Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I would like to just take a minute to remind everyone that words matter, and their meanings need to be exactly clear.

Contraception stops a woman from becoming pregnant. The Plan B pill kills a baby in the womb once a woman is already pregnant. You see, the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act is not contraception, it is providing, with taxpayer dollars, the ability for women to have an abortion. The government should not be paying for abortion. The VA should not be paying for abortion. The American taxpayer should not be paying for abortion. So this is why this is very important for all of us to do what we are called to do and not play a part in killing a baby in the womb.

Madam Speaker, this is why I am asking all of my colleagues to vote against the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act. It is time to defend life in the womb.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to address the two- track justice system here in the United States.

If you are part of the Democrat-sponsored and Democrat terrorist organizations BLM and Antifa, then you can burn down American cities for an entire year, get bailed out of jail, and face no investigation or commission from Congress.

Meanwhile, Mr. Speaker, if you are a Trump supporter who happened to be at the Capitol on January 6, then you face exorbitant bail, solitary confinement, abuse of jail guards, and no due process.

This is an outrage. Just today, just this week, Congress told all of the American citizens that Congress cares more about Congress than the American people. After all, we have witnessed American cities all over our country be victims to violent riots by domestic terrorists all over this country.

The people have endured this. Businesses have been destroyed. Violence has happened. Police officers, night after night, have been abused and have had to endure these violent riots and attacks, on and on.

Yet this institution has been focused on itself and focused on investigating January 6, even though there are many investigations already happening here through the Senate and the House committees. There have already been over 445 people arrested from January 6. There are also more than 100 to be arrested soon. There is justice happening for the riot here at the Capitol on January 6.

Republicans and Democrats, together, are against the violence and the riot that happened here in the Capitol on January 6, but the problem lies with this: Republicans and Democrats are not together on the violence that has happened to the people all over this country throughout the past year.

That is why Congress is only concerned with itself and not about the American people.

Rioters did a horrific and jaw-dropping amount of damage to cities across America. During 2020, there was up to $2 billion in damage due to the riots that swept the Nation, the most expensive in insurance history.

By the way, that is not a $2 billion bailout fund coming from the government. That is not a taxpayer-funded check. That is private money. That is private money that insurance companies are having to pay because domestic terrorists rioted.

The damage done to Federal buildings has been incredibly costly. BLM rioters in Nashville set a Federal courthouse on fire. The destruction is estimated to have cost $1.2 million in damages. This is a courthouse. Why were those involved attacking and setting fire to this courthouse not called insurrectionists? It is a question that needs to be asked.

Rioters in Portland destroyed barriers and attempted to burn down government buildings, costing $1.6 million in damage to the Federal courthouse downtown. Why is this not called an insurrection? And, again, why is Congress not concerned with creating a commission for this type of damage and the people who caused this attack?

In Guilford County, North Carolina, a courthouse was broken into and set on fire, resulting in roughly $200,000 in damages. Again, it is a courthouse. Why is that not called an insurrection? And there is not a government bailout and a commission in place to investigate these things.

Los Angeles, Oakland, Louisville, and Dakota City also had damage to Federal buildings. These cities are not

being named. Members of Congress are not demanding a commission to investigate the damages happening to the Federal buildings in these cities. No one is being called insurrectionists for the damage that is done to these Federal buildings.

As a matter of fact, most of the time, if you watch the news, they are called peaceful protesters. These are not peaceful protests. These are violent domestic acts of terror, and this is exactly how they should be viewed, and this is how they should be handled.

The looting, burning, and destruction across America have cost cities millions and millions of dollars. Riots caused an estimated $55 million in damages in Minneapolis alone. Minneapolis city officials estimate 700 buildings were damaged, burned or destroyed, including, in one estimation, 360 local businesses. But I have an article right here that contains a list of 1,500 businesses that were damaged or destroyed-- 1,500 businesses.

