Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1173, I call up the bill (H.R. 3195) to rescind Public Land Order 7917, to reinstate mineral leases and permits in the Superior National Forest, to ensure timely review of Mine Plans of Operations, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 3195.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3195, the Superior National Forest Restoration Act of 2024.

The district I am proud to represent, Minnesota's Eighth Congressional District, is blessed with an abundance of mineral wealth that would allow America to lead in the 21st century.

We are home to the Duluth Complex, one of the largest undeveloped mineral deposits in the world, which includes an estimated 8 billion tons of copper, nickel, cobalt, and other platinum group metals. In fact, this deposit is the world's second largest copper deposit, with 34 percent of the United States' total reserves and the world's third largest nickel deposit with 95 percent of United States' total reserves.

These minerals are experiencing large upswings in demand due to their use in battery storage, electric vehicles, and other rapidly expanding sectors. Domestic production of these minerals is critical to our national security and our supply chain security.

The deposits in northern Minnesota could provide enough copper for over 70 million electric vehicles and nickel for 3.5 million battery packs.

The Duluth Complex and its abundant resources lies under the Superior National Forest and throughout the iron range. The Superior National Forest is a working industrial forest where timber harvesting and mining are desirable activities.

Regrettably, in January of 2022, the Biden administration caved to radical antijobs, antimining activists by canceling two-decade-old mineral leases held by Twin Metals Minnesota in the Superior National Forest.

At the same time, the Biden administration began the withdrawal process on nearly a quarter million acres of land in the region. The finalized withdrawal of 225,504 acres went into effect in January of 2023 and prohibits the extraction of any mineral, including copper, nickel, cobalt, platinum, and iron ore for the next 20 years.

Northern Minnesota, home to the historic iron range, has been mining iron ore, a critical component in steelmaking, for over 140 years. This is the iron ore that provided the military might to the United States and our Allies to fight and win World War II. The iron ore mined in the region accounts for over 80 percent of America's domestically produced steel. Now, the Biden

administration even wants to restrict iron ore mining in northern Minnesota. They have gone too far, Mr. Chair.

These two actions taken by the Biden administration are in immediate opposition to its stated campaign goals to increase domestic mining to meet rising global mineral demand. They are disregarding years of environmental review, a pending mine plan of operation, and an abundance of support from union workers, local residents, schools, builders, and miners.

In doing this, President Biden has made his real position on mining known. He would rather rely on foreign adversaries like Communist China instead of union workers who stand ready to deliver Minnesota's mineral wealth under the strongest environmental and labor standards in the world.

This is morally irresponsible, as China is the world's top polluter and relies on child slave labor in their mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That is a fact. They use child slave labor.

Imagine the national security crisis we would face should China suddenly decide to withhold these resources.

If the Biden administration's actions are allowed to stand, their direct opposition to the domestic mining industry will not only make our Nation less safe, but it will also cripple a sector that provides incredible economic benefit to northern Minnesota.

The national importance of the Duluth Complex is only matched by its significance to our local community. Twin Metals signed a project labor agreement with the local Iron Range Building and Construction Trades association, guaranteeing local union jobs during the mine's construction. The economic benefits would be felt throughout our State as mineral development provides funding to every single school district in Minnesota through the permanent school trust fund.

The Superior National Forest Restoration Act would revitalize an essential pillar of northern Minnesota's economy, provide for the production of critical minerals, secure our supply chain, strengthen our national security, and bolster the entire domestic mining industry.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 3195, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I will just share with you that Congressman James Oberstar, a Democrat for 36 years for Minnesota's Eighth Congressional District, supports mining and timber harvesting. In fact, in 1978, when the wilderness legislation was enacted, he didn't originally support it, but he said if you are going to do it, then do not take away our opportunity to mine outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and outside the buffer zone. He was right then because he knew that we would be here today.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gimenez), my good friend.

Mr. Speaker, just to underscore this, when the Under Secretaries of Defense and Energy were asked what it would do to the United States if China stops selling us their critical minerals today, they said that it would be devastating and dangerous.

We cannot allow China to continue to dominate the critical minerals space when we have this opportunity right here.

By the way, Mr. Speaker, I live, work, and play in northern Minnesota. As I said, this is the district that I am privileged to represent. I know clean water. Do you know why, Mr. Speaker? It is because the cleanest water is in the heart of mining country in the great State of Minnesota.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Mrs. Fischbach), my good friend.

Mr. Speaker, just so my colleagues understand, in the United States, we have the strongest environmental labor standards. Any mine that mines in Minnesota or other States must follow those standards.

Additionally, I will say, for Twin Metals in particular, the mine's unique underground construction, as well as the mine's planned use of ``dry stack tailings'' means there is no potential for acid rock drainage, and dry stack tailings was recommended for this mine plan of operation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Tiffany).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. Speaker, I remind my friends on the other side of the aisle that the United States imports 46 percent of the copper we consume every year from foreign nations ourselves. The first step to reshoring and securing our mineral supply chain must be to allow and support domestic mining. H.R. 3195 does just that.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman), my good friend.

Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman from California is right. The United States does produce a lot of copper, but it uses even more. In 2016, the United States was only 29 percent import reliant on copper. Eight years later that number has risen to 46 percent.

This trend cannot continue. We must support our new domestic mines to meet our own demand.

Mr. Speaker, I will also say that my colleague just referenced a Harvard study that was not peer-reviewed.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins).

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from California just mentioned temporary jobs.

When we first started mining iron ore 145 years ago, the American Rockefeller family thought they were going to be just temporary jobs as well.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman).

Mr. Speaker, first off, they have never completed an environmental review. I will be very clear: There will never be mining in the Boundary Waters or the buffer zone around it. That was decided in 1978. This bill will not circumvent or shortchange environmental review in any way. We are not requiring any permits or mine plants be approved. We are simply requiring that they go through the review process the way any other project would move forward.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Emmer), the majority whip.

Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

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

Mr. Chair, I want to reiterate the fact to the American people, there will be no mining in the Boundary Waters, and there will be no mining in the buffer zone around the Boundary Waters. That was settled in 1978.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman), the Chair of the full Natural Resources Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Arkansas.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time and am prepared to close. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

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

The Biden administration's mining policy is: anywhere but America, any worker but the American worker.

The Republicans refuse to allow child slave labor to happen. We refuse to allow this great country to purchase minerals mined by child slave labor in Congo. We will not turn a blind eye to the atrocities and the slave labor happening in Congo where this administration wants to purchase its minerals.

Mr. Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3195. The bottom line is you can't be a proponent of national security, a proponent of reducing global emissions, and a proponent of fair labor, and yet be against domestic mining at the same time.

Congress voted to spend billions of dollars on building out transmission and increasing renewable energy development, all of which require enormous amounts of copper, nickel, cobalt, and other minerals that can be sourced right here in the United States of America in my home State of Minnesota.

Issuing directives to pursue renewable energy development while at the same time denying access to the minerals needed to domestically manufacture the products simply does not make sense.

The International Energy Agency estimates that achieving net zero by 2050 would require six times more mines than are currently operating today. While the U.S. is blessed with abundant mineral resources within our borders, domestic, primary mine production of critical minerals-- those defined by USGS as essential for our economic and national security--decreased by almost 25 percent from 2022 to 2023, forcing the U.S. to look elsewhere to source these materials.

We cannot totally rely on our allies to access these vital resources. China currently dominates global production for over half the materials on the critical minerals list. Biden's mining policy of anywhere but America, any worker but American must be stopped.

We can mine these minerals domestically under the best labor and environmental standards in the world. We know this all too well in northern Minnesota, where mining is our past, our present, and our future. If we get the politics out of the way, our mining future will be bright. Minnesotans know how to do it.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of support for this bill from the National Mining Association, Jobs for Minnesotans, Mining Minnesota, Up North Jobs, Range Association of Municipalities and Schools. I also include the project labor agreement between Twin Metals Minnesota and Iron Range Building and Construction Trades Council.

Washington, DC, April 29, 2024.

Hon. Mike Johnson,

Speaker, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Hakeem Jeffries,

Democratic Leader, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Johnson and Minority Leader Jeffries: On

behalf of the National Mining Association (NMA), I am writing

to express our strong support for the Superior National

Forest Restoration Act (H.R. 3195). Ensuring access to our

federal lands for responsible mineral exploration and

development is critical to securing the essential materials

necessary for nearly every sector of our economy.

Northern Minnesota is a place of tremendous natural beauty

and is also blessed with worldclass mineral deposits

including copper, nickel and essential metals that are vital

for U.S. economic and national security priorities. In fact,

this area contains the largest undeveloped deposits of

nickel, copper and platinum metals in the world. Despite

these abundant resources, the U.S. continues to be

increasingly reliant on foreign sources of metals and

minerals, including from geopolitical adversaries that do not

share our values when it comes to environmental, labor and

safety standards.

The Biden administration's self-sabotage of domestic

mineral supply chains through mineral withdrawals,

restrictions and duplicative permitting processes is

completely out of step with the dramatic increase in minerals

production that is needed in the coming decades to keep up

with new technologies, infrastructure and manufacturing

needs, let alone the administration's energy transition

goals. Instead of ceding our nation's mineral supply chain

security to other countries, the U.S. should utilize its

world-class environmental standards to produce

needed minerals while protecting our environment.

H.R. 3195 supports responsible mineral exploration and

development in an area specifically designated and set aside

by Congress and the U.S. Forest Service for such activities.

The administration's anti-mining actions continue a dangerous

trend of politicizing domestic mineral supply chains first

initiated in the waning days of the Obama administration.

Continuing to pursue dangerous policies that lock up federal

lands with high mineral potential will both kill future

mineral development in this region and deny the hard-working

men and women of Northern Minnesota the opportunity of high-

paying jobs--all, while eliminating significant revenues for

Minnesota's rural communities that come from these projects

in the form of taxes and royalties. These revenues support

local schools and important regional development projects.

Currently, less than half of the mineral needs of U.S.

manufacturing are met by domestically mined minerals. H.R.

3195 will help change this alarming trajectory by ensuring

access to one of our nation's important mineral deposits.

The NMA urges passage of this important legislation and

continued trust of our nation's strong environmental

regulations and system of due process to strengthen a

reliable and stable domestic mineral supply chain for the

future.

Sincerely,

Rich Nolan.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to just rebut my colleague from California. He put up a picture, a devastating picture, alleging that Republicans would do that to an animal. I utterly reject that type of behavior on the House floor, and he knows better.

I thank my colleague from Colorado for bringing H.R. 764, the Trust the Science Act, to the House floor for consideration.

This legislation would have an enormously positive impact on my State of Minnesota where the gray wolf population has more than recovered.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources estimates Minnesota's gray wolf population to be roughly around 2,700, which greatly exceeds the Endangered Species Act recovery goal for the State.

However, many experts, hunters, and farmers with boots on the ground estimate the real number to be anywhere from 5,000 to 6,000.

The majority of Minnesota's gray wolf population resides in the district I represent in northern Minnesota, placing the burden directly on the people I represent.

In the meetings I have held throughout my district, I am constantly hearing from my constituents who are fed up with the dramatic rise in the wolf population. Whether it is the hunters who have been reporting low deer numbers, farmers and ranchers who have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of livestock, or grief-stricken families whose pets have been killed by a gray wolf, the overall consensus is that something needs to change.

