[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 17, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H178-H182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CHOOSING LIFE
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ciscomani). Under the Speaker's
announced policy of January 9, 2023, the gentleman from Utah (Mr.
Moore) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority
leader.
General Leave
Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of this Special
Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Utah?
There was no objection.
Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, this week, House Republicans are
doing important work to support pregnant women and mothers. As
thousands of people across the Nation join together this week to
promote their pro-life cause, we are grateful for the chance to do our
part on the legislative level and bring two critical bills to the
floor, the Pregnant Students' Rights Act and the Supporting Pregnant
and Parenting Women and Families Act.
We are also continuing to hold the Biden administration accountable
for their policy failures at the southern border. Time and time again
we are up here talking about this. We are visiting the border. We are,
as the House GOP, intently focused on making some what should be very
simple fixes to be able to reduce the ability for the cartels to run
the border and to set so many people up for failure with this entire
topic. We are going to continue to sound this alarm.
Since President Biden has taken office, there have been 8 million
illegal crossings nationwide and over 6.7 million encounters at the
southern border. It is unacceptable, and we just passed a resolution
denouncing the administration's open border policies that are
threatening the safety of our communities.
These are important items and important legislative topics. We have
several colleagues of mine here to share their thoughts on this
approach.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Smith) for
the first remarks of the evening.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. Moore
of Utah, for his efforts here today and certainly to all of my
colleagues for having an exchange and conversation that I think is
vital for our country.
It is important that we always examine what is taking place across
America, what is appropriate for the Federal Government to do, not to
do, and how best to do what is good for the American people within
certainly the Constitution and its parameters.
There is a program called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families,
TANF. Many caseworkers across America are familiar with TANF, and
beneficiaries are, as well.
As far as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, it has come about
that the administration is excluding various women in need of care for
their pregnancy if they seek care or conversations within the delivery
method of a pregnancy center. I find this disturbing.
I have been inspired, actually, by the work that these pregnancy
centers do in meeting the needs of women. If a woman finds herself in a
crisis pregnancy, if they present information and they ultimately offer
care and a friendship, if you will, to a person in need to make
decisions in their interests, certainly the interests of a little one,
then the administration excludes this care.
I think it is important to note that it is one thing to be pro-life
and it is quite another to make sure that a child is cared for and
receives what they need for nourishment and care, hopefully with the
mother and hopefully, with the father, as well.
As we sort out all of these policies that we see coming and going
here through this institution and through Congress in general, I think
it is vital that we certainly uphold the purposes of Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families in making sure that those in need receive
the resources that they need and that they would select.
I would say that the administration's policies of excluding pregnancy
centers is actually restricting a young mother, a prospective mother,
from information and approaches that they would prefer to have.
So as we look at all of TANF and Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families, I hope that given the fact that we allow States much latitude
in carrying out what they think they need to do with these tax dollars
that flow through the Federal Government but ultimately from taxpayers,
I think it is absolutely incumbent upon us to make sure that those
dollars end up where they need to go and can be expected to make a
positive difference.
This is a very reasonable proposition.
As a Federal policymaker, as these dollars flow out across America, I
believe that we would expect those dollars to be wisely spent.
For the critics of pregnancy centers, I urge all of them to visit a
pregnancy center themselves. These pregnancy centers exist all across
America in communities small and large. I have been very impressed
hearing from the clients themselves of how they appreciated the care
that they found through the pregnancy centers and that they had someone
to walk with them through a very difficult moment in life, perhaps, and
also taking a difficult moment in life and realizing that that can
become a very triumphant moment, as well.
[[Page H179]]
I certainly urge my colleagues to support our legislation later this
week so that pregnant women will have access to information that they
would select themselves and that we can honor those options that these
expectant mothers should have along the way and that the Federal
Government would not stand in the way of an expectant mother receiving
information and the care that they would choose to have.
Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague, Mr. Moore of Utah, for holding
this Special Order that I think is vital for our country and certainly
vital to the future of America.
Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I joined the gentleman last week at
our legislative markup on this exact topic. The point we were trying to
make is in this situation, particularly with TANF dollars, we need to
be able to provide more care and stretch those dollars to support as
many situations as possible.
This is an unneeded rule. It is targeted at groups that are trying to
do right by their communities and support women going through very
difficult situations as best as they can.
So continuing, as we have been doing these Special Orders, Mr.
Speaker, we have had an overwhelming number of individuals,
particularly from Texas, as the border issue continues to just rage on
affecting those communities acutely, and other States are becoming a
border State because of it.
Our Representatives from Texas are so passionate about this issue.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the 14th District of Texas
(Mr. Weber) to give a message on both the border and a pro-life
message.
Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
I am going to start with what it means when we talk about being pro-
life.
Mr. Speaker, let this sink in: 65,464,760 precious babies have been
killed in abortions since Roe v. Wade in 1973.
Mr. Speaker, I have three children, eight grandchildren, and even a
great-granddaughter.
As a Christian and as a father of those three children and a
grandfather of those eight, the issue of abortion is extremely personal
to me. Every single unborn child is a human life wonderfully made and
worth protecting.
I can tell you from experience, Mr. Speaker, that the joy that
children bring into the world is unparalleled. They are a gift from God
that He gives to all of us. We need to look no further than Jeremiah
1:5 to know God's love for each child: ``Before I formed you in the
womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart.''
In Deuteronomy 30:19, we are called to choose life. Moses is laying
out for the Israelites the blessings of obedience and the curses of
disobedience.
He says in Deuteronomy 30:19 that we are called to choose life.
``I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing:
Therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live.''
Mr. Speaker, when we are choosing the death of an unborn child by
abortion, then our unborn seed is not living.
Our great Nation has carried this belief in and respect for life from
the very moment of our founding. Our forefathers noted that we are
endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights. Life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness are granted to each of us, assuming we
have the chance to begin living that life, yet, our society seems to
struggle with that simple proposition.
{time} 1745
Life allows for liberty and liberty allows for the pursuit of
happiness. Without the fundamental right to life, our society begins to
look vastly different. Without the fundamental right to life, we have
neither liberty nor happiness.
Then on June 24, 2022, after almost 50 years of living--many of us
would say dying--under the tragically unconstitutional Roe v. Wade
decision, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. What a victory. The
voiceless, once again, finally have a voice.
As thousands prepare to stand for life in our Nation's Capital, my
Republican colleagues and I continue our fight for life by voting for
the Pregnant Students' Rights Act and the Supporting Pregnant and
Parenting Women and Families Act.
I will always, always, Mr. Speaker, stand up and protect life.
Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is exactly correct. In Texas, the border
is important to us.
Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely no secret that the Biden administration
has purposefully and willfully destroyed over 100 years of immigration
policy, resulting in 8-million-plus illegal crossings since Joe Biden
took office.
Mr. Speaker, I have been visiting the Texas border since my time in
the Texas State House back in 2009. I was vice chair of the border
committee my second term there. I got back from the border earlier this
month, and I am heading back to the border soon.
What we are witnessing now is the worst I have ever seen. It is the
worst that the Border Patrol agents and the Texas law enforcement
officers have ever seen. They told us that in person.
Mr. Speaker, Joe Biden is responsible for creating the policies that
are encouraging illegal immigration and he will not work in good faith
with Republicans to fix the problem he created.
Mr. Speaker, we passed a border bill, H.R. 2, strong legislation to
secure the American border. We passed that over 6 months ago. Just in
the Border Patrol's Del Rio sector, we are seeing folks come across
from countries like Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and China just to
name a few, and over 300 documented cases of smuggling since October.
How many terrorists on 9/11 took down the World Trade Center?
Nineteen.
Now we can identify a whole lot more terrorists coming in--300
documented cases of smuggling, as I said, since October. The weekly
revenue for illicit human smuggling--let this sink in--$30 million a
week. That is $120 million a month in the Del Rio sector alone, Mr.
Speaker.
These are the people that Joe Biden is encouraging and enticing to
come into our communities. We don't even know their background.
Therefore, I can't say with confidence that we trust the Biden
administration to perform due process, as he calls it, in processing
illegal aliens before releasing them into our communities, into our
States, and into our Nation.
