Jodey Arrington

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I say a hearty amen to my fellow Texan who has put his money where his mouth is. Certainly, he has put the votes of his constituents where his mouth is and has taken a stand. It is not fun to be voting against things that have these wonderful titles that are going to do these grandiose things for the country. But the question is, who is going to pay for it? I don't even call the $30 trillion of debt ``debt.'' I call it what Tom McClintock once mentioned in a budget hearing. It is a deferred tax on our children. It is so easy for us to pass these bills and not consider the incalculable cumulative cost. But there will be a payday someday. As James Madison said, ``A public debt is a public curse.'' We are not blessing our children. We are not giving them the benefit of the quality of life that we have known as Americans second to no other nation and society in the world and in the history of the world. Yet, to do nothing and to keep this runaway freight train of fiscal irresponsibility running off the cliff is to curse them. Indeed, it is to curse them, as James Madison said. Another friend and colleague and a new Member of Congress, but not new to public service, is Peter Meijer from Michigan's Third District. He serves on the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. We appreciate his deep concerns and convictions on this issue facing our country. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Meijer).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan, my friend, for his comments. I am, again, proud to serve with him, and he brings such reason and common sense. He is right to say that it is not a partisan issue and that the debt and those things that have led to this massive $30 trillion, over 120 percent of the size of our entire economy, exceeding World War II with our entire debt--and by the way, in peacetime. He is right. We have to have an honest conversation with ourselves before we have an honest conversation with the American people, and both parties have contributed to this mess. Until we decide to accept that and take ownership of it, we will never lead us to the path of restoring that responsibility, that good footing, and the prospects of having saved this country and our children and grandchildren from the disastrous, calamitous future if we don't. I appreciate his approach to it. We are reaching out to our colleagues, our Democrat colleagues, to fix some of these broken systems, the perverse incentives that let us get away with this reckless and irresponsible process that we call budget and appropriations. Nowhere else in the world can you do what we do. But the results are indisputable. You get a broken process, a dysfunctional system like we have, and you are going to get broken outcomes. Look no further than the debt clock, and look no further than CBO's 10-year forecast: $16 trillion more over the next 10 years of just the public debt. It went from almost a trillion in annual deficits leading up to COVID, and now the average will be $1.6 trillion in annual deficits over the next 10 years, leading up to 2032, where we will have $2.3 trillion in annual deficits. The interest we pay on the debt just to service them, think about this. We will spend more to service the debt to pay the interest, which you get nothing for. You get no infrastructure. You don't get a farm bill with strengthening of the food supply. You don't get a better or bigger army to put on the field against the threats around the globe. We will see a tripling of the interest payments that will exceed in 10 years, cumulative, over $8 trillion, but the annual amount will exceed what we spend on national defense. We get nothing for this interest. It is the largest growing mandatory spending item in the budget. Woe to the country if we don't take a hard look in the mirror and if we don't decide to muster the political courage to take this on for the sake of our kids and for the sake of our country. Now, one of my closest friends in Congress who claims to come from a State that does more agriculture than the Lone Star State, which already discredits him from the outset, but I don't want to see the numbers because I would be afraid if he were right. I would be afraid to go back to Texas. We are just going to say Texas is bigger in every way, including ag production. He is a Ways and Means Committee member, and this guy, he is passionate about our debt, our deficits, and getting our fiscal house in order. He is going to be helping lead the charge in the 118th Congress when the people, I pray, give our conference, Republicans, a chance to prove that we are serious on this: Ron Estes from the great State of Kansas.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I couldn't be more proud to serve alongside of Ron Estes. The people of Kansas are well served, letting him be their voice in the people's House. You mentioned the disastrous economic plan and policies of this administration. It is hard to believe what you didn't mention that this President and our colleagues on the other side of the aisle somehow think that the largest tax-and-spend bill is the solution. More spending. More spending. More flooding the market with Federal moneys. More expansion of welfare without work. We all want to take care of those folks who are working hard and still struggling. But, for example, the refundable tax credit, child tax credit, where we would be paying thousands of dollars per child, per person, with no requirement to work, to contribute, to have ownership in this society, it is reckless. And, quite frankly, it is heartless because those policies trap people in poverty. They