Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 109, I mistakenly voted ``yea'' when I intended to vote ``nay.''

Mr. Chair, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 680.

Amendment No. 5 Offered by Mr. Ogles

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Clerk be authorized to make technical corrections in the engrossment of H.R. 5961, to include corrections in spelling, punctuation, section numbering, and cross-referencing, and the insertion of appropriate headings.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 679.

Stated against:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the remarkable legacy of Dr. John Pipkin of Amarillo, Texas. On December 11, 2023, Dr. Pipkin will retire from West Texas A&M University, where during his 30 years of service he created one of the most successful equine programs in the United States.

At West Texas A&M University, Dr. Pipkin acted as a Regents Professor of Animal Science and the Director of the Equine Industry Program, preparing thousands of students to succeed in a career in the horse and agribusiness industries. As the head coach of the distinguished horse judging team at West Texas A&M, Dr. Pipkin led his teams to over 160 national champion and reserve champion titles, and his competitive equine and ranch horse teams have won over 60 national and reserve national championship honors.

Outside of his accomplishments in the university setting, Dr. Pipkin's legacy in the equine industry spans over 40 years, officiating over 400 horse events across the globe, including over 20 world championships. Dr. Pipkin also serves as a National Director for the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and was the Chairman of the AQHA Judges Committee, AQHA Show and Professional Horsemen Committee, AQHA Show Council, and the World Conformation Horse Association Judges Committee. In 2022, Dr. Pipkin was named the Nutrena Don Burt AQHA Professional Horseman of the Year for his lifelong commitment to the equine industry and his development of numerous educational and testing materials for the AQHA judging program that have been instrumental in developing many of the scoring systems currently used to judge classes such as western riding, trail, showmanship, horsemanship, and equitation classes.

On December 4, 2023, Dr. Pipkin will transition to his role as the American Quarter Horse Association's Director of Officials. There, Pipkin will be responsible for working alongside the AQHA show department and judges committee to manage the direction of the AQHA judges, stewards, and drug-testing programs.

I would like to thank Dr. Pipkin for his dedication to the success of the students and faculty of West Texas A&M University Equine Department and wish him the best as he supports the AQHA membership and continues to advance the equine industry.

Mr. Chair, I was briefly detained off the floor and missed two votes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 663 and ``aye'' on rollcall No. 664.

Amendment No. 104 Offered by Ms. Greene of Georgia

Mr. Chair, had I been present, I would have noted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 606.

Stated against:

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I rise in support of my amendment which will stop the Federal land grab happening in my district by the Fish and Wildlife Service.

My amendment will prohibit funds from being used to implement the horrible, proposed rule to list the Texas kangaroo rat as endangered.

Under its proposed rule the Fish and Wildlife Service will designate 600,000 acres as critical habitat across five counties in my district.

This decision is a massive overreach by the Federal Government that will simultaneously harm the farmers and ranchers in my district which, by the way, is the number one ag district in the State, and it will simultaneously crush the struggling oil and gas industry.

The State of Texas has long been committed to promoting and protecting our wildlife and natural habitats through voluntary conservation efforts that balance responsible stewardship and economic development.

This horribly flawed rule proposal is a completely unnecessary action from the Biden administration as the State of Texas has already taken the initiative to preserve the Texas kangaroo rat.

Action has already been taken to address the conservation needs of the species while accounting for the unique needs of landowners in north Texas, which results in thousands of acres of land already being utilized to conserve the species without punishing private citizens or the ag and energy sectors.

Unfortunately, the always radical Biden administration decided to ignore the ongoing efforts and impose unnecessary and aggressive Federal interference. The Fish and Wildlife Services endangered listing of the Texas kangaroo rat will have drastic ramifications on the farming and ranching industry in Texas. If this proposed rule goes into effect, agriculture producers in my district could be subject to civil and criminal penalties handed out by radical Biden administration officials who will stop at nothing to advance its Green New Deal agenda, meaning farmers and ranchers could face up to 1 year imprisonment and tens of thousands of dollars in fines for accidental or even perceived injury of a Texas kangaroo rat or its habitat.

The Texas kangaroo rat can only thrive when there is sparse, short grasses and small stubble which is exactly what our farmers and ranchers provide when grazing cattle.

The farming and ranching industries are the backbone of our unique Texas history, heritage, and economy. Unfortunately, the heavy hand of the Federal bureaucracy, once again, is looking to destroy that.

