Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 903. When Congress created the Transportation Security Administration more than 20 years ago in the wake of the attacks on 9/11, this body provided the TSA Administrator with unique authorities in the management of its personnel.

H.R. 903 would eliminate this vital flexibility and infringe upon TSA's ability to immediately respond to evolving threats and to protect the traveling public.

This bill goes against Congress' intent by moving an entire agency into

an antiquated 1940s system of title 5 of the U.S. Code. TSA will not be able to take emerging intelligence and quickly change security screening procedures at airports without unnecessary and dangerous delays due to the collective bargaining requirements of this bill.

Since 9/11, TSA has kept our Nation's transportation system secure. Airport screeners and Federal air marshals have responded time and time again to emerging threats.

For example, checkpoint screenings procedures were changed almost overnight in response to the liquid explosive plot in 2006 and the personal electronic device threat in 2017. Such immediate and agile responses will be severely hindered under H.R. 903. Security policies should not be subject to union bargaining.

In addition, TSA will no longer be able to easily remove employees who have committed serious misconduct. If a TSA screener is caught smuggling drugs or weapons, it will be nearly impossible for TSA to immediately terminate them due to the layers of bureaucracy in the title 5 system.

According to TSA, this bill will cost an astronomical amount of almost $8 billion over a 5-year period, and much of that money won't go to the frontline personnel. The amount of overhead costs associated with moving an entire agency to title 5 means that billions of dollars will be spent on the transition and will require the hiring of hundreds of new employees, not frontline workers who would be protecting the traveling public but, instead, bureaucrats who will facilitate this massive labor relations effort.

If we actually want to address the needs of frontline workers, we would focus on securing more funding for their pay. Instead, H.R. 903 will waste billions in taxpayer dollars to create more bureaucracy and provide even more money to headquarters and those who work there who already have a much higher salary than the dedicated frontline personnel.

I am extremely concerned that passing this bill would create a massive unfunded mandate that will ultimately divert critical funding from other important DHS priorities like border security, cybersecurity, and emergency response.

If my friends in the majority were truly focused on prioritizing and improving the pay of TSA frontline workers, rather than prioritizing and empowering the unions, they would support frontline pay raises without the expense and the unnecessary bureaucracy of title 5.

Unfortunately, the majority rejected an amendment by Ranking Member Katko at the markup that would have done just that--improve the pay of frontline screeners and air marshals, not the high-paid bureaucrats at headquarters, without all the waste that title 5 would provide.

I and many of my colleagues stand ready to raise pay for frontline workers, but I cannot in good conscience support a bill that is fiscally irresponsible, undermines our national security, hinders the agency's missions and flexibility, and prioritizes the interests of the unions over the interests of the dedicated frontline workforce and the traveling public.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 903, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko).

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gooden).

Mr. GOODEN OF Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Texas for stating so eloquently what I and I believe everyone in this Chamber agrees with, and that is that the TSA agents, the men and women who work for the American people at the airport, are protecting our Nation.

They are on the front lines, which is why I am rising today to urge my colleagues to do something very simple, and that is to protect Americans from terrorists and dangerous criminals when they fly and to assist the TSA by taking away a very dangerous policy that they have enacted from the top that they are encouraging and forcing these agents on the front lines to deal with. That policy is one of allowing illegal aliens onto commercial aircraft without proper identification.

It was confirmed to me from the TSA administrator that migrants are allowed to use arrest warrants and warrants for deportation to board flights alongside everyday travelers. This was confirmed to me before Christmas last year. Despite my demands and those of many of my colleagues, the Biden administration has done nothing to stop this. Anyone in this country illegally, or with a warrant for arrest, should be detained and brought before a judge, not permitted to travel to the city of their choice.

This should be a commonsense request. I will remind my colleagues that the TSA was created in response to the September 11 attacks, but it seems as if we have forgotten that. The lax policies by the TSA that allow unvetted aliens to board flights without identification presents a serious national security threat each and every day and jeopardizes the lives of the American people.

My constituents, and I would venture to argue those of my colleagues, perhaps some of my open border friends across the aisle, would agree that our constituents deserve to fly in a safe aircraft.

My constituents have to pull out an ID to board a flight, but this TSA has said that if you have an arrest warrant, that is good enough to get through security. I think that is crazy, and I think the American people do as well. I introduced this motion to recommit to protect our skies, verify the identity of travelers, and notify law enforcement if someone is in our country illegally.

There is zero excuse to delay when the ongoing border crisis is putting every single community in our Nation at risk. In just 10 months, the Biden administration allowed over 45,000 noncitizens to fly without an ID, nearly 160 passengers each and every day. We also know this administration is allowing people on the terrorist watch list into our country, and we have no clue who is boarding these flights.

I urge my colleagues to protect our airways and prevent another tragedy like 9/11 from occurring by adopting this motion.

Mr. Speaker, if we adopt the motion to recommit, we will instruct the Committee on Homeland Security to consider my amendment to H.R. 903 to prohibit the TSA from accepting documents such as an arrest warrant or notice to appear as a valid form of identification. I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment in the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.

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

Mr. Speaker, I think it is clear that all Republicans support increasing the pay of our TSA frontline workers. We know that they are crucial to the security of our traveling public.

But this bill that we are here debating is not a bill that deals specifically with that. If that were the case, in markup Ranking Member Katko's amendment, an amendment that would have provided a $3,000 immediate salary increase to all frontline workers, 5 percent raise on top of that, year one; year 2, a 3 percent raise; year 3, a 3 percent raise; year 4, a 4 percent raise.

This bill that we are talking about today is a bill that is not just to increase pay, which we all agree on, but this is, instead, a labor bill. This is, instead, an attempt to unionize an entire Federal agency.

Mr. Payne spoke about that a little bit when he got up a few moments ago when he talked about the blue-ribbon committee that was established and said that there was not one labor leader on that committee. We shouldn't be putting labor leaders in the position of putting them on committees where we are talking about protecting the traveling public. That committee that he referred to, in 2019 TSA received a report from that bipartisan committee--and I stress that it was a bipartisan committee, the Blue Ribbon Panel Reviewing TSA Human Capital Service Delivery. The panel was composed of former officials from both Democratic and Republican administrations and included the chief human capital officer for DHS under former President Obama.

It says that they strongly--not just recommended, but they strongly recommended against moving TSA personnel under title 5, and then this is a quote directly from that report, and it says here, ``One recommendation the panel heard repeatedly from employees was moving TSA into the General Schedule (GS). The Panel does not agree. The General Schedule is a 70-year-old classification and compensation system from the last century and is the subject of countless studies and recommendations from good government organizations who consistently find it is too inflexible to meet the needs of the 21st century workforce. A better course of action is to use existing ATSA flexibility to improve the TSA pay system so that it operates at a level superior to the GS system.''

Those are not my words. Those are not the words of Republicans. Those are the words of a blue-ribbon committee which was established to study this very thing. Here we see that Congress is going to completely ignore the findings of that committee. We are going to ignore a committee made up of TSA workers, employees, personnel, and supervisors who served on a committee that was established to look at this very point, and we are going to completely ignore that.

We are going to now do exactly what this committee recommended against. And we are doing that not because we want to increase the pay of the frontline workers, which again we all agree on and we all support. We would support a bill today that would do that without putting everyone under title 5. But what this bill is, this is an attempt to unionize an entire Federal agency and a bill which would make the traveling public less safe.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I close by thanking the men and women of TSA, especially the screeners, air marshals, and other frontline workers.

The debate we are having today does not impact the sincere appreciation we have for the tremendous job they do each and every day to secure the transportation system.

While we disagree on the best way forward, we all share the same goal of improving the pay and morale for TSA frontline workforce. It is important not only for the success of the agency but for the security of our Nation. Unfortunately, this bill is not the answer, and, therefore, I cannot support it.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 903, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the amendment. While I appreciate some of the issues my majority colleagues seek to address in this en bloc amendment, the bottom line is, there is nothing that will improve the bill or address the multiple concerns I have in it.

