earlier said about what is happening in ukraine. it is important to understand. i am a parishioner in oca. we have a lot of russian and ukrainian folk, americans who have those roots and refugees. in ukraine right now they are closing churches on the pretext in the ukrainian parliament, the reason they closed them is -- host: the suspicion of what? caller: ssb. it doesn't have to be proven. >> we leave this to go to the house where members are voting

on a bill on israel. nays are o. the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1143, resolution condemning iran's unprecedented drone and missile attack on israel. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on adoption of the resolution. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 404. the nays are 14. the resolution is adopted. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

the house will be in order.

members, please take your conversations off the floor. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized for one minute. and i would like to remind our members to please take your conversations off the floor. please do so now. mr. burchett: thank you, mr. speaker. hold it down, please.

mr. speaker, i rise to honor lance corporal gary koontz. he enlisted in the marines in october 26, 1967, attended basic training at paris island, south carolina. after basic training, he was shipped to vietnam where he drove a truck that carried supplies. after a short time he was then transferred and a door gunner with the first marine aircraft wing. his unit played a crucial role and their legacy remains tied to the times of the vietnam war. during his service he was award the the national defense service medal, vietnamese campaign medal, and vietnamese service medal with device. combat aircrew insignia, good conduct medal, and air medal award. when he returned home, he was transferred to the marine reserve to complete his obligation. once he returned to knoxville he became a realtor, developer, and active member of the met vietnaf

america. he is always calling me about veterans and the problems they are having. he's trying to work to resolve them. it's my honor to recognize corporal koontz as the tennessee's second district april 2024 veteran of the month. he's an inconsidered asread fully good friend and a great american. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. members, please take your conversations off the floor. >> mr. speaker, i'm honored to represent a large and vibrant armenian community in my congressional district. on behalf of those constituents, i rise today to recognize the 109th commemoration of the armenian genocide from 1915 to

1916, the ottoman empire massacred the armenian people. accord together u.s. holocaust museum, up to as many 1.2 million armenians are killed. ms. sanchez: this genocide someone of the most painful moments in the world's history, yet sadly it is not spoken about much. we can never deny or forget the systemic envied killing and mistreatment of armenians. we must learn from the terrible history and never lose focus on protecting oppressed and vulnerable people. we owe that to the victims and their desendants still -- descendants who are still reeling from this unjust atrocity. i urge my colleagues to join me in standing with the armenian community. we should all make time to reflect on this solemn day of remembrance. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute.

revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. comer: mr. speaker, i rise today whoonor ginger kohl vin recently announced the 2024 women's basketball coach's association naia national coach of the year. ginger has been the women's basketball coach for 17 years. ginger has deep ties to kentucky's first congressional district. growing up in monroe county and being a basketball star at both top conditionsville high school and camelsville university herself. she is receiving this award for the second year in a row as a testament to her commitment and dedication to her players and the university. under ginger's leadership, the lady tigers have a 477-98 record. a 31-2 record this season. making it to the naia elite eight. congratulations to my friend,

coach ginger kohl vin, on this -- colvin, on this well deserved award and successful season. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does gentlelady from california seek recognition? >> request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today during national public safety telecommunicators week as the first 911 dispatcher in congress. during america's darkest moments, 911 dispatchers are the first responders from talking people out of committing suicide to humbling active shooter situations. mrs. torres: every single day 911 dispatchers talk to people during the most difficult time in their life. despite the hard work 911 dispatchers are classified as clerical workers making them first on the chopping block of budget cuts leading to staffing shortages for our already

stressful job. for this reason i urge congress to pass my 911 stay act in honor of 911 dispatchers with a well deserved reclassification. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to celebrate the 100th birthday of charles covall, a lifelong resident of krapbberry township. he was born in 1924 the oldest of four children. he left high school in 10th grade when he was offered a job driving a truck. a year later he started working on the railroad. a few years later in may of 1943 he was crafted into the united states army in 19 years of age where he served until 1946. charles spent three years overseas in the pacific theater. was even part of the division

sent to clean up hiroshima after the atomic bomb was dropped. following his discharge in 1946, he was awarded the combat infantry badge, world war ii victory medal. philippine liberation ribbon with one bronze service star, and the asiatic pacific campaign medal with two bronze service stars. after the war he turned to cranberry working as a pumper on an oil lease. today charles has many grandchildren and great grandchildren and continues to share stories of his time in the army. happy birthday, charles. thank you for your service to our country. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to call for a renewed investment in the af affordable connectivity program. mr. landsman: which is set to expire this month. the a.c.p. has helped over 23

million households who have received affordable broadband internet. in my district alone, that's one of four people who depend on the a.c.p. for internet access. this access is so important, it allows people to work from home. children to do their homework. people to get health care online, and everyone to participate in our digital economy. all without prohibitive costs. this investment is about more than just internet access, it's about opportunity and equality and strengthening our economy. continuing to fund the a.c.p. would have bipartisan and overwhelming support. when brought to the floor. millions will be left without internet access if we don't. i urge the speaktory bring this bill to the floor. urge my colleagues to sign the discharge petition which will be here today.

thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. carter: ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. carter: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the outstanding career of joe brandon. after joe graduated from the university of georgia, he spent eight years serving on the staff of georgia senator sam nunn. he went on to have a successful banking career, spanning over 40 years. joe will retire as president and chief executive officer of the georgia bankers association on july 15. his 44th anniversary of joining the association. the georgia bankers association enjoyed its greatest decades of growth and prosperity under the unwavering leadership of joe. joe has served on a wide variety of boards both in and out of the banking community. including the georgia bar

foundation. georgia chamber of commerce. american free market chamber of commerce. the state ymca. and his own local church. joe is a trusted advisor. a thoughtful leader. and a respected friend to many. in short, joe is one of the good guys. i wish him and his wife nothing but happiness in a well earned retirement. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does gentlelady from oregon seek recognition? >> i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize my constituent, claire, who was just awarded the congressional gold medal for hercieser service as a real life rosy the riveter. i had the honor of meeting her and her granddaughter and hearing firsthand her story of

