Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I had the great privilege of joining President Trump and many others at the White House Rose Garden as Tiger Woods was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Tiger, not only for winning our Nation's highest civilian honor, but also for his standout victory at the 2019 Masters Tournament in my hometown of Augusta, Georgia.

In 1997, Woods became the youngest man and first African Asian American to win the Masters at the young age of 21. After being tested by possible career-ending injuries and adversity, Tiger's comeback to win his 81st PGA tour event, 15th major championship, and fifth green jacket 22 years later is nothing short of remarkable.

Now Tiger adds the Presidential Medal of Freedom to his already stellar resume, becoming only the fourth golfer to do so, joining the likes of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Charlie Sifford.

Congratulations to Tiger and his family for receiving such a well- deserved distinction. As the President said, Tiger, you are a ``true legend.''

Mr. Speaker, today we observe the 68th annual National Day of Prayer, a day dedicated to bringing men and women of all faiths together in prayer for this great Nation.

Statistically, only about 14 percent of Americans read the Bible and pray on a daily basis. That is why this year's theme focuses on our love for one another, just as we learned in the teachings of Jesus in John 13:34: Love one another just as I have loved you.

This theme is just as important in our Nation today as it has been throughout our history. Right now,

America is a divided nation, and we are fighting for the values that this great country was founded upon. More than anything else we need unity.

Mark 3:24 says: If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. But to find unity, we must put our faith before our politics. We must do what is right for the American people. Why? Because our faith unites us in Christ.

Jesus prayed for us, in John 21:17, that: All of them may be one, Father, just as You are in me and I am in You. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe that You have sent me.

I encourage all Americans to join me in celebrating the National Day of Prayer and humbly come before God to seek his guidance on how we may become one America.

Mr. Speaker, over this past weekend the 2019 National Science Bowl finals took place down the road in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

I am proud to rise here this evening to congratulate Stallings Island Middle School and Lakeside High School--both located in Georgia's 12th district--for their students' stellar performance in this year's competition.

The path to the finals is no easy task. With over 1,000 high schools and nearly 650 middle schools participating in the regional tournaments nationwide, these Georgia-12 students worked hard to advance to the finals and compete at the national level. The students' brilliance solving technical problems and answering questions about all branches of science and math is truly incredible.

I would like to thank and congratulate the educators, coaches, and especially the bright young students of Stallings Island Middle School and Lakeside High School who made this tremendous run possible.

Georgia-12 is certainly proud, and we look forward to cheering them on again next year.

Madam Speaker, I thank Dr. Dunn for his work here this evening to bring attention to something that is critical for not only our great citizens in Florida, North Florida, but of course we heard about North Carolina, Nebraska; and, of course, we have been waiting since last October in Georgia.

You have heard about devastation from Hurricane Michael. It left a tremendous trail of destruction. It was a Category 3 storm that reached my district with winds over 100 miles per hour. We lost trees, power lines, crops, poultry houses, and much more.

While traveling the district, I was able to see firsthand the heart- wrenching wreckage that Hurricane Michael left behind, and it is still there to this day, nearly 6 months later.

Many of our farmers in my district are struggling to survive. I mean, we had cotton on the ground, probably the best harvest we were going to have in a long time. Gone.

In addition to Hurricane Michael, it is also important to highlight the need for the assistance we have been working to secure for our blueberry and peach producers in the State who still suffer from losses and damaged bushes and trees resulting from late season freezes.

Not a day goes by that I don't hear from a Georgia-12 farmer about the urgency of providing disaster relief funding immediately.

And just last week, Senate Democrats chose to block a desperately- needed bipartisan disaster relief package that would have provided critical funding to our communities, not only in Georgia, but across the Nation that have been affected by these disasters.

Let me just say this: Holding farmers who feed and clothe our Nation hostage over partisan politics is downright shameful.

I cannot stress enough that local farmers must obtain bank loans ahead of the upcoming planting season. So the urgency of getting a bill passed in both Chambers and sent to the President cannot be overstated. We do not have time for political games aimed at undermining our President.

Madam Speaker, agriculture is the number 1 industry in Georgia and in the 12th District of Georgia. I know this process has been more challenging than many of our farmers could have imagined, and I just want to reiterate that I will always stand with rural America 100 percent.

I will not stop working until the farmers of the 12th District of Georgia and across our great State get this disaster relief that they need and deserve.

I would like to thank Senators Perdue and Isakson for leading the effort in the Senate, my colleagues Austin Scott, Sanford Bishop, and Neal Dunn, and others that you will hear from here tonight in the House, and all of my colleagues here this evening for

the commitment to getting this done. It cannot wait any longer.

Mr. Speaker, this week in Augusta, Georgia, we celebrate a tradition unlike any other: bringing together the most elite golfers in the world to take on the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club for the first major of the year, the 2019 Masters Tournament.

