Kevin Hern

Mr. HERN

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for hosting this Special Order tonight. The price of gas has been rising for the last 14 months. Yes, we are experiencing some added pressure thanks to Putin's evil attack on Ukraine, but our energy problems go much farther back than that. They started on the very day that President Biden was inaugurated as President. When he left the inauguration, President Biden immediately signed multiple executive orders handcuffing domestic oil production. He proudly told supporters on the campaign trail that his goal was to end fossil fuels entirely. Now, he is saying that his administration and his rhetoric have no impact on the energy crisis. I call B.S. on that. He is intentionally destroying traditional energy while begging the world's worst actors to make up for it. We simply cannot rely on foreign dictators for oil that we can produce here in America. An energy dominant U.S. helps not only our people, but our allies around the world.

Mr. HERN

Mr. HERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solemn memory of an Oklahoma hero, Technical Sergeant Marshal Roberts. Sergeant Roberts had a strong love for his country and was intensely proud to serve in the Oklahoma Air National Guard. He was deployed to Camp Taji in Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve when his unit was engaged in enemy fire. Sergeant Roberts gave his life defending our Nation and the freedoms we enjoy every day, leaving behind a proud wife and a loving daughter. Since his death, Oklahomans have shown overwhelming support for Sergeant Roberts' family and have taken every opportunity to celebrate his memory. I will never forget when his remains were brought back to Tulsa in March 2020, when the city had just begun lockdown. Still, there were hundreds and hundreds of Oklahomans waiting outside the airport to welcome him home and mourn with his family. At his funeral, at the dedication for the highway named after him, at our Memorial Day service, and at countless events since his death, Oklahomans have shown up in massive numbers to support and to honor his service and to thank his family. You see, Oklahomans recognize the importance of military service and the sacred responsibility we all have to keep his legacy alive. We can rest in the knowledge that Sergeant Roberts' sacrifice was not in vain. He laid down his life for hundreds of millions of Americans that he never knew and future generations yet to come. Mr. Speaker, renaming the Owasso Post Office in his honor is a small but meaningful gesture and ensures that our community proudly keeps his story alive for all the generations to come.

Mr. HERN

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, over the last 2 years, the price of lumber rose at an astronomical rate. This followed prolonged shutdowns of lumber mills and production plants, despite the maintained demand for lumber for construction projects that continued as an essential activity during the pandemic. The resulting supply and demand inversion caused a nationwide lumber shortage. Our economy struggles when businesses feel uncertainty in the market, which is why it is the government's job, in times of crisis like the COVID pandemic, to ensure stability. In May of last year, I sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai urging action to prevent further disruption in the price of lumber. At the time I sent the letter, lumber prices had skyrocketed more than 300 percent over the previous year. With the support of nearly 100 bipartisan Members of Congress, Congressman Brian Higgins and I asked Ambassador Tai to resolve the crisis by resuming trade negotiations with Canada to reduce the price of softwood lumber. While lumber prices temporarily declined following that letter, it took months for a meaningful portion of those decreases to reach the construction industry and its customers. Prices began rising again in September and have continued to increase in the months since, once again putting strain on the hardworking Americans who build our homes and communities. In December, I once again joined Congressman Higgins and nearly 100 bipartisan Members of Congress to send a second letter to the Biden administration, this time to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, voicing concerns over the Department of Commerce's decision to increase antidumping and countervailing duties on softwood lumber products from Canada. We are concerned that this will further exacerbate the lumber crisis. The housing sector remains an integral piece of the U.S. economy. As we continue to recover from the COVID pandemic, sharp increases in the price of lumber will further harm our recovery and the costs faced by hardworking Americans. It is our understanding that the U.S. and Canada discussed this very issue last year and expressed mutual interest in resolving the problem, but it is unclear if any action has yet been taken by either country. We want to see stability and normalcy restored to the housing market. It is imperative that we do so. We want to see definitive action from the Biden administration to solve this problem. Madam Speaker, we in Congress stand ready to help in any way we can.

