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32 public bills, H.R. 8428- 8459; and 4 resolutions, H.J. Res. 159; H. Con. Res. 88; and H. Res. 1206-1208, were introduced.
Pages H3066-68
Reports Filed
There were no reports filed today. Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he appointed Representative Bost to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
Page H3049
Recess
The House recessed at 12:25 p.m. and reconvened at 1:09 p.m.
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Whole Number of the House
The Chair announced to the House that, in light of the passing of the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Scott, the whole number of the House is 430.
Page H3052
Meeting Hour
Agreed by unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow, April 23rd.
Page H3061
Recess
The House recessed at 2:17 p.m. and reconvened at 4 p.m.
Page H3061
Expressing support for rural communities across the United States as stewards of the environment, major suppliers of United States energy resources, critical providers of food production and manufacturing capacity, and drivers of national economic stability, and recognizing the work of the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress in support of those vital communities: The House agreed to H. Res. 1182, expressing support for rural communities across the United States as stewards of the environment, major suppliers of United States energy resources, critical providers of food production and manufacturing capacity, and drivers of national economic stability, and recognizing the work of the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress in support of those vital communities, by a yea-and-nay vote of 220 yeas to 196 nays with two answering ``present'', Roll No. 132.
Pages H3052-57, H3061-62
H. Res. 1189, the rule providing for consideration was agreed to by a recorded vote of 211 ayes to 206 noes, Roll No. 131, after the previous question was ordered by a yea-and-nay vote of 180 yeas to 179 nays, Roll No. 130.
Pages H3050-52
Moment of Silence
The House observed a moment of silence in memory of the Honorable David Scott.
Page H3062
Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification 2.0 Act
The House passed H.R. 4960, to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish a system to notify individuals approaching Medicare eligibility, by a yea-and-nay vote of 215 yeas to 202 nays, Roll No. 134.
Pages H3063-64
Rejected the Sykes motion to recommit the bill to the Committee on Energy and Commerce by a yea-and-nay vote of 203 yeas to 214 nays, Roll No. 133.
Pages H3062-63
Pursuant to the Rule, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Energy and Commerce now printed in the bill shall be considered as adopted.
Page H3057
H. Res. 1189, the rule providing for consideration was agreed to by a recorded vote of 211 ayes to 206 noes, Roll No. 131, after the previous question was ordered by a yea-and-nay vote of 180 yeas to 179 nays, Roll No. 130.
Pages H3050-52
Fire Improvement and Reforming Exceptional Events Act
The House passed H.R. 6387, to amend the Clean Air Act to require revisions to regulations governing the review and handling of air quality monitoring data influenced by exceptional events or actions to mitigate wildfire risk, by a yea-and-nay vote of 220 yeas to 198 nays, Roll No. 136. Consideration began yesterday, April 21st.
Page H3064
Rejected the Dexter motion to recommit the bill to the Committee on Energy and Commerce by a yea-and-nay vote of 206 yeas to 214 nays, Roll No. 135.
Page H3064
H. Res. 1174, the rule providing for consideration of the bills (H.R. 6387), (H.R. 6398), (H.R. 6409), and the resolution (H. Res. 1156) was agreed to Wednesday, April 15th. Expressing the profound sorrow of the House of Representatives on the death of the Honorable David Scott: The House agreed to H. Res. 1206, expressing the profound sorrow of the House of Representatives on the death of the Honorable David Scott.
Page H3065
Senate Referrals
S. 1528 was held at the desk. S. 2132 was held at the desk.
Page H3057
Senate Message
Message received from the Senate appears on page H3057. Quorum Calls Votes: Six yea-and-nay votes and one recorded vote developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H3051, H3051-52, H3061-62, H3062-63, H3063-64, H3064 and H3064-65. Adjournment: The House met at 11 a.m. and adjourned at 5:19 p.m., pursuant to House Resolution 1206, as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Honorable David Scott.
Every speech and line is the Congressional Record's own text, read from GovInfo. Speakers are matched to members by GPO's own metadata. Referandom places each turn on the Clerk's video by matching its words: 64 of 96 spoken turns were found. Turns without a time are still listed; they just can't seek.
Celebrating 25 Years of Salina Pregnancy Service Center
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a meaningful milestone in my hometown of Salina, Kansas: the 25th anniversary of the Salina Pregnancy Service Center.
For 25 years, this organization has served women, families, and unborn children across our community with compassion, conviction, and care. As someone who is pro-life and who believes that life begins at conception, I am grateful for organizations like PSC that put those beliefs into action every day.
The Salina Pregnancy Service Center provides life-affirming medical care, education, and counseling. They walk alongside mothers with compassion, offering real support that meets both physical and emotional needs. Just as important, they offer hope and guidance rooted in faith, reminding every person who walks through their doors that they are not alone.
Their mission is clear. They offer the love of Christ to those facing a pregnancy decision while helping promote decisions that strengthen Kansas families.
Congratulations on 25 years of service. I look forward to seeing your continued impact in the years ahead.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the work being done by Premiere Athletes and the WE Love Sports Foundation led New Rochelle native, Lawrence Posey.
Lawrence is a former athlete and passionate community leader who understands the impact when you gather communities around the love of sports.
I have fond memories from my childhood of playing baseball and football with the other kids on the block after the streetlights came on and before my parents called me in the house. These moments taught me valuable lessons of teamwork, time management, and responsibility.
Today, these kids play games on the same streets and on the fields as I once did, learning the same valuable lessons.
I commend Lawrence and WE Love Sports and Premiere Athletes for making it possible for every child to have the opportunity to succeed and have fun as kids should on and off the field.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Steely Lumber Company, a local Texas sawmill, which is celebrating their 130th anniversary next month.
Across 6,000 acres in Walker County, Kelvin Steely and his family didn't just build a business. They built a legacy. Every inch of it is rooted in hard work, producing 100 percent southern yellow pine used for decking, housing, and construction.
With the help of their 125 amazing employees, Steely Lumber now makes six times more lumber than they did in the 1990s.
Steely Lumber also prides itself on creating long-term benefit from the land for profitability, wildlife, and conservation.
These efforts have allowed them to grow not only in lumber production but also in related businesses that reduce waste.
Mr. Speaker, for 130 years, Steely Lumber Company has made our community proud. Through generations of grit, integrity, and hard work, they have set the standard for what it means to build something that lasts.
On behalf of the Eighth Congressional District, I congratulate them on their legacy and success, and I thank them for all they have done for our fellow Texans.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and memory of an incredible young man in western Pennsylvania, Arjun Kapur, who sadly passed away at the young age of 17.
Arjun was passionate about his love of country and wanted to make our country better. He had a lot of ideas about how to do that, and he acted on those.
