[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 4, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H758-H763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2034
JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS PURSUANT TO HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 86 TO 
                  RECEIVE A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

  The recess having expired, the House was called to order by the 
Speaker at 8 o'clock and 34 minutes p.m.
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms, Ms. Kathleen Joyce, announced 
the Vice President and Members of the U.S. Senate, who entered the Hall 
of the House of Representatives, the Vice President taking the chair at 
the right of the Speaker, and the Members of the Senate the seats 
reserved for them.
  The SPEAKER. The joint session will come to order.
  The Chair appoints as members of the committee on the part of the 
House to escort the President of the United States into the Chamber:
  The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer);
  The gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn);
  The gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Lujan);
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries);
  The gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark);
  The gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Bustos);
  The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Judy Chu);
  The gentlewoman from Kansas (Ms. Davids);
  The gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Haaland);
  The gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy);
  The gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise);
  The gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Cheney);
  The gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Emmer);
  The gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Palmer);
  The gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Walker);
  The gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Smith);
  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady); and
  The gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole).
  The VICE PRESIDENT. The President of the Senate, at the direction of 
that body, appoints the following Senators as members of the committee 
on the part of the Senate to escort the President of the United States 
into the House Chamber:
  The Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell);
  The Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Thune);
  The Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley);
  The Senator from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso);
  The Senator from Iowa (Ms. Ernst);
  The Senator from Missouri (Mr. Blunt);
  The Senator from Indiana (Mr. Young);
  The Senator from New York (Mr. Schumer);
  The Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin);
  The Senator from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin);
  The Senator from Maryland (Mr. Cardin);
  The Senator from New Hampshire (Mrs. Shaheen); and
  The Senator from Delaware (Mr. Coons).
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms announced the Dean of the 
Diplomatic Corps, His Excellency Hersey Kyota, the Ambassador of the 
Republic of Palau.
  The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps entered the Hall of the House of 
Representatives and took the seat reserved for him.
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms announced the Chief Justice of 
the United States and the Associates Justices of the Supreme Court.
  The Chief Justice of the United States and the Associate Justices of

[[Page H759]]

the Supreme Court entered the Hall of the House of Representatives and 
took the seats reserved for them in front of the Speaker's rostrum.
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms announced the Cabinet of the 
President of the United States.
  The members of the Cabinet of the President of the United States 
entered the Hall of the House of Representatives and took the seats 
reserved for them in front of the Speaker's rostrum.
  At 9 o'clock and 2 minutes p.m., the Sergeant at Arms, the Honorable 
Paul D. Irving, announced the President of the United States.
  The President of the United States, escorted by the committee of 
Senators and Representatives, entered the Hall of the House of 
Representatives and stood at the Clerk's desk.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  The SPEAKER. Members of Congress, the President of the United States.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  The PRESIDENT. Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of 
Congress, the First Lady of the United States, and my fellow citizens, 
3 years ago, we launched the great American comeback. Tonight, I stand 
before you to share the incredible results. Jobs are booming; incomes 
are soaring; poverty is plummeting; crime is falling; confidence is 
surging; and our country is thriving and highly respected again.
  America's enemies are on the run; America's fortunes are on the rise; 
and America's future is blazing bright.
  The years of economic decay are over. The days of our country being 
used, taken advantage of, and even scorned by other nations are long 
behind us.
  Gone too are the broken promises, jobless recoveries, tired 
platitudes, and constant excuses for the depletion of American wealth, 
power, and prestige.
  In just 3 short years, we have shattered the mentality of American 
decline, and we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny. We 
have totally rejected the downsizing.
  We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short 
time ago, and we are never, ever going back.
  I am thrilled to report to you tonight that our economy is the best 
it has ever been. Our military is completely rebuilt with its power 
being unmatched anywhere in the world--and it is not even close. Our 
borders are secure. Our families are flourishing. Our values are 
renewed. Our pride is restored. And for all of these reasons, I say to 
the people of our great country and to the Members of Congress: The 
state of our union is stronger than ever before.
  The vision I will lay out this evening demonstrates how we are 
building the world's most prosperous and inclusive society, one where 
every citizen can join in America's unparalleled success and where 
every community can take part in America's extraordinary rise.
  From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the U.S. 
economy: slashing a record number of job-killing regulations, enacting 
historic and record-setting tax cuts, and fighting for fair and 
reciprocal trade agreements.
  Our agenda is relentlessly pro-worker, pro-family, pro-growth, and, 
most of all, pro-American.
  Thank you.
  We are advancing with unbridled optimism and lifting our citizens of 
every race, color, religion, and creed very, very high.
  Since my election, we have created 7 million new jobs, 5 million more 
than government experts projected during the previous administration. 
The unemployment rate is the lowest in over half a century.
  And very incredibly, the average unemployment rate under my 
administration is lower than any administration in the history of our 
country. If we hadn't reversed the failed economic policies of the 
previous administration, the world would not now be witnessing this 
great economic success.
  The unemployment rates for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and 
Asian Americans has reached the lowest levels in history.
  African American youth unemployment has reached an all-time low. 
African American poverty has declined to the lowest rate ever recorded.
  The unemployment rate for women reached the lowest level in almost 70 
years, and last year, women filled 72 percent of all new jobs added.
  The veterans' unemployment rate dropped to a record low.
  The unemployment rate for disabled Americans has reached an all-time 
low.
  Workers without a high school diploma have achieved the lowest 
unemployment rate recorded in U.S. history.
  A record number of young Americans are now employed.
  Under the last administration, more than 10 million people were added 
to the food stamp rolls. Under my administration, 7 million Americans 
have come off food stamps, and 10 million people have been lifted off 
of welfare.
  In 8 years under the last administration, over 300,000 working-age 
people dropped out of the workforce. In just 3 years of my 
administration, 3.5 million people, working-age people, have joined the 
workforce.
  Since my election, the net worth of the bottom half of wage earners 
has increased by 47 percent--three times faster than the increase for 
the top 1 percent.
  After decades of flat and falling incomes, wages are rising fast--
and, wonderfully, they are rising fastest for low-income workers, who 
have seen a 16 percent pay increase since my election. This is a blue-
collar boom.
  Real median household income is now at the highest level ever 
recorded.
  Since my election, U.S. stock markets have soared 70 percent, adding 
more than $12 trillion to our Nation's wealth, transcending anything 
anyone believed was possible. This is a record. It is something that 
every country in the world is looking up to, they admire.
  Consumer confidence has just reached amazing new highs. All of those 
millions of people with 401(k)s and pensions are doing far better than 
they have ever done before, with increases of 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 
percent and even more.
  Jobs and investments are pouring into 9,000 previously neglected 
neighborhoods thanks to opportunity zones, a plan spearheaded by 
Senator Tim Scott as part of our great Republican tax cuts. In other 
words, wealthy people and companies are pouring money into poor 
neighborhoods or areas that haven't seen investment in many decades, 
creating jobs, energy, and excitement. This is the first time that 
these deserving communities have seen anything like this. It is all 
working.
  Opportunity zones are helping Americans like Army veteran Tony 
Rankins from Cincinnati, Ohio. After struggling with drug addiction, 
Tony lost his job, his house, and his family. He was homeless. But then 
Tony found a construction company that invests in opportunity zones. He 
is now a top tradesman, drug free, reunited with his family, and he is 
here tonight.
  Tony, keep up the great work. Thank you, Tony.
  Our roaring economy has, for the first time ever, given many former 
prisoners the ability to get a great job and a fresh start. This second 
chance at life is made possible because we passed landmark criminal 
justice reform into law.
  Everybody said that criminal justice reform couldn't be done, but I 
got it done and the people in this room got it done.
  Thanks to our bold regulatory reduction campaign, the United States 
has become the number one producer of oil and natural gas anywhere in 
the world, by far. With the tremendous progress we have made over the 
past 3 years, America is now energy independent, and energy jobs, like 
so many other elements of our country, are at a record high. We are 
doing numbers that no one would have thought possible just 3 years ago.
  Likewise, we are restoring our Nation's manufacturing might, even 
though predictions were, as you all know, that this could never ever be 
done.
  After losing 60,000 factories under the previous two administrations, 
America has now gained 12,000 new factories under my administration, 
with thousands upon thousands of plants and factories being planned or 
being built. Companies are not leaving, they are coming back to the 
U.S.A. The fact is that everybody wants to be where the action is, and 
the United States of America is indeed the place where the action is.
  One of the biggest promises I made to the American people was to 
replace the disastrous NAFTA trade deal. In fact,

[[Page H760]]

unfair trade is perhaps the single biggest reason that I decided to run 
for President.
  Following NAFTA's adoption, our Nation lost one in four manufacturing 
jobs. Many politicians came and went, pledging to change or replace 
NAFTA, only to do so and then absolutely nothing happened. But unlike 
so many who came before me, I keep my promises. We did our job.
  Six days ago, I replaced NAFTA and signed the brand-new United 
States-Mexico-Canada Agreement into law.
  The USMCA will create nearly 100,000 new high-paying American auto 
jobs and massively boost exports for our farmers, ranchers, and factory 
workers.
  It will also bring trade with Mexico and Canada to a much higher 
level, but also to a much greater degree of fairness and reciprocity. 
We will have that: fairness and reciprocity. And I say that, finally, 
because it has been many, many years since we were treated fairly on 
trade.
  This is the first major trade deal in many years to earn the strong 
backing of America's labor unions.
  I also promised our citizens that I would impose tariffs to confront 
China's massive theft of America's jobs. Our strategy has worked. Days 
ago, we signed the groundbreaking new agreement with China that will 
defend our workers, protect our intellectual property, bring billions 
and billions of dollars into our Treasury, and open vast new markets 
for products made and grown right here in the USA.
  For decades, China has taken advantage of the United States. Now we 
have changed that, but at the same time, we have perhaps the best 
relationship we have ever had with China, including with President Xi.
  They respect what we have done because, quite frankly, they could 
never really believe that they were able to get away with what they 
were doing year after year, decade after decade without someone in our 
country stepping up and saying: That is enough.
  Now we want to rebuild our country, and that is exactly what we are 
doing. We are rebuilding our country.
  As we restore American leadership throughout the world, we are once 
again standing up for freedom in our hemisphere. That is why my 
administration reversed the failing policies of the previous 
administration on Cuba.
  We are supporting the hopes of Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans 
to restore democracy.
  The United States is leading a 59-nation diplomatic coalition against 
the socialist dictator of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. Maduro is an 
illegitimate ruler, a tyrant who brutalizes his people, but Maduro's 
grip on tyranny will be smashed and broken.
  Here this evening is a very brave man who carries with him the hopes, 
dreams, and aspirations of all Venezuelans. Joining us in the gallery 
is the true and legitimate president of Venezuela, Juan Guaido.
  Mr. President, please take this message back to your homeland. Thank 
you, Mr. President. It is a great honor. Thank you very much.
  Mr. President, please take this message back, that all Americans are 
united with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for 
freedom. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
  Socialism destroys nations, but always remember, freedom unifies the 
soul.
  To safeguard American liberty, we have invested a record-breaking 
$2.2 trillion in the United States military. We have purchased the 
finest planes, missiles, rockets, ships, and every other form of 
military equipment. And it is all made right here in the U.S.A.
  We are also getting our allies, finally, to help pay their fair 
share. I have raised contributions from other NATO members by more than 
$400 billion, and the number of allies meeting their minimum 
obligations has more than doubled.
  Just weeks ago, for the first time since President Truman established 
the Air Force more than 70 years earlier, we created a brand-new branch 
of the United States Armed Forces. It is called the Space Force. It is 
very important.
  In the gallery tonight, we have a 13-year-old young gentleman, Iain 
Lanphier. He is an eighth grader from Arizona.
  Iain, please stand up.
  Iain has always dreamed of going to space. He was the first in his 
class and among the youngest at an aviation academy. He aspires to go 
to the Air Force Academy, and then he has his eye on the Space Force. 
As Iain says: ``Most people look up at space. I want to look down on 
the world.''
  Sitting behind Iain tonight is his greatest hero of them all, Charles 
McGee, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, one century ago. Charles is one 
of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black fighter pilots, 
and he also happens to be Iain's great-grandfather.
  It is an incredible story. After more than 130 combat missions in 
World War II, he came back home to a country still struggling for civil 
rights and went on to serve America in Korea and Vietnam.
  On December 7, Charles celebrated his 100th birthday. A few weeks 
ago, I signed a bill promoting Charles McGee to brigadier general, and 
earlier today, I pinned the stars on his shoulders in the Oval Office.
  General McGee, our Nation salutes you, and I thank you, sir.
  From the Pilgrims to the Founders, from the soldiers at Valley Forge 
to the marchers at Selma, and from President Lincoln to the Reverend 
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Americans have always rejected limits on 
our children's future.
  Members of Congress, we must never forget that the only victories 
that matter in Washington are victories that deliver for the American 
people. The people are the heart of our country. Their dreams are the 
soul of our country, and their love is what powers and sustains our 
country. We must always remember that our job is to put America first.
  The next step forward in building an inclusive society is making sure 
that every young American gets a great education and the opportunity to 
achieve the American Dream.
  Yet, for too long, countless American children have been trapped in 
failing government schools. To rescue these students, 18 States have 
created school choice in the form of Opportunity Scholarships. Their 
programs are so popular that tens of thousands of students remain on a 
waiting list.
  One of those students is Janiyah Davis, a fourth grader from 
Philadelphia. Janiyah's mom, Stephanie, is a single parent. She would 
do anything to give her daughter a better future. But last year, that 
future was put further out of reach when Pennsylvania's Governor vetoed 
legislation to expand school choice to 50,000 children. Janiyah and 
Stephanie are in the gallery.
  Stephanie, thank you so much for being here with your beautiful 
daughter.
  Janiyah, I have some good news for you because I am pleased to inform 
you that your long wait is over. I can proudly announce tonight that an 
Opportunity Scholarship has become available. It is going to you, and 
you will soon be heading to the school of your choice.
  Now, I call on Congress to give 1 million American children the same 
opportunity Janiyah has just received. Pass the Education Freedom 
Scholarships and Opportunities Act because no parent should be forced 
to send their child to a failing government school.
  Every young person should have a safe and secure environment in which 
to learn and to grow. For this reason, our magnificent First Lady has 
launched the Be Best initiative to advance a safe, healthy, supportive, 
and drug-free life for the next generation, online, in school, and in 
our communities.
  Thank you, Melania, for your extraordinary love and profound care for 
America's children. Thank you very much.
  My administration is determined to give our citizens the 
opportunities they need, regardless of age or background. Through our 
pledge to American workers, over 400 companies will also provide new 
jobs and education opportunities to almost 15 million Americans.
  My budget also contains an exciting vision for our Nation's high 
schools. Tonight, I ask Congress to support our students and back my 
plan to offer vocational and technical education in every single high 
school in America.
  To expand equal opportunity, I am also proud that we achieved record 
and permanent funding for our Nation's

[[Page H761]]

historically Black colleges and universities.
  A good life for American families also requires the most affordable, 
innovative, and high-quality healthcare system on Earth.
  Before I took office, health insurance premiums had more than doubled 
in just 5 years. I moved quickly to provide affordable alternatives. 
Our new plans are up to 60 percent less expensive--and better.
  I have also made an ironclad pledge to American families: We will 
always protect patients with preexisting conditions, and we will always 
protect your Medicare, and we will always protect your Social 
Security--always.
  The American patient should never be blindsided by medical bills. 
That is why I signed an executive order requiring price transparency.
  Many experts believe that transparency, which will go into full 
effect at the beginning of the next year, will be even bigger than 
healthcare reform. It will save families massive amounts of money for 
substantially better care.
  But as we work to improve Americans' healthcare, there are those who 
want to take away your healthcare, take away your doctor, and abolish 
private insurance entirely. 132 lawmakers in this room have endorsed 
legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our healthcare system, 
wiping out the private health insurance plans of 180 million very happy 
Americans. To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know: We 
will never let socialism destroy American healthcare.
  Over 130 legislators in this Chamber have endorsed legislation that 
would bankrupt our Nation by providing free taxpayer-funded healthcare 
to millions of illegal aliens, forcing taxpayers to subsidize free care 
for anyone in the world who unlawfully crosses our borders.
  These proposals would raid the Medicare benefits of our seniors and 
that our seniors depend on, while acting as a powerful lure for illegal 
immigration. That is what is happening in California and other States. 
Their systems are totally out of control, costing taxpayers vast and 
unaffordable amounts of money.
  If forcing American taxpayers to provide unlimited free healthcare to 
illegal aliens sounds fair to you, then stand with the radical left. 
But if you believe that we should defend American patients and American 
seniors, then stand with me and pass legislation to prohibit free 
government healthcare for illegal aliens.
  This will be a tremendous boon to our already very strongly guarded 
southern border, where, as we speak, a long, tall, and very powerful 
wall is being built. We have now completed over 100 miles and will have 
over 500 miles fully completed in a very short period of time. Early 
next year, we will have substantially more than 500 miles completed.
  My administration is also taking on the big pharmaceutical companies. 
We have approved a record number of affordable generic drugs, and 
medicines are being approved by the FDA at a faster clip than ever 
before. And I was pleased to announce last year that, for the first 
time in 51 years, the cost of prescription drugs actually went down.
  And working together, Congress can reduce drug prices substantially 
from current levels. I have been speaking to Senator Chuck Grassley of 
Iowa and others in Congress in order to get something on drug pricing 
done, and done quickly and properly. I am calling for bipartisan 
legislation that achieves the goal of dramatically lowering 
prescription drug prices. Get a bill on my desk, and I will sign it 
into law immediately.
  With unyielding commitment, we are curbing the opioid epidemic. Drug 
overdose deaths declined for the first time in nearly 30 years. Among 
the States hardest hit, Ohio is down 22 percent, Pennsylvania is down 
18 percent, Wisconsin is down 10 percent--and we will not quit until we 
have beaten the opioid epidemic once and for all.
  Protecting Americans' health also means fighting infectious diseases. 
We are coordinating with the Chinese Government and working closely 
together on the coronavirus outbreak in China. My administration will 
take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat.
  We have launched ambitious, new initiatives to substantially improve 
care for Americans with kidney disease, Alzheimer's, and those 
struggling with mental health. And because Congress was so good as to 
fund my request, we are pursuing new cures for childhood cancer, and we 
will eradicate the AIDS epidemic in America by the end of this decade.
  Almost every American family knows the pain when a loved one is 
diagnosed with a serious illness.
  Here, tonight, is a special man, beloved by millions of Americans, 
who just received a stage IV advanced cancer diagnosis. This is not 
good news, but what is good news is that he is the greatest fighter and 
winner that you will ever meet.
  Rush Limbaugh: Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our 
country.
  And, Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our Nation, 
the millions of people a day that you speak to and that you inspire and 
all of the incredible work that you have done for charity, I am proud 
to announce, tonight, that you will be receiving our country's highest 
civilian honor: the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
  I will now ask the First Lady of the United States to present you 
with the honor, please.
  Rush and Kathryn, congratulations.
  Thank you, Kathryn.
  As we pray for all who are sick, we know that America is constantly 
achieving new medical breakthroughs. In 2017, doctors at Saint Luke's 
Hospital in Kansas City delivered one of the earliest premature babies 
ever to survive.
  Born at just 21 weeks and 6 days and weighing less than a pound, 
Ellie Schneider was a born fighter. Through the skill of her doctors--
and the prayers of her parents--little Ellie kept on winning the battle 
of life. Today, Ellie is a strong, healthy 2-year-old girl sitting with 
her amazing mother, Robin, in the gallery.
  Ellie and Robin: We are glad to have you with us tonight.
  Ellie reminds us that every child is a miracle of life. And thanks to 
modern medical wonders, 50 percent of very premature babies delivered 
at the hospital where Ellie was born now survive.
  It is an incredible thing. Thank you very much.
  Our goal should be to ensure that every baby has the best chance to 
thrive and grow just like Ellie. That is why I am asking Congress to 
provide an additional $50 million to fund neonatal research for 
America's youngest patients. That is why I am also calling upon Members 
of Congress here tonight to pass legislation finally banning the late-
term abortion of babies.
  Whether Republican, Democrat, or Independent, surely we must all 
agree that every human life is a sacred gift from God.
  As we support America's moms and dads, I was recently proud to sign 
the law providing new parents in the Federal workforce paid family 
leave, serving as a model for the rest of the country. Now I call on 
Congress to pass the bipartisan Advancing Support for Working Families 
Act, extending family leave to mothers and fathers all across our 
Nation.
  Forty million American families have an average $2,200 extra thanks 
to our child tax credit. I have also overseen historic funding 
increases for high-quality childcare, enabling 17 States to help more 
children, many of which have reduced or eliminated their wait lists 
altogether. And I sent Congress a plan with a vision to expand high-
quality childcare and urge you to act immediately.
  To protect the environment, days ago, I announced that the United 
States will join the One Trillion Trees Initiative, an ambitious effort 
to bring together government and the private sector to plant new trees 
in America and all around the world.
  We must also rebuild America's infrastructure. I ask you to pass 
Senator John Barrasso's highway bill--to invest in new roads, bridges, 
and tunnels all across our land.
  I am also committed to ensuring that every citizen can have access to 
high-speed internet, including, and especially in, rural America.
  A better tomorrow for all Americans also requires us to keep America 
safe. That means supporting the men and women of law enforcement at 
every level, including our Nation's heroic ICE officers.
  Last year, our brave ICE officers arrested more than 120,000 criminal

[[Page H762]]

aliens charged with nearly 10,000 burglaries, 5,000 sexual assaults, 
45,000 violent assaults, and 2,000 murders.
  Tragically, there are many cities in America where radical 
politicians have chosen to provide sanctuary for these criminal illegal 
aliens. In sanctuary cities, local officials order police to release 
dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public instead of handing 
them over to ICE to be safely removed.
  Just 29 days ago, a criminal alien freed by the sanctuary city of New 
York was charged with the brutal rape and murder of a 92-year-old 
woman. The killer had been previously arrested for assault, but under 
New York's sanctuary policies, he was set free. If the city had honored 
ICE's detainer request, his victim would still be alive today.
  The State of California passed an outrageous law declaring their 
whole State to be a sanctuary for criminal illegal immigrants--a very 
terrible sanctuary--with catastrophic results.
  Here is just one tragic example. In December 2018, California police 
detained an illegal alien with five prior arrests, including 
convictions for robbery and assault. But as required by California's 
sanctuary law, local authorities released him.
  Days later, the criminal alien went on a gruesome spree of deadly 
violence. He viciously shot one man going about his daily work; he 
approached a woman sitting in her car and shot her in the arm and in 
the chest. He walked into a convenience store and wildly fired his 
weapon. He hijacked a truck and smashed into vehicles, critically 
injuring innocent victims. One of the victims--a terrible, terrible 
situation--died, a 51-year-old American named Rocky Jones. Rocky was at 
a gas station when this vile criminal fired eight bullets at him from 
close range, murdering him in cold blood.
  Rocky left behind a devoted family, including his brothers, who loved 
him more than anything else in the world. One of his grieving brothers 
is here with us tonight.
  Jody, would you please stand. Jody. Thank you. Jody, our hearts weep 
for your loss and we will not rest until you have justice.
  Senator Thom Tillis has introduced legislation to allow Americans 
like Jody to sue sanctuary cities and States when a loved one is hurt 
or killed as a result of these deadly practices. I ask Congress to pass 
the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act immediately. The United 
States of America should be a sanctuary for law-abiding Americans, not 
criminal aliens.
  In the last 3 years, ICE has arrested over 5,000 wicked human 
traffickers. And I have signed nine pieces of legislation to stamp out 
the menace of human trafficking, domestically and all around the globe.
  My administration has undertaken an unprecedented effort to secure 
the southern border of the United States.
  Before I came into office, if you showed up illegally on our southern 
border and were arrested, you were simply released and allowed into our 
country never to be seen again. My administration has ended catch-and-
release. If you come illegally, you will now be promptly removed from 
our country. Very importantly, we entered into historic cooperation 
agreements with the Governments of Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and 
Guatemala. As a result of our unprecedented efforts, illegal crossings 
are down 75 percent since May, dropping 8 straight months in a row. And 
as the wall rapidly goes up, drug seizures rise, and the border 
crossings are going down and going down very rapidly.
  Last year, I traveled to the border in Texas and met Chief Patrol 
Agent Raul Ortiz. Over the last 24 months, Agent Ortiz and his team 
have seized more than 200,000 pounds of poisonous narcotics, arrested 
more than 3,000 human smugglers, and rescued more than 2,000 migrants. 
Days ago, Agent Ortiz was promoted to Deputy Chief of Border Patrol, 
and he joins us tonight.
  Chief Ortiz, please stand. A grateful Nation thanks you and all of 
the heroes of border patrol and ICE. Thank you very much. Thank you.
  To build on these historic gains, we are working on legislation to 
replace our outdated and randomized immigration system with one based 
on merit, welcoming those who follow the rules, contribute to our 
economy, support themselves financially, and uphold our values.
  With every action, my administration is restoring the rule of law and 
reasserting the culture of American freedom. Working with Senate 
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell--thank you, Mitch--and his colleagues 
in the Senate, we have confirmed a record number of 187 new Federal 
judges to uphold our Constitution as written. This includes two 
brilliant new Supreme Court Justices, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. 
Thank you. And we have many in the pipeline.
  My administration is also defending religious liberty, and that 
includes the constitutional right to pray in public schools. In 
America, we don't punish prayer. We don't tear down crosses. We don't 
ban symbols of faith. We don't muzzle preachers and pastors. In 
America, we celebrate faith. We cherish religion. We lift our voices in 
prayer, and we raise our sights to the glory of God.
  Just as we believe in the First Amendment, we also believe in another 
constitutional right that is under siege all across our country. So 
long as I am President, I will always protect your Second Amendment 
right to keep and bear arms.
  In reaffirming our heritage as a free Nation, we must remember that 
America has always been a frontier Nation. Now we must embrace the next 
frontier, America's manifest destiny in the stars. I am asking the 
Congress to fully fund the Artemis program to ensure that the next man 
and the first woman on the moon will be American astronauts--using this 
as a launching pad to ensure that America is the first Nation to plant 
its flag on Mars.
  My administration is also strongly defending our national security 
and combating radical Islamic terrorism.
  Last week, I announced a groundbreaking plan for peace between Israel 
and the Palestinians. Recognizing that all past attempts have failed, 
we must be determined and creative in order to stabilize the region and 
give millions of young people the chance to realize a better future.
  Three years ago, the barbarians of ISIS held over 20,000 square miles 
of territory in Iraq and Syria. Today, the ISIS territorial caliphate 
has been 100 percent destroyed, and the founder and leader of ISIS, the 
bloodthirsty killer known as al-Baghdadi, is dead.
  We are joined this evening by Carl and Marsha Mueller. After 
graduating from college, their beautiful daughter Kayla became a 
humanitarian aid worker. She once wrote: ``Some people find God in 
church. Some people find God in nature. Some people find God in love; I 
find God in suffering. I've known for some time what my life's work is, 
using my hands as tools to relieve suffering.''
  In 2013, while caring for suffering civilians in Syria, Kayla was 
kidnapped, tortured, and enslaved by ISIS, and kept as a prisoner of 
al-Baghdadi himself. After more than 500 horrifying days of captivity, 
al-Baghdadi murdered young, beautiful Kayla. She was just 26 years old.
  On the night that U.S. Special Forces operations ended al-Baghdadi's 
miserable life, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark 
Milley, received a call in the Situation Room. He was told that the 
brave men of the elite Special Forces team that so perfectly carried 
out the operation had given their mission a name, Task Force 814. It 
was a reference to a special day, August 14, Kayla's birthday.
  Carl and Marsha, America's warriors never forgot Kayla, and neither 
will we.
  Every day, America's men and women in uniform demonstrate the 
infinite depth of love that dwells in the human heart. One of these 
American heroes was Army Staff Sergeant Christopher Hake. On his second 
deployment to Iraq in 2008, Sergeant Hake wrote a letter to his 1-year-
old son, Gage.
  ``I will be with you again,'' he wrote to Gage. ``I will teach you to 
ride your first bike, build your first sandbox, watch you play sports, 
and see you have kids also. I love you, son. Take care of your mother. 
I am always with you. Dad.''
  On Easter Sunday of 2008, Chris was out on patrol in Baghdad when his 
Bradley Fighting Vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. That night, he 
made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
  Sergeant Hake now rests in eternal glory in Arlington, and his wife, 
Kelli, is in the gallery tonight, joined by their son, who is now a 13-
year old, and doing very, very well.

[[Page H763]]

  To Kelli and Gage, Chris will live in our hearts forever. He is 
looking down on you now. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you both 
very much.
  The terrorist responsible for killing Sergeant Hake was Qasem 
Soleimani, who provided the deadly roadside bomb that took Chris' life. 
Soleimani was the Iranian regime's most ruthless butcher, a monster who 
murdered or wounded thousands of American servicemembers in Iraq.
  As the world's top terrorist, Soleimani orchestrated the deaths of 
countless men, women, and children. He directed the December assault 
and went on to assault U.S. Forces in Iraq and was actively planning 
new attacks when we hit him very hard. And that is why, last month, at 
my direction, the U.S. military executed a flawless precision strike 
that killed Soleimani and terminated his evil reign of terror forever.
  Our message to the terrorists is clear: You will never escape 
American justice. If you attack our citizens, you forfeit your life.
  In recent months, we have seen proud Iranians raise their voices 
against their oppressive rulers. The Iranian regime must abandon its 
pursuit of nuclear weapons; stop spreading terror, death, and 
destruction; and start working for the good of its own people.
  Because of our powerful sanctions, the Iranian economy is doing very, 
very poorly. We can help them make a very good and short-time recovery. 
It can all go very quickly, but, perhaps, they are too proud or too 
foolish to ask for that help.
  We are here. Let's see which road they choose. It is totally up to 
them.
  As we defend American lives, we are working to end America's wars in 
the Middle East. In Afghanistan, the determination and valor of our 
warfighters has allowed us to make tremendous progress, and peace talks 
are now underway.
  I am not looking to kill hundreds of thousands of people in 
Afghanistan, many of them totally innocent. It is also not our function 
to serve other nations as law enforcement agencies. These are 
warfighters that we have, the best in the world, and they either want 
to fight to win or not fight at all.
  We are working to finally end America's longest war and bring our 
troops back home. War places a heavy burden on our Nation's 
extraordinary military families, especially spouses like Amy Williams, 
from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and her two children, 6-year-old 
Elliana, and 3-year-old Rowan.
  Amy works full time and volunteers countless hours helping our 
military families. For the past 7 months, she has done it all while her 
husband, Sergeant First Class Townsend Williams, is in Afghanistan on 
his fourth deployment in the Middle East. Amy's kids haven't seen their 
father's face in many months.
  Amy, your family's sacrifice makes it possible for all of our 
families to live in safety and in peace, and we want to thank you. 
Thank you, Amy.
  But, Amy, there is one more thing. Tonight, we have a very special 
surprise. I am thrilled to inform you that your husband is back from 
deployment. He is here with us tonight, and we couldn't keep him 
waiting any longer.
  Welcome home, Sergeant Williams. Thank you very much.
  As the world bears witness tonight, America is a land of heroes. This 
is the place where greatness is born, where destinies are forged, and 
where legends come to life. This is the home of Thomas Edison and Teddy 
Roosevelt, of many great generals, including Washington, Pershing, 
Patton, and MacArthur. This is the home of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick 
Douglass, Amelia Earhart, Harriet Tubman, the Wright brothers, Neil 
Armstrong, and so many more. This is the country where children learn 
names like Wyatt Earp, Davy Crockett, and Annie Oakley. This is the 
place where the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth and where Texas patriots 
made their last stand at the Alamo, the beautiful, beautiful Alamo.
  The American Nation was carved out of the vast frontier by the 
toughest, strongest, fiercest, and most determined men and women ever 
to walk on the face of the Earth. Our ancestors braved the unknown; 
tamed the wilderness; settled the wild west; lifted millions from 
poverty, disease, and hunger; vanquished tyranny and fascism; ushered 
the world to new heights of science and medicine; laid down the 
railroads, dug out the canals, raised up the skyscrapers--and, ladies 
and gentlemen, our ancestors built the most exceptional Republic ever 
to exist in all of human history. And we are making it greater than 
ever before.
  This is our glorious and magnificent inheritance.
  We are Americans. We are pioneers. We are the pathfinders. We settled 
the New World; we built the modern world; and we changed history 
forever by embracing the eternal truth that everyone is made equal by 
the hand of Almighty God.
  America is the place where anything can happen. America is the place 
where anyone can rise. And here, on this land, on this soil, on this 
continent, the most incredible dreams come true.
  This Nation is our canvas, and this country is our masterpiece. We 
look at tomorrow and see unlimited frontiers just waiting to be 
explored. Our brightest discoveries are not yet known. Our most 
thrilling stories are not yet told. Our grandest journeys are not yet 
made. The American age, the American epic, the American adventure has 
only just begun.
  Our spirit is still young; the Sun is still rising; God's grace is 
still shining; and, my fellow Americans, the best is yet to come.
  Thank you. God bless you. And God bless America. Thank you very much. 
Thank you.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  At 10 o'clock and 27 minutes p.m., the President of the United 
States, accompanied by the committee of escort, retired from the Hall 
of the House of Representatives.
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms escorted the invited guests 
from the Chamber in the following order:
  The members of the President's Cabinet;
  The Chief Justice of the United States and the Associate Justices of 
the Supreme Court;
  The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps.

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