Jodey Arrington

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Chairman, there is a Navajo saying that a rocky vineyard does not need a prayer but a pickax. We don't need protectionist prayers from elites in Washington who think they have all the answers; we need a pickax for prosperity and opportunity for folks living in rural America and the Navajo people in New Mexico. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 2181, the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act. My amendment would prevent the proposed ban on future oil and gas development from going into effect in an area that already has adequate protections, protections that are there to ensure that these operations won't have any adverse impact on historic and sacred lands in the Chaco Canyon Historic Park. The reality is there are already a litany of State and Federal laws in place to ensure environmental protection and to prevent mineral development from affecting sensitive infrastructure and sacred artifacts within this exclusion zone. Energy companies have had a positive track record when it comes to working with the Federal Government to comply with these laws for necessary permits and approvals. And, since producers already meet the standards set in several comprehensive environmental laws, this proposed ban on new oil and gas development in this area, in my opinion, is unnecessary, is misguided, and is overreaching. In fact, drilling for minerals already prohibited within the Chaco Canyon Historic Park, keeping the culturally sensitive artifacts safe from any sort of potential disturbance caused by oil and gas development, this bill is nothing more than a buffer zone on top of an already existing buffer zone that has protected cultural artifacts effectively for 100 years, Mr. Chairman. Unfortunately, if enacted, this bill would create significant access and extraction complications for the Navajos. This adverse impact would be a result of the checkerboard nature of the mineral rights and how Federal, State, Tribal, and private lands are intersecting. Even though the area is proven to house abundant oil and gas reserves, the restrictions on accessing Federal land would make doing business in that area almost impossible, leading to a de facto extraction ban on the Navajo's privately-owned mineral rights. The so- called buffer zone imposed by the bill is arbitrary and completely unnecessary, again, in my opinion. The whole purpose of establishing the Chaco Culture National Historical Park was to protect every area of historic significance and, again, it has worked for a century now. That goal has already been achieved. The protection is already ensured. Extending the boundaries and adding acreage to the heritage area will not enhance protection of areas of historical significance, but instead, will limit the potential of private landowners to steward and reap the rewards of their privately held land passed down to them from their ancestors. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and fellow Texan, Dr. Burgess, for yielding me time to speak. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2115, legislation I was proud to help lead and support, alongside Congresswoman Spanberger, which will provide greater transparency to the discounts negotiated between insurance companies and drug manufacturers through what are known as pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. One of the reasons why drug costs have spiraled out of control is because discounts negotiated by PBMs are shrouded in secrecy. Americans are left in the dark about the rebates, and we have no idea where the value of those rebates go. But we know this: We know they are not going to our seniors. We know they are not going to them at the point of sale. This has created a system that is confusing and overly complicated, particularly for our seniors. My greatest concern is that the value, again, of these rebates is being passed to our seniors, who need the relief desperately. The answer to this drug affordability crisis is not to impose more government control, which would only further distort the market, further confuse our seniors, and increase costs on all Americans. Instead, we need to activate the forces of competition and provide patients with more transparency in this process so that they are empowered to know exactly what their options are and what they are paying for each time they visit the pharmacy. This legislation will help ensure that rebates go toward reducing the cost of drugs for our seniors as well as the cost to the American taxpayer. Additionally, I am thankful this legislation includes the text of my bill, the Shop Rx Act. This provision, which I carried in committee with the support of both Republicans and Democrats, requires drug plans for seniors to offer realtime information regarding the various options of drugs and their associated costs. By providing seniors with access to the readily available and relevant information they need in order to be real consumers, we will empower them with the knowledge to choose the options that best fit their needs and their budget. Once consumers have more information, they will have more choices, and insurers will have to actually compete for their business, which will ultimately bring down the cost of drugs. Madam Speaker, I believe this legislation will help transform the system from one in which patients are often powerless victims to one in which they have true bargaining power and real control over their healthcare needs. I am proud to support it, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and legacy of my dear friend and Lubbock legend, E.J. Holub, who passed away Saturday. E.J. was the pride of Lubbock High School and one of the best Texas Tech football players of all time. Some referred to E.J. as ``The Beast,'' and I called him ``Uncle E.J.'' because he was one of my dad's best friends at Texas Tech and a lifelong member of the Arrington family. E.J. was larger than life on and off the field. His stature and strength on the gridiron was only rivaled by the size of his heart for people. E.J. was a true gentleman and a real cowboy. He loved his family, his horses, and all things Texas Tech. He is leaving behind a tremendous legacy for west Texas. To Sandi and E.J.'s girls: Please know that we love you and are praying for you. To Red Raider Nation: Take off your hats, get your guns up, and join me in paying tribute to our favorite fearless champion and Herculean hero, E.J. ``The Beast'' Holub. I love you, Uncle E.J.