Lauren Boebert

Mrs. BOEBERT

Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, Democrats have ignored our local communities and their needs with this land grab. In their letter of opposition, Mesa County points out three of the five wilderness areas in Mesa County in this bill that have had large fires in recent years, and that wilderness designations harm active management and wildfire activities. I hope that when Members visit my district on horseback, they are telling people that this land will soon burn, because if we do not actively manage our forest, Mother Nature will continue to manage it for us. Mr. Speaker, the amendments that are offered today would protect energy production, local grazing rights, water rights, access to our public lands, and allow wildfire mitigation. Perhaps, and most importantly, these amendments give the people of my district a voice, ensuring local officials have a seat at the table when land use is changed in their respective counties. The victory in my election showed the will of the people in Colorado's Third District. They want to keep their land open for public use. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Member for his thoughtful amendments, and I strongly encourage support on these amendments today.

Mrs. BOEBERT

Mrs. BOEBERT. Absolutely. Absolutely. It is an ongoing testimony of even the lives that we are living today. Our stories, I believe, will be recorded as there are a cloud of witnesses that are watching eagerly what we are going to do. They have been waiting for this time and this season and they are watching the sons of men. They are watching us like never before. Jesus came here and He showed us how to live, not as God, but as men, anointed by the spirit of God, to walk in grace, not just a wishy- washy, cover up your mistakes kind of grace, it is this boldness. It is empowerment. It is God's ability working in and through you. And I am very much inspired by the Book of Acts and many others.

Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from Texas, Congressman Chip Roy, for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I have said it before and I will say it again: cancel culture has become a pillar of the left. Today, cancel culture took on toy potatoes, but not a sitting Governor accused of sexual assault. That is where we have come to. From Kevin Hart to Gina Carano, the woke mob will go after decades- old comments, and in Gina's case, for simply being a Conservative. The woke mob now includes big tech, major corporations, and the Hollywood elites at Disney who fired Ms. Carano for the crime of--wait for it-- posting conservative content on social media. They tried to come after me, too. Twitter tried to cancel me. It didn't work. The fake news at CNN and other outlets also tried to cancel me for simply walking around the Capitol with my family. That didn't work either. Mr. Speaker, it will never work because I refuse to bow to the cancel mob. We are a nation that has always had the audacity to dream, the strength to lead, and the boldness to speak our minds. We must stand tall and kneel before God. Scripture says that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord. Now, that is an audacious statement in America right now: Jesus is Lord. Why is that such a controversy? Because there is power in the name of Jesus. This isn't the first time Christians have been attacked for professing the Lordship of Jesus. If you go to the Book of Acts, Peter and John were arrested. It says: Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them and they put them in custody until the next day for it was already evening. However, many of those who heard the word believed and the number of men came to be about 5,000. There were 5,000 salvations because someone had the boldness to speak in the name of Jesus. It goes on. Now, when they saw the boldness--their boldness was tangible. It was evident to the people around them. It wasn't in a prayer closet. It wasn't hidden. It was out in front. They saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men. That means that they didn't know the languages that they were speaking in. They were speaking in unknown languages. They marveled and they analyzed that they had been with Jesus. Their boldness was so tangible, so intense the people around them knew that they had been in the presence of Jesus. Wow. It goes on to say: What shall we do to these men? For, indeed that a notable miracle has been done through them. It is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem and we cannot deny it, but so that it spreads further among the people, let us severely threaten them-- Whew, sounds like America. That sounds really familiar right now--that we would severely threaten them, that from now on, they speak to no man in this name. They wouldn't even say the name, in this name. So they called them, and they commanded them not to speak at all, nor teach. They were not allowed to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than God, you judge. It goes on to say exactly what God will do if you remain bold and strong in your convictions and if you refuse to bow down to the cancel mob, to the woke culture. Peter and John spoke out. Now, Lord, look on their threats and grant to Your servants boldness as we may speak Your word by stretching out Your hands, hands to heal, that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy servant, Jesus. This is the boldness that God is looking for right now. He said, if we cry out to Him, He will hear us, and He will heal our land. This cancel culture isn't just to keep us quiet; it is to stop the very plan and movement of God Almighty. But I have read the end of the book and we win. Glory to God. God bless America. Do not give up the faith and hope in God. He will turn all shame into glory.

Mrs. BOEBERT

Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding. I rise today to oppose the latest Democrat land grab, in the form of H.R. 803. This bill, which is actually eight bills piled into one, adds nearly 1.5 million acres of new wilderness and permanently withdraws 1.2 million acres from mineral production. Seriously? This is the approach we are taking? Democrats want to stop mineral production, lock up our lands, and depend on our enemies in Russia, Saudi Arabia, and China for our energy, all while pretending to be green. It is unacceptable to outsource our energy development to countries that often use child and slave labor. We literally have children mining in Congo with their bare hands to appease these not-in-my-backyard extremists. Speaking of backyards, Mr. Speaker, the sponsor of title I in this bill doesn't have a single acre designated as new wilderness in her district, yet title I alone locks up 510,000 acres in my district. The Grand Junction Chamber sent me a letter opposing this, stating: These are lands that are literally in our backyard in Mesa County, yet Congresswoman DeGette continues to ignore us, does not meet with us, and does not even consider the consequences of her bill on the hardworking families of our district. Could anyone here imagine me legislating away any part of Denver or Boulder? The Member who authored title I's attack on my district simply responds to doubts and concerns by inviting D.C. swampers to my district on horseback to look at the pretty views, and then they call it a day. Dolores County is mentioned several times in this massive land grab. The locals, elected officials, and experts have expressed their disdain for this bill repeatedly over the years, with no regard from the bill's sponsors. After the past year of statewide lockdowns, the last thing communities in my district need is further restrictions imposed by the Federal Government on what they can do on public lands. Mr. Speaker, the majority is silencing the people of my district in order to ram through a 3 million-acre land grab. Have supporters of this legislation considered the disastrous wildfires that will result from the new wilderness designation and other land grabs in this bill? Wilderness is the most restrictive land use designation possible. It prevents active management of our forests, which is critical for mitigation against catastrophic wildfires. If we don't manage our forests, Mother Nature will continue to manage them for us.

Mrs. BOEBERT

Mrs. BOEBERT. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 39.

Mrs. BOEBERT

Mrs. BOEBERT. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding time. The Equality Act. Madam Speaker, equality for who? Where is the equality in this legislation for the young girls across America who have to look behind their backs as they change in their school locker rooms just to make sure there isn't a confused man trying to catch a peek? Where is the equality for women who have been sexually assaulted? Under this legislation, their crisis counselor may be ``Alexis'' who was actually born ``Alex.'' And they will have to talk to him about their assault. Where is the equality for parents who want and deserve the right to raise their children, free from government overreach? Under this proposal, Congress seeks to replace mom and dad with bureaucrats. This isn't hyperbole. In Ohio, a mom and dad had their child removed from their custody because they didn't allow their daughter to undergo gender transition. Removed from their custody. And so here we are. The left will lay down the rights and security of millions of Americans, particularly young women, at the altar of gender ideology. Following the lead of liberal indoctrination camps, also called colleges and universities, my colleagues on the left are committed to advancing this radical ideology, the rights and sovereignty of individual States be darned. So much for Federalism. The power-hungry left will not slow down until every school, every church, every workplace, every State, and every community adheres to the left's definition of gender. You disagree? They will find you. They will imprison you. Or as we have seen, they will even take your children. And let's make sure the American people know this is only the beginning. The Equality Act requires doctors to perform abortions, and they are going to use your tax dollars to pay for them. Once the left codifies their ideology, they will come for your speech. It is already happening in Canada, where you can be fined and imprisoned for misgendering someone. Madam Speaker, they won't stop there. Nothing will ever satisfy the left until there is complete and total compliance. Madam Speaker, Scripture says, when speaking of those who have turned their back on God, who have traded the truth for a lie: Professing to be wise, they became fools. I can think of no better description of the so-called Equality Act, or inequality act, than this. The utter foolishness is astounding. Up is down. Wrong is right. Left is right. Boys are girls and vice versa. Madam Speaker, for the sake of our sons and daughters, for the sake of parental rights, privacy, decency, and so much more, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this horrendous legislation.

