Kevin Brady

Mr. BRADY

Mr. BRADY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, as the Bible tells us, to whom much is given, much is required. Every American hearing and watching President Zelenskyy yesterday had to understand so much more is required of us to end this war in Ukraine and to aid the Ukrainian people in their victory over Russia. This bill takes an important step to defund American revenue that would fund the Russian war machine. It takes an important bipartisan step forward to make sure that Russian products don't enter into the U.S. with the same treatment as the invaded country, as Ukraine's products come into the United States. Madam Speaker, I am proud to have worked with Chairman Neal, our Democrat colleagues, and the House and Senate on this measure. I know more must be done to provide lethal aid to Ukraine to continue to expand and strengthen economic sanctions; to bring our allies together; to make sure, in my view, that America takes the necessary steps to replace Russian oil with the cleanest made-in-America energy, oil, and gas here in the United States as well. But as Congresswoman Victoria Spartz, a Ukrainian-born Member of Congress, said, this step today is crucial in our defense of Ukraine, the Ukrainian people, and democracy in the world. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. BRADY

Mr. BRADY. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the distinguished career and community contributions of my dear friend John Bleyl as we celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Bleyl Engineering. John founded Bleyl Engineering in 1997, after recognizing the need for high quality municipal projects in Conroe, Texas. The inception of Bleyl Engineering helped jumpstart an era of record-setting growth in the Conroe community. However, John's keen sense of entrepreneurship, strong Texas values, and reputation for faith-fueled business ethics grew the company from a boutique firm in Montgomery County to an engineering and construction management powerhouse with offices and community projects across the Lone Star State. The company now employs 100 people in Conroe, Austin, Bryan-College Station, and Tomball. Bleyl Engineering continues to be guided by its founding vision: ``to be a foundation for the advancement of stronger, safer communities across Texas.'' Under John's leadership, not only has Bleyl Engineering prospered as a company, but many communities now have safer intersections, accessible public transportation, critical health care infrastructure, and economic growth opportunities. Mr. Bleyl's first-class public and private sector engineering portfolio speaks for itself. A few notable engineering projects that highlight John's legacy across Texas include the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, the Deison Technology Park, Texas Children's Hospital, and the Fish Creek Thoroughfare Expansion. When the highest standard of engineering or project management is required, Mr. Bleyl has been consistently called upon for his efficiency, dependability, and expertise. Bleyl Engineering has also been committed to supporting the community through various philanthropic causes. It contributes to local fundraisers through the Rotary Club of Conroe and the Magnolia Education Foundation. In addition, Bleyl Engineering sponsored a local Ironman Triathlon competitor to raise money for Syrian refugees displaced by the civil war. Mr. Bleyl continues to serve as the City Engineer for Panorama Village and Shenandoah, but his ideas live beyond his work as an engineer. His dedication to his community is evident through his involvement in the Lazy River Improvement District Board, Lone Star Groundwater District Board, West Fork--TIRZ Board, Bryan--TIRZ Board, and the New Danville Project. I am proud to recognize John as an outstanding member of the Conroe community and his business for celebrating a quarter-century of excellence. Mr. Bleyl is an exceptional businessman, a generous philanthropist, and the embodiment of a true Texan. I congratulate him on this milestone and look forward to his continued sucess.