If this proposed rule goes into effect, it will significantly restrict the way our ranchers can use their land, setting a dangerous precedent of Federal overreach into agriculture production that will have far-reaching consequences for not only Texas but our entire Nation.

The agriculture industry is already being hit with rising costs due to the historic inflation caused by ``Bidenomics'', and this new rule will only intensify these struggles.

Texas has a proud history of responsible land management and conservation, and for any effort to succeed, it must be driven by local communities rather than bureaucrats in Washington.

Madam Chair, I urge every Member in this body to support my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, there are no better stewards of the land and the animals in Texas than the farmers and ranchers in Texas' 13th

Congressional District. We do not need the Federal Government telling us how to accomplish this.

Madam Chair, I appreciate having the support of all of my colleagues, I urge everyone to vote ``yes'' on the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chair, the National Nuclear Security Administration's Pantex plant in Amarillo, Texas, is one of our Nation's most valuable and vital military assets as it is our strategic force's only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility.

The saying within the military's nuclear enterprise is ``all roads lead to Pantex'' because this site in my district is a mandatory stop for every single nuclear weapon within our inventory.

This amendment will prohibit the Biden administration from halting construction of the much-needed High Explosive Synthesis, Formulation, and Production Facility at Pantex.

This major construction project will enhance our nuclear deterrence capability by allowing the NNSA to modernize and scale its high explosive production capabilities to meet pressing and urgent stockpile requirements.

Right now, we rely on a single, external vendor for large-scale synthesis, formulation, and blending for high explosive products. There have been repeated issues with this vendor, including lack of prioritization and even late deliveries. This presents a single point of failure in the nuclear enterprise which jeopardizes our nuclear weapons production.

Once this new facility is constructed at Pantex, NNSA will be able to meet all long-term high explosive material needs for the weapons stockpile while successfully mitigating nearly all risks associated with production.

Given the threat environment we face in the world today, many people might assume that the Federal Government has made adequate investments in Pantex and modernized appropriately. Those assumptions would be dead wrong. Many of the facilities at the Pantex plant were built in the 1940s and the 1950s.

Today, in 2023, you are required to wear a hardhat when entering some of the buildings because the ceiling is

crumbling down on top of the workers that work there.

Since I have been in Congress, I have ensured that adequate funding has been provided each year to maintain the facility's modernization efforts.

While I have disagreed with the Biden administration nearly every step of the way on just about every issue, one of the only things they seemed to be doing right was prioritizing modernization of our Nation's nuclear enterprise.

Just when I thought this administration grasped how critical it is to ensure the viability of our Nation's nuclear deterrent, I opened the budget request for this year only to see that they had completely zeroed out this project.

Now, this administration wants to let our nuclear forces erode while they continue to pump billions of dollars into woke, green, and social initiatives.

This cut was rejected by both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, as well as by House appropriators, because we can all see what President Biden apparently cannot.

The United States must be the unquestioned leader in the ability to project peace through strength.

The House has successfully authorized and will soon appropriate the funds for Pantex because we all understand how critical it is to modernize the facilities where our nuclear weapons are made. We must take our Nation's nuclear enterprise out of the crosshairs of the Biden administration.

The world is a dangerous place at the moment with global threats from China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea. We must provide adequate investment in our nuclear deterrence capability to ensure these bad actors never doubt our strategic readiness, and the Pantex plant in Amarillo is a key component of that.

I urge all Members to support my amendment to prohibit the administration from halting construction on this critical modernization initiative.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I appreciate having the support of all my colleagues on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, there has never been a more important moment in the relationship between the United States and Israel. I call upon this body to take all necessary actions to unequivocally stand with Israel as it fights for its very existence in this unprovoked war launched by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists.

I have and always will do everything in my power to stand with Israel. I, like the rest of the civilized world, have been disgusted with the unspeakable and barbaric atrocities imposed on innocent Israeli women and children by these animals that call themselves Hamas.

We must enact policies to provide Israel with anything and everything it needs to defend itself, to immediately end all illegal aid payments to the Palestinian terrorists, and to hold Iran accountable. As long as I have a vote in Congress, I will always cast my vote in support of the Jewish state.

Mr. Chair, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall No. 464.

Amendment No. 15 Offered by Mr. Perry

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Rogers for his outstanding leadership in crafting the strongest defense bill I have seen during my time in Congress.

Year after year, the chairman assures us that we are going to have a strong NDAA that we can be proud of back home, and this year is no different.

In July, this body passed the NDAA on a bipartisan basis to provide our warfighters with the resources and the authorities they need to provide for the defense of our Nation.

As a former Navy rear admiral, I know the vital role this legislation plays in our national security. Not only does this NDAA ensure that we have the weapons systems and equipment that our servicemembers need, it makes needed course corrections to restore the military's focus on fighting and winning wars.

This bill ensures that our military is laser focused on confronting the most

pressing national security threats that our Nation faces.

However, now, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have chosen to come to the floor and are seeking to inject politics back into our military by overturning the Jackson-Roy amendment that was adopted on a bipartisan basis to end the Department of Defense's illegal and immoral abortion policy.

After the Supreme Court's historic decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Biden administration made their intention clear that they would work to sidestep the law however possible.

The Biden administration has pulled every lever within the Federal Government and encouraged Federal agencies to create rules and adopt policies that not only expand abortion access but also leave American taxpayers on the hook to subsidize abortion services.

Not even the Department of Defense was spared from the Biden administration's efforts. In October of last year, the Secretary of Defense released a memo titled: ``Ensuring Access to Reproductive Health Care.''

This memo outlined the steps to be taken by the Department to use taxpayer dollars to provide servicemembers and their dependents access to abortions and for providers to travel to different States to obtain the licensing required to perform such procedures.

In February of this year, the DOD enacted the policies outlined in the memo and became a completely unjustified and inappropriate participant in the war on life.

According to its illegal policy, the DOD can now reimburse travel expenses for servicemembers and their dependents who travel to obtain an abortion in another State and can also reimburse any associated fees for healthcare professionals seeking to be licensed in other States for the purpose of performing abortions, all, once again, on the taxpayers' dime.

Last year, immediately after the DOD started this unconstitutional process, Congressman Roy and I got to work to address this issue and ensure that we developed a bill to right this wrong.

I am so proud to stand on the House floor today and say that our provision mandating the DOD cease this insanity was successfully included in the House-passed version of the bill.

At the same time, Senator Tuberville has bravely and steadfastly held the line in the Senate by placing a hold on all DOD senior leader nominations until the DOD complies with Federal law and ceases its abortion policies.

The DOD has complained that these holds harm national security, but the DOD has the ability to stop this immediately. All they have to do is rescind this illegal policy.

It has become clear to me that the Biden administration has purposely prioritized an illegal and highly political abortion policy over confirming general and flag officers in our military.

This Biden-endorsed policy has nothing to do with strengthening our national security. Instead, this is just the latest example of the Biden administration pushing its radical and extreme pro-abortion agenda, ironically in the very agency responsible for defending American lives.

Regardless of your political or moral stance on abortion, this policy is in direct violation of Federal law, specifically section 1093 of title 10, U.S. Code, which restricts funds made available to the DOD from being used to perform abortions or for DOD facilities to be used for abortions.

No doubt my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will insist that taxpayer dollars are not directly funding these abortions, thereby rendering their policy legally sound. This is absolutely misleading, and they are lying to the American people.

While funds may not be going directly to the performance of the procedure, it has always been true that a restriction on funding for abortion is a restriction on funding for any cost used to promote or facilitate the abortion.

Funding travel and/or other costs for an abortion is, in fact, funding the abortion. There is no other reason for these travel expenses except to get an abortion. Therefore, providing financial support for the travel expenses relating to an abortion is a clear violation of laws that are already on the books.

The NDAA is meant to provide aid, support, and direction to the men and women charged with defending the security of this Nation. When necessary, it is also a mechanism through which we can bring the Department into compliance as needed.

Inclusion of the House's prohibition on the DOD's abortion policy in this year's NDAA is vital to bringing the Department into statutory compliance in accordance with our oversight function and refocusing the Department on its core mission of fighting and winning wars.

It stops here and it stops now. On this issue, I will never relent.

The days of the radical left ignoring the law and driving their social agenda in the military are done. I will absolutely not waver in my defense of the unborn or in my support of the rule of law.

I will do everything I can to ensure our military servicemembers can focus on their jobs and their families instead of being used to score political points for the Biden administration.

I appreciate the chairman's strong leadership in crafting this year's bill, and I look forward to the conference process where we will do everything in our power to maintain this vital provision.

Mr. Speaker, today, I am honored to help KPAN Radio celebrate 75 years of broadcasting in the Texas Panhandle. As 1 of the most historic radio stations in Texas, KPAN has touched the lives of countless listeners and is a beacon of reliable local, state, and national news for the Texas Panhandle.

