Rich McCormick

Mr. McCORMICK

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my gratitude to the Red, Blue and You initiative that celebrates and honors the first responders of Gwinnett County, Georgia. The community event, organized by local business owners, held its 8th annual celebration on November 16, 2023. The brave men and women first responders honored at the event are the first line of defense for people in distress, and often do not receive the recognition and support they deserve. I want to thank these dedicated public safety heroes for serving their communities every single day. Their work makes a difference and impacts all those in our community. God bless each and everyone of them. Semper Fidelis.

Mr. McCORMICK

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, how often do we have a chance to do the right thing, defeat Communism, grow the economy, create jobs, reduce the deficit, and secure the southern border all at the same time? It would be all good for America. It would be all good no matter what party you are from and no matter what part of the country you are from. This is a rare thing indeed. I suggest we support the Make Putin Pay Act. I suggest we combine it with securing the southern border. How many opportunities are we going to have to do the right thing and use the right assets to do the mission? We can right now use over $100 billion in frozen assets from Russia to pay for the military support required to defeat an invading Communist country into Europe. We can secure 70 percent of Europe's grain stores so it is not sold to a foreign national government that is unfriendly, but to sustain a bigger, stronger, more friendly Europe. Meanwhile, that money is going to be spent back in the United States to support our defense industry, to create jobs, and through taxes, created by those jobs, to reduce the deficit, all while defeating our biggest adversary in the European theater. If we can combine that with H.R. 2 and secure our southern border, even better. Let's just get this straight: We win for the economy; we win for reducing debt; we win for defeating Communism; and we win by securing our southern border. This is what we are working with right now with the Senate. How many opportunities do we have to combine a Senate and a House resolution to actually do these things? We win, win, win, and win some more. Mr. Speaker, I highly suggest that my comrades here in the House support the Make Putin Pay Act. It will use over $100 billion in frozen assets from Russia to support our economy, pay down debt, and secure our southern border.

Mr. McCORMICK

Mr. McCORMICK. Madam Chair, as the designee of the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Harris), I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Chair, I rise to offer amendment No. 109, limiting indirect costs paid by the National Institutes of Health to a maximum of 30 percent of the total grant awarded. Indirect costs are simply known as overhead costs. These costs are not directly attributable to the specific research project or function. These costs include facilities operation and maintenance, depreciation of buildings, and administrative expenses. In 2021, the National Institutes of Health spent $6.7 billion on indirect costs racked up by grant recipients. Meanwhile, the top grant recipients were universities sitting on multibillion-dollar endowments. Nonprofit organizations that provide research funding, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Alzheimer's Association, and the American Heart Association, cap indirect costs at 10 percent. Congress has historically limited indirect costs for agricultural research to a maximum of 30 percent, which is included in the Agriculture appropriations bill. I propose that we apply this limitation to the National Institutes of Health research to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly. I urge all Members to consider supporting this commonsense amendment, which would dedicate more research dollars to direct research costs. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Madam Chair, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment.

Mr. McCORMICK. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. McCORMICK. Madam Chair, I rise to offer my amendment No. 117 to H.R. 5894, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024. My amendment No. 117 reduces the salary of Xavier Becerra, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to $1. Secretary Becerra has chosen special interest groups over the American people and blatantly undermined congressional legislative intent with his implementation of the No Surprises Act. The No Surprises Act, passed in 2021, was a bipartisan legislative effort to prevent unexpected medical bills from crushing Americans across the country, which over 50 percent of all Americans have experienced. Unfortunately, the Biden administration and Secretary Becerra have not implemented the bill as Congress intended, leading to huge backlogs, unpaid claims to healthcare providers, and patients having less access to quality healthcare. This is unacceptable, but it shouldn't be a surprise that the Biden administration appointed a lawyer to take on healthcare challenges, resulting in dismal failure. There have been four court cases in Texas alone to address the abysmal implementation of this law, and Secretary Becerra and the Biden administration have lost all four court cases. Patients' protection from surprise medical bills should not compromise their access to hospitals and the doctors they need. They shouldn't have the worst experience of their lives to add to the worst experience of their lives. The solution to this is simple: Align the Federal Government regulations with what Congress intended for the bill to do and make the process for resolving disputes fair for all parties. The solution is not only the right thing but will also avoid all the negative consequences that Congress sought to prevent for patients in the first place. I have personally discussed this with Secretary Becerra to no avail. He continues to choose profiteers rather than patients. America's hospitals and doctors worked hard with Congress to ensure the dispute resolution process was fair and avoided these negative consequences. Secretary Becerra and his Federal bureaucrats have failed to honor those promises to patients and caregivers and have instead continued to ignore Congress' legislative intent. The reason I originally ran for Congress was because of the issue of surprise billing. My first taste in politics was going down to the State capitol with the Medical Association of Georgia, a bipartisan group of doctors, trying to resolve this problem. I brought the fight here to D.C. to push the Federal Government to begin prioritizing and doing the right thing for patients instead of prioritizing the profit of special interest groups. My amendment is not about political cheap shots or agendas. It is about protecting the people from a public servant who is no longer keeping their best interests at heart. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Madam Chair, obviously I am not a lawyer. I am a doctor. With all the experience that Mr. Becerra has, you would think he would know better. You would think that as a Member of the House, supposedly serving the American people, who has watched bipartisan bills pass with almost unanimous consent, that he would know better. You would think as a lawyer he would know how to carry on a case and win a case when it has to do with serving the people. Clearly, he has misrepresented something that we passed as a body, something that we agreed to as a body to serve the people. That is why he should be ashamed, and that is why the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra's salary should be reduced to $1 for being derelict in his duty and failing the American people. I ask my colleagues for their support in passing this amendment. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Chair, my amendment would prohibit funds from this act from implementing President Biden's burdensome and misguided Executive Orders 14037, 14057, and 14096. Executive Orders 14037 and 14057 set the following goals for the Biden administration's out-of-touch energy policy regulations: 100 percent of the electricity of the U.S. to be carbon pollution free by 2030 on a net annual basis; 100 percent of vehicles purchased by the government to be zero emissions by 2035; and that 50 percent of all new passenger cars and light trucks in the United States be electric vehicles by 2030. These economically harmful goals represent Democrats' desire for central government planning that is not driven by public demand but by bureaucrats deciding what they think is best for our diverse, vibrant Nation of over 330 million people. A prime example of Democratic failed policy initiatives is the story of the electric bus manufacturer, Proterra, a company that received extremely high praise from President Biden, as well as other administration officials. According to President Biden, Proterra was getting us in the game for sustainable transportation. Well, after receiving millions upon millions of dollars in Federal Government funding, on August 7 of this year, Proterra filed for bankruptcy--this is not the first time this thing has happened where a government-subsidized company has gone bankrupt--citing a multitude of reasons, including the 9-figure debt. That does not sound sustainable to me. Almost 2 years ago, the Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that America should purchase electric vehicles so that they won't have to worry about gas prices again. Instead, they will have to worry about supply-chain disruptions and critical mineral sourcing, not to mention the cost of these vehicles. Now, I don't know about the average American, but I guarantee you they don't spend an extra $17,000 per year on gas. The average cost of an electric vehicle is over $60,000 and on average costs $17,000 more than a gas vehicle. This does not take into account if the battery goes bad. It will, and it costs about $17,000 to replace that, too, which means people are going to be relying on the government for more subsidies. These types of statements show just how out of touch the leftwing officials in the Biden administration can be. Switching to electric vehicles, or whatever future technology, must come naturally through free-market forces. Mandating a change is building an entire vehicle market on an expensive house of cards, and it will eventually come crashing down, just like Proterra. Just as concerning is Executive Order 14096 and its crusade for so- called environmental justice. Mr. Chair, instead of simply declaring what is true and promoting environmental conservation, which most people would agree is a good thing, the Biden administration makes this about cultural Marxism, oppressor versus the oppressed. This is toxic rhetoric. Instead of tackling economic hardships facing Americans, the fentanyl crisis in our communities, the crisis along the southern border, and multiple crises overseas, the Biden administration is creating a narrative that fits their dark view of American history and executive policy that negatively affects Americans. Everyone wants clean air, safe water, and access to the outdoors for all. Let's not make this about something it is not. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, Representative Tlaib has repeatedly made atrocious statements against our ally Israel and in support of Hamas, a terrorist group responsible for the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Represent Tlaib has levied unbelievable falsehoods about our greatest ally, Israel, and the attack on October 7. Recently, she even falsely blamed them for bombing the Al Ahli Arab hospital, but all of our current intelligence shows that Israel was not responsible. As stated in my resolution on November 3, Representative Tlaib said: ``From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate. My work and advocacy is always centered in justice and dignity for all people no matter faith or ethnicity.'' Mr. Speaker, let me break down the saying, ``From the river to the sea.'' The river is the Jordan River, and the sea is the Mediterranean Sea. This is a call for the complete destruction of Israel. It is disgusting when it is used in this context that was meant. Representative Tlaib boycotted Israeli President Herzog's address to Congress, releasing a joint statement with Representative Bush that said: ``Bestowing President Herzog with the rare honor of a joint address to Congress while the Israeli apartheid government continues to enable and directly support racism and brutal settler attacks is a slap in the face to victims, survivors, and their loved ones. . . .'' This kind of hatred against our ally Israel is unacceptable. Israel has a right to exist. For thousands of years, the Jewish people resided in that land and, after being displaced for centuries, returned in 1948 after the Holocaust. Mr. Speaker, we have seen the effects of the reprehensible rhetoric of Representative Tlaib across the Nation. At schools and colleges around the country, Jewish students have been forced to be on alert as their anti-Semitic peers have engaged in disgusting demonstrations, chanting anti-Semitic slogans. At The Cooper Union, a private college in New York, Jewish students were forced to hide from pro-Hamas protesters in a library where they feared for their safety. At George Washington University, just about a half mile from this building, students broadcast ``Glory to our martyrs,'' and ``Free Palestine from the river to the sea,'' on the side of a campus building. Further, yesterday, in Ventura County, California, Paul Kessler, a Jewish man protesting for Israel, was killed in an altercation with pro-Palestinian protesters. These anti-Semitic incidents are happening right now in America in 2023. Quite frankly, in my entire lifetime, I have never seen anything like it. The same Nation that defeated Nazism in World War II must now defeat an internal rot promoting the same senseless violence and hatred of Jewish people. It is a sad fact, but this type of anti-Semitic hate is being promoted by a small group of Members in this body--chiefly, Representative Tlaib. We must hold her accountable. This war in Israel is affecting everyone, whether it is innocent Palestinians at risk because of Hamas' actions; or our fellow Jewish Americans, who now have to worry each day about the possibility of an anti-Semitic attack; or Sergeant Elisheva Rose Ida Lubin, a young Jewish woman who was a member of the Israeli Border Police and grew up in Dunwoody, Georgia, and was killed by a Palestinian assailant. For the safety and security of our Nation, we must continue to support Israel, a nation fighting for democracy, decency, and Western values. Representative Tlaib has undermined U.S. interests with her statements and must be censured. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to a question of the privileges of the House and offer the resolution that was previously noticed.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Fine speech. You talk about setting precedents. I think there is a precedent. You guys must have searched really high and far and long to find the people who voted against censuring Paul Gosar or Marjorie Taylor Greene. There is a precedent. You are right. When you talk about freedom of speech and who protects that freedom of speech, you are talking to a marine, and you are about to talk to a Navy SEAL, people who would give their lives to defend the freedom of speech. I understand that probably as well as anybody. Let me be clear. This is not about a First Amendment issue. Rashida Tlaib has the right to spew anti-Semitic vitriol and even call for the destruction of the Jewish state, but the House of Representatives also has the right to make it clear that her hate speech does not reflect the opinion of the Chamber. That is what this resolution is about. When you talk about ``from the river to the sea,'' we talked about this with the Parliamentarian, and we talked about it with legal counsel. We talked about precedent. We got the Intel Committee to make sure the facts are straight. We did our homework on whether there is a precedent on this. If this is not worthy of censure, what is? When you can call for the annihilation of a country and its people, if that is not worthy of censure, what is? Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Van Orden).

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. If this was about calling for a cease-fire, we would not have these proceedings. I was wrong, by the way, when I said that it must have taken a long time to find somebody who hasn't voted for censorship from the other side of the aisle. You didn't find it. The gentleman from the other side of the aisle actually did vote for censorship on a First Amendment right. I find it rather funny. We just researched it. Unless my sources are wrong, the vast majority of the other side of the aisle actually voted for censorship based on a First Amendment right. I also wanted to say that my heart goes out to the Palestinian people--it truly does--especially those people who were bombed in the hospital, which my colleague knows wasn't from the Israelis. Yet the statement is contrary to that, even though our intel was very clear, as was our President, very clear. That is what this debate is about. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman), a Marine Corps general.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Fallon).

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van Drew).

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Miller), a marine.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler).

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.