don't lift them out. They trap them in a life of dependency on the government. We want Americans to be the very best that God has created them to be and have the best quality of life and a chance for a better life for their families. I thank my friend from Kansas. I am reminded of some great warnings from our wise Founders. Ben Franklin said, `` . . . when you run into debt; you give another power over your liberty.'' We are talking about robbing our children of their freedom, not just their economic opportunity and future prosperity. Thomas Jefferson said, ``To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.'' Warning after warning. One of my favorites, our great father of this country, our first President, Commander in Chief George Washington, in his farewell address--think about it, penning a relatively short set of remarks, not only for those of his time, but for posterity, for future leaders of the greatest country in the world. He gave three major warnings. He said: Be careful of foreign influence, be careful of the factions that will divide you within our own country, weakening our bonds of unity, as I stand under the ``e pluribus unum'' motto, out of many one, that unifying spirit that made this country exceptional. But he warned about fiscal irresponsibility, and just to paraphrase, he said: We must avoid the accumulation of debt, not only by shunning occasions of expense, but by vigorous exertions in time of peace to discharge the debts, which unavoidable wars may have occasioned, not ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burden, which we ourselves ought to bear. I mean, we are ungenerously throwing upon posterity a burden of debt that we are not willing to bear. We are not willing to take the tough votes and pay for this and reduce our debt and deficit spending and give the next generation a chance, a fighting chance to have what we have had in this great country. I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cloud), another freedom- fighting Texan who serves the coastal communities in the Lone Star State, Oversight and Reform Committee member and proud Texan, the lone Texan on the Agriculture Committee. I have tremendous respect for him and his love for freedom, his love for the Lord, and his love for the people of this great country, from Texas' 27th District.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, wow, I have to really hold back here because I have other colleagues that have important things to say, but when I listen to my friend Michael Cloud, I am inspired because he is a man driven by conviction. I have watched him, and I admire his drive for truth, his seeking out what is best for the country. That is his measuring stick. In an institution full of so much baloney and so many, pardon me, partisan hacks, it is nice to have somebody that just says, I want to do right by the Constitution, my constituents, and my kids. And that is what drives Michael Cloud. I am proud to serve with Representative Cloud. I thank him for joining us for this discussion. We have another Kansan. I think we have had three Texans and two Kansans, so we are still winning, we are still up one. Tracey Mann is a new Member of Congress but not new to public service. He has led his great State as Lieutenant Governor. Now, he might boast more wheat and sorghum there in his district, but he will never be able to produce more cotton than Texas 19. I love that he is a champion for our producers, our ag producers, and I love that he is equally concerned about making sure we live within our means, we rein in our spending, and we reduce our national debt and get back to the fiscal footing that we all have confidence will be a gift, not a curse, and that we will, in fact, reverse the curse. We are going to get a chance in the next term. God willing, I think the people are going to give us the chance to lead. And lead we must, which will require courage, and I know you have it. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann), from the First District of Kansas.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Mann for bringing up the stepped-up basis repeal. Republicans didn't get a vote in this largest tax-and-spending bill that was called Build Back Better, that some have not so affectionately referred to as build back broke. Really, it adds, even according to CBO, trillions of dollars in new debt. Worst of all, the Democrats negotiated some of these provisions out before they passed it out of the House. One of them was the repeal of the stepped-up basis. Then, this President puts it back in the ``Green Book'' and says to the American farmers and ranchers, who put food on the table and give us food security, which is national security--we talk about energy independence; you wait until the pain is felt by the food shortage, a whole other level of concern when it comes to supply chain. Less than 1 percent, a fraction of a percent, we spend as a nation to have ag independence and have a stable ag economy through farm policies and a farm bill. This stepped-up basis, as I told Secretary Yellen, would create the largest fire sale of farm assets in the history of our country. Farmers are cash poor. If the next generation of farmers inherits a death tax, after paying taxes out the wazoo on every level--income, sales, franchise, you name it, they have paid it. It is an unfair, un- American double tax, and they don't have the cash for it. It amounts to selling off the family farm because the vast majority will be forced to do that to pay more taxes.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Amen. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Mann for his contributions to this important conversation with the American people. I am proud to have also met and befriended a gentleman from the great State of Utah. The first time we met, I talked about this bipartisan effort to get at the root causes of this broken budget process and reach across the aisle and simply force us, through the right incentives, to be responsible stewards, to get budgets out on time with budget outcomes that would reduce the debt. I remember that Representative Moore lit up at that dinner meeting and said: Sign me up. Ever since then, he has been on a mission. He has worked with his constituents, put a task force together. He is prepared, as he looks at joining the Ways and Means Committee, which, by the way, when you look at 70 percent of our budget on auto-spend--that is, entitlement, mandatory programs. The vast majority of those, certainly the big drivers of our debt, are under the auspices and the authority and jurisdiction of the Ways and Means Committee. I will heartily welcome him to the team in that regard. I appreciate his passion for this issue. Again, we will get an opportunity to serve and lead and govern, and we are going to need people like him to not only sound the alarm but assemble the team of people, the coalition of the willing, on both sides of the aisle, to do the right thing by the American people. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore), who represents Utah's First District.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore), beating the drum and sounding the alarm is a big part of it. I think at some point it is hard to calculate and get your mind around the trillions of dollars that are amassing. We have added $7 trillion in additional debt since COVID alone. And what happens, I believe, is when you do that and there is no consequence, there is no trade-off, we are not hitting them in the pocketbook saying, we need more of your hard-earned dollars to pay for this stuff, and we are not cutting the favorite programs of our fellow Americans, so there is no pain.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Moral hazard. We are sleepwalking off the cliff. The problem with this crisis is, as I said, when Humpty Dumpty falls and shatters it is going to be difficult to put him and the exceptional nature and the superpower leadership of this great country back together. There is just not a lot of time and heads up and warning before you go over the precipice. It is incumbent on us, as young fathers and young family men, to be able to take this on head-on with the courage that our Founders had who gave birth to this great country. Madam Speaker, I hear you rattling the gavel, so God bless America, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I have never been more proud to be a Red Raider than after that introduction, I can tell you that. I thank the gentleman, my fellow freedom-loving Texan, Representative Gohmert, for yielding me the time. We will miss Representative Gohmert in this Chamber and the fight that he brought every day for the people in this people's House. I will lend my thoughts and sentiments on this issue of violence. As my colleague from Florida mentioned, human violence, sometimes perpetrated with guns, is a human problem, a problem of the soul, a problem of society, the degradation of our culture and our families. These are issues far deeper than legislation can reach, I can assure you. I understand, because I am human, that we want to do something and that while that may be a human response, as lawmakers, we should ask the question not can we do something symbolic, can we do something to make the American people feel good, because that is not going to save a single elementary school child. We have to ask the question: What can we do that will actually work, and what can we do that will also preserve the rights of our citizens to protect themselves? I think we often forget and fail to start this conversation with the genesis and the fundamental rationale for the Second Amendment. Our Founders knew good and well the abuses, the corruption, and the tyrannical force from a coercive central government. They wanted to make sure that not only could we preserve our happiness and our life and liberty from the crazy and the criminal; they wanted to make sure that we would have a last check on tyranny with an armed citizenry. Folks, the Second Amendment is there, and we have preserved this experiment in liberty and democracy for 240-plus years, even though, in the 20th century alone, tens of millions of people have been slaughtered by their own government. We have preserved this great beacon of liberty, this shining city on a hill, because of that founding principle that the Second Amendment is the citizen's last check on an abusive government. The Declaration of Independence says it best. It talks about the mission of a government that has the consent of the people to protect and secure the liberties of those people, and whenever any form of government becomes destructive of those ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it. But it goes further. It says when there is a long train of abuses and usurpation, reducing the society to absolute despotism, it is the right and even the duty of the people to throw off that government. Folks, that is the context to the Second Amendment. It is not just to give east Texans and west Texans a hunting license. And I think it is critical. As we grieve with our brothers and sisters in Uvalde, and it is heartbreaking and unthinkable to see that tragedy play out and to see these families suffer, but I think it is incumbent upon mature lawmakers and leaders of the greatest and freest country in the world to take a deep breath and ask the question: Will these things that we are talking about with respect to gun control actually do anything to stop these crazy, murderous people from committing their crimes? We need to let Uvalde grieve. We need to let the final report come out. We all need to be more vigilant. Quite frankly, when we talk about 18- to 21-year-olds and extreme risk orders and all the litany of things that are being debated in this Chamber, we ought to let the States like Texas, along with their communities, figure out how to solve these problems and secure their schools and communities. The Federal Government's mission at its core is to secure the liberties of the people and provide for a common defense. Let Texas figure this out. My goodness, the very gun control laws that were passed out of this Chamber have been in place in cities and States with the highest gun- related crimes. No more feel-good measures, no more infringing measures. Let's pray for Uvalde. Let's let Texas solve those problems. Let's protect the God-given, constitutionally protected rights of every American to defend themselves against the criminal and, God forbid, a coercive government. God bless America, and I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I was unable to be present for the following votes. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 183; NAY on Roll Call No. 184; NAY on Roll Call No. 185; NAY on Roll Call No. 186; NAY on Roll Call No. 187; NAY on Roll Call No. 188; NAY on Roll Call No. 189; YEA on Roll Call No. 190; YEA on Roll Call No. 191; YEA on Roll Call No. 192; NAY on Roll Call No. 193; YEA on Roll Call No. 194; YEA on Roll Call No. 195; YEA on Roll Call No. 196; YEA on Roll Call No. 197; YEA on Roll Call No. 198; YEA on Roll Call No. 199; YEA on Roll Call No. 200; YEA on Roll Call No. 201; YEA on Roll Call No. 202; YEA on Roll Call No. 203; YEA on Roll Call No. 204; YEA on Roll Call No. 205; YEA on Roll Call No. 206; YEA on Roll Call No. 207; NAY on Roll Call No. 208; NAY on Roll Call No. 209; YEA on Roll Call No. 210; NAY on Roll Call No. 211; NAY on Roll Call No. 212; YEA on Roll Call No. 213; YEA on Roll Call No. 214; YEA on Roll Call No. 215; YEA on Roll Call No. 216; YEA on Roll Call No. 217; YEA on Roll Call No. 218; YEA on Roll Call No. 219; NAY on Roll Call No. 220; NAY on Roll Call No. 221; YEA on Roll Call No. 222; YEA on Roll Call No. 223; YEA on Roll Call No. 224; YEA on Roll Call No. 225; YEA on Roll Call No. 226; YEA on Roll Call No. 227; YEA on Roll Call No. 228; NAY on Roll Call No. 229; NAY on Roll Call No. 230; YEA on Roll Call No. 231; and NAY on Roll Call No. 232.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, President Biden's own words: Show me your budget, and I will show you your priorities. President Biden's budget is not only a reflection of his priorities; it is a mirror into the soul of the Democrat Party. Biden's budget exposes Democrat leadership's complete disregard for fiscal responsibility, adding trillions of dollars in new spending and sending us hurtling toward an incalculable national debt of $45 trillion by 2032. The budget proposal includes a staggering $2.5 trillion in tax hikes that would weaken our global competitiveness, stifle wage growth, and send prices skyrocketing even higher than the current 40-year high inflation. The result would be devastating for American investment, innovation, and jobs. The deficit spending in Biden's proposal will leave our children steeped in debt and at risk of an economic crisis they cannot borrow their way out of. His budget doubles down on the radical socialist policies, including the Green New Deal and its extreme environmental policies and a whole-of-government assault on oil and gas, which is undermining our energy independence and making us weaker and more vulnerable, like our friends in Europe. It also includes tax hikes that will make America less competitive, raising taxes higher than Communist China, and hiring tens of thousands of new IRS agents to harass hardworking Americans. This is his vision for a stronger and more prosperous America. While the President's expansion of nondefense domestic spending is on pace to double over the next several years, his budget effectively cuts spending for the Defense Department by 4 percent. If our adversaries weren't already emboldened by the disaster at the southern border, the debacle in Afghanistan, the weak negotiations with Iran, or the slow and feckless response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, they certainly will be now. The President's budget is not only a failure in the area of readiness; it is more advertisement of weakness in an increasingly dangerous world. Lastly, the President's budget uses an outrageous budget gimmick to prevent his massive, multitrillion-dollar Build Back Better from affecting the budget score. Mr. Speaker, if the American people did that--that off-balance, Enron-like accounting scheme--they would go to prison. This is not just intellectually dishonest; it is downright deceitful. From the top-line numbers to tax hikes, from partisan policies to bureaucratic bloat, President Biden's budget highlights the Democratic Party's real priorities: the largest expansion and most radical reimagination of the Federal Government in the lives of its people.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the previous question so that we can immediately consider H.R. 6858, the America Energy Independence from Russia Act. That would not only strengthen our security and independence, it would lower gas prices by approving the Keystone pipeline, removing restrictions on LNG exports, restarting production on Federal lands and waters, and overall encouraging more American energy development. In the midst of skyrocketing inflation and surging prices at the pump, along with the geopolitical context where Europe is dependent on Russian oil and gas, you would think the Biden administration would abandon their whole-of-government approach to targeting American energy production. Since Biden took office, he has used every tool at his disposal to undermine the oil and gas industry and our energy independence along with it. In addition to the onslaught of his unilateral attacks, his first Presidential budget was released and called for $35 billion in punitive tax increases on the oil and gas industry. His administration has weaponized and abused their regulatory authority to attack the industry at every turn; SEC reports for permitting on the directives, and EPA radical regulations. What is more astonishing is Biden's latest budget, which is $4 trillion in taxes, and includes $45 billion in taxes on oil and gas. These are the same provisions that his own party rejected and had to abandon their build back broke proposal. Just like he has done with the regulatory regime, it appears our President is weaponizing the tax code to cancel an entire sector of our economy, one that is paramount to our prosperity and security. As events around the world constrain supply, he seems hellbent to ensure that anyone but American energy producers, the most efficient, the cleanest producers in the world, are positioned to supply the United States and our people and our allies around the world.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the Donna M. Doss Memorial Act. It is bipartisan and bicameral legislation that I introduced alongside my friends, Senator John Cornyn and Congressman Cuellar. Donna Doss was a constituent of mine from the Big Country, Abilene, Texas. She valiantly served our country as a Border Patrol agent for nearly 16 years before she was tragically killed in the line of duty in 2019. In addition to serving our country as a law enforcement officer-- and I would add, a hero--she was a daughter, a sister, a mother, and a loving wife to Michael, her husband for over 20 years. Like many in her profession, she made the greatest sacrifice for the good of this great country, for the love of her fellow countrymen. The Bible says: No greater love than this that a man or women lay down their lives for their friends. She did that. She is a patriot and we will miss her. This legislation is going to designate the Rocksprings, Texas, Border Patrol station as the Donna M. Doss Border Patrol Station to honor her and her legacy and her family, and, quite frankly, every law enforcement officer and their families that take on the same risks, and many of whom who make the ultimate sacrifice. It is the right thing to do. It is a good thing to do. I pray that the family is comforted by this gesture, and I pray that God would bless her legacy, as we pray that he blesses our entire country.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, suspending Russia's normal trade relation status with the United States is the right and absolutely necessary thing to do. I have to note, Madam Speaker, that our President continues to take an incremental and piecemeal response to Vladimir Putin and this unprovoked attack on Ukraine. It is wholly inadequate. Not only will it not deter this tyrant, I fear it will embolden other adversaries to follow suit. Madam Speaker, we have to stop assaulting oil and gas. This has to be an early warning to the United States and lawmakers. We can steward the environment. We should. But we have to understand the geopolitical importance of energy independence. We can do both. This is America. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues, all of my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, to support this suspension. But I urge my President: Be more resolute. Act with a sense of urgency. Provide the war machines and weaponry that the Ukrainians need to fight for their freedom and independence. God bless America.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately President Biden continues to be inexcusably feckless in his response to global threats from our adversaries. Now, in the moment of truth, when America can send a clear and unequivocal message to dictators and democracies alike by banning Russian oil imports to the United States, the President has failed once again to rise to the occasion. This anemic response would remove the commonsense conditions for lifting the ban like Russia's full and immediate withdrawal from Ukraine and their ceasing to threaten other NATO countries. The most egregious aspect of this proposal is that the President and the Democrat leadership refused to revoke Russia's permanent normal trade relation status, which will continue to allow them low-tariff access to the United States market--a privilege only allies of freedom should receive. Consistent with Biden's timid response, I fear that these half- measures will not only fail to deter Vladimir Putin, but will invite other tyrants around the world to follow suit. Mr. Speaker, we must unload the full arsenal, the full force of America's economic arsenal on the Russian Federation and their rogue leader.