A. Ferguson

Mr. FERGUSON

Mr. FERGUSON. For just a minute.

Mr. FERGUSON. It seems to me that I voted on a lot more amendments last year than I have this year. We probably did have more closed bills, but we seemed to have a lot more legislative activity. It seemed to be a lot more productive. But anyway, Madam Speaker, another thing that is concerning to me is that I am disappointed about what has transpired in the House over the recent weeks. For the first time in 230 years, Members had to elect to come to D.C. to represent their constituents, but they no longer need to do that. Instead, they can now turn their voting cards over to another Member, including Speaker Pelosi, or any other Member, and have them vote in their place using this new proxy vote scheme. One thing that I am thankful for is that the covered period for this laid out by the Speaker comes to an end July Fourth, and we look forward to seeing all the Members come back to do their jobs. Since many States are fully reopened, and even here in D.C., phase 2 reopening is in its place, and you can go to restaurants and gyms. As a matter of fact, we can even now go to the House gym again. And most employees are returning to work. With that said, I would like to confirm with the gentleman that he does not plan to extend the July Fourth covered period and continue this absurd proxy voting scheme.

Mr. FERGUSON. Reclaiming my time for just a minute, sir, I would refer you to the special committee led by the gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Clyburn. And I would refer you to the data that is coming out of that committee that clearly indicates where those particular States are.

Mr. FERGUSON. And every one is a tragic loss.

Mr. FERGUSON. Madam Speaker, reclaiming my time, I am certainly glad to hear that my colleague from Maryland is truly committed to making sure that every single American stays as safe as they possibly can. When those incidents occurred where rules were violated, regulations were disregarded, there was, in fact, harm caused to our fellow Americans. I tell my friend I am glad to know he is as committed to getting to the bottom of that as well, because I believe he is a man of honor and integrity. I believe his commitment to lead it to going to where the data and facts are, I tell my friend I am awfully glad to hear that.

Mr. FERGUSON. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. FERGUSON. Oh, Madam Speaker, not only is there an expectation, there is gratitude for the work that the President and the administration have done to get information out, to expand testing, to go out to make sure that the resources were delivered to our colleagues in the great State of New York, resources there to build extra hospital beds that nursing home patients could have gone to but, unfortunately, were sent back to their nursing homes. Yes, I am grateful not only for his commitment to America, but I am grateful for the fact that he has helped lead this country and will continue to lead this country back. So, yes, we should all expect a lot of ourselves. We should be committed to the greatness of this country, as I know that we all are. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FERGUSON. Well, certainly, we want to be safe and thoughtful about what we do. But I think America--I think we have done an excellent job of what we set out to do, which was not to stop the spread of this virus, but it was to slow the spread of the virus. Not a single one of us, not a single person in America, wanted to see one of our fellow Americans suffer because there was no room for them in a healthcare facility where they needed it. And I think that we have done that. I think America has shown that they have had the discipline to say at home and to bend the infection rate curve down. So, sure, there will be more Americans that contract COVID. But thank goodness that our healthcare system is strong enough and intact that we have the capacity to take care of the most vulnerable. Speaking of that, I think, as I have watched a lot of the news, a lot of the data, I am very, very, very concerned about the most vulnerable in our Nation. I think one of the most horrific things that has happened seems to be the blatant disregard for rules from CDC and CMS by some Governors, where they returned COVID-positive patients to the nursing homes, where they were able to infect the most vulnerable. So, I would ask the majority leader, do you think that there will be legislation considering how to protect our patients in nursing homes and also to really hold those accountable that violated the rules and were reckless with our fellow Americans' lives?

Mr. FERGUSON. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. FERGUSON

Mr. FERGUSON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, here we go again. Once again you are about to do what America doesn't want. We just came from our districts where we have been solving problems with our constituents, helping them through a very, very difficult time, working to make sure that they had funding through the PPP loan program, working to make sure that our hospitals had the supplies that they needed. I hoped there would be a sense of cooperation and shared stories of good things that were going on back in our district, despite the hard times. I had hoped that those commonalities from all congressional districts could be the shared stories that we built a new sense of cooperation on. But, no. You all seem to be like a bird dog pointing at a quail. You just can't help yourselves. First of all, you had Russia, then impeachment, and now the coronavirus. You just can't do it. And you will say--I have heard it already--that this will not be partisan, that this is needed work. Needed more than eight committees that are already out there? Well, I can tell you this will be partisan, being led by an individual who is the Democratic nominee's number one supporter. And I will tell you this: I am willing to bet just about everything I have got that this will be nothing more than a partisan hack job; and if it is not, I will be the first one to apologize and happy to buy the Speaker a pint of her favorite ice cream.

Mr. FERGUSON

Mr. FERGUSON. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the legislation. This is important for our communities and our small businesses back home. We are in a real battle. On one front, we have our incredible healthcare workers, our frontline healthcare workers, our first responders, and hospital administrators that are fighting out there. And those heroes, we owe a debt of gratitude. This bill will provide important resources, particularly for our rural hospitals. But there is an economic disaster as well. And I would like to say thank you to another group of unexpected heroes that are out there working very, very hard every single day, and those are our community bankers in our small, rural communities. These bankers have been working long hours, helping the small business in their communities that they serve. And I will tell you, there are going to be a lot of stories that come out about good things and bad things that happen with this program, but I could not be more grateful for the men and women in our small community banks out there putting in long hours, long days, doing their dead-level best to help the communities that they serve. Madam Speaker, again, I ask that all colleagues support this legislation.

Mr. FERGUSON

Mr. FERGUSON. Madam Speaker, as we stand here today, I look at this bill with mixed emotions. Like the gentleman from New York, from the Ways and Means Committee, I, too, have a 16-year-old son, and we have had discussions about the youth vaping epidemic and a real desire to curb--not only curb, but to end youth vaping. It is a public health crisis, and we must address it. We have done some very important things in this body. I heard one speaker, a few minutes ago, say that the President has done nothing to address this issue. I think signing into law T21 is a very important piece of legislation and a very big step. Doing all that we can to end youth vaping and youth use of tobacco is important. As a healthcare provider for 25 years, I understand this. More importantly, as a father of a teenager, I understand it. I have learned in Congress that many times I don't get to vote on the bill that I want; I have to vote on the bill that is in front of me, and that is just the way it goes here. But I will tell you what. This bill makes it almost impossible--as a matter of fact, it makes it impossible to do the one thing that we all agree on, which is that we need to end youth vaping, because let me tell you what this bill does. It goes way beyond that. I would be willing to bet that most Americans in the districts of the sponsors of these bills don't know everything that these folks are about to vote on. I would be willing to bet, as they should, that they have communicated to the constituents back home that they are attacking youth vaping. That is a solid, solid thing to do. But what I bet that they haven't done is tell them what else they are about to do. The gentleman from Oregon, the ranking member on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, in the previous section of this debate held up a poster with many of the products that are about to be banned. I bet most Americans don't know that that is coming, and I think that they should know. I think it should be part of this discussion. I think it is outrageous that this body, once again, is going to try to tell the American people what they can have and what they can't have. They are not banning tobacco; they are only banning choices. They are not taxing high-end tobacco; they are taxing low-end tobacco. They are not taxing high-end cigars; they are taxing the cigars that the working class, the men and women out there that are on the lines every day, the ones that they are using. What I find that is just absolutely remarkable on this is that they are not even looking at this in a comprehensive fashion to deal with another important part of vaping, and that is with marijuana and vitamin E acetate. I think that if we are going to go down this road and have the discussion about youth vaping, why are we not including flavored marijuana in this bill? It is a real question. Look at where the lung damage is occurring--not the addiction, but let's look at where the actual tissue damage occurs. It is coming from the vitamin E acetate that is associated with THC in these pods, and yet we are not touching that piece of it. As a matter of fact, the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, in the Rules Committee the other night, actually indicated that this was not necessarily a youth vaping bill but, in fact, a tobacco bill. Well, I was proud that he, at least at that point, told the truth on that part.

Mr. FERGUSON. Again, what this bill does is it goes after Americans' choice. You may not think that they should use tobacco--we can acknowledge the health risk associated with it--but it is not Congress' job to make that decision for adults, for the American voter. We have seen a consistent pattern of this. We have seen it time and time again, whether it was from a mayor in a large city like New York telling Americans what size Coke or soft drink they could have to something as outrageous as my friends on the other side of the aisle trying to tell the American voter who the President should be through the impeachment process. Now they are going to tell them what kind of tobacco they can use. It goes on and on and on and on. And do you know what? If we continue down this path, it really does start to look and smell and sound just like socialism. I don't think that is right for this country, and we should fight back against it.

Mr. FERGUSON

Mr. FERGUSON. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on roll call No. 3.

Mr. FERGUSON

Mr. FERGUSON. Madam Speaker, well, here we are, on the verge of doing exactly what America doesn't want us to do and what they feared that you would do. In 2016, I, along with 63 million American voters representing 304 electoral college votes, went to the polls, and we raised our collective political middle finger to D.C. and voted for Donald Trump, folks like my father, who watched this place destroy his profession of community banking; my friends and family in the textile industry who saw their way of life destroyed following NAFTA; Americans in rural areas whose opportunity and life and voice have been drowned out by the screams of socialist Democrats; our friends and neighbors living in poverty and crime, broken-down, project-based public housing, who for generations have been told by this place: ``This is the best that we think you can do. Here is your check. God bless you. Now, move along.'' Those voters. Now you want to remove our voice from office. Well, our voice will be heard. I stand here determined to make sure that it will be because we will fight back against this corrupt and unfair impeachment process. How dare you, the liberal elites, the condescending bureaucrats, and every other kind of swamp critter in this godforsaken place tell the American public who the President should be. That is the job of the American voter, not yours. This whole flipping rodeo is a sham and a shame, and it will not be forgotten.

Mr. FERGUSON

Mr. FERGUSON. Senator Isakson--that feels a little formal saying it. Johnny, as a constituent, is how I know you. I want to thank you so much for your dedicated service to our State. As others have talked about their first meeting with you, I remember mine fondly. Not unlike my colleague, Mr. Graves, it was at the University of Georgia. I was a freshman, sitting on the steps of a fraternity house, completely clueless about the world, not having an understanding, self-absorbed. I remember sitting on the steps as you came--I had no idea who you were--and you talked to us about a brighter future. You talked to us about what it meant to be a Georgian. I remember, when you left, thinking two things from that moment, the first is: That is maybe the nicest person that I have ever heard from in my entire life. Secondly, I was pretty touched that someone was looking out for my future that didn't even know me. Over the years as I watched you and began to follow you, I saw that play out firsthand. I saw how important the State of Georgia was to you, and what made it important was the millions of Georgians that you love and care about; the ones that you don't know; the ones that you do know; and the ones that are yet to come. Your unwavering commitment to make our State and this Nation a better place for all of us is something that can never be forgotten. You have set a standard for being a gentleman and a statesman that we should all follow. It is pretty remarkable that we, as the Georgia delegation, are getting to sit here today and not only speak to you, but our dear colleague, John Lewis, as well. Because many of those same things that we say about you, we have to say about our colleague, Mr. Lewis. There is a genuine love for our Georgians, a sense of decency, a sense of optimism, the desire for a bright future. All of those things come through, not just in your words, but in your actions. I want to thank you for your 40 years of service to making our lives better. I am not exactly sure what piece of legislation you took up shortly after you met me, and I had the chance to meet you and heard from you on the steps of a fraternity house in Athens, Georgia, but I feel confident that whatever it was, it made my life better many years later. I thank the gentleman for that. We ask that God continue to bless you and Dianne and know that we owe you a debt of gratitude that we will never be able to repay. Thank you and God bless you.

Mr. FERGUSON

Mr. FERGUSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. George Dillard, whose leadership and guidance have made him a valuable member of our Peachtree City community in the Third District of Georgia. This is the second time that Dr. Dillard has joined me here in the Nation's Capitol to pray for the Members of the House of Representatives, and we are extremely grateful that he did just that. George has been a vitally important part of the Third District for over 25 years since he and his family moved to Peachtree City to serve at the Peachtree City Christian Church, where he still serves to this day. George has been married to his wife, Renee, since 1988. They have three children and one grandchild. George and his family live in Peachtree City, Georgia. I commend Dr. Dillard for his commitment to our community and Nation. There is not a week that goes by where George isn't a visible and welcoming part of the Fayette County community. The grace and love he has shown to his parishioners and his neighbors throughout his 24 years in Peachtree City are unparalleled, and I am truly honored to have Dr. Dillard here with me today as he prays for our Nation.

Mr. FERGUSON

Mr. FERGUSON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 962, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. FERGUSON. Madam Speaker, if this unanimous consent cannot be entertained at this time, I encourage the Speaker and the majority leader to schedule immediate time for consideration of the Born-Alive bill so that we can stand up and protect the sanctity of life.

Mr. FERGUSON

Mr. FERGUSON. Madam Chair, on roll call no. 380, I mistakenly voted ``yes'' when I intended to vote ``no.'' Amendment No. 135 Offered by Mr. Duncan

Mr. FERGUSON

Mr. FERGUSON. Madam Chair, I mistakenly voted nay, when I meant to vote yea on Amendment No. 16, Roll Call No. 262. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 262. Amendment No. 17 Offered by Danny K. Davis of Illinois

Mr. FERGUSON

Mr. FERGUSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Benny Tate, whose leadership and guidance have made him an incredibly valuable member of his community in Milner, Georgia, and our Third District. Dr. Tate has been the senior pastor of Rock Springs Church in Milner for over 25 years. In that time, when it started as a church of just 60, it has now grown to a church of over 6,000. Through this work, Dr. Tate has also shepherded the creation of several ministries, including the Rock Springs Medical Clinic, the Rock Springs Christian Academy, the Potter's House for Women, and Impact Christian Ministries for the homeless. Benny has been married to his wife, Barbara, for over 30 years, and they have one daughter, Savannah Abigail, who is here with him today. I want to commend Dr. Tate for his commitment to our community. There is not a week that goes by where he isn't a welcoming part of the Third District of Georgia. The grace and love he has shown to his parishioners and neighbors throughout his 25 years in Milner is unparalleled, and I am truly honored to have Dr. Benny Tate here with us today.

Mr. FERGUSON

Mr. FERGUSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the passing of Mr. Dale Freeman. Mr. Dale Freeman was, simply put, the best teacher I ever had at any level of education. More than any other instructor, he taught me how to think independently and creatively. He taught me how to be disciplined in the basic foundations of writing and critical thinking. Having a solid foundation is essential to creativity because it provides a place to return to after exploring new ideas. Mr. Freeman truly loved learning and teaching. He cared deeply about his students and made them better equipped to handle the world around them. In fact, his work with students has given them the tools to shape the world around them. He was a compassionate person and I am grateful to have had him as an instructor. As we mark his passing here today, I wish his family healing in this season of loss

Mr. FERGUSON

Mr. FERGUSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the career of Mr. Dale Freeman. Mr. Dale Freeman was simply the best teacher I had at any level of education. More than any other instructor, he taught me how to think independently and creatively. He taught me how to be disciplined in the basic foundations of writing and critical thinking. Having a solid foundation is essential to creativity because it provides a place to return to after exploring new ideas. Mr. Freeman truly loves learning and teaching. He cares deeply about his students and made them better equipped to handle the world around them. In fact, his work with students has given them the tools to shape the world around them. He is a compassionate person and I am so proud to have had him as an instructor.

Mr. FERGUSON

Mr. FERGUSON. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.