Preventing Iran From Obtaining Nuclear Weapons

Floor Speech

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Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, this week, the President travels to the Middle East on an important trip. It is a moment of great opportunity but also serious risk. As the U.S. pursues deeper partnerships across the gulf, we must remember that American leadership cannot rest on one- off deals or delusions of grand bargains. Our ambitions cannot outpace reality.

Most importantly, Iran lurks in the background of every conversation. Tehran is itching to play spoiler. Its nuclear ambitions and proxy networks remain the chief threat to regional stability, yet we have a rare moment of leverage. Iran's economy is in shambles. Its proxies are degraded, and its air defenses have been exposed.

That is why I introduced a resolution reaffirming that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is a nonnegotiable American priority. It reinforces deterrence, clarifies expectations, and ensures congressional oversight, especially regarding any use of force.

We must not miss this moment. Iran continues to be a serious threat and the main detriment to peace in the Middle East. College Sports Are Broken

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Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, there was welcomed news last week that President Trump is considering a Presidential commission on college athletics. I welcome the President's leadership because college sports are important, but college sports are also broken.

What used to be about school pride and student opportunity has turned into a chaotic, booster-fueled arms race. Regional conferences have been blown apart for television deals, Olympic sports are getting cut, and the balance between education and athletics is long gone.

This isn't the first time a President has had to step in. In 1905, it was Theodore Roosevelt who summoned the top schools to the White House to save college football from itself. He didn't kill the game; he saved it by demanding rules, safety, and common sense. We need that same leadership today, and that is why I am so pleased by President Trump's potential actions.

Let me be clear: College sports are a highly publicly subsidized enterprise. It runs on Federal exemptions, tuition subsidies, land grants, student fees, and State dollars. Yet, as public dollars prop up the system, the money is ballooning and concentrating.

According to a 2023 report from the Knight Commission, annual revenues across all FBS athletic programs are expected to reach nearly $21 billion by 2032. Here is the kicker: More than $16 billion of that is concentrated in just 54 schools. While college sports are important to the entire country, roster spots across all sports are shrinking.

That is why I introduced the Restore College Sports Act to put commonsense guardrails back into place. It restores regional conferences so student athletes aren't crisscrossing the country for absurd TV contracts. It reestablishes competitive balance so the richest programs don't write all the rules. It creates the same transparent revenue-sharing model that protects Title IX, sustains Olympic sports, and keeps student athletes, not donors and agents, at the center of college sports.

Mr. Speaker, I thank President Trump for considering this action, and I call on Congress to work together in a bipartisan fashion to save competitive college sports by restoring competitive balance across the landscape.

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