Jodey Arrington

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing. Mr. Speaker, I thank again my ranking member, my friend, and my partner in public service. My Democrat colleagues say, let's raise the debt ceiling today, and we will deal with the debt tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes. It never comes. We are prepared, I guess, to bury our children under the mountain of debt that we have amassed because of a government we think the people want and need. How irresponsible, how reckless, how weak, how cowardly that we won't step up and do the right thing. I can't believe that the Democrat party has strayed so far left that ensuring that able-bodied people who are receiving public assistance work is an extreme MAGA idea and that it is radical for people to rein in spending to just last year's levels of spending. I have heard a lot of fear-mongering, false choices, and phantom funding cuts, all in an attempt to accept the status quo. Here's what the status quo has given us: skyrocketing prices, shrinking paychecks, soaring interest rates, a labor shortage, a culture of dependency, an overall weaker economy, and a more vulnerable Nation. Mr. Speaker, all of us have contributed to this, I will admit. I have conceded that. But we have a moment in time. The hour has come. We have to work together to restore fiscal sanity in this place before it is too late. The consequences of our failure to act, Mr. Speaker, could not be more grave. I will say it again. We have got to pay our debts. We have got to protect the good faith and credit of the United States. We cannot give an unlimited line of credit to any party, any politician, and allow our country to be bankrupted and to rob our children of the blessings of liberty in this land of opportunity. We shouldn't accept that. We should work together to be responsible, be leaders, leaders worthy of this great Nation. Let's vote together in support of H.R. 2811. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, I was unable to be present for one of today's votes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 188.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from North Carolina for yielding. Socialism, like the Devil, does not appear with horns and a pitchfork. He masquerades as an angel of light with promises of human flourishing, all failed, all broken. Socialism isn't empty words. It isn't a speech. It is a series of actions that rob people of their freedom and concentrate power in the hands of a few in their central government. I heard my colleague say: Socialism is controlling the means of production. We are not doing that. Except there is a whole-of-government assault for all the world to see on an industry, American energy, and it is being replaced with this Green New Deal--hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies, tax credits, grants. If that is not control of the means of production, I don't know what is. Universal healthcare: We don't want healthcare in the hands of doctors and patients. We want it in the hands of bureaucrats. We want government to control healthcare. Masquerading as an angel of light is this concentration of power. Socialism is the road to serfdom, and history is littered with the failed experiment in central planning. Those countries that have taken that ruinous road have ruined, destroyed, their country and left their people in despair. Our Founding Fathers believed fundamentally this: If we limit the Federal Government's role in our lives, we will unleash the greatest potential of free people created in the image of God. They were right. There has never been a greater force for all of humanity than freedom. Nothing uplifts the human condition, unlocks the human potential, unleashes the human spirit like freedom. Freedom has given every generation of Americans the greatest opportunities, the highest standard of living, the best quality of life anywhere on the planet and in the history of the world. In the prescient words of Ronald Reagan, ``Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. . . . It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.'' God have mercy on our country. If you boil it down, Mr. Speaker, I believe our singular mission in this Chamber, in our Nation's Capitol, is to fight for our country by preserving and protecting freedom for the next generation of Americans. If, like my colleagues say, this is just theater, that decrying socialism and extolling the virtues and value of freedom is theater, God give us more Shakespeares. God bless America.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, to my colleague across the aisle, they need to get back to work. Only in Washington, D.C., and only with this President are we operating with COVID as a national emergency. The only national emergency coming out of Washington is the economic disaster from the failed economic policies and the reckless spending of my colleagues. It has created an inflationary firestorm, and people can't sustain it. Soaring interest rates, an economy teetering on recession, and $5 trillion of debt that have us dangerously close to the precipice of a debt crisis is an emergency. Our constituents across America have to go back to work. They have to take their kids to school. Somebody has to teach them. Somebody has to save a patient or serve a customer. They don't live in this fantasy world of Washington. My colleagues, unfortunately, have used the public health emergency in large part not to protect the public from COVID but to promote the big spending, Big