Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 272.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2797 (Equal Opportunity for All Investors Act of 2023) would require the SEC to establish an examination to certify specified individuals as accredited investors. The Act further states that the examination shall be administered and offered free of charge to the public by a registered national securities association, such as FINRA. The sponsors of the legislation do not intend to create an unfunded mandate for FINRA or any other national securities association to administer this examination. While the Act would require the examination to be administered and offered to the public free of charge, the sponsors acknowledge that FINRA or any other national securities association may recover administrative costs in other ways, including a contract with the Securities and Exchange Commission that includes fee for services.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Missouri for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the Equal Opportunity for All Investors Act of 2023 will give Americans new opportunities to grow their wealth and savings. I also thank Chairman McHenry, Chairwoman Wagner, Ranking Member Waters, and my Democratic co-lead Wiley Nickel for their support of my bill.

This legislation expands the accredited investor definition to include individuals that are certified, as you have heard today, through an exam written by the SEC and administered by FINRA. It is my firm belief that the accredited investor definition should not be tied exclusively to wealth. Instead, we should unlock opportunities for knowledgeable investors that may not come from means. This bill strikes an effective balance. It brings more investors into the accredited investor pool but also contains guardrails that would filter out individuals that do not fully understand private offerings and the investment risks associated with them.

We have legislation today that would make for a thorough but fair examination for investors that want to become accredited investors.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support my bill.

Mr. Speaker, the debt limit debate is a study in contrasts between responsible Republicans and dysfunctional Democrats.

On one side, you have responsible Republicans who have been working from the beginning to avoid default and reduce out-of-control spending.

Speaker McCarthy called on President Biden to negotiate on January 12. When President Biden ignored him for nearly 100 days, House Republicans passed the Limit, Save, Grow Act, the only plan that avoids default, lowers spending, protects Medicare and Social Security, and reduces our dependence on China.

By contrast, dysfunctional Democrats have ignored the exploding national debt, even though it was their reckless spending that brought us here in the first place.

President Biden knew the debt limit deadline was coming, but for months, he did nothing. Now, with only 8 days until Secretary Yellen's June 1 default deadline, he continues to act irresponsibly.

Mr. Speaker, my message to President Biden is simple: Get serious. Act urgently. Listen to the American people, not the far left in your party.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor our beef producers, feeders, and processors as we celebrate Beef Month in Nebraska.

Nebraska is the Beef State. We are the top processing State, number one for cattle on feed, and the biggest State for beef exports to the European Union, South Korea, Kuwait, and Colombia.

Nebraska has more than three times the number of cows than people. From the Lone Creek Cattle Company in Lincoln to Oak Barn Beef in West Point, we raise the best beef in the world right in the First District of Nebraska.

It is all because of our abundant natural resources, great cattle genetics, and a rich heritage that has been passed on for generations.

As we celebrate Beef Month, I give a sincere thank-you to all the producers, feeders, and processors who raise and make the best beef in the world on our ranches and in our feed yards for consumers around the globe.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one of Nebraska's finest elementary educators, Mrs. Jane Jessen of Norfolk, Nebraska. Mrs. Jessen has taught at Sacred Heart Elementary School and Norfolk Catholic School since 1984.

Every single day in the classroom, she worked hard to inspire each student to find their own path and to celebrate what makes them a very important person.

Jane has lived her life to help others. She has touched the lives of so many not only in the classroom, but she has also touched the lives of those who have witnessed her resilience by living her faith during times of tragedy and sorrow.

Norfolk Catholic School won the lottery of teachers when Mrs. Jane Jessen went to work for the students.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of everybody in the First Congressional District, I thank my fifth grade teacher, Sacred Heart School, and Norfolk Catholic, Jane Jessen, for everything she has done for our State and our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I wish Mrs. Jessen a happy retirement.

Mr. Speaker, today, I want to thank Becky Hattan of Lincoln for her service to my office.

Becky has worked over the last several months as a constituent services representative.

During her time on the team, Becky brought exceptional organizational skills playing a key role in establishing our District Office in Lincoln.

This work was particularly evidenced by her work on behalf of constituents, which helped recover hundreds of thousands of dollars in constituent resources from federal agencies.

Her coordination of the First District Congressional Art Competition made the program successful.

But most of all, Becky is a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother.

Becky has a passion for serving others and provided quality customer service to people. And that is leading her to return to the healthcare sector.

As she departs, I want her to know that everyone appreciates her work and that we will greatly miss her. On behalf of the First District of Nebraska: Congratulations and best wishes to Becky.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to support H.R. 1 and permitting reform under the National Environmental Protection Act, also known as NEPA.

Nebraska has been on the frontlines of NEPA's impacts over the course of a decades-long expressway program through my Congressional District. It has taken 10 more years than it should have.

Under the Obama administration, the length of time for NEPA reviews climbed from 3.4 years in 2010 to 5.2 years in 2016.

President Trump rolled back the red tape, but President Biden brought it all back and expanded the prior requirements.

H.R. 1 makes reasonable reforms to ensure that NEPA is applied expeditiously and without unnecessarily burdening States.

In Nebraska, and I suspect way too many other States, commonsense solutions and mitigation strategies to steward our natural resources need to be protected, but we need to do it under NEPA.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute our farmers and ranchers as we celebrate National Ag Week.

In Nebraska, we grow the food, fuel, and fiber we need to feed the world.

We are known as the ``Cornhusker State'' and the ``Beef State.'' We are number one for cattle on feed, number two for ethanol production, and number three for corn exports.

We are home to the four largest center-pivot irrigation manufacturers who help farmers efficiently apply water resources around the globe.

These are just a few of the things that make Nebraska the number one ag State and the number one in the Nation for ag receipts per capita.

We are also home to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Daugherty Water for Food Institute, which is leading the research we need to ensure that our world's natural resources support food security for years to come.

As we celebrate National Ag Week, I would extend a heartfelt thank you to the farmers and ranchers who work hard and sacrifice each day to feed the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome to Washington the newest Member of the Nebraska delegation, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts.

Senator Ricketts has just finished 8 very good years as Governor of Nebraska. During that time, he steered the State through challenges, including a dramatic period of historic flooding and a global pandemic.

Through it all, he led Nebraska to the best performance of any State during the COVID pandemic, according to Politico.

Across his 8 years as Governor, he helped run State government more like a business, delivered historic tax relief, and rolled back unnecessary State government regulations.

Nebraska is fortunate to have his experience working for us now over in the Senate. The Nebraska delegation is excited to have him on the team, and we look forward to fighting together for the Cornhusker State's priorities here in Washington.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this resolution condemning socialism.

I have seen the victims of socialism firsthand. Many of those victims have found refuge in Nebraska. Vietnamese is the third most spoken language in Nebraska due to immigration in the 1970s, and members of the Falun Gong have found freedom from religious persecution by the Chinese Communist Party in our great State.

History shows us that when socialism is tried, it leads to three things: poverty, devastation, and ultimately communism. As Vladimir Lenin once said, ``The goal of socialism is communism.''

Socialist regimes continue to commit atrocities around the world.

In North Korea, there are an estimated 180,000 prisoners today. Many of them are subjected to torture and extreme manual labor.

In Venezuela, police and security forces killed more than 19,000 people between 2016 and 2019 for ``resisting authority.''

In Cuba, journalists, bloggers, and artists are routinely jailed for speaking against the regime. The list goes on and on.

Socialism is the enemy, not just to free enterprise, but to human rights.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate National School Choice Week.

School choice is about giving families the freedom to choose the best education possible for their children, regardless of their learning style or home address or financial situation.

Every parent in America wants to give their child the best education possible, and Nebraska has great options: public, private, homeschools. Not everyone has the means to access their option of choice.

I believe we should fund the students, not the systems. When funding for education follows students to the school of their choice, families win. Nebraska is one of only two States in the Nation that has not passed a school choice program.

I am excited about these opportunities and look forward to giving parents the choice.

Mr. Speaker, today, I want to congratulate Mr. Lee Klein of Norfolk, Nebraska on his retirement.

Lee is a longtime public servant and advocate for agriculture, who has traveled to dozens of countries promoting our agricultural exports. Over the years, Lee has served in many capacities including Board Member for the National Corn Growers Association, Madison County Commissioner, and State Senator in the Nebraska Unicameral. These are just a few of the many roles he's played.

Most recently, he served as a representative for my District Office, helping to connect agricultural stakeholders to my work in Congress. He's been an outstanding ambassador for the First Congressional District.

On a more personal level, Lee has not only served on my staff, but he's also been a great friend and neighbor. As a fellow Norfolk resident, he brought a valuable local perspective to the team and a desire to help keep the district and our country moving forward.

On behalf of the First District of Nebraska, I offer Lee congratulations and best wishes on his retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Nebraska's 41st Governor, the newly-inaugurated, Jim Pillen.

After traveling to all 93 counties in Nebraska, putting 100,000 miles on his truck, Jim has become a very well-known man, but I also wanted to share a little bit about his story with you.

Jim is the son of a tenant farmer and a seamstress. What most people don't know is that Jim came from almost nothing. He is a self-made man. His entrepreneurial spirit built Pillen Family Farms into a company with international success.

If you have eaten bacon in the last decade, you have probably enjoyed the work of the Pillen family, which reaches all the way from hog genetics to meat processing and everything in between.

The pig farmer is wasting no time as Governor. He has already rolled up his sleeves, getting to work raising awareness about human trafficking, fighting for school choice, and making government more efficient.

Jim has pledged to bring people together to make Nebraska better day by day. Our Nebraska delegation is excited to work with him to move the State forward.

Mr. Speaker, I want to focus a light today on the ongoing humanitarian crisis unfolding at our southern border. This week, President Biden once again refused to visit the border saying: ``There are more important things going on.''

It is no surprise the President doesn't want to go to the border because he would have to confront the crisis that his rhetoric and policies have created.

Unlike the President, I have visited the border. During my visit, one thing became crystal clear: his catch-and-release policies have dramatically escalated the crisis. Law enforcement told me about how coyotes bring women and children across the border trafficking and sexually abusing them along the journey.

Data underscores the impact that President Biden's rhetoric has had. CBP reports show that Southwest land border encounters have increased almost fivefold in 2 years.

I have a message to the President: It is time to address the border crisis. It is time to stop the drug and human trafficking. And it is time, Mr. President, to finish the wall and reinstate the policies to remain in Mexico.