Floor Statements

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

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

We learned in the Rules Committee yesterday--in fact, the gentlewoman from Minnesota pointed out--how Republicans had little opportunity to provide any input into these bills that are going to be provided for in this rule. Unfortunately, the Speaker has no interest in involving half of the Representatives in this country in addressing an issue we all care about: Keeping Americans safe.

Yesterday, in the Rules Committee, it was stated that Republicans vote against all mental health bills. I don't know where that concept comes from. Republicans passed into law the 21st Century Cures Act, which represents the most significant reform to the mental health system in several decades.

Republicans have also taken steps to reform the National Instant Criminal Background Check System with the so-called Fix NICS Act of 2017, which improved reporting to the database.

Unfortunately, we also know the Department of Justice inspector general reported that only 1 percent of individuals who try to purchase a firearm illegally, and it is known they are trying to purchase a firearm illegally, are prosecuted.

So, I have introduced a bill, H.R. 194, to require the Department of Justice to recommence this reporting to Congress so that Congress can have a better idea of how many guns exist illegally in commerce and, ultimately, to ensure that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recovers these illegal firearms.

Republicans would have also engaged on the issue of the age of purchase, but honestly, as brought up by Representative Massie yesterday during the Rules Committee hearing, let's examine all the data points to determine whether the age for law enforcement officers, military service, and the Selective Service should also be considered. But that was not on the table.

Then, as if to underscore just how partisan and one-sided this rule is today, there is a provision in the rule that deems a $1.6 trillion budget resolution for fiscal year 2023. Madam Speaker, I am a member of the Budget Committee, and during the Rules Committee hearing yesterday was the first time I heard about this budget resolution. It is a 9 percent increase over fiscal year 2022 and $21 billion over President Biden's fiscal year 2023 budget proposal.

We have a problem with inflation in this country. We have a problem with inflation because the Federal Government and congressional Democrats and the Biden administration are overspending what the economy can tolerate. Yet, here we are, adding a 9 percent increase on a resolution that is deemed passed when the rule is voted on. We don't even get to debate the pros and cons in the committee. It is just deemed passed when the rule is passed. I have to ask: When will this partisan policymaking end?

Half the country represented by Republicans deserve--and we have a mandate from our constituents--to be part of the legislative process.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania for yielding the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, today's rule provides for consideration of three bills: H.R. 7309, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; H.R. 6531, the Targeting Resources to Communities in Need Act; and S. 2938, to name a post office after Joseph Woodrow Hatchett. The latter two bills failed on suspension last week and so now must be considered under a rule.

We were also expecting to consider H.R. 7688, the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act. But after hours of debate in the Rules Committee on this bill, the Democrats had to pull it for lack of support within their own party. Perhaps they realized that, in fact, there is no evidence of price gouging. In fact, this point was made by the Secretary of Energy, Secretary Granholm, in a recent Energy and Commerce Committee hearing where she said: ``I'm not sure anyone is saying there is wholesale gouging.''

You know what? We could focus instead on increasing domestic production rather than blaming an industry, an industry that has also been suffering supply and demand difficulties that are significantly influenced by global factors and government regulation.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act reauthorizes programs from the 2014 bill of the same name but makes no needed reforms to workforce development programs. Instead, it increases government control, adds onerous requirements to program administration, and decreases flexibility and the ability to actually achieve results. What are the results that we want? Pulling people out of poverty and enhancing the labor market.

First, the bill authorizes $78 million over 6 years. It does this without making workforce development programs more efficient, without making them tailored to the actual job market, and this funding will further exacerbate what is now becoming increasingly evident as an inflationary crisis.

The bill expands the size of State and local workforce boards, making room for organized labor. It also introduces Federal definitions of job quality, a determination that actually should be made by employers. How is a Federal agency in Washington, D.C. best equipped to determine the job quality for someone in Krum, Texas, a town of around 4,000 people back in my district in North Texas?

This bill also requires burdensome equity reports. If our goal is to pull people out of poverty and get them into the workforce, then every eligible person should have the opportunity to access these programs, not just a certain few who meet certain criteria.

