Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of Harry Knight.

Harry is approaching his 100th birthday, and I would like to commend him for his longstanding commitment and dedication to the United States. Harry served in the Marine Corps during World War II and the Korean War, leaving a distinguished legacy of courage and patriotism. During his service in the Korean War, Harry fought in one of the deadliest and most decisive engagements of the conflict, the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. The battle marked an important turning point for the U.S. in the war, with the U.S. 1st Marine Division surviving an encirclement by 120,000 Chinese soldiers. The efforts of the UN troops, including Harry, ultimately weakened Chinese forces and prevented a swift Communist takeover, securing a stalemate between the U.S. and opposition forces. Harry's personal sacrifice and courage during that battle resulted in him receiving two Purple Hearts for the injuries he sustained. Consequently, Harry's enduring dedication to his country is characterized by unwavering loyalty and selfless devotion.

It is my pleasure to honor Harry, allowing him to experience the gratitude of those he has protected throughout his service. Harry's heroic career in the U.S. Marine Corps deserves to be recognized, and his ability to maintain his sharp mind and humble character at the age of 99 is a testament to his resilience, integrity, and lifelong commitment to serving others.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of Michael ``Phoenix'' Cortez.

Michael's childhood during the Great Depression instilled him with humility and determination, eager to explore the world and take on life's challenges. Michael served in both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps as a bilingual service member, then he went on to be a reservist in the U.S. Air Force. After the conclusion of Michael's active service, he demonstrated his lasting commitment to the public sector through his work as a civilian employee in the Department of Defense. Over the course of his career, Michael participated in highly classified missions and collaborated on advanced aircraft systems. He was able to travel the globe, broadening his horizons across several cultures and lifestyles and engaging in top secret defense programs. Michael's enduring dedication to his country was characterized by unwavering loyalty and selfless devotion.

My prayers are with the Cortez family as they go through this difficult time. In addition to being an incredible man, Michael was a loving husband to his wife, Sharon, and a devoted father to his five children, Michael, Michele, Sherry, Marnie, and Blayne. He is also survived by four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Service requires sacrifice, and military families pay that price in the time we spend away from our families, while defending our great Nation.

May God watch over Michael, Michele, Sherry, Marnie, and Blayne, and Sharon, who stood by Michael throughout his career.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize a remarkable American, a distinguished physician, and a personal mentor: Dr. David Satcher.

Dr. Satcher made history as the first Black Surgeon General of the United States, dedicating his life to improving the health and well- being of all Americans. His leadership in public health, medical education, and healthcare access has left an enduring mark on our entire Nation.

I had the privilege of learning from Dr. Satcher at Morehouse School of Medicine, an institution founded to expand opportunities in medicine for underserved communities and to train the next generation of healthcare leaders.

As a student, I witnessed firsthand his commitment to excellence, compassion, and service. He inspired countless physicians, including myself, to see medicine not just as a profession but as a calling.

I ask my colleagues to join me today in honoring his extraordinary legacy and offering our prayers and our best wishes to him and his entire family.

The impact of Dr. David Satcher's life will be felt for generations to come. I am grateful for the example he set for me, for the medical community, and for our entire country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Colonel Frank Ott, my uncle, who made his final takeoff on February 18, 2022. To me, he was family. To our Nation, he was a hero and a patriot.

From a one-room schoolhouse in North Dakota to the cockpit of America's most advanced aircraft, Colonel Ott lived a life of discipline, courage, and purpose. He earned his wings in 1955 and went on to fly and command missions in the F-86, F-100, B-47, B-52, U-2, and EB-66, amassing over 5,000 flight hours, including hundreds in combat in Vietnam.

His decorations reflect not just achievement, but a willing sacrifice for the Nation he loved. Beyond the uniform, he was a man of quiet strength, kind, humble, and deeply devoted to family. He never sought recognition, only purpose.

Today, we remember not just his service, but his spirit. He was a true patriot, a devoted husband, and a beloved uncle.

May we strive to live with the same integrity and vigor he showed every day. Semper Fidelis.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss legislation that is near and dear to me. It updates outdated Federal definitions and ensures

fairness for students attending universities that serve some of the most historically underserved communities across the country. Importantly, this bill has benefits with no cost.

My last tour as a marine was serving as the marine officer instructor at Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta, and Morris Brown as an adjunct professor. I then had the distinguished honor of attending and serving as student body president at Morehouse School of Medicine.

That experience shaped not only my medical career but also my understanding of leadership, service, and the responsibility we have to expand opportunity for the next generation.

Morehouse School of Medicine was founded to give opportunities to the underserved minority population and give them access to careers in healthcare and top-quality medical education. Its mission to serve the underserved is clear. Yet, for far too long, Federal policy has failed to keep pace with that mission.

This mission, which harkens back to the core principles for the foundation of the Republican Party itself, is a vital promise we should always strive to uphold.

Outdated definitions in statute have limited students at institutions like Morehouse to the resources and support they rightfully deserve. My bill is one small step to help correct that. It modernizes Federal language so that historically Black colleges and universities and other historically underserved institutions are treated fairly and equitably under the law in the way intended.

It ensures that students training to serve in rural communities, urban neighborhoods, and medically fragile populations are not disadvantaged by bureaucratic technicalities written decades ago.

As a graduate of Morehouse, I have seen the extraordinary talent and commitment of students who are determined to make a difference. They deserve policies that recognize their value and support their success.

Morehouse's legacy is incredible. I had the privilege of learning from former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, a towering figure in public health. His leadership set a standard of excellence and service that continues to guide my work today.

The broader Morehouse community has helped shape our Nation through leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose moral clarity transformed America; Jeh Johnson, who served as Secretary of Homeland Security; Edwin Moses, an Olympic gold medalist who exemplified discipline and determination; Samuel L. Jackson, whose artistic achievements are recognized worldwide; and Admiral Alvin Holsey, who had a long and distinguished military career.

These individuals reflect a tradition of excellence, resilience, and service. The students walking the halls today carry that same potential.

This legislation is about ensuring that Federal policy aligns with the legacy that we are trying to establish. This is about opportunity. It is about strengthening the pipeline of leaders, physicians, scientists, and public servants our country so urgently needs.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and stand with students at historically underserved institutions in order to make sure every institution that meets the criteria is included in the growing and vital HBCU network of universities that are working every day to serve America's communities.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of the Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald and NBC sportscaster Maria Taylor.

On Sunday, these two graduates from Centennial High School in Roswell, Georgia, which just happens to be in my district, became Super Bowl stars. Mike and Maria also attended the University of Georgia together where they began their respective careers as a football coach and a sports broadcaster.

On Sunday, Mike coached his team to a convincing 29-13 victory, and Maria made history as the first Black woman to ever host the Super Bowl postgame ceremony. These achievements are a testament to their hard work, character, and outstanding education they received at Centennial.

Congratulations to Mike and Maria, and I thank them for making Roswell proud. Go Knights and go Dawgs.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and recognize the career of one of our Nation's greatest spy catchers.

My constituent, Marvin ``Dell'' Spry, spent nearly 20 years in the FBI running counterintelligence operations to keep our country safe. Mr. Spry ran the FBI investigations that caught Aldrich Ames, a high- ranking CIA official who betrayed his country for money and spent nearly one decade spying for the Soviet Union.

In 1994, the FBI caught Ames, and Mr. Spry put him in handcuffs. After pleading guilty to espionage charges, Ames received a life sentence and died in Federal prison last month.

Mr. Spry received many decorations for his outstanding leadership of the investigation and retired from the Bureau in 2006. Since then, he has continued to share his wisdom and expertise with FBI trainees and young people interested in law enforcement.

On behalf of a grateful nation, I thank Mr. Spry for his patriotism and honorable service to our Nation.

Job well done. Semper Fidelis.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 3 p.m. tomorrow, and further when the House adjourns on that day, it adjourn to meet at noon on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this resolution. I am an ER doctor who served many years just before coming to Congress, which was not that long ago, where I saw multiple overdoses every single night during a time where we had over 100,000 deaths per year in the United States, far more civilian casualties than any war we have ever experienced in the history of the United States. That is an average of well over 250 deaths per day.

Imagine the worst mass shooting we have ever had and multiply that times five times a day for every day during the year for 3 years running. That is what we are dealing with. That is the emergency we have. That is an emergency.

This opioid crisis is fundamentally different from any past drug epidemic. These substances are engineered to be highly lethal. The amount that you can fit on a pinhead could kill a person. Unknown exposure just from somebody coming to assist somebody could kill somebody. These are weapons of mass destruction.

It is different from anything we have ever experienced in the history of the United States or the world, for that matter.

If a foreign actor released a chemical agent that killed tens of thousands of Americans, the response would be immediate, unified, and decisive.

We can and must act immediately to save American lives.

This is not unprecedented. Every President in my lifetime, in my adult lifetime, has used the military to this end, to protect the people of the United States, which is the President's first and most important charge as President.

Therefore, I continue to have strong opposition to this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I am in strong opposition to this resolution because the issue before us is not one of Presidential authority. It is whether Congress should undermine the President's ability to deter threats and protect the United States' interests in our own hemisphere.

History shows that time after time, Mr. Speaker, if you signal weakness, it emboldens your adversaries. A resolution that publicly constrains the Commander in Chief does not promote peace. What it does is it telegraphs weakness to a hostile regime like Venezuela and encourages them to test U.S. resolve.

This is not a distant theater. This is our hemisphere. Supporting the President's authority is not a blank check for war. It is a recommendation that timely, flexible military posturing is what prevents war, and in this case protects Americans against the most lethal attack ever on the American people and the population where we have lost over 250 people per day for the last 3 years.

This is not the time to act in opposition to the Commander in Chief and to oppose him from the most important obligation he has: protect the American public. That is why I oppose this.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 335.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of my brother in arms, Tom ``Zippy'' Himstreet. Growing up in an Air Force family instilled Tom with the values that guided him towards military service. Upon graduating from Sunset High School in Beaverton, Oregon, Tom attended Oregon State University, where he was a midshipman in the Naval ROTC Beaver Battalion and participated on the Navy Drill Team and as Midshipman Battalion Commander. Upon graduating in 1991, he commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. In October 1994, Tom earned his gold wings and was designated as a Naval Aviator, operating the S-3 Viking. He served during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 flying combat missions from the USS Kitty Hawk and logging thousands of hours of flight time.

Tom was a leader, mentor, and instructor for younger pilots, who consistently relied on his experience and steadfast guidance. In 2014, Tom retired from the Navy at the rank of Commander after 23 years of honorable service. My prayers are with the Himstreet family as they go through this difficult time. Tom was an incredible man and a loving father to his sons, Leo and Max. Service requires sacrifice, and military families pay that price in the time we spend away from our families, while defending our great Nation. May God watch over Leo, Max, and their mother Kim, who stood by Tom throughout his career.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Medal of Honor winner Major General James E. Livingston, USMC Retired, and the University of North Georgia's permanent dedication of the North Plaza at the Gen. William ``Lipp'' Livsey Drill Field as the `Major General James E. Livingston Medal of Honor Plaza'. This permanent naming is in recognition of Major General Livingston's lifelong service to America, his commitment to the mission and work of the University of North Georgia--The Military College of Georgia, and his ``conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty'' for which he earned our Nation's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor.

A native of McRae, Georgia, in TeIfair County, James E. Livingston attended North Georgia College (NGC) from 1957 to 1958. He departed NGC to study engineering and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in June 1962 from Auburn University. His early assignments included service as a platoon commander, intelligence officer, and as a Recruit Training Regiment series commander. Major General Livingston served as the Commanding Officer of the Marine Detachment aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS Wasp and then joined the 3d Marine Division in the Republic of Vietnam in August 1967. On May 2, 1968, while serving as Commanding Officer, Company E, 2d Battalion, 4th Marines, he distinguished himself above and beyond the call of duty in action against enemy forces at the Battle of Dai Do, Republic of Vietnam.

The following is a (short) excerpt from his actions that day:

``Ignoring hostile rounds impacting near him, he fearlessly

led his men in a savage assault against enemy emplacements

within the village. While adjusting supporting arms fire,

Capt. Livingston moved to the points of heaviest resistance,

shouting words of encouragement to his marines, directing

their fire, and spurring the dwindling momentum of the attack

on repeated occasions. Although twice painfully wounded by

grenade fragments, he refused medical treatment and

courageously led his men in the destruction of over 100

mutually supporting bunkers, driving the remaining enemy from

their positions, and relieving the pressure on the stranded

marine company.'' For his incredibly heroic actions on that

fateful day, Major General Livingston earned the Medal of

Honor which was presented to him on 14 May 1970 by President

Richard Nixon in a ceremony at the White House. Today, Major

General Livingston stands as one of only 61 living Medal of

Honor recipients. Although, he only attended North Georgia

College for one year, to this day he credits his North

Georgia experience with setting the foundation for his life

by instilling timeless leadership principles, fostering

maturity, and making him tough. This quote is from Major

General Livingston in a recent interview in late 2024: ``One

of the greatest things to ever happen to me in my life was

the opportunity to come to (attend) what was then North

Georgia College. . .let me assure you I would have never been

successful in what I learned about myself, what I learned

about what I needed to know and needed to reinforce through

my whole life. Those values of understanding how to live your

life, how to be successful in your life, how to achieve in

your life . . . all values I learned at North Georgia.''

