Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I have seen more damage done in the first 100 days of this administration than I thought possible in 4 years. Rather than unity, it has been division. Rather than working together, it has been partisanship.

We are hearing even today in the comments that we are trying to stoke racial division in this country. This is nothing but a naked power play today. That is all this is about.

People who can't get their radical agenda passed under the system our Framers set up now want to blow it up. This is nothing but ideological terrorism by those willing to completely ignore our Constitution and system of government.

Whether it is attacks on the First, Second or Fourth Amendment, or turning our Federal seat of government over to two more far-left Senators, they simply do not care. They want what they want.

This is not about a balance of power. This is about more power. This is about government-run healthcare; a $93 trillion Green New Deal; packing the Supreme Court; higher taxes; and a bigger, less efficient form of government.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to wish a very happy birthday to a South Carolina hero, a community leader and someone who just yesterday turned 104 years young, Lieutenant Colonel Retired Sam Mulrain.

Lieutenant Colonel Mulrain has done so much in his life and I am proud to recognize him today, and I am grateful for all of his accomplishments. His legacy is inspirational to our Nation and the Lowcountry. We owe Lieutenant Colonel Mulrain so much for his contributions, both in military service and in his humanitarian efforts.

He was part of the Greatest Generation, storming the beaches of Normandy where he was wounded and received the Purple Heart. He played baseball with Hall of Famer Phil ``The Scooter'' Rizzuto.

In and around Hilton Head, the community knows him for his tireless dedication to public service.

Today, we in Congress, wish Sam a very happy birthday.

Mr. Speaker, today I have the privilege to present congratulatory remarks to the College of Charleston cheerleading team on their historic weekend, winning their first national championship.

For the first time in school and program history, the College of Charleston cheerleaders won first place, under the direction of their head coach, Samantha Pairet, who stands as an exemplary leader of young athletes in South Carolina and around the country.

The team traveled to Daytona April 7 through 10 to compete in the Intermediate Small Coed Division I performance division, where they received a score of 94.23 and were crowned the Intermediate Small Coed Division I national champions. Way to go, Cougars.

Madam Speaker, as a single working mom, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act, to get our kids out from behind screens and back into the classroom.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Rice) for his remarks.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

General Leave

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers and am prepared to close.

It is a real honor to be here today, and the distinguished whip is correct that this is long overdue, to recognize Joseph Rainey and his accomplishments.

He fought tirelessly for civil rights and education and opportunity. He fought for freedom for every working American in this country. To be here today in Black History Month to recognize his legacy and his legend, he will not be forgotten, and we ensure that today.

I hope that future generations of South Carolinians and Americans across the country can be inspired by his courageous leadership here in this House. I urge my colleagues to support this bill today.

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

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 772, a bill that would name a Minnesota post office after Jim Ramstad.

From 1968 to 1974, Jim Ramstad served as a member of the Army Reserve. In 1981, he was elected to the Minnesota State Senate, where he would go on to serve for 10 years. He was then elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he represented Minnesota's Third Congressional District.

During his time in Congress, he strove to reduce discrimination against those suffering from mental health and addiction problems. He retired from Congress in 2009 and went on to serve as a fellow at Harvard University and as an adviser to Minnesota's Hazelden treatment center.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill honoring an inspiring American leader that proves that everyone deserves a second chance.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 813, a bill that would name an Albuquerque, New Mexico, post office after Jose Hernandez.

Mr. Hernandez enlisted in the Army after graduating from Arizona State University and was then stationed in Germany and deployed to Iraq in 2003.

After his discharge from the Army, Jose Hernandez moved to New Mexico and began working at the U.S. Postal Service as a civil engineer and letter carrier.

In 2009, he was tragically killed while protecting a mother in a domestic dispute. He intervened to try to peacefully end the fight, but was shot by the woman's son. His hometown mourns this tragic loss.

I urge my colleagues today to support this legislation honoring a true American hero.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 208, a bill to name a Mississippi post office for Colonel Carlyle ``Smitty'' Harris.

Smitty Harris enlisted in the Air Force in 1951, and would later go on to serve for 28 years as a pilot instructor, operations officer, and faculty member at the Air War College.

In 1965, while on a combat mission over North Vietnam, Smitty's F-105 was struck and he was forced to bail out over North Vietnam where he was captured.

He spent the next 8 years as a prisoner of war, where he was confined in various prisons and tortured. During his time in prison, he is known for creating the tap code, which POWs used to communicate secretly between cells.

After nearly 8 years as a prisoner of war, he returned home to the U.S. and to his loving family. His son called him his hero and role model. But the truth is, he is every American's hero.

He has earned numerous medals and accolades for heroic service on behalf our Nation. Those include: two Silver Star Medals, three Legion of Merits, the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Bronze Stars for valor, two Purple Hearts, and two Air Medals.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues today to support this legislation in recognition of this great American hero, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Kelly).

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues today to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this is not the reason I wanted to give my first speech in our Chamber, in our hallowed Halls. This is not what I wanted to do in my first week in office. But after the violent events of last week, watching and witnessing how heartbreaking this was, thank God I sent my kids home on Monday morning because I was worried about the rhetoric leading up to the events and to the rally on January 6, the violence that could transpire.

Not only were our lives in danger but if my kids were here, their lives would have been in danger, too, the two most precious people in my life.

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. House of Representatives has every right to impeach the President of the United States. What we are doing today, rushing this impeachment in an hour- or 2-hour-long debate on the floor in this Chamber, bypassing Judiciary, poses great questions about the constitutionality of this process.

I believe we need to hold the President accountable. I hold him accountable for the events that transpired, for the attack on our Capitol last Wednesday. I also believe we need to hold accountable every single person, even Members of Congress, if they contributed to the violence that transpired here.

But, today, I am asking my colleagues to remember the words of the legendary, great leader in this country, Dr. Martin Luther King, who once said the time is always right to do what is right.

If we are serious about healing the division in this country, Republicans and Democrats need to acknowledge this is not the first day of violence we have seen. We have seen violence across our country for the last 9 months. We need to recognize, number one, that our words have consequences, that there is violence on both sides of the aisle. We have contributed to it. We need to take responsibility for our words and our actions. We need to acknowledge there is a problem, take responsibility for it, and stop being part of the problem and start being part of the solution.

God bless every Member in the Chamber today, and God bless the United States of America.