Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, along with my friend and colleague, Congressman David Valadao, to recognize President Lynette Zelezny on her retirement today as President of California State University, Bakersfield. Over the course of her 35-year career in the education field, President Zelezny has inspired students, professors, and administrators through her passion for improving the academic success of our next generation, especially within the California State University system.

President Zelezny's career with the California State University system started in 1974 with her enrollment in Humboldt State University, where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology in 1979 and her Master's Degree in Psychology in 1981. Following her completion of a Doctorate in Social Psychology at Claremont Graduate University and an MBA from the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno, President Zelezny stayed at Fresno State, serving in a variety of educational and leadership roles. Most notably, President Zelezny served as Chief Academic Officer, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Fresno State. In 2018, President Zelezny made history when she became the first female President of California State University, Bakersfield.

Over the past five years, under President Zelezny's leadership, California State University, Bakersfield has successfully navigated new challenges and achieved several important milestones. She not only led the university through the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic but did so with an unwavering commitment to the well-being of students and faculty. One of President Zelezny's top achievements has been developing CSUB's California Energy Research Center into a robust hub for energy research throughout the Central Valley. As Kern County gains and sustains ever more national importance as a hub for energy production, future generations in our region will look back on President Zelezny's initiative with great appreciation.

A true champion of Central Valley education, particularly in Bakersfield, President Zelezny's passion for the community has been a driving force behind her efforts. She recognized the unique challenges and opportunities presented in the region and strengthened the ties between the university and our community.

On behalf of the Central Valley of California, we would like to express our gratitude for President Zelezny's leadership to California State University, Bakersfield and her role in shaping the future careers of countless students. We would like to congratulate President Zelezny on a well-deserved retirement, a successful career in education, and for her many contributions to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the retirement of a distinguished educator and leader, Dr. Bryon Schaefer, who has dedicated 38 years of his life to educating our children in Kern County, California. Dr. Schaefer's journey from a math teacher in East Bakersfield to Superintendent of the Kern High School District is a testament to his unwavering commitment to learning, leadership, and community. It also represents the growth and optimism that comes to mind when one thinks of the Central Valley.

Dr. Schaefer embarked on his educational journey at the University of South Dakota, earning his Bachelor's degree in 1985. His passion for education led him to California, where he pursued and successfully obtained his Master's degree from California State University, Bakersfield in 1989. Even in the early stages of his career, Dr. Schaefer demonstrated a deep commitment to both his students' and his own professional development, simultaneously teaching high school math while earning his Master's degree. Not content to stop his academic advancement, Dr. Schaefer continued his pursuit of knowledge and earned his doctorate from the University of La Verne in 2002, specializing in organizational leadership.

Dr. Schaefer's ascent within the Kern High School District reflects the rapport he has held with the faculty and parents with whom he continues to hold mutual care and affection.

Beginning as a Math Teacher in 1985, he swiftly rose through the ranks, serving as Dean of Students at North High School in 1991. His leadership journey continued with roles as Assistant Principal and as Principal in 1998. In 2010, Dr. Schaefer assumed the role of Assistant Superintendent, and in 2014, he ultimately accepted the role of Superintendent, guiding the district with prudence and dedication. Beyond his contributions within the Kern High School District Dr. Schaefer extended his impact to higher education, serving as an adjunct faculty member for Point Loma Nazarene University--Bakersfield Regional Center for over two decades.

Though Dr. Schaefer has an impressive list of achievements in educational leadership throughout his 38 year career, his greatest legacy can be found in his diligent and ambitious mission for student education and personal growth. His commitment to providing quality education in Kern County has left an enduring impact on the community, shaping the future of countless students.

I know that Dr. Schaefer is looking forward to this next chapter of his life and spending mom time with his wife Beth, two children Shannon and Haley, and granddaughter Delilah. On behalf of the 20th Congressional District of California, I would like to congratulate Dr. Bryon Schaefer on a well-deserved retirement, a successful career in education, and for his many contributions to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the dean, Mr. Calvert, and my colleagues from California for their kind words. I am so very proud and appreciative of my friends for coming.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the constituents for giving me this opportunity to serve them. To America, I loved every single day.

Less than 13,000 people have ever been given the privilege or the honor to serve in this body.

To those colleagues on the other side of the aisle, I thank them for the work they have done. We may disagree at times--I disagreed with the vote on this one, too, but one thing I think we must quite understand and the advice I can give is, do not be fearful if you believe your philosophy brings people more freedom. Do not be fearful that you could lose your job over it.

I knew the day we decided to make sure to choose to pay our troops, while war was breaking out, instead of shutting down, was the right decision. I also knew a few would make a motion because somehow they disagreed with that decision. Do it anyway. I would do it all again.

However, there is so much we were able to accomplish in a short amount of time. I watched a short clip the other day of a quote of mine: ``I had the privilege of being leader for 5 years and I think about did I leave this place better than I received it?''

I remember sitting where Congressman Calvert was and it was the state of the Union. The Democrats had won the majority. I was elected minority leader while another colleague from my State, Nancy Pelosi, was elected Speaker.

I watched the Democrats stand up and they were very diverse. They looked like America. I watched us stand up. We had lost the majority. I say we looked like one of the most restricted country clubs in America. I thought at that moment I could be the leader of a declining party, or I could focus on what I know brought me to this party: Conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that we are all equal.

I would take that message to places people didn't think they would vote for a Republican. The California delegation at that time was pretty small, and, yes, it was competitive having the Speaker from California. She would put out that she was going to win a lot more seats in California. However, I am proud to say in those election cycles, we picked up five more seats in California. That is larger than our overall majority. We picked up five more in New York, Oregon, and Arizona. And in that same timeframe, the party I loved lost in the Senate, both cycles, lost the Presidency, but we won. What is the secret? It is the quality of the candidate.

I looked at Young Kim, Michelle Steel, John Duarte, and David Valadao. These are unbelievable seats that that idea wins in. I look at our party today and it doesn't look like it did 5 years ago. We were winning in places you haven't seen before. When I look to the future, I think it is much brighter. Why? Because the ideas are different.

When you look at the time I served as Speaker, we didn't ignore the border. We actually secured our border with the smallest majority here to govern. Even when we had a large one, we could not do it, and that came from the subcommittee of the Chairman Tom McClintock. We brought people from all sides of the aisle together.

When I watch the gas prices just skyrocket under the Biden administration, we didn't sit back. We made it our number one priority and passed energy independence.

The public sits above, but for those 4 years, they didn't get to. We opened this place back up because it is the people's House. We created the select committee on China to make sure America can be competitive. We put our accountability on the weaponization so the American citizen would be protected.

We made the largest cut in American history, and this body voted for it, welfare reform to get people back to work, and the largest recissions in American history, where money was appropriated, not used. Only in Washington would you let it still be there.

As we watched crime rise across the country and D.C. want to go the same way, first time in 30 years, this body stood up; 170 on the other side of the aisle thought you should decriminalize carjacking, and others. The President threatened to veto it, but we did it anyway. We stopped him; and it became law.

