Mike Collins

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to encourage the continued support for H.R. 1734, the TRANQ Research Act, which passed the House earlier this year. Fentanyl and other deadly substances are being seized at record levels by our law enforcement officers. So far, in fiscal year 2023, the Border Patrol has intercepted 20,000 pounds of fentanyl. That is enough to kill 4.6 billion people. Now, that is an incredible amount of deadly drugs, and it doesn't include the dangerous opioid analogues, such as xylazine, which are becoming far more common and are a challenge to identify in the field. Xylazine, also called TRANQ or the ``zombie drug,'' is a veterinary tranquilizer and fentanyl analogue that is wreaking havoc on American communities. It is also putting our law enforcement at risk. According to the DEA, over the past 2 years, the southern and western United States has experienced an over 100 percent increase in xylazine encounters. This is a very concerning trend. TRANQ earned the name ``zombie drug'' because it kills human tissue and is also resistant to opioid overdose treatments. Our Federal law enforcement officers are working hard to keep our communities safe and are doing it at great personal risk. They need the tools to identify these drugs in order to stay safe when encountering them in the field. That is why 25 of my colleagues and I introduced the TRANQ Research Act. This commonsense legislation directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to conduct research on the detection and handling of the newest, most dangerous synthetic opioids. Detection capabilities will extend to police officers, Border Patrol agents, and other first responders so they are better equipped to stem the flow of this deadly drug that is coming into our country and also keep them safe while they are doing it. Our bill passed this House unanimously in May, and the Senate returned it in June with minor amendments that I support. Madam Speaker, I urge you today to take up the amended TRANQ Research Act quickly so that we can send it to the President's desk. Let's deliver again for the American people and get this crucial legislation signed into law.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against the administration's egregious student loan forgiveness plan. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this unauthorized handout will cost the taxpayers an estimated $400 billion over the next decade. That means that everyday, hardworking Americans who either choose not to attend college or who have paid their loans will be on the hook for the financial decisions of others. Tell me: Does that sound like a fair shake for the American taxpayer? Of course not. Additionally, it is not even clear if the President has the authority to do this because, you see, he hijacked a law meant to help veterans, veterans who had served their country following 9/11 just to justify this unprecedented bailout. But I tell you what: House Republicans are standing up to this administration's unreasonable and irresponsible policies. That is why a few weeks ago, the House passed a bipartisan resolution to block the administration's student loan forgiveness plan from even taking effect. Our colleagues in the Senate, well, they resoundingly agreed with us by sending this to the President's desk, where he then vetoed our resolution. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in both the House and the Senate to defend the American taxpayer and override this veto.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, while I was out campaigning, I had the opportunity to meet with Sheriff Janis Mangum of Jackson County, Georgia. She was very open about her concerns to protect her citizens out there with the defund the police, the disrespect, and just the disdain for law in general. There was also an internal concern. I saw a grief where she was expressing concern for a fellow deputy who had paid the ultimate price some 6 months earlier. That is leadership, Mr. Speaker. That is pure leadership. Anthony D'Esposito is quoted several times from the National Police Memorial this week: It is not how they died, but it is how they lived. Sheriff Janis Mangum is a shining example of that quote.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Cammack and Rutherford for leading this Special Order hour to honor America's law enforcement in advance of National Police Week. The brave men and women of law enforcement put their lives on the line for our safety each and every day. They do an extremely difficult job at great personal risk and do it well. Even as Monday-morning quarterbacks in politics and the media lob accusations and insults at police officers, they continue to serve and protect with integrity and professionalism. Let's talk about what law enforcement does. They run toward danger when everyone else is running away. They confront the violent criminals who threaten our communities. They answer the midnight calls for help, and they don't ask you your politics, your gender, your race, or anything else before doing so. In short, they serve as a thin blue line between anarchy and chaos, between good and evil. Do you know what else they do? They do hug their families. They hug their families in the morning before they go to work, and they pray that they make it home. Too often, they don't. Sometimes they make the ultimate sacrifice. Mr. Speaker, Locust Grove, Georgia, Patrolman Chase Lee Maddox exemplified what it means to be a selfless servant of their community. Patrolman Maddox's end of watch was February 9, 2018, when he was shot and killed in the line of duty assisting the Henry County Sheriff's Office serving a warrant. He is survived by his wife and two sons, and his second son was born just days after his death. Patrolman Maddox exemplified the risk associated with putting on the uniform and wearing a badge. It is an honor to commemorate him today on the floor of the people's House. I think about stories like this when police officers are smeared in the press and accused of evil intent when tragedy strikes. I also think about these stories when I see leftwing politicians in cities across America implementing criminal-first policies that put our citizens and police officers in harm's way. The way to fix this crime crisis is to let cops do their jobs and make criminals do the time. Unlike my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who have chosen not to speak in support of police tonight, we will always remember, honor, and support our heroes in blue.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Madam Speaker, I thank my fellow freshman colleague for yielding a few extra minutes, seeing as I am from Georgia and he is from Ohio, and I don't talk as fast. Madam Speaker, I also thank Representative Caraveo, Chairman Lucas, Ranking Member Lofgren, and the other members of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee who have joined 22 of their colleagues in cosponsoring this commonsense bill. I rise to call on my colleagues to support H.R. 1734, the TRANQ Research Act. This bill directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, to analyze and advance research on dangerous fentanyl additives that are putting our public safety officers' lives at risk, including those who are guarding our borders. As we have seen, fentanyl has been entering our country at record levels over the past 2 years. Now, we are seeing even more harmful chemicals like tranq being added to an already deadly drug. You see, tranq is a deadly substance. It contains a veterinary tranquilizer, xylazine, which, when combined with fentanyl, becomes deadlier than the fentanyl itself. These drug traffickers dealing in tranq are following the same playbook that they used when fentanyl first flooded the United States. It took us too long to recognize the dangers of fentanyl once it was first detected, putting the lives of first responders and everyday Americans at risk. These are mistakes we simply can't afford to make with this new drug. As a matter of fact, the Drug Enforcement Administration reports that between 2020 and 2021, detections of tranq in fentanyl increased nearly 200 percent in the Southern United States. Those numbers continue to rise, and first responders are struggling to keep up. This bill is one step in fighting dangerous fentanyl additives. By understanding what these additives are, how to test for them, and how to safely handle them, we can better protect our first responders. NIST has a long history of partnering with State and local agencies to protect frontline workers from dangerous substances. The agency has developed new drug detection and identification tools that are used in the field today. It is also a frequent partner of law enforcement, providing analytical services when they come across new substances. NIST has also helped create drug handling practices that have become the gold standard for keeping law enforcement officers safe when they have to handle fentanyl and other drugs. These are exactly the kind of efforts we should be making with tranq and other novel synthetic opioids that are hitting the market. This is a commonsense bill that will allow NIST to focus its work on tranq and help us to better understand the rise of fentanyl additives plaguing our communities. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call for Secretary Pete Buttigieg to resign for failing to do his job. He has taken the Department of Transportation from efficient and effective to woke and divisive. Instead of keeping Americans safe, tackling supply chain challenges, and modernizing transportation systems, he is flying all over the country on private jets to talk about race and gender. Looks to me like he is campaigning for President on the taxpayers' dime. I know it sounds like I am being hard on the Secretary, but I do have some questions. He recently asked Congress for $20 million to buy female dummies to use in safety tests. How many total genders is he going to request for? We are already funding two dummies. Now, he is asking for a third. What is the total going to be? Forty? Fifty? This is a slippery slope. Secretary Pete needs to resign so someone else can take the wheel at the DOT. America needs fewer dummies, not more.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Carter for yielding. Mr. Speaker, as someone who represents the great University of Georgia, it is nice to see him pick up the football and run with this thing. My friend is also right. I have spent my private life, over 30- plus years, in one of the most regulated and taxed industries that there are in this country. So, yes, it is very near and dear to my heart. I want to thank the gentleman also for leading on a Georgia original bill which originated with Congressman John Linder. The IRS was weaponized early on in the Obama administration, and the only thing that came out of that, the result of that, was Lois Lerner being found in contempt of Congress, and then we saw the issue go away. Now the Biden administration, with the addition of 87,000 IRS agents, has a new target: the middle class and small businesses. It is time for a new tax system that works for all Americans. So today I rise in support of H.R. 25, the FairTax Act. Our tax system is in desperate need of reform, and this bill will let Americans keep their hard-earned paychecks and get rid of the IRS. The FairTax Act will eliminate payroll and income taxes and greatly reduce compliance costs on small businesses by replacing all of these with a consumption tax on new goods and services. The current tax system is purposely complicated, burdensome, and confusing so only the well-navigated can navigate the loopholes. So why wouldn't we want to make it simpler and more understandable so small businesses and workers can thrive? From my first day in Congress, I have been focused on making the Federal Government more transparent and accountable to the American taxpayer. The FairTax Act does just that. Every time Americans buy a product or service, they will know exactly how much they will pay in taxes and will be able to factor that into their decisions. There will be no more complex and expensive end-of-the-year Federal tax filings. The only way big legislation is passed in this town is when the American people demand it. The way we get them on board is we need to hold hearings across this country to explain the ideas and the details of the FairTax Act. We need to discuss and debate the bill publicly so that the Americans can consider this proposal. Once they hear about it though, I am confident that they will support the concept of the FairTax Act. Let's get to work.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, as I have said on many occasions on the floor, I am a businessman, and we face a myriad of challenges out there, not just small business but medium and large business, as well. I also sit on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Aviation Subcommittee and, in doing so, have been talking with numerous people in the aviation industry, either talking to them or listening to them in hearings. There is one thing that has been a common theme out there, and that is workforce challenges. It seems that the cost of joining the aviation family is keeping a lot of people out of choosing this vital career. As the demand for passenger and cargo transportation increases, pilot and mechanic recruitment isn't keeping up. That is why, today, I am proud to introduce the Aviation Workforce Development Act. It is a commonsense proposal to give Americans who want to pursue a career in aviation, on the ground or in the air, the same tools as those seeking 4-year degrees, with zero increased cost to taxpayers. This bill will allow Americans with 529 plans to use their money to attend FAA-certified pilot and mechanic training programs. That is it. It is just another way for students to save for a career in aviation. I thank Representatives Jimmy Panetta and Mike Kelly and Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Steve Cohen for co-leading on this effort. I also give a big thank-you to Drew Ferguson, Lucy McBath, Julia Brownley, and Russell Fry for joining us as original cosponsors. Mr. Speaker, I am calling on all Members to join us to help empower more Americans to take to the skies and shore up our aviation workforce.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Chairman, it was just this morning we were having a hearing and talking about Biden's bloated $1.2 trillion infrastructure Green New Deal. One-third of that act went to actual infrastructure projects, and it looks like they are in trouble now because of inflation. It is one of the main reasons I rise today in support of H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act. Over the past 2 years under the Biden administration, we have seen gas prices that are up nearly a dollar after hitting a historic high of $5 per gallon last summer. With energy demand only increasing, we can't afford the Biden administration's anti-energy agenda hitting our pocketbooks any harder. This crucial piece of legislation will finally end the Biden administration's war on American energy production by prohibiting President Biden from banning fracking, repealing restrictions on the import and export of natural gas, and stopping Biden's $6 billion natural gas tax. This bill will also incentivize domestic mineral production to ensure the U.S. has the resources necessary to compete with China. We will reform the National Environmental Policy Act to modernize and shorten the Federal regulatory process that takes years to get through. The days of projects taking decades to get off the ground are over. In the U.S., it can take more than 10 years to get a permit to mine, while our neighbors, our competitors, are much faster, further incentivizing our companies to export mineral production. That changes today when we reopen the cleanest energy in the world, American-made energy. Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise, again, today to demand that Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg resign. As we have outlined over the past weeks, Secretary Buttigieg is simply not interested in doing his job as head of the DOT. A leader's job is to roll up their sleeves, do the hard work, and complete the mission for the people he is supposed to serve. Instead, Mr. Buttigieg is focused on advancing woke, identity politics inside that agency and in our culture. As a trucker, I know that safety is a top priority, and Secretary Buttigieg needs to be held accountable for neglecting that safety in favor of a leftwing social agenda. The industry this agency oversees doesn't work inside four walls. Our offices are in the airways, the waterways, the railways, and out on the roadways with you and your families. The Secretary doesn't even go outside to visit with folks. Instead, he stays inside or goes on vacation to think about skin color and gender instead of what matters. It is not the place of the Secretary to carry out his social agenda at the DOT. It is time for him to resign and to take that social agenda outside of government.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask for my colleagues' support on my new bill, the TRANQ Research Act. This bill directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to analyze and advance research on dangerous fentanyl additives that are putting public safety officers' lives at risk, including those guarding our borders. Fentanyl has been entering our country at record levels over the past 2 years. Now, we are witnessing dangerous cartels adding even more harmful chemicals, like tranq, to an already deadly substance. Tranq is a dangerous substance containing a veterinary tranquilizer, which when combined with fentanyl becomes even more deadly than fentanyl itself. The Drug Enforcement Agency reports that between 2020 and 2021, detections of tranq in fentanyl increased 198 percent in the southern United States. From 2020 to 2022, Georgia alone saw a 1,120 percent increase in overdose deaths involving this deadly concoction. Mr. Speaker, this issue may be even more widespread than we know. This bill is another step in fighting dangerous fentanyl additives. By understanding what these additives are, how to test for them, and how to safely handle them, we can better protect our first responders. Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense bill, and I ask for my colleagues' support on this bill.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to defend our community banks. For decades, we have had leftwing, out-of-control Federal administrations that have been hammering on our community banks to put them out of business. You take Sarbanes-Oxley, Dodd-Frank, or the Federal agencies who have been regulating and regulating these small community banks to the point where they either have to sell, close up, or worst, being taken over. You see, these community banks, they are the lifeblood of small businesses, and small businesses, they are the backbone to this economy. These community banks, they are a part of our community. They are out there in your civic and social organizations leading. Their kids go to school with your kids. They are out there on the ball fields helping coach. They are even going to church with you on Sunday. You see, they have a vital interest in seeing the community succeed. That way they succeed. Yet, now we have this extra-woke, leftwing administration that has decided to pick winners and losers and take a different tactic. The tactic they are taking now is to try to scare the consumer to where they will take their deposits from the community bank and move it over to one of the big banks, to where they can achieve that Big Government, be all, end all for every need and everything you ever need, and that is not America. As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, I wouldn't be standing here, and I wouldn't be where I am today, if it weren't for my community bank. So I have two things, Mr. Speaker: Federal Government get off the backs of these community banks. Take your leftwing ideology somewhere else. To my fellow Americans out there: Continue to support your community bank out there. Continue to do business with them.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to demand accountability. Pete Buttigieg has shown he is unfit to lead the Department of Transportation and must resign immediately. From his first day in office, he has been more focused on diversity training and identity politics than on building and maintaining America's transportation system. He has abandoned his Department's mission of improving safety, technology, and efficiency of our infrastructure in favor of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Case in point: The horrific train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Buttigieg took 10 days to acknowledge this incident and 3 weeks to show up and support the community. As Ohioans fled their homes and worried about their health, the Secretary of Transportation was on TV whining about too many White people in construction industries. His policies have continuously put the wokes before the folks, and we are again seeing the consequences. After seeing another Norfolk Southern train derail this weekend, I was reminded of the fact that the company wrote to shareholders stating that it is focused on DEI. This administration's focus on DEI is forcing private companies to rethink their goals, and one has to wonder, if Norfolk Southern's DEI policies are directing resources away from the important things, like greasing wheel bearings. This insanity must stop. Speaking of insanity, it looks like Secretary Buttigieg is spending a lot of taxpayer money flying on private jets, but he doesn't want the American people to know where he is going or why. I don't know about you, but I seem to recall a recent Health and Human Services Secretary being forced to resign over this same exact thing. Anyway, why is the DOT refusing to tell the American people how much Secretary Buttigieg's 23 flights on private jets have cost them? Maybe the Secretary should just come to Capitol Hill and answer these questions for himself. It would be a cheap trip, and it wouldn't require airfare. Either way, it is time for him to resign. That will allow him time to promote wokeness and take private jets on his own dime and his own time.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on the Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, to resign immediately. The Secretary's priorities don't line up with what the American people expect from him. Buttigieg has failed to execute DOT's mission, which is to improve the quality and safety of our Nation's transportation system. Instead, he is laser-focused on wokeness at the agency and in our culture. Think about it. He took 10 days to even acknowledge the devastating train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. During those 10 days, as Ohioans fled from their homes and feared for their health, he did find time to say that there are too many White people in the construction industry. I don't know about you, but when I see the men and women who build the structures that house us and the roads that connect us, I am not thinking about their race. I just appreciate that they are doing the hard work that is necessary for our society to thrive. It is time for Pete to go back to Indiana so someone serious about building infrastructure and transportation systems that are safe and effective can start getting the job done.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding. I also want to thank my sister, Crystal, and my other sister, April, for being with me here today. Mr. Speaker, last night, we heard President Biden's fairy tale version of the state of our union. I will tell you, Americans know he just doesn't line up with what they are seeing and feeling out there. They know our economy is in shambles, and they also know that the only thing higher than food and energy prices out there right now are Chinese spy balloons. Our border is in a mess, and the whole time, our government is over trying to secure Ukraine's border. The bottom line is that our country is suffering under the weight of the Biden administration's America-last policies and, unfortunately, last night, yeah, he is doubling down. He is doubling down on the failed agenda that brought us here. The only answers that he offers are bigger government and more control over our lives. I wish I could say I was surprised, but these are always the solutions offered by the other side of the aisle, the same ones that got us in this mess. So let's set the record straight. Mr. Speaker, reopening the economy after his party shut it down, that is not creating jobs. More taxes and regulations on small businesses will not promote growth. Bringing business back to America from overseas just to tax and regulate them will not return jobs to our shores. More spending and debt, that definitely will not lower inflation. Telling Americans to kick back, put your feet up, depend on the government, wait on a check, and hope for a better life, doesn't empower them to reach their potential because, as we know, no successful person built a career or provided for their family by hanging around and waiting for the government to redistribute other people's income. It is time to let Americans run with the ball by letting them keep more of their hard-earned money, getting government off their backs, paying down our national debt, and promoting self-reliance and personal responsibility again in this country.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an incredible man from the great State of Georgia. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a native son of Pin Point, near Savannah, was nominated to the Supreme Court by President George H.W. Bush in 1991. At that time, he was just the second Black American ever appointed to the Supreme Court, where he is now its longest serving member. Since taking the Bench, Justice Thomas has ruled on some of the most consequential cases in American history. He has safeguarded our rights by defending the principles of natural law that are central to America's founding. Justice Thomas exemplifies the American Dream, rising from humble beginnings to a seat on our Nation's highest court through hard work and dedication. There would be nothing more fitting than the Georgia State legislature finishing the job it started last year and putting a statue of Justice Thomas under the gold dome of the State capitol. Justice Thomas' legacy of service and footprint on American jurisprudence is worthy of honor and commemoration.

Mr. COLLINS

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, how 'bout them Dawgs? It is an honor this morning to rise and deliver my first speech on the floor of the people's House, and what a special occasion it is. After last night's resounding victory, it is clear that the Georgia Bulldogs haven't gotten tired of winning. I congratulate the University of Georgia, especially the players, who left it all on the field during practice and the games and earned another championship last night. Because of their passion and talent, the number one State for business is now the number one State for college football for the second year in a row. As the Representative for Georgia's 10th District, the proud home of the University of Georgia, I could not be prouder of the team or happier for our State because the Dawgs are on top of the SEC and all of college football once again. Go Dawgs.