Jodey Arrington

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Chairman, my amendment makes good on President Trump's executive order to supercharge U.S. energy dominance by harnessing advanced nuclear technologies. In the heart of west Texas, at Abilene Christian University, we are building a first-of-its-kind molten salt research reactor, a game changer, no doubt, for making nuclear energy safer, more efficient, and deployable. This project, Mr. Chair, isn't just pie in the sky. It has generated over $110 million in private investment, $112 million from the State of Texas, and just last month, thanks to the leadership and vision of Secretary Chris Wright, has received a conditional commitment from DOE to provide its fuel. This is the only molten salt reactor to ever receive a construction permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the first research reactor to receive an NRC construction permit in over 30 years. All that is needed now for this reactor to become operational is for the Federal Government to do what it has always done for every research reactor in the country for decades, which is to provide the fuel at no cost to the university. That is to those reactors that have met those stringent requirements. Mr. Chair, this advanced nuclear technology is the best chance for America to beat China in the very important nuclear power race and secure our Nation's future energy security. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. God bless west Texas, and go Wildcats.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman and our fearless Conference chair from Michigan for her leadership. Mr. Speaker, make no mistake: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a big and beautiful win for the American people. It is big because it delivers the largest tax cuts for families and small businesses; the greatest single investment in border security and national defense; the most significant commitment to unlocking America's energy resources; and the largest reduction in mandatory spending in the history of the United States by twofold. It is beautiful, Mr. Speaker, because of the tangible benefits these policies will provide to our fellow Americans. During the month of August, like many of the Members here, I crisscrossed over 1,000 miles in my district in west Texas, and the refrain I heard in one community after another was simple: Thank you. Thank you for supporting our President. Thank you for delivering on our mandate. Thank you for fighting for our Nation's future. Mr. Speaker, in Scurry County, we heard how deregulation and historic tax cuts will reignite their economy and put money back into their pockets. In Terry County, they were grateful for our stewardship of their hard-earned tax dollars as we cut $1.5 trillion in woke and wasteful spending. In Lynn County, we talked about strengthening rural healthcare through the $50 billion rural healthcare fund; cracking down on waste, fraud, and abuse that has plagued Medicaid; and restoring the dignity of work through long overdue and generational welfare reform. In Parmer County, I was proud to report that the bill permanently locks in low taxes for working families; provides additional tax relief for seniors; and protects generational family farms, family-run oil and gas companies, and other family-owned businesses with enhanced death tax relief. In Shackelford and Hockley Counties, folks said that it is about time that we put a stop to Biden's war on energy so that we can lower energy prices for working people; so that we can strengthen our energy security; and so that we can unleash not just American energy dominance, but American prosperity for our children and children's children. In Haskell County, we talked about how the bill's generational investment in national security will help secure our southern border, strengthen our military, and restore America's leadership in the world. The other message I heard over and over was this: Keep pressing forward, unrelenting, undeterred, and unapologetic, to advance the America First agenda. My response, Mr. Speaker: Yes, ma'am. Yes, sir, as sure as the Sun rises, we are just getting started.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, the era of woke and wasteful spending in the people's government is over, and it is sad to watch this last-ditch effort by my Democratic colleagues to fight for status quo. The status quo is a cesspool of these leftist ideological programs that they would say is soft power for America's interests or that they would say are lifesaving services. Mr. Speaker, the American people rejected this radical agenda. They rejected the failed policies of my Democratic colleagues and their unbridled spending that is bankrupting this country. They sent President Trump here with a mandate and unified Republican leadership to restore competent leadership, commonsense policies, and a commitment to America First. There is nothing common sense or America First about transgender comic books in Peru and all the other woke and wasteful programs that my Democratic colleagues are fighting to defend. Mr. Speaker, I am thankful that we have a President who has heard from the people and is hell-bent on rightsizing this bureaucracy, reining in this waste, and restoring fiscal sanity here in Washington, D.C., not only for the taxpayers of today but for the future, for prosperity, for freedom, and for our children. This is why my colleagues are going to wander in the wilderness for years to come. While that might benefit us politically, it is sad for my country. I am sad as an American to see the defense of these crazy, divisive, and dangerous ideological programs that my taxpayers in west Texas are spending their hard-earned money for. Mr. Speaker, I encourage and urge my colleagues on both sides to support this rescissions package.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Ted Mitchell, chancellor of the Texas Tech University System for 15 years of dedicated service to Red Raider Nation in the great State of Texas. I am honored to have worked with Chancellor Mitchell over the years and proud to call him and his wonderful wife, Janet, dear friends. Chancellor Mitchell successfully led Texas Tech University System to new levels of growth, discovery, and educational excellence during his term. I wish him the very best as he enters a new chapter of his life. We have a great team of regents chaired by my friend Cody Campbell. I am confident they will find the right leader, but they will have big shoes to fill, no doubt, with Chancellor Mitchell's departure. I congratulate Ted. On behalf of the people of west Texas, I thank him for bearing our banner far and wide and modeling what it means to be a true, fearless champion. God bless west Texas, and long live the Matadors. Honoring Texas Flood Victims

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the lives lost in the catastrophic floods that struck central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend. At least 134 lives have been taken, including 27 young girls and counselors at Camp Mystic in Kerr County. This is an unimaginable and heartbreaking loss for these families and for our great State. I also want to remember constituents from my district whose lives were lost. Tanya Burwick was the epitome of a hardworking West Texan. Wife to Robert, with four children and six grandchildren, she did it all while working for the past 10 years at the Walmart Neighborhood Market in San Angelo, Texas, out of commitment to her family and their future. Holly Frizzell was also a mother and grandmother. She was married for almost 40 years to her husband, Lane, who was diagnosed with dementia and ultimately passed away. You can imagine the hardships for her in the last years of her marriage to Lane, but she turned that tragedy and struggle into service, becoming a tireless advocate for dementia awareness. That is who she was, reflecting the very best of our country and certainly west Texas, and that is why it is a major loss to our community. Robert Brake and Joni Brake--two people devoted to service, him an Air Force veteran, her a registered nurse--were celebrating the Fourth of July in a campground next to Hunt, Texas, when the flood overtook them. They leave behind three children, five grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren. They, too, will be missed. Mr. Speaker, Texans, as well as people throughout the country, are mourning this unimaginable tragedy. We should honor them by striving for the same sacrificial love and service that they so powerfully and beautifully demonstrated in their lives. I would say that Texans are tough for a lot of reasons, but mostly because we believe in the power of prayer and God's sovereignty and because we depend on Him for our comfort, confidence, and strength. I know Texans are appealing to the Father of compassion and God of all comfort to do what only He can do--what these words and any words could never do--which is provide the divine comfort, peace, and strength that these families need. I beseech my fellow Americans and my Members on both sides of the aisle, join us in prayer and asking God to do what only He can do to lift these families up, to keep them strong and together through this every step of the way. May God bless our great country. May God comfort these families. Go, west Texas.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 566, I call up the bill (H.R. 1) to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14, with the Senate amendment thereto.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the Senate amendment to H.R. 1.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today, we are considering H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as passed by the Senate. This bill creates the right incentives for historic economic growth, makes unprecedented investments in our military and border security, and implements the largest spending reduction in American history by twofold, alongside other generational fiscal reforms. America's economic strength, Mr. Speaker, is the foundation of our global leadership and prosperity, but sadly, it has waned, especially over the last 4 years. To preserve our influence abroad and our quality of life here at home, we must unleash growth, starting with the largest tax cut in U.S. history. Just like the first Trump tax cuts, we can expect record job growth, investment, repatriation of capital back to the United States, record- low unemployment, record-high wage growth, and the lowest poverty rates in recorded history. This bill also equips our troops and law enforcement, Mr. Speaker, to defend our sovereignty, protect our citizens, and secure our border after years of neglect and lawlessness. While more work remains no doubt to rein in Washington's out-of- control spending and put our Nation on a more sustainable fiscal path, I am confident that H.R. 1 will make America safe, strong, and prosperous once again and, most importantly, give our children, like my daughter, Jane, who is here with me today, a better and brighter future in this, the greatest nation in human history. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson), my good friend from the Keystone State.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock), my fellow Budget Committee member.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman), my friend and our chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg), my good friend and our chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill), my friend and our chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from the Commonwealth of Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie), my friend and the chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers), my friend and also the chairman of the Armed Services Committee here in the House.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. McGuire).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I would just remind the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Craig) and my Democratic colleagues that after the first Trump tax cuts, the bottom half's income grew three times faster than the top half. For the lower 10 percent, wages increased two times over the 1 percent. People at the bottom and people in the middle benefited more from the tax breaks. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, budgets are value statements. We value letting working families keep more of their hard-earned dollars. We value stewarding tax dollars, protecting our most vulnerable, preserving programs that they depend on, and not allowing people in this country illegally to siphon money away, jeopardizing those safety nets. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), my friend and fellow Budget Committee member.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to my friend from Georgia (Mr. Collins).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I will start by thanking my good friend and ranking member, Mr. Brendan Boyle. He is a good American, and he has been a great partner and colleague. I mostly appreciate his friendship. We convene here before the Fourth of July. I think it is worth recalling those unalienable rights that sparked this American experiment: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our Founders built this Republic on the promise of freedom: the freedom to build, to strive, and to pursue our own dreams. But that promise only thrives when government stays in its place, preserving liberty, not suffocating it with unchecked regulation and unbridled spending. This legislation reclaims that founding promise. It is the principal vehicle for advancing President Trump's America First agenda, unleashing a rising tide of prosperity, securing our border, modernizing our national defense, and supercharging energy, agriculture, all of the sectors of our economy that Washington has kept in a choke hold for too long. Throughout this debate, Mr. Speaker, we heard one hollow Hail Mary attack after another designed to scare the American people and prey on their fears, the last gasp of a broken status quo. For our part, we put our trust in the American people. We appeal to their aspirations, and we deal in facts, not fear. There are the false claims they make that this only helps the so- called 1 percent, the top 1 percent, the superrich, when actually it locks in the largest middle-class tax cuts in history, putting thousands of dollars back in the pockets of families still recovering from the crushing inflation and cost-of-living crisis caused by the Democrats' failed economic policies and unbridled spending. There is the complete distortion that Medicaid is being cut when, in fact, it is being strengthened for our most vulnerable citizens by eliminating hundreds of billions of dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse. There is the fallacy that work requirements are somehow punitive when we know that they restore the dignity of work and lead to better opportunities and bigger paychecks. All their myths are headed for the ash heap of history. From day one, we said this was a generational opportunity to deliver the most comprehensive and consequential set of conservative reforms in modern history, and that is exactly what we are doing. This isn't our moment, Mr. Speaker. This is the American people's moment. I urge my colleagues to pass this bill and open up that gateway to a new golden age of America. God bless America. Go west Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Chairman, I thank my good friend from the great State of Texas, ``the judge,'' as we call him back in the freest and greatest State in the Union, for his leadership. I have an amendment, Mr. Chair, and it is one I think all of my colleagues would want to support. In the last week, the world witnessed the might of America's unparalleled air superiority and what a critical role our strategic bombers and the men and women who pilot and maintain them play in keeping our enemies, like Iran, in check. For nearly 40 years, the B-1 has been the tip of the spear of America's air superiority. The B-1 has served us well, but at a time when our adversaries like China are making their own historic investments in their own military, it is time we roll out America's next generation warfighter. That is why I rise in strong support of this amendment that would direct a little over $4 million to enhance gate security at military installations set to receive the B-21 Raider, including Dyess Air Force Base in the key city of Abilene, Texas. The B-21 Raider represents the most capable and lethal bomber this world and this planet has ever known and seen. It is the future of our long-range strike capability, designed to evade modern air defenses and deliver both nuclear and conventional payloads across the globe. Dyess, the base in Abilene, Texas, will soon become a key platform for deploying this cutting-edge aircraft. We have a responsibility to ensure that this investment in national defense is protected accordingly. Let's be clear: This is not a theoretical threat. In 2023 alone, U.S. officials reported over 100 incidents of Chinese nationals attempting to unlawfully access Department of Defense facilities.