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, rural communities are the heartbeat of America. These are hardworking, God-fearing people, and they deserve access to basic healthcare. And quite frankly, if our Nation is going to reap the blessings of our food supply and food security and our fuel supply and energy independence, we have to work together to make sure that we have that critical access to care, which means sustainable rural communities and a robust supply of ag and energy. Now, in 1969 in the wisdom of the Texas legislature, they created the Texas Tech University Medical School that became the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. And the mission was not only to train up the next generation of healthcare professionals and develop the next generation of healthcare innovations, it was to plug a gaping hole in rural communities by providing excellent healthcare services to these good people. The Health Sciences Center has become Texas' center for innovation in telehealth practices. The Health Sciences Center has pioneered telehealth and paved the way for over 100,000 rural west Texans to access vital healthcare services. By understanding the needs of rural patients who are at increased risk for physician shortages and have a higher mortality rate than their urban counterparts, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center was able to provide a blueprint for telehealth best practices that have been essential to our country over the past 2 years. In addition to protecting patients' physical health, the Health Sciences Center has developed Telepsych, which connects patients, including children, who are having serious mental health issues, to a licensed professional. And unfortunately, with school closures as a result of the pandemic--and I would say later as a result of union- controlled schools--this has become a much-needed and much more popular service. Thank you, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center for being a beacon of hope for the health and future of our country and especially rural America. God bless, and go west Texas. Wishing Elvin N. Howell a Happy 108th Birthday

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and wish Elvin Howell a happy 108th birthday. Mr. Howell grew up in Snyder, Texas, before hitchhiking to Abilene, Texas, to attend Hardin-Simmons University, where he played football and ran track. After graduating from HSU, Howell moved to Kermit, Texas, with his wife, Rena. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II, Mr. Howell heroically enlisted in the United States Navy and served as a commander on a merchant marine ship guarding the United States from a foreign invasion. Mr. Howell returned to west Texas after the war to raise his family and educate the next generation of west Texans as a teacher in Tulia, Texas. Mr. Howell credits his impressive longevity to spending time outdoors, as when he celebrated his 103rd birthday ziplining in the Palo Duro Canyon. What a man. Elvin Howell has lived a full life of service to his family, community, and his country. He is one of the 20 oldest living veterans in the United States. Elvin is an inspiring coach, a caring educator, and a true west Texan. Elvin was married to his late wife, Rena, for 60 years. They have two sons, John and Fred, and three grandchildren. On behalf of my colleagues in this great Chamber, we want to wish Mr. Howell a happy 108th birthday and many more to come. God bless, and go west Texas.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, unfortunately and sadly enough, this is a repeat of the political ruse where you wrap a flag and give a great name to legislation. The reality is it has very little to do with the threats China poses to the United States and the world. There is plenty of common ground we could find to work on that big challenge, a huge threat. Instead, this is a misleading piece of legislation. It is another legislative wagonloaded with the same tired, old, progressive policies: union giveaways; green energy subsidies; and unhinged--in my opinion--social policies and experimentation, like training our Armed Forces not to fight and win wars but to combat climate change and naming a chief diversity officer. That should make us safer and all sleep better at night with respect to China. The Democratic Party, Madam Speaker, has been hijacked by the left, and they are willing to sacrifice America's prosperity, our security, and our global leadership on climate apocalypse now. I don't get it.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. I thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Banks), my friend and colleague from the Hoosier State. Looking back over the last year under the leadership of this President and single-party rule, for a guy who wants my team to win, my team is not the Republican Party, Madam Speaker. It is the great United States of America. It is my children, quite frankly. Personally, it is my children who I want to inherit the blessings of liberty and opportunity in this great country. That is our greatest calling, to hand this country back better than we found it, take on the challenges that face our country, work together to solve the problems, and make this a better, stronger, safer, more prosperous, more free Nation for the next generation. That has not happened, not even close, not even close. I am disappointed to say that this President and his colleagues in the Democratic Party have absolutely failed our country. I didn't say they were bad people. In fact, there are many of them I would call friend and proudly. As a team elected by the American people to do the job I outlined, they have failed miserably. As we say in west Texas on Saturday morning after Friday night lights, when we are looking at the film, the eye in the sky doesn't lie. If you look at the footage, you watch the film, you can't help but see one self-inflicted disaster after another. Madam Speaker, let's start with the tone and the promise to unify this country and its leaders, to usher into this Chamber and to politics and political rhetoric civility and unity. That is a big F. This President, I would say, took more unilateral actions and, along with