[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 189 (Tuesday, December 6, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H8763-H8773]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                VETERAN SERVICE RECOGNITION ACT OF 2022

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1508, I call 
up the bill (H.R. 7946) to provide benefits for noncitizen members of 
the Armed Forces, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate 
consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1508, the 
amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on 
the Judiciary, printed in the bill, is adopted and the bill, as 
amended, is considered read.
  The text of the bill, as amended, is as follows:

                               H.R. 7946

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Veteran Service Recognition 
     Act of 2022''.

     SEC. 2. STUDY AND REPORT ON NONCITIZEN VETERANS REMOVED FROM 
                   THE UNITED STATES.

       (a) Study Required.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs shall jointly carry out a study on noncitizen 
     veterans and noncitizen former members of the Armed Forces 
     who were removed from the United States during the period 
     beginning on January 1, 1990, and ending on the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, which shall include the following:
       (1) The number of noncitizens removed by U.S. Immigration 
     and Customs Enforcement or the Immigration and Naturalization 
     Service during the period covered by the report who served in 
     the Armed Forces for an aggregate period of more than 180 
     days.
       (2) For each noncitizen described in paragraph (1)--
       (A) the country of nationality or last habitual residence 
     of the noncitizen;
       (B) the total length of time the noncitizen served as a 
     member of the Armed Forces;
       (C) each ground on which the noncitizen was ordered removed 
     under section 237(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
     (8 U.S.C. 1227(a)) or section 212(a) of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)), as applicable; and
       (D) whether the noncitizen appealed the removal order to 
     the Board of Immigration Appeals.
       (3) Each of the following enumerations:
       (A) The number of noncitizens described in paragraph (1) 
     who were discharged or released from service under honorable 
     conditions.
       (B) The number of noncitizens described in paragraph (1) 
     who were discharged or released from service under other than 
     honorable conditions.
       (C) The number of noncitizens described in paragraph (1) 
     who were deployed overseas.
       (D) The number of noncitizens described in paragraph (1) 
     who served on active duty in the Armed Forces in an overseas 
     contingency operation.
       (E) The number of noncitizens described in paragraph (1) 
     who were awarded decorations or medals.
       (F) The number of noncitizens described in paragraph (1) 
     who applied for benefits under laws administered by the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
       (G) The number of noncitizens described in paragraph (1) 
     who receive benefits described in subparagraph (F).
       (4) A description of the reasons preventing any of the 
     noncitizens who applied for benefits described in paragraph 
     (3)(F) from receiving such benefits.
       (b) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
     completion of the study required under subsection (a), the 
     Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit a 
     report containing the results of such study to the 
     appropriate congressional committees.

     SEC. 3. INFORMATION SYSTEM ON VETERANS SUBJECT TO REMOVAL.

       (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security shall create--
       (1) a protocol for identifying noncitizens who are or may 
     be veterans; and
       (2) a system for maintaining information about noncitizen 
     veterans identified pursuant to the protocol created under 
     paragraph (1) and information provided by the Under Secretary 
     of Defense for Personnel and Readiness under section 4(d).
       (b) Information Sharing.--The system shall be shared across 
     all components of the Department of Homeland Security, 
     including Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Office of 
     the Principal Legal Advisor, Homeland Security 
     Investigations, and the Military Family Immigration Advisory 
     Committee.
       (c) Consideration of Veteran Status.--The Secretary of 
     Homeland Security shall ensure that, in the case of any 
     noncitizen veteran who is potentially removable, and in any 
     removal proceeding against such a noncitizen veteran, 
     information available under this system is taken into 
     consideration, including for purposes of any adjudication on 
     the immigration status of such veteran.
       (d) Use of System Required.--The Secretary of Homeland 
     Security may not initiate removal proceedings against an 
     individual prior to using the system established under 
     subsection (a) to attempt to determine whether the individual 
     is a veteran. If the Secretary of Homeland Security 
     determines that such an individual is or may be a veteran, 
     the Secretary shall notify the Military Family Immigration 
     Advisory Committee concurrently upon initiating removal 
     proceedings against such individual.
       (e) Training.--Beginning in the first fiscal year that 
     begins after the Secretary of Homeland Security completes the 
     requirements under subsection (a), personnel of U.S. 
     Immigration and Customs Enforcement shall participate, on an 
     annual basis, in a training on the protocol developed under 
     this section.

     SEC. 4. MILITARY FAMILY IMMIGRATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

       (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security shall establish an advisory committee, to be known 
     as the ``Military Family Immigration Advisory Committee'', to 
     provide recommendations to the Secretary of Homeland Security 
     on the exercise of discretion in any case involving removal 
     proceedings for--
       (1) a member of the Armed Forces;
       (2) a veteran; or
       (3) a covered family member.
       (b) Membership.--The Advisory Committee shall be composed 
     of 9 members, appointed by the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security.
       (c) Case Reviews.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the Advisory 
     Committee identifies or is notified about the case of an 
     individual described in subsection (a), the Advisory 
     Committee shall meet to review the case and to provide a 
     written recommendation to the Secretary of Homeland Security 
     on whether--
       (A) an exercise of discretion is warranted, including--
       (i) termination of removal proceedings;
       (ii) parole;
       (iii) deferred action;
       (iv) a stay of removal;
       (v) administrative closure; or
       (vi) authorization to apply for any other form of relief; 
     or
       (B) to continue seeking the removal of such individual.
       (2) Submission of information.--An individual who is the 
     subject of a case review under paragraph (1) may submit 
     information to the Advisory Committee, and the Advisory 
     Committee shall consider such information.
       (3) Procedures.--In conducting each case review under 
     paragraph (1), the Advisory Committee shall consider, as 
     factors weighing in favor of a recommendation under paragraph 
     (1)(A)--
       (A) with respect to a member of the Armed Forces, whether 
     the individual--
       (i) was an enlisted member or officer of the Armed Forces;
       (ii) received a medal or decoration, was deployed, or was 
     otherwise evaluated for merit in service during his or her 
     service in the Armed Forces;
       (iii) is a national of a country that prohibits 
     repatriation of an individual after any service in the Armed 
     Forces; or
       (iv) contributed to his or her local community during his 
     or her service in the Armed Forces;
       (B) with respect to a veteran, whether the individual--
       (i) was an enlisted member or officer of the Armed Forces;
       (ii) completed a period of service in the Armed Forces and 
     was discharged under conditions other than dishonorable;
       (iii) received a medal or decoration, was deployed, or was 
     otherwise evaluated for merit in service during his or her 
     service in the Armed Forces;
       (iv) is a national of a country that prohibits repatriation 
     of an individual after any service in the Armed Forces of 
     another country; or
       (v) contributed to his or her local community during or 
     after his or her service in the Armed Forces; and
       (C) with respect to a covered family member, whether the 
     individual--
       (i) supported a member of the Armed Forces serving on 
     active duty or a veteran, including through financial 
     support, emotional support, or caregiving; or
       (ii) contributed to his or her local community during or 
     after the military service of the member or of the veteran.

[[Page H8764]]

       (4) Precluding factor.--In conducting each case review 
     under paragraph (1), the Advisory Committee shall consider, 
     as a factor requiring a recommendation under paragraph 
     (1)(B), whether the member of the Armed Forces, veteran, or 
     covered family member has been convicted of 5 offenses for 
     driving while intoxicated (including a conviction under the 
     influence of or impaired by alcohol or drugs), unless the 
     conviction is older than 25 years.
       (d) Briefings on Noncitizen Veterans.--The Under Secretary 
     of Defense for Personnel and Readiness shall provide detailed 
     briefings to the Advisory Committee regarding the service of 
     a noncitizen veteran when that individual's case is being 
     considered by the Advisory Committee.
       (e) Briefings on Actions in Response to Recommendations.--
     Not less frequently than quarterly, the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security shall provide detailed briefings to the Advisory 
     Committee regarding actions taken in response to the 
     recommendations of the Advisory Committee, including detailed 
     explanations for any cases in which a recommendation of the 
     Advisory Committee was not followed.
       (f) Transfer of Case Files.--For any individual with 
     respect to whom the Advisory Committee is conducting a case 
     review under this section, the Secretary of Defense and 
     Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide to the Advisory 
     Committee a copy of any available record pertaining to that 
     individual, including such individual's alien file, that is 
     relevant to the case review.
       (g) Limitation on Removal.--Notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law, an individual described in subsection (a) 
     may not be ordered removed until the Advisory Committee has 
     provided a recommendation with respect to that individual to 
     the Secretary of Homeland Security.
       (h) Limitation on Eligibility for Case Review.--An 
     individual who is inadmissible based on a conviction of an 
     aggravated felony described in subparagraph (A) of section 
     101(a)(43) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
     1101(a)(43)) shall be ineligible for a case review under this 
     section.

     SEC. 5. PROGRAM OF CITIZENSHIP THROUGH MILITARY SERVICE.

       (a) In General.--
       (1) Program established.--The Secretary of Homeland 
     Security, acting through the Director of U.S. Citizenship and 
     Immigration Services, and in coordination with the Secretary 
     of Defense, shall jointly implement a program to ensure 
     that--
       (A) each eligible noncitizen is afforded the opportunity to 
     file an application for naturalization at any point on or 
     after the first day of service on active duty or first day of 
     service as a member of the Selected Reserve pursuant to 
     section 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
     1440); and
       (B) the duly authenticated certification (or any other 
     successor form) required under section 329(b)(3) of the 
     Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1140(b)(3)) is 
     issued to each noncitizen not later than 30 days after the 
     individual makes a request for such certification.
       (2) Eligible noncitizen.--For purposes of this subsection, 
     the term ``eligible noncitizen'' means a noncitizen who 
     serves or has served in the Armed Forces of the United States 
     during any period that the President by Executive order 
     designates as a period during which the Armed Forces of the 
     United States are or were engaged in military operations 
     involving armed conflict with a hostile foreign force.
       (b) JAG Training.--The Secretary of Defense shall ensure 
     that appropriate members of the Judge Advocate General Corps 
     of each Armed Force receive training to function as liaisons 
     with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services with respect 
     to applications for citizenship of noncitizen members of the 
     Armed Forces.
       (c) Training for Recruiters.--The Secretary of Defense 
     shall ensure that all recruiters in the Armed Forces receive 
     training regarding--
       (1) the steps required for a noncitizen member of the Armed 
     Forces to receive citizenship;
       (2) limitations on the path to citizenship for family 
     members of such individuals; and
       (3) points of contact at the Department of Homeland 
     Security to resolve emergency immigration-related situations 
     with respect to such individuals and their family members.
       (d) Annual Reports.--The Secretary of each military 
     department shall annually submit to the appropriate 
     congressional committees a report on the number of all 
     noncitizens who enlisted or were appointed in the military 
     department concerned, all members of the Armed Forces in 
     their department who naturalized, and all members of the 
     Armed Forces in their department who were discharged or 
     released without United States citizenship under the 
     jurisdiction of such Secretary during the preceding year.
       (e) Further Facilitation Naturalization for Military 
     Personnel in Contingency Operations.--Any person who has 
     served honorably as a member of the Armed Forces of the 
     United States in support of a contingency operation (as 
     defined in section 101(a)(13) of title 10, United States 
     Code), and who, if separated from the Armed Forces, was 
     separated under honorable conditions, may be naturalized as 
     provided in section 329 of the Immigration and Nationality 
     Act (8 U.S.C. 1440) as though the person had served during a 
     period designated by the President under such section.
       (f) Naturalization Through Service in the Armed Forces of 
     the United States.--Section 328 of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1439) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``six months'' and 
     inserting ``one year''; and
       (2) in subsection (d), by striking ``six months'' and 
     inserting ``one year''.

     SEC. 6. INFORMATION FOR MILITARY RECRUITS REGARDING 
                   NATURALIZATION THROUGH SERVICE IN THE ARMED 
                   FORCES.

       The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security, shall ensure that there is 
     stationed or employed at each Military Entrance Processing 
     Station--
       (1) an employee of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 
     Services; or
       (2) in the case that the Secretary determines that it is 
     impracticable to station or employ a person described in 
     paragraph (1) at a Military Entrance Processing Station, a 
     member of the Armed Forces or an employee of the Department 
     of Defense--
       (A) whom the Secretary determines is trained in the 
     immigration laws; and
       (B) who shall inform each military recruit who is not a 
     citizen of the United States processed at such Military 
     Entrance Processing Station regarding naturalization through 
     service in the Armed Forces under sections 328 and 329 of the 
     Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1439-1440).

     SEC. 7. RETURN OF ELIGIBLE VETERANS REMOVED FROM THE UNITED 
                   STATES; ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS.

       (a) Eligible Veterans.--In the case of a noncitizen who has 
     been issued a final order of removal, the Secretary of 
     Homeland Security, may, notwithstanding such order of 
     removal, adjust that noncitizen's status to that of an alien 
     lawfully admitted for permanent residence, or admit such 
     noncitizen for lawful permanent residence if the Secretary 
     determines that such noncitizen is a veteran and, consistent 
     with subsection (b), is not inadmissible.
       (b) Waiver.--
       (1) Authority.--In the case of a noncitizen veteran 
     described in subsection (a), the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security may waive any applicable ground of inadmissibility 
     under section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
     (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)) (other than paragraphs (3) and (2)(H) of 
     such section 212(a), a finding of inadmissibility under 
     paragraph (2)(A) based on a conviction of an aggravated 
     felony described in subparagraph (A), (I), or (K) of section 
     101(a)(43) (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(43)), or 5 convictions for 
     driving while intoxicated (including a conviction for driving 
     while under the influence of or imparied by alcohol or drugs) 
     unless the conviction is older than 25 years, if the 
     Secretary determines that it is in the public interest.
       (2) Public interest considerations.--In determining whether 
     a waiver described in paragraph (1) is in the public 
     interest, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall consider 
     factors including the noncitizen's service in the Armed 
     Forces, and the recency and severity of any offense or 
     conduct that forms the basis of a finding of inadmissibility 
     under section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
     (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)).
       (c) Procedures.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security 
     shall, by rule, establish procedures to carry out this 
     section.
       (d) No Numerical Limitations.--Individuals who are granted 
     lawful permanent residence under this section shall not be 
     subject to the numerical limitations under section 201, 202, 
     or 203 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1151, 
     1152, or 1153).
       (e) Clarification.--If a noncitizen veteran's status is 
     adjusted under this section to that of an alien lawfully 
     admitted for permanent residence, or if such noncitizen is 
     lawfully admitted for permanent residence, such adjustment or 
     admission shall create a presumption that the noncitizen has 
     established good moral character under paragraphs (1) through 
     (8) of section 101(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
     (8 U.S.C. 1101(f)).
       (f) Limitation on Removal.--
       (1) In general.--A noncitizen who appears to be prima facie 
     eligible for lawful permanent resident status under this 
     section shall be given a reasonable opportunity to apply for 
     such status. Such noncitizen shall not be removed from the 
     United States until a final administrative decision 
     establishing ineligibility for such status is rendered.
       (2) Effect of final order.--A noncitizen present in the 
     United States who has been ordered removed or has been 
     permitted to depart voluntarily from the United States may, 
     notwithstanding such order or permission to depart, apply for 
     lawful permanent resident status under this section. Such 
     noncitizen shall not be required to file a separate motion to 
     reopen, reconsider, or vacate the order of removal. If the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security approves the application, the 
     Secretary shall notify the Attorney General of such approval, 
     and the Attorney General shall cancel the order of removal. 
     If the Secretary renders a final administrative decision to 
     deny the application, the order of removal or permission to 
     depart shall be effective and enforceable to the same extent 
     as if the application had not been made, only after all 
     available administrative and judicial remedies have been 
     exhausted.

     SEC. 8. ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS FOR CERTAIN IMMEDIATE RELATIVES 
                   OF UNITED STATES CITIZEN SERVICE MEMBERS OR 
                   VETERANS.

       (a) In General.--For purposes of an application for 
     adjustment of status pursuant to an approved petition for 
     classification under section 204(a)(1)(A) of the Immigration 
     and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1154(a)(1)(A)), an alien 
     described in subsection (b)--
       (1) is be deemed to have been inspected and admitted into 
     the United States; and
       (2) shall not be subject to paragraphs (6)(A), (6)(C), 
     (7)(A), and (9) of section 212(a) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 
     1182(a)).
       (b) Alien Described.--An alien is described in subsection 
     (a) if the alien is the beneficiary of an approved petition 
     for classification under section 204(a)(1)(A) of the 
     Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1154(a)(1)(A)) as 
     an immediate relative (as defined in section

[[Page H8765]]

     201(b)(2)(A)(i) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1151(b)(2)(A)(i))) of a 
     citizen of the United States who--
       (1) served, for a minimum of 2 years, on active duty in the 
     Armed Forces or in a reserve component of the United States 
     Armed Forces; and
       (2) if discharged or released from service in the Armed 
     Forces, was discharged or released under honorable 
     conditions.

     SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Advisory committee.--The term ``Advisory Committee'' 
     means the Military Family Immigration Advisory Committee 
     established pursuant to section 4.
       (2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
     ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
       (B) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
     Affairs of the Senate;
       (C) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate;
       (D) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate;
       (E) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
     Representatives;
       (F) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 
     Representatives;
       (G) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (H) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (3) Armed forces.--The term ``Armed Forces'' has the 
     meaning given the term ``armed forces'' in section 101 of 
     title 10, United States Code.
       (4) Covered family member.--The term ``covered family 
     member'' means the noncitizen spouse or noncitizen child of--
       (A) a member of the Armed Forces; or
       (B) a veteran.
       (5) Immigration laws.--The term ``immigration laws'' has 
     the meaning given that term in section 101 of the Immigration 
     and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101).
       (6) Noncitizen.--The term ``noncitizen'' means an 
     individual who is not a citizen or national of the United 
     States (as defined in section 101(a) of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a))).
       (7) Veteran.--The term ``veteran'' has the meaning given 
     such term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill, as amended, shall be debatable for 
1 hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority 
member of the Committee on the Judiciary or their respective designees.
  After 1 hour of debate, it shall be in order to consider the further 
amendment printed in part C of House Report 117-590, if offered by the 
Member designated in the report, which shall be considered read, shall 
be separately debatable for the time specified in the report equally 
divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, and shall not 
be subject to a demand for a division of the question.
  The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren) and the gentleman from 
California (Mr. McClintock) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren).