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the good people at Parkridge Pregnancy Medical Clinic in Lubbock, Texas. Parkridge, a nonprofit pregnancy center, is celebrating 26 years of providing compassionate care to mothers throughout their pregnancies, and often in the most difficult of circumstances. By providing ultrasounds, medical services, material assistance, and even ministering to mothers' deeper emotional and spiritual needs, the people at Parkridge are truly and literally saving lives. You see, Madam Speaker, they believe, like I do, that all life is a gift from God. They believe in the words etched into our Declaration of Independence, our founding principle and fundamental belief that all of us are created equally by God and endowed by our creator with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But for nearly 50 years now, we have fallen short of that national ethic. Ever since the Supreme Court erred in Roe v. Wade, we have failed to protect the sacred right for the most vulnerable among us, rejecting the notion that life at every stage is equally valuable, equally precious, not only in light of the Constitution, but in the eyes of God. Since then, over 60 million lives have been terminated through the practice of abortion in these United States. And yet even in the shadow of this darkness, we can see rays of hope shining through. Because of places like Parkridge, I believe the tide is finally turning, and in the direction of life. All across our country, the growing momentum for a culture of life is palpable. Last week, we learned that the abortion rate in America has dropped to its lowest level at any point since 1973 and Roe v. Wade. We have seen States throughout the country taking bold action to defend the inherent dignity of every human life, especially those who can't speak up for themselves. I am proud to have supported every single pro-life measure considered in this Chamber, from the Heartbeat Protection Act, to the pain-capable protections, to defunding Planned Parenthood, to the recent born-alive protection legislation. I stand behind our President 100 percent in his efforts to reshape the courts so that judges adhere to the Constitution and to the independent and interpretive role that they are supposed to play, rather than legislating from the bench and imposing their policy preferences on the American people. This is one of the most important and certainly lasting legacies of this President, and I am proud to say and excited to say the Senate has recently confirmed President Trump's 150th judicial nominee. But I also recognize that in order to build a lasting culture of life, we are going to need to do more than just change laws. We are going to have to change hearts. In the debate over abortion, the late Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey said: The real question is not when life begins, but when love begins. For 26 years now, the people of Parkridge Pregnancy Center have been coming alongside these young mothers not in judgment, but in joy, not in condemnation, but to comfort, praying with them, loving them, and ministering to them and meeting their deepest needs in their darkest hours. Thanks to the good and godly work that they are doing, along with countless organizations like them across America, I hope, pray, and I believe that we will soon see a day in our country when every child is loved and every life, born or unborn, is celebrated, cherished, and protected. Madam Speaker, may God bless the Parkridge family, may He bless their mission to protect life and promote love, all to the praise of God, the author of both life and love. Go west Texas. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have remaining?

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I would like to say that I feel like it is incredibly irresponsible and premature and careless for this body, led by our Speaker and the Democratic Party, to rush to this conclusion and allege that our President has committed high crimes. I don't believe this is under the auspices of pursuit of justice and truth. I think it is placating a certain group in the Democratic Party. I think this is more of the bloodlust for impeaching our President, not because of high crimes, but because they hate him, they hate his personality, they hate his policies, but that is no justification. We are better than that as a country. We should be more responsible in how we faithfully carry out our constitutional duties. So I look forward to reading the transcript. I look forward to getting the facts. Republican or Democrat, Madam Speaker, we ought to look at the facts and we ought to be very judicious and careful and certainly responsible when wielding our constitutional oversight, and certainly that provision of impeachment. So that is what I am going to do on behalf of the good people of west Texas and my beloved countrymen across the United States.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) for yielding. I am on the Ways and Means Committee. I was at the markup for this legislation, Mr. Speaker, and I do want to correct the Record from the previous statement that my colleague on the other side of the aisle made that this was a bipartisan legislative initiative. Not one Republican voted for this bill. We offered up several amendments. None of them were taken. One of them, for example, was one that I proposed whereby these employees would take out a guaranty policy that would ensure that taxpayers get paid back for these ``loans.'' They call them loans, and the gentlewoman says that they must be paid back. That is not true. Read the fine print, my fellow Americans. It says that they can be forgiven, that they can be converted into grants. This is a bailout. This is one of the most reckless, fiscally irresponsible pieces of legislation I have ever seen. Yes, we need to help those workers. They were the real victims. The culprits? The unions and the employers making benefit promises that they knew good and well they couldn't deliver on. Who is now going to hold the bag? Our children and grandchildren. Today, we are bailing out $100 billion worth, about 130 plans irresponsibly managed--grossly, irresponsibly managed. It is our children who will pay for this. This is the first $100 billion. There is $650 billion, roughly, underfunded liabilities in multiemployer pensions. Of the 1,300 pension plans, whereby 10 million workers are covered, 75 percent of the workers are in plans that are less than 50 percent funded. This is a disaster. This is a terrible precedent. This is a moral hazard if I have ever seen it because we will do this for $100 billion, but we won't fix the problem. We don't do anything to get at the root cause that brought us here, and there will be a line as long as the eye can see to bail out the next $100 billion and the next $100 billion. It won't be the multiemployer pension. It will be State pensions and local pensions. We are bankrupt, Mr. Speaker. We are bankrupt in this country, and this is the most irresponsible way to try to solve this problem of underfunded and unfunded liabilities for these workers. Hold the people who are responsible accountable. Don't just give a blank check from the taxpayers to bail out this program and be right back here doing the same thing. I was a regulator at the FDIC. We would close down a bank that gave these so-called loans so fast that your heads would spin. This is not a loan. This is a complete write-off of irresponsible behavior. We shouldn't have anything to do with this. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this bill. I oppose it. I hope they will, too.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a special guest who is here with us in the gallery today, Jesse Burleson, the head coach of the Hardin-Simmons University Cowboys football program, located in the heart of the big country, Abilene, Texas. Coach is joined today by his wife, Lois, and his daughters, Lainey and Marisa. Under Coach Burleson's leadership, the Cowboys have enjoyed unprecedented success, going 36 and 4 in the past four seasons, making four consecutive playoff appearances, and graduating 14 All-Americans and two Rimington Trophy winners. Coach stresses the importance of hard work, discipline, and the necessity of making sacrifices to achieve goals. The most important thing that these Cowboys will learn while they are playing football at Hardin-Simmons is that God loves them, that He has a plan for them, and that if they follow Him, there is nothing they cannot overcome or achieve in this world. Thank you, Coach Burleson. Hooyah, Cowboys. Go west Texas.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 2740 that would prevent funds from being used to contribute to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Mr. Chairman, at the heart of America's economic prosperity and unrivaled security is an abundant, affordable supply of domestic energy, and the lion's share of that, 90 percent, is fossil energy. The hardworking energy producers of west Texas and the folks in my district are leading the way. In the Permian Basin of west Texas, we went from producing a million barrels of oil a day to 4 million a day, soon to be 8 million in just 3 or 4 years, making it the most active oil and gas producing region in the world. The blessings of these natural resources have given us an overwhelming advantage for economic prosperity as well as national security. To ensure we continue these advantages for the next generation, I offer this amendment that would prevent U.S. taxpayer dollars from going to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a costly, ineffective, and irresponsible program that has produced the likes of the Paris climate accord. The climate activists' agenda, Mr. Chairman, and extreme ideological views promoted by the Framework Convention embrace the view that the only means to successfully reduce carbon emissions is to eliminate conventional fuels, which, by the way, power our Nation's economy, again, at 90 percent. This framework is flawed in its assumptions, fraught with political bias, hostile towards our main source of energy, and amounts to a jobs program for ideological bureaucrats, and I oppose it and so do the people of west Texas and most of the people in this country. And did I mention that we spend billions of dollars to subsidize the biggest polluters to comply with the mandates from this framework and completely transition away from conventional energy sources? America would pay out of the nose to fuel their vehicles and heat their homes. It would hurt our poor people more than anyone else. The Paris accord is the most recent product and egregious example of this framework. At best, the Paris Agreement is political window dressing. At worst, it is a tax on middle- and working-class families, with a price tag that, in just 5 years, would amount to $250 billion in costs to our economy and 2.7 million jobs. Meanwhile, it would have forced us to subsidize the world's biggest polluters, like India, and it would give a pass to hostile powers like Russia and China for years. I believe we have an environmental stewardship responsibility to our creator and to our children, but we must be responsible to balance those stewardship responsibilities with our economic and national security interests. Here is the irony, Mr. Chairman. The irony is that America is already leading the way for a cleaner environment, and we are leading by example, not by words, by flowery words, fancy phrases, big speeches, fear-mongering. We are leading by example. And we are doing this not through Big Government solutions, one-size- fits-all, top-down mandates. We are doing it through innovation and technology development in partnership with industry, and the results are remarkable and measurable. Greenhouse gases are down by 14 percent since `05, the rest of the world up 20 percent; carbon emissions down 20 percent, the rest of the world up; methane gas cut in half. Since 1970, all the six key pollutants in the Clean Air Act, down 73 percent. And this President is the only one who has put in a legally sound greenhouse gas emissions standard that will reduce the coal power plants' emissions by 34 percent of the levels they were at in 2005. That is progress. Those are real results. It is reckless and naive to bind taxpayers to international agreements that compromise our freedom and our economic security and virtually do nothing to impact the environment. Instead, we should put forth solutions that encourage the continued development of all energy sources while setting high but reasonable standards for environmental quality in human health, and achieve those objectives not in hostility to the energy source that has blessed us with all the things that I have mentioned and not through abuse of Presidential powers, but in partnership with States and other important stakeholders. I urge my colleagues to support this very important amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I find it ironic and hypocritical to hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who speak from this august Chamber about the children and the families at the border when, today, we are going to vote on legislation that doesn't lift a finger to help those children and those families. It doesn't give a dime to our President and make the investment in infrastructure and healthcare and the things that this President has asked for repeatedly to help those children. Instead, we hear demagoguery after demagoguery, and it is all talk; it is no action. And the action we need is not amnesty for people who are in this country illegally. What we need is real solutions to putting the American citizens first, their security and well-being first. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the legislation the Democrats are bringing to the floor today that will grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, incentivizing even more people to come to this country illegally and which would do nothing to combat the national security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border that continues to grow worse every day. The title of the bill is the ``American Dream and Promise Act''--the ``American Dream and Promise Act.'' This may be a dream for those who get placed in front of the line in front of millions of people who respect our immigration laws; it may be a dream for folks who get blanket immigration, a pass and citizenship to this great country, who have committed violent acts, criminal acts, folks who are convicted of DUIs, gang members; but it is not the dream of the American citizen. In fact, it is a nightmare what is happening on the border of this country. And it is anything but a promise. It is a failure. It is a broken promise to do our first job, and that is to protect the American people, to provide for a common defense. From denying we have a crisis in the first place, despite all the evidence to the contrary, to irrationally calling walls immoral, to repeatedly refusing to get the President the resources he needs to secure the border and safely detain the children and families who have made the dangerous trek, Democrats have been derelict in their constitutional duty to defend our borders and to stop this flow of illegal immigrants into our country. We have a responsibility to safeguard our sovereignty as a nation and know who is coming into this country. President Reagan said: ``A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation.'' Right now, we have zero operational control of our borders. For the second straight month, Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 100,000 people trying to cross the border illegally, the highest number in 12 years. That is an average of 4,500 people a day. Homeland Security experts say we apprehend one out of three. So we are talking about thousands upon thousands of people that we don't even apprehend. Just last week, Border Patrol agents in El Paso encountered a thousand people who just walked across the border. We couldn't do anything. We just let them go. We don't have the capacity. We don't have the resources. Even The New York Times and President Obama's Homeland Secretary Jeh Johnson--no fans of this administration, for sure--have admitted that the system is being pushed past the breaking point and that having over 4,000 people cross every day constitutes a crisis. The situation is so bad, the Border Patrol agents are being forced to release folks into the interior of our country because they have run out of room to house everybody. And from the great State of Texas, my home State, where we are on the front lines against the fight against illegal immigration, I can tell you that our brave patrolmen and -women are simply outnumbered and overwhelmed. And yet, in the midst of this unprecedented border crisis, what is the solution from the Democrats? A blanket amnesty to millions of people, to reward those who come over here illegally over the millions who have respected our laws and waited in line to become citizens, waiting for years to become citizens. To grant amnesty to illegals while abandoning our own citizens and their security needs is disconnected from reality. It is disrespectful to our citizens, and it is downright un-American. Mr. Speaker, I wish today's vote was an isolated incident. Unfortunately, it is the latest in a long litany of examples that exposes just how extreme the Democratic Party has become, whether it is advocating for open borders, allowing for abortion up to point of birth, or putting our country on the road to ruin with failed socialist policies, and it is just another example of Democrats showing they are more interested in opposing and obstructing a President than solving real problems.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the effort to establish a national veterans cemetery on the south plains of west Texas. Dating back to the Civil War, the 147 national cemeteries across America are a powerful way to honor those who have gone before us who wore the uniform of the United States and remind us every day of the 1 percent of Americans who were willing to sacrifice everything in defense of our freedom and security. For some, they serve as what President Lincoln called ``a final resting place for those who gave their lives that our Nation might live.'' Yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting with several distinguished veterans who have made it their mission to see this vision become a reality. Among them were four generals, who have chosen to reside in a little slice of heaven that Chairman Mike Conaway and I call west Texas. I am so honored that they are with us here today in the gallery. General Edgar Murphy was the commanding general of the 49th Armored Division of the Army National Guard for the State of Texas. In his distinguished 42-year military career, he was awarded numerous medals, including the Legion of Merit. Today the Armed Forces Guard and Reserve Center in Lubbock is named in General Murphy's honor. General Anne Sobel is a former major general in the Arizona Air National Guard who served as the first female homeland security director for the State of New Mexico. Today she continues by serving and teaching at my alma mater, Texas Tech University. Brigadier General Gary Harber is a veteran with 42 years of service and a master army aviator. General Harber also served as the NATO northern regional wartime construction manager and commander from 1989 to 1995, responsible for the United Kingdom, Norway, and Denmark. Last but certainly not least is my good friend Lieutenant General Bernie Mittemeyer. General Mittemeyer served 28 years in the U.S. Army, earning numerous awards and decorations. He served as our Surgeon General of the Army from 1981 until his retirement in 1985, and he also served as commanding general of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Madam Speaker, I am proud to represent over 40,000 veterans in my district and rural America. If you take into consideration eastern New Mexico that this national cemetery would serve, it is over 70,000 veterans. We must ensure that the commitment we make to our veterans isn't reserved only for those veterans living in population centers, whether it is long-term care, services for the disabled, or respect that is owed our honored dead. We must never forget all veterans, including those living in rural parts of our country. Madam Speaker, no group of Americans believes more adamantly in the importance of a strong defense and the mission of our military to keep us safe and free than the good people of west Texas. Their duty was to serve. Our duty is to remember them. One of the best ways we can do that is by giving them a hero's burial in a national cemetery. God bless our veterans. And go west Texas.