Mike Johnson

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. That is what it means, and convicted sex offenders, and multiple DUI-convicted felons, and everybody else. They have included them all. There is no limit to it at all. Isn't that outrageous?

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. So I wish that that proposal had been on the table before we got out of that particular hearing because we certainly would have liked to have heard about that. But if you add that up, you are talking about perhaps $1 million per family, and $1 billion in cost overall, more costs to the American taxpayer. And by the way, that little payment that the illegal migrants would be given by the American taxpayer is more than we give to Gold Star families, persons who have been lost in the line of duty, as you know. It is more than the victims of 9/11 that they have received for their pain and suffering. And, of course, those separations are permanent, not temporary. It is just not right.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, Ranking Member Luetkemeyer, and all of our Republican colleagues on the Small Business Committee for leading this very important discussion this evening. And this is very important. Madam Speaker, the Democrats' radical multitrillion-dollar agenda is bad for America. It just is, and we can all see it. The voters can see that, too. In fact, while we are here right now, there are still voters lining up just down the road in Virginia. They cannot wait to vote for their next Governor. It is a race that is currently classified as a toss-up but it appears to be going very, very well for the Republican candidate. The reason this is so noteworthy, the reason everybody in the country is watching this, the reason that everyone is so excited that it is a toss-up election is because this is in a State that President Biden won by 10 points just several months ago. And there are simply no conclusions to draw other than that the Democrats are leading our country down the wrong path. That is what the polling says and even the mainstream media outlets have had to report on that in the last few days. It is the content of this tax-and-spend agenda, and not just the cost, that is especially dangerous for American families and our economy overall. You just have to think about the harmful effects the Democrat bill is going to have on our local businesses, many of whom, by the way, we all know are already operating on shorter hours due to the current labor shortage. But specifically, the legislation that is being debated and pushed through even this week is that the Democrats want to increase OSHA penalties, increase penalties on small businesses. That is a tax. They want to reduce the pass-through deduction. That is a tax. They want to increase the regulatory burden on small business owners at the worst possible time. You know what this amounts to? A tax. They want to make the child tax credit pay the same whether you are working or not, which what will that do? Logically, it will exacerbate the current labor shortage. So let me repeat. The Democrat bill, in spite of what they are saying, will definitely increase taxes while prices are soaring. It will increase workplace penalties while companies are trying their best to get back to work, and it will encourage people not to work while the job market struggles, and our supply chain is slowed down due to a lack of workers in these critical positions. There are nearly 32 million small businesses in the United States. About 350,000 of those are in my home State of Louisiana. They are our main employer. They employ more Louisianians than any big company or the government. This is the mainstay. This is the lifeblood of our economy. You are talking about deli managers and barbershop owners, and bookstore owners. You name it. Small businesses across the country had to fight tooth and nail to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. The last thing this Congress needs to do is make it more difficult for these businesses. But that is exactly what our Democrat colleagues are trying to do. As for the rest of the bill, well, they are still working on it, they tell us. We heard today there may be some deal on prescription drugs. Who knows? We have to see how that goes. There have been lots of promises broken--made and broken--here the last few weeks. Meanwhile, the Democrats are still trying to include amnesty in this spending bill. What that has to do with the reconciliation, we have no idea. Hopefully, the Parliamentarian on the Senate side will put another kibosh on this. But they want to include tax breaks for wealthy New Yorkers and just a bunch of terrible ideas. I have to digress for just a moment and talk about this amnesty problem, because not only will that be another burden on our small businesses; not only will it really take jobs away from law-abiding citizens, but you have to consider the insatiable appetite that our friends on the other side of the aisle have for amnesty. We spent about 13 hours in the Judiciary Committee about 3 weeks ago working on their effort. The Democrats pushed that through to graft amnesty onto the spending bill. And after all of those hours, near the very end--late at night--we asked them if there was any end to this appetite they have for amnesty. We are talking about as many as 10 million illegals who have come across the border. And we brought a few amendments and we talked about this in our Conference, but we said, you know, gee, if you are going to grant amnesty and you all have the votes in the committee to move this through, we understand that, but we just want to see if there is any limit on who you might include in amnesty. So we brought an amendment to the bill and said: What if someone is a known MS-13 gang member? Surely, you would want to exclude them from your amnesty plan. And I will tell you, every single Democrat on our committee voted that amendment down. Of course, every Republican voted ``yes.'' Then we said: Well, well, wait a minute. What if somebody is a convicted is sex offender, somebody coming from another country and they are a convicted sex offender? Surely, you would not want to include them in your amnesty plan. Every single Democrat voted ``no'' on that amendment. So I brought an amendment. I said: What if someone is a convicted criminal, and they are convicted of DUI, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, a terrible crime, as you all have said in your speeches in recent years? It kills thousands of Americans every year. It maims hundreds of thousands. Surely, if someone has been convicted of at least one DUI, you would not want to include them in your amnesty plan. Every Democrat voted it down. So we tested it a little further. Okay, what if they have two or more DUI convictions? Every Democrat voted it down. So I went to 10 or more DUI convictions, would they be excluded from your magical amnesty plan? Every single Democrat voted ``no'' on that amendment. Every single one. There is no limit to what they want to do with this. The one thing they do know, they want to spend trillions and trillions of our tax dollars before we know the score on all of this, before the actual text of the legislation has even been read. They are ready to roll. Democrats have a mere three-seat majority in this House. We have a 50-50 split in the Senate. They are acting as if they have some sort of big majority to radically transform the country, as they keep telling us. And what they have presented is the most partisan, most expensive legislation package in the history of this country, using the slimmest majority possible, and before they even tell the American people what is in it. Make no mistake, a toss-up election in Virginia is just a taste of what is to come for congressional Democrats in 2022 if they do not immediately ditch this ridiculous spending plan and harmful government overreach. I just say this: Today we have a battle that comes down to competing ideologies and agendas. It is now free-market capitalism versus Big Government socialism.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. It is incredible. You can't make this stuff up.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my always friend. The gentleman's metaphor paints a real picture. We are headed for a crash if we don't change course. Madam Speaker, I am delighted to yield to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Owens), my good friend and Super Bowl champion.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, it is nonsense indeed. Madam Speaker, as they say, everything in Texas is bigger, including the representatives. I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger), also my good friend.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for that really good explanation of what we are facing right now. People back home are scratching their heads, how can it come to this? Well, you see, it is the result of policies that are being implemented by this administration. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen), also my good friend.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for doing all he does to save this country, and we have a lot of work still to do. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser), who is my good friend.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments. The gentleman is right. It does appear to be purposeful. The chaos, there is just too much of it, and that is what people back home say. This has to be intentional. There is no way that we could have these many dilemmas piled upon each other this quickly unless there were some ulterior motive. It is a rhetorical question, I suppose, for the American people. Madam Speaker, I am delighted to yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van Drew).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and appreciate him being here tonight and articulating that so well. I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend. He is right. We better wake up. Just by way of a quick reminder, over 1.2 million illegal immigrants have been apprehended at the border since February alone. We know that number is grossly undercounted because of all the got-aways and people who came totally undetected across the totally open border. Madam Speaker, I yield next to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa), my good friend.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for those insights. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for his comments, and that clarity and conviction is so necessary right now. I love how the gentleman is articulating the stark differences between the two competing visions for this country right now. The chasm is so wide between the Republican and Democratic Parties, and we say that without any pleasure at all. It is a sad development in our politics that this is not--listen to us at home--this is not your parents' and your grandparents' Democratic Party. Madam Speaker, I am delighted to move from Texas and move over to Alabama. I yield to the gentleman from a Alabama (Mr. Carl), a good friend of mine.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, Mr. LaMalfa is exactly right. It has been only 9 months. It is only going to get worse. Madam Speaker, what you have heard tonight is a quick summary from a number of our friends. We could go on for hours if we had the time, but I know we are almost out of time. We talked about the economic crisis, energy crisis, foreign policy crisis, border crisis. It goes on and on and on. I will summarize and close with this: We have two competing visions for America. It is now very clear: It is free-market capitalism v. Big Government socialism. I think the American people see the results of the latter. I hope we have an opportunity very soon in the next election cycle to get back to the former. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's effort, and I thank him for sharing his insights this afternoon. Madam Speaker, I yield to the great gentleman from the big State of Texas (Mr. Sessions).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, this is such an important issue in Louisiana, my home State. We are a big energy State. We were so excited to have achieved not just energy independence under the Trump administration but energy dominance. We were a net exporter, and, of course, all that has been reversed, as my friend just explained. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those insights. It is so important that people recognize what is happening here. Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, Mr. Pfluger said it so well. We feel this acutely in energy States like Texas and my home State of Louisiana, the Permian Basin and Haynesville Shale, but all across this Nation. We benefit from domestic energy production. It is not only the cleanest and the most efficient, it benefits us here at home. It is that America first idea that this administration is abandoning too quickly. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Obernolte).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, during my time this afternoon, my colleagues and I will address the burning issues that are on the hearts and minds of all our constituents back home--really, all Americans--and that is the numerous self-inflicted crises of the Biden administration and the House Democrats' increasingly radical leftwing legislative agenda. Madam Speaker, Democrats may narrowly control the House, the Senate, and the White House, but over the past several weeks, it has become abundantly clear that they just cannot govern. America is in crisis. Everybody knows that, and everybody can feel it in so many areas. Today, the White House spends its days doing damage control on all these multiple crises of their own making. Just think of what we are facing right now. We have an economic crisis where jobs remain unfilled, prices for basic goods continue to rise, and the shelves sit empty. We have got an energy crisis that has led to the highest gasoline crisis since 2007, and we know the projections for warming our homes in the winter are off the charts. We have multiple foreign policy crises, and we have on the southern border humanitarian, national security, and public health crises like we have never seen before. These really are existential kinds of threats to the country. I know our colleagues like to throw that word around, but it really does apply here. And while all Presidents confront crises beyond their control, that is not what is happening here. These crises--the things we are talking about today--are the direct result of this administration's own actions. We know that inflation is rising because Democrats are flooding the economy with money and supply is down because of labor shortages caused by the Democrats' so-called pandemic policies. Gas prices are up thanks to a steady assault on our energy producers by the Biden administration. Our foreign policy is in crisis because of the Biden debacle in Afghanistan and all the other fumbles that they have made. The border problem is simple. They opened the border. They put a welcome mat there and told everybody around the world to come on in. The Democrats opened it, and so we should not be surprised or shocked at the result of that invitation. Here in Congress the picture is no better. If you think about this, the Democrats have a mere three-seat majority in this House. We have a fifty-fifty deadlock in the Senate. There is no objective person in this country who could look at those numbers and say that the Democrats have any mandate to ram through the most partisan and most expensive legislative package in the history of this Nation using the slimmest majority possible. If you ask the Democrats what is in the bill, Madam Speaker, they can't tell you because they don't know. Is amnesty in it? Well, the House certainly worked to add it. Taxpayer funded abortion? A carbon tax? A tax on prescription drugs? They have been working very hard to include all those things. The one thing they do know for sure is that they are deadlocked. They are insistent that they want to spend $5.5 trillion of hardworking Americans' tax money while inflation goes through the roof and while we are trying to recover from a pandemic. This is the worst possible time to be doing what they are doing. The American people expected competence in the White House. They wanted bipartisanship in Congress. They have received instead the most incompetent White House of our lifetimes and a Democrat-led Congress trying to push the most extreme agenda in our history. This is not hyperbole; these are facts. And my colleagues are going to lay out many of the reasons, many of the facts, and much of the evidence that proves what every American now knows intuitively. If House Democrats drop their radical, dangerous agenda right now, I promise you, Madam Speaker, they would find so many Members of this party on our side of the aisle who would be ready to work with them in a bipartisan fashion tomorrow. We have so many challenges facing the country. But they won't do that. They are dug in. And their votes prove over and over now that they are determined to be Big Government socialists and not the Democratic Party of our parents' generation. This afternoon we will highlight what this agenda is doing to our country. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, in honoring the late John Henry Lyles, III, we recognize and celebrate his life well-lived yet cut far too short. ``Jay,'' as he was affectionately called by friends, was a Louisianan through and through. He was born and raised in the beautiful town of Minden in Louisiana's Fourth Congressional District. He later made his way down to Baton Rouge where he graduated from LSU and earned a Master's degree in Public Administration. Jay was passionate about his alma mater, LSU, and especially its football program. Jay was known for always dedicating himself to those around him and accomplishing what he set his mind to. He loved his family, and all who knew him can testify to his exceptional character, drive, and kindness. He had many roles: friend, family man, entrepreneur, marketing guru, political consultant, and accomplished writer, to name a few. Louisiana is home to some of the most talented, most charitable, and most outstanding people in the nation. Jay's deep love for the state and his willingness to serve those around him are what he will be remembered most for. He was a good friend of mine--and of countless many others. Jay will be missed, but he will never be forgotten.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend. He is exactly right. Creating that humanitarian disaster on the southern border also shows a callous disregard for the sanctity of human life. Mr. Speaker, I yield 90 seconds to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Pfluger. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Keller).