Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to strongly condemn the recent attacks on Minnesota lawmakers and their families and denounce all forms of political violence.

Earlier this month, a deranged gunman shocked the State of Minnesota and this entire Nation by murdering Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and attempting to kill State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.

I am absolutely devastated by this terrifying act of violence. While I didn't know Melissa Hortman personally, her reputation was that of a very dedicated public servant who cared deeply about our shared State and its peaceful people. I heard equally wonderful things about Mark Hortman, especially his deep devotion to his family.

My heart aches for the Hortmans' two children, now left without parents, and all their loved ones. At the same time, I continue to hold Senator Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in my prayers as they begin the long and difficult

road toward healing. Their survival is nothing short of a miracle, and I thank God they remain with us today.

I am also thankful to all of our brave law enforcement officers in Minnesota, along with our Federal partners who were able to locate and capture the killer, ending his brief reign of terror on our State. Without their quick response, there may have been many more victims. Thanks to their dedication and professionalism, justice will now be delivered.

Make no mistake. This was not just an attack on the Hortman and Hoffman families. This was an attack on the State of Minnesota and our shared ideals as Americans.

Political violence such as this threatens the very fabric of our constitutional republic and can never be ignored or met without condemnation. I am personally alarmed by the growing number of threats and attacks on public officials across the political spectrum in recent years. While we may have our differences, it is incumbent upon us all to make sure that disagreement never descends into violence.

Now, more than ever, we must remember that we are all Americans, and what unites us is far more powerful than anything that might divide us.

I am deeply grateful to Melissa Hortman, John Hoffman, and both of their families for everything they have contributed to our great State of Minnesota. I think one of the most powerful ways we can honor them is by standing united as Americans against this senseless attack and against all forms of political violence.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to do so by supporting H. Res. 519.

Mr. Speaker, this is an important topic.

As a former police officer in Duluth, Minnesota, one of the worst calls an officer can get is an overdose. When they go there, the individual is deceased. They make sure that it was an overdose, that nothing else took the life of that individual. Then, they have to formulate a plan on how they are going to notify mom or dad or the next of kin.

That is the most gut-wrenching thing a law enforcement officer can do. It is like rock slag. It is very hard to do that, to knock on that door. They are about to give a loved one the worst news ever. The officer knocks on a door, and a loved one opens the door and sees a police officer in full uniform. They know something is up, and then, the officer has to tell them, has to be straight up with them, that their son or daughter or their loved one died.

The first question is how. Mr. So-and-so, Mrs. So-and-so, we believe it was a drug overdose. The toxicology test will confirm, but we believe it was a drug overdose.

Then, all holy you-know-what breaks out in the house, from crying tears to frustration at the individual who delivered the worst news in their lifetime. They never forget that police officer, what he or she looked like, the demeanor he or she had, what they smelled like, what time of day it was, how hard the knock was, how many times you rang the doorbell.

Mr. Speaker, it is tough. This is a very good bill to stop drug overdoses.

Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I thank both my Republican and Democrat colleagues for their kind words. They are both spot on, and I couldn't be more proud to stand here and support this bill.

I rise today in strong support of my bill, the ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act.

I want to begin by thanking my colleagues from California, Missouri, and New Hampshire, Representatives Simon, Alford, and Pappas, for their support of this important legislation.

As a father to a young man with Down syndrome, I have seen firsthand just how much untapped talent exists within the disability community. Unfortunately, outdated systems and perceptions still keep far too many of these individuals on the sidelines in our economy.

That is just unfair, and it is a missed opportunity for American growth and innovation, and deprives our economy of their incredible contributions.

The ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act takes a critical step towards breaking down these barriers. This bill directs the Small Business Administration and the National Council on Disability to collaborate in providing resources and assistance to individuals with disabilities who want to start their own business or find meaningful employment, and it also ensures that small businesses have the guidance they need to hire and support employees with disabilities.

Through this bill, we are ensuring that individuals with disabilities can turn their ambitions into reality, whether that means starting a company or securing meaningful work. At the same time, we are helping small businesses tap into a skilled and motivated workforce by offering them the guidance to do so confidently.

Individuals with disabilities should not be overlooked. They should be empowered.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation so that every American, regardless of their ability, has the opportunity to contribute, succeed, and thrive in this great Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting Act of 2025.

I will start by thanking my friend and colleague from Kentucky (Mr. McGarvey) for introducing this bill and for his hard work in getting this bill to this point.

Every day, people with disabilities across our great country demonstrate resilience, innovation, and an entrepreneurial spirit. Yet, many roadblocks make entrepreneurship unnecessarily difficult.

These individuals don't lack talent, but they lack access. That is access to capital, access to resources, and the support needed to turn their ideas into successful businesses.

The Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting Act ensures that we take a hard look at the obstacles standing in the way of aspiring entrepreneurs with disabilities. It directs the Small Business Administration to assess whether current programs are effectively serving these individuals and to identify where improvements are needed.

If we are serious about fostering economic growth and opportunity, we cannot leave behind the millions of great Americans with disabilities who want to contribute, who want to innovate, and want to build something of their own.

Removing these obstacles isn't just the right thing to do, but it is a smart investment in economic growth. Entrepreneurs with disabilities bring creativity, and they bring drive. We should be clearing the path and not blocking it.

Mr. Speaker, today is a fly-in day for the House of Representatives. This conversation between Chairman Williams, Mr. McGarvey, and the leadership of Ranking Member Velazquez won't get the headlines because this apparently doesn't sell to the news media.

We in this country, as Democrats and Republicans, have more in common than we do differences, and we are letting the American people know that today.

Chairman Williams has done a tremendous job in the Committee on Small Business of allowing Members to bring ideas and legislation that is bipartisan. I thank the chairman for his hard work and for allowing us to do that.

I thank Ranking Member Velazquez for allowing us to do that, as well.

I thank Mr. McGarvey for managing the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, this is who we are, and I point out that Mr. McGarvey said this is the way the Founding Fathers would want it. I totally agree with that. One of the gentleman's constituents brought the concern, and it took us a little while to get there, but we got there.

Mr. Speaker, we are working in a bipartisan fashion to remove obstacles in the way of the growth for our disability community.

Mr. Speaker, I know your background. The Speaker was chosen, just like me and millions of other parents, to raise a special child who God gave us. It is up to us now as a country and as legislators to not leave anybody behind.

Mr. Speaker, nobody in our disability community will ever be left behind, and you are seeing that in a bipartisan fashion.

I thank Mr. McGarvey, Ranking Member Velazquez, and Chairman Williams for their leadership and allowing us to introduce this legislation because we are helping the most vulnerable in our community. That is exactly what we should be doing.

Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Evans for yielding.

Madam Speaker, this National Police Week is a somber one for Minnesotans, as we have lost three brave officers in the line of duty: Paul Elmstrand, Matthew Ruge, and Jamal Mitchell. I would also be remiss if I did not acknowledge Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth.

In February 2024, Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge were attempting to negotiate with a convicted felon who had taken several family members hostage, including seven children. After 3\1/2\ hours of negotiations, the subject opened fire on the officers. Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth was fired on while trying to help the wounded officers to an armored vehicle.

On February 18, 2024, Officers Elmstrand and Ruge and Firefighter/ Paramedic Finseth did not return home to their families.

In May 2024, officers responded to shots fired in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When the officers arrived, a gunfight ensued. Officer Jamal Mitchell stopped to help what he thought was a wounded victim on the ground. The subject opened multiple rounds and fired upon Officer Mitchell.

On May 30, 2024, Officer Jamal Mitchell did not return home to his family.

I visited the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial yesterday morning. I saw the names of these men etched into the walls alongside their brothers and sisters who have also paid the ultimate sacrifice.

I saw the pictures and the notes left behind by loved ones. I saw the Minneapolis Police patch accompanied by two beers, a silent farewell from a colleague who never got that last drink with their friend.

Every year, we have to put more names on that wall, and every year, it is just as heartbreaking as the last. We have to do better by the men and women who serve our communities. We have to support them in their actions, our policies, and our rhetoric. We need to care for their families as if they were our own.

I thank those who put on the law enforcement uniform every day, who kiss their families good-bye not knowing if they will come home. It is because of them that our communities and loved ones are safe.

To my fellow law enforcement officers across this great Nation, in big and small communities, although my time in uniform may be over, my watch will never end. Please know that I will use my time in office to serve you and your families always.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule on the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act.

Mr. Speaker, over the past decade, Communist China has persecuted the Uyghur population for their religious and cultural practices. Xinjiang authorities have detained Uyghurs in internment camps without formal charges, forced them into slave labor, and have committed numerous other human rights abuses against the Uyghur people.

This includes severe physical abuse, as well as the forced collection of biometric data like DNA and fingerprint samples.

While the Chinese Communist Party refuses to admit it, researchers believe these abuses are a part of China's ``second-generation ethnic policy.'' This policy advocates the forced assimilation of minorities to create a ``state race.'' One of the founding fathers of Communist China's second-generation ethnic policy is Hu Angang, who leads the Institute for Contemporary China Studies at Tsinghua University.

Unfortunately, American universities such as Yale, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania have engaged in partnerships with Tsinghua University. There is no reason why our universities should be complacent in religious persecutions in the 21st century.

Last Congress, the House adopted my amendment to address the persecution of Uyghur Muslims in the previous iteration of this legislation. I am grateful that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger) has included the language in this year's bill text. We should all agree that higher education's willingness to look the other way is always unacceptable.

For these reasons, I encourage my colleagues to support this rule, which is the first step in ending our universities' appeasement of China's crimes against the Uyghur people and countering China's malign influence and espionage at our academic institutions.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 31-year career of my friend, Captain Charles ``Chip'' Lemon, and congratulate him on his well-deserved retirement from the Minnesota State Patrol.

Chip, a native of Duluth, Minnesota, was inspired to pursue a career in law enforcement after seeing the positive impact that his uncles and older brother had in their respective careers.

Chip knew that he wanted to serve a bigger purpose than self, which is why he joined the Minnesota State Patrol in 1994. During his 31 years on the job, Chip served in many leadership roles and retired proudly as a captain.

While working for the State patrol, Chip often came to the aid of folks involved in car crashes, and he often felt the significance of helping people who were experiencing their worst day.

As a fellow law enforcement officer, I know that our law enforcement communities have been under attack in recent years, but Chip never wavered under pressure.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to call Chip Lemon my friend, and the State of Minnesota thanks him for his decades of service.

I wish him a happy retirement spent with his lovely wife, Rhonda, and their five children.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.J. Res. 87, which will prohibit California from mandating electric trucks not only for Californians but for all Americans.

The Biden administration's misguided decision to grant California this waiver has serious implications far beyond the State of California, impacting all Americans. It is an assault on our way of life in northern Minnesota.

Madam Speaker, I am not opposed to Americans having the ability to purchase and drive an electric car, truck, or bus if they so wish. In fact, I support their choice to do so. We should support and embrace consumer choice.

What I am opposed to is unelected bureaucrats in Washington or Sacramento mandating my constituents purchase and drive an electric car or truck. The people in Minnesota, many of them, not only can't afford an EV, these vehicles are not compatible with our daily lives.

How are you supposed to drive an electric vehicle when it is 20 below zero, and it loses 60 percent of its battery life in a short period of time?

We cannot forget that the critical minerals that are used to make these EVs are sourced from Chinese Communist Party-controlled mines in places like Congo, where 15 of the 19 industrial mines are owned by the Chinese Communist Party. These mines have zero environmental standards, zero labor standards, and they use child slave labor.

Thanks to the Biden administration's refusal to support responsible, domestic mining, their de facto EV mandate will only increase our reliance on the Chinese Communist Party for critical minerals.

