Troy Nehls

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, I thank my dear friend for his comments. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Jackson), my great friend.

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Jackson for his comments. Madam Speaker, my colleagues and I will address tonight the many, many serious issues facing our country: the unprecedented crisis at our southern border; the highest inflation we have seen in 13 years; the Democrats' out-of-control spending and tax increases; the Democrats' undermining of the Hyde amendment; and the Democrats' defense of the Communist Cuba regime. It is important we discuss these issues as Republicans, because our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, they just won't. We owe it to the American people to do better than this; to ensure there is still a country left when our children grow up. The way the Democrats and the Biden administration are spending money, and our open borders, should not just concern Republicans, but every American. That is why I am proud of the way my colleagues and I will bring these issues straight to the American people in the people's House. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues for their participation tonight. I know that we don't have anyone else here, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, the Consumer Price Index rose 5.4 percent in the last year, the highest inflation in 13 years. Americans are paying more for nearly everything. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of milk is up 5.6 percent; the price of fruit is up 7.3 percent; and the price of gas is up a whopping 45 percent. Americans are paying more for goods and services because of the Democrats' out-of-control spending. Despite the dire economic state Democrats' reckless spending has put us in, they are now trying to ram through a partisan $3.5 trillion package that will raise taxes on the middle class and job creators. What are Democrats telling American businesses to do when they are going to raise taxes and impose regulations on them as they try to rebuild in the aftermath of a pandemic? They are telling them to take their business overseas. To bounce back from the Biden administration's dismal job reports in consecutive months, we need to be stimulating economic opportunity and growth with less taxes and less regulation. Doing so will help spur the creation of good-paying jobs that encourage people to get back in the workforce. What won't fix it is continuing to throw money at the economy, which seems to be all the Washington swamp knows how to do. The Democrats' liberal tax-and-spend model is failing our economy and failing the American people. We are not going to spend our way out of this mess with trillion- dollar programs that do nothing but serve liberal special interests. We do it by letting the free market flourish through lower taxes, lower regulation, and more economic freedom. It worked under President Trump when he set records in unemployment, and it will work again if only the Federal Government would get out of the way and empower the people and the free market.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, there is a crisis of crime on our city streets. Violent crime is up double digits in Seattle, Portland, Austin, Oakland, and major cities across our great country. The increase in violent crime is the predictable result of liberal cities defunding and undermining their law enforcement, like in Austin, Texas, where the far-left city council cut $150 million from their police budget. What did we see weeks later? A doubling in the number of murders. Just this week, the police chief of Oakland, California, begged publicly for the city council not to cut the police department budget because it would result in more crime. When you cut law enforcement budgets, you reduce the number of law enforcement officers. When you reduce the number of law enforcement officers, more criminals will be on the streets. This is not rocket science. Stop attacking, undermining, and defunding law enforcement, and the crisis of crime will stop being a crisis.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, my amendment, which was rejected by the majority, calls for cities--think about this now--that have defunded their police forces from receiving Federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration grants for traffic enforcement. Look at Austin, look at Seattle, look at Oakland, look at New York, millions and millions of dollars being defunded from their local law enforcement agencies. They should not be eligible to apply for Federal grant funds in the millions of dollars after they have chosen to defund their own agencies. It makes no sense. Look at Oakland and look at the other cities today. Crime is on the rise. Violence in these liberal cities is out of control, and still, these cities continue to defund their police departments. They should not be allowed to tap into Federal grant moneys when they have chosen to defund their police. Madam Speaker, I cannot support such hypocrisy, and I will be voting against this bill.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, the Biden border crisis continues raging on our southern border. Cartels are getting rich, migrants are getting abused and assaulted, and Americans are becoming victims of crime. With the record number of illegal aliens attempting to flood across our border, what has the Biden administration done? Nothing. For months now, the Biden administration has been denying this crisis exists; telling the American people there is no crisis; telling the American people the border is closed. But we all know better. I saw it myself firsthand when I visited Del Rio, Texas, a place where every day, around 3:00 p.m., buses pulled up to the Mexican side of the border and unloaded hundreds of illegal aliens. They then wade through knee-high water of the Rio Grande and into our country. Once they arrive on the American side, they are promptly picked up by Border Patrol agents in air-conditioned vans, given a wristband, and away they go to a city near you. This happens tens of thousands of times every single day and there is no end in sight, not until we revert to Trump's policies.