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69 public bills, H.R. 3939- 3943, 3945-4008; and 9 resolutions, H. Con. Res. 37; and H. Res. 507- 514, were introduced.
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Reports Filed
Reports were filed today as follows: H.R. 2481, to require online dating service providers to provide fraud ban notifications to online dating service members, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-153); H.R. 2269, to require certain products to be labeled with ``Do Not Flush'' labeling, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-154); H.R. 1737, to direct the Secretary of Commerce to submit to Congress a report containing an assessment of the value, cost, and feasibility of a trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable connecting the contiguous United States, the United States Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria (H. Rept. 119-155); H.R. 1679, to direct the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, to conduct an interagency review of and report to Congress on ways to increase the global competitiveness of the United States in attracting foreign direct investment (H. Rept. 119-156); H.R. 1770, to direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish a pilot program to explore the use of artificial intelligence in support of the mission of the Commission and to direct the Secretary of Commerce and the Federal Trade Commission to study and report on the use of blockchain technology and tokens, respectively (H. Rept. 119- 157); H.R. 1767, to require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate a mandatory consumer product safety standard with respect to retractable awnings (H. Rept. 119-158); H.R. 1520, to prohibit discrimination on the basis of mental or physical disability in cases of organ transplants (H. Rept. 119-159); H.R. 1082, to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a national, evidence-based education campaign to increase public and health care provider awareness regarding the potential risks and benefits of human cell and tissue products transplants, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-160); and H.R. 3944, making appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119- 161).
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Speaker
Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he appointed Representative Norman to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
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Recess
The House recessed at 11:06 p.m. and reconvened at 12 p.m.
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Guest Chaplain
The prayer was offered by the Guest Chaplain, Rev. Paul Shaughnessy, S.J., St. Cecilia Church, Leominster, Massachusetts.
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Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Communication
Read a letter from Chairman Graves wherein he transmitted copies of thirty resolutions included in the General Services Administration's Capital Investment and Leasing Programs. The resolutions were adopted by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on June 11, 2025.
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Recess
The House recessed at 12:17 p.m. and reconvened at 1:30 p.m.
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Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act
The House passed S. 331, to amend the Controlled Substances Act with respect to the scheduling of fentanyl-related substances, by a yea-and-nay vote of 321 yeas to 104 nays, Roll No. 166. Consideration began yesterday, June 11th. H. Res. 489, the rule providing for consideration of the bills (H.R. 884), (H.R. 2056), (H.R. 2096), and (S. 331) was agreed to Wednesday, June 10th.
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Rescissions Act of 2025
The House passed H.R. 4, to rescind certain budget authority proposed to be rescinded in special messages transmitted to the Congress by the President on June 3, 2025, in accordance with section 1012(a) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, by a yea-and-nay vote of 214 yeas to 212 nays, Roll No. 168.
Pages H2796-H2805
Rejected the Kelly (IL) motion to recommit the bill to the Committee on Appropriations by a yea-and-nay vote of 208 yeas to 218 nays, Roll No. 167. H. Res. 499, the rule providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4) was agreed to yesterday, June 11th.
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Motion to Adjourn
Rejected the Thompson (CA) motion to adjourn by a yea-and-nay vote of 206 yeas to 218 nays, Roll No. 169.
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District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance Act of 2025
The House passed H.R. 2056, to require the District of Columbia to comply with federal immigration laws, by a yea-and-nay vote of 224 yeas to 194 nays, Roll No. 171. Consideration began yesterday, June 11th.
Pages H2808-09
Rejected the Lynch motion to recommit the bill to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform by a yea-and-nay vote of 205 yeas to 215 nays, Roll No. 170. H. Res. 489, the rule providing for consideration of the bills (H.R. 884), (H.R. 2056), (H.R. 2096), and (S. 331) was agreed to Wednesday, June 10th.
Pages H2808-09
Work Period Designation
Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he designated the period from Thursday, June 12, 2025, through Sunday, June 22, 2025, as a ``district work period'' under clause 13 of rule 1.
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Quorum Calls: Votes
Five yea-and-nay votes and one recorded vote developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H2806, H2806-07, H2807-08, H2809, H2808-09 and H2809. Adjournment: The House met at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 4:50 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: 121 of 184 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 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge June 19 as Juneteenth. On June 19, this Nation will recognize Juneteenth with a Federal holiday. We will gather in the spirit of remembrance, resilience, and recommitment to celebrate a day of delayed liberation, but not undeniable triumph.
On June 19, 1865, more than 2 years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with the news that the last enslaved Black Americans were finally free.
Freedom did not come easily. It came slowly, unevenly, and at a painful cost, but it came. Along with it, generations of Black Americans began the long, unfinished journey toward full equality through Reconstruction, through Jim Crow, through the civil rights movement, and through the voting rights movement even now in our time.
Juneteenth is not just about history. It is about truth telling. It is a reminder that freedom delayed is freedom fought for and that liberation means more than just the breaking of physical chains. It demands justice in our laws, equity in our institutions, dignity in our labor, and respect in our schools, in our neighborhoods, and in our Nation.
My district, Alabama's Seventh Congressional District, will honor Juneteenth with a host of activities. The NAACP in Tuscaloosa will kick it off with a parade on Saturday and a luncheon on Thursday. In Birmingham, we will have a variety of events including a unity breakfast on Friday hosted by DA Danny Carr and the League of Gentlemen.
We will also welcome Major League Baseball back to Birmingham, Alabama, for the second consecutive year. On June 19, 2025, Major League Baseball will return to the Magic City for the 2025 East-West Classic game at Rickwood Field. The game will pay tribute to the Negro leagues and honor Birmingham's important contributions to baseball history.
This year, we will also celebrate the ribbon cutting of the newly refurbished Willie Mays Park in Fairfield, Alabama. Thanks to the generosity of Major League Baseball and the extraordinary efforts of State Senator Merika Coleman and numerous community partners, the Willie Mays Park will undergo major improvements and will now serve generations of aspiring young baseball players in Jefferson County.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Major League Baseball for their continued investment in Alabama's Seventh Congressional District. We look forward to welcoming them back to the Magic City. Of course, we know how important baseball has been not only to the African-American community but to the American community writ large.
We are excited to welcome Major League Baseball back to Birmingham, Alabama. Thanks to their generosity and the generosity of so many, we will continue to play ball in Alabama's Seventh Congressional District.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of this occasion of National Dairy Month and to honor the hardworking men and women of America's dairy industry, especially those in my home State of Pennsylvania.
As the Representative of Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District and as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, I know firsthand the central role that dairy plays in our economy, our communities, and our health.
Pennsylvania is an incredible dairy State. With more than 6,200 dairy farms, we rank second in the Nation in the number of dairy operations and eighth in milk production.
These farms care for nearly one-half million dairy cows and support more
It is important that in addition to recognizing the success and strength of this industry, we also acknowledge the challenges it takes to produce the dairy products that we all know and love.
Rising costs, outdated Federal regulations, and policies that don't reflect the realities on the ground have all hurt this vital industry. That is why we must continue to fight for a modernized farm bill and for smart bipartisan policies that promote health and strengthen rural communities. In addition, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act we passed out of the House included key victories for our dairy producers.
The bill contains multiple enhancements to the Dairy Margin Coverage program such as increasing tier 1 eligibility from 5 million to 6 million pounds per farm, among other items.
One of those bipartisan policies is the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act which I proudly introduced alongside my colleague, Representative Kim Schrier, a pediatrician, and a bipartisan coalition in both Chambers of Congress. This bill is about returning whole and reduced fat milk to school cafeterias. It reflects updated science, addresses years of flawed Federal policy, and responds to what parents, schools, and health professionals across the country already know: Kids need access to milk that they will actually drink.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has also voiced support for returning whole milk to school cafeterias. He recognizes its value as a nutrient-rich option that supports child development and academic success.
Milk provides 13 essential nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D, and potassium. These nutrients support bone health, immune function, and long-term well-being. However, today nearly three in four school- age children are not getting their recommended daily intake of dairy.
Since whole milk was removed from schools in 2012, we have seen declines in milk consumption, increased food waste, and growing concerns about childhood nutrition. This legislation is a commonsense solution that simply gives schools the option to serve whole and reduced fat milk once again.
I am pleased to report that the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act has already made significant bipartisan progress. It has passed the House Committee on Education and Workforce and most recently the Senate Agriculture Committee with strong support from both sides of the aisle.
With over 300 votes in the House last Congress, this bill is ready to cross the finish line.
Let me be clear. This is a win for everyone involved. It supports our children's health and gives a boost to our Nation's dairy farmers who work hard every day to provide safe, nutritious products.
Mr. Speaker, National Dairy Month is not just a moment of recognition. It is a call to action to stand with rural America, invest in the next generation, and ensure our food policies are rooted in science and not bureaucracy.
Let's finish the work we have started. Let's pass the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. Let's deliver for our farmers, and let's keep making American agriculture stronger, healthier, and, yes, great once again.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Caribbean- American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the profound contributions of Caribbean Americans to our Nation's fabric.
From our kitchens come flavors that have influenced American cuisine.
Our music echoes across the mainland, starting with Caribbean- American children in the late seventies in the Bronx founding what became hip-hop and rap music.
Our entrepreneurs have built businesses. Our educators have shaped minds, and our artists have colored the American cultural landscape.
Our military and revolutionary mindsets have given Americans Haitian troops during the Revolutionary War, Denmark Vesey during slavery, Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte during the civil rights movement, and Colin Powell for his shock and awe.
We have produced judges, athletes, and public servants who carry forward the Caribbean values of hard work, family, and community.
During this Caribbean-American Heritage Month, we honor not just Caribbean Americans, but the enduring spirit of a people who transformed challenge into opportunity, who preserved culture while embracing innovation, and who continue to strengthen America's promise of diversity and inclusion.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address a critical healthcare crisis facing the Virgin Islands. The proposed budget cuts threaten to devastate our already fragile rural hospital system, putting thousands of lives at risk.
The Virgin Islands' remote geography makes our rural hospitals literal lifelines. When someone suffers a heart attack on St. John or faces a medical emergency on St. Croix, these facilities aren't just convenient options. They are the difference between life and death. Unlike mainland rural communities where one might drive 2 hours to reach alternative care, our residents face ocean crossings and weather- dependent transportation.
These proposed cuts would force closures of essential services. We are talking about dialysis centers, maternal health services, and trauma care that cannot simply be replaced by telemedicine or helicopter transport.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to remember that healthcare equity means ensuring that the ZIP Code, or in my case, the island I call home, doesn't determine whether you live or die. The Virgin Islands cannot afford to lose these vital healthcare anchors.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the women veterans of the United States Virgin Islands on this Women Veterans Day. From the date that President Truman signed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act into law in 1948, Virgin Islands women have answered our Nation's call to service with unwavering dedication and courage.
These remarkable women have served in every branch of our military. I think of the great Ruby Rouss, the first Black woman to be assigned permanently to the staff of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, among so many others, past and present.
Women veterans of the Virgin Islands and across our Nation represent the very best of our spirit. They have broken barriers, opened doors for future generations, and demonstrated that courage knows no gender.
On this Women Veterans Day, we say to every woman veteran in our Nation: Your service matters. Your sacrifice is remembered, and your continued leadership makes us all stronger.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commemorate a special day for a very special person. On Sunday, June 1, at Westminster Presbyterian Church located in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Senior Pastor Mike Honeycutt called to the pulpit Mr. Don Gillespie.
Don has been an outstanding public servant and a devoted leader in both law enforcement and pastoral care. A man of deep conviction and humble service, Don has dedicated his life to protecting communities, building others up through coaching and ministry, and living out his faith.
Don was born and raised in Rock Hill, South Carolina, by loving Christian parents. He grew up attending First Presbyterian Church and has been a devoted member of Westminster Presbyterian Church since 1992.
From an early age, Don demonstrated a passion for sports, especially baseball and football. This passion carried him through his years at Newberry College, where he attended on a baseball scholarship and lettered all 4 years. During his sophomore year at college, Don was shared the Gospel by a close friend and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
After graduating in 1975 with a degree in history, Don initially planned to teach and coach high school students. Instead, he embarked on a remarkable career in law enforcement when he joined the York County Sheriff's Department, becoming the agency's first narcotics officer.
Over the course of more than two decades, Don rose through the ranks to become chief deputy and played a pivotal role in establishing the narcotics division in 1979 and the special weapons tactical team in 1989, where he served as commander.
Throughout his career, Don continued to pursue professional excellence, graduating from the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville in 1981 and the National Academy in Quantico in 1991.
In 1997, following his retirement from law enforcement, Don became the corporate security director at Bowater Pulp and Paper Company, where he served until 2013.
Even while managing these demanding roles, Don remained a dedicated coach and mentor, volunteering as a Dixie youth baseball coach for over 24 years, and leading a high school travel baseball team for a decade. Don has consistently shown a commitment to all the people around him.
In 2014, Don was asked by his pastor to serve as director of pastoral care at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Under his leadership, the ministry has expanded significantly to include programs such as the Stephen Ministry, Grief Share, and a comprehensive pastoral care team. These initiatives, staffed by volunteers trained and equipped by Don, have provided critical support to countless individuals, both inside and beyond the Westminster congregation. His ministry reflects his heart for service and his love for others.
Don's impact on those around him has been profound. He has given a lifetime of service to his community, his church, and his family. He and his wife, Jan, who retired from the 16th Circuit Solicitor's Office, have raised five sons and are the proud grandparents of ten.
I offer my sincere gratitude to Don for his steadfast leadership and dedicated service. He is a man who truly embodies the creed: ``To live is to serve.'' Winston Churchill once said that there will be a time when doing your best isn't good enough. You have got to do what is required.
Don has done what is required to serve his family, his community, and his God.
Mr. Speaker, the only time that I have seen anyone receive a standing ovation in church for his service, it was this man.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge all of us to demand mental health parity enforcement in honor of a young man that I once represented, Timothy O'Clair.
I first met Timothy when I served in the State Assembly in New York. Timothy played Little League and had a smile and spirit that burned incredibly bright. He played in the chess club and was an avid bowler.
Timothy enjoyed gymnastics, playing the piano, fishing, golfing, boating, and drawing. He enjoyed the outdoors and was an avid animal lover. However, Timothy suffered from significant mental health challenges, and his family struggled along with him, fighting with insurance companies to get him the care he truly needed.
The insurance companies didn't know the Timothy that I knew. Where we all saw an extraordinary little guy in a fight for his own life, the insurance company saw expenses in a ledger book. They put caps on his care and denied coverage for needed mental health treatment. When Timothy received the care he needed, he thrived. However, his family always knew that those caps and denials of coverage were right around the corner.
Things got worse for Timothy. In order to get him the Medicaid coverage he needed, Timothy's parents were forced to legally disown him. Can you imagine being forced to make that decision in your own family? Unfortunately, for Timothy, even that was not enough.
At 12 years old, Timothy completed suicide.
Timothy's memory will never leave me. His spirit inspired me and a number of other committed advocates to write and advance Timothy's Law in New York State, one of the first mental health parity laws in our country.
