Guy Reschenthaler

Mr. RESCHENTHALER

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. My good friend from Maryland referenced Dr. Birx. Let's be honest: Dr. Birx is an unelected career bureaucrat who has been wrong repeatedly, just like Dr. Fauci has been wrong repeatedly. Although my friend on the left might cite Dr. Birx, I can cite Johns Hopkins University, which just did a study. According to this massive study from Johns Hopkins University--not a bastion of conservative ideology, I might add--they found that lockdowns only reduced COVID mortality by 0.2 percent in the United States. In sum, lockdowns didn't work at all. What is worse is that those on the left have failed to take into account that the lockdowns actually led to more deaths than they prevented, arguably, with drug overdose and suicide. But that is real science, not political science. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks) to talk about more real science.

Mr. RESCHENTHALER

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend and fellow Rules Committee member, Mrs. Fischbach, for the generosity with the time. Madam Speaker, the Chinese Communist Party is the single greatest threat to freedom and democracy in the United States and around the world. For too long, China has stolen American intellectual property, violated international trade laws, exported illicit fentanyl into our communities, and committed heinous human rights abuses. Just in the last 2 years, China has dismantled Hong Kongers' civil liberties; they have increased their military buildup; and they have suppressed information about the origins of COVID-19. Yet, House Democrats put forward a bill today that mentions coral reefs and climate change more than it mentions China. In Biden's own Statement of Administration Policy for this bill, the word ``China'' is nowhere to be found. This is laughable. Clearly, calling this bill tough on China is a joke. In fact, under H.R. 4521, China itself is eligible to receive American taxpayer dollars through a ``green climate'' slush fund. The slush fund this bill creates actually gives money to China. It is laughable. China has committed the worst climate change violations in the world. They are the world's greatest single polluter. China emits more greenhouse gases than all the developed nations combined. If you took the emissions from the United States, Japan, and all the European Union, Madam Speaker, that combined still doesn't reach the levels that China emits, yet China is eligible for the green climate slush fund this bill creates. It is seriously a joke. You can't make it up, Madam Speaker. Last Congress, Republicans on the China Task Force, which I was lucky enough to be a part of, put forward a blueprint to address the generational threat that is posed by the CCP. I hope my colleagues across the aisle--the liberals across the aisle and the leftists across the aisle--will work with Republicans. I hope they will look at what we produced on the China Task Force and actually get serious about holding China accountable. It is time we advanced the ideas that we have in the China Task Force. The idea is to actually protect Americans and hold the CCP accountable for their malign behavior.

Mr. RESCHENTHALER

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the late James William Lincoln of Connellsville, Pennsylvania, for a life dedicated to public service. Senator ``Bill'' Lincoln, as he was known by those close to him, ended his long and courageous battle with Parkinson's Disease on December 19, 2021. By all accounts, he approached life the same before and after his diagnosis: with action. Born in 1940, Senator Lincoln worked as a shoe salesman and milk delivery man before being elected district judge. After serving two terms, Senator Lincoln was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where he served from 1972 to 1978. In 1979, he was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate, where he served the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for 15 years. During his tenure, Senator Lincoln was appointed to the Legislative Budget and Finance. Committee, Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee, Legislative Audit Advisory Committee, and the Joint State Government Commission. He also served as the Chair of the Democratic State Committee from 1991 to 1995. In 1998, Senator Lincoln was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease at the age of 58, but his passion for public service never wavered. Following his time in the State Senate, he worked as a member of the State Transportation Advisory Board and was also appointed by the governor as Commissioner and Secretary-Treasurer to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, where he served for 10 years until 2013. Among the many titles Senator Lincoln held were husband, father, and friend. He is survived by his wife, Kathy Lincoln, and four sons, James William Jr., Eric, Jerry, and Greg Lincoln, and their families. He leaves his loved ones with not only fond memories, but also a legacy of service to his home state. Madam Speaker, please join me in recognizing the life of Senator Bill Lincoln and the tremendous accomplishments and contributions he made to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. May his leadership and service, particularly in the face of adversity, serve as an example to us all.

