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12Deletions of Sponsors From Public Bills and Resolutions
13Petitions, Etc.
Daily Digest
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced
19 public bills, H.R. 10184- 10202; and 4 resolutions, H. Res. 1500-1503 were introduced.
Pages H5361-62
Reports Filed
The following action occurred on August 3, 2026: Committee on Ethics. H. Res. 1498, in the matter of allegations relating to Representative Chuck Edwards (H. Rept. 119-756). A report was filed today as follows: H. Res. 1499, providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1501) to amend the FAST Act to include certain mineral production activities as a covered project, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 9436) to amend the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 to extend the time period for which certain regulations concerning the North Atlantic right whale are effective; providing for consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 1490) providing for the condemnation and denouncement of socialism in all its forms, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4795) to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit an institution that participates in a nonexpressive commercial boycott of Israel from being eligible for certain funds under that Act, to require an institution that participates in certain programs under that Act to certify that students are not unreasonably obstructed from participating in academic programs in Israel, and for other purposes; and relating to consideration of motions to suspend the rules (H. Rept. 119-785).
Page H5361
Speaker
Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he appointed Representative Carter (GA) to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
Page H5261
Recess
The House recessed at 12:15 p.m. and reconvened at 2 p.m.
Page H5263
Recess
The House recessed at 2:09 p.m. and reconvened at 3:31 p.m.
Page H5264
Recess
The House recessed at 3:46 p.m. and reconvened at 4:15 p.m.
Page H5266
Recess
The House recessed at 5:42 p.m. and reconvened at 6:30 p.m.
Page H5347
Suspensions
The House agreed to suspend the rules and pass the following measures: Hershel `Woody' Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act: S. 858, to authorize the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a commemorative work on the National Mall to honor the extraordinary acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice displayed by Medal of Honor recipients;
Pages H5264-66
NDO Fairness Act
H.R. 6048, amended, to amend title 18, United States Code, to modify delayed notice requirements;
Pages H5266-68
Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act
S. 307, to address sexual harassment and sexual assault of Bureau of Prisons staff in prisons, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 376 yeas to 8 nays, Roll No. 284;
Pages H5268-70, H5347
Kayleigh's Law Act of 2026
H.R. 8481, amended, to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for the issuance of natural lifetime injunctions for certain victims;
Pages H5270-72
Local Access to Courts Act
S. 32, to clarify where court may be held for certain district courts in Texas and California, by a \2/3\ yea- and-nay vote of 378 yeas to 10 nays, Roll No. 285;
Pages H5272-73, H5347-48
Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act
H.R. 1869, amended, to strengthen the Department of Justice's enforcement against trade-related crimes;
Pages H5273-75
Making technical amendments to update statutory references to provisions reclassified to title 34, United States Code, and to correct related technical errors
H.R. 4499, amended, to make technical amendments to update statutory references to provisions reclassified to title 34, United States Code, and to correct related technical errors;
Pages H5275-81
Making technical amendments to title 49, United States Code, as necessary to improve the Code
H.R. 4523, to make technical amendments to title 49, United States Code, as necessary to improve the Code;
Pages H5281-82
Amending chapters 4, 10, and 131 of title 5, United States Code, as necessary to keep those chapters current and to correct related technical errors
H.R. 4465, to amend chapters 4, 10, and 131 of title 5, United States Code, as necessary to keep those chapters current and to correct related technical errors;
Pages H5282-95
Making technical amendments to update statutory references to certain provisions classified to title 2, United States Code, title 50, United States Code, and title 52, United States Code, and to correct related technical errors: H.R. 5210, to make technical amendments to update statutory references to certain provisions classified to title 2, United States Code, title 50, United States Code, and title 52, United States Code, and to correct related technical errors;
Pages H5295-H5304
Making improvements in the enactment of title 41, United States Code, into a positive law title and to improve the Code
H.R. 5185, to make improvements in the enactment of title 41, United States Code, into a positive law title and to improve the Code;
Pages H5304-19
Making revisions in title 51, United States Code, as necessary to keep the title current, and to make technical amendments to improve the United States Code
H.R. 5174, to make revisions in title 51, United States Code, as necessary to keep the title current, and to make technical amendments to improve the United States Code;
Pages H5319-35
Making improvements in the enactment of title 54, United States Code, into a positive law title and to correct related technical errors
H.R. 5182, amended, to make improvements in the enactment of title 54, United States Code, into a positive law title and to correct related technical errors; and
Pages H5335-38
Making technical amendments to update statutory references to certain provisions which were formerly classified to chapters 14 and 19 of title 25, United States Code, and to correct related technical errors: H.R. 4584, to make technical amendments to update statutory references to certain provisions which were formerly classified to chapters 14 and 19 of title 25, United States Code, and to correct related technical errors.
Pages H5338-47
Meeting Hour
Agreed by unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 11 a.m. tomorrow, September 1st.
Pages H5348-49
Discharge Petition
Representative Massie presented to the clerk a motion to discharge the Committee on Rules from the consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 1430) entitled, a resolution providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 185) to advance responsible policies (Discharge Petition No. 27). Quorum Calls--Votes: Two yea-and-nay votes developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H5347 and H5347-48. Adjournment: The House met at 12 noon and adjourned at 9:03 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: 165 of 211 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 6, 2026, 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, today I rise to recognize high school students Jesi Jetnarayan and Will Davis of Franklin County for achieving a special distinction during their successful trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
By reaching the over 19,000-foot summit of Mount Kilimanjaro on August 1, Jesi and Will are believed to be the youngest high school students in the history of Franklin County to achieve this remarkable feat.
Both seniors this year at Shalom Christian Academy, this achievement is a testament to Jesi and Will's spirit of adventure, personal endurance, and will to succeed.
The team of hikers that accompanied Jesi and Will on their climb were their fathers, Vishal Jetnarayan and Ben Davis.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the constituents throughout Franklin County and the entire 13th Congressional District, I congratulate Jesi and Will on this outstanding achievement and express best wishes as they climb future mountains.
Mr. Speaker, it is with respect and admiration I rise today to recognize the Morrisons Cove Rotary Club for 100 years of service to the community.
Founded in 1926, the organization is part of an international network of clubs that is dedicated to humanitarian service and community support.
Over the years, support from the Morrisons Cove Rotary Club has benefited numerous community organizations as well as local school districts.
It has been estimated that the club has contributed more than $1.5 million to community projects.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of everyone in Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District, I express gratitude to all former and current members of the Morrisons Cove Rotary Club.
Mr. Speaker, it is with gratitude that I rise to recognize the public service of Lisa Kozorosky, who recently retired as Cambria County treasurer.
Lisa was employed by the county for 26 years, including the past 14 in the elected position of treasurer. She also served as a member of the Cambria County Retirement Board.
While acknowledging her vital role in county government, colleagues have praised Lisa for her outstanding work ethic and her dedication.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of constituents throughout the 13th Congressional District, I thank Lisa for her faithful public service for the residents of Cambria County and express best wishes for a wonderful retirement.
Mr. Speaker, it is with deep appreciation that I rise to recognize William Swartzwelder of Breezewood for an extraordinary record of public service that spans over seven decades.
As a volunteer firefighter, Bill followed the example of his parents and joined the Breezewood Volunteer Fire Company in 1956. He has filled a variety of leadership roles over the years.
A regular participant in Monday night work sessions, fundraising activities, and other fire company-related functions, Bill, actually to this date, continues to attend monthly meetings, where he serves on various committees.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the constituents throughout Bedford County and the entire 13th Congressional District, I personally thank Bill for his outstanding commitment to the Breezewood Volunteer Fire Company and congratulate him on this remarkable milestone of public service.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about patriotism and what it means to be a patriot in this great country.
The American experience is one that we all share. It bonds us together under one Constitution, and as lawmakers serving in these hallowed halls, we have the privilege of carrying forward
Fortunately for the American public, that experience includes over a century of bipartisan support for another one of America's greatest and best ideas: the creation, shared stewardship, and enjoyment of our Nation's public lands, so that we may continue to hunt, to fish, to take our families camping, to discover America's history, and to unravel the great mysteries and gifts that can only be found in our Nation's national forests, national parks, BLM lands, and wildlife refuges.
Long after the creation of the U.S. Forest Service in 1905 by Republican President and conservationist Teddy Roosevelt, Americans of all political stripes have continued the legacy of conserving our public lands for all Americans, for multiple uses--both for our enjoyment and for the domestic production of natural resources, a careful balance that requires bipartisan and local support.
Let me remind this body of the tremendous work of U.S. Senator Frank Church. The Senator's impact on this Nation's wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, and land and water conservation is to be celebrated. In particular, he should be lauded for the way in which he went about passing many of our Nation's bedrock public land laws that stand until this day.
You see, Senator Church was a quiet, careful workman who worked across the aisle to strike compromise and pass overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation such as the Wilderness Act of 1964, the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968.
This was an unprecedented period of patriotism and public lands where bipartisanship flourished, and Congress worked as a unified body to protect our Nation's most precious resources.
In 1964, the Wilderness Act passed the House by a whopping 373-1 majority. That same year, the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act passed by a voice vote in the House and a 92-1 vote in the Senate. In 1973, the House passed the Endangered Species Act in a landslide 355-4 vote. Even Nixon, not known as an environmentalist, in 1972, proclaimed that what began as an environmental awakening must mature finally into a new and higher environmental way of life.
Believe it or not, there was a time which in this body we crafted win-win models of public land legislation. That is why I helped establish the first bipartisan Public Lands Caucus with former Interior Secretary and Montana Representative Ryan Zinke.
Today, we have the potential to piece together the remnants of bipartisan political consensus and provide a powerful framework for modern conservation and public lands initiatives.
Working together under this patriotic caucus to achieve wider bipartisan agreement, I believe that we can mediate conflicts between natural resource users and protection proponents and demonstrate that economic development and conservation are not mutually exclusive.
Today, foreign companies have spread their tentacles and sprawled into our forests, rivers, and national monuments, all in search of a quick buck.
Paired together with short sighted proposals from this administration that threaten to undo the Roadless Rule, to eliminate the Public Lands Rule, to shrink our national monuments, to open sensitive habitat in the Alaskan Arctic Refuge to drilling, to narrow regulations of the ESA, to shrink the U.S. Forest Service, to rob crucial maintenance funds from the National Parks budget, and just recently to sell off part of Yosemite National Park to a private developer, we are in deep, deep trouble of losing what both Democrats and Republicans have long fought to conserve and to protect.
Public lands improve every American's quality of life. They provide abundance and liberty. We must fight to ensure access to the American Dream, and that includes access to public lands and a healthy environment.
The truth is, Americans love nature. Hunters, anglers, and families alike agree that public lands are patriotic.
Let us renew these concepts of bipartisan cooperation and protect our shared patriotism, even if it means standing up to our own party and this administration in the wake of the largest wave of attacks we have seen to our public lands in our Nation's history.
Mr. Speaker, I know that I will be doing my damndest to protect the places we love in New Mexico, across the West, and this great Nation. I hope that my colleagues in this body can put partisanship aside and have the courage to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with the House the sad news of the loss of one of the State of Connecticut's finest public servants, former Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, of Tolland, Connecticut.
The news of her sudden passing on August 12 was met with universal sorrow from all corners of her beloved State, from the political leaders on both sides of the aisle and from people of all walks of life with whom she worked, always trying to help, particularly those in need and those whose problems she fixed over and over again.
Nancy's epic journey of public service began as a PTA mom in Tolland, advocating for high-quality public education at a time when her own kids were enrolled in Tolland's public schools. She was so effective that she was encouraged to run for a seat on the school board, which she did and won. That began an extraordinary string of political success that eventually took her to the highest levels of State government.
In 1986, she ran for a vacant seat in the Connecticut House of Representatives in a district next door to where I live, and at the same time, coincidentally, I was also running as a first-time candidate. We both prevailed and the following January were assigned our desks in the Connecticut House Chamber next to each other, which began a long and fruitful friendship, both politically and personally.
She shortly became chair of the Education Committee and presided over one of the most difficult, contested issues in the State, namely allocating public school funding. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, it is an issue where you cannot please all the people all the time.
Nancy never shrank from this task, and because of her patience and basic decency in her interactions with all her colleagues, the final result of her tenacious effort always earned respect and support.
She carried that trademark skill in her campaigns for statewide office, with her election as State comptroller in 1998 and her election as Lieutenant Governor in 2010. The office of comptroller is not always well understood by Connecticut voters, but it carries great responsibilities, including administering the largest health and pension plans in the State for active and retired State employees and their dependents.
She, once again, bore down into the nitty-gritty of price negotiation with private vendors, promoting wellness programs for State workers and acquiring valuable knowledge of the private health insurance market.
That experience came into good use when, as Lieutenant Governor, she was assigned the task of implementing the Affordable Care Act as it was rolled out in 2014. This was no easy lift. As many will painfully recall, the Federal ACA exchange, healthcare.gov, in 2014 was completely overwhelmed and took over a year before millions of Americans were finally connected to affordable health coverage.
Connecticut, however, opted under the law to operate its own exchange and, under Nancy's experienced hands, designed and initiated a data system that was completely functional on day one.
I remember well in 2014 going to enrollment fairs around the Second Congressional District and witnessing the successful completion of healthcare coverage for constituents who, in many cases because of preexisting medical conditions, had not been insured for most of their adult lives. For them, it was an emotional, life-changing event. Although Nancy was not physically present at all those fairs, there is no question that her handiwork created joy, and the impact and spirit of her service were in that room.
Mr. Speaker, Nancy's successful stewardship of the ACA rollout was not her only achievement as Lieutenant Governor. She was truly a partner, not an acolyte, to Governor Dan Malloy. Their passage of the Connecticut State budget in 2017, with fiscal guardrails, established the pathway to budget stability that reversed decades of chronic deficits into a string of surpluses and has completely transformed Connecticut's public finances into positive territory.
Her record in public service, though, was not only defined by good administration and policy but also by the way she carried herself in high position, showing respect and empathy to all that she ever came into contact with.
It didn't matter whether a person was a constituent or not, or what political party they belonged to, she was warm and polite and found ways to build connections and, in most cases, friendships.
It goes without saying, her example is a powerful one, in 2026, when polarization and political tribalism is far too prevalent.
She did, however, show favoritism, and that was to her beautiful family: her husband, Michael, of 59 years; her two daughters, Stacey Papa and Meryl Baldwin, and their husbands, Steve and Bill; their five grandchildren; and many more relations who are carrying a heavy burden of grief because of her passing.
They did have great support on August 16th when hundreds and hundreds of her admirers and friends showed up at her wake, expressing their love and appreciation for the contributions Nancy's family made to her impactful life.
I particularly thank the town manager of Tolland, Brian Foley, who showed so much care and compassion to help Nancy's family.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to join me in a similar recognition and express our condolences to Nancy's family for their loss.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National Purple Heart Month, a dedicated time to express our gratitude to the brave men and women who have sacrificed blood, body, and mind.
This month serves as a reminder that our freedom is thanks to those who served and those who died in uniform.
Earlier this month, on August 7, which is Purple Heart Day, I attended a memorial in Union County to recognize our wounded warriors who have received the Purple Heart.
The Purple Heart, inscribed with the phrase ``For Military Merit'' represents the courage of these servicemembers and is a direct reflection of the bravery of an estimated 1.8 million men and women who have received this distinction.
As a proud Army dad of a former soldier who has a Purple Heart, I know the sacrifices our military members and their families make to protect our flag. This is why I am proud to support the Purple Heart Foundation, an incredible organization that puts our veterans first.
Mr. Speaker, I thank our Nation's veterans for the commitment to country. God bless our veterans, and God bless the United States.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1492, our bipartisan resolution reaffirming the enduring partnership between the Pacific Islands Forum and the United States.
The United States is a Pacific nation. We share deep and longstanding ties and values with the peoples of the Pacific.
The Pacific Islands Forum, currently 18 members strong, has served since 1971 as the Pacific's premier multilateral political and economic organization, advancing shared priorities, including regional security, economic development, and disaster resilience.
The United States has partnered with the PIF for decades to pursue our shared goals of a peaceful, secure, resilient, and prosperous Pacific.
As Pacific leaders gather in Palau for the 55th PIF leaders meeting, we wish the PIF continued success and express Congress' firm resolve that the United States will remain a strong, reliable, and active partner in the Blue Pacific.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support and cosponsor our resolution.
Mr. Speaker, since its founding 250 years ago, America has fought to defend personal freedoms for each citizen.
Sadly, socialism is gaining in popularity. Warning signs are growing within the Democratic Party. Socialism puts government in control, replacing faith, families, and small businesses, destroying jobs. It gives all power to the elite of Big Government.
