Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Florida's Third Congressional District, we wish Mr. Howard Alan Mautner a very happy 100th birthday.

Howard was born in Rockford, Illinois, on April 28, 1924. When Howard was eight years old, his family moved to Madison, Wisconsin. He lived there until he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in October 1942 at age 18.

Howard was inducted into the military at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, and went to recruit training at what is now known as Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. He was then assigned to radio school in what is now Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Illinois. He learned Morse code and radio training. After schooling, he served several months at Marshall Army Airfield, adjacent to Fort Riley, Kansas. He then reported into an overseas duty staging area at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina. In September 1943, Howard headed to Naval Base Norfolk, Virginia, where he boarded a Liberty ship for the port of Casablanca (Morocco).

Howard served in Naples, Italy between September 1943 and December 1944 before heading onto Venice, Italy from December 1944 to May 1945. By August 1945, the war was over, but Howard was sent to Vienna, Austria, as part of the occupational force. Howard was especially grateful to have visited Vienna, as that was his father's birthplace in the late 1880s. In December 1945, he was transported back to America aboard the USS Randolph, landing at Fort Dix in New Jersey, where he was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant.

For the last several decades, Howard has lived in Ocala, Florida, and has been a treasured member of the Marion County veterans' community. We are honored to wish him a happy 100th birthday and to thank him for his dutiful service to our Nation. Congratulations to Howard on this milestone. We are elated to celebrate with him.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my good friend and colleague, Representative McMorris Rodgers for yielding.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 485, the Protecting Health Care for all Patients Act. This bill, led by Chairwoman Rodgers, would prohibit all Federal healthcare programs from using quality-adjusted life years, or as you may hear them called, QALYs, as criteria to determine coverage for often life-altering treatments for patients. Quality-adjusted life years are measures that discount the value of a life based on disability, age, or terminal illness, and are currently used by all Federal healthcare payers, except for Medicare.

Put plainly, programs like Medicaid and the Department of Veterans Affairs allow unelected, nameless, faceless bureaucrats to put a dollar value on the life of a patient to determine whether the treatment is cost-effective or not. In doing so, these programs and agencies discount an individual's worth and need for medical care based upon their disability status and whether they have a chronic illness.

Ultimately, the use of QALYs amounts to discrimination, something that is all too common in our healthcare system. Patients with disabilities, for instance, are often denied the ability to receive lifesaving organ transplants.

As the sponsor of the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act, I personally and firmly believe that patients with disabilities and other chronic conditions should receive equal treatment, whether it is for an organ transplant or coverage of essential medicines.

I applaud Chairwoman Rodgers' efforts to protect the lives of all patients, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

No bureaucrat should be able to coldly determine the life and value of a patient.

This bill that we have an opportunity to vote on today is a huge step forward in fighting discrimination within our healthcare system.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, Dr. Joyce, for hosting this Special Order on such an important topic.

Simply put, President Biden's liquefied natural gas export ban puts politics over people and America last.

The Biden administration states that they must put a pause on the LNG permits to conduct more studies to better understand the effects of U.S. LNG exports.

Let's be honest, how many more studies do we realistically need?

The Department of Energy has already commissioned five studies on this very subject. Let us not forget that previous administrations did these studies without blocking export permits.

Really, what this administration is doing is creating additional uncertainty in an industry that is already under constant assault by the Biden administration. This pause will have and is starting to have a chilling effect on investment and discouraging foreign governments from signing long-term contracts.

Furthermore, this will undermine America's position as a global energy leader and exporter of LNG.

Stopping U.S. LNG exports will stifle economic growth by limiting revenue streams and job opportunities associated with LNG production, liquefaction and export infrastructure.

For those unfamiliar, the LNG industry is not one you can turn on and off like a light switch. It requires constant investment and development. You can't stop on a whim. There are billions of dollars at stake, jobs at risk, and allies' trust that is now compromised, allies who are looking for the United States to be a reliable partner to fuel their economies.

Instead, the White House seems more interested in taking domestic energy

advice from TikTok influencers who are just in it for clicks, shares, and impressions.

Indeed, the Biden administration agreed to meet with TikTok influencers at the White House after a trend slamming and targeting the LNG industry went viral. President Biden said in the aftermath: ``This pause on new LNG approvals sees the climate crisis for what it is: the existential threat of our time. . . . We will heed the calls of young people and frontline communities who are using their voices to demand action from those with the power to act.''

The consequences to the economy or our national security be damned, because, clearly, this is about getting votes, and, in particular, the youth vote, of which President Biden has suffered tremendous losses.

This is not about saving the planet, clearly, because denying the development of domestic LNG is not scientifically sound. Stopping LNG exports does not make the climate any cleaner or safer. In fact, the opposite happens. Ultimately, this restriction will curtail innovation, investment, and the overall competitiveness of the United States energy sector in the global market and in the process keep our allies dependent and reliant on dirty fuel from energy-producing nations that, let's face it, just don't give a damn about the environment.

