Kevin McCarthy

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. David Vierra for 40 years of service in public education and the lasting contributions he has made to the Antelope Valley, his lifelong home. In August of this year, David retired from his position as Antelope Valley Union High School District Superintendent after serving for nearly two decades in that role. Upon graduating from Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster, California, one of the very schools that he would later serve as District Superintendent, David earned his bachelor's degree from California State University, Northridge, and subsequently began his career in education in 1981 as a teacher in the Lancaster Elementary School District. Soon after, he took his talents abroad, serving in the U.S. Department of Defense as an instructor at Kaiserslautern American High School in Germany, where he also coached football and basketball. In 1998, David became the Assistant Superintendent of Personnel Services at the Antelope Valley Union High School District and just four years later--a true testament to his inherent leadership skills-- David was tapped to lead the school district as Superintendent. Under David's direction, the Antelope Valley Union High School District has transformed into a vastly successful school system that prepares students for the 21st century and has even been internationally recognized. In 2018, Antelope Valley Union High School District received a special, six-year districtwide accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), a world-renowned accrediting association in the United States that works closely with the Office of Overseas Schools under the Department of State. The Antelope Valley Union High School District is the first school district in the continental United States to receive district-wide WASC accreditation. Over the past few decades, Antelope Valley students have received full-ride scholarships to prestigious universities and have been awarded national recognitions for their successes. David also worked to establish Students on Academic Rise (SOAR), an early college high school program that prepares students, many of which come from disadvantaged backgrounds, seeking alternative career paths to successfully enter the workforce. David's passion for education reflects his own academic journey, as he earned a master's degree from Azusa Pacific University and a PhD in education philosophy from Claremont Graduate University, all while balancing his leadership obligations and commitment to helping students pursue their interests in and outside of the classroom. David is also well-known in the Antelope Valley community as being exceptionally generous with his time and talent, dedicating countless hours to local civic, athletic, and educational organizations. David has served the Antelope Valley Hospital Foundation as a Director, the University of Antelope Valley as Chairman of the Board, and the Antelope Valley Board of Trade as a Board Member on its Education Committee. This past summer, David received the key to the City of Lancaster, a well- deserved honor. Known for his personal approach to education and leadership, David spent his time as Superintendent building relationships with students, parents, and teachers. The President of the Antelope Valley Union High School District's Board of Education noted that this special quality, along with David's integrity and ``unwavering commitment to solving the near impossible''--especially during the coronavirus pandemic--helped him lead the Antelope Valley Union High School District ``through the unthinkable.'' On behalf of the 23rd Congressional District of California, I wish David, his wife, and three children all the best as they enter this exciting new chapter of life.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Yes, Mr. Speaker, do you know where 25 percent of those 1.2 million audits are going? To Americans earning less than $25,000. Sometimes math is hard, Mr. Speaker. It will double the size of the most intrusive bureaucracy. So when you tell your children's children what you spent the money on or you talk and you listen to the speeches tonight, Mr. Speaker, and you listen to the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, where he was proud of the fact that he was going to build up these agencies, he is building up the IRS to go after every American who spends $28 a day. Mr. Speaker, that is not what America asked for. Make no mistake. Under this provision, every single American is a target. In the eyes of the IRS, you are guilty until proven innocent. That alone is enough to defeat this bill. This bill imposes a tax to heat your home. It puts American gas prices in the hands of OPEC. Mr. Speaker, I remember back when Jimmy Carter was President, I wanted to go visit my grandmother down in southern California. I asked my mom and dad if we could go--this is the same President, Mr. Speaker, who put a sweater on and told me to turn the heater down and that as Americans we are supposed to expect less. I can look anywhere I want, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe the amount of control one-party rule wants. They now want to dictate to a Member of the floor where I can look? Are you afraid of the basis of the information in the bill? I am glad we can look at you, Mr. Speaker. There is a difference between addressing and looking. I know one-party rule wants to control every element of our lives. Mr. Speaker, this President put into effect that you could only get gas on the even days when your license plate ended that way. So, no, I couldn't go see my grandmother that weekend. I wonder how many people this winter may not make it through because they can't pay the price of their heating bill. Mr. Speaker, I know you wouldn't want that to happen. But maybe we could ask OPEC to produce a little more. Mr. Speaker, did you know that American natural gas is 42 percent cleaner than Russian natural gas? Mr. Speaker, they are importing Russian natural gas into America. Why? Because, Mr. Speaker, our administration is allowing Putin to have a pipeline but not America. Do you know who works on American pipelines? American workers. Do you know what they do with their money? They buy a home, they send their kids to school, they buy trucks, they buy cars, they stay in hotels, and they eat out at night. But those more than 1 million people lost their job after President Biden was sworn in because he shut down a pipeline that would make America independent but allowed Putin to produce more. That is going to make prices higher this winter. In other words, every moment you heat your home in the winter or cool it in the summer, you will pay more. And every time you start your car, you will pay more. That alone is reason enough to defeat the bill. This bill will make the labor crisis worse by fundamentally transforming the child tax credit into welfare without any work requirement. It will place small business owners into direct competition with the Federal Government's unlimited printing press. This alone is reason enough to defeat the bill. Mr. Speaker, did we not learn that if we pay people more to stay home and not go to work that is what would happen? We learned that this year, did we not? Mr. Speaker, small businesses are hard. I started my first small business when I was 20 years old. There are three lessons I learned. I was the first to work, I was the last to leave, and I was last to be paid. I don't know if I could start that business again. As prices rose on everything, Mr. Speaker, the White House told us that is probably a good thing. Mr. Speaker, I even heard from MSNBC that it was good you had to pay more. People should. They are going to have to pay more as they get audited. This bill abandons the longstanding, bipartisan Hyde amendment. Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of people who have been in this Chamber for quite some time. Mr. Speaker, I heard the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee say he has been here more than 30 years. How many times has he voted for that Hyde amendment? I don't know what changed this year. Maybe it was one-party rule. They are now allowing taxpayer funded abortion on demand and violating the rights of the conscience of millions of Americans. This alone is enough reason to defeat this bill. This bill dictates our children's education standards, giving Washington the final say in what our children learn. Parents should make that decision, not government bureaucrats. I don't know if you dictate in this bill where children can look, like you tried to on this floor, but, Mr. Speaker, I don't think that would be right either. Mr. Speaker, I listened to a prominent Democrat run for the office of Governor again in Virginia where he said that parents should not have a say in their children's education. It doesn't matter whether you are Republican, Democrat, wealthy, poor, or the color of your skin. The moment you have that child, you will do anything. It is no longer what you become; it is what opportunities your children will have. It is not a place government should dictate. This nationalized, Washington-centered education will take away parents' choice of local control of parents across the country, instead of supporting and empowering them. Mr. Speaker, remember when I talked about Terry McAuliffe, what he said. This takes it a giant leap further by putting the Federal Government in full control of every education. I am not sure if that is what the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee was meaning why we should build up more bureaucracy, but it seems to fit in this bill. That alone is reason enough to defeat the bill. Mr. Speaker, from bank surveillance to bailouts, this bill takes the problems President Biden and Democrats have already created and makes them much, much worse. It is no secret that this bill is too extreme, too costly, and too liberal for the United States. My colleagues here in the House and in the Senate know it, and staunch liberals in the press know it as well. Just a few weeks ago, Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger said, nobody elected Joe Biden to be FDR. This even spends more than FDR while he was fighting a world war. Senator Manchin echoed that sentiment. This is not a center left or a left country. We are a center, if anything, a little center right. That is being shown, and we ought to be able to recognize that. The New York Times editorial board, they even went further. I am not a big fan of the New York Times. I read a headline yesterday. Mr. Speaker, you know what it said? It was talking about your party. It said, after the election last Tuesday, Democrats should not panic. Don't panic. Because they think it is already over. This bill is going to seal the deal. The New York Times, in a blistering editorial said, the Democratic Party ``has become distracted from crucial issues like the economy, inflation, ending the coronavirus pandemic, and restoring normalcy in schools.'' That is a quote, Mr. Speaker. That is the New York Times. The Times went on to describe this bill, not as a solution, but as part of a sharp leftward push in the party which, as they point out, most Americans don't want nor need. But despite those overwhelming warnings from moderates in their party, from liberals in the press, and from the American people at the polls, House Democrats are plugging their ears. Mr. Speaker, even if somebody looks at them and tells them what is in the bill, they want you to look away. Why? Why wouldn't they be proud of it? The Democrats aren't just ignoring what is going on. It is worse. They aren't even pretending to listen. Don't take my word for it. Listen to what a member of your own party, Congresswoman Spanberger, said recently. We are not willing to say, yeah, inflation is a problem, and supply chain is a problem, and we don't have enough workers in our workforce. We gloss over it. Clearly, the challenges Americans are waking up to every day are not concerns, Mr. Speaker, of the Democrats. And that is the fundamental difference between Democrats and Republicans. House Democrats are focused on securing the Speaker's legacy. House Republicans are focused on solving the labor crisis. Mr. Speaker, House Democrats are focused on mandates. House Republicans are focused on more freedom. House Democrats are focused on so-called equality. House Republicans are focused on quality education. House Democrats are focused on payoffs for illegal immigrants. House Republicans are focused on protecting the border. And House Democrats are focused on the Green New Deal. House Republicans are focused on lowering gas prices. When you look at those differences, it is no wonder the American people want new leadership. Mr. Speaker, Democrats have no clue about the damage they have done to America with one party, with one rule, in 1 year. But if the Democrats won't listen to our fellow citizens, they will have to listen here. Before I describe in greater detail the contents of this bill, let's take a step back and understand how we got into this mess. Mr. Speaker, we want to explain it to our children's children. When President Biden walked into the Oval Office on January 20, 2021, he was handed every single ingredient he needed for unprecedented success. Mr. Speaker, I am not sure, but I know Speaker Pelosi likes to remove people from committees if they don't reach the higher standards. I would be worried, with the much interruptions, that something may happen to somebody. Mr. Speaker, I am worried for them. All President Biden had to do was nothing. Just think about where we would be today if he had done nothing. Our economy would be booming. Our supply chain would be intact. Our Nation would be energy independent. Our children would be free from burdensome mandates. Our borders would be completely secure, without those on the terrorist watch list coming across. Our dollar would be sound, with no inflation. Our enemies would be on notice, not on advance. But what happened instead? The last 10 months have been the most radical, the most extreme, and the most incompetent 10 months in American history. Mr. Speaker, it is one-party rule in 1 year that created all this. From the first day in office, the Biden administration has waged war on American workers, American values, American borders, American energy, and worst of all, American families. We have never seen anything like this before. Biden terminated every successful immigration policy put into place by President Trump, triggering the largest wave of illegal immigration in all of history. Mr. Speaker, I know he put the Vice President in charge. Biden shut down the production of American energy and closed down American pipelines, surrendering the energy independence that was achieved during the Trump administration. Mr. Speaker, I don't know if you can remember back 10 months ago what the price of gas was, but I know every American can. When we were energy independent, it was a time when price was low. Today, the new Biden administration is making us reliant on foreign producers once again. He is literally begging OPEC to produce the energy that we could easily produce right here on our own shores. President Biden spent trillions of dollars on left-wing social engineering and printed money we did not have for projects we did not need, leading to massive runaway inflation. Mr. Speaker, Larry Summers warned the Nation about this in February. Mr. Speaker, in June or July, on a CNN townhall meeting, the President said he wasn't worried about inflation. Mr. Speaker, President Biden launched a campaign to dramatically raise taxes and regulations on our workers and manufacturers, destroying the amazing record of economic growth and job creation he inherited. Mr. Speaker, President Biden paid workers not to work and fired workers who were working because they wouldn't comply with his COVID mandates. These were the same people who were heroes a year before when we didn't have one-party rule. These were the same people who showed up to care for us and risk their lives. The supply chain crisis was dramatically worsened by the return to the failed tax, regulatory, trade, and foreign policies of the past. Mr. Speaker, President Biden used the FBI to target parents as domestic terrorists. Can you imagine that? To use the FBI to go after parents, calling them domestic terrorists, without any evidence, simply aiming to silence their First Amendment rights. A whistleblower just confirmed it. The President's rhetoric is dividing and inflaming us rather than uniting us, like he promised to do. And when his administration missteps, and it does often, President Biden will blame the military, our allies, the Vice President, Congress, ordinary Americans, anyone but himself. That is not what leaders do. That is not what leaders do. Leaders take responsibility and then take action. As elected leaders, it is our job to take action that makes life better for all Americans. That is badly needed today, Mr. Speaker. But President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress have failed at that basic duty. Let's look at how. President Biden has defaulted to a failed economic agenda of the past. This administration is plainly incompetent and is growing the government at the American people's expense. Americans are paying more for things they need today than they can afford. The latest CPI report is stunning news. Mr. Speaker, the Consumer Price Index soared 6.2 percent in the last year under one- party rule in Washington and almost 1 percent in October alone. It is the fastest pace in 30 years. Do you know what the common denominator is? One-party rule for 1 year. Last week's inflation results undercut the idea that inflation is temporary or transitory. If you look under the hood, the numbers suggest that higher prices are not only being passed on to consumers; they are becoming the new normal. Even the politicians responsible for inflation now concede that Americans will continue to live with it for at least another year. Make no mistake, inflation is becoming implanted in our economy. Too much money is chasing too few goods. It all started with one-party rule for 1 year in Washington. It first started with $2 trillion; now it is $5 trillion. Americans are also witnessing shortages and supply chain problems, too. Again, put politics aside and just look at the numbers. They are jaw-dropping. Americans are paying $20 to $30 more for groceries per week. Thanksgiving is coming, a time when Americans gather together with family and friends. I will guarantee you what they will talk about around that table: This is the most expensive Thanksgiving they have ever had. I know those in Virginia and New Jersey realize what one-party rule in 1 year can do. Americans are paying more for gasoline, the highest price in 7 years--Mr. Speaker, that was the last time President Biden was down in the White House--to get to and from work, to drive their kids to school, or to take their elderly parents to a doctor's appointment. Americans are paying more for materials their businesses need to operate, which means higher prices for consumers and less opportunity for wage increases. Inflation is a tax on all Americans. Inflation is robbing families of the future they deserve. Mr. Speaker, when Majority Leader Steny Hoyer mentioned this date and what our children's children will learn, they will probably be the first generation in 30 years to learn about when inflation came back. It was one-party rule in 1 year. Americans are bracing for higher costs to come. They realize our economic future is grim under President Biden. The Biden administration has proven themselves untrustworthy when it comes to handling the economy. He pursues counterproductive policies and does not keep the promises he makes. As a candidate, President Biden pledged nobody making under 400,000 bucks would have their taxes raised, period, bingo. Mr. Speaker, then, on the eve of the election, he promised that those making less than $400,000 wouldn't pay a penny more. Mr. Speaker, as President, he said: I give you my word. If you make under $400,000 a year, I will never raise your taxes one cent. Each of these statements claimed to have no exceptions, no qualifications, and no conditions. But here we are, just 40 weeks later, with one-party rule, and the President has already broken these promises to the American people. He has broken them because inflation is a tax on every American. President Trump and congressional Republicans took a better path. We cut taxes and left Americans with more of their hard-earned money in their pockets. Mr. Speaker, it led to the best economy in 50 years. When taxes go up through inflation or otherwise, Americans have less for utilities, prescriptions, and other things they need. As prices continue to soar, the inflation tax is hitting hardworking, middle-class families the hardest. What do you think is going to happen to inflation if this bill becomes law? It is only going to be greater than the first $2 trillion this body wasted, Mr. Speaker. But here is the dirty secret. Most Democrats who vote for these policies won't be affected by the inflation rate. But seniors, working families, and those living paycheck to paycheck have been and will continue to be, even in a greater sense. Through no fault of their own, good, hardworking Americans are being hurt by their own government. And, Mr. Speaker, that is just wrong. What is the White House and the liberal media's response? Telling Americans to just accept it, lecturing us to be more like Europe, to build our bureaucracies, saying we should lower our expectations. Lowering expectations is what it means to be an American? I think not. No, this is a Nation that conquered the wilderness, sent a man to the Moon, and developed a lifesaving vaccine to COVID-19 in less than a year. Americans don't lower expectations; we rise to the occasion. But under one-party rule, in 1 year, we have inflation we haven't seen in 31 years; we have gas prices higher than we have seen in the last 7 years; we have Americans stranded once again in the Middle East, being held hostage; we have a border unsecured, with fentanyl coming across, increasing by 300 percent. Every city in America is a border city now. We have Putin with a pipeline, but a President who tells Americans no. We have a President who looks to OPEC to produce more, not American energy. Mr. Speaker, another area where President Biden and Democrats in Congress are failing is in the energy crisis. The American people want to afford gasoline, afford to heat their homes, and enjoy the upcoming holidays together. But what are they going to have? The most expensive Thanksgiving in the history of America. God forbid you have to drive for Thanksgiving because you are going to pay more. Americans don't need their government spending billions of dollars to subsidize car chargers or parks for the wealthiest people in the country. Mr. Speaker, it is not just Republicans who warn you. Mr. Speaker, even Jared Golden on November 17, a Member of the Democratic Party, said, ``If you'd told me a year ago that the second-biggest piece of a signature bill of this Congress was $280 billion in tax giveaways to millionaires, I'd have told you the Republicans were in charge. ``Proponents have been saying that the BBB taxes the rich. But the more we learn about the SALT provisions, the more it looks like another giant tax break for millionaires. ``The fact that more people and organizations on the Democratic side aren't up in arms about this is wild.'' Mr. Speaker, maybe they are not up in arms because they just got the bill. And you allow 10 minutes on one side and 10 minutes on the other to debate it. Mr. Speaker, I know at times it is hard to hear what is in the bill, but I think the American people have a right to know. Over the last 9 months with one-party rule in this city, families have watched energy prices rise dramatically. West Texas intermediate has doubled since President Biden took office, and a gallon at the pump costs 60 percent more. You know where that comes from? The hardworking taxpayers who have to live in a lower standard because of one-party rule in Washington. What does that mean in everyday life? It means that when families fill up at the gas station, they are seeing the highest price of a gallon of gas in 7 years. That is the last time Joe Biden was in office, Mr. Speaker. It means that from the factories making new products to the trucks that transport them to the retail stores that sell them, every part of the supply chain is paying more for energy. In every State in America the average price of a gallon of gas is now over $3 for the first time in years. In my home State of California, Mr. Speaker, the average price is over $4.50, and in some parts it is as high as $7. Mr. Speaker, when I listened to the White House, I thought they would be concerned. They said it was good, people should pay more. The pain is being felt beyond the pump, too, Mr. Speaker. When families turn on the lights or heat their home this winter, they are expecting the price of heat will be 54 percent higher. Mr. Speaker, when we are back in these Chambers next year, I will wonder how somebody on a fixed income chooses to pay their heating bill or maybe go cold throughout the night. The energy crisis we face today is devastating for working families. Every dollar spent on gasoline is a dollar that isn't spent on groceries or other essential goods. And yet, the reaction from this administration, who kneecapped oil and natural gas production by canceling new pipelines and freezing new lessees altogether, when asked if the United States would increase energy production, the Secretary of Energy told CNBC, ``That is hilarious.'' Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, that is not funny to the American public. That is not funny. They expect more from their leaders. They expect their leaders to look out for them, not Washington and one-party rule looking out for themselves. Go watch the video for yourself. It is just a few seconds. It perfectly captures the Biden administration's incompetent contempt for the American people. Mr. Speaker, as I listened to the other side make their comments, not once did I say something. I disagreed with what they said, but I knew there was a moment in time when I could speak. I know, Mr. Speaker, that people might disagree with what I say, but we are in America. We are in Congress. I respect their position, even though I believe it is wrong. I respect that they may believe they want to build up these bureaucracies. I respect that they think spending more with inflation, that somehow that won't cause more. I respect the idea that you shut down an American pipeline and allow Putin to have one and the prices go up. I think you are wrong, but I respect the right for you to say it. Mr. Speaker, not once did I look at Chairman Neal and tell him he couldn't look at me. Not once did I say something to him as he made his point. Mr. Speaker, just last week we set a record here twice by holding a vote open longer than this Congress ever has. We have changed more of the history in Congress than at any time of any Congress under one party and one rule. Members get fined $5,000 when somehow they walk through a magnetometer and they didn't hear. Do they get any recourse? No, they get a letter. Mr. Speaker, you may have set a record tonight for trying to control the House. Maybe they don't like hearing what is in the bill because they haven't read it, but I think, regardless, Mr. Speaker, the American public has a right to hear it. Mr. Speaker, I will tell you this: I don't care how many times I am interrupted. I am not going to stop until the American people hear it. Mr. Speaker, I know the Speaker says we have higher standards. I am just hoping to see them. It also isn't funny for Californians like Scott Daniel, who runs Young's Commercial Transfer in Porterville, California. Scott told me that higher prices are making it hard to stay in business. Scott says, Mr. Speaker, ``My company alone will burn around 3 million gallons of fuel this year. And with fuel as expensive as it is right now, that adds millions of dollars to our bottom line, which makes it really hard to stay in business and keep this going. More importantly . . . it's immediately going to hit all of your food at the grocery store.'' Mr. Speaker, that is why your Thanksgiving in America is going to be the most expensive. The President talks about a world where every nation plays by the same rules, but when it comes to global elites, he makes sure the rules he applies to us don't apply to them. That is how socialism works. You see, they build up the bureaucracies. They spend more than they spent during World War II. It creates inflation, creates supply chain problems. By the way, those who run society, get ahead; while those who make society run, are pushed back. Republicans know there is a better path. Instead of wasting the energy potential in this country, we want to unleash it. We don't want to build up government, we want to build up American families. Instead of killing good-paying jobs, we want to create them. Instead of canceling the Keystone Pipeline, we want to complete it. Republicans will make America energy independent again through innovation so working families have affordable, abundant energy. So the answer won't come as you will have to pay more. What they will hear is they will pay less and have more for themselves. You know, I just mentioned Scott Daniel, the owner of a commercial transportation company, who talked about how high prices are hurting his ability to do business and deliver goods. But that is not the only way Democrat policies are making it harder for businesses to survive. Another is a labor shortage. Walk down any Main Street, if the crime is not too bad for you to do it, or a city avenue in America, and I guarantee there will be help wanted signs. Ask a waiter how many shifts she or he does in a week, and I bet they are covering for someone else because they are short-staffed. Ask if they had to take anything off the menu because the restaurant can't afford to find it anymore. I bet they have. This is what our small businesses are dealing with. As a former small business owner, I know these conditions aren't sustainable. And, Mr. Speaker, if Democrats just cared to listen, they would know that, too. Instead, the Democrats' idea of an economic plan is to punish citizens who are producing for our country and working to support their families while rewarding themselves and others for staying home. Americans don't deserve to bear the brunt of policies pushed by one- party rule in Washington who will never feel the effects of them and who will receive a solid paycheck every month even if they show up to vote or not. Joe Biden's Presidency has often been compared to Jimmy Carter's Presidency. He has proven that comparison wrong every step of that way. That comparison now is unfair to Jimmy Carter. Mr. Speaker, when you study the history of America in the late seventies and in 1980, Americans were held hostage in the Middle East. Today, we have hundreds of Americans being held hostage in Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, in 1979 we had inflation, taxing of every American. Today we have inflation we haven't seen in 31 years. Mr. Speaker, in the late seventies, we were beholden to OPEC. Today, Mr. Speaker, we have a President who begs OPEC. Mr. Speaker, in the late seventies President Jimmy Carter told us the heater had to go down because the price is going up, and we needed to expect less as Americans. Mr. Speaker, today the White House laughs if you ask them what their plan is for America to become energy independent and lower gas prices. Mr. Speaker, in the late seventies, we were concerned about the Soviet Union, of the buildup in Europe. Today, Mr. Speaker, Russia is building up along Ukraine. They have more money for more soldiers because they got a new pipeline while America was denied. Mr. Speaker, after the 1980 election, those problems went away because you no longer had one-party rule in Washington, D.C. You had policies that didn't talk about building up the bureaucracy. You had policies that unshackled what held back the American worker. When those policies were enacted a decade later there was no longer a Soviet Union. There were no longer two Germanys. The Berlin Wall had collapsed. The shipyard workers of Poland understood. They knew that America was more than a country, that America is an idea. Thirty-two years ago, one million students went to Tiananmen Square. They built the Goddess of Democracy, Mr. Speaker, that looked just like the Statue of Liberty. They put it directly across from the portrait of Mao. They understood the greatness of America. Who doesn't remember that man standing in front of the tank when China was rolling in? He stood in front of that tank. When the tank moved to the right, he moved to the right. When the tank moved to the left, he moved to the left. Then he climbed on top of that tank. I cannot tell you his name, Mr. Speaker, because I doubt he is alive. They respected America. They knew what America stood for. Mr. Speaker, now we have a bill that will bring more ships from China to America because it will give them an incentive. Mr. Speaker, I hear your party talk a lot about a Green New Deal. Ninety percent of all those are being built in China. So you are taking the hard-earned tax dollars of Americans, you are shutting down the policies you don't like, the energy you don't care for, and laying those off while making the gasoline prices higher and taking their tax dollars and shipping it to China. And you are creating a greater inflation, Mr. Speaker. One-party rule for 1 year. Mr. Speaker, if there is good news for America, it is less than a year away. It is less than a year away. And I tell you, America, help is on the way. History repeats itself, and, oh, it is going to repeat itself big next November. Mr. Speaker, while the Democrats' action on our economy such as antiwork welfare programs and massive unneeded stimulus has left Americans worse off, it is their inaction along the southern border that has left our country less safe. You see, Mr. Speaker, it wasn't just Americans left behind in Afghanistan, it was billions of dollars of our military equipment. Mr. Speaker, do you realize that the Taliban has more Black Hawk helicopters than two-thirds of the NATO countries? More than Australia? Mr. Speaker, do you realize when Bagram shut down and 5,000 of some of the worst human beings escaped, Mr. Speaker, do you realize by the Biden administration opening up our border, more than 160 countries of people have come across that border? Mr. Speaker, they don't have to wear a mask or be fined. They don't have to be tested. The government actually pays them for a trip somewhere in America. Inaction on the southern border. Mr. Speaker, almost every single Republican on this side of the aisle has been to visit the border, almost more than once. Mr. Speaker, I heard the President, who has been in office more than 40 years, say he drove by El Paso one time. But when we went to the border earlier this year, after one-party rule in Washington, that changed by executive order. I can wait, Mr. Speaker. They can finish their conversation. You can finish. Don't lower your mask, you will get fined. Mr. Speaker, I know you hold the gavel, but I heard from your side of the aisle tell me when to speak, where to look, and what to do, and interrupted many times. I heard your Speaker talk about a higher standard. Mr. Speaker, I am waiting to see it. Are you going to laugh, too, Mr. Speaker? Mr. Speaker, I know your side of the aisle has no problem removing people from committee. I wonder if people keep talking they should be removed from the floor. Mr. Speaker, when we traveled to the border in February, we watched something we have never seen before. We sat and we interviewed a new facility that just was built, and it is built in the capacity that it would never be filled. It hit a record that day. And we interviewed the families and asked how long they had been on the road. They said ever since President Biden told us to come. As we sat with those brave men and women of our border protection, we watched what they had to do, the job they were doing day in and day out, the conditions, when COVID was rampant and nobody being tested. And we went up along the line, against the wall. Mr. Speaker, this is important. I think people should listen, and I will show you the point why. As we talked to the border agents, they told us they are seeing something they have never seen before, where people would rush the wall. So everybody would go there, then they would come the other way, the cartel, bringing fentanyl across. They said they had never seen anything like it. And I asked them--I listened to the Vice President. One-party rule; one year. And I sat and I talked to the border agents. They told me of the border cities that had to close their schools because of the cartels coming through and shooting; of the ranchers who are having their houses burned or their grandchildren kidnapped. Then they said something so shocking, I had to ask them twice. You see, I heard the Vice President say, This is just a Central America problem. I said, Is that really what is happening? Oh, they told me people were coming from 160 countries. They said they just caught people on the terrorist watch list. I came down and we did a press conference. In the press conference, I mentioned that we had caught people on the terrorist watch list from Yemen. Do you remember the USS Cole, the American Navy ship that was bombed? Or maybe you need to refresh your memory. It was recently. You know the U.S. Embassy that was overtaken? No, I am not talking about back in Iran in 1979. I am talking about the comparison to today. And as I said that to the American public--I respect all of you, you come here because you want to legislate; I expect you would be shocked, too, that you would probably call me up, What can we do? You want to protect your constituents. I know you do. Mr. Speaker, there was a Member of the Democratic Party on the Intel Committee, tweeted, said I was lying, said he gets the same intel as I do because I am on the Gang of 8. Interesting, when I put the facts out--I don't know, maybe the mail is slow--I never once heard him apologize. Or worse yet, I never once heard him say, How can we stop it? How can we stop it? I didn't even see an amendment added to this bill--think about that for one moment, for the American public. You are spending more money than we spent to end World War II. You are hiring 87,000 IRS agents, not one Border Patrol agent, not one new dollar. You are providing money for amnesty. You are providing money, $450,000, for people who came here illegally, and you are taking it from American hardworking taxpayers. But you do nothing to stop those on the terrorist watch list from coming across this border. Nothing. There has been nearly 1.7 illegal border encounters at the southern border since President Joe Biden became President. And our border czar, Vice President Kamala Harris, still has no plan to support our Border Patrol. Now, let's put this in perspective. There has been more illegal border crossings between the months of February and October under Joe Biden than in 2018, 2019, and 2020 combined. So when somebody asks me what does it mean if you have one-party rule for 1 year, you get more illegal crossings simply from February to October than you did in 2018, 2019, and 2020, all combined. What do you think is going to happen after the billions of dollars you spend in this bill providing amnesty? That number will look small to you. Mr. Speaker, but I am sure some people will say let's wait to see what the CBO says. So when the CBO comes back and tells you you got millions more, it is okay; we will still vote. Let that sink in. What is the Biden administration's reaction? To now consider paying illegal immigrants $450,000 per family, an action that President Biden admits would incentivize more people to come over illegally. Mr. Speaker, when we tell our children's children about this night, we will tell them that is where their future went. When they ask us why did they pay such high taxes, we will remind them about this night, because we built up our bureaucracy. Mr. Speaker, you are actually celebrating this bill. That is more than some of the 9/11 victims received. Think about that. Mr. Speaker, my friend Steny Hoyer said so proudly, he mentioned today ``our children's children.'' How do we explain that those who were killed on that fateful day of 9/11 received less than those who came across illegally? It is okay. I will be here a long time. Mr. Speaker, I have to apologize to you. I think I am upsetting people on the other side of the aisle when I tell them what is in the bill. They just yelled at me that they are leaving. I apologize. Mr. Speaker, nobody on this side of the aisle wrote this bill. I thought that was going to be different, Mr. Speaker, because I took President Biden at his word. I took him at his word when he said he was going to get COVID under control. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, more Americans have died this year than last year under COVID. Mr. Speaker, the $450,000, that is more than some of the 9/11 victims received. It is more than the next of kin receives in insurance to those 13 Gold Star families of those killed by a suicide bomber, who was in the prison at Bagram. Mr. Speaker, I watched in disbelief as President Biden said he would do nothing different. I watched in disbelief, Mr. Speaker, when he had a press conference and told Americans it was safe to come to the airport. In less than 30 minutes--you were on that conference call, too, Mr. Speaker. The Secretary of State and Joint Chiefs said, no, it wasn't safe to come to the airport. Mr. Speaker, there are many people who have served this Nation, served in the armed services on both sides of this aisle. I have never watched Members work so hard to get the American hostages out of Afghanistan to only be shut down by our own State Department. Mr. Speaker, I want to tell you a personal story. Mr. Speaker, I picked up the phone one morning when this first started, and I called the regular number to the White House. I said I would like to talk to the President about what is happening in Afghanistan. The White House recently called and wanted to know if it was really me. To the President's credit, he called me back. I said: Mr. President, I know you are trying to hold this deadline for the Taliban, but what about our allies? What about those from the U.K. and France who fought side by side, not because their country was attacked, but because we were attacked? He told me he wasn't going to budge. I said: Mr. President, there are thousands of Americans who are held there that can't get out. He said: Kevin, no, no. The number is much smaller. I said: Mr. President, what is the number? Oh, it is just smaller. I have watched the President look America in the eye and tell us he would not leave until every American is out. What do you say to those Americans who are still stuck there? The last time we felt like this, Jimmy Carter was President. Mr. Speaker, what does it say to those Gold Star families? Mr. Speaker, I had one in my office, a father whose daughter wasn't even supposed to be there but volunteered. She was an electrician. Just days before, you see photos of her holding a young child. She told her sister: I am going out in front of the wall because you can't believe it. Someone needs to be there for them. She wasn't supposed to be out in front of that wall. That suicide bomber that was locked up in Bagram who never should have gotten out--and that we never should have shut down--killed 13 of the finest Americans we know. Do you know what this bill does? Nothing for them. It gives more money to an illegal person who crossed this border. I am sorry, Americans expect more. Our priorities should be different. These people risk their lives every day for us. Just let that sink in, to your children's children. One-party rule for 1 year has brought us inflation we haven't seen in 31 years; gas prices are the highest since the last time President Biden was down at the White House; a Thanksgiving that is going to cost you more than at any time in your life. A border where there are 1.7 million encounters, a border between February and October that more people have crossed than 2018, 2019, and 2020 combined--Mr. Speaker, the closest the President has ever been to the border in 42 years is to drive through El Paso. Mr. Speaker, the Vice President is the czar of the border. This isn't a Republican or Democrat issue; this is the safety of this Nation. What do you think is going to happen to that border when you provide a billion dollars in amnesty? What do you think is going to happen when you reward people with $450,000? Where do you get the money? From the hardworking taxpayers of America who have less to give. Do you know what? They are going to have to give more because you are hiring 87,000 IRS agents to come after them--1.2 million more audits. And half of all those 1.2 million are going after Americans who make $75,000 or less. That is what you base this entire bill on. That is what you waited for the CBO to tell you, how much money can we get from them. How is that possible? The payments for illegal immigrants are just the latest data point in a much larger trend of failures on this border, cheered on by leftwing activists. President Biden and Vice President Harris have presided over the greatest series of border security blunders in American history. Mr. Speaker, if 160 different countries had people come across that border illegally, if we have caught people on the terrorist watch list, if a suicide bomber got out of Bagram in 1 week and killed 13 American soldiers, do you think they know how to get into America? Do you think they know where to go? Maybe they have to go at night. They have a better chance now because they have night goggles that we had. They have Black Hawk helicopters. The Taliban has more Black Hawk than two-thirds of our NATO countries. They have more than Australia. In that phone call with the President, do you know what he told me? Oh, Kevin, we are going to have a lot of leverage with the Taliban because they are going to need help running their country. Why don't you tell that to the hundreds of Americans who are still there trying to get out? Every time there is a Member on this side of the aisle--because they care about their constituents, they try to get that American out--the State Department attacks them. You try to criticize them. They risk their own life. Mr. Speaker, even in our own hearings, I respect greatly anyone who served in uniform, and you have some tremendous Members on the other side of the aisle who have. I have watched them question the Secretary of State and still not get an answer. Mr. Speaker, that Member on your side of the aisle who sits on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence who said I wasn't telling the truth that we are catching people on the terrorist watch list and haven't done anything about it since. I wonder if he should serve on the Permanent Select Committee next term. Because America needs to be protected. For anyone who thinks they are not a border city, just look up how many deaths you have from fentanyl. Let me tell you where fentanyl comes from. It comes across that border, but it comes from China. Mr. Speaker, let me tell you another story. I have a friend who serves in the Senate. Right before COVID he was on a codel with other Senators, and he was sitting and having a communication--maybe you have experienced this as well--with a military general in the Chinese Communist Army. Do you know what that general said to him? America, you are weak. You are weak, America. You are weak because you believe in God and you take fentanyl. Fentanyl has increased 300 percent only because the border is not secure. There is no city in America that is safe. This is deadly. They have handed the border over to the cartels, unleashing these monsters onto our people. They compromised our national security. Answer me this question, Mr. Speaker: If somebody is on the terrorist watch list--and Mr. Speaker, they entered our State of California. They weren't together. They came on different days. And do you know, right now, if you are a Member of Congress and you ask them: How many more you got? They don't want to tell you, just as they don't want to give us the number of how many Americans are still stuck there. They are hoping if we don't pay attention anymore, we will forget. I promise you this: we will not forget, and we will not stop. Here is what the National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd told us, ``This administration says it is just Central American countries, but in just one week in the Yuma, Arizona, sector we have seen people illegally enter from countries like Egypt, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Haiti, Niger, Portugal, and Uzbekistan. . . . There is no better time for them to come into our country than now.'' I didn't think Egypt and Russia were in Central America. Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer this invitation: We have Thanksgiving coming. We are both from California. Why don't we invite the Vice President to come down to the border with you and me both, and let's take a tour. And while we are there, let's go to the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach and talk about the supply chain. Let them see that these ships that are waiting and coming in when they unload, they go back empty to pick up more from China. They don't load American products. Now, it may take a little while to get from the border of San Diego up to Long Beach, so we may have to stop to get gas. I will split it with you because I know it is not cheap. But I am willing to make that offer. These patrol members along the border bear the brunt of dangerous policies. While the Democrats act like there is nothing going on, Texas Mayor Don McLaughlin told us, Mr. Speaker, just a few months ago, that nearby cities are expected to see an inflow of migrants much larger than the size of the towns themselves. He said, ``We're not equipped in our area to handle this. Our resources are strapped as it is because of the pandemic.'' The mayor said his own town will try to quarantine COVID-positive migrants in hotels. But when they come back to check on them or bring them food, some of the migrants are gone. That is just not here, Mr. Speaker. When we departed Afghanistan, a lot of people got on that were never searched or had gone through any process. We put them on military bases in America. Some just depart. Some people have already been arrested for crimes they committed. We heard from our constituents who were stuck in Afghanistan who said they went to the airport because they watched the President tell them. And the Taliban grabbed their papers, tore them up, and shot at them. Or they are hiding in the halfway houses, and the State Department denied just letting them get across the border so they can get out. Aside from the health risks, these circumstances create physical risks for innocent bystanders. There are not enough officers or agents to handle the intake and regular patrol, so the issues are spilling onto the streets. Now, I am sure in your committees, Mr. Speaker, as you went through this bill, as you knew you were going to spend more than at any time in American history because the Chief of Staff to the White House--and many times, Mr. Speaker, people refer to him as the prime minister-- said, ``It's twice as big, in real dollars, as the New Deal was.'' You must have thought somewhere when you saw these statistics, it is okay, we have so much money, let's give them some and help those border agents. I am sure somebody raised that issue, did they not? They must have been voted down because it is not in the bill. But whoever raised their hand and said: Let's spend $1 billion to give people amnesty, that made it in. The only thing I question, Mr. Speaker, is why did you stop there? Because there are going to be billions more coming. You were able to do in one-party rule in 1 year just between February and October more than everybody has been able to do in 2018, 2019, and 2020 combined. Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if that is what you talked about, building bigger bureaucracies, but this bill does it. Mayor McLaughlin said that they had about two to three car chases a week back in 2019, then none for a few weeks. Now it is every single day, roughly 10 to 12 high-speed car chases per week. He says, ``It's escalating. We've had houses broken into, we've had to put our schools on lockdown because they're armed out in town near the schools. When that happens, then we have to pull all of our officers out on a manhunt.'' Mr. Speaker, how would you like to represent a city where every single day there are roughly 10 to 12 high-speed car chases? I remember on the news when there was one, the whole Nation would watch. They don't even put them on because they are every day. But where are they running by? And it is not just a car chase, just a cop chasing them. It is a cartel with weaponry. They are going by schools in America. In America they have to shut down American schools because you opened the border. You do nothing to protect it in this bill. You only incentivize more people to come. Did you put any money in here for car chases? Did you put any money in here for the schools? I hope you put money in here for drug treatment because, Mr. Speaker, there is sure a lot of fentanyl coming across that border. He told us recently that just last spring they had to put schools on lockdown 48 times. Think about that. Your child goes to a school--just in spring--48 times they are on lockdown. Do you think your child feels safe? Do you think your child is learning? What do you think those parents are going to think when they hear about this bill? I don't think they could just leave the Chamber. I think they will probably want to come to a school board meeting. Maybe the FBI will investigate them for terrorism because they care about their children's safety. One-party rule in 1 year has brought America to this. Our children's education and lives are being interrupted nearly 50 times in just a few months. That is in America. When personnel and resources are pulled from one area to another along our border communities, it leaves families like Russell Johnson's in danger. You see, Russell lives on a ranch with his family in New Mexico, just miles from the border. I am proud of my family. My family emigrated from Ireland and Italy. They worked on the railroad, and they became a cattle rancher. It was a tough life. My grandfather got married, lived with his brother on the ranch, but the ranch didn't make enough to pay for both, so he went back to working on the railroad. To make money as a rancher, they never had to worry about a cartel, they just had to worry if it rained enough, or if the cattle price was high enough. Russell Johnson, it is remote, and he gets little service where he lives, making it a prime place to illegally enter the country. This is what Russell told me, with the way things are right now, we don't let our kids play outside by themselves. They can't play outside by themselves. This isn't Chicago. This is on a cattle ranch. There is no telling who they might encounter while they are out there. Mr. Speaker, I am going to invite Russell Johnson to come to D.C., and I want to invite anybody on the other side of the aisle that votes for this bill, and I would ask you to take his questions. I would ask that you point out in this bill where does it protect his children as an American? I don't think you will argue that you are going to cost him more. You see, the interesting thing is I am okay paying taxes if they go to something. Richie Neal says it is going to build a bigger bureaucracy. Not along the border it is not. It is tearing down walls. Schools are closing. You know, for the first time in the country, Mr. Speaker, this generation doesn't believe they will be better off than the generation before them, and this bill almost guarantees it. They are guaranteed they are going to have to pay more and get less. I will be sure and let you all know of that date. You are celebrating the bill. Celebrate with Russell and tell him where he is better off. Just think for a moment that, in America, children can't play outside on their own property for fear of their safety from cartels and traffickers. I am not talking about the city where you defunded the police. I am talking about remote cattle ranches in a place I think every American dreams they can retire one day, on a ranch. Build back. We are going all the way back to the westerns, I guess. People have to fend for themselves. I can't believe that is America. I don't accept it. I know we are better than that. I know some of you are mad at me, think I spoke too long. But I have had enough. America has had enough. Not only do communities at the border deserve protection, the selfless men and women of our Border Patrol deserve more support to do their job. I don't know if you have been down to tour with them. If any of you are going and you want to make it bipartisan, I will go. I know a lot of people on this side of the aisle will go with you, because we think it is an American problem. We want to solve it together. But when someone comes across the border and you have children--it is interesting, Mr. Speaker, when it became one party with 1 year, you changed the definition, they are no longer cages. It is still the same place. But it is the border agents who have to go off the border and inside to care for them, so the border is less secure. And now you are providing more money for them to come, less agents there, and it is just a spiraling effect. You know, between inflation, gas prices, the border, crime, there is a common denominator; one-party rule in Washington for 1 year. U.S. Border Patrol members from the southwest division of the border alone saved 4,920 lives in 2019; 5,071 lives in FY20; 12,833 lives in `21; and 836 in FY22 so far. Why don't we pass a bill to honor our Border Patrol agents? Why don't we bring them here to Washington? Better yet, why don't we go to them? It is our job to secure the border. You are spending trillions of dollars. You know what you are spending money on? Not to build the wall. You are taking taxpayer money or material they already have there and paying them not to build it. So Russell Johnson's children can't play. That is what you are taking taxpayers money for. That is why you are hiring more IRS agents to audit more Americans to get more out of them, because you don't trust that they are honest. There is not a day that doesn't go by--just this week--of a 5-year old child all by himself. You know, on one of the trips down to the border, I was talking to this Border Patrol agent, and I was asking about her job. You could tell the stress that she has felt to work under these conditions, the threat of the cartel, the crime coming across, the families, the children. And she told a story of three young children. She saw them in the distance. The oldest was five, the next was three, and the other was 11 months. I said, where was the parent? There was no parent. What crowd were they with? No, they were all alone. If she had not found them, they would not have lived. So let this sink in. You are encouraging more of them to come. People don't make it all the time. People are raped. Human trafficking happens because they don't have the money to pay the cartel. Then when they come to America, they have to work to keep paying them. You are incentivizing that. And while you incentivize that, you make Americans unsafe. I don't know, Mr. Speaker, if it is something that the administration does in the Cabinet or everywhere when they are asked a question--I know what the Secretary of Energy did when she was asked about how to lower prices; she just laughed. But I remember, Mr. Speaker, when Vice President Kamala Harris was asked about the border. She has a very definite laugh. Do you know what her answer was? Well, I haven't been to Europe, either. Well, she could go to Europe because people from Europe are coming across that border, too. She could go to Russia, Egypt, Yemen. She could go around the world. Now, speaking of safety and security, as hardworking Americans are being ignored by Democrat politicians, let's talk about law enforcement. Because, Mr. Speaker, I remember on this floor, in the last Congress, the chant ``defund the police.'' I remember what this city looked like. I remember one night looking out on the rioters. I remember the Speaker yelling about having the National Guard at the Lincoln Memorial. That spread across America. I can't keep count of how many people die in Chicago in one weekend. In Minneapolis, where George Floyd was murdered--and he shouldn't have been--when they decided to defund the police, it was on the ballot 2 weeks ago on Tuesday. It failed. Mr. Speaker, you and I have known each other a long time. We are competitive. I know you didn't get to Congress your first time out. We beat you that first time, but you came back. You are competitive. You work hard. It is not my job to give you political advice. I don't know if you have seen the numbers. It is nothing we are doing. You know, 110 polls have been taken since 1981. Never, never have they reflected what they reflect today. But it is not just that. You see, we all have the pleasure and the honor--less than 13,000 people have ever had this honor to represent in this Chamber, the debates that have taken place here. And on the biggest of items, it is always bipartisan. The President promised he would bring that back. There hasn't been one time, not one time. Tonight is not bipartisan. He didn't work with anybody. You are spending the most money ever spent in a single bill in the history of America, the greatest Nation ever on the face of the Earth, and your children's children will read it was one-party rule for 1 year. Mr. Speaker, I watched the American voters in States that are blue States overwhelmingly, from Seattle to Minneapolis to New York to New Jersey to Virginia, reject exactly what is in this bill. Look, it would be beneficial for me to cheer you on, but I care too much about this country. If you turn back now, you might be able to survive. But I know what will be more important. America could survive. But I know you are down on this floor, just 10 minutes debate on each side, and the bill just came. I know my friends on the other side of the aisle are mad. I know some of them have to get to Puerto Rico for a fundraiser. I am sorry. That may be one of them. It sounds like a couple of them. This is too important to America. It is a moment in time. At a time when violent crime is spiking nationally, cities under Democratic rule have or are seeking to defund their police departments. It is just another move lacking common sense, logic, or leadership. In Los Angeles, I represent a little of it. I don't think you have any of it, right? Just outside? You are to the east. The LAPD budget is set to be cut by $150 million, a decision triggered by widespread protests. My son just moved to San Francisco with his new wife. Do you know what he told me? He had to buy a car when he moved up there. He said: Dad, I am excited. I got car insurance. I didn't think that was a big deal. But my street is the safest street in San Francisco. I got a little savings. Do you know what people put on their windows in San Francisco on their cars? ``Please don't break the window again. Nothing is inside.'' You know, if you want to walk to a Walgreens in San Francisco, it is closed. They can't make money because people just come in and take. That is how you build up bureaucracy. That is how you cut police. In Austin, the city council voted to cut $150 million from the police department. Mr. Speaker, you and I have seen a lot of businesses in California leave and go to the city of Austin. A good friend of mine, Elon Musk, built a car company when others were already developed. They said he couldn't do it. He risked his wealth to do it. He is pretty dang successful. A State rep from California--I can't use the language he used on the floor because it started with an f--tweeted at Elon because he wanted to expand his business, so he left. Do you know what California does? They raise their price. They tax you more. They cut their police. When Elon got to Austin, he said if you cut the police and make crime like the place he just left, he won't stay. In Baltimore, the city council eliminated $22 million from the police department. New York City wants to take $1 billion from the police budget. And here is the kicker: Many Democrats don't think that goes far enough. These efforts to defund the police send a dangerous message that public safety is not a priority in Democrat-run cities. Worse, these attacks on law enforcement demoralize officers and dismantle police departments. Retirements are surging. Recruitment is sinking. My father was a first responder. He wasn't a police officer; he was a fireman. My uncle was a fireman, too. I did 3 years as a seasonal firefighter. I wanted to be a first responder, but there was a nepotism clause. I don't think my mom thought I was successful because I wasn't a firefighter. These are people who 1 year ago we celebrated on this floor. We touted them. We touted the first responders, the medical community, the checkers. Why? Because they went to work in the middle of a pandemic. They looked after people. And after we got one-party rule in Washington, a lot of them are now fired; they are no longer heroes. President Biden and Democratic leaders in Congress can send a message to local officers that this lawlessness is unacceptable. Instead, you are enabling it. The Biden Justice Department dropped nearly half of the cases against rioters in Portland. Can you imagine that? Half the cases. We all watched it, burning buildings. I remember one of my constituents came to testify. Mr. Nadler and Jim Jordan were there. Do you know why she had to testify? Because her brother was killed protecting a Federal courthouse. He was protecting a Federal courthouse in a riot. You know what is worse? There are people in the administration at the highest of offices that gave money to bail these people out. I wonder why Russell Johnson worries about his kids playing outside. Biden also supports a bill passed by the House Democrats which would cost police departments hundreds of millions of dollars. It is not a Democrat, Green Party, or Republican idea. American people want safe streets. I don't care if you live in the poorest neighborhood or the wealthiest. You want your kids to be able to walk down that street. I can't forget that video of those two young kids in New York walking while one man is shooting another man. They want law and order. Is it any surprise they overwhelmingly rejected defunding the police when it was on the ballot? The only place that passes defunding police is on this floor. But if you let the people vote, they say no. Why? They want to be safe. That is not rocket science. In the liberal enclave of Seattle--former home of the so-called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. Remember that, where they took over entire streets? Why did they do it? Because they were building a bigger bureaucracy. See, they didn't believe in private property. They celebrated it, just like you celebrate this bill--the voters elected a Republican as a city attorney over a self-described police apologist. Think about that. Seattle. Look, we are in the only occupation where on a given day we learn how many people like and dislike us. Come next November we will know. That is 435 seats. We are all competitive. We will work in all sorts of districts trying to capture that majority. I don't spend much money in Seattle. There are not a lot of Republicans there. But it doesn't matter when it comes to safety. Every American wants it except, Mr. Speaker, in this House. In Minneapolis, where violent crime has surged over the past year, voters resoundingly rejected a ballot initiative to defund the police. In Minneapolis. These results give me hope. I want the American people to know, one- party rule will not be in one year. It is clear to most Americans that defunding the police is wrong. The American public is getting this issue right despite the Democrats' best efforts. While our inflation rises, chaos engulfs our southern border, and crime overruns our cities, Xi Jinping is watching us and laughing. China is being rewarded with the Olympics. I didn't get to get on the Zoom with President Biden and Xi Jinping. But did any of us hear? Did he ask China why won't they be more open or let our scientists in to see where COVID started? Did he ask Xi Jinping about his promise to stop producing fentanyl? Because it has increased by 300 percent. Did he ask Xi Jinping why does he continue to fly his jets over Taiwan? And how much technology have you stolen from us today? Just this August we were reminded of the seriousness of the China threat after Beijing launched an advanced hypersonic missile into orbit. I know you all don't serve on Armed Services. I don't. And you are not on Intel. But hypersonic is a first-strike weapon. When President Biden was Vice President, they cut R&D for hypersonics for America. You see, China has tested more than 200 hypersonics, America about 9. We have a missile defense. But you see, hypersonics don't go high. They go five times the speed and low. You don't have 30 minutes to calculate where they are. You know what China does, too? They build replicas of American aircraft carriers in the desert. I don't think it is to teach their sailors. I think it is to teach their Air Force how to bomb them. I am not sure, President Biden, if you asked Xi Jinping, why did you lie to President Obama when you built those islands and said you wouldn't weaponize them? I don't know if you watched the reports