[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 19, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H240-H246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





           HIGHLIGHTING ISSUES WITH THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Ross). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 4, 2021, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson) 
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Louisiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, we may be starting a new 
year, but so far the problems remain the same. This week marks the 1-
year anniversary of Joe Biden being sworn in as President of the United 
States, and, of course, also the 1-year anniversary of one-party, far-
left Democrat rule in Washington.
  This past year was one of unprecedented crises as a direct result. 
The American people face an economic crisis, an energy crisis, a border 
crisis, an education crisis, a crime crisis, a COVID-19 crisis, and a 
national security crisis as a direct result of Joe Biden and 
congressional Democrats' failed leadership and their far-left socialist 
agenda.
  In this hour, a cross-section of my Republican colleagues will 
address and highlight these issues as we stand for the opposite 
policies, and we are very anxious to be returned to the majority so 
that we can solve these ongoing dilemmas.
  Madam Speaker, I am delighted to yield to the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Babin).
  Mr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman, my good friend right 
across the Sabine River, for yielding.
  No President has ever had a worse first year in office than Joe 
Biden.
  And sadly, his deteriorating 42 percent approval rating perfectly 
mirrors the deteriorating state of our country.
  We are facing crises on nearly every front, and our Commander in 
Chief who, by the way, is responsible for creating each and every one 
of these crises, is doing absolutely nothing to stop them.
  However, the most threatening of these concerns is still the 
unmitigated disaster that is raging on our southern border.
  More than 1.7 million illegal alien apprehensions happened under 
Biden's watch last year, and those were just the ones that we caught.
  Instead of securing our borders, this administration spent all of 
2021 sweeping the rule of law under the rug and using the cover of 
darkness to fly thousands of unvetted and untested for COVID illegal 
aliens across the country to be released into our neighborhoods.
  How many more innocent women and children need to be assaulted, 
raped, and trafficked?
  How many more Americans need to overdose on Chinese fentanyl that is 
being smuggled across the border?
  How many more terrorists need to be caught trying to infiltrate our 
Nation?
  What level of threat do we need to reach to finally garner some 
action from this President?
  Americans are tired of paying for this administration's ignorance and 
political games.
  This is a new year, Mr. President. Use it wisely.
  It is past time that you live up to the oath that you swore.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, there are so many crises it 
is hard for us to keep count.
  I yield to my dear friend from the State of Indiana (Mrs. Walorski).
  Mrs. WALORSKI. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.
  This week, our Nation is marking a solemn anniversary, 49 years since 
the deadly Roe v. Wade decision.
  For nearly half a century, pro-life Americans have been standing 
strong to defend precious human life and the most vulnerable among us.
  Right now we are facing some tough challenges. Under the current one-
party rule in Washington, Americans are witnessing unprecedented 
attacks on pro-life protections across the country.
  Time and time again, I have come to this floor to oppose Democrats' 
radical antilife agenda.
  As many times as it takes, I will stand here to reject the attacks on 
life, and I will vote ``no'' on taxpayer-funded services, including the 
wicked proposal to permit abortion on demand at any time bankrolled by 
the American people.
  These are dark days in this country.
  At the same time we have so much to be happy and hopeful for as we 
look at this new year.
  The Supreme Court, including my fellow Hoosier, Justice Amy Coney 
Barrett, is currently considering the most significant challenge to Roe 
v. Wade since 1973.
  This could be the final anniversary that we mark under Roe v. Wade.
  For five decades, we have been in a long battle against abortion, and 
this is the time to restore the dignity of life and protect life once 
and for all.
  As a pro-life lawmaker, I am proud to stand alongside millions of 
Americans in Indiana and across the country who believe in the inherent 
value of life.
  Our enduring commitment to life and the truth will prevail.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, the gentlewoman is right, 
the sanctity of human life is one of the central principles that this 
country is founded upon, and it does get darkest before the dawn. There 
is hope on the horizon.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van 
Drew).
  Mr. VAN DREW. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and 
thank him for his leadership.
  The President's most important job is to lead, to lead and protect 
our country. Yet time and again, all we have seen from President Biden 
is a failure to lead.
  Biden's handling of Afghanistan led to the death of 13 American 
servicemembers and left hundreds more abandoned. This was a failure to 
lead.
  Biden's handling of the border has been a disaster with more than two 
million illegal immigrants being apprehended at our border. This was a 
failure to lead.

