Doug Lamborn

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 7098 would expand the boundary of Saguaro National Park, Arizona, by a cumulative total of approximately 1,232 acres. For those who haven't visited this park, it is another one of the jewels of our National Park System. I have been there, and I would urge everyone who has a chance to also visit this beautiful place. The bill also authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire land owned by the State of Arizona within the boundary of the park. In addition, the bill also authorizes agreements where the National Park Service would manage State-owned land within the boundary of the park where acquisition is not possible. Finally, the bill also authorizes a study to identify future potential park expansions to better protect desert habitats in the greater Tucson area. Now, while I don't understand why the State of Arizona would want the National Park Service to manage any more land within its boundaries, this bill does go about expanding a park unit in the right way: through an open, deliberative process in Congress. This bill authorizes a rather large addition to the park, but we heard no local opposition to the expansion. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 7489, offered by our Natural Resources Committee colleague from Virginia, Mr. Wittman, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to convey about 4.4 acres of Federal property for the construction of a new commuter rail and pedestrian bridge spanning the Potomac. Current law allows a right of way for railroads on most Federal lands, but not for railroads on National Park Service lands, therefore, legislation is needed to authorize a small amount of National Park System land to be conveyed or used by Virginia to construct a railroad. The Long Bridge Project will double the capacity of the Potomac River rail crossing by adding a second two-track bridge adjacent to the existing bridge, as well as a pedestrian crossing. I commend Representative Wittman for his hard work on the Long Bridge Project and for this bipartisan and tri-jurisdiction legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, quickly I am going to give a quote from one of our Presidents, our Founding Father, and then John Quincy Adams, the sixth President. George Washington said: It is impossible to rightly govern a Nation without God and the Bible. So he began a rich history of Presidents leaning on the Bible for wisdom and guidance. John Quincy Adams, the sixth President said: ``The first and almost the only Book deserving of universal attention is the Bible.'' So those are great quotes from some of our Founding Fathers. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert), my friend and colleague.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I would I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson), who is the current chairman of the Republican Study Committee.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the topic of this Special Order.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor for me to come to the House floor tonight to commemorate National Bible Week. This year's Special Order marks the 79th annual celebration of a week in which we celebrate the tremendous influence of the Bible on the freedoms we enjoy today in America. I am so thankful and blessed to live in a country where we have the freedom to worship and read the Holy Scriptures without fear. Many people across the globe live in countries where such freedoms do not exist. Mr. Speaker, under our wonderful system of government, people are free to respect and study the Bible, or any other system of belief, if they so choose--or even none at all. That is the beauty of the American way, and it is rooted in the deep truths contained in the Word of God. In 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared the week of Thanksgiving to be National Bible Week. This is the time we set aside to recognize the Bible as a foundational building block of Western civilization, the Judeo-Christian heritage, and the ideas and principles that shape the thinking of our America's Founding Fathers. The Word of God has had a profound impact on my life as well. I agree with the Psalmist when he says: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. This has been true in my own life as well. God's Word has shaped my thinking and deeply influenced my relationship with God. The Bible has indeed been a guiding light in every area of my life and a source of comfort and strength in a time of need. In this hour, we will hear from Members of Congress from various faiths, traditions, and denominations to speak about what the Bible means to them. We are here, in keeping with tradition, to recognize National Bible Week. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber).

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas, and I yield to another gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin).

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, that reminds me of a story here from the Halls of Congress in the beginning of our country's history. Many of the early American settlers who came to the New World with the express purpose of living out their faith to God and his Word, according to the convictions of their own consciences, founded our country. And one of the very first Congress' first acts was the authorization of an American-published Bible. The Revolutionary War with the British in the late 1700s had cut off all remaining shipments of Bibles from England. Our Founding Fathers understood how important it was for the American people to have access to Bibles. Robert Aitken, a private citizen, brought this need to the attention of Congress, and he wrote a letter saying: ``This work is an object worthy of the attention of the Congress of the United States of America, who will not neglect spiritual security, while they are virtuously contending for temporal blessings.'' In 1782, Congress reviewed, approved, and authorized the first known English language Bible to be printed in America. They passed a resolution, here in the halls of Congress--or the Continental Congress--saying: ``Resolved, that the United States in Congress assembled highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken, as subservient to the interest of religion, as well as an instance of the progress of arts in this country, and being satisfied from the above report of his care and accuracy in the execution of the work, they recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States, and hereby authorize him to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper.'' Can you imagine doing that today? The House of Representatives approving the printing of a Bible? Our country has changed over the years, and I am not sure it has always changed for the better. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Hice).

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman and appreciate his remarks. Next, it is with great pleasure that I would like to recognize a personal friend as well as a colleague from Michigan. He and his wife, Sue, have been an example to my wife and me in the sincerity of their beliefs. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I would like to say that this country is a better place because of your service. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, those of us who believe in the Bible are sometimes accused of having blind faith. But nothing could be further from the truth. There are many proofs on why we know that the Bible is actually true. One of those is the fulfillment of prophecies. The accuracy of the Bible is proven by so many prophecies, foretelling future events, that have come true exactly as foretold, especially in the Old Testament. There have been many predictions that were given to prove, when they were first spoken, that the speaker was divinely inspired. If and when those predictions came true, it validated the words of that person, of that prophet. For instance, the Book of Daniel has some very detailed prophecies, scores of these, that were literally fulfilled, that could not have ever been done by chance. Skeptics responded and said, well, Daniel must have been written after those events. They, otherwise, could not have been so detailed on what happened later and that the writer of Daniel was not being honest. But, in fact, it was discovered afterward that the Book of Daniel was found in its entirety in the Greeks' Septuagint and partially in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and both of those were proven to predate the events that were prophesied. That argument that it was written later fell through. This means that the critics of the Book of Daniel and its dating are the ones who are not being honest. The rise and fall of empires, the capture and destruction of cities, the destiny of kings, all were prophesied about in minute detail. Fulfillment of prophecy is just one of the reasons we know that the Bible is true. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes).

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his great remarks. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon).

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I also thank him for his service to our country. We have many veterans who are serving in Congress, and Representative Bacon is one of the finest. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Norman).

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman; he made some reference to here in the Capitol, some of the insignia that shows the recognition of God. Above the Speaker, it says, ``In God We Trust.'' That is chiseled in the stone there. Behind me, among all these lawgivers down through the centuries, Moses is there in the center looking straight on, over our deliberations. He gave us the Ten Commandments. So I appreciate, also, those historical references. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Palmer), who is the policy chairman of the Republican Conference.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments. I would like to recall an incident from my own background. When I was a freshman in college years ago, some people talked to me, and they said: Do you know what the Bible is about? I said: Yeah, I know all about it. Although, I realized after a minute went by, that that was really a pretty presumptuous answer because I had never actually read anything in the Bible. Mr. Speaker, I wonder if this might be true for others who are listening in today. The only honest thing I could do at that point when I realized I hadn't read any of it was to say: I am going to read the Bible for myself. So I started by reading the Gospel of John in the New Testament. And when I read it, I discovered that I hadn't known at all what the Bible was about. I learned that Jesus said things like: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. I ended up discovering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, who became my Lord and Savior. Mr. Speaker, I speak from personal experience when I say that it is better to read the Bible for one's self and not just take someone else's word for it for what it says. My life has been transformed by the truths that it holds. The message of the good news of Jesus is still transforming lives today. John 3:16: For God so loved to world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. So as we celebrate National Bible Week, we celebrate the place that faith holds in both our private and public lives. The Bible's message of hope is a powerful one of redemption and hope, and we cherish its message today. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Spano).

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his heartfelt remarks, and I wish him the best in the future. Another reason why I believe that we can use our reason to believe in the Bible and not just blind faith--as some accuse us of who are believers--is archaeology. There are many archeological discoveries which have validated Biblical accounts, even accounts that weren't believed in the first place, but later archaeology proved them to be true. This gives us trustworthiness that we ascribe to the Bible during this National Bible Week. Archaeology has time and time again shown that Biblical personalities, locations, and events actually existed in time and space. Claims by critics that a Biblical statement was simply made up have been debunked by later archeological discoveries more times than we can say. For instance, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the late forties and fifties proved the credibility and authority of Scripture. The discovery of those scrolls shine light on the oldest record of the worldwide flood and the longstanding authority and accuracy of all of the events of the Bible. Jewish archaeologist, Nelson Glueck, has said: It may be stated categorically that no archeological discovery has ever controverted or contradicted a Biblical reference. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway), who I am going to miss greatly as he retires and goes into a new life at the end of this year. I sat next to him in Armed Services for 13 years up until now, and I cherish our relationship. He is someone that I deeply trust, and I acknowledge his integrity.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his great words. In conclusion, it has been an honor to commemorate National Bible Week this evening. I am grateful to my colleagues who joined me. The Bible claims to be more than a mere book. It claims to be the inspired words of God. As it says in the first book of Peter: All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord abides forever. So I am thankful for the Word of God on my life and all the lives of those who have spoken today. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say our country and our military are a better place because of Ranking Member Thornberry's hard work, involvement, and dedication. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the conference report to accompany H.R. 6395, the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. This NDAA continues the Armed Services Committee's commendable bipartisan tradition. I am particularly happy with the following aspects of the conference report that affect readiness. It authorizes over $250 billion for operations and maintenance, including facilities sustainment and $8 billion in new military construction. It reforms logistics and sustainment to better align the Department's support to the National Defense Strategy while ensuring that sustainment planning is emphasized early in major weapon system acquisition. It extends critical land withdrawals for the Navy and the Air Force to perform training activities at the Fallon Range Training Complex and the Nevada Test and Training Range. These are vital to the readiness of our aviation forces. It provides the Air Force with much-needed flexibility to synchronize military construction and weapons system fielding for the ground-based strategic deterrent system. It continues to reform military family housing with better remediation of severe environmental hazards. These are just some of the important improvements in readiness that the NDAA accomplishes. I want to thank Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Thornberry for their leadership to complete the NDAA, along with Readiness Subcommittee Chairman John Garamendi. Passing this bill signals the clear support of Congress to our military members and their families. If not enacted, these critical readiness authorities and vital matters like military pay raises will not happen. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the conference report.

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mrs. Karla Jo Kroeker, cherished wife, sister, mother, grandmother, patriot, and friend. Karla was born May 13, 1945, and adopted by her loving parents, Kenneth and Dorothy Willich, when she was just thirteen days old. Her father was a rancher, and mother, a school teacher. Karla and her brother, David, enjoyed ranch life, riding horses, working cattle, and growing various crops. Karla graduated from Stoneham High School in 1963. She attended Northeastern Jr. College in Sterling, Colorado, where she met and married the love of her life, Phillip [LTC (Ret)], on June 4, 1967. After graduating from college, Karla worked as an elementary school teacher, and Phillip was stationed at Fort Carson Army Base in Colorado Springs before being drafted to serve in Vietnam. Phillip returned safely from the war, and they had two beloved children, a son Kendell in 1972, and daughter Krystal in 1975. After their children were born, they bought their family home in Monument, Colorado. Karla left her career in education and began running a health and wellness company from home, which gave her the freedom to dedicate her time and energy to her family. She was a ``hands-on'' classroom mom to her children--going to every field trip, band concert, and sporting event. Karla never missed an opportunity to shower her family with grace and love. Seventeen years ago, Karla discovered and met her biological twin sisters, Madelyn and Marilyn, and instantly formed a sisterly bond that grew and lasted until her passing. Karla was a person of great Christian faith; her love for the Lord was boundless and unmistakable. She led a local high school Bible study group for over 28 years and was a member of Cathedral Rock Church in Monument, Colorado. A founding member of Sunrise Republican Women, Karla served in various leadership roles, contributing her wit, humor, and occasional sass to their skits and events. Karla loved to decorate floats for the Monument 4th of July parade and was always wearing a smile on her face and flag in her hand. She was a dedicated and faithful patriot. Karla loved to read, work in her yard, and, most of all, spend time with her four grandsons. She found joy in every aspect of life. Her zeal was contagious. Karla is survived by her husband (of 53 years) Phillip, son Kendell (Christy), daughter Krystal (Bill), brother David, sisters Madelyn and Marilyn, and grandsons Joshua, Daniel, Liam, and Evan. Karla will be greatly missed. She of all people would want everyone to know that she has met her Savior face to face, and is in a far better place.

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, in March 2016, Taylor Force, a U.S. Army veteran, was brutally murdered by a Palestinian terrorist while visiting Israel. The terrorist's family now receives monthly rewards from the so-called Palestinian Authority Martyrs Fund. Palestinian leadership has spent over $350 million rewarding tens of thousands of terrorists with pay-for-slay payments. My bill, the Taylor Force Act, signed into law by President Trump in 2018, targeted these payments, but we have documented evidence that they continue today. The U.S. must sanction Palestinian officials, like Qadri Abu Bakr, who are incentivizing terror and officially designate them as sponsors of terror. We must let the enemies of peace know that the United States will not stand by and allow the Palestinian Authority to promote and reward the murder of innocents through pay for slay. Mr. Speaker, in March 2016, Taylor Force, an American citizen and U.S. Army veteran who served his country in both Iraq and Afghanistan, was brutally and senselessly murdered by a Palestinian terrorist while visiting Israel. The murderer was later shot dead by police after his stabbing spree wounded another 10 innocent victims. For carrying out this evil act, the terrorist's family receives monthly stipends from the so-called ``Palestinian Authority Martyrs Fund.'' In fact, tens of thousands of terrorists and their families have received millions of dollars from Palestinian leadership as a reward for murdering innocent men, women, and children. The grotesque incentive is structured so that the more people they kill, the greater their monetary reward. The most prolific killers can receive more than $3,500 a month. This includes those who were and remain members of designated terrorist organizations as described in President Trump's Terrorist Designation Executive Order #13224. Palestinian leadership has since spent over $350 million rewarding these heinous acts of terror in what has now been universally dubbed ``pay-for-slay.'' My bill, the Taylor Force Act, was signed into law by President Trump on March 23, 2018. This law was meant to disincentivize these awful payments, end the senseless war of terror against Israel, and advance the cause of peace by ending the cycle of violence perpetuated by the Palestinian political leadership. Unfortunately, Palestinian Authority leaders have publicly rejected the terms of the Taylor Force Act. We have seen documented evidence that the ``pay for slay'' payments are now continuing in 2020, something which Palestinian leadership has brazenly praised without fear of consequences from the United States. The appropriate next step is to personally sanction the Palestinian officials involved in this incentivizing of terror. The Palestinian Commission of Prisoners' Affairs and its Director, Qadri Abu Bakr, must be designated as sponsors of terror, as the administration committed itself to in Executive Order 13224. President Trump's Peace to Prosperity plan for ending the Israel- Palestinian conflict specifically addresses the `Prisoner and Martyr Payments' and calls for their immediate termination. This position has received long-standing bipartisan support at home and abroad. It is time we let the enemies of peace know in no uncertain terms that the United States will not stand idly by and allow the Palestinian Authority to promote and pay for the murder of innocents through pay- for-slay.

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Kelly).

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