Providing for Consideration of H.R. Fix Our Forests Act, and Providing for Consideration of S. Laken Riley Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, we are here to debate the rule. The rule that we have adopted will take up important legislation ensuring our forests are no longer such that they are going to catch fire, as we are seeing happen in California, and, importantly, to deal with the Laken Riley Act.

This is the bill we passed off the House floor last year. It was rejected by the Democrat-led Senate. They refused to move it. We moved it last week here on the House floor and sent it over to this Senate, now a Republican Senate, after the voters spoke. The Senate amended it, made it, I believe, better, and sent it to the House, and now that amended bill is on the floor of the United States House of Representatives.

Let's remember what we are talking about. This bill is named after Laken Riley. My friend from Georgia just discussed the facts involving the unfortunate death of Laken Riley at the hands of someone here illegally, someone here who had committed crimes.

I had as my guest this weekend at the inauguration a woman named Alexis Nungaray, a wonderful woman from Houston, Texas, whose 13-year- old little girl was murdered by people released into our country last year by the Biden administration.

Fortunately, those policies are ending under President Trump, but here is the truth: Never again should any American, any Texan, any Georgian, have to deal with what was thrust upon them by the Biden administration in terms of the damage, despair, death, destruction, murders, and rapes that were perpetrated against the people we represent.

This legislation would take a giant step forward to ensure that we can stop any future administration that is not just refusing to enforce Federal law but is actually abusing Federal law to endanger our people, our citizens who we represent.

This legislation would simply say that we must detain some of the worst people who are here illegally and ensure that they are not released. We are talking about serious bodily injury. We are talking about things that result in death, assaulting police officers. That is all in this legislation.

In addition, in this legislation is an important provision that I was proud to introduce with my friend Dan Bishop from North Carolina in the SUE Act to ensure that attorneys general can sue the Federal Government when the Federal Government is failing to do its job.

Imagine the ability of Texas, North Carolina, or Georgia, for my colleagues to be able to say: Do you know what? Enough.

The Federal Government does not get to ignore its fundamental duty under the Constitution to defend its citizens, and the attorneys general of States ought to be able to stop the Federal Government when it is endangering our people. This law would do that.

This law would honor the memory of Laken Riley. It would honor the memory of Jocelyn Nungaray. It would honor the memory of the countless Americans who have lost their loved ones and have been dealing with the scourge of illegal immigration, which is endangering our people. I proudly support it, and I proudly support this rule.

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