Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, today, I stand here, in the people's House, entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring taxpayers' hard-earned dollars are spent appropriately and with the proper oversight in place.

Yet, this week, House Democrats are pushing to ram through their fatally flawed, partisan, multitrillion-dollar tax and spend package, which uses taxpayer dollars and, no doubt, billions of dollars in borrowed money to fund their ultraliberal domestic spending priorities.

The gigantic $3.5 trillion bill has apparently been cut down to $1.75 trillion, which is still a lot.

What is in the $1.75 trillion tax and spend spree? Amnesty for illegal immigrants, billions for tree equity, tax hikes on job creators and working Americans, and it doesn't end there.

The Democrats' package leaves out critical funding for the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.

Democrats have gone so far as to break over 40 years of tradition by stripping the Hyde amendment from their package, a longstanding bipartisan provision that prevents taxpayer dollars from being used to fund abortions.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity.

Madam Speaker, it is time to put our kids first in education. Far- left Democrats who want the government and teachers unions in charge of what children are taught have been working overtime to strip parents of their rights. Within their boondoggle tax-and-spend agenda, Democrats have slipped in a quiet government takeover of our schools. Ultimately, this would ensure Washington bureaucrats and teachers unions have a larger influence on shaping a child's upbringing than their parents.

Under the Democrats' monstrous multitrillion-dollar socialist spending bill is a provision that creates universal daycare and preschool and would allow the government to decide what children are taught, where they will spend their time, and who can teach and care for them.

This is simply wrong. It is not fair, and it violates the trust we put in our schools.

When it comes to their children's education, parents and families deserve more control, not less. We have already seen what government- controlled education looks like as government-run public schools fail to teach children basic skills.

Worse, Democrats are using the public education system to push leftwing ideologies and divisive curricula like critical race theory and the historically inaccurate 1619 Project, which do

nothing but pollute the minds of our young children.

Parents and families deserve schools they can trust. As one of the Representatives for Tennessee and as the father of two young children, I am working to put power back into the hands of parents, families, and local school leaders.

Let's make student welfare and traditional education the only special interest we fund and promote when it comes to our children's schools, not leftwing efforts to turn schools into far left, ideological indoctrination centers.

Mr. Speaker, today I come to the House floor with bad news for American workers and small businesses. Democrats are pushing a misguided provision within their massive tax-and-spend boondoggle that will allow the Internal Revenue Service to spy on practically every financial account in the United States.

Included in their $5.5 trillion socialist, tax-and-spend package is a proposal to create an IRS surveillance program that would require all financial institutions to monitor, track, and report accounts that have more than $10,000 worth of inflow or outflow in a given year without limit.

This is nothing short of widespread, indiscriminate government spying that lays bare a direct threat to our American way of life. The Democrats' plan to give the IRS unfettered access to the personal and private finances of American citizens is a gross abuse of power and should be deeply concerning to anyone who values privacy and economic inclusion.

Given the IRS' past reputation, there is little reason to believe in the agency's capacity to protect this unprecedented access to our personal financial information from cyberattacks and other security breaches.

As the concept of a surveillance state becomes more of a reality, we must oppose Democrats' far-left, socialist policies.

Mr. Speaker, this fall along with the cooler temperatures that autumn always brings, Tennesseans and Americans all across the country will be subjected to record-breaking prices to heat our homes.

Under the Biden administration, costs for natural gas, the most common resource for heating our homes, has skyrocketed.

With inflation at a 30-year high, families are already stretched thin as they pay more at the grocery store and at the gas pump, but it doesn't stop there.

Families are now expected to pay more in energy costs to heat their homes; as much as 54 percent for some households for the fall and winter months.

Rather than confronting this burgeoning energy crisis before it is too late, President Biden and Democrats are proposing disastrous energy policies that are bad for the economy, bad for the national security, and bad for Americans.

Included in their more than $5 trillion social spending agenda is a natural gas tax and bans on domestic energy and mineral production, which will cause us to obtain these vital resources from OPEC, Russia, and even China.

As Democrats continued to push their tax-and-spend agenda, it is middle- and low-income families who will be hit the hardest by far left energy policies.

President Biden must act now to avert this impending energy crisis.

Madam Speaker, Democrats are determined to pass their massive socialist tax and spending bill that will turn the American Dream into a socialist nightmare.

Democrats are proposing the largest tax increase in most of our lifetimes. Their $5.5 trillion plan--Senator Bernie Sanders' socialist spending plan--is the largest spending bill in our history and will take Americans out of the frying pan and into the fire.

We need targeted infrastructure improvements, but instead, this style of cradle-to-grave Big Government gives Washington bureaucrats control over our personal and family decisions.

This spending bill promises to stretch the social safety net to every American household regardless of need. It promises extreme climate change proposals like $3 billion for tree equity and $12 billion for electric cars.

It promises subsidized government daycare, taxpayer-funded free college classes for illegal immigrants, universal pre-K, and new funding for gender identity issues and bias training.

The Biden administration is actively trying to gaslight the American people by claiming that this spending package will cost nothing.

Just this morning I heard the President emphasizing a single statement three times that the cost of this plan would be zero. This is an outright lie.

It will be America's middle-class families that foot the bill for Democrats' multitrillion-dollar giveaway through crippling tax increases. This massive package will not deliver opportunity or economic relief, instead it leaves rural America behind and will accelerate inflation, discourage work, and empower Washington bureaucrats.

More wasteful spending is not what our economy needs. It has already contributed to the harmful inflation that Americans across the board are experiencing. Today, inflation is more than 5 percent, the highest it has been in 30 years, more than half of my lifetime and more than the lifetimes of many Americans. Wholesale prices have risen at the fastest pace on record.

Americans do not want a government that defines them. Rather, Americans want to be able to define their own government.

We can meet our country's funding needs without jeopardizing our economic recovery and saddling future generations with more debt.

I ran for Congress because I am worried about the country that we are going to leave to my sons, Guy and Sam, and to the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of every American. I cannot in good conscience support a proposal that will mortgage their future, that will imperil their freedom and liberty.

But Democrats are bent on spending massively to enact their radical far-left socialist policies that will change our economy, change our Nation, and change our fiscal future for the worse.

Madam Speaker, it is an honor for me to recognize my friend and constituent Tommy Whitaker.

On November 14, one day before his 70th birthday, Tommy is retiring after 45 years as an employee and 16 years as president and CEO of The Farmers Bank headquartered in Portland, Tennessee. During his tenure, the bank has grown in assets from $25 million to now $850 million, with 10 branches and 150 employees.

Tommy graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1974 with a degree in business where he met his wife, Shirley. He later went on to attend the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

Tommy and Shirley have raised two wonderful children, Susan and Joseph, and are the proud grandparents of their grandson, Grayson.

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 everyone in his community and beyond.

It is truly an end of an era for The Farmers Bank. I am so grateful for Tommy Whitaker's friendship and service, and I wish him a happy retirement.

Madam Speaker, the fight to restore law and order and secure our southern border continues. Border apprehensions remain at a 2-decade high as the Department of Homeland Security warns officials to prepare for roughly 400,000 illegal migrants crossing the border just this month.

President Biden is more committed to ending President Trump's policies that had successfully slowed the surge of illegal crossings than he is to securing our border. The cartels and human smugglers have taken notice of our weakened position and are more than willing to exploit these changes for their financial benefit. Meanwhile, those who are understandably seeking opportunity and a better future are being coached to gain entrance to the U.S. by claiming asylum.

As a result of our open southern border and the refusal by the Biden administration to detain the majority of those we encounter, more than 2 million illegal immigrants are expected to pass through our southern border this year. Already, 1.2 million have entered the country illegally and have been apprehended since President Biden took office, and millions of these are expected to be brought into the interior of our country--all at taxpayers' expense.

The desperate situation at the southern border calls for urgent action. Instead, House Democrats are determined to use the budget reconciliation process to pass amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants. This type of thinking, if turned into law, will have staggering consequences for our Nation for years to come. Widespread illegal immigration is detrimental not only to Americans and our families but to our Nation and even the migrants themselves.

As one of the Representatives in Congress for middle Tennessee, I have the responsibility to safeguard our sacred freedoms. But if we cannot control our borders, how can we defend our sovereignty as a nation?

That is why I am fighting to restore law and order at the southern border.

President Biden and House Democrats can no longer run from this crisis.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 150th Anniversary of the Jefferson Avenue Church of Christ located in my hometown of Cookeville, Tennessee. What began as a small number of Christians meeting in 1871 is now a strong institution providing generations with a place to practice their faith and be a part of a supportive community.

In their early years, the church shared a building with a Methodist church on what today is known as Lowe Avenue. In 1874, the congregation moved to a new building north of the county square on the comer of Washington and Freeze Street. In 1908, to accommodate their growing congregation, the church built a new place of worship on Broad Street and took the name Broad Street Church of Christ.

In 1909, seeing the need and benefit of higher education, Jere Whitson and other members of the Broad Street congregation led the founding of the University of Dixie, commonly called Dixie College and now known as Tennessee Technological University. The school currently has an enrollment of over 10,000 students and offers a wide variety of degrees at different levels from eight academic schools and colleges. I am proud to be an alumnus from this university and take pride in their founding and traditions.

As the area grew, the Broad Street Church of Christ congregation moved to plant other congregations in the area. They acquired land, supported construction of new church buildings, and identified members of Broad Street who were willing to be the initial members of the new congregations. These church plants are still active today. As the Broad Street building aged, the members decided in 1962 it was time to move south to the current location at 521 South Jefferson.

Today, the Jefferson Avenue Church of Christ, led by the ministry team of Andy Brewster as the pulpit minister, Evan Burns as associate minister, Jesse Bates as youth minister, and Bo Perez as the Spanish- language minister, continues its commitment to mission work worldwide. Currently, it supports 30 ministers, 40 congregations, and a bible school in Nicaragua by providing humanitarian aid and training. They support nine preachers and a preaching school in Panama and the San Blas Islands. Jefferson Avenue also is committed to Healing Hands International and their work in developing countries, providing access to clean water and medical supplies. They continue to spread the word of God throughout the world through support of World Christian Broadcasting as well as Gospel Chariot Ministries who offer mobile evangelistic teams.

The Jefferson Avenue Church of Christ is also making a difference here at home. When Gatlinburg Church of Christ lost its building to the 2016 wildfires, Jefferson Avenue was moved to assist in the rebuilding of their congregation. In March of 2020, when tornados in Cookeville resulted in tragic loss of life, Jefferson Avenue served as one of many distribution centers for emergency supplies. It also helped with direct assistance to many in need.

Christian organizations like The Jefferson Avenue Church of Christ are the bedrock of our communities in Middle Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I would like you to join me in honoring and congratulating the Jefferson Avenue Church of Christ for 150 years of dedication and commitment to spreading the gospel right here at home and abroad.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember a great Tennessean. A devoted wife and mother, Bible school teacher, and a true Volunteer in every sense of the word, Brenda Lannom was a blessing to her family, her friends, her community, her church, and her country.

As I remember Mrs. Lannom, I recognize that she represents many great women, past and present, across America who choose every day to put the needs of their family ahead of their own. Women like Mrs. Lannom never hesitate to lend a helping hand or a listening ear. They are always there when a child needs to be scooped up and held close, like only a mother can do. They are the best friend and trusted partner of their spouse, even through life's toughest challenges. And women like Mrs. Lannom spend a lifetime giving warm hugs and sharing sweet smiles that instantly provide assurance to those who need it most.

America thrives because of women such as this. My district, my State, and this Nation need women like Brenda Lannom. The loss of such a special person brings great sadness, but we can be comforted knowing that she has surely gone home to be with her Lord and Savior, and what a fitting reward for such a faithful and lovely soul.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the alarming spike in crime happening across major cities in our Nation.

Right now American families are being forced to face an explosion of violent crime in their streets and in their neighborhoods. After the riots of the past year which saw the destruction of both public and private property, and as we undergo one of the worst crime waves in modern history, citizens are deservedly concerned about their safety and well-being.

One of the essential functions of our government is to provide security to all citizens. Yet the Biden administration, after months of refusing to acknowledge the crime wave, finally addressed it by claiming that crime is down. That misleading claim couldn't be further from the truth. Crime is actually skyrocketing, and it is plaguing cities across the Nation.

Homicides are up 533 percent--yes, 533 percent--in Portland, 50 percent in Minneapolis, 35 percent in Philadelphia, and 24 percent in Los Angeles compared to the same time in 2020.

On top of that, ambush-style attacks on police officers this year have increased 91 percent compared to this time last year. When Democrats defund the police, lawlessness is guaranteed to follow, complete with more crimes of all kinds, including murder. Left unchecked, such lawlessness will eventually destroy our Republic.

So how did a nation of law and order become a nation of lawlessness and chaos in such a short period of time?

Make no mistake, the socialist agenda of President Biden and far-left Democrats in Congress is to blame. Radical policies like defunding the police, abolishing prisons, and eliminating cash bail have contributed to the surging crime wave.

We cannot tolerate vandalism or violence, and we surely cannot normalize a culture of violence by failing to fully prosecute those who are working to dismantle our cities. Tennesseans cannot bear much more of Biden's crime crisis. The solution to countering the crime wave is clear: we must fund and support our law enforcement agencies across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because I am concerned about the financial security of our Nation.

Whether you are standing in the checkout line at the grocery store or at the gas pump, it is clear that Tennesseans and Americans everywhere are facing a bitter reality. We are 6 months into the Biden Presidency, and we are feeling the effects of his reckless spending decisions as prices for everyday foods, goods, and even gas skyrocket.

According to a recent study, 83 percent of Americans surveyed said they noticed price increases in June and July. Right now, families find themselves paying 45 percent more for gas, 7 percent more for fruit, almost 6 percent more for milk, and 18 percent more for bacon just since Biden was sworn in.

Inflation is like a cruel and regressive tax hike on the working people of this Nation who can afford it the very least. For older Tennesseans on fixed incomes that often do not grow with inflation, high inflation is even more cruel.

President Biden's policies have caused inflation to grow every month since he took office and, often, at a rapid clip. This means Tennesseans and all Americans are paying more for groceries, more for prescription drugs, and more for household goods, and their take-home pay after taxes is worth less than it was, as if they got a pay cut through no fault of their own.

What will the administration do to combat drastic rises in inflation? The answer to that appears to be absolutely nothing. In fact, they are doubling down and making it worse.

President Biden and his fellow socialist Democrats want to keep spending money on things we can't afford and increasing taxes on everyone, which, along with the inflation monster, creates a one-two punch to the gut of all Tennesseans and especially the ones who are most vulnerable and who can least afford it.

Another massive $3.5 trillion spending package that will raise taxes and further fuel inflation is not what our Nation needs. We need to stop this spending spree on the backs of the taxpayer before it is too late.

The Biden administration can try to talk around it, but the reality remains the same: Their policies are hurting Tennesseans, and I will never stop working to hold them accountable.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Coleman Walker for his induction into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame.

Mr. Walker, a well-known figure of long-standing in the Tennessee Broadcast community, began his radio career in 1961 at the age of 21 as a broadcaster for WCOR-AM in Lebanon, TN. Since that time sixty years ago, robust audiences of Middle Tennesseans have tuned-in to listen whenever this talented man sits behind the microphone.

During the course of those ensuing sixty years, Mr. Walker also became a licensed insurance agent, and he currently plies his trade for Walker and Phillips Insurance in Lebanon. But he never lost his love and enthusiasm for radio broadcasting, which manifests itself today when he hosts the daily morning radio show ``Coleman and Company'' on WANT-FM and WCOR-AM, focusing on community affairs in Lebanon.

Through his interviews of various elected officials, business leaders, community activists, and community volunteers on his show, this Middle Tennessee broadcast legend continues to keep his countless listeners informed on the important issues of the day. As a frequent guest on Mr. Walker's show, I can attest to his fervent passion for his Lebanon, TN hometown, where he and his wife Helen raised their three sons Clark, Brian, and Mike, and now enjoy their several grandchildren.

His involvement with Lebanon and insight into the issues of the day throughout his career are unmatched and serves as a shining

example of the positive difference a sincere, community-minded individual can make. I am very pleased that he is receiving this much deserved recognition of his achievements.

Madam Speaker, I hope you will join me in commending Mr. Coleman Walker, the dean of local radio in Middle Tennessee, for his many years of broadcasting excellence and his induction into the Tennessee Hall of Fame.

Madam Speaker, the right to life is one of the founding principles of our Nation. Every human being, born or unborn, is entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Yet today, we see this right under attack as the Biden administration continues their war on the unborn by seeking to remove the Hyde amendment, a

longstanding pro-life protection that has saved 2.5 million lives from abortion since 1976.

Not too long ago, President Joe Biden stated: ``Those of us who are opposed to abortion should not be compelled to pay for them.'' But his proposed budget fails to include the Hyde amendment, making it clear that President Biden does not continue to value the life of the unborn.

This is why I am a cosponsor of H.R. 18, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. I, like many Tennesseans, believe taxpayer dollars should never be used to fund abortions.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 18, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Madam Speaker, I rise tonight because I am outraged by the Biden administration's lack of effort to protect our Nation from the invasion of illegal immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

I have visited our southern border twice now this year, and I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, it is a full-blown catastrophe on every front: humanitarian, national security, and public health.

President Biden's irrational reversal of the Trump administration's border security policies, like canceling construction of the border wall, reversing the remain in Mexico policy, and sending mixed messages about America's southern border, is why we face this unmitigated disaster today.

There has been a surge of crossings, with more than 188,000 border crossings reported in June, a 450 percent increase from just a year ago.

On top of that, more than 7,500 new COVID cases were reported in detention centers from April through the beginning of July--a surge at the border, a surge of COVID.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have seized 7,450 pounds of fentanyl so far this year, enough to kill every American several times over, and it is just getting worse.

States across the country are feeling the consequences of the border crisis, including my home State of Tennessee. Although our State is 1,000 miles from the southern border, Tennesseans will bear the brunt of this disaster in many ways, including in our school systems, healthcare systems, and police departments, as planeloads of illegal immigrants are offloaded in our communities.

We must reestablish law and order at the southern border by finishing the border wall, fully reinstating the remain in Mexico policy, robustly implementing title 42 authority, and sending a clear message that our borders are not open to illegal crossings.

When it comes to the border crisis, Americans, including Tennesseans, are looking for leadership, not denials, deflections, and distractions from our sleepy leaders in the White House.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 50th Anniversary of the Smithville Fiddlers' Jamboree and Crafts Festival, also known as the Official Festival of the State of Tennessee, located in Smithville, Tennessee. The Smithville Fiddlers' Jamboree and Crafts Festival is dedicated to the furtherance and preservation of old-time Appalachian country music, dance, and authentic Appalachian art and culture.

In 1972, Congressman Joe L. Evins, a Smithville native, conceived a gathering of a group of area musicians to stage an old-time Appalachian country music show in Smithville, Tennessee, and suggested the same to Barry C. Williams. Congressman Evins and Barry C. Williams, along with J.G. ``Bobo'' Driver, Charles Gentry, Ralph Vaughn, Neil Dudney, and Linda Pack formed a committee to organize such an event. On July 1, 1972, 714 musicians representing 16 states entertained an audience of 8,000 people.

Now, 50 years later, this exemplary event has grown to the point that it is now estimated that 40,000 people attended the two-day event in 2019, with over 250 contestants. The long and fruitful history of the Jamboree is a culmination of multiple cultural and historical threads that, woven together over time, have situated the festival as a staple of local heritage and is representative of tireless community engagement.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the Smithville Fiddlers' Jamboree and Crafts Festival organizers, committees, volunteers and the people of Smithville and DeKalb County, Tennessee, for their tireless work to make this event an overwhelming success. Tennesseans take great pride in institutions and events that seek to make the community a better place to live, and I am honored to recognize the Smithville Jamboree as one of these events. Therefore, I would like my colleagues to join me in honoring and commending the Smithville Fiddlers' Jamboree and Crafts Festival for 50 years of tribute to Appalachian art and culture.