He was an intern with my team and was part of Congressman Jamie Raskin's Democracy Summer program.
In just 17 years, Arjun did a lot. He attended Sewickley Academy and competed in mock trial, Model UN and EU, and he founded the Sewickley Law Review.
He worked hard, and he was an avid archer. He rode horses. He played guitar. He painted, and he traveled the world with his family.
He planned to attend The George Washington University this fall on a Presidential scholarship, no doubt well-earned.
Arjun's life was cut far too short, and yet still, he made a lasting impact on so many, including me.
He will be dearly missed by his family: his parents, Bobby and Jayne; his brother, Dylan; and so many others in western Pennsylvania and beyond.
Arjun would want all of us to keep up the fight to make this country of ours the shining city on a Hill that he dreamed it could be.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Tom Moe, a distinguished University of Minnesota student-athlete, administrator, and community leader whose contributions left a lasting impact on generations of Minnesotans.
Tom Moe was a standout multisport athlete for the U, excelling in both football and baseball.
Following his time as a student-athlete, Mr. Moe built a successful career in law and business, becoming managing partner at Dorsey & Whitney where he helped grow the firm into one of the largest in the Nation.
He later returned to the U to serve as director of the men's athletic department where he emphasized academic excellence and helped guide the successful merger of the men's and women's programs.
His lifelong dedication to the U extended through his family, with his children and grandchildren continuing his legacy as student- athletes.
Throughout his lifetime, Moe exemplified leadership, integrity, and a deep commitment to his community. He will be remembered both for his accomplishments and for the lasting impact he made on the University of Minnesota and the many lives he touched.
On behalf of the people of Minnesota, I extend my deepest condolences to the Moe family and express our gratitude for Tom Moe's extraordinary life and legacy.
Providing for Consideration of H.R. 4690, Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act; Providing for Consideration of H. RES. 1182, Expressing Support for Rural Communities Across the United States As...
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on ordering the previous question on the resolution (H. Res. 1189) providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4690) to amend the Energy Conservation and Production Act to repeal certain Federal building energy efficiency performance standards, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 1182) expressing support for rural communities across the United States as stewards of the environment, major suppliers of United States energy resources, critical providers of food production and manufacturing capacity, and drivers of national economic stability, and recognizing the work of the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress in support of those vital communities; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1897) to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to optimize conservation through resource prioritization, incentivize wildlife conservation on private lands, provide for greater incentives to recover listed species, create greater transparency and accountability in recovering listed species, streamline the permitting process, eliminate barriers to conservation, and restore congressional intent; and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5587) to amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to waive the requirement for a Federal drilling permit for certain activities, to exempt certain activities from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and for other purposes, on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering the previous question.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 180, nays 179, not voting 72, as follows:
Messrs. MAGAZINER and VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas and Ms. SCHOLTEN changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Messrs. SELF and BAUMGARTNER changed their vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the previous question was ordered.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Mr. Speaker, I was at the Appropriations vote or the DACA Amendment and was held up at the committee. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 130.
Mr. Speaker, I was in the Appropriation Committee voting on an amendment related to DACA. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 130.
Mr. Speaker, like other Members of the Committee on Appropriations, I missed a vote because I was participating in a markup of the FY2027 Financial Services and General Government bill. Had I been present, I would have voted Nay on Roll Call No. 130.
Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote during this vote series today. Had I been able to vote, I would have voted: NAY on Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 1189 and NO on adoption of H. Res. 1189, Rule providing for consideration of H. Res. 1182, Expressing support for rural communities across the United States as stewards of the environment, major suppliers of United States energy resources, critical providers of food production and manufacturing capacity, and drivers of national economic stability, and recognizing the work of the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress in support of those vital communities; H.R. 4690, Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act; H.R. 1897, ESA Amendments Act of 2025; and H.R. 5587, HEATS Act of 2026.
Expressing Support for Rural Communities Across the United States as Stewards of the Environment, Major Suppliers of United States Energy Resources, Critical Providers of Food Production And...
Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1189, I call up the resolution (H. Res. 1182) expressing support for rural communities across the United States as stewards of the environment, major suppliers of United States energy resources, critical providers of food production and manufacturing capacity, and drivers of national economic stability, and recognizing the work of the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress in support of those vital communities, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1189, the resolution is considered read.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The resolution shall be debatable for 1 hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees.
The gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie).
Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and to insert extraneous material on H. Res. 1182.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kentucky?
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, before I begin my remarks, I didn't hear, until you just announced, that David Scott had passed. What a wonderful man from the great State of Georgia. The resolution is from a new friend from Georgia.
David was either married to Hank Aaron's sister or Hank Aaron was married to his sister. I can't remember which, but he and Hank Aaron were brothers-in-law. I told him one time that my son loved collecting baseballs. Of course, one of the most valuable ones you could ever have was Hank Aaron's, and he brought one to me one day.
I didn't know him that well, but he was one of those kind of guys that if you mentioned something like that to him, he would remember it and make sure he took care of you. He was a gentleman, and he will be missed.
Also, while I have the floor and before I get into my remarks, David McKinley was a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, a very valuable member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, very serious. He was a great engineer, but also a great person with a great heart. He passed away last week. I think his services are this coming Monday.
Members of Congress get to serve with some really wonderful people, and none more than David McKinley. To the level that I knew Mr. Scott, he was a wonderful man, too.
I thank the Madam Speaker for that indulgence.
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to be here today to discuss a resolution demonstrating the work House Republicans continue to do to improve all the lives of the American people, especially those who live in rural parts of our great Nation.
I am here to discuss H. Res. 1182 to cut through the noise that Democrats continue to make in opposition to the President and to congressional Republicans.
It seems that no matter how reasonable or even how bipartisan a policy has been in the past, Democrats choose partisan politics over the American people. Take, for example, our work in Congress, along with the administration, to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in government health programs. Energy and Commerce Republicans have prioritized restoring program integrity in our government health programs throughout this entire Congress, starting with H.R. 1, by ensuring critical safety net programs can continue to serve their intended purpose of protecting our most vulnerable Americans to now launching a nationwide investigation into Medicaid programs across the country.
It is disheartening that Democrats refuse to come to the table to safeguard pregnant women, their children, low-income seniors, and individuals with disabilities. Republicans will continue advancing policies that protect important Federal programs.
I am here today primarily to highlight the many ways in which House Republicans are unleashing growth in the economy following years of heavyhanded government intervention under the Biden-Harris administration.
House Republicans are creating the right environment for individual Americans to set their own course and to achieve their own dreams. For example, Republicans have enacted legislation to release domestic energy production, such as reversing the Department of Energy's restrictions on LNG exports and requiring Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval of grid-planning policies to preserve reliability to keep the lights on for American families and businesses.
