Ken Buck

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I recognize and appreciate my constituent, Mr. Jason Smiley, for the actions he took to save strangers from an overturned vehicle on Christmas Eve. His service to this country has been exceptional and I thank him for the sacrifices that he and his family have made time and again. On December 24th when a family found themselves in a dangerous and scary situation, he took action to ensure their safety. He should be commended for his action and his willingness to respond quickly, calmly, and without hesitation. In Colorado there are often severe weather conditions which lead to emergencies like this. It is not uncommon for Coloradans to be dependent on their neighbor's vigilance and kindness for assistance on the roads. I hope that Mr. Smiley's unhesitating willingness to intervene after an accident can be emulated by all my constituents. What I admire most about Mr. Smiley's story is not only his eagerness to help others, but his willingness to do so after having already given so much for our country. Through injury and decades of military service, Mr. Smiley has been an exemplary member of his community and a good citizen. In choosing to help others, he demonstrated the best characteristics of a serviceman: selflessness, attentiveness, and calm in the face of danger. It is an honor to represent Mr. Jason Smiley in Congress and it is my absolute pleasure to thank him not only for his eagerness to help, but for his consistent dedication to the defense of The United States of America.

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, on October 7, Hamas terrorists paraglided into a music festival and began an unprovoked spree of violence. Babies were beheaded, young girls raped, hundreds kidnapped, and many murdered in vile ways. To compare a modern democracy with a repressive terrorist state is wrong, but it is also wrong for Congress to take this action at a time when we have serious issues that we face. To take an action and take down the words, to strike the words, to censure a fellow Member, no matter how incorrect we believe she may be, is wrong. We lower ourselves when we try to take action against someone else for their words. We all go back to our districts, and thank goodness social media hasn't caught every one of us with everything that we say back in our districts because we would all be standing here. This is a wrong time to do this. It is the wrong action to take. Let's pass a resolution condemning this kind of language, condemning anti-Semitism on college campuses and elsewhere, but it is absolutely wrong to vote for this motion.

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, I rise today to honor the All Veterans Honor Guard, who provide the final Military Honors at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Colorado. Only those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces are permitted to provide such services but in 1993, the U.S. Military ceased to perform these final rites for deceased veterans. That's why approximately 100 Colorado veterans formed the All Veterans Honor Guard in 1994 to carry on this sacred duty for their late comrades in arms. Aside from a small stipend from the state of Colorado, the organization receives no additional funding or compensation to maintain and repair the World War II-era weapons or to purchase uniforms for their volunteers. During their first year, the All Veterans Honor Guard provided Military Honors for 63 veterans at Ft. Logan National Cemetery--and since 1994, they have stood as the Honor Guard for over 23,400 military funerals; with Chief Master Sergeant Retired Morris Smith serving as the backbone for over two decades. But as time has gone on, the number of requests for their services has grown as our aging veterans pass away. The number of volunteers, however, has diminished. In 2021, the All Veterans Honor Guard had less than 80 veteran volunteers, who provided the final honors for 1,554 veterans. Despite these challenges, the Honor Guard remains as dedicated to serving their late brothers and sisters in their afterlife as they were in serving alongside them in life. That is why, Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, on behalf of the 4th Congressional District of Colorado, it is a distinct privilege to recognize and commemorate the tireless efforts of the All Veterans Honor Guard over the past 29 years. Our country is blessed to have such heroes who care enough to honor their comrades as they are laid to rest.

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, it is my honor today to recognize the accomplishments of three outstanding women. Ashley Ferris, Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack and Alice Jackson who will be honored by the Northwest Douglas County Chamber & Economic Development Corporation as ``Women Who Soar.'' Ashley Ferris, a law enforcement officer, left an indelible mark in Denver from 2018 to 2023. Even before her tenure as a dedicated law enforcement officer, her background as a United States Army Intelligence Analyst and project manager showcased her remarkable skills. Ashley's heroic efforts were exemplified during the critical incident on December 27, 2021, where she confronted and took down the Lakewood, CO mass shooter, despite sustaining injuries herself. This act of bravery earned her accolades, including the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year 2022 by the National Police Hall of Fame and the Valor Award. Her unwavering determination and resilience, even in the face of adversity, make her an inspiration. Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack, a celebrated cookbook author and Emmy Award-winning creator and chef, blends her Texan roots into culinary masterpieces. Drawing inspiration from her grandmother's Mexican traditions and her mother's home-style dishes, she crafts delectable creations showcased on MuyBuenoBlog.com. Besides her blog, Yvette, based in Colorado, is a sought-after brand ambassador and recipe developer, engaging her audience on social media. Alice Jackson is a trailblazer in the energy sector, shining as Xcel Energy's Senior Vice President of System Strategy and Chief Planning Officer. Her leadership in this male-dominated field has been transformative. With a decade of contributions, Alice has redefined the standards of excellence in executive leadership. Her success story is not just inspiring but a testament to her resilience, making her an inspiration for aspiring professionals in the industry. From saving lives during a mass shooting to Emmy winning inspiration, this year's recipients have made a lasting impact on those around them and in our community. It is leaders like these women who will allow us to achieve a more prosperous and inclusive future and I congratulate them all on being recognized as ``Women Who Soar.''

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the opening of The Capstone at Centerra Senior Living in Loveland, Colorado. Capstone at Centerra is a leader in innovative housing and medical solutions for seniors in Colorado's Fourth District. As an organization, Capstone serves its residents at every stage of the aging process, providing assisted living, memory care, and respite care designed to encourage independence and support individuals with personalized care. Colorado is one of the fastest aging states in the Nation, and by 2040, 1 in 4 Coloradoans will be over the age of 60. With a rapidly aging population and a shortage of assisted living facilities and memory care services there is a critical need for more facilities, like Capstone, especially in rural areas like the Eastern Plains. Organizations who face the healthcare crisis head-on and continue to provide high-quality, personalized, and innovative care deserve to be recognized and supported. I am proud to recognize the Capstone at Centerra for improving the quality of life for seniors in Northern Colorado. I hope that their perseverance in advancing care will inspire other communities to provide continued, personalized housing and medical care for older adults.

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, wouldn't it be a great idea to tell the executive branch that when they get done selling 10 percent of these buildings or 20 percent of these buildings they will start seeing funding again? Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BUCK. As a fellow deficit hawk, you heard about the vacant buildings that the Federal Government owns. I think the most accurate number I have heard is 77,000 vacant or underutilized buildings that the Federal Government owns. There have been some estimates that it is a little bit lower than that, but anywhere in that range is absolutely incredible to me. It costs approximately $2 billion a year to just keep those vacant buildings up to speed, whether it is the electricity, the security, the lawn maintenance, all those things--$2 billion a year. We also spend billions of dollars to house Federal employees in office buildings that are privately owned. This has been going on for 10 years. The GAO has been reporting this to Congress. My question to my good friend--and I am not accusing my good friend at all--why doesn't Congress--this is the worst part of it--the GAO, the Government Accounting Office, is a congressional office. Why do we pay for reports to find out about the waste and then ignore the reports that we are paying for about how the executive branch wastes money? What is the answer?

Mr. BUCK. I thank my friend for that compliment. I have really just stolen a lot of ideas from a lot of people and tried to put them together in one place. One of the things that aggravates me the most about unauthorized programs--and I am so happy that you raised it and are talking about it--is that it really was a fraud on Members of Congress. For example, with the Endangered Species Act, it was a problem with eagles and this chemical called DDT. It was thinning the eagles' eggs, and the eagles weren't reproducing, so we had a declining bald eagle population in the United States. We passed the Endangered Species Act, but the promise to the Members of Congress is: We will review this every 5 years. This isn't going to go on forever, folks. When we take care of this bald eagle problem and a few other critters, we are going to be done with this program. I think Ronald Reagan said that the closest thing to eternal life on this planet is a Federal program, and that is what we have seen. Congress doesn't bother reauthorizing these programs, so they just go on and on because we would have to actually make a tough decision if we were going to reauthorize these programs, amend these programs, or cut these programs. Nobody wants to make a tough decision. It is much easier just to make our grandchildren pay a huge debt because we are too lazy, too unfocused, to actually do our job.

Mr. BUCK. How long have you been in Congress?

Mr. BUCK. A committee would hold a hearing, would invite in administration officials, executive branch officials, and would review the effectiveness of the program. There may be an inspector general's report about a wasteful part of the program. There may be newspaper articles or other sources of information. You hold a hearing, and the staff would be investigating this before the hearing. Then, we vote to recommend to the whole House whether that program should be reauthorized or not.

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, let me ask my friend a question, if I may. We talk about authorizing programs. How does Congress authorize a program?

Mr. BUCK. We have just identified the process for one agency or one program to be reauthorized. We are talking about 1,100 unauthorized programs that Congress needs to authorize before it appropriates money to them. That is not even including the 325 programs that will need to be reauthorized at the end of this year. We are going to be close to 1,500 programs, and over half of the discretionary budget will go to unauthorized programs.

