Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, my flight was delayed three hours causing me to depart North Carolina after the vote began. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 209.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Arkansas for yielding.

Madam Speaker, my amendment would re-implement a Federal Transit Administration policy that ensured that Federal loans were not counted towards State contributions for capital investment projects.

This is particularly important as the FTA considers the Gateway project between New York and New Jersey. Secretary Buttigieg recently made a verbal commitment to approve this project, but he has yet to provide any details on the Federal share. If it mirrors the Obama administration's plans, Federal taxpayers would be footing half of the bill for this project while New York and New Jersey would cover the rest. But the States are planning to cover most of their local share with billions in Federal loans.

In essence, New York and New Jersey are demanding that taxpayers in my State of North Carolina pay for their project.

My amendment makes sure that drivers in North Carolina are not overly subsidizing potentially wasteful transit projects in New York, L.A., San Francisco, or Chicago.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague, Congressman Cawthorn, for organizing this.

Last month, the NFIB, or the National Federation of Independent Businesses, reported that 48 percent of small businesses currently have unfilled job openings, and that is an all-time high. Right now--you have heard the number mentioned--9.3 million jobs remain unfilled nationwide.

This sluggish recovery is a direct result of the Federal Government paying people not to work. Essentially, the Federal enhanced unemployment benefit constitutes a ``stay-at-home'' bonus for millions of people.

Instead of following the lead of dozens of other States, North Carolina's Governor refuses to end this very backwards incentive.

That is why I introduced a solution that would help. It is called the Back to Work Bonus Act. First and foremost, my proposal would end the $300 Federal unemployment bonus on day one.

Second, the bill would allow a new worker to receive a $900 back-to- work bonus only if they get back in the workforce and stay on the job for at least 4 weeks.

Now, to be clear, someone would only receive these dollars if they not only accepted the job offer, but fully went back to work.

Third, I want to highlight that this legislation is a specific solution to what we hope is a temporary problem, using already appropriated funds that would expire on August 14.

Look, we simply can't continue to pay people to stay at home. For workers that stayed in the workforce throughout the pandemic, we need to cut their taxes, so they get to keep more of their hard-earned money.

We need to get the economy booming again, like it was during the Trump years. We need to stop the overspending in Washington that causes inflation to soar and eat away at a family's buying power.

But above all, our number one priority needs to be getting folks back to work as quickly as possible. There are just too many opportunities out there, 9.3 million of them, to be exact. So let's get America back to work.

Madam Speaker, I rise to deliver a clear message: The United States must stand shoulder to shoulder with the State of Israel. The choice for the politicians in this Chamber should be simple.

On one side, you have Hamas, a terrorist organization that fired thousands of rockets at civilians in Israel. Their founding charter even calls for Israel's destruction.

On the other side, you have Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. They are our longtime friend and ally, and they are a force for stability in the region.

The deescalation of this conflict should begin and end with Hamas. They must stop their terrorist attacks on Israeli citizens immediately.

Until they do, Israel has every right to defend themselves, and the United States of America should have their back.

Madam Speaker, I was away from the Capitol around dinner time and could not return before the vote closed. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 102.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize the Midway Barber Shop in Davidson County, North Carolina. After 50 years in business, Midway Barber Shop saw its last customers on March 13, 2021.

John Faust opened the Mid way Barber Shop in May of 1970 and Davidson County has been better off ever since. He had a tremendous impact on the lives of those who came into his shop. John was a man of character that put family and faith at the center of his life. One customer remarked, ``He wasn't just my barber, he was my friend, my confidant, and my encourager.''

To Kent Phillips, he was a dedicated friend and mentor. John hired Kent in 1978 not long after Kent finished high school and Kent has worked at the barber shop ever since. Philips said of his boss, ``In 38 years of working together, we never had a cross word,'' he said. ``If you could not get along with that man, you needed to look at yourself in the mirror.''

The Midway Barber Shop represented more than just a place to get a haircut: it was a community institution. In this business, people were more than just customers, they were known as friends and family.

Madam Speaker, the Midway Barber Shop was a gem of Davidson County. Our community is sad to see it go, but thankful for its years of service.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Ohio for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the fundamental truth is that the Second Amendment guarantees the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms to protect themselves and their loved ones.

America's Founders spoke on this issue extensively. Benjamin Franklin warned that those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin was right. The American tradition of self-reliance, self- determination, and self-defense has been fierce. It has been what makes this country so exceptional and so great.

Today, the House will vote on legislation that would undermine that very right. What is worse is that both of these bills would not have prevented mass shootings or tragedies across this Nation. Those are awful events. We all agree that those events are awful. But in those cases, the criminal either passed a background check or they stole their weapons.

We cannot sacrifice our rights by passing laws that will make our families less safe and laws that criminals will simply ignore. We must always protect and preserve our God-given Second Amendment right.

Mr. Speaker, point of order. I would request that the colleague from Virginia direct his remarks to you and not to other colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, as a Federally licensed gun store owner, I have a unique perspective on our Second Amendment rights, and I actually happen to know how background checks actually work.

It seems that H.R. 8 is being sold as universal background checks, and it would impose harsh penalties, like six-figure fines and jail time, for the simple act of handing a firearm to another person even for temporary use, like instruction.

The exemptions under H.R. 8 are woefully inadequate to protect the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

Let's say, Mr. Speaker, that you loan your firearm to a victim of domestic violence because their abuser is just getting ready to be released from jail, or if a suicidal friend asks you to take possession of their firearm, or if you loan your cousin a gun after a series of burglaries in their neighborhood. These new transfer penalties would turn law-abiding citizens into criminals.

We simply cannot sacrifice our rights by passing laws that will make our families less safe and laws that criminals will simply ignore. We must always protect and preserve our God-given Second Amendment rights.

Mr. Speaker, over the past year, the government has appropriated over $4 trillion--that is with a T--in COVID relief. Now we are standing here this week and we are debating whether or not to add another $2 trillion to that enormous total.

But what should shock taxpayers across the country is that $1 trillion of COVID relief still remains unspent. That means funding is still left over from last December and funding is still left over from even last March. Now, that is money that the current administration hasn't spent for vaccines, hasn't spent for testing, hasn't spent on schools reopening, and certainly not even to reopen our country.

Mr. Speaker, I think people in Washington often forget that the dollars that we are debating really aren't ours. They are the next generation's, and this money belongs to that generation and to the American people.

Is it not too much to ask what the current administration plans to do with the $1 trillion in unspent taxpayer funds, Mr. Speaker, especially before we toss another $2 trillion on to that pile?

This is a basic question that would come up during a family budget discussion with a lot less zeros, much less the Government of the United States talking about trillions of dollars.

But before and beyond the unspent funds, what the Democrat package does spend money on is yet another partisan wish list with about 9 percent of it actually going to COVID. Meaning 91 percent of it is not even COVID-related.

Mr. Speaker, this bill's minimum wage increase, for instance, would kill 1.4 million blue-collar jobs, and its unemployment insurance hike would keep incentivizing workers to stay at home, which is a real struggle in my district when an employer wants 2,000 people to come back to work and they are competing with the Federal Government. This makes it worse.

Under this bill, Mr. Speaker, stimulus checks would go to illegal immigrants. Under this bill, taxpayer funding for abortion is allowed, and Planned Parenthood is eligible for PPP loans. Under this bill, funding is allowed to flow to colleges and universities that partner with companies that are controlled by Communist China. Under this bill, $110 billion would be sent to schools, regardless if they reopen or not. There is no support for families who are desperate for educational options for their kids.

Obviously, of course, Democrats hid irrelevant spending in this bill, just like environmental justice grants, $800 million in aid to other countries, and a $112 million earmark for a big tech subway in Silicon Valley.

The bottom line, Mr. Speaker, is we are again debating a liberal wish list disguised as COVID relief. The American people aren't fooled by any of this. They see through the game, and they know that this town can and should do better.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of 1SG Staley Johnson Sr. of Kannapolis, North Carolina.

Staley Johnson was born on December 4th, 1920 in Alexander County, North Carolina to Jonas and Nancy Johnson. After the 5th grade, Johnson left school to help provide for and support his family.