Only 54 percent of Americans view capitalism positively, the lowest level recorded compared with 39 percent who viewed socialism positively, revealing
Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher explained that the problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.
America should continue freedom over control, not Big Government.
In conclusion, God bless our troops. President Donald Trump is reinstituting peace through strength, revealing war criminal Putin lies, insulting Trump and mocking Trump, leading Trump to support the Lindsey Graham Russian Sanctions Act, which successfully passed in the Senate with the leadership of Senator Darline Graham and should come before the House any day.
Mr. Speaker, I stand with the cattle producers of eastern North Carolina and those across America who work hard every day to put American beef on our tables.
Family farmers should not have to compete against a surge of foreign beef that could pressure domestic markets and threaten their livelihoods. With as much as 300,000 metric tons of beef entering the United States over the next 90 days, cattlemen have every right to be upset.
I met with eastern North Carolina cattle producers to hear their concerns and discuss how we can protect family farms, ensure fair competition, and strengthen our domestic beef industry.
American ranchers work hard to feed our families and strengthen our rural communities, and they deserve respect and a fair shot in the marketplace.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 858) to authorize the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a commemorative work on the National Mall to honor the extraordinary acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice displayed by Medal of Honor recipients.
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 Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Huffman) 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 on S. 858, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, as Americans across the country celebrate our Nation's 250th anniversary this year, it is important to recognize that none of this would be possible without the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces. That is why the consideration of S. 858 is especially timely today, as it honors the valor and sacrifice of some of our Nation's bravest heroes: Medal of Honor recipients.
Mr. Speaker, 163 years ago, President Abraham Lincoln awarded the first Medal of Honor in the midst of the Civil War. It remains our Nation's highest honor awarded to members of the Armed Forces and is bestowed sparingly on only those who have demonstrated the highest acts of valor. Fewer than 70 Medal of Honor recipients are alive today out of the more than 3,500 medals that have been awarded.
As the highest and most prestigious military decoration in the United States, the Medal of Honor symbolizes extraordinary acts of bravery, selflessness, and sacrifice beyond the call of duty.
By recognizing these remarkable individuals, the Medal of Honor inspires national pride, honors the memory of fallen heroes, and motivates future generations to embody the values of courage and honor.
The Medal of Honor continues to symbolize the American people's profound respect and gratitude for the sacrifices recipients have made defending freedom and justice. The Hershel ``Woody'' Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act would ensure that the monument honoring these brave heroes can be placed on what is known as the Reserve, which is commonly referred to as The National Mall here in Washington, D.C.
A monument honoring our most exceptional military heroes deserves an equally exceptional location. According to National Park Service data, The National Mall receives upward of 25 million visitors each year. The monuments and memorials located on The National Mall are the centerpiece of this history, and it is appropriate to include a new monument honoring veterans who have displayed the most courageous acts of valor recognized by our country.
In my home State of Arkansas, our State capital also has a memorial dedicated to Medal of Honor recipients. I hope the monument in D.C., like the one in Arkansas, can inspire reflection, patriotism, and gratitude for our Nation's military heroes.
Last Congress, the Committee on Natural Resources had the privilege of hearing from one of the 65 living Medal of Honor recipients, Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Britt Slabinski. In his inspiring testimony, he reminded us that the Medal of Honor represents those willing to go above and beyond in any circumstance, no matter how small.
This monument will serve as an everlasting reminder of this country's greatness and the difference that one single person can make. As an example of the difference one singular person can make on the course of history, I note that this bill has been named after Hershel ``Woody'' Williams, who, sadly, passed away in June 2022.
He was known for his extraordinary heroism in the Battle of Iwo Jima during the Second World War. At the age of 21, he singlehandedly cleared a path for American troops against Japanese forces in an act of extraordinary bravery.
The House has already passed this bill unanimously this Congress. It is an honor to do so again today and send it to President Trump's desk.
As part of its consideration, the Senate made an unfortunate change to this legislation. It removed a portion of the findings section that expressed the sense of Congress that the Medal of Honor monument should be located near the Lincoln Memorial in recognition of President Lincoln's unique and integral role in the history of the Medal of Honor.
While this section has been removed, Congress and living Medal of Honor recipients still overwhelmingly support locating this monument near the Lincoln Memorial. I look forward to working with the Trump administration to ensure such a location is ultimately chosen.
I was proud to support the original legislation authorizing this memorial, and I am proud to support this legislation today.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore) for his leadership on the House companion to this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded to brave individuals whose extraordinary acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice exceed the call of duty.
In 2021, Congress authorized the placement of a National Medal of Honor Monument in Washington, D.C., to honor all of the Medal of Honor recipients from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
As a next step, this bill we are considering will ensure the memorial is located next to the Lincoln Memorial in the shadow of a President who created the Medal of Honor during the first year of the Civil War.
It is a privilege to speak on this bill. Medal of Honor recipients deserve recognition in the heart of our Nation's Capital.
I do note, however, that this is not the first time legislation for this memorial has been considered by the House this Congress. We voted on the House companion from Mr. Moore of Utah back in January 2025. It was one of the first Natural Resources Committee bills to pass this Chamber in the Congress.
Unfortunately, instead of passing the House bill that we already sent over, the Senate is forcing us into a do-over. This is becoming an unsightly trend this Congress. The House Natural Resources Committee alone has sent 88 bipartisan bills over to the Senate that are still waiting for a vote. No wonder this has been such an unproductive Congress and one of the least productive on record.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage Republican leadership in both Houses of Congress to start working together and talking to each other to better coordinate so that we are not forced to vote on all of these noncontroversial bills over and over. There is simply not time left on the calendar to continue this.
Moving back to the bill that we are considering, I encourage my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation again. This is an excellent example of the amazing work that we can do when we reach across the aisle and work in a bipartisan way. But it is worth noting that this bill is also an example of how monuments in Washington, D.C., should happen and how they can be lawfully established through a transparent and explicit act of Congress.
The Commemorative Works Act is the law, and it is very clear. Monuments and memorials in the area of Washington, D.C., may be built ``only as specifically authorized by law.''
If that weren't enough, Congress enacted a similar law prohibiting any building or structure being built on Federal public grounds in D.C. without express authority of Congress.
It is an insult to the American people that this administration is ignoring the law, that they are barreling ahead with an enormous arc de Trump in flagrant violation of these laws, an arch that would tower over the Lincoln Memorial and the sacred grounds of Arlington National Cemetery where we honor the very heroes that we have just been talking about here today.
Our constituents can't afford groceries right now due to Trump's trade wars. They can't afford gas due to his war of choice in Iran or electricity bills due to his war on clean energy. The last thing we need is another golden monument commemorating President Trump in the Capital, let alone one that circumvents Congress and flouts the law.
Mr. Speaker, my Republican colleagues should stand up to this administration's lawlessness. In the meantime, this is a good bill. This is how you are supposed to do monuments in compliance with the law. You bring it to Congress. You pass it through the process. Soon this bill will become law, and this monument will happen. That is the way it should work.
Mr. Speaker, I will add that the House Natural Resources Committee has done a lot of very good bipartisan work this Congress. We have sent a lot of bills to the Senate, and a lot of those bills are over there waiting to be acted upon. When we pass bills, we have hearings. We have markups. We go through regular order. We have done a lot of work that the Senate wouldn't have to do if they would just take up these bills and pass them.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore), the lead sponsor of the House companion to this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Hershel ``Woody'' Williams National Monument Location Act.
First, I give a very sincere thank you to the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee and the ranking member for expeditiously working to get this bill through, in addition to in years past when we got the National Medal of Honor memorialized and approved as well. This has been an amazing thing to be part of, and these two gentlemen have been very helpful. Also, as a third voice to concur, the Senate should pass a lot more House bills. They should realize how good of work we do over here.
Mr. Speaker, as America celebrates our 250th year, it is only fitting that we recognize the sacrifices made that allow us the freedoms that we have today.
Over 40 million Americans have served in the U.S. Armed Forces since the Civil War, but fewer than 4,000 have been awarded the Medal of Honor.
This award not only commemorates the bravery of those who earn it, but it also honors their humanity, patriotism, and sacrifice for the United States and her people.
I think President Harry S. Truman put it best when he said: ``We do not go to war for gain or territory. We go to war for principles, and we produce young men like these. . . . I would rather have that medal . . . than be President of the United States.''
Placing a monument to Medal of Honor recipients on The National Mall was one of the first initiatives I worked on when I came to Congress nearly 6 years ago. First, we authorized a Medal of Honor monument here in Washington, D.C., and that bill passed Congress and was signed into law in December of 2021.
This legislation is the next and final step to giving our heroes and their families the commemoration they deserve.
I am grateful to my friend from Texas (Mr. Veasey) for working on both bills with me.
If today's bill looks familiar, it should. A version of S. 858 was one of the first bills that passed the House in the 119th Congress, and it passed by a vote of 414-0.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill again and join me in thanking our Medal of Honor recipients for their patriotism, sacrifice, and example.
Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill that honors Hershel ``Woody'' Williams, our Nation's heroic Medal of Honor recipients, and all those who have served. It honors their memory. It honors their legacy, and it reaffirms our unwavering commitment to upholding the principles for which they fought so valiantly.
Once again, I thank Representative Moore of Utah and Senator Justice of
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 Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 858.
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. 6048) to amend title 18, United States Code, to modify delayed notice requirements, 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 Wisconsin (Mr. Fitzgerald) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 6048.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Wisconsin?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my legislation H.R. 6048, the NDO Fairness Act of 2025, and urge its passage.
This bill makes much-needed changes to the way law enforcement obtains and utilizes nondisclosure orders, also known as secrecy orders.
Before modern advancements in cloud computing, when a law enforcement officer wanted to search someone's office, they would be required to obtain a search warrant based on probable cause.
When the officer executed the search, they would notify the individual, who would then have an opportunity to challenge the search in court. However, the era of cloud computing has ushered in a new method of storing sensitive information, whereby individuals are replacing file cabinets with digital file folders.
Unbeknownst to them, by surrendering the physical office in favor of the digital one, individuals are also surrendering their expectation of privacy. That is because a provision within the Electronic Communications Privacy Act allows law enforcement to access an individual's data by subpoenaing the third-party service provider, such as Microsoft, Google, or Apple, rather than the individual.
The law enforcement officer then imposes a secrecy order on the company, preventing them from notifying the individual of the search. The secrecy order is often boilerplate and without a time limit, leading to abuse or overuse.
According to Microsoft, between July and December 2024, Federal authorities requested U.S. citizen data from more than 5,500 accounts, an average of 15 requests per day.
Over the same period, Google received more than 24,000 subpoenas for nearly 54,000 accounts. In nearly all these cases, a secrecy order was imposed on the company to prevent the disclosure of the search.
Look no further than the recent revelations by the House Judiciary Committee that Special Counsel Jack Smith sought and obtained nondisclosure orders to prevent phone carriers from notifying Members of Congress that their phone records were searched.
For nearly 2 years, Members of Congress were unable to be notified that their information was searched, all because a Federal judge accepted the government's boilerplate secrecy order, suggesting disclosure would seriously jeopardize an ongoing investigation.
Regardless of your politics, this should alarm every sitting Member of Congress. The NDO Fairness Act of 2025 would stop this abuse, which has allowed the circumvention of the Fourth Amendment protections in favor of convenience.
This legislation ends indefinite secrecy orders. Instead, it requires the court to certify that disclosing the search is likely to jeopardize an investigation, result in the destruction of evidence, or endanger the life of an individual.
This legislation also imposes a 90-day limit on secrecy orders, with an extension available if, and only if, the need for secrecy is justified based on arguable facts and approval by a judge.
Finally, this legislation gives the individual subject to the search a chance to be heard and a chance to request a copy of the information that was disclosed.
Today's legislation, while not a major overhaul of the ECPA, provides us with an opportunity to address the threat to our constitutional freedoms, not just for elected officials, but for all Americans.
These changes, I believe, will bring searches of the cloud more closely in line with the Fourth Amendment searches.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from New York (Mr. Nadler) for co- leading this bill. I also thank the chairman of the committee, Chairman Jordan, for his leadership on the issue.
Mr. Speaker, I urge swift passage of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, welcome back to you and to Mr. Fitzgerald. I am pleased we are working together to address a real flaw in government surveillance authorities and to safeguard Americans' privacy and civil liberties by moving the NDO Fairness Act today.
Under the Stored Communications Act, prosecutors can go to a judge to
Third-party providers store our emails, our private chat messages, our work documents, and our phone records on their servers. Most of these can be searched if the government gets a warrant based on probable cause that the search will reveal evidence of criminal activity, but unlike the searches most Americans are familiar with from TV dramas where an officer shows up at a suspect's house with a warrant, the Stored Communications Act allows Federal investigators to request a nondisclosure order, also known as an NDO, from a Federal judge, preventing your service provider from ever telling you that your email account or phone records had been seized.
There is no statutory time limit. NDOs can exist in perpetuity, allowing the government to forever hide their searches from the searched.
There are good reasons why prosecutors might need or want a nondisclosure order, an NDO, for a brief period of time. In some cases, immediate notice might put an undercover agent in direct danger or risk the destruction of key evidence or compromise an ongoing investigation, but 40 years after passage of the Stored Communications Act, the government's use of nondisclosure orders has expanded well beyond these high exigency cases.
Under current law, the request has become little more than a simple box-checking exercise. The statute allows the government to maintain these nondisclosure orders indefinitely. DOJ's current policy limits the duration of the NDOs to 3 years, and that policy is itself totally voluntary and flexible. DOJ can rescind, suspend, or even just ignore it at will.
We need laws, not voluntary, dismissible DOJ policies, to protect our privacy under the Constitution. By limiting nondisclosure orders to 90 days with the possibility of renewal if there is an actual emergency still ongoing, the NDO Fairness Act ends the so-called forever NDOs where nondisclosure orders have no end date and no end in sight.
By requiring prosecutors to explain the rationale for their requests, we end the so-called rubberstamp NDOs in which applications for an NDO are submitted with boilerplate language and no evidence demonstrating any true or compelling need for nondisclosure.
By ensuring that judges apply the proper strict scrutiny standard to the requests, we limit nondisclosure orders to those where secrecy is actually necessary to the pursuit of the investigation.
In this way, the NDO Fairness Act will protect all Americans who keep an increasingly large percentage of their information online and should expect notice if the government is rifling through their records.
Most recently, we have heard about NDOs in the case of Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation into President Trump's effort to interfere with the results of the 2020 election, an effort that culminated in an attack on this building, the U.S. Capitol, on January 6, 2021.
It has been well-known for years that in the days leading up to the attack and while the mob was still rampaging in the Capitol, President Trump and his enablers, like Rudy Giuliani, made a series of phone calls to Members of Congress trying to convince them not to certify the election, even as the insurrectionists were tearing through the building.
As part of his investigation into that attack, Special Counsel Smith asked a Federal grand jury to subpoena the phone companies for the records associated with individual Members of Congress known to have been in contact with the White House over a 4-day period running from around January 6, 2021. The subpoena sought call records, the kind of information that is on your phone bill, not the content of any calls or text messages, but a record of who called who when. He also asked a Federal judge to issue an NDO for those subpoenas. He did so after receiving permission to do so from the Public Integrity Section and in full compliance with both existing law and DOJ policy.
It is no secret that the President had made it a habit to pressure witnesses not to testify against him. In August 2023, while he was being prosecuted for these efforts to overturn the 2020 elections, he posted the message: ``If you go after me, I am coming after you.''
Senators were upset by these completely lawful subpoenas and well- justified nondisclosure orders under the law as it was understood. Their response was to pass a law giving them, and them alone, the right to collect $1 million apiece each time the government sought their communications records, in the past and in the future.
Instead of acting to protect all Americans, all of us, they sought a multimillion-dollar payday for themselves as U.S. Senators. They did not even include mere lowly Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in their legislation.
Fortunately, that selective, self-serving authority was short-lived, and we succeeded in overturning, I think unanimously in this body, that stunningly corrupt law. The proposal before us today addresses the problem at its root for all Americans and protects all of us, not just the 100 Americans who we get to serve with in the Chamber down the hall.
Prosecutors under Presidents of both parties have routinely sought NDOs in all kinds of probes. The number of orders accompanied by NDOs that electronic communication companies receive has only increased since this legislation was first introduced over 4 years ago.
This body has proudly already passed this bill twice. I am hopeful that our colleagues in the Senate may now realize and act on the fundamental importance of this legislation for everyone in America.
Our laws should protect the civil liberties of all 340 million Americans just as the Equal Protection Clause demands.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Nadler for leading the NDO Fairness Act since this legislation was first developed, and I thank Mr. Fitzgerald for ably leading the charge in this Congress. I look forward to voting ``yes'' on this important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, for the aforementioned reasons, I enthusiastically endorse this legislation and encourage all of my colleagues to support it.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I reiterate my strong support for this bipartisan bill, H.R. 6048, which will provide much-needed safeguards on the secrecy order process. This bill passed the House nearly unanimously last Congress, and it is my hope it does so again today.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to again vote ``aye'' on this, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Fitzgerald) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6048, 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 (S. 307) to address sexual harassment and sexual assault of Bureau of Prisons staff in prisons, 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 gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lee) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on S. 307.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Florida?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act, my bipartisan legislation to better protect the men and women who serve in our Federal corrections facilities.
Every day, correctional officers and other Bureau of Prisons employees go to work in an environment that is inherently challenging and, at times, dangerous. We ask these law enforcement professionals to maintain order and security in Federal prisons, often working in close proximity to individuals who have been convicted of serious crimes.
There are risks that come with that responsibility, but sexual harassment and sexual assault should never be accepted as simply part of the job. The scope of this problem is deeply troubling.
A Department of Justice survey of Federal Bureau of Prisons employees found that 40 percent of them reported experiencing sexual harassment or sexual assault by an inmate--40 percent. These are men and women who are serving our country and protecting our communities. They deserve to know that their safety matters, that misconduct against them will be taken seriously, and that those responsible will face meaningful consequences.
That is why I introduced the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act. This legislation takes a straightforward, fact-driven approach.
First, it requires the Department of Justice inspector general to conduct a comprehensive review of the incidents and the effects of sexual harassment and sexual assault committed by incarcerated individuals against correction officers and other Bureau of Prisons employees.
Importantly, we aren't just asking how often this is happening. The inspector general must also examine what happens to inmates who engage in this conduct, including what sanctions and consequences are available and how those consequences have actually been used over the preceding 5 years. That matters because rules on paper mean very little if they aren't effectively protecting the people who work inside these institutions.
The inspector general will then report these findings to the Attorney General and to Congress. Based on that work, the Attorney General will be required to establish national standards for the prevention, reduction, and punishment of sexual harassment and sexual assault against Bureau of Prisons personnel.
This is what responsible oversight should look like: understand the scope of the problem, determine whether existing consequences are working, and establish clear standards to better protect the people we ask to do this difficult and dangerous work because, ultimately, this bill is about the men and women in the uniform.
Our correction officers and prison employees are public servants. They maintain order in some of our Nation's most challenging institutions, and the work they do inside those walls keeps the rest of our communities safe. We ask a great deal from them, and we also should stand up for them.
I am proud that this has been a bipartisan effort. I am grateful to Senators Marsha Blackburn and Jon Ossoff for their work advancing the Senate companion.
Protecting the men and women who serve in our Federal prisons should not be a partisan issue. No correctional officer should have to accept sexual harassment or assault as a condition of their job. They deserve our respect. They deserve our support, and they deserve our action.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act, which would require DOJ to improve the safety of Bureau of Prisons facilities across America. More specifically, S. 307 would make improvements to how BOP assesses and responds to sexual harassment and assault by inmates of staff members.
Federal prison staff go to work every day to protect the public safety, to prepare people for successful reentry into
A 2023 report from DOJ's inspector general found that 40 percent of more than 7,000 surveyed BOP staff reported that they themselves had been sexually harassed by an inmate. The report found that reports of sexual harassment were even more prevalent among female staff members. Mr. Speaker, 69 percent of female BOP staff said they had been sexually harassed by an inmate on the job. This harassment included whistling, catcalling, genitalia exposure, sexual remarks, and sexual gestures.
The inspector general also found the true scope of the problem is not really known because BOP has not adequately or consistently collected data on the problem. This has prevented BOP from taking effective action.
That is why the act would require BOP to fully implement recommendations made in the 2023 IG report or explain why it cannot do so. It would also require BOP to provide updated data to the inspector general on the number and prevalence of inmate-on-staff sexual harassment and sexual assault episodes, require the IG to analyze the sufficiency of the data, and make any necessary recommendations to Congress and the Attorney General on how the Bureau of Prisons can reduce the pervasiveness of these incidents.
Lastly, it would require the Attorney General to adopt nationwide standards for prevention, reduction, and punishment of sexual harassment and assault committed by incarcerated individuals against BOP employees.
By requiring BOP to fully implement the recommendations of the IG report, this act would improve BOP's data collection, training, and policies on both sexual harassment and assault. It would also require BOP to conduct regular risk assessments within individual facilities and across BOP, with an emphasis on the risks for female staff.
I applaud Senator Ossoff for his work on this legislation. He has worked to improve the conditions and safety of our Federal prisons for both the staff and inmates. I was proud to support passage of the Federal Prison Oversight Act, a bipartisan, bicameral bill that he led with my colleague, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Congresswoman McBath. That bill was signed into law in 2024 and established new independent oversight of BOP. It received broad support from civil rights groups, prison employees, and criminal justice groups, but its full potential is yet to be realized. Congress should fully fund the Federal Prison Oversight Act so it can be fully implemented and add to the safety improvements in the bill before us today.
We know from past failures in oversight that we must do more to make our prisons safer for inmates and staff alike. Such failures include years of systemic sexual assault of incarcerated women and whistleblower retaliation at one of the Federal woman's prisons in Dublin, California, that led to closure of the facility and criminal convictions of nine BOP officers, including the warden himself. This never should have happened. I hope we can continue to work together to make sure our prisons are safe for everybody who enters them, whether involuntarily as an inmate or voluntarily as a staff person.
Our prisons are some of the most challenging and difficult work environments in America. BOP has faced longstanding staffing challenges, from poor morale to ever-declining recruitment and retention rates. By working to reduce the intolerable sexual harassment and assault of staff members, this legislation would take an important step toward improving safety across BOP facilities and the ability of staff to carry out their crucial public safety mission.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 307, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I should note that the bill does not address staff-on- inmate sexual harassment or assaults, but the Prison Rape Elimination Act does. Yet, this administration has been actively dismantling the protections of this legislation. I hope we can work together on that as well.
This bill would require the AG to adopt nationwide standards to prevent the sexual harassment and assaults of BOP staff members by inmates. It would also improve BOP's efforts to address this conduct if it takes place, and it will strengthen oversight of the Bureau of Prisons so we can improve the safety of staff working in every corner of the country. Nobody should fear harm of this kind while on the job, regardless of where they are employed in America.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their hard work on this bipartisan legislation. I encourage all of our colleagues to join us in supporting this legislation that has been broadly endorsed by organizations, including the American Correctional Association and the Fraternal Order of Police.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lee) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 307.
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. 8481) to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for the issuance of natural lifetime injunctions for certain victims, 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 Florida (Ms. Lee) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 8481.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Florida?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 8481, the Kayleigh's Law Act of 2026, is about ensuring that victims of some of the most serious crimes do not have to live with the constant fear that their offender may one day contact them again.
Even when a criminal is sentenced to lifetime probation, opportunities may still exist for an offender's supervision to be terminated, preventing offenders from being fully accountable to both their victims and society.
This was all brought into focus by one brave survivor-advocate and Arizona native, Kayleigh Kozak.
After learning that her abuser was attempting to terminate his probation, Kayleigh sought a protective order against the man who abused her as a child. However, she was shocked to learn that the court required evidence of a recent encounter between Kayleigh and this man to consider a protective order, effectively denying her request to keep herself safe and free from future contact.
Thanks in large part to Kayleigh's advocacy, the Arizona Legislature changed State law to provide for lifetime protection orders. Wisconsin soon followed. Other States, including Texas and Virginia, also provide certain forms of long-term or lifetime protective orders.
When the Judiciary Committee held our hearing on this legislation in April, we were honored to hear from Kayleigh herself as she shared her experience and her path toward advocacy. We are equally honored that she joins us today in the gallery of the House of Representatives.
This legislation applies the same principles enacted at the State level to Federal offenders and their victims. Victims should not have to return to court repeatedly to face their offenders simply to extend a protective order. They should not have to wait until their offender attempts to contact them before they can petition the court for lifetime protection.
Restraining orders or protective orders often last for only a limited period of time, retraumatizing victims who must once again go through the court system to seek ongoing protection. The possibility of future contact can undermine a survivor's sense of safety and make it harder to move forward.
This bill provides a straightforward and commonsense solution by authorizing lifetime no-contact orders for offenders convicted of serious Federal violent, sexual, trafficking, and child exploitation offenses.
Under this legislation, offenders may be permanently barred from contacting their victims unless the conviction is later invalidated or pardoned. The bill is rooted in a simple principle: Victims deserve lasting protection, and offenders who have committed these heinous acts should not have the ability to reinsert themselves into the lives of those they have harmed.
Ultimately, this bill is victim-centered and prioritizes public safety. Kayleigh's Law Act helps ensure that our criminal justice system works for victims and not against them.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair reminds Members not to refer to persons in the gallery.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill to strengthen protection for victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Kayleigh's Law Act of 2026 would require Federal courts to issue lifetime no-contact orders against defendants who are convicted of certain offenses, including child sexual exploitation, sex trafficking, stalking, and sexual abuse, upon request or consent of a victim but independent of the criminal case.
Hundreds of thousands of people live under conditions of sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and other kinds of sexual abuse, and this legislation will help many of them escape that trap and turn their lives around.
According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, an average of 24 people every single minute become victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner. That is more than 12 million American women and men every single year.
Nationwide, more than one in five women have been raped or subjected to attempted rape, and 60 percent of the rapes are committed by someone they know, a number that increases dramatically for minor victims, going up to 93 percent who actually knew their abuser.
The lives of survivors of sexual and domestic violence can be radically altered even long after the abuse has ended, and many suffer from a wide range of chronic physical, mental, and professional problems. They pay a heavy price financially for medical and therapeutic treatment, lost work, and legal expenses. The weight of these burdens is even greater for survivors who have fewer resources and smaller networks to draw upon.
In recent years, some States have passed laws to strengthen protections, often thanks to the advocacy of survivors themselves, like Kayleigh Kozak, who was abused by her soccer coach beginning when she was only 12 years old.
Because of her undaunted advocacy in her home State of Arizona, survivors of sex crimes and other violent crimes may now petition the court in their State for a permanent order of protection against their abusers, totally separate and apart from the criminal case.
Other States have enacted similar laws. I am proud to say that my State, Maryland, is one of them. These laws empower victims and survivors to feel a lot safer and to move forward with their lives. It is wonderful that we are advancing a version of the Kayleigh's Law Act that will allow Federal courts to issue no-contact orders to victims and survivors of the worst offenses. I am pleased we were able to work together in committee on a bipartisan basis to ensure that this legislation would advance and prioritize the protection and the needs of victims and survivors.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 8481. I urge all of my colleagues to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a former prosecutor and as an Arizonan who has seen what happens when the system prioritizes the criminal over the victim.
Kayleigh Kozak was 12 years old when a trusted teacher and soccer coach began to abuse her. Years later, as an adult and a mother, she was forced back into court to face him again.
In 2020, 13 years after his conviction, he asked a judge to end his so-called lifetime probation. Kayleigh was given just 3 weeks' notice. She had to stand in the courtroom and plead for protection that should never have been in doubt.
Two times as an adult, she was hauled back to look at the man who destroyed her childhood just to keep him away. No victim should ever have to do that.
I want to thank Kayleigh, who is here today with her family, for being here. I promised Kayleigh that when I made it to Congress I would introduce this bill in her honor. Nothing makes me happier than making good on that promise. Kayleigh turned what happened to her into protection for thousands of other victims.
Arizona is proud of Kayleigh, and I am proud of her. We have three of her children here on the floor, as well.
Kayleigh's Law started in Arizona. It works. In its first year alone, more than 1,000 survivors in our State secured lifetime protection from the criminals who hurt them. Kayleigh's Law would give every American victim of a Federal sex crime or violent felony that same shield.
This bill is simple. When a predator is convicted, Federal courts must issue a lifelong no-contact injunction.
Victims should never again be forced to fill out another form, face their abuser across a courtroom, or spend their lives looking over their shoulder simply because a sentence ended and the system decided its job was done.
Healing cannot begin if the abuser can show up again the day after release. Justice is not complete if the victim still lives in fear. Arizona already closed that gap. It is time the Federal Government did the same so no American, no matter which State they live in, is left unprotected after a Federal conviction.
I have sat across from victims. I know how vulnerable they are, and sadly, how determined their predators can be. No survivor should be victimized twice, first by the criminal who harmed them and then by a system that forced them to fight again and again.
Now Kayleigh travels the country ensuring Kayleigh's Law is passed in every State legislature. It is time we guarantee that same protection to victims of Federal crimes across America.
I thank Chairman Biggs for spearheading Kayleigh's Law through the Judiciary Committee, and I also thank Senator Mike Lee for introducing this bill in the Senate.
Mr. Speaker, this is not complicated. We protect victims. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 8481.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Some States have already moved to institute permanent, lifelong no- contact orders, but right now there is nothing at the Federal level that would allow a victim to receive a lifelong, permanent no-contact order, and that is what we are doing.
There is no way of undoing a violent act like a rape that has taken place in the life of a victim, but at least we can seal off the victim's future from further harassment, taunting, leering, insulting, intimidation, and so on from someone who committed the crime.
I am proud that we are moving this on a bipartisan basis, and I hope that all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will vote ``yes'' to ensure the protection, the security, and the peace of mind that will result from this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.
Mr. Speaker, I thank a few of the individuals who helped us get to this place with this bipartisan bill--first, specifically, Right On Crime, who worked with us to develop a bill and make sure that we were capturing important concepts.
Second, I thank the ranking member and the Democrats on the committee who worked closely with us to edit, revise, and improve the bill and added important provisions. Because of our collective work together, we took a good bill, and we made it even better.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lee) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 8481, 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 (S. 32) to clarify where court may be held for certain district courts in Texas and California.
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 Kansas (Mr. Schmidt) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) 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 to insert extraneous material on S. 32.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, local access to Federal courts is critical to ensuring the rights of the people are protected.
Under current law, the Southern District of Texas is divided into seven districts. The Houston Division comprises 13 counties but is only authorized to hold court in Houston. The Southern District of California comprises two counties, and the Court is only authorized to be held in the city of San Diego. Both of these judicial districts have experienced significant population growth in recent years, and their organization means that far too many Americans have to travel long distances for their day in court.
In both regions, Americans may have to travel as far as 100 miles or more just to reach the Federal courthouse. These distances place an unnecessary burden on those who need to access both the civil and criminal justice systems. I might say, Mr. Speaker, while I strongly support this legislation, 100 miles isn't very far to get to the Federal courthouse when you live in parts of my home State of Kansas.
The Local Access to Courts Act would help to alleviate the burden by adding an additional place in both judicial districts where the Southern District of Texas and the Southern District of California may hold court.
In the Southern District of Texas, S. 32 would add College Station to the list of places where court may be held. In the Southern District of California, this bill would add El Centro to the list of places where court may be held.
S. 32 would increase accessibility to our Federal courts for victims, jurors, civil parties, counsel, and the general public by sparing them from the burden of a multihour drive just to get to the nearest Federal courthouse.
S. 32 passed the Senate by unanimous consent, and I am glad to see that same bipartisan support in the House. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 32, which would amend title 28 to provide an additional place for holding court in the Southern District of Texas and in the Southern District of California.
Under due process and equal protection, our basic access to justice rights don't change or shouldn't change depending on where we live. But in practice, that is exactly what is happening,
It makes no sense that just because someone lives in a more rural district they should incur dramatically increased travel time and administrative expenses just to seek justice. With the price of gasoline and diesel soaring today with inflation, that is no joke.
Adding courthouses is a small step in the right direction toward making the courthouse doors accessible to all Americans, no matter where they live.
The Southern District of Texas spans 43 counties, and the Southern District of California includes San Diego County, the second most populated county in California. Residents there have the same problem many people are experiencing across the country. To access both the physical and the metaphorical courthouse doors, they need to travel long distances and wait in the backlog before having their day in court.
The easiest way to alleviate the burdens on the residents of these two growing districts is to add a courthouse. This change is cost free because there is an existing judicial facility available for the court to use in both of these places. Making use of this existing building would ensure that litigants, attorneys, witnesses, and other court users would have greater access to the justice that our Federal courts and our Constitution provide.
The administrative body for the Federal court system, the Administrative Office of the Courts, supports this bill. They know, like we do, that our country cannot have a flourishing justice system when its buildings are falling apart, its staff are underpaid, and there is a perpetual shortage of judges to administer the laws.
We have a lot to do to ensure Americans have equal access to our laws and a judiciary that they can trust to fairly hear them out and adjudicate their disputes.
This bill won't fix all the problems, but it will help more than 13 million Americans who deserve equal access to justice and greater access where they live.
