Tracey Mann

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss what I see as the path to healing and reconciliation in our country. We have a promise from God about how to heal our Nation. It is very simple, and it is from II Chronicles. The Lord says: ``If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.'' It is almost as though God crafted this message for our present moment. I am proud to be part of the crew of people on this Earth who strive to live by God's promises: those who follow Jesus. You can find us throughout Kansas and from Austin, Texas, to Hamilton, Montana, to Simmons, Kentucky, to Thompson, Connecticut. In this country, so many people advance against one another in jealousy and pride, they rush to judgment and they rob each other of the dignity and respect we owe our fellow citizens when we should be carrying each other's burdens. If we don't stop this behavior, we will incur the punishment it deserves: enmity, discord, and separation. I think of my daughter when I tuck her in at night and my son when we go fishing. I don't want them to live in a country that is playing the dangerous game of division and hatred for the next 99 years, but a world of hope, peace, and love. If our country keeps rejecting God, we will only make it harder for ourselves to accomplish this. Commemorating the Life of Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life of a truly great Kansan, Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh, who died last year at the age of 78. Dr. Flinchbaugh taught my ag policy class at Kansas State University, which is the best class I took at college. He had a larger-than-life demeanor; was committed to production agriculture; was involved, at some level, in every farm bill going back over 50 years; and was sharp, witty, and hilarious. Dr. Flinchbaugh did more for Kansas farmers than possibly anyone else during his lifetime. His expertise in ag policy led him to meet every President from Harry Truman to George W. Bush. But he wasn't interested in notoriety. He was passionate about his family, his field of study, and his students, who were his legacy and his pride and joy. I was one of the 5,000 students Dr. Flinchbaugh taught over the span of 49 years, and I can picture him now, cigar in hand, holding court in his classroom or in his office, surrounded by transfixed young people, many of whom would later go on to become leaders in the very field they learned from him. I would like to close with one of his quotes that I think we all need to hear, especially in this deliberative body at the present time. He said: ``There are two ways to make public decisions: compromise or dictatorship. There's nothing in between.''

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss the priorities of the Biden administration because they are not good for the American people. What are the administration's priorities as outlined by the infrastructure package? It is not roads, bridges, highways, rail, and waterways. Instead, their infrastructure plan is a Trojan horse for a leftist wish list that will jam progressive policies like the Green New Deal through this Congress at the expense of actual infrastructure. Despite promises that this plan would be budget neutral, the CBO has estimated it will increase our national deficit by $256 billion. What are the administration's priorities as outlined in the reconciliation bill? It is not fairness, but partisanship. Senator Bernie Sanders said that under this budget no middle-income family would pay more in taxes. That is not true. The reconciliation bill includes damaging tax increases, falling largely on the shoulders of middle-income families, small businesses, and family farms. This bill would be the largest tax-and-spend measure in America's history and would increase public debt by more than $4.16 trillion. It would also allow the Federal Government to intervene even more in our daily lives and kill countless jobs. What are the administration's policies regarding ag policy? It is not supporting the people who feed, fuel, and clothe all of us, but eliminating their protections and taxing them out of their land. I proposed an amendment on this very issue at the House Agriculture Committee earlier this month that was not even considered by Democrat leadership. I don't want to see farmers and ranchers taxed on their generational property over and over again, which will destroy their livelihoods. This administration demands more taxes, and their party does what it often does and hammers rural America's middle class. Farmers in my district understand perfectly well that the majority party doesn't care about the issues they face while they work tirelessly to keep the breadbasket of our Nation full. Just yesterday, I spent 2 hours in the Ag Committee marking up a resolution to retroactively designate July 2021 as National Blueberry Month. Now, I like blueberries as much as the next guy, but I stand before you in disbelief that this committee would rather name a portion of the past after a berry than protect the future of farmers in this country. These are backward priorities on full display. Abortion Bill is Horrible

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to voice my opposition for H.R. 3755, which would federally legalize abortions on demand up until birth. This bill isn't just morally reprehensible. It also prohibits States from passing their own laws acknowledging the humanity of unborn children. It is a wicked path to accomplish a wicked end. This bill would override both Federal and State laws adopted before and even after its enactment. This year, 48 States have introduced a combined 289 pro-life bills, 89 of which have been signed into law. H.R. 3755 does not reflect the voice of the American people on the issue of abortion. It reflects the voice of the abortion lobby. This bill abolishes any law that regulates abortion in any way, including laws that prevent sex-selection abortion and abortions based on a Down syndrome diagnosis. By 12 weeks of age, babies have fully formed arms, hands, fingers, feet, and toes and a functional circulatory system and liver, and the capacity to experience pain. All of this, astonishingly, at a weight of one ounce and a length of 4 inches. I believe that life begins at conception. I support adoptions, foster care, and crisis pregnancy centers. God knits every one of us together in our mother's wombs. Life is a miracle, and I believe that the right to it extends to the unborn in this country. That is why I strongly oppose this horrible bill. Crisis at the Southern Border

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to call attention once again to the disastrous situation that President Biden has created at our southern border. The first priority of any administration must be to protect the homeland and keep Americans safe. We have brave Border Patrol agents putting themselves in harm's way every day doing just that; and, meanwhile, their calls for a complete southern border security system are falling on deaf ears in Washington. They know that it would make their jobs easier and our country safer, and the funds are already appropriated. Why, then, is the administration forcing these agents, who deserve our unwavering support, to do their jobs with anything less than the most comprehensive technology available? Across the globe from our southern border lies Afghanistan, where there exists yet another disastrous situation President Biden created. Make no mistake, the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban is not an isolated problem in a land far, far away. The Taliban could redistribute their terrorists across the world in a matter of days, and our southern border is about as secure as a welcome mat, inviting terrorists who hate America to come and set up shop. President Biden didn't just torpedo the stability of Afghanistan last month, he also put Americans in danger, which highlights yet another need to address the southern border crisis immediately.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, on Saturday, August 14, 2021, Timothy (Tim) and Candace (Candy) Gorsuch of Leoti, Kansas, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Stillwater, Oklahoma. They were joined by family and close friends for the occasion. Tim and Candy met on a blind date in Stillwater while Tim was playing baseball for Oklahoma State University and Candy was a flight attendant for Continental Airlines. They were married in Colorado Springs in 1971 and were blessed with three children: Jack, Adrienne, and Matthew, and 6 grandchildren. Madam Speaker, please join me in congratulating Tim and Candy on this exciting occasion. Happy 50th wedding anniversary.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate one of my favorite times of the year, county fair season in Kansas. This summer, all 63 counties in the big First District will host at least one county fair, featuring FFA and 4-H livestock shows, rodeos, demolition derbies, science demonstrations, fair food, and most importantly, people coming together to celebrate their communities. County fairs are special because each one is unique to that county. Some county fairs rally volunteers to build barns for farmers in need, some hold premium livestock auctions for 4-H and FFA members, driving economic opportunity for those students and their futures. Other fairs serve the world's most famous root beer floats or host family fun nights where young and old participate in sack races and play horseshoes. County fairs teach hard work, respect, and humility. They are emblematic of conservative values, and it is certainly where I learned them as a child. Growing up in Quinter, Kansas, I attended the Gove County Fair every year with my family. I still remember the excitement we all had when our hard work culminated and my siblings and I entered our 4-H projects for review. Those summers taught us lessons we still use today. Last weekend, I found myself reliving the childhood excitement with my son, Austin, at the Riley and Wabaunsee County Fairs. At the Riley County Fair, 4-H members Peyton and Genayla, showed us their market steers and purple ribbon show pigs. The joy and satisfaction of accomplishment on their faces was proof that county fairs serve a critical role in the lives of our youth. At the Wabaunsee County Fair, I met with Alex Gnadt and the county fair board. We toured their brand new livestock facility, constructed by volunteers with donations from county agriculture businesses. Communities rally to support county fairs because they know the substantial impact they have on the entire community. I plan to visit several more county fairs this summer, and I am grateful for communities who prioritize these time-honored traditions. If you attend a Big First county fair, you will see Kansas conservative values on full display: hard work, responsibility, generous giving, and positive attitudes. You will see strong communities, strong leaders, and you will see a bright future. I am proud to be a product of the county fair, and I look forward to celebrating them for years to come. Bloatedbus Legislation

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to address the partisan appropriations bill House Democrats are forcing through Congress this week. With a 50/50 split in the Senate, and a margin of just a few votes separating Democrats and Republicans in the House, American voters clearly want Congress to work together to produce a bipartisan spending plan. In response, Democrats have ignored the American people and produced one of the most partisan budgets in history. Their bloatedbus contains nearly $600 billion, a funding increase of more than 21 percent from the last fiscal year. This bill is a progressive wish list. It boosts funding for the White House by nearly 40 percent and the Vice President's office by 22 percent. It rewards the most liberal agencies like the EPA and IRS, with massive budget increases, only furthering their presence in our lives. It contains more than 1,500 earmarks, returning us to the corrupt practice of pork barrel spending. It contains harmful regulations to Kansas farmers and ranchers by no longer exempting producers from greenhouse gas reporting requirements and reverting to old regulations that decrease meat processing capacity, further suppressing the price of live cattle. The worst part of H.R. 4502, however, is the absence of the Hyde amendment, a traditionally bipartisan provision protecting taxpayers from forced financial complicity in elective abortions. In the bloatedbus, Democrats purposely omitted the Hyde amendment, and instead took the opportunity to voice their support for radical abortion policies. I cannot support legislation that mortgages the future of our children and grandchildren. I oppose H.R. 4502, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. Recognizing Katherine Thomas

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, lastly, I rise today to recognize and thank Katherine Thomas for her tireless and selfless work for all Kansans. In the last 8 years, Katherine has championed Kansas farmers and ranchers in the Halls of Congress, working on food and agricultural issues for several Members of the Kansas congressional delegation. In 2018, Katherine helped usher the farm bill to completion under the direction of Senator Pat Roberts, then Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. Most recently, knowing how important agriculture was to me, Katherine helped establish my new congressional office and prioritize farmers and ranchers in the big First Congressional District. I am proud to have had Katherine on my team, and I wish her the best of luck in her next adventure back in the Senate. Thank you, Katherine.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I stand today to voice my support for H.R. 18, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which would protect the American people from a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars. I cosponsored H.R. 18 during my first few days in Congress, because I, along with the majority of American voters, believe that no person should be required to pay for abortions or abortion services. President Biden himself pledged never to force taxpayers to pay for abortions, and yet he has broken that promise by failing to include the Hyde amendment in his new budget proposal. Devaluing the life of unborn children has desensitized America. We should never use taxpayer dollars to fund abortion services. Instead, we should focus on lifesaving resources that focus on both the mother and the child. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 18, and I ask for its immediate consideration in this House.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong opposition to President Biden's budget proposal for its exclusion of the Hyde amendment, which for 45 years has protected Americans from forced financial complicity in abortion and abortion services. When Congress passed the Hyde amendment in 1976, our country's lawmakers had the sense and decency to agree that if abortions were going to take place in this country, then at least dissenting Americans wouldn't get stuck with the bill. Forcing people to pay for the killing of babies with their tax dollars is unconscionable. That is why the Hyde amendment was passed. Now, the President wants to revoke this protection, as if his $6 trillion budget--which would blatantly require us to raise taxes or print money unto bankruptcy--wasn't already disastrous enough. I believe that life begins at conception and that unborn children in our country have a right to live. Every Member of Congress should, but one does not need to in order to support the Hyde amendment, which prohibits the Federal Government from forcing the American public to do something that we should never ask them to do: pay for abortions. Hutchinson Football Championship

Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the First District's Hutchinson Community College football team on their National Junior College Athletic Association National Championship. Earlier this month I spoke on this very floor about playing eight-man football in rural Kansas. I indicated there were clear winners and losers in the game. On June 5, 2021, the Blue Dragons finished the regular season as clear winners, undefeated, and ranked number one. On top of that, first year Head Coach Drew Dallas went on to be named the 2020 through 2021 NJCAA Football Coach of the Year. This is the program's first national championship and third undefeated season. The talent, time, and effort that these student athletes put into playing football while obtaining a college education is remarkable. Congratulations again to the Hutchinson Community College football team and to Coach Dallas.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to address the troubling impact that inflation is having on the American people. Raising a family during good economic times is hard enough, but times of high inflation make it even more difficult. With prices rising at paces not seen since 1991, families are being forced to make tough decisions and stretch their paychecks even further. During his Presidential campaign, Joe Biden promised not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 per year. However, his spending habit is fueling inflation, which is a tax on every American. In fact, it is worse than an ordinary tax because it is regressive, hitting the working class the hardest. President Biden and Democrats would have the American people believe that debt doesn't matter, and that the government can spend an endless amount of money on whatever they like. However, that could not be further from the truth. To stop the cost of things from accelerating even higher, we must end our spending addiction and get the national debt under control.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the importance of water and my concerns with the Biden administration's unnecessary overreach. We use water to sustain ourselves; for industrial manufacturing; for swimming and recreation with our family and friends; to bathe; and to produce the most affordable, abundant, and safe food supply in the world. Agriculture is the largest industry in Kansas' Big First District and across the State, so water conditions determine good or bad crop years, the amount of time livestock producers spend hauling water or moving cattle to land with a better pond, and ultimately, the kinds of foods that show up on the grocery store shelves across the country. In western and south-central Kansas, the Ogallala aquifer is the main source of water and represents the supply of one-third of the State of Kansas. The Ogallala covers about 175,000 square miles across eight States from South Dakota to Texas, making it the largest aquifer in the country and one of the largest in the world. At the beginning of the 20th century, States began pumping water from the Ogallala to irrigate the land for agricultural production use. In arid climates like western Kansas, irrigation transformed the Dust Bowl ridden region into the incredibly productive land that we see today. On average, Kansas has about three million irrigated acres with nearly 2.6 million acres irrigated with water from the Ogallala and the rest of the High Plains aquifer. The Ogallala's groundwater is essential to our food supply, as it supports nearly one-fifth of all of the wheat, corn, cotton, and cattle produced in the United States. In 2018, when I was Lieutenant Governor of Kansas, we worked with the Ogallala Water Coordinated Agriculture Project to hold the first ever Ogallala Aquifer Summit in Garden City and gathered stakeholders from the eight States covering the aquifer to discuss the need to conserve water and sustain the Ogallala region's agriculture productivity over the long-term, adapting new technologies and voluntarily reducing water waste. Since then, producers like Lynn Goossen have made changes to their operations to reduce the amount of water they pump and protect Ogallala. Goossen Farms has shifted from irrigated corn to a wheat rotation, adapted conservation practices when applying fertilizer, and changed from flood to sprinkler irrigation. Understanding the depletion of the Ogallala caused Mr. Goossen to take on leadership within his Groundwater Management District and work with other producers to voluntarily use their water wisely. Efforts at the State level in Kansas through Groundwater Management Districts have also supported the sustainable use of the Ogallala aquifer where districts work with communities to set their own water conservation goals and control measures; develop plans to reduce water withdrawals in a designated area; and continue using water in a manner that is economically viable. The research from the Northwest Kansas Technical College Water Technology Farm has helped producers like Tim Franklin in Sherman County. The Franklin family farm was early to enroll in a Water Conservation Area, and uses the technology developed and tested at Northwest Tech to help meet their water reduction goals. These voluntary, locally led efforts to safeguard our water were supported during the Trump administration when they published a reasonable and clear definition of ``waters of the United States'' in the Navigable Waters Protection Rule. This rule provided certainty for farmers and ranchers, and designated authority back to States to regulate their own waters after years of Federal overreach. Unfortunately, President Biden has once again determined that the Federal Government knows best and announced his intent to review the rule, likely signaling a return to the Obama administration's WOTUS rule, which sought to Federally regulate every small stream, ditch or puddle of water. This announcement is especially frustrating as many western States currently face an extreme drought, leading to a severe water shortage for not only our agriculture producers, but also drinking water and hydroelectric energy generators. Further regulation adds insult to injury. Producers and water users at the local level know their community best, which is why I joined several of my House colleagues on legislation that would codify the Navigable Waters Protection Rule and on a letter to President Biden stating our strong opposition to any return to the expanded Federal jurisdiction over waters around the country. I have also led legislation that would push back on executive overreach in our agriculture, energy, and natural resource sectors. Our farmers and ranchers are the original conservationists and continually update practices to reduce water use and inputs so that they can continue to produce safe, affordable food while maintaining their water supply for generations to come. We must provide certainty regarding their local water rights and continue to stand in opposition to any overreaching regulations that threaten the livelihoods of Kansas farmers and ranchers.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for holding this important Special Order to highlight a basic right that we all share and love and that makes us who we are as Americans. Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to discuss President Biden's misuse of the executive order and its harmful impact on law-abiding citizens. In 1789, George Washington penned the first executive order, directing the heads of his departments to submit reports on their operations. In 1957, my fellow Kansan, Dwight D. Eisenhower used the executive order to send Federal troops to integrate public schools in Little Rock, Arkansas. Nearly every United States President has issued executive orders like these to instruct the government how to work within the parameters set by the Congress and the Constitution. Until now. In his first 10 days as President, Joe Biden issued 25 executive orders, more than the last seven Presidents combined in their first 10 days. And the list continues to grow. Today, we are up to nearly 60 executive orders and more executive actions and memoranda than I care to count. The power to issue executive orders is derived from Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution, which states that the President ``shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed.'' When orders are based in facts and stakeholder engagement, like those we saw with Washington and Eisenhower, they work well to steward the execution of said laws. When the power to issue an executive order is abused, though, used to strong-hand the minority or circumvent Congress, the orders become a dangerous tool to undermine the American people and our democracy. This is what is happening right now. President Biden recently penned six anti-Second Amendment executive actions in one day, banning handmade guns altogether; defining a pistol as a short-barreled rifle, allowing for more intense regulation; and mandating a report on gun gifting and trading. In a recent interview on gun control, a spokesperson for President Biden stated: ``The President will not wait for Congress to act before the administration takes our own steps, fully within the administration's authority and the Second Amendment.'' We can no longer sit idle and watch dozens of executive orders from a single administration attempt to dictate the direction of our country with no input from this Congress. Congress was created to legislate. Governing by executive order is not legislating. That is why I introduced H.R. 716, the More Accountability is Necessary Now Act, requiring the executive branch to notify the American public and this Congress with its intent to issue any new executive order or revoking any executive order that pertains to our Second Amendment rights. I also introduced H.R. 1758, the Home Defense and Competitive Shooting Act, pushing back on President Biden's intent to redefine pistols as short-barreled rifles and eliminating the prohibition on transporting short-barreled rifles in interstate commerce. I invite my colleagues to cosponsor both of these pieces of legislation as we stand up against any efforts, including shameful executive overreach, to diminish or weaken the rights of law-abiding Americans to own, carry, and use firearms. The Second Amendment is a load-bearing wall in our Constitution. If you weaken a load-bearing wall, it is bad for the entire structure. We must and we will push back against the relentless attacks on our Second Amendment rights.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Kansas farmers for their long hours during this year's wheat harvest and for their work to produce food for people all over the world. With more than 15,000 wheat farms across the State and 5 million acres of wheat in the Big First District alone, Kansas leads the Nation in wheat production, is the largest exporter of hard red winter wheat, and is aptly named the breadbasket of the world. The United States exports that wheat to more than 100 countries around the world, and some of that wheat from Kansas ends up abroad under the U.S. food assistance programs, like Food for Peace. In fact, it was the Kansas Farm Bureau who began sending surplus grain to those in need around the world, continuing U.S. leadership in addressing world hunger. As I reflect on my own time on our family farm in Quinter, Kansas, I am reminded that harvest season is about more than just harvesting the crop. For Kansas farm families and communities, harvest is about coming together. Harvest is when we share tractors and other equipment with our neighbor when theirs gets stuck. Harvest is when a grandmother takes food to the field so the rest of her family doesn't have to leave the field for a lunch break. It is when a father takes his child out on the combine to show him how the work is done. And it is when we reflect on our advancements in agriculture, thanks to land-grant universities, like the wheat breeding research at Kansas State University, yielding high-quality and plentiful harvests around the world. Wheat harvest is a time for Kansas to be proud of the great strides they take to feed, fuel, and clothe the world. At the end of the season, we look back and know that each agricultural success is inexplicably tied to our Kansas values of faith, family, community, and grit. While we are at work here in Washington, they are back at home making the world go round, and for that we owe farmers our sincerest thank you. The Right to Life is Self-Evident

Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I also rise today in support of one of the most basic functions of any government, the right to life. Our Founding Fathers wrote 245 years ago, ``We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'' To them, the right to life was so overly obvious that they called it self-evident. But, today, in America, some policymakers insist on denying the right to life to millions of Americans. Instead, they diminish that right through murderous abortion policies, policies that fail to recognize life until a child lets out his or her first cry in the delivery room, policies that justify abortion based on the belief that any unborn child may have Down syndrome, and policies that funnel taxpayer dollars to funding abortions and abortion services. Today's technology and science has shown us proof of life inside the womb. We see 3D ultrasounds of a baby sucking her thumb and moving around. We know unborn babies can experience pain as early as 12 weeks. At 20 weeks, we can reveal if a baby is a boy or a girl. Yet some of our country's leaders still proceed to support policies that devalue and eliminate the innocent child's life. For decades, these elected officials have spent more time protecting the right of potentially endangered species, like the lesser prairie-chicken or sea turtle eggs, than they do protecting unborn babies, human babies. But not to me. I strongly believe life begins at conception. I believe every life matters. I support adoptions, foster care, and crisis pregnancy centers that work tirelessly to care for mothers and their babies. I have cosponsored pro-life legislation, including H.R. 18, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, permanently prohibiting Federal funding for abortions and abortion services. I even introduced my own, H.R. 714, which would require the executive branch to notify Congress and the American public before issuing any new executive order pertaining to pro-life provisions and the right to life guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Devaluing the life of unborn children has desensitized our Nation, and I pray we soon wake up and realize the horrors it has done. It is time to stop using taxpayer dollars to fund abortion services and focus on lifesaving resources that value the life of both the mother and the child. The right to life is self-evident, and I will fight to protect it at all costs.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for hosting this Special Order. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce you to the newest resident of western and central Kansas. She greets every store's patrons at the business front door and every farmer at the farm gate. She is in the newspaper, on the radio, and all over social media. She goes by Help Wanted, and you have probably met her, too, as she has made herself quite popular under President Biden's policies. It has been more than a year since the pandemic shut down the country. America is finally getting back to normal. Businesses across the country are ready to reopen and welcome back customers. Unfortunately, President Biden's bonus, the monthly unemployment checks being distributed on top of the already existing unemployment checks, is paying a premium for potential workers to remain at home rather than finding work. The data doesn't lie. There are nearly 8 million job openings in America right now, a new record. Businesses in the Big First of Kansas--agriculture, hospitality, food service, manufacturing, construction, and healthcare--cannot find workers, leading to reduced hours or closures to accommodate the staffing shortages. Help is wanted at the North Central Kansas Hospital, short 50 employees and regularly turning away patients as the hospital is unable to properly staff and serve them. Help is wanted in McDonald's in that same north central Kansas town, closing early each night. Christina, the owner of hair salons in Garden City, Hays, and Dodge City, Kansas, wants help as she temporarily shuts down one location, only opens another for a few days a week, and shortens hours at all three. Help is wanted at the ethanol by-products plants in south central Kansas, unable to find workers even after offering a salary of a $35,000 plus health and retirement benefits. And PureField Ingredients, a food ingredient manufacturer in Russell, Kansas, wants help as they are staffed at only 30 percent of their normal levels. Mr. Speaker, hear me say this: If you can get to work, you should. Do it for our local businesses and our State's economy. Do it for your family. Most of all, do it for yourself. I recently joined fellow Kansas Republicans in urging the Kansas governor to opt out of the enhanced unemployment benefits. Additionally, I cosponsored the Help Wanted Act, which addresses the severe labor shortages caused by the Federal unemployment policy and the Get Americans Back to Work Act, which would shorten the extension of the pandemic unemployment checks. It is time to take off the masks, get our kids back to school, get our businesses open, get people back to work, and get the country back on track.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss winners and losers under President Biden's policies. When I was a kid playing eight-man football for the Quinter Bulldogs in rural Kansas, there wasn't much room for debate on the winners and losers of the game. You either won or you didn't. You either scored more touchdowns, more 2-point conversions, and got more tackles than the other team, or you didn't. Plain and simple. The same is true with America today. President Biden's progressive policies make for very clear winners and very clear losers. Consider these three examples: Winner number one: Communist China. Loser: America. On January 31, 2020, America received warning that the coronavirus had possibly been engineered in the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China. In late 2020, America began investigating the link between the spread of the coronavirus and the Wuhan lab. In one of his first acts as President, Joe Biden prematurely ended the investigation into the Wuhan lab. Now, with new, insurmountable evidence that the coronavirus could have been engineered in the Wuhan lab, President Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi refuse to investigate the origins of COVID-19 even with overwhelming support for an investigation. On top of that, President Biden refuses to stop American taxpayer-funded research at that very Wuhan lab. It has been more than a year since the pandemic shut down the country. Today, nationwide, coronavirus cases have dramatically decreased. America is finally getting back to normal. Businesses across the country are ready to reopen and welcome back customers. Unfortunately, President Biden's bonus, the new monthly unemployment checks being distributed on top of the already existing unemployment checks, is paying a premium for workers to remain at home rather than finding work. The data doesn't lie. There are nearly 8 million job openings in America right now, a new record. I have heard from countless small business owners in the Big First who cite the Biden bonus as the reason they cannot find workers and completely reopen. While Communist China covers up COVID-19, President Biden is denying science, keeping people unemployed, and hurting America's prosperity. Under President Biden's policies, America loses. Winner two: The Mexican cartels. Loser: America. President Biden created a full-scale crisis at our southern border. He promised outright citizenship to more than 11 million illegal immigrants, placed a moratorium on deportations, and halted border wall construction. These lax policies lure drug cartels, who in turn make hundreds of millions of dollars exploiting children. The cartels will even throw migrant children in the Rio Grande as a distraction, to avoid being apprehended. The daily average of unaccompanied minors crossing the southern border has skyrocketed since President Biden took office. These policies also create chaos for Americans living near the border. American farmers and ranchers on the border are forced to check their livestock in the daylight, as it is too dangerous for them to leave their homes at night. American families are keeping their kids indoors at all hours of the day. American law enforcement officers and Border Patrol are overworked and shorthanded. Meanwhile, President Biden and Vice President Harris have yet to visit the border and refuse to secure our country and enforce immigration laws. Under President Biden's policies, America loses. Winner three: Socialism. Loser: America. Just a few weeks ago, later than any other President in a transition year, President Biden released his $6 trillion budget. The budget is the most egregious, most shortsighted, and costliest budget America has ever seen. President Biden's budget is a progressive wish list in disguise. He wants us funding the Green New Deal, spending $174 billion on subsidies to the electric car market and $40 billion to retrain employees who lost their jobs after he blocked the Keystone Pipeline, all in an attempt to replace the oil and gas industry. He wants $63.5 billion for international spending, but none for America's longtime ally, Israel, clearly bowing to Democrats on their record of anti-Semitic language and slurs. And he refuses to protect our dollars from being spent on abortions, removing a pro-life protection that 77 percent of Americans support and a protection even Biden supported for years before his Presidential campaign. While socialists are pleased with Biden's latest spending spree, the economic disaster to follow will cripple American families' purchasing power and leave future generations with the crushing burden of the national debt. Under President Biden's policies, America loses. Sadly, the greatest loser in all of this is our freedom, the freedom to open our businesses and make a living when we choose, the freedom to own land without the fear of a land grab, the freedom for law-abiding Americans to own and use firearms, the freedom to live out our faith without being persecuted by the government, the freedom to speak freely on college campuses, and the freedom to win. Our Founding Fathers ensured that these freedoms do not flow from a king, another country, or government, and they never will. Under freedom, America always wins.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in fierce opposition to President Biden's proposed budget. When he released his budget just a few weeks ago, nearly 3 months later than any President in a transition year, by the way, President Biden reminded Americans of advice his father gave him years ago. ``Don't tell me what you value,'' Biden's father told him. ``Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value.'' If that is true, then Biden's $6 trillion budget reveals to us exactly what President Biden values: destroying America's oil and gas industry, prioritizing the rights of illegal immigrants over law- abiding Americans, funneling foreign aid away from our longtime ally Israel, turning a blind eye to protecting the unborn. Under the Biden budget, President Biden suggests we spend our hard- earned dollars fixing problems he created. He wants us spending $174 billion on electric cars, carports, car charging stations, and other subsidies to the electric vehicle market in a full-on attempt to replace the oil and gas industry; $40 billion to retain employees who lost their jobs after he blocked the Keystone pipeline and destroyed thousands of energy jobs; and a total of $36 billion to combat climate change, bringing back the waters of the U.S. rule and mandating 30 percent of our privately owned land be locked in conservation practices. President Biden's budget is the progressive's Green New Deal in disguise, and America doesn't want anything to do with it. President Biden wants $2 billion to provide care for unaccompanied migrant children at our southern border after he put millions of innocent children in harm's way and encouraged immigrants to cross illegally. He wants no extension of funding to complete the already nearly finished wall system or money to enforce our immigration laws at the border and instead instated an executive order stopping construction on the very wall that keeps our country safe. President Biden wants $63.5 billion for international affairs spending, a 12 percent increase from 2022 that lacks specific defense funding for Israel, America's only democratic ally in the Middle East. His omission is clear and comes at a time when the terrorist organization Hamas launched hundreds of rockets at Israel in the last month alone and when Democrats are on the record for their anti-Semitic language and slurs. And President Biden refuses to protect our dollars from being spent on abortions or abortion services. Instead, for the first time in four decades, no such protection exists, a protection that 77 percent of Americans support and a protection even Biden supported for years before his Presidential campaign. On top of all this, President Biden claims his budget is partly in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but like the American Rescue Plan, it, too, fails to investigate the origins of COVID-19. Even more, the Biden administration won't commit that none of the budget requests would include funding for the research at the Wuhan lab. The economic disaster to follow from his reckless spending will cripple American families' purchasing power and leave future generations with the crushing burden of the national debt. It is time we hold President Biden accountable for a budget that would cause our Federal debt to reach 117 percent of gross domestic product by 2031, the highest level since World War II, and continue the record rates of inflation we are already seeing under President Biden. I ran for Congress with the intention of creating a better world for my children, our children, one where they don't have to pay President Biden's debts and suffer the consequences of irresponsible and egregious spending. America deserves better.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Washington very much for his leadership with the Western Caucus and for hosting this Special Order tonight. Madam Speaker, I rise today, with my colleagues from the Western Caucus, to highlight progress made in the lesser prairie chicken population recovery through voluntary conservation efforts in Kansas. The lesser prairie chicken is a North American species native to the grasslands and southern Great Plains across New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. These birds use the open areas of the plains to perform their courtship dance and build their nests on the ground, away from any roads or structures. My district, the Big First of Kansas, is home to the most extensive range and largest population of the lesser prairie-chicken. Since the 1990s, there have been concerns regarding the lesser prairie-chicken population size and habitat, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has considered listing the bird under the Endangered Species Act on multiple occasions. The Fish and Wildlife Service cited habitat fragmentation as one of the reasons for its population decline, as much of the area is used for cropland, grazing, and oil and gas development. However, we have seen perhaps the most significant population changes tied to the prolonged periods of drought across the chicken's range. At its lowest, the lesser prairie-chicken population fell to approximately 15,400 birds during the worst phase of the 2013 drought. As the population declined, stakeholders across the five states began conversations and plans to address this issue and partnered with local landowners and industry. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism teamed up with farmers and ranchers, the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Interstate Working Group, and other midwestern States throughout the bird's range to initiate conservation plans. In their work to help the lesser prairie-chicken, Kansans have conserved more than 40,000 acres of habitat through the Conservation Reserve Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and private investments. Many of the voluntary conservation efforts have been directly funded by farmers and ranchers, the energy sector, and other landowners. As stakeholders make conservation changes, it is vital that the practices are mutually beneficial to both the lesser prairie- chicken and agriculture and energy producers. These voluntary efforts have yielded excellent results, with the lesser prairie-chicken population up to more than 34,400 birds in 2020. In Kansas, the population has been stable to increasing since 2013, while the entire population has been increasing since 2016. The population growth has occurred thanks to voluntary efforts, but also because of increased rainfall, which has also benefited many of the agricultural producers in the area. And so it is especially alarming and disappointing to see the Fish and Wildlife Service release a plan to list the lesser prairie-chicken under the Endangered Species Act as threatened in the northern population and endangered in the southern population. The potential ESA listing flies in the face of years spent and millions invested in voluntary conservation and goes against the clear data that the population has increased under those efforts. As usual, President Biden believes Federal overreach is the answer to a local and State issue, and his administration lacks trust in private landowners to take care of their own land. I strongly and vehemently oppose the listing of the lesser prairie- chicken, and I will continue to push back on the Biden administration's egregious overreach.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge Americans who can get back to work, get back to work. It has been more than a year since the pandemic shut down the country. Today, nationwide coronavirus cases have dramatically decreased, and cases in Kansas alone are only 7 percent of what they were in January. We are getting back to normal. Businesses are ready to reopen and welcome back customers. Unfortunately, President Biden's bonus, the new monthly unemployment checks being distributed on top of the checks unemployed persons already receive, is paying a premium for potential workers to remain at home rather than finding work. I have heard from countless small business owners in the Big First who cite the Biden bonus as the reason why they cannot find workers and completely reopen. The data doesn't lie. There are nearly 8 million open jobs in America right now, a new record. The Biden bonus, at a time when employers are searching for workers, is unwanted Federal Government interference in the marketplace. I recently joined fellow Kansas Republicans in urging the Kansas Governor to opt out of enhanced unemployment benefits. I cosponsored the Help Wanted Act, which addresses the severe labor shortages caused by the Federal unemployment policy. It is time to take off the masks, get our kids back to school, get our businesses open, and get people back to work so we can get America back on track.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight veterans bills before the House floor. I appreciate the opportunity to first highlight legislation that Representative Pappas and I introduced, aimed at helping veteran homelessness. H.R. 2878 and the Affordable Housing for Homeless Veterans Act of 2021 would increase the number of affordable housing options to help reduce the recent uptick in veteran homelessness due to the ongoing pandemic. Our job on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee is to ensure that we are taking care of and doing right by our veterans. This legislation works to do just that. Curbing veterans' homelessness and ensuring our Nation's heroes are not without shelter for themselves and their families is a top priority for me. There are over 37,000 veterans experiencing homelessness in America. This is not acceptable for our veterans, and we must be part of the solution. I was pleased to see the Department of VA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development align efforts to join forces to find ways to end veteran homelessness. One of the priorities mentioned by VA and HUD is increasing the supply and access to affordable housing. My legislation reauthorizes and amends the program that allows the Secretary of VA to sell, lease, rent or donate a home which was acquired by VA because a veteran defaulted on their VA-guaranteed home loan to a public housing authority, grant and per diem provider, or a Supportive Services for Veterans Families service provider. The public housing authority or providers could then use these homes to shelter other veterans and their families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. By reauthorizing this program and removing some burdensome regulations from the old program, the number of affordable housing options in higher cost areas will increase and provide relief to veterans who have limited affordable housing options. I was pleased this legislation received bipartisan support from my colleagues on the committee, as well as many members not on the committee. This broad support shows a willingness by this House of Representatives to implement these impactful changes for our veterans across the country. I also had the opportunity to speak with VA Secretary McDonough when he visited VA facilities in Kansas. I spoke to him about the Affordable Housing for Homeless Veterans Act, and he was encouraged about the work we were doing in the committee to help veterans. I look forward to my continued partnership with Secretary McDonough and the VA. I also want to quickly highlight another piece of legislation I introduced along with Representative Lamb, the VA Equal Employment Counseling Modernization Act. This legislation removes burdensome regulations by simply removing the cap on the number of full-time employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs who provide equal opportunity employment counseling. It is a small, incremental change, but changes like this help the VA get our veterans into jobs quickly and ensure we are giving them the best care and guidance possible. I thank Chairman Takano and Ranking Member Bost for allowing me to speak on behalf of the Affordable Housing for Veterans Act. I look forward to passing these pieces of legislation and continuing to work with everyone to help veterans.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for hosting this tonight. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate National Police Week. I recognize the dedication of law enforcement officers on the thin blue line, and condemn calls to disband, dismantle, defund, or abolish the police. No one dislikes bad police officers more than good police officers. Too often, we are quick to share the negative examples of law enforcement while failing to recognize excellent examples in our communities. Today, I will share a story about an officer in my district and one of the finest law enforcement officers in Kansas: Michael Utz. Chief Utz began his career with the Garden City Police Department in 1984. Over the next 36 years, he tirelessly served as a detective, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and ultimately chief of police. As police chief, Chief Utz led the department through the implementation of a citywide strategic plan, including the development of the Law Enforcement Explorer Program for students interested in pursuing law enforcement as a career; the Police Chaplain Program for hurting families; the PEER Support Program for police officers experiencing traumatic events; the Finney County Opioid Task Force; and the Ethnic Empowerment Network. Also during his tenure, Chief Utz encouraged authentic relationships, and he especially worked to build two-way relationships with racial and ethnic minorities. These relationships proved to be vital after the 2016 terrorist bomb plot targeting a Garden City apartment complex. When the FBI reached out to Chief Utz about the bomb plot, he knew just what to do. He worked with the president of the East African Community Center to convene a meeting with people in the community to discuss the incident before it even hit the news. Once the news broke about the foiled attack, Chief Utz made it his personal mission to work alongside impacted families and protect them from further danger. In March, Mike retired with more than 36 years in law enforcement, and Courtney Prewitt was sworn in as the Garden City chief of police. I am honored to recognize Chief Utz and his family for their service to our local communities, and to congratulate Courtney on his new role, and to celebrate good law enforcement officers across the First District of Kansas and around the country who put on a uniform every day and promise to protect and serve. In their honor, I cosponsored several pieces of pro-law enforcement legislation, including a resolution condemning calls to defund the police; the Protect and Serve Act, which enhances penalties to anyone targeting and attacking law enforcement officers; the David Dorn Back the Blue Act, which supports State and local police departments; and a resolution designating this week as National Police Week. America must stand with and stand for our law enforcement officers. Happy National Police Week.

Mr. MANN

Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the southern border. President Biden's policies paved the way for this full-scale crisis. He promised outright citizenship to more than 11 million illegal immigrants, placed a moratorium on deportations, and halted border wall construction. I went to the southern border to witness firsthand this crisis last week: I saw scared children. Under the Biden administration, Mexican cartels are the winners, and innocent children are the losers. Cartels are making hundreds of millions of dollars exploiting children as the daily average of unaccompanied minors crossing the border has nearly doubled. I saw overcrowded facilities and overwhelmed Customs and Border Patrol agents. Texas migrant facilities are well over 700 percent capacity, and 40 percent of our agents are being pulled away from border control to process unaccompanied children. I watched agents place $8 million worth of methamphetamine, cartel- smuggled drugs, on a table, and I learned that the cartel would throw migrant children in the Rio Grande as a distraction to avoid being apprehended. We must end these disastrous, no-consequence policies, secure our border through a physical barrier, enhanced technology, and patrol agents, and adhere to and modernize our country's immigration system.