Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Vice Chairman of the House Rules Committee, delivered the following remarks while managing the Rule Debate for H.R. 467, S.J. Res. 11, and H.J. Res. 45.

As Prepared for Delivery:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule and underlying bills. Today, the Republican Majority continues the long process of reversing the policy failures of President Biden and the previous Democrat Majority. 

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the rule and the underlying legislation. Included within the measure is H.R. 467, the HALT Fentanyl Act. I am proud to say that the HALT Fentanyl Act makes great strides in addressing the growing fentanyl crisis in our country. 

By making permanent the scheduling of fentanyl-related analogues in the schedule I category, in addition to giving researchers the ability to conduct studies on these substances, we will begin to repair the damage that this drug has inflicted on our communities and our Nation.

In my almost three decades as a practicing physician, I have witnessed and heard too many devastating stories of the consequences of this crisis we are now facing in North Texas and across the country. Between September and March, nearly a dozen teens spread across three schools in Carrollton, Texas, were injured as a result of fentanyl poisoning, with three of them being fatal. This is unacceptable. One death is too many, and we must equip our communities to address this issue from the source.

The Energy and Commerce Committee has a long history of producing bipartisan policies to address the opioid crisis in our country. 

The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, known as the SUPPORT Act of 2018, was a product of our committee that made reforms to the way we administer programs to control, respond to, and better treat individuals who have been exposed to opioids. 

However, the war has since changed from opioids to fentanyl. We need to better understand the effects of fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances to better treat patients suffering from exposure. The HALT Fentanyl Act will relax regulations to encourage research so that we can better understand the impacts of fentanyl on human health. 

In our recent bipartisan mental health package, the Energy and Commerce Committee worked on several provisions that would relax regulations to expand access to evidence-based treatment programs and ease restrictions on treatment options for substance use care.  

Finally, the HALT Fentanyl Act will ensure that law enforcement officers have the tools to prosecute cases relating to fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances. Due to the crisis at our southern border, illicit fentanyl remains an imminent threat to this country. At a time when people are dying at alarming rates from fentanyl poisoning, this legislation is a step in the right direction to mitigate this crisis and save countless American lives. 

Mr. Speaker, also included in this package is a provision that would repeal a continuation of President Biden’s Administration’s war on fossil fuels and consumer choice. Thank goodness for our Republican Majority, Mr. Speaker. Without us standing in the breach, President Biden could continue to act unilaterally to enact his radical Green New Deal agenda. Thankfully, the American public saw fit to entrust Republicans with a majority in the House of Representatives to save President Biden and Democrats from acting on their worst impulses. 

Once again, Democrats have seen fit to attack a vital component of our Nation’s economy. Why Democrats would want to make the lives of those who deliver the food to our grocery stores, the fuel to our gas stations, and the goods that stock our shelves, I do not know. Mr. Speaker, what I do know is that every American owes these professionals a tremendous debt of gratitude that we will not soon be able to repay. 

 Mr. Speaker, in 2021 trucks moved close to 11 billion tons of freight shipping across America. Mr. Speaker, that is over 705 of the cargo shipped in the United States of America. While Democrats were still sitting at home in their pajamas, having dozens of Amazon packages delivered to their doorsteps, they can thank the long-haul truck drivers who allowed them to wait out the pandemic in luxurious comfort. Some weren’t as fortunate. 

Democrats have seen fit to reward the courage and perseverance of long-haul truck drivers with onerous new regulations that will have devastating consequences for how they earn a living for their families. 

Mr. Speaker, implementing these new regulations and standards will saddle consumers with eight thousand dollars in new costs. Democrats pride themselves on being advocates of the downtrodden. I would ask you, Mr. Speaker, how is forcing Americans already enduring inflation to shell out an additional eight thousand dollars, lightening the burden of those who are struggling to make ends meet as is?

It doesn’t, Mr. Speaker. Once again, President Biden and members of the Democrat party are so single-minded in their pursuit of their Green New Deal utopia that they are blind to the collateral damage their policies are inflicting. Thankfully, our Republican Majority will be able to deliver tangible relief by repealing this counterproductive and misguided executive action.  

Mr. Speaker, today we are also considering H.J.Res. 45 to formally revoke the authority this administration claims it has to unilaterally forgive student loans. In August 2022, the Biden Administration announced a plan to “cancel” student debt, up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 for non-Pell Grant recipients, for those making under $125,000 a year. 

Mr. Speaker, on May 11, 2023, almost two weeks ago now, the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ended. Americans are back to work, back to school, and returning to normal, regular life.

The Biden Administration is attempting to claim authority for this over $315 billion in student loan forgiveness through the COVID-19 national emergency status and the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROS) Act of 2003. This law provided temporary relief to military members during deployment following 9/11. This is a twisted interpretation of a bill that compensated our nations service men and women for their heroic service after 9/11.

The bottom line is that this possibly unconstitutional overreach of executive authority would not make student debt disappear. It would instead unfairly shift the burden of student loans to Americans who did not take them on.