Michael Cloud

Mr. CLOUD

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

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, this issue is so important, and I thank the chairman for putting this together because this is the message that we need to continue to speak about. Being from south Texas, our district sees every week the effects of this and has for years. I have met the young women who have been abused. I have been to the ranchers who have found rape trees on their properties. We have seen now throughout the Nation of the effects of the drugs that are pouring into our community. Under the Trump administration we had actually seen a decrease in drug overdoses in our country for the first time in a long time. Now we know that fentanyl is the number one killer of young people in our country. All this is because this administration has chosen, instead of partnering with communities to protect our border, to be the last mile delivery system for the cartels. And so whatever dollars we send them, they repurpose. Instead of using them for securing our border and to doing the things we sent them to do, they have retasked the individuals, as has been mentioned, but they turn them into the last mile delivery system for the cartels. So we are aiding and abetting cartels to profit hundreds of millions of dollars constantly and continually. What this does is not only destabilizing for our country, we know of community members, of course, all of us, whose families have been affected by the drug epidemic in our country; we know of crime going up in cities; we know of communities burdened with hospitals and schools having to figure out how to deal with this administration who will not work with them or let them know when midnight drops are being made in their community and the like. I talked to a farmer today--not only do farmers deal with the migrant traffic through their crops and such--about the cartel. Basically the cartel controls everything. They have the operational control on the southern side of the border, so everything illicit and not comes across. So in the ag industry, for example, a lot of cows will start in Mexico and come to a feedyard in the United States before they make it to market. Well, to cross into the United States they are having to pay cartels a couple thousand dollars to make it through their property, and that is what we would consider the legal trade, the proper trade; not to mention the illicit drugs and the human trafficking that is going on. We continue to allow this to happen because of the Biden administration. Now, if you think of this, if we were to ask the cartels to design a border policy for the United States, it would look very much like the border policy we have now because, frankly, they don't want open borders. What they want is just a shred--an illusion--of security so that they can continue to profit off of getting people and getting drugs into the United States of America. So we have got to stop this as a country. We cannot continue to aid and abet cartels to do their illegal and illicit activity. We cannot continue to allow a narco-state to develop on our southern border and is now working its way into our country. This is ridiculous. When I am trying to explain this to people back home, people back home in Texas ask me: What does the Biden administration not get? What do they not get? How bad does it have to get before they understand it? We saw it today with Secretary Mayorkas saying that we are effectively managing the border. I have to explain to Texans that this administration simply has different goals than you do. We think border security; they think what can we do to aid and abet cartels. This is tragic. It has to stop. We have a title 42 discharge resolution with 211 Republicans on it. We need seven Democrats. There has been a lot of lip service as we get close to election time about supporting title 42. Put your name on the line. We only need seven of you to stand up.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, Putin's decision to bring this horrific tragedy upon the people of Ukraine is rightly to be condemned, and it is right at this moment in history that we do not fund this aggression by proxy through the purchase and importing of Russian oil. But it is also tragic that the Biden administration and Democrats in this Chamber would rather turn to dictatorial, terrorist-sponsoring regimes to fill the energy gap rather than the world-renowned work ethic and innovation of the American people. This administration should be doing everything it can to ramp up production and increase energy exports. Back home in Texas, we know that one of the best ways this can be achieved is by investing in our ports, like the Port of Corpus Christi in my district. Increasing U.S. energy exports can provide relief and hope for the Ukrainian people. It can give Europe the assurance it needs to break away from Russian energy. And it can provide relief and economic opportunity for American families. It is past time to stop Biden's assault on American energy and restore America's energy dominance.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Madam Speaker, I am here to let you know that the people of Texas stand ready. I represent the 27th District of Texas which includes a number of ports including the Port of Corpus Christi, our Nation's number one energy export port. Texans stand ready to help American families struggling with inflation, including high gas prices. We stand ready to help ensure that Europe is not beholden to tyrants for their energy supply. We stand ready to help restore our economy and support the energy byproducts like fertilizer, pesticides, and even tractor tires that help produce our food supply. How insulting and arrogant it is for the American worker that the Biden administration would rather go to dictators to fill the energy vacuum than the American people, in spite of the fact that the American workers produce energy much more clean and responsibly than these other nations. To the casual observer this may seem like a tragic miscalculation. In 2017, as Vice President Biden said, ironically, in a speech he gave in the Ukraine, he said this: We are trying to create a multipolar world. In other words, he envisioned a world where the United States was not the premiere influence in the world. Well, tragically, that is the world we see forming before us day-by-day in the news. Madam Speaker, I have no idea what the carbon footprint of a missile going into a Ukrainian's home is, but I do know that the human toll is tragic, and that it is the result in part of acceding American energy dominance. We must stop in this Nation selling away generations of progress made by American workers and innovators and restore American energy dominance.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Madam Speaker, today I would like to pay my respects to a true public servant in the 27th Congressional District, Port Aransas Mayor Charles Bujan, who passed away on February 9th, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Born and raised in Port Aransas, Mayor Bujan began his public service to his beloved community in 2007, when he was first elected as a councilman. In 2016, he was then elected Mayor of Port Aransas. As Mayor, he led the city through recovery efforts stemming from the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey. I remember meeting with Mayor Bujan on multiple occasions and he never missed an opportunity to advocate for the city that he led. I am proud to have worked with him over the years to revitalize the community of Port Aransas. My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Mayor Bujan and the community of Port Aransas during this difficult time.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Victor Garza and to wish him a happy 100th birthday. Victor Garza is a World War II veteran who is devoted to his family, his faith, and service to this country. He joined the United States Navy at the age of 22 and served in the Pacific theater during World War II. During his service, he worked as a heavy equipment operator in the Seabee construction battalion and was stationed in Japan where he assisted with efforts to free prisoners of war. After his service to his country, he devoted himself to his community, building homes and businesses across Victoria, Texas, and being an active member of the VFW and the CWV. He also devoted himself to his family, raising seven children with Amalia, his wife of 74 years. Victor is a true hero and an example to all of us of what it means to be an American. I am proud to honor him today and hope he has a wonderful 100th birthday.

