Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, I hear a lot of hyperbole today. Of course, we understand the louder we speak, the more fear we produce in people and the more ultimate power there is over them.

As chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, I am concerned, though, as young people are going to colleges and universities and trying to lift themselves up, we find another challenge that goes on with Big Government and the control through student debt.

The Education and Workforce Committee's portion of the Big Beautiful Bill Act delivers the kind of accountability students need and our economy demands.

The bill saves taxpayers almost $350 billion. It also streamlines loan repayment options, making it easier for borrowers to repay, while also targeting assistance to those who actually need it.

By curbing excessive student loan debt and holding colleges accountable, this legislation also puts an end to colleges hiking tuition and spending recklessly.

Simply put, it provides schools with the incentive to deliver real value for students and taxpayers. The American people want this. Let's support this bill and make America free.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Bryce Michael for his heroic actions and dedication to helping our Nation's students.

Bryce is a bus driver for the Columbia School District in Brooklyn, Michigan, and was driving students home when a kindergarten student placed a quarter in her mouth and began to choke.

Bryce immediately sprang into action, assisted the student so that she was able to cough up the quarter and was no longer under duress.

I thank Bryce for his quick actions and calm demeanor, as well as his commitment to caring for the students on his bus every day. His dedication and passion for his job is evidenced through his daily actions.

Bryce is a hero, and his many contributions to our community are worthy of recognition.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of longtime Lenawee County Sheriff Richard Germond, who sadly passed away Wednesday morning at 90 years of age.

Sheriff Germond joined the department when he was 21 years old and ultimately served as Lenawee County Sheriff for 36 years, making him Michigan's longest serving sheriff. He also was a member of the Lenawee Intermediate School District Board of Education for 25 years, supporting students in our community.

Sheriff Germond is a hero in every sense of the word and will be remembered as a model sheriff and a leader to many.

Mr. Speaker, Sheriff Germond was a prominent member of the Lenawee community, and we honor him for his service and commitment to keeping us all safe. He will be sorely missed, and his impact on our community will be felt for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, last year, the EPA finalized a rule which set aggressive emission standards for vehicles, amounting to a de facto EV mandate.

While I am not against EVs or certainly against reducing emissions, we must not push misguided regulations that limit consumer choice, burden the American auto industry, and increase reliance on China.

President Trump recently issued an executive order to eliminate the EV mandate, demonstrating his commitment to repealing excessive regulations. However, we must take further steps to prevent future administrations from issuing similar mandates.

That is why I have partnered with Representative Fulcher to introduce the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales, or CARS, Act, which will prevent similar EV mandates and safeguard Americans' freedom to choose the vehicle that is best for them. We must put consumers back in the driver's seat and ensure the future of the auto industry is forged through innovation and not mandates.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1048.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 1048.

Foreign nations, including our biggest adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party, contribute billions of dollars to American universities. The lack of transparency around foreign relationships should concern every American as we see stolen research, anti-Semitic propaganda, and academic censorship. None of these things belong inside our borders let alone on our college campuses.

By establishing footholds in American schools, bad actors gain access to valuable research and intellectual property that can be used to bolster their own military and undermine our Nation's best interests.

Under the Higher Education Act, schools are required to report foreign gifts and funding. Unfortunately, loose legislative language, the Biden-Harris administration's inaction, and colleges' refusal to adhere to the law have resulted in billions of foreign funds infiltrating our country undetected. Last year, a congressional investigation of two research universities uncovered nearly $40 million in unreported research contracts with the Chinese Communist Party. That is $40 million in unreported funds at just two universities.

Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Without transparency, we have no idea the true amount or impact of foreign funds at our institutions.

This is why we need the DETERRENT Act. It closes these loopholes and has more strict reporting requirements for foreign funding and contracts. It also will hold institutions accountable by imposing fines, such as the loss of student aid funding for schools that continually fail to comply.

This bipartisan bill is a commonsense solution to an irrefutable problem, which is why it passed last Congress with bipartisan support. We should be loud and clear: No American university should be helping the hidden agendas of the Chinese Communist Party or other nations continue to threaten U.S. national security.

