Madison Cawthorn

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Madam Speaker, what do you call a group of unelected, unethical, power-hungry bureaucrats making policy decisions? In many countries, we would call them an oligarchy. In the United States, though, we call them the Federal Reserve, which is funny because the Federal Reserve has no reserves, and they are absolutely not part of the Federal Government. For decades now, the Federal Reserve has diluted the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar, decimated private industry, and divvied up the hard-won earnings of U.S. citizens amongst corrupt power brokers in Washington and Wall Street. Let me be clear: Inflation is, at its root, a monetary fraud, and the Federal Reserve is the biggest counterfeiting operation in American history. This isn't a debate. At this point in our history, it is really no longer even a discussion. Decade after decade, the Federal Reserve has repeated the same cycle of corruption and destroyed our economy in the process. The Federal Reserve buys bonds from the government, printing dollars to finance these purchases. Then they deceive us into accepting this newly printed and inflated paper as currency by making its new dollars look like real currency. This is the very essence of counterfeiting. The Great Depression of the 1930s, the great inflation of the 1970s, the 2008 recession, and now the 2022 recession were caused in full, or in part, by the greatest currency fraud operation ever attempted, aided and abetted by this hallowed institution, and built on the broken backs and fractured families of millions of American citizens. Madam Speaker, former President Garfield was right when he said whoever controls the volume of currency and money in any country is absolute master of all industry and commerce. To the American people, I say that your master is not decided at the ballot box. It is not decided in public debate or open dialogue. You didn't vote for the person who controls your life. They would never let you. Your master is the machine of Federal finance that, in the name of quantitative easing, stripped your right to property ownership away from you, turned your existence into a groveling attempt just to get by, and sucked every last drop of autonomy from the shriveled husk of what used to be a vibrant and prosperous Nation. You didn't vote for the Chair of the Federal Reserve. You didn't vote for 9 percent inflation. But you can absolutely vote for people who are willing to destroy it and give the power back to the people.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this institution can be synthesized into one word--``represent.'' But can we, as a hallowed and time-honored body truly sit here in the sacred Chamber and say with straight faces that we are fulfilling this calling? Our woes as a Nation beset us upon every side, and this body has through inaction or, frankly, malicious action, made many crises worse. At the beginning of this Congress our border was in shambles. Can we honestly say the situation has improved even slightly? At the start of 2021 our economy was teetering. Today the smog and dust of collapse have yet to settle. Today we are weaker domestically, and frighteningly vulnerable internationally. China rises, Russia marches, the Middle East implodes, and this body sits on its hands and names post offices. Hear this: America cannot be saved through legislation. Men and women of virtue and value must rise to alter the very culture of our Nation. Christ, not Congress, will be what saves this country.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Mr. Speaker, I rise and add my voice to support H.R. 7846. I thank Ranking Member Bost, Chairman Takano, and especially Ranking Member Nehls on this subcommittee for his great work on it. I would also like to add my voice in support of H.R. 7939. I am honored to speak today in support of our military servicemembers and their families. America's warriors are always on the move, and their spouses often change duty stations every 2 to 3 years in order to keep their families together and remain close in supporting their servicemembers. Requiring the spouses of servicemembers to operate under entirely arbitrary tax standards prioritizes bureaucracy over bravery and undermines the support we provide our servicemen and -women. That is why I am deeply grateful for the support of many of my colleagues who joined me in introducing the important language of the Military Spouse Tax Act into H.R. 7939, the Student Veteran Emergency Relief Act, ensuring that military spouses will be able to keep their home domicile for State income tax purposes if they so choose. This policy change provides much-needed financial stability to the families of those risking their lives in defense of our lives and liberties.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Mr. Speaker, a right is not truly a right if it requires permission from the ruling class. Mr. Speaker, you and others in this body seek to strip us of the most sacred tenet of natural law. With H.R. 1808, this body is attempting to disarm Americans by outlawing basic rifles and handguns. It seems only logical to think that a government intent on disarming its citizens is planning to do something that those same citizens would utilize firearms to prevent. In response to this radical gun control bill, I submitted H.R. 8399, effectively known as the double tap to tyranny bill, to amend the Internal Revenue Code and repeal the National Firearms Act, thus removing infringements on our Second Amendment. H.R. 1808 and the NFA both stem from the same class of totalitarianism. Our Founders understood that the first steps to tyranny begin by removing every safeguard that hinders its approach. Mr. Speaker, let me ask you this: Why do you want my guns? You seem perfectly content sitting behind a squadron of armed guards while your constituents are slaughtered by gang violence in the streets. Perhaps your reason for taking away my rights to defend myself are not as well- intentioned as you present them to be.