This administration has a deliberate strategy to keep the border open
and to continue the chaos, but Texas has had enough. Americans have had
enough. Republicans are united to do whatever it takes to secure our
southern border.
It is so simple, Mr. Speaker. All that the Biden administration needs
to do to deter illegals and stop this crisis is to actually enforce
laws already on the books.
Unfortunately, it has become painfully clear that President Biden
prefers, instead, for 8 million or more illegal aliens to resettle in
all 50 States and play a cynically partisan role in the future of
American life by trying to make Democrats a permanent majority, or so
they think.
They refuse to acknowledge what we understand so clearly, Mr.
Speaker: it is simply that Americans of all stripes, all walks, all
persuasions want a secure border.
The American people want these four things: End catch and release,
Mr. President; build the wall, Mr. President; cease abuse of parole
authority; reinstate remain in Mexico, Mr. President. It is just that
simple. Secure the border, President Joe Biden.
Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for
his comments. I echo his sentiment of how simple and best it can be for
the American people. It is just baffling that we can't have the
administration understand this. I appreciate so many credible Members
coming down and sharing their message from their own districts.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas' 36th District,
Representative Brian Babin.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I very much thank my good friend from Utah
for yielding me the time.
Mr. Speaker, in all the years of my life, never would I ever have
imagined that I would witness an American President using every
resource available to him to unravel American national security, but
that is our reality.
Since Joe Biden's very first day in office, the American people have
watched him repeatedly and deliberately turn a blind eye to the border
crisis unfolding down at our southern border and even up in our
northern border.
As a result of his negligence, millions and millions of illegal
aliens, including
[[Page H180]]
cartel members, terror suspects, human traffickers, deadly drugs,
illicit weapons, and more, much more, have been allowed to enter the
Nation freely with fatal results for tens of thousands of American
citizens, and even the migrants themselves.
Monthly illegal alien apprehension all-time records have been set and
then broken under this administration, which is by the Department of
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' own admission,
releasing upwards of 85 percent of those unlawfully crossing the border
into the interior of the U.S.--85 percent of those apprehended at the
border are released into the country.
More than 242,400 illegals were encountered crossing the southern
border last November, a 236 percent increase from November 2020,
roughly the population of Scottsdale, Arizona.
I would give an appropriate metaphor for December's historic border
apprehensions, which reportedly have surpassed 302,000, but the
administration has yet to make those public.
Knowing this, the President and his cronies would still have us
believe that the southern border is somehow secure, which leads me to
think that either they do not know the definition of the word
``secure,'' or they think the American people are stupid.
My bet is on the latter, especially when you look at the dramatic dip
in illegal border crossings this month. We were at the border 2 weeks
ago with our Speaker and inexplicably before we got there, numbers had
dropped mysteriously.
The White House would most likely have you believe that this decline
in daily border encounters is the outcome of policy change, but
Americans are not stupid.
This is nothing more than another facade to fool the public into
thinking that the left has finally come to its senses on border
security. Don't fall for it. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Whatever backhanded deal this administration has suddenly made with
Mexico for a temporary period of time has nothing to do with your
safety and everything to do with the optics surrounding a particular
event taking place this November, a certain national election.
The only way to end this border crisis is to implement policies that
stop incentivizing illegal immigration by finishing the border wall, by
ending catch and release, by closing asylum loopholes, by blocking the
exploitation of the Department of Homeland Security's CBP One app,
restoring interior enforcement, and more. These are all policies that
this administration and congressional Democrats clearly have no
intention of doing on a permanent basis whatsoever.
I could go on and on, but the bottom line is this: The fate of
America's sovereignty and very existence rests with its people, whose
votes this November will make that determination of whether America
survives as we know it; as the great beacon of freedom shining on the
hill for the rest of the world to see and emulate.
I will never falter. I will continue working to close the southern
border and hold this administration to account.
Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for
his very clear message on navigating solving this issue.