his Democrat leaders in Congress, have jammed through more partisan bills than they have worked together to address the issues facing this country. We are more divided today than we were. If our Speaker, Ms. Pelosi, would actually focus on the things that would be required to prevent another riot on this Capitol, then you would have the Capitol Police and the Inspector General of the Capitol Police saying, we are better prepared than we were a year ago. We are actually less prepared today because there has been so much hyper- partisanship and so much political weaponization and theater than there has actually been real governing of our great country. So there is the tone which is failure. The most important job of the Federal Government is to provide for a common defense. It is the safety and security of the American people. I know you have heard Chairman Banks. I am sure the remarks today have been replete with the debacle in Afghanistan and the sadness with which all Americans watched that. At the same time that they watched this needless, senseless incompetence, they saw America's credibility slip quickly, not only with our enemies but with our allies. I don't know if there was ever a time that the American troops packed up and left with Americans, our fellow citizens, crying out because we left them behind. There is a litany of problems with what happened in Afghanistan. This President is ultimately responsible. He didn't listen to his advisors. People died. Our troops, we spent 20 years and trillions of dollars, we lost the lives of our sons and daughters in uniform to the tune of roughly 2,400. What do we have to show for it besides that embarrassment of a withdrawal? I live in Texas. We are at ground zero with respect to the chaos at the border and the record number of people and crime activity and drugs that are powering into our country. This President has been derelict in fulfilling his sacred duty to uphold the law, plain and simple. Worse, working with his Democrat colleagues in this Chamber, they have poured fuel on the fire that is burning out of control at the border by saying we will give you more carrots. We will create more incentives. We will turn the volume up so that people will come in by the millions with the offer of reparation, with the offer of citizenship, mass amnesty, the ability to vote in our elections. You can't make this up, but this border crisis is real. The American people who live along the border feel like this President and their government has given up on them and has failed them. I would agree. With respect to the economy, I know we had a tough job for all Americans and all leaders for both parties to get us up and out of the recession related to the pandemic. For this President and my Democrat colleagues, to put policies in place that incentivize people to stay at home rather than to go back to work, I am talking about enhanced unemployment policies. I am talking about welfare expansion without work requirements, actually a repeal of work requirements. To put massive amounts of government spending into the marketplace, it is no wonder that we are seeing runaway inflation in every corner of our marketplace and in every good and every service that our working Americans depend on. The majority of Americans who live paycheck to paycheck have lost almost $400 a month on account of the real wage decrease because of inflation, self-inflicted, one after another, and the state of the Union is more fragile now than ever. It is less hopeful than it was 1 year ago. I don't see any posture of change or relenting on the horizon from this President, even with these startling statistics and facts that are laid out plainly for everybody to see. I am not bashful to give blame or credit to either side when it is due, but this is a one-party rule. We haven't even talked about the crime spree, we haven't talked about the promises made and broken with respect to COVID, the authoritarian mandates in one breath and action and in another breath saying that we are going to work together and defer to States, this isn't a Federal solution. I am confused. I am concerned. I have got to say 1 year in review is bleak and dismal. I don't say that with partisan glee, I say it with tremendous sadness and with profound grief over the opportunities lost in a backslidden country where we can do so much better. We have done better together. Republicans don't have all the answers. I don't have all the answers. But this has not been the great, strong, and constructive leadership that our Nation has seen in the past from, quite frankly, from both parties. So I hope and pray, Madam Speaker, that this President will hear not my voice but the voices of the American people, the voices who cried out from the will of the people in Virginia where the We the People wave has begun, and that we will make changes, and that he will focus on the real needs; he will stop placating the left, which seems to be the MO and has been for the last year, and start focusing on the priorities that are important to the American people and to working families: safer neighborhoods; a secure border; strong, effective, and respected military and law enforcement; real growth; real opportunities; real wage increases like we saw when we cut taxes; and just a better quality of life and better hope over the horizon for our children. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Banks for allowing me to be a part of today's Special Order.