Specifically, Timothy's Law required parity in insurance plans between mental health and general health benefits.
Passing Timothy's Law gave me the drive to improve the way that we approach mental health care in America nationwide.
To me, that means reducing the stigma for those seeking care, addressing the growing problem of the youth behavioral health crisis, and giving our healthcare professionals the resources they truly need to adequately recognize and address the challenges those who live with mental illness must grapple with each and every day.
It also means ensuring that parity is fully enforced.
At the Federal level, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 sought to correct the imbalance between the benefits afforded mental health and substance use disorders under group health plans and general medical and surgical benefits typically afforded under such plans.
Mr. Speaker, 15-plus years later, we still are seeing major gaps in access and affordability between mental health and physical healthcare and the need for better enforcement of this law.
For example, studies show that insured people are nearly four times as likely to go out of network and pay higher fees for mental health care than for physical healthcare. With one in five Americans impacted by mental health disorders, we must do better.
After many years of engaging on this issue and Congress passing more laws to strengthen parity, I was excited to see the Biden-Harris administration push to update the final parity rules which will allow for greater access to mental health and substance use disorder care.
These regulations implemented an update in the law to close gaps and improve compliance with parity, which is critical for the 84.5 million Americans with these conditions.
I had hoped that these rules would finally clarify and strengthen protections, while reducing barriers to treatment for mental health. These rules would have required health plans to make changes when they are providing inadequate access to mental health and substance use care.
These rules would have made clear that plans cannot use more restrictive prior authorization, or other medical management techniques, or narrower networks to make it harder for people to access mental health and substance use disorder benefits than their medical benefits.
These rules would also have closed loopholes and required more than 200 additional health plans to comply with the parity law, providing critical protections to 120,000 consumers.
However, in response to a recent lawsuit, the Trump administration released an announcement that it no longer plans to enforce the 2024 regulations to protect individuals with mental health conditions and substance use disorders from discrimination in health insurance.
Together with 17 of my colleagues, I have written to the Trump administration urging them to reverse course on this senseless decision. We shared our strong bipartisan sentiment that this decision ``marks a dangerous step in the wrong direction.''
We shared that it is clear that health plans are still consistently violating the law and systematically limiting access to mental health and substance use disorder care. Rather than pausing enforcement or reconsidering the regulations, now is the time to strengthen enforcement and meaningfully provide and protect our constituents from discrimination and improve access to care.
There are so many more like Timothy out there right now suffering and in very real danger of losing access to lifesaving treatment. Instead of denying them that care, let's support enforcement of our mental health and addiction parity laws.
For Timothy and his family and friends, the battle continues to achieve this.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a true public servant. Daniel Clyde Wheeler passed away just over 2 months ago.
Dan Wheeler, as most people referred to him, grew up in the Crab Orchard community in Cumberland County, an area I am proud to represent here in Congress.
Like myself, Mr. Wheeler grew up on a family farm. That experience led him to become a staunch advocate for our State's growers and producers.
In 1965, he started a long career working for the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation where he served as an agent for Marion County and Sequatchie County. In no time, he was representing an entire region encompassing the Cumberland Plateau and the Chattanooga area of Tennessee.
In 1973, Mr. Wheeler became assistant to the president and director of organization for Tennessee Farm Bureau. By 1980, he took on the role of lobbyist for the Farm Bureau Federation, a role he saw as an opportunity to advocate for his fellow farmers across Tennessee and across the Nation. He later was named chief administrative officer of Tennessee Farm Bureau. His dedication led him to become Tennessee's 32nd Commissioner of Agriculture in January of 1995.
I was blessed to succeed Commissioner Wheeler, who I considered to be a man of great knowledge, as well as a personal mentor.
He formed the first-ever Governor's Council on Agriculture and Forestry in Tennessee, an important step that brought key stakeholders to the table. That, I suspect, will be his enduring legacy, bringing growers and producers into the same room as policymakers. That collaboration continues to have a major impact on our State's leading industry, agriculture. Commissioner Wheeler also served as the Southern United States Trade Association president, where he represented 17 States and Territories.
In 2000, he was named Man of the Year in Service to Tennessee Agriculture by Progressive Farmer magazine.
Commissioner Wheeler helped neighbors outside the agriculture industry, as well. He served the Maury County United Way, the Columbia Kiwanis Club, the Maury Regional Hospital Foundation, and the First Farmers and Merchants National Bank of Columbia, Tennessee, on their board of directors.
He leaves behind a wife of 59 years, Carol; two sons, Jim and David; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
I thank Commissioner Dan Wheeler and honor him for his many contributions to our great State of Tennessee.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the incredible life of Joe Moore, who passed away in late March at the age of 90. Mr. Moore lived a life dedicated to agriculture. I, along with many other current and former Tennessee FFA members, consider him to be a mentor, a role model, and indeed a hero.
The Time magazine cover next to me was published after he was named the FFA Star Farmer of America in 1955. Appearing in the October 24, 1955, issue, it shows a 21-year-old Joe Moore, the only active FFA member to make Time's cover.
At the FFA convention that year, judges were impressed at his farming operation conducted in Jackson County, Tennessee, which I am honored to represent today. He had a net worth at that point of $37,000, at the time, a great deal for someone of his age in the mid-1950s. At that time he was farming 505 acres, 85 of which he owned personally.
I often say farmers are our Nation's original conservationists. Joe Moore is a shining example of why I believe that to be true. The Time article noted how he incorporated modern farming techniques to combat erosion and improve soil health. He carefully monitored the diet of his livestock to keep them healthy. He showed great attention to detail and inspected his animals closely, which enabled him to detect any health issues early.
Mr. Moore found his success off the farm, as well. He was the owner and operator of the Upper Cumberland Oil Company in Cookeville, which sold and distributed Texaco petroleum products for over 30 years.
He also believed in giving back. He is the original founding board member of the Granville Museum in his home community, served as an elder of the Liberty Church of Christ, and was a longtime supporter of FFA in Tennessee.
He lived a long life alongside his wife, Ann, of more than 68 years. He leaves behind a son, a daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren.
Mr. Speaker, I will end with a quote from Moore from 1955: ``Farming is the closest thing to the Lord you can do.'' I could not agree with him more.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to a crisis in the American West and across the country. Extreme wildfires now ravage my home State of Oregon every summer, and the threat is growing. I am here today to speak out against cuts to programs that support wildland firefighters and their frontline crews.
For years now, American families in the Pacific Northwest have lived on the edge, wondering if this will be the year they are forced to flee their homes at night with only their children, their pets, and whatever few mementos they can frantically grab in the moments after the evacuation alert.
I have spoken with Oregonians who lost everything in the blink of an eye; homes, family heirlooms, beloved pets, and, tragically, family members.
I have spoken with people who demonstrate extraordinary bravery and step into the line of duty as wildland firefighters, sacrificing their safety to protect their neighbors and their communities.
The 2020 Labor Day fires were the most destructive in our State's history. Mr. Speaker, 1.4 million acres burned. More than 4,000 homes were destroyed, and at least nine people died. Smoke filled the air for days throughout the region.
Last year, Oregon saw 1.9 million acres burn, setting a new record.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to set aside political differences on this issue because the danger is spreading. Wildfire season now stretches for much of the year. That threat has reached States that never expected to see megafires. From the scorched hills of Hawaii to smoke-filled skies in New York, this is no longer just a Western States problem. It is a national emergency.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please listen to the American West when we say that this is a crisis that will kill thousands more until we act. Let's work together on real solutions, like investing in wildfire preparedness and providing better pay and benefits for wildland firefighters.
The administration's current plan of slashing volunteer wildfire crews is a disingenuous attempt to cut costs. It is shortsighted and will cause more loss of property and lives.
I stand ready to work with anyone who is willing to take this threat seriously.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against the weaponization of our Federal Government and the Trump administration's actions to distort agency missions and cancel valuable grant programs.
In March and again in April, I wrote to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS, at the Department of Homeland Security regarding a decision they made to abruptly cut funding for the Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program.
The Immigration and Nationality Act established USCIS to administer immigration benefits and citizenship programs. USCIS oversees lawful immigration into the United States and provides services, including determining eligibility for citizenship, verifying employment eligibility, administering humanitarian programs, and promoting instruction and training on citizenship rights and responsibilities.
As I wrote in my letter to the USCIS, the Citizenship and Assimilation Grant
If my colleagues haven't been to a naturalization ceremony, I encourage everyone to do this. These are the types of people we want to be U.S. citizens.
In response to my letter, USCIS Acting Deputy Director Kika Scott tried to justify the decision to cancel this program by stating that it no longer effectuates the agency's priorities. That is unacceptable and a frustrating explanation.
First, we frequently hear from our colleagues across the aisle who say that people need to come here legally. As I said, this is a program that helps eligible, legal permanent residents with the U.S. citizenship process.
Second, Congress already appropriated this funding, so it is illegal and unconstitutional for the administration to block the grant funding just because a President doesn't like immigrants and is doing everything in his power to vilify them.
The United States was built by people who came to this country to seek a better life for themselves and their families. This thoughtless decision is an abuse of power and just one more example of how the Trump administration is scapegoating immigrants.
Today, during Immigrant Heritage Month, I am, once again, calling on USCIS to reinstate the remainder of the canceled grant awards that helped refugees and other aspiring Americans who came to the United States through legal pathways to assimilate and contribute positively to our vibrant communities and the economy.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.
Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that Congress has a spending problem. We continue to spend taxpayer funds despite our $36 trillion debt. This level of debt is massive, equaling over $323,000 per taxpayer when split up among the taxpayers of this country.
If that wasn't bad enough, when we look at this spending, billions of taxpayer dollars are wasted on frivolous efforts to support programs that have no benefit to taxpayers themselves.
I was excited to see President Trump taking an unprecedented approach to curb excessive spending by our Federal agencies by establishing the Department of Government Efficiency. Since established, DOGE has illuminated the billions of dollars being drained on pointless projects that do nothing to help the American people.
For example, DOGE has exposed million-dollar contracts, including $3 million to support ``Sesame Street'' in Iraq and $6 million for net- zero cities in Mexico. Funding for USAID programs is also frequently going to NGOs that work to promote their liberal agenda in the most conservative parts of the world.
Just imagine $1 million going to one of the cities in our congressional districts and the impact that it could have there. It is a disgrace that Americans' hard-earned tax dollars are being used to support these programs and organizations under the guise of necessary foreign aid.
In addition to this, Congress continues to prop up the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to promote public media stations like PBS and NPR. Taxpayer dollars should not be used to promote a narrative that demonizes one side of the aisle or another. Yet, that is exactly what these media stations continue to do. NPR and PBS have continued to have an ideological bias, promoting things like critical race theory and the LGBTQ agenda.
From foreign aid to NPR, massive amounts of taxpayer dollars are wasted every day with little to no government oversight. Congress cannot continue to let blank checks go out the door without revisiting the way that these funds are used to help the American people.
This is why I am proud to support the rescissions package sent to Congress by President Trump. This package will claw back $9.4 billion of wasteful government spending, including $8.3 billion allocated to dozens of wasteful programs at USAID and $1.1 billion to prop up the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
This rescissions package is the first step in ensuring that taxpayer dollars are used to promote everyday Americans in very real ways.
I look forward to passing this first rescission package and look forward to continuing to support the work of President Trump and the DOGE team to identify and eliminate wasteful government spending.
Mr. Speaker, speaking of spending, outside of wasteful spending on international aid and public media, Congress has another problem contributing to the national debt: emergency spending.
Over one-third of our current national debt, about $12 trillion, can be attributed to emergency spending. This is an addiction that needs to be remedied. Shockingly, money used on emergency spending is rarely paid back and most is never used for actual emergencies.
For example, emergency spending during the COVID-19 pandemic spent $70 million on tourism marketing campaigns in Puerto Rico and another $6 million to replace irrigation systems at two golf courses. Other emergency spending bills have dished out $140 million for infrastructure improvements for Gulf Coast shipyards and $9.7 million for an assistance program to compensate eligible orchard tree losses.
We cannot continue to use emergency spending to fill gaps in funding that weren't properly appropriated to begin with. This spending not only contributes to the national debt but furthers a spiral of spending for the next fiscal year.
I am proud to have introduced my bill, the Emergency Spending Accountability Act, to correct this gross misuse of emergency spending.
My bill will ensure that every taxpayer dollar spent on emergency spending is fully paid back and accounted for over the following 5 years once the bill passes. Additionally, my bill would restore integrity to the term ``emergency spending'' by requiring committees to justify why these funds qualify as necessary, sudden, urgent, and unforeseen and are not permanent.
These provisions will help to put Congress back on track toward fiscal responsibility and prevent further abuses of this funding mechanism.
I thank all Members who support this legislation, and I am looking forward to seeing its progress through this body.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to denounce the Trump administration's police state tactics in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, New York City, and so many other cities across the country.
We should speak clearly about what is happening.
Masked agents of the state in unmarked vehicles are terrorizing communities. They are disappearing people. They are targeting political opponents of the President.
They are using militarized force to silence, intimidate, and brutalize not just Americans who are exercising their First Amendment rights but also members of the press.
They are partnering with Trump's donors, Silicon Valley oligarchs, for a sinister and deeply un-American agenda of surveillance and criminalization based on people's political views or, in some cases, just based on where they live.
There was a story that Trump told during the campaign about the need to restore law and order, about the need to target criminals. Within moments of assuming the Presidency for the second time, though, his true agenda became clear.
The administration has no interest whatsoever in targeting criminals. What they want is to fulfill Stephen Miller's white nationalist fantasy. They are targeting law-abiding people.
Let me say that again: They are punishing immigrants who are following the law.
That is what it means to use IRS data to target people. It means targeting people who are paying their taxes. That is what it means to send agents, with their faces covered by bandanas, to immigration court to arrest people while leaving their hearings. They are punishing people who are doing things the right way by showing up to court and going through the process.
It can be a little easy in politics to point out the hypocrisy on the other side and to point out people's inconsistencies when their own party is in charge. Yet, I can't ignore the irony that the Republican Party has spent my entire life railing about Big Brother when Democrats want to put simple things like energy standards on appliances.
For the last 4 years, the majority has gone on and on about the weaponization of the Federal Government. My Republican colleagues created a special subcommittee here in the House, which I happily voted for, to hammer the idea that Americans were being targeted based on their political views.
I wonder, when the Federal Government is sending marines to break up protests in Los Angeles, why are we hearing little from that side about the States' rights.
I wonder, when unaccountable rogue agencies are partnering with tech companies like Palantir to surveil and profile Americans, why are we hearing so little from the other side about civil liberties.
I also wonder, when people are being arrested, stripped of their green cards, and deported because they do not agree with our government's position on Gaza, why are we hearing so little from that side about the weaponization of the Federal Government.
The American people are right to be disturbed by these unmistakably fascist tactics, and they are showing up in numbers to oppose the militarized raids. They are using their constitutional rights to oppose the brutality of Trump and Miller's policies.
