John Rose

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, the United States has officially entered a recession thanks to the out-of-touch economic policies of President Biden and congressional Democrats. Since the day Democrats gained control of our government, having majorities in the House, Senate, and a Democratic President in the White House, fiscally conservative Members of Congress like myself have been sounding the alarms on this reckless deficit spending that got us in this mess. Now, it looks like it will be Republicans tasked with getting us out of this recession, as the American people are fed up with Democrats' economic policies that are causing record-breaking inflation and now a recession. If and when Republicans gain control of the House, I can assure you the first thing we will do is stop the out-of-control and wasteful spending enacted under a complete Democratic control of Washington. Hopefully, by then, the President will come to his senses and work with Republicans to get us back on track.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, last week President Biden announced a series of executive orders to further advance his party's Green New Deal agenda. This is further proof of an utterly out-of-touch administration. The average cost of a gallon of gas is $3.93 in Tennessee, almost double the price when the President took office. Most Americans will spend thousands more this year on filling up their tanks. Families are also paying an average of $90 a month more for electricity this summer. In addition, reports say our Nation faces looming blackouts--yet this administration is doubling down on regulating our energy producers to death. The solution is simple: The President should be supporting policies that ramp up domestic oil production, rather than policies that destroy it. Mr. Biden has blamed oil companies, gas station owners, and everyone else for this disaster, but if he wants to assign blame, he need look no further than the mirror.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the violence plaguing so many American communities. 2021 was a historic year for crime in major cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and even Washington, D.C. This year is on track to be even worse. Homicides alone are up nearly 50 percent nationwide from 2020. We have seen more than 80 inexcusable acts of violence against pro- life pregnancy centers and churches in recent months. 178 police officers have tragically been shot so far this year, with 33 of them losing their lives. It is no wonder so many are retiring or resigning; 1,500 men and women in blue have stepped down just from the New York City Police Department this year. Congressional Democrats need to take a stand against those in their party who push radical soft-on-crime policies, such as defunding the police, and, instead, leave wokeness behind to support our men and women of law enforcement to the fullest extent possible.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, I thank the vice chairman for yielding time in this Special Order tonight. Madam Speaker, June was the fourth consecutive month, as we have already heard, with more than 200,000 migrant encounters along our southern border. The total number of illegal immigrant apprehensions since this President took office now sits at more than 3.1 million. That is on top of more than 800,000 known got-aways. It is costing lives. More than 100,000 Americans--many of them young Americans--died last year of drug overdoses. Those deaths were fueled by fentanyl that illegally came across our border. Since last October, Border Patrol has seized more than 8,400 pounds of fentanyl. These are not just statistics. They are people, our fellow Americans. Their families are forever shattered. Yet, this administration continues to fight to end policies like title 42 and remain in Mexico, sending a clear message that our borders are open. This administration is putting our economic security at risk, our national security at risk, and exacerbating a humanitarian crisis. A large and growing number of children with limited resources are being exploited by the cartels to dangerously run the streets or forced into prostitution. Additionally, over 1,000 people have died along our border since President Biden took office--many while trying to enter our country illegally--attracted by the policies of this administration. Instead of taking bold action to combat this problem, the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas continues to claim our border is secure. Texas Department of Public Safety Sergeant Marc Couch sees the humanitarian crisis every day along the Rio Grande Valley. He recently told Fox News that to say the border is secure is: ``a misnomer of a statement that has no truth in it.'' I agree. But I would like to put it a different way. Secretary Mayorkas' claim is grossly misleading. In fact, it is just flat wrong, so much so that it is difficult to understand how he could in good faith believe what he is saying to the American people. Madam Speaker, I usually end these speeches by urging the President to do better with regard to our border, but the reality is we know this administration has little or no appetite for securing our border and instead prefers to appeal to its far-left base. It falls on Congress to hold the executive branch accountable when it fails to uphold our laws. So, I will close today by urging congressional Democrats to do their job, and as the House majority at least until January, join Republicans to hold this administration accountable. Let's take a break from voting on messaging bills that have no chance of passing in the Senate. Let's find ways to come together and finally secure our border. This should be a top priority for both parties because open borders make every State a border State and put America at risk.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, on Thursday, the Bureau of Economic Analysis will release its second quarter gross domestic product numbers, an overall measure of our country's economic output from April through June. For decades, a ``recession'' has been defined as two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth. Therefore, if Thursday's second quarter GDP number is in the negative, then by definition, the United States economy will be in a recession. However, that won't stop the White House from doing everything it can to deny the obvious. In fact, the White House Council of Economic Advisers is actively trying to change the definition of the word ``recession.'' In a blog published on July 21 titled: ``How Do Economists Determine Whether the Economy is in a Recession?'' the White House argues that ``it is unlikely that the decline in GDP in the first quarter of this year--even if followed by another GDP decline in the second quarter-- indicates a recession.'' I hope those students who will be taking economics 101 in the fall are taking notes because the Biden administration is attempting to change the decades-old answers to the test questions for purely political purposes. Instead of President Biden and his administration attempting to bait and switch the public on the definition of a recession, they should change course on their policies that are crushing our economy and creating significant pain for millions of Americans. President Biden's disastrous economic policies are having a ripple effect on the housing market, on gas and food prices, real wages, and, of course, overall inflation. Now, we will find out on Thursday whether, by definition, we are in a recession. Madam Speaker, it didn't have to be this way. We didn't have to borrow and spend ourselves into this mess. The President didn't need to cancel the Keystone Pipeline. He didn't need to restrict new oil and gas leases on public lands. He didn't need to create new regulations on every sector of the economy through the Securities and Exchange Commission and other bureaucratic government agencies. Thankfully, the days of complete Democratic Party rule in Washington are likely coming to an end. The American people are fed up with their leftwing economic policies and will reject them soundly at the voting booth in November. Until then, Republicans like me who stand for fiscal conservatism will continue to call them out and hope for more accountability. At the end of the day, the President is responsible for this economic mess he created. He must do better. If he can't, Republicans will.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, what do Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming have in common? They all have populations smaller than the number of illegal immigrants that have been apprehended at our southern border since the Joe Biden administration began. We are talking about 3.1 million migrants in 1\1/2\ years. This is, indeed, a national security threat. Border Patrol officials encountered more than 207,000 migrants last month alone. Six, by the way, were on the terrorist watch list. How many more are making their way here right now? How many will succeed at slipping through the cracks? How many caravans will it take? How many needless deaths will occur under this President? Every month, thousands more will come if this administration doesn't begin to take this issue seriously. This President must do better.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding time this evening. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 7734, which would require the Treasury Secretary, upon the request of Congress, to deliver Bank Secrecy Act, or BSA, reports within 30 days to congressional staff. Additionally, it would create a similar requirement for financial institutions to share BSA filings with Congress. Currently, SARs, or suspicious activity reports, may be viewed by congressional staff in a reading room at Treasury. Due to the sensitive nature of these reports, congressional staff are prohibited from copying the materials and taking them away from Treasury or FinCEN. There have been several high-profile leaks of SARs over the past few years. In one instance, a FinCEN employee, who was later sentenced to 6 months in prison, leaked thousands of SARs to BuzzFeed News. This legislation would increase the number of individuals who have access to hard copies of these reports and will lead to more leaks, I fear, of sensitive information. Having served on a community bank board, I know how subjective SARs can be, and I fear that this information will put our entire system in jeopardy. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, tonight, will be the last scheduled meeting of the partisan Committee on January 6th. As my neighbors in middle Tennessee struggle with the skyrocketing cost of living, I can't help but think Congress' time and energy should be focused on the issues on most Americans' minds, not another political witch hunt. If the committee had any legitimacy, it would allow Leader McCarthy to seek the Republicans of his choosing. Speaker Pelosi made the unprecedented decision to not do so. If it had any legitimacy, the committee would be investigating what caused the events to unfold that day, what led to the breach of security, and what can we do to learn from these failures to prepare for the future. Unfortunately, I don't think the committee has done its job to ask these important questions. Tennesseans are smart and see this process as what it is: a partisan witch hunt in the form of a sham investigation.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, on many different occasions I have come to this Chamber to point out exactly how we arrived at this moment where we are experiencing record-breaking inflation. Each time, congressional Democrats' desire to recklessly spend trillions of taxpayer dollars continues to be the answer. Here I am again, as the House prepares to vote on yet another spending bill costing hundreds of billions of dollars filled with socialist wish list items that increases Federal spending by double- digit and triple-digit percentage increases in some cases. I, of course, will vote ``no,'' not only because it increases the size of our government by increasing spending on non-defense programs by 14 percent, but because it also fails to include the Hyde amendment, which is a longstanding bipartisan agreement that protects taxpayer dollars for being used to fund abortions. Overall, the bill would increase the budget for the Environmental Protection Agency by 20 percent, increase the budget for general government activities by 17 percent, and include a 10 percent increase for the Food and Drug Administration--the very same department that botched the baby formula shortage. This funding bill rewards bad behavior by giving funding increases to departments that have failed the American people. It encourages illegal immigration. It discourages increasing our domestic energy output by restricting offshore oil and gas activities, and it fails to fund our national defense priorities like the sea-launched nuclear cruise missile. It has been almost 2 years of complete Democratic control of government. Instead of addressing the root causes of the crisis Democrats created, this bill doubles down on their failed socialist agenda. Tennesseans are fed up with the out-of-control spending here in Washington. Americans all across the country are fed up with it, too.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, inflation is at the highest rate it has been since 1981. Meanwhile, Congressional Democrats are spending this week passing a funding bill full of liberal initiatives that will fan the flames of the already red-hot inflation Tennesseans are facing due to Democrats' reckless spending. When will enough be enough? Madam Speaker, Democrats' socialist spending spree includes an overall 14 percent increase in domestic funding, a 20 percent increase to the Environmental Protection Agency, and a 10 percent increase to the FDA, the same department that failed to quickly address the baby formula shortage when we all knew it was coming. Borrowing more money from China, throwing it out the door and forcing our grandchildren to pay it back only creates more problems, not solve them. We need to return to our commonsense roots and end this inflationary spending now. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``no.''

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the time on the floor today to speak about these important matters. Mr. Speaker, when Tennesseans go to the gas pump and grocery store, they are constantly reminded of the fact that everything was much more affordable only 1 year ago. Since President Biden has taken office and congressional Democrats have recklessly borrowed and spent trillions of dollars, the cost of living has skyrocketed at a rate not seen since 1981--when I was just a junior in high school. Common sense will tell you, this massive amount of deficit spending overheated the economy and created a labor shortage from folks staying home instead of working. Common sense will also tell you, that the only way to fix this issue is to turn the money spigots off here in Washington and stop this borrow and spend economic death spiral. Unfortunately, common sense has again failed this Chamber as House Democrats passed earlier today a funding bill filled with partisan initiatives costing hundreds of billions of dollars. The socialist spending bill House Democrats passed today increased some accounts by double and even triple-digit percentages in some cases. It rewards the Food and Drug Administration, which failed to quickly address the baby formula shortage with a budget increase. It also increases the budget for the Department of Homeland Security, who instead of enforcing our laws and stopping illegal immigration, is encouraging it by attempting to repeal title 42. It even increases the budget to maintain and improve Federal buildings by 12 percent, even though many of these buildings have been mostly empty for the last 2 years. There are a lot of bad policies in this bill, but one of the worst has to be the exclusion of the Hyde amendment. The Hyde amendment is a bipartisan amendment that has existed for decades to prevent your taxpayer dollars from being used to help fund abortions. This is completely incomprehensible to me. In no way, shape, or form should taxpayers be subsidizing abortions with taxpayer dollars. Tennesseans are sick and tired of borrowing money from China and forcing their grandchildren to foot the bill. The State of Tennessee should serve as a role model for Members of Congress. We have been committed in Tennessee to enacting fiscally responsible policies up and down each level of government. We don't even have a State income tax, and yet are still able to fund the government without driving our State into a hole of debt from which we will never get out. I just can't help but think how one-party rule in Washington has completely failed the American people. Democrats have controlled both Chambers of Congress and the executive branch for almost 2 years now and Americans are paying the price. Tennesseans are rightfully upset with their Federal Government and feel as though their concerns about the future of this country are not being heard. A recent poll shows that in April of 2020, during the height of the COVID lockdowns, Americans actually thought our Nation's future looked brighter than it does right now. We can't continue down this path. We must do everything we can to rein-in the reckless spending. As interest rates begin to rise, our $30 trillion--and rising--national debt will only continue to get more expensive as the interest on the debt grows right along with it, squeezing out funding for other vital programs. With interest rates now rising at a rapid clip, it is all just a ticking time bomb ready to go off. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to listen to the American people and Tennesseans back home and do what is right for the sake of our country and our children. Recognize the policy failures of the last 2 years and commit to joining Republicans in our desire to restore fiscal common sense.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, today, I rise today to bring attention to President Biden's Securities and Exchange Commission's proposed climate change rule. As Tennesseans suffer from the impacts of record-breaking inflation that has driven the cost of almost everything through the roof, President Biden and his SEC are trying to implement a regulation that will make it harder and more expensive to produce the food and fiber that feeds the world. We saw just last week that inflation is showing no signs of slowing down. The climate change rule proposed by Biden's SEC will only make it worse, as the farmers and ranchers who work so hard to feed us will spend copious amounts of time, effort, and money to comply with this rule, if it is even possible. Biden's SEC has clearly overstepped its bounds, as Congress has never given them the authority to regulate carbon emissions. If President Biden were serious about lower prices, he would immediately hit the brakes on this proposed rule.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Mr. Chair, I would urge my colleagues to support my amendment, amendment No. 133 of division D, a part of en bloc No. 5. This amendment would prohibit the SEC from implementing provisions of its proposal entitled Enhancement and Standardization of Climate- Related Disclosures for Investors that mandate disclosure of Scope 3 emissions. Scope 3 emissions include emissions from activities in an organization's supply chain. Public companies have no ownership--and little to no control--of these emissions. Recently, I led a bipartisan letter with 118 Members of Congress expressing concern about the proposed rule's impact on farmers. Mr. Chair, I include in the Record the letter. Congress of the United States, House of Representatives, Washington, DC, May 25, 2022. Hon. Gary Gensler, Chair, Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC. Dear Chair Gensler: We write to express significant concerns with the impact the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) proposed rule on ``Enhanced and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors'' will have on the agricultural community. It is our strong belief that this proposed rule, if promulgated, would be a significant and unworkable regulatory burden, and a considerable departure from the SEC's mission to protect investors, facilitate capital formation, and foster fair, orderly, and efficient markets. It is not within the purview of the SEC to regulate farmers and ranchers, which is what this rule would do by requiring public companies to disclose their Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To do business with public companies, small farms would be required to disclose a significant amount of climate-related information. But unlike large corporations, small farms do not have full-scale compliance departments. Imposing these additional reporting requirements could disqualify small, family-owned farms from doing business with companies which could lead to more consolidation in the agriculture industry. Farmers are already regulated by agencies at the local, state, and federal levels. There are currently multiple programs at the federal level to help farmers implement conservation practices. Bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.-- specifically unelected SEC staff--who have no jurisdiction over environmental policy and who have never stepped foot on a farm should not have such influence over how farmers take care of their land. We also have concerns about the specific information from each farm that would have to be reported under this proposal. The time and energy put into complying with this new regulation will divert American farmers away from their primary goal of producing our nation's food, fuel, and fiber. As this rule is written, it is also unclear how farmers will be protected from privacy concerns as they, unlike corporations, live at their places of business where they would now have to disclose significant amounts of information. In American Farm Bureau Federation v. EPA, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court for Appeals affirmed that public disclosure of farmers' personal information would constitute a ``substantial'' and ``clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.'' Similarly, the SEC should consider how the disclosure of Scope 3 GHG emissions could have privacy implications for farmers and scrap this rule entirely to ensure their private property information would not end up on any public disclosures. Finally, we are concerned that the comment period, although recently extended until June, is inadequate given the magnitude of this proposed rule, which totals 510 pages and has 1,068 technical footnotes. The Commission's use of abbreviated comment periods for complex rules like this as well as the lack of consistency across rulemakings is troubling, as it will result in less, much-needed input from the public on these important issues. We appreciate your attention to our concerns and request a response no later than June 24, 2022. Sincerely, John Rose, Member of Congress; Scott DesJarlais, M.D., Member of Congress; David Kustoff, Member of Congress; French Hill, Member of Congress; Glenn ``GT'' Thompson, Member of Congress; Mark E. Green, MD, Member of Congress; Elaine G. Luria, Member of Congress; Virginia Foxx, Member of Congress; Ron Estes, Member of Congress; Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D., Member of Congress; Mo Brooks, Member of Congress; Barry Moore, Member of Congress; Ben Cline, Member of Congress; Thomas Massie, Member of Congress; Jerry L. Carl, Member of Congress; Ted Budd, Member of Congress; Andy Biggs, Member of Congress; Mary E. Miller, Member of Congress. Mike Carey, Member of Congress; Pete Sessions, Member of Congress; Lance Gooden, Member of Congress; Tracey Mann, Member of Congress; Jodey C. Arrington, Member of Congress; William R. Timmons IV, Member of Congress; Chris Jacobs, Member of Congress; Mike Rogers, Member of Congress; Kelly Armstrong, Member of Congress; Doug LaMalfa, Member of Congress. David Rouzer, Member of Congress; Alex X. Mooney, Member of Congress; Troy Balderson, Member of Congress; Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S., Member of Congress; Beth Van Duyne, Member of Congress; Ken Buck, Member of Congress; Steven M. Palazzo, Member of Congress; Austin Scott, Member of Congress; Louie Gohmert, Member of Congress; Dan Bishop, Member of Congress. Chip Roy, Member of Congress; Dan Crenshaw, Member of Congress; Rodney Davis, Member of Congress; Michael Guest, Member of Congress; Gary J. Palmer, Member of Congress; John Katko, Member of Congress; Rick W. Allen, Member of Congress; Richard Hudson, Member of Congress; Trent Kelly, Member of Congress; Kevin Brady, Member of Congress. Yvette Herrell, Member of Congress; Jake Ellzey, Member of Congress; Michelle Fischbach, Member of Congress; Jackie Walorski, Member of Congress; Brett Guthrie, Member of Congress; Robert J. Wittman, Member of Congress; Bill Posey, Member of Congress; Michael Cloud, Member of Congress; Eric A. ``Rick'' Crawford, Member of Congress; Markwayne Mullin, Member of Congress. Debbie Lesko, Member of Congress; James Comer, Member of Congress; Charles J. ``Chuck'' Fleischmann, Member of Congress; Ann Wagner, Member of Congress; Harold Rogers, Member of Congress; Russ Fulcher, Member of Congress; A. Drew Ferguson IV, Member of Congress; Jay Obernolte, Member of Congress; Mike Johnson, Member of Congress; Adrian Smith, Member of Congress. Stephanie Bice, Member of Congress; Matthew Rosendale, Sr., Member of Congress; Daniel Meuser, Member of Congress; Lisa C. McClain, Member of Congress; Julia Letlow, Member of Congress; Dusty Johnson, Member of Congress; Greg Pence, Member of Congress; Darin LaHood, Member of Congress; Jake LaTurner, Member of Congress; Vicky Hartzler, Member of Congress. Sam Graves, Member of Congress; Guy Reschenthaler, Member of Congress; Tim Walberg, Member of Congress; Tim Burchett, Member of Congress; James R. Baird, Member of Congress, Ranking Member, Research and Technology; Neal P. Dunn, Member of Congress; Mark E. Amodei, Member of Congress; Clay Higgins, Member of Congress; Pete Stauber, Member of Congress; Andrew S. Clyde, Member of Congress. Ashley Hinson, Member of Congress; Andy Barr, Member of Congress, Blaine Luetkemeyer, Member of Congress; Ralph Norman, Member of Congress; Mike Bost, Member of Congress; Anthony Gonzalez, Member of Congress; Diana Harshbarger, Member of Congress; Randy Feenstra, Member of Congress; Jack Bergman, Member of Congress; Gregory F. Murphy, M.D., Member of Congress. Warren Davidson, Member of Congress; John R. Moolenaar, Member of Congress; Jim Jordan, Member of Congress; Roger Williams, Member of Congress; Jim Banks, Member of Congress; Troy E. Nehls, Member of Congress; Robert B. Aderholt, Member of Congress; Brad R. Wenstrup, D.P.M., Member of Congress; Brian Babin, D.D.S., Member of Congress; Elissa Slotkin, Member of Congress. Bill Huizenga, Member of Congress; David G. Valadao, Member of Congress; Lee Zeldin, Member of Congress; Bruce Westerman, Member of Congress; Steve Womack, Member of Congress; Bryan Steil, Member of Congress; Earl L. ``Buddy'' Carter, Member of Congress; Tom McClincock, Member of Congress; David P. Joyce, Member of Congress; W. Gregory Steube, Member of Congress.

Mr. ROSE. Mr. Chair, the proposal would drive capital away from smaller suppliers that may not have the resources to measure their greenhouse gas emissions. SEC Chair Gensler points to significant investor demand for requiring this type of information, but the demand is coming from large asset managers and climate activists, not retail investors. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, on July 2, the President of the United States sent out this message to small business owners across America: ``My message to the companies running gas stations and setting prices at the pump is simple: This is a time of war and global peril. Bring down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you are paying for the product, and do it now.'' When I first read this message, I was perplexed. After all, the President should know that gas stations already offer their fuel at a price just slightly above what they buy from wholesalers. There is basically no room for cost savings at this final step in the supply chain. In fact, most gas stations make their money on what is sold in the convenience store and not at the gas pump. This ill-advised message does nothing to help solve the problem but only confuses and angers the small business owners who own gas stations and convenience stores. Even billionaire Jeff Bezos called out the White House, saying: ``Inflation is far too important a problem for the White House to keep making statements like this. It is either straight- ahead misdirection or a deep misunderstanding of basic market dynamics.'' I agree with Mr. Bezos. This is far too important of an issue for the White House to keep misleading the American people. Apparently, President Biden missed the lesson on economics the day they studied it in class, or maybe he has just forgotten what he learned. The bottom line is that the President needs to take this issue more seriously and stop pointing the blame at others. First, it was Russia; then, it was the oil companies; and now, it is the gas station owners. It is only a matter of time until the President finds a way to blame this on Republicans or perhaps former President Trump. Ultimately, the buck stops at the White House, and the President must take responsibility for his anti-energy policies that have made it more and more difficult to explore and drill for oil right here under our feet in the United States.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, this weekend, President Biden took a trip to Saudi Arabia with the purpose of asking Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to increase oil output. News reports are saying the President might have come home empty-handed after the Crown Prince informed the President that Saudi Arabia is already close to reaching maximum output. I don't understand why the President would go through all this hassle when we have what it takes to increase oil output, lower prices, and reemerge as the energy-independent country we were under President Trump, right here at home. The President could have saved time and taxpayer dollars by taking a trip to Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Unfortunately, as long as the Biden administration continues to implement more regulations and restrictions on investments in the oil and gas industry, we will continue to be at the mercy of foreign countries and their dictators.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, consumer prices climbed another 1.3 percent last month, bringing the Nation's total annual rate of inflation to 9.1 percent. The cost of making goods shot up, too. The producer price index hit a whopping 11.3 percent. It is costing Tennesseans and all American families an extra $5,000 a year. There seems to be a growing consensus that we are heading toward a recession. I continue to believe that it didn't have to be this way. The Fed wouldn't have to raise interest rates had President Biden and Congressional Democrats resisted the urge to borrow and spend trillions and trillions of dollars we did not have and couldn't afford to spend. What is their solution for getting us out of this mess? Even more spending. But only increasing domestic production of our natural energy resources can get us back on track. President Biden appears to prefer the destruction of our country's fossil fuel energy industry rather than using it to bring the price of gasoline and diesel back down.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, a recent report published by Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee tells us exactly how the Biden administration is fueling the southern border crisis and how that crisis is threatening our national security. Border Patrol officials tell us two things drive immigration: economic opportunity and perception of U.S. immigration policy. By dismantling Trump administration policies, President Biden sent a message to millions of people, including transnational criminal organizations, that our borders are open. There have been 2.6 million migrant encounters since President Biden took the oath of office. We see a new record set every month. Still, the Biden administration wants to end Title 42 and the remain in Mexico policy. Additionally, on this President's watch, Border Patrol officials have also seized more than 1 million pounds of illegal drugs. Overdose deaths in this country are at an all-time high. The President must enforce our laws and save American lives.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Kelly for sponsoring this Special Order tonight. Mr. Speaker, on Friday of last week, President Biden signed an executive order undermining democratically passed State laws that limit abortions. His executive order directs the Department of Health and Human Services to protect access to life-ending abortions including the dangerous and deadly chemical abortion pill. This goes directly against the Supreme Court's recent decision that allows the people through their elected Representatives to decide on this issue for themselves at the many States. Unfortunately, the President caved to the extremists who support abortion up until the moment of birth and is now going against his oath of office by directly undermining the law of the land. Meanwhile, pregnancy centers, which provide compassionate support to pregnant mothers, and churches are under attack by the left. Where is the executive order protecting these organizations and institutions? In America, the first inalienable right is the right to be born--the right to life. Countless lives have been lost to abortion since Roe became law. Now is our time to right these wrongs and stand for life. The President has a constitutional duty to uphold the law of the land, not undermine it.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have noted ``nay'' on rollcall no. 310. Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress Barragan (Correa) Beatty (Carter (LA)) Bentz (Obernolte) Brown (MD) (Evans) Cardenas (Correa) Castro (TX) (Neguse) Cherfilus-McCormick (Evans) Cohen (Beyer) Crist (Schneider) DeFazio (Pallone) Doggett (Beyer) Fallon (Gonzales, Tony) Hartzler (Bacon) Issa (Garcia (CA)) Jayapal (Neguse) Johnson (TX) (Jeffries) Kahele (Correa) Katko (Meijer) Kirkpatrick (Pallone) Lawrence (Stevens) Leger Fernandez (Kuster) Lieu (Beyer) Mooney (Miller (WV)) Moore (WI) (Beyer) Moulton (Stevens) Newman (Beyer) Panetta (Beyer) Pappas (Kuster) Pascrell (Pallone) Payne (Pallone) Peters (Correa) Pingree (Kuster) Porter (Neguse) Reschenthaler (Meuser) Rice (SC) (Mace) Ryan (Beyer) Salazar (Gimenez) Sires (Pallone) Soto (Neguse) Taylor (Babin) Timmons (Armstrong) Trahan (Stevens) Walorski (Baird) Wasserman Schultz (Schneider) Williams (GA) (Carter (LA)) Wilson (SC) (Lamborn) Amendment No. 2 Offered by Mr. Jones

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as middle Tennesseans struggle to afford record-high gas prices caused by the Biden administration's antienergy prices. If you recall, in April of this year, President Biden announced he would be raiding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help ``ease the pain American families are facing at the pump.'' Since then, the average price of a gallon of gasoline has risen from $4.20 a gallon to over $5 a gallon, while putting our national security at risk as the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is now at its lowest level since 1985. What is even more alarming is a new press report stating that 950,000 barrels of the oil Mr. Biden took from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve were sold to a state-owned Chinese company. If this is true, it is difficult to find the words to adequately describe how utterly outrageous it is. President Biden must do better, and he must answer questions associated with this apparent sale of oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to our most dangerous geopolitical adversary, China.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has confirmed what we knew all along: Inflation isn't because of Putin's disgraceful invasion of Ukraine. It is because of President Biden's and congressional Democrats' reckless spending. Earlier this week, during a Senate Banking Committee hearing, my friend and fellow Tennessean, Senator Bill Hagerty, pointed out that inflation had already risen to 7 percent well before the war in Ukraine. He asked Chair Powell if the war in Ukraine is the primary driver of inflation. Chair Powell responded, ``No. Inflation was high before, certainly before the war in Ukraine broke out.'' This isn't a Putin price hike, it is Bidenflation, and the Biden administration and congressional Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media need to stop with the misdirection and misleading excuses. Thankfully, Tennesseans are smart and can recognize the difference. Taking responsibility for mistakes followed by straight talk are necessary prerequisites for getting us out of this mess and are our minimum expectations for the President of the United States. President Biden must do better.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, almost 50 years ago, the Supreme Court incorrectly decided that the right to end an unborn child's life existed in the U.S. Constitution. On that day, the United States became one of only six countries that allow abortion on demand throughout the entirety of pregnancy, putting us in the same category as Communist China and North Korea. Now, almost 50 years later, we might be on the precipice of the Court correcting their egregious mistake. Unfortunately, due to the actions of a rogue actor with no regard for the laws or institutions of our country, Justices must withstand attempts to dissuade them from changing that ruling. Inexcusably, those attempts to intimidate the High Court's opinion have even turned violent. In fact, since that rogue actor, who I believe broke the law and should be held accountable to the full extent of the law, leaked Justice Alito's draft opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson, a fence had to be constructed outside the Court to prevent attempts from leftwing agitators to ``burn it down.'' There was also a reported attempt to assassinate Justice Kavanaugh, which was thankfully foiled by our brave law enforcement officers. As we are all surely aware, anti-life demonstrators have held protests for weeks outside the homes of Justice Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh, which is a direct violation of 18 U.S.C. 1507. Instead of breaking up these illegal demonstrations and putting an end to the intimidation and mob rule so prevalent on the left these days, President Biden's Justice Department has allowed them to proceed unabated. This, in my mind, sounds like an endorsement of lawlessness or at least a two-tiered justice system. This administration doesn't seem interested in enforcing laws that aren't politically expedient, whether it is at the southern border or elsewhere. Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that I am 100 percent pro-life. I signed an amicus brief in support of overturning Roe v. Wade, and I remain hopeful that the Supreme Court will, indeed, finally overturn it. The number of lives lost since Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided is truly unfathomable. Countless lives have been lost that will never be granted the privilege to walk on God's Earth with those listening to this speech today. For years, we have prayed. Finally, those prayers may potentially be answered. If so, that does not mean our work is done. While the power to legislate with regard to abortion policy will be returned to the legislative bodies where our Founders intended such power to reside, much work remains at every level of government--State, local, and Federal--to ensure Progressives don't pass legislation that provides for taxpayer-funded abortions, something that polls show 58 percent of Americans do not support. I promise to work day in and day out to ensure that every child is guaranteed the same right to life we all enjoy today. I will be a voice for the voiceless throughout the remaining time I have in Congress and even well after, much like my time before I arrived here in Washington. Because after all, if there is no life, there is no liberty or pursuit of happiness.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, Tennesseans are fed up with prices at the pump. They are paying double what they were a year-and-a-half ago because of the attacks on American energy that began on day one of the Biden administration. Now, the President has asked Congress to consider a gas tax holiday. How curious. This is what Washington does when there is a big problem. Politicians pretend they are looking out for you, but they are just looking out for their own poll numbers. Those aren't my words, Madam Speaker. That is a quote from President Biden's former boss, Barack Obama, on the campaign trail in 2008. He said a gas tax holiday would threaten Federal highways and possibly cost jobs while only saving families pennies a day. He called the idea an election-year gimmick, not a real solution. I agree. A real solution would be supporting policies that return our Nation to energy independence.

Mr. ROSE

Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, recently, Cecilia Rouse, the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, was trying to explain away the challenges that runaway inflation presents to most American households, and she said, ``Most American household balance sheets are strong and can provide some cushion for rising prices.'' I was shocked to hear these remarks coming from one of the President's top economic policy advisers. Madam Speaker, most Americans, in fact, do not have a cushion for rising prices. A recent survey found that 56 percent of Americans cannot cover a $1,000 emergency expense from their savings. That is why I led a letter demanding that Chair Rouse apologizes to the millions of Americans struggling with skyrocketing prices due to the failed economic policies of the Biden administration. I include this letter for the Record. House of Representatives, Washington, DC, June 15, 2022. Dr. Cecilia Rouse, Chair, White House Council of Economic Advisers, Washington,