Matthew Rosendale

Mr. ROSENDALE

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Speaker, on this Veterans Day, I rise to recognize the people of Golden Valley, Montana, who are honoring the brave Montanans who served our Nation in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan with a new memorial in the community. The Treasure State has a long history of military service. And Montanans never fail to remember the sacrifice our men and women in uniform have made to preserve and protect the freedoms we cherish. Golden Valley is no different. I commend the work they have done to build a memorial to allow us all to pay tribute to those who have fought for our country. It is a privilege to represent the people of Golden Valley in Congress. It is also a privilege to recognize their commitment to honoring our Nation's heroes in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mr. ROSENDALE

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

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

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chairman, my amendment No. 89 will prohibit any funds made available in this act from being used to enforce the Federal supplier climate risks and resilience proposed rule. This rule is part of the Biden administration's plan for the Federal Government to reach net-zero procurement. The rule seeks to impose impractical and overly burdensome climate reporting standards on large- and medium-sized government contractors of which small businesses make up 29 percent and 64 percent respectively. Climate and emissions standards should not be integrated into financial reporting, especially for the small businesses who lack the resources to meet these environmentalists' extreme standards. These government contractors play a critical role in providing essential goods and services such as weapons systems to our military and the very uniforms that they wear. Wool from Montana is used in the design and the production of our Army uniforms. Currently, only 10 percent of medium-sized contractors and 31 percent of large contractors disclose their GHG emissions. These reporting requirements represent a substantial burden, especially for contractors who lack the infrastructure to collect emissions data. To comply with these overly burdensome regulations, these small businesses will be required to invest significant amounts of time, money, and manpower to establish entirely new emissions reporting regimes. Such an endeavor will be financially crippling for many of them. As Congress, we should ensure that the best companies for the job are the ones who get the contract, not just massive government contractors who can produce time-consuming reports. We should not be imposing these impractical emissions reporting standards on any businesses, particularly on the family ranches that produce our military uniforms. This amendment is about ensuring that our government remains impartial and does not become a platform for large corporations to stifle competition. We must champion true and fair competition within the government contract space, promoting economic fairness and a level playing field over an environmentalist agenda. Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, which aims to protect the interests of small businesses and uphold the principles of fairness, competitiveness, and financial responsibility. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chair, just so everybody understands, this proposed rule from the Biden administration requires major contractors to annually disclose scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and to establish science-based target requirements. Let me tell you what scope 1 is: greenhouse gas emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the reporting entity. If I am raising wool, am I supposed to follow around behind each and every sheep that runs through the pasture to check the flatulence that they are releasing from their derrieres? This is absolutely ridiculous, and this is the kind of thing that the other side of the aisle is requiring. I am not going to the south end of a northbound sheep to try to find out how much is being emitted. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chair, I think that we have very quickly demonstrated how ridiculous this standard is, and I hope that all of my colleagues support this amendment. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chair, my amendment No. 90 would prohibit any funds made available by this act from being used for the purchase or construction of any new Federal building in Washington, D.C. Our Nation is over $33 trillion in debt, with an expected annual deficit this year of nearly $2 trillion. We need to find innovative ways to reduce this spending. The Federal Government spends approximately $25 billion annually to operate, maintain, or lease over 278,000 buildings. Some Realtors out there are getting very wealthy managing these properties. A recent GAO report found that, in early 2023, well past COVID at- home working, two-thirds of Federal agencies used a mere 25 percent or less of their space at headquarters. You cannot keep vacancy rates like that on any commercial enterprise and stay in business. The same report also found that, on the higher range, agencies used an estimated 39 to 49 percent of the capacity of their headquarters. The Federal Government wastes billions of taxpayer dollars to own and maintain buildings and barely uses them. This is unacceptable, and quite frankly, it is an insult to the taxpayers of Montana. Moreover, having all of our Federal agencies in Washington, D.C., makes them less accountable to the American people. One of President Trump's accomplishments was moving the Bureau of Land Management headquarters to Colorado. Agencies should be close to the constituents where their actions have the biggest impact. Unfortunately, Secretary Haaland reversed course and moved the BLM's headquarters back to Washington, D.C. If the BLM was still headquartered in Colorado, maybe Director Stone-Manning would be more accessible to the constituents whom her disastrous rules have harmed. Our Nation is trillions in debt and wastes billions on underutilized Federal buildings. No organization can operate this way successfully. The status quo must change. My commonsense amendment would simply prohibit funds for constructing or purchasing new buildings in Washington, D.C. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chair, let me reiterate this again: Two-thirds of Federal agencies used 25 percent or less of their space at headquarters. This was not during the peak of COVID when we had a lot of people working from home. This is a report that the GAO just produced in 2023. We have vacant buildings. People are probably wandering around there, wondering what the echo sound is. In January 2023, at a meeting of the Federal Real Property Council, more than half of the agency officials acknowledged that their headquarters buildings had excess space prior to the pandemic. Mr. Chair, we have too much real estate. We need to liquidate some of these assets. We need to get some of those buildings off the books. Then, we can have a conversation about where new construction can take place. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chair, my amendment No. 91 would reduce funding to the Commission by 50 percent, saving American taxpayers approximately $69 million. This does not include the savings from the unnecessary regulations on the industry and the obligation that the regulatory state has created on them. The Biden-appointed CPSC Commissioners began talking about banning gas stoves this past January. After major pushback, the Chair of the CPSC said that they weren't looking into a ban on gas stoves. However, the Biden administration still moved forward with the Department of Energy rule on gas stove emissions. I was proud to vote for Representative Kelly Armstrong's Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act in June, and I am pleased that the base text of this bill includes a provision to protect Americans from unserious and invasive emissions standards. However, this ordeal has led me to lose any confidence in the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which should probably not exist in the first place and should only issue recommendations. These unelected bureaucrats get paid to work out of a beltway office and decide what products Americans can buy. It is time to rein them in. American people and businesses should be the ones making those decisions. If there is a particularly egregious product, consumers have legal recourse, and Congress can step in and make a law. It shouldn't be done by unaccountable bureaucrats who are invested in keeping themselves employed by continuing to overregulate products. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chair, besides trying to ban gas stoves, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has also proposed other ridiculous rules. For example, on October 25, 2023--not the early 1900s, 2023--the Commission proposed a rule on furnaces that states: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has determined preliminarily that there is an unreasonable risk of injury and death associated with residential gas- fired central furnaces, boilers, wall furnaces, and floor furnaces. This is all gas furnaces and boilers. Let's get to the crux of this. This agency is trying to put the natural fuels that we have in our country out of business. This is another ploy by the Biden administration to drive us all to this broken idea of relying upon renewable energy. It is not realistic. This is just another agency that is trying to perpetuate that, and they do not need more money to attack the American people and American industries. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chair, under the legal theory espoused by the Commission, all manufacturers and retailers would be liable for injuries caused by consumers' negligence or even intentional misuse of a safe product, even when the manufacturer provided warnings and instructions on safe use. This is nothing more than a trial attorney's dream come true. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chair, my amendment No. 92 would prohibit funding for President Biden's new Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Since President Biden took office in January of 2021, our Second Amendment rights have been under assault. Now, with the stroke of a pen, President Biden created the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, allowing his administration to bypass Congress unilaterally and implement the left's gun control agenda. This office would be overseen by Vice President Kamala Harris and staffed with radical former gun control lobbyists, allowing the swamp to have total control of Biden's gun control agenda. In Montana, 64 percent of the households have firearms. Montanans will not go along with the White House's attempt to undermine our Second Amendment rights. People often say, what are they afraid of out there in Montana? Why do they need so many firearms? I will tell you, we are not afraid of anything, and it is because we do have our firearms. It is unacceptable for the hard-earned tax dollars of gun owners in Montana to fund the salaries of unelected, gun-grabbing bureaucrats who are hell-bent on branding law-abiding, responsible gun owners as criminals. My amendment would throw a wrench in the gun control lobbyists' plans and severely hamper the Biden administration's ability to impose further restrictions on our Second Amendment rights. It is time we drained the swamp and kicked the gun control lobby out of the White House. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chair, as I have referenced, Vice President Harris possesses no special credentials to run the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and will act as nothing more than a figurehead. The office will rely on leftwing special interests and lobbyists to enact the Democrats' war on the Second Amendment while also rewarding President Biden's donors with cushy jobs at the White House. Rob Wilcox, the Deputy Director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, led Federal policy at Everytown for Gun Safety, which is primarily financed by Michael Bloomberg. All the time my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are trying to undermine and compromise our Second Amendment rights, they fail to recognize the prosecutors that they have put in place around the country that refuse to charge and prosecute the criminals that should not have guns, that have been doing crimes with illegal firearms. That is where the focus needs to be. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chair, again, what my colleagues fail to recognize time and time again is the fact that we have so much crime that takes place, criminal on criminal, or criminals committing these crimes and an innocent victim gets tied up in the crossfire. They also refuse to recognize that these communities and cities that are led by Democrat leaders have had increased crime rates over the last several years since the Biden administration has taken over, and that is because they have prosecutors who are not charging and prosecuting these criminals and letting them off without proper punitive measures taking place. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chair, forgive me if I don't trust a Federal agency to be policing a community and using their discretion about who may or may not be committing a crime in the future. My gosh, we have just witnessed the FBI conducting surveillance on Catholics because they were attending Latin masses. We watched them conduct surveillance on parents because they dared attempt to attend school board meetings. Now we are going to unleash the Federal agencies to conduct surveillance on people who might own a firearm, who may not own a firearm, who might commit a crime in the future, and they are going to be the sole judge of that? The people across Montana will not support that. They will not tolerate that, and this amendment deems to get rid of an agency that is trying to do those exact kinds of acts. I ask my colleagues to please support this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROSENDALE

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chair, I rise today to express my deep concern about the Biden administration's equity action plan at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. We must ensure that American tax dollars allocated to HUD are spent based on financial need and readiness, not the Democrats' divisive social justice agenda. These equity action plans direct the department to give special attention to individuals based on their race or if they identify as transgender or gender nonconforming. These criteria have no place in providing affordable housing and ending homelessness. Helping Americans out of homelessness or helping them to buy their first home should be based on only preparedness and creditworthiness. Anything else does them a disservice in the long run, as evidenced by the housing collapse of 2008, which was the result of unscrupulous promotion of subprime loans. It is a fundamental tenet of our Republic that we treat all Americans equally, regardless of their race or creed. If any American is struggling, they should have equal access to assistance.

Mr. ROSENDALE. The Department of Housing and Urban Development should support those who are in need and ready to receive or help--no need for equity action plans. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support Congressman Self's amendment.

Mr. ROSENDALE

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to wish the State of Montana a happy 134th birthday. On November 8, 1889, Montana was the 41st State admitted to the Union, and it is truly a blessing to call it home. Montana boasts a rich heritage and is home to some of the Nation's most pristine public lands, including Glacier National Park and the crown jewel of the National Park System, Yellowstone. However, what truly makes Montana special is the people. Montanans are hardworking folks who value our traditions and cherish our freedoms and our liberties. There is a reason that Montana is the most patriotic State in the Nation. Our Montana way of life is second to none, and it is an honor and a privilege to represent the Treasure State here in Congress, which is why we will continue to fight to protect our way of life. Happy birthday, Montana.

Mr. ROSENDALE

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chair, I thank Representative Norman, my good friend from South Carolina, for introducing this amendment and for yielding me time. Mr. Chair, I submitted an identical amendment to this one, and I am glad to see it is being considered today. This amendment would hold the BLM director, Tracy Stone-Manning, accountable for her disastrous policies and rightfully reduce her salary to $1. Ms. Manning has been using the Bureau to push her own radical environmentalist agenda at the expense of Montanans and all Americans. Director Manning has repeatedly and intentionally violated Federal statute by issuing rules that are completely at odds with the Taylor Grazing Act. The Taylor Grazing Act lays out best range management practices and clearly states that the purpose of the law is to: ``provide for the orderly use'' of public land in order to ``stabilize the livestock industry.'' Earlier this year, the BLM issued a Conservation and Landscape Health Rule that clearly violates the letter and the spirit of the law by designating multiple use public land under conservation leases for bison. Allowing bison to graze on allotments that should be leased for cattle grazing has been a severe blow to Montana's ranching industry. Director Manning has also continuously ignored the concerns of local landowners and those most affected by her harmful policies by failing to hold public hearings outside of the large cities. Director Manning flagrantly dismissed Montana agriculture groups' concerns in the decision-making process for American Prairie Reserve's bison grazing proposal and granted special provisions for one lessee that no one else in the country has experienced. Her Bureau also refused to collaborate with the relevant State agencies and declined to hold sufficient opportunities for local engagement. This is a process we have seen far too often with the Bureau of Land Management under her leadership, creating harmful rules and refusing to take input or provide engagement opportunities for those who are most impacted by those rules. Director Manning has also refused to follow the congressionally mandated quarterly requirements for Federal land leases. Under this administration, we have seen the fewest acres leased for oil and gas since World War II, with only one of those lease sales taking place in Montana. This directly contradicts Congress' directive and a Louisiana district court's reversal of the administration's leasing moratorium. At the same time, Americans continue to face rising energy costs and persistent inflation. Intentionally stalling onshore and gas production is a dereliction of duty and a slap in the face to hardworking Americans, especially those who rely on these public lands to keep their economy afloat. This climate of zealotry and blatant disregard for the rule of law has been evident with Director Stone-Manning for a long time. She collaborated with tree-spiking ecoterrorists at the start of her career, and there is no reason to believe that her views have substantially changed. Mr. Chair, for all of these reasons and many more, Director Stone- Manning needs to be held accountable. Congress cannot stand by idly while these climate extremists use our Federal agencies to destroy local economies and the livelihood of everyday Americans. This amendment will put all of Biden's disastrous energy heads on notice and force them to finally follow the rule of law that Congress passed nearly 90 years ago.