Mr. BRADY

Mr. BRADY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, while missiles and machine guns rain down death on innocent Ukrainians, President Zelensky is pleading with America and all free nations to stop buying Russian oil to fund this inhumane war. This weekend, America should know that both parties in Congress came together, worked together in agreement to immediately ban purchases of Russian energy. I was proud to have helped lead that bipartisan effort of the House Committee on Ways and Means and Senate Committee on Finance, and pleased that President Biden, who fought the Russian energy ban tooth and nail, finally relented and accepted the moral choice to stand with the people of Ukraine. The bill before us is certainly not as strong an energy ban as what Congress crafted, nor does it include Congress' crucial economic sanctions to revoke favorable trade relations with Russia and Belarus, which would have targeted all the products America buys from Russia. But President Biden insisted that these economic sanctions be dropped so that nearly half of all Russian imports to the U.S. will go untouched. For some reason, he is insisting we treat Russia, the invader, the same as Ukraine, the invaded. It's puzzling why Russian diamonds and vodka deserve continued special treatment here in America. Those revenues all help strengthen Russia's economy to fund the war against Ukraine. President Biden insisted, regrettably, in this bill they remain protected. Our allies will certainly get a laugh. This bill directs our trade representative to urge other nations to revoke the special trading status for Russia, even though America refuses to do it at this time. That is not a profile in courage. I wish our President was as committed to crippling economic sanctions as neighboring Canada, which banned both Russian oil and revoked the special trading treatment for Russian products. To be clear, neither the President's executive ban nor this bill takes any action to replace Russian oil with Made-in-America energy. Nothing in this bill includes Republican-led proposals to extend secondary sanctions on Russian energy purchases in financing around the world--as we already impose on Iran and North Korea. Nothing in this bill creates access to more American-made energy on and offshore. Nor does it approve American pipelines that could easily replace Russian oil with U.S. and Canadian energy, or accelerate approval for delayed permits for American export facilities to help the rest of the world wean themselves from the grip of dirty Russian energy. Answer this question: Why is our country begging Venezuela and Iran, terrorist nations and thug regimes, to produce more dirty oil to send to America when America is fully capable of producing all the cleanest oil and gas in the world that we need right here at home? As expected, the President is blaming everyone and everything for high prices and inflation--including the war. Higher prices, as you know, have hammered Americans for a solid year, all starting with the President's $2 trillion unpaid-for COVID stimulus that ignited inflation, paid people not to work, and fueled the worst inflation in 40 years. Thanks to the White House, America is in a dangerous wage-price spiral, and as a result of the President's failed economic leadership more and more experts are predicting a recession this year. No wonder most Americans believe our economy is already in a recession or depression and have lost faith in the President's ability to rebuild our economy. To close, I will tell you this. The ban on Russian oil alone is worth our support. Ukraine is waiting, as Chairman Neal points out. After this bill, I urge Congress to do more: to revoke Russia's special trade status and unleash America's own ability to be energy independent, to replace Russian oil with American sources, and use our energy strength to wean the world from Russian energy. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde).

Mr. BRADY. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Smith), the Republican leader of the Trade Subcommittee.

Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington).

Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Ferguson), the chief deputy whip for the Republican Conference.

Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Rice), the Republican leader of the Oversight and Reform Committee.

Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Smucker), who is a member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Murphy).

Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who is a longtime leader on human rights.

Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cloud).

Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim).

Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, I will just point out, all of that was nonsense. The truth of the matter is, it was Democrat President Clinton who forced Ukraine to turn over 1,800 nuclear weapons to Russia and President Obama who stood by when Putin took over parts of Ukraine. Now, under President Biden, we stand by while he looks to invade and take over a sovereign nation. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing. Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill to the Committee on Ways and Means. I will also ask to have my amendment, that suspends permanent normal trade relations with Russia, included in the Record. While there is broad agreement to stop imports of Russian energy, to stand with Ukraine, Congress does need to do more. That is what this motion does. As we talked earlier, when we talked about amending the rule to offer American-made energy production, the idea of doing sanctions without American energy production is incomplete at best. But when it comes to trade with Russia, we also need to take stronger steps, stronger bipartisan steps. We had a good, bipartisan agreement that stopped oil imports from Russia but also removed preferential trade on other products from Russia. The bill we are voting on today allows about 40 percent of the total products we buy from Russia to receive preferential trade treatment. That is why we are so disappointed and puzzled about why this provision was removed from the bill, because I believe that there is sincerely broad, strong bipartisan support in Congress to remove and suspend that. I know that Chairman Neal is committed to working together toward that goal. By not revoking PNTR, Russia enjoys the same preferential trade status and lower tariffs as all of our American allies. Ironically, unless we change the bill, Russia will maintain the same trade status on nonenergy products, like Russian diamonds and vodka, as Ukraine, the country they invaded. That is not right by any measure. We need to be tougher together. Congress can lead by passing this motion to recommit, which simply substitutes the bipartisan agreement we reached that both shuts down Russian oil imports and removes the preferential trade status for all of the other products we import from Russia. America needs to lead, Congress needs to lead, to take this important bipartisan step and vote ``yes'' on the motion to recommit. I strongly believe the effort in this bill to immediately stop purchases from Russia has support and should have support from every American, but we need to do more. I urge my colleagues and I urge our President to stand with us with strong economic sanctions and more American-made energy to replace Russian oil. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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