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great man, a devoted father and husband, a selfless leader, and a legend in Louisiana real estate law. Malcolm Meyer graduated magna cum laude from Tulane University, graduated from Tulane Law School, and then served 4 years as a JAG officer in the United States Navy. Malcolm Meyer practiced law over 30 years, taught and mentored students as an adjunct professor, and he became a leading expert in his field, literally writing the book on real estate transaction law in Louisiana, the widely read and referenced ``Malcolm's Manual on Louisiana Real Estate.'' Malcolm has used his vast knowledge and expertise not only to better his colleagues and his profession, but to help the disadvantaged in his community. Most notably, following the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, Malcolm spent countless hours of pro bono work protecting the property and belongings of the most vulnerable in his State. He has been recognized over the years for his outstanding volunteer service by organizations, including Louisiana Appleseed Foundation, Louisiana Land Title Association, and the prestigious George Herbert Walker Bush's Points of Light. On December 29, Malcolm was named the recipient of the 2021 Louisiana Land Title Association Lifetime Achievement Award. Strong countries and vibrant communities, Mr. Speaker, are not established merely because of good laws but because of good men whose hearts are devoted to the sum of all laws: Love thy neighbor as thyself. That is Malcolm Meyer to his core, and I know that unequivocally, Mr. Speaker, because he is my father-in-law. I am so proud of him, and I want to congratulate Big Mouse and send our best. We love Big Mouse, and it is a well-deserved recognition. Recognizing Don McBeath

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding west Texan, a great partner in delivering rural healthcare solutions, and a dear friend, Don McBeath. Don is retiring from his role as director of government relations for the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals, what we refer to as TORCH, where he has been a champion for over 150 rural hospitals since 2007. Prior to his time with TORCH, Don blazed the trail in telehealth by serving as the director of telemedicine and rural health at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Before that, he served as a judge and several years in the DA's office. I wish Don and Beverly all the best as they move into the next chapter of their lives. I thank Don for his friendship and his tremendous contributions to rural west Texas. Congratulating Cash Patten and Berkley Waters

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, rodeo is not just a sport; it is a way of life and a heritage in the Lone Star State. I am pleased to see this time-honored tradition is being kept alive by the next generation of Texans. I rise today to recognize the accomplishments of two outstanding west Texans, 9-year-old Berkley Waters of Lubbock and 12-year-old Cash Patten of New Home. Berkley and Cash, two great cowboy names, recently competed in the barrel racing finals in the Junior World Finals rodeo in Las Vegas. West Texans are known for being hardworking, tough, and undeterred. Cash and Berkley have these qualities, Mr. Speaker, in spades. Their commitment to these virtues and their craft has allowed them to perform at the highest level and on the biggest stage in their sport. I want to congratulate Berkley and Cash for all their hard work and what they have been able to accomplish at a young age. God bless America and go west Texas.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, Unfortunately, I did not participate in the following votes. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 409, and YEA on Roll Call No. 417.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I was reported as no, but I intended to vote yes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 437. Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress Baird (Walorski) Barragan (Gallego) Bass (Brownley) Buchanan (Waltz) Courtney (Hayes) Crist (Soto) Cuellar (Green (TX)) DeFazio (Brown (MD)) Fallon (Gooden) Fulcher (Johnson (OH)) Garamendi (Sherman) Granger (Cole) Guthrie (Barr) Hagedorn (Carl) Hice (GA) (Greene (GA)) Higgins (NY) (Connolly) Huffman (Levin (CA)) Kim (CA) (Pfluger) Kirkpatrick (Stanton) Lawson (FL) (Evans) Lesko (Miller (WV)) Lofgren (Jeffries) Loudermilk (Fleischmann) Mfume (Evans) Moore (UT) (Carl) Napolitano (Correa) Nehls (Cawthorn) Newman (Garcia (IL)) Payne (Pallone) Posey (McHenry) Porter (Wexton) Reschenthaler (Meuser) Rush (Quigley) Sires (Pallone) Smith (NJ) (Van Drew) Smith (WA) (Kilmer) Speier (Thompson (CA)) Strickland (Meng) Swalwell (Gomez) Underwood (Casten) Veasey (Neguse) Wilson (FL) (Hayes) Young (Spartz) Amendment No. 25 Offered by Ms. Ocasio-Cortez

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate my friend, Mayor Anthony Williams, on 20 years of excellence in public service to the Key City, Abilene, Texas. Mayor Williams has grown up, received his education, and raised his family in the Key City community his entire life. Anthony has dedicated his life to public service and has had a tremendous impact on the community that he dearly loves. Mayor Williams' record reflects that he believes that a thriving community stems from a free and responsible citizenry, strong faith and families, and a growing economy. A big country, west Texas thank you, Mr. Speaker, to his wife, Lynette, and their four children for their sacrifice for giving him the leeway to spend time in the community and make Abilene a better place to live for all of us. I thank Mayor Williams for being a great friend, brother in Christ, and partner in our public service venture for liberty and prosperity for all Americans. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Anthony. God bless him and his family. And go West Texas.