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Mr. Speaker, 40 yards, 10 rounds, one man, countless lives saved. I speak today to acknowledge a new American hero. Just 2 weeks after Indiana passed a constitutional carry provision, one man stood tall in the face of imminent death, protecting his loved ones and his community from evil. Elisjsha Dicken's incredibly quick and heroic actions are not just to be applauded in the media. They ought to be used as a blueprint for American citizens who legally carry nationwide. There is strong evidence that the best defense an American can possess is a sidearm and the know-how to use it. Mr. Speaker, law- abiding citizens use firearms to defend themselves against criminals as many as 2.5 million times a year, or about 6,850 times a day. This means that, each year, firearms are used more than 80 times more often to protect the lives of honest citizens than to take lives. Moreover, citizens shoot and kill at least twice as many criminals as police do every year, as was the case in Greenwood. The analysis is clear. Law-abiding, gun-toting Americans are the best line of defense against random acts of mass violence. Make no mistake, Congress' gun control lobby would have rather taken the handgun from Elisjsha's hand and replaced it with blood-soaked corpses of many innocents in Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I speak for many Americans when I say we will carry; we will protect ourselves; we will neutralize threats to our safety and security. We don't need you to defend us. Stop coming for our security. Stop coming for our constitutionally protected rights. Retire to a nice seaside estate protected by armed guards and let red-blooded, freedom- loving Americans conceal carry and, when necessary, kill those who threaten our lives. Remember, you are your own first responder.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Mr. Speaker, our Founders were clear. The Second Amendment was designed as the backbone upon which individual rights and liberties could be secured. Efforts by the ruling class in our government are aimed at crippling this Nation and corroding our Republic. It is true: Red flag laws sound benign on paper. Flagging dangerous individuals and keeping them from weaponry seems like a cut-and-dried issue, but a simple cursory glance at the actions of our overreaching Federal Government clearly shows that these laws are ripe for Federal abuse. They will abuse your rights and mine. Make no mistake, red flag laws will be used to flag those who vote for freedom, strip them of their right to self-defense, and empower faceless bureaucrats to dole out or not to dole out the right of self- defense to a downtrodden and oppressed class of citizens. They will be weaponized to demonize and destroy political dissidents in this country. If you raise your children to adhere to Proverbs instead of POTUS, you may be stripped of your gun rights. If you vote against the regime, you may be stripped of your gun rights. If you refuse the medical decisions pushed by the regime, you may be stripped of your gun rights. To the American people, I say this: It is not a right if you have to ask permission to exercise it. We are very near to this government becoming the exact reason our Founders penned the Second Amendment, not to hunt deer but to defend against tyranny or invasion. Red flag laws sound harmless on paper. We all want to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous people, but remember who the government says that you are. The CDC has labeled you a national security problem for protecting your health. The FBI, last September, called your mothers and wives domestic terrorists for protecting your children. A House committee labeled half the country as coup-sympathetic just a few weeks ago. The same faceless fact checkers who censor your speech will seize your sovereignty and come to your front door, and they won't be coming with a clipboard and a smile. These liberal lackeys will show up before dawn, invade your home, seize your property, and smash any concept of individual liberty you may possess. Remember the actions the ruling elite took against those at Waco and Ruby Ridge. We must wake up. We cannot trust this government, and we must not give them more legal avenues to persecute Americans that they took an oath to defend. Investigate Fires at Food Processing Facilities

Mr. CAWTHORN. Mr. Speaker, what is next? You want our guns. You took our gas. Now, it seems that even the simple act of providing food is too difficult for this administration to accomplish. Last week, according to The Washington Times, a fire ravaged a Festive Foods plant near Waupaca, Wisconsin. Earlier this month, at a JBS meatpacking plant near Green Bay, a fire caused nearly $30,000 in damage. In April, fires destroyed the headquarters of Azure Standard, a distributor of organic food in Oregon; the Taylor Farms processing facility in Salinas, California; and an East Conway Beef & Pork butcher shop and slaughterhouse in Conway, New Hampshire. At least 12 U.S. food processing facilities have burned down in the last 6 months. Does no one else believe that this is worth an investigation? This comes as 37 million chickens have been killed on U.S. poultry farms this year due to the avian flu, the worst outbreak in recorded U.S. history, and the deaths of at least 2,000 cattle in Kansas during a heat wave this month. These accidents are coming at a time of shortages across our Nation. Essentials such as fuel, semiconductors, and even baby formula have ceased being commodities and have become as rare as coherent speech from the White House. The American people have every right to be skeptical and to demand answers about the incidents shutting down food facilities. It begs the question: What exactly are they doing in the White House about this? Why has a seemingly unexplainable series of food industry accidents gone unreported by the media? Mr. Speaker, does no one care that children are starving while you and your colleagues feast at Le Diplomate? We survived the Great Depression because our supply chains were local and a large share of American households grew much of their own food. I hope we are all practicing hunting and gardening because I am afraid that we may need it soon.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend. I believe that you should one day be Governor of the great State of Tennessee, my friend, in your Carhartt jacket. That would be great. Madam Speaker, our founders were clear. The Second Amendment was designed as the backbone upon which individual rights and liberties could be secured. Efforts by the ruling class in our government are aimed at crippling this Nation and corroding our Republic. It is true, red flag laws sound benign on paper. Flagging dangerous individuals and keeping them from weaponry seems like a cut-and-dry issue; but a cursory glance at the actions of our overreaching Federal Government clearly show that these laws are ripe for Federal abuse of your rights and mine. Make no mistake, red flag laws will be used to flag those who vote for freedom, strip them of their right to self-defense, and empower faceless bureaucrats to dole out or to not dole out the right of self- defense to a downtrodden and oppressed class of citizens. They will be weaponized to demonize and destroy political dissidents in this country. If you vote against the regime, you may be stripped of your rights. If you refuse the medical decisions pushed by POTUS and the regime, you may be stripped of your rights. If you raise your children to adhere to Proverbs and push-ups instead of POTUS, you may be stripped of your rights. To the American people, I say this: It is not a right if you have to ask permission to exercise it. We are very near this government becoming the exact reason our founders designed the Constitution to hold back a tyrannical government. The Second Amendment was not designed to hunt deer, but to defend against liberty and invasion. Again, red flag laws sound benign. We all want to keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous people, but remember that this government, the CDC, has labeled you a national security problem for protecting your health. The FBI, last September, has called your mothers and wives domestic terrorists for protecting your children. Now, just days ago, a committee here on Capitol Hill has labeled half the country as coup sympathetic. The same faceless fact-checkers who sensor your speech will seize your sovereignty. And trust me, they won't come to your front door with a clipboard and a smile. These liberal lackeys will show up before dawn and invade your home, seize your property, and smash any concept of individual liberty you may possess. Remember the actions the ruling elite took against those at Waco and Ruby Ridge. We must wake up. We cannot trust this government. We must not give them more legal avenues to turn their national security apparatus against those who they swore to defend.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Mr. Speaker, the United States was born out of disobedience. It was disobedience to a tyrannical government that led to the founding of our Constitution and our American ideals. Today, patriots still sometimes disobey, even at the cost of great personal hardship. Twenty-year veterans of law enforcement agencies have turned in their badges because they refuse to bow the knee to vaccine mandates. Nurses have worked and studied for years, only to have their jobs stripped away because of a virus that they themselves committed to defeating. Servicemembers, firefighters, EMTs, are all sacrificing their careers to stand for their convictions and for freedom. Unconstitutional mandates sacrifice freedom on the altar of safety. Mask mandates are dying because patriots have fought back. Let's do it again with vaccine mandates. This is not a matter of health; it is a matter of liberty. These heroes will not go away quietly, and we will defend them because they have defended us. Mr. Speaker, it is time to end medical tyranny, end Federal Government overreach, and end vaccine mandates.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Madam Speaker, the left has ripped away the pen of truth from the author of life. They have exchanged natural science for a party platform and declared war on biology. Your leftwing movement is forcing children to endure radical expressions of sexuality, and yet, you can't even define what a woman is. You might amend a bill, but you will never amend biology. Science is not Burger King. You can't just have it your way. I am the youngest member of the House of Representatives, and I never imagined that one of my sacred duties in this hallowed Chamber would be explaining to the House Speaker the difference between a man and woman. Take notes, Madam Speaker, I am about to define what a woman is for you: XX chromosomes, no tallywhacker. It is so simple. And yet today, this proclamation of fundamental scientific fact will cause the woke liberals in Silicon Valley to strip you of your voice and ban you until you bow at their altar of falsehoods. Patriots like Charlie Kirk and Tucker Carlson have been muzzled on Twitter for promoting the dangerous and bigoted ideology called science. Madam Speaker, you and your party are living a lie. The Babylon Bee is a more reliable source of fact than you. Perhaps it will click when you hand the gavel to Republicans and realize that truth is king. It reigns with the American people; and you, Madam Speaker, never will again.