Mr. RESCHENTHALER

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

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

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, as a former Navy JAG, I strongly support efforts to ensure our military men and women receive the care and benefits they deserve both during and after their periods of service. It is, therefore, incredibly disappointing to me that the two bills made in order under today's rule present numerous issues and numerous uncertainties that could have been addressed through what could have been just a robust discussion with the VA, VSOs, and other stakeholder groups. I really hope that moving forward we can just work together to ensure that through the legislative process we address the needs of our Nation's veterans. Again, I would urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question so that I can offer the amendment to Reopen Schools Act. So, again, Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question and ``no'' on the rule, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I would like my friend from Colorado to know that I have no further speakers and that I am prepared to close.

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am a veteran in the Navy. I was a naval officer. I deployed to Iraq. I will talk about veteran issues all day long, and we can start by talking about the VA loan that needs reform so veterans can actually use this loan in a hot market where sellers simply will refuse to accept that loan. I will sit up here and talk about that all day, and I have been talking about veterans' issues. But let's just step back. We have had almost 1 year of one-party rule, one party controlling the White House, the Senate, and the House for 1 year. And what has that given us? It has given us an absolute crisis--a disaster--at the southern border. It has given us rampant COVID deaths that actually exceed what they were last year despite the fact that this President inherited from President Trump Operation Warp Speed which gave him three vaccines and a list of therapeutics that could be used. Despite all that, this is still an unmitigated disaster that Biden and his Democratic colleagues have created. We also have inflation and stagnation. American workers have less money to buy the goods and services they need. We have Russia poised to invade Ukraine. We have Communist China daily invading the airspace of the free and independent nation state of Taiwan. And don't even get me started on the fact that we ceded Afghanistan to the Taliban after 18 months of stability in a nation that saw zero American fatalities and stability for our Afghan allies, and we handed it over to the Taliban. That is what 1 year of one-party rule has given this country: an unmitigated disaster. Now, getting back to schools, I know that my colleagues on the left want to say that this is just an issue for Chicago or some other city. Forty-five hundred schools shut down the first week of January is a national issue. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Louisiana (Ms. Letlow) to talk more about it.

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Utah.

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Wisconsin an additional 10 seconds.

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am actually glad the economy came up because this is truly a disaster. We can talk about the stock market, but I can tell you that the people in my district don't care about Wall Street. They are focused on Main Street. When everything they buy every day, whether it is bacon at the grocery store or gasoline at the gas station, costs more, it takes money out of their paychecks. Don't take my word. Let's turn to some statistics. The December jobs report was the worst of Joe Biden's Presidency, with the U.S. economy actually adding just under 200,000 jobs when it was projected to add roughly half a million jobs, grossly falling short of what all the economists were projecting. The December jobs report was the worst of the Biden Presidency. The labor force participation rates decreased for the following demographics. African-American men 20 and older declined in job participation. African-American teenagers, Asian Americans, and Hispanic and Latino Americans all had falling numbers under the Biden economy. Again, let's just look at inflation. Gasoline is up 58 percent. We haven't seen increases like this in gasoline since the last time that Joe Biden was in the White House. Car and truck rentals are up over 37 percent. As I referenced, bacon is up over 21 percent. Fish and seafood are up 10 percent. Eggs are up 8 percent. Coffee is up 7.5 percent. What this means is the real wages of American workers, which have stagnated, are even worse than they were before this Presidency because everything the American worker buys costs more thanks to Joe Biden and thanks to the party across the aisle's economic policies. I want to talk more about schools that were referenced. Let's talk about schools. I have a New York Times article. ``No Way to Grow Up'' is the title. American children are in crisis. It was published on January 4. This is a New York Times article. Among third through eighth graders, math and reading levels were lower than normal this fall, according to NWEA, which is a research group. Many children and teenagers are experiencing mental health problems aggravated by the isolation and disruption of the pandemic. Three medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, recently declared a national state of emergency in children's health. What is really shocking about this is the party across the aisle claims to be the party of science. I think the party across the aisle has forever forfeited the right to call themselves the party of science because nothing that they have done has been based on science--maybe political science, but not real science. Here is the real science. Data now suggests that the many changes to school routines are of questionable value in controlling the virus' spread. Some researchers are skeptical that school closures actually reduce COVID cases in most instances. Here we have the so-called party of science using unscientific rationale to shut down schools, which we know is damaging kids both from an education point of view and a mental health point of view, damaging kids while having zero science to back that up. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore).

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I appreciate my good friend from Texas talking about suicide. If we want to talk about suicide, let's look at the youth of this country. Here is the statistic: The number of ER visits for suspected suicide attempts by 12- to 17- year-old girls rose by 51 percent in 2021 compared to 2019. Suicide attempts are up 51 percent. So let's talk about suicide and let's talk about the effect that these shutdowns are having on our youth. I know my good friend from Colorado said this is just an issue in Chicago when we were talking about Chicago. Chicago is just an example of the shutdowns. There are over 4,500 schools across the country that chose to begin the week of January 2 by shutting down, which clearly disrupted learning. This isn't just a Republican stat. I have a New York Times article that has even more facts on this. Remember, it was President Biden who promised that he was going to shut down the virus, not shut down the economy and not shut down schools. He has actually done the exact opposite. Here is another statistic. More Americans have died from COVID-19 in 2021 than in 2020. That is under President Biden's watch. We can hear excuses all day long about what can be done, but the fact is this: This is a crisis that Joe Biden and the other party across the aisle own. There is no excuse. They control the White House and the Senate, and they have the majority in the House. This has been done on their watch. Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Hern) to talk more about this topic.

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, again, I just want to reiterate that I have said if we defeat the previous question I will personally offer an amendment to the rule to immediately consider H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act, to help our children who are in school who are suffering. That is why this is now an issue. To speak more on that, Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Tiffany).

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Hinson), my good friend, the legislation's author, here to explain the amendment.

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, during my opening statement, I referenced the strategic plan that the VA is undertaking that we are supposed to get in early 2022. And the reason for that is we typically need data before we legislate, but we do have data on another topic, and that is the damage that our children are facing by being kept out of school. Madam Speaker, we have nearly 2 full years of data that show that keeping kids out of classrooms has caused massive learning loss, a mental health epidemic, particularly among our youth, and stressful situations for millions of families. Recently, children in Chicago have been forced to endure virtual hearings after the Chicago Teachers Union refused to do their jobs and show up for in-person classes. House Republicans believe schools should be open and that our children come first. In some municipalities, bowling alleys have opened before our schools. It is shameful. Madam Speaker, that is why if we defeat the previous question, I will personally offer an amendment to the rule to immediately consider H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record, along with any extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank my good friend from Colorado for his kind words and also for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. Madam Speaker, before I get into debate, I do want to talk about my good friend from Colorado. I know that he may be moving on in some months. I want to say I truly am looking forward to working with my good friend for the next few months. He is a gentleman and a good friend both on and off the floor. Madam Speaker, the rule before us today makes in order two pieces of legislation, H.R. 1836, the Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act of 2020 and also H.R. 4673, the EVEST Act. As a former Navy JAG, I am deeply committed to supporting the military men and women who make sacrifices every day to protect our freedoms, both at home and abroad. And that is why I am incredibly disappointed that neither of these measures received a legislative hearing in the House Veterans' Affairs Committee this Congress. Without input from the VA, VSOs, and other stakeholders, it is absolutely unclear the impact these bills would actually have, let alone whether these are actually workable bills. Take for example H.R. 1836. Republicans agree that we must address the benefit and equity for our National Guardsmen and simplify the law so that any time spent on Active Duty for service other than training would count towards GI Bill eligibility. But unfortunately, the broad expansion of benefits in H.R. 1836 could have very real impacts on retention in both the Reserves and Active Duty. Additionally, it would be helpful to hear from VSOs and other stakeholders about the impact that increased interest fees would have on veterans' access to housing. This is a real problem, and I don't think we have properly addressed it or debated it. These are issues that could have been explored. They could have been explored during a legislative hearing. They could have been explored to ensure a final product that meets the needs of our guardsmen and our veterans. At the same time, while I agree that we must support transitioning servicemembers and we must do it by connecting them with VA hospital care and medical services, this has been an incomplete legislative process that makes H.R. 4673 completely problematic. According to the VA 2022 Budget documents, 9.2 million veterans are enrolled for care and medical services while 7.1 million veterans actually receive treatment at VA or community care facilities. So given that the budgets are determined by historical enrollment versus actual utilization, increasing enrollment without understanding the impact on the VA healthcare system could create an imbalance between the budgetary needs and what reality will show. It would also be helpful to understand H.R. 4673's potential impacts on access to care for current veterans and the ability of VA staff and facilities to handle the influx of the new enrollees. To that end, last Congress we passed the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019. This required the VA to submit a strategic plan to provide a healthcare plan to any veteran during the 1-year period following their discharge or release from Active Duty service. This strategic plan is currently expected to be released early in 2022. So it would make a lot more sense to wait until we receive the strategic plan before we move forward with a legislative solution. Again, Madam Speaker, these are issues that could have been discussed at a legislative hearing. These issues could have helped ensure a veteran-focused approach to enrollment eligibility for VA healthcare. Instead, the majority is moving forward without a true understanding of the real-world impacts of these measures. I, therefore, urge my colleagues to oppose this rule. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time

