Mary Miller

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, today is a historic day as the Supreme Court upheld the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. I thank President Trump for appointing Justices who defended the constitutional rights of gun owners. It is unfortunate that at the same time the Supreme Court is upholding our Second Amendment rights, Congress is working behind closed doors to push unconstitutional red flag gun confiscation. I strongly oppose efforts by the House and Senate to infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of my constituents, and I urge this body to reject the gun control legislation.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 270, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 271, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 272, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 273, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 274 and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 275. Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress Amodei (Balderson) Brooks (Weber (TX)) Bustos (Mrvan) Carter (TX) (Weber (TX)) Connolly (Beyer) Crist (Wasserman Schultz) Davids (KS) (Neguse) Davis, Danny K. (Beyer) Evans (Beyer) Gohmert (Weber (TX)) Gonzalez (OH) (Meijer) Green (TN) (Fleischmann) Johnson (GA) (Manning) Johnson (TX) (Jeffries) Kahele (Mrvan) Katko (Moore (UT)) Kelly (IL) (Neguse) Lamb (Blunt Rochester) Lawrence (Stevens) Lawson (FL) (Wasserman Schultz) Lowenthal (Beyer) Mace (Carter (GA)) McEachin (Beyer) Moore (WI) (Beyer) Newman (Beyer) O'Halleran (Schrader) Palazzo (Fleischmann) Peters (Jeffries) Pingree (Wasserman Schultz) Price (NC) (Manning) Rice (SC) (Meijer) Stanton (Huffman) Suozzi (Beyer) Taylor (Van Duyne) Tenney (Jackson) Titus (Pallone) Walorski (Bucshon) Waters (Takano) Watson Coleman (Pallone)

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 259, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 260, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 261. Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress Amodei (Balderson) Bustos (Mrvan) Carter (TX) (Weber (TX)) Correa (Huffman) Crist (Wasserman Schultz) Davids (KS) (Neguse) Deutch (Rice (NY)) Evans (Beyer) Gonzalez (OH) (Meijer) Johnson (GA) (Manning) Johnson (TX) (Jeffries) Kahele (Mrvan) Kelly (IL) (Neguse) Khanna (Watson Coleman) Lamb (Blunt Rochester) Lawrence (Stevens) Lawson (FL) (Wasserman Schultz) Lynch (Langevin) Mace (Carter (GA)) McEachin (Beyer) Moore (WI) (Beyer) Nadler (Pallone) Newman (Beyer) O'Halleran (Schrader) Palazzo (Fleischmann) Payne (Pallone) Peters (Jeffries) Pingree (Wasserman Schultz) Price (NC) (Manning) Rice (SC) (Meijer) Schneider (Stevens) Speier (Huffman) Stansbury (Garcia (IL)) Stanton (Huffman) Suozzi (Beyer) Taylor (Van Duyne) Tenney (Jackson) Titus (Pallone) Walorski (Bucshon) Waters (Takano) Welch (Pallone) Wilson (FL) (Neguse) Wilson (SC) (Timmons)

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, my amendment puts strong protections in place so that no funds in this bill can go toward harming the unborn. The underlying bill includes a provision that allows taxpayer dollars to be used for health and mental healthcare support. Without the protections my amendment offers, this funding could go to counseling young pregnant women to seek abortions. This is wrong. A child in the womb is a distinct, developing, whole human being. In my home State of Illinois, our leftist Governor announced this week he will take Federal funding from title 10 and give it to Planned Parenthood of Illinois. This goes directly against Federal law and the Hyde amendment. Those on the other side of this aisle, in this body, use every opportunity to get rid of the Hyde amendment. That is why my amendment is so important. The growing hostility toward the Hyde amendment is alarming and means we must be vigilant in our efforts to ensure program dollars authorized by Congress cannot be used for abortions or abortion services. God is the author of life, not Congress. The taking of life through abortion is an assault on the image of God. Abortion is not healthcare, despite what the left says, and we should not force taxpayers to violate their morals or strongly held beliefs by forcing them to pay for it. My amendment ensures that they won't. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 471, the PAUSE Act, to protect all Americans from Biden's border crisis.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, title 42 is the only thing keeping President Biden from fully handing our border to cartels and smugglers already taking full advantage of his incompetence and neglect. Last week, the Biden administration announced that they will be stopping Border Patrol from enforcing COVID-19 restrictions on illegal immigrants by ending title 42. Title 42 must stay in place. It is a matter of national security, and my colleagues and I are calling on Democrats to act in a bipartisan effort to force a vote on the bill to keep it in place. Biden's open border policies are an unmitigated disaster. The crisis at our southern border is out of control and our Customs and Border Patrol is already dangerously overwhelmed. Ending title 42 expulsions will signal to cartels and migrants that our border is now wide open, inciting more violence and lawlessness. It is also being reported that the Biden administration is going to divert resources from our veterans in order to give free medical care to illegal migrants. I wrote a letter to the secretary of Veterans Affairs to oppose these efforts because we must put our heroes first and stand up for our veterans.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, this April Americans all over the country, led by Concerned Women for America, the Nation's largest public policy organization for women, and other faith-based organizations are celebrating April as Faith Month. I rise to join and commend this noble effort calling all people of faith to join in prayer, thanksgiving, and celebration of their faith. The United States of America was born of the unanimous Declaration that we are ``endowed by [our] Creator with certain unalienable Rights,'' based on ``the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God,'' ``appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world,'' and acknowledging our ``reliance on the protection of divine Providence.'' We are a people of faith. That is why religious freedom is known as America's first freedom, as laid out in the Establishment and the Free Exercise clauses of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment also supports America's unique focus on freedom of expression, including in matters of faith. America's Judeo-Christian founding promotes religious diversity and tolerance. Our motto, ``In God We Trust,'' further emphasizes the importance of faith in our nation's founding. From our first president to the last, we have always acknowledged America's faith. President George Washington recognized ``it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and President Joe Biden, most recently acknowledged Thanksgiving as a ``time to reflect on our many blessings--from God, this Nation, and each other.'' Religious liberty serves to strengthen our country's appreciation of all peoples, regardless of faith. But eternal diligence is needed to preserve religious freedom. Attacks on religious liberty and people of faith continue to plague our nation with some religious charities even being forced to betray the tenets of their faith in order to participate in certain government programs. We must actively reject all efforts to criminalize or cancel religious beliefs in certain controversial areas as somehow incompatible with our democracy. Religious organizations in America have a rich history of charitable engagement helping the sick, poor, and afflicted, and they should be celebrated, not maligned for their contributions to our way of life. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 75 percent of Americans practice some type of religious faith. This rich, diverse religious heritage is to our credit and should be commended. Therefore, I join millions of Americans celebrating their personal faiths freely and openly, with public displays and celebrations, including prayer and expressions of thanksgiving, during the month of April, also known as ``Faith Month,'' as a way to reaffirm our commitment to the religious liberty principles of our founding.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, this month, Americans all over the country are celebrating April as Faith Month. I rise in support of this effort and call on all people of faith to join in prayer and celebration. As a Member of Congress, I am happy to reaffirm my commitment to our Judeo-Christian values and freedom of religion for all that this country was founded on. Religious organizations in America have a rich history of charitable engagement, helping the sick, poor, and afflicted. They should be celebrated for their contributions to our way of life.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, a tree is known by its fruits. Every policy that Biden and the Democrats have created is demonstrably an America last policy. They call it Build Back Better, but the truth is, their agenda is Americans last, build back broke policies. Americans are facing an extreme economic crisis as a result of Democrat policies that President Biden and Speaker Pelosi have put into place. Skyrocketing prices at the store and the pump are causing Americans pain in their pocketbook. Biden's outrageous budget is fuel on the inflation fire. President Biden and the Democrats in the House are deliberately bankrupting Americans and taking away their economic opportunities. What are we leaving behind for our children and grandchildren? Americans cannot afford the America last policies the Democrats have created that have made crisis upon crisis.