Ron Estes

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, it is great and commendable that the current Representative for his hometown is here to be able to speak as a fellow Kansan and representative for Bob. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. LaTurner). The gentleman is one of my other fellow colleagues from the State of Kansas who represents the Second Congressional District and was a former State treasurer as I was before I came to Congress.

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, tonight lying in state in the rotunda of this Capitol Building is Robert Joseph Dole. Bob Dole was an American statesman, a former Member of this House of Representatives, a former U.S. Senator, a World War II veteran, a tireless fighter for what is right, and, last but not least, a Kansan. Tonight, we want to reflect on and honor the actions and accomplishments of this great American hero. Today, I am here with my colleagues from the Sunflower State and other Members of the House of Representatives to honor Robert Joseph Dole, one of the finest Americans to ever serve in this institution. Bob Dole has a record of devotion and service to this country--a World War II hero, the majority leader of the Senate, and a Republican nominee for President. But to truly understand the man Bob was, Madam Speaker, you have to know a bit about where he was from because out of all the things Bob did and accomplished through his long life, I know that Bob always epitomized what it meant to be a son of Kansas. Our State is situated in the very heart of our great Nation, more than 1,000 miles west of Washington. It is imbibed with a strong sense of freedom and with great compassion for our fellow man. The vivid sunsets of amber waves of grain are a constant reminder of the beauty and grace that only come from a loving God. And our climate, which can include some of the harshest winters or cloudless summers, produces hardy people who are resolute, undeterred, and quick to adapt to any challenges they may face. It is from Kansas where Bob Dole first entered the world in the summer of 1923. A natural athlete, he was recruited by famed basketball coach Phog Allen and was a Jayhawk basketball player and football player, and he ran track at the University of Kansas. But the grave threats against our freedom and our Nation called Bob away from his studies at KU and placed him in battle overseas during World War II. His enlistment in the United States Army would take him far from the flat plains of Kansas to another continent, and he returned to the shores of America with two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, and scars of war. Permanent damage would restrict him to a hospital for more than a year and limit the mobility in his right arm for the rest of his life. Bob Dole's service to our country during World War II is more than most of us will ever give back to the country in our entire lifetime. But Bob wasn't done yet. After returning to school, this time at Washburn University in Topeka, he served in the Kansas House of Representatives and then as Russell County attorney. In 1961, Bob Dole brought his grit, optimism, and wit to the Chamber we are standing in today, having been elected by Kansans of the Sixth District, and then again by the First District after redistricting. He represented Kansas in the people's House for 8 years before the entire Sunflower State sent him across the Capitol to the Senate. His passion for the United States, ability to bring colleagues together, and sense of humor elevated him to lead the Republican Party. But Dole would also seek to serve the American people from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He was the running mate to President Gerald Ford and eventually earned the respect of voters across the country to be the Republican nominee for President. It was at that time that he left the Senate, noting that the next chapter of his life would either be in the White House or a return to his beloved home State of Kansas. As votes were tallied on November 5, 1996, it became clear that Russell, Kansas, would welcome their son home. But I can tell you with certainty, Madam Speaker, that his commitment to the United States did not end with electoral defeat, as he continued to stay active in the causes he fought for as a public servant and remained a critical activist in Kansas politics. Madam Speaker, most of the Representatives in this Chamber are familiar with Bob Dole as a war hero, a statesman, and a Presidential nominee. But I had the privilege of traveling throughout Kansas with him. While the country has gotten to know Bob on the Senate floor or the campaign trail, I saw Bob in small towns and coffee shops with small business owners and farmers. My wife, Susan, and I were blessed to have known Bob and his wife, Elizabeth--another dedicated public servant--and to witness his genuine warmth and devotion firsthand. In his farewell address to the Senate on June 11, 1996, Senator Dole quoted the opening verse to Ecclesiastes chapter 3, saying: ``To everything there is a season.'' He went on to say that his season in the Senate was about to end. Today, we recognize that another season for Bob Dole has come to a close. The Scripture that Bob started to read from continues, saying, ``a time to be born and a time to die.'' And later, it says, ``a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.'' This week is a time for mourning. We grieve the loss of our friend, and we pray for his beloved wife, Elizabeth, and daughter, Robin. This is also a time to honor, which is why my colleagues and I were humbled to introduce the resolution that formally allowed for Bob Dole to lie in state at the United States Capitol rotunda. During his nearly four decades of service in the House and Senate, I know Bob Dole walked through the rotunda with Kansans and colleagues, working to protect our liberties and make our country better for all Americans. It is fitting that he be honored in that space today. I can think of no other person right now who deserves to lie in state more than my friend and fellow Kansan, Senator Bob Dole, and I believe it will be a long time before we see someone of his stature again. In the meantime, it is up to the rest of us to carry on his legacy, advance freedom, and maybe even provide some humor to our Nation and our world. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann), who is my friend, colleague, and the current Representative of Senator Dole's hometown of Russell, Kansas.

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent for all Members to have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman saying those kind words about a son of Kansas and a fellow American hero that we appreciate so much. We have spent a lot of time tonight talking about all of the great things about Bob Dole and his relationship with Kansas, but he had a bigger impact on people across the country, including his relationship with his wife, Elizabeth, and all the relationships there. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer), a former policy adviser for Senator Elizabeth Dole.

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I appreciate Mr. Meijer bringing that up. As we talk about different stories about Bob Dole, his time in the hospital, when he spent 39 months going through and recovering from his injuries, obviously there are some in-depth stories of his time there as well as others. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter.)

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 22) providing for the use of the catafalque situated in the Exhibition Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center in connection with memorial services to be conducted in the rotunda of the Capitol for the Honorable Robert Joseph Dole, a Senator from the State of Kansas, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise with my colleague from the Sunflower State to remember the life and legacy of a great American icon--a son of Kansas, World War II hero, and public servant, Senator Robert J. Dole. Most of us in this Chamber have memories of Senator Dole or have been inspired by his public service. His life is one that epitomizes the American spirit and is a guide for public servants and leaders regardless of party. Bob was born in rural America, a star athlete and on track to be a doctor when our Nation was thrust into war. He chose his country over himself, like so many young men did in the Greatest Generation, and it forever changed him. Upon his return, his body had been greatly damaged by the effects of war, but his resolve and love of country were only made stronger. Our Nation is better because of the contributions of Senator Bob Dole. Mr. Speaker, I ask that all Members rise for a moment of silence in remembrance of the life and legacy of Senator Bob Dole.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 23) authorizing the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for the lying in state of the remains of the Honorable Robert Joseph Dole, a Senator from the State of Kansas, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I send to the desk a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for hosting this Special Order. Madam Speaker, following the Biden administration's overreaching mandates, hundreds of Kansans have shared their concerns with me about how this would affect their jobs, livelihoods, and families. One vaccinated individual wrote saying, ``I would love for people to be vaccinated, but mandating a vaccination, and even worse, making the employers the enforcers, is yet another example of government pushing more onto the plates of business managers.'' Others tell me how they have been at the same company for decades, some near retirement and some who continue to work faithfully in person each day through the pandemic, especially our first responders and healthcare workers, yet they are being demoted or forced to retire or resign because they made some personal healthcare choices. One teacher wrote, ``My doctor and I discussed the vaccine and deemed it would not be good for me to get it. Madam Speaker, these Kansans aren't anti-vaccine, they just don't believe that the Federal Government should be forcing them and their neighbors to make a healthcare decision or lose a job. My colleagues and I are utilizing the Congressional Review Act to attempt to strike down one of these mandates, hopefully putting an end to this overreach by the administration and the Federal Government.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I was not present for rollcall Vote No. 359 on motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 1917 Hazard Eligibility and Local Projects Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 359. Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress Axne (Spanberger) Babin (Nehls) Bilirakis (Fleischmann) Boebert (Van Drew) Bowman (Tlaib) Cardenas (Gomez) Cawthorn (Nehls) Doggett (Raskin) Frankel, Lois (Clark (MA)) Gaetz (Greene (GA)) Gonzalez, Vicente (Gomez) Gosar (Greene (GA)) Jayapal (Pocan) Khanna (Auchincloss) Kirkpatrick (Stanton) Lawson (FL) (Evans) Long (McHenry) Meeks (Kelly (IL)) Meng (Jeffries) Payne (Pallone) Pingree (Kuster) Rush (Underwood) Sires (Pallone) Steube (Franklin, C. Scott) Strickland (Jeffries) Swalwell (Gomez) Waltz (Salazar) Wilson (FL) (Hayes)

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I was not Present for rollcall 348, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 3469, The Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2021. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 348.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I was not present for Roll call 313, on Motion to suspend the rules and pass The Surface Transportation Extension Act. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 313.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, today I would like to honor one of the finest men to ever come from the State of Kansas, Father Emil Joseph Kapaun, or Kapaun, as he is frequently referred to in Kansas. Father Kapaun, or Kapaun, who grew up on a farm in Kansas, was ordained as a priest for the Wichita Diocese on June 9, 1940. He went on to become a U.S. Army Chaplain during World War II and the Korean war with the rank of captain. Father Kapaun died in a North Korean prison camp on May 23, 1951, at the age of 35. In 35 short years, Father Kapaun sacrificed more and saved more lives and souls than many could ever hope to do in 100 years. Many around the world rightly celebrate the story of Father Kapaun, who is being considered for sainthood by the Catholic Church; a first for a native Kansan. His Medal of Honor citation gives a small glimpse at the deep reservoir of Father Kapaun's bravery and honor. It reads: Chaplain Kapaun calmly walked through withering enemy fire in order to provide comfort and medical aid to his comrades and rescue the wounded from no-man's-land. After the battle, when given the option to escape to safety with his unit, Father Kapaun volunteered to stay behind to care and minister to the wounded. He was subsequently captured by the Communists and taken to a prison camp where he was forced to march more than 60 miles in harsh weather. While in captivity, his frank, down-to-earth Kansas manner, along with the unassuming farm style and dry wit, made him the servant leader for all the POWs held by the Communists. Although greatly suffering himself, he always put his needs second to others. His strength and optimism allowed his fellow GIs to once again believe that they would one day return to freedom in America. We know that Father Kapaun suffered unthinkable cruelty at the hands of his prison guards who had a special hatred for Christians. But as the many stories attest, their rage and violence did not deter Father Kapaun in the slightest. One of his fellow prisoners wrote a letter upon returning from Korea, saying that, ``with his scraggly beard and his odd-looking woolen cap made of the sleeve of an old GI sweater, pulled down over his ears, he looked like any other half-starved prisoner. ``But there was something in his voice and bearing that was different--a dignity, a composure, a serenity that radiated from him like a light. Wherever he stood was holy ground, and the spirit within him a spirit of reverence and abiding faith went out to the silent, listening men and gave them hope and courage and a sense of peace. By his very presence, somehow, he could turn a stinking, louse-ridden mud hut, for a little while, into a cathedral.'' Another passage from that letter reads that, as Father Kapaun spoke, ``the agony in the garden, the road to Calvary, the Crucifixion, became very real to us, who ourselves lived daily under the threat of death, and who bore our own crosses of blows, and cold, and illness, and starvation. But Christ endured, he told us, and we, too, must endure, for the day of resurrection from the tomb of the prison camp would surely come.'' For generations, Father Kapaun has inspired hundreds around the world to greater faith and service through adversity. Today, I am proud that Father Kapaun has returned home to his native Kansas. He is truly an American hero of the first class.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to oppose this disastrous attempt to suspend the debt ceiling. For the past 9 months, the Democrat-led House has made spending trillions of dollars on Big Government socialist and Green New Deal programs their priority. They have done this while ignoring so many critical needs of our country, which has led to a crisis at our southern border, runaway inflation, rising crime, workforce shortages, and a disastrous retreat from Afghanistan. For the most part, my colleagues on the left have simply ignored these crises, while Republicans have introduced commonsense legislation and pushed the administration to answer for these very real and concerning issues. But today we are facing a crisis by their own creation that they cannot ignore: suspending the debt ceiling when we already have $28 trillion in debt. Some of my colleagues have even suggested that we should abandon the debt limit altogether, giving the Federal Government no safeguards to prevent ballooning debt and damaging the United States' credit rating. Families, farmers, businesses, and even State and local governments have to live within their means and make responsible financial decisions to be successful, but the attitude in Washington continues to pass on massive debt to future generations in exchange for our current lifestyle. But we aren't looking at this debt crisis in a vacuum. We could be voting on $5.5 trillion in more spending soon if Speaker Pelosi can pull together her caucus. Suspending the debt ceiling while also proposing trillions in new spending is reckless. Every American, adult and child, already bears the burden of about $85,000 each. Raising the debt ceiling is about future spending. An unlimited debt ceiling until December of 2022 would result in a massive increase in spending by the Democrats. The last debt ceiling increase covered all of the spending done during the Trump administration and for the first 7 months of the Biden administration. We can't just keep kicking the can down the road for future generations to figure out. We need to stop the reckless spending, taxing, and borrowing now. That is the best way to protect the full faith and credit of the United States.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I was not present for Roll Call vote No. 282 and vote No. 286, On Agreeing to the Amendment (Garamendi of California Part C Amendment No. 38 and Langevin of Rhode Island Part C Amendment No. 42). Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 282, and NAY on Roll Call No. 286.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 100th Anniversary of the Butler County Farm Bureau Association (BCFBA). Now, one hundred years later, BCFBA continues to offer advocacy, education, and service on behalf of those involved in an evolving food and agriculture system. Founded in 1921, BCFBA serves the agricultural and local communities by providing leadership on agriculture, natural resources, safe and nutritious food, educating school children about how and where food and fiber are grown, and informing legislators and the public on a broad spectrum of agriculture-related issues. The elected board of directors consists primarily of local farmers and ranchers who know how important it is to have the resources the Farm Bureau provides. Beyond their membership services, the Farm Bureau strives to educate the public about the vital role that farmers and ranchers play in feeding our country and the world. Butler County Farm Bureau's annual Farm to Fork and So Much More event allows people from all over Kansas to take educational tours of farms, ranches, orchards, wineries, and other agri-businesses while enjoying Butler County's beautiful Kansas scenery. This event, along with many other events the Farm Bureau offers throughout the year, highlights the connections between our lives and our state's agricultural community. As a result of their commitment, our fields grow richer, our abundance grows greater, and our country stands stronger. Please join me in congratulating the Butler County Farm Bureau Association on their centennial anniversary and wishing them continued success in serving Butler County for years to come.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 10th anniversary of the Wichita Brewing Company (WBC). Over the past decade, owners Jeremy Horn and Greg Gifford have built the brewery up from one location to a community icon serving over 17 different flavors of handcrafted beer at multiple locations here in Wichita. From humble beginnings, Jeremy and Greg have built WBC into a Kansas brand with two brew-pub locations, a wholesale production facility, and a 9,000 square-foot event venue. These locations provide Kansans of all walks of life a place to sit down and enjoy a pizza and a beer alongside their family, friends, and neighbors. Beyond its local reach, WBC has been recognized by The Brewers Association as one of the country's 50 fastest growing breweries, with deliveries to bars and liquor stores in Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Wyoming. WBC also took home a silver medal for one of its beers at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival, considered to be the Academy Awards of the craft beer industry, the most significant, most competitive, and most respected contest. More importantly, Jeremy, Greg, and the entire Wichita Brewing Family continue to give back to their community through the charitable events and fundraisers that they sponsor and host. For the past 5 years, WBC has organized a marathon through Wichita that has raised thousands of dollars for the Kansas Food Bank. Further, during the COVID-19 pandemic, WBC has made and provided no-cost hand sanitizer to first responders, law enforcement, and the Wichita Public Schools. Madam Speaker, I hope you will join me in honoring WBC on their 10th anniversary an wishing them further success.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, Byron Berline, a genius of bluegrass music, passed away on July 10, 2021, after a lifetime of sharing his amazing talent on the fiddle and mandolin with millions of people worldwide. Byron was born on July 6, 1944 in the small town of Caldwell in the 4th District of Kansas where he began to play the fiddle at age five. After serving his country in the U.S. Army, Byron quickly rose to musical fame, winning three national fiddle competitions and becoming a much sought-after recording artist, studio musician, member of the National Fiddler Hall of Fame, and frequent festival favorite. Berline performed with the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, John Denver, Willie Nelson, Elton John, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Bill Monroe, and many other notable and international musicians. His talent was also featured on TV and movie soundtracks including Back to the Future Part II and Star Trek, to name a few. Byron Berline's biggest fans were the thousands of people who attend the annual Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, where Byron was a favorite performer on stage and in the campgrounds. He leaves a legacy of five decades of live and recorded music and joyful memories for all those who were blessed to enjoy his gift of fiddling.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Mr. Speaker, we should be experiencing one of the greatest economic booms in our history as we emerge from COVID, yet prices are climbing, consumer sentiment is plunging, and there are more than nine million open jobs without workers to fill them. That is the most ever. In my State of Kansas, we have 3.6 jobs available for every job seeker. Subsidizing people not to work and spending without restraint is stalling out this recovery and causing inflation. In May, core inflation rose at its fastest pace since 1992. That is because Democrats' untargeted spending has acted like kindling for inflation. There is too much money chasing too few goods. Recent surveys show that 70 percent of Americans are concerned that President Biden's spending plans could lead to inflation. But if you have filled up your gas tank recently or entered a grocery store, you know that it is already there. Instead of working to quickly reopen and prioritize getting America back to work, upon entering office, President Biden took his eyes off the ball and squandered the recovery that President Trump had handed to him. In the first five months of 2021, the current administration has added 500,000 fewer jobs than the last 5 months of 2020. President Biden should be concerned about his economic crisis. Biden's slow-growth agenda calls for $6 trillion in government spending with $3 trillion in new taxes. That would crush small and midsized companies, resulting in far fewer jobs down the road. One of the most antigrowth policies in President Biden's agenda is his plan to revert America's business tax rate to one of the worst in the world again at 28 percent, a move that would return us to the old tax code that incentivized jobs to be shipped overseas. Biden's budget even acknowledges that a real recovery isn't their priority. It only forecasts a meager 2 percent GDP growth by 2023, with it dropping even lower until 2029. The American people should contrast Biden's tax-and-spend agenda with what Republicans have done and are fighting to do. In 2017, we put the American people first by passing a progrowth tax code while removing massive amounts of government regulation. That created an economic atmosphere that enabled wages to grow for historically disadvantaged workers, brought the unemployment rate down to the lowest in 50 years, and allowed more people to find jobs in America than at any point in our history. The income gap was even shrinking as lower income wages were increasing faster. We need to get back to that. It is not hard to see the impact that commonsense, progrowth policies can make. Our focus should be on filling available jobs and rebuilding our economy, not to line the pockets of progressive special interest groups with millions in Federal spending, as Biden's agenda would do. It is hard to ignore that, across the country today, the six States with the lowest unemployment rates all have Republican leadership. Mr. Speaker, President Biden and Speaker Pelosi need to prioritize economic recovery, not unrestrained government spending.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a voice for all Kansans, including those who have yet to be born. Kansans have long valued life. From our entry into the Union as a free State before the Civil War to the Summer of Mercy in Wichita, the Sunflower State has been a beacon of hope and freedom for those without a voice. In Congress, we should follow the lead of Kansans and recognize the intrinsic value of human life. Yet, the left continues to push radical and unscientific policies that end the lives of unborn babies. What is worse, they want to pay for their abortion-on-demand policies with your tax dollars, a provision that has wide, bipartisan opposition. New polling shows that 58 percent of voters and 65 percent of Independents oppose taxpayer-funded abortion. The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act is a no-brainer. Simply put, we need to save the Hyde amendment. It saved nearly 2.5 million lives. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 18, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I was not present for Roll Call vote No. 167 on Agreeing to the Amendment. Had I been present, I would have voted Yea.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy of a quintessential Kansas lawman, Vern Miller, who passed away at the age of 92. Mr. Miller's career in law enforcement spanned over 50 years with terms as Sedgwick County Sheriff, Sedgwick County District Attorney, and Kansas State Attorney General. A U.S. army veteran born and raised in Wichita, Mr. Miller's career in law enforcement began in 1948 when he started as a deputy for the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office, eventually serving three terms as Sheriff of Sedgwick County. While serving as Sheriff, Mr. Miller drove the 155 miles to Oklahoma City University to attend night classes, earning his law degree in 1966. After passing the bar exam, Mr. Miller was elected as Kansas Attorney General in 1970 and again in 1972, winning all 105 counties in the state. As Attorney General, Mr. Miller vigorously enforced the laws of Kansas, focusing on drug rings and illegal gambling cartels throughout the state. Mr. Miller was a dedicated public servant whose work ethic and devotion to the law and to his fellow Kansans will be deeply missed. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family during this most difficult time.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I thank the Republican Study Committee for hosting this Special Order hour. Today, our Nation's debt is more than $28 trillion. With a number that large, it is hard to really understand how much taxpayer money we are really talking about. Well, $28 trillion is $1 million 28 million times. Or another way to think about it is it is 28 with 12 zeros behind it. Spending far beyond our means and watching the debt clock grow astronomically higher has real implications for the future of our country and for our citizens. While many out there would like to believe that we can go on spending without some sort of restraint and it doesn't have any consequences, common sense tells us that is not true. Because of overspending, the debt held by Americans has already eclipsed the size of our economy and will top 200 percent of the GDP by 2051. Every American, adult and child, bears a burden of more than $85,000. The problem is so stark that our country spends about $800 million per day on interest payments alone. The net interest costs for taxpayers financing this debt will skyrocket from 1.4 percent of GDP, about $300 billion this year, to 8.6 percent of GDP. That would be more than 2\1/2\ times higher than what the U.S. currently spends on defense as a percent of our GDP. Another way to look at this problem is through the lens of any family budget and take away some zeros. Let's say in 2020 an individual made $34,000. That same person spent $65,000, meaning they spent $31,000 they didn't have. And they also had a credit card with $280,000 already on it and growing. This would clearly be absurd and unsustainable, yet somehow that is how the Federal Government operates. Madam Speaker, American families understand that we should tackle the spending problem first and live within our means. This has to be the focus of our body. It is our duty and our responsibility to those we represent. We have got to tackle the out-of-control spending before it brings down this great Nation. We need to stop mortgaging our grandkids' future just to sustain and spend our lifestyle today. Madam Speaker, we need to do the hard work now to address our spending, balance the budget, and fiscally secure our Nation for future generations. Our constituents deserve it.

Mr. ESTES

Mr. ESTES. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, Congressman Mike Bost, for hosting this very important Special Order hour. Today, we are more than a year out from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are also 5 months out from when the first dose of vaccine was administered. Defeating the virus through a safe and effective vaccine has been critical in reopening our country and our schools and getting Americans back to work. But the recent partisan policies of the left discourage work and create an employment gap in the country. I hear about this regularly in my district in Kansas. Small businesses, who were hit hard by the pandemic, were forced to shut down, had stay-at-home orders, and are now struggling to find workers to get back reopened. One of those small business owners, Jessie Sterling, shared with me her experience of struggling to have full employment while she raises her young children, something that was much more difficult when the schools were closed. While her business has seen customers return, many of her employees have not. Unfortunately, most of Jessie's employees opted to stay home and collect expanded unemployment benefits rather than return to the workforce. The additional $300 means that most of the part-time employees are now making more on unemployment than they were making at their job. While Jessie is responsible for the education and care of her children, she now has the additional stress of picking up extra shifts to cover for the employees who aren't coming back. But it doesn't have to be this way. We need to shift our focus from the early days of the pandemic, when it made sense to expand these unemployment programs, to encouraging a return to work. Just yesterday, our neighboring State of Missouri opted out of the enhanced unemployment benefits, a move that will help encourage work and a return to normalcy. Today, my colleagues, Congressmen Tracey Mann and Jake LaTurner, called on Kansas Governor Kelly to do the same thing. Our American spirit is built on resilience, hard work, and ingenuity. We have had many struggles over the past year, but our history has shown us that we will overcome, not through a heavy reliance on a big Federal Government, but a reliance on faith, on families, and our own work ethic. We need to encourage all Americans to pursue these ideals and get our economy back to work.