                              {time}  1415

  Biden failed to shut down COVID-19 and has allowed more Americans to 
die from this disease, despite widespread access to vaccines. This was 
a failure to lead.
  Inflation is at a 40-year high; supply chains are crippled; and labor 
shortages have hindered an economic recovery. This has been a failure 
to lead.
  Soft-on-crime policy has resulted in 16 of America's largest cities 
suffering from new highs in homicide rates and a 115 percent increase 
in attacks against our law enforcement officials, all while President 
Biden and House Democrats demand to defund our police. This has been a 
failure to lead.
  This is not the America I know. The America I know is strong, and it 
deserves a strong leader, not the worst President in our history, not 
one that continues time and again to fail to lead.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman. Those 
are not just Republican talking points. Politico had a story this 
morning. They asked Americans in a nationwide poll to give the 
President a letter grade, and 37 percent of Americans gave him an F--85 
percent or more of Republicans, but also, they say, an alarming number 
of Democrats gave a D or an F grade.
  So the gentleman is exactly right. It is a failure. An F-minus, says 
Mr. Van Drew.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to my good friend from the State of Tennessee 
(Mr. Burchett).
  Mr. BURCHETT. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman. It is the great 
State of Tennessee.
  Madam Speaker, for the last year, Joe Biden and the Democrats have 
completely controlled our government in Washington. Their first order 
of business when they took power was to ram through Congress almost $2 
trillion in Federal spending under the so-called American Rescue Plan.
  When this bill became law last March, Democrats said it was necessary 
to fight the coronavirus. Ten months later, our country is still 
dealing with the same problems Democrats claimed their bill would 
solve.
  COVID tests are sold out at drugstores, and testing centers have

[[Page H241]]

hourlong lines. Not even Kamala Harris can give a straight answer about 
when Americans will receive at-home test kits. Is it this week? Is it 
next week? Is it sometime in the future? I don't think she knows.
  We have overwhelmed hospitals that are struggling to treat patients 
due to staffing shortages. Corrupt teachers' unions are forcing 
students out of the classroom and bullying parents. Businesses of all 
sizes and across industries cannot find enough workers to keep up with 
the demand.
  Madam Speaker, the American Rescue Plan failed miserably to address 
or prevent these issues. That is because it mostly focused on funding 
liberal special interests instead of targeted pandemic relief.
  This whole debacle confirmed two things: Congress cannot spend its 
way out of a problem, and Democrats will always use a crisis to advance 
their political agenda.
  Joe Biden promised to shut down the coronavirus when he took office. 
One year later, all he shut down were America's hospitals and 
businesses.
  Thank you, Vice Chairman Johnson, for your adequate and more-than-
lackluster leadership skills.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
keeping me humble.
  Madam Speaker, we have just come straight to the floor from a Members 
and media roundtable on the border and crime crises, and he led that so 
ably. I am delighted to hear what he has to say in his 2 minutes.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Texas 
(Mr. Pfluger).
  Mr. PFLUGER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for 
yielding.
  Madam Speaker, it is hard to pick the crisis to talk about because 
there are so many. I would like to talk about unity.
  I was at the inauguration last year. I heard the President's speech. 
I heard him campaign. His message was centered on restoring unity to an 
angry Nation. He promised to bring us together.
  Well, he has brought the American people together, that is for sure, 
because everyone now understands the full magnitude of the crises that 
we are going through. He has united the country in that fact alone.
  One year ago, I want everyone to remember, we were not experiencing 
the inflation that we are, the highest rate in 40 years. We did not 
have foreign adversaries who were treading over our policies and 
looking at us as weak.
  Right now, we have a border that is in complete chaos and complete 
crisis. It has only been 1 year under President Biden's reign, and our 
Nation is directionless from the masthead in the midst of chaos, not to 
mention that our international reputation and our influence have been 
squandered through policy failure after policy failure.
  When you look at this poster right here, look at the energy crisis 
that we are dealing with, and Ukraine right now is in the midst of not 
knowing whether or not they are going to be invaded by the Russians. 
What a terrible position to be in.
  The President has green-lighted Nord Stream. He failed to sanction 
the Nord Stream pipeline. The energy crisis that is going on in Eastern 
Europe right now, the fact that we are not strong around the world in 
our messaging to deter our enemies and to help our allies, is directly 
leading to this issue that we see in Ukraine right now. And do you know 
who is watching? China. China is watching this, and they are wondering 
whether or not Taiwan is going to be next.
  We have to get back to a strong, firm understanding of law and order, 
the same discussion that we just had on the border crisis. We have to 
reassert our leadership to make sure that our country, the greatest 
Nation that this world has ever known, will choose to follow law and 
order.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for that 
keen insight that he gained faithfully serving our country in the 
military. I thank him for his service.

