Chris Stewart

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, again, I thank the chairman and the minority leader for their support on this. In April 2020, just months into the pandemic, we had a briefing from various agencies to the Intel Committee about the origins of the pandemic. At that point, one of the agencies said to us that they knew this did not come from the Wuhan lab, and many of us were angry at that. We said to them, how could you possibly know that? The truth is, they didn't know that. The American people deserve to know the truth. Throughout the pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci has consistently said anyone who would even propose this idea that it came from the lab or some other source that was manufactured in China was nothing but a conspiracy theorist. He belittled anyone who suggested that. They tried to silence anyone who suggested that. He advocated among his fellow scientists to do the same thing. Again, the American people deserve to know the truth, and I would defy anyone to give me any possible explanation why they would oppose this bill. This isn't like the movies--``You can't handle the truth.'' The American people, of course, can handle the truth. They deserve to know the truth. This final thought: Even now, the NIH is still listing the Wuhan Institute of Virology for eligibility to receive our Federal tax dollars. That makes no sense at all. It is absolute nonsense. We can't do that until, once again, we know the truth. Madam Speaker, I encourage support for this bill.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a truly great American, Mr. Edward C. Mahen, who unfortunately died last fall. This was an amazing man, and he will be missed. Mr. Mahen was a dedicated civil servant, an Air Force combat veteran, and an extraordinary engineer with more than 50 years of service to our country. In 1972, Ed joined the Air Force. In Vietnam, he earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses and eleven Air Medals flying 144 combat missions. He retired as a colonel in 1997 after a career of assignments in classified strategic and electronic warfare programs. In 1998, Ed was recruited by the director of the NRO to become the chief technology officer for the Advanced Systems and Technology Directorate. He was a remarkable leader. He left a legacy within the IC by hiring and guiding a new generation of IC professionals. May he rest in peace. May his wife and family be comforted knowing he was a true patriot, a true friend, and one who endlessly loved his family and this country.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great American, Mr. Ed Mahen who died this past fall. Edward C. Mahen, Jr., was a dedicated civil servant, an Air Force combat veteran and an extraordinary engineer. Ed worked for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) for more than 23 years. Prior to his work for the NRO, he honorably served for 27 years as an active duty officer for the United States Air Force, including as a veteran of the Vietnam War. Ed was always excited about his work. He was fascinated by science his entire life, and he served as a trailblazer throughout his career. He was a leader, a driving force behind innovation, and a model of procurement excellence. Recognized for his contributions, he received a number of awards over his career, including that of Pioneer of National Reconnaissance. His work profoundly influenced the NRO's capabilities, and he has left an indelible mark across the Intelligence Community (IC). Born in rural Missouri, Ed was raised by his mother and father who were born during the Great Depression. His upbringing was greatly influenced by his parents' experience, as he was taught the importance of frugality, hard work, self-reliance and family loyalty. Once Ed entered high school, he was exposed to his first experience with formal education. He grew up in the post-World War II period with its proliferation of science and technology, including rockets and nuclear weapons. While still living at home, Ed built a high-frequency radio telescope to listen to the radio emissions of the planet Jupiter as it would rise at night. In high school, he excelled in science and math. After graduation, Ed worked his way through the University of Missouri and graduated with a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's degree in electrical engineering. In 1969, Ed Mahen was drafted for the Vietnam War and joined the United States Air Force. His formal education was over, but Ed was a firm believer in life-long learning. He stated, ``Education is a continuum. It doesn't stop when you get a degree, and you have to continue to learn. So I never stopped going to school; I just stopped going to formal school . . . If I want to learn cryptography, I go off and study cryptography for a while. And I could figure it out. I could learn about it and apply it . . . So you just never stop learning.'' From May 1972 to May 1973, Ed Mahen took an assignment on an AC-130 gunship in Vietnam. As was the case for many young Americans, this was a time of harrowing conflict and quick growth as he matured in a combat zone. In 1972 alone, the squadron lost one-fourth of its airplanes. Ed reflected, ``It was the first time anybody really tried to kill me. We tried to die a lot of times.'' in that year, Ed earned two distinguished flying crosses and eleven air medals, and he flew 144 combat missions. At the end of his tour, Ed returned to the United States and served in various assignments in the Air Force, including overseeing all of the classified strategic and electronic warfare programs. He also served as a technical director for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). In 1996, Ed Mahen went to work for the Secretary of Defense to help resolve the situation in the Balkans, serving as the Director of the Bosnian Command and Control Initiative. He helped establish a peace- keeping mission with no loss of life and kept the price tag within budget. Upon his return to the United States, as a Colonel in July 1997, the logical next step was promotion to Brigadier General. However, this would entail an assignment away from his family across the country. His upbringing and lessons from his parents meant putting family first. So he retired from a highly successful career in the Air Force. In 1998, as a civilian, Ed Mahen was recruited by the Director of the NRO to join the agency, where he served as the Chief Technology Officer for the Advanced Systems and Technology Directorate. In the years that followed, he was recognized repeatedly for his many contributions in the field of national reconnaissance. His work defeated current and emerging threats from terrorism and nuclear weapons proliferation--he became a standard of success at the NRO. In 2009, Ed was nominated for the NRO Director's Award for Excellence in Acquisition. This time he was recognized for developing capabilities that ``have yielded actionable intelligence and made significant contributions to IC missions.'' Further, ``his mission-focused, technically driven, and results-oriented leadership has and will continue to deliver revolutionary new capabilities to help counter the most critical threats to our Nation's security.'' As well as his technical accomplishments, he served as a role model and mentor for his team. In January 2020, Ed Mahen was named a Pioneer of National Reconnaissance, the highest award offered by the NRO. The Director of the NRO, Dr. Chris Scolese noted, ``Mr. Mahen's work enabled intelligence analysts to understand adversary capabilities and intent and helped our warfighters locate and track adversaries.'' Ed Mahen was a remarkable leader, applying the lessons learned over a lifetime of experience and focusing that knowledge on practical, technical problem solving for national security challenges. He developed a unique ability to hire junior people and groom them into subject matter experts. He explained, ``The key to program management, the first thing you do is put yourself out of business. So the first thing you do is hire the people who are going to replace you. So this program pretty much runs itself . . . it's sort of the biblical story of teaching people to fish. Teach people to be self-sufficient.'' Ed was a storyteller, and he maintained a sense of humor. He illustrated his work at the NRO by telling the story of ``Stone Soup,'' concluding, ``A lot of these programs are finding the pieces to stitch together so that you can do things very quickly.'' Most importantly, he never lost his enthusiasm and wonder for the accomplishments of the NRO. He once reflected, ``I think the NRO is a magic place. And I think with visionary leadership, the NRO could do anything.'' After nearly 50 years of service to the country, and still an active innovator, Ed Mahen passed away on September 29, 2021. Madam Speaker, our Nation has been blessed and prospered with greater national security by the lifetime of service of Ed Mahen. May he rest in peace and may his wife and family be comforted knowing their husband and father was a true patriot--one who endlessly loved them and his country.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Rollcall No. 141.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, there is so much in this bill to be concerned about. For the last 5 years, as a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I lived through the Russian hoax, I lived through impeachment 1, I lived through impeachment 2, all of which are great examples of provisions in this bill that harm our democracy. Let me talk about just one of them. Tucked into this bill's provisions are elements which will rewrite the very nature of our democracy, whittling down the meaning of government for the people and by the people. The President of the United States is elected by the people to run the executive branch. The President, by design, is accountable to the people. But among the many failures in this bill before us today are new sections which would severely restrict the ability of the President to remove senior government employees. This will have the effect of empowering these senior officials with the ability to paralyze a President whose policies they may not agree with, which we saw again and again during the Russian hoax, during impeachment 1, and during impeachment 2. This sets a dangerous precedent that will create a permanent bureaucratic resistance to the duly elected President. The danger of these provisions will also set in motion a precedent to weaponize the entire intelligence community bureaucracy by allowing anonymous individuals to paralyze a President without any accountability. If you don't think it is going to happen, I refer you back to the Russian investigation hoax, to impeachment 1, and to impeachment 2. This guarantees more of this collusion. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, what an honor it is to be here with my friends, people that I have tremendous respect for, colleagues, people who love their country and want to serve their country. Several of them have said something that I think is worth emphasizing, and that is, for example, when Mr. Curtis talks about 40 percent of the money that was printed in the history of this country was printed in the last several months, I am not sure that that is easy to convey to people how important that is. We talk about a million dollars or a billion dollars or now a trillion dollars, and I am not sure we have an understanding, again, what those numbers even mean. I think a lot of times people think of a trillion dollars, well, it sounds like a lot of money. Is that like double a billion or what is a trillion? I think I found a really good way to illustrate it and for us to visualize what it means when we are printing this kind of money. Let me start with this: A million seconds is 11 days. A billion seconds is 31 years. A trillion seconds is 31,000 years. Think about that. 11 days to 31 years to 31,000 years. The people watching at home can't see this enormous Chamber we are in but imagine that I stretched a string from this wall to this wall, and let's say that over here is zero, and then I ask them to go touch 11 days, they would go touch and they would be nearly touching the wall. But then if I said touch 31 years, if this one over here is 31,000 years, they would still nearly be touching the wall, and all the rest of that distance is a trillion. I think that gives us a sense and gives us a way to visualize when we talk about spending trillions of dollars, it is magnitudes more than billions. It is an unimaginable number, like Mr. Curtis said, the percentage of that that has been created in the last few months. Since COVID hit, we spent about $2 trillion on the COVID 1 relief package; we spent about the same, $1.9 trillion, on the second COVID relief package. This President suggested a budget that takes us from about $4.8 trillion a year to $6.3 trillion. We just spent $1.2 trillion on infrastructure. This government has spent, taken together, more than $11 trillion in a matter of months. That should scare the life out of every American. People say, Well, you are kicking the can of debt down the road to our kids or grandkids. That is nonsense. We will never get to our grandkids if we spend trillions of dollars in a matter of months. We will never get to our kids if we spend $11 trillion in 18 months. This problem will correct itself. It will correct itself in a painful way and in not a matter of generations, a matter of years, if we don't try to fix it now. If you think inflation is because of bottlenecks and supply chains, that was part of it. But the vast majority of this is explained by one thing: The Federal Government spending trillions of dollars. And the American people pay the very unfortunate, the very painful price. Once again, I thank Mr. Owens for the honor to be with him tonight.

Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Owens, my friend, for organizing this event and for his interest in something that I think every American shares. I have a young family. I have six kids. Many of them are just young couples. They are starting their careers; they are starting their families; and they are starting to make their way in the world and their mark on life. If you are a young family, you know what it is like to go to the grocery store and to pay more every week than you paid the week before. You know what it is like to fill up your pickup and have it cost more every week than you paid the week before. The reason you are driving a pickup is because you are a working American. You are not driving a big pickup around the city. You are driving a big pickup because that is what you use to work, whether you work on farming and ranching, like I did when I was young, or whether you are working construction, or whether you are working and going down to the docks. Those are the folks who are paying the price. If you are wealthy, if you are affluent, if you don't go shopping but have someone who shops for you, if you don't fill up your vehicle yourself because you have someone who fills up the vehicle for you and then picks you up, you may not realize what a painful thing this is for Americans. But the vast majority of Americans do their own shopping. The vast majority of Americans struggle paycheck to paycheck. The vast majority of Americans know what a painful experience we find ourselves in now. After only 10 months of President Biden, Americans are facing the worst inflation they have seen in 31 years. Democrats keep saying these prices are only temporary. We are told that all the time. We have been told that by the Secretary of the Treasury. We have been told that by the Chairman of the Fed. We have been told that by the President. And they continue to say that. But the truth is that $4 trillion in spending, when he says it is zero dollars that it will cost, the American people aren't stupid, and they know that is not true. They know inflation when they see it. The consequences of this President's tax and spend agenda hits Americans, as I have already said, in their everyday lives. It hits Americans when the price of heating jumps from $574 to $746, which is what the Energy Information Administration predicts it will cost the average house this winter. It is a tough choice when you have some people who say: Hey, we would like to have it warm. We would like for our little children to be comfortable. But we want to be able to buy the food that we want for them, other than just macaroni and cheese. Some people are left with that decision. It hits Americans at their Thanksgiving table. As we have said over and over again, this will be the most expensive Thanksgiving in American history, when frozen turkeys cost an average of 22 percent more than they did just last year. What does the President do to alleviate some of this financial strain and the pressure that so many American families are feeling? Unfortunately, he does the same thing again and the same thing more, the very same policies that put us in the hole. Here is the reality. There is no political spin for any Democrat. Americans will not be reassured by empty promises from those who don't see inflation coming in the first place, and President Biden cannot wish away this cost-of-living crisis, no matter how much he would like to do that. From day one in office, President Biden's mission was clear. He wants the American people to rely on the government from cradle to grave. To sell his agenda, he is telling Americans that more taxing, more spending, and more mandating will solve the financial problems. But this is just economic nonsense; it is an economic fairy tale; and this one has a scary ending, the kind that only George Orwell could imagine. But because it is Thanksgiving, we can be thankful that we know how to solve these problems. If we didn't know how to solve them, it would be much more worrying, much more stressful. But the truth is, we know how to solve them. Congress simply needs to start expanding that opportunity, not shrinking it with mandate after mandate. Congress needs to start empowering the people, not expanding bureaucracy with tax after tax. Individual liberty must always triumph over government dependence. If President Biden cannot accept that reality, we can expect more of what we have seen and felt over the last 10 months. If he can't understand that people, not the government, are the key to our success, American culture, American businesses, and American families will reap the results. I sincerely hope that he will. I sincerely hope the President will look at the pain the American people are feeling and will recognize the responsibility he has not to make it worse, not to keep doing the same thing and just do it harder and faster, not to do the same thing and just excuse it away, but to try to do something different. Until then, I am afraid we will see much of the same. I think I speak not only for Republicans on this, but many independents and many Democrats feel the same way. We hear from them when we go back home as well. I thank Mr. Owens for organizing this on this incredibly important subject. It is an honor to be with him.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, I hereby remove myself as a cosponsor from H.R. 1297.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, I rise to include in the Record a letter signed by the Utah Congressional delegation to honor the life and service of my dear friend, Commissioner Dean Cox of St. George, Utah, who passed away on July 7, 2021. I have known Commissioner Cox, and his wife LaRene for years. They are the kind of family who set a high standard for public service and involvement. Dean was a great public servant, a wonderful neighbor, and a fantastic friend. He is sorely missed. Congress of the United States, House of Representatives, Washington, DC, July 20, 2021. LaRene Cox, St. George, Utah. Dear LaRene Cox and Family: We write to offer our sincere condolences and honor a great pillar of southern Utah, Commissioner Dean Cox. His years of diligent public service to his community and family will be felt for decades to come. He will be dearly missed. Commissioner Dean Cox devoted his life to serving others and set an example of measured and thoughtful leadership throughout his life. He gave of his time and talents generously and had a way of bringing people together to complete essential projects for the benefit of all in Washington County. Dean's local knowledge and diverse experiences secured him as a vital and trusted voice for the community. We revere Dean's willingness to share his love of flight and knowledge of radio operation to protect his community through service as volunteer emergency responder. As a small business owner, he showed the way to invest in the future of his community. His ever willingness to serve taught us compassion for, and devotion to beloved neighbors, which is a legacy that will live on in Washington County, the State of Utah, and beyond. We are grateful to you for your sustaining love and support to Commissioner Dean Cox throughout his life and career. You will continue to carry on the legacy of friendship and kindness that together you set during his lifetime. We will miss working with Dean and are grateful for the time we spent with him as a friend, neighbor and dedicated public servant. Our hearts go out to you as we keep you and your family in our prayers and hope for you to find comfort during this difficult time. Sincerely, Senator Mike Lee. Representative Chris Stewart. Representative Blake Moore. Senator Mitt Romney. Representative John Curtis. Representative Burgess Owens.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member, Mr. Hill, and my colleagues. I especially thank my cosponsor from New Hampshire for her support and her words today. Madam Speaker, much has been said, so I will be brief. I obviously stand before you in support of awarding the Ghost Army veterans the Congressional Gold Medal. For more than 40 years, this World War II unit of more than 1,000 soldiers was nothing more than a myth; a bit of a ghost, if you will. More than 20 years ago, their heroic actions were still classified until, finally, we could learn the things that they had done. Today, I ask my colleagues again, both Democrat and Republican, to join me in giving these men and women the recognition that they really deserve. During our Nation's darkest hour, the Ghost Army did not shy away from the fight. They saved thousands of lives. They stood eye-to-eye against the axis of evil. They defeated fascism in Europe. To do so, many of them made the ultimate sacrifice. For those heroes who returned home, no one knew of their courage and sacrifice; neither did many of them know of the great success that the Ghost Army had had. They kept their top-secret mission and the operations they did even away from their friends and family. But, still, they have not been yet recognized by the Army or by this Congressional body. We have the opportunity to right that wrong. Today, there are only 11 members of more than 1,000 of the original Ghost Army who still remain alive. And to this day, they continue to embody the ideals that Americans strive for: Duty, honor, sacrifice, courage, service. Let's pass this bill. Let's give the Ghost Army heroes the highest honor that we can.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you in support of awarding the Ghost Army veterans with the Congressional Gold Medal. This is such a great story. In World War II, the Ghost Army had a mission unlike any other. They were recruited in one of the greatest counterintelligence operations of our time, fooling the Nazis with inflatable tanks, mannequins, and decoys. It is estimated that they saved tens of thousands of American soldiers' lives. Their work was so groundbreaking that it remained classified for more than 40 years. Mr. Speaker, the Ghost Army and their legacy have never been formally recognized. This bill is long overdue for the soldiers and their families. Of the 1,100 who served, only 11 of them are alive today. Among them, 103- year-old Staff Sergeant Stanley Nance, who lives in my home State of Utah. I have had a chance to get to know him. He and his fellow soldiers, those few, those 11 who are still alive, and their families, deserve recognition of their service and sacrifices. Mr. Speaker, I call on my colleagues to honor the Ghost Army and award them the Congressional Gold Medal.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in support of this bill to rename the new Federal courthouse in Utah after my good friend, Senator Orrin G. Hatch. He is my friend. He was, in many ways, my mentor. He has been a friend of my family. At the risk of repeating some information that has already been said, I think it is worth just highlighting some of his really incredible and notable achievements. In the first place, just serving his Nation for 42 years in the U.S. Senate; again, the longest-serving Republican Senator in all of U.S. history. He rose to the position of President pro tempore, serving under seven Presidents and nine Senate majority leaders. I love this fact; it is remarkable: He has passed more legislation than any other Senator who is alive today, more than 750 bills, which I think reflects on not only his long career, but on his ability to work with others because he could not have done that by himself. He could not have done that just with his own party. He had to do that in a bicameral and a bipartisan fashion, and he certainly did, and he is known for that. Again, the numerous leadership positions, chairman of three major committees, which have already been mentioned here. I think it is fair, as well, and appropriate that we mention not only him, but his wife, Elaine. As good as Orrin is, Elaine is every bit as good and in some cases better. And their 6 children and 23 grandchildren, the result of 60 years of marriage. Of final note, Senator Hatch was particularly active and impactful in the judiciary. I think that every sitting U.S. District Court Judge in Utah, including, by the way, my brother, owes, to some degree, their position because of the support of Senator Hatch. He had an unparalleled career. He had an unparalleled impact on the judiciary, and it is perfectly appropriate that we name the new courthouse in Salt Lake City after this distinguished gentleman, and I absolutely support and endorse this effort.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Montana, as well as others who have supported this. Mr. Speaker, the sad reality is, here in the United States, we are in the middle of a tragedy. It is a tragedy that is particularly painful for our youth and our veterans, as so many of them have experienced suicide and left tragedies behind for them and their families. If you are in the middle of a mental health crisis and you need help, if you are worried about one of your children, your son, a daughter, a roommate, a friend, you need to know who to call. But the problem is, no one knows the number. The second problem is, the number is different. If you are calling in Salt Lake City, it is a different number than if you are calling in New York or if you are calling from California or even another part of Utah. This fixes it, which is why I rise to support the bill, S. 2661. Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased, working with, again, my colleagues, that after 4 years of working on designating this three-digit number-- legislation which, by the way, was based on something that we did in Utah about 4 years ago--we are finally going to pass this bill to do just that. Imagine this: Every 11 minutes, somebody in the United States commits suicide--not attempts suicide, actually commits suicide--leaving behind devastation of broken hearts and broken families and friends. It used to be that if I spoke to a group of 100 and said, ``How many of you have been impacted by someone you know or love and you care about who has attempted suicide or committed suicide?'' 5 or 6 years ago, maybe a few hands would come up. Now, in those settings, almost everyone raises their hands. That is good because we are more willing to acknowledge and recognize the problem and to discuss it. But the truth is, most of us have been affected in one way or another by someone we know, someone we care about. It is heartbreaking, as I said, not only for the lives that are taken but the family and the friends who are left behind to mourn that terrible loss. Too many of us have been impacted by suicide and the very real need to do something about it, and this bill does. By designating ``988'' as a nationwide hotline number, we increase the accessibility. If your house is on fire, call 911. If you need the police, call 911. If you are in the middle of a mental health crisis, 988 is going to get you help. It is going to immediately give you someone to talk with and, in special cases where intervention is necessary, to give you that resource as well. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues here in the House, and I thank my colleagues in the Senate, to join with them in helping those people who need our help--the most vulnerable, again, as I started out by saying, particularly among our youth and our veterans.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to amendment No. 69, sponsored by Representative Cohen from Tennessee, which is included in this en bloc. While I appreciate the gentleman's concerns for our Nation's wild horse and burros, and I don't doubt that at all, the amendment is misguided and will actually end up hurting these animals more than it helps. I have been working on this issue for more than 6 years. There is nothing more important to the rural part of my district than is this, yet none of the sponsors of this amendment came to me to talk about this amendment. If they had come, I could have saved them some time. The amendment seeks to push the PZP contraceptive. The only problem with that is it doesn't work. Instead, we should allow research scientists and the BLM to do their jobs in determining the best way to manage these herds. Tying their hands by earmarking 50 percent of the increase on PZP birth control doesn't allow them to follow the best science to maintain healthy herds and healthy ranges. If you care about these animals and if you don't want to see them starve to death, then, please, work with us, and let's defeat this amendment. Mr. Speaker, I am going to conclude, if I have a few more seconds. We have a diverse and bipartisan group that has been working on this, as I have, for many years.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, I recently had an experience with a group of, maybe, 50 people, and I asked them: How many of you have been impacted by suicide or an attempted suicide, someone in your family, someone that you love and care about? Nearly every hand went up. We are experiencing a crisis among our youth, a crisis among our veterans, and now with COVID-19, a crisis among the general population as we go into our social isolation. It is worse now than it was, and it has been a crisis for a long time. There is a tool that will help. The Suicide Prevention Hotline number that creates a national hotline number, 988. No matter where you are in the country, if you are in the middle of a mental health crisis you can get help. We have been working on this for 3 years. It is bipartisan, it is bicameral, it will save thousands of lives, especially now in the midst of this other crisis that is creating so much emotional stress on so many Americans. Madam Speaker, I am asking the leadership, bring it up, finish it, give us unanimous consent today. Let's make this tool available to help Americans who need the help, please.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, let me state a fact. FISA has been abused by those who are trusted with authority, and we can't let it happen again. This is what we know are also facts: An opposing campaign paid a foreign citizen to dig up dirt on President Trump and his campaign associates. These allegations--produced, by the way, by a foreign citizen--came to be known as the Steele dossier. The campaign then fed these bogus allegations through the administration, to include leadership at the FBI, the CIA, the Department of Justice, and even the State Department. Then, the FBI shamefully used these bogus allegations as the basis for a secret wiretap, of course, on the famous Mr. Carter Page. The FBI deliberately hid the fact that these allegations were both known to be bogus and the fact that the campaign had paid for them. The application on Mr. Page cited a news article corroborating these allegations, but the FBI hid from the court the fact that they knew the source of these articles was the author of the dossier. We discovered that the FBI and DOJ investigators in this case demonstrated enormous bias against the Trump campaign with such words as: we will stop him; he won't become President; viva la resistance. Finally, the inspector general revealed that an FBI attorney altered a document to deceive the court regarding Mr. Page's relationship with another agency. These are shocking abuses of power, and the reforms in this bill will stop them from ever happening again. I am proud to have been the author of the bill that is the basis for some of these reforms. It requires an amicus review for applications against U.S. citizens when their First Amendment rights are in question. It requires the court to maintain a transcript. I have read this FISA application. It begs for questions to be asked. We don't know if the judges were curious or asked obvious questions because we don't have a transcript. It requires the government to keep a log. It enhances penalties for up to 8 years for those who improperly surveil or deceive the court. It allows agencies to take immediate action, including termination, of those who do. Madam Speaker, it is incumbent on us, as an institution, to ensure these abuses simply don't happen again. The USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act will accomplish this. Let me end by saying this: To those who oppose this bill, if you vote against this bill, you keep the status quo. FISA remains in place. The ability to abuse FISA doesn't change. Vote ``yes'' on this bill or accept future abuse. That is the choice we have before us. I hope that we don't do that.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Madam Chair, I am honored today to recognize the 40th anniversary of the National Intelligence Council. This is an amazing organization that has provided invaluable contributions to the security of the United States. On December 3, 1979, the NIC was created to serve as a source of extensive expertise on intelligence issues, facilitate collaboration, conduct outreach to other experts beyond government, and to connect intelligence and policy communities through a wide variety of intelligence products. The work the NIC does is important. It really does matter. These products include the National Intelligence Estimate, the annual threat assessment in the form of Statements for the Record, the unclassified Global Trends report, and including oral remarks that the Director of National Intelligence gives to us as Members of Congress. The NIC's 18 intelligence officers serve as the primary advisers to the intelligence leader, and their expertise and advice is greatly appreciated and greatly respected. As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I am grateful for them and for their 40 years of dedicated service and protecting the American people.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove myself as a cosponsor of H.R. 5598.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about the Suicide Prevention Act. I read this statistic on the House floor before, but it bears repeating: every 9 minutes someone in the United States commits suicide. And for every suicide-related death, there are 25 attempts. These are truly heartbreaking statistics, and they hit close to home. I have met with the family and friends of those who have taken their own life. I have heard their stories and I am responding to their pleas for help. This bill is part of a longstanding commitment to reverse this troubling trend. It is bipartisan, it is bicameral, and it would provide for new resources to turn the tide on this dire situation. Part of the problem when it comes to effectively addressing suicide is that medical and other professionals have outdated resources and stale data. The current data collection efforts regarding suicide are often years out of date, and this limits the ability of State and local health organizations, as well as community organizations, to recognize the trends early and intervene. Mr. Speaker, I am asking my colleagues here in the House and the Senate to respond to those who are crying for help. This legislation makes so much sense, we should make it a priority.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, I discovered something recently. It is shocking, I know, but it turns out that some people don't like President Trump. They think he is loud, they think he can be arrogant, they think sometimes he says bad words, and sometimes he is rude to people; and their sensitive natures have been offended. I get that. I really do. But let's be clear. This vote this day has nothing to do with Ukraine, it has nothing to do with abuse of power, and it has nothing to do with obstruction of Congress. This vote this day is about one thing and one thing only: They hate this President, and they hate those of us who voted for him. They think we are stupid, and they think we made a mistake. They think Hillary Clinton should be the President, and they want to fix that. That is what this vote is about. They want to take away my vote and throw it in the trash. They want to take away my President and delegitimize him so that he cannot be reelected. That is what this vote is about. For those who think this started with this investigation, what nonsense. You have been trying to impeach this President since before he was sworn into office. Some of you introduced Articles of Impeachment before he was sworn into office. This isn't something you are approaching prayerfully and mournfully and sadly: Oh, the chaos. Oh, the sadness. This is something you are gleeful about, and you have been trying to do it for 3 years. And it is very clear. You don't have to go back and Google very much to find out that is the absolute truth. I could give you pages of examples of things you have said for 3 years about this President. That is what this is about. If this impeachment is successful, the next President, I promise you, is going to be impeached, and the next President after that. If you set this bar as being impeachable, every President in our future will be impeached. It erodes our Republic in ways that our Founding Fathers recognized. They got it right, high crimes and misdemeanors. Other than that, settle it at the ballot box. I look forward to that day. Let the American people decide.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise with my friend, Mr. Womack, to speak in opposition to H.R. 2440, the Full Utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Act. And why? Because that is a fair thing to say. If you are going to impose something, tell us why, because this bill would break the spending caps that this body agreed to just a few months ago. Now, this is laughably unacceptable. I also need to point out, and I know this is going to shock many people, that the budget caps we agreed to were hardly a model of fiscal discipline. Quite the contrary, they were very liberal, very generous. Now, look, I have no problem with this particular funding. I want to be clear on that. I have no problem with this particular funding. It may be a very wise use of taxpayers' money, but if it is true, then have the courage to stand up and say: ``This is how we are going to fund it. This is how we are going to pay for it.'' Adjustments to the agreed spending caps adversely impact our ability to monitor discretionary spending by allowing funding to come outside of the caps rather than within the base budget. Again, while it may be true that this trust fund needs to be fixed, this is not the way to address the issue, by adding nearly $10 billion to what is a $22.5 trillion deficit. For our children and our grandchildren, this is not the way to move forward. Now, I want to mention one other final and, experience would show, certainly, a reasonable fear, and that is this: H.R. 2440 sets a dangerous precedent for other programs looking to operate also outside of the spending caps. If we bust the caps for this, then what other reasonable programs must we fund outside of the budget caps? Everyone has a special program they want to fund. Everyone has got a sacred cow that they want to fund. Sadly, there are no more cows in Heaven, because all the sacred cows are down here in Congress trying to find a way to be funded. We must remain defiant toward adding onto our already existing and, as it has been pointed out, including by our friend in the opposition, existential threat from runaway spending. I stand in opposition to that.

Mr. STEWART. Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to research that for the gentleman. There may be some.

Mr. STEWART

Mr. STEWART. Mr. Chairman, as the designee of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. STEWART. Mr. Chairman, my amendment is very simple. It adds the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee to the list of committees that will receive a briefing from the Director of National Intelligence on emerging infectious disease and pandemics. The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health has jurisdiction over all public health and quarantine, as well as the Centers for Disease Control. Given the Energy and Commerce Committee's and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee's jurisdiction over the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response, which plays an integral role in our Nation's public health and security, it is imperative that these committees be included in this briefing. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEWART. Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman for supporting the amendment. I urge adoption of the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time