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chair, possibly we will shed some light on some allegations and problems that would raise to the level that the gentleman would support for removing the salary from Ms. Haaland. Prior to joining the current administration, Secretary Haaland had close ties with the Pueblo Action Alliance, a New Mexico-based organization known for its involvement in environmental and social justice extremism. The Pueblo Action Alliance argues that America's economic and political systems must be dismantled and believes that America is irredeemable because there is no opportunity to reform a system that isn't founded on good morals or values. That is who she associated with. However, we are not done yet. Secretary Haaland's daughter is now employed with Pueblo Action Alliance, participating in lobbying trips to Washington, D.C., and protests, calling for the stop of all oil and gas development. This relationship raises questions about the influence this organization may have on the Secretary's decisionmaking within her role. In January, the Department received a FOIA request for all communications between Secretary Haaland's daughter and the Department of the Interior officials describing her lobbying efforts. The Department has still not produced the requested information, failing to meet their statutory obligations. Secretary Haaland's husband has also consulted for and previously been employed by an organization that receives a significant portion of its funding from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Bureau of Indian Affairs falls under Secretary Haaland's purview as Secretary of the Interior, presenting another clear conflict of interest. Extremely convenient. In light of these alarming factors, it is my firm belief that Secretary Haaland is ill-suited for the position of Secretary of the Interior, and I hope that this amendment will be adopted.

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chair, just to shed a little bit more information on the subject that I was speaking of, it is very difficult to prove wrongdoing when the person who has committed the wrongdoing will not provide the documentation for which the oversight can be conducted. You can't see the documents, so you cannot see exactly what arrangements have been made between her daughter, the lobbying efforts that took place. We certainly can track, though, that her husband is working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, being compensated by them. If we don't do anything except create the perception around this place of integrity, we have to do a better job, and that has not even been created.

Mr. ROSENDALE

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

Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Chairman, my amendment No. 59 reduces spending; specifically, it cuts funding for the Army Corps of Engineers back to the FY22 levels. This year's appropriation would increase Army Corps' funding by $910 million from last year. My amendment would reduce funding for the Army Corps by $620 million in order to bring it back to FY22 levels. That still leaves in place a $290 million increase. Unfortunately, the Army Corps of Engineers has a long history of running over budget and out of schedule. The solution to the Army Corps wasting taxpayers' money is not to reward them with more money. Instead, we must demand that the Army Corps of Engineers be more responsible and more efficient. In Montana alone, there are multiple instances of the Army Corps' projects running well beyond their budgets and then turning to State and local governments to make up the costs. The Army Corps has shown a complete dereliction of duty by trying to transfer costs, operation, and maintenance of the Fish Bypass Channel, which is part of the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project. The Army Corps is shifting operating costs that they agreed to take on to the farmers and ranchers who are already facing increased costs. In fact, before the Army Corps of Engineers even cut the ribbon on this project, it was in need of repairs. I witnessed it myself. The Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project was created as the Newlands Reclamation Act, signed into law in 1902. The purpose of the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project is to divert water from the Yellowstone River to irrigators in eastern Montana and western North Dakota. Currently, the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project is a dependable, reliable source of irrigation water for approximately 58,000 acres of land in four irrigation districts across Montana. The Army Corps of Engineers proposed a fish bypass channel in Montana to address the pallid sturgeon populations in the Lower Missouri River because it was cheaper, not out of the goodness of their heart. The farmers did not ask for nor did they receive more water or a better system. No, as a matter of fact, just quite the opposite has happened. The system doesn't function as well and it costs them more to operate. The Army Corps now wants to wash its hands of this project and pass the cost to 350 families and communities that rely upon this irrigation to provide for their livelihoods. This burden from the lack of planning by the Corps of Engineers should only be transferred on to a third party that is at fault. The government is the only one who decided to place the pallid sturgeon on the Endangered Species List and should pay for the consequences and costs resulting from that action, not the small community that has relied upon this irrigation for over the past century. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.