Jerry Carl

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman).

Mr. CARL. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6353, offered by Representative Wild, would authorize the National Service Animals Memorial Corporation to create a commemorative work on Federal land in Washington, D.C., to honor the heroic acts and sacrifices of service animals and their handlers. The commemorative work would feature the contributions of animals, such as heroic service dogs, that have assisted humans for generations by serving as guides for those with disabilities and supporting law enforcement, search and rescue, and military personnel. Some well-known examples of heroic dogs include Cairo, which was part of the Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden. H.R. 6353 prohibits the use of Federal funds to create or maintain this work. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Wild for her work on this legislation, and I urge adoption of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Madam Speaker, I urge the adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 820, the New Philadelphia National Historic Site Act, sponsored by Congressman Darin LaHood of Illinois, which would establish New Philadelphia as a unit of the National Park System. New Philadelphia Town Site, located near Barry, Illinois, is the first known town in the United States to be established and officially registered by an African American. The national historic site established by this bill will tell the inspiring story of ``Free Frank'' McWorter, who founded New Philadelphia in 1836. He was born into slavery in South Carolina in 1777 and spent the first 42 years of his life enslaved. He worked to save enough money to purchase the freedom of his expectant wife, Lucy, and ensuring the freedom of their child. Two years later, he purchased his own freedom. The family moved to a pioneer homestead in Illinois, where McWorter founded a town called New Philadelphia where free-born and formerly enslaved African Americans lived, alongside European Americans in a region and an era intense with racial strife. New Philadelphia was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2009. New Philadelphia is also listed as part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. I commend Representative LaHood for sponsoring this bipartisan and locally supported bill. New Philadelphia will be a valuable addition to the National Park System. Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARL. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood).

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6734, the Keep America's Refuges Operational Act of 2022. This bill introduced by my colleagues, Mr. Jeffries, Mr. Wittman, and Mr. Graves, reauthorizes volunteer programs at our national wildlife refuges. Specifically, this bill would reauthorize for 5 fiscal years several U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services programs, including those related to volunteer services, community partnerships, donations and gifts, and education projects. The Fish and Wildlife Services currently utilize volunteers for tours, restoring the habitat, plant and animal surveys, staffing refuge stores and visitor centers, and all other activities. While I believe more work needs to be done to improve our overall management of our national wildlife refuges, the volunteer activities that this bill will reauthorize are an effective tool to perform needed work without increasing costs to taxpayers. Solutions such as this legislation are especially welcome during times like these when our national debt continues to balloon, and inflation continues to soar because of reckless spending pushed forward by the majority and the current administration. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARL. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 7618, offered by Representative Brown, would designate the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Museum at Zion Memorial Park in Bedford Heights, Ohio, a national memorial. This memorial was dedicated in May 1961 and honors the 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. It is one of the first Holocaust commemorative works in the United States, and it is surrounded by walls with the names of those who died in the Holocaust, along with the survivors who later passed away. The memorial also includes the ashes of Jewish martyrs killed by Nazis from three concentration camps buried at its base. I hope the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial will continue to bring peace and comfort to the families and the community who lost loved ones during the Holocaust. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARL. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2490, the Blackwell School National Historic Site Act. This legislation, championed in the House by my friend, Tony Gonzales of Texas, would establish a new unit of the National Park System to tell the history of this segregated education in Marfa, Texas. Although there was no State law that mandated separate schools for Hispanic students, Texas school districts practiced de facto segregation through the mid-20th century. Blackwell School was known originally as the Ward School and later renamed for its longtime principal, Jesse Blackwell, who arrived at the school in 1922. During Blackwell's 25-year tenure, the school grew from one building with 120 students to a multi-building campus with more than 600 students. The original historic school building and grounds provide an authentic setting to the interpretation of history of segregated schools in Texas. I commend Mr. Gonzales for his work on this important landmark. He has been a strong champion for this legislation, including writing House companion legislation that previously passed this Chamber with strong bipartisan support. Madam Seaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARL. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Tony Gonzales).

Mr. CARL. Madam Speaker, again, I urge the adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4358, the Little Manatee Wild and Scenic River Act. This bill, sponsored by my colleague from Florida, Representative Vern Buchanan, would authorize a study of the Little Manatee River in Florida to consider its inclusion as a component of the National Wild and Scenic River System. The Little Manatee River, which has been designated an Outstanding Florida Water, transitions from a 10- to 20-food-wide creek flowing through an ash and oak floodplain forest to a 300-foot-wide tide- influenced river flowing through tidal marsh that empties into Tampa Bay. The bill contains important provisions protecting private property rights that ensure that study cannot be used as a justification for new restrictive management practices unless Congress acts to officially designate the river as part of the National Wild and Scenic River System at a future date. This bill is locally supported, and I commend Representative Buchanan for his work on this legislation. Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Madam Speaker, on Roll Call No. 420 on final passage of Senate Amendment to H.R. 5376, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 420.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 420.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Madam Speaker, remembering those civil servants who dedicated their careers to the service of their constituents is important, and few Alabama politicians gave more in service than Representative Stephen A. ``Steve'' McMillan. McMillan served for 42 years in the Alabama House of Representatives, representing Baldwin County. After first winning election in 1982, McMillan represented District 95 for his entire career and went on to serve numerous committees. McMillan leaves behind a legacy of working to pass legislation for the good of Baldwin County and the entire State of Alabama. McMillan accomplished much, helping create the Fair Ballot Commission, the Baldwin County Judicial Commission, and the State Teacher of the Year program. McMillan also helped planning and zoning for unincorporated areas of Baldwin County, helped found the Alabama School of Math and Science, and helped create the Alabama Coastal Area Erosion Task Force and several laws to protect Alabama Beaches. McMillan's service was not limited to the Alabama House of Representatives, as he held numerous leadership positions in the community. McMillan was past President of the Bay Minette Rotary Club, member of the North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, member of the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber. McMillan will be remembered as a fighter for his constituents who worked for the betterment of his community.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Madam Speaker, October 7 has been declared Edward O. Wilson day to honor Alabama native and internationally renowned scientist and educator. Wilson was born on June 10, 1929, in Birmingham, Alabama. He graduated from Decatur Senior High School before going on to earn bachelor and master's degrees from the University of Alabama. Wilson served as an entomologist for the Alabama Department of Conservation and taught at Harvard for over 50 years. Additionally, he served on the boards of the Nature Conservancy, The World Wildlife Fund, and Audubon. His accomplishments include discovering hundreds of new insects and documented the arrival of the fire ant in America as a 14-year-old. Wilson wrote over 30 books explaining the natural world to the public and received more than 150 awards, including the National Medal of Science and two Pulitzer Prizes, Wilson dedicated his professional career to promoting conservation of natural life in his native Alabama and around the world.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7900, the NDAA 2023. We have worked across the aisle on this bill, and I take great pride in it. We have successfully fought back against the President's cut in our defense budget, obviously due to inflation. For example, it gets the Navy back on track to build a large enough fleet to counter threats like China, with 355 ships. This includes much-needed ships that will be built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama, and we are very proud of that. It also takes care of our servicemen and their families by giving a 4.6 percent pay raise to counter Bidenflation. I encourage my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to support the bill because it is critical to the defense of this country.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address the situation that President Biden has us in right now on fuel. On April 27, according to his texts, he is going to help bring the price of fuel down. The price of fuel has gone up since April 27. In his texts, he is going to release fuel from our reserves. All it did was put money in Chinese pockets--950,000 barrels of oil--and someone has got to be answerable for that. This gentleman pictured on the end, Mr. Seals, is an offshore oil producer, and Mr. Seals wants his job back. Let's spend our time trying to get our energy released. Don't go to Saudi Arabia, Mr. President. Let's stay here and let our people, Mr. Seals, get and drill. Release our energy.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 471, the PAUSE Act, to protect all Americans from Biden's border crisis.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the previous question so we can amend the rules to immediately consider H.R. 6858, the American Energy Independence from Russia Act. My friends from the other side of the aisle want to talk about restaurants, and restaurants are very important, but understand that when families can't put fuel in their tank, they certainly cannot afford to eat in a restaurant. We have to get our priorities straight. Yes, we are bringing them up now because we cannot get our bills to the floor. We cannot get our message out. This is the fourth time the Republicans have tried to bring this bill up for a vote, and each time, the Democrats have refused. Families are suffering as rising fuel costs are making everything much, much more expensive, including bread, clothes, and everything, including meals at our restaurants. President Biden's so-called solutions do nothing to fix the problems. Tapping into our strategic reserves will do almost nothing to bring prices down. All it does is risk our reserves and endanger our national security. This administration is signaling to the oil and gas companies that they are going to come after them. Big Government needs to get out of the way. Get out of the way of the businesses, and let the businesses run themselves. For example, where I am from on the Gulf Coast, the Department of the Interior has allowed one lease sale in the past year and a half. Under Trump, we had two a year. We had the one sale that I am talking about in a year and a half. The Biden administration refuses to uphold the law of two per year, even though the courts struck down the one that he had. He refuses to challenge that to get those lease bids acknowledged. Biden, what he has said is a lie. I am sorry, it is an outright lie about what the drilling companies are. There are so many rules and regulations on the drilling companies. I understand it. We have to get the foot of the government off the back of the necks of our drilling companies. Let's save this country. Let's don't give it away to Russia. Let's don't give it away to Venezuela. Let's stand firm and be Americans, both sides of the aisle here. I am sorry, I will cool off here on this one. Republicans have a real solution to get American energy back on the market and get prices down. This bill will restart the Keystone XL; it will end the moratorium; and it will boost the LNG exports. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Madam Speaker, I commend Austal USA for the launch of their steel manufacturing line on April 12, 2022. This world-class steel expansion is not only a valuable asset for Mobile, but it is also vital for our national defense. Austal has invested $100 million in the development of this venture, including the necessary facility upgrades, new buildings, and state-of-the-art equipment. The addition of the steel line will create jobs both at Austal shipyard and throughout the steel line supply chain. Austal's partnership with SSAB Americas to provide the steel inventory for the Navy T-ATS program shows their commitment to utilizing regional resources and labor. Austal is developing and growing the local workforce by hiring a multitude of tradesmen and women to meet the demands of the new line. Additionally, they work with over 280 vendors in Alabama, including many small businesses, who will greatly benefit from this new enterprise. Ensuring that Austal and the Gulf Coast can continue competing for future programs to meet the growing needs of the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard is incredibly important to our local economy, our state, and the defense interests of our entire nation. Austal USA is well equipped to meet these critical needs, and I'm proud of the work they do right here in Alabama's First Congressional District to keep our country safe and secure.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Madam Speaker, over the past few weeks, we have made it very clear how important it is for the United States to produce its own energy rather than rely on other countries for our supplies. The President and his allies have made things very clear that this is the thing that they want to do, shutting down American energy production, but the reality truly is that we can produce energy cleaner and more efficiently than any other nation on the planet. This administration decided to shut down American pipelines and shut down American energy production, which has done nothing but drive up the energy costs while threatening our national security and strengthening our adversaries around the globe. We simply cannot allow this to continue. President Trump's hard work to increase energy production and his leadership actually made us energy independent instead of energy dependent during his time. America has the resources and the ability to meet our supply needs, and I encourage the President to end his assault on American energy.

Mr. CARL

Mr. CARL. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Banks), my colleague, for organizing this Special Order. Madam Speaker, when my father was a child, he sold newspapers on the streets in Oklahoma City. He was 6, 7, and 8 years old. He would tell me stories that they would show up every morning and fight over the best corners because they knew they could sell the most newspapers. That was when we were in the middle of a depression. We are not in a depression today--yet. But yet, we still have fighting over those same corners. Today, instead of fighting over the sale of newspapers, they are fighting over the sale of drugs, and these are illegal drugs that are coming across our border. Most people don't realize how potent fentanyl is. Let me give you an example. One grain, one single grain of fentanyl can kill a grown man. You can take two packs of sweetener that you sweeten your drink with; that is enough to kill every member of Congress, House and Senate, to give you some idea of how potent these drugs are. Could you imagine a 50-pound backpack of it coming across our open borders? My personal observation is these intercity killings are primarily against minority communities. Where is the outrage for these children which are our responsibility? They are our responsibility, not another person's responsibility. Our communities are being flooded with illegal drugs being brought in from the left and the right, across our southern borders. My Democrat colleagues remain silent. Madam Speaker, I truly believe President Biden cares about the lives that are being lost due to illegal drugs and the violence that is being claimed due to these illegal drugs. But where is he? Why is the President not being the leader that he was elected to be? We need a President that is a leader and that will step out there. We have had a full year to address this simple issue. This simple issue is the illegal drugs. No one seems to be paying attention. I promise you it affects every family. Every family in America that has a family member or friend that has been affected by this fentanyl needs to hear this because we can stop it. We can do it. This is an American issue that all communities should be in an uproar about. There are simple, commonsense solutions to fix this problem. I am asking, no, I am begging President Biden to sit down at the table and work across the aisle. Let's secure our southern border and stop the flow of these illegal drugs into our community that are killing, killing our kids. Let's build a wall now instead of stopping the wall. Let's build a wall now and finally put safety and security back into America. First and foremost, our responsibility is the safety of the citizens of this country. Mr. President, please hear my plea. Now is the time to take action. We need an American leader.