Finally, this bill maintains the current Job Corps system without adapting to the changing needs of eligible youth and continues the inflexibility of the current apprenticeship system. I have long been concerned that many young people do not always recognize their best path to prosperity. For example, many students are conditioned to believe that they can only get a good job by attending a 4-year university. Meanwhile, a licensed plumber or an electrician or a welder can often make more than someone with a university degree. Apprenticeships have been a good way for someone to learn these special trades. However, the program's structure is left over from the time of the Depression in the 1930s and needs to be updated to meet today's vastly different work environments.

Another concern I have is the amount of student loan debt burdening our labor force. Flexible training or certificate programs could lead to less debt by giving jobseekers alternatives to the traditional 4- year university path.

Additionally, we should be looking at ways to encourage the private sector, private employers, to provide student loan repayment programs for their employees, perhaps through a tax credit or other incentive. The Federal Government has a student loan repayment program, and it is a significant incentive for many young people to join public service.

The Republican substitute amendment would have added flexibility into many programs and reformed our workforce development systems to ensure that employee skill development is aligned with employer needs. A huge factor in successful programming is knowing the programs are actually meeting the actual needs.

The Republican substitute amendment would have ensured that States and localities could use funding to survey employers to understand the most in-demand skills.

Mr. Speaker, in the post-COVID world, employers and employees have adapted to different styles of training and workforce environments. The Republican substitute amendment encourages workforce boards to provide services virtually to meet the changing needs of today's workforce. We should be inserting additional flexibility into these programs rather than simply maintaining the status quo, a status quo that was developed many, many decades ago.

Unfortunately, the Republican amendment was defeated during the Education and Labor Committee markup and likely will be defeated when it is considered on the House floor.

Continued partisanship is not the path forward when it comes to equipping the workforce for the modern labor market.

Mr. Speaker, I urge opposition to the rule, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, Republicans will amend the rule to consider H.R. 6858, the American Energy Independence from Russia Act, introduced by Ranking Members McMorris Rodgers and Westerman.

In the past 2 months, Democrats have denied consideration of this essential bill five times, choosing instead to continue their assault on domestic energy production through drilling and export restrictions and massive tax increases on producers.

Republicans remain committed to America's energy independence by approving the Keystone XL pipeline, by removing restrictions on the United States liquefied natural gas exports, by restarting oil and natural gas leasing, and protecting energy and mineral development.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record, along with extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. Speaker, here to explain the amendment is one of the most lucid speakers that we have on this subject.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock), one of the most thoughtful leaders in the House Republican Conference.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), my colleague on the Energy and Commerce Committee and a valuable member of the Republican Conference.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gimenez).

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

Mr. Speaker, I certainly thank my colleagues who have come to the floor and spoken in favor of defeating the previous question in order to consider H.R. 6858, the American Energy Independence from Russia Act.

We have seen the damage that one-party rule has done in this town over the last 18 months and, unfortunately, the victims of that damage are the American people. So here, today, in this body, there is a chance to vote against the previous question and bring up this important amendment to begin to get some relief for the American people.

In addition, back in 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which is also the subject of this rule, was enacted on a bipartisan basis. But once again, one-party Democratic rule could not be satisfied with that, and our colleagues have blocked Republican efforts to try to improve the 2022 version of this bill and find any sort of compromise.

Our workforce development programs need to be modernized and modernized accurately in order to match the changing labor market. But this bill lacks the necessary reforms and, instead, adds burdensome requirements and centralized governance to these many programs. This is not the way to prepare employers and potential employees to thrive in a post-pandemic world.

Again, we have an opportunity to defeat the previous question and consider rationalizing our energy markets. I urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question, a ``no'' vote on the rule, a ``no'' vote on the underlying measures, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the exemplary work of Detective Chris Vaughn as she retires from a life of public service. She served the communities of Plano, Texas and The Colony, Texas as a dispatcher and police officer for over 25 years.

Detective Chris Vaughn grew up in Loveland, Colorado where she graduated from high school in 1983. She moved to Plano, Texas in 1991 and worked various jobs before being hired in 1994 by the City of Plano as a PD/FD/EMD Dispatcher. In 1995, Detective Vaughn was hired by the Plano Police Department. She attended the North Central Texas Council of Governments Regional Police Academy and was elected by her class to serve as the Secretary/Treasurer.

In May 1997, Detective Vaughn was hired by The Colony Police Department where she served as a patrol officer for several years. She was selected to be the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Instructor and worked with students in The Colony. During her time in patrol, Detective Vaughn earned her Intermediate Peace Officer, Advanced Peace Officer, and Master Peace Officer Certifications. She was a Field Training Officer, lntoxilyzer Operator, and a Sexual Assault Family Violence Investigator Course (SAFVIC) certified family violence investigator.

In June 2013, Detective Vaughn was selected to make a lateral move into the Criminal Investigation Division. She solved two missing juvenile cold cases early in her tenure as a detective. Since then, she has successfully investigated many major cases where her work directly resulted in suspects receiving prison sentences ranging from 25 to 70 years. Off-duty, she has volunteered on multiple events at the Children's Advocacy Center. Throughout her life, she has been passionate about photography and has recently started a photography business.

In total, Detective Vaughn has faithfully served and protected North Texas citizenry and businesses for more than two and a half decades. She has selflessly put others' safety above her own, and I am deeply grateful for her exemplary service to our community and state. I wish Detective Vaughn the best in her retirement.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota for yielding.

This Ukraine supplemental in this rule authorizes an additional $40 billion to provide defense articles and services, humanitarian aid, and financial support.

I do believe it is important that Western countries continue to support Ukraine in its fight against its barbaric aggressors, but honestly, do we not deserve a plan? Does the administration not need to come to us with where we are going with this?

This is an additional $40 billion on top of the several billion dollars that have already been spent. It is not that I object to the money. I object to not understanding how the administration is proceeding with this.

Look, it was just 10 months ago that we were all on a conference call with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Homeland Security. They assured us that the government in Afghanistan was solid, and they were going to be okay. At the same time, we are all getting alerts on our phones that the government in Afghanistan is headed for the exits with all of our money.

Then it was October of this year with the clear signs that Vladimir Putin was amassing on the borders around Ukraine, and there was no solid discussion about whether or not this was important for the United States and whether or not we should do anything to counteract that.

Indeed, there were approvals for some transfer of weaponry, but it was slow to get there. Then the President made the unfortunate statement that a small incursion would perhaps be okay. The same Secretary of Defense and the same Secretary of State told us that this all would likely be over in 3 days' time, but they didn't take into account the nationality, the spirit of President Zelenskyy and his countrymen, who said: No, this is not going to happen in our country.

Look, none of us can predict the future, but truly the Biden administration really does need to justify the use of American resources as this conflict unfolds.

Is there a plan for when this supplemental funding runs out?

Will the United States defense production keep up with Ukrainian demand?

Who is keeping count on the number of Stingers and Javelin missiles that are leaving our stockpiles that should be defending our homeland? Are we depleting those so severely that we wouldn't be able to respond should we need to?

Are we providing resources that will give Ukraine an asymmetric advantage to eventually win this war? If we are not doing that, how long are we going to ask the American people to continue to fund the status quo?

Look, Russia advancing beyond Ukraine's borders into NATO territory would almost certainly also draw the United States into a war in Europe. But let me stress: That is a war in Europe. Where is the rest of Europe in this? We all want to prevent that outcome. We cannot let Vladimir Putin create this new world order in which he is the new tyrant of the world. To defeat him, we have to be united in our goals, united in the expenditure of American resources in support of those

goals, and we have to have a plan that we are confident is being followed.

It is not lost on me that this amount of money that we are asking to appropriate in an emergency fashion today is exactly one-half of the dollar amount of the weaponry that was abandoned in Afghanistan, abandoned to our enemies. Let's not find ourselves in that situation again.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the distinguished career of Charlotte Wilcox, the Mayor of the City of Highland Village, Texas. Mayor Wilcox is retiring following her seven- year long tenure in mayoral office, and almost two decades of public service in Highland Village city government.

Mayor Wilcox and her family moved to Highland Village in 1995. In 2006, she was appointed to the city's Zoning and Development Commission, before being elected to Place 3 of the Highland Village City Council three years later. She served in this position until her fellow councilmembers appointed her to mayoral office in 2015 following the retirement of her predecessor. In May 2015, she was elected as Mayor, and due to term limitations, will conclude her service on the Highland Village City Council in May 2022.