We need to follow the science. How about we look to the data and not to social media influencers. Let's work to keep this industry strong. In return, we get a strong economy, robust national security, and job opportunities for Americans.

Mr. Speaker, the Biden administration must reverse their decision and lift the ban on LNG export permits.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Florida's Third Congressional District, I honor the life and legacy of Mr. Joseph Eugene Fricks, a resident of Marion County, Florida.

Joseph Eugene Fricks was born in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 7, 1939. Joe's father was a true aviation pioneer having served in both World Wars and working in commercial aviation. Following in his father's footsteps, Joe took his first flight in Marathon, Florida, piloting a DC-3 at the age of 16.

Joe's military service began as a tank driver in the Army National Guard of Florida where he was honorably discharged from the 211th Infantry on April 11, 1957. Unable to recover from the aviation bug, Joe pursued his Commercial Pilot's License and began flying 727 passenger jets for National Airlines--``Florida's own airline''--on September 17, 1969. His aviation career continued with Pan-Am Airways where he graduated to international routes piloting 747s around the world.

During his career, Joe had the true patriotic honor of serving on the flight-deck and transporting the Presidential Press Corps during the presidencies of Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush Sr., and Clinton. Joe also volunteered to transport equipment and supplies to the Middle East during the Iraq campaigns. He proudly transported countless American troops home from the Middle East during this period.

In the summer of 1975, he moved his wife and four children to Marion County, Florida and eventually retired in Ocala as a flight instructor for Fed-Ex on January 3, 2005.

Joseph never stopped giving back to his community and country. Whether it was fundraising by piloting airplane rides at local airshows, contributing his aviation skills to safely transport the Presidential Press Corps, or volunteering to clean the bathrooms every Sunday after Mass at Ocala's Blessed Trinity Church, he continued giving until the end.

Considered an expert and authority among his peers, a smiling face with his neighbors, a ``Daddy'' to his children, and loving ``Pa'' to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Joe will be missed dearly.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Florida's Third Congressional District, we honor Mr. Olajuwon White as the 2023 Veteran of the Year.

Mr. White currently serves as the Veteran Service Director for Levv County, Florida. In this role he works to help veterans with casework related to compensation, pension, dependency compensation, burial benefits, educational assistance, and more. In 2023, Mr. White received the 2023 Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce's Veteran Impact Award, the National Association of Counties Achievement Award, and a Levy County Certificate of Appreciation.

Mr. White began his career as a Hospital Corpsman in the United States Navy certified as an independent duty corpsman and surgical technician. Following his military service, Mr. White worked with Alachua County as a Senior Veterans Claims Counselor, working with hundreds of veterans to file claims and lead educational sessions for veterans and their dependents on information from the Department of Veterans Affairs. He also has experience working with the VA as a field examiner in Tampa.

We thank Mr. White for his service and sacrifices for our nation and hope that his spirit of service will continue for many years to come. We are thrilled to honor him as our 2023 Veteran of the Year.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment, which would restrict funds at Federal agencies, such as the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and other related agencies, from being used to finalize any rule or regulation that has an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more.

Since President Biden took office over 2 years ago, his administration has added several billion with a b of dollars in new regulatory costs to the economy. Agencies like OSHA, the CDC, and EBSA often impose compliance costs and regulatory hurdles that create mass confusion for businesses and the healthcare industry.

My amendment seeks to prevent these agencies from finalizing new major rules and regulations, which often involve major policy decisions that should be decided by Congress, not nameless, faceless, bureaucrats.

By including my amendment in this bill, we restore Congress' Article I authority by bringing major policy questions back to the elected representatives of the people. We commit ourselves, once again, to open governance rather than allowing the regulatory regime to make decisions behind closed doors.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen where OSHA was issuing burdensome health rules under questionable legal authority. Fifteen months into the pandemic, OSHA issued a mandatory workplace safety rule that required healthcare facilities to develop COVID-19 plans, install barriers between workplaces, and impose mask mandates.

Once OSHA failed to finalize this rule, they sought to impose another rule covering assisted living facilities and other healthcare workers in March of 2022. This rule created even more confusion among the healthcare industry leaders, who then saw overlapping guidance and conflicting guidance within OSHA and the CDC, as well as CMS, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Outside the burden of compliance with these rules, violating these murky OSHA measures could land a business with financial penalties of up to $15,000 per violation, and up to over $150,000 for repeated violations. These penalties, in other words, could completely drown a business in costs.