Mr. HERN

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana for the opportunity to speak to everyone tonight. Madam Speaker, this week marks a historic milestone, the 1-year anniversary of the Biden Presidency. There is a date in January that 1 year ago has affected all Americans, and that was the election of Joe Biden to the Presidency, his taking office. Looking back at the previous 12 months, several words come to mind: failure, confusion, disarray, pain, dishonesty. I am sure that many of my colleagues will touch on these and many other themes relevant to what has unfolded at the White House since its latest occupant took office some 11 months ago. However, I want to focus on one word that has defined the Biden administration this year, and that is ``inflation.'' Every single month since Biden took office, inflation has risen higher. In the past 11 months, inflation has reached its highest level in 40 years. Most of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle have never experienced this type of inflation. The last time it was this bad, ``E.T.'' was showing in theaters. Jimmy Carter, the man largely responsible for those hardships, was a one-term President for this very reason. Thanks to the Biden job-killing policies, taxpayers are paying the price. Our economic recovery is stagnant. Our small businesses are being crushed out of existence. December brought us to a 7 percent increase in inflation over the previous year, a number that American families are feeling every single day in their pocketbooks. While inflation is up 7 percent, wages have only risen 4.7 percent, meaning that real wages are actually negative, not positive. Americans are paying a whopping $3,500 more for basic necessities than they were last year. For all the back-patting Biden has done for the dismal number of jobs created under his administration, we are still over 4 million jobs short of prepandemic levels. This is the Biden economy. Polling proves that inflation is the top- of-mind issue for the vast majority of Americans. So you would think that this administration would be doing everything in their power to alleviate that burden. Instead, they are focused on flushing the markets with even more unchecked spending. When will it end? The President's dismal approval rating isn't a result of his standing with Republican voters, who haven't liked him from the start. Rather, Democrat and independent voters across the country are voicing their strong displeasure with how poorly our country has been run this past year. We know what works, and we know what doesn't. What the President is doing is only exacerbating the problem, something just about everyone outside of D.C. knows. The White House must stop the spending spree, stop imposing unconstitutional mandates, and stop pushing radical legislation. The best thing this President could do right now is just get out of the way.

Mr. HERN

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I thank my dear friend from Pennsylvania for yielding me 2\1/2\ minutes to speak about something today that we need to shed light on, which is an issue impacting an entire generation of students. Children from preschool age through college have been barred from their classrooms for the better part of 2 years now. Many of us have stated from the start that shutting down schools would create more problems than it would solve, and now the data proves us right. Still, some teachers' unions refuse to work. They refuse to put the well-being of the students' futures first. Americans are sick and tired of the Federal Government moving the goalposts and changing the ``science'' to fit whatever narrative they want. The President of the United States repeatedly caved to the teachers' unions, ignoring the needs of our students to the detriment of our children across the country. Now that he has seen the polling on school closures, he says the schools should reopen, continuing to move the goalposts. Suicide and self-harm among students hit record highs while schools were closed. Mental health problems are on the rise among kids of all ages. Test scores are abysmal. All of these issues trace back to the closure of our schools. When schools remain closed, our children are harmed. Parents are having to take their children to work, to their jobs, because they have no way of having their children cared for during the day. Students need to be in school environments for more than just an education. The social skills developed through their school years have a direct impact on the adults and members of society that these children will grow into. What will the next generation of leaders look like? What will the next generation of doctors, scientists, or engineers look like if this is their education today? In 20 years, our society will be dependent on this generation in the workforce and throughout our society. We are failing to prepare our children for it. The future of our Nation belongs to the children. Yes, it really is for the children. Can anyone in this Chamber look at the actions of the last 2 years and say we are serving our children's best interests? The answer is a resounding no. Madam Speaker, I urge consideration of Congresswoman Hinson's legislation to ensure our students are back in the classroom.

Mr. HERN

Mr. HERN. Mr. Speaker, today we are a simple majority vote away from the largest expansion of the Federal Government in the history of this great Nation, ushering a new era of dependence on socialized government. We sit at a crossroads between two different directions: Free will or government control. Honest, hard work or cradle-to-grave welfare. Generational debt or deficit reduction. Tax increases or tax reduction. Socialism or economic freedom. American energy independence or pro-China Green New Deal. Mass amnesty or secure border. Keep jobs at home or send them overseas to China. Economic growth or economic surrender. The American people or D.C. politicians. History will remember which road we decide to go down. I strongly encourage you to choose wisely and vote ``no''--vote ``no''--on the build back broke bill.

Mr. HERN

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Keller) for hosting this Special Order this evening and for leading the charge on the Congressional Review Act. President Biden is characterizing his agenda with three simple words: Build Back Better. More appropriately, it should be build back broke. Our economy is in shambles, our supply chain strained to the breaking point, and inflation is out of control, and our friends across the aisle refuse to recognize that. At the heart of all these lies, lies a devastating labor shortage. A few commonsense measures would address these problems to bring an end to the many crises, but President Biden instead chose to mandate vaccinations for workers, forcing small businesses to either fire their workers or face large fines. Earlier today, OSHA announced that it will suspend enforcement of Biden's immoral and unconstitutional vaccine mandate after being blocked by the Fifth Circuit Court. Biden and his puppeteers knew that this mandate would likely not be held up in court but still went through with it anyway, proving their allegiance to the radical socialist mob rather than to the Constitution of these great United States. To every American who raised your voice up and stood up to the gross Federal overreach, this victory is for you. I am proud to stand with my colleagues in opposition to this government overreach.

