Dignity of the American Dream

Floor Speech

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Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the House Agriculture Committee marked up our portion of the one big, beautiful bill to deliver on the mandate the country gave us on November 5, 2024. In total, we saved American taxpayers more than $295 billion and made long overdue investments to support the farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers of the Big First and all of rural America. I am very proud of all that we were able to accomplish.

However, Mr. Speaker, I have been gravely disappointed in how some of my Democrat colleagues have continued to blatantly lie about our legislation throughout this process. Rather than work together to get our fiscal house back in order and ensure programs like Medicaid and SNAP are on a sustainable path, they have chosen to misrepresent and oppose everything we are working toward.

As the fifth generation to grow up and work on my family farm, I understand the weight and pride our Nation's farmers have in feeding, clothing, and fueling the world. Not a single Member in this body wants to see people go hungry, and I am personally offended by these lies.

We want families to be able to put food on their tables. The difference is, Mr. Speaker, we want these programs to actually serve the most vulnerable communities for generations to come: the single mom taking care of kids too young to be in school, the disabled, and the elderly, not the person who wants the government to foot their bill while they sit at home.

Why would we willingly jeopardize the benefits of vulnerable Americans for someone who is perfectly capable of making an honest income but isn't willing to join the workforce?

These programs were meant to be a bridge to a better life. They were intended to help Americans who fell on hard times and needed a helping hand, but today my Democrat colleagues are defending them as a final destination. That is not right, Mr. Speaker, and it is anti-American.

Even former President Biden once said: The culture of welfare must be replaced with the culture of work. The culture of dependence must be replaced with the culture of self-sufficiency and personal responsibility. The culture of permanence must no longer be a way of life.

This used to be a bipartisan agreement we could all rally around.

I sincerely ask my Democrat colleagues: What has changed?

We live in the greatest country in the world, where anyone from anywhere can come here legally, make an honest living, and pursue the American Dream. That is what House Republicans are fighting for.

It is unfortunate that the other side would rather see programs that were meant to help the neediest Americans continue to be riddled with fraud and abuse, intentionally mismanaged, and undermined all for the sake of scoring political points.

House Republicans are committed to ensuring our programs help the most vulnerable Americans, slashing wasteful, fraudulent, and abusive spending, and preventing American families from seeing a $2,200 tax increase next January. That is what this is all about, and that is what 77 million Americans endorsed last November.

I am disappointed that not a single Democrat has been willing to work with us, but I feel confident that this majority, along with the Senate and President Trump, will deliver for the country. National Police Week

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Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, this week, the Nation has come together to celebrate National Police Week. It is a time to honor the brave men and women who wear the badge and put their lives on the line every single day to protect our families and our communities.

In the Big First and across the country, law enforcement officers run towards danger when many would run away. They wake up every day with a calling to uphold the rule of law, serve their neighbors, and keep their communities safe. Yet, too often, they are met with hostility and policies from Washington that make their job harder and put their safety at risk.

Let me be clear. I unapologetically stand with the men and women in blue. I will always oppose any effort to defund, demoralize, or dismantle the law enforcement agencies that keep our streets safe. These men and women put their lives on the line every day to make our communities stronger, safer, and more secure, and we should all be grateful.

I express my deepest gratitude to the police officers, Customs and Border Patrol agents, detectives, State troopers, sheriffs, investigators, correction officers, drug enforcement agents, and U.S. marshals who have dedicated their careers to serving their communities. Today and every day we recognize their sacrifice and honor in all that they do to serve our great Nation.

America is grateful for all that they do, and I am grateful for them.

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