The first full week of April in my hometown of Augusta is always filled with excitement and great competition, creating one of the most electrifying atmospheres in all of sports.

This year, I am thrilled that a new tradition has unfolded. This past Saturday, the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur took place at the famed Augusta National for the first time.

I congratulate the entire field for their stellar performance and especially our women's amateur champion, Jennifer Kupcho.

I also thank Chairman Ridley, the membership of Augusta National, and all the volunteers for their continued success in conducting the finest competition in sports and in growing the game of golf worldwide.

This special week allows the world to get a glimpse into Georgia's 12th District and the wonderful people who live and work there. I am looking forward to the final round on Sunday and the 2019 champion putting on that coveted green jacket. The tradition that encompasses the Masters is truly special.

Madam Chair, I rise today to speak out against H.R. 7, legislation that places unprecedented restrictions and liability on job creators that will harm the very women it claims to protect.

As a small business owner with over 40 years of experience creating jobs, I know just how hard it can be for employers to find skilled and qualified workers.

With 7.6 million available jobs throughout our Nation, the last thing we need to do is overregulate our businesses, especially when Federal law already makes it illegal to pay different wages to women for equal work.

H.R. 7 dramatically increases liability for employers, eliminates a business owner's ability to contest gender-based pay discrimination cases, expands damages, and encourages frivolous lawsuits.

Furthermore, this partisan bill offers no new protections against pay discrimination in the workplace. Rather, H.R. 7 directly benefits trial lawyers at the expense of working women. Taken as a whole, this bill will very likely limit or obstruct an employer's efforts to recruit, hire, promote workers, and to increase their pay--once again, empty partisan promises from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle.

However, after passing historic tax reform under the Republican-led Congress and eliminating burdensome red tape under the leadership of President Trump, our businesses are continuing to empower women across this country at unprecedented levels.

We have more women working in the U.S. than ever before, nearly 75 million. Women filled nearly 60 percent of the 2.8 million jobs created in the last year. One in five employer businesses nationwide is owned by women, including by my wife of 45 years, Robin.

I need to keep this momentum going, not obstruct employers' efforts to recruit, hire, and promote workers.

Madam Chair, I urge a ``no'' vote today on H.R. 7.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to commemorate the life of Dr. Lloyd Darby, III.

Dr. Darby was a Georgia-12 native and lifelong resident of Vidalia, Georgia, and the lasting impact he leaves behind on behalf of the local community, his friends, and his family will be remembered for generations.

With a deep love for our Nation and a strong passion for serving others, his many years as a U.S. Navy lieutenant, prominent dentist, and instrumental political figure speaks volumes about his character.

Dr. Darby was a former chairman of the Toombs County Republican Party, district chairman and member of the state GOP board, and a delegate to the 1972 and 1976 Republican National Conventions.

Additionally, he served as chairman of the Friends of Mattingly campaign during Mack Mattingly's tenure as U.S. Senator. He was the first Republican Senator from Georgia elected since the Reconstruction era.

Lloyd Darby was a man passionate about his faith. He cherished his local community, loved his wife of 60 years, and his entire family beyond measure.

Lloyd's passion was to give back a smile and to help those who otherwise could not help themselves.

Robin and I send our heartfelt condolences and prayers to all of Dr. Darby's family, friends, and community on a life well lived.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 962, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, if this unanimous consent request cannot be entertained, I urge the Speaker and the Majority Leader to immediately schedule the Born-Alive bill so we can stand up and protect the sanctity of human life, and I would ask all of us to join in that request.

Madam Speaker, I rise here today in recognition of National Agriculture Week.

Back home in Georgia's 12th District and across the Peach State as a whole, agriculture is the number one industry. This week is about recognizing farmers and ranchers nationwide who sacrifice their blood, sweat, and tears to secure the safest, most abundant food supply in the world.

I grew up on a farm, and since being elected to Congress, I have had the distinct honor of serving on the House Agriculture Committee. I could not be prouder of what we have accomplished, especially getting the 2018 farm bill over the finish line.

It is without a doubt that agriculture touches all our lives in one way or another.

Many farmers in my district and across Georgia are hurting from the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Michael. I am doing all I can to ensure that they receive necessary and adequate financial assistance ahead of the upcoming planting season. I know my Senate colleagues are working to get this done as well, but the urgency of this simply cannot be overstated. Rural America needs us to act now.

Madam Speaker, again, I thank all our farmers who work hard every day to feed and clothe this great Nation and the world.

Madam Speaker, I am here today to speak out against H.R. 1.

When Republicans were in the majority, we reserved H.R. 1 for legislation that actually benefited the American people by putting more money in their pockets and growing the economy through the historic tax reform bill passed last year. Now here we are, under a new majority, planning to vote on a bill telling folks that their hard-earned taxpayer dollars will be going to a political candidate that they would never support.

