[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 109 (Thursday, June 22, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H3088-H3092]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONDEMNING THE USE OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL FACILITIES TO 
  PROVIDE SHELTER FOR ALIENS WHO ARE NOT ADMITTED TO THE UNITED STATES

  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 524, I call up 
the resolution (H. Res. 461) condemning the use of elementary and 
secondary school facilities to provide shelter for aliens who are not 
admitted to the United States, and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Lee of Florida). Pursuant to House 
Resolution 524, the amendments to the resolution and the preamble 
recommended by the Committee on Education and the Workforce printed in 
the resolution are adopted and the resolution, as amended, is 
considered read.
  The text of the resolution, as amended, is as follows:

                              H. Res. 461

       Whereas sheltering aliens who are not admitted to the 
     United States in school facilities will divert educational 
     resources from children already suffering from historic 
     learning loss;
       Whereas, on May 16 and 17, 2023, about 300 such aliens were 
     sheltered in current or former public school gymnasiums in 
     New York City, and Mayor Eric Adams announced plans to use as 
     many as 20 public school gymnasiums as overflow housing for 
     such aliens;
       Whereas turning schools into housing centers for such 
     aliens compromises schools' duty to educate enrolled children 
     and keep them safe;
       Whereas hosting such aliens on school campuses poses a 
     significant safety risk to school children and compromises 
     schools' ability to secure their own campus;
       Whereas using school gymnasiums as housing for such aliens 
     may impede children's access to safe recreation and physical 
     education, may force children to spend their entire school 
     day with little exercise, and may disrupt the ordinary 
     routines of the school day;
       Whereas a public elementary or secondary school should be 
     ineligible to receive Federal financial assistance if it is 
     used to shelter, house, or otherwise serve as a sanctuary 
     for, aliens not admitted to the United States;
       Whereas the Biden administration has created these problems 
     with a failed border security strategy that has encouraged 
     illegal aliens to cross the border, tallying more than 10,000 
     a day ahead of the May 11, 2023, expiration of the public 
     health emergency relating to COVID-19, declared under section 
     319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d), and of 
     the concomitant power of the President, under section 362 of 
     such Act (42 U.S.C. 265), to prohibit entries of persons into 
     the United States from certain countries or places; and
       Whereas the school children in the United States should not 
     bear the burden for the disastrous immigration policies of 
     either the Biden administration or local leaders: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives condemns the 
     use of public elementary or secondary school facilities that 
     serve students to provide shelter for aliens who are not 
     admitted to the United States.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The resolution, as amended, shall be 
debatable for 1 hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and 
ranking minority member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
or their respective designees.
  The gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) and the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Scott) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from North Carolina.
  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 461, a resolution 
condemning the use of elementary and secondary school facilities to 
provide shelter for aliens who are not admitted to the United States.
  Round condemnation of adult, illegal migrants sharing facilities with 
schoolchildren would be supported by both sides of the aisle but for 
one simple reason. It would require Democrats to confront the tragedy 
of their own making at the southern border.
  The rhetoric from the left deploys flowery language to address the 
flooding of migrants into our country. It is a scam.
  Democrats must confront reality. There are real human consequences to 
losing operational control of our southern border. Democrats have 
plunged our southern border into chaos, trafficking, and bloodshed.

[[Page H3089]]

  Last year, 2.76 million migrants illegally crossed our southern 
border. Over 800 of them died making the journey.
  Customs and Border Protection also seized 14,700 pounds of fentanyl 
in fiscal year 2022. In a year in which 110,000 Americans fatally 
overdosed on drugs, each pound of fentanyl missed by Customs and Border 
Protection has the potential to kill over 200,000 people.
  The encounters, the deaths, and the trafficking are a three-, four-, 
and five-time increase over the last year of the Trump administration. 
We have a deadly opioid epidemic, a human trafficking epidemic, and an 
overall humanitarian epidemic at our southern border, all stemming from 
the Biden administration's policies.
  H. Res. 461 is a crystal-clear rebuke of the chaos at the border.

                              {time}  1200

  It applies to K-12 institutions because, make no mistake, Democrats 
are making elementary, middle, and high schools a battleground for 
chaotic border policies.
  In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams planned to house migrants in up to 
20 current and former public school gymnasiums. In Chicago, local 
leadership is reportedly considering housing hundreds of illegal 
immigrants in a shuttered high school.
  Housing migrants in public schools is not a new occurrence. CNN, CBS, 
and the New York Post have all uncovered instances of this already 
happening across the country. For Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul, 
these plans are a mere formalization of their unwillingness to enforce 
the law. This is what Republicans mean when we say every State is a 
border State and every town is a border town.
  Moreover, the collateral of this broken policy are America's 
schoolchildren. It is completely unacceptable. Turning schools into 
housing centers for illegal immigrants distracts schools from their 
mission.
  Schools should be focused on helping students recover from 
devastating pandemic-era learning loss. We know that children are 
suffering in the wake of the pandemic. Math and reading scores have 
plummeted to their lowest level in years. Forcing schools to shelter 
illegal immigrants will not help with that.
  Additionally, hosting illegal immigrants on school campuses poses a 
significant safety risk to schoolchildren and compromises schools' 
ability to secure their own campuses.
  Furthermore, using school gymnasiums as housing for illegal aliens 
may impede children's access to safe recreation and physical education. 
It may force children to spend their entire school day with little 
exercise and may disrupt the ordinary routines of the school day.
  As always with the Republican Party, threatening the safety of our 
children is a nonstarter. We are voting on a resolution today to 
condemn the threat posed to our children.
  Our resolution condemns the breakdown of law and order at the 
southern border. It condemns the lawlessness perpetuated by blue cities 
and States like New York.
  I hope the entire body votes for the passage of H. Res. 461 and sends 
a message to America that there is no substitute for a secure border.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H. Res. 461.
  Like clockwork, we are here, yet again, taking up another proposal 
that, among other things, purports to improve school safety but does 
nothing to address gun violence in schools or improve students' mental 
health.
  So far this Congress, the Republican priorities for K-12 education 
have focused almost entirely on so-called culture wars. First, the 
House Republicans passed legislation to ban books. The House then 
advanced legislation targeting trans students.
  We just debated an impeachment resolution, and now the House is 
considering a proposal that would encourage taking away funding from 
schools whose facilities are used to temporarily house refugees and 
immigrants.
  Schools are routinely used to temporarily house people in emergencies 
like hurricanes or earthquakes. So now I guess they are suggesting that 
we check citizenship papers before we let people in.
  The resolution falsely implies that temporarily using school 
facilities to house immigrants leads to learning loss, but there is no 
evidence to support that claim.
  Addressing learning loss and helping students make up for lost time 
in the classroom is what we did last year, without a Republican vote, 
when we made historic investments in the American Rescue Plan to help 
schools make up for lost time by funding after-school, summer 
mentorship programs, and other initiatives to actually make up for lost 
time.
  But we cannot continue to meaningfully address learning loss or meet 
students' mental health needs if all we are talking about is taking 
away Federal funds from schools.
  Moreover, any conversation about school safety that does not 
meaningfully address gun violence, is not a serious conversation. This 
is a haphazard proposal and another distraction. Since it is a 
nonbinding resolution, it doesn't actually do anything the supporters 
of the resolution say need to be done.
  It does nothing to improve immigration policy. It doesn't even stop 
the use of schools to house immigrants. This is a nonbinding 
resolution.
  If my colleagues are serious about addressing learning loss, we 
should be talking about evidence-based strategies that meet the needs 
of our students. There is nothing in the resolution that addresses 
learning loss or mental health.
  If my colleagues were serious about school safety, we should be 
confronting what is actually killing them. Parents, teachers, and 
students are demanding that we take up meaningful legislation to 
address gun violence. There is nothing in the resolution to address gun 
violence.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 461.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks), the author of this resolution.
  Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, Chair Foxx, 
for yielding me time.
  I rise today in support of my resolution, H. Res. 461, which bans the 
Biden administration from using schools to house illegal aliens.
  As a mother and a physician, I do not see how my colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle can let this stand.
  Using school facilities as shelter for illegal aliens, instead of as 
schools, as they were intended, creates a host of issues ranging from 
safety hazards for young children to a free fall of security issues as 
a result of not providing adequate accommodations or security 
screenings. At a minimum, it deprives students of their space for 
recess and physical education and imposes financial burdens on schools 
for cleaning and housing.

  Municipalities such as New York City are using school gymnasiums as 
overflow housing for illegal aliens and setting troubling precedents 
for the future. It is easy to be a sanctuary city when you are not 
affected by the border until the Biden administration opens those 
borders.
  Diverting educational resources to illegal aliens, or any 
demographic, and not in a natural disaster--and in most cases we have 
little or no background information upon these individuals--provides an 
avoidable and incredible security risk.
  We must protect America's children and save our educational systems 
from being robbed of their purpose.
  The Biden administration's open border policies have turned every 
State into a border State. And a broken immigration system, paired with 
the lack of responsibilities and execution of border security, is 
simply not good enough.
  Speaking of the minority's comments on useless resolutions, last 
Congress, the Democrats introduced a total of 982 resolutions, of which 
only 176 passed.
  H. Res. 461 sends the Biden administration a clear message that their 
open borders and broken immigration system will not stand, and I urge 
all of my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Garcia).
  Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak against

[[Page H3090]]

the latest Republican attempt to vilify and scapegoat immigrants. A few 
weeks ago it was H.R. 2, the child deportation act, and now it is H. 
Res. 461.
  It is Republicans spending time and taxpayer dollars to trot out 
stereotypes of migrants as dangerous and dirty and who knows what else.
  Republicans are spewing anti-immigrant rhetoric in this resolution to 
demonstrate that they are standing up for students. But we know it is 
not true. Perhaps they are using this resolution to distract from the 
continued attempts to ban books, to take food assistance from needy 
families, and to block child tax credits which could help families 
across the country.
  Let's remember what Republicans are targeting with this language. 
They are targeting migrants, many of them asylum seekers, who risked 
their lives to come to this country and to our cities seeking safety 
and stability.
  They are targeting migrants trafficked by GOP Governors as a 
political stunt. This resolution is part of the same stunt, designed to 
sell fear and hatred, to make prime-time slot pieces on FOX News. It is 
dangerous for immigrants like me and the communities that I represent. 
I urge my colleagues to reject this resolution.
  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Williams), a member of the Education and 
the Workforce Committee.
  Mr. WILLIAMS of New York. Madam Speaker, for the past 2 years, every 
State has become a border State, and each has felt the pressures of 
illegal immigration. This past month, 10,000 migrants have illegally 
entered our country per day.
  A nation's borders mark the boundaries of its laws and sovereignty. 
This violation of both our laws and our sovereignty must stop.
  Representative Miller-Meeks and I brought forward H. Res. 461 because 
it is necessary and urgent. Our resolution sends a clear and decisive 
message that everyone in this Chamber and across the country must hear: 
Congress will not tolerate officials at the State and local level using 
taxpayer-funded schools and facilities to play cleanup for President 
Biden and the Progressive left's broken border policies.
  In my State of New York, our Governor offered up State-funded college 
campuses to house illegal immigrants. In New York City, Mayor Adams 
proposed repurposing public school gyms to house them.
  During this last school year, 5,500 migrant students strained New 
York City's public school resources. Time and time again, we are seeing 
classrooms overflowing and understaffed and our school taxes ever 
rising. This problem is not just in New York. It spans across each and 
every community in our Union.
  This resolution makes three distinct points. First, housing illegal 
immigrants in our schools diverts critical resources away from 
students.
  Second, housing adult, unvetted, illegal immigrants in our public 
schools poses a safety risk to our children.
  Third, schools are not to be the sacrificial lamb for the failed 
progressive policies of this administration.
  Just last week, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle 
repeatedly justified the housing of illegal immigrants in public 
schools, comparing it to the response to natural disasters like 
hurricanes, earthquakes, and fires.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the 
gentleman from New York.
  Mr. WILLIAMS of New York. Just last week, my colleagues on the other 
side of the aisle repeatedly justified the housing of illegal 
immigrants in public schools, comparing it to the response to natural 
disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, and fires.
  I couldn't agree more. The President's border policies are a 
disaster, though man-made. I stand to put our children first. Vote to 
support H. Res. 461.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Ramirez).
  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Madam Speaker, today I stand here opposing the GOP's 
hateful resolution to condemn the use of schools as shelter for 
immigrants. For years, schools have sheltered people during 
emergencies, and we know people in our own districts who have had to go 
into these places because of climate crisis, hurricanes, tornadoes, and 
the list goes on.
  Well, sanctuary cities like Chicago and New York are in emergencies 
created by Republican Governors who continue to dehumanize asylum 
seekers and cruelly bus them to sanctuary cities like Chicago.
  This resolution does nothing to solve the crisis, and it certainly 
isn't protecting our children's education. It is just another way to 
criminalize asylum seekers.
  Now, I believe to my core that seeking asylum is not a crime. In 
fact, welcoming them into our arms, regardless of their origin or their 
status, is a biblical teaching, a humane act, and it is part of our 
Nation's fabric and our Nation's values.
  How can we say we care about families or that you are the party of 
families and values? How can you say you care about children and then 
threaten to cut funding for their schools if they dare to shelter 
children who are seeking asylum?
  That is hypocritical. There is dissidence there, and we should look 
up that description in the dictionary. It is time we end this senseless 
war against immigrants and stand up for what is right and for what is 
just.
  Madam Speaker, I will absolutely be voting ``no'' on this resolution, 
and I urge all my colleagues to do the same.

                              {time}  1215

  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from New York (Mr. D'Esposito).
  Mr. D'ESPOSITO. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 461, legislation 
that formally condemns the use of public elementary and secondary 
schools as shelters for illegal migrants.
  The safety and security of America's children should be the number 
one priority of lawmakers here in Washington, and placing illegal 
migrants within earshot of students presents serious threats to the 
safety of our children and the safety of our communities.
  In New York, when Mayor Eric Adams attempted to house migrants in 
nearly 20 public schools, everyday New Yorkers stood up to city hall, 
rejected this attempt to threaten our students, and stopped the mayor 
from housing migrants in schools. Instead of learning from his mistakes 
and ending New York's sanctuary city status, Mayor Adams then decided 
that housing migrants in an abandoned warehouse at JFK Airport would be 
a better alternative. Placing migrants at a dilapidated warehouse in 
the heart of one of the largest transportation hubs in this country is 
both inhumane and presents a serious national security threat.
  I keep hearing over and over again about trafficking and about being 
inhumane. You are correct. Seeking asylum is not illegal, but we ask 
that they come through the front door, and I would be confident that no 
asylum seeker comes to this country to live in a vacant warehouse at 
JFK Airport with no bathrooms and no showers.
  We cannot allow politicians like Eric Adams to sacrifice the safety 
and security of this Nation to uphold their radical sanctuary city 
policies and compensate for President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas' 
failing border security initiatives and their dereliction of their 
duties.
  Our Nation's public schools should be places of learning for local 
students, not housing illegal migrants. I strongly urge my colleagues 
to support this measure to block illegal migrants from being housed in 
school facilities.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman and, of course, 
the chairwoman, as well, for their leadership.
  Madam Speaker, just a few minutes ago, we were on the floor 
discussing an impeachment of the President of the United States for 
protecting and doing his job for the American people. I think we fail 
to understand that the Statue of Liberty is still in the New York 
Harbor--bring your forlorn and depressed--and that this is a Nation of 
laws and immigrants.
  From the very beginning of ages, this Nation was founded by those who 
came from somewhere else. They crossed the

[[Page H3091]]

waters to come. The indigenous people were here, but that was all, and 
certainly we know the history of slavery.
  I am stunned by, first, the impeachment order, if you will, 
attempting to impeach for differences of positions in policies. Now I 
come to try and understand a misconstrued, misdirected, and really 
painful resolution--as the gentleman from Virginia said 
``nonbinding''--and it seems that what we are doing is showing dislike 
and contempt for children.
  I believe in children, and what is being done by local government is 
to find relief for children. Find relief. These schools in New York--I 
know them well--are large. They are old and large. They have many 
different sectors and segments that a city executive can utilize safely 
for children.
  This is about children, and for those who just made profile press 
conference trips to the border, I have been to the border at night, in 
the day, in the morning over the years. I have held babies in my arms 
that have gotten off buses.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute 
to the gentlewoman from Texas.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I have seen children wanting their 
parents. I have seen the Trump era of snatching children away. This is 
wrongheaded.
  This is not dangerous to the children in the schools, and our local 
jurisdictions should be allowed to make determined decisions in 
response to what is a migrant fever, if you will.
  However, let me add something that the government should be looking 
at, which is why the State of Texas has taken over the seventh largest 
school district, that all the parents, board members, teachers are 
against? Houston Independent School District is suffering. Is there 
anyone here or my friends on the other side of the aisle willing to 
address that ridiculous, ludicrous takeover undermining teachers' and 
parents' will?
  I thought we were for parents. Houston Independent School District 
should not be taken over, and it is a consternation in our community. 
Because of that, I believe we are doing the wrong thing here. The 
underlying bill should be opposed, and we should be standing with the 
people of Houston who refuse to have a takeover of a very effective 
school district, the Houston Independent School District. Madam 
Speaker, let's do the right thing on the floor and support our 
children.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition of H. Res. 461, condemning 
the use of elementary and secondary school facilities to provide 
shelter for aliens who are not admitted to the United States.
  This resolution condemns using the facilities of a public elementary 
or secondary school that serves students to provides shelter for non-
U.S. nationals who are not admitted into the United States.
  As a Member on the Homeland Security committee, and more specifically 
the Border Security and Enforcement subcommittee, I interact with those 
at the border and migrants frequently.
  I believe that a comprehensive approach is needed to solving the 
current immigration crisis