We believe in building things in America, but we watched many times the laws we thought that were passed before to protect us only slowed us and weakened us. For the first time in 40 years, we reformed NEPA.

We did all this with a slim majority, but what I am most proud of is what the future holds. The legacy will be about the ones I see who serve here now, and I know the potential of what they will do. I know the potential of this Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I am so thankful to be given the opportunity to serve. I will

be departing, but that doesn't mean I will stop serving. Those across this Nation should join together to become those citizen legislators. We cannot let this body fail to do the jobs that are the most basic that we should do every day. We should never allow this body to stop doing what is right.

If you come across that question of whether you should do what is right out of fear of losing your job, do it anyway because it is the right thing to do, and this is what the Nation requires. I think putting people before politics is always the right answer.

I thank my friends for their kind words. I thank them for their friendship that will not end, and I thank this Nation for creating a body that is represented by the people. I think we should rise to the occasion one more time. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the remarkable life of Pastor Roger Spradlin.

Born in Oklahoma in 1955, Pastor Spradlin graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee in 1977. He then enrolled in Criswell College in Dallas, Texas, where he began to formulate his vision to open a grand church in California.

Pastor Spradlin arrived in Bakersfield, California, in the late 1970s, serving as both a pastor and the Baptist Student Union Director at California State University, Bakersfield, During this time, he began demonstrating to our community that he was a man of resilient faith and steadfast compassion. Pastor Spradlin boldly embarked with other local pastors on a mission to create a Bakersfield-area Baptist campus.

Valley Baptist Church was born and grew in size over the next decade to a 2,000-seat auditorium by the late 1990s Under Pastor Spradlin's leadership and vision, Valley Baptist would incorporate three additional campuses in the Bakersfield area. where services are now conducted in four different languages to meet the needs of our community.

In addition to his work in Bakersfield, Pastor Spradlin proved himself a renowned leader in the California Southern Baptist Convention. Exemplifying the highest standards of moral and spiritual leadership, Pastor Spradlin served as chairman of the trustees of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as chairman of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention.

While Pastor Spradlin held an impressive list of accomplishments in Southern Baptist Convention leadership, he is remembered most fondly for his lasting, positive impact on countless lives. His sermons underpinned his passion and commitment to the salvation of all those with whom he spoke, balancing truth with the tenderness of grace.

Pastor Spradlin lived a remarkable life as a true pillar of Bakersfield. He cared for those in need with humility and grace, and made a difference in countless lives, including mine. He helped spread the message of God's love not only throughout our community, but around the world. While Pastor Spradlin will be greatly missed, I am certain that his legacy will live on through Valley Baptist Church and the Valley Baptist church family who I know will continue to strive to sustain the vision he brought to our community.

Judy and I offer our sincere condolences to Pastor Spradlin's family--his wife of 46 years. Ginger, their 3 children, Andrew, Matthew, and Faith, and 10 grandchildren. We will always cherish his friendship, remember the wisdom he imparted on us and our community, and keep his family and all those who attend Valley Baptist in our prayers.

On behalf of the 20th Congressional District of California, I would like to honor the life and legacy of Pastor Roger Spradlin for his dedication to Christ, leading a great congregation, and for being a beacon of compassion and love that the whole Bakersfield community will miss.

Mr. Speaker pro tempore, I rise to nominate Jim Jordan for the Speaker of the House.

I have listened to the speeches this week, and I can already tell you what my friends on the other side will say, using their poll-tested phrases, but let me correct the record. Jim Jordan is an effective legislator.

To legislate is about more than the name on the bill. It is about reaching compromise and working long hours behind the scenes to get the job done.

When you are the chairman of a committee, you are responsible for dozens of bills passing the House and being signed into law.

Let me tell you a few facts that don't come out in the polls. As the leader of the Judiciary Committee, Jim has passed more bills through the House in just 3 years than the entire Democrat leadership team that has a collective 28 years in Congress.

Mr. Aguilar has a whopping one whole bill signed into law; a post office in San Bernardino. I guess that is good enough to be Caucus chair.

Jim Jordan, on the other hand, had a hand in drafting bills like the REINS Act to curb unaccountable bureaucrats. He helped negotiate and pass H.R. 2, the strongest border security bill this House has ever passed.

Many of you know because you were in the room watching Jim find compromise, watching Jim listen to your positions and finding a bill that can pass.

Let's put this in reality. We have had large majorities, but we never could pass a border security bill. That takes leadership.

They are going to get upset by it. Why? Because every single Democrat voted against securing our border. Democrats are attacking Jim because they don't want the American people to remember that they voted against securing and keeping a wide-open border.

They may not want the American public to know the number of people we catch on the terrorist watch list. They may not want people to know what the future holds for the security of our Nation based upon their policies.

Name me one bill Democrats passed that would secure our border. I am waiting. You can't because they haven't.

Mr. Speaker pro tempore, the truth is, if we measure lawmakers by how many bills have their names on it, we are using the wrong measuring stick.

Some of the Members I know with the most bills to their name are the most selfish. Jim Jordan, on the other hand, is one of the most selfless Members I know.

I have known Jim a long time, and I wanted to do something different. I actually called the freshmen members on his committee and asked them: What do you think of your chairman?

Here are just a few examples of what they said: Jim empowers every member of the Judiciary Committee to pursue what interests them.

Here is another: He lets each of us take the lead on the issues that are important to us, even letting freshmen and junior members take important roles.

Here is another: He trusts our judgment on how we handle issues and witnesses and always seeks our input on key issues.

Here is another: As a freshman, he had me lead off a hearing that related to my subject matter expertise, and he goes out of his way to highlight members' successes.

He is straightforward, honest, and reliable. That is who Jim Jordan is, and that is what being a Speaker is all about.

Now, some of you might not know this, but Jim and I have a long history. We take our jobs seriously.

I first met Jim as a candidate. I traveled to Ohio. I remember pulling up for breakfast at a Bob Evans in Ohio. There was Jim having a meeting, listening to constituents.

I traveled with him throughout the day from rotary to farm bureau, just listening to people that had concerns, and I watched then the same

Jim Jordan I see today. He was a leader, a listener, and a fighter.

We were actually elected to Congress that same year and became close friends. It was a small class. There were only 13 of us, one of the smallest Republican classes in modern history.

Over time, we took different routes. Jim actually ran against me for leader in 2018. It was a hard-fought battle, but I never once questioned his skills or commitment to this Conference or this country.

After the race, I became leader, and we had an opening for the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight. Jim didn't even apply for the job. I walked into steering; didn't tell steering.

I walked into the other room, and I picked up the phone and I called Jim. I said: I know you are not running for the job, but I believe in what Jim Collins says in the book ``Good to Great.'' You put the right people in the right seats on the bus.

Jim, you and I may have challenged one another, but you were the right person for that seat, and it was right when you took that job.

It was right again when I asked Jim to step up and join the Intel Committee when Democrats put politics over people and turned the Intel Committee into an impeachment committee.

It was right again when we asked Jim to step up and be the right person to lead the Judiciary Committee as chairman. Jim is the right person to take that seat behind me to be our next Speaker of the House.

