EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AS STEWARDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT, MAJOR SUPPLIERS OF UNITED STATES ENERGY RESOURCES, CRITICAL PROVIDERS OF FOOD PRODUCTION AND...

On 2026-04-22, Representative Brett Guthrie (R-KY-2) delivered a floor speech titled "EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AS STEWARDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT, MAJOR SUPPLIERS OF UNI" in the House. The speech addressed healthcare and also covered the economy, taxes. It referenced legislation including HR1, HRES1182, HRES1189.

EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AS STEWARDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT, MAJOR SUPPLIERS OF UNITED STATES ENERGY RESOURCES, CRITICAL PROVIDERS OF FOOD PRODUCTION AND...

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 71 (Wednesday, April 22, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 71 (Wednesday, April 22, 2026)] [House] [Pages H3052-H3057] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AS STEWARDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT, MAJOR SUPPLIERS OF UNITED STATES ENERGY RESOURCES, CRITICAL PROVIDERS OF FOOD PRODUCTION AND MANUFACTURING CAPACITY, AND DRIVERS OF NATIONAL ECONOMIC STABILITY, AND RECOGNIZING THE WORK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN THE 119TH CONGRESS IN SUPPORT OF THOSE VITAL COMMUNITIES Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1189, I call up the resolution (H. Res. 1182) expressing support for rural communities across the United States as stewards of the environment, major suppliers of United States energy resources, critical providers of food production and manufacturing capacity, and drivers of national economic stability, and recognizing the work of the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress in support of those vital communities, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House. The Clerk read the title of the resolution. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1189, the resolution is considered read. The text of the resolution is as follows: H. Res. 1182 Whereas over 70 percent of lands in the United States are considered rural and nearly 20 percent of the population of the United States lives in rural communities; Whereas the House of Representatives recognizes that a clean environment and a strong economy are not mutually exclusive; Whereas rural communities are a critical source of energy production in the United States, producing over 80 percent of the renewable energy produced in the United States and over 60 percent of the coal-generated electricity produced in the United States; Whereas the House of Representatives has passed legislation to reform processes under the Clean Air Act for establishing and implementing air quality standards, and for permitting stationary sources of emissions, so that rural areas that experience wildfires or foreign sources of pollution are not disadvantaged and are allowed to continue to grow and create jobs; Whereas the House of Representatives has passed legislation to streamline the process for building interstate natural gas pipelines, which will lower the costs of energy for rural communities when it comes to powering their homes and businesses; Whereas the House of Representatives has passed legislation to provide reliable and affordable electricity for rural communities by ensuring that any proposed regulation that impacts the electric grid is addressed appropriately through the Federal regulatory process in order to prevent any compromise of grid reliability; Whereas the House of Representatives has passed legislation to prioritize on-demand, dispatchable baseload electricity generation in the interconnection queue, which will strengthen the reliability of the electric grid for rural communities; Whereas the House of Representatives has passed legislation to reduce the costs of home and commercial appliances by rolling back burdensome Biden-Harris regulations; Whereas the House of Representatives has passed legislation to remove restrictions on exporting United States liquified natural gas, which will increase economic and employment opportunities for rural communities; Whereas the House of Representatives has passed legislation to preserve hydropower resources for rural communities by requiring transparency in relicensing processes, in order to continue to provide such communities with affordable, baseload electric generation; Whereas the House of Representatives is committed to building a healthier America and advancing policies that bolster health resources for rural communities, incentivize disease research and prevention efforts, and increase access to care across the United States; Whereas the House of Representatives has passed legislation to provide resources to rural communities devastated by the opioid crisis and to crack down on deadly fentanyl analogues; Whereas the House of Representatives has passed legislation to work to improve access to health care by expanding telehealth coverage for seniors and providing resources for telehealth in rural communities; Whereas the House of Representatives has passed legislation to lower patients' insurance premiums by over 11 percent; [[Page H3053]] Whereas the House of Representatives has passed an historic investment in rural health care through the Rural Health Transformation Program, delivering $50,000,000,000 to efficiently transform rural health care access, and through cutting waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid and reinvesting those funds directly into the historic Rural Health Transformation Program; Whereas the Working Families Tax Cuts (Public Law 119-21) created new opportunities for States to expand home and community-based services and improve access to care in rural communities; Whereas the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-75) streamlined enrollment processes for eligible out-of-State Medicaid and CHIP providers and improved access to care in rural and underserved communities; Whereas the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-75) extended Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payments, preserving access to hospital care in rural and underserved communities; Whereas rural communities are experiencing a resurgence of manufacturing investment and capacity and are the backbone of supply chain resilience across many industries in the United States; Whereas the House of Representatives is committed to strengthening the domestic manufacturing industry and generating economic investment; Whereas the House of Representatives has passed legislation strengthening domestic manufacturing and growth to provide significant economic benefit and job creation for rural communities; Whereas the House of Representatives has passed legislation to keep users safe online as more rural communities get connected to high-speed internet and to provide consumers in rural communities significant protections from unsafe products and deceptive practices; Whereas the House of Representatives has passed legislation to provide rural Americans with choice in the vehicles they purchase and drive by eliminating costly and impracticable electric vehicle mandates; Whereas the House of Representatives recognizes rural communities are experiencing significant demographic and economic shifts, creating new challenges in an increasingly technologically connected world; Whereas the House of Representatives unleashed an 800- megahertz spectrum pipeline and reauthorized the spectrum auction authority of the Federal Communications Commission, which will ensure rural communities can get access to new spectrum necessary for 5G and 6G connections; and Whereas the House of Representatives expedited the process for deploying broadband in rural communities by directing government agencies to prioritize broadband permitting applications: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives, through policies that unleash domestic energy production, enhance health care quality and access, bolster manufacturing capacity, and increase broadband connectedness, has demonstrated support for the prosperity and economic growth of the United States, including especially strengthening rural communities. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The resolution shall be debatable for 1 hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees. The gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 30 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie). {time} 1310 General Leave Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and to insert extraneous material on H. Res. 1182. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kentucky? There was no objection. Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, before I begin my remarks, I didn't hear, until you just announced, that David Scott had passed. What a wonderful man from the great State of Georgia. The resolution is from a new friend from Georgia. David was either married to Hank Aaron's sister or Hank Aaron was married to his sister. I can't remember which, but he and Hank Aaron were brothers-in-law. I told him one time that my son loved collecting baseballs. Of course, one of the most valuable ones you could ever have was Hank Aaron's, and he brought one to me one day. I didn't know him that well, but he was one of those kind of guys that if you mentioned something like that to him, he would remember it and make sure he took care of you. He was a gentleman, and he will be missed. Also, while I have the floor and before I get into my remarks, David McKinley was a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, a very valuable member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, very serious. He was a great engineer, but also a great person with a great heart. He passed away last week. I think his services are this coming Monday. Members of Congress get to serve with some really wonderful people, and none more than David McKinley. To the level that I knew Mr. Scott, he was a wonderful man, too. I thank the Madam Speaker for that indulgence. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to be here today to discuss a resolution demonstrating the work House Republicans continue to do to improve all the lives of the American people, especially those who live in rural parts of our great Nation. I am here to discuss H. Res. 1182 to cut through the noise that Democrats continue to make in

Referenced legislation: HR1, HRES1182, HRES1189