House Republicans have worked to ensure that rural manufacturers are not unfairly penalized for emissions they did not create when we passed commonsense reforms to the Clean Air Act permitting and permitting relief for broadband deployment.
House Republicans have worked to enhance healthcare quality and access through the Working Families Tax Cuts and Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act.
House Republicans have bolstered health resources for rural communities through the Rural Health Fund Transformation Program, the most significant investment of its kind in history.
House Republicans also enacted the SUPPORT Act and HALT Fentanyl Act, which provide crucial resources to rural communities devastated by the opioid crisis.
House Republicans have worked hard and continue to work hard this Congress to accelerate economic growth and opportunity for the American people.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I also wish to express my sympathy to the family of David Scott.
David was someone that I talked to a lot, who I considered a friend, and was always supportive of me. In his position as the chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, he was always looking out for farm interests for not only farmers in his district but
There were even times when I was working with him on some agriculture issues because, although I don't have many farms, we have Rutgers and the Cooperative Extension Service in my district. There were many issues that came before the committee that I worked with him on, so I will definitely miss him and am sorry about his passing.
Madam Speaker, I wish to speak about this bill today because I think that it is very unfortunate that this resolution is coming to the floor. Prices are soaring for the American people. Trump's reckless war of choice continues in Iran, and Republicans are spending valuable time here on the House floor bringing up an undeserved resolution to essentially pat themselves on the back and to pretend that they have supported rural communities when in fact they have not.
Trump and Republicans promised they would lower costs on day one, but Americans are over $5,000 poorer today because of their policies. That is per person.
Yet, rather than doing something to actually address the affordability crisis, they are making it worse. House Republicans are bringing up a resolution that does nothing. It is just commemorative. It is not going to make life better for one American living in rural America. Instead, it is a pathetic attempt, in my opinion, for Republicans to show that they care about rural America when their actions show the exact opposite.
Thanks to Trump's reckless war in Iran, diesel prices are now over $5 per gallon, drastically increasing costs for farmers across the country. The war has also caused fertilizer prices to skyrocket, leaving 70 percent of American farmers unable to pay for all their fertilizer needs.
Republicans promised to bring a bill to the floor that would allow a higher blend of ethanol in gasoline, known as E15, to be sold year- round, but they haven't. Year-round E15 would greatly benefit corn farmers in rural America, while also saving drivers money. Republicans have also done nothing to address the massive amount of energy being consumed by data centers that are rapidly expanding in rural areas, driving up energy costs.
Turning to health, Republicans have created a healthcare affordability crisis that is disproportionately impacting rural Americans. Republicans' big, ugly bill cut Americans' healthcare by more than a trillion dollars, the largest cut in our Nation's history, which will result in 15 million people losing their health coverage. These deep cuts are hurting rural Americans the most. Rural clinics are already being forced to close their doors. Hospitals in rural communities are shutting down maternity care units and laying off healthcare workers. Another 300 rural hospitals are likely to shutter, closing down altogether or reducing services. This is driving massive increases in uncompensated care.
The big, ugly bill made unprecedented cuts to Federal Medicaid spending. This will have a disproportionate impact on children and disabled people in rural areas who are more likely to rely on Medicaid. Republicans will claim that a temporary $50 billion slush fund, representing just 5 percent of the $1 trillion cut to healthcare, will somehow overcome the long-term suffering of rural providers in communities that rely heavily on Medicaid. This is false. The slush fund is temporary while the cuts are permanent, and it can be used for an array of purposes other than payments to struggling rural health providers. The $1 trillion in healthcare cuts will compound over time, devastating the healthcare safety net in rural communities far into the future.
Republicans have also refused to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits, driving up healthcare premiums for rural Americans. Rural residents' premiums are increasing by an astonishing 107 percent, and rural Americans are facing thousands of dollars in additional out-of- pocket costs.
As rural Americans lose their healthcare coverage and watch their doctors' offices and hospitals shut down critical services, congressional Republicans are doing absolutely nothing to fix the problem that they created.
Despite the false words in this resolution, House Republicans have done nothing meaningful to expand internet access for rural America.
In the last 15 months, Republicans rescinded billions of dollars from public broadcasting stations that serve rural areas with programming and emergency alerts. They have withheld broadband investment from rural and Tribal communities. They sabotaged the BEAD program with inferior broadband technologies to save money--supposedly to save money. It doesn't really. And they topped it all off with the fact that House Republicans cheered as the Trump administration tore WiFi out of rural schoolbuses. It is clear that rural Americans are not being served by Republicans. They are frankly being ripped off.
This resolution also pats Republicans on the back for supposedly bolstering manufacturing capacity in rural communities, but the reality is Republican policies are harming the manufacturing sector. Manufacturers are reeling from the uncertainty of Trump's chaotic tariff strategy. These tariffs have raised costs for manufacturers and could reduce manufacturing investments in the U.S. by $490 billion in the next 5 years.
Mr. Speaker, if Republicans really want to show rural Americans they care about them, they would roll up their sleeves and actually put together bills, not meaningless commemorative resolutions, that would actually make a difference, but this Republican majority is simply not capable of that.
I urge my colleagues to oppose this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Fuller), the newest member of the Republican Conference who was the newest Member of the House for a couple days, but he is becoming a good friend and someone I am getting to know better.
First off, to my Democratic colleagues, I want to express my condolences for the passing of Representative David Scott. He was a great man and an example of what a statesman should be in this body. I am sending my condolences to his family, your party, and the Georgia delegation, as well.
I rise to explain this resolution to not only this body but my Democratic colleagues. In 2013, when I was 31 years old, I was stationed here at Andrews Air Force base in Washington, D.C., and I was diagnosed with cancer. I went through a 13-hour surgery and 2 weeks in an ICU room.
I am a kid who grew up in Appalachia, and I said a prayer to God with my wife, Kate, that if God gave me more time to be on this planet, I was going to leave Active Duty, return home to the Appalachian communities I grew up in, and fight for them each and every day. That was a promise that I made in 2013, and, Mr. Speaker, this resolution is a fulfillment of that promise that I made in an ICU room so many years ago.
I have dedicated my career to fighting for these communities.
Now, I have heard from our Democratic colleagues and in the previous statement they kind of joked about this resolution. I stand before you because I want to celebrate these communities. The Democratic Party, who was founded by Thomas Jefferson, now has forgotten this part of America. What we have seen under President Trump's leadership and Speaker Johnson's leadership is that this forgotten America, rural America, Appalachia America is forgotten no more with this leadership, and that is exactly what this resolution does to celebrate those communities that have been long forgotten by their party.
I rise today to celebrate everything that the Republican leadership has done in this body to lift up those communities that have been long forgotten. I want to make sure that those communities that sent me here to represent them--that was a promise I made to Georgia-14. That is the promise I made to Appalachia as a whole. That is the promise that I made to rural communities, that I will be a
I appreciate Republican leadership for allowing me to bring forth this resolution basically in less than a week of me being here. It is an incredible honor for me to, hopefully, pass legislation in this body celebrating those communities that their party has forgotten.
I rise today to fulfill not only a promise that I made so many years ago in an ICU room at Walter Reed to fight against rural poverty, to fight for Appalachian communities and rural communities, but I also want to raise awareness of the great work that the Republican leadership here has done under Speaker Johnson's leadership and President Trump's leadership.
One of the main things that I want to highlight is President Trump using those tariffs that were just mentioned, making sure that he is bringing manufacturing back to communities that have been hollowed out by 30 to 40 years of policies that had been put in place by the Democrats. Finally, good manufacturing jobs are coming back to districts just like mine.
This is the fulfillment of a promise that I made to God in a hospital room, and I celebrate these communities. Rural and Appalachian communities need to know that they will always have a warrior in Clay Fuller here in this body.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to represent and speak up for the people in California's 25th Congressional District, home to farmworkers, laborers, and families in the Coachella, Imperial, and San Jacinto Valleys who wake up each morning breathing some of the most polluted air in the United States.
These are communities where childhood asthma rates range from 20 to 35 percent. We have the highest asthma hospitalization rate in the whole State of California.
These are communities where particulate matter concentrations regularly reach 10 times the Federal limit.
These are communities where Medicaid is not a talking point. It is what stands between a sick child and the treatment that they need.
Today, we are voting on H. Res. 1182, and I want to be direct with my colleagues about what this resolution actually is because the title alone does not tell the story.
This resolution is titled: ``Expressing support for rural communities. . . . '' But when you read the actual text, when you look at the specific provision it celebrates, you find something very, very different, very heartbreaking.
You see, this resolution is a political message. That is all it is, a self-congratulatory shield built to cover up the harm Republicans have created in rural America.
Let me go through what this resolution actually says. The resolution celebrates ``legislation to reform processes under the Clean Air Act for establishing and implementing air quality standards . . . so that rural areas that experience wildfires or foreign sources of pollution are not disadvantaged. . . . ''
What they are actually celebrating is weakening the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the science-based thresholds that determine how much pollution is safe to breathe.
The FENCES Act, which Republicans passed just last week and this resolution applauds, would strip EPA of its authority to sanction States that fail to reduce air pollution and hand a free pass to the worst polluters with no accountability, no incentive to clean up, and no recourse for rural communities living downwind.
In my district, which is also rural America, dust from unpaved roads, farms, off-road vehicles, the expanding exposed lake bed of the Salton Sea, diesel emissions, ozone, agricultural smoke, and contaminants like hydrogen sulfide combine into a toxic mix that threatens the health of more than half a million people living in rural America. This resolution wants us to applaud making it easier for that to get worse.
The resolution celebrates ``legislation to provide rural Americans with choice in the vehicles they purchase and drive by eliminating costly and impracticable electric vehicle mandates.'' What they are celebrating is the termination of the clean vehicle tax credit, the $7,500 credit that made electric vehicles accessible to working families.
Families in my district where temperatures routinely exceed 110 degrees are now priced out of cleaner vehicles, locked into higher fuel costs and breathing dirtier tailpipe emissions.
That is not choice. That is a trap.
The resolution celebrates legislation to ``remove restrictions on exporting U.S. liquefied natural gas, which will increase economic and employment opportunities for rural communities.''
What they are celebrating is prioritizing LNG exports over the energy costs and needs of the American families they claim to support in rural America. That is because when we export more gas, then there is less domestically. When there is less domestically, then domestic prices rise, making it more expensive for rural America. Rural families pay more to heat and cool their homes. This is not energy independence. This is energy exportation at the rural America's expense.
The resolution celebrates legislation to ``reduce the costs of home and commercial appliances by rolling back burdensome Biden-Harris regulations.''
What they are actually celebrating is rolling back energy efficiency standards, meaning families will pay more on their utility bills month after month and year after year, as if costs aren't up in rural America already. In a desert region back home where air conditioning is not a luxury but a survival necessity, that is a direct hit to household budgets that are already stretched.
Through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, better known as the big, ugly law, the centerpiece of everything this resolution is celebrating, Republicans cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid and $120 billion from SNAP, the most in history. This will disproportionately hurt rural Americans.
That bill put over 300 rural hospitals at risk to close. It will leave 15 million people uninsured, many of them in rural America. It will raise average household energy bills by up to $192 annually, and even in California $670. It gutted the National Environmental Policy Act's community review process so that local, rural community members' voices are shut down.
It phased out clean energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act, raising energy costs for families in rural America, added an estimated $3 trillion to the national debt, and accelerated the projected insolvency of Social Security and Medicare by 1 year.
Mr. Speaker, I am a physician. I have taken care of patients in my district. I know what it means when a family cannot get to a hospital because the closest one has closed. I know what it means when a child's asthma goes untreated because their family lost Medicaid.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. Speaker, I know what it means when a farm worker spends the day in the field breathing air that exceeds Federal safety limits and then goes home to a house where they cannot afford the utility bill because their appliances are less efficient, their gas costs more, and their child suffers from asthma.
This resolution does not reopen a single closed rural hospital. It does not put food on a single rural kitchen table. It does not clean the air a child breathes in rural America. It does not restore the Medicaid coverage it took from millions of Americans. It does not undo the harm of nearly $1 trillion in cuts to programs that rural families, who are the very people this resolution so-called claims to champion, depend on to survive.
What this resolution does is ask this Chamber to applaud the way things are going to hurt rural America, to put a bow on it, and to call it support.
Mr. Speaker, this is not support. This is a cover-up.
For the families I represent who are already carrying more than their fair
If my colleagues truly support rural communities, they will repeal those cuts. If they truly support clean air, they will stop celebrating legislation that weakens the standards that protect it. If they truly support working families, they will stop handing corporations exemptions while families pay the price.
Mr. Speaker, vote ``no'' on this do-nothing messaging resolution, H. Res. 1182.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am trying to answer everything that was just brought up. It would be difficult to do because I am trying to figure out exactly how to attack things that just weren't really accurate.
I would say, one, it would be accurate to say we want to give people choices in choosing their appliance.
Would they rather pay hundreds of dollars more today to save over 46 years, I think is one of the estimates, to lower their bills.
Somebody could say: I want to pay a few hundred dollars more today and save pennies every month over the next 46 years. I get my payback. I think Americans should be able to make that choice.
The other is regarding Medicaid. It affects you if you are illegal, if you are ineligible, and if you are able to work. There are States that cover people who are not here in a legal presence. The other one is we want to require that you check the rolls more than once a year and verify when people come on the rolls of Medicaid. It seems like we passed the bill now that we found out about Medicaid. We are looking at a dozen States already but that is just what we found in Minneapolis alone.
Mr. Speaker, we stand behind this bill. We did these great things for rural communities.
The other is the rural transformation fund. That money goes directly to rural hospitals, so it does make a difference. I can read quotes from different people from different States, and blue States, saying how it is going to transform their rural health system.
Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I want to just take a moment as our colleagues did across the aisle to recognize Ranking Member David Scott and his family from Georgia. It is a sad day. Certainly Ranking Member Scott has proudly served this institution for a great many years and particularly on the Agriculture Committee which has helped so many Americans. I want to take a moment to just thank him, his family, and his community for his service to our great Nation.
Mr. Speaker, for me his passing also brings to light the fundamental hypocrisy that I see embedded in this resolution today.
I was actually quite shocked, disgusted, and angry when I read this resolution. That is because I am a daughter of rural America. I was born and raised in rural New Mexico. I was born in Farmington, New Mexico. I am the daughter of a machine operator who was one of the first women heavy equipment operators who built a coal-fired power plant in rural America which your resolution is celebrating.
I grew up working with my hands digging trenches and bussing tables in rural communities in New Mexico, so to read a resolution that is filled with celebrations and rebrands in an attempt to try to repackage a bunch of corporate giveaways and tax breaks for billionaires as some sort of celebratory resolution for rural America and the hardworking people who get up every day, work their jobs, and can barely make ends meet is not only a joke, it is an insult to hardworking Americans in every community across the country.
Let me just say this: Even though this resolution is trying to rebrand your big, ugly bill and give it a new name, even though this resolution is trying to self-congratulate you on a bunch of corporate giveaways like gutting environmental programs and public consumer safety programs so that corporations can save and make more money on the backs of the American people, let me just say this: You don't have a branding problem. You have a policy problem.
The policies that the Republicans are putting forward don't actually help working people in America. Any attempt here today to try to package it in a different way for the American people is basically just that, an exercise to try to make what they have already shoved down the American people's throats somehow seem more appealing.
I want to say how completely out of touch with rural America this resolution is. It celebrates rebranding a bill that cut healthcare for millions of Americans. It is attempting to celebrate a bill that took food out of the mouths of millions of American children. It is literally celebrating legislation to put oil and gas pipelines and LNG terminals in rural America. It is celebrating gutting clean air protections and repackaging that as a gift to rural America.
You are welcome. You can't breathe clean air anymore, according to our colleagues across the aisle.
That is what is actually in this resolution, a list of the litany of bills that our colleagues across the aisle have spent the last several months passing, including their utility bills. Showerheads, they spent precious time for an entire week to pass high-pressure showerheads for rich people's bathrooms. Congratulations.
Republicans have the majority in the House, the Senate, and the White House, and this is what they are celebrating? It is so out of touch with real people. Real people are struggling to put food on the table and a roof over their heads.
Right now, real farmers are facing diesel prices and a lack of access to fertilizer. They are wondering how they are going to plant their fields and how they are going to break even and pay back their bank loans at the end of this season.
Congratulations. The President did that by going to war, an unauthorized war, in the Middle East.
Republicans don't have a branding problem. They have a policy problem. They have used their time in the majority to pass legislation that gives permanent tax breaks to the richest Americans, and our lowest earning Americans actually saw a tax increase. Republicans are coming to the floor trying to celebrate this legislation and rebrand what they passed previously? It is outrageous.
Let me share the things that we are doing for rural America in my district. We are passing earmarks to build fire stations with emergency services. We are building hospitals. We are building behavioral health clinics to help people with the opioid crisis. We are building rural housing. We are building water pipelines. We passed the first free childcare policy in the country and are using Federal resources to build daycares and elementary schools across New Mexico. We are investing in Tribal communities.
We are delivering millions of dollars to our communities every single day because that is what rural Americans are asking for. They are not asking the Republicans to pat themselves on the back for giving tax breaks to Wall Street billionaires.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to give the Republicans a round of applause if they would like that, but I am not voting for this resolution. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
Mr. Speaker, I have to say that I am very proud of the two speakers who preceded me on the Democratic side because they represent rural districts, and I think they understand why this commemorative pat on the back that we are voting on today is really not deserved and simply not accurate.
I said at the Rules Committee that my mother used to use a phrase: Self-praise stinks. Frankly, regardless of what is in the resolution, the idea of bringing a resolution to the floor that has no impact whatsoever but just says how wonderful we are is kind of absurd in itself--the very idea that we should waste time on the floor on what I would call commemorative resolutions
Whether you are saying the Republicans are wonderful or the Democrats are wonderful or all of us are wonderful makes absolutely no sense to me because it is just self-praise, and frankly, that does stink.
That is all this is. There is nothing in here that is going to make a difference either way. It is just an effort by the Republicans to say we have done all these wonderful things for rural America when, in fact, they haven't.
If they really wanted to do something, they wouldn't bring commemorative resolutions to the floor. They would actually try to pass some legislation that addresses the concerns right now of Americans living in rural America.
Mr. Speaker, for all those reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1189, I call up the bill (H.R. 4690) to amend the Energy Conservation and Production Act to repeal certain Federal building energy efficiency performance standards, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1189, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Energy and Commerce, printed in the bill, is adopted and the bill, as amended, is considered read.
The text of the bill, as amended, is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill, as amended, shall be debatable for 1 hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees.
The gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie).
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and insert extraneous material on H.R. 4690.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kentucky?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4690, the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act.
Today's debate serves as a reminder that policy decisions carry long- lasting implications. We are here today to reverse current law, which requires the Federal Government to phase out fossil fuels in new and renovated buildings by 2030.
This one-size-fits-all electrification mandate for new and renovated Federal buildings jeopardizes the reliability and security of our Nation's critical Federal infrastructure.
Winter Storm Fern's impact across the U.S. in January made it clear: reliable and affordable fossil fuels provide consistent power, and wind and solar do not.
While coal and natural gas significantly increased their output to meet demand during Winter Storm Fern, burning trash in New England produced more electricity than wind and solar combined.
The Federal Government and the United States military require uninterrupted, reliable electricity. Anything less compromises our national security.
This issue is timelier than ever. While the deadlines in section 433 to wind down the use of fossil fuels have not been enforced thus far, future administrations could weaponize the law to favor special interests who stand to gain billions in taxpayer funds to retrofit Federal infrastructure.
The legislation before us today to repeal section 433 brings Federal building policy back to reality, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on H.R. 4690, the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, there is a lot going on in America today. President Trump is waging a reckless war in Iran, and prices are soaring for the American people. Thanks to Republican policies, drivers are paying about 35 percent more for gas than they were when the war started, and diesel prices are up 47 percent. Residential natural gas prices have increased by 13 percent since Trump took office, and inflation tripled last month.
With everything that is going on, House Republicans should be focusing their efforts on helping Americans with the affordability crisis. Rising energy costs impact all aspects of life--keeping a house cool, driving to work, the price of groceries--and Americans need help. Trump and Republicans promised they would lower costs on day one, but Americans are over $5,000 poorer today--per person, that is--because of their actions, because of Trump's actions.
However, rather than pursuing policies that help everyday Americans and provide them with much-needed relief, Republicans are focusing their efforts on saving the oil and gas industry once again.
This bill, H.R. 4690, the so-called Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act, repeals the phaseout of fossil fuel for onsite generation at new and renovated Federal buildings. The phaseouts were a bipartisan effort signed into law in 2007 by then-President George W. Bush. What was bipartisan in 2007, I would say, is now viewed as extreme by today's Republicans.
At a time when energy prices are soaring, Republicans are focused on ensuring that taxpayer dollars continue to go to their fossil fuel friends. The phaseouts repealed by this bill are projected to save about $3 million per year for Federal buildings constructed beginning in 2025, and these savings will be lost if this bill becomes law, wasting taxpayer dollars to the benefit of Republicans' fossil fuel friends.
The Federal Government is the largest consumer of energy in the Nation. With this type of purchasing power, we have the ability to support emerging and efficient American technologies that drive down energy consumption. The Federal Government should be a leader in this space but, instead, Republicans want to ensure that we are stuck in the past.
We have already come to the House floor eight times during this Republican Congress to repeal energy efficiency and electrification measures that are saving American families money on their power bills. With this bill, it will now be nine bills wasting taxpayer money.
Republicans have repeatedly prioritized their anticlean energy and antiefficiency agenda at the expense of Americans over and over again. Their policies are driving up energy costs on the American people, but they simply don't care. They are wasting time on the House floor, ignoring real problems, and continuing to reward their Big Oil and Gas friends.
At a time when everyone is feeling the squeeze of rising energy prices, it is just crazy to pretend that this bill actually helps anyone other than Big Oil and Gas. I urge my colleagues to vote against the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Langworthy), the sponsor of the bill and a valuable member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 4690, the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act, a commonsense measure that pushes back on the failed Green New Deal and puts reliability, affordability, and common sense back in the driver's seat.
My bill repeals section 433 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which would eliminate the use of onsite, fossil fuel- generated electricity for Federal buildings by 2030.
Without repeal, section 433 would put the United States on a dangerous path of dependence on intermittent energy resources, like wind and solar, supported by battery storage, and dependent on supply chains for critical minerals that often run through China.
Under past Democratic administrations, Washington has aligned itself with the most extreme elements of the environmental movement, advancing impractical regulations that hurt hardworking Americans and sidelining the reliable, affordable systems that they depend on every single day.
Mr. Speaker, we have all seen where this leads. My home State of New York has embraced this same approach, pursuing policies that target reliable fuels and the infrastructure that supports them. The result is higher costs, tighter energy supply, and real concerns about whether the system can hold up when the demand is at the absolute highest. It is exactly what we can't afford to replicate on the Federal level.
Think about the facilities impacted by these zero-emissions building policies under section 433: VA hospitals, where our veterans receive lifesaving care, our military installations that underpin our national defense, research labs, and emergency operations centers.
In western New York, home of the Bath and the Buffalo VA facilities, winters are very unforgiving. We cannot afford policies that risk leaving our veterans, who served this country, sitting in cold buildings because Washington decided that ideology matters more than reliability.
These facilities cannot afford ``hope for the best.'' They need systems that work 24/7 in any condition, at any time. Yet, instead of prioritizing that reliability, Democrats continue down a path that asks taxpayers to pay more for less, pushing policies that check political boxes but fail to deliver in the real world.
The Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act ends that. It restores common sense. It puts decisions back in the hands of real professionals, and it ensures that Federal buildings are powered by what works, not what is politically fashionable for the moment.
Mr. Speaker, reliability matters. Affordability matters. Common sense matters. This bill restores all three. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4690.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the illustrious gentleman from New Jersey for yielding some time today.
I rise in opposition to H.R. 4690, the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act.
While Americans across the Nation are struggling to pay for gas, groceries,
My colleagues across the aisle don't care about energy efficiency standards, and they don't care about my constituents, who are currently paying $4 a gallon for gas, as we speak, and I am from Ohio, not California. If they actually did care about my constituents or the American public, they would shift their focus toward the real reason that costs are going up: Trump's tariffs and Trump's war in Iran.
Since the Strait of Hormuz closed, gas prices for Americans are up more than 30 percent. Democrats in Congress have tried to conduct oversight on this war, but Republicans have blocked us every step of the way. Now is not the time to burden taxpayers, including increasing death and injury to our brave servicemen and -women and burdening our taxpayers with higher infrastructure costs because of Trump's war.
For this reason, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill. My amendment would prevent the bill from taking effect until the Secretary publishes a certification that the war in Iran has not increased energy and gas prices in the United States. Although, even if he were to do that, it would show us that the war in Iran is increasing gas prices in the United States, so I am pretty confident that you would not have accepted it either way.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Ohio?
Mr. Speaker, let me first express my condolences to the Scott family on the passing of our colleague, Congressman David Scott.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act, led by my colleague Representative Langworthy.
Nearly 20 years ago, Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act, which required Federal facilities to phase out fossil fuels with the goal of eliminating all onsite fossil fuel-generated energy by 2030.
Over the years, those requirements were nowhere close to being met.
Ignoring these mandates, the Biden administration expanded the scope of this law and doubled down on the 2030 deadline to remove all natural gas from Federal facilities. That deadline is now just 4 years away. Any attempt to meet these ridiculous requirements will lead to serious consequences.
The Federal facilities subject to these green energy mandates are fundamental to our energy safety, security, and our economy. Military bases, hospitals, computing centers, national laboratories, and courthouses are among the critical facilities that would be put at risk of unreliable power.
A report from the Department of Energy acknowledges that a full transition to green energy sources would be extraordinarily expensive and unworkable. The Government Accountability Office has also warned that imposing these mandates on military intelligence centers could not only threaten reliable power but also compromise our national security.
These extreme green energy mandates would be costly, impractical, and dangerous. Without the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act to repeal them, we are looking at higher energy costs passed on to taxpayers, unreliable power for critical systems, and a serious threat to military readiness.
Don't just take my word for it. Energy companies from my home State of Texas have provided valuable insight and testimony into how unreliable energy would harm our Federal facilities.
ONE Gas, a natural gas utility operating in my congressional district, supports the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act. They understand that natural gas is essential to providing reliable and resilient power to our most critical infrastructure. Additionally, the American Gas Association, which represents many incredible Texas-based energy companies, also supports this legislation. The association has made clear that natural gas remains the most dependable energy resource available.
Especially during emergencies and power outages, reliable natural gas is critical to keeping Federal facilities online. Removing that dependable energy source is shortsighted and puts these facilities at unnecessary risk.
When our national security is on the line, we cannot simply hope that the wind blows and the Sun shines. We need reliable, secure, and affordable energy for our most critical facilities.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I will be brief. The gentleman from Texas knows that I respect him a great deal, but when he mentioned the American Gas Association, I couldn't help but say that the lists of the organizations that endorse this bill, that put out a press release announcing their support back in July, is like a who's who of the oil and gas industry: The American Gas Association, The American Public Gas Association, Independent Petroleum Association of America, American Petroleum Institute of America, The National Gas Supply Association, the list goes on, and it is no surprise. All of these organizations stand to benefit from the bill because they are just a giveaway to the fossil fuel industry.
The Republicans like to pretend that these bills are in the best interest of everyday Americans, but if you look at this list that endorsed this bill, it is just the opposite. It is the oil and gas industry. That is who they are helping out with this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor), the ranking member of our Energy Subcommittee.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding the time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4690. This is a dirty and costly bill for Republicans to bring to the floor of the House on Earth Day. It would be funny if the cost of living was not so soul-crushingly expensive for families and small business owners back home.
The policies of the Trump administration and this GOP Congress are really squeezing the folks who we represent, and the special interests have way too much power. Otherwise, we wouldn't be bringing a bill that keeps Federal buildings hooked up to expensive fossil fuels rather than help taxpayers save money, help lower electric bills, and help cut pollution.
Let's face it, because of the policies of my Republican friends and the Trump administration, electric bills are way up, on average, over 13 percent. Back home in my home State of Florida, the three largest investor-owned utilities have now gotten the largest rate increases in the history of the country. Trump's war in Iran has sent energy shocks not just across America, including households, but it is rippling throughout the economy with huge price spikes.
Energy inflation is up over 10 percent. It is the highest it has been in 20 years, Mr. Speaker. Gas prices jumped over 21 percent in March. Our folks back home understand that very well. That is the biggest increase since records began in 1967.
Americans are grappling with these wildly higher gas and diesel prices, and diesel is very expensive because that is how consumer goods are transported across the country with trucks running on diesel fuel. Diesel is up 38 percent.
This bill comes at a terrible time. It is not just Earth Day, but I noticed last week that Republicans here in the House were celebrating the big, ugly bill that not just yanked away healthcare from millions of hardworking Americans but remember what else that bill did? It rolled back many of the clean energy incentives that were included in the Inflation Reduction Act that help consumers save on their energy costs.
They eliminated tax credits for cleaner, cheaper energy like solar and wind, electric vehicles, and home efficiency upgrades. They have also declared war on energy efficiency, and Ranking Member Pallone shined a light on this. Why do they keep catering to the big fossil fuel companies and stick it to hardworking Americans, making their lives more expensive and more difficult? Isn't life chaotic enough that you don't need Representatives in Washington, D.C., making life more expensive? That is what this bill does.
The chaos has just come way too fast and way too hard for people who we represent back home. If you want to keep energy prices low, why in the heck is the Secretary of the Department of Energy illegally canceling energy projects that would help lower the cost of living and lower electric bills?
Since taking office, Secretary Wright has illegally killed over 350 new energy projects and threatened over 300 more with termination. Many of these projects were bringing new technologies online. They were strengthening our power grid against extreme weather and natural disasters.
If you haven't noticed, on this Earth Day, a large portion of the United States is in a very serious drought. We are also experiencing the hottest year on record to date, and that is saying something because high temperatures continue to escalate.
It is not just the temperatures. It is the higher costs that all of this throws off. Yes, it is the air-conditioning bills in Florida. It is all of the bills in these Federal buildings that you now want to make more expensive, increasing pollution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding more time because I want to vent the frustration that hardworking Americans are feeling, and sometimes it takes more than 5 minutes.
The damage Republicans are doing, the higher costs they are inflicting on people, starting wars of choice that are now rippling across the economy with pain and destruction, and just this crushing affordability squeeze, let me say on behalf of my neighbors that I want to claim mercy. Mercy. Enough of this.
Stop doing the damage and making life so much more expensive. When is it going to stop? I don't want to have to wait until an election.
Mr. Speaker, you would think that the pain and frustration that the majority is hearing from their businesses and neighbors back home would be able to overcome the fossil fuel lobby in Washington, D.C. If my Republican colleagues pass this bill, I guess they are going to demonstrate to folks that, no, they are going to side with the powerful special interests, the folks who are banking millions of dollars.
Mr. Speaker, this is one thing I wanted to include. Do you know who is making out like bandits right now? It is oil and gas executives. According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump's war in Iran is yielding a windfall for some of America's top oil executives, particularly CEOs. They have now pocketed over $1.4 billion over the past few months.
The Chevron chief executive sold $104 million worth of shares. ConocoPhillips' CEO netted about $54.3 million in share sales in March alone. The CEO of an oil services company sold about $33 million worth of stock the same month.
Do they need more handouts and giveaways while Republicans stick it to hardworking Americans? I don't think so.
People deserve better. They deserve better than what my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are giving them, and it is an insult for them to bring this pro-polluter legislation to the floor on Earth Day at a time when people are just trying to scrape by.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill and send it back to where it belongs: into the garbage bin.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I was in Congress in 2007 when the phaseouts targeted by this bill were signed into law. As I already said, President Bush signed section 433 of the EISA into law. At that time, it was considered a good thing for the Federal Government to try to lead the way and lower its reliance on fossil fuels. The Federal Government is the largest consumer of energy in the country, and it makes sense to try to figure out how to lower our energy consumption.
In 2007, it made sense to harness the purchasing power of the Federal Government and support emerging efficiency and electrification industries in the United States so that we could become competitive. I don't think anything has changed. It still makes sense to try to lower our emissions.
As we have seen over and over these last few years, today's Republicans have no interest in America's leadership in the energy transition. They are perfectly comfortable watching China bypass us with clean energy development, and they are content to keep the Federal Government tied to the energy resources of the past, especially when it means that their friends in the fossil fuels industry keep getting paid.
Rather than recognizing the clean energy transition as an opportunity to lead the way and compete and overcome China, House Republicans are only interested in seeing us move backward.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to see this bill for what it is. It is just a way to guarantee that American taxpayers' money keeps flowing to the fossil fuel industry. That makes absolutely no sense today, given what we see in terms of prices and in terms of what is happening with competition from China and other countries that are moving toward clean energy.
For all these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I will point out that, in 2007, there was a vote in the House of Representatives to make sure that every Federal building built in 2030 is going to have only green energy and not have any type of fossil fuel energy whatsoever.
In 2007, that was when they didn't realize that we had the oil. They knew it was there. They didn't know how to get the oil and gas in the Permian Basin. They didn't know about the shale revolution.
They keep disparaging the people who produce cheap energy, but I will tell you that, in 2007, the United States and the European Union had the same-sized economy. Europe went down the path of tripling their energy prices that come from fossil fuels, which can't be made up for by wind and solar.
We saw what happened with Winter Storm Fern, when New England made more energy out of burning garbage than it did out of wind and solar. Someone told me that I can't just pick the worst day of the year and say that wind and solar hurt that. Well, the worst day of the year or the coldest day of the year is the day that you need the most energy.
All I am saying is that having affordable, dispatchable, sustainable energy is important to America. Remember what I said, that 25 years ago, or not quite 25 years ago, in 2007, Europe and the United States had the same-sized economy. We are now twice as big.
Look at it from the inverse. What if we had made the same decisions they made? What if our economy today were
It is reasonable to make that assumption if we were the same size as Europe--we are twice as big as they are--and if we hadn't grown like we have grown over the past several years.
Just the practicality of this--we know it can't be done by 2030. Probably in 2007, 2030 looked like the year it could be done. It can't be done by 2030.
Mr. Speaker, I think 435 of us here would look at it and say that it can't be done, so it shouldn't be on the books. Why put laws on the books that you can't comply with? That is what this is about.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 4690, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 1189, the previous question is ordered on the bill, as amended.
The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was read the third time.
Expressing Support for Rural Communities Across the United States as Stewards of the Environment, Major Suppliers of United States Energy Resources, Critical Providers of Food Production And...
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on adoption of the resolution (H. Res. 1182) expressing support for rural communities across the United States as stewards of the environment, major suppliers of United States energy resources, critical providers of food production and manufacturing capacity, and drivers of national economic stability, and recognizing the work of the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress in support of those vital communities, on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on adoption of the resolution.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 220, nays 196, answered ``present'' 2, not voting 12, as follows:
Mr. GARAMENDI changed his vote from ``yea'' to ``present.''
So the resolution was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Mr. Speaker, today, our country lost a dedicated public servant, as well as our State and the people of the 13th District of Georgia. We lost our friend and colleague, Congressman David Scott of Georgia.
David and I served side by side for decades, first in the Georgia General Assembly, later the House of Representatives here. We shared a friendship that was rooted in faith, family, and a deep commitment to the people we represent.
I have known David and his family for many years. My wife, Vivian, and I join countless Georgians in mourning his loss and in holding his loved ones close.
As leader of the House Committee on Agriculture, David's voice was steady and compassionate. It was particularly poignant when in 2020, David became the first African-American chair of the House Committee on Agriculture, a historic moment that reflected his years of principled leadership. He used that platform to fight for 1890 land-grant institutions and disadvantaged farmers who too often have been left behind, working tirelessly to secure resources for the agricultural producers, rural communities, and nutrition programs that sustain our State and our Nation.
David's devotion to the larger agricultural community, from small family farms across Georgia to cooperative extensions and HBCU researchers, was personal and persistent. He understood that the health of our farms, the dignity of our workers, and the nourishment of our people are bound together. He labored each day to translate that understanding into results.
To Alfredia, his children, grandchildren, and all who loved him, words cannot fully express our sorrow. We will honor David's memory by continuing the work that he loved--by standing with our farmers, defending nutrition programs, and fighting for opportunity for all.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Austin Scott), my friend and colleague, for his remarks.
Mr. Speaker, first I thank my friend and colleague, Congressman Sanford Bishop.
I knew David over the course of three decades in the State legislature. We worked together on a lot of things, and he was just a good man. He will be missed.
I know we talked about his devotion to agriculture, and we talked about his devotion to Georgia. I also want you to know he was devoted to Jesus Christ. Many times, we parked in the same area, and we would walk to the airplane. In latter years, he would have a little help. I picked on him last time. I said: David, you are still telling that good-looking lady that you can't run so she will come and get you every day and carry you to the airport. We had a good laugh over that.
In his briefcase--and there is no telling how long he had been carrying that briefcase--at the top of that briefcase always was his Bible.
I remember sitting on the plane. He was in 10D, and I was in 10E. As soon as you sit down, you have a little conversation. When the plane is about ready to take off, he would open that Bible and start reading it. I can tell you he read it day in and day out on that airplane. I remember literally picking up some of the pages one day when they fell out, and how I wish we all had that devotion.
He was a wonderful man. He will be missed by many, including me and my family.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House to please rise for a moment of silence in memory of our colleague, Congressman David Scott of Georgia.
The SPEAKER. The Chair asks all of those present in the Chamber, as well as Members and the staff throughout the Capitol, to please rise for a moment of silence in remembrance of the late Honorable David Scott of Georgia.
The SPEAKER. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion to recommit on the bill (H.R. 4690), to amend the Energy Conservation and Production Act to repeal certain Federal building energy efficiency performance standards, and for other purposes, offered by the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Sykes), on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk will redesignate the motion.
The Clerk redesignated the motion.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit.
This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 203, nays 214, not voting 13, as follows:
So the motion to recommit was rejected.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Fire Improvement and Reforming Exceptional Events Act
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion to recommit on the bill (H.R. 6387) to amend the Clean Air Act to require revisions to regulations governing the review and handling of air quality monitoring data influenced by exceptional events or actions to mitigate wildfire risk, offered by the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Dexter), on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk will redesignate the motion.
The Clerk redesignated the motion.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit.
This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 206, nays 214, not voting 10, as follows:
So the motion to recommit was rejected.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote during the vote series today. Had I been able to vote, I would have voted: NAY on Roll Call No. 132, Adoption of H. Res. 1182; YEA on Roll Call No. 133, the Motion to Recommit on H.R. 4690; NAY on Roll Call No. 134, passage of H.R. 4690; YEA on Roll Call No. 135, the Motion to Recommit on H.R. 6387; and NAY on Roll Call No. 136, passage of H.R. 6387.
Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.
The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 5 o'clock and 19 minutes p.m.), under its previous order and pursuant to H. Res. 1206, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 9 a.m. as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Honorable David Scott of Georgia.
Thereupon (at 5 o'clock and 19 minutes p.m.), the House adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 9 a.m.