Mr. BRADY

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

Mr. BRADY

Mr. BRADY. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the distinguished life and public service of my dear friend Mr. Coulson Tough. He dedicated his life to improving his community and country and ushered an idea of The Woodlands into one of the top places to live in the country. At age 17, Coulson eagerly enlisted in the Army Air Corps, now known as the Air Force, where he served in Germany and France. After returning home, he attended the University of Michigan where he earned his bachelor's degree in Architecture and met his adoring wife Colleen Bohn. Coulson and Colleen then headed west to California to start their life together, and became parents to two wonderful children, Bruce and Cindy. Mr. Tough spent the first 16 years of his career in architecture in California, where he designed a barn remodel for future president Ronald Reagan. In 1968, Coulson made the courageous decision to move his family to Texas, where he served as the Vice President of Facilities and Operations at the University of Houston. This is where Mr. Tough met George Mitchell, the founder of The Woodlands, and together, they created a thriving community. Mr. Tough showcased his passion for architecture and, while working alongside Mr. Mitchell, as Vice President of Building Development for The Woodlands, helped bring his vision of a master planned community to life. The leadership and service of these two men undoubtedly made The Woodlands into what it is today. Around The Woodlands, citizens are reminded of Coulson's legacy. He helped build 130 buildings and pioneered the procurement of public art across the community. His favorite art piece was a sculpture of a reclining boy termed ``The Dreamer,'' which resides at the intersection of West Panther Creek Drive and The Woodlands Parkway. Mr. Tough's ideas live beyond his work as an architect. His dedication to serving his community was evident through his involvement in the Rotary Club, The Woodlands Community Presbyterian Church, the Conroe ISD Board, and The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce, where he hired me as President. In addition to serving as a Trustee on the Conroe ISD Board, he was honored to have a school in The Woodlands named after him, Coulson Tough Elementary. Mr. Tough's most recent project was to design and construct the Mitchell Physics Building and the Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University. Coulson retired at the age of 77, but continued consulting on projects both in The Woodlands and Galveston, Texas. While we mourn with the Tough family, we also celebrate the life, service, and legacy that will live throughout our community for years to come. I am proud to join Mr. Tough's family, friends, and the entire Woodland's community in honoring his life and devotion to public service. May God bless Coulson Tough.

