Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Biggs, my good friend from Arizona, for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, President Joe Biden wants to raise the national debt by more than $3 trillion over the next 2 years. Washington is bleeding American taxpayers dry with their addiction to spending, with no end in sight to this endless financial disaster.

The U.S. already has roughly $31.6 trillion in debt, with no concrete plan to pay it back. Most folks cannot even fathom how much money that truly is.

Congress can avoid raising the debt ceiling almost indefinitely by returning spending to pre-COVID levels and practicing fiscal responsibility.

On March 28, my colleagues and I proposed targeted cuts to nondefense discretionary spending that would reduce the deficit by $100 billion over the next year and reduce the total spending by more than $1 trillion over the next decade.

I am proud to cosponsor over 500 bills that were introduced by Representative Andy Biggs to achieve this. These are concrete, commonsense proposals to eliminate woke and wasteful spending from our Federal Government.

We must rescind unspent COVID-19 money and stop funding the radical left's wish list, like the IRS expansion, wasteful green energy projects, and student loan bailout.

Congress can still pass a strong budget that protects Social Security and Medicare benefits without having to raise the debt ceiling at all. Yet, Democrat leaders have yet to respond to this proposal, and the President has made it clear that he is unwilling to work with any Republicans.

Biden's proposed budget of $6.8 trillion represents a nearly 32 percent increase in spending since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, my fellow colleagues, the pandemic is over. The Federal Government was big in 2019. The American people were taxed enough already in 2019.

When the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed, it lowered Federal taxes for all Americans and led to the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years. It has generated nearly $1 trillion a year more in Federal revenue.

It is inappropriate for the President to ask the American people for even more of their hard-earned money when there is still over $100 billion in unspent COVID relief money lying on the table.

There are too many wasteful organizations and woke government programs that do almost nothing for the American people while costing them billions each year in increased spending and increased regulatory burdens.

In fact, the Congressional Budget Office produces a long list of Federal departments, programs, and agencies

that are no longer authorized, but many of these programs still receive funding.

This is just one example of the countless ways that Congress could address our spending addiction.

Mr. Speaker, our deficit is getting worse every year. Congress has failed in its duty to provide sound stewardship of the American finances, and we are all facing the consequences of this failure.

Worse yet, the consequences of our decisions will fall on the future generations of Americans.

We all need to come together and find a solution to this problem and shrink Washington and grow America.

Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to honor an outstanding public servant and brilliant young man who refuses to let his disability limit his potential.

Witt Williams is a Helena, Montana native whose parents received the difficult news that their son was born deaf and would likely finish high school reading at a 4th-grade level. Unwilling to accept the limitations of his condition, Witt worked tirelessly with his mother, Wendy, to ensure that he kept up with his hearing peers.

Witt excelled as a student-athlete while attending Helena High, competing on the varsity tennis team and the Great Divide Ski Team, where he placed in the Slalom at the Winter Deaflympics. Witt further distinguished himself in extracurriculars by representing his school at the Montana Behavior Initiative Leadership Conference.

Witt Williams defied the odds that often befall those who are hearing impaired and graduated from Montana State University last spring with a degree in Exercise Science/Kinesiology. His success is all the more impressive considering that he accomplished all this while maintaining a grade point average of 3.75 and graduating with high honors.

Witt currently works for the Montana State Legislature as a Majority Aide. Like any good Montana man, he also has interests outside the legislature and works as a ski racing coach at Great Divide Ski Area and serves as the varsity tennis coach for Helena High School.

I want to commend Witt for his dedicated work in the legislature and in his local community. Witt Williams is an example for all Montanans to follow, and it is my privilege to acknowledge his contributions in the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise and acknowledge Custer Gallatin Forest Engineer Parks Frady for his dedicated administration of Montana's National Forests and congratulate him as the recipient of the 2022 Managerial Engineer of the Year award.

Parks is a devoted member of the forest team who has distinguished himself on multiple occasions.

But this past summer, when a natural disaster ravaged the forest he manages, Parks displayed the leadership and decisive action that has earned him recognition from his colleagues.

When a 500-year flood event devastated much of the forest and surrounding lands, Parks led extensive rapid response efforts to restore emergency access and coordinated long-term reconstruction efforts to restore the area to its original state.

Under normal circumstances, this tragedy would have incapacitated Custer Gallatin Forest for months. But thanks to Parks' diligent work, the forest and surrounding community have recovered quickly and safely.

