the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., january 31, 2023. i hereby appoint the honorable mike flood to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, kevin mccarthy, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the order of the house of january 9, 2023, the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning hour debate. the chair will alternate recognition between the parties with time equally allocated between parties and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and minority whip limited to five minutes. but in no event shall debate extend beyond 11:50 a.m. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from new jersey, mrs. watson coleman, for five minutes. mrs. watson coleman: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today appalled and disgusted and broken-hearted. like so many others, i am still struggling to process the sheer inhumanity on display in the order of -- murder of tyre nichols. another innocent black man was beaten to death by men sworn to serve and to protect. in the final moments of his life, tyre nichols cried out for help as he struggled to understand what he possibly could have done to deserve such a fate. as a mother, seeing tyre cry out for his mom deeply pains me. as a black woman, i am furious at the injustice that black americans face every day. and as a human being, the vicious murder i have seen leaves me shaken to my core. tyre nichols was a human being with a life as beautiful as any other. he was a photographer. he loved skateboarding. he was a son to a loving mother and a father to a 4-year-old son. tyre will never get to see his son grow up, and his son will never get another hug from his father. i mourn tyre and i pray for his loved ones. i mourn keenan anderson when he, too, was killed by police this month. i mourn elijah, if i landrieu -- filando and every other black life stolen from us by police. i have grown weary of my mourning though, mr. speaker, because history has repeated itself once again. the murder of tyre nichols comes three years after the murder of brianna taylor. it comes nine years after the murder of michael brown. it comes 14 years after the murder of oscar grant. it comes 153 years after the murder of henry truman in 1870. nothing we can do will ever bring back tyre nichols, eric garner, or any black american killed by a system that did not value their life. we can, however, demand accountability and sweeping reforms some police departments that have built, maintained and even encouraged a culture of brutality and even racism. the time is now to re-evaluate and reimagine. we must start doing our jobs. as public servants, we have a duty to do right by our communities even if that means starting the long, difficult process of reforming and restructuring our justice system. it is the duty of the federal government to ensure that law enforcement is used to protect communities, not tear them apart. last congress, the house passed the george floyd justice in policing act but the senate blocked it from becoming law. that was a disappointment, but it cannot be a deneat. this congress -- defeat. this congress we have a new opportunity to end qualified immunity and protect our communities. however, that opportunity will not seize itself. house republicans have spent endless time and resources establishing committees for conspiracy theories but have offered zero solutions to the rising tide of police brutality. i call on all of my colleagues to commit our recommit themselves to fixing the fundamental flaws in the be fab rib -- in the fabric of our justice system. if we fail to do so, our society will forever be one in which police are seen as an occupying force instead of a force for good. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from north carolina, ms. foxx, for five minutes. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, throughout the course of our lives, we are both blessed and fortunate to cross paths with and befriend individuals who harbor a profound sense of dedication towards serving others in their communities. to me and countless others, virginia smith of stokes county, north carolina, is one of those people. this year she will retire as the chairwoman of the stokes county republican party, a position she's held since 2003. to know virginia is to know someone who lives and breaths the meaning of possessing a servant's heart. from organizing events with her church to her civic involvement within her community, wherever virginia goes, you know that she's on a mission to serve and she'll not be deterred in that mission. truly, she's a community-driven woman. i cannot overstate her rock-rib conservative and how she's alwaysess powsed, pro -- alwaysess spoused, promoted, and shared the principles upon which our constitutional republic was founded. the simple truth is that we need more virginia smiths in this world. her work as chairwoman and as a proud member of the stokes county community has helped lay a foundation upon which our future leaders, the young men and women of today, can grow and thrive. virginia, as you enter this new and exciting chapter of your life, please know that you have left an indelible mark upon the lives of so many people. me included. i'm confident you will continue to do so. may god continue to bless you and your family in the days ahead. mr. speaker, with 31.4 trillion dollars in national debt, house republicans are committed to finding a solution that's reasonable, sensible, and responsible regarding raising the debt ceiling. president biden would be irresponsible not to negotiate. we must finally address washington's reckless government spending if we want to put america on a better fiscal path. after two years of reckless deficit spending, the biden administration is refusing to negotiate with republicans to protect taxpayers and solve our nation's debt crisis. democrats accelerated