Jodey Arrington

Mr. ARRINGTON

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 material on this bill under consideration.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. My friend mentioned my seniors in west Texas. Let me tell you what they sent me here to do. They sent me here to be an advocate for them, to ensure that we have fair and just laws, to fix what is broken about Social Security but do it in a way that we don't accelerate what will be an automatic cut in less than 10 years. By repealing the windfall that existed before 1983, you are saying you are okay with taxpayers just spending more money than they should, more money than what has been earned and owed to the seniors, and in a way that creates a vast and tremendous discrepancy and inequity between 2 million people in several States as opposed to almost 60 million across the country. How unfair and how nearsighted and narrow-minded can we be not to consider the fact that we will have a bankrupt system and that we have future seniors who can't bank on their retirement because we want to go back to prewindfall? It doesn't make sense, Mr. Speaker. The Democrats had control of this place from top to bottom from 2020 to 2022, and they didn't fix it. Republicans had control when I was a freshman in 2017. Let me tell the world: They didn't fix it. The only way we are going to fix it is if we come together. I agree with Mr. Larson that there are broader provisions to look at and the system as a whole to address going forward. You mentioned benefits. That is a great place to do it, but to suggest that we are going to go back prewindfall elimination provision and have a $2,500 additional cut in 2033 because we are not doing it the right way and responsible way and equitable way because we now have the data, I just think is egregiously irresponsible for all parties involved, including our children, who don't have much of a say in this, even though they own the deferred tax on all of these programs that are bankrupt, including Medicare. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, this will be budget neutral over 75 years for the trust fund, according to the actuaries, and I thank Mr. Roy for his comments. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Smith), my colleague and friend.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank the gentleman from Missouri for his comments. I don't know that I could add anything more to what he said. We are trying to fix this inequity that exists with this subset of the retirement or Social Security beneficiary population. I agree with Mr. Larson that we need a broader debate on Social Security, and we had better hurry up because it will be insolvent in less than 10 years, so we need to talk about the solvency and sustainability, the entirety of the program, the pay-fors, programmatic reforms, and the benefits. All of it should be on the table. That is why as budget chair, I passed a bipartisan fiscal commission that would look at that and also at Medicare, which is another important safety net for seniors. However, we are talking about one specific subset. I love the gentleman's passion, and I hope that we can get thoughtful Members on both sides of the aisle, like my friend, to sit at the table and do the right, the responsible, and the mature thing and actually work on a compromise solution like Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill did, and I will bet the gentleman agrees with that. However, we are not talking about the entirety of Social Security. We are talking about this subset, this subset of people affected by WEP. It is about 2 million people. I want to fix that for them. I want them to get the money they have earned, because the windfall elimination provision wasn't adequate. It didn't use good information. We still have people who are shortchanged. We still have people getting a windfall, albeit less, when we have the ability, the wherewithal, the tools, and the data to actually fix it without just eliminating WEP and going back to where the inequity is greater than what it is today. That is because if the public servants of my State and the gentleman's State would get more than they put into Social Security, then we accelerate the insolvency. Then we add to the cuts that will be automatic on seniors that would be $2,500 in 2033, and we give almost no peace of mind and hope for future seniors and our children and grandchildren that this important antipoverty safety net program for seniors will still be there when they need it. Mr. Speaker, it is too easy just to throw money at every problem up here when you are borrowing from China, and you have a $2 trillion deficit that will double in 10 years. We have higher levels of indebtedness than we had when we were fighting Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. This country is going to go into the fiscal ditch never to come out, never to prosper, never to be offered the American promise, and never to lead the free world because we are going to bankrupt it because we don't know how to address these problems like every American does in their own household, in their businesses, and at the State and local level, and that is conducting their business within their means and not like there is a money tree at the Treasury Department where they can borrow ad infinitum. That is not reality. That is not reality. Let's fix it. Let's do it the right way. Let's not add to the debt. Let's not add to the inequity. Let's not accelerate the trust fund insolvency. Then let's do what the gentleman said. I agree with the gentleman. Let's be men and women who love this country and are more concerned with solving these big problems than staying up here and being called Congressman and chairman. Let's do the people's business. I am ready. I am ready. This is a very finite subset, and we have the solution. It is not perfect, but it balances the things that need to be balanced like these folks up there would at their homes and like my parents have to do back home in Plainview, Texas. Taxpayers deserve a voice as much as seniors, and my children deserve a voice as much as taxpayers. That is what we are trying to do here. I hope we can get my friend's support. I feel like that is about as compelling a pitch I can make. I think John Larson ought to come over and fix this the right way with me, then let's get that fiscal commission going, get our President to lean into this and do the Reagan-Tip O'Neill grand bargain so we can actually solve the bigger and broader issues that plague Social Security. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, only in Washington, D.C., and, unfortunately--I respect my Democrat colleague and many of my Democrat colleagues--only from the Democrat side of the aisle could I hear that paying above and beyond what we defined as an earned benefit and has now become a windfall for 2 million people at the expense of 60 million people who don't receive the same benefit so that we can give people equal treatment and not accelerate the insolvency, only in this town could I hear that as a solution. That is not a solution. It is a bad plan. Let's have the broader debate about Social Security, which is what the gentleman is suggesting, but let's fix this. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I often refer to West Texas as the Food, Fuel, and Fiber Capital of the World--where our hardworking cowboys and plowboys feed, power, and clothe this great country and the entire world. However, the greatest contribution we make as a community is not our ag and energy product. It's our people and their values of hard work, faith, and love of neighbor--exemplified in Stanton, Texas, by Martin County Hospital District. Despite being a small community of about 3,000 residents, Stanton boasts an award-winning hospital recently recognized as one of the Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in 2023 and 2024. With over 1,300 critical access hospitals nationwide, we take great pride in having one of the best for back-to-back years. I would like to commend Martin County Hospital District CEO Nancy Cooke who said, ``Our results as a top patient care hospital means our community can count on us to deliver the services they need now and in the future.'' Our great country does not reap the benefits of energy independence and food security without excellent rural health care keeping our hard- working, freedom-loving workers in Rural America healthy and taken care of. Nobody understands this better than Martin County Medical Hospital District. On behalf of the 19th Congressional District of Texas and untold grateful patients and families, I thank them, God bless them, and go West Texas.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Chair, if those cities want the hard-earned tax dollars of our citizens, they need to respect our laws, our sovereignty, and the safety of the American people. Mr. Chair, there are fewer things more despairing than having to pass laws to enforce laws because our chief law enforcement officer and Commander in Chief has fallen down on the job. If President Biden and Vice President Harris don't respect the laws of our land, I don't suspect other people will either. I rise in support of H.R. 5717, the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act. Sanctuary cities are magnets. They are part of the perverse incentives that are drawing illegal immigrants into this country. In fact, their mere existence is illegal under U.S. law. Title 8, Section 1324 of the United States Code prohibits the harboring of illegal aliens, making such acts a felony punishable by imprisonment up to 5 years. Other sections in title 8 prohibit local jurisdictions from withholding the immigration status of an individual from Federal authorities. These rogue local officials who promote these policies and flout the rule of law are themselves acting as criminals, and they are a disgrace to our great country. They should be impeached or prosecuted. These jurisdictions are sanctuaries for lawlessness, crime, and chaos that is a cancer pervading our country. Sanctuary cities are a scourge to our country's law and order, to a civil society whose sacred duty is to provide for a common defense, promote domestic tranquility, and enforce the laws of the land. As John Adams once said, this is ``a government of laws, not of men,'' and when we depart from that central tenet of this Republic, we are diminished as a people and weaker as a nation. Mr. Chair, you get what you tolerate, and we have tolerated this recklessness for way too long. Sanctuary cities must be stopped. This legislation would prohibit Federal dollars from funding public services for illegal aliens in sanctuary cities. Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to do the right thing, uphold the rule of law, and protect the American people. I urge them to vote for H.R. 5717.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life of an extraordinary west Texan and legendary Red Raider, Mr. Roy Don Cash who passed away recently on August 25. Don was born to Billy Roy and Billie Mae Cash in the little west Texas town of Shamrock, Texas, in 1942. Let me tell you, there was nothing little about big Don Cash--his stature, his presence, his character, and his love for God and country. He would make his way to Texas Tech where he met and married another west Texan who would become his wife, Sondra Kay Burleson. After graduating from Texas Tech, he was blazing a trail in the oil and gas industry, becoming a titan for United States energy and its contributions to our energy independence, and giving our Nation and our people a quality of life second to no other nation in the history of the world. Don was also one of the most generous supporters and donors of Texas Tech University, not just with his treasure, but with his time and his talents. He gave back by serving on the foundation board. I think he is the only emeritus director of the foundation board, which speaks to how they perceived Mr. Cash. He gave back in scholarships and professorships and buildings and research and much, much more. Don was the epitome of a Texas cowboy, and he was passionate about preserving the history and heritage of ranching through his time on the Ranching Heritage Association board of directors. Don was a dear friend of mine, and I would refer to him as ``the last John Wayne.'' I was vice chancellor of Texas Tech. He and Kay were integral to the success that we enjoyed over that roughly decade era when Chancellor Kent Hance was at the helm. I think Chancellor Hance would say we wouldn't have been able to achieve the level of educational excellence, engagement of our community in west Texas and beyond, and scholarship and preparing our young people for their leadership and pursuit of their dreams in this great country if it weren't for people like Don and Kay Cash. Don was the last John Wayne in my mind because he was rugged and tough. He was fiercely independent, humble, and hardworking, and most of all loving and selfless--loving and selfless to his family, to his friends and to the community he gave so much to over the many, many years of his life back in west Texas. They don't make them like Don cash anymore, I can tell you that. They don't make them like Don Cash, and it is a crying shame because we need the character and caliber of men like Don Cash now in this great Nation of ours more than ever. I guess what I would say to honor my friend is may Don Cash's cowboy spirit and his west Texas values live on forever, not just in his son, Clay, his sweet daughter-in-law, Ashley, and his grandchildren, but in every single one of us. If you want to know what made America great and what will keep it great, it is the values of the American people, and nobody embodied those like Don Cash. Honoring Bill Pascrell

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and honor and commemorate Bill Pascrell. I am a Republican, he is a Democrat, but I don't know anybody, Republican or Democrat, who loved their country more and fought for the people they represented like Billy Pascrell. He was a tough guy from New Jersey that stood up for the working people in his district and was a loud and proud voice for his constituents. I just respect that. I respect that he was authentic in this place of so many plastic people--and I hate to say that. People just regurgitate the party lines on both sides of the aisle. We hardly have any real debate. It is all sort of choreographed. Mr. Speaker, God rest Billy Pascrell's soul, bless his family and comfort them. I pray we get more Billy Pascrell people who are real and love this country and will sacrifice for it. I am glad and honored to have served with him.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I was not able to vote on the previous question and the Brecheen Amendment No. 24. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 359, and YEA on Roll Call No. 387.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Chair, let me start by saying the critical habitat that I am concerned most about is rural America, the backbone of this country, the breadbasket, and the energy basin that is feeding, clothing, and fueling America. What I am concerned about with respect to endangered species after almost 4 years of this administration are farmers and oil and gas producers who turn the cranks on the greatest economy in the world, who keep the consumers' cost of energy down, and who basically produce through hydrocarbons 90 percent of everything we use. However, they are being attacked with a whole-of-government assault, and this, I think, is just one more example. I rise to offer an amendment to prohibit the funding of the Biden- Harris administration's attempt to regulate these cowboys, plowboys, and roughnecks in rural America who truly make America great. This administration has decided to list in this case six freshwater mussel species that in their own report and own words are moderately healthy. In doing so they jeopardize the livelihoods, the way of life, and the tremendous contributions of our agriculture and energy producers locking up 1,500 miles of rivers causing our farmers and ranchers to be in jeopardy of criminalization, essentially, for the things they do to make an efficient agriculture production for an affordable and abundant supply of food for every American. Madam Chair, I offer this amendment. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' to defund what I believe is blatant overreach. Stand up for the God-fearing, hardworking, freedom-loving farmers, ranchers, and energy producers in the heartland. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Chair, I rise to offer an amendment to defund the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services plan to expand the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge by an unprecedented 1,000 percent. Madam Chair, think about that. We are out in the breadbasket of America, in the panhandle of Texas, Muleshoe America, and they take a 6,400-acre refuge and they want to expand it to 700,000 acres. My chairman over here from Idaho is the only one who recognizes that we have the highest level of indebtedness in the history of our Nation, surpassing World War II. We are in relative peace and prosperity, and it is only going to get worse. The wheels are coming off. We spend almost $1 trillion to service the debt, just to pay interest, and that is going to more than double over the next decade. We are in trouble. At $35 trillion, we are borrowing almost $8 billion a day to support this huge and ever-growing government. Like a hole in our head, the last thing we need to do is spend money to buy up more land to somehow either appease an environmental group or maybe just achieve what seems to be an odd objective of having the Federal Government own and operate a third of our land. They can't manage the land they have. I just got back from Glacier National Park. It is beautiful. I want those parks to be managed well for wildfire management and recreational use. They are beautiful, and we are blessed. The gentleman who runs that facility on behalf of the American people said he can't get to but 10 percent of the land, and we are trying to go 1,000 percent expansion in Muleshoe. The sandhill crane and pronghorns are not on the Endangered Species List. They are stable. I don't understand why we are here. Let's think about the critical habitat versus human flourishing, the human habitat, and the American people habitat. We have Social Security and Medicare, which will be insolvent in the next 10 to 15 years. Their unfunded liability combined is about $135 trillion. We have a farm bill that needs to be resourced. We have infrastructure that is crumbling. We have a Defense Department, which is for the common defense, the first and most important job of the Federal Government, but because our debt and interest is squeezing our ability to fund our national priorities, we are now below 3 percent of investment in military for the defense of our country per GDP for the first time since prior to World War II. Is this what my Democratic colleagues think is a national priority? I mean, that is the problem with this place, is we don't prioritize. Our system of resourcing the people's government is completely irrational. We don't have to pay for anything. We don't take it out of their pockets, so they don't revolt. They would. If we took the $2 trillion that we borrow every year, they would revolt. We ought to be able to find some waste and unnecessary spending. Maybe we ought to prioritize like every other American that is suffering with the worst tax of all, which is inflation. They have to prioritize, or they don't eat and can't take care of their families. This is a bad deal. It is overreach. It is crazy. Madam Chair, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Chair, may I ask how much time do I have remaining.