                             General Leave

  Ms. LOFGREN. 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. 7946.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren)?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, today, this House will pass H.R. 7946, the Veteran 
Service Recognition Act 2022. This is a bill that recognizes and honors 
the commitment and sacrifices of our noncitizen servicemembers and 
veterans.
  Noncitizens have served in our military in every conflict since the 
Revolutionary War. In tribute to their patriotism, our laws offer 
noncitizen servicemembers an expedited pathway to citizenship.
  Unfortunately, this expedited path is not always known to the 
servicemembers themselves; sometimes there is confusion or lack of 
information. Not every legal permanent resident who could avail 
themselves of this opportunity has, in fact, done so; and we have found 
instances where servicemembers believed that just by serving they had 
become a United States citizen. Our bill does have some measures to 
make sure that that information is better communicated in the future 
and there is less confusion.
  However--and unfortunately--the complexity of the current immigration 
system puts some unnecessary roadblocks to naturalization but also can 
have a terrible impact on veterans who have not availed themselves of 
the opportunity.
  The traumas of war can have terrible effects on our veterans. 
Individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder are far more 
likely to become entangled with the criminal justice system. When that 
happens, citizens merely avail themselves of the criminal justice 
system. For example, if they are arrested for drug possession, they 
might serve time in the county jail, and when they are released, they 
have paid their debt to society. But noncitizens who are in the same 
situation--people who fought for our country--might serve their jail 
time for drug possession, but then they also face immigration court 
because a crime that might lead to relatively minor consequences for a 
U.S. citizen could lead to deportation of a noncitizen veteran.
  Now, noncitizen veterans' service records are meant to be considered 
during removal proceedings, but such consideration rarely occurs. 
Consequently, veterans who earned the right to citizenship decades ago 
have been deported.
  H.R. 7946 corrects this problem by giving deported veterans the 
opportunity to apply for a second chance and obtain lawful permanent 
residency. Relief under this bill is discretionary--available only to 
those veterans whose return is in the public interest.
  Additionally, the bill creates a review process for servicemembers in 
removal proceedings to ensure that their service records are taken into 
account by immigration judges. It has an advisory council to examine at 
length the veteran's record to see whether or not he or she was 
suffering from PTSD and the like. The information can then be given to 
the immigration judge, but the immigration judge retains the authority 
to make the decision.
  The legislation, as I mentioned earlier, makes needed changes to 
current laws to allow servicemembers to naturalize as early as 
possible, and we believe these changes will ensure that future veterans 
will not be at risk of deportation.
  Finally, H.R. 7946 codifies the current Parole in Place for the 
immediate relatives of U.S. citizen servicemembers and veterans, making 
permanent an administrative program that began in 2007 under then-
President George W. Bush. At the time, we had come across instances 
where an American soldier was killed in action, but his mother was 
subject to deportation, and that mother who was sent outside of the 
country could not even visit the grave of her deceased military son.
  George Bush sought to change that. We have kept that change in place 
ever since, and this would codify it.
  This bill is supported by numerous advocacy, labor, and veterans' 
groups, including The American Legion, the Nation's largest veterans 
service organization. We made a commitment to our noncitizen 
servicemembers when they joined our Armed Forces, and our laws really 
should reflect that commitment.
  I am proud to have worked alongside my colleagues, Chairman Nadler, 
as well as Chairman Takano, and I would like to mention specifically 
other members of our caucus who introduced bills on this subject--they 
were all collected into this final product--including Congressman 
Correa, Congressman Ruiz, Congressman Vargas, Congressman Grijalva, and 
several others.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important 
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, DHS Secretary Ali Mayorkas has repeatedly asserted, 
including in sworn testimony to multiple committees of this House, that 
the southern border is secure. This, of course, is a lie, and not even 
a subtle one.

  We know the numbers--a stunning 4.1 million encounters since 
inauguration day, when Joe Biden reversed the Trump administration's 
enforcement measures. In the same period, another 1 million known got-
aways have entered the country while the border patrol has been 
overwhelmed changing diapers and arranging for transportation for 
thousands of illegal crossings each day.
  So how do our Democratic colleagues react to this unprecedented 
illegal immigration they have unleashed?
  Do they call on the Biden administration to stop the releases?

[[Page H8766]]

  Do they call on the President to actually enforce U.S. immigration 
law or at least stop incentivizing this mass illegal immigration?
  No. Instead, they produce this bill, that readmits immigrant veterans 
who were later deported, mainly for committing criminal offenses.
  This needs to be clearly understood. A noncitizen who joins the 
military promising to defend our country, and instead commits crimes 
against the citizens of our country is subject to deportation, and 
rightly so.
  This bill adds a political advisory committee, handpicked by Mr. 
Mayorkas that, in effect, can override our deportation laws, and it 
invites criminal offenders who have already been deported back into our 
country. It presumes they are of good moral character despite their 
criminal offenses simply by producing a green card. This is 
astonishing.
  Let's be very clear, that the vast majority of legal immigrants who 
enlist in our military do so because of patriotism toward our country, 
and they are exemplary citizens and exemplary members of our Armed 
Forces. In recognition of their service, we offer them special avenues 
for naturalization under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
  That is as it should be. About 3 percent of U.S. veterans today are 
foreign-born, and many of them have chosen to become U.S. citizens. But 
that is not what this bill is about. This bill is about the bad apples 
who have been ordered deported for breaking our laws.
  Since its creation in 2002, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 
has naturalized over 148,000 members of the U.S. military.

                              {time}  1315

  If an alien servicemember or veteran is removed from this country, it 
is only after that alien has had their due process in immigration court 
and an immigration judge has issued a final order of removal.
  Alien servicemembers and veterans are also afforded a special process 
upon encounter by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, under 
which, through a totality of the circumstances approach, ICE agents 
determine whether arrest and placement in removal proceedings are the 
appropriate actions to take.
  However, in this bill, the Democrats have decided that an advisory 
committee of people chosen by Secretary Mayorkas is better equipped to 
determine whether an alien's actions warrant removal than a trained ICE 
official.
  Yesterday in the Committee on Rules, the chair of the subcommittee 
even indicated that these random people chosen by the Secretary would 
be better than a trained immigration judge at determining whether an 
alien should be able to stay in the U.S.
  During the Committee on the Judiciary markup, my Republican 
colleagues offered an array of amendments aimed at ensuring alien 
servicemembers, veterans, and their family members who committed 
serious crimes would not be able to benefit from the provisions in this 
bill that prevent removal and allow green cards to be issued.
  We tried to prevent individuals with convictions for things like drug 
trafficking, firearms trafficking, explosives trafficking, perjury, 
domestic violence, obstruction of justice, and even illegal voting from 
being able to benefit from the bill's provisions, but the Democrats 
rejected nearly all such amendments.
  They did reluctantly agree to exclude murderers, rapists, and child 
sex abusers as beneficiaries of this bill. I suppose we can claim some 
progress.
  They couldn't even bring themselves to accept an amendment to 
preclude aliens who have DUI convictions from benefiting from this 
bill. They decided that five DUIs were too many. So, ridiculously, the 
bill allows aliens to have four DUI convictions and still benefit from 
this bill.
  Democrats in committee also opposed an amendment to ensure that alien 
veterans who benefit from the bill were honorably discharged from the 
military. Right now, as the bill stands, it only requires that the 
alien have been discharged under other than honorable conditions.
  Democrats also rejected a Republican amendment that would have given 
the victims of a crime committed by the alien servicemember a say in 
whether or not the alien should face immigration consequences.
  This bill once again lays bare the true objectives of the Democrats. 
First, ignore the 4.1 million illegal aliens encountered by Border 
Patrol and the 1 million got-aways as well, blurring the distinction 
between legal immigrants who obey our laws and the millions of illegal 
immigrants that the Democrats are now happily allowing to stream into 
our country. Then, they introduce bills like this that blur the 
distinction between the many legal immigrants who have honorably served 
in our Nation's Armed Forces and the handful of bad apples who have 
broken our laws and have been ordered deported for doing so.
  This is the woke insanity that grips the Democratic Party today. 
Thank God the voters have just broken their grip on the House of 
Representatives.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 
I will note that the exclusion of those serious offenses was in the 
base bill. We didn't have to be convinced of that. We used the 
definition of ``veterans'' in the veterans code, and veterans who have 
an honorable or a general discharge are eligible for benefits, so that 
is what we used. Dishonorable discharges are not included.
  I will just say this: These are discretionary matters. If you have 
multiple DUIs--let's say you have three DUIs, but they are 25 years 
ago, and you have a completely clean record. You might be able to seek 
administrative review of that matter. That is all this does.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Takano), the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee who has played 
such a key role in this, noting also that the Iraq and Afghanistan 
Veterans of America are supporting this bill and supporting Mr. Takano.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Lofgren for her 
leadership and Chairman Nadler for his staunch support to move my bill, 
the Veteran Service Recognition Act, through committee and to bring it 
to the floor.
  As chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, one of my 
top priorities has been the prevention of undue noncitizen veteran 
deportations.
  Most Americans would be shocked and in disbelief that we have 
deported people who have served in our military, have served in 
uniform, have even been in combat. They would be shocked to learn that 
we have done this, but it is true. We have actually taken American 
heroes who have served in our military and deported them.
  While many would be shocked to learn that veterans who have served 
our country are being subjected to deportations, the number of these 
individuals is unknown because we have not kept adequate records on who 
these people are.
  In 2019, Representative Vargas and I requested that the Government 
Accountability Office evaluate the scope of servicemember and veteran 
deportations and determine the state of and adherence to DHS policies 
on such deportations, DHS' own policies.
  What the GAO found was significant gaps not only in the Federal 
approach to processing potentially removable veterans but also in how 
the government facilitated the naturalization of noncitizen 
servicemembers and veterans.
  I was further dismayed by the additional findings that the number of 
these veterans was not being tracked; deportation often prevented these 
individuals from accessing their VA benefits and services or attending 
hearings to appeal VA decisions; and ICE did not consistently adhere to 
its own policies on removal proceedings involving veterans.

  The GAO report made it abundantly clear that reforms are desperately 
needed across the Federal Government, and that is precisely what my 
bill endeavors to do today.
  Despite being born in a different country, these veterans served in 
the United States for the promise of a better future. They put their 
lives on the line to promote our ideals and values because they believe 
in the American experience.
  Often, these individuals, like many veterans, leave service with 
traumas or

[[Page H8767]]

ailments that impact their physical and mental health. This can lead to 
drug addiction, self-harm, or PTSD, which also can serve as a precursor 
to violence or criminal activity.
  We must recognize these struggles that our veterans face and show 
greater compassion toward those who may have made a mistake, including 
those noncitizen veterans who are facing deportation due to their 
actions.
  I say to you, Mr. Speaker, if there is anyone who deserves a second 
chance in our country, it is people who have worn the uniform of the 
United States of America.
  The Veteran Service Recognition Act creates a pathway for us to 
recognize their service and prevent the undue deportation of 
servicemembers and veterans. The bill achieves this by making the 
naturalization process easier for Active-Duty servicemembers at basic 
training and establishing a military family immigration advisory 
committee to review the record of an individual being considered for 
deportation. This is not an automatic thing. This is about weighing the 
servicemember's record as part of those proceedings.
  What American would deny that we should treat noncitizen veterans 
with fairness and compassion? We want veterans to be able to apply for 
green cards to return home, excluding the most egregious cases, and 
codify an administrative program for immediate family members of 
veterans to also obtain green cards consistent with existing 
administrative policy.
  The number of eligible individuals under this legislation remains a 
very small subset of the veteran population. In fact, estimates are in 
the couple of hundreds.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the 
gentleman.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, for my friends across the aisle, this is an 
opportunity to honor our brave veterans for their heroism, regardless 
of the country they were born in.
  We commemorated Veterans Day last month, and I can think of no better 
way to honor our veterans than voting ``yes'' on the underlying 
legislation. We can and must do better by our immigrant veterans.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Bost).
  Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from California for yielding 
the time for me to speak today.
  I rise in opposition to this legislation. This bill is unnecessary 
and creates additional carve-outs to an already broken immigration 
system.
  Right now, DHS can't even do their job of securing the southern 
border and enforcing current immigration law. Just last month, we saw 
the highest number of got-aways ever at the southern border. That is 
73,000 individuals that evaded Border Patrol.
  DHS agents and staff are overwhelmed and overworked. We should not be 
adding more to their plate when they already struggle to secure the 
border.
  Now, as a veteran, I greatly appreciate those who are willing to 
raise their right hand and swear to protect our Nation and our 
Constitution, and I served with many of them.
  Even though an individual is a veteran, that shouldn't excuse or 
create an excuse for poor judgment or criminal activity, and I fear 
that this bill may encourage just that.
  We already have a pathway for individuals who are serving our country 
in uniform to stay here in the U.S. and become citizens. Instead of 
this bill that we are debating today, we should improve the information 
provided to our servicemembers during the Transition Assistance Program 
on how to upgrade their immigration status. Making improvements to the 
TAP has been and will continue to be a top priority of mine.
  During that time, we could explain to them, once again, how important 
it is to follow the laws and the Constitution, which they fought to 
uphold.
  Next Congress, I plan to be working on the TAP to ensure a smooth 
transition to civilian life for all of our servicemembers, but on this 
bill, I urge a ``no'' vote.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Nadler), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7946, the 
Veteran Service Recognition Act.
  This modest but important legislation would ensure that noncitizen 
Active-Duty military, veterans, and their families are treated with the 
dignity and respect befitting the sacrifice they have given to this 
country.
  While military service can offer an expedited pathway to 
naturalization, many noncitizen servicemembers leave the military 
without becoming a U.S. citizen because of unnecessarily burdensome 
requirements that they must meet.
  Further, many servicemembers have family members who lack lawful 
status in the United States with no ability to adjust their status. As 
a result, while our military personnel are deployed protecting U.S. 
global interests and keeping our Nation safe, they must worry if their 
loved ones will be apprehended in an immigration raid and potentially 
be deported.
  This legislation would address this concern and would protect our 
servicemembers, just as they protect us.
  It would, one, establish an advisory committee to review and provide 
recommendations on the cases of noncitizen veterans, Active 
servicemembers, and their families who are placed in removal 
proceedings.
  Two, it would direct the Department of Homeland Security and the 
Department of Defense to implement the program that allows noncitizen 
servicemembers to file for naturalization during basic training or as 
early as otherwise possible.

  Three, it would provide an opportunity for noncitizen veterans who 
have been removed or ordered removed, and who have not been convicted 
of serious crimes, to be considered for lawful permanent resident 
status.
  Four, it would allow certain immediate relatives of U.S. citizen 
servicemembers or veterans in the United States to adjust their status 
and to obtain a green card as long as they are otherwise admissible.
  Despite the rhetoric that we have already heard from our Republican 
colleagues throughout this debate, I want to make it clear that H.R. 
7946 has nothing to do with the border. This legislation is about 
recognizing and honoring the sacrifice of our servicemembers by 
supporting them and their families and by giving them the opportunity 
to become U.S. citizens if they so desire.
  I thank Chairman Takano of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, as well 
as Chair Zoe Lofgren of the Subcommittee on Immigration and 
Citizenship, for their commitment and leadership on this issue. I was 
honored to join them in introducing the legislation before us today.
  Immigrants have served in our Armed Forces since the founding of our 
Nation. In return for their service and sacrifice, we promised them, 
and they have earned, the opportunity to become American citizens.
  I hope all of my colleagues will demonstrate their commitment to our 
servicemembers and our veterans by supporting this important 
legislation.

                              {time}  1330

  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is correct that the 
legislation emanating from the Judiciary Committee doesn't have 
anything to do with the border because the Democrats, having created 
this monumental crisis, refused to do anything to address it.
  Instead, we are left with bills like this that set distractions on 
the most important question facing America today.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Issa).
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I don't just rise in opposition to this bill, 
and I don't want to appear angry, but as a veteran who served both as 
an enlisted man and as an officer from 1970 until nearly 1990, I know 
what it is like to get an honorable discharge--not once but twice.
  As an officer, I oversaw courts-martial. I know what it takes to get 
a bad conduct discharge. Shame on those who would write a bill and then 
refuse to allow a change that would at least prohibit those who are 
being discharged with bad conduct discharges.
  Let's understand. Other than honorable is a nice term. Dishonorable 
is a

[[Page H8768]]

clear term. If you murder your commanding officer, you get a 
dishonorable discharge. If you just try to, you will probably get a bad 
conduct discharge. If you are caught dealing vast amounts of drugs or 
you are an MS-13 person who lied to get into the military and you have 
gone AWOL, you might even get a general, but you certainly are going to 
get nothing worse than a bad conduct discharge.
  The fact that this bill allows people with a bad conduct discharge, 
people who have been convicted of clear felonies, to gain and retain 
citizenship in the United States is reprehensible.
  Let's understand something else. In times of peace, after 6 months of 
honorable service, you can apply and get your green card and get your 
citizenship. We have people who have served less than 2 years who get 
sworn in as U.S. citizens. So we are not even talking about people who 
wanted to be citizens and at the first opportunity chose to do that.
  We are talking about people who didn't, who, now that they have been 
sent out of the United States--many of them, by the way, after their 
service for other crimes they committed--they now want to be able to 
come back here and be vindicated as though they did something right.
  Military service is, in fact, an honorable event. And those who serve 
honorably, we want to make sure are paid with all of the thank yous, 
including citizenship for themselves and their family. This bill 
doesn't do it.
  For all of us who are veterans, shame on those who would confuse 
honorable service, when, in fact, this bill allows those who have 
committed a felony, bad-conduct-discharged individuals, to retain their 
U.S. opportunity, one which has never been the case and shouldn't be 
the case. If you commit the crimes, you should not be an American--you 
didn't serve honorably.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I would just note, once again, that those 
with dishonorable discharges are not eligible under the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington 
(Ms. Jayapal), a member of the Immigration and Citizenship 
Subcommittee.
  Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Veteran 
Service Recognition Act to stop the deportation of immigrant veterans.
  I thank my colleague, Representative Mark Takano, for bringing this 
important bill forward and our Immigration and Citizenship Subcommittee 
chair, Zoe Lofgren, for her tremendous leadership on this issue.
  Mr. Speaker, immigrants have defended the United States in every 
major conflict since the Revolutionary War. One of the first casualties 
in the Iraq war was Lance Corporal Jose Antonio Gutierrez, who was not 
an American citizen when he died fighting for us. He signed up for the 
Marines, wanting to give back to the country that gave him everything.
  Today, there are 45,000 immigrants serving in the United States armed 
services. Yet, hundreds of immigrant veterans are estimated to have 
been deported.
  Mr. Speaker, this is unacceptable. Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement is supposed to consider veteran service to the country when 
making removal decisions.
  A 2019 GAO study found that ICE attorneys ``. . . did not 
consistently follow its policies involving veterans who were placed in 
removal proceedings . . .'' in part because ICE officials were ``. . . 
unaware of the policies. . . .''
  Mr. Speaker, we can't leave this to chance. Even one deported veteran 
is one too many. Yet, hundreds of immigrant veterans are estimated to 
have been deported.
  When people sign up to defend this country, we should be helping them 
to become U.S. citizens as quickly as possible, and that is exactly 
what this bill does.
  Mr. Speaker, that is why I am so proud to support the Veteran Service 
Recognition Act to take crucial steps to stop the deportation of 
veterans and provide relief to veterans who have already been deported. 
No one who has put their life on the line for the United States should 
be deported. It is that simple, Mr. Speaker.
  Vote ``yes'' to support veterans.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan), the ranking member of the 
Judiciary Committee.
  Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, just a few minutes ago the chairman of the 
Judiciary Committee said--the Democrat chair said--this bill is not 
about the border. That is the problem. That is what we should be 
addressing.
  There have been 4 million illegal migrant encounters since Joe Biden 
has been in office; 1.4 million illegal migrants released into the 
country; 1 million got-aways; and an administration that says the 
border is secure. It is laughable. I don't know how they can say that 
with a straight face.
  Remember this, too. Remember those border agents on horseback? 
Remember those guys doing their job on horseback? This administration 
allowed a lie to fester and grow for months knowing that those guys did 
nothing wrong.

  Yeah, this bill is not about the border. It should be. When are the 
Democrats going to take this issue seriously?
  We have literally gone from a secure border to no border. When are 
they going to take it seriously?
  No, no, they are never going to take it seriously.
  Obviously, over the last 22 months they haven't done anything to 
address it, which leads us to--I think the logical conclusion that any 
American and every American is making is--they are doing this 
intentionally.
  Why? I do not know.
  It has to be intent. It has to be intentional. It has to be 
deliberate. It has to be premeditated because you can't have this kind 
of chaos just happen--and now they bring this bill.
  The bill says veterans who have committed crimes that make them 
deportable aren't going to be deported. It makes no sense to me.
  I hope at some point the Democratic Party will wake up. I hope at 
some point the Biden administration will do what everyone knows needs 
to be done and get our border secure again.
  Maybe it would help--maybe it would be a good first step--maybe a 
good start would be for the President of the United States, who is 
charged with securing our homeland, securing our border, maybe it would 
be a good first step if he went to the border.
  I know the leader of our party has asked him to go. Leader McCarthy 
has asked him to go.
  Why don't they go together and help unify the country maybe?
  Stand up for something that makes sense that we would actually have a 
border. Maybe that would be a first step, instead of bringing bills 
like this and not addressing the fundamental problem.
  A bill that is not about the border--you can say that again because 
this one sure isn't. This one is not going to address the problem that 
every American knows is as real as it gets.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Correa), who has served on the Immigration and 
Citizenship Subcommittee. He served in this Congress. He is the author 
of one of the bills that was included in this bill and has visited with 
deported veterans across the border.
  Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, this is the oath a soldier takes when he is 
joining the military:

       I do swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the 
     Constitution of the United States against all enemies, 
     foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and 
     allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of 
     the President of the United States and the orders of the 
     officers appointed over me.

  Mr. Speaker, follow me here. A soldier takes this oath without any 
reservation, mental or otherwise. He fights for our country, for our 
Nation, he or she is honorably discharged, and is not a citizen.
  Corporal Jose Angel Garibay lived in my district. Jose Angel was the 
first servicemember in Orange County to make the ultimate sacrifice for 
this country in Iraq after 9/11. He took the oath. Yet, he died as a 
noncitizen. He deserved to die as an American citizen.
  And many, many other honorably discharged veterans, are deported, but 
they can come back once they die because they still have the right to 
be buried in a national cemetery.
  Let's pay our debt to our veterans. We ask them to fight, to serve 
our country, to defend our freedom, and our moral obligation is to take 
care of all our veterans. Let's pay our debt to

[[Page H8769]]

our veterans. Let's pass the Veteran Service Recognition Act.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Castro), who has played such a useful role in the crafting 
of these measures.
  Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Veteran 
Service Recognition Act because it is time to bring our deported 
veterans home.
  Five years ago, I led a delegation of lawmakers to meet with a group 
of deported veterans at a support house in Tijuana, Mexico.
  Most of those folks joined the military after 9/11, putting their 
lives on the line to defend American freedom and the freedom of our 
allies thousands of miles away.
  When they enlisted, our Nation gladly accepted their service--and if 
they would have perished on the battlefield, they would have been 
buried as American heroes right here in the United States. When they 
came back home and struggled, they were kicked out of the Nation they 
would have died to protect.
  Mr. Speaker, I represent San Antonio, Texas, known as Military City 
USA. From how I see it, deporting our veterans is one of the worst acts 
of betrayal that our Federal Government can commit.

  The Veteran Service Recognition Act will right the wrong by providing 
an opportunity for deported veterans to apply for permanent residency, 
and it will help current and future servicemembers apply for 
naturalization for themselves and their families.
  This bill is about doing the right thing for those who served. It is 
time to bring our deported veterans back home.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), who is a proud member of the Immigration and 
Citizenship Subcommittee and a long-serving member of the House 
Judiciary Committee.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsor and proponents of 
this legislation. It is so startling, stunning, shocking, absurd to 
even be standing here discussing the deportation of men and women who 
have worn the uniform and have offered to sacrifice their lives for the 
oldest democracy in the world.
  Mr. Speaker, it is clearly an effort that is long overdue, and I am 
stunned by my friends on the other side of the aisle--I have said that 
word, stunned and shocked, that there would be any opposition to this. 
We know that immigrants have served in the United States Armed Forces 
in every major conflict, and there are now 45,000 immigrants serving in 
the armed forces in this country.
  It is important that we fix the gap, the loophole, the calls that are 
gotten when immigrants are deported. This legislation, I am very 
grateful to say, is about fixing this problem.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 7946, that would require or would 
have DHS create and enforce a system for identifying noncitizen 
veterans and require their status as a veteran to be brought into 
consideration in the case of removal proceedings. Their service record 
will also be brought into it. Any of us can believe it, they could be 
heroic, and that doesn't even count in today's scheme.
  It would also require DHS to provide the opportunity for eligible 
noncitizen veterans to be granted lawful permanent residence. 
Identification of their veteran status would halt any removal 
proceedings, and there would be a final administrative decision on the 
veterans' eligibility.

                              {time}  1345

  What I like also about it is that when you come into basic training, 
we can then naturalize these individuals, these servants who have 
offered themselves for training and to be part of this government by 
fighting, by wearing the uniform, by fighting for democracy to become 
citizens.
  The Veteran Service Recognition Act is offered in response to DHS' 
and the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement's failure to 
consistently follow its own policies regarding deportation of those.
  That means that we say on the floor of the House with great 
embarrassment that we have deported men and women who have served in 
uniform; and, yes, we have had challenges with the same kind of--how 
should I say it--detoured roads that our own veterans have had to fall 
to, substance abuse, or other incidences; but they have still worn the 
uniform.
  Our veterans can get into the Veterans Court or get into services; 
but the other veterans, who have the same defaults, if you will, 
because of the conditions of war, have to be deported. That doesn't 
make sense.
  More than 760,000 noncitizens have enlisted over the past century, 
with peaks in world wars and 9/11. There are approximately 45,000 
immigrants, as I said, in active service.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to make sure that my county 
knows that there are 179,000 veterans who live in Harris County, and 
1,567,000 veterans who live in Texas. Some of those are our immigrant 
veterans, and some are not citizens.
  So my point is, here today, that we must find every available way to 
treat them as they treated this Nation: I am willing to die for America 
and America's values.
  Mr. Speaker, I must raise this. Languishing in a Russian prison is a 
veteran, Paul Whelan, with bogus charges, a hostage. Alongside of him 
is Brittney Griner, and it has been determined that the conditions she 
is living in are just atrocious.
  My point is, that any time an American needs America to fix the 
problem, as a democratic nation, we must stand with those who have 
stood with us; those who are citizens and those who are immigrants who 
fought for us.
  I ask my friends and colleagues to support H.R. 7946.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7946, the Veteran Service 
Recognition Act of 2022 that would address immigration-related issues 
pertaining to noncitizen military veterans.
  By enacting H.R. 7946, the Department of Homeland Security would be 
required to create and enforce a system for identifying noncitizen 
veterans and require their status as a veteran to be brought into 
consideration in the case of removal proceedings.
  H.R. 7946 will also require the DHS to provide the opportunity for 
eligible noncitizen veterans to be granted lawful permanent resident 
status.
  Identification of their veteran status would halt any removal 
proceedings until there is a final administrative decision on the 
veteran's eligibility.
  The Veteran Service Recognition Act is offered in response to the 
DHS's and the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement's failure to 
consistently follow its own policies regarding deportation of those who 
served in our armed forces.
  Immigration and Customs Enforcement already has policies that 
provides special consideration to veterans in light of their service, 
but has recklessly failed to follow them.
  The Government Accountability Office reported that between 2013 and 
2018, ICE did not consistently follow its own policies or maintain 
electronic data on the number of veterans placed in removal 
proceedings.
  Investigators also found that a staggering 70 percent of cases 
involving the deportation of noncitizen veterans did not receive a 
review as required.
  This means that veterans were not granted their right to due process. 
As a result, we do not even have an accurate measure of the number of 
veterans who have been unjustly deported.
  As a nation, we should be ashamed and alarmed by this lack of 
information which reflects a lack of concern for treating them fairly.
  More than 760,000 noncitizens have enlisted over the past century, 
with peaks during the World Wars and 9/11 attacks. Today, there are 
approximately 45,000 immigrants in active service.
  This issue is important to me because many of our nation's veterans 
who are not US citizens are among the 29,000 veterans who live in my 
district, the 179,000 who live in Harris County, and the 1,567,000 who 
live in Texas, the second most of any state.
  The promise of naturalization is sometimes a military recruitment 
strategy that targets immigrant communities. Military service is 
supposed to qualify veterans for naturalization as U.S. citizens 
because honorable service satisfies the ``good moral character'' 
requirements, according to the 1940 Nationality Act.
  But then, in 2017, a Trump administration policy restricted access to 
the expedited citizenship that was promised to veterans after 9/11.

[[Page H8770]]

  This policy exacerbated the persistent problem of immigrant veterans 
not being given the proper guidance on how to complete the 
naturalization process.
  In turn, this systemic failure leads to more than half of the 
eligible noncitizen veterans not completing their naturalization 
process, leaving them in a permanent limbo.
  When we needed them the most, hundreds of thousands of noncitizens 
stepped up to fight for our wars.
  And now when they needed us, our nation failed to even recognize 
them, let alone protect them.
  ``Leave no one behind'' is a common mantra followed by the United 
States Armed Forces. We must abide by that principle in support of our 
noncitizen veterans who served our country honorably, and make sure 
that they, too, are never left behind again.
  We must do more to help our foreign-born veterans navigate the 
naturalization process. It is up to Congress to act.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Veteran's 
Recognition Act.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, we can now plainly see the effect of the Democrats' open 
border policies on communities across our Nation; the strain on our 
schools, our hospitals, our public safety, working class wages and 
opportunities, and social services.
  No civilization has ever survived the magnitude of illegal mass 
migration that the Democrats have unleashed upon our country in the 
span of just 23 months; and Gallup warns us there are another 42 
million people living in poverty just in Latin America and the 
Caribbean who intend to come here now that they can.
  When Secretary Mayorkas appeared before the House Judiciary 
Committee, he couldn't tell us how it benefits the American people to 
have their classrooms packed with non-English-speaking students, their 
emergency rooms flooded with illegals demanding basic care, how their 
families will be safer with increased gang activity and fentanyl 
inundating communities, or how working families will be made better off 
by flooding the labor market with cheap illegal labor, or how taxpayers 
are served by footing the bill for supporting a largely unskilled, 
uneducated, and dependent population.
  Now, where is this bill taking us? Well, we already know because we 
have already had a taste of it. For a while, we allowed aliens on 
temporary visas and even illegal immigrants here under DACA to enlist 
so that they could claim a fast track to citizenship. It was called the 
MAVNI program.
  One MAVNI enlistment, Ji Chaoqun, was found to be a Chinese spy. A 
number of foreign nationals who enlisted in our military were 
subsequently deported for committing crimes. That program was such a 
debacle that the Obama administration, the architects of DACA, had to 
suspend it in 2016 because of the danger it posed to national security.
  Now, foreign nationals who come to America legally, who obey our laws 
and seek to serve our country because of a love of it and of the 
principles upon which it is founded, are one of our greatest strengths.
  Eleven years ago, I spoke at the funeral of Corporal Gurpreet Singh, 
whose family had emigrated from India legally 11 years before.
  Let me tell you a little bit about Gurpreet Singh. His father 
described him this way. He said Gurpreet ``was always a very patriotic 
man for the U.S. From the time he was a little boy, he knew he wanted 
to serve in the U.S. military. Gurpreet was very proud of his service 
with the Marines.''
  Corporal Singh was wounded in combat, chose to return, overstayed his 
assignment in order to relieve a friend, and was killed in action in 
Helmond Province, June 22, 2011.
  Yet, the Democrats are either unable or unwilling to tell the 
difference between a Chinese spy like Ji Chaoqun and an American hero 
like Gurpreet Singh. It appears the Democrats are attempting to equate 
the heroism, devotion, and fidelity of heroes like Gurpreet Singh with 
the convicted criminals that a court has ordered to be deported from 
our country, or the lawless, illegal mass migration the Democrats are 
not only ignoring, but actively aiding and abetting with their 
policies.
  Now, even if every convicted criminal the Democrats are trying to 
benefit with this bill were meritorious, wrongly convicted of crimes 
and exemplary in every way, we are still talking about an infinitesimal 
fraction of those who are being allowed into our country every day by 
the dangerous policies of this administration. That includes 120 known 
terrorists we have intercepted, and God only knows how many more among 
the 1 million got-aways who have entered our country on Joe Biden's 
watch.
  The Immigration and Citizenship Subcommittee of the Judiciary 
Committee has done nothing to address this crisis; the Judiciary 
Committee has done nothing to address this crisis; and the House has 
done nothing to address this crisis, a crisis that literally began on 
Inauguration Day when Biden reversed the policies of the Trump 
administration that had finally secured our borders.
  I can assure the American people that 28 days from today, all of that 
is going to change.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  This bill is an important step forward to making sure that those who 
served our country in the military are given every consideration. We 
know from the reports we receive from our vets how tough it can be.
  I think it is important to note that Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of 
America are supporting this bill. They know better than I do the kind 
of trauma that can be experienced in these theaters and have been 
experienced by our brave men and women in the military. They also know 
that sometimes those traumatic experiences can lead to a path that is 
destructive for the veteran, a veteran who is suffering from PTSD.
  Now, if a military member, a vet, was born in California and they use 
drugs because of PTSD, they might spend some time in jail, but then 
they would have paid their debt to society.
  If, instead, their fellow soldier was a legal permanent resident of 
the United States, born in another country, but volunteered to fight 
for our country, after they pay their debt to society for the exact 
same circumstances, then they are booted out of the country.
  That is why The American Legion is saying they support this bill, 
because we owe some kind of honor and stature to those who step forward 
to volunteer to fight for our country. That is what we owe them.
  I will just close with this. I am going to represent a town called 
Salinas, California. I was there last month, and they have put up on 
every light pole on the downtown street pictures of people from Salinas 
who served in the military. It is so inspiring.
  They had a little ceremony to unveil these photographs of the Salinas 
heroes. After that, one of the veterans organizers said to me, the 
worst experience of his life was driving his sergeant to the border to 
be kicked out of the country he fought for. It is not right.
  This bill will change that, and I hope that we will all vote in 
favor.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.


        Amendment No. 1 Offered by Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 
1 printed in part C of House Report 117-590.
  Mr. VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at 
the desk made in order by the rule.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Add at the end of the bill the following:

     SEC. 10. REGULATIONS.

       Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of Homeland shall promulgate 
     regulations to implement this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1508, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Vicente Gonzalez) and a Member opposed each 
will control 5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support 
of my amendment to H.R. 7946, the Veteran Service Recognition Act, 
which requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to propose 
regulations to implement this bill no later than 90 days after the date 
of enactment.
  Our deported veterans have waited long enough. These men and women 
are

[[Page H8771]]

heroes; and how did we thank them for their service after they fought 
for our country around the world? We deported them. That is despicable 
and goes against every principle this country stands for.
  At the very least, we owe them an opportunity to naturalize, to live 
in the country they fought for, to raise a family and to live and 
pursue their American Dream, the dream they have earned, the dream they 
have fought for.
  I came to Congress 6 years ago and introduced the Repatriate Our 
Patriots Act because I was in shock that the United States was 
deporting American veterans. This gave them a pathway to citizenship.
  Today, I am proud to see Chairman Takano's bill on the floor. 
Together, we have been fighting this cause to ensure future 
servicemembers have the resources to naturalize and become American 
citizens.
  I can't think of anything more shameful than to deport an American 
veteran, someone who has worn our uniform and fought for our freedom.
  Most of the issues that have occurred when they come home are due to 
PTSD and scars that they bring back from the battlefield. I have spoken 
time and again to my constituents in South Texas, to veterans across my 
border, and to people across this country, and the consensus is clear: 
Congress must fix this and bring every last veteran home.
  This Congress has taken more action than any before by signing the 
Honoring our PACT Act to clear the way for veterans to get the 
healthcare they deserve after incurring illnesses in the line of duty. 
But we can't stop there.
  While there is no way to adequately apologize to veterans who have 
been deported after bravely serving this country, this is a step in the 
right direction.
  For decades, many veterans have not been with their families; have 
not celebrated anniversaries and holidays. They couldn't be with loved 
ones for important moments like graduations and birthdays. This is our 
chance to act, and our chance to show we can grow and correct the 
wrongs and create a nation that really is for all.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to 
support my amendment and to ensure the Department of Homeland Security 
acts swiftly and comprehensively to propose regulations and implement 
this critical bill.
  I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of 
the underlying bill, the Veteran Service Recognition Act, to ensure 
these servicemembers can come home, and that we will never, ever deport 
a single veteran again.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I claim time in opposition to the 
amendment.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Yarmuth). The gentleman from California 
is recognized.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I would remind my friend that every 
alien who serves in our military has the right to naturalize; but that 
does not give them a right to commit crimes against our country, and 
that is what this bill does.
  This amendment sets 90 days as the deadline for promulgating 
regulations to implement this bill, a bill that overrides the laws 
governing deportation of aliens who commit crimes in our country if 
they have enlisted in the Armed Forces. It raises some disturbing 
questions.
  Why is it that the bill surrenders legislative prerogatives to the 
executive? If you are going to write the law, then write it in its 
entirety in the open.

                              {time}  1400

  Yes, we have been granting these powers to the executive branch for a 
very long time. The point is that 10 times more laws are written by the 
bureaucracies than by the body solely vested with lawmaking authority, 
but we will save that discussion for another day.
  Ninety days is an absurdly short period of time to write the 
regulations, publish the regulations, allow for full public input for 
the regulations, rewrite the regulations in light of public comments, 
and publish the final version. It begs the question: Why?
  Is it possible that the supporters of this law know exactly what they 
want to do and have no interest in listening to the public? That has 
been the history of the left's approach to defending the public safety 
and the Nation's sovereignty, so it would not much surprise me if this 
is the case.
  Mr. Speaker, I would simply say that it is clear that the supporters 
of the amendment are simply trying to rush a bad bill into 
implementation without the public having any opportunity to see the 
ramifications of this bill's provisions.
  As I said earlier, we tried to get into the bill a provision that 
would allow the victims of these criminal aliens to testify as to the 
impact of the crimes on their lives, and the Democrats rejected it.
  Notice and comment periods themselves require 30 to 60 days after the 
notice of proposed rulemaking is published for the public to submit 
comments about the proposed rule. After that, the agency has to comb 
through and respond to all of the submitted comments. There is simply 
no way to comply with Executive Order 12866's economic analysis 
requirement for a significant rule, and that is certainly what this is, 
within a 90-day period of enactment.
  It is apparent that the Democrats are trying to rush out an interim 
final rule on this bill before the American public has any opportunity 
to see what they are doing. We can only conclude that the Democrats 
know that the American people are not going to like what they see.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment and a ``no'' vote 
on the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to 
support my amendment and the underlying bill and assure justice is 
served to all who have served our country.
  Mr. Speaker, a vote against this bill and against this amendment 
would be on the wrong side of history.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the previous question 
is ordered on the bill and on the amendment offered by the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Vicente Gonzalez).
  The question is on the amendment by the gentleman from Texas.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.


                Announcement By the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, this 15-
minute vote on the amendment will be followed by 5-minute votes on:
  Passage of the bill, if ordered;
  An en bloc motion to suspend the rules, if offered; and
  Motions to suspend the rules and:
  Pass S. 4052;
  Concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 3462;
  Pass S. 3875;
  Pass S. 3499;
  Pass S. 2796;
  Pass S. 4834; and
  Concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 5796.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 213, 
nays 207, not voting 11, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 502]

                               YEAS--213

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Allred
     Auchincloss
     Axne
     Barragan
     Bass
     Beatty
     Bera
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bourdeaux
     Bowman
     Boyle, Brendan F.
     Brown (MD)
     Brown (OH)
     Bush
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson
     Carter (LA)
     Cartwright
     Case
     Casten
     Castro (TX)
     Cherfilus-McCormick
     Chu
     Cicilline
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Cooper
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Craig
     Crow
     Cuellar
     Davids (KS)
     Davis, Danny K.
     Dean
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Demings
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Doyle, Michael F.
     Escobar
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Evans
     Fletcher
     Foster
     Frankel, Lois
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Garcia (IL)
     Garcia (TX)
     Golden
     Gomez
     Gonzalez, Vicente
     Gottheimer
     Green, Al (TX)
     Grijalva
     Harder (CA)
     Hayes
     Higgins (NY)
     Himes
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Hoyer
     Huffman
     Jackson Lee
     Jacobs (CA)
     Jayapal
     Jeffries

[[Page H8772]]


     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson (TX)
     Jones
     Kahele
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kim (NJ)
     Kind
     Kirkpatrick
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster
     Lamb
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lawrence
     Lawson (FL)
     Lee (CA)
     Lee (NV)
     Leger Fernandez
     Levin (CA)
     Levin (MI)
     Lieu
     Lofgren
     Lowenthal
     Luria
     Lynch
     Malinowski
     Maloney, Carolyn B.
     Maloney, Sean
     Manning
     Matsui
     McBath
     McCollum
     McGovern
     McNerney
     Meeks
     Meng
     Mfume
     Moore (WI)
     Morelle
     Moulton
     Mrvan
     Murphy (FL)
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neguse
     Newman
     Norcross
     O'Halleran
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Omar
     Pallone
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Peltola
     Perlmutter
     Peters
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Porter
     Pressley
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Raskin
     Rice (NY)
     Ross
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Ryan (NY)
     Ryan (OH)
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scanlon
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schrader
     Schrier
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Sewell
     Sherman
     Sherrill
     Sires
     Slotkin
     Smith (WA)
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Speier
     Stansbury
     Stanton
     Stevens
     Strickland
     Suozzi
     Swalwell
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tlaib
     Tonko
     Torres (CA)
     Torres (NY)
     Trahan
     Trone
     Underwood
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Velazquez
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Watson Coleman
     Welch
     Wexton
     Wild
     Williams (GA)
     Wilson (FL)
     Yarmuth

                               NAYS--207

     Aderholt
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Babin
     Bacon
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bentz
     Bergman
     Bice (OK)
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (NC)
     Boebert
     Bost
     Brady
     Brooks
     Buchanan
     Buck
     Bucshon
     Budd
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Calvert
     Cammack
     Carey
     Carl
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Chabot
     Cheney
     Cline
     Cloud
     Clyde
     Cole
     Comer
     Conway
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Curtis
     Davidson
     Davis, Rodney
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Donalds
     Dunn
     Ellzey
     Emmer
     Estes
     Fallon
     Feenstra
     Ferguson
     Finstad
     Fischbach
     Fitzgerald
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Flood
     Flores
     Foxx
     Franklin, C. Scott
     Fulcher
     Gaetz
     Gallagher
     Garbarino
     Garcia (CA)
     Gibbs
     Gimenez
     Gohmert
     Gonzales, Tony
     Gonzalez (OH)
     Good (VA)
     Gooden (TX)
     Gosar
     Granger
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Greene (GA)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Harris
     Harshbarger
     Hartzler
     Hern
     Herrell
     Herrera Beutler
     Hice (GA)
     Higgins (LA)
     Hill
     Hinson
     Hollingsworth
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Issa
     Jackson
     Jacobs (NY)
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson (SD)
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Joyce (PA)
     Katko
     Keller
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kim (CA)
     Kustoff
     LaHood
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Latta
     LaTurner
     Lesko
     Letlow
     Long
     Loudermilk
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Mace
     Malliotakis
     Mann
     Massie
     Mast
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McClain
     McClintock
     McHenry
     McKinley
     Meijer
     Meuser
     Miller (IL)
     Miller (WV)
     Miller-Meeks
     Moolenaar
     Mooney
     Moore (AL)
     Moore (UT)
     Mullin
     Murphy (NC)
     Nehls
     Newhouse
     Norman
     Obernolte
     Owens
     Palazzo
     Palmer
     Pence
     Perry
     Pfluger
     Posey
     Reschenthaler
     Rice (SC)
     Rodgers (WA)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rose
     Rosendale
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Salazar
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Sempolinski
     Sessions
     Simpson
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smucker
     Spartz
     Stauber
     Steel
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Steube
     Stewart
     Taylor
     Tenney
     Thompson (PA)
     Tiffany
     Timmons
     Turner
     Upton
     Valadao
     Van Duyne
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Waltz
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Williams (TX)
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Yakym
     Zeldin

                             NOT VOTING--11

     Baird
     Brownley
     Castor (FL)
     Cawthorn
     DeSaulnier
     Duncan
     Kinzinger
     Phillips
     Rutherford
     Takano
     Van Drew

                              {time}  1452

  Messrs. BOST and STEWART changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ changed her vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
  So the amendment was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  Mr. DeSAULNIER. Mr. Speaker, I regret that I was unable to vote today 
as I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted 
``yea'' on rollcall No. 502.


    Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress

     Bass (Cicilline)
     Beatty (Neguse)
     Brooks (Fleischmann)
     Cole (Lucas)
     Cuellar (Correa)
     DeFazio (Pallone)
     Demings (Blunt Rochester)
     Doyle, Michael F. (Pallone)
     Dunn (Cammack)
     Frankel, Lois (Meng)
     Gallego (Cicilline)
     Gosar (Weber (TX))
     Gottheimer (Pappas)
     Grijalva (Neguse)
     Herrera Beutler (Moore (UT))
     Johnson (TX) (Pallone)
     Kildee (Pappas)
     Kirkpatrick (Pallone)
     Lieu (Beyer)
     Lowenthal (Beyer)
     Moore (WI) (Beyer)
     Newman (Correa)
     O'Halleran (Pappas)
     Palazzo (Fleischmann)
     Pascrell (Pallone)
     Pressley (Neguse)
     Rice (NY) (Morelle)
     Roybal-Allard (Correa)
     Ruppersberger (Sarbanes)
     Ryan (OH) (Correa)
     Simpson (Fulcher)
     Sires (Pallone)
     Stanton (Huffman)
     Steube (Franklin, C. Scott)
     Titus (Pallone)
     Welch (Pallone)
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the engrossment and third 
reading of the bill.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was 
read the third time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  This is a 5-minute vote.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 220, 
nays 208, not voting 3, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 503]

                               YEAS--220

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Allred
     Auchincloss
     Axne
     Barragan
     Bass
     Beatty
     Bera
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bourdeaux
     Bowman
     Boyle, Brendan F.
     Brown (MD)
     Brown (OH)
     Brownley
     Bush
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Carbajal
     Carson
     Carter (LA)
     Cartwright
     Case
     Casten
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Cherfilus-McCormick
     Chu
     Cicilline
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Cooper
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Craig
     Crow
     Cuellar
     Davids (KS)
     Davis, Danny K.
     Dean
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Demings
     DeSaulnier
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Doyle, Michael F.
     Escobar
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Evans
     Fitzpatrick
     Fletcher
     Foster
     Frankel, Lois
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Garcia (IL)
     Garcia (TX)
     Golden
     Gomez
     Gonzalez, Vicente
     Gottheimer
     Green, Al (TX)
     Grijalva
     Harder (CA)
     Hayes
     Higgins (NY)
     Himes
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Hoyer
     Huffman
     Jackson Lee
     Jacobs (CA)
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson (TX)
     Jones
     Kahele
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kim (NJ)
     Kind
     Kinzinger
     Kirkpatrick
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster
     Lamb
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lawrence
     Lawson (FL)
     Lee (CA)
     Lee (NV)
     Leger Fernandez
     Levin (CA)
     Levin (MI)
     Lieu
     Lofgren
     Lowenthal
     Luria
     Lynch
     Malinowski
     Maloney, Carolyn B.
     Maloney, Sean
     Manning
     Matsui
     McBath
     McCollum
     McGovern
     McNerney
     Meeks
     Meng
     Mfume
     Moore (WI)
     Morelle
     Moulton
     Mrvan
     Murphy (FL)
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neguse
     Newman
     Norcross
     O'Halleran
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Omar
     Pallone
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Peltola
     Perlmutter
     Peters
     Phillips
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Porter
     Pressley
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Raskin
     Rice (NY)
     Ross
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Ryan (NY)
     Ryan (OH)
     Salazar
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scanlon
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schrader
     Schrier
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Sewell
     Sherman
     Sherrill
     Sires
     Slotkin
     Smith (WA)
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Speier
     Stansbury
     Stanton
     Stevens
     Strickland
     Suozzi
     Swalwell
     Takano
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tlaib
     Tonko
     Torres (CA)
     Torres (NY)
     Trahan
     Trone
     Underwood
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Velazquez
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Watson Coleman
     Welch
     Wexton
     Wild
     Williams (GA)
     Wilson (FL)
     Yarmuth

                               NAYS--208

     Aderholt
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Babin
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bentz
     Bergman
     Bice (OK)
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (NC)
     Boebert
     Bost
     Brady
     Brooks
     Buchanan
     Buck
     Bucshon
     Budd
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Calvert
     Cammack
     Carey
     Carl
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Cawthorn
     Chabot
     Cheney
     Cline
     Cloud
     Clyde
     Cole
     Comer
     Conway
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Curtis
     Davidson
     Davis, Rodney
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Donalds
     Duncan
     Dunn
     Ellzey
     Emmer
     Estes
     Fallon
     Feenstra
     Ferguson
     Finstad
     Fischbach
     Fitzgerald
     Fleischmann
     Flood
     Flores
     Foxx
     Franklin, C. Scott
     Fulcher
     Gaetz
     Gallagher
     Garbarino
     Garcia (CA)
     Gibbs
     Gimenez
     Gohmert
     Gonzales, Tony
     Good (VA)
     Gooden (TX)
     Gosar
     Granger
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Greene (GA)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guest

[[Page H8773]]


     Guthrie
     Harris
     Harshbarger
     Hartzler
     Hern
     Herrell
     Herrera Beutler
     Hice (GA)
     Higgins (LA)
     Hill
     Hinson
     Hollingsworth
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Issa
     Jackson
     Jacobs (NY)
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson (SD)
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Joyce (PA)
     Katko
     Keller
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kim (CA)
     Kustoff
     LaHood
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Latta
     LaTurner
     Lesko
     Letlow
     Long
     Loudermilk
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Mace
     Malliotakis
     Mann
     Massie
     Mast
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McClain
     McClintock
     McHenry
     McKinley
     Meijer
     Meuser
     Miller (IL)
     Miller (WV)
     Miller-Meeks
     Moolenaar
     Mooney
     Moore (AL)
     Moore (UT)
     Mullin
     Murphy (NC)
     Nehls
     Newhouse
     Norman
     Obernolte
     Owens
     Palazzo
     Palmer
     Pence
     Perry
     Pfluger
     Posey
     Reschenthaler
     Rice (SC)
     Rodgers (WA)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rose
     Rosendale
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Sempolinski
     Sessions
     Simpson
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smucker
     Spartz
     Stauber
     Steel
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Steube
     Stewart
     Taylor
     Tenney
     Thompson (PA)
     Tiffany
     Timmons
     Turner
     Upton
     Valadao
     Van Drew
     Van Duyne
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Waltz
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Williams (TX)
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Yakym
     Zeldin

                             NOT VOTING--3

     Cardenas
     Gonzalez (OH)
     Rutherford

                              {time}  1508

  So the bill was passed.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.


    Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress

     Baird (Bucshon)
     Bass (Cicilline)
     Beatty (Neguse)
     Brooks (Fleischmann)
     Cole (Lucas)
     DeFazio (Pallone)
     Demings (Blunt Rochester)
     Doyle, Michael F. (Pallone)
     Duncan (Norman)
     Dunn (Cammack)
     Frankel, Lois (Meng)
     Gallego (Cicilline)
     Gosar (Weber (TX))
     Gottheimer (Pappas)
     Grijalva (Neguse)
     Herrera Beutler (Moore (UT))
     Johnson (TX) (Pallone)
     Kildee (Pappas)
     Kinzinger (Rice (SC))
     Kirkpatrick (Pallone)
     Lieu (Beyer)
     Lowenthal (Beyer)
     Moore (WI) (Beyer)
     Newman (Correa)
     O'Halleran (Pappas)
     Palazzo (Fleischmann)
     Pascrell (Pallone)
     Pressley (Neguse)
     Rice (NY) (Morelle)
     Roybal-Allard (Correa)
     Ruppersberger (Sarbanes)
     Ryan (OH) (Correa)
     Simpson (Fulcher)
     Sires (Pallone)
     Stanton (Huffman)
     Steube (Franklin, C. Scott)
     Titus (Pallone)
     Welch (Pallone)

                          ____________________