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, what a joy and a pleasure and an honor to serve under the ranking member's leadership in the 115th Congress, my first term. I thank him for letting me lead the subcommittee and initiate the legislation that will have an impact--I believe a tremendous impact--on the lives of folks like my friend Bill, so I thank him. Madam Speaker, I enjoyed working with Chairman Takano, and I congratulate him on his chairmanship. I thank him for being a great colleague and for being a friend to the veterans, most importantly. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Levin for being such a gracious gentleman and statesman, to come up to me on the floor of the House and tell me he was going to pick up this ball and he was going to run it all the way down the field and into the end zone so that we can score points, not politically for Democrats or Republicans, but for the American people who expect that we take care of our veterans and, most of all, for our military men and women who are transitioning and have unique challenges in that regard, as Bill had. It meant so much to me. If I don't say anything else here, I want to say thank you. I say that on behalf of Bill's family because I know it means a lot to them. He is worthy. Bill Mulder is worthy to be on this legislation. Don't ask me, ask his teammates, his fellow Navy SEALs. I mean, just look at him. He is Captain America. I am so jealous. I was always jealous. He was tough. He was strong. He was courageous. Madam Speaker, I promise you this, that when he stood between you and me and the enemy, we were safe, and the enemy was scared, as they should be. Thank God for Bill Mulder, and thank God for our men and women who wear the uniform. Our country makes a tremendous investment in preparing our citizen soldiers to be freedom fighters, to be part of the greatest fighting force in all the world, but then we invest a fraction of that in their transition back to civilian life. This is an investment in prevention, as has been said. If we can do a better job on the front end, then we can prevent folks from struggling with addiction, unemployment, homelessness, suicide, and a number of challenges that disproportionately affect our veterans. Next Monday, we will celebrate Memorial Day and take time to pay tribute to those who not only served but made the ultimate sacrifice, those American heroes who never made it home. However, even when our soldiers do return home from war, it doesn't always mean that the conflict is over for them. There is often a battle that continues to rage on. It is a big reason that we see so many soldiers take their own lives. One of those veterans, sadly enough, was my friend Bill, my fellow Plainview Bulldog for whom this bill was named. I am so proud that this legislation bears his name, and I am so grateful that you guys kept it that way. Bill was a warrior's warrior. He served this country with honor and distinction. Like many veterans, Bill's greatest fight wasn't on the battlefield. It was the struggle that often ensues from the mental, emotional, and physical wear and tear of military service. After 20 years as a combat Navy SEAL, Bill bore scars you couldn't see, and he struggled to make that transition from Active Duty to civilian life. For a lot of these folks, it is not the skills gap that is important. It is not always the education gap. It is not even redefining your mission and purpose after such a sacred calling as to wear the United States uniform. Sometimes, it is a mental health issue. I am grateful that we have included that in that comprehensive assessment and in this legislation because that was the case for Mr. Mulder.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I am sorry for going on a little long. Let me just say, we owe this to the likes of Bill Mulder. I really believe, Ranking Member, Chairman Takano, and Chairman Levin, of all the things I worked on, on the Veterans' Affairs Committee--and it was a tremendous honor; I didn't serve our country in the military, so this was my way of serving those who served--I don't believe anything is going to have a greater impact. And it may just save lives. I believe it will. I really do. Madam Speaker, I am proud to be a small part of it. God bless our veterans. God bless those guardian angels that keep guard over us every day. God bless the United States of America.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the warnings to not mention the President, but you know what? They are going to continue to come. They won't be heeded. People say they have respect for the rule of law. Do they even have respect for the House rules and the dignity that we have as leaders of our country to follow those rules? How can we ask the American people to follow rules we pass when we don't follow the rules even on the House floor? Madam Speaker, I know you understand this. My heart is heavy because I sit here, prepared to speak about one thing, but I feel like I have to say that I am very concerned for my country when my colleagues on the Democratic side speak of socialism as if history isn't littered with examples of failure, of destitution, of destruction of not only the economies of countries that go down that road of ruin but what it does to their people. We see this in the most recent example of Venezuela. How can we be talking about these big-government, socialist ideas like the Green New Deal? Even Speaker Pelosi calls it a fantasy. When colleagues on the other side aren't talking about giving Washington more control over the American people's lives, they are talking about party over country, unpatriotic rhetoric, in my opinion, and political theater. That is the agenda. That is what they have. That is the bold vision of where they want to take this country. Not me, and not the people of west Texas. I can promise you that. I mentioned the Green New Deal as the Democrats' signature legislation to steward the environment. They want to eliminate airplanes, ladies and gentlemen. They want to eliminate cows. They want to give everybody a paycheck, guaranteed income whether you work or not. Whether you are capable of working or not working, everybody ought to get a paycheck, guaranteed, full faith and credit of the United States of America. That is where this country would go if we didn't have a Republican Senate, if we didn't have a Republican President, and if we didn't have Americans with better sense. Look, is the climate changing? Yes, it is changing. What are the factors? What are the variables? How serious? Which variables are contributing over the others? Let me tell you what is real. What is real is the responsibility we have to steward our environment. I