Mr. Speaker, it is these businesses and these business owners that pay the taxes that fund everything that we do here. These people should matter. Their businesses should matter. Why is there not a commission investigating this? Why doesn't Congress care about these people and their businesses?

Rioters in Portland set up an autonomous zone that ultimately cost the city $2.3 million in damages--an autonomous zone. What is an autonomous zone, and how can people take over part of a city, an American city, and say that it is theirs, and that they control it, and that no government authority can come in and enforce the law, enforce law and order in this part of the city?

Yet, this is what happened with peaceful protesters in Portland. They created an autonomous zone, costing the taxpayers of Portland $2.3 million in damages. Again, that was not a bailout fund. Those are people's actual dollars, private citizens' dollars.

Riots in New York are estimated to have cost the city $115 million. One Friday night alone cost the city $100,000 and resulted in the arrest of 150 rioters. That was just in one night, the arrest of 150 rioters. It is unbelievable.

Riots in Salt Lake City cost at least $100,000 in damages.

Riots in Wichita, Kansas, cost the police department nearly $1.5 million in overtime because they had to work. They had to show up for another shift when they were exhausted from working the shift before. So, they had to be paid overtime because they were overrun with rioters.

Riots in Denver cost the city at least $5.5 million in damages and overtime.

This is unbelievable, when there are antifa, BLM rioters, domestic terrorists causing so much violence and damage in a city that these cities and police departments are having to call their police officers back in after working their shifts, their long hours: No, I am sorry. You can't go home to your family. I am sorry, you can't go home and do things that you need to do in your regular life. We need you to come in. We need you to come back and work overtime because our city is overrun with violence.

Yet, here the United States Congress, the 117th Congress, has no interest in launching a commission to investigate, to stop these incredibly organized and well-funded organizations of terror across American cities and the country that are causing private citizens, businesses, insurance companies, cities, counties, and States so much money that all comes from American citizens and taxpayers.

Money is not created right here in Congress. This is not a facility. This is not an institution that creates revenue. The only revenue that Congress operates on is the American people's tax dollars that they have to pay right here to the Federal Government. Congress needs to learn to put the people first and not itself.

Riots in Baltimore cost the city an estimated $26 million--again, taxpayer dollars, privacy citizens' dollars.

Riots in Kansas City resulted in $2.1 million in damages, most over the course of just one weekend. That is some kind of party, isn't it, where antifa and BLM terrorists can go out and just riot in violence and rage in one weekend, costing a city $2.1 million?

Rioters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, injured police officers and set at least two city trucks on fire. Altogether, the destruction cost the city $50 million. Does anyone understand what $50 million is? That is an exorbitant amount of money in damages for people who were angry and think that it is okay to riot and destroy other people's property, other people's businesses, and tear down a community. There is no excuse for that.

Here we have California, where they closed down all of its State buildings in downtown areas, saying staff should not report to work for any reason. That sounds like some kind of Third World country where you have California closing down all of its State buildings in downtown areas saying that your staff should not report to work for any reason. Why? Because it is too dangerous for you.

Yet, this Congress is so concerned with spending an unknown amount of money on a January 6 commission when there are already multiple investigations underway. There have already been 445 arrests made, 100 more to take place. Yet, this Congress is not concerned about all the violence and the organizations that caused all of this to the point where California has to say: Don't come to work. It is dangerous.

Look at this. It is unreal. This is our country. The police officers who defend Americans paid a great price as well, just like the Capitol Police officers here in the Capitol did. The police officers all over the country in American cities, it didn't just happen to them on one day for part of the day. It happened to them night after night, day after day, continuously.

In some cities, for a short time, weeks, but in some cities, it was months and months, and it still continues. The Major Cities Chiefs Association found that between May 25 and July 31, there were 8,700 protests nationwide. How many was there on January 6? One.

Nearly 600 of those protests were declared riots with violence and criminal acts, and 2,385 looting incidents were reported. Six hundred of them were declared violent riots, 2,385 looting incidents. Again, how many times did that happen here at the Capitol? We will go with one riot.

But this Congress is more interested in spending an unknown amount of money to investigate one riot here because this Congress seems to only care about itself and not the American people.

Three-quarters of law enforcement agencies reported officers harmed during the protests--three-quarters of law enforcement agencies. Why don't we hear about them over and over on the news? Does no one care about those police officers' lives? Apparently not. This Congress obviously doesn't.

More than 624 arsons were reported, and at least 97 police vehicles were burned. That cost a lot of money. Again, do you know whose money that is? It is the taxpayers' dollars. The taxpayers did nothing wrong to deserve these riots in their cities, and the police officers that did a good job and do a good job every day don't deserve it either-- just because of the actions of a few bad apples.

The MCCA reported that over 2,000 law enforcement officers were injured in these 9 weeks alone. That is why I introduced H.R. 2446 to award police all over the country who defended American cities. They deserve medals because no one is acknowledging what they have gone through, night after night, day after day, with what CNN calls peaceful protests. I don't think so.

Meanwhile, BLM and antifa domestic terrorists are bailed out and supported by our now-Vice President Kamala Harris. George Floyd died on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As you see here, on June 1, we have then-Senator Kamala Harris and then-Vice Presidential candidate for the United States sharing, tweeting, a link to the Minnesota Freedom Fund encouraging people, if you are able, chip in now. Chip in now. Send some more money to the Minnesota Freedom Fund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota.

But we know what was going on. These were not protests. These were violent riots. I am sorry, you can't stand in front of a city on fire and people fighting and say it is a protest. It is a riot, and it is not peaceful.

In fact, Kamala Harris, and unfortunately, my own colleague from Minneapolis, Ilhan Omar, have shared links to the Minnesota Freedom Fund with their millions of Twitter followers. And it raised a lot of money for the Minnesota Freedom Fund. In August, the Minnesota Freedom Fund reported that it had raised $35 million in donations.

Yes, when the Democratic candidate for the Vice President of the United States says donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, people donated. When the Congresswoman from Minneapolis, Minnesota, shared on her Twitter to millions of followers and pointed down, meaning follow suit, donate, guess what? They raised $35 million.

And guess what happened from that. As a result of all the money raised by then-Senator Kamala Harris and then the Democrat Vice Presidential candidate of the United States, now our current Vice President, and current Congresswoman from Minneapolis, Minnesota, 184 domestic terrorist criminals that rioted were bailed out from the Minnesota Freedom Fund.

The criminals they helped bail out include a woman who shot at the SWAT team; another woman, who was accused of killing her own friend; and a convicted rapist. That is just a few of the people that were bailed out with the money raised directly for the Minnesota Freedom Fund by then-Senator Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, shared on their own Twitter pages.

Can you imagine if a Republican Congresswoman or Congressman or a Republican Senator or a Republican President shared a bail bond link and said: ``Bail out the protestors from January 6''? Can you imagine the result of that? It would be unreal.

There has been no backlash, there has been no consequences, there has been no action taken from this irresponsibility, supporting domestic terrorists who are responsible for violence, crime, and costing the innocent American people an exorbitant amount of money, stress, ruining communities, ruining people's livelihoods, and tearing apart our country. No accountability whatsoever.

These Democrat lawmakers have also voted for defunding police departments across the country. So while they also raised money for domestic terrorists, who committed crimes, to be bailed out of jail, at the same time they legislate and vote to defund police.

H.R. 1280, that they voted for and passed, removed qualified immunity. That means police officers can be sued if someone is upset with them for their actions on the job.

Police officers don't make a lot of money. They can't afford big attorney bills. It will ruin them, just because someone may get their feelings hurt because they got arrested.

H.R. 1280 also will allow police officers to be put on a list. That means whether it is proven or unproven, someone can accuse a police officer of doing some sort of wrong, and their name and information gets put on a public list that the Department of Justice will manage on a website that is open to anyone that wants to look it up. Founded or unfounded, their actions, no matter if it is true or not, their name goes on this list and what they are being accused of. This is what these people voted for to do to police officers and remove a lot of their funding.

After the LAPD was defunded by $150 million, Vice President Harris said: ``I applaud Eric Garcetti for doing what he has done.''

As a result of the funding cuts, the LAPD dissolved its sexual assault unit. Defunding the LAPD where they have to get rid of the sexual assault unit? That is unbelievable. That means women, children, any victim of sexual assault--I am sorry, there is not a unit there anymore to help them, because they have been defunded.

As a result of this defunding, Vice President Harris applauds Eric Garcetti for doing what he has done, there has been a 73 percent spike in shootings in LA. When you defund the police, ladies and gentlemen, there are direct consequences. That means crime goes up.

There has also been a 200 percent higher murder rate than last year at the same time. If you don't fund law enforcement, you are funding criminals. Clearly, we can see this is what some of these Democrat lawmakers have done; they have clearly funded criminals and defunded the police.

Back to Minneapolis and the riots there.

Notice that this date, 11/4/20, that is not too long ago, encouraging donations. There is no excuse for that. November 4, 2020, by that date, we had seen plenty of violence and damage all over the streets. There was no way to call those riots peaceful protests. We know exactly what they are: domestic acts of terror.

In Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's district, 700 buildings were damaged, burned, or destroyed. Who owns those buildings? Mostly private citizens.

1,500 businesses. Here is the list. It is reported from the Star Tribune from Minneapolis, for the Twin Cities. 1,500 privately owned businesses heavily damaged, two destroyed, mostly completely destroyed.

The problem with Congress is, Congress does not get up early every single day, go into its business and have to earn the money that keeps it going. Congress does not have to work so hard, lose sleep at night, to figure out how to earn the money to keep the doors open to their business. Congress does not have to lose sleep at night when things get rough, like when the Government shuts down the economy because of a Chinese virus and tells businesses that they cannot keep their doors open and sell their goods and services, that they cannot earn a living. You see, Congress doesn't understand how hard it is to figure out how to keep paying your employees when that happens to you.

Congress doesn't understand or seem to care about doing a commission for the people that pay the taxes to keep the lights on in this building, to care about them and why they were violently attacked. No, Congress only cares about itself and why it was attacked on January 6, even though there are multiple investigations going on, even though there has been 445 people arrested and 100 people more arrested.

And justice should be served for those that committed violence here at the Capitol on January 6, but Congress doesn't care about the American people who have suffered this entire year, and it is despicable.

The human cost of a year of riots and violence is 25 American lives lost. That has been estimated. Twenty-five Americans are dead as a direct result of BLM and antifa terrorism that has swept our Nation.

I will go ahead and tell you about one.

This little girl's name is Secoriea Turner. Secoriea Turner was killed at a Wendy's in Atlanta, because there were riots going on. Secoriea Turner's mother was pulling in the Wendy's, turning around, trying to go the right way, when gunshots were fired that took Secoriea Turner's life. She was 8 years old. This little girl was 8 years old and was murdered during a riot.

There is not a commission being launched in here for her life. There is also not a commission being launched for the life of David Dorn, a great man, a retired police officer who was murdered during domestic terrorists, BLM, riots. Why does Congress not care about David Dorn? Why does Congress not care about Secoriea Turner?

Despite all of this damage, there is no investigation into domestic terrorism from Congress. We have no commission launched to investigate the funding of antifa. There is no investigation into the funding of BLM. There is no commission set forward for the past year of violent riots. But all they care about is a commission for the one riot here on January 6.

The accused on January 6 have been abused behind bars; they have been denied due process rights; they are still being held in jail. Michael Sherwin, an attorney for D.C., bragged that they had rounded up 400 people who participated in the breach of the Capitol on January 6. He said he wanted to charge as many people as possible.

What kind of justice system do we have if officials are eager to charge as many people as possible, but they don't care about antifa domestic terrorists and they don't care about the people in those riots?

The Biden administration has taken investigators who typically work on cases involving drug trafficking and

child pornography and assigned them to calling relatives, even ex- girlfriends, of the January 6 accused in an attempt to find them guilty.

Please put them back on drug trafficking and child pornography. These departments are being defunded anyway.

One person accused faces 7 years in prison for walking through the open doors of the Capitol, taking photos in the hallway, and leaving without doing any harm.

Even the mainstream media outlets have reported on D.C. jail guards cruelly beating Trump supporters. One man was beaten so badly he has a skull fracture and is now blind in one eye. You don't hardly hear anything about that on the news.

Months after January 6, men and women are still being held in jail, and they haven't seen their day in court. Justice should be served for January 6, but this Congress needs to care about the people of the United States who have not seen justice for the riots of the past year. This Congress is failing the American people.

Not only are we a Nation nearly in $30 trillion in debt, but we have a Congress that could care less about law and order in the United States

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the extraordinary life of Captain Michael D'Angelo Garigan, a dedicated law enforcement officer from my district, who passed away earlier this year.

Officer Garigan was born in Gordon County to a well-known and highly respected family. A Calhoun resident all his life, Captain Garigan invested in his community and bettered the lives of everyone around him.

Captain Garigan served the people of Gordon County for over three decades as a deputy, detective, and coordinator for the Gordon County Sheriff's Office. In fact, Captain Garigan was decorated over a dozen times for exemplary police work.

Outside the office, Captain Garigan was an active member of his community, serving his church as a deacon, broadcasting high school football games on the radio, and umpiring baseball and football games for local youth leagues.

Captain Garigan's exemplary contribution to the people of Gordon County should be honored and remembered. That is why I have introduced House Resolution 301, commending Captain Garigan for his devotion to his family, community, church, and the Nation.

My thoughts and prayers are with Captain Garigan's family and the people of Gordon County.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill and to the January 6 commission. I do so as a Member of Congress because I believe this institution's duty is to serve the people of this country and not itself.

In this past year, we have witnessed violent riots in American cities all over this country. We have witnessed tremendous damage. Minneapolis city officials estimate 700 buildings were damaged, burned, or destroyed, including 360 local businesses. There has not been a commission launched to study the reasons why that happened.

There has not been an investigation to stop the BLM and antifa riots that have hurt innocent people and attacked government buildings and Federal courthouses, taken over police precincts, created autonomous zones in the city of Portland, and done so much damage to people all over the country.

Studies show 570 protests in 220 different U.S. locations turned violent over the summer. The $1 billion-plus riot damage is estimated to be the most expensive in insurance history. It resulted in up to $2 billion of damages in 20 cities across the U.S., mostly concentrated in L.A., Detroit, Miami, D.C., and New York.

As a person who was a victim of the January 6 Capitol attack, I can tell you that I am against the violence that happened that day, but I do not believe a January 6 commission will achieve any resolution because we have already had our Department of Justice arrest 445 people, with 100 more to be arrested soon.

There are also reports of people being held for 23 hours in solitary confinement. That should not be happening. These people haven't even had a court date yet.

What is going to happen with the January 6 commission is the media is going to use this to smear Trump supporters and President Trump for the next few years and cover up the real damage that is happening to the people of this country, which is tearing down our economy, ripping our borders wide open, and hurting this country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the commission to study the events of January 6, as well as spending $2 billion in a security supplemental.

The question that comes to mind is this: What about all the riots that happened during the summer of 2020 after the death of George Floyd? What about all the damage caused to Federal buildings, churches, people's businesses, and innocent people that were killed, like David Dorn?

This past summer, Minneapolis city officials estimate 700 buildings were damaged, burned, or destroyed, including 360 local businesses. Riots caused an estimated $55 million in damages in Minneapolis alone.

BLM and antifa established an autonomous zone in Seattle and attempted to burn government buildings in Portland. Is that not an insurrection?

On one Friday night alone in New York City, BLM protesters caused over $100,000 in damages, and 150 people were arrested.

Just one Monday night in Philadelphia resulted in a crowd of 1,000 people looting stores, setting fires in the middle of the street, and 30 police officers injured.

Protests in Kansas City resulted in $2.1 million in damages, mostly over the course of one weekend. Several officers were injured as well.

Protests in Wichita, Kansas, cost the police department about $1.5 million in overtime.

Protests in Salt Lake City cost at least $100,000 in damages.

Protests in Denver cost the city at least $5.5 million in damages and overtime.

BLM protesters in Nashville set a Federal courthouse on fire. The destruction is estimated to have cost $1.2 million in damages. Again, is that an insurrection?

Protesters in Portland destroyed barriers and attempted to burn down government buildings, resulting in $2.3 million in damages, including $1.6 million in damages to the courthouse downtown.

In St. Louis, following a night of violence, buildings were looted, vandalized, and burned.

Protestors in Louisville set the courthouse on fire and shot two cops, resulting in a state of emergency order being declared.

Protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, injured police officers, set off fireworks near the police and courthouse, and set at least two city trucks on fire.

In Guilford County, North Carolina, a courthouse was broken into and set on fire, resulting in roughly $200,000 in damages.

Protests in Oakland, California, resulted in a courthouse being set on fire and vandalized.

The LAPD was defunded by $150 million, and some smaller crime units were eliminated entirely.

Studies show 570 protests in 220 U.S. locations turned violent over the summer. Are those not insurrections?

The $1-plus billion in riot damages is estimated to be the most expensive in insurance history. It resulted in up to $2 billion of damages in 20 cities across the U.S., mostly concentrated in L.A., Detroit, Miami, D.C., and New York.

Indeed, we should have a commission to study the violent BLM and antifa mobs that have plagued American cities this past summer, and that is for the American people who, by the way, pay the taxes that fund everything we do here.

Also, we should have a security supplemental to fund all the police departments that have been defunded due to the pressure from radical, violent, and socialist groups. We should back the blue because they certainly back us.

Also, while it is catch-and-release for domestic terrorists, antifa, BLM, the people who breached the Capitol on January 6 are being abused, some even being held for 23 hours a day in solitary confinement.

So, Mr. Speaker, my questions are these: Who placed the pipe bombs at the RNC and the DNC, which is an attack on both Republicans and Democrats? Why was President Trump's request on January 5 for 10,000 National Guard denied, and who denied it, and what chain of command did they follow? Also, who killed Ashli Babbitt, and why is that not being revealed? Does her family not deserve justice? Lastly, when will the witch hunt of Donald J. Trump come to an end, and all of those who support him?

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1065.

There is language that I find many Democrats use in a lot of Democrats' bills. It is called pregnancy rights. Pregnancy rights means abortion to them, and I really don't understand that because that is not pregnancy. Abortion is killing a baby in the womb. That is not pregnancy rights. That is one issue we have there.

Democrats are once again using identity politics--this identity is a pregnant woman--to overregulate businesses. Rather than giving mothers greater access to paid family leave or making healthcare affordable, Democrats want to double down on a government mandate that punishes businesses and religious organizations and provides more access to abortion. That is killing the baby in the womb. That is not pregnancy rights.

Passing this bill means a small business or religious organization could be forced to provide paid time off to an employee to have an abortion even if that violates the religious beliefs of the organization. On top of that, these groups can be sued for damages for not taking every step to accommodate pregnant workers. That means churches and small businesses, the backbone of America, will be tied up in court for years seeking to comply with a one-size-fits-all government agenda from Washington.

The solution to this problem is to reopen America, reduce government regulations on small businesses, and keep Trump tax cuts that allow companies to keep more of their money to pass on to employees.

I cannot support a bill that allows more abortion.