Lloyd Smucker

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the young men of Warwick School District's baseball team. The Warwick Warriors baseball beat Liberty High to close out a successful 23-2 season by winning the district's first PIAA 6A State Championship. The game, held last month, was impacted by a prolonged weather delay, but the warriors held firm to the early lead to capture the championship. Throughout their dominating season, the Warriors also clinched the District Three title, as well. Madam Speaker, it is no surprise that the community is very proud of these students for their achievement on the baseball diamond. It was great to see the local law enforcement and volunteer firefighters join with the community by participating in a parade to honor their achievement. Congratulations to the members and coaches of the Warwick Warrior State championship baseball team. The whole community is wishing them continued success. May they carry the lessons they learned playing as part of a successful team toward their future goals.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, well, here we are. Reports this morning show that we have been in a recession here in this country. Unfortunately, since coming into office, the Biden administration has been in denial about the state of our economy. And I think our Minority Leader, Mr. McCarthy, just outlined, showed on the floor a little bit ago how the administration has been talking about the threat of inflation. They initially promised that it would be transitory. Then chief of staff insisted that inflation was only a high-class problem. And then President Biden, blaming everyone except himself for causing the record-high inflation that we see today. With inflation at 9.1 percent; the Fed raising interest rates again; and now, two consecutive quarters of declining GDP, Americans are rightly concerned that our economy is now in a recession. It will be interesting to see the White House's response because, up until now, instead of trying to solve the problem, the White House has, instead, in the previous few days, been trying to alter the definition of a recession. George Orwell warned that the government will one day tell you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It is important that we identify the problem before we can solve it.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate an exceptional student athlete from my congressional district. Darren Cammauf, a recent graduate of Manheim Township School District, distinguished himself in track and field this past season, ultimately winning the 400-meter dash held at the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association Indoor State Championship earlier this year. A leading member of the Blue Streak Track and Field team, Cammauf had a successful senior season as well. He set a new school record for the best time in the 400-meter race. At the Lancaster-Lebanon League Championships, Darren won the 400- and 200-meter dashes as well as led the 1,600-meter relay team to victory. He capped his senior season off with a third-place victory in the 400- meter dash at the PIAA Class 3A competition. Darren will be attending St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia to continue his competition in track and field and to pursue a degree in business. Mr. Speaker, I would also be remiss if I did not recognize Darren's two biggest cheerleaders: his mother, Erica, and his father, Nicholas, who serves as a senior constituent advocate assisting residents of Pennsylvania's 11th Congressional District. I congratulate Darren on his success this year. We are all very proud of his accomplishments and look forward to seeing what he accomplishes next.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, on September 1 of 1980, inflation was at almost 13 percent. On that day, then Governor Ronald Reagan said: ``Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his.'' Unfortunately, today is looking a lot like 1980, and the Carter and the Biden Presidencies share far too much in common. President Biden has unnecessarily spent trillions of dollars, spiking inflation into a 40-year high of 8.6 percent. As a result of this inflation, American households will pay an additional $7,620 as they buy gas, food, and other things over the next 12 months--$7,620 annually. Since Biden became President, real wages are down 4.2 percent while mortgage rates have doubled, have gone up 2.4 points. Our economy shrank 1.4 percent last quarter, and many economists now agree that these signs point to an imminent recession. The President now points to the Federal Reserve to get him out of the inflation mess that he created. Today, I will point out what that may mean and talk about the challenge that the Fed faces to rein in inflation. I have a chart here with me that compares the Federal funds rate, which is its benchmark interest rate, and inflation rates over the past 60 years. If you look at the chart, you will see two lines on the graph showing inflation and the Fed rate. Each time that the Fed looked to reduce inflation, they increased the interest rate, and they have increased the interest rate each time above the current inflation rate. So, for example, in the early 1980s, which I mentioned earlier, following President Carter's era of stagflation, the Fed raised rates to a record high of over 16.5 percent to reverse what was 13 percent inflation at that time. So once again, this would suggest that for the Fed to do its job and rein in inflation, it will need to increase interest rates above our current rate of inflation. So far this year, the Feds have raised the Federal fund rate three times, most recently with a .75--or \3/4\ percent--increase, which is the highest increase since 1994, but the Federal funds rate still only sits between 1.5 and 1\3/4\ percent. Current rates are 1\3/4\ percent, and again, inflation is 8.6 percent and climbing. This suggests that the Fed has a long way to go in raising interest rates, and has a lot of work to do ahead. What isn't shown in this chart--and sometimes I am not sure if the Biden administration understands--are the consequences that come with raising rates. Our economy will slow down, and it will be harder for Americans to start small businesses and to purchase homes. We are already seeing that happening. The cost of living will increase, and Americans will see hard times. This did not have to happen. President Biden overinflated an already recovering economy by spending trillions on the American Rescue Plan, which included market- distorting policies that unnecessarily subsidized demand while restricting supplies by paying people to stay home. Now, as I said, the President is relying on the Fed to fix it but, unfortunately, it is the American people who will be paying the consequences.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss something that has been on my mind--discuss an issue that we have been talking about and we have been holding hearings in both the Budget Committee and the Ways and Means Committee, and that is the state of our economy, which I would characterize as the dire state of our economy, which I believe--I will demonstrate with some charts this evening--is due to the reckless budgetary policies of this administration. What I am talking about is today we have inflation at 8.6 percent, which is the highest level in over 40 years. We also have a GDP, or gross domestic product, the total output of our economy that is shrinking in the first quarter. It shrank 1.4 percent. We may well be on the way to a recession if the second quarter shows that it is shrinking as well. So there is no better time than right now to renew our Nation's commitment to fiscal responsibility, and to make a difference in the lives of the people that we represent. Let's talk a little bit about inflation. Food prices are up 10.1 percent. Real wages--that is the difference between inflation and the rise of wages--are down 3.4 percent as of today, meaning that the average family is facing an effective pay cut of $1,500 just this year. Everyone knows gas prices are at their highest ever with average prices in my hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, now exceeding $5 a gallon. Overall energy costs, home fuel oil, and others included, is up 34.6 percent. Unfortunately, as I will point out tonight, the spending policies enacted and pushed by the Biden administration and by Democrats in Congress are really responsible for driving inflation and are certainly--even if you don't agree with that--they are certainly saddling future generations with debt. Someone will pay the price for the massive debt we have now, and unfortunately, that will be our kids and grandkids and future generations. It has been said that Congress has a habit of only addressing problems when we reach a crisis--only addressing issues when we reach a crisis. That crisis may have already begun right now. We are in a pretty tough spot in our economy at the moment and people are feeling it every single day. We must step up to begin to address this. Every Member of Congress, I am sure, has talked to their constituents and can share stories about how their constituents are impacted by rising prices. I can tell you myself, growing up as a child, I experienced what it was like to have it be difficult for my family to afford food. I was one of 12 kids. My father was first a farmer and a roofer, my mom was a stay-at-home mom. I can tell you about a stressful time for my mother was going to the grocery store. The reason for that is because she knew she would not have quite enough money to buy everything that she thought she needed. I remember walking with her up and down the aisles and she was calculating in her head how much she was putting in the cart. She was very concerned that she would get to the register and be embarrassed that she would have to put some things back. Today, people are feeling that. I hear in my district, for instance, my constituent, Lamar, he put the impact of inflation in clear terms. He tells me that he spends more now but has less. He is doing with less. Paul says he is sadly giving up on his hopes of retirement at this time. Tim said he has to choose between gas and groceries every week. Lavern is 66 years old and had to go back to work to help out his children and his grandchildren now, though the impact of inflation on future debt will mean, as I mentioned earlier, that his grandchildren will be paying the cost of the reckless spending that we are seeing now. They will be paying for that for decades. We have all heard from our constituents. We have heard their outcries. We have heard them talk to us about needing to rein in inflation. I think it is time that we take it as a wakeup call. Let's identify the causes of inflation and work to mitigate them. That is one of the reasons that I wanted to get up and speak tonight because we have had debates in both of the committees that I mentioned about the causes of inflation--and that is not just a political debate--it is not just because. It is because the only way that we can begin to solve it is to understand the root cause of inflation, what led to where we are now, and then what we can do to change it. It is going to take leadership at all levels of government to address not only inflation, but the $30 trillion now in debt, and trillions of dollars in deficits as far as we can see and as far as the Biden budget projects. I am a businessowner, not an economist, so I can't even say that I have all the answers. What I can tell you is that I believe that capitalism, freedom, and free enterprise have made the United States the most powerful Nation in the history of the world and has provided more opportunity than ever before in the history of humankind. I think returning to those core values can help lead us--will help lead us--out of this mess. First of all, there is a chart I will show you. Inflation does not arrive randomly. There are forces that cause inflation. Every time we have seen inflation in our history there are forces that cause it. In this case, we have had things that are outside of our control, Democrats will argue, and the President blames inflation on COVID-19, supply chain disruptions, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the big bad oil and gas companies, and other things. I don't know what the next thing is that he will be blaming inflation on. I agree, they have certainly played a role in causing inflation. However, those challenges are the same challenges that every other country across the world has faced and they do not explain why inflation in the United States spiked earlier and is much worse than what we are seeing in other countries. This chart shows the annual core CPI inflation compared to OECD, which is sort of peer countries, the Organization for Economic Cooperation in Development Countries. It shows how inflation spiked starting roughly the beginning of 2021 and far exceeded that of a comparable country. What caused that? I have another chart that puts a little finer point on this. This shows that inflation started about the time that Biden took office and really accelerated after the passing of the American Rescue Plan, which put trillions of dollars in spending into our economy. Now, I showed that chart today in a hearing in the Budget Committee to Mr. Stephen Moore of the Save America Coalition, and he agreed that the clear difference between what we saw in the past chart, the blue line, and the other countries, the clear difference was the stimulus that was provided, the increase in demand that was provided by inserting trillions of dollars into the U.S. economy through the American Rescue Plan Act. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an article I wrote, an op-ed that was published in The Hill on how President Biden's policies have caused and will further fuel inflation. [From The Hill, Mar. 31, 2022] Biden's Spending Plan Will Further Fuel Inflation (By Rep. Lloyd Smucker) Americans are concerned about the economy. A recent NBC poll indicated that only 33 percent of Americans approve of President Joe Biden's handling of the economy. Inflation is now at a 40-year high and has families concerned about their financial well-being as they gather to review their budgets around the kitchen table. Democrats try to dismiss inflation as a mere nuisance for Americans who have to cut back on so-called ``luxuries.'' When my constituents point out that gas is too expensive, Democrats shrug and tell them to buy a Tesla. The Penn Wharton Budget Model concluded that inflation disproportionately impacts lower income Americans who have to pay an even higher percentage of their income on necessities like food and transportation. The latest consumer price index report shows prices for food are up 7.9 percent, gasoline prices recently reached record highs. We need to help the Americans who can't afford to put gas in their car, let alone buy an expensive new electric car. Inflation isn't just an economic term; it has real world consequences for the constituents that I represent. In my district, I think of Connie who at 70 years old is looking for a part-time job to help make ends meet because of the higher cost of everyday necessities. I think of Tim who told me he must decide between buying gas or groceries. I think of Lynne who told me that she and her husband are planning to put off retiring because of higher prices. These kinds of stories are commonplace as inflation strains family budgets across the nation. The Biden administration claimed inflation was ``temporary'' and now places blame on everything except his reckless spending. We know that the left's irresponsible spending has accelerated inflation past harmful levels. A study from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco concludes that Biden's spending led to higher levels of inflation. As the saying goes, an organization's budget is a statement of its values. Now that President Biden released his Fiscal Year 2023 budget, albeit seven weeks past the statutory deadline, we can see clearly that this administration puts wasteful, inflationary spending before all else. While the president preaches fiscal restraint, this budget puts forth policies reaffirming the president's tax-and-spend march towards socialism. Biden's proposed budget would spend $5.8 trillion next fiscal year. His proposal would continue to pile on to the national debt, which eclipsed $30 trillion earlier this year. By their own estimates, his spending plan will add nearly $15 trillion in new debt over the next decade, with annual budget deficits of at least $1 trillion per year. The Biden administration continues to live in an alternate reality when it comes to their inflation predictions. Their budget report estimated the consumer price index (CPI) would increase 4.7 percent for 2022. The most recent reading from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that CPI is up 7.9 percent over the last year. In last year's budget, they predicted only a 2.1 percent change in CPI for 2022, far off the mark from the high levels of inflation that we're experiencing. Buried deep within the administration's remarks in the ``analytical perspectives'' the Biden administration believes that inflation will return to its long-term trend in 2023 despite ``considerable uncertainty'' and their efforts to continue the White House's messaging blaming Russia for increased inflation. They have spent nearly a year deflecting that their policies contribute to inflation, but at least the administration is no longer parroting that inflation is temporary. From what we've read in Biden's first two budget proposals, Americans should remain concerned about his dangerous levels of spending, what it means for the future financial health of our nation, and what it means for the future of inflation levels. Our $30 trillion national debt significantly impacts the next generation of Americans. Continuing to run trillion- dollar deficits and adding more to our mountainous debt further endangers our future. While President Biden and congressional Democrats have tried to move on from their months-long public feud on spending, House Republicans are united in our fundamental principles of working to renew fiscal sanity in Washington through a limited government, pro-growth tax policy, and strengthening our free enterprise system to create opportunities for Americans to live the American Dream. We will exercise robust oversight of President Biden's spending spree to hold this administration accountable. We will continue to fight against wasteful spending ballooning our debt and deficit. House Republicans will work to put America's fiscal house in order.

Mr. SMUCKER. Mr. Speaker, March 2021, the Biden administration and congressional Democrats rammed through $1.9 trillion in deficit spending, and only a small portion of that really went to solving problems and helping people that needed help through the pandemic--that helped to defeat the pandemic. Much of this was not needed and only served to fuel inflation. By the way, they were warned by many economic experts. We warned them. Republicans on the Budget Committee and the Ways and Means Committee warned Democrats at the time this was passed in early 2021 that we would see exactly this result. We were relying on the forecasts of many economists who were saying exactly that, who were warning the administration of that at the time. Not just Republican economists, by the way. There is a name that many of you will know, he is a former Obama and Clinton economist, Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, warned that the American Rescue Plan would be the biggest macroeconomic mistake in 40 years, and it would cause inflationary pressures of a kind that we have not seen in a generation. Again, Larry Summers, a very well-respected Democrat administration economist warning that we would be seeing the inflation that we are seeing now, over a year ago, when the American Rescue Plan was passed. Just recently a study by the San Francisco Federal Reserve confirms that prediction, attributing the American Rescue Plan for at least three points of the current 8.6 percent. Mark Goldwein of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, CRFB, described the American Rescue Plan as ``pouring gasoline on the fire,'' in terms of an already stimulated economy. In my discussion with CBO director, Phillip Swagel, during a House Budget Committee hearing last month, he also agreed--head of CBO--that the American Rescue Plan Act pumped trillions of dollars into the economy that artificially fueled demand and ultimately drove today's inflation crisis. So what happened? We had far too much cash in the economy and far too much demand. I will show you, Mr. Speaker, something that my Governor in Pennsylvania said. Governor Wolf tweeted that he wanted to send more money to people all across Pennsylvania after jobs were open and people were back to work because he said, ``States are swimming with cash.'' They have an unusual problem in Pennsylvania right now today. This is the week they are finishing the Pennsylvania budget, and they have more money than they know what to do with. Much of that came as a result of the American Rescue Plan, and it was excess money that wasn't needed in the economy. So those funds would have been far better used paying down the deficit, paying down the debt, and not fueling inflation by artificially boosting demand. So it really is unfortunate because this hurts my constituents, and it hurts people all across the country that the White House did not heed the call of experts sooner and did not take steps to reduce the impact of inflation. For a while the White House instead said that inflation would be transitory, and now just recently Secretary of the Treasury Yellen and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell backed off that argument and agreed that they were wrong, and that inflation was not transitory. We have a real problem dealing with inflation at this point. Secretary Yellen said in a Ways and Means hearing just last week: ``I think I was wrong then about the path that inflation could take.'' One of the sad things about inflation is that it impacts different people differently. The White House has claimed that inflation and the economy's challenges that we are seeing today are high-class woes reserved for the rich. But instead, it is the people on the lower end of the economic scale who are making less money who are impacted more than any others by inflation. The Penn Wharton Budget Model concluded that inflation disproportionately impacts lower-income Americans who have to pay an even higher percentage of their income on necessities like food and transportation, the price increases for which outpace the general inflation rate. As I mentioned earlier, the White House tries to blame multiple sources: corporate greed, gas companies, Russia, and whatever else may be as a source of inflation. But I think that only serves to deflect blame, obscure the truth, and prevent us from coming to an agreement where we can then begin to solve this. I think the President became more interested in inflation after seeing his plummeting approval rate. He is now talking about inflation being a top priority of the administration. In fact, just recently he wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal titled: ``My Plan for Fighting Inflation.'' I will talk just briefly about that. He begins the op-ed by arguing that our economy is actually in great shape, which strikes me as being about as out of touch as you can get. He apparently isn't talking to the constituents whom I talk to on a regular basis. He lays out three points for combating inflation. One, well, it is the Fed's job; two, his energy policies and build back better agenda will fix it; and three, a supposed newfound commitment to fiscal discipline. In the op-ed he said that he welcomes debate on his plan. And maybe tonight that is what we are doing. We are debating what really are the ways that we can combat inflation and whether his plan really will work. So let's talk about the Fed because the President's first point was arguing that it is the Fed's responsibility to control inflation. And the President, again, has spent 1\1/2\ years pushing policies that fuel inflation and then points to the Fed to fix the problem. Now, I do agree that the Fed has a role in controlling inflation, and essentially the tool they have will be to raise interest rates to try to slow down the economy. But we all know that raising rates will be required, which they are doing now. Tomorrow they are talking about a 0.75 percent increase in the Federal rate, which is a significant increase, and they are talking about doing that multiple times. So it has significant consequences on our economy both in the short and long term. What do I mean by that? It makes it more expensive for businesses to borrow money. It makes it more expensive for individuals to borrow money. We are seeing home mortgage rates go up significantly already that will continue to do that, and hundreds of thousands fewer people today are able to afford to buy a home when they could have done so when they were lower. So there will be a decrease for demand of goods and services which, again, is an attempt to tamp down the economy to decrease demand and decrease spending. The other entity that is affected by rising interest rates is the Federal Government. We are $30 trillion in debt. This chart shows what will happen as interest rates are being raised. By just raising one- half of a percent--you see the first line--will increase interest costs over the next 10 years by $1.3 trillion. Going up 2 percent will increase interest costs by $5.3 trillion over the next 10 years. Now, let's put that in perspective. That would be, under the President's plan, 1.5 times our current Medicare spending, 1.4 times our current defense spending, and 11 times our current veterans' healthcare spending. So every single dollar that we have to pay in additional interest costs will be taking dollars from programs that help people across the country and will be taking dollars out of our economy. Increasing national debt is also a threat to our national security. Mr. Speaker, I also wrote an op-ed in May that was published in The Washington Times. I include in the Record the article. [From the Washington Times, May 17, 2022] When the Balloon Pops: Inflating Our Debt and Undermining Our Security (By Rep. Lloyd Smucker)

Mr. SMUCKER. The article lays out how increased inflation ultimately undermines our national security. China, perhaps our greatest adversary of the next decade, now owns $1.1 trillion of the national debt. That is the second highest total among foreign sovereign governments, and increased dependence on China is a clear threat to our national security. If the current trends continue, China's portion of our national debt will increase to $1.7 trillion over the next decade. Interest payments as they rise will mean more income for China and will directly fuel China's growth making them a stronger economic and military adversary. Twelve years ago, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen famously warned: ``The most significant threat to our national security is our debt.'' That was 12 years ago. The most significant threat to our national security is our national debt. At that time, by the way, the Nation's Federal debt was roughly $13.5 trillion. Now it is at $30 trillion and growing. What could be even worse is if our lenders lose faith in the ability of the United States to pay back and make good on those loans. If they essentially lose faith in the credit of the United States, that would be what we call a sovereign debt crisis which would have a major economic impact in the United States affecting every single American. By the way, that is not merely a hypothetical. We have seen major nations face sovereign debt crises. In 2009 Greece's budget deficits totaled 12.7 percent of its GDP. By 2012, Greece's debt-to-GDP ratio was 160 percent. Under CRFB's analysis our debt held by the public will reach 126 percent of GDP by 2032 with the anticipated increased interest rates. If we don't change this trajectory, this will put us well on the way to a fiscal calamity like Greece has experienced not long ago, just a few years ago. So it is long past time for the U.S. to get our fiscal house in order and abandon the reckless budgetary policies that sank the Greek economy at that time. Let's talk just briefly about energy, Mr. Speaker, another big factor in the rising prices that we are seeing. This chart sort of blows me away. Average prices of gas in my hometown right now exceed $5 a gallon. Think about that, Mr. Speaker. Just a year and a half ago, 2 years ago, no one would have imagined that we would be spending $5 per gallon. You see the same kind of increases in home fuel, Mr. Speaker, heating costs, and so on. And the President blames oil and gas markets for that high inflation rate, and he focuses on the role of Russia in driving those. But do you know what is amazing, Mr. Speaker? Under President Trump when President Biden took office, our Nation was energy independent and becoming a net exporter of oil in 2019. Some of the very first actions that President Biden took were to halt drilling on Federal lands and to stop the Keystone pipeline. Even as prices went up, the administration doubled down on limiting the supply of our drilling. No new permits were approved. So it is a classic economic formula. They dramatically increased demand and reduced supply which led to the prices that we are seeing now. The President just put out his new budget. He says that now--really the first time I think since he has been in office--it is important to reduce deficits. I welcome that. I think it is important that we reduce deficits. We have to reduce the debt long term. He claims credit for reducing the Federal deficit by $1.7 trillion this year due to the expiration of spending in the American Rescue Plan which, by the way, is all deficit spending. He says that this reduction demonstrates a newfound commitment to fiscal discipline. Now, let's just look at that for a little bit. If I eat 10,000 calories today--which is way more than I need--and tomorrow I eat 5,000, well, that won't make me a model. It doesn't mean that I am on any kind of a diet. Look at this plan. This is the President's budget straight from his budget documents. I get it. There was an anomaly during COVID. It was a challenge for all of us, and the deficit went way up during COVID. But look at the deficit before COVID which is the second bar on the left side. And then coming out of COVID what happens? Do you see--if you take out the two COVID years which was an exception, an anomaly, do you see deficits declining at all? No. In fact, they are going up every single year. That is not fiscal responsibility. In fact, I call it swamp math, to say that we are reducing deficits when this is exactly what it looks like in their budget plan. It is swamp math. Mr. Speaker, if you set one foot outside the beltway, I can tell you that every single American who looks at this does not believe that we are reducing deficits in any way. I don't mean that as a knock on the administration. Well, I guess I do mean it as a knock on the administration. But what I really mean to say is that we have to get serious about implementing policies that will drive growth and that will result in lower deficits over time, or we will be going down that path of fiscal calamity. Besides this, the other thing that the President is calling for, still calling for, is what he calls the Build Back Better plan. This is outlined in his budget. Now, I call it build back bankrupt because it continues to put us on a path of a potential sovereign debt crisis. It certainly continues to build debt for our kids, our grandkids, and future generations. The build back bankrupt plan imposes new taxes, 36 new taxes, on Americans and dramatically increases spending beyond what you see here. This is what they want to do, while they are claiming to do this, which they are saying is reducing deficits. It makes no sense whatsoever. One of the other things I want to mention--I am running out of time here. It has just been recently that we have had this economy working on all cylinders, and we could be doing that again. This economy could be in a far different position if we implemented policies similar to what were done under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act under the previous administration. Just before COVID hit, we were seeing the impact. Almost every measure you could possibly take showed that the economy was working for the American people. By the way, middle-income American, the average household income increased by $6,000 per year. That is a real impact. People were feeling it, compared to a $3,500 drop in real wages during this administration. The TCJA boosted workers' paychecks. Income and wealth inequality fell. Real wages for the bottom 10 percent, by the way, grew nearly twice as fast as the top 10 percent. Real wealth of the bottom 50 percent of households rose three times faster than that of the top 1 percent. Despite the challenges that we face now, I think hope is not lost. I am optimistic that if we implement the right policies, America can once again work for the American people. We need to be committed to that. We need to have a discussion about what policies will work.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate National Small Business Week, which is being held this year from May first to the seventh. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and provide so many Americans with the means to live their own American Dream. In my district, Pennsylvania's Eleventh, over half of all workers are employed by small businesses. At the age of seventeen, I became a small business owner and built the company over twenty-five years to employ hundreds in family-sustaining jobs. I know firsthand how important it is to support a pro-small business environment, allowing them to thrive. I support policies that create opportunities for our country's small business owners to take risks with the knowledge that their success means success for the entire community. America's free enterprise system and entrepreneurial spirit have allowed so many to start their own small business and live their American Dream. As we recognize National Small Business Week, we congratulate and show gratitude to all those entrepreneurs across our district and country. In addition, we thank the employees of the Small Business Administration who have helped business owners in Pennsylvania's Eleventh District access vital aid throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been a reliable resource to my staff, and we are thankful for their work.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate APR Supply Company on the occasion of their company's 100th year in business, which is a milestone that not many companies achieve. APR Supply Company is a third-generation-owned-and-operated full- service distributor of plumbing, HVAC, and hydronic supplies, supporting countless companies through their 38 locations in my district and in other areas of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. In America, the entrepreneurial spirit has led many to pursue founding a business. Over the years some may succeed, some may fail, but to celebrate 100 years is a milestone that few achieve, as I mentioned. This achievement signals that an organization is relentlessly pursuing their values and supporting their customers. I recently enjoyed visiting one of their facilities with third- generation president and CEO Scott Weaver to learn about their innovative inventory management system and their operations. Again, congratulations to the team at APR Supply and to Scott on celebrating 100 years in business. Best wishes on their continued success.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Chapter 1032 of the Vietnam Veterans of America, based in York, Pennsylvania. We are forever indebted to the veteran members of Chapter 1032 and the millions of other Vietnam Veterans who selflessly served our nation in the armed forces. We must also remember, honor, and give thanks for the service of those servicemembers who never returned home and made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. Recognizing the sacrifices of all those who served is critically important. I would like to extend thanks to a resident of Pennsylvania's Eleventh District and Vietnam Veteran, Harold Redding, a member of Chapter 1032 whose citizen advocacy prompted Congress to pass legislation that made possible the creation of the National Vietnam War Veterans Day, which will be observed on March 29. Thanks to Harold's efforts and those who supported him, our nation has a dedicated day where we can come together to recognize the sacrifices that these brave men and women made so that we may live free. On this day and every day, we can honor our Vietnam Veterans through providing them with the care, recognition, and gratitude that they deserve. I extend to Harold and all the veterans of Chapter 1032 my most sincere thanks and gratitude, and I stand ready to support them in any way that I can as a Member of Congress.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start my comments by saying that I really do believe that there is no daylight between our parties on our commitment to cripple Putin's ability to wage war in Ukraine. We stand with the people of Ukraine, Democrats and Republicans alike. I want to thank Chairman Neal and Ranking Member Brady for putting together a strong bill to stop financing Putin's aggression. This was a bill that was bipartisan and bicameral that would have stopped providing financial support to Russia and put an end to importing Russian oil. Unfortunately, that bill that they worked so hard on is not the bill that we are debating here tonight. Now, I plan to vote in support of this bill because I believe it is important that we stand with Ukraine. But I want to make it clear to the White House and to Democratic leadership: You know that we could have done better, yet for some reason, the White House intervened, and I don't understand. I would like someone to answer the question: Why are we running a product that replaced another product that would have put an end to favored-trade status for Russia and Belarus? Why are we voting on a product that will not be taken up by the Senate? We had a better deal.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Michael Vogel, who recently retired after coaching volleyball for thirty-one years at Hempfield High School in Landisville, Pennsylvania. Mike's time as coach was nothing short of incredible, with a list of records and championship wins to prove it. Just to name a few, he led Hempfield's girls' volleyball team to win five District 3 Class 3A titles and two state championships while also leading the boys' volleyball team to take seven PIAA-3A state titles and fifteen District 3 Class 3A crowns. As coach of Hempfield's boys' volleyball team for twenty-four years, the team had a record of 1,106-94, an astounding feat. These accomplishments demonstrate the immense dedication that Mike showed to Hempfield High School and the many players he coached over the years. He taught them the value of sportsmanship and hard work, lessons that will last a lifetime. And for that, everyone across our community should be thankful for Mike. I wish Mike a restful and well-deserved retirement and hope that the next volleyball coach at Hempfield High School will be able to meet the high bar that Mike set.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Al Libasci of York, Pennsylvania, a World War II veteran who will be turning 102 years old on February 25, 2022. Al's life has been one of service to our country. Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942, Al served in the Pacific Theater during World War II with the Jolly Rogers, 90th Heavy Bomb Group, 5th Air Force. Al flew over thirty combat missions in a B-24 Liberator, bravely serving our country overseas. After the War, Al went on to work as a civilian employee for the government, helping the military to acquire land for some of its installations, including the land on which the United States Air Force Academy now sits. Al's life has been marked by so much more than his career and service, however. He is a father, a husband, a bowling enthusiast, and a friend to many who has touched the lives of people around him with his positivity and enthusiasm. Al's life has been an extraordinary one and I wish him, his family, and his wife, Rosina, the happiest of birthdays as he celebrates his 102nd.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to J. Carter Seibel, who passed away on December 28, 2021 at seventy-four years of age. A resident of Delta, Pennsylvania for nearly fifty years, Carter was a friend to many in the community. Nowhere was that more evident than during his time as a teacher at North Harford High School in Pylesville, Maryland where he taught for over two decades, touching the lives of countless students. He established a German language program at North Harford, advised on the school's yearbook, and offered up his musical talents playing piano in the school's musicals. His love of music and the piano brought joy to many in the community as he played at numerous weddings and events, including some hosted by his former students. Carter also loved Delta as well, serving as a member of the Borough Council and working on initiatives aimed at promoting the borough. We extend our sincere condolences to his wife, Cindy, as well as his children and grandchildren on Carter's passing. He will be missed.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dennis R. Groff who is retiring after more than thirty years of service to Paradise Township, located in Lancaster County in Pennsylvania's Eleventh District. A lifelong resident of Paradise, Dennis has dedicated much of his life to serving his community, holding a number of leadership roles over the years. Just to name a few, he has served as Paradise's Emergency Management Coordinator, Roadmaster, and Vice Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, all the while volunteering at a fire company in the community. He gives his phone number to anyone within Paradise who may need it, making sure that every resident of the township is looked after. Dennis represents the best of our country: people who are willing to give so much to their communities so that they can be better places to live, work, and raise a family. I extend my sincere thanks to Dennis for his service and wish him an enjoyable retirement.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise today to congratulate Mrs. Elizabeth Raff of Lancaster County, who was recently named Pennsylvania's Teacher of the Year for 2022. Elizabeth teaches sixth grade at Pequea Elementary School, in the Penn Manor School District in Lancaster County, where she has taught since 2014. Penn Manor School District Superintendent, Dr. Mike Leichliter, described Elizabeth as a ``dynamic and creative teacher who is always looking to find new ways to reach her students'' and noted that ``she creates a space where students are encouraged to explore ideas in a supportive and respectful environment.'' There is no question that teachers and students have been impacted; they have had challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last 2 years, and we thank our teachers for all they have done to make sure that our students are receiving the best education possible. That is certainly true of Mrs. Raff, whose classroom is well- decorated and offers students access to a large library of books to pique their interest, and a raised stage to provide students the opportunity to present to their classmates. Thank you to Mrs. Raff for all you have done to educate students in our community. We all appreciate your efforts and wish to congratulate you on being named Pennsylvania's 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Spring Grove Area High School girls' volleyball team for winning the PIAA Class 3A volleyball championship last month, with a 3-1 victory over Hampton. Spring Grove's path to the championship was not always certain, as they faced difficult competition in the state semifinals and quarterfinals. Thanks to their passion and hard work, the team rose to the challenges and emerged victorious, becoming state champions, and finishing out the season with a nearly undefeated record. Their win marks the first time that Spring Grove Area School District has ever won a state championship in volleyball and just the second time that the district has won a state championship. This is an incredible achievement and one of which the players, their parents, and head coach, Liz Zeigler, should be enormously proud. Congratulations to the team for this accomplishment and I wish the graduating seniors the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Larry J. Miller on his retirement after fifty years of service to PeoplesBank, which is headquartered in York County, Pennsylvania and operates branches throughout Pennsylvania's Eleventh District. In 1971, Larry started his career at PeoplesBank as a management trainee and just a decade later, he became the bank's president, making him the youngest person in Pennsylvania to hold such a position. Larry's hard work and dedication brought him further success as he took on the role of Chief Executive Officer for both PeoplesBank and its parent company, Codorus Valley Bancorp, serving in each of those positions for thirty-five years. Under Larry's leadership, PeoplesBank opened twenty-five new branches, created mortgage and trust divisions, and grew to hold more than $2 billion in assets. Larry has similarly taken on leadership and community service roles, including positions as Chairman of the Board of Directors for several nonprofits, such as the United Way of York County and the Cultural Alliance of York County. We thank Larry for all that he has done for the people of Pennsylvania's Eleventh District and wish him a restful and well- deserved retirement.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Tom Blefko of Lancaster, Pennsylvania for his work as the 2021 President of the Lancaster County Association of Realtors (LCAR). A graduate of Franklin and Marshall College, Tom got his start in the real estate industry in 1983 when he became a licensed realtor. From that point on, Tom quickly advanced in his career, taking on a number of new roles while closing countless real estate transactions along the way. All of the effort and hard work he put into his profession brought him to his current position as the Director of Operations for the North Pointe office of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, based in Lancaster, PA. Outside of this role, Tom uses his expertise and many years of experience to mentor others looking to get involved in the real estate business by working as an instructor at LCAR's Real Estate School. We wish Tom all the best and thank him for his many years of service to the real estate industry in Pennsylvania's Eleventh District.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Judy L. Eller of Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania for her more than forty years of federal service. Judy got her start in the civil service through a work-study program with the Social Security Administration. From there, Judy would go on to hold a number of positions throughout our federal government with the United States Army, as well as the Department of Veterans Affairs. Beginning in 1980, Judy was employed at the U.S. Army's Research Institute for Chemical Defense in Aberdeen, Maryland, where she worked alongside military personnel in handling and dismantling chemical agents. After her time at Aberdeen, Judy began working for the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1986, first at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Erie, Pennsylvania and later at other VA Medical Centers across Pennsylvania and Maryland. The highpoint of her career with the VA came when she took the position of Multi-Site Research Compliance Officer for the Fourth Veterans Integrated Services Network. Judy stayed in this role for seventeen years, lasting up until her retirement this month. We thank Judy for the many years of dedicated service she gave to our country and its veterans. We wish her a well-deserved and restful retirement.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Mr. Speaker, I hope the American people are watching closely today because there is a fundamental question being debated, and that is: What should the role of the Federal Government be in each of our daily lives, and what economic system best provides for the opportunity and well-being of the American people? That is the question today. Democrats believe--they said this in our hearings--that the Federal Government should provide everything to ensure all needs are met for middle-income Americans. We believe in earned success. We believe in rewarding hard work. That system, the free market system, has provided more opportunity than ever before in the history of mankind. Mr. Speaker, freedoms aren't taken all at once. They are taken bit by bit by bit. This is a move toward an entirely different economic system. It is a move toward socialism. We know that doesn't work. Look at every country in history that has overdelivered and overspent. It has not ended well.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Kim Lemon, who after spending 42 years serving the public as an award-winning journalist and anchor, is retiring from WGAL News 8, which is headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the heart of my Congressional District. Kim was born and raised in Lancaster, graduating from Manheim Township High School. She pursued higher education, graduating from Clarion University with a degree in Speech Communications and Theatre. She joined WGAL News 8 in 1979, hired to cover the weekend weather segment. She then spent time as a reporter, morning news anchor, then co-host of ``PM Magazine.'' For the last 36 years, the people of Susquehanna Valley have known Kim as an anchor of WGAL' s evening news, serving as their Senior Anchor. Kim has been the longest serving anchor in the station's history. She has earned 12 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards and many other distinguished recognitions for her reporting. Beyond sharing the news with our community, Kim has worked to give back. She has supported charitable efforts for the Children's Miracle Network, The Salvation Army, The Extraordinary Give and more. She also has been an advocate on behalf of families who are caring for loved ones with dementia, as she cares for her husband John who has Lewy Body Dementia. Kim said that it was ``her lifelong dream to work at WGAL 8.'' And so, we thank her for living out her dream to faithfully share the news with our community for so many years. We wish her continued success and happiness in her retirement.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Keller for his leadership on this issue. My wonderful colleague from Pennsylvania introduced the Congressional Review Act, and I rise today in strong support of this act, which would block President Biden's misguided and, frankly, I think unconstitutional mandate. I thank him for his efforts and I am very, very happy to be able to support that. Madam Speaker, I will say first, that I think the U.S. and what we have accomplished in developing a vaccine through Operation Warp Speed was a remarkable achievement of science and of a system in our country that develops the best medical system and the best drugs from across the world. And to be able to do that in the amount of time that it was done and to manufacture those drugs in a large scale is nothing short of amazing. Personally, for myself, my family, we have discussed this with our doctor. We got the vaccine early on when it became available. And I have encouraged Pennsylvanians to speak with their own doctors and make their own decisions about the direction they want to take. And many Pennsylvanians have, and I think Mr. Keller knows this as well. We now are at over 70 percent of our Commonwealth vaccinated, which begs the question for me: What ever happened to herd immunity? What ever happened? Every one of us were in the room early on during this vaccine when we heard from Dr. Fauci and heard from other experts who talked about herd immunity. And they were talking about herd immunity being achieved when about 70 percent--or even less after we learned that COVID was not as fatal as was originally feared. At that point, we could do away with government mandates--many that were unnecessary in the first place, by the way--but we could reopen the economy and could control COVID; 70 percent. We are there, but nobody is talking about it anymore. CDC doesn't talk about it. This administration doesn't talk about it. What happened? Madam Speaker, so I agree, there has got to be something else going on. And other speakers tonight have talked about it. There has got to be something more, and I fear it is control. It is control that people want. I think we should trust the science. I think you should listen to your medical professionals. Certainly, it shouldn't be government topdown mandates. I hear from employers every day who are worried that this mandate will further harm their ability to hire and retrain staff. They are already having a lot of problems due to some of the policies of this administration, but this will make it a lot worse. And I also hear from employees every day that are worried that this mandate may threaten their jobs and may threaten their livelihoods. I have been heartened that over half of States have sued the administration to reverse this mandate, and I have also joined with my Republican colleagues from Pennsylvania to call on our attorney general in our State to join that litigation. Madam Speaker, I stand ready to oppose this mandate; do everything that I can to block this and any vaccine mandates that this White House puts forth. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Keller for his leadership.

Mr. SMUCKER

Mr. SMUCKER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a truly dedicated township official from Pennsylvania's 11th Congressional District, which I am honored to represent. Mr. Les Houck, of Salisbury Township, in eastern Lancaster County, is retiring as a member of the Salisbury Township Board of Supervisors after 48 years of dedicated service in that body; almost a half a century. In fact, his service to the township began 2 years prior to his 48 years as a supervisor, in 1972, when he was appointed to the township's planning commission. Les is a wonderful husband and father as well, but as I said, he has dedicated half a century working to improve his community. Over the years, Les has become a trusted voice who is sought out for counsel in Lancaster County and across the Commonwealth as well. Beyond his service to the residents of Salisbury Township, Les served on several boards for Lancaster County, on advisory committees to the Governor and other State departments, and in leadership roles with both the county and State associations of township supervisors. Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Les Houck for 50 years of service to the residents of Salisbury Township and for being an outstanding and true example of servant leadership. Congratulating EHD of Lancaster

Mr. SMUCKER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate EHD of Lancaster as they celebrate their business' 125th anniversary; truly an impressive milestone. The business, Engle-Hambright & Davies, now known as EHD, dates back to 1896 and has grown over the years, from previously working in real estate to now being a respected full-service insurance agency which employs 120 individuals with offices in Lancaster, Reading, Exton, and Pittsburgh. They are one of only a few independent insurance agencies who achieved the Best Practices distinction for 6 consecutive years from the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America. They continue to work to give back to the community they have called home for over a century, supporting a number of local nonprofit organizations through their many charitable efforts. Mr. Speaker, the American entrepreneurial spirit has led to the founding of many businesses. Some do well, some fail, but not many have lasted for 125 years. That is rare. Today, I want to mention EHD. We celebrate with them. We congratulate them on achieving this milestone, and we wish them continued success.