I stand in solidarity with the people in my district and across this country who are coming out to peacefully make their voices heard and demand respect for our constitutional rights and values.
The people who are standing up for their neighbors, standing up for families, and standing up for communities are showing more patriotism and more genuine commitment to our founding ideals than the people running the executive branch. This administration will not last forever, and the reactions of everyday Americans to this authoritarianism give me heart.
A couple of weeks ago, after an ICE raid at a pizzeria in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, two people gave quotes to local news that have been making the rounds. One of them said: ``It is just made to instill fear, and I am not sure why we need fear in our communities instead of love and caring and community.''
That is what we are about in this country, and that is what we will continue to stand up for.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Israeli security; Palestinian freedom; a just, peaceful, and swift end to the war in Gaza; and an eventual, viable, and negotiated two-state solution.
The situation in Gaza today is dire. I want to be clear. The war in Gaza began with Hamas' brutal attack on innocent Israelis on October 7, the bloodiest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust. For many in the Jewish community, in the United States, and around the world, time stopped on that day and has not yet resumed.
It will resume when all the hostages are home. It will resume when the war is over and the reservists can return to their families. It will resume when there is enough food, water, and medicine in Gaza to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe. It will resume when families on both sides of the border can sleep peacefully without the constant fear of rockets and bombs falling from the sky. It will resume when there is a lasting, durable, and negotiated cease-fire.
Mr. Speaker, that day need not be far away. Israel achieved its goal of destroying the military capabilities and existential threat of Hamas months ago. Now, Prime Minister Netanyahu should be proclaiming victory and indicating his readiness to withdraw from Gaza contingent on the return of all the hostages, both living and dead.
He should be signaling his willingness to support an international security force on an interim basis to ensure law and order and Israel's support for international investment in the training and equipping of an eventual Palestinian security force. He should be supporting confidence-building measures in the West Bank, which empower the Palestinian Authority contingent on the PA embracing and implementing real reforms. He should not be enacting an annexationist vision while the plague of settler violence runs rampant.
The alternative, Mr. Speaker, is a stark and disturbing picture. This week, Tom Friedman wrote in The New York Times that: If ``Israel goes ahead with Netanyahu's vow to perpetuate this war indefinitely--to try to achieve . . . the far right's fantasy of ridding Gaza of Palestinians and resettling it with Israelis--Jews worldwide better prepare themselves, their children, and their grandchildren for a reality they have never known: to be Jewish in a world where the Jewish state is a pariah state, a source of shame, not of pride.
``Because one day, foreign photographers and reporters will be allowed to go into Gaza unescorted by the Israeli Army.'' And when they do, the full horror of the destruction there will become clear to all.
Friedman continued, Mr. Speaker, writing: ``Israel, instead of being seen by Jews as a safe haven from anti-Semitism, will be seen as a new engine generating it; sane Israelis will line up to immigrate to Australia and America rather than beckon their fellow Jews to come Israel's way. That dystopian future is not here yet, but if you don't see its outlines gathering, you are deluding yourself.''
Mr. Friedman is not alone in this analysis. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, former Israeli security officials have been speaking out. Last week, two former Israeli Air Force pilots, Brigadier General Asaf Agmon and Colonel Uri Arad, published a letter in Hebrew in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. They wrote: ``As the war in Gaza dragged on, it became clear that it was losing its strategic and security purposes and instead served primarily the political and personal interests of the government. It thus became an unmistakably immoral war, and increasingly appeared to be a war of revenge.''
I agree with these distinguished former officials. It is clear to me that we long ago reached the point where victory is no longer the goal, and the main obstacle to bringing the hostages home and ending the war is the politics of one man: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
General Agmon and Colonel Arad are not peace activists, Mr. Speaker. They are former top Israeli Air Force pilots and high-ranking officers. We must heed their calls.
They are not alone, Mr. Speaker. Commanders for Israel's Security is a movement of over 550 retired senior officials from Israel's defense, security and diplomatic services. The ``Commanders,'' as they are often referred to, recently published a letter urging Jewish diaspora voices to speak out in favor of ending the violence in Gaza.
They wrote: ``Accused of weakening Israel or betraying their connection to the Jewish state, they are told that those who live abroad or do not serve in the IDF must keep silent. We categorically reject the notion that Jews in the diaspora must remain silent on matters concerning Israel. . . . To those who fear that public criticism undermines Israel, we say that open, honest dialogue only reinforces our democracy and security.''
This is true for this body, too, Mr. Speaker. We all must speak up. If our voices contribute to preventing one
Jewish tradition teaches in Mishnah Sanhedrin that saving one life is like saving the whole world. I hope that we can come together to heed the voices that are speaking out at this moment, and that together we can work to save as many worlds as we can.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to the passing of our esteemed colleague and former chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Charles B. ``Charlie'' Rangel.
Mr. Rangel served in this House of Representatives for 46 years. He was talented, hilarious to talk to in private and public moments, and an individual who, time and again, offered broad influence on important legislation that passed through this House and eventually became law, including the Affordable Care Act while he was chairman of the Committee.
He was one of the longest serving Members of Congress, but he was also a legislative titan in the sense that 40 bills or resolutions that became law were part of his rich legacy.
He was a friend, ally, and acolyte of the late Speaker Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill. He was also a dedicated member of the American military and, in fact, was wounded at the Yalu River during the Korean conflict.
His story is that of millions of Americans who, against extraordinary odds, succeeded. Educated by a family from Springfield, Massachusetts, the Putnams, he made his way through NYU and St. John's Law School and became a former assistant district attorney as well as a Member of this House and an assemblyman. He defeated Adam Clayton Powell in a very big upset, and 46 years later, he retired from this institution.
Amongst the most pleasant memories I have of Mr. Rangel, who was a great friend and mentor to me, and I stayed in touch with him many years after he had decided to retire, was his strong sense of independence.
I think for a young man growing up in the thirties and forties in Harlem, there must have been many serious challenges, but he always finished his sentences after a legislative task had been accomplished by saying and referencing ``this great country of ours.''
After the Yalu River, he wrote a very important book, ``And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since.'' The humor was clear to all of us as it was delivered with that raspy voice time and again. I know in reference to me it was always ``Richard'' and we knew what he meant.
One of my last get-togethers with Chairman Rangel was in New York City. I was reminded of that sense of independence as we had a seminar that was conducted by the Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee, and I called to make sure that this former alum would attend.
I asked if we could do anything, like providing him with transportation. He said no. In his early nineties, he would make his way there to the restaurant on his own.
At the end of the night, knowing that he clearly had lost a step in terms of some of that independence as he tried to navigate the staircase going up, I said: Charlie, can I help you with the staircase? And he said: No, you can't.
That was the Charlie Rangel we knew. It wasn't insolence. It was that sense of independence that he always maintained and kept.
I can't tell you how many nights in the Ways and Means Committee when Mr. Rangel would hold forth about the stories of people he had met along the way. The stories were always rather colorful and ended with a laugh. Those very people are part of the strong personalities that make up the institution of the House of Representatives, and he certainly was one of them.
He came from a time very different than the one that we find ourselves in now. It had nothing to do with performative politics and certainly nothing to do with social media. He found a little bit of comfort in taking on his most severe critics on cable TV. He was one of those Members of Congress who would accept an invitation from people who had been harshly critical of him to define his positions.
Charlie Rangel was one of those guys that changed this institution for the better and forever. I still recall those discussions he had as we related conversations to the Chinese Government, to his own upward mobility, to the legislation that he paved the way for. Charlie Rangel always cared about the people in Harlem, and Charlie Rangel always cared about the American people and the United States of America, as well.
He redefined what was possible. He shepherded much of the great legislation that we continue to enjoy today in America, but I will call attention to those statements that he made, Mr. Speaker, by always finishing with what a great country we live in.
Mr. Speaker, I, first and foremost, will associate myself with the remarks of Mr. Neal from Massachusetts about our dear friend and colleague, Charlie Rangel.
Also, Mr. Speaker, I will point out, as well, that I believe the Representative from Indiana was on the floor talking about how we should go after PBS and NPR. ``Sesame Street'' and Big Bird are really culprits here, and every American ought to be really concerned about that.
We still have something we call free press and free opinions. If you think that they are the kind of organization that they are--I believe the other night on the floor they were called communistic, as well. How about we have an open public hearing and debate on that and put legislation forward not in the dark of night but when the public can actually view what you are saying.
Mr. Speaker, I am here today primarily, though, to talk about Social Security and also to enlighten, I hope, my colleagues on the other side. I am very concerned about the Supreme Court's most recent ruling that overturned two lower courts with no logic and said, no, there shouldn't be a pause, that DOGE ought to be able to look at everyone's personal data and records.
To all Social Security recipients and all Americans out there that are tuned in to this, understand what this is about. This is about DOGE having access to the more than 70 million Social Security recipients and everybody who, in fact, is on Social Security, which will include basically the whole Nation.
Why they need this data they don't make clear, but then again, they have never been vetted. They have never had to go through a Senate process. They are a special group status that has no responsibility or accountability and have been given unfettered access to everyone's personal data and information.
I would hope that one Republican--perhaps you, Mr. Speaker--will stand up and speak out against this outrage, because you know how important Social Security is to your district and how many recipients you have and how much money comes into your district on a monthly basis.
Imagine, that hasn't been altered in over 54 years because this body hasn't taken action, but now Elon Musk and Trump will get over the dispute they had because their focus is on privatizing Social Security and going after the $2.7 trillion of the people's money that is in trust. Their goal is to privatize Social Security by both dismantling it from within by laying off people, cutting phone service, closing regional offices, and suspending more than 7,000 workers under the guise of ``we are after fraud and abuse.''
They are about to take and use something that could be a very constructive tool in AI, but, no, they are going to be using that tool to go after the people's data and information and the $2.7 trillion in the trust fund.
Will anyone on the other side of the aisle join Representatives Neal and Jeffries in putting forward a bill that stops DOGE from looking at and taking people's personal data and information?
They have no accountability. The only accountability over Social Security is the United States Congress. If the Republicans remain silent and let this happen, shame on them for letting this happen. There is no way that Americans should be subject to a person who hasn't been verified, people who are going in and looking at their personal data and information.
I think it is disgusting what is going on, and there ought to be hearings and, most importantly, there ought to be a vote. We have a plan. We have a plan not to privatize Social Security, but to enhance it for the first time in over 54 years, to lift the 5 million people that get below-poverty-level checks out of it.
Mr. Speaker, it is outrageous and shameful that the President sent in the military to brutalize protesters in Los Angeles. The right to dissent in our country is an American value. This is just evidence, evidence that our country is falling into fascism. It is an abuse of power and a dangerous escalation that will only destabilize our communities and hurt protesters.
I stand with those defending our immigrant neighbors and our fundamental rights. Nothing justifies spending $134 million of our tax dollars to send in troops to attack fellow Americans.
Mr. Speaker, immigrant communities have been telling us for years, warning us about ICE being rogue, violating their rights. It is outrageous. People are now seeing it for themselves and understanding why we say abolish ICE, which was created in 2003.
I agree with them. I agree that we must abolish ICE and protect our communities and neighbors. It has caused so much needless harm since its creation in 2003.
This month, Mr. Speaker, a high school senior in my district, Maykol Bogoya-Duarte, a high school student 3.5 credits shy of graduating from Western International High School, was on a field trip with his classmates. Local police profiled him--yes, they did--Oh, he can't speak English, let's call immigration. He spoke English just fine.
That set into motion him being separated from his mother, his school community, and ripping away his chance to be able to graduate with his classmates.
ICE cruelty is evident because they sent him to Louisiana. He had paperwork on file. He was trying to do the right thing. He was just a kid. The cruelty is disgusting, and the Trump administration is desperately trying to label kids like Maykol as a criminal.
We must reject this rhetoric and policies that pit our immigrant communities against each other, tear families apart, and put our neighbors in harm's way. Mr. Speaker, it is important to understand the cruelty and how we need to make sure that, again, we protect our community.
Mr. Speaker, Juneteenth marks the official end of slavery in the United States of America, and this day remains deeply meaningful to many of our families in the Michigan 12th Congressional District. The most beautiful, Blackest city is in the 12th District, the city of Detroit.
It is a celebration of freedom, Black resilience, and the ongoing fight for justice for all. In our community, we remember and honor generations of Black Americans who fought for liberation.
As we speak, right now, Republican extremists across our country are attempting to erase Black history right before our eyes. We stand with residents in Detroit and throughout the country who refuse to let Black history be erased. We are committed to uplifting their stories and carrying on the movement for true equity and dignity for all.
Detroit's legacy, its culture, leadership, and resistance are a living testament to Black brilliance and perseverance.
However, we also recognize that freedom was never fully granted. The abolition of slavery contained a clause in the 13th Amendment that still allows slavery to exist as a ``punishment for crime.'' That loophole to this day has fueled mass incarceration, economic exploitation, and generational harm, especially for Black Americans.
That is why I support the abolition amendment, which would strike this shameful exception from our Constitution and end the legalized practice of slavery in the United States.
Detroiters understand that reparations are not just about the past. This is important. They are about addressing the present-day impacts of institutionalized racism, Mr. Speaker. They are about acknowledging the labor, land, and lives stolen, and beginning to repair what has been broken. That is what it is about. We must give our Black neighbors the reparations that they were promised.
This Juneteenth, I ask everyone in this Chamber to join me in honoring our Black neighbors by fighting for what is long overdue: reparations, Black maternal health equity, investments in HBCUs, and real protections for voting rights.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate an extraordinary man, a man of faith and courage, Father Paul Shaughnessy. He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and currently serves as a parish priest at St. Cecilia's Church in Leominster, Massachusetts, but his impact extends far beyond any district lines.
He is a Jesuit priest and a Navy Chaplain who has dedicated his life to service. He is a graduate of the College of Holy Cross--a classmate of my colleague, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier--and also a graduate of Weston Jesuit School of Theology, and the Naval War College.
Father Shaughnessy served as a member of the Chaplain Corps of the U.S. Navy and served four tours of duty to Iraq, helping sailors and marines cope with life-and-death issues, while also providing spiritual moral guidance. He was a frontline chaplain through brutal fighting in Iraq with my colleague, Congressman Seth Moulton.
Mr. Speaker, Father Shaughnessy is not just a priest. He is a quiet force who brings peace and strength to those in the toughest of circumstances. I am honored to have him here with us today.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate Walter Gorlewski's 100th birthday on June 28. He resides in Eagle River, Wisconsin. I honor his remarkable life and express gratitude for his courageous service in the United States Army with Patton's Third Division in the European-Middle Eastern Theater during World War II.
This theater played a critical role in diverting German strength and controlling important supply routes, ultimately leading to allied victory.
For his acts of valor, Walter was awarded four Bronze Battle Stars, three Overseas Service Bars, and a Good Conduct Medal.
Mr. Speaker, I wish Walter a happy 100th birthday and thank him for his service.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today ahead of June 14th to celebrate an extraordinary milestone, the United States Army's 250th birthday.
Every year, just a few weeks after Memorial Day, our country celebrates our Army's birthday. This marks the anniversary in 1775 when the Continental Congress authorized the establishment of the Continental Army to defend the 13 American Colonies.
It was the beginning of a force that would go on to secure our freedom, shape our Nation's history, and stand as a pillar of strength in times of war and peace.
As the oldest and largest branch of our Armed Forces, the U.S. Army has played a central role in defending our Nation, upholding our values, and advancing peace around the globe.
For 250 years, generations of soldiers have answered the call of duty using the Army's values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage.
Mr. Speaker, as a proud Army dad, I know the sacrifices made by our servicemembers and their families.
In Congress, I remain committed to supporting legislation that strengthens our national defense and honors the men and women who wear the uniform.
Mr. Speaker, I wish a happy 250th birthday to the United States Army. May their legacy of service continue for generations to come.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Father Paul Shaughnessy and to welcome him as our guest chaplain for today.
I first met Father Shaughnessy at the College of the Holy Cross in Mr. McGovern's district, in Worcester, Massachusetts. We were classmates, friends, teammates, and we spent an occasional evening in Worcester at an Irish bar having a pint, maybe two--we were young-- talking about life.
Father Shaughnessy joined the Jesuits and became an ordained priest before making the noble decision to enlist in the Marines in 1994.
Lieutenant Commander Shaughnessy brought faith and comfort to many soldiers, including a congregation of 32,000 in Iraq.
His impact has earned him a number of accolades, such as Meritorious Service Medals and the Navy and Marine Corps commendation medals.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Father Paul Shaughnessy for his service and for sharing his wisdom and faith with us today.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize two exceptional young leaders, Angel and Sandra, our outstanding interns from Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School. These students have demonstrated maturity and a sincere desire to serve.
Throughout their time in our office, they brought a strong work ethic to everything that they did, from assisting with constituent outreach to supporting our office operations. They showed us that the next generation is not only ready to lead but also eager to contribute.
In a time when public service too often goes undervalued, these young interns remind us that civic engagement is alive and well. Their curiosity and commitment give me great hope for the future of our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I sincerely thank Angel and Sandra for their hard work, their integrity, and their service. They have left a mark here. I have no doubt they will go on to do many great things.
Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize my friend, Father Shaughnessy.
I was at a marine reunion this weekend, and we heard remarkable stories of heroism from ordinary Americans who signed up for the Marine Corps, who did heroic things. There were a lot of stories about marines. There were stories about one civilian who was with us in the fight, who, as we were getting hit with incoming rounds, would walk thoughtlessly amongst us to give us comfort. When marines were getting
Father Shaughnessy never met a marine who didn't respect him, just like he never met an R he could pronounce. Yes, every time he opened his mouth, we knew he was from Worcester, Massachusetts. What he said with his words inspired courage in all of us.
Father Shaughnessy is a friend. He is a leader, and he is an American hero.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a major milestone for American manufacturing for New York's southern tier.
Alstom, a global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, has opened its new, cutting-edge plant 4 facility in Hornell, New York.
This 135,000-square-foot expansion brings stainless steel railcar body production back to the United States, strengthening our domestic supply chain, and reaffirming Hornell's position as the Nation's premier center for passenger train manufacturing.
Plant 4 isn't just a facility. It is a symbol of what investment in American industry looks like. It will retain 390 good-paying jobs locally and create 258 new ones for families across my district.
These are high-quality, high-tech jobs that provide economic stability and opportunity for the hardworking people of the southern tier.
Production will soon begin on 200 multilevel commuter railcars for Chicago's Metra system, proof that what is built in Hornell rolls across the Nation.
This project is a powerful example of how we strengthen our economy by investing in our communities, empowering our workforce, and leading the way in advanced manufacturing.
I commend Alstom for their continued commitment to Hornell and thank the skilled men and women who are driving this legacy forward.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the retirement of a dedicated public servant in California's 31st District.
Enrique Zaldivar has served the city of Baldwin Park as chief executive officer since 2021.
Demonstrating years of leadership and honoring a commitment to serve the nearly 80,000 residents of Baldwin Park as the city's first Mexican-American chief executive officer, Mr. Zaldivar paved his own path to enhance city operations and make our community a better place.
Throughout his tenure, he helped establish the city's Mexican Consulate on Wheels, oversaw new public safety upgrades, and brought vibrant programming to the community.
Mr. Zaldivar is a respected and revered leader. Our community is better because of him.
I congratulate Mr. Zaldivar on his well-deserved retirement.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the historic 2025 graduating class of Martin County High School.
The proud Gators made history with their first graduation since the unification of South Creek High School and Riverside High School. The Gators had their first outdoor graduation ever in the swamp.
There were hugs, smiles, dancing, chest bumps, and even tears.
A touching moment was when Jaden Wiggins' parents accepted his diploma. Only weeks before he was due to graduate, he was tragically killed in a vehicle accident. Yet, his memory remains with his classmates.
The graduation exercise not only ended with the turning of the tassels but also an amazing fireworks demonstration. The spirit of unity was incredible.
I congratulate the parents, teachers, education support professionals, administrators, school board, community, and, above all, the students.
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 499, I call up the bill (H.R. 4) to rescind certain budget authority proposed to be rescinded in special messages transmitted to the Congress by the President on June 3, 2025, in accordance with section 1012(a) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 499, the bill is considered read.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill shall be debatable for 1 hour, equally divided and controlled by the majority leader and the minority leader, or their respective designees.
The gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. McClain) and the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. McClain).
Mr. Speaker, I request that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Michigan?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to voice my strong support for H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025.
Last November, the American people sent a clear message to Washington: Stop wasting our tax dollars and get our fiscal house in order.
The President and House Republicans heard the American people. We heard them loud and clear. We are keeping our promises to end the waste, the fraud, and the abuse.
This rescissions package sends $9.4 billion back to the U.S. Treasury. That is $9.4 billion of savings that taxpayers won't see wasted.
It is their money, Mr. Speaker. It is, along with our One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the first of many important steps
In 2024, the Federal Government spent over $1.8 trillion, and that is just in discretionary spending. The rescissions are only addressing one-half of 1 percent of that total. Democrats would consider this a rounding error.
This administration has spent months combing through our Federal budget, line by line, identifying waste, fraud, and abuse. Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, there is a lot.
I think the American people would be hard-pressed, or anyone would be hard-pressed, to say that the government runs so efficiently that we can't find any more efficiencies. However, don't let the fear-mongering from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle fool you, Mr. Speaker.
Those claiming that these rescissions will harm people in other countries--I am going to say that again--those Democrats who are saying that these rescissions will harm people in other countries are missing the point. It is about people in our country being put first. It is about putting Americans first. What a concept.
That is because American citizens support ending the waste, the fraud, and the abuse in places like USAID.
A ``yes'' vote today will stop wasteful spending on programs like $500,000 for electric buses in Rwanda, $4 million for bean systems research, $67,000 for feeding insect powder to children in Madagascar, and $3 million for Iraqi ``Sesame Street.'' Lord knows, the Iraqi children need a little Big Bird in their life. It is a good use of $3 million of taxpayer money. I might want to use the $3 million on homeless vets.
How about we take some of that cash back.
Mr. Speaker, $4 million for sedentary migrants in Colombia. That seems like an oxymoron.
There is $2.5 million for teaching young children, get this, how to make environmentally friendly reproductive health decisions. I scratch my head on that one.
There is $833,000 for services for transgender people, sex workers and their clients and sexual networks in Nepal.
The list goes on and on. I am sort of embarrassed to read it.
Americans know the Federal Government is wasting money, and they are wasting Americans' taxpayer money. House Republicans are going to stop wasting our tax dollars. It is really simple. We are focused on actually putting the American people first. We are focusing on the American people whom we represent, not whether the people in Zimbabwe have vegan food to eat, and not electric buses in Rwanda. This is what those on the other side of the aisle want to defend: the waste, the fraud, and the abuse. They actually advocate for it.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' to end the insanity and actually put Americans first. Let's rescind wasteful spending. It is really simple.
Mr. Speaker, I am opposed to this bill to aid and abet billionaires in stealing from the American people and which does nothing to help the American people with the cost of living.
Since taking office, President Trump and Elon Musk unlawfully have stolen funds appropriated by Congress, passed by Republicans and Democrats in the House and in the Senate, and signed into law by the President, upending the separation of powers and our constitutional order.
For what end?
It is to hand billionaires and the biggest corporations, who already pay little or no taxes, another massive tax break. It is 4.5 trillion of taxpayers' dollars.
Do the Republicans want to talk about wasting taxpayer dollars?
This money is going to the wealthiest people and the biggest corporations. That is where they should save the money.
They want to make our government so broken, so dysfunctional, so starved for resources, and so full of incompetent political lackeys and bereft of experts and professionals that its departments and agencies cannot feasibly achieve the goals and the missions to which they are lawfully directed. That is where we are going.
Ultimately, they want to embrace privatization and give the biggest companies unchecked power. They want to rig the economy against the middle class, workers, and vulnerable families. They want to ensure the American people have no faith in the ability of government to do good in their lives.
Mr. Speaker, there is no inherent authority for the President to impound and steal funds, and there never has been. I don't care if the President is Republican or Democrat. The late Justices Scalia and Rehnquist said so. Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kavanaugh have said so. By the way, they are no liberal torchbearers.
The Department of Justice and the Government Accountability Office have said so. Over 200 years of American history say so. Our Founding Fathers designed our government so.
Alexander Hamilton said: ``But where the purse is lodged in one branch, and the sword in another, there can be no danger.'' The power of the purse resides in the United States Congress.
This rescissions package dated May 28, submitted June 3, 134 days after the President began unlawfully freezing funding, is an admission by President Trump and Russ Vought that they are breaking the law by impounding $425 billion in appropriated funds across the government. They do not care about the consequences for Americans.
This is a bill to codify the rights of billionaires and to rubberstamp the right of billionaires to steal from rural and vulnerable American communities, children, and the global poor, for the sake of handing even more money to billionaires. Congress needs to fight for the middle class, for the working class, and for the most vulnerable, not to protect the interests of billionaires and big corporations.
Members considering voting for this own the reckless cuts done by Elon Musk.
This is a bill to shut down rural television and radio stations, cutting off coverage of local news, eliminating emergency information like severe weather alerts, and jeopardizing access to PBS KIDS children's programs like ``Sesame Street.''
This is a bill to rip lifesaving support away from the hungry, displaced, and sick people in developing countries and conflict zones across the globe and to end programs that treat deadly diseases and prevent pandemics.
This is a bill to abandon the people of Ukraine while they resist Putin's tyranny.
This is a bill to cut $400 million from PEPFAR, a paragon of American leadership that has saved the lives of 26 million mothers and fathers, sons and daughters. Instead of facing a death sentence, people supported by PEPFAR are raising families, building their communities, and helping their communities grow and develop.
This is a bill that puts America last. When we retreat from the world diplomatically and through our assistance to vulnerable people, then America will be alone, without allies, and in a less stable world without the support of the international community.
Mr. Speaker, do you know who will come out ahead?
China, Russia, and Iran. When people in need see bags of food and flour coming through that say USA, that shows the power of the United States. That now will be traded for food aid from China.
We are here today considering cuts after months of unlawful impoundment, stealing, that will conceal a Republican reconciliation bill to make the billionaires in America even more rich and increase the debt by $3 trillion. Mr. Speaker, you increase the debt. You rip health insurance away from at least 16 million Americans.
This bill rescinds $9.4 billion, which Congress just appropriated not even 3 months ago. Now the President is asking the Congress to rubberstamp its proposal to steal from the American people without concern for the consequences. This bill does nothing to help the American people with the cost of living. The President said he was going to bring it down on the first day. He has done nothing but make it worse.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this bill which forfeits our global leadership, undermines national security, and steals from the American people to hand more wealth to billionaires.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.
Mr. Speaker, I could use my minute for a number of things, but I think I am going to use it now to apologize to all of you in the gallery.
I am sorry. You just literally had to listen to somebody lying to all of you directly.
How many times did she say the word ``billionaire''?
How many times did she say that we are trying to do something to enrich billionaires?
That is not taking place at all. We are cutting waste, fraud, and abuse.
Billions of dollars have gone to a Canadian lesbian justice foundation, transgender sex workers networks in Nepal, and a whole list of things. I would say that among the definition of things that we could do to eliminate those programs would be the definition of saving the American taxpayer money.
I am going to leave it at that.
They expect you to believe what they say and not believe what you can see with your own eyes.
Let the American people be the judge of whether that is saving you money or whether that is enriching billionaires.
We want to end programs like LGBTQI in the Caribbean, the Balkans, and Uganda, and all the dollars that we put into trying to support those programs that are waste, fraud, and abuse. Our American tax dollars should not be spent in that way.
I am sorry that they are lying to you in this way, but we are going to work through all this and work to save you all money.
I am sorry that you are all being lied to, but you are going to expect to hear more.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair reminds Members that the rules do not allow references to persons in the gallery.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree), the distinguished ranking member of the Interior and Environmental Subcommittee of Appropriations.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Connecticut for yielding the time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this reckless attack on public media contained within this rescission bill and the millions of Americans who rely on and treasure their local public television and radio stations.
Every State will feel the impact of this $1.1 billion rescission. In fact, 70 percent of these cuts will directly impact local public media stations, $770 million, including more than $4 million to my State alone.
In rural states like Maine, local stations and networks like Maine Public are often the most accessible and sometimes the only source of news and information.
Whether it is children's programs like Sesame Street and Daniel Tiger, high school basketball tournament coverage, or trusted news shows like Maine Calling, public media has been a vital part of Mainers' lives for generations.
Speaking of lives, these stations literally save lives. They send out information regarding wildfire evacuations, missing child alerts, and winter storm warnings. Storm warnings are pretty common in Maine. If there is an emergency in your town, chances are the local media station is sounding the alarm and giving the information people need to stay safe.
The purpose of public media is to inform, educate, and engage. It makes people's lives better, and it has undoubtedly made our country stronger.
This President wants nothing more than to destroy it.
This is not about fiscal responsibility or finding waste, fraud, and abuse. Mr. Speaker, do you know how much these services cost each taxpayer per year? They cost less than $2. That is less than one cup of coffee.
It is certainly not about cutting something people don't like because 76 percent of Americans support public media. In this political climate, that kind of consensus is unheard of.
This is about one thing: the President's vendetta against the free press and his authoritarian desire to control the media.
Public media enriches our lives, nourishes our minds, and makes our communities safer. It deserves to be preserved and protected, not gutted to score political points.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this rescission.
Mr. Speaker, Iowans overwhelmingly rejected the Washington status quo in November, demanding an end to unelected bureaucrats misusing taxpayer resources.
President Trump's rescissions package cuts $9.4 billion, including $3 million for Iraqi ``Sesame Street'', $6 million for net-zero cities in Mexico, and $1 million for voter ID in Haiti, not here in the United States.
We are only scratching the surface with this package. Imagine being able to redirect those dollars to veterans' care or specialty crop programs in a State like mine.
This package also rescinds funds for NPR and PBS. For decades, public broadcasting has not adhered to objectivity standards enshrined in law. It has pushed biased narratives and forced inappropriate content on children, like a movie celebrating the sex change of a child, and a feature on the racial origins of fat phobia. I am not sure what that means.
Children should not be fed woke propaganda, certainly not on the taxpayer's dime. That is coming from a former broadcaster.
I thank President Trump for exposing this waste and working to protect Americans' hard-earned dollars. I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this bill.
Mr. Speaker, if there was fraud, there would be arrests. There is not fraud. There have not been arrests. They are depending on the word of Mr. Musk, who took out a chain saw from the President of Argentina and waved it around, a chain saw. He took a chain saw to the budget, not a scalpel.
If my colleagues want to improve something, improve it. Mr. Speaker, regarding the Kennedy Center, if they want to improve it, they want ``Hee Haw,'' have ``Hee Haw,'' but don't get rid of the Kennedy Center.
There will be people who will die. This bill is good for Russia and China and undertakers because it is going to have people dying. Bill Gates said this is the richest man in the world, Musk, taking advantage of and killing the poorest children in the world. They are not going to be getting PEPFAR programs created by George Bush. They are not going to get the sustenance they need which is rotting in ships right now.
Don't end it, mend it. This is a terrible bill. This is Musk's bill on drugs.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to address their remarks to the Chair.
Mr. Speaker, I know there are budget hawks, and I know there are people that care about the deficit, which should be everybody in this room. I know they are getting impatient. They are wondering when is the House going to finally take action and make the DOGE cuts official. The answer, Mr. Speaker, is today.
Today is the day we take the first step in restoring fiscal discipline and getting our Nation back on track. H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025, cuts unnecessary spending and ensures tax
Taxpayers, Mr. Speaker, have said enough is enough. I say enough is enough. Let's pass this bill, Mr. Speaker, and let's go get them.
Mr. Speaker, this rescissions package is all about going back on the agreements that Republicans just made in March. It is about the fact that Congress had approved this funding before Elon Musk took a literal chain saw, an illegal chain saw, to foreign aid and public broadcasting and a whole bunch of other things that Americans care about. Then guess what? The courts said no.
Now, Trump has ordered his minions here in this House to go back on their own agreements and undermine their own authority to appropriate money, all so that they can legitimize his sometimes shadow president, Elon Musk.
This is yet another betrayal bill. It slashes U.S. USAID funding even more, and the cuts have already killed 300,000 people across the world. It will kill even more. It destroys our global leadership, and it is yet another attack on free speech in our country by slashing money for public TV and broadcasting that are many Americans' only source of news, weather, and children's programming.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025.
For decades, Americans have been waiting for their leadership to deliver on the promise that fiscal responsibility was on its way.
Wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars has been overlooked for far too long. For far too many years, leaders have kicked the can down the road, hoping a future Congress would make the hard decisions required to stop the financial bleeding.
As a proud Hoosier, I know that if we are doing our best to live within our means as a family, the government should do no less.
Congress must deliver on the promise of safeguarding American taxpayer dollars. I am proud to vote today to make this first initial step to eliminate wasteful government spending.
The Department of Government Efficiency did our country a great service in lifting the veil on how much fraud, abuse, and terrible waste of taxpayer dollars is truly happening in our government agencies.
By passing the Rescissions Act today, I join my colleagues in showing Americans that we hear them and we know that this change must be made. It is high time we work toward getting our fiscal house in order, and this is the first step.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for allowing me to speak.
Mr. Speaker, this rescissions package isn't about fiscal responsibility. It is about abandoning America's legacy of compassion, ceding global leadership, and turning our back on the most vulnerable.
The President's demand to slash $8.3 billion in lifesaving foreign assistance is plunging America deep into moral bankruptcy. Despite what Secretary Rubio and others have falsely claimed, cuts to U.S. foreign assistance have caused unnecessary deaths around the world. The cuts in this rescissions package, based on outright lies, will cost many more lives.
Now, maybe they don't care about lives, but I think we have a moral obligation that we should. My Republican colleagues should know better. Why? Just months ago they voted for this funding. They understood, and I believe they understand now if they would tell the truth, that we all should know that foreign assistance is smart policy and a national security imperative. Rescinding these funds now will have real and immediate consequences.
This package cuts $400 million from PEPFAR. These aren't Democratic pet projects as some would have you believe. PEPFAR was established by President George W. Bush and has saved more than 26 million lives, while slowing the spread of HIV/AIDS around the world. Cutting these kinds of funds is another death sentence for children and women who depend upon lifesaving medication that costs us just pennies.
It cuts $1.3 billion from humanitarian assistance, while over 300 million people around the world urgently need food, shelter, and medical care. These aren't abstract numbers. These are real lives that are at stake.
To justify these cuts, the President has misled the public about the very agencies carrying them out. Take USAID, for example. It has never failed an audit, never been found out of compliance with laws or regulations. In 2022, it ranked third among nine Federal agencies for evidence-based budgeting and decisionmaking.
Let's contrast that with the Department of Defense, who is getting more money. The Department of Defense has failed its audit. Mr. Speaker, 7 years in a row they have failed their audit. If this was truly about waste, fraud, or abuse, we would be having a lot different conversation here this afternoon.
This package also slashes funding for UNICEF, which works to protect children around the world. It means yanking more than 40 million kids out of school. It eliminates programs that help almost 4 million people have clean drinking water.
Do you know who is excited about this package? I can tell you who is excited about it. China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, they are excited about this package. They would love to do this themselves if they could, because they know that this takes away our strength and our relationships, and then they will try to jump in. They are laughing. They are happy because they see us surrendering, because that is what this is. This is a surrender.
We cannot be fooled by this budget talk. You know what? Look at it. These funds really are less than 1 percent of our overall Federal budget, less than 1 percent.
Meanwhile, if you look at what the Trump administration and our GOP colleagues are doing, they are actually adding deficits of trillions of dollars to give tax breaks to billionaires.
This is not really about fiscal restraint. Saving lives is what we should be talking about. Those billions of dollars that they are going to get in tax cuts are not going to change the lives of those billionaires.
Let us reject this rescission bill. Let us vote ``no'' and restore the money to save lives.
Mr. Speaker, if we can't unite and say no to exporting transgender ideology abroad, say no to taxpayer-funded leftwing propaganda, and say no to funding pet projects that put America last, then what is the point of being called a Republican?
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to defund NPR, PBS, and USAID. For decades, Republicans have campaigned on being fiscal conservatives, but all we have to show for it is a national debt skyrocketing toward $37 trillion.
Let me be clear: There is nothing fiscally conservative about forcing taxpayers to fund vegan food promotion in Zambia or voter ID in Haiti. We were sent here to do government differently, and nothing could be a clearer test of our commitment than to pass this rescissions package.
The time to act is today. If we continue on our track, our grandchildren will be enslaved to a debt that will dwarf our current monstrosity.
Mr. Speaker, Sunday is Father's Day, and what do dads want? They want a fair shot. They want to know that if they work hard, they can provide for their families. Yet, right now, most families in America can't even afford the basics.
Mr. Speaker, 60 percent of families in the richest nation on Earth cannot afford the first rung of the American Dream. What are my Republican colleagues doing about that?
The majority voted for a big, ugly bill that makes it even harder to raise a child in America. It takes away healthcare from 16 million Americans. It takes food benefits from working parents. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle are cutting half a trillion dollars from Medicare and hiking the costs of everyday items with their tariffs, all to fund tax breaks for the billionaire class.
That alone is a betrayal of working families, but the GOP is not stopping there. My Republican colleagues are not stopping at dismantling people's financial security. Today, Republicans are threatening their physical security because when you defund public broadcasting, you are defunding emergency broadcasts during hurricane season, tornado season, and wildfire season.
That is not even enough. The majority has to take even more. Today, my colleagues are also voting to dismantle our national security.
There are three shields that defend our homeland: defense, diplomacy, and development. When you destroy our capacity to address famine, control disease, and build infrastructure in developing nations, you are ceding our power to our rivals. You are planting the seeds of future wars.
A prominent Republican said this week that he just couldn't justify these investments. In this debate, I have heard that this is about putting America first. What are Republicans talking about? They just cut food programs and healthcare for American families.
Here is what my Republican colleagues fundamentally don't seem to understand: There is no security for billionaires in this country without security for a hungry child. There is no security for the ultrarich donors without security for working parents.
In the words of President Kennedy: ``If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.''
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to please vote ``no.''
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, this bill is really simple. Don't spend money on stupid things, and don't subsidize biased media.
There are all kinds of media that are biased. They can take care of themselves. MSNBC proves that every single day.
Think about the statement just made about NPR. Uri Berliner, an award-winning journalist who worked for NPR for over 20 years, decided NPR had lost its way and asked a basic question: What is the political affiliation of the editors for NPR in the Washington, D.C., area? Guess what he found? Eighty-seven editors' political affiliation was 87 Democrats, zero Republicans--not 44-43, not 50-37, not 60-27. It was 87-0.
This bill simply says to stop subsidizing--they can make money on their own; all the other media outlets do it--and quit spending taxpayer money, hard-earned taxpayer money, on stupid things.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentlewoman from the great State of Connecticut for yielding and for her tremendous leadership in pushing back against this reckless Republican rescissions package.
It is extraordinary to me that, once again, we are on the floor of the House of Representatives not debating legislation that Republicans bring forward, Mr. Speaker, that is designed to lower the high cost of living in the United States of America, a promise that Republicans repeatedly made last year to the American people and now have repeatedly broken.
Throughout this Congress, not a single bill has been brought to the House floor by my Republican colleagues that addresses the high cost of living in the United States of America--not a single bill.
House Republicans and President Trump promised that costs were going to go down in the United States of America. In fact, the majority has said that costs were going to go down on day one. Yet, we know that costs haven't gone down in this great country, Mr. Speaker. Costs have gone up.
America is too expensive. Housing costs are too high. Grocery costs are too high. Utility costs are too high. Childcare costs are too high. Insurance costs are too high. America is too expensive.
Republicans have decided that, in the face of this affordability crisis in the United States of America, the majority is going to undermine America's ability to protect our national security through the exercise of soft power and addressing in a bipartisan way the HIV and AIDS epidemic, a program that was first put into place by President George W. Bush and has saved the lives of millions of people across the world and, of course, people here at home by fighting against this epidemic.
America is made safer when we are able to invest in diplomacy, development, and democracy across the world, particularly in the face of aggressive efforts by China, Russia, and other malignant actors to move the world in a different place.
Mr. Speaker, this reckless Republican rescissions package will undermine America's national security and undermine public health here in this country and across the world. It actually represents an attack on children.
This is extraordinary to me. We are on the floor of the House of Representatives not debating legislation that is designed to make this country and our economy more affordable but actually debating legislation that targets Elmo, Big Bird, Daniel Tiger, and ``Sesame Street.'' That is what we are doing by going after public broadcasting in the United States of America.
``Sesame Street'' has a letter of the day. I believe the letter of the day today is C. How appropriate because this Republican bill is cruel, and it cuts children's programming all across the country.
How can this be that Republicans' priority right now does nothing on the economy, nothing to make life more affordable, and nothing to address the high cost of living? Instead, Republicans are attacking Elmo, ``Sesame Street,'' Big Bird, and Daniel Tiger. Republicans' priorities are all wrong.
This is on top of a GOP tax scam, Mr. Speaker, where Republicans are trying to visit on the American people the largest cuts to healthcare in American history, targeting Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and women's health by trying to defund Planned Parenthood. That is what Republicans in this Congress are trying to do through the GOP tax scam, this disgusting abomination, the one big, ugly bill.
My Republican colleagues are going after school lunch programs for children, supplemental nutrition assistance for children, and now children's programming.
That doesn't suggest to me that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are actually trying to strengthen families. This legislation would weaken families. It would weaken our ability to lead throughout the free world and weaken public health and safety for everyday Americans and people all across this country.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote.
Also, I am hopeful that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will at some point actually decide to focus on the issues that matter, to lift children up, not target them; to lift families up, not target them; to lift older Americans up, not target them; to lift veterans up, not target them; and to lift healthcare for everyday Americans up, not target them. That is what House Democrats will continue to do on behalf of the American people. It is high time that our Republican colleagues join us.
Vote ``no'' against this reckless Republican rescissions package.
Mr. Speaker, America's resources should always serve America's interests, and 22 rescissions to wasteful foreign aid and biased media totaling $9.4 billion is a good start.
I commend this legislation because as the national debt climbs toward $37 trillion, U.S. taxpayers deserve a government that serves them, not radical policies abroad or at home.
The reality is that the radical left has seized these institutions and wielded them for an agenda that doesn't serve America's interests. Wasted government revenues siphoned off the backs of Americans' labor through tax dollars should not be tolerated.
I commend the $1 billion rescission to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Taxpayer funding for woke media entities is absurd. NPR and PBS already have a business model that doesn't need to rely on 150 million Americans' taxed income. It does not need to promote any agenda, including their radical agenda, with stuff like what to do if you experience a microaggression or some other promotion of their agenda.
Additionally, international institutions have abandoned their original missions to promote development in exchange for radical gender ideological and climate priorities.
That is why I support the rescissions package, and I urge support for the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel), the distinguished ranking member of the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Subcommittee.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in fierce opposition to the Republicans' reckless rescission bill, a backdoor scheme to claw back critical Federal funding that protects America's global leadership, public safeguards, and trusted public broadcasting, all while bypassing congressional constitutional authority.
Let's be clear: This is not a budget tweak. It is an attack on our values; a direct hit to our national health, safety, and prosperity; and a green light for authoritarian overreach.
This package guts essential investments in international development and humanitarian programs, lifesaving tools that fight disease, prevent terrorism, supports democracy, and open markets for American businesses.
Here is the kicker, Mr. Speaker: Congress approved this funding just 2 months ago, and Donald Trump signed it into law. Now, Republicans want to rip it back to cover up the massive hole they are blowing in the deficit with tax giveaways for billionaires. Their so-called fiscal responsibility comes at the expense of starving children, crumbling democracies, and public-private partnerships that channel American innovation to solve the world's toughest challenges.
Mr. Speaker, foreign assistance, which has long represented just about 1 percent of our national budget, is not charity. It is strategy.
Don't take my word for it. Military leaders from both parties have warned us for years. If we fail to lead with soft power, we will end up paying in blood, bombs, and more boots on the ground.
Cutting foreign assistance will: deepen desperation, fuel extremism, and push fragile societies toward collapse. When that happens, we all pay the price. Refugee crises will surge. Diseases will spread, and trade routes will shut down. Our troops and diplomats face greater danger, and our homeland security is weakened.
Here is an example of what is on the chopping block: PEPFAR, which has saved over 26 million lives and nearly 8 million babies from being born with HIV; food assistance, which stabilizes communities and creates agricultural markets; and public-private partnerships that channel American innovation to solve the world's toughest challenges.
Let's talk about what happens when we pull back. When the United States steps away, others step in and not with good intentions. China is flooding developing countries with infrastructure loans and digital surveillance systems. Russia is exporting mercenaries and disinformation. While we are debating whether to send a bag of rice or a clean water pump, our adversaries are buying influence, forging military alliances, and rewriting the rules of global engagement.
This is not theoretical. This is happening right now. Let's take Africa, for example, a region poised to become one-quarter of the world's population. U.S. assistance has helped build stability there through nutrition programs, education, and public health. If we walk away now, we are not just abandoning our values. We are surrendering one of the world's fastest growing marketplaces to China.
Let's be clear: Regions we assist aren't just aid recipients. They are emerging economies and future trading partners. Pulling back opens the door for authoritarian regimes like China to dominate the future, commerce, connectivity, and development.
This is not just cruel. It is strategically self-defeating and economically foolish.
Make no mistake, this rescission package is Project 2025 in action-- dismantling our institutions, silencing oversight, and handing U.S. global leadership over to the dictators on a silver platter, leaving us alone in the world.
This bill attempts to rubberstamp the Trump administration's illegal actions, blocking funding already approved by Congress, firing career public servants, and hollowing out entire agencies.
Let's be honest. These are not going to lower the costs for American families. It is not going to reduce the deficit, but it will make the world more dangerous.
It will make Americans less safe and less prosperous.
Mr. Speaker, I have heard from my colleagues on the other side that we should be focused on issues that matter, that we should be thinking about our kids.
As I lay awake at night here in Washington--I have only been here a couple months, but as bad as I thought it was going to be. It is far worse because Rome is burning and too many people in this building say that that is a great opportunity to roast marshmallows.
The fact of the matter is, if we can't make these cuts, which are as simple and as easy as you would think--$6 million to fund media in Gaza, funding PBS and NPR--even if it was a good idea, you can't do it when you are borrowing trillions of dollars a year.
If we can't make these cuts, which should be the easiest imaginable cuts, then there is no hope for us. I am grateful to my leadership for bringing this forward. I am grateful to President Trump for doing it, but make no mistake: This is only the first step if we want to put out the fire.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to President Trump's rescission package that steals $400 million from PEPFAR, a lifesaving global health program.
Let me remind my colleagues that PEPFAR is a bipartisan effort first led by Congresswoman Barbara Lee and signed by President George W. Bush. It has been reauthorized on a bipartisan basis four times.
Right now, Republicans who are supportive of PEPFAR are calling the White House seeking assurances that it will be protected. Do not listen to the President's empty promises. Nothing in this bill protects PEPFAR.
If I were to put it simply, PEPFAR saves lives. It has already saved 26 million lives. That is indisputable, and it should be enough to continue to fund one of the most successful global health programs in history.
If I cannot appeal to my colleague's humanitarian side, perhaps they will listen to all the ways PEPFAR serves American interests. PEPFAR is a cornerstone of global health progress and U.S. diplomacy. If Congress was to bow to President Trump's demands to pull PEPFAR funding, it would leave a gap for China to fill.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, our conference chair (Mrs. McClain) for managing this time on this important bill.
Mr. Speaker, a lot of people come up here, and they talk about trying to get America's fiscal house in order. They talk about the idea of getting back to balanced Federal budgets. I don't know many people here who are against it.
I know later in this Congress when we put a bill on the floor to require a balanced Federal budget, there will be many Democrats, Mr. Speaker, who will vote ``no'' on that because when it comes time to actually put your votes on the board to back up the principles that most Americans relish, they walk away. They won't be there when it actually matters.
Everybody can talk about cutting wasteful spending, even if you don't necessarily agree that it is wasteful spending. However, what we are bringing today is wasteful spending, even if you think it might not be as bad as some other things you don't agree with. We all have to agree, Mr. Speaker, that as we just saw a few weeks ago, Moody's downgraded the credit rating of the United States.
It wasn't a recommendation, Mr. Speaker. It wasn't a warning that if you folks don't get your fiscal house in order this might happen. They actually did it. They downgraded the credit rating of the United States because spending has to get under control. The party over there that spent the last 4 years under President Biden spending like drunken sailors, in all due respect to drunken sailors because they don't spend this bad, but the trillions of dollars of debt that were racked up had consequences, Mr. Speaker.
It had consequences not only in terms of our national debt, but it affected the pocketbooks of families all across America because that bloated spending in Washington, which is money we don't have, by the way; and it increased inflation to the point where people couldn't even go to the grocery store to fill up their carts. They couldn't afford to go to the gas station to fill up their cars. They couldn't afford to take out a loan to buy a house because interest rates had gotten so high that today we are spending more money servicing our interest than we are on America's national debt.
These are all real, dramatic facts that concern most Americans. They say: Thank goodness Congress is finally bringing a bill to the floor to start cutting some spending that aren't priorities.
You can call it wasteful if you want. Call it whatever you want, but these aren't things that we can afford to spend, even if you agree with them, because it is not money we have in the bank. It is all borrowed money, Mr. Speaker.
Where did we start? The White House laid out a number of things, but they looked at that USAID program. They didn't gut the whole thing, but they said there are a number of things that are being done that just don't represent the values of the United States and are being done in foreign countries while we don't have our fiscal house in order here in America, so how about we start there.
I know the Democrats on the other side are acting like, oh, my God, the world is going to stop spinning on its axis if this spending goes away, so why don't we talk about some of the spending that will go away.
Mr. Speaker, again, it is borrowed money, not money we just took out of the bank. It is money we borrowed from countries like China to spend that is a debt to our kids.
To each one of these I list, Mr. Speaker, you should ask: If you vote ``yes,'' you are finally relieving that debt burden, but if you vote ``no,'' you think it is okay to send this bill to our kids. We are not paying for it today, Mr. Speaker, but our kids would if we keep doing it.
If the other side votes no, they want to keep borrowing money from our children to spend a million dollars on voter ID in Haiti. This is the same party that doesn't want voter ID in America, calls it racist, wants to fund voter ID in Haiti. They want to spend $6 million for net- zero cities in Mexico. I know some of their best supporters are waving a Mexican flag in an American city right now, and they support those efforts. Most Americans don't support those efforts, Mr. Speaker. They want to spend $3 million for ``Iraqi Sesame Street.'' The minority leader held up a ``Sesame Street'' character here on the floor as if ``Sesame Street'' is somehow going to go away.
I was just watching a commercial on TV yesterday where the Cookie Monster was actually doing an advertisement for Netflix because a private company is paying money to run ``Sesame Street.'' It is not going away. It is doing just fine. It is very lucrative.
What will go away is some of the far-left radical views that are being espoused. By the way, when this goes away at NPR, you can still turn on about six or seven other channels and get the same far-left radical views, but they are all going to be private companies, Mr. Speaker, not taxpayer-funded entities.
If somebody wants to pay money to go on one of their services that they stream or get over-the-top or however they get their digital content, they can still do that. There are a lot of options. There has never been more options.
Some people joke that they buy their services for their cable or whatever else they get and that there are 200 channels, but they might only watch 4 or 5 of them. There is still going to be a plethora of options for the American people, but if they are paying their hard- earned dollars to go get content, why should your tax dollars go to only one thing that the other side wants to promote?
Let everybody compete on a fair basis. They can still watch ``Sesame Street'' in Iraq, but let the Iraqi people pay for it, not the taxpayers of the United States of America's children. Today's taxpayers aren't paying for it because it is all borrowed money.
They want to spend $2.1 million for climate resilience in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and East Africa; $500,000 for electric buses in Rwanda. Rwanda is more than free to go buy all the electric buses they want or diesel buses. Why should the taxpayers of America be borrowing money from our children to buy electric buses for Rwanda?
They want to spend $33,000 for ``Being LGBTQI in the Caribbean.'' It is taxpayer money that a ``no'' vote today says is more important than strengthening a program like Social Security. I say not.
Also included is $643,000 for LGBTQI+ programs in the Western Balkans. This is borrowed money.
Mr. Speaker, there is $567,000 for LGBTQI+ programs in Uganda and $5.1 million to strengthen the ``resilience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex, and queer global movements.'' I am not sure what that global movement is. They can continue that movement in some other way, but just not with the taxpayer dollars of the United States of America's children.
Again, there is no bank account that $5.1 million came out of. It is all borrowed money that a ``no'' vote says is more important than strengthening Social Security.
There is $135 million in contributions to the World Health Organization, which we all saw during COVID was the mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party. I would imagine if we stop this $135 million funding, the CCP may pick it up because they were regurgitating their talking points during COVID.
At some point, Mr. Speaker, the question we have all got to answer is: Number one, do you believe in fiscal responsibility? Maybe some people have other priorities than these they would like to defund. If you think these are all things that are worth borrowing money from our children to fund, then that is what the ``no'' vote represents.
If you think it is time we start somewhere, and here is the place to finally start--not to finish, just the beginning--getting control over spending and respecting those families who are working hard, who are working two shifts at the diner to pay taxes on tips that will soon go away if our One Big Beautiful Bill Act passes, or somebody who is working overtime because you want to send your kid to college and you find out this is where your taxpayer dollars are going and you are disgusted and say, when will somebody do something about it, then today is the day to do something about it.
Talk is cheap. Put the action on the floor. Let's finally get control over
Vote ``yes,'' to get this done, and let's keep moving forward to strengthen this great country. I urge a ``yes'' vote.
Mr. Speaker, where lies are king, the truth is the enemy. Institutions that spread knowledge are defamed as ``enemies of the people.'' NPR and PBS are targeted here today precisely because they are so good at delivering the truth. Like millions, I tune into both of them daily.
Trump tweets: `` . . . RADICAL LEFT' `MONSTERS THAT SO BADLY HURT OUR COUNTRY!'' What hurts Trump are facts when he demands flattery.
This attempt to quash thorough, objective NPR and PBS reporting is a sign of Trump's weakness, of his drive toward tyranny. Trump doesn't want a country of engaged, informed Americans. He prefers those who salute on command, like for his North Korean-style, taxpayer-funded, wasteful $45 million birthday bash this Saturday.
Reject these dangerous DOGE cuts and defend the right of the American people to know.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.
Mr. Speaker, this is the first of what needs to be many rescission bills stopping the waste of public funds.
The absurd expenditures the majority leader just listed speak volumes about the scandalous corruption and carelessness of a bloated government. Every dollar comes from working American families struggling to pay both their bills and their taxes.
Now, this waste is enabled by two classes of expenditures that we should foreswear forever. One is grants, cash handouts to political favorites with little accountability or oversight, whether directly or through agencies like USAID. The other is subsidies that replace the judgment of consumers with that of politicians, distorting the flow of capital from its highest and best use.
As we express our outrage at this waste and take this first step to claw it back, let us remember that Congress approved all of it, and it is time that we repented before we bankrupt our country.
Mr. Speaker, people will die. That is not hyperbole. It is reality.
When you cut PEPFAR, which is the signature program that President George W. Bush created to eradicate the AIDS epidemic, people will die. OMB Director Russ Vought confirmed that the bill cuts PEPFAR by $400 million.
When you cut funding to family planning programs, tens of millions will be denied modern contraceptives, resulting in millions of unintended pregnancies and tens of thousands of preventable pregnancy- related deaths.
When you cut funding for international peacekeeping and to people escaping violence, people will die.
When we reduce development assistance that ensures people have access to food and clean water, people will die.
When you cut money to Ukraine for food security and energy grid resilience, more people will die in their war against the Russian invasion.
USAID is our strongest soft power vehicle. Even if you don't care about how many people will die, it is one of our strongest assets to saving money by decreasing military conflict risk.
I also want to speak up for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides critical kids' educational programs.
Mr. Speaker, this bill is bad for America. People will die.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I can't take the fear-mongering anymore. Let me correct the truth with the other half of the truth. We are talking about PEPFAR: $4.4 billion, and we are talking about cutting less than 1 percent from that whole entire program.
We are not saying that you have to cut AIDS. Perhaps let me tell you what other programs that we could cut for the American people. You are saying that people are going to die because you want to cut the funding. We are not saying that.
How about we do this? How about we cut $3 million for circumcisions, vasectomies, and condoms in Zambia? How about that? How about we cut $5.1 million that is used to strengthen the resilience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer global movement? I have got an idea. How about instead of spending it there, how about we spend that money and invest in American healthcare? I could go on and on, but this fear-mongering has absolutely got to stop.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Smucker).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to address their remarks to the Chair.
Mr. Speaker, this bill represents a tiny fraction of the total we are spending annually. It is a tiny fraction, 0.2 percent, one-fifth of a percent of what President Biden added to the debt over the last 4 years. Yet, Democrats are saying that these savings are cruel. They literally said this will destroy America as we know it. No one outside of the beltway will take them seriously.
Have my Democratic colleagues even looked at what is in this bill before attacking? Is it cruel to suggest that American taxpayers shouldn't have to pay $60,000 to celebrate DEI in the Netherlands or $30,000 to foster ``queer-feminist discourse'' in Albania?
Is it cruel to cut a program spending $700,000 to expand fruit and jam sales in Honduras?
By the way, speaking of jam, my last name is Smucker, but even I know that is a bad deal.
Mr. Speaker, I can tell you what will destroy America as we know it, and that is this unsustainable debt that we are passing on to our kids and grandkids. I urge my colleagues to support this rescission package.
Mr. Speaker, last month Secretary Rubio responded to me and said no one had died as a result of the gutting of USAID, but Boston University School of Public Health shows us that 300,000 people have died already because they were cut off from food and medicine for tuberculosis, AIDS, and malaria.
The Center for Global Development says that 3.3 million preventable deaths will occur because of the gutting of USAID, but they won't just die there. Americans will die, too, because when malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS infect anyone in the world, those diseases replicate. They mutate, and they migrate back here in more virulent forms.
Evan Anzoo, a 5-year-old boy, was cut off from his HIV medications in February and died. He is the first to die at the hands of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that we observe a full minute of silence in the memory of this child victim. I ask unanimous consent. Let us remember Evan Anzoo.
Mr. Speaker, if FOX News or talk radio or any other conservative media outlet came to me and asked us if we should provide them with taxpayer-funded handouts, I would say no, and I believe that most of my colleagues would as well.
I certainly think that far-left propaganda outlets like NPR should be defunded. Remember, this is an outlet that believes writing articles about fat phobia and queer animals constitutes serious journalism. They have the right to say whatever they want to, but they do not have the right to our tax dollars.
To my colleagues who say that this is only a small part of our budget, I would ask them what, outside of border security and national defense, would they like to cut from our budget? They have never seen a foreign country they don't want to shower with our tax dollars or an illegal alien that they don't want to give welfare to.
This is a logical first step to get our finances under control. I urge my colleagues to vote for this rescissions bill.
Mr. Speaker, more than any other day I have been in Congress, the cruelty of the Trump administration and the Republican majority is on display. They are asking us to rubber-stamp Elon Musk's cuts to PEPFAR, which saves millions of lives treating people with HIV, funding for clean water, funding to fight malaria, funding to help people starving from famine.
Donald Trump and Republicans are doing this at the same time they are giving trillions of tax cuts to the rich. While they are at it, they are also cutting educational programming for children, like PBS.
Why are they doing this? It is not to reduce the deficit because this $9 billion is a fraction of a fraction of the tax cuts they are trying to pass for billionaires. These are the richest people in the world taking food and medicine away from the poorest children in the world.
I have news for Elon Musk and Donald Trump and the billionaires: No matter how much money you have, no matter how many poor people you take food and medicine away from, it will not fill that hole inside of you.
To my colleagues in the House: History will judge us today. You have the chance to be heroes. Vote ``no.''
Mr. Speaker, today we do what lifelong bureaucrats in this town fear most: We cut their funding.
For far too long, Washington bureaucrats have taken advantage of the American taxpayer, sending their hard-earned money to fund the corrupt foreign aid complex, and pushing government funding for educational programs that groom our children. That stops today.
The Rescissions Act of 2025 is not just a bill. It is a part of a much larger course correction. This bill rips back over $9 billion from the clutches of globalist NGOs, projects that fund radical gender ideology, and the green new scam.
The great people of North Carolina didn't send me here to manage decline. They sent me here to help President Trump usher in the new golden age. Let the left scream. Let the media moan and grown, but today we are putting Americans first and looking out for their hard- earned tax dollars. I urge a ``yes'' vote.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this package. It is embarrassing. It is trifling. This is a funding package that Republicans actually agreed to and voted on last Congress when they were in the majority. Republicans must be missing Biden now because they actually had more influence under him than under Trump.
Now, Republicans are going back on their own agreement and giving up their own power with this package. The real question is, why show up here if you have an orange daddy doing your work for you?
This vote actually puts every Republican on record as supporting Elon's attack on democracy when even Steve Bannon said that Elon and DOGE found no waste.
With this package, Republicans are one step closer to a country that looks more like the adversaries we profess to oppose. Americans will be left to clean up this mess, and we will have zero standing in the international community and zero claim to global leadership while you all have killed off Elmo.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this trash.
Mr. Speaker, 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 thank Chairwoman McClain for her leadership.
Mr. Speaker, during President Trump's first term, we had progrowth policies, a progrowth economy, and tax revenue growth. Even after COVID, the Biden administration accelerated the deficit with unchecked spending, causing the deficit to double, which increased service on the debt from $400 billion in 2019 to nearly $1 trillion last year. That is why this package takes steps to rein in irresponsible agencies. Some have been taken over by ideologues doing things that are simply not in the interest of the American people.
Maybe USAID has done some good things, but they have also done many things that were totally inappropriate. Agencies like this need to be defunded or reformed. The American people aren't going to put up with it anymore.
To that end, why is the government still funding public television and radio when most people have hundreds of channels to get their news and information from and when these stations are some of the most partisan stations out there? Can you imagine, as was stated earlier, if a conservative station was funded? The left would have screamed, vilified, and exterminated it a long while ago.
Mr. Speaker, let's pass this rescissions package, codify President Trump's spending reductions into law, and save our country along the way.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chair for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support today of H.R. 4, President Trump's big, beautiful rescissions package.
This bill slashes radical foreign aid at the State Department, USAID, and the U.S. Institute of Peace for woke gender ideology and equity nonsense that mocks American values. Why are we bankrolling wokeism abroad when ranchers and small business owners in my district are struggling?
H.R. 4 defunds PBS and NPR's biased media circus. For years, taxpayers have been forced to subsidize a public media system that is less about informing and more about indoctrinating.
To my friends across the aisle, I know you love your globalist pet projects, but the American people are fed up. The voters that sent us here are watching, and they are done seeing their dollars shipped overseas and funneled into biased media.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4 is a victory for taxpayers, and I urge its adoption.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their remarks to the Chair.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4 to codify President Trump's DOGE tax cuts.
Americans have been awash in unsustainable debt and waste, and Americans have known it long before DOGE began its work. What many didn't realize is just how bad the problem is: $14 million in cash vouchers for illegals at the southern border, $3.3 million for being LGBTQ in the Caribbean, $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia, and $1.5 million to promote LGBTQ employment in Serbia, not to mention the hundreds of millions wasted on the politically biased government media known as NPR.
Enough is enough. We must rein in Washington's reckless spending and hold bureaucrats accountable.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me and put Americans and fiscal sanity first in what I hope will be the first of many rescission bills.
Together with President Trump, we are eliminating billions of dollars of spending, this wasteful spending on leftwing organizations that mock millions of Americans. We will also eliminate wasteful spending on radical programs in lands far, far away that do not put America first.
I have consistently voted to cut the spigot of spending, and I will continue that record by voting to pass this bill today. I urge my colleagues to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the RSC Rescissions Task Force, I am proud to support this bill to codify the DOGE cuts.
The American people know waste, fraud, and abuse when they see it. They want us to eliminate Democrats' radical agenda, including $5.1 million for global LGBTQ movements, $3 million for circumcisions in Zambia, and $833,000 for transgender surgeries in Nepal.
This package also ensures tax dollars aren't used to weaponize media against the American people. The CEO of NPR called President Trump a fascist while claiming her network is unbiased. These outlets can be as insane as they want--they might want to check CNN's ratings before doing that--but they are just not going to do it with American taxpayer dollars anymore.
This rescissions package is only the first step, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
Mr. Speaker, the American people are sick and tired of watching Washington burn through their paychecks on wasteful, ridiculous, and downright offensive projects. This rescissions package is our chance to prove that we still remember who we work for here in Washington.
We are cutting $2.5 million for electric vehicles in Vietnam, $47,000 for transgender surgeries in Colombia, and nearly $10 billion for NPR, PBS, and other bloated liberal pet projects that have no place in a responsible budget.
Washington acts like taxpayer dollars are theirs to waste, but they are not. Every cent belongs to the men and women who work long hours, pay their bills, and expect their government to act with a shred of discipline. This is about more than numbers. It is about trust. It is about respect. And it is about time.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass this bill and prove that Congress can still do the right thing.
Mr. Speaker, under President Donald Trump's leadership, this rescissions package codifies $9.4 billion in DOGE cuts by canceling some of the most egregious Biden-era waste, fraud, and abuse.
Here is just some of the funding that we are canceling today: $4 million for sedentary migrants in Colombia; $3 million for circumcision, vasectomies, and condoms in Zambia; $5.1 million to strengthen the resilience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer global movements; $3 million for Iraqi ``Sesame Street''; $2.5 million for teaching young children how to make environmentally friendly reproductive health decisions; and $833,000 for services for transgender people, sex workers and their clients, and sexual networks in Nepal.
The American people are begging Congress to get off its ass, codify the DOGE cuts, and stop this taxpayer-funded nonsense. Failure is not an option.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert into the Record the text of Representative Kelly's amendment immediately prior to the motion to recommit.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Connecticut?
Mr. Speaker, President Trump promised to bring down the cost of living. He made it worse. He is illegally stealing congressionally approved taxpayer dollars, and these are services for the American people.
If my colleagues want to deal with waste, fraud, and abuse, they have to deal with cutting back on the $4.5 trillion tax cut for billionaires that the Republicans supported and voted on, tax cuts for billionaires and the biggest corporations.
If my colleagues vote for this bill, they own every reckless cut crafted by Elon Musk. They are rubberstamping illegal cuts, and they own it.
Mr. Speaker, 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 want to be clear. These rescissions should get bipartisan support. We, as elected officials on both sides of the aisle, have been entrusted with the hard-earned tax dollars of the American people.
The duly elected President of the United States has asked this Congress to protect the American people's tax dollars. It is the least we can do. The administration has identified waste, fraud, and abuse of American taxpayer dollars. It is our responsibility as Representatives to act on those abuses and rescind the money.
All of us should be able to vote to eliminate $45 million in duplicative spending in the African development program. We should all be able to support eliminating $1.7 billion for radical gender projects in the Economic Support Fund. Every Member of this Chamber should be able to support a rescission of $2.5 billion in the development of assistance programs, which bankrolled corrupt leaders in foreign countries.
Mr. Speaker, the American people are watching their Representatives today, emphasis on ``their Representatives.'' They are watching to see if their Representatives have the courage to actually fight for them or will their Representatives defend waste, fraud, and abuse of the bloated Federal Government.
I can say with certainty that House Republicans will always put the American people first, and I hope the other side of the aisle might have the courage to join us.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on H.R. 4 so that we can take the necessary first step in rescinding the wasteful spending of American taxpayer dollars.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 499, the previous question is ordered on the bill.
The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was read the third time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on passage of the bill (S. 331) to amend the Controlled Substances Act with respect to the scheduling of fentanyl-related substances, and for other purposes, 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 passage of the bill.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 321, nays 104, not voting 7, as follows:
Messrs. DeSAULNIER, JOHNSON of Georgia, KRISHNAMOORTHI, and SHERMAN changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Mr. CONAWAY, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. RUIZ, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. MORELLE, and Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, changed their vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion to recommit on the bill (H.R. 4) to rescind certain budget authority proposed to be rescinded in special messages transmitted to the Congress by the President on June 3, 2025, in accordance with section 1012(a) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, offered by the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly), on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk will redesignate the motion.
The Clerk redesignated the motion.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit.
This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 208, nays 218, not voting 6, as follows:
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana changed his vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Mr. JACKSON of Illinois changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the motion to recommit was rejected.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance Act of 2025
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion to recommit on the bill (H.R. 2056) to require the District of Columbia to comply with federal immigration laws, offered by the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch), on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk will redesignate the motion.
The Clerk redesignated the motion.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit.
This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 205, nays 215, not voting 12, as follows:
So the motion to recommit was rejected.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. Speaker, I missed votes due to a previously scheduled family commitment. My grandson, Thomas, graduated from Xavier High School. The ceremony is at St.
Mr. Speaker, due to family related matters, I was unable to vote on S. 331, H.R. 4, and H.R. 2056. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 166, YEA on Roll Call No. 167, NAY on Roll Call No. 168, AYE on Roll Call No. 169, YEA on Roll Call No. 170, and NAY on Roll Call No. 171.
Mr. Speaker, I was necessarily absent and missed the following votes on the House Floor. Had I been present, I would have voted accordingly: NAY on Roll Call No. 166, Passage of S. 331; YEA on Roll Call No. 167, Motion to Recommit on H.R. 4; NAY on Roll Call No. 168, Passage of H.R. 4; AYE on Roll Call No. 169, Motion to Adjourn; YEA on Roll Call No. 170, Motion to Recommit on H.R. 2056; and NAY on Roll Call No. 171, Passage of H.R. 2056.
Mr. Speaker, 9 years ago today, on June 12, 2016, at 2:02 a.m., our little happy town of Orlando, Florida, was changed forever as we saw 49 angels killed and 53 others who were injured in a mass shooting during Latin Night at the Pulse nightclub, a safe place for the LGBTQ community located just south of downtown Orlando. At the time, it was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
I was proud to work on both sides of the aisle in June 2019 to introduce the National Pulse Memorial. In June 2020, it passed the House but did not pass the Senate. Finally, in June 2021, it was introduced, passed into law, and signed by President Biden.
We know that the National Pulse Memorial happened because this was a national tragedy. At the time, we saw memorials and moments of silence across the Nation, across districts, from sea to shining sea.
In remembrance of those who we lost and those who were injured and their families, I ask my colleagues to please stand and join me for a moment of silence.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory and selfless service of Officer Gabriel Facio of the Apache Junction Police Department: End of watch, June 8, 2025.
Gabriel was wounded in the line of duty on June 2, 2025, while attempting to apprehend a suspect who was brandishing a weapon and waving it at motorists and residents. Gabriel and his fellow officers bravely responded to the call and pursued the suspect further south.
After using all available means to bring in the suspect without incident, the commands were not obeyed, and the suspect could not be brought down with less lethal tools. The suspect fired his weapon at Gabriel and his fellow officers, who returned fire. Sadly, in the exchange, Gabriel was struck in the face before the suspect was hit and taken into custody.
Gabriel fought valiantly but could not overcome the wounds he sustained. Six days later, he passed away at only 46 years old, surrounded by his family and fellow officers.
We honor his sacrifice as the first Apache Junction police officer to be killed in the line of duty. He was beloved by his fellow officers and his dear family, with whom we mourn.
Gabriel, we pray for your family and brothers in blue. Your service and protection of the people of Apache Junction in Arizona's Fifth District will live on forever. Thank you, and may God welcome you home.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a veteran of the United States Air Force on this national Women Veterans Day to tell Secretary Hegseth and President Trump that women who raise their hand and swear an oath to protect and defend this Nation are not going anywhere and we will not be silent.
From the earliest days of our Nation, women have always served, both officially and unofficially, facing off against America's enemies. Today, women make up nearly 18 percent of the Active-Duty force and 22 percent of our National Guard and Reserve.
Studies prove that their service improves innovation and mission outcomes, making our military stronger, smarter, and more prepared to face the challenges of modern warfare.
The administration's artificial barriers on who can lead and who can serve are disrespectful and irresponsible. Firing and pushing aside decorated female leaders who earned their positions diminishes military readiness and devalues the standards and integrity of the very military itself.
Women in our military are not insignificant or inconsequential. We are indeed essential, and we cannot be pushed out or erased.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor Ava Moore, a tremendous young woman from the 24th Congressional District. She was a leader, a patriot, and a bright light in our north Texas community.
From the first time that we reviewed her application to the U.S. Air Force Academy, it was clear that she was destined for greatness.
In May, Ava was home for just a short break before heading off to basic training. While kayaking with friends on Grapevine Lake, Ava's life was taken in a senseless and preventable tragedy. Our entire office is heartbroken about her loss.
I had the privilege of speaking with Ava's father, a man of great faith, kindness, and forgiveness. Even in the face of unimaginable loss, he told me that he was remaining hopeful and positive because, in his own words, that is how Ava would have wanted it.
Our Nation is at a loss with Ava's passing. May we honor her by remembering the incredible woman that she was. May God bring peace to her family, knowing that her legacy and her example will last with all of us.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life and legacy of Reverend Willie Rainwater of Carrollton, Texas.
Reverend Rainwater was more than a pastor. He was a pillar of justice, a steward of history, and a relentless voice for civil rights.
From preserving the Carrollton Black Cemetery to organizing the city's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade for more than 25 years, he brought our community together in the spirit of equity and remembrance.
His work wasn't just in the pulpit. It was in the streets, in our schools, in our city hall meetings, and in the daily struggle to make north Texas more just and united.
Reverend Rainwater now joins his beloved wife, Juanita, with whom he shared a life of faith, service, and community leadership. Together, they made north Texas better.
Today, we remember a man whose faith was inseparable from action, whose love for his neighbors left an imprint on our institutions, and whose memory is a blessing to us all. May we continue to carry his torch forward.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize two exceptional students from the greater Lehigh Valley, Adam Wyatt and Ria Gandotra, recipients of the 2025 Congressional Award Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress can bestow upon a civilian youth.
Adam, a student at Nazareth Area High School and an Eagle Scout, has used the program to build leadership skills, service, and discipline. From studying Russian and leading his family on a 19-day European tour to interviewing local veterans, he has taken on challenges that show real initiative and follow-through.
Ria, a student at Moravian Academy, volunteered at a camp for children with special needs, worked to better herself academically, played on her school's tennis team, and planned a family trip to Toronto. Her work reflects both compassion and determination and a clear commitment to personal and civic growth.
Adam and Ria exemplify the values of service, perseverance, and personal development. I am proud to recognize their achievements and the positive impact they have had on their local community as young leaders in the greater Lehigh Valley.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a group of Westchester residents who have taken on the role of civic involvement on issues of importance to the local, county, State, and Federal level. I am speaking about the leaders and advocates in my home district.
These individuals have taken on that most traditional of American values, which is active citizenship in matters of public policy. We have seen our values such as the right to vote, the rights of free speech and due process, and the rights to benefits earned through honest work or service to our Nation under attack.
It will take everyday citizens to stand up and say, no, we don't agree with what is happening today. We see a better future for America.
I recognize Margaret Bradbury, Kim Snyder, and Rhiannon Navin in New Rochelle; Jenny Geer in Mamaroneck; Suki van Dijk in Rye; Khris Tahmin in Eastchester; Jenny Bernhard and Liz Scafidi in White Plains; Gaby Bordwin and Marjorie Hsu in the Rivertowns; Eileen O'Connor and Elizabeth de Bethune in Yonkers; Susan Van Dolsen of Harrison; and Shannon Powell of Mamaroneck.
The work they are doing has earned our respect and deserves our praise.
Mr. Speaker, $168 billion was the amount the Federal Government improperly paid last year. We paid some bills two or three times. We paid the wrong invoices altogether. We paid invoices we didn't know we paid because there was no tracking mechanism.
If only, Mr. Speaker, there was a bill to require the Department of the Treasury to ensure accuracy and eligibility in Federal spending.
Wait, there is. I just filed it, Mr. Speaker. It is the Delivering On Government Efficiency in Spending Act, DOGE in Spending Act.
The war on waste, fraud, and abuse begins today by requiring the Treasury Department to simply track, verify, and cross-check payments. That is what the DOGE in Spending Act will do.
Mr. Speaker, the American people deserve accountability and transparency. I urge all my colleagues to join me, and I am saving a cosponsorship for each of them.
Mr. Speaker, let's deliver results. Let's go get them.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of national Women Veterans Day.
Last week, I spoke with a combat veteran from Kaneohe, Hawaii, my hometown. She was among the first class of women to graduate from West Point. Two decades after leaving the Army, she returned to serve as a chaplain. She deployed to Afghanistan, earned Airborne and Air Assault qualification, and was awarded the Legion of Merit and five Meritorious Service Medals.
Yet she felt compelled to come all the way to Washington, D.C., to join in a veterans protest on D-day because the very progress she helped to secure she now saw being callously unraveled.
These include women's history erased from Defense websites; senior female leaders pushed out; accountability on sexual assault fading; and a narrow, male-centric culture of lethality that sidelines women in service.
She asked me: How is it we are fighting and having to refight the battles we have already won?
Shame on this administration for turning its back on women like my constituent who have worn the uniform and are now made to fight again for the dignity and respect they have already earned.
Women veterans are watching, and they will not be silent.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Frederica Academy baseball team who won the program's first-ever State championship this season.
Since 1969, Frederica Academy has earned 76 State titles across all its athletic programs, except for one. Their baseball program had battled a history of ups and downs, not quite being able to finish the drill, until now.
Fighting back from near elimination early in the playoffs, the St. Simon's team overcame adversity to make their first State title series since 2018. The boys swept their opponents from Pinewood Christian to earn the GIAA Class 3A baseball State championship and made history for their athletic program.
Under Head Coach Tim Orlosky, these young men exhibited persistence, sportsmanship, and humility in their title run.
Mr. Speaker, join me in congratulating this team of incredible young men and everybody who supported them in their journey to achieve history for Frederica Academy.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the cruel rescission package that passed the House strictly on partisan lines.
Let me be clear: This legislation is a shameful, backwards attempt to cancel $9.8 billion in funding that had already been passed into law. It cuts critical investments in lifesaving programs that support reproductive health and education.
It also slashes funding for the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, also known as PEPFAR. This bipartisan initiative has been supported by both parties for 20 years.
As a volunteer who stood on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic, I witnessed firsthand and remember when an HIV diagnosis was tantamount to a death sentence. However, because of programs like PEPFAR, this is no longer so.
In fact, since its launch in 2003, PEPFAR has saved 26 million lives and enabled 8 million babies to be born without HIV infection.
This package also threatens funding to public broadcasting like NPR and PBS which educate, inform, and enrich the lives of Americans.
The American people have been clear that they want Congress to lower costs and make life easier for working families. Instead, we are spending our time threatening health programs and trying to take ``Sesame Street'' off the air.
Mr. Speaker, today was a tremendous victory for sanity in California. I had the opportunity to join President Trump at the White House where he signed into law a resolution I introduced to reverse Gavin Newsom's ban on gas cars once and for all.
I want to thank my colleagues here in Congress on both sides of the aisle who joined us in passing this and getting it to the President's desk where it was signed into law today.
Because of its passage, Californians can now continue to drive a car of their choice rather than one that is dictated to them by the government.
We are pretty close to killing the high-speed rail disaster once and for all, as well, so we can invest money in our roads where it is needed. I think, Mr. Speaker, that we truly are on a path back to sanity in California.
Mr. Speaker, in just 1 week, this administration has conducted raids into my community to meet arbitrary deportation quotas. They have unnecessarily sent National Guard and marines, which have only inflamed peaceful protest, and they have thrown down to the ground a U.S. Senator, my U.S. Senator, and handcuffed him for trying to ask questions to DHS Secretary Noem.
This is happening because the administration does not like that they have different opinions from the State of California.
My constituents deserve more from their President, and our democracy deserves more from the President. I stand with all Californians who want to keep pushing, keep using our voice, and keep peacefully protesting the actions of this lawless President.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded not to engage in personalities toward the President.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the accomplishments of 4-H students from Fillmore County, Nebraska. They competed in the American Rocketry Challenge national finals last month.
Selected from over 1,000 entries from across the Nation, the students qualified as national finalists after designing, building, flight testing, and launching their rocket under highly specified requirements to target an impressive 790 feet and land while keeping the rocket's payload intact.
On May 16, I was delighted to welcome members of the club, which calls itself the STEAM Punks, to the Rockets on the Hill event, along with Coach Kristina Woods. Team leaders Kelsey Ellison and Ruby Long, displayed their model, the product of a 2-month engineering process.
Through their hard work and technical excellence, these young people have made Nebraska's Third District proud. With such dedication, they will continue to reach even greater heights.
Mr. Speaker, on January 6, 2021, a crowd of people stormed the Capitol seeking for the second time in American history to take by force what they could not win at the ballot box.
Capitol Police were beaten as they tried to protect Members of this body and the Vice President of the United States from harm. Congressional leaders begged President Trump to send in the National Guard. He refused. However, Virginia, the birthplace of American democracy, did.
Four years later, President Trump pardoned the individuals who sought to harm Members of Congress and who did hurt Capitol Police who swear to keep us safe.
Now, as people exercise their constitutional right to protest, President Trump has deployed the National Guard and the Marines, and now an administration that ignores the Constitution it swore to preserve, protect, and defend seeks to intimidate, assault, and arrest Members of Congress exercising their oversight duties outlined in that same constitution, like Representative LaMonica McIver and Senator Alex Padilla.
Next year we have the opportunity to celebrate 250 years of a remarkable idea of power derived from the people, not from a king, but only if we take action now.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Utah's State Teacher of the Year, Sayre Posey, an outstanding educator who embodies the mission of the Merit Caucus: excellence, innovation, and high expectations.
She comes from a long line of teachers. Her great-grandfather taught in a one-room schoolhouse in West Virginia, and her mom is a retired kindergarten teacher.
Now, teaching eighth grade U.S. history at Northwest Middle School in Salt Lake City, Ms. Posey brings history to life through project-based learning. Her students have earned honors at regional and State national history day competitions.
She is proof that when we empower great educators and focus on merit, then our students thrive.
Mr. Speaker, I thank her for her leadership and proudly recognize her service today.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the 90th anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous, a global, peer-led and spiritual-based, 12- step program, an organization founded in Ohio's 13th Congressional District in my hometown of Akron, Ohio.
In June of 1935, a meeting between Bill W., a New York stockbroker, and Dr. Bob, an Akron surgeon, both struggling with alcoholism, sparked a movement that would change millions of lives around the world.
With the guidance of Dr. William Silkworth, they came to understand that alcoholism is not a moral failure but a disease of the mind and body that requires treatment. From that understanding and their commitment to helping others, Alcoholics Anonymous was born.
What began as one small group meeting at Akron City Hospital has now grown into a global fellowship with 123,000 groups in 180 countries and literature translated into more than 100 languages.
With an estimated membership of over 2 million people, Alcoholics Anonymous has helped countless individuals find hope, recovery, and community.
AA's legacy of humility and service is reflected in its traditions, especially the principles of anonymity and putting service before self. Those who are members are dedicated, because each year they make the pilgrimage to Akron on Founders' Day to pay tribute
Today I am proud to stand here to celebrate the 90th year of Alcoholics Anonymous and their healing and perseverance. I am very proud this extraordinary legacy began in Ohio's 13th Congressional District.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to spotlight the over 32,000 honorable Hoosier veterans across Indiana's Sixth District.
A recurring theme I have heard from veterans as I move around the district is how difficult it can be to obtain the care that they have earned through their service. I am listening to these concerns and working hard to address them.
I had the opportunity this month to welcome our Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Mr. Doug Collins, to the Roudebush VA Medical Center back home in Indiana, where we discussed these very concerns close to our Hoosier veterans.
I am supporting legislation that ensures that our veterans receive the care and benefits that they have earned. I will continue to fight for my Hoosier veterans from my post here in Washington and back home in my district.
Mr. Speaker, a judiciary cannot stand as a pillar of trust and independence unless it is also anchored in accountability. Yet, as it stands, Federal judges facing serious misconduct allegations can stop an investigation in its tracks by simply stepping down from the bench. This loophole not only undermines public trust but leaves serious questions unanswered about conduct unexamined.
My legislation, the TRUST Act, would fix this by requiring an investigation to continue even if the judge resigns or retires to avoid accountability. This cannot and should not be a partisan issue. Congress must act to ensure that credible allegations follow judges beyond the robe, and that retirement or resignation is not mistaken for resolution.
I encourage all of my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor and remember Otto Frederick Warmbier as June 19 marks 8 years since his tragic death at the hands of the North Korea regime.
Otto was a dedicated young man who graduated as salutatorian of his high school in Ohio before attending the University of Virginia.
While on a school tour in North Korea in 2015, Otto was imprisoned and tortured by the North Korea regime. He died just a few days after his release at just 22 years young.
Otto experienced what no human being should ever have to go through. May his story continue to remind us of all the atrocities the North Korea regime is capable of.
Mr. Speaker, we remember, and we will continue to honor Otto and his memories. In Korean: ``Ulineun Otto-leul yeong-wonhi gieok-hal geos- ibnida.''
Mr. Speaker, today the House majority took a shameful vote to cut billions of dollars of aid that goes to PEPFAR to treat people around the world with HIV. They cut aid for malaria. They cut aid for clean water around the world.
Thankfully, this bill did not cut funding for emergency food aid like Plumpy'Nut. The problem is that even though this funding has not been cut and it is still available, the Trump administration still continues to hold up the money instead of getting it to companies like Edesia in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, who manufacture this food aid to ship it around the world. We continue to have a now 5-month pause in the delivery of emergency food aid to starving children.
The Trump administration needs to keep its word to deliver this food aid. The money is available so that lives can be saved.
This is the 2lst time that I have spoken on the House floor demanding that the Trump administration restore emergency food aid. I will continue to speak every legislative day until they do it.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of a man whose legacy was marked by intellect, integrity, and a deep devotion to profession and family, Mr. John M. Stuckey, Jr., who passed away on May 30.
John was born on August 9, 1939, in Shreveport, Louisiana, and was a graduate and lifelong supporter of Louisiana State University.
Following college, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he earned his law degree from George Washington University, and served his country as an intelligence officer in the United States Army.
After his honorable discharge as a captain, John worked in the legislative branch in which we all serve, as the chief of staff to Senator Bill Brock.
Thereafter, he and his wife, Sandra, moved to Newnan, Georgia, and established Roanoke Farm, from where John would become a pioneering leader of the Georgia Republican Party. He led President Nixon's campaign in our State and was later elected and served as chairman of the Georgia Republican Party from 1987 to 1989.
In Newnan, he spent many lunches at Mama Lucia's, where he regaled his friends with stories of history, sports, and politics.
He was integral in the establishment of Brown's Mill Battlefield historic site, and he raced with his grandchildren on John Deere Gator rides across the family farm.
John is survived by his wife, Sandra; his son, and my friend, John; his daughter, Aaron; and four wonderful grandchildren.
John M. Stuckey's service to his country and legacy across our community will be felt for generations to come.
Mr. Speaker, 9 years ago today, 49 lives were stolen and ripped away from us at Pulse nightclub in my district, in my home of Orlando, Florida, a safe haven for Orlando's LGBTQ+ community that was turned into the site of unimaginable horror and a mass grave.
Pulse was more than just a club. It was love. It was joy. It was freedom and a space for a community facing constant adversity, from our State, and people like in our inner administration.
Just today, Governor Ron DeSantis deleted from the annual anniversary statement the words and acronyms ``LGBTQ+'' and ``Hispanic,'' when most of the people who were killed that day were from the LGBTQ+ community and Hispanic. This was armed bigotry, and it was armed hate.
I am oftentimes asked why I don't join moments of silence that include Republicans for gun violence, and the reason why is because they refuse to do anything about it. I am not going to be a prop in some social media video that is posted later to placate constituents about ending gun violence. I am going to continue to honor them with action, not just with thoughts and prayers.
Mr. Speaker, Americans watched today in horror as the Trump administration assaulted a United States Senator.
Senator Alex Padilla is not only the senior U.S. Senator in California, but he is my childhood friend, my mentor, and the Senator to my constituents of the 29th Congressional District in California.
What we witnessed today were actions of an authoritative government. The Trump administration quickly resorted to violent actions to silence Senator Padilla, erase our democracy, and rewrite our Nation's values.
Every American should be outraged at how the Trump administration is treating anyone who dares to stand in their way. Whether you are a U.S. Senator, a U.S. citizen, or an immigrant, no one is protected by the Trump regime. It is my job to ensure that my constituents, immigrants, and all Americans are protected from this administration's horrible actions.
If a U.S. Senator is treated this way on camera, imagine how they are treating immigrants when the cameras are off.
Mr. Speaker, I stand today as a proud daughter of immigrants. I stand with Senator Padilla. I stand for all the residents of California's 29th Congressional District.