This bill goes too far and is nothing more than a power grab from the Democrats to try to ensure one-party rule. This socialist, top-down, one-size-fits-all election system violates States' rights, fails to criminalize fraudulent voter registration, and eliminates every American's constitutional right to free speech under the First Amendment.

We do not need the heavy, overreaching hand of the Federal Government corrupting every single election across this great Nation.

Madam Speaker, I have said it before and I will say it again: This legislation is not reform for the better, and it is not for the people.

Madam Speaker, I rise here this morning to speak out against the extreme priorities of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. With so many pressing issues facing the 116th Congress, I find it appalling that H.R. 1 has been reserved for legislation that completely undermines the democratic framework of our country.

Simply put, this bill is nothing more than a thinly veiled power grab through more government, more regulation, and political speech repression. To call this legislation the For the People Act is borderline ludicrous.

H.R. 1 would eliminate States' authority to set voting qualifications, restore voting rights of convicted felons even if it contradicts State or local policy, outlaw voter verification, and force taxpayers to subsidize anonymous donations even if it is for a candidate they do not support.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. H.R. 1 is not for the people but, rather, an attempt to expand power to Federal bureaucrats and unelected Federal judges, undercutting the will of everyday citizens and the Constitution.

This is not reform. This is a shameless attempt to keep one party in power, and the American people deserve better.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to legislation that my Democratic colleagues are pushing to raise the Federal minimum wage to $15 an hour--more than double its current level.

As a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, I participated in a hearing last week to speak against this radical proposal that will hurt low-skilled workers and small businesses the most. I am a proud small business owner, and I know for a fact that businesses pay wages according to their employees' skill set. In a free enterprise environment, a growing economy grows jobs which grows opportunities which grows wages.

I believe you reward a good day's work, but my Democratic colleagues don't want to believe that we can produce economic opportunity in concert with growing wages without the government interfering.

Signing the front of the paycheck and providing folks with a good job has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. That is why I oppose the Raise the Wage Act. This one-size-fits-all, top-down government regulation will destroy millions of hard-earned jobs and restrain our growing economy.

Democrats should focus on economic growth and getting the American people back to work, not an unpopular, progressive agenda.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Walorski for her efforts in organizing this important Special Order.

You know, Mr. Speaker, as the proud father of four and grandfather of 13, I rise here this evening, joined by many of my Republican colleagues, to recognize that we have a moral duty and obligation to protect the most vulnerable among us: those who cannot yet protect or speak for themselves.

But as we stand here tonight, Democrats in State legislatures across the country are celebrating legislation to deny medical care to an innocent baby who is born alive after a failed abortion. We cannot stand idly by and allow this to happen.

How have we come to this point in our country where infanticide is something we disagree on? Each and every one of us has a right to life, even an innocent newly born gift from God, and I will continue to stand up and fight for that right to life every step of the way.

We must continue to be proactive in bringing commonsense pro-life legislation to the House floor. I hope to have an opportunity to offer my full support for these bills and protect the sanctity of life.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Walker for his work here today and telling the story.

We have heard so many stories about people who have been affected by this problem at our southern border.

My friends and colleagues continue to fight to resolve the crisis at our southern border, end illegal immigration, and save innocent American lives.

I would like to share the story of Eliud Montoya, a naturalized American citizen, a hard worker, and a Georgia resident. He was violently shot and killed in 2017 at the hands of three illegal immigrants living just south of Georgia's 12th District.

Mr. Montoya, who worked for a tree service company, reported some suspicious activity to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that illegal workers were being employed as a part of a scheme to defraud that company. By doing his duty and reporting this illegal activity to the proper authorities, Mr. Montoya was senselessly murdered by illegal immigrants who reportedly collected more than $3.5 million of illegal profits.

Mr. Speaker, this is a very real crisis we are facing at our southern border, and we simply cannot allow lawlessness to consume this nation.

In his State of the Union on Tuesday, President Trump said it best: ``The lawless state of our southern border is a threat to the safety, security, and financial well-being of all Americans. We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens.''

Think about this, if you put in the most advanced security system in your home, would you take down the front door?

I am 100 percent with the President.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to tell you how honored I am to have been recently selected to serve as the senior Republican on the Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee under the House Education and Labor Committee for the 116th Congress.

As the son of two educators and grandfather of 13, many of whom are currently in school, I couldn't be happier to serve as the leading Republican on the subcommittee that addresses a variety of issues affecting K-12 education.

I have visited numerous schools throughout the 12th Congressional District, and during every visit, I stress to young scholars how important for their future it is to get an education.

With nearly 7 million available jobs throughout our country, it is critical that we cultivate a qualified workforce to fill all of these positions, and this mission starts in the classroom.

As the leading Republican, I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that K-12 education remains local, while also providing appropriate Federal support so that our Nation's students can sufficiently be prepared to enter the workforce and everyone can achieve the American Dream.