Nothing in this en bloc amendment will preserve TSA's flexible authority to implement immediate security procedures in the face of national security threats. Nothing in this en bloc will ensure that screeners who commit gross misconduct are immediately relieved of their duties. Nothing in this en bloc will protect the rest of the Department of Homeland Security from having its key mission areas--like border security, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism vetting--from being raided to pay for this massive unfunded mandate.

Therefore, I urge my colleagues to oppose this en bloc amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendments en bloc, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, again, these arguments go to further what we talked about earlier. This bill is not about a pay increase for our frontline workers. This isn't a bill about protecting the traveling public. This is a bill about unionizing an entire Federal agency.

My friends across the aisle say that TSA already has the authority to do what Representative Cammack's

amendment sets forth. What is the harm in putting that in the body of the legislation itself?

Should it not be clear to everyone who reads the legislation that collective bargaining should not hold up improvement to security? Should that not be made clear?

Should we not set forth that they already have that? What harm does it do in setting that forth again?

Again, we all want to see that our TSA frontline workers get the pay raise that they need and deserve. What we oppose on the Republican side is the complete unionization of this Federal agency.

I will tell you that this is a critical amendment to our national security. Historically, we look back, and when Congress stood up TSA in the wake of 9/11, they deliberately provided flexibility to the agency to deal with the evolving threats to our transportation system. It is imperative that the TSA Administrator maintain that authority to make immediate changes to screening procedures when addressing national security threats.

The amendment of my good friend from Florida simply preserves that authority and makes it clear that the Administrator has that authority and exempts security procedures from the collective bargaining process.

Without this critical amendment, security changes like those made in response to the 2006 liquid explosives or the 2017 personal electronic device plot could be significantly hampered or delayed if subject to collective bargaining. We simply cannot afford to put our national security on the bargaining table.

I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for leading this important issue, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

My amendment would sunset the requirements of H.R. 903 at the end of fiscal year 2022 if Congress does not appropriate sufficient funds to carry out the bill.

With H.R. 903 having an estimated cost to taxpayers of nearly $2 billion, or $8 billion if you use TSA's own estimates, it is critical that the bill does not simply become an astronomical unfunded mandate.

This amendment will remove this bill's requirement to move TSA to title 5 if sufficient funding is not appropriated specifically for those requirements. This will protect other critical homeland security missions, like cybersecurity and border security, from being raided to pay for this legislation.

In TSA's feedback on H.R. 903, they explicitly stated this: Implementation of H.R. 903 ``without additional, adequate appropriations would have dire impacts upon the TSA mission and negatively impact national and economic security.''

Let me read that again. It said that without proper appropriations, it would have a dire impact ``upon the TSA mission and negatively impact national and economic security.'' That is from TSA itself.

Those are the words of the agency that we are looking at changing, and they are warning us. They are warning Congress that if we do this, and then we don't follow through with the funding, we are putting the traveling public at risk. If this is not clear enough, I don't know what is.

I urge all Members to support this fiscally responsible amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers so I am prepared to close when the majority is prepared.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. In closing, I refer back to the words of TSA. These are not my words. These are not the words of the Republican caucus. These are the words of TSA, which was tasked with a critical mission, and the words of TSA are words that we should take into account when we are debating this amendment and debating this bill.

The words of TSA: Implementation of H.R. 903 ``without additional, adequate appropriations would have dire impacts upon the TSA mission and negatively impact national and economic security.''

This amendment is simple. If we are not going to fund this, we cannot put our national and economic security at risk, and this should be sunsetted.

I ask my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, the people of the great State of Mississippi are grateful for the service of the 12,500 National Guard servicemembers of our State and for the leadership of General Durr Boyles.

Our guardsmen are dedicated to keeping Mississippi safe by providing response to disasters and by serving our Nation on domestic and foreign military missions. During floods and hurricanes, our guardsmen transport and rescue civilians inundated by high waters. After the storms, National Guard engineers repair infrastructure and utilities and provide logistics support to citizens.

With 65 readiness centers statewide, the Mississippi Army National Guard can quickly respond to any number of events at a moment's notice.

The Mississippi Air National Guard, operating from the 186th Air Refueling Wing, the 172nd Airlift Wing, and the Combat Readiness Training Center, provides access to services across the globe.

On behalf of the people of Mississippi, I thank every man and woman who serves in the Mississippi National Guard for their dedicated service to our State and our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose the previous question.

Right now, the men and women of law enforcement are battling to secure our borders. Every day they are pushing back against drug smugglers, human traffickers, and the cartels. Make no mistake, this is the worst border crisis in our Nation's history and this administration took just over a year to bring our national security to this state.

I know because I have seen it myself. I was at the border a few days ago for my second trip in two weeks and I heard from the men and women on the border. Every single person we talked with told the same story. They told us that this administration, President Biden's administration, has abandoned them. They asked us to please provide help.

Instead of providing help, President Biden and many of my colleagues on the left have attacked the last tool the men and women of law enforcement have to perform their duties.

Without the Court's intervention, this administration would have stripped the last tool these law enforcement officers have to secure our border. I am glad that some of my colleagues across the aisle have seen the value in preserving title 42.

They have seen the importance of securing our borders against criminals and terrorists that we know are exploiting the crisis to enter America. They see the devastating impact that 18,000 encounters a day would have on communities across our Nation if title 42 is removed. Most importantly, they see the hard work of the men and women of law enforcement on the border, and like Republicans, they want to help.

I hope the rest of the Democratic Caucus will join them and support these men and women who are risking their lives to secure our Nation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the life and service of the late Congressman Don Young of Alaska, former dean of the United States House of Representatives. It is fitting that this Coast Guard reauthorization, which we are considering today, is named in his memory.

Congressman Young made a lasting impact on this institution and his legacy of service will endure far into the future.

Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to recognize Mr. Mike McGrevey for his outstanding service to the people of Mississippi and the United States of America. He has committed himself to the service of his fellow man through a long and distinguished career, and I rise today to recognize him as a dedicated American leader whose example will inspire many who wish to make the world around them a better place for their neighbors, friends, and family.

Most recently, Mr. McGrevey served as Deputy Director and Chief Financial Officer of the Mississippi Development Authority, but he also served in senior leadership positions in the academic, public, and private sectors as well as in the military.

He served as Chief of Staff, Chief Financial Officer, and Vice President of Finance and Administration at Mississippi State University, where, under his leadership, the university received high accolades for research and was praised as a top university for military and veterans. In his tenure, Mississippi State University was designated as one of ``America's Best College Buys.''

Mr. McGrevey also served as President of The Montgomery Institute, where he led an effort to create a network for public and private entities that promoted entrepreneurial activities and workforce development systems across 36 counties and 8 community college districts.

As President and Chief Operations Officer of a Mississippi-based education company, Mr. McGrevey led a team of over 200 education professionals to improve student performance in over 400 schools throughout 12 states.

Mr. McGrevey also served our nation for 20 years in the United States Air Force with honor and distinction. His military career included tours in Washington, D.C., at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill, as well as in Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

It is my honor to recognize Mr. Mike McGrevey in the House of Representatives for the many contributions he has made to create a brighter future for our state and our Nation, and I ask my colleagues in the House to join me in thanking Mr. McGrevey for his service and commitment to Mississippi and to the United States of America.

Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to congratulate Chief M.E. ``Gene'' Waldrop on 50 years of service in law enforcement. He has enjoyed a distinguished career, and we are grateful for his dedicated service to defend the safety of our great state for more than half a century.

As a native of Greenville, Mississippi, Chief Waldrop graduated from Greenville High School and later served as Staff Sergeant in the Mississippi National Guard. After being honorably discharged, Waldrop began his law enforcement career as a patrol officer. Chief Waldrop served 20 years for the Greenville Mississippi Police Department and retired in 1991 as Chief of Police. With Chief Waldrop's oversight and encouragement, the City of Greenville coordinated with local agencies to develop efficient disaster response plans that heightened the region's security.

