Fisa Abuses

Floor Speech

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Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Arizona for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, we truly live in an interesting time in our country when Americans watch this and they see two lone conservative Republicans, two members of the House Freedom Caucus, standing in an empty Chamber discussing some of the most challenging threats we have ever faced as a nation and what might we do.

So I think the answer lies in the simple acknowledgment of the fact that this is not our House. This House belongs to the people, and the people are always present because the people are watching.

Americans are quick to forgive and hesitant to condemn. It is in our nature. It is in our DNA.

Conservative Americans, particularly, find it difficult to believe that our own Federal Government has, in many instances and across several agencies and departments, become quite weaponized against the people in a regular course of events.

Every day, Americans read the headlines about the FBI violation of laws, a DOJ persecution of Americans that does not seem to comply with judicial righteousness. They see our former President's home raided by the FBI, they have friends and neighbors who are raided by the IRS and the ATF or the DOL or the EPA. Americans see this and acknowledge it, but we have been slow to condemn, again, because it is in our nature to be understanding and forgiving, compassionate, and supportive, certainly of some of the most historically admired agencies in the history of our country, like the FBI.

So although we, as a nation, as we look at men like Congressman Biggs and myself, we oppose--how dare we--but we oppose the expansion of police state surveillance. This echoes across the land where gradually America is waking up, and it is certainly time to wake up because we don't have too much time left. We could lose this thing if we don't respond now and act now to protect American individual rights, liberties, and freedoms from an ever-encroaching oppressive government. If we don't act, we will lose this thing.

Men like Andy Biggs and I know that. That is why we are here alone, Mr. Speaker. That is why we cry out on behalf of the Nation that we love.

The moment is coming when Americans across the land from sea to shining sea will say: I understand what is happening, and I condemn it.

That moment is coming when Americans will realize that everything we have stored in the cloud is already in the possession of our FBI, DOJ, NSA, and CIA. That moment of awareness is coming, and conservative constitutionalist Republicans like me and my colleagues in the Freedom Caucus are standing in this moment of time not in opposition to Americans who disagree with us, but in support and love for the Americans whom we swore an oath to, to the freedom and the constitutional rights, the civil liberties, the protected right to travel the land and be secure in our persons, our effects, our papers, and our homes as stated by our Founders.

We stand for that right, and we are not going to allow American freedoms to be run over by out-of-control, rogue operatives within our Federal Government.

So I thank my colleague and friend, Representative Biggs, for allowing me to speak on the floor this day. I support this vigorous debate, and I am confident that America will land on the right side of this thing, so that we can preserve and protect the freedoms that we enjoy in our Republic.

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