Direction of the Country

Floor Speech

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Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the direction of our country. In America right now, we are facing a lot of problems. House Republicans have done our part to pass commonsense solutions, but we still have a lot of work to do to get this country back on track.

In January, I released my commitment to the Big First, which is a legislative roadmap to create an economy that is strong, a Nation that is safe, a future that is built on freedom, and a government that is accountable.

Most of the glaring problems in America today fall into one of these four categories, and the reality is that House Republicans have commonsense solutions to all of them, but the Biden administration is refusing to listen.

We need to create an economy that is strong. Washington has a spending addiction. America is $32 trillion in debt, and the Federal Government is deficit spending to the tune of $1 trillion every year. The Biden administration has canceled the Keystone XL pipeline and pushed Green New Deal regulations on small businesses, while attempting at the same time to do away with stepped-up basis and impose a new farm killer capital gains tax on agriculture producers.

Here is the commonsense solution: When you stop the wasteful spending, you don't have to tax people to death. When President Biden took office, inflation was at just 1.4 percent. Inflation hit 6.4 percent in 2022. That is a tax on all Americans.

In the House of Representatives, we passed the Lower Energy Costs Act and the REIN IN Inflation Act to unleash American energy production and revitalize our economy, but the White House still isn't listening. America's position in the global marketplace is degrading, the value of the dollar has been plummeting for a year, and it is time to get our economy back on track before it is too late.

We also need to create a Nation that is safe. Violent crime is on the rise, the suicide rate is climbing, drug addiction and mental illness are spiking, and many parts of our country are basically in chaos. Meanwhile, we are still hearing calls from Washington Democrats to defund the police, and the Biden administration refuses to address the humanitarian crisis at our southern border where fentanyl, criminals, and victims of human trafficking come across every day, unfortunately, into our country.

Here is the commonsense solution: House Republicans passed legislation to secure the border, finish the wall, criminalize all forms of illicit fentanyl, and support the training and hiring of more State and local law enforcement officers. Today, we don't live in a Nation that is safe, but House Republicans have already passed bills that would stop the chaos and usher in safety and order.

We also need to create a future that is built on freedom. Each year I host at least one townhall in every one of the 60 counties in the Big First District. As I travel across the State and meet with Kansans, I listen to their concerns about Big Government, sweeping executive order, and infringement on basic rights, like the Second Amendment and the right to life.

House Republicans are standing for freedom in the face of Big Government overreach. We passed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act that would defend the lives of innocent children following a botched abortion attempt.

We also passed the Parents Bill of Rights that states that parents have the right to know what their children are being taught. These are no-brainers. It is sad that we even need to pass bills like this because the rights to life and freedom are supposed to be foundational to America in the first place.

On the American farm we also see freedom under attack. The Biden administration vetoed legislation that would have revoked President Biden's Waters of the U.S. rule because his administration prefers to regulate every puddle and drainage ditch from sea to shining sea.

On top of that, the Biden administration hamstrung producers by adding the lesser prairie-chicken to the endangered species list, and I am looking forward to my colleagues' and my voting to disapprove of that rule.

Our message is this: Whether you are a parent, a child--born or unborn--a student, a farmer, or a small business owner, you don't need the Federal Government trying to control your life.

Finally, we need to create a government that is accountable. According to recent IRS whistleblower testimony made public by the Ways and Means Committee, it appears that President Biden was not only aware of his son, Hunter Biden's, corrupt foreign business deals, but was also in the room for them. We need to conduct rigorous oversight to root out corruption in the executive branch. We also need to hold the Federal Government accountable and rein in the White House's abuse of power.

As the Biden administration has proven time and time again, executive orders are out of control, and they are no way to govern in a democracy. That is why I introduced the More Accountability is Necessary Now Act, which requires the President to notify Congress and the public before issuing any new executive orders pertaining to agriculture, energy, natural resources, the right to life, the Second Amendment, and immigration. This is a commonsense way to hold the government accountable and stop some of the Big Government overreach that Kansans and the Big First are sick and tired of.

I don't serve in Congress to be a caretaker in the slow demise of America. I am here to do my part in making America stronger. We need to rebuild our country on behalf of Americans who have had their rights stripped from them, their taxpayer dollars wasted, their values shoved back in their face, and their country's economy brought to the brink of disaster by an administration that isn't getting the message.

We need everything from a balanced budget to a strengthened supply chain, from lower taxes to a secure southern border, and from a strong farm bill to robust police and military forces.

We have a lot of work to do, and if we open our eyes to the real problems that Americans are facing today and look at the commonsense solutions on the table, we can accomplish real meaningful change in our country.

With prayer and hard work, I believe America's brightest days are yet to come.

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