Clay Higgins

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material for this measure.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9596, the Value Over Cost Act. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Donalds).

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers on this bill, and I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5301) to amend title 31, United States Code, to require agencies to include a list of outdated or duplicative reporting requirements in annual budget justifications, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, this bill would increase government efficiency and save taxpayer dollars by eliminating unnecessary reports. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Garcia and Grothman for their leadership on this issue and for the House Budget Committee's collaboration. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues on both sides to support the bill. I have no further speakers on this bill, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support this commonsense bill to support the GAO Inspector General in carrying out their oversight mission. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1510) to amend provisions relating to the Office of the Inspector General of the Government Accountability Office, and for other purposes.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1510, the GAO Inspector General Parity Act. Two years ago, Congress passed sweeping bipartisan reforms for the inspector general community. Those reforms, passed in the fiscal year 2023 NDAA, provided critical reforms to enable both the independence of Federal agency inspectors general and proper congressional oversight over their activities. As a legislative branch entity, the Government Accountability Office's inspector general was not included in those reforms. H.R. 5300 fixes that by providing the GAO inspector general the same resources and oversight now provided to other IGs across the government. Those reforms include requiring the head of GAO to notify the Congress if the GAO inspector general is to be removed or transferred, providing Congress the knowledge it needs to weigh in on such decisions if necessary. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers on this bill, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3267) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 410 Dakota Avenue South in Huron, South Dakota, as the ``First Lieutenant Thomas Michael Martin Post Office Building''.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3267, which would name a post office in South Dakota for First Lieutenant Thomas Michael Martin. I encourage support on both sides of the aisle, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage my House colleagues to support this bill honoring First Lieutenant Thomas Michael Martin. I encourage support on both sides of the aisle, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2274) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 112 Wyoming Street in Shoshoni, Wyoming, as the ``Dessie A. Bebout Post Office''.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Green for recognizing me for such time as I may consume, whereas any other Member of Congress would need only about 1 minute to provide this commentary. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 794, the CTPAT Pilot Program Act of 2023. Since 2001, the United States Customs and Border Protection's CTPAT program has been reducing vulnerability throughout the supply chain by incentivizing greater security measures with certified trade partners. Today, more than 11,400 certified partners have been accepted into the program. The CTPAT Pilot Program Act of 2023 expands upon this already successful program by requiring CBP to establish a pilot program to assess the benefits of allowing non-asset-based third-party logistics providers, 3PLs, and additional asset-based 3PLs to participate in this program. Mr. Speaker, I hope all Members will support this critical legislation today, as it strengthens our efforts to combat the threat of terrorism in the global supply chain.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 4698, the DHS Joint Task Forces Reauthorization Act of 2024. I am proud to lead the House companion to this bill. This bipartisan and bicameral legislation will extend the Department of Homeland Security's joint task force authority for another 2 years. Extending this authority allows for a unified DHS law enforcement approach to target, dismantle, and disrupt transnational criminal organizations and their illegal activities. This coordination enables personnel from Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard, and others to continue integrating their existing authorities to work together to confront complex national security threats that impact our Nation's land, sea, and air borders, and to combat terrorism, unlawful immigration, maritime mass migration, and illicit smuggling. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 4698.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I don't know where to begin. I have 5 minutes. I could use 500. The American people are watching. They recognize that our Nation suffers under the burden of a threatened government shutdown and the very real threat of millions of illegals who have flooded into our country who could potentially vote in this very important election cycle in November. If you don't think it can happen, you haven't been paying attention. There have been thousands and thousands of illegal voters removed from precincts across the country in any sovereign State that had the courage to pursue the endeavor of looking into those voter rolls. Many congressional races and the balance of this people's House are determined by hundreds of votes, sometimes less. We just had a colleague lose an election by 317 votes, a man who serves in this body with us right now. If you don't think millions of illegals can potentially influence a Federal election, you are really not being intellectually sound. To talk about money, the good lady said disgraceful. I will tell you what is disgraceful, Mr. Speaker, is to stand here and say that the Federal Government is too small and doesn't spend enough money. That is outrageous. We have a $36 trillion debt. If this body were to run a $1 billion surplus, it would take 36,000 years to address a $36 trillion debt. Do you think a 6-month CR at a flat-line spending level is not a compromise, Mr. Speaker, from my perspective as a constitutional conservative? It most certainly is. I am extending a respectful compromise. I would bring this thing back to 2019 spending if I could. I cannot find one American in my townhall--and I do many--when I ask them: Does anyone in here think that the Federal Government was too small and didn't spend enough money in 2019? Nobody raises their hand, no matter where they are on the political spectrum. Yet, my colleagues in this body want more and more money in this environment that is supercontentious. So, we take a 6-month CR that flatlines spending levels and move it into the next Congress, the 119th Congress, and into a new Presidential administration, whoever that may be. They say they are going to control the White House. Good. Go ahead. I say they are not. We will let the American people determine that, but we will remove this political nightmare show from the entire consideration of the American people. Let the American people have a clear field to vote in. Let them hear about the policies and principles of the candidates that stand before them and make their determination reflective of their own deep policy principles and their core beliefs. We have a solid solution to this thing. To say that my colleagues in the Committee on Appropriations have not performed, no, you are not getting that past me. They passed five appropriations bills funding 72 percent of the Federal Government months ago, and where do those bills sit? In the Democrat-controlled Senate. Pay attention to what is happening, America. This is the future of our country we are talking about. It is the right thing to do to pass this 6-month flatlined spending CR into March. Let the new Presidential administration, whomever it may be, get situated and name their team. Let the 119th Congress get sworn in and populate our committees. Then, we will continue again. This is a very important election cycle. We have to protect the integrity of that election, and we have to remove this contentious environment of this threatened government shutdown from this election cycle. Mr. Speaker, my bill accomplishes that, and I encourage all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 9494.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Conrad Shipyard for its delivery of the first new class Yard, Repair, Berthing, and Messing (YRBM) vessel to the U.S. Navy. Conrad Shipyard has a legacy of quality and safety in providing premier vessels to the U.S. government and commercial enterprise. The new class of YRBM vessels are needed to modernize the living and housing conditions for thousands of Navy personnel. These vessels will provide a temporary home for our service men and women whose other vessels are in port for repair and maintenance. I have had the privilege of touring Conrad Shipyard in Morgan City, Louisiana and seeing firsthand the finished product of a dedicated, skilled workforce. The work being done at Conrad and shipyards in South Louisiana drives economic growth, brings jobs and prosperity to our community, and provides our Armed Forces with the necessary tools to secure America. The new class of YRBM barge craft are essential to the modernization effort led by the U.S. Navy. We should all celebrate Conrad Shipyard's delivery of the first new class YRBM vessel to the U.S. Navy, on track and on schedule, and the work they continue to accomplish for the betterment of the U.S. military. On behalf of Louisiana's 3rd District, I congratulate Conrad Shipyard on this momentous achievement. I am grateful to the skilled workforce at Conrad for making this possible and thank them for the vital part they play in bolstering our defense maritime industrial base.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise to respect the passing of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. She leaves behind a significant legacy, grounded in a lifetime of passionate, diligent public service. I came to know Sheila during the eight years we served on the Homeland Security Committee together. Having worked alongside her and engaged in countless debates with the good Congresswoman from Texas, I can say with full certainty that she was one of the hardest working Members of Congress I have known. Sheila was always incredibly well prepared, and although we commonly disagreed on ideological matters, I greatly respected her conviction. In one of her final statements, she said, ``the road ahead will not be easy, but I stand in faith that God will strengthen me.'' I will miss Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and I extend my most sincere condolences to her family.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I tested positive for COVID in Louisiana, and was restricted from travel to D.C. for the week of July 22 through July 26. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows: YEA on Roll Call No. 356; NAY on Roll Call No. 357; YEA on Roll Call No. 358; YEA on Roll Call No. 359; YEA on Roll Call No. 360; YEA on Roll Call No. 361; YEA on Roll Call No. 362; YEA on Roll Call No. 363; YEA on Roll Call No. 364; YEA on Roll Call No. 365; YEA on Roll Call No. 366; NAY on Roll Call No. 367; NAY on Roll Call No. 368; NAY on Roll Call No. 369; NAY on Roll Call No. 370; NAY on Roll Call No. 371; NAY on Roll Call No. 372; NAY on Roll Call No. 373; YEA on Roll Call No. 374; YEA on Roll Call No. 375; YEA on Roll Call No. 376; YEA on Roll Call No. 377; YEA on Roll Call No. 378; YEA on Roll Call No. 379; YEA on Roll Call No. 380; YEA on Roll Call No. 381; YEA on Roll Call No. 382; YEA on Roll Call No. 383; YEA on Roll Call No. 384; YEA on Roll Call No. 385; YEA on Roll Call No. 386; YEA on Roll Call No. 387; YEA on Roll Call No. 388; YEA on Roll Call No. 389; YEA on Roll Call No. 390; YEA on Roll Call No. 391; YEA on Roll Call No. 392; YEA on Roll Call No. 393; YEA on Roll Call No. 394; YEA on Roll Call No. 395; YEA on Roll Call No. 396; YEA on Roll Call No. 397; YEA on Roll Call No. 398; YEA on Roll Call No. 399; YEA on Roll Call No. 400.

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, to my colleagues across the aisle, this is about the quality of the evidence. Surely everyone recognizes that the Oversight Committee is the body of authority of Congress that has responsibility to hold the executive branch accountable. In the process of our committee work on the Oversight Committee, we seek intelligence and data from the executive branch all the time. Sometimes it is voluntary. Sometimes it requires a subpoena. In this case, we had to use subpoena authority, which we did. That is a process that we went through. It provided us a description of the evidence. A transcript is not an audio file; it is a description of an audio file. If you have a crime committed, in the evidence you are not going to look at a picture of a knife or a description of a bloody shoe or a glove. You need the knife or the shoe or the glove. We could provide our own description. We don't know if the transcript is accurate or not because we don't have the audio file. There is zero value to a transcript in a process like this without the original quality evidence. My attorney friends over there know this. As an investigator I say it is quite simple: Give us the original evidence. What do you have to hide?