Jodey Arrington

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I know we have 30 more minutes that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy) was kind enough to share in the context of Defending America's Values. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Chip Roy for joining me tonight on the Special Order, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, today's Special Order, which I am proud to host, is about defending America's values and protecting America's communities. I have no doubt that the greatness of our beloved country can be found in ``We the People,'' and I would say that America is great because of the people and the values which they hold so dear: the things that we believe collectively, the ideals that we hold out and strive for as a nation, imperfect people striving for a more perfect Union. And those values distinguish this experiment in liberty and democracy. There is a reason that people from all over the world literally risk their lives to come here to be a part of this experiment in self- government, and I would say those ideals consist, first and foremost, in the belief that the American people run the affairs of this country, and we believe in that doctrine of popular sovereignty. We believe that strong and healthy nations are nothing more than the cumulative effect of strong and healthy families; that is, the family is the cornerstone, at the cellular level it is the strength of the fabric of this country, and we should not make any apologies for policies that strengthen that core fabric. We believe in the rule of law. We believe in the Constitution. We believe that we are a nation of laws, not of men. And we in this Chamber, in this great body of the people's House, should uphold, should promote, should defend these values; and when they are under assault and when they are not being lived up to, we should call that out. We should make sure that we are keepers of these values. I have a lot to say about one element that is a cornerstone of our democracy, and, quite frankly, it is a cornerstone of civil society anywhere, and that is law and order. That is justice. These are words, Mr. Speaker, that are easily found in the mission statement of our Federal Government, articulated, framed in the Constitution's preamble. Domestic tranquillity--nobody, I would submit, knows more about the importance of rule of law, justice, and domestic tranquillity than my colleague, Mr. Clay Higgins from Louisiana. He has been a decorated law enforcement officer. Like all of our men and women in uniform, he has put everything on the line to keep the bad guys away from our law-abiding citizens and their families and to make sure that we restrain evil and chaos so that we can continue the persistence of this great constitutional democratic Republic. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Higgins), my dear friend.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the topic of my Special Order.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to have Representative Jody Hice, a warrior for America's traditional values, for our Constitution, for our rule of law join in this important conversation with the American people in the people's House. I am honored to have you and grateful for your words. Who would have thought that we would be here while once great American cities are being terrorized by violent, mob thugs who kill law enforcement officers in cold blood and then go to the hospital for those who have survived and to cry death to the cops. These are men and women who risk their life and limb to make sure we have civil order, justice, and domestic tranquility at the heart of this great Nation, defense, safety, security for our fellow Americans. Mr. Speaker, Vicky Hartzler is another champion for the people of the Fourth District of Missouri. She is the chairwoman of the Value Action Team, so she is the lead keeper of that flame, and we are honored that she is here from the Show Me State. And after all is said and done in Washington--more is said than done--she is a show-me leader. She is a doer, and she is fighting every day for these American values and for the next generation of Americans. Mr. Speaker, I yield to Mrs. Vicky Hartzler.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman and dear friend from the Show Me State for showing us the right path to condemn this violence, to support our men and women in uniform who are risking life and limb to keep us safe and to keep the bad guys away. Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining on our Special Order? I fear my time is running short, as you stand from your chair.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, and I would just pose the question to the American people who are watching us in the people's House: Should we be focused on what our Speaker and Democratic colleagues suggest is an imperative in this time of unprecedented crisis, unprecedented lawlessness, to have a sense of Congress, or a House Resolution that condemns the use of the place of origin of this virus? Or should we have a sense of Congress uniting all Americans in condemning the lawlessness and the violence that is burning through the great American cities without nigh even a word. I would suggest my colleagues who remain silent are complicit as much as the local leaders who have abandoned their law-abiding citizens at such a time as this. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Roy for his love of country and his passion for public service. Mr. Speaker, I will pass the mike, if you will, to my colleague from the Peach State, who is--I think he would be okay with me saying that he works for the people of the 10th District of Georgia, but he serves the King of Kings. He was a minister of the gospel and will always be first and foremost a proud representative and ambassador of our Lord Jesus. Again, honored to serve with him. Mr. Speaker, I yield to Georgia's 10th District Representative Jody Hice.