courage and conviction during a dark time in our nation's history. salinas: she gave birth to her daughter just hours after the attack on pearl harbor. like many americans she felt the need to spring into action and support the war effort. so clarisse went on to work at the keyser shipyard in portland where she cut and welded steel for ships. she wasn't the only one. in total about 16 million women across the country served as riveters, buckers, welders, and electricians during the world. she's real life rosies were critical to ensuring american victory. today clarisse is 102 years young. remains very active in her community. and egger to -- eager to share her story with younger generations. i can't think of anyone more deserving of our nation's highest civilian honor. i'm so grateful to clarisse and her family for their service. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute

and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise to honor a true hero, nate buckenthal. mr. lalota: his unwavering dedication to service was evident from a young age. in 1999 he answered the call of duty and joined the united states coast guard and served on the point wells based out of montauk. in 2004 he deployed to the arabian gull where have he and two navy sailors were killed while intercepting a water-borne suicide attack off the coast of iraq. nate's actions saved the lives of countless fellow sailors and we can never thank him enough for his bravery and heroism. his ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty served as a poignant reminder of the selfless courage exhibited by service members every day. may we never forget his

sacrifice and may his memory inspire future generations to serve with the same bravery and devotion. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> i ask for unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. davis: mr. speaker, the connective program, a.c.p., for households nationwide is on the brink of collapse. april marks the opened they have program putting the internet out of reach for many americans. the a.c.p. is about leveling the digital playing field. especially for rural america. without action, millions will lose access to high speed internet. in north carolina's first congressional district, over

81,000 households rely on a.c.p. for internet access. a.c.p. isn't about luxury. it's essential for our farmers, students, and small businesses. i urge congress to act now. thank you so much, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise in honor of father sy rill guys who passed away. he -- mr. vanned oren: the he demonstrated through his service around the world that a belief in jesus christ rises bhov all others. he brought countless souls to

christ and should be remembered for this, but i believe he'd prefer to be remembered as a simple servant of god. in his humility he gave us an example to follow. he was born in philadelphia, pennsylvania, to harry and mary mcgrath guys. he was a carmelite father for almost 65 years. he entered service in 1950 and made his first profession of vows a year later and was ordained in 1959. after hissed or nation he was called to min -- after his ord nation he was called to minister in the philippines. then he was called to peters bro, new hampshire. he served those in the most trying of times as the dedicated hospital chaplain in multiple locations around the country. in 1994, he -- god called him to holy hill where he served in leadership for a three-year

timed a prier in the -- as prior in the developmental office. he'll be greatly missed by his religious community. on a personal note, he was my uncle bob and auntie mary jean's priest and we all consider him a member of our family who offered the greatest comfort to those of during their passing as he did during the passing of our daughter. may god bless him and grant him sweet repose. mr. speaker, i ask that father robert cyril guys contribution to my state, the nation and the world be entered into the congressional record for posterity. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from the virgin islands seek recognition? ms. plaskett: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. plaskett: today i rise to speak about the need for

congressional support for energy stability in offshore underserved areas. in the virgin island we're acutely aware of the impacts of climate change including the increasing frequency and severity of hurricanes, as evidenced in 2017 with two category 5 hurricanes hitting our home. energy remains the single most critical factor for our territory's future. high electricity costs and power instability continue to hamper economic recovery. systemic energy instability has direct and indirect negative impacts on sustainable economic development which magnified existing societal vulnerabilities. the biden harris administration's energy policy offers the virgin islands and places like it a transformative opportunity, including the energy department state energy program, loan program office, the interior department's

energizing insular communities and e.p.a.'s solar for all programs. we must continue to utilize and champion this administration's vision to enable disadvantaged, isolated areas to define and implement our energy future through a modern-day lens, fundamentally addressing our needs as we see them. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> i rise to ask permission to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker, in a time of conflict and war around the world it's good to remember those things that bring a small to our face, whether it's people, traditions or places. today's tribute is one of those in my life. it's the 100th anniversary of frank's restaurant which is an absolute icon in my hometown of

zeeland, michigan. mr. huizenga: it was started by a man named frank dionese just over 100 years ago. it was family owned until just recently. it's the kind of place that every zeelander has memories in and around. it's the kind of place where every true zeelander knows what their go-to order. is mine is the olive burg we are onion rings. i want to say thank you to theresa and the families that have taken that under and made sure that this institution is continuing while it celebrates 100 years in the great town of zeeland, michigan. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. kaptur: i rise today to recognize the strongest town in america. this year, 16 cities from across

our continent competed for the title of north america's strongest town. over a four-week span work each round of voting lasting one week, these communities competed for a prestigious title. that title came back home to america's heartland in the great lakes region, the winner was maumee in northwest ohio in the ninth congressional district. it took the title over norfolk, nebraska. this year's contest was the ninth annual event to name the strongest town and according to contest rule, a strong town is defined as any town, big or small that prioritizes making progress in transportation, housing, and fiscal resiliency for the long-term benefit of its people. the award does not ask a town to be perfect. nor does every strong town look the same. this is because strong towns incrementally adapt to the conditions and challenges of their specific place from the bottom up. maumee, ohio, that exists along

the maumee river, the largest river that flow into the entire great lakes, will hold a news conference this morning to formally accept this prestigious title. we in northwest ohio couldn't be prouder of maumee, ohio. onward, maumee. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. lamalfa: i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. lamalfa: thank you, mr. speaker. so we have this gigantic problem with our sieve of a border. we hear all these ideas of how we can spend lots of money or the white house can't do anything about it. well, i remind you that president trump had many pieces in place that were actually working and bringing the numbers down on illegal immigration into this country. and all we have to do is put these pieces right back in place. president biden, by executive

action could put these eight ideas right back in place and not have to do anything with new expenditures or new legislation. we have the laws. we have the ability. just needs to act. so to hear the president say, well, i don't know if i have the authority, that's bogus. he has the authority. if he wants to take action he can. these eight items right here on this poster. could be something he could sign executive orders right away. and stop a massive percentage of what's wrong with our border. and make our country secure again, save money, save the wear and tear on our social programs, and make our citizens of this country feel like their citizenship actually means something once again. i urge president bide ton actually take these steps and put us back on the correct track. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition?

>> address the body for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise to emphasize a need for the biden administration to authorize work permits for those in our nation who are long-term immigrants. mr. correa: yesterday my colleagues and i sent a letter to the white house pushing for work permits for long-term immigrants. those that have been in our country for decades, working hard, paying taxes. contributing to our economy. we should also help the spouses of our military. we should also help deported veterans. the last time we had meaningful immigration reform in this country, that great californian ronald reagan was president. to date, congress has failed to deliver on a pathway to citizenship. so mr. biden, i ask, use your

pen. sign an executive order. give these hardworking immigrants a work permit. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise to congratulate georgia's jeff mcclendon on the conclusion of his position as chairman of the association of wholesale distributors. this is comprised of companies that keep america moving while employing six million americans, many of them georgia yaps, in high-pay, rewarding careers. mr. collins: with jeff's guidance as chairman, n.a.w. expanded tuns for emerging lead, enhanced thoughtful leadership many a rapidly innovative world,

and continued to be an effective voice for distribution-friendly policies here in washington. n.a.w.'s success under jeff's leadership shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. knowing jeff's success in the business over these past 20 years, leading duluth, georgia's specialty building products. i had the opportunity to visit one of his facilities last year and meet with him and members of his impressive team. jeff is a humble leader and a man of faith who cares deeply about his employees, his community, and his country. i again congratulate jeff on his tenure as n.a.w. chairman and i appreciate his continued servant leadership in the georgia business community. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut seek recognition? >> request permission to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

mr. courtney: later today on april 18th, three australian submariners are set to graduate from the submarine training school. the first three submariners from australia under the awe cus agreement -- the aucus agreement gaining proficiency to operate a nuclear-powered submarine, a first for both countries. after graduating they'll be headed to pearl harbor for assignment to virginia class submarines and this again marks another first, they'll be the first ever australian naval personnel assigned to austin knave vessel. over the next 12 months, 100 australian navy personnel will continue in this pipeline to implement the aucus agreement, one of the smartest collaborations between the u.s., u.k. and australia to uplift their submarine capacity to work together for the three nations and replans the deteriorating security environment in the indo-pacific. congratulations to all or as

they would say in australia, good on ya. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 9, 2023, the gentleman from texas, mr. green, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mr. green: thank you, mr. speaker. and still i rise, mr. speaker. and still i rise. and today i'd like to do something just a bit different. i've stood here on many occasions and said that i love my country. that i salute the flag. i still love my country and salute the flag. and today what i'd like to do is actually salute the flag. i just believe that any time is a good time, especially when you are in this facility, to salute the flag. if you will indulge me, mr. speaker, i'd like to move to

another podium. and still i rise, mr. speaker, proud to stand here in the well of the house of representatives. one can but only imagine the great speeches, the oratory that is imitated from this area. but today i want to do something different. i just want to say the pledge of allegiance. the pledge of allegiance from this very almost sacred place. so those who would like to join me, you but only have to stand. as you would normally salute the flag, you may do so. if you choose not to, you don't have to. the greatness of america will not be measured by whether the al greens of the world salute the flag. the greatness of america will be

measured by whether the al greens of the world would defend those who choose not to salute the flag. who choose not to say the pledge of allegiance. who choose not to sing the national anthem. who choose not to stand for the anthem. so i, today, will do what i will do and that is salute the flag. chose who choose not to, i see there is a great discussion going on in the back, mr. speaker, could we ask persons to take their conversations off the floor, especially at this time. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the gentleman is recognized. mr. green: thank you. to all of my friends who are here, all of my friends who are here, we are about to say the pledge of allegiance. for those who choose not to, you don't have to. but those who do, would you join me by standing. i place my hand over my heart when i say the pledge of

allegiance. i shall lead in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. and justice for all. thank you, everyone, i appreciate you joining me in this pledge of allegiance. i wanted to do this because i believe the values that we have in this country, we can export to the rest of the world. i believe that the words and the declaration of independence, a founding document, these are words that we can export to the rest of the world. all persons created equal. endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. among them, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. these are powerful words.

these words are words that we are, in this country, still trying to make real. it's a great and noble ideal, but we still have not gotten there yet. we are forming still our more perfect union. but i think that as we do it here i believe that these things can be exported to the rest of the country. the rest of the world, if you will. the motion that all persons are created equal, endowed by their creator with certain unalienable lights among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. i want to focus for a moment on life. life, this aspect of the pledge. excuse me, the declaration of independence. life. i want to focus on lives not just in this country, because we do this quite often, so i have said a lot about the deaths that

are taking place here, the mass shootings that are taking place here. yes, but i want to export this idea to another place. i want to talk about this noble concept as it relates to gaza. and what's happening to the lives in gaza. i want to do this because for too long the thousands that have lost their lives have been status at this sized, this is a disservice to humanity. their lives should not be these innocent people, innocent men, women, and especially children, their lives should not be just simply statistics. their lives ought to be humanized. and today i'd like to humanize the lives. i also have a resolution

commemorating innocent civilian lives lost in gaza, especially children. let's export the great and noble american ideal in our declaration of independence. let's apply it to people on a global basis. so now i shall move back to the podium where i ordinarily make my comments because i have some paraphernalia there i'll be introducing. mr. speaker, i move to the next podium. this is a resolution that i am previewing. there may be some tweaking, but i'm previewing it. and it will be filed either today or tomorrow. this resolution commemorating

innocent civilian lives lost in gaza, especially children. whereas, this resolution may be cited as the original resolution commemorating innocent civilian lives lost in gaza, especially children. whereas, on october 7, 2023, hamas conducted a heinous attack on israel. leading to israel declaring war on hamas. not palestine. not palestinians. but declaring war on hamas. and i say this because unfortunately, a good many people, too many, if you will, have concluded that the war is against palestinians. against palestine. the war was declared against hamas. and the prime minister of israel himself has indicated that the war is against hamas.