Administration after administration have attempted to delist this species, only to have well-funded activist groups come out of the woodwork to challenge these efforts with litigation.

Most recently, an activist judge in California, living hundreds of miles away from gray wolf country, ordered the Biden administration to relist the gray wolf.

The Trust the Science Act would delist the gray wolf in the lower 48 States and ensure this action is not subject to judicial review, eliminating the constant back-and-forth that we have seen play out in the courts over the years.

Contrary to what some may argue, this bill does not throw out protections for the gray wolf. It simply turns management of the species over to wildlife managers in each of the individual States. States then will be able to enact fit-for-purpose protections for the specific needs of the species in each respective State.

As the title of this bill appropriately conveys, we need to trust the best available science, which considers the gray wolf to be an Endangered Species Act success story.

We cannot continue to allow activist judges and radical environmentalists to weaponize the Endangered Species Act at the expense of other species and the communities we represent.

Mr. Speaker, Minnesotans treasure wildlife. While we celebrate the recovery of the gray wolf, we also believe it should be our right to responsibly manage our State's population.

It is time to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list once and for all.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Trust the Science Act so we can get Federal bureaucracy out of the way and finally allow State agencies to create wolf management plans that meet the unique circumstances and conditions in each State. The people we represent think that we should also do that.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in favor of the Agency Accountability Act. I will start by thanking the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. McGarvey) for his support with this legislation.

I can think of no better way to start off National Small Business Week than by passing legislation to ensure the Federal contracting system has a fair playing field for even the smallest of our businesses.

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.

The very least that we can do is to ensure that small businesses have every opportunity to contract with the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world, the Federal Government.

Right now, Federal agencies set goals for awarding contracts to small businesses, but meeting those goals is often treated like a suggestion and not a requirement. The result? Too many agencies fall short, leaving billions of dollars out of reach of American small business owners.

My bill, the Agency Accountability Act, changes the game. It shines a spotlight on agency performance by requiring public testimony for failures. Agency heads will answer directly to Congress for missing goals, explaining why they haven't prioritized small businesses and what they will do to fix it.

This isn't just about finger-pointing. It is about finding solutions. Public

scrutiny, paired with mandated reporting on scoreboard performance, will expose systemic roadblocks and identify best practices.

Our small businesses are more than just economic engines. They are the embodiment of the American spirit, equipped with creativity, resilience, and a fierce determination to succeed. This bill gives them a fighting chance, a seat at the table, and the opportunity to prove themselves on the national stage.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Agency Accountability Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6492, the EXPLORE Act, which I am proud to cosponsor.

You know, Minnesotans are fishermen and -women. We hunt, we hike, we snowmobile, we ski, we ATV--you name it. Simply put, Minnesotans know how to recreate. More importantly, Minnesotans are some of the greatest conservationists in the world.

Minnesota's Eighth Congressional District is blessed to be home to the Chippewa in Superior National Forest, Voyageurs National Park, and the Grand Portage National Monument.

Minnesotans not only want to enjoy these treasures themselves, but they want their children and their children's children to enjoy everything God has offered our great State.

Maintaining our public lands is just a part of our way of life in northern Minnesota, and I am proud to support legislation that will ensure our public lands remain accessible wonders for everyone, including the rest of the world.

The EXPLORE Act will, in short, ensure all Americans can reap the benefits of the great outdoors. It does so by requiring our Federal land managers to ensure our vehicular use trails are properly maintained, providing safe, quality shooting range access on our National Forest and BLM lands, and expanding and enabling access for our Nation's Active-Duty servicemembers, veterans, and their families.

Mr. Speaker, this is really good legislation that serves the American people.

I thank my good friends, Chairman Westerman and Ranking Member Grijalva, and other Members on the Committee on Natural Resources for their work on this bill.

This is a good, bipartisan piece of legislation, and I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.

Mr. Chair, our permitting system is a great burden to our Nation. It delays infrastructure projects indefinitely, stops us from bringing energy sources online, and deters investments in our communities. Let's make no mistake, permitting is holding back America.

H.R. 7023, the Creating Confidence in Clean Water Permitting Act, seeks to unleash the American economy. It is a package of commonsense reforms that will reduce regulatory burdens, establish certainty, and increase transparency in our permitting system.

This bill will, in turn, create opportunities for home builders, farmers, loggers, and small business owners alike, enticing them to invest in projects that help our local economies grow and our rural communities flourish.

I highlight section 5 of H.R. 7023. Section 5 is the language of my bill, the Reducing Permitting Uncertainty Act.

Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act allows the EPA to veto a dredge and fill permit. However, the EPA has taken it upon itself to proactively reject the permits and retroactively take away permits.

In a country of due process, it seems absurd that a Federal agency can dictate whether a project is good or bad before an application is even filed.

If we reject ideas before they mature, we crush any chance of ingenuity, growth, and progress in this country. Do innovators no longer deserve the opportunity to make their case and share their creative solutions?

Further, the ability to take away permits when projects are well underway is outrageous, a constant threat that the government will waltz in and shut down years of hard work--talk about creating an unwelcoming atmosphere for our job creators.

This section of H.R. 7023 is not a dramatic departure from the status quo. It is clarifying a timeframe.

When an application is pending, the EPA can make a determination whether or not to veto. It does not change the process, nor does it take away the EPA's right to veto. It just makes things clearer for those who want to bring projects online and help unleash the American economy. It returns our process to one that is science-and fact-based, rather than politically motivated.

Mr. Chair, I thank Congressman Rouzer for his work on this package of reforms.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1085, I call up the bill (H.R. 1121) to prohibit a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

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 material on H.R. 1121.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1121, the Protecting American Energy Production Act.

H.R. 1121, introduced by Congressman Duncan, would prevent any President from issuing a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing while also establishing a sense of Congress that States should regulate the practice on State and private land.