After retiring, Chief Waldrop was appointed as Chief of Police in the City of Madison, Mississippi, holding to his commitment to public service. In this role, he continued his steadfast dedication to keeping the great state of Mississippi safe by establishing advanced emergency response plans. Under his courageous leadership, the City of Madison has been rated the Safest City in Mississippi by several crime prevention organizations.

Chief Waldrop is also a dedicated community servant. He helped to establish the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Firefighters' Memorial Burn Center Association. There, he served as the Vice- President of the Board of Directors, one of his many achievements that earned Chief Waldrop the Jim Ingram Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.

I commend all that Chief Waldrop has done to valiantly protect the lives of Mississippians, and I thank him for his contributions towards bettering our state's law enforcement. I extend my very best wishes to him and look forward to working with him in the future to make our state an even better place to live, worship, and raise a family.

Madam Speaker, as gas prices across the country continue to soar, and with President Biden's announcement to ban Russian oil imports, it is time that America looked to our own backyard to meet our energy needs.

To ease the burden on hardworking Americans, we must increase domestic production to make America energy independent again.

We can no longer allow Russia, Venezuela, or oil from the Middle East to meet our energy needs. The Biden administration must commit to an America first strategy in oil production.

America must increase production so that we are not only energy independent but so that we can once again become a net exporter of oil and natural gas.

We must drill America, refine America, and we must buy American oil. That is why I joined many of my Republican colleagues in a letter to President Biden requesting the administration open Federal lands to energy production, end unnecessary and burdensome bureaucratic regulations, and approve and expedite construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

President Biden must commit to these actions immediately to ease the burden on Americans at the pump.

Madam Speaker, former President Ronald Reagan once said: ``America was founded on the moral proposition that human life--all human life--is sacred. And this proposition is the bedrock of our national life, the foundation of our laws. It is the wellspring of our Constitution.''

If our Nation can unite around any singular issue, it should be that life is sacred, especially the life of a child.

This week, tens of thousands of Americans will coalesce around that issue as they visit our Nation's Capital for the purpose of protecting life.

I join with these peaceful Americans in supporting laws that ensure every child has the opportunity for the most basic right defined in our Constitution, the right to life.

As a member of the Pro-Life Caucus and a father of two wonderful boys, I want to welcome all these great Americans as they visit Washington, D.C., to help defend the life of the unborn.

Madam Speaker, I'd like to congratulate the Brandon Bulldogs and Coach Sam Williams on their MHSAA 6A South State Championship victory. Coach Williams led the talented team to an impressive 11-3 season with stunning wins over some of the best teams in the state. I commend Coach Williams for his success at the helm of the Bulldogs football team and wish him and his team continued success in the future.

I would also like to extend my congratulations to the young men who worked tirelessly for their successful season. Every early morning, every extra rep, and every sacrifice they made to better themselves and their team resulted in victory time and time again until they became one of the best high school football programs in Mississippi.

l would encourage those young men to reflect deeply on the investment they made to realize such a successful season. They will never forget the feeling of their great accomplishment; but in the future, as they reminisce on this season, I would challenge them to remember the qualities that made them one of the best teams in the entire state.

Those qualities of hard-work, commitment, and determination will continue to serve them well in the future as they transition from leaders on the field to leaders in their families, communities, state, and Nation.

Congratulations to the Brandon Bulldogs on their very successful season.

Madam Speaker, I'd like to congratulate the Madison Central Jaguars and Coach Toby Collums on their MHSAA 6A State Championship victory. In his first year, Coach Collums led the Jaguars to a 13-1 season and finished the season with a victory at the state championship. I commend Coach Collums for his explosive start at the helm of the Jaguars football team and wish him and his team continued success in the future.

I would also like to extend my congratulations to the young men who worked tirelessly for the championship trophy. Every early morning, every extra rep, and every sacrifice they made to better themselves and their team has resulted in the top prize.

In the coming days, as the thrill of victory begins to fade, I would encourage those young men to reflect deeply on the investment they made to realize this championship. They will never forget the feeling of their great accomplishment; but in the future, as they reminisce on this victory, I would challenge them to remember the qualities that made them champions.

Those qualities of hard-work. commitment, and determination will continue to serve them well in the future as they transition from leaders on the field to leaders in their families, communities, state, and Nation.

Congratulations to the Madison Central Jaguars. They earned this victory.

Madam Speaker, I'd like to congratulate the Jefferson Davis County Jaguars and Coach Lance Mancuso on their MHSAA 3A State Championship victory. This is Coach Mancuso's ninth straight state championship, an unprecedented accomplishment. I commend Coach Mancuso for his record-setting success at the helm of the Jaguars football team and wish him and his team continued success in the future.

I would also like to extend my congratulations to the young men who worked tirelessly for the championship trophy. Every early morning, every extra rep, and every sacrifice they made to better themselves and their team has resulted in the top prize.

In the coming days, as the thrill of victory begins to fade, l would encourage those young men to reflect deeply on the investment they made to realize this championship. They will never forget the feeling of their great accomplishment; but in the future, as they reminisce on this victory, I would challenge them to remember the qualities that made them champions.

Those qualities of hard-work, commitment, and determination will continue to serve them well in the future as they transition from leaders on the field to leaders in their families, communities, state, and Nation.

Congratulations to the Jefferson Davis County Jaguars. They earned this victory.

Madam Speaker, I'd like to congratulate the Bay Springs Bulldogs and Coach Dan Brady on their MHSAA 1A State Championship victory. Although the Bulldogs have reached the playoffs multiple times, Coach Brady led the talented team to a 32-12 victory over Simmons High School. I commend Coach Brady for his success at the helm of the Bulldogs football team and wish him and his team continued success in the future.

I would also like to extend my congratulations to the young men who worked tirelessly for the championship trophy. Every early morning, every extra rep, and every sacrifice they made to better themselves and their team has resulted in the top prize.

In the coming days, as the thrill of victory begins to fade, I would encourage those young men to reflect deeply on the investment they made to realize this championship. They will never forget the feeling of their great accomplishment; but in the future, as they reminisce on this victory, I would challenge them

to remember the qualities that made them champions.

Those qualities of hard-work, commitment, and determination will continue to serve them well in the future as they transition from leaders on the field to leaders in their families, communities, state, and nation.

Congratulations to the Bay Springs Bulldogs. They earned this victory.

Madam Speaker, I'd like to congratulate the Scott Central Rebels and Coach Eric House on their MHSAA 2A State Championship victory. Coach House led the Rebels to an almost unchallenged 15-0 season with huge margins of victory over their opponents, ending the season with a MHSAA record-breaking 72 points in the championship game. I commend Coach House for his success at the helm of the Rebels football team and wish him and his team continued success in the future.

I would also like to extend my congratulations to the young men who worked tirelessly for the championship trophy. Every early morning, every extra rep, and every sacrifice they made to better themselves and their team has resulted in the top prize.

In the coming days, as the thrill of victory begins to fade, I would encourage those young men to reflect deeply on the investment they made to realize this championship. They will never forget the feeling of their great accomplishment; but in the future, as they reminisce on this victory, 1 would challenge them to remember the qualities that made them champions.

Those qualities of hard-work, commitment, and determination will continue to serve them well in the future as they transition from leaders on the field to leaders in their families, communities, state, and Nation.

Congratulations to the Scott Central Rebels. They earned this victory.

Madam Speaker, former President Ronald Reagan once said, ``Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.''

The answers in the Bible have provided our Nation with valuable wisdom over the course of history. In times of fear, God's Word has provided encouragement; in times of joy, it has supplied words of praise; and in times of uncertainty, it has offered peace.

My hope is that all Americans will continue to live by the truth and the wisdom of the Word of God.

As we face the future, we must never forget that our Nation was divinely inspired on biblical principles. We must recognize that we are blessed to live in a country where we can worship freely, and we must work to see that we always remain one nation under God.

But perhaps most important to our challenges today is to heed the greatest commandment, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might, and love your neighbor as yourself.

May God continue to bless the United States of America.