Furthermore, we have seen where the Department of Labor finalized a rule directing the Federal Government to treat climate change as a threat to workers' retirement savings. Now, sponsors of investment- based employee plans are directed to take ESG factors, like carbon emissions, into their investment decisions instead of strictly applying the fiduciary duties under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

This shift to an ESG standard, as it turns out, is not a prudent investing plan at all. According to the Harvard Business Review, assets under management at global exchange-traded sustainability funds have not fared well financially. Even worse, researchers found that U.S. companies and ESG portfolios have had worse compliance records for both environmental and labor rules than companies in non-ESG portfolios. The evidence, however inconvenient for my colleagues on the other side, is overwhelming that hardworking Americans' retirement plans should not be subject to a radical climate agenda at the Department of Labor.

It is simple, Congress should make these major policy decisions here in

the people's House rather than the regulatory regime.

Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

Mr. Chair, I don't know how else to quite say this, so I am just going to lay it out bluntly. That is a lie what was just spelled out.

The notion that CMS will cease to operate because they do not have the capability to just issue regulations at random or at will is nonsense.

It is absolutely absurd that the Representatives of the people's House do not have a final say in major economic implications for people who utilize Medicare.

It is ridiculous that if you are a physician you have to go through your Member of Congress to get in touch with CMS. When we talk about nameless, faceless bureaucrats, we are talking about this amendment which would fix not only the financial burden that people have to bear as a result of an overactive regulatory regime but restoring the open accountability process here in Congress.

This is the people's House. We should be absolutely responsible for the impacts that every single one of our constituents has to bear as a result of the work that is being done here on Capitol Hill.

If you pick up the phone and call CMS, you can't find a single person who will answer that phone. You cannot call up OSHA and ask for answers. You cannot get answers out of the Federal Government, which is why half of the team that we employ in Congress is based back home in our districts in order to liaison with these Federal agencies.

We have got to restore accountability and restore Article I authority.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to pass this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment, which would restrict funds at Federal agencies falling under the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act from being used to finalize any rule or regulation that would have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more.

The Biden administration has continually hamstrung the American people with agency rules that circumvent congressional oversight. Agencies like the SEC and CFPB do nothing to combat the hundreds of billions of dollars in regulatory costs that our constituents have been faced with since President Biden took office. In fact, they perpetuate them.

Unreasonable regulations relating to climate and ESG disclosure requirements, as well as aggressive and abusive IRS enforcement measures, are examples of hurdles that our financial agencies place upon everyday Americans.

My amendment seeks to prevent these types of abuses from these agencies before finalizing major rules or regulations, which often involve major policy decisions that should be decided by Congress' elected officials, not unelected bureaucrats.

By including my amendment in this bill, we restore Congress' Article I authority by preventing agencies from imposing rules behind closed doors. Instead, we commit ourselves to the way the process is intended--transparent, open governance in Congress, in the people's House.

For example, under Chairman Gary Gensler, the SEC has bombarded the financial sector with more rules and regulatory proposals than any other predecessor since the 2008 global financial crisis. The SEC has put forward a total of 47 proposals that substantially affect financial markets since Gensler took the chair. In fact, these 47 proposals all have $100 million more of industry impact apiece.

According to the Financial Times, the current SEC stands out for their number of proposals that are not mandated by congressional legislation. Just 17 percent of Gensler's SEC proposals were required under the Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Act, meaning that the majority of the SEC's proposals may not be necessary, let alone constitutional. This regulatory regime is the quintessential example of executive overreach. As The Wall Street Journal editorial board puts it: If it moves, the SEC will regulate it.

Specifically, the SEC's predictive analytics rule and climate disclosure rule are perfect examples of costly, misguided agency regulations. The predictive analytics rule seeks to prohibit certain technologies that investment firms and advisers use to automatically inform investors about financial news. Under this rule, companies who offer accessible, zero-commission trading would be hamstrung by compliance costs that favor firms with larger investment operations.

Speaking of compliance costs, the SEC rule of climate-related disclosure requirements would litter public companies and financial disclosures and institutions with unnecessary reporting requirements. Banks and companies would have to disclose greenhouse gas emissions and conjure up plans to mitigate these climate-related risks. Like many other Federal agency rules, there is no clear legal basis for these requirements, as they are meant to ultimately advance a political agenda rather than the will of the people.

It is simple, Congress should have oversight of these burdensome rules and regulations. We should have an open and transparent process. The great thing about this amendment is it is bipartisan. This same language was passed earlier this year on this very floor.

Let's reassert Article I authority. Let's make Congress accountable, open, transparent, and take the power back from this overreach.

Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I greatly respect my colleague on the other side of the aisle, but I am not quite sure why he is thinking that this would be harmful to put more power in the hands of the people's elected Representatives.

In fact, this would encourage transparency. This would encourage Members of Congress to do the work that we are hired to do rather than unelected, nameless, faceless bureaucrats in a basement somewhere in Washington. I think it is critically important that we reassert our authority as prescribed by the Constitution.

Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

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

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment which would restrict funds at the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies from being used to finalize any rule or regulation that would have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more.

Under the Biden administration, regulatory agencies are out of control. We know this. We have seen hundreds of billions of dollars in regulatory costs fall on the shoulders of average Americans without any input from elected Representatives in Congress, indeed, those Americans' elected Representatives.

Agencies that fall under the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development create unreasonable hurdles for American citizens in pursuit of a radical climate change initiative and the so-called sustainable housing development programs.

My amendment seeks to restore congressional oversight over these regulations by requiring that any major rule proposed by these agencies be approved by Congress before they take effect. If Congress chooses to approve them, then so be it. At least the American people's voice will have been heard rather than that of an unelected, nameless, and faceless bureaucrat in a basement somewhere in Washington.

By including my amendment in this bill, we restore Congress' Article I authority by bringing significant regulatory decisions back to the body that is closest to the will and the voice of the people.

We will no longer allow unelected bureaucrats to impose these regulatory costs that are so costly and that are done behind closed doors but rather commit ourselves to more open and transparent governance.

We have already seen the Biden administration's impractical rule to slash greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade inevitably leading to higher vehicle prices for consumers with very little impact on greenhouse gas emissions. This rule is especially burdensome for rural States and districts such as mine where the infrastructure to shift to electrification is not even close to being operable let alone economical.

We have also seen the recent Department of Housing and Urban Development affirmatively furthering a fair housing rule which imposes a burden on small municipalities and public housing authorities and other entities by requiring them to develop equity plans every 5 years.

These plans are extensive and expensive endeavors that require housing authorities to submit numerous details of progress and modifications to HUD. The rule effectively drowns these entities in paperwork while doing nothing to further their missions of providing safe and secure housing for hardworking American families.

Heck, Mr. Chair, we have such a backlog of maintenance through HUD that that is where we should be talking about our moneys going toward rather than another additional burden on the American people.

Lastly, we have seen the Federal Housing finance agency announce that it is hiking loan-level pricing adjustment fees on home buyers with high credit scores and redistributing them to funds for borrowers with low credit scores, essentially penalizing people who have made tough decisions, sacrificed, and worked very hard.

This rule penalizes financially responsible borrowers with additional fees that subsidize housing payments for borrowers with bad credit. These additional fees can be significant according to a report by the Heritage Foundation and found that if a young homeowner in their thirties were able to invest their additional mortgage expenses at 8 percent annual returns, which is pretty average, that investment could grow by nearly $31,000 upon retirement. That is not miniscule.

Once again, this rule was created outside the purview of duly elected Representatives.

All in all, my amendment is simple. It restores the people's voice in these significant Federal agency decisions that impact their daily lives. It is time that we restore Article I authority and give the American people the transparent and accountable government that they deserve.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from the great State of Florida (Mr. Rutherford).

Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague from Florida for his remarks.

Mr. Chairman, this is simple. It is about accountability and transparency, and the language of this amendment

was passed in a bipartisan manner earlier this year. This is a no- brainer.

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

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment which would restrict funds at the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies from being used to finalize any rule or regulation that have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more.

Under the current administration, the regulatory landscape has never been worse. Regulatory agencies within the Department of the Interior have been able to exert an extraordinary amount of power and influence with very little oversight and very little authority to do so.

My amendment seeks to change this by requiring that any major rule proposed by these agencies be approved by both Houses of Congress before they can take effect. This means that the elected Representatives of the American people here in the people's House would have a direct say in shaping the regulations that affect our natural resources and our public lands and that have a tremendous impact on our everyday lives.

It means that the individuals who are closest to their constituents, who understand the needs and concerns of their communities, will be at the forefront of decisionmaking as our Founding Fathers intended.

By including my amendment into the Interior-Environment appropriations bill, we send a very powerful message that we are committed to accountable and transparent governance. We are standing up for the principle that significant regulatory decisions should not be made behind closed doors but rather in the open Halls of Congress where the voices of the American people can be heard.

Since President Biden took office, the regulatory climate has added hundreds of billions with a b of dollars in fresh regulatory costs which are eventually passed down to consumers--our constituents.

We have seen the Biden administration's waters of the U.S. regulation create confusion and uncertainty for landowners, farmers, and businesses across the Nation, not to mention how expensive these regulations have been. As American families and businesses continue to suffer under the economic crisis caused by the disastrous Biden policies, this administration has decided to move the country back towards more costly and burdensome WOTUS regulations of the past-- needlessly in the process raising housing costs by hundreds of millions of dollars when it is already in a housing crisis.