Hydraulic fracturing has been around for almost 100 years. The practice, combined with recent technological improvements and the advent of horizontal drilling, has propelled the United States to global energy superpower status.

This surge in supply has contributed to lower energy prices for consumers, stimulating economic growth, and improving the quality of life for all Americans.

In truth, a ban on hydraulic fracturing would cripple the American economy while surrendering world energy leadership to Russia, Iran, and China.

Federal efforts to regulate fracking, which is currently adequately regulated by the States, could have an equally devastating impact.

The 2005 Energy Policy Act clarified that Congress never intended the Federal Government to regulate fracking under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

In the Obama administration, the Bureau of Land Management attempted to regulate the practice for Federal lands and minerals, but the courts threw out that effort.

In the decision, the judge clearly stated, ``Congress has not delegated to the Department of the Interior the authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing. The BLM's effort to do so through the fracking rule is in excess of its statutory authority and contrary to law.''

Currently, States regulate fracking, and each has comprehensive laws and regulations to provide for safe operations, to protect drinking water sources, and to have trained personnel effectively regulating oil and gas exploration and production.

In addition to preventing the President from implementing a unilateral fracking ban, this bill would also express a sense of Congress that States should maintain regulatory authority over fracking on State and private lands.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 1121, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, one of the things my good friends and colleagues on the other side of the aisle have stated is that the Big Oil and Gas companies are making record profits, and these bills are essentially tax cuts for Big Oil. That couldn't be further from the truth.

This President's anti-energy agenda has driven up energy prices for all Americans, which also has created greater revenues for Big Oil companies. If Democrats are really concerned about energy prices, the best thing they can do is mirror the energy dominance policies of the previous administration.

Doing so would create abundance, driving down energy prices for all Americans. Producers with no more than $5 million in retail sales of oil and gas in a year account for 83 percent of America's oil production, 90 percent of its natural gas, and natural gas liquids production.

These are small businesses, Mr. Speaker, often locally and independently owned with a handful of employees, but collectively they support 4.5 million American jobs.

Our Republican energy bills help ensure small businesses can continue to operate on Federal lands.

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle say that this bill, H.R. 1121, is unnecessary, as the President has not proposed a hydraulic fracturing moratorium. They say it sets a dangerous precedent for limiting the authority of the President and the Secretary of the Interior to manage energy resources on Federal lands.

The fact is, this President, on the campaign trail, said: ``No more, no new fracking.'' This was candidate Biden. We know from what he has done in his first 3-plus years in office, don't necessarily listen to his words, watch his actions. He has done it on mining. He said we were going to mine domestically for our critical minerals. Once he became President, he changed his tune. Now he wants memorandums of understanding with other countries that are adversarial to the United States.

After years of disastrous energy policies by this President, we know we cannot take him for just his word, which is exactly why this bill is necessary. This is especially true, Mr. Speaker, given that the Obama administration's Bureau of Land Management tried to regulate fracking.

The courts ultimately stopped this effort. In the decision, U.S. District Court Judge Skavdahl clearly stated: ``Congress has not delegated to the Department of the Interior the authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing. The BLM's effort to do so through the Fracking Rule is in excess of its statutory authority and contrary to law.''

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

Mr. Speaker, my good friends and colleagues on the other side of the aisle make statements that fracking is mostly unregulated and the practice can consume millions of gallons of water. They say this is industry first and that the Republicans look to take away and protect public health and combat the climate crisis. That couldn't be further from the truth. Absolutely couldn't be further from the truth.

According to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, member States each have comprehensive laws and regulations to ensure safe operations and protect drinking water sources. They have trained personnel to effectively regulate oil and gas exploration and production.

Mr. Speaker, even President Obama's own EPA found that fracking has no widespread systemic impacts on drinking water resources in the United States of America. No evidence has arisen that this practice is dangerous, and to say anything else is simply fear-mongering to the American people and pandering to the radical left that would rather have us rely on Iran, Russia, and Venezuela for our energy needs.

Mr. Speaker, one last thing. This President took the sanctions off Iran. Iran is now making $90 billion because those sanctions were taken off. Who do you think is funding the war against Israel? Iran, the top sponsor of terrorism. He took the sanctions off.

When we produce here in the United States of America, it is a win- win, Mr. Speaker. It is the safest, and the cleanest. It employs American technology, American resources, provides American jobs. It helps American families, American communities. We do it better than anybody else.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have continuously said that oil production on Federal lands is at an all- time high. The fact of the matter is that the production is occurring on lands leased by the Trump administration and previous administrations.

I guess my colleagues now support the policies of the Trump administration as best they are trying to take credit for them.

My good friend, Ranking Member McGovern, made this point in the Rules Committee just yesterday. After mentioning that America is a top energy producer, he said: ``Let me be very clear. I am not highlighting these facts because I like them. I find it very troubling that we are producing so much oil. . . . ''

How very sad it is to hear that from my colleagues. Why are they so ashamed that we produce energy here in America? Would they rather us be dependent on Russia, Iran, or Venezuela for oil and natural gas in the same way Democratic policies have made us dependent on China for critical minerals?

We should celebrate American energy independence where, again, we do it cleaner and safer than anybody else in the world with the best labor standards.

Mr. Speaker, let's celebrate the opportunity. Let's be happy the good Lord blessed the United States with these rich minerals and this opportunity to become energy independent and critical mineral dominant.

My friends and neighbors, I want the technology here in the United States. I do not want this country to depend on foreign adversarial nations for our livelihood.

We have learned so much during COVID, Mr. Speaker. We cannot rely on adversarial nations for our energy any longer, nor should our allies.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I reiterate my good friend and colleague did reserve.

Listen, one of the things that we hear from my colleagues is that Big Oil is price gouging, which is why energy prices are higher. The fact is, this President's anti-energy agenda has created uncertainty for domestic energy producers and has driven up energy prices for all Americans.