he's also indicated that the palestinians are victims, the palestinians are victims. i concur. the innocent palestinian men, women, and especially children are victims of this war. they are victims to the extent that they not only suffer from being in a war zone, but they also suffer by being harmed in various and sundry ways, and they are losing their lives. continuing, where was both palestinians and israelis are in mourning. the country of israel is still in mourning. from the october 7 horrendous attack. gazans, palestinians, innocent men, women, and children are in

mourning because of the thousands, the tens of thousands who have lost their lives in this war. whereas, in 2020, the population of gaza was over two million. with approximately half being children under the age of 18. whereas, the pain, suffering, and deaths of innocent palestinian men, women, and especially children are too often reduced to statistical -- statistics. whereas, people of good will must do more than have statistics for the pain, suffering, and killing of innocent civilian palestinians. where was people of good will

must do more to humanize the pain suffering of palestinians in gaza, with explanations of how they lost their arms, legs, eyes, ears, and lives. let me repeat this. because this is something that is difficult to say but also something that we ought not attribute to persons who have lost their arms, legs, eyes, and hearing. as well as their lives. this is a very sad, sad circumstance to have to negotiate and deal with. whereas, because of the war home, schools, businesses, hospitals, and more important their lives -- importantly their

lives in gaza have been destroyed. whereas because of the war many businesses have been decimated. whereas, hundreds of thousands of innocent civilian men, women, and especially children in gaza have suffered through the loss of mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters while starving and suffering the mental anguish associated with war. whereas, civilians in gaza live in constant fear of sudden loss of arms, legs, and life. and whereas, tens of thousands of innocent civilians, including thousands of children, have been brutally killed in a war beyond their control. now, therefore, be it resolved that the house of representatives commemorates the

tens of thousands of innocent civilian lives lost in gaza, especially those of children. the lives lost should be viewed as more than mere statistics. the humanity, the pain, suffering, and deaths of the tens of thousands of men, women, and especially children must be commemorated and memorialized. the killing of innocent men, women, and especially children in palestine must cease immediately with all possible haste. all hostages must be returned immediately, and, we are talking about hostages that are israeli as well as any that may be palestinian, but we know that

israeli hostages were taken. and finally, because the united states largess has contributed to the purchase of munitions used by the netanyahu administration, the united states must do everything it can do address the humanitarian catastrophe in gaza. perpetrated by the destruction of homes, infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and also i would add the loss of human life. so now what i'd like to do is give you some graphic indications of what this is all about. there is an article from "the new yorker" t i'd like to read dated march 21, 2020. i'll go through it and then i'll show you some pictures of what has happened.

but first let's start with this representation. this is a representation of persons who are in mourning, and they are doing what people do when they are suffering. you can see persons who are screaming and crying out. and the language reads, of the thousands of palestinians killed in gaza, about 70% have been women and children. .. that's quite a large number. 70%, about, women and children.

this representation is of persons who are making an appeal for food. you can see in their eyes a sadness. you can see with their hands extended, a plea. for food. a plea for food. the language reeds, the catastrophic levels of hunger and starvation in gaza are the highest ever recorded on the i.p.c. scale. both in terms of number of people and percentage of the population.

highest percentage, highest ever recorded. hunger in gaza. but now this picture is a representation that tears at your heart as well. but perhaps even in a more profound way. because this young lady that you see, this baby, she is without her left leg. and she's on a playground, so one would conclude that she's not in gaza. you would be correct. but you would be incorrect if you asewelled that this injury occurred in someplace other than gaza, because that's where it occurred. and as i will read this article from the new yorker -- from "the

new yorker" that i alluded to, you will get a better comprehension of where she is and what happened to her. it's a very sad story. but we have to humanize these thousands of people. we can't just allow them to become numbers. if they're just numbers it's easy to dismiss them as casualties of war. but they are more than numbers. these are human beings. who have suffered. these are human beings who have relatives that are suffering. these are human beings who -- whose lives are never going to be the same. and there's a good likelihood that they won't have what we have in this country and that is the medical assistance to help them recover, those who survive,

as well as the medical attention for their mental -- mental illness that may suffer. these are human beings. some mother cried because of what happened to this child. some father is crying because of what's happened to his child in gaza. we cannot allow them to be dehumanized and reduced to statistics. we have to humanize these persons. i have chose then baby as the example for us to give some thought to. this article in the new yorker is styled, the children who lost limbs in gaza. subtitle reads, more than 1,000 children who were injured in the war are now amputees. some things bear repeating.

i say this quite regularly. reads more than 1,000 children who were injured in the war are now amputees. this baby is one of more than 1,000. what do their futures hold? this was on march 21, 2024, when published. it continues, and these are excerpts, gasal, pictured --s the baby, this is the photograph that accompanied this article. was wounded on november 10. when, as her family fled gaza city's al shifa hospital, shrapnel pierced her left calf.

that would be the leg she lost. pierced her left calf. to stop the bleeding, this is what will break your heart. to stop the bleeding, a doctor who had no access to antiseptic or anesthesia, excuse me, antiseptic or anesthesia, heated the blade of a kitchen knife, no anti-cement i think. no -- no antiseptic. no anesthesia. heated the blade of a kitchen knife and cauterized the wound. now, cauterization mean he is took that hot blade, without any anesthesia, without any

antiseptic, and he placed this hot blade on the skin of this baby. a hot blade. to save her life. but can you imagine the screams? can you imagine the heartache that the parents felt? as they see this happening to their baby? but they know that it's necessary. s that life-saving technique. a hot blade. heated blade of a kitchen knife. and cauterized the wound. now she is more than a statistic. she's a human being. and she deserves to have someone recognize her humanity. within days, the gash ran with pus. and began to smell.

suffered the hot blade. and now the gash is smelly. running with pus. by mid december, when her family's -- when her family arrived at nasr medical center, which has been rendered dysfunctional, i believe. but her family took her to this medical center. it was at the time the largest functioning health care facility. but when they got there, gangrene had set in. hot blade. first she's wounded. then she suffers a hot blade.

now she has began green. necessitating amputation at the hip. we're talking about the baby in this picture. let's humanize her. on december 17, a projectile hit the children's ward of this hospital, gazal and her mother watched as it entered the room. here's the mother. with her daughter. suffering. having suffered cauterization. with a blade of a hot kitchen knife. now in the hospital. and they witness the projectile coming into the ward where think this -- where the baby.

-- where the baby is a projectile hit the ward. gasal and her mother watched it enter the room, decapitating her 12-year-old roommate and causing the ceiling to collapse. this is a baby that has suffered more than any human being should, and now, while in the hospital, a project isle come into the ward where she is. and this project isle decapitates the 12-year-old roommate. we have to humanize. we've got to humanize. not stay this size -- staticize. this caused the ceiling to

collapse. multiple reports describe the event as an israeli attack. the i.d.f. claimed the incident could have been caused by hamas mortar or the remnant of an israeli flair. now this is what the new yorker says. quoting someone with the i.d.f. , israeli defense force. and this person is indicating that it could have been a mortar from hamas or it could have been an israeli flair. the remnant of an israel flair. gazal and her mothering many to crawl out of the rubble. the next day their names were added to a list of evacuees who could cross the border into egypt and then fly to qatar for medical treatment. this is her now in qatar.

her mother got her out. her mother was nine months pregnant. the mother whose daughter has suffered incalculable pain was nine months pregnant. and she gave birth to a baby girl while awaiting the airlift. all of this time, this mother, having her daughter suffer the blade of a hot knife to save her life. then taking her daughter to a hospital where a projectile enters the room and decapitates another baby, 12 years old, in that room. now she sees all of this. this baby is a witness to this. can you imagine what her life

will be like? the trauma she will suffer? we have to humanize these lives. this is not just another casualty of war. it's a human being. unicef estimates that a thousand children in gaza have become amputees. so this baby represents one of 1,000. probably more than that now. this baby has to be humanized. this article indicates, and it's in quotations, this is the biggest cohort of pediatric amputees in history. this is happening in gaza. the biggest cohort of pediatric

amputees in history. and we call these casualties of war. this baby is just another casualty of war. the biggest cohort. in history. she's more than a casualty of war. she's a human being. let's move to another tory that should be humanized. this one is from cnn. fairly reputable news source. the style of this article is, "at least 13 killed including seven children after strike on gaza's al magaza refugee camp."

13 killed. including seven children. now this didn't happen a month ago. this didn't happen two months ago. this happened on april 16. april 16. that's in the very recent past. at least 13 people, it reads, were killed, including seven children, and more than 25 injured, after a strike targeted al magazi refugee camp in central gaza. and this was on tuesday. according to al aqsa hospital officials. . the graphic video that was

obtained exclusively by cnn from eyewitness nihadabtallah shows several casualties scattered on the floor including children with blood streaming around the area. this is tuesday. this is tuesday. this is the tuesday after what happened some time what happened after israel as it relates to iran. so this happens in gaza. as the netanyahu administration

is planning a response to what happened with iran. how do you think these people feel? what about them? are we now going to forget them? we'll go onto the next fight and these thousands, tens of thousands, over 30,000, we just sort of put them in the past. i will not. there has to be some justice for these children. what's happening to them is an injustice. you cannot in the name of justice create an injustice and call it justice. injustice in the name of justice is still an injustice.

this is an injustice. and it's continuing. and it's continuing after prime minister netanyahu has indicated that he wants justice for what happened to jail -- jail. israel. how can we let this become a thing of the past. i refuse to allow it to be a thing of the past. so the video shows several casualties scattered on the floor including with children and blood streaming around the area. people are running around in panic, screaming and trying to count and carry the dead bodies. a foosball table covered in dust is seen among the dead bodies.

the witness who lives in the camp told cnn he heard an explosion around 3:40 p.m. local time on tuesday, around 30 to 40 meters away from him. this is his quotation. i immediately walked to see what happened. and found dead bodies thrown on the ground, people screaming. kids screaming. kids dead on the ground. they were just playing foosball and they were mortared, he said. footage shot for cnn from inside the hospital shows a continuous flow of casualties and injured people being ushered in as the emergency room is crowded with

patients including several wounded children crying out on the floor. children. remember now, let's go back to the style of this article. at least 13 killed including seven children after strike on gaza's refugee camp. the emergency room is crowded with patients including several wounded children craig out on the floor. family members are seen crowding over their loved ones' dead bodies, kissing them. holding on to them and sobbing. these are human beings.

they do what human beings when they suffer these kinds of tragedies. video inside a morgue at the hospital shows families trying to identify their loved ones among the deceased. they are pointing to a young body bag with a young boy's body, a young boy's bloodied face exposed, telling cnn, this is my son. a young boy's bloodied face exposed in a white body bag. this is my son, she says. another man cries out, they have nothing to do with anyone. they are civilians. have mercy on us.

have mercy on us. these people are pleading, appealing to us. and i say us, because our fingerprints are all over this. the munitions being used are in some part related to the largesse that we send to the netanyahu administration. that largesse is the link to us. and we have to do something about it. have mercy on us. you're killing children. you're not killing an army of fighters. remember earlier i said the war was declared on hamas, not

palestinians, not palestine. hear the validation of the thinking of the people in gaza. these people understand what's going on. you are killing children. you are not killing an army or fighters. you are killing children who were peacefully playing in the street. children playing in the street. one moment they are children and running doing the things that children do, laughing, and the next moment, seven are dead. you're killing children, who were peacefully playing in the street, not an army, not fighters. video shows him handing a young girl's dead body to another

man. both men crying out karanic and sobbing. the man is seen placing her on the ground and covers her body with a jacket, telling cnn, this is my daughter. human beings dying and suffering, suffering and then dying. and those left behind suffering. this war has to stop. we are ought to be among the first to say it's got to stop. do you think history is going to be kind to us? posterity is not going to be kind to the netanyahu

administration. we will be seen as persons who eyewitnesses by way of television to a grant human tragedy and did not do what we could to prevent it. remember the war was not declared on children. it wasn't declared on women. it wasn't declared on innocent people. it was declared on hamas. but we know that more than 30,000 palestinians have lost their lives. and some of them in horrific ways. there seems to be a means by which the mind can process a person dying as a result of an explosion of one of the bombs we helped pay for. there seems to be a means by which the mind can process that and see that as something that

