Floor Statements

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

Madam Speaker, our country is facing a crisis of our own making. Republicans and Democrats alike have contributed to the rampant spending in Washington over the last several decades. But it is time for someone to stand up and say enough is enough.

I am here tonight with some of the greatest minds in Congress to talk about our floor-ready plan to tackle wasteful spending and restore fiscal responsibility to the Federal Government.

In December, Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks asked me to lead the Budget Task Force for the 117th Congress, and I gladly accepted. I put together a team of incredible fiscal conservatives to help repair our fiscal year 2022 budget.

I thank these intelligent, hardworking colleagues for rising to the occasion, working diligently to meet our ambitious goals, and putting together a fine product that will serve all Americans. They are Chairman Jim Banks, Roger Williams, Trent Kelly, Ralph Norman, Ron Estes, Michael Cloud, Ben Cline, Byron Donalds, and Bob Good. Thank you, gentlemen.

In addition to my task force members, I would like to thank a man who is integral to the work of the task force and is a huge reason for the success of this final budget, Richard Stern.

When I said yes to drafting the budget for fiscal year 2022, I committed to creating a thorough, floor-ready budget that reflects the conservative values that gave us the greatest economy in the history of the world before the pandemic. I believe, as do my colleagues, that the pro-growth policies of the Trump administration are proven tactics to grow the economy and give Americans more control of their own money.

Everyone in Washington seems to forget that we have no money of our own. Everything we appropriate in this Chamber, every dollar, comes from the American taxpayers. None of it belongs to us.

In the last year, we spent $7.6 trillion, largely due to an unprecedented global pandemic. The Biden administration has shown no sign of slowing down and is starting to alarm more than just conservatives. It is our responsibility to hold this administration accountable and prove to the American people that there is someone left on Capitol Hill who cares about our debts.

We need to return to federalism, where the Federal Government, the State, and the individual have their own distinct roles.

In order to combat aggressive spending, we need an aggressive plan. That brings us to this year's budget, aptly named ``Reclaiming Our Fiscal Future.''

President Trump's budget proposal to Congress would have balanced in 15 years. That was our starting point, and we knew we were capable of balancing in less than 10.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to say that our budget will balance in just 5 years. Many of you would ask how that is even possible. There are two parts to that answer. The first part is due to changes in inflation and interest costs following the COVID-19 pandemic. The second is due to pro-growth policies like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

When we give Americans more control of their own money, the result is market growth, wage growth, consumer confidence, and, yes, increased revenues for the Federal Government.

We are making provisions from the Tax Cuts and Job Cuts Act permanent, reducing the tax burden by $1.9 trillion, almost $16,000 per household.

We are shielding the middle class from capital gains taxes, eliminating the death taxes, and repealing market-distorting tax carve- outs.

Our budget is the most pro-life budget ever introduced, with 17 pieces of pro-life legislation included. Our budget stands strong for the issues Americans care about, and we are crystal clear about how to pay for it.

We are securing our border and building the wall. We are protecting your Second Amendment rights. We are supporting our police officers and ensuring our communities remain safe for everyone.

Our budget includes over 30 specific deregulation bills ensuring liberty for American job creators and workers alike.

We are putting Medicare and Social Security on a path to solvency without cutting immediate benefits. Whether you call them earmarks or community project funding, we are getting rid of it for good. We are reforming the budget process to be transparent and effective. To put it simply, we are fighting for Main Street America.

Tonight, you will hear from me and my colleagues who helped shape this budget, whether as a member of the task force or by contributing legislation that is included in our budget. These Members all have something very important in common, a deep respect for the American taxpayer.

It is our job to ensure that Americans' tax dollars are being spent wisely, that the government is making every effort to prevent waste and promote efficiency. It is pretty clear this hasn't been the case in Washington for a long time.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy), my dear friend from the 21st Congressional District.

Madam Speaker, I would yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller), the 15th Congressional District.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin), the co-chair of the Border Caucus from the 36th Congressional District.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Davidson).

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Louisiana (Mr. Higgins).

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Fourth Congressional District of Iowa (Mr. Feenstra).

Madam Speaker, may I ask how much time is remaining.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Fifth Congressional District of Virginia (Mr. Good). He is also a task force member who gave us a tremendous amount of input on our process, and I want to thank him for his work. It was a 5-month journey that we went through to arrive at this budget and a lot of sleepless nights. I really appreciate the gentleman's inputs and his thoughts.

Madam Speaker, Speaker Pelosi reminded us about 3 years ago when she infamously said: Show me your budget, and I will show you your values.

That phrase and that statement have been made so many times by leaders talking about budgets.

In America, individuals have budgets, counties have budgets, communities have budgets, cities have budgets, schools have budgets, businesses have budgets, and States have budgets. The United States of America has gone 3 years now without a budget from the Budget Committee that is run by my colleagues from the Democratic Party, the people in power.

We have a budget that we are asking to get on the floor, a budget that is built on the pro-growth policies that we saw 16 months ago yield the greatest economy in our lifetime, the lowest unemployment rate, the most people employed with all diversity, of all ethnicities, of all countries of origin, women, African Americans, and Hispanics. Everywhere, people have seen the greatest jobs they have ever seen. There were double-digit increases for the lowest earning wage earners among us.

We know these policies work. This budget builds upon them. The American people are demanding that we be accountable for the dollars they send us. What we are seeing now in the budget that was just put out by the President in a piecemeal fashion is a budget that sends jobs overseas and that destroys jobs in our energy-producing companies, some of the highest wage earners we have in this country. We see our defense budget being cut below the inflation rate.

As we speak about inflation, the President promised the American people that he wouldn't raise taxes on anybody making less than $400,000 a year. Madam Speaker, I will tell you the greatest hidden tax in America is inflation, and what we are seeing right now is inflation rising at an annualized rate of 5, 6, and 7 percent that spans everybody in America on top of the proposed tax increases that the President is talking about.

He is proposing looking at changing the tax rates for our multinational companies, our companies that were starting to move jobs back to America. Now we are seeing a deal is being struck by Secretary Yellen to try to take the G7 to tax our companies to the point that we are going to see jobs leave our country and return back to where they moved their headquarters overseas, to lower tax nations.

To my colleagues out there, all we are asking for is to put a budget on the floor, our budget, to get your vote to be responsible to the American taxpayers so that we can see, once and for all, where everyone is on doing the right thing for the American taxpayers.

For all of my colleagues that joined us tonight, what we have heard over the last hour was a clear vision for America, an outline of how conservatives intend to govern. It is sad that we have to call it a conservative budget. It is a budget for the American people. This is the future of our Nation. This is the hope of democracy.

Before I finally close, I would like to yield to the gentleman from Kansas

(Mr. Estes), my dear colleague, a member of the task force, to give his thoughts on what he saw and worked on, on our budget.

Madam Speaker, the Biden administration has put themselves on the side of Big Government, big taxes, and big bureaucracy.

To paraphrase the great President Ronald Reagan, he said: You can't be for Big Government and still fight for the little guy.

Our budget is a clear outline for middle and working-class Americans that their government hasn't left them behind. We have a plan and it will benefit all Americans.

I am proud of the budget we put together this year, and I am ready to defend it in front of any committee and any Member of this House.

We have spent the last hour talking about conservative principles. Well, I want to make it clear that this budget is not just for conservatives. It is not just for Republicans. It is a budget for all Americans.

It doesn't matter if your children grow up to be Republicans or Democrats. They will be paying for our debts regardless, long after we are gone. That is why it is important to have leaders who are thinking about our grandchildren and great-grandchildren's future.

It is clear that Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer would rather auction off that future in order to pay for an unpopular radical agenda.

The American people need to know that we are the captains of this ship and we will not let economic doomsday destroy America's future.

Fiscal responsibility does not have to be partisan, which is why I am calling on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to help us bring this budget to the floor for a vote.

I thank everyone who supported this budget tonight and to everyone who helped us put it together.

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

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to give voice to the concern of millions of Americans, the crisis at our southern border.

I saw it for myself. Not only are our facilities packed to 10 times beyond capacity, but the influx is growing.

Biden revoked Trump's effective border policies and put nothing in place to make up for it, creating the current crisis that is spiraling out of control.

We need to send immediate aid to our Border Patrol. They need it.

But here is what Congress is doing instead:

We are voting to provide legal welfare services to people illegally in our country while millions of Americans are denied help.

We are voting on D.C. statehood, a violation of the constitutional function of our Capital City.

The Speaker pushed 16 bills together in an en bloc last night, preventing Members of Congress from voting on separate pieces of legislation.

The American people are watching what we do here. They see unserious people doing unserious work. It is why our approval rating is so poor. It is time to stop letting them down and do something real.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the First District of Oklahoma's April Veteran of the Month, Willie Braggs.

Willie Braggs is a retired Air Force officer and Vice Wing Commander of the 138th Fighter Wing of the Oklahoma Air National Guard. His service included two combat tours in the Middle East. Colonel Braggs faithfully served our country for over thirty years and continues to give back to his community and fellow veterans.

He is involved with the Jenks Public School System as their assistant webmaster and varsity photographer for their athletic department. As the father of two Jenks graduates, he is a long-time parent volunteer. Colonel Braggs currently sits on the board of directors for the Coffee Bunker, a non-profit organization that helps service members transition to civilian life. He is a man of impeccable integrity who has dedicated his life to serving others.

He answered the call to defend freedom across the globe and sacrificed whatever was necessary in the name of that noble cause. It is my honor to recognize Willie Braggs as the first Congressional District of Oklahoma's April Veteran of the Month.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague from Texas for yielding. I appreciate him leading this Special Order on such an important issue in our great country.

Mr. Speaker, we are here today to shed light on a situation that is getting worse by the minute. The longer Joe Biden and his White House ignore the crisis on our border, the more challenging it becomes to get it under control.

But one would have to wonder: Is that what he wants by allowing this to continue on?

Under President Trump, border security was a top priority. He was ridiculed for that top priority of securing our Nation, the sovereignty of our Nation. Illegal entries plummeted under President Trump, and over 450 miles of border wall were built at the fighting and scratching every single way against our Democrat colleagues' desires.

Mr. Speaker, Biden's trend has been to reverse and dismantle anything and everything that President Trump touched over the last 4 years, no matter who it may hurt. On day one of his Presidency, he unconstitutionally halted congressionally appropriated funds

meant to secure and strengthen our southern border. He indicated a complete reversal on border policies, refusing to condemn Democrats who call for open borders. This led to thousands of immigrants to believe our borders were open and they could enter with no consequences. They even had shirts promoting the idea that Biden should let them in.

Mr. Speaker, it has been less than 2 months since Biden took office and already the situation at our southern border has reached unprecedented levels, levels like we haven't seen in 20 years. Border agents are reporting the number of illegal entries, especially children, is higher than we have seen in decades.

Detainment facilities--what the Democrats have now called reception centers and concentration camps; that is what they called them under President Trump--are over capacity. Children are being sent to Dallas, hundreds of miles away from the border, to be held at the convention center.

Americans returning from abroad are required to take COVID tests before reentering our own country, but Biden is allowing thousands of migrants into the country without even testing them for COVID, packing facilities way over capacity.

Hypocrisy is nothing new to this administration. In spite of everything I have already said, Biden refuses to call it a crisis. CNN is even calling it a crisis, but Biden doesn't want to label it. He doesn't want to own it, calling it an inherited mess from the Trump administration. Every single person in America knows that is not true. To make it worse, House Democrats rejected any amendments on their partisan immigration bills this week.

My amendments asked that known gang members not be eligible for amnesty.

How could you not allow that to be added to this bill?

That we create a tax credit for employers who want to do the right thing and implement E-Verify in their companies to make sure they are hiring legal American workers, and that illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in our country not be eligible for amnesty. Now, everywhere--except for in Congress--any good American would want those in the bill. But not here, not my Democrat colleagues.

These are all commonsense ideas that a vast majority of Americans support, but Democrats would rather have open borders with no consequences for those who break the laws in our country.

Just this week, four people on the terrorist watch list were caught attempting to illegally entered our country. If we lower the standards and restrictions on our border, we know we never would have caught them. We wouldn't have even known that they were here. That should scare us all to death.

Mr. Speaker, I and many of my Republican colleagues have been to the border to see this terrible situation firsthand. I would encourage every Member of Congress to go see it. And for that, I thank my colleagues for standing up here tonight at this hour, for speaking up on this crisis. It is so important to the American people and the sovereignty of our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, last year, I stood right here and argued against the many concerns I have with the PRO Act. Thirteen months later, nothing has been done to address those concerns or earn bipartisan support.

The PRO Act is a dangerous example of power for union leaders without necessary protections for union members.

One of the biggest glaring failures of this legislation is taking away employee choice, effectively repeating right-to-work laws across the country, like in my home State of Oklahoma, where we choose to empower employees and employers alike. Where workers have previously had the freedom to choose whether or not to pay fees and join unions, they will now be forced to pay membership fees or lose their job.

