Rich McCormick

Mr. McCORMICK

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert this article from 11 Alive News, titled: ``Metro Atlanta woman killed in Jerusalem: reports,'' dated November 6, 2023.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I know there is a lot of passion today. I heard a lot of screaming. I heard a lot of accusations, you could say, on both sides. I don't really care what race, religion, or gender orientation you are. Where I come from in the Marine Corps, we are all shades of green, and we all bleed red. That is the truth. I just care about the person who has my back. When I was student body president at Morehouse School of Medicine, I was elected by my peers--60 percent females, 80 percent Black, 95 percent liberal. Why? I was elected because I love people. I love people of all sorts. This isn't about who you are. It is about what you represent, what this body represents. That is what this debate is about. If this is not worthy of censure, I don't know what it is. Representative Tlaib has stoked anti-Semitism in this Nation and undermined our national security. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this resolution to show the world, especially our adversaries, that the United States stands behind our allies and will not back down to terrorists. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Chair, I rise to offer my amendment No. 61 to H.R. 4820, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Chairman, Congress should not allow valuable taxpayer dollars to fund these executive orders that do nothing to help the American people. Those demanding EV vehicles know the impoverished cannot afford them, which will cause even more dependence on government. That is the built- in harassment package that liberals have created--regulate people into dependence on government so they must vote for bigger government that can never be paid for but will forever be empowered over those who would otherwise be free to live the full measure of the American Dream. Mr. Chairman, ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this commonsense amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX, I rise to give notice of my intent to raise a question of the privileges of the House. The form of the resolution is as follows: H. Res. 845 censuring Representative Rashida Tlaib for promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and calling for the destruction of the State of Israel. Whereas, Israel has existed on its lands for millennia, and the United States played a critical role in returning Israel to those lands in 1948 immediately following the Holocaust and in recognition of its rights to exist as an indelible signal of our solidarity with the Jewish people; Whereas, Israel is a critical ally to the American people and to our strategic national security interests in the Middle East; Whereas, the people of Israel, including American citizens, were brutally attacked on October 7, 2023, by Hamas; Whereas, Representative Rashida Tlaib, within 24 hours of the October 7 barbaric attack on Jewish citizens in the State of Israel, representing the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, defended the brutal rapes, murders, beheadings, and kidnappings, including of Americans, by Hamas as justified resistance to the apartheid state; Whereas, Representative Tlaib's October 8 statement claimed that Hamas' October 7 attack on the Jewish people was partly attributable to the United States security aid provided to Israel which ignores the fact that the Iron Dome, a codeveloped air defense system, saved lives that day by intercepting rockets launched from the Gaza Strip against Israeli civilian targets; Whereas, on October 18, 2023, Representative Tlaib continued to knowingly spread the false narrative that Israel intentionally bombed the Al Ahli Arab hospital on October 17 after United States intelligence, Israeli intelligence, and President Biden assessed with high confidence that Israel did not cause the explosion; Whereas, on November 3, 2023, Representative Tlaib published on social media a video containing the phrase ``from the river to the sea'' which is widely recognized as a genocidal call to violence to destroy the State of Israel and its people to replace it with a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea; Whereas, Representative Tlaib doubled down on this call to violence by falsely describing ``from the river to the sea'' as ``an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence'' despite it clearly entailing Israel's destruction and the denial of its fundamental right to exist; and Whereas, Representative Tlaib has repeatedly displayed conduct entirely unbecoming of a Member of the House of Representatives by calling for the destruction of the State of Israel and dangerously promoting false narratives regarding a brutal, large-scale terrorist attack against civilian targets inside the sovereign territory of a major, nonNATO ally while hundreds of Israeli and American hostages remain in terrorist captivity: Now, therefore, be it resolved that Representative Rashida Tlaib be censured.

Mr. McCORMICK

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

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Chair, I offer amendment No. 39 to H.R. 4821, the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill for 2024. Amendment No. 39 will reduce funding for the Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Programs and Management account by $17 million. My amendment will then reallocate $10 million for increased oversight of the EPA. It will also provide for spending cuts to the EPA of $2 million. The EPA's role is to protect human health and the environment through research and development. Yet, it seems it is often more focused on burdensome bureaucratic red tape than on the American people and its businesses. Stringent EPA regulations burden businesses with compliance costs, leading to job losses, higher prices for the customer, and reduced economic competitiveness, particularly in industries such as manufacturing, energy, and agriculture. For example, in my own district, re-pavement of a key road has been delayed for 18 months at the cost of nearly $750 million. These roads are heavily trafficked and in desperate need of repair. This delay is due to EPA's requirement of an extensive environmental impact study, even though the road was paved over a decade ago and this is a simple re-pavement project to revitalize the community. This is a ridiculous delay of the inevitable. The EPA needs to begin prioritizing these communities over the bureaucratic overreach with overbearing regulations. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support amendment No. 39, which would decrease the EPA's overall funding account and reallocate a portion of these funds to increase oversight, transparency, and accountability. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Chair, I reiterate that my amendment reduces funding for the overbearing EPA, increases funding of EPA oversight, and cuts spending by $2 million. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK

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

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

Mr. McCORMICK. Madam Chair, I rise to offer my amendment No. 101 to H.R. 4821, the Interior-Environment appropriations bill for 2024. My amendment reduces the salary of Matthew Tejada, the deputy assistant administrator for environmental justice at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to $1. As the deputy assistant administrator, he often propagates divisive rhetoric and pushes the Biden administration's disastrous environmental justice initiatives onto American communities. While in his position, Matthew Tejada has made divisive and inflammatory remarks, attributing the disinvestment in some areas, like East St. Louis, to racism and referred to this as the genocide of communities. This sort of rhetoric is a tool used by the radical left to create a greater divide across the Nation. Matthew Tejada has even said that he wants to use millions of Federal tax dollars to fix environmental racism. As a conservative, I support protecting the environment. One of my favorite Presidents--as a matter of fact, my favorite President--Teddy Roosevelt was a Republican and one of the greatest champions of environmental conservation. However, I do not support taking a benign policy topic and twisting it into a controversial issue used by the government to further its own political agenda. This year the EPA received $108 million to go toward funding environmental justice programs and projects, such as the Biden administration's Executive Order 13985, which instructs the EPA to enact an equity action plan. I am strongly opposed to wasting American taxpayer dollars on issues that will further divide the country. Investing in our communities is important. However, incorporating race into an unrelated issue is simply virtue signaling, which is unhelpful and divisive. The Biden administration should focus on unifying the country rather than dividing us so that we can combat the real issues our country is facing, like the emergency at the southern border, rising inflation, and the multiple crises happening overseas. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Madam Chair, I actually appreciate the gentlewoman's comments. As a former student body president at Morehouse School of Medicine, a minority university, I appreciate the diversity that our country represents. The problem I have is that when we are trying to save the environment, which I have no problem with--I have already stated, my dad was a forest ranger. I have already stated that Teddy Roosevelt was my favorite President--I want to protect the environment. I just don't want to make it an issue about race. I believe we should protect all people, regardless of their skin color. I believe in equal opportunities. I believe that if it is the right thing to do, we do it regardless of what race, what religion, what gender. No matter what the people are, they are Americans, and they deserve the very best from their government. The fact is, we are literally using the government to call the government racist. The very people who are put in charge by President Biden are calling people who are put in charge by the same governmental people racist. It is an inconsistency of thought, and it is divisive. Therefore, I humbly ask my colleagues to support my amendment to hold Federal bureaucrats accountable, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Madam Chair, I rise to offer my amendment No. 102 to H.R. 4821, the Interior-Environment appropriations bill for 2024. My amendment would prohibit funds from this act from implementing President Biden's burdensome and irresponsible Executive Order Nos. 14037, 14057, and 14096. Executive Order Nos. 14037 and 14057 are just more examples of the Biden administration's overreach and out-of-touch energy regulations. The idea that the American people want the consequences of 100 percent of their electricity being carbon pollution-free by 2030, 100 percent of the government vehicles to have zero emissions by 2035, and 50 percent of all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the United States to be electric by 2030 shows just how ignorant this current administration is to the challenges of everyday Americans who are facing these problems. Everyone needs to pay attention. EV popularity is waning, and it is expensive. Every day, Americans are worried about the skyrocketing costs of groceries and gas prices or whether their next paycheck will cover all their bills, including their electricity bills. The last thing they are thinking about trying to afford is an electric vehicle that meets the Biden administration's strict standards and, on average, costs $17,000 more than a gas-powered vehicle. By the way, for a guy who owns a Tesla and who just had to replace a battery, that is another $17,000 on top of that. Your battery will go bad. Anybody who has a cell phone understands that. These executive orders will hurt low-income Americans most of all. The Biden administration claims to protect those people. As we look at Executive Order No. 14096, we see a pattern as the Biden administration chooses to focus on programs that divide the American people rather than unite us. Madam Chair, instead of simply promoting conservation efforts, which most Americans agree are important, this administration continues to use divisive rhetoric behind environmental justice, which does not benefit the poor. Examples of this divisive rhetoric in the executive order include ``remnants of discrimination continue to persist today''--we are talking about EV vehicles--or that ``communities with environmental justice concerns face entrenched disparities.'' I will tell you that the disparities will be from those who cannot afford these very vehicles that are required. Our country needs unifying language and leadership. The Biden administration fails that test. Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on my amendment No. 102 to ensure that American taxpayer dollars are not being spent on frivolous and polarizing initiatives. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Madam Chair, I appreciate my colleague pointing out the equity of environment and her concerns for the people. I know myself when I grew up having to supply my own insurance, supply my own gas, supply my own car, which I bought for $1,295 for a 1971 Datsun 510 with 141,000 miles on it, I couldn't afford anything other than that. I couldn't afford any better insurance. My mom didn't have an insurance policy. Can you imagine a 16-year-old nowadays having their own insurance policy not on their parents' plan? I was in survival mode, which a lot of these people that she is talking about in these communities are in. That is all they can afford--a used gas vehicle to get to their job, to be independent, to live a dignified life where they can sustain themselves, not because they were told by the government, ``You will do this because I am protecting you,'' but they had a choice. They had a choice because we trust people more than we trust government. Isn't that what this whole argument is about? Do we trust the government to know what is better for our family and our choices, whether it be what we drive, where we work, or what our emissions are? Do we trust the American people no matter what the color of their skin is, or do we trust the American Government to be the moral standard of who we are and what we represent? Who do you trust? What is equity? Is equity when the government decides everybody will be equal, or when a person had the choice, based on their God- given right to self-determine, regardless of the color of their skin, regardless of their gender, regardless of their religion, that they have the freedom of choice to decide their fate based on their own challenges? That is what this argument is about. Do we self-determine, or do we let the American Government become our moral standard of what is right and wrong, of what is good for me? I choose the individual over the government. I believe that is the foundation of our government. I believe that is the foundation of our Constitution. I believe that that is the unalienable right that God gave us. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK

Mr. McCORMICK. Madam Speaker, I hereby remove my name as cosponsor of H. Res. 734.

Mr. McCORMICK

Mr. McCORMICK. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. McCORMICK

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

Mr. McCORMICK. Madam Chair, I rise to offer my amendment No. 45 to H.R. 4394, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2024. My amendment No. 45 prevents the Army Corps of Engineers from closing campgrounds around Lake Lanier. My amendment will ensure that these campgrounds are open for my constituents and for people all over the country to enjoy the outdoors of Georgia's Sixth District. Lake Lanier is the most visited lake of the 464 federally operated lakes in the United States, with well over 10 million visitors from all over the country annually. The Army Corps of Engineers runs the lake and the campgrounds and parks surrounding it. Over the past summer, the Corps suggested they close some of the campgrounds around the lake citing the lack of appropriations and need for maintenance. Congress provided $8.31 billion in annual appropriations for 2023, which was 26 percent above the fiscal year 2023 Presidential budget request. Frankly, the Corps seems to have not properly budgeted. This is Big Government at its finest, wasteful, always asking for more, and never trying to save or be more efficient. The Army Corps must do better by focusing on the needs of the community where it operates. The more control locally, the better. The families of Georgia's Sixth, as well as all those who seek to visit Lake Lanier, should not have to bear the consequences of mismanagement of funds. These campgrounds must remain open. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Madam Chair, I am glad it is agreed that this is a problem nationwide. I am focused on my district, however. I think I am the representation for my district. I think, in fiscal year 2023, the operations and management budget for the Army Corps was 11 percent more than the previous year, at $5.08 billion instead of $4.57 billion, which makes our case that there is no reason to use these funds to close the most popular destination for people from all over to come to our lake in our district. Therefore, Madam Chair, I now, more than ever, think it is important to protect our outdoors. Keep the campgrounds around Lake Lanier open and accessible to the public. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK

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

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Chair, I rise to offer amendment No. 10 to H.R. 4367, the Homeland Security appropriations bill for fiscal year 2024. Amendment No. 10 will increase the amount of funds withheld from the Office of the Secretary of DHS if it does not submit the ``State of the Border'' report and the report on detention facilities by the designated time required by law. Agencies have a strong and problematic tendency to ignore or loosely follow congressionally mandated reports. This amendment would put pressure on DHS to provide these reports in a timely manner. With the ongoing crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, it is vital that Congress receives accurate and up-to-date information from the agencies. A cornerstone of any Nation is its boundaries. A border defines where one government ends and another begins. It denotes the separation between two distinct peoples, cultures, and languages. Without a border, we have no nation, no sovereignty. In the first half of September alone--that is only 2 weeks--U.S. border authorities had more than 142,000 encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border. Fentanyl seizures at the border increased 164 percent from 2020 to 2022. This year, there have been over 21,000 pounds of fentanyl confiscated. We have had over 110,000 overdose deaths just this last year. As an ER doctor who treated overdoses every shift last year, and somebody who could not revive four of my patients from an overdose, I take this very personally. This isn't the only public health consequence of an open border. Whether it is tuberculosis, measles, COVID, which many of the members from the opposing party seem to be so concerned about, there is no way to ensure that those who are crossing the border do not bring these diseases into our country. This doesn't even address the chronic problems such as congestive heart failure, emphysema, kidney failure, cancer, which these patients will come to the ER for and you will wait behind them in order to pay their bills. The Biden administration has ignored the rule of law and refused to secure our border. Not only will President Biden not do what is necessary to stop the flow of migrants and drugs but encourages problems by using humanitarian parole as a loophole to bring in up to 30,000 migrants each month from Central and South America. Many of those individuals crossing the border are coming to make a better life for themselves. However, too many of them have ties to terrorist organizations and dangerous criminal cartels. Worst yet, the Biden administration has lost count of 85,000 children. Our open border is giving the child exploitation industry a huge boost. We must secure the southern border. This is not just a bipartisan problem and not just a bicameral problem. It is an American problem. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support amendment No. 10 for better accountability of DHS to provide Congress with the information needed to make the right decisions for America. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Chair, I understand that he would get us the report. I want a timely report, an accurate report, and I want it as we agreed. The one thing we have noticed is that agencies react very well when we take away their money when they don't do what they are supposed to do. We cannot make the right decisions and the right arguments in front of the American public unless we have complete and accurate information. This is just another tool to encourage the agency to do what they are already obligated to do for us anyway. That should be a bipartisan appeal to do the right thing and to be punished if they do the wrong thing. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK

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

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Chair, I rise to offer my amendment No. 68 to H.R. 4368, the Agricultural, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Amendment No. 68 prohibits funding for the implementation of the Unapproved Drug Initiative. This initiative causes generic drugs that have historically low prices to have their prices skyrocket, which ultimately hurts families across the Nation. Because of the Unapproved Drug Initiative, many generic drugs that have been used for centuries were removed from the market and awarded to large pharmaceutical companies to seek new drug applications, which has led to monopolistic practices. On top of this, the new drug manufacturer was granted a period of market exclusivity and aggressively used the courts to block other drug companies from marketing cheaper generic alternatives for years. The best example of this issue is in the pricing of the therapeutic drug colchicine. When I was a resident at Grady Hospital through the Emory ER residency program, I treated patients with colchicine for gout. The drug had been around for centuries. It was a cheap drug. The average American could afford it. It cost about $11. After this initiative, colchicine increased nearly 16-fold from about $11 in 2009 to $190 in 2011. The average family cannot afford that. As of 2020, price increases of drugs through the Unapproved Drug Initiative have increased U.S. health spending by $3.2 billion. High drug costs do not only interfere with appropriate use of medications, but they force families to make impossible choices between their healthcare and other basic needs. If reinstated, the Unapproved Drug Initiative would target an estimated 1,500 drugs. Even one increase would punish all of us, whether destitute or well-insured. The only one who wins is Big Pharma. We all lose. That is why I urge my colleagues to support amendment No. 68, which serves as a safeguard to ensure that the FDA does not continue to implement the Unapproved Drug Initiative, which is hurting Americans and placing an undue burden on the healthcare system. To be clear, there will never be a good use for this. It can only be used to profit and cannot benefit people we serve, especially the most vulnerable. I appeal to my fellow Georgian, my fellow servant, my fellow Christian, join me in a nonpartisan effort to protect the American people. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCORMICK

Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn the bullying and threatening of American businesses being conducted by the United States Department of Commerce. This was brought to my attention by a small business owner just this week. In the Census Bureau's Annual Business Survey, businessowners are now asked if they invest in a list of so-called ``green'' initiatives to fight climate change. If your local baker, dry cleaner, or peanut farmer hasn't been able to invest in geothermal energy or a renewable purchase power agreement or extra battery storage, they are asked these threatening questions: Are you afraid of lost sales? Do you foresee getting a bad reputation? Do you think it might be harder to raise capital or secure lines of credit? Do you think you might be fined by the government? Do you think your business will suffer if we implement a carbon tax? The bottom line from the radical leftists in charge of our executive branch: That's a nice business you have there, it would be a shame if something happened to it. Surveys with leading questions are often called push polls. This is more like a shove poll. This is the Federal Government threatening American businesses to engage in government-pushed policy, or else. Here is a warning of my own. If you work at the Department of Commerce and you are responsible for this disgusting language, you will be hearing from Congress very soon. Be prepared to explain yourselves. The time for bureaucratic overreach must come to an end. The Federal Government exists to serve and protect Americans and their livelihoods, not to pick winners or losers, not to destroy industries, and not to impose climate change ideology on hundreds of thousands of businesses that bring prosperity to American families every day. Semper Fidelis.