John James

Mr. JAMES

Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers. I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. The report directed by this bill will help inform the committee's work and protect our ports and supply chains against foreign adversaries. As we have seen these past few years, disruptions in the supply chain have a widespread impact across our Nation. We should take the necessary steps to understand the potential vulnerabilities in our supply chain and work to address them. Mr. Speaker, I again, thank the sponsor of this bill for his work, and I urge support. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. JAMES

Mr. JAMES. 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 in the Record on H.R. 3399.

Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, I am grateful for the bipartisan support of my colleagues in Michigan, General Bergman, along with Representatives Scholten and Kildee, for cosponsoring this very important legislation. H.R. 3399, the Soo Locks Security and Economic Report Act of 2023, is proof that fortifying our national security and strengthening our economy transcends partisan politics. The Soo Locks are a feat of human ingenuity and a point of pride for all Michiganders. The Army Corps of Engineers has nicknamed the Soo Locks the ``linchpin of the Great Lakes,'' and for good reason. The locks connect both Lake Superior and Lake Huron. They play a vital role in transporting goods and resources not just throughout the Great Lakes, but all around the world. An average of 7,000 vessels pass through the locks every single year, and with it, over 90 percent of the world's iron ore. As the hub of America's vehicle industry and one of the most critical States for our military industry, Michigan relies on the locks to get necessary materials in and out of the State. The Soo Locks aren't just important for my home State, they are also critical for every State and for our national security. As stated above, over 90 percent of the world's iron ore flows through the Soo Locks. Michigan is home to the third largest land border in the country. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the congressman representing Michigan's 10th Congressional District, America's number one manufacturing district, it is my job to safeguard our national defense and vital commerce by finding ways to secure our essential infrastructure. An unexpected closure of the Soo Locks would threaten both. In 2015, the Department of Homeland Security found that a 6-month shutdown would be disastrous: Recession, closed factories, shuttered mines, a pause in U.S. auto and appliance production for most of the year. Around 11 million jobs could be lost nationwide. That is the entirety of Michigan's population. Let's think of that. Our economy would be critically harmed and might never recover. A 2018 study concluded that an unexpected outage in the 1,200-foot- long Poe lock would create a bottleneck that would disrupt the supply chain for steel production and wreak havoc in Michigan manufacturing, particularly in the automotive industry. That is why I introduced the Soo Locks Security and Economic Reporting Act of 2023, and this is why we must together pass this legislation. This is a commonsense measure that simply asks the Secretaries of Transportation and Defense, along with the commandant of the Coast Guard, to study potential security risks of the Soo Locks. It would examine the economic consequences in the event of operational failure. Finally, it asks these departments to provide recommendations, as well as the cost of these recommendations to Congress. This legislation is a commonsense step toward protecting the infrastructure that keeps this country running. Failing to move forward on this bill doesn't just jeopardize America's national security, it leaves our country vulnerable to an economic crisis that is unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3399, the Soo Lock Security and Economic Reporting Act of 2023, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber), a Lake Superior State University graduate.

Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota for his leadership on this matter, as well as his remarks, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, the Soo Locks are critical to international commerce and to our supply chain, and the report directed by this bill would provide important information to ensure their continued funding and operation. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JAMES

Mr. JAMES. Madam Speaker, over the weekend of July 4, sweet, precious, 2-year-old angel, Wynter Cole Smith of Lansing was kidnapped and killed by a truly evil person. Two years old, murdered with an iPhone charging cable. Everyone in Michigan is horrified by this heinous and despicable crime; a bright light snuffed out way too early. Madam Speaker, our thoughts and prayers are with Wynter's family, and I ask that all Members in the Chamber and those in the gallery please rise for a moment of silence to honor and remember this beautiful, beautiful soul. We love Wynter Cole Smith, and she will always be in our hearts.

Mr. JAMES

Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, we had a slogan in Army aviation: ``High Above the Best.'' It was a reminder that the American people entrusted us, me and my men, to provide air support for the soldiers fighting for their lives on the ground each and every single day. Likewise, in Congress, our constituents, our customers, have entrusted our staff and myself to provide air support to the good people in our district fighting for their livelihoods each and every single day. I stand here to say that my district staff has exemplified this slogan, ``High Above the Best.'' In under 6 months in this office, my team has already delivered on a monumental constituent casework milestone in a freshman office. Earlier this month, my team surpassed $100,000 in Federal casework dollars returned to our constituents, to our customers. They are providing that air support to Michigan's 10th Congressional District, just like Army aviators. It is a lot of work setting up a congressional office. Both our D.C. and district teams have burned the midnight oil to get everything up and running so that we can serve you, our constituents, and deliver on the promises we made. On top of all the work that had to be done getting our district office up and running, this staff delivered for the constituency and has returned over $100,000 in Federal dollars and about a trillion-and- a-half passport requests. I recognize each and every single member of my district staff by name, in alphabetical other: Russ Cleary, Lisa Damon-Brown, Phil Rode, Linda Torp, and Kris Zrinyi. I thank them all for helping me serve Michigan's 10th Congressional District, the greatest district in the United States of America. Of the many cases my district team has closed this year, there are a couple that I reviewed that really stuck out to me. We got a call from a veteran in our district who hadn't received his VA benefits in nearly 2 years. Together, my staff elevated this case within the VA and got them to act. Now, this veteran in my district has thousands in backpay and a monthly payment of roughly $2,000 that he earned serving our country in uniform. My team also helped a single mother of two get her tax return from all the way back in 2015. This young mother is currently attending nursing school to better the future for herself and her two children and to serve her community. Between being a single mom and a student, she didn't have enough time in her busy schedule to work with the IRS, but she had time to give us a call. That is all that mattered. My diligent team was able to step up for her and help her to retrieve $9,000 from her tax return. These are just two of the many stories and constituent cases that our district office worked so diligently to close over just the past 5 months--in under 6 months, under half a year. I am so grateful for all the work they have done for our constituents. I am a combat veteran, but I am also a businessman, and I believe that constituent services, customer service, is why I am here. Customer service, serving constituents, is my number one priority in Congress. I have served my country in combat, but the chance to serve this community is the honor of my lifetime. We are ready to continue to serve the good people of Michigan's 10th Congressional District. I thank them for trusting me to be High Above the Best.

Mr. JAMES

Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the House of April 26, 2023, I call up the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 30) directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove all United States Armed Forces, other than United States Armed Forces assigned to protect the United States Embassy, from Somalia, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. JAMES. 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 the resolution under consideration.

Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I will start by commending both gentlemen from Florida for their concern about our Nation's ongoing military engagements. It is one I share as a veteran of the global war on terrorism. Unfortunately, there are no silver bullets in policymaking, and when we try to make one, we usually end up shooting ourselves in the foot. It is for this reason and this reason alone that I stand in opposition. I served in Operation Iraqi Freedom as an attack helicopter pilot. As a combat veteran, Mr. Speaker, I can assure you that no one hates war more than those who have come face-to-face with it. I do not look back on the days of American military overreach and intervention in the Middle East with nostalgia. That said, as a West Point graduate, I understand history and the lessons it teaches. The siren song of isolationism is tempting, but allowing vacuums of American influence around the world to be filled by terrorists and exploited by communists is a direct threat to Americans at home. While each Presidential administration has made errors in the conduct of its foreign policy since the tragedies of 9/11 22 years ago, the most egregious of these errors is continuing to concede America's diplomatic leverage and allowing our agricultural, manufacturing, and energy independence to erode. It is Congress, this body, that has lazily conceded its constitutional duty to guard its war powers jealously from the executive branch. Congress' failure to hold each administration this century accountable for their vague, broad, and failing foreign policies may force Congress to exercise our war powers again in my lifetime. That is why I agree with Mr. Gaetz, in large part, that war should never be on autopilot nor open-ended. Americans have the right and Congress has the responsibility to understand and approve of the sacrifice that we will be asking our country to make. Our servicemembers are real people with families. They are sons and daughters. Many weren't even born when 9/11 occurred. Congress needs to do its job, but it needs to do its job the right way. That is why, rather than continuing an open-ended, 22-year-old law, I believe we must work together to first replace it with an Authorization for Use of Military Force that focuses on today's critical terrorist threats and requires Congress to stay engaged. We must prioritize first building an America that is strong at home, or we will never have hope of being strong abroad. Regrettably, my friends, today's resolution does little toward those ends. It will merely direct the removal of U.S. forces from Somalia. That will not work. Less than 2 years ago, we saw what happens when we pull troops with no plan. Joe Biden's botched Afghanistan withdrawal forced our troops to abandon billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded military equipment. It resulted in 13 young American servicemembers dead. It left hundreds of thousands of American veterans who served in Afghanistan wondering if their efforts were in vain. It embarrassed America on the world stage and left a gaping hole that China and the Taliban rushed to fill in. What have we learned? The Biden administration responded with the Commander in Chief checking his watch during a dignified transfer of servicemembers killed, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin claiming he had no regrets about the withdrawal. What have we learned? Lest my argument be debased or derided as petty partisanship, let me flip the script. Mr. Speaker, I ask you, what happened the last time Republicans tried to repeal something without a plan to replace it? I tell you the truth: What happened then will pale in comparison to the consequences of ceding the global strategic high ground of the future to those who mean to harm us. I will be the first to argue that we have become overdependent on the military rather than investing in ourselves, in our industrial base at home, wielding diplomacy, and harnessing economic statecraft as our tools of first resort. There is no global stability when America is economically weak and militarily impulsive and has a reputation of retreat. The most devastating effect of abandoning our allies--even now, thousands of our fellow Americans are on the battlefield--is that our friends don't trust us and our enemies no longer fear us. If we want nations around the world to choose America instead of dictators and despots, we must give them a reason to do so. This premature withdrawal from Somalia will be a great victory for a dangerous al-Qaida affiliate that seeks the death of America. There is another group of adversaries to keep in mind, as well. Russia and the Communist Party of China would like nothing more than to see the U.S. take a foreign policy of isolationism. There is already a Chinese military base on the east coast of Djibouti. There are reports of more coming to the west coast of Africa, which will pose a direct threat to America. If we cavalierly withdraw from Africa, the CCP will rush to fill in the void like they did in Afghanistan. By emboldening terrorists, Russia, and Communist China, this resolution would harm the national security of the United States. Again, Mr. Speaker, I applaud the gentleman from Florida's initiative for forcing this long-overdue debate. I also applaud leadership for allowing it to come to the floor. I invite the gentleman to work with me to end this executive overreach of over two decades, to pull back our war powers and Article I authority under the Constitution in a way that truly puts America first. As it stands today, regretfully, this resolution will not strengthen America at home or keep her safe abroad. It is for that reason, and again, that reason alone, that I urge my colleagues to join me in opposition. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague, Mr. Gaetz. He makes a series of great points. The greatest, I believe, is our military cannot be used to fight an ideology. Unlimited war without checking by Congress is unconstitutional, and we must come up with a better solution, which is why the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and me, as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, recognizes that the DOD doesn't exist in a vacuum. We recognize that the State Department and USAID are present in building civilian leaders and institutions. We understand these institutions must work together with different mandates, and we are not shooting our way out of Somalia. We must provide additional ways to fix the problem. I agree we cannot fight ideology with military. I look forward to working with all sides to figure out exactly how we can strengthen our ties to make sure that we have partners and move from aid to trade with a long-term partner. We had a rousing speech from the President of South Korea just an hour ago where he mentioned the great aid that the United States taxpayers and the great investment that we have made over decades and years in South Korea. Now as a shining example, they are the 10th most wealthy country in the world because of America, our great generosity, and because we are exceptional. I think we have a remarkable opportunity to do that and show that America truly should be the first choice and first option for folks around the world. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Zinke).

Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, I think this is what we call a violent agreement. We need to fix the ills of the past with a solution for the future. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. McCormick).

Mr. JAMES. Again, Mr. Speaker, I believe we are in violent agreement. The gentleman from Georgia mentioned, I believe, and it is extremely appropriate, that this isn't about protecting another nation. It is about protecting ours. Today, I think that we are just standing here, and I think if we were to take the vote on the floor, I am pretty sure that most of our colleagues would agree that the executive branch is abusing its power and that we as Congress have ceded our constitutional authority to hold them to account. We should absolutely hold the executive branch to account for their two decades of missteps, but a number of my colleagues and I in the freshman class have been here but a mere 110 days. I am sure I can speak for most of us that we refuse to be held bound to the mistakes of the past. We are inspired and excited to make sure that we correct those mistakes of the past with strong policy to benefit the American people and our allies in the future. That requires not repealing something without a replacement. That requires the executive branch to come to us for permission, as they are constitutionally obligated to do. It is our duty to retain these authorities, but not proceeding without an event-based strategy rather than a time-based strategy. Regrettably, I restate that this resolution does nothing toward those ends. It merely directs the removal of U.S. forces from Somalia within a time frame without regard for what may be going on on the ground. Again, I applaud and appreciate forcing this debate. It is long overdue. I respect and thank the gentlemen, Representative Mills for his service and Representative Gaetz for forcing this very important debate. I am looking forward to taking this up with the help of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), my friend, in the House Foreign Affairs Committee to make sure that we can satisfy our obligations, first to the American people and also to our allies who count on us to take up the mantle and use global leadership not to be isolationist and also not to be imperialist but to make sure that we are staying strong at home first. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I have the right to close, and I will continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, again, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gaetz) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mills) are both very well-intentioned on this resolution today, and I firmly agree that Congress must reassert its Article I constitutional responsibility to declare war. This body must replace the 22-year-old counterterrorism AUMF with an authorization that focuses specifically on the threats that we face today. Yes, it must be both time and event based because, frankly, when I heard Representative Gaetz, my colleague and a great patriot as well, mention this may not be a threat, I got shivers down my spine, and I remembered something when I heard former President Obama talk about ISIS as the JV team. Under this administration, we have wide open borders, and frankly, it is a direct security threat. I am not comfortable taking our eye off the ball with an Al-Shabaab that is well funded that has designs on killing Americans. This resolution, as a blanket statement, I do not believe accomplishes very specific, targeted time- and event- based goals to keep Americans at home safe. Our troop presence in Somalia is small, serving primarily in a training role. It has made critical national security gains. As I will mention again, I am a big Lions fan, and I learned growing up as a Lions fan that the reason we all knew the names of the offensive linemen is because our quarterbacks kept getting sacked. I learned very early that sometimes the best offensive linemen, the best small units are the ones you never know their name. I believe that those nameless, faceless heroes all over the world in corners that the administration has not justified in 22 years deserve updated AUMFs with congressional authority and approval in order to justify their presence putting their lives on the line, being at risk, and being away from their families. We all agree that the way we are doing things is wrong and must be fixed. Let's work together to fix it. We would not even be having this conversation if not for the courage of my colleagues to stand up and force the issue, so I personally thank them for forcing this debate. It is long overdue, and I am excited to do well by our servicemen and - women all over the country. I again call on my colleagues to please join me in opposition to this resolution and commit to working with all of our colleagues to make sure that if the administration wants to send our men and women into harm's way, they better doggone well come to Congress first. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JAMES

Mr. JAMES. Roger, my brother. Go Army. Mr. Speaker, it is in similar fashion that I approach this body out of respect for American life and our servicemembers, even as I watched the situation unfold in Sudan with shock nearly 2 weeks ago when rival forces started fighting in the streets of Khartoum. It caught our entire diplomatic establishment by surprise, despite the many risks of trying to get the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces to integrate into one structure. The fighting has been relentless, and except for a brief window in which we withdrew our diplomats, every cease-fire has failed to truly hold. There are pockets of less violence today in Khartoum, but that is because thousands upon thousands have already fled the bloodshed. I want to commend the bravery of our brothers and sisters and their professionalism, those military servicemembers who conducted a successful extraction of our embassy personnel, flying missions in Chinooks over 800 miles through the night and accomplishing their mission flawlessly. It was a remarkable success. I am glad that our diplomats are now out of harm's way, but there remains much more work to be done. Unfortunately, that work is not being conducted with the competency and urgency that the situation in Sudan demands. Congress was told thousands of American civilians are still in Sudan, but the Department of State, as this administration has shown a penchant for, has left them behind to fend for themselves. This policy that is furthered by this administration not only leaves Americans abroad vulnerable, but as targets to those who would hurt and kill us. This Department of State is proving time and time again that they are unable to perform their duties confidently. We must look into this as a body in Congress. Right now, the Department of State is unable to provide an update of how many Americans have contacted the department for assistance. They either can't or they won't. In either case, they will be held to account. The Department of State refuses to be honest and transparent about the structure of the task force, the number of consular offices answering the need of Americans on the ground, or to describe how those Americans waiting to get out are being assisted besides updates on the next foreign flight or vessel. There are French planes assisting their citizens, there are Chinese ships assisting their citizens, and there is silence for the cries of American citizens in Sudan being ignored. In a world where we cannot shoot our way out of conflicts exclusively, we need our diplomats to show up and with a plan that will have the full support of Congress. Mr. Speaker, our President came to this Chamber mere months ago and told us repeatedly that he wanted to finish the job. It is not clear, after seeing what is happening in Afghanistan and seeing what is happening at our borders and seeing what is happening in Sudan that he ever started the job to begin with. We need the leadership of this body to stand up for American citizens when this administration will not.

Mr. JAMES

Mr. JAMES. Mr. Speaker, America's fiscal trajectory is unsustainable. The threat of a potential U.S. Government debt default plays into China's longstanding grand strategy for expanding its global role and diminishing our influence. It is a matter of national security to get this under control. When small businesses and families in my district and all across the country experience financial problems, they tighten their belts. They change their spending habits, and they expect Washington to do the same. Instead, President Joe Biden stood in this very Chamber, gaslighted, fearmongered, and claimed Republicans want to sunset Social Security and Medicare while there are attacks on Republicans all over the country on this very same lie. Why? To frighten seniors and hope the stampede would block Republicans from reining in his destructive, runaway spending. That is why I introduced the Protecting Social Security and Medicare Act the very next day. I spoke with leadership in the following weeks about taking these very important critical programs off the negotiation table, and that is exactly what leadership did. As we debate today, seniors can rest assured that the promises Republicans made to them will not be broken in this debate. I am also voting for this bill because it does not include cuts to the Pentagon's budget, particularly to Selfridge Air National Guard Base, a pillar of my district, a crown jewel of the State of Michigan, and critical to our national defense against northern aggressors like China, Russia, and North Korea who may threaten us from abroad. It is reasonable to disagree with any specific debt ceiling approach, and I am looking forward to continuing with the debate. If President Biden continues to refuse to come to the table and negotiate in good faith, we will achieve historic default, putting our country's national security and families like mine and yours at economic risk in the future.

Mr. JAMES

Mr. JAMES. Mr. Chair, I would like to start off by applauding my colleagues for including language in H.R. 1 that reaffirms our Nation's commitment to protecting freshwater resources, especially the Great Lakes. This bill upholds our commitment to protecting our natural resources in Michigan and upholding the ban on oil and gas development in our Great Lakes. We are blessed with rich waterways and have an obligation to protect them. We talk a lot about becoming energy independent, but what does this mean for our country and the American people? It starts with access to essential resources without relying on the goodwill of foreign nations, especially our adversaries. Mining is essential to our energy strategy and manufacturing independence. Without independent, secure, and safe minerals, there is no manufacturing independence. Worse, there is no national security. I put forward the national strategy to reshore mineral supply chains amendment because I believe it is one of those commonsense issues that both sides can agree on. Democrats have advocated for an electric future. That hinges on sustainably sourced mining. Republicans have made it clear that establishing energy and manufacturing independence to grow our economy and lower prices is a top priority. I have actually found a bipartisan partner in the White House. Last week, I asked Secretary Blinken whether he would be open to participating with me on legislation to create a 21st century national strategy to strengthen the American industrial base to reshore our critical minerals and end slavery in our supply chains. His answer? We welcome working with you on that. This amendment is a practical step toward that goal. To the Chinese Communist Party, my amendment signals that America is done being taken advantage of. To the rest of the world, it shows that America stands strong and strategically. To hardworking Americans, it means lower costs and more money in their pockets. I represent the number one manufacturing district in the country, but our Great Lakes are table stakes for anyone who seeks to represent them. We must have balance in how we approach this, and I believe H.R. 1 strikes that balance. America has leaned on the 10th Congressional District in a world war and a global pandemic, and we expect to be called upon again. We will stand ready to help, but we must be prepared. That starts with a national strategy to reshore mineral supply chains. It is critically important.

Mr. JAMES

Mr. JAMES. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. on Friday, March 3, 2023.

Mr. JAMES

Mr. JAMES. Madam Speaker, South Africa's Government has recently adopted a worrying path highlighted by its refusal to clearly oppose Putin's war of aggression in Ukraine and its shameful decision to host Russia and China for naval exercises on the war's anniversary. I am a combat veteran. I have participated in both war games and war. Make no mistake, one is intended to prepare for the other. In hard times it is easy to be seduced by the siren song of isolationism. Allowing vacuums of American influence around the world to be filled with Chinese yuan and Russian lies is a threat to our American economy and security at home. We must speak softly and carry a big stick. And with our big stick, we must eliminate safe havens for terror organizations in Africa that would metastasize into direct threats to America in the Western Hemisphere; ensure that American-made goods both catalyze economic growth at home and help reduce long-term aid dependence in Africa; and eliminate slave labor in our battery supply chains starting with minerals stripped from Africa on the backs of Black children. In a world where America is no longer the only choice, we must return to being the most desirable choice. It is in our vital national interest to ensure that when nations like South Africa have a choice between China or the United States of America, they will always choose America first.

Mr. JAMES

Mr. JAMES. Madam Clerk, I rise to nominate Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the House. Madam Clerk, there has been a lot of talk about history over the last few days. 1856 was the last time it took longer than 9 votes to find a Speaker of the House. It took 133 votes over 2 months. Without question, the issues that divide us today are much less severe than they were in 1856. In fact, there is far more that unites us than divides us, regardless of our political party or ideology. The issues today are over a few rules and personalities, while the issues at that time were about slavery and whether the value of a man who looks like me was 60 percent or 100 percent of a human being. It was a long, drawn-out, painful process, but it needed to happen. In the end, Nathaniel Banks won by the slimmest of margins. But the margins don't matter when your policies are on the right side of history. On that day, long ago, the good guys won. On that day, long ago, the abolitionists won. On that day, the people who believed in freedom and self-determination won. The leading Republican nominee won then, and the leading Republican nominee will win again today. Since then, our Nation has made a lot of progress. That includes families like mine. My family has gone from slave to the floor of the United States House of Representatives, being the first Member of his freshman class to speak. In a series of five generations, my family has gone from slave to right here since 1856. My father and mother were born in the 1940s and 1950s in the Jim Crow South, and my dad lived directly across the street from a school he couldn't go to because he was Black. He started a business with one truck, one trailer, no excuses, with the help of his wife, and now his son stands here on the precipice of taking back the majority for the American people and taking this Nation in the right direction. I am a freshman. I have only been here a couple of days, but I have heard a lot of D.C. politicians tell me about how broken D.C. is. I don't need D.C. politicians to tell me how broken D.C. is. The American people have already told us how broken D.C. is by giving the Republicans the majority so we can fix this mess. We will counter the socialist movement of envy and confiscation with a conservative movement of access and opportunity. We will stand on the right side of history again. We will end the growth of government, and we will stop 87,000 new IRS agents from picking through your pocketbooks. We will secure our energy independence. We will ban the sale of petroleum from our strategic reserves to China. We will establish a bipartisan select committee specifically to keep our eye on the ball in China. We will address the crisis at the border that is killing Americans by the day and improve both our safety in our Nation and our dignity for those who come here in search of a better life. But not yet. We are still stuck at the starting block. The American people have told us, by putting a Republican majority here, that they want Republicans to lead, and they want a government that works and doesn't embarrass them. We are failing on both missions, and that must change today. Benjamin Franklin said: We must hang together, or we will, most assuredly, hang separately. We are stuck in a malaise, at an impasse, and we will stay here and not be able to fight the real conservative fight until we find a way to come together and fight that mission together. Yesterday, we experienced, very briefly, our first win. It was a small victory. It was a small victory, but didn't it feel good? We have been working hard for that victory, and there are much more to come. As a cadet at West Point, I learned the phrase that has always been my motto throughout my life: ``Mission first, people always.'' Right now, the people are left out. Right now, they don't have a Congress to speak for them at the highest level of government. Right now, every individual in this room can concede that the rounds that we have taken are not what we told our constituents we would do. We told them that we would fight the opioid crisis. For perspective, there is a hallowed monument that my father took me to. My father is a Vietnam veteran. This monument has a total length of 500 feet, nearly 2 football fields. It is 10 feet high, and the letters are only a half inch, with 58,000 names, for a war that lasted years. According to the CDC, in 2021, we lost almost twice as many people as we lost in Vietnam to overdoses. We lost 600 Americans to overdoses since Tuesday. We are talking about the debt rising. You can't count how many dollars we have spent of our great-grandchildren's money since Tuesday. The work we promised the American people we would do, we are welching on that promise. But I have hope. I have hope that we will be able to come together unified and put the right person in leadership. From many, one, e pluribus unum. I am standing here today because I am the seventh Member to stand up in support of Kevin McCarthy for Speaker. He has earned my trust. The first time we met was in his office under the watchful gaze of a Frederick Douglass painting. He told me in that office, on the eve of the 2019 State of the Union address, that there is nothing that could be said or done during that address that embarrassed him more than the fact that when the Democrat side stood up, they would look more like the United States of America than we do. He set out not to compromise our values, not to compromise our ideology, but to work harder to make sure that more people with diverse perspectives and different lived experiences could be here. In the very next election, he won 14 seats up from 199. All the seats he won were with minorities, women, and veterans. The very next cycle, this next cycle, he helped me and my good buddy and classmate, the Congressman from Texas, Wes Hunt, double the number of Black Republicans in the Republican Conference. We have a long way to go, but we have come so far. We have come so far. We can't quit. We can't quit. You don't fire a guy who is winning. Look at the Governor's mansions and legislatures we lost across the country just this past cycle and look at the gains that Kevin McCarthy has made uphill, getting the gavel as minority leader in half the time. The mainstream media likes to laud the leadership of Nancy Pelosi. Kevin McCarthy won the gavel back as minority leader in half the time going uphill. We want to talk about people who can win. I am a Lions' fan, and I am well acquainted with snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. We need to learn how to win. We need to learn how to take victory. With Kevin McCarthy's leadership, he has given us victories on rules. He has given us victories on keeping costs down. He has given us victories with winning the majority back. I am so proud to be a part of the majority-making class. He has earned my trust, and, hopefully, he will earn your trust. He has got 90 percent of us in the Conference. When is the last time any of us had 90 percent approval ratings? Kevin McCarthy, you will see up there, has over 90 percent approval ratings. If you really want to start making history, let's do it the right way. We need a conservative fighter to help this country get back on the right track, but the first thing we need to do is elect Leader McCarthy as Speaker of the House. I am ready to make history, and I know you are. I am excited to work with each and every single one of you because we have a job to do. At the direction of the Republican Conference, I advance the name of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House for the 118th Congress.