[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 82 (Thursday, May 15, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H2061]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     DIGNITY OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

  (Mr. Mann of Kansas was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the House Agriculture Committee 
marked up our portion of the one big, beautiful bill to deliver on the 
mandate the country gave us on November 5, 2024. In total, we saved 
American taxpayers more than $295 billion and made long overdue 
investments to support the farmers, ranchers, and agricultural 
producers of the Big First and all of rural America. I am very proud of 
all that we were able to accomplish.
  However, Mr. Speaker, I have been gravely disappointed in how some of 
my Democrat colleagues have continued to blatantly lie about our 
legislation throughout this process. Rather than work together to get 
our fiscal house back in order and ensure programs like Medicaid and 
SNAP are on a sustainable path, they have chosen to misrepresent and 
oppose everything we are working toward.
  As the fifth generation to grow up and work on my family farm, I 
understand the weight and pride our Nation's farmers have in feeding, 
clothing, and fueling the world. Not a single Member in this body wants 
to see people go hungry, and I am personally offended by these lies.
  We want families to be able to put food on their tables. The 
difference is, Mr. Speaker, we want these programs to actually serve 
the most vulnerable communities for generations to come: the single mom 
taking care of kids too young to be in school, the disabled, and the 
elderly, not the person who wants the government to foot their bill 
while they sit at home.
  Why would we willingly jeopardize the benefits of vulnerable 
Americans for someone who is perfectly capable of making an honest 
income but isn't willing to join the workforce?
  These programs were meant to be a bridge to a better life. They were 
intended to help Americans who fell on hard times and needed a helping 
hand, but today my Democrat colleagues are defending them as a final 
destination. That is not right, Mr. Speaker, and it is anti-American.
  Even former President Biden once said: The culture of welfare must be 
replaced with the culture of work. The culture of dependence must be 
replaced with the culture of self-sufficiency and personal 
responsibility. The culture of permanence must no longer be a way of 
life.
  This used to be a bipartisan agreement we could all rally around.
  I sincerely ask my Democrat colleagues: What has changed?
  We live in the greatest country in the world, where anyone from 
anywhere can come here legally, make an honest living, and pursue the 
American Dream. That is what House Republicans are fighting for.
  It is unfortunate that the other side would rather see programs that 
were meant to help the neediest Americans continue to be riddled with 
fraud and abuse, intentionally mismanaged, and undermined all for the 
sake of scoring political points.
  House Republicans are committed to ensuring our programs help the 
most vulnerable Americans, slashing wasteful, fraudulent, and abusive 
spending, and preventing American families from seeing a $2,200 tax 
increase next January. That is what this is all about, and that is what 
77 million Americans endorsed last November.
  I am disappointed that not a single Democrat has been willing to work 
with us, but I feel confident that this majority, along with the Senate 
and President Trump, will deliver for the country.


                          National Police Week

  Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, this week, the Nation has come together to 
celebrate National Police Week. It is a time to honor the brave men and 
women who wear the badge and put their lives on the line every single 
day to protect our families and our communities.
  In the Big First and across the country, law enforcement officers run 
towards danger when many would run away. They wake up every day with a 
calling to uphold the rule of law, serve their neighbors, and keep 
their communities safe. Yet, too often, they are met with hostility and 
policies from Washington that make their job harder and put their 
safety at risk.
  Let me be clear. I unapologetically stand with the men and women in 
blue. I will always oppose any effort to defund, demoralize, or 
dismantle the law enforcement agencies that keep our streets safe. 
These men and women put their lives on the line every day to make our 
communities stronger, safer, and more secure, and we should all be 
grateful.
  I express my deepest gratitude to the police officers, Customs and 
Border Patrol agents, detectives, State troopers, sheriffs, 
investigators, correction officers, drug enforcement agents, and U.S. 
marshals who have dedicated their careers to serving their communities. 
Today and every day we recognize their sacrifice and honor in all that 
they do to serve our great Nation.
  America is grateful for all that they do, and I am grateful for them.

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