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Madam Speaker, when American projects weakness on the international stage, everyday Americans suffer. We know this. We are told this daily. But many everyday Americans feel that geopolitics is far removed from their lives. So, let's answer the question: What does it cost for America to be weak on the world stage? This cost is manifested at the pumps every day with 42 percent higher prices. It is shown as food prices soar. Meat, poultry, and eggs are all up over 10 percent. Our weakness abroad produces hardships at home. If we lose our role as the world reserve currency, your buying power, your savings, and your property value could all sink to historic lows. The preeminence of American currency has dominated the global landscape for decades, providing stability as the international bedrock of financial transactions and arrangements. We are the world's reserve currency. We are the standard. But that great financial heritage is slipping away. Our children may soon call the world reserve currency by another name. Perhaps they will know it as the yuan. The geopolitical ramifications of devalued and discarded American currency would not only signal a shift in financial confidence in the United States; it would dissolve our standing among global superpowers. We are witnessing the death rattle of Pax Americana, meaning the era of American peace we have enjoyed in the world for decades. America could lose a war with China without a single shot ever being fired if our dollar continues to be perpetually devalued. Permanent Washington decisionmakers, most of whom are over 30 to 50 years my senior, have clearly either not taken the time to sit and consider the cost of or, worse, simply ignored how hyperinflation is rotting the superiority of our Nation's currency and dragging with it young families, blue-collar workers, and the great American middle class. American strength and leadership have been the driving force of peace for the last half century. Nations unified behind the stability of the U.S. dollar, in large part because we backed our greenbacks with gold-- substance, not fluff. We were the manufacturers of the world. The shift from a gold standard to a fiat currency began to starve America's financial preeminence. You cannot inflate gold, but you can print money out of thin air. When a currency is built on nothing but paper, it literally grows on trees. With this dramatic shift, America's leverage on the world stage began to slip away. There can be no globalism when America refuses to relinquish its position as the preeminent currency. Countries also think twice before incurring the wrath of the United States when their own financial stability is tied to the endurance of our monetary system. But, instead, our inflated, hollow monetary systems have given way to fantastical foreign policy. We have surrendered our financial security as the superpowers of the world wait eagerly in the wings. Our collapse signals their emergence. Saudi Arabia, which has exclusively sold its oil using U.S. dollars, is now considering selling oil for the Chinese yuan. The Chinese Communist Party has been posturing for years to topple the dollar with their tender. When the U.S. dollar falls, America will no longer remain dominant on the world stage, and peace will end. It is already happening. Vladimir Putin has illegally and immorally invaded Ukraine. The world is coming unraveled as our tender's resiliency plummets. But I am sure you are asking yourself at home: Does this have to happen? In short, the answer is no. We can reclaim the mantle of financial excellence we once held. We can become the leader of the world again without having to expend the lives of young Americans. Stooping to military interventionism is the goal of the war hawks here in Congress who are bought and paid for by those who stand to profit from forever wars. If we are wise and shrewd, we can avoid ever needing to put boots on the ground to ensure peace. We can do this by dominating the world's economy. To bring peace without bloodshed is actually quite simple. The key is to immediately reduce gas prices and energy prices by drilling the hell out of the Permian Basin and by granting every lease and incentivizing all necessary infrastructure atop the Bakken shale. Furthermore, we should aggressively onshore manufacturing back to America, dominate the world market on precious minerals, and stop shipping our jobs overseas. A strong American economy creates a strong U.S. currency. When America sits atop the world, peace will continue. Tyrants of the world, like Putin and Xi Jinping, will fear us when the only way to buy and sell energy is by using the U.S. dollar. It is our solemn responsibility to pass a peaceful and prosperous nation on to the next generation. We are the leaders of the world. It is time we start acting like it. Drill, baby, drill. America first now, and America first forever.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Mr. Speaker, when the United States military shows up, kings and kingdoms fall to their knees. As the great philosopher Toby Keith once said, ``We put a boot in their ass, it's the American way.'' Our military preeminence is unmatched, our brand is dominance. But our greatness lies in temperance. America first means power under control. Overzealous executives have wrenched away a precious power bestowed on this body. I am here to remind them: Congress declares war, not Joe Biden, not some woke general. Congress, the people, must debate, decide, and then, if absolutely necessary, declare war. The Constitution is our compass, not the feelings of some bought-off military-industrial complex war hawk who uses emotion to justify America's entry into every overseas conflict. Congress must reclaim our power to declare war, and if we do declare, we must define what victory looks like. The sons and daughters of America are too precious to waste on the altar of globalism. America first, always and forever.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Madam Speaker, the left is trying to block America First warriors from appearing on the ballot in 2024, and their path to victory begins or ends with me. They are after the American people, but MAGA fighters in Congress are in the way. The Washington elites are panicked. Their savior Joe Biden is a withering, blundering failure. They feel the birth pangs of America First reemergence. What is their solution, Madam Speaker, to stop us patriots from returning to office? Well, they filed a challenge to disenfranchise voters across the Nation and block America First candidates from appearing on the ballot. And they started with me. I promise you, they will fail. But their efforts and the deep state's work to shut down Trump and his supporters will ramp up. Watch what happens to the January 6 prisoners. They will become a nationwide template for what the regime will do to all of us. MAGA fighters in Congress are in the way of their agenda, so they have to come for us first. But to MAGA patriots across the Nation, pay attention. If they take us down, they will come for you next. But take hope. God and the people are on our side.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Johnson, the great conservative champion we have here. Madam Speaker, the sons and daughters of America are not foot soldiers for your party's inept, geriatric despot. They are not expendable pawns to be dispatched at the whims of an idiot, tossed carelessly around the world to godforsaken caves and bloody sandboxes. They are Americans, worthy of honor and dignity. The only salute from them Joe Biden deserves involves one finger. American blood is not the currency of the world. It cannot be borrowed, exchanged, or lent to any man or any nation. Its worth is immeasurable. American patriots in uniform all signed a blank check to their Nation, and already under this administration in Afghanistan, Joe Biden cashed it for 13 patriots through his reckless incompetence. The path to American national security does not lie in American international interventionism. It lies in securing our southern border, not the Russia-Ukraine border. Our greatness is forged in our resistance to interference. The war lobby has no ally in the America First Republicans. We will preserve our strength through nationalism. We will champion America First today and America First forever. Madam Speaker, we earned our greatness. Let others earn theirs. If Joe Biden hasn't prostituted our preeminence to the military-industrial complex by the time Donald Trump returns, we will preserve this great city on a hill for the descendants of our grandchildren.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Madam Speaker, during the process of voting proxy, there was a human error made, which unfortunately reflected a no vote. My vote should have reflected yes. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 10.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Madam Speaker, I was raised with one brother. But I truly felt like I had dozens and dozens of siblings. You see, my cousins and I grew up a little differently than most families. We had a patriarch of our family who made sure that multiple times a year we all got together for a big hoorah. Fourth of July, kids' week, Christmas, many of my favorite memories in my entire life stem from the times we all gathered at the mountain house. Wayne Smith, my great uncle, taught us, the way to be truly wealthy was to have a strong family. Pappaw passed away on January 10. He was about to celebrate 63 years of marriage. He was able to touch people's souls with the way he talked. He would skip classes in high school so that he could work, yet still managed to be one of the wisest men I have ever known. He taught all of his grandsons how to drive a stick shift in a pickup truck he had since 1993. He made a bet with his son to quit smoking and held up his end of the bargain for 43 years. He was the original grill master in our family. He drank his coffee black or didn't drink it at all. I am very proud to say that he got to see the Braves win the World Series last season. Pappaw, we all love you so much. Thank you for imparting so much wisdom in our lives. Thank you for making sure we all grew up with endless cousins who are truly brothers and sisters now. Go Braves, and rest in peace, Wayne Calvin Smith.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 449.