Josh Brecheen

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote due to a voting card issue prior to close of the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 228.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained due to travel and was unable to cast my vote on Roll Call No. 224. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 224.

Mr. Speaker, on May 17 in a few days it will be declared a National Day of Jubilee, Prayer, Praise, and Thanksgiving. President Donald Trump announced this Day of Jubilee at the National Prayer Breakfast when he invited ``Americans from all across the country to come together on our National Mall to pray, to give thanks.'' And he went on to say: ``We're going to rededicate America as one Nation under God.''

It is historically significant that President Donald Trump would say this. It is historically important that leaders of our Nation are gathered behind me to begin to recognize the importance of calling our Nation back to God and rededicating America as a Nation devoted and dependent upon God.

In doing so, it is not only right, it is historically backed up by the 150 different calls to prayer, humiliation, fasting, and thanksgiving that have been issued in our country's history by our Nation's leaders.

Of these 150-plus calls to prayer, 74 of them have been issued by U.S. Presidential proclamations with 36 of our 47 United States Presidents signing proclamations for national prayer.

Between 1775 and 1784 alone, at least 15 official proclamations for prayer, fasting, and humiliation--yes, humiliation. Someone asked me: Why are you using that word? That word is in the historic record. I think some don't realize you don't get humility unless you are humiliated. But times of prayer, fasting, and humiliation were issued by Congress.

Records also show that there have been over 1,500 State and Federal calls for national prayer since 1775. That is a truly remarkable number.

This coming Jubilee Day of Prayer was first established by the Continental Congress 250 years ago. This coming Sunday it will be exactly 250 years ago when on May 17, 1776, they set aside a day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer.

This original proclamation stated that: In times of impending calamity and distress, it becomes the indispensable duty with true penitence, publicly to acknowledge the overruling providence of God; to confess and deplore our offenses against Him; and to supplicate His interposition for averting the threatened danger and prospering our strenuous efforts in the cause of freedom, virtue, and posterity.

This congressional dialogue continues that: The Congress, therefore, do earnestly recommend, that the 17th day of May next, be observed as a day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer; that we may confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and, by a sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease His righteous displeasure, and, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain His pardon and forgiveness; humbly imploring His assistance to frustrate the cruel purposes of our unnatural enemies; and by inclining their hearts to justice and benevolence, prevent the further effusion of kindred blood.

These were the words of our Continental Congress almost exactly a few days away from now, 250 years ago this coming Sunday. They wrote that, declared that, only 7 weeks ahead of when the Declaration of Independence would come forth.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson), the Speaker of the House, for his commentary.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana, our Speaker, for taking time from his very busy schedule to do this.

I am going to further delay my remarks. I know that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) has got an appointment. I am going to ask him to share some remarks also.

I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin).

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to have had the gentleman from Texas take his time to be here, along with the Speaker.

Given the rest of their schedules and the delay of my commentary, I am going to continue on with my commentary.

Some will ask: Show us in history. If you claim that our Founders were of this mindset, prove that to us.

In his 1796 farewell address, our very first President, George Washington, stated: ``Of all of the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness.''

He goes to say: ``Both reason and experience forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principles.

Most people don't realize that wasn't just George Washington who wrote that. That was prepared for him by James Madison and later Alexander Hamilton because he was going to release that in 1792 farewell address, and he decided the country needed him another 4 years. He waited until Alexander Hamilton could polish off the final copy in 1796.

Our second President, John Adams, also expressing devotion to Biblical principle, stated: ``We have no government armed with power capable of continuing with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice''--which means extreme greed--``ambition, and revenge will break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through our net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate'' to the government of any other.

He understood it is a linchpin, that in order to maintain the blessing of liberty, it is in tandem with virtue that this undergirding we are discussing today would provide.

Our third President, Thomas Jefferson, used to ride horses every Sunday to attend church service in this very Capitol building yards from where we are now. Thomas Jefferson, the one that people claim so much about, every Sunday he was in service in a public building bringing praise and honor.

Our fourth President, the father of the Constitution, James Madison, signed into law a resolution declaring a day of public humiliation and prayer to be set apart for the devout purpose of rendering to the sovereign of the universe the public homage of acknowledging the transgressions which might justly provoke the manifestation of His divine displeasure seeking His merciful forgiveness.

Yet, our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, followed those before him, their footsteps, and also declared a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer.

Abraham Lincoln acknowledged in his address in 1863 that: ``It is the duty of nations as well as men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.''

Lincoln would go on to say: ``But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us. . . . we have become too self- sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

``It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended power, to confess our national sins and pray for clemency and forgiveness.''

When pondering Lincoln's words, I was personally reminded of Deuteronomy 8:11, I will paraphrase, where Moses warns the people of God not to turn away from the Lord.

For those of us who are sitting in this Chamber, as a staff member reminded me and pointed out, Moses is the only image in this room that is looking directly at ``In God We Trust'' which presides above the Speaker's rostrum.

It is Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 8 who said: ``Do not forget the Lord your God.'' He admonished them to keep His commandments and His ordinances. He goes on to say: ``Which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud, and you will forget your God.''

It sounds like Abraham Lincoln's 1863 address.

He goes on to say, in Deuteronomy chapter 8: ``But you shall remember

the Lord your God, for . . . if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord your God.'' That is Deuteronomy chapter 8 of the Bible.

Standing in this Chamber today, we have the opportunity to humble ourselves before God, seek His pardon individually for our Nation, His forgiveness. This mandate is not only a part of our biblical heritage, as we will continue to point out in this special hour, it is part of our congressional and our Nation's heritage.

As Moses from the back of this Chamber looks down over that doorway, His admonishment rings true today. If America continues down a path of immorality, pride, and turning to idolatry, we will see the demise of our Nation.

I will conclude with this. John Adams, the second President of the United States, said: ``Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited . . . what a utopia, what a paradise would this region be.'' For our country to survive the 250 years ahead so that peace and prosperity are passed down to our posterity. We must turn to the guiding hand of the Almighty, seek His forgiveness, and follow suit with that which He has asked of us.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Harris).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for his remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Higgins).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for his words. It is great to transition from the accent of Louisiana to the accent of Tennessee. I yield to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Harshbarger).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Tennessee, very sincere.

With that, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson).

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Thompson. I know he has a busy schedule and I thank him for joining us.

Next, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann), my neighbor to the north.

Very well said. I thank Representative Mann.

I now yield to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Alford).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Missouri for his comments.

Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt), a good friend and chairman of the Values Action Team to provide comments.

Before I do that, I will extend that I am truly grateful that he and I in talking about doing this said to me, I think this is bigger than even that. I know many will rarely see the Speaker of the House come on the floor, which he did tonight, and I thank the chairman for setting this up and for letting the Membership know about this.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman, again, for his help in organizing this.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his words. I thank all of our speakers for their comments.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I don't take it lightly to stand on the floor of the United States Congress and talk about this subject. Most people who do not have a Biblical undergirding would watch this and wonder why I would take the time to do this on the floor of the House of Representatives.

It is because of the things that I pointed out in my commentary and many Members have pointed out, whether it be George Washington, who said in his farewell address that you can't even claim to be a patriot if you should seek to undermine the pillars of religion and morality.

It is the bended-knee Washington that is to my left here who we know not only believed that a nation was to call itself unto a place of a posture of humility but as individuals.

History is ripe with all the different things that Washington did and said. He even banned cursing in his Army because of his observance to his code of virtue, as derived from the reading of his Bible.

You have a man who claimed to be an enemy of vice and a friend of virtue, Benjamin Franklin. He was imperfect. History recounts that, but we see all through history imperfect people being used for great purposes.

It is Benjamin Franklin, you heard tonight, who stood in front of the confederacy at the time as they were trying to figure out what they were going to do about the tyranny of one of the States, and they had locked the doors and studied different things.

Before he utters to Elizabeth Powell that it is a republic if you can keep it, he said these words in front of the people as they were struggling. He was calling them to pray, trying to figure out what this form of government was going to look like.

He said: ``The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth--that . . . if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?''

He then called them to give a chaplaincy of sorts, and that is what history recounts, change in a hopeless situation to where our Constitution came into fruition weeks later.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to land the plane with this. We have talked about the past. In the Pledge of Allegiance, ``one Nation under God,'' Supreme Allied Commander Eisenhower--most people don't realize that as a young

man, Eisenhower, living on a farm ranch to the north of Oklahoma, suffered an infection. The doctor told his mother that because of how this infection set up in his leg, they needed to amputate. Young Eisenhower had his brother stand guard at the door and basically told him: Do not allow them to amputate my leg.

History recounts that the doctor stood at the door and said that it is murder, basically, if you don't amputate. They did an all-night prayer vigil. By that all-night prayer vigil, the Supreme Allied Commander, who would later become a commissioned officer to lead not only our country but the nations to overcome Hitler and the threat to a world that it was, what would have happened if he and his family did not believe in the power of prayer?

It is what led a young Eisenhower to become President Eisenhower, to do all the things that he did in terms of making sure that we had added ``one Nation under God'' as a part of our history, recent history. He believed that prayer was not just job preparation. It was the job, not only as President but as Supreme Allied Commander.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.