I appreciate Representatives McCaul, Ruiz, and Issa for their bipartisan work on this issue. I want to recognize Mr. Schmidt for his distinguished stewardship of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation can make a positive difference for people accessing justice in southern California and in south Texas, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support it. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Schmidt) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 32.
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. 1869) to strengthen the Department of Justices enforcement against trade-related crimes, 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 Kansas (Mr. Schmidt) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 1869.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, U.S. trade policy is a vital tool to protect American businesses and workers, ensure American competitiveness, and achieve our foreign policy objectives. However, smart trade policy, one that puts American workers and businesses first, means nothing if we cannot enforce it.
Today, criminal enterprises and bad actors, predominantly based in China, are breaking U.S. trade laws with impunity. This activity is showing up in three ways: financial fraud, counterfeiting, and forced labor.
Over the past decade, law enforcement has identified hundreds of instances of trade fraud, most of which originated in China. Not only has that fraud deprived us of antidumping and countervailing duties, but it has seriously undermined our trade policy.
In just one year, in FY 2024, U.S. authorities seized over $5.4 billion in counterfeit goods, with China accounting for more than 75 percent of those seizures. Those seizures reflect billions of dollars stolen from U.S. businesses and workers, which undermines the trade policies designed to protect them.
In the past 4 years, law enforcement has identified almost $1 billion in goods mined, produced, or manufactured, wholly or in part, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. These goods carry significant risk of having been produced by forced labor and are illegal to import into the United States.
We must do more to punish the criminals who are breaking our trade laws and inflicting serious harm to our economy to the tune of billions of dollars every year.
Securing the integrity of our trade is how we stop the bleeding and put American workers and families first. H.R. 1869 will set up the structure needed at the Department of Justice to go after criminals who perpetrate trade crimes.
These crimes include trade fraud, tariff and duty evasion, illegal smuggling, trade-based money laundering, trafficking in counterfeit goods, and more.
This bill will give DOJ's criminal division the resources to dedicate specialized personnel to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes.
The importance of these issues to all Americans is clear from the broad bipartisan group of Members sponsoring this bill.
I thank all of the sponsors for their hard work and particularly the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, which played a vital and significant role in drafting and advancing this legislation.
I also thank the members of the Judiciary Committee for their bipartisan efforts on this bill. We may have significant policy differences on the Judiciary Committee, but I am glad we can work across party lines to advance trade policies that protect Americans.
I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1869, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 1869, which would create a new trade crimes task force within DOJ to strengthen capacity to investigate and prosecute trade-related crimes.
Trade crimes are a big problem in the U.S. Foreign hackers equip computer chips with spyware and then slip them into the bloodstream of American commerce, market opportunists use unstable materials to create counterfeit batteries that end up exploding and maiming unsuspecting e- cigarette users in our country, and handbags made with forced Uyghur labor passed off as fair trade materials deepen and perpetuate our complicity with human rights crimes.
Other trade crimes may not have a clear victim or defined perpetrator, but they are equally pernicious. Cyber intrusions can risk a company's trade secrets without their knowledge. They may never become aware of the data leak, but a foreign competitor can use the intellectual property to unfairly compete with targeted U.S. companies.
The deluge of counterfeits and the unique way trade crimes are perpetrated make it difficult for prosecutors at DOJ to enforce our laws. This legislation would help the government prevent trade loss by creating a task force to identify, investigate, and prosecute trade crimes that hurt Americans across the economy.
We are proud the legislation has been bipartisan. I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on the select committee on China, especially our distinguished colleague from Illinois, Raja Krishnamoorthi, the House Appropriations Committee, and the Judiciary Committee for working to carefully negotiate this legislation that, if properly funded, will help the U.S. crack down on foreign entities that circumvent U.S. trade laws.
Although DOJ already has dedicated personnel to enforce laws protecting Americans against illegal products, limited funding and resources prevent prosecutors from doing enough.
If we don't provide funding for this work, the bill we are voting for today has an uncertain future. The myriad investigators, prosecutors, and support staff envisioned for the task force will never be hired.
You cannot increase trade crime enforcement without increasing the number of prosecutors working on the problem, and you cannot increase the number of staff handling trade crimes without more funding.
Stopping and preventing counterfeits that hurt Americans, endanger national security, and lose billions in profits for U.S. companies is serious work. I am glad we can all agree that DOJ prosecutors should focus on keeping America safe rather than pursuing political rivals of the President and targeting perceived political enemies with bogus prosecutions.
Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation strongly. I encourage my colleagues to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act.
This bipartisan bill will finally hold China accountable for decades of evading U.S. trade laws through transshipment, duty evasion, and forced labor.
The CCP's illicit practices are deliberately designed to take advantage of American workers and our businesses, undercutting American wages and gutting rural manufacturing towns that once thrived with good-paying jobs.
The select committee on China uncovered trade fraud by Chinese auto manufacturer Qingdao Sunsong. Sunsong was using transnational shipment to evade our U.S. tariffs, forcing an Illinois company to lay off a quarter of its workforce.
Just in May, a Canadian company, or actually two of them, paid the Justice Department $19 million after being caught evading customs duties for Chinese steel. This is not an isolated event but rather a part of a broader strategy by the CCP to dominate global markets, and they are doing it on the backs of American workers while perpetrating egregious slave labor violations.
Despite the sheer volume of trade-related cases, the Department of Justice remains inadequately equipped to detect, investigate, and prosecute such offenses effectively. My bill will give the Department of Justice real tools to stop these blatant violations and ensure that penalties are meaningfully enforced. American workers have felt pain for decades because of Communist China's malfeasance. Now it is time for Communist China to face the consequences.
This is a bipartisan opportunity to support American industry, reshore domestic manufacturing, and champion American workers.
I am proud to lead this commonsense legislation with tremendous support from both Republicans and Democrats. I am grateful to have the support of China select committee Chairman Moolenaar and Representative Krishnamoorthi on this bill, and I deeply appreciate their collaboration.
To get this done, there should be nothing partisan about delivering accountability for those who blatantly violate our laws and manipulate American workers. We have seen good progress on reshoring domestic manufacturing, but it is clear that current enforcement mechanisms aren't strong enough. We have more work to do.
My bill will help keep that momentum alive while fighting against the bad actors who will stop at nothing to undermine our country, our businesses, and our hardworking families.
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation supported by union workers, steelworkers, and American workers.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Krishnamoorthi), who is an original cosponsor and eloquent champion of this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Raskin for yielding and Representative Hinson for supporting this incredibly important bill, H.R. 1869, the Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act, also known as the PAIL Act.
For years, the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, has violated U.S. trade laws and victimized American workers, companies, and consumers through trade crimes like dumping, duty evasion, and fraud.
In fact, there is an entire industry in China that publicly boasts it can help Chinese products illegally flood the U.S. market despite antidumping protections that we have put in place in our laws. These criminal activities have forced far too many American companies to shutter their doors and countless American workers to lose their jobs.
Due to bipartisan pressure, last year, the Trump administration established the Trade Fraud Task Force at the Department of Justice to criminally prosecute these crimes. Our bipartisan bill codifies the establishment of this task force and creates an oversight mechanism through annual reporting requirements to Congress. Whether it is dumping below-market iron and steel, flooding our market with illegal vapes, or violating the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, this Trade Fraud Task Force will send a clear message that these illegal trade practices must end now.
I have been proud to work with my colleagues across the aisle on this legislation. I am also grateful to Ranking Member Raskin for his support in moving this bill through the Judiciary Committee this past year. We have come close to getting this particular piece of legislation passed and signed into law, but we haven't yet done it. This year I am hoping we can finally cross the finish line.
I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to fully fund this legislation and make sure it is signed into law this Congress. We cannot put this off any longer. American workers and companies depend on it.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage everyone to support H.R. 1869, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Schmidt) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1869, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Making Technical Amendments to Update Statutory References to Provisions Reclassified to Title 34, United States Code, and to Correct Related Technical Errors
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4499) to make technical amendments to update statutory references to provisions reclassified to title 34, United States Code, and to correct related technical errors, 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 North Carolina (Mr. Harris) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 4499.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from North Carolina?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4499, a bill that makes important technical corrections to our Federal statutes and ensures that references in the United States Code remain accurate.
The Office of the Law Revision Counsel, or OLRC, is responsible for preparing and publishing the United States Code, which organizes the Federal laws enacted by Congress. In 2017, the OLRC moved various laws to title 34 of the United States Code, which pertains to crime control and law enforcement. This was done to ensure that our Nation's laws are properly organized.
H.R. 4499 updates references to these laws throughout the titles of the code affected by their move to title 34. While these may be technical changes, they are important for maintaining an accurate and accessible United States Code. I am grateful that Congress is taking action through my bill, as well as the other legislation being considered by the House today, to ensure that our laws accurately reflect the current code.
I thank the Office of the Law Revision Counsel for all the work it does, as well as those on the Judiciary Committee who helped address these much-needed changes. I urge all my colleagues to support this important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Today, we are considering a series of bipartisan and, one hopes, noncontroversial bills to help ensure that the U.S. Code is up-to-date and accessible to all American citizens. We do this at least once every Congress. This is the first time we are doing it in the 119th Congress, I believe, and I am very pleased to support this package.
Currently consisting of 54 different titles, the U.S. Code is a compilation of the vast array of Federal laws organized by coherent subject matter areas. As new laws are passed, they get assimilated into the code, which is a painstaking process undertaken by the dedicated professionals who work in the Office of the Law Revision Counsel.
As part of the office's efforts to maintain the code, they work to make it more efficient and easier to navigate and understand. This includes correcting technical errors, removing ambiguities, updating statutory cross-references, and repealing provisions that have become obsolete.
The bills we are considering today are a result of this exhaustive process. It is important to note that these bills make no change to the substantive meaning or effect of any existing laws. They are purely technical in nature and will help ensure that the code is authoritative, accurate, and accessible.
I thank Chairman Jordan for continuing our Judiciary Committee's long tradition of considering these bills in a bipartisan way. I thank the sponsors of each bill for bringing them forward today.
The first of them is H.R. 4499, which updates cross-references and corrects related technical errors throughout the code to accommodate previous reclassification efforts in title 34.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support the legislation, and I thank my distinguished colleague for his leadership. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, so I will not belabor the point. I like this legislation, and I am voting for it. I hope everybody does. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill. I am very grateful for the bipartisan support, and I urge everyone to support H.R. 4499. 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 North Carolina (Mr. Harris) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4499, 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. 4523) to make technical amendments to title 49, United States Code, as necessary to improve the Code.
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 Missouri (Mr. Onder) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) 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 H.R. 4523.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman 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. 4523, which provides technical corrections to Federal transportation law related to the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program.
The meaning of the law remains unchanged. It simply improves the statute for legal clarity and accuracy. This is part of Congress' role in providing revisions to the code to account for new laws passed by Congress and additions or changes those laws make. It is a simple and straightforward measure that ensures the United States Code reflects the most up-to-date information.
I encourage my colleagues to support this and other technical corrections bills on the floor today.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
The legislation makes a variety of technical corrections to title 49, following enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but it makes no substantive changes.
Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bipartisan 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 Missouri (Mr. Onder) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4523.
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. 4465) to amend chapters 4, 10, and 131 of title 5, United States Code, as necessary to keep those chapters current and to correct related technical errors.
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 Kansas (Mr. Schmidt) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) 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 H.R. 4465.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4465 makes technical corrections and updates to the United States Code. The bill was prepared for the Judiciary Committee by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel, a nonpartisan office of the House of Representatives charged with maintaining the official United States Code.
In 2022, Congress enacted a positive law restatement of certain laws that were previously contained in the appendix to title 5 of the code. That restatement had a cutoff date of October 19, 2021, meaning that changes to the affected laws made after that date and before the enactment of the 2022 restatement were not included in the restatement.
Congress enacted several changes to title 5 between the 2021 cutoff date and the enactment of the 2022 restatement. H.R. 4465 accounts for these changes by updating the 2022 restatement to include them.
This bill does not change the substantive meaning of any laws on the books. It is simply about Congress finishing its work and incorporating these changes into title 5. Adopting this bill today will help ensure that the code is up to date, accurate, and accessible.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
The legislation incorporates certain amendments to the Inspector General Act, the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and the Ethics in Government Act. It makes no substantive changes to any of these laws.
Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 4465, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Schmidt) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4465.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Making Technical Amendments to Update Statutory References to Certain Provisions Classified to Title 2, United States Code, Title 50, United States Code, and Title 52, United States Code, and To...
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5210) to make technical amendments to update statutory references to certain provisions classified to title 2, United States Code, title 50, United States Code, and title 52, United States Code, and to correct related technical errors.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
DIVISION A--TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS TO UPDATE STATUTORY REFERENCES TO PROVISIONS CLASSIFIED TO TITLE 2, UNITED STATES CODE, AND TO CORRECT
DIVISION B--TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS TO UPDATE STATUTORY REFERENCES TO
PROVISIONS CLASSIFIED TO CHAPTERS 44, 45, 46, AND 47 OF TITLE 50,
DIVISION C--TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS TO UPDATE STATUTORY REFERENCES TO PROVISIONS CLASSIFIED TO TITLE 52, UNITED STATES CODE, AND TO CORRECT
DIVISION A--TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS TO UPDATE STATUTORY REFERENCES TO PROVISIONS CLASSIFIED TO TITLE 2, UNITED STATES CODE, AND TO CORRECT
DIVISION B--TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS TO UPDATE STATUTORY REFERENCES TO
PROVISIONS CLASSIFIED TO CHAPTERS 44, 45, 46, AND 47 OF TITLE 50,
DIVISION C--TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS TO UPDATE STATUTORY REFERENCES TO PROVISIONS CLASSIFIED TO TITLE 52, UNITED STATES CODE, AND TO CORRECT
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Schmidt) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) 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 H.R. 5210.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5210 makes technical corrections and updates to the United States Code. The bill was prepared for the Judiciary Committee by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel, a nonpartisan office of the House of Representatives charged with maintaining the official United States Code.
H.R. 5210 makes technical amendments to update statutory references to certain provisions classified to title 2, chapters 44 through 47; of title 50; and of title 52 of the code.
These provisions were moved to their present locations in the code in order to improve the organization and readability of the code. Moving these provisions did not change the substantive meaning of any of them. They were simply moved from one place in the code to another. When updating statutory references to these provisions, some technical errors were also identified, which this bill corrects, as well.
This bill does not change the meaning of these provisions nor the provisions that reference them. It simply updates references to these provisions to ensure that they are correct. Adopting this bill today will help ensure that the code is up to date, accurate, and accessible.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, these are all similar recodification and editorial reclassification bills, but this one is a sparkling diamond in the rough, which is why I introduced it. It updates cross-references and corrects related technical errors throughout the entire code to accommodate previous reclassification efforts. It just makes the lawbooks a lot clearer and life a little bit better for everybody.
Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of our colleagues to support H.R. 5210, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Schmidt) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5210.
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. 5185) to make improvements in the enactment of title 41, United States Code, into a positive law title and to improve the Code.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
``73. Finality of Administrative Decisions in Disputes
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 5185.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5185 was prepared for the Judiciary Committee by the Office of Law Revision Counsel, a nonpartisan office of the House of Representatives charged with maintaining the official United States Code.
In 2011, Congress enacted a positive law restatement of title 41, which pertains to public contracts. After Congress enacts a positive law restatement of a title of the code, a follow-up bill is sometimes necessary to correct technical errors, make conforming amendments, and incorporate additional provisions.
H.R. 5185 is such a follow-up bill.
This bill does not change the substantive meaning of any law on the books today. It simply helps ensure that the code is up to date, accurate, and accessible.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of our colleagues to support H.R. 5185, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Schmidt) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5185.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Making Revisions in Title 51, United States Code, as Necessary to Keep the Title Current, and to Make Technical Amendments to Improve the United States Code
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5174) to make revisions in title 51, United States Code, as necessary to keep the title current, and to make technical amendments to improve the United States Code.
``Chapter 517--DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF COMMERCIAL CARGO AND CREW
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND LOW-EARTH ORBIT ``71521. Space Launch System as follow-on launch vehicle to the space
``Part A--Assuring Core Capabilities for Exploration ``71711. Space launch system, Orion, and exploration ground systems.
``Part B--Journey to Mars ``71721. Human exploration roadmap.
``Part A--Administration Information Technology and Cybersecurity ``71751. Information technology governance. ``71752. Information technology strategic plan. ``71753. Information security plan for cybersecurity.
``Part B--Collaboration Among Mission Directorates and Other
``Part A--Administration Information Technology and Cybersecurity
``Part B--Collaboration Among Mission Directorates and Other Matters
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Schmidt) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) 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 insert extraneous material on H.R. 5174.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kansas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5174 is a ministerial bill that makes technical corrections and updates to the United States Code.
This bill was prepared for the Judiciary Committee by the Office of Law Revision Counsel, a nonpartisan office of the House of Representatives charged with maintaining the official United States Code.
In 2010, Congress enacted a positive law restatement of title 51, which pertains to national and commercial space programs.
Subsequent to the enactment of this restatement, additional laws pertaining to title 51 were enacted.
H.R. 5174 incorporates these additional laws into title 51. This bill does not change the substantive meaning of any law on the books today. It simply helps ensure that the code is up to date, accurate, and accessible.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, which will not be a lot.
Mr. Speaker, the bill incorporates new provisions that have been enacted since title 51 was enacted, but it makes no substantive changes. I thank our friends in the Office of Law Revision Counsel for doing such a good job on this.
Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to support and approve the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of our colleagues to support H.R. 5174, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Schmidt) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5174.
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. 5182) to make improvements in the enactment of title 54, United States Code, into a positive law title and to correct related technical errors, 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 Kansas (Mr. Schmidt) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) 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 insert extraneous material on H.R. 5182.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kansas?
Mr. Speaker, unsurprisingly, H.R. 5182 makes technical corrections and updates to the United States Code.
This bill was prepared for the Judiciary Committee by the Office of Law Revision Counsel, a nonpartisan office of the House of Representatives charged with maintaining the official United States Code.
In 2014, Congress enacted a positive law restatement of title 54, which pertains to the National Park Service and related programs.
After Congress enacts a positive law restatement of a title of the code, a follow-up bill is sometimes necessary to correct technical errors, make conforming amendments, and incorporate additional provisions.
H.R. 5182 is such a follow-up bill. The bill does not change the substantive meaning of any law on the books today. It simply helps ensure that the code is up to date, accurate, and accessible.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I echo my distinguished colleague in thanking the Office of Law Revision Counsel. They have done a great job on this one. They are nonpartisan, as he says, but that is not even the best thing about it. They are experts. They are professional, and they are discerning when it comes to making technical corrections.
Mr. Speaker, I urge everybody to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of our colleagues to support H.R. 5182, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Schmidt) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5182, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Making Technical Amendments to Update Statutory References to Certain Provisions Which Were Formerly Classified to Chapters 14 and 19 of Title 25, United States Code, and to Correct Related...
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4584) to make technical amendments to update statutory references to certain provisions which were formerly classified to chapters 14 and 19 of title 25, United States Code, and to correct related technical errors.
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 Washington (Mr. Baumgartner) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) 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 to include extraneous material on H.R. 4584.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Washington?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4584 is a ministerial bill that makes technical corrections and updates to the United States Code.
The bill was prepared for the Committee on the Judiciary by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel, a nonpartisan office of the House of Representatives charged with maintaining the official United States Code.
In 2016, provisions from chapter 14 of title 25 were moved to four new chapters toward the end of title 25.
Certain provisions of chapter 19 of title 25 were also not included in the code, but were subsequently added.
H.R. 4584 addresses these changes by updating statutory references to these provisions elsewhere in the code. The bill does not change the meaning of these provisions, or the provisions that reference them. It simply updates references to these provisions to ensure that they are correct.
Adopting this bill today will help ensure the code is up to date, accurate, and accessible.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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 (S. 307) to address sexual harassment and sexual assault of Bureau of Prisons staff in prisons, and for other purposes, on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lee) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 376, nays 8, not voting 46, as follows:
So (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
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 (S. 32) to clarify where court may be held for certain district courts in Texas and California, 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 Kansas (Mr. Schmidt) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill.
This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 378, nays 10, not voting 42, as follows:
So (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote during the series today. Had I been able to vote, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 284, passage of S. 307--Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act and YEA on Roll Call No. 285, passage of S. 32--LACA.
Mr. Speaker, on August 2 we lost Kay Granger. All of you knew her. She was a legend in this Chamber. She was a legend in Fort Worth, Texas. She was a legend in Texas. She was a legend in America.
At her funeral a week ago Saturday, her son spoke so eloquently about her. He didn't talk about her accomplishments here. He talked about her being just an ordinary mom, just an ordinary person who happened to do extraordinary things.
She was the first Republican woman mayor of the city of Fort Worth. She was the first Republican woman ever to be elected to Congress from Texas. As many of you know and so many of her fellow appropriators who are up here know, she was the first woman to be chair of the Defense Subcommittee on Appropriations and then the first woman ever in the U.S. Congress to be chair of the Appropriations Committee.
She broke down barriers everywhere she went. When people said, ``You can't do that,'' she said, ``Tell me why. I am going to anyway,'' as all of you know, especially when she rose to be the Appropriations Committee chair.
She didn't get there because it was easy. She got there because it was tough, and she always took the tough route.
She was an extraordinary woman. Fort Worth has lost a legend. We will never forget her, and we will remember her forever just as every single one of you who served with her will as well.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey), my Democratic colleague.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Goldman for yielding me time.
The ceremony for Kay was absolutely beautiful. I have to let everyone know that. I want to reiterate what Craig just talked about. Her son J.D. gave such an amazing testimony about her life.
I want everyone here to know that Kay was a Congresswoman here, and she did remarkable things during her tenure representing Fort Worth. Fort Worth is a better place because of Kay's service in the U.S. House.
But so many people had long-term relationships with Kay Granger. She was a teacher in the Birdville ISD, and people knew her from that. So many people have stories about her time teaching them, people that are still with us today. She was a businesswoman. Kay had a group of diverse friends that she dined with, that she vacationed with, that she did things with. She was someone who was, as I say, a woman before her time really, and she touched so many different people's lives.
When I would go home, people would always ask me: Marc, how do you and Kay get along? I see Democrats and Republicans are always at each other. I would tell people: Kay still is like our mayor. She is still just like the mayor of Fort Worth. We worked great together on things.
Fort Worth will miss her. She was an amazing person to work with, and she always put Fort Worth first when she was here. As the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Goldman) just said, Kay is going to be sorely missed. She was an incredible and remarkable person.
Mr. Speaker, I ask for a moment of silence in honor of Kay Granger.
Mr. Speaker, last week Meta reached a $12.2 billion settlement and agreed to implement new safety guardrails in youth protections.
We have all witnessed the harms caused by an unchecked social media algorithm: anxiety and depression, lost sleep, and even a lost childhood. An entire generation of young people are struggling under the weight of a technology engineered to capture their attention and hold it for as long as possible.
I thank Utah Attorney General Derek Brown for helping to lead us in this fight. This is a landmark win, but its reach is limited. It is one company. It does not cover the next platform. It does not cover the next algorithm. Most importantly, it does not guarantee protection for the next child.
Congress needs to act to implement lasting changes. Congress has a responsibility to set one clear standard that applies to every platform before the harm happens.
That is what my Algorithm Accountability Act does. It strips section 230 immunity from platforms that violate a clear duty of care to their users, and it gives families, not just State attorneys general, the ability to hold these companies accountable in Federal court.
Mr. Speaker, mail-in voting, a system that has allowed millions of Americans to make their voices heard, is under attack.
Over 99 percent of voting Oregonians cast their ballots by mail. These are deployed servicemembers, parents working to feed their families, and young Americans who are just trying to get by.
Our own President voted by mail just this month, yet he wants to take away that same right from millions of Americans.
President Trump isn't concerned about ensuring a fair and free election, in my opinion. He is scared that the American people will see right through him, scared that families and seniors and students are going to reject his foolishness at the ballot box.
Mr. Speaker, grocery prices are skyrocketing, and gas prices are out of control. Americans cannot afford to live under Trump's economy, and he knows it.
The simple truth is that Americans have a voice, and the President doesn't want them to use it. Mr. Speaker, we must wake up.
Mr. Speaker, it has been a year since the President signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and the government continues to withhold over 3 million files.
That is why we have introduced the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, to bring the fight to the State courts, accountability to the Department of Justice, and closure for survivors.
We want perpetrators of these crimes to be investigated and prosecuted, men like: Jes Staley; Leon Black; Les Wexner; David Copperfield; Lapo Elkann; Tom Pritzker; Glenn Dubin; Frederic Fekkai; Eduardo Teodorani; Jean-Luc Brunel, conveniently dead by suicide in prison; Daniel Siad, recently discovered dead in Paris; Ramsey Elkholy; and Prince Andrew, who committed sex crimes in the United States, too; and women like Leslie Groff, not a victim, who conspired with Epstein to traffic other women.
Perhaps hearing these names will shame the Department of Justice into delivering justice.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to pay tribute to Anthony Joseph Manto, a Rye resident and neighbor whom we lost a few days ago at the age of 83.
Tony was the consummate good guy, and for many years a dedicated family man, married to his wife, Claire, for over 50 years; father to Gina, Anthony, and Chrissy; and grandfather to five grandchildren.
He served at Con Edison for decades, starting from the manhole up to the corporate offices. He coupled family and career with extensive community service, with POTS, Meals on Wheels, Helping Hands, and other groups.
He served his country in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1967, serving a stint in Vietnam. A Queens native, he graduated from Queens College and made his life in Westchester.
Tony was the life of the party at every party on Adelaide Street, at Playland, and elsewhere. He was a warm, friendly, well-traveled man, and he was loved by all.
We will miss Tony, and we remember him on this day.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize International Overdose Awareness Day.
Today, we remember the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have lost their lives to overdose, and we remember the families, friends, and the communities left behind.
However, these aren't statistics. They are our neighbors, our family members, and our friends. No race, gender, ZIP Code, or family is immune from this epidemic.
International Overdose Awareness Day is a chance to remember those we have lost, stand with those in recovery, and recognize the people on the front lines who are working to save lives.
We have a responsibility to do everything we can to stop these deadly drugs from reaching our communities, hold those who traffic them accountable, and make sure people struggling with addiction can get the help that they need.
Today, we remember those who were taken from this world far too soon, and we recommit ourselves to making sure fewer families experience this kind of pain.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the victims of a shooting that occurred outside of the Venture-N bar in Tucson, Arizona, last night--Vincent Siqueiros and Cameron Capara--and to demand that this Chamber take immediate action to ensure that this can never happen again.
I am disgusted by the targeted act of hate and the cold-blooded murder of two members of our LGBTQIA+ community. This horrific attack is a painful reminder that even in welcoming communities like Tucson, hate and violence against our LGBTQIA+ community still exists.
When the hate is combined with easy access to firearms, the consequences can be deadly. I am sick and tired of Congress refusing to lift a finger to protect our communities while every day dozens of people are shot and killed across this country. It does not have to be this way.
The House of Representatives is returning to session this week, and our first action should be passing commonsense gun safety reforms that we know can save lives.
In Tucson, we must come together as one city, mourn alongside victims and families and friends, and stand with our LGBTQIA+ community, saying in the most unconditional terms: Everyone is welcome in Tucson, and hate has no place here.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize John F. Welsh, better known as Jack, an American patriot and World War II combat veteran who will celebrate his 100th birthday this Friday, September 4, 2026.
Born to a second-generation Georgia timberman, Jack is no stranger to hard work and sacrifice. Upon graduating from high school on June 6, 1944, D-day, of all days, Jack asked his parents to enlist in the Army, entering basic training later that fall.
Through his service, Jack would go on to become a decorated hero. He was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Campaign Ribbon with two Bronze Stars, Good Conduct Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one Bronze Star, Army of Occupation Ribbon, Victory Ribbon, and three Overseas Service Bars.
After discharge, this battle-tested veteran earned a degree in forestry, met the love of his life, and joined the U.S. Forest Service where he worked for 35 memorable years.
When we speak of the Greatest Generation, we are speaking of American heroes like Jack Welsh.
My wife, Robin, and I wish him the happiest of birthdays.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Cynthia Brown, a beloved board chairwoman of the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, serving for 8 years as a dedicated leader in her community.
Cynthia was an advocate for civil rights in the New Jersey Muslim community. She made history as the first Muslim to serve in the role of East Orange municipal clerk in the State of New Jersey, and her 52 outstanding years of service highlight her loving commitment to civic duty.
Cynthia was also a highly respected leader at her local mosque in East Orange and was among her community whenever she could as a mentor, advocate, and friend.
Throughout her life, Cynthia stood for justice and service, while meeting her community with compassion and devotion. Her impact, work, and voice will be missed by the people of New Jersey.
I am praying for the Brown family, the people she has touched, and her faith family.
On behalf of New Jersey's 10th District, I call upon our community to carry her legacy by leading with service and heart.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Michael Mann, a devoted husband, father, and servant leader who passed away on July 28 after a courageous 2-year battle with cancer.
Michael dedicated more than 16 years to Chick-fil-A of Athens. He began as a team member in 2010 and most recently led as the director of development.
He led with humility. He served without hesitation, and he believed leadership meant putting others first. He challenged people to grow. He celebrated their successes, and never stopped encouraging those around him.
Michael served faithfully as an elder at Cleveland Road Baptist Church, as his greatest desire was to be with Christ, sharing his love for Him with his church family and community.
He is survived by his wife of nearly 10 years, Stephanie, and their two sons, Estiven and Thomas.
Michael's legacy lives on through his family, his church, his Chick- fil-A family, and his vast community of friends.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of my very good friend, Chief John Welter, the 32nd police chief of my hometown, the city of Anaheim, California.
Chief Welter made many contributions to the good people of Anaheim, including the creation of the department's first-ever chief advisory council. He also established the John Welter Family Justice Center to help those in need in the city of Anaheim.
I also extend my deepest condolences to his spouse, Terri, and the whole Welter family in this very difficult time.
I ask my colleagues today to join me in honoring John Welter's legacy of leadership, service, and his commitment to protecting the city of Anaheim that we call home.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Keith Allen of Latta, South Carolina. Keith was a treasure in his community and in our State, and I join those who knew him and loved him in mourning his passing.
Keith was proud to be a fifth-generation farmer and considered himself blessed to manage Betty Allen Farms. That farm has been in the Allen family since 1837, and Keith was incredibly grateful for his roots to the land. For him, farming was more than just work. It was a calling and one that he was honored to step into.
In 2022, Keith was awarded South Carolina Farm Bureau's Distinguished Service Award. That same year he was named South Carolina Farmer of the Year by Sunbelt Ag Expo. Over the years, Keith was a partner in helping me to understand how I could best serve the farming and agricultural community in our State, and for that I am incredibly grateful and blessed.
I join the State in praying for Keith; his family and friends; his daughters, Kate and Karen; and his beloved wife, Libby. His life was one well-lived, and he will be remembered as a man of duty and honor.
Mr. Speaker, still I rise, and I rise tonight on behalf of the community in Houston, Texas, where the Nepalese community resides. They have suffered a great disaster in their country, and we have been helping. We provided some millions of dollars. However, the amount of damage, the number of lives lost, and the help that will be needed will far exceed what they have received.
I am just hoping that our country will be able to do more. This is a time when what we stand for globally can mean something in the lives of the people of Nepal.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of retired Glynn County Fire Rescue Chief and former Glynn County Commissioner Carl Johnson, Sr.
Chief Johnson began his career with Glynn County Fire Rescue in 1971 and dedicated over 33 years protecting coastal Georgians.
Through hard work, integrity, and leadership, he rose through the ranks
Chief Johnson understood that public service is not simply a profession. It is a calling. Whether leading firefighters through emergencies or helping guide the future of Glynn County, he exemplified an unwavering dedication.
As his family, friends, former colleagues, and the people of Glynn County gather to celebrate his remarkable life, we join them in remembering a man whose impact will be felt for generations.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my good friend, Bill Gross, of Kingsland, Georgia, on his appointment as chairman of the Jekyll Island State Park Authority.
Mr. Gross is the third generation of his family to grow up in Camden County and founded W.H. Gross Construction in 1983. Under his leadership, the firm became a leading developer of tax credit-financed senior and affordable housing across southeast Georgia. His company has also restored historic landmarks, including the Ware Hotel in Waycross and the Romana Riley Lofts in Savannah.
Bill is a 2009 graduate of Leadership Georgia, where he received the program's Frederick B. Kerr Service Award in 2022. He currently serves on the boards of the Southeast Georgia Health System Foundation and Cooperative Healthcare Services and previously chaired the health system's Camden Advisory Committee for 11 years.
He also received the Coastal Pines Technical College Foundation's 2019 Distinguished Service Award.
The First District of Georgia is grateful for Bill's years of service.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Colonel Robert Fairel on assuming command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District.
Colonel Fairel, a native of Rockmart, Georgia, commissioned as an Army Engineer Officer in 2001. He most recently served as Command Engineer for the U.S. Forces Command and U.S. Western Hemisphere Command at Fort Bragg. He commanded the 40th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Fort Bliss and deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait.
Throughout his years of service, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Parachutist Badge.
Fairel will be replacing Colonel Sturgeon, who I thank for his service, including his leadership on the construction of the Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon, along with his work with Robins Air Force Base and Tyndall Air Force Base.
The First Congressional District is grateful for the Corps' work protecting our coast and supporting our military installations.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Lone Wolf Lounge of Savannah, Georgia, for earning a spot on USA Today's Bars of the Year list for 2026.
Owners Andrew Ripley and Tom Worley opened Lone Wolf Lounge in Savannah's Starland District in 2018. Through its welcoming neighborhood atmosphere, they have built a reputation on their Caribbean feel, referencing the Savannah-Caribbean trade routes established in the 1700s.
The lounge has earned the spotlight for their creative cocktail menu, crafted by some of Savannah's most skilled bartenders.
USA Today Network food journalists named it one of 38 bars nationwide honored on this year's list. The recognition follows Lone Wolf Lounge's selection last year as a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar. This honor reflects the kind of small business success that strengthens Savannah's Starland District and draws visitors from around the country.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Andrew, Tom, and the entire Lone Wolf Lounge team on this well-earned recognition.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my good friend, State Representative and Reverend Carl Gilliard, on his 43 years of public service to Savannah and the State of Georgia.
A Savannah native, Representative Gilliard is a graduate of Beach High School and Morris Brown College. He went on to launch the Gilliard Foundation and the Feed the Hungry Foundation, which has served 2 million meals to families in need over 17 years.
He then served a decade in the Georgia General Assembly, chairing committees and authoring significant legislation for our community.
On July 31, the State of Georgia and the Savannah community gathered at Savannah Technical College to honor him with the Rosa Parks Civil Rights Award.
Representative Gilliard was also recognized for his work on the television series ``The Family Business'' and ``Shameless.''
His decades of service reflect a deep commitment to the people of Georgia's First District, and we are proud to call him one of our own.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Bread and Butter on being recognized as one of America's best new places to eat.
Bread and Butter is the largest venture from Auspicious Baking Co., a local favorite that first opened its doors in Savannah in 2017 and has since grown to multiple locations.
Today, Bread and Butter has become a destination all its own, combining an inviting atmosphere with exceptional food, handcrafted pastries, and the hospitality that makes coastal Georgia so special.
Last month, the restaurant even hosted a six-course wine dinner overlooking Turner Creek, bringing together outstanding local cuisine and beautiful waterfront views in our vibrant community.
Businesses like Bread and Butter do more than just serve great meals. They create jobs, support our local economy, and showcase the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit that makes Georgia's First Congressional District such a special place to live and work.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage everyone visiting the Savannah area to stop by and experience this outstanding local establishment for themselves.
I congratulate the entire Bread and Butter team on this well-deserved recognition and thank them for representing coastal Georgia so well.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Susan Gardner of the Georgia Ports Authority, who has recently been promoted to the role of chief information officer.
Susan previously served as vice president of operations, where she oversaw daily port operations in Savannah, which handles around 40 ships per week and 15,000 truck transactions daily.
Joining the Georgia Ports Authority in 2020, Susan first served as the senior director of operations and projects. Prior to her work with GPA, Gardner worked for the terminal operations software company Kaleris/Navis.
The Georgia Ports Authority is one of the greatest drivers in our State's economy. Susan's long-term commitment will ensure that the GPA sees continued growth and development.
I am confident that the leadership in the Georgia Ports Authority is in good hands, and I would like to further congratulate Susan on her new role.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of William ``Bill'' Dunlap of St. Simons Island, Georgia, who passed away July 17 at the age of 92.
Bill graduated from Georgia Tech, where he played varsity basketball and led his fraternity chapter, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, as president. He served his country in the Army Reserve at Fort Detrick, working as an air control engineer. He went on to earn his MBA at Emory University before joining Georgia Power and its parent company, Southern Company, where he spent 25 years as a senior vice president.
Bill served as the president of the Atlanta Association of SAE, Atlanta Black Tie Club, and the Nine O'clock.
He was a long-time member of North Avenue Presbyterian Church in Atlanta and remained a faithful member of Wesley Church at Frederica.
Bill is survived by his wife Sandra and his family.
Coastal Georgia is grateful for his decades of service and leadership.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Catherine Sumner on her appointment as district attorney of Ogeechee Judicial Circuit.
Governor Brian Kemp appointed Ms. Sumner to fill the vacancy left by the passing of District Attorney D. Robert Busbee. She has served the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit for 12 years, including six years as Bulloch County's elected solicitor general.
Sumner graduated magna cum laude from Georgia Southern University in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in political science. She earned her law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2014.
As a former assistant district attorney, she led felony prosecutions involving four sheriffs' offices, the Georgia State Patrol, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
She also serves on the Bulloch Family Violence Task Force and is a past president of the Bulloch County Bar Association.
Congratulations to Catherine on this well-earned appointment. The State of Georgia is in great hands.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my good friend and former Georgia House of Representatives colleague, Mr. Jim Cole of Mercer University, on his recent retirement.
Mr. Cole started his college career as a student-athlete at Mercer, then later returned to serve in administration after serving in the Georgia State House of Representatives.
Jim served as Mercer University's athletics director, where he dedicated 16 years to the betterment of student-athletes.
Under Jim's tenure, the Mercer Bears upset Duke in the 2014 NCAA men's basketball tournament. From 2010 to 2026, they won 51 conference championships in numerous sports. Jim's dedicated efforts ensured that students could succeed on and off the field through enhancing athletic facilities, increasing game day programming, and finding pathways for students to excel in the classroom.
As Jim moves into the next chapter of his life, I would like to thank him for his long-term commitment to Mercer University. I am grateful for his selfless leadership and his dedication to the Macon community.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Guerry Lumber for its new partnership with People of Action Caring for Kids ahead of the company's 100th anniversary in Savannah.
Founded in 1927, Guerry Lumber has served Savannah and the surrounding region for nearly a century. As it approaches this milestone, the company is giving back to the community that helped build it.
Through this partnership, Guerry Lumber is sponsoring 100 local children through PACK's weekend food assistance program for the incoming school year.
Guerry Lumber employees will also volunteer with PACK each month, helping pack and distribute food to children and families across the Savannah area.
PACK works every day to fight childhood food insecurity, ensuring kids have continuous access to meals over weekends and school breaks.
I want to thank Guerry Lumber President Will Wheat and PACK founder Malena Stone for their leadership and commitment to Savannah's children.
This is a wonderful example of a First District business stepping up for its neighbors.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Abby Leaventon, a jewelry artist from Savannah, Georgia, who was recently named a finalist for the 2026 Halstead Grant.
Abby is the founder and designer of Abigail Leaventon Jewelry, where she creates handcrafted sterling silver and gold jewelry inspired by nature, places, and memory.
She earned her bachelor of fine arts in jewelry from the Savannah College of Art and Design.
The Halstead Grant is one of the jewelry industry's most respected honors, judging finalists on both creative and entrepreneurial skills. Abby was selected from applicants nationwide.
Abby now plans to grow her business into new galleries and gift shops, including museum and botanical garden retailers, all while keeping her work rooted in Savannah.
Congratulations to Abby Leaventon on her well-earned national recognition. Her craftsmanship and business skills are a credit to Savannah and the entire First District of Georgia.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize John Francis Morrissey, Jr., of Clermont, Florida, a Korean war veteran and accomplished civil engineer, who passed away on June 14, 2026, at the age of 96.
Born in 1929, Jack graduated from Brown University with a bachelor of science in civil engineering and became a licensed professional engineer. He served as a lieutenant with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the Korean war.
Jack spent 34 years in Cheshire, Connecticut, where he served as president of White Oak Corporation, The Farms Country Club, Cheshire Junior Football, and the Connecticut Road Builders Association.
Known for his active lifestyle, Jack was an avid golfer, cyclist, walker, and devoted Dodgers fan.
He is survived by his three sons: David, Gary, and Bill and their families, along with his significant other, Amy DeVore.
Jack's life reflected decades of service, leadership, and dedication to his community and to his country.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Heather Teilhet on being selected as the next president and CEO of Georgia Electric Membership Corporation.
Heather brings nearly two decades of electric utility leadership experience and 28 years of experience in government affairs and communications. She previously served Georgia EMC from 2009 to 2017 in advocacy and government relations roles and most recently served as executive vice president of external affairs at Oglethorpe Power Corporation, one of the largest generation cooperatives in the U.S.
Earlier in Heather's career, she served as director of communications and press secretary for Governor Sonny Perdue during portions of his first and second terms in office.
I am confident Heather's experience and leadership will serve Georgia EMC and its members well as our State's energy needs continue to grow.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Heather Teilhet in this well-deserved opportunity. I look forward to seeing Georgia EMC continue its important work across our great State.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of my good friend, Richard ``Dick'' Estus of Savannah, Georgia, who passed away on August 1 at the age of 92.
Dick built a decades-long career in outdoor advertising, eventually founding Estus Outdoor in Savannah in 1971 after a 63-year career in the industry.
He served as president of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America and later chaired the Savannah Economic Development Authority, helping bring Home Depot's distribution operations to our region.
He was the founding chairman of the First City Club, built from its first day to welcome everyone.
Dick was inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame and received the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce Oglethorpe Leadership Award.
He also led the United Way of Savannah and served on the board of Savannah Technical College.
Dick Estus spent his life building up Savannah's economy and civic institutions, and the First District of Georgia is a better place because of him.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Judge Timothy Walmsley on his resignation from
Judge Walmsley was appointed to the Eastern Judicial Circuit in 2012 by Governor Nathan Deal and was re-elected by the people of Chatham County in 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026.
Before joining the bench, he practiced commercial and real estate litigation in Savannah and served as a part-time magistrate judge. Judge Walmsley presided over the 2021 trial in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, guiding the courtroom through one of the most closely watched cases in our State's history. With over 14 years on the bench, he handled thousands of cases with fairness and integrity.
As he transitions to his next stage in life, Judge Walmsley remains committed to the continued success of the judicial system in Georgia.
Mr. Speaker, the First District of Georgia is grateful for Judge Walmsley's years of dedicated public service.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Charles ``Brad'' Dixon on his appointment by Governor Brian Kemp to the Atlantic Judicial Circuit Superior Court.
Dixon is a partner in the law firm of Dixon and Lasseter, Attorneys at Law, P.C., in Richmond Hill.
His practices have included domestic relations, criminal defense, probate, estate planning, real estate, and civil litigation matters.
Before entering private practice, Dixon served for 8 years on Active Duty in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, ultimately attaining the rank of major.
He has served as a general crimes prosecutor, special victims prosecutor, and trial and defense attorney as well as being a trainer for military prosecutors worldwide.
Dixon earned a bachelor of arts in communication studies from West Virginia University in 2006, and his Juris Doctor from West Virginia College of Law in 2009.
Dixon and his wife, Ivona, reside in Richmond Hill with their two sons, Charlie and Vance.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Billy Joe Nelson.
District Attorney Nelson has dedicated more than a decade serving the Atlantic Judicial Circuit, where he first served as an assistant district attorney in 2011 and was then elected to district attorney in 2022.
In 2017, Governor Nathan Deal appointed Nelson to serve as a part- time solicitor general for the State court of Long County.
Prior to that, he began his legal career in 2009 as a law clerk for the Superior Court judges in the Brunswick Judicial Circuit.
Nelson is a native of McIntosh County and attended the University of Georgia where he earned a bachelor of business administration in real estate, graduating cum laude. He then attended the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University.
He and his wife, Kathryn, have three children and reside in Liberty County.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Melissa ``Sissy'' Blanchard, a Brunswick native, Georgia Tech alumna, and accomplished entrepreneur whose career exemplifies determination, resilience, and service to others.
After graduating from Georgia Tech in 1995, Sissy turned her entrepreneurial spirit into a remarkable career spanning retail, hospitality, and small business ownership. From building a handbag and accessories brand carried by hundreds of boutiques nationwide to operating a successful wine bar and restaurant in California, Sissy has never been afraid to pursue a new opportunity.
Eventually Sissy and her husband, Bob, returned home to coastal Georgia where they built Porch+Patio into a leading outdoor furniture retailer with multiple locations.
Throughout her journey, Sissy has overcome challenges, embraced reinvention, and remained committed to strengthening the communities around her.
Now, she is giving back through the Melissa J. Blanchard MBA Fellowship Endowment Fund at Georgia Tech, helping future students pursue their own dreams.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Sissy for her entrepreneurial success and her commitment to creating opportunities for the next generation.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Goshen United Methodist Church in Rincon, Georgia, as its congregation celebrates an incredible 275 years of faith, fellowship, and service.
Dating back to around 1751, Goshen Church has witnessed generations of Georgia history, first serving congregations along Abercorn Creek near the Savannah River.
Around 1790, the church itself was remarkably cut into two sections and moved to its present location using logs, horses, and mules. In 1820, the Methodist Church was organized at Goshen, beginning more than two centuries of Methodist ministry that continues today.
Through changing times and a growing community, Goshen has remained rooted in its mission to love God, love others, and serve both.
Today, under the leadership of the Reverend Chance Ward, Goshen continues building on that extraordinary legacy by sharing the way of Jesus and serving as a light to the community.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the entire Goshen United Methodist Church family on 275 years of ministry and pray its legacy of faith and service continues for generations to come.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor John ``Jack'' Welsh, a World War II combat veteran and soon to be centenarian. In fact, on September 4, he will be 100.
Upon graduating high school on the same day as D-day in June 1944, Jack asked his parents if he could enlist.
He served in the Philippines during General MacArthur's campaign, carrying a Browning Automatic Rifle and later served in the occupation force in Japan.
He was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Campaign Ribbon with two Bronze Stars, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon, and the Army of Occupation Medal, among other honors.
After his service, Jack earned two degrees from Duke University's Forestry School and spent 35 years with the U.S. Forest Service. He and his wife, Mary Ann, were married 62 years and raised four sons together. Jack is the proud grandfather of 8 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
His service of lifelong dedication to family and community reflects his great character and service.
Mr. Speaker, I thank him for his service and wish him a happy 100th birthday.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Judge Andy Prather, the longest serving State court judge in Georgia, who announced his upcoming retirement.
The Muscogee County State court judge has notified Governor Brian Kemp that he will be retiring from the bench on November 30. This comes 3 months after he won an election to another 4-year term.
Prather is 73 and has been a State court judge since January of 1994, when he was appointed by Governor Zell Miller.
Prior to that appointment, he was the Muscogee County solicitor general, the State court's lead prosecutor.
He says that serving Muscogee County for 46 years has been one of the greatest privileges of his life and he looks forward to assisting incoming Chief Judge Pete Temesgen as he takes on the task of welcoming and training two new judges.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Jackson Brooks for his outstanding athletic accomplishments, which led to his selection to represent Georgia in this year's Patriot Games.
The Patriot Games is an event that brings high school athletes from across the United States, American territories, and Tribal nations in challenges meant to test strength, endurance, agility, and teamwork with games such as dodgeball, tug-of-war, track and field, and kickball.
The 17-year-old is a Nike Outdoor Nationals All-American decathlete who
Back when Jackson was in middle school, he set an 800-meter State record and was also a part of the GHSA class 5A State championship 4x800 relay team this spring.
On top of being a decathlete, Jackson is a very valuable part of the Clarke Central football team where he is a standout wide receiver.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud of Jackson--and I know his parents are as well--for representing us in the great State of Georgia.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and the sacrifice of Derrick Moore, who died rescuing a young girl from a rip current in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
On a late Friday evening, Mr. Moore, who was just 47, saw the young girl struggling in the ocean and immediately rushed into the water to help her. He successfully pulled the child from the rip current and brought her to safety, but was then pulled under water himself.
First responders from the Myrtle Beach Police Department and Myrtle Beach Fire Department launched an intensive search that extended into Saturday morning. Unfortunately, ocean currents washed Moore's body ashore the next morning where officials later recovered him.
Mr. Speaker, I am honoring Derrick for his courageous and selfless acts, and our thoughts and prayers are with him and with his family.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Virginia?
Mr. Speaker, for the past month, members of the Congressional Black Caucus hit the ground running in our districts, meeting with constituents and hearing firsthand accounts of the impacts the policies of the Trump administration and the congressional Republicans has had on hardworking American families.
As unemployment numbers continue to rise, gas prices soar, the cost of groceries become insurmountable, Americans begin to lose their health insurance, we are in another forever war of choice with no end in sight, and now a trade war with Canada.
The American people were not put first by this President and this Congress, and this week's Special Order hour will offer members of the Congressional Black Caucus the opportunity to share what we heard, the stories we heard, and the real-life human impact of the Trump administration's decisions to take a chainsaw to Federal programs and policies that protect our most vulnerable communities.
It has been almost 2 years since this administration made empty promises of lowering costs and getting us out of forever wars. The administration ignores the pleas for a more affordable way of life and ignores the pleas to address a cost-of-living crisis, saying it is a hoax. The Congressional Black Caucus is bringing these stories to light.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Brown), to share what she heard.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia for her leadership on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have broken the economy, and everyday people are paying the price.
Trump and his family, with their tax cuts, stock trades, and new military contracts got rich, while working-class people got the bill.
Earlier this month, in northeast Ohio, our county division of Senior and Adult Services held a return-to-work fair for people over 60. Why? Because older Americans and seniors can no longer afford the rising costs of gas, groceries, and housing.
You see, a lot of people that thought they had enough to retire are realizing Donald Trump had other plans for their golden years.
As one of the women told our local newspaper, the Cleveland Plain Dealer: There is no way around it. We won't make it.
Paying the bills is especially hard when you have also lost your healthcare coverage or your SNAP nutrition assistance.
In Ohio, 259,000 people have lost their healthcare coverage in the last year--259,000. These numbers are staggering, but they are not just numbers, no. These are real people. Now, they are just one illness away from financial ruin, all because the Trump administration and Republican majorities in Congress have enacted the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, along with letting the Affordable Care Act tax credits expire.
Remember last year, the other side of the aisle raised, rushed, and sprinted--sprinted to pass tax cuts for the rich. But when it came to tax credits to help working people afford healthcare, they did nothing, nothing at all.
You see, it is not just healthcare. In Ohio, we are now up to 110,000 people who have lost their nutrition assistance. Nearly every day of the week, we have Trump's Secretary of Agriculture going on TV to brag about this, talking about it like it is a good thing. Spare me. In fact, why don't they come to Cleveland, Ohio, and tell someone who is trying to survive on $7 a day in SNAP benefits that these cuts are a good thing. Tell seniors, who are now having to go to job fairs, that they are living in a golden age. It is insulting.
Meanwhile, we have a confused, corrupt, cruel, and chaotic President roaming around the White House, a President in denial and out of touch.
Here is the bottom line: Americans got poorer last month. Last month, according to official data, inflation was higher than wage growth. That has been true for a lot of people, but it is official now, and that is for the people that actually have jobs, because in Trump's economy, Black unemployment is now 6 percent, twice the rate as White unemployment.
According to the Urban League, because of the job loss and the cuts, Black America is already in a recession.
Did anyone really expect anything different from Trump and a MAGA Republican Congress? Because I know I didn't.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of all of my constituents in Cleveland and northeast Ohio to say that enough is enough is enough. We have to turn this car around before Trump drives us further into a ditch. It is time to cancel the cuts and the illegal wars, stop the corruption, kill the kickbacks and the insider trading, and give the American people their country back.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia for bringing us together to highlight what we saw while we were home.
I also thank my colleague and neighbor to the north for sharing some of what she heard in Cleveland. It didn't change too much a little further down Route 77, and what we saw in Ohio's 13th Congressional District.
I am here to highlight those issues, about what we heard during our district work period. Just one word: affordability. Gas, groceries, housing, and healthcare all just cost too much, and wages aren't keeping up with the sharp increases that we have seen in these everyday essentials. Ohio's households are paying an average of $2,200 more per year in basic living expenses. They just don't have it.
Meanwhile, at home, young people stopped me to share that they are worried about the steep increases in gas prices. For example, the average price of a gallon of gas in Ohio has increased 37 percent since last year. That is $1.13 a gallon. That might not seem like that much to my colleagues who are in
Parents stopped me in the grocery stores because they are worried about keeping food on their tables with the price of meat, bread, and milk all rising this year, not to mention the continuous and ongoing recalls and the power outages that are making people throw all their food away that they already couldn't buy in the first place. Families are expected to spend hundreds of dollars more on their grocery bill than they did last year. That is on top of the fact that there are aggressive, aggressive cuts to SNAP benefits, making it all even worse.
During the work period, my office and I hosted several housing roundtables--several. I repeatedly heard from seniors who are worried about staying in their homes. Whether it is the cost of property taxes that are pricing them out, or whether they can't pay for improvements like ramps and railings to help them get around, they are concerned about whether or not they will be able to age in place.
Also, don't get them started on their children, who they just can't seem to get out of their basements. They are concerned that they will never be able to get their kids out of their homes because they simply cannot afford another place to live.
According to the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, the average rent in Ohio's 13th District has increased 16 percent since 2019, making housing less affordable for renters who are on a fixed income, but that is not even the half of it.
The cost of healthcare continues to rise, and harmful cuts to Medicaid and Medicare enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act began taking effect this year. That means that 37,000 residents in our area are seeing higher healthcare costs tied to the end of the enhanced ACA tax credits, while nearly 30,000 people are losing healthcare coverage due to changes in Medicaid and marketplace eligibility rules.
The State of Ohio saw the second highest number of people unenrolled--that means uninsured--because of the cuts to the ACA tax credits. For us in Ohio's 13th District, it is even worse because our largest employers are hospital systems, so not only are we talking about access to care, but we are talking about the people who work in these jobs. It is not just the doctors, the nurses, and the folks who provide direct care. The accountants, those in the supply chain, the people supplying toilet paper--all of this is going to impact my community. It is not only their health and well-being, but the economic backbone and our economic engine are suffering.
When I was elected to Congress, I promised to bring my constituents' voices with me to Washington. That is why I am here, even though the room is empty, standing here before you, Mr. Speaker, to raise awareness about rising costs and to offer some solutions. Maybe somebody will play the tape back since no one seems to want to be here for this important discussion, but I am going to go ahead and provide some solutions.
First of all, gas prices have skyrocketed. Why? It is because of Trump's reckless war of choice in Iran. The military actions have resulted in the loss of life for 18 servicemembers, with hundreds more injured. We don't even know some numbers because they are hiding them.
The costs to Americans are in the billions--billions of dollars. We cannot afford this reckless war. It is one of the reasons why gas prices are high, as well as the cost of goods.
I voted five times--five--one, two, three, four, five times to end this reckless war. Yet, here we are: new strikes on Iran with no end in sight.
As the co-leader in the Housing Affordability Working Group, I am leading legislation that lowers housing costs for renters and homeowners alike. I introduced the HOMES Act, which ends tax breaks for private equity firms buying up houses in Ohio and across the country, making it more difficult for people to find a place to live.
To bring down the cost of healthcare, I am fighting to reinstate the enhanced ACA tax credits and to repeal cuts to Medicaid and Medicare that will throw people off of their healthcare and put our hospitals at risk of closure. Visiting a doctor when you are sick shouldn't be a privilege reserved for just those who can afford it.
That is why I am also working to keep more money in people's pockets. My Lower Your Taxes Act expands the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit, and my No Tax on Overtime for All Workers Act-- underline ``all''--will help you keep more of what you earn. That includes all workers and not just the few who are in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
I also supported the TIPS Act to end Federal income tax on tipped wages. I also voted for the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act, which has been signed into law, thankfully, because of our previous administration, ensuring that teachers, firefighters, and other public employees receive their full Social Security benefits.
Mr. Speaker, we have an affordability crisis here, and there are solutions available. The Democratic Caucus, as well as the CBC, is fighting for an affordable America, but Congress is doing nothing to solve the problem. My constituents can't wait. If we are being honest, Mr. Speaker, yours cannot wait either.
If we are not doing the will of the people, what are we even doing here? We are wasting time, energy, and more money than we already have. We must pass commonsense legislation to lower costs now before we head back home, because how dare we go campaign for our seats when we aren't making the lives of people in the United States of America better.
Mr. Speaker, before we left for the August recess, we celebrated 250 years of our country. We celebrated 250 years of the revolutionary idea outlined in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal. The Congressional Black Caucus has fought to include all the people in that phrase, that all people are endowed by their creator with the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but the next part is the key: that to secure these rights, governments are created by, of, and for the people.
I thought about that when the Energy and Commerce Committee debated H.R. 1, which you all call the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which I call the big, ugly law. I thought that a government that cares for its people must ensure that their basic needs are being met.
I thought about my own parents and how they saw the best of government as children during the Great Depression and the New Deal programs that helped meet the basic needs of the people and put safety nets in place to ensure that something like the Great Depression never happened again.
I thought about what happens when government fails. My parents saw the worst of government through Jim Crow, which decided that ``all men'' did not include my parents because of the color of their skin.
Last April, as I sat through that 26\1/2\-hour hearing, fighting the largest cuts to our healthcare safety net in American history, when Republicans voted to slash more than $1 trillion from Medicaid and gutted the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits to bankroll tax cuts, to make permanent tax cuts for billionaires, now a trillionaire, and big corporations, I knew that the impact would devastate our healthcare system.
Last August, I traveled across Virginia to talk to patients, providers, and communities about what the cuts would mean for access to care, especially in rural Virginia.
Now, at the time, Senate Democrats identified six rural hospitals in Virginia at risk of closure once the Medicaid cuts took effect, including one in my district, in Emporia, a very small town, that had already lost two of its largest employers, a paper mill and Boar's Head. I talked about the impact that these cuts would have on that community and how devastated that community would be if that hospital closed.
I visited Tazewell, in the Ninth Congressional District, which also had a hospital on that list, and met with providers and community advocates about the impact that the closure of that hospital would have.
I toured the Appalachian Highlands Community Dental Center in Abingdon, where more than 80 percent of their patients rely on Medicaid, and the rest are uninsured. At that time they had a waiting list of approximately 2,800 people who, before that clinic opened, had to wait a year for a dental clinic to come to get everything from cleaning to dentures.
That clinic's co-founder shared with me how important it was for them to fill the gap in healthcare in southwest Virginia.
I shared what I heard with the press, who also came to that clinic. I shared that rural hospitals and clinics were worried about closing their doors or having to end vital services. Patients were worried about losing their health insurance or having to choose between paying premiums, their utility bills, or their rent.
Providers worried that uninsured patients would forego care until it was too late, like Dr. Bickley Craven of Abingdon, who cared for five different women over a year's span, who all had cancer of the uterus and were not insured. They all delayed seeking medical attention even though they had obvious symptoms. Had they sought care when those symptoms first started, they could have been treated, but some of them died because they had no health insurance, delayed seeking care because they didn't want to put the burden of that expense on their families.
Now, in response to these stories, my Republican colleague, who represents that district I was in, told the same reporter that Democrats are just fear-mongering. Yet, around the same time, a rural clinic in Nebraska had just announced plans to close because of the Medicaid cuts in the big, ugly law.
A week later, Augusta Medical Group in Virginia announced the closure of three health clinics in the Shenandoah Valley as ``part of Augusta Health's ongoing response to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.''
These closures were on top of closures of clinics earlier in the year due to Federal funding cuts, delayed grant access because the Trump administration and DOGE just decided they were going to ignore appropriations bills passed by Congress, and Congress did nothing about it. Three clinics in the Capital Area Health Network in my district closed last February.
This August, I checked back in. What has happened in the year since? I visited with Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Services; officials with the Virginia Marketplace, our State-based exchange; providers from free clinics and federally qualified health centers; hospitals; patients; and communities to see what happened.
They painted a very dire picture. Already, 8 million Americans and counting have lost their healthcare. About 100,000 Virginians have already been priced out of their Affordable Care Act plans because the enhanced premium tax credits were allowed to expire.
Mr. Speaker, 300,000 Virginians are at risk of losing their Medicaid when the cuts take full effect in January. The Virginia Joint Commission on Health Care has identified--not six, which was identified a year ago--13 hospitals in Virginia that are now at risk of closing because of these cuts.
Behind these numbers are people and communities that are struggling every single day. Dr. Mohan Nadkarni, founder of the Charlottesville Free Clinic, in the Fifth Congressional District, shared the story of a 21-year-old patient with asthma, who lost his healthcare coverage and could no longer access his medication. He suffered respiratory arrest and became brain-dead. His mother had to make the awful decision to withdraw life support.
Christina Rivera of Augusta County, who founded a Charlottesville- based nonprofit, shared the impact of losing her enhanced premium tax credits. Last year, she paid $235 a month for health insurance due to the marketplace. This year, her premium is $1,336 a month. She works for a nonprofit. Like most families, she doesn't have an extra $14,000 laying around to make up the difference this year. She needed lifesaving spinal surgery. Without her insurance, she would have lost everything: Her farm, her home, her livelihood. She is trying to make do.
Now, our Governor and general assembly are trying to fill the gaps, but they estimate that insurance coverage losses, administrative cuts, decreased provider reimbursements alone, all because of the big, ugly law, could cost the Commonwealth of Virginia between $1.8 billion and $2.6 billion in revenue in one year. On top of that, the Commonwealth has to invest new State funds to overhaul eligibility and payment systems, with penalties assessed for errors.
Virginia hospitals face an estimated $1.2 billion cuts in payments in 2028, which they expect to balloon to nearly $37 billion over the next decade.
Rural and safety net providers, such as federally qualified health centers and free clinics providing care to underserved patients, will bear the brunt of these cuts.
Now, I know what you are thinking: What about the Rural Health Transformation fund? That is like putting a Band-Aid on a big, giant, gaping wound. It is not enough.
So far, nationally, over a thousand hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes have already closed their doors, cut services, or are at risk of doing so, citing the healthcare cuts in the big, ugly law.
As of July 1, over 80 hospital wards, over 40 maternity wards, and nearly 320 clinics have closed. In a country that has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the industrialized world--and if you are a Black woman, you are three times more likely to die because of a childbirth related issue--these expectant mothers are now having to travel farther away for maternity care.
Seniors are losing access to long-term care. People with disabilities are facing devastating disruptions in critical service. People with mental health conditions, who are in crisis, can't get access to care, and our healthcare leaders are sounding the alarm.
Let's talk about the closing of a maternity ward. In Virginia last year, Centra Southside Community Hospital in Farmville closed its labor and delivery unit at the end of the year, citing its reductions in Federal healthcare funding--Medicaid cuts primarily--among the reasons for the decision.
Between 2022 and 2024, that hospital alone was the most common delivery hospital for women in Prince Edward County, where it is located. Now those women have to drive an hour away; like Tami Jaynes, who the day I was in Charlottesville, Charlottesville Tomorrow shared her story. Pregnant with her eighth child, near full term, Tami woke up in the middle of the night with a sense that something was wrong. She couldn't remember the last time she felt her baby kick.
She thought about going to the emergency room in Farmville, which is an hour away, but they don't have obstetric services anymore. They closed them because of the Medicaid cuts. Some patients have been going to Lynchburg, Richmond, or Charlottesville, which are all over an hour- long drive away. Tami decided to switch to a local nonprofit in Farmville that had limited services. It was close to home, though they weren't open until the next morning.
Tami thought: I can drive to Lynchburg, an hour away, or I can wait and go to an already scheduled appointment I have here, at that clinic, at 8 a.m.
That is what she decided to do. She decided to wait. By the time she got to her doctor's appointment, the ultrasound showed no heartbeat. Later that day, Tami delivered her eighth child, Jacob, stillborn.
Reading Tami's story, I could not help but think back to the fear that I had 11 years ago this year, when I woke up in the middle of the night, and my placenta had ruptured. I was 10 minutes from the emergency room. I would not have survived, trying to get to a hospital an hour away. That is what is happening because of these cuts. People already at risk are dying.
Frankly, the American people are sick of it. They are sick of their budgets being squeezed by Republican-driven sticker shock, as premiums more than doubled for nearly 22 million families across the Nation. They are sick of making impossible decisions every day just to make ends meet.
Small business owners are sick of having to close their doors because they can no longer afford to buy insurance on their own. They are sick of
They are sick of a forever war of choice in Iran with no clear end in sight, causing energy prices to go up, and the dumbest trade war ever with Canada--Canada--is about to make everything go higher as the cost of oil and key components of fertilizer and aluminum and food stocks go even higher.
The American people are sick of Republicans turning their backs on the American people. They are sick of Donald Trump saying the affordability crisis is a hoax. They want solutions now.
We have legislation pending right now that would reverse these cuts. We just need the Speaker to bring it to the floor for a vote before the harshest parts of the big, ugly law, including these Medicaid cuts, take effect in 2027, conveniently after the midterms, but the American people aren't stupid.
While the full impact of these cuts continues to unfold, more families will lose coverage, more providers will face difficult financial decisions, more communities will be left in the cold, and that is just healthcare.
We will talk a little bit later about food security, but for now, I yield to the gentlewoman from California, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, to share what she has heard.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from the great State of Virginia, Congresswoman McClellan, and to the Congressional Black Caucus for organizing this Special Order hour.
For the past month, we have been home in our districts, listening to our constituents. For me, they run up on me in the streets, in the grocery store, and at church. What I am hearing is very simple: People are tired of paying more and getting less, and they have a lot of questions.
I am going to tell you what I am hearing. I am going to share with you the questions that my constituents are asking because there are huge gaps between what this administration promises and has promised and what working families are actually experiencing.
Let's get into it, and let's start by talking about the economy. In Los Angeles, in my district, gas is $6, at least, depending on where you go. You can go to some gas stations, and it is as high as $8. Groceries are too expensive. I have constituents telling me that they are making choices between buying a protein to feed their children and not buying any protein at all for maybe a day or 2 days or an entire week.
The housing market is in the toilet. Money is too expensive, the rates are too high, and if you buy a home or are trying to fix up your house, you cannot even find the workforce for some of these smaller projects. They are asking: Where is our economic relief?
Just recently, they just saw the President hosting a racing car event on The National Mall, a bill that most likely the American people are footing, that has not, will not, is not benefiting their bottom line.
Working people are not stupid. They know the difference between a stunt to distract and having real conversations about what you are doing to help them at the pump, to help them get a home, to help them purchase groceries.
I actually have a question for Secretary Bessent: Why can't you fix the economy? If tariffs, tax cuts, and deregulation were supposed to deliver prosperity, then why are families still struggling to make ends meet?
Here is another question I have heard: What are we doing to Canada and what is with all of these tariffs? The administration keeps telling Americans that tariffs are paid for by somebody else. If someone is telling you that, you need to remind them that they don't know how to do math because American consumers and businesses are ultimately the ones that are feeling most of those costs. Those costs are going up, and they are disrupting supply chains.
Now, Canada is fighting back with new tariffs on hundreds of American products, so Canada is boycotting our goods. They have been boycotting tourism to our country. They have jacked up the prices on appliances, on steel, on agriculture equipment, on toilet paper. Thirty percent of the paper pulp for our toilet paper comes from Canada.
Not only that, but they have also enticed close to 50 of our most prominent tenured faculty in American colleges and universities who are saying good-bye to the United States and hello to Canada.
Our prices are going up. We are suffering a brain drain. Our toilet paper is going to be too high. We have a President who seems more obsessed with changing the name of a lake, from Lake Ontario to Lake America.
However, don't be distracted by this Lake America nonsense because it looks as if, by the looks of it, it is our economy that is at the bottom of the lake.
People keep asking me: Well, this President keeps talking about America First, but who is actually first? Republicans ran on putting American families first, but too often the folks who are benefiting from these tax breaks, from these cuts, from these backroom deals happening with the administration are people who already have the most.
The folks who are asking me about what Republicans are doing are concerned about their SNAP benefits, housing assistance, and Medicaid. In my district, 400,000 of my constituents are enrolled in Medicaid. They are concerned.
The working class is being disrespected every single day, and they are tired of the propaganda coming from this administration, telling them that what they are experiencing is not real.
Then they also ask about Republicans. They say: Well, how come Republicans aren't standing up to Trump? What are they doing?
That is also a question that I have, wondering is there a backbone in the Republican Party. We should ask that, really, of Senators Cornyn and Cassidy: At what point does loyalty to the country become more important than loyalty to one man?
Congress is supposed to be a check on the executive branch, not a cheer squad for it. They ask about this Russell Vought guy: Who is this guy, and why does he still have a job? I don't know, but I am working on it is what I tell them. I have introduced Articles of Impeachment against OMB Director Russell Vought after the administration admitted in court that Federal funding was terminated based on political criteria. If a State voted for Kamala Harris or voted with Democrats, they were on the short list for cuts.
We are talking about Federal dollars that belong to the American people, not to the President or his political allies. When an administration uses government funding to punish a State because of how their residents voted, that is not governance; that is an abuse of power.
They have been asking about healthcare. They want to know: Why is it that we have a President who can find money for spectacle, while Republicans tell families there isn't enough money to protect their healthcare when we have an endless, unnecessary war costing $2 billion a day, and Republicans cannot find money to pay for healthcare.
They also want to ask about the President's health. They want to know: Is he healthy? That is because what they see on the television doesn't look healthy.
Then they remind me how every week during the Biden administration, Republicans were whining about Joe Biden's health, but that was a President who was awake. Joe Biden wasn't sleeping in meetings in the Oval Office. Joe Biden wasn't putting a whole bunch of concealer and foundation on his hand to cover up blotches.
It has been radio silence from the Republicans on the health of this President. They want to know if he is in cognitive decline, and the transparency of the President's health is vitally important and a valid question to ask.
People have been asking about Venezuela and why this administration is stealing their oil. The American public deserves to know what our government is doing overseas and why.
They have asked me: How can this administration kidnap a sitting President, steal a country's oil, and then enslave the people in that country just to get rich for themselves, and how do they think this is okay? There are no answers.
When we are in our hearings asking Cabinet members these questions, they
My district, my city, is also asking about immigration and why this country is sanctioning terror in the streets.
We had a bipartisan immigration reform bill that this current President tanked, and we still need immigration reform. We need an immigration system that is secure, that is orderly, that is humane, and that is functional. Terrorizing community members in the streets is none of those things.
When workers are hiding in their homes, afraid to go to work and afraid to get their children to the doctor, then our communities suffer, our neighborhoods suffer, and our economies suffer. All of those things are at the hands of this administration and this President.
I was in my district. It was over 100 degrees for a couple of weeks during the month of August in Los Angeles. So people are asking about that: Why is it so hot? What is this administration doing about climate change?
What they are doing is unleashing fossil fuels and giving permits to anybody who has the cash to buy one, damaging our natural land, drilling, and taking the climate with us. Ultimately, the people in my district are asking about themselves, which is what they should be doing. They want to know why this administration is not helping them with jobs, with student debt, with healthcare, and with a trustworthy and credible government with an agenda that is forward-thinking and actually is centered around them.
That is because my constituents are showing up every day. They are working, they are hustling, and they are making ends meet. They are doing their part for this government and this economy, and they are wondering why this administration, why this President, is not showing up for them and why they are getting the short end of the stick.
The Black Caucus has been showing up. I have been showing up. I wish my Republican colleagues would do the same. That is because fighting for a healthcare system that works for all; for an economy that is just; for an education system that is funded, just, and in every community across this country; and for an economy that supports growing jobs, supporting small businesses, and re-creating the vibrancy that each of our districts deserves should be the priority of this President and this administration. It should not be trying to find another way to host another spectacle or distraction at the expense of the American people.
Mr. Speaker, I want to comment on Canada for 1 minute since Representative Kamlager-Dove talked about Venezuelan oil and part of why I guess we are fighting this war in Iran is to get oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
Mr. Speaker, do you know where two-thirds of the crude oil that the United States uses for gasoline and energy comes from? It is from Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ivey).
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Virginia for yielding and giving me an opportunity to speak today in this august Chamber. I also thank the Congressional Black Caucus for the outstanding leadership that is shown on these issues, such as the March on Washington last Friday, and continues to do so as we move toward the elections in November.
I rise today because over the past month, really over the past 18 months, but in particular the last month, I have heard so much from my constituents about their struggles to keep their heads above water and the struggles with affordability across the board. We have heard a lot about that today. I have to mention some, but I will go back to some other topics, other aspects of that, as well.
The gas prices are hitting everybody. There is no question about it. In my district here in Maryland, gas is $1 a gallon higher than it was just 8 months ago.
That has meaning for people who drive for a living. I ran into a guy who is an Uber driver. In fact, he was driving me somewhere. I asked him about this, and he said: It is killing me, and it makes it almost so that it is not even worth doing this.
That is because he spends so much of what he makes putting gas in the car.
I can sympathize with that. At the gas station just a few days ago, it almost cost $80 to fill up my car, and I don't drive a really big SUV, but it still costs that much. Other people who have to drive for a living, people who drive trucks, the cost of diesel, for example--I don't have many farmers in my district, but for them, diesel is up $2 a gallon. You know that is hurting them, Mr. Speaker. That is passed on and leads to higher grocery prices that my constituents are seeing in the grocery store, too.
Schoolbuses are back for schools in most places across the country, and most of those run on diesel fuel. Guess who is going to end up paying for that, Mr. Speaker. It is the taxpayers. Their bills are going to go up.
We have hundreds of schoolbuses in my district. We have 136,000 kids who go to public school in Prince George's County. Many of them need the schoolbus to get there. That is true for the other counties surrounding the D.C. area and across the country. It is going to lead to millions of dollars in cost increases, which were not expected when they set their budgets last year in paying for these schoolbus costs that have gone up.
I also had a real tough stretch with government employees in my district. We know that. The Trump administration attacked the government employees from the beginning, forcing them out. I have many people in my district who answered the call to service and focused their careers on serving in the government, just like many of my colleagues here and just like the staff that does such outstanding work here in the House of Representatives, in the Capitol, and in the Federal Government across the board.
Most of them aren't doing this because it is paying the big dollars because it doesn't. Most of them are doing it because they really enjoy serving the country. Most of them were doing it because they knew it was important and needed.
I had a couple of constituents--this happened a little while ago--and one of them worked at NIH doing clinical trials for Alzheimer's. She had a Ph.D. and a specialty degree, and she had been working on this for years. They forced her out and shut down the clinical trial.
Now, clinical trials are not light switches. You can't bring somebody back in a little bit later and just start from where you left off. You have to start from scratch.
We heard last week about the amazing discovery with respect to pancreatic cancer and how there is a new drug that might really lead to cures for pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly cancers out there. I am a cancer survivor, so I pay very close attention to these kinds of things. That would have been derailed if that clinical trial had been shut down like this one had been. Fortunately, that was a private sector clinical trial that was being run there. Anything on the public sector side was in trouble.
I ran into another individual, a mechanical engineer, and he worked for the Federal Government. His job was to make sure that pacemakers and other medical devices were working before they were given to patients in surgery, to help keep them alive. Wouldn't it be nice to be sure that we had people there making sure that these products actually work the way that they were supposed to? He got fired. He got pushed out of the government.
We have grocery costs. I mentioned that a minute ago, but I want to come back to that because the tariffs have been awful in the impact that they have had on grocery prices.
In my area, hamburger--I am not talking T-bone steak; I am talking hamburger--$7 a pound and up? That is where it is. We have other costs going up, too. Milk is about $4.30 a gallon on average across the country. I am old enough to recall when they cost just a fraction of that. We used to get hamburger because it was cheap. When I was back in school, you could afford to get it. It is $7 a pound now. That is because the tariffs have caused grocery prices and other prices across the board to go up for no reason.
One of my colleagues mentioned earlier that the Trump administration and many of my Republican colleagues are telling you it is not the consumers that are paying these tariffs; it is the foreign countries that the goods come from.
Here is how you know that is not true. Remember a couple of months ago when the Supreme Court said that the Trump tariffs were illegal and had to be refunded? The Trump administration set up a program to refund the money. Guess who is getting the money? Not China, not Russia, but major corporations across the country. The Walmarts, the Targets, and those kind of folks are getting the money. Small businesses, like the one in my district that sells its product internationally and buys products internationally to make their product, can't get a refund. They are not eligible. Under the program that the Trump administration set up, small businesses are not eligible to get refunds. For consumers, who also paid these tariffs, taxes, and higher prices, there is nothing out there for them to get the money back that they paid that the Supreme Court said was illegal.
I want to move on real quick and touch on a topic we haven't said much about, and that is the impact on small businesses that the Trump administration has had. We had a hearing a few months ago, and the SBA Administrator came in. She is the head of the SBA. I asked her a couple of questions. One of the things we have seen in the first year and a half is that more than 60 percent of Federal Government contracts for small businesses have been terminated across the country.
Small business is supposed to be the engine that drives the economy. Small businesses are where we get the new jobs that people need in their communities. Small businesses are the places that train young folks to help them become productive, economic citizens.
They are wiping those jobs out. They call it termination for convenience. What that means is they don't terminate it for cause. They don't terminate it because you did something wrong. They terminate it because they want to, and they can't give a good reason to explain it.
Now, the impact on, for example, disabled veteran-owned small businesses, 6,435 of their contracts were terminated for convenience. That is 41 percent. Black-owned businesses, 3,208 contracts were terminated for convenience. That is 107 percent more than were terminated under the Biden administration. The same kind of thing has happened for other types of small businesses. I asked the small business administrator: What is going on with this? She said, well, we terminate some of these for fraud. Well, as I mentioned a minute ago, if it had been fraud, they would have terminated it for cause because you are breaking the law, and they would have referred it to the Department of Justice for prosecution.
I asked her how many of these she sent to the Department of Justice for prosecution, and how many of those have led to indictments. She didn't have an answer for that. Guess what. I think the answer is zero.
We know for sure that it is not about that. It is just about helping the bigger businesses, the ones that are already the billionaires, the ones that are already making lots of money, the ones that make huge contributions to the Trump administration and the families--huge contributions, I mean billions of dollars in cryptocurrency and the like. That is where it is going.
I won't get into the accountability piece. We will have to save that for another day because the selling of pardons is something like what would have made Richard Nixon pale.
Real quick, let me end up with this: The cost to people in my district, just like people across the country, people who are struggling, people who have done the right things, people who have worked every day of their lives, it is killing them. It really is. They are having to choose--winter is coming. Many of them are going to have to choose between heating and eating because these electric bills are going through the roof. Many of them are going to have trouble paying the rent. Many of them, if they have kids like me, are having trouble finding the money they can pull together to pay these skyrocketing mortgage interest rates as they continue to climb.
Inflation is going up. Interest rates are going up. Everything is going up, and this administration is not helping to bring it down. In fact, this administration, the Trump administration, and my Republican colleagues, unfortunately, are one of the key reasons all of it is going up, and they won't do anything to help you all. You American folks out there who sent us here to help you, they are pushing your heads under water.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for putting this together. I also want to say this: The reckoning can come in November. When you look at those prices, remember to vote. When you look at that gas pump and what it costs, remember to vote. When you pay that rent, when you can't afford your healthcare, remember to vote in November.
Mr. Speaker, I told you my parents grew up during the Great Depression. They both shared stories of what it was like to go hungry. Children can't learn when they are hungry. People can't work when they are hungry.
In 1939, as a pilot program to address record numbers of the hungry, Congress passed the SNAP program. On this very day in 1964, that program was made permanent to help alleviate the causes of hunger and keep vulnerable populations fed.
Before the big ugly law took effect, about half of SNAP recipients were children. About 4.2 million Americans have lost their SNAP benefits, about half of them children.
I visited central Virginia's largest food relief organization, Feed More, to find out what that meant in Virginia. Over 100,000 Virginians have lost their food benefits because of the big ugly law. That is increasing food insecurity and the demand for Feed More's services.
That is not the only thing. I did a farm tour, and the farmers told me how extreme weather is affecting the yield of their crops, that the tariffs are raising the costs of all of their inputs, and that the reciprocal tariffs and this trade war are eliminating markets for their services. Over 90 percent of the farms in Virginia, including in my district, are small, family-owned farms or individual-owned farms. Many of them get their health insurance through the exchange, and many of them have lost their enhanced premium tax credits.
There are a wide variety of reasons why Feed More said basically the demand for their services is skyrocketing and the resources available to feed people are diminishing.
I couldn't help but think about when shortly after Speaker Johnson became Speaker, he said, I believe in a FOX News interview, that if you wanted to know his political views, read the Bible.
Mr. Speaker, I have read all of it. And over the past year, there is one verse, really two, but I am going to focus on one that I had been repeating over and over in my mind in the 26-and-a-half hour hearing in Energy and Commerce, in the over 24 hours that we debated that bill on this floor last year, then traveling around Virginia to talk to people about the impact they feared, and now, a year later, I am talking to people about the impact they are seeing.
That verse is Matthew 25:34-45. Jesus is basically talking about the righteous and the blessed who will take their inheritance in the kingdom prepared since the creation of the world.
The King will say to them, the blessed when they arrive: I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me.
The righteous will answer him: Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go and visit you.
The King will reply: Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me, not the billionaire, not the trillionaire, the least of these.
Then he will say to those on his left: Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I was hungry
They will answer: When did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick and in prison and not help you?
He will reply: Truly, I tell you, whatever you do not do for the least of these, you do not do for me.
The American people are demanding that we be righteous in this moment and that we feed the hungry. We care for the sick. We house the homeless. We welcome the stranger, because ultimately, we must love our neighbor.
Mr. Speaker, I talked to my neighbors across the Fourth District. I talked to my neighbors across Virginia, and they are hurting. We need to do something to help them. That is what the Congressional Black Caucus will fight for every single day, because when America catches a cold, Black America gets pneumonia and, frankly, we are sick of it.
Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.
The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 9 o'clock and 3 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 11 a.m.