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Madam Speaker, I thank the great warrior from Florida for her leadership on this matter. Madam Speaker, imagine you have just walked out of this Chamber and outside is a gorgeous sunset. You have a Polaroid camera, so you snap a beautiful picture, and the gray photo prints out the front. You hold it and shake it, waiting for the picture to appear. Suddenly, someone walks by and snatches your photo, ripping it to shreds. You are stunned. You cry: Why did you destroy my picture? The person replies: Oh, it wasn't a picture. It wasn't fully developed yet. All of us in this room realize how asinine that reasoning is. That photo was transforming into a beautiful image. This illustration by Seth Gruber is simple. But it is what our Nation has done to the most precious image of all, the image of God. Madam Speaker, a silent genocide has slipped beneath the conscience of America. Precious works of our Creator, formed and set apart, meet death before they have breathed life. Eternal souls, woven into earthen vessels, sanctified by Almighty God and endowed with the miracle of life, are denied their birth by a Nation that was born in freedom. God's breath of life blown away by the breath of man. This cruel and fallen world may seem too filthy for their very presence. But these precious temples are crafted in the image of God himself. One day, perhaps when science darkens the soul of the left, our Nation will repent. But until then, the carnage of this unconscionable deed will stain the fabric of our Nation. I hope that the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. I hope that we stop the genocide of abortion in this country.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Madam Speaker, the Halls of this hallowed Republic have become darkened with the smut and filth of corrupted justice. Imagine: a predawn raid. Waking from a dead sleep in sheer terror to men with guns screaming and searching furiously for damning evidence against their authoritarian master. This horrifying vision is not pulled from the pages of some graphic novel. This was last week's headlines. A dedicated group of whistleblowing journalists, including James O'Keefe, faced illegal raids by the FBI to confiscate personal cellphones and crucial documents that incriminate tyrant Joe Biden. Madam Speaker, why do you sit in silence while the White House's secret police round up dissenters? Why do you sit in silence while diligent journalists face harassment at the hands of left-wing enforcers? There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of law and in the name of justice. The flag of freedom lies in tatters when liberty is crushed beneath the heavy hand of a totalitarian regime. Hear my message loud and clear: The American people will raise that flag of freedom, and it will fly high again very soon.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Mr. Speaker, freedom is born through the sacrifice of patriots. We occupy this Chamber today and walk free among our countrymen because generation after generation of liberty-minded warriors surrendered their lives to the conviction that America was worth defending. Their blood, their sweat, and their sacrifice are the currency for our freedom. Their sacrifice must never be exploited. I am honored to bring before this Chamber today legislation that ends the exploitation of veterans' finances and taxpayer dollars. A loophole exists in the GI Bill that allows some public flight schools to charge exorbitant amounts of money to veterans and taxpayers for veterans' tuition. My legislation, the Fly Vets Act, not only stops this loophole dead in its tracks, but it empowers veterans and drastically expands their benefits. It allows them to pay for flight training through accelerated payments and allows them to double the monetary cap on both tuition and fees per year. This bill does not cut benefits in any way. It gives power back to our heroes in uniform. I thank the many VSOs who support this legislation, along with Congresswoman Underwood for encompassing this legislation in her bill and working with me across party lines to ensure that the exploitation of veterans and taxpayers ends today.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Madam Speaker, Dr. Fauci has forsaken his Hippocratic oath and exchanged it for the mantle of unchecked power. His policies shuttered the U.S. economy, drove our country into financial upheaval, and violated the rights of millions of Americans. In July, he willfully lied to the U.S. Senate about his role in funding gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China. This week, the world was shocked to discover that through an experiment under his watch, sweet beagle puppies had their heads stuffed into crates so that sand flies could slowly strip away the skin from their bones. These defenseless animals were damned to agonize in silence because their vocal cords had been surgically ripped from their throats so that their tormentors could discharge their evil actions without having to hear incessant yapping. Madam Speaker, today I am calling for the creation of a formal commission to investigate the true origin of COVID-19, the role Fauci played in its creation, the false statements he made to Members of Congress under oath, and why the hell Americans are funding the torture of puppies in Africa. Americans deserve the truth, and this demon doctor must never be allowed to escape justice.