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, Vice President Kamala Harris was named border czar on March 24, 2021. It was 93 days later when she finally went down to visit a border community amidst this unprecedented humanity crisis. There is just one problem: she didn't actually visit the border. Last Friday, Vice President Harris hopped off her plane in El Paso for a few hours on her way to California. She quickly toured a border patrol station 10 miles away from the actual border avoiding a visit to ground zero. And what do I mean by ``ground zero''? I mean the actual border where thousands of migrants are flooding across daily, like the Rio Grande Valley sector where over 50,000 illegal immigrants were apprehended in May alone, which is 128 percent, more than the entire El Paso sector. Or in the Del Rio sector where every afternoon buses on the Mexican side of the border pull up and they unload hundreds of migrants who cross the Rio Grande River in knee-high water. I saw it myself firsthand when I visited the Del Rio sector in June. While I was there getting a tour of the actual border, a couple of men crossed the Rio Grande over to the American side, and when they got to the bank of the river, DPS agents and I questioned them. We asked them where they were from, why they were here, and why they thought they could get into America. They told us they were from Cuba and they had come here to work. Then they told us something that shouldn't surprise anyone: They thought they could get into America because President Biden said they could come. Within minutes, agents of Border Patrol pulled up in a van, loaded with other migrants who had crossed down river, and away they went. Situations like this are happening in the thousands every day along our border. And Border Patrol is the one being forced to pick these migrants up, process them, straining their manpower and resources, resulting in our border being completely open for criminal illegal aliens who want to cross undetected. Americans have been hearing about this Biden border crisis for months, and they see nothing changing. They see the cartels are getting rich trafficking these migrants across our border. And they hear the horror stories of children being abandoned and abused during their journey to our southern border. All of this has a real world impact on Americans. As a former county sheriff in Texas, I know all too well the second and third order effects of an unsecure southern border. Americans will undoubtedly become victims of crime from the illegal aliens successfully avoiding detection when they cross. Like Ms. Bowie who was run over and killed while I was sheriff by an illegal alien who had been deported six times prior. Our open border will strain local law enforcement and border State resources who are tasked with cleaning up the mess. A mess created by the Biden administration's failure to stem the flow of illegal aliens pouring across the border. But it really doesn't need to be this way. The Biden border crisis all started when Biden reversed the Trump administration's remain in Mexico policy and stopped construction of the wall. We can get back to operational control of our southern border if the Biden administration just reverts back to the Trump administration's policies. Until then, there simply is no end in sight.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, crime is rising across the country. Double- digit increases in violent crime have been seen in cities across our country; liberal cities, no less, that chose to defund their police. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone here. When you defund the police, you have less police. And less police means more criminals on the streets. Rather than address the poor policy decisions that have led to this increase in violent crime, like defunding police, Democrats are attempting to deflect blame on to gun owners. Law-abiding gun owners in this country are frequently attacked by the radical left as being the source of the gun violence problem. The left wants to tell them what guns they can own and how they should be able to purchase them. As a former county sheriff, I know firsthand how important gun ownership is. When someone lives in a remote part of the country, they can't afford to wait for a 20-minute law enforcement response time in the event of a home invasion. That person needs quick access to a firearm to defend themselves and their loved ones. And that is exactly what legal gun ownership is about, defending one's liberty from would- be attackers. Law-abiding gun owners are not the source of the problem with gun crimes across the country. It is criminals who have no regard for the law. Taking away or limiting a law-abiding citizen's access to legally purchasing a firearm will only hurt law-abiding citizens. We must protect the Second Amendment rights of all Americans. It is a foundational right of our Republic and must not be infringed. Republicans in the House must stand firm as the radical left continues their assault. If we lose the Second Amendment, all others will be in jeopardy. ``Shall not be infringed.'' It is that simple.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, after months of record taxpayer spending, the Biden administration has underperformed job growth expectations in back-to-back months. Inflation is higher than any point in more than a decade, and people across our country are still being paid to sit home and not work. When you pay people not to work and pump untold amounts of money into liberal special interests, you get a unique recipe for disaster. The Biden economic model is failing, and now the administration is fighting crises on two fronts, border and economic. The American people and small businesses across our country need real leadership that puts the American people first. We will not spend our way out of this Biden-made economic crisis. We will get out of it if we reduce regulations, lower taxes, and increase economic freedom. This model did work under President Trump, and it will work again if only the Biden administration and Democrats would put the American people first and not special interests.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, it is time to get the American people back to work. The vaccine has been available for all Americans for weeks. Cases across the country are drastically decreased, and businesses are opening back up. Thank God. Why, then, is the Federal Government still paying people not to work? Why, then, are we still considering multitrillion-dollar proposals when there is billions upon billions of previously appropriated COVID relief money that hasn't been touched? Inflation is higher than at any point in over a decade. Americans are paying more for goods they need to survive. Businesses that are open and want to expand their workforce can't find the employees willing to come to work because the government is paying them to stay home. And amidst all of this, the Biden administration is proposing tax increases on job creators. It doesn't take an economics Ph.D. to conclude that raising taxes on job creators amid record levels of inflation and this underperforming economy will lead to economic disaster. Small business owners in this country are trying to rebuild and get people back to work. Raising taxes on them will only hurt them and the Americans they want to hire. The Biden tax-and-spend model is failing our country. We need to get back to the free-market approach that we had under President Trump: Slashing regulation, reducing taxes, and increasing economic freedom. That is the light at the end of the Biden economic crisis tunnel. But to get there, we need Democrats to stop playing politics with the future of our country and work with the Republicans.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, as the American economy struggles to recover from COVID, the last thing we need is more wasteful spending on liberal priorities. Inflation is higher than it has ever been in over a decade, and businesses are struggling to get workers back to work because of the lavish handouts from our Federal Government. What our country needs is a pure investment in American infrastructure, one that would put people back to work and increase mobility for Americans; new roads, bridges, and pipelines built by Americans for Americans. Unfortunately, the Democrats have yet again decided to play politics with America's future. Rather than investing heavily in new roads, pipelines, and bridges, Democrats are using their infrastructure bill as a means to push radical left ideas on energy, leaving out oil and gas workers while funding goes toward achieving the Green New Deal. House Republicans have introduced our version of real American infrastructure. It is $460 billion versus the Democrats' $1 trillion plan. It includes investment in roads, bridges, and transit, water infrastructure, and broadband. It will help put Americans back to work and build a brighter future for America. That is what real American infrastructure is about, not pushing far- left policies to appease the base. If the Democrats ever get serious about wanting to build out America's infrastructure, Republicans are ready to work with them.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight some of the stated goals of the INVEST in America Act. The INVEST in America Act creates and sustains good-paying jobs, restores global competitiveness, tackles climate change, modernizes infrastructure, and spurs long-term economic growth. These are laudable goals that most if not all of us here support. However, Mr. Speaker, when you focus on the rail title, the INVEST in America Act misses on all of those marks and, in fact, has the potential to turn back the clocks on our envy-of-the-world freight rail system. Freight railroads provide excellent, high-paying jobs, with a Class 1 freight employee's compensation averaging $132,000 per year. On competitiveness, the freight rail industry met the demands of our Nation during the pandemic by never closing and continually moving the goods we needed to preserve public health. They did all of it, I might add, without asking for any bailout money. On the environment, freight railroads are also the most fuel- efficient way to move freight over land. On average, railroads move 1 ton of freight more than 480 miles on 1 gallon of fuel. On modern infrastructure, unlike the rest of our Nation's transportation system, our freight rail system receives the highest grade from the civil engineers for their infrastructure, a B. On economic opportunity, freight rail's economic impact in 2017 alone manifested itself in over 1.1 million jobs, $219 billion in economic output, $71 billion in wages, and nearly $26 billion in total tax revenues. The freight railroads can meet all of these goals because the railroads, not the American taxpayers, spend the $25 billion annually needed to improve and maintain their infrastructure. Private companies are simply better custodians of infrastructure networks than the Federal Government, and we should be utilizing that simple reality, not bemoaning it. While President Biden, Secretary Buttigieg, and Chairman DeFazio regularly profess their love for trains, the truth is that it only extends to the highly subsidized passenger version. The INVEST in America Act spends almost $100 billion on Amtrak. Amtrak ridership was already collapsing outside of the Northeast Corridor before COVID. Where passenger rail makes sense, private companies like Virgin Trains are building new passenger lines. The rail title couldn't include provisions to accelerate the deployment of new safety technologies on freight rail but ensures that French toast will be served on every Amtrak train. It does nothing to expand freight rail service by moving new and in-demand products like liquefied natural gas but will pay to roll empty Amtrak trains through new parts of the country. If Amtrak is so good and deserves an 850 percent funding increase from the previous rail title, I challenge everyone voting for the INVEST in America Act to use Amtrak instead of an airline the next time you need to head from your district to the Capitol. This rail title is too expensive, too damaging to the economy, and too partisan to pass. However, it is not too late to work together. I introduced an amendment to the Rules Committee to strike the entire rail title. The base text is simply too flawed to fix, and we must do better.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, more than 600,000 Americans have reportedly died from COVID-19; grandfathers, grandmothers, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. The true toll of this disease will never be fully understood; not only the loss of life, but the loss of the means to provide for one's family for those who survived, the mental anguish over the loss of a loved one, and the fear and uncertainty of the future. It is unfortunate that, despite all this suffering, COVID-19 has devolved into a partisan issue, each side bickering as to who is to blame. Despite that, science is not a partisan issue. The facts are this disease killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. It is one of the deadliest diseases to ever hit America. And, for good reason, many Americans want to know how it happened to ensure it never happens again. That should be a bipartisan pursuit. But, unfortunately, my colleagues across the aisle, led by Speaker Pelosi, have stonewalled our attempts to investigate the origins of COVID-19, and they have done so even in the face of mounting evidence and unanswered questions. There have been so many theories circulating as to how COVID-19 originated. Some in the scientific community say it was of natural origins, some say it was of manmade origins. Can we expect the American people to educate themselves on virology and the origins of COVID-19? No. What we can expect is they demand Congress do its job, investigate, and get to the bottom of exactly where this virus came from and how it was so devastating to America. What we know, based on evidence and research, is that this virus didn't have to be as deadly as it was. Attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to cover up and deceive delayed global readiness in preparing for the devastation of COVID-19. A 2020 report by the University of Southampton found if interventions in China would have been conducted 1 week earlier, cases could have been reduced by 66 percent; 2 weeks earlier, cases could have been reduced by 86 percent; and if interventions by China had been conducted 3 weeks earlier, cases could have been reduced by 95 percent. Mounting evidence continues to indicate the CCP intentionally hid information and lied about what it knew about the virus. Additionally, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom knowingly and willfully downplayed or outright denied the Chinese Communist Party's negligence, and, instead, chose to cower rather than stand up for the international community. I am as angry as any American over the avoidable loss of life, loss of livelihood, and loss of future due to the CCP's COVID-19 coverup. We must get to the bottom of how it started and how they deceived the rest of the globe, and that is exactly what Republicans have been working toward. House Republicans have introduced numerous measures to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for their malfeasance, only to be blocked by Democrats. This has not shaken our resolve. We will continue to do the people's business in the people's House. Holding China accountable requires transparency and justice. We need to declassify intelligence surrounding the origins of COVID-19. The American people have a right to know. We need to evaluate and defund any investments in gain of function research with the CCP or China. We need to reform the World Health Organization by advocating for new leadership and transparency. And we need to pursue visa and economic sanctions on members of the CCP and any others responsible for the COVID-19 coverup. We need to send a loud and clear message to the globe that America will hold those responsible for the COVID-19 coverup accountable. We must leave no doubt that if you lie to America and cause death of her people, there will be hell to pay.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, as a 30-year law enforcement veteran, the rhetoric and hatred I have seen toward law enforcement the past 12 months are, quite honestly, infuriating. Liberal cities across our country have defunded hundreds of millions from their police. Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, Austin, they all cut police budgets, and every single one of them is now experiencing skyrocketing crime. No surprise. Less police equal more crime, common sense that doesn't seem all too common in today's Democratic Party. Whatever happened to the Democratic Party of Bill Clinton? In 1994, Clinton added 100,000 law enforcement officers to the streets with the COPS grants. Today's Democratic Party is unrecognizable to that party. The socialist squad is the de facto leaders of the Democrats, and they are the driving force behind the defund the police movement. They would rather see 100,000 less police than 100,000 more. The Republican Party has never wavered in our steadfast support for our Nation's law enforcement. I hope to see the Democrats will one day embrace common sense and join us.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, it has been 57 days since Vice President Kamala Harris was named the point person on the border. She still has not visited. The entire Biden administration continues to distract from, deny, and downplay this public health, humanitarian, and national security crisis. Apprehensions in the month of April are up more than 100,000, higher than they were in January of this year. This has been ongoing for months, and the administration still has no plan. The Biden border crisis is costing American lives and billions in taxpayer dollars and is once again placing the responsibility of the Federal Government on individual States. When is enough enough? When will the Biden administration stop allowing criminal cartels to reap billions in profits from their inaction? When will the Biden administration stop failing to fulfill their constitutional mandate to keep the American people safe? It is anyone's best guess. But with Democrats controlling the House, the Senate, and the White House, the Biden border crisis has no end in sight.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, I stand here today after speaking with business owners across my district and the country. I have heard story after story of businesses struggling to get entry-level, minimum-wage workers back to work. Why is that? Because they are actually having to compete, not against COVID or lockdowns, but against the Federal Government to get employees back to work. In my home State of Texas, you can make up to $535 in unemployment insurance, but add in the additional $300 per week payments that came from Federal COVID relief, and that is $835 per week not to work. That equates to nearly $21 an hour. That is exactly why Texas and 20 other States have opted out of Federal COVID unemployment insurance benefits. But there are still States where business owners are being forced to compete against the Federal Government for employees. My own brother, Tyler, who owns a construction company in Wisconsin, told me business has picked up for him. What a blessing. Now, he is trying to hire additional employees to grow his business. He has just got one problem: Folks are telling him they are making more sitting at home at $17.50 an hour. They tell him if he wants them to work, he is going to have to pay them $25 an hour. Situations like my brother Tyler's were hardly an unexpected consequence of paying workers more not to work. So expected, it seems as though when Democrats failed to get their minimum wage hikes through the Senate in February, they used the Federal unemployment insurance program to accomplish the same result, albeit temporarily. While there are many who are still struggling from the effects of COVID, whether it be from health effects or the effects of lockdowns on their business, millions more are taking advantage of the unemployment insurance system and sitting at home playing Xbox instead of working and being productive members of society. On top of a labor shortage driven by the Federal Government paying people not to work, President Biden is proposing historic levels of spending and raising taxes on our job creators. His multi-trillion- dollar proposals, like his $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan and $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, will cost thousands of jobs through tax hikes amid an already struggling market. What message does raising the corporate tax rate send to job creators when they are trying to rebuild in the aftermath of the pandemic? It sure sounds like we are telling them to take their business overseas or hire less. To bounce back from the Biden administration's dismal job reports in April, which showed just 266,000 new jobs added, certainly underperforming the Dow Jones estimate of 1 million new jobs, we need to be stimulating economic opportunity and growth with less taxes and less regulation, which will create good-paying jobs that encourage people to get back in the workforce. What won't fix our struggling economy is throwing money at the problem, which seems to be all the Washington swamp knows how to do. The liberal tax-and-spend model is failing our economy and failing the American people. Gas prices are up, homes are more expensive, and the per pound cost of copper is more than double what it was just 12 months ago. We are not going to spend our way out of this mess with $1-trillion programs that do nothing but serve liberal special interests. We do it by letting the free market flourish through lower taxes, lower regulation, and more economic freedom. This model worked under President Trump, who delivered record lows in unemployment for Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and women, and it will work again, if only the Biden administration will put the American people first and not special interests.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, it is time to get Americans back to work. The vaccine is available for all. Cases are down across the country. Businesses have openings they need to fill. Using COVID as an excuse to stay home and collect unemployment insurance is not healthy for our economy or workers. We should be encouraging folks to take control of their lives and get back to work, but the multitrillion-dollar proposals out of the Biden administration and the continued COVID Federal unemployment insurance payments of $300 per week are encouraging folks to stay home. We just saw the Democrats and the Biden administration deliver 266,000 new jobs in the month of May, when the Dow Jones predicted 1 million jobs would be added. Why this incredible underachievement? Because the policies of the Democrats and the Biden administration are failing our economy, failing our business owners, and failing the American people. Gas prices are skyrocketing across the country. The per-pound cost of copper is more than double what it was just 12 months ago. And the price of homes is rising. The annual inflation rate is triple what it was in 2020 and the highest it has been in over a decade. These are the consequences of spending trillions of dollars on COVID relief and continuing to pay people not to work. The swamp continues to waste taxpayer dollars on failed policies they say we can fix by continuing to spend trillions more. When is enough enough? When are we going to let the free market flourish? That is the path back to our historic economy pre-COVID. The sooner we decide to get back to lower taxes, less regulation, and more economic freedom, the quicker we can get the American people back to work and the economy back to health.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, for months now, our country has witnessed the never-ending horrific images and stories coming from our southern border. We have seen young children thrown over a 14-foot fence like a rag doll. We have seen children wandering alone, abandoned in south Texas. We have seen thousands of children packed like sardines into holding facilities meant for 250. And we have seen countless horrific tales of young women sexually assaulted by coyotes on their trek up here. When I traveled to the southern border in March and again in May, I saw the Biden border crisis firsthand. I spoke to Border Patrol agents who said they are beyond spread thin trying to juggle securing the border with an inadequate number of agents, while simultaneously babysitting the unprecedented number of migrant children who continue to flood across our southern border daily. While they are busy babysitting, violent criminal aliens are slipping through undetected. These stories are indisputable. They are entirely based in fact and truth. But rather than recognize and address the reality of the situation, Democrats and the Biden administration are downplaying, distracting, and denying. They are downplaying the severity of this crisis by refusing to call it a crisis; saying, instead, it is a challenge. They are denying the crisis by refusing to visit the southern border in person. It has been 55 days since President Biden tapped Kamala Harris to be the lead on the border, and she still has not visited. And they are distracting from this crisis by talking about anything but the border. Love him or hate him, under President Trump, we finally had a leader willing to step up and fix the mess at our southern border, a mess our country has failed to deal with for decades, under both Republican and Democrat leadership. President Trump was the only President who truly took the necessary steps to not only stop the flow of illegal aliens across our borders, but to deter caravans from ever forming. He instituted commonsense policies, like the remain in Mexico policy, ending catch and release, and building a big, beautiful wall with beautiful gates because, as we all know, this isn't about legal immigration; it is about illegal immigration. We are a nation of laws and law and order, or at least we used to be. Ever since President Biden assumed control of the White House, there has been an outright refusal from his administration to put the American people first and address the growing crisis at our southern border. Their inaction will cost American lives, will cost billions of American taxpayer dollars, and will once again put the responsibility of the Federal Government on individual States. And I know. I saw it firsthand as a county sheriff for 8 years in Texas. I had to look victims of crime in the eyes after their loved one was killed or their homes were burglarized and tell these individuals: I am sorry for what happened to you, but we caught the guy. And I am sad to tell you that he has been deported four, five, six times. I had to tell this specifically to dozens of residents in my home county whose homes were burglarized by a burglary ring of illegal aliens from, yes, Honduras and Colombia, many of whom had been deported several times. In January 2020, I had to tell the son of an elderly Texas woman who was killed in a hit-and-run that the illegal alien who ran his mother over had been deported six times prior. How on Earth does anyone ever get deported more than one time from our country? It happens because the Federal Government is failing to secure the southern border. It is mind-boggling to me that the Democrat Party has accepted that American lives will be lost and billions of taxpayer dollars wasted so illegal aliens can flood into our country simply because their home country is corrupt or crippled. Economic hardship or struggle in your home country is not justification for breaking the law and skipping the line of millions of people patiently waiting to legally immigrate here. We are not the world's charity. We are not a nation of open borders. We are a nation of laws, and it is past time the current administration wakes the hell up and remembers that fact. But I won't hold my breath, and neither should the American people. Democrats have demonstrated right to our faces that they don't care about putting the American people first. Members of Congress and the American people need to speak up and speak out about the Biden border crisis and hold this administration's feet to the fire until they reverse course.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, tomorrow, May 15, is National Peace Officers Memorial Day, a day to honor and remember the more than 22,000 brave law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Having served in law enforcement for 30 years, I am proud to see so many of my colleagues recognizing the sacrifice of these brave officers this week. They certainly deserve it. But truly honoring their sacrifice means doing so every day, not just on May 15 and not just this week. That means giving law enforcement the tools necessary to keep our communities safe, pushing back against any and all attempts to demonize and diminish their service, and doing everything we can to reduce the attacks against law enforcement. Now more than ever, law enforcement across our country needs true Americans to boldly stand with them. That is what I am proud to do here today. And I ask every one of my colleagues and the American people to do so, as well.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, it is National Police Week. After serving in law enforcement for over 30 years, I can think of no better story to share today than the story of my family's more than 110 years of law enforcement service. It all started with my father, Edwin Nehls, who, after returning home from Korea as the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, began serving with the Dodge County Sheriff's Office in the State of Wisconsin. He served for over two decades, starting as a traffic deputy and eventually working his way to serving as the elected sheriff, a position he held for 8 years. My older brother Todd Nehls served in the Dodge County Sheriff's Office for 34 years, serving more than 10 of those years as the elected sheriff. And my identical twin brother, Trever Nehls, served in law enforcement for over 30 years in Fort Bend County, Texas, starting in the early 1990s. He just retired in March of this year after a successful career. I could not be more proud of my father and brothers' service.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, as a 30-year law enforcement veteran, I have seen the very best of our law enforcement officers, brave men and women who put their lives on the line each and every day to protect and serve our communities. I have seen law enforcement officers jump into flood waters to save a pet, run into a fiery crash to save an unconscious victim, resuscitate and save the life of a criminal who had just tried to shoot and kill them. I have also seen the dangers of serving in law enforcement. Hundreds of law enforcement officers are killed every year in the line of duty across our country. In 2021, 394 names of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, right here in Washington, D.C., and 59 of those brave men and women were from my home State of Texas. How many people in this Chamber or watching at home can name any of the officers who died in the line of duty this year? I would say a very small percentage, if any at all. But how many know the name of George Floyd or Freddie Gray or Breonna Taylor? I would say the vast majority. What does that say about our media? What does it say about our culture? I think it is a testament to just how divided our country is today, a time where some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle actually believe defunding or abolishing the police is a good idea. My friends, it is not rocket science to conclude that the society, our society is built on rule of law and it requires law enforcement. Rather than recognize the bravery and service of the over 800,000 law enforcement officers in this country who do their job honorably, the far left has sought to demonize and defund our law enforcement, based off the actions of a few--a few--who have failed to uphold their oath. Their hateful rhetoric has led to violence and destruction in cities across our country. We saw it in Seattle, Minneapolis, Portland. City blocks burned, businesses destroyed, and lives ruined forever. When faced with this violence in the streets, the far left doubled down on their hateful anti-law enforcement rhetoric and encouraged even more destruction. It may come as a surprise to many, but there are over 10 million-- yes, 10 million--arrests in our country every year. Most Americans never hear a word about the millions of arrests that happen without incident. And why is that? Because it doesn't sell headlines. It doesn't sell headlines, and it doesn't fit the left's narrative. Darian Jarrott of New Mexico, Chris Ward of North Carolina, James Smith of Iowa, and Chad Walker from the great State of Texas. Know their names? I am sure you don't, because their death didn't fit the left's narrative or sell headlines. All four of them were murdered in the line of duty for just trying to protect their communities. Are their years of service or sacrifice not worthy of remembrance or recognition? The media doesn't seem to think so. But the Republican Party, we stand with law enforcement. We support law enforcement. We celebrate law enforcement. We are the party of law enforcement. That is why I am proud to stand here today as a 30-year law enforcement veteran during National Police Week to say to all my brothers and sisters in blue, we have got your back.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Back the Blue Act, the Serve and Protect Act, and the Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Law Enforcement Protection Act. Mr. Speaker, all of these are necessary and commonsense protections for our brave law enforcement officers. The hateful anti-law-enforcement rhetoric over the past 12 months has led to violence and division in Democrat-controlled cities across our country. We saw it in Seattle, Minneapolis, and Portland, city blocks burned, businesses destroyed, lives ruined. Our local, State, and Federal law enforcement officers have been subjected to violence like we have never seen in this country, ambush shootings taking officers' lives, violent riots, police precincts burned to the ground--yes, burned to the ground. Now more than ever, we need to send a loud and clear message to would-be criminals targeting our brave law enforcement officers: If you attack or harm law enforcement in any way, you will pay. We back the blue in this country. To the radicals chanting to defund and abolish law enforcement, who are you going to call if an armed criminal breaks into your home? It is certainly not going to be a social worker. We are a nation of laws and law and order. Without law enforcement, our country would cease to exist. Keep that in mind when you hear anti- law-enforcement zealots chanting to abolish police. What they are really advocating for is abolishing the United States of America. The hatred, vitriol, and violence against law enforcement have to stop. We need to stand and support our law enforcement officers. That is why I urge my colleagues to support the Back the Blue Act, the Serve and Protect Act, and the Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Law Enforcement Protection Act.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, as a 30-year law enforcement veteran, the rhetoric and hatred I have seen towards police these last 12 months is disgusting. Rather than recognize the over 800,000 law enforcement officers in this country who do their job honorably each and every day, the far left has sought to demonize and defund our law enforcement based off the actions of the few--the few who fail to uphold their oaths. Every year in our country, there are more than 10 million arrests. Most Americans never hear a word about the millions of arrests that happen without incident. Why is that? Because it doesn't sell headlines. It doesn't fit the anti-law enforcement narrative. The hateful anti-law enforcement rhetoric has led to violence and destruction in cities across our country. We see it in Seattle, Minneapolis, Portland--city blocks burned, businesses destroyed, and lives ruined forever. But we are not here today to focus on the anti- law enforcement zealots. This is National Police Week. We are here today to honor the 22,000 brave law enforcement officers who have given the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. In 2021, the names of 394 officers killed in the line of duty were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. Fifty-nine of those brave men and women were from my home State of Texas. One of them, I knew. Fort Bend County Precinct 4 Constable Deputy Caleb Rule of Needville, Texas, tragically lost his life in a friendly fire incident involving one of my own sheriff's deputies on May 29, 2020. It is a day I will never forget. Caleb is survived by his wife, Eden; and four children, Annie, Rosalan, Mark and Lizzie. May God bless them. It is stories like Caleb's and the hundreds of other brave law enforcement officers who sacrifice their lives in the line of duty every year, who remind us just how dangerous serving in law enforcement is. The focus not only this week but every week should be on their bravery, service, and sacrifice. They damn well deserve our respect and support today and every day.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, for weeks now our country has witnessed the never-ending horrific images and stories from our southern border. We have heard from Border Patrol that they don't have enough agents to secure the southern border and babysit--yes, babysit--the tens of thousands of migrant children flooding across our southern border. As a result, criminal illegal aliens are slipping through undetected. We are a nation of laws and law and order, or at least we used to be. Ever since this current administration assumed control of the White House, there has been an outright refusal--yes, refusal--to put the American people first and address the crisis at our southern border. The administration's inactions will cost American lives, will cost billions of taxpayer dollars, and once again put the responsibility of the Federal Government on individual States. I know this. I dealt with it firsthand as a sheriff in Fort Bend County, Texas. I had to tell dozens of residents in my home county whose homes were burglarized by a ring of illegal aliens from Honduras and Colombia that many of the illegal aliens had been deported multiple times. In January of 2020, in my office, I had to sit and tell a son whose mother was killed in a hit and run that the illegal alien that ran his mother over had been deported six--yes, six--times prior. That fellow right there. Madam Speaker, enough is enough. End this crisis. Put the American people first and secure our southern border.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act, to get our kids out from behind screens and back in the classroom.