is not as horrific as if you do it in many other ways. it was just a bomb. the person was just a casualty of war. just another number. that's all. we need to move on. and my fear is just that, that at some point mr. netanyahu, mr. prime minister netanyahu will decide enough is enough and we will then say he has now moved on. do you think this baby will have moved on? do you think her parents will have moved on? do you think the people who are suffering now will have moved on? this is the rest of their lives' incident. what a kind way to say it. this is the rest of their lives'

tragedy. this is a rest of their lives' slaughtering of human beings. you think they can just move on? at some point, on this infin knit time, we have to account for time. somebody has to account for this and the thousands of innocent people who lost their lives. and it won't be simply, well i just cashed the boat. i didn't do it. there's a connection. we have our fingerprints all over this. and we ought to do what we can to prevent it from continuing. the man who has said this is his

daughter, he indicates this is my oldest daughter. her name is luan. she is nine years old. this man has lost his nine-year-old daughter and goes on to indicate, the strike hit them while they were playing out in the street. they are all just children. friends, i can't let it go, i'm sorry. i can't. i wish i could. but i can't. these are babies. i can't let it go. i refuse to be a participant in this any longer.

i have done it too long already. too many babies have been killed. it's got to stop. don't expect me to continue to fund this. say what you want about me. but i'm not going to continue to fund this. killing of babies and then making them mere numbers. at some point, we have to come to our senses. don't you see what we are doing to ourselves and our image in the world. don't you see what mr. netanyahu, the prime minister is doing to israel's image in the world. israel had the moral high ground. it's losing it.

some would say it's lost it. but we are quick to return it if something happens in israel. we are quick to return it. you now have it again. i refuse. i refuse to continue to fund this kind of atrocious behavior. voltaire was right, those who can make you believe absurd yits -- actually it was those who can cause you to -- let's say absurdities can cause you to commit atrocities. that's not the exact quote. we now believe the

we now believe the absurd notion that it's all right to kill innocent men, women, and especially children, if in that process we're trying to get to a dastard who is hiding behind these innocent men, women and children. i refuse. i refuse to continue to be part of this unbelievable killing of men, women, and children before our very eyes. that we are funding. now. someone would say well, the war

in ukraine, you're funding that. we might remember that ukraine is defending itself. in a war where there has been an invasion. i don't want war injury. -- i don't want war anywhere. you crane's innocent men, women, and children are being killed as well. but russia is funding that. russia. that's their fingerprints all over that. and i don't approve of what russia is doing. that's easy for us to say in this country. it's easy for us to condemn

russia for what russia is doing. we do it -- we do it without hesitation. without equivocation. we do it. no consternation. just russia, we can do it. why? because it's easy to look through the window of life at someone else and say what you're doing is wrong. it's notes so easy to look into the mirror of life and see the wrong that you're doing you yourself. at some point we have to confess to what we're seeing in the mirror of life. if we don't, we will still be judged. i assure you, history is not going to be kind to us for what's happening in gaza. and there will be people who are going to wonder, what was wrong with them? they saw it.

they had evidence of it. and they still forged forward. get it over with. finish it, they say. finish it. finish this? get this over with? you think it'll ever be over for her? i refuse. i refuse. to continue to support this. now there'll be some who say, you can't do this, you ought not be there. because we expect you to cast the votes to do this. well, friends all i can say to that is, my conscience will

dictate that i do what i do, i will do what i must and let others do what they may. do what you will. i have not suggested to one of you that you have to vote a certain way. i'm just telling you how i'm going to vote. and i am tell yog uh that history is not going to be kind to all of us, that includes me. i voted for over $50 billion to go to the country of israel. not that very long ago we voted more than $3 billion. i have been a supporter. i am still a supporter of the people. i am not a supporter of the netanyahu administration. i support the people, not that administration. because what they're doing to the people of gaza is ungodly.

it is -- it is shameful. it is disgraceful. and i will not support that. so let others do what they may. and if there are people who believe so strongly about this in the ninth congressional district, that they want somebody who will tolerate this and go along with this, send them on up here and take me out. because i don't go along with it. i'm not going to go along so that i can get along. not when it comes to this. by the way, i'm no saint. i don't claim to be a saint. i just claim to be a person whose conscience dictates that you're not -- that you not support this kind of behavior. so mr. speaker, i will close with this.

notwithstanding all that i've said, i still love my country. i am an american. i believe i'm of african ancestry, i have not checked my bloodline to find out. i don't know. but i love this country. it means something to me to say to people that i'm an american. i love it more than it has loved me. it segregated me. the rights that the constitution recognizes for me, my friends and neighbors in the south took them away from me. but i still love my country. how can you love your country when your country has tweeted you the way it has, al green? the back of the bus, balcony of the movie, step off the sidewalk when people come by, separate lean for you at the grocery store. colored water fountains. how can you love it?

because i love what the -- it stands for and its noble ideals. the ideals of liberty and justice for all as extolled in the pledge of allegiance we said at the genesis of this message. the ideal in the declaration of independence, all persons being created equal and endowed by their creator with these inalienable right, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. this is why i have said, because i love these ideals, i believe we should export them to other people. but not export them in the sense that we want them to simply obey them and treat other people right. i think that's a good thing to do. but in the sense that we ought to respect her life. her liberty.

and her desire to pursue happiness. we ought to respect her life. export that. to people across the globe. especially people that are trapped. trapped in gaza. can't find -- can't get out. no place to go. told to move from one place to another. let's give them the benefit of these noble words, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. i will do so in every way that i can and i believe in this country and love it to the extent that i believe we ought to make that noble ideal real for people in this country and without this country, especially the people who are in gaza. mr. speaker, as a proud member of this congress, and a proud american in the sense that i love my country because of its

great ideal, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. under the speaker's announced policy of january 9, 2023, the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. grothman is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. grothman: thank you. we want to look at three major issues and sometimes with the minor day-to-day issues one forgets to analyze the major issues that i think are going to determine the fate of our country. in the last week, one more time,

we got the results on the number of people crossing the southern border. and while the results keep pouring in month after month, it is in my opinion, and i think most people's opinion, the most significant issue that congress has to address. in march of 2024, and these of course all are estimates, we believe 220,000 people crossed the southern border and stayed in the united states. this has something in common with every other month this year and it goes up and down depending on the time of year. one more time we hit an all-time record of the number of people coming into this country by that month. in march of 2024, 220,000. in march of 2023, 130,000. in march of 2022, 166,000. in the final year of the prior administration, 11,000. so one more time, we see the

increase from 11,000 people coming here in a month, to 220,000 people coming here in a month. we recently had a hearing on the border in a subcommittee related to the oversight committee, and on that committee, the sheriff, sheriff wayburn, pointed out that right now, about 25% of the prison population, the venezuela prison population dropped by about 25%. this is consistent with concerns raised by the border patrol that in addition to just plain taking people we can't afford to take, other countries are dumping their undesirables into this

country. does president biden care that the number of people in venezuelan prison vsz dropped by 20%? that should, by itself, be a banner headline. the next thing to look at, in addition to that drop is an anecdote from sheriff wayburn. from virginia. he points out that someone asked a member of the cartels, do they care about the fentanyl coming in this country, and all the people that are dying? and the quote was, they were ok as long as the fentanyl was killing americans. now think about that. this is consistent with what we think the worst possible motive for bringing fentanyl into this country is. they want to destroy the united states. china itself is playing a role

in the amount of fentanyl coming in this country. you know, the young people of this country may feel they're not involved in a war. they never enlisted in the army. never enlisted in the navy. but like it or not you are in a war. as a matter of fact more people are dying in the war that you have signed up for than any of the wars that are our armed services fought in. about 108,000 people a year. they are dying in a war because the mexican drug cartels and foreign countries that produce the fentanyl do not wish the u.s. well. they aimportantly like to see young americans die. and young americans have to realize that there are people gunning for them. when we talk about that 110,000 people, that's about twice the number of people every year who die from -- in the war on drugs

compared to the number of people who died in the vietnam. think about that. i'm old enough to remember vietnam. people were dying all the time. headlines, people dying in vietnam, twice as many people die every year as died in 12 years in vietnam. just unbelievable. now, there's some people who get confused and think, well, we just have to take these people coming here illegally because we are otherwise cruel and not allowing enough people in the country. here's something else that we ought to be talking about a little bit more. the number of people who come into this country, are sworn in as legal citizens, goes up and down from year-to-year. last year -- first of all, last year, we had a total of 900 -- the last year available. 969,000 new people were sworn in

as immigrants in the united states. if you break it down in four-year inkrements, back to the year 1910 there has never been a four-year period where so many people from other countries were sworn in. there is no reason to feel guilty if we turn these people around, because right now a record number are coming here. in the four-year inkrements, 800,000 people every year being sworn in. it's kind of interesting, if you go back and look at the 1960's, you were normally 110 to 120,000. going back from the 1960's to swearing in 110,000 americans

and now well over 800,000 and well before you add new people who are becoming citizens by birth-right citizenship. that barely existed in the 1960's or 1970's and mothers fly over from china and have the baby in san diego and fly back and that is another citizen as well. we are changing america more quickly in my opinion than any other time in our history. in summary, when we view the border crisis, we are one more time at an all-time record for a march. we are not being callous or cruel, because we are all-time records and the number of people coming here legally as well. we are allowing over 100,000

americans to die every year because of drug poisoning. and at least there is evidence that the countries or the people bringing the fentanyl here want americans to die. they have declared war on america and their attitude is the more americans die the better. and there is evidence that foreign countries are letting people out of their jails and into the united states taking advantage of our weak and uncaring president, who apparently does not consider it a priority that over 150,000 people die and doesn't see it as a problem of other countries emptying their jails into the united states. the border is the number one problem facing this country right now and this body has no business taking up any other issues until the border is dealt

with. now, one of my colleagues from texas decided to address the situation in israel. and i think there is a lack of a narrative being talked about there as well that ought to be addressed at this time. the people such as my colleague like to tear down israel, say they have done something wrong, say they must stop fighting and imply all the way around it is not that nice a country. if there is one country that is more like it is the united states of america. one way you can say it is like the united states of america is that people from all over the country want to come there. i was at a mosque in my district and they were pride pointed out that their sect of islam had recently built a mosque in israel of all the places in the

world that you would want to go. there are many people who with a whole world to go to are trying to get into israel. when you read about the attacks last october, you may remember that some of the people who died were from thailand and some of the hostages were taken from thailand. i don't know there were jewish people from thailand. the reason they are coming from thailand because there is so much opportunity and freedom there. if you want a job anywhere in the world, people from thailand and other places in asia have come a significant way around the world to work in israel. there were newspaper articles, we don't know what's become of it, but tens of thousands of people in ecuador apparently are thinking about coming halfway around the world and work in

israel. why don't we ever hear about that? there was a time a while back in which israel began to embark upon a two-state solution something they regretted, but at the time they did it, maps were drawn up so people could move from one part of the other, arabs who wanted to move to areas controlled by arabs and jews would want to move to areas controlled by israel, and to their surprise, the arabs, who were link in israel proper did not want to move. they would have rather lived in the new country or the new lines, they would have lived in jewish israel than in a new arab state. isn't that interesting. but when push came to shove, and

you see where people want to live people everywhere, be it in asia, be it in south america or be it in and around israel want to live in israel and want to live in israel more than a new country. you look at and say, why aren't things better in gaza. did israel do something wrong? in fact, gaza has been a corrupt count thri. foreign aid, which flows into gaza particularly from europe winds up going to the leaders of hamas who may be living in qatar, turkey or france. indeed, many of you remember the name yassar arafat was the voice of the arabs in israel and when he died with all the money that he got -- i don't know why he got it all -- taking foreign

money from around the world, his ancestors got out of gaza and israel and now living in paris, france, another western country rather than living in the arab parts of israel. so therefore, when people say israel must call for a ceasefire or stop fighting -- in fact, israel is a very desirable country. they have every right to protect their country from horrible people. and if anybody should surrender, it is hamas who should surrender and could come out of our tunnel else and we surrender and escort the hostages and the war would end and the killing would end.

instead, people tell israel they should stop fighting. if you look at a parent and 10-year-old child and four-year-old child fighting in the back seat of the car, which parents do the -- child do the parents address? the older child. when i see these protestors outside of this building every day that purport to care about the people of gaza, they ask us to tell the israelis to stop fighting. they don't have demonstrations to tell hamas to stop fighting because they know deep down inside they want to treat hamas like children and don't expect them to wake up and realize their behavior is causing some innocent civilians to be killed. in any event, to summarize, everybody should remember, people from all around the world

are trying to come to israel. not just jewish people, people from he ecuador, people from thailand. there are mosques of people from islam who are apparently happy to live in israel. you do not see jewish temples in gaza, because that is not a country that naturally wants peace or is willing to live with people other than or largely other arabs. in any event, i will call for hamas to stop their fighting. and if they care about their people, just step out of your tunnels, say israel, army we are, and that will be the end of the war in which sadly too many civilians have died. now the third critical issue that we should be addressing right now and not talked about

enough is what i will call the war on the american family. i think it's probably the biggest issue facing america today. the war on the american family started in earnest with the great society programs in the 1960's. the great society programs were programs in which material things were given to families, usually, not always, but usually families without a man in the house. and sadly, there are ideologies which want to get rid of families in which you have a man in the house, families, which are self supporting. the type of programs which are not always but usually available to households without a husband or a father around are many. the big ones are the nutrition programs. very generous housing programs,

health care programs, education programs such aspell grants, other cash programs like the earned income tax credit. all of these programs require that you not work too hard or make too much money in order to get these programs. all of these programs have in common that if there's a man in the house making a relatively decent wage, that family is not considered in poverty and will not be eligible for their free low-income housing or free food or earned income tax credit, which can result in a check of 10 or $15,000 and not eligible for special cash benefits that go to parents with disabled children. so all the way across the board, we seem to be encouraging the breakdown of the family. and they say, dplen, families

are like mom and apple pie. everybody wants families. but that's not true. if you look at karl marx and his ilk they believe the key to destroying the united states was getting rid of the american family. more recently around here, we had the plaque live matter group and i realize not everybody who had a sign in their yard, they wanted to get rid of the western-prescribed nuclear family. in other words, they viewed a family with a husband at home with being a problem. i read a quote from a book won gave me, i read a few lines that

everybody in congress ought to be aware of, the lines were from a woman named kate mallay. she was a prominent femnist which resulted in the decline of america. and her sister quoted her as saying that the goal of feminism should be destroying the american family. so one more time we run across not a huge number of people, but disproportionately influential people that a goal should be to weaken the family. and then you look at one more time president trump proposing increases in programs, be it low-income housing programs, be at the earned income tax credit programs, be it the pell grant programs. all of which are really made for

families without a husband earning a decent salary at home. all these programs are being increased by president biden. in fact, what we ought to be doing is doing the opposite. right now, it's not surprising if a man is not in the house because in some cases his family would be materially better off without him being in the house. in particular, some of the low-income housing projects, particularly section 42 projects are new buildings which are superior to the buildings or superior to the rental units that american families are sometimes living in. . . .. . of course the health care programs designed for the poor people don't have sizable deductibles in them and in that regard they are in many ways

superior to the health care plans that the working poor get. there are programs like -- there are programs, like i said, for college scholarships. i will recite again a quote from a gal i ran across when i talked about these marriage penalties in wisconsin. i recited all the benefits that people were able to get if they didn't marry a man with a decent income and i asked her. what do you think about my speech? she told me, well, i'm married and i have a child. none of my friends are getting married, they get free college. here was another program, the pell grant program, designed to encourage the breakdown of the american family. it is important when we go into budget negotiations and appropriation negotiations for

the year beginning october 1 that our appropriators and our leaders go to bat and say no more benefits, special benefits, for making sure there's a man not in the house. as a matter of fact, we should go backwards. because not surprising, after lyndon johnson, in my opinion the worst president of the united states until joe biden came along, it's not surprising that lyndon johnson -- what used to be called the -- we'll call it the out of wedlock rate, has skyrocketed since the 1960's and with it a variety of problems that come with not having a father in the household. so it's time to look at these programs again and rather than pay people to keep the husband out of the house, encourage people to have the father at home. this is not just a material

matter. it is a matter of, it's better for the children to have a father at home. it's better for the far himself to be at home. as george guilder points out, an author i think we all ought to be reading, the number one person hurt by the war on the american family, be it karl marx's war or lyndon johnson's war, whatever you want to say, the number one problem is to the men who now don't have a function in life and if you look at certain arias of our society, it's the men who are more likely to do the drugs or commit the crimes. if they were a father with responsibilities at home, i think these crimes would happen a lot less. i think there'd be less drinking. i think there'd be less drug abuse. and i think america would lowly work its way back to the more wholesome, less crime-ridden, less drug-ridden time of the 1960's. so i hope both parties pay

attention to the impact or incentivers or disincentives that their programs have on having men in the household. in any event, there are three issues that we've dealt with today. again, we have dealt with the border. where we hit record numbers. and the fact that it has become apparent that we're not getting the best of the people, apparently other countries are emptying out their prisons. we've dealt with what's going on in israel. what a wonderful country it is as people from all around the world including people who aren't jewish, try to get into israel. kind of like people from all around the world try to get into our country. but ignoring this, they're still subject to criticism by people like the protesters outside or my predecessor here in congress. who just got done talking. and finally, i hope the press pays attention to, and the

republican party pays attention to, the increase in benefits to families without a father at home that he wants to put in this budget which i'm sure if it was enacted would again push up the number of families in which sadly there's not a father at home to help raise the children. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. mr. grothman: i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman have a motion? mr. grothman: i'd like to move adjournment. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly, the house