Mrs. BOEBERT

Mrs. BOEBERT. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for yielding and for setting up this Special Order to honor Congressman- elect Luke Letlow. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of Congressman- elect Luke Letlow, whose tireless work for his community, passion for public service, and love for his constituents will long be an inspiration to many Americans. He spoke glowingly of the mighty Mississippi and his district's rich Louisiana soil, both of which flowed freely through his veins as he passionately advocated for the people who elected him to be their voice. His life of service working for Governor Bobby Jindal, serving as chief of staff to Congressman Ralph Abraham, and then successfully running for Congress himself, exemplified his commitment to win the day. Congressman-elect Letlow shared my great love for our Western States, and he was a fierce advocate for the issues facing everyday Americans. His calling to public service was only surpassed by his calling to be a loving husband, father, brother, and son. He cared deeply for his beloved wife, Julia; son, Jeremiah; and daughter, Jacqueline. After he won his race, Congressman-elect Letlow's wife, Julia, spoke of God's sovereignty over the life of her husband, quoting the words from scripture: ``Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I set you apart.'' God set Luke apart with a calling, with an anointing, and that same calling and anointing is now in that Godly heritage that he has left behind. God's wraparound presence is surrounding the Letlow family. God's plan for Luke's life was one of service, and his legacy will live on through his family. His wife, Julia, is a woman of deep faith. A calling to public service is on her life. She was his rock for all of his years in public life. I am honored to call her my friend now. May his family find comfort in the words of the scripture: ``The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. . . .'' and in knowing that Congressman- elect Letlow fought the good fight, finished his race, and kept the faith.

Mrs. BOEBERT

Mrs. BOEBERT. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Washington, and I thank my chairman of the Western Caucus. It is an honor to serve with him, especially in a time like this where our energy needs are so dramatically threatened. Madam Speaker, I rise today as the proud Representative of Colorado's Third Congressional District, one of the most beautiful districts in the entire Nation, where waters like the Colorado, the Arkansas, and the Animas Rivers flow, and snow falling along the Rocky Mountains provides outdoor recreation in towns like Durango, Telluride, Aspen, and Steamboat Springs. Colorado's Third District is also home to some of the Nation's most abundant energy resources. We all win when American energy workers develop our resources responsibly at home. Yet, this administration is laser-focused on eliminating fossil fuels and the majority of jobs in the energy industry. It is not complicated. We are stronger and safer as a country when we remain energy independent and when dictators across the world can no longer fund their deadly terrorist activities on the backs of our energy needs. Madam Speaker, there is no reason the U.S. should be dependent on volatile foreign sources from countries like Russia, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia when we can safely produce these resources right here in America, creating American jobs. American ingenuity and innovation have resulted in the U.S. becoming a global leader in carbon emissions reductions. Protecting our environment while safely producing American energy are not mutually exclusive goals. Advancements associated with fracking and horizontal drilling are the main reasons the U.S. has become a world leader in protecting the Earth. You heard me. Fracking, demonized by the left without any merit, has proven to be one of the best energy solutions for our environment. I think it is becoming very clear that my colleagues on the left have become fracking liars. But these facts don't matter to the Biden administration. All they seem to care about is appeasing extremist environmentalists in order to get more campaign donations. With the stroke of his pen, which sometimes takes him a while to find, President Joe Biden has unilaterally imposed job-killing executive orders and overreaching energy mandates that are going to crush my district and the people who live within it. From rejoining the Paris Agreement without asking the Senate to ratify this treaty, to unilaterally eliminating the Keystone XL pipeline, to banning all new Federal oil and gas leases, the Biden administration has already taken actions that will eliminate thousands of Colorado's jobs, just as the gentleman mentioned, and send my people, the people I was sent to represent in my district, to the unemployment line. Madam Speaker, I have met with my constituents. They don't understand why this administration is targeting their livelihoods and telling them that they can simply find other jobs. The energy workers in Colorado's Third District like their jobs. They are good at them. They are the best at extracting these resources responsibly. They don't want to be unemployed during a pandemic and worry about how they are going to put food on the table or make ends meet for their families. Just last week, President Biden unveiled a Green New Deal-like environmental plan. While the price tag is astronomical and its goals unrealistic, the real tragedy associated with this $2 trillion charade will be the number of men and women in my district who have to come home and tell a spouse and their children that they were laid off and are unable to provide for their family. It is not Big Oil that is going to close their doors as a result of Biden's executive orders. It is the little guys in small, rural communities that will be hit hardest by this administration's actions that seek to eliminate all coal, oil, and natural gas as its electricity sources by 2035. Joe Biden's team learned nothing from the American energy renaissance we saw under the Trump administration: low gas prices, the lowest average unemployment rate ever until COVID, and the greatest economy the world has ever seen. Madam Speaker, energy dominance and America first policies have been replaced by climate change overkill and people like John Kerry flying around the world in their private jets, telling hardworking Americans to make better choices. We are the land of the free and will always be. I will never allow my four boys to live in a socialist nation. For all the people in the Third District that I so proudly represent, I will proudly fight the Green New Deal policies and Joe Biden's job-killing executive orders with everything that I have; I will support freedom and prosperity at every opportunity; and I will oppose any effort that seeks to take the God-given freedom and rights away from the American people.

Mrs. BOEBERT

Mrs. BOEBERT. Madam Speaker, I rise this evening with a heavy heart. Like many Americans, I am saddened by the loss of millions of innocent and precious lives over the last 48 years since Roe v. Wade. I know that there are millions of pro-life Americans rising up to protect the unborn. Because of this, I am encouraged. I have hope. Over the last 4 years, we saw remarkable pro-life wins all across America. Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, and Ohio, these States rose up to protect the most vulnerable among us. From both sides of the aisle, they passed heartbeat bills because they know life--every human life--matters. Madam Speaker, when Roe v. Wade was passed, we didn't have 3D ultrasounds readily available. We didn't have readily accessible sonograms or the ability to provide lifesaving care to those whom we call miracle babies, children who are prematurely born as early as 21 weeks. I have held a child in my arms, in my hands, who was born at 23 weeks, 1 pound, 8 ounces. She is a miracle baby. America didn't know that pre-born children could feel pain as early as 21 weeks, or see videos of babies in the womb clapping as their mother sings to them. Sadly, not all States have seen the light. Back home in Colorado, we are one of only seven States that allows full-term abortion in America. We have to do better than this. The CDC states that, in 2017, 647,000 Americans died from heart disease, making it the leading cause of death in America. That is not true. The leading cause of death in 2017, in the United States, was abortion, killing 862,000 precious babies. This is not a tragedy; it is an atrocity. Madam Speaker, I am the mother of four children--four wonderful boys, who I am raising to be men. I am raising my boys to love America, to love people, and to always do their best. I have been in the doctor's office, and I have seen my baby boys talking and turning in my womb. They are my children. They are made in God's image, in His likeness. They have a God-given purpose and a plan by their Creator who knows them intimately and deeply and loves them, who has a plan, a future, and a desired outcome for their lives. It is my job to raise them according to God's bent. Before they had taken their first breath, God knew them, and I was blessed to carry them. Madam Speaker, I have seen women make the choice. I have a waitress in my restaurant who chose life. She was in a very questionable situation. Her life wasn't what everyone thought it should be. She ended up with child, and she had a choice. She had a choice to not go forward and be a mom, but she chose life, and now she is one of the greatest mothers that I know. Her name is Jasmine Higgs, and her baby boy is Darius. He is alive today because, glory to God, she chose his life. She said that his life is worth any of the consequences that may come against her. Madam Speaker, today, with this rise, I encourage my colleagues to be hopeful because a culture that celebrates life is on the rise in America, and I am committed to working with pro-life patriots all across the country until we end the horror of abortion.

Mrs. BOEBERT

Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I have to hand it to my colleagues on the other side. In the infamous words of Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, they ``never let a crisis go to waste.'' When the unemployment rate is up and incomes are down, when the job openings are few but the food lines are many, when the American people need their Representatives to put aside partisan politics, my colleagues on the other side put forth this boondoggle proposal. This partisan $1.9 trillion bill is being forced through Congress when more than $1 trillion from previously passed laws remain unspent. How about let's get that $1 trillion out the door before we come back to the trough? Mr. Speaker, they can't let this crisis go to waste, so they are going to force-feed leftist policies to the American people and do their best to disguise it as COVID relief. My constituents back home are asking me: How does killing more jobs by doubling the Federal minimum wage help reopen our economy? What do climate change policies have to do with stopping the spread of COVID? How does expanding ObamaCare help reopen our children's schools? The answer is none of these policies have anything to do with stopping or addressing the China virus. They are unnecessary and radical. This budget is just Democrats doing what Democrats do, trying to score political wins on the backs of Americans in crisis. So we will vote on this bill, Democrats will claim their political wins, and America will go further into debt. But the real relief that Americans need, the relief of a job, an open school, and a thriving economy, will once again go unaddressed. I urge my colleagues to get real and scrap this pipe dream. I urge a ``no'' vote on this bill.

Mrs. BOEBERT

Mrs. BOEBERT. Glory to God. Madam Speaker, I rise today to oppose this impeachment and denounce the recent violence on the Capitol, just as I opposed the previous impeachment and the violence we have all witnessed all summer long across our great country. Make no mistake here, the hypocrisy of the left is on full display. Go to the Hill. Get in the face of some Congresspeople. We have got to fight in Congress, fight in the courts, fight in the streets. Take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him. Go and take Trump out tonight. Sound familiar? What about the gentlewoman from New York who defended the looting by saying looters just want loaves of bread? The last I checked, Best Buy and Tesla and stores of the like do not produce baked goods. Where is the accountability for the left after encouraging and normalizing violence? Rather than actually helping American people in this time, we start impeachments that further divide our country. I call bull crap when I hear the Democrats demanding unity. Sadly, they are only unified in hate.

Mrs. BOEBERT

Mrs. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose yet another Democrat witch hunt. We should take Democrats at their word when they say: Never let a good crisis go to waste. While section 4 of the 25th Amendment has never been used, a plain reading of the text, coupled with the context of its ratification, contemplates a very different scenario from the one we are currently in. It envisions a President's disability resulting from serious illness or injury. To suggest it should be used in a different context violates the very intent of the 25th Amendment. To be clear, this resolution is a divisive political stunt which would have no force of law and is a waste of our time. Mr. Speaker, this resolution is a clear overreach, as invoking the 25th Amendment is not something Congress can initiate, and this must be initiated by the executive branch. Democrats talk about unity, but clearly that is just talk, as their actions only further divide us. Their hypocrisy is on full display this week with this 25th Amendment stunt, Articles of Impeachment, censure bills, and other efforts to try to punish Republicans for false accusations of inciting the type of violence they have so frequently and transparently supported in the past. Throughout 2020, we witnessed Democrats welcome, encourage, and even normalize violence. For them, violent riots were effective in advancing their agenda.

Mrs. BOEBERT

Mrs. BOEBERT. Madam Speaker, I rise to support the objection.

Mrs. BOEBERT. Madam Speaker, to ease everyone's nerve, I want Members to all know that I am not here to challenge anyone to a duel like Alexander Hamilton or Aaron Burr. Madam Speaker, my primary objection to the counting of the electoral votes of the State of Arizona is based on the Constitution and the direction of State legislatures through State law, as spelled out in the following two clauses of Article II, Section 1, Clause 2: ``Each State shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors.'' And the election clause of the Constitution provides State legislatures with explicit authority to prescribe ``the times, places, and manner of holding elections.'' For more than three decades, Arizona law, set by the State legislature, has required that voter registration end no later than 29 days before an election. This is clear. It is law, unless amended by the State legislature. This is the way it needs to be carried out. In Arizona, the deadline for voter registration for the 2020 Presidential election was October 5, 2020. Using COVID as a reasoning, Democrats filed a lawsuit to extend this deadline by 18 days. An injunction was made by an Obama-appointed judge preventing the Arizona secretary of state from enforcing the constitutional deadline set by the State legislature. As a result of this frivolous, partisan lawsuit, 10 extra days were added via judicial fiat to allow voter registration. These 10 days were added after voting had already begun. This is completely indefensible. You cannot change the rules of an election while it is underway and expect the American people to trust it. Now, in this 10-day period, at least 30,000 new voters were registered to vote in Arizona. All of these votes are unconstitutional. It does not matter if they voted for President Trump or if they voted for Vice President Biden. They did not register in time for the election. The law states October 5. Either we have laws or we do not. If we allow State election laws as set forth by the State legislatures to be ignored and manipulated on the whims of partisan lawsuits, unelected bureaucrats, unlawful procedures, and arbitrary rules, then our constitutional Republic will cease to exist. The oath I took this past Sunday to defend and support the Constitution makes it necessary for me to object to this travesty. Otherwise, the laws passed by the legislative branch merely become suggestions to be accepted, rejected, or manipulated by those who did not pass them. Madam Speaker, I have constituents outside of this building right now. I promised my voters to be their voice. In this branch of government in which I now serve, it is my separate but equal obligation to weigh in on this election and object. Are we not a government of, by, and for the people? They know that this election is not right; and as their Representative, I am sent here to represent them. I will not allow the people to be ignored. Madam Speaker, it is my duty under the U.S. Constitution to object to the counting of the electoral votes of the State of Arizona. The Members who stand here today and accept the results of this concentrated, coordinated, partisan effort by Democrats, where every fraudulent vote cancels out the vote of an honest America, has sided with extremists on the left. The United States Congress needs to make an informed decision, and that starts with this objection. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast).