Troy Nehls

Mr. NEHLS

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

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber) as cosponsor of H.R. 1761.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, let's be clear. We are here today because Joe Biden opened his mouth. When Joe Biden took office, he had to do nothing. He had to do nothing to secure our southern border. All he had to do was keep President Trump's policies in place. Instead, he halted the construction of the Trump border wall and left over 150 miles of planned border wall unbuilt. As I stand here today, materials are lying at our border, they are lying on the ground, and they are rusting in the sun as hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens wait to flood into our country. To date, Mr. Speaker, over 5 million illegal aliens have invaded our border, and an additional 1.5 million of them, the bad hombres, have evaded capture since Joe Biden took over. This historic legislation restores Trump-era immigration policies that prioritize the safety of the American people, take away the incentives that the Biden administration created to encourage illegal aliens to enter our country, defend our brave Border Patrol agents, and, of course, reform the asylum process. H.R. 2 criminalizes those who overstay their visas, stops the abuse of parole authority to bypass immigration law, and helps employers to ensure that the workers they are hiring are legal and authorized to work in the United States. It is past time we restored law and order at our southern border. We cannot continue to allow illegal aliens to infiltrate our country, kill American citizens, rob hardworking Americans of healthcare and other services, increase housing costs, crowd our Nation's public schools, and create a country filled with chaos. Mr. Speaker, if you think the homeless problem is bad now, just wait. The Biden administration has failed to prioritize the safety of our country, our families, our livelihoods, and our children's future. House Republicans are committed to securing the border and ending the national security crisis that the Joe Biden administration has created and ignored. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this legislation. Let's take back control of our southern border and restore the rule of law.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize the great Tom Reid, who was recently honored with a post office in my district. Mayor Reid has led a life of service to Pearland, the great state of Texas, and this country. Tom has an impressive resume. He served in the United States Navy during World War II and worked for NASA's Johnson Space Center. He also served as the Mayor of Pearland for nearly four decades. Spending more than 50 years in government, Tom served on the City Council and municipal boards. As one of the longest-serving elected city officials in the area, he was Mayor from 1978 through 1990. In 1993, he successfully ran for re-election and held the position until his recent retirement in 2020. During his time as Mayor, Tom ensured the city of Pearland had the infrastructure it needed. Without the passion, grit, and determination that Tom embodies, Pearland would not be where it is today. There's no doubt that the legacy of Mayor Reid will live on in the city of Pearland for years to come. I am honored to recognize the dedication of a post office in recognition of his selfless service. I thank Mr. Reid for his heartfelt contributions to the great city of Pearland. May his service inspire others to do the same for future generations to come.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Clerk, I rise to nominate Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Kevin McCarthy has been our leader for the past 4 years and has overwhelming support within this Conference. My intent today is to address the American people who have been watching these proceedings and are concerned about what they have seen in this Chamber over the past 2 days. I am a Member of the House Freedom Caucus, and I am proud to say so. I believe the 20 Members that have nominated an alternate candidate have expressed their concerns with leadership, and many of those concerns have been addressed and accepted by Leader McCarthy and this Conference. I believe this battle we are waging must end. Kevin McCarthy fully understands that being Speaker of the House will not be easy. Kevin is aware that any legislation he would like to pass out of this House will require support and enforcement from the Freedom Caucus. This is where I believe we can hold the Speaker accountable. Kevin has made changes to the House rules at the request of all Members. One of those rule changes was the motion to vacate the chair, which Nancy Pelosi removed 4 years ago to avoid the scrutiny and the accountability. The motion to vacate the chair, which has not been offered for a floor vote in over 100 years, calls for the removal of the Speaker of the House. Kevin has reinstated the motion to vacate the chair, which I believe was the right thing to do. This motion allows us, the Republican Conference, to hold the Speaker accountable. The American people gave us, my friends, us, the Republicans, the majority, and their vote of confidence to change the direction of our country. The American people are begging for leadership because the Biden administration certainly has not placed the American people first. Kevin McCarthy understands. He understands he must protect that Speaker's gavel and abide by the will of the American people. The decisions we make in the 118th Congress are critical to the future of our country. The decisions we make, the legislation we pass as a Republican majority must have the support of the American people. We have a crisis on every corner in America, and the American people are expecting Republicans to bring this much-needed change. We must come together today and implement that change. To those of you outside of Washington that are watching, Kevin McCarthy and this Republican majority understand your pain. We understand your pain. We feel it. We understand we must secure our southern border. We must unleash our energy sector and become energy independent. We must curb inflation by reducing spending, and we must support our law enforcement officers. We have to get crime under control. We must place America and its people first. I say to my friends on the Republican side that we can do all this while holding the Biden administration accountable and the Washington bureaucrats who have infringed and abused the rights of the American people and their families long enough. Under Speaker McCarthy they will be held accountable. They will be held accountable. Today, let's do what is in the best interests of the American people. Let's get to work. Let's elect Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Madam Clerk, at the direction of the Republican Conference, I advance the name of Kevin McCarthy as the next Speaker of the House for the 118th Congress.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, I am honored to celebrate and recognize the extraordinary work of my Deputy Chief of Staff and National Security Advisor, Kevin Countie. Kevin has proven to be a true American patriot and devoted public servant through his 32-plus years of active. reserve, and national guard service, 20 years of service with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and having served the people of TX-22 for the last two years. Having achieved the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Army, Kevin served across various units including Long Range Surveillance, Aviation, Signal, Airborne Infantry, Civil Affairs, and Information Operations. He also supported the Pentagon and the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence with several top-secret security programs and served a tour in Baghdad, Iraq. With the DEA, he spearheaded the first detailed area survey of Austin's illicit drug trade by collaborating with local, state, and other federal law enforcement partners, successfully resulting in an in-depth assessment disseminated to partner agencies to further mitigate illegal drug trade activity. In my congressional office, Kevin was a trusted advisor who brought his wealth of experience and a commitment to excellence to every task he worked on. While Kevin prepares for the next steps in his career, it is my honor to recognize the selfless service of my friend, Kevin Countie. On behalf of Texas' 22nd Congressional District, I thank him for his service and wish him the very best.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize a young man from Houston, Texas, who, as long as he can remember, wanted to be a police officer. DJ Daniel was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and spine cancer when he was just 8 years old and has undergone 11 brain surgeries. He has spent half of his life battling cancer. I cannot think of a braver young man than DJ. Given 5 months to live, he made it his mission to be sworn in by 100 law enforcement agencies. Here it is, 3 years later, and he has been sworn in by 743 police departments across the country. DJ has made a tremendous impact on many across the Nation and is a shining example of what makes Texas so great. Anyone who has followed DJ's story will be the first to say how he embodies the qualities we look for in law enforcement. Strength, courage, resilience, and selflessness are all traits I have heard describing DJ. May God bless him and his family.

Mr. NEHLS

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

Mr. NEHLS

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

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a true musical prodigy with the kind of gift that many of us may only come across once in a lifetime, my constituent Tayte Choudhury. At only 17 years old, Tayte is internationally recognized for his outstanding ability in piano. He is a first-place winner of the American Protege award and is performing a winning piece at the world- renowned Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 26. Despite a physical disability that left him 70 percent deaf in both ears, Tayte has achieved great success in both music and scholastics. I was sent a video of Tayte playing this week and was completely blown away to be hearing and seeing such talent that can only be handed down by God himself. But the thing about talent like that is that it is meaningless without hard work, sacrifice, resilience, and an entire village to get you where you need to go. From myself and all of Texas 22, we are extremely proud of you, Tayte, and can't way to see how high you fly.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, Representatives Perry and Biggs speaking the truth here today. Madam Speaker, listen to these words: ``Sense of desperation and disappointment may lead to more of an incentive to become violent. Congress itself is the target. There has been a worrisome call for protestors to come to these events armed, and there is a possibility that protestors may be inclined to become violent. Propensity to attract white supremacists, militia members, and others who actively promote violence may lead to a significantly dangerous situation for law enforcement and the general public alike.'' These words are taken directly from the intelligence assessment on January 3. So why didn't they request the National Guard? Why were the Capitol Police so ill-prepared? A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to question then-D.C. National Guard Commander, General Walker. Now he is the House Sergeant at Arms. I asked General Walker, I said, ``General, if the National Guard would have been on our Nation's Capitol on January 4 as the intelligence called for, would January 6 have ever happened?'' And he said no. And I agree, General, I agree. Capitol Police leadership had the intelligence days and weeks in advance and did nothing with it. They let it happen, folks. The Capitol Police leadership team failed, and this sham committee continues to give them a pass. These hearings are clearly not about finding the truth. They are a sad attempt to put the blame on Donald Trump. This committee--make no mistake--this committee doesn't want to see Donald Trump as the Republican nominee in 2024 because they can't beat him. Never in the history of Congress has the majority party used their power to smear, destroy, and intimidate the minority party ahead of an election so brazenly on a public stage. They know they can't win elections fairly, so they will use every dirty trick in the book and try to cheat their way to a win. But the American people know better. They can see through this political theater and their voices will be heard at the polls in November of this year and in 2024.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, Hurricane Harvey exposed how unprepared our infrastructure and flood mitigation efforts were for one of the most strategically important regions in the Nation. Aside from the emotional and psychological toll Harvey inflicted on my community, it is estimated that Harvey cost $125 billion in damages. Instead of continually spending money on the back end of tragedies that experts agree cost infinitely more, I am proud the Federal Government is authorizing investments in flood mitigation and prevention that will help deter another Harvey-like scenario. I am also pleased that language in section 325 authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance related to non-Federal interests and the removal of sediment obstructing inflow channels to Addicks and Barker Reservoirs. In addition to the statutory changes for sediment removal, I am proud to support the authorization of $19.2 billion for the Texas coastal protection and restoration project. The Port of Houston is home to the largest petrochemical manufacturing complex in the Americas; 42 percent of the specialty chemical feedstocks, 27 percent of the gas, and 60 percent of the jet aviation fuel are all produced in the region. It is good to see government working for the people.