Again, I reiterate: There are simple policy fixes that would take off
an enormous amount of strain at our southern border. We have got the
data to show that these policies are effective. I don't want to
oversimplify it because I know this is Congress, but the immediate
fixes can be so simple, and we have to quit empowering the cartels to
put people in these situations.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the Sixth District of
Tennessee, Representative John Rose.
Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah, Vice Chairman
Moore, for yielding and for claiming time this evening to discuss these
important issues facing our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, Tennesseans across the State will travel to Washington
to March for Life in our Nation's Capital later this week. I have had
the opportunity to meet many of these people at various pro-life events
throughout the years.
As they make the trek, I want them to know that this week, House
Republicans are standing up for life on the House floor. Thanks to
Republican leadership, the House will consider two pieces of pro-life
legislation--the Pregnant Students' Rights Act and the Supporting
Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act.
Both bills are important steps toward ensuring that every child has
the right to live and is protected. The Pregnant Students' Rights Act
would require colleges and universities to disperse information to both
prospective and enrolled students on the rights and resources available
for pregnant students.
Too often, college students make the irreversible decision to have an
abortion because they are unaware of resources that would support an
alternative decision. This bill ensures that they have important
information on their options and rights while pregnant.
The Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act would
block an out-of-touch, proposed Biden administration rule that could
prohibit States from giving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or
TANF, funds to pregnancy centers that support the life of both the
mother and the unborn child.
Pregnancy resource centers provide miracles for children and mothers
seeking assistance with pregnancy and raising a child. The last thing
the Biden administration should be doing is implementing rules that
discourage their use.
These bills are in addition to steps House Republicans have already
taken to protect the sanctity of life, like passing the Born-Alive
Abortion Survivors Protection Act and a resolution supporting crisis
pro-life organizations that have been attacked, like the one in recent
years in Nashville.
I was honored to speak in support of this resolution when it was
brought to the floor last year and I was a proud cosponsor of the Born-
Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.
{time} 1800
Just because Roe v. Wade was overturned does not mean our work
fighting for the right to life for all children is over. In fact, our
work has just begun. As a pro-life father of two young sons, Guy and
Sam, I will always stand for the right to life.
Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Rose for his heartfelt
message on a very important week for this particular topic.
I yield to the gentleman from the Second District of South Carolina
(Mr. Wilson), my former colleague on defense matters extraordinaire. I
appreciate all his work in that regard.
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, we all appreciate the
great work and leadership of Congressman Moore of Utah, as he is
conducting tonight's Special Order.
As the anniversary approaches for the 1973 infamous Supreme Court
ruling Roe v. Wade, I was grateful to attend Proudly Pro-Life events at
the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia 2 weeks ago supporting
mothers and children.
As part of that weekend, I joined South Carolina Lieutenant Governor
Pamela Evette, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, State
Senator Mike Reichenbach of Florence, and other State leaders for the
50th March for Life. The march began at Russell House on the University
of South Carolina campus, and a rally began on the statehouse grounds.
It was well attended by many supporters despite very cold weather.
Founded by South Carolina Citizens for Life in 1974, the group is a
State affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee, the largest
single issue right-to-life organization in the Nation. It exists solely
to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted
suicide, and euthanasia while supporting mother and child.
Courageous leaders in South Carolina are Holly Gatling, Lisa Van
Riper, and Sally Zaleski. I am grateful that my eldest grandson,
Addison Wilson III, several years ago participated in a National Right
to Life March with classmates of the Holy Trinity Classical Christian
School of Beaufort, South Carolina.
Through the legal and peaceful means of education, legislation, and
political action, South Carolina Citizens for Life works to restore the
right
[[Page H181]]
to life of the preborn and to protect the lives of medically vulnerable
individuals, including elderly, disabled, mentally ill, chronically
ill, and terminally ill persons.
After the U.S. Supreme Court correctly overturned Roe v. Wade, State
legislatures have become the determiners of abortion access. South
Carolina, with strong bipartisan support in the General Assembly, is a
right-to-life State. Additionally, South Carolina is upholding the
State's ban on abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, as
interpreted by the South Carolina Supreme Court.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, in a statement, welcomed
the decision saying: ``The right to life is foremost and absolutely
must be protected and prioritized.''