  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber), 
another gentleman who has served us so well on the front lines of law 
enforcement before he got to Congress.
  Mr. STAUBER. Madam Speaker, I could speak for hours about this 
administration's multiple failures over the last year, but I only have 
a couple of minutes, so I will cover just inflation, one of them.
  Since Joe Biden took office, inflation has risen every single month. 
Americans are paying more for just about everything while earning less 
in every paycheck.
  This is not sustainable, and it didn't have to be this way. This 
administration is so out of touch with the average American that 
despite inflation reaching a 40-year high, they are still pushing for 
more reckless spending that will only make this crisis worse.
  American families are paying substantially more for everyday 
products, from gasoline to groceries and to energy for heating their 
homes this winter, to heat their homes in northern Minnesota when it is 
30-below for a week straight.
  Make no mistake, inflation is a tax on us all, especially our working 
class and those on fixed incomes. It is no secret that we live in a 
very polarized nation right now, but there is one thing a strong 
majority of Americans agree on: Joe Biden's first year in office has 
been disastrous to the American people. We deserve better.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from Utah (Mr. Owens).
  Mr. OWENS. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend from Louisiana for 
his great leadership.
  Madam Speaker, over the past year, I spent time throughout Utah's 
Fourth District. I have heard from Utahns from all walks of life, and 
month after month, they have shared the same concerns: soaring 
inflation, skyrocketing prices, and decreasing wages.
  That is no surprise because gas is up 49.6 percent. Used cars are up 
37.3 percent. Gas utilities are up 24.1 percent. Meat, fish, and eggs 
are up 12.5 percent. Electricity is up 6.3 percent.
  On top of this, as real wages have decreased 8 out of the last 11 
months, our economy is still missing millions of prepandemic jobs, and 
employers are continuing to struggle with persistent labor shortages.
  What is this administration doing to help? You can't make this up: 
dismissing inflation as high-class problems and transitory; adding to 
the national debt with money we don't have on programs we don't need; 
and, just last week, advocating to nuke a filibuster the President 
defended for decades to push through a radical Federal takeover of all 
elections.
  Our economy should be thriving right now, but inaction, on purpose, 
by this administration has massively increased our national debt, which 
still sits at $29 trillion, by the way; stifled growth; and financially 
crippled American families and small businesses.
  We are closing out the first year of Biden's Presidency with the 
worst inflation of 40 years; open borders; emboldened adversaries; a 
botched withdrawal from Afghanistan; and a repeated push to increase 
the size, scope, and reach of the Federal Government.
  This year, I encourage President Biden to start paying attention to 
the real needs of real Americans. Maybe then we will start seeing real 
results.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend. So well 
said, as always. I think one of the key words you said was purposeful. 
These crises are not happenstance. These are direct results of policy 
choices.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Grothman), my good friend.
  Mr. GROTHMAN. Madam Speaker, so many areas to pick from in which we 
talk about the first year of this administration.
  No country can exist if you don't have immigration laws, and I can't 
think of anywhere where the new administration is more of a change from 
the old.
  We have gone through a situation in which about 25,000 people every 
year crossed our southern border, and now routinely over 75,000, 
tripling the amount of people who have come across our border.
  That has received a lot of attention, but not enough attention has 
been received for the lack of people being pushed back across the 
border if they are caught here breaking crimes or otherwise.
  In the first 6 months of 2020, about 93,000 people were kicked out. 
This

[[Page H242]]

time around, it is about 18,000. So we have about another 70,000 people 
who we don't want in this country, primarily because they have broken 
the law. Under the Biden administration, we don't kick them out.
  We have to also look at the carrot that they are giving people to 
come here in the Build Back Better bill, trying to give free college 
education to people who come here illegally. Every Democrat but one in 
this body voted for it, saying: Yes, absolutely. We not only want 
people to come here illegally, but we will give them free college 
education, free medical care.
  Unbelievable.
  Showing that the number one priority is to get people here illegally, 
they are not even giving tests for COVID, which says something or 
other. I mean, on the one hand, it is important that everybody even get 
a shot if they are hanging around Washington, D.C., but if you are 
coming across the southern border, we don't care. Unbelievable.
  Quite a change in America compared to what it used to be, and it is 
going to take a lot of work when we get a new President to undo the 
huge amount of damage that has been done to the fabric of this country 
in the first 12 months of Joe Biden.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend. It is so 
well said. It is as if they are incentivizing lawlessness. That is 
exactly what we are seeing, and everybody knows it.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. 
LaMalfa), my friend.

  Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. Johnson. I 
appreciate this Special Order.
  Of course, this week does mark the first year of the Biden 
administration. Unfortunately, it was one of unprecedented crisis. 
Indeed, it is a target-rich environment for us to talk about here 
tonight.
  Democrats have controlled the executive branch and both Chambers of 
Congress, allowing them to pass, so far, $2 trillion out of their $9 
trillion plans. This act has also caused the highest inflation in 
decades, hitting the middle-class and lower income class hardest in 
this country.
  This year, under Democrat leadership, Americans are paying more for 
just about everything, from housing, clothes, food, and gas--especially 
in energy. On the way to the airport in California, it was $5-plus, 
$5.39 at one place. Incredible.
  In the dead of winter, people are seeing the cost of heating their 
homes skyrocket. When you stop all sorts of development of energy in 
this country, you are not going to have the supply. That sends a signal 
to the whole market to raise prices, including the Biden administration 
telling OPEC overseas to go ahead and send us more while cutting off 
our own pipelines and further development on Federal lands. This, of 
course, ripples through everything else in costs.
  In my real life as a farmer, we are going to see our costs of 
energy--whether it is diesel fuel, gasoline, fertilizer--skyrocket. 
That is either going to have to be passed along to the consumer at the 
store or farmers go broke in this country. Small business owners face 
the same thing.
  Everything is going up--more in costs, vaccine mandates, less 
employees. I mean, I wish we could paint a brighter picture and not 
have it appear to be a partisan one. It really isn't partisan. It is 
about having success as a country.
  Unfortunately, the Biden administration doesn't seem to have a clue 
what that success would look like. Indeed, they are chasing their own 
mandates, putting us in a terrible position as a people and for the 
economy going forward. They need to change their thinking, or the 
voters need to change them out.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend. It is not 
partisanship. We are sharing the facts. He is exactly right.
  I would encourage my colleagues--there are so many who want to speak, 
and it is a target-rich environment with so many crises. We are going 
to try to stick to 2 minutes on these yields.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. 
Hartzler).
  Mrs. HARTZLER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, tomorrow will mark 1 year since President Biden's 
inauguration, and Americans are left asking: Are we better off under 
this administration?
  Judging by his all-time low approval ratings, the answer for 
Americans is a resounding no. Everywhere you look, there is a crisis 
riddled with incompetence, division, and dysfunction.
  At our southern border, Biden has allowed nearly 2 million illegal 
immigrants to enter our Nation, creating the worst border crisis in 30 
years.
  In the classroom, Biden has targeted parents and their role in 
education. His administration even lobbied for them to be called 
domestic terrorists.