Government bailout agenda. What I am talking about is this, in the name of COVID, bailing out student loans that cost taxpayers a trillion dollars, bailing out schools that don't open their doors to their students. Bailout after bailout, that is what this is about. While Democrats are jamming us with all these bailouts in the name of COVID, taxpayers can't get their Social Security benefits and their tax returns or their passports. You heard the stories. Here is my question. It is a simple one. How can the people's government serve the people if the people in the government don't come to work? That is the question from my constituents in west Texas. Here is the answer. It can't. It doesn't. If hardworking Americans don't have the luxury of not coming to work and teleworking for the rest of their lives, then the Biden administration and our government employees should do the same. Get back to work. Do your job. Serve the customer because that is what you signed up to do. We are here to hold them accountable, with all due respect.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Chair, Texas is on the front lines of Biden's unilateral assault on American energy, which has totally devastated our economic recovery efforts and undermined our national security. Rather than acknowledge the consequences of his disastrous energy policies and change course, Biden has simply doubled down by dipping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is not meant for political disasters but for national emergencies. Since March of last year, the President sold more than 40 percent of our strategic stockpile, bringing the SPR to the lowest levels in four decades. Even more irresponsibly, this administration has no plan for when and how they will replenish our oil reserves, putting America in a precarious position of weakness. This legislation sends a strong message, Mr. Chair, to this administration that they can no longer put their boot on the neck of American energy production and then bail themselves out by raiding our rainy-day fund, our rainy day reserves. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate one of west Texas' best, Ron Butler, on his induction into the 2023 Texas Bankers Hall of Fame. On April 27, Ron will be recognized for his outstanding leadership and service in the banking community. After graduating from Texas Tech University, Mr. Butler went on to join the First Financial Bank family, where he remained for 30 years, and now serves as vice president and chief administrative officer. Ron is a dedicated family man. He is passionate about serving his community there in Abilene and is not an avid but a rabid Red Raider fan. I know his wife, Lorilei, and his two children, Trey and Sydney, are very proud of him, and so am I. God Bless, guns up, and go west Texas.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I want to say what an honor it has been to serve alongside the great Louie Gohmert. I have watched him on television, as we say, for many years, fighting the fight for our freedom, for the Constitution, and for the values that make America so exceptional and so great. I know I am about to be gaveled, and I am running out of time, so let me say this: This man has the kind of grit and the kind of fight that this country and this country's leaders are going to need if we are going to restore freedom and return power to the people and resurrect the great United States of America. If we could just bottle a little bit of Louie Gohmert and force-feed it to the Members of this body, I believe we could get our great country back. God bless Louie Gohmert. God bless his family and all his future endeavors, and God bless America.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, on November 14, the proudest Dimmitt Bobcat, biggest Texas Tech fan, and the legendary west Texas leader Kent R. Hance turns 80 years old. I wish my dear friend and former boss the happiest of birthdays and thank him for his tremendous and matchless service, leadership, and love for the people, values, and spirit of west Texas. He strengthened the Lone Star State as a Texas Senator. He helped Reagan pass the tax cuts of 1986 as a U.S. Congressman. He unleashed energy independence in Texas as chairman of the energy commission. As the Texas Tech chancellor, we saw unprecedented growth in endowment, enrollment, and research. God blessed west Texas, and He broke the mold with Kent R. Hance. Kent, my brother, happy birthday. God bless you. Guns up.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I and my colleagues are going to spend the next hour raising to the attention of every American the large and looming crisis that hangs over the heads of our fellow Americans, but especially the next generation of Americans on account of our ever- growing, massive, almost incalculable national debt at $31 trillion and counting; with a projection of $16 trillion over the next decade. By the way, half of that will be interest payments on the debt, without a single dollar or dime going to something productive, to help a soldier or a sailor or a senior with a safety net program. It will be servicing the debt of this country. I believe this is the long-term greatest threat to America. As Admiral Mullen stated when asked by the defense community what the greatest national security threat was, he replied: The national debt is the greatest national security threat. Why? Because a debt crisis in any form will undermine our ability to provide for the common defense and have a military and weapons systems that