Mr. HERN

Mr. HERN. Mr. Speaker, nearly every Member of this body proclaims to be a champion of small business. But how many follow with action? Time after time my colleagues are presented with opportunities to vote in support of small businesses and then repeatedly fail to live up to their hollow promises. They say they support small businesses, but Democrats proudly support increases on small businesses and job creators. They are actively disrupting the labor market by keeping workers out of the workforce with never-ending handouts to able-bodied Americans. They are preventing first-generation entrepreneurs from passing a successful business on to the next generation. They are expanding credits for childcare without any work requirements for the parents. They are surveilling small businesses and farmers through the IRS. The Democrat dream is an America dependent on Big Government. It couldn't be farther from the American Dream where a guy like me, who grew up on food stamps, could take a big idea and a big work ethic and turn it into a successful business career and job creator. Under Democrat policies, we may see the end of the American Dream. We cannot let that happen.

Mr. HERN

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, today, I rise in honor of National Spina Bifida Awareness Month. Spina bifida is a rare condition that develops in the womb. It stems from a hole in the spinal cord, a condition known as a neural tube defect. As the spinal column fails to close properly, nearly every major organ system is impacted. Children born with spina bifida typically undergo dozens of surgeries at a young age. For those who survive to adulthood, they live with complex physical, mental, and other health challenges. There are precious few resources available for the 166,000 individuals living with spina bifida in the United States, including my sister and my niece. I have another sister who was born with spina bifida as well and passed away shortly after birth. I am very familiar with the challenges faced by those who suffer from spina bifida. It has been a part of my life since childhood. The medical community has taken many steps forward since my sisters were diagnosed with spina bifida several decades ago. Whereas spina bifida used to be a childhood death sentence, many individuals with spina bifida are living well into adulthood, a tremendous milestone. But there is more we can do. Funding for spina bifida is low. There is only one entity in the Federal Government studying spina bifida. It is the Spina Bifida Program at the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the CDC. Americans living with spina bifida deserve the same respect and dignity in life as everyone else. Spina bifida research needs dedicated funding to ensure a better future for Americans with spina bifida. Remembering Pat Campbell

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Pat Campbell, a friend not only to me but to many Oklahomans who listened to him on the radio every morning. Pat passed away yesterday morning after a long fight with brain cancer. Everyone who knew Pat knows he was a fighter. Pat got his start on radio largely on accident, because he would call in and debate a liberal radio host. The station was so impressed with his calls that they gave him his own show. After that, he became a regular guest of Tucker Carlson's on MSNBC and would go on to be a guest commentator on shows like ``The O'Reilly Factor'' and ``Fox and Friends.'' Pat had an extraordinary impact on radio, not only in Tulsa but around the Nation. He was a passionate voice for conservative values and a truly great friend. I will greatly miss Pat, and I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family and all those who loved him.

Mr. HERN

Mr. HERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, the co-chair of the Border Security Caucus for holding this Special Order tonight. Just when we thought we had seen the worst of the Democrats' socialist wish list with this $5 trillion reconciliation plan, they manage to squeeze in yet another radical, dangerous, unnecessary provision. This time, it is effectively creating an open U.S. border. So first, let's set the scene. This summer and fall, we have seen record numbers of illegal border crossings, reaching over 200,000 apprehensions in July and August each. Earlier this week, U.S. authorities confirmed 1.7 million apprehensions in the fiscal year, the most ever recorded. More than 16,000 migrants tested positive for coronavirus and were released into the United States without vaccination requirements and without any trace of where they are traveling, who they were coming in contact with. This 16,000 was on top of the tens of thousands of migrants released into the interior of the country by Joe Biden. We no longer have detention centers at our borders, we have border distribution centers where we are sending people all over this country. We now know that the Biden administration was covertly flying migrant children around the country. They didn't want anyone to know. So my question for Joe Biden is this: How many children were flown out from the border and who is paying for it? The American people want to know. If the taxpayers are on the hook for these flights, we have the right to know. This is not normal. What we have on our hands is equivalent to an invasion of our southern border. For 9 months, the Biden administration has ignored the crisis, meanwhile it grows exponentially worse. Biden stripped away all the policies that President Trump put in place to limit illegal crossings and to keep our borders safe, and now our Border Patrol has all but surrendered to the cartels. While all this is happening, Democrats decided to exacerbate the crisis with these so-called reforms they are sneaking into the build back broke reconciliation package at the last minute. Free college for illegal immigrants; enhanced child tax credits for illegal immigrants; amnesty for 10 million illegal immigrants to the tune of $100 billion at taxpayers' expense; incentivizing illegal entry by waiving provisions for inadmissibility, meaning that illegal immigrants will practically be guaranteed amnesty; they are removing convictions for illegal immigrants to increase their chance for amnesty. Let me say that again: The Federal Government is going to drop charges against drug traffickers and others who break our laws just so they don't have to deport them. Insane. These policies and many more are being written behind closed doors without the knowledge or input of the American people. Democrats who hold the majority in both the House and the Senate and thereby have a stranglehold on power in the United States, must take immediate action to secure our border and protect our American people. Instead of putting Americans first, they are ensuring that illegal immigrants are protected and prioritized above the American people, which is an absolute abandonment of their sworn duty as a Member of Congress.

Mr. HERN

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his recognition of such heroism. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous material.

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Eighth District of Florida (Mr. Posey). I would also like to say he serves on the Financial Services Committee which has a big part in the jurisdiction of this bill that we are discussing. I would also like to point out the distinction he had in working and serving in the Florida Senate when we had the election laws. Much was spoken about that today in some of the 1-minute speeches. He worked in the Florida Senate and helped work on the reform laws regarding what happened with the 2000 Presidential race.

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, tonight we are going to hear the truth about a truly bad bill. Biden's failed leadership has created an America where grocery stores' shelves are empty, gas stations are running out of gas, and crime is skyrocketing, our schools are failing, and our borders are wide open so that cartels can have complete control of what is going on at our southern border. This isn't the America any of us want. Whether we succeed or fail, we do it as one. Republican or Democrat, our future is the same. That is why it is so important to point out the truth of what is in this reconciliation package. The Biden administration has ignored crisis after crisis, putting all their eggs into this build back broke basket. So how come no one actually knows what is in it? We spent over 40 hours in Ways and Means marking up the build back broke plan last month and several other committees did the same, but we already know that the policies have changed since then. Democrats are adding radical unnecessary provisions while the American people aren't looking. For example, they are trying to make the IRS spy on American families' bank accounts. That is right, they want banks to give information to the IRS on any transaction over $600. This is a giant step towards living in a surveillance state. My constituents are horrified at what has happened to our country in just 9 months of Democratic control. They are worried that the freedoms we have held dear for the last 245 years will be stripped away right before their eyes. Tonight, we will hear from my colleagues about the dangerous provisions included in the build back broke plan, the honest truth about what our Democratic colleagues are trying to hide from the American people. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Harshbarger), my dear friend, a freshman, a fellow businessperson, and a person that I coauthored an op-ed with yesterday about our failing supply chain.

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce), my dear friend and a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and a fellow classmate.

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Donalds), a freshman, who is certainly not shy about getting out there and getting his feet wet and speaking out here, so we appreciate that.

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington), my dear friend from the food, fuel, and fiber district of West Texas, Texas' 19th District.

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from the food, fuel, and fiber capital of the world. I appreciate it very much. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett), congressman from Tennessee's Second District, also spent time in the Tennessee State House, the Tennessee State Senate, and the mayor of Knox County, my dear friend who I served on the Committee on Small Business with, and a fighter for real America.

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Tennessee. I appreciate him so much, as always. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser), my dear friend, who spent 2 years on the Committee on Small Business, a fellow colleague from Pennsylvania's Ninth District, a gentleman that has been in business his entire life; his family has been in business their entire lives; have been on the receiving end of these failed past policies when you go after small business, so I think he is what I consider to be an expert in this area to talk to this.

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly), my dear friend, a man that has a tremendous passion in this area, whose family has spent a lifetime in business, a member on the Committee on Ways and Means, and a gentleman who also played football at Notre Dame.

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for his passion on this subject. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Utah's First Congressional District (Mr. Moore), a fellow baseball player who had the distinction of hitting an in-the-park home run at our big win 2 weeks ago. I really appreciate that.

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin's Sixth District (Mr. Grothman), who serves on the Budget Committee and is an advocate for workforce development and welfare reform.

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama's First Congressional District (Mr. Carl), a new freshman and a fellow small business owner.

Mr. HERN. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the 21st District of Texas (Mr. Roy). My dear friend, Chip Roy, has extraordinary passion about constitutional accountability and fiscal responsibility.