Mr. Speaker pro tempore, we have an important job to do. The American people expect us to focus on the most pressing issues.

We have watched what a Democrat majority has done by bringing us inflation like we haven't seen since the 1970s.

We have watched what the Democrats have done by opening up our border, bringing in fentanyl that is killing Americans each and every day.

Now we have a war in Israel.

This country is too great for small visions. Trust me: Being Speaker is not an easy job, especially in this Conference, but I've seen Jim spend his entire career fighting for freedom, no matter what, no matter the odds, and I know he is ready for the job.

It is my honor to say as a member of the Republican Conference, I am directed by the vote of that Conference to present for election to the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives the name of my friend, the Honorable Jim Jordan, a Representative from the State of Ohio.

Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, I rise today to recognize the 100th Anniversary of Engineering Education at California State University, Fresno. Since its founding, the Lyles College of Engineering at Fresno State has prepared the Central Valley's engineering workforce by providing a quality education for college students.

The origin of Fresno State's engineering programs dates back to the 1922-1923 academic year, when Professor Herbert Wheaton was hired as the university's first civil engineering instructor with 35 students enrolled in the program. In the decades to come, the College of Engineering would only continue to expand with the emergence of the civil engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering programs. Fresno State launched its geomatics engineering program in 1979, which became the first accredited professional geomatics program in the United States to prepare students for careers in surveying and engineering related to the earth's surface. Today, the Lyles College of Engineering offers a comprehensive set of seven undergraduate degree programs, including architectural studies, civil engineering, computer engineering, construction management, electrical engineering, geomatics engineering, and mechanical engineering, as well as five graduate degree programs.

Over the past 100 years, Fresno State has educated tens of thousands of engineering students and has contributed to the development of a highly skilled engineering workforce for California and the nation. Fresno State graduates have made great strides in the Central Valley, the United States, and around the world. Today, over 60 percent of its students are the first to attend college in their families.

Lyles College has produced presidents and CEOs of large corporations, astronauts, entrepreneurs, designers, construction managers, engineers, and innovators who have served in both public and private sectors. Notable alumni include: Sam Iacobellis, an icon of the aerospace industry who led the manufacturing of the B-1 bomber during the Cold War; James Kardach, a tech innovator who contributed greatly towards the development of the Bluetooth standard; and Colonel Rick Husband, astronaut and commander of the U.S. Space Shuttle Columbia. A total of 26 alumni from Lyles College have been honored with Fresno State's distinguished Top Dog Alumni.

Today, Lyles College is an essential part of educating the future workforce and preparing students with the technological skills required to succeed. In addition to its impact on the students it serves, the Lyles College of Engineering has strong partnerships with local and regional industry groups and government agencies, and it is a catalyst for regional economic development.

Lyles College has contributed valuable research in areas such as transportation, structural engineering, water technologies, deep space networks, and agricultural technologies. At the dawn of its second century, Lyles College is well positioned for growth in innovation, research, and academic programs, and it will continue its leadership and impact in the greater San Joaquin Valley of California and beyond.

On behalf of the 20th Congressional District of California, I would like to congratulate the students, faculty, staff, and leadership at the Lyles College of Engineering for 100 successful years of engineering education at California State University, Fresno, and know that Fresno State will continue to be integral in graduating the next century of innovators of our Valley, State and Nation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable woman and public servant who works in this Chamber every single day: Ms. Joyce Hamlett.

(Applause, the Members rising.)

Joyce, with that support, I should have had you run my Speaker's race.

This is Joyce's last week on the House floor. After 35 years of working in Congress, she is about to begin a well-earned retirement where she will spend time with her loved ones.

This is truly the end of an era. Joyce is the first African-American woman to be appointed as the Keeper of the Mace.

Now, we all know Joyce, and she knows each and every one of us. She has gotten to know some of you even better than others.

For those at home, Joyce is the keeper of the rules. Just so you know that she is fair to all, it was just last month that I thought, being Speaker, I could have my own rules, and I brought somebody onto the floor. I asked the people outside, ``Hey, can I bring somebody onto the floor?'' I thought we were out of session. They said: ``You are the Speaker. Go ahead.''

I walked in those doors, but somebody stopped me. It was Joyce.

If it was not just me sneaking someone onto the floor but you without a tie or proper attire, you would have received a polite reminder from Joyce about the rules of decorum.

I would watch at times at the greatest height where we were not getting along with one another, when the tensions were high and I was afraid to talk to some of my own Members, but when Joyce walked up with that unbelievable smile and she would tell them they were doing something wrong, it was just like she was the teacher and they were in the first grade. ``Yes, Ms. Joyce,'' and they sat right back down.

Joyce has devoted her entire career to this institution, the people's House. In the early 1980s, she started working as a cook in the Capitol cafeteria alongside her mother, Betty. Then she served as an elevator operator in the Capitol before taking a position with Chamber security.

In total, as I said earlier, Joyce has given more than 35 years of her life to the House of Representatives.

That is why she cares so deeply about this Chamber and works to ensure that everyone who walks through these doors treats this institution with the respect it deserves.

In fact, Joyce has had one of the most important responsibilities in the House. When the people think of Congress, they think of the Capitol Building, of the dome, the symbol of American democracy. When people think of the House, we have our own symbol: the mace of the House of Representatives.

The day begins when the mace is raised, and the day ends when the mace is lifted. It has become the symbol of responsibility and duty for this institution in which we are honored to serve. Since 2007, Joyce has been charged with protecting and keeping the mace.

I don't know if you have looked at her brooch. When I became Speaker, Ann Hand came to see me. She makes a lot of different jewelry. She sells it, and I look to buy. She brought me this one piece of jewelry. She said the only person that has it is the Speaker before, Speaker Pelosi. I had watched Speaker Pelosi wear that brooch of that mace. She provided it to me for a family member.

The thing I enjoy the most about this job is when I get to put the floor into session. I got to know Joyce. We spend time behind there. She is holding the mace. I thought, wouldn't that be a great gift for retirement? In the back of my mind, she had told me that she was leaving, so I said: We are going to have a party for you.

I thought we could present this to her then, but then I thought, no, I need to present it to her now--the look on her face. The brooch on her lapel, she wears that every day, proudly. She wears it because she has earned it as the Keeper of the Mace.

I have told her time and again it is going to be sad to see her go, and I know Joyce is looking very much forward to spending more time with her family in North Carolina, with her two sons, David, Jr., and Donald, and all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Joyce, on behalf of the House, a really grateful thank-you. Thank you for your service. Thank you for your friendship. Personally, thank you for your commitment to the people's House.

We are a better institution because of Joyce. We are better Members in some of our darkest times because of a warning from Joyce.

You will always be welcome back into this House.

May you enjoy all the happiness in this world that this well-earned retirement brings. I thank you for the work, the commitment, and the friendship.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries).

Madam Speaker, Joyce is still going to be here with us for the rest of the week.

Tomorrow, at 11 o'clock, in the Rayburn Room, Leader Jeffries and I are going to host a reception for her retirement, and you can all come by.

Let's not make the week go longer just for Joyce. Let's end on a positive note for Joyce.

(Applause, the Members rising.)

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Eimear O'Brien on her retirement as Superintendent of the Clovis Unified School District. Throughout her 39-year career in the education field, Eimear has demonstrated servant leadership, professionalism, and integrity. Her passion for improving the lives of our youth through education is emblematic of Clovis.

Before serving as the Superintendent of the Clovis Unified School District, Eimear spent nearly 20 years in the classroom from 1983 to 2003. Born and raised in Ireland. Eimear earned her bachelor's degree from the Carysfort College of Education at the National University of Ireland in 1983. After earning her teaching credential in Ireland, she taught for 10 years in Dublin before accepting a teaching opportunity in the United States. She moved to Fresno, California in 1993 and became a first-grade teacher at Our Lady of Victory Catholic School before joining Clovis Unified as a third grade teacher at Maple Creek Elementary School in 1996. In 2010, Eimear graduated with her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from California State University, Fresno. Eimear's pursuit of academic excellence serves as a role model for the students, teachers, staff, and administrators to inspire excellence within Clovis Unified.

Following her two decades as an elementary school teacher in both Ireland and the United States. Eimear served in numerous leadership capacities at Clovis Unified, which speaks volumes about the trust placed in her. She began her pathway in educational leadership as the Guidance Instructional Specialist (GIS) at Valley Oak Elementary School in 2003. From there, she quickly advanced to Learning Director at Clovis West High School, Principal of Valley Oak Elementary School in 2007, Deputy Principal of Clovis West High School in 2009, and Principal of Clovis West High School in 2012. From 2014 to 2017, she served as Assistant Superintendent for the Clovis West Area before her appointment by the Clovis Unified Board of Trustees to the position of Superintendent in 2017.

During her tenure, Clovis Unified earned numerous awards, including, but not limited to, three National Blue Ribbon Awards, 13 California Distinguished School Awards, one Model Continuation School Award, five National Schools to Watch Awards, 28 California Pivotal Practice Awards, 54 Honor Roll School Recognitions, 43 Bonner Character Awards, 51 Positive Behavior Interventions and Support Awards, and 41 Statewide Civil Learning Awards.

While Eimear has an impressive list of accomplishments throughout her career, her greatest legacy is the lasting, positive impact on the lives of students over her nearly four decades of educational service. I know that Eimear is looking forward to this next chapter of her life and spending more time with her two daughters, Sarah and Emma. On behalf of the 20th Congressional District of California, I would like to congratulate Dr. Eimear O'Brien on a well-deserved retirement, a successful career in education, and for her many contributions to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 60th anniversary of Wawona Frozen Foods in the Central Valley. Since its founding in 1963, Wawona Frozen Foods and the Smittcamp family have produced some of America's favorite fruits, including plums, strawberries, pears, and more. However, Wawona is best known for its delicious peaches.

In 1945, Earl Smittcamp returned home after fighting in the South Pacific as a United States Marine during World War II. Like many Americans seeking out the American Dream after the war, Earl and his wife, Muriel, embarked on their own journey and purchased a 200-acre farm at Minnewawa and Nees Avenues in Clovis, California from Muriel's father in 1946. Wawona Ranch was born, and it would soon become a fully-integrated agricultural operation led by Earl and his sons, Bill and the late Bob Smittcamp. Today, Wawona is a third generation, family-owned business located in the congressional district I proudly represent.

Headquartered in Clovis and with additional processing plants in Fresno and Watsonville, Wawona Frozen Foods is a major employer and economic contributor to our community. Wawona ships more than 100 million pounds of food annually to schools, retail stores, and the food service industry. Its delicious products can be found in the nation's largest supermarkets, restaurants, and resorts and are used by pastry manufacturers and in baby food. Most notably, Wawona processes over 65 million pounds of peaches annually.

Aside from the nutritious foods found in stores all throughout North America, the Smittcamp family has made lasting contributions in the community. They are dedicated to improving the quality of life through civic and philanthropic involvement with numerous community organizations, including Fresno State (and its Smittcamp Family Honors College), the Smittcamp Family Foundation, and Valley Children's Hospital. Bill and his wife, Linda, have lived in Clovis for nearly 50 years and have three children: Blake and his wife Cherie, Brad and his wife Courtney, and Blair and her husband Nathan, all of whom work in the family business. Bill and Linda also have six grandchildren: Aubrey Rose, Austin, Beckett, Harvey, Savanna, and Teddy. The Smittcamp family can always be counted on to wish you a ``peachy day!''

On behalf of the 20th Congressional District of California, I would like to congratulate Wawona Frozen Foods and the Smittcamp family on 60 successful years in business and for their contributions to our community, California, and the Nation.

Mr. Speaker in a few moments, House Republicans will pass the strongest border security bill this country has ever seen.

Meanwhile, we are seeing a very different record from President Biden who has only been to the border one time in 50 years. We all know what it is. We have seen it every day for over 2 years--especially now that title 42 is expiring--record crossings, record carelessness, and record chaos.

Mr. Speaker, what have the House Democrats done?

What have they done to secure the border and fix the border crisis?

I checked, and frankly, it is nothing.

To start, House Democrats skipped congressional hearings at the border--not just one committee hearing--every single one of them. They skipped when the Judiciary Committee went and when the Homeland Security Committee went.

They spent the last 2 years voting by proxy, but when it came to securing the border, they chose to stay in Washington. They treat the border like President Biden does: Ignore it and hope the problem goes away.

I just don't understand why the Democrats wouldn't even show up for work.

Mr. Speaker, the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee for the Democrats skipped a fentanyl-related hearing because it was, in his words, performative.

Mr. Speaker, I guarantee you that the families who have lost loved ones to fentanyl don't think it is performative. They understand it is real. They lost a loved one.

The story is just as bad when you look at the previous Congress. For 2 years, the do-nothing inflation Democrats refused to face the music, even as the evidence piled up and the American people cried out.

What is worse, they lashed out at anyone who tried to fix the problem.

Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago, I warned the American people about what Border Patrol agents told me, they were catching individuals on the terrorist watch list.

Were the Democrats concerned when we gave them that information?

No.

One Democrat who served on the Armed Services Committee who represents a border State called me a liar.

Since then, more than 175 people on the terrorist watch list have been caught crossing the border.

In fact, just in February, we caught more people on the terrorist watch list in 1 month than we caught in the entire 4 years of the last administration.

Mr. Speaker, thank God the Republicans are in charge today. Thank God that they are willing to do something instead of ignoring the problem, and for bringing the solution. I think when you run for office, you should show up for work. I think when you have a committee hearing along the border to

learn the facts, stop playing politics and work for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Green for his work.

Mr. Speaker, when we took the majority and Mr. Green became chairman, he didn't stay in Washington to figure out what the problem was. He actually took his committee to the border to see firsthand.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the ranking member on the other side wouldn't attend. He stands up speaker after speaker thinking he knows what is happening on the border from far away in Washington.

I have been to the border four times in the past 3 years. I have seen the fear in the eyes of the ranchers who have had their property broken into. I have heard the frustration in the voice of the Border Patrol agents who are stretched to the limit.

Mr. Speaker, 2\1/2\ years ago, when I went to the border, I sat with the agents in El Paso. They told me they saw something different that they hadn't seen before. They were actually catching people on the terrorist watch list. I came down and had a press conference and announced what they told me.

Mr. Speaker, I would have thought that the Members on the other side of the aisle, knowing what has happened with 9/11 and others, that they would rise up in a united front to protect America.

Do you know what I heard from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle? They said that I was lying. They said that they had as much security clearance as I did, that it must not be true. In Washington, they thought they knew all, but they didn't go to the border to actually talk to the people who work right there.

It is interesting, though, that the next day, the administration had to say it was true. Do you know what the administration did then? They withheld the information from Congress so they could no longer find out how many people we would catch on the terrorist watch list. They wanted to deny knowing going forward.

My good friend on the other side of the aisle, the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am sure he knows that, in the month of February, we caught more people on the terrorist watch list in this 1 month than the entire time of the last administration.

In the last administration, the 4 years of everybody who came across on the terrorist watch list, this February, more came across. I am sure from far away he might probably think that is not true, too.

Mr. Speaker, I felt the sorrow in the words of the mothers and fathers who lost their children to fentanyl. Do you know what? You can stay in Washington if you want, and you will still hear the sorrows of the mothers and the fathers.

Today alone, 300 Americans will be poisoned by fentanyl. It is the equivalent of an airline crashing each and every day in America. I don't hear them rising up. Every day there are 300. They come from all walks of life.

Mr. Speaker, they want to stand and say ``no'' to H.R. 2. I want them to look in the eyes of the parents of the young children. They didn't buy fentanyl when they died. They were at college and bought Xanax. It doesn't just happen to the kids who are maybe into partying or others.

Just last year, on spring break, six kids OD'd in Florida. They didn't belong to a fraternity. They went to West Point. They didn't buy fentanyl. They all didn't take cocaine. Four of them did. The other two simply gave them mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Do you know what? Vote ``no.'' Go ahead and vote ``no.'' If you won't lead, we will. If you want to take the same approach as the President, that you want to ignore a problem and say it is not happening, we won't sit back. We don't sit back in Washington. We go to the border to actually see what is going on. We listen. We learn. Then, we sit in committee.

Even though your committee went and had a hearing--I am sure they are very proud that they protested and didn't go. Who lost? More Americans lost. More Americans will die by their actions. For their sake and for our Nation's safety, we must secure our border.

This is President Biden's record on the border: record crossings, record carelessness, and record chaos. More than 11,000 people were caught yesterday crossing the border illegally, the highest single-day total ever.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to hearing what the ranking member's quote is coming forward. Maybe he will quote the Secretary that the border is secure and believe him. You sit in Washington.

What is the administration's plan for these 11,000? According to NBC News, the plan--it is brilliant; listen to it--is to release many of them into the United States with no court dates and no way to track them. That worked so well in the past. Just ask the 85,000 children that the Biden administration lost.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to hearing the other side get up and tell me why they are voting ``no.''

They don't want to find these 85,000 kids? Don't take my word for it. This comes from The New York Times.

Tomorrow, as you sit here in debate and fight to make sure the border is still wide open, title 42 expires. Everyone knows we are days away from disaster. The mayor of El Paso, which recently declared a state of emergency, says: ``There is no light at the end of the tunnel. We are preparing for the unknown.''

The Governor of Arizona says that President Biden has been unresponsive. Governor Abbott of Texas rightly pointed out that this is not a Texas problem. This is a problem for the entire United States.

Mr. Speaker, I heard President Biden say yesterday that lifting title 42 means it is going to be chaotic for a little while. With all due respect, Mr. President, it has been chaotic for 2 years because of your actions.

On the very day President Biden took office, he decided against the advice of the border security experts, and he single-handedly removed the successful border policies of the previous administration.

The first thing President Biden did was he stopped construction of the border wall. He spends money now just to house the equipment and materials. He halted deportation. He ended remain in Mexico, and he called for amnesty for millions of people who broke the law.

His actions sent a clear message to the world, including the cartels: the border is open.

I remember on one of my trips down to the border right after the President took office, we had a new facility built. That day they hit a record number at the facility that they thought would never make capacity, but they did. As we walked in, we interviewed those who were standing in line.

We asked them: Why did you come?

They said: President Biden told us to. He told us the border was open.

We asked: How long was the trek?

Weeks, months, but the President invited us.

The world listened, and the cartels acted.

To this day, the southern border is being flooded by illegal aliens from more than 140 countries: Yemen, Russia, China, and others.

Yet, how has this administration responded?

A responsible administration would have told the American people in clear terms that this is a crisis. However, the Biden administration tells the public that there is no crisis. Rather than leveling with the American people, the Biden administration is choosing to mislead them.

I don't know if the ranking leader has ever been to Tucson, Arizona, but I was there recently. In Tucson, Arizona, the cartels control the border. Every single person who comes across that border wears a camouflage outfit. On their feet and on their shoes is a piece of rug. Seventy-one percent who come across that border are single males. They don't run up to the border agents. They run from them. It is one of the highest areas of get-aways.

It is a large terrain. Every day Americans risk their lives to go rescue people on the cliffs who have fallen. We took balloons up so we could actually calculate who was coming across.

When this became such a reported case, do you know what the Biden administration did, Mr. Speaker?

They cut the number of balloons.

Do you know why?

Because they said the numbers would go down. That is how they want to deal with it. They want to lie to the American public.

There is no better example than Secretary Mayorkas' comments that the border is secure.

Mr. Speaker, I hope the ranking member gets up after me, and I would like him to answer one question: Does he believe Secretary Mayorkas that the border is secure?

You have been chairman. You are ranking now. I am sure at some time you went to the border--but not when your committee did and not when we wanted to work on this bill.

You wanted to protest. You wanted to not go because you could learn everything you needed from right here in Washington--maybe from the Secretary.

I would like to know how many of you who stand up and say that you are going to vote against H.R. 2 believe Secretary Mayorkas?

Do you believe the border is secure?

Honestly, tell us. Tell the American public if that is what you believe.

Everyone knows that isn't true.

You can't say the border is secure when more than 4.5 million people have crossed our border illegally in the 24 months since President Biden has taken office.

There is not one piece of legislation that has changed from one administration to the other. The only thing that changed was the President.

And what did President Biden do?

He lifted all the actions of President Trump and President Obama. That is what happened to our border.

You can't say the border is secure when more than 175 individuals on the terrorist watch list have tried to cross our border.

You can't say the border is secure when human trafficking has grown into a multibillion-dollar business for the cartels.

You can't say the border is secure when you don't control the border and when the number one employer in some of these border towns is the cartels.

You can't say the border is secure when I sit there with a mayor, who happens to be from the other party, and he tells me a personal story that his daughter called, and he told her not to go outside because there was a car chase, a car chase because a cartel hired a young American to drive somebody they put across, and the car was going through--it is not an unusual thing. It happens often. Schools there, they would tell me they had to close for 45 days.

This car chase ended like others. It killed an innocent American, an innocent American who was going to a retirement party. She was a 65- year-old grandmother. She was going to have her friends celebrate a life of work and was looking forward to the times, with all the work and investment she had put in, to spend with her grandchildren and travel, but, no, her life was taken from her. And the Secretary said that our border is secure.

If you would travel to these towns, then you would know this too. If you would spend the time, then you would understand.

You see, Mr. Speaker, many of those elected officials aren't Republicans. They are Americans. They are registered as Democrats. They say they are disgusted by what this administration is doing.

While the Biden administration is missing in action, House Republicans are going to take action. We spent 2 years listening to those who have lived through the border crisis: Border Patrol agents, ranchers, families, businesses, and local leaders.

When I was in Tucson, I sat with a rancher. He told me that he has found five dead bodies on his ranch. His grandson, 7 years old, found one just last year. This is human life. Fifty-two died in a tractor trailer.

I sat with one who told me the story that when he looked down the road, he saw three young children, one not even 1, the other 3, and the other 4. Had the rancher not found them, they wouldn't be alive.

What about those who don't make it?

What about those who don't pay the cartels?

I sat with one news-covering agent who told the story of a woman who didn't pay the cartels, so the cartels took her life. They didn't just take her life. They wanted to show it to everybody in the world. So they strung her body up in a tree, cut her legs off, and set her on fire.

You see, if you go to the border, you will learn these stories. You will actually know what is happening there. So I don't think you would take a partisan position. You wouldn't talk in talking points. You would actually believe that 4.5 million people in the last year came across. If 11,000 came across yesterday--title 42 is going to be lifted.

If you don't like our bill, what is your answer?

What is your plan?

What are you going to do?

As I promised, we brought their government to them--visiting the border, gathering facts, and holding hearings.

What we learned directly informed not only our Commitment to America, but also the Secure the Border Act.

Here is what this bill does:

It fully provides for effective border enforcement policies, infrastructure, and advanced technology.

It increases the number of Border Patrol agents and gives them the bonus pay they deserve.

It ends catch and release and strengthens current laws to protect unaccompanied children from exploitation by human traffickers. I hope everybody who votes ``no'' reads The New York Times. I hope you read the stories about these young children.

It reinstates the so-called remain in Mexico provisions.

And it resumes construction of the border wall because the border wall works.

The Secure the Border Act is the strongest border security bill to come through Congress in more than 100 years.

If it passes, I am confident that we will stop the flood of fentanyl into our country, solve the Biden border crisis, and support our Border Patrol agents so they can continue to keep us safe.

Fentanyl is the number one killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.

If anybody thinks about their life between the ages of 18 and 45, those are the years in which you reproduce. Those are your most productive years in business. Those are the years of those who volunteer to serve in the military to defend our freedom.

Right now, the most productive population age in our country is being killed.

However, I listen to the other side, and they are going to say: ``No, continue it.''

By the actions of this President, Mr. Ranking Member, you don't have to go to the border because now every city is a border city.

You see, in my hometown of Bakersfield, in the elementary school, a father registered his son just after Thanksgiving. The public school district did a really good job. They noticed in 2 days this boy had an issue. They didn't sit back, they went to his house, and they met with his father.

They said: We feel your son has a challenge learning and other things. We want to work with you, and we want to help him.

Literally, they went to his house in 2 days. They watched him as he came to school.

Do you know what he did when he came to school?

He walked over to a vape room. He had a backpack, and he came into the class. They looked in the backpack. He had 150 pills. This kid was not even 16 years old. I think he was only 12. The counselor took out a pill to see what it was. They had to call an ambulance because the counselor touched a fentanyl pill.

I am far from the border. Just up the road in my district, they pulled over a car. I believe it had more than 500,000 fentanyl pills. California law says you couldn't ask the individuals if they were citizens--and they weren't.

I can't tell you how much jail time they got because in California they believe in a lot of your policies, and so the individuals didn't even have to have bail. They both got a ticket and were told to show back up. They never did. They probably got back in the car and delivered more of those fentanyl pills coming across the border. Of those 300 Americans who will die today, I am not sure if one of those pills was theirs.

I do know this: Tomorrow when I cast a ``yes'' vote for H.R. 2, we are doing something to stop the fentanyl. We are doing something for those families. We are doing something for the next generation of Americans.

If you believe that the rule of law is one of the greatest strengths of this Nation, you cannot keep it if you have millions of people who break it by entering it.

There is no nation as generous as America. One million people will become citizens this year, and one million more next year. We are different from any other nation, but what we have today is something that we don't even control: our own operation of our borders.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Secure the Border Act, vote ``yes'' on security over chaos, and vote ``yes'' to stop fentanyl killing our children.

Mr. Speaker, the American people have elected a divided government. Our government is designed to find compromise. That is why the House, the Senate, and the White House should be negotiating a responsible debt limit increase right now.

If you gave your child a credit card and they kept maxing it out to the limit, you wouldn't blindly just raise the limit, you would change their behavior. That exact same thing is true with our national debt.

We need to lower inflation, reduce our dependence on China, and lift Americans out of poverty. America has a $31 trillion debt, and Washington is on the clock.

What are Democrats doing?

President Biden is skipping town to deliver a speech in Maryland rather than sitting down to address the debt ceiling. He is giving America's debt the southern border treatment: Ignore it and hope that it goes away. In fact, he has been avoiding the issue for 77 straight days and counting.

Senator Schumer is just missing in action. Rather than find common ground with the House, Senator Schumer is having the Senate vote on a nonbinding resolution commending and congratulating the University of Connecticut Men's Basketball Team for

winning the 2023 men's basketball championship.

That is not all Senator Schumer has been doing. Last month he approved March as Maine's Maple Syrup Month. Talk about taking on big issues. I wonder what May's month will be about.

While President Biden and Senate Democrats waste time, House Republicans are taking action.

Today, I am proud to announce that we are introducing the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023.

This responsible legislation will be led by our Budget Committee Chairman, Jodey Arrington, and would responsibly raise the debt limit into next year and provide more than $4.5 trillion in savings to the American taxpayers.

Here is how we do it.

First, we limit government spending. Our plan would return discretionary spending to pre-inflationary fiscal year 2022 levels, and then limit the growth of spending to 1 percent per year.

Mr. Speaker, these are the same levels we had just 4 months ago. I didn't hear a single Democrat complain about that level of spending.

The spending limits are not draconian. They are responsible. Federal spending exploded in the past 2 years when Democrats controlled all, and that doesn't include the trillions of COVID-era spending.

By limiting government spending we will reduce inflation and restore fiscal discipline in Washington. If Washington wants to spend more, it will have to come together to find savings elsewhere--just like every single household in America.

Second, we are going to save taxpayers money.

Mr. Speaker, the pandemic is over. House Republicans have already passed the bill to officially end the pandemic, and President Biden signed it into law just last week.

Our bill would actually claw back billions of dollars of unspent COVID money that has sat for the last 2 years. The American people are tired of politicians who use COVID as an excuse for more extreme, inflationary spending.

If this money was authorized to fight the pandemic but was not spent during the pandemic, it should not be spent after the pandemic is over.

Our proposals also repeal Biden's army of 87,000 IRS agents. That will save taxpayers $70 billion, and it is going to protect families and small businesses from a weaponized IRS.

It would end the green giveaways for companies that distort the market and waste taxpayer money. Goldman Sachs did an analysis. They said the savings from ending the green giveaways are as much as $1.2 trillion.

We would prohibit President Biden's student loan giveaway for the wealthy. That would protect the 87 percent of adults without student loans from paying the loans of the 13 percent who do.

Finally, we will grow the economy so we are less dependent on China.

Our proposal will restore American energy leadership, make it easier to build things in America, make us less dependent on China, and bring jobs back to America.

It will also help lift millions of Americans out of poverty. Right now there are more job openings than people looking for work, in part because the Biden administration has weakened some of the very work requirements that then-Senator Joe Biden previously supported.

Our plan ensures adults without dependents earn a paycheck and learn new skills. By restoring these commonsense measures, we can help more Americans earn a paycheck, learn new skills, reduce childhood poverty, and rebuild the workforce.

It will also protect and preserve Medicare and Social Security because more people will be paying into it.

We will prevent President Biden's executive overreach to spend money outside the normal process, which President Biden has abused to the tune of $1.5 trillion in unilateral executive actions.

We should welcome and celebrate the benefits of a strong, growing economy, for with a strong, growing economy, we will no longer be dependent on China. We will no longer be victims to inflation, and we can leave a better future for our kids and our grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, House Republicans are taking action to lift the debt limit, limit government spending, save taxpayers money, and grow the economy.

President Biden and Senator Schumer have no right to play politics with the debt ceiling. Their extreme position risks provoking the very crisis they claim to want to avoid. They need to sit down, negotiate, and address this crisis.

Now that we have introduced a clear plan for a responsible debt limit increase, they have no more excuse to refuse to negotiate.

I think the Senate can honor maple syrup and basketball teams and negotiate on a debt ceiling at the same time.

We owe it to the American people to use this moment in history to deliver the future they want, need, and deserve.

House Republicans have a plan. The Senate does not, and the President is ignoring the debt crisis.

President Biden has a choice: come to the table and stop playing partisan political games, or cover his ears, refuse to negotiate, and risk bumbling his way into the first default in our Nation's history.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this plan to get our Nation back on track so, yes, we then can curb inflation, end our dependency on China, and strengthen and protect Social Security and Medicare.

Madam Chair, I thank the chairman, Bruce Westerman, for his work.

Madam Chair, the chairman mentioned something about our last speaker from Pennsylvania. I am a little concerned. Maybe he didn't have time to read the whole bill because the bill he described is not the bill that is before us.

He said somehow this would harm the environment. He was concerned about climate. If this bill passes, global emissions will be reduced. The chairman pointed out that the gentleman before, from the other side of the aisle, from Pennsylvania was criticizing this bill and he talked about the natural gas. I am not sure if the gentleman on the other side of the aisle has done any research or if he knows that American natural gas is 41 percent cleaner than Russian natural gas.

It is an interesting little fact. If we had replaced for 1 year just Russian natural gas to Europe, we would have reduced CO2 emissions by more than 200 million tons.

So, Madam Chair, it really begs the question: Who is the polluter? Those who defend Russia and vote against this bill. It is interesting the people opposing this bill, those I am hearing on the other side of the aisle--China, Russia, and OPEC. It is interesting the friends you keep.

Now, let's talk a little bit about this. If you go across this country, Madam Chair, it costs too much to heat your home and fill up your car. It cost less an administration ago.

Today, more than one-third of all Americans say they have skipped buying food or medicine to pay an energy bill in the last 12 months. We are going to have opportunity this week to make sure that they don't have to do that again if you vote ``yes.'' This is neither affordable nor sustainable.

In response, President Biden has paid lip service to the need of more energy production, but this is a public relations stunt. Almost every one of his policies involves penalizing America and empowering China.

Now, here are the facts: For years, President Biden and Democrats have attacked energy producers, blocked new leases on Federal land, and ground the permitting process to a halt. Their so-called Inflation Reduction Act included a natural gas tax, a $27 billion climate slush fund.

The gentleman on the other side of the aisle from Pennsylvania, he supported taxing the natural gas that is

produced in his State and creating a slush fund.

Meanwhile, in my home State of California, burdensome environmental laws have led to recurring blackouts and more red tape that raises costs for everything. Rather than increasing production and providing good-paying jobs, California imported more than half of its oil from Ecuador in recent years.

The interesting fact here is, when the Democrats took control of California under Governor Gavin Newsom, he reduced the amount of oil produced in California by 20 percent. That was 80,000 barrels a day. That doesn't mean California used 80,000 less barrels; it meant California started paying Putin for 50,000 barrels. They get the majority of their oil from Ecuador, from the Amazon.

Instead of producing it in an environmentally sound way in California, we are harming the environment. That is exactly what this bill is able to do--lower global emissions, lower the price of energy, and make the world more secure and safe, because then Putin and Russia is not controlling Europe.

Democrats have sent a clear message about their priorities. They are the party of $5 gas, subsidizing Communist China and the never-ending dependence on foreign dictators for minerals we have in America.

It was only a few short years ago where America produced more of the critical minerals than China, but as the Democrats would shut down leases, make it harder to open new mines, they moved it to other parts of the world, and not in an environmentally sound way, but by empowering China, making them stronger, and making the price in America higher.

Luckily, Congress has the opportunity to change the behavior of Washington by passing the Lower Energy Costs Act. Every Member of this chamber should support it. I understand why Russia and China oppose lower energy costs for America and making America stronger, but I don't understand why Members in this Congress would stand with China and Russia against America.

The Lower Energy Costs Act does two important things: One, it restores American energy leadership by repealing unnecessary taxes and overregulation on American energy producers so we can lead the world in providing clean, affordable energy.

Two, it makes it easier to build things in America. For example, this bill includes a 2-year time limit on environmental impact statements. It also streamlines the process for lawsuits so that activists can't use the courts to delay projects for years.

Ninety years ago, American workers built the Empire State Building in 400 days. That is 13 months. These days, however, even repairing existing structures, just like Lake Isabella Dam in my district, has taken 18 years, and that was only because we were lucky in pushing for it.

That is exactly how the Big Government under the Biden administration wants the system to work. Every time we need a pipeline, a road, or a dam, it gets held up on an average of 5 to 7 years and adds millions of dollars in costs for the project to comply with Washington's permitting process.

It is too long. It is unaffordable. It is not based on science. It is holding us back. It is time we speed up the time it takes for us to build all kinds of things in America. We could streamline permitting, stop abusive lawsuits, protect the environment, and, importantly, lower the price of energy.

This is why the Lower Energy Costs Act is H.R. 1. It signals how important the bill truly is.

Madam Chair, when the Democrats were in the majority, do you know what their H.R. 1 bill was? Election. Why? They wanted to change the election law to try to guarantee their right to be reelected. You see, they looked after themselves.

When Republicans took the majority, our H.R. 1 is about lowering energy costs for all Americans. We think it is important to serve others, not yourself.

I get permitting reform isn't for everyone. If you like paying more at the pump, you don't want to make it faster for American workers to build more pipelines. If you are China, you would rather America sit back and let others lead. If you are a bureaucrat, maybe you really do enjoy reading the 600-page environmental impact studies.

The rest of America wants lower prices, more cash in their hands, more good-paying jobs in America, and rules that are good for the environment. That is exactly what the Lower Energy Costs Act does.

Madam Chair, America has the potential to become a true energy superpower. God has blessed us with abundant energy, and we shouldn't have to depend on other countries for our future. In fact, we should make the world dependent on us for energy. The world would be cleaner and safer, and America would be better off.

If you want to have a responsible energy policy where America produces more energy, pays less for a gallon of gas, and never again bows to foreign dictators, vote ``yes'' on the Lower Energy Costs Act.

Three things will happen when this bill becomes law.

Your energy costs will be reduced. You will have more cash to take care of your family, to pay for your medicine, to take your family on vacation.

It will reduce global emissions, so environmentally, the world will be a better place.

It will make the world a safer place, so no longer does America pay Putin for dirtier oil or gas, so no longer does China control other nations because they control the critical minerals that America will not produce. No longer will we watch, as we watched in the 1930s, countries bound together to create an axis of power.

We have now watched China enter the Middle East to bring Saudi Arabia and Iran together. That used to be the role of the American President at Camp David. It is no longer.

We do not want to watch our President travel to the Middle East to beg to produce something more when America can produce it here in an environmentally sound way.

Madam Chair, I know why Russia and China fight this bill so hard. I do not understand why those on the other side of the aisle join with Russia and China. I ask them to join with Americans and make America safe and environmentally sound and the world a more secure place.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act. House Republicans made a commitment to America that we would bring up the Parents Bill of Rights Act. Today, we are keeping that promise.

The numbers speak for themselves. In the 1 month since the Parents Bill of Rights Act was introduced, thousands of parents have signed on to it. This massive surge of support proves that parents want more of a say in their children's education. President Biden's Secretary of Education recently said parents are missing in action. He is just wrong.

Parents are more motivated than ever, and they want us to take action. The bill before us today is about every mom, every dad, and, most importantly, every student in America.

We believe parents should be able to know what your children are learning, how your tax dollars are being spent, and whether your child is safe in school. That is exactly what the Parents Bill of Rights Act does.

When we introduced the Parents Bill of Rights Act, we numbered it H.R. 5. There is an important reason why. That is the age that children start kindergarten.

Also, this bill protects five important parental rights.

One, the right to know what is being taught in schools and to see the reading materials. No one is arguing that parents should dictate what is being taught, but parents should be able to see their school's curriculum publicly, know what books are in the library, and get timely notice about any plans to eliminate gifted and talented programs.

Two, the right to be heard. We saw Biden's Justice Department lash out at concerned parents and label them domestic terrorists. Parents should be allowed to address school board meetings, have their First Amendment rights respected, and have a say in their children's education.

Third, the right to see a school's budget and how your tax dollars are being spent.

Four, the right to protect your children's privacy. Parents should be able to control how any third party uses their children's personal data.

Fifth, the right to be updated on any violent activity at school. If there is violence at school, parents deserve to know.

Mr. Speaker, it doesn't matter the color of your skin, the ZIP Code you live in, or the wealth you have. Once you are a parent, you will give your life for your child.

You have a right to get basic information about your children's education, and with the Parents Bill of Rights Act, you will have that.

The Parents Bill of Rights Act is an important step toward protecting children and dramatically strengthening the rights of parents.

Mr. Speaker, in America, education is the great equalizer. Every child deserves a great education. We know that if parents are empowered, students will succeed.

For that reason, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for the work he is doing.

Mr. Speaker, a healthy Republic has two basic duties: Guarantee free and fair elections, and protect life, liberty, and property from violence.

Yet, two new acts from the Washington, D.C. Council will dilute the vote of American citizens and endanger city residents and visitors. Today, the House of Representatives will vote to stop these acts from taking effect. I urge all my colleagues to support these resolutions.

Let me start with the voting resolution. Last year, Washington, D.C., passed a law that would give the vote to illegal immigrants. The law makes no exceptions for foreign diplomats or agents who have interests that are the opposite of ours. Under this bill, Russian diplomats would get a vote and Chinese diplomats could get a vote.

The CCP is already infiltrating our culture, our farmland, and our skies, but the D.C. Council will let them infiltrate our ballot boxes. Just today, we had a classified briefing for all the Members of Congress talking about what the CCP just did last week over the skies of America, and now the D.C. Council wants to open up the ballot boxes for the CCP.

Even The Washington Post opposes this idea because, as they wrote, it would allow an ``estimated 50,000 noncitizen residents'' who live in Washington, D.C. to cast ballots in local elections. These elections, of course, can set the laws that cover the White House, Congress, and even government agencies. If we set this precedent, other cities will follow, and faith in our elections will plummet.

Now, let me address the crime resolution. To date, early in this year, early in February, there now have been 65 carjackings in Washington, D.C., just this year alone. That is more than one every single day.

Two weeks ago, two 18-year-old carjackers crashed into two Capitol Police vehicles just yards from this floor. The suspects were quickly arrested by the Capitol Police. Tragically, carjackings, shootings, and other crimes have become a reality of everyday life in our Nation's Capital.

In 2020, Washington, D.C., defunded the police. From that point on, the city government has done nothing but pass laws that have clearly made the city less safe. Today, many residents are worried about taking their kids to school or going to the grocery store.

Rather than attempt to fix the problem, the D.C. Council wants to go even easier on criminals. Their dangerous new criminal code softens penalties for violent crimes like assault, carjacking, rape, and even most types of murder.

If enacted into law, criminals would be treated like they are victims, and victims would be treated like they don't matter. Even liberals like The Washington Post Editorial Board and Mayor Bowser are against it. In fact, Mayor Bowser vetoed the new law last month. According to the Mayor, the law sends the wrong message to criminals and does not make us safer.

By overriding the Mayor's veto, the D.C. Council advanced the interests of radical activists at the expense of those who are forced to suffer the consequences. This is not fair. It is not right, and it must stop.

Under the Constitution, Congress, not the D.C. Council, has the final say over the laws governing the Nation's Capital. We have a responsibility to hold Washington, D.C., accountable and stop the new criminal code from taking effect.

This is exactly what this resolution does, Mr. Speaker. It is about more than just numbers. This is about our neighbors who are traumatized, injured, and have to live in fear. It is about parents who worry about whether it is safe to let their children play outside. It is about our constituents and students on school trips who might choose to stay home rather than visit their government in person.

That is why the men and women in blue support this resolution. The Fraternal Order of Police supports it; the D.C. Police Union supports it; the National Association of Police Organizations supports it; and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers' Association supports it.

You would think the D.C. Council would listen to the concerns of cops on the beat. They didn't, but Congress will. We will always back the blue, and we will always work to make our communities safer.