Ralph Norman

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, let me tell you the dollar amount spent for the past 5 years--$15 million. That is $15 million for surgery for a man who can't decide whether he is a man, or a girl who can't decide whether she is a girl. Imagine that. You tell those families that have children with Down syndrome, you tell those families that have severely autistic children you are going to spend it for changing genders? I don't mind somebody questioning their gender but pay for it yourself when you have to have it, not on the backs of our brave military families. In the past 5 years, $15 million was spent to treat 1,892 transgender troops. Well, isn't that something? You want somebody who is trying to decide if they are a man or a woman on the firing line? Is that really a question to decide in the military? There was $11.5 million spent on psychotherapy and $3.1 million for surgeries. The price tag for individuals getting this surgery and treatments after have ranged from $8,000 to $100,000. Related healthcare coverage is only going up. My point is, I think, to make this argument, particularly with dollars that could be spent helping meaningful children who have disabilities should be made. To spend this money that we don't have just really spits in the face of our military families. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, I will just say that it is this kind of thinking that has the military in a demoralized state. It is this kind of thinking, this kind of rationalization of our hard-earned tax money that has the military recruitment numbers way down. It is this kind of woke thinking that is penalizing families that want to serve this country, families who have children with these disabilities who need the care that they would deprive them of because they want to fund somebody who doesn't know what gender they are. It is this kind of thinking that America is sick and tired of. Ask any military family, and they will tell you the same thing. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NORMAN

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

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

Mr. NORMAN. Madam Chair, my amendment reduces the salary of Blas Nunez-Neto, assistant secretary for border and immigration policy, to $1. He has worked at DHS since 2021. He served as an assistant secretary for border and immigration policy. The reason to implement the Holman rule to reduce his salary is dereliction of duty to uphold the mission of DHS, to safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values. The border and our homeland have become less secure in his capacity of border policy at DHS. Considering these facts of the crisis and invasion at our border, we think this individual is inadequately doing his job. Why should our tax dollars continue to pay him? Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NORMAN. Madam Chair, my amendment reduces the salary of Kristie Canegallo, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, to $1. A little background on who she is: She has served as Chief of Staff at DHS since January 2022. She recently took on the role of Deputy Secretary in July of this year. Her job is to oversee the agency and work to advance the Department's mission and organizational priorities. Her salary in 2022 was $183,100. As stated, her job is to oversee and enforce the mission of DHS, which is to safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values. Dereliction of duty, as this is simply not the case. She is the number two individual at DHS. Her job is to assist the priorities of Mayorkas in securing our homeland, our values, and our people. She has simply been asleep at the switch and has not done the job. Our homeland is less secure now than it was when she came into this role. In her first year in her role at DHS, over 2.76 million illegal individuals crossed the border. These were just the ones that they came in contact with. In addition, 1.4 million individuals have been encountered, according to DHS, since January 1 of 2023. We are witnessing an invasion of our homeland before our very eyes, and my Democratic colleagues are acting like it is a normal Wednesday with business as usual. Is this effective leadership? No, it is not. This is a crisis in this country. This is an invasion. It is against our Constitution. It is against our core values that this country was built on. Thus, that is the reason I am asking to cut the salary to $1, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NORMAN. Madam Chair, as we look at the challenges this country faces, we look at the reasons why our border is unsecure, why our national security is at risk, and it is because of the inaction of people in prominent roles such as Ms. Canegallo. The only reason that she is in the job is for political reasons, which is to keep the power of the Democratic Party. These illegals are getting drivers' licenses, they are getting Social Security numbers, and it is completely against everything that this country stands for. For that reason, I hope Members will support this. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NORMAN. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NORMAN. Madam Chair, this amendment reduces the salary of Kimberly O'Connor, executive secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, to $1. Her role is executive secretary of DHS where she oversees the management of written communication intended for and originated by the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary of DHS. Why should we implement the Holman rule regarding her salary? She cosigned a letter led by the House Oversight Committee from November 2, 2022, to Secretary Mayorkas about the abject failures at the southern border. In her letter it was stated that: We have written DHS 15 times this Congress to conduct oversight over the border crisis. Again, we request documents and information to understand the Biden administration's plans, if any, to secure the border. Her role is to manage written correspondence for Mayorkas. She can't bother to do her job and give timely and adequate responses about the abject failures at the border, so why do our tax dollars deserve to go to pay her salary? She continues to not give the committee and Members answers to their questions. Failure to get us answers from DHS on the border is unacceptable, and it is creating a crisis at the border. Madam Chair, I urge the cutting of her salary, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NORMAN. Madam Chair, I urge that her salary be cut, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Madam Speaker, it is interesting here, my colleagues on the other side saying, shutdown, shutdown, shutdown; that is all you hear. What about the shutdown that occurred for the COVID virus for over a year and a half? What about the shutdown that kept children out of school for over a year and a half? It is outrageous that here we are on this floor trying to pass legislation to cut spending to put money back in the pockets of the taxpayers. Folks, we are in an economic crisis. We are in a national security crisis. The fact is my colleagues are continually against a shutdown, which is never good, but in this case, we are fighting for the American people. As Representative Roy mentioned with Homeland Security, go to the border. Go to the border and see what is happening there. See the rape trees. See the people coming across this border that now number in excess of the 5.2 million from my State of South Carolina. Think about the medical crisis. We don't know what they are coming with. Think about the hundreds of programs that they are automatically going to be enrolled in. Think about the Social Security numbers and the driver's licenses that are given to illegals that occurred in New York City. Think about the flights paid for by taxpayers' money to go all over this country illegally. It is un-American, it is an invasion, and my good friends on the other side of the aisle will pay a price as they are being booed in different parts of the country because of leaving this border open, leaving this country unsecure. We have never faced this kind of crisis that we face right now just on that issue alone. On the spending issue, I would like for those listening today to realize it boils back to our $32 trillion, $20,000 per second it is costing the taxpayers. They don't want to cut anything. They want to go on with a bloated Federal Government and continue spending as we have done before. We are saying no. I am proud of my colleagues. We will sit up here and fight if it takes all night long. It is a sad day that we are arguing over things that should be common sense. It is un-American what they are trying to do. Now, the four appropriations bills, the Homeland Security bill, tying H.R. 2 to it, is exactly the right thing. My good friends on the other side of the aisle talk about reduced funding. They are not enforcing anything. Mayorkas is not enforcing anything. Why pay him? All this does is say: Unless you enforce the border and include it, we are not paying Mayorkas a dime for homeland security. Look at the Department of Defense. Look at the cuts, yet the increases overall which we have given our Department of Defense. The FDA, we have made some legitimate cuts on the FDA on some things that should have been.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Good for calling the Special Order. Folks, for those listening, we are at a pivotal point in the history of America. I have never felt the weight as I do now to save the Republic that I grew up in, to save the opportunity to realize your God-given talent, and to realize the goals and aspirations that each individual has. Folks, I feel like it is under threat, and I know it is under threat since I was first elected in Congress in 2017. We can all talk about what we are going to do and what we want to do. Folks, we are at a pivotal time. We have to do what it takes to save this Republic. As Congressman Good said, basically, the debt is rampant. What is happening to this country at every level is, in one word, evil. I can't think of any other word to describe what we are going through in America that is evil that threatens the democracy that we have known for 240 years. Now, what do I mean by what is evil about what is going on? What is different now than years ago? Let me ask each one of you watching: When have you ever seen a country that basically has no borders? When have you ever seen a country that is letting everybody from every country in--no checks, no balances, come in and enjoy the fruits of this great Republic? When have you ever seen the lawlessness that is taking place in America? When have you ever seen the criminals being basically protected over the victims that they have victimized? When have you seen that? When have you seen Americans scared to use their voice and to express their outrage? As Congressman Good has mentioned, when have you ever seen, and I think the last date I heard was 2008, when there has been a steady decline in the take-home pay of Americans. When have you ever seen our school system under attack? When have you ever seen young children who are being surgically--I am trying to think of the word to use.

Mr. NORMAN. Surgically destroyed, as you see today, for the sake of a dollar by a medical professional. When have you ever seen a sitting leader of the free world, a sitting President, give $9 billion to a country that will blow us up every day of the week? When have you seen that? I don't think we have. Folks, I have gone over just a few things that are different than it was yesterday. It is: Wake up, America. Wake up to what we are facing. I was just having a conversation with Congressman Higgins on what we face now. We are up here. We got here Tuesday, yesterday. We will leave tomorrow. We do not have a budget. We do not have a top line on the 12 appropriations bills. What do we have? You tell me. I am a sitting Member of Congress. I don't know. All I do know is I am not willing to spend this country into oblivion and continue to support what has been going on by this administration. I am simply not willing to do it. I am not willing to give more money to an executive office that is promoting lawlessness in this country. South Carolina has 5.2 million people. We have exceeded that on the illegals that are coming into this country. They are going to different cities all over this country, and I guess the ones that are at the forefront are in New York City. When I heard Eric Adams talk about the crisis they are in, where was he when he declared New York City a sanctuary city? Where was he when he said, how are we going to pay for this? Where was he when he told the school districts that have been overrun by illegals that are taking the place of people who have been in America who have paid taxes and who have contributed to our economic system? Where was he? Now, he is complaining he wants a bailout. That is all to say it is our time to shine. It is dependent on each one of us to answer the call. Now, how do we do that? Well, we insist on fiscal sanity. Economic security is national security, and we have to insist now to have regular order, which is what we thought we had when we voted for the Speaker in January, regular order, having the 12 appropriations bills on a conservative, downward spending trend, and a budget like every American business and every American family has. What do we have now? Nothing. Now, what is up to us? It is up to us now to do whatever it takes to make sure we have a fiscally sound budget, to make sure each of the 12 appropriations is less than the pre-COVID levels, to have a border that is secure that is enforceable, and to have the wokeness out of the military that is destroying the readiness of our great military people all across this country. My message to each of you tonight: Get active in your communities. Get active in telling your Congressmen that if it means shutting the government down before you get it right, shut it down. Shut it down until you get it right. It is easy to spend other people's money, but we want to give it back. That is one thing about the Freedom Caucus and other Members that are with me tonight, Congressman Good and Congressman Higgins, we want to give you money back. We are not going to add to the continual debt that is bankrupting our system. The cancer in this country cannot be cured by an aspirin. What I am asking each one of you today is to take ownership in your communities. Take ownership from the local level, from the city council, school council, Statehouse, and up. Take ownership in it. Let your voice be heard. Do you know what is at stake? One word: Freedom. Freedom is at stake. Let's answer the call, as we have always done. The onus is on us. God bless each and every one of you. I thank Congressman Good for allowing me a few minutes.

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, where we are right now is we have a great opportunity to save this Republic. In the words of Winston Churchill, who at the depths of the lows of Great Britain, said: ``It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we must do what is required.'' We have got to do what is required. That is going to require courage, that is going to require stamina, and that is going to require the one word that we all live under, this one flag, we are one people, representing freedom. God bless everyone.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable individual, Robert Justice, whose lifetime of service and leadership left an indelible mark on our community and Nation. Mr. Justice devoted 43 years to the Boy Scouts of America, serving as Council Scout Executive and CEO for 21 years. His leadership led to the construction of a new Council Service Center and the Camp Bob Hardin Boy Scout Camp, at which he fostered strong community relationships, and promoted desegregation within Scouting units. Earlier in his life, Mr. Justice served as the Director of Training at the National Executive Institute of the Boy Scouts of America, certifying thousands of professional candidates. In the Chief Cornstalk Council in Logan, West Virginia, Mr. Justice served as a District Executive and Field Director, ensuring Scouting programs thrived in an impoverished mining community. In 1943, Mr. Justice enlisted in the United States Navy, serving in World War II. While in service, he continued to work with Scouts on military bases until he returned home in 1946. As a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Mr. Justice was recognized for his outstanding service and dedication to local food pantries. Additionally, he chaired the Eagle Scout scholarship committee, benefiting aspiring scholars. Mr. Justices' exceptional commitment to service included a membership in Rotary, where he was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow. Mr. Justice was also an active Mason and Shriner, contributing to charitable endeavors and fundraising for the Children's Hospital. Additionally, he served as the President of Parents without Partners in Spartanburg, growing it to the largest chapter in South Carolina. Mr. Justices' service extended to Southside Baptist Church in Spartanburg, where he was a dedicated member since 1974, contributing his leadership and teaching Sunday School. In honoring the life and service of Mr. Robert Justice, we celebrate a life defined by selflessness, leadership, and a profound impact on his community and country.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable individual, Sidney Butler, whose legacy continues to inspire and uplift our community. Sidney Butler dedicated his life to advocating for justice, community improvement, and school safety, leaving an indelible mark on the citizens of our county. Mr. Butler's commitment to public service was exemplified by his unwavering presence at council and utilities meetings. He understood the importance of civic engagement and actively participated in the decisionmaking processes that shaped our community. One of Sidney's most noteworthy contributions was his tireless work on various community projects, including the extensive remodeling of our beloved train station. His dedication to these endeavors demonstrated his deep-rooted commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all residents. Despite facing the challenges posed by his epilepsy disability, Mr. Butler never wavered in his pursuit of a more inclusive society. He tirelessly advocated for the rights and well-being of individuals with disabilities, serving as a beacon of hope and perseverance. Remarkably, Mr. Butler never owned a vehicle, yet this never deterred him from reaching his destinations. He relied on his own two feet or the kindness of others who gave him rides, demonstrating his determination and resourcefulness. One cannot speak of Mr. Butler without mentioning his famous saying, which encapsulates his unwavering spirit: ``If you cannot run, then walk. If you cannot walk, then crawl, as long as you keep it moving.'' These words reflect his enduring commitment to progress, no matter the obstacles in his path. As we remember Sidney Butler today, let us be inspired by his example. Let us continue the work he started, championing justice, community improvement, and school safety. In honoring his memory, we ensure that his legacy lives on, motivating us all to ``keep it moving'' towards a better future for our county. Mr. Speaker, this tribute is a testament to the enduring impact of Sidney Butler's life and work on our community. May his legacy continue to guide and inspire us for generations to come.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 100th anniversary of Burns Chevrolet throughout South Carolina. C. Weldon, otherwise known as C.W. Burns, was inspired by his grandfather to learn to become a mechanic. His family's dreams became a reality as he graduated from the Rahe Automobile and Tractor School in Kansas City, Missouri, on September 5, 1919, at the young age of 19. Upon completing the program, C.W. returned to Pageland, South Carolina, to work in a garage. The owner gave C.W. a raise after his first week because he did far more work than any other mechanic there. Soon afterwards, C.W. opened his own service station, eventually starting his first Chevrolet dealership in Pageland on July 15, 1923-- 100 years ago today. In 1927, C.W. expanded his business and bought Ellison Chevrolet in Lancaster, South Carolina, with a partner, Mr. W.H. Cato. They originally named it Burns & Cato, Inc. Later C.W. bought out Mr. Cato's shares for $5,250 on February 5, 1930; therefore, owning the entire branch. Following the success of the Lancaster branch, C.W. bought Kershaw Chevrolet with his brother Jimmy R. Burns and W.H. Shaw, Jr., in 1931. In 1959, C.W. realized there would be far too much family for Lancaster Motor Company to absorb shortly after his twin sons graduated from college; therefore, C.W. sent his son, C. Weldon Burns, Jr., to Rock Hill, South Carolina, to open Burns Chevrolet there. Weldon purchased the Chevrolet dealership in Rock Hill on July 17, 1959. Weldon then partnered with Claude W. Burns, III, and D. Frank Polk, Jr., in Burns Chevrolet in Rock Hill. Weldon then opened Burns Chevrolet Oldsmobile in Gaffney, South Carolina. A few years later in 1989, Weldon bought out Frank in Gaffney and C. Sam Burns partnered with Weldon in Gaffney, South Carolina. Weldon and his three sons applied for the Ford dealership in Lancaster and were appointed Ford dealers on February 17, 1994. Robert W. Burns bought out his dad and brothers in 2003 to have sole ownership of Burns Ford in Lancaster. To usher in the new generation of Burns to the family business, Claude W. Burns, III, added the Cadillac brand in Rock Hill to the family collection on June 30, 2000. Additionally, D. Frank Polk became the Buick GMC dealer in Gaffney, South Carolina, shortly after in 2005. In 2010 Charles Samuel Burns became the dealer at Burns Chevrolet of Gaffney and sole owner, until he appointed his son, Charles S. Burns, Jr., a partner and dealer in 2020. On January 27, 2017, Weldon's sons, Claude and Robert, along with Claude's son, James R. Burns, added a new Ford dealership in York, South Carolina. James R. Burns continued to become the dealer of the Burns Chevrolet Cadillac in Rock Hill. Mr. Speaker, I recognize the century of dedication and service the entire Burns family has brought to the automotive industry in South Carolina. The Burns family has set the gold standard for what has made America the greatest nation known to man: our free enterprise system. For over 100 years, the Burns family continues to serve and gain new customers. Again, from all of us who live and reside in South Carolina, we send thanks to the Burns family.

Mr. NORMAN

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

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, again, I cannot believe we are sitting here debating this issue with all of the problems this country has. The fact that we are taking up this much time is bizarre to me. The overview of this amendment is the fact that the military's sole purpose is to provide for the defense of our Nation. Our military's focus should be the protection of the American people and our freedoms, not liberals' feelings. Therefore, my amendment would eliminate any offices of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Armed Forces and the Department of Defense. We should be spending our hard-earned tax dollars to focus on diversity of ideas. We should be focused on diversity of ideas and opinions, not races and genders. DEI programs tend to be ineffective, and the cost to the taxpayer is spending more money that we don't have. To sum this up, a woke military is a weak military. The fact is that woke ideology undermines military readiness in various ways. It undermines cohesiveness by emphasizing differences based on race, ethnicity, and sex. It undermines leadership authority by introducing questions about whether promotion is based on merit or quota requirements. It leads to military personnel serving in specialties and areas for which they are not qualified or ready. It takes time and resources away from training activities and weapons development that contribute to the readiness. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NORMAN

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Speaker, when John Tang was earning his doctoral degree in physics at Georgia Tech in 1999, he never imagined that some 20 years later he would be heading the fourth largest American newspaper by subscription count. At the time, the Chinese Communist Party, the CCP, had just started persecuting the spiritual discipline Falun Gong, practiced at the time by roughly 1 in every 12 Chinese. People would practice the slow-moving exercises in the morning in parks before going to work. Just like any other persecution campaign by the CCP, the regime relied on the media it controlled, both the state media and the private media, to demonize and isolate the group. In an attempt to demonize Falun Gong and justify its persecution, the media played nonstop hate propaganda attacking this peaceful meditation group. John, who had immigrated to the United States, watched from afar in horror as friends were persecuted for their beliefs. John decided to take action. Despite having no experience or investment, he started Dajiyuan, the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times, in the basement of his home in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. John was driven by a wish to provide uncensored information to not only people in China but to people around the world. Soon, other Chinese Americans left their well-paying jobs to help John with this seemingly impossible endeavor. The Epoch Times' first reporting group was established in China in the year 2000, covering key events with a main focus on the CCP's human rights abuses. The CCP, however, sees any kind of independent reporting on its brutal human rights abuses as a threat. Within a few months, Chinese police raided the underground newsroom, arresting every reporter and every editor. They were imprisoned, specifically Zhang Yuhui and Shi Shaoping, who received sentences of 10 years where they faced frequent torture. The Epoch Times' China operation went underground, yet the Chinese edition quickly became a leading website on Chinese current events with millions of readers. Its print newspaper is now distributed nationwide as well as in 30 other countries around the world. Every day, many Chinese break through the CCP's internet firewall to read The Epoch Times' website. All of this has not been easy. Since the newspaper's founding, the CCP has waged a nonstop campaign to totally destroy it. The party has threatened the newspaper's advertisers, they have launched incessant cyberattacks on its website and IT systems, and threatened relatives of staff members back in China. The harassment has not been limited just to China. In 2006, the home of then-chief engineer Peter Li was broken into by assailants, who tied him to a chair and beat him before stealing two computers. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong in 2019, assailants started a fire in the newspaper's printing press, and in 2021, armed men entered the building and used sledgehammers to smash printing equipment. The Epoch Times also inspired the Tuidang, which means ``Quit the CCP'' movement. As a result of The Epoch Times' publication of this special series ``Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party,'' which provides the most thorough interview to date of the true nature of the CCP, more than 410 million Chinese people, and counting, have sought to sever their membership in this party and its affiliated organizations. Realizing that the CCP had put enormous efforts into infiltrating the United States of America, especially media organizations, resulting in many U.S. media carrying the communist regime's propaganda, The Epoch Times launched in English in 2003 and started a print edition in New York in 2004. The Epoch Times' independent reporting has attracted a large readership in the United States, now ranking as the fourth largest newspaper in the country by subscriber count. Its website is read by tens of millions of people each month. Just like its Chinese companion, The Epoch Times prides itself on being independent and serving the interests of the readers. Under its slogan ``Truth and Tradition,'' The Epoch Times adheres to the best practices and highest principles of journalism and seeks to highlight the best of humanity. The Epoch Times now has editions published in 36 countries and in 22 different languages. This is all about one word: Freedom.

Mr. NORMAN

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

Mr. NORMAN. Madam Chair, it is really an embarrassment for those in the balcony and those watching on TV to even have to put up listening to amendments to deal with what Matt Rosendale was talking about and to deal with what my amendment is doing, which is similar to his, which is dealing with surgeries using taxpayer dollars for those who don't know whether they are a man or a woman. It is total insanity. If you don't know if you are a man or a woman, you shouldn't be going into war. We have got China building ships and airplanes, and here we are debating on the House floor whether taxpayer dollars should cover medical care for that person who thinks they ought to be another sex than what they are. My amendment prohibits the provision of gender transition procedures, including surgery or medication, through the Exceptional Family Member Program. Let me tell you what the Exceptional Family Member Program is. It provides resources to military families with special needs children. The program is designed for military spouses, children, or other dependent family members who require ongoing medical or educational services, such as individuals with asthma, autism, chronic respiratory illnesses, and others. Recently the military has tried to politicize this valuable program for transgender procedure purposes. I almost think this administration is trying to use something insane, like what we are having to do here, to take the focus off the things that are happening in America, like the invasion at the border, crime in the streets, or an economy that is sinking, that we are having to talk about this. I am glad to do it, though. Somebody has to stop it. For example, last year the Air Force suggested using the EFMP for families who want to help their child transition. Representative Panetta introduced a bill to expand the EFMP to include transgender dependents and specifically lists gender dysphoria as a qualifying medical need for the program. If you put this out to the everyday American, would they want their tax dollars used for this type of surgery? Would they want their tax dollars--and, by the way, spending money we don't have--going for this. My amendment ensures that we reserve this valuable program for its original intent, to help families with special needs, and prohibits the use of the program for the provision of or referral for gender transition procedures, such as a gender surgery or for medication. This amendment also prohibits the change of duty station simply for the purpose of providing a child with easier access to these procedures. Hopefully, we can all agree we should not be using taxpayer dollars to help children get transgender procedures, but, rather, reserve these resources for military families that have children with special needs, chronic illnesses, and educational needs. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NORMAN. Madam Chair, what he just said, I don't think his facts are right. You could take everybody in this balcony and ask if they know members who fall into two classes of people, those with special needs and those where a man wants to be a girl. Line them up. The numbers of the group with special needs would far exceed the numbers of the other, and they are the ones that need the tax dollars, not the ones that want to change their sex. Now, let me tell you some of the chronic life-threatening conditions that this money should go for and did go for until this idiotic idea of using dollars for the trans. It is life-threatening conditions or chronic, including current chronic mental health conditions, asthma or other respiratory-related diagnosis with chronic recurring symptoms, attention deficit disorder, chronic conditions that require adaptive equipment, including technology and environmental or architectural considerations. I mean, it is idiotic for him to say that the needs of a huge group of people all over this country will be trumped by the needs for a very few. The trans, I think if you do the math, it is less than 1 percent. No, I think this is a diversion tactic to just get people away. They are weakening the military. That is why we are down 30 percent in recruitment. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.