Repeated in-depth investigations by the FTC have shown that changes in gasoline prices are based on market factors and are not due to any illegal behavior.

The price gouging argument is simply a red herring meant to distract the American public from the Biden administration's disastrous energy policies.

The fact of the matter is, when my friends and colleagues talk about transition, wind and solar, they don't want to produce those minerals for those solar panels or windmills here in the United States, Mr. Speaker.

Minnesota has the most mineral wealth of any State in the Nation with the exception of Alaska. Minnesota has the biggest untapped copper and nickel mine in the world, and this administration pulled the leases.

This administration, with support from the Secretary of the Interior, banned 225,000 acres of mining in northeastern Minnesota. Can you believe that? Yet, they will get the minerals from Congo, which uses child slave labor for their energy addiction.

Mr. Speaker, I submit that we have the opportunity today and now. I ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to join us to let the American worker succeed and energy dominance, critical mineral dominance in this country, be made here in America. We need it, this country needs it, and our allies are asking for it.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to cite a 2019 study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Global Energy Institute. Their research shows a ban on fracking would eliminate 19 million jobs between 2021 and 2025 while simultaneously reducing the U.S. gross domestic product by $7.1 trillion over that same period.

The Global Energy Institute's research also shows that over the same 2021 through 2025 timeframe, energy prices would skyrocket, with natural gas prices rising by 324 percent, causing household energy bills for the average American to quadruple and the cost of living to increase by $5,600. Additionally, the price of gasoline would double, and government revenues would plummet by almost $2 trillion.

With these sobering facts in mind, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 1121 to prevent the worst case scenario from becoming our reality.

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1085, I call up the bill (H.R. 6009) to require the Director of the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw the proposed rule relating to fluid mineral leases and leasing process, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

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 material on H.R. 6009.

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

I rise today in support of H.R. 6009, the Restoring American Energy Dominance Act.

H.R. 6009, introduced by Congresswoman Boebert, would nullify the Bureau of Land Management's proposed onshore oil and gas leasing regulations.

While on the campaign trail, then-candidate Joe Biden said during a primary debate: ``No more drilling on Federal lands.'' That was candidate Biden.

The BLM's proposed regulations attempt to accomplish President Biden's campaign promise by limiting onshore leasing, reducing flexibility, and increasing fees.

The regulations propose eliminating nationwide bonds while increasing individual bonding requirements 15-fold and statewide bonding requirements 20-fold. The BLM's stated rationale for doing this is to protect taxpayers from having to clean up orphaned wells.

One would think that there is an orphaned well crisis on BLM lands, given the significant cost increases the rule proposes. However, the opposite is true, Mr. Speaker. According to the Department of the Interior, there are only 37 orphaned wells on BLM lands, and the Department has used bonds to plug wells on Federal lands just 40 times over this last decade.

The proposed regulations would also be extremely harmful to small businesses. Tom Kropatsch, the Wyoming State oil and gas supervisor, said: ``The bonding provisions will impact hundreds of small businesses in Wyoming, resulting in lost royalties, taxes, and other revenues to local and State government, and likely will create orphaned wells, not protect against them.''

While he is speaking of his home State of Wyoming, the impacts would be the same in energy-producing regions nationwide.

The regulations also introduce new and vague preference criteria for evaluating onshore oil and gas leasing. The

criteria seemingly intended to avoid conflict in areas with ``sensitive cultural, wildlife, and recreation resources.''

Don't be fooled. The criteria, which could be applied to any parcel of land, are meant to lock up lands from resource development and shut down future oil and gas production. President Biden is once again proactively taking steps to increase energy prices, reduce American energy production, and ultimately diminish our national security.

To continue using Wyoming as a case study, in 2022 and 2023, the Wyoming BLM had initially offered to sell 830 parcels covering 954,281 acres. However, through successive rounds of an environmental review that incorporated considerations of these preference criteria, the Wyoming BLM deferred 462 parcels encompassing 586,000 acres. That is 61 percent of the acreage that should have otherwise been available that was ultimately deferred due to these new criteria--and the regulations aren't even final yet.

BLM's proposed onshore oil and gas leasing regulations are an attack on domestic energy production that will further lock up our Federal lands and eliminate access to our natural resources. We will not stand idly by as the Biden administration increases our reliance on foreign adversarial nations. It diminishes our national security and inflates already unaffordable energy prices.

H.R. 6009 acknowledges the BLM statutory mission of managing our Federal lands for multiple use, including energy and mineral development. It will keep our country safe by ensuring continued domestic energy production. It will benefit American families, American communities, American jobs, and our small businesses.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, my good friend and colleague talked about making a mess. Joe Biden and his administration have made a mess for American energy--higher energy prices throughout our country. The middle class is getting squeezed because of his energy policies and, dare I say, his anti-mining agenda. We will clean up this mess.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 10 minutes to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. Boebert), the sponsor of this bill.

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

The Biden administration told Congress just last summer that there are only 37 orphaned wells on BLM lands, and they have called in bonds only four times per year over the last decade. This number is low because the BLM has a process for dealing with at-risk wells.

There are very few, if any, Federal leases that don't have multiple companies with multiple record title interests and working interests. Multiple companies may have equities in the leases and will sell those equities to other companies that want to develop at different depths, for example.

BLM maintains the full chain of ownership. If BLM identifies a well on a lease at risk for abandonment, the agency will go to the companies in that chain of ownership and require them to take care of the well.

Increasing bonds at these levels will also have a disproportionate impact on the small producers and the small businesses and therefore could actually result in more bankruptcies and thus more orphaned wells. Crushing small businesses and limiting production on Federal lands, which is what this regulation would do, would simply reduce

production, driving up prices for American families and driving down revenues paid to the States and the Federal Government.

