Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Lamborn for arranging this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, when President Roosevelt convened the inaugural celebration of National Bible Week, as was mentioned, it was 1941. America was still recovering from an economic collapse, and across the sea, war raged in Europe.

It seemed the whole world was shrouded in darkness. But Roosevelt believed that the Bible is an eternal source of hope.

We know that the Bible is life-changing. As mentioned about the news of the attack and as mentioned before, NBC was broadcasting the reading of the Bible; they made a monumental decision during that process. As they were broadcasting the news, during breaks, they would continue to read the Bible. They recognized one simple truth: There is no greater spiritual armor than the Word of God.

So where are we some 81 years later? The pollsters say that 7 in 10 Americans believe that our Nation is in crisis and at the risk of collapse. There continues to be wars and rumors of wars. But I believe, as President Roosevelt believed, in the awesome life-changing power of God's Word.

Ephesians 6 says:

Put on the full armor of God that you may be able to stand

against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle

against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the

authorities, against this present darkness, against the

spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

As we look around our Chamber here, fellow Members, we are without excuse. As mentioned earlier, we have ``In God We Trust'' here. We have lawmakers all around us and, obviously, the full face of Moses, who gave us the first four chapters of the Bible.

Some 40 years later, after National Bible Week was declared, Billy Graham gave this prayer, and I will read part of it. He said: ``Our Father and our God, Thou hast said, `Blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord.' We recognize on this historic occasion that we are `a nation under God.' We thank Thee for this torch of faith handed to us by our forefathers. May we never let it be extinguished. Thou alone has given us our prosperity, our freedom and our power. This faith in God is our heritage and our foundation.

``Thou has warned us in the Scriptures, `If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?'

``As George Washington reminded us in his farewell address, morality and faith are the pillars of our society. We confess these pillars are being eroded in an increasingly materialistic and permissive society. The whole world is watching to see if the faith of our fathers will stand the trials and tests of this hour. Too long we have neglected Thy word and ignored Thy laws. Too long we have tried to solve our problems without reference to Thee. Too long we have tried to live by bread alone. We have sown to the wind and are now reaping the whirlwind of crime, division, and rebellion.''

That prayer was given in 1969, and here we are today. So just as we turned to the Bible then, I pray that we will turn to it now.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Rose Anne Holman for her years of dedicated service to the people of Georgia's 12th Congressional District and offer my congratulations upon her retirement from public service.

A valued member of our team, Rose Anne has been with our office from the very beginning. In fact, she's been working for our constituents even longer than I have.

Having formerly served under my predecessor, Congressman Barrow, Rose Anne brought a wealth of experience to our office that has enabled us to provide the top-quality constituent services upon which we have come to pride ourselves.

Whenever one of our neighbors needed help, Rose Anne was there. Such was her commitment to our district and to the people who she dedicated lunch time and effort to serve. I heard so many stories, especially from our Vidalia onion farmers, that Rose Anne assisted them in navigating difficulties with the federal government and helped save the day.

Rose Anne has been an exemplary public servant, and, moreover, a cherished friend and colleague. On behalf of our entire team, I extend my best wishes to Rose Anne and her husband, Howard for all the blessings this new chapter will surely bring and thank her for her time and service on behalf of Georgia's 12th Congressional District.

Madam Speaker, it is my great privilege to rise today in strong support of S. 4359, the bill to rename the VA's regional office in Atlanta after our late Senator, Johnny Isakson. I was proud to co- lead the companion bill in the House with my colleague from Georgia, Congressman Bishop.

Senator Isakson was a great friend and a dedicated public servant to not just me but all Georgians. Over a 45-year career in public service, Senator Isakson forged his legacy as a champion for America's veterans, concluding with serving as chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee in the United States Senate.

After graduating from the University of Georgia, Senator Isakson went on to serve in both chambers of the Georgia State legislature.

In 1983, he rose to become Republican leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, and in 1999, he succeeded Newt Gingrich as the U.S. Representative for Georgia's Sixth Congressional District, then serving as Senator of Georgia from 2005 to 2019.

