Michelle Fischbach

Mrs. FISCHBACH

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. FISCHBACH

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from the Rules Committee, the Representative from California, for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule, a continuation of the Democrats' weeks-long partisan push to fulfill their partisan wish list. First up is H.R. 1620, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, which is a highly divisive distortion of the original Violence Against Women Act, that will jeopardize the safety of women. By extending services to men who identify as women and allowing them to utilize programs that were designed to protect vulnerable women, the bill puts the safety of women at risk. The bill expands the definition of domestic violence to include economic and emotional duress, driving needed resources away from combatting violent crimes against women and promoting an unproven restorative justice approach instead. Democrats have told us again and again that it is time to rethink our approach to law enforcement. But the same Democrats who want to defund the police are now pushing this unfunded mandate, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, upon law enforcement. That doesn't help anyone. Next is H.J. Res. 17, which removes the established deadline for the ratification of the equal rights amendment. As the deadline for States to ratify the ERA has long passed, the constitutionality of this legislation is suspect, at best. Congress does not have the authority to simply extend the deadline some four decades later. I also have concerns about this amendment radicalizing gender to enshrine pro-abortion rights in the Constitution. I do not need a constitutional amendment to tell me I am equal. The Constitution and Federal law already require equal protection for all Americans. If my colleagues on the other side were serious about the equal rights amendment, they would ensure that the process for adoption was done entirely by the book, rather than saying ``good enough,'' as they move forward in this questionable manner. Next, H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021, will provide amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, incentivize illegal border crossings, and worsen the surge of illegal immigration we are currently seeing. The bill will provide green cards to criminal aliens at a time when the southern border is already overwhelmed, costing taxpayers hundreds of billions more. H.R. 1868 addresses the very real budgetary consequences of last week's massive partisan spending package being signed into law. While we can all agree that we should avoid cuts to mandatory spending that have been automatically triggered by this level of spending, there was an opportunity to work across the aisle on a bipartisan solution. It is unfortunate that the majority has chosen, once again, to forge ahead on their own with highly partisan policies. For these reasons, Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to think twice before supporting this rule. We can do better for the American people. Finally, I want to address H.R. 1603, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a bipartisan effort to reform our agricultural worker programs to address the workforce needs of our agricultural community. While I appreciate the efforts of my colleagues, including my colleague from the State of Washington, Congressman Newhouse, and others on both sides of the aisle to negotiate in good faith on this legislation, I will point out that this bill is not without its flaws. It does not address the already high cost of the H-2A program to make it a more economical solution to producers. It introduces a new private right of action against employers that risks costly litigation that our producers cannot afford. These types of issues are why stakeholders, such as the American Farm Bureau, have concerns with this legislation. Make no mistake, a viable workforce for our agriculture industry is a national security issue. However, I would like my colleagues to recognize that, with the current language, this bill is not the end-all and be-all solution for our farmers and ranchers. While this legislation may pass the full floor this week as it stands, I hope our counterparts in the other body improve the bill before it is sent to the President. Madam Speaker, I urge opposition to this rule, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Herrell).

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, in closing, there is a crisis at our border. Whether the Democrats acknowledge it or not, our border patrol agents are overwhelmed, detention facilities are way over capacity, and COVID-19 is spreading unchecked throughout. This puts the health of both individuals detained and the border agents at risk. We currently require a negative COVID test to travel in the U.S. So why should the southern border be any different? The border crisis is a direct result of the administration's lax immigration policy, and it is putting our communities at further risk of contracting COVID-19. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question, and a ``no'' vote on the underlying measure. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko).

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), the ranking member of the Rules Committee.

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Reschenthaler), my good friend and another colleague from the Rules Committee.

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner).

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. If we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to provide for consideration of Congresswoman Miller-Meeks' H.R. 1897, the REACT Act. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record, along with extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks) to speak further on the amendment.

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko).

Mrs. FISCHBACH

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mrs. FISCHBACH

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Texas an additional 15 seconds.

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from the Ninth District of Georgia (Mr. Clyde).

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Harshbarger).

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from the Third District of Florida (Mrs. Cammack).

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from California for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I am also happy to see him back doing well. I appreciate that, and that we are here in the Chamber together. Madam Speaker, we are here considering the rule for three controversial, divisive bills being moved forward by the majority with very little input from Republicans or the millions of Americans these bills will affect. Two of these bills are highly controversial gun control bills that undermine the constitutional right to bear arms. H.R. 8, the so-called universal background check bill, would criminalize the private transfer of firearms. Combined with the restrictions already placed on private transfers during the pandemic, this makes it impossible for law-abiding gun owners to acquire or even borrow or lend firearms. Universal background checks do not stop criminals. In fact, the majority of the criminals in State and Federal prisons who used a firearm during their offense got that firearm by stealing it, taking it from a family member or friend, or just an underground market. In 2013, the Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice researched universal background checks and determined that they would not be effective without additional restrictions on firearms. The other gun control bill, the Charleston loophole bill, would permit the Federal Government to delay a firearm transfer indefinitely without any proof that the person is ineligible to possess a firearm. This bill undermines the ability for Americans to legally purchase a firearm, as it subjects firearm dealers to the mercy of the Federal bureaucracy. Before we jump straight to this kind of constitutional overreach, it is important to remember that gun control legislation isn't going to stop criminals from gaining access to guns. In the rural district I represent, many of my constituents are hunters, sportsmen, and law-abiding gun owners who utilize their Second Amendment rights. These bills undermine their ability to do so, and flies in the face of unity that has been promised by the President and Democrats. Lastly, we are considering a bill that amounts to a union boss wish list that the majority is pushing, circumventing regular order and without input from the minority. Madam Speaker, labor law must strike a balance--a careful balance between labor unions' rights to organize and employers' abilities to respond to these efforts. However, the PRO Act, a monumental rewrite of Federal labor law, will massively tip the scales in favor of unions, leaving employers and small businesses with massive costs and burdensome or vague legal standards. Among the most egregious, a section of this bill is applying a one- size-fits-all standard for union contracts, rendering the franchise industry completely unviable by imposing a burdensome joint-employer Obama rule and requiring the disclosure of private information of employees to union organizers without their consent. My great home State has a proud history of supporting organized labor, and I support employees' right to collective bargaining. However, this legislation before us today represents a misguided and unbalanced approached to labor law. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to think twice before supporting these bills that could permanently alter our job market and threaten our constitutional rights. I urge opposition to this rule, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, the Centers for Disease Control has indicated schools can operate safely with students in the classroom, yet many schools across the country remain closed. President Biden has chosen to side with political allies and big labor groups over scientists, and our students are being denied their right to a good education as a result. Kids need to be in school, and we should follow the science and reopen the schools for in-person instruction now. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``no'' on the previous question and ``no'' on the underlying measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from the 26th District of Texas (Mr. Burgess), who is another one of my colleagues on the Rules Committee.

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to provide for consideration of Congresswoman Hinson's bill, H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record, along with extraneous materials, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act, provides a safe and responsible path forward to reopen our schools and to get our students back in the classroom. To speak further on the bill, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Hinson), my colleague.