A native North Carolinian, Staley Johnson enlisted with the U.S. Army on December 6th, 1941, the day before the attacks at Pearl Harbor. Staley Johnson was just 23 years old at the time.

Johnson served heroically and courageously as a heavy machine gunner in the 330th Infantry. During his service in Europe, Johnson was wounded from gunfire in the back near La Barre, France on July 27, 1944 after arriving on the beaches of France just after D-Day. Johnson was involved in further action in Europe as the Allies closed in on Germany before Allied victory in Europe. Johnson received a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and several other awards for his valor and courage. After his discharge, he went to work for Cannon Mills, but remained active in the National Guard.

In April 1945, Johnson married Nellie Victoria Foster. They had four children; Staley Jr., Pamela, Jerry, and Kathy. The couple were married for over 64 years before Nellie passed away in 2010. Staley is the grandfather to six, great-grandfather to 12, and great-great- grandfather to two. His family and his church mean the world to him.

Often, Staley Johnson can be found singing ``Sweet Hour of Prayer,'' a song he learned while resting in a town the allies had just recaptured from Hitler's Army. He is known to be full of stories from World War II.

Madam Speaker, 1SG Staley Johnson Sr. is an American hero. His service to our country will never be forgotten. It is an honor and a privilege to represent Staley Johnson in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding.

Madam Speaker, lifesaving COVID vaccines are going to waste. Seniors and frontline workers in my State, the State of North Carolina, have had their vaccine appointments, which they depended on, forcibly canceled. We have got to do better.

Madam Speaker, I have two amendments to this budget resolution that

would address these issues, but the majority has blocked a vote. Instead, we are passing a budget resolution to set up a trillion--with a ``T''--a trillion-dollar spending bill.

My first amendment, the Vaccinate More Americans Act, would prevent leftover COVID vaccines from being wasted by allowing vaccine providers to administer shots to the next allocation group automatically.

My second amendment addresses an issue that affected over 10,000 North Carolinians who had their vaccine appointments forcibly canceled. This is unacceptable and something has to be done about it.

My amendment says that any State health department that receives vaccines must distribute them in an equitable way without forcibly canceling appointments. We should be addressing these issues as a body instead of stuffing trillion-dollar spending bills into a rules package.

Mr. Speaker, I am here to talk for just a moment about law and order. I am here to talk about how we as a body can prevent more needless tragedies in our country. I am here to

talk about true justice. Specifically, justice for victims of dangerous sanctuary city policies.

We have all heard the stories. Kate Steinle brutally murdered in San Francisco by an illegal immigrant who was repeatedly released.

In Washington State, an illegal named Rosalio Ramos-Romas was deported four times before authorities arrested him in October of 2017. Once notified of his arrest, ICE issued a detainer request asking local authorities to imprison him for an additional 48 hours. But, instead, local authorities ignored the detainer request and allowed Rosalio back into the community, where he eventually murdered his cousin and hid the body in a dumpster.

In my State of North Carolina, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office refused to notify ICE and comply with lawful detainer requests when it released dangerous illegal immigrants from the county jail. One was charged with multiple domestic violence offenses for strangling a woman and threatening to kill her.

These are not isolated incidents of violence, but, rather, the norm in sanctuary cities across America. The truth is that sanctuary city policies are unnecessary and they only threaten the safety of our families and our neighbors. This lawlessness leads to tragedies that are simply not acceptable and should not be allowed by our leaders.

That is why I introduced the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act with Senator Thom Tillis. Our bill would allow anyone harmed by an illegal immigrant in a sanctuary city to sue the sanctuary city or State for the damages that it caused. It also withholds certain grant funding from jurisdictions that refuse to comply with Federal law. This move will put lawless cities on notice and will, hopefully, persuade them to reverse course, enforce our laws, and keep our streets safe.

At a time when the current administration refuses to crack down on sanctuary cities, Congress has the responsibility to act. It is long past time that cities who refuse to enforce our immigration face legal consequences. This has to stop.

Uneven Allocation of the COVID-19 Vaccine

Mr. Speaker, last month, over 10,000 patients in and around my district had their COVID-19 vaccination appointments forcibly canceled, throwing seniors and frontline workers into uncertainty. This mistake was the result of an uneven allocation process and bureaucratic confusion. It is unacceptable and something has to be done.

I sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services demanding immediate answers for my constituents. I understand that an expedited national vaccine rollout is complex. It is a tough undertaking. But the faster vaccine doses are allocated to States like mine in North Carolina, the sooner we will be able to defeat this virus once and for all.

The people of my community deserve clarity and honesty when it comes to vaccines from the Federal Government, and I am going to continue to get answers for them.

Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade was decided 48 years ago last month. Since abortion was made legal, more than 60 million unborn children have had their lives prematurely ended. This is a matter of conscience for me, and I believe that life begins at conception.

In recent years, advances in science and medicine have given us an increasingly vivid picture of what life in the womb is like. A child has a heartbeat at just 6 weeks. A child feels pain at 20 weeks.

Science makes clear that life exists in the womb and, therefore, an unborn child is entitled to the most fundamental of human rights, and that, Mr. Speaker, is the right to live.

This issue transcends what it means to be an American and goes to the core of what makes us human. I hope that one day soon, the Supreme Court corrects their constitutional error so that the American people can reassert their voice in determining the moral question of our time.

Mr. Speaker, today is really about one party single- handedly canceling a Member of the other party because of something said before that Member was even elected.

This isn't about agreeing or disagreeing with the comments. This is

about Democrats abusing their power and using it to cancel.

This sets a very dangerous precedent. There are Members across the aisle who have said alarming things recently. They have made anti- Semitic comments repeatedly. They have made anti-American comments repeatedly. And they have made comments threatening violence repeatedly.

Cancel culture should not take over our country. Cancel culture should not take over our tech platforms. And cancel culture certainly should not take over the House of Representatives.

We need to let the gentlewoman from Georgia serve and to allow her constituents to judge her performance at the ballot box.

Madam Speaker, mob violence is not representative of our country or of this building. The American people--at least the ones who are still up watching right now--have seen this body return to a peaceful debate. And that is the American way. So let's get back to that debate and let's talk for a moment about Pennsylvania.

For decades, absentee voting was reserved for members of the military and citizens who are medically or physically unable to get to the polls. But in 2019, Pennsylvania dramatically increased the amount of ballots that would be cast in the Presidential election through expanded, no-excuse, mail-in voting.

On September 17, Pennsylvania's Democrat-controlled Supreme Court violated the Constitution by extending the deadline to receive mail-in ballots. Article II states that legislatures, not the courts, determine the time, manner, and place of their States' elections. But Pennsylvania's high court directed the State officials to assume that non-postmarked ballots were received on time without any evidence that they were sent before election day.

On October 23, while early voting was already underway, the State supreme court ruled that election officials did not have to authenticate signatures for mail-in ballots.

To sum it up, Pennsylvania officials illegally did three critical things:

One, they radically expanded vote by mail for virtually any reason.

Two, they removed restrictions when a ballot can be sent in.

Three, they removed signature verification on those very ballots.

Just this week, the Pennsylvania Senate pleaded with Members of this body to delay certification until the Supreme Court resolves these disputes. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania violated their own constitution. They violated the U.S. Constitution. They opened the door for thousands of unverifiable ballots.

Because they failed to guarantee the integrity of their votes, I cannot consent to accepting Pennsylvania's electoral votes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize two exceptional students from Rowan County, North Carolina.

Recently, Grant Helms, a rising senior at West Rowan High School, and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College student Ashton White competed in the SkillsUSA Championships, a national competition for career and technical education students.

Grant and Ashton each won first place in secondary and postsecondary masonry, respectively, and we couldn't be more proud of them.

None of this would have been possible without Rodney Harrington, the masonry teacher at West Rowan High School and mentor to these students.

Mr. Speaker, these skills are imperative in helping build and grow our economy, so I think it is worth mentioning H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education Act.

This monumental bill, which became law last year, has given States like mine more flexibility to meet the unique needs of their students, educators, and employers.