Congressional Record, February 8, 2022 — House
Summary
Page H1061 of the House section of the Congressional Record for February 8, 2022, mostly one-minute tributes in interleaved columns. Mr. Auchincloss and Ms. Tlaib celebrate Tom Brady's career, and a remark recognizes Mother Hattie White on her 100th birthday. Mrs. Lesko says crime is skyrocketing and that fentanyl is crossing the border in record amounts and is the number one cause of death for ages 18 through 45, which is her statement. A further remark under the heading Economics of Curing Disease says curing diseases that make us poorer and sicker would address primary drivers of the national debt.
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“Congressional Record, February 8, 2022 — House.”
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February 8, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H1061
CELEBRATING THE CAREER OF RECOGNIZING MOTHER HATTIE Mrs. LESKO. Mr. Speaker, I was just
TOM BRADY WHITE’S 100TH BIRTHDAY listening to Congressman LAMALFA
(Mr. AUCHINCLOSS asked and was (Ms. TLAIB asked and was given per- from California, and I couldn’t agree
given permission to address the House mission to address the House for 1 with him more.
minute and to revise and extend her re- Here we are, in the United States,
for 1 minute.)
marks.) where crime is skyrocketing. Fentanyl
Mr. AUCHINCLOSS. Madam Speaker, is crossing the border in record
I rise today to celebrate the career of Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I rise today
to celebrate Mother Hattie White, a amounts and is the number one cause
Tom Brady. of death for ages 18 through 45.
As the Congressman for Foxborough, longtime resident of Southwest De-
Here, today, I see this headline. I just
Massachusetts, I represent the home of troit, in Michigan 13 District Strong,
googled it and came up with this one
the New England Patriots. For 20 of his on the occasion of her 100th birthday.
from blackenterprise.com. The head-
22 seasons in the National Football Mother Hattie White was born on
line says: ‘‘Biden administration to
League, Mr. Brady was a Patriot. He February 23, 1922, in Alabama and later
fund the distribution of crack pipes and
brought pride and six Super Bowl vic- moved to River Rouge, Michigan. She
syringes to promote ‘racial equity.’ ’’
tories to my district and to the fans of married the love of her life, Albert ‘‘On Monday, applications closed for
New England. James White, in 1946. They were mar- the Biden administration’s new $30 mil-
Mr. Brady embodies excellence. He is ried for 52 years and raised their seven lion grant program to provide crack
the greatest football player of all time, children in River Rouge and Southwest pipes and ‘smoking kits’ to promote
and his final MVP-worthy season is an Detroit neighborhoods with love and ‘racial equity.’ ’’
indication that he was still getting bet- instilling an ethic of responsibility and Are you kidding me? Our crime is ris-
ter when he retired. kindness toward others. ing, and this is what the Biden admin-
He won 35 playoff games throughout In 1967, Mother White and her hus- istration thinks is the priority? It is
his career. That is more than double band started a community church, nuts.
the second-place quarterback. Even Love Joy Missionary Baptist Church, f
down by 25 points with little more than in River Rouge, which cemented her
role as a matriarch of our community. b 1830
15 minutes on the clock in the biggest
Mother White shines bright in the NFL’S LACK OF RESPONSE TO
game, he never gave up on his team.
community and has brought so much RACISM
Indeed, teamwork was Tom Brady’s
joy to her family, friends, and neigh-
top talent. He elevated others through (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was
bors.
his team-first ethic and his competi- given permission to address the House
Please join me in wishing her a
tive drive. From the sixth round to for 1 minute and to revise and extend
happy 100th birthday.
seven Super Bowls, the GOAT was al- her remarks.)
ways focused on the team, not himself. f Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker,
On behalf of two decades of Foxboro FENTANYL OVERDOSES many of our jurisdictional committees
Faithful, I thank Tom Brady for the SKYROCKETED IN 2021 have oversight over the major league
memories. sports teams, from baseball to basket-
(Mr. LAMALFA asked and was given
ball to football.
permission to address the House for 1 As a member of the Judiciary Com-
f minute and to revise and extend his re- mittee, I have been engaged with my
marks.) committee in the oversight of the Na-
HONORING THE LIFE OF ANDREW Mr. LAMALFA. Mr. Speaker, in 2021,
tional Football League. In fact, I re-
SPYROW U.S. drug overdoses due to fentanyl member more than a decade ago we
skyrocketed, and it is now reported to were the first committee to deal with
(Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS asked and
be the leading cause of death for Amer- brain concussions and the lack of re-
was given permission to address the
icans aged 18 to 45. The leading cause sponse by the NFL to the players.
House for 1 minute and to revise and
of death for Americans between 18 and Today, I rise for the lack of response
extend her remarks.)
45 is imported fentanyl, mostly coming to racism and racial discrimination in
Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam
across our open southern border. the NFL. I take note of the lawsuit
Speaker, I rise today to honor the life Instead of combating this epidemic filed by Coach Brian Flores and would
of a young man in my district. by prosecuting drug traffickers or ban- hope that the words, ‘‘it is without
On February 1, Andrew Spyrow of ning molecularly altered fentanyl sub-
Bettendorf passed away after a nearly merit’’ will not stand.
stances, the Biden administration is I believe it is important, with the
4-year battle with brain cancer. making America’s drug problem worse
Andrew was a lifelong native of number of minority players versus the
by actually putting crack pipes into number of coaches to that in terms of
Bettendorf, graduating from Our Lady the hands of users—crack pipes distrib-
of Lourdes and Assumption High statistics, that we address the seeming
uted by the U.S. Government into the appearance of racial discrimination in
School, where he developed many life- hands of drug users. Yes. the NFL. I think it is important to re-
long friendships. He loved playing This has been already modeled in San assess the Rooney rule to give a cri-
sports and running, participating in Francisco, so I guess we want to do the teria for how coaches are selected, so
several marathons across the country. Californication of the rest of the coun- mistakes like the coach from Boston
I first met Andrew in 2014 when he try with these crazy ideas coming from sending the wrong notice that ‘‘you
volunteered and worked at the RNC the Biden administration. Boy, we have have been hired’’ to someone else
victory office in Bettendorf. gone from just don’t do it to, hey, just would not happen.
Andrew was a devoted husband, son, hand it all out. To Mr. Goodell and the owners, let’s
and father. After his cancer diagnosis, It is unbelievable that this is a policy work together, let’s get the teams to
Andrew built a beautiful family. He at a time of drug problems in this look like America.
married his best friend and love of his country skyrocketing, harm coming to f
life, Mary. They had two beautiful chil- people, and the Biden administration
dren, Audrey and Oliver. wants to hand out free crack pipes in CRISES FACING AMERICA
No matter what was happening in his the name, I guess, of racial equity. Un- The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr.
life, Andrew always put the needs of believable. AUCHINCLOSS). Under the Speaker’s an-
others first. Even when he was fighting f nounced policy of January 4, 2021, the
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cancer, he always made sure to ask gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. JOHN-
how others were doing, never com- CRACK PIPE DISTRIBUTION BY SON) is recognized for 60 minutes as the
plaining about his diagnosis. BIDEN ADMINISTRATION designee of the minority leader.
Andrew’s family, friends, and his (Mrs. LESKO asked and was given GENERAL LEAVE
RNC friends are in our prayers during permission to address the House for 1 Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr.
this difficult time. minute.) Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
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H1062 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 8, 2022
all Members have 5 legislative days to But this bill alone will not solve the at the southern border. It is time for
revise and extend their remarks and in- problem. It helps, but it will not solve the Democrats in charge here to wake
clude extraneous material on the sub- the problem. We have to use all the up.
ject of my Special Order. tools available to us. To help address this problem, we
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there We need to increase the number of have to take immediate steps. We have
objection to the request of the gen- border agents that we have, particu- to secure our border. We have to pros-
tleman from Louisiana? larly on the southern border. ecute criminals again. We have to work
There was no objection. We need to give them the tools they with localities to prevent drug abuse
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. need. rather than accommodate it.
Speaker, this evening we will have Re- We need to give them more drones for Mr. Speaker, I have a number of col-
publican Members from across this electronic surveillance in the air. leagues, as I mentioned, who will ad-
country to address the multiple crises We need to give them more dogs to dress this issue in further detail. I am
that are facing our country, whether it help them figure out what is going on, delighted that they have taken the
is the economic crisis, the crime crisis, to sniff out the drugs when they can. It time to be here. I am happy to yield to
the energy crisis, the border crisis, the is coming across in small amounts. the gentleman from Florida (Mr. C.
foreign policy crisis, or now the related Here you see it, 2 milligrams, a lethal SCOTT FRANKLIN).
issue of the staggering and ongoing cri- dose for most Americans, and there it
sis of fentanyl, a scourge upon this Mr. C. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida.
is compared to a penny. They need Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague
country. more dogs at the border.
Mr. Speaker, I yield first to the gen- from Louisiana giving me some time to
They need more horses because some talk about this vitally critical matter.
tleman from Virginia (Mr. GRIFFITH) to of that terrain is not suitable for
address this issue. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support
motor vehicles.
Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, in 2020, of our border agents, who work tire-
And last but not least, Mr. Speaker,
my State of Virginia hit a tragic mile- lessly to defend our Nation against the
we need to finish building the wall.
stone: Fatal drug overdoses hit an all- Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. flow of deadly drugs crossing our
time high of 2,309. Fentanyl and its Speaker, I could not have said it better southern border. Their job is made in-
analogs caused or contributed to 71.8 myself. I thank my friend for those credibly more difficult by the Biden ad-
percent of those deaths. The statistics comments. ministration’s open border policies.
we have for 2021 indicate it may sur- Mr. Speaker, what Mr. GRIFFITH is I am sometimes asked why, as a Flo-
pass that heartbreaking number of explaining there is the magnitude of ridian, I care so deeply about what is
overdose deaths. this crisis, and I have a number of col- happening on our southern border.
We have tools at our disposal to re- Whether it is criminals, terrorists,
leagues here tonight who will speak to
duce the availability of illicit sub- human traffickers, or drug smugglers,
it. Illegal drug overdoses recently be-
stances such as fentanyl and meth and, problems at the Texas, New Mexico,
came the leading cause of death for
in turn, prevent overdose deaths, but Arizona, and California borders quickly
Americans age 18–45; the leading cause
they are not being used. Cartels are become problems for all Americans.
of death. Today in America illegal drug
taking components of fentanyl from Florida may be hundreds of miles from
overdoses are killing more people at
China, manufacturing it in Mexico, and the border, but illegal drugs from there
this age demographic than car acci-
smuggling it across the border. are flooding our communities.
In fiscal year 2021, fentanyl seizures dents, obviously, than cancer, more
than COVID. In my home State of Lou- The Tampa Bay area, my home, has
by U.S. Customs and Border Protection an overdose rate that is 50 percent
increased by 134 percent, but the Biden isiana alone, opioid deaths increased in
2021 by 40 percent; 40 percent in one higher than the national average. To
administration is weakening our coun- put that figure in context, 30 people in
try’s ability to secure its own border, year; mostly driven by an increase in
illicit fentanyl. the Tampa Bay area are dying every
allowing not only more illegal immi- week from overdoses. Let that sink in.
gration, but smuggling of deadly drugs. What is fentanyl? Fentanyl is this
synthetic opioid that is 80 to 100 times The lion’s share of these overdoses are
Meanwhile, fentanyl-related sub-
stronger than morphine. It is created from fentanyl. This highly lethal drug,
stances have only temporarily been
with chemicals shipped from China to primarily manufactured in China and
listed as a schedule I drug, with exten-
Mexico. It is trafficked across our smuggled in by Mexican cartels, is
sions passed every few months, includ-
southern border. Its potency means the many times stronger than heroin, mor-
ing today we extended it another 3
smallest amount, even to fit on the tip phine, and other opioids. As little as
weeks, but not a permanent sched-
of a pencil, is considered a lethal dose, two milligrams, smaller than the tip of
uling.
To correct this problem, I have intro- and now it is fueling one of the worst a pencil, which you can see right here
duced the HALT Fentanyl Act with drug epidemics in American history. in perspective relative to a penny, is
Congressman BOB LATTA of Ohio. It Mr. Speaker, the Biden administra- often enough to kill an adult.
would permanently schedule fentanyl- tion’s response has been nothing, pas- Fentanyl overdoses are now the num-
related substances. But our bill doesn’t sivity. They have been passive about ber one killer of adults age 18 to 45.
stop there. It streamlines research on securing our border, the entry point for This is a national tragedy. It is exas-
fentanyl analogs so we can better un- all these drugs coming into our com- perating to see the hands of our agents
derstand the effects of these sub- munities. They have been passive tied as they try to stop this crisis be-
stances. about prosecuting drug offenders. cause their own government stands in
At a recent hearing of the Sub- Many Democrat-led jurisdictions are the way. As one frustrated border
committee on Health, we heard testi- lowering felony offenses to mis- agent told his chief in a recently
mony there are as many as 4,800 demeanors. They have been passive leaked video, ‘‘for evil to triumph is for
fentanyl analogs. We have data on about preventing drug abuse. The good men to do nothing.’’
fewer than 30 of them; in other words, Democrats’ American Rescue Plan, so- Mr. Speaker, the Biden administra-
fewer than 1 percent of them. called, even includes a provision, as tion is doing worse than nothing. It is
Most of the fentanyl-related sub- you have already heard tonight, and actively promoting an open border pol-
stances we have data on are dangerous, you will hear it more, to distribute icy that allows dangerous drugs to flow
but some are inert and may even have drug paraphernalia at taxpayers’ ex- into our communities. This adminis-
properties that block opioid addiction. pense. It is unbelievable. tration has the blood of its citizens on
We simply need to know more. Mr. Speaker, fentanyl deaths are cer- its hands. For the safety and security
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Our bill makes room for researchers, tain to increase unless we act with the of our Nation, it must stop.
not just at Federal agencies, but across same resolve that we have used to at- Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr.
research institutions, to get to work. I tack other less-deadly threats. If the Speaker, I thank my friend for that
believe our bill would save lives. House Biden administration were serious compelling message. He is right, every
Democrats should help us send it to the about addressing this crisis, they State is a border State now, whether
President’s desk. would start by securing our turnstile you are on the coast or whether you
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February 8, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H1063
are up north or anywhere in the coun- Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, we know that it was laced with fentanyl.
try, and Tennessee is no exception to spend most of our time up here and, as ‘‘‘It’s the worst I have seen in 30 years,
that. I have said before, these bridges and this toll that it’s taken on families,’
I yield now to the gentleman from post offices aren’t going to name them- said Doug Coleman, the U.S. Drug En-
Tennessee (Mr. BURCHETT), my good selves. We need to get back to the peo- forcement Administration special
friend. ple’s work, Mr. Speaker, and put an agent in charge of Arizona. ‘The crack
Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, I ap- end to this tragedy. (cocaine) crisis was not as bad.’’’
preciate the great work that Chairman As always, Mr. Chairman, I appre- These are just some of the headlines,
JOHNSON has been doing on this for the ciate your more-than-lackluster abili- ladies and gentlemen. And I live in the
last few weeks, and I look forward to ties. border State of Arizona. We are im-
working with him in the future. Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. pacted greatly.
Six days ago, Mr. Speaker, I spoke Speaker, I thank my friend. It is a seri- I call on President Biden. I plead
about the fentanyl crisis in this Cham- ous issue. Every moment of levity with President Biden: Come down to
ber. According to the trajectory of the helps us. I tell you what, if we can’t the border. See it for yourself. Talk to
CDC’s most recent 12-month data on work in a bipartisan fashion to pros- the Border Patrol agents. They will
drug overdose deaths, over 1,600 Ameri- ecute criminals and stop the cartels, show you all of the fentanyl pills that
cans have died since that speech, 1,600. there may not be a lot of hope for this they have seized. But we know that
In reality, I am afraid that number is institution. I hope we can get back to there is a lot they haven’t even caught,
actually a lot higher thanks to ille- that soon. and it is coming into our communities.
gally trafficked fentanyl. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentle- It is killing our kids. It is killing our
Just last week, an unsuspecting high woman from Arizona (Mrs. LESKO). Ari- brothers. It is killing our sisters.
school student in Connecticut zona is a State that certainly deals Please, President Biden, take this seri-
overdosed on marijuana laced with with this every moment of every day, ously and secure the border now.
fentanyl. Thankfully, that student is and she has seen it up close. Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr.
all right, but sadly, there are many Mrs. LESKO. Mr. Speaker, I am Speaker, that passion is authentic. And
others who do not survive an overdose. going to read off some headlines. The as we said, from Arizona you see it
A man called my office the other day. first one is from the New York Post. It every day.
His son died. He was in the Carolinas, says, ‘‘Fentanyl now leading cause of Mr. Speaker, I just received a text
unsuspecting, took a street drug, and it death among teens in Arizona border message from our colleague, Mr.
was laced with fentanyl. They said the county.’’ In the article it says, KATKO, and he is the lead Republican
fentanyl, the pill was still in his ‘‘Fentanyl overdoses have overtaken on the Homeland Security Committee,
mouth, it was that strong. car crashes as the leading cause of and he said make sure when we are
Our government needs to stop illegal death among teenagers in an Arizona talking about the cartels to point out
fentanyl from entering the United border county, as Governor Doug they are getting magnificently en-
States right now, Mr. Speaker. Repub- Ducey blames President Biden’s ne- riched through this alien smuggling
licans and Democrats must demand glect of the U.S. border for the rise in surge, and they are, therefore, flush
more action on this issue from our lethal drugs coming into the country.’’ with cash, and they are now developing
leaders. The next article is from a TV station their own ability to make fentanyl.
Here in the House, Speaker PELOSI in Tucson, and it is entitled, ‘‘Arizona That is a dangerous game changer for
controls the floor schedule and does poison centers sound alarm as fentanyl the country. This crisis gets worse and
not say much about illegal fentanyl overdoses spike.’’ worse by the hour.
trafficking. Down Pennsylvania Ave- Another article, and this one is from Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman
nue, at the White House, President The Center Square. ‘‘Arizona seizes from New Jersey (Mr. VAN DREW).
Biden issued financial sanctions record amount of fentanyl, now cited Mr. VAN DREW. Mr. Speaker, I am
against foreign smugglers who bring as leading cause of death of Americans honored by your yielding and the work
drugs like fentanyl into our country. between 18 and 45.’’ It goes on to say, that you are doing in this area.
Mr. Speaker, that is a nice start, but I ‘‘Authorities in Arizona seized $9 mil- We are in the midst of perhaps the
doubt these cartel thugs and bums will lion worth of fentanyl pills in the widest array of crises this country has
quit the drug trade just because they State’s largest bust of the illicit drug— ever seen.
can’t use an American bank. enough, they said, to kill half the pop- A global pandemic, inflation, and an
Earlier today, I delivered a letter to ulation of Arizona.’’ Wow. It goes on to unstable world stage that could erupt
Speaker PELOSI requesting that she do say, ‘‘Fentanyl has become the drug of at any moment.
everything in her power to stop choice of the Mexican Sinaloa cartel, Yet, COVID–19 and these uncertain-
fentanyl from entering our country. which controls the U.S.-Mexico border ties aren’t the only things slowly in-
President Biden received a copy of that stretching from California to El Paso, fecting every corner of this country.
letter as well. I urged them to consider Texas.’’ Fentanyl. Fentanyl. That word.
my Fentanyl Trafficker Elimination It takes just two milligrams of this
Act, which would sentence fentanyl b 1845 substance, which is 100 times more po-
traffickers to life in prison, as a pos- ‘‘ ‘This is not a recreational drug’ tent than morphine, to kill a full-
sible solution to reducing the amount Scottsdale Police Department Chief grown adult.
of fentanyl that flows across our bor- Jeff Walther said. ‘This is death.’ Two In fact, Border Patrol has already
ders. milligrams is a lethal dose. A teaspoon seized more than 2,700 pounds at the
Politically, I have little in common holds about 5,000 milligrams, enough to southern border this year, 2,700 pounds,
with Speaker PELOSI and President kill 2,500 people. One pound of fentanyl, enough to kill every single American
Biden. I met President Biden after the or 453,592 milligrams, could kill 226,796 twice over.
prayer breakfast, and I told him that I people.’’ The massive inflow of this deadly
don’t agree with hardly anything he The next headline, and this is from substance is a direct result of our
does, but I pray for him every day, and NBC News: ‘‘Fentanyl Deaths from weakening southern border and policies
that is true. However, I believe all ‘Mexican oxy’ pills hit Arizona hard.’’ designed to entice illegal immigrants
three of us agree more needs to be done And just a couple things it says in this to flow into our Nation.
to stop Americans from overdosing on article: Aaron Francisco Chavez swal- Often sourced directly from China,
illegal fentanyl. I think overwhelming lowed at least one of the sky blue pills our open-border policies have allowed
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majorities in our respective parties feel at a Halloween party before falling the worst of humanity to sneak this
the same. The American people will be asleep forever.’’ drug into every community, small and
glad to see us put politics aside and do He and three other teenagers took large, rural, urban, or suburban across
something to reduce the tragic this drug. our great America.
fentanyl overdose deaths that have be- And it says the four thought they It has become so bad, in fact, that
come too common in our communities. were taking oxycodone. They didn’t fentanyl is now the leading cause of
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H1064 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 8, 2022
death, as you have heard over and over until finally the city council changed, I first got here about 7 years ago, and
again because it is so unbelievable, of and they have moved in a direction to at the time there were 47,000 deaths
all Americans between the ages of 18 try and stop this sort of thing. It was caused by illegal drugs a year. By com-
and 45. Imagine that. It is incompre- killing a small valley town like Chico. parison, there were 57,000 people who
hensible. And yet our administration is pro- died in Vietnam, but that was over a
Exacerbated by the stress of man- moting an open border policy that is 10-year period, a 12-year period. This is
dates and lockdowns, fentanyl-related allowing in this fentanyl. over 1 year, 47,000 people. And it was a
overdoses across the board increased by You heard some of my colleagues to- national crisis. And every politician
more than 55 percent. night talking about how small of an had to address that crisis.
I have seen it personally in my home amount it takes to not only negatively Well, 7 years later what became of
district and across the great State of affect people, but kill them. It is ex- that statistic, 47,000 deaths a year from
New Jersey, where thousands of fami- tremely potent. It doesn’t take much fentanyl? It went up to 100,000 deaths a
lies last year lost a loved one to a of this stuff to cause a death. And it is year.
fentanyl overdose. It has to end. It has coming across, pounds and pounds at a Now, I have been at the border five
to stop. time, over our border. times. Every time I am down there the
We must secure our southern border. Why are we allowing this to happen? Border Patrol, again and again, empha-
We must provide the resources to get It’s coming freely over our borders, dis- sizes that with this open flow of people
this drug off our streets, and we must tributors without consequence putting coming into this country, you’re get-
permanently make fentanyl a schedule it out, harming our people, harming ting unlimited fentanyl.
I drug. this country. So we have to do two obvious things
It is time to finish the wall, stop the If my colleagues on the other side of to address the problem. We just passed
relocating of illegal migrants across the aisle, if the Democrats, if the a continuing resolution today with
the country, and we must empower our White House really cared about the some increases in there, but the budget
law enforcement at the border to up- health and safety of the American citi- proposed by our President doesn’t in-
hold the rule of law. zens, they would implement common- crease funding for the Border Patrol at
If not, we will lose our America that sense policies to combat this epidemic, all. You go through that budget, 12 per-
we love. increasing search and seizures at our cent over here, 18 percent over here, 7
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. border, prosecuting traffickers instead percent over here. Border Patrol, noth-
Speaker, strong words on a very impor- of letting them go. ing. Like these lives don’t matter at
tant set of issues. It is just so unbelievable. People all. We have got to spend more money
I yield to the gentleman from Cali- come up to me all the time as their at the border.
fornia (Mr. LAMALFA). Representative ‘‘We just can’t believe Secondly, when it comes down to
Mr. LAMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I thank what is going on in our country late- penalties for people who are selling
the gentleman from Louisiana for ly.’’ The prosecution letting people out this fentanyl or trafficking in fentanyl,
hosting this Special Order tonight and of prison, right back to offend once they are not great enough.
continuing to keep the effort up to put again.
this in front of the American people Right now, your penalties for heroin,
And this wide-open border that is
and the Congress and the White House. which is a fraction as lethal as
just an open conduit to so much harm
We have talked a couple times here fentanyl, are much higher, the manda-
from terrorism. They picked up five
this evening so far, and this is a sta- tory minimums, than the cutoff for
Syrians the other day. It isn’t just peo-
tistic that I don’t know if it is reaching fentanyl.
ple coming from Central America
across to enough people. The leading wanting a better life or reuniting fami- I have introduced a bill that is going
cause of death for Americans aged 18 to lies when you have single young men to deal with that called the Fentanyl
45 is fentanyl. It isn’t car wrecks, it is coming across the border. This is a Penalties Parity Act, which adjusts the
not gun violence—which is usually peo- fraud that is being committed against mandatory minimum to be the same as
ple violence it takes people to run a the American people here, and fentanyl heroin.
gun, to clear up a term—it is not can- is just one example of harming not just So we have got to throw more people
cer, not some other form, it is a drug. economically but our open border, and in prison. That 100,000 deaths, by the
So what is this? It really boils down so many people with an illegal drug be- way, that is not what we call non-
to it is a border problem. cause we have a terrible policy. violent. Ask the parents of the people
So when the Biden administration Our border control folks are so de- who died of these fentanyl overdoses
decided to have a much more open, moralized by what is going on here, whether that is just a nonviolent
hands-off policy on our borders, the op- and so are the people of this country. crime, and we will slap somebody on
posite of what the Trump Administra- We have many crises these days, but the wrist and who cares? We have got
tion had been attempting to do, this this is one of the worst because we are to up the penalties on people who are
problem has been exacerbated. The losing the identity of our country with selling that fentanyl. We had 560 people
number of people coming across, some what has been going on. die in Milwaukee County alone last
for asylum reasons, others for eco- President Biden’s team needs to get year, and Milwaukee County is not
nomic reasons, but the ones that are on the job here and enforce our border that big.
mixing in, that are coming with them and not allow this poison to keep com- And secondly, we have got to do
are bringing this stuff with them. ing across. something at that border. The idea
Now, as a Californian we have prime Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. that these fentanyl drugs continue to
examples of what that looks like on Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his flow across the southern border, and we
our streets, what it looks like for remarks. can pretend there is nothing we can do,
homelessness and for people literally The Border Patrol agents are as frus- that we can continue to allow KAMALA
dying on the street; San Francisco trated as we are. Demoralized is ex- HARRIS to look out at the border,
being a shining example of what most actly right. We have met with them which is just like a joke on the Amer-
cities don’t want to be with the prob- and heard their stories. And the reason ican people. It is a joke on anybody
lems they have on their streets with they are so frustrated, Mr. Speaker, is who has had a loved one die of this
homelessness, with drug use, people because all of this crisis is completely fentanyl. That has got to end.
dying on our streets. avoidable. These are the results of bad I hope everybody in this building,
Needle programs. We call it clean policy choices, and that is what is so those people fortunate enough to meet
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE
needle exchange programs. They are outrageous. the President tell him, Get KAMALA
not even exchange programs. Even one Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman HARRIS off that border and get us some
of my district towns, Chico, California, from Wisconsin (Mr. GROTHMAN). more Border Patrol agents down there
a nice town, people bring these needles Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am so it shows that we are taking the lives
in. And they don’t exchange them, as I going to try to add a few additional of these 100,000 people a year a little
mentioned, they just give them out things about fentanyl. more seriously.
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February 8, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H1065
b 1900 Mr. Speaker, there are multiple cri- nities. This is a 59 percent increase
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. ses. That is exactly right. It is nearly from 2020 and the most that we have
Speaker, I thank the gentleman for impossible to discuss President Biden’s had since 1995. This is utterly unac-
that forceful message. self-inflicted economic crisis without ceptable. The language from top Demo-
Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how mentioning his excessive spending. I crats empowers those that wish to do
much time is remaining? am not talking about money to harm upon others and leaves our law
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gen- strengthen our military or to make enforcement stranded with nowhere to
tleman has 32 minutes remaining. America more competitive in the look for aid.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. world. Biden and the Democrats have After an entire year of this detri-
Speaker, I am happy to yield next to a no interest in that. This out-of-control mental rhetoric, at least 16 U.S. cities
gentleman who has been on the front spending is necessary only to appease have set new homicide records in 2021,
lines of all this as a retired police lieu- the radical Democrat base who 346 officers were shot, and we saw 115
tenant. He is also a former professional prioritize radical climate change poli- percent increase in ambush-style at-
hockey player, and that is pretty cool, cies without a care in the world for tacks on law enforcement from 2020.
too. He is a tough guy, but he knows their consequences. Democrats aren’t just downplaying the
the issue. As a result, inflation sits at a 40-year impacts of their soft-on-crime rhetoric,
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman high and our national debt has in- they are completely ignoring it.
from Minnesota (Mr. STAUBER). creased by trillions of dollars. For Shoplifting in California and New
Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I thank years, my colleagues across the aisle York has gotten so bad that it is now
the congressman for this Special Order. have worked tirelessly to desensitize mocked on social media and offenders
It is needed and I appreciate the time. Americans to the word ‘‘trillion,’’ and simply walk into a store, grab what
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss they have succeeded for the most part they want, and walk out. The First
the devastating fentanyl crisis that is because a trillion of anything is such a Congressional District of Georgia is un-
wreaking havoc on our communities mind-boggling figure for the average fortunately no exception to this cur-
and our families. The hardest thing I human to wrap his mind around it. rent trend.
ever had to do during my 23 years as a When I was elected to Congress in In the first half of 2021, violent in-
law enforcement officer was tell an 2014, our national debt was $17 trillion. creased 7 percent, property crimes rose
unsuspecting mother that her child had Fast-forward 8 years later, our na- 10 percent, and shoplifting has risen 9
died due to a drug overdose. tional debt has topped $30 trillion. This percent, all in Savannah alone.
The opioid crisis has ravaged our Folks, this rhetoric is harmful. It
should shock every American taxpayer,
communities for years, and when peo-
but it doesn’t seem to. Allow me to put hurts our communities, it hurts our
ple were forced inside during this pan-
this into perspective. law enforcement, and it hurts our con-
demic, things only got worse. For the
If you owed $1 trillion, and you de- stituents. We must put a stop to this
first time ever, in 2021, drug overdoses
cided to pay $1 per second until your and reinforce the fact that we have the
in the United States topped 100,000.
debt was paid off, it would take you backs of our police officers. This issue
Overdose deaths are now claiming a
around 31,700 years to become debt- is of the utmost importance, and I call
new victim every 5 minutes.
As stated earlier, fentanyl overdoses free. Now, multiply that by 30, for $30 upon President Biden to say, unequivo-
were the leading cause of death for trillion of our national debt. I am no cally, that he supports our men and
Americans aged 18 to 45 just last year. mathematician, but this amounts to women in blue.
That is more than the COVID–19 approximately 951,000 years. So if we Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr.
deaths, car crashes, or suicides put to- paid $1 per second until our $30 trillion Speaker, I thank my friend for his in-
gether for that age group. national debt is paid off, it would take sights there.
The American people are suffering. us just shy of a million years to be- Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman
We have a moral obligation to do ev- come debt-free. from Tennessee (Mr. ROSE).
erything we can to prevent another ad- President Biden and the Democrats Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Vice
diction, to prevent another death, to must be stopped. American solvency Chairman JOHNSON for organizing this
prevent another heartbroken family. must be preserved. Generations of fu- Special Order hour tonight and for
The DEA revealed in December that ture Americans are counting on us to yielding me time to speak.
criminal drug networks in Mexico, regain control of Washington’s Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to ring the
using resources from China, are traf- unsustainable spending. We literally alarm bell regarding the United States’
ficking fentanyl over Biden’s open cannot afford to fail. current financial crisis caused by the
southern border at a rate that could Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Biden administration and Democrats’
provide a lethal dose to every Amer- Speaker, that debt is so staggering. far-left policies and out-of-control
ican over seven times. And Dr. Babin is right, so many people spending. Just last week, the national
Cartels and their drug runners are don’t stop to think about the mag- debt eclipsed $30 trillion.
exploiting open border policies of Joe nitude of it and what we are doing to As our national debt balloons, Amer-
Biden and this administration, and the our children, our grandchildren, every ican taxpayers will be left to foot the
American people are literally paying future generation of Americans. We bill, not only for the billions and tril-
the price with their lives. Without seri- better get control of it. Thank you for lions of dollars we are spending annu-
ous action, this fentanyl will continue that insight tonight. ally but also on a dramatically increas-
to flow across our border and affect our Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman ing cost—interest on the debt.
families and communities. from Georgia (Mr. CARTER), another The Federal Government has contin-
Joe Biden must secure our border by gentleman with a lot of expertise, who ued to kick the can down the road, ig-
finishing the wall, fully reinstate the will address some of the crime crises noring the explosive problems caused
Remain in Mexico policy and send the that we are facing. by our out-of-control spending and
clear message: Don’t come to the Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speak- greatly diminishing our future genera-
United States illegally. er, I thank the gentleman for yielding tion’s quality of life through no fault
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. and I thank him for hosting this night. of their own. What a gutless and inex-
Speaker, I thank my friend. I appre- Mr. Speaker, for years, Democrats cusable thing to do.
ciate his words and his expertise on the have been pushing this ‘‘defund the po- Well, our time is running out, as we
issue. lice’’ rhetoric that has demonized our expect interest rates to rise in the im-
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman law enforcement officers and left them mediate future. If interest rates rise to
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE
from Texas (Mr. BABIN), who I think unequipped and abandoned by their just 5.1 percent, as was the case in 2021,
will address some of the other crises we government. Now, we are paying the American taxpayers would suddenly be
are facing as well. price. burdened with an annual interest pay-
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my In the year 2021, 73 of our bravest po- ment on the national debt of $1.5 tril-
good friend from Louisiana for having lice officers lost their lives in defense lion, twice the budget for the Depart-
this Special Order. of their country and their commu- ment of Defense, or almost 75 percent
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H1066 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 8, 2022
of all income taxes collected in fiscal prices, forced burdensome home heat- to that. It has become the number one
year 2021. ing bills on Americans already strug- killer of Americans aged 18 to 45 in this
Put another way, three-quarters of gling with record-high inflation, de- country.
the income taxes Americans pay would stroyed thousands of energy jobs, and The energy crisis—because I come
go toward nothing more than paying canceled American energy independ- from an energy state, the State of Lou-
interest on the national debt, while ence. isiana, I just want to conclude with a
only a quarter would be left to pay for The energy crisis has been fueled by couple of remarks to put a fine point
much-needed programs and expendi- the Biden Administration’s failed pol- on that latter issue before we close this
tures like the Justice Department, in- icy decisions, starting with canceling evening.
frastructure, and defense. the Keystone XL Pipeline, which elimi- Mr. Speaker, the problem here is
Americans’ pocketbooks are hurting. nated over 11,000 American jobs. that, as with all of these crises, all this
Whether at the gas pump, at the gro- Infamously, President Biden also is totally avoidable. All of this is the
cery store, or for the energy that heats greenlit Russian President Putin’s result of policy choices. It is bad deci-
your homes, prices are going up every- Nord Stream II pipeline. He begged sions, bad policy by the White House
where due to President Biden and OPEC to produce more oil, and released and by the Democrats in charge.
Democrats’ far-left policies and out-of- three days’ worth of oil from our own Mr. Speaker, on the energy crisis,
control spending. Strategic Petroleum Reserve ahead of President Biden’s anti-energy agenda
Just last week, House Democrats last Thanksgiving. has caused the price of a gallon of gas
doubled down on these disastrous deci- Unfortunately, the ramifications of to skyrocket to $3.42 nationally. Last
sions by ramming through their $325 President Biden’s ill-advised policies week, oil prices hit $90 a barrel. Mr.
billion America COMPETES Act—more extend far beyond the gas pump and Speaker, $90 is a 7-year high. In just
like America concedes to China act, if now into matters of national security. the last month, oil prices have surged
you ask me—which only will worsen President Biden surrendered American 37 percent. That is in 1 month, and it
America’s economic crisis. energy independence to benefit our ad- has been on a steady and rapid in-
How can anyone sit here today and versaries, including Russia. By handing crease.
encourage this reckless and irrespon- Russian President Vladimir Putin the Given this agenda and the rapid rise
sible behavior? I have two sons; Guy, Nord Stream II Pipeline, Biden aban- in prices, it is not surprising that, ac-
who is 4 years old, and Sam, who is 10 doned vital leverage, leverage that cording to a recent Gallup poll, Amer-
months. They will have to make pay- could be used right now as tensions rise ican satisfaction with our energy poli-
ments on this massive debt for their between Russia and Ukraine. cies is the lowest in two decades. That
entire lives, and the generations that Yet, after conceding this opportunity is because Americans have paid at the
follow will do the same unless we act. many months ago, the President now pump more now than they paid since
We must rein in Washington’s out-of- claims he will bring an end to the Nord the Obama-Biden administration.
control government spending to pre- Stream II Pipeline if Russia actually U.S. households will also pay be-
vent future generations from paying invades Ukraine. Really? So do you tween $700 and $1,700 more for heat this
the price for our financial mistakes. think this new claim is going to make winter, depending on where they live
This ticking time bomb, otherwise Russia tremble in their boots? and what type of fuel they use. More
known as our national debt, has been Following a year of embarrassing than one in four Americans report now
ignored for far too long. With rising in- weakness on the world stage, this that they skipped basic expenses to pay
terest rates on the horizon, now is the empty threat means nothing to Vladi- their energy bill in the past year. One
last time and the best time for Presi- mir Putin. But energy independence in five Americans report they could not
dent Biden and Members of Congress to means everything to Americans strug- pay their full energy bill. This is a cri-
take a serious look in the mirror and gling to fill their gas tanks and to keep sis.
ask ourselves if we really think the their families warm this winter, as Let me just tell you, and break it
American people are okay with our they wonder why President Biden down in layman’s terms, why this is
country being steered off this fiscal prioritized Russian energy above their happening.
cliff. own. From the very beginning of the Biden
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Mr. Speaker, we must always put administration, the first couple of
Speaker, I thank my friend. I think Americans first, yet the Biden adminis- weeks, as soon as he took office, he
about the same thing, our children and tration and their self-inflicted energy issued that slew of executive orders, a
what we are doing to them and their crisis have again failed America. record number of executive orders.
future. They will have less security, Among those early executive orders
b 1915 were his directions on energy policy.
less financial stability, less oppor-
tunity. They won’t have the great for- Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. He reflexively did exactly the oppo-
tune that we have because we are mak- Speaker, as we have illustrated tonight site of what President Trump had done
ing bad policy decisions right now. We with so many Members coming in from and accomplished. We were energy
are adding to the debt. We are all over the country to express our con- dominant, not just energy independent.
compounding the problem day by day, cerns about all of these crises—and we We were energy dominant because of
and we just can’t get anyone here to genuinely could go for hours upon the Trump-era policies.
pay any attention to it. hours. But the hour is getting late to- What does President Biden do? He
The Democrats in charge refuse to night, and our Special Order hour is does exactly the opposite, reflexively
address the issue. In fact, they just running out. almost. President Trump moved us to
continue to double down on bad policy, I just want to reiterate again some of domestic oil and gas production to in-
and it is just so frustrating. the things we highlighted in this last crease that to make us energy domi-
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman hour on the floor here in the people’s nant, to make us a net exporter. What
from Georgia (Mr. CLYDE) to talk about House tonight. does President Biden do? The opposite.
this energy crisis more. We addressed this economic crisis. It He shuts down and puts a morato-
Mr. CLYDE. Mr. Speaker, I thank is just staggering. A $30 trillion Fed- rium on drilling and exploration on
Vice Chairman JOHNSON for yielding. eral debt is a number that previous Federal lands, including offshore, off
Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that generations of Americans couldn’t even the coast of States like mine, Lou-
President Biden’s slew of crises are have imagined. isiana. That was a killer for the na-
self-inflicted wounds that have dev- We talked about the crime crisis and tional economy. It is a direct contrib-
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE
astated American workers, their fami- the utter lack of responsibility that utor to driving the costs up.
lies, and small businesses across this Democrats in charge have shown and He also killed the Keystone pipeline,
great Nation. The ongoing energy cri- that the White House has shown to ad- of course. That was a big source, an ar-
sis is no exception. dress this issue. tery, as it were, for domestic produc-
President Biden’s destructive energy The border crisis and now the tion and supply in our country. Here is
agenda has created skyrocketing gas fentanyl crisis that is directly related the great irony. Ostensibly, the reason
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February 8, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H1067
for doing all those things is he wanted uary 4, 2021, the Chair recognizes the we could change the way we view pub-
to help the environment, I guess. I gentleman from Arizona (Mr. lic policy. It is often this right-left par-
guess he owed it to some interest SCHWEIKERT) for 30 minutes. adigm of the left’s version of wanting
groups or something. They claim that Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Mr. Speaker, last to be compassionate. They are going to
that would be better for the environ- week, I got behind this microphone, build more clinics for those in urban
ment if we moved away from fossil and we were actually trying to show areas and Tribal communities and even
fuels, as we always hear. something that was a bit optimistic. certain world populations that have
But here is the great irony—and I But like everyone else on our side, the just stunning percentages of type 2 dia-
will close with this. When President frustration we are going through on so betes and the misery that comes with
Biden shut down domestic production, many of the Democrat policies that I that. Put up more clinics. My argu-
not only did he drive up the cost of all don’t think were meant to be mean- ment is: Screw that. Let’s cure it.
the fuel that we need to heat our spirited or so dystopian in the damage If we are seeing technology that may
homes and to fill up our gas tanks and they cause, particularly to the working lead us to a cure, put the resources for-
all the rest, not only did he increase poor, which is one of my fixations— ward that create the disruption be-
the pain on American consumers, but sometimes, the economics is the eco- cause curing a misery is so much more
here is the irony. When they shut down nomics, sometimes virtue signaling wonderful than helping people being
domestic production, the demand for over the unintended consequences. able to maintain and live within their
fossil fuels, oil and gas, in this country I want to go over something and try misery.
didn’t go down. The demand didn’t to explain why I think this is such a Oh, by the way, for those of us who
change nationally just because the big deal for both those on the left and are absolutely fixated that the debt is
President decided he didn’t want to those of us on the right. There is actu- going to destroy this Republic, it
supply it anymore. In fact, the demand ally a window of optimism, but it is makes a hell of a lot of difference.
is at least stabilized and, in some going to take a policy pivot. Let’s walk through some of the math
cases, has gone up. Last week, I got up here and talked of why I wish we were having this level
So, what does that mean? Well, about—remember, I gave a couple of of optimism that the technology dis-
Americans have to get their supply presentations last December, a major ruptions we have now of knowing how
from somewhere else. If we are not success in curing type 1 diabetes. Now, to cure so many diseases actually may
going to produce it here, the bountiful it was really only one use case where be the path that we start to take on
resources that God has given us be- they were able to take T cells and con- the crushing debt that is coming.
neath our own feet, if we are not going vert them into insulin-producing cells. This is important. This is year-old
to do it here, we have to get it from In that particular one, the individual data from CBO. It is a year out of date.
somewhere else. would need some immunosuppressants The numbers today are much worse. In
The Biden administration turns to because of the body’s reaction to it. 29 years, $112 trillion of publicly bor-
OPEC. They turn to Russia, Saudi Ara- Now, we have an organization that is rowed debt in today’s dollars; the vast
bia, begging for more production and doing some of the same technology majority of it is Medicare, Social Secu-
begging for our supply to be met from with T cells, turning them into insulin- rity. The rest of the budget is in bal-
these overseas parties. producing cells but with CRISPR as a
Do you know what the greatest irony ance.
partner. They are doing a tiny tweak. Why this is so important is the polit-
about all of this is? Ostensibly, they
The model says the body won’t recog- ical class, particularly here in Wash-
wanted to help the environment, but do
nize it as a foreign cell, and you won’t ington, we have lied for decades to our
you know what they do when we get
need immunosuppressant drugs for the constituents.
more of our oil and gas from Russia
rest of your life. The left will say: Oh, rich people
and Saudi Arabia? We do exponentially
Conceptually, why is this such a big, don’t pay enough. We spend too much
more harm to the environment.
If you believe their metrics, this is a big, big deal to have a cure for type 1? money on defense.
terrible policy solution because—guess If you dig through the literature, it Republicans say: Oh, we have to get
what?—we produce oil and gas in a says that, at least for people with type rid of foreign aid, waste, and fraud.
2, we might have a way to get their Maybe those are true, but they are
much cleaner fashion in the United
body—actually, we do have a way— not the driver of the debt. The debt is
States than they do in those other
dear Lord, let the technology be true demographics. We are getting old as a
countries.
So, the great irony is not only do and actually coming forward—to help society. You are going to see some
they drive up costs for American con- individuals in type 2, their bodies to slides later on that really will kick you
sumers, not only do they increase the produce insulin again. in the head on these numbers. That
pain for everybody; they are actually Then, we have some other big policy $112 trillion of publicly borrowed debt
doing more harm to the world that things we would have to do here. We as projected by CBO last year—and this
they claim they want to help. would have to have an honest conversa- is a number that says there are no
It is truly unbelievable, not to men- tion of how we do nutrition support. more pandemics and no more reces-
tion it has destabilized us and put Rus- We would have to have an honest con- sions.
sia in a better position. Now, we see versation of what we do in the farm How many of you want to have a se-
the results of that on a whole different bill, what we encourage Americans to cure retirement? How many of you give
crisis that we didn’t even have time to grow, instead of just sort of the com- a darn about your kids? Well, think
address tonight. modity crops. about one little factoid here. You just
Mr. Speaker, I am out of time. I North America used to grow 3,500 dif- saw that Medicare was the primary
would just close by saying that the ferent types of grains. Maybe you de- driver of U.S. sovereign debt. What was
American people cannot tolerate this sign a farm system that allows both re- it? $77 to $78 trillion of borrowing over
for much longer, and they won’t tol- gional and uniqueness for different arid the next 29 years? Thirty-one percent
erate it for much longer. We cannot climates and others, sort of a cacoph- of Medicare is just diabetes. Now, you
wait for this election cycle that comes ony, or whatever the proper word there are seeing the tie.
up later this year when we get an op- would be, for optionality because there If I come to you and say: I hope it
portunity to be returned to the major- is a food security issue when you only works, but considering the numbers
ity to govern this place again and bring grow certain crops. and the benefit of if it does work, why
some sanity back to Washington. God forbid you have like what is hap- aren’t we, at least the left and the
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance pening in parts of Europe, where olive right, saying let’s end people’s misery?
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of my time. trees have a type of fungus. Olive trees Oh, by the way, by doing that, one of
f that are hundreds and hundreds of the greatest effects we can have on so-
years old are dying. We make ourselves ciety is actually curing these diseases
ECONOMICS OF CURING DISEASE much more fragile in food security. that make us poorer, sicker, and actu-
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under I sort of say that because I actually ally are the primary drivers of our
the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- see an elegant solution coming here if debt.
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