want clean air and water for my three children. I think, as leaders of this great country, we ought to be responsible for providing not only a land of opportunity for the future of our children but a clean land of opportunity. Let's just get the facts straight for the American people. America has been leading the way in this regard. The Clean Air Act is one example. We had six key pollutants that we identified, in a bipartisan way, that had an impact on our health and well-being in this country. We have reduced those pollutants by 73 percent since 1970. At the same time, we have grown this economy 230 percent. America is leading the way. In greenhouse gases, from 2005 to 2017, U.S. energy-related emissions fell by 14 percent when the rest of the world increased their emissions by 20 percent. Folks, through American innovation, through reasonable regulations, we have been able to lead the world and provide for a cleaner environment and steward God's great Earth, a gift to us. We do have a stewardship responsibility. We have a calling to our creator and our children. I don't want the American people to be misled, certainly not at a $93 trillion cost and a plan that eliminates cows and airplanes. Give me a break. The committee of jurisdiction, the Energy and Commerce Committee, hasn't even taken up that legislation. But that is what they have. I hope we can work in a balanced way. I hope we can find ways to continue to do what we are doing, which is to steward our resources, provide for a cleaner environment for our children, and at the same time, make sure that we have opportunities for our kids to pursue their dreams and dream big and do better for their families because just talking about dirty fossil fuel is not enough of a plan.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Texas Cowboy Reunion, which was recently inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame. Located in the small west Texas town of Stamford, the Texas Cowboy Reunion has been preserving the heritage of the American cowboy and the West for almost 90 years. Madam Speaker, Texans have always been a resilient people, and what started as a way for Stamford to lift the spirit of its citizens from the depths of the Great Depression has developed into what is known as the world's largest amateur rodeo. To this day, it continues to attract people from all over to honor the pioneers of the past, through barrel racing, calf roping, and other timeless cowboy traditions. Every year, on the Fourth of July, my family and I look forward to taking in the rodeo festivities and just being back home with friends and my fellow west Texans. So congratulations to Matt Mueller and everyone at the Texas Cowboy Reunion on this well-deserved recognition. I will see them all in July. God bless, and go west Texas.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Chairman, I rise to shed light on a very deceptive practice and the reason the American people refer to politics in Washington as ``the swamp.'' That is giving bills names that, not only have nothing to do with the legislation, but actually mislead the American people to believe it is something that it is not. This Democrat bill being considered today, entitled the Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act, has absolutely nothing to do with preexisting conditions and protecting people with preexisting conditions. This bill actually prevents a policy that allows States to have the freedom and flexibility to provide for their citizens' healthcare needs. Where they have exercised that flexibility, we have seen an average of 20 percent in the reduction of healthcare costs. There are laws on the books, Mr. Chairman, passed by Democrats and Republicans alike, that prevent and punish people and companies who participate in such false advertising. In fact, there is a good reason the FTC has strong truth in advertising laws and strictly enforces them against misleading and deceptive practices, because it hurts people, it hurts consumers, and it actually, in this case, compromises the American people's trust. Mr. Chairman, the American people are sick and tired of political games, they are tired of politicians and their duplicity, and they are tired of their elected representatives deceiving them. That is what this is. Mr. Chairman, I encourage my colleagues to not vote for this bill that takes the American people as fools and preys on their fears, and I encourage both sides to stand in opposition of this bill.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. The irony is the innovations and technology that created the shale revolution have already resulted in significant reduction in carbon. Since 2000, the U.S. has led the way by cutting emissions by almost 20 percent. We need policies that are not hostile to America's main source of energy. Instead, we should put forth solutions that encourage the continued development of all energy resources, while setting high and responsible standards for environmental quality and human health. And we should carry out this mission in partnership, not in hostility, in partnership with States and industry.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Chairman, at the heart of America's economic prosperity and unrivaled security is an abundant, affordable and reliable supply of domestic energy. The lion's share of America's energy supply, nearly 90 percent, comes from fossil energy resources, and the hardworking energy producers of West Texas are leading the way. This is thanks to the great American work ethic, entrepreneurial spirit, and drive for innovation. In the Permian Basin in West Texas, we went from producing a million barrels of oil a day in 2012 to four million today, and we are on a path to producing 8 million barrels a day within just a few years. The blessings of these natural resources have allowed us to become the most powerful and prosperous nation on the face of the planet. It has allowed us to build the largest middle class in the world; helped us to produce the new technologies and innovations that have improved the quality of life and given us the highest standard of living in the world. It has been the lifeblood of this land of opportunity, where we now have more jobs than we actually have people to fill them. Having an abundant supply of energy doesn't just fuel this economy. It also is an overwhelming advantage in terms of national security. Energy independence gives us choices that many nations would be envious of. It allows us to export that same freedom to our allies and to democracies around the world. Forcing our President to stay in this terrible deal would undermine many of those advantages, and it would penalize the American people, and cost hundreds of billions of dollars. It would cost us millions of jobs. At best, the Paris Agreement is a feel-good-do-nothing political window dressing, at best. At worst, it is a tax on the middle and working class. It is a millstone around the neck of our job creators. And it is a gift to our enemies, and we must oppose it. It would punish the American people. It would punish our children and their future in this country. Look, I want responsible stewardship of the environment, like everybody in this Chamber. And I want clean water and clean air for my kids. But I also want them to grow up in the safest, strongest, freest nation in the world. The irony of this discussion is that the United States is leading this debate. We are leading in our actions.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Red Raiders of Texas Tech and a new standard of excellence in west Texas. Sports teaches us a lot about the game of life. It teaches us that anything worth doing is worth working hard for. It teaches us the virtue of competition, the value of setting ambitious goals, and the necessity of making sacrifices to achieve them. Through sports, we learn how to work as a team, how to be resilient in the face of adversity, and how to display grace in victory as well as defeat. No one embodies these traits better than Coach Beard and the Texas Tech men's basketball team who have earned their first trip to the Final Four. Coach Beard says the tough times pass, but the tough people last. Let me tell you, these Red Raiders are as tough as west Texas. To the team, listen to the coach: Four to one, four parts mental, one part physical. To my fellow Americans, get your guns up because Texas Tech is in Minneapolis, and we are coming home with the national championship. Go Tech.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the resolution the House will vote on later today that would terminate the President's declaration of a national emergency. The need to secure our borders isn't just a matter of good public policy, it is our highest calling, and it is our constitutionally prescribed duty as guardians of our citizens' safety. When our Founding Fathers penned our Constitution and changed the course of history, they charged the Federal Government in the preamble with the preeminent responsibility to provide for the common defense. But they didn't just stop there. They went on and not only empowered, but they commanded that the Federal Government shall protect every State in the Union against invasion. Madam Speaker, unfortunately, as the American people and, especially, the citizens of the great State of Texas know far too well, the Federal Government has abdicated its most important responsibility and has been derelict in its constitutional duty to defend our borders and provide for our defense. For too long, politicians have pontificated and they have postured that they would stop illegal immigration and that they would secure the border, but the fact is they haven't. Anyone who has been to the border or worked along the border or lives along the border knows that this is a crisis. This is a national emergency. We know that, just last month, apprehensions at the southern border spiked 84 percent compared to the same time last year, with 120,000 apprehensions in the last 2 months alone. Homeland Security personnel spent 28,000 man-hours to render basic medical services to folks who were coming across the border. New migrant caravans continue to form and march toward our cities along the border where our Border Patrol agents are already overwhelmed with migrants from other caravans. And in the first caravan of 8,000 people that forced their way into Mexico--they forced their way into Mexico--where they should have stopped as the first safe country when they were applying for asylum, we know that 600 of that first caravan of 8,000 were known criminals. Additionally, because of our porous borders, drugs continue to flood into our country, poison our communities, and destroy our families. Just last year 70,000 people died from drug overdoses in this country. Ninety percent of those drugs are coming from across the southern border. If that is not an emergency, I don't know what is. No one is on the front lines of this fight more than the State of Texas. Since 2011, 186,000 illegal aliens have been charged with more than 290,000 crimes in Texas alone. When you combine the total cost of illegal immigration from healthcare services, education, and incarceration, it is over $12 billion for the State of Texas. It is over $150 billion for the United States. We are $22 trillion in debt. We will have two of our biggest safety- net programs insolvent in less than 20 years, and we are spending $150 billion on illegal immigration. We know that constructing physical barriers, when combined with boots on the ground and technology, are effective at stemming the tide of illegal immigration. We know walls work because we have seen it when we have deployed them in El Paso, San Diego, and Tucson, and we have stopped illegal immigration or stemmed the tide 90-plus percent. So, instead of letting this crisis continue to worsen, this President took action, using authority not that he invented but that we in Congress explicitly gave him under the National Emergency Act. It is not like the President is setting new precedent or breaking new ground. Other presidents have declared national emergencies 50-plus times, and I know President Clinton declared it a national emergency to fight drug traffickers--rightfully so--and President Obama against transnational criminal organizations. This President loves this country. He wants to do his job. He doesn't want another one of our sons and daughters to die of drug addiction or overdose. He doesn't want crime to run rampant in the streets of the United States. The President understands his first job as Commander in Chief is to keep our citizens--our people--safe, and I stand with him. Madam Speaker, today I will be voting for our President, for his constitutional, legal authority to defend this country, to protect our borders and our citizens. I will be voting for the safety of the American people today and the safety of our communities, not just in west Texas but throughout this country. Again, President Trump is doing the right thing. He is doing the responsible thing. He is doing the constitutionally necessary thing. And I am behind him 100 percent.