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Mann for hosting this Special Order. Mr. Speaker, at the conclusion of National Agriculture Month, I would like to share how strongly I believe in the family farm as part of the American way of life. It has truly been a blessing to have our sons-- who are the 4th generation--and their children--the 5th generation-- working our land. I am proud to be an Illinois farmer and to represent the farmers' needs in Congress and on the Ag Committee. If Americans are hungry, really, what else matters? The agriculture industry keeps Americans and the world fed, fueled, and clothed. I am so thankful for the work that the ag industry does and for their contributions to the GDP and Illinois and across our Nation. America is on a dangerous path, losing our self-sufficiency in farming, which is why I introduced a bill in Congress to prevent China from buying up our farmland. Biden and the Democrats continue to push policies that promote Chinese-made batteries and solar panels instead of American biofuels. National Agriculture Month is a great time to thank our farmers, ranchers, and agriculture professionals for their tireless work.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on roll call No. 73. Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress Baird (Walorski) Bourdeaux (Correa) Bowman (Meng) Brown (OH) (Jeffries) Cardenas (Gomez) Carter (GA) (Cammack) Carter (TX) (Nehls) Connolly (Wexton) Crist (Wasserman Schultz) Dean (Scanlon) DeLauro (Courtney) DeSaulnier (Beyer) Fortenberry (Moolenaar) Garamendi (Correa) Gimenez (Waltz) Golden (Courtney) Harder (CA) (Beyer) Johnson (TX) (Jeffries) Kahele (Mrvan) Kaptur (Lawrence) Kim (NJ) (Pallone) Kirkpatrick (Pallone) Lawson (FL) (Evans) Lesko (Joyce (PA)) Lofgren (Jeffries) McHenry (Cammack) Neguse (Perlmutter) Norman (Wilson (SC)) Pascrell (Pallone) Payne (Pallone) Porter (Wexton) Roybal-Allard (Escobar) Salazar (Fallon) Schrier (Jeffries) Scott, David (Jeffries) Sires (Pallone) Suozzi (Beyer) Taylor (Fallon) Titus (Cicilline) Trone (Beyer) Upton (Katko) Van Drew (Reschenthaler) Watson Coleman (Pallone) Welch (Pallone) Wilson (FL) (Cicilline)

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the critical issues facing my fellow farmers. The world is on fire under President Biden and his America last agenda. We are seeing skyrocketing costs of critical inputs, such as fertilizer. Nitrogen fertilizer has doubled in price. Our fuel prices have reached record highs, and President Biden's solution is to beg our enemies in Iran and Venezuela for more oil. The supply chain crisis was never addressed, and farmers are struggling to find parts to repair equipment. Family farms are suffering, and every American is about to see a drastic increase in the price of food. I am afraid for regular Americans. This yearlong experiment of woke government has been a disaster. My constituents in the 15th District miss President Trump and an agenda that put America first.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, House Democrats who attacked unmasked and unvaccinated Americans as super-spreaders and said they should be fired from their jobs suddenly decided to lift the mask mandate and crowd together last night, hugging and kissing each other in a packed room right before the State of the Union to benefit President Biden's political optics. COVID restrictions weren't lifted because they were destroying children's lives or killing small businesses. The restrictions ended because a politician's poll numbers got too low, and he needed a political reset. The American people are disgusted by this political double standard. They are never going to forget it. But we are not surprised. Every decision the Biden administration makes has gone against the needs and the will of the American people. Americans want secure borders and police protection. What does the left do? Open our borders, facilitate an invasion, and defund and demoralize our police. Americans want energy independence and affordable gas. What does the left do? They dismantle our domestic energy industry and are forcing Americans to buy Chinese solar panels and batteries. The left may be woke, but Americans are awake. The state of the Union is ready for a change.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, the Biden administration is engaged in an assault on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. It was recently discovered that the Biden administration has been maintaining nearly 1 billion records on gun sales. My colleagues and I sent a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives demanding answers about this registry. The ATF must be held accountable. Federal law prohibits the Biden administration from maintaining a database of 1 billion gun records. What makes this more outrageous, this unconstitutional behavior of the Biden administration, is that, at the same time, they are continuing to empower Mexican cartels, criminal cartels who are transporting weapons across the border while threatening the rights of law-abiding Americans. Lawful gun owners are rightfully concerned, and it is up to Congress to investigate further. President Biden and the Democrats want to defund the police, take away your Second Amendment right to self- defense, and then watch as crime skyrockets across the country, including in cities like Chicago. I will continue to stand up for our Second Amendment. As long as I am here in Congress, every day I will fight for our constitutional rights, including our Second Amendment.