Jim Banks

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan).

Mr. BANKS. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. BANKS. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, it might feel really good today for my opponents on the other side of the aisle. It might feel really good in a vindictive sort of way, to vote to put their political opponents behind bars. That might feel really good for my opponents across the aisle. But I guarantee you, the history will not look back kindly on those actions in the years to come. I guarantee it. It couldn't be anymore un-American what they want to do today, to vote to put two men behind bars purely because they disagree with their politics and the man that they worked for. I can't think of a bigger reason for my opponents to vote ``no'' on such an un-American resolution. I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``no'' and do the same. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Connie Miller of Auburn, who just celebrated her 45th year working at The Brown House restaurant. Known for delicious ice cream and savory coney hot dogs, The Brown House has served the community of Auburn since 1949 when it first opened as a concession stand at the DeKalb County Free Fall Fair. Few things have changed about it since. Two weeks before her 16th birthday in 1977, Connie started working at The Brown House. At the time, she was a sophomore working part time and did not intend to be there long. She was hired by owners Tom and Marcia Armstrong, who would operate the business for a total of 43 years until their respective retirement in 2019--yet further proof of the restaurant's continuity. Connie is definitive when asked what she enjoys most about her job. ``People,'' she says. When regulars patron the restaurant, they talk with her and ask about her on the occasion she is not there. She provides more than just a well-prepared meal, but a smile and fellowship to friends and patrons--in her eyes, one in the same. People like Connie make our community and country great. As American hero Agnes Meyer Driscoll once said, ``Fortunate are the people whose roots are deep.'' Few people's roots run deeper in Auburn than Connie, and our community is eternally grateful for it.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Deb Schultz of Noble County, who is retiring this week from the Noble County clerk's office after 22 years of service. Deb has served Noble County with excellence. As Deputy Clerk, Deb's primary responsibility was helping oversee elections. Processing new voter registration, communicating with state election officials, monitoring poll workers, and more, she's been the resident expert to which many have looked up and relied on in Noble County for the last two-plus decades. Deb deserves special praise for her efforts in Fall 2020, which she described as having been ``very difficult.'' Tasked with having to approve and process hundreds of mail-in ballots and navigating the upending of other standard operating procedures, Deb nonetheless successfully oversaw the election's administration which Noble County residents agree was safe and secure. During her tenure as Deputy Clerk, many county clerks came and went, all of whom relied heavily on Deb's expertise and ability. She leaves behind a legacy that will not soon be forgotten and which has left an indelible mark on the community. As she closes this chapter of her life and begins a new one, I wish Deb the best and thank her for her commitment to Noble County and to the continuity of American democracy.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Richard Lineberry of Hamilton for his service as State Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Indiana. Richard joined VFW Post 2457 in 2011 and has been a leader since. He has served as the 4th District Commander, the Indiana Department Junior Vice Commander and the Indiana Department Senior Vice Commander. Richard has served his community, state and country in several capacities beyond that of the VFW, as well. For nearly 34 years, he served in the United States Air Force Reserve/National Guard. For twenty years, Richard served as a law enforcement officer in New Haven, where he held positions including deputy coroner, Sergeant, SCUBA Recovery, accident reconstructionist, and firearms instructor. For 12 years, he worked at the VA hospital in Fort Wayne both as a police officer and as a Means Test Officer where he presided over initial enrollments for veterans seeking benefits. Richard is also a proud board member of Honor Flight Northeast Indiana, which helps bring Hoosier veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices. Remarkably, he has registered over 100 veterans for these honor flights, including many who served in World War II. Few men are as deserving of State Commander as Richard. That's why I'm proud to honor him for all the remarkable things he has done and the lives he has changed. This position as State Commander has been a crowning achievement of a record of service for which our community is most grateful.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember Chester ``Chet'' Bartol of Fort Wayne who passed away last month. Chet was a hard-working, intelligent man who served our country and his community with joy. He graduated Warsaw High School in 1945 and attended Purdue University, where he earned a degree in Electrical Engineering. For nearly fifty years, he worked in orthopedics as a distributor and was the owner of Zimmer-Bartol Associates. In addition to his academic and career pedigree, Chet was a veteran of the United States Army, having served in the Electrical Warfare Division of the Signal Corps. Northeast Indiana, and our country, is grateful to him for his service. He is remembered as having been particularly active, sociable and selfless. A lifelong fan of Purdue sports, Chet ran high school and college track, and into old age remained a golfer and avid cardplayer. He is also remembered as having been a loving husband, father and friend. He is survived by his wife, Shirley, five children, eleven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. In the wake of his passing, I wish Chet's family peace, comfort and joy in knowing he lived a long and happy life. Though he is no longer alive, his spirit lives on in the minds and souls of those whom he knew and loved most.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Bill Katip as he prepares to retire from his position as president of Grace College. Having served as Grace College president for the last 22 years, Katip led the institution in several groundbreaking initiatives including an accelerated three-year bachelor's degree program, a four-year bachelor's and master's program and Deploy--Grace's competency-based seminary program. As a result of these initiatives, and many more, Katip has led the school through historic milestones, including Aspire, its $40 million comprehensive campaign, and recruiting the school's largest-ever incoming class of students for the 2021-22 school year. As successful as Katip was in strengthening Grace College's standing academically and financially, he also maintains a beloved reputation among students. Over the years, Katip made it a point to attend campus events, travel with students on trips and, most importantly, to be someone in a position of authority by whose example Christ's light shines upon the world. I have known Dr. Katip for many years and had the opportunity to call upon his assistance several times in preparing for hearings in Congress. I know him to be not only an outstanding college president and counselor, but also a consummate friend and Christian. I wish him and his wife, Debbie, Godspeed in a most deserved retirement. Even with his departure from Grace College, his legacy will endure, and his presence will be felt on the campus and beyond for years to come.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, last but not least, I yield to the gentleman from the great state of Texas, (Mr. Arrington), my friend, someone who fights so hard for freedom, for families.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, thanks to our next speaker, I have been to the border in Arizona and Texas, both during President Trump's Presidency and now during President Biden's Presidency. What our next speaker has taught me along the way is the night-and-day difference. The border was under control under President Trump; it is wide open under President Biden. What I have learned and what I have stressed more than ever before is that what is going on at the border impacts my district in northeast Indiana every single day. Our next speaker is the co-chair of the Border Security Caucus. No one does more in Congress to highlight these issues and work toward protecting and securing our border than Dr. Brian Babin. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin).

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, today, at least on one question, Americans are more united than ever before. This week, as we mark the 1-year mark of the Biden Presidency, the vast majority of the American people agree that the Biden Presidency has been a failure. After 1 year in office, President Biden's approval rating is the lowest ever recorded after the first year in office of any President in American history. Why is no mystery. By every measure, Americans are worse off today than when Biden took office. Inflation, crime, the debt, the border, Afghanistan, a never-ending pandemic, Americans have endured humiliation abroad and division at home, and all of these disasters are man-made. Everyone knows why inflation is at a 40-year high. Everyone knows why Americans' wages have been cut by 3 percent or more. Democrats spent trillions and then passed the largest Federal budget in history. How, in less than a year, did we go from energy independence to begging Saudi Arabia for oil? Well, maybe it has something to do with the President banning new natural gas production in the United States. You see, the media wants to make things complicated. They want you to believe that no one really knows why you are paying close to $4 per gallon at the pump. They want to separate the consequences of the last year from its cause. But don't be fooled, Madam Speaker. There is a border crisis because the Biden administration stopped building the wall, cut deportations by 90 percent, and reversed every single one of President Trump's successful border enforcement measures. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45 because it, too, is pouring across a wide-open southern border. It is that simple. Crime immediately shot up after Democrats' antipolice riots, because of Democrats' antipolice riots. There are still hundreds of Americans stranded in Afghanistan because the Biden administration didn't prioritize its own citizens for evacuation. President Biden's COVID policies do not work. That is why COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all rose during the Biden Presidency. Americans endured mandatory vaccinations, pointless mask mandates, endless school closures, and never-ending Dr. Fauci interviews. And it was all for nothing. Americans can see what is in front of them. That is why they have rejected this administration. The proof is in the pudding, and the pudding is stale. The question is, can Americans endure 3 more years just like the last one? I believe that they can, but they shouldn't have to. That is why the Republican Study Committee is here tonight. We will hold the Biden administration accountable every step of the way. We will make sure that the past year of crises and catastrophes never repeats itself. Madam Speaker, tonight, I will yield to a number of my colleagues, like the next speaker. The gentlewoman from the great State of Indiana (Mrs. Walorski) is going to share some thoughts with us.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from the great State of Indiana for her comments. I know she and I both agree that Hoosiers are sick and tired of this leadership, or lack thereof, that we have seen from President Biden over the last year. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx), the ranking member of the House Education and Labor Committee and a great mentor and colleague.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, from Indiana to North Carolina to Kansas and beyond, the American people are feeling the effects of this disastrous administration. I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes), my colleague and my friend, a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and a leader in the Republican Study Committee.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Estes for his comments. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Moore), one of our leaders in Congress on the Republican side fighting for veterans every day on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and my colleague and friend.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, as President Biden continues to fail the American people in so many ways and his poor leadership has created crisis after crisis after crisis, I can't think of anywhere in the country that shows us just the opposite type of leadership than the free and open State of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cammack), one of Florida's great leaders, a freshman leader in the Republican Study Committee, my colleague and friend.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Florida for her comments. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman), one of the greatest voices of common sense in the entire Congress, a senior Republican leader on the House Education and Labor Committee, my colleague, and friend.