spending following the last massive debt limit increase. after passing the largest debt limit increase in american history, it took democrats only a little over a year to max out the federal government's credit card again. democrats outspent record high revenue despite record tax revenues from the republican-passed tax cuts and jobs act, federal spending has continued to ballooned, increasing by $10 trillion, $10 trillion over the last two years, a record for a new president. there's a bipartisan path forward. instead of refusing to negotiate, democrats need to join republicans in crafting a plan that protects taxpayers. all eight major spending reforms since 1985 have been attached to debt ceiling legislation. we must be, again, as republicans say, reasonable, sensible, and responsible regarding raisings the debt -- raising the debt ceiling, and we call on president biden and the democrats to join us in this effort. i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from washington, ms. perez, for five minutes. ms. perez: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. perez: i rise today to be a voice for my rural community and celebrate the passage of the wind river administrative site conveyance act. before being sworn into congress, i acted with -- worked with jamie herrera beutler to pass the act in the fiscal year 2023 spending bill. as a resident, i know that only 1.8% of our land is fully taxable, generating necessary revenue for community services. the wind river conveyance act transfers 24 acres back into the county land base and increases opportunity for small businesses in our community. i'd like to thank my p predecessor, jamie herrera beutler, and senator cantwell. mr. speaker, i rise today to be a voice for my community and share with you the importance of the clark county repair. clark county repair is a nonprofit organization that rejects the premise that we -- when things break, we just throw them out. that we are helpless consumers relying on an endless cycle of cheap good. i was lucky to attend one of their events, january 21, and i saw a little girl light up when her light light was fixed -- night light was fixed instead of throwing away. we showed her stewardship of her belongings. these in -- in america, d.i.y. is in our d.n.a. i want to thank them for spear heading this effort. i look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure all consumers have the right to end the ability -- and the ability to maintain and fix their own stuff. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the eye urban team organization for creating an incredibly diverse talent pipeline in my district. i urban team creates skins training for -- skills training for alternatives for young people to be successful and have more opportunities. the future teachers pathway program brings together vancouver public schools, washington state university, clark county, to mentor student and give them the training they need to succeed in their chosen career paths. this is good for people that face challenges and gives them support they deserve and helps them become critical members of our community. they have hosted a breakfast on martin luther king jr. day and i was honored to attend their event. thank you to the i urban team for bridging the gap for students and inspiring all of us to keep working for change. mr. speaker, i rise today to honor mikhail, a resident of vancouver, washington. in 1996, mikhail immigrated from ukraine to vancouver and he proudly works as a lineman for the clark county public oou tilts since -- oou tilt -- utility since 2014. since the conflict between ukraine and russia began, he has returned to ukraine more than a dozen times to serve as a volunteer military chaplain. mikhail is and continues to be a beacon of light for many during times of untold suffering. he inspires ukrainians on the front lines to keep the faith and keep up the fight and he simultaneously tells us -- i cannot thank him enough for his service to the people of ukraine as they stand together against authoritarianism. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. mr. speaker, i rise today to give a big shout out to the columbia river rapids girl's volleyball team. i am so excited to share this on the house floor. they have won the 2-a title in three sets, finishing an amazing season for the volleyball team. the entire tournament, they only lost one set. the river rapids girl's volleyball team also won the 2-a state title this year. what makes this even more notable, they were a six seed and they defeated three higher seeds to attain this title. these incredible young women played an impressive season and have made me and our whole community very proud. congratulations to columbia river river ands girl's volleyball team on their amazing accomplishments. i'm so excited to see what you'll do next season. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from alabama, mr. carl, for five minutes. mr. carl: thank you. mr. speaker, i rise to honor the life of a dear friend of mine, brother fred wolf. fred hartwell wolf, who was born december 5, 1946, in rock hill, south carolina, and he passed away on january 3, 2021, and i will was standing on -- and i was standing on this floor the moment they let me know he had passed away. to so many people in this country, fred wolf was a friend. he was a spiritual leader. he was a life coach. he was a father figure. he was a big brother. that's why we all simply called him brother fred. brother fred had a god-given ability to make everyone feel special, and he truly believed that everyone was special. . every waking moment he understood god was not only watching him but god new exactly what his next -- knew exactly what his next step would be in fred's life. brother fred on numerous occasions would tell me that everything in our life is controlled by god. and everything was put here to serve god. brother fred later in life, his health started breaking down, but he never took his eyes off of god. i remember when he had open heart surgery and the men from the church, we would stay with him to take care of his needs. one night when we were there -- when i was there with brother fred, i asked him, how his open heart surgery had played a role in god's master plan. he told me, i don't know. he said, it is part of the plan, but i don't know. i'm here to serve. which i thought was a pretty strange response seeing you just had your chest cracked open and everything moved around. but he knew he would wait. he told me we may never know. then again we may. just a few minutes later a nurse came walking in to take his vital signs, of course, as they do in the hospitals and keep you awake all night, while doing so he smiled at brother fred and said you don't remember me. but a few years ago i got saved under your ministry. unfortunately, i have slipped away from god. and i'm paying the price in my family today. with all the tubes, with all the monitors, with everything going off in that room, brother fred stopped what he was thinking and doing and prayed with that man. he left with much higher spirits than he actually entered with. as we sat there quietly i was thinking, did god use fred wolf in this position because of this man? i looked up and made eye contact with fred who was laying in the bed. he simply winked and rolled over and went to sleep like he knew that was the answer. but thousands of people who were saved under his ministry raised their family with his wisdom and learned that god is the most important thing in their life. i say this is not goodbye, for we will see you again. we will see miss ann and we'll so beau at the right hand of god. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from nevada, mrs. lee, for five minutes. mrs. lee: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today as some extraordinary durango high school students are making news and scientific history a team from nevada's third district, durango high school, recently became one of only 60 teams nationwide to win the nasa tech rise student challenge. this year the challenge was to design an experiment that could be tested on a nasa-sponsored balloon flight. the durango team won with their entry, project night hawk, which they will continue to work on for the rest of the school year. and this summer the project will be tested in a high altitude balloon flight. this is a big deal, but i know it's just the start of some amazing indid he evers into stem that these -- endeavors into stem that these durango trail blazers will make. they will be mentored by the best and brightest researchers and have an invaluable opportunity to learn about the edge of the earth's atmosphere. the ingenuity of these talented nevadans reminds us that when it comes to exploration of our final frontier, the best is yet to come. i have no doubt that we will all benefit from their contributions in years to come. congratulations, durango high school's project night hawk. with that, i yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizings the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson, for five minutes. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to discuss our national debt. in 2022, speaker mccarthy unveiled the commitment to america which outlines the republican platform for governing as we took control of the house in the 118th congress. through our plan it is critical we support policies that lead to a strong, healthy economy, fight inflation, and lower the cost of living. we must rein in reckless spending in washington, route out waste, fraud, and abuse in government. for the last two years the biden administration has been left unchecked. because of their policies we have seen record breaking inflation, skyrocketing gas and grocery prices, and increases to daily expenses. hardworking families are forced to decide between feeding their families or paying the heat in elk trick bills -- electric bills. these economic hardships are brought on by unrestricted reckless spending. that irresponsible spending stops now. $34.4 trillion in national debt, house republicans are committed to finding a reasonable, practical, and responsible solution to raising the debt ceiling. just like millions of americans are forced to make difficult financial decisions to make ends meet, we must finally address out-of-control government spending if we want to put america on a better fiscal path. mr. speaker, i heard from hundreds of my constituents who are concerned about america's checkbook. on december 16, 2021 congress voted to increase the national borrowing limit to $31.4 trillion. an increase of $2.5 trillion more than the previous allowance. this bill kicked the proverbial can down the road until now when we are once again faced with raising the federal debt ceiling even further. in recent years the federal debt has ballooned because of many biden administration's policies, including the student loan repayment pause and forgiveness. quongal democrats' multitrillion dollar smending spree and -- spending spree and rising interest rates stemming from historic inflation. the first step towards reducing debt is controlling the annual deficit. to fully address the drivers of the national debt, members of both parties and the president will have to come to an agreement in addressing unchecked mandatory spending and reckless discretionary spending priorities. mr. speaker, as part of my commitment to america, will i continue to work to rein in government waste, fraud, and abuse while limiting skyrocketing government program costs and finding solutions on reducing our national debt. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of the time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. costa, for five minutes. mr. costa: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. costa: mr. speaker, since 1960, congress has raised and extended the debt 78 times. 78 times. that's over a 63-year period. let's put this in perspective. 49 times under republican administrations. 29 times under democratic presidents. 63 years. we have raised the debt ceiling 78 times. we are one of only two democratic nations with a statutory debt ceiling and the only one because of the magnificent extent of our country, the u.s. dollar being the common currency of the world, that can threaten a global economic crisis. think about that. by playing around with the debt ceiling. the debt krein has no impact -- debt ceiling has no impact on government spending a. why? because it only commences to pay the bills that we have already committed ourselves to. both republicans and democrats passing legislation that has created debt, that requires us to pay social security, that requires to pay other mandatory programs in which there has been bipartisan support for. instead, this debt ceiling restricts the treasury, if we do not, we do not lift the debt ceiling, from paying those bills. that's why for over 63 years 78 times the congress has chosen to raise the debt ceiling. why? because we don't want to put the liability of the world's economy, let alone the u.s. economy, at risk. and we don't want to be deadbeats, right? i think most americans feel they ought to pay their bills. so, my colleagues on the other side want to hold the debt ceiling hostage. leaving social security recipients and veterans potentially without their pensions or benefits. does that make any sense? so if we default on our debt, over six million jobs could be diminished. seniors may not their benefits for a period of time. costs will skyrocket. some economists indicate we could put $12 trillion at risk of american savings if it were extended in this gamesmanship, this attempt to stare each other down on whether or not we lift the debt ceiling. that makes no sense. that's risky business. so we ought to raise our debt ceiling and pay our bills. and i think there is common agreement that we ought to get our debt under control. as a blue dog, our focus and purpose of being is in the area of fiscal responsibility. the last american president that balanced the budget was president bill clinton. a while back ago. so i think that there is common bipartisan agreement to focus on waste, on fraud, and abuse. those are the buzz words, right? if we could only focus on waste, fraud, and abuse. but no one wants to highlight, how will that impact social security? how will that impact other mandatory spending that we have all committed to on a bipartisan basis? the way to do this is for republicans and democrats to come together, separate from raising the debt ceiling, and agree to focus on two things that cause debt. expenditures and revenues. if we can get an agreement on what we think the nation's responsibility to be on our priorities for expenditures and the necessary revenues to pay for them, then, only then would we get our deficit under control. which is what, by the way, president bill clinton was able to do back a while ago on a bipartisan basis. so let's get real. let's not hold the american people hostage, our economy, or global economy as we play fast and loose with this talk and notion of whether or not to lift the debt ceiling. we must lift the debt ceiling because it's the responsible thing to do. so i ask my colleagues on the other side, let's come together. let's work on fiscal responsibility on a bipartisan passion because we should. it's obviously an important critical issue as we move forward. but let's not play fast and loose with whether or not we are going to be deadbeats and whether or not we are going to pay our bills. that is putting the american economy at risk. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. costa: i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from ohio, mr. davidson, for five minutes. mr. davidson: i thank the chair. today i'm here with a very heavy heart to honor master sergeant joseph kacapechesky. a member of the third ranger battalion, 735th ranger regiment. army rangers are some of the most elite soldiers in the world and he was no exception. in april 2010, while serving in eastern afghanistan, his team of army rangers was locked in combat with a group of armed insurgents. when one of his men was hit, he went to his aid. the actions turned him a commendation medal with valor. his actions would be remarkable under any conditions, considering his experiences from a few years earlier, they were inconceivable. a native of connecticut, cat enlisted in the united states army following high school. in september of 2001. days before the never attacks. in 2002, he was deployed to afghanistan and the following year he parachuted into iraq for the initial invasion. with only two days left in his fifth deployment to iraq in 2005, cat's convoy was ambushed with heavy fire. a grenade exploded inches away, shrapnel went through his body, severing an artery in his right arm. severely wounded he selected himself and directed his vehicle to cover and alerted the rest of the convoy to the attack. it wasn't until then that he allowed his wounds to be treated. he was evacuated to walter reed hospital. while his arm recovered, his leg did not. despite numerous surgeries, his leg was barely functional. there was only one choice. amputate it. he was fitted with a tros theic and -- prosthetic and he completed hundreds of hours of physical therapy but he had one sole objective during this lengthy recovery. he wanted to return to combat with his unit. every -- everyone thought it would be impossible for cap to achieve that goal. no one under his circumstances had ever returned to combat, and they agreed cap had completed his service to our nation. but cap didn't care. he completed a 12-mile march, parachuted with combat loads and not only regained his squad leader title but was promoted to platoon sergeant. cap became the first ranger in the united states army history to return to combat action with a prosthetic limb. he was awarded the bronze star with valor, the purple heart and numerous other decorations. cap was deployed to combat 11 times to fight the global war on terrorism. five of which were while he had a prosthetic leg. he wrote a book about it called "back in the fight." there's more to any of our soldiers than what they do in uniform. i had multiple friends reach out to me who talked about the impact that cap had on them as a leader but as a friend, whether he was riding motorcycles together or just hanging out after a tough day at work in training or any other way. he never lost sight of how he came to be where he was. unfortunately, cap's life ended far too soon last week at the age of 40 due to a significant enemy our veterans face right here at home. suicide. our nation has a moral obligation to not only prepare and equip the service members we send into harm's way but to support and care for them when their duty is done. yet, we've drastically failed a countless number of our veterans who sacrificed everything, including their lieves to protet us. president lincoln's promise to care for the men and women who have, quote, borne the battle, is one of the most important functions of our government and we must do better. cap's wife, kim berle -- kimberly, and his sons wyatt and cody, as well as the rest of his family and friends are in my prayers through this difficult time and cap will always be remembered by many fator his warrior, his extraordinary story of resiliency that made him a military legend. i i'm remighted of a ly -- reminded of a lyrics of a song. let me share a few. you can't unsee what i saw. you can't get back what i lost. i lost a wife, five brothers, my kids, and the man i was. i thought that i left the front lines but the fight for my life rages on. we've lost 21 soldiers in only a day. and that's the unthinkable truth. so i'll lay down my gun and i'll soldier on and i will not be 22. i'll lay down my gun, i'll soldier on and i will not be 22. at the end of his journey, the apostle paul said i fought the good fight, i've kept the faith, i finished the race. i pray that everyone would live a full and natural life and fight that battle, never surrender to it. thank you, cap. i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. garcia, for five minutes. mr. kwarsia: mr. speaker -- mr. garcia: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. garcia: i rise today to urge my colleagues to pass the trust act, to ban individuals -- now, representatives are elected to serve their communities back home and this bill builds trust and makes important reforms. while the american people are working hard to keep their small businesses afloat and keep food on the table, the last thing members of congress should be doing is trading stocks with any inside information. as we work to restore americans' trust in government, this is a commonsense step in ensuring that americans throughout the country have no doubt about the work that we were sent here to do. this bill ensures more transparency in our government and another step forward as we make our congress more accountable to the people. i'm honored this is my first co-sponsored bill in the house. mr. speaker, i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from kansas, mr. mann, for five minutes. mr. mann: mr. speaker, i rise today to highlight a few of the ways that i'm keeping my commitment to the people of the big first. a few weeks ago i released my commitment to the big first, which is a legislative road map for the 118th congress that details my plan for an economy that's strong, a government that's accountable, a future that's built on freedom, and a nation that's safe. here are some of the ways i'm working to get america back on track. to create an economy that's strong, i voted yes on the family and small business taxpayer protection act, which the house just passed. kansas families and small businesses are already paying the price of president biden's inflation tax. the last thing we need is 87,000 more i.r.s. agents and 1.2 million more audits. i voted yes on the family and small business taxpayer protection act because it's a clear-cut way to fight back against one of the most egregious pieces of legislation from the last congress. the $72 billion of taxpayer money that washington democrats allocated to the i.r.s. last year would have ballooned the agency to a size larger than the pentagon, state department, f.b.i., and border patrol combined. i committed to creating an economy that's strong by stopping president biden's audit army and i'm keeping my commitment. to create a government that's accountable i voted yes on the strategic production response act, which the house also passed. president biden has been playing fast and loose with our country's most important national security assets. his energy policies have caused prices to skyrocket at the pump and using the strategic petroleum reserve as a political tool. the leagues of our -- depletion of our oil reserves. i voted yes on the strategic production response act which is a step towards ending president biden's war against fossil fuels, empowering energy producers and resurrecting american energy independence by protecting the s.p.r. from an administration that clearly doesn't understand how important it is. i made a commitment to holding the government accountable and i'm keeping that commitment. to create a future that's built on freedom, i voted yes on the born-alive survivors protection act which the house passed. this vote was crystal clear. if a child is born alive attempting an abortion, that newborn child deserves the same standard of midcal care -- medical care that any newborn deserves. it's horrifying we must address this issue in a free country but washington democrats have advocated for unthinkable, gruesome policies that is an all-out aact -- all-out atact. i will always support policies that protect life. i supported the god-given right to life held by unborn american citizens. to create a nation that's safe i will denounce the horrors of socialism later this week. i hope all my colleagues will get behind this. socialist ideology runs counter to everything we stand for in america because it requires the co concentration of power which results in totalitarianism. democracy on the other hand, enshrines individual liberty and gives people a voice in people who governs them. socialism creates famine, devastation and bloodshed. it tears families apart. creates exile and mass theft. and denies fundamental rights such as personal property. you don't need to look hard to find these. it seems that certain people in america would like to experiment socialism but enough experiments have been conducted already and the verdict is clear. socialism has no place on american soil. i made a commitment to make sure that america is a nation is safe. i'm keeping that commitment. when we reflect on our help it helps us to stay on the course in the future and we still have a lot of work to do in the 118th congress. we need to create a balanced budget and strengthen the supply chain. we must support the southern border. we need a comprehensive re-authorization of the farm bill. we need a maintained stepped up -- stops wars before they start. i will be keeping all of these commitments to the people of the big first and i will continue to spend time thinking, praying, and reflecting on how best to serve the people in my district. i did not come to congress to be a caretaker in this low demise of america. i will work to keep america stronger. thank you, mr. speaker. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from rhode island, m mr. magaziner, for five minutes. mr. magaziner: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend and include extraneous material. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. magaziner: i rise today to offer my first general remarks on the floor of the united states house of representatives, and i'd like to start by thanking my predecessor, jim langevin, for his 22 years of distinguished service representing the people of rhode island's second district. as the first quadriplegic ever elected to congress, jim was no stranger to life's challenges. but no matter what was thrown jim's way, he always persevered. for over two decades, jim langevin made rhode islanders proud through his leadership here in this body. he became widely recognized as an expert on national security and particularly cybersecurity. he was a trailblazer for the disability community and shepherded key pieces of legislation that have made our society more accessible for all. but most of all, rhode islanders always knew they could count on jim to listen to their problems and to advocate for their families here in washington, d.c. thank you, jim, for all your years of service to rhode island. i am so honored that rhode islanders have chosen me to take up the mantle of representing the second district. i am deeply grateful for this opportunity and i feel a great sense of responsibility to deliver for the working people who sent me here to fight on their behalf. i entered congress as a proud descendent of immigrants. my grandparents came of age during the depression. on my mother's side was grandpa bob, the son of irish immigrants, who grew up in worcester, massachusetts. after serving in the marines in world war ii, bob worked. grandpa louis, the son of jewish immigrants from eastern europe, was raised in new york city, served in the army in europe and when he returned he worked as a bookkeeper at a company that canned tomatoes. neither of them worked very glamorous jobs but with a lot of hard work and a little help from the g.i. bill, these two children of immigrants were able to buy houses for their families, put their kids through school, and earned a ticket to the middle class. that's the way it's supposed to work in this country. if you work hard and play by the rules, you ought to be able to have a stable life, a comfortable retirement, and provide opportunity to your children. but we all know that's gotten harder. that american dream of economic mobility has broken down for many families, and it was never really afforded to others to begin with. there are a lot of statistics -- there are a lot of statistics to back this up. people in rhode island don't want to see this. they feel it in their gut. they feel that middle class lifestyle slipping further out of reach and it's got to change. as a representative for rhode island's second district, i work to restoring the promise to the american dream so that everyone who is willing to do the right thing and work hard can get ahead. that starts by going to bat for working people against the powerful interests and their well-funded lobbyists who stand in the way of better wages, better benefits and good-paying jobs. we must fight for the right to organize because you cannot have a broad middle class without healthy labor unions. we have to take on big oil and big pharma who are keeping record profits for themselves while overcharging rhode islanders at the gas pump and at the pharmacy. we have to invest in childcare and universal preschool because no child's future should be limited by whether or not their parents have a lot of money. i will advocate for vocational training and apprenticeship so we have a lot more people like grandpa bob who can work by making things. a partner on either side of the aisle to bring back more manufacturing jobs and transition to a clean energy economy. and always fight to defend the freedoms and democratic ideals that make us the greatest nation on earth. this is my commitment to the people of rhode island. i am confident that we can deliver real change to washington so that all rhode islanders and all working americans can have the opportunity to succeed. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia, mr. cline, for five minutes. mr. cline: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to stand in support of the house concurrent resolution to denounce socialism in all its forms. for decades, the embrace of socialist ideologies around the world has led to evil regimes denying their people of their fundamental human rights and subjecting them to imprisonment and abuse. countless cubans, venezuelans, russians, chinese, cambodians have escaped from murderous regimes to come live a better life in america. they are all a true testament to the promise of the american dream and the hope of prosperity. these survivors are members of our family, our friends, and our neighbors. like pablo cuevas in rockle ham -- rockingham. he worked on his family farm. pablo fled cuba in 1958 during the cuban revolution and resettled here in america. he served on the rockingham county board of supervisors in my district for 30 years and continues to be a leader in our community. . socialism has led to painful human tragedies scuch as starvation and mass murder, taking more than 14u7bd million lives around the world. as oppressive and violent regimes still exist today, this resolution reaffirms our support for freedom, democracy, and human rights. may we always ensure that dangerous socialist, un-american policies are never brought to pass here in our great country. mr. speaker, i rise to recognize the 200th anniversary of the all volunteer woodstock fire department. tracing its history back to 1823, the department has served the shenandoah valley as one of the oldest departments in the commonwealth and the nation. today the department has 40 active volunteers who selflessly risk their lives every day to ensure the safety of their neighborhoods and the preservation of the community. the department is led by captain zach, a third generation volunteer himself. and truly represents the spirit of service. captain hoddle and the volunteers dedication to serving others who sometimes are experiencing the unimaginable defines what it means to serve your neighbor. it's an example we should strive to follow every day. the woodstock fire department is commemorating its founding of february 8, 1823, with a bicentennial birthday bash at the woodstock fire station. congratulations again to the woodstock fire department on this incredible milestone. i wish another 200 years of success in serving the people of the shenandoah valley. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from oregon, mrs. chavez-deremer, for five minutes. mrs. chavez-deremer: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to discuss the top issues impacting oregon and the fifth district that we have to address in the 118th congress. we need to get our economy back on track. secure the border. support safe immigration. and reduce homelessness and drug overdoses. a report from the national drug helpline ranked oregon the worst in the nation for drug problems. oregon is number one in drug use and number 50 in drug treatment. this crisis in oregon starts at our southern border and exacerbated by the lack of leadership, including the lack of commonsense security measures that have allowed dangerous drugs like fentanyl to enter our communities. i frequently hear from moms and families who are begging their leaders to please pay attention to this vental crisis. fentanyl crisis of the the drug cartels have insisted on taking our children from us. we have also seen an increase in violent crime. in 2022 it was the deadliest year in portland's metro history. with over 100 homicides. and we are already on track to break that record this year. a record that we should never want to break. rising crime rates have forced businesses to close. close their doors. further weakening our economy. we have seen businesses leave the metro area for suburbia or leave the state all together. tackling the drug crisis will in turn begin to help oregon's homelessness crisis. you know, in oregon at least 18,000 homeless people every day live on the streets. mr. speaker, i look forward to working with my colleagues from across the aisle to address these issues in the 118th congress. mr. speaker, i rise today to say a name of a gentleman that i heard passed yesterday from happy valley, oregon. he was a pillar of the community and i want to address the families back home we'll miss lowell miles. he was a pillar community not only in happy valley, oregon, where i reside but in clackamas county. with that i want to address the family and let them know that you have my support here in washington, d.c. i look forward to coming home this weekend and paying my respects. with that, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1 shall the chair declares the house in recess until noon today. watch live coverage of the state of the union beginning at 8:00 p.m. on c-span, c-span now, online at c-span.org. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. we're funded by these television companies and more, including cox. >> homework can be hard. but squatting in a diner for internet work is even harder. that's why we're providing lower income students access to affordable internet so homework can just be homework. cox, connect to compete. >>ox supports c-span as a public service along with these other television providers giving you a front-row seat to democracy. >> michigan governor gretchen whitmer gave her the state of the state address announcing a three-part plan to lower costs for residents. she also talked about investments in public safety, education, infrastructure, and clean energy. governor whitmer won re-election in november, 2022 after defeating republican candidate dixon. her speech is about 50 minutes.