This law protects life by prohibiting abortions after a fetal
heartbeat has been detected with exceptions for rape or incest during
the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, medical emergencies, or fatal fetal
anomalies.
Upon signing the bill into law, Governor Henry McMaster said: ``This
is a great day for life in South Carolina, but the fight is not over.
We stand ready to defend this legislation against all challenges and
are confident we will succeed. The right to life must be preserved, and
we will do everything we can to protect it.''
It is sad that Biden has abandoned his pro-life position to export
extremist, radical, murderous abortion of babies up to the time of
birth. This is infanticide, killing viable babies, which is condemned
across the world except in dictatorial China and dictatorial North
Korea.
In conclusion, God bless our troops, who have protected America for
20 years since the 9/11 attacks. Sadly, currently, due to the
appeasement in Afghanistan, the global war on terrorism continues with
Afghanistan as a safe haven for terrorists to bring more attacks to
America with Biden open borders. All Americans must be alerted that
terrorist attacks could be imminent and are imminent in America, as
warned by the FBI.
Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate Mr. Wilson's message
during this very important week.
I yield to the gentleman from the First District of California (Mr.
LaMalfa).
Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate Mr. Moore's leading us here
tonight. Indeed, a lot of important issues, but we know January is
typically a month of action for people who believe in being pro-life or
those who are pro-abortion.
As we know, January of 1973 is when the Roe v. Wade decision was
arbitrarily legislated by the Supreme Court, I believe by a vote of 7-
2, to somehow make abortion a law instead of leaving that up to State
legislators.
Well, that was overturned after many, many years. It is now in the
hands of legislators to actually do the legislating and search their
souls on whether they think an unborn baby is actually a life or
something else.
Many people have stood up around this country to have their voices
heard on the wrongness of that decision, and you find that in rallies
and marches like happened all over the country and happened right here
in D.C. in January. People have certainly made their voices heard, and
I think it was successful in a Court that actually decided to interpret
the Constitution.
Science supports the idea that life begins at conception. We know as
early as 5 weeks in the womb, babies have a heartbeat. Some States,
some jurisdictions are deciding that would be the point at least to
start and acknowledge it is a life.
Their brain and circulatory systems are beginning to develop at 10
weeks in the womb. They have arms, legs, fingers and toes. They can
jump and kick if startled.
At 15 weeks in the womb, babies have fully developed hearts and can
taste, yawn, and hiccup. By this time, their brain is developed enough
to feel and respond to pain. That is why we have seen pain-capable
legislation at that level.
If this isn't life, then what is?
Thanks to advances in modern medicine and science, the humanity of a
child in the womb is undeniable if it wasn't already common sensibly,
and denying this reality undermines the very foundation of our ethical
principles of science. Trust the science, we hear in other quarters.
I believe that each one of these innocent souls was created by God in
his divine vision and that we must stand up against the left's radical,
extreme, and immoral abortion agenda that wants to allow for
discriminatory abortions at any point in a pregnancy, even on the basis
of a baby's sex, race, and disability, even including late-term
abortions for babies that would be able to survive perfectly fine
outside of the womb, which that number is moving lower and lower in the
number of weeks in which they have viability.
We must uphold the value, dignity, and potential for every person's
life. Choosing life also means protecting women's health and their
families. Yes, protecting health doesn't necessarily mean abortions
that you would hear on the left because there are side effects that can
affect the woman, as well.
This week, the House is considering two pro-life bills aimed at
supporting expectant mothers, helping them choose life. H.R. 6918, the
Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act would strike
down the Department of Health and Human Services' proposed rule that
would prohibit funding for pregnancy centers.
It speaks volumes that the Biden administration wants our tax dollars
to go toward abortion but not pregnancy centers which provide
invaluable services and resources to expectant mothers who want to keep
their children. They provide both sides of the story to a prospective
mother.
I have visited these centers before and seen the good work, the good
cheer, the good attitude they have on actually helping a woman in a
difficult decision to have all the facts, so that all the facts are
known. They provide pregnancy counseling and information about
pregnancy, offering free pregnancy testing and sometimes even clothing
and supplies for the newborns.
The other bill, H.R. 6914, the Pregnant Students' Rights Act,
requires higher-education institutions to provide prospective and
enrolled pregnant students with a list of nearby resources for new and
expectant mothers, as well as available accommodations on campus.
Indeed, both sides of the story, not just the abortion one.
The bill is critical to ensure that mothers don't have to give up
their education and can further their careers while, indeed, starting a
family. Being pro-life means supporting initiatives that provide
resources for pregnant women, promoting adoption as a loving option,
and advocating for policies that protect the unborn, humans.
Abortion is a gruesome act that destroys families, harms women's
health, and murders the innocent. I will fight for the unborn, the
sanctity of life, and traditional family values because I think that is
the right way to be in the eyes of God.
Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the message of the
gentleman from California, particularly during this week again.
Finally, I yield to the gentleman from the Fourth District of Florida
(Mr. Bean) for a special message.
Mr. BEAN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, this is a great week to honor life,
but what about the secret to life? Most people spend their whole lives
chasing the secret to life, but Chris Bryan figured it out early:
Family, community, and caring about others.
I rise today to honor the meaningful life of Christina ``Chris''
Bryan. If you called her Christina, then you were a salesman from out
of town. A true friend and long-time mentor of mine, Chris Bryan was a
shining example of everything wonderful about northeast Florida.
Throughout her life, she wholeheartedly invested in her family and
friends and embodied the virtues of service, grit, determination, and
generosity.
Born and raised in Fernandina Beach, Chris was a pillar of our
community for the better part of a century. Chris dedicated her life to
service. She was a key member of so many community organizations,
including the Gator Booster Board of Directors, the YMCA, the Baptist
Medical Center Nassau Board, the Fernandina Beach High School
Foundation, the Nassau County Council on Aging. Chris was also involved
heavily at the Memorial United Methodist Church.
Just speaking from experience, Mr. Speaker--you may know this--I do
[[Page H182]]
charity auctions and have done a ton. One of my secrets to raising a
lot of money was having Chris and the Bryan family in the audience
because I knew if she and they were there, it was going to be a big
night for the charity because of her unmatched generosity.
Although she made countless contributions to these organizations,
many as a founder, her true legacy is the beautiful family she leaves
behind. She is survived by her loving husband of 53 years, Bill Bryan;
their daughters, Amy and Ginny; Ginny's husband, Heyward; and their
grandchildren, Heyward and Liz. I am told they had a wonderful
Christmas Eve this year. She and Bill cooked and spent the evening
listening to her family talking about what was going on in their lives
and letting her family know how much they were loved and cared for.
We knew she was sick, but she was so positive in her treatment that
few knew just how sick she was. She passed away peacefully at the age
of 78, and I am devastated about her passing. Chris put her family and
her community and friends first. She forged strong bonds with those
around her, and that is the reason why it is so hard to say good-bye. I
count myself blessed and lucky to have called her a friend. I take
heart in knowing that she is in a much better place, suffering no more.
Revelation 21:4 says:
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death
shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning nor
crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed
away.
Mr. Speaker, I am honored to ask my colleagues to join me in
celebrating the radiant life of Chris Bryan.
Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. Every one of
our constituents, the people who we serve deserve that type of
attention. I appreciate you for highlighting the wonderful life that
she lived.
Mr. Speaker, I will wrap up briefly just by saying House Republicans
have an incredible focus this week, keeping the focus on finding the
solutions needed at the border and pressuring and pleading with
President Biden to just take a look at what has been done in the past.
We have got policies that existed in the previous administration that
worked, and they limited border activity and cartel activity. These
things are simple, and we need them reinstated. Embracing these things
is what the American people need.
Lastly, we have got very important bills on the floor this week
related to supporting women, parents, and babies, as women make
incredibly tough choices, finding the support they need in various
ways, whether they are in school, whether they are in their community,
whether they are working, whatever the circumstance may be. These
children need a chance to have every opportunity they deserve. We are
focused on building out sound legislation that addresses that this
week.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for sharing their messages, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their remarks
to the Chair and not to a perceived viewing audience.
____________________