Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, for years, States could enter into cooperative agreements with Federal land management agencies to aid in reducing the excess fuel load that makes fires in the West so damaging to people, property, and wildlife.

H.R. 1450 fully extends the same authority and access to revenue that States have to counties and Tribes.

Some States, primarily in the Western U.S., have large percentages of their land controlled by the Federal Government. In my home State of Idaho, for example, it is 62 percent. As a result, citizens in my State must generate enough economic growth to sustain our needs from just the resources contained within the available land remaining.

One can argue that Idahoans and citizens from other States with a similar dynamic are merely tenants of their Federal landlord.

Counties and Tribes face a microcosm of that challenge within the States they reside. There are counties in my district, like Idaho around Owyhee, for example, where the Federal Government controls more than 83 percent of the land within their borders. Without ready access to the natural resources and related tax revenue in these areas, it is difficult for residents and local municipalities to create wealth and provide the ingredients necessary to raise families and grow businesses.

This bill would enable access to resources. As a result, the livelihoods of people in rural America would be enhanced through job creation, new sources of income, and the economic activity that comes with it.

Federal land management agencies are often unable, due to lack of resources, or unwilling, due to bad policy or litigation, to adequately maintain the density of tree growth, brush, and other vegetation that creates the fuel load for wildfires. Yet local residents, as tenants of the land under their own feet, can only wait and hope for their Federal landlord to come up with the resources needed to responsibly manage land in and around their communities. H.R. 1450 empowers local counties and Tribes so they can engage, and at least have a chance to put some wisdom into how these lands are managed.

We, in the West, care about our environment. God has blessed us with an abundance of natural resources, and that comes with the responsibility of wise stewardship. H.R. 1450 recognizes and incentivizes just that, allowing a portion of receipts from timber sales, for example, to be shared with counties and Tribes. That is a win-win situation. Tribes and counties are local, and as such, they are on the front lines of the land management battle.

I thank Chairman Westerman, my co-lead, Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, and all of my other colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee and the Agriculture Committee for their support of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I want to make a special mention of the 100th Anniversary of the City of Dover, Idaho. Dover is situated near the beautiful Lake Pend Oreille and is in the northern part of the district I represent. On July 22nd and 23rd, the City of Dover celebrated 100 years of history with a boat parade, historical walk, and community barbecue--wrapping up with an exceptional Sunday service at the historic Dover Church, which has served as the heart of the community for the last 100 years.

I am honored to serve communities like Dover in Idaho, and I wish the city of Dover a bright future in the next 100 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1345, the NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act. This bill would promote collaboration between security research and industry development, preventing and mitigating future software vulnerabilities in communications networks.

It is also important to codify NTIA's administering of information sharing established in the Secure and Trusted Communications Network Act. The NTIA is assigned with coordinating policy related to the cybersecurity of communications networks.

These attacks on communications networks include those we have all heard about: unauthorized access; distributed denial of service; man- in-the-middle attacks, where communications traffic is intercepted; and code attacks, where malicious code can be passed to a server to make it vulnerable. This is a serious problem.

Like the Secure and Trusted Communications Network Act, H.R. 1345 passed with unanimous, bipartisan support out of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

We need to address cyberattacks in a more effective and coordinated fashion to go after the bad actors attacking America's communications networks.

I appreciate the good work of my colleagues, Representatives John Curtis and Susan Wild, and I strongly support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1338, the Satellite And Telecommunications Streamlining Act. This bill amends the Communications Act to clarify the Federal Communication Commission's statutory role in licensing satellite communications systems.

While the FCC has long exercised the authority to license satellite systems--and while Congress has recognized this authority--this bill provides further direction on the agency when it comes to balancing and considering novel issues throughout its licensing process.

For example, the FCC can use its current authority to regulate satellite communications systems designed to ensure that related aspects of radio stations in space can continue to serve the public interest. This is on top of using its authority when considering the complex use of electromagnetic spectrum by various satellite systems.

This bill would effectively simplify FCC space station licensing rules, impose FCC licensing decision timelines, and add performance standards to mitigate orbital debris to ensure safe operation in space. It also clarifies FCC radio frequency sharing obligations to encourage innovation and investment.

The bill is very clear. It does not expand the FCC's authority.

In terms of innovation, Mr. Speaker, spectrum is limited. Our adversaries are not hindered by regulations. We need to streamline this.

This bill passed with unanimous bipartisan support out of the Energy and Commerce Committee in March. This is not unprecedented authority for the FCC. In response to my Democrat colleague who claimed this allows the FCC to act unilaterally; that is false.

In fact, this legislation constrains the FCC's authority to issue rules around space safety to be aligned with the orbital debris mitigation plan which is approved by the interagency.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, electric utility transformers provide a service that plays a pivotal role in the lives of Americans. Right now, there is a critical shortage of those transformers that enable America's electric grid. This shortage is keeping homes from being completed and hindering grid reliability as power utilities, co-ops, and energy producers try to keep up with demand.

Why is the Department of Energy hurting American consumers more by making a transformer shortage worse?

Mr. Speaker, that is why I rise as a proud supporter of the Protecting America's Distribution Transformer Supply Chain Act, which will delay the Department of Energy from imposing unnecessary mandates.

Our power sector, builders, and contractors need a ready supply of electric transformers. We must stop the administration from turning the lights out on American families, including my constituents in Idaho.

Mr. Chairman, here we are on the House floor talking about gas stoves. No, it wasn't the Republicans who are bringing this issue up. It is our friends in the administration who are making moves to try to eliminate a very reliable, efficient source of cooking energy.

I rise in opposition to the Biden administration's efforts to limit consumer choice. Gas stoves are the preferred cooktop appliance of nearly 40 percent of American households. They are affordable, reliable, and easy to use.

If the administration succeeds in banning gas stoves, it will force millions of Americans to switch to more expensive and less efficient electric stoves. This will impact jobs and the economy. More than 4.1 million jobs are connected to the gas industry.

House Republicans have taken a stance against this policy by introducing the Save Our Gas Stoves Act and the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act. This was not our initiative. This was brought on us because of a very unrealistic, very ill-advised attempt by the administration.

At a time when our Nation faces a confluence of crises, my friends on the other side of the aisle believe that banning appliances is somehow a matter of national concern. I reject that.

This week, we will vote to protect Americans' choices, their wallets, their time, and their jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support S.J. Res. 11, disapproving the EPA's proposed rule on new emission standards on heavy-duty trucks. The Biden administration is proposing new regulations on heavy-duty trucks that would dramatically raise costs on businesses and consumers.

These rules would require trucks to be equipped with expensive emissions control technology beginning in 2027. The EPA estimates the cost of the technology would be somewhere around $8,300 per truck, but independent estimates say it could be more than $40,000 per truck.

This is a huge cost on businesses, especially small businesses who rely on trucking to transport their goods. It will force them to raise their prices or go out of business because they will have to pay more for the supplies and inventories they need. In other words, it is more inflation.

Consumers will have to pay more for everything from food to clothing to building materials at a time when inflation is already at a 40-year high.

Republicans in Energy and Commerce are calling on Congress to reject these regulations. We simply can't afford them. The EPA claims they need to address nitrogen oxide and other

pollutants, yet NOX pollutants have been reduced by 98 percent since 1988.

This is more of the blind drive to this green ideology, which is both intellectually and environmental bankrupt. Cleaner air today is due to advancements in engine and fuel technologies, better filtration, and higher efficiencies.

The Senate passed this resolution to overturn this heavy-handed, job- killing rule. I urge the House to do the same.

I arrived on the floor too late.

Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 213.

Mr. Speaker, in approximately 2 weeks, our country will hit its debt ceiling.

House Republicans understand that this would be disastrous for our already fragile economy. That is why we took decisive action to address this crisis responsibly and sensibly by passing the Limit, Save, Grow Act. This legislation would not only end the debt limit crisis, but it would also address the root cause of that crisis: Washington's irresponsible spending.

Since President Biden took office, the 10-year trajectory on Federal spending has increased by a staggering $10 trillion.

While House Republicans have been hard at work crafting solutions to the debt ceiling, this administration and House Democrats have wasted valuable time, putting our Nation's financial stability at risk.

Two weeks ago, the White House press secretary flatly said the President is ``not going to negotiate on the debt ceiling.'' That is critical time that could have been spent on negotiations, not political stunts.

To make matters worse, President Biden is now leaving for an 8-day trip to Asia as our country teeters on the brink of default.

It is time for the other side to stop playing politics. We are out of time.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to commemorate Faith Month.

As a member of the Christian faith, I see this month as a time to reflect on my own faith journey. As an American, it is time to celebrate the foundations of religious liberty that our country is built upon and the resulting prosperity that it has brought.

Our country is home to over 150 million Christian believers. Now more than ever, these Americans are under threat as their beliefs are labeled bigoted, their places of worship are attacked, and their religious protections are diminished.

Founding Father John Adams once said: ``Nothing is more dreaded than the national government meddling with religion.'' I agree. In a world increasingly hostile to people of faith, America must remain a refuge for those looking to worship God without fear of state reprisal.

Proverbs 29:2 says: ``When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people mourn.''

Let us govern in a righteous manner and protect our fellow Americans' freedom to practice their faith as they choose.

Madam Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 1, which will reinsert America back to its proper place as the world's leader in energy and critical mineral production.

My home State of Idaho is blessed to be rich in natural resources, especially when it comes to critical minerals. Right now, there are revolutionary innovations in technology industries, transportation, and healthcare, and they all have one thing in common: an increasing need for certain critical minerals.

Idaho contains an abundance of these minerals, including cobalt, lithium, and antimony. These resources not only can help the United States meet domestic demand, but they can also help fulfill global demand and bring prosperity to communities lacking high-paying jobs.

As part of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I voted for many of these provisions in H.R. 1 that support access to critical minerals in American soil and require the Department of Energy to identify resources vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.

Unfortunately, the Biden administration has proliferated policies that have ceded America's place as a responsible, productive source of critical minerals to foreign nations, many of which are hostile to Americans.

For example, instead of Idaho and America producing the world's antimony, China and Russia account for more than 75 percent of the world's supply. Instead of Idaho and America fulfilling the global demand for cobalt, it comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country with a horrifically bad human rights record. That has to change.

Madam Chair, today, we offer Americans an all-of-the-above energy strategy that will reverse the America last policies currently in place. H.R. 1 will secure domestic energy supply and allow America to control its own destiny by restoring its position as a global leader in production.

Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Westerman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I am honored to support H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, to increase energy production, export American energy, and build out our infrastructure to transport it.

All of our constituents have seen and felt the impact of the constraint on and the cost of energy. Sadly, we don't have to go too far to see the impact of this administration's efforts to harm domestically produced energy.

From the cancelation of the Keystone XL pipeline, a moratorium of oil and gas leases on Federal lands, and the self-destruction of our offshore lease programs, it is hard to imagine just how far this administration will go to prop up unrealistic, utopian ideas--utopian ideas that a country could solely exist on wind and solar without oil and gas.

By the way, there is a whole lot of information on wind and solar that doesn't get advertised all that much: the fact that the materials necessary to build those components come from mining that we have largely prevented ourselves from doing and have to import from overseas, the cost of the transmission, and the fact that those rotors on the wind turbines need fossil fuels to continue to operate. Nevertheless, that is the evangelism we have been given by the current administration.

Americans are paying the price for this utopian future, and they are paying it right now. With this just transition to other forms of unreliable energy, the cost is borne by the most vulnerable among us.

That is why Republicans are leading the way to unleash the full potential of American energy through H.R. 1. H.R. 1 means no more begging the Saudis for oil, ignoring the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, and forgoing American workers, industry, and expertise.

H.R. 1 means abundant energy for all Americans in an environmentally responsible way.

Republicans are also leading the way with all forms of energy. That is why I am thankful for the inclusion of my CLEAN Act in H.R. 1 to promote the responsible exploration of geothermal resources on Federal lands.

Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Westerman for his leadership, and I look forward to the passage of H.R. 1.

Madam Speaker, not long ago, America was the largest energy producer in the world. Gas was affordable, and groceries weren't worth an entire paycheck. These are not faraway memories from our country's bygone golden era--this was the reality for Americans just a few years ago.

Government spending has increased over $9 trillion since President Biden has taken office. This predictably resulted in the highest inflation in four decades. American families have had to bear the brunt of this crisis, yet my colleagues on the other side of the aisle still seem to have no plan to tackle inflation outside of spending more taxpayer money.

House Republicans have been clear about our mission in 2023: set our fiscal house in order so that we can lower the cost of living for Americans. We can find solutions to our debt crisis by working on new budgetary framework focused on fiscal restraint.

Republicans' commitment to America offers tangible solutions to set us on that path--from strengthening our supply chains to enacting progrowth policies.

Mr. Speaker, tonight, President Biden will give his address on the state of our Union. His version of the facts will sound wonderful but stand in stark contrast to the true state of the Union for many Americans today.

Unmentioned in his speech will be the fact that over a third of American households have forgone basic expenses to afford their energy bill, the highest energy costs in 15 years.

President Biden will say the state of our Union is strong, but the American people know better. That is why Republicans in the House are following our Commitment to America, a series of commonsense solutions to our most pressing issues.

In just a few short weeks, House Republicans have used our new majority position to hold China accountable, defund the Biden IRS army, protect our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and bring accountability to overreaching Federal Government agencies.

When it comes to a union that is truly strong, House Republicans stand ready to deliver.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from the State of Washington and my colleague from the State of Montana and I share some very similar concerns and some very similar demographics, so I am here to rise in opposition to the attempts to ban any kind of aerial fire retardant.

Currently, the Forest Service is facing litigation that, if its opponent is successful, could result in the loss of this critical firefighting tool.

Aerial fire retardant helps slow the spread of wildfires and creates a barrier between the fire and unburned fuel load. This makes it easier for ground crews to access and extinguish fires. It can be applied quickly in hard-to-reach areas where the ground crews cannot get access.

Additionally, aerial fire retardant can help protect homes and other structures, as well as reduce the amount of smoke produced by the fire.

We are seeing the catastrophic results of years of neglect and mismanagement by the Federal Government. It comes in the form of more frequent and more destructive wildfires. These fires not only do more harm to people and property but also to nature itself.

If I can be very clear, our Federal resources are overwhelmed. In my own State, two-thirds of the land mass, or nearly two-thirds, is Federal land. They simply don't have the capacity to manage these lands, and so they don't.

That results in wildfire, and we need every tool in the toolbox we possibly can access to fight it.

As we prepare for the 2023 fire season, we must maximize these tools at our disposal in order to better fight the fires that threaten our local communities, economies, environment, and health.