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I am so grateful that my colleague and dear friend, Representative Higgins, joined this important conversation. It is clear, Mr. Speaker, my friend was not prepared or scripted formally, but he carries this great American story and the love and passion for public service and for a better, stronger, safer, freer America in his heart. If you cut this man, he bleeds red, white, and blue, and I feel blessed to serve alongside of him. Mr. Speaker, I thank him for his remarks. Mr. Speaker, as we talk about those values that have made America great and as we look out on the near horizon, we see a tremendous contrast and a distinct, maybe as definitive and distinct as we have ever had before the electorate of the vision, plans, and policies of one party versus another: One with vast greater authority and power in the government; one that would continue to treasure, defend, and promote free people in a free country. One would want to plan the economy from Washington, D.C.; the other vision and plan and policies would trust the ingenuity and the God- given gifts of the American people to create value for their fellow Americans and the free exchange of ideas of services and products, the free enterprise system, which has made this country the most prosperous country on the face of the planet and in the history of the world. Yes, Mr. Speaker, it is freedom. And it is our core values of in God we trust and out of many one that we have elevated the human spirit like no other system of self-governance. And I have friends here who are friends of freedom. They are champions of the Constitution. And they are keepers of the flame of these precious values that every day they take to the floor of the House to defend. Mr. Speaker, I yield to Chip Roy, a fellow Texan, so he may come and share his heart. He was so eloquent in our first series on defending America's values. Today we have added to that defending and protecting our communities and respecting rule of law. Mr. Chip Roy from the Lone Star State.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, we have one more defender of America's values, and he is a constitutional scholar and attorney, but he also is the leader of the largest conservative caucus in the Republican Conference and a dear friend of us all. We are grateful for his time, Mr. Mike Johnson from the great State of Louisiana.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the Democrat bill entitled Delivering for America Act. What an irresponsible and dishonest title. Democratic leadership must take the American people as fools. This bill attempts to deceive the American people by manufacturing a crisis that simply does not exist. This bill also distracts this body from actually doing something in this Chamber that matters, like condemning violent mobs terrorizing our communities, like helping hardworking families across this country in this unprecedented time of need. Madam Speaker, here are the facts: The United States Postal Service is a Blockbuster video in a Netflix world. Everyone knows it is a broken business model. It has failed its workers; it has failed its retirees; and it has failed the American taxpayers. Despite the need for long-term reform, the Postal Service currently has $15 billion in cash on hand and $10 billion more from the CARES Act. The independent Postal Service Board and the independent Postmaster General have repeatedly assured the American people that they can handle the increased volume in mail-in voting. Let's be clear. Today's vote is more political theater. It is another scene from the Democrats' one-act play titled Defeat President Trump at All Costs, even if it means peddling a deceitful narrative that undermines the American people's trust in the very institutions of our democratic Republic. To say the Postal Service is all of a sudden incapacitated, unable to provide a secure, mail-in process, is not intellectually honest. It is downright predatory. Democrats who falsely call into question the security of our elections to justify a $25 billion bailout is a scam and a political payoff to their government union bosses. Madam Speaker, I urge my Democrat colleagues: Stand up to your leadership. Stop this shameful charade. See the grave danger of manipulating the American people to score cheap, political points. Madam Speaker, let's get back to work.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I was unable to be present for today's votes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 168, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 169, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 170, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 171, and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 172. personal explanation

