Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Madam Speaker, our Nation is gripped by mounting crises, spurred by the failed policies of the Biden administration and congressional Democrats.

While Americans are hurting from the rising prices caused by inflation, a porous and open border, and a supply chain that is hurting every part of the American economy, it is critical that we remember and refocus on the fundamental values that have made our country great, starting with the right to life.

For me, this is an incredibly personal issue, like it is for millions of Americans with deeply held beliefs and personal experiences. I, myself, have shared my story on this very floor, that I shouldn't even be standing here, that my mother was urged to abort me. I was not wanted. I was unexpected and I was given very little chance to survive. And yet, here I am. Again, this speaks to the miracle of life.

We have the opportunity, brought on by the Dobbs v. Jackson case presented before the Supreme Court to chart a new course for our Nation so that every unborn child has the right to life and the opportunity that it holds while living in America.

Roe v. Wade has cost the lives of millions of American children, but what we have is the remarkable opportunity to make it right today. Today is the turning point.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to join dozens of my Republican colleagues to voice our support and stand for those most vulnerable, the unborn.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Fortenberry), my colleague, a pro-life champion.

Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague. We do have an important opportunity here, and I am so pleased to have such an overwhelming number of colleagues here today to talk about and share their journey and their support on this issue.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Oklahoma (Mrs. Bice), my friend and colleague, to talk about another pressing issue that has impacted American families across the country.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Oklahoma, my good friend. I thank her for talking about an issue that impacts everyday Americans, but also an issue that has absolutely hit the homes of every American, and particularly those that are working class.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Harshbarger).

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from the great State of Tennessee.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser), as he is going to talk about another issue that is front and center today that is really hitting the pocketbooks of everyday Americans.

Madam Speaker, it is almost like my colleague makes too much sense when it comes to the issue of energy production and protecting our critical domestic energy supply.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. C. Scott Franklin).

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from the Sunshine State. These are incredibly important points about the economy. We are seeing over and over, example after example the failures of this administration and how it is impacting working-class families.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van Drew), my friend and colleague.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey. Again, he hits on points that just make too much sense. We know that the so-called Build Back Better bill does nothing more than build the bureaucracy, the same bureaucracy that is strangling everyday Americans and keeping them from prosperity.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions), my friend and colleague.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for sharing his deeply personal experience, that means the world. I know that constituents and Americans hear your message and respect and appreciate it.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose), my friend and colleague. I believe we share a common county in Putnam County. We both get the privilege of representing a wonderful county called Putnam County, even though they are in two different States.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Tennessee for his remarks.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Tennessee (Mr. Burchett), who is my good friend and colleague.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Tennessee for his remarks. They are very important points that he made, and I encourage everyone to watch his speech repeatedly on YouTube once they post it.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who is my friend and fellow cochair of

the Pro-Life Caucus. Representative Smith is a true pro-life champion.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from the great State of New Jersey for his beautiful comments.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. McKinley).

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from the great State of West Virginia for his words.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the great State of Illinois (Mrs. Miller).

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from Illinois for her comments.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Keller).

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks and for continuing to be a champion for pro-life and the unborn.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from Georgia's remarks.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), who is my friend and colleague, to talk about how he is a champion for life and why it is so important.

Madam Speaker, I thank my fellow Floridian and champion for life, Representative Bilirakis.

I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Texas (Mr. Pfluger), my friend and champion for life.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from the great State of Texas for his comments.

I yield to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski), one of my favorite Hoosiers.

Amen. I thank my friend and colleague from Indiana for her comments.

At this time, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin), my friend, colleague, and champion for life.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from Texas for participating.

At this time, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Good), my friend, colleague, and fellow champion for life.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia for his passion and testimony. It is truly moving.

I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline), my friend and colleague.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for all the work that he has done to protect life.

At this time, I yield to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Feenstra), a true champion for life.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from the great State of Iowa for his comments.

I can't tell you how encouraging it is to hear so many of my colleagues fight and stand for life, but I can say with certainty that there is probably no one who has fought harder than Representative Hartzler for not just life but our values. I can't thank the gentlewoman enough for her work.

