Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, trust in government is at a record low, and it is not hard to see why.

In 2016, Members of the House of Representatives were in session for a total of just 55 full legislative days. That is 55 days out of 365. In what other job are you allowed to work for just 55 days a year?

Looking at this, it is not hard to understand why Congress has a lower approval rating than cockroaches, colonoscopies, and Genghis Khan.

Despite working for 55 days out of the year, Members of this body are paid more than three times the median household income in America.

Mr. Speaker, this is why I have introduced the Do Your Job Act, which would prohibit Congress from taking a recess until it passes a budget and funds the government. In other words, Congress can't take a vacation until it does its job. I know this sounds simple. But where I am from in northeast Wisconsin, if you don't do your job, you lose that job; if you don't finish your work, you do not collect a paycheck.

Here we are just a day away from leaving this Chamber for a 2-week break from legislative activity, risking government shutdown, and yet we are leaving.

This is unacceptable, and this is why I am standing before you today. I am urging all of my colleagues in the 115th Congress to unite behind a simple idea: let's work together and do our jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 211, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 212, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 213, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 214.

Mr. Speaker, every time I have the privilege of addressing this body, I am reminded of

how lucky we all are to live in a country where I am free to speak my mind without fear of retribution or retaliation. It is one of the great privileges of being an American. Yet for far too many around the world, freedom of conscience is still a distant dream.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in Russia, where Vladimir Putin's thuggish regime has poisoned the promise of the post-Soviet era and day by day has slid Russia back into the dark shadows of autocracy. Just last Sunday, thousands of Russians took to the streets and squares in protest of the Kremlin's corruption. And in return, Russian police arrested hundreds of protesters, including Vladimir Putin's political challenger, Alexei Navalny.

But the Putin regime's barbarity isn't just a polite policy difference. Russians of exceptional courage are dying, including as recently as last week, as the regime cultivates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.

Vladimir Putin's campaign of murder is not limited to domestic political opponents. Like all dictators, Putin seeks to rally his nation's support by channeling public fear and anger against external enemies. Time and again, first in Georgia, then in Ukraine, and now in Syria, Vladimir Putin has warned us exactly who he is. As recent as last night, the commander of CENTCOM announced that Russia is likely providing support to the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Mr. Speaker, I am afraid we have exhausted our warnings. Russian aggression, if left unchecked, may soon cross a line past which there is no return.

You see, what Vladimir Putin wants is fundamentally at odds with American interests. After the Second World War, America laid the foundation for a new and better world, drawn together by common values and forged from the fires of war. We did this not just because we are a generous people but because we are a wise people.

Farsighted American statesmen realized that creating the architecture for peace in Europe was a far better investment than returning to isolationism and then one day having to pay the butcher's bill, as we did twice during the first half of the 20th century.

As Europe is changing, Vladimir Putin dreams of restoring the Soviet Union's prestige and power, and his ultimate goal is clear: the end of the postwar-American project in Europe and the return of power politics unencumbered by the rules of the road that we established to our benefit in concert with our allies.

And so the stakes, in my mind, could not be any higher. If we do not stand up to Putin now, his aggression will continue until one day he goes too far. On that day, we may face an unimaginable choice between war or the destruction of the NATO alliance. And whichever we choose, we will have lost.

Despite Putin telling us exactly who he is, I have heard some say we should try to work with Russia to find areas of common ground. Yet we have seen firsthand how the last administration's reset has not led to better relations but to a tide of Russian aggression.

I do not believe Putin desires war with the United States. What he desires is the fruits of conquest without the cost. He holds the cards of a bluffer, and he is gradually raising the stakes in an effort to get us to fold. Fortunately, it is the U.S., not Russia, who holds the stronger hand. We cannot, and we must not, give Putin the acquiescence he requires to succeed in his plot to overturn the world we created.

When it comes to Russia's interference in our elections, we must put the country and the sanctity of our democracy far above partisan interests. For any American to collaborate against our own government with a government that seeks to undermine our country would, indeed, be nothing short of treasonous. But I call on my Democrat friends to resist the urge to treat this critical issue as nothing more than an opportunity to score political points.

And I call on my fellow Republicans to unwaveringly pursue investigations into efforts by Vladimir Putin to undermine our democracy, wherever they may lead.