Mr. CLOUD

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

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Lamborn for his leadership in putting this Special Order together. It is appropriate. It is right. It is certainly fitting for us to come here on the 80th anniversary of National Bible Week and talk about the Bible's immense importance to our identity as a Nation. George Washington said that religion and morality are indispensable supports of our Nation. Benjamin Franklin said that only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. Benjamin Rush said that without religion there can be no virtue; without virtue there can be no liberty; and liberty is the object of all republican governments. Thomas Jefferson warned us when he said: Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed the only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people, that these liberties are a gift of God? They are not to be violated, but with his wrath I indeed tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just and that his justice cannot sleep forever. Indeed, even in this Chamber just outside the realm of the C-SPAN cameras, this Chamber is circled by lawmakers. It is notable that Moses is the only lawmaker that is full faced; the rest are profile. Such is the importance of Scripture in this Nation's foundation and understanding of the rule of law. When I was sworn in, we had the Bible open in the ceremony to Proverbs 14:3 that said that righteousness exalts a Nation. For me, it was a reminder to keep the important work that we do here in perspective because we can pass perfect laws, but if the hearts of the people are corrupt, we still have a poor Nation. So we need to do our best effort to do right by the people and to pass good laws, but we also need to acknowledge that God is the hope of this Nation. Our form of government, that thing that protects freedom and liberty, only works for people who have a respect for a moral framework. Indeed, John Adams said: ``Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.'' It is reading through Scripture that gives us also an understanding of things like Romans 3:23 that says: ``For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.'' That Scripture is what helps us to begin the path to find personal forgiveness and salvation, but it also helps us especially in times like we find ourselves in our Nation right now not to ignore our differences but to be able to look past them, to find the humility, to discuss and to embrace each other and to work toward a path of unity and healing in our Nation. This book is still packed with wisdom for us as a Nation. We have often as a Nation turned to it in times when we needed comfort. May we now continue to turn to it at a time when we desperately need guidance. As Abraham Lincoln said: ``I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.'' Let's turn to Scripture, and may God bless this Nation.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Edward Longenecker and wish him a happy 100th birthday. Mr. Longenecker is a World War II veteran who has a steadfast love and devotion to God, his family, and his country. He is from my hometown of Victoria, Texas. Today, we honor him for his service to the United States Army Air Corps as a radio operator and nose gunner on the B-24 bomber in the 451st Bomb Group, 726th Squadron. During World War II, on July 14, 1944, he and his fellow airmen traveled to Petfurdo, Hungary, for their 29th combat mission. What they expected to be a routine mission was anything but when they began to receive anti-aircraft fire that took out two of the aircraft's engines. From the nose gunner position, he received word that they were dropping elevation very quickly. The pilot made the call urging everyone to jump. Mr. Longenecker headed to the flight deck to retrieve his parachute. On the flight deck, he saw his ball gunner about to jump and gave him a good luck salute. Then Mr. Longenecker jumped. Everyone who jumped before him was captured, but he landed on top of a hill and began taking on heavy fire from Yugoslav soldiers that were sympathetic to the Germans. He made his way to a nearby forest line, crawled under a briar bush, and stayed under that bush until nightfall. That first night, he slept near a lake. The second night, he stayed in a pile of hay where he could hear a group of people playing the guitar and singing. To him, this was one of the most beautiful sounds he had heard simply because there wasn't a sign of war anywhere. On the third day, he ran out of the wood cover and met a young boy. This boy took him to a nearby village where he ate, bathed, and rested. Eventually, Mr. Longenecker was taken to a house where an American lieutenant was waiting. Upon his safe arrival, he was informed that he had miraculously walked through an active minefield unscathed. It is incredible to think how his life could have been cut short, but it has lasted these 100 years. After serving in the military, Ed Longenecker became an electrical engineer and lived a long, full life, married to his wife, Marie, for 59 years until she passed in 2006. He has two daughters, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. I know many of them, and they are a precious, honorable family, truly a legacy. Edward Longenecker is a true American hero, and we are indebted to him for his great service to our Nation. It is an honor to celebrate his life today. I hope he has a wonderful 100th birthday.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Edward Longenecker and wish him a happy 100th birthday. Mr. Longenecker is a WWII veteran that has a steadfast love and devotion to God, his family, and country. He is from my hometown of Victoria, Texas. I want to thank him for his service in the United States Army Air Corps as a Radio Operator and Nose Gunner on the B-24 bomber in the 451st Bomb Group, 726th Squadron. During WWII on July 14, 1944, he and his fellow airman traveled to Petfurdo, Hungary for their 29th combat mission. They expected it to be an easy mission but began receiving anti-aircraft fire that took out two of the aircraft's engines. From the nose gunner position, he received word that they were dropping elevation very quickly. The pilot made the call, urging everyone to jump. Mr. Longenecker headed to the flight deck to retrieve his parachute. On the flight deck, he saw his ball gunner about to jump and gave him a ``good luck'' salute. Then Mr. Longenecker jumped. Everyone who jumped before him was captured but he landed on top of a hill and began taking on heavy fire from Yugoslav soldiers that were sympathetic to the Germans. He made his way to a nearby forest line, crawled under a briar bush, and stayed under the bush until nightfall. The first night he slept near a lake. The second night he stayed in a pile of loose hay, where he could hear a group of people playing the guitar and singing. To him, this was one of the most beautiful sounds he had heard simply because there wasn't a sign of war anywhere. On the third day, he ran out of the wood cover and met a young boy. This boy took him to a nearby village where he ate, bathed, and rested. Later, Mr. Longenecker was taken to a house where an American Lieutenant was waiting. Upon his safe arrival, he was informed that he had walked through an active minefield, unscathed. It is incredible to think of how a life that could have been cut short has lasted 100 years. After serving in the military, Ed Longenecker became an electrical engineer and lived a long full life, married to his wife Marie for 59 years until she passed away in 2006. He has 2 daughters, 5 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. Edward Longenecker is a true American hero, and we are indebted to him for his great service to our Nation. I am proud to honor him today, and I hope he has a wonderful 100th birthday.

Mr. CLOUD

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

Mr. CLOUD

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

Mr. CLOUD

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

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, this July 4 we celebrated our 245th anniversary as a nation, and we, indeed, have a lot to celebrate. Margaret Thatcher once observed that while Europe was created by history, America was created by philosophy. To Thatcher's point, the United States is unique in history in that we are founded on the principle that we are all created equal and that our inalienable rights are not a grant from government, but they are endowed to us by God; and that a just form of government derives its power from the consent of the governed. These founding principles have made us a city on a hill and an example of freedom and liberty to the world. We truly hold a special place in history. Like every nation in history, we have had our challenges and we have made our mistakes. But we have introduced into humanity the model of a nation not defined by our government but by ``We the People.'' With each generation we have perfected our understanding of what it means to realize that truth that all of us are created equal and that we are always working toward that more perfect union. A young nation in the scope of history, we stepped onto the world stage with unmatched confidence. Knowing that our cause was just, we pushed back against the designs of those intent on world domination, Marxism and its authoritarian expression of communism and socialism, emerging victorious after World War II. When most nations throughout history would have required tribute, we instead offered the world the opportunity for partnership and peace, a world where trade among nations, even those nations that would oppose us, would be protected by U.S. strength. In this conflict and others since, we have sought friendship, not lordship with former foes, working often at our expense to build other nations. Free of political shackles, our scientists have brought the world innovation that has improved people's lives. From the availability of electricity and energy, automobiles and airplanes, our advancements in medicine have saved lives the world over and improved the quality of life for millions. We have reached for the stars, sharing our newfound mysteries of our universe with our planet's co-inhabitants, and with America's rise, humanity has benefited. Here, for example, we see the life expectancy during what we have come to know as the American century, has almost doubled, actually over doubled. While there is still work to be done, we can see that global abject poverty has declined dramatically during this time. And while there is legitimate debate about our involvement in global conflicts, in the broader scope of history and humanity, we have overseen a period of relative peace. As you can see, our growth in military strength has corresponded with historic lows in conflict fatalities during what historians have called the Pax Americana. Indeed, for so many of us who are the recipients of these blessings, it could seem like these hard-earned, relative peace, and prosperity we enjoy as Americans and have shared with the world are guaranteed to us and that they will automatically endure for generations to come. To assume this would be a grave, arrogant, and costly miscalculation. Ronald Reagan once said that: ``Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.'' We would be wise to reflect on history and take stock of this moment and see if there is, indeed, anything we can learn from history. It is notable that the average lifespan of superpowers throughout history is just around 240 to 250 years, and as I mentioned at the outset, this July Fourth the United States celebrated our 245th anniversary. History would also tell us that there are fundamental reasons for the rise and fall of great nations. Historian and philosopher Will Durant wrote in his 11-volume work titled, ``The Story of Civilization'' that, ``A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.'' According to British historian and international relations scholar Paul Kennedy: Former great powers typically exhibit the same factors. . . . an overextension of the military and foreign liabilities, economic decline of important manufacturing and agricultural sectors, and fiscal irresponsibility. Does this sound familiar to us in this Chamber? But history also reveals to us that is there a cycle to the rise and fall of a great nation, a pattern, if you will, that typically the global power structure goes from a multipolar to a bipolar to a unipolar nation. Most recently we saw this coming out of World War II. Going into World War II, the world consisted of multiple great powers, Britain, Germany, Japan, and Russia struggling for preeminence. After the war, we moved to a bipolar world with the United States and the Soviet Union being the dominant forces. Then in 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved, resulting in the United States as the unipolar power fully ushering in what we now know as Pax Americana. Now, a multipolar world is not a great place to be. Historically, multipolar worlds have been much less stable. Commerce, freedom, travel, and navigation for people are hampered. Human flourishing is stifled as resources are devoted to global struggles instead of innovations and improvements in the quality of life like hospitals, schools, and research. In spite of this, it should not surprise us that there are powers across our globe that take issue with America's strong influence; that there are nations that would like to restructure the balance of power to diminish American influence and push us into a multipolar world. Indeed, this has been something that Iran has talked about for decades, and they have been vocal in their desires and efforts to diminish U.S. influence and usher in a multipolar world. In Moscow on April 23, 1997, China and Russia signed the ``Joint Declaration on a Multipolar World and the Establishment of a New International Order'' which states that: ``The parties shall strive to promote the multipolarization of the world and the establishment of a new international order.'' These nations have something in common. They have sought to consolidate and maintain their power, not through the guaranteeing of freedom for their people, but, rather, through authoritarian rule over them. As Americans, and certainly as policymakers, we would be gravely mistaken to recognize as morally equivalent governing systems that seek to promote, protect, and preserve human liberty