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Pennsylvania responsibly and carefully sanitized the podium up here before I began my 5-minute remarks, but I will tell you that there is not enough disinfectant in all of the District of Columbia to sanitize this Chamber on account of my Democrat colleagues who fail to condemn what has been going on in what once were great American cities throughout this Nation. It is shameful, Mr. Speaker. Leaders are elected to this great body with its history and with the full confidence of the American people that we will call evil by its name. But they sit idly by and are complicit in their silence and do not condemn the chaos, the destruction, the violence, the crimes, and the terrorism that is ravaging our Nation. As we speak and as we sit in this quiet and peaceful Chamber, there are citizens--our fellow Americans--who feel that their lives and their private property are threatened. They can't even bear arms with their constitutional right to protect themselves and their property without being prosecuted by some rogue city attorney. We have got to stand up to this mob. We have to say: No more will you burn our cities; no more will you terrorize our communities and intimidate and use fear to squelch any attempt by our local leaders to stop this now. But they are intimidated, Mr. Speaker. The local leaders have completely bowed the knee to these leftist extremist groups that have hijacked peaceful protest. There are folks with righteous indignation who have taken to the streets to speak their truth to power, and I respect that. God bless them. That is the American way. We just celebrated one of the greatest who demonstrated peacefully and, through love for his country and his fellow man, made more difference than 1 million mobs could have. His name is John Lewis, and I am honored to have served with him. But what is happening right now is these local leaders are either unwilling or incapable of stopping it. This weekend was 2 months of persistence in this violence and in the crimes perpetrated against Federal officers and local law enforcement who have been hamstrung to even defend themselves, let alone the property that they have been asked by their ``courageous leaders'' to defend. They are getting fireworks shot off in their face. Where are the city leaders? Where is Mr. Biden? He is safe in his basement. That is courageous leadership? That is what America needs right now? Criticize President Trump all you want. He is at least doing something to stand up to the mob and protect taxpayers' Federal property. Our Federal law enforcement officers are doing their job faithfully and dutifully while our citizens' rights are being completely trampled. There is no pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness in these cities. They are burning. Protesters in California set fire to a courthouse, damaged police stations, and assaulted officers, ABC says: ``in peaceful demonstrations that have intensified.'' Are you kidding me? In Texas, we call it bull with the end of that word with a T. Mr. Speaker, you know it. You know that these things are happening, and they wouldn't happen in parts of Texas because the citizens would not allow it. What do we do with fireworks, broken windows, spray paint, and lasers being shot at them? Seattle experienced an antipolice riot where 59 police officers were injured by arson, vandalism, and assault. I have got the list of Federal crimes right here. These people ought to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. They should be locked up away from the citizens who are just trying to live out their lives in this great Nation. These are the Federal crimes: advocating to overthrow the government, aggravated assault and battery, arson, assault with a deadly weapon, attempting to kill an officer, conspiracy to impede or injure an officer, and demands against the U.S. This is domestic terrorism as defined by the statutes that we stand on and that we have debated. They say that domestic terrorism is violent crimes. Mr. Speaker, I am going to respect that you gaveled me out because I respect the rules of this Chamber, so I thank you for the indulgence.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate the life, love, and special friendship of Ron Rice. He had a heart as big as the Texas Panhandle, and he was a friend as faithful as the west Texas sunrise. His signature contagious laugh can be heard from heaven even in this day of profound grief. But Uncle Ronnie, Joy, Tracey, Darren, and Rusty know what the Scripture tells us and what God promises: that to be absent from the body as a child of God is to be present with the Lord. So on this day, Mr. Speaker, we don't grieve as the world grieves. As the Scripture says, we should be pitied among all men if our hope is in this fallen world. No, sir. We rally around the Rice family today. We join them in thanking God and worshiping and praising God because Ron is home with his Lord and Savior, Jesus, in eternal happiness, joy unspeakable, and peace everlasting. God bless the Rice family. Guns up, Ron. You got the best seat in the House. Reducing National Debt

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, Admiral Mullen was asked at a hearing what he thought the greatest threat to national security was. His response was powerful, simple, and very clear. He said the greatest threat to our national security is our national debt. I would add that it is not just a threat to our security, but it is a threat to our prosperity; it is a threat to the blessings of liberty and opportunity for our children; and it is a threat to domestic tranquility. There is not a greater threat that looms larger on the horizon. There is not a greater challenge in this 21st century and for my generation than the potential and the prospects of a sovereign debt crisis. We have no doubt experienced an unprecedented public health and economic disaster as a result of the pandemic. But if we don't commit to reducing our national debt, we will indeed face a crisis far graver than what could come out of this pandemic. We have experienced the largest generational retirement in history, runaway healthcare costs, and record spending. Discretionary, nondefense, and defense spending all have amassed a whopping $1 trillion in debt. This is pre-COVID. That is $1 trillion in annual deficit spending, spending $1 trillion more on our Nation's priorities and our budget over what we have to spend. We have done that year in and year out, to the tune now of a $23- trillion debt and climbing. This is pre-COVID, I want to remind you, Mr. Speaker. Prior to COVID and the trillions of