[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 8, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H1343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1130
SELLING AMERICA A BILL OF GOODS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Roy) for 5 minutes.
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the ability to address a few of my
colleagues here on the floor of the House.
Mr. Speaker, I would note, though, here we are again, we are sitting
here at the precipice of the government funding running out. And I hear
all my colleagues talking about how great it is: We are going to come
up with some great, big omnibus bill. And I am hearing that from my
colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
Nobody in America wants us to plus-up more spending irresponsibly.
Nobody in America wants us to say, Oh, let's pat ourselves on the
back now. Because some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle
are saying, Well, you know what? It is time now to ban Russian oil.
It is not good enough to ban Russian oil if we are not going to open
up American oil and gas. All we are going to do is provide more money
to Venezuela, more money to Saudi, more money to Iran. But yet, that is
being touted as a victory.
And some of my colleagues on this side of the aisle are saying, Okay,
good. Oh, this is great. But my colleagues on the other side of the
aisle, they don't want any oil. They don't mind your gas being $4, $7,
$10 a gallon.
Don't get played. But my colleagues on this side of the aisle are
about to get played, and everybody back home is saying: What are you
going to do to stop vaccine mandates? Nothing. What are you going to do
to secure the border?
And my colleagues on this side of the aisle are going to say, Oh,
don't worry. We are going to give you more money for ICE, more money
for Border Patrol. But you know what that does? It makes it worse,
because you are funding the processing of people at our border, because
that is all Border Patrol and ICE are doing.
But my colleagues on this side of the aisle are going to say, Oh,
look at us. We did something for border security. It ain't true. It is
going to make it worse. And anybody who has been to the border, anybody
who talks to Border Patrol, anybody who talks to ICE, knows that is
true.
We are not going to get a vaccine mandate, we are not going to get a
secure border, and we are not going to get more oil and gas being
produced in America.
And then we are going to say, Great, let's have a vote and send more
lethal aid to Ukraine. And we are not even going to have a debate down
here about what we are doing in funding Ukraine, with Putin rolling
over Ukraine? All we are doing is backroom dealmaking, waiting for
somebody to drop a bill on the floor of the House, and then come down
and vote ``yes'' or ``no.''
That is a disgusting display by both sides of this body. We ought to
have a full and open debate on the floor of the House about what we are
doing in sending arms to Ukraine; how much we are spending; what it
means for our involvement; what it means for NATO; what it means for
stopping Putin.
And stop spending money we don't have. Stop funding tyranny. Stop
forcing Americans to get a jab or lose their job. Stop leaving the
border wide open. And stop selling the American people a bill of goods.
And I am looking directly at my party when I say that.
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