His foundational experience at North Georgia was evidenced by his donation of one of his original Medals of Honor which he received from President Nixon in 1970 to UNG in October 2024. Of note, each medal of honor recipient receives only two medals--Major General Livingston is leaving one to his family and the second to the University of North Georgia, in perpetuity. In a speech to the UNG Corps of Cadets-- America's Corps in September 2024, he emotionally shared how the Corps' rigorous training shaped his philosophy of leading by example and maintaining discipline under pressure, qualities evident in his heroic actions at the Battle of Dai Do. Major General Livingston's formative experience in UNG's Cadet Corps laid the groundwork for his distinguished 33-year Marine Corps career. He is the epitome of the UNG Cadet Corps and the mission and work of the University of North Georgia--The Military College of Georgia. As UNG delivers the Corps of the Future--America's Corps, it will be the legacy of leaders like Major General

Livingston who inspire the next generation of selfless Americans to answer our Nation's call.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to Ms. Greene's amendment to eliminate funding for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative.

I know that my colleague is trying to save money and put America first, and I respect that, but defunding support to Taiwan that was requested by the Trump administration has consequences that would do exactly the opposite of what I believe the gentlewoman is trying to achieve.

Peace through strength saves money, saves lives, and puts American interests first. President Trump recognized that, which is why he requested Congress double the funding for this program to preserve peace in a critically important region.

Trade in the Indo-Pacific accounts for about 40 percent of the world's GDP. Around 21 percent of the global trade passes through the Taiwan Straits, including 40 percent of the world's container fleet. The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company produces 90 percent of the world's AI chips, which are crucial to the American economy.

A war in this region would be a global catastrophe. Our Taiwanese allies are already awaiting overdue delivery of American military supplies.

Mr. Chair, they are waiting for supplies they have already paid for. This amendment sends the wrong signal at the worst time. A withdrawal of our support would defeat Trump's initiatives to shore up this critically important part of the world, save us money, save us ultimate deficit spending in defense of a region that we need to critically supply.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I rise and offer my amendment No. 25 to H.R. 3838, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.

My amendment expands on language already in law, in this bill, and in the Senate NDAA to combat the indirect censorship of conservative news outlets in the Department of War.

Section 1555 of the fiscal year 2024 NDAA required that the DOD, when contracting with organizations that place military recruitment advertisements, must certify that an organization does not place advertisements based on political bias or the determination that a media outlet spreads so-called misinformation.

The language is necessary because the DOD, or now the Department of War, has contracted with organizations such as NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index.

According to the Media Research Center, the average NewsGuard score for the left and lean-left outlets was a green shield rating of 91 of 100, while the average rating for the right and lean-right outlets was a low of 66 of 100.

A Global Disinformation Index report on the online news lists the 10 riskiest online news outlets as the New York Post, The Federalist, The Blaze, The Daily Wire, Newsmax, One America News Network, The American Spectator, The American Conservative, Reason Magazine, and RealClear Politics. They are all conservative.

Left-leaning sites like ProPublica.com, NPR.org, NewYorkTimes.com, WashingtonPost.com, BuzzFeedNews.com, and HuffingtonPost.com were among the 10 lowest risk online news sites.

We should not be excluding large swaths of Americans simply because they watch or read conservative news, especially when considering that recruiting is hard enough without excluding this demographic.

My amendment adds language to clarify the standards on what exact bias looks like, as well as by striking the 1-year sunset included in subsection (c).

This language is already in the Senate NDAA. I thank Senator Tuberville for his leadership in pushing this forward. I ask for my colleagues' support on amendment No. 25.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I find it rather distracting that my peer on the other side of the aisle thinks that one person controls the truth. That, by and large, he thinks that conservative media is lying and that liberal media is telling the truth.