with these authoritarian systems that survived through the contraction of these human liberties. And while I may not agree with another nation's efforts to move us toward a multipolar world, I certainly can understand them. I can understand their aspirations to diminish the United States' influence and supplant it with their own. I can understand that they would strive to take the United States' wealth and power for themselves. But what would be shocking to most Americans, though, is to find that in addition to adversarial nations, there are sources within our government that have been advocating for and working toward this multipolar objective for decades. They work to distort the American system, to gather wealth and power from the sweat, blood, and tears of hardworking, taxpaying Americans. Generations of freedom-loving Americans, both in and out of uniform, have given their best under the assumption that this government had their best interests in mind. In 2008, the United States National Intelligence Council released this report: ``Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World.'' In this report, the United States National Intelligence Council declares: ``The unprecedented shift in relative wealth and economic power roughly from West to East now under way will continue. ``The United States' relative strength--even in the military realm-- will decline and U.S. leverage will become more constrained.'' They went on to explain the major causes for this. They said: ``In terms of size, speed, and directional flow, the transfer of global wealth and economic power now under way--roughly from West to East--is without precedent in modern history. This shift derives from two sources. First, increases in oil and commodity prices have generated windfall profits for the Gulf states and Russia. Second, lower costs combined with government policies have shifted the locus of manufacturing and some service industries to Asia.'' So they said there are two major trends causing this massive shift in wealth from the American people to authoritarian regimes overseas; to summarize: ceding our oil and gas industry overseas and shifting domestic manufacturing overseas. Now, if the report were simply an honest look at trends--perhaps even a warning to us--I could appreciate that evaluation. But instead of making the necessary adjustments to counter this trend, our bureaucrats in D.C. embraced it and sought to help, aid in this fleecing of American wealth and transition toward a multipolar world. As a matter of fact, the report called this transition ``one of the world's relative certainties.'' The report, however, based these conclusions on assumptions that we now know are false or, at best, incomplete. As a matter of fact, the Trump administration showed us just how quickly these assumptions could be upended as: The United States in a matter of months went from an energy dependent to an energy dominant Nation; and policy changes were put in place that began to encourage rather than discourage companies to return to the U.S. soil, including manufacturing. Yet, those in entrenched places of power in our government continue to endorse this transition as inevitable and look down on those who don't embrace this worldview of the sunset of America's greatness as being inevitable. As a matter of fact, on July 22, 2009, in a speech given in the Ukraine then Vice President Joe Biden said of the Obama-Biden administration, ``We are trying to build a multipolar world. . . .'' We are trying to build a multipolar world. The Biden administration continues that effort in earnest today and they are doing it in a couple of different ways. They are earnestly at work to both prop up competing powers and also working to diminish American strength. Suddenly, as we consider more recent history, what has seemed like a series of policy missteps and blunders begins to make sense. We can now understand the stifling of energy production here at home while encouraging that same energy production overseas with far less environmental standards abroad; the tax and economic policies that drive American businesses and jobs overseas; the sending of billions of dollars in foreign aid to prop up corrupt powers overseas. We can think about Afghanistan, and the withdrawal debacle, and the leaving of billions of dollars of our best technology overseas, and the policies that discourage the American worker and stifle economic growth seem less like a tragic miscalculation and more like a plan. All of these factors contribute to this march toward multipolarism, that unprecedented transfer of economic power, wealth, and influence from the American people to competing adversarial regimes. Shall we call that a fleecing of the American people? In this time of turmoil in our Nation, the lurching from crisis to crisis, the American people have become disillusioned with ``leadership'' from Washington, D.C. They have watched the fruit of their best efforts squandered away. They have watched their sons and daughters sent to fight endless wars with obscure objectives. Trillions have been spent by politicians with very few actual problems solved. The globalists in our government have been selling away our Nation's treasure, the treasure that our parents, our grandparents, and their grandparents worked hard and fought for. This has become the real divide in our Federal Government. The contrast between a multipolar, globalist worldview that wishes to shame us out of our Nation's strength and send America into her sunset years, or a world that believes that what is precious and right in America is worth preserving, and that we should aspire to be that moral beacon of liberty for the world to see: that city on a hill. Here is the good news. Never has a nation been so blessed with abundant natural resources, access to the Earth's great oceans, a river system that waters our fertile grounds and facilitates commerce both in our Nation and to the world. We have a people who, unshackled by the burden of an overreaching government, stand ready to do their best work; to apply themselves to the next generation of innovation and invention, of scholarship and learning; ready to develop the next generation of cures; to provide affordable food and fuel for our neighbors here at home and abroad; and, yes, also to stand ready to respond when those intent on tyranny, destruction, and world domination rear their ugly heads. The answer for our Nation and, indeed, for the world, is not the dismantling of the American system. It is not the embrace of socialist, progressive policies that have failed time and time again, leaving in its wake the shattered dreams and lives of millions. It is not an America ducking its head in shame and retreating from its place of leadership. Rather, it is to embrace what has made America great in the first place. It is in a renewal of the American promise. It is in a return to our shared foundational values, albeit practiced more perfectly. It is in an embrace in our hearts and minds as Americans that we the people are what defines us as a nation; that we are one Nation under God with liberty and justice for all. This is the great work that lies before us as Americans, for those of us who serve in this Chamber, and to those for whom we represent. May our efforts be noble and just, and may God shed His grace on us. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, it is past time for Congress to reassert its role in the war powers discussion. I proudly joined many of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle last week in voting to repeal the 2002 AUMF. This AUMF provided for military operations in Iraq, an Iraq that is far different from the one we know today. The goal was to defend the United States against the threat posed by an Iraq of 20 years ago, specifically, that of Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein was captured in December of 2003 and executed 3 years later. Despite ousting Saddam Hussein, the 2002 AUMF has remained on the books. Less than one-fifth of the current Members of the House of Representatives were present on that original AUMF vote. As you can imagine, many Members have entered Congress and left the Halls of Congress without ever taking a vote on the 2001 or 2002 AUMFs. Repealing the existing AUMFs, like the one from 2002, can be a step in the right direction in Congress reasserting its Article I powers, but we should not stop there. We need to rethink how we approach military authorizations. A few weeks ago, I introduced the Preventing Endless Armed Conflict and Engagement Act, or the PEACE Act for short. The goal of this bill is to ensure regular oversight is being conducted on future military authorizations. First, this bill would require each military authorization, or AUMF, to terminate after 2 years. This is because the Constitution stipulates that military funding should not extend past 2 years. This would also ensure that every Member of Congress has the opportunity to weigh in on current military operations. The PEACE Act would also set standards for drafting military authorizations. For instance, each authorization would need to set a geographic scope on where the military force can be used. A clear objective would need to be established for each authorization, and the countries and groups that the U.S. troops are authorized to fight must be listed. Additionally, the Department of Defense and the State Department would be charged with publishing an annual, unclassified report on existing military operations. This report will include information such as whether the military is meeting their objective, the number of casualties, and total cost. This will assist Congress in making the needed decisions that we have to make regarding AUMF reauthorizations. Finally, the DOD and State Department will be required to brief Members of Congress on the contents of this report once every 6 months. It is critical that new Members of Congress, with new constituencies, have their chance at providing input into military operations. Many Members came to the floor last week to reiterate the importance of updating these existing AUMFs instead of repealing them. While I supported the repeal, I do hope that any updated or future AUMF incorporates elements from the PEACE Act. Future AUMFs should be more concise and relied on for only a few years, not for a couple decades. I look forward to working with Members from both sides of the aisle on future reforms to Congress' war powers authority.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate being here, and I thank the gentleman for leading this. This is such an important topic. We have seen ourselves in the last year and a half go from the greatest economy the world has ever seen to very perilous times for the American people. Some of it not of our choosing; some of it, unfortunately, of our choosing. About a year and a half ago I would ask in virtually every meeting I went to in my district throughout Texas, I would ask every industry: What is your biggest problem right now? And they would tell us: We can't find enough people. Now, the reason was very different a year and a half ago than it is today. I get the same answer, but for very different reasons. A year and a half ago the economy was doing so good. Businesses were booming. We were hiring. Wages were growing across every demographic. Now it is because we are paying people to stay home. This is an attack against the American worker, against the American economy, against the American work ethic that took us from struggling Colonies to an amazing, amazing influence on the world stage, to the greatest economy ever in all of humanity. Now, what is really troubling is to see the attack against the American worker that this administration has chosen to pick out, certain industries that were very strong for us, particularly the energy industry. We have seen pipelines shut down here, while pipelines are encouraged to be built in our adversarial nations. We have seen this push toward green energy so that we can buy solar panels from China, while China continues to build hundreds of coal power plants. So this, obviously, isn't about the environment. This is about destabilizing the economy here at home, while we empower adversarial nations abroad. Recently, I was at the border. And we funded border infrastructure in the last administration. But now we have stopped it, even though the contract is already signed, and we won't even continue the contracts enough to plug in the lights that are already built at the border. What is going on at the border is wreaking havoc on communities throughout our States and throughout this Nation. We talk also about China and the devastating impact they have had on the coronavirus. We need to investigate that. This administration needs to step up and investigate that. There was some talk some time ago about how Fauci had sent money to the Wuhan lab and whether or not that was funding gain-of-function research or not. Whether or not it was, what in the world are we doing sending money to a Wuhan lab when China is the number one thief? They steal more intellectual property than any other nation-state from us. We can make America work. America works when we support the American worker. Let's get back to doing that.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, today, our prayers are with our faithful friend and ally, Israel. The country is under attack by Hamas, a terrorist organization that will stop at nothing to kill and destroy. The world is watching and hoping that Iran-backed Hamas and the Palestinian Liberation Organization will cease their destructive and reckless attacks on Israel. Recently, pre-COVID, I had an opportunity to visit Israel. I spoke with one mom who talked about the horrific decision they are faced with at times. When the alarm goes off, when the missiles are coming in Israel, they know they have about 13 seconds to make it to a shelter, and they are faced with the decision of: Which child on the playground do you take with you? This has got to stop. Israel's actions are a clear example of a nation committed to duty and responsibility of protecting their citizens. We know that Israel will continue to need our support, even after this attack subsides. While other nations fueled by anti-Semitism act to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel, the U.S. hopes for prosperity and flourishing for the Israeli people. As such, we support continued economic cooperation and bold security assistance that benefits Israelis and Americans alike. We applaud and stand by the accomplishments of the Trump administration to improve peace in the Middle East. We recognize Jerusalem as the true capital of Israel. We affirm Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. We celebrate the historic Abraham Accords, reestablishing diplomatic ties between Israel and their regional neighbors. We oppose efforts within the U.N. to undermine Israel on the global stage. We also oppose Iran's nuclear ambitions and call for the United States to withdraw from the Iran deal. While the Washington left remains weak on Israel, the American people stand strongly in support of the Israeli people. It is time for Democrats to reject the extreme left, anti-American, anti-Israel, pro- Marxist agenda. They need to work with Republicans to pass a bill to provide security aid to the Israeli Government.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to advocate for fiscal responsibility as Congress seeks to craft a budget. This past year, our Nation has spent more than $7.6 trillion. That is more than the Federal Government spent in the first 200 years since our founding. With the Federal Government's debt already clocking in at $28 trillion and rising as I speak, we must face the reality that our grandchildren are going to foot this bill. On May 12, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that inflation had grown by 4.2 percent over the last year. That is the largest 12- month increase since September 2008. Should we continue to spend at the rate that we are spending, our national debt, debt servicing, and costs for household items will continue to skyrocket, making life unaffordable for millions more. This is not right. It is immoral for us to continue to fulfill the wants and needs of our generation by stealing opportunity from the next. We must do the hard work of meeting our country's needs responsibly. The Republican Study Committee has proposed such a budget, a conservative budget, one that provides a roadmap toward a better future for our country. This budget gets us back on track in just 5 years while eliminating the deficit and cutting taxes. This is a conservative budget, one that aims to strengthen our Nation and provide better governance. I am pleased to report that the RSC budget includes four of my legislative proposals, including my bill to require the Congressional Budget Office to include the cost of debt servicing when preparing cost estimates for proposed legislation. Before legislation passes either the House or Senate, lawmakers should know how much it is going to cost, yet Congress routinely ignores the true cost and overstates the benefits of new spending. The American people have to account for the cost of debt servicing in their family budgets, and providing Congress with accurate cost estimates that include the cost of debt servicing is commonsense reform that would hold Congress to the same standard, forcing lawmakers to reckon with the actual cost of raising our national debt. Additionally, this budget is pro-life. It includes my bill, the Women's Public Health and Safety Act, which would help prevent taxpayer dollars from funding abortion providers. This legislation will empower States to end the bankrolling of abortion providers and free up funding for healthcare initiatives for those providers that actually put the well-being of women and babies first. This budget is pro-Second Amendment. It includes my legislation to prohibit a natural disaster declaration from being used to impose gun or ammo controls. Finally, this bill is fiscally responsible. It includes my legislation for a Federal sunset commission to monitor the effectiveness of government agencies and prevent wasteful inefficiencies and duplicative programming. I want to thank the RSC Budget Task Force chairman, Congressman Hern, and the chairman of the RSC, Congressman Banks, for putting forth a bold budget. We can get our Nation back on track. We just need to put in the time to do what we have to do here in Washington.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish a happy 100th birthday to a well-loved member of the south Texas community, Captain Robert Batterson, whose friends call him Bob. Bob has spent his life in service to a Nation that he loves. He served at Naval Air Station Pearl Harbor, where he worked on December 7, 1941. Shortly after witnessing the Pearl Harbor attack, Bob was accepted for Navy flight training. He was awarded his wings and assigned to Fighter Squadron 1. Bob's life paints a picture of sacrifice and duty that we can all learn from. May it serve as a reminder of the price that he and others like him paid for our freedom. After World War II, Bob did not stop his commitment to serving our great Nation. He transferred to the Navy Supply Corps, where he worked for 35 years until his retirement in 1974. Bob raised five children, four of whom also served our Nation. And he is one of the USS Lexington Museum's first volunteers and can often be found in the aircraft carrier's Pearl Harbor exhibit. Bob has a true passion for speaking with people of all ages about becoming personally involved in the United States' future, especially by contacting their elected Representatives. Happy birthday to a true American hero and an inspiration to all of us, Captain Batterson. Congress Must Regularly Review Military Engagements

Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about a bill I am introducing today. This bill is called the Preventing Endless Armed Conflicts and Engagement Act, otherwise known as the PEACE Act. The Constitution makes it clear that the authority to declare war rests with Congress, and it is important that Members of Congress have the opportunity to carry out our duty to regularly review current military engagements. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Today, less than a fifth of the current Members of Congress voted on the 2001 and 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force. This statistic ignores the many Members of Congress who have been elected and since left who never got a chance to weigh in on the Authorization for Use of Military Force. It is critical that new Members of Congress with new constituencies do their duty and provide input into military operations. It is my hope that the PEACE Act can ensure regular oversight is being conducted on future military authorizations. First, this bill would require each military authorization, called an AUMF, to sunset after 2 years. Now, why 2 years? Well, obviously, it would give each Member of Congress and, therefore, the people they represent the opportunity to review and weigh in on ongoing conflicts. The President, of course, has the authority to deploy military forces in an emergency and respond to imminent threats, and that would continue under this bill. Sustained military operations, however, need approval from Congress. This is a principle firmly rooted in the Constitution, which stipulates that funding for our military should not extend beyond 2 years. The PEACE Act would also set the standards for new military authorizations. For instance, each authorization would need to set a geographical scope on where military force can be used. A clear objective would need to be established for each authorization so that we know when victory is achieved, and the countries and groups that the U.S. is authorized to fight must be listed. Additionally, the Departments of Defense and State would be charged with publishing an annual report on existing military operations for congressional review. This report will include information such as whether the military is meeting defined objectives, the number of casualties, and total costs. Finally, the DOD and State Department will be required to brief Members of Congress on the contents of this report every 6 months. It is never easy to decide between risking the lives of our troops or jeopardizing our national security. However, this is a decision that Members of Congress are elected to do, in large part because we are the body in this Federal Government that is closest to the people. Military deployments that are accountable to we the people are one thing that sets us apart as a nation to ensure that our fight is always for what is right. We owe it to our troops. We owe it to the American people.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for organizing this. This is an essential topic in this essential time that we find ourselves. We have a unique foundation, in that our Nation rests on the understanding that our inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are not a grant from this government but, rather, a gift from God. Among these inalienable rights enshrined in our First Amendment is the freedom of speech. Indeed, the peace and tranquility of our entire Republic rest on the understanding that the people have a right to have their voice heard. But we have entered into a most troubling time in our Nation. For all the talk of unity by this current administration, this government has sought only conformity. In this Chamber, we have witnessed the unilateral march of the extreme-left legislation designed not to protect our liberties but, rather, force the American people to conform to their extreme ideas of government-mandated social engineering and the restructuring of an economy from the most successful model in history to one of socialism, which has failed everywhere it has been tried. Then there is Big Tech. These companies that arose to prominence in an environment that only economic freedom and opportunity provide have now embraced authoritarianism, fostering a world that is worse than the one they hoped to correct. They have selectively canceled conservative voices while allowing leftist members, even in this body, to repeatedly call for unrest in our streets and violence against dissenting voices. They have allowed their platforms to raise money to bail out violent rioters, these true insurrectionists who have called for an end to America, that have burned our flags and literally taken over city blocks, declaring them autonomous to the United States. Yes, these Big Tech platforms continue to provide a platform for Communist China, for terrorist groups, and others to spew their propaganda. Then there are the multinational corporations that have bought into this diabolical movement. They are either ignorant to history or simply care more about their quarterly earnings report than the liberty, opportunity, or personal prosperity of their neighbors, the American people. They would rather cozy up to the powerful to gain access to crush their competition and to protect corporate profits than stand up for the very principles and economic opportunity that enabled their own success. They do a disservice to the people of this Nation. The hypocrisy is not overlooked. To some in our Nation who have experienced the relative peace and security that comes with being heirs of these blessings of liberty, these trends could seem novel or perhaps part of the natural ebb and flow of politics in a free society. Sometimes it is harder for us born here to see the signs, but some of the most compelling voices sounding the alarm right now are the immigrants who come here. I have spoken to many from Cuba, Ecuador, Iran, and Venezuela. They see the signs in a way that many of us do not, and they are fearful, angered, and heartbroken. Venezuela, just a few short years ago, was the economic jewel of South America. Today, it is a wasteland fraught with poverty, conflict, and oppression. A couple in my district came from Iran. They are terrified by what they are now seeing here. One of them liked a post about the killing of Soleimani and found her account temporarily halted on the platform. The irony is too rich. I spoke to a lady from Ecuador. She had come to this country at about 18 years of age with her family. Under severe persecution, she had fled the country to come here. She didn't refer to this as the United States of America. She said: ``I come to freedom country. We have to do everything we can to protect freedom country.'' Those were her words. So we know that while the terminology and the methods may be new, the cancel culture movement is hardly new to history. Despotic regimes have worked to silence dissent for millennia. What is different about this moment is the broad embrace of the movement by those in positions of power within the United States of America in order to consolidate political power or perhaps preserve their personal status quo, all at the sake of the liberties of their fellow citizens. Ronald Reagan reminded us that freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like to live in the United States where men were free. It is time to restore power to the American people. It is time for people across this Nation to stand up in boardrooms and classrooms and houses of worship and in this hallowed Chamber, to stand up with courage to this evil movement. God forbid we be the generation that allows this precious and unique experiment in self-government, this imperfect but beautiful Republic, to sink, enveloped by the undertow of the forces of envy, strife, and division. Let us not let that happen. Let us be that generation, like generations before, that work toward that more perfect union, one that protects and preserves our beloved freedom country.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD), which celebrated its 60th anniversary on April 21, 2021. CCAD is the premier rotary winged helicopter repair and maintenance facility for the United States Army. In the midst of a global pandemic, like a battle-hardened soldier, CCAD remains strong, committed, and dedicated to answering the nation's call and keeping the Army flag flying. Originally named the U.S. Army Transportation Aeronautical Depot Maintenance Center (ARADMAC), CCAD was established on March 10, 1961, and accepted by the U.S. Army on April 21, 1961. Members of CCAD served abroad on the USNS Corpus Christi Bay--formerly the USS Albemarle-- during the Vietnam War as the Army's only floating maintenance depot, saving time, money, and lives during the conflict. The names Huey, Chinook, Black Hawk, and Apache evoke memories, pride, and gratefulness to our veterans, active duty, and retired service members and civilians alike, whether in war or peacetime. The freedom and the security that citizens of the United States enjoy today are a direct result of the hard work and continuing commitment of CCAD to the mission given by the U.S. Army. Thousands of military, civilian, and contractor employees have walked the halls, worked in the hangars, turned the wrenches, flown the aircraft and dedicated themselves to the operation that began in 1961. The community leaders and citizens of Corpus Christi, Texas, recognize and appreciate the service of all personnel of the Corpus Christi Army Depot, past and present. We salute this great organizations' unending mission. I wish the Corpus Christi Army Depot a happy 60th birthday.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Luis Palau, a minister and evangelist from Argentina, who eventually called the United States home. Luis Palau passed away on March 11, 2021, leaving behind a legacy of faith, hope, and love. His work as a passionate representative for Christ, and one of the most influential international evangelists in history, earned him the nickname of the ``Billy Graham of Latin America.'' He shared with Graham the conviction to make disciples of all nations, as Scripture commands. His home country of Argentina, much of the Spanish-speaking world, and the United States came to know and respect him because of his faithful preaching, evangelism, and work to unite Christians and reach all peoples of all backgrounds. With a career that spanned over a half a century, he shared the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with millions of people throughout television, radio, print, and live events. His platform enabled him to speak with and influence many political and military leaders. In spite of all that, he once said: ``I've never thought of myself as someone special. I'm just a kid from a cow town in Argentina. Yet God grabbed my heart at a young age and chose to use me to share His good news.'' One of his favorite Scriptures, which also begins the movie about his life, is James 4:10, which says: ``Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.'' It is a good reminder for all of us. May his family be comforted during this time.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Corpus Christi Army Depot, which celebrates its 60th anniversary today. CCAD is the premier rotary-winged helicopter repair and maintenance facility for the U.S. Army. Like a battle-hardened soldier, CCAD remains strong, committed, and dedicated to answering the Nation's call and keeping the Army flag flying. The freedom and security that Americans enjoy today are a direct result of the hard work and continuing commitment of CCAD to the mission given by the U.S. Army. Thousands of military, civilian, and contractor employees have walked the halls, worked in the hangars, turned the wrenches, flown the aircraft, and dedicated themselves to the operation that began in 1961. The community leaders and citizens of Corpus Christi, Texas, recognize and appreciate the service of all personnel of CCAD, past and present. We salute this great organization's unending mission. I wish the Corpus Christi Army Depot a happy 60th birthday today.

Mr. CLOUD

Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Corpus Christi, Texas Police Chief Mike Markle on his career of public service, and to congratulate him on his upcoming retirement. From his service in the United States Navy as a hospital corpsman to his 31-year career service at the Corpus Christi Police Department, Chief Markle has consistently placed the needs of others before himself. Enlisting in the police academy in 1989, he protected the streets for many years with courage and determination. He has served as a field training officer, on the Honor Guard, and on the SWAT team. Corpus Christi turned to him to lead during the Police Department's transition in 2015. As head of the Corpus Christi PD, he pursued excellence in leadership and a commitment to learning. His priority was to improve community outreach and address the modern challenges of policing. His legacy of helping others stretches beyond his police work, as he currently serves on the board of directors for the Wesley Community Center. There is no question that Chief Markle left a lasting impact on the Coastal Bend region, and he will be sorely missed. I thank him for his commitment to protecting the citizens of Corpus Christi, and I wish him well in his future endeavors.