of the number of nuclear weapons in silos that China is building not far from Afghanistan. I am not sure we can keep track of it anymore because we don't have Bagram. We don't have Afghanistan. But we are going to look over the horizon. I don't know how. We don't even have light goggles anymore. We left them for the Taliban. Hypersonics are unpredictable. They are fast, and they are nuclear capable. If deployed correctly, they can beat our missile defenses. Now, earlier in this conversation I told you, Mr. Speaker, what the Chief of Staff of the White House said, This is bigger than a bill we spent on the New Deal. So there must be some money in here for hypersonics. I know you don't want to protect the border, but you surely want to protect us for our defense, do you not? Because it is going to lose $800 billion in 5 years. But you can tell your children's children that the reason why you borrowed the money is so they can be alive in America and not in China. But that is not in here. So, Mr. Speaker, what are you going to tell the children's children? You got a really big bill, and we can't protect you. But you have got a lot of good products you can buy made in China. General Milley described the launch as a near-Sputnik moment. Mr. Speaker, I imagine you and I weren't alive in Sputnik. But you know what happened after that? America acted as one. They knew the threat of the future. So when someone on the floor that night that focused, they said our children's children would remember this night. We thank them for that. We won the Cold War, not because we rewarded people who came here illegally with $450,000. We won that war because we invested in the future. We won that war not because we built up bureaucracy, but because we unshackled our private sector. We won that war not because we kept having inflation. We ended one- party rule and had the biggest economy we have had since the last time Republicans were in power and passed the tax cuts. The sad part, Mr. Speaker, is President Biden could have done nothing. Part of me feels sorry, Mr. Speaker, for all of you. Because had he done nothing, I don't know if we could win in a year. But because of his actions, America is weaker. When Russia launched Sputnik, the United States responded with a sense of urgency and a show of industrial force. So when China did this hypersonic, what did we do? You are passing a bill that is incentivizing companies to leave America to be in China. The global minimal tax? You make more going to China. That is what your children's children will learn. But don't worry, you can celebrate. You are going to have a big bureaucracy in America. Remember, that is what the Soviet Union had. But, today, the Biden administration has responded with weakness, not strength. They actually said that stiff competition between China and America is welcome. I would like competition, but why don't we have it on a level playing field? Why is China given an advantage? Now, I was in a classroom a little while back, and we were talking about California, the Golden State where everybody wanted to be. Why is Toyota, why is Tesla, why is everybody leaving California? Then they got into the aspect of America. How did China rise? Well, a student asked me, and I asked her if she played a sport. She said she was a swimmer. I said, well, let me try to answer your question with an analogy of swimming. Picture America at a swim meet after World War II against every other country. We jump into the water. Not only do we win; we dry off before second and third arrive. So in the next year we think, you know, that is a little unfair. The other countries got destroyed a little more than America. Why don't we put a tax on ourselves to help the others? So we put a little weight belt on. We still win, but we don't swim as fast. As the years progress, last time we had one-party rule in 2010, you made this stimulus bill, so you put a 50-pound weight on. So now, when we jump into the pool after this bill, we don't win. Everybody says, why don't you swim like you used to? But the real question is, why don't you take off the weight belt and let us compete? You are adding another 50 pounds of weight to America, and you are enhancing China. I promise you this: China is not adding 87,000 IRS agents to go after their people. All you have to do as an American is spend $28, and the IRS is going to knock on your door. Don't think it is only going to happen to those millionaires. You are a family struggling, making $75,000, and you used to take that vacation every year. But with inflation and gas prices and heating oil going up, you tell your kids you can't. But we built a bureaucracy, so they are going to knock on your door. This bill, if you measure all the things it does in it, it rewards millionaires. It adds 1.2 million new audits by the IRS, and half of that goes after people making $75,000 or less. I know so many people like that. I worship with them, play sports. Our kids interact. I don't know how I tell them I work in a body that celebrated doing that to them. I know what their struggles are. You know, it is interesting. These people work hard. They dream of the American Dream, and you just put hurdles in front of them. You put struggles. Families are going to have to move in together. But I am going to tell them what you did. You helped everybody making $800,000 to get that electric car, that Tesla. I still live in the very first house I ever bought. I can't afford a Tesla. The people on my street where I live, if somebody's car breaks down, we work on it together. We help one another. I remember driving home just the other day, and there was a young family. It was the grandmom, the mom, and the daughter. She pulled over at the side of the entrance to my neighborhood. Her hood was up. Her car was overheating. I pulled up. I asked her if she needed help. She wasn't sure what was happening. I said: Wait, I am going to go right over to my house. It is a block away. I will get some antifreeze. I will get a towel. We will open this up, and we will fix this. I come back, and as I go to work on that car, another neighbor comes by. She is a grandmother. I have known her for years. She gets out with water bottles to give to the family. My daughter had made cookies. I brought cookies for the young child in the back. My other neighbor works in the oil business. But do you know what? He won't be my neighbor long because, you see, you shut down his business. He told me he has to move. He doesn't live alone. His brother lives with him. He has roommates, and young kids, just to afford to live there. He pulls up. He gets some antifreeze. And everybody works together to get her back on her way. That is the American way. It is not building up big bureaucracies or raising gas prices because the White House will tell you that is a good thing because you can afford a Tesla. We are going to take taxes from you so somebody who makes $800,000 can get a tax break to buy a Tesla. I can't even afford to test drive a Tesla, and Elon is one of my best friends. How is the competition going? For the Chinese Communist Party, it is not much of a fight. You see, Xi Jinping is not going to abide by the term limits of his constitution. But we should trust him. We should just compete together because when he told President Biden he wouldn't weaponize those islands and he did, oh, Xi Jinping, you old friend, you. When he builds those aircraft carriers in the desert that look just like the American aircraft carriers, that Xi Jinping, he just likes the Navy. When he tells Australia, when Australia asks where did COVID come from, we are sending our nuclear weapons right down to you. Lithuania opened a consulate for Taiwan this week. You see, Lithuania has a long history of big, controlling countries next to them that try to push them around. But they know what freedom is. Do you know what Taiwan is? Taiwan is that young man who stood in front of that tank 32 years ago, who craved the freedom of speech, who understood America is more than a country. When I look at this bill, it angers me. We are so better than this. You are spending so much money. Never before--think of our history books. Think of how we honor the Honor Flight. Think about the Greatest Generation that sacrificed so much. We spent less to feed Hitler, Mussolini, and Japan than you are spending tonight. We spent less, but it cost us lives. And you are celebrating it. You are celebrating it when inflation is at a 31-year high. Gas prices, Thanksgiving, a border that, in a few months, breaks every record of the last three years combined. And not one dollar is going to protect the border or make our children's children safer for the next generation. You know, I admire everybody with a job. My first job was at the Quick and Handy Market, and people brought bottles back for deposit. And my job, in 110-degree temperature, was to sort those bottles. It gave me a sense of worth. You may all admire Europe, you may admire building big bureaucracies. I know you even thought of a plan in here to tax people just on what you thought their world was worth. France did that, and it failed. Mr. Speaker, we cannot become a socialist country. They have all failed. There is a reason America should lead, but we cannot lead if we are weakened. A lot of you have been to my office. In my office, I keep portraits. I don't know if you know this, but I wasn't born a Republican. My family were all Democrats. If anybody questions me about my beliefs, I left what I heard at home because I knew there was something better. There are two leaders in this Nation that still inspire me to this day, and I am proud of who they are and what they did. And if you come to my office, you are welcome. We can disagree, but we should sit and talk. The problems in America are too big. We can find common ground. We would have found common ground here, if we were welcomed. You see, I have this portrait of Abraham Lincoln. It is in black and white. A friend of mine painted it; his name is Penley. It is large, too. It is in black and white for a reason. The greatest challenge ever to our Constitution was the Civil War. While you are celebrating this bill tonight, you are doing it on the exact same floor we debated the Thirteenth Amendment, or the day that would live in infamy, or the civil rights. Mr. Speaker, the best thing you say is we are going to build a bureaucracy. You know, it is the anniversary just this week of the Gettysburg Address. Could you imagine being President of the United States; you are not the keynote speaker. The keynote speaker speaks for 2 hours. I think I have already broken that record. I am sorry if you are missing Puerto Rico's fundraiser. There weren't a lot of words, but this is what Lincoln said, believe in exceptionalism of America. Why? Because we are conceived in liberty and we are dedicated to the proposition that we are all equal. He goes on to say, but if we fail, ``government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from Earth.'' We were not the world power at that moment, but he knew that America was more than a country, that when we work for and by and of the people, we will always lead. There is no other nation in the world that is conceived in liberty and dedicated that everybody is equal. So when you spend this new green deal money and you send it to China to buy the solar panels and the batteries, look at the slaves they make work there. Look at the slaves they make work there. I am proud Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican President. And I will tell you, at night I look at these two paintings, and I wonder in moments and time what if Abraham Lincoln was not assassinated. Malice towards none. There would be no Jim Crow laws. Mr. Speaker, I would love to debate Jim Crow one day, because another portrait just hanging down from Lincoln is Joseph Rainey, the first Black American to get elected to Congress. He was a Republican. Mr. Speaker, 60 years later, the first Black Democrat was elected to Congress. You see, Joseph Rainey was a slave and broke free and came back after the Civil War and got elected in Charleston, South Carolina. We defeated that original sin. But Joseph Rainey wasn't the only Black Republican elected. More started getting elected. And in the South, we had a competitive Presidential election. But the Democrats said they would recognize the Republicans if they moved the Federal troops out of the South. And when they did, the Democrats won the States and they enacted Jim Crow laws--one of the darkest moments in our history. Had Abraham Lincoln not been assassinated, we would not have to wait until the 1950s for the civil rights. Abraham Lincoln, if he was here today, he would tell you--and Mr. Speaker, I believe he would look to your side of the aisle, he would say, be fearless when it comes to votes; don't blame others. You see, when Lincoln was elected in November 1860, he wasn't sworn in until March 1861. It is late, so I am not sure if my math is right, if it was seven or nine States that left the Union before he was sworn in. Never once did he blame Buchanan. Mr. Speaker, today, I heard our border czar blame Trump for the border. I don't know, in the short months of one-party rule, they have broken all records. He would tell you this, though: Your children's children, do not put off tomorrow what you could do today. The debate of slavery didn't start in the 1850s. That original sin started at the creation of our country. Our forefathers thought it was too divisive so they said, put it to the side. Hundreds of thousands of their grandchildren had to die. We don't have that same debate today, but you got a big debate on this floor. Do not blame others when inflation is higher. Do not blame others when your children's children ask you, why did you make the bureaucracy so big, but keep the borders open, and empower China? Why did my father and mother lose their jobs? Why can we not go downtown? Because there is no police to protect us. Or that Russell Johnson's grandson or granddaughter, who can't carry on the legacy of a generation of a rancher. They will point to this night, this time, and this moment. The other portrait that hangs behind my desk is Ronald Reagan. You see, Ronald Reagan was a Democrat, too, but taxes became so high, you know what he did? He stopped working. He took the incentive away. Sound familiar? If you pay people more to stay home, they will stay home. If you take away the work requirement--this bill now creates 90 percent of all Americans qualify for the child tax credit. But what did you do? You took away the requirement to work; hurting the small business. Then you took away the Social Security. You might as well take more American taxpayer money, because you got all these IRS agents but you are giving it to people who are not Americans. Reagan would tell us this--Reagan is in color and Reagan is smiling. Mr. Speaker, I think at moments of the times Reagan would talk to my party. We are not perfect by any means. He would tell us: If you believe your principles bring people more freedom, be happy about it. People will wonder what you are drinking. I am a happy conservative, but not tonight. Reagan would tell us this--and he would talk to this entire body. He would tell us, Mr. Speaker, peace without freedom is meaningless. Think about that for one moment: Peace without freedom is meaningless. It is human nature that we crave peace, but we only attain it with freedom. Reagan came into office after Jimmy Carter made inflation high; Americans were held hostage; gas prices, you could only go to the station on odd and even days. He was happy and honored to be able to do it. People had written us off. There were two Germanys. I remember, in my high school, they had one of those Hallmark shows about the Soviet Union invading us, ``Red Dawn.'' People on my street built bomb shelters because there was a Sputnik moment, much like a moment we just had. That is what our top military agents tell us, Mr. Speaker. Reagan had the same dilemma. He was in his second term, and I believe he was in Iceland, sitting directly across from Gorbachev. They didn't take staff into the room. Mr. Speaker, he started negotiating a nuclear reduction. He was getting most everything he wanted, then Gorbachev asked him one thing: Would Reagan end the SDI program? Remember what the SDI program was at that moment? It was made fun of, Mr. Speaker, by the Democrats. It was called Star Wars. Today, it is part of the Iron Dome. Mr. Speaker, you might remember the Iron Dome. Your party actually defunded that along with the police. Reagan didn't hesitate. He didn't ask Congress; he didn't ask the Senate. He said, no, I will not end the SDI, but what I will do is I will share with you so the world could be safe. Gorbachev declined. Reagan looked at everything in there, and he thought it was a pretty good agreement. He paused for a moment. It did nothing for those who were in the Gulags. It did nothing for Lech Walesa and the shipyards of Poland. He did something that most politicians couldn't do. He got up and walked away. Had Reagan not at that moment walked away, the Berlin Wall would have never collapsed in the Soviet Union. I tell you that story because I hope five of you listen. I hope five of you walk away from this bill. It doesn't bring more freedom. You cannot have peace without freedom. Do you know what is interesting? In modern history, there have been two U.S. Presidents to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama, not Ronald Reagan and not Donald Trump after the Abraham Accords. All elite press criticized Reagan, but he knew his principles. Reagan didn't have one-party rule. Speaker Tip O'Neill would spend time with him, would talk about the challenges. When they talked about the challenges, they invested not for more illegals coming across the border but to compete against Russia. Mr. Speaker, inside my conference room, I have another portrait. It is a big one, 8 by 16. It is a portrait of Washington crossing the Delaware. You all know that painting, do you not? This is a replica. Do you know who painted that painting? It happened Christmas 1776. The person who painted it wasn't there that day. He painted it from 1850 to 1851. He wasn't even an American. He was a German immigrant who lived in America, Emanuel Leutze. He lived here for about 10 years, I believe, and then he went back to Germany. He knew the same thing that Lincoln knew about America, that America is more than a country, that we are an idea, an idea not of more bureaucracy but of more freedom. His talent was art, so he thought: I will paint this painting to inspire my country to have a revolution based upon the freedoms of American democracy. He gets it historically incorrect. If you look at the painting, it doesn't look like the Delaware. It looks like the Rhine. He is German, so we will give him a break, right? He puts Washington in a rowboat. Historians will tell you he probably crossed in a Durham boat. He puts 13 people in the rowboat. Why? Thirteen Colonies. He only shows you 12 faces. If you ever look at the painting--and please come to the office. You can bring your constituents. I don't have to be there. He has Washington in a ceremonial uniform, standing up in a rowboat in the middle of winter with his hand on his chest. If you look at our Founding Father, you would say that man is bigger than life. He is so stoic, I bet he has never lost a battle. Do you know what history tells us? At that moment in time, Washington had only been a loser. He had never won a fight. But google this painting to see if I am right. You have your phones, and you are welcome to do it. I don't want you to look at Washington. I want you to look at who is in the boat. The second person is wearing a beret. He is Scottish. The person in the green directly across from him rowing in the exact same cadence is African American. You come down the boat and in the middle is this person in red. They look like they are the strongest. It is a woman. In the very back is a Native American. Mr. Speaker, I cannot tell you if that diversity was in the boat that night, but to this young immigrant who had lived in America, that is who he believed would be in the boat. The second to last person was a rancher, a farmer. I don't know if he was related to Russell Johnson or not, but the same occupation. He has his hand across his face. You see that it is the hand of the 13th person nobody sees. This artist was saying: Here we are, not a country but an idea. Having lost every battle before us but willing to risk everything on our holiest of nights for the idea of freedom, here is a hand. Would you get in and join us? I wish we hung that portrait in here. I wish we would look at that portrait, that when we brought bills to the floor, we were all rowing together. I will tell you the challenge that Washington faced that night. Our two biggest challenges for the future are the debt and China. This bill makes us a loser on both. Mr. Speaker, it spends more money than we spent for the entire World War II. It sends our jobs to China. It does nothing to stand up to them. I know this: It is not too late. It might be late into the night. Mr. Speaker, Members on your side of the aisle, they have staff. They can get a new plane to Puerto Rico. This is too important. There are moments in time in history that change the course of this country, and they have happened on this floor--the 13th Amendment and the day that will live in infamy. We were bombed by Japan, and it almost wiped out our Navy. That Congress didn't turn around and say, Let's take away work requirements, let's give incentives to people who are coming illegally, and let's spend nothing on our defense; but let's make it bigger than any other bill we have ever had, and let's make sure nobody on the other side works with us. Now we are going into war, so we should send a letter to OPEC and to Putin because he can lower our gas prices and help us out. This is that moment. We can have that courage. We can have that ability. It is not too late. Aside from hypersonics, the Pentagon is estimating China could have 1,000 nuclear warheads by the end of the decade. Last year they built 38 gigawatts of coal-powered plants. That is one large coal plant every week. I know a lot of Members on both sides of the aisle went overseas. Mr. Speaker, I know Speaker Pelosi has been able to go to Europe three times in the last 3 months. I don't know if it is a farewell tour. But if it is, I want a T-shirt. Mr. Speaker, we have been limited on what we can build nuclearly because of our agreement with Russia. China makes no qualms about what they want to do with Taiwan. If you wonder, look at Hong Kong. My first trip ever to China was back in 1995. Some of you have probably gone with the American Council of Young Political Leaders. They pick five Republicans and five Democrats under the age of 40 to go to China to interact to find their leader. I remember sitting in a room with a former U.N. ambassador, and he told me they became Communist because they had always been conquered by somebody else. There used to be signs reading no children or dogs in Tiananmen Square. He said, We have no fear of being conquered now, so I don't know what binds us together. When I went to Tiananmen Square it was moving for me because I remember that moment in time. There are two parts in history I wish I could have been a part of: I wish I could have been