Mr. RESCHENTHALER

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, my good friend and colleague from Texas mentioned George W. Bush in her remarks. That is certainly a blast from the past. I was actually too young to even vote for President Bush when he was running in the primary. So I say that respectfully for my good friend from Texas. But when we are talking about blasts from the past, the American people have not paid this much at the pump since the last time Biden was in the White House. It is true. The national average of gasoline is currently $3.32. Americans are paying 54 percent more nationally for a gallon of gas. In some parts of the United States the price for a gallon of gas has reached $7.59 a gallon. So with Biden in the White House we are repeating ourselves once again--a blast from the past--and the American people are, unfortunately, paying every day at the gas pump. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin), my good friend, who is going to talk about that.

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

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time as I have no further speakers at this time, and I am prepared to close. I applaud Chairman McGovern for his work on this piece of legislation. I applaud Senator Rubio, of course, and my colleague, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, for working on the legislation. And just to clarify, when I was talking about the watered-down version that the administration is trying to water down, I was talking about the Senate version of this bill. If I misspoke, I want to clarify the Record now. That is what I was speaking to. But, again, I applaud anybody who is working on holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable for the atrocities they are committing on the Uyghurs. Let me be clear about something: House Republicans will continue to stand against all forms of hate and Islamophobia. We will continue to stand with Uyghurs in China and with all people experiencing religious persecution. Unfortunately, H.R. 5665, this piece of legislation, is a rushed bill. It presents serious First Amendment concerns. It will complicate existing efforts to protect human rights and religious freedom around the globe. It is also incredibly duplicative. We already have the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. We already have the Office of International Religious Freedom. We already have the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. We already have institutions and bodies that are focused on this. For those reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question and ``no'' on the rule. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 15 seconds to summarize.

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I didn't anticipate that we were going to talk about the pandemic, but since we are on the topic, let's just get one thing clear. There have been more deaths from this pandemic under President Biden than under President Trump. Remember, President Trump is the one that put forth Operation Warp Speed with our pharmaceutical industry to get a vaccine to market incredibly quick, in fact, in record-breaking time. So again, there were more deaths under President Biden than President Trump. So who is really ignoring the pandemic? Let's talk about the Uyghurs. The Chinese openly and proudly refer to Uyghur concentration camps as reeducation camps. It is a sin how the Chinese are trying to cover up the modern-day concentration camps they have. They claim they are necessary to ``rid them of terrorists and extremist leanings.'' In these camps you have torture like sleep deprivation; people are being hung from walls; people are being locked in what is called a tiger chair, a steel chair with fixed leg irons and handcuffs that render their body immobile, often in very painful positions. Chinese officials have created a massive nearly week-long bonfire to burn documents that regard the oversight of these camps. It is time that we call out the Chinese Communist Party for the atrocities they are committing on the Uyghurs. When we are talking about legislation on this point it is actually the Speaker that slow-walked legislation by as much as 5 months. Let me explain the legislative history. The Senate passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans imports of goods made with forced Uyghur labor, in July of 2021 unanimously. That was in the Senate. Top House Democrats pointed to a procedural issue and promised future action and then finally passed the bill in December. Again, a 5-month delay for what? Well, according to reports, the Speaker slow-walked this bill at the request of the Biden administration, who prioritized climate change and climate reforms over human rights violations in China. Further, the Biden administration asked that the bill be watered down, which is truly disgusting when you look at the human rights violations going on in China. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. Greene).

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Crenshaw), my good friend.

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise).

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), who is my good friend and fellow Rules Committee member.

Mr. RESCHENTHALER

Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, I demand the yeas and nays.