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. In a bill that professes to push back on the influence of China's authoritarian regime, this amendment runs the risk of putting the personal information of every one of America's college students in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party. It will allow the Biden administration to create a Federal database that will track every single student pursuing a postsecondary degree without their consent or any ability to opt out, even if they don't accept Federal aid. The Biden administration will also be able to use this data to match with other databases across the Federal Government with few limits on what can be tracked and gathered. While the bill claims the data will be secure, once the data comes from the Federal Government, there are no guarantees information will not fall into the hands of criminals or our adversaries. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on this Federal database amendment.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, biofuels drive the rural economy and strengthen our energy security. Two weeks ago, President Biden's agriculture Secretary suggested it was unfair of me to suggest that he wasn't doing enough for biofuels. This week, the Biden EPA announced that they are delaying RFS deadlines, which creates uncertainty for American farmers. Instead of putting American farmers first, the Biden administration is pushing Chinese batteries and Green New Deal policies. The Biden administration must stop creating uncertainty for the biofuels industry and misleading our farmers about support for biofuels. We need clear answers from the Biden administration on RFS blending targets.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, the Biden administration wants to defend Ukraine's border but doesn't want to protect our own; leaving our southern border exposed to an invasion coordinated by drug cartels and human traffickers. I visited the border with President Trump and saw firsthand how Biden's border policies have contributed to a crime wave and a drug overdose epidemic. I supported Articles of Impeachment for President Biden because he is intentionally violating our immigration laws and the security of our border, jeopardizing Americans' lives for political purposes. If President Biden is actually worried about the threat posed by Russia, why isn't he concerned that in December 2,000 Russian nationals illegally crossed America's southern border? My constituents miss President Trump and his policies that put America first.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, all children are created by God at conception with a purpose. We must continue our work to end the scourge of abortion in America without exception. The strides that we have made for the pro-life movement over recent years are incredible, and I am honored to be part of a group of such hardworking pro-life legislators. Our daughters are part of the pro-life generation, full of students and young women that want to protect life in the womb. They have seen their siblings in sonograms. They have seen the pictures, and when they are told it is a glob of tissue, they know better. I introduced the Protecting Life on College Campuses Act, which would prohibit any Federal funds from going to a college or university which is supplying dangerous chemical abortion pills. This past Christmas, the week before Christmas, while no one was looking, the Biden administration and Governor Pritzker advanced very radical abortion policies, which are deeply unpopular with the American people. They want to remove parental involvement every step of the way for minors receiving an abortion because they are not pro-choice; they are pro-abortion. Standing strong in this fight, we are participating in what could be potentially the last March for Life under Roe, and I could not be more thrilled.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of Wayne County Deputy Sheriff Sean Riley. Our communities in Illinois and across the Nation continue to mourn the loss of our fallen hero. Deputy Riley was called home to be with the Lord on December 29, 2021. He was on duty, responding to assist a motorist when he was shot and killed. May God continue to comfort this family as they grieve this awful loss. Wayne County Sheriff Otey said, ``The only thing Sean cared about more than being a deputy was his family.'' Please join me in prayer for the family of Deputy Sean Riley, the Wayne County Sheriff's Department, and our community in Illinois. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank the Congressman for hosting this Special Order. Madam Speaker, Americans have experienced whiplash this past year as the Biden administration has spun us from the America first agenda to America last. We watched in horror as the Taliban released thousands of al-Qaida, ISIS, and Taliban prisoners from the prison at Bagram Air Base. Our servicemembers bravely sacrificed to capture those terrorists, and the Biden administration allowed them to be released. One of the ISIS-K prisoners led the bombing that killed our 13 servicemembers. Biden's failure in Afghanistan led to the surrender of tens of billions of dollars in U.S. military equipment to the Taliban. Military equipment paid for by U.S. taxpayers will now be used against America because of President Biden. As Afghanistan fell, President Biden disappeared, first to Camp David and then to Delaware. His Cabinet refused to brief the American people directly and instead sent spokesmen. Additionally, the Defense Secretary refused to testify before Congress. The Biden administration then flew an estimated 78,000 Afghan nationals to American soil and then lied to the American people about the vetting process they were using to ensure that no ISIS, al-Qaida, or Taliban terrorists were brought to our shores. To this day, no one in the Biden administration has been held responsible for the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan or for the lies that were told to the American people, and no one has been fired or resigned. Madam Speaker, who will be fired? Who is resigning? The American people deserve accountability. China, our enemy, has watched all of this unfold; and, sadly, our children and grandchildren will pay the price of Biden's incompetence.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, yesterday news reports suggested that President Biden's Secretary of Education was involved in requesting a letter from the National School Boards Association, calling for the FBI to intimidate parents who have shown up to school board meetings. The House Education and Labor Committee must hold immediate hearings with the Secretary so that we can ask him under oath if he solicited this memo. The Federal Government should never treat parents like terrorists for showing up at public hearings to oppose the racist critical race theory or the perverted sex-ed curriculum that is being forced upon our children. Parents are in charge of the school system, not liberal activists from Washington, D.C., who are using the FBI as their political police force.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, the members of the January 6th Commission have turned this body into a star chamber, using the powers of Congress to persecute and bankrupt their political opponents. Using political power to destroy your political opponents is evil and un-American. We are not a banana republic. Right now, the American people are suffering under the harsh economic realities of the Biden administration: Record-high inflation, record- high gas prices, record-high home heating bills, empty shelves at Christmas. COVID mandates and lockdowns continue to threaten our economy and our children's future. What is the January 6th Commission's response to the suffering of the American people under Biden's policies? A never-ending political witch hunt against President Trump. The January 6th Commission hates President Trump because he exposed the corruption of the D.C. establishment here in the swamp. This January 6th Commission is a disgrace, and anyone who voted for it should be ashamed of themselves. I urge a ``no'' vote on this rule.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 5314. Bringing H.R. 5314 to the House floor this week shows that the Democrats' priority is partisan politics, not policies that will directly benefit the American people. If Democrats were serious about bipartisan reforms, they wouldn't be pushing a bill like H.R. 5314. This bill is nothing but a continuation of the Democrats' obsession with President Trump. He lives rent free in their heads. This bill incorporates several unnecessary ``reforms'' that are nothing but an attempt to validate House Democrats' baseless investigation of the Trump administration. It is a huge red flag that H.R. 5314 was referred to nine committees and not one Democrat-led committee has held a hearing or a markup on the legislation. This legislation is being pushed through without proper order, and I oppose it.

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois

Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5609, the Cattle Contract Library Act of 2021. My fellow farmers, farm families, and members of the House Agriculture Committee know the importance of bringing transparency to the cattle market. Currently, cattlemen are unaware of contract terms being offered by producers, which leads to a decline in leverage for smaller producers during price negotiations. This bill will require packers to report terms of alternative marketing agreements between packers and producers to the USDA, equipping ranchers with additional market data needed to make informed business decisions. The USDA library will provide producers with key details on cattle contracts, including the type and duration. Market transparency is a critical component of price discovery in cattle marketing. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Johnson) for putting forth this important legislation.