I yield to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Hartzler).

Madam Speaker, I thank my dear friend and colleague so much. I am so proud of the work that she has done to advance not just our pro-life cause, but also American values. I thank the gentlewoman for her tireless work.

At this time, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman), my friend, colleague, and another pro-life champion, even though he is, affectionately, my favorite cheesehead.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from the great State of Wisconsin for those words.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber), a pro-life champion and voice for the unborn.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for his powerful remarks.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde), my good friend and fellow champion for life.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from the great State of Georgia.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Crawford), another pro-life champion, an incredible Member of Congress, and a friend.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague for his remarks.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert), a friend, colleague, and a long-time pro-life champion.

Madam Speaker, I thank my great friend and colleague from Texas. I appreciate his continued work and efforts on this very important issue.

Madam Speaker, I think it is very fitting that as we close out tonight's Special Order that started with the youngest Republican woman in Congress, that we end with the youngest Republican man. Our generation continues to fight for the pro-life movement, and we believe that we will be the generation that ends abortion.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Cawthorn), my friend and colleague.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from the great State of North Carolina. I am proud to be a representative alongside him as the pro-life generation.

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

Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend from Pennsylvania (Mr. Reschenthaler) for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I am going to read a statement from one of my Democratic colleagues here today.

``Because of last-minute late-night changes to the latest version of the Build Back Better Act, two-thirds of millionaires would get a big tax cut for the next 5 years under the bill. That is one reason that I refuse to vote for the bill without time to review the changes made to it a little over a week ago. Now we know. The tax benefits to

these millionaires over 5 years could be 50 times as large as the benefit of the child tax credit for a typical low- or middle-income family. The bill spends more on tax breaks for millionaires than on childcare assistance, education, seniors, and even more than all of the healthcare provisions combined.''

This is from one of our Democratic colleagues. If one of our Democratic colleague is stating this, then we know that there is bipartisan opposition to this bill, a bill that we know is going to kill every single American's American Dream. This is a socialist nightmare that we can simply not afford.

One in 25 people in this country is here illegally, and this bill will create a pathway for amnesty and all of the social welfare programs that go with it. We cannot afford this. We cannot agree to bankrupt our children and our grandchildren because of a political agenda. It is unfair. It is not right. It is un-American. I urge all of my colleagues, consider your children, your grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, 10 years ago, I, myself, was homeless, and under this bill, had these programs been in place, I probably would have never been able to be standing here today because the American Dream is bankrupted under this bill.

Madam Speaker, I urge every single one of my colleagues, think with your hearts and your heads rather than the political agenda that you have been tasked with executing. Vote for the American people.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor the life of my dear friend, Green Cove Springs Police Chief Derek Asdot. Chief Asdot passed away last month after a prolonged and hard- fought battle with COVID-19.

He started his distinguished career in law enforcement with Duval County Schools and, in 2002, joined Green Cove Springs Police Department. During his nearly 20 years of service to the Green Cove Springs community, he served in multiple capacities, including patrolman, narcotics task force, and, finally, as chief of police starting in 2017.

He leaves behind a wonderful wife and two children, as well as a community full of grateful citizens, grateful for his decades of faithful service to the community and its people and grateful for having had a chance to know a man like Derek.

I am personally saddened by this loss. Chief Asdot was a friend, a mentor, and a colleague who showed me what selfless public service looks like. He did his duty with integrity, passion, grit, and I am forever thankful to have known him.

Rest easy, Chief. We've got your 6.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Himes and Ranking Member Steil.

Madam Speaker, I rise today as a member of the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in and Growth, aka, the Committee on the Economy.

Over the past few minutes, we have heard a variety of arguments, and there is absolutely no doubt that every Member here today has a vested interest in ensuring our Nation remains prosperous for generations to come.

While we may disagree on solutions, we will work together to address economic challenges that we see across this country. Economic prosperity for all Americans is imperative and we know that prior to COVID-19, Americans saw tremendous progress.

In 2019 alone, the median household income grew 6.8 percent, the largest increase ever recorded in American history. With historic legislation passed by the House of Representatives and the Trump administration, we saw minority and historically underserved communities grow at historic rates, with income levels rising 7 percent for Hispanics and African Americans.

Following the pandemic, however, we have seen labor force participation plummet, as the policies proposed by our colleagues across the aisle have incentivized unemployment that we have not seen since the Carter administration which, for the record, was more than a decade before my time.

Now, as we begin to prepare to explore what we can do to empower workers for the jobs of the future and encourage all American families to succeed nationwide, I am particularly focused on communities like mine in north Central Florida, which lack broadband in both rural and urban areas, suffering from a lack of investment, which in turn affects our schoolchildren, telehealth opportunities, commerce, and so much more.

Now, in an agriculture-heavy district like mine, I also want to highlight the high trade deficit, the need for improved trade agreements, which help Florida producers in my home State who have consistently been devastated by lower prices from Mexico.

During the pandemic, farmers had to destroy crops and dump milk because the demand was so low, while cheaper produce from other nations continued to be imported cutting out the market from our producers. Simply put, the economics of U.S. production in agriculture are in peril.

Finally, I would like to bring attention to issues that are hot in the headlines these days: educational freedom, school choice, and the rights of parents to have a say in their children's education. We all know education is a direct correlation to prosperity. We know that America was built on equal opportunity, not equal outcome.

Rather than asking what more government should do, we should ask where government can be removed and should be removed. Federal regulations cost $1.9 trillion, spent on reporting, compliance, and more, which could be better served in investing in employees or in workforce development or in underdeveloped communities across the country.

As we begin our work on this select committee, I am committed to working with my colleagues to pursue meaningful opportunities for all Americans, regardless of their location, regardless of their background, regardless of their education, and regardless of whatever box they check.

It is well past time that we stop seeing the government as the solution to our problems because, after all, it is the incredible opportunities here today in America that have allowed me, the daughter of a single mom, a young woman from rural America, who has gone from homeless to the House of Representatives in under a decade. It is time that we expand those opportunities--not restrict them.

I thank Chairman Himes, again, as well as Ranking Member Steil for their leadership. I am honored to serve on this select committee.

I rise today, Madam Speaker, to speak in support of the RECORDS Act to make urgently needed reforms to the National Personnel Records Center which has failed our Nation's veterans through a critical time.

I would like to share a recent story from my district about a 99- year-old marine who has been suffering from Alzheimer's. Her family has been attempting to obtain her DD-214 form to apply for her VA pension. This would grant her a placement in a nursing home equipped to handle an Alzheimer's patient. However, the National Personnel Records Center has put an indefinite delay on sending her records to her and her loved ones.

Their justification in writing: this request does not constitute a medical emergency. She is 99 years old. She dedicated her life to serving our country as a marine and is suffering from a debilitating disease. As if this excuse was not poor enough, the center also demanded that the family prove that she has been separated for 60 years or more to justify pulling the records. Again, this is a 99-year-old marine veteran.

The National Personnel Records Center can no longer be allowed to lean on the crutches of COVID. This is their excuse to justify their dereliction of duty. They have an obligation to fulfill these claims for our Nation's veterans who have served our country bravely. If the National Personnel Records Center does their job and still feels no shame in letting veterans' care lapse while their needed records requests go unfulfilled to the tune of 500,000-plus nationally, hundreds within Florida's Third Congressional District--constituents of mine--then it is time for us in Congress to intervene.

Madam Speaker, I urge the House to immediately take up this legislation. Excuses be dammed.

Madam Speaker, on roll call No. 297, I mistakenly voted NAY when I intended to vote YEA.

Madam Speaker, I stand before you today, the daughter of a single mother. I was the first in my family to go to college, an individual who just 10 years ago was homeless, and now today a Member of Congress.

A Member of Congress. People like me are not supposed to be here. We just don't make it to quite this level, typically. And, quite frankly, I am not supposed to be here breathing. You see, my mom when she was 27 years old suffered a stroke when she was pregnant with my sister. The doctors told her then that she would never be able to have children again.

So you can imagine, years later when she found herself pregnant with me, she was scared and alone, and being told by her doctors that she would not only die, that the child would die, too, and that she must abort. But my mom did something incredibly brave that day, she made a choice against the advice of her doctors, against the pressure of her own family, and she chose life.

You know, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, Madam Speaker, have been talking about how our constitutional rights are under attack, and I agree, they are. Because they begin with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It starts with life.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to stand and fight for our unalienable rights and the rights of those little girls yet to be born.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, Mr. Rogers, for yielding.

Madam Speaker, my amendment No. 84 would require a report on the feasibility of establishing a Customs and Border Protection preclearance facility in Taiwan.

Last year, Taipei International Airport applied to offer customs preclearance with strong support and calls for approval of their application on both sides of the Pacific.

Taiwan would be the first country in East Asia to offer preclearance, an excellent choice given our close economic ties with the island, our shared values, and our ever-more critical security partnership.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment to enhance travel between the United States and Taiwan.

Secondarily, I rise in support of my amendment which would require the Secretary to conduct an anonymous survey to determine the effects of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on both reenlistment and recruitment to the Armed Forces.

I am not anti-vaccine, but I am 100 percent anti-mandate. Individuals should be able to choose what is best for them and their families in consultation with their doctors. They should not be forced to take a vaccine by government at any level.

I believe my colleagues who are pro-vaccine mandates should support this amendment to determine what effects the mandate at DOD will have on both reenlistment and recruitment. We need to know what, if any, effect this policy will have on our national security and our readiness.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have noted ``nay'' on rollcall no. 241.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my amendment, striking language that would effectively allow unlimited use of additional contingency funding for SNAP.

As I stated in my Rules testimony yesterday, when it comes to SNAP, this administration chose the playbook of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to create a food stamp free-for-all.

Recently, the CBPP wrote a piece that said: ``For other appropriated entitlements, policymakers have a simple way to protect against inadequate annual funding: by providing uncapped appropriations for the last quarter of the fiscal year to fulfill the requirements of the underlying law governing the program in question.'' In other words, let's hit continue on one of the biggest welfare expansions in U.S. history.

The administration and the majority are taking the advice of a multi- million-dollar organization and its leadership that thrives on creating dependency and making a lot of money by doing so.

This slush fund of contingency money that I am talking about today has the potential to exceed $17 billion with unanticipated costs listed as the only parameter for spending. I can only guess what will, in fact, be labeled as an unanticipated cost.

I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of my amendment, start supporting solutions to end dependence, and help get people back to work.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding. It is an honor and a privilege to serve alongside Representative Gohmert, and I look forward to many more conversations on so many different topics, and I thank him for allowing me to be part of this Special Order today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stand up for and in support of our Border Patrol agents, our National Guard, the officers of the Texas Department of Public Safety, our local law enforcement officers protecting our hometowns, and all those that have made securing our border their mission.

In fact, my own Florida National Guard and several of our Florida officers and deputies have become part of the mission to secure our southwest border. For our Border Patrol agents, they have been trained to do a job that this administration will not let them do. They have dedicated their lives and careers to upholding the rule of law, something that this administration will not do.

They have continually put themselves in harm's way, keeping their heads down and continuing to follow orders. And their reward to date? Well, just look at the facts. Look at the numbers.

Approximately 40 percent of our Border Patrol agents are babysitting and processing, not patrolling, not securing, and certainly not defending the homeland because that is not their mission today.

Eleven agents are currently in the hospital fighting COVID from contact with untested migrants, three of whom are in the ICU today; two are intubated.

Just last month, the month of June, Border Patrol agents apprehended 188,829 migrants. Let me repeat that: 188,829 migrants. That is the highest number in over 21 years. It is staggering. It is shocking. And it should frighten every single American today.

And that doesn't even include the got-aways. The got-aways are the people actively seeking to avoid detection by Border Patrol or National Guard or Texas DPS or any number of resources and assets that we have on the border.

The got-aways right now are about 200,000. And these are just the folks that have been seen by an agent or caught on camera running away. These are the people who are criminals, registered sex offenders, gang members, cartel members. These are people who are now in our country and we don't know where, doing God knows what.

And, of course, let's not forget the drugs, the narcotics that have been seized at the border but also the ones that have made it across. You know, just in the month of June the fentanyl seized--keep in mind, only 20 percent is what they estimate is caught coming across the border--the amount of fentanyl in pounds, over a thousand, is enough to kill every man, woman, and child in the State of Florida 10 times over. And that was just in the month of June. And that was just fentanyl. That doesn't include the cocaine, the heroin, the meth, the weed, and any other narcotics that come.

When you talk about the money that is being made by the cartels every single month, last month, based on the number of apprehensions, that 188,829 that were apprehended, on average, each one of those paid the cartels $6,000. You do the math. That is over $1 billion in human smuggling. Human smuggling. That doesn't include the narcotics. And believe me, as those narcotics get across the border and into our communities, they get more expensive and more valuable, and the crime and violence that comes along with them gets bigger and tougher and scarier.

The numbers are pretty staggering, and as we stand here, I mentioned the agents that are currently in the hospital fighting for their lives because they came into contact with people who come from countries that don't test, don't vaccinate, and now today we have a 900 percent increase in COVID cases along the southwest border. 900 percent.

And you know what happens?

These people are not tested. They are checked for lice and scabies, and then on our taxpayer dime they are released into our country.

For all of our Border Patrol agents, I want to say, I am sorry. I am sorry that this administration does not have your back. I am sorry that those on the left don't have your back. But please know that my colleagues and I, we always will.

Let me be clear: This is not about legal immigration. This is about fighting against illegal immigration and the criminals who are profiting off of it.

Now, as we stand here laying down the facts of this crisis--and it is, in fact, a crisis, despite the fact that this administration cannot call it that--Americans around the country are probably wondering how this affects them. They are outraged, sure, but how are they impacted in their daily lives in their communities?

I have to tell you, every town in America is a border town. The nearly one million individuals apprehended to date for this year are coming to our hometowns.

In Florida, they estimate that 70 percent of the migrants that are coming across are coming to Florida. Seventy percent are bound for my home State of Florida. Yes, every town in America is a border town.

And you ask, how are they getting to our hometowns? On our dime.

The NGOs have government contracts. They buy plane tickets and bus tickets, and then they submit reimbursement from FEMA on our dime in our hometowns unchecked, unvetted, and coming to a town near you. Every town in America is a border town.

And as they are on these planes, do they have to show ID? No. No, they do not, because TSA has special guidance that these people are not subject to the same requirements that every other American is when they board an airplane.

They do not have to show photo ID. They do not have to prove who they say they are. Yes, every town in America is a border town now.

And you wonder what happens when these folks get to our hometowns? They use taxpayer-funded schools, taxpayer-funded medical facilities, public safety resources. The list goes on and on. It is about enough to make you sick.

Now when the left decides that taking care of unvetted, untested, and totally dependent illegals is totally more important than taking care of our veterans and some of our homeless veterans, I think that is when we, as

Americans, and particularly, ``us,'' my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, need to stand up and say enough. Enough is enough. The left's agenda is dangerous.

Clearly, they have turned every town in America into a border town and defunded our police along the way. The very people who are fighting to protect our hometowns. Drugs, crime--bring it on, they say. Never mind the 93,000 Americans that lost their lives to drugs just last year.

Mr. Speaker, I recently took about six sheriffs from my home State to the border. I wanted my sheriffs in my area, to see exactly what they were up against, because when there is a leak, you can mop all day long, but until you fix the leak, the water will just keep coming. And they saw firsthand really what is at stake. Our country is at stake. And they said, right out the gate, every town now I see is a border town. And let me be exceptionally clear, that you cannot protect your hometown if you cannot defend the homeland, and that starts with securing the damn border.

Yes, stopping this influx of crime and drugs and illegal activity starts with securing our border. But if the crime and the drugs, the negative impacts to our hometowns, our country, our society, our culture, our kids, if the lack of support for our agents isn't enough to convince every single one of my colleagues to take action, then perhaps the horrific humanitarian crisis unfolding is; the trafficking of children, maybe that is what it takes to inspire action from those on the left.

Next here to me today you see this photo. This is a photo of a 3- year-old little girl. I took this photo on April 11 at 1:46 p.m., standing just outside McAllen at the border. The man holding her told us--standing right there as he was being processed in the field--that that was his little girl. He couldn't tell me her name, and she was so scared, she couldn't even tell me her name, or anyone else with us. The man told me and my colleagues that he and his daughter had been traveling for 2 months.

Mr. Speaker, 12 hours later while standing in the Donna processing facilities, Border Patrol agents who had processed and conducted an interview with this man, told us that when they had threatened a rapid DNA test on him because red flags kept popping up in his story, that he admitted that that little girl--this little girl--was not his daughter.

She was someone else's daughter; someone who was willing to let their child be used, trafficked--and in this case, it is called recycling. Because this administration has policies that encourage children under the age of six to be recycled, where they get matched up with criminals so that they can be escorted across the border. That man--this man--was turned back.

This little girl today is somewhere in the United States in the custody of HHS away from her family, future unknown. Her story is not unique. This is a regular occurring event; the recycling of children.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues: Are you okay with the recycling of children? Is this administration okay with the recycling and trafficking of children?

It is disgusting.

As I said, there are stories like this that go on for days. I, myself, met a 9-year-old little girl who couldn't barely get the words out to tell me her name and where she was from, because her vocal cords had given out from screaming so loud, because she was being gang-raped by the cartels. If that doesn't make your stomach turn, I don't know what will.

President Biden, your administration has proven that while your words are dangerous, your actions are deadly. Your administration has turned every single town in America into a border town, and every American should be outraged at their carelessness, the lack of regard for public health, public safety, national security, and basic human decency.

Mr. Speaker, securing the border is not a Republican or a Democrat issue. This is an American issue, and it should be our top priority. We need to extend title 42. We need to reinstate the MPP policies. Put the politics and the egos aside and do what is best for our country for the first time in this administration.

Until then, for myself and my colleagues, who actually give a damn, we will continue to craft legislation and put the words into action, and do the thing that the majority and President Biden won't do, secure the border.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer a bipartisan amendment to give needed flexibility to our livestock haulers and producers. My amendment would exempt livestock haulers from hours-of- service requirements for the last 150 air miles to their final destination.

Mr. Speaker, since last year, livestock haulers have been temporarily exempted from hours-of-service requirements. However, a permanent solution for our livestock haulers and cattle producers is urgently needed.

Speaking as a Floridian, cattle is one of Florida's most important exports. It is typically an 8-hour journey just to transport cattle from our producers in south Florida all the way to the north end of the State, before continuing onward to destinations in the Midwest or elsewhere.

For the health and welfare of the cattle in transit, livestock haulers need flexibility on both the front and back end of their journey to get the cattle safely and efficiently transported to their final destinations.

Hauling live animals is simply not the same as hauling a trailer full of toilet paper; however, we saw that both were vital during the pandemic.

Although I and many other Members on both sides of the aisle support this measure wholeheartedly, I will reluctantly withdraw my amendment today. I remain hopeful that as we move forward, we can work to fix these hours-of-service rules to provide greater flexibility for the success of our Nation's producers and livestock haulers.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge immediate consideration of H.R. 18, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act.

Our Nation has stood unified in our opposition to federally funded, on-demand abortion services for the past 40 years. The Hyde amendment has acted as a stopgap against publicly funded abortion and as a safeguard for our Nation's most vulnerable, the unborn.

Before the Hyde amendment took effect in 1980, over 300,000 American children per year were denied their most basic right to life and were aborted using taxpayer-funded dollars. This fight is one that we must undertake in

Congress to protect our most fundamental rights and important tenets that make our country great.

The Biden administration and congressional Democrats seem to have forgotten the bipartisan support the Hyde amendment has received from both Republican and Democrat administrations in the past, as well as the overwhelming support from the American public, for this important provision.

It is a national shame for this administration and congressional Democrats to overlook and marginalize the right to life that we, as Americans, hold dear. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is not just a saying; it is a guiding principle by which we should all govern.

Let's come together as Americans, leave party lines behind, and support the right to life because America's future depends on it.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question and provide for immediate consideration of H.R. 18 for the sake of America's future generations.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Hyde amendment, which is the longest pro-life precedent in American history. This amendment prevents our taxpayer dollars from ending the lives of society's most vulnerable, the unborn.

Madam Speaker, for over 40 years, Congress, both Republican and Democrat administrations, have supported the Hyde amendment to prohibit publicly funded abortions. That tradition seems to have ended with this current administration.

Protecting life is not and should not be a partisan issue. The President and congressional Democrats need to listen to the American people, who overwhelmingly support life and continue to uphold this important protection.

We as a country believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which is why we must defend that vital first tenet of life and support the Hyde amendment.

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 am proud to honor the service and sacrifice of Army Sergeant Henry Levon Brown. Sgt. Brown was killed in action the 8th of April 2003 south of Baghdad, Iraq. He was the proud husband of Army Specialist JoDona Brown and son of Elm and Rhonda Brown. Sgt. Brown was known to be a quiet and religious man focused on his duty as a soldier and role as a loving husband. He is greatly missed by friends, family, and community members alike. We thank him for his ultimate sacrifice for the freedom of our Nation and all Americans.

I am proud to honor the service and sacrifice of Army Sergeant Ed Santini. Sgt. Santini was killed in action the 17th of March 2007 near Baghdad, Iraq. He was the proud husband of Astrid Santini and father of Nayomi and Valerie. He is greatly missed by friends, family, and community members alike. We thank him for his ultimate sacrifice to our Nation for the freedom of all Americans.

I am proud to honor the service and sacrifice of Sergeant Jeffrey David Smithson. Sgt. Smithson was killed in the line of duty the 11th of December 2013 near St. Augustine, Florida. He was the proud husband of Celeste Ann and father of Madeline, Christian, Jeremy, and Colin. He is greatly missed by friends, family, and community members alike. We thank him for his ultimate sacrifice to our Nation for the freedom of all Americans.

I am proud to honor the service and sacrifice of Major Gene Andrew Redding. Maj. Redding died the 6th of September 2016 near Lawtey, Florida. He was the proud father of Bryson James and Ella Grace. He is greatly missed by friends, family, and community members alike. We thank him for his ultimate sacrifice to our Nation for the freedom of all Americans.

I am proud to honor the service and sacrifice of Army Staff Sergeant John A. Reiners. Ssg. Reiners was killed in action the 13th of February 2010 in Zhari Province, Iraq. He was the proud husband of Casey and father of Lex. He is greatly missed by friends, family, and community members alike. We thank him for his ultimate sacrifice to our Nation for the freedom of all Americans.

I am proud to honor the service and sacrifice of Army Captain Leroy Campbell. Cpt. Campbell was killed in the line of duty the 17th of September 1956 in California. He was the proud father of Ms. Lynn Vernon. He is greatly missed by friends, family, and community members alike. We thank him for his ultimate sacrifice to our Nation for the freedom of all Americans.

I am proud to honor the service and sacrifice of Private First Class Donald ``Wayne'' Vincent. Pfc. Vincent was killed in action the 25th of July 2009 in the Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He was the proud son of Lee and Betty Sue of Gainesville, Florida. He is greatly missed by friends, family, and community members alike. We thank him for his ultimate sacrifice to our Nation for the freedom of all Americans.

I am proud to honor the service and sacrifice of Lance Corporal Philip Paul Clark. LCpl. Clark was killed in action the 18th of May 2010 in the Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He was the proud husband of Ashton Guenther and son of Mike and Tammy Clark of Gainesville, Florida. He is greatly missed by friends, family, and community members alike. We thank him for his ultimate sacrifice to our Nation for the freedom of all Americans.