I thank Mr. Baumgartner for introducing this vital piece of legislation. I would also like to highlight that the DETERRENT Act includes bills from my committee colleagues Representative Harris, Representative Owens, and Representative Messmer.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support the DETERRENT Act. Doing so will help defend against our adversaries while also holding our institutions to a higher standard. Take foreign money first, ask questions later is not the way to go.

Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baumgartner), who is the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Chair, I appreciate the concerns of my colleague, but my committee has worked very closely with the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party to combat malign influence at our universities.

One type of malign influence is very different than what we are talking about here. The influence is known as transnational repression, which is efforts by the CCP to exert influence over dissidents, dissidents that could be coming here to gain a great education at our universities but are discouraged by the CCP. This legislation would encourage students seeking an education here and be able to push back against the malign influence of the CCP.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Harris), a cosponsor of this bill with portions of his bill in this bill, as well.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Messmer), an upstanding, proud member of this committee.

Mr. Chair, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Owens), the vice chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee as well as the chairman of the Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee.

Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Kiley), the subcommittee chair of the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee.

Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I know my good friend and colleague's concern is sincere about faculty involvement in reporting in institutions,

of course, that know how to keep records of sports donors, boosters, and alumni who are contributing various things. I think this is even more important.

My colleague argued that requiring researchers to disclose foreign gifts and contracts would be invasive and unnecessary. I first remind my colleague that this requirement applies to specific researchers involved in government contracts who are at specific high research institutions. These are faculty working in crucial and sensitive research, areas our adversaries have targeted time and time again.

This is not just an abstract problem. Just in the last 2 years, prominent research faculty at Harvard, Stanford, the University of Maryland, and the University of Delaware were found to not have disclosed foreign funding from Chinese sources, just to name a few examples. Reporting in-kind support specifically for a researcher's grant is critical, but deterrent provisions also cover other ways our adversaries can influence faculty.

Democrats also continue to falsely claim that the DETERRENT Act would require reporting for everyday activities like doughnuts or coffee. The DETERRENT Act holds faculty to the same standard for monetary gifts as Members of Congress. A gift of a $5,000 purse from a foreign source rightfully needs to be scrutinized and publicized.

Regarding privacy concerns, I do want to point out that these individuals are often happy to voluntarily publish their own names, their email addresses, and their donors when it comes to their own published works. Many universities have open directories on their websites. However, the DETERRENT Act does have a commonsense privacy protection included.

The American public deserves transparency, and I urge critics of the bill to ask why relationships, including those with our worst enemies and our adversaries, should continue to lie in the shadows.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Onder), a member of the Committee on Education and Workforce.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for his comments.

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleagues who have come to speak today on such an important matter regarding not just higher education but national security.

International collaboration is not inherently bad, but foreign nations have been able to operate in the dark for far too long. When foreign adversaries give to universities, it is not out of the goodness of their hearts. It is because they want something in return. Sometimes that is extremely negative.

Each dollar that is accepted comes with strings attached, and that can influence student behavior or gain access to research. The DETERRENT Act is a crucial step toward transparency and protecting American education and students from malicious foreign influence. The current system has allowed our Nation's students to become targets for our adversaries, and that is unacceptable.

We must pass this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, this is essentially the same amendment that my friend and colleague, Ranking Member Scott, offered last Congress on the floor as well as this Congress during committee markup.

Sadly, the same serious problems remain, I believe. Instead of taking the threats of foreign influence seriously, this amendment is insufficient to protect our students and institutions from our worst adversaries.

The amendment, first, makes it easier for foreign sources to be undetected, doubling the threshold for contracts to $100,000 and allowing gifts under $250,000 over a 3-year span to be unreported. Bad actors will seek any possible way to avoid transparency about their attempts to harm America through their influence over American postsecondary education. A strict threshold is essential to stop that from happening.

The annual thresholds in the DETERRENT Act are simple and align with other requirements in existing law such as in the CHIPS Act and the Presidential Memorandum on United States Government-Supported Research and Development National Security Policy.

Shockingly, this amendment includes no differences for America's biggest enemies, countries of concern and entities of concern. In my Democratic colleagues' minds, it appears that gifts from Russia, China, and Iran are the exact same gifts as those from England.

I remind everyone here that the DETERRENT Act uses a tailored list of countries and individuals pulled from existing law that have a proven track record of being security threats and actively working against the United States.

The Democratic ANS also has terrible carve-outs that provide gaping loopholes for cunning adversaries. The amendment allows gifts and contracts to be rendered anonymous, with no foreign source identification, and also exempts all clinical trials. These loopholes will make it easier for foreign sources to conceal their relationships, rendering disclosures all but useless. Simple transparency is the best way to ensure partnerships are as good as institutions claim.

Finally, the Democratic proposal ensures schools have no financial risk for failing to disclose foreign funds. Under this proposal, years of flouting section 117 simply allow schools to go right back to their same financial state before accepting the gift in the first place.

It is time to take foreign influence seriously. I stand against this amendment. It is time we hold institutions accountable for accepting foreign donations and keeping them from the public. The bipartisan support we have for this bill shows the seriousness of this problem. This amendment shows that some Democrats are still willing to turn a blind eye to attempts by hostile regimes to influence students and faculty on our college campuses.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and support the underlying bill. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

The DETERRENT Act conforms section 117 with other existing regulations, which is why the bill's definitions of countries of concern come from existing law. The four countries on the countries of concern list are rightfully in statute as unique threats to the United States. China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran represent countries that are actively hostile to the U.S. and are serious security threats. The DETERRENT Act ensures that any relationship with these countries is extremely cautious and proactively transparent.

In contrast, this amendment attempts to use the illegitimate International Criminal Court to determine what countries are threats to the United States. The people of the United States in majority do not support that. As President Trump has stated, the ICC has baselessly asserted jurisdiction over the United States--and our citizens agree-- and its allies like Israel and further abused its power by issuing frivolous arrest warrants.

There is no reason to use the ICC to define what countries are actively seeking to harm the United States. We can do that. I oppose this amendment that targets Israel and hurts American interests, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, again, this amendment is designed, I believe, to target Israel at a time when it is desperately seeking to defend its citizens against terrorists.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, the DETERRENT Act ensures section 117 is aligned with existing statute. The four countries on the countries of concern list are rightfully in statute as unique threats to the United States. That is our concern. China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran represent countries that are actively hostile to the U.S. and are serious security threats.

Endowment investments in companies controlled by our adversaries could result in dangerous support for our enemies. This is why the DETERRENT Act requires institutions to disclose any such investments of concern. It is important for our wealthiest institutions to be transparent with the public about this danger.

In contrast, this amendment attempts to use the illegitimate International Criminal Court to determine what countries are threats to the United States and targets endowment investments into those threats.

The ICC has baselessly asserted jurisdiction over the United States and its allies like Israel and further abused its power by issuing frivolous arrest warrants. There is no reason to use the ICC to define what countries are actively seeking to harm the United States and what endowment investments should be transparent.

Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment that targets Israel and hurts American interests.

Mr. Chair, I appreciate the concern and the passion of my colleague from Michigan. I concur that I and sponsors and cosponsors of this bill believe in First Amendment liberties and freedom of expression.

This bill is about specific concerns, not all of the countries of the world. I am not sure if my colleague was here during the debate to hear the actual statistics of the dollars that have been invested by malign actors, countries of concern, in this country that don't compare with any other that was in the list that my colleague read.

Again, this amendment on this bill, outside of the specifics of the bill, is designed to attack Israel for daring to defend itself from terrorists, which they did. This amendment has no place in the bill.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, over the past few weeks, DOGE has been hard at work locating wasteful spending and improving the efficiency of the Federal Government, something that has been a priority for me during my time in Congress.

For many years, I have worked in a bipartisan manner to highlight and target government waste, fraud, and abuse.

Over 4 years ago, my legislation, the Taxpayers Right-to-Know Act, passed the House and became law.

This bipartisan legislation required the Office of Management and Budget to publish an online inventory of each agency's Federal programs to streamline duplicative programs and prevent wasteful spending on ineffective programs.

Last year, the OMB officially launched the Federal Program Inventory, representing a vital first step in increasing transparency and providing us with the tools necessary to eliminate government waste.

Along with OMB Director and DOGE, I remain committed to ensuring that taxpayers know how the government is spending their hard-earned money.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend from Texas for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, in November, the American people delivered a clear and resolute mandate to this Congress: Rein in out-of-control spending.

For too long, bureaucrats in Washington recklessly spent Americans' hard-earned tax dollars and drove up our national debt to nearly catastrophic levels, hurting all Americans, especially the most vulnerable.

For example, the Biden-Harris administration attempted to spend as much as $1 trillion through his illegal and irresponsible student loan bailouts. Virtually nothing was done to control the cost of Federal student loan programs, meaning students will be able to take on even more in student loan debt and drive up the burden on all Americans, even those who never went to college or received a degree.

Why should we continue to spend Americans' tax dollars on a system that is clearly not working?

Something must change, and Americans are sick and tired of this wasteful spending.

With Republicans in control of the House, Senate, and White House, we have a real opportunity to cut through the waste, fraud, abuse, and falsehoods in Washington.

Reconciliation provides us with a chance to address Washington's spending problem.

Under the new Trump administration, we can cut spending, deliver on the mandate given to us by the American people, and put more money back in Americans' pockets.

As I begin to yield back, I will await the false report on Medicaid in Michigan.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Republican Conference, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule and the underlying bill, the Fix Our Forests Act.

Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, I express my sincere condolences to the families who have lost loved ones, homes, and history in the tragic fires in southern California. Our hearts break for them, and our prayers continue to be with them.

Today, we have an opportunity to help mitigate future forest fires and protect not only homes and communities but critical wildlife habitat.

Proper forest management can, in fact, help prevent forest fires. If we follow the science, as this legislation does, we can identify the top areas of concern and take action to address those firesheds.

This bipartisan legislation will empower States and local, Tribal, and private partners to do critical wildfire prevention activities necessary to prevent the tragic fires we have just seen recently and in recent years. I also note that the legislation does not waive a single environmental law.

Mr. Speaker, I am a conservationist. Coming from the Great Lakes, the State of Michigan, I know the importance of clean air and clean water. What this bill does is streamline fragmented Federal programs and makes the existing tools more flexible and efficient.

By passing this legislation, we can help protect millions of acres from the threat of wildfires, save lives and livelihoods and history, and protect wildlife habitat for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Westerman for his leadership on this critical legislation, and I urge support for the rule and the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 5, I call up the bill (H.R. 28) to amend the Education Amendments of 1972 to provide that for purposes of determining compliance with title IX of such Act in athletics, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 28.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 28, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, authored by Representative Greg Steube.

This bill is about a promise. More than 50 years ago, this country made a promise to women and girls across America. That promise, Title IX, said women and girls would have equal opportunities, both in the classroom and in athletics.

For years, America has kept her promise. Prior to Title IX, only 300,000 women and girls participated in high school and college sports. By the 40th anniversary of Title IX's passage, the number was up to 3 million, and the numbers have continued to climb and grow ever since.

Today, female participation in sports has increased over 1,000 percent at the high school level and over 600 percent at the college level since Title IX went into effect. Unfortunately, these wins for women and girls ushered in by the promise of Title IX have been under attack.

The Biden-Harris administration pushed a radical rewrite of Title IX that would eliminate policies enacted by 26 States to protect equal athletic opportunities for women and girls. Even with last week's court order striking down the regulation and the Trump administration poised to undo the harm caused by it, nearly half of the States have no protections in place for female athletes.

Mr. Speaker, kicking girls off sports teams to make way for biological males takes opportunities away from these girls. This means fewer college scholarships and fewer opportunities for girls. It also makes them second-class citizens in their own sports and puts their safety at risk.

The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 offers a new promise to America's women and girls. It will strengthen Title IX's protections for women, ensure a level playing field for female athletes, and protect the law

from current and future radical regulatory schemes.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Steube), the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I would call attention to the fact that, in this bill, we offer no requirement for any type of invasive checks on women or men. They simply have to go to the birth certificate. That will give the answer.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Rulli), a member of the Committee on Education and Workforce.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen) who also chairs the Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.

Mr. Speaker, I am shocked at that description of this legislation and would ask where in the world that information is found in this bill. There is no requirement for inspections, and there is no necessary effort other than going to a person's birth certificate.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Owens), one who knows about true competition and an equal nature and a just nature as well, as he wears a Super Bowl ring. He is also the vice chair of the Education and Workforce Committee and chair of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from Utah.

Certainly. That bill doesn't deal with this at all. It deals with men in sports.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller), a member of the Education and Workforce Committee and a strong leader in protecting womanhood, girls, and Title

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 5 seconds to the gentlewoman from Illinois.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Onder), a new member of the Education and Workforce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Harris), an incoming member of the Education and Workforce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Messmer), who is an incoming member of the Education and Workforce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Alford).

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to hear the talk about invasion of privacy of young kids. It is just not true. On the other hand, let me explain to my colleagues what is invasive.

Last year, Riley Gaines, the former University of Kentucky swimmer, testified in front of Georgia's State legislature. In addressing Georgia Tech's president, she said: ``We did not give our consent to be exploited and exposed to a 6-foot-4 fully naked man. Because you did nothing, that man walked into the women's locker room at your university and saw me undress down to full nudity. You allowed college women to be traumatized . . . on your campus in this way. Why didn't you protect us?''

I ask the same to my Democratic colleagues, Mr. Speaker. Why aren't they willing to protect the women and girls from this invasion of their privacy?

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it saddens me to hear that my colleagues, who I respect and enjoy working with on most things, are totally not recognizing the fact that the American people, parents, grandparents, and teachers, don't stand with them and organizations that are reported today aren't speaking for the benefit of girls and women.

It is absolutely heart-wrenching to see daughters and sisters lose races. The strides women have made across all corners of the sports world deserve to be celebrated and protected.

Like it or not, sports are based on physical ability. Pretending otherwise is a stark denial of reality.

Erasing sex means ultimately erasing women, especially when it comes to sports. Girls and women lose a fair chance to compete when a biological male enters the field.

We can't let women's sports become collateral damage in the far left's campaign against a traditional science-based understanding of sex. Allowing women and girls to suffer for the sake of the dishonesty of wokeness is inexcusable.

We need to stand for women and girls. I believe that the constituents in overwhelming majority understand what my colleagues are posturing with and that that is not what we are talking about.

We are standing for affirming Title IX, affirming women, affirming girls, and protecting them for their abilities to succeed in the future.

I plead with my Democratic colleagues to join us in celebrating women and girls, the female athlete, and females in general.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of my legislation, H.R. 1377, the Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act.

This important legislation strengthens American leadership in 5G and future wireless communications by bringing together key stakeholders to create a unified approach to international standards-setting.

It directs the NTIA to assist and encourage trusted U.S. companies to actively participate in global standards-setting organizations, such as 3GPP and IEEE.

These independent, business-led entities establish the technical standards that 5G operators, equipment manufacturers, software providers, and others rely on to build wireless networks.

China and other adversaries are investing heavily in 5G deployment and are actively working to shape these standards-setting processes to serve their interests. If they succeed in skewing future standards toward their own priorities, the United States risks being placed at a significant economic and strategic disadvantage.

As we did with 3G and 4G, the United States must continue leading the way on 5G. H.R. 1377 ensures a coordinated approach to counter foreign influence by protecting our national security, our economic competitiveness, and global technology leadership.

Finally, this will be my last act for now as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. It has been a wonderful, productive 8 years. I have worked on such a wide set of policies such as increasing energy independence, protecting kids online, fighting electric vehicle mandates, championing American innovators, improving nationwide connectivity, and much, much more.

My colleagues and the many staff I have worked with have made my time on the Energy and Commerce Committee great.

I see why this committee is often called the best committee on the Hill, though I am going to challenge you for that title over at the Education and the Workforce Committee.

I thank the incredible leadership of Chair Rodgers and former Chair Walden, and I wish Chair-elect Guthrie all the best.

As my last ask, I encourage all my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate my friend, Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

From taking on TikTok, as we have talked about, to boosting America's energy strategy, Chairwoman Rodgers has been our fearless leader for the last 4 years on the Committee on Energy and Commerce and as Conference chair before that.

I am most thankful for her commitment to taking care of our Nation's children, all our children. Through her efforts on kids' online privacy and safety, as well as on improving health outcomes for babies, children, and mothers, her passion and hard work have never wavered.

We are sad to see her go but wish her God's richest blessings in her next stage of life, for it is God who guided her good and principled representation of those she served.

The State of Washington and her family are lucky to have her back. Maybe I would change that from lucky to blessed to have her back full time.

Thank you, Madam Chair, for your years of service to this country, the committee, the God you serve, and Members like me who so appreciated your leadership. God bless you.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5349, the Crucial Communism Teaching Act, and I thank my colleague from Florida, Representative Salazar, for her work on this important legislation that comes from personal experience with communism.

Communism has a long and dark history of political suppression, persecution, and violence that has been whitewashed by foreign influence in American education institutions for a long time. Schoolchildren should receive an accurate and comprehensive education on communist regimes and policies.

Communism has led to the deaths of over 100 million victims worldwide. It has failed every time it has been tried, and, sadly, polls today show that one in five millennials and one in three members of Gen Z have a positive viewpoint of communism. Wow.

Mr. Speaker, that data is troubling, and solutions start with ensuring an accurate education.

What this legislation does is it says: Local K-12 schools are local K-12 schools. The bureaucracy in the Federal Government is not going to put the thumb on the scale, but we are going to give the opportunity for accurate educational tools to be put in place if they choose to do it.

Mr. Speaker, I think there are a lot of American parents who would be thrilled with the opportunity of knowing that these resources, put together by people who understand the history, will be there for them.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 5349 as an initial, positive step toward restoring the greatness of our country with the understanding of the evil influence of communism that is still there and invading our country at this very moment in our classrooms.

Mr. Speaker, I urge its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to cosponsor H.R. 8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act, and I commend Congresswoman Houchin for her leadership on this important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, it isn't too often that we get to say this, but there is bipartisan agreement in recognizing the Department of Education's rollout of FAFSA has been nothing short of an embarrassment. Sadly, it is an embarrassment that negatively impacted students across the country, teachers, professors, and especially lower income students who need financial assistance the most.

I was proud to be part of the bipartisan effort to overhaul FAFSA and make it simpler, but after 3 long years to implement the reforms, the Department dropped the ball numerous times. As a result, over 430,000 fewer students submitted a FAFSA form, according to GAO.

Additionally, there have been numerous reports from across the country about how this botched rollout has affected institutions. This fall semester, institutions experienced the steepest drop in first-year enrollment since the pandemic, pushing many institutions to the financial brink.

This is unacceptable. H.R. 8932 is a commonsense bill to provide students, families, and institutions much-needed clarity by ensuring the FAFSA is released and fully operational on October 1 of each year. Doing so will ensure schools and counselors are able to conduct outreach efforts as needed. Colleges will be able to get their financial aid offers processed in a timely manner, and students will be able to make informed decisions about their academic future.

Mr. Speaker, under the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of Education has become a bloated arsenal of bureaucracy, more focused on woke policies than its core mission. I look forward to working with the incoming Trump administration on rightsizing the Department of Education, if that is even possible, and putting American students and their families first.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H.R. 8932.