Mr. ARRINGTON. If the Endangered Species Act were so important to my colleagues, then we wouldn't go 30 years without reauthorizing it. If it is a national priority, then we ought to look at it, do our congressional oversight jobs that we were sent here to do, and determine if it is working or not. I can't imagine, to my colleague from Maine, that her fishermen would appreciate being locked out of their livelihoods and what they contribute to the Maine economy any more than my producers of agriculture who put food on the table for folks in Maine and all over the country. I really believe we have gotten this thing so out of whack when we talk about critical habitat for these freshwater mussels that are healthy. There is nothing healthy about the ag economy. There is an ecosystem that we ought to all be concerned about because if we can't feed ourselves and if we don't have food security in this country, then we don't have a strong nation. We are blessed with tremendous resources. The greatest of those resources are hardworking farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and others who help feed Americans and take tremendous risks, weather risks and market risks. These guys live with tremendous debt. They borrow and they pray to the good Lord that the weather will work out, and they have been experiencing record drought in my home State of Texas. Now they have to contend with healthy, freshwater mussels in 1,500 miles of river. It seems to me we have this thing upside down. Yes, we want to steward our environment. Yes, we care about wildlife and habitat of all kinds, but we seem to have moved a human flourishing objective somewhere down below where it ought to be, which is at the top along with these farmers, ranchers, and energy producers. God bless them. They have so much to contend with with all the overreach coming out of EPA's Waters of the U.S. I could go through a litany of things that they are suffering one blow after another, one regulation, one overreach after another, and now these freshwater mussels that are apparently, according to their own reports, healthy. We ought to care more about the critical habitat of farming and farmers than we do freshwater mussels that are healthy. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Chair, I have to say this: People don't trust the Federal Government anymore, and I don't like that because it is going to make it very difficult for us to govern and keep the peace and domestic tranquility and to have us love each other as fellow Americans. They trust the Federal Government even less over the last few years because they have seen it be weaponized against them in the name of clean air or clean water in terms of ponds, puddles, and ditches on farmers' lands that have nothing to do with navigable waters, and this administration knows it. By the way, so do the courts because they threw it out, but it is just one after another. Texas tried to do what the Federal Government advocated under this current administration and under border czar Harris' leadership. They tried to defend our sovereign border and protect our citizens. With the stroke of a pen, this administration declared the Mexican mussel needed critical habitat, and they obstructed our ability to defend ourselves.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I was not able to vote on the Motion to Recommit H.R. 8281. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 344.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah, my dear friend, fellow warrior for fiscal responsibility, and one of my favorite Members who is in the trenches fighting for the future of this country and to ensure that we don't bankrupt it but that we preserve the freedom and opportunities for our children. I know he loves his family, and that love manifests in the way he conducts himself here in Washington and his leadership. I thank him for that. Mr. Speaker, I thank him for the opportunity to rise to honor the life and legacy of a dear friend of mine, Officer Dave Smith. He passed away a couple weeks ago. This is a man that I met in a very interesting and dubious way. I was pulled over for speeding. I wasn't driving at the time. This was in my first term, my first campaign for Congress. Out of the car comes this almost 7-foot gigantic man who looked like he was going to throw me in jail, and, instead, I got a warning; but better than that, I got a friend for life, a brother in Christ for eternity, and I just couldn't imagine the kind of relationship I would have with this very special man. Dave would call me from time to time and leave the most encouraging messages. He was, like I said, almost 7 feet tall. He was a giant of a man. His stature was only eclipsed by the size of his heart--for God, for family, and for this country. I always looked forward to hearing the voicemails he would leave me and the encouraging words, the affirming words. He would say: ``Keep your head up.'' He would say: ``Keep your eyes on the Lord.'' He would say: ``Keep fighting the good fight because we need you.'' I have kept those, Mr. Speaker, on my phone, and I listened to them the other day before I went to his funeral. I think about Barnabas, the son of encouragement in the Bible. I can tell you, Dave Smith was my Barnabas. I cherish the friendship. I will cherish those words of encouragement. His funeral was a celebration the way I would want my funeral to be. It was a testament to a life well lived, a life well lived because of the people like me whose lives he touched, for the service that he gave day in and day out to protect and serve his community as an educator, as a law enforcement officer, as a mentor, as a coach. It was a testament to the family he loved so dearly. All of his children, eight in total, were there at the funeral. The Bible says in Proverbs that a good man will deposit an inheritance for his children and his children's children. Let me be clear, watching his son Brennon stand in that pulpit and love on his dad and honor his dad, it was clear. You could see the leadership, the love, and the character in his oldest son. It was clear to me that that proverb had been fulfilled, that Dave Smith left his children and his community a good inheritance. It was also a homecoming celebration because as believers, the Bible teaches us that while we grieve the loss of our friends and family members, it says that we are not to grieve as the world grieves because of those promises, the promises that we hear often quoted, the promises of God that whoever believes in his Son shall not perish but live forever. I know that was a promise that Officer Dave Smith believed with all of his heart. We lost one of west Texas' finest in Big Dave Smith. I know Taneka lost her husband, his family lost their father, the world lost a bright light, and I lost a friend and brother in Christ, but he is not lost. He is alive and well today, maybe more so than ever. He is home. He is with his Heavenly Father. He has inherited that promise, eternal life. Because he was so dedicated to his faith, I am going to end with a scripture verse that I hope encourages everybody who would listen to this commemorative set of remarks for Dave Smith. In Romans 8:38-39, Paul is writing to the church at Rome, and he says: ``For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'' He is home. He is present with his Heavenly Father. I would just say to Taneka and his family that we will be with him again one day in paradise for all eternity. That is the hope we have. I thank brother Dave Smith. I know he is resting on high. I know I will see him again. God bless the Smith family. God bless our great country.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Chair, for his entire childhood, the dream of a young man by the name of Caleb Smithers was to serve in the United States Army. He got the chance to serve. Literally months into his service, his training at Fort Bragg, he had a serious accident, and because the safety protocols weren't there to check on a soldier who had such a serious injury, because there weren't accountability measures for private contractors for healthcare services to the Army, this young man ended up dying. I think his life could have been saved if those protocols were in place and if the accountability measures were in place. I think the Secretary of the Army has all but affirmed that. This provision would put those things in place or would expect that the Army does, and we would defer to their best judgment on how to do it. This young man's life, and his mother here, Heather, who has worked diligently, relentlessly with the unconditional love for her son that not only would his spirit of service live on, but would actually save the lives of other soldiers who would find themselves in the same predicament. I think we all care about our soldiers, our sons and daughters in uniform, and that we would want the abundance of precaution so that we would prevent this from happening. By the way, in the future, if this should pass, those checks would be called Smittys after Caleb Smithers. I ask my colleagues for their support.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 100th birthday of one of our Nation's most revered statesmen-leaders and American heroes, our 41st President, George Herbert Walker Bush. President 41 was not only a highly decorated combat veteran, but had one of the most distinguished tenures in public service in our Nation's history. He lived out his own maxim, that public service is a noble calling. I would add, it is only as noble as the caliber of people who answer that call. Thank God he did. My life, your life, and the life of our country are all the better for it. May his legacy continue to inspire the servant leadership he modeled, and may it remind us that being a statesman and a politician don't have to be mutually exclusive. I am proud to have served alongside his son, President George W. Bush. I am thinking of him and the entire Bush family today as we honor one of the most decent, patriotic, and loving leaders our Nation has ever known.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Hendrick Home for Children, which is celebrating 85 years of service to the Abilene community. Since its inception in 1939, Hendrick Home for Children has consistently served as a beacon of hope and refuge for countless children and families from across the Big Country. Throughout its rich history, Hendrick Home for Children has embodied the true spirit of the Christian mission through its unwavering commitment to creating a nurturing environment for the most vulnerable among us. The dedicated staff, volunteers, and generous supporters have fostered a sense of community where every child is embraced with open arms and guided toward a path of healing and growth. Beyond meeting their basic needs, the Home has fostered a sense of belonging, purpose, and faith, laying the foundation for brighter and more resilient lives. As we commemorate this significant milestone, let us not only celebrate the remarkable achievements of Hendrick Home for Children but also reaffirm our collective commitment to supporting its vital mission for generations to come. For 85 years, the Home has been a shining example of Christ's love in action and embodied His teachings of compassion, mercy, and stewardship. Through its unwavering dedication to serving the most vulnerable among us, the Hendrick Home has been a testament to the transformative power of faith. I'm proud to represent this unique institution and its wonderful people in our Nation's capital. Congratulations on 85 outstanding years.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on the following vote series. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No 153, and YEA on Roll Call No 154.