Throughout her service in her public office, Mayor Wilcox has worked tirelessly for the economic and physical well-being of her constituency. She has been instrumental in ensuring funding for vital improvements to Highland Village's highway infrastructure, as well as the establishment of half a dozen parks and recreational facilities throughout the city. Thanks to Mayor Wilcox's efforts, many trails, parks, roads, and walkways have been constructed and expanded to maximize her city's quality of life.

Furthermore, Mayor Wilcox oversaw the opening of many new businesses and the remodeling of many older ones to strengthen and expand the City's tax base. Under her fiscal leadership, the city achieved a AAA Bond Rating.

Mayor Wilcox, in addition to overseeing the City's impressive record of financial stability and economic development, has also served as a strong advocate for Highland Village's highly esteemed city staff. Under her administration, the Council approved two new paid holidays and secured a competitive benefits package for city employees.

As Mayor Wilcox concludes her estimable tenure as Mayor, I join the residents and businesses of Highland Village in applauding her dedication to city improvement, governmental transparency, and community involvement. She has truly been a valuable contributor to our North Texas community, and I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably called back to the district. There is no reason why we should be importing energy from Russia, especially when we could be producing enough for us and our allies around the world. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 125, Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 471, the PAUSE Act, to protect all Americans from Biden's border crisis.

Mr. Speaker, this rule provides for consideration of yet another Contempt of Congress resolution that has no purpose other than to punish. If the January 6th Select Committee wanted to actually compel production of the documents and records they subpoenaed, they would instead be suing for civil enforcement. But that takes time, and there are only eight months left before these subpoenas expire.

Congressional Committees may conduct investigations in pursuit of a legislative purpose. I ask: What legislative purpose would be served by referring Peter Navarro and Daniel Scavino for criminal Contempt of Congress rather than suing for civil enforcement?

Additionally, the question of executive privilege is not legally settled. President Biden has stated he would not grant executive privilege regarding Mr. Scavino's testimony, but the Presidential Records Act governs presidential records, not the testimony of aides to former presidents. The committee also demanded ridiculous compliance timelines in requests to Mr. Scavino, further indicating a lack of willingness to undertake a legitimate and thorough investigation.

As we get closer to the end of the year, will the Select Committee go straight to recommending Contempt of Congress for every subpoenaed individual that requests accommodations or an extended timeline?

I urge a no vote on this misguided resolution.

The material previously referred to by Mr. Reschenthaler is as follows:

Amendment to House Resolution 1023

At the end of the resolution, add the following:

Sec. 2. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution the

House shall proceed to the consideration in the House of the

bill (H.R. 471) to prohibit the Secretary of Health and Human

Services from lessening the stringency of, and to prohibit

the Secretary of Homeland Security from ceasing or lessening

implementation of, the COVID-19 border health provisions

through the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, and for other

purposes. All points of order against consideration of the

bill are waived. The bill shall be considered as read. All

points of order against provisions in the bill are waived.

The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the

bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage without

intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally

divided

and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of

the Committee on Energy and Commerce; and (2) one motion to

recommit.

Sec. 3. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the

consideration of H.R. 471.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the tremendous contributions of outgoing Argyle ISD Police Chief Paul Cairney, who has served with the school district since October 2014. He was named Police Chief in May 2015. Under his capable direction, the stated mission of the AISD Police Department to protect and serve Eagle students, staff and the community has been fulfilled as Chief Cairney and his staff have provided a safe educational environment for students and staff.

Chief Cairney is a 1992 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and holds masters degrees from Liberty University in Religious Studies and from Colorado State University Global in Criminal Justice. In addition, he attained a PhD in Leadership from Louisiana Baptist University and Theological Seminary.

After two decades serving in the U.S. Air Force, Chief Cairney retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. During his extensive military service overseeing security forces at more than ten Air Force bases in both the United States and abroad in the United Kingdom, Turkey, Germany, and Iraq, he served in multiple leadership positions in law enforcement and emergency preparedness.

His last duty assignment was as Commander/Police Chief of a 400-plus police force which included U.S. military members and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and United Kingdom Ministry of Defense civilians. He worked closely with DoD schools to improve classroom safety and was instrumental in developing training for active shooter scenarios on DoD school campuses.

Within Argyle ISD, Chief Cairney has developed a robust and proactive security program that has garnered positive national attention. The AISD Police Department engaged in crucial partnerships with local police and fire departments to force multiply the district's ability to prepare and respond to emergency hazards, both natural and man-made. To prepare staff, they have hosted large active shooter training exercises and deployed updated communications technology across all campuses. This has afforded the district the capability to identify concerns and address potential problem situations as well as alert staff to rapidly respond to crisis events and emergencies.

In addition to his military and law enforcement career, Chief Cairney is to be commended for the philanthropic contributions of time, talents, and funding as he and his wife, Lynn, established Thor and Athena's Promise Sanctuary. Through this effort they have rescued many neglected and abused horses and brought them to their ranch to provide rehabilitation and a safe refuge. Chief Cairney also honorably served as a member of my Service Academy Advisory Board.

I am pleased to join the students, families, staff and administration of Argyle ISD in saluting Chief Cairney's exemplary tenure and public service to the school district and community. We wish him all the best as he moves to Colorado to take another law enforcement position.

Madam Speaker, I also am from an energy State, and I want to associate myself with the remarks of Ranking Member Cole as far as the energy industry is concerned. Quite correct, the hostility of the Biden administration to American energy was front and center from day one when the President took the oath of office, and it is only the last 6 weeks that we have seen the hostility from Putin and Russia, but the seeds were set for record high energy prices because of the activities of the Biden administration and the Democratic leadership in this Congress, quite frankly.

But I am here today to speak about the spending bill that is in front of us. Halfway through the fiscal year, we finally have the appropriations bills for the spending for this year, and I am grateful to see a copy on the Speaker's desk. That is the only copy that I have seen. Certainly, we didn't have a copy last night in the Rules Committee.

I am gratified to know that there actually does exist a copy of this spending bill; but, once again, no Member of the people's House has really had the opportunity to look at and weigh in on, no ability to amend last night in the Rules Committee, no ability to really affect this massive spending bill that is in front of us.

I planned to offer several amendments to improve this bill. The public health mandates are easing around the country, but the Department of Transportation still requires patrons to wear masks on public transportation, on airlines. This could and should be rescinded, and this was an opportunity to do just that.

As Mr. Cole mentioned, we are experiencing some of the highest gas prices in over a decade, maybe even in this generation, and no funds in this bill should be expended to restrict the operation or development of oil and gas pipelines to get that vitally needed energy out of places like the Permian Basin to population centers--Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City--where they can be consumed or where they can be liquefied and exported to other countries.

Federal agencies are behind, veterans' services are severely backlogged. I would have loved to have submitted an amendment to appropriate some additional dollars, $2 billion, to the Department of Veterans Affairs so that they could relieve this backlog for our veterans. And, in fact, the budget neutrality requirements in the Medicare physician fee schedule could have been waived, and we could have done so with the excess funds in the Provider Relief Fund and given our frontline health personnel a little bit of a break from the fact that they have been on the front lines battling the coronavirus for 2 years, and what do they get for that effort? A pay cut.

Madam Speaker, the Congressional Budget Office did provide to the Budget Committee, of which I am also a member, a list of the top 20 agencies that are overfunded with funds that have been appropriated over the last 2 years. The totality of those 20 accounts is $340 billion. There were moneys available. A lot of things that are in this bill could have been offset if we had simply taken the time to do it. I will say, since I am a member of the authorizing committee, going forward our authorizing committees have to do their work. They have to do the study because we can't expect it to all happen at the Appropriations Committee at the eleventh hour.

Madam Speaker, I think it is important that people be able to see where those moneys exist. The results of the study, which was compiled by the Congressional Budget Office, are contained on a spreadsheet and can be found at: https://burgess.house.gov/UploadedFiles/COB- UnspentCOVID.pdf.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Fred Patterson. To those close to Fred, he was known as a man with two careers. While his career as an advertising salesman and publisher paid the bills, he was passionate about impacting his community. It is through his hard work and leadership that Denton transformed into a cosmopolitan competitor with Dallas and Fort Worth.

On December 25, 1929, Fred was born in Decatur, Texas not too far from our beloved community of Denton. After graduating from the University of Texas in 1952, he eventually moved to Denton, where he joined the sales service department at Moore Business Forms. In 1958, he began work advertising for the Denton Record-Chronicle and that same year he married the love of his life, Patsy. By 1986, Fred and Patsy were the co-owners of the Record Chronicle.