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. I will say that I am proud to be a cosponsor on his bill. I think it is far past time that Congress start taking the mental health requirements, necessities, and needs of our veterans' community more seriously. Not only does this mean just sending more money to it, it means thinking outside of the box; and I think that is exactly what the gentleman's bill does. I will tell you, Madam Speaker, when we start thinking about the debt that our Nation owes to this Nation's veterans, we realize that the debt can never truly be repaid. But certainly we can make sure that not 23 servicemembers--veterans--are committing suicide every single day. Certainly we can make sure that the telehealth program within the VA is expanded so that people can have easy mental checkups that won't deem them as someone who is mentally unfit. Certainly, this means that we can take a proactive manner in making sure that our veterans feel safe and feel as if they can come forward and speak about the mental health issues that they are facing. So many servicemembers are dying. I believe the gentleman from New York remarked earlier that one of our members of this committee said that they actually knew more people who had committed suicide since returning home from the battlefield than had actually died on the battlefield, and that is truly heartbreaking. When they come home to America, they should be greeted as our Nation's heroes because that is exactly what they are. It is my honor to cosponsor this bill. It is my honor to support the mental health needs of our veteran community. And it is my honor to fight for them every single day. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his leadership.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Mr. Speaker, Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Scheller is an American patriot who dared to speak the truth. He knew that a 4-minute and 45-second video could bring his storied 17-year career in the United States Marine Corps to a screeching halt, but he did not care. He laid it all down and spoke truth to power. He said what every other servicemember knew in their heart was true: The incompetence of the Biden White House cost American lives. Their sin was unpardonable and deadly. Lieutenant Colonel Scheller called them out, but they couldn't handle the criticism. He was ordered to undergo mental health screening because he stood up to incompetence. Today, right now, this very second, he sits behind bars in my home State of North Carolina, shackled in a military brig, while those who orchestrated Biden's incompetent Afghanistan withdrawal walk free. Mr. Speaker, this is a stain on our Nation's conscience. Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Scheller must be released.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Madam Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleague for his leadership. Madam Speaker, this is my generation's long-form death certificate. You endorsed it. You own it, and you will pass it. But I will be the one to pay for it. My generation, and if America still stands, my grandchildren, will pay for this Trojan horse of a socialist proposal, $3.5 trillion in unhinged, unconscionable, irredeemable spending. It is the final nail in the coffin of the American Dream. Karl Marx would even call this bill radical. Look at this. This is a pallet of $100 million and, for scale, beside that is me. And behind all of that is what the Democrats propose to spend. You have stolen my generation's checkbook, and, Madam Speaker, we want it back. No American who votes for this trash should ever see the inside of a legislative chamber ever again. They should never take another oath of office for Congress, for statehouse. Hell, they shouldn't even be able to get on the mosquito control board because they have endorsed the demise of the country they swore to protect. This is what crushing, overwhelming, unrecoverable debt looks like. And we haven't even talked about the substance. This proposal is legislative malfeasance on the lifeblood of our country: energy independence, and more importantly, energy dominance. You show me a nation's energy policies, and I will show you the future of that nation. Under President Trump, our energy independence carved out our standing in the world. We were the captains of our destiny, not Middle East kingdoms. We augmented our national security through America First energy independence, not foreign reliance. America was leading the world. When Joe Biden took office, our soaring, thriving energy independence came crashing down. Failed policies, fatal spending: that is your legacy, Madam Speaker. You have put before us a death wish for America. You stand guilty of financial treason, Madam Speaker. But the sentence will be served out by my generation.

Mr. CAWTHORN

Mr. CAWTHORN. Mr. Speaker, diplomacy with a tyrant is useless. Joe Biden does not sympathize with the plight of States fighting the border crisis. He revels in it. This is his dream: open borders and American carnage. Joe Biden has backed Republican Governors into a corner. They are in fight or flight mode. Sending letters like this one demanding a meeting with him on the border is not in the fight mode we need. To him, and the American people, it is a white flag of surrender. Republican Governors, do something. You are writing letters to a man who does not give a damn about you. He does not care about your plight. He does not care about your State. He does not care about you. Stop sending letters and start taking action. Stand up and defend your State today. You have the power. Use it. You have the resources. Use them. You have the National Guard. Use it. Do whatever it takes because the Democrats, hellbent on radicalizing America, are barreling over us with their agenda while we push paper. Unfortunately, this responsibility has fallen to our Republican Governors to have to defend our borders and defend our country. If they fail in this plight, then we will not have a country to remember. Please, do the job that has, unfortunately, fallen on your shoulders.