Keith Self

Mr. SELF

Mr. SELF. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to ensure that a program called nutrition assistance actually delivers nutrition. Today, SNAP is funding billions of dollars in purchases of sugary soda, products with zero nutritional value and well-documented links to obesity, diabetes, and long-term health costs. That is not what this program was designed to do. My amendment is straightforward. It adds soda to the list of ineligible SNAP items alongside alcohol and tobacco and defines soda clearly as any carbonated beverage containing more than 1 gram of added sugar, artificial sweetener, or flavoring per serving. Now, let's address the obvious concern: choice. SNAP participants already use multiple forms of payment at checkout. This amendment does not take away anyone's ability to purchase soda. They remain fully free to do so with cash, credit, or debit. What this does is ensure that taxpayer-funded nutrition dollars are not used for products with zero nutritional value. We already do this in WIC. We already do this with alcohol and tobacco. The authority exists. The precedent exists. At a time when taxpayers are funding both the purchase of these products and the healthcare costs that follow, we should at least stop financing the problem on the front end. This is a narrow, commonsense reform that restores integrity to SNAP and aligns it with its core mission. I urge adoption of the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SELF. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).

Mr. SELF. Mr. Chair, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Mr. SELF. Mr. Chair, I would like to address the assertion that this is too complicated to implement. EBT systems already block thousands of ineligible items in real time. Retailers already categorize products at the UPC level. This is standard. WIC proves product-level restrictions are fully operational nationwide. Technology has significantly advanced since earlier implementation concerns. The definition of ``soda'' is clear and administrable. Retail systems already distinguish between eligible and noneligible goods. This is not something the store has to do. Implementation is a logistics issue, not a policy issue. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SELF. Mr. Chair, I just want to ask one question. This amendment asks a basic question: Should a nutrition program pay for products with zero nutrition? If the answer is no, then the vote should be ``yes.'' Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SELF. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. SELF

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. SELF

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order at any time to consider H. Con. Res. 75 in the House if called up by the chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, or his designee; that the concurrent resolution be considered as read; that the previous question be considered as ordered on the concurrent resolution to adoption without intervening motion, except for 1 hour of debate equally divided among and controlled by Representative Mast of Florida and Representative Meeks of New York, or their respective designees.

Mr. SELF

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to make an analogy. When I was first assigned to a Special Forces team as a young lieutenant, I had already been in the 82nd Airborne Division for a couple years. When I got to the A-Team the team sergeant was an old, grizzled, experienced NCO. My team sergeant had been in Vietnam. He had run the patrols. He had been behind the lines. He had seen his soldiers wounded and killed. That was the man that actually did my training. That is the kind of man you need. To put it in context, if you have seen the movie ``We Were Soldiers,'' the command sergeant major, that is Tim Reitz for me and for the Freedom Caucus. Tim Reitz is the one that knows the rules, but he knows more than the rules. He knows what we need to do to get things done. So my analogy for Tim Reitz is one of utmost respect because just as the NCO corps is the backbone of the United States Army, Tim Reitz was the backbone of the House Freedom Caucus to me.

Mr. SELF

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I will address a couple of things that my esteemed colleague across the aisle talked about. Gas prices, do you want to go back to the gas prices under Joe Biden? I think not. As long as we are talking about 13 dead servicemembers, I want to remind you of how often our colleagues across the aisle refuse to talk about the 13 servicemembers who died in the most disastrous, the most despicable operation in U.S. military history at Abbey Gate. They refuse to talk about and refuse to recognize the 13 dead then. As long as we are talking about this operation, we tend to forget that President Obama attacked Libya for 7 months, with no authorization from Congress--7 months, with no authorization from Congress. I have a question for my colleagues across the aisle: Why do you hate U.S. success so much? How can you do that? How can you hate the success that we have had strategically in the last couple of months? We now control the Venezuelan oil, much of which went to China. We now have cut off the Strait of Hormuz, where much of the oil that went through the Strait of Hormuz went to China. We have done it with no boots on the ground. There are three priorities of the regime in Iran. One is regime survival. Two is their nuclear program. Three used to be--although it is no longer, because they don't have any proxies left to speak of. We have taken out their proxies. We have destroyed much of their nuclear program. If we can get the 60 percent uranium, get it under our control, it would be very beneficial, but they no longer have the machines or the people to enrich it to 90 percent, which is weapon- grade uranium. You asked what we have accomplished in this war. We have neutered Iran, which has been at war with us for 47 years. What have we accomplished? We have accomplished quite a bit. I ask my colleagues, again, how can you hate U.S. success so much? I have been deployed on three continents with the United States Army, and I will tell you the support of the American people is what sustained you when you are deployed overseas. I implore my colleagues across the aisle to support our troops who are in harm's way.

Mr. SELF

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of this Special Order.

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues from the Sharia-Free America Caucus, which my good friend and fellow Texan Congressman Chip Roy and I proudly co-chair. Just today, we added our 60th member. I am delighted to announce that the caucus now has representation from 25 States across the United States, which is half of all the States in this Union. America was founded on a timeless principle, individual freedom secured by self-government under our clear and supreme rule of constitutional law. As John Adams warned: ``Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.'' Today, we witness the painful truth of those words. Multitudes arrive at our borders with no intention of assimilating into our culture or embracing the founding principles of liberty under the U.S. Constitution. The clash is not new. In 1786, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams asked the Ambassador from Tripoli why his nation attacked peaceful countries with no provocation. He replied that it was their right and duty under their laws of the prophet and the Koran to make war on all who do not acknowledge Islamic authority to enslave prisoners and that every fighter slain would go to paradise. This was then and remains today a stark contrast of civilizations, one rooted in submission and domination, the other in individual liberty under constitutional law. Sharia poses a unique and profound danger. It is far more than a personal faith. It is a comprehensive system of governance, culture, and domination that enforces submission through violence. All cultures are not morally equivalent. Whereas, Christianity is the religion of peace, reconciliation, and love, Islam is a religion of the sword. It stands in direct irreconcilable conflict with a maximum individual freedom at the heart of Western civilization and our Judeo- Christian heritage. Our rights derive from our creator, not from any man-made supremacist code. America gladly welcomes those who come to assimilate and worship freely according to conscience, but we must never accommodate a system that demands the submission of every surrounding society. And sharia explicitly requires precisely that. The evidence is mounting right here in my home State, the Lone Star State. In my own Congressional District, Texas' Third District, the East Plano Islamic Center, one of the largest mosques in north Texas, already operates a sharia-adherent enclave in Plano. This is not merely a house of worship. It serves as the foundation for something far more troubling. The same organization spearheaded a proposed 400-plus acre residential development in unincorporated Collin and Hunt Counties near Josephine originally called EPIC City now rebranded as The Meadow to deflect scrutiny and confusion over its separatist intent. Marketed as a Muslim-centric community, it was designed around sharia-adherent living, over 1,000 homes, a new mosque, a K-12 school, and other facilities tailored to enforce submission rather than assimilation. Both the existing EPIC enclave and this affiliated project are abominations that threaten American principles of equality, individual liberty, and the rule of law. We have seen alarming incidents of Muslim intimidation. An imam in Dallas called the police on a fellow Muslim for merely speaking to a Christian pastor. Another in Houston captured on video threatening to occupy noncompliant businesses under sharia. Texas is seeing explosive growth with roughly 48 new mosques in just the last 2 years. That is why on March 3, Texas Republicans overwhelmingly passed proposition 10 with 95 percent support, a clear mandate to ban sharia in our State. Texans have spoken: American law only. No foreign ideology should make Americans feel like foreigners in their own country. Texas stands as ground zero in this fight. Yet, this is not just a Texas issue. Sharia's influence is advancing from Arizona to Minnesota to Alabama, Florida, and beyond. No State is immune. That is why our caucus has surged to 60 members across 25 States bolstered by strong Senate support from figures like Senator Tuberville. As I have said repeatedly, sharia has no place in America. Do not sharia our America. Defend the West. Ban sharia. The urgency of this fight was laid bare in the opening days of March when a disturbing wave of Islamist-inspired attacks struck our soil. On March 1, in Austin, a gunman opened fire outside a downtown bar, killing three innocent young Americans and wounding more than a dozen others. The Islamist terrorist, a naturalized citizen from Senegal with prior arrests, wore a sweatshirt proclaiming: ``Property of Allah,'' an undershirt bearing an Iranian flag, and left a Koran in his vehicle. This was no isolated act. March has seen multiple incidents linked to Islamist extremism: a failed ISIS-inspired bombing attempt outside Gracie Mansion in New York City on March 7; a vehicle ramming and a shootout at a synagogue in Michigan on March 12, injuring dozens; and an ISIS-inspired shooting at Old Dominion University in Virginia that same day, targeting ROTC members and claiming one life. These attacks, clustered in a single month, underscore a chilling reality: The enemy is inside the gate, driven by a supremacist ideology that claims divine authority over our Constitution and justifies violence against those who refuse submission. Nowhere in this ideology is it more barbaric than its treatment of women. Under sharia, women are relegated to second-class status. It explicitly permits wife beating as discipline. Imams have preached that women feel honored by beatings, or liken them to livestock, cows, sheep, horses, and mules, created solely for men's use. Sharia codifies female genital mutilation, forced child marriage, honor killings, half inheritance for women, and testimony worth half that of a man. Its nations enforce these rules, from Iran's reign of terror to places where adultery brings stoning, apostasy brings death or public floggings, and men and women live in slavery. Even more horrifying, sharia permits the rape and enslavement of non- Muslim women, with some scholars openly declaring it permissible under the Koran and hadith. These are not fringe opinions. They are preached publicly, and they are infiltrating Western Civilization. If you don't believe this is happening, Mr. Speaker, then tell that to the thousands of British teenage girls groomed, plied with alcohol, gang-raped by Muslim gangs, and then arrested by police for being drunk while their rapists go free. Let me repeat: The victims are arrested. This is sharia. Sharia does not content itself with private practice. It demands eventual dominance over the host culture. Look at France and the U.K., Mr. Speaker, where unchecked immigration has eroded heritage, culture, and freedoms. We cannot allow that fate here in the United States. According to Islam, many non-Muslims like me are regarded as infidels, and Muslims who convert to Christianity or any other faith are apostates, punishable by death under Islam. As Karl Popper wisely cautioned: ``Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance.'' Mr. Speaker, we must claim the right to not tolerate the intolerant. Sharia embodies that intolerance, rejecting free speech, equal rights, and constitutional supremacy. We must reject it in turn. Legislation alone cannot halt this creeping threat. Congress has a sworn duty to act. Seven bills stand ready to ban sharia's influence regarding immigration and legal systems, deporting adherents who promote it, designating the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as terrorist organizations, strengthening vetting, advancing the PAUSE Act to stop all immigration, and ensuring no court ever considers sharia or any foreign religious code. Mr. Speaker, the American people demand that we defend the Constitution against ideology seeking to supplant it and replace it. That is why Congressman Roy and I founded this caucus. It has grown rapidly because patriots nationwide are awakening. Mr. Speaker, I urge every colleague, Republican or Democrat, who believes in American sovereignty to join the Sharia-Free America Caucus today. Let us stand firm: one nation, one Constitution, and one rule of law. Sharia has no place in America. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber).

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Harris).

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller).

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Fulcher).

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Moore).

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from South Carolina (Mrs. Biggs).

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Fine).

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments, and I now recognize my colleague from Arizona (Mr. Crane.)

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments. And I now recognize the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy), the cofounder of this caucus and my fellow Texan.

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).

Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, sharia is alive, well, and operating in Plano, Texas. Right now, as I speak, there is an existing sharia-adherent enclave run by the East Plano Islamic Center in my congressional district. It has been functioning for 12 years right in our midst. This is not a hypothetical or future threat. It is here now and operational. Let me lay out exactly what already exists in Plano today under EPIC's control: 74 homes sold exclusively to Muslims affiliated with EPIC, no outsiders permitted; a massive megamosque, serving as the central anchor of the enclave; sharia-adherent Islamic schools indoctrinating the next generation--by the way, we believe that the girls disappear at a certain point; a medical clinic; multiple businesses; and an Islamic financing institution providing sharia- compliant financing that rejects conventional American banking principles. Most alarming of all, according to a former senior Plano law enforcement official, there is speculation that there are unattended deaths in this Muslim-only community that are not being reported, as required under State law. That is, individuals in this community die, as is natural, and first responders are never called to the scene. Let me be clear. Not reporting a death is a crime under Texas State law. My office is going to follow every lead we have on this to ensure American law is being followed. The bottom line: This is no ordinary neighborhood. It is a parallel society, a de facto sharia enclave operating in defiance of full assimilation into American law, situated immediately adjacent to the very law enforcement facilities meant to protect our communities. Alarmingly, and as a matter of fact, the pattern of Islamic centers being built next to police training facilities is emerging. There is also one in Irving, Texas. Intimidation is clearly the intent. EPIC is phase 1 of a broader strategy. EPIC City, a proposed 400- acre, Muslim-only housing development, now rebranded as The Meadow to deflect scrutiny and public opposition, is phase 2. While this larger proposed development remains in the planning stages, with no construction underway, it is far from resolved. As of March 2026, developers continue pushing forward, submitting plat applications, refiling despite rejections, and facing ongoing legal battles. Collin County has paused or rejected plans due to deficiencies, missing documentation, and incomplete submissions. State investigations led by Governor Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and agencies like the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality have secured court orders, including a recent temporary restraining order in March, blocking illegal utility district maneuvers. Federal probes, such as HUD's active Fair Housing Act investigation into potential religious discrimination, add significant pressure. Yet the developers persist, rebranding and refiling to wear down resistance. Make no mistake, the enemy is inside the gates: building exclusive zones, enforcing foreign codes, and seeking to grow despite every obstacle. Sharia does not assimilate. It dominates and conquers. America welcomes people of every faith to come to live under our Constitution and assimilate into our society, but we will never tolerate a system that creates submission-based enclaves, exclusive housing markets, or fortresses overlooking our police academies. This is why our caucus continues to grow rapidly. This is why Texans passed Proposition 10 by a 95 percent landslide to ban sharia in Texas. That is why we must remain vigilant at every level: local, State, and Federal. Mr. Speaker, the American people demand that we defend the rule of law, not allow its gradual erosion. Sharia has no place in Plano. Sharia has no place in Texas. Sharia has no place in America. I urge every colleague who values American sovereignty to join the Sharia-Free Caucus today. Let us defend the West. Let us defend our freedoms and let us defend American sovereignty. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SELF

Mr. SELF. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4294, and I am here to represent the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Harris) in his opposition to H.R. 4294. I include a letter titled ``Coalition Letter from Maryland Blue Catfish Processors Opposing the MAWS Act.'' March 12, 2026. Coalition Letter From Maryland Blue Catfish Processors Opposing the MAWS Act We write as a coalition of small, family-owned seafood processing businesses, which are among the only facilities in Maryland actively processing blue catfish for human consumption, to express our serious concerns with the proposed MAWS Act introduced by Representative Sarah K. Elfreth and co-led by Representative Robert J. Wittman. For several years, our businesses have worked alongside the Maryland Department of Agriculture and other state and federal partners to invest significant time and financial resources into building a viable commercial market for wild- caught blue catfish. This effort has required overcoming longstanding public stigma and educating consumers that blue catfish is not only safe, but a highquality and desirable protein-rich seafood product. Progress has been hard-won. The MAWS Act, however well-intentioned, risks undermining this progress by shifting public messaging toward the use of blue catfish primarily for pet food or similar byproducts. Headlines suggesting that blue catfish is destined for pet food damage consumer perception and directly threaten the emerging market for human consumption--the very market that sustains Maryland watermen, processors, and our Bay communities. Our shared goal has always been to add value to this fishery, increase demand, and raise dockside prices so that watermen are incentivized to harvest more invasive blue catfish from Maryland waters. It is also important to note that the utilization of processing byproducts for rendering or pet food is already occurring through existing private-sector relationships that we have worked hard to establish, typically at prices between $0.10 and $0.20 per pound. Government subsidies directed toward a new, bureaucratically-selected recipient would therefore not create innovation, but instead introduce market distortion and unfair competitive advantage--jeopardizing longstanding partnerships and destabilizing an industry that is only beginning to succeed. Currently, many processors struggle to secure sufficient supply to meet growing consumer demand. Introducing a government-funded competitor capable of paying above-market prices for whole fish would further strain supply chains and place small Maryland processors at significant risk. Fish in the one- to two-pound range, as well as larger specimens, are already valuable components of our processing operations and product lines, despite misleading claims made by entities like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. We are equally troubled by the legislative process that produced this proposal without meaningful consultation from the processors who have pioneered Maryland's on-the-ground response to the blue catfish invasion. Members of our coalition attempted outreach to Representative Elfreth's office but were unfortunately met with a resistance to engage in substantive dialogue regarding the bill's impacts on private industry. Ultimately, we share the goal of addressing the ecological challenges posed by invasive blue catfish and strengthening Maryland's seafood economy. However, we believe public funds would be far more effective if directed toward initiatives that can help the watermen, the processors, and the people in our working waterfront communities. For example, USDA grant funding secured by Congressman Andy Harris has helped several Maryland processors to make investments into costly new facilities upgrades that we otherwise would not have been able to make. New programs should build upon, not undercut, investments that have already been made by taxpayers. Without a strong processing sector, Maryland cannot sustain a viable blue catfish industry. We remain ready and willing to work collaboratively with Representative Elfreth, Representative Wittman, and other sponsors of this legislation to identify policies that genuinely support watermen, processors, and working waterfront communities while continuing to remove invasive blue catfish from the Chesapeake Bay. Sincerely, Nick Hargrove, Tilghman Island Seafood, Tilghman, MD. Stephanie Pazzaglia, J.J. McDonnell Seafood, Elkridge, MD. Amanda Williams, BSA Seafood, Grasonville, MD. Patrick Welsh Jr., Reliant Fish Company, Jessup, MD.

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