I can't thank Parks enough for his service to Custer Gallatin National Forest and the broader Montana ecosystem. His work has earned the respect of his peers, and his continued commitment to excellence will benefit the Custer Gallatin National Forest for years to come.

I'm honored to call Parks Frady a fellow Montanan and privileged to recognize his contributions in the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to recognize the work of an outstanding young man whose service in the Montana Legislature is an example of the extraordinary impact those with physical disabilities can have on their community.

Jack Racicot is an aide to the Montana Legislature and serves as a clerk for the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee.

During the 2021 Legislative Session, Jack was on a snowboarding trip at Great Divide Ski Area near Helena where he suffered a debilitating accident that crushed his C5 vertebrae and left him paralyzed from the neck down.

After an extensive recovery at the University of Utah Medical Center, Jack returned to the Senate as an aide in the 68th Legislative Session and continues to serve with distinction to this day. Jack's courageous return to work is a poignant reminder of the strength of Montana's young men and women.

I'm humbled to see such a dedicated young man serving his state despite his injuries, and I am proud to recognize him in the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, Montana's biodiversity and breathtaking natural beauty attract countless researchers and naturalists to our great state. This makes Clint Sestrich's recognition as this year's Outstanding Fisheries Professional by the Montana Chapter of the American Fisheries Society particularly impressive.

Clint became a member of the fisheries society in 1997 and has led multiple conservation efforts over the past 25 years. He distinguished himself on numerous occasions for his stewardship of Montana's fish populations, including his work on the Upper Shields YCT

restoration and conservation project, the Buffalo Creek Restoration project, and by securing $1.5 million in funding for the Slip and Slide Creek Wetland Restoration and Curly-leaf Pondweed Eradication Project.

But Clint's biggest contributions to preserving the natural splendor of Montana's fisheries came from his recent leadership on the restoration of Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the Custer Gallatin National Forest.

Clint Sestrich's commitment to conservation will undoubtedly benefit Montana wildlife for generations to come. His dedication stands as a stark example of the work all Montanans can do to preserve the natural world.

I'm honored to stand with the Montana American Fisheries Society and all fisheries biologists by recognizing Clint's inspirational service to conservation, and it is my privilege to acknowledge his work in the United States House of Representatives.

Madam Chair, as I travel across Montana and meet with constituents, I hear the same thing.

They want our Federal Government to remove the barriers that lead to incredibly high energy costs that they face to operate their farms, their businesses, and their homes.

A lot of politicians here in Washington don't understand these struggles. They don't understand that their policies, which caused diesel prices to go up, dramatically increase input costs for farmers. They haven't had to endure a Montana winter where temps can hover between 10 and 20 degrees below zero for extended periods of time. The Energy Information Administration estimated that it cost Montanans 30 percent more to heat their homes last year, thanks to the Biden administration's policies. That is not pocket change.

Lowering energy costs and restoring our Nation's energy dominance will require an all-of-the-above approach and a dismantling of the Biden administration's green energy policies. That is why H.R. 1 is such a comprehensive reform bill, with input from representatives from every part of our Nation.

Since Biden entered office, his administration has held zero lease sales for energy development on public lands. That is why I reintroduced the Restore Onshore Energy Act to be included in this package. It would force the administration to immediately resume quarterly lease sales dictated in the Mineral Leasing Act and further require the Department of the Interior to immediately hold replacement sales when the sales are missed.

In addition to resuming lease sales, H.R. 1 will repeal harmful royalty and fee increases, streamline the Federal permitting process under NEPA, and require more transparency from the Federal Government, among many other provisions. This is about cutting through bureaucracy and fighting the radical environmentalists to allow our energy sector to get back to work for the American people.

We know that energy independence isn't just a critical component of our national security and supply chain, but it also affects agriculture, the largest industry in Montana. The President's policies caused a 150 percent increase in transportation diesel prices since he took office. This directly contributes to market access, complications for farmers and ranchers, and increases inputs, like fertilizers and pesticides and labor and many other things. All of this results in higher food costs at the grocery store and a decrease in revenue margins for agricultural producers.

In the words of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, farming looks mighty easy when you use a pencil for a plow and you live a thousand miles away from a cornfield.

It is time for Congress to stand up to unelected bureaucrats and the radical environmentalists controlling our executive branch and setting policies without regard to the impact that they will have on the people in Montana and real America.

Madam Chair, I support H.R. 1 and hope my colleagues will do the same.

Mr. Speaker, Montana's family-owned ranches are synonymous with the strength of our economy and the vitality of our communities.

That is why I'm so pleased to hear that the Montana Historical Society is honoring the Luppold/Buckingham Ranch in Meagher County for 150 years of family ownership.

Moving to Montana after his service in the Civil War, William Luppold established a small 160-acre ranch in 1866. By the time of his death in 1916, William had transformed the plot into a highly profitable cattle ranch of nearly 2,000 acres.

William Luppold's success is a testament to the natural abundance of our great state and the perseverance of his family. Successive generations have built upon William's vision by diversifying the ranch's business and leasing land to their neighbors.

The ranch passed to William's favorite niece, Emilia McStravick, and her daughter Gertrude, who retained ownership of the property for nearly 50 years before passing it on to Gertrude's nephew Frederick Buckingham in 1985.

Frederick would continue to carry on the family legacy for nearly three decades until his passing in 2018. Today, Frederick's niece Megan Shroyer and her husband Rodger own and operate the ranch on behalf of four generations that came before them.

Although the Luppolds and Buckinghams have seen tremendous success, the family acknowledges that maintaining such a sprawling property hasn't always been easy. Like many hard-working Montanans, their fortitude and dedication have paid dividends over the past two and half centuries, making the Luppold/Buckingham Ranch an enduring sign of Montana's prosperity.

I am proud that the Montana Historical Society sees fit to bestow this honor on the Luppold/Buckingham Ranch, and it is my pleasure to acknowledge the entire family in the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, when a Chinese balloon invaded Montana's airspace, the Biden Administration intended to keep the American people in the dark.

But what President Biden didn't count on was the diligent work of Billings Gazette photographer Larry Mayer.

Larry pointed his lens skyward when federal regulators shut down Billings Logan International Airport and captured one of the first public images of a strange object floating in American skies.

Larry may not have known it at the time, but by following his instincts, he uncovered a national security risk from Communist China that

Biden and his allies had not disclosed to Congress or the American people.

China remains one of the greatest foreign threats to American national security. It's inexcusable that the Administration failed to inform the public when this threat was identified and even more alarming that the President didn't take steps to prevent such a breach of American sovereignty.

The government is responsible for ensuring our safety, security, and privacy. But thankfully, when the Administration failed to take this threat seriously, Larry Mayer was there.

Larry's images of the Chinese spy balloon represent the best qualities of American journalism. By uncovering this inexcusable lapse in our Nation's security, Larry has proven that even seemingly innocuous situations can have much more serious implications.

Larry Mayer's dedication to the job is the definition of patriotism in action. His work uncovering this disappointing failure by President Biden allows me and countless other public officials to hold the administration accountable.

Americans everywhere owe Larry a debt of gratitude for documenting this dangerous violation of American airspace. I hope all will join me in commending Larry Mayer's actions, and it is my pleasure to acknowledge him in the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, i thank Representative Newhouse for chairing the Western Caucus and bringing this very important issue and lawsuit to light.

Let me begin by quoting President Dwight Eisenhower when he said farming looks mighty easy when you live a thousand miles away from a cornfield and use a pencil for a plow.

The problem that we face on a regular basis across our Nation is that far too many individuals who are completely removed from the issues are making decisions about how to address them. This is exactly the case when we look at the current lawsuit against the United States Forest Service.

First, let's shed a little bit of light on the litigants, the Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics. As Representative Newhouse described them, the FSEEE is not a group of Forest Service employees. They are a radical group out of Oregon whose goal is to stop humans from properly managing forests while lining their own pockets with taxpayer dollars after a settlement.

The result? Severe air and water quality degradation and the risk of thousands of lives and livelihoods.

Fire retardant is a vital and effective tool for Montanans and rural communities, slowing the spread of fires and minimizing damage.

Wildfires burned more than 7.5 million acres across the United States in 2022. This number could easily be doubled or tripled if not for the use of safe and effective fire retardants that the litigants are suing to prohibit the use of.

Anyone who has visited the site of a wildfire, even years afterward, recognizes the devastation and destruction

they cause, both short and long term. The soil is rendered sterile because of the immense heat generated, resulting in no productive vegetation growth for years after the fire. This lack of vegetative cover then leads to major erosion problems and a dramatic reduction in water quality, severely damaging the fisheries, and the elimination of food and habitat for wildlife.