The fact of the matter is, during the Biden administration when all of this came to be, where we start fact-checking, recruiting went down miserably. We had a recruiting problem we have never seen in America since the Vietnam war. We had a problem getting the Army up to par. The only service that made their recruiting goals was the United States Marine Corps. I would like to say it is because of their amazing commercials, but I am sure it is far more than that.

What we know is they have a job to do. We are hurting the recruitment efforts by taking out a demographic based on your idea of what is accurate and truthful, rather than doing your job of bringing people into the military to make sure that we are sustaining a lethal force moving forward. That is our goal. That is as American as you get, and it is not a partisan issue.

Trying to figure out which news agency should be advertised on, based on your idea of what the truth is, is really a side-note argument that should be kept in this room, not on the political front in front of the future soldiers, marines, sailors, and airmen that we need to sustain our force.

Madam Chair, I would say, since we instituted this bill last year: Guess what? Maybe it is because we have a

new President or maybe it is because we can now advertise to the people who are most likely to join our Armed Services.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I love the fact the other side just said that it is factual that COVID is the reason we couldn't recruit.

When I came into Congress, we had the President of the United States say we can take off masks, that the pandemic is over. For the first 2 years of my service here in Congress, the pandemic was over. Yet we could not recruit.

Therefore, I want to point out that the gentleman literally put misinformation in his argument, which proves my point. Should I censor him from being able to present his case right here in front of the American people? No, I would say not. He is allowed to give us misinformation like he just did.

COVID was over. We couldn't recruit. Then we changed the law. We changed the President. We have mass recruiting efforts being reinforced. It was downright misinformation just to say that COVID didn't allow us to recruit. We have seen that in recent history.

The pandemic has been over for 2 years now. It didn't change until we had a new President and new laws. That was misinformation. To my point, they interpret their misinformation. I interpret mine.

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

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chair, I rise to offer an amendment to H.R. 4553.

Mr. Chair, my amendment No. 21 is to the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026.

My amendment No. 21 prevents the Army Corps of Engineers from closing campgrounds around Lake Lanier. My amendment will ensure that these campgrounds are open for my constituents and people from all over the country to enjoy the outdoors in Georgia's Seventh District.

Lake Lanier is the most visited lake of 464 federally operated lakes in the United States, with well over 10 million annual visitors from all over the country. The Army Corps runs the lake and the campgrounds and parks surrounding it.

This summer, the Corps closed many of the campgrounds around the lake, citing a lack of manpower and resources. Congress had provided $8.7 billion in annual appropriations for 2025, which was actually $1.5 billion more than the agency's own requested budget. They cited safety concerns and manning issues, which we addressed appropriately, although they announced the closures after they actually did it.

Thanks to the efforts of myself, Congressman Clyde, and our amazing local officials, State legislators, and county commissioners, we were able to reverse most of these closures and keep almost all of our parks open under the control of our local governments.

Congressman Clyde and I also introduced the Lanier Parks Local Access Act to cut red tape and allow local partners to efficiently allocate budgetary resources properly across all campgrounds.

Nevertheless, the Army Corps of Engineers should never be able to shut down our facilities without any accountability.

In today's day and age, where people are hooked on their cell phones and electronics, it is more important than ever to protect our outdoors so that our constituents can touch grass instead of a computer screen.

In short, citizens should never be denied access to the very parks that they fund.

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

Mr. Chair, in order to address my peers' concerns, I will restate in the middle of this where I said specifically $8.7 billion in annual appropriations in 2025, which was $1.5 billion more than they requested. This is not underfunded. This is not declining. This is actually more than appropriate to keep those parks open.

They had a manning issue, which was brought on by themselves, by not manning when they had the appropriate funds. Then when the President put a limitation on that, we addressed that. It was opened up again. We actually helped them recruit and staff. We actually opened up to local governance, as well. It is not like we didn't provide multiple solutions to keep those campgrounds open.

They also have objections to safety issues because of the inability of safety vehicles getting to those places. Ironically, by limiting the access, the traffic is more congested and is made more unsafe.

I happen to be a safety officer, trained in Monterey in the military, to ensure these kinds of things were actually addressed. I want to make sure they are not only funded but also very safe and manned appropriately.

Mr. Chair, all those issues were actually taken into consideration. I don't think this is a partisan issue at all. I definitely want to see people have access to those very funded things. This actually produces funds. This actually is a moneymaker for the government and is well- funded and should be well-staffed.

There shouldn't be any objections to this from the standpoint of the concerns that my colleague has. I think we did address those things appropriately.

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