                              {time}  1430

  Madam Speaker, in our communities violent crime is at all-time highs. 
Last year, the murder rate was higher than at any point since 1996.
  On the economy, Biden's mishandling of our Federal Government has 
created the highest inflation rate in 40 years. Bare shelves, high gas 
prices, and supply chain issues continue to dog this administration.
  On the world stage, Biden botched our withdrawal from Afghanistan, 
surrendering to the Taliban and making America a laughingstock to our 
adversaries. All of this resulted in the deaths of 13 servicemembers, 
including one from my home State of Missouri.
  Instead of addressing these issues, President Biden had doubled down 
on his far-left socialist policies, out-of-control spending, and 
incompetence. It is past time for a change. America deserves better. 
They need leadership that listens and fights for hardworking families, 
not against them.
  Madam Speaker, I am proud to help lead the fight alongside my fellow 
Republicans to reverse course by unleashing our economy, securing our 
border, respecting parents, defending life and our foundational values, 
and providing for the common defense.
  On this one-year anniversary commemorating the misery of the Biden 
administration, we commit ourselves to never stop fighting for what is 
right, to work harder than ever, and to never give up. America is 
depending on us.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. Clyde), home of the new national championship 
football team.
  Mr. CLYDE. Madam Speaker, tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of 
President Biden's inauguration. Many Americans have now endured 365 
days of an absent administration, 52 weeks of policy failures, 12 
months of utter turmoil, and a year of constant, crippling crises.
  Earlier today a Rasmussen Poll revealed that 60 percent of the 
country considers the President's first year in office unsuccessful. 
Fifty percent said it was very unsuccessful, with one third of 
Democrats believing Biden's first year was a failure. All of this has 
contributed to his abysmal 33 percent rating, the lowest since Jimmy 
Carter.
  Madam Speaker, in all sincerity, I didn't imagine this much damage 
could be done in just one year, but here we are, facing an economic 
crisis with hyperinflation, a supply chain crisis, a labor shortage 
crisis, a border crisis, a national security crisis, an energy crisis 
with incredible gas prices, an education crisis, a COVID crisis, a 
crime crisis, and an election integrity crisis with Democrats trying to 
push through election reforms that would federalize our election and 
eliminate voter ID. Ultimately, these all stem from a leadership crisis 
in the White House, a leadership crisis that has caused Americans 
unnecessary hardship.
  Madam Speaker, as we enter the second year of the Biden 
administration's rule, the President has an important decision to make. 
Will he continue to sidestep from the crises he has created, destined 
to inflict more destruction? Or will he confront these crises head-on 
and implement successful solutions?
  Mr. President, the American people demand successful solutions. They 
deserve successful solutions.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose).
  Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, President Biden ran his campaign on a 
message of unity. Since day one of his administration, he has been 
defined by the divisive policies that are the wrong

[[Page H243]]

approach for Tennessee families and workers.
  In 2021, we saw cartels take control of our southern border. We saw 
the worst inflation in decades. We saw Afghanistan fall into the hands 
of terrorists as we hastily and incompetently withdrew our forces from 
the country, leaving billions of dollars of modern military equipment 
and hundreds of Americans and Afghan allies behind. Finally, we saw 
abusive government overreach in the form of vaccine mandates taken to 
new heights.
  With President Biden in the White House and Democrats in control of 
Congress, Americans know 2022 will be no better. According to a recent 
Momentive Poll, more than half of Americans are more fearful than 
hopeful about what 2022 has in store for them and with good reason.
  Just take a glimpse at the state of our economy. The Consumer Price 
Index rose 7 percent in December, the highest rate seen since 1982. 
This comes on the heels of President Biden's reckless spending agenda 
and senseless policies that have created a labor shortage; led to a 
decline in real, personal income; raised costs of consumer goods, gas, 
and home heating costs; and contributed to the supply chain disruptions 
that are causing drastic shortages and bare shelves across America.
  Madam Speaker, this is President Joe Biden's version of America. It 
is costing Tennesseans more each day. President Biden can try to talk 
around it. He often refuses to talk about it at all. The reality 
remains the same. His administration's policies have been devastating 
to this Nation. More than ever, Americans want America-first 
leadership.
  Madam Speaker, as we begin the first days of 2022, I remain steadfast 
in my commitment to focus on the needs of the good folks of Tennessee 
who I represent, not the whims of the permanent class of political 
elites in Washington D.C.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Fitzgerald), another seasoned, very 
effective legislator.
  Mr. FITZGERALD. Madam Speaker, this has been a year of crisis under 
the leadership of President Joe Biden. At the southern border, our 
country was noticeably lacking leadership and solutions from the White 
House. Instead, President Biden took regressive actions. He halted 
construction on the border wall, brought back catch and release, and 
got rid of the remain in Mexico policy.
  Because of these decisions, over 1.7 million illegal immigrants have 
been encountered at the southern border since President Biden took 
office. The number of illegal crossings at the border has risen at a 
rate faster under President Biden than at any other time in recent 
history. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that fentanyl 
seizures increased 134 percent in fiscal year 2021.

  I saw this crisis firsthand when I visited the southern border with 
my colleagues, and I have led and supported legislative solutions in 
Congress to combat this crisis. It is disheartening and unacceptable 
that President Biden has neither visited the border to witness the 
crisis, nor has he proposed solutions to control the unmanageable 
levels of border crossings and fentanyl trafficking. To say President 
Biden has under-delivered to the American people is beyond an 
understatement.
  Madam Speaker, I say it again. This year has been a year of crisis 
under the leadership of President Biden.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gimenez), who we refer to as ``The Chief.''
  Mr. GIMENEZ. Madam Speaker, life has been hard for the American 
people as President Biden concludes his first year in office. 
Unfortunately, too many in this Chamber have bowed down to the most 
radical fringes of the Democratic Party.
  The sad reality today is liberals in Congress have no clue what every 
day, hardworking Americans are going through. They care more about 
pushing their radical agenda than helping working families. The result 
is more inflation, higher gas prices, unconstitutional vaccine 
mandates, broken supply chains, and Americans struggling to make ends 
meet.
  On our side of the aisle, Republicans are committed to making sure we 
get the American people back to work, ensuring that small businesses 
can find employees to help keep their businesses open, making sure 
Americans have uninterrupted access to goods, and getting our country 
roaring back with a strong economy and safe communities. Those are the 
issues that Americans really care about.
  Here in Washington, Republicans will use our congressional authority 
to hold the Biden administration accountable for the Afghanistan 
debacle where we don't know how many Americans are still left behind in 
Afghanistan, for choosing to wreck our energy sector, handing Putin the 
Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and for allowing the southern borders to be 
kept wide open. Where once we were energy independent a year ago, now 
we are begging OPEC to please produce more.
  Madam Speaker, after only a year of the Biden administration and his 
radical governing of our country, we have had enough. The American 
people have had enough. Our people, our country deserve better.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Obernolte).
  Mr. OBERNOLTE. Madam Speaker, several days ago the Department of 
Labor released statistics on job creation and inflation in the United 
States. This data should be deeply alarming to every American.
  This country, over the last year, has dumped trillions of dollars of 
excess Federal spending into our economy. At the time economists warned 
us that doing so was dangerously inflationary. Unfortunately, those 
fears have come to fruition.
  The statistics for the month of December show inflation at nearly 7 
percent on an annualized basis. That is the highest rate of inflation 
in nearly 40 years. When inflation is caused through government action, 
as this round of inflation clearly is, it represents an unseen tax that 
is paid by every American because it raises the prices of everything 
that we buy.
  Equally alarming is the fact that real wage growth has not kept up 
with inflation. In fact, the Department of Labor says that for all of 
last year real wage growth was negative nearly 2\1/2\ percent. If we 
don't correct this trend, it is going to result in an entire generation 
of Americans being driven toward poverty because their wages are not 
keeping up with the prices that they pay for the goods that they need 
to survive.
  Madam Speaker, we need to get our fiscal house in order and correct 
this runaway Federal spending before our children suffer the 
consequences.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Steel).
  Mrs. STEEL. Madam Speaker, this administration's failed policies have 
led to record inflation and empty store shelves across the country. 
Inflation just reached the highest level in 40 years. At the same time 
basic goods are harder and harder to find at the stores thanks to the 
supply chain mess.
  Every day we see a new story about things getting more expensive, 
life getting harder for Americans. Hardworking families are sick and 
tired of paying more and getting less.
  Madam Speaker, I have produced three bills that would help fix the 
supply chain crisis and ensure goods make it to the stores and 
consumers. These issues are urgent, but there has been no movement on 
these bills. Meanwhile, Democrats in Washington continue to spend more 
as paychecks get smaller and costs continue to rise.
  Madam Speaker, I will continue to fight against these bad policies 
and push for solutions.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Keller).
  Mr. KELLER. Madam Speaker, as America marks a year since President 
Biden's inauguration, Republicans are focused on delivering solutions 
to the multitude of crises his administration has created.
  After a year of one-party rule, the reality is American families are 
seeing empty shelves at the grocery store. Businesses cannot find 
workers. Inflation just hit the highest rate in 40 years. Meanwhile, 
the catastrophe at our southern border continues to worsen. In the past 
12 months, more than

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1.7 million people have been caught trying to enter the United States 
illegally.
  Madam Speaker, the Biden administration can ignore these inconvenient 
truths all they want. Do you know who is noticing? The American people 
are noticing. These are the same people who are working every day, the 
people driving our economy forward in spite of President Biden stacking 
the odds against them.
  Madam Speaker, be assured when Republicans regain the majority in the 
House, we will continue tackling these challenges by getting government 
out of the way, restoring our God-given freedoms, and ensuring 
Americans keep more of their hard-earned money.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Lesko), one of the true border states 
that sees all of these crises firsthand.
  Mrs. LESKO. Madam Speaker, well, it has been one year since President 
Biden and the Democrats have had complete control of running our 
country.

                              {time}  1445

  They have the House, the Senate, and the Presidency.
  And what have they accomplished in this 1 year?
  Inflation has gone through the roof--a 40-year high. Gas prices are 
up. Grocery prices are up. The utilities costs have gone up. The border 
is wide-open with sex trafficking, human trafficking, and fentanyl 
flooding across our border.
  COVID deaths are higher than they have ever been before.
  Madam Speaker, do you know those long lines that you see of Americans 
waiting in line for COVID tests?
  Well, guess what, Madam Speaker?
  The Biden administration diverted over $2 billion that was meant for 
those testing of COVID and for medical supplies and diverted it to 
house illegal immigrants.
  Don't be surprised or mistaken, but it is the Democrat policies that 
have caused these problems.
  And what are the Democrats doing now while the country is going down 
the tubes?
  They are pushing election laws, election laws where they want to rig 
elections to their favor and fund their own elections. This is 
insanity.
  I hope my Democratic colleagues will work together with us to solve 
the problems that are facing Americans today.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for her so 
well-said remarks.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kansas, (Mr. Mann).
  Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Louisiana 
for hosting this today. There are a lot of things to talk about for a 
year. We could talk about immigration. We could talk about inflation. 
We could talk about crime. And we could talk about Afghanistan. The 
list goes on and on.
  But I want to talk for a little bit today about trade and 
specifically our relationship with China.
  I rise today to call the Biden administration to action regarding our 
trade partnership, or lack thereof, with China.
  China has proven to be a bad faith negotiator, and they are using the 
United States as a doormat. Our country made a deal with China 2 years 
ago on January 15, 2020, and China has failed to live up to their end 
of the bargain by a long shot. As part of this deal, China committed to 
importing $36 billion of U.S. agriculture products in 2020 and 2021 
combined, but they have fallen short by nearly $7 billion. China sold 
American farmers a bill of goods, and the Biden administration has made 
no effort to rectify this egregious situation.
  Now that phase one is expiring, farmers and ranchers are frustrated 
to say the least. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, in a feeble effort to 
reassure us, said:

       Ambassador Tai, our U.S. Trade Representative, continues to 
     converse with China about the necessity of living up totally 
     and completely to the phase one trade agreement, making up 
     their deficit over the course of the next several years.

  This is completely unacceptable. The next several years was never 
part of this deal, which is not a complex one. China said that they 
would purchase a certain amount of agricultural goods, and they have 
fallen short by a margin that suggests that they never intended to live 
up to their end of the deal in the first place.
  Again, we have not seen any effort from this administration on behalf 
of farmers, which is why I am standing here today to state the 
obvious--the United States must either force China to comply with their 
end of the agreement or punish them for failing to do so. That is how 
deals work. At the very least, we need to see this administration 
developing a new, comprehensive, realistic deal to collect the deficit. 
The time for conversations already took place long before the deal was 
signed January 15, 2020, when China signed the deal.
  This administration at year end needs to step up and defend our 
farmers, our ranchers, and our country from being financially 
manipulated by China--yet another unnecessary crisis.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
that plain talk from Kansas.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill), who 
is one of the brightest and most respected Members of Congress.
  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, if the Biden administration were a new TV 
show streaming on Netflix or HBO, it clearly would have been canceled 
after the end of the first season.
  On this anniversary of Mr. Biden's failed first year, I call 
attention to the crisis at the Southwest border, a crisis which 
President Biden and the Democrats have continuously chosen to turn a 
blind eye to. In just 1 year, over 1.7 million illegal immigrants have 
been apprehended at the border--an all-time high.
  President Trump spent 4 years fighting to secure our border by 
enacting policies to keep Americans--especially in our communities 
along the border--safe. After less than a month in office, President 
Biden revoked the Trump-era border policies and replaced them, Madam 
Speaker, with what?
  Absolutely nothing.
  In April, 3 months after Joe Biden took office and 2 months after 
these policies were rescinded, I made my seventh trip to the Southwest 
border. During that visit, I witnessed the most unstable conditions 
that I have seen since coming to Congress. I immediately called on 
President Biden then to reinstate the Trump-era policies that were 
working along our border.
  Finally, just a few weeks ago in December, it was announced that 
President Biden planned to re-implement President Trump's Remain in 
Mexico policy. But, Madam Speaker, we need action, not talk. President 
Biden should visit the border and talk to the communities there. 
President Biden should fire his Homeland Security Secretary who is not 
getting the job done.
  So in this first failed year, President Biden has neglected our 
Southwest border. That neglect is evident with deteriorating 
conditions, apprehensions at an all-time high, and record amounts of 
illegal drugs pouring across our open border and poisoning 
our families.

  Americans deserve better. Americans deserve a secure border, and 
Americans deserve leadership.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, Americans do deserve so much 
better.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim).
  Mrs. KIM of California. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Johnson for 
yielding.
  Madam Speaker, 1 year ago, I joined several of my colleagues--
especially the freshman Republican colleagues--in a letter to President 
Biden showing our willingness to work with him on behalf of the 
American people and to bridge the partisan gridlock, because our 
President's success is our Nation's success.
  While I am proud that 1 year later I have been able to get 12 
bipartisan bills out of the House and four signed into law, I am 
disappointed that the policies from the Biden administration encourage 
more division, more Federal spending, and more crises hurting American 
workers, families, and small businesses as we continue through the 
COVID-19 pandemic.
  Inflation is at a 40-year high, driving up prices everywhere from the 
grocery store to prices at the gas pump. We have record high numbers of 
migrants and illicit drugs at our southern border

[[Page H245]]

straining our resources and empowering drug cartels. Our disastrous 
withdrawal from Afghanistan resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. 
servicemembers, and we still have left the lives of Americans and our 
allies and military arsenal in the hands of the Taliban.
  In the latest edition of partisan politics last week, one of my 
bipartisan bills was taken over and instead became over 700 pages of 
nationalizing elections and letting public funds be used for political 
campaigns.
  I will keep working through this gridlock, sticking to my 
conservative policies and principles and fighting back against Big 
Government and big spending policies.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. I thank the gentlewoman for her principled 
leadership. It has been effective, and we are grateful she is here.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the State of Texas (Mr. 
Weber).
  Mr. WEBER of Texas. Madam Speaker, tomorrow, January 20, 2022, is a 
day that will live in infamy and marks 1 year since Joe Biden was sworn 
in as President.
  I remember saying: This is the most important election of our 
lifetime.
  Unfortunately, I was right.
  In 1 year--under one-party rule and in just 1 year--it has been one 
huge, continuing debacle and crisis.
  We went from energy independence to energy crisis, Madam Speaker; 
from a rebounding economy to the highest inflation in 40 years; from 
international peace through strength to increased tensions with our 
greatest adversaries; and might I add, losing the confidence of our 
allies.
  We went, Madam Speaker, from border security to 2 million illegal 
alien crossings; from the end of the pandemic to the never-ending 
pandemic, particularly with unconstitutional mandates.
  What is the cause?
  One Democrat disaster after another, and Americans are losing faith 
not only with the performance of the current administration, but also 
with our governmental agencies: the FBI, the DOJ, and the CDC. You name 
it. The list is endless.
  Democrats are showing who they are: Socialists, police defunders, 
open border advocates, and anti-parents who just want a say in their 
child's schooling. Is that too much to ask?
  That is what Democrats are. This is their brand, and that Democrat 
brand, I might add, is a disaster. We Republicans need to point it out 
every day in every way.
  So to my Republican colleagues I say, let's go brand `em.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Brand `em. I like it.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. 
Miller), who is another very effective legislator.
  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank the Congressman for 
hosting this Special Order.
  Madam Speaker, Americans have experienced whiplash this past year as 
the Biden administration has spun us from the America first agenda to 
America last.
  We watched in horror as the Taliban released thousands of al-Qaida, 
ISIS, and Taliban prisoners from the prison at Bagram Air Base. Our 
servicemembers bravely sacrificed to capture those terrorists, and the 
Biden administration allowed them to be released. One of the ISIS-K 
prisoners led the bombing that killed our 13 servicemembers.
  Biden's failure in Afghanistan led to the surrender of tens of 
billions of dollars in U.S. military equipment to the Taliban. Military 
equipment paid for by U.S. taxpayers will now be used against America 
because of President Biden. As Afghanistan fell, President Biden 
disappeared, first to Camp David and then to Delaware.
  His Cabinet refused to brief the American people directly and instead 
sent spokesmen. Additionally, the Defense Secretary refused to testify 
before Congress.
  The Biden administration then flew an estimated 78,000 Afghan 
nationals to American soil and then lied to the American people about 
the vetting process they were using to ensure that no ISIS, al-Qaida, 
or Taliban terrorists were brought to our shores.
  To this day, no one in the Biden administration has been held 
responsible for the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan or for the 
lies that were told to the American people, and no one has been fired 
or resigned.
  Madam Speaker, who will be fired?
  Who is resigning?
  The American people deserve accountability. China, our enemy, has 
watched all of this unfold; and, sadly, our children and grandchildren 
will pay the price of Biden's incompetence.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, the gentlewoman's remarks 
are well-said.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of 
Georgia (Mr. Carter). Georgia is the home of the new national 
championship football team.

  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding and for hosting this Special Order.
  Madam Speaker, Joe Biden's first year in office has exceeded all 
expectations. In 365 short days, Joe Biden has managed to inflict an 
entire term of pain and hardship on the American people. Grocery store 
shelves are empty. Prices are up 7 percent nationwide. Gas costs $1 
more per gallon today than it did when Biden took office. Americans 
lost the equivalent of two paychecks last year, and Biden has failed to 
add one single job from our 2019 high.
  Madam Speaker, only one thing has gone down in price during this 
administration, and that is the price of fentanyl. That is the price of 
fentanyl because of the fentanyl that is coming across the southern 
border.
  Washington Democrats were counting on Joe Biden to socialize our 
economy, and, boy, did he deliver. His administration caved to teachers 
unions, putting the wants of liberal elites ahead of the needs of our 
children who are desperate for high quality, in-person learning.
  Domestic terrorists--that is how this administration labeled parents 
who want better for their children than virtual learning. It is 
despicable.
  He caved to Russia, gutting the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day 
in office but allowing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to push ahead 
virtually unchecked.
  He caved to Fauci, who kept his job despite lying to Congress about 
gain-of-function research.
  Do you know who isn't caving, Madam Speaker?
  Senator Manchin, the Supreme Court, and Republicans across the Nation 
who are fed up with this administration's singular focus on stripping 
rights and opportunities away from Americans. This administration has 
more than earned its 33 percent approval rating, and I hope, for the 
sake of our country, that the next 3 years are nothing like the one we 
have just endured.

                              {time}  1500

  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I am happy to yield to the 
gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Spartz), one of the smartest and hardest 
working Members of Congress.
  Mrs. SPARTZ. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding. I know 
that we have talked a lot about different crises, and we do have a lot 
of different crises. We have an economic crisis. We have an inflation 
crisis. We have an energy cost crisis. We have a supply chain crisis. 
We have an education crisis. We have a crime crisis. We have a COVID 
response crisis. We have a healthcare crisis. We have a foreign 
relations and security crisis. We have a freedom of speech crisis. We 
have a centralized government and infringement on our rights crisis.
  There is one crisis that is very disturbing and concerning to me as a 
naturalized American who immigrated to this great country. I went to 
the border three times, and what I saw was lawlessness; its issue of 
national security, its anarchy, and it is a crisis that has posed a 
risk to our sovereignty as a nation.
  We can see what has happened in the country. Drug cartels are 
controlling the border. They control drug trafficking and are making 
billions from that. We have the highest deaths from overdoses in our 
country that ever existed. Our kids are dying, and they are making a 
lot of money. The border is open. No one can control it. It poses risks 
to our national security.
  I hope for us all as Americans who care about our country, that our 
President at least starts dealing with this crisis because it is a 
serious issue, and

[[Page H246]]

we cannot disregard national security of the greatest country that ever 
existed on Earth and put our people at risk.
  It is our responsibility as Representatives for this Republic to 
stand up, regardless of party affiliations, and raise the issues, and 
we owe a duty to the American people.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
her comments.
  Madam Speaker, what my colleagues have illustrated here in this 
Special Order is the crisis that we have in this country. We are on the 
anniversary now of 1 year of far-left Democratic rule in Washington. We 
have a unified government. The far-left Democrats are in charge of the 
White House and both Houses of Congress. Elections have consequences. 
The American people can see it for themselves. Every poll across this 
country shows us. They know that it is crisis upon crisis upon crisis.
  You have heard my colleagues illustrate so many of those here this 
afternoon. If we had hours upon hours we could continue all night.
  The economic crisis last year: Inflation cost the average worker 
nearly two paychecks.
  An energy crisis: The national average for a gallon of gas rose 49.6 
percent for the year.
  A border crisis: Because of the Democrats' open border policies, 
every State is now a border State.
  An education crisis: President Biden promised to reopen schools in 
his first 100 days but his administration secretly worked with 
teachers' unions to keep the schools closed and label parents as 
domestic terrorists.
  A crime crisis: Over a dozen U.S. cities had a record-high homicide 
rate in 2021.
  A COVID crisis: Although President Biden promised to shut down the 
virus, many Americans continue to struggle to find tests, and, of 
course, many schools remain closed because of this.
  A national security crisis: Because of President Biden's weakness on 
the world stage, our adversaries in Beijing, Tehran, and Moscow are 
stronger today and they are in power.
  We could go on and on and on. I am out of time, Madam Speaker, but I 
will just point out again, the latest poll that was released just this 
morning didn't look at just numbers. They asked the American people to 
give a letter grade to the President. Thirty percent of Americans give 
the President an F, a failing grade, and more Americans give him an F 
than give him an A or a B. This is a failed Presidency. These are 
failed policies. We are living under the crises that they have created. 
It is time for this to come to an end.
  We are grateful to the American people for recognizing this, and we 
look forward to bringing our solutions to bear at the election cycle 
this fall.
  Madam Speaker, our Special Order hour has concluded, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the President.

                          ____________________