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23 public bills, H.R. 4068- 4090; and 9 resolutions, H. Con. Res. 40; and H. Res. 529-536 were introduced.
Pages H2887-89
Reports Filed
Reports were filed today as follows: H. Res. 530, providing for consideration of the bill (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; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 275) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to publish on a monthly basis the number of special interest aliens encountered attempting to unlawfully enter the United States, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 875) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that aliens who have been convicted of or who have committed an offense for driving while intoxicated or impaired are inadmissible and deportable; and providing for consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 516) condemning the violent June 2025 riots in Los Angeles, California (H. Rept. 119- 167); H.R. 3633, to provide for a system of regulation of the offer and sale of digital commodities by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-168, Part 1); and H.R. 3633, to provide for a system of regulation of the offer and sale of digital commodities by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-168, Part 2).
Page H2887
Speaker
Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he appointed Representative Begich to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
Page H2839
Recess
The House recessed at 12:28 p.m. and reconvened at 2 p.m.
Page H2842
Recess
The House recessed at 5:24 p.m. and reconvened at 5:34 p.m.
Page H2875
Recess
The House recessed at 5:53 p.m. and reconvened at 6:30 p.m.
Page H2877
Suspensions
The House agreed to suspend the rules and pass the following measures: No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act: H.R. 260, amended, to require a strategy to oppose financial or material support by foreign countries and nongovernmental organizations to the Taliban;
Pages H2843-45
Agreed to amend the title so as to read
``To require a strategy to oppose foreign assistance by foreign countries and nongovernmental organizations to the Taliban, and for other purposes'';
Page H2845
Sanction Sea Pirates Act of 2025
H.R. 1998, amended, to require the imposition of sanctions with respect to foreign persons engaged in piracy, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 392 yeas to 14 nays, Roll No. 172;
Pages H2845-46, H2877-78
Directing 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.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;
Pages H2847-48
Romance Scam Prevention Act
H.R. 2481, to require online dating service providers to provide fraud ban notifications to online dating service members;
Pages H2848-50
Global Investment in American Jobs Act of 2025
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;
Pages H2850-52
Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety Act
H.R. 2269, to require certain products to be labeled with ``Do Not Flush'' labeling;
Pages H2852-54
Awning Safety Act of 2025
H.R. 1767, to require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate a mandatory consumer product safety standard with respect to retractable awnings;
Pages H2854-55
Deploying American Blockchains Act of 2025
H.R. 1664, amended, to direct the Secretary of Commerce to take actions necessary and appropriate to promote the competitiveness of the United States related to the deployment, use, application, and competitiveness of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology;
Pages H2855-57
Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act
H.R. 1520, to prohibit discrimination on the basis of mental or physical disability in cases of organ transplants;
Pages H2858-60
Shandra Eisenga Human Cell and Tissue Product Safety Act
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;
Pages H2860-62
Taiwan Non-Discrimination Act of 2025
H.R. 910, amended, to require the Secretary of the Treasury to pursue more equitable treatment of Taiwan at the international financial institutions;
Pages H2863-65
Agricultural Risk Review Act of 2025
H.R. 1713, amended, to amend the Defense Production Act of 1950 to include the Secretary of Agriculture as a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States;
Pages H2865-66
Helping Angels Lead Our Startups Act of 2025
H.R. 3352, amended, to require the Securities and Exchange Commission to revise rules relating to general solicitation or general advertising to allow for presentations or other communication made by or on behalf of an issuer at certain events;
Pages H2866-68
Access to Small Business Investor Capital Act
H.R. 2225, amended, to permit a registered investment company to omit certain fees from the calculation of Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses;
Pages H2868-69
Fair Investment Opportunities for Professional Experts Act
H.R. 3394, amended, to amend the Securities Act of 1933 to codify certain qualifications of individuals as accredited investors for purposes of the securities laws, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 397 yeas to 12 nays, Roll No. 173;
Pages H2869-71, H2878-79
Encouraging Local Emerging Ventures and Economic Growth Act of 2025
H.R. 3301, amended, to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to specify certain registration statement contents for emerging growth companies, to permit issuers to file draft registration statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission for confidential review;
Pages H2871-72
Encouraging Public Offerings Act of 2025
H.R. 3381, amended, to amend the Securities Act of 1933 to expand the ability to use testing the waters and confidential draft registration submissions;
Pages H2872-73
Expanding Access to Capital for Rural Job Creators Act
H.R. 1190, amended, to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to expand access to capital for rural-area small businesses;
Pages H2873-75
Promoting Opportunities for Non-Traditional Capital Formation Act
H.R. 3422, amended, to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation to provide educational resources and host events to promote capital raising options for traditionally underrepresented small businesses, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 321 yeas to 87 nays, Roll No. 174; and
Pages H2875-76, H2879
Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act
H.R. 2808, amended, to amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prevent consumer reporting agencies from furnishing consumer reports under certain circumstances.
Pages H2876-77
Senate Referrals
S. 154 was held at the desk. S. 282 was held at the desk. S. 356 was held at the desk. S. 1112 was held at the desk. S. 1582 was held at the desk. S. Con. Res. 15 was held at the desk.
Pages H2857-58
Senate Message
Message received from the Senate appears on pages H2857-58. Quorum Calls--Votes: Three yea-and-nay votes developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H2877-78, H2878-79, and H2879. Adjournment: The House met at 12 p.m. and adjourned at 8:29 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: 198 of 297 spoken turns were found. Turns without a time are still listed; they just can't seek.
Morning-Hour Debate
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of January 3, 2025, the Chair will now recognize Members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning-hour debate.
The Chair will alternate recognition between the parties, with time equally allocated between the parties and each Member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to 5 minutes, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 1:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate President Trump and our incredible servicemembers who planned and perfectly executed Operation Midnight Hammer to destroy the nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran.
President Trump has made it clear since he first ran for President in 2015 that Iran can never become a nuclear power. This weekend, that promise became a reality.
The Iranian regime has supported terrorist groups throughout the Middle East that all have one goal in common: to destroy the United States and our allies in the region.
A nuclear-armed Iran is a threat to our servicemembers in the region and a threat to the entire Western world. President Trump's decisive action this weekend stomped out the threat of an unstable nuclear power. For that, the world is grateful for his leadership.
It is now time for the Iranian regime to negotiate in good faith, bring peace to the region, and end the conflict with Israel.
Mr. Speaker, my colleagues in the U.S. Senate will vote this week on President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, moving President Trump's agenda one step closer to being signed into law.
This is critical legislation that will prevent the largest tax hike in history by extending President Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which ushered in historic economic growth for our country.
The legislation also provides rural Americans with much-needed tax relief by extending immediate expensing to help our Nation's farmers secure the most up-to-date technology and by delivering relief from the death tax to more than 2 million family-owned farms, which ensures that the next generation of American farmers can continue to feed this great Nation.
In November, the American people voted for a change in leadership and a return to the prosperity that our Nation enjoyed during President Trump's first term.
I now urge my colleagues in the Senate to support this legislation and deliver on the promises that we made to the American people.
Mr. Speaker, the House will vote on our 2026 appropriations bill for the military construction and veterans affairs programs.
Our Active-Duty servicemembers and our veterans have given so much to our Nation to ensure that we remain safe and free. It is now our duty to support them.
This critical piece of legislation fully funds veterans' benefits, healthcare, and other VA programs that so many of our veterans need. This legislation also furthers President Trump's goals of removing waste and abuse from our government by codifying his executive orders to end funding for ridiculous DEI and pro-abortion VA policies.
Additionally, this legislation ensures that programs to fight veteran homelessness are fully funded. It also supports the Veterans Crisis Line and other VA suicide prevention programs.
This is critical legislation to ensure that our Nation's veterans have the support that they deserve.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the career of the president and CEO of the Bedford County Development Association, Bette Slayton.
Bette is retiring after 35 years as the senior executive of an organization that recruits new businesses to move into Bedford County and helps existing firms expand.
Recognized as the 2021 Economic Developer of the Year by the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association, Bette played vital roles in the restoration of the beautiful Bedford Springs Resort, the recruitment of the Walmart and REI distribution centers, and the construction of new business parks and business centers.
Under Bette's leadership of the Bedford County Development Association, economic growth has facilitated job
On behalf of everyone in the 13th Congressional District, I congratulate Bette on her retirement and wish her the best.
No to a Republican Congress that is so weak and so spineless that they refuse to stand up.
No to Congressmen and -women who refuse to do their jobs.
No to a Republican Congress that is attempting to rob the American people of healthcare, food, and public lands.
No to lawmakers who refuse to speak out as this administration undermines the rule of law, due process, and American democracy.
No to Members of this Chamber who have been so kowtowed by Donald Trump that they are failing to stand up for the American people, their own people who elected them in good faith and sent them here to defend this country and uphold the Constitution and the rule of law.
We say no.
Mr. Speaker, I stand here today as Donald Trump has taken us to the precipice--the precipice of war, a constitutional crisis, and millions living in fear and marching in the streets.
Mr. Speaker, 3 days ago, the President ordered a unilateral military strike against Iran and notified the majority of Congress and the American people, essentially, by tweet, using a social media post on Truth Social.
Days later, the world is in chaos because we have a President who is acting unilaterally. Authoritarianism is on the rise across the planet, and a region has been destabilized by conflict and violence, putting millions of people at risk, not only in this country but across the world.
American troops are in harm's way.
Iran is seeking help from our adversaries in Russia.
To date, we have had exactly zero--zero--briefings here in this Chamber from the President or the White House about their strategy or intent, or on what they know, what they planned, and how they are going to protect our troops, our bases, and the American people.
This follows on days of Donald Trump attacking the American people on our own soil by deploying United States marines, as combat troops, and the National Guard against our own people.
His own DHS Secretary and Federal agents handcuffed and pushed a United States Senator to the floor.
His U.S. attorney indicted a United States Congresswoman from this Chamber for doing her job.
A New York City official was arrested in a Federal courthouse.
I ask my colleagues: Is this the America that you swore your oath to and that you raised your right hand to defend, an America where the President is making hundreds of millions of dollars in a cryptocurrency bribery scheme; an America where the President is soliciting foreign governments for private gifts, including a $400 million jet in exchange for favors; and who is systemically dismantling programs that feed and house our people? He is trying to gut our healthcare systems and saddle generations of our people with trillions of dollars in debt so that he and his billionaire friends can have a few more tax breaks and a few more toys in their collection.
Is that what you stand for? Is that why you ran for office? Is that what the GOP and the Republicans in charge of this Chamber ran for and stand for?
You are the people who decide what moves on this floor and hold the keys to accountability. You are the ones who know that what is happening right now is wrong.
I ask how you can sit idly by and watch as your President dismantles the systems that uphold our democracy and the rule of law.
How can you sit here and watch as he recklessly deploys the military at home and abroad, threatening the safety and security of our people?
How can you sit idly by and watch as children starve across the world, including in Gaza and Sudan?
How can you justify a man who cozies up to our foreign adversaries and turns his back on our allies?
It does not have to be this way. You control this Chamber. You decide what happens, and Donald Trump is not a king.
I call on my Republican colleagues to find your backbones, find your moral compass, find your resolve, do what is right, and do your jobs.
I say to the American people: Keep marching. Keep speaking.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired. The gentlewoman is no longer recognized.
Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the University of Georgia and its remarkable students for achieving a national distinction in international education.
UGA now ranks second in the Nation for the prestigious Boren Awards, a testament to its academic excellence in global engagement.
These awards help support students who are studying languages and cultures critical to national security and U.S. interests. In 2025, seven UGA students were selected, securing funding for their education and creating a pathway to public service.
I congratulate Jack, Nicholas, Sara, Sadie, Madison, Mark, and Jessica on their well-deserved achievement.
Their work embodies the values and work ethic of the University of Georgia. The university's success reflects the amazing work of its faculty, staff, and students.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Nic Wallace, whose talent and creativity have earned him national recognition as the 2025 World Class U.S. Bartender of the Year.
Mr. Wallace, the bars and spirits manager at the Sea Island Resort, received the highest honor in American mixology, awarded through a rigorous competition that tests the Nation's top bartenders on skill, storytelling, and hospitality.
Among 30 national finalists, Mr. Wallace emerged as the champion after a series of challenges, including speed rounds, signature cocktail pairings, and original recipe presentations.
As Georgia's sole finalist, he embraced that responsibility with pride and excelled in all aspects.
For more than a decade, Nic has pursued this title with determination and focus. As he himself said: ``No matter how much you want something, no matter how long it takes, you can get it.''
Nic will now represent the United States in the global finals in Toronto later this year.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable veteran from Savannah, Georgia, Ms. Andrea Smith Brown, known by many as ``Fearless.''
Andrea is a 60-year-young Army veteran whose journey of healing from PTSD has taken a courageous and inspiring turn.
For decades, she had been healing but found a breakthrough in her recovery in an unlikely place. What began as a hobby has become her therapy and a safe place where fear has turned to freedom. She uses her motorcycle as the vehicle for her fearless healing.
She defended her nickname by conquering the Pikes Peak summit, completing the 18-mile trek more than 14,000 feet in the air.
Last month, she undertook a solo cross-country ride, her travels stretching over 5,000 miles. She is now one of only 16 people worldwide to complete the I-10 End to End Ride alone.
``Fearless'' isn't just her nickname. It is a legacy she is building with every mile.
Mr. Speaker, today we salute Andrea Smith Brown for her service not only in uniform but also her continued devotion to others by showing what it means to serve, heal, and keep moving forward.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Jim Hotz, a Georgia resident who has dedicated 47 years to providing medical care to those in rural communities.
When Dr. Hotz began practicing in Leesburg, Georgia, he was not only the only doctor in the county but the first they had seen in nearly 40 years.
Shocked to see so many people suffering from diseases no longer considered to be a widespread threat, such as tuberculosis, Dr. Hotz made it his mission to remedy the lack of accessible medical care that plagued rural Georgia. From snake bites to cervical cancer, Dr. Hotz treated thousands of patients who otherwise would have been forced to commute across counties for treatment, a trip that could cost them their lives.
In addition to nearly 50 years of medical service, Dr. Hotz founded Albany Area Primary Health Care to assist rural communities in obtaining accessible healthcare.
Mr. Speaker, Dr. Hotz represents the best of compassion and community service, and it is an honor to recognize him and his many accomplishments.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank President Trump for saving the world. For those who don't recognize it, we have been at war with Iran for the last 46 years, or more likely and more accurately, Iran has been at war with us.
In 1979, they took American citizens hostage and paraded them out on the news day after day after day until President Reagan secured their release.
In 1983, a suicide bomb in Beirut, paid for by the Iranians, killed 63 people, including 17 Americans. In 1983, later that year, we all know they blew up our barracks with our marines, killing 241 people. Between 2003 and 2011, more than 600 American soldiers were killed by Iranian proxies.
Then obviously on October 7, 2023, 1,200 people were killed by Hamas, but Hamas is a proxy and largely paid for by Iran. Within that 1,200 people, 48 were Americans.
It leads me to ask this simple question: What if they had had a nuclear weapon?
For decades, American Presidents have said Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. It is a lot of talk but not a lot of action. Over and over and over again, Iran moved forward, building their bunkers deeper, building their sites more widespread, putting the world further at risk.
When Donald Trump talks, he doesn't just talk. When he says he is going to do something, he does it.
Over the weekend, we saw this President do what has been necessary for decades: To make sure the largest sponsor of terrorism in the world does not have the power to kill us all.
Make no mistake, just imagine if they had a nuclear weapon on 9/11. Imagine if they had a nuclear weapon on October 7.
When our enemies tell us they want to kill us, we should believe them. When they say, ``death to Israel,'' when they say, ``death to America,'' and when they say they want to wipe us off the map, they mean it. They mean it because we live in a world where we do not all share the same values. We live in a world where there is good and evil in our civilization.
In the Judeo-Christian civilization of the United States and the West, we believe in life. We believe in prosperity. We do not believe in martyrdom. We do not celebrate death. That is not what we believe. There are those that do, and we put ourselves in great peril when we fail to recognize that.
Donald Trump recognized it. Our brave American soldiers who flew 40 hours round trip to deliver a message that under this President and under the Congress that is here and under this leadership, we will never allow Iran to have those nuclear weapons.
The days ahead will be scary because Iran has said that they will respond. They should make no mistake: They mess with America at their own peril.
The last thing I will say is this, and I say this to those on my side. It is one thing when I call out the anti-Semitism of those who do not stand in my party, who do not agree with me, who do not call themselves conservatives, but I am an equal opportunist. It is easy to call it out on the other side. You must do it on your own.
To those on my side who hate Jews and hate Israel so much that they are willing to jeopardize the security of the United States, know this: You are in the minority, you will lose, and I and President Trump are going to fight you every step of the way.
Mr. Speaker, lately there has been one heck of a lot of misinformation--which would be the kind term--flat-out lies about the land that is held in control by the Federal Government and proposals to perhaps sell a part of it.
What are we looking at here? There are really a lot of people on the left talking about an idea, a concept that hasn't even been completely fleshed out over on the Senate side, as part of the big, beautiful bill.
If you have listened to their talking points, you would think we are selling off Yosemite and bulldozing national parks, which, of course, is nonsense. No one is proposing that. They know it but they keep saying it anyway.
Groups are putting out deliberately misleading maps, showing entire national forests and mountain ranges being at risk, even though the bill explicitly protects any land with a designation such as national parks, monuments, recreation areas, wilderness, and more.
It also excludes land with valid existing rights, which means grazing leases and mining claims stay in place, and backcountry roads and trails will be protected.
I am disappointed with some of the people that I tend to hang with generally on falling to that category, as well.
What is actually being considered are isolated, orphaned parcels near existing development. These are parcels the Federal Government doesn't maintain and usually has no use for. A lot of times the Federal land is held in checkerboard patterns.
Let me refer to the map here a little bit. You see this bright orange in the Western States, west of the Rockies, that is dominated as federally controlled land. The East much less so. That is probably why folks in the Eastern part of the country don't think this is a big deal. They think we will just let the Federal Government control more and more of these lands.
Let's look at Nevada here. It is almost solid orange, as well as Utah. My district in northern California is dominated by Federal land.
Is that good or is that bad?
Well, when we continue to have million-acre fires, hundreds of thousands of acres of fires, whichever year it is occurring, it is a pretty bad deal, as well.
We used to have a good, strong timber industry in my part of the State, as well as the West, that has been replaced by us having to come hat in hand every year to ask for what is called Secure Rural Schools funding, which is a replacement for what used to go to counties and local schools from timber harvest receipts. That was knocked out years ago due to the spotted owl and environmental stuff that has gone along with that for so many years. What we get then is Federal lands that are held and hardly even managed or touched.
I gave you all the exclusions a moment ago on areas that wouldn't even be part of a proposal, which is still a proposal over on the Senate side, on what Federal lands might be for sale. The Federal Government controls 640 million acres. What is even being talked about over there is a tiny fraction of that. The last number I heard was somewhere around 3 million. I don't know if that will hold up in the bill or not. New proposals are coming on that, but at least we can talk about it. We are talking about the sale of maybe one-half of 1 percent of all this
The National Park Service is years and years and billions of dollars behind on their maintenance, and sometimes they want to even buy up more land. We talk about once in a while rejiggering that a little bit or having a reset. Maybe there are some lands that would be appropriate to be sold off. Oh, my gosh. It is the end of the world. No, it isn't.
In my area of northern California, we are tired of it. We are tired of the lands not being managed. They are going up in smoke, burning out wildlife, burning out the watersheds, which means all that ash and then later on erosion ends up in our waterways and in our water supply. It is not a win.
When are we going to have this discussion? I am not sure if it is going to come out over in the Senate in a final bill that we are going to vote on to affirm or not. We should, at least, have an honest discussion about what is going on with the Federal land that the government controls, 640 million acres. We are talking about maybe one- half of 1 percent.
Our counties and our local tax bases are eroded from so much. I mentioned the Secure Rural Schools. There is also another one called PILT. It is called Payments in Lieu of Taxes. That means when there is so much land owned by the Federal Government that the counties don't gain a property tax base from that. We have to come hat in hand, once again, to the Federal Government and say: Would you please send us our PILT money. They take a long time to get it out, or you have to fight to get it into a bill.
The people in the Eastern States or in the urban areas wonder: Why are we sending this money? Why do we care about SRS, or Secure Rural Schools? Why do we care about PILT? That is because you took that stuff away from us a long time ago.
The Founders had no concept that this much land would be federally controlled, yet here we are. We are getting bad results from it on the way it is mismanaged or nonmanaged, all of the above.
With that much being owned or controlled by the Federal Government, it is at least okay to have a conversation once in a while about whether this is appropriate. I think in the sense we are talking about, yes, we want to preserve the wetlands. We want to take care of those lands, but there are lands that are appropriate to talk about any possible situation like this.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding group of students from Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.
The team from Rock L. Butler Middle School recently placed fifth in the Nation in this year's Capitol Hill Challenge, a remarkable achievement.
The 16-week financial education competition brings together thousands of student teams from across the country, each tasked with investing a hypothetical $100,000 in the stock market. The goal: to learn the fundamentals of financial literacy, teamwork, and long-term investing.
Competing against students from every congressional district, the Rock L. Butler team stood out not only for their strong returns but for their discipline, collaboration, and commitment to learning. Their performance reflects the dedication of their teachers and the support of the Wellsboro community.
I had the pleasure of meeting these students during their visit to Washington, and I can confidently say the future is in good hands.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the Rock L. Butler Middle School team on this incredible accomplishment.
Mr. Speaker, 9 days ago, Minnesota suffered the unbearable loss of one of our Nation's finest public servants.
The targeted assassination of Melissa and Mark Hortman casts a long shadow of grief not only over Minnesota but our Nation.
Under her leadership, Speaker Hortman left the State of Minnesota better than she found it. She exemplified our values of hard work, respect, inclusion, and civil engagement.
As we mourn the loss of Melissa and Mark, I join Minnesotans to pray for Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, as they recover.
As Minnesota's top leader in Human Services, Senator Hoffman shepherded historic investments for the most vulnerable among us: the elderly; those with disabilities, both seen and unseen; and those recovering from addiction.
The grief that Minnesotans have endured in the days since this tragedy has been agonizing. As we come together to heal, may we find comfort in the words of Melissa and Mark's children: Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in sadness at the loss of a friend from Siskiyou County in northern California. Sam Jackson, known as Samuel Berling Jackson, was a lifelong rancher in Siskiyou County. The legacy of the Jackson family just goes on for generations.
He was a Navy veteran and a lifelong rancher who was very dedicated to the ranching life up there, as well as making it a stronger agricultural and ranching industry for others with the service he did on the various committees and associations that he was part of.
Born in Weed in 1932 and raised on the Jackson Ranch in Edgewood, California, he was the fourth Samuel Jackson at that time. My understanding now, with the latest, there are actually eight Sam Jacksons in the family.
Sam served in the Navy during the Korean war. He earned his degree in animal husbandry at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and returned home to raise a family and build a life rooted in faith, hard work, and stewardship of the land.
Sam was a fierce advocate for agriculture as I mentioned, protecting water rights, ranching traditions, and farmland.
With his beloved wife, Erlene, he raised 4 children and 10 grandchildren, leaving a legacy of love and leadership.
He was just a great friend personally to me at the barbecues and such. I might end up behind the barbecue wagon there, maybe having an Early Times with a little 7UP in it. What a great friend he was. He was a guy that loved life and loved to share it with others and stand up for what was right as an American. We greatly appreciated him.
Here is the picture I want everybody to think of him, as well. I think it is magnificent there in his home county in Siskiyou on his lands. He was a great leader and a great man. I am better for having known him.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Juneteenth and the communities across eastern North Carolina who celebrated with joy, unity, and meaningful reflection.
From Wilson to Columbia and Goldsboro to Rocky Mount, there was wonderful dancing with Boots on the Ground and plenty of delicious food and spirited singing. Residents came together as a community to celebrate freedom, an American value.
I thank every organizer and volunteer who helped make these events possible. I also thank all who participated and especially our youth.
Mr. Speaker, we were able to honor the past and renew our commitment to a more prosperous future.
Mr. Speaker, the elimination of Iran's nuclear weapons capacity is not just an important foreign policy objective. It is an absolute national security imperative.
This has long been a point of bipartisan, nonpartisan consensus: Iran cannot get a nuclear weapon. The targeted yet overwhelming strikes executed this past weekend were precisely tailored to achieve that limited, yet vital mission.
Let's remember who we are dealing with here. The Iranian regime is the world's foremost sponsor of terror. They have funded monsters, sponsored violence, and sewn chaos far beyond their borders. Their all- consuming obsession is the obliteration of America's principal ally in the Middle East, and they have avowed death to America itself.
It is, therefore, deeply disturbing to see the reflexive partisan reactions by certain Members of Congress. Either they believe Iran should obtain a nuclear weapon or they hope the regime's nuclear program will magically disappear on its own. Both positions are equally delusional.
It is time to put partisanship aside and come together as a country. This is not just another political issue. It is about the safety and security of the American people and the future of civilization itself.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 260) to require a strategy to oppose financial or material support by foreign countries and nongovernmental organizations to the Taliban, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Tennessee?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, my bill, H.R. 260, focuses on three main issues: one, keeping financial and material support out of the hands of the Taliban; two, reporting on cash assistance programs; and three, reporting on the Afghan Fund and the Afghan central bank.
Since December 2021, the United States has sent over $5 billion in cash to Kabul. This money has been taxed and stolen by the Taliban, yet we continue to send it.
Mr. Speaker, that needs to end.
The State Department needs to ensure that any aid does not go to terrorists in Afghanistan. We need to have a clearer understanding of the influence the Taliban has on not just international aid but the Afghan banking system, as well.
When this bill was originally introduced at the end of 2023, it did not mention nongovernmental organizations in Afghanistan. However, our understanding of the reality on the ground has changed.
During a hearing last year, former Secretary of State Blinken admitted that over $10 million had been paid to the Taliban. Contacts within Taliban resistance forces have provided me with a different narrative. According to them, nearly all of the cash aid sent to Afghanistan ends up in the hands of the Taliban.
Mr. Speaker, they will hate us for free. We do not need to give them hard-earned American tax dollars. It is time we know what is going on and implement a strategy to make sure this aid goes to those who need it.
I also thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for working with us closely on this important piece of legislation and coming up with a bill that works for both parties. My Democratic friends agree that it is time to stop funding terrorist organizations in Afghanistan and across the Middle East.
I thank my dear friend Shawn Ryan from middle Tennessee, former Navy SEAL, who brought this to my attention.
I also thank my good friend ``Legend.'' He goes by that name because he has a hit out on his life because he has taken a tough stand. He is an Afghan that fought for America, and he is my friend.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 260, and I thank my dear friend and honorable colleague, the Honorable Tim Burchett from the great State of Tennessee, for his remarks.
Mr. Speaker, oversight of U.S. policy toward Afghanistan does not have to be a partisan issue. We can all agree that we do not want American dollars sent to Afghanistan to be diverted to the Taliban. However, we must do so in a way that does not further alienate those partners already reeling from the Trump administration's foreign assistance freeze, which terminated nearly all humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, despite its compliance with U.S. law and policy.
Mr. Speaker, I am glad that Mr. Burchett was willing to work with Democrats to address many of our concerns about this legislation. I am also glad that this legislation contains important amendments offered by the Honorable Representative Kamlager-Dove to require additional reporting on the Haqqani Network, and Representative Keating to ensure that the strategy required by this bill prioritizes Afghan women and girls, as well as our Afghan allies. These amendments, adopted with bipartisan support during the markup, underscore that there remains considerable areas of bipartisan consensus in the House about our Afghanistan policy.
Unfortunately, there is not a consensus about what the Trump administration is doing on Afghanistan because they won't tell us. The State Department has ignored multiple bipartisan requests from this committee, dating back to February, for more information about the deals it is making with the Taliban and the Haqqani Network. Despite the fact that the Republican-led Congress enacted a law codifying the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, Secretary Rubio is disabling the infrastructure supporting our Afghan allies and leaving Congress in the dark.
Likewise, Secretary Rubio has abolished the Special Envoy for Afghan Women and Girls, even as this administration lifted the Rewards for Justice bounties on the leaders of the Haqqani Network, a group with the blood of U.S. troops on their hands.
Mr. Speaker, we urgently need more information and assurances from the Trump administration about their priorities in Afghanistan and now Iran. I hope my colleagues on the other side will stand up for our committee's oversight responsibility. For now, we are glad to have the opportunity to work together on this legislation.
I thank, again, the Honorable Congressman Tim Burchett and all his great bipartisan advocates. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
Mr. Speaker, our Afghan allies risked their lives for America. The United States must continue to do everything it can to support our partners on the ground providing assistance to Afghan civilians, including women and children, while also ensuring U.S. foreign assistance isn't being diverted into the hands of the Taliban.
There remain considerable areas of bipartisan consensus in Congress when it comes to our Afghanistan policy. This legislation will lean on that consensus to help bolster our committee's oversight power and take a step toward delivering to our Afghan allies the support that they deserve.
Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me and support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the kind words that Representative Jackson said about me. He is probably one of my closest friends across the aisle. I don't agree with him on anything, but he is my friend and I dig that.
Mr. Speaker, we must send a very strong message that the United States will no longer tolerate sending U.S. tax dollars to terrorist organizations in Afghanistan and across the Middle East.
I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 260, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to require a strategy to oppose foreign assistance by foreign countries and nongovernmental organizations to the Taliban, and for other purposes.''.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1998) to require the imposition of sanctions with respect to foreign persons engaged in piracy, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Tennessee?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1998, the Sanction Sea Pirates Act, introduced by my dear friend Representative Jackson.
This legislation is a strong statement of intent that Congress will not tolerate the sea piracy which threatens trade across the globe. By modern standards, sea piracy may seem like an age-old problem, but the reality is it is very brutal. Sea piracy is a violent crime that endangers the lives of merchant sailors, disrupts global trade, and can cause massive economic losses.
America has long stood strong against sea piracy. However, in recent years, piracy has been on the rise, Mr. Speaker. Pirates, often based out of Somalia, have taken advantage of disruptions created by Houthi aggression in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The result has been a disturbing spike in pirate attacks in the waters surrounding the Horn of Africa.
This bill uses economic power to support ongoing military efforts by the U.S. and its partners to combat piracy and safeguard trade in this vital strategic waterway. The bill imposes full financial and visa sanctions against any foreign person who engages in piracy.
By leveraging the economic power of the United States to supplement the work of our Armed Forces, we can help end sea piracy and ensure the safety of our merchant sailors. I support this legislation and reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support my bill, H.R. 1998, Sanction Sea Pirates Act. Over the last few years, we have seen and also been reminded how fragile global supply chains can be and how the closing of narrow physical chokepoints can lead to shortages and inflation. More than 30 percent of global container trade passes through the Red Sea. If these waters cannot be navigated because of pirates and terrorism, Americans will continue to feel the costs here at home.
Unfortunately, we are now seeing exactly what we are trying to prevent. Ships traversing the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden now face two major threats--and more mounting--from the Houthis, who continue to perpetrate piracy on the high seas, and from Somalian pirates, who are plundering and pillaging at rates unseen in a decade.
My bill imposes sanctions on any pirates around the world, blocking assets in or associated with the United States and denying them entry into our country. As an international leader in trade and security, the United States must seek to stop piracy around the world. This is America at its finest trying to help facilitate global trade. We must secure global waterways for the safety of ships, crew members, and critical ship-dependent supply chains.
Mr. Speaker, my bill is also a necessary step to ensure the development of African economies and generate greater prosperity through stability in Somalia. No country can be expected to grow and prosper while facing serious piracy threats. We cannot allow violent criminals and terrorists to continue stunting the economic development of Somalia and the surrounding region.
Beyond direct threats to the United States and Somalia, piracy is often linked to terrorism and crime. This bill reaffirms the United States' position as a global economic and security leader, and I thank my colleagues for helping to move this bill through the House. We strongly believe that this is a necessary step toward greater stability and safety for both the United States and East Africa. Attacks on maritime shipping endanger innocent lives, raise the cost of goods, and destabilize local communities in Yemen and the Horn of Africa.
For American national and economic security, we must pass this legislation and crack down on global piracy. I encourage all of my colleagues to join in supporting this legislation, and reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the body to pass the Sanction Sea Pirates Act and send an unmistakable message: The United States of America stands firmly against sea piracy and is committed to ensuring freedom of navigation against crime in the high seas. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1998, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 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.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of H.R. 1737. I am advocating for this particular bill. The bill would direct the Secretary of Commerce to submit a report on the value, cost, and feasibility of developing a transatlantic submarine cable connecting the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria.
Submarine cables are critical components of communications infrastructure, carrying data traffic across oceans. There are more than 600 active and planned submarine cable systems that keep the world connected, but there is no cable connecting the United States to the continent of Africa.
Mr. Speaker, a transatlantic submarine cable could provide national security benefits to the United States, given Africa's strategic importance, and it is an important issue to study, in my opinion.
I thank Delegate Plaskett and Representative Fulcher for their leadership on this particular bill, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 1737.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1737, a bill requiring the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA, to assess the value, cost, and feasibility of a transatlantic submarine fiber optic cable connecting the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Ghana, and Nigeria, and to submit a report to Congress with its findings.
The bill also directs NTIA to report to Congress on the current state of telecommunications connecting the U.S. Virgin Islands and the United States, including an assessment of the lifespan and security of telecommunications infrastructure linking the two.
This legislation will provide Congress with vital information on the strength and resiliency of communications infrastructure in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It will also help us determine whether American interests can be served by connecting the U.S. and the African Continent with undersea cable infrastructure by way of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This bill is an important step to enhance American communications security and competitiveness around the world.
In recent years, Mr. Speaker, the United States and many allies have recognized the threat posed by untrusted Chinese telecommunications equipment to our national security. Thanks to the work of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Congress, we have taken steps to remove suspect equipment and software from American communications networks to protect against sabotage and undue influence by our adversaries.
Much of this work has been done on a bipartisan basis. One noteworthy example is the legislation Congress passed to force the divestment of TikTok from ownership by companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, which passed overwhelmingly with hundreds of Democratic and Republican votes.
That is why I was frustrated to learn last week that President Trump again unlawfully granted TikTok an extension, allowing China to infiltrate American networks for another 90 days. President Trump's disregard for the law is well known at this point, but I was more disappointed that none of my Republican colleagues had the courage to call on the President to enforce the law.
Trump's stall tactics are allowing China to continue to collect massive amounts of information on Americans. There are American companies that want to buy TikTok. It is long past time for Trump to get this done.
There is also still work to be done because network security does not end at the water's edge. For decades, China and other adversaries have spent considerable time and money to deploy suspect telecommunications equipment and infrastructure across the African Continent. The assessment required in this bill is an important step to understand the cost of securing the connection between the United States and our African allies and how best to ensure a critical global communications channel is protected from the prying eyes of our adversaries.
I thank Delegate Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands for her leadership on this bill, and I thank Representative Fulcher, as well, for this effort.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill, and 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 thank Ranking Member Pallone, this body, and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for recognizing the national security interest of this legislation, H.R. 1737, to direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to submit to Congress a report containing an assessment of the value, cost, and feasibility of developing this transatlantic submarine fiber optic cable that has been discussed.
Today, hundreds of undersea fiber optic cables connect North America to Europe, South America, and Asia, but not a single cable directly links North America to the African Continent. This represents both a strategic vulnerability and a missed economic opportunity.
The diaspora link act represents an opportunity to establish a high- speed, secure telecommunications data connection to Africa from American soil to facilitate deepened economic connections and aid American regional security assistance. This link will allow America to establish a direct digital presence on the African Continent, both to capitalize on emerging economic opportunities and to protect our Nation against cyber and military threats.
The study will examine Lagos, Nigeria, and Accra, Ghana, as potential African landing points. Both cities serve as established telecommunications hubs with existing undersea cable infrastructure linking West Africa to Europe and South America. The presence of American embassies in both locations offers critical security benefits for cable operations.
Our adversarial nations are rapidly expanding their influence across the African Continent, and a direct American telecommunications link to the continent is a strategic necessity.
China has systematically expanded its telecommunications and military presence across Africa. The Chinese multinational Huawei has constructed roughly 70 percent of Africa's information technology infrastructure. China is pursuing the same strategy in the Caribbean, where at least 10 nations have signed Belt and Road agreements that open their nations to Chinese investment and influence.
China's expansion into Africa and the Caribbean makes establishing our own direct telecommunications link to these regions a strategic necessity.
Russia, as well, has destabilized Africa through disinformation campaigns and mercenary operations, positioning itself as an alternative to Western partnerships while fueling antidemocratic sentiment. This strategy has made Africa a flash point in the global strategic competition between Russia and the West. Moscow's support for authoritarian governments includes backing multiple coups in Nigeria, Mali, Sudan, Guinea, and Burkina Faso that directly threaten democratic progress.
Our adversaries are systematically exploiting Africa's vast mineral wealth while we lack direct access. Russia and China are extracting critical resources across the continent: uranium from Niger, the world's seventh largest producer; gold and lithium from Mali's extensive deposits; cobalt from the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and bauxite and phosphate from Burkina Faso. These materials are essential to technology as well as defense industries. We cannot afford to remain on the sidelines.
Additionally, there are many African countries that want to engage with us, that want to do business with us. Burkina Faso and Angola have reached out to our country to engage more, and this is an additional way for us to do that.
Additionally, let's look at the populations. Africa has almost a billion individuals under the age of 30. The United States has only 100 million. The entire European Union has 140 million. These young people represent a growing economic as well as potential allyship for the United States, and we all know that social media and internet commerce is the mechanism by which we are able to engage them.
An undersea cable linking the American East Coast to Africa via the United States Virgin Islands would create both a critical national security asset and a digital commerce expressway to strengthen America's global political, economic, and military positions. Such undersea cable development would leverage the Virgin Islands' already existing telecommunications infrastructure, which already connects the territory to South America and the mainland in the United States and facilitates additional regional links.
The diaspora link act enables the United States to counter Chinese influence and global telecommunications while leveraging our existing strategic assets. The U.S. Virgin Islands not only hosts established cable infrastructure but maintains a National Guard installation on St. Croix with an adjacent military support airport, assets that could directly support and secure these telecommunications operations.
The Virgin Islands, the most southern point of the United States, sits at the crossroads of centuries-old transit routes, and we now have a chance to transform this strategic location into a cornerstone of American telecommunications infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Energy and Commerce Committee for its unanimous support of this legislation through regular order. This bill passed the House in the 118th Congress with bipartisan support and identical text.
I thank my colleague, Congressman Fulcher, for his continued partnership to advance America's telecommunications as well as military and national security.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this critical measure. Congress must protect American security interests in the Caribbean and strengthen our partnership across the Atlantic with our African partners.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, obviously, from what you are hearing from the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett), this is an important bill in terms of not only the Virgin Islands but strengthening our links, communications, and economy with Africa, as well.
For all those reasons, I urge that we support the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) for offering this very important bill, and I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this particular bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1737.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2481) to require online dating service providers to provide fraud ban notifications to online dating servicemembers, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on this particular bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2481, the Romance Scam Prevention Act, led by Representative Valadao. This legislation would require online dating platforms to notify users when they have interacted with someone who has been removed from the platform for fraudulent activity.
Online dating platforms have been around for over 30 years, and they continue to grow in popularity. While they can help people connect, their accessibility and digital format have also created new risks, unfortunately.
The FTC, the Federal Trade Commission, reported that romance scams lost victims $1.3 billion in 2022. I have constituents who were victims, unfortunately. Many of those affected were elderly individuals who lost their retirement savings. What a shame.
By requiring a fraud ban notification, we can put a stop to these senseless scams and protect vulnerable consumers.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 2481, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 2481, the Romance Scam Prevention Act.
As more consumers report using online dating services, it is important that they are made aware of potential harms. This bill ensures that when an online dating service bans a user for fraud, it notifies all the other users who have been in contact with that banned person on the service. This will help to reduce the number of people who fall victim to identified fraudsters looking to extort money from dating app users.
Mr. Speaker, this bill is an important first step in addressing harm in the online dating space. However, there is a lot more to be done, and vulnerable consumers need a strong and independent Federal Trade Commission to prosecute fraudsters and scammers and to protect them from having their emotions exploited for financial gain.
I encourage my Republican colleagues to support this legislation as well as the bipartisan FTC that ensures consumer protection measures like this one are fully and fairly enforced for all Americans. I thank Representatives Pettersen and Valadao for their leadership on this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from the great State of California (Mr. Valadao), a very effective Member of Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge support for my bill, the Romance Scam Prevention Act. Every year, millions of Americans from all ages and backgrounds use dating apps and websites to make connections.
For many, online dating has made it easier to build relationships. Unfortunately, there are countless stories of criminals using these sites for fraudulent activity.
While it is sadly common to see users lie about things like their age and occupation, romance scammers use fake profiles to develop connections and emotionally or financially exploit unsuspecting users. According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans lost over $1.1 billion in 2023 alone, with senior citizens being the age group most at risk.
There have been countless stories of people being conned out of their entire life savings, all because they believed they had found love online. People who meet online often take their conversations to other communication platforms and might not know that they are talking to someone who has been removed from the original dating app.
This bill requires dating platforms to issue fraud ban notifications to users who have interacted with an account who has been removed for fraudulent activity.
As criminals are becoming more sophisticated when it comes to exploiting victims online, it is time to put safeguards in place to protect users from financial fraud.
I thank Chairman Guthrie and his staff at the Committee on Energy and Commerce for their work on this important bill, as well as my co-leads, Representatives Brittany Pettersen, Tom Suozzi, and Craig Goldman.
Mr. Speaker, I will close by saying I do think this is an important bill for avoiding fraud. I am very concerned about fraud on these dating service apps. I commend Mr. Valadao for bringing this forward, and I urge everyone to support the bill.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this particular bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2481.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 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.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this particular bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1679, the Global Investment in American Jobs Act of 2025. This is being led by the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Evans), my good friend and a very effective Member of Congress.
This bill directs the Secretary of Commerce and the Comptroller General to conduct a review and report on ways to increase and attract foreign direct investment, or FDI, from trusted countries.
The United States is currently a global leader in deployment of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, and many more. To maintain that leadership, we must continue to foster an environment that encourages our allies and trusted global partners to invest here at home.
By removing barriers and showing the world that the U.S. is the premier destination for investment, innovation, manufacturing, and deployment, the U.S. will cement itself as the global leader of the new age of technological advancements.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in favor of this particular bill, H.R. 1679.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 1679, the Global Investment in American Jobs Act. This legislation will encourage foreign direct investment to support high-quality American jobs.
Foreign direct investment from nonadversarial Nations can be used to grow critical sectors important for our economic success and national security including by creating new jobs in our Nation's manufacturing sector.
Once the envy of the world, our manufacturing base has faced steady headwinds for the last several decades. Our Nation's share of global manufacturing activity declined from 28 percent in 2002 to just over 17 percent in 2020.
Investment in America's small and medium manufacturers, the bedrock of our industrial might, has also declined over the last 20 years by more than $200 billion. In that same two-decade period, our domestic manufacturing base has shed more than 4 million jobs.
It is time to reverse these trends by revitalizing our Nation's manufacturing industry and bringing jobs back home. The work we did under the Biden administration, passing the bipartisan infrastructure law, Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act, is already helping to turn the tide.
I am concerned that actions by the Trump administration are putting this great success at risk. The attempts to claw back these historic investments in our manufacturing sector, unstable and erratic tariff policies, and mass elimination of trusted Federal programs and partners put American businesses at a disadvantage.
All of these actions by the Trump administration are detrimental to our ability to compete globally. I encourage my Republican colleagues to stand up for American businesses, large and small, against the chaotic actions of this administration.
Foreign direct investment can be part of the solution to revitalize American manufacturing and job creation. Over a third of all foreign direct investments are in domestic manufacturing, exceeding a total of $120 billion a year.
This bill will help ensure we keep that flow of investment strong and that such investments support quality, good-paying jobs right here at home. It must be coupled with Federal trade policies coming from the White House and this Congress that encourages stability in the marketplace, protects our relationships with close trading partners, and lowers costs for American families.
Mr. Speaker, I commend Representatives Kelly and Evans for their leadership on this issue. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of my bipartisan bill, the Global Investment in American Jobs Act.
Mr. Speaker, this is a critical piece of legislation that will help bolster American competitiveness in the face of increasing economic aggression from the Chinese Communist Party, all while helping to create jobs in my home State of Colorado and all across the Nation.
First and foremost, I extend my gratitude to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly) for helping to introduce this bill with me. I am proud to work with her in a bipartisan fashion to advance this bill first through the Energy and Commerce Committee and now onto the House floor.
In Colorado alone, there are more than 126,000 workers that are the direct result of foreign direct investment. Of these workers, 31 percent work in manufacturing roles. These jobs, like other good, blue- collar jobs in my district, provide stable, good-paying careers to constituents to help provide for their families. Oftentimes, these jobs are obtainable to folks with a high school degree after a quick and affordable career technical education course.
My bill tasks the Secretary of Commerce with conducting an interagency review to help create a more favorable environment for foreign direct investment, ultimately boosting our economy and benefiting American workers.
International companies are beginning to recognize what most of us have known for decades. The American worker is among the most talented in the world. Whether it is energy, technology, or chemicals, Americans produce some of the highest quality products in the cleanest, most efficient, and socially responsible ways possible.
With the resurgence in America's manufacturing industry, global investors are now clamoring to pump money into emerging industries in the U.S. Congress needs to ensure that we as a Nation are striking the right approach in courting international companies and facilitating responsible investments.
This legislation doesn't just help create good-paying jobs. It also helps to ensure that America remains competitive with the Chinese Communist Party by retaining our technological advantage in research and development.
International employers in the U.S. account for more than $80 billion in research and development. With this bill, Congress can take a major step in seeing this number increase over the coming years.
This isn't just something that we should consider doing. It is necessary. In the face of increasingly unscrupulous tactics from the Chinese Communist Party such as rampant intellectual property theft, corporate espionage, the use of slave labor, and environmentally reckless energy practices, it is imperative for the United States to leverage every available tool to bolster American industry, such as this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Global Investment in American Jobs Act to maintain Americans' competitive edge, invest in our domestic talent, bring more jobs home, and drive innovation to usher in the next era of manufacturing dominance in the United States.
Mr. Speaker, I know in my district that foreign direct investment is important in creating jobs. I would certainly say that nationally this is an important piece of legislation. For that reason, I urge my colleagues to support it.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this particular bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1679.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2269) to require certain products to be labeled with ``Do Not Flush'' labeling, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on this particular bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2269, the Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety Act, or the WIPPES Act, led by Representative McClain. The bipartisan, bicameral bill mandates wet wipe manufacturers to label their products as nonflushable. In doing so, it will provide consumers with clearer guidance, thereby saving local water utilities millions of dollars a year from preventable sewer blockages.
I appreciate Chairperson McClain's efforts to advance the WIPPES Act, along with Senator Merkley and Representative Mullin.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass this bill, H.R. 2269, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 2269, the WIPPES Act.
The improper disposal of nonflushable wipes can damage plumbing and lead to environmental contamination and pollution. Environmentalists from across the country have expressed the need for manufacturers to clearly label their wet wipe products so consumers know how to properly dispose of them.
This bill ensures that wipe manufacturers, and other covered entities, clearly and conspicuously label nonflushable wipes as just that.
By requiring these labels on the packaging of all nonflushable wipes, this bill will help ensure our plumbing and wastewater treatment facilities do not break down as a result of these wipes.
However, the implementation and enforcement of this bill requires a strong, independent, and bipartisan Federal Trade Commission. House Republicans have stood by in silence as this critical agency is being compromised by President Trump's illegal attempts to remove the two Democratic commissioners from their posts, undermining the legitimacy and transparency of the FTC.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my Republican colleagues to stand up for the two representatives, or I should say for the restoration of an independent FTC, to ensure this bill and the many others that are tasked with implementing are fully effective and enforced without fear or favor. We need a strong FTC.
I commend Representatives Mullin and McClain for their leadership of
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge support for my bill, the Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety Act, better known as the WIPPES Act.
This commonsense, bipartisan bill addresses a costly and growing problem in our communities. Every year, Michiganders' water utilities spend over $18 million responding to clogs and damage caused by nonflushable wipes. These products, when disposed of incorrectly, create massive blockages in our wastewater systems, which lead to backups, environmental hazards, costly repairs, and, ultimately, higher rates for our constituents.
The solution is simple: clear, honest labeling.
This bill does not ban wipes. It does not burden small businesses. It simply requires manufacturers to label packaging for wipes that aren't designed to be flushed.
This legislation isn't just about preventing clogged pipes. It is about protecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring our infrastructure can last for years to come.
The WIPPES Act passed the House last Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support, and I am proud to lead this legislation alongside Congressman Kevin Mullin again this Congress and call on the Senate to take it up.
Functioning infrastructure and lower utility costs are not partisan issues. They are priorities we should all share.
Let's pass the WIPPES Act. Let's give our local public works departments, utilities, and consumers the tools they need to keep our systems flowing and our communities safe.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this legislation. I do think that from an environmental point of view and to protect our waste treatment facilities this is important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this particular bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2269.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1767) to require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate a mandatory consumer product safety standard with respect to retractable awnings.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on this particular bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1767, the Awning Safety Act of 2025, led by my good friend, Representative Balderson.
This legislation directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish a consumer product safety standard for retractable awnings to help prevent serious injuries and deaths.
Motorized awnings pose a known hazard to the public, so the CPSC issued a recall covering 270,000 units following reports of injuries and one tragic death unfortunately. These preventable incidents occur when the tie-downs on the awning unexpectedly release, causing the awning to strike the consumer.
Coming from the State of Florida, I know how important this is, and I know how popular awnings are, but they have to be safe for consumers. Consumers should not have to fear that their awning might suddenly spring open and cause harm. This bill will make sure they won't have that problem.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this particular bill. I commend the primary sponsor, my good friend, Mr. Balderson, from the great State of Ohio.
H.R. 1767 should be passed by this body and sent over to the Senate.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 1767, the Awning Safety Act.
In 2019, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall of 270,000 motorized awnings sold in the United States that had caused six injuries and, tragically, one death. While I commend the CPSC for taking action to protect Americans from this hazardous product, we must do more to ensure that awning products available to consumers are safe, regardless of brand or manufacturer. American families should be able to enjoy the shade without fear of injury or death from the awning that they use.
Now, the Awning Safety Act would require the CPSC to create a safety standard for fixed and freestanding retractable awnings. While the CPSC has taken action through individual recalls on occasion, there is no voluntary or mandatory standard to these awnings, and injuries continue to mount.
In 2023, Dr. Michael Hnat was the father of a former committee Republican staffer, and I believe that she is in the gallery today with her mother. Dr. Hnat was tragically killed as the result of an accident involving a retractable awning. We must act to ensure that other American families do not suffer a similar tragedy because of problems with retractable awnings.
However, compliance with this bill depends on the existence of a strong, bipartisan, and independent CPSC to protect Americans from unsafe products. At the same time as my Republican colleagues praise this bill, they have continued to remain silent on President Trump's willingness to risk the safety of American children and families by attempting to unlawfully remove Democratic CPSC commissioners and planning to eliminate the CPSC altogether.
I am pleased a district court recently upheld the law and reinstated the Democratic commissioners to their posts, but the Trump administration is
I also strongly oppose the Trump administration's ongoing plans to fold the CPSC's mission into the Department of Health and Human Services with a smaller budget, fewer expert staff, and a narrower mission.
American consumers deserve to have peace of mind that the products they bring into their homes are safe. I commend Representatives Castor and Balderson for their work and leadership on this issue. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1767, the Awning Safety Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Bilirakis for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the Awning Safety Act, which aims to enhance the safety of awnings commonly found in Ohio homes and households across the Nation.
A retractable awning can serve as a valuable source of shade and a gathering spot for families and friends. However, they can pose a significant risk to consumers.
This legislation directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish safety standards for fixed and freestanding awnings typically installed in homes.
My Energy and Commerce Committee colleagues and I learned of the serious risks surrounding awnings when tragedy struck the family of Olivia Shields, a staff member of the committee at the time.
As Ranking Member Pallone said, she and her family are in the gallery today. Her father, Michael Hnat, was carrying out a routine household task of taking down the retractable awning from the family home in Ohio. He was on the ladder when the spring-loaded arm of the awning unexpectedly shot out at him, forcing his ladder to tip and causing him to fall. Michael suffered a severe spinal cord injury, and despite efforts to save him, he tragically passed away a few days later.
His passing affected his family profoundly and reverberated throughout the communities he touched.
Michael was renowned for his kindness, generosity, and selflessness, often going above and beyond to help others in need. He was a devoted family man, cherished husband to Jill, and loving father to their children, Annaliese, Olivia, Abbey, Seamus, Emma; his sons-in-law; and his grandchildren.
Michael's untimely death underscores the importance of ensuring the safety of household products like awnings, and by passing this legislation today, we can prevent further tragedies.
Mr. Speaker, obviously, this is an important bill from a consumer safety point of view. I urge all my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this particular piece of legislation in memory of Dr. Michael Hnat, a cherished part of the Energy and Commerce Committee family, who tragically lost his life, as has been said, in an awning accident. I thank his family for joining us here today.
Mr. Speaker, let's pass this good bill in his memory, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1767.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1664) to direct the Secretary of Commerce to take actions necessary and appropriate to promote the competitiveness of the United States related to the deployment, use, application, and competitiveness of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on this particular bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1664, the Deploying American Blockchains Act of 2025, championed by my good friend and fellow Florida Gator, Representative Cammack.
This legislation directs the Secretary of Commerce to take the necessary actions to promote the competitiveness of the United States in the development and application of blockchain technology.
Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize industries by enhancing security, transparency, and efficiency. Whether it is used as a privacy enhancement technology, a supply chain management tool, or as a method to provide a secure ledger to enhance data security, blockchain can usher in a new era in American technological leadership.
By fostering innovation and establishing best practices, this bill positions the United States as a leader in
I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this very good bill primarily sponsored by my good friend Mrs. Cammack from the State of Florida. Let's get this done.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1664, the Deploying American Blockchains Act. For decades, our Nation's technological leadership has helped build the largest, most dynamic economy in the world. We must continue working to ensure that we outcompete the rest of the world because our economic rivals are trying to close the gap.
This legislation commissions the Department of Commerce to support the leadership of the United States with respect to blockchain technology, which may have useful applications for supply chain monitoring, data security, and financial transactions. Investments that strengthen the ability of American industry to realize the benefits of new technology are essential to our global competitiveness.
I am very mindful, Mr. Speaker, that the chaos of the Trump administration is undermining U.S. leadership in technology development and deployment. If my Republican colleagues are sincere in their desire to win the race to adopt advanced technologies, they will start to speak up rather than quietly stand by while the Trump administration recklessly cuts critical Federal research programs, engages in mass firings of crucial experts, and engages in wild swings in national trade policy from week to week.
House Democrats have shown our commitment to American technological leadership. The CHIPS and Science Act, for example, makes transformational investments in research and development, science and technology, and the workforce of the future. It will help us maintain our Nation's leadership in the industries of tomorrow, including nanotechnology, clean energy, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence. The CHIPS and Science Act is already making a huge difference, but we must build on this success rather than tear it down.
One other thing to note is that this bill should already be law. It was agreed to last year as part of a bipartisan, bicameral legislative package that was set to be passed and signed into law in December before Elon Musk killed the agreement.
That package included important provisions that would have lowered costs for hardworking Americans, but instead of passing it and sending it to the President's desk to be signed into law, my Republican colleagues caved to outside pressure from Elon Musk.
I do want to commend Representatives Cammack and Soto for their leadership on this issue. This is an important bill, and I encourage all my colleagues to support this legislation on a bipartisan basis.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cammack), one of the most hardworking Members of Congress and my good friend.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his steadfast support, and I also thank the ranking member for his support.
I rise today in support of H.R. 1664, the Deploying American Blockchains Act of 2025, bipartisan legislation that I am proud to lead alongside my colleague Representative Darren Soto.
This bill is about far more than emerging technology. It is about securing America's future, economically, strategically, and technologically, in an increasingly digital world.
Blockchain technology is not a passing trend. It is a foundational innovation that is reshaping how we think about security, identity, data integrity, and commerce. From supply chains and finance to healthcare and identity management, blockchain is transforming the way our systems function.
Mr. Speaker, we are at a crossroads. While American entrepreneurs and technologists are ready to lead, they are operating in an environment filled with uncertainty. Too many innovators in this space face unclear rules, inconsistent Federal policies, and outdated frameworks that push investment and opportunities overseas. Meanwhile, nations like China are investing heavily in blockchain infrastructure and making it clear that their intent is to control the digital rails of the future.
We cannot afford to fall behind. American values of freedom, transparency, and accountability must guide the development of the next generation of digital infrastructure. That is what this bill ensures.
The Deploying American Blockchains Act takes a strategic, thoughtful approach by directing the Commerce Department to lead the Federal Government's blockchain effort. The Department will advise the President, establish a Blockchain Deployment Program, and ensure that the United States remains competitive in the development and application of this critical technology.
Importantly, this bill affirms that blockchain is not just a buzzword. It is the backbone of next-generation innovations in areas like supply chain security, smart contracts, digital identity, and fraud prevention. These applications aren't just theoretical. They are being deployed right now across sectors of the entire American economy. If we fail to lead, others will step in to define the rules of the road.
This bill sends a powerful message to our allies and adversaries alike: America intends to lead. We will lead. We will build, not just consume. We intend to shape the global standards for digital trust and transparency, and we will not allow authoritarian regimes to do so in our absence.
This bill is about leadership. It is about economic opportunity, and it is about protecting our American interests and ensuring that our technological edge continues to serve the people, our values, and our future.
I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting this commonsense legislation. Together, we can keep America at the forefront of innovation and ensure that our digital future is one defined by liberty, accountability, and American leadership.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this particular bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1664, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1520) to prohibit discrimination on the basis of mental or physical disability in cases of organ transplants.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on this particular bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1520, the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act led by my good friend Mrs. Cammack. She is on a roll.
This legislation prohibits healthcare providers and other entities from denying an individual's access to organ transplants based solely on the basis of an individual's disability.
According to the National Council on Disability, such denials are usually based on assumptions regarding the patient's quality of life and misinterpretations surrounding the ability for these individuals to comply with postoperative care.
Though existing Federal laws prohibit organ transplant centers from discriminating on the basis of disability, there is limited enforcement and a lack of Federal guidance to ensure patients are protected.
No one should be denied access to an organ transplant just because they have a disability. H.R. 1520 clarifies that individuals with disabilities shall not be denied an organ transplant or related services based solely on the individual's disability and includes an expedited review and enforcement mechanism through the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights.
This is a must-pass bill. We must protect individuals, our constituents, and in some cases family members, with disabilities. They should not be discriminated against.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 1520, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1520, the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act.
This bill prohibits people who are eligible for a lifesaving organ transplant from being denied the transplant based solely on their disability status.
Existing Federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the Affordable Care Act, already prohibit organ transplant centers from discriminating based solely on disability. However, there are still cases where people with disabilities have been denied access to organ transplants. This is often because of misperceptions about how a disability impacts the medical likelihood of transplant success or unfounded assumptions regarding people with disabilities' ability to comply with postoperative care.
This bill prohibits covered entities from determining that an individual is ineligible to receive a transplant based solely on the fact that the individual has a disability.
The legislation also acknowledges the importance of support networks and services in helping with postoperative care.
Organ transplants, Mr. Speaker, as you know, save lives, and it is important that the system is free from discrimination.
I am pleased that we are taking this step to clarify and build upon existing civil rights protections for people with disabilities. However, I am concerned that ongoing cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services will limit the effectiveness of this bill.
H.R. 1520 instructs the Office of Civil Rights to enforce the discrimination protections included in the bill. However, the Trump administration is not only proposing to eliminate the Office of Civil Rights as an independent agency, but it has fired some of the office's staff. The final number of staff who have or will be eliminated is unclear because the Department has refused to be transparent with Congress on the number of employees who have been terminated.
The Office of Civil Rights is already understaffed and underfunded, which has created a backlog of cases. If my Republican colleagues truly care about the proper implementation of this bill, they will join me in conducting oversight of the Trump administration's rampant cuts at HHS and the Office of Civil Rights.
I thank Representative Dingell and also Representative Cammack for their work on this bill. It is very important legislation, and I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1520.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1520, the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act.
This legislation is deeply personal for many families across the United States who have experienced unimaginable pain and loss simply because their loved ones had a disability.
One of those families is from my district in Ocala, Florida, Bobbi and Josh Sarmiento. Their infant son, baby Zion, was born with Down syndrome and in need of a heart transplant. At just 6 months old, Zion was denied that chance.
The doctors told the parents, Bobbi and Josh, that baby Zion's life wasn't worth the heart, that it couldn't ``be wasted'' on a child with a disability.
That is not just wrong, but it is inhumane. It should never ever happen again.
This bill that we are considering here today is named after Charlotte Woodward, a remarkable woman with Down syndrome who received a lifesaving heart transplant over a decade ago.
Charlotte's story is a living, breathing testament to the truth that we must affirm here today: Every life, regardless of disability, has value and potential.
I am so pleased to announce that Charlotte is with us here today in the gallery. I recognize you, Charlotte, and thank you for all that you do.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1520 ensures that individuals with disabilities are not discriminated against in organ transplant eligibility. It gives families a mechanism for timely intervention, time that oftentimes families just don't have, through the Department of Health and Human Services, when medical decisions are clouded by bias rather than compassion and science.
I am proud to work once again with my colleague and friend Congresswoman Debbie Dingell in advancing this bipartisan effort. This bill passed overwhelmingly in the last Congress,
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and fight for life.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair reminds Members that the rules do not allow references to persons in the gallery.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my strong support for H.R. 1520, the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act.
Mr. Speaker, as co-chair of the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus, I am proud to co-lead the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act alongside my colleague, Representative Kat Cammack. I thank her for her partnership on this vital bill named after the incredible young woman whom you just met.
I came out here looking for her because I said to Frank months or years ago: Frank, she will be in the committee. She is the living energy of somebody who knew that something had to be done, and Charlotte is just always there. Her energy is going to get this issue righted. She has been the bill's biggest supporter, sitting time and time again in the Energy and Commerce Committee room for nearly every hearing and markup and telling her story and her tremendous work.
For those who don't know her story, it has been mentioned that Charlotte was born with Down syndrome and a heart condition. Due to this heart condition, she successfully underwent a lifesaving heart transplant in 2012. In the years since, she has become the advocate we all know, sharing her story to educate and advocate for others with disabilities.
In her honor, this important bill prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in the organ transplant system. Specifically, it prohibits eligible individuals from being denied a lifesaving transplant procedure based solely on their disability status. It is unthinkable that people with disabilities are passed over for lifesaving transplants based on discriminatory and subjective assumptions about their ability to comply with postoperative care.
With this legislation, we can take action and ensure that all Americans, regardless of their disability status, receive equitable access to the care that they need.
I thank Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Guthrie and Ranking Member Pallone for fighting with us for this important piece of legislation. Again, I thank Representative Cammack for being such a great bipartisan partner.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), the chairman of the Health Subcommittee under the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in the organ transplant system.
This bill prohibits covered entities from determining that an individual is ineligible to receive a transplant or denying a transplant based solely on the fact that the individual has a disability.
The bill is named after Charlotte Woodward, an advocate with Down syndrome who received a lifesaving heart transplant a decade ago. Since then, she has advocated tirelessly to ensure that others living with Down syndrome and other disabilities have the same access to lifesaving care that she did.
Unfortunately, there have been too many instances in which individuals with disabilities have been denied a lifesaving organ transplant, and this is unacceptable.
Congress has the opportunity to help ensure that individuals with disabilities are treated fairly within the organ transplant system. No one, Mr. Speaker--no one--should be denied access to an organ transplant just because they have a disability.
That is why I am proud to support this bill, which will make sure that all Americans, no matter their disability status, will be able to receive the access to care that they need and deserve.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friends, Representative Cammack and Representative Dingell, for their leadership on this important issue, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, while I support this underlying legislation--and it is important legislation--I have to say that it is disappointing to see that my Republican colleagues are proceeding with this bill without a CBO score. They are violating their own protocol, which requires a CBO score before bringing a bill to the floor.
Over the past 3 years, there have been countless times that Democratic bills have been denied floor consideration because they included an increased authorization line, which is against the majority leader's floor protocol.
It is entirely inconsistent for Republicans to deny floor consideration for an increased authorization line that has no score but then bring a bill to the floor that could have a mandatory score.
It is the majority's responsibility to request and obtain CBO scores for bills they are planning to move. The Republicans are changing the rules as they please. I am, of course, concerned about this from a process perspective, and I encourage my Republican colleagues to follow their own rules.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
Mr. Speaker, there is no cost. There is no cost to this particular bill, and it is necessary.
Mr. Speaker, the bottom line is that you cannot put a price on the value of life. As a matter of fact, no one should determine a person's quality of life, as far as I am concerned.
God bless Charlotte for advocating on behalf of this bill and, of course, my good friends Mrs. Cammack and Mrs. Dingell. We have to get this done. Time is of the essence.
Mr. Speaker, it is a responsible thing to do, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, let me associate myself with the remarks that the chairman made. This is an important bill. I urge all of my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1520.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 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.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on this particular bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1082, the Shandra Eisenga Human Cell and Tissue Product Safety Act, led by my good friend Chairman Moolenaar from the great State of Michigan. This bill was borne out of a heartbreaking tragedy that we hope will never be repeated again.
In 2023, a Michigan constituent died from tuberculosis caused by a contaminated bone graft. This bill would require the HHS Secretary to conduct a national educational campaign to increase public and healthcare provider awareness regarding the risks and benefits of human cell and tissue transplants.
It would also require FDA to streamline the regulatory oversight of these particular products, including by publishing educational materials and best practices and by conducting workshops and public stakeholder sessions.
Ultimately, H.R. 1082 will increase public awareness, patient safety, and public trust in these lifesaving medical products to help ensure that preventable tragedies, like the unfortunate death of Ms. Eisenga, do not ever occur again.
This bill passed the House unanimously last December, and I look forward to its timely passage once again so that we can get it to the Senate.
Mr. Speaker, let's pass this very critical bill, H.R. 1082, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1082, the Shandra Eisenga Human Cell and Tissue Product Safety Act, sponsored by my colleagues Representative Dingell and Representative Moolenaar.
Mr. Speaker, stem cell therapies and related products have shown tremendous promise for delivering treatments to patients, such as bone marrow transplants for certain cancer patients and therapies for patients with blood and immune system disorders. Yet, there are still rogue clinics that take advantage of patients who are desperate for cures.
For example, there are reports of some clinics peddling unapproved treatments with exaggerated and deceptive claims. Exposure to these unproven treatments has put vulnerable patients' health at risk, leading to serious adverse events, including blindness, bloodstream infections, paralysis, and tumor growth.
There are currently few meaningful repercussions in the human cell and tissue products industry. This bill would change that by providing the Food and Drug Administration with additional enforcement tools to more quickly and effectively protect the public. It provides a balanced approach to improving safety of human cell tissue and cellular and tissue-based products.
First, it provides clarity regarding FDA's scientific and regulatory efforts to oversee these products. Second, it
This would also encourage responsible manufacturers to continue to develop and license products where the scientific evidence supports the product's safety, purity, and potency.
I support this bill, Mr. Speaker, but continue to have concerns regarding the chaos at HHS broadly and FDA specifically. While this bill provides the FDA with additional enforcement tools, the Trump administration has made massive cuts to both funding and staffing at FDA.
The President's budget doubles down on this chaos by proposing an 11 percent cut to the FDA budget and eliminating 2,000 jobs. This hinders the FDA's ability to actually protect the public.
Again, I call on my Republican colleagues to join me in conducting proper oversight of the Trump administration's actions. Otherwise, bipartisan efforts like this one will be rendered meaningless. If we are giving the agency new statutory tools and enforcement authority because we think there is a risk to the public, then the agency must be prepared to carry out those duties.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Moolenaar), my good friend and the chairman of the select committee on China. I am very proud to serve under his leadership.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) for yielding and for his strong support for this legislation. I also thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, Mr. Pallone, and especially my friend and fellow Michigander, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, who has worked very closely with me on this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bipartisan legislation, H.R. 1082, the Shandra Eisenga Human Cell and Tissue Product Safety Act.
In 2023, 36 patients across 7 States contracted tuberculosis after receiving bone grafts containing infected donor material.
One of these patients was my constituent, Shandra Eisenga, of Marion, Michigan, who tragically passed away on August 10, 2023, due to complications from TB.
I was proud to have Shandra's family here last year when this legislation was first considered by the House. This family has been forever hurt by the loss of Shandra. Her daughter, Amber, said: Nothing can erase the heartbreak of my mother's passing, but she would be proud that we have helped make a positive difference in her name.
Today, we are taking concrete action to prevent more families from having the same experience as Amber and to honor her mother's legacy.
Shandra's passing was completely preventable. So were the deaths of nine other patients who have passed away from TB since 2021 because of inadequate oversight of tissue material suppliers.
When it comes to tissue donations, the FDA requires screening for diseases like hepatitis, syphilis, and HIV. This bipartisan bill will require screening for tuberculosis, as well, and put an end to preventable TB deaths like Shandra's.
The bill will also require HHS to conduct research and public education campaigns on the risks of surgery requiring a tissue donation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this vital bipartisan legislation in honor of Shandra and her family.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my strong support of H.R. 1082, the Shandra Eisenga Human Cell and Tissue Product Safety Act.
I am very proud to lead this bill with my good friend and colleague from Michigan, Representative John Moolenaar. Both of us have been very personally involved with the family and learning where there are serious deficiencies within our government.
In the summer of 2023, I was contacted by the medical director of the Washtenaw County Tuberculosis Clinic and head of public health who was treating Shandra for a severe postsurgical tuberculosis infection. She was Representative Moolenaar's constituent but was being treated at a medical facility in my district. After a month battling a severe TB infection in the intensive care unit, Shandra unfortunately died.
Since Shandra's passing, it has been discovered that her death was, indeed, linked to contaminated bone graft material. She was 1 of 36 patients who received material from the contaminated lot, and this latest outbreak is linked to the deaths of two patients, including Shandra.
It had been preceded 2 years before by an outbreak, again, linked to contaminated bone allografts, which resulted in multiple deaths. The outbreak then infected 113 patients across 18 States, and it led to at least 3 confirmed TB-related deaths with some sources citing a total of 8 deaths.
This has to stop. Too many people get bone grafts and have no idea, including the doctor that did a bone graft on me, that they even needed to worry about this.
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct research and education campaigns to prevent TB outbreaks caused by contaminated human cell and tissue product donations.
Through the markup process, we have also included an important provision to allow the Federal Government to pursue civil penalties from providers who caused an outbreak of the infectious disease. Patients deserve to know the risks associated with tissue donations and companies that make and distribute contaminated products must be held accountable for their actions.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Guthrie, my dear friend Mr. Bilirakis, and Ranking Member Pallone for fighting for this important piece of legislation.
Again, I thank Representative Moolenaar for being such a great bipartisan partner. We owe it to Shandra, her family, and every other patient who has been affected by contaminated bone grafts to ensure we are doing everything we can to prevent these unnecessary tragedies from ever happening again.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important bill.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Shandra Eisenga Human Cell and Tissue Product Safety Act, which is a critical piece of legislation aimed at preventing tuberculosis infections linked to tissue transplants.
In 2023, 36 patients across seven States contracted tuberculosis from infected bone grafts.
One of these patients was Shandra Eisenga, who tragically passed away on August 10, 2023, from tuberculosis, or TB.
This bipartisan bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct public awareness campaigns to assist in preventing TB outbreaks caused by contaminated human cell and tissue product donations.
Shandra's death was a preventable tragedy, and we will honor her memory by strengthening guidelines and improving education for these medical products, so no other family has to suffer through this again.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1082.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 910) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to pursue more equitable treatment of Taiwan at the international financial institutions, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Missouri.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Missouri?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 910, the Taiwan Non- Discrimination Act of 2025. I will start by thanking Representative Kim for her important work on this legislation.
Following the House's passage of this bill last Congress, Taiwan announced
Taiwan boasts a resilient and innovation-driven economy powered by its high-tech industries, robust financial institutions, and dynamic export sector.
The island plays a significant role in global supply chains, particularly in the semiconductor and advanced manufacturing sectors. Yet, despite its economic strength and proven track record of responsible financial governance, Taiwan continues to be marginalized and held to a second-class standard by the IMF.
Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, Taiwan is eligible to join the IMF, and U.S. policy has long supported Taiwan's membership in international organizations whenever possible. Excluding Taiwan undermines the legitimacy and effectiveness of the IMF as a truly global institution in an increasingly complex world economy.
The IMF's core mission involves advising governments on economic reform. What better society can the IMF point to when driving home the importance of good policies.
Taiwan's per capital GDP has grown more than 35 times larger since the end of the Chinese Civil War. The island has crucial insights to offer an institution that seeks to put its borrowers on stable footing. It is long overdue for Taiwan to receive the recognition and representation it rightfully deserves at the IMF.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 910, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 910, the Taiwan Non- Discrimination Act of 2025, sponsored by Representative Kim from California and cosponsored by Representative Green of Texas.
H.R. 910 requires the United States to advocate for Taiwan's membership and participation in the International Monetary Fund, also known as the IMF.
Taiwan is currently seeking to join the IMF, and I believe we should support this effort.
The IMF was formed in 1944 to encourage economic cooperation and stability after World War II. Today, the IMF offers technical assistance related to sustainable economic growth and an international reserve to provide liquidity, among other services it provides to its member states. It is an essential institution for security and cooperation on global economic matters.
Taiwan has a big impact in the world: vibrant culture, delicious food, and a highly-educated population. Taiwan is also an essential economic and trade partner of the United States and so many other countries around the world.
According to the World Trade Organization, Taiwan was the 16th largest exporter and the 21st largest merchandise importer in 2023. Those exports, especially for information and communications technology products, make Taiwan a critical partner to the United States and to our industry and workers.
Thus, it seems obvious that such a pivotal part of the global economy should not be excluded from engagement in one of our most important international financial institutions.
As H.R. 910 requires, the U.S. would be an advocate that the IMF admit Taiwan as a member, allowing the IMF to monitor and evaluate the health of Taiwan's economy, provide technical support to Taiwanese officials, and support employment opportunities at the IMF for Taiwan nationals.
Given its contribution to the global economy, Taiwan should certainly not be locked out of membership. Not only will this benefit Taiwan, it will benefit America and the entire world economy.
It should be noted, however, that while this legislation will assist Taiwan, some Republicans are ignoring what the administration is doing that will hurt our economy and that of Taiwan.
In February 2025, in one of his first actions as President, President Trump issued an executive order seeking to withdraw the United States from several international organizations and calling for recommendations on exiting the U.S. from its membership in certain other organizations, including the IMF.
Clearly our ability to advocate for Taiwan at the IMF, to carry out the purposes of this bill, is undermined by the fact that Donald Trump is examining withdrawing us from the IMF. Setting aside the central point that the President has no authority whatsoever to withdraw the United States from international financial institutions, that review, which is due in August, has not been completed.
While the IMF funding was included in the recent budget proposal, comments by the administration and the Secretary of the Treasury confirm that Trump has not decided whether to try to use what powers he has as President to withdraw us from the IMF.
Most significantly, Trump has refused to reiterate the policy that the U.S. has had in place since 1979, standing with the people and security of Taiwan. When asked if the U.S. will maintain its decades- old commitment to Taiwan, Trump has repeatedly avoided the easy answer, declaring loudly that he won't provide a direct response.
We should pass this bill, but we should also urge our President to not undermine Taiwan and not undermine the world economy by talking about withdrawing the United States from the IMF.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Wagner for yielding and supporting my legislation. I would also like to thank Representative Green of Texas for co-leading H.R. 910 and making this a bipartisan effort.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my bill, H.R. 910, the Taiwan Non-Discrimination Act.
This bill is simple. It requires the Treasury Department to advocate for Taiwan to join the International Monetary Fund, or IMF. Unfortunately, China has consistently blocked Taiwan's participation in international forums, including IMF. China pursues these tactics because they know that financial security is just as important as military security.
Defense experts have identified that China could exploit Taiwan's financial system by raising tariffs, short-selling stocks, and freezing bank transfers. Joining the IMF would allow Taiwan to access resources that promote financial resilience and deter China's economic coercion.
It has been the longstanding U.S. policy toward Taiwan to support its membership in international organizations where statehood is not a prerequisite. We must continue to advocate for Taiwan's voice to be heard where membership is not possible. This principle has lasted decades across Republican and Democratic administrations, and it has repeatedly been reaffirmed in bills passed by this Congress.
Mr. Speaker, advocating for Taiwan's membership in the IMF would also unlock access to other international financial institutions. The World Bank, for instance, requires members to first be a part of the IMF.
I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 910 and send the Taiwanese people a strong message of solidarity and support for their democracy.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
H.R. 910 is a bipartisan bill that requires that the United States use its vote and its voice at the IMF to support Taiwan's membership. Taiwan has been an excellent contributor to the global economy and should not be absent from organizations such as the IMF.
Congress should support this bill, and I urge my Republican colleagues not only to urge that Donald Trump carry this bill out but also support the people of Taiwan and support the role of the IMF as we go forward.
I again recommend to my colleagues that they support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. In closing, Mr. Speaker, it is long overdue for Taiwan to receive the recognition and representation it rightfully deserves at the IMF. I urge all my colleagues to
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 910, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1713) to amend the Defense Production Act of 1950 to include the Secretary of Agriculture as a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Missouri.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Missouri?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1713, the Agricultural Risk Review Act of 2025. I thank Representative Lucas for his longstanding leadership on this important legislation.
Today, the United States confronts a critical issue at the intersection of national security and agriculture: foreign investment in American farmland.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, plays a vital role in safeguarding our country by reviewing foreign acquisitions that could pose risks to our national security. Ensuring that CFIUS has the right expertise and authority to evaluate these transactions is more important than ever.
For the first time since 2007, H.R. 1713 would formally add a Cabinet Secretary to CFIUS, giving the Secretary of Agriculture an official role in reviewing relevant agricultural transactions for national security risks.
CFIUS has long held jurisdiction over foreign acquisitions of agricultural businesses, including farmland involved in interstate commerce. Since 2018, it has also been authorized to perform reviews of land purchases near sensitive government sites. However, there is a need to connect the Agriculture Department's expertise, including its longstanding tracking of farmland purchases, with CFIUS' operations.
CFIUS could greatly benefit from the Secretary's expertise, and that is what Congressman Lucas' legislation allows. As one of the first Members of Congress to recognize this need at CFIUS, I applaud Representative Lucas for his foresight and his dedication in advancing this legislation.
I look forward to supporting his bill today. I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1713, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1713, the Agricultural Risk Review Act of 2025, sponsored by Representative Lucas.
H.R. 1713 aims to add the Secretary of Agriculture as a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, also known as CFIUS, when there is an agriculture-related issue. Recognizing the importance of safe food and of national security involving agriculture, H.R. 1713 also requires CFIUS to determine whether a national security review is necessary upon notification from the Secretary of Agriculture that an agricultural land transaction could somehow affect national security.
I do not want to add my voice to what I regard as alarmist voices talking about: Oh, my God, foreign interests, maybe even China, will buy American land. Keep in mind that we need investment in the United States.
When the Chinese buy a high-tech company, they can take that technology that is acquired back to China. When they buy farmland, they can't take the land back to China, and they can't take the food back to China unless we decide to let them. Of course, the President could step in in any kind of national emergency and prevent that.
There is discussion that the Chinese will buy a farm near, a couple miles away from the main entrance to a military base, but, of course, they could also park a car next to the military base. They can be in an Airbnb next to the military base. They could rent a farm. I don't think that the purchase of farmland poses the risks that are being overblown. I don't think China can ship our topsoil back to China nor do I think that China can deprive Americans of the ability to eat American food.
H.R. 1713 addresses these concerns, the concerns that people do have, by providing a path for the Secretary of Agriculture to notify CFIUS when those transactions, in the opinion of the Secretary of Agriculture, do pose a threat or at least a concern.
This bill is identical to what Congress passed in 2024, but that was in an appropriations bill. Passing it again will make sure that we make this part of permanent statute.
When we focus on the security of our agriculture, we should also note that arbitrary cuts are being made that will affect directly the poorest families in our country, particularly cutbacks to the SNAP program that provides safe nutrition to families that might otherwise go hungry.
We also noticed that the DOGE effort of Elon Musk, who apparently fortunately has returned most of his attention to his private businesses, not only illegally cut millions of dollars from U.S. Department of Agriculture activities but would deprive the Department of Agriculture with the expertise necessary to carry out this bill, and of
Finally, I think the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization and illegally ending American food programs also exposes the entire world and ultimately the United States to substantial risks. Remember that when somebody suffers from a disease abroad, that gives a chance for the disease to replicate, mutate, and then migrate back to the United States.
I feel that H.R. 1713 does improve CFIUS. I urge my Republican colleagues also to work to protect SNAP, the USDA, and our efforts at global health. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 1713, the Agricultural Risk Review Act. My bill would make permanent the existing policy enacted under the Consolidated Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2024 and bolster our food security against foreign adversaries.
H.R. 1713 would amend the Defense Production Act to add the Secretary of Agriculture as a permanent member to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, for any transactions related to the purchase of farmland, biotechnology, or any other transaction related to the agricultural industry.
My bill also includes the Safeguarding American Farms from Foreign Influence Act authored last Congress by the former chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, Mr. Luetkemeyer.
That section of the bill requires CFIUS to consider referrals from USDA for reportable agricultural land transactions prior to the interagency process that determines whether review of the transaction is warranted.
These bills received unanimous support when considered separately, and then when joined together were also reported favorably to the floor in a unanimous vote. These are commonsense measures in line with existing practices and current law.
CFIUS' mandate is to review transactions involving foreign investments in the United States to ensure such transactions do not threaten our national security. Agriculture is too important to our country's security to be left out.
Our geopolitical adversaries are eager to exploit vulnerabilities in critical supply chains, such as our food supply. The inclusion of the Secretary of Agriculture in reviews of agricultural transactions is just plain common sense.
Mr. Speaker, my bill has been bipartisan across administrations. Former Agriculture Secretary Perdue under the first Trump administration and former Agriculture Secretary Vilsack under the Biden administration agreed that having a permanent seat at the table is vital to the protection of our farmland and food supply.
I am also pleased to boast bipartisan support from the leadership of the House Financial Services Committee. This bill has passed unanimously out of the House Financial Services Committee for two Congresses now, and it is past time for it to become law.
From Hawaii and Washington to New York and Florida to my home State of Oklahoma, our Nation's agricultural land must be protected. That is why a bipartisan group of Members from over 20 States across the country have supported me in this effort.
I am grateful we took a positive step in the last Congress to include this language in our annual appropriations process, but we must cement this requirement in permanent law.
This legislation recognizes and supports the long-held understanding that food supply is a critical component of U.S. national security. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close if the gentlewoman from Missouri has no further speakers, and apparently, she does not have further speakers.
This bill, H.R. 1713, encourages more permanent, coordinated communications between those who focus on agriculture and our national security experts at CFIUS.
I commend the gentleman from Oklahoma for his work on the committee on so many different issues. I urge my Republican colleagues not only to support this bill but to support the activities of the Department of Agriculture, including SNAP, food inspections, and other efforts designed to make sure that our food supply is safe, available, and secure.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, there is a need to connect the Agriculture Department's expertise, including its longstanding tracking of farmland purchases, with CFIUS' operations.
I look forward to supporting this bill today. I urge my colleagues to do so and join me in supporting H.R. 1713, and I applaud Mr. Lucas for this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1713, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3352) to require the Securities and Exchange Commission to revise rules relating to general solicitation or general advertising to allow for presentations or other communication made by or on behalf of an issuer at certain events, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Missouri.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Missouri?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3352, the Helping Angels Lead Our Startups Act, and I thank Congressman Lawler for his leadership on this bipartisan bill.
Around the country, early-stage entrepreneurs are developing new technologies, products, and services not in boardrooms but in shared workspaces, university labs, and community accelerators. At this stage, the most important thing they need is capital and, often, a chance to talk with potential investors. That is what makes events like demo days so important.
These are informational forums where startups share their business ideas, not investment pitches. Under earlier SEC guidance, even participating in one of these events could be considered a ``general solicitation,'' which, in turn, could block the startup from using key offering exemptions.
Although the SEC has since addressed this through rule 148, H.R. 3352 codifies those protections and ensures that demo day participation does not unintentionally violate securities laws, provided certain conditions are met.
This bill strikes the right balance. It doesn't weaken investor protections. It simply ensures our regulations don't punish small businesses for talking about their work.
H.R. 3352 supports entrepreneurship, encourages capital formation, and reflects how innovation actually happens.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3352, the Helping Angels Lead Our Startups Act, or HALOS Act of 2025, sponsored by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler).
I want to comment on the terminology of the bill. Let's face it, this is not an effort to help charity or, perhaps, God or angels. We have halos. We have angels. These are private investors trying to get the best deal for themselves.
That being said, and perhaps not giving them full halo status, let me say that these angel investors do play an important role in our economy, even if they have named themselves after the angels of Heaven.
Let's break down two things with the bill. First, it allows startups to discuss their products and business plans at certain events known as demo days without such discussions counting as a general solicitation under our securities regulations and, therefore, as an investment offering necessitating SEC registration.
Second, it defines what an angel investor is for purposes of security laws. Angel investors are simply well-off individuals who invest their money into startups.
Again, I know that angels enter Heaven. Whether well-off individuals enter Heaven is a discussion for a more theological venue.
Unlike prior iterations of this bill, the current bill prohibits demo days from taking place at facilities owned by religious institutions. That is what is prohibited. It allows both Native American Tribes and startup incubators to host them.
I am aware of several instances where bad actors took advantage of the halo, if you will, of being in a church to get investments that were inappropriate. This has been an issue for Ranking Member Waters. She has negotiated changes in this bill at the committee level.
I am pleased that Mr. Lawler and Ranking Member Waters collectively agreed to remove churches and other religious institutions as sites for these demo days in the bill, which substantially eliminates the outstanding concerns of the Committee on Financial Services Democrats.
As such, I am pleased to recommend to my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chair Wagner for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 3352, the HALOS Act, a bill I reintroduced this Congress with my colleague, Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey.
America's small businesses have faced a tough road, weathering the impacts of COVID, high inflation, and burdensome regulations that have made it harder to grow and compete. Yet, they continue to serve as the backbone of our economy, driving innovation, creating jobs, and keeping the American Dream alive.
According to the Small Business Administration, firms with fewer than 500 employees account for 43.5 percent of our Nation's GDP. Since 2019, they have been responsible for over 70 percent of net new job creation. Just last year, we saw more than 430,000 new business applications each month, a 50 percent increase compared to 2019.
That kind of momentum deserves our full support. We should be doing everything we can to encourage investment, foster innovation, and make it easier, not harder, for entrepreneurs to succeed. That is why I introduced the Helping Angels Lead Our Startups Act, otherwise known as the HALOS Act.
This bipartisan bill, which I am proud to lead alongside Josh Gottheimer, is a straightforward way to give early-stage startups more opportunities to connect with potential investors. The HALOS Act clarifies the definition of ``general solicitation'' and allows startups to participate in demo day events without fear of running afoul of outdated securities regulations.
It also defines what it means to be an angel investor, helping entrepreneurs know who they can engage with as they work to get their ideas off the ground.
These changes are not about deregulation for its own sake. They are about opening doors. They make it easier for new businesses to get the early capital they need to hire, grow, and contribute to a dynamic, competitive economy, and we know that this model works.
Angel investors helped launch companies like Amazon, Google, Facebook, Costco, and Starbucks, names we all recognize today that started as small ideas in need of capital and support.
By reducing legal uncertainty, especially around demo day events, we are also giving more room for underrepresented entrepreneurs and overlooked
I am proud that during the committee process, we were able to make thoughtful revisions to address concerns raised by the ranking member.
I thank Chairman Hill for advancing this bill, as well as my colleague, the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, and Congressman Gottheimer for his partnership.
The HALOS Act builds on the bipartisan success of the JOBS Act and is a commonsense step forward to modernize our rules and strengthen our economy.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H.R. 3352, the Helping Angels Lead Our Startups Act, or HALOS Act, sponsored by Mr. Lawler.
This legislation will help startups have easier access to the funding they need to get off the ground while addressing the issues of certain bad actors taking advantage of susceptible investors.
This bill threads that needle and will continue to amplify our Nation's great tradition of being the best place for entrepreneurs and talented go-getters to start and grow their businesses.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, H.R. 3352 supports entrepreneurship, encourages capital formation, and reflects how innovation actually happens. I urge my colleagues to support Mr. Lawler's bill, H.R. 3352.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3352, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2225) to permit a registered investment company to omit certain fees from the calculation of Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Missouri.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Missouri?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2225, the Access to Small Business Investor Capital Act. I thank Congressman Sherman and the bipartisan cosponsors for their work on this bill.
This is a narrowly tailored fix to a longstanding problem that is hurting business development companies, or BDCs, which Congress originally created to help small and midsized businesses access capital.
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the SEC rule called Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, or AFFE, requires funds that invest in BDCs to count the BDC internal expenses as part of their own expense ratio. The result is a higher reported cost, even though those fees aren't actually paid by the investor.
This has led many funds to avoid BDCs altogether, and it has kept BDCs out of key investment indexes. That means fewer dollars flowing to small businesses on Main Street.
H.R. 2225 fixes this. It allows funds to exclude expenses related to BDCs from their AFFE calculation, while still disclosing their investment in BDCs. This improves both accuracy and transparency. This is a smart and bipartisan solution that removes an intended barrier to capital formation without reducing investor protections.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, at the outset, I thank the chair and the ranking member for getting us to this stage on this bill.
I also thank the cosponsors of this bill. Just from the committee, we have some 13 Democrats and 8 Republican members of the Financial Services Committee to cosponsor this bill. I especially thank the original cosponsors, Mr. Huizenga, Mr. Garbarino, and Ms. Bynum, for their efforts in bringing us to this point.
Mr. Speaker, this is a bipartisan bill. Like all of the most fascinating bills that come to the floor of the House, it deals with accounting. Like the most important bills that come to the floor of the House, it deals with accounting. In this case, it deals with accounting for the expense ratios of mutual funds.
This bipartisan bill, H.R. 2225, the Access to Small Business Investor Capital Act, makes a narrow technical correction of the Federal securities rules that had a major unintended consequence over the last two decades.
In 1980, Congress created Business Development Companies to facilitate capital formation and get that capital to small- and medium- sized businesses. I want to point out that, as we have had tighter and tighter bank regulations, banks have been reluctant to lend money to small businesses except where their risks are guaranteed by the Small Business Administration. SBA loans are, of course, limited.
We need BDCs to provide investment and to provide management assistance to growing businesses that are often underserved by traditional lending institutions.
By law, a BDC must invest at least 70 percent of their assets in small- and medium-sized domestic companies.
This bill will play an important role in getting BDCs the capital that they then put into small- and medium-sized businesses. Calculations are that $120 billion more will be available to invest by BDCs because we expect a 30 percent increase in total investment. That is because this bill opens the door to mutual fund investments in BDCs.
Despite the success of BDCs, in 2006, the SEC adopted a rule that inadvertently discouraged capital flows into BDCs, constraining their ability to serve small business. The rule is part of SEC's Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses framework. AFFE requires mutual funds and other investment vehicles that invest in BDCs to disclose as management fees of the mutual fund the expenses and the overhead of the BDC. This is in radical opposition to how similar investments are treated.
If a mutual fund invests in the bank, the mutual fund, of course, lists as an expense of the mutual fund the expenses of the mutual fund. It does not list the overhead of the bank as if that is an expense of running the mutual fund.
Banks and BDCs are two of the major types of institutions that make business investments and business loans. The double counting of BDCs by counting those as expenses of the mutual funds simply makes it impossible for mutual funds to invest in BDCs.
The SEC rule artificially inflates the expense ratios of those mutual funds that are used to invest in BDCs, and so many of them don't. The result is misleading. Investors see a fund's expenses as higher than they actually are simply because the fund decides to invest in BDCs. This perception has led many fund managers to exclude BDCs from their portfolio, not because of performance but because of this distorted regulatory accounting.
The intent of this rule to provide transparency was well-meaning. The execution, when applied to BDCs, has been counterproductive.
Research by U.S. and international financial professors shows that after BDCs were removed from major U.S. stock indexes, as a consequence of this misguided AFFE rule, BDCs experienced a 29 percent to 33 percent lower investment growth as compared to similar potential investments.
The effects were not limited to the financial sector. Companies that rely on BDCs saw lower job creation with employment falling by between 1.5 to 6.5 percentage points compared to pre-exclusion levels.
The rule also fails to recognize the unique structure and mission of BDCs. Unlike passive funds, BDCs are actively managed and intentionally incur higher costs in order to provide tailored investment and advisory services to the small businesses that they invest in.
This model creates long-term value, but the AFFE rule unfairly penalizes it. This is, of course, a departure. The rule is inconsistent with the way the AFFE rule applies to mutual fund investments in rates and, more importantly, the way it applies to mutual fund investments in banks.
Because of this rule's miscounting, BDCs were removed from several stock indexes, as I pointed out earlier. If the SEC had the benefit of hindsight, I think it is unlikely that they would have adopted this rule, which contradicts the rule that they have for investments in banks and rates. That is why Congress needs to reverse this.
The Access to Small Business Investor Capital Act fixes this by allowing BDCs' acquired fund fees and expenses from disclosures, while maintaining transparency around the BDC management fees and costs. This restores fairness and aligns the regulatory disclosures with economic reality and gives investors a clear view of their actual costs. Importantly, it does so without rolling back investor protections or weakening SEC oversight.
Mr. Speaker, I would point out that this bill will provide $120 billion of capital to our small- and medium-sized businesses without a penny of cost to the American taxpayer and without any risk to the American taxpayer.
This bipartisan legislation will open the door to more investment in BDCs, thereby unlocking capital for small- and medium-sized businesses.
The most important thing that our financial institutions and the most important thing that our capital markets can do is provide capital for growing American enterprise, particularly small- and medium-sized businesses.
Business Development Companies play a vital role, and I am proud to work with a bipartisan group of Members. As I pointed out earlier, we have a substantial number of cosponsors, 25 in all, including 13 Democrats on the Committee.
We have seen bipartisan support for this bill, not only in this Congress but in prior Congresses. This is the Congress in which we actually have to get it adopted. The bipartisan legislation will open more investments and unlock capital for small businesses, as I have said.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that I think this is the best thing that Congress can do without risk or cost to the American taxpayer. It makes sure that small- and medium-sized businesses have access to capital.
With the BDC methodology, BDCs not only provide the capital but also provide the advice that so many growing businesses need.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the original cosponsors that I mentioned earlier and all the cosponsors of this bill. I once again thank the chair and the ranking member for getting us to this point.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, this is a smart and bipartisan solution that removes an unintended barrier to capital formation without reducing investor protections.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2225, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2225, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3394) to amend the Securities Act of 1933 to codify certain qualifications of individuals as accredited investors for purposes of the securities laws, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Missouri.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Missouri?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3394, the Fair Investment Opportunities for Professional Experts Act.
I thank our Financial Services Committee chairman, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill), for his leadership on this bipartisan legislation.
For decades, the SEC's accredited investor definition has served as a gatekeeper to private investment opportunities, relying almost entirely on income and net worth thresholds.
This approach has excluded millions of Americans who may not meet those financial metrics but have the education, licenses, or professional experiences to make informed investment decisions.
H.R. 3394 modernizes that definition. It directs the SEC to expand eligibility to individuals who hold certain professional certifications, relevant degrees, or job experience, criteria that actually reflect financial sophistication.
This change is long overdue. It will unlock capital for small businesses, broaden investor participation, and better align our rules with how Americans build expertise and manage risk in today's economy.
The bill maintains investor protections, while removing arbitrary barriers that have held back individual investors and early-stage entrepreneurs alike.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense reform, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentlewoman from Missouri for all of her work chairing the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, but, particularly, for the hearings that we have had on this bill. I look forward to working with her on this subcommittee for many years to come.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3394, the Fair Investment Opportunities for Professional Experts Act, offered by my friend and Financial Services Committee chair, French Hill. This bill is the first step in what I hope will be an effort to reform the definition of ``accredited investor.'' This bill moves us to add to that definition by noting that certain experience, licenses, and education can, indeed, make one an accredited investor.
At the same time, I will point out that our definition of ``accredited investor'' was, I think, wrongfully decided that we should just focus on whoever is rich, then defined people as rich based on 1983 numbers. While $1 million may have made you rich then, Mr. Speaker, it does not mean that you are rich today.
I rise in support of this bill. The accredited investor framework has long protected the general public from investing in high-risk, illiquid private securities. Unlike our public capital markets, in the private capital markets, companies don't provide anywhere near the same financial and other disclosures to investors. There are not the same legal protections for investors either, nor is there the same ability of the SEC or the State securities regulators to police these markets.
When the accredited investor framework was first being debated, accredited investors were thought to be those who possess an intimate understanding and knowledge of the risks inherent in investing in private securities. These risks include heightened volatility, less transparency, difficulty obtaining accurate pricing, long lockup periods, and limited liquidity.
Ultimately, industry argued for a simpler approach, so the SEC adopted the current definition, which is based around income and wealth. Today, to be an accredited investor, the investor must have a net worth, either individually or, with spouse, exceeding $1 million excluding the value of their home, or they must make more than $200,000 a year or $300,000 with a spouse.
Those were definitions applicable in 1983 that may not have defined those with the requisite knowledge, but at least defined those who were high-income, high-net worth individuals. Of course, certain professional certifications or designations such as being an investment adviser could also qualify a person under the existing rules.
The wealth and income thresholds, as I have said several times, were set back in 1983. Back then, roughly 2 percent of all Americans were considered accredited investors. As of 2023, that number had risen to 20 percent. Clearly either the standard was wrong in 1983 or it is wrong now, because it is an entirely different level of real wealth and real income.
Mr. Hill's bill aims to return back to the original concept of accredited investor, which is that investors in private offerings should be fully aware and knowledgeable of the risks involved.
As my friend and ranking member of the Financial Services Committee, Ms. Waters, has said during our markup of this bill:
I would add to that that our definition of ``accredited investors,'' when we are done improving it, and this bill is an important step toward improving it, should focus on what percentage of net worth a person is investing in the particular private offering or private offerings in general.
That is because one may be accredited to invest 5 or 10 percent of their net worth, but when you start betting the mortgage payments on one private investment, Mr. Speaker, then that is where our definition of ``accredited investor'' should protect you from that. So there should be diversification and limitation on the amount that an accredited investor can invest in any one or in all private offerings.
Nonetheless, that is for a different bill. This bill simply makes one important improvement in our definition of ``accredited investor.''
It is critical for the SEC to revise and update the accredited investor definition to protect those who don't possess the proper knowledge or information about the risks of private unregistered securities. Mr. Hill's bill moves us in the right direction by indicating that certain credentials, such as someone with a master's in business administration, an MBA, or a FINRA certification, for example, should be deemed accredited without needing to meet income or wealth requirements. It also
I look forward to passing this bill, and I look forward to our subcommittee and the full committee making other changes in the definition of ``accredited investor.''
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill), who is the chairman of the Financial Services Committee and the author of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I certainly thank our distinguished chair of the subcommittee, Mrs. Wagner of Missouri, for her daily leadership of our agenda to make America more competitive by having the most liquid, competitive capital markets in the world. These bills certainly take a step in that direction to support that goal. I thank my friend from California (Mr. Sherman) for his comments in support of the bill.
The gentleman is right, Mr. Speaker. I think we have all learned in our lives that intelligence and wealth aren't directly correlated. This is another example of that, where people are held back from their ability to use their expertise and their knowledge just because they don't have a specific net worth. That is what H.R. 3394, the Fair Investment Opportunities for Professional Experts Act seeks to clarify.
Many individuals, whether through work, education, or other experience, have the knowledge to make an informed investment decision, but they are excluded simply because of an income or net worth test.
Before I was in Congress, I helped investors and founders start new companies and raise funds through regulation D private placements.
I witnessed firsthand on an annual basis routinely how the current accredited investor definition impaired talented, knowledgeable innovators from fully participating up front in their business formation dream.
This bill, with my good friend from California, Representative Vargas, would expand the definition of an ``accredited investor'' and allow Americans who can demonstrate education, professional experience, or other similar credentials the opportunity to invest in a private offer.
It passed out of our Financial Services Committee 45-1, Mr. Speaker, demonstrating clear, bipartisan support. I agree with my friend from California. This bill is a step in the right direction, offering more Americans a chance to participate in the American Dream, build capital, help start a business, and use their God-given talent, skills, ability, and professional expertise to help that company be successful.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote from all the Members on both sides of the aisle.
Mr. Speaker, I will be brief with this explanation. I will first say that it is so nice to see our economy moving in the right direction. This bill will give more opportunities to Americans to invest with not as many regulations in their way. With these challenging times overseas, it is nice to see that we recognize that economic security equals national security, and by expanding the qualified investor rule, which will give exactly that: more opportunity to others.
This bill, led by our chairman, expands access to private capital markets with those who have proven expertise. The bill allows investors to qualify based on licenses, education, and job experience, not just net worth.
It truly modernizes our investor standards to reflect today's knowledge-based economy by widening their pool for investors who are qualified. It fuels private investment and business growth while at the same time keeping protections in place by the SEC and FINRA.
For these reasons, I support the good bill by our chairman.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, the Fair Investment Opportunities for Professional Experts Act maintains investor protections while removing arbitrary barriers that have held back individual investors and early-stage entrepreneurs alike.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3394, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3394, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3301) to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to specify certain registration statement contents for emerging growth companies, to permit issuers to file draft registration statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission for confidential review, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Missouri.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Missouri?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3301, the ELEVATE Act, and thank Congressman Nunn for his leadership on this forward- looking and bipartisan bill.
One of the key successes of the JOBS Act of 2012 was the creation of emerging growth companies, or EGCs, small and midsized firms given tailored disclosure requirements to encourage them to go public. These companies are a major source of innovation, job creation, and economic growth.
Today, over 90 percent of initial public offerings are filed by EGCs, but when an EGC spins off part of its business to create a new public company, that spinoff does not currently get the same treatment, despite originating
H.R. 3301 fixes this inconsistency. It ensures that spinoffs from EGCs are allowed to provide 2 years of audited financials, just like when a standard EGC goes public. This helps reduce redundant compliance costs while maintaining full investor protections.
This is a smart and targeted update to our securities laws. It honors the original intent of the JOBS Act: to make it easier, not harder, for innovative companies to enter the public markets.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support Mr. Nunn's ELEVATE Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
This bill illustrates what I said earlier today, that the most fascinating issues are those that involve accounting and auditing.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3301, the ELEVATE Act of 2025, sponsored by the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mr. Nunn).
Emerging growth companies, also known as EGCs, are a special type of public company that we created during the bipartisan JOBS Act of 2012. Unlike full-fledged public companies, EGCs only need to provide 2 years of audited financials when they conduct their initial public offering, also known as an IPO.
Despite this special 2-year accommodation, there are some instances where an EGC, emerging growth company, is still required to provide 3 years of financials, still required under present law. One such instance is when the EGC conducts a spinoff, which is a transaction in which one company creates a new, independent company by selling new shares of its existing business. So the one company becomes two separate companies through a spinoff transaction.
Mr. Nunn's bill reduces this obligation for EGC spinoffs to 2 years. That is only 2 years of audited financials, keeping in line with what is required when the EGC itself goes public.
In doing so, this bill streamlines the financial disclosure obligations for emerging growth companies across the board making it easier for them to raise capital from the public.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Wagner for leading this charge on a bipartisan effort.
I rise today to support our bipartisan ELEVATE Act. I helped lead this Small Business effort to help not only the heartland but also our entrepreneurs and innovators across the country.
Let me start by saying we all know this to be true: The American capital markets are the envy of the world. Part of that strength comes from the bipartisan work of this very Chamber, particularly with the passage of the JOBS Act 13 years ago.
One of the biggest successes of that law was the creation of the emerging growth companies, or EGCs, to encourage smaller companies to go public here right in the United States.
The JOBS Act didn't expand just that opportunity, it created new jobs. In the 4 years after that change, EGCs made up 90 percent of our initial public offerings. Moreover, it created 82,000 new jobs, new careers, right here in the U.S.
I believe we can't stop there. Across Iowa's Third District, my home district, I hear from small business owners who want to reinvest in new equipment, help expand their workforce, and give back to their communities through new innovation.
The question remains: What is holding them back? Well, Mr. Speaker, it is quite simply a deck that has been stacked against them by SEC rules that make accessing investment capital complex, more expensive, and harder for those who don't live on the East or West Coast who snap up the lion's share of investment dollars before it can even get to the heart of the heartland.
Iowa's businesses, America's businesses, deserve an equal opportunity to access the capital they need to grow right on Main Street. These businesses are not backed by billion-dollar valuations or teams of high-powered lawyers. What they do have is grit, innovation, and the drive to succeed. They are not asking for special treatment, Mr. Speaker, just a fair chance to compete.
Imagine the economic momentum we could unleash right here if we made it easier for those businesses to connect with investors and bring them to the rest of America.
That is why I introduced the ELEVATE Act. This bill makes a simple, commonsense fix to help level the playing field for growing businesses. In Iowa, you know baseball is big business. When you have the opportunity to build it, Mr. Speaker, they will come, just like ``Field of Dreams.''
It allows EGC spinoffs to file confidentially with the SEC, requiring 24 months of audited financials rather than the historic 36 months that had red tape and additional costs. This ensures quality while minimizing the impact.
These changes align to the rules so that all EGCs, whether standalone or part of a larger spinoff, can compete.
Mr. Speaker, quite simply, this is about fairness. It allows small businesses in rural America to play by the same rules as companies on Wall Street. It is about giving a startup in Pella the same shot as a company in Palo Alto.
It is about jobs, real jobs right here at home.
We know the JOBS Act worked. Now, we have a chance to build on that success. By passing the ELEVATE Act, we make it easier for Main Street businesses to get access to the capital they need.
I thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, particularly Representative Bynum, for working with me to ensure that we give every American business a fair chance at success. I thank Chairman Hill for his leadership on the Financial Services Committee, and I thank subcommittee chairwoman Ann Wagner who knows capital markets probably better than anyone on this House floor.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bipartisan ELEVATE Act.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
I commend the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Nunn) on this bill. I urge my colleagues to support the ELEVATE Act of 2025, which would streamline accounting disclosure requirements and auditing requirements for emerging growth companies, also known as EGCs, so those EGCs only need to provide 2 years of audited financial statements across the board.
Like other bills that Democrats and Republicans have come to bipartisan agreement on, this bill balances the concern of those trying to raise capital while also maintaining disclosures and financial transparency that benefit and protect investors and thereby protect our capital markets, which so many speakers have pointed out are the envy of the world.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Nunn's ELEVATE Act is a smart, targeted update to our securities law.
I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 3301, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3301, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3381) to amend the Securities Act of 1933 to expand the ability to use testing the waters and confidential draft registration submissions, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Missouri.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Missouri?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 3381, the Encouraging Public Offerings Act.
This legislation builds on the success of the JOBS Act by making it easier for companies of all sizes to go public while maintaining the transparency and investor protections our markets depend on.
H.R. 3381 allows any company, not just emerging growth companies, to test the waters by gauging investor interest before or after filing with the SEC. It also ensures that an issuer can submit a confidential draft registration statement before making it public, giving companies more flexibility and clarity as they prepare to go public.
These tools, Mr. Speaker, testing the waters and confidential filings, have proven valuable since the JOBS Act, especially for smaller companies navigating the complexities of going public. My bill makes them available to all issuers with consistent timelines tied to when a registration statement becomes effective, not when a road show begins.
This bill is about giving growing businesses the confidence to enter the public markets and helping them reach new investors, expand operations, and create jobs across our country.
I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and my Democratic cosponsor, Mr. Meeks, for supporting these efforts to modernize our capital markets.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bipartisan bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3381, the Encouraging Public Offerings Act of 2025, sponsored by the chair of the relevant subcommittee, the Capital Markets Subcommittee, that being the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner). I commend her for her bill and her work in general on these issues.
This bill codifies an SEC rule that allows any issuer to submit a confidential draft of the registration statement for review by the SEC staff. In doing so, it allows companies seeking to access public markets more time to carefully draft their registration statements under SEC's guidance without needing to worry about the contents of their registration statement being made public before they have had a chance to cross all their t's and dot all their i's.
Mrs. Wagner's bill also codifies a 2019 SEC rulemaking that allows any issuer to test the waters before going public, which would allow any issuer to gauge institutional investor interest in their offering without first needing to file a registration statement with the SEC.
Overall, this makes it easier for companies to access our capital markets and to go public.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I think it is important that we encourage companies to go public both so that they can get the capital they need to expand their business and so that any person has a chance to invest in these businesses and diversify their own portfolio.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3381, the Encouraging Public Offerings Act of 2025 sponsored by the chair of our subcommittee, the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner), which would allow issuers to take advantage of confidential draft registration statements that are currently available only to EGCs. It also makes it easier for companies to have access to capital by giving them the ability to gauge interest from institutional investors without added regulatory requirements of registration.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
In closing, the Encouraging Public Offerings Act is about giving growing businesses the confidence to enter the public markets and helping them reach new investors, expand operations, and create jobs across the country.
I ask my colleagues to support my bill, H.R. 3381, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3381, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1190) to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to expand access to capital for rural-area small businesses, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Missouri.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Missouri?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1190, the Expanding Access to Capital for Rural Job Creators Act. I commend Congressman Downing for leading this commonsense bipartisan bill.
Too often, the conversation around capital formation is centered on financial hubs like New York and San Francisco, but the backbone of America's economy is the local business communities in cities and towns and rural areas across all 50 States: the family-run manufacturers, agricultural innovators, entrepreneurs, and small-town tech startups. These businesses face unique but very real obstacles when trying to raise capital.
H.R. 1190 ensures that those voices aren't left out. The bill directs the SEC's Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation to proactively engage with rural communities, study the structural funding gaps that they face, and tackle their challenges when crafting policies.
This is not about expanding bureaucracy. It is about sharpening the focus of an office that already exists to ensure that its mission reflects the incredible variety of businesses that are the engine of the U.S. economy.
We all have rural counties in our districts where hardworking small business owners are ready to grow if only they can access the capital that they need. This bill gives them a seat at the table and a voice in sharpening the policies that affect their future.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1190, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, up until now, on each of these bills, I have been speaking fast, but I know that Mr. Rose and Ms. Waters are planning to get here in just the next few minutes to speak on the next two bills. Since they are not here yet, it does the House no harm for me to speak more slowly and perhaps at greater length.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1190, the Expanding Access to Capital for Rural Job Creators Act, sponsored by my colleague, the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Downing).
I will point out that I am uniquely unqualified to address this bill since my entire district is in an urban area, that of the great city of Los Angeles. Yet, even I recognize the importance of getting capital to our small businesses in rural areas.
I strongly support this legislation, which would require the SEC's Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation to report on capital access issues faced by small, rural businesses.
Currently, the SEC small business advocate reports on small businesses that are minority owned or women owned or in disaster- stricken areas. Yet, at present, the law does not report on businesses in rural areas. The bill simply adds rural businesses to the list covered by the entities of the small business advocate and the entities that the small business advocate will report on.
Small businesses, no matter where they are located or who they are owned by, are the backbone of the American economy. Helping small businesses should be about as nonpartisan as we can get here in Congress. Lawmakers and regulators should be doing everything they can to support them.
Those businesses located in rural areas face unique challenges. We have had other speakers on other bills talk about how so many of our financial institutions and business investors are focused on the East Coast or the West Coast or in New York, Silicon Valley, or some of the other large cities in our country.
It is important, therefore, that the small business advocate also reports on the needs of rural small businesses that are seeking to raise capital. Lawmakers and regulators should be focused on those businesses.
This is common sense, and I hope my colleagues will support it.
I commend the gentleman from Montana for bringing this bill to the floor, and I look forward to continuing to discuss this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chair for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, small businesses are the backbone of Montana's Second District. According to the Small Business Administration, small businesses employ roughly 67 percent of all Montanans. That is well above the national average.
These businesses historically have difficulty accessing the funding they need to grow and create jobs. Their location presents an added challenge.
According to the Center on Rural Innovation, 12 percent of U.S. businesses are located within rural areas, yet they receive less than 1 percent of venture capital funding.
Many of the communities that I represent have populations of under 500 people. It places them among this underserved group. These overlooked people and places have inspired my legislation, H.R. 1190, the Expanding Access to Capital for Rural Job Creators Act.
As any small business owner can attest, the number one barrier to growth is access to capital. Through my own experiences, I know how difficult it can be for businesses to secure the funding that they need to grow. I have built businesses in technology, manufacturing, distilling, and real estate, and a primary driver in the success of all of these businesses was access to capital.
The SEC's Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation was created for just this reason: to identify capital access problems that small businesses face. However, rural small businesses are currently excluded from the required categories of businesses that the office monitors for these problems.
My legislation simply requires this office to identify and report to Congress the challenges faced by rural small businesses when trying to access our capital markets. H.R. 1190 will make it easier for Members of Congress to do our jobs to make sure rural businesses, like in Montana, are not left behind.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Bynum for partnering with me on this legislation. I was happy to see it pass out of the Committee on Financial Services with unanimous support. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that the House has no further legislative business after we consider the bills that are before us today. The authors of the last two bills up for consideration are on their way, so should I speak slowly, or should we go into recess? Either way, we are not delaying the House.
Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support H.R. 1190, the Expanding Access to Capital for Rural Job Creators Act. It is a simple but important step to directing the SEC's small business advocate to include small, rural businesses in their reporting.
As I have noted before, the small business advocate currently reports on the challenges faced by minority-owned, women-owned, and disaster- affected small businesses. This would add rural small businesses to the list.
This is a gap we need to fix. Small businesses in rural communities face unique hurdles in accessing capital, and they deserve the same attention as the other types of businesses that the advocate focuses on.
No matter where they are located and no matter who owns them, small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They should be and are a bipartisan priority, and this bill is a step in the right direction.
With the understanding that we will be able to deal with the other bills that are scheduled to come before us even after a short recess, I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 1190, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, the Expanding Access to Capital for Rural Job Creators Act takes care of our hardworking small business owners who are ready to grow. They deserve a seat at the table, Mr. Speaker.
I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1190. I commend the Representative from Montana (Mr. Downing) for introducing this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1190, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3422) to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation to provide educational resources and host events to promote capital raising options for traditionally underrepresented small businesses, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Downing) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Montana?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3422, the Promoting Opportunities for Non-Traditional Capital Formation Act, and I thank Representative Waters for her leadership on this bipartisan legislation.
Far too often, access to capital depends not on the quality of a business idea but on where that business is located. Data shows that the vast majority of venture capital investment flows to companies in just three States: California, Massachusetts, and New York, leaving entrepreneurs in other regions at a disadvantage.
This bill takes a targeted step to help address that imbalance. It directs the SEC's Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation to do more to support underserved entrepreneurs, particularly those in rural communities or outside of traditional investment hubs.
Specifically, the bill requires the advocate to provide educational resources and host public events that highlight the capital raising tools available under Federal securities laws. These tools exist, but many founders simply don't know how to use them or that they are even an option.
H.R. 3422 ensures that founders from all backgrounds and regions have the information they need to pursue the capital formation strategy that works best for their businesses.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan effort, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 3422, the Promoting Opportunities for Non-Traditional Capital Formation Act. This bill deals with the Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation, which is an independent SEC office that was established to advance the interests of small businesses.
The office proactively works to identify and address unique challenges faced by minority-owned, women-owned, and rural small businesses as well as businesses located in natural disaster areas.
My bill requires the SEC small business advocate to provide educational resources and host events to promote capital-raising options for these underrepresented small businesses. My bill would also require the Office to meet annually with representatives of State securities commissions to ensure that there is a whole-of-government approach to addressing the unique needs of underrepresented businesses.
The North American Securities Administrators Association, or NASAA, strongly supports this legislation, particularly as it would strengthen collaboration and coordination between regulators.
In a letter to my office, written in support of this bill when it was previously introduced, NASAA emphasized former Republican SEC Commissioner Michael Piwowar's comments that ``for a capital formation agenda to succeed, it is essential that State and Federal regulators work together to support the businesses that seek to engage in these offerings while also protecting investors.''
Indeed, my bill makes sure that Federal regulators and State regulators do just that, while at the same time advancing the cause of small business capital formation across the spectrum.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague (Mrs. Wagner) for cosponsoring my bill, and I urge my colleagues to join us in passing this bill into law.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the bill of my good friend and ranking member of the Financial Services
Her bill would also require the Small Business Office to coordinate on an annual basis with State securities commissions to ensure both Federal and State regulators are working as effectively and efficiently as possible to address the needs of small businesses.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support Ms. Waters' bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, for the reasons I explained earlier, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Downing) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3422, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2808) to amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prevent consumer reporting agencies from furnishing consumer reports under certain circumstances, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Tennessee?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, before I get to the specifics of this bill, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Congressman Ritchie Torres who has been an outstanding co-lead and steadfast advocate for the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act.
This has been a long journey leading up to today's vote, and I thank Representative Torres for his unyielding desire to put a stop to the scourge of abusive mortgage trigger leads.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2808, the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act will literally impact each and every consumer that applies for a mortgage in this country.
Currently, credit bureaus are notified when a consumer applies for mortgage financing. That information, which is referred to as a trigger lead, is then often sold by the credit bureaus to data brokers and other lenders without the consumer's knowledge or approval. Consumers are then often bombarded with hundreds of unwanted solicitations.
The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act would dramatically reduce the number of unwanted calls and messages that millions endure during the home-buying process.
The bill prohibits a consumer reporting agency from furnishing a trigger lead to a third party unless the consumer has opted in. The third party must be a federally insured depository institution, a federally insured credit union, or an originator or servicer of a consumer's existing mortgage. Agencies can also furnish a trigger lead if a consumer has a preexisting relationship with a covered entity.
Over the years, I have heard from individuals from all walks of life about their deep-seated frustrations when it comes to being inundated by abusive mortgage credit trigger leads. Being contacted dozens to hundreds of times a day after applying for a mortgage is simply unacceptable. Many abusive trigger leads occur at nearly all hours of the day and night. This is especially true if the trigger lead user resides in a different time zone than the individual that they are contacting.
It is also important to note that many of these merciless trigger leads come from unscrupulous companies that misrepresent the important fact that they are not affiliated with the mortgage company the individual initially applied with.
Another important factor to consider is that when consumers get flooded with trigger leads, they often blame their mortgage originator, despite that mortgage originator having no role in selling their information.
Just this weekend, my own sister-in-law, who applied for a mortgage last week, was inundated with literally hundreds of these contacts, so this is very personal to me and my family.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 2808, the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act, and I commend Representatives Rose and Torres for introducing it. I thank the sponsors for their good work on this bipartisan bill, and I appreciate that the House is taking action to improve data privacy, in this case with respect to the mortgage market.
First, let's discuss, as I think the gentleman has, what a trigger lead is. You go to a particular lender or mortgage broker, and you apply for a mortgage. You want to deal with that mortgage broker or that financial institution. If you wanted to deal with others,
When you seek a mortgage loan, of course the mortgage lender has to look at your credit report, so they call Equifax or whoever or email Equifax and get your credit report. Then the credit bureau sells that information--which you don't want divulged and which the lender doesn't want divulged--to other financial institutions without your permission, creating a so-called trigger lead. Then, as was pointed out, you become bombarded with phone calls, text messages, and other communications from rival mortgage loan officers. They may even give you misleading or deceptive information.
H.R. 2808 would curtail this abusive practice, limiting trigger lead notifications to a financial firm that a consumer already has a relationship with, like their current mortgage lender. If the consumer opts in, and you can opt in, then you can have everybody call you.
Now, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the good work of our former colleague Representative Lacy Clay who helped pave the path by first introducing a bill to curb abusive trigger leads clear back in 2020. Representative Clay's original bill didn't have any exceptions at all and simply required that a consumer opt in, and if the consumer chose not to opt in, their information could not be shared with other companies when they applied for a mortgage loan.
Consumer opt-in is an approach that data privacy advocates prefer and one that committee Democrats argued for last Congress when the committee considered former Chair McHenry's version of this bill.
We should put consumers first, put them in the driver's seat to control the use, sharing, and selling of their data. This bill gets us almost all the way there. It does provide exceptions for those financial institutions that you already have a relationship with.
We are not debating consumer privacy in a vacuum. It is unfortunate that Elon Musk and his DOGE minions have had access to data on hundreds of millions of Americans. I wish we were here on the floor preventing Mr. Musk from getting our personal health records, our consumer data, our business records, our Social Security numbers, and our tax data.
After we pass this bill, I hope that the Financial Services Committee would investigate what has happened to consumer protection and what has happened to data privacy, particularly with regard to data obtained from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Treasury Department.
Mr. Speaker, this bill is an important step toward protecting consumers from abuse, making sure that the fact that they applied for a mortgage with one mortgage company isn't sold against their will to every other mortgage company in the country.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close after hearing that the other side has no further speakers. I yield myself the balance of my time.
As I have discussed, H.R. 2808 is an important positive step to strengthen data privacy for consumers and curb the harmful practice of trigger leads, protecting consumers from entities that they didn't want to do business with, never sought to do business with, finding out that they are applying for a mortgage and then harassing them with a host of texts and calls, et cetera.
H.R. 2808 is supported by a wide range of groups, including the National Consumer Law Center, the National Association of Home Builders, the Independent Community Bankers of America, and America's Credit Unions. The Senate recently passed a nearly identical bill by unanimous consent.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
I emphasize just how much support there is for this legislation. My colleague has just enumerated some of that. This month, 43 attorneys general and members of the National Association of Attorneys General signed a letter supporting this bill.
Additionally, many organizations, some already mentioned, have come out in support of this bill, including the American Bankers Association, the Tennessee Bankers Association, America's Credit Unions, the Broker Action Coalition, the Independent Community Bankers of America, the Mortgage Bankers Association, and the National Association of Mortgage Brokers.
Mr. Speaker, I urge each of my colleagues to stand up for every future home buyer in their district by voting ``yes'' on H.R. 2808, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2808, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1998) to require the imposition of sanctions with respect to foreign persons engaged in piracy, and for other purposes, as amended, on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 392, nays 14, not voting 25, as follows:
Mr. GARCIA of Illinois and Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
So (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Fair Investment Opportunities for Professional Experts Act
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3394) to amend the Securities Act of 1933 to codify certain qualifications of individuals as accredited investors for purposes of the securities laws, as amended, on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 397, nays 12, not voting 23, as follows:
So (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Promoting Opportunities for Non-Traditional Capital Formation Act
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3422) to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation to provide educational resources and host events to promote capital raising options for traditionally underrepresented small businesses, and for other purposes, as amended, on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Downing) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 321, nays 87, not voting 23, as follows:
Mr. HARIDOPOLOS changed his vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
So (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Mr. Speaker, I was necessarily absent and missed three votes on the House Floor today. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 172, H.R. 1998; YEA on Roll Call No. 173, H.R. 3394; and YEA on Roll Call No. 174, H.R. 3422.
Mr. Speaker, I was absent from the floor and the roll call votes today.
Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 172, the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 1998; YEA on Roll Call No. 173, the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3394; and YEA on Roll Call No. 174, the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3422.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today alongside my colleagues from the State of Minnesota to honor the lives of Melissa and Mark Hortman, who were shot and killed in an unspeakable act of political violence last week.
Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman was truly the best of us. She was exactly the kind of person you would want to run for office. She was a dedicated public servant who got up every day determined to make life better for all Minnesotans.
She was a brilliant legislator and a tough negotiator. She was often the smartest person in the room, but you wouldn't know it because she was so humble. She was a generous friend, a good neighbor, and a mentor to me and to so many others. She saw the dignity in all people and treated everyone with respect. She led with humility, humor, and compassion.
Her Catholic faith informed her work and she kept the beautiful prayer of St.
Melissa led us through some of the State's most difficult challenges, often with a divided legislature, and the tributes that have poured in from her former colleagues from both sides of the aisle speak to her character and her leadership style.
She knew how to get things done and she did it with determination, respect, and pragmatism. She built bridges across the aisle and she kept her diverse caucus together to usher through some of the most consequential legislation in our State's history. Her work and legacy undoubtedly improved the lives of Minnesotans for generations to come.
Let us heed the words of Melissa and Mark's children who wrote in their beautiful tribute to their parents, ``The best way to honor our parents' memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little bit better for someone else.''
Let us all honor Melissa and Mark by leading with kindness and compassion, by prioritizing civility and humility in our service, and by always striving to make our communities just a little bit better for someone else.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from Minnesota (Mr. Emmer).
Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of all Minnesotans to honor the lives and legacies of former Minnesota Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were viciously murdered in their home on June 14.
We also continue to pray for Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, as they recover from this heinous attack, as well.
There is no place in our country for politically motivated violence. None. The fact that the Hortman and Hoffman families are being forced to endure the consequences of inexplicable evil is heartbreaking, devastating, and infuriating for us all, but it is through tragedies like this that we are reminded that we are stronger together. There is more that unites us than divides us, and when we turn to our faith in God, we can maintain hope in the midst of absolute turmoil.
We are grateful to local, State, and Federal law enforcement for their swift action in apprehending this evil coward who attacked these dedicated public servants and we look forward to justice being served.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the retirement of Nancy Johnson, the longtime executive director of the North Dakota Soybean Association.
For over two decades, Nancy has been a driving force in advancing North Dakota's soybean industry. Her leadership, strategic insight, and tireless advocacy have strengthened not only our State's agriculture economy but also the national voice of soybean producers.
She brought people together, farmers, researchers, and policymakers, to promote innovation and sustainability in agriculture. Nancy's dedication has left a lasting mark on rural communities across our State.
On behalf of North Dakota, I thank Nancy for her remarkable service. Her legacy will live on in the fields she fought for and the people she empowered. We wish her all the best in her retirement.
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow marks 3 years since the Supreme Court voted to strip women of their reproductive healthcare rights, overturning 50 years of legal precedent. I am talking about the Dobbs decision.
I rise today because that devastating decision has put the health of women nationwide at risk. Since then, States have issued extreme restrictions on abortion, forcing thousands of women to travel or risk prosecution to access basic healthcare.
Mr. Speaker, this is unacceptable. As a mother to two daughters, hear me when I say it: Decisions regarding reproductive healthcare should not be in the hands of politicians and lawmakers. We must protect and expand reproductive freedom for women everywhere.
Mr. Speaker, it is time to end the damage of the Dobbs decision and restore a woman's right to choose.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Elizabeth Hartley, who has been named a national ambassador for health science education and a finalist for Georgia's top new teacher in technical education.
She has led an exceptional career in the Bulloch County School System, receiving a variety of awards within her first 5 years of teaching. As an ambassador for the National Consortium for Health Science Education, she will cohost seminars, webinars, support major events, and boost national engagement in health science education.
Outside of the classroom, Ms. Hartley is not only a registered nurse but also the Bulloch County Therapeutic Allied Health and Medicine career pathway instructor. The pathway helps more than 130 students annually, serving as a local pipeline for future healthcare professionals.
Today, we express our gratitude to Elizabeth Hartley for her service to Bulloch County students.
Mr. Speaker, Westchester County is fortunate to have an active citizens group, the League of Women Voters, who are committed volunteers that advance voter education, discussion of key local, State, and national issues, holding seminars and programs on timely topics, and moderating public candidate debates in a nonpartisan manner.
In my home county, we have a number of local leagues, and their leadership is indispensable to ensuring good civic participation at every level of government.
Let me recognize: New Rochelle, Joan Alexander; Larchmont-Mamaroneck, Louise Perez and Beth Radow; Scarsdale, Beth Cukier; Rivertowns, Susan Maggiotto; White Plains, Alan Cass; Rye-Rye Brook-Port Chester, Liz Rotfeld and Roz Carvin; and the Countywide League of Women Voters of Westchester for the past 5 years under the leadership of Kathy Meany.
In upholding our Nation's values, we salute their voluntary service and recognize them today on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Mr. Speaker, a month ago, I spoke on the House floor to congratulate the Oklahoma City Thunder on winning the Western Conference finals. Now, I am thrilled to be able to recognize the Thunder on their first NBA Finals championship.
This team is truly historic. Their season win total is now tied for the third highest ever. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a rare superfecta: Regular season MVP, Finals MVP, NBA champion and scoring champion.
This season is the culmination of the vision of Clay Bennett and the entire ownership team, the team's General Manager Sam Presti, and of course Coach Daigneault.
I know that I speak for the entire State when I say thank you to SGA, Alex Caruso, Chet, Jalen, and the entire Thunder team. They truly have inspired us all, and we are all proud of them.
Although I can't be there tomorrow, it is time to celebrate. Mr. Speaker, Thunder Up.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of Immigrant Heritage Month and Caribbean American Heritage Month, reminders of the courage of those who came to this Nation seeking freedom, safety, and opportunity.
As the proud daughter of Haitian immigrants, I carry the hopes of my parents and the legacy of the people who fought for dignity and justice.
Today, I honor Dr. Vivens, a Haitian American who rose from a non- English speaking factory worker to a nationally recognized healthcare executive and entrepreneur. Dr. Solanges Vivens reshaped the landscape of long-term care, providing that with unwavering faith, even the highest mountains can be moved with determination, persistence, and excellence.
Because of leaders like Dr. Vivens, we are reminded that diversity is our strength and that unity is our power. I am extremely proud to recognize Dr. Solanges Vivens and to have her today in the gallery with her family.
Let's honor the past and ensure everyone has a fair shot at the American Dream to do great things in our country and also to help all Americans achieve greatness. Thank you, Dr. Vivens, for all your service.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair reminds Members that the rules do not allow references to persons in the gallery.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to raise the alarm on Senate Republicans' plan to rip Medicaid from 1.5 million New Yorkers, including children, seniors, and veterans on Long Island.
Mr. Speaker, Medicaid is not a luxury. It is a lifeline. In Nassau County, one in four children depend on Medicaid for their healthcare, and two in three seniors in nursing homes are covered by Medicaid.
Slashing Medicaid means ripping healthcare from the youngest, the oldest, and the special needs communities, the most vulnerable members of our community.
Nonpartisan health policy experts, economists, and medical groups, including Healthcare Association of New York State, have already warned that the impact of gutting this program will be felt by all, including those with private insurance.
Every American can expect higher costs and reduced access to care.
Once again, we have been clearly warned: The Medicaid cuts in the budget bill will have devastating impacts on our healthcare system and on millions of Americans who depend on it.
I am committed to fighting against these dangerous attempts to attack Long Islanders' healthcare.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and memory of Kyle Benjamin Coleman, a beloved son, brother, and student from Gainesville who tragically passed away this month. Only 19 years old, Kyle graduated from Battlefield High School and had just finished his first year at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
At home, Kyle was the former teen president of our local Jack and Jill chapter. At Morehouse, he participated in campus organizations, including the Morehouse Business Association and the Leadership Education and Development Certificate Program. His friends called him a light and incredibly bright. He certainly was.
I and so many in our community are sending prayers to his family and friends. May he rest in peace.
Mr. Speaker, I rise with grave concern for our Republic and the long-term safety of our people, our military, and U.S. assets, both domestically and abroad.
For our Nation's President to launch military force on a foreign nation without Congressional approval--Article I, Section 8--is a clear violation of the most important legal document of our country.
History brutally taught our country what asymmetrical warfare is after enduring 9/11 here at home.
Congress must reassert our constitutional authority before the American people are dragged into a very endless war by those whose radical acts of retribution will not cease.
This is a time to pay attention, to study history a little bit, and to abide by the Constitution of the United States.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Robert Shanahan, Sr., affectionately known as Bob, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, union man, and proud son of Illinois' working class.
Born May 2, 1956, in Chicago and 1 of 13 children raised by an ironworker father, Bob graduated from Lincoln-Way High School and spent the next 40 years serving as a Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen maintainer with Metra. His work was more than a job. It was a calling, keeping trains safe, protecting workers and travelers day in and day out.
Bob stood firmly for workers' rights, from his courageous stand during the 1979 Rock Island strike to his tenure as grievance committee member, trustee, and convention delegate. He believed that unions are essential to the American Dream and that every employee deserves dignity, a living wage, and safe working conditions.
Bob led by example: rising before dawn, always ready to work holidays or weekends, living his commitment to responsibility.
However, his greatest pride was his family: his loving wife, Susan; his children, Rob, Bridget, and Brian; and his fantastic grandchildren, Cameron, Rory, Logan, Morgan, Bernadette, and Susie.
As we honor Robert Shanahan, Sr., we celebrate a life rooted in safety, solidarity, love, and family. His legacy was built on hard work and quiet heroism. He saved lives, mentored workers, and uplifted his community. We continue to pray and thank God for his life. May his story remind us of the dignity of labor and the power of a life lived with purpose.
Mr. Speaker, Republicans in the Senate are trying to steal our public lands.
Unsatisfied with stealing our healthcare and food out of the mouths of millions of children, they are now coming for our public lands, lands we fish, hunt, and camp on, lands that have been sacred to our Tribes since time immemorial, lands that are integral to our communities and our land grants, lands that have nurtured us and make us who we are as Americans.
We are here to say ``no.'' This is a fight we can and must win.
To every American out there listening, call your Senator. We must save our public lands.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their remarks to the Chair and not to a perceived viewing audience.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today for the 22nd time to call on the Trump administration to restore funding for lifesaving food aid for malnourished children.
Today, I remind this Chamber that this is not just a moral issue. It is a national security issue. Lieutenant General John Bednarek said: ``Anytime that we, the United States, depart an area that we used to be in, either with USAID . . . or other soft power initiatives, some foes, whether it is China, Russia, or North Korea'' fills the gap.
The general is right. Food aid helps stabilize fragile regions. It keeps our adversaries from gaining ground and good will.
Plumpy'Nut, a product manufactured in my district in Rhode Island, is a lifesaving source of nutrition for starving children around the world. The Trump administration needs to honor its word and restore the funding for this and other lifesaving food aid before more lives are lost and before our adversaries gain more ground.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order hour.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Virginia?
Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor and pride that I rise today to anchor this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour. For the next 60 minutes, members of the CBC will have an opportunity to speak directly to the American people on an issue of great importance.
Today, we commemorate the 160th anniversary of Juneteenth. Juneteenth commemorates the date on June 19, 1865, when General Gordon Granger entered Galveston, Texas, and ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, which went into effect over 2 years earlier on January 1, 1863.
While many people think the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery, it did not. The Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in the States that were in rebellion during the Civil War, but slavery continued. Even in the States in rebellion, it continued for over 2 years. It would take another 6 months, with the ratification of the 13th Amendment, for slavery to be abolished in America.
Virginia has the distinction of being the birthplace of American democracy and, a month later, the birthplace of American slavery. In Virginia, we love our commemorations, and 1619 was the year that what now is the Virginia General Assembly, the longest continuing representative legislature in the Western Hemisphere, began in Jamestown. It was the first time we had representative democracy in the British colonies.
A month later, the first recorded Africans arrived on the shores of Point Comfort at what is now Fort Monroe. It was 20-and-odd Africans who had been stolen from their home in Angola and then stolen again by a pirate ship, brought to Point Comfort, and traded for supplies.
That began the forced labor and servitude that would become chattel slavery in the American slave trade.
Virginia depended heavily on the slave trade. In my hometown of Richmond, which I represent right now, we had the largest slave trade market on the East Coast. Between 1775 and 1865, it was the number one source for enslaved African labor.
Over the break, I joined a commemoration of Juneteenth at the Manchester Dock. The Manchester Dock is the port where enslaved Africans were brought into Richmond. Many spent their time in what became known as the Devil's Half Acre, the notorious Lumpkin's Slave Jail. Many then made their way west.
Ironically, for my own family, we cannot trace the McClellan line beyond my great-grandfather, who we know was born in Montevallo, Alabama. Based on DNA evidence, we have reason to believe that his ancestors were enslaved people in Virginia. We can't prove it, but the DNA suggests that is the case.
Juneteenth reminds us that emancipation was not a moment. It was a movement. It was a movement that began in 1619 with acts of self- liberation, resistance, and rebellion that continued until December 1865, when slavery was finally abolished by the 13th Amendment, but freedom and justice for all was a continuing struggle.
We made progress. After the Civil War, during Reconstruction, with the advent of the Freedmen's Bureau, we saw formerly enslaved people, mostly men, gain for the first time social, political, and economic power. The Virginia Constitutional Convention, which allowed Virginia to be readmitted into the United States, had 22 Black men who served. During Reconstruction, over 100 Black men served in the Virginia General Assembly.
I didn't know that until I was an adult. I didn't know that until Yvonne Miller, the first Black woman elected to the Virginia General Assembly, first as a member of the house of delegates and then the first Black woman elected to the State senate, as part of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus' annual tradition of telling untold stories during Black History Month, asked a researcher at legislative services who the first Black person elected to the general assembly was. We had all heard that Dr. Fergie Reid was the first elected since Reconstruction, but we didn't know who the first was.
Thanks to research done by the Library of Virginia, we discovered the over 100 Black men who served. I was proud, first as vice chair and then as chair of Virginia's Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Commission, to uncover all of their stories, to pass legislation, and to put a plaque in the former capital of the Confederacy that lists all of their names.
I was proud to help build a monument to emancipation and freedom that told the stories, often untold, of Virginians who fought for emancipation and then who fought to make ``liberty and justice for all'' true for all Virginians.
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, we made progress during Reconstruction. Then, it ended, and there was a backlash.
Mr. Speaker, that backlash involved three things. It involved the propaganda, the lie of white supremacy that was intended to break up a growing coalition between formerly enslaved African Americans and poor, White individuals who came together to pass public policy in Virginia. The lie of white supremacy was designed to drive them apart.
It involved the propaganda of Confederate iconography such as statues to Robert E. Lee, even though General Lee himself said he did not believe such statues should be erected because they would pick at the wounds left from the war.
The backlash didn't end there. It included racial terror and violence. Thousands of people were lynched totally for the color of their skin. They were grabbed and accused vaguely of a crime, then they were hung, shot, or worse.
It didn't end there. Voter suppression included a wave of laws across the South that immediately responded to the 14th and 15th Amendment in an effort through literacy tests and poll taxes to keep those formerly enslaved people--men--who had gained the right to vote from exercising it.
These three things worked. For a generation the gains that were made during Reconstruction were erased. That history was not taught in school. I never learned that history in school.
Because my great-grandfather wrote a book, I knew about his literacy test that he had to take. I knew about the literacy test. When he went and took it and got all of the questions right, the registrar said he needed more questions because my great-grandfather was on a
He got those questions right. Then he was told he needed to find three White men to vouch for his character to be able to register to vote. It took some time because there were very few who were willing to do that. He did it. He registered to vote. He voted every chance that he got.
Despite this backlash, we continued to press forward. Despite the poll tax that my grandfather and my father had to pay, and despite the limited opportunities available to my mother, my grandmother, and my great-grandmother. Then through the leadership of Dr. King and John Lewis and so many others, culminating in the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, that was the second wave of progress.
There was backlash that included the assassination of our leaders, attempts at voter suppression, and even more propaganda.
We kept pressing forward. We kept pushing and pushing to eradicate the legacy of over 300 years of slavery and Jim Crow, which did not go away with the wave of a magic wand when the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act were passed.
We made progress, as evidenced by the election of Barack Obama, and by more Black men and women getting social, political, and economic power. Then there was a backlash that included propaganda about stolen elections and birtherism.
There was a wave of voter suppression when the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. We saw a wave of laws across the South very reminiscent of those that passed over 100 years ago. We saw propaganda, violence, and voter suppression, but we kept pushing.
Then in Virginia, we had the backlash of the Unite the Right rally. We had the murder of George Floyd. There were people who had never learned any of this history that I have just walked through and for the first time--because they didn't have family members who experienced it and told their stories. They didn't have textbooks in school that told them this history.
When they began to have their eyes opened and we began to make progress again, there was a backlash. There was the propaganda of wokeism and how diversity, equity, and inclusion was actually discrimination. We saw violence culminate on January 6. There is voter suppression, as we see more laws trying to roll back access to voting.
Mr. Speaker, I remember how I felt as I sat at home, watching George Floyd call out for his mother. I felt the same pain that my parents felt when they saw Emmett Till's body in his coffin. In that moment I realized in a lot of ways I am fighting the same fights as my parents, my grandparents, and my great-grandparents.
We have made progress, and I fight those fights as the first and only Black woman ever elected to Congress from Virginia. I fight those fights from a position of more strength and power than they ever could have dreamed of. I fight those fights so that my children and my grandchildren don't have to.
Mr. Speaker, sometimes I get tired. Sometimes I get weary when I see a Secretary of Defense who fires people solely because he assumes they only got their job because of the color of their skin. He ignores the case of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who has a lifetime service record.
I get tired. When I think about everything that was used to try to overcome the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow, that held a lot of people down with a weight on their ankle because their families didn't have access to education or economic opportunities, and they are trying to come out of generations of oppression, when I get tired, I go back to that history.
Earlier this year, just as the President issued an order that calls into question whether exhibits can even stay in the National Museum of African American History and Culture, I went back and took my children. I have been to that museum so many times.
In April of this year, I stood in the exhibit on the Middle Passage. Mr. Speaker, if you haven't done it, I highly recommend you do. It is the Middle Passage between Africa and probably the Manchester Dock in Richmond. It is so horrible that so many people chose to jump off the ship and chose death rather than what was waiting for them on those shores.
As I sat and looked at the exhibit, this time a voice came to me and said that somebody survived this so that I could be here as a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, fighting back against this latest backlash.
This backlash looks a little different, but it is the exact same one we have been fighting. For almost 250 years, the history of this country has been: How do we reconcile the fact upon which we were founded with the birth of American democracy and the birth of American slavery less than a month apart in the same town, basically? How do we reconcile that with the ideals upon which we were founded? How do we make sure those ideals are true for everyone?
Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Black Caucus will fight every single day to make sure they are true.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Clarke), our chair.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, for setting the tone for this evening's hour and for anchoring this evening's Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour.
Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight with my colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus in recognition of national independence, Juneteenth National Independence Day.
On June 19, 1865, more than 2 years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, 2,000 Union troops reached Galveston Bay, Texas, with the news of the President's decree. On that day, more than 250,000 Black Americans were officially free.
From that day on, the newly freed people of Galveston established Juneteenth as a day to celebrate the long journey to freedom, and our Nation's second Independence Day, when all citizens were finally declared free.
To this day, the impact of Juneteenth on our community remains unparalleled. On Juneteenth, we celebrate Black joy, culture, and the unbreakable spirit of our community that has overcome so much across generations. Today, we continue to uplift values of hope, determination, and the preservation of our history and our people.
We celebrate and pay homage to our history and those who have gotten us here today, figures like Texas native Opal Lee, known as the Mother of Juneteenth, who campaigned for decades to make Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday.
We also remember the role of the Congressional Black Caucus and how they played that role to solidify Juneteenth as a Federal holiday. In 1996, former Congresswoman Barbara-Rose Collins, a CBC member, introduced one of the earliest bills in Congress to designate Juneteenth as a national holiday.
Following this effort, the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee picked up the mantle, reintroducing legislation from 1997 to the year 2000 to commemorate the holiday, pushing for broader recognition and funding for education and celebrations.
In the wake of the tragic murder of George Floyd, nationwide protests renewed national conversation around this legislation, creating a path for CBC members to, once again, call for Federal recognition.
Among other demands from the caucus during this nationwide social justice movement, the U.S. Congress passed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, led in the House by Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas and signed into law by President Joe Biden.
The Juneteenth holiday offers us not only a time for reflection but also a time to mobilize to protect our communities from the endless assaults from the Trump administration that seek to erase our history, cut off access to economic opportunity, and roll back the clock on progress in our communities.
On Juneteenth, and every day, the CBC continues our commitment to Black liberation and unity by fighting to make our communities safe, prosperous, and free.
Juneteenth as a national holiday exemplifies the values of this caucus. As the conscience of the Congress, the CBC remains steady in our goals of
Mr. Speaker, I thank my esteemed colleague from Virginia, Representative McClellan, for holding this CBC Special Order hour tonight specifically for our celebration of Juneteenth.
I really want to thank her so, so very much more for that amazing history lesson, and it will forever be here marked in this House and in this Chamber for generations to come because we understand and know that we must always, in each generation, make sure that we continue to understand our history and to celebrate our history.
I thank my colleague and CBC Congressional Black Caucus leadership in tonight's Special Order hour.
To me, Juneteenth, Mr. Speaker, is a solemn remembrance of the long- fought battle to fully realize freedom for African Americans. It was one of the highest honors of my congressional career to actually help to work to pass the legislation which has formally established Juneteenth as a Federal holiday.
I remember how excited I was that day that we were invited to the White House for the signing of this legislation. It was truly a day that we believed felt like freedom. As I stood in the White House with many of my Congressional Black Caucus colleagues watching President Biden sign that legislation into law, I was deeply moved by the sight of Miss Opal Lee, who has just been mentioned here as the mother of Juneteenth or the grandmother of Juneteenth, seeing her vision for Juneteenth come to fruition as a national holiday actually realized in her lifetime after she worked so hard and so long recognizing that African Americans needed a day where we could just, once again, celebrate ourselves and celebrate the liberation and the freedoms that we had fought so hard for.
This woman, whose family home was burned by White rioters on June 19, 1939, never lost the hope, though, that she would, one day, live to see the day when Juneteenth would become our Nation's next Federal holiday. I hope that we can really look back and think about these days when the days going forward become dark.
It was Toni Morrison, the great writer, who once called us to: ``Dream the world as it ought to be.'' I am so glad that because of her, historic societies across America have worked to commemorate the stories of enslaved people and reflect on their place in our national history.
Our stories create their own bench by the road. What I mean by that is that I went to an event last week in my community. We were celebrating a simple bench placed in a garden of flowers in my community and in my district that was representing a family of once former slaves. A woman in the garden organization, the garden group, moved into a home, and in that home, she saw in the cupboard a piece of paper with the names of four people on this piece of paper.
She said that she felt so touched and felt like there was a story behind these four names. She held on to the piece of paper. She felt compelled to find out who were these people who lived in this area and lived in this house.
Who were they?
She did some work, she did some research, and she actually started doing a genealogy on the family. She came to find out that they had come from former enslaved individuals in my community. Actually, there were over 1,300 enslaved individuals in that district on that plantation.
So this woman who was part of the garden society decided that we need to do something to honor the history of these enslaved people because they meant something to this community, and they meant something to the families who lived here. So what they did was they created a bench. They built a bench in a garden, and that is called the Bench by the Road so that we will never forget the histories and the families of the enslaved people who lived, worked, and died there in my district.
So in that, I say that it is really important for African Americans, for people of color, every time this year, but as we should do all year long, to reflect on the legacies of all the men and all the women and all the children that preceded us but were enslaved.
While I was in my district in Georgia last week, I had the honor of attending that bench dedication that I just spoke about and to actually recognize one of the descendants. Her name was Matilda Ruff. She now lives in Cobb County, and that information by which those enslaved individuals had lived in my district in Cobb County, that information came from the 1860 Census.
We were joined by Matilda Ruff's great-great-granddaughter Tanyah. Her story and the stories of all of Matilda's descendants are essential to understanding the full history of who we are in our community and my district. As my community in Georgia continues to enjoy Matilda's Garden and benefit from the Bench by the Road, I am encouraged every time I drive past that bench. I am so encouraged because I know that there are projects and people like this that are working to keep the histories of African Americans alive all over the Nation.
Although we are really facing some really extraordinary challenges, I think about the quiet resolve and that everlasting hope of the men and women out in Texas who waited years for the Emancipation Proclamation so they could receive word of their freedom from their enslavement. I just feel like as African Americans we must always really, really work not to succumb to a lack of hope but continue to make sure that we are building up ourselves, building up our communities, building up our future generations to live in the hope of a better day.
Inspired by the life and legacy of Matilda Ruff, guided by the words of Toni Morrison, and motivated by the activism of Opal Lee, I really hope that my people will stay reinvigorated and always remain awakened to that hope.
I will say that I remember as a child growing up in the civil rights movement, and that tells you how old I am, but at 3 years of age I was at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in a stroller, and that was the time that our dear, departed colleague, John Lewis, gave his first big speech.
I remember growing up when a lot of the civil rights leaders, workers and volunteers were coming to my home as a child. My father was Illinois branch president of the NAACP. I grew up in the marches. I grew up in the rallies. I grew up understanding how important it is for African Americans to continue to fight for the freedoms that they had gained.
It is really painful for me now because I know all the work that my parents did. My mother invited all of the volunteers and the workers into my house at night as they were preparing for the marches and rallies and creating poster board signs. I really believe it would be so painful for my father to know that everything that he has worked for now is being stripped away and eroded. Everything that he worked so hard for, for me, for his daughter is being stripped away.
It is painful to even think about the fact that my own child, his grandson, died from a lot of the racial discrimination and bigotry and hatred that is emerging its ugly head here again in America. I think about my father and what he would believe or what he would think about all of the ancestors that had come before us that worked so hard and they died so that I could be here today representing Georgia as a Member of the House of Representatives.
What I say is that I believe it will always be important for African Americans to remember their history. It will always be important for us to celebrate who we are, to uplift who we are, to stand in the greatness of who we are and what we have overcome because truly, more than anything, I believe we will have to continue to work as hard as we can to be overcoming.
As I think about this Juneteenth holiday, I pray going forward that my family and friends and my community will find it equally as important to stand and to celebrate who we are as African Americans and to know that we are intricately fashioned into the fabric of this country, and nothing will ever be able to erase that.
Mr. Speaker, ``Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story'' is a song from one of my favorite plays, ``Hamilton.'' It is very appropriate because there are a lot of stories in American history that have never been told.
Black history is American history. Our fates were inextricably linked as the founding of American democracy and the founding of American slavery happened at the same time in the same place.
I am proud to say, though, that Virginia also was the birthplace of the ideals upon which this country was founded, and there is contradiction there too. When Thomas Jefferson wrote: ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,'' Mr. Speaker, he didn't mean me when he wrote those words. He didn't even mean the mother of his children when he wrote those words. He didn't mean the hundreds of people who lived in forced labor considered as property on his beloved Monticello.
For years their stories weren't told.
James Madison who came up with the Virginia Plan, which was the foundation for our Constitution, the idea of a government by, of, and for the people didn't mean me in ``We the People.'' He didn't mean the hundreds of people that lived at Montpelier that his wife considered her property.
As a matter of fact, when the Constitution was ratified, our ancestors--as members of the Congressional Black Caucus--were only considered three-fifths of a person for purposes of figuring out how many people would serve in this body. We weren't even given three- fourths or three-fifths of the rights of a person though.
The struggle of our country has been how do we reconcile that? How do we overcome the facts upon which we are founded with the ideals upon which we are founded. Again, I will acknowledge and be proud to say we have made progress. Most of that fight happened in Virginia culminating in the Civil War.
As somebody born in Petersburg, home of the longest siege during the war, I lived in and now represent Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, for most of my life, and I am 52 years old, the trauma of slavery and Jim Crow was never discussed. Like any family, if you don't acknowledge the trauma and begin to address the lingering impact of it, the family will never heal. That is exactly what has happened in this country.
Every time we begin to have an honest conversation and dialogue about what happened, it is uncomfortable and painful, but we have to have that conversation. We have to teach this history in our schools. We have to talk about it in public history spaces and museums and on public grounds because the people who lived it are passing on.
My parents lived under Jim Crow, but they are now gone. Again, I was not taught these stories in school or anywhere else. It was going mainly to my family and original sources where I learned it.
I am very concerned, Mr. Speaker, that now that we have gotten closer than ever before to actually beginning to heal as a nation, this backlash that we constantly see, which we are in again, is going to threaten any progress toward healing because people won't learn this history and deal with it.
Yet, it happened. Yes, it is uncomfortable. Yes, standing on a site where someone was lynched solely because of the color of their skin and because they had the temerity, allegedly, to whistle at a White woman is uncomfortable, but it happened.
Just like that community can't heal until they reckon with it and acknowledge that it happened and that it was wrong and move on, we as a nation can't heal if we put our heads in the sand and decide that if it is uncomfortable, it can't be taught, that if it is uncomfortable or puts the United States in a bad light, it can't be put in a museum, acknowledged on our military bases, or acknowledged in public spaces.
This is not a perfect country, just like people aren't perfect. We cannot heal if we don't come together and talk about our history.
Unfortunately, the President of the United States decided that Juneteenth wasn't worthy of celebrating. That makes me incredibly sad because I think the President has a lot to learn from Juneteenth. Juneteenth teaches us that we can't take anything for granted. We can't take freedom for granted because too many people had to fight and die to get it.
Juneteenth is a reminder of the resilience of all the American people, particularly Black Americans. When we acknowledge our past, how far we have come, and how still further we have to go, we will be that more perfect Union that we are striving toward in a government by, of, and for the people.
I will close with this. When I was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, I learned very quickly that everyone's political views are shaped by their life experiences and what they know. I learned very quickly that public policy can either exacerbate or overcome inequity that happened in the past.
What I learned as a 32-year-old Black woman from the most Democratic district in the State in a body that was mostly White Republican men over 50 was that I needed to reach out to them and meet them where they were. I needed to understand why they believed what they believed. I needed to understand their history and culture. More importantly, I had to share mine and my parents', grandparents', and great-grandparents'.
More often than not, when we did that, we found that we had more in common than not. Yet, they didn't know much about the life experiences that my ancestors faced, so they would put forward public policy that exacerbated inequity.
``Inequity'' is not a dirty word. Inequity recognizes that the legacy of over 300 years of slavery and Jim Crow did not go away with the wave of a magic wand when laws were passed and that Black neighborhoods that were destroyed to build a highway, purposely chosen because of who lived there, has an impact still today.
We have to acknowledge this history, but the first step is to talk about it and to teach it, whether it is comfortable or not, because when we do, we will heal. If we don't heal, then someone who wishes us harm will exploit the tension.
I don't think it is an accident that whenever anyone from outside the United States wants to stoke tension in the United States, the first thing they go to is race. There is a reason for that. If we come to terms with our past, no one will be able to use it to divide us.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you for your attention. I thank you for giving the Congressional Black Caucus the opportunity to remain the conscience of the Congress. I thank you for giving us an opportunity to celebrate the legacy of Juneteenth.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Juneteenth.
Why celebrate Juneteenth? Some would argue it's not the exact historical point when slavery ended . . .
But I'll tell you why I do and will continue to--because it is past time we begin confronting the real history of this country.
Confronting it and addressing it all as it is--the good, bad and ugly.
Confronting it because despite that sometimes ugly and sordid history--it is a country that still we love. It is our country.
Black folks bled and died in every war this country has ever fought.
And speaking to freedom, there are black and white folks who sacrificed their lives so that we could occupy these spaces and have the opportunities they did not.
It is an honor for me and should be for all Americans to celebrate this holiday.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in belated recognition of Post-Traumatic Growth Day--I repeat, post-traumatic growth.
Observed annually on June 13 as part of National PTSD Awareness Month, this effort was initiated by Boulder Crest Foundation, a nationally recognized nonprofit helping veterans, first responders, and their families turn their struggles into strength.
When we think about the numbers of veterans and first responders who have experienced an event, the numbers are small but not inconsequential and staggering but, I think, kept too well hidden. For example, over 50 percent of veterans have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime.
Mr. Speaker, let's just go back a little bit in history because ``PTSD'' was not always a term of reference and a term of the norm when it came to dealing with stress. In World War I, I believe the term was ``shell shock.'' In World War II, the term was ``battle fatigue.'' In Vietnam, when I was there, we used to call it the ``thousand-yard stare,'' a certain emptiness we would see in others that indicated an increased level of stress.
That was then. How did we, especially in the military, deal with whether it would be battle fatigue, shell shock, or the thousand-yard stare? Back in World War I and World War II, there was this thing called the troopship. When, let's say, you were in the South Pacific and coming back to the States, you boarded a troopship somewhere and sailed, in some cases, for well over a month just to return to U.S. soil. It was the same thing with the European theater or the North African theater.
There was a long period of time where those combat veterans who had been under tremendous stress had a chance to decompress over a period of time with each other and share their experiences, cry, hug, laugh, but work through it in a way that used the element of time together to, again, work through the challenges of the horrific events that they had experienced.
In Vietnam, the timeline shortened a little bit, and please don't let me forget Korea, as well. Because when you look at the memorials here in Washington, D.C., you have got the World War II Memorial, which is a tremendous testament to our country coming together to overcome evil. You have got the Korean War Memorial. For those of you who have been there, the darkness of that memorial is evident in the expressions on the faces of those soldiers there at the Korean War Memorial. You have got the Vietnam Memorial, which has all the 58,000-plus names of the men and women who gave their lives in Vietnam.
Some of my colleagues who served there, the only way that they can come to grips with some of their PTSD is to go to the memorial and visit their comrades whose names are on the wall. We have dealt with it differently, but we tended to think of it as relieving stress in a negative way.
After 9/11, after Desert Shield, and Desert Storm, the first war that we were involved in where members could be on the battlefield one day and back literally in their homes within 48 hours. During OIF and OEF where a person could come off the battlefield on a Wednesday and, again, be at home watching TV and watching their friends on the battlefield within 48 hours, there was no time to decompress. There was no time to work through the challenges that you have seen.
What do we do? Well, PTSD is real. Nobody disagrees with that at all. How do we turn a negative into a positive?
Well, how about in changing the term ``post-traumatic stress disorder'' into ``post-traumatic growth.'' Take the experience, work through it in such a way that you grow from it. Think about all the men and women who currently serve, only about 10 percent have been diagnosed with PTSD. That is of all who served.
For those who served in combat zones, the rate of PTSD can reach up to 20 percent. Among first responders, police officers, firefighters, and EMTs, 80 percent have experienced at least one traumatic event while on the job.
Between 10 and 30 percent of first responders will develop post- traumatic stress disorder. Again, whether you are in the military, whether you are a first responder, whether you are a NICU nurse, a cardiac nurse, a physician, you give it all for those people you are serving. Whether you are a first responder in the healthcare field, or in the military, how do you deal with it? How do you deal with what you gave? Can you return to a positive attitude in your life?
That is why the belief among servicemembers and first responders who have gone through this, we have figured out that the best way to deal with what we deal with internally is to move forward with an attitude of what happened happened. How do we grow from it?
It is easier said than done because in the society in which we live today with instant communications, social media, and reliving things, it is tough, in many cases, to leave the negative behind us.
There are different therapies, group therapy, individual therapy, there could be potentially in some cases, as we advance therapies in new areas, and not taking a pill--here, take a pill for this. This will make you feel better. If that pill doesn't make you feel better, take two of these pills type of thing. We have to get rid of that because it doesn't help.
We are human beings, and I would suggest to you that one of the options we have to promote the idea of post-traumatic stress is to get behind some good things. Both Democrats and Republicans here in Congress, who want to do better in this arena, there is a caucus here in the House of Representatives called the PATH Caucus. It was formed about 3 years ago.
I happen to be the Republican lead and my dear friend and colleague Lou Correa from Los Angeles is the Democrat lead. We call it the Noah's Ark Caucus, where one Democrat and one Republican come together and join it, but the whole goal as the PATH Caucus--the title is, Psychedelics Advancing Therapies, keyword advancing therapies. We have kind of casually renamed it the good path caucus, which means get off opioid dependency and advance new therapies to allow members of the military and first responders and everybody else to actually get inside of themselves and be able to release those demons through different kinds of therapies that don't involve taking a pill, taking another pill, taking another pill, changing the pills, whatever it happens to be, forever.
It is about new therapies that will enable those members going through it to open up their minds, clear out the demons, and move forward with life.
We have a responsibility as the House of Representatives and as the legislative branch of our government, to include the Senate, to do the best we can on the legislative side in enabling resources to be focused on research that enables that individual growth to occur.
We are a long way from getting to the point where we can say we are done with this. We will never be done with it. There will always be new advancements in therapy, new advancements in dealing with the human mind, the brain, the least explored and least understood part of the human body, but it is who we are as God's creatures that will enable us to move forward with continuing to grow.
I am honored tonight to just call this to the attention of the people watching and especially to my colleagues who--again, not Democrat or Republican--have chosen to make the world a better place by helping people be their best selves, to continue to grow after, in some cases, very horrific, stressful events.
I ask everyone who is listening, please consider--because we can all have a bad day--what a positive affect you can have on others when you present yourself to them, when they are under a time of extreme stress and potential disorientation, to lead them down a path that they can grow from what they have gone through. We can all make this world a better place by helping one another.
I thank the Speaker and the House for allowing me to talk today on celebration of post-traumatic growth normally. We will be celebrating it again next year on the 13th of June on that annual day.
Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.
The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 8 o'clock and 29 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.