American workers and American ingenuity made our country what it is

today. If my colleagues insist on moving forward with legislation that empowers union bosses and strips independence from our workers, we will lose to countries like China, who profit from sweatshops and child labor.

Many of the ideas in this bill have already been rejected in the court system, making this bill pointless and a waste of time.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, due to the frequent changes to the Congressional schedule, I missed the votes on March 8, 2021. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 63, and NAY on Roll Call No. 64.

Mr. Speaker, last year, every single COVID relief package passed with bipartisan support and bipartisan input. This is not happening today because the majority has chosen to abandon their calls for unity without even making an effort. Sadly, it is the American people who will bear the burden of this decision.

Components of this package were shoved through committees on strictly partisan lines. One of my amendments asking that we prohibit taxpayer dollars from going to people illegally in our country passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support, but was rejected without a single Democratic vote in our committee.

I know from experience that a hard-earned paycheck is infinitely more valuable than anything from the unemployment office. We need to put Americans back to work, make America tired again. That means we cannot incentivize workers to stay out of the workforce.

Let's not waste any more taxpayer dollars than we have to.

Getting our students back in the classrooms should be a top priority for everyone here. Not only does this bill not help return students to the classroom, most of the education funds are not even allocated until 2022.

There is a lot we can do together, but I fear a one-sided process will leave millions of Americans unaccounted for in this relief package.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the First District of Oklahoma's February Veteran of the Month, Col. Weydan Flax, USMC (Ret).

An artillery and communications officer in the United States Marine Corps, Col. Weydan Flax honorably served our nation for 30 years. He served in Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan.

After his retirement, he has faithfully served his fellow veterans and community through his volunteer work with the VFW, and Marine Corps League. In addition to volunteering with veteran organizations, Flax is an active board member for The Center for Individuals with Physical Disabilities.

He answered the call to defend freedom across the globe and sacrificed whatever was necessary in the name of that noble cause. It is my honor to recognize Col. Flax as the First Congressional District of Oklahoma's February Veteran of the Month.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the First District of Oklahoma's January Veteran of the Month, Terry Hill.

A Medical Evacuation Pilot in the United States Army, Terry Hill honorably served our nation for thirteen years. Upon returning home from service, Terry started Rapid Application Group, an Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing Company centered around Additive Manufacturing Technology.

During his service in the United States Army, Hill was involved with several life saving missions and led his fellow soldiers diligently. He is the recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal, Order of Saint Michael, and he is a recipient of the General McArthur Award for Leadership Representative. In addition, his company is a two-time recipient of the AAAA Aviation Maintenance Company of the Year award. Through his service, he demonstrated the highest levels of integrity, moral character, and servant leadership.

In addition to starting Rapid Application Groupd, Hill founded the RAG Friday Foundation, a non-profit organization that offers veterans support and job training to help the transition into civilian life. He answered the call to defend freedom across the globe and sacrificed whatever was necessary in the name of that noble cause. It is my honor to recognize Terry Hill as the 1st Congressional District of Oklahoma's January Veteran of the Month.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the First District of Oklahoma's December Veteran of the Month, Mitch Reed.

He served in an armored personnel carrier in the United States Army, Mitch Reed honorably served our nation. Mitch continues to serve his fellow veterans through his volunteer work with the Military Order of the Purple Heart and the Military History Center in Broken Arrow.

Mitch Reed served in the Vietnam War. He is the recipient of two Purple Hearts among other awards. He continues to serve veterans in our community and advocate for programs to honor them through the Military Order of the Purple Heart. His efforts led to the designation of Broken Arrow as a Purple Heart City and Tulsa County as a Purple Heart County. A designation that shows our community's gratitude to our veterans and those currently serving in our military.

He answered the call to defend freedom across the globe and sacrificed whatever was necessary in the name of that noble cause. It is my honor to recognize Mitch Reed as the 1st Congressional District of Oklahoma's December Veteran of the Month.

Madam Speaker, this week, I welcomed to my office a family of constituents in town to celebrate the life and legacy of a fallen war hero at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Geiger family traveled here to honor the life of their relative Commander James B. Mills, who died more than 50 years ago while serving in the Navy.

Commander Mills' plane disappeared from radar just past midnight on September 21, 1966. No distress call was heard, no one saw the plane go down, and extensive aerial searches yielded no clues as to what happened to Commander Mills and his copilot James Bauder.

For more than 50 years, Commander Mills' family had no closure on his loss, until about a year ago when his remains were found off the coast of Vietnam.

This week, Commander Mills was honored with a burial at the Arlington National Cemetery attended by more than 300 people who came to celebrate his life and finally put Commander Mills to rest in his home country as the hero he is. Commander Mills and his loved ones have found peace at last.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table H.R. 3401, with the Senate amendment thereto, and concur in the Senate amendment. This bipartisan bill passed the Senate with 84 votes and could be sent to the President's desk for his signature today.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, the liquid natural gas revolution going on in this country is making us more energy secure, and it is revitalizing our local economies across the country.

According to the Department of Energy, natural gas applies to nearly one-third of the United States' primary energy. It is the primary heating fuel for approximately half the U.S. households.

The oil and gas industry generates more than $50 billion a year in my home State of Oklahoma. The industry has been the single largest contributor to Oklahoma tax revenues in recent years.

The discovery of promising new natural gas formations in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico along with the Marcellus shale formation in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York show that the near-term future of our country's energy mix will be supplied by an abundance of natural gas.

Natural gas is a cost-effective, reliable, and clean form of energy that has created thousands of high-paying jobs across the Nation, including in Oklahoma's First Congressional District. America is now the world's largest producer of natural gas. For the first time since 1957, we are a net exporter of natural gas to the rest of the world.

Recognizing the benefit that the natural gas revolution is having on our economy and energy security, President Trump issued an executive order in April of this year. Section 4(b) of the executive order requires the Department of Transportation Secretary to propose a rule for notice and public comment that would ``treat liquid natural gas the same as other cryogenic liquids and permit liquid natural gas to be transported in approved rail tank cars.''

Mr. Chairman, no matter our production levels of natural gas, we cannot realize its full potential unless we have safe and reliable ways to transport it. That is what the President's executive order is all about.

I believe this amendment unnecessarily takes away a vital transportation option for transporting our natural gas to both underserved markets on the mainland United States and to our ports so it can be exported around the world.

With certain States making it more difficult to transport LNG by pipeline, we need all the available options at our disposal to transport these much-needed energy sources.

We have been transporting oil by rail for decades, but since liquid natural gas is a relatively new energy commodity, Federal rules and regulations have not caught up to the need for flexibility in transporting LNG, which is why I was pleased to see section 4(b) included in President Trump's executive order.

Instead of trying to inhibit this administration's effort to make our Nation more energy secure, I believe we should be assisting them in any way possible to benefit our economy and our energy security.

Therefore, Mr. Chairman, I ask that my colleagues join me in opposing this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the retirement of Sandy Oxford and thank this outstanding Oklahoman for her service to my community.

Ms. Oxford served as an Army clerk during the Vietnam era, eventually switching to the Navy where she was one of their top recruiters.

Back home in Tulsa, she served as the office manager for the Tulsa Vet Center. Additionally, Ms. Oxford faithfully served as the chair of the Mayor of Tulsa's Veteran Advisory Council. She served in this role with great dedication for 10 years, never missing a single meeting.

She has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of veterans, including work on suicide prevention initiatives and Vietnam Veteran commemoration ceremonies.

To thank Ms. Oxford for her service, Tulsa's Mayor Bynum presented her a key to the city and declared May 16th ``Sandy Oxford Day'' in Tulsa.

I am honored to recognize Sandy Oxford as she attends her final meeting of the advisory council today. Her commitment to the City of Tulsa will not soon be forgotten.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor my June Veteran of the Month, Mr. Oscar Nipps, Jr., and to share his American hero story.

Mr. Nipps served as a rifleman, company cook, and sergeant with the 1st Calvary division during World War II, liberating thousands of civilians from the Santo Tomas Internment Camp. He continued fighting alongside the Allied forces to liberate the Philippines and was on a ship headed to the front lines of the Japan invasion when victory was declared over Japan in 1945.

At 92 years old, he continues to be a leader and public servant as a volunteer at the Military History Museum in Broken Arrow. In fact, the city has even named two streets in his honor.

He is a familiar face at the museum, where he shares his stories of the brave men and women he fought beside and friends he lost during the war.

Mr. Nipps' bravery will never be forgotten, and I am grateful for the work he continues to do to serve this great country and share the stories of those who fought for justice and peace. I am honored to name him the First District's Veteran of the Month for June.