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina, Representative Walker, for his service and his leadership, not just to this body, but myself personally. He is a spiritual leader and mentor for so many. We have a lot of ways to measure success in life and in this job, but I can tell you, one of them is to maintain a healthy relationship with our Lord and savior, and I want to thank him publicly. This is a serious issue, and it is one that we in Texas have a lot of knowledge about and experience with, unfortunately, and that is border security. It is also a humanitarian crisis. Mr. Speaker, we are on the front lines, and we see the drugs, gangs, and criminal activity pouring into the great State of Texas, not just along the impact zone immediately across from the southern border, but in communities in west Texas, in the 19th Congressional District, and not just my population center, but in rural communities as well. Here is a statistic that is pretty startling. Since 2011, 180,000 illegal immigrants were charged in the great State of Texas with 290,000 crimes. I talked to local law enforcement officers, sheriffs, police chiefs, and others in my communities over the last few weeks. They are telling me that the volume of drugs coming into our communities is off the charts and that the crime has increased exponentially--not just property crime, but violent crime. They are telling me that gangs, not just the shoestring gangs, as they call them, but the very violent gangs and cartels, the Sinaloa cartel and the Los Zetas cartel, are in my district in west Texas. They are showing up in our backyards and our neighborhoods, and it is scary. Here is the sad fact: This country has the resources and tools to do something about it. Our President has asked for those resources and tools. He has a comprehensive border security plan, and we have to have political will. We have to be able to put our country first, especially when it comes to the safety and security of our people. Mr. Speaker, I have heard people say that drugs are coming through only ports of entry. You can tell from this map, they are coming across the border at various places. Just a month ago, there was 700 pounds of cocaine caught at the border, and we had our largest drug bust up in my district in a little town called Denver City, about 22 kilos of cocaine. So we have to do something about it. Mr. Speaker, I beg of my colleagues to do the right thing and put their country before politics. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, America is great because America is good. But I ask the question: What is good about terminating the God- given, sacred life of unborn Americans? Madam Speaker, on Friday, thousands of students, pastors, priests, and patriotic Americans from all across our great land will gather here in our Nation's Capital to take part in the 46th annual March for Life. Madam Speaker, written into the Declaration of Independence is our founding faith and principle that all are created by God, created equally, endowed by a creator, created as a gift, created as an American, to have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, since Roe v. Wade, we have fallen short of that national ethic by not acknowledging that life at every stage is precious, valuable, sacred, and ought to be protected. Madam Speaker, this March for Life is a call to conscience, and it is a challenge for all of us to work toward a future where every life, born and unborn, is celebrated, cherished, and protected. May God continue to bless those who are marching for their passion and their love for the unborn, and may God continue to bless these United States.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, I would like to say that I am very concerned, to my friend and the gentlewoman from Arizona, to put it mildly. I am troubled that our Nation and our Nation's leaders here in this great body of the United States House of Representatives would not put politics aside and put our country and our citizens' safety first. It is the number one job. It is the most important job, to provide for a common defense and to ensure the safety of the United States citizens. We can never be distracted from that, and we can never allow partisan politics from fulfilling that first responsibility and duty. I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership and for bringing this discussion to the floor so that we can speak directly to the American people about our strong support for our Commander in Chief who is simply asking for the tools and resources to do that which he ran for the Presidency on, was elected to do, and is now doing everything with unwavering commitment to follow through on that promise to secure the border. Border walls and barriers are a fundamental component of security. As a Texan, I can tell you being on the front-lines--and the gentlewoman knows this as well being on the front-lines as well from the great State of Arizona--that this is costing our States billions of dollars, $12 billion in the great State of Texas. We see the drugs that are flowing in, the gangs, the crimes, and the criminal activities. Here is a statistic: since 2011, 186,000 illegal immigrants were charged with more than 290,000 criminal offenses costing $1 billion, tearing apart families and devastating communities. And this President is asking for the resources necessary to secure our border. Madam Speaker, I say to Mrs. Hartzler, I find it ironic that Democrats have spoken in favor and have even supported physical barriers. I find it hypocritical that Speaker Pelosi has talked about walls being immoral when she has spent probably half of her life being protected by those very walls. I find it disingenuous that Democrats have said that they actually want to do something to secure the border; they just don't want to have anything to do with walls or fencing. Madam Speaker, I have got a list--and I don't have enough time--but last Congress, which was my first term in Congress, we put several bills to do just that, to secure the border and stop illegal immigration, from Kate's Law to No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, and Securing America's Future. For the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, 188 Democrats voted no; Kate's Law, 166 Democrats voted against it; Securing America's Future Act to give DACA recipients peace of mind, 190 Democrats voted against it. Then they were crying out saying that we have to abolish ICE, abolish the people who risk their lives to keep us safe. Then we put a very simple resolution: we support you, we love you, we are behind you, we know what a tough job you have; and 133 Democrats voted present, and 34 voted against that resolution. I wonder how that makes the folks in uniform who defend this country and protect our communities feel. Madam Speaker, I thank Mrs. Hartzler for her generosity in allowing me to speak in her time and during this Special Order. I would just call on my Democrat colleagues and the Democrat leaders to be leaders, not politicians, and put this country first and work in good faith with this President who has been willing to negotiate every step of the way to secure this border and protect our people. God bless America.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 22.