On top of that, the reduction in air quality during wildfires is so severe that anyone who hasn't lived through it couldn't even comprehend the effects on a community.

I have driven through these smoke-choked areas in broad daylight and had to use my headlights because the visibility was reduced so dramatically because the smoke was so thick.

I have spoken with young and old alike who have been hospitalized due to severe respiratory conditions as a direct result of the smoke and the particulate that is produced by these wildfires.

In Montana, we see thousands of acres burn every single year, and these wildfires pose a major threat to our way of life. We see property destroyed and crops decimated. It cripples our economy and slows our tourism.

Montana is proud to have a dedicated team of first responders and pilots who fight tirelessly to contain these wildfires utilizing these retardants. Because of their ability to utilize this tool and mitigate fire risk, ways of life in rural communities are preserved, and those who choose to live in remote areas are able to do so safely.

Wildland firefighters work to protect communities and forests from the spread of wildfires, and the aerial application of fire retardant has proven to be the most effective method of containment.

This method is crucial at a time when government regulations tie our hands in regard to proper forest management. If it were not for these draconian regulations, fewer fires would be burning, and much of the retardant complained about would not even be necessary.

Montanans have a proud tradition of responsible stewardship of our land and water resources. A simple review of State and private land conditions, as compared to the Federal lands of Montana, will prove that.

The claims by environmentalists that our efforts to contain wildfires are harming our watersheds are blatantly false. According to the Forest Service's environmental impact study, 1/100th of 1 percent of all fire retardant drops spilled into the water. This was done either inadvertently or under the allowed exception to protect life and safety. This is because our first responders follow already-existing rulings prohibiting the delivery of fire retardant directly into bodies of water.

We recognize the need for clean water. It is obvious that keeping our water clean is very important for our agricultural industry, our energy production, critical infrastructure development, and certainly for all of our citizens.

I also ask those who allege these claims to remember that wildfires do not discriminate. They spread wherever there is fuel and, if left unchecked, can and will further threaten protected water and lands.

The consequences of a future ruling preventing the use of fire retardants are especially dire for Montana. If this were to happen, catastrophic wildfires would threaten thousands of lives, millions of dollars in assets, with immeasurable destruction to air, land, and water quality.

This lawsuit is a continuation of the radical environmentalists' agenda that has been waging war against Western and rural communities. Simply put, these environmentalists literally want to watch the world burn. I won't stand by silently and allow that to happen.

This case needs to be thrown out. Please join me in fighting these misguided lawsuits, which strive to gain revenue from taxpayers at the expense of property and the lives of people across Montana and the rest of the country.

Madam Clerk, I rise to nominate the name of Byron Donalds as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Let me begin by stating that it is an absolute privilege to be here, standing and serving with each and every one of you. I know we have differences of opinions, and I know we have differences of agendas that we would like to pursue, but I will tell you that we are all representing the United States of America in the best fashion that I know that we truly believe in. So thank you, and it is a privilege.

When I walk out every evening from the Longworth Office Building, I will tell you that as I look back on the Capitol with the lights gleaming upon it, that I recognize the honor, the privilege, and the responsibility that each one of us has taken on to be in this place that we are right now and the obligations that we have to the districts that we represent back home.

It is an incredible privilege, but it is also an incredible responsibility. I do not take it lightly, and I know that no one in this room does.

We are participating in a system that has endured 247 years, through drought and through flood, through world wars and through a civil war. In some way, we return to this place year after year to serve the people of the United States of America. Unfortunately, over the past 15 years, the process that we use has been dramatically broken.

The voices that were sent here to equally--equally--represent each of the 435 districts across this Nation have become diminished. This through the consolidation of power into the hands of the Speaker and a fortunate few who happen to serve on the Committee on Rules which controls every aspect of legislation that travels through this body.

The debate and the discussion have been all but eliminated, and the balance of us are left to vote ``yes'' or ``no.'' Those are our options. That is what has led to the disintegration of the relationships that we see across this floor. That is not equal representation which is guaranteed by our Constitution and expected by our constituents.

We have had more discussion and debate over the last 3 days than I have participated in on this floor for the last 2 years. It is healthy. It absolutely promotes the collegiality that everyone is striving to obtain. We are having discussions not just within our own party, but amongst each other as we walk around and start planning for the legislation that we will need to address over the next 2 years in the 118th Congress that sooner or later--yes, sooner or later--we will begin to function as.