Throughout his life, Senator Isakson distinguished himself as a man of character with unmatched dedication to the people of Georgia.

I am proud to co-lead this legislation to dedicate the VA's regional office in Atlanta as a living monument to his tireless work in advancing the policies that benefit our Nation's veterans.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta for thirty years of outstanding work in collecting, preserving, and sharing the art of the American South.

Founded in 1985, the Morris Museum was the first museum in the country devoted to southern art. Since first opening its doors in 1992, the museum's collection now boasts an impressive 5,000 artworks across a variety of mediums which help showcase our region's rich artistic heritage.

Additionally, the Morris Museum is also home to the Center for the Study of Southern Art--an eminent research library whose vast archives support the museum's vital mission.

I have had the pleasure of visiting the Morris Museum many times over the years. Whenever I walk its halls, I am struck by how authentically its collected works convey the history, spirit, and culture of the Southern United States.

For three decades, the Morris Museum of Art has enriched our area by fostering a greater appreciation and understanding of the art and artists who shape the past, present, and future of the American South.

I extend my sincerest congratulations to Billy Morris, Kevin Grogan, and everyone else at the Morris whose shared efforts have made our community a better place.

Mr. Speaker, the American people have one thing on their minds, and that is inflation. So let's talk about it.

Inflation is caused by a rapid increase in the money supply, the kind of increase that only follows a drastic rise in government spending. Since Inauguration Day, Biden and the Democrats have passed nearly $4 trillion in new spending.

For reference, that is almost all the money we brought in last year, and we had record revenues. It is all out the door before we even fund the government. But that is not all. Through his executive orders, Biden has singlehandedly spent another $1.5 trillion.

This reckless spending has set off an economic crisis the likes of which we have never seen. The average American family will spend an extra $8,000 this year just to keep pace with rising prices. For most Georgians, that is almost 2 months' pay.

The current majority has dug us deeper and deeper into debt. It is time to stop digging.

Republicans will put an end to this recklessness and restore fiscal sanity to the people's House.

Mr. Chair, I thank the ranking member for the opportunity to talk about this important legislation.

Millions of Americans experience mental health issues and struggle to find adequate care. We all agree on that in this Chamber. This is especially true among our Nation's youth due in large part to the prolonged school closures championed by the Democrats.

Republicans have continually stressed the mental health toll students have shouldered because of these school closures. But closures were led by Democrats in Democrat-run States that were allies with the teachers unions.

That is why I have also introduced H.R. 787, the Expanding Student Access to Mental Health Services Act, which would authorize State and local educational agencies to use student support and academic enrichment grants to improve mental health services available to students by allowing funds to be used for identifying and disseminating best practices for mental health first aid, emergency planning, coordination of services, and telehealth services.

I would have loved to have introduced this bill as an amendment to H.R. 7780, but, unfortunately, the Democrats did not allow any amendments to this legislation on the floor today. Rather than working in a bipartisan manner to reform our current mental health care systems, Democrats are pushing a bill that will punish employers for offering mental health benefits to their employees and incite brash litigation against benefit plan sponsors.

Let me repeat: Democrats are pushing a bill that will punish employers for offering mental health benefits to their employees and incite brash litigation against benefit plan sponsors.

To add insult to injury, H.R. 7780 recklessly spends 275 million taxpayer dollars under the guise of mental health parity enforcement, but the Department of Labor hasn't even clarified what mental health parity means.

So, we are going to pass it and then figure out what it means. We have heard that before.

How can it be enforced if no one understands what it is? How can we authorize this funding without vetting how it will be spent?

Additionally, H.R. 7780 prohibits arbitration clauses, class action waivers, and discretionary clauses from employee benefit plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, known as ERISA. In short, this bill will only benefit trial lawyers and will lead to a reduction in mental health benefits as employers will have to divert money to pay attorney's fees.

This is precisely why I tried to submit an amendment to the bill on the floor today, almost the same amendment I offered during its markup in the Education and Labor Committee, which the Democrats failed to pass.

My proposed amendment would have made the Department of Labor's ability to bring civil action against ERISA plans offering mental health benefits conditional on the Department issuing additional guidance on these vague mental health parity requirements. It would also strike the $275 million in funding that has been allocated to the Department of Labor. But, again, Democrats blocked our ability to offer amendments.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Democrats exempt unions from some of the most damaging provisions of the bill.

It is imperative that we address the mental health crisis that is plaguing our society, but we should do that by ensuring access to reliable, high-quality, and affordable mental health services.

Mr. Chair, I emphasize it is imperative that we address the mental health crisis that is plaguing our society. We all agree here in the House on that. But we should do that by ensuring access to reliable, high-quality, and affordable mental health services, not by punishing employers with undue litigation for offering these benefits to our workers.

I remain committed to finding solutions to combat the mental health problem in this country, especially for our youth. It is my hope that, in the future, as my chairman said, House Democrats will work in a bipartisan manner to address this crisis, rather than bringing damaging legislation such as H.R. 7780 to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to talk about one of the great competitions here in our sports and bipartisan competitions in the House.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to talk about the outcome of this year's Congressional Ryder Cup, which is a match between the Republican Ryder Cup team and the Democratic Ryder Cup teams.

I have had the privilege to captain the Republican Ryder Cup team for the past four competitions. The Ryder Cup--what we do is we raise money for charities that benefit the game of golf, obviously, First Tee and the National Links Trust, and we have raised over $2 million in this effort.

This year, I am pleased to announce that the Republican team was victorious. We celebrate that, our team here; I thank my team.

But I want to take this moment to talk about the captain of the Democratic team. He is the best player in the United States Congress, Number 1. All my best players want to take this guy on because if you beat John Yarmuth, you have done something, okay? But he is one of the finest players in the game.

Of course, John came to Congress in 2007, and when he hit here, he became captain of the Democratic Ryder Cup team. And I say to the gentleman, I think y'all won four in a row immediately. But the gentleman is retiring this year. I thank him for his sportsmanship, his leadership on this competition, and his dedication to the game that we all love. Let's give John a round.

But it has been a true honor to compete with the gentleman as captain. It was a great competition this year. It is great to see Members of Congress actually come together and compete and talk to each other and enjoy the day. It was a great day for both teams.

I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Yarmuth).

We think we are going to change the rules and let former Members come back and play. I think that would be appropriate.

But anyway, let's give John a big round of applause.

Well, it is election time. You need to recruit golfers. That is what I do. I say, who are the golfers here on the campaign trail?

Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege to represent Augusta, in the 12th District of Georgia, which is home to the Masters Golf Tournament.

The Georgia Golf Hall of Fame was founded in Augusta, and among the very first inductees were Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, founders of the Masters.

I rise today to congratulate the newest inductee into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, PGA Master Professional Tommy Brannen.

Tommy has served as our head pro at Augusta Country Club for the past 22 years. In that time, I have come to know Tommy and his family well, not only through golf, but through our church, club, and community projects.

There is a quote which Tommy lives by: Whatever you are, be a good one.

Among his many accomplishments, Tommy has won the State title at Marietta High School. He was an All-American at Columbus State University, and in the decades since, he has qualified and played in multiple PGA professional competitions.

Tommy has already raised nearly $100,000 through an annual golf tournament benefiting area veterans.

Over the years, Tommy has been many things: A husband, father, friend, and mentor. In all these things, he has endeavored always to be a good one.

Congratulations, Tommy, on this momentous and well-deserved achievement. Well done, my friend.

Madam Speaker, we should empower our workforce to flourish. However, Washington Democrats are fixated on dragging us back to an outdated model via their PRO Act, which would strip workers of their freedoms and force every American worker to either join a union or pay dues to a union in order to keep their jobs. This is not the American way.

Freedom of choice is what makes our economy strong, and every American should have that choice. Our workforce is constantly evolving, and we need creative, forward-thinking legislation that gives workers and small businessowners both stability and flexibility. That is why Senator Tim Scott and I introduced the Employee Rights Act.

Our bill protects independent contractors, entrepreneurs, gig workers, franchisees, and anyone else seeking to earn a living on their own terms. The Employee Rights Act puts workers in the driver's seat by giving them the protections they need to choose for themselves how to earn a living and build a future for their families.

Republicans stand with the 21st century worker. It is time our labor laws did the same.

Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 414; NAY on Roll Call No. 415; YEA on Roll Call No. 416; and NAY on Roll Call No. 417.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate Mr. Johnson's leadership here during this Special Order hour.

Madam Speaker, since President Biden took office, his administration has purposely and without remorse started a war on fossil fuels and American energy independence. This is destroying our economy, and it is creating a tremendous burden on the American people.

Biden's failed energy policies have led him to beg, of all places, Saudi Arabia to increase their global energy supply instead of unleashing our domestic oil and gas production.

This is insanity.

Let me tell you, when I am in my district, nobody asks me about climate change. But let me tell you, when I am filling up my car with gas, people come over to me who know me, and they say: ``What are you going to do about this?'' That is when I remind them that when Republicans held the majority, we unleashed the American economy and the power of the American energy and energy independence, and we did this for the first time since 1957.

And what happened? Gas was under $3 a gallon, and we actually exceeded the Paris Climate Agreement targets for reducing emissions without even being subject to that agreement.

America wasn't just energy independent; we were energy dominant. We did it once; we can do it again. We don't need to beg other countries to produce more oil. We should be doing it right here in the United States where we produce energy more cleanly and efficiently than any place else in the world.

American oil and gas emits 30 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than other countries, especially Russia. Here is the bottom line: Oil and natural gas remain essential in delivering the baseload power necessary to sustain American homes, businesses, and livelihoods.

Madam Speaker, if we are serious about bringing energy prices down and delivering real relief to the American people, we must invest in American energy and reclaim our energy independence.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of my amendments on this en bloc package.

Let's review our Nation's fiscal trajectory here. Our Nation is over $30 trillion in debt. American families are dealing with record inflation, in large part due to unprecedented Federal spending.

What does the other side want to do? Spend more money, which will make inflation worse.

This time last year, the President told us inflation was temporary when the rate was just over 5 percent. Fast forward 12 months, and inflation in this country has skyrocketed to 9 percent. This bill spends almost 14 percent over last year's spending levels.

If adopted, my three amendments would reduce spending by a modest 5 percent in Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Financial Services and General Government, and Department of the Interior, environment divisions of this spending package.

This amendment should be an easy one for everyone to support. Look at the American people. Don't you think they have cut their expenses much more than 5 percent because of inflation? Are we going to respond to them like this? Yet, Democrats oppose those cuts.

Every time I am in the district, I hear about the cost of food, the price of gas, and how the other side's failed fiscal policies are harming American families.

Milk is up 16 percent. Butter is up 21 percent. Eggs are up 33 percent. The American people are not happy, and it is showing up in the President's approval ratings.

Instead of continuing down this reckless path, let's change course. Americans shouldn't have to watch their hard-earned money continue to be devalued due to radical Democratic policies. If we are serious about stopping inflation, Congress must rein in wasteful spending and enact policies that will enable us to reclaim our energy independence.

I urge all Members to vote in favor of my amendments in this en bloc package.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 363, I mistakenly voted ``no'' when I intended to vote ``yes''.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I believe everyone has the dignity, value, and potential. There is no right more fundamental than the right to life. Our Founders engraved it in the Constitution. We are made in God's image, and we carry in our hearts that spark of creation that served as the bedrock upon which our country was founded.

Documents like the Constitution do not grant rights, they protect rights. The Dobbs v. Jackson decision will go down in history not only as the end of one era but the dawn of another more hopeful one.

The decision that the Court made was based on the 14th Amendment and the civil rights of a woman and her reproductive rights. The decision was controversial. It is not in the Constitution, and it was a terrible decision. It was decided based on the civil rights of the mother.

We know that the child has a heartbeat in 6 weeks and can feel pain at 15 weeks which was the Mississippi law that it was contested on. And we know a child born at 24 weeks will survive.

My question is: When does that child enjoy the same rights under the 14th Amendment as the mother?

Is it at conception?

Is it at 6 weeks, the heartbeat, which Georgia law is based on?

Or is it the Mississippi law or when that child is born maybe prematurely at 24 weeks?

This is God's Word. God told Jeremiah that He knew him before He webbed him in the womb.

What my colleagues are proposing tomorrow on the House floor goes far beyond Roe. This legislation, if codified into law, would require healthcare providers at the command of the mother to rip a full-term baby from the womb while the mother is in labor; if the baby likely survives, orders the child to be killed.

This is unconscionable and barbaric and must be stopped. Only eight nations, as has been said earlier, allow this barbaric practice; two of them are North Korea and China. We are not in good company here.

I cry out to my colleagues to stop this insanity. Let us all enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness--even the defenseless unborn.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this amendment. Prohibiting employers from Federal contracts for violations of the National Labor Relations Act, NLRA, circumvents longstanding compliance procedures and would have a significant impact on Federal contractors.

The prohibition duplicates existing safeguards in the Federal contracting process that already has a system in place to deny Federal contracts to companies that break the law. This flawed blacklisting amendment will threaten Federal contractors' due process rights because a Federal contractor could be prohibited from DOD contracts before a charge has been fully adjudicated.

An employer can be found to have violated the NLRA by an administrative law judge, but the employer has the right to appeal that decision to the National Labor Relations Board. Employers also have the right to appeal NLRB decisions to the U.S. Court of Appeals.

It is unfair and unjust to bar employers from Federal contracts before they have exhausted all remedies of relief.

This amendment also provides unfair special treatment to employers with employees who are represented by a union. The amendment prohibitions can be waived if the employees of an employer are represented by a union, giving unionized Federal contractors a significant advantage over non-union firms in the Federal procurement process.

These prohibitions will encourage frivolous NLRA complaints and provide

labor unions leverage to organize non-Federal union contractors. The Federal procurement process works best when the bidding process is open and fair and not dependent on whether the Federal contractor is unionized.

Mr. Speaker, this is in the best interest of taxpayers, and I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, this amendment has one goal: to eliminate all nonunion contractors from DOD contracts. It does not represent the modern workforce. The modern workforce is not interested in jurisdictional rules. They are interested in incentives to get the job done on time and on budget. It achieves this goal by favoring employers who want to do business with the DOD that sign neutrality agreements or already have collective bargaining agreements with labor unions.

These so-called neutrality agreements are anything but neutral. They stifle employee free choice and prohibit employers from communicating with their employees about the downsides of union representation.

Mr. Speaker, can you imagine an employer not being able to talk with their employees?

One common provision in a neutrality agreement takes away a worker's right to a secret ballot in an election. That is guaranteed in our elections and allows unions to organize under the radical card check scheme that exposes workers to well-documented instances of harassment and intimidation. Even the U.S. Supreme Court describes card check is an admittedly inferior election process.

Another provision in neutrality agreements places gag orders on employer speech that prohibits them from informing their employees about the impact that unionization can have on the workplace and their income.

This amendment could also put workers' private information at risk. Many neutrality agreements require employers to provide union access to employees' personal information including home address, phone numbers, and email addresses for the purpose of pressuring employees to sign U.N. authorization cards.

Workers should be able to freely choose for themselves whether they want a union through a secret ballot election. Instead, this amendment encourages employers to work with labor unions to impose union representation on workers. It is not the American way.

Hardworking taxpayers deserve efficient and effective procurement policies, not rules that provide preferential treatment to special interest groups like labor unions.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment.