[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 82 (Tuesday, May 16, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H2355]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL POLICE WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Cline) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, America's law enforcement officers are the 
best among us.
  As we celebrate National Police Week this week, I am proud to join my 
colleagues and millions of Americans in saying thank you to the brave 
men and women who wear the badge.
  Every day, law enforcement officers courageously save innocent lives, 
stop criminals, and help our communities. Yet tragically, since 1776, 
more than 26,000 police officers and sheriff's deputies have made the 
ultimate sacrifice, and in just the last 3 years alone, we have lost 
1,397 officers in the line of duty. That is 26,000 too many.
  Despite the countless sacrifices that our police officers and 
sheriff's deputies across the Nation make every day, the far left has 
pushed to defund the police for far too long, and our police and 
sheriff's officers have been under relentless attack.
  With crime running rampant in communities across the country, 
defunding and demoralizing our law enforcement has only made 
communities less safe. Unfortunately, instead of taking action to give 
law enforcement more resources and support, liberal politicians have 
doubled down on soft-on-crime policies that have gotten us into this 
mess.
  Despite this, local law enforcement officers in communities across 
Virginia's Sixth District and across our Nation go to work every day to 
protect each and every one of us, and we cannot convey our gratitude 
enough.
  This week, House Republicans will be voting on a resolution that 
expresses our continued support for law enforcement officers and 
condemns the far left's efforts to defund the police.
  We will also be voting on H.R. 2494, the POLICE Act, which will make 
assault on a law enforcement officer by an alien a deportable offense 
and important legislation that establishes a program for Federal law 
enforcement officers to purchase retired handguns at fair market value.
  Mr. Speaker, House Republicans will continue to proudly back the 
brave men and women who wear the brown and the blue across America. As 
we honor National Police Week, I urge all of my colleagues to join us 
in support by passing these bills.


               John Handley High School 100th Anniversary

  Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 100th anniversary of 
Winchester, Virginia's, own John Handley High School, an endowed public 
school located in the heart of Shenandoah Valley.
  The school's funding was launched by an 1895 grant from Judge John 
Handley--hence the school mascot, the ``Judges,'' because of Handley's 
love of the town and its people that grew through his friends and 
acquaintances--and construction followed beginning in 1922.
  Despite never having lived in Winchester, Judge Handley's generosity 
made it possible for generations of students to enhance their 
knowledge.
  More importantly, it created an environment, a culture of support, 
and appreciation for public education.
  With state-of-the-art facilities, cutting-edge academics, a dedicated 
athletic program, and an award-winning fine arts program, the John 
Handley High School truly sets itself apart. The school was even 
recently named the most beautiful high school in the Commonwealth of 
Virginia.
  Today, under the leadership of principal Susan Braithwaite, John 
Handley High School's thriving active student body and dedicated staff 
truly embody the meaning of Handley Pride.

  Congratulations to John Handley High School and all the students, 
alumni, teachers, and staff, past and present, on this incredible 
milestone, and I wish the school another 100 years of success.


                              Debt Ceiling

  Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, the greatest threat to America's economy is 
our debt crisis. Even according to former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, 
Admiral Mike Mullen, the most significant threat to America's security 
is our national debt.
  Our financial instability today has spiraled out of control because 
of President Biden and the Democrats' reckless spending to fund their 
radical agenda.
  Now our Nation faces an unsustainable $31.7 trillion in debt.
  Earlier last week, President Biden met with Speaker McCarthy and 
congressional leadership to discuss legislation to raise the debt 
ceiling, and to no one's surprise, Biden and Senate Democrats continued 
to avoid their responsibilities to negotiate.
  House Republicans have already worked toward a deal by passing a 
sensible debt ceiling bill that will limit government spending, grow 
the economy, save taxpayer dollars, and protect vital benefits.
  We have also done our job to stop the chaos at our southern border by 
passing H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act. The security of our border 
is inextricably linked to the fiscal security of our Nation.
  A recent cost estimate of the Secure the Border Act by the 
Congressional Budget Office has confirmed that Federal taxpayers are 
spending tens of billions of dollars on benefits for illegal immigrants 
like health care, nutrition, and refundable child tax credits due to 
Biden's current border policies.
  Taking into account costs at the State and local level, American 
taxpayers pay $182 billion annually for services and benefits to 
illegal immigrants.
  At the end of the day, blank government checks got us into this debt 
crisis, and a no-strings-attached debt ceiling increase will only serve 
to push our already fragile economy off the fiscal cliff.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time to act, and I urge the President to join us 
at the table.

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