Mr. NEHLS

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

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding member of my staff, Senior Legislative Assistant Jay Campbell, as he prepares to leave my office and Capitol Hill to pursue a new career path. Jay is one of the most genuine and loyal people I have met during my time in Washington. Through his hard work, dedication, and his passion for identifying legislative solutions, Jay embodies what it means to be a public servant. Amongst his colleagues Jay is respected as a knowledgeable and effective Transportation and Infrastructure policy wonk. I could not have asked for a better Transportation and Infrastructure advisor for my first year in Congress. I will certainly miss his intellectual insight to help solve the problems facing the people of TX-22. While Jay's career on the Hill has come to a pause, I know he will have immense success in all of his future endeavors. I want to wish Jay the best of luck in his new career. While he may no longer be on staff in my office, Jay will always be a member of the Team Nehls family.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Congressman for all of Alaska, the 45th Dean of the House, and my mentor and friend-- Representative Don Young. Don was a soldier, a riverboat captain, and a teacher--but his true calling was serving and representing the good people of Alaska. Throughout his 49 years in Congress, he was an icon and mentor to countless Members. When I first arrived here, Don was one of the first Members I met. In the short time I had with him, he taught me so much about the House and about being a true servant. Don's love of his family and the people of Alaska was rivaled only by his love of the land itself. He took countless members and staff to his beloved state to show them the pristine natural wonder of his state. This summer he was going to take me on a working trip to Alaska--and one of my great regrets in this body will forever be never getting to go with him. Rest in peace, my friend.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to the distinguished and exceptional career of my friend, Command Sergeant Major John F. Sampa, the retiring Command Sergeant Major of the Army National Guard. It is one of my greatest honors and privilege to have served with then-Sergeant John Sampa when I was a lieutenant with Bravo Company 4th Battalion 112th Armor, in Rosenberg, Texas. He mentored and advised countless soldiers and airmen throughout his career. His rise to the highest enlisted rank in the National Guard was not by chance. Command Sergeant Major Sampa is an extremely talented and competent noncommissioned officer who led by example, outworked his peers, and always took care of his troops. Along with the citizens from the great State of Texas, and the Army National Guard soldiers throughout the country, I wish Command Sergeant Major John Sampa a well-deserved retirement. He has served his neighbors, State, and country well. I wish John, his wife Carlette; son, John; and daughter, Julia, all the best in their future endeavors.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, there is nothing bipartisan about this bill. Speaker Pelosi made it clear: Whatever far left socialist priorities didn't make it into this bill would be taken care of in reconciliation. That is what we are really here to do today. The total price tag of this infrastructure bill plus reconciliation is $4.7 trillion. American people, listen: 4.7, t, trillion dollars. It is difficult to visualize a number so mind-bogglingly wasteful. If we started stacking $4.7 trillion bills one on top of each other, that stack would be 317,971 miles tall. That is enough to go to the Moon and a third of the way back. This is beyond wasteful. It is disgusting, irresponsible, and unnecessary. The bill would put our national debt over $30 trillion. When is enough enough? This is saddling our children and grandchildren with debt that literally goes to the Moon.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this amendment. If passed, this amendment would greatly restrict law enforcement officer agencies throughout the country from obtaining lifesaving surplus military equipment like the OH-58 helicopter, and utility trucks, like the Humvee. When I was sheriff of Fort Bend County, Texas, if I had to comply with this amendment, it would have limited my ability to save lives. The 1033 program allowed me to obtain two surplus Army OH-58 helicopters saving county taxpayers thousands of dollars. They were free. Additionally, the program provided replacement parts to keep them flying at no cost. After taking possession, we equipped them with lifesaving equipment and painted them with our department colors so everyone could see who was flying the helicopter. The idea of saying we are militarizing our police departments, this is what the OH-58 looked like. This is me in Kentucky picking it up. Six weeks later, this is what they looked like. Does that look like a military helicopter? Absolutely not. So that argument holds no water. In addition, county, city councils, and commissioners court must approve that equipment. It is not a rogue police chief; you must approve the equipment. On several occasions, my department responded to silver alerts where senior adults were missing and couldn't be found. We deployed our helicopters to help search for them, and we were successful in many cases. And sadly, sir, some we were too late. During Hurricane Harvey and other events, we used Humvees received out of Fort Hood to rescue hundreds of families stranded in high water. The typical law enforcement vehicle doesn't have the ability to forge through this high water where Humvees can, even up to 5 feet, and I have the pictures to prove it. If the amendment passes, folks, you will be restricting law enforcement agencies from receiving this lifesaving equipment. I know the benefits of the program, because I participated in it. It works, and I respectfully ask Members to reject this amendment.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of rock and roll hall of famer and ZZ Top member Dusty Hill. Dusty was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and began playing bass at the age of 13. He didn't take the conventional route of bass players who usually start as guitarists and transition, instead he was a vocalist and picked up a bass one day and started playing. Embarrassment on stage was a ``great motivator'' for Dusty and he soon mastered the bass. From 1966 to 1968, Dusty played with fellow future ZZ Top bandmate Frank Beard in the Dallas based band American Blues. In 1970, wanting to focus more on rock and roll and less on blues, Dusty moved to Houston and joined ZZ Top with Frank Beard and Billy Gibbons. The trio performed their first concert together just outside of my district at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Beaumont, Texas on February 10, 1970. The trio of Frank Beard, Billy Gibbons, and Dusty Hill would stay together for the next 50 years. The group produced their first charting single Francine in 1972 and again found success in 1973 with the release of a top 10 Billboard 200 album Tres Hombres. In 1975, Dusty sang lead on one of the band's most popular hits ``Tush'', before releasing their next album Tejas in 1976. Over the next two years, ZZ Top continued to tour and perform before Dusty took a two year hiatus to work at the DFW airport saying ``I did not want other people to think I thought I was full of myself, but the main thing is I didn't want to start feeling full of myself. So, I did it to ground myself.''--a mindset many members in this very Chamber could benefit from. During this 2-year downtime is when Dusty and his band mate Billy Gibbons grew their trademark long beards. When Dusty, Billy, and Frank remerged together in 1979, the band found success with their album Deguello, which went platinum and had another one of their hits ``Cheap Sunglasses''. But it wasn't until 1983 that ZZ Top really hit it big with their album Eliminator which introduced us to classic rock hits ``Gimme All Your Lovin'' and ``Sharp Dressed Man'' which remain staples on classic rock radio to this day. Over the next three decades, the band stuck together touring all across Texas and the world, entertaining tens of millions of fans. They continued to find success playing together until Dusty's passing just three days ago. I know Dusty is missed greatly, but his music and personality will live on forever as a staple of Texas and Rock and Roll history.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and ZZ Top member, Dusty Hill. Dusty was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, and began playing bass at the age of 13. Embarrassment on stage was a great motivator for Dusty, and he soon mastered the bass. From 1966 to 1968, Dusty played with his brother, Rocky Hill, and future ZZ Top bandmate, Frank Beard, in the Dallas-based band, American Blues. In 1970, wanting to focus more on rock and roll and less on blues, Dusty moved to Houston and joined ZZ Top with Frank Beard and Billy Gibbons. The trio performed their first concert together just outside of my district at the Knights of Columbus in Beaumont, Texas, on February 10, 1970. The trio would stay together for the next 50 years, releasing numerous hits and entertaining tens of millions of fans across the world. I know Dusty is missed greatly. And, Frank, I know you are watching. I spoke to Debbie this morning. But Dusty will live on together as a staple of Texas and in rock and roll history.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, crime is up across the country. Cities that defunded their police are now facing the consequences. Police chiefs have gone on national TV to literally beg for more support and assistance. What started as a far-left political slogan ended up impacting real-world policy in numerous Democrat-run cities. Now, crime is surging across America. Just the other day, there was a brazen shootout a mile away from the White House. The facts and the numbers do not lie. This is President Biden's crime crisis. Rather than face the radical elements of their own party, the Democrats are deflecting responsibility. Defunding the police means less law enforcement officers on the streets, less crimes getting solved, and less criminals getting arrested. The only people who benefit from defunded police are the criminals themselves. We are a nation of laws and law and order. We owe it to the American people to do what we can to keep them safe, even if the Biden administration won't.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, 1 week ago today, Speaker Pelosi made history. For the first time in more than 230 years of the United States House of Representatives, the Speaker of the House rejected the minority party's picks for a select committee. This House has seen partisan fights. This House has seen turmoil. This House has seen deep division. But never in the history of its existence has it seen a Speaker reject the minority's picks for a select committee until Speaker Pelosi. Her historic move cemented the January 6th Select Committee as completely partisan from top to bottom. Every committee member was handpicked by Speaker Pelosi for a specific purpose. And we know what that purpose is: to push her narrative and her agenda. Despite Speaker Pelosi's attempts to obstruct the truth, Republicans will continue our own investigation and follow the facts where they take us because we owe it to the American people to ensure this never happens again.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Mr. Speaker, it is nearly August, a full 7 months since the Biden administration assumed control of the White House, and still there is no end in sight for the Biden border crisis. It has been a month since Biden border czar, Kamala Harris, hopped off of her jet for 90 minutes for a photo shoot near the border, which she dubbed as a southern border visit, and still nothing has changed. March was the highest month on record for illegal crossings until April. April was the highest month on record for illegal crossings until May. May was the highest month on record for illegal crossings until June. And we are on pace to set another record in July. How many records must be broken, crimes committed, victims trafficked before the Biden administration wakes up to the roaring crisis at our southern border? The American people are sick and tired of the talk. They are sick and tired of excuses. They are sick and tired of the political games. Enough is enough. Secure the southern border.

Mr. NEHLS

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Mr. NEHLS. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser).