Gary Palmer

Mr. PALMER

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 157.

Mr. PALMER

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Vincent High School on winning the baseball State championship for the 2A division in Alabama. On Monday night, the Vincent Yellow Jackets were headed into the bottom of the seventh inning, tied 1-1 with Pike Liberal Arts. That is when Landon Archer delivered an RBI single that sealed the deal and crowned the Yellow Jackets as State champions for the first time in 40 years. The Vincent players demonstrated the kind of grit, teamwork, and commitment to excellence that define championship-winning programs. If the State of Alabama knows anything, we know what it means to win a championship. Congratulations to Coach Timothy Junkins, MVP Landon Archer, and the entire team on a fantastic season. They have made their school and entire community proud. I couldn't be more excited to join them in honoring the team's success. Congratulating Hackleburg High School

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my alma mater, Hackleburg High School, on winning the 1A baseball State championship. In the fourth inning, the Panthers were tied with Leroy High School 4-4. Ross Hudson, who was named MVP, singled, driving in the go-ahead run that proved to be the difference. Pitchers Maddox Vickery and Blaise Vickery held Leroy scoreless for the remainder of the game, securing the 1A championship. This was Hackleburg's second State 1A championship in baseball. As a proud alumnus, I stand here excited to congratulate Coach Jon McKinney and the entire team on an incredible season and for winning the title of State champion for the first time since 2007. Congratulating Second Lieutenant Caroline Robinson

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Second Lieutenant Caroline Robinson on her graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point. A little over 4 years ago, I had the honor of nominating Caroline to West Point when she was a student at Mountain Brook High School. While at West Point, Caroline earned the rank of First Captain of the Corps of Cadets, which is the highest ranking cadet in the Corps of Cadets' chain of command. Second Lieutenant Robinson will now report for active duty at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. I am proud of Caroline and her desire to serve our Nation as an officer in the United States Army. I know she will serve our Nation with great distinction and honor.

Mr. PALMER

Mr. PALMER. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably delayed. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 137.

Mr. PALMER

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, it is amazing to me to listen to my Democratic colleagues talk about the cost of living going up. Mr. Speaker, during the first week of the Biden administration, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle shut down the Keystone XL Pipeline. My Democratic colleagues implemented energy policies that have immediately caused energy prices to go up, causing massive suffering and massive inflation. The inflation hit 9 percent. It is amazing to me that the minority came in here and made these statements, and the American people figured it out. That is why my Democratic colleagues are in the minority. The American people were tired of being told what to do, what they could buy, what they could wear, and what they could use. Here we are, and my colleagues are hearing the same cold rhetoric that leads to cold homes and cold water. I introduced this resolution because we are determined to restore a quality of life in this country that we enjoyed before the Democratic Party took over the White House and the House and the Senate. We believe that we can help the American people be able to afford their groceries, afford an automobile, and afford education. That is why we are doing what we are doing. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.J. Res. 20. The Congressional Review Act is in response to the Biden-Harris administration's last- minute, overreaching attempt to ban natural gas water heaters. If this rule is not stopped, a substantial number of Americans would be forced to purchase more expensive and less-efficient models of water heaters. In fact, 40 percent of consumers who will be directly impacted by this rule would face a significant cost increase. It will be particularly hard on senior citizens and low-income families. Additionally, this rule mandate of fuel switching would set a dangerous precedent for natural gas appliances. We know my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have already tried to ban natural gas stovetops. This would allow future Democratic administrations to restart their party's regulatory attack on our home appliances. I know that when the government steps in to pick winners and losers there are manufacturers of competing products that would profit. It is amazing to me that my Democratic colleagues claim that a United States-based company based in Georgia is foreign manufacturing. What do Democratic Members say about Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, Kia, and the other foreign-owned companies that are based in this country, creating American jobs and providing incomes for American families? We should let consumers decide what products succeed in the marketplace, not a bureaucrat implementing a regulation pushed out in the final hours of the Biden-Harris Presidency. Earlier this week, the Trump administration issued a statement of administration policy agreeing that this egregious rule implemented by the previous administration must be repealed. While making a speech last week, the Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, even mentioned how absurd this rule is. Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, H.J. Res. 20 is essential for prioritizing consumer choice, protecting natural gas appliances, keeping prices affordable, and undoing the damage inflicted on the American people by the Biden-Harris administration for the past 4 years. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. PALMER

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize my Chief of Staff, William Smith, who is leaving our office. He has faithfully served the American people for over 20 years and has served alongside me since my first day in office in 2015. Before agreeing to lead my staff, he worked for Senator Jeff Sessions on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Budget Committee. Within 5 minutes of talking to William, Mr. Speaker, you will know he loves the Lord; he loves his wife, Diamond; he loves his family; and he loves his country. When people ask how I have such a great staff, I always point them to William. He leads by example and embodies the idea of servant leadership. If you know William, Mr. Speaker, you also know he is a true conservative who proudly stands for his beliefs, even if he is the only one standing. He demonstrates his joy and his convictions, and it truly makes him the consummate happy warrior. His departure is not only a loss for our office, but Capitol Hill as a whole. I thank him for all of his years of service to our country, and I look forward to seeing what he will accomplish in this next chapter of service.

Mr. PALMER

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the leadership of my dear friend, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Serving alongside Cathy has been an honor. She is not only a fierce advocate for her constituents but a principled leader with a servant heart. As the first chairwoman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Cathy has shown what it means to always put the needs of the American people first. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Cathy's faith is what I admire most. Whether it is by sharing an encouraging comment or during prayer walks around the Capitol, Cathy has strived to honor the Lord every day. After I was elected to Congress, I had the opportunity to meet with Cathy, who at the time was chairwoman of the House Republican Conference. It was during that meeting that Cathy made me feel like I belonged here. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is special. During my time serving in Congress, Cathy has become a great friend and a great example of what it means to lead with grace and faith. Even though we will miss her here, I am excited for what the Lord has in store for her. May God bless her and may He continue to guide her steps in this next season of life.

Mr. PALMER

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, December 7, marks the 83rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Dozens of Alabamians were killed on this tragic day, including 32 on the USS Arizona, and Julius Ellsberry was believed to be the first Black Alabamian to die in World War II. I rise today to honor the memory of all these brave Alabamians and Americans, but I would like to specifically focus on Chief Carpenter John Arnold Austin from Warrior, Alabama. On the morning of December 7, John was aboard the USS Oklahoma, which was the first ship to be attacked by the Japanese on Battleship Row. John and many of his shipmates found themselves trapped, but he found an escape route and is credited with saving 15 sailors that day. Unfortunately, he perished in the process. Chief Carpenter Austin was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously. His citation reads: He gallantly gave his life in service of his country. The USS Austin, a destroyer escort, was later named in his honor. As we honor those lost, let us remember and reflect on their sacrifices and the high cost required to preserve freedom.

Mr. PALMER

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

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Chairman, each year the Environmental Protection Agency spends as much as $50 million a year to employ nearly 200 armed agents at an average cost of $216,000 per year per agent. The American people would likely be surprised to hear that. According to the nonprofit group OpenTheBooks, the EPA has spent millions of dollars over the years on things like antitank ammunition, amphibious assault craft, night-vision equipment, unmanned aircraft, and other military equipment. It is difficult for me to imagine that the EPA has a legitimate use for antitank ammunition. To me, this sounds like we are arming Delta Force. The difference is, Delta Force can explain why they need these things, the EPA cannot. These agents have been involved in raids in Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and my own State of Alabama. In Alaska, EPA agents wearing flak jackets and carrying semiautomatic rifles, shotguns, and sidearms showed up to review paperwork at a family-owned mining operation. In my own State of Alabama, armed EPA agents took over two waste treatment facilities in Dothan, Alabama. These agents were posted at each entrance to the plant and recorded identification information of all those going in and going out. The EPA is just one of more than 70 Federal agencies that employ armed personnel, many of which most Americans would never associate with law enforcement. These include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the Federal Reserve Board, the National Institutes of Health, among others. At this time, we need to take a step back and reevaluate whether arming the bureaucracy is the best way to ensure that our laws are enforced. Federal agencies should be able to demonstrate their need for armed personnel, and absent such a demonstration, should rely on and partner with local, State, or Federal law enforcement when there is a need for armed protection. Critics may claim my amendment would put the EPA personnel at risk of harm. They would be wrong. My amendment does not prohibit the EPA from using funds to provide security for its personnel or property. It does not prohibit training of EPA security or law enforcement personnel either. My amendment would prohibit funding for the EPA's armed and militarized agents who have a history of intimidating Americans by conducting aggressive raids and begin to address the troubling trend of militarization in our Federal agencies. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Chairman, I think it is interesting that my colleague believes the EPA is now a law enforcement agency and wants them fully funded, particularly in light of the fact that so many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle were for defunding the local police, disarming the local police. Yet, they want the EPA to be able to have anti-tank weapons. They want them to have unmanned aerial assets. This is like a military operation, not a law enforcement operation. Mr. Chairman, if someone is violating a regulation that the EPA has imposed upon them, they can use Federal marshals if they need that, and there is no prohibition against EPA agents being able to carry sidearms or even rifles, if it is necessary. I would like for someone to explain to me why the EPA needs anti-tank weapons. Who do they think they are protecting the environment from? I really appreciate the concerns of my colleague, and I wish they had the same concerns about local law enforcement that they do about militarizing Federal agencies. I urge my colleagues to think long and hard about what is going on with the Federal agencies, and I urge each one of them to support this amendment. It is a sensible amendment, and it puts things in the right priority. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALMER

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the proceedings had during the recess be printed in the Record.

Mr. PALMER

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

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Chairman, the Environmental Protection Agency recently finalized a $2 billion regulation on the lime industry that the EPA's own staff have found is completely unnecessary to protect public health and welfare. Lime plants not only supply products essential for the proper function of critical activities concerning construction, but lime also keeps our roadways from breaking down and helps keep our water clean. As recently as 2020, just 4 years ago, the EPA conducted a full risk assessment of hazardous air pollutants emitted by the lime manufacturing industry. The EPA found that risks from the source category are acceptable, the standards provide an ample margin of safety to protect public health, and more stringent standards are not necessary to prevent an adverse environmental effect. The EPA received no new data or other information during the public comment period that causes us to change that proposed determination. I emphasize that is the EPA's own staff and scientists. This was published in the Federal Register in July of 2020. What is interesting is that lime is used for pollution control to absorb sulfur oxides, which helps prevent acid rain and reduces emissions of hazardous air pollutants, including mercury. The only reason the Biden administration's EPA is issuing this expensive and unnecessary rule is because of a 2-1 split decision where the District of Columbia circuit court sided with an environmental group suing to ignore the EPA's scientific findings in favor of their radical climate agenda. That case said that the EPA must set standards for all unregulated hazardous air pollutants when the agency conducts a technology review under the Clean Air Act. Congress intended that new, additional regulations should be added only if risk assessment demonstrated that risks are not acceptable with an ample margin of safety. Since the EPA has already found that emissions from the lime industry are already acceptable with an ample margin of safety, there is no need for these new, expensive regulations. I urge my colleagues to trust the science and support my amendment. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Chair, this amendment would be a step toward returning power back to Congress, where it belongs. Instead of complying with the agenda of radical environmentalists, Congress should reject their efforts to ignore science. I remind my colleagues that the EPA's own scientists said this rule is not necessary. We have too many unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats making way too many laws in the form of regulations that are doing great harm to Americans struggling to pay their bills, struggling to put food on the table, and struggling to take care of their families. This lime rule is another example of the fake science that is doing unnecessary harm to our economy and to American households. I emphasize again, lime plants supply products essential to the proper functioning of critical activities to the national interest, including steel production, road construction, power generation, pollution abatement. As I pointed out, one of the things that my colleague mentioned was mercury. Lime is used to abate mercury in air. I worked for two international engineering companies, and we built pollution control devices, including devices that use lime to remove sulfur oxides from gases being emitted from production facilities. It is used in drinking water treatment. Lime helps keep our roadways, as I said, from breaking down. Lime helps keep our water clean, and lime improves soil quality. Unnecessary regulations like the lime rule add to the inflationary burden Americans are currently suffering under. The high price of building a new home, for instance, has placed home ownership out of reach of many Americans, and this lime rule will add to that cost. Funding this regulation would only make the high cost of living crisis worse. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. As I said, having worked for two international engineering companies and in a think tank, I have found during my time in Congress that there is a serious lack of scientific understanding, and we just pass a lot of rules out of Congress that we really have no idea what the impact will be. We also have, in many cases, a serious math problem. We don't understand how these things add up, pile up the cost of living on American households and the damage that it is doing to them. Right now, we are seeing grocery prices at levels we haven't seen in years. Cumulative inflation the last 3\1/2\ years of the Biden administration has been over 19 percent. Energy costs are up 40 percent. We just keep adding these things to the American people. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to reject the burdensome regulations, reject the radical environmental agenda, and support my amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALMER

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, safe and secure elections are fundamental to our Republic. Unfortunately, poll after poll is showing that Americans have lost trust in our election process. It is time for us to act and restore faith in that process. One way to accomplish this is to limit American elections to American citizens. It should be of great concern to all Americans that the Biden administration, with the full support of my Democratic colleagues in the House, has allowed millions of people to enter the United States illegally. Now Democrats want to leave the door open for noncitizens to potentially register to vote. If we do not act to prohibit this, it will further diminish American citizens' trust in our elections and ultimately in our government. The legislation before us rightly requires States to have individuals provide proof of citizenship when they register to vote and to remove noncitizens from their voter rolls. Americans being the ones to determine the outcome of American elections should not be controversial. In an Oversight Committee hearing, I asked former directors of the Census if they supported Federal laws that prohibit noncitizens from running for office.

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, in an Oversight Committee hearing, I asked the former directors of the Census if they supported Federal laws that prohibit noncitizens from running for office, making financial contributions to candidates, and voting. All three said they support these safeguards to our elections, and all three were Democratic appointees. Mr. Speaker, my question to my Democratic colleagues is: Do Democrats support sensible safeguards for our elections? The minority can demonstrate their support and their answer by voting for the SAVE Act. I appreciate Representative Roy's leadership in this process and Representative Steil's leadership and encourage all my colleagues to vote for the SAVE Act.

Mr. PALMER

Mr. PALMER. Thank you, Brad, for giving us this opportunity to reflect on the events of June 14, 2017. Regardless of what we do the rest of our lives, that day will bind us together, those who were there that day. The interesting thing is, the day before, I saw the man who attacked us. He was sitting in the bleachers behind the backstop looking, in my opinion, very distressed. I thought about going over and talking with him, but we were trying to get to practice and get practice started, so I didn't see him again until later. As Congressman Duncan related, I was actually over at second base with Scalise when Duncan and Ron DeSantis left. Trent Kelly was already over at third base, so I moved over to shortstop. Our practices are a lot of banter back and forth at each other. It is a lot of fun, a lot of ragging each other. All that was going on, and then I heard a sharp crack. I immediately recognized it as a gunshot. I yelled at Trent Kelly that it was a gunshot, and Trent said: ``I know.'' The bullet had whizzed by him. By the providence of God and by an act of God, that bullet had struck a link in the chain link fence. The shooter, after he had asked Duncan if we were Republicans or Democrats, walked over to his van. He had been living in his van for about 3 months and parked in the parking lot of the YMCA across the street from the field. They were doing some construction. There were some little containers there that blocked our view of anyone approaching from that side. He came up on the outfield end of the third-base dugout and, maybe about 4 feet, 5 feet from the fence, fired that first shot. There was a few seconds of hesitation before anything else happened. It was almost like it was just a single shot. When I yelled out at Trent, Trent turned around and saw him, and he yelled out: ``He's got a gun. Get off the field.'' Everyone was kind of stunned. Things just kind of froze for a moment until the gunfire erupted. Thank God the third-base gate was closed, but the only open gate was on the first-base side, and so we were all running in that direction. I remember seeing General Jack Bergman lying flat on the ground up by home plate along with Mike Bishop from Michigan, others scrambling to get into the dugout. I saw Scalise get hit. I knew he was hit low. I didn't know where, but I knew he was hit low because of the way he fell. As I was running across the infield trying to get off the field, I had two thoughts that went through my mind. One was: If today is the day, I am ready. Then I thought: I wonder what it will feel like. As I got off the field, I took cover behind a big oak tree that was really between where the little building where Barry Loudermilk and the other guys had taken shelter and that concrete block building where the shooter had taken a position. I saw Crystal Griner on the ground. From the blood on her leg, I thought she was shot in the leg. It turned out she was shot through the ankle. She was trying to pull herself up toward the front wheel well of the SUV to, I think, try to get in a position to return fire. Behind the oak tree was Trent Kelly and John Moolenaar from Michigan. I don't know who said it, but someone said we needed to pull back to a concrete block building behind us, where the concession stands were and where the restrooms were. When I pulled back, got back there, I took a position beside Brad Wenstrup. Brad and I were at that corner, and Scalise had dragged himself with his hands and arms out of the infield out in the outfield. When he started doing that, when I was still by the oak trees, he kept raising up trying to look. I think he was trying to see where he was shot. I started yelling at him to get down, get down, because bullets were flying everywhere. When he got out in the outfield, he just lay quietly, and Brad would yell out at him: ``Raise your hand,'' for a show of life. Steve would raise his hand. We were praying that this would end so that we could get to Steve in time to give aid. Thankfully, someone yelled out, ``He's down. He's down.'' There were about--what, Brad?--five or six of us who got out there. When I saw where he was shot, I knew he was in trouble. I knew there would be bone fragments. I knew there would be lead fragments. I also knew that I had no clue what to do other than put pressure on the wound. Barry Loudermilk brought the first aid kit out and gave it to me, and I opened it up and was providing Brad with whatever materials that we could find in the bag. Brad fashioned a lower-body tourniquet by getting Scalise's baseball belt off, and Brian Kelly took his shirt off and was able to make that tourniquet. When the EMT showed up, they actually had one. It was my understanding that Brad was the only one who knew how to put it on expertly, and he got it on. That is, in my opinion, what saved Steve's life. These are individual actions that I think were guided by the hand of God because there is not another explanation for why 136 rounds were fired at people congregated like we were and five people were hit, five victims, but none of them died. The only person who died that day was the shooter. The other thing that struck me was the Members' reaction. There was nobody screaming, nobody panicked. Now, you hear a lot of times what people talk about in combat or in these types of situations--police officers talk about this--that time slows down. It just seemed like everything was so focused. As soon as the shooter was down, our Members sprang into action, helping each other. I was so proud of how our guys responded and didn't panic because it was certainly a situation where I think most people would have panicked. Congressman Loudermilk mentioned David Bailey being wounded. When Bailey came out to be by the side of Steve Scalise, I offered to try to tend to his wound, and he refused treatment. He would not leave the side of Steve Scalise. The epilogue, I guess, of this is how it has affected us, and I think it has made our bond even stronger. As I said at the very beginning, we are bound together for life. It is a wonderful relationship that we have with each other as Members of Congress, as members of the Republican baseball team, but this is an event that defines us in many respects. I will never forget it, but the epilogue is the disappointing part of the story. There is no doubt in my mind this was an act of political violence. It was clearly an attempt, a planned attempt, to kill Republican Members of Congress. We had a briefing by the FBI. When Steve Scalise had gotten out of rehab--that was several months after the shooting--they gathered us in a room to have the FBI give us the report, and they told us that this was an act of an individual attempting to commit suicide by police. I want you to remember that both the Capitol Police officers were shot. When the Alexandria police showed up and fired on him initially, he returned fire on them. If this was his intention to commit suicide by cop, he wouldn't have been firing on them. He came there to kill Republicans. It was one of the most shameful days, in my opinion, for the FBI to come before us, with Steve Scalise sitting in a scooter because he was still not able to walk, sitting right in front of him to read a report to us that wanted to describe this, categorize this, as an attempted suicide. I am so grateful to Brad Wenstrup, who has refused to accept that and has continued to pursue the truth and to get the FBI to classify this as what it was. The truth needs to be told, but there is also more to the story. There is another part of this story, too. When the ambulance arrived to take Scalise to George Washington Hospital, there was so much traffic that it became evident that because, as Brad pointed out, Steve's blood pressure was basically zero, he had minutes, not hours. It was evident they were not going to get there. A helicopter flew over. I believe it was a Department of the Interior helicopter. They radioed the helicopter to land at the baseball field, and it did. They took Steve out of the ambulance and put him in the helicopter. The only place that had a pad for the helicopter to land was MedStar Hospital. They took him there, and it just so happened--again, I believe the providence of God--one of the top trauma surgeons in the country was on call. Still, for 2 days, we didn't know if Steve was going to make it. When he did his rehab--Steve is a huge LSU fan--some of us even went to great lengths to encourage him by putting on an LSU cap. As someone who, in my case, played football at Alabama, that was a one-time event. I told Steve I would never do that again, but I knew how much LSU football meant to him. It happened that that fall, LSU was playing at the University of Alabama, so I called the University and asked them to invite Steve Scalise to be our guest at that game because Steve is the kind of guy who you give him an objective, and he will achieve it. I had the honor of hand-delivering a letter of invitation from Coach Nick Saban to Steve in the hospital. Coach Saban and Steve knew each other from the time when Saban was the head coach at LSU. I sat there as he ripped open the envelope and read the letter, and Steve Scalise was at the University of Alabama for the LSU-Alabama football game. We beat them, which we usually do. It was one of the great moments for me to go through this tragic event, see this guy fight for his life, achieve an objective, come back on this floor, stand at this microphone, and give one of the greatest speeches I have ever heard on the floor of the House of Representatives. I think we all understand what happened that day. We understand the condition of our country right now, the anger, the division, that could potentially tear us apart. I don't think we need to be reminded of the responsibility we have in conducting the affairs of the governance of this country in a way that not only allows us to continue to function as a nation, but restores respect for the Chamber, restores respect for the separation of powers, restores respect for our ability to disagree but still live together. Tomorrow, as we said, is the 7-year anniversary of that event. I know, as my colleagues have all said, it is a day we will never forget, but I hope, as tragic as that day was, that it will serve as a reminder to every Member of this body, Democrat and Republican, that we have a responsibility in how we conduct our business and how we present our arguments and that we dedicate ourselves to trying to bring unity back to a country that right now is just stricken with anger and malice that, if we don't deal with it properly, is going to do enormous harm to our ability to live together, to govern together, and to give those who follow us an opportunity to live in what is the greatest country in the history of the world.

Mr. PALMER

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Alabama for yielding time. I rise today to urge my colleagues to support passage of H. Res. 1019, introduced by my colleague from Alabama (Mr. Moore), in response to the Nicaraguan government's unjust imprisonment of 11 pastors associated with Mountain Gateway, a missionary group based here in the United States. This wrongful imprisonment is not the first time Nicaragua has persecuted good Samaritans trying to help their impoverished Nation. In recent years, Nicaragua has arrested Catholic missionaries, as well as members of the Red Cross. As the United States Congress, we have a vested interest in both upholding international religious freedom and the safety and security of American citizens currently targeted. I join my colleagues to call on the Nicaraguan government to rescind these unjust charges immediately and release the pastors. To the pastors and persecuted Christians everywhere, I encourage them with this passage from Isaiah 41:10: Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Mr. PALMER

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1085, I call up the bill (H.R. 1023) to repeal section 134 of the Clean Air Act, relating to the greenhouse gas reduction fund, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and to include extraneous material on H.R. 1023.

Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1023, the Cutting Green Corruption and Taxes Act. Currently, nearly 20 million American households are behind on paying their utility bills, and families are struggling to put food on the table. These issues directly stem from the expensive and misguided energy policies put in place by the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats with their Inflation Reduction Act, or as I call it, the income reduction act. Thankfully, H.R. 1023 is an important step toward addressing two of the many problems with the IRA. The IRA created a $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund within the EPA. This is nothing more than a slush fund with little to no oversight to fund climate activists, green groups, and Democrat political allies that do little to impact the climate. If my colleagues really wanted to help the American people, especially people on low or fixed incomes, they would focus on unleashing American energy and expanding access to natural gas. Affordable and reliable American energy, not a $27 billion slush fund for Democrat special interest groups, will bring economic opportunity to the American people. Despite natural gas being a critical component for food production and many other products we take for granted, the Democrats' IRA placed a tax on it. This tax has made energy less affordable for Americans already struggling under the weight of inflation. Thankfully, Representative August Pfluger's hard work to repeal this detrimental natural gas tax is included in this bill. I have said it before, and I will say it again: energy security is national security. Sadly, the Biden administration and Democrats' attacks on American energy make us more dependent on China, Russia, and foreign adversaries. Passing H.R. 1023 will be a major step toward undoing their misguided policies. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALMER

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