in Tiananmen Square and I wish I could have been there knocking down that Berlin Wall. There was a sign there in Tiananmen Square, Mr. Speaker. It had two moments: the number of days and the number of minutes until Hong Kong came under their control. They said that for 50 years nothing would change. Mr. Speaker, after unleashing COVID on the world, it all changed. But do you know what happened prior to that, Mr. Speaker? I am not sure; I think Hong Kong had about 8 million people. Even on rainy Saturdays 3 million of them would show up and bring umbrellas. Do you know what else they would bring? American flags. They knew the exact same thing as Abraham Lincoln, Joseph Rainey, and Frederick Douglass: that America is more than a country, that it is an idea. They stood out in the rain knowing what China would do for freedom of speech but not for more bureaucracy. The moment China came in, did we do anything? We are going to buy more batteries from them. They use slave labor to create them. If you question where COVID came from, they say they are going to send their nuclear weapons to you. Mr. Speaker, I don't know if we know how many nuclear weapons they have because we can't fly over them much anymore. But, Mr. Speaker, do you ever wonder and start to think, you have these nuclear weapons, you have hypersonics, and then you invade Taiwan. Do you think that may keep more people at bay? I don't know. When Putin took Crimea, he said he took it because no one said he couldn't. He has built up, along the road, Ukraine. Mr. Speaker, does it make you wonder after Afghanistan where Americans were left behind, that China flies more of their aircraft over Taiwan? That China did not show up at the global warming party? There are so many things to be proud of about our country. I am worried about the environment. I wish every country was like America. We lowered our CO2 emissions. We didn't mandate. Do you know what we did while we lowered them? We became energy independent. But do you know what happens when you shut down an American pipeline and you allow a Russian pipeline to go? You make the air dirtier. American natural gas is 42 percent cleaner. Do you know what else comes with American natural gas? American jobs. American kids can pay for college, they can buy a car, and they can buy a house. I don't know if in today's America they can afford to fill it up. But you are going to restrict America. Mr. Speaker, I have heard a lot of people brag about this bill. They are really happy about the Green New Deal. I don't know if many read the Chinese paper, they are happier. Because that is where you are sending Americans' hard-earned taxpayer dollars. And if you don't get enough, the IRS agents are going to pound on their door. Meanwhile, President Biden is acting like there is no competition at all. Today, on a few important issues Biden has folded on, he bailed out Huawei and refuses to investigate the origins of coronavirus or hold China accountable for its actions. Mr. Speaker, I want to tell you another story. This is a personal story with your leadership and ours. Many of us had the pleasure and the honor of going to the 75th anniversary of D-day. I think every American should go and read the headstones with the ages of the thousands upon thousands of Americans who all died in a short timeframe. Look at the Stars of David and crosses. I traveled with the Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. As we flew in on a helicopter and we went down the path with the doors open, we wondered about those brave men. You still saw the guns of the Germans. They had to land, and they were sitting ducks. They had to climb up, and they were just being shot one after the other. They were so young. But their children's children are proud of them. When I looked at those headstones, I looked at the Speaker, and I wondered: what could America have done before then so that they would not have lost their lives? What could we have done before the rise of Hitler or Mussolini? Where could we have made that investment? Then I thought to the future of us as policymakers. History repeats itself. I watch China steal our technology. I watch them test hypersonics. I watch them build a new coal plant and shut ours down. This isn't like the Soviet Union. We are not going to outspend them. When I asked the Speaker: Could we create a committee with an equal number of Republicans and an equal number of Democrats to just focus on China? She thought it was an interesting idea. I called Steny, the majority leader. I presented the same idea to him. I spent 8 months on this. And do you know what, Mr. Speaker? They agreed. So we agreed. We picked the number of members, and then they came back to me and said, no, we had to shrink it. That is okay. That is okay. I just really want to have this happen. Because you know Xi Jinping isn't going to abide by the term limits; he tries to wait everybody out, Mr. Speaker. We got so close; we invited the Washington Post reporter in to interview the members who were going to be on this committee. They pre- interviewed it so we would be able to introduce it. The night before that moment, like the time in the boat, I was proud of Congress. We were going to do this together in one of our greatest challenges. I got a phone call. They said, we are not doing the committee. I said, what are you talking about? We spent 8 months at this. You see, COVID had hit, and they thought it might give a political advantage if we focused on China. I went ahead anyway and started the China Task Force. And in that China Task Force, all the ideas that we came up with, two-thirds of them, were bipartisan. Mr. Speaker, we talk a lot about the future. If this body changes power, we will have a committee that focuses on the future of America and China. We need to plan. This is going to do a lot of damage to us. I hope five of you change your mind. And you know what? I am going to welcome you to serve on it, too. I want one American policy. I don't want to look out in California and see all those ships anymore. I want to look at California and see all those ships leaving with American products going to other countries. We need to hold them accountable. Why would the world stay silent after the millions upon millions who have died from COVID? Would it not raise a question if China shut down their domestic flights but kept their international open? Welcome, Madam Speaker. I am just getting geared up. It is good you sit. Now, Republicans are offering a better approach; instead of cooperating with China from a position of weakness, we need to compete from a position of strength. Madam Speaker, you are new, and I am not sure you have been listening. I hope you were. I would think, Madam Speaker, why don't we have a full Congress briefing on China's hypersonics? Why don't we do one thing? Why don't we pause this bill? If this bill is going to spend $5 trillion, more than any other bill we have ever spent, more than what we spent to end World War II, why don't we pause this bill, have a briefing of all of us together about that Sputnik moment that our top military tells us? And why don't we rise to the occasion? Why don't we do what America did at that moment, with our children's children? Witness one Germany? Why don't we pause and let's see if we ought to spend the money there? You see, with one-party rule, the last time you had it, you cut the funding for hypersonics. Now, I don't remember the debate, and I don't know, Madam Speaker, if somebody on the other side said, by this cut, our children's children will be excited about this tonight. But I do know where we stand today, more than 12 years later; in a weaker position, more dependent, and more vulnerable. You know what that means if we want to do something different? That means strengthening our military, rebuilding our economy, and regaining our position of leadership in the world. I don't know how many of you are historians, but if you study the entire world, there have only been two nations that have had the largest economy, China and America. You know, in the last year, ours grew faster than them. But they are catching us. After this bill, they put a weight belt on it. You gave an advantage to them. What if we did this, too? What if we paused, and what if we, together, inspired the rest of the nations in the world and said, let's not reward China with the Olympics. Do you want to reward them? I will guarantee you their economy will be stronger after this bill. We can't keep being nice. We can't let them continue to lie, to steal. It also means delivering truth and accountability when it comes to the coronavirus. There is not one in this Chamber that does not know somebody who died from COVID. I was talking to a friend last night. He is about my age, but he had these two mentors. They are older men. They are farmers. He is a farmer. And he had been calling them. He was down looking for them; couldn't find them. I never heard this friend of mine get emotional. He said he just got a call back. One of them died from COVID. His father is no longer alive, but he felt he lost his father that night. You know who he was most mad at? China. I never heard him cuss until that night. He just felt it was so unfair. Don't we all? Don't we remember being in this Chamber, struggling in our own community, trying to find PPE just for our hospitals? You know, some of the brightest moments of America happened at that time. We watched people risk their lives. We watched what America does best, ingenuity, invest. We don't have one vaccine, we have three. You ask anybody in the world, do they want a vaccine from Russia or China? They want America's. We did that. We did it faster than Fauci ever said we could. You know what else we could do? We could do hypersonics, too. We are not going to gain on China if they tested it 200 times and we are at 9. Madam Speaker, hypersonics is a first-strike weapon. Look, I was a smart aleck growing up, and I got in a few fights. But the one thing I will tell you, in a schoolyard, I never won one that someone got to punch me five times before I could swing. But that is what your children's children are going to learn tonight. They could strike us before they could defend us. Are we weaker based upon what happened in Afghanistan? Oh, yes, we are. If you don't read China's papers, you know what they told Taiwan the next day? See, America won't be there for you. I was speaking soft, Madam Speaker, but I wasn't imitating President Biden. I imagine the papers in China will read, soon after this bill passes, that America is going to ask them, the Chinese to buy our bonds so they have greater control over us; that America is going to be weaker; that they did nothing to stop the flow of fentanyl made in China coming to America. We cannot lose sight of the ultimate goal. We will not allow America to fall further behind like the Biden administration has. Madam Speaker, when they study history, our children's children, I am sure the chapter will read ``One-party control for one term: The damage that was done.'' There will be college courses. There will be people who are nominated to the Fed simply because they studied the inflation that came back today. I don't know about you, but if you study history, there is no easy way of getting out of inflation. There is only pain. Don't take my word for it. Just pick up The Wall Street Journal and read the story of Turkey today. Madam Speaker, I know my friend, Mr. Neal, has been here 33 years. He has to remember what inflation looked like in the 1970s, interest rates in double digits. Madam Speaker, it is different today. For all of those Democrats, Madam Speaker, that would not vote for the bill unless they got the CBO report that told them it paid for itself--I watched some of them on TV--I feel sorry for them. I don't know how they will face their constituents again. But what about those 21 Members, Madam Speaker, in your Caucus that sent a letter to the Speaker that said to take out the IRS agents. I guess if you send a letter, it is okay to vote the opposite. I don't know. Where I grew up, in my family, that is not what we were taught. The CBO came back. In 5 years, it costs $800 billion, and that is after you have played all the tricks with all the dials where you don't pay for everything. The difference today is our debt is larger than our GDP. When that happened before, we weren't fighting for a Green New Deal; we were fighting to save America and the world. The minute World War II was over, it dropped. Madam Speaker, I think you are fighting to make this country a socialist country. Margaret Thatcher said it well: You are going to run out of everybody else's money. The difference now, though, is you have inflation. What is so sad is, you were warned that would happen. I know you don't want to listen to me. I know you don't like me. That is okay. But Larry Summers worked in two Democrat administrations. He serves in one of the most prestigious universities in America. He is partisan, partisan, but he is an economist. Before you passed that $2 trillion--and remember what happened. It is similar to this bill. It was not bipartisan. What is so unusual, when COVID hit, all of those bills we did, we did it together. But when January 20 hit, when it was one-party rule, all changed. We were no longer welcome. So we warned you, but you thought it was politics. But then Larry Summers warned you in February. You passed it anyway. Nine percent went to COVID. The school money, a lot of it didn't last but 2 or 3 months. Then we read all about these schools. They had too much money. They were giving bonuses to people who didn't even work. You passed rules that said bills didn't have to go through committee. You made proxy voting. I remember the negotiation on proxy. I remember, Madam Speaker, talking to the Speaker and the majority leader at the very beginning, saying: We will never do proxy. It will destroy the body of Congress. Historians will tell you that. Even when the Confederacy wasn't that far away, we still met. August 24, 1814, when the British burned this building down, we still met. Through every pandemic, we still met. But what we thought was that, and I disagreed, it was only those few people who have respiratory problems. We are going to make it tough. Only a few people are going to do it for a short time, and they are going to sign a letter that says they just can't make it here. Madam Speaker, I was shocked when I saw a Member on your side of the aisle. He must have been really fearful of COVID because he was on a boat. It looked like a vacation to me. Madam Speaker, today, I got my booster shot, my third shot. I have had COVID. I have had three shots. I went down to see Dr. Monahan. I said, will I have any side effects? I got my second shot the morning of January 6, and I got the chills. I got the shakes that day for a lot of reasons. I wondered if it was the best idea to get that shot today. I took it anyway. I didn't know if I was going to be too tired. I might have a little headache now. But this is too important. This is just too important. This is a turning point in our country. We are at a tipping point because let me tell you what happens: You cannot curb inflation without devaluing the dollar or raising the interest rate. We raised it high after the last time the Democrats had one-party control in the late 1970s. But do you know what? It will cut all the economy, but we won't be able to pay our bills. We have too big of a debt now. The Wharton School is an amazing school. They would never accept me. They studied this bill. You didn't have to wait for the CBO. You know it costs $4 trillion. It also tells you it is going to lower our growth. Only two countries in the world have had the largest economy. If our currency is not the world currency, if our debt is too big, unfortunately, Madam Speaker, what the majority leader said to start this out, that our children's children will remember this night, oh, they will remember this night. We are a great Nation. We are exceptional. This body has risen to so many occasions. But on the occasions they rose before, they didn't do it with one party. If America asked me what went wrong: one-party rule for one term. Divided government makes you have to find compromise. Madam Speaker, when I came to this body, I came at a time in 2006 when Republicans lost the majority for a lot of different reasons. There were only 13 Republicans, the smallest freshman class since 1914, and that is when they enlarged this body. I have made friends on both sides of the aisle. I believe in competition. I believe in debate. But I believe in respect. Four years later, it was a big night in Virginia and New Jersey. If you study history, Virginia and New Jersey are off-year elections. Madam Speaker, your party had had power for a long time in Congress, for 40 years. Before 1994, there was an election in 1993, and it was a shock in Virginia and New Jersey, and in 1994, something unheard of happened. Republicans won the majority. I should have known in 2006 that was going to happen because in 2005 there was an election in Virginia and New Jersey. Democrats won, and it flipped. In 2009, I was in my second term. I was a deputy whip. I remember certain moments. I didn't know Steny Hoyer at that moment. I respected him. I respected his years of service. I respected the leadership in which he served. I remember it like it was slow motion. It was back when you could speak in the well. President Obama had just become President. We invited him to our conference. He wanted to do a stimulus bill, and I was proud of our conference that day. President Obama treated us with respect. We even met in HT5, where you meet now. We got up one by one. I remember Kevin Brady. The President said, ``I want to hear your ideas.'' We didn't play political games. We gave him ideas. And with respect to President Obama, you know what he said: That is a good one. No, I am not going to do that one. I liked that. He said we were going to work together. As he walked out, we thought we were going to work together that day. Henry Waxman was the chairman at the time. He dropped the stimulus bill, as the President left us saying he was going to work with us. I used to spend my time down on the floor. I thank you for being here. I know it is late. But I would spend my time on the floor because most Democrats didn't know who I was, and sometimes I would sit over there, and I would listen, so I could learn. It is like slow motion, what Steny Hoyer was saying. When that stimulus came to the floor, it was a lot of money. It was a lot of money. He said, I don't know if this will work, but I do know, you are going to have to go home and tell your constituents why you voted no, why you wouldn't help them. I didn't want to be the party of ``no.'' So I remember sitting up in Eric Cantor's office, and we would bring people. Brady was there and Camp and Lott. He said, The President meant well, but his own party won't let him work with us. So let's make our own bill. Let's compete on the power of the idea. So we produced our own bill. We had outside score it, created jobs with less money, and 30 seconds before that gavel went down, I remember talking to two Republicans right here. President Obama thought he was going to get 60 Republicans to vote for it. He was literally calling Members back in the Chamber. That bill passed. It was popular. It is kind of like your COVID bill when it first passed. I don't know if you looked at the polling today. This was early on in that majority. And I remembered the whole time what Steny Hoyer said. And right before that election, after Virginia and New Jersey, do you realize more people in America thought Elvis was alive than the stimulus created a job? If you look at your COVID bill, the $2 trillion--there are other moments I have had in here. You know, I came in, and one of the most moving votes we have ever had--I wasn't here to vote on whether we went to Iraq or Afghanistan, but I was here to vote about the surge. And I came in when we lost the majority, and a lot of that had to do with the continuing war. I wanted to do something different, so I invited anybody who had an opinion, that was opposed, that was for it, foreign ambassadors, and I remember the ambassadors telling us, ``We did not agree with you coming, but you better not leave it this way.'' And for anyone who serves in a body--and I served in the legislature before I came--nobody can prepare you for a vote like that. You know when you take a vote like that you are going to look a mother and a father or a husband or a wife in the eye, and you are going to have to explain why their loved one gave their life. So I did not want the administration to tell me anything. I was going to come to this conclusion because I had to make the decision myself. I had to look people in the eye. I voted for the surge that night. It was packed. It was one of the first times I spoke on the floor. I remember calling home. I was nervous. That April I went to Iraq, Afghanistan. A group of us, bipartisan, we spent Christmas morning with General Petraeus in one of the little amazing houses in there. And I remember that was bipartisan. I remember respecting the other side. I remember America coming together. It was tough. You had just won the majority. The debate was about war. Men and women were losing their lives, but we didn't think America should lead that way. There were people on both sides of the aisle. You were in the majority. President Bush was still President, and we came to what was best for the future together. Then I remember the financial collapse. I remember being on this floor with TARP. For any of you that were here, it was all packed. Do you remember the chant? 100, 200, 300, 400, the Dow Jones going down. The Dow Jones, I think, went past 1000. Ever since my days as deputy whip, I have this philosophy, the first one to 200 wins on any big bill. Now that proxy is here, it doesn't work, but for those voting in here, if you get to 200 first, that is usually where it is going to go. At that moment, more than 1000 down, the noes were at 200. Then it collapsed, and the market went up a little more, only down maybe 800. Do you remember how big that was? The world's largest economy on a financial meltdown, and we both came together. Because it was a big vote, right? Do you know how much we spent then? $800 billion. $800 billion. You are spending $5 trillion. While we have inflation. $800 billion was enough to save the financial markets of America. We have got 10 million jobs out there for people to work on. You are doing nothing for the border, nothing for the children's future when it comes to China. No incentive to go to work. You are incentivizing people to come here illegally. You are incentivizing people to stay home and get a check. I like to study history. Every great society that has overextended themselves has collapsed. Madam Speaker, I don't mean to go back to what my friend Steny Hoyer said, but tonight will be the night that our children's children--oh, I apologize, it is you back in the chair, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, may I ask you a question? Did you get to take a bathroom break and I didn't? But I understand. It's okay. Mr. Speaker, tonight will be the night of that tipping point. Tonight, will be the night. Have you looked at the market? Have you looked at the numbers that just came back this week on retail?