will be sufficient for the ever-evolving and growing threats, especially the great power threats like China. It will undermine economic security and prosperity, and this land of opportunity, this American promise for our children and grandchildren. I don't believe there is a more important issue. In his Farewell Address, George Washington, our first President and one of the Founding Fathers, the Father of America, mentioned foreign influence, factions that divide us and weaken the bonds of American unity, and American oneness, but then he mentioned, `` . . . avoiding likewise 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 . . . `' Translation: You may have to borrow money when you are in a world war, but just like the last time we were over 100 percent debt-to-GDP, our Nation was willing to make the cuts to expenses and bring down the debt when we were in peacetime. We are now at 128 percent over the size of debt relative to our economy in World War II. We are carrying the largest debt in the history of the United States, and we are not at war. The horizon and the trajectory, not only over 10 years, but if you look at 30 years, it is over $120 trillion in additional debt. It is mind-boggling. It is unconscionable. And I think it is immoral to hand a country--in such shambles fiscally and so bankrupt--to the next generation, and just literally wipe out their future and the blessings of liberty and opportunity that every generation of Americans have inherited to date. George Washington says we should avoid these things. We should bend the expense curve. We should bring down debt, and not ungenerously throw that debt upon posterity, the burden, he says, `` . . . which we ourselves ought to bear.'' I see that every day in Congress. Instead of us bearing the burden by paying for the government that we believe the American people want--I am not so sure they want this government, this ever-expanding government--but when we are giving that government to them, we ought to pay for it and not defer the taxes on the next generation. That is not the American way. That has not been the American tradition of our lawmakers. We are in a real bad spot and it is going to take courage. It is going to take courage from everybody, regardless of party, to find a way not only to start paying for things through expense cuts, and in the case of my Democrat colleagues, raising revenue. We are way beyond just being able to offset and even grow the economy and get out of this debt hole. We are going to have to take extraordinary action. It is going to require extraordinary courage. Quite frankly, I haven't seen that on either side. But I think we have a tremendous opportunity in the future as Republicans look to take over in the House as the majority party and then get to demonstrate to the American people leadership on this issue. We have seen $5 trillion in new spending over the last 2 years under this administration--$5 trillion. And I hope and pray that my party will live up to the confidence and trust that the American people will put into us to steward this great Nation of ours and lead and take on the great challenge of the 21st century, which is the national debt. Mr. Speaker, I have more to say but my dear friends my colleagues are here from all over the country to speak on this matter. The first one is my dear friend from the First District of Kansas, a man who is no stranger to public service. He served his great State as Lieutenant Governor and is now serving in the United States Congress. Mr. Speaker, he asked me to remind folks that he represents the great State of Kansas, and his alma mater, Kansas State, which upset the Oklahoma University Sooners. They beat them three out of the last four times so that is pretty darn impressive. With that track record, please lend him your ears, my fellow Americans. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kansas. I think it is important to be honest with the American people even if the truth hurts. When I am asked who caused this disastrous level of debt, this deep hole that we have dug for our children and grandchildren, I say that while the Democrats have certainly done a whole lot of spending beyond our ability to pay and beyond what I think is the appropriate scope and scale of the Federal Government, which I think should be targeted and limited and focused on its mission, provide a common defense, and secure the liberties of us and our posterity, I am quick to remind them that Republicans have their fair share of blame. And while I am celebrating the thought, the opportunity for Republicans to be in the majority and to fulfill this commitment to America, which includes curbing wasteful spending and ensuring that this government is accountable to we the people, let's be honest. I was here in the 115th Congress as a freshman, and I saw the contributions that my party contributed to this. I saw us blow past the spending caps that we voted for to constrain spending. I witnessed us put aside pay- for provisions to offset these programs that we think are so important and necessary for taxpayers. I even was part of the Budget Committee that in the second year wasn't able to pass the budget out of the committee, let alone this Chamber. So when we talk about the Democrats failing for the last 2 years to even pass a budget out of committee--which I am happy to say because it is the truth, and it is quite shameful for any party to not have a budget, let alone live by it, like every American--we, as Republicans, have made our contributions to this. And we ought to own it. We ought to feel the burn in our conscience until we actually unite as a party and reach across the aisle where we can to address, what I would call, a curse on the next generation of Americans. Ben Franklin--God bless him--said, `` . . . when you run in debt; you give to another person power over your liberty.'' He said the second vice in public service is lying, the first is running up a debt. I have got a good friend who I have come to respect tremendously, not only for his service in the United States Congress but his service to our country as a foreign service officer. He is wicked smart, and a great patriot. Peter Meijer hails from the Third District of Michigan, from the Great Lake State. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Meijer), to make some comments on this important issue.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan for his heartfelt comments and his deep concern for our country and our Nation's future under this gigantic weight of $30-plus trillion in debt and this dark cloud and the clouds that gather. Mr. Speaker, I have another dear friend and colleague who is very passionate about this issue. Certainly a patriot, served his country, served the Lone Star in the House and Senate, and decided he would venture out here in Washington, D.C., to be another voice for the freedom-loving, God-fearing people of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Fallon), who I am honored and proud to serve alongside of.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I couldn't have said it better myself, and I thank the gentleman from Texas. We need to harness that passion, and we need to unify not only our conference to lead by example but the entire United States Congress to take this on. We do have existential threats, like our adversary China. We have a number of threats, and we have to address them responsibly and with urgency. But I don't see a bigger, long-term threat that could just knock the shine plum off the shining city on the hill than this boulder that is rolling downhill, this snowball that is going to impact every aspect from national security to our economy to domestic tranquility-- the whole shooting match, as we say in Texas--if we don't step up and have the courage to lead and to deliver for our children. Speaking of children, I have a friend and colleague on the Ways and Means Committee who has raised a family and is expecting to have his children inherit this American promise, this exceptional Nation, and the future opportunities it affords our fellow countrymen. He ran a business, a family-owned construction company. He has served at the local and county level. He has served in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Senate, and I believe he was the leader of the senate's budget and finance committee, so this guy knows what he is talking about. I imagine when he was leading the charge for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the senate they balanced their budgets, they paid their debts, and they lived fiscally responsibly within their means because that is what leaders do with other people's money. I am proud to hand over the mike to Lloyd Smucker for his comments, and I thank him for his service. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Smucker).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Lloyd Smucker is my brother. We came in together and served our first term in the 115th Congress. I know he is committed to this. I am proud and confident in his leadership on the Budget Committee. I just, again, share the sentiment of my colleagues and the sense of urgency--the sense of urgency. This crisis, this debt-related crisis, is very different from any other crisis we have experienced, in that, for example, with the pandemic and COVID, and the government's response to COVID which was sometimes the problem itself, but altogether, we were able to borrow and print enough money to bail out of it. But when the dominoes fall on a debt crisis, it doesn't matter how much China will lend us. It doesn't matter how much the Federal Reserve prints. They can print to their heart's desire. It won't fix it, and we will weaken this country, its global dominance, its global leadership, and the values that America represents to the entire world. So I am grateful to Mr. Smucker. Mr. Speaker, I yield to another colleague on the Committee on Ways and Means and from the Keystone State, another proud citizen of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This guy has run a business. I think I have heard him say, and I will paraphrase, if he ran his business like the knuckleheads in Congress run this country, he would have been bankrupt before he could ever make payroll, let alone make a living. This is a man who is known for his Knute Rockne locker-room speeches like they did there in Notre Dame. Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, he can fire you up, and he has a fire in his belly. I guarantee you, Mr. Speaker, when we get the majority--and I don't want to be presumptuous, I should say, God willing, if the people give us the majority--I know that this man is going to be riding herd on our conference and the entire Congress to do the right thing. He has four children and 10 grandchildren. That is what we call skin in the game. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly), who is my dear friend.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to Mr. Kelly and proud to call him a friend and colleague. I am going to shake his hand as he leaves. Listen, this is what it is going to require. It is going to require that level of push and punch and clawing and scratching, yelling if necessary, kicking a chair over in the Chamber, and saying the House is on fire. It is going to burn down before our children ever taste the sweetness of the blessed life in this country. I believe we are going to do it. I believe in this country, and I believe that the American people, especially over the last couple of years of this spending frenzy, are waking up to this. One of the sinister elements of a debt crisis is you don't feel the pain until you feel the pain. But once you feel the pain, it is too late. The world cannot afford to have America in any position besides the pole position for the sake of stability, freedom, and the fundamental rights of every human. Nobody knows that freedom is nothing without security more than a Navy fighter pilot who hails from the 25th District of California. He is an Iraq war veteran and was a State assemblyman. He flipped a seat that was Democrat for years, probably over 20 years, not because he was a great Republican but because he is a great man, and he is a great leader. He loves this country, and he just wants a safer, stronger, freer Nation for his two boys. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garcia), my friend.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, that was well said by my friend, Representative Garcia. I thank him for his service to the country in the Navy and in the United States Congress. Mr. Speaker, I am inspired tonight. I am inspired by my colleagues who are ready to fight by taking on the tough issues, making the tough decisions, and exercising the courage that every leader in this country has that ever did anything meaningful for this great Nation, and for their posterity. We are ready for this. I know one man has got a lot of fight in him; he is a warrior from Wisconsin. He is a man that is no stranger to the budget, to the budget process, and to the broken and dysfunctional dynamics and elements of the budget process in this place. Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for Glenn Grothman from the great State of Wisconsin representing the Sixth District. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Wisconsin and I am grateful for his courage. He speaks truth. He is not up here to win friends and influence people; he is up here to make sure the outcomes of our decisions are in the best interests of our country. And certainly bending the curve on spending, reining in our debt, and restoring fiscal responsibility is at the top of his list. America is counting on him, and I am, too--as a senior Member of this body when we get the majority--to remind every single Republican and our colleagues on the other side of the aisle what is at stake. If we don't, what is at stake? I thank Mr. Grothman. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, we timed it perfectly. I will just wind down and then I will wind up the next speaker and dear friend and fellow Texan. James Madison, I think, summarized it in his statement: A public debt is a public curse, and in a Republican form of government, the worst of its kind. That cloud hanging over the heads of our children, that snowball coming down the mountain, that is the 21st century challenge. That is the bankrupting of our children's future by spending our country into oblivion. It is our great challenge and we enter it with sober minds and with prayerful hearts that God would give us the courage to take on the forces in our own party and in this building and outside this building, and anything that stands in our way until we reverse the curse, and we can look into our children's eyes and we can tell them we have handed them this country better than we found it, like every generation of great leaders for this country. Mr. Speaker, now I get to sit and listen to a great fighter for freedom, my fellow Texan (Mr. Roy). God bless America. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Ohio for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I associate myself with Mr. Jordan's sentiments, and I might even take an even stronger and more critical opposition to these so-called law enforcement bills. I certainly don't want to impugn the motive of every colleague on the other side of the aisle, but here are my strong views, and this is my position on behalf of west Texas: Since the riots of 2020, I have been warning my Democratic colleagues that we get what we tolerate. After 2 years of Democrats' amplifying defund the police rhetoric, failing to hold criminals accountable, and refusing to condemn the lawlessness that is running rampant in our cities across the country, crime is absolutely out of control. Last year, a record number of police officers were killed. Seventy- three American heroes lost their lives. Law enforcement has experienced a staggering 115 percent increase in ambush-style attacks. Further evidence of the left's war on law enforcement is that police have seen a 45 percent increase in retirements and a 20 percent increase in resignations, leaving the most vulnerable Americans even more susceptible to being victimized by criminals. Now the party of defund the police wants to push through some face- saving bills just ahead of the election in November. Call me cynical, but that is unbelievable, Mr. Speaker. This legislation would expand the Federal bureaucracy unnecessarily, take over the responsibility of local governments, and add even more strings to Federal funding for the Biden administration or future administrations to impose their woke agenda and unrelated progressive policies on the American people. Mr. Speaker, these are not real solutions to the crime epidemic in America. These are political machinations to give the appearance of being supportive of law enforcement. These are a Texas-sized fig leaf to cover the Democrat left's reckless policies and dangerous rhetoric that have encouraged crime, have only coddled criminals, and have created a culture of lawlessness in our country. Mr. Speaker, I condemn all of that, and I urge my colleagues on both sides to vote ``no'' on this bill and the whole lot of these bills that are really just political window dressing.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, the last time my Democrat colleagues used reconciliation to jam through a massive partisan spending spree, it was under the pretense of COVID recovery. Not only did they ``fail to rescue America,'' they destroyed our recovery efforts and sent us spiraling into recession. Now, in the aftermath of their self-inflicted economic disaster, my Democrat colleagues' response is to run the same play and expect a different result. Another false promise under the guise of a grandiose title, the Inflation Reduction Act. Nobody in America, Madam Speaker, believes that this bill will reduce inflation. In fact, it is going to make inflation worse by imposing massive tax hikes on U.S. job creators, strangling domestic oil and gas production, unleashing an army of tens of thousands of IRS agents to shake down working families and small businesses, handing out hundreds of billions of dollars in Green New Deal giveaways that will jeopardize America's energy security, putting America in the same position of weakness as our European allies. Mark my words, Madam Speaker, this bill will further fuel inflation, deepen our recession, cripple our competitiveness, and increase costs at the pump.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Too often, Mr. Speaker, we skip over the fundamental principle and precept and driver of the Second Amendment, so let's reaffirm our faith here. Our Founders were determined to fight against their own government for our freedom and independence. They stated unequivocally that when there was a train of abuses and usurpations, and the citizens were reduced to absolute despotism, it was our right and our duty to throw off that government. We wouldn't have these United States, we wouldn't be here today, without this sacred Second Amendment. Every law-abiding citizen in America must be able to meet evil with equal or greater force, whether it is a violent criminal, a crazed killer, or a coercive government. Mr. Speaker, we must reject this attempt to trample the Constitution, to violate the spirit of what those Founders wrote into that sacred document, and disarm our citizens.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, Trista and Chris Hamsmith lived every parents' worst nightmare when their 18-month-old daughter, Reese, swallowed a button battery from the back of a remote control. It went undetected for a couple of days before an x-ray revealed that the battery was lodged in her esophagus. It burned a hole in her esophagus. By the time the doctors dislodged the battery, it had gone so long, and the unique nature of these batteries, it had done irreparable harm and, eventually, unfortunately, led to her death. But like a strong west Texas woman, and a mom on a mission, Trista prayerfully set out to make sure that other families would not have to experience this horrible tragedy. She started Reese's Purpose, a nonprofit aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of button batteries and advocating for strong safety measures. While I am an ardent limited-government and less-regulation guy, it was evident to me, and thanks to Trista's diligence, quite frankly, that these button batteries were uniquely dangerous. They would burn holes in kids' stomachs or their esophagi and cause major complications and even death. And the cases where children were ingesting these batteries were growing exponentially; 8,000 in 2020. During COVID, we saw a 93 percent uptick in kids going to the emergency room having ingested these batteries. I was convinced it needed appropriate immediate action, and I spoke to the Commissioner of the Consumer Products Safety Commission. They agreed it was a serious safety risk; but they said it would take 3 to 5 years for the rulemaking process. That is when I connected with my colleague, Robin Kelly. We introduced this bipartisan legislation that we affectionately refer to as Reese's Law, which would require the CPSC to put enhanced safety standards, including packaging, warning labels, and the like. I am glad we are voting on this. I am proud of Trista and her family. I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes;'' send it to the Senate, where they can act swiftly to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to represent west Texas, the most kindhearted and compassionate people, and I am especially honored to be a small part of Reese's Purpose and partner with such a strong, persistent, and loving mom in Trista Hamsmith, who I now call Trista ``the Hammer'' Hamsmith. God bless America. God bless these children. I hope we can save some lives. And go west Texas.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Washington State. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle's efforts to create a national policy that allows for terminating a pregnancy at any stage, for any reason is not only extreme and outside of the mainstream of America, it is wholly inconsistent with our values and the founding principles of our great Nation. This abortion on demand legislation taken together will put us in the dubious company of the likes of China, North Korea, and only five other countries that I guarantee you, Madam Speaker, do not have America's values. I commend the Supreme Court for restoring the integrity of the Constitution and returning power back to the States and We the People. God bless America, and God bless our fellow Americans both born and unborn.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, God's Word says, To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. On June 21, 2022, after 76 years, Donald Wayne Porter went home to be with his Lord. Despite a battle with Parkinson's that may have overcome his body, it never conquered his spirit. Wayne Porter represents the very best of America, the epitome of west Texas, and a true cowboy spirit. He was a third generation cattle rancher, grocery store owner, deacon in the First Baptist Church, and a decorated combat veteran of the Vietnam war. But his greatest legacy, Madam Speaker, was his fierce love and commitment to his God and his family. Wayne had just celebrated 50 years with his beloved wife, Edith, and is survived by his 6 children and 11 grandchildren. His only son, John Porter, served as my chief of staff. While I didn't know Wayne Porter, they say the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, so I felt like I knew the man. It was clear to me that Wayne Porter was a man of immense character, quiet strength, with a Texas-sized heart for God and people, the proudest of family men, and a patriot to his core. God has blessed America with men like Donald Wayne Porter, and may God continue to bless John, Madison, Duke, and the entire Porter family in their great loss but in heaven's gain. Go west Texas.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, tonight we are going to talk about a subject that gets too little attention in this Chamber and too little debate and consideration among lawmakers. Yet the storm clouds are gathering, and an epic crisis looms large over the future of our great Nation. Our mountainous and unsustainable national debt is the most significant, in my opinion, long-term threat to our economic prosperity as well as our national security. We have sown the wind of fiscal irresponsibility, and our children will reap the whirlwind of economic calamity. We will rob generations of Americans of the freedoms and the opportunities that we have enjoyed and have been so blessed with. Madam Speaker, we all take an oath, but there is an unwritten covenant between lawmakers today and our Founding Fathers and our future generations of Americans, and that unwritten sacred promise that all American leaders have subscribed to is to leave this Nation better than we found it. I believe the question is still hanging out there. The jury is still out on whether our Nation's leaders today in this generation are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to take on what I believe is the greatest challenge of the 21st century, and that is this unsustainable, unconscionable, and even immoral fiscal path that we are on. It is a collision course with a disastrous future. We have to do something. We have all the reforms and policy solutions. But what we don't have and what I have not seen in now 6 years in this Chamber is the collective political will to do something about it. It is very simple. Madam Speaker, I am honored to be joined by fellow lawmakers who I know share these sentiments. One such man hails from Ohio's Sixth District. He is a dear friend, he is a patriot, and he is a veteran. He has served on the Budget Committee. He is the co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a task force on addressing our broken budgetary processes and getting our arms around the debt and reining this in. Madam Speaker, I am so glad he has joined us tonight. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I thank my dear friend from Ohio and echo his sentiments. We must get our fiscal house in order. It is shameful. I would say, a case in point, to the cries from our citizens, citizens who say that this body and politicians in both Chambers, in Washington, play by a different set of rules. Do you know what? They are right. There is no further you have to look than at our budget and appropriations process. We haven't had a budget in the last 4 years under the leadership of our Democrat colleagues, but quite frankly, both parties have been guilty. I think, over the last 50 years, we have only gone through regular order and passed a budget in all 12 appropriations and run the people's House the way our States and local governments and our families run their fiscal affairs. They don't get to waive pay-fors. They don't get to borrow infinitum. This place is so broken, and it is going to catch up to us. You don't feel the pain until you feel the pain. When the dominoes fall, you cannot borrow and spend your way out of that situation and that particular crisis, like we have seen with COVID and others prior to it. We have a champion for this issue, fiscal responsibility, restoring that in our own Conference as well as the broader United States Congress, a fellow Texan, a man who I am proud to serve with from Texas' 21st District, and a member of the House Judiciary Committee and Veterans' Affairs Committee. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).