Events This Week

Floor Speech

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, again, it has been quite a week for the House Republicans with the long and late committee hearings as we move forward on our reconciliation package and deliver substantial wins for the American people. Like I mentioned, they were overnight, so anybody that might have got caught snoozing for a few seconds here or there, we don't want to be too hard on them since it was an all- nighter, and we are not in college anymore.

It is significant what we have accomplished. The Energy and Commerce Committee just finished up, and the House Ways and Means Committee earlier. We have got 11 or so committees that have contributed to the one big, beautiful bill, the reconciliation package. We want to see this thing get advanced as we continue to make it into law as the process plays out. We are going to move this conservative and effective agenda.

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to be a part of this process and for the work my colleagues here are putting into this, as well.

In addition to the reconciliation work, House Republicans are honored to recognize Police Week and highlight the important work of our law enforcement officers that they do each day.

I just was walking through the Capitol rotunda, and I saw a few police officers here taking a tour of this special place. It is such a great opportunity for us to be able to celebrate the work that they do. They put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe. They support local programs, mentor our youth, and respond to crisis.

They are our trusted partners and neighbors, and House Republicans are continuing to pass legislation to support and equip our law enforcement officers to best serve our families and communities.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for joining me tonight to talk about these important topics.

To do that, I will kick it off right by yielding to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Owens), my good colleague and close friend from the great State of Utah.

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from the greatest State in the country. I appreciate his willingness to be here to support this week and his message on this really important Police Week.

Mr. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank my well-rested friend and colleague from Utah for the time.

Mr. Speaker, this evening as we recognize National Police Week, I rise to honor the brave men and women in uniform who serve with courage, integrity, and selflessness.

Every day, law enforcement officers put themselves in harm's way to protect our communities and uphold the rule of law. They respond without hesitation, often under dangerous and unpredictable circumstances.

A recent incident in my district highlights what that commitment looks like. Last month, in Bartow, Florida, a man who had brutally assaulted and held his own parents hostage later opened fire on responding officers during an intense confrontation at a local shopping center. Despite the danger, members of the Polk County Sheriff's Office and the Bartow Police Department responded swiftly to protect innocent lives.

During the confrontation, Deputy Edwin Alexander was shot in the arm, and Officer Mark Sills was shot in the chest, his body armor likely saving his life.

Thanks to their training and resilience and the grace of God, both are expected to fully recover. Their actions are a powerful reminder of the bravery shown by those who serve. They stepped in to shield others, knowing full well the risks they faced. Their story reminds us why we pause this week to honor law enforcement.

National Police Week is not only a time to honor those who were killed in the line of duty, but also to thank those who continue to answer the call with distinction.

These officers, along with thousands of others across the country, deserve not only our gratitude but our unwavering support. May God bless them, their families, and all who protect and defend our communities.

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida.

He took over for a good friend of mine. We have a very common district. I represent Hill Air Force Base, and he represents the Colorado Springs area, which we all know is where the Air Force Academy is located. With a lot of shared connection to the Colorado Springs area and his district in Colorado and Utah first, both being strong Air Force communities, I am thrilled to be working with such a great new member of the Conference.

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for his comments and anecdotes on his support for the police. It is very important.

I thank my colleagues for being here tonight to show their support for law enforcement and recognize the sacrifices that these officers and their families make on a daily basis.

National Police Week is a great opportunity to stop to thank our local police officers, but we really should be committing to do this throughout the year.

I started a little tradition. I actually did it on the walk over from the parking lot to the University of Utah Huntsman Center basketball game. There are always a few police officers there directing traffic for the few hours of that. I had four boys under the age of 10 at the time. I was trying to help get them out of their shell, talk to other adults, and be a little bit more engaging with folks. I have kind of forced this on them, and now they have taken it on their own. When we see a police officer, we walk up and look them in the eye, he or she, and say thank you.

I shared this with the local police force back home, and it is just one of those things that, as they do the big things for our community, we should be able to do the small things.

Teaching my boys to say thank you to police officers, the most basic, simple, fundamental elements of being a dad, in my opinion, shouldn't be a question of whether you do it. Watching them walk over to a complete stranger, but they are in uniform, and they look up at them in the eyes--they regularly don't look at folks in the eyes. It is always a little awkward for them to learn that interaction--and they just say, ``Thank you, Officer.'' It is a neat experience and something that I am glad I started.

The smallest thing is very much appreciated by those in our community who do the greatest and biggest things for us. We always feel they are one phone call away. They are ubiquitous in our community.

The police officers whom I serve, their chiefs and their leadership are some of the best in our community, and I could go county by county and talk about them. Their sacrifice is very much appreciated, and they do the good work that is needed in Utah.

I appreciate the gentleman from Colorado for highlighting the Capitol Police, as well as the D.C. Metropolitan Police, as we spend a lot of our time back here, as well. They do an exceptional and professional job.

They also beat us in the Congressional Football Game for Charity that we do each year. I am nursing an injury from the soccer charity game. I have turned 45 this year, and I think I have finally realized that I am no longer 18. This has been a very important lesson to learn. I am no longer invincible, and I need to act my age when it comes to some of these intramural types of sports.

The Capitol Police always play the Members of Congress in an annual charity match that goes to supporting some of their priorities, and since I have been in Congress, they have always beaten us. They are quite the athletes.

Over the last few weeks, we have been talking a lot about the big, beautiful bill, as it has been named. This morning, the Ways and Means Committee adjourned from our markup after 18 straight hours. We went through the night. Other committees did that as well. The Energy and Commerce Committee recently finished up, just a few hours ago.

I want to express how proud I am of the work that went into this, the countless amendments that the Democrats also put up to create an opportunity to dialogue, to create an opportunity to debate. That is important.

When we are in the minority, Republicans put up amendments to constant legislation that the Democrats are doing, and it does create opportunities for dialogue. I think once we go through that, there is obviously a lot of posturing and messaging going on, but there is real communication.

After a housing affordability amendment was put up--it ultimately failed, of course, as most of these things do; they are usually put up as posturing--I walked over to the gentleman from the Los Angeles area who put up the amendment and showed him some of the things that I am working on, some of the market-based solutions to this.

We have to find some real, sustainable fixes to housing affordability and making sure first-time home buyers have an opportunity to get in there. This created an opportunity for me to share with him what some of my stakeholders back home are doing. I set up meetings for these guys from Utah with HUD a little while ago.

It is a really neat opportunity to see these types of things happening off-camera. There is real collaboration going on. This is a moment. This bill, as we advance this, will be a reconciliation bill. Traditionally, in my recent memory, these have been majority-rule votes. The opposition party doesn't vote for these. These go on party lines. The vast majority of what is in this particular one, we actually have a lot of bipartisan support on it.

This tax bill that we are doing, the Energy and Commerce Committee is doing a lot of other things regarding their committee of jurisdiction. Candidly, this has taken several years in the making.

We have known that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is going to expire at the end of this year. We have an opportunity to reestablish and to make permanent where we can some of the really progrowth, positive provisions that come out of that piece of legislation.

Other areas of the tax code that have been adjusted or dialed, we are going to try some new things, only for a few years, though, to see how they work out. That is the nature of tax policy. The things that were put for a time limit from 2017 have, in my opinion, stood the test of time and been a strong proponent for progrowth tax policy. We are going to make those permanent in this bill.

There are other things that are going to be newer to the tax code, and we will try them out to see how it plays out in 4 years to give us time to be able to analyze and see how they are being effective and overall impact.

This is going to provide real relief to American families, workers, and businesses. The bill expands the child tax credit, provides critical tax breaks for small businesses and the working class, and makes America more competitive on the global stage. It also makes the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, like I mentioned, preventing a massive tax hike that would otherwise happen at the end of this year.

This moment is why I worked hard on the Ways and Means Committee. I look forward to what we can accomplish as we move this through the process, through the Committee on the Budget, through the Committee on Rules, on to the House floor, over to the Senate, and, hopefully, signed by the President in relatively short order.

I am grateful that several provisions stemmed from legislation that my team and I have been pushing over the last several months, including a permanent increase to the child tax credit and additional support for families in the range of $500. Families are going to get a $2,500 tax credit with respect to their dependents.

It also makes the adoption tax credit partially refundable up to $5,000 to help children find permanent, loving families by removing income as a barrier to adoption. That is key.

The concept of refundability is a sticking point. Republicans constrained that a little bit more. Democrats want to overextend it. There is debate on where that sweet spot is.

We are making a significant portion of this adoption tax credit refundable and giving us an option for more American families to be able to choose adoption as an option. One of my siblings adopted all four of his children from infancy. It is tough. It is expensive.

There is a lot that goes into it just on the financial side, let alone the emotional side and everything associated with it. It is important to do, and we are doing some of that in this legislation.

We are also increasing the HSA contribution limit and cap for small business expensing, reinstating a temporary deduction for charitable contributions, and 529 accounts will now extend to include career training and credentialing.

We are providing income on tax-exempt status to servicemembers serving in dangerous regions, and we are renewing the successful Opportunity Zone program, which delivers an additional $100 billion of investment over the next decade for rural and distressed communities or both.

We are investing in education and creating new tax credits for individuals who contribute to scholarship organizations. I am also very passionate about teaching the next generation about the power and value of compounding interest and capitalism and how it can help them get ahead.

The money accounts for growth and advancement--again, a catchy tune here--being the MAGA accounts, will demonstrate to American youth the power of compounding interest and the possibilities that can come with investing.

Beginning on January 1, 2026, parents of children under 8 years old can open a MAGA investment account for their children. The government would seed accounts for newborns with a $1,000 Federal deposit.

These investment accounts would be eligible to receive contributions from family members, employers, nonprofits, and government entities. They will help set up the next generation for financial well-being--not even just well-being, but literacy on what this can actually do.

It is not just these individual accounts. If taught right and if we were able to educate properly on this and people can see it in their own lives, this will give them a chance to learn the value of this and that it affects every decision that they make.

Instead of spending a few extra dollars here, I could put it into savings, an interest-yielding account. What that does in the course of 10 years is far more beneficial than what that short-term gain would have been with that individual purchase. Those types of lessons can be learned when people have some stake in the game.

There are endless more provisions from this tax bill that I could share from our markup last night that will deliver on the Trump administration's and the congressional Republicans' priorities and make a lasting impact on the success of our children, workers, and businesses.

I look forward to watching these policies work through the reconciliation process and eventually becoming law.

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