I will close with this, Mr. Speaker. In our twilight struggle against the clouds of dictatorship, we must maintain what the former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky calls moral clarity. Sharansky contrasts free societies with fear societies, where citizens live in perpetual unease. While even free societies are not perfect, they must never play into the hands of fear society propagandists who assert the dubious sense of moral relativism.

After all of these years, we are still Ronald Reagan's America--a light on a hill shining brightly as a beacon for all mankind. There is no moral equivalence between the United States and any society based upon fear, let alone Vladimir Putin's Russia.

American exceptionalism remains buried deep in all our bones. We are not just a free society; we are the model free society. Our values and our deeds will endure long after each of us in this Chamber is gone.

Mr. Speaker, the conflict before us is a simple one: we cannot fall prey to false equivalencies or fail to recognize our adversaries for who they are. Let us steel ourselves today in this Chamber and rise to stop Mr. Putin's aggression in its tracks, both against our own Nation and against those who have proven themselves to be our closest friends and allies.

Mr. Speaker, distrust in government is at an all-time high, and it is easy to see why. Our Federal debt is approaching $20 trillion. A child born today in this country will inherit a crushing burden of debt, part of an intergenerational crime without consequence.

Meanwhile, the middle class is being hollowed out, if not disappearing entirely. We have a 7-million-man strong army that simply opted out of the labor force entirely.

Finally, our foreign policy is in crisis. Threats continue to rise abroad as, here at home, we continue to wreak havoc on our own military through mindless defense sequester. By the way, our veterans still aren't getting the care that they deserve. This is unacceptable.

Despite the fact that Congress, by any metric we might devise, is not doing its basic job, in 10 days the Members of this body will adjourn on a 2-week vacation. And in 10 legislative days, if we don't make some hard choices, the government may shut down, cutting off our constituents from access to programs they depend upon for their livelihood.

So my message is simple. My plea to this body is simple. Let's end the vacation.

In what other job would you grant yourself a 2-week vacation if you failed to do that fundamental job?

I know we need to go back home. I know people want to hear from their constituents. But more than anything else, our constituents sent us here to do our job, to work together to fix problems rather than punting them down the road to the next generation. So, please, let's stay here, let's do our job. That is the very least we owe the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the topic of my Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I was back in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the past week. Someone asked me: What is the biggest surprise you have encountered since being in Congress?

I said: I will give you a negative surprise and a positive surprise. The negative surprise was how much of our time is spent here in Congress doing things that really, in my opinion, have nothing to do with the hard task of legislating, running around to an endless series of meetings that distract us from the hard work of the floor of coming together and fixing problems.

I said: But on the positive side, I have been blown away by the quality of talent, the commitment to service, and just the incredible collection of experiences we have in the freshman class of the 115th Congress--on both sides of the aisle, by the way.

I think we have a unique opportunity to seize this moment and send a message to our citizens back home that we are ready to change politics as usual and we are ready to work together to get things done. So today we would like to speak about that in general and in particular about term limits, an idea whose time has come.

In my 10 years in the Marine Corps and during two deployments to Iraq, I saw brave young men and women from across this country working together, doing whatever it took to accomplish the very difficult mission.

I would submit that our constituents from across the country sent us here to accomplish a very difficult mission. They sent us here not to treat our time here as a career, but rather like a deployment, an act with a sense of urgency to get things done. And, my gosh, do we have a list of problems that we need to fix.

Our healthcare system in this country has failed the American people, the Federal debt and deficit continue to balloon, taxes are driving out businesses and jobs, and our foreign policy is in shambles right now. These issues aren't new, yet they never seem to get fixed. Why is that? Well, I would argue because Washington isn't working for the American people. The people's House has become distracted and distorted from its original intention. It is up to us--the new Members of Congress--to fix that and restore the balance that the Founders and the Framers had in mind--the concept of the citizen legislator--people from all walks of life who would put aside their primary responsibility and come and embark on a season of service and then return home when that season was done.

Today, I am proud to be joined by my fellow freshmen Members of Congress who are going to speak about term limits. It is my honor to welcome a man who served his country for a career in uniform in the Air Force. He could have enjoyed a nice retirement and had some relaxing time, but he chose to step up and serve yet again in Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon), my distinguished colleague, the pride of Omaha, Nebraska, a general, now Congressman.

Mr. Speaker, listening to my colleague's remarks, I was reminded of what another general,

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, said: ``You know, farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles from the cornfield.''

I think that sentiment was echoed by Don Bacon, which is to say people who have actual experience dealing with hard problems are the best type of people to legislate on those problems from Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to welcome another distinguished colleague from Louisiana. We in Wisconsin are all honored to welcome a bunch of LSU fans to Lambeau Field. I won't rehash how that went, but it was a great coming together of two great sports fans. It was really a privilege for everyone there.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson), my colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Johnson. And I just want to

say that he and all the great citizens of the great State of Louisiana are welcome back any time to Lambeau Field. It was an honor to have him there.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to introduce a colleague from Pennsylvania's Eighth District, who served his country in the FBI. I am now honored to serve with him on the Homeland Security Committee, to which he brings an incredible wealth of experience. I think he is living proof of the necessity of embarking on term limits and implementing them now.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick).

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Khanna for his comments. He gets at a really important point, which opponents of term limits will say: Well, we have term limits that occur naturally every 2 years. But as he pointed out, with a 94 percent incumbent reelection rate, and a turnover rate that is less than European monarchy, it isn't working that way, owing to the advantages of incumbency. So we need to take action right now. I thank him for his commitment to this. This really is a bipartisan issue.

I am now honored to yield time to my fellow Marine, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman), a man who also served his country in uniform, and like General Bacon before, could have easily decided to enjoy retirement, but felt the call to step up and serve his country again. He brings a wealth of experience, and it is my honor to serve with General--now Congressman--Jack Bergman. We are neighbors. We have territory that borders each other, and so far, we have avoided any land disputes.

I thank Congressman Bergman not only for his leadership in the freshman class, but a lifetime of leadership and a lifetime spent leading marines.

I ask my team here in Congress, whenever we are considering a difficult issue, to apply what I call the lance corporal test. In other words, how are the policies that we are debating today and how is the legislation that we are considering going to affect that lance corporal, that 19-year-old man or woman at the tip of the spear?

I think General Bergman has seen in his career how messy things can get at the tip of the spear when you are far removed from air- conditioned offices in Washington, D.C.

I believe having more people not only with military experience, but with experience from a wide range of occupations will allow us to more thoughtfully consider how our policies here, designed in Washington, D.C., have real impacts on the American people and, indeed, across the world.

I now yield to the gentleman (Mr. Arrington) from Lubbock, Texas, to talk more about this issue. It has been great to work with the pride of Texas Tech, the pride of Lubbock, Texas.

I thank Congressman Arrington for his comments. As he rightfully points out, the time is now for big and bold action. We have a unique window of opportunity here that we must seize. The American people gave us an opportunity to turn this country around, to really, in my opinion, save the country. But that is all it is: a fleeting opportunity. And what we do over the coming days and weeks will determine whether we get more of that opportunity.

I thank Congressman Arrington for reminding us that this is just the first step; that the hard work is yet to come. We have to fight for this idea to implement it, and there is a lot of hard work ahead. I look forward to working with him on that.

I know there is a division of opinions on this issue, and there are some principled arguments against term limits.

I just remember talking with the man who held this seat before I did, Congressman Reid Ribble. He had spent his entire life in roofing, which was a nonstandard preparation for serving in Congress, but he decided to give up his successful private sector career to come here for a season of service and to work on behalf of the people of northeast Wisconsin.

He term-limited himself. I would debate this issue with him, and we went back and forth. Ultimately, he said something that stuck with me, and I think it is the most powerful argument for implementing term limits.

He said: Every day, I woke up, and I knew that I had one less day to make a difference in the people's House. One less day. And so every day, I woke up with a sense of urgency, wanting to fix problems and get things done on behalf of my constituents.

I just think about that whenever I consider this debate. I just think about, if all 535 Members of the House and the Senate woke up with that same sense of urgency, if we all woke up every day knowing we had one less day to make a difference, imagine what we could accomplish working together.

So, Mr. Speaker, I thank all of my colleagues who have spoken so eloquently on behalf of term limits, and I look forward to working with them.

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

Mr. Speaker, over the last 8 years, the United States has experienced a sharp rise in the number of military threats from foreign aggressors. Last month, Russia secretly deployed two batteries of new nuclear-capable cruise missiles. North Korea test-launched four ballistic missiles just this week, and China continues to bolster its military presence in the South China Sea, while going toward a naval fleet that may surpass 351 ships by 2020.

Meanwhile, our own Navy is the smallest it has been in 99 years, satisfying only 40 percent of the demand from regional commanders. Fifty-four percent of the Air Force's major weapons systems now qualify for antique vehicle license plates in the State of Virginia.

The Army, to quote the Vice Chief of Staff, is ``outraged, outgunned, and outdated.''

These are the bitter fruits of defense sequester; defense sequester which must be pulled out, root and branch. To quote Secretary Mattis: ``No foe in the field can wreak such havoc on our security that mindless sequestration is achieving.''

I agree with General Mattis. I agree that defense sequester is mindless. It is also dangerous. So today, while I speak in support of this rule and this bill, I applaud the Appropriations Committee for its critical work, and I urge my colleagues to support final passage.

This is just the first step. We will not have fulfilled our first and foremost constitutional duty to keep the country safe until we have completely eliminated defense sequester and truly begun the process of restoring peace through strength.

Einstein's words are as true today as they were in 1931, when he said of America: ``The part of passive spectator is unworthy of this country and is bound in the end to lead to disaster all around.''

If we do not act now to rebuild and modernize our military, if we continue to play the role of passive spectator, not only will it lead to disaster, at some point we will no longer be worthy of global leadership.

So to my colleague, I will say that this is our job. This is our most basic job. So let's do what the American people sent us here to do to keep the country safe, restore peace through strength. That is doing our job.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on roll call No. 134.

Mr. Speaker, I come from a place called Wisconsin. Besides having the world's best cheese and football franchise, we are known for being good neighbors. You may have heard of the phrase ``Wisconsin nice.'' Well, that is a real thing, as any Bears or Lions or Vikings fans who have come to Lambeau Field and been greeted, not with jeers, but with a, welcome, it is good to have you have found out.

The disparity between how we do business in Wisconsin and how business gets done or doesn't in Washington, D.C., couldn't be wider. Well, I am of the humble opinion that the world needs more of what we do in Wisconsin and less of how Washington, D.C., traditionally operates.

At a time when politics seems more deeply divided than ever, further debased by an endless media cycle that rewards vitriol and scandal, at a time when faith in our basic institutions is diminishing, I think the overwhelming majority of the American people are looking for something better. They sent us here to fight for our ideas, not to demonize the other side in a cynical attempt to get on TV or fundraise. The American people voted against the politics of the past, which only seeks to divide us and stir up controversy.

We can do better. We must do better. That is why I salute all of my colleagues for joining in this effort. I believe we, the freshmen Members of the 115th Congress, can be different. I believe that, through working together, we can break through the politics of the past and offer something better for the American people. I believe we can prove there is still room for civil, serious discourse in our political system.

Now, a commitment to civility doesn't mean we are going to agree on everything. I suspect there will be legitimate battles ahead, but let it be a battle of ideas not political theater. I intend to come armed to that fight with all the weapons I have at my disposal, foremost among them, my fervent belief in my conservative ideas. And I don't expect to convert my Democratic friends, but I expect them to come armed with their ideas, and I intend to listen. In that process of serious debate, maybe--just maybe--we will learn something from one another and find ways to fix our Nation's problems together.

Imagine if we were able to do that. Well, I am looking forward to trying.

Mr. Speaker, like every marine of my generation, during my time in the Corps I gained a profound respect for General Jim Mattis as simply the finest warrior that we have produced since Chesty Puller, and much has been made in the last few weeks about his war- fighting prowess.

What commands my respect, why I rise today, and what I believe binds

Jim so closely to the hearts of everyone who has ever worn the uniform is his humility. General Mattis understands not only how to wield military power decisively but also its limits. General Mattis also realizes that the true source of our military strength doesn't come from the E-ring of the Pentagon but, rather, from the fighting spirit of the brave soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines that are deployed right now doing a very dangerous job.

As the chairman mentioned, they deserve a Secretary of Defense on day one. With Jim Mattis as that Secretary, they will have a leader who always puts their welfare first and their mission first.

Now, I respect the concerns of my colleagues about the longstanding principle of civilian control of the military, but I know Jim Mattis personally, and I know how seriously he holds this principle as well. When I deployed to Iraq in 2007 and again in 2008, it was the words of General Mattis that reminded us that, if we ever showed contempt for civilians, we would give the enemy a victory.

So I say, for the mission's sake, for our country's sake, and the sake of men and women who have carried our colors in past battles, let's come together today in support of Jim Mattis and thereby send a signal to the world that there is once again no better friend, no worse enemy than the United States of America.

Section 3:

``Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.''