Randy Weber

Mr. WEBER of Texas

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Chair, plain and simple, plain and simple, this amendment is unnecessary and misguided and, not to mention, oh, it strikes the whole bill. Maybe a lesson is needed for our friends across the aisle. The United States is the world's largest energy producer, in case y'all didn't know that; and combined with our allies, Canada and Mexico, North America is the world's largest energy superpower. Our network of pipelines, production platforms, and refineries span our borders, providing the American people with energy security that is absolutely unmatched around the world. Let me repeat that: Absolutely unmatched around the world. Our refineries along the Gulf Coast, which I have the third upper part of the Gulf Coast in the State of Texas, are the most complex and technically advanced in the entire world, bar none. We take crude oil of all grades from around the world and make valuable fuels and refined products that actually drive our entire economy. This amendment would cut off a valuable source of energy, just like when President Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline. I think I heard them say that they were about helping American workers, and how many jobs were lost when he canceled the Keystone pipeline. For that reason, Mr. Chair, I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment because it will make America less energy secure, the exact opposite purpose of H.R. 21, the bill before us. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WEBER of Texas

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have paid attention to the SPR since 2008 when I got elected to the Texas House. As you know, 60 percent of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is housed in my district. I am pleased to announce that the Independent Petroleum Association of America endorses this legislation put forth by House Republicans aimed at reining in the administration's misuse of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or SPR, as we call it. The SPR was not intended to be used as a political tool to bring down gasoline prices in an election year. Next thing you know, the President will be giving away free college tuition. Oh, he did that, too. This is only a Band-Aid on the overarching situation. The long-term solution is to enhance, rather than hinder, America's leadership in natural gas and oil production. Our true domestic natural gas and oil reserves, from production to pipelines and through the supply chain, are ready to work, and Republicans' legislation puts them and our American allies at the forefront.

Mr. WEBER of Texas

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is my absolute honor and privilege to be here tonight to honor one of our very own, one of our very own Texans, who has been here for 18 years. I am calling this the Louie Gohmert Special Order hour. But when you realize how many hours he has been up here, probably more than anybody else we know, it doesn't seem to be a fitting title. There is no better way to honor my good friend, Louie Gohmert. If you see the picture over here, he has been on FOX News. He is a great drinker of Dr. Pepper, Peanut M&M's, those are some of the things that Louie Gohmert is known for. I had a friend the other day that said: Louie can be pushy and obstinate. I said: Really? My friend said: Yeah, but he is actually the opposite now; he is obstinate and pushy. I tell you what, Louie Gohmert speaks his mind. He comes to this floor and says a lot of things, quite frankly, that we are thinking but a lot of people are not gutsy enough to say it. He has been a true patriot. He is a champion for Texas' First Congressional District, and he is a fighter for everyone's freedoms. We are going to miss him. Mr. Speaker, can I impose upon the gentleman (Mr. Gohmert) to come down to the front? He has had quite a distinguished career since before he got into Congress, when he got, what I like to say, demoted to Congress. Ronald Reagan once infamously said in a campaign: ``I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience.'' Talking about youth, Louie doesn't look like he is 69, does he? But I remember when he did. I tell you what, he is a great, great friend of ours. Y'all didn't know this was going to be a roast, right? He has been a great, great friend of ours. Before I ever knew him, I saw him on FOX News much of the time, and I always looked up to him. I knew that he was a man of conviction, that he was a Christian, and that he spoke the truth the way it was. I really looked up to him. When I came to Congress, I kind of confided in him. I said: Louie, I am beginning to have dreams. I keep seeing talking crickets, talking dogs, talking birds, talking cats, and even talking donkeys and elephants. What is wrong with me? Do you think Congress is pressuring me? He said: No, no, you are just having Disney spells. Come on, that was funny, guys. Louie has always had a great sense of humor. He has always been someone who was so wry and so right on with things. I always love having a conversation with him. Louie, we appreciate you. I cannot tell you how much we appreciate you and what you have tried to do for Texas, by the way. I hope tonight will show through a little bit and show a lot of our appreciation for you. You have never backed down from a fight for our freedoms. You have never backed down from fighting for our democracy. You have never backed down because sometimes the truth is hard to hear, even when you sent the media into a frenzy, quite a few times. I always admired that about you. To say that you are going to leave big shoes is an understatement. Who else in the history--we might want to look this up, Mr. Speaker. Who else in the history of this House has spent 17,340 minutes, 289 hours, and 12 days speaking on the House floor? Who else has done that? Probably nobody but our famous Louie Gohmert. Louie, you are going to leave a legacy of fighting tirelessly for what is good and right for the people you represent, not just in Texas, but in this country, religious freedom not being the least of those. We appreciate that about you. You have not only fought tirelessly for the people you represent, but you have fought for every single conservative. There are a lot of people who will never be able to vote for Louie Gohmert, but he voted for them every day, and we appreciate that about you, Louie. When you leave Congress, you will be known for unapologetically fighting for and leading the conservative movement. Nobody has represented the conservative movement better than you have, Louie Gohmert. I want to tell you, with your stance for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and for Christian values, you leave some really big boots to fill. Thank you for all your hard work. We have a lot of friends here that want to say good things about you. They won't be as rough on you as I was, probably. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Good).

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Bishop).

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cloud).

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Posey).

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Massie).

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Thomas, you came in with me in 2012, as I recall.

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Just a little bit of history here. In my second term, when Louie Gohmert decided to throw his name in the hat for Speaker, us knowing him, believing to know him and his character, I said, ``I am all in, Louie.'' It turned out I was part of the Gohmert caucus of three that voted for him for Speaker. I paid a price for it, of course, but Louie stood firm. Jim Bridenstine was the other one. Since they vote alphabetically, Bridenstine voted for Gohmert, and Gohmert voted for Gohmert. We already knew who the Speaker was going to be. It gets to the W's. Bridenstine is texting me and saying don't leave us hanging. I said, ``I told Louie I was all on board. I am all on board.'' So Weber put that Gohmert name up there. Thank you, Thomas, that is a great remembrance. He has been a fighter and was always willing to put himself out there. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions).

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I will echo what Congressman Sessions said, that our district loves Louie Gohmert. He was invited to speak. Unfortunately, his calendar wouldn't always permit it, but we did finally get him to come to speak to us. My District 14 on the Gulf Coast, I am not sure we could have drawn your district that far down to the south, but there are a lot of people who would have sure loved that. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Rosendale).

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs), somebody who is honorable.

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Biggs for those kind words. If he will get with me later, I will tell him some of those stories, all that we all admire and cherish about Congressman Gohmert. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Higgins), my neighbor to the east of me.

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for speaking. We are going to give the two gentlemen here a chance to express their love for one another. Mr. Speaker, I have watched Louie Gohmert for a long time. So much could be said about him. So much has been said about him; some of it is even true. Having Louie for one of my very good friends gives me status. You know, I had a friend in the fifth grade that gave me the measles, and this is a lot better deal, let me just tell you that. Louie has got a great sense of humor. He is a great patriot. He is a great Christian. We all know that. We have seen him stand for our biblical values time and time and time again. Maybe it sounds a little archaic or a little corny, I don't know, but I think of Roosevelt and his great speech. And it is called ``The Man in the Arena'' because, Mr. Speaker, it does apply to Louie Gohmert. He is in our arena. He is our fighter. I remind folks President Roosevelt said: ``It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles; or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. ``The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph''--at the best, Louie Gohmert--``the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly . . . '' My good friend, Louie Gohmert, has not failed, will not fail. The President went on: `` . . . if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.'' Someone who is heavily involved in a situation that requires courage, skill, or tenacity as opposed to someone sitting on the sidelines and watching, and the President went on. I will tell you that nothing has discouraged Louie Gohmert. Nothing has laid him down in the defeat of dust as President Roosevelt described it. He has been a tireless fighter. Louie, you and I have been through a lot of battles. We have seen a lot of things. Some of the things we just shake our heads at, but ultimately, we know who is in control. We know that you have done the Lord's bidding. We know that you fought the good fight. We know that you have endured until the end. We know that you have been a sterling example of what President Reagan called a light on a hill. I forget exactly how he said it, but you are one of those points of light--I think President George H. W. Bush used that analogy--that the rest of us Members in Congress could learn from, that people watching on TV on C-SPAN and out in America could learn from. You never doubted where you stood, never doubted what you stood for or who you stood for. I can't tell you how proud I am to be called your friend and to know that. We are going to miss you, but I have a feeling you won't be a stranger. We will get to see you come back. If nothing else, I still have to get that rib recipe from you. I still have to get the trademark on that rib recipe from you, the patent on it. In Texas 14, just like your district, we love God, we love our America, we love our freedom, we love our family, we love our guns, and, Louie, you have done a tireless, tireless, spectacular job of defending all of those, and it shows. We believe what the Bible says, quite frankly. God made males and females, a lot of biblical principles. You have stood up for those principles for our Lord Jesus Christ every bit of the way. Having been a Texas Supreme Court Justice, if you had told me that on our Supreme Court that some of them wouldn't even know what a woman was, from Texas we just don't get that, do we? We understand what the Bible says. If you had told me, if you and I sat down 10 years ago, that the left would be trying to destroy fossil fuels, the things that make our country so great, that we fight for so diligently in Texas, I wouldn't have believed it. You and I have watched a lot of things come down the pike, a lot of things come down the pike. So I can sit here and go all night and all day. I believe we do have the leader coming in eventually to come and share a few words, but, Louie, if you don't mind, I would like to yield you some time to give your thoughts and let us continue right now to learn from you yet some more. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert), my good friend.

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Louie, we don't have enough time to talk about how much time you have actually spent here. It is what your staff said. And it was already pointed out tonight you did such a great job at hiring competent staff, so you better believe it is right. We are proud of you for that.

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to mention we do have a great love and affection for Kathy, your bride, for loaning you to us. I know it is a sacrifice for her. As you pointed out, we have a great leader. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise).

Mr. WEBER of Texas. I am working on that.

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert).

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want the Record to reflect--if I can say this--I am going to get a commitment out of him to get that recipe for those ribs. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn).

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller).

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her comments. It sounds as if your ribs probably need to be trademarked or patented or whatever it takes to get that out. We just can't say enough, Louie. We have got other people. It is amazing that Mrs. Mary Miller would rush over here. I thought when she said that, wow, that is commitment. But then I thought, no, that is love--it is commitment--and that is love for Louie Gohmert. It is respect, it is honor, and it is us wanting to say you are a tower among those people who have ever darkened these doors and been in this place. I can't say thank you enough. I want the same guarantee that I get the recipe; otherwise, I will have to hack into her computer and get that recipe for those ribs. I just can't say enough. We have got a couple more people; hopefully, Dr. Brian Babin and Jodey Arrington will be here shortly. So if you want to take this time, Louie, to lay out all the ingredients, then we can all write it down. But please come share some more from your heart while we wait. We just can't tell you how grateful we are to be able to spend this time with you. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert).

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Fulcher).

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments. Russ is exactly correct. Louie Gohmert has stood strong against abortion. The judge has stood strong against the Green New Deal and the destruction of the fossil fuel industry that makes America great. We have got to have fossil fuel so that our enemies around the world cannot just overrun us with their military might. Judge Gohmert has fought any attempt to do away with gun rights. He has been a great soldier in that regard. He has fought against this administration's attempt to keep the borders open and all that that means, whether it is killing 100,000 Americans a year with fentanyl--300 a day. Just imagine, Mr. Speaker, if you would, 300 Americans a day is like two jet airliners going down every single day. How long do you think it would take for the American public to cry out if there were two jet airliners hitting the ground and killing 150 people on board every day? You have stood strong against open borders. You have stood strong against Congress' willingness to give away taxpayer dollars. You have stood strong against some Members who want to increase the size of government agencies. Can you say 87,000 IRS agents? You stood strong against a big tech that was out of control and wanted protection from liability. Yes, as Russ and many others have pointed out, you have been a supreme fighter for defending rights of religious liberty, and you have been a supreme fighter against those who would turn America into a socialist country. I can't enumerate that as well as you can and have done so eloquently over the years. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin).

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington).