Erin Houchin

Mrs. HOUCHIN

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Taylor).

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Downing).

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Haridopolos).

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Moore).

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McDowell.)

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Kennedy).

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Luna).

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from North Dakota (Mrs. Fedorchak).

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Van Orden).

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Edwards).

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Fine).

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Crank).

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, Rome is burning, but not because of the leadership of Republicans and Donald Trump. After 4 years of failed leadership under President Biden, our country faces many challenges. Yet, Republicans, along with President Trump, are ready to address them head on and get our country back on track. The one big, beautiful bill is here, and the American people are ready to see us deliver on our promises. This is historic legislation that is a bill for working Americans. Here are three words I want my colleagues to remember: ``ineligible,'' ``illegal,'' and ``able.'' Those are the people who we don't believe should be taking Medicaid from pregnant women, children, the disabled, and the elderly. We have heard a lot about 13.7 million people are going to lose their healthcare. That number was debunked by The New York Times. That is a newspaper that doesn't write a lot of things that are friendly to our side. It is not that way. This is a bill that is going to support pregnant women, children, the disabled, and the elderly. It supports our veterans, our farmers, and our small business owners. It secures tax certainty, permitting reform, and our border. Mr. Speaker, put quite simply, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is America First, and I am proud to support it. With this vote, we can unlock the golden age of America. I look forward to moving the One Big Beautiful Bill Act out of the House and delivering for the American people who voted for the golden age to return. I ask my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on the previous question, and ``yes'' on the rule.

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mrs. HOUCHIN

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration of National Small Business Week, a time to recognize the hardworking men and women who are the engines of our economy. As a former small business owner myself, I know the long hours, risks, and deep sense of responsibility that come with signing both sides of a paycheck. Small businesses are more than storefronts. They are job creators, community anchors, and the heart of America. In Indiana's Ninth District, small businesses like Lincks Clothing and Shoes, Brownstown Electric, and Lischkge Motors are strengthening our communities one investment, one hire, and one customer at a time. That is why I am committed to cutting government red tape, lowering taxes, and fighting for progrowth policies that empower our entrepreneurs to thrive, not just survive. Madam Speaker, I thank every small business owner out there for all they do. This week and every week, I am here for them.

Mrs. HOUCHIN

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate National PEO Week, which starts May 18 and ends May 24, 2025. National PEO Week will celebrate the important contributions of the professional employer organization (PEO) industry, which provides payroll, employee benefits, compliance assistance and HR services to hundreds of thousands of small and mid-sized businesses that employ more than 4.5 million people. PEOs help small businesses improve productivity and profitability, focus on their core mission and grow. Through a PEO, the employees of small businesses gain access to important employee benefits such as: 401(k) plans; health, dental, life and other insurance; dependent care; and other benefits they might not typically receive as employees of a small company. PEOs also take over the back-office tasks that consume time, energy and resources, enabling small businesses working with a PEO to grow two times faster, have employee turnover that is 12 percent lower and a higher business survival rate. I know the value that PEOs provide. Before coming to Congress, I worked for a PEO, and I saw firsthand the positive impact they had on small businesses in my home state of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the PEO industry for all they do to help our nation's small businesses, and their employees prosper.

Mrs. HOUCHIN

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, Mr. Bilirakis, for his leadership on this important issue. I also thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for their support. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in proud support of H.R. 2399, the Rural Broadband Protection Act of 2025, a bill that I am proud to sponsor. Across Indiana and throughout rural America, families, farmers, students, and small business owners still struggle with slow or unreliable internet access. It is not just inconvenient, it is a barrier to opportunity, to education, to healthcare, and to economic growth. When Congress invests in rural broadband, we must ensure those dollars are getting where they are intended and that providers that are receiving those funds are capable of getting the job done. That is exactly what the Rural Broadband Protection Act does. It puts accountability and transparency in the grant review process by requiring the Federal Communications Commission to vet applicants for broadband funding based on experience, capability, and performance. As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, this is a smart, bipartisan, commonsense piece of legislation, and I know my constituents back home agree. That is why today I will be voting ``yes'' on the Rural Broadband Protection Act, and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same.

Mrs. HOUCHIN

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Jack).

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close.

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 161 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this rule and in support of the underlying legislation. Last night, the Rules Committee met and produced a rule, House Resolution 161, providing for the House's consideration of several pieces of legislation, including a closed rule for H. Con. Res. 14, the budget resolution. The rule provides for 2 hours of debate for the Committee on the Budget or their respective designees to debate the congressional budget and an additional hour equally divided and controlled by Representative Schweikert of Arizona and Representative Beyer of Virginia or their respective designees to debate economic goals and policies. The rule further permits the chair of the Committee on the Budget to offer amendments in the House to achieve mathematical consistency and provides that the concurrent resolution shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question at its adoption. Additionally, the rule provides for consideration of H.J. Res. 20, a CRA relating to the DOE's water heater rule, under a closed rule. The rule provides for 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees and provides for one motion to recommit. Finally, the rule provides for consideration of H.J. Res. 35, a CRA relating to EPA's methane tax, under a closed rule. The rule provides for 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees and provides for one motion to recommit. Mr. Speaker, notable among the bills this rule provides for is the House budget resolution, H. Con. Res. 14. This budget resolution marks the first step for House Republicans to advance President Trump's America First agenda. We have heard plenty of fear-mongering and flatout dishonesty from Democrats and their liberal media allies about what is included in this resolution. To be clear, this resolution unlocks the path forward to deliver on our promises to the American people. Over the next hour, Members are going to hear all of the identity groups the Democrats want my colleagues to believe this bill hurts. Members will hear them say that Republicans are abandoning the middle class and cutting benefits. None of that is true. The truth is, there is not one single cut in this bill to any specific program or benefit. The truth is the Democratic Party abandoned the middle class for the liberal elite class a long time ago. The election last November should have been a wake-up call that the American people don't believe them anymore, nor should they. The Democrats are desperate for attention and for power. Don't give it to them. Let's set the record straight about what this budget resolution actually accomplishes. It will provide funding for border security, provide for our national defense, and restore American energy independence. It will provide tax relief for working families. On border security, Biden's open-border policies resulted in over 8.5 million encounters at the southern border since 2021, a 500 percent increase in illegal crossings, and over $115 billion in costs to State and local governments. Most tragically, Biden's border crisis allowed unprecedented amounts of deadly fentanyl into our communities, killing over 100,000 Americans. Next, this bill enables us to permanently protect tax relief. President Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provided critical relief to middle-class families and small businesses. Americans are still experiencing high prices because we are still recovering from Bidenomics. Prices are up 21 percent. Real wages have declined by more than 3 percent. Mortgage rates have skyrocketed. Credit card delinquencies have risen by over 50 percent. Bidenomics cost American families more than $11,000 every year for the last 4 years. Next, this budget resolution prioritizes energy independence. Under President Trump's first administration, the United States was energy independent for the first time in 40 years. That stopped the day Joe Biden took office, and American families have been hurting ever since. Under President Biden, the American energy production was severely restricted. Federal lands were blocked from responsible energy development, and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve was drained. Simply put, again, the budget resolution is a framework that will allow us to deliver on the demands of the American people to secure the border, eliminate wasteful spending, revitalize Biden's broken economy, and safeguard our economic prosperity by providing permanent tax relief for working families. I hope our Democratic colleagues will join us in those efforts. This budget resolution kicks off the reconciliation process and allows our work to begin. Once adopted, our committees and the entire House will begin detailed work to achieve these important goals for the American people. Mr. Speaker, this rule also provides for consideration of two Congressional Review Act measures: H.J. Res. 20 and H.J. Res. 35. H.J. Res. 20 provides for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Department of Energy relating to energy conservation standards for consumer gas-fired instantaneous water heaters. The rule we seek to overturn with this legislation effectively bans certain natural gas water heaters from the market, placing unnecessary financial burdens on consumers, especially seniors and low-income households. H.J. Res. 35 provides for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to natural gas facilities. The EPA's rule imposes a significant fee on methane emissions from oil and natural gas facilities. The fee is essentially a pass-through cost to consumers that will raise prices, harm domestic energy production, and increase our reliance on other countries to meet our own energy needs. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the consideration of these important pieces of legislation. I urge the passage of this rule, and I reserve the balance of my time.