Federal onshore oil and gas production brought in roughly $7.7 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2023 alone. That is almost six times more than the BLM's entire fiscal year budget.

We have the opportunity to help the American people who are struggling under this administration's policies and procedures. The time is now. The American people are hurting with energy prices. Inflation is still on the rise. The CPI is almost 20 percent. This is real for blue-collar, working Americans.

The energy policies, Mr. Speaker, of this President have been devastating to the middle and lower class. I have the privilege of representing Minnesota's Eighth Congressional District. It is the oldest and poorest congressional district in our great State. I hear it every single day about the cost of energy. We can change it, and this is our opportunity.

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

Mr. Speaker, my friends and colleagues on the other side of the aisle brought up the Inflation Reduction Act. The fact is, that is law, and 90 percent of that money goes to billion-dollar companies in subsidies.

This bill we are talking about today is about small businesses. Under this administration, the average American household is paying $11,400 per year under these policies and these regulations. That is a lot of money.

Mr. Speaker, that may not be a lot of money for a President who has spent 53 years of his life in Washington, D.C. Just maybe he has forgotten what it is like to struggle in our Midwestern States. Mr. Speaker, $11,400 is the average, and I just stated that I represent the oldest and the poorest Congressional District in the State of Minnesota. That is a lot of money for my constituents and almost every American.

Fifty-three years President Biden has been bloviating on Capitol Hill trying to change things and make it better.

On his energy policies and his mining policies, he has failed the American people, and we all know it. We all know it. We feel it. We see it. Our pocketbooks are shrinking, and our paychecks aren't rising as fast as we want them to, and they are not keeping up with inflation.

This is about small businesses. This is about not letting the unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., dictate production of our natural resources. We, in Congress, have a responsibility to write legislation that will benefit all Americans. Today we are talking about legislation, Mr. Speaker, about energy prices. There is nobody in this country who feels as if this administration has reduced the cost of energy for them.

Mr. Speaker, $11,400, that is a lot of money for this retired police officer. That is a lot of money for my wife who served 24 years in the military and is an Iraq war veteran. That is a lot of money for her, for me, and for many other Americans who are trying to just feed their families, keep up, and try and live the American Dream.

Mr. Speaker, this President has failed the American people on his energy policies.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, this is an easy concept for us all to understand. This really isn't about the left or the right, Democrat or Republican. We move either forward or backward.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle just talked about the Inflation Reduction Act. It was voted and put into law almost 2 years ago, so I ask the American people: Has it increased your energy prices, or has it lowered your energy prices? The American people know that their energy prices have skyrocketed.

We have many great energy producing States, including the great State of Alaska. This administration has put 54 sanctions on energy production in Alaska. That is more sanctions than this administration has put on Iran. That is unconscionable.

Mr. Speaker, earlier, at a Federal Lands Subcommittee hearing, there was a witness exchange. Representative Tiffany chairs it. They talked about where they are going to source their electric vehicles, their critical minerals for the vehicles, and they were talking about child slave labor. The Democrat witness said that it is unfortunate that people are exploited around the world, but it is a reality. He said that is a controversial issue.

Child slave labor should never be controversial. We should never allow that, and this administration has gone with memorandums of understanding with Congo, where 15 of the 19 industrial mines use child slave labor.

Mr. Speaker, that is a fact, and this administration doesn't want to admit it. They want to ignore the human rights atrocities to get to their so-called green agenda. That is not acceptable, Mr. Speaker, when we have the mineral resources here in the United States of America.

As I said earlier, we are blessed with an abundance of natural resources that we can extract using the best environmental labor standards. Again, we can move either backward or forward. I submit to you that the Republicans want to move forward on energy production.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, the American people just have to ask themselves whether they are paying more or less for energy and groceries under this administration. It is clear the American people are suffering under the Biden policies.

The Biden administration's proposed rule would eliminate the opportunity for exploration of newly discovered energy producing areas and shrink future oil and gas production, even on sites where it already exists, all while drastically driving up costs for Americans.

We will not stand by idly as this administration locks up our Federal lands and prohibits Americans from accessing their abundant natural resources. We will support American families, jobs, communities, our economy, and our national security through safe, clean, and efficient domestic energy production.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 6009, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Officer Paul Elmstrand, a Burnsville police officer killed in the line of duty.

Paul was from North Branch, Minnesota, and I recently sat down with his loving parents to express my condolences.

They described Paul as a devoted family man with a servant's heart. They talked about his passion for policing, which began when he was a member of the Law Enforcement Club at Cambridge-Isanti High School.

Paul's parents said that he took his police oath seriously and was dedicated to his brothers and sisters in law enforcement. He was an excellent police officer, but it was his role of husband and father that gave him the truest joy.

Paul married his high school sweetheart, Cindy, and together, they had two beautiful children, Maria and Mateo.

My heart aches for Paul's entire family, especially his children. While they must now grow up without their father, may they always remember that he lived his life with integrity, honor, and courage. May they always take strength from the fact that their father was a hero who put his life on the line in service of others.

Minnesotans will never forget his sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7176, the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act.

America's domestic energy revolution has not just benefited Americans with affordable and reliable access to energy or with countless good- paying jobs. It has also benefited our allies around the world. Thanks to exports of American LNG, we are helping our allies in Europe keep the lights and heat on this winter. Without American LNG, our allies would have to depend on Vladimir Putin and others for their natural gas.

Here in the United States, we produce energy, including natural gas, with the strictest environmental and labor standards anywhere in the world. In fact, global greenhouse gas emissions have dropped in recent years not because of government regulations but because of increased use of ever-cleaner natural gas.

When we export American LNG, we are exporting the cleanest natural gas found anywhere in the world. We are exporting the incredible environmental progress the United States has made.

Rather than supporting Ukraine and other allies, the Biden administration is focused on making campaign promises to their extreme radical left. Cutting off American LNG exports will only threaten our allies' security and line the pockets of Vladimir Putin.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to record my reading and understanding of H.R. 7176, the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act.

This bill removes the jurisdiction of the Department of Energy (DOE) to issue export licenses for facilities, including offshore facilities, exporting LNG to countries the U.S. does not have a free trade agreement with, while confirming that these projects are in the public interest. Since the public interest determination is in the bill, we do not anticipate the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) will add new terms to their public interest review, including extensions or expansions of projects that have been already approved.

I also wish to confirm that applications from LNG export project sponsors, for extensions in the export commencement date for previously issued DOE export licenses, are not covered by the Biden Administration ban on exports, and that upon enactment of this bill, existing authorized projects for export to non-FTA countries will no longer be within DOE's jurisdiction but will reside with FERC. Furthermore, export commencement extensions for previously authorized DOE exports are presumed to be granted by FERC.

Finally, should a project need an export commencement extension before this bill is enacted, DOE, as stated by Deputy Secretary Turk on the record, must accept applications for such an extension and process it in a timely manner.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Protecting Health Care for all Patients Act of 2023 led by Chairwoman Rodgers.

I rise today not only as a Congressman, Mr. Chair, but as a father to a 21-year-old man with Down syndrome, a young man who has never been defined by his disability, but rather, his ability. The use of quality- adjusted life years is disgusting.

Mr. Chair, it is disgusting. Using a cost benefit analysis to determine if someone deserves healthcare, if their life has value, is just plain wrong, Mr. Chair.

This is the result of socialized healthcare medicine, the future that the Democrats want. It is a future where a doctor will turn you away because your treatment just doesn't make economic sense.

This is called rationalized healthcare, Mr. Chair, meaning the government will determine if your life is worth living. The bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., will determine if the lives of senior citizens in northern Minnesota should be saved and healthcare provided to them.

I thank Chairwoman Rodgers for introducing this bill, which prevents the Federal healthcare programs from deciding the future of not only my son but all the children in this country that have a disability--from deciding if their life is valuable in comparison to others.

This bill is a beacon of hope for families like mine and the hundreds of thousands across this great Nation who are blessed to have children living with Down syndrome and other disabilities that enrich our communities. It is a promise that we will not stand idly by while our most vulnerable citizens are viewed as less than in a broken healthcare system.

Mr. Chair, this bill ensures that individuals with disabilities, the elderly, our veterans, and the terminally ill are protected from discrimination and have access to affordable, comprehensive healthcare.

Let me tell you something. I am a spouse of an Iraq war veteran, and if you look on the Department of Veterans Affairs' site, Mr. Chair, they have quality-adjusted life years for our veterans. Since when do we determine the life of a veteran who signed up to give his or her life for this Nation, Mr. Chair?

The Democrats want to take it away, quality-adjusted life years. It is sad.

We are fighting for our elderly, the veterans, and our disabled community. For the bureaucrats to tell me or tell any of us whether a life is worth living or not is unconscionable, and we will not stand for it.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for bringing this bill to the floor, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, President Biden, today, by executive order can end catch and release, cease the exploitation of the parole authority, reinstate remain in Mexico, expand expedited removal authority, and renew building the wall.

By executive order, Mr. Speaker, he can do that, which will stop the illegal immigration by 80 percent, just those executive orders. He can do that today.

Mr. Speaker, I am horrified and I am dismayed. We have been shouting from the rooftops that the border is a crisis for years. And finally, finally, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are beginning to acknowledge there is a problem just in time for an election.

How shocking?

Just like when they switched from ``defund the police'' to pro-police rhetoric in 2022 just before the election. They have this playbook down pat.

Since the President has taken office, Mr. Speaker, there have been over 7 million illegal crossings at our southern border. Over 8.3 million illegal crossings nationwide. Yes, that is right. Our southern border is in such disarray and has sucked up so much of our resources that our northern border is wide open, and the cartels are taking advantage, including in the State of New York where my esteemed colleague, who is claiming time in opposition on the other side of the aisle, is from.

His State is in desperate need of help from illegals taking over their cities, overrunning their public safety, overrunning their schools, overrunning their social services, and he stands up here, Mr. Speaker, and says there is nothing wrong.

This crisis is personal, as it is impacting the safety and security of my constituents. In 2022, Minnesota resort owners along the Canadian border in Minnesota caught illegal immigrants trespassing on their property.

Last fall, a young girl in Bemidji, Minnesota, was sexually assaulted and 11 illegal immigrants were found at the scene.

And just last week, Mr. Speaker, authorities arrested an al-Shabaab terrorist in Minneapolis. The terrorist was caught at the southern border 1 year prior and released back into our country by the Biden administration's catch and release. They allowed him to roam for 1 year in this country, and it is alleged, Mr. Speaker, that he was trading in illegal arms.

I fear it is only a matter of time before another September 11 occurs on our soil, and we must not let that happen.

If Democrats were serious about making our border secure, they would encourage their colleagues in the Senate to pass the already House- passed bill, H.R. 2, the most strongest worded piece of legislation on our border in this country's history.

They can get it to his desk immediately for President Biden to sign, or they would call on the President to use his executive authorities, as I already stated, to reinstate President Trump's policies that were keeping our Nation safe.

But they are not serious, so, yes, I am here today to beg my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to vote for this bill that would make illegal immigrants convicted of a DUI deportable or inadmissible to our country.

Because of my law enforcement background, Mr. Speaker, I am probably one of the very few Members of Congress who has ever been to the scene of a drunk driving accident where there was a death. One of very few who has delivered death notices to unsuspecting families or victims, and I pray that none of you ever have to deliver or receive such heartbreaking news.

At a minimum, Mr. Speaker, we should keep illegal immigrants who drive under the influence of alcohol and put people's lives in danger out of this country.

To my Democratic colleagues, I ask: Get on the side of public safety and law enforcement all of the time, not just during election years. This is an easy vote, and I ask my colleagues to do the right thing and vote ``yes'' on H.R. 6976.

Mr. Speaker, let's make one thing perfectly clear: The Biden administration is building their so-called green energy on the backs of children, on poor individuals enslaved by Communist China.

I wonder what it must be like for the Biden administration to sit in ivory towers and drive their electric vehicles and pretend to be doing something positive for the environment.

As long as I am here in Congress, I will expose the truth. The Biden administration finds it to be perfectly acceptable to use child slave labor in foreign lands to meet their insincere and deceptive green agenda, forcing children, under horrific conditions, to dig up, often with their bare hands, the minerals that they need in their EV charging stations. It is immoral, it is unethical, and it is wrong.

The rule to waive the Buy America requirement for electric vehicle chargers is just the latest in this administration's efforts to eliminate good-paying union jobs for American workers and instead offshore cheap slave labor in foreign countries with zero environmental standards.

For the Biden administration, when overseas, it is out of sight, out of mind.

The Biden administration continues to have their agenda on mining and energy anywhere but America, any worker but American.

I ask my colleagues not to turn a blind eye. We need to mine here and buy American. The reason the Biden administration wants to waive the Buy America requirement is because they refuse to allow domestic mining to happen.

Mr. Speaker, I live in a district where the biggest copper-nickel mine in the world is, and this administration pulled the mining leases for purely political reasons. They won't let us mine in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Texas, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and so many other States. They are okay with using child slave labor in Congo, where 15 of the 19 mines are owned by the Communist country of China.

The Biden administration continues to assault the American worker. We must not let that happen.

Mr. Speaker, when the infrastructure law passed, we supported Build America, Buy America. This is a slap in the face when Joe Biden wants us now to waive the requirement. It is unacceptable. Buy America, mine here in America, period.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4468, the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act.

The out-of-touch government dictated EV mandates pushed by this administration are an attack on our way of life in northern Minnesota and across this country.

Many of my constituents not only can't afford an EV, they don't want to purchase an EV because they are not compatible with our daily lives. How are we supposed to reliably drive an EV when its battery has the potential to lose 50 percent of its range in Minnesota's subzero temperatures?

Let's not forget that the critical minerals used to make these EVs are sourced from Chinese Communist Party-controlled mines in places like the Congo and Indonesia--mines that have zero environmental standards, mines that have zero labor standards, and mines that use child slave labor.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will remind you and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that the biggest copper nickel find is in northern Minnesota, the Duluth Complex--95 percent of our nickel reserve, over 88 percent of our cobalt, and a third of our copper and other platinum group metals that help make electric vehicles--and this administration just pulled the leases.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of H.R. 4468.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 5283, the Protecting our Communities from Failure to Secure the Border Act, which I am proud to cosponsor.

Plenty of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will stand here today and protest that this bill is unnecessary. They will complain Republicans shouldn't be taking up this piece of legislation. The truth is, if it weren't for the disastrous policies of this administration, I don't think we would find ourselves even considering this bill. It is plain and simple: Republicans are taking action to address our southern border crisis because the Biden administration has failed to do so. They have failed to protect the American people.

Mr. Chair, 2 weeks ago, they broke a record. In just 1 week, 15,000 illegals came across our southern border.

The district I represent in northern Minnesota contains hundreds of miles of northern border with Canada. The 547 miles of border shared with Canada are patrolled by only two mobile agents right now because the current agents are being reassigned to in-process the illegals coming through our southern border. Now, our northern border is not secure because of this administration. There are 547 miles of border that are wide open, and the cartels and coyotes have figured it out.

Earlier this fall, in Bemidji, Minnesota, an 11-year-old girl was sexually assaulted, and 11 illegal immigrants were found at the scene of that crime.

For those of you who don't know where Bemidji is, it is not along our southern border. It is over 2,000 miles away. Bemidji and every community across this Nation have been turned into a border community, putting Americans at risk.

Now, even our Federal lands meant for conservation, recreation, and development of our great natural resources are being turned into campgrounds for traffickers and terrorists who are marching into our country and breaking our immigration laws.

Northern Minnesota is also home to vast amounts of public lands, including the Chippewa and Superior National Forests, Voyageurs National Park, and the Grand Portage National Monument.

It is a shame that we even have to consider this piece of legislation because of the Biden administration's open border policy that is making our Nation less secure. We have no idea who is coming into this Nation, and it is not appropriate that we keep this open border.

Mr. Chair, I support this piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of the Small Business Contracting Transparency Act.

I thank my colleague, Representative Houlahan, for bringing this up. It is a very good bill and I am proud to stand in support of it.

In Minnesota, Feeding Our Future, a supposed nonprofit in Minnesota meant to feed children, used $250 million of COVID-19 Federal funds to buy luxury cars and real estate.

Since COVID-19, fraud has been on the rise. Bad actors are taking advantage of vulnerable government programs and stealing taxpayer dollars for their own benefit and wealth. We must be better stewards of taxpayer dollars and ensure proper safeguards are in place.

The Small Business Administration is charged with ensuring that only eligible firms are participating in its Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contract program, HUBZone programs, and the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business programs.

The Small Business Contracting Transparency Act would bring much- needed oversight to the certification process, ensure the SBA is only approving appropriate firms, and give Congress the tools to hold the SBA accountable, if necessary.

By supporting the Small Business Contracting Transparency Act, we will not only provide valuable assistance to small businesses but also ensure effectiveness in government contracting.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Small Business Contracting Transparency Act.