Mr. BANKS. I thank the gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Carl. It is such a powerful statement as we think about the drugs that are flooding over the border, that are impacting communities, destroying families. The lack of attention by this administration to do anything about it is appalling to the American people. As they see what is going on at the border, they know the border is wide open. They know that this President is responsible for the lack of leadership to secure the border that has allowed drugs to flow into communities and affect and destroy so many families across this country. Enough is enough. We call on the President. We ask President Biden to step up to the plate and address this issue so that more families aren't ruined, and more communities aren't destroyed because of the amount of drugs and the drug epidemic that is affecting our country. Again, I said in my opening statement fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. Why isn't the President paying attention to that statistic and doing anything about it to address it? Madam Speaker, next, I yield to a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, someone who I know has a heart for our veterans, someone who has served under four Presidents since he has been in Congress. His perspective is powerful. I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina, (Mr. Wilson), my colleague, mentor, and friend.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Fitzgerald), my colleague and a freshman Member of the House.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garcia), a fellow veteran and friend.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, when I became the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, which is not just the largest conservative caucus in Congress but the largest caucus overall in the entire United States Capitol, I had to choose someone to lead the Republican Study Committees' Budget and Spending Task Force. For almost 50 years, this task force and the Republican Study Committee has put forth a fiscally responsible balanced budget in the Congress to lead the way toward fiscal responsibility. And no one has done a better job of that in my time in Congress than Kevin Hern, a small business owner from the great State of Oklahoma. He has chaired and run this effort well. Over the last year, we put out a budget that we showed to the Congress. We could balance the budget in 6 years. That is in stark contrast to what the Democrats and President Biden have done to put forth the largest budget that this country has ever seen. I don't just appreciate the leadership of Representative Hern; I am proud of the effort he put forward. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Hern).

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Oklahoma again for his leadership and the important words that he had to share with us tonight. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Carl), a new member of the House Committee on Armed Services who is playing an outsized role on the Committee on Armed Services as we work hard to support our troops who need our support more than ever before.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend for so many important comments that he and the others have shared with us today as we mark the 1-year anniversary mark of President Biden taking office as the current President of the United States. Once again, this President ends his first year in office with the lowest approval rating of any President in American history. The American people are feeling the decline of America. They see it, and they hate it because they know it doesn't have to be this way. They are crying out for leadership. They are begging the party in power--the Democratic Party that controls the Congress and owns the White House under President Joe Biden--to do something about inflation, because they feel it and see it every day when they go to the grocery store. And they beg the Democratic Party to do so something about it. They are begging President Biden to address inflation, the worst inflation of my lifetime. They are baffled why the party in power and this President are completely tone-deaf to the needs of the American people as they suffer through this disastrous set of consequences of the policies of this President. Madam Speaker, you heard a lot tonight about the effects of the COVID lockdowns and policies that have hurt our kids in schools and have hurt so many working Americans as they feel the pressures of these lockdowns and the failed policies of this administration. You have heard a lot tonight about the effects of fentanyl and the drugs that are coming over the wide-open border because of the failed border policies of this President. You have heard a lot tonight about the embarrassment that Afghanistan has caused the American people on the world stage. The American people know that when we put America's interests first in our foreign policy, the world is safer and better off. But under this President, America is less safe from North Korea to the Middle East, China and Russia, all of these countries are seizing on America's weakness under President Biden's leadership, and the world is less safe because of it. Madam Speaker, I call on the Democratic Party and President Biden to step up to the plate. America can't afford to suffer another 3 years of what they have suffered through over the last year. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 857 of Fort Wayne as they prepare to celebrate their 100-year anniversary. Founded less than five years after the end of the First World War, VFW Post 857 has been a fellowship among American patriots in and around Fort Wayne all of whom served our country at some point in overseas conflict for now a century. With over 500 members including an Auxiliary, Post 857 remains a most honorable and beloved local institution. This institution over the years and generations has been the fraternal home of patriots like Donald Kurtz, Edwin Davis, David Roth, Don Van Osdale, Edgar Grider, and so many others. I am inspired by these men and the mission of the organization to which they belonged--a mission which includes not only helping veterans recover from the wounds of war but, even more importantly, to ensure that the memory of those who have served is never forgotten. From holding raffles to support the home repairs of veterans to throwing children's Halloween parties to hosting motorcycle rides alongside Northeast Indiana Honor Flights, and more, Hoosiers thank Fort Wayne's VFW Post 857 for their service and stewardship to the community over the years and generations. This record is testament to VFW Post 857's longevity and achievement, for which Indiana, and northeast Indiana, is grateful. May God bless them, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the service of Mr. Robert E. Tiffany of Angola. On Saturday, January 29, Robert will celebrate his 100th birthday. On behalf of the United States Congress, I want to congratulate him on this wonderful occasion. We hope his heart is filled with joy knowing he has experienced our country's greatest blessings, including the affection of family and friends over a long, well-lived life. Our Nation owes Robert a debt of gratitude for his dedicated service to our country while serving in the United States Army Air during World War II. Like many of the Greatest Generation, he enlisted following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In piloting B-17s over Europe, Robert took part in the Allied strategic bombing campaigns against the German war machine. By the time he left the Army in 1944, he flew a total of 23 missions. Following his departure from service, he returned home, where he established a career, raised a family and lived out the American Dream. This record is a testament to his service and an appeal to future generations of Americans, that they too may answer the call to help keep lit the torch of American liberty, just as Robert did. May God Bless him, and may God Bless the United States of America.