dollars that we are spending, we were on course to spend more to service our debt to bondholders like China than all of our national defense combined in less than 10 years. Now, the CBO has projected that we will add almost $4 trillion to our national debt by the end of this fiscal year. As a result, we put ourselves in a very, very tenuous position. We will exceed, Mr. Speaker, our debt per the size of our economy as it was in World War II, which was the largest debt position we ever held. We will set a very dangerous precedent for the next generation. We will put them in a very, very bad position. So, Scott Peters and I got 30 Democrats and 30 Republicans, and we picked a few budget reforms that would put us in a place and force Congress to reduce our debt and hand this country in a better fiscal position to our children. We sent a letter with these three initiatives and reforms to our leadership. We are imploring all of our colleagues and leadership from both Houses: Please seize this opportunity to include these budget process reforms so that, when we get through this crisis, we won't have to endure the ultimate crisis. We will not, Mr. Speaker, be able to bail out of that, print money, or borrow enough. It will be a disaster of epic proportions, so I implore my colleagues to please support budget process reforms in this next COVID legislation.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I consider him a great friend. As he spoke, I was thinking about the statement that Alexis de Tocqueville made that, I think, truly hits at the heart of this experiment that has persisted as the greatest beacon of liberty in all the land and, I mean, in all the globe, and that is America is great because America is good. And part of our goodness is civil discourse and debate. Mr. Speaker, I am going to introduce another classmate and colleague of ours, Jim Banks; and he was part of our class that came in and said from the outset we need civil discourse. We have strong convictions. We have deeply held beliefs, and we will fight for the traditional American values that we believe have made America great. But we can do that right here, without tearing a single person down, and contributing to the swampiness of this place and being a great example to generations of Americans. The gentleman represents that. He is a great statesman, a great American. I thank him for his time. The next colleague of mine, from the Hoosier State, who is, no doubt, a freedom fighter, and who I am terribly honored to serve with, and to know his beautiful family, his wife, Amanda, and his three children. I thank Representative Banks for joining us and taking part in this discussion about defending America's values. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Banks).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the topic of my Special Order.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, we are here as lovers of liberty, as patriots, as people concerned about the future of our country, just citizen legislators, people who have children and grandchildren and who want our posterity to inherit the blessings of liberty and all of the opportunities this great Nation has afforded not only myself and my colleagues, but all Americans. America is a great nation, and God has truly blessed America. America has been a blessing to the world, and as President Trump has said, we must keep America great. It is not just what that statement means to our citizens and to our children and the next generation of Americans; it is what America means and what this great experiment at liberty and democracy means for the entire world. Mr. Speaker, we are going to talk about the substance of that greatness, the true substance of it. I would suggest that what makes America great is the American people and the values, the beliefs--what defines us--our culture, what we esteem. That is what we must remember as we legislate, as we lead and represent our citizens throughout this great land, that what makes America great and what will keep America great are America's values. We must defend them. We must promote them. We must fight for a future that has those values of faith, In God We Trust, one Nation under the sovereignty of God, with a firm belief, as John Adams says, that the Constitution is only good for a moral and religious people, for example. He understood that, at the foundation of this great country, that we would only be able to persist, and we have only persisted as the longest democracy in the history of the world because we bow the knee to our sovereign God, who, as Ben Franklin said, if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground apart from His will, then a Nation cannot rise apart from it. And I would submit that this great Nation cannot persist without that. We recognize that you can pass all the laws you want and, certainly, laws have their place in civil order, and the enforcement of those laws are critical for the domestic tranquility of our country. But you are not going to change anyone's heart through passing laws. And John Adams and our Founders understood that if this republic would continue for generations it would be because we always remembered that above and beyond passing good laws and making good policy is that we would recognize that we have a higher accountability, and that accountability is Almighty God, that same God whose providential hand was with this Nation from the very beginning and, I pray, will continue with all of us, on both sides of the aisle. Every person that swears an oath and has the good fortune and privilege of serving, I pray God's gracious and providential hand will continue to guide us in the challenges that we face today. We have our 21st century challenges, just like every generation has and, I would submit, we must return to what made this country great. Tonight, we are going to reflect on America's values, America's culture, and America's heritage, and why it matters to fight and defend those values. I have dear friends who are much more articulate, Mr. Speaker, than I am on this, and they speak from the heart. They speak with personal conviction. They ran for office to serve, and to strive for a more perfect union, and to hand this country better than we found it to their children and grandchildren. One of those individuals is Ralph Norman, from the great State of South Carolina, a businessman who decided that he would make tremendous sacrifice. He has got a beautiful and big family, and he said this is the best way he can love his grandchildren is to love his country through service and through making it better by passing the right laws and upholding the right values. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Norman).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my beloved brother in Christ and dear friend for not only his service as a Member of Congress, but for his service in wearing the uniform. I think, at its core, this mission that we have to steward and to protect, as the Federal Government's limited--emphasis on limited--role in the affairs of our great citizenry, is to keep us safe and keep us free. I thank the gentleman for doing that for his whole career. And God bless him for his service, both in the military and here in the United States Congress. I am honored to serve with him. Now, another liberty loving Texan who has been in public service, who has been a prosecutor, and has been a leader for our Lone Star State; and, now, he too, has been willing to leave a lot of good things behind, including a loving family, to come up here to this city and to fight for our freedom, to change the culture of this place so that it serves the people who hold the sovereignty and the future in their hands. He is a dear friend, and I am honored to have him, Chip Roy, of the great State of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, as we say in west Texas, amen and amen. I could listen to Representative Roy all night because he speaks from his heart and from a passion for his country and for his fellow countrymen. He is a truth seeker and a fighter for all that is good about this country. We are glad the gentleman is here as part of the great delegation of Texas. We are all better in this body because of his presence and his service as a Member of Congress. May God bless the gentleman. I thank him for his words tonight. Now, I want to invite another colleague who is a lover of freedom and a great patriot, who is unabashed and beaming in his pride for the United States of America. Mr. Allen is another gentleman who could be doing a lot of things. He is an accomplished businessman who could be doing a lot of things and spending a lot of quality time with his children and grandchildren, but, once again, he believes that the best way he can love his family and love those grandchildren is to hand them a better, stronger, safer, and freer United States of America. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the 12th District of Georgia (Mr. Allen), who is my dear friend.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, my colleague and brother in Christ speaks the truth. And as I said, we can pass all the laws we want, Representative Allen, but we cannot pass laws that change the human heart. We must return to those core values, to that relationship with God to remember that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor. And it is hard to find a lot of love in this world today. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining on my Special Order.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, the rise of socialism in this country is real. Probably in times past it was used hyperbolically against Big Government, liberals, but it is real, and it is hard to believe that such a destructive system of government and deceptive ideology has become mainstream in these United States. This beacon of freedom, this great experiment--not accident, but experiment--and liberty and democracy. How do I know? Because people don't put their name to legislation on behalf of the 800,000 to a million American citizens they represent if they don't mean it. H.R. 1 through H.R. 10 are just more government control, less freedom to we, the people, government takeover of elections, the Federal Government takeover of healthcare, taking over agriculture and energy and government seeping into every facet of our lives. One of our central values, as we think about the defense of American values, is the value of freedom. And the central purpose of government is to protect our freedom. The central tenet of our democratic republic is that sovereignty resides, not in the State, but in we, the people. There has been no other nation in the world, in the history of the world, that has done more because of that powerful force of freedom that elevates and unleashes the human spirit like nothing in the world, save and except the love of God, and no other country that holds freedom in such high regard and puts such a premium on freedom, on liberty, has done more to lift people out of poverty, to protect human rights and fundamental God-given freedoms. No other nation has raised the standard of living or contributed to the quality of life, not only in this Nation, but in nations around the world, like the United States of America. And I would submit, Mr. Speaker, that in large part, outside--save and except the providential hand and favor of Almighty God, that God that my colleague, Representative Rick Allen, implored us to return to, to repent and return and cry out for mercy--save and except for that, it has been freedom. And this freedom is a remarkable thing. It is an attribute, it is a privilege, it is a responsibility, and people are literally risking their lives today--people will die this week just trying to get here. They are not trying to get into Venezuela. They are not trying to get into Cuba. God bless those people and the poor citizens of those countries that don't have what we have that empowers us to be the envy of the world. And that is a tremendous responsibility. And there is no doubt that is a core value. And I say: How are we losing this? How do we actually have a debate, a sincere debate, a legitimate debate, about government control, central planning, socialism as an ideology and as a system of government, when we have the backdrop of all of this history? No, it is not perfect. We were striving for a more perfect Union. Imperfect people striving for a more perfect Union. And that is the legacy that has been handed to us. That is our mission and our calling. I think about the erosion of the values we have talked about this evening. I think about the entitlement culture that we have created. I say ``we.'' I say Republicans and Democrats alike. We continue to expand the government as the answer to all that ails us, as the solution to every problem, with no regard for the cost and consequence. $23 trillion before COVID; $4 trillion by the end of this year added on top of it. We will surpass our highest debt load per GDP in the history of this great Nation. Not since World War II have we been up over 108 percent debt-to-GDP. That is where we are heading. And we have done that, and it has been at no cost. We don't hit anybody's pocketbook, and we don't cut someone's pet project and their favorite program to offset the cost. So why wouldn't people think you can get everything for free? Why wouldn't we have created a generation of Americans that think things are really free, at no cost? Well, there will be a rude awaking when the chickens come home to roost with respect to our fiscal affairs, because this $27-$28 trillion, on our way, is a deferred tax on our children. And it is unconscionable. It is immoral. And it is un-American for a generation of leaders to do that to our posterity. On top of that, we have had the tyranny of usurpation of the will of the people. Listen, let's debate issues of immigration, let's debate all issues, and may the will of the people prevail. That is the way it works. Not by executive fiat, not by judicial activism, some judge making the determination of what is best. The people know what's best. I believe that that government fiat and the tyranny of unelected bureaucrats and judges making policy decisions is another way we have accelerated the decline of this country, and we have moved away from these values. I think now we are seeing maybe another phase of this. Mob tyranny, people running around in the streets destroying property, assaulting police officers and law-abiding citizens. It is just a free-for-all. No law, no order; chaos. And our great American cities are just burning, I believe, in large part, because our local leaders in these cities, they are scared because they have been intimidated. And that is how the mob works, through fear and intimidation, and nobody is standing up to them. But the people who have the resources, the people who are law-abiding contributors to those cities, and the best employers, they will eventually leave. But the poorest among our fellow countrymen in those cities, they can't go anywhere. Mr. Speaker, I think the President is doing exactly what he should do. I am very sensitive to government intervention, and I think it is a very delicate thing when you intervene in civil affairs. That is a local and State issue. But when you have this kind of mob violence that is unabated, when you have systems of law enforcement and local leaders that are overwhelmed and either unwilling or incapable of stopping it and you are risking the lives of our fellow Americans and their rights are being trampled and local law enforcement and Federal law enforcement officers are being assaulted and our buildings are being burned, Mr. Speaker, we have got to do something. There is an appropriate way to engage, and this President has done that, through civil law enforcement officers of this Government to go protect that property, to protect those law enforcement and other Federal personnel, and to come alongside the local law enforcement there in Portland and Seattle so that they can keep some semblance of order and protection for their people. Because the local leaders have completely abdicated it. And Americans all over are just scratching their heads and their hearts are breaking and they are tremendously concerned about what happens. And there is one thought that you just let it all burn to the ground, and that will be the lesson for Americans all over this country, in cities and communities, all over this country. We could do that. Or we could say: You know what? Those are American citizens, by God. Those are American citizens, and nobody is coming to their help. I hope we support this President as he is taking a measured approach to come alongside those local law enforcement officers who have been totally disrespected, dismissed, and either partially defunded or significantly defunded, and certainly hamstrung to do their job. You watch as these criminals shoot fireworks in their faces and as they rough them up and call them names. It is just a sad scenario for a Nation as great as ours. We are big enough to have the protests. That is as American as apple pie. Peaceful assembly, peaceful protest, speaking your truth to power, that is what made this country great. But what we are seeing in Seattle and Portland must stop. And we all must condemn it, Mr. Speaker. And as for me, I stand with this President, and I say use every resource--use every resource in civil law enforcement to keep the peace, to protect our citizens and protect the taxpayers' Federal property in all these cities where their local leaders have completely lost control. Mr. Speaker, thank you for the indulgence tonight, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, at a time when our Nation is reeling from an unprecedented public health crisis and our fellow Americans are struggling just to survive, the Democrat leadership is wasting precious time on yet another partisan messaging bill. This legislation is going nowhere, and my friends on the other side of the aisle know it. The name Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act is no such thing. It is the protecting ObamaCare act. It is the pretend we are legislating under the guise of partisan messaging act. It is the perpetuate the broken promises of ObamaCare act. It is empty; it is devoid; it is going nowhere. We are wasting time in this national crisis. If it did pass, it would take flexibility and responsibility from States. It would coerce States to expand Medicaid--a flawed Medicaid system, I might add--and it would allow for these monies to be used on abortion, which is a nonstarter. We know it is not serious when that is in there. That is a poison pill. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to stop wasting the American people's time, and let's get back to governing this great Nation.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, the vast majority of law enforcement across the country are good. They are competent. They are professional. And they serve with integrity. And when they don't, with the immense power they have over their fellow citizens, they must be held accountable, but that starts at the local level. Policing is a State and local responsibility, not a Federal responsibility. When local leaders fail to do their job and citizens fail to hold them accountable, the system breaks down. You have incidences of abuse and, sometimes, cultures of corruption. So what is the solution? It is not another top-down, one-size-fits- all from Washington, D.C. We don't need to Federalize policing. We need to hold our local leaders accountable. We need to come alongside of them at all levels of government to make sure that we don't recycle the bad actors. So we get rid of them. And if we do, then the 1 percent won't take the 99 percent that are protecting and serving us and risking their lives to do so.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, Democrat leadership has established in this piece of legislation a new pandemic protocol for the United States Congress: the practice of reality distancing. Reality distancing is the unhealthy distance between politicians and their policies and the people they were elected to serve. While tens of millions of working families have lost their livelihoods and millions more are struggling to survive, Members of Congress won't miss a single paycheck and are wasting precious time on a partisan bill that is going nowhere. Furthermore, Speaker Pelosi and many of her colleagues are so anxious to appease the left, and so zealous to advance their ideology, they didn't even attempt to disguise this parade of horribles that is completely out of touch with the American people. Some will suggest, Mr. Speaker, that this legislation is so extreme and absurd we can't take it seriously. I would submit that we can't take it seriously enough. When someone tells you who they are, believe them. This isn't just the Democrats' plan for America's recovery; this is their vision for America. I oppose it, and I pray to God none of these policies see the light of day.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, these resources are a lifeline to our fellow Americans, whose lives and livelihoods have been turned upside down through no fault of their own. They aren't just numbers on some government spreadsheet. They are healthcare workers who rush to the front lines in this battle, risking their lives for our safety. They are family farmers, independent energy producers, and small businesses of all kinds who listened to their leaders, did their part, made their sacrifices and stayed home, shuttered their businesses, all to keep their communities and their country safe. This temporary support will compensate them partly, but more importantly, will help them get on their feet so that they can keep their employees on the payroll and off the unemployment roll. These folks are the heartbeat of America. They are the lifeblood of this economy, and they--not the government--will lead one of the greatest American comebacks in our history. Madam Speaker, let's suit up, let's strap it on, and let's get America back to work.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, the Greek physician Hippocrates once said: For extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure are most suitable. While this medicine will have some short-term side effects, it is our best hope for curing the crisis. Our Nation is fighting a global pandemic and the prospects of a looming national disaster. While I have serious concerns with some bad policies, partisan provisions, and the overall price tag of this legislation, I am more concerned about inaction, delaying support for millions of hurting Americans, and the threat of an even costlier recession for our country. This national emergency has wreaked havoc on our country and upended every aspect of our lives. We must move quickly to provide temporary relief for our working families, small businesses, and frontline healthcare professionals. Mr. Speaker, this is uncharted territory. This is an unprecedented crisis. Extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures. I stand united with my colleagues and my countrymen in these difficult days.