Madam Speaker, the Biden administration ``exported their environmental guilt.''

In my hometown, the Duluth Transit Authority bought electric buses in 2018. It was a big event. There was a ribbon cutting and all the leaders were there. What they didn't tell you was that in short order, Madam Speaker, they had to add diesel-generated heaters to those electric buses because they wouldn't work in the cold climate. They were happy they had their electric buses, but they didn't tell everybody they had to spend more money to add diesel-generated heaters to those buses.

Madam Speaker, in this town just 2 weeks ago, I spoke at an event, and I condemned child slave labor in Congo. As I was walking out, a gentleman from one of those mines said he disagreed with me.

I said: What do you disagree with?

He said: That we use child slaves in our mines.

I said: It is confirmed. It is factual. Not only the Trump administration, but the Biden administration confirmed it.

He said to me, Madam Speaker: Well, it is only a few children.

I said: Even one is too much. We will not consume any critical minerals used by child slave labor, and the Biden administration did that.

Madam Speaker, 33 percent of our cobalt that we use came from child slave labor when we have mines in northern Minnesota that the Biden administration shut down.

I urge my colleagues to join me in standing up against these mandates and standing for consumer choice.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 452, the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act.

Who can forget those words from legendary announcer Al Michaels: ``Eleven seconds. You've got 10 seconds to go. The countdown going on right now. Morrow up to Silk. Five seconds left in the game. Do you believe in miracles? Yes.''

Who can forget those legendary words on that Friday, February 22, 1980?

What that hockey team did for our country during that time was they beat the most powerful team in the world. These amateurs from our college ranks, they beat the best team in the world. They beat the best team in the world at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid.

Nobody gave them a chance. In fact, that game was tape delayed because they didn't think it was going to be significant. That was the most powerful moment in the history of sports.

Madam Speaker, I will talk to you about the State of Minnesota. The State of Minnesota is the ``State of Hockey.'' It is our way of life.

I am the first professional hockey player ever to be elected to the U.S. Congress. I have two other brothers who played professional hockey. My nephew plays with the Utah Hockey Club. Hockey is our way of life. What this 1980 Olympic team did is unimaginable for the sport of hockey.

Those Minnesotans from my district were Buzz Schneider, Mark Pavelich, Bill Baker, Phil Verchota, and John Harrington. Look at the small towns where they came from: Grand Rapids, Eveleth, Babbitt, Virginia, and Duluth. These players grew up loving the game.

They put that USA jersey on and were coached by Herb Brooks. We all remember the white jersey with ``USA'' on the front or a dark blue jersey with ``USA'' on the front.

Ten days before that game, Madam Speaker, they had an exhibition game, and they were blown out at Madison Square Garden. Yet, a few days later, Herb Brooks had them ready. They were conditioned. They were ready. They played as a team. Movies were made about it.

Growing up in Duluth, I had the privilege of watching many of these players play. Mark Johnson, who scored two goals in that game, was from the University of Wisconsin. I saw him play at the Duluth arena against Minnesota Duluth. He was magical.

Phil Verchota, from Duluth East, came from a hardworking, blue-collar family. He went to the University of Minnesota as a standout.

Bill Baker was from Grand Rapids. Mike Eruzione was from Boston University as well as Jack O'Callahan. Mark Wells was from Bowling Green. These players meant something to their communities.

In fact, it is really weird. I represent Babbitt, Minnesota. There is a Realtor up there, and it was just last year, Madam Speaker, that I asked the Realtor: Would you please bring me by Buzz Schneider's home, his small home in Babbitt? I want to see where he grew up.

It is the love of hockey. It is the love of the game. I know exactly where I was, Madam Speaker, when they won. I was at the Pine Valley Ice Shelter in Cloquet, Minnesota. It was my first year at Bantam, and one of our parents came running out of the Zamboni room. He had just watched the little black-and-white TV. He said: We beat the Russians. We beat the Russians.

I remember sitting on the bench, thinking: Why is he yelling that?

Little did I know it would be the sports moment of the century. Little did we know, 2 days later, on that Sunday, when they played Finland--it wasn't going to be a gimme game. They had to work hard and they beat Finland. Remember what Coach Herb Brooks said: If you lose this game, you are going to take it to your blankety-blank graves. They were ready for it.

I just replayed Al Michaels' last 11 seconds of the game. It gives me chills being from the State of Hockey, knowing these players.

Madam Speaker, it was just a little over a month ago that we brought four of those players to Washington, D.C., on Hockey Day on the Hill to promote this Congressional Gold Medal Act.

The night before, those players spoke to our conference. I had the privilege of going out to dinner with them. I was sitting right next to Captain Mike Eruzione. I remember he said: You know something, Pete. This game changed my life.

He was either going be a member of the military, a police officer, or a firefighter.

He said: This game changed my life. That moment changed my life. He said: I did well in my life. He said: Pete, for the United States of America to give our 1980 Olympic team the Congressional Gold Medal, it is the cherry on top. We will never be able to do anything bigger than that.

To have that captain say that to me is why it was so important that I worked on both sides of the aisle. We got over 290 signatures to get it onto the House floor.

There will be three Congressional Gold Medals minted, Madam Speaker. One of them is going to go to the ice rink in Lake Placid where they won it. One is going to go to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota, the home of Mark Pavelich. The third one is going to go to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

We recognize that moment 45 years ago. I often wonder why we didn't do this sooner. Why didn't we do this sooner? We should have. That moment helped elevate the game of hockey across the United States. It helped elevate girls' hockey across the United States. I share that my younger brother, Rob, was the coach of the women's gold medal team in Pyeongchang, where they won in overtime.

Being an Olympic gold medalist following these men and their careers, they were heroes to those of us who laced up the skates. We couldn't wait to get that USA jersey on, even playing ball hockey in the driveway or in the street. It brought this Nation together like no other sporting event. We needed it at that time, and these young amateurs provided it for us.

Madam Speaker, I finish with a list of thank-yous.

First, I thank Congressman Mike Quigley, Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, and Congressman Bill Keating for co-leading this legislation with me. I thank Senators Cramer and Schumer for spearheading the bill in the Senate. I also thank the other 293 Members of Congress who cosponsored this bill to give these men the honor that they deserve.

Second, I thank the National Hockey League and USA Hockey who have been championing this cause alongside me and have been instrumental in getting this bill onto the floor today.

Finally, I thank the players of the ``Miracle On Ice'' team: Bill Baker from Grand Rapids, Minnesota; Neal Broten from Roseau, Minnesota; Dave Christian from Warroad, Minnesota; Steve Christoff from Richfield, Minnesota; Jim Craig from North Easton, Massachusetts; Michael Eruzione from Winthrop, Massachusetts; John ``Bah'' Harrington from Virginia, Minnesota; Steve Janaszak from White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Mark Johnson from Madison, Wisconsin; Rob McClanahan from St. Paul, Minnesota; Ken Morrow from Flint, Michigan; Jack O'Callahan from Charlestown, Massachusetts; the late Mark Pavelich from Eveleth, Minnesota; Mike Ramsey from Minneapolis, Minnesota; Buzz Schneider from Babbitt, Minnesota; Dave Silk from Scituate, Massachusetts; Eric Strobel from Rochester, Minnesota; the late Bob Suter from Madison, Wisconsin; the late Mark Wells from St. Clair Shores, Michigan; Phil Verchota from Duluth, Minnesota; and, finally, the legendary and late Coach Herb Brooks from St. Paul, Minnesota, one of the best coaches ever in the game of hockey.

Madam Speaker, I am excited to vote on this bill shortly. I thank these young men for creating the most memorable moment in sports history and demonstrating to the world the unwavering strength of the American spirit.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and thank Deb DeLuca for her dedicated service as executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. Deb is currently the eighth director in Port Authority history and is the first woman to hold this title.

Since 2018, Deb has seamlessly overseen the largest freshwater port in the world. This has been no small feat, as the Port of Duluth- Superior welcomes 900 vessels each year and on average handles 35 million tons of cargo.

With Deb at the helm, the Port Authority has achieved many successes. Under her leadership, more than $35 million in port-related projects have been initiated, and freight transport efficiency and capacity has increased.

I have worked closely with Deb since my arrival in Congress in 2019. I have always enjoyed working with her, and I appreciate her partnership and guidance over the years. The Port of Duluth-Superior and the surrounding communities are better off because of her leadership and expertise.

I wish Deb a happy and restful retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S.J. Res. 11, which nullifies the Biden administration's politically driven rule to mandate all offshore oil and gas exploration and development projects complete costly and burdensome archeological surveys and reports. Over the past 4 years, the American people have seen the most anti-oil, antigas, anti-traditional energy, and antimining administration in this Nation's history.

When energy here in the United States and around the world is growing, as the chairman just said, rather than supporting an all-of- the-above energy strategy, Mr. Speaker, the Biden administration sought to stop traditional forms of energy like oil and gas.

Prior to the Biden administration's rule, oil and gas companies were only required to complete these reports when BOEM, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, had a reason to believe an archeological resource may be present.

Instead, the Biden administration made that archeological report mandatory, even when it was clearly unnecessary.

These unnecessary reports would lead to millions of dollars in additional compliance costs to complete the required survey work and deal with the additional red tape. This is in addition to the significant staff time reviewing these reports would eat up at BOEM, leading to further delays in important energy projects that we need to build for the American people.

It is clear the Biden administration's rule wasn't actually necessary. It was just another example of their death-by-a-thousand- paper-cuts agenda to crush our domestic oil and gas industry and raise energy prices for all Americans in the process.

After we pass this resolution today--and it will pass the House. It already passed the Senate, and President Trump will sign it. After it passes this House today and when it is overturned, these oil and gas projects won't be waived from historic preservation rules.

This resolution does nothing to weaken the National Historic Preservation Act. These developers will still be required to take necessary steps to ensure they do not harm historic properties or archeological sites.

As was the case before the Biden rule, BOEM will still have the authority to require operators to perform these additional surveys and reports when it is actually necessary and actually warranted, Mr. Speaker. This resolution will just return us to the previous process.

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will argue this is necessary to preserve historic and archeological sites on the Outer Continental Shelf.

If that is the case, why did the Biden administration's rule only apply to oil and gas operations? Why didn't this rule apply to offshore wind development?

This was politically driven. I am not arguing we need these additional necessary requirements for offshore wind. I am just pointing out the blatant hypocrisy of the past administration. It is clear where their intentions were. Overturning this rule is good for our energy security and for our energy independence.

Mr. Speaker, a couple nights ago, the President of the United States addressed this House and the Senate. He talked about energy independence, energy dominance, critical mineral dominance, and a critical mineral powerhouse for our Nation.

It is crystal clear that the Biden administration wanted to diminish the tried and true respect of traditional energies we had and have because they didn't include wind in this. It is complete hypocrisy.

If you are going to do it for one, you do it for all. They tried to choose winners and losers. They tried to do it, but here in the House, we are going to follow the Senate's bipartisan passing of the CRA.

Today, it is going to pass in a bipartisan fashion in the House and very soon the President of the United States will sign this into law. It will change one of the many disasters of the prior administration, the prior administration, as I opened up, that was the most anti-oil, gas, and mining administration in the history of this country. I come from a rich mining State; biggest untapped copper-nickel find in the world.

The Biden administration banned mining in northeastern Minnesota. He took the mineral leases away that were in place since 1966. Yet, they want us to compete in defense, Nassau and other areas of our communities, with adversarial governments when we have to buy their minerals for the F-35s, the F-22s, the F-16s, our submarines.

Mr. Speaker, I am excited to vote on this CRA because it gives me one more opportunity, once again, to change the direction of this country that the previous administration was derelict in doing. I am very happy to stand here today with my Democrat and Republican colleagues in a bipartisan fashion to get this across the finish line.

The American people deserve it. The cost of energy and the need for our energy is going to be increasing. As the chairman just said, Mr. Speaker, we need to win the AI war, and that is going to mean we need energy to do it. We are going to need energy, Mr. Speaker, when these businesses come back to our country. When we reshore these manufacturing facilities, we are going to need the energy to do that. Now, we have an administration that understands it and will not be politically driven by just a few people.

Mr. Speaker, with my comments, I will say one last thing. Energy independence and critical mineral dominance is a Trump administration agenda. That is the America First agenda that is going to employ a lot of people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.J. Res. 35 which will overturn the disastrous Biden administration's natural gas tax on the hardworking American people.

During a time in which energy demand across the United States and the entire world is growing exponentially, the Federal Government should make it easier to produce ever cleaner, reliable, and affordable energy. Rather than supporting domestic energy production, the Biden administration and my friends on the other side of the aisle used the so-called Inflation Reduction Act to levy an unnecessary tax on natural gas, which ultimately fell on American people to pay, simply to try and kill the domestic natural gas industry.

Mr. Speaker, do you know what is the largest factor that has led to global emissions being reduced in recent years? It has been the increased use of American natural gas, both here in the United States and around the world. Oil and natural gas produced in the Gulf of America is 43 percent cleaner than oil and natural gas produced elsewhere around the world.

The natural gas tax won't stop the use of all natural gas. It will simply stop the use of American natural gas. This tax will make it harder for hardworking Americans to pay for their soaring energy bills and force us to utilize more natural gas and energy produced by foreign adversarial nations

who have far inferior environmental and labor standards.

A natural gas tax is a completely misguided tax on the working American people that will hurt their bottom line and benefit Vladimir Putin. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, the Biden administration has been the most antidomestic energy-producing administration and the most antimining administration in the history of this country. We are going to turn it around.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, the Small Business Procurement and Utilization Reform Act, also known as the SPUR Act.

I will begin by thanking my colleagues and friends from California and Washington, respectively, Representatives Cisneros and Gluesenkamp Perez, for their support of this legislation.

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They are the innovators, the job creators, and the driving force behind economic growth.

In Minnesota, small businesses account for over 99 percent of all businesses and employ over half of the workforce. It is no exaggeration to say that the success of our economy is tied to the success of our small businesses.

Despite government set-asides meant to help small businesses compete, participation in Federal contracting has dropped by 50 percent over the past decade. That means fewer small businesses are securing Federal contracts, and fewer are benefiting from the opportunity to grow and innovate.

The Federal Government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world. If we are serious about supporting small businesses, we need to ensure they have a fair shot at competing for these contracts.

Right now, the scorecard system measures whether agencies are meeting their small business contracting goals, but it fails to consider how many of those contracts go to first-time participants. Without this data, we don't know if new small businesses are successfully entering the marketplace or if the same firms are winning contracts year after year.

If small businesses can't break into Federal contracting, innovation is stifled, costs for taxpayers increase, and American entrepreneurs lose out on opportunities to grow.

My bill, the SPUR Act, addresses this issue by requiring the SBA to track and report the number of new small business participants into the Federal procurement space. This simple but crucial change will ensure that small businesses, especially new and growing ones, have a fair shot at competing.

Too many Federal agencies fall short of their small business contracting goals, leaving billions of dollars in contracts out of reach for American entrepreneurs. The SPUR Act will provide transparency and accountability, ensuring that the Federal Government is doing its part to support small businesses. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, you are from the great State of New York. Forty-five years ago tonight, Team USA, led by Herb Brooks and 12 Minnesotans, beat Finland for the gold medal, and I congratulate them 45 years later.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins) as a cosponsor of H.R. 452.

Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a privileged concurrent resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.