Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to a serious issue facing my home State of Texas and millions of Americans, the Biden border crisis. Things at our southern border have gotten worse by the day since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have taken office.

For example, illegal immigration numbers were up 450 percent in June compared to June of last year. June was the fourth straight month with over 170,000 apprehensions. Border Patrol officials have seized more fentanyl so far in 2021 than all of 2020.

COVID cases among illegal immigrants are up 900 percent in the Rio Grande Valley. Numbers don't lie. The Biden administration's reckless approach to immigration has caused a full-blown crisis at the border, and there is absolutely nothing being done to stop it.

To be clear, the public health and drug crises that have been exacerbated by what is happening at the border are not just a problem for border States. The drugs being smuggled in at the border are coming to a neighborhood near you, courtesy of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Their hypocrisy on the public health threat, in particular, couldn't be more appalling. While pushing stringent COVID rules on the American people, the Biden administration is simultaneously pushing an open- border agenda that includes placing COVID-infected illegal immigrants all over this country. It is absolutely unbelievable.

Every American will ultimately be impacted in some way by this Biden border crisis. I plea with the President to reverse his failed immigration plan and start protecting the American people.

Madam Speaker, I was absent from votes on June 29, 2021 as I was examining the crisis at our Southern Border with President Donald J. Trump and Governor Greg Abbott. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on roll call No. 193, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 194, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 195; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 196; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 197; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 198; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 199; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 200; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 201; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 202; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 203; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 204; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 205; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 206; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 207; and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 208.

Madam Speaker, I was absent from one vote on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 176

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express support for one of our most loyal allies, Israel.

Unlike many of my colleagues across the aisle, I will not waver in my support for democracy, and I will not turn a blind eye to the ongoing terrorist attacks against the State of Israel.

The simple fact is, Israel uses weapons to protect its citizens from terrorism, and Hamas uses its weapons with the goal of murdering civilians and annihilating the State of Israel as a whole.

There is no moral equivalence between the two, and any attempt to make Israel out as the aggressor is not rooted in fact. Israel has the right to defend itself as a sovereign country.

In 2014, Congress unanimously passed a Democrat-led resolution condemning Hamas attacks on Israel after they had launched approximately 300 rockets.

This time, Hamas has launched over 4,000 rockets into Israel in just 10 days, yet, it is not clear to me that Democrats in this House would support a similar resolution today.

That is a sad and problematic shift.

Congress must continue its support for U.S. aid to Israel, and Congress must confront terrorists and their backers, like Iran.

Madam Speaker, today I am proud to honor a superb leader, General Kenyon Bell. During my short time as a Member of Congress, I have received a warm welcome from many people, but none warmer than from the great men and women of Sheppard Air Force Base. This summer, General Bell will relinquish command of the 82nd Training Wing and Installation Command of Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. While we are sad to see him go, we are excited for his future.

General Bell was given a great opportunity to lead in challenging times and did so with the highest degree of professionalism, dignity, and skill. As the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of our normal day- to-day lives across the nation, General Bell found himself in command of a mission that could not stop, or even slow down, without disastrous and long-term consequences for military readiness. With more than 5,000 students living in close quarters on the base, he acted decisively to implement policies and guidelines to ensure the safe continuation of both the technical and flying training missions at Sheppard. As a result, operational units around the world continued receiving the trained, mission-ready Airmen required to maintain global combat capability.

While we faced civil unrest as a country over the last year, General Bell led by example and worked to build bridges of understanding and unity that transcend politics and will ultimately strengthen the United States military. His ability to speak boldly, frankly, and calmly on the highly charged subject of race is an example we all must follow. He also had a willingness and ability to listen respectfully and honestly to differing perspectives. While I faced the steep learning curve involved with being a Member of Congress, General Bell ensured that I stayed up to date with the situation on the ground at Sheppard, truly working as a partner. I could not have asked for a better partner to work with as I began my tenure as a Congressman.

General Bell's list of successes is longer than many I have seen from a General Officer. While navigating a variety of unique challenges throughout his tenure, he found a way to accomplish countless traditional command matters. The successful completion of the Sheppard Main Gate renovation project, in all its complexity, marks the realization of more than a decade of effort. More importantly, it represents markedly improved security and force protection for the missions and people of Sheppard Air Force Base. I was honored to be there with General Bell in person for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony in April.

Finally, a sure testament to the quality of General Bell's leadership is the fact that through all the challenges of 2020 and 2021, the 82nd Training Wing was rated as Highly Effective by the Air Education and Training Command Inspector General following the 2021 Unit Effectiveness Inspection.

On behalf of a grateful nation, I extend my congratulations to General Bell on completing his command tour at Sheppard Air Force Base. I thank the General for his exceptional leadership and service. I congratulate his wife, Lori, and his kids Amira, Kenyon, and Roman. I look forward to seeing General Bell continue to excel in his career, and I look forward to our future years of friendship. We are a better and stronger nation for his service.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Joint Strategic Technologies, (JST) on their success of completion of the Veteran Institute for Procurement with gratitude and appreciation for their service to our country and with best wishes for continued success. I thank them for proudly representing our great State and showing the rest of the world our talents.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act, to get our kids out from behind screens and back in the classroom.

I rise in opposition to the Article of Impeachment.

Let me be clear, what happened last Wednesday was a stain on our Nation, and the criminals and the rioters responsible should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

It is clear now more than ever that our country needs to come together, and Congress, this Congress, needs to lead by example and begin the process of healing the deep division that exists among us as Americans.

The article before us today will not accomplish that. In fact, the sham Article of Impeachment will only serve to further fan the flames of unrest and to appease the radical left's appetite for division.

We should be focusing on restoring communities devastated by lockdowns, working on America's vaccine rollout, aiding a bipartisan investigation into these attacks, and ensuring election integrity, not impeaching a President who has promised a peaceful transition and who has less than 7 days left in office.

It is time to focus on the unprecedented challenges we face, and it is time to focus on unity. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to oppose the Article of Impeachment.