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30 public bills, H.R. 3176- 3205; and 8 resolutions, H. Res. 378-385, were introduced.
Pages H1853-54
Reports Filed
Reports were filed today as follows: H.R. 881, to establish Department of Homeland Security funding restrictions on institutions of higher education that have a relationship with Confucius Institutes, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-87); H.R. 677, to establish a process to expedite the review of appeals of certain decisions by the Department of the Interior, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-88); and H. Res. 377, providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 276) to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the ``Gulf of America'', and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 881) to establish Department of Homeland Security funding restrictions on institutions of higher education that have a relationship with Confucius Institutes, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-89).
Page H1853
Speaker
Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he appointed Representative Bost to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
Page H1813
Recess
The House recessed at 12:05 p.m. and reconvened at 2 p.m.
Pages H1813-14
Public Interest Declassification Board: Appointment
Read a letter from Representative Jeffries, Minority Leader, in which he appointed the following individual to the Public Interest Declassification Board: Valdez Butler Demings of Orlando, Florida.
Page H1814
FISA Reform Commission: Appointment
Read a letter from Representative Jeffries, Minority Leader, in which he appointed the following Member of the House to serve as a Commissioner to the FISA Reform Commission: Himes; he appointed the following individuals to serve as Commissioners to the FISA Reform Commission: Ms. Sharon Bradford Franklin of Bethesda, Maryland and Mr. Glenn Steven Gerstell of Washington, District of Columbia. U.S.
Pages H1814-15
Election Assistance Commission Board of Advisors: Appointment
Read a letter from Representative Jeffries, Minority Leader, in which he reappointed the following individual to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission Board of Advisors: Mr. Brian Michael Lemek of Potomac, Maryland.
Page H1815
Election Assistance Commission Board of Advisors: Appointment
The Chair announced the Speaker's appointment of the following individual on the part of the House to the Election Assistance Commission Board of Advisors: Mr. Donald F. McGahn II of Potomac, Maryland.
Page H1815
Recess
The House recessed at 2:11 p.m. and reconvened at 2:40 p.m.
Page H1815
Recess
The House recessed at 4:49 p.m. and reconvened at 6:30 p.m.
Page H1839
Suspensions
The House agreed to suspend the rules and pass the following measures: ACES Act: H.R. 530, amended, to provide for a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on the prevalence and mortality of cancer among individuals who served as active duty aircrew in the Armed Forces, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 376 yeas to 5 nays, Roll No. 115;
Pages H1815-17, H1839-40
Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act of 2025
H.R. 1912, to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the repayment by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of benefits misused by a fiduciary;
Pages H1817-19
Amending the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 to require periodic reviews and updated reports relating to the Department of State's Taiwan Guidelines
H.R. 1512, amended, to amend the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 to require periodic reviews and updated reports relating to the Department of State's Taiwan Guidelines;
Pages H1822-23
Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgia's Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence Act
H.R. 36, to counter the influence of the Chinese Communist Party, the Iranian Regime, and the Russian Federation in the nation of Georgia, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 349 yeas to 42 nays, Roll No. 116;
Pages H1823-28, H1840-41
Economic Espionage Prevention Act
H.R. 1486, amended, to impose sanctions with respect to economic or industrial espionage by foreign adversarial companies;
Pages H1828-30
Falun Gong Protection Act
H.R. 1540, to provide for the imposition of sanctions with respect to forced organ harvesting within the People's Republic of China;
Pages H1830-33
No Dollars to Uyghur Forced Labor Act
H.R. 1724, amended, to prohibit the use of funds supporting any activities within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China;
Pages H1833-34
Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act
H.R. 1316, amended, to amend the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 relating to licensing transparency;
Pages H1834-36
Amending the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019 to provide that the United States, as a member of any international organizations, should oppose any attempts by the People's Republic of China to resolve Taiwan's status by distorting the decisions, language, policies, or procedures of the organization: H.R. 2416, to amend the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019 to provide that the United States, as a member of any international organizations, should oppose any attempts by the People's Republic of China to resolve Taiwan's status by distorting the decisions, language, policies, or procedures of the organization; and
Pages H1836-38
Solidify Iran Sanctions Act of 2025
H.R. 1800, to repeal the sunset provision of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996.
Pages H1838-39
Suspension: Proceedings Postponed
The House debated the following measure under suspension of the rules. Further proceedings were postponed. Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2025: H.R. 1503, to combat forced organ harvesting and trafficking in persons for purposes of the removal of organs.
Pages H1819-22
Senate Referrals
S. 307 was held at the desk. S. 616 was held at the desk. S.J. Res. 31 was held at the desk.
Page H1814
Senate Message
Message received from the Senate by the Clerk and subsequently presented to the House today appears on page H1814. Quorum Calls--Votes: Two yea-and-nay votes developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H1839-40 and H1840-41. Adjournment: The House met at 12 p.m. and adjourned at 8:54 p.m.
Every speech and line is the Congressional Record's own text, read from GovInfo. Speakers are matched to members by GPO's own metadata. Referandom places each turn on the Clerk's video by matching its words: 124 of 190 spoken turns were found. Turns without a time are still listed; they just can't seek.
Morning-Hour Debate
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of January 3, 2025, the Chair will now recognize Members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning-hour debate.
The Chair will alternate recognition between the parties, with time equally allocated between the parties and each Member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to 5 minutes, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 1:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, this week, we celebrate National Small Business Week, a time to highlight the incredible successes of American small businesses throughout our country.
Main Street businesses are truly the backbone of our economy, and I have had the privilege of visiting so many small businesses throughout Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District, such as the Inn at Herr Ridge in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, owned by Steve Wolf; The Family Table Restaurant, owned by Luke and Chloe Fogle in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; and the Cove Creek Outfitters in Bedford, owned by Bob and Eric Turkovich.
Mr. Speaker, in Congress, it is critical that we continue our support for these small businesses by renewing President Trump's tax cuts so that American businesses can flourish once again.
President Trump has made it easier for American businesses to thrive by stripping back needless regulations. By renewing President Trump's tax cuts, we can once again ensure that businesses will continue to grow for years to come.
Mr. Speaker, over the last 2 weeks, two forest fires have ravaged Michaux State Forest in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. The fires have scorched thousands of acres of forest, forcing the evacuation of nearby residents.
More than 150 brave firefighters responded to this fire. One of Pennsylvania's firefighters is the son of Jonathan and Bridget Prachthauser, a second-generation firefighter and currently a student at Shippensburg University.
Daniel Prachthauser was with Vigilant Hose Company No. 1 throughout these firefighting endeavors. Daniel is part of the Vigilant Hose Company's live-in program that offers state-of-the-art, dorm-style living, which allows students who are professional firefighters to continue their volunteer services while they pursue their education.
This program not only allows local students to continue their service in the community but also serves the Vigilant Hose Company by allowing it to stay fully staffed so that they can more efficiently and rapidly respond to emergencies.
On behalf of everyone in Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District, I personally thank Daniel for his devotion and his service to the community.
Mr. Speaker, during this year's National Appreciation of Teachers Week, I rise to recognize Ashlie Crosson of Reedsville, Pennsylvania, who was named the 2025 National Teacher of the Year.
Ashlie is an English teacher at Mifflin County High School, where she instructs students in advanced placement language and composition classes. She also advises the journalism program, which publishes the school newspaper and district magazine.
Ashlie approaches teaching with the goal of helping each of her students develop their communication and problem-solving skills, expand their worldview, and use their voices for the betterment of society as a whole.
Ashlie's tireless dedication to her students is helping to prepare the next generation of creators, leaders, and innovators. Ashlie is truly a source of pride for the entire Mifflin County School District and for her community.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of everyone in Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District, I congratulate Ashlie on her selection for this prestigious award and express gratitude for her enduring commitment to the academic achievements of her students and for her school district at large.
Mr. Speaker, Americans continue to benefit from the wins accomplished by the first 100 days as President Donald Trump took back the White House by election mandate. He and the Republican-led House, with Speaker Mike Johnson, and the Senate will continue to fight on behalf of American families.
In just 100 days, the Trump administration has secured the borders, stopping terrorists and child predators; restored energy independence; begun peace through strength; reduced duplicative regulations; and brought massive investments, creating jobs and making America competitive again.
President Trump and the Republican-led House are making the country strong, safe, and secure with promises made, promises kept with the Trump mandate.
In conclusion, God bless our troops as the global war on terrorism continues. Open borders for dictators put all Americans at risk of more 9/11 attacks imminent, as warned by the FBI. Trump is reinstituting existing laws to protect American families with peace through strength, revealing that war criminal Putin lies as, this weekend, the Moscow dictatorship reiterated Ukraine does not exist, justifying mass murder of Ukrainians by war criminal Putin.
Madam Speaker, I watched the President's interview on ``Meet the Press'' yesterday. I was shocked at the lack of understanding that the man has of his job.
He takes an oath to protect, preserve, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and he says he is not sure if the Fifth Amendment is applicable to people in this country and is not sure if he will stand up and protect the Constitution. This is unfathomable.
Then, he comes up and tells us he wants to have a parade that will cost over $90 million on his birthday, which happens to coincide with Flag Day and the birth of the United States Army, neither of which have ever merited a parade in the past--$90 million with airplanes, tanks, and troops to appease a man's ego, to let him think for a while that he is Genghis Khan or Napoleon.
He is not Genghis Khan. He is not Napoleon. He is not the Pope. He is the President of the United States, who works for us, the American people.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of National Nurses Day to thank the women and men across our country who care for the sick, comfort the hurting, and keep our healthcare system running.
I began my own medical career as a nurse. My sister was a nurse, and my husband was a nurse. I understand the long hours, emotional toll, and deep responsibility, commitment, and gratification that come with the job.
Today, we face a nationwide shortage of nurses, especially in rural areas like many in Iowa. This isn't just a workforce issue. It is a public health crisis.
We must do more to strengthen nursing by expanding training opportunities, reducing burnout, and investing in the future of care.
Nurses don't ask for recognition, but they sure deserve it. Mr. Speaker, on National Nurses Day and every day, I thank all nurses, and I promise to keep fighting for nurses in Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 530) to provide for a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on the prevalence and mortality of cancer among individuals who served as Active Duty aircrew in the Armed Forces, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. McGarvey) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 530, as amended. The bill was introduced by my friend and fellow veteran, Representative Pfluger. This bill would ensure there is trusted medical research available to pave the way for toxic-exposed military pilots and air crew to assess their VA disability compensation benefits.
As someone who served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, I am troubled by how many times I have heard from my fellow aviators that military pilots
Colonel Andrew Shurtleff, who testified before the House Veterans' Affairs Committee in March, is one of those veterans. He served our country as an Air Force fighter pilot, and he started fighting stage IV cancer in 2019 when he was just 41 years old. My prayers are with him as he continues to battle cancer, and I wish him the very best.
Military pilots and air crewmen across the service branches, like Colonel Shurtleff, are exposed to chemicals and toxic fumes in confined spaces every time they fly a mission. However, there is not enough medical research available for VA to simply presume that their cancers are related to those exposures. That makes it much harder for them to access their earned VA benefits. Each one of those veterans has to prove to the VA that chemicals and toxins caused their cancer.
Many have had to fight the VA system for years before they received any disability compensation, and many others never received their earned benefits before they passed away.
H.R. 530, as amended, would ensure that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conducts a study on whether the cancers suffered by military pilots and their air crew are related to their chemical and toxic exposures.
The VA needs robust medical research to streamline military air crew veterans' access to disability compensation, and VA needs it fast, for today and tomorrow's veterans. My friend from Texas' bill would ensure that research gets done and that our military pilots and air crewmen get the answers they deserve.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 530, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 530, the ACES Act, as amended, a bill that would task the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine with studying the frequency and mortality of cancer among individuals who served as air crew in the Armed Forces.
I can't help but think of some of the giants of aviation our country has had: Admiral James Stockdale, Chuck Yeager, John McCain, the groundbreaking Women Airforce Service Pilots or WASPs of World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen, astronauts, including the crew of Apollo 11. As a nation, we have been lucky that people of this caliber have stepped up and stepped into the cockpit.
Mr. Speaker, these veterans are some of the best our Nation has to offer. They are expertly trained to maintain, fly, and fight in their airframes. Aviators get the mission done, and they get it done no matter what. They do it under pressure, under fire, and under hostile conditions in the wind and the rain. They sometimes even land on a boat in the middle of the ocean in the dead of night with no lights. For 365 days a year, they are out there, keeping us safe. Military aviators do it all, and they do it better than anyone else.
Unfortunately, there is a concerning trend among veteran aviators and aircrews. They are seeing troubling rates of cancer. Initial studies have shown increased rates of melanoma and pancreatic, prostate, brain, and thyroid cancers. The aircrew community also shows alarming diagnoses of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
We have both a legal and moral obligation to take care of our veterans. Unfortunately, these veteran aviators are not getting the recognition they need and deserve from the VA. Often, these folks are forced to use their network of fellow veterans to share tips and tricks to get their care. They move through this new medical world with the gut feeling that they all could not be ill without their military occupation playing some role. This is unacceptable.
We need data to help bridge the gap between anecdote and evidence for aviator cancers so pilots and aircrews can get the care and the benefits they deserve.
That is what this bill hopes to achieve, and I strongly support it.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for bringing the bill and for his service, and I encourage all of my colleagues to get behind this effort. While this is one affected community, we cannot forget the countless other veterans and families also fighting for their toxic exposures to be seen and addressed.
I am thinking especially about my constituents who were stationed at Camp Lejeune or the intercontinental ballistic missile, ICBM, community, who suffer from cancer rates above nationwide averages; those who were exposed to radiation while working at the Nevada Test and Training Range; and veterans exposed to fuels in their water and molds in their walls while they lived in on-base housing during their service.
These are all veterans who continue to carry hidden wounds from service that often don't show up until years after they take off the uniform.
As we learn of these communities with toxic exposure and illness beyond the battle, we need to make sure that we have adequate systems in place to take care of them. This means a fully staffed and funded Department of Veterans Affairs. This means mental health professionals are in place to assist these veterans through traumatic and life- changing diagnoses. This means updated infrastructure in place to care for these veterans. For those who succumb to their diagnoses, this means a fully functioning VA to provide end-of-life care with dignity and compassion. Lastly, it means a VA to deliver for those survivors left behind, those who carry on through the pain and grief.
Mr. Speaker, I thank all of those who have worked tirelessly to bring this issue to the attention of Congress. The ACES Act is definitely a step in the right direction. It is not a fix-all, but it will give affected veterans a fighting chance. In the near future, I hope we can do the same for so many other worthwhile populations, as well.
Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation, and I ask my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger), my esteemed colleague, an Air Force pilot, and truly a person who understands and cares about the subject matter of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today not just as a Congressman but as a servicemember and friend to advocate on behalf of veterans and servicemembers fighting a second battle that they never signed up to fight. This is in support of H.R. 530, my legislation called the ACES Act, the Aviator Cancers Examination Study Act.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman) for being willing to give his life and serving in the military as a helicopter pilot. I thank Chairman Bost, the ranking member, and the majority leader, Mr. Scalise.
Military aviators and crewmembers are tragically and unfortunately being diagnosed with various forms of cancer at alarming rates. According to a 2021 Air Force study and subsequent Department of Defense research, our aviators have a 29 percent greater probability of testicular cancer, a 24 percent higher probability of melanoma, and a 23 percent higher risk of prostate cancer compared with the normal civilian population.
Those aren't the only forms. These aren't just statistics. These are real lives, real families, and real sacrifices. When brave men and women volunteer to defend our Nation from the cockpit, they shouldn't face a second battle against cancer without our full support. This is why my legislation is so important.
The ACES Act directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to partner with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a comprehensive study on cancer prevalence among military aviators and identify the agents, chemicals, compounds, and mechanisms in military aviation environments that may be causing these elevated rates of cancer.
By identifying specific risk factors unique to aviation environments, we can develop targeted screening protocols for early detection when treatment is most effective. This means faster access to benefits and treatment for those diagnosed without the burden of proving their cancer resulted from
To put this study's profound impact into perspective, picture this. A melanoma caught early, treated, and cured sends a mom back to her family. Prostate cancer found before it spreads allows a doctor ample time to set up a proper and more likely successful treatment plan. A testicular tumor found and removed in a routine screening designed for pilots, versus in an emergency room situation, gives the dad a chance to eat around the table with his family for years to come.
This is what the ACES Act makes possible. As an Air Force fighter pilot myself for 20-plus years, I fought alongside the best the Nation has to offer. I have also stood in hospital rooms watching far too many of my brothers and sisters fight their toughest battles not in the air but in hospital rooms against cancer.
Today, I am honored to be joined by a group of extraordinary heroes from our Air Force and Navy, Americans who have raised their hands in support of our Nation and volunteered to serve as pilots. These patriots, who defended our skies, are now fighting for their lives. The ACES Act is for them.
It is for the families of those fighting, who spend countless hours at the hospitals and treatment centers and surrender everything to care for their loved ones and keep hope alive.
It is for those who we have already lost, whose names we will always remember, and who I will always remember in my heart.
It is for my friend, Colonel Andy ``Pablo'' Shurtleff, an F-22 fighter pilot, a brother in arms, who at this very moment is fighting for his life against cancer. In March, Colonel Shurtleff testified before the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, sharing how a promising career was cut short after a sudden diagnosis. He explained that an earlier understanding of what causes cancer among pilots could have led to an earlier diagnosis for him, one that could have very well been instrumental in his treatment.
The ACES Act has the support of over 20 veteran organizations, cancer advocacy groups, and medical experts because they recognize what is at stake.
This isn't a partisan issue. It is about fulfilling a promise that our country made to those who were willing to serve. It is a promise that when someone serves our Nation, we will serve them in return.
Every day we wait means more aviators receiving life-altering diagnoses without understanding why, more families devastated by uncertainties, and more veterans fighting for the care they deserve. It is time to acknowledge the true cost of aviation service.
The ACES Act is not just a bill. It is a lifeline for those who have already given so much for our freedom. It is a moral obligation. It is a message to every pilot who has ever put on that flight suit to protect our skies that we see them and hear them and that we are here to also do the right thing.
Mr. Speaker, when I signed up to run for Congress, this issue was on my heart. When I signed up as a member of the Air Force, I didn't know that this was a potential issue. There are groups out there like the River Rats, led by so many amazing pilots, men and women who were ready to give their lives, who are now trying to do the right thing. Mr. Vince ``Aztec'' Alcazar is one of those people who has really led on this issue.
I know that my colleague from Michigan, the ranking member, and I know lots of people who were in a situation and are in that situation now, and the ACES Act is that lifeline.
Mr. Speaker, once we pass this on the House floor today, I urge my colleagues in the Senate to do the right thing and to act this week. Let's send H.R. 530 to the President's desk this week and have it signed into law. Let's do something that many Americans think isn't possible, and that is act with speed inside the U.S. Congress. Let's keep our mark up and do the right thing and send this to the Senate, get it passed, and get it to the President's desk.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Mr. Bost, and the majority leader, Mr. Steve Scalise, for acting with speed, acting aggressively, and keeping the mark up. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Pfluger for bringing this bill to the floor, for his service to our country before coming to Congress, and for acting on behalf of all of our aviators who have taken off the uniform and are now fighting a different battle.
Mr. Speaker, this bill is important for everyone who has ever climbed into or out of a cockpit in our United States military to keep us free. It will benefit every veteran. I am excited for the veterans in Louisville, Kentucky, where we have a lot of former aviators as the home of UPS' world hub. This will help everyone, including those people in Louisville, Kentucky.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill that is not only happening quickly but, I will also note, is happening with bipartisan support. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 530, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1912) to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the repayment by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of benefits misused by a fiduciary, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. McGarvey) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1912 introduced by my colleague from Virginia (Mr. Connolly). My prayers are with him and his family as he once again battles cancer.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the leadership teams, especially Leader Scalise and his staff, for agreeing to move this bill forward in his absence.
Representative Connolly's bill would ensure that the VA's fiduciary program is improved so that our Nation's most vulnerable veterans receive the benefits that they have earned. Let me say that again: our most vulnerable veterans.
The VA appoints fiduciaries for veterans who are unable to manage their VA financial benefits. These fiduciaries are required to use a veteran's VA benefits for the veteran's care and welfare. The VA periodically reviews fiduciary activities to ensure that fiduciaries are not misusing a veteran's VA benefits.
When a fiduciary misuses a veteran's benefit, current law does not allow the veteran to be made financially whole until after the VA determines whether the misuse was the result of VA negligence.
These determinations of negligence amount to bureaucratic red tape that have caused long delays before veterans could recoup their misused benefits. Some veterans have passed away before their misused benefits are returned.
We must ensure that the VA's fiduciary program is streamlined. This bill would get rid of red tape preventing victims of misuse from promptly recouping their VA benefits. It would prohibit the VA from withholding repayment of misused benefits while the VA is still working on a negligence determination.
It would also require the VA to implement methods to ensure that negligence determinations are made in a timely manner. Veterans deserve to have access to their benefits without bureaucratic hurdles and unnecessary delays.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 1912, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 1912, the Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act of 2025, authored by my colleague, Representative Connolly. He cannot be here today as he bravely battles cancer, and our thoughts and our prayers are with him.
I echo the comments of Representative Bergman. Veterans in the fiduciary program are some of the most vulnerable in the VA's care. Because they are often elderly or mentally ill, they are at greater risk for financial abuse and theft of benefits than the population at large. Unfortunately, despite the VA's best efforts at vetting proposed fiduciaries, bad actors do arise from time to time. When that happens, theft or misuse of benefits can financially devastate veterans.
On top of the financial harm, the strain of being taken advantage of can further eat away at the veteran's physical and mental health. We must empower the VA to more quickly return stolen or misused benefits to veterans who are exploited by their fiduciary. This bill would do just that.
It passed the House last Congress, and I encourage my colleagues to support it again.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I also ask my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 1912, the Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act of 2025.
Before I yield back, I do want to express my deepest appreciation and admiration for the sponsor of this bill, Representative Connolly.
Representative Connolly has been a faithful and passionate servant of the American people for decades, both through his time as a congressional staffer and then as a Representative of his beloved State of Virginia.
Unfortunately, he cannot be with us today. Anybody who knows Representative Connolly knows he is a bulldog, he is a fighter, and he is tenacious. He is facing some serious health challenges right now.
Mr. Speaker, I know you will join me and Representative Bergman and everyone else in wishing him the absolute best as he is in this fight. I know he has got it, and we are with him.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1912, the Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act, and to underscore the urgent need for this bipartisan and bicameral legislation.
As a Nation, we have a solemn obligation to ensure that the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces and their families receive the benefits they have rightfully earned through their sacrifice and unwavering dedication. Unfortunately, an unintended consequence of the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 has hindered this mission. That law introduced a requirement for an internal negligence determination by the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) before defrauded veterans in the Veterans Affairs (VA) fiduciary program could be reimbursed. While well- intentioned as a mechanism for improving oversight, this procedural step has caused unacceptable delays, at times exceeding a year, in making victims of fraud financially whole.
A July 21, 2021, report from the VA Office of Inspector General, titled ``VBA's Fiduciary Program Needs to Improve the Timeliness of Determinations and Reimbursement of Misused Funds,'' brought national attention to this problem. It found that defrauded veterans were forced to endure long wait times before receiving reimbursements, with some tragically passing away before they could be made financially whole. This is especially troubling since approximately 50 percent of veterans in the fiduciary program are pensioners and part of a financially vulnerable population.
H.R. 1912, the Veteran Fraud Reimbursement Act, removes the negligence determination requirement as a prerequisite for reimbursement. Instead, it authorizes VBA to conduct a statisticallv valid analysis of fiduciary misuse cases to determine the rate and nature of negligence after reimbursement has occurred. This shift transforms a bureaucratic barrier into a quality assurance mechanism, enhancing oversight while prioritizing timely relief for veterans. This legislation was developed in close collaboration with the VBA and received strong bipartisan support during the 118th Congress, when it passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support, 413-0. I thank Representative Ciscomani for partnering with me in introducing this important measure, and I am grateful to Subcommittee Chairman Lutrell, Ranking Member McGarvey, Full Committee Chairman Bost, and Ranking Member Takano for their commitment to advancing it.
I am proud to represent a district home to nearly 50,000 veterans, including those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, to Vietnam veterans, and even a few remaining World War II heroes. We owe them more than gratitude; we owe them action. H.R. 1912 will ensure Veterans receive their reimbursement on a timely basis. It ensures that we do not let oversight mechanisms cause harm to those they are intended to protect.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation and reaffirming our commitment to the dignity and well-being of our veterans.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1912.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1503) to combat forced organ harvesting and trafficking in persons for purposes of the removal of organs, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Olszewski) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, we gather today to confront one of the most unconscionable human rights atrocities of our time. It is amazing that we have to speak about this. It is the State-sponsored, forced harvesting of human organs.
Innocent people, often prisoners of conscience, are being killed so that their vital organs can be removed and sold. This is a billion- dollar black market built on murder. It is a direct assault on every principle of human dignity and decency.
H.R. 1503, the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2025, is a bipartisan moral imperative. It holds perpetrators accountable and targets the heart of this depraved industry.
This bill sends a clear message: The United States will not be complicit. If you take part in forced organ harvesting, we are coming after you. It imposes strong sanctions, strengthens reporting requirements, and authorizes the denial or revocation of passports for convicted traffickers who cross borders to commit these crimes. I would say that is the least we could be doing.
The legislation rightly identifies those responsible, including members of the Chinese Communist Party, who have been credibly accused by human rights organizations and U.N. experts of orchestrating systematic, state-run organ harvesting, primarily targeting prisoners of conscience from religious and ethnic minority groups.
This is not speculation. The evidence is overwhelming. International investigations, eyewitness testimony, and growing data confirm that these abuses are occurring on a massive scale. They are crimes against humanity.
The bill is a necessary tool to fight that evil. It aligns our foreign policy with our core values: human rights, rule of law, and the sanctity of life. As chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I am proud to support it.
I thank my colleagues, Mr. Smith of New Jersey and Mr. Keating of Massachusetts, for leading this bipartisan effort. The bill passed the Foreign Affairs Committee with broad, bipartisan support, and I urge my colleagues to join in advancing it on the floor today.
We must make it unmistakably clear: Forced organ harvesting will not be tolerated. It will not be tolerated in this world, and those who carry it out, support it, or profit from it will face serious consequences.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1503. I also thank Representatives Smith and Keating for introducing this bill, which, as the chairman mentioned, passed in the 118th Congress. I also thank my colleague and chairman for bringing this and many other important bipartisan bills to the floor today.
According to the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, the trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal is one of the least reported and least understood forms of trafficking but one that experts believe may be growing. Like sex trafficking and labor trafficking, it is ultimately a crime that exploits human beings for economic profit.
The State Department's 2023 Human Rights Report highlights troubling allegations regarding the Government of the People's Republic of China forcibly harvesting organs from prisoners of conscience, including religious and spiritual adherents.
Mr. Speaker, I worry deeply about the administration's proposed State Department reorganization plans that will gut the funding and experts working to address these crimes, giving the PRC and others a pass. Instead of these cuts, the administration should be strengthening efforts to address forced organ harvesting and trafficking.
H.R. 1503 shines a light on this horrible practice and calls on the State Department to make its annual reporting on the issue more robust and more in-depth. Not only does it call for more regular assessments of the problem, it also authorizes the imposition of sanctions on individuals who are involved in forced organ harvesting or trafficking.
The legislation will make sure the U.S. is carefully gathering all the facts
The trafficking of persons for the purpose of organ removal is a form of trafficking in which an individual is exploited for their organs, including by coercion, deception, and abuse of a position of vulnerability. It is abhorrent, repugnant, and dehumanizing.
I support this legislation, I urge all of my colleagues to likewise support it again in this Congress, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who is the sponsor of this legislation and the chairman of the Africa Subcommittee.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his support and for yielding this time.
Mr. Speaker, every year under Xi Jinping and his Chinese Communist Party, tens of thousands of young women and men, average age 28, are murdered in cold blood to steal their internal organs for profit or to be transplanted into Communist Party cadres, leaders and members alike.
These crimes against humanity are unimaginably cruel and painful. Between two and six internal organs per victim are extracted. It is murder masquerading as medicine.
Ethnic groups targeted include Uyghurs, who suffer from Xi Jinping's ongoing genocide, and the Falun Gong, whose peaceful meditation and exercise practices and exceptional good health make their organs highly desirable.
The Chinese Communist Party has declared the Falun Gong practitioners to be an evil cult fit for butchering.
Mr. Speaker, over the years I have chaired several hearings on this barbaric abuse, and 2 years ago, on March 27, the House passed my bill, the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023, 413-2.
Like many other House-passed bills, however, it died in the Senate. If approved today, I respectfully appeal to the Senate to pass it this time.
Special thanks to Majority Leader Scalise, Chairman Mast, and Ranking Member Meeks for ensuring reconsideration in this new Congress, and special thanks to Bill Keating for cosponsoring.
Mr. Speaker, I have chaired several hearings over the years on forced organ harvesting beginning over one-quarter of a century ago. In June of 1998, 27 years ago, I chaired my first hearing on forced organ harvesting in China. A Chinese security officer testified that he and other security agents were executing patients with the doctors right there and the ambulances right there ready to put them in the back to take their organs after the bullets were fired.
At one hearing in September of 2015, Ethan Gutmann, a true expert and author of the book ``The Slaughter: Mass Killings, Organ Harvesting, and China's Secret Solution to Its Dissident Problem,'' has testified more than half a dozen times in our hearings. Mr. Gutmann has pointed out that in 1994, the first live organ harvest of death-row prisoners was performed on the execution grounds of Xinjiang in northwest China.
He points out that over the years it just kept building and growing, and then by the year 2005 the apparatus was in place in order to systematically slaughter all of these wonderful people in order to take their organs.
Ethan Gutmann today says that the prisoners' organs in Xinjiang are being harvested at a rate that translates annually, every year, into 25,000 to 50,000 victims. That is 25,000 to 50,000 Uyghurs, along with Kazakhs and other central Asians.
He also points out that if we use the lower number, we are talking about 175,000 murdered victims, all young people, for their organs in a very, very short period of time.
The Falun Dafa Information Center, which does a lot of good work for the Falun Gong, points out too that it is very hard to get precise information. It is a dictatorship and a closed society. They said the number had even jumped to 20,000 victims by 2018.
At another hearing about forced organ harvesting in China, we heard expert testimony from Sir Geoffrey Nice, who conducted the world's first global independent legal analysis of forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in China.
Sir Geoffrey Nice said that forced organ harvesting has been committed for years throughout China on a significant scale. He said the Falun Gong and the Uyghurs in the PRC each qualify as a group for purposes of the crime of genocide.
Robert Destro, the former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, testified as well at that hearing: ``The size and scope of the organ harvesting and organ trafficking `market' is staggering.''
Mr. Speaker, we also know that there are hospitals dedicated just to dealing with and helping to assist Chinese Communist Party leaders. One of them is the Army Hospital 301 in Beijing. Where do they get these victims? From the very groups of people who they hate so much: the Uyghurs, the Falun Gong, and some others.
We have introduced again this year the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act to amend the Foreign Assistance Act to require the imposition of serious sanctions on any person the President determines funds, sponsors, or otherwise facilitates forced organ harvesting or trafficking for purposes of the removal of organs. If enacted into law, it requires very comprehensive reporting on this, which has not happened and needs to happen.
What does all this mean, really? It means civil penalties of up to $250,000 and criminal penalties, including a fine of up to $1 million and imprisonment for not more than 20 years or both.
Mr. Speaker, we are serious about sanctioning this egregious human rights abuse.
Sanctions also include blocking and prohibiting all transactions in property and interests in property and making such persons ineligible to come into this country if they are a foreigner and ineligible for a visa.
State-sponsored forced organ harvesting is big business for Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party, and we will not and cannot rest until we stop it.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the organizations to my left, a group of 9 organizations--there are now 10; another has joined--that support and called for passage of this bill. These are great human rights organizations, and I include in the Record a May 4, 2025, letter from them.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1503 is an important, bipartisan measure. We know that organ harvesting has been a problem in different places around the globe. We don't know yet the full extent of the problem, and it is certainly a practice that is difficult to detect and track.
The bill before us is a strong and important step forward. It calls on the State Department to provide important information to Congress, to the American public, and to the world about the global scope of organ harvesting and trafficking.
This bill will help inform Congress so that we can ensure the U.S. can respond appropriately.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, the United States has to lead with moral clarity. We have to send an unmistakable message that the human body is not a currency, it is not a commodity, and it is never for sale.
Forced organ harvesting is pure evil, and if we don't act, then we will be considered complicit.
Mr. Speaker, I urge every one of my colleagues to stand firm for human dignity and support H.R. 1503, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1503.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1512) to amend the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 to require periodic reviews and updated reports relating to the Department of State's Taiwan Guidelines, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Olszewski) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my colleague, Mrs. Wagner, and in support of the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act. This bill reaffirms and strengthens the United States' commitment to Taiwan, one of our most important democratic partners in the Indo-Pacific.
Taiwan is under growing pressure from an increasingly aggressive Chinese Communist Party. Xi Jinping has made no secret of his intentions. Folding Taiwan into the People's Republic of China is central to his vision of national rejuvenation. He has made it clear he is willing to use force to make that happen.
The warning signs are in plain view. China is ramping up aerial incursions, conducting illegal exercises that simulate a blockade around Taiwan, threatening sanctions against Taiwanese industries, and relentlessly targeting Taipei with economic and political intimidation.
If we are serious about countering the CCP's ambition to displace the United States as a global leader, then we have to act with clarity and conviction. That starts with standing firm alongside Taiwan. We need to deepen our economic security and diplomatic cooperation with Taiwan and do so transparently and without apology.
Unfortunately, under the Biden administration, the State Department too often handcuffed U.S.-Taiwan engagement by clinging to outdated, self-imposed restrictions and bureaucratic red tape, weakening a vital partnership at a time when unity and strength are urgently needed. That is unacceptable.
The Taiwan Assurance Act passed with bipartisan support in 2020, but the stakes are even higher today. That is why this bill updates and strengthens the original law, ensuring that U.S. policy toward Taiwan reflects today's strategic reality, not yesterday's hesitations.
By removing self-imposed limitations on how we engage with Taiwan, we send a clear message to Beijing: The United States stands with free nations, and we will not be bullied into silence.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 1512. In the 118th Congress, this body came together to overwhelmingly pass this bipartisan measure from Representatives Wagner, Connolly, and Lieu 404-7, and I see no reason why today's vote should be any less supportive.
It is critical that the United States shows unwavering support for our friend Taiwan in the face of the PRC's persistent use of economic, political, and military coercion against it.
Just last month, the PRC conducted large-scale drills in the waters and airspace around Taiwan in a dangerous and destabilizing show of force. I heard these concerns reinforced recently during a congressional visit to the Pacific countries.
Under such tense circumstances, we must work to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait by bolstering deterrence and redoubling our commitment to the U.S. One China policy.
While providing Taiwan with the weapons to defend itself, we must also strengthen our unofficial relationship with Taiwan in the cultural and economic space and build resilience in Taiwan against PRC gray zone tactics.
Since 1979, in order to build a bilateral relationship with China, our government has maintained internal executive department guidelines to limit official interactions with Taiwan consistent with our One China policy. This bill simply directs the executive to report the guidelines to Congress every 5 years so that Congress is aware of them.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join in supporting this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 1512, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act.
Mr. Speaker, it is undeniable that the People's Republic of China is the single gravest threat to our national security. It is undeniable that China has increased its destabilizing military activities in the Pacific. It is undeniable that China has its sights set on the full- scale invasion of Taiwan.
The United States must not waver in our deterrence of this threat and our support for this nation.
Just last month, the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command testified to Congress that China escalated military pressure against Taiwan by 300 percent last year. Commander Paparo explicitly warned that these ``aggressive maneuvers around Taiwan are not just exercises. They are dress rehearsals for forced unification.''
It is imperative that the full weight of the United States stands firmly and publicly against these provocations.
For decades, our Nation employed a strategy of opacity, restricting our formal engagement with Taiwan to avoid upsetting or insulting the Chinese Communist Party.
In 2020, this body enacted the Taiwan Assurance Act, and the first Trump administration moved decisively to implement this new policy by declaring all self-imposed restrictions null and void.
Unfortunately, the Biden administration waffled and rolled back many of these diplomatic standards. Under my legislation, all administrations, now and into the future, will be required to periodically update these regulations, specifically with the goal of deepening and expanding U.S.-Taiwan relations.
We must stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners in the Pacific to deter the Chinese threat. I am proud to say that enacting this legislation, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, will be a decisive step forward to ensuring peace through strength.
Mr. Speaker, I close by acknowledging my close friend and co-lead of this legislation, Congressman Gerry Connolly, for his work on this legislation. Congressman Connolly is a respected voice of authority on this issue and a tireless champion for the U.S.-Taiwan relationship. It has been an absolute honor to work with the Congressman on this legislation and so many other issues.
Mr. Speaker, Gerry and his entire family remain in our prayers.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.
Mr. Speaker, Taiwan is a friend and a fellow democracy that we should continue to engage with warmth and respect.
The United States needs a Taiwan policy that works for us and Taiwan while upholding our longstanding One China policy, which has kept Taiwan safe for over four decades.
Madam Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me and support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, Taiwan is not just a partner. It is a front line for democracy, and how we treat our friends in times of pressure defines our credibility around the globe.
If we are serious about countering the CCP, we have to pass this piece of legislation.
Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to vote for H.R. 1512, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1512, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Olszewski) each will control 20 minutes.
Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, the Republic of Georgia was once a prime contender for NATO and an ally of the United States, especially following Russia's 2008 invasion. The United States benefited from military and intelligence cooperation, and the Georgian people are well known for their pro-American sentiment.
Unfortunately, our bilateral relationship with Georgia has been eroded by the ruling Georgian Dream party's moves that mimic Russia's authoritarian tactics, as well as their rapprochement with China and Iran.
The opportunities provided by a pro-Western, democratic Georgia are manifest. Georgia's strategic location on the Black Sea makes it a pivotal nation for trade through the Middle Corridor to Central Asia and can be a counterbalance to Iranian and Russian influence in the region.
I support this bipartisan bill introduced by Mr. Wilson because it takes an America-first approach to the Republic of Georgia. This bill will impose sanctions on regime officials for their roles in undermining Georgia's sovereignty and pro-Western trajectory, as well as review our bilateral relationship, including assistance programs, and require a report that spotlights Russian intelligence actions in Georgia.
However, this bill also provides Georgia with an alternative. Once the President certifies that Georgia has returned to its pro-Western trajectory, it promises enhanced people-to-people ties, military cooperation, and encourages an improved bilateral relationship.
The United States should reward partners for good behavior. This bill is not an attack on the Georgian people. It seeks to support them by punishing rogue officials who are taking them further away from the United States.
The House Committee on Foreign Affairs favorably marked up a version of this bill during the last Congress, where it passed with a strong majority, and I expect it will receive similar support today.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this pragmatic approach to foreign policy and support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 36, a bipartisan bill designed to make sure that the United States remains committed to Georgia's Euro-Atlantic and democratic aspirations.
I thank my friend, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), for his tireless efforts on this topic, in addition to his fervent work to support Ukraine.
For years following the fall of Communism and particularly after the Rose Revolution in 2003, the people of Georgia have worked to successfully build their democracy and their economy, all while fostering aspirations to join the EU and NATO.
The United States, along with European partners, have played an integral role in ensuring that the path of integration was open to Georgia and that its people had the means to implement the necessary reforms. Georgia's story has been one of success.
Georgia, strategically located on the Black Sea, is no stranger to larger geopolitical forces. Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 during the Beijing Olympics and proceeded to occupy 20 percent of its territory. Despite the persistent threat from Russia, Georgians continued to forge forward with democratic reforms and even made significant contributions to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as this legislation notes.
However, we know too well from the experience in other parts of Europe and at home that democratic progress is fragile and requires constant attention.
In February 2023, the Georgian Government introduced a foreign agents bill in its parliament that it claimed was aimed at transparency. However, the bill was set to impose burdensome restrictions on civil society organizations and independent media, stigmatizing them as foreign agents.
Following warnings from the United States and partners in Europe, as well as waves of protests, the government withdrew the bill, only to reintroduce it in April 2024. This time, despite massive protests, a Presidential veto, additional rebukes from the United States Congress, the Biden administration, and the EU, the Georgian Parliament pushed this legislation through.
Then, in another illustration of democratic backsliding, parliamentary elections were held in the fall of 2024 that were neither free, nor fair, and tainted by numerous and serious electoral violations.
This legislation is a response to the deteriorating democratic situation in Georgia. It will let the Georgian people know that we stand by them in their quest for democracy, respect for their rights, and deeper integration into the Euro-Atlantic community. This also provides a framework for appropriate cooperation with the Georgian Government going forward.
Madam Speaker, I am pleased with the bipartisan work of this bill, look forward to its passage, and hope that it has the desired effect to show the people of Georgia that Congress is watching, the United States cares, and that we want to ensure their future in Europe and NATO.
Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join in supporting this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Brian Mast for yielding and thank him for his leadership on behalf of the American people.
Madam Speaker, I am grateful for the bipartisan endorsement of this legislation. It is bipartisan with Republican and Democratic support and bicameral with Senate and House support of the MEGOBARI bill, which promotes the brave people of the Republic of Georgia.
For more than 155 days, the freedom-loving people of Georgia have peacefully taken to the streets in defense of the future and soul of their nation. They drape themselves in the flags of the United States and carry posters of our President, Donald Trump, as an indication of their love and affection for freedom and democracy.
Their will is clear: They will not allow the illegal regime of corrupt Bidzina Ivanishvili to drive their country into ruin and be dependent on the failed Soviet Union.
Georgia is a Black Sea nation that has always prized its hard-won freedom. Sadly, the will of the people is being subverted by the illegitimate Georgian Dream regime, an American-hating Mafia cabal that seeks to sell the country to U.S. adversaries, including the Chinese Communist Party, practically giving away a port on the Black Sea that should be for the people of Georgia.
They are also subservient to the regime in Tehran, who we know launched attacks against Israel just yesterday; and war criminal Putin, who seeks to indeed make the people of Georgia subservient.
The Georgian people are among the bravest and most pro-American in the world. I have had the opportunity, with three of my sons serving with Georgian troops across the world in Afghanistan and Iraq, to see how brave and capable the troops of Georgia are. Georgian troops have fought alongside American troops in the global war on terrorism and had no limits on the assignments that they would undertake bravely and competently.
In 2020, I was grateful to lead the Republican Study Committee national security report under then-chairman and now Speaker Mike Johnson calling for sanctions on Ivanishvili. Republicans saw the threat then posed by this thug and his cronies.
Georgian Dream has moved swiftly to criminalize the association with America since the election of October 2026. It rejected bids by American companies for construction of their strategic deep-sea port to the Chinese Communist Party. Every major building contract, over $100 million in U.S. dollars, has been awarded to the Chinese Communist Party or affiliated companies or state-owned companies of the Chinese Communist Party.
This blocks America from the Middle Corridor and cuts off land access to critical minerals in Central Asia, which, additionally, want to be friends of America and friends of Western civilization. The regime peddles in daily anti-American propaganda accusing top officials of the United States Government, including President Trump and the very appreciated Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Jim Risch, of corruption and acting as tools of the deep state.
In fact, just last week, there was a statement by government officials that Donald Trump was a tool of the deep state.
As the Trump administration State Department's spokesman, Tammy Bruce, said:
``Regarding continuing anti-democratic actions taken by the Georgian Dream government--as Vice President Vance said in Munich, you cannot win a democratic mandate by censoring your opponents or putting them in jail, nor can you win one by disregarding your basic electorate on questions like who gets to be a part of our shared society.''
This bill provides for sanctions against Georgian Dream thugs for their illegal actions, and it also provides for stronger bilateral ties after confirmation of Georgia's return to adherence to its constitution.
Madam Speaker, I urge support for this legislation for the mutual benefit of the people of Georgia and the people of the United States.
Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Madam Speaker, Georgia has long been a great friend to the United States. I went to Georgia for their election when they elected the Georgian Dream ticket about 12 years ago, but the Georgian Dream party has turned into the Georgian nightmare.
In America, Dr. King had a dream, and that dream still lives. Yet, the dream in Georgia, the country, is no longer alive and is pulling that country closer to our adversaries.
The illegitimate Georgian Dream party led by Ivanishvili rigged the October 2024 election, and they truly did rig it in that situation. It has been facing mass protests ever since. Every Sunday, there are mass protests in Georgia protesting deprivation of freedoms and liberties.
The Georgian Dream has orchestrated crackdowns on citizens, including banning the freedom of speech and assembly in Georgia, using violence against protesters, and abusing the court process to wrongfully imprison and charge protesters.
The Georgian people have protested for over 150 consecutive days and are still protesting today, especially on Sundays. They are calling for free and fair elections and the release of political prisoners.
The United States has long supported freedom in Georgia and now is no different. The MEGOBARI Act is an expression of that support.
As ranking member of the Helsinki Commission, I am proud to be the lead Democrat on the MEGOBARI bill along with my friend, Representative
Joe Wilson.
This Act will evaluate all Georgian Dream officials for sanctions. If they are found to have undermined Georgian democracy or engaged in corruption, they will be sanctioned.
It also creates a report on Russian intelligence assets in Georgia and Russia-China cooperation undermining Georgian sovereignty. What is going on is basically a revolution where Ivanishvili, who runs the party and has investments in Russia, is trying to bring them closer to Russia and Putin.
Lastly, the bill envisions a stronger U.S.-Georgia relationship once Georgia returns to its traditional Euro-Atlantic path mandated in its own constitution and demanded by its people.
Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Joe Wilson and the other co- leads of this important legislation, Congressman Veasey and Congressman Hudson, and I urge its passage.
Madam Speaker, I generally support everything that the chairman supports. This is a wrongheaded bill. Our colleagues need to say ``no'' to this. The American people did not send us here to expand America's security blanket to more parts of the world.
We don't have to get involved in every conflict we are invited to, and we certainly don't need to seek out extra ones. We can wish the people of Georgia well without expanding our commitment to be Europe's defense force with a blank check to defend every country. Admittedly, Georgia can't really defend themselves well against Russia. They are not even spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense in the current state. That is a minimum for admission into NATO.
My colleagues couldn't blame them for thinking that it doesn't really matter because even the biggest countries, like Germany, haven't historically hit that threshold either, but their economy isn't that big. Even if they were spending more, it wouldn't matter.
Madam Speaker, this is the wrong approach to national security, and it also further dilutes the effectiveness of our sanctions regime. I think it is a terrible idea. I think my constituents are wondering: Why we are doing this instead of the things that we campaigned on? I hope we get focused on an America-first foreign policy. This isn't it.
Madam Speaker, I oppose it, and I urge everyone else to, as well.
Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield myself the balance of my time for the purposes of closing.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 36 works to show the people of Georgia that the
I thank my colleagues again for their steadfast support and leadership on this issue in support of Georgia's ambitions to join NATO and the EU, and I hope my colleagues will join me and support this bill.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I firmly believe that every country in the world should choose the United States of America as their first partner and our allies over dictatorships like Russia and China. It is essential that these countries walk the walk.
American largesse will not be taken advantage of by those who accuse the United States of being part of a global war party or the global deep state.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure and stand with the people of Georgia and an America-first foreign policy, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 36.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1486) to impose sanctions with respect to economic or industrial espionage by foreign adversarial companies, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Olszewski) each will control 20 minutes.
Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support for H.R. 1486, the Economic Espionage Prevention Act, introduced by my colleague from Georgia (Mr. McCormick).
The Chinese Communist Party is working to undermine America's interests around the world and is the global supplier of America's adversaries.
As President Trump and his administration are working tirelessly to finally bring an end to the war in Ukraine, the CCP continues to stoke global chaos by providing massive amounts of industrial and economic support to Russia.
In fact, our State Department assessed that in the second half of 2023 alone, China supported the transfer of nearly $300 million worth of semiconductors to Russia, including for use in missiles and drones.
The CCP's actions are blatant violations of U.S. export controls and detrimental to our ongoing peace efforts. China's economic and industrial support for Russia is a critical lifeline for the Russian military.
This is why it is critical that Congress pass the Economic Espionage Prevention Act. This bill would provide important sanction authorities for cutting off the CCP's illegal and industrial supply chains to America's adversaries. Enhancing U.S. export control enforcement with economic sanctions will help shut down China's massive support for Russia's defense industrial base.
This bill also enhances Congress' visibility into this illicit supply chain by requiring the State Department to issue a report identifying these individuals and entities that are supporting the Russian defense industrial base.
The CCP is relentlessly undermining President Trump's efforts to bring an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Chinese companies illegally supplying Russia in violation of U.S. export controls must be subjected to the full weight of our sanctions regime. The bill ensures that the CCP and the world understand that supplying America's adversaries comes with a very severe cost.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1486. This is legislation that authorizes sanctions against any person or entity that provides material support for Russia's military and industrial defense base.
We know that Russia uses missiles, drones, planes, and rocket launchers to wreak havoc on Ukrainian cities and citizens. They do this to overthrow the government, to end democracy in Ukraine, and to seize Ukrainian territory to reconstitute a new Soviet Union, or at least a Soviet-like sphere of influence.
Ukrainians have bravely stood up to this unprovoked, unlawful aggression. The Ukrainian military has bravely fought back against the much larger Russian military and has repelled this invasion for years. The United States and its partners and allies have been critical to the defense of Ukraine, and Congress has been instrumental in the support we have provided.
As Russia continues to suffer heavy losses and economic hardship from waging this illegal invasion, it has turned to China and even Iran and North Korea for support. We absolutely should be bolstering sanctions not just on Russia's warmongering but also on its enablers.
China has played a crucial role in supporting Russia. Though they have not provided overt military support, they are continuing to provide dual-use goods, like industrial tools and semiconductors.
At a minimum, given its tendencies to appease Russia rather than pressure it, the Trump administration must maintain the current posture of deterrence with the existing tools it already has. The better approach is for this administration to also use the additional tools offered by this legislation to deter further PRC shipments of dual-use goods to Russia.
Madam Speaker, I appreciate Representative McCormick and Chairman Mast for negotiating further changes to this bill last week. I appreciate the bipartisan spirit that went into this legislation and for the work that both Ranking Member Meeks and his team have done on this legislation.
Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join in supporting this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Mast and the minority party for supporting this bill.
Since illegally invading Ukraine, the Russian Federation has become reliant on the People's Republic of China for its supply of semiconductors and other critical dual-use technologies. The State Department notified Congress last year that the PRC exports of semiconductors significantly increased in 2023 compared to pre-invasion levels.
These semiconductors are critical key aspects to the Russian war effort, including economic and electronic warfare, command and control, and targeting. These components allow Russia to terrorize Ukrainian civilians with ballistic missile strikes, as well.
The prevalence of U.S. manufacturing equipment in global semiconductor production means nearly all are subject to U.S. export controls if destined for Russia or Belarus.
My bill seeks to reduce Russia's access to these semiconductors by authorizing sanctions on any foreign adversaries that materially support Russia's military and intelligence services, violate U.S. export laws, and steal U.S. intellectual property.
It further requires a report on whether China is providing significant support to Russia's military and updates existing law to provide greater flexibility to pursue sanctions against China and other foreign adversaries if they violate these export controls.
The PRC may publicly claim that they do not provide material support to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but their continued supply of dual- use technology clearly shows otherwise.
Cutting off the supply of semiconductors will seriously hamper the Russian war effort and show the world that we will not allow our adversaries to work together to destroy sovereign nations and undermine the international system.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1486.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 1486 will authorize sanctions on any person or entity that supports Russia's military and defense industrial base. Russia expected to take Kyiv in a matter of days, but it has now been years as brave Ukrainians continue to defend their country and their sovereignty against Russia's illegal invasion.
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, Representative McCormick, and others for their work on this, as Russia has now had to turn to other nations for material support to continue that invasion, which is why Congress must not only continue our support of Ukraine but also authorize sanctions on those enabling Russia's war.
This is an important bill, and I am proud to support it. I hope we can put forward other legislation like this, including a few bills sponsored by Ranking Member Meeks that have passed with bipartisan support in the past.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, in closing, I again thank Representative McCormick for his bill, as well as Select Committee on the CCP Chairman Moolenaar and Representatives Baumgartner and Lawler for their work to bring this bill to the floor to ensure that we finally end China's support for Russia's defense industrial base.
It is a great piece of legislation, and I urge all Members to support H.R. 1486.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1486, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1540) to provide for the imposition of sanctions with respect to forced organ harvesting within the People's Republic of China, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Olszewski) each will control 20 minutes.
Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this issue.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1540, Mr. Perry's Falun Gong Protection Act.
For decades, the House of Representatives has been raising alarms about organ harvesting perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party. We spoke about it earlier.
As United Nations human rights experts stated in 2021: ``Forced organ harvesting in China appears to be targeting specific ethnic, linguistic, or religious minorities held in detention, often without being [informed of] the reasons for their arrest or provided arrest warrants.''
Among those most frequently reported as targets are Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang Province. These detainees, often imprisoned for their beliefs, are subjected to medical procedures that other prisoners are not: blood draws, organ examinations, and ultrasound scans. These are not for their health.
This is barbaric. These crimes, these abuses by the Chinese Communist Party, must end. I think we can all agree that they have to come to an end.
The legislation before us today, the Falun Gong Protection Act, takes long-overdue action to confront this horror. It directs the U.S. Government to identify and publicly name individuals and entities involved in forced organ harvesting in China. It imposes targeted sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act, including visa bans and asset freezes, against those responsible. It strengthens reporting requirements for the State Department, ensuring that U.S. foreign policy fully accounts for the scope of organ trafficking abuses.
Madam Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1540.
Like H.R. 1503, the Falun Gong Protection Act also imposes sanctions on individuals who knowingly and directly engage in or facilitate the involuntary harvesting of organs within the People's Republic of China while strengthening reporting requirements regarding this heinous crime.
These steps are vital to address the forcible harvesting of organs, a grave violation of human rights and bodily autonomy. The PRC has been accused of forcibly harvesting organs from victims who range from prisoners of conscience, including religious and spiritual adherents, to ethnic minorities. Shining a spotlight on these crimes and the people that perpetrate them while advancing accountability is essential.
The reporting requirements in this bill will help us better understand the scope of these terrible abuses and allow us to address them more effectively. This reporting relies on the very offices and experts at the State Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health that are being gutted currently by the Trump administration, a gift for traffickers and criminals that only illustrates just how dangerous the administration's proposed reorganization and so-called streamlining of the government has been for United States' national security. The sanctions in this bill may help to hold perpetrators accountable and deter the practice, as well.
We cannot remain silent in the face of such cruelty. We must stand with the victims, show them they are not forgotten, and ensure that perpetrators face justice.
I thank my colleagues for their leadership on this effort and other efforts to tackle this heinous crime.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for allowing this bill to come to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, I am here today to urge support of and for H.R. 1540, the Falun Gong Protection Act, a bill I have introduced to confront one of the most egregious, barbaric, and medieval human rights atrocities of our current time.
As we stand on the precipice of this vote, I ask you to join me in taking a stand against the Chinese Communist Party's systematic persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
Since the early 1990s, the Falun Gong, a spiritual practice rooted in the principles of truth, compassion, and tolerance, has been targeted by the Chinese Communist Party. By 1999, Mr. Speaker, an estimated 70 million to 100 million people, roughly 5 to 7 percent of China's population, were practicing Falun Gong.
This popularity triggered a brutal response from the CCP, unleashing a campaign of illegal detentions, forced labor, torture, and most horrifically, forced organ harvesting, a practice that amounts to mass murder.
On July 20, 1999, the CCP detained hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners and banned their practice outright. Since then, the persecution has only intensified.
Multiple studies, including the 2020 report from the Independent Tribunal Into Forced Organ Harvesting, have exposed an incomprehensible gap between the number of organ transplants performed in China and the number of registered donors.
Mr. Speaker, the math simply doesn't add up, and we all know why.
Just think about it: An independent tribunal into forced organ harvesting literally had to be set up to look into this because China is a closed society. Regardless of what people might think because we are allowed to travel to China, they are not showing you this part.
The CCP's secrecy ensures that China remains closed to scrutiny, but the evidence is clear: Falun Gong practitioners are the primary victims of this barbaric organ harvesting system.
The tribunal's findings are staggering. They concluded that forced organ harvesting has been committed for years on a massive scale with Falun Gong practitioners as the main source.
The report states that the CCP and its leaders have actively incited the persecution, imprisonment, murder, torture, and humiliation of these individuals solely to eradicate their beliefs. This is not just a violation of human rights; it is a crime against humanity.
Now, far away in the United States, many in the organ transplant community are unaware of China's illicit practices, shielded by the CCP's repressive control of information and global propaganda, but the truth is undeniable: The Chinese Communist Party has built an infrastructure to persecute millions of not only Falun Gong practitioners but also Uyghurs, Tibetans, Christians, and others it deems a threat.
The CCP's utter disregard for human life shocks the conscience. This barbaric practice must end, and it must end now.
H.R. 1540 is a historic step forward, the first binding commitment by Congress to take decisive legal action against the persecution and forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners.
This bill imposes sanctions on those who would participate in or facilitate forced organ harvesting in China. It directs the Secretary of State to investigate whether the CCP's actions constitute crimes against humanity or genocide and to report on China's organ transplant policies. It also establishes U.S. policy to reject any cooperation with the PRC's illicit organ transplant industry while the CCP remains in power.
Mr. Speaker, this bill paves the way for accountability, sanctions, punishment, and acknowledgement of those complicit in these atrocities.
The Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Patronis). The time of the gentleman has expired.
The United States cannot continue to stand idly by. We must use our authority. We must use our position as leaders in the world to curb these practices and send a clear message to everybody that not only will we not tolerate this assault on human dignity, on humanity itself, but that no country, no people should.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a vote in favor of H.R. 1540. Let us stand together not just for Falun Gong practitioners but for the millions suffering under the CCP's oppression and tyranny. Let us affirm that the United States will always champion truth, compassion, and tolerance.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chair, again, for bringing the bill to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1540 will help Congress better understand the scope of organ harvesting and will enable the sanctioning of individuals who knowingly engage in or facilitate this horrendous crime.
Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in support of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill signals that the United States will not tolerate the use of state violence to extract profit from the bodies of the persecuted.
I thank my friend, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry), along with his bipartisan cosponsors for their leadership on this critical human rights issue.
Mr. Speaker, I urge strong support of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1540.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1724) to prohibit the use of funds supporting any activities within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Olszewski) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the No Dollars to Uyghur Forced Labor Act.
The Chinese Communist Party is carrying out a campaign of genocide against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
The evidence, documented by human rights organizations, journalists, and survivors, is overwhelming: over a million people detained, families torn apart, entire communities forced into labor in factories that feed global supply chains. Some of those goods end up right here in the United States on our shelves and in our homes.
The No Dollars to Uyghur Forced Labor Act makes one principle clear: Not a single American taxpayer dollar should be used to purchase goods, raw materials, or services tainted by Uyghur forced labor.
It ensures that Federal contracts, programs, and policies only go to companies that can certify their supply chains are free from this abuse.
American consumers should not be complicit in human rights violations. American businesses should not profit from forced labor, and our government, our tax dollars, must never enable oppression.
Mr. Speaker, I urge strong support, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1724, the No Dollars to Uyghur Forced Labor Act.
Congress has a history of bipartisan cooperation to call out Beijing's genocide and human rights abuses against Uyghurs and members of other minority groups in Xinjiang.
We passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which was signed into law by President Biden in 2021, but our work isn't done because Beijing's repression isn't done.
Just as was done in the 118th Congress, today we should pass H.R. 1724.
This bill prohibits the State Department and USAID from funding grants or contracts with companies or organizations that import products mined, produced, or manufactured in Xinjiang. The intention of this bill is to make sure that the standards we use at home when it comes to forced labor also apply to American activities abroad.
I commend Representative Moran for his sustained focus on forced labor and fully endorse the spirit of his bill.
Given that this bill is being taken directly to the floor without the benefit of feedback from the State Department however, I ask that we work with our Senate colleagues and the administration to ensure that it is ultimately implemented in a way that is both workable and does not inadvertently impede critical State Department operations and programming.
This bill is especially necessary because the Trump administration's actions have gutted U.S. leadership on these issues. Thus far, the administration has cut funding for programs that support human rights in the China context, even though Congress explicitly authorized and appropriated such funding via statute.
We know the administration has cut at least $50 million for projects that focused on addressing Beijing's human rights abuses. This includes programs that were empowering Chinese advocates and diaspora groups to combat transnational repression, monitoring forced labor goods in global supply chains, and promoting religious freedoms.
The administration is also trying to shutter Radio Free Asia as we speak, despite the fact that Radio Free Asia helped break the story about the PRC's program of detention, reeducation, and forced labor in Xinjiang. The administration's opposition to Uyghur resettlement in the United States is hypocritical at best and morally reprehensible at worst.
This bill is a good step for Congress to take, but President Trump is squandering American leadership and taking us backward.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the No Dollars to Uyghur Forced Labor Act.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this critical legislation that would prohibit United States State Department contracts with companies tied to forced labor in the Xinjiang region of China.
Our bill would ensure that U.S. funds are not used to finance projects in partnership with companies or organizations that import products mined or manufactured in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.
Many basic goods that we consider to be part of our everyday lives as Americans are produced in Xinjiang, including textiles, bricks, cotton, and polysilicon.
As home to the majority of China's cotton, coal, and natural gas reserves, and representing one-sixth of China's land mass, the Xinjiang region is central to China's economy.
It is considered to be the core hub for China's Belt and Road Initiative, which is China's primary tool to exert economic influence across the globe.
China's economy relies in large part on Xinjiang, yet behind its industries lie a horrifying reality: mass detention, forced labor, and brutal oppression of the people who live there.
The CCP is oppressing the Uyghur people and other ethnic minorities by detaining them in what they call reeducation centers for forced labor in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China.
Slavery in any form is morally repugnant. America, known on the international stage as a beacon of freedom and liberty, must not be complicit in the Chinese Communist Party's genocide and oppression of the Uyghur people.
The United States must push back on China not only in our words but through our actions. Failing to do so enables the CCP to grow in strength and exert its malign influence over the world. It is past time we enforce accountability against our greatest adversary. The U.S. must act decisively against the companies that profit from these abuses and take a firm stand against totalitarian regimes.
The CCP asserts its control over the Uyghur people through threats, intimidation, confinement, and physical and emotional abuse. Failing to confront China empowers gross human rights abuses and allows for the spread of such atrocities to be determined by the CCP.
Our legislation will ensure that our State Department plays no part in the forced slave labor of the Uyghur people. America must continue to lead with strength and morality on the world stage and refuse to fund these brutal tactics and cruelty.
Passing this critical legislation is the first step. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1724 calls on the State Department and USAID to verify they are not funding any programs or projects that unwittingly use goods or materials made using forced labor in Xinjiang. This is a preventative measure to ensure that America's diplomacy, development, and economic engagement continue to stay true to America's values. I hope my colleagues will join me and support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
Mr. Speaker, this bill, this debate, and previous bills send a clear message to the Chinese Communist Party and to the world, the United States does not turn a blind eye to China's atrocities. I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Moran) for his leadership.
We must pass this bill and say with one voice: Not one more dollar.
I urge my colleagues to pass this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1724, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1316) to amend the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 relating to licensing transparency, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Olszewski) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act. I wish my colleague could have picked a shorter name for it, but that is my friend, Mr. Jackson. He does good legislation, sometimes a little long- winded on the names.
Export controls are a critical tool for protecting American national security. Foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party are working tirelessly to steal and exploit U.S. technology. We have known this.
The CCP is using its military-civil fusion strategy to fuel China's military buildup and commit human rights atrocities, just like we spoke about on Uyghur genocide. No American servicemember should have to face a foreign adversary armed with U.S. technology, and no act of genocide should be enabled by American innovation.
As important as export controls are to protecting American lives and values, they are only as strong as their administration and enforcement. Every U.S. export control ultimately requires the government to decide on whether to approve or deny a license for the item in question.
The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, or the BIS, is the lead agency for administering and enforcing U.S. export controls. As export controls have become more vital to our national security, the importance of congressional oversight has only increased. The licensing data for how BIS is administering export controls can be difficult for Congress to gain access to for oversight purposes.
Last Congress, the Foreign Affairs Committee worked persistently to uncover that BIS was routinely approving export control licenses for even the worst actors, such as Huawei and SMIC. Last Congress, the Foreign Affairs Committee worked to expose this in hearing after hearing without much help from the Biden administration. Huawei and SMIC are two of the CCP's national champions and play a critical role in supporting China's military buildup and human rights abuses.
It is essential that Congress has visibility into how many licenses are being approved for the worst actors on export control blacklists, known as the Entity List. This bill will improve transparency and ensure Congress is able to conduct regular oversight of how BIS is handling licenses and how effectively our export controls are being enforced.
I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Jackson), and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs) for introducing this important legislation. The Foreign Affairs Committee marked up this legislation last Congress, and it passed the committee and the House floor with strong bipartisan support. I expect it will receive the same support today.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1316. Over the past 6 years, export controls have become a crucial tool for our national security and foreign policy to respond to the challenges posed by Russia, China, Iran, and others.
Our use of export controls have become more and more frequent and more complicated, as we have started to apply novel controls in critical technology areas such as semiconductors and AI. While this change in U.S. export control policy has taken place, congressional consultation and oversight has not kept up.
The bill in front of us today by Representative Jackson is an important step toward remedying this problem by calling for the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, BIS, to conduct greater transparency around license application, information, and conduct checks for problematic companies in arms-embargoed nations.
This bill will also enable Congress to conduct better oversight to ensure that BIS licensing and enforcement processes are working properly and efficiently. This bill will ensure that the Foreign Affairs Committee is getting the information it needs on export control policy and implementation, while protecting business proprietary information and allowing BIS to effectively execute its core national security mandate.
However, as we add to the list of things we are asking BIS to do, it is also important that we equip BIS with the resources and staffing to meet those requirements. This administration claims that it will prioritize export controls, yet it has frozen 10 percent of BIS' budget. That is not keeping America safe.
BIS desperately needs to revamp its outdated and inefficient IT system, which has not been updated in over 15 years. The number of license applications BIS receives per year has more than doubled in that span to over 40,000 per year. I worry that without a better IT system, reasonable requests for information like this bill will further tax BIS' limited resources.
Representative Crow and Ranking Member Meeks are working on a bill to fund IT modernization for BIS. I hope that as we pass good bills like this one by Mr. Jackson and Ms. Jacobs, we will also properly equip BIS so that it can effectively carry out its work.
I encourage my colleagues to join in supporting this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, today, we are bringing a very important piece of legislation to the floor, the Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act, a key piece of legislation to ensure our country stays ahead of our adversaries.
Businesses and universities in the United States work constantly to innovate, improve, and invent the best technologies and systems in this world. This is what keeps America on the leading edge. Our Nation's determination and commitment to achieving the best has allowed us to develop the best technologies in all fields. Through strategic investments under the leadership of President Trump, this will continue for many years to come.
In today's era of strategic competition, Congress needs to provide the administration with the tools it needs to ensure American technologies are not falling into the hands of our adversaries. Malign actors like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran would gladly seek to use our very own goods and technologies against us, whether in military engagements or on the economic battlefield.
America's open, competitive economy has allowed us to become the global leader in cutting-edge technologies,
My bill, the Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act helps to ensure increased transparency and accountability in the export control process by creating better reporting in the licensing application process, giving critical information to both Congress and the administration.
My bill creates a mechanism for tracking and reporting of export licenses and can be utilized to form a paper trail to understand where American-made technologies are going, who is using them, and how they may be getting diverted to adversarial nations. If our adversaries are benefiting from American technology, we must know exactly how that happened and who is responsible.
Further, my bill will provide necessary clarity on how licensing determinations are made by producing information for each application, including the applicant, the recipient, and the compliance measures implemented to uphold export regulations. With this necessary information in one place, we will have a better understanding of where American-made technologies are going abroad, who is supposed to have them, and how we can support the administration to close gaps being exploited by our adversaries.
The American free market has led to some of the most incredible technological advances of all time, so it is important that we modernize our export control process to help protect it. Export controls are a key national security tool for the administration in these increasingly dangerous times. Therefore, Congress should swiftly pass this legislation and send it to President Trump's desk.
As my chairman mentioned, this bill passed the House unanimously in the 118th Congress. The only difference between this year's bill and last year's bill is that we have incorporated some helpful technical assistance provided by the new administration to ensure the legislation better executes the letter of the law and congressional intent.
I thank Chairman Mast and Ranking Member Meeks for supporting this legislation and working together to see that this bill made it to the floor today. I also thank the co-leads of this bipartisan and bicameral legislation, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, Senator Jim Banks, and Senator Mark Warner.
Greater transparency and accountability in export controls is a critical national security issue that everyone should have an interest in supporting. I urge all of my colleagues to support this critical piece of legislation that will enhance our national security and economic competitiveness while protecting American innovation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.
Mr. Speaker, transparency is critical for effective congressional oversight, and Mr. Jackson's bill will allow Congress greater insight into the license application decisions and enforcement actions taken by the Bureau of Industry and Security.
Notwithstanding the length of the title, as pointed out by the chairman, I hope my colleagues will join me and support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for working to improve transparency and congressional oversight of U.S. export controls. It is vital. That can't be overstated enough. It is vital.
I urge all Members to vote in favor of H.R. 1316, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1316, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2416) to amend the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019 to provide that the United States, as a member of any international organizations, should oppose any attempts by the People's Republic of China to resolve Taiwan's status by distorting the decisions, language, policies, or procedures of the organization, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Olszewski) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, a vital update to the TAIPEI Act that reflects both the realities of today's global landscape and the urgency of standing up to the Chinese Communist Party, as we have spoken about at length today.
This amendment makes clear that the United States, as a participant in any international organization, must actually oppose attempts by the CCP to distort the policies, procedures, or language of those institutions in order to manipulate Taiwan's status.
Let me be blunt: Beijing has waged a systematic campaign to erase Taiwan from the international stage. From the World Health Organization to the International Civil Aviation Organization, the CCP has bullied, bribed, and pressured global institutions and countries into sidelining Taiwan despite Taiwan's clear qualifications and its contributions to global health, security, and commerce.
Few examples illustrate the Chinese Communist Party's deceptive tactics more clearly than its distortion of U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758. Adopted in 1971, the resolution recognized the People's Republic of China as the legitimate representative of China at the United Nations. It made no mention, explicit or implicit, of Taiwan's status, sovereignty, or representation, yet Beijing has deliberately misinterpreted this resolution, falsely claiming it provides international recognition of the PRC's authority over Taiwan. This misinterpretation has been weaponized to exclude Taiwan from global institutions and forums.
What was intended as a procedural resolution has been cynically exploited to isolate a democratic and peaceful partner. This calculated assault on truth and freedom must not go unchallenged.
The Chinese Communist Party seeks to rewrite international norms and terminology to serve its own political narrative. They deny Taiwan's voice on the world stage, not because Taiwan lacks legitimacy but because its thriving democracy stands as a powerful example to the CCP's authoritarian model.
This amendment ensures that the United States will not stand idly by. It affirms our commitment to actively push back against Beijing's manipulative influence in global institutions. It tells our allies and our adversaries that the United States will not legitimize falsehoods about Taiwan's status or sovereignty.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2416, the Taiwan International Solidarity Act.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, Representative Connolly, for his work in developing this bill. As has been said on this floor earlier, we know that he can't be with us today, and we send our best wishes and our prayers to him and his family as he continues his courageous battle with cancer.
Representative Connolly is among the hardest working Members of Congress and the most dedicated public servants in the United States. He is as tough as they come, and I know he is going to keep fighting. Our thoughts and prayers are truly with him.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this bipartisan measure, which will strengthen U.S.-Taiwan ties, showcase our support for Taiwan, and help counter Beijing's coercive influence around the world.
U.S. policy toward Taiwan remains consistent across administrations and guided by the Taiwan Relations Act. What has changed, though, is Beijing's increasingly aggressive international campaign to exclude Taiwan from the international community through intimidation, coercion, and distortion of established and well-accepted norms.
To be clear, there is no justification in the U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758 for Taiwan's continued exclusion from international bodies. The resolution only established the Government of the PRC as a representative for China at the U.N. It did nothing to define or determine a role for Taiwan.
This bill codifies what has long been the United States' position; that is, to oppose Beijing's actions to misinterpret and distort U.N. Resolution 2758 and enable the United States to empower our partners to resist Beijing's overtures to reduce or sever relations with Taiwan.
Taiwan is a friend, a vibrant democracy, and a force for good in the world. In this Congress, on a bipartisan basis, we will continue to push for its inclusion in global dialogue.
Mr. Speaker, by reinforcing the United States' opposition to Beijing's misinterpretation of U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758, this bill sends a clear signal that the United States will not waiver and that we will stand up for our friends when they are bullied.
Our partners should be able to rely on U.S. support in the face of Beijing's coercion, especially its efforts to maliciously exclude the interests of Taiwan's 24 million people in international organizations.
Taiwan is a vibrant democracy that contributes to the global community, and it deserves to participate in fostering peace and cooperation.
Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, Taiwan is not just a friend. Taiwan is a self-governing democracy, a critical economic partner, and a responsible global stakeholder. It deserves to be seen and heard and not erased or silenced.
When the United States shows leadership, we know that others follow. We must lead now before the Chinese Communist Party permanently rewrites international norms.
I thank Mr. Connolly for his work on this piece of legislation. I miss seeing my friend here. As much as we have differences on many things--and we have had many intense arguments back and forth--I wouldn't want to argue with anybody else. I miss seeing him here.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bipartisan Taiwan International Solidarity Act, to stand up for Taiwan's participation in international organizations against the backdrop of an emboldened and increasingly aggressive People's Republic of China (PRC). I thank Congresswoman Kim for her support for this bill. Our legislation responds to Beijing's persistent aggression by strengthening the TAIPEI Act of 2019, to clarify that United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 does not preclude the United States from using its voice, vote, and influence to resist the PRC's reckless campaign against Taiwan's rightful place on the world stage.
The bipartisan Taiwan International Solidarity Act amends the TAIPEI Act of 2019, which passed by unanimous bipartisan support in a vote of 415-0. The Taiwan International Solidarity Act instructs the United States to use its voice, vote, and influence to resist Beijing's efforts to distort the decisions, language, policies, or procedures of international organizations regarding Taiwan. It encourages the United States to work with allies and partners to oppose the PRC's efforts to undermine Taiwan's diplomatic relationships and partnerships globally. It expands reporting requirements to include information relating to any prior or ongoing attempts by the PRC to undermine Taiwan's participation in international organizations as well as its critical ties and relationships with other countries.
Over the past decade, the PRC has successfully weaponized a distorted interpretation of UNGA Resolution 2758 which recognizes the PRC as China's representative to that body in 1971.
It is no secret that the PRC has leveraged its growing influence in the United Nations and international organizations to prevent Taiwan's meaningful participation in international forums and silence Taiwan's technical and scientific expertise. Delegates from Taiwan attended the World Health Assembly as non-voting observers from 2009 to 2016, but in 2016 the PRC successfully bullied enough member states to rescind that invitation. The denial of Taiwan's participation at the International Civil Aviation
We face unprecedented health and security threats here in the United States and abroad and Taiwan's distinct capabilities, public health expertise, democratic governance, and advanced technology underscore the need for this essential legislation.
The PRC has made its malign intentions crystal clear; they have made ludicrous claims over the entire South China Sea. They have engaged in or threatened kinetic activity on the Indian border, Vietnamese border, and of course the Taiwan Strait. They have also recently increased their large-scale drills in the waters and airspace around Taiwan threatening peace and stability in Taiwan and in the surrounding region.
Any decision by the PRC to intimidate, bully, and exclude Taiwan will not be condoned or tolerated by the United States or the United States Congress. The United States, in spirit of the Taiwan Relations Act, must continue to reject any unilateral aggression against Taiwan, including within international organizations and bodies. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2416.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1800) to repeal the sunset provision of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Olszewski) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1800, the Solidify Iran Sanctions Act of 2025.
The Iran Sanctions Act was enacted back in 1996. For 29 years, this law has acted as the cornerstone of U.S. efforts to address the Iran regime's malign influence. From its support to terrorist proxies to its dangerous nuclear program, the impact of the regime's provocative actions continues to be felt far and wide.
These sanctions are more important now than ever. As this administration pursues a last-ditch effort to address the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program diplomatically, these sanctions continue to provide much-needed leverage to address the full range of Iran's malign activity. They are a vital and necessary tool not only to deny Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon and to cut off its enrichment capabilities but also to counter Iran's malign influence abroad, including its ongoing support to terrorist proxies like the Houthis.
What we see across the region and beyond is that the threat Iran poses to the United States and our partners and allies is becoming more and more entrenched. We need a policy response that is durable and shows that we are committed, day in and day out, to choking off any financial support to Iran's malign activities.
That is why, today, the House is considering the Solidify Iran Sanctions Act, which would eliminate the upcoming 2026 sunset from the Iran Sanctions Act.
We need to send Iran a clear and simple message. They cannot wait out our sanctions. Our sanctions will not expire on some arbitrary date. The only way to make U.S. sanctions go away is to stop the sanctionable conduct and not threaten the United States' national security interests or our allies, period.
The fact that we are considering this bill under suspension of rules is hugely significant. It shows that eliminating this sunset is not a partisan issue. Republicans and Democrats agree that we need durable, long-lasting, and long-term pressure on Iran.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1800, the Solidify Iran Sanctions Act of 2025. For nearly 30 years, Congress and the executive branch have utilized the Iran Sanctions Act, or ISA, to constrict Iran's energy sector, denying the Iranian regime needed funds to grow its nefarious nuclear program and carry out state-sponsored terror activities.
Originally passed into law in 1996, the ISA has been the key statutory element undergirding our sanctions infrastructure against Iran. The ISA provides secondary sanctions authority to hold third- party firms accountable for their investments in Iran, as well.
Since 1996, Congress has built upon this legislation multiple times and has expanded the list of transactions that are considered violations of the ISA.
These sanctions, combined with additional sanctions on Iran's financial system and petroleum transactions, as well as aggressive American diplomacy, are what drove Iran to the negotiation table to finalize the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2015, a deal that effectively prevented Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon before it was torn up by President Trump in 2018.
Today, Iran is closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon than ever before. The Iranian regime, through its backing of terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah, continues to wreak havoc throughout the Middle East.
We must ask ourselves: Under what circumstances can Congress envision abandoning our sanctions infrastructure while this Iranian regime is in power? What indications have we had since 1996 that this regime is interested in changing its nature and becoming a productive and peaceful member of the international community?
While it is exceedingly rare that Congress should waive sunsets, and I would support an extended authorization, the failure of Iran to change for decades speaks for itself.
The ISA is the only major Iran sanctions statute that contains a sunset provision. In general, sunset provisions have value, forcing Congress to reevaluate and reconsider sanctions to adjust to new situations. However, even in the instance a new Iran deal is reached and successfully implemented, I believe we would want this sanctions infrastructure still in place, just as it was under the JCPOA, so that Iran and the international community know what awaits them if progress is not made or promises are not kept.
Repealing the sunset provision of the ISA is also an issue of checks and balances. Losing congressional authority
Passing the Solidify Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 would send an important message about Congress' role in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy toward Iran and, in sum, serves American national security interests.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join in supporting this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support my bill, H.R. 1800, the Solidify Iran Sanctions Act of 2025.
Mr. Speaker, at a time when our country is working to achieve peace and de-escalate military conflict in multiple locations around the world, we must remain vigilant about the ongoing threats posed by some of our long-term adversaries.
Iran has a well-established record of destabilizing the Middle East and threatening its neighbors.
The Government of Iran is manufacturing weapons, including drones, acquiring conventional weapons through malign actors, and supporting those actors around the world by funneling weapons and financial support. They do it through their terrorist proxy network throughout the Middle East.
These actions directly threaten U.S. personnel and our allies in the region. Iran-backed militias have killed and injured U.S. troops stationed on bases in the Middle East, including an attack on a U.S. base in Jordan on January 28, 2024, which killed three American soldiers and injured dozens more.
We also know that Iran is continuing to enrich uranium and manufacture long-range missiles which together pose an unprecedented threat to regional stability.
As the current administration works to achieve the total dismantlement of Iran's nuclear program, it is critical that we give them the tools that they need in order to enforce their policy of maximum pressure. In order to achieve peace and stability in the region, we have to remind Tehran that they will not be able to grow, prosper, or effectively do business until they end their nuclear ambitions and stop supporting terrorism. Today's legislation achieves that by empowering our administration during negotiations and putting Iran on notice.
This bill removes the sunset clause from the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, making it permanent law. The original act mandates sanctions on individuals and entities involved in Iran's energy sector in its efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction. By eliminating the expiration date, we ensure that these sanctions remain a steadfast component of our national security strategy.
The Iran Sanctions Act has been a cornerstone in our efforts to deter Iran's malign activities, and this legislation will show our clear resolve on that issue. We must send this message: The United States will not tolerate Iran's support of terrorism, its pursuit of nuclear weapons, or its support for attacks on international vessels and American servicemembers.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this vital legislation. By voting for the Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 and solidifying it, we affirm our resolve to confront Iran's threats and protect America's interests and allies.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill sends a clear signal that the United States will continue to use every tool at its disposal necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, deter it from carrying out state- sponsored terrorist activities, and defend American interests and that of our allies and partners in the Middle East.
Preserving Congress' ability to ensure sanctions against Iran is critical to maintaining congressional sanction authorities and protecting U.S. national security.
Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me and support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
On October 7, the world witnessed the horror of Iran-backed terrorism as Hamas brutally murdered over 1,200 innocent people in Israel.
Iran has been sponsoring Hamas for years. They were sponsoring terrorists on the battlefield that I and many of our colleagues participated in, just as it has been sponsoring Hezbollah and the Houthis to attack Israel just over this past weekend, amassing ballistic missiles, building armed drones, and expanding its nuclear weapon program at an alarming rate.
The Iran threat is wide-ranging and multifaceted, and the Iran Sanctions Act is the foundation of our tools to combat this threat. We know this threat isn't going away anytime soon, so let's stop fooling ourselves that a sunset makes any sense on these provisions.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in bringing our statutes in line with the strategic reality on the ground.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1800.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 530) to provide for a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on the prevalence and mortality of cancer among individuals who served as active duty aircrew in the Armed Forces, and for other purposes, as amended, on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 376, nays 5, not voting 52, as follows:
Mrs. HARSHBARGER changed her vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
So (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgia's Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence Act
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 36) to counter the influence of the Chinese Communist Party, the Iranian Regime, and the Russian Federation in the nation of Georgia, on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill.
This will be a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 349, nays 42, not voting 42, as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. There are 2 minutes remaining.
So (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Madam Speaker, my apologies for not voting in person today. My flight was delayed. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 115, H.R. 530, and YEA on Roll Call No. 116, H.R. 36.
Mr. Speaker, a tragic incident occurred last night in my district outside the El Camaron Gigante restaurant in Glendale. A senseless act of violence took the lives of three people, injured five others, and shattered our community.
I am heartbroken to say that my district has once again been touched by gun violence as far, far too many have.
No one should be unsafe in this country eating in a restaurant or celebrating a holiday like Cinco de Mayo with friends and family.
Mr. Speaker, in memory of the innocent victims of this tragedy, their families, and the entire community, I would ask for everyone present in the Chamber to please rise for a moment of silence.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize National Astronaut Day.
It was 64 years ago today when a brave American, Commander Alan B. Shepard, sat in the cockpit of the Mercury rocket ready to face the unknown. With three simple words, ``light this candle,'' he launched into the vast expanse of space, becoming the first American to break the bounds of Earth.
His spacecraft, Freedom 7, was a tribute to the seven Project Mercury astronauts and to one of our Nation's founding principles: freedom.
That mission marked not just a milestone in science, but a defining moment of national pride in American leadership.
Just 8 years later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted the Stars and Stripes on the Moon.
When we think of the astronauts, we often picture rocket launches, moonwalks, and zero gravity. Yet, what we don't always see is the years of rigorous training, the risks they accept, and the teamwork behind every mission.
Mr. Speaker, on National Astronaut Day, we honor the pioneers who have blazed a trail into the final frontier. They remind us that boundaries are meant to the pushed and discovery is a never-ending journey.
Mr. Speaker, today is the 122nd day of the 119th Congress. It has been 122 days since I began the fight in Congress for lower costs, more jobs, and a better quality of life for Oregonians.
Unfortunately, I have yet to have the opportunity to vote on a single meaningful bill that would help achieve those goals. Grocery prices are still increasing, housing isn't getting more affordable, and it is getting harder for families to make ends meet.
Yet, we are voting this week on the Gulf of America Act, a bill that does nothing to lower costs. It has been the same story week after week. That is why I led my freshman colleagues in telling Speaker Johnson that we are fed up and that it is time to work on costs.
I will keep sounding the alarm until we start helping the American people.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an extraordinary young man, Warren Brinson, whose journey from Savannah, Georgia, to the NFL has inspired us all.
Warren is not only a proud Savannah native but also a true champion. He was proudly a key part of the University of Georgia's back-to-back national championship teams.
This year, Warren made us proud again by being drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round. On the field, his strength, discipline, and determination make him a powerful force, but off the field is where Warren's character truly shines.
Through the Warren Brinson Foundation, he has made a lasting difference. His back-to-school giveaways help local students feel prepared and confident when school starts in the fall. He uplifts families each year through Thanksgiving turkey giveaways and Christmas toy drives. His youth football camp provides kids with mentorship, encouragement, and a vision for a brighter future.
Mr. Speaker, Warren Brinson is more than an athlete. He is a servant leader, a mentor, and a hero to our district. He reminds us that genuine success involves giving back to others.
Mr. Speaker, I rise on the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls to express my outrage over more broken promises.
In my home State of Arizona, we are mourning the death of 14-year-old Emily Pike, a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. Emily disappeared from Mesa earlier this year and was
Months later, her case remains unsolved. Emily Pike, like Hanna Harris 30 years ago and hundreds and hundreds of native women and girls, should be alive today.
It is far too common that their cases go cold and that loved ones are left without answers and without justice.
To this day, the MMIP crisis remains the most underreported, under- discussed, and under-resourced tragedy in America, and Congress and Presidents have promised for decades to do much more to address it.
Despite some progress towards justice for victims and their families, Trump's budget announced Friday strips millions of dollars from public safety and criminal justice programs across Indian Country. We have the unique trust responsibility to our Tribal Nations and rarely, if ever, has our Federal Government delivered.
Mr. Speaker, I have been a Member of this body for just over 120 days. It was clear in November that the American people voted for their family economics. They wanted to see lower costs.
Mr. Speaker, I am perplexed that this House has yet to vote on any legislation that lowers costs for the average family. In fact, we will be voting this week on a bill that renames the Gulf of Mexico.
No one is clamoring for a newly named body of water. They want lower grocery bills. House Republicans' proposals to cut Medicaid and SNAP to pay for tax breaks for billionaires will make life more, not less, expensive for people in Westchester and the Bronx.
The President's thoughtless red light-green light tariffs are making it harder and more expensive to import goods. Those increased costs are paid for by Americans, not foreign countries.
Mr. Speaker, instead of mind-bending tariffs, giveaways to billionaires, and renaming bodies of water, we should be voting on bills that lower costs for the average family. I know many of my colleagues agree. Let's get to real work on behalf of our constituents.
Mr. Speaker, I stood yesterday with food pantry leaders from across northwest Ohio at the SeaGate Food Bank. We shared deep concerns about rising unemployment, rising food prices, and Federal cuts to food programs by the Trump administration.
This is creating greater hardship across the region I represent. The burden of tariffs and irresponsible Federal food cuts are negatively affecting food banks. They are lifeline to our families.
This coming Saturday, May 10, the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch No. 100 in northwest Ohio and postal workers nationwide will be holding their annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.
They will head out on their routes this Saturday morning. I am urging all Americans to please find an empty paper bag and put protein, peanut butter, canned tuna, canned chicken, canned beef, green beans, and canned fruit in them.
Since launching their program in 1993, this has become the largest food drive in America. Believe me, senior citizens need this. Our families with children need it. Our unemployed workers and our disabled people really need this. I encourage all who want to help to put the food out this Saturday morning after 10 o'clock.
Mr. Speaker, may God bless America and Americans who care.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to recognize five young students who were taken too soon from the city of Santa Ana. Recently, five students from Santa Ana Unified School District were victims of a brutal car crash: Aurelia Robles, Cynthia Torres Zarate, Natalia Vidal Zarate, Jaqueline Torres Zarate, and Emanuel
Gonzalez Martinez. They were full of life, love, and adventure, and
this tragic loss has broken all of our hearts.The families of these students are in our prayers. May the souls of Arely, Cynthia, Jaqueline, Natalia, and Manny rest in peace. Our community will
On page H1842, May 5, 2025, in the second column, the following appeared: our prayers. May the souls of Arely, Arlene, Jaqueline, Natalia, and Manny rest in peace. Our community will
The online version has been corrected to read: our prayers. May the souls of Arely, Cynthia, Jaqueline, Natalia, and Manny rest in peace. Our community will
Mr. Speaker, as we recognize National Teacher Appreciation Week, I rise today to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to every teacher in northwest Indiana and across our Nation who shows up every day with enthusiasm and positivity to prepare our next generation of leaders.
As a Member of the House Committee on Appropriations, I will do my very best to stand with teachers and support their selfless efforts by providing appropriate direction, oversight, and funds through the Federal programs.
While we are here in the beginning days of May, we should have a full budget proposal from the administration and be holding hearings in our respective subcommittees from agency leaders and defend the details of their budget requests.
Instead, we find ourselves today with a four-page skinny budget and an executive order that proposes to dismantle the Department of Education.
This is more than a budget cut. This is a direct hit on our classrooms, our children, and our future. Eliminating title I funding would mean over 600 teachers gone in northwest Indiana and critical support needs and programs hanging by a thread.
During Teacher Appreciation Week, let's be clear. Appreciation isn't just a thank-you. It is action.
Mr. Speaker, I will fight with everything I have to ensure that our educators get the respect, resources, and support that they deserve to keep doing the life-changing work that they do every single day.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of International Firefighters Day to honor the brave firefighters in Virginia and around the world.
Virginia is home to thousands of dedicated firefighters who put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities safe.
Whether it is battling wildfires, responding to plane crashes, or kitchen fires, firefighters are always there to answer the call.
International Firefighters Day is also a solemn reminder of those we have lost in the line of duty. Just last year, our community lost one of our own, Firefighter Trevor Brown, a husband and father of three from Sterling. He passed away responding to an emergency gas leak call. His sacrifice, like that of many others, is a testament to the courage that firefighters display daily, running into danger to keep us safe.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the fighters in Virginia and around the world for their service. Because of them we are safer and stronger and our communities are more prosperous.
The BBQ Fest on the Neuse, held in Kinston, North Carolina, has set a new world record. The Guinness World Record for the number of barbecue sandwiches sold in an 8-hour period is now 4,775.
I was proud to attend this year's festival. The festival is more than just delicious food. It is a showcase of community, local businesses, music, and the proud spirit of eastern North Carolina. It highlights everything that makes Kinston and Lenoir County such a special place.
We take great pride in being home of such rich tradition.
Mr. Speaker, there is no better barbecue on Earth than eastern North Carolina.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today for the fourth time to call for funding for lifesaving food aid to be restored by the Trump administration.
Sudan is suffering its worst famine in four decades. Without immediate help, hundreds of thousands could die. Mothers are walking for days in search of food, and children collapsing into their arms from hunger.
For years, the United States has stepped up in the face of these tragedies. Edesia, an organization in my district in Rhode Island, produces ready-made, ready-to-use food therapeutics called Plumpy'Nut that has saved millions of lives in Sudan and more than 60 other countries.
The Trump administration has stopped submitting new orders, and now boxes of this lifesaving food intended for Sudan sits in warehouses in Rhode Island awaiting a transportation contract to be approved while children starve.
Trump administration officials continue to say that they intend to resume shipping this emergency food aid, but they have yet to do so.
Mr. Speaker, a few days ago Donald Trump unveiled his so-called skinny budget for fiscal year 2026. This budget is only skinny on the cuts that it would cut for the American people, $163 billion for vital programs that serve our communities, Tribal programs, housing, healthcare, opioid reduction, and addiction recovery programs.
This is on top of the catastrophic attacks of DOGE on veterans, teachers, Social Security, and vital programs, and on top of the attack the GOP and Trump's reconciliation tax plan would have on Medicaid and food assistance.
Why? To give permanent tax breaks to billionaires.
What is the GOP's response this week? They are going to try and pass a bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on the week that we recognize Cinco De Mayo.
This is the GOP's plan. This is the GOP's response, and this is Donald Trump's America.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there
On page H1843, May 5, 2025, in the second column, the following appeared: The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there
The online version has been corrected to read: The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. SHREVE). Is there
objection to the request of the gentlewoman from California?There was no objection.
Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to coanchor this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour, along with the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Brown), my distinguished colleague.
For the next 60 minutes, members of the CBC have an opportunity to speak directly to the American people on the harmful policies of Donald Trump's first 100 days in his second term, an issue of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus, to the Congress in general, to constituents that we represent across this country, and really to any living, breathing person on this planet.
The first 100 days of this administration have been about policies that are delusional, diabolical, destructive, and dangerous. These have been doozy policies and politics that are doing nothing but hurting America, and especially Black Americans.
We are also going to be talking about so many of these policies that seem uniquely targeted to focus on the place and the progress of Black Americans. Make no mistake, if you are trying to hurt Black Americans, you are inadvertently also going to hurt all other Americans because so many folks are dependent on Section 8 vouchers, on Social Security, on Medicaid, on Medicare, on an economy that is working, on not being tariffed up the wazoo so that we can be able to purchase goods and services that we need to keep this economy growing.
The American people need a moment of peace and structure coming from this administration, not the chaos and the ringing of alarms every single moment.
This is not hyperbole, even though it might sound like it. This is not partisan spin. We have seen this when we have gone into our districts, when we have hosted townhalls, when we have talked to the American people. Everyone is saying the same thing. How can we protect our Constitution, protect our economy, protect our way of life, our freedoms, our liberties; not deport us? What is this administration doing to help us rather than to hurt and harm and divide us?
The power of this country is in the people. For the next 60 minutes, the Congressional Black Caucus is going to be speaking to the people in crystal clear ways, using crystal clear words about how we are on the brink, if not through the door, of a constitutional crisis, of an economic, of a political, of a moral crisis, and a crisis of the very identity of this country.
It is often said that when America has a cold, Black America has pneumonia. Let me tell you something. We are all up in urgent care and in the community clinics and in the hospitals because we are all sick right now.
We cannot afford another 100 days of the 100 days that we have just seen.
I have so much more that I want and that I will say, but I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Brown) to share some words before we allow members of the Congressional Black Caucus to also speak to the American people.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California, (Ms. Kamlager-Dove), my dear friend and colleague for leading our CBC Special Order hour this evening.
Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate Ms. Kamlager-Dove's voice in Congress, from the way she fights for her constituents in Los Angeles, to her work on the Judiciary Committee. She is such a strong advocate.
On the Oversight Committee, we are doing similar work, trying to provide the American people with some amount of transparency and accountability because we have a President who doesn't think that the rules apply to him.
Here we are tonight to talk about Trump's first 100 days.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage people watching--shout out to my mom and dad. I know we have at least two viewers tonight. For the others, I encourage them to check out Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove's social media series titled ``Is This Stuff Legal?''
She is doing a great job breaking down how this has been a lawless White House from day one, and the truth is time and time again what this administration has been doing has not been legal.
In fact, in Trump's first 100 days, more than 220 lawsuits were filed directly challenging his agenda. Federal judges have issued over 130 court orders blocking or pausing those actions. If we do the math, Trump is being sued more than twice a day, and he is losing in court more than once a day.
They have tried to fire Federal workers without cause, detain and deport people without due process, freeze and deny congressionally appropriated funds, and seize sensitive taxpayer information through the Treasury and Social Security.
This is why Trump's White House is now ignoring Federal courts and openly ignoring the Constitution. He doesn't have a mandate. He doesn't have the votes in Congress, and he doesn't have a legal agenda, so he wants to ignore the law.
We should not be surprised by this. Trump said he was going to be a dictator on day one. He told us this is what he was going to do. I personally don't know of any dictators who stop being a dictator on their own.
We have got to fight back, and we have got to fight back in Congress, in the courts, and in the community.
My constituents in Cleveland and people across the country are counting on us to stand up, fight back, and use every tool we have to oppose this agenda because this has been 100 days of chaos, cruelty, and cuts.
The Trump administration has broken the economy, broken the law, and broken our alliances.
In just 100 days, this White House has shrunk the economy, raised prices, and put us on track for a recession.
Now, President Biden handed him the strongest economy in the world, and Trump is running it into the ground, which really isn't surprising because this is a man who could not make money running a casino; not to mention the fact that he filed bankruptcy six times.
The disastrous policies of this White House are hurting the entire country, absent a few of his billionaire buddies, of course, but it is the people that many of us represent that are the most at risk.
This is a White House that constantly diminishes and dismisses Black achievement; a White House that blames anything and everything on diversity, equity, and inclusion; a White House that is trying to defund our public safety programs and our police; a White House that is trying to defund our schools, and a White House that has rolled back Federal antidiscrimination policies that have been on the books since 1965--that is right--since 1965.
In his first week, President Trump revoked the ``Equal Employment Opportunity'' executive order that prohibited racial discrimination for Federal contractors.
Let's be clear: They aren't hiding this agenda to make discrimination legal again.
That is why I filed legislation to restore those policies, and I am proud to have had over 60 cosponsors in the House, including many of my colleagues here this evening.
Mr. Speaker, it has been a disastrous 100 days, but I feel the worst is yet to come.
This week, the Republican-led committees are working on Trump's Republican rip-off, a plan to take from our constituents so that they can give to the ultrawealthy and the very well-connected. We are talking about healthcare and taking away Medicaid coverage. We are talking about nutrition and taking away SNAP benefits from families and so much more, because the budget they voted for called for $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid and $230 billion in cuts to SNAP.
Here is the reality: 21 percent of my district is living below the poverty line and 30 percent of children are in poverty. I represent 280,000 people on Medicaid, 160,000 people on SNAP. These aren't just numbers; these are real people. Sadly, this White House isn't listening to them, so it is up to us to amplify their voices tonight, today, and every day.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove, for leading this Special Order hour.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Brown from Ohio for her remarks.
As you can see, Congresswoman Brown was breaking it down, she was keeping it real, and she was bringing the receipts. That is what the Congressional Black Caucus does each and every day. We break it down for the American people, we keep it real for the American people, and we bring the receipts for the American people. The problem is there are so many receipts to share right now in just 100 days, we don't have enough tote bags for all the receipts.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Georgia, Congresswoman Lucy McBath, to share remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I thank so much my esteemed colleagues, Representative Kamlager-Dove and Representative Brown, for their leadership in tonight's CBC Special Order hour. It is the most opportune time for us to be able to talk directly to the American people about the truth of this White House and its administration.
Mr. Speaker, last week marked the first 100 days of the second Trump administration, and on behalf of my constituents in Georgia and an ever-growing number of American people, I am here tonight to continue speaking out against the chaos, the division, and the indefensible hatred that is being sown by this President and this administration.
Just over 100 days in and the American people are exceedingly worried and exhausted. They are exhausted by the uncertainty that has defined this Presidency. They are fatigued by the endless cascade of bad news from every corner of our Federal Government. They are bone weary by the fear of the impact these reckless actions continue to have on our working families.
For Black Americans, in particular, the Trump administration has made direct attacks on our communities and emboldened extreme hatred and bigotry. The symbolism of using the Presidency to eliminate foundational programs cannot be understated. He has used the most powerful office to dismantle foundational policies and scapegoat the American citizens.
These attacks have material consequences: The uncertainty surrounding the future of longstanding Federal programs harms the most vulnerable populations that we serve.
Just last week, I toured a Head Start site in my home State of Georgia and heard directly from parents and educators about the vital role these childcare programs play in supporting the economic success of families with young children. Head Start affords working families the peace of mind that their children will be cared for and educated during the workday.
Recent White House budget documents show that the administration has backed down, for now, in some of their attacks on Head Start and the resources that are helping our families, but we can't stop our advocacy until these programs are absolutely protected.
The continued actions of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, to dismantle the Federal workforce also have a devastatingly outsized impact on Black Americans. Federal Government work has long been a path to upward mobility for those seeking a career in public service and the elimination of tens of thousands of positions across our Federal workforce will continue to hurt families in our communities.
I grew up in the heart of the civil rights movement. As a child, I saw my father and my mother take a stand against those who legislated against our freedoms and our rights as Americans. Mr. Speaker, 60 years later, those same forces are animating the actions of this administration. We cannot afford to go back in time. Though I know so many across the country are dealing with the feelings of exhaustion and hopelessness, we cannot grow complacent. We cannot succumb to the forces of fear, hatred, and bigotry.
The work the Congressional Black Caucus and House Democrats are taking up just reinforces our resistance to the division that we are living and seeing at this very moment. Together, we are using every legislative tool at our disposal to fight back against these reckless actions.
Mr. Speaker, I, once again, want America to know that the Democrats and the Congressional Black Caucus and all of the other tri-caucuses are fighting every single day for you. We are using our voices to speak up and sound the alarm on the harm this administration is causing communities all across this country and we are doing so with unflappable energy and determination.
As Democrats, we know that our light shines in the darkness and the darkness shall not overcome it. Just as I sang as a little girl during the civil
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Honorable Lucy McBath from the great State of Georgia for her remarks, and I am grateful that she talked about DOGE because the reality is that DOGE has not found any substantive evidentiary fraud in all of their work these past 100 days.
If they had, they would be blasting it across every social media platform and every network. They probably would be making stamps and stamping your head with all of the fraud that they have found, but that is not the case.
What they have been doing, however, is harassing and intimidating and disrespecting our workers, creating a hostile environment for our Federal workers, intimidating them to resign or to leave, mostly because of ideology, not because of the work they are doing.
We have to continue to tell the truth, which is that government is people. Government works because of people. When you have a healthcare claim, when you are trying to get your insurance, when you are trying to apply for FEMA, when you are trying to get your Social Security payment, when you are trying to get access to your Medicaid or your Medicare benefits, when you are trying to find a nursing home facility, when you are trying to get a passport, when you are trying to call in to the government to get the help that you deserve from the government that we have all pledged to provide for you, there ain't going to be nobody to answer the phone when you call because DOGE and this administration are actually working overtime to make sure that you don't have access to government.
The policies of this administration are working overtime to try to make sure that there will be no government and they are painting it all under the auspices of Black folks because somehow they think that Black America is responsible for so many of the ills that they are trying to cure.
Once again, as Representative Brown shared, the diversity, the equity, and the inclusion, and when last I checked, this country was founded on all of those things. It has been made great because of all of those things.
When we talk about DOGE, I know one thing for sure is that these folks working for DOGE are actually squatting in the departments where they have worked to terminate Federal workers, and they are bringing in washers and dryers and mattresses and all their kids, living rent-free in departments that are actually designed and structured to answer the call and to take care of the needs that you have as a citizen, as a constituent, as an American. We have to talk about that. That is the fraud.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas, the Honorable Jasmine Crockett, and you know that she is going to bring receipts. I know she has a trunk full of them.
Mr. Speaker, I thank so much my amazing colleague from the great State of California for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a simple but clear message. First of all, I just have to clear up a few things. Instead of the President cosplaying as the next Pope, he may want to try to cosplay as an actual President of these United States. That means that he may have to do a little bit of research and decide that he wants to understand that he swore an oath, and this oath was to protect and defend the Constitution. That is the oath that he was supposedly taking on January 20.
We may want as well that the President look into what the Declaration of Independence was about. We may want him to understand that there was a foundational document as relates to self-determination of those who had recently gained their independence from Great Britain.
I hoped that he would maybe spend a few of these days in his first 100 days doing that. It is sad to say it is his second term, and he doesn't understand that the Declaration of Independence is about this idea that we are entitled to the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that is for all of us that are here.
Let's go through some of the things that he did manage to do and some of the havoc that he has managed to wreak.
In the first 100 days of the Trump administration, we have had to, unfortunately, endure a lot of pain. This administration clearly is not ready to lead. They are only here to tear down.
In just 100 days, we have witnessed an administration hell-bent on dismantling the very systems designed to protect the most vulnerable amongst us. For Black Americans, those of us who have always carried the weight of a broken system and bad policies, the danger is real, it is tangible, and it is urgent.
Let me be clear: The last 100 days have not been an accident or a fluke. He has done exactly what he said he was going to do. He gave us the blueprint in Project 2025. Some tried to warn us of the dangers and, well, here we are.
Let's talk about education. Within weeks of taking office, the Department of Education quietly rescinded guidance encouraging schools to teach honest, inclusive Black history. Instead, they are attempting to whitewash history and have begun promoting so-called patriotic education, a sanitized version of history that skips over slavery, Jim Crow, redlining, and systemic racism.
He signed an executive order reinstating ``commonsense discipline practices in school,'' rolling back previous administrations' attempts to address racial disparities in school discipline practices. Make no mistake: These decisions have a direct impact on Black children, children who deserve a fair shot to learn in safe and supportive environments.
Let's talk about housing. HUD announced plans to gut fair housing rules meant to fight discrimination. Those are the same ones that he violated back when he was a landlord so many years ago. Yeah, those same rules that were supposed to fight discrimination in lending and zoning. This means there will be even more roadblocks for Black families trying to buy a home and yet another generation locked out of building wealth.
Let's talk about public safety. While they are cutting afterschool programs and community violence prevention, they are pouring millions of dollars into militarizing police departments. They are criminalizing our communities while stripping away the very resources that keep us safe.
Finally, money talks, so let's talk money. This administration slashed funding of seven government agencies that provide Black communities with educational materials and economic opportunities, including the Minority Business Development Agency, the only Federal agency dedicated to uplifting minority businesses. This agency helped entrepreneurs all across the country, including in my own district, keep their doors open and their workers employed. Now, it is under attack.
While all of this is happening, they are dismantling environmental protections in environmental justice, slashing funding for HBCUs, and rolling back civil rights enforcement across Federal agencies. Let me repeat what that means. To roll back civil rights enforcement across Federal agencies, this is the so-called DEI attacks that we continue to endure in this country. This is their way of trying to roll back the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that so many died and bled for.
Mr. Speaker, this is not just about policy disagreement. This is about direct attacks on Black futures, Black prosperity, and Black freedom. This is about right versus wrong, point blank. But here is what they don't understand. We have seen this playbook, and every time they have attempted to silence us, erase us, and hold us down, we have resisted and we have pushed this country closer to the ideals it claims to hold.
They are trying to bury us, but what they don't realize is that we are seeds and still we rise. I stand here a proud Black woman and a proud member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and I refuse to stand by while this administration tries to turn back the hands of time. We will resist. We will continue speaking truth to power, and we will keep organizing until everybody is free because, in the words of Fannie Lou Hamer, nobody is free until everybody is free.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California, my colleague from Ohio, and the previous speakers. It is an honor to be here, not just as a Member of Congress, but to be here as a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, especially at a time like this.
I rise today not just with concern, but with alarm. In his first 100 days back in the White House, Donald Trump has unleashed a full-blown assault on America, on our institutions, on our workers, on the rule of law, and on democracy itself. This is not leadership. This is a broken promise.
I will talk a little bit as we go forward about the promises that now President Trump made during the campaign, especially with respect to the economy. He said he was going to put money back in people's pockets, but as we have seen dramatically in the first 100 days, it has been quite the opposite.
I had one friend tell me that his 401(k) had turned into a 101(K) after Trump put his destructive tariffs in place. It has been damaging not just for people who own stocks, not just for people who are small business owners, but for every American across the country. Unfortunately, it looks like it is going to get worse in short order.
I will start first with government workers. The President promised to tackle government waste, but it has been anything but that, as we have seen his administration systematically targeted the Federal workforce, gutting critical agencies, sidelining career professionals, and pushing out civil servants not for failing to do their jobs, but for doing them too well.
I will talk about the waste piece for just a moment here, too. I know they said he is out here trying to cut waste, fraud, and abuse, but we know that is not right because one of the first things he did was fire the investigators who were in charge of ferreting out waste, fraud, and abuse. They are called inspectors general. He fired 18 of them all at once almost on his first day in office, so you know he is not trying to cut back on waste, fraud, and abuse.
What he is trying to do actually is eliminate nonpolitical Federal workers, people who have gotten their positions based on merit, people who are distinguished in their careers, have outstanding experience, great credentials, but he is trying to force them out so he can replace them with people who are politically loyal to him.
I just want to chat a little bit about the firing of these people because I know a lot of folks across the country are not in love with government workers. They think maybe it is a good thing to get rid of government workers, but I am asking people to keep in mind the dire consequences of these terminations.
For example, he terminated people who were running clinical trials at NIH, clinical trials on things like Alzheimer's, cancer, and measles. Take the measles one, for example. I ran into a woman at a church I was attending a few weeks ago. She had a Ph.D., and she was working on a clinical trial in measles. The idea was to figure out how to address the measles outbreak that has just been happening.
On that front, think about this: Basically, measles had been eradicated in the United States. At this point, though, last I heard a few days ago, we have 2,000 people in the United States who are now suffering from measles, and we have actually had two people die--one of them a child--from measles, something that has been eradicated, and we have been addressing for decades now, but it is catching its steam again and starting to kill more people.
The Alzheimer's piece is especially of concern to me. My father died from Alzheimer's, and watching that happen is like ripping your heart out. They had clinical trials going on Alzheimer's which were shut down based on the terminations of the Trump administration.
The thing about clinical trials that you need to remember is it is not like a light switch. You don't just switch it right back on again. When you shut down a clinical trial, some of which have been running for years and have cost thousands, potentially even millions of dollars, you can't just start it right back up again. You have to start over with those. The decision he made to shut down these clinical trials will push back the ability to have cures for some of the most debilitating and dangerous diseases facing humanity today.
Cuts to hospitals is another one. Now, closures of rural and urban hospitals in many instances are going to be a result of the Medicaid cuts that they are talking about making right now, and that is not just President Trump, that is some of my House Republican colleagues here, too.
Make no mistake: That is going to lead to hospitals closing in the places where they are needed most. I just read an op-ed over the weekend about a doctor who was working in a rural area, and his hospital was dead center between hospitals that are 200 miles apart, so if his hospital has to shut down, you would have to drive 100 miles each way to get to another hospital. He talked about the emergency surgery that they had performed once when there was an accident near where his hospital was located. If they hadn't had the hospital there and been able to provide the emergency treatment that they provided, those people would have died. He is talking about closing these hospitals down.
Make sure you understand, too, for many areas, this is the only access to medical care that those communities have. Not only that, those hospitals are economic engines for those communities because for many of them, those are the jobs in those communities that the people turn to and need the most.
Schools. Terminating title I funding or cutting it back to the extent they have talked about I have been told could lead to the shutdown of a number of schools, not just in urban areas, but in rural areas, as well because the title I funding goes to teachers who are teaching at low- income schools, based on the formulas that they use to make those determinations.
You are going to have teachers being lost, teachers who were terminated in the schools and districts where they are the most needed. In many of these areas, those are the schools that are still trying to catch up from the losses that were caused during the COVID outbreak. We shouldn't be shutting these down. We should be expanding the resources that they have, but those title I schools are at risk.
Firing veterans. When they fire these government workers, one thing they don't seem to remember is that 30 percent of all government workers across the country are veterans. Keep in mind, too, these aren't just people in the D.C. metropolitan area. Eighty percent of government workers live outside of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. There are jurisdictions and States and communities across the country, providing services that those communities need. They won't miss the water until the well runs dry.
Mr. Speaker, I will stop with this one, just on the government cuts piece. There have been cuts for victims of crime. There are VOCA cuts and VAWA cuts. VOCA stands for Victims of Crime Act, VAWA stands for Violence Against Women Act. These are the type of funds, grants that have been making a difference in law enforcement across the country and in fights against things like domestic violence and sexual abuse, and he is making the cuts there, too.
It is not just there. I will chat a little bit about the rule of law issue here, too. The President promised to uphold the law, as he must do. All of us take an oath when we are sworn in--the President, all of us in Congress, I even took one when I was elevated to become a Federal prosecutor. He is not following that oath, though.
As a matter of fact, we have seen this administration illegally deny due process rights despite a Supreme Court order to return my constituent, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, back to the United States.
Just a moment on that. Kilmar was deported from the United States even though a judge had given an order saying that he could not be sent to El Salvador until another determination was
The Supreme Court said: You need to facilitate his return. The Trump administration has made no efforts whatsoever to do that. As a matter of fact, President Trump was sitting in the Oval Office with President Bukele, the President of El Salvador, and they were joking about it.
Last week, when President Trump did an interview, he said, yeah, he could just pick up the phone and have him brought back, but he is not going to do it, despite the Supreme Court order. There have been other orders, too, that they are ignoring and not following.
This isn't just a problem for Mr. Garcia. Think about that 4-year-old child who was deported last week, the one with stage IV cancer who was sent out of the United States with no medicine, no chance to talk to his doctor. Is that what America has become? Apparently that is what Donald Trump thinks the people want.
I have to tell you, that is absolutely the wrong path for this Nation to be taking. I know we want to deal with the immigration issue, but we can't do it at the expense of children, and we can't do it at the expense of violating basic due process rights.
Guess what, Mr. Speaker? The judges who have told him that are not just the Supreme Court but sometimes conservative Republican judges like Judge Wilkinson in the Fourth Circuit based in Richmond. He is one of the most conservative judges in the country and a Reagan appointee. He chastised the Trump administration for violating basic due process. Basically, he said it could not be more obvious than this, that a person should have a chance to have his day in court before something as drastic as deportation happens to him.
Not only did Trump ignore that but he talked about deporting American citizens when he was sitting there with the President of El Salvador. I raised concerns about that. I had Republican friends who got on me about it. Guess what? The House Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Homeland Security had votes. The Democrats proposed amendments that said let's make it illegal, let's make a ban on deporting American citizens. Every Republican on both committees voted against that ban. That is where we are right now.
Let me talk a little bit about tariffs. The President promised to make our lives more affordable. He said America was too expensive. Yet, his tariffs have sent the Nation into a tailspin. Mr. Speaker, I guess you could say there are times when tariffs might make sense, but he did it the exact worst way possible that it could be done. He did tariffs on all countries and on all products at the exact same time.
There is no way that can work, and there is no reason to do it because sometimes tariffs are placed on things that we don't even make in the United States. We don't grow bananas. We don't grow coffee. We don't grow chocolate. Why is he imposing tariffs on those items?
Then, the tariffs he imposed on some of our best allies, like Canada, disrupted the automobile market. They are still struggling to try to get their way. He backed off of the giant tariffs that he put in, but he left 10 percent tariffs in place.
We are still in the middle of one of the worst trade wars we have ever seen in human history based on--what is it?--140 percent now with China. At some point, it is going to be zillions, I suppose, with those sorts of tariffs.
The bottom line is it is going to take the country into a recession, and we know it.
I hope that we get a sense of how to pull this back together. I saw the President making comments, and he doubled down on them the other day. This is the one about maybe kids will have to get just two dolls instead of 30 dolls or something. Maybe it will cost a little bit more. I guess that was his best ``bah, humbug'' imitation to sort of make light of the fact that these tariffs that he has put in place are going to make things more expensive for the American people.
That is in contrast and the exact opposite of what he promised to do when he ran for office and was elected. That is not right.
President Trump, Elon Musk, and their billionaire buddies have pushed a budget that is nothing short of a war on working families. While Trump and House Republicans push for new handouts for the wealthy, we have massive cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and SNAP. The same man who claims to champion the forgotten American is cutting healthcare for the disabled, for children, and for seniors.
This is an administration that rules not with hope but with fear, and it is using the machinery of government not to serve the people but to punish the President's perceived enemies, including those who brought January 6 rioters to justice. I will take just a moment on that.
He actually forced out the Department of Justice prosecutors who did nothing but handle cases that they were supposed to handle. I guess he is going to say that they were mishandled in some way. Guess what? The prosecution of the January 6 rioters resulted in more than 1,000 convictions. My recollection is there might have been two or three acquittals during that period, but everything else was a conviction.
Let's say even more people have been acquitted. That doesn't mean these prosecutors did anything wrong. It certainly doesn't mean that they should be forced out of their positions.
It is the same thing with the FBI agents. They sent over a list of 5,000 FBI agents to the Department of Justice. Guess what the common denominator was? They had all worked on January 6 investigations. Instead of our FBI agents focusing on terrorism or organized crime, they have to look over their shoulders because they know the President is coming after them.
He has the Department of Justice weaponized not to go after the criminals but to go after career FBI agents who have done nothing but serve the public and fight crime for the American people.
Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. As we move past 100 days, I will never stop fighting for those I represent against the abuses of this administration. We are not just battling over budgets. We are battling over the future of the country we wish to have--not a government for the wealthy and well-connected but a government that works for all people.
This is not business as usual. House Democrats are standing up and fighting back.
Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleagues for tonight and for pulling this together and doing such an outstanding job in moving this forward. I am thankful for the people out there, the people in communities across the country who have come to rallies. Some are Democrats; some aren't. Some are Republicans; some aren't. They are coming out to express their concerns about the direction this Nation is taking.
Mr. Speaker, I thank them for doing that and for making sure they remember that they have the ultimate power. They are the ones who determine what happens with this democracy, and now is the time for them to stand up and for us to stand with them.
Mr. Speaker, I again want to add my thanks to Representative Glenn Ivey for talking about healthcare and the fact that this administration has been cutting grants to the National Institutes of Health and cutting clinical trials.
Over the weekend, I was at an event. We had doctors and advocates who talked about cancer, about breast cancer. This country is actually on the precipice of discovering a vaccination for breast cancer, a cure for breast cancer. We have amazing scientists in this country who have been researching this, and they are at the point of clinical trials.
Mr. Speaker, I don't know if you know anyone in your family who is a
Mr. Speaker, do you know what this administration did? Instead of accelerating those clinical trials, instead of offering funding for that research to continue, instead of wanting to be a champion of the cure for cancer, this administration cut that research, cut that funding, and cut those clinical trials. They cut funding to educational institutions, to colleges, and to universities that are doing that kind of research. They essentially cut off our future scientists, innovators, and problem-solvers.
Our kids, who are investing their time, their money, our money, and their sweat to go to school and get an education and learn enough to help this country move forward and progress, are getting the short end of the stick. They are actually being beaten on the head with a stick that is held by this administration.
Representative Ivey talked about what is happening with the judiciary. In fact, this President actually said he didn't know if he even had to uphold the Constitution. Then, this administration is going to sue Justice Roberts. We have moved from three branches of government to one branch of government.
Republicans are silent tonight, just like they have been silent at all the markups and all the hearings we have had this month. They are silent, afraid, and unwilling to stand up for their constituents.
Mr. Speaker, they are only willing to defend this administration. They are going to be tasked hard when they continue to have to go into their districts and sell the fertilizer that they have to feed their constituents, voters, Americans, the fertilizer coming out of this administration designed to harm everyone that hasn't bent the knee.
Mr. Speaker, with that, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Rhode Island (Mr. Amo).
Mr. Speaker, as many of my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus have laid out, Donald Trump has failed the American people. That is why I am grateful to my colleagues, Representatives Kamlager-Dove and Brown, for leading this Special Order hour.
Let's focus on these failures. In countless ways, Donald Trump has failed the American people. He has failed to bring down prices for families. He has failed to keep Americans safe. He has failed to heal or even attempt or pretend to address the deep divides that plague this country. In fact, he is making them worse.
Worse still, he has refused any kind of accountability for the countless mistakes that he, Elon, and the crew have made over the past 100 days. When the stock market is up, that is because of him. When the stock market tanks, that is Joe Biden's fault. If it doesn't get better, that is Joe Biden's fault, too.
Mr. Speaker, no parent would accept this behavior from their child, so why do we accept it from the President? No company would accept this temperament from an employee, so why do we see this behavior normalized by Republicans when we see this bad behavior in our Commander in Chief?
Mr. Speaker, surely, we can still tell the difference between right and wrong. Certainly, we can do that right here in this Chamber. Surely, when we see cancer research funding eliminated, when 2-year-old citizens are deported, when the budget resolution calls for the largest proposed cut to Medicaid ever, surely, we can say these things are wrong, no?
The American people are calling for leadership. They are calling for solutions to help them afford basic necessities. They want to be able to tell their loved ones it is going to be okay, but they are not getting that right now, especially in the Black community.
Instead, they are getting political theater about renaming the Gulf of Mexico and military parades. They are getting authoritarian threats about ignoring the Constitution and running for a third term.
It is unserious. It is unbecoming. It is wrong. Let's call it what it is. It is dangerous.
Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, history will judge how all of us respond to this moment. I think I know what side I want to be on. I want to be on the side of the Congressional Black Caucus, the side of the conscience of the Congress.
Mr. Speaker, Donald Trump has been a failure. Where he fails, we are here. We will fight. We will fight for fairness, justice, and the promise that has been denied far too many Americans for far too long.
May we continue down this righteous road today to fight and to march on for all the battles that lie ahead.
Mr. Speaker, I am so grateful to be a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and I want to just share some of my own stories coming from my district and also my experience.
I was in that Judiciary Committee where we had the hearing on immigration, and I was in that Committee when Republicans voted to deport and detain Americans, where they voted to allow for cavity searches on children, where they voted to allow ICE to go into domestic violence shelters, where they voted to allow January 6ers--those who wreaked havoc on this Capitol, assaulted Capitol Police, and terrorized everyone in this building--where they voted to allow them to work for the Federal Government, including the Department of Homeland Security.
I ask: How can you deport an American? Where are you going to deport an American to?
I don't understand.
I have yet to see anything from the Republicans or even from this administration, can we get a poster, can we get a picture of what a safe American looks like, what a nondeportable American looks like?
That is because I want to know. I want to be able to share that picture and that photo with my constituents to say: So if you look like this, if you are maybe this shape, if you have this degree of melanin, if this is the color of your hair, or this is the color of your eyes, or this is what you say, or if this is what kind of accent you have or not, then you might be safe.
I think the American people need to know which one of them will be deported next. I think the American people deserve to know which of their Representatives is going to stand up for them. That is because I know when the question was asked: Will you stand up for Americans and prevent them from being deported? Raise your hand. Only Democrats raised their hand.
I also have to ask when our loved ones and when our friends and family members go overseas and they get snatched, are Republicans going to pick up the phone and ask to have their constituents brought back?
Are they going to fight for them?
That is because in that Committee, they said that they were not going to. They have said that they are not going to fight for their healthcare, for Medicaid, for Medicare, and for Social Security.
I represent Los Angeles. People think it is flossy and glossy, I like to say. However, I have the third highest Medicaid enrollee district in the country. Mr. Speaker, 7 of the 10 highest Medicaid enrollee districts in this country are in California, and some of them are Republican districts.
I think we all want to know, Black Americans, White Americans, Asian Americans, and Latino Americans, all Americans want to know: Are you going to cut their Medicaid? Are you going to cut their Social Security?
Mr. Speaker, 140,000 children under the age of 19 and 40,000 seniors over the age of 65 in my district are at risk because of the policies coming from this administration. Nearly 8 million Americans get healthcare through Medicaid and through CHIP, which is on the chopping block.
This President wants to cut $5.6 billion from the Department of Education. The House Republicans' budget
In my district, we have L.A. Unified School District. For many of the kids who go to school, their only meal is when they go to school.
I am trying to figure out when folks say that they are Christian, what kind of Bible are they using? That is because the Bible that I have, Mr. Speaker, doesn't say that you starve children, that you cut off their healthcare, and that you cut off the healthcare for their grandparents.
Mr. Speaker, if your Bible says that, then I submit that maybe you change your Bible. That is because that is unchristianlike to kill seniors and children.
Let's talk about rolling back bedrock civil rights-era policies that are designed to actually allow everyone the opportunity to compete and participate in this marketplace. It is not about giving handouts. It is about creating opportunity. It is about creating access to competition.
Mr. Speaker, why would you be afraid of that unless you are mediocre, less than average, and need extra help because you can't compete?
Well, don't come for Black America. Fix yourself.
Let's talk about the workers who are the backbone of our economy, the workers who run this government. I am always surprised when folks are talking about unelected bureaucrats. Elon Musk is an unelected bureaucrat. Keep it real. All the staff who help us do our jobs and help our constituents are unelected bureaucrats, and the majority are actually Republicans. The administration wants to cut the salaries that allow folks to answer the phones for our constituents.
California has the second highest number of Federal workers.
Why are the Republicans going to cut that?
Mr. Speaker, might I remind you that we have the Olympics coming, we have the FIFA World Cup coming, we have the All-Star Game, and Super Bowl coming, and we are still producing movies and TV. We are helping people with their passports and their visas. If Republicans want all these games to be successful, then they have to resource the departments that process the visas and applications that allow people to come here. So let's keep it real.
Mr. Speaker, if you want to talk about housing, this administration is proposing to terminate section 8, cutting rental aid and evicting 32,000 families from their homes. This President even refused to come to Altadena after the urban fires. That is how little this administration thinks about Black communities.
This administration is not interested in Black America, even though this administration wanted to thank Black America.
What kind of thanks is that when they cut funding to HBCUs, when they cut Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, and when they cut Meals on Wheels and SNAP?
We are going to make America hungry again. We are going to make America sick again. I have a binder full of actions from this administration that have come out of this administration in just the last 100 days. They are terrifying. Not only are they terrifying for Black America, but they are terrifying for all America.
Mr. Speaker, I am going to happily close out this CBC Special Order hour and remind America that we will be back again next week with more information, more receipts, and more truth.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my co-lead, Congresswoman Shontel Brown from the great State of Ohio, and all the members of the Congressional Black Caucus who spoke tonight, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from California?
Mr. Speaker, I want to start today with some good news. I think it is fantastic that the Golden State Warriors played an incredible basketball game last night and brought them to victory over the Rockets out of Texas and are going to advance onto the next round of the basketball playoffs. So I congratulate the Dubs.
Sadly, that is where the good news ends. What we are going to talk about for the rest of this evening is some bad news, bad for the American people.
The Republican plan to extend the Trump tax cuts for billionaire donors like Elon Musk is a bad deal for the American people.
During this Special Order, we are going to lay out exactly how reckless this Republican plan is to extend the Republican Trump tax cuts. An extension of the Republican Trump tax cuts would disproportionately benefit those who need it the least, would recklessly increase our Nation's deficits, and it fails to prioritize hardworking Americans' contributions.
Republican tax cuts get our priorities exactly backwards. When Democrats passed tax cuts, we focused on who needed the help the most. The tax cuts that Democrats passed and that President Biden signed into law were some of the most significant middle-class tax cuts we have seen in a generation.
In 2021, our expanded child tax credit nearly cut child poverty in our country in half. We also made historic expansions to both the earned income tax credit and the dependent care credit which dramatically cut child poverty. In other words, when Democrats do tax cuts, we focus those tax cuts on those who need it the most.
The Republicans on the other hand are looking to extend tax cuts that are overwhelmingly tilted to benefit those who need it the least.
Under the Republican tax bill, a taxpayer who makes $1 million or more saw an average tax cut of $79,000, where a taxpayer making $50,000 only saw about $270 in tax cuts. Putting this another way, for every dollar they are giving to the average working person, they are handing $288 to a person making over $1 million every year.
Let me be clear about that statistic. I am not talking about a millionaire, not someone who is sitting on a house and a 401(k) that they have worked for and saved for for 30 years to hit $1 million. This is what they are giving to someone who makes $1 million every year.
Now, I don't know how you feel, Mr. Speaker, but I don't think people who are making $1 million a year are the ones who need a helping hand in this economy.
Now, suffice it to say, we have made this point once or twice before, and every time we do we get the same response from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. They say: People who make over $1 million pay a lot in taxes, so, of course, they get a bigger tax cut.
However, that argument is full of prunes. Let's be clear. Congress is perfectly capable of cutting taxes for working people without also cutting taxes for those at the top.
That is right. Believe it or not, Mr. Speaker, you can lower the tax rates at the bottom without also lowering the tax rates at the top.
In fact, last year, the Treasury Department did a study. They looked at how much it would cost to extend the Republican Trump tax cuts so that everyone making under $400,000 a year was held harmless. There was no impact on the bottom 98 percent of the income distribution.
How much did it cost?
They said it would cost $1.8 trillion. Now, that is not pocket change. We all know that, but it is a heck of a lot less than the recent Joint Committee on Taxation estimate of $4.6 trillion that it will cost to extend the Republican Trump tax cuts that favor those who don't need any help.
The thing is, if Republicans would be willing to abandon their goal of cutting taxes for the most fortunate, if they would genuinely focus on the middle
Instead, they have embarked on a go-it-alone strategy, and go it alone they will. As long as their goal is to reward their big donors with massive tax cuts while leaving working people behind, they can go it alone.
Someone who knows the impact that these tax cuts have had on taxpayers across our country, the negative impact they have had on working people across our country; someone who knows well how these Republican tax cuts stole from people who live in high-cost areas their ability to deduct their State and local taxes, costing constituents in those areas thousands and thousands of dollars a year; someone who knows well what that is and has been working tirelessly ever since they did that, ever since they foisted that tax increase on people in high- cost-of-living areas; and someone who has been working on it ever since they did it, trying to work with people on both sides of the aisle to figure out how to resolve the State and local tax deduction is my colleague, Tom Suozzi from New York. He is a great Member and a member of the Ways and Means Committee.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Suozzi).
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for bringing attention to this important issue.
I am going to talk about the State and local tax deduction in some detail, but first let me just say generally that what we are talking about is so important. We have so many of our friends on the other side of the aisle who are constantly talking about how the government spends too much money and how deficits are getting so much bigger.
Here, under their tax bill that they are proposing right now, they are going to increase the deficit in the United States by $4.5 trillion. Now, that doesn't make any sense. Why would they propose something when they have people on their side who their singular most important issue is reducing the deficit, but they would increase the deficit by $4.5 trillion?
Now, my colleague talked about the tax cuts from 2017, well, a lot of my residents didn't see a tax deduction. They saw a tax increase. The reason they saw a tax increase is because they capped the State and local tax deduction at $10,000.
Let me just explain what the State and local tax deduction is. The State and local tax deduction was in place for 100 years, from 1913 until 2017. In 1930, they started the Federal income tax code in the United States of America. When they said we are going to tax people's income at the Federal level, a lot of Governors, mayors, and local elected officials said, no, they don't want a Federal income tax because that will stop them from raising the taxes at the State and local level. Since America's founding, government was mainly paid for at the State and local level through State and local taxes. The Federal Government was funded by tariffs, quite frankly, a very interesting topic for today.
When the mayors and Governors protested, they said: We don't want to have a Federal income tax because you are going to hurt us. We don't want to pay taxes on the taxes we have already paid at the State and local level.
The Federal Government said: Don't worry about it. We will put a deduction in place that says you can deduct your State and local taxes from your income, so you don't have to pay taxes on the taxes you have already paid.
Okay, let's do that. They put it in place for 100 years.
In 2017, they said we are going to cap this deduction that has been in place for over 100 years at $10,000. They took the long arm of the Federal Government and reached into local governments. They violated the covenant of federalism, and they said: We are going to make you pay taxes on the taxes you have already paid to your States, to your cities, to your towns, to your villages, to your school districts. We are going to tax you on the money you have already paid in taxes at the State and local levels.
That caused some people's taxes to go up, especially in high-tax States that happen to be Democratic States, such as in New York, New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Rhode Island, and Hawaii. They caused people's taxes to go up because they could no longer deduct their State and local taxes.
It is not fair. In fact, people have moved away from our States to other lower tax States.
Why are taxes higher in my State and in your State compared to, say, Florida and Texas? They are higher because in New York State and in California, we insure our children. We have the lowest rates of uninsured children in the United States of America and the lowest rates of uninsured adults in the United States of America, whereas Florida and Texas have the highest rates of uninsured children and uninsured adults.
Our taxes are higher in our States because we pay our teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public workers in public employee unions and other union workers higher wages. They don't like unions in Florida, Texas, and other low-tax States.
It is not fair that in States like mine and yours, Mr. Thompson, and other Democratic States, we are net donors to the Federal Government. We send more money to the Federal Government than we get back.
A lot of our colleagues criticize our States. They say it is so ineffective the way we are running our States. Why is it that we are doing so well economically that we are the biggest net donors to the Federal Government? We send more money to the Federal Government in income taxes than we get back in Federal contracts and Federal programs.
In fact, most of the red States in the United States of America are net takers, and most of the blue States are net donors, so it is not fair. It is very different from State to State in our country, but in my State, for example, and in Mr. Thompson's State, similarly, if you have a teacher and a police officer who are married, their income could be over $150,000, $200,000 a year. In our States, because the taxes are higher, because the cost of living is higher, the cost of housing is higher, so that $150,000 to $200,000 a year is not a wealthy person. That is a middle-class person.
I talked to a friend of mine from Oklahoma, and I told him that person making $150,000 between the husband and wife is middle class. They said: $150,000 a year? If they lived in my State, they would be living in a gated community. They would belong to the country club.
That is not what it is like. It is different from place to place.
We set up these different State and city governments throughout our country to be laboratories of democracy, to run their States and their cities the way they see fit, to tax them as they see fit, and the one way that they used the Federal income tax code to move forward was to have a State and local tax deduction that was ripped away from them in 2017.
Some of my colleagues on the Republican side have said they will not support this new tax bill unless we restore the State and local tax deduction. We would like to see a complete repeal of the cap. We would like to have you be able to claim all of your State and local taxes. We passed it three times when the Democrats were in charge. We passed it once, complete repeal; twice, complete repeal; third time, $80,000 cap.
Some Republicans have proposed a cap of $25,000. Five Republicans have stood up and said $25,000 is not acceptable. I want to commend them for standing up for their residents and taxpayers against their party and saying they will not support this bill.
President Trump came to my State, actually right near my district in Nassau County, where I used to be the county executive. He spoke at a campaign rally in the summer of 2024, and he said we have to restore the State and local tax deduction. Now, he is the one who took it away. He said that we have to restore the State and local tax deduction. Well, let's hold the President to that.
Let's commend our five colleagues who are standing up against their party to say they want to raise the State and local tax deduction.
Let's be fair to these middle-class families. Let's be fair to these States. Let's be fair to these mayors, Governors, and county executives. Let's be fair to our firefighters and teachers. Let's be fair to make sure that these States that are net donors to the Federal Government are treated with the proper respect and dignity that they deserved throughout America's history and stop penalizing them for trying to serve their residents the best way they can.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the passion he brings to this issue. I know how much work he has put into it.
I want to add a couple of things on the SALT topic.
One, as I think the gentleman remembers, when this was happening, my subcommittee held hearings on SALT. We brought witnesses in from a number of different States, not all blue States. Blue States are the ones that are generally recognized as being most harmed by this terrible tax policy that the Republicans put on us.
What we saw in those hearings were red States are quickly catching up. This is catching red State taxpayers as well, and it is hurting them just like it is hurting taxpayers in blue States.
I want to mention that the gentleman talked about our Republican colleagues who are talking a good game about how they won't vote for this, that, and the other thing unless SALT is taken care of. Well, SALT goes back to what it used to be if we don't do anything, so that is where we could end up if this foolish tax bill that is being pushed on the American people right now were to go away. We get our SALT deduction back.
I certainly hope that the colleagues that the gentleman mentioned are going to hold to their word and work with us to see if we can fix that.
The gentleman is spot on regarding donor States like his State and my State. We give more money to the Federal Government than we get back.
Just to demonstrate how big that is, in my State of California, if you deduct the money that we get back from the Federal Government from all the money that California taxpayers send to the Federal Government, what is left, what stays in Washington to go out to all the red States, is more than the entire State budget of 47 other States.
To say that we represent donor States, that is almost a throw-away line. We are paying the freight for all the States that are voting in a way that is hurting the American taxpayer. It is inexcusable. It is inexcusable that my Republican colleagues are looking to enact these tax cuts at the expense of the American people, including cutting up to $880 billion from Medicaid over the next 10 years.
Nearly 1 in 4 Americans, or 80 million American people, are covered by Medicaid. These cuts that the Republicans are promoting mean that our neighbors will struggle to afford to see a doctor, struggle to pay for medication, or won't have access to nursing home services if they need it.
For over 60 years, Medicaid has been a lifeline for people with low incomes and for people with disabilities so they could have access to healthcare. Already, we are seeing rural hospitals struggling and not just in my district. Rural hospitals across the United States of America are struggling. Many of them are closing or are eliminating critical services.
These hospitals, every one of them, are heavily reliant on reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid. Any cut in Medicaid funding would lead to catastrophic results for all--not just those on Medicaid, for everyone. Those lacking coverage will skip necessary care, only making people sicker and requiring costlier treatment. It will put a strain on local emergency rooms and community health providers when these folks show up in the emergency room with a very serious problem that, as I said, will cost more to treat. In fact, every uninsured person results in a $900 uncompensated healthcare cost per year.
This results in services being offered at higher prices for patients and reduced investments in local healthcare centers. Cutting Medicaid will devastate the most vulnerable.
Mr. Speaker, 12 million people in rural areas, not rural areas in blue States, rural areas across the United States of America, 12 million people in those rural areas have health coverage through Medicaid, including 47 percent of children living in rural communities. It is, in many instances, the only way that kids can get healthcare. Mr. Speaker, 38 percent of children in urban areas also rely on Medicaid coverage.
Yet, these Medicaid and ensuing service cuts will just show new physicians that they can't count on keeping a job in a rural hospital. The Medicaid cuts will widen the gap between what a rural hospital can offer and what an urban or suburban hospital can offer.
It is not just those on Medicaid who will suffer. Without Medicaid reimbursement, hospitals, clinics, doctors' offices, and urgent care centers will close, leaving even those with private insurance without access to healthcare.
In my State, one-third of the population is covered by Medicaid. Republicans can't cut one-third of the money that goes to healthcare and expect our healthcare system and infrastructure to stand. Hospitals and clinics will close their doors. If they don't close, they will cut services dramatically.
It doesn't matter if you are on Medicaid, on Medicare, if you have private insurance through your employer, or you are filthy rich with pockets full of gold. If you go to the hospital or to the clinic or to an urgent care center and they have had to make drastic cuts to compensate for these terrible Medicaid cuts that the Republicans are trying to push down their throats, there is not going to be anybody there to take care of you. It doesn't matter if you have the money or you have the insurance.
If the majority cuts services, your healthcare access will be truncated. There is no two ways about it. It has been a very interesting exercise to watch some of our Republican colleagues wrap themselves into pretzels claiming not to have voted for the Medicaid cuts, but it was just an overall structure giving direction of how we should cut these moneys.
Remember, cut these moneys so that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle can give a tax cut to their billionaire, Musk-like donors. That is just not true. Republicans can't vote for a structure that takes $880 billion out of the healthcare safety net and claim not to have done it. Republican Members voted to cut Medicaid, which will hurt everybody's healthcare delivery.
Now we see it again. The majority Members are trying to justify it by creating this balancing effort to suggest that Republicans are not cutting Medicaid but are just going to put in place some seven-bank shot procedure where the $880 billion is still at risk but Republicans can do it without voting to say that the majority actually cut Medicaid.
My colleagues can't just hide the ball. It doesn't matter what Republicans call it. The priority of tax cuts for the very rich, people who don't need the help, will cut healthcare for all of our constituents. That is going to hurt every one of us. It doesn't matter if Members are in an urban area, a rural area, a suburban area, a red State, a blue State, or whatever color State my colleagues think they live in.
These cuts are devastating. I have had hospital administrators in my district tell me that they are closing their hospitals if these go through. I have had clinics tell me that their clinics are done if this goes through. This is mean, cruel, and it doesn't have to happen. It is going to hurt everyone.
I think it is important for the American people to know what the Senate is planning on doing in regard to this discussion. Senate Republicans are using what they call a current policy baseline. Remember that: current policy baseline.
Mr. Speaker, I don't care what finance classes Members took. I don't care if you are the CFO in the biggest corporation in the world. This is not a policy definition that any of my colleagues have ever studied before. This is a new thing that the Senate majority Members made up in order to justify what Republicans are trying to do in regard to the tax cuts for people who don't need it.
Senate Republicans call it current policy baseline to measure the cost of
Any way my colleagues cut it, it is accounting fraud. Here is what is going to happen: Republicans are going to pass massive tax cuts, with much of it going to those at the very top of the income scale, those who don't need our help.
The nonpartisan professional economists at the Joint Committee on Taxation and the Congressional Budget Office are going to provide a score. In other words, they are going to tell us how much it is going to cost to do what Republicans want to do. They submit that information to all Members of Congress so that we know what the cost of this tax cut policy will be.
Yet, with what the Senate is doing, the way the Senate majority is setting up this score, the score that has been developed by experienced, nonpartisan officials with Ph.D.'s in economics who provide this good information to us, they are going to have to do some kind of maneuver to figure out how to deal with this new accounting fraud.
They are going to put all of the good work and all of the experience they have to the side because the Republicans don't want us to see what the real score is. The majority doesn't want my colleagues to see the kind of reckless deficits that this bill is going to create.
Mr. Suozzi said it well:
Mr. Speaker, all of the pearl-clutching that went on leading to the election and all of the crying and screaming about the national debt all of a sudden doesn't matter? We are going to put, at a minimum, $4.6 trillion onto the national debt because of this.
What Republicans will do instead is make up their own score with this new accounting fraud that the majority has developed. The Senate has made it clear what the score will say. It will say that extending the Republican Trump tax cuts costs zero. It is pretending that the tax cuts are free.
Tax cuts, the American people know good and well, are not free. There is a cost associated with those. The ranking member of the Committee on Ways and Means, Mr. Neal, former chairman, described this magical- thinking tax fraud accounting system that the Republican Senators came up with in a recent editorial in The Washington Post. I like his description. This is what he said:
Mr. Speaker, let me assure the whole House and the American people that extending the Trump tax cuts is not free. In fact, we have a recent estimate from the Joint Committee on Taxation that says that extending the Trump tax cuts costs $4.6 trillion.
This is $4.6 trillion that will be added to the debt. Not only does extending the Republican Trump tax cuts cost an extra $4.6 trillion, but because they are pretending that it is free and doesn't cost anything and doesn't need to be offset, every last penny of those tax cuts will be borrowed money.
Borrowed money isn't free either. Who is going to pick up the tab on this? Your kids, your grandkids, and future generations are paying the freight for this irresponsible tax policy that is coming down the way.
On top of that, there is another $1.5 trillion in tax cuts that the Republicans want to add to that. That is $6.1 billion of unpaid-for tax cuts. That is $1.6 billion in debt on our children and our grandchildren just to give a tax cut to the wealthiest people in this country, people who do not need our help.
This is wrong, Mr. Speaker. We need to stand up. Our friends and our colleagues on the other side of the aisle need to stand up and need to show the courage that their voters placed in them to stand up and speak out against this.
Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.
The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 8 o'clock and 54 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.