Under this administration, we have seen a proposed greenhouse gas emission standard for heavy-duty vehicles directly impacting our Nation's trucking by forcing costly, unachievable mandates on enterprise fleets with thousands of trucks to small mom-and-pop family businesses.

We have seen the regulatory overreach regarding mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from manure management systems and permitting requirements for livestock emissions under the Clean Air Act. I could go on and on and on. It is clear that overreach under this administration has been extreme and it has gone too far.

It is simple. Congress should have oversight over the EPA and other agencies like this because this agency was established through executive action rather than explicit congressional authorization.

Let me say that for the people in the back and the people at home. The EPA is not even a congressionally authorized agency, and yet we fund it.

By subjecting the EPA to congressional oversight, we ensure that decisions made by the agency are accountable to the elected Representatives of the people. This oversight allows for a more transparent and balanced approach to environmental regulation allowing for a thorough examination of policies and their potential impacts on various stakeholders.

My amendment has the potential to reshape the way our government operates and ensure that the power of decisionmaking is in the hands of those who are elected to represent the interests of the American people. It is time to become transparent and accountable to the people whom we serve.

Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

Mr. Chair, I agree with my colleague on the other side of the aisle. We want to exert more transparency and more accountability. That is what we are doing here. This amendment furthers our ability to do just that, to hold Members of Congress accountable for the actions that are impacting our constituents' everyday lives. That is exactly what we are designed to do. That is Article I authority.

We cede that authority to an unelected, nameless, and faceless bureaucrat through the regulatory regime. These agencies have run away with their rulemaking authority so that Congress has very little power to roll back or claw back.

This amendment is a commonsense amendment. Earlier this year, the same language was passed in a bipartisan manner, so there is no excuse as to why both Republicans and Democrats cannot support these commonsense, accountable, and transparent measures on behalf of the American people.

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

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

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment, which would restrict funds at the Department of Energy and related agencies from being used to finalize any rule or regulation that has an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more.

Under this administration, the regulatory environment, or regime, as I like to call it, has never been worse. For too long, the ever- increasing regulatory costs have harmed consumers and businesses across the country. Since President Biden took office, the regulatory landscape has deteriorated by numerous new rules and regulations that impact all aspects of our economy and, quite frankly, consumers' bottom line. These are the regulations that have added hundreds of billions of dollars more in new regulatory costs that are ultimately passed down to our consumers, who are our constituents.

Recently, we have seen new, outlandish regulatory proposals from agencies, including the Department of Energy's new regulations that were implemented under the guise of efficiency standards. In reality, these efforts are part of the administration's efforts to use every opportunity to implement the Green New Deal. Just look at the efficiency standards that take aim at banning gas stoves and furnaces. These regulations are absurd, unnecessary, and make these appliances unattainable or simply unaffordable, particularly in this economy, or Biden economics, as we have been told this is.

My amendment would rein in the actions of the Department of Energy and related agencies covered by this bill and restore accountability. Congress, not the executive branch, is the sole legislative body in this country. It is time that we restore the accountability and transparency to our constituents by reasserting our Article I authority. Congress makes the law, not the White House.

This amendment would limit the overreach of these agencies and prevent costly regulations from going into effect that ultimately impact our constituents negatively. It is time that we stand up for our constituents and rein in this overgrown, bureaucratic government.

Mr. Chair, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I am confused. My colleague across the aisle said that this is a controversial poison pill. Just this year, this exact same language was passed off of this floor in this Chamber not just with Republican support, but Democrat support. This is not a partisan issue.

Reasserting the will of the people, empowering the people that hired us to do this job, that is not a controversial issue, nor is it a poison pill. None of our constituents sent us to Washington to cede power to an unelected nameless, faceless bureaucrat somewhere in a basement in Washington.

I disagree tremendously that this piece of legislation, this amendment specifically, would be a poison pill to the very thing that we are trying to accomplish here, one of our critical appropriation bills.

I would also say that today, because of the Biden administration's overreach and aggressive regulatory environment, we now spend more than $2 trillion a year in our economy on compliance and additional costs.

Families are paying more than $14,860 a year in additional regulatory costs and burdens on them. I don't know many families, certainly not in my district, that can afford an additional $14,860 a year in additional costs.

I agree with my colleague, however. It is time to get serious. When I say serious, it means reasserting our authority as Representatives of the people. This amendment does just that.

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

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I rise today in support of my amendment which would restrict taxpayer funds from being used to finalize any rule or regulation that has resulted in or is likely to result in an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more at the Department of Agriculture.

During his first 2 years in office, the President added more than $300 billion in new regulatory costs to the economy. The American Action Forum found that the new rules in his first 2 years required 193 million hours of compliance paperwork. That is 193 million hours to comply with new regulations from nameless, faceless bureaucrats.