Throughout the 1990s, the Pattersons oversaw the renovation for the Patterson-Appleton Arts Center. Personally, I am grateful for this facility because it provided the space I needed in August of 2009, to hold my largest townhall to-date.

Fred very much appreciated the arts and history. So much so that he raised over $500,000 to move and restore the Bayless-Selby house Museum to the Denton County Historical Park he was also instrumental in founding. Beyond his love for the arts and history, Fred loved his community. He served as chair of the committee that established Denton's television Channel 2 and was vice president of the Friends of WRR radio station.

Denton was more than where he and Patsy lived and raised their two sons Bill and Riley. It was his home, and service to his community was truly his second career.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the exemplary work of Sergeant Paul Thornton as he retires from a life of public service. He has served the citizens of the State of Texas, in the communities of Houston, Huntsville, and The Colony as a police officer for over 34 years.

Sergeant Thornton began his law enforcement career in 1988 when he was hired as a police officer with the University of Houston Central Campus Police Department. He attended the Harris County Sheriff's Office Academy. Between 1988 and 1992, Sergeant Thornton also worked as a police officer with the Sam Houston State University Police Department and the Walker County Sheriffs Office. During this time he also earned a Bachelor's of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University.

On September 2, 1992, Sergeant Thornton was hired by The Colony Police Department. Just a year later, he was named The Colony PD's ``Officer of The Year''. In 1995, he became The Colony PD's first and only K9 Officer. He and his K9 colleague, Major, a narcotic detection dog, worked the streets several years combating illegal narcotics.

In 1998, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. After his promotion, he served as both a Night Shift and Day Shift Patrol Sergeant. As a Patrol Sergeant, he has been in charge of the Crossing Guards, Bike Patrol Unit, Traffic Enforcement Division and the departments off-duty employment program. He has also served as the department's Criminal Investigations Supervisor and the Internal Affairs Sergeant.

In 1999, be met the love of his life and wife, Karen Thornton. Karen is a United States Air Force Veteran and holds a Master's Degree from the University of Texas-Austin. Sergeant Thornton and his wife have three children, Alex, Samantha, and Tyler; and two grandchildren, Clayden and Reagan Thornton.

Sergeant Thornton has devoted over 34 years faithfully serving and protecting his community. For more than three decades, he has put strangers' safety above his own, and we are indebted to him. I am deeply grateful for his service to our community and state, and I wish Sergeant Thornton and his family the best in his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, as you have already heard, today's rule provides for consideration of yet another continuing resolution 5 months into the fiscal year and not a single appropriations bill has been signed into law.

This time, the Rules Committee had less than 2 hours' notice before considering the continuing resolution rule in the Rules Committee yesterday leaving no time for Members who might want to offer an amendment or might want to come to the committee to speak on this CR.

This is no secret. This has not been an easy year for the American people; crisis after crisis, and this Democratic leadership in this Congress has not really led on those issues. We are still facing a crisis on our southern border. Mr. Speaker, 2 million migrants have crossed without documentation since President Biden took the oath of office. And in response, what did he do? Well, he halted construction on the border wall, and he tried to eliminate the remain in Mexico program except the courts wouldn't let him do that, so now they are slow-walking the enforcement.

At the same time, Ukraine is facing down 130,000 Russian troops that look poised to invade, and President Biden just recently used his waiver authority to ease the sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a direct link between Russia and Europe for oil and gas. If we had been given time to consider this CR, we could have revoked this waiver authority and reinstated sanctions on the Nord Stream 2.

Another problem exacerbated by this administration is their continued push for vaccine mandates. We see it literally every day on the news. Mandates do nothing but drive unnecessary opposition, and we need to let people make an informed choice for themselves with their doctor. Taxpayer dollars should not be spent on enforcing mandates.

Finally, it has been nearly impossible to get a response back from the executive branch agency and the reason is, we have delegated our spending authority. We have delegated our appropriations authority basically to the Speaker's Office, and as a consequence, no Cabinet Secretary feels obligated to answer a phone call from a Member of Congress from either party.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Florida for the recognition. She does a great job for the Congress, and we are all so grateful to have her here.

Madam Speaker, this is such an important topic tonight. Ranking Member Katko delineated the number of law enforcement jurisdictions who have seen funding cut and the unfortunate consequences that occurred on the populations that they serve. Did you ever stop to think of what would happen if there were just an absolute defunding of the police department?

Well, unfortunately, we only need to look about a hundred years past to see such an example. It happened in Boston, Massachusetts, in September 1919. The police force was unfunded, and the city was unprotected. This was documented in a book by a gentleman named Francis Russell. The book is called ``A City in Terror.''

What was startling to me when I read the book was not that there was a gradual descent into lawlessness, but it happened like turning a switch. Police were not on the job. The city sunk into chaos-- robberies, beatings, assaults, looting. And it went on for several days until the Governor of that State called up the National Guard and reasserted authority.

Who was that Governor? It is kind of a rarity to stop and think about it now, but it was a Republican Governor of Massachusetts named Calvin Coolidge. It was that activity of restoring order in the city that catapulted him to fame and caused him to receive the Vice Presidential nomination in the Republican Convention of 1920. And as they say, the rest is history.

Please, let us not forget our history. Defunding the police does not lead us to a better place. It does not lead us to a more just and civil society. It invites chaos.

Madam Speaker, we had a colleague several years ago, Jim McDermott from Washington State, a Democrat. The Republicans were in the majority. Republicans, during the week of April 15, wanted to put forward a bill on the floor of the House but didn't quite have it together, so they put together a sense of Congress resolution on fundamental tax reform.

I will never forget Dr. McDermott in the well of the House, thundering against Republicans:

You want tax reform, and this is the best you can do, a

sense of Congress resolution?

Why don't you just send a get-well card to the IRS?

Madam Speaker, let me tell you something: Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee have been agitating, asking, and trying to work with Federal agencies to get answers on the origin of the coronavirus and answers on the origin of the pandemic. So, here we have the China bill before us today, ironically, on Groundhog's Day, but here is the China bill, and by golly, we are going to get to the bottom of the coronavirus pandemic.

What do we get? We get section 30219B, ``Report on origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.''

Now, what does the next line say? ``Sense of Congress. It is the sense of Congress that,'' blah, blah, blah.

In other words, no force of law, no teeth, no requirement of any Federal agency to do anything, no requirement really for even a real investigation, which is what honestly we need.

We are sitting on the eve of Olympic Games that are going to be held in Communist China, and we don't have answers for what caused this pandemic. We are going to have a moment of silence later this week-- appropriately so, another milestone of lives lost--but we don't know about the origins of this virus.

Let me tell you something else, Madam Speaker. Last night in the Rules Committee, I tried to get one of Dr. Wenstrup's very thoughtful amendments included. He has an amendment that says that this gain-of- function research that was carried out might be pretty dangerous; we need to think about where it is conducted; and we shouldn't use United States taxpayer dollars to fund this research in countries that are our adversaries.

I offered that amendment on behalf of Dr. Wenstrup, and every Democrat member of the Rules Committee said: Oh, it is good with us. You go ahead and send those dollars over there and do this research.

We have this new W visa for startups that is language in the bill. There is no language about protecting American jobs, but we are going to give jobs to other people.

We are already funding the U.N. Green Climate Fund for $100 million directly to China, and this bill gives them another $8 billion for that same purpose.

Madam Speaker, $3 billion for a slush fund for solar manufacturing-- some of us have been in this body long enough to remember some unpleasant activity with that in a stimulus bill in 2009.

This bill supposedly provides over $300 billion in new spending. And I say ``supposedly'' because no one knows. No one really knows. We have heard this bill in the Rules Committee, not in the authorization committees, but in the Rules Committee with no CBO score. We are flying blind.

We are approving this 3,000-page bill today having had it for a little less than 72 hours. As you can see from the start of this, Madam Speaker, the language is still being hammered out. It wasn't quite right as it came to the floor last night from the Rules Committee.

This is a bad idea. We ought to take our time and do it right because this is important, and people do want us to do this right.

It does appear that, right now, the Democratic leadership of this House is more concerned with politics than policy, and that is so unfortunate because we have an opportunity here to actually do something right.