Clay Higgins

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for engaging in this debate today. Mr. Speaker, there is a higher authority than the law of man. Above the Speaker's podium are the words, in this great Chamber, ``In God we trust.'' Do we? Do we recognize that the Biblical record is replete with the violence of man? Shall my colleagues on the other side of the aisle admit that law designed to restrict Second Amendment rights and freedoms are but a veil to conceal the violence of man born since Adam? The firstborn son of Adam killed his brother in a violent rage. I am rather certain he did not use a firearm. The Second Amendment protections that we have as American citizens shall not be infringed. Remember these words and that they are born of a nation that recognized our service to our Lord.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I am going to attempt to address the hearts and minds of some of my dear friends across the aisle, and I do have friends: I respect you, I love you, and I admire you. I recognize that we have all lived different lives, but let me clarify that I have a very personal knowledge of the way the street works. Criminals are not going to follow these laws. Madam Speaker, you are talking about 10 days--I can have a 10-minute override from right here and bring you back an illegal gun. Do you want one? A couple of hundred bucks, Madam Speaker, I can get you one. Madam Speaker, it is not intellectually sound to actually believe in your heart that restricting the Second Amendment rights and freedoms to purchase, own, and bear firearms of Americans that will follow the laws you intend to pass is going to impact the decisions that are made by criminals on the streets. It is just not reality. This realm is bizarre. Americans are watching this right now. They get it. They know the criminals are not going to follow the law. This is not going to impact the criminal realm. We have deterioration of our society because of the failure to embrace core principles and American family values. This is what has happened over the course of a generation on my watch. I am 59. This has happened to America as I have matured. I am concerned about the future, but I am certainly recognizing the core freedoms and principled protections of the constitutional rights of my children and grandchildren. We must not allow that to be deteriorated under the guise of protecting our citizens from crime. Criminals are not going to recognize these laws.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, let's save a life. I am going to share with my colleagues an actual story going on right now, because my citizens have my phone number. I have had the same phone number since 2004. They know they can reach out to me for help. A young lady, right now, whose property, her yard, her garage, has been invaded night after night after night by a strange man. He moves fast. She is a single mom, a 30-year-old woman, hardworking woman, American. Many, many years ago, she pled guilty to a minor drug charge. It is still on her record. She can't buy a gun, but, by God, she is going to get one. She is going to get one illegally to defend herself and her young child. Your bill would make this story commonplace from sea to shining sea. I beg for you to stand for the people who we serve and recognize what you are attempting to do.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, electronic vote not cast. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. En Bloc No. 1.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, Congressman-elect Luke Letlow was called home far too soon. He was a friend and we were looking forward to working together here in the people's House. His passing was so sudden and unexpected that it caused many of us-- it certainly caused me to reflect upon my life and to be renewed in my determination to serve the people and to become a better man every day, because that is the kind of spirit that Luke delivered to the world. He was a charming and brilliant man with a beautiful smile, a wonderful spirit, a compassionate man, driven to serve. I had the opportunity to break bread with Julia, Luke's wife, last week, and I saw in speaking to her that Luke lives in the light in her eye, in her children, and everyone that Luke touched during the course of his life. So I am prayerful that this child of God's presence will be felt, that Representative-elect Luke Letlow's service will, indeed, be felt within this Chamber, if we can just take a moment to seek that guidance that he clearly pursued and listened to during the course of his life. He brought that to those that he worked with and the citizens that he served. So I thank my colleagues for arranging this Special Order tonight.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the objection.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, my, my, my. Let us take a deep breath, shall we? Madam Speaker, the cornerstone of the strength of our American Republic is not only the peaceful transition of power; it is the peaceful transition of a lawful power. It is within the parameters of our oath, indeed, is our duty to inquire if we suspect that perhaps our elections have been compromised. Much has been said about what we do not know. What we do not know calls for investigation. What we do know is that, in the disputed States, Governors, secretaries of state, or local election commissions acted in violation of the Election Clause of the U.S. Constitution, wherein State legislatures are granted the sole authority to determine how Presidential electors are appointed. It is that simple. State executive officials usurped the constitutionally vested authority of State legislatures within several of the sovereign States. Now, why we are involved in Congress? Because the Founders gave us a narrow role. If we suspect that an election was compromised in a sovereign State, then we have a role in the seating of those electors and the counting. America is not a confederacy of States. We are a union of States. We are a representative republic. Therefore, each sovereign State has a deep obligation to follow the writ of its own election law during a Federal election. We would not be having this conversation if our objections were solely rested upon the elections of sovereign State Governors or State senators and representatives. It is a Federal election for the President and Vice President of the United States. We certainly have a role, and we should investigate and support that role. Madam Speaker, America is an anointed nation, born of imperfect men driven by perfect intent. May we be worthy of what it is to be an American, what it is to be a representative of the American people. May I ask, may we seek the quiet whisper of God's own voice within us. And I ask my colleagues to consider supporting this objection. I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van Drew).

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues in Congress should provide, as I was saying, every necessary Federal resource. We must do everything in our power to ensure that southwest Louisiana is not forgotten as we work through the long and difficult recovery. I have seen firsthand the best of Louisiana, neighbors helping neighbors, communities coming together to rebuild and recover. It is what Louisiana does. We stand back up. Our people are resilient. We will rebuild. Louisiana, stand strong. You are not alone. You are loved. You are respected. You will never be forgotten. We stand with you as one through this recovery. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Incredibly powerful winds, good sir. Yes, sir.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. I thank my friend, the gentleman, for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today simply to remind America of southwest Louisiana's plight in the wake of Hurricane Laura. While the national media and much of America has moved on, I will not allow the people of Louisiana to be forgotten here in Congress. Just 2 weeks ago, my district witnessed the most powerful hurricane in our State's modern history, sustained winds above 150-miles-per- hour, a storm surge over 10 feet, a catastrophic loss across much of the State. Thousands of families have been displaced. Many are still without power, without water, without access to the internet, without sanitation. Virtually all infrastructure, public and private, was heavily damaged. Behind me are images from my district. These are not isolated examples. This is every street, every neighborhood, and every business across two entire parishes of southwest Louisiana and beyond. I am grateful to President Trump for his quick response. He was on the ground just as soon as we could safely land Air Force One. I am grateful for his response and his strong commitment. I am so thankful for the outpouring of support from faith-based and charitable organizations and from the countless first responders and volunteers who are working tirelessly to help Louisiana recover.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I thank you, Mr. Speaker, for recognizing me. My friend and colleague is discussing the deterioration of traditional American values in our Nation this evening, and I think it is appropriate that we as a nation take pause and reflect upon our own lives, our own families and our histories, the traditions and cultures which we represent, the men and women we strive to be as we seek, from bended knee, the very deepest part of ourselves, the whisper of our Lord Himself within us, His spirit that dwells there, to seek perhaps the best part of us, the undiscovered and sometimes difficult-to- recognize truth that He has placed within our breast. During the course of my life--I am 59 years old. I was born in 1961, the seventh of eight children. I have witnessed the deterioration of traditional American values. As a failed and fallen man, arisen myself, redeemed by the blood of our Lord and savior, I have contributed to the demise and deterioration of our society in my small part. I struggle as a man. Our journey, if you will, is to recognize that we are imperfect and to seek that perfection, for our Nation itself was founded by imperfect men who were driven by perfect intent. The founding words of our original documents include, ``in order to form a more perfect Union.'' This is a very humble statement by men of wisdom and great stature of spirit. ``In order to form a more perfect Union'' are words that recognize that we are imperfect men. Therefore, during this time, this era of turmoil and tribulation and violence and mob rule, great division--included amongst that division is this Chamber--I think it is appropriate that my friend, that my brother brings this to the focus of the Nation today. Growing up in high school in the seventies, attended high school in the seventies, every vehicle in the parking lot, a country school, had a rifle or a shotgun in the back glass, maybe a pistol under the seat, maybe all three. We didn't have school shootings. When I began college in 1979 at LSU, I began to work my way through college as a carpenter. The company I worked for, we did historical renovations. In order to qualify, Mr. Speaker and my friend, for the historical plaque for that renovation, a certain process had to be followed. We had to determine the original structure of that residence. You could tell by the nature of the cut, whether it was a power cut or hand cut, how old it was; and with careful review and knowledgeable eyes, you knew exactly how that home was originally built. This is what fascinated me as a young man beginning college and working hard with my hands with the skills my father had taught me. Do you know what these houses built 100 years ago in the middle of a large city, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, do you know what they didn't have, Mr. Speaker and my friend? I will answer that question to observe the rules of the House. Do you know what those houses did not have 100 years ago? Locks. They had no locks. Now, Mr. Speaker, I ask us all to reflect on what happened to that country. What happened to the country that was bequeathed unto us, a country where the parking lots of high schools were filled with vehicles with weapons and we had no school shootings, a country where homes were built in cities with no locks? What happened to that country? I am prayerful that the answer to what happened to that country lies, as it always has, deep within us as men and women, as children of God. And we must seek, as a nation and within this Chamber, by this body, we must seek the guidance of our savior, His whisper deep to guide us through these troubling times. I am thankful for men and leaders like my friend Representative Arrington, who has, by the grace of God, brought this topic to the floor today, and I am humbled that he would allow me to rise unscripted and address my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and the American people, whom I love. Let us return to the civility, love, and respect that founded our Nation, for therein is born courage and the will to move forward through any challenge.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, regrettably, I was absent due to a family medical concern. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 23; YEA on Roll Call No. 24; NAY on Roll Call No. 25; NAY on Roll Call No. 26; YEA on Roll Call No. 27; NAY on Roll Call No. 28; NAY on Roll Call No. 29; YEA on Roll Call No. 30; NAY on Roll Call No. 31; YEA on Roll Call No. 32; NAY on Roll Call No. 33; and NAY on Roll Call No. 34.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I have descended into the belly of the beast. I have witnessed the terror within, and I rise committed to oppose the insidious forces which threaten our Republic. America is being severely injured by this betrayal, by this unjust and weaponized impeachment brought upon us by the same Socialists who threaten unborn life in the womb, who threaten First Amendment rights of conservatives, who threaten Second Amendment protections of every American patriot, and who have long ago determined that they would organize and conspire to overthrow President Trump. We don't face this horror because the Democrats have all of a sudden become constitutionalists. We are not being devoured from within because of some surreal assertion of the Socialists' newfound love of the very flag that they have trod upon. We face this horror because of this map. This is what the Democrats fear. They fear the true will of we the people. They are deep establishment D.C. They fear what they call on this Republican map, flyover country. They call us deplorables. They fear our faith, they fear our strength, they fear our unity, they fear our vote, and they fear our President. We will never surrender our Nation to career establishment D.C. politicians and bureaucrats. Our Republic shall survive this threat from within. American patriots shall prevail.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3469, the Covert Testing and Risk Mitigation Improvement Act of 2019, sponsored by our late colleague, the greatly admired Elijah Cummings. H.R. 3469 responds to identified gaps in the covert testing conducted by the Transportation Security Administration on aviation security concerns. It is critical that our bipartisan congressional oversight be aimed at improving the security of the traveling public and the effectiveness of TSA operations. This legislation not only requires TSA to develop a system for conducting risk-informed covert tests but also holds TSA accountable for retesting and risk mitigation efforts. The traveling public deserves the most effective security, and I support the efforts of H.R. 3469 to improve the public's confidence in aviation security. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and honor the legacy of leadership left by Chairman Cummings. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I would like to make the congresswoman from New York, my colleague, aware that I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, U.S. Customs and Border Protection law enforcement officers are the first line of defense in preventing the illicit flow of drugs and contraband from entering our country. I walked the border with my brothers and sisters of the thin blue line, and I have seen what CBP is up against. I can tell you firsthand that our cartel adversaries are ruthless and steadfast in their determination to exploit our laws and poison our communities. Transnational drug traffickers operate like a business, always looking to capitalize on products high in demand and high with profit margin. Today, their focus is fentanyl, a drug 100 times more powerful than morphine. Just 2 milligrams are enough to be lethal. Fentanyl and its analogs are being produced mostly in China, but also increasingly in Mexico. Illicit opioids enter the United States through the mail, concealed within vehicles or cargo coming through the ports of entry, and in backpacks of cartel drug runners. Initially, Chinese drug traffickers were so confident that fentanyl would not be interdicted they sent stacks of it through the mail. The CBP improved, their targeting improved, and cartels were forced to change their approach, sending smaller quantities and rerouting packages through freight forwarders and other countries to mask their point of origin. The 2018 DEA threat assessment stated that the purity level of the fentanyl coming across the land border is, on average, less than 10 percent pure. However, a recent DHS Office of Inspector General report found that the CBP's small-scale chemical screening devices cannot identify fentanyl purity levels of 10 percent or less. This is crucial. The IG also found that there was no policy or centralized database in place to ensure chemical screening devices had up-to-date spectral libraries essential to ensuring all analogs and new opioid forms can be detected. That is why I am pleased to see the House take up my bill, H.R. 4761, the DHS Opioid Detection Resilience Act of 2019. My bill addresses the gaps in CBP's opioid detection capability by requiring the Customs and Border Protection commissioner to implement a strategy to ensure chemical screening devices can identify narcotics in an operational environment with low purity levels. H.R. 4761 also requires DHS to develop a centralized spectral database for chemical screening devices to ensure unity of effort across all components they encounter when opioids cross the field. CBP works tirelessly to prevent this poison from reaching American communities, and this bill helps law enforcement carry out that mission. I thank Congresswoman Clarke and Congressmen Rogers, McCaul, King, Rose, Katko, and Joyce for signing on as original cosponsors and for their support of this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I would like to make the gentlewoman aware that I have no further speakers and that I am prepared to close. I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 4739 because of the valuable impact it will have on Customs and Border Protection officer safety. The opioid epidemic continues to wreak havoc on communities across the Nation. It touches people from every age group, race, class, gender, and background. Parents are losing their children; children are losing their parents. It is devastating. Illegally manufactured opioids from China and Mexico are pouring into the United States through our mail system and across our borders. The first line of defense against these illicit substances is the brave men and women of Customs and Border Protection. They work tirelessly every day to protect us, and we must make sure they have the equipment and training they need to do it safely. The safe handling of opioids by CBP law enforcement officers is crucial, as just 2 milligrams can be lethal. H.R. 4739 requires the Commissioner of CBP to establish and regularly update a policy for the safe handling of synthetic opioids by officers, agents, canines, and other personnel. The bill also requires that protective equipment and opioid receptor antagonists be made available for all relevant CBP employees and canines. When it comes to officer safety, we should never consider ourselves too careful. Mr. Speaker, I would like to make the Congresswoman aware that I have no further speakers on this bill, and I am prepared to close. I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4727, the Department of Homeland Security Mentor-Protege Program Act of 2019. The Department of Homeland Security has an important mission to protect this Nation, but they cannot do it on their own. For many functions, DHS relies on contractors to get the job done. H.R. 4727 would expand the contractor pool that DHS relies on by creating a mentor-protege program to help small businesses grow their technical capabilities. I support the legislation and the creation of this program at DHS, modeled after a similar one at the Department of Defense. Under the program, larger contractors would develop agreements with smaller firms to provide assistance and to potentially involve the smaller firm in DHS contracts at a subcontractor level. To provide transparency into this program, the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization will report annually to Congress. This will allow us to evaluate the benefit of this program and its progress in developing the contractor base. I would like to thank Representative McEachin for introducing H.R. 4727 and for his work to grow the capability of small businesses that contract for the DHS. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I do urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3318, the Emerging Transportation Security Threats Act of 2019, sponsored by my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce). This legislation establishes a task force aimed at improving the security of the traveling public by bringing together relevant Federal authorities and transportation security stakeholders. The task force established by this legislation will look at emerging and potential future threats to transportation security from a number of threat vectors, including cybersecurity, explosives, public area security, and evolving terrorist attacks. This bill also directs the Administrator of the TSA to develop relevant threat mitigation plans in close coordination with transportation security stakeholders and appropriate Federal agencies. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for his leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce).

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 4713, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Authorization Act. Mr. Speaker, this legislation will give the Department of Homeland Security Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties more tools to conduct its investigations. The bill does not significantly broaden the authority of CRCL; it is intended to grant CRCL the authorities necessary to conduct meaningful inquiries into allegations of abuse of civil rights and civil liberties within DHS. The bill specifically outlines mechanisms to ensure that there is coordination with other entities at DHS who conduct investigations of violations of civil rights. DHS already has numerous officers engaged in investigating such violations, and we want to ensure that the new authority granted to CRCL is not used to engage in duplicative activities or investigations. H.R. 4713 also grants CRCL access to DHS documents on programs and operations, provides it with subpoena powers and the authority to administer an oath or take an affidavit. These authorities should be exercised only in the rarest of the circumstances and only after approval by the Secretary. DHS and its components should view cooperation with CRCL as standard operating procedure and provide relevant documents when requested. However, in utilizing the authority provided, CRCL must also respect generally accepted exceptions to document production. Finally, the bill requires the issuance of a report after an investigation. Although not required, I expect CRCL to seek the guidance of the Secretary and the components whenever possible during an investigation to ensure that it is conducted in a fair and equitable manner. We have made some changes to the bill at the request of DHS. To the extent that DHS continues to have concerns, I encourage the majority to work with the Department as this bill moves to the Senate to address outstanding issues. Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Taylor), my friend.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.