This commonsense proposal would restrict any major regulatory actions by USDA from going into effect without the approval of Congress beforehand. Our farmers and ranchers across the country have enough to deal with, including natural disasters, market conditions, increasing input costs, trade issues, and the list goes on.

Our Nation's farmers, ranchers, and producers should not have to worry about the ever-changing environment in Washington with regard to regulations. Moreover, these costly regulations ultimately harm consumers who end up paying a higher price for their food, fiber, and fuel.

These days, these major rules and regulations are simply a way for agencies to circumvent Congress on major policy decisions to implement the political will of whatever party is in office at the time.

As the Nation's legislative body, we must reassert our constitutional role and prevent regulatory overreach. It doesn't matter if there is a Republican or Democrat in the White House, the American people should not be burdened by and forced to pay for the overreaching regulations that are rooted in nothing more than a political agenda.

Madam Chair, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this amendment to protect our Nation's farmers and ranchers and to prevent overreach. We certainly can cut spending, Lord knows we need to. Until we change the way we do business here in Washington, and this amendment does that, we will not change a thing.

Madam Chair, I urge passage of this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, respectfully, I disagree with my colleague. However, I can't think of a single Member in this Chamber who would willfully give up their constitutional oversight responsibilities that their constituents have sent them up here to Washington to engage in.

I think it is time that we reassert Article I authority, but more importantly, make sure that we are being mindful of the inflationary costs that are burdening our consumers as well as our producers in this country.

Madam Chair, I urge adoption of the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I rise to offer amendment No. 82 as the designee of Mr. Roy of Texas.

Madam Chair, I rise in support of an amendment authored by Representative Roy and myself. This amendment would restrict funds from being used to implement President Biden's radical climate agenda.

Since taking office, the Biden administration has spent billions of dollars implementing leftist climate initiatives at the expense of the American taxpayer.

In May 2023, the USDA announced $11 billion in grants and loans for ``zero emission energy,'' otherwise known as unreliable energy.

In addition, a recent report found that Biden's USDA Secretary, Tom Vilsack, coordinated with Arabella Advisors, a George Soros-funded group, on transforming the U.S. food system.

We simply cannot produce and process the food necessary to satisfy the massive demand in this country and abroad if we cannot depend on energy and food systems that are being hijacked into an extremist climate agenda.

Furthermore, Biden's climate policies have detrimental effects on our economy and threaten the very livelihood of Americans in our agricultural sector. In many cases, these radical Biden initiatives actually do more harm than good to our environment.

Our farmers already face enormous challenges, including market fluctuations and rising input costs. The list goes on and on.

By squeezing out clean and economical fuel sources and demanding a hasty shift to so-called clean energy, green energy, as they call it, our farmers and ranchers are struggling with the rising cost of fuel that they need to keep their operations going.

Agriculture is the backbone of our Nation, and we must ensure that that sector, the agricultural sector, has the resources that it needs to keep providing for American families.

Our farmers and ranchers are some of the best conservationists in the world. Our amendment would prevent President Biden's extreme anti- climate initiatives that would undoubtedly raise costs on our Nation's agricultural businesses.

A threat to our Nation's ag producers is a threat to our national security. I encourage my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment and safeguard our farmers and ranchers from the Biden administration's misguided climate policies.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I am so glad that my colleague mentioned carbon emissions and the need to reduce them because our farmers and ranchers are a carbon sink.

Like I said, they are the best conservationists in the world, and the harmful policies of the Biden administration continue to make their job much more difficult.

Madam Chair, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Harris).

Madam Chair, we are closing in on 2 a.m., and while I definitely encourage my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment, I give thanks to the floor staff, the Clerks, the Parliamentarians, my colleagues on the committee staff who are here at 2 a.m. doing the very important work of the American people.

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

Mr. Speaker, today we honor the career of Ms. Joyce Hamlett, our beloved Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms and our ``Keeper of the Mace.''

After nearly 5 decades of public service in the House of Representatives and at the U.S. Capitol, Ms. Hamlett will enjoy her well-deserved retirement as we thank her for all she's done. In the 1980s, Ms. Hamlett started on Capitol Hill alongside her mother in the Capitol Cafe, working first as a sandwich maker and then as a grill cook. Within 5 years she was promoted to hostess and handled the cash register for thousands of visitors and hundreds of Members each week.

She later became an elevator operator at the Capitol before becoming a security guard in the House Chamber in 1994. In 2007, she was elected to serve in her current role as Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms and has served dutifully for the last 16 years.

We all love her for her strict adherence to House Rules and decorum on the House Floor but know she's just as sweet once you get to know her and hear all her amazing stories from her career on the Hill.

On behalf of my colleagues and Florida's Third Congressional District, we wish Ms. Hamlett all the best in her retirement and hope she returns to visit us and this amazing place she's served with honor and integrity during her long career.

I congratulate Ms. Joyce Hamlett, and thank her for all she has done to contribute to the history of this institution. We are forever grateful and hope she enjoys her well-deserved retirement.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment, No. 44, which is included in en bloc No. 1.

This amendment aims to establish a working group that will explore the potential applications of blockchain technology, smart contracts, and a distributed ledger technology to enhance efficiencies and functions within the DOD.

While blockchain technology is a relatively recent innovation, it has already proven its value in both private and public organizations, enabling cost reductions, supply chain optimization, improved traceability efforts, and so much more. DOD can benefit from numerous applications where blockchain or distributed ledger technology can save both time and money.

The proposed working group will consist of officials within the DOD, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, relevant private-sector entities, and academic institutions. By assembling this working group, the DOD will initiate the evaluation of how blockchain, smart contracts, and distributed ledger technologies can be effectively utilized to ultimately yield taxpayer savings.

Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Rogers for his work on the underlying bill, and I urge adoption of this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of my bill, H.R. 277, the REINS Act, the largest regulatory reform bill in American history.

I know that sounds pretty major, but the REINS Act is actually a commonsense bill that would require every new major rule costing more than $100 million to be approved by Congress before going into effect. I know that sounds radical to some, but actually, it is quite a bit of common sense.

This is a bill that every single Member of this body should support to rein in a largely unchecked bureaucracy that is undermining the role of the very body in which we have the honor to serve. Every single Member in this Chamber should honor and support government transparency, government accountability, and empowerment of their constituents.

Mr. Chair, I know that not everyone in Washington wants more power for the people. In fact, during his first 2 years in office, the President added more than $300 billion in new regulatory costs to the economy. That burden was left on the backs of we the American people.

Additionally, the American Action Forum found that new rules in his first 2 years of office required 193 million hours of compliance paperwork. Mr. Chair, 193 million hours to comply with new regulations from nameless, faceless bureaucrats who are accountable to no one, certainly not the American people.

To really drive home how wild government has grown under the Biden administration, think about this: Since the beginning of his time as President, Biden has added an average of 1,641 pages to the Federal Registry every single week. That is astonishing.

According to the Foundation for Government Accountability, regulations cost Americans $2 trillion every year in compliance costs, economic losses, and other expenses. Those costs are due to ever- increasing regulatory actions that lack proper accountability by Congress.

It is now time for Congress to reassert its role by placing new checks on the regulatory actions and the regulatory regime that negatively impact Americans in all walks of life across the country.

Our constituents deserve to have their voices heard and be able to hold those in the Federal Government making decisions that have impacts on their daily lives and businesses accountable. Under the ever-growing regulatory state, that is not the case. Rather, nameless, faceless bureaucrats are making decisions and creating new regulations that have impacts to our day-to-day lives.

In the case of this bill, these new regulations that have an impact of more than $100 million would be subject to coming back to Congress.

When I talk to my constituents about this bill, they cannot believe how vast the regulatory regime truly is. Members of this body who argue against this bill are, in fact, arguing against their own self-interest and the role of Congress in our political system.

In Federalist No. 51, James Madison states: ``Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.'' Right now, the ambitions of the executive branch down the street have far exceeded those of the regulatory branch. This has gone on for 100 years, regardless of the party that is in the White House.

When it comes to regulations, I quite frankly don't care who is in the White House. I will come down to this floor in this Chamber every single Congress and fight for this bill because we in Congress must do what the Founders of this Nation and the Framers of our Constitution expected us to do--provide a proper, equal check to the executive and judicial branches of the government.

Look no further than the Federal Register to determine the volume of regulations being proposed or finalized every single year. These are actions that Congress has no say in prior to going into effect and having the force of law. We are the lawmakers, not the folks down the street.

The current Congressional Review Act process to disapprove of administrative actions is after the fact, going after regulations and actions after they have gone into effect. It is a useful tool but one that is not particularly effective. It is inadequate to match the size of the administrative branch and the number of regulations that are being proposed and finalized.

Here are just a few examples of executive actions that could have been prevented if the REINS Act had been in effect: student loan forgiveness and loan repayment pauses, which could cost us in excess of $1 trillion; the Biden oil and gas lease sale ban; the unilateral increase in SNAP benefits through new agency standards that increase spending on the program by 25 percent, totaling more than $115 billion in 2022 alone; the expansion of subsidies for ObamaCare, costing more than $45 billion with a b, leaving people with less care, worse care that is, in fact, more expensive; new climate risk disclosure requirements for publicly traded companies, including the companies that they do business with, putting an undue administrative burden on small mom-and-pop shops. The list goes on and on.

Let us not forget the ridiculous Federal regulations like fines and fees for Good Samaritans who untangle whales from fishing nets.

One of the most ridiculous ones under title 21 of the U.S. Code makes it a Federal crime to sell spaghetti thicker than 0.11 inches in diameter. I couldn't believe it when I actually read this. It is a Federal crime.

When you start digging into the impact that that has, think about this, Americans consume, on average, 6 billion pounds of spaghetti a year. It is a $30 billion industry in the United States alone, and we have a regulation on the books to monitor the size of spaghetti, like we don't have anything better to do.

Some of these regulations sound silly, but I promise they have a very real impact. They drive up costs and ultimately cost us, the American people, money.

Recently, a nationwide poll was conducted in which Republicans, Democrats, and Independents from all across the country of all demographics were educated on the REINS Act and then asked their opinion on it. The majority of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents all favored the REINS Act.

In fact, this poll found that more Democrats than Republicans were in favor of this policy. Seventy-two percent of Democrats were in favor, and 71 percent of Republicans were in favor of it. I sent this very poll to every single Republican and Democrat with a personalized letter before this debate here tonight.

There is no excuse for not knowing about this poll and the fact that their constituencies support more accountability and transparency in this Chamber. I just can't wrap my head around why, as a Member of Congress, you wouldn't want people in your district to be empowered to know that you are exercising your Article I authority as a Member of the people's House instead of playing partisan games and chasing political narratives that are nonexistent.

Just last week, I had a meeting with homebuilders from my district who were in town for their annual fly-in. In fact, 35 percent of the cost of new homes being built in Florida is due to regulations. That is insane. For first-time home buyers, you are now paying 35 percent more, not just because of inflation, not just because of a broken supply chain, but because of Federal regulations.

You can find examples in every single sector across this great country. That is why I encourage all of my colleagues to talk to local stakeholders and understand how regulations affect their constituents and impact the costs of goods, energy, services, heck, the cost of living. Talk to individuals in any sector, and they will tell you that there are burdensome regulations that are killing them.

It is our job to step in. You will hear the negative impact. You will understand that Congress did not explicitly approve these regulations.

That is why if you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent, or heck, just an American who believes in the rule of law, who believes in our Constitution and wants more transparency and accountability in the government, you will vote for this bill and support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 662) to amend the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations

Act, 2023 to improve disaster relief funding for agricultural producers, and for other purposes, as amended.

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 bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, this bill, led by my colleagues Representatives Scott Franklin and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, both of the Sunshine State as well, has the support of the entire Florida delegation, which is very urgently calling, on behalf of the citrus producers in our State, to pass this bill.

Hurricane Ian impacted more than 375,000 acres of citrus groves, costing nearly $675 million in damages to the industry. More than 90 percent of all Florida citrus production was impacted by tropical storms in 2022. I will repeat that because I think it bears repeating: More than 90 percent of all Florida citrus produce was impacted by tropical storms in 2022.

In December of last year, Congress appropriated $3.7 billion, with a b, to address agricultural losses from hurricanes and other natural disasters. However, to date, no citrus grower has received any of the agricultural disaster relief funds. None.

When speaking to Secretary Vilsack, Secretary of the USDA, during a recent Ag Committee hearing, the Secretary stated that they, being USDA, needed this authority from Congress, and if we give USDA the authority, they will do everything that they can to get these funds to those who need it most.

The exact quote from Secretary Vilsack was:

If you, Congress, direct us, USDA, and give us the power to

do so, we will do everything we can to get the resources to

the people who need it as quickly as we can.

This bill would allow the Secretary of Agriculture to create a program within USDA to support specialty crops, including citrus, damaged by natural disasters. In 2017, this relief model was successfully used to help growers recover from Hurricane Irma. The Block Grant Assistance Act would provide that exact same flexibility to the Secretary to help Florida citrus growers recover from Hurricane Ian.

In 2018, Congress gave USDA the authority to issue block grants to States to assist with recovery efforts after Hurricane Irma. In conjunction with the USDA Farm Service Agency, the FSA, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Florida Citrus Recovery Block Grant Program was created to support citrus growers impacted by Hurricane Irma. The CRBG program was widely successful in aiding the Florida citrus industry. Unfortunately, for our citrus producers, the language in the fiscal year `23 omnibus bill did not provide Secretary Vilsack the direct authority to disburse the appropriated disaster funds via block grant.

Citrus is a crucial part of the Florida economy. The industry has more than 400,000 acres of citrus groves across the State. The industry contributes $6.8 billion to the economy each year and supports over 33,000 jobs. Citrus growers have had no shortage of challenges over the past several decades, from citrus greening to natural disasters, high input costs, labor concerns, and beyond. However, our State growers have continued to remain resilient. This bill would help our citrus growers recover from Hurricane Ian by allowing the Secretary to efficiently deploy the funds that have already been appropriated by Congress.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. C. Scott Franklin).

Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.