Mr. BRADY

Mr. BRADY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In 2018, Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi, Leader Hoyer, Whip Clyburn, and 116 other House Democrats voted to default on the debt, shut down the government, and refuse disaster relief to devastated communities across America like mine. One even said, Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House; responsibility to govern rests squarely on their shoulders. Well, right now the Democrats control the House, the Senate, and the White House. Responsibility rests squarely on their shoulders. Make no mistake, Democrats have known this day has been coming for 2 years and did absolutely nothing. They passed no budget, passed no appropriations bills, and they didn't spend a moment in bipartisan outreach to address the debt ceiling. I agree, Congress should not play political games with the debt ceiling, but neither should it ignore the future financial crisis at risk of accelerating if President Biden and congressional Democrats pass their nearly $5 trillion socialist welfare plan. Despite its desperate bid to shift blame for this debt ceiling crisis Democrats themselves created, increasing America's national debt is necessary to make room in the so-called Build Back Better bill for trillions of wasteful spending and special interest handouts for the wealthy and big business. Make no mistake, the debt ceiling is not merely about paying for past spending, it is about making room for new wasteful spending, trillions that will pour more fuel on the inflation fire that marks Joe Biden's Presidency, the highest rate in decades, that has robbed families of their real wage gains from the past 3 years. Although the President and Democrats in Congress continue to deny that inflation is real, this is now a crisis for families, and especially seniors on fixed incomes. Their claims that this costs zero has been debunked by the independent Congressional Budget Office and multiple organizations, and fact-checked as false and misleading by The Washington Post. And Democrats' insistence that future permanence will be paid for begs the question they refuse to answer. How? Everyone knows there are only two ways to raise trillions of dollars more: Tax middle-class families or rob from entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. The truth is, the Democrats need this debt ceiling to fund special interests, give tax subsidies for luxury electric vehicles, and tax windfalls to millionaires, while the middle class gets nothing, or even a tax hike. They need this debt ceiling to give tax breaks to trial lawyers, local media corporations, and pay 1.5 million workers more to stay home than go back to work. Democrats need a quarter of a trillion dollars to lift the SALT cap so that two out of three millionaires will get a huge tax break. Meanwhile, for working families, inflation grows worse. Main Street businesses continue to struggle hard to find workers, and many parents will pay over $1,000 a month more for childcare under Build Back Better. These are President Biden's priorities. Congressional Democrats, these are their priorities. The question to America is, are these your priorities? The answer is no, which is why so many Americans overwhelmingly question the competence of President Biden and Democrats to lead this country. I urge a strong ``no'' vote on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Davidson).

Mr. BRADY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Palmer).

Mr. BRADY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, sort of a gentle reminder, 2018 Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, Leader Hoyer, Whip Clyburn, and 116 other Democrats voted to default on America's debt to shut down our government at the same time and refused disaster relief to devastated communities across America, including in Texas. And as they said, Republicans controlled the House, the Senate, and the White House, and the responsibility to govern rests squarely on their shoulders. And another gentle reminder to the American public, our Democratic friends have known this day has been coming for 2 years. This is a crisis that they created. Didn't bother to pass a budget, didn't do their appropriations bill, no bipartisan outreach. Waited again and again for this cliff and created this crisis. It has been frustrating to watch this go on. And, too, I know middle-class Americans, one out of every three, will see a tax hike in the Build Back Better bill, but two out of three millionaires get a huge tax cut. A quarter of a trillion dollars of this debt ceiling, a quarter of a trillion dollars of this increase will go to millionaires and billionaires and other wealthy Americans. Not to mention the heat your home tax on middle-class families, the toddler tax on middle-class families, the made in America tax on our Main Street businesses. What is now clear is that President Biden is a pay-cut President. Even as most Americans work hard to get ahead in their careers and their workplaces, they are now falling behind every month of this Presidency. They have lost 3 years' worth of real wage growth, went backward in getting ahead. And just since spring, Americans are losing an average of $377 a month in real purchasing power. Who is the party for the middle class and working families? Not Democrats, who are robbing--inflation--from their paychecks. Adding another $5 trillion to the inflation fire will only cause prices to continue to grow faster than paychecks. The middle class is on the hook for Democrats' handouts to the highest earners, including their government checks to the top 1 percent and the biggest corporations, lavish subsidies for luxury electric vehicles, and tax cuts for the wealthiest. Over half of families with two kids who pay for childcare will be forced to pay a $27,000 toddler tax each year under the Democrats' Washington takeover of childcare. All this hurts American workers and their families, the poor, and the seniors. We ought to stop this economic strain. We ought to stop this economic suppression. We ought to stop this attack on middle-class and working families. We ought to make progrowth tax reform permanent. It lifted millions of Americans out of poverty, brought jobs back from overseas, and, for the first time, started to shrink income inequality. Madam Speaker, you may remember, in 2019, families in America, their household income grew more in 1 year under President Trump and the Republicans than in all 8 years of President Obama and Biden combined. We believe there is a smarter way to help American working families, but I know this: Democrats are wrong to fight for $5 trillion of social spending that will send jobs overseas, limit choice in childcare, worsen healthcare, and lower paychecks by flaming inflation longer and making the worker shortage worse. Madam Speaker, we can't afford this pay-cut Presidency. I once again urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.