[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 14, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H2005]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             PREVENTING IRAN FROM OBTAINING NUCLEAR WEAPONS

  (Mr. Baumgartner of Washington was recognized to address the House 
for 5 minutes.)
  Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, this week, the President travels to the 
Middle East on an important trip. It is a moment of great opportunity 
but also serious risk. As the U.S. pursues deeper partnerships across 
the gulf, we must remember that American leadership cannot rest on one-
off deals or delusions of grand bargains. Our ambitions cannot outpace 
reality.
  Most importantly, Iran lurks in the background of every conversation. 
Tehran is itching to play spoiler. Its nuclear ambitions and proxy 
networks remain the chief threat to regional stability, yet we have a 
rare moment of leverage. Iran's economy is in shambles. Its proxies are 
degraded, and its air defenses have been exposed.
  That is why I introduced a resolution reaffirming that preventing 
Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is a nonnegotiable American 
priority. It reinforces deterrence, clarifies expectations, and ensures 
congressional oversight, especially regarding any use of force.
  We must not miss this moment. Iran continues to be a serious threat 
and the main detriment to peace in the Middle East.


                       College Sports Are Broken

  Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, there was welcomed news last week that 
President Trump is considering a Presidential commission on college 
athletics. I welcome the President's leadership because college sports 
are important, but college sports are also broken.
  What used to be about school pride and student opportunity has turned 
into a chaotic, booster-fueled arms race. Regional conferences have 
been blown apart for television deals, Olympic sports are getting cut, 
and the balance between education and athletics is long gone.
  This isn't the first time a President has had to step in. In 1905, it 
was Theodore Roosevelt who summoned the top schools to the White House 
to save college football from itself. He didn't kill the game; he saved 
it by demanding rules, safety, and common sense. We need that same 
leadership today, and that is why I am so pleased by President Trump's 
potential actions.
  Let me be clear: College sports are a highly publicly subsidized 
enterprise. It runs on Federal exemptions, tuition subsidies, land 
grants, student fees, and State dollars. Yet, as public dollars prop up 
the system, the money is ballooning and concentrating.
  According to a 2023 report from the Knight Commission, annual 
revenues across all FBS athletic programs are expected to reach nearly 
$21 billion by 2032. Here is the kicker: More than $16 billion of that 
is concentrated in just 54 schools. While college sports are important 
to the entire country, roster spots across all sports are shrinking.
  That is why I introduced the Restore College Sports Act to put 
commonsense guardrails back into place. It restores regional 
conferences so student athletes aren't crisscrossing the country for 
absurd TV contracts. It reestablishes competitive balance so the 
richest programs don't write all the rules. It creates the same 
transparent revenue-sharing model that protects Title IX, sustains 
Olympic sports, and keeps student athletes, not donors and agents, at 
the center of college sports.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank President Trump for considering this action, and 
I call on Congress to work together in a bipartisan fashion to save 
competitive college sports by restoring competitive balance across the 
landscape.

                          ____________________