Those are the good days. And guess what? Our constituents think, as they watch us on C-SPAN today, that this is how every day functions. They think that this is how every bill gets addressed in this body.

They will be shocked to learn, the ones that you have not disclosed this little nasty secret to, that unfortunately, that is not how it works around this place. That under the current rules and under the current leadership construction, that on fly-in days, typically Monday, at the beginning of the week, the leadership on both sides of the aisle negotiate a number of bills, 15 to 20 pieces of legislation, that one Democrat and one Republican stand on this floor, they discuss momentarily, and then they say the magic words, Without objection, we will pass this by unanimous consent.

There are two people standing on the floor passing pieces of legislation that oftentimes are the naming of buildings that don't really bother anybody or affect one's life but, in many circumstances, spend millions and tens of millions of dollars that the taxpayers are obligated to cover, and their Representative was not even here to vote upon it.

That, my friends, is wrong. It is wrong. So, yes, we need to have change. We need to fix this broken system.

Several of us have taken it upon ourselves to fly in and object to those very bills, not because we are objecting to the bill, but just to force them to be brought out into the daylight so that everyone can hear about those bills, to force people to come out and vote up or down for those bills as their constituents believe that they are doing right now.

That is just one of the little secrets, and it demonstrates again how broken this system is.

Last summer, we began to negotiate, a group of us, in good faith, a list of changes, amendments to the rules of this body, not to empower ourselves, not to bring personal benefit to ourselves, but to empower you and you and you, Maxine, and you and you and everyone sitting in this Chamber equally.

There are no rules. I did not use anyone's name. Everyone should be-- excuse me. Maxine.

I will, Madam Clerk. Thank you.

So that everyone will have equal representation, equal representation for the districts that elected them. These are not radical deviations from the norm. These are a restoration of the rules so that this place can function properly.

Things like single-subject legislation that most statehouses utilize right now so that we don't have 4,000-page documents that we are given a matter of hours to review that are filled with many subject matters that are trillions of dollars in cost; rules like germaneness so that you can actually bring an amendment forward on the floor as long as it pertains to the bill that was originally being addressed; an open rule process, again, so that each individual here can participate in the thing that we were sent here to do, to help collaborate and craft legislation and work together, that is what we were sent here to do.

These are commonsense amendments that would restore the process and give each of us an equal voice.

This is how we are going to secure the border that everyone now, I do believe, has recognized that there is a problem with.

This is how we are going to regain energy dominance again, which is not just an economic issue. It is a national security issue.

This is how we are going to reduce the inflation rate, by working together, but we cannot call it working together if you cede all of that power to the hands of a few.

Hoping for this change will not create this change. Change is uncomfortable. We understand that. It is not unachievable, and we must make change in this broken system. We must.

The current leadership that is in place will continue and support the use of earmarks in this body, and that is the golden trail to corruption. It is a way to buy votes and spread money around this body from places outside of this city that leads to bad legislation and bad decisions.

The current leadership, I was told, I should not be so concerned with these suspension bills that get passed every week because now they have made an amendment. We keep hearing about these amendments and the concessions that were made. The concession was that they will not ask for anything to be suspended that costs more than $100 million.

Now, I don't know about the neighborhoods that you live in, but in the neighborhood that I live in, $100 million is a lot of money.

My constituents expect me to vote upon $100 million bills and $80 million bills and $10 million bills so that they know what in the world is in them and what is going on, and they do not expect them to be passed by unanimous consent with no one on the floor.

I made a living developing property, and as many of you probably know, it takes a while to take a piece of ground from bare earth to a community.

My mother, God rest her soul, came out to one of my projects. I had just opened it up, and it had been 2 years since the time I had bought the property. By the time we went out, I had a nice entrance built. The streets were built, and the streetlights were there. They were just starting to build homes.

She said: My goodness, Matthew. You must really be pleased to finally see

your project coming up out of the ground.

I said: No, Mom. Actually, I am pleased that everyone else can see it because I saw it 2 years ago when I first walked out there.

Well, I have a vision for this place, that we can restore regular order so that each of us may have the ability to represent our districts and our constituents equally as we move through this process. Then, at that time, we will be able to call it truly the people's House again.

I have been here just 2 years, and I have watched Byron Donalds during that time and previously as he proudly served in the Florida Legislature. I can tell you this: He is a man of intellect; he is a man of integrity; and he is a man that I am proud to nominate as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Mr. 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.

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

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