Byron Donalds

Mr. DONALDS

Mr. DONALDS. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1, the For the People Act. This is really just a takeover of elections by Washington, D.C. Madam Speaker, I got a chance to go through some of this bill--790 pages. Most of these things would basically eviscerate Florida's election law. You see, I served in Florida's legislature. We had the responsibility for adjusting legislation law from time to time. Our State was a State that went through hanging chads in 2000, and we have made the adjustment systematically in the State legislature to make sure that Florida has the very best election laws in these United States. You see, on election night, November 3, we were done counting around 9:30. We knew the results by 10 o'clock. We have absentee ballots, we have voter ID, we have early voting, and we have a robust count system on election day. The people of Florida have never been disenfranchised when it comes to elections. The people of Florida have come accustomed to having a voter system that works. And what this body is trying to do with H.R. 1 is completely destroy Florida's election laws. That is, to me, ridiculous. This Capitol should never allow that. If we are going to do anything, we should replicate what Florida has actually done.

Mr. DONALDS. Madam Speaker, I am sorry. It keeps falling down. Madam Speaker, I was trying to make a point--

Mr. DONALDS

Mr. DONALDS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Florida, my good friend, Congresswoman Cammack, for bringing this great idea to the House Chamber to honor those of us in our communities who have done, frankly, more than Members of Congress actually have. The sacrifices that they have made not only in our communities but throughout their lives is really something to honor, it is something to behold, and it is something to cherish. I am just grateful for this opportunity to do this on the peoples' floor this evening. The first hometown hero I wish to honor is Captain Wayne Ogden Smith. Today, we pay tribute to one of Naples' hometown heroes. Mr. Smith was a United States Air Force fighter pilot and a Vietnam prisoner of war. Captain Smith was a prisoner of war at the Hanoi Hilton for 5 years, alongside Senator Sam Johnson and Senator John McCain. However, he would never call himself a hometown hero. Wayne was a 1965 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and would fly 90 F-4 fighter combat missions over North Vietnam and Laos. Captain Smith was shot down on January 18, 1968, at the age of 24. He survived 5 years and 2 months and was repatriated on March 15, 1973. Wayne's combat honors include two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze ``V'' Stars, seven Air Medals, and the Purple Heart. Now retired from the business world, Wayne Smith spends his time with his wife helping veterans and active military around the country through organizations like Wreaths Across America and Naples Spirit of `45, a celebration honoring our World War II veterans and beyond. Mr. Speaker, another hometown hero from my District is Allison Dawson. Allison has proudly dedicated her life to educating our youth. Allison's career in youth education spans over 30 years, almost 20 of those in Lee County, Florida. A single mom who raised three kids, she struggled to pay bills and struggled to put food on the table. Despite these obstacles, Allison remained committed to her passion and her life's work: teaching and helping low-income students learn and grow to succeed. During COVID-19, like thousands of teachers across our Nation, she juggled virtual school and in-person instruction flawlessly, all to ensure her students received the very best education. She is a prime example of how hard all teachers across America work every single day. I am honored to recognize Allison Dawson today as a teacher and as a public servant. I thank Allison for her 30 years of service; her commitment to serving others; and ensuring that every child, no matter their race, gender and socioeconomic background, has access to a world- class education. Mr. Speaker, my last hometown hero is Major Jose Martinez, BSN, RN. Jose Martinez, BSN and RN, is the nursing director of adult and pediatric emergency department at North Naples Hospital in southwest Florida. He has been a nurse for 22 years, and 13 of them at NCH. Major Jose Martinez has a 19-year military career. He has served 9 years with the Army National Guard and 10 years with the Air Force Reserve. Major Martinez is currently a flight nurse instructor and clinical management flight commander in the 45th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. Major Martinez just returned from a 6-month deployment at duty station Travis Air Force Base in California. Major Martinez coordinated more than 50 Aeromedical Evacuation Westpac/Cross Country Aeromedical missions with more than 400 aeromedical evacuation crew, critical care crew, and neonatal critical care members serving more than 100 patients who represent our U.S. military and their families. He has dedicated his life to serving others and has saved countless lives. I am honored to recognize Major Martinez today and his sacrifices for our Nation. Mr. Speaker, there are many heroes in all of our communities. These are just three who happen to live in my congressional district, and it is my honor to honor them this evening.

Mr. DONALDS

Mr. DONALDS. Mr. Speaker, as I walked onto the House floor today, I heard the talk from the other side, talking about wanting to share in good ideas. But what is interesting is, as this budget resolution has come forth, there has been no sharing of ideas. We have seen a general framework coming from the Biden administration calling for $1.9 trillion, but that completely flies in the face of the fact that there is $1 trillion that this very body, the last Congress, appropriated last year that is still unspent. That money has not gone out the door. Yet, we are talking about solutions to help our country through COVID-19. Now, my career before politics was actually in finance and economics. I spent 17 years in that field. If you are going to talk about stimulating an economy, the first thing you want to do is actually study the current state of your economy. One of the metrics we always like to use in financial services is the unemployment rate. It is a pretty popular statistic. Let's take a look at the unemployment rates going on around the country. In my State of Florida, it is 6.1 percent. In Alabama, it is 3.9 percent. In South Carolina, it is 4.6 percent. In Texas, it is 7.2 percent. Compare that to blue States in our country, New York and California, where they soar over 8 percent. Why is that happening? Because their governors and their mayors have refused to reopen their economies. If you want to stimulate something, actually let the American people get back to work. Let them run their businesses, and you would be surprised at what actually would happen in our economy. Let's talk about the $15 minimum wage, which is in the Biden plan. I don't know how a $15 minimum wage is going to help struggling small businesses continue to thrive in the current environment. Furthermore, what we have already seen with the $15 minimum wage is that it has led to workers actually getting less hours, less hours at the jobs that they have. I don't see how that is actually helping anybody stimulate an economy. Let's talk about education. In this plan, right now there is $170 billion, give or take, to go to local school districts to reopen. But guess what? If they are picketing outside of the school district's school board in Chicago to not go back into the classroom, what is this additional money actually doing? In Florida, we have been open in our schools. We have done this. There are tens of billions of dollars already available to help school districts reopen. All they need is leadership. They don't need more money. The last thing I want to add is with respect to State and local governments. Every State government and every local government either gets their money from income taxes, sales taxes; like in the great State of Florida, property taxes on the local level. This is typically how you get your revenue. If you want to help State and local governments take care of their revenue problems, they should open up. They should not come back to this Capitol and get money. Why should Florida pay for New York? Except for the fact that the only thing New York has done is help the real estate markets in Florida because New Yorkers are fleeing New York to come to the great State of Florida. Mr. Speaker, let's be clear. This budget resolution is not about economics. It is not about COVID-19. It is not about helping our schools reopen. This budget resolution is purely politics. It is an opportunity to push through an agenda through budget reconciliation where, if you actually studied our economy and studied the fact that now close to 40 million Americans have been vaccinated with the vaccine from the previous administration, we are on track to getting reopened. We should study this. We should be more targeted. We should not be putting forward a massive spending bill where no study has ever been given.