Scott Perry

Mr. PERRY

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize Deputy Chief Dennis J. Sorensen on the auspicious occasion of his retirement on January 10, 2024, from the City of Harrisburg Bureau of Police after more than 31 years of distinguished and tireless service. Dennis began his career on May 22, 1992. He was a member of the 53rd class of Harrisburg Area Community College Police Academy and graduated in September 1992. Serving the majority of his time in the 1st Platoon as a Patrol Officer on the midnight shift, then Patrol Officer Sorensen was promoted to Corporal in 2000. He earned his way to the Criminal Investigations Division, becoming the Adult Offender Supervisor from 2000 to 2011. After earning promotion to Sergeant, he commanded the Special Operations Unit, and served with the Harrisburg Bureau of Police to assist in the Hurricane Katrina disaster. In 2011, Sergeant Sorensen was reassigned to the Uniformed Division, and served as the Officer in Charge of the 2nd Platoon. Through his outstanding work, shortly after his previous promotion, Sergeant Sorensen earned the rank of Lieutenant, and served as commander of the 1st Platoon until 2018. In 2020, he earned the rank of Captain, and commanded the Uniformed Patrol Division, and was honored with the position of Deputy Chief position in 2021. Along with his impressive law enforcement record, Deputy Chief Dennis Sorensen is a decorated Veteran of the United States Army, wherein he served honorably for 30 years, achieving the rank of Colonel. He earned his Bachelor's degree and military commission from the California University of Pennsylvania, and served in myriad and vast leadership positions, deployments, and training schools; of particular note, earning the coveted status of Master Army Aviator. His military awards and decorations include: Army Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Kosovo Campaign Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Armed Forces Reserve Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; NATO Medal; the Master Army Aviator Badge; the Pennsylvania Meritorious Service Ribbon; Pennsylvania Service Ribbon; Pennsylvania Twenty Year Service Medal; Pennsylvania General Thomas J. Stewart Medal; and the Pennsylvania Major General R. White Jr. Medal. Mr. Speaker, I am honored and privileged to recognize Deputy Chief Dennis J. Sorensen on his well-earned retirement from the City Harrisburg Police Bureau. His tireless, faithful, and selfless service of more than 39 years to community, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the United States of America sets the standard by which we all should be judged.

Mr. PERRY

Mr. PERRY. Madam Speaker, we all know it is Christmas and you can sure tell because here we go with the ornaments. We have got a Christmas tree headed out, and we have got to put some ornaments on it. That is what is happening right now. Of course, we are going to violate our rules. You saw it here just a few moment ago. This violates the single-subject rule because Americans are literally sick of their Representatives coming home and saying to them: Well, I didn't want to vote for that, but this was on it, and we had to get this so I had to vote for that. That is how this town works. That is how you end up $34 trillion in debt, and that is how you spy on 278,000 Americans under the Federal Government's authority. It violates the germaneness rule. People say what does that matter? Why does it matter if it is germane? Madam Speaker, the House passed a bill, a pretty good bill, thanks to the chairman, a pretty good bill. The Senate passed a bill. I don't think it was pretty good, but they passed a bill. Either way, you know what wasn't in either of those bills? The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act used to spy on Americans. That wasn't in the bill, but at the last minute it was airdropped into this bill. In this House, we put in the rules that we need to know the single purpose of a bill. When we asked, ``What is the single purpose of this bill?'' this House said, ``We are not even going to tell the American people. We are not going to tell them that.'' They are not going to tell the American people that because they want to couple these two things together and pass a terrible National Defense Authorization Act. They are going to say the troops are not being paid when they are being paid. They are going to allow the Federal Government, under the guise of law, to spy on every American citizen. It is unconscionable and unacceptable. My colleagues should vote ``no.''

Mr. PERRY

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I note the next order of business is the conference report on H.R. 2670, and I wish to ask several points of parliamentary inquiry and maybe points of order.

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. PERRY. The pending measure is on the suspension of the rules for H.R. 2670.

Mr. PERRY. The rules of the House require that every bill must have a stated single purpose to be filed. Was such a statement filed, and if so, what is the single purpose of H.R. 2670?

Mr. PERRY. The body can't ask a question as to what the stated single purpose of this conference report is? It is not a hypothetical.

Mr. PERRY

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I am honored and proud to recognize Mr. Terry Gendron (Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Amry Retired) upon the occasion of his retirement after invaluable years of tireless, faithful, and selfless service to our Nation. Mr. Gendron comes from a family of service. Not only did his mother serve in the Army as a frontline surgical nurse in World War II, and his father was career Army Infantry who served in WWII and Korea, but he and all three of his brothers wore the uniform as well. While Terry would rather talk about his family over himself, his service warrants its own illustrious recognition. Terry enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1975. He graduated Officer Candidate School in 1977, and served in myriad command and staff positions until he earned an Honorable discharge after more than 22 years of loyal service on December 31, 1997. His awards and honors include--but are not limited to--the Meritorious Service Medal (4th Award), Army Commendation Medal (2nd Award). Army Achievement Medal (2nd Award), Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (2nd Award), Expert Infantryman Badge and Parachutist Badge. After several years in the private sector, Terry accepted an opportunity to serve our Veterans in the capacity of Department Service Officer for the Pennsylvania American Legion, wherein he assisted Veterans all over central Pennsylvania. In 2016, he continued his service to our Nation and Veterans by earning the position of Director of Veterans Affairs in York County, where--amongst various other missions--he maximized benefits for Veterans and Family members to improve their quality of life. He tirelessly worked to ensure that every Veteran in York County (or surviving spouse) had a conversation with an accredited service officer to ensure any earned military/ medical/health benefits were realized ASAP. His dedication to our Veterans continued via positions on several boards and memberships, to include York County Veterans Outreach, Veterans Memorial Gold Star Health and Peace Garden, Four Chaplains Memorial of York County, and Pennsylvania American Legion Post 945. In addition to his professional pursuits, Terry dedicated himself to education, He's earned a Bachelor's degree in Resource Management from Troy University, a Master of Science in Logistics Management from the Florida Institute of Technology, and graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Mr. Speaker, I'm honored and humbled to commend Terry Gendron (LTC, USA Ret.) on his well-earned retirement. His vast record of nearly 50 years of faithful, tireless, and selfless service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the United States of America sets the standard by which we all should be judged. I wish him Godspeed on his pending cycle trek across our beautiful Nation, and for many more years of great adventure, health, happiness, and prosperity.

Mr. PERRY

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I'm honored and humbled to recognize Mrs. Betty Alford on the auspicious occasion of her 100th Birthday on January 12, 2024. Mrs. Alford grew up in Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania, growing up through some of the most triumphant and trying times of our Nation. In 1957, she married her husband, William, with whom she shared 43 wonderful years until his passing in 2001. Betty and William have three children--Brent, Brian, and Kathleen--two wonderful daughters-in-law, four grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. Throughout her life, Betty has been known for her generosity and kindness. She volunteered at Health South physical therapy clinic, and the Helen Kraus Animal Foundation well into her 90s--and is the epitome of the phrase ``age is just a number.'' She's also worked at Nationwide Insurance, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and served countless students at the cafeteria of Hillside Elementary School. Betty's selfless activity, huge heart, outstanding work ethic, and tireless service to others mark her as the shining example of community service and truly making a difference in the lives of others in myriad ways. Mr. Speaker, I'm privileged to recognize Mrs. Betty Alford on the blessed occasion of her 100th Birthday. She is the standard by which we all should be judged, and on behalf of the 10th Congressional District, I wish her continued God's blessings.

Mr. PERRY

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 707.

Mr. PERRY

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chairman, my good friend and colleague talks about protecting national security and implies that somehow this amendment would imperil that. I don't understand how letting Americans know more about who is providing funds internationally to our universities in our country imperils our national security. We should know who is trying to attempt to influence not only what is happening on campuses but the very minds on those campuses, whether it is Confucius Institutes or an organization antithetical, maybe anti- Semitic, from the Middle East that is sending endowments and funds to American universities to influence the minds of those who are participating in education at those universities. It is important not only for citizens to know but, quite honestly, for our Federal Government and the security agencies to know. Mr. Chair, I remind my good friend on the other side of the aisle that I had a bill some time ago to require this reporting, which is already required in many aspects and many respects, but universities, even with the requirement, don't keep the information and don't report any of it at this time. Isn't that a peril to national security? If we actually want to strengthen security in our country for our citizens, then I urge adoption of this amendment. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chairman, I thank my good friend, the gentleman on the other side of the aisle, but, again, transparency is key. Universities have become, unfortunately, as we have seen in our public media on this very day and on these very days, hotspots for international insurgent activity in our country, things that are antithetical to our country and our way of life, things that we have never seen before, anti- Semitic chants on American university grounds. If those things are being stoked, inflamed, encouraged, and paid for by international organizations at all, then Americans ought to know that. Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, I would like to begin by thanking Chair Foxx for her hard work in an effort to try to right our country and the committee that she so artfully presides over. This amendment, Mr. Chairman, simply adds international organizations to the bill's definition of foreign source, including them in the bill's reporting requirements. It uses the definition found in 22 U.S.C. 288, which reads, in part: ``a public international organization in which the United States participates pursuant to any treaty or under the authority of any act of Congress authorizing such participation or making an appropriation for such participation.'' Unfortunately, Mr. Chairman, Americans are all too aware of the influence of international organizations such as the United Nations or the World Health Organization. As just one example, the World Health Organization was one of the so-called authorities trying to dismiss the lab leak theory, with the assistance of prominent academics and the Chinese Communist Party. Many of our adversaries, such as China and Iran, are active participants in these organizations, much to my dismay and to the dismay of many Americans. The fact that Iran was appointed to chair the United Nations's 2023 Social Forum, a conference focusing on human rights, would be laughable if not for Iran's own very grave human rights abuses, which are serious, to say the least. I am concerned that should the excellent policies in this bill become law, our adversaries will instead attempt to funnel money to college campuses through international organizations. This amendment would address that possibility and shed even more light on these foreign gifts received by American colleges and universities. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PERRY

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize Officer Craig Helm on earning the 2022 Springettsbury Township ``Officer of the Year.'' Officer Helm joined the Springettsbury Township Police Department in November 2015. Throughout his career, Officer Helm has served tirelessly in enforcing the laws of the Commonwealth. In 2022, he made 37 criminal arrests, 188 traffic contacts, 400 incident reports, and investigated 46 traffic accidents. His outstanding work in DUI investigations previously earned him the ``DUI Top Gun'' award. Officer Helm frequently serves as the Officer in Charge (OIC) during shifts, and is poised and professional in his leadership. He leads by example, and always volunteers to cover a shift when manpower issues arise. His frequent guidance and support to newer officers, providing them with everything they need to ensure successful outcomes, earned him selection in 2022 as Field Training Officer. In one of his most notable and heroic actions in 2022, Officer Helm was dispatched for a shooting while serving as the OIC. He arrived on the scene and immediately began dispensing lifesaving first aid to the victim, while simultaneously directing officers to secure the crime scene. His leadership in commanding the situation resulted in the Criminal Investigation Department identifying the suspect, who eventually was charged with attempted homicide. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged and honored to recognize and commend Officer Craig Helm on earning the 2022 ``Officer of the Year'' for Springettsbury Township Police Department. He is the standard by which we all should be judged.

Mr. PERRY

Mr. PERRY. There is always some excuse. When we have the House or the Senate, or we have both and the Presidency, there is always some excuse for why it can't be done. I will tell you this. There is no excuse for the radical march of the left creeping into everybody's life, into every decision that you make, into everything you do. It just keeps happening. Our bosses are not down here in Washington, D.C. They don't understand committee rules and the process here on the floor. What they understand is that they are getting up in the morning when it is dark outside, packing their lunch, and kissing their kids good-bye before they get on the schoolbus, and they don't know why this is happening to them, but they sure know it is happening. They think about the extra costs every single week when they are trying to manage their budget. They are like: ``We are making more money, but we still can't afford to live the way we did. We can't afford our food. We can't afford, heaven forbid, if the car breaks down.'' No, they don't understand why. What they demand, to the good gentleman from Texas, is results, is some product. They don't care about why it can't be done. They are not asking for everything to change overnight. They know we didn't get here overnight, but they want something, some win, to show them some light at the end of this tunnel, but there isn't any. I haven't seen one yet.

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, before I go, I will say that the gentleman from Texas is right. We have to unite so that we can be effective against these forces of evil that are destroying the American Dream. It is not uniting for the sake of uniting. It is uniting around a purpose. Our bosses are very forgiving. They are very gracious. They understand if you fight the good fight and you lose. What they will not accept, what they cannot accept, and what they should not accept is not fighting at all or surrendering before the fight even begins.

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, that is our job. Our job is to defend this Constitution. My constituents, my bosses, know I carry one with me every day. It is a piece of paper, Mr. Speaker. It cannot defend itself. It relies on the integrity, fortitude, courage, and conviction of good people willing to come here to serve and fight on its behalf, like the good gentleman from Texas.

Mr. PERRY. That is correct.

Mr. PERRY. Of course not. My constituents, my bosses, just like your bosses, were vehemently opposed to that last December's cram-down of all this money to all kinds of things, omnibus spending, everything in there. They didn't want it, and as a signal to what we would do if we governed, Republicans, every single one, voted against it. Now, 9 or 10 months later, we are supposed to act like, well, we didn't get our work done so we are just going to continue that, but don't worry about it. Forget about what happened 9 or 10 months ago. The American people have not forgotten. Do you know how I know they have not forgotten? Because I was at the grocery store on Monday before I came here, and a woman came up to me with her grocery cart. She recognized me and said: Don't the people that you work with grocery shop? Don't they know how much this costs? She knows, and she demands that we do better and that I be accountable and not vote for things I voted against 9 months ago and just act like they are okay. They are not okay 9 months later.

Mr. PERRY. I imagine my district is just like yours. I visited a local construction company with 400 hardworking Americans. Men and women come in. They have steel-toed boots on, jeans, jackets with stains on them. They come in out of the cold. They don't have time to worry about what amendment or bill you got passed through the House but there was no signature. Here is what they worry about, to my friend from Texas, and I think your bosses feel the same way: We sent you to Washington to make our lives better. My prices are going up. My selections are going down, and my choices are going down. The government is imposing itself on me about whether I want to install a gas stove in my home or whether I want to speak out about my political views and not end up on some list, or if I want to go deer hunting today and worry that I got the wrong ammunition or that my gun isn't configured so that the Federal Government doesn't come arrest me. They say: We are counting on you to do this, so don't come home and talk to us about amendments and bills and ``I had a meeting with,'' because it doesn't affect my life. All the things that are happening to me every day from this administration are affecting my life. I am sick of it, and I am sending you down there to stop it.

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, there is no reason that we should do it. There is not a person in this Chamber on that side of the aisle or this side of the aisle that agrees with Vladimir Putin, the Russian Federation, the invasion of Ukraine, the atrocities that have been committed there. There is not one person that agrees with it. At the same time, our country is under assault, our country is being invaded, and our country can't afford its bills. Before we have the audacity, the temerity to demand, under force of law, that our citizens get up in the morning, go to work, and pay their taxes to pay for the pensions and the salaries of government workers in Ukraine--my goodness, are we tone deaf to the fact that the people in this country, the people in the gentleman from Texas' communities, and the people that I represent, can't afford to pay their bills? They can't afford to pay their bills. None of us agree with what is happening overseas in regard to Ukraine, but we have a duty. We were not elected by Ukrainian citizens. We were elected by United States citizens, American citizens that are paying their taxes under penalty of law. They will be thrown in jail if they don't pay their taxes. It is the height of insult and injury to tell them you have to pay your taxes and you can't afford a holiday meal, but you can rest assured that that money is going to go over to Ukraine to pay for their salaries and their pensions. The American people are sick of it. They sent us here to do something about it, and every time we have an opportunity, every single time we have an opportunity, we need to seize that opportunity. Quite honestly, it just comes down to this, Mr. Roy, when the Senate demands this, when the President demands it, the Speaker of House, this Republican majority, respectfully, just says no.

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I do agree. Whether it is in your personal life, your business life, your family life--anything at all--your family, the people, your colleagues around you, the people that you work around demand some deliverable. Deliverable might be showing up on time with a good attitude, but at least you delivered something. I remember that speech from my good friend, the gentleman from Texas, because I watched it. He started out and he said: What the hell is wrong with this country? Well, nothing is wrong with this country. The problem is with this place. There are a lot of good people on this side of the aisle, and maybe we haven't produced a deliverable, but I would also say this: There has been no help, no help at all from the other side of the building, the other side of the aisle or down the street at the White House; no help at all. I have car manufacturers now coming to see me and they are saying: Well, we are forced to build these electric cars; nobody wants them. Then when they don't have anything else to buy, they buy them. And then they don't work, so they bring them back in and they trade them in for something else, and then they sit there and we can't sell them. Congressman, what are you going to do for me? My goodness, Joe Biden is the President. The regulators, every single day another rule, another regulation, they just keep coming and coming. Members of Congress, I don't know that we are irrelevant, but if we are not willing to stop funding these agencies that keep on prevailing against the American people, well that is what we are going to be. The Founders made each body to jealously guard its own power. Instead of jealously guarding our power, we have given it to bureaucrats; nameless, faceless people that have an agenda that pass rules with the force of law. These rules that spend all this money make your Thanksgiving dinner more expensive. My mom went out to get a turkey for our family. My mom makes a turkey for our family and we all get together. She called her son up to say that the turkey costs $70. Mr. Speaker, from lettuce to lumber, people can't afford in America just to live their lives. They can't afford their bills; they can't afford groceries; they can't afford gas in their car; they can't afford their credit card payments while they try and just live the life that they have lived. As the slide or the poster over there shows, their bills have gone up that much. They are paying, between the government and the increased cost, an extra month of their pay; every year an extra month for things that they didn't have to just 3 years ago. This body is the only one that has the power of the purse. This is the only body that can control the spending that is driving up every single cost, every single cost. It starts here. If we don't have the courage--we can have the conviction--people vote for their Member saying: Well, this guy said when he goes to Washington, he is going to fight the swamp. He is going to fight the bureaucracy. He is going to fight the spending. However, when the bill shows up on the floor and we see the amendment up there, oh, my goodness, every single time you get 100 votes, 150 votes. Mr. Speaker, it takes 217 to pass these amendments to cut spending. If you said you are going to cut spending at home, then your opportunity happens right here on the floor. If you are not going to do it here, if you are not going to vote that way, don't go home to your constituents and say, I am sorry you can't afford lettuce and a holiday turkey. I am sorry you can't afford your bills: your car payment, your home payment, your insurance payment, your heating bill. I am sorry you can't afford it--because I didn't do anything to help you. Your opportunity, the leverage, the moment is here. It is now. We have been working on spending bills for months, and the reason that we can't pass them here is because we are spending too much. Oh, by the way, that is a fight among this side of the aisle that actually some of us want to do something to save our constituents from this overbearing weight of the Federal Government and the regulatory agencies--and I have to say this to my good friend from Texas--with no help whatsoever from the other side of the aisle. No help.

Mr. PERRY

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chairman, this amendment prohibits the use of funds for the Mine Safety and Health Administration to finalize, implement, or enforce its proposed silica rule. The Mine Safety and Health Administration's proposed silica rule is overly broad and fails to account for the differences among facilities that fall within MSHA's jurisdiction. It is the old one size does all, fits all, whether you like it or not. While this silica rule may make sense for certain types of mines, the across-the-board application of this proposed rule threatens to impose significant regulatory burdens on an industry that is vital to our Nation's economic health. Companies throughout the industry have worked proactively to address these issues through various measures that ensure employee safety while limiting the cost to producers. Unfortunately, the one-size-fits-all approach taken by MSHA fails to include an applicability threshold, which would ensure it only applies where it is necessary to improve safety. It fails to ensure that the medical surveillance provisions are employed on a risk-based basis. These drafting failures by MSHA ensure maximum regulatory burdens while minimizing the safety impact of the rule, something one would expect from an administration that is hell-bent on ending mining in America. Let's leave no doubt among anybody who is listening or viewing: That is exactly what the administration wants to do. We call them rare earth minerals. Mr. Chairman, they are not rare. They are from the earth, but they are not rare. We are just not allowed to go get them in America. We have to import them from China or let China use slave labor in the Congo to bring them to the United States of America because we won't get them ourselves. We are then bound by China. Most concerning, MSHA's reported economic analysis falsely claims that it will not have a significant economic impact--as usual, the normal lies from the Federal Government. The cost estimate so vastly understates or underestimates the cost to operators that it calls into question the abilities and motives of those doing MSHA's economic analysis. According to the National Sandstone and Gravel Association, MSHA's estimates of exposure control costs in particular are vastly inaccurate. Significantly, one member company's 2023 budget for exposure controls is approximately equal to the MSHA annual estimate for all metal/nonmetal operators. Based on communications with 13 member companies, costs for exposure controls will vary widely but on average are $920,000 annually, with a median of $225,000. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chairman, I talked to you about the true cost of the rule. Given the true cost of the proposed rule, it will put mines out of business, which is really the intent of this rulemaking by the MSHA. The absurdity of this cost estimate necessitates that MSHA stop its rulemaking process until it gets it right. This amendment would do this and prevent MSHA's assault on American mining. The gentlewoman, my colleague, says it is about workers' lives. It is also about their livelihoods, which are going to be taken from them. People in America have the right to make a choice. They have a right to make a choice, and when faced with the facts, the fact is that this rulemaking underestimates the cost vastly and is intended to put mines out of business--put mines out of business. We don't mine much coal in America anymore. I come from Pennsylvania. It used to be a great coal mining State, but not only is that happening, the opposition--my friends on the other side of the aisle--is demanding everybody electrify their lives, electric vehicles only. That is what is coming. They are shutting down copper mines in the United States of America. When was the last time a new mine opened up? They are not going to allow it, Mr. Chairman. They are not going to allow it, which is why this amendment is necessary. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.