the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia, mr. cline, for five minutes. mr. cline: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to discuss the chilling state of the american economy. the stock market is tanking. the american people know what a disaster president biden and the majority's economic policies have been and they are acting accordingly and expressing the lowest consumer confidence in a record 50 years of data. pumping trillions in spending through this body, including the so-called american rescue plan, has in large part caused a 40-year high in inflation as the c.p.i. rose to 8.6% in may. the nation is $30 trillion in debt. and the c.b.o. predicts, 1.6 trillion in deficits over the next decade. the federal reserve will be forced to continue to raise interest rates, further exacerbating the beleaguered economy. gas prices are at $5 a gallon due to the president's assault on american oil drilling and tracking and domestic energy exploration anti-green new deal priorities of the majority and this administration are exacerbating the energy crisis. as the wall street

. >> chair mar: thank you so much, mr. cline, for your -- this really important effort, and really filling a gap, i think, in our city in support of our local performing artists and performances in our neighborhood, so thanks. colleagues, do you have any questions? why don't we go to public comment on this, madam clerk? >> clerk: members of the public who wish to speak on this item and are joining us in person should lineup to speak now alongside the window, and for those of us joining us remotely, please call 415-655-0001, enter meeting i.d. 2486-270-4569, then press pound twice. press star, three to enter the speaker line and wait until the system indicates your line has been unmuted, and you may begin your comments. we don't have any people in person, and we have four listeners in the queue. please put the first caller forward. >> my name's amy campbell, i'm a long time customer and supporter and donor of thelostchurch in its mission location. and what i love about it, thelostchurch is not a bar. it's a homey nonprofit

okay, mr. cline. your testimony pointed out the current beef processing industry consolidation levels were actually slightly lower today than they were back in 1998 and the overall levels of consolidation have been relatively steady for decades. if that is the case, why do you think there is certainly such a fixation on consolidation levels by this administration? >> if we go back to covid ten period, we weren't talking

okay, mr. cline. your testimony pointed out the current beef processing industry consolidation levels were actually slightly lower today than they were back in 1998 and the overall levels of consolidation have been relatively steady for decades. if that is the case, why do you think there is certainly such a fixation on consolidation levels by this administration? >> if we go back to covid ten period, we weren't talking about inflation in general. but what we did see because of the cutbacks in our industry, prices rose dramatically and the consumers were paying more for the. so it made the headlines from that point forward. as we go forward and inflation became an even bigger factor, beef is part of that as well. >> so, and again, if you look at history, free sample, of course, obviously, when there's a drought, you know, and immediately supply increases but then it dropped off. i mean, it's a fluctuating business. but so, we had to end up, you know, lot more meatpackers back in, we'll, when i grew up

mr. cline: this name game came down to the seventh inning at the field in spotsylvania, virginia. their opponent the abingdon calons when three straight batters were walked sending home the go-ahead run. they scored again on a bases loaded walk that scored another run and made it 5-3. when the bulldogs got their chance in the bottom of the seventh they started to rally as logan led of with a triple and a sac fly scored duff to cut the lead to 5-4. finally, the two run walk-off sij marked a three-run liberty christian academy rally that propelled them to a win last saturday in the 3-a state title game. congratulations to the players, coaches, and parents on a great season. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to honor the life of florida fish and wildlife senior inves

mr. cline: by the time she retired, she completed 22 years of service. taking a well deserved year off after retirement, she took job with fema. in an article chronicling her life, master sergeant james said simply, i gave my country the best part of my life. it was great to be with ms. james last week to name the center in her honor. she surely did give the v.a. the best part of her life and the country the best part of her life. congratulations on this well-deserved honor. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> thank you, madam speaker. in march of this year, "the washington post" published an article titled "g.o.p. lawmakers push historic wave of bills targeting rights of lgbtq teens, children, and their families." mr. lieu: in april, "washington post" published another article titled "some republicans fear party overreach on lgbtq measures." i just thought i would now