of President Biden's reckless spending agenda and senseless policies that have created a labor shortage; led to a decline in real, personal income; raised costs of consumer goods, gas, and home heating costs; and contributed to the supply chain disruptions that are causing drastic shortages and bare shelves across America.

Madam Speaker, this is President Joe Biden's version of America. It is costing Tennesseans more each day. President Biden can try to talk around it. He often refuses to talk about it at all. The reality remains the same. His administration's policies have been devastating to this Nation. More than ever, Americans want America-first leadership.

Madam Speaker, as we begin the first days of 2022, I remain steadfast in my commitment to focus on the needs of the good folks of Tennessee who I represent, not the whims of the permanent class of political elites in Washington D.C.

Mr. Speaker, President Biden promised to ``shut down the COVID-19 virus, not the country.'' He also promised ``access to regular, reliable, and free COVID-19 testing.''

But as we near a year into his Presidency, he has failed to deliver on these basic promises. In the Trump administration we got Operation Warp Speed. However, for the Biden administration we seem to be getting operation no rush.

President Biden alone is to blame for the current testing shortage that the American people are facing. Just look at the facts.

In the spring of 2021, when a group of health agency officials approached the White House on a proposal to purchase millions of rapid tests, the White House officials never followed up.

In October 2021, White House officials rejected a proposal for free rapid tests for the holiday season.

In December 2021, President Biden announced that 500 million tests would be sent out in January 2022, however, the contract for these tests has yet to be signed.

The bottom line is that President Biden failed to meet his promises, and the American people are paying the price.

Mr. Speaker, our Thanksgiving celebration for this year is in the rearview mirror, but the rising inflation that drove dinner costs higher this year is sticking around for Christmas and will continue to crush household budgets into the new year.

From the grocery store to the gas pump, Americans across the board are paying more for just about everything. No matter where you may fall on the income spectrum, none of us can escape paying more for less. However, lower income households and the elderly who are on fixed incomes will be hit hardest by the pain that inflation always inflicts.

What is driving the skyrocketing inflation? Wasteful and increased Federal spending that encourages workers to remain on the sidelines, supply chain shortages, and transportation disruptions are to blame.

Americans are not stupid. That is why a majority say that President Biden's multitrillion-dollar socialist tax-and-spend scheme will only make bad inflation worse, not better.

Madam Speaker, today, the United States Supreme Court will hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a major pro-life case that focuses on protecting the unborn, not restricting the rights of women.

Instead of prioritizing the abortion industry, we as a Nation should be focused on prioritizing the sanctity of human life.

As the father to two sons, Guy and Sam, and having lost a son, Mack Wayne, at 19 weeks in the womb, I strongly believe life begins at conception and that an unborn child is a human life.

Thanks to modern medical advancement, we know that: at 5 weeks, unborn babies have a heartbeat; at 10 weeks, unborn babies have developed arms and legs and fingers and toes; at 12 weeks, unborn babies feel pain; at 15 weeks, unborn babies have a fully developed heart.

This landmark case gives the Supreme Court a chance to correct the mistake it made nearly 50 years ago and the opportunity to acknowledge that our Constitution does protect an unborn child's right to life.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Florida for yielding to me tonight. And in fact, Putnam County is my home county.

Madam Speaker, Tennesseans and Americans throughout the country who are already hurting from higher prices, widespread shortages, and fewer choices believe President Biden's Build Back Better agenda will cause inflation to skyrocket even further.

This social spending scam breaks President Biden's zero-cost promise. Contrary to what President Biden and his far left Democratic allies have consistently maintained, this bill is not fully paid for. In fact, it is not even close.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the CBO, it is expected to add $367 billion to the national debt. That is a massive amount of deficit spending that our children and grandchildren will have to pay back, but it doesn't even begin to tell the whole story. The Democrats used a long list of budgetary gimmicks to artificially lower the CBO score spending number of $367 billion.

The highly respected Wharton School of Business performed their own expert analysis without budget gimmicks, and they found that the actual amount of deficit spending from Biden's socialist Build Back Better legislation will, in fact, add over $300 billion to the national debt.

Americans all across the country and from all walks of life can sense how bad this bill is going to affect our economy and add to our already sky-high inflation rate.

Democrats' Build Back Better bill is not just extraordinarily costly, it is also destructive. To put it simply, as radical as this tax-and- spend spending spree is, other aspects of this bill are just as bad. While far left Democrats and Speaker Pelosi proudly revel in the passage of this bill, it is clear they have no connection to the needs and wants of the hardworking Tennesseans whom I represent, nor the majority of Americans across the country.

As my colleagues and I have covered, the provisions within this bill amount to a wish list of far left socialist policies that will have devastating consequences on American businesses, households, and families.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) for yielding and for claiming the time this evening to acknowledge the significance of honoring God's Word.

Madam Speaker, as we gather tonight to recognize the 80th celebration of National Bible Week, I am reminded of Matthew 18:20, ``For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.''

When the Pilgrims landed in the New World, they made a covenant with God that they would serve the Lord. When the Founding Fathers crafted our Constitution, they remembered the principles set forth in the Word of God.

As a child growing up in the Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee, we used to begin each day at school with prayer and Bible reading. We would also stand, place our hand over our heart, and proudly recite the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag, which describes our Republic as one nation under God.

But as a nation today, we are moving further away from these Godly principles. We live in a culture and society that says the way we have always done things has to change. We are told to bend tradition, bend the truth, and bend conviction to accommodate the radical message of the day. And if we refuse, we run the risk of being targeted by the cancel culture.

Although it is often difficult to stand against societal trends such as those I describe, I believe it is better to walk with God's truth, the truth which is found within the pages of the Holy Bible.

As Christians, we are filled with the truth and hope found in God's Word. In a time of uncertainty, where woke news and social media organizations malign those of us who espouse these traditional values, giving us less hope for a bright future, God's Word remains the same. Our God is faithful, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

In America, freedom is something we often take for granted. We are free to speak, we are free to worship, and we are free to read the Holy Book, and we are free to spread the gospel to all the world and to all generations without fear of persecution. But all these freedoms today are under attack like never before.

It is in that that I was encouraged earlier today when a good friend of mine, David Fox, and his granddaughter, Audrey Jane Bowman, called as they were studying her fourth grade civics lessons. So I was encouraged to know that they are espousing and continuing. Mr. Fox is an elder in my church.

As a devoted Christian, I am proud to recognize National Bible Week and usher in renewal of religious liberty in America. I pray to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for the fortitude and humility to properly represent David Fox and Audrey Jane Bowman, and all of the good people of the Sixth Congressional District of Tennessee; and that through this Word, I will be able to help bring more souls to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

May God continue to bless our great nation and bless each one of us.

Madam Speaker, today, I come to the House floor to speak on behalf of business owners and employees and healthcare providers, including employees at Cookeville Regional Medical Center who are concerned about President Biden's unconstitutional vaccine mandate.

If the Biden administration mandate is allowed to take effect, there is a strong possibility that Cookeville Regional Medical Center, the hospital in my hometown where I was born and where my two sons were born, will not have the staff necessary to carry on normal operations.

The Biden administration's plan to mandate vaccines will devastate medical facilities throughout the country. Let me be clear. President Biden's mandates on medical facilities will dramatically exacerbate the current medical worker shortage in my State and in my district.

While I encourage everyone to consult with their doctors and consider joining me in being vaccinated, it is not the Federal Government's place, under the current circumstances, to mandate a vaccine. That is why I am calling on President Biden to end his indiscriminate vaccine mandate.

Mr. Speaker, 10 months into the Biden administration and crisis defines this Presidency.

Since President Biden took office, we have faced crisis after crisis, not the least of which is at our southern border. Right now, the United States is experiencing the highest number of attempted illegal border crossings in 21 years. Some 1.7 million people were apprehended attempting to enter the U.S. illegally in fiscal year 2021, ending September 30, which is a new record. Over 164,300 attempted to cross just in October. This is 128 percent increase from last October.

Since March 20, 95,000 illegal immigrants were released with notices to report on their honor. President Biden recently announced a hotly debated approach to limiting the spread of COVID-19, mandating vaccinations for Federal workers, Federal contract workers, healthcare workers, and anyone who works for a private business with over 100 employees. But take a guess as to who is not included in this wide- spread vaccine mandate--illegal immigrants.

While President Biden blames American citizens for the increase in COVID cases, he refuses to call out the record number of illegal immigrants entering the United States from COVID hotspots around the world who are potentially contributing to the spread of new and dangerous variants of the virus, like the delta, lambda, and mu strains.

On September 20, when White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about this double standard, she is quoted as saying, illegal immigrants didn't need to comply because ``they are not intending to stay.'' What a laughable statement.

Once again, we are seeing the Biden administration choosing to put the interests of illegal immigrants above the interests of the American people. Why is President Biden allowing this ever-growing burden on the already strained resources of this country to continue unabated?

Our southern border is an ongoing, full-blown catastrophe and it should be treated as one. That is why I am calling on President Biden to finally address this historic disaster of his own making and at least make a good-faith effort to stem the flow of illegal immigration, dangerous illicit drugs, and human trafficking in this country. And while he is at it, to implement stricter, more comprehensive and more effective COVID protections at our southern border.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Louisiana for the opportunity to address the House today.

This week, President Biden signed into law the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act, which focuses more on pushing Democrats' far-left socialist policies than on America's crumbling infrastructure needs.

Madam Speaker, the signing of this bill comes on the heels of Democrats' reckless taxing-and-spending spree and senseless policies that have created an economic crisis of monumental proportions.

As the Biden administration takes a victory lap, the American people are in no mood to celebrate. Inflation is at a 30-year high as prices on everything are more now than they were just 1 year ago. Gas is up 49 percent; beef is up 20 percent; home heating bills are up 28.1 percent.

Under the Biden administration, working families are getting crushed. Increased costs at the grocery store and the gas pump and higher home heating bills are squeezing Americans dry. Skyrocketing inflation is driving down real wages for hardworking middle-class families and making it more difficult for those living on fixed budgets to make ends meet.

Instead of addressing the root cause of inflation--which, by the way and for the Record, is largely caused by out-of-control government spending--House Democrats are continuing to push their sweeping $1.75 trillion build back broke act.

This package would once again hand out cash to households and create new paid leave benefits with no expectation of work. However, as we all know, an engaged workforce is key to invigorating economic recovery and slowing inflation. Make no mistake, wasteful and increased spending by Democrats, much of which is being funded by even more borrowed money, won't slow inflation; it will supercharge it.

Madam Speaker, I strongly urge President Biden and Democrats in Congress to reconsider the devastating economic consequences they are proposing to enact.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize my friend and constituent Mr. Tommy Whitaker. On November 14, one day before his 70th birthday, Tommy retired after 45 years as an employee and 16 years as president and CEO of The Farmer's Bank headquartered in Portland, TN. Tommy is a proud Tennessean who has dedicated his career to serving the financial needs of his fellow citizens.

Tommy graduated from the University of Tennessee with a B.B.A. before attending the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

Tommy married his wife Shirley and raised two wonderful children-- Susan Hand and Joseph Whitaker--all while continuing to work for the Portland community. Today, he is the proud grandfather of Grayson Whitaker.

In addition to his many decades at the bank, Tommy serves the Upper Cumberland community as president of Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation, and as a member of the City of Portland's Industrial Development Board. Previously, he served for seven years on the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees.

Tommy is one of Tennessee's most influential bankers and his strong character and devotion to service before self has gained him the respect of his community and beyond. It is truly an end of an era for The Farmer's Bank. During his tenure, the bank has had significant growth, has produced steadily increasing returns to its stockholders, and now has a strong team to move the bank forward for years to come.

As the U.S. Representative for Tennessee's Sixth Congressional District, I am grateful for Tommy's friendship, his service to Tennessee, and his commitment to put people first.

An inspiring leader with a human touch, I hope Tommy Whitaker enjoys his much-deserved retirement back in Middle Tennessee.