KPAN has been a proud family owned and operated station since day 1. Marshall Formby was KPAN's original owner, and his wife, Sharleen, ensured the radio station represented the entire Texas Panhandle. Their nephew, Clint Formby, was KPAN's first voice on the airwaves when KPAN was first broadcasted on August 4, 1948 at 6:15 a.m. Clint eventually became part owner of the station and raised his son, Chip Formby, to be part of the radio business as well. Chip became a manager at KPAN in 1993 and managed the station until his death in July of 2020. Both of Chip's sons took after their father and worked for KPAN during their high school and college years. Chip's son, Lane, returned in January of 2021 to become manager of the station. 75 years since that first broadcast, the Formby family is still broadcasting KPAN in Hereford, Texas in the heart of my district.

Hereford residents tune into KPAN for the news, latest weather reports, commodity reports, funeral listings, school and senior lunch menus, Dallas Cowboys football games, Texas Tech Red Raider sporting events, and so much more.

KPAN continues to demonstrate the value and spirit of the Texas Panhandle as is evident by KPAN's numerous accolades and ``firsts.'' KPAN was the first Texas radio station to conceive ``Distributive Education Day'' which offers special training and financial resources for high school students who are dedicated to pursuing their dreams in broadcasting. The station was also one of the first West Texas stations to incorporate daily Spanish programming and music and one of the first area stations to build a companion FM station.

KPAN has been featured on the cover of Texas Highways, in the Dallas Morning news, AP releases, and several other area and national publications. In addition, KPAN has twice been named Texas' Outstanding Radio Station by The Texas Association of Broadcasters and named the State's Outstanding Radio Station in support of Education. There is no doubt that KPAN's dedication to broadcasting and education has inspired listeners and students across the State.

KPAN is committed to serving the community and dedicated to providing information and entertainment to their listeners. Again, I want to congratulate KPAN Radio and the Formby family on 75 fruitful years of broadcasting and service to the Texas Panhandle, and I look forward to 75 more.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support S.J. Res. 9, which disapproves of the disastrous rule submitted by the Biden administration to re-list the lesser prairie-chicken under the Endangered Species Act.

This is another example of the Biden administration's blatant disregard for rural America in order to push Green New Deal initiatives and appease the radical environmentalists.

For nearly a decade, the lesser prairie-chicken population has been on the rebound due to voluntary conservation efforts of farmers and ranchers in the Texas panhandle. This new rule disregards these efforts and empowers bureaucrats, who have no local knowledge of farming or ranching, to micromanage the grazing plans of responsible landowners in my district.

This listing is a shortsighted effort that will have little benefit in increasing the lesser prairie-chicken population but will have a devastating effect on my district, our Nation's energy production, and the agricultural industry as a whole.

Make no mistake, this effort by the Biden administration is about destroying the agriculture industry and the livelihoods of those who depend on it.

It is time we stopped this destructive overreach by the Federal Government and protect our farmers and ranchers.

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

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

Mr. Chair, my amendment will help to safeguard the privacy of America's farmers and ranchers that work day and night to produce the food the world relies on.

This amendment would give our agricultural producers and food processors the opportunity to impose unmanned aircraft restrictions around their operations upon a formal request to prevent drones unauthorized access to their land.

In 2016, Congress created a process by which critical infrastructure facilities can impose restrictions on drone flights around their operations.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency designates the food and agriculture sector as a critical infrastructure sector, which is so vital to the United States that its success is imperative to our national security and our economic security.

In the event of an emergency situation or disaster, protection of our agricultural land across the country is going to be vital.

Intelligence officials have even gone so far to warn that America's agriculture industry has been targeted by suspicious drone activity, potentially by domestic terrorists or other bad actors.

Food security is national security, plain and simple.

This amendment would ensure that we give our farmers, ranchers, and food producers the same ability to restrict the use of drones around these facilities that we give to amusement parks, outdoor facilities, and a variety of other interests that do not have similar national security implications.

Mr. Chair, I urge every Member in this body to support my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I will point out that this amendment is structured and written in such a way that this does not apply to all agricultural and food production facilities. It only applies to the very few largest operations in the United States, the ones that, in fact, supply 80 percent of the food production in this country.

There is a national security risk here. We talk at length in this Chamber all the time about how agriculture is becoming a national security issue.

Mr. Chair, I encourage all of the Members in the House to vote for this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.