[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 40 (Monday, March 3, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            DRAINING THE SWAMP IN ORDER TO PUT AMERICA FIRST

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kentucky (Mr. Comer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I want to make it very clear to my 
constituents in Kentucky what my objectives are over the next 22 months 
of the 119th Congress.
  First of all, President Trump received an overwhelming mandate not 
just in Kentucky's First Congressional District, but all across 
Kentucky.
  The mandate was to do two major things. First of all, obviously, the 
mandate involved draining the swamp. That is what President Trump 
campaigned on; and, secondly, to pass an America First agenda.
  With respect to draining the swamp, President Trump nominated 
disrupters to lead his Cabinet and agencies, people like Kash Patel at 
the FBI; John Ratcliffe at the CIA; and RFK, Jr., at HHS.
  I was proud to support every single nominee, and I am pretty 
confident that every single nominee will win Senate confirmation, which 
has never happened before.
  With respect to passing an America First agenda, the first step in 
that was what we voted on last week, a budget reconciliation bill. I 
was proud to work with our House Oversight and Government Reform 
Committee as a major committee of jurisdiction on the budget 
reconciliation bill. We pledged to come up with $50 billion in savings 
to go along with the first real effort in the entire 8 years I have 
been in Congress by this body to actually save money and to cut 
wasteful, unnecessary expenses which is what the mandate was all about.
  This is what President Trump campaigned on not just in Kentucky but 
all across America. I pledge to continue to work with President Trump.
  Next, he has asked us to pass a continuing resolution. It is a shame 
that Congress is broken. In the entire 8 years I have been here, the 
Senate has failed to pass any individual appropriations bill, and this 
is what we have to do to be able to pass the Trump agenda with respect 
to renewing the Trump tax cuts, with respect to creating and passing 
legislation to prohibit tax on tips and tax on overtime, and all the 
new blue-collar, working-class tax cuts that President Trump campaigned 
on and received a mandate to do.
  After the mandate, draining the swamp, and passing the America First 
agenda, next is to work with DOGE. In the House Oversight and 
Government Reform Committee we created a DOGE Subcommittee. I asked 
Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia to lead that subcommittee.

  The first three hearings of that subcommittee have involved improper 
payments and looking at the USAID's mishandling of funds. The next 
hearing will be on defunding NPR and other government-funded media 
outlets.
  This is exactly what President Trump campaigned on. This is exactly 
what I talked about with my constituents when I ran for reelection last 
November. We want to look at the spending. I know there are protesters, 
there are the Indivisible groups funded by George Soros who also funded 
the Congressional Integrity Project who spent at least $2 million 
harassing me over past 2 years with banners and all the TV cameras, the 
mobile TV units that drove through rural Kentucky trying to intimidate 
me from the Biden investigation, which, by the way, ended with Joe 
Biden's last act as President of the United States to pardon his entire 
family.
  I know my friends on the other side of the aisle don't like to think 
about that, but that is a fact.
  All DOGE is wanting to do is look at spending and see if we can cut 
out unnecessary spending. I think the American taxpayers want that. We 
continue to pledge to see if we can find wasteful spending and 
eliminate it altogether.


              Recognizing Terry Forcht of the Forcht Bank

  Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Terry Forcht, 
Forcht Group of Kentucky chairman and CEO of the Forcht Bank, for an 
impressive 40 years of service and dedication to communities across the 
Commonwealth, including in the First Congressional District.
  The core banking principles of Forcht Bank are respecting the 
customer, offering competitive rates, and serving the community. Across 
Kentucky, with 23 banking centers and three loan production offices, 
Forcht Bank continues to serve Kentuckians and Bluegrass businesses.
  Mr. Forcht's role has allowed for the enhancement and visionary 
leadership of Forcht Bank to celebrate this 40th anniversary signifying 
exceptional dedication and service to Kentucky communities.
  I consider Terry Forcht a close friend, and I appreciate all that he 
has done for all the communities in Kentucky and all the charitable 
organizations. I congratulate him on his outstanding achievement.

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