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Brady for his work. Mr. Speaker, we are minutes away from voting on a $5 trillion, more than 2,000-page, bill. A bill that the White House Chief of Staff recently bragged is twice as big in real dollars as the New Deal was. Mr. Speaker, I just listened to Congressman Neal, ``to build up the institutions.'' I have heard that in a lot of different countries, countries that have a different philosophy than America. Let that sink in for 1 minute. Let that sink in: More than 2,000 pages, $5 trillion; twice as big in real dollars as the New Deal was. Let me be clear. Never in American history has so much been spent at one time. Never in American history will so many taxes be raised and so much borrowing be needed to pay for all this reckless spending. I listened to my friend, Steny Hoyer, earlier. He started his speech by stating this date, because this is the day he is going to tell his children's children where he spent all that money. Every page of all this new Washington spending will be paid for or borrowed from you, the American hardworking taxpayer. Every page of this new Washington spending supports more waste, more fraud, more abuse, and more corruption. And every page of this new Washington spending shows just how irresponsible and out of touch the Democrats are to the challenges that America faces today. Nowhere in 2,000 pages and $5 trillion in spending are measures for more efficiency, better results, or just genuine accountability. This is the single most reckless and irresponsible spending bill in our Nation's history. Some of its effects will be quickly felt, others not for a few years. But I guarantee you that no matter the time frame, all the new Washington spending in this bill is only the beginning of disaster being thrust upon us. This year, Washington has reached the highest level of sustained Federal spending since World War II. That is this Congress' history. It took 4 years and $4.1 trillion to end World War II, in dollar terms. It was the most expensive war in history. By contrast, in the fiscal year we just finished, Washington, under a one-party rule, has spent $6.8 trillion. And that is on top of the trillions of dollars Congress spent the year before in the heart of the pandemic to offer relief to struggling Americans. Today, House Democrats want to pass more wasteful, unnecessary spending by Washington. The American people obviously know this bill won't cost zero dollars. Mr. Speaker, I wonder why people waited for the CBO score. They said it costs more but still want to vote for it. The CBO score says in 5 years it is going to cost $800 billion; in 10, only $367 billion. That is what your children's children will have to pay. And they will mark this day that it happened. We know it means more crushing debt for the 330 million Americans and generations to come. The Democrats are showing once again that they are not focused on the financial health and well-being of the citizens of our economy. Instead, Democrats are focused on themselves, their lobbyists, and their special interests group. If I sound angry, I am. I don't think the generations will laugh at the spending and what you do tonight. I don't think they will laugh about the continuing inflation you will create. I don't think they will laugh about not one dollar going to support or defend the border. I do not think they will laugh at the benefit that China will get from this bill. It is clear to us that this bill is wrong on the merits, and they have responded with a single word the American public have said; enough. Enough with Washington waste. Enough with fraud, Washington abuse, and Washington corruption; enough with higher taxes, higher prices, and higher borrowing. Simply enough. Today, millions of Americans are struggling with higher energy costs, higher grocery prices, and higher crime. This isn't politics, as the Democrats claim. This is real life in America today under one-party rule in 1 year. When our country doesn't have the resources or won't commit them to fund the basic needs of our citizens, like basic human security, nothing else matters. Yet, at this very moment, the Democrats are preparing to go on yet another unnecessary spending binge. Then, in a couple of weeks, they will have the audacity to ask Congress to raise the debt limit to borrow more on the overspending. I look forward to that debate as well. My colleagues on the other side often say that what Washington borrows and spends doesn't matter, that the lessons of history don't apply here. They also said the bill wouldn't cost money. Those Democrats are wrong, plain and simple. Spending your money that we do not have on programs you do not want is not the solution. In fact, it is the problem with Washington. It is getting worse every single day one-party rule is in this city. So many Democrats refuse to fund our police. So many Democrats refuse to fund genuine security at our borders. They only want to spend your tax dollars on programs that benefit them politically. As the leader of the Republicans in the House, I say, on behalf of the tens of millions of citizens we proudly represent, enough already. My principle is simple. Don't spend what you don't have and, certainly, on what you don't want and need. My fellow Americans, we don't have trillions of dollars to spend on programs that will never go away. The American people understand what this out-of-control spending will do because they felt it from your very first bill you passed. You created inflation. The first thing that was said: It is just temporary. Our own President said he doesn't know of any economist that is worried about inflation. Go to the grocery store. Stand in line at your gas station. Talk to one of your constituents. They will tell you because they feel it every single day. The American people understand what will happen. They understand because they live it in their own lives responsibly, because they set priorities, and because they live within their means. If they do it every day, why can't Washington? Why can't Washington ever say no? Many of you said you were going to say, no, you couldn't vote for it until you got the CBO score because you wanted to hold them accountable that it couldn't cost money. You got the CBO score, and it cost $800 billion in the first 5 years. What are you going to say to your constituents when they ask you that question of why you held it up? Why did you want the paper? Why did you want to know? Math is hard, I guess. Make no mistake, overspending is just the start of how this bill is so completely out of touch with the needs of our people. Its destructive policies should also alarm every single American. I think we should talk about that since we debated all during the day, but a new bill came tonight. You let us have 20 minutes, 10 minutes on each side, to further that debate. Much of that was to pat yourselves on the back. In my remarks, I will go through each of these provisions in more detail. First, let me tell you why I oppose this bill. It will crush American industries. It will destroy countless American jobs, more than have already been shut down while you destroyed energy independence and rely on OPEC. As the price of gas goes higher, I hear from the White House that that might be a good thing. Mr. Speaker, you are from my home State. We are both from California. $4.50 is the average. You and I drive past those gas stations. We see them even higher than $5. Do you know who that hurts the most? The hardest working Americans. That was driven by many of the policies from this administration. I heard my good friend, Steny Hoyer--and he is my friend, and we disagree, but we disagree respectfully. There is something I disagree with that Mr. Hoyer said earlier. He said we can't go back to where we were before the pandemic. I want to go back to when we didn't have inflation. I want to go back to when the border was secure. I want to go back to when I didn't pay $4.50 for gas. I want to go back to when people were employed. I want to go back to when we didn't have Americans held hostage in Afghanistan. I want to go back to when we were respected around the world. I want to go back to when we didn't have North Korea testing nuclear weapons. I want to go back to when China wasn't flying over Taiwan every day and threatening and rattling, and when China would not offend us on our own soil. I want to go back to when Russia didn't have thousands of their troops along the Ukraine border. Yes, I want to go back because if we go forward with this bill, we won't have the resources for the things we need. I want to go back to when we caught those on the terrorist watch list coming across our border. I think if you simply read the polls, America wants to go back. If you listen to the last two Tuesdays ago, I think they said they want to go forward but back to what they knew, the policies that worked. History sometimes repeats itself. I wasn't here 33 years ago--I don't know if I was old enough 33 years ago to run--but I was here in 2010. I watched the wake-up call in Virginia and New Jersey, and I watched this exact same Speaker 4 days later walk the Democratic Members right down here and pass ObamaCare and lose 63 seats. I wondered why she wouldn't wake up to what the American people said. She just got a bigger wake-up call in Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. In Minneapolis, where this body of the majority championed defunding the police, they said no. In Seattle-- yes, I say Seattle--they elected a Republican as the city attorney that believes in law and order. In New Jersey, we got good news and bad news out of New Jersey. I hope you listen to the good news. Did you hear about a guy who has never run before, who was just a truck driver? He was a Republican. He spent less than $200, and he defeated the second-most powerful politician who happened to be a Democrat in the Senate, the President of the Senate. That is the good news. Do you want to know what the bad news is? In this new Biden administration, we just lost another truck driver. I thought that was pretty good. Its destructive policies need to alarm you all. It would pave a glide path for China while placing a devastating weight on American companies. It will hammer American workers and American families in bruising inflation. It wasn't just Republicans who warned you about the $2 trillion you spent earlier in your one-party control. We warned you it would be inflation. It wasn't just us. Summers, who worked for Clinton and Obama, warned you, but you felt you had to go forward. You felt it was good for the American public to pay more. And it will infringe on our fundamental American rights and liberties. Here are some of the worst provisions. First, this bill massively raises prices on all products made and manufactured in the United States. It is placing a massive burden on American workers and consumers at the very moment we are under attack by the Chinese Communist Party and the companies they support. My friend who is sitting in the Speaker's chair right now, his district is in California just like mine. We see those hundreds of tankers sitting off our coast. One-party rule created a supply chain problem. One-party rule is going to empower China to even have more of those tankers because you are benefiting China over American workers. You are pushing American companies away from America. I guess you did that in energy as well. You just asked OPEC to produce more, and you will ask China to produce more. This Made in America tax will send our jobs overseas, send the rest of our supply chain to China, and make us dependent on foreign producers, foreign countries, and foreign dictators. Every single American will pay for it every single day in every single purchase they make. The Americans don't want to be punished, American employers and American job creators. But that is exactly what will happen with this vote. That alone is reason enough to defeat the bill. Second, this bill provides amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants and visa overstays. It provides this massive grant of amnesty in the middle of the worst border crisis a country has ever seen; indeed, the worst border crisis in recorded history, period. I know President Biden has been in office for more than 40 years, and I know he drove by El Paso one time in those years, but now is the moment he should go. He should see what the policies in a one-party rule in this Nation's Capital have created. He should see it is not just those coming across the border. They are not just coming from Central America. We catch people on the terrorist watch list from Yemen and others. Ask yourself this: Why is somebody that is on the terrorist watch list from a faraway land, why would they want to come to America? Who are they talking to? What do they have planned? It is not just people; it is fentanyl. Fentanyl is killing Americans, more so than any other place. Where does it come from? China through Mexico and across the border. Many of these same Democrats who support amnesty also support giving illegal immigrant families nearly half a million dollars each. If they are successful, a billion dollars of hardworking taxpayer American money will be given to illegal immigrants. At the same time they have to pay more in taxes, they have to pay more for milk and more for gas. The answer from the White House: Expect less for Christmas. I remember back in the late 1970s, in 1980, we had a President in office. I was in the sixth grade. He put a sweater on and told us to turn our heater down, and the best days of America were behind us. It is interesting; some of that same language and same ideas seem to be coming from this White House. This is just outrageous. By comparison, if an American servicemember is killed defending this country, his or her family gets less than a $400,000 insurance payment, those 13 Gold Star families. Those killed by a suicide bomber when Bagram was shut down before Americans were out. The prison was released. They killed 13 American men and women servicemembers. They didn't get $450,000, but you are going to give more. This alone is reason enough to defeat the bill. How can you look at your constituents in the eye? With one-party rule in 1 year you created inflation we haven't seen in 31 years. You made gas prices higher than it has been in 7. You are passing a bill that gives amnesty to illegals. You are going to reward people who came here illegally with $450,000 from hardworking, taxpaying Americans. But for those who died, those 13 Gold Star families only get $400. You are charging more than $5 trillion in this bill. It is more than 2,000 pages. Enough. You are empowering China to be even stronger. This bill spends billions of dollars to hire 87,000 IRS agents. You are hiring 87,000 IRS agents, but you are not hiring one new person to protect the border. And what is the job of the IRS agents? They are going after Americans. And what Americans are they going after? Anyone who spends $28 in one single day. If you go to Starbucks, if you simply put 3 gallons of gas in your car and you go through a drive- through, maybe you get a dollar meal at McDonald's, the IRS is coming for you. You are proud of that fact. That is what you held the CBO up for: How much money can we get from Americans by auditing them? Do you know what you just provided, whom you are auditing? You are auditing 1.2 million more Americans. You are bringing this bill on the premise that you don't trust Americans. Do you know what Americans you are going after? One half of those 1.2 million are people who earn $75,000 or less. That is what you are trying to pay this bill from.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, it is an old definition of abuse of power: ``Rules for thee, but not for me.'' That is exactly what is happening here today. House Democrats are preparing, once again, to break another precedent of the United States House of Representatives. It is an open secret that the American people are facing substantial challenges today. Many of these challenges are Washington-inflicted, of one-party rule, caused by the Biden administration's incompetence and radicalism. Absolute chaos on the southern border; out-of-control crime; record- breaking gas prices and inflation; a broken supply chain; a historic labor shortage; a failing education system and, of course, the humiliating surrender in Afghanistan. Will this Congress be remembered as the Congress that addressed those serious challenges? Not a chance? Instead, I believe this Congress will go down in history as the broken Congress. For nearly 4 years, as the House Republicans have been voicing the needs of millions of Americans, House Democrats have broken nearly every rule and standard in order to silence dissent and stack the deck for their radical, unpopular agenda. They broke the motion to recommit, the first time in the history of Congress. They broke impeachment, not once, but twice. They broke in- person voting and replaced it with proxy voting, for the first time in history. And they broke the minority's right to appoint members of its own choosing to committees. The Speaker is burning down the House on her way out the door. What's worse, we got to this point on the basis of a double standard. Democrats want to change the rules but refuse to apply them to their own caucus. I listened to the Speaker talk about the highest standards. Madam Speaker, when a Democratic chairwoman flew to Minneapolis and told an angry crowd during the trial to ``stay on the streets,'' ``get more active,'' ``get more confrontational.'' ``We've got to make sure they know we mean business.'' That high standard, the Democrats refused to take action. The trial judge actually singled her out on her comments on an ongoing basis, which he said could become an issue on appeal. But this wasn't the first time. No. This is three times. At a rally in Los Angeles, that same chairwoman, she told a mob: ``If you see anyone from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them that they're not welcome anymore, anywhere.'' She later defended that comment in another speech in L.A., saying-- this same chairwoman, of the high standards-- I did not threaten Trump constituents and supporters. I do that all the time, but I didn't do it that time. This side of the aisle didn't ask that chairwoman to lose her committee. We simply asked for an apology. Meanwhile, with that high standard, Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer defended her. When asked about her Minneapolis comment, Leader Hoyer described her as ``passionate--she believes in her issues.'' She believes she should get in your faces. And Speaker Pelosi, oh, what did she do with that high standard? She compared her comments in Minneapolis to Dr. King's civil rights movement. You see, why would they do that? Rules for thee, but not for me. Just this month, the dossier's principal source was arrested by Special Counsel Durham for lying to the FBI. Think about everything that dossier put this country through for 2 years, based on fabricated evidence. The infringements to due process; the spying on the Presidential campaign; and, of course, the $32 million spent by hardworking taxpayers for a Mueller investigation. And yet, the Democratic chairman says, ``I don't regret it.'' Why? Rules for thee, but not for me. When the Speaker of the House, on this very floor, engaged in personalities, the floor shut down for 3 hours because no one wanted to take it to the top. Her entire caucus that believed in the higher standard voted to keep her words in the Record rather than strike them down. Why? Rules for thee, but not for me. The Speaker said: ``I stand by my statement. I'm proud of the attention that's being called to it.'' Never happened before in the history of this body. Why? Because it is a broken Congress that believes in rules for thee, but not for me. This is part of a larger pattern. When a Congressman on the Intelligence Committee was targeted by a suspected Chinese Communist Party agent for years, the Democrats kept him on the committee. Why? Rules for thee, but not for me. When a Democrat Congresswoman said: ``Israel has hypnotized the world,'' supporting Israel is ``all about the Benjamins,'' and that 9/ 11 was ``some people did something,'' Democrats actually defended her. Why? Rules for thee, but not for me. And when a Member of the Democratic leadership tweeted a week ago, ``Lock up Kyle Rittenhouse and throw away the key,'' in an attempt to sway an ongoing trial, the Democrats said nothing. Why? Rules for thee, but not for me. Let me be clear: I do not condone violence, and Representative Gosar has echoed that sentiment. The video was deleted. Democrats won't listen because they will do anything to distract from the failures of one-party rule in 1 year destroying a Nation. For Democrats, this vote isn't about a video; it is about control. That is the one and only thing Democrats are interested in--not condemning violence, not protecting the institution, not decorum or decency, just control. The Democrats want control, and they don't care about the consequences. They are destroying this institution, silencing the minority, and, therefore, silencing millions of Americans. When I talked to Democrat leadership when they told me what they wanted to do, I asked a simple question: Have you seen the video? No, haven't seen it. But they knew exactly what they wanted to do. It is interesting. Without even watching, they decide the punishment. Why? No need. Rules for thee but not for me. What they have started cannot be easily undone. Their actions today and in the past have forever changed the way the House operates. It means that the minority rights that have served this body so well are a thing of the past. Furthermore, it means that, under the Pelosi precedent, all the Members that I mentioned earlier will need the approval of a majority to keep those positions in the future. What was interesting is, it is not just the Speaker who is making those decisions. When the chairwoman incited those ideas three times, everyone in the Democratic Party had the ability to vote what they thought. Because of those high standards, they all voted to table. They all voted to table, not to remove this chairwoman from committees or ask for an apology. Why? Because you all believe in rules for thee but not for me. That legacy is a real culmination of Speaker Pelosi's career. Make no mistake, the House is weaker, more partisan, more self-focused today than when Speaker Pelosi became Speaker less than 4 years ago. Future Congresses will suffer for it. More importantly, the American people have needlessly suffered because of it. They won't soon forget it. It is about control. It is not about a standard that everybody lives by. It is a standard you enforce on one but not upon yourself. You encouraged your own side to engage further when you all took a vote to table. It would be interesting to see, if your leadership hasn't watched the video, how many of you who vote today have watched it. When it was requested, I contacted the Member. He took the video down. He put out a statement that he does not believe in violence to anyone. But, you see, when others on the other side of the aisle incite violence, it is okay because it is rules for thee but not for me. Unfortunately, this body has suffered greatly, and a new standard will continue to be applied in the future.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, we are just days away from voting on a 2,000-page bill that will very likely cost $4 trillion; a bill that the White House Chief of Staff recently bragged, ``twice as big in real dollars as the New Deal was.'' Can you imagine that? Let that sink in: 2,000 pages, $4 trillion, twice as big in real dollars as the New Deal was. Given its size, scope, given its unquestionable impact on American life, the American people deserve an honest, transparent debate about its true cost and content. Yet, here we are, and not one Member of this House can honestly say they have analyzed, studied, or reviewed it. We know this because the Congressional Budget Office has made it clear that they won't have the final analysis on how much the bill costs until Friday, at the earliest. But even without the CBO report, we already have a pretty clear idea that the final price tag will be far more expensive than what Democrats are claiming. Now, according to estimates from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School--one of the best business schools in the Nation--they say that new spending would increase by over $4 trillion. Now, that is twice as much as the Democrats say it will cost. And it is not just the top-line cost, it is the tax increases, too. According to Tax Policy Center, a center-left think tank, 20 to 30 percent of middle-income families will see their taxes go up in 2022. Now, that directly breaks President Biden's pledge that he wouldn't raise taxes on the middle class. Let me make sure I state that clearly. According to Tax Policy Center--now this is a center-left think tank--says 20 to 30 percent of middle-income families. These are the ones who are already having a hard time because of inflation, who are already going to celebrate the most expensive Thanksgiving in their lifetime, paying for gas higher than they have seen, and inflation, to many of them, higher than they have ever had in their own lifetime. The President promised them he would not raise their taxes, but the Tax Policy Center says 20 to 30 percent are going to have their taxes raised. The Democrats are trying to pull a bait-and-switch on the American people. Tell them one thing but vote on something else. The American people obviously know better than to believe a bill of this size would cost zero dollars. I have listened to the President say--and I think he is on late-night TV--who would possibly say this bill would not cost money. The Wharton School of Business says it is more than $4 trillion. It is only the President who first claimed, ``if you are middle class, we won't raise your taxes.'' We know that is not true. Wharton tells us again, yeah, it is not true what the President says. It is going to cost you $4 trillion. So in desperation, Speaker Pelosi is demanding the House vote on this bill even as we do not know exactly how much it will cost or how it will truly impact our lives. If that sounds familiar to you, it should. You see, it is exactly what Speaker Pelosi did just 10 years ago while trying to pass ObamaCare. Remember her famous words? ``We have to pass the bill to find out what is in it.'' Well, here we go again. So what is the rush? After all, several of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have been very clear. They want to make sure that this bill actually matches up with what the White House says it will. I just watched--before we depart, they wanted these same Members to pledge and sign a letter that they would vote for whatever this bill said if the others would vote for the infrastructure bill. Could you imagine your constituents looking at you, not even asking if you read what was in the bill because you pledged to vote for it before you could even read it. Speaker Pelosi is rushing this bill to the floor because once they find out that Build Back Better does nothing to lower gasoline prices or reduce food prices, or fix our broken supply chain, or stop illegal immigration at the border. It doesn't make our streets any safer or our schools better for the children. Once they find all that out, they will reject it overwhelmingly. Madam Speaker, I know that many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle understand this. But they truly do not want to vote on this bill because they know it can't be justified. Madam Speaker, I know that they know it can't be justified to spend trillions of dollars when inflation just hit a 30-year high. They know it just can't be justified to spend trillions of dollars on programs that benefit them politically while hiking taxes on the middle class. They can't. Madam Speaker, they know it can't be justified to spend trillions of dollars for mass amnesty during the worst border crisis in history. They know it can't be justified to spend trillions of dollars that would make gasoline even more expensive than it currently is on a 7- year high. Madam Speaker, they know it can't be justified to spend trillions of dollars to hire 87,000 new IRS agents to spy on any American who spends as little as $28 a day. They know it can't be justified to spend trillions of dollars to make the labor crisis worse by turning the child tax credit into welfare without any work requirement. They know it can't be justified to spend trillions of dollars to abandon the Hyde amendment, allowing for taxpayer-funded abortion on demand. And they know it cannot be justified to spend trillions of dollars to dictate our children's education standards so that Washington has the final say in what our children learn. On the merits, this bill deserves to be defeated. Fundamentally, it is anti-worker, anti-family, anti-jobs, anti-energy, and anti-American. From bank surveillance to bailouts, it takes the problems President Biden and Washington Democrats have created over the past 9 months and makes them much, much worse. Its destructive policies should alarm every American. Madam Speaker, Democrats aren't just ignoring what is going on throughout the country. It is worse. They aren't even pretending to listen. And that is the fundamental difference between Democrats and Republicans. Madam Speaker, the Democrats are focused on securing the Speaker's legacy. House Republicans are focused on solving the labor crisis. Democrats are focused on so-called equality. We are focused on quality education. Democrats are focused on payoffs for illegal immigrants. We are focused on protecting the border. Democrats are focused on the Green New Deal. We are focused on lowering the gas prices. Democrats are focused on mandates. Republicans are focused on more freedom. When you look at those differences, it is no wonder that the American people want a change in leadership. Madam Speaker, just this morning, a Democrat in the Texas House of Representatives changed parties. This comes just two weeks after voters from Virginia to Seattle rejected the radical Democrats and voted to return to commonsense. Madam Speaker, you understand this very well, I know, that Joe Biden won Virginia by 10 points; he won New Jersey by 16. Madam Speaker, on that night, it wasn't just Virginia that flipped but the races in New York; the races in your own State, in Minneapolis; and in Seattle for the city attorney. Madam Speaker, there was good news and bad news that night. In New Jersey, the good news for many people across this country was a Republican truck driver with less than $200 defeated the second most powerful elected position in New Jersey--the Democrat Senate President. That was the good news. The bad news in this new Biden America is we just lost another truck driver when we need so much more help. It is not just the message, it is the mandate. Not for left versus right, but for right versus wrong. My question is: Will Washington Democrats listen? So far, Madam Speaker, that answer is no. They are focusing on themselves and on the demands of Speaker Pelosi. Madam Speaker, I know today the longest serving Democrat in the Senate announced retirement. I don't know what plans Speaker Pelosi has. I know she has been to Europe three times in the last 3 months. I don't know if she plans on staying longer. I know in her press conference that she said that this will be the culmination of her career. Maybe that is why she is pushing so hard for people to vote on a bill that costs $4 trillion that breaks the promises of President Biden before anybody could actually read it or analyze it. I just think that is wrong. But we have the chance this week to correct course and save America. Madam Speaker, so many Americans--Independents, Democrats, and Republicans--went to the polls last Tuesday. It wasn't a little pocket of one place said one thing and one said another. It was overwhelmingly resounding, a rejection of the current policies of this majority. Madam Speaker, this one-party rule of Washington in 1 year has given us not just inflation but rising gasoline prices, a labor crisis, a supply chain crisis, chaos, crime, and, worst of all, failure. As we sit here today, Madam Speaker, Russia brings thousands of their military to the border of Ukraine. They feel empowered because they are able to have a pipeline that President Biden okayed but that America was denied. We watch China pressure Taiwan even further. Madam Speaker, we still have Americans stuck in Afghanistan. Madam Speaker, it is just a little more than a week away from Thanksgiving when millions of Americans will gather together. But those events may be smaller because they may not be able to afford the gas to drive to see their family. They may not be able to afford the most expensive Thanksgiving dinner they have ever had. They are looking to Washington to do better. Madam Speaker, the worst thing possible we could do is not to listen to them. They have spoken loudly, and they have spoken clearly that the path that we are on is wrong. They cannot afford it; they cannot accept it; and they expect us to do better. But an idea to rush a bill this large and not have any analysis and to think the American people won't understand it--they have watched what happened this year under one-party rule, and on Tuesday, they said that will change. I just hope, Madam Speaker, that this body listens and waits for the report because they will not be able to justify a ``yes'' vote for it. America cannot afford it. For the good of the country, let's take ahold of it, and let's defeat this bill.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Michael Hulsizer, a constituent, friend, educator, and dedicated public servant. Throughout his illustrious career, Michael has been a tireless advocate for students throughout Kern County and influential in shaping the policies that impact our children, teachers, and our families. After dedicating nearly 45 years of service to Kern County, Michael will be retiring from his position of Chief Deputy for Governmental Affairs for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools next month. Michael began his career in education as a teacher at Desert High School, located in Eastern Kern County and part of the Muroc Joint Unified School District. While at Desert High, he served as teacher sponsor of the school's Mock Trial team, eventually helping to lead the 1982-83 team to win the California State Mock Trial Championship. His leadership at Desert High and passion for providing students with the best possible academic and extracurricular opportunities led him to the Kern County Superintendent of Schools' Curriculum and Accountability Division, as a History and Social Science Consultant, in 1985. In this role, Michael helped to implement the highly regarded ``We The People: The Citizen and the Constitution'' annual competition, during which teams of high school students throughout Kern County put their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution to the test, and developed the Kern County History Day program, which continues to be a highly popular event among Kern County students of all ages. In the early 1990s, Michael played a leadership role, on behalf of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, in the creation of the Kern County Network for Children, a collaborative network of community-based organizations and stakeholders that aims to support Kern County's most vulnerable students. Nearly 30 years later, the Kern County Network for Children continues to serve families and at-risk youth through its collaborative model and system of family resource centers, thanks largely to Michael's leadership. In 2005, Michael brought his passion for Kern County students and civics education to our nation's capital by participating in the third annual Congressional Conference on Civic Education, hosted by the joint leadership of the United States Congress. During his tenure as Chief Deputy for Governmental Affairs for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, Michael had a hand in crafting education policy at the state and local levels and served as the primary liaison on federal education issues. He was particularly instrumental in the adoption and implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula in the State of California, and most recently helped to guide Kern County schools through the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring that they received the federal and state relief funds necessary to continue to educate students throughout Kern County. I have had the privilege of working with Michael on issues facing students in our community since my time in the California State Assembly and have consistently sought out his opinion and guidance over the years. Michael is respected by elected officials, educators, and students alike for his deep knowledge of education policy, and has left an indelible impact in our schools, community, and the State of California. While he will no longer be with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, I have no doubt he will continue to champion causes important to him and our students. On behalf of the 23rd Congressional District of California, I wish him well in his retirement as he enters this new chapter in life.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Armstrong Flight Research Center. Located on Edwards Air Force Base, NASA Armstrong is well-positioned in the western Mojave Desert of California for its innovative research and testing that keeps our Nation on the cutting edge of aeronautical advances. Formerly known as the Dryden Flight Research Center in honor of Hugh Dryden, a former Director of Aeronautical Research for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the Center was founded in 1946. With faith, ingenuity, and grit, 13 engineers and technicians from NACA's Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory came to Edwards Air Force Base, then known as Muroc Army Air Base, to prepare for the X-1 rocket plane's first supersonic flight in the Mojave Desert. Retired U.S. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager completed this important supersonic mission, breaking the sound barrier on October 14, 1947 by flying the X-1 over Southern California. In 2014, the Center was renamed the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center to honor Neil Armstrong, a former aeronautical research scientist at Dryden and astronaut who became the first person to step foot on the moon. Since its inception, NASA Armstrong has been involved in historical space and aeronautical milestones, including supersonic and hypersonic flight and the development of our space shuttles. NASA Armstrong also developed the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (LLRV) and served as the testing site for Apollo's famous X-15 rocket plane. The importance of the LLRV was recognized by Neil Armstrong, who said that the technology played a critical role in the success of the Apollo 11 mission. Today, NASA Armstrong is known as the premier research center for testing high-risk atmospheric projects in the United States. Its Research Aircraft Integration Facility can check the systems, electronics, and controls of aircraft simultaneously--the only facility controlled by NASA that can achieve such a feat. In addition to its research, NASA Armstrong is a leader in safety. In 2020, NASA Armstrong won the Federal Aviation Safety Award among Premier Federal Aviation Programs. From the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) program to partnerships to advance commercial space, NASA Armstrong is helping America learn more about the vast unknown beyond Earth. As a faithful pioneer in aeronautics, NASA Armstrong is focused on advancing technology with projects like the X-59 which would demonstrate that supersonic flight over land is feasible by reducing the noise of the sonic boom. NASA Armstrong also supports progressing space technology with its management of the Flight Opportunities program to partner with industry to improve technologies for space exploration. On behalf of the 23rd District of California, it is my honor to celebrate NASA Armstrong's historic 75th anniversary. I wish NASA Armstrong and its devoted team of nearly 1,100 civil servants and contractors continued success in maintaining America's edge in space and aeronautic research.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, over the past week we have seen tragic images coming from Del Rio, Texas. Caravans of migrants wading across the Rio Grande. Families sleeping under bridges. Border Patrol who are overworked and overwhelmed. These images don't show a border under control, as President Biden promised. Instead, they are a picture of chaos, incompetence, and crisis. When President Biden picked Vice President Kamala Harris to be border czar, he assured us she was ``the most qualified person to handle the job.'' He also said she had a plan to ``stem the surge of migrants.'' Was the plan to dismantle Title 42 and return to Mexico, which would have prevented this crisis? Was the plan to release hundreds of thousands of migrants into the country each month without a COVID test? Was the plan to effectively give the cartels control over the border and disrupt local communities? If that was her plan, we can't afford it anymore. This is more than a disaster; it is a direct threat to Americans' safety. The Vice President often says we need to examine root causes to solve the border crisis. Well, the chaos in Del Rio confirms that the root causes are Democrats' radical immigration policies. It is time for Congress to hold this administration accountable and secure the border. We need to hear from those responsible for this failure, starting with the Vice President. Right now, it seems she is more interested in visiting talk shows and football games than visiting the border. Madam Vice President, this isn't a news cycle to hide from, it is a humanitarian, national security, and public health crisis that must be stopped. The American people need action and answers, not the largest amnesty plan in American history. Do your job before the crisis gets even worse.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Tom Burke for his exemplary leadership in serving the residents of Kern and Tulare County for 20 years in his role as the Kern Community College District (KCCD) Chief Financial Officer and Chancellor. Tom graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 1981, and has lived in Bakersfield, California since. Before working for the KCCD, Tom was employed by the Getty Oil Company from 1981 to 1985 and earned his master's degree from California State University, Bakersfield shortly thereafter. He moved on to work for Contel, a telecommunications company, until joining Bakersfield College in 1997 as the Director of Business Services. In 2001, Tom was tapped to be the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the KCCD, beginning a long career serving community colleges in the Kern and Tulare counties. When Tom first took over as CFO, the district's finances were shaky and the fiscal reserve was only at 5% of its annual operating budget, making the district vulnerable to financial difficulties. As of this past year, the district's reserve is about 50% of its annual operating budget, making it one of the healthiest in the State of California. The turnaround is a testament to Tom's leadership and commitment to our community. In 2017, Tom was appointed Chancellor of the KCCD, a widely supported move that was also endorsed by the Bakersfield College Student Government Association, who called him a ``champion for student voice and concerns.'' While Tom retired from his role in July of this past year, his mark on the Kem Community College District will undoubtedly endure. As Chancellor, Tom oversaw Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso College, and Porterville College. His deep understanding of student's needs and higher education allowed the district to increase its enrollment and seamlessly transition to virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tom played a significant role in overseeing the management of the district's water-approved bond monies, which aimed to fund new construction projects throughout the KCCD, such as the Bakersfield College Vernon Valenzuela Veteran Resource Center. Under his leadership, Bakersfield College saw its largest graduating class in history, and the district's three schools were among California's community colleges that were least affected by the pandemic in terms of enrollment. Throughout his 20-year tenure with the district, Tom devoted himself to improving community education and serving others. He has worked to ensure that all students are provided with the resources and services that are fundamental to an effective education, and in doing so, Tom has established himself as an educational standard and community leader of utmost integrity, generosity, and competency. I am grateful for Tom's friendship and the service he has provided for the Kem and Tulare communities. On behalf of the 23rd Congressional District of California, I wish Tom and his wife, Tina, the best as he embarks on this next chapter in his life.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Blanca Cavazos after nearly four decades of public service to our community. Blanca is stepping down as the Superintendent of the Taft Union High School District after dedicating 39 years of combined service to the Kern High School District, Kern County Superintendent of Schools, and most recently, the Taft Union High School District. Blanca's life exemplifies what it means to achieve the American Dream. Born in Mexico to farmworker parents, Blanca's family moved to Arvin, California when she was three years old. After graduating high school, Blanca enrolled in California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB), where she earned her bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies and earned two master's degrees: one in Bilingual Cross-Cultural Education and one in Educational Administration. In 1997, Blanca served Arvin High School--her alma mater--as the school's first woman and minority principal, beginning her career as a trailblazer in the field of education. She led the school to great success by doubling the number of Advanced Placement courses offered to students, building up the school's We the People civics education program, and providing educational trainings to parents on high school graduation requirements and the college application process. In 2011, she brought her talent to bear to the Task Force Administrator position at the Kern High School District and later as the Chief Instructional Officer for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools. In 2013, she received her doctorate in education from Fresno State University and was appointed to the role of Superintendent of the Taft Union High School District, where she has selflessly served over the past eight years as the district's first woman superintendent. Throughout her life, Blanca has broken many barriers and gone above and beyond for her students, colleagues, and community. Bakersfield Life Magazine showcased her service in multiple editions, including ``Ladies Who Lead Schools'' and ``Thirteen People to Watch.'' In addition to her work, Blanca has spent time serving on the Finance Committee, Audit Committee, and State Board of Directors for the Association of California School Administrators. In 2019, she received the Administrator of the Year Award from the Association of California School Administrators and in 2020, she was inducted to the CSUB Alumni Hall of Fame. Blanca's commitment to our community is undeniable. She has touched the lives of many, watching her students grow into the next generation of leaders. Although she will be greatly missed, I am confident that her record of service will continue to impact the people of Taft and the rest of Kern County for years to come. On behalf of the people of the 23rd Congressional District of California, I want to thank Blanca for her steadfast service to our community, and I wish her and her family only the best as she embarks on the next chapter in her life.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding time. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to today's rule. Madam Speaker, before I came here, I was listening to the debate. I listened to Congressman Gallagher, a veteran, come to the floor and talk about an idea that he has, an idea that here we are, Afghanistan is collapsing, and thousands of Americans in Afghanistan are trying to get out. Here we are, called back for a special session. All his previous question would say is that we would have to have a report every day on those Americans, that we wouldn't pick a timeline until the mission is finished, and that people would be able to be brought back. As I listened to his impassioned speech, I waited for the response. I listened to my friend on the other side. He respects Mr. Gallagher, but he could not turn the floor over because if the floor were turned over to Republicans, instead of changing the election law and spending $5 trillion, they would put the American public first. God forbid we would do that. Madam Speaker, I heard the Democrat on the other side say we could not turn the floor over to the Republicans to let the American public know how many Americans were there. It would be devastating-- devastating--to allow that to happen. This week, the House is in session for the first time since Kabul fell to the Taliban. What is happening in Afghanistan is a disaster for America's security and credibility, not for just today and not for next week, but for decades to come. Other countries are questioning whether we have the resolve to honor our word because of the bungled withdrawal. President Biden magnified this damage over the past week by hiding at Camp David, delivering incoherent speeches, and is reported as failing to contact a single foreign leader for 36 hours. Today, he signaled an unconditional surrender to the Taliban, promising to leave in just 7 days. We just had a classified briefing for all the Members. I don't believe any Member walking out of there believes that in 7 days we could get the thousands of Americans out. That is why we can't relinquish the floor to the Republicans to actually get a report on it. Madam Speaker, the President's actions gave the impression of incompetency and a declining power. This week, we learned that the Taliban seized millions in U.S. weapons, making them stronger than they were 20 years ago. Madam Speaker, it is reported the Taliban now has more Black Hawk helicopters than Australia. Military missions should be dictated by our Nation's interests, not by our enemies or by arbitrary timelines. Right now, there is no greater national priority than getting our people home. But I just heard from the Democrat on the other side that we could not relinquish the floor to allow Mr. Gallagher's, a veteran's, previous question to come up because that would be dealing with the Nation's interests right now. No. We need to deal with the Democrats' priorities right now. As I look around, I see our allies responding to this crisis with the seriousness it deserves. Madam Speaker, the Speaker called us back here. We are not the only body of power that has been called back. In Britain, Parliament returned from its summer recess. Do you know what they are doing, though, Madam Speaker? They are working in an emergency session on this current situation to get their citizens home. In France, President Macron is trying to rally the U.N. Security Council. This House should be correcting this disastrous record left by this Commander in Chief and proving that America never abandons her people or shrinks from defending our interests. Madam Speaker, that is not what I heard on this floor. I heard a direction, Madam Speaker, by the Democrat leading and in charge of this right now that we could not relinquish the floor simply to Mr. Gallagher's request of letting America know how many Americans are there and to not put a timeline until every American comes home. We should be doing nothing else on the floor until every single American is home. Democrats called us back for an emergency session, the first session since Kabul fell to the Taliban. But faced with a national security and credibility crisis in Afghanistan, they have done nothing to plan to address it. We were allotted 90 minutes, and, oh my God, we went over 15 minutes. But we made sure that then the Democrats had to shut that meeting down, that Members of Congress could ask no more longer questions because we needed to get back to the floor right now. When history writes about this day, they will talk about the entire week. They will talk about last night, how Congress worked late into the night, actually ordered food to come in, was in the Speaker's Office for late hours, spent their day calling other Members and twisting votes. We had reports that the President called people, that former Presidents called people, and that people were threatened and that their spouses were threatened about jobs. We heard that they were threatened even in their own campaign. But what were they threatened about? Was it anything to deal with Americans coming home? No. It was about this rule. It was about what we are bringing up right now. The reason we had to stop our briefing was because we had to come to the floor to deal with this. So, what are we talking about? $5 trillion of hard-earned taxpayer money being spent on more Big Government, changing election law to benefit one party over another, outlawing IDs even though the majority of America wants it, and nothing about how that $5 trillion will spend $1 bringing Americans home or making us safer. What is the definition of a public servant? I would say doing something for the good of the others. Madam Speaker, the party today of the majority, the Democrats here, their interest is themselves, to stay up late into the night while other nations are working to bring their citizens home. Madam Speaker, as people walk onto this floor and vote on this bill that they worked late into the night on, I want them to think about one thing. I want them to think about those American families in Afghanistan who late into the night were not knowing if they could even make it to the airport, not knowing if they will even get out, and wondering if the public servants were thinking of them. The sad answer is the majority was not. They were thinking of themselves, that it is too important to deal with anything else. Madam Speaker, there are allies who are sitting in Afghanistan. Why did they go? They went to defend America because America was attacked and out of the respect and character of who we are. This body, elected and respected around the world, in a time of crisis doesn't speak of it and doesn't act on it but only acts for themselves and, in a moment of time of using the rules to allow the opportunity to change its course and to correct them when they were wrong, the voice of the other side says: No, we could not turn the floor over to allow America to know how many Americans are there or to get a report on it. Just as they bang the gavel down, the 90 minutes have come. You have asked enough questions. You can ask no more because we must get to the floor to pass $5 trillion and change election law so the Democrats believe they can buy and change an election. Madam Speaker, if there is any moment in time to put an election aside, if there is any moment in time to put politics aside, I would have thought today was the day. I would have thought we were being called back so that we could focus on what the rest of the world is focused on. So when the Speaker came to the floor to speak, I turned my volume up. Surely, she was going to speak of this day. Surely, she was going to talk about the Gold Star families. Surely, she was going to thank those veterans and those who have served here knowing what they are going through and what they are watching. And you know what she said? Speaker Pelosi actually said: Today is a great day of pride for our country and Democrats. Today is a great day of pride for our country and our Democrats. Let me be very clear. It is not. It is an embarrassing day for our Nation. We are 3 weeks away from the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, and this is what history will write. This is what you did with your majority. This is what you controlled. This is how you made sure you would not release the floor for the idea that Americans can find out how many are stuck in Afghanistan or how they are going to get home. I hope you are proud of that because this is what your leadership has done. This is what your leadership worked on. This is what the power of the twisting of the arm has delivered. The United States of America is not going to let terrorists dictate when and how we get Americans out. I firmly believe what has been said many times and especially by Abraham Lincoln, `` . . . government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.'' If you believe that too and you are watching, I ask that you pick up your phones and you call, especially if you are a Democrat because I do not think the leadership here represents you with what they are asking for. I know your love of this country. I know the thousands upon thousands of Democrats who served their Nation, who served in Afghanistan, and I know those Americans who are in Afghanistan are not just of one party. I would like to see both parties work on the issue, what is really before us. Can you not put politics aside? Can you not care for one moment that you could rig an election to get elected? Can you not care about making government so large that you are going to bring more inflation and trillions of dollars? That is what you spent last night on. That is what you spent the whole time on. That is what you brought us in for. That is what you closed the briefing on, but we couldn't ask any more questions. Time is up. That is what you are fighting so hard for that a veteran who has served his country asked for a previous question to simply say: Can we get a report of how many Americans are still there? And asked that we do not pick a date when we get out until every American is out. But I heard the leadership on the other side say that we could not do that. We have to change the election law. We have to spend $5 trillion. This is what we came back for in a special session. This is what our mission is. Everyone who votes for this rule today, that is what you are voting for. That is what you are championing. That is what history will write. And, no, it is not a good day. Maybe in your caucus you think it is a great day for you and the Democrats. It is an embarrassing day for America. It is an embarrassing day for this floor, and it is embarrassing that you would even move forward with it.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I want to take one second to congratulate Jake Ellzey on his election to Congress. It brought two people back together. Mike Garcia and Jake actually served our Nation earlier, before he served in this body. He flew F-18s off an aircraft carrier into Iraq. They were brothers, and now they are back together again, serving their Nation and putting it forth. It might be a little ironic that they both came in in a special election. They both were turning points on those elections and, I would say, underdogs in those elections. But it shows they both graduated from the Naval Academy, served their Nation, and continue to serve again. This is a good day in this House. Madam Speaker, 1 week ago, President Biden said inflation was temporary. He went on to say that spending trillions more would ``reduce inflation, reduce inflation, reduce inflation.'' I think he is the only one who believes that. I say to the President, with all due respect, we need to wake up. Inflation has risen every single month since he took office, and last month was the largest increase in 13 years. Now, let's be very clear. Inflation is a tax on every single American. Everyone who is buying groceries knows it. Everyone who is filling up their car knows it. Everyone who is booking a summer flight knows it. Yet, President Biden told a townhall in Ohio last week: ``I don't know anybody . . . who is worried about inflation.'' Madam Speaker, the only people I could imagine who are not worried about inflation make $5 million in a couple of months trading stock options or sell paintings for half a million dollars. Why doesn't the President of the United States know what is going on? This is what Americans hate about Washington. They turn on their TV and hear the President telling them their concerns aren't real. Enough is enough. People are fed up with the ignorance and arrogance and hypocrisy. Madam Speaker, President Biden needs to get a clue about inflation before it is too late. And it is not just Republicans who have been warning the Democrats if they pass the bill it would bring inflation, and here it is. It was Democrats who served in the Obama administration and Clinton administration, who warned them if they spend more trillions, inflation will come. And it has come every single month. And what is their answer for the future? More trillions. They will probably even try to call us back in August to make sure inflation grows a little more. And, if that is not enough, just yesterday, we missed every indication and every prediction for growth in America. Americans can't take this much longer. November can't come sooner. Inflation is a tax on every single American. But for those who don't know it, spend a little time with the real America and you will realize it.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize David Witt on his retirement as the Chief of the Kern County Fire Department (KCFD). David graduated with an associate's degree from Bakersfield College and a bachelor's degree in Range Resource Science from Humboldt State University, giving him a unique skill set for tackling the diverse terrain that the Kem County Fire Department covers. His interest in firefighting and emergency response were rooted well before his time in Kem County, as he had served with both the United States Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection before being hired at KCFD. David served in a variety of roles at Kem County Fire Department, including managing its air program, operations, and logistics. In June 2019, the Kem County Board of Supervisors recognized his leadership and hard work on behalf of our community by unanimously selecting David to become Fire Chief. As KCFD Fire Chief, David successfully led a department of nearly 500 uniformed staff and oversaw emergency responses over a two-year period that included historic wildfire seasons, massive earthquakes, and a global pandemic. He was not only responsible for the safety of his personnel and the people of Kern County, but he was also responsible for overseeing the finances and operations of the department's $150 million budget. In that role, he excelled. KCFD was $10 million in the red when David took over the top department spot. Yet as a fiscally responsible, no-nonsense Chief, David turned the Department's finances around and KCFD is now operating in the black. Even before becoming Fire Chief, David was well-known for his hard work and contributions throughout our community. In 2010, he was recognized by the American Legion, earning a certificate of commendation. In 2013, he received the Kern River Valley Exchange Club's Firefighter of the Year Award. In 2017, he was recognized by KCFD with a letter of commendation, a testament to his work ethic and savvy that set him apart. David also serves on the Board of Directors for Kern County and Eastern Sierra Chapter of the American Red Cross, where he lends his expertise to the organization. He also previously served as a Board Director and as Treasurer for the Southern California Association of Foresters and Fire Wardens. David knows the needs of the people he protects, and when that includes nine different cities, 41 different distinct communities, and 8,163 square miles, that becomes an incredible challenge. David may be taking a step back from his role as Fire Chief of the Kern County Fire Department, but I am confident that his tenure will be remembered across our community through his mentorship of firefighters and his leadership during times of emergency response and disaster recovery. On behalf of California's 23rd Congressional District, I want to thank David for his service to our community, and want to also thank his wife Pegeen and their children Andrew and Courtland for supporting him during his many years of public service to our community. I wish David and his family well as he settles into a much-deserved retirement.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the amendments and to this bill. Mr. Speaker, earlier today the Speaker of the House said that people who are fully vaccinated but don't support wearing a mask are morons. She went on to say that the House should follow the science. Madam Speaker, you don't know the facts nor the science, so let's talk about it. The Speaker is referring to the CDC current recommendation. I just left speaking with Dr. Monahan from the House. He said he used the CDC recommendation on a report that hasn't been printed yet. He did not know that the report is based upon India, about a vaccine that is not approved in America. And now he did not know that it didn't even pass peer review. That is why vaccinated people in this House now have to wear a mask. There is no science. But I guess the Speaker must have not known that. Why wouldn't the Speaker know the facts? Do you know what frustrates Americans the most? Hypocrisy. They hate the idea that you tell people if you get vaccinated, you don't have to wear a mask. First, they tell us don't wear a mask, wear a mask, wear two masks, then take the mask off. They said if Americans got vaccinated, we would get our lives back. And we did, thanks to Operation Warp Speed and the past administration. But what they also hate about hypocrisy is when you break your own rules. It is kind of like telling America you can't go get your hair cut, but you get caught on camera because you do it. Or you tell people you can't go out to dinner, but in my same State, the State that the individual got the haircut, that Governor went out to dinner with a lot of people. Today the Speaker, who didn't know her own science and said names to people, broke her own rules. Twice today I saw the Speaker in a crowded room without a mask, less than 24 hours after imposing the mask mandate, which, again, is not based upon a study. It is based upon a study in India, based upon a vaccine that isn't approved in America, and it didn't pass peer review. Could this be a plan to try to keep our schools closed? Worst of all, this administration and now this House has broken the country's trust. One size fits all. You know, if you read the CDC recommendation, it said you only should wear the mask for the hot spots. I am sure the gentleman on the other side knows which States and which cities are hot spots, because those are the facts. You can see the facts. You can read the facts. You can understand the facts. So what is Washington? The vaccination rate for the Members of Congress is over 85 percent, and as of today the transmission rate on the Capitol campus is less than 1 percent. Well, the facts will tell us this isn't a hot spot, so the CDC recommendation doesn't apply to us. Meanwhile, the hospitalization rate for the people who are vaccinated is 0.003. As Washington Post columnist Henry Olsen points out, you are more likely to get struck by lightning than be hospitalized with the vaccine. It must be a stormy day in the House. You know what is interesting? We serve in this Chamber, we represent our districts, and we have Senators who represent our States just down the hall. The science based upon the Speaker of this House changes somewhere around the rotunda. You see, you have to wear your mask here, otherwise you are fined; because that is what government should do, they should punish people. You get vaccinated. But if you walk across the hall, you get somewhere around the rotunda, you don't have to wear it anymore. Somehow the science is different. One thing we do know about COVID, it affects older people different than younger. Facts tell us people who serve in the Senate on average are older than the people in the House. But the science and the health over there is different than in here. It is interesting, too, because I remember a short time ago when we had the mask mandate during one of the impeachments the Democrats brought up, the managers wore their masks here, but as they walked to the Senate, they were able to take them off. I am not quite sure how much COVID lives on this side of the building. That must be science. That must be what the Speaker was talking about. The past administration worked hard for Operation Warp Speed. I am proud of the fact of what we voted for. When we brought up bills on this floor that talked about working toward a vaccine, that is where the money went, not the trillions of dollars that were wasted that now gave us inflation. Americans want to get back to work, back to school, and back to health. But we now have a majority that doesn't want to base anything on science. They want to base something on a report that is not printed, that can't pass peer review, based upon the country of India, based upon a vaccine that is not even approved in America, because the facts and the science are that the vaccines in America work. They are effective. They are free. I got a vaccine in December. I recommend all Americans get a vaccine. It is a concern we all have. We go every day trying to get more people vaccinated. What do you think the message is today? Those who run this side of this building believe now if you are vaccinated, you have to wear a mask even though the science doesn't say you should. I am not sure how many more people are going to rush to get vaccinated. But it is just like their philosophy. They want to mandate. They want to impose. They want to tell you when you can go to school, when you can eat. Do you know what they are going to do if you walk into this building without a mask? They are going to charge you $500. Why? Because they have the power to do it. You walk across the hall, not quite sure where they morph it into a different science, you don't have to. Mark my words, this is just the beginning. In a few weeks, schools are supposed to open again. We know what the science says about COVID with children. I think you are going to start seeing new reports. They won't be printed, but they will try to keep the schools closed. Maybe if I whisper, the President will listen. He tries it. Then, they will try to shut our businesses down one more time. Operation Warp Speed provided vaccines that were tested, that worked, that are effective. The study, the science, proves it so. The hospitalization rates prove it so. I don't know of one person in this Chamber that is going to get struck by lightning today. But I do know, even though the odds are better you get struck by lightning than being hospitalized if you are vaccinated, we are all going to have to wear a mask, or we have to pay $500. I don't know, the gentleman over there is going to run for the Senate. Maybe he wants to do that so he doesn't have to wear a mask. The science over there is better.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Arkansas for yielding to me. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of my amendment to division E that would prioritize funding for critically important U.S. Forest Service initiatives, to mitigate safety hazards, to reopen and rehabilitate the Sequoia National Forest following the devastating SQF Complex fire. Giant sequoias are the largest trees in the world. Some tower over 26 stories high and grow wider than a city street. They can only be found growing naturally on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, including in my district, in the Sequoia National Forest. Last August, the SQF Complex fire burned over 170,000 acres, primarily in the Sequoia National Forest, after being ignited by lightning. A preliminary interagency report, led by the National Park Service, estimates that this fire killed ``10 to 14 percent of all large sequoias across the tree's natural range in the Sierra Nevada. This translates to an estimated loss of 7,500 to 10,600 large sequoias.'' In modern history, we know of no other time to have this much devastation. In fact, the ninth largest giant sequoia, the King Arthur Tree, is still on fire to this day, almost one year later, and may ultimately die because of this fire. These losses are devastating, both environmentally, and for the communities. The giant sequoia and redwood capture more carbon than any other tree. But communities like Porterville, Three Rivers, Springville, Kernville, and Lake Isabella depend on the revenue from tourists coming to see the giant sequoia groves. Following the fire, the U.S. Forest Service closed a large portion of the Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County because of public health and safety concerns, such as falling burned trees and mudslides. Addressing these safety concerns is critical so the forest can be fully reopened as quickly as possible. My amendment supports over $13 million for three initiatives in the Sequoia National Forest. First, mitigating public safety hazards so the burn area can be reopened to the public; Promoting ecological restoration activities; and Supporting activities to reduce the risk of future catastrophic fires from killing additional giant sequoias. If you check, to this day, they believe there are only 5 percent of the giant sequoias on Earth still alive. I have spoken with the Sequoia National Forest supervisor and have been assured that all of these actions are or will be reviewed under the National Environmental Policy Act and will be conducted consistent with the Giant Sequoia National Monument Management Plan and the Sequoia National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan. These ancient giants, some of which are nearly 2,000 years old, must be protected so they can continue to inspire and amaze future generations. Funding through my amendment would help ensure this so the public can once again see these breathtaking trees. I want to thank Ranking Member Granger and Ranking Member Joyce for their work to protect our natural resources. Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of my amendment to division F to prioritize funding for the VA's Readjustment Benefits account for the Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses program, also called the VET TEC program, in fiscal year 2022. I was very proud to introduce the original VET TEC Act back in 2017, after hearing that veterans could not utilize their GI Bill benefits for nontraditional, technology-oriented nanodegree courses. After speaking with veterans in my congressional district and across this country, it was apparent there was significant demand from veterans interested in utilizing their GI Bill benefits for these types of classes. From these conversations, the VET TEC pilot program, which allows veterans to apply for and enroll in nontraditional, technology-oriented classes, was born. Now, over 2 years into the 5-year VET TEC pilot program, I am proud to say over 3,000 veterans have participated in it, with 90 percent of these veterans graduating from these programs and 72 percent attaining employment in their chosen field of study. On average, graduates of the VET TEC program have an annual starting salary of over $59,000. That is approximately $25,000 more than the average salary in the United States. Since its launch in 2019, over 44,000 veterans have applied to participate in the VET TEC pilot program. That is far outstripping current funding. These numbers paint a clear picture: VET TEC is a popular and a successful program, and I believe that Congress should fund this program at its fully authorized level of $45 million in fiscal year 2022, which my amendment seeks to do. Even with this funding, the VA estimates it will need $80 million more for this program to keep up with the current demand. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to increase the VET TEC program's authorization in the future. Think about that, Mr. Speaker. Here are men and women who served their country that can use the GI Bill for nontraditional technology classes. In today's world, that is the workforce we need. They jump ahead. They get paid more than the average American. But the desire and the need and the applications are much greater than we fund. I think we have a responsibility here. I want to thank House Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Bost, Congresswoman Miller-Meeks, and Congressman Khanna for joining me in offering this amendment and for tirelessly advocating for the VET TEC program. I also want to thank Ranking Member Granger and Ranking Member Carter for their work to support our Nation's veterans.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I rise to a question of the privileges of the House, and I send to the desk a privileged resolution.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, can the Speaker inform us of the composition of the floor leadership?

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, consistent with Israel's request for $1 billion in emergency military aid to fund the Iron Dome, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Appropriations be discharged from further consideration of House Joint Resolution 54 and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank you for that clarification. So that means that the Speaker and majority leader are blocking funding for Israel?

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, you have been a dear friend for a long time. You have been in my office, and you sat on the couch. I sat across, in the chair. And you know the portrait that hangs in my office, a portrait of Abraham Lincoln. I am proud that he was the first Republican President of the United States. I am proud of the action that he took in a defining time of our Nation. The greatest challenge ever to our Constitution was the Civil War, by long and by far. The bill we are voting on today we voted on before. I supported it then, and I support it now. But let me state a simple fact: All the statues being removed by this bill are statues of Democrats. Madam Speaker, as I heard the Speaker talk earlier about removing the four portraits of Speakers in the hall, the same answer goes for that, as well. They were all Democrats. What is interesting is the statues that need to be removed were sent to the Capitol by States that were a majority controlled by Democrats sent to a House that had a majority controlled by Democrats accepting of these statues. I think the bill should go further. Maybe it is time the Democrats change the name of their party. They may be desperate to pretend their party has progressed from the days of supporting slavery, pushing Jim Crow laws or supporting the KKK. But let's be honest, at any place at any time if those fundamentals rest somewhere, we cannot let them. Let's go through some of the words and actions of a few Democrats. Just a few years ago then-Vice President Joe Biden praised Democrat Senator Robert Byrd. He was an ``exalted cyclops'' of the Ku Klux Klan. In his eulogy for Byrd he said: ``For a lot of us, he was a friend . . . mentor . . . and guide.'' Another leading Democrat who praised Byrd at the time was Speaker Pelosi. She called Byrd a friend, a great person, and a great American patriot. Madam Speaker, today the Democratic Party has doubled down on what I consider this shameful history by replacing the racism of the past with the racism of the critical race theory. They continue to look at race as the primary means of judging a person's character. We saw this just last week. Senate Democrats voted to confirm one of President Biden's appointees who said: ``We must do everything in our collective power to realize Dr. Kendi's vision for America.'' Let me be clear about what that vision is. Kendi, the author of ``How to Be an Antiracist'' proposed in his book that the solution to past discrimination is present discrimination. Now that is what the person who is now in charge of the personnel of the entire Federal Government is endorsing. And this divisive vision isn't confirmed or just confined to one person or department. The Navy included Kendi's book on its official reading list for sailors and the Department of Education has praised the debunked ``The 1619 Project,'' citing it as an example of what should be taught to our children. Critical race theory is the governing ideology of what we are now finding in the Biden administration. By advocating for it Democrats continue to fuel hatred and division across the country. I agree with Senator Tim Scott: America is not a racist country. America must reject critical race theory for the simple reason: State-sponsored racism is wrong and always will be. It was wrong when it was segregated lunch counters of Jim Crow, and it was wrong when it was segregated classrooms of critical race theory. Madam Speaker, many times I wonder what would America have looked like had Abraham Lincoln not been assassinated? Malice towards none. What would America have looked like had the agreement to remove the Federal troops from the south because Joseph Rainey was elected to Congress, and Jim Crow laws were passed by Democrat-controlled offices in the south? Our Nation was built on a unifying vision from the beginning. As Lincoln said, we are conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that we are all equal. I will vote for this bill today, just as I voted for it before, but, Madam Speaker, if we have not learned anything, we should not divide our Nation based on race. I applaud the Democrats for standing up, removing Democrat statues from Democrat-controlled majorities sent to a Democrat majority House that accepted them. It is about time. But, Madam Speaker, to continue along in a critical race theory where you would teach an individual that they are right or wrong based upon the color of skin goes against everything that we are voting about today. Madam Speaker, you know my heart, and I know yours. There are times we might disagree on philosophy or how best to run a government, but we never disagreed by judging somebody by the color of their skin. And I hope we take this moment and this opportunity as we promised before to strive to be a more perfect Union.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, on the Republican side, it is cleared, so there is only one party denying it.

Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, the Declaration of Independence says that our God-given freedoms are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As Members of Congress, we made a commitment to uphold those freedoms equally for everyone, but Democrats and their radical allies are chipping them away. Let's be clear. The Hyde amendment is not discriminatory. Instead, it is an essential safeguard that not only protects Americans' right of conscience, but also has saved more than two million lives from abortion since its first enactment in 1976. Until recently, it was also overwhelmingly bipartisan. In fact, one of the most vocal supporters in Congress was then-Senator Joe Biden. He told one of his constituents in 1994, ``The government should not tell those with strong convictions against abortion, such as you and I, that we must pay for them.'' Well said, Mr. President. Since then, the purpose of Hyde hasn't changed. The strong convictions of American people against abortion hasn't changed. In poll after poll, they tell us they strongly support a wall of separation between abortions and taxpayers. And the science hasn't changed. If anything, it has proven beyond a shadow of doubt that human life begins at conception. One thing, however, has changed: The Democrats. By putting Hyde on the chopping block, the message they are sending is clear and chilling; that the radical demands of the socialist left drown out common sense, science, and the views of most Americans; that the party of ``safe, legal, and rare'' is now the party of abortion on demand, until or even after the point of birth, and funded by taxpayers; and that the government will compel taxpayers to violate their strongest convictions. Madam Speaker, the question before us today is a simple and straightforward moral issue. To represent the values of all Americans, Congress must respect their rights of conscience and not disregard them. Therefore, 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, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.