Mr. BUCK. All right. We are going to start talking about what we can do about that. I thank my friend from Arizona for joining us tonight and giving us that advice. Folks, you may have heard of Dave Ramsey. He has helped millions of Americans get out of debt, turn the corner on their finances. May have read one of his books or taken one of his classes. The key to his get out of debt programs, he offers simple steps. These are reasonable measures that anyone can take. The first step he often recommends is to make a list of your current debt and your current spending. The actual first step is to decide that you are done being in debt. Our Nation's debt stands at, as we just heard, almost $32 trillion. We need a Dave Ramsey program here in Washington, D.C. The United States debt stands at $32 trillion. Every year, the Government Accountability Office puts together reports on wasteful spending and ineffective programs in the Federal Government. These reports, if read and applied, would help us streamline government programs, reduce waste, minimize fraudulent payments, create oversight, and greater accountability to taxpayers. As we head into the appropriation season, I am asking all of my colleagues to join with me and others who have read these roadmaps from the Government Accountability Office with recommendations for how we can reduce Federal spending, save taxpayer funds, and most importantly, start paying down the debt. Here are some key findings from the General Accounting Office. In 2022, 18 Federal agencies reported an estimated $247 billion in improper payments. Over the past two decades, the Federal Government wasted $2.4 trillion on payment errors. Federal taxpayers pay $2 billion each year maintaining empty government buildings. GAO identified $552.7 billion spent on duplicate and redundant programs in 2022. If our Nation is ever going to dig its way out of this debt, we will have to start tackling wasteful spending. That includes going after the improper payments made in error. What is an improper payment? First, fraud. An individual or business willfully stealing from the government. Secondly, mistaken identity. Payments going to the wrong person. Third, payments going to a deceased person. Here is just one example: More than 47 percent of the payments to the Veterans Administration Department, particular program in the VA, made in 2022 were improper. Let me say that again: More than 47 percent. That is almost half of the payments in one program. The good news is that is an improvement because 5 years ago that number was at 100 percent of that program's budget. One hundred percent went to the wrong people and they are down to just 50 percent now. Maybe in 5 years, if they keep going at this rate, they will be down to 25 percent. Maybe not. In 2022, just 18 Federal agencies reported wasting an estimated $247 billion on incorrect payments. That is just 18 agencies, not the entire government. Our government also holds thousands of vacant, unused properties. We pay every year for lawn maintenance, electricity, security, energy costs for these unused properties. The Government Accountability Office estimates that we spend $2 billion each year just on maintaining these empty buildings. Another major area of concern is redundant programs. In 2022 alone, the Federal Government wasted $552.7 billion on duplicate programs. Taxpayers receive no benefit for these redundant programs that create more inefficiencies and run up the costs needlessly. Unauthorized programs are also an additional source of wasted funds. If Congress hasn't authorized a program, why is the executive branch spending taxpayer funds on it? There are over a thousand unauthorized government programs that Congress continues to fund without reauthorizing or reviewing these programs. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs) to talk about that more in depth and to engage in a colloquy.

Mr. BUCK. Let me ask another one: How many submarines, nuclear submarines, do we get for that money? How many people get help, food for pregnant moms? How many do we feed with that money?

Mr. BUCK. My question is this: How many jet fighters do we get for that money?

Mr. BUCK. So $600 billion?

Mr. BUCK. On an annualized basis, what is that number, a ballpark?

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Schweikert) to ask some questions. How much do we currently pay to service the debt?

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I will take the next half hour to talk about the national debt, our spending, and our deficit. Somebody asked how big is our national debt? Well, Federal debt is $32 trillion. The $32 trillion mark arrived 9 years sooner than pre-pandemic forecasts had projected, reflecting the trillions of dollars of emergency spending to address COVID-19's impact on our sluggish economy. How much does each individual owe? According to the U.S. Treasury's official figure for the debt, the Federal Government is at $32 trillion in debt or, more precisely 32-- well, I am not even going to go into it. It is just a lot of money, and it equates to $95,660 for every person living in the U.S., or $242,570 for every household in the U.S. This is an existential threat to our country. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Schweikert), my good friend, to talk more about the big picture of the debt, then we are going to talk about some specific issues.

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I would love to ask Mr. Good a couple questions.

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. BUCK. The Endangered Species Act is no longer used as a shield. It is now used as a sword, yet we don't authorize it. We don't hold hearings, and we don't examine the impact of the Endangered Species Act. Parts of it undoubtedly are good, but a large part of it is a program that needs to either be cut, amended, or certainly examined. Mr. Speaker, I invite our good friend from Virginia, who has a wealth of information for Americans, to join us and tell us what he knows. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Good).

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, as National Beef Month ends, I rise to recognize the enormous impact that the beef industry has on Colorado, our nation's economy, and our western way of life. The American beef industry is the world's largest producer of beef and accounts for 21.7 percent of the world's total beef production. With 91.9 million heads of cattle and roughly 720,000 beef farms in the United States, the beef industry accounts for the largest share of total cash receipts among agricultural commodities and accounts for 35 percent of all U.S. farms. This multi-billion-dollar industry employs hundreds of thousands of hard-working American men and women, most of whom work for family- owned, small businesses. With cattle raised in all 50 states, beef has grown to be the second most popular choice of meat in the United States and has contributed greatly to both domestic and international economies. Often a great source of essential nutrients such as protein, zinc, iron and B vitamins, high-grade beef provides our bodies with the strength needed to thrive and grow throughout all stages of life. Lowering bad cholesterol, building muscle, and improving cognitive health are among the many benefits derived from a healthy, balanced diet that includes protein-rich animals such as beef. For years critics have unfairly alleged that the resources needed to sustain such an industry have done damage to our environment and raised greenhouse gas emissions, when in reality, the beef industry has undergone tremendous technological, genetic, and management reforms in an effort to preserve our environment. As ranchers who rely on healthy soil and good seasons for the well-being of their cattle, cattle ranchers have long placed environmental stewardship at the forefront of their operations. Today, I show my appreciation for the hardworking men and women of the American beef industry who rise before the sun each day and work tirelessly to provide food to our nation. Working alongside their partners in the agricultural sector, the American beef industry has been a key contributor to our nation's fight against food insecurity and has provided much needed, nutrient-dense food for the world's population. The beef industry is deeply ingrained in American culture and has been a valued economic partner in many communities across the United States and the world. Eastern Colorado, which I represent in the U.S. House of Representatives, has the ten most agriculture producing counties in Colorado, with 2.85 million heads of cattle valued at over $2.8 billion. This ranks Colorado 10th in the United States for total cattle and makes it the 4th largest exporter of beef in the United States. These hardworking men and women deserve our gratitude. I am proud to honor their work during National Beef Month.

Mr. BUCK

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the words of my colleague from New York, but I reiterate what this resolution is about and what it says. Congress recognizes and appreciates the dedication and devotion demonstrated by the men and women of local law enforcement who keep our communities safe and condemns calls to defund, disband, dismantle, or abolish the police. It is absolutely correct that this resolution doesn't include everybody and everything. There will be time in this Congress where we can work together to do that. To not pass this resolution, to not vote for this resolution during police week is a slap in the face to local law enforcement. Mr. Speaker, I invite all the people who are watching today and all Americans to tune in to the weaponization committee as they listen to witnesses, whistleblowers from Federal agencies, talking about the abuses in those Federal agencies. It would be inappropriate, until we reach conclusions, until we pass legislation protecting Americans and protecting our political process, for us to take that extra step with Federal law enforcement. I have said over and over, I absolutely respect the men and women who are on the streets in Federal law enforcement protecting us. It is the leadership that we have issues with at times. That is not in this resolution. This resolution is a unifying resolution, and I hope my friends on the other side of the aisle can join us in thanking local law enforcement. Mr. Speaker, I yield back balance of my time.

Mr. BUCK. Mr. Speaker, it is highly disingenuous for my colleagues to suggest that because this resolution doesn't thank all sorts of other groups that we can't thank local law enforcement. This resolution doesn't thank Governors. It doesn't thank Lieutenant Governors. It doesn't thank secretaries of State. It doesn't thank State attorneys general. It doesn't thank the generals and admirals at the Pentagon. It doesn't thank the folks who are working so hard in the cafeteria to provide us with food today. It doesn't thank a lot of people. It does thank local law enforcement, and for that we should unite. For that, we should come together. For that, we should overcome these ridiculous arguments and pat someone on the back. Then let's work toward another resolution. Let's make sure we thank those FBI agents who are working in the field, not the ones who planned to dismantle our political system, but the ones who are working in the field to protect us. Let's thank those ATF agents who are arresting convicted felons who are in possession of a firearm. Let's thank them. Let's thank Federal law enforcement. Let's thank the Capitol Police for their great work on January 6. Don't vote against this resolution thanking local police officers just because it is not broad enough and doesn't include every single category you can think of. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.