Jeff Duncan

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to congratulate Clinton High School in my home county of Laurens, South Carolina, for being named one of the Best High Schools by U.S. News & World Report's school rankings. Congratulations to my friend Maureen Tiller, the teachers, the students, and the parents. This really is an honor that goes to all of you for all of your hard work that you put forth in educating the next generation of leaders in South Carolina. U.S. News compiled and analyzed data from over 22,000 public high schools, and Clinton High was recognized as a leader in South Carolina. I want you to know how proud I am of you for all that you have accomplished and wish you the best as you continue to work to educate our children. So congratulations, Principal Tiller, on getting this great recognition. Now, as a side note, both of my sons, Graham and John Philip, have graduated from Clinton High. My third son is currently a sophomore at Clinton High. He is also all-region and all-State for the Red Devils boys soccer team. Congratulations to Parker and Clinton High.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of National Police Week and to thank these brave men and women for their service and sacrifice to their communities. Our law enforcement and first responders run toward the danger when, ofttimes, we are running away from it. There is no way we can ever truly say ``thank you'' for their willingness to serve. Last week, I held my fifth annual first responders tour to thank them for their dedication to the communities of South Carolina and beyond. The tour consisted of five of the counties I represent: Newberry, Saluda, Edgefield, McCormick, and Greenwood. I can tell you that their expertise, focus, and commitment are unmatched. I visited the facilities and met with the men and women that are on the first line of defense, the ones who are so critical to the safety of our citizens. These folks encounter dangerous and life-threatening situations that require critical, on-the-spot decisionmaking, but they never second-guess answering that call and going towards the unknown to help those in need. I hope that events like National Police Week and first responders tours encourage more people to learn about the unique challenges that face these heroes every day. It is important for our law enforcement and first responders to know that their hard work and sacrifice is greatly appreciated. Thank you to all those that serve and have served. They are truly heroes, and we are grateful for their service to make us safe. May God bless these heroes, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.J. Res. 50.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I briefly want to mention the country of Colombia. Tremendous flooding and mudslides there have taken more than 200 lives. Colombia is in my prayers, the prayers of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, and the prayers of all of America. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 54, which reaffirms America's partnership with Argentina, and applaud the economic reforms undertaken in recent years. I applaud Ranking Member Sires for his leadership on this issue. Last year, he and I led a congressional delegation to Argentina to see the differences in the country under the new leadership of President Macri and to reextend a hand of friendship of the United States. Though the previous government followed the path of ruinous economic and foreign policies, I saw new optimism that the new Macri administration would right these wrongs. For example, at the Organization of American States, Argentina has been supportive of the actions of OAS Secretary General Almagro, urging the Venezuelan Government to respect democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. In addition, President Macri is working to find justice for the 1994 AMIA bombing terrorist attack--the largest loss of life from an act of terror in this hemisphere prior to 9/11--and the murder of the AMIA special prosecutor, Alberto Nisman. It is my sincerest hope that he will find the perpetrators and hold them accountable for these heinous acts of terror. In conclusion, the United States should be very clear that we are thankful for President Macri's courage and willingness to take unpopular but principled positions. I urge the new Trump administration to do all in its power to take the steps outlined in this legislation and advance a deeper bilateral relationship.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his time and his leadership on this issue. I come to the floor today as the co-chair of the largest bipartisan caucus in the United States Congress: the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus. On behalf of the millions of sportsmen and -women around the country, I say to the Federal Government, enough is enough. We will not be intimidated; we will not be strong-armed; and we will not be silent. States have enjoyed a cooperative relationship with the Federal Government for years on wildlife management, and this is a disturbing shift that we have seen in the last administration. Though I come to the floor today in defense of Alaska's management rights of national wildlife refuges, this sets a disturbing precedent for the lower 48 States. It is a disturbingly brazen power grab by the Federal Government against the law, in spite of loud and widespread opposition at the local level. The rule removes Alaska's authority to manage fish and wildlife for both nonsubsistence and subsistence uses in Federal wildlife. The action by the last administration violated the clear letter of the Alaska Statehood Act, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, and the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act. I encourage my colleagues to support what we are doing today and stand in support of the good men and women, the outdoorsmen in the great State of Alaska. I know you have heard from the gentleman from Alaska who has very clearly articulated the position of the people he represents in that great State. I applaud the chairman. I applaud the action that we are taking today. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, in the history of mankind, civilizations have turned to sports as a means of entertainment, as a distraction from the routines of everyday life, a great way to spend time with friends and family. Whether it was the gladiators in the coliseums of Rome, the jousting in the Middle Ages, or college football today, it is a great form of entertainment. I rise today to honor and recognize Clemson University, the 2016 college football national champions. The coaches are to be commended-- from Dabo Swinney and his coaching staff, the team he has put together, the men of character that he builds, and I will mention some of those shortly; President Jim Clements; athletic director Radakovich; the students of Clemson; and, most importantly, the fans, a 35-31 victory against Alabama. It has been 35 years since Clemson won the national championship in 1981. That is a special national championship to me because my brother John was on the national championship team in 1981. Danny Ford, Coach Ford, was the coach when the 1981 national championship team was inducted, recognized in the College Football Hall of Fame the very night, Monday night, of this year's national championship. The connections between the University of Alabama and their football program and Clemson University's football program are numerous. Danny Ford played football for Bear Bryant. He coached the national championship in 1981. Dabo Swinney, current head coach at Clemson, played for Alabama. Dabo was a walk-on at Alabama. It has been 110 years since Clemson defeated Alabama, 1905. I am not taking anything away from Coach Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide. What a great football program they have in the great State of Alabama. They fell to a very good Clemson football team on Monday night. Deshaun Watson, number 4, he was the difference. He is the best football player in the Nation with 420 yards passing, 36 for 57; total offensive, 511 yards. Watson was the MVP of the national championship game. Ben Boulware was Clemson's defensive MVP of the game. But I want to give a special shout-out to a unique individual, Hunter Renfrow, number 13, who caught the winning touchdown pass at the end of the game with 1 second left. Hunter Renfrow, a walk-on at Clemson, like his head coach, Dabo Swinney, a walk-on who earned a spot, ultimately catching two touchdown passes in this national championship game, two touchdown passes in the 45-40 loss last year, a walk-on. Both ends of the spectrum, a five-star quarterback, number 4, Deshaun Watson, arguably the best quarterback in the Nation, throwing to the other end of the spectrum, a walk-on. What a great story. I want to give a shout-out to the coaching staff, specifically Dabo Swinney, and to Deshaun Watson for both recognizing that their talents and that team's specialness came from Almighty Creator God. Clemson is special to me. I am a 1988 graduate. I played walk-on at Clemson 1984, 1985, and part of 1986. Part of Hunter Renfrow's and Dabo Swinney's stories that you can be a walk-on and ultimately succeed is one that we should take away from this great game. So my congratulations, standing here on the floor of the United States House of Representatives, representing the Third Congressional District, home of Clemson, South Carolina, home of Clemson University, and now home of the 2016 college football national champions, the Clemson Tigers. I am proud to be here and say, ``Go Tigers.'' Congratulations, Clemson.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, every week when the House of Representatives is in session, I like to attend the Weekly Members' Prayer Breakfast in the Capitol. The United States Senate also holds a Prayer Breakfast each week as well. This weekly meeting of Congressional Members of faith, gave birth to the yearly National Prayer Breakfast. On Thursday, February 4, 2016 I had the privilege of attending the 64th Annual National Prayer Breakfast chaired by Representatives Robert Aderholt and Juan Vargas. I would like to submit Part three of the transcript: 64th National Prayer Breakfast: Part Three Mr. Burnett: Yes, we are really fortunate and we are very grateful. But our faith has in fact led us to entirely build our TV careers and film careers on family friendly franchises, I mean shows like what was mentioned--The Voice, Apprentice, Shark Tank, Survivor. Often every week four nights out of seven, we have the number one show in America. It is a lot of leverage, which is what matters in Hollywood. We took that leverage and we told Hollywood we wanted to make a brand new series called The Bible. Yes, The Bible on prime time American TV. Of course our friends told us we are going to destroy our great careers because mixing entertainment and religion is going to make people really angry. But worst of all, they said we were idiots because nobody is going to watch The Bible on prime time TV--they know the story and they can get that in church. Well, as the Americans in this room know, The Bible became the most talked about television show in America, the number one series that year, and 100 million of you watching. And here is what is really great--The Bible was also shown in Canada but they showed it up against the first game for the National Hockey League--but head to head, The Bible beat hockey. I guess we do know now up in Canada we can officially say that hockey is not God. Ms. Downey: At that time, The Bible was also up against a show called The Walking Dead and we won, and my favorite headline ran on CNN, ``God beats zombies.'' But far more important than the ratings were the stories of families sitting together in their living rooms watching The Bible. The stories of how God's love for us unfolded through the ages, moved them, and engaged them because faith was and is alive and well in America. The series helped to ignite a much larger conversation about God and faith in this country. We were also humbled that people were inspired to see us, a Hollywood couple of producers daring to speak out about our love of Jesus, daring to talk about our faith in God, and our sincere belief in the power of prayer. I can honestly say that I have never made a decision in my life, big or small, that I didn't pray about first. The Bible series began with a prayer that started as a whisper in our hearts. Our dear friend, Rick Warren had said to us once, ``The most dangerous prayer you can pray is, Lord, use me, because then you have to be ready that He might just do so.'' All we did was ask him to use us. Mr. Burnett: And use us, he did, trust me. Yeah, it was a TV show but we are also still telling the story of the most sacred book of all time, the Bible, and we knew we had to get it right. It is a really important, huge responsibility on our shoulders. So the first thing that we did was sign up 40 scholars and advisors--by the way, many of you are in this room right now--you know who you are--you backed us from the very beginning and stood shoulder to shoulder with us. And we thank you so much, all of you in this room who backed us. You know it was difficult to bridge all the theological gaps, the sway of denominations, but we prayed our way through the process and managed to create a series that brought people together and glorified God. I think it is fair to say--we have become Hollywood's noisiest Christians. You know at least 90 million Americans attend church each Sunday in this country; millions more find inspiration and hope in the person, the story, and the teachings of Jesus Christ. The Christian community is a mainstream community. They watch the NFL they watch The Voice, they buy tickets to Star Wars and go to Beyonce concerts. It is a community that loves Jesus, loves their country, it is a very cool community made up of millions of young believers. Many who have tattoos, earrings, they ride skateboards, they surf, they tweet, they are entrepreneurs and are a vibrant part of the new American economy. It is a very broad audience indeed. It is a community that we are really proud to be a part of, and a community that has covered us in prayer--as to our own surprise we almost became the international spokespeople for the Bible. Ms. Downey: The making of The Bible series was covered in prayer every step of the way. I can still remember sitting in the Moroccan desert under the shade of a rock and reading Scripture with actors, or praying together with them as they prepared for a scene. When we were getting ready to shoot the crucifixion scene, I sent out an email requesting that prayers would be sent ahead of us to clear the way. There were emotional and spiritual challenges of filming such a scene, as well as the physical challenge because we had to hang an actor on a cross and that day the winds were very high and the sun was scorching, and we prayed for safety, and that God would use this series to open hearts to him. We had a man on the set whose job it was to wrangle snakes and scorpions from each of the locations, and normally he found about 1 or 2 snakes a day, but on the morning of the crucifixion, he removed 48 snakes from around the hillside of Golgotha and we believe that was the power of prayer at work--the symbolism of the snake wasn't lost on any of us. We also prayed as we cast the series. We were only a few months away from beginning filming and we still hadn't cast the most important role of Jesus. So I sent out an email to all my contacts with a header ``Looking for Jesus.'' We asked in prayer that the right actor would show up. Through a series of remarkable coincidences, we came across Portuguese actor, Diogo Morgado. As he walked up our garden path to meet us for the first time, I turned to Mark and said ``There he is; there's our Jesus.'' He was an answer to a prayer, and his touching and affecting performance as Jesus helped to inspire millions of people around the world. Mr. Burnett: Yes, that role of Jesus was so important and it was last minute casting, and it was the answer to prayer, and the incredible Hispanic actor Diogo Morgado beautifully portrayed, as you saw on the screen, Jesus in The Bible series. Everyone in the whole country was talking about this Hispanic actor. And it reminds me of a great story. There are a couple of old men who are Christians, they lived next door to each other. One was an old black man; one was an old white man. They loved each other and they did everything together. In fact, they've only had one disagreement, the old black man was sure Jesus was black, and the old white man was just as sure that Jesus was a white man. Neither could ever convince the other. One day these great friends died together in a car accident. On their way up to heaven the old black man said ``Buddy, we're about to find out I was right all along, Jesus is a black man.'' And the old white man said ``I'm sorry you're going to have to find out this way, because when we meet him, you're going to see that Jesus in fact a white man.'' They got there in great anticipation and Jesus walked out to meet them, and he smiled at them and said, ``Buenos dias.'' Ms. Downey: Well, you know I suppose when you think about it, Jesus could have been Irish. He lived at home until he was 30. He never got married, and his mother thought he was God. You know, as a husband and wife producer team, not only do we get to do what we love to do but we get to do it together, and we have fun, you can tell, we have fun. But we also know that being in media comes with responsibility, for to those to whom much is given, much is expected. We are so pleased that our step of faith has reinvigorated faith and family programming in this country, and has hopefully inspired a whole new generation of artists to invest their talent and content that inspires and unifies. This is why we named the company that produced The Bible, Light Workers Media, because we have always believed that it is far more effective to light a candle than to curse the darkness. Let me say that again, we believe it is far more effective to light a candle, than to curse the darkness, and that is what we try to do--to light as many candles as we can. We just keep lighting candles in this often very dark, hostile and hurting world. Mr. Burnett: It is very easy to divide people, and it is very difficult to bring people together. Did you know what we learned making The Bible? That just among Christians alone, there are over 30,000 denominations. When you think about that, it is crazy, right? And many have argued about their views of Jesus for thousands of years. So for us, working across the Protestant and the Catholic community, working in a very detailed way with the Jewish community, it was very, very challenging to make everybody happy as we told the story of The Bible. But we worked very, very hard, and as many people here advised us so closely, we learned to become bridge builders; and bridge building became our mission. Ms. Downey: Building bridges has become so much of our mission and I know the power of a bridge from my own life's journey growing up in war torn Ireland. But today, if you go to Derry, you will find something new there. Peace has been restored there and there is now a walking bridge built across the River Foyle, and it is aptly called The Peace Bridge. It stands in defiance of all that once divided us--our very own bridge over troubled water. Protestant and Catholic children now play together, but more than that, the old hurts are healing. The leaders in Northern Ireland finally sat down and talked to each other, and listened to each other, and started to work things out together. We are at a time in the world's history where there is so much pain and fear, and division everywhere, and these divisions show up in race, and in religion, and in politics. The dividing lines are easy to find. The bridges to peace are harder to build. May we all find our dividing lines and work until we have built our own bridges of peace across them. On this day of the National Prayer Breakfast, we pray that with God's help, our world can heal some of the hurts that wound us and the confusion that divides us, but it begins with us and perhaps a good place to start is to simply see the image of God in the eyes of everyone you meet. As Jesus said, ``By this everyone will know that you follow me, that you love one another.'' For in this spirit is the power of true faith that we learn to love each other. We know that television and film can be powerful ways of bringing inspiration and hope through emotional stories that open your heart. As my dear friend the late Maya Angelou said, ``People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.'' Thank you so much, and may God bless you. Rep. Vargas: Wow, thank you so much. Muchisimas gracias. I have to say, thank you again, Mark. Thank you so much. Our purpose in this breakfast every year is to lift up Jesus as a solution to the problems of the world, and ask for the Lord's help. In that vein, we came together today to love and pray for the President of the United States, and his family, and we do this with all our hearts and we appreciate the message that you brought today to us, it was so uplifting. Mr. President, when we were in law school together, I had lunch with one of our smartest classmates, in fact I mentioned his name to you. And I asked him who he thought was really, really smart, and he said ``This guy named Barack Obama; he's really, really smart; and he may even become a Supreme Court Justice some day.'' So there's still time, Mr. President. There's still time, you're a young man. But all kidding aside, Mr. President, we honor you for your dignity. We honor you for your integrity. We honor you for your faith, the way you honor God with your life and your service to all of us. Ladies and gentlemen, for one last time at our National Prayer Breakfast, it is my honor to introduce the President of the United States.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, seismic testing has been done all over the globe for decades, not a single verifiable instance of a marine mammal being hurt or killed due to seismic activity. In fact, I am on the Natural Resources Committee. We got Abigail Hopper's own testimony in the committee saying that there hadn't been a verifiable instance. Go to BOEM's Web site. Their Chief Biologist has a written statement there. Not a single verifiable instance of a marine mammal being hurt or killed due to seismic. If we want to find out what resources are available in this country for future energy independence, let's allow the seismic to happen off the coast of South Carolina, off the coast of Georgia, off the coast of North Carolina, to see if there are resources that may be harvestable to help with American energy independence going forward. Stopping seismic is just ludicrous because there is not a single verifiable instance. Go do the research yourself on the BOEM Web site. Look at the Chief Biologist, listen to Abigail Hopper, the Director's own testimony in Natural Resources, and you will hear it for yourself.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my colleague, Mr. Lamborn's amendment. I am strongly opposed to the President using funds to survey potential sites within the United States at which to hold terrorists that are currently held at Guantanamo Bay. Congress has passed numerous times, and the President has signed into law, legislation which explicitly prohibits the President from using taxpayer funds to bring terrorists to our soil and close the detention facility. Despite the law, the President has made his intent clear to close Guantanamo Bay and bring these terrorists to our States and local communities. In the face of opposition from the American people and Congress and State Governors, the President continues to move forward with bringing these terrorists to our soil. Last month, Governor Haley from my State of South Carolina testified before the Homeland Security Committee. She sent a letter to President Obama opposing terrorists coming to South Carolina, and never got a response from the administration and was never included in the initial talks. The President refuses to work with State Governors and with this Congress. Mr. Chairman, no State should be a terrorist dumping ground. No State, whether South Carolina, Colorado, or any other, should be a terrorist dumping ground. Doing so would only make our communities the most high-profile terrorist targets in the world. As Members of Congress, we must use every tool at our disposal to prevent the President from disregarding the law and the will of the people, including our power of the purse, by not allowing taxpayer dollars going towards bringing terrorists into this country. I fully support this, and I urge my colleagues to support it as well.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1638) to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit to Congress information on the Department of Homeland Security headquarters consolidation project in the National Capital Region, and for other purposes.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 1638. Mr. Speaker, since construction began in 2006, the Department of Homeland Security's consolidated headquarters on St. Elizabeth's historic Washington, D.C. campus has been riddled with cost overruns and construction delays, at times estimated to be more than $1 billion over budget and 12 years behind schedule. As the former chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency, I conducted rigorous oversight of the project, including holding a hearing in September 2014. Having visited the site, I saw firsthand the immense challenges that lie ahead. While we are encouraged by the recently updated DHS St. Elizabeth's plan, we still believe that increased oversight of the consolidation project will help ensure accountability and the efficient use of taxpayer dollars, especially considering this project was fully funded through the fiscal year 2016 appropriations, and DHS alone has requested $225 million for fiscal year 2017. This bill that we are talking about today, the Department of Homeland Security Headquarters Consolidation Accountability Act, a companion to H.R. 1640, which was passed by the House unanimously in June of last year and of which I was a cosponsor, will require the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the administrator of General Services, to submit a report on the implementation of the updated plan for the headquarters consolidation, including estimated costs and occupancy plans of the project. With a project of this magnitude, improved oversight and increased transparency is paramount. Mr. Speaker, Thomas Jefferson once said that an educated citizenry is ``the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.'' Our constituents expect their representatives to hold government accountable. S. 1638 does just that. I wish to thank Senators Johnson and Carper for their hard work passing this bill through the Senate. I urge all Members to join me in supporting this important bipartisan legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I, once again, urge my colleagues to support S. 1638. I thank the gentlewoman from New Jersey for her words of support. This is the right thing to do--being good stewards of taxpayer dollars and fulfilling our oversight role. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Wittman for his leadership on this issue. As a vice chair of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, I commend the caucus co-chairs, Chairman Wittman and Tim Walz, as well as my fellow vice chair, Gene Green, for the great work they have done to contribute to the SHARE Act's Sportsmen's package on the floor today. The Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus is the largest bipartisan caucus in Congress. By offering commonsense policy solutions that expand the joys of hunting, angling, as well as shooting sports and, really, access to public lands and all the great outdoors, our goal is to be the voice of millions of American sportsmen and -women who treasure this unique feature of American heritage. The SHARE Act is supported by the Nation's leading hunting and fishing conservation organizations, making it a bipartisan win for the sportsmen and -women of America. It includes the Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act; the Hunting, Fishing, and Recreational Shooting Protection Act; the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act; and the Hunter and Farmer Protection Act. These, along with many other hunting and fishing conservation provisions, will strengthen America's bond to the blessings given to our great country. Most important to our role as leaders of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus is to promote policies that bring more potential hunters, anglers, and recreational shooters into the sportsmen's community. Sportsmen and -women are leading contributors to the conservation of the great American outdoors. As a sidebar, I would just ask folks to really research the contribution that hunters make in the whole African elephant goal, because the lack of the hunter in that equation means there is more poaching; and I think, ultimately, that will be detrimental to the African elephant and detrimental to the goals of those who want to protect that. In conclusion, I request your support for this bill to ensure that we can protect this sacred institution of American heritage.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. I want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for his leadership on this issue. We both are on the Committee on Homeland Security, so we are acutely aware of some of the terrorist dangers that are out there because we hear it in a lot of committee meetings, classified briefings, and other things. Mr. Speaker, it is time that Congress act proactively against a President who holds a personal legacy above the law. Law does not bend to legacy. Law is obeyed, respected, and even honored for the order it brings to our Nation. Disturbingly, this principle of our Founders seems to be at odds with a growing segment of politicians. That is why I introduced House Resolution 617. House Resolution 617 gives authority to the Speaker of the House to initiate litigation against any executive branch official should they file an illegal order by transferring detainees to U.S. soil. This commonsense approach provides a constitutional check on the President. Now, whether in Charleston, Colorado, or Kansas, he should not bring American families, neighbors, and communities into close proximity with some of the most dangerous terrorists in the world. Unfortunately, the President has forgotten about the people. He has forgotten that they don't travel in armored motorcades. They have no security details guarding their every step, looking around every corner. I know my constituents are fearful of this proposal by the President because the folks in Charleston, South Carolina, have been fearful. The Navy brig the President is proposing to bring these terrorists to is a very, very short distance from an elementary school. I would also call on the candidates for President of the United States when they are campaigning around South Carolina, ask them a question: Do they support housing terrorists in our neighborhoods--that is a legitimate question--near our children who are at schools or near our churches where we worship? Mr. Speaker, the language that prevents transferring detainees to U.S. soil was actually put in by a Democratic Congress and passed in bipartisan fashion ever since. It was further reaffirmed in last year's NDAA. It is against the law for the President to transfer detainees--I am going to stop using the word ``detainees''--terrorists. It is against the law for a President of the United States to transfer terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to the United States, to our soil. That is in the law. It has been in the law since the Democrats controlled this body. We just reaffirmed it this year. This isn't a Republican or Democratic issue. It is bipartisan. It is against the law. Now, I visited GTMO. When I was a freshman in Congress 5 years ago, I went down there to see it for myself. Some of the biggest names on the terrorist roster are located there due to the brave efforts of our men and women in combat to capture these guys on the battlefield. We have released a lot of them. Thirty percent, as you heard the gentleman from Texas say, of the terrorists that we have released have returned to terrorism or we suspect they have return to terrorism. That is based on intel. Thirty percent is a large number of the number that we have released. Whether it is South Carolina, Colorado, Kansas, or any other State, no State should be a terrorist dumping ground for this administration. So let's follow the law. Let's follow the law passed in a bipartisan manner through the United States Congress. Let's force the President to follow the law. Because, if he doesn't, let's pass H.R. 1617 and give the Speaker of the House the legal grounds and the authority to file a lawsuit to put an injunction in place to keep him from violating the law, violating a law, by the way, that he signed.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise during this Christmas season to speak about a public-private partnership that creates real impact in the communities I represent: Meals on Wheels. Today, a national army of 2 million volunteers is preparing and delivering about 1 million meals to America's most vulnerable, hungry, and isolated seniors. I am very proud of the Third District of South Carolina for many reasons, but I am especially proud of programs like Pickens County Meals on Wheels in Liberty, South Carolina. This is just one of thousands of Meals on Wheels programs across the country that provides more than just meals. Meals on Wheels provides nutritious meals, safety checks, and friendly visits on a daily basis, which allow seniors to age in their own homes with the independence and dignity that they deserve. The precious and powerful combination of nutrition and socialization has proven to improve health, reduce falls, avert unnecessary visits to the ER, and reduce hospital admissions and readmissions. This, in turn, saves billions of dollars in Medicaid and Medicare expenses. In fact, a Meals on Wheels program can provide a senior with meals for an entire year for less than the cost of 1 day in the hospital or a week in the nursing home. I call on my colleagues to learn more about these vital programs, the seniors they serve, and the grave and growing and expensive problem of senior hunger, a problem that will undoubtedly worsen if left unaddressed. Merry Christmas, America.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. We have talked a lot in the last couple of weeks about the visa waiver program, visas in general, and Syrian refugees. Let me remind this body and the American people that 49 percent of all illegals in this country didn't cross our southern border; they came here with a permission slip in their hand, known as a visa. And they chose to overstay that visa. Now they are categorized as visa overstays. These overstays are people that we trusted by giving them a permission slip to come into our great country. There are six words that ought to be brought up as we talk about this issue: secure the border, enforce the laws. That is how you keep America safe. I want to tell you, national security is at stake here. Americans are concerned. I won't say Americans are afraid, but they are concerned. They expect us to do our job to secure this great Nation. They expect us to look into the visa waiver program. They expect us to look into the refugees and the vetting process. They expect us to keep them safe. We ought to talk about securing the border and enforcing the laws. We are not chasing footprints in the desert with regard to the visa overstays. We know who these people are. They have had an interview at a consulate or embassy. We probably have a thumbprint, a picture, a name. We probably have an address of where they are going. Let's keep our eye on the ball here. Americans expect us to keep them safe, and that is by reviewing the visa waiver program, that is considering the vetting process, and that is enforcing the law. Let's secure our Nation.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is a step in the right direction. The changes that I like particularly to the Visa Waiver Program are a requirement to share counterterrorism information with the United States and that all visa waiver countries must submit lost and stolen passport information to INTERPOL's database within 24 hours. In May of 2014, a foreign fighter, radicalized on the battlefield in Syria after 1 year, traveled back to Europe. He traveled through Turkey and through Germany. It is believed that Germany had information on this individual, but it failed to share that information with its neighbors France and Belgium. He arrived in Brussels. In a 90-second attack with an automatic weapon on a Jewish museum, he killed 4 people before fleeing to France, making it all the way to the south of France, to the city of Marseille, where he hoped to cross the Mediterranean and disappear into the African continent. Why do I tell you this story? It is because of the freedom of travel in the Schengen region, or the open borders region in Europe, the radicalization of foreign fighters joining ISIS on the battlefield and having the ability to travel back to Europe and possibly, being undetected, travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program if the countries don't share the information. In addition, in the last 30 days, we have seen numerous instances where stolen or fraudulent passports have been used by migrants and terrorists to travel throughout Europe as well as across Latin America. Just recently, five Syrians traveled through the tri-border region, which is Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. It is a region in the northern area of Argentina. They traveled there from Syria on stolen Israeli passports, and then they purchased, in the tri-border region, Greek passports and were able to transit Latin America into Honduras, where they were stopped with those false passports. These are real examples of real issues, and it is why I support what we are trying to do today.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I wish President Obama took the threat of radical Islamic jihadists as seriously as he takes the pseudo science behind the manmade climate change threat. Folks, these EPA rules affect jobs and they affect the amount of money in the pockets of moms and dads all across this great country. Now, transportation fuel costs are down for moms and dads, but the power to heat and cool their homes, the power to run the engines of the economy--the cost of that power has gone up because of the EPA regulations and rule writing that we have seen. What does that mean? Well, wholesale electricity prices in South Carolina will spike as high as 13.9 percent. Households will pay as much as $84.19 more a year. Industrial customers will pay as much as $40,200 more a year just in South Carolina. It will cause 11,700 manufacturing jobs to be impacted. Since 2012, 27 coal mining companies with core operations in West Virginia have filed for bankruptcy protection. But you know what? The TPP trade deal will allow West Virginia coal and Wyoming coal to be shipped to China to be burned. Now, where is the hypocrisy in that? Let me tell you this: We rely on 24/7, always on, baseload power to run the engines of our society to heat and cool our homes. We can't do that with intermittent solar and wind. You can do that with nuclear, hydro, and fossil-fuel-fired power plants. Think about the morality of 24/7 baseload power. That means the incubators in the hospitals are there to provide the incubation for the preemie children. That means that you can keep food from spoiling. That means you can heat your homes with some sort of source that doesn't cause pollution inside your home like it does, say, in Latin America or Africa, where they are burning wood or coal. We have the ability through nuclear, hydro, and through fossil-fuel- fired power plants to provide that 24/7 baseload power. You can't do it with regulations that continue to kill the industry. You can't do it with intermittent energy sources like wind and solar. These regulations and these rules, written because of those regulations, are killing job creation in this country.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, as a Christian, I have compassion and sympathy for the refugees in Syria. In fact, I visited with many of them in a refugee camp in Jordan, a camp that held about 120,000 Syrian refugees. We are criticized for not having compassion on this issue. Let me tell you, compassion cuts two ways. We should also be cognizant of the compassion we should show our fellow citizens here in America. That compassion is exemplified by using the good sense that God gave us in addressing this national security concern that our Nation faces. Our compassion should be, too, to make sure to the best of our abilities--and I think that is what this legislation does--is it says we are going to use the best of our abilities that no harm comes to our fellow countrymen. We should do everything we can to make sure that elements of evil are not introduced, due to our compassionate hearts, into the neighborhoods, the towns, the cities, and the States that we represent in this great Nation. We lock our doors, not because we hate the people on the outside. We lock our doors because we love the people on the inside. This legislation is a great first step to hit pause. Let's get this right for the people we serve in the great Nation that we swear to uphold and defend.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman. I thank him for having this People's Night 2, so as to take the opportunity to speak to the American people about, really, what have become a lot of frustrations since they elected a Republican House and a Republican Senate. In fact, I did a tele-townhall last night, and a number of comments and questions that I had was: Why can't you guys get more bills to the President's desk? I had to explain that there is a 60-vote filibuster, the modern filibuster--a 60-vote threshold--over in the Senate. I had to explain what a modern filibuster rule is in the Senate. A Senator from the great State of South Carolina actually filibustered on the floor. He spoke for 48 hours without stopping, without sitting down. He held the floor of the Senate to make a point for 48 hours. That is the traditional filibuster that you hear about. Today, in the 21st century, when we hear that a Senator has filed a filibuster and that there is a 60-vote threshold to get over, what that means is a Senator has just put his name on a bill, and he doesn't have to go down and utter a single word, and he doesn't have to stand on the floor for a single minute. In fact, he can go to Charlie Palmer's and have a steak and call it a ``filibuster.'' America, this is wrong. I had a conversation with some Senate staff today because I think they ought to change their Senate rules. They said: Well, the Senator--and he is a Senator I respect a lot-- disagrees with your position. They pointed out that the Senate filibuster rule, the 60-vote threshold, has helped Republicans in the past to stop bad legislation. They said it stopped amnesty. I said: Well, hold on right there. Amnesty, actually, passed. The Gang of Eight bill passed, and we failed to bring it up in the House. We stopped it on the House side. They said: Well, it stopped gun control and a lot of other things. I said: Yes, but it is keeping right now a lot of good things from making it to the President's desk. America gave us this majority, and they really expect us to pass bills out that reflect the Republican principles, morals, values, and convictions of the electorate that sent us here and gave us this majority. They expect us to pass bills out of the Congress and to send them to the President's desk. Then the President can do whatever he wants with those bills, but I think, if he vetoes them, then America will see the dichotomy between the Republican governance and a Democrat President. Now the Senate rules. They are not in this book. This is the United States Constitution. It is a pocket copy that I carry with me. You can't find the Senate rules in this. It does say that both bodies--the House and the Senate--make their own rules to govern what goes on here, but they are not spelled out in this document. It is time for Mitch McConnell and the Republicans over in the Senate to actually have a ``come to Jesus'' meeting and really talk about what is stifling the Republican work when the Republican electorate in this country has given us the majority and expects us to do the work. I want to shift gears for just a minute because this is the People's Night, and I want to talk about something that is on the minds of the American people--the safety and security of our Nation and the national security issues in the wake of the Paris attacks, in the wake of the Lebanon bombing, in the wake of a lot of things that we are seeing with stabbings and other things that are going on by ISIS, primarily, but you can throw Boko Haram and some others who are committing acts of terror into the mix as well. Americans are concerned about the safety and security of our Nation. I chair the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Just this afternoon, it was revealed that the Honduran police stopped five Syrians who were carrying falsified Greek passports, and they had flown all over Latin America before they had gotten to Honduras. They were headed north to the Guatemalan border. If they were headed north to the Guatemalan border, it tells me they were going to take advantage of our porous southern border, like many others have, to enter into this country. We don't know why. What we do know is five Syrians traveled to Honduras on fake Greek passports, and they were apprehended by the police. People are criticizing the Republicans for wanting to hit ``pause'' on the Syrian refugee program, and they are saying, ``You don't have compassion.'' Let me tell you that you don't lock the door because you hate the people on the outside. You lock the door because you love the people on the inside. We have to protect America. That is what we are charged to do. When we raise our hands and swear an oath to the Constitution--to uphold it and to defend this great country--we are charged as Members of Congress to protect this great Nation, first and foremost. I thank the gentleman for some leniency. I will continue to speak on behalf of the American people. It is time for Mitch to get moving on some bills that are Republican bills over in the Senate.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, many of you know South Carolina was inundated with a historic rainfall. They call it a 1,000- year rain event. The rivers have not crested yet. The floods continue. Many South Carolinians are displaced. Many are hurting. I just want to ask the House and America to continue to lift my home State up. But let me remind you then, in the 24th Psalm, it is written: ``The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein, for He hath founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods.'' Thank you for your prayers, and may God continue to bless the Palmetto State of South Carolina, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. I thank the chairman. Mr. Speaker, let me just pause to say that I remember the events of 9/11/2001. I want to thank the first responders and those men and women in uniform who have served, our veterans, for what they do to protect us every day. Mr. Speaker, I strongly oppose the nuclear agreement with Iran. I strongly oppose giving the President the ability to unilaterally lift congressional sanctions. Our allies don't trust us, and our enemies don't fear us. I think we ought to take Iran at its word. Here are some quotes. During the negotiations, the Ayatollah said this: ``The enemies are talking about the options they have on the table. They should know that the first option on our table is the annihilation of Israel.'' The Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said this: The Iranian people and leadership, with God's help, will increase their defensive capability each day. Through the Iran deal, we are getting ready to give Iran $150 billion. They can do a lot of damage with that. They are the largest state sponsor of terrorism. They are responsible for killing people in Indonesia, in India, and all across the globe. I chair the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee. They are directly responsible for the AMIA bombings in Buenos Aires in 1994, again in 1996 through their proxy, Hezbollah. The Ayatollah has said: We will not stop supporting our allies. That is Hamas, that is Hezbollah, and that is other terrorist groups. They have said in their own words--take them at their word--they will continue to support materially and financially the terrorism groups like in Yemen. There is nothing we can do to stop it. They have also said that we, Western powers, will not have access to secret military sites or secret nuclear sites, but, yet, we are going to give them 24 days in this agreement. America, I didn't say 24 hours. I said 24 days' advance notice.

Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Twenty-four days' advance notice before we are going to inspect a site. Are you kidding me? We are going to allow them to self-regulate. That means they can go out in the desert and get clean dirt and clean air and provide that. That is like telling a regular drug user that you can bring somebody else's urine and somebody else's hair sample to a drug test. This is crazy, that we are giving Iran $150 billion and an opportunity to get a nuclear weapon in 10 years or less, assuming they are going to adhere to every line of the agreement, which nobody that I talk to believes Iran is going to adhere to the agreement. They will have a nuclear weapon. The immediate concern is $150 billion in lifted sanctions, money we are giving to Iran so they can continue to fund terrorism around the globe. People will die as a result of this agreement. $150 billion can buy a lot of weapons, financial support for terrorist groups to continue attacking our allies and Americans anywhere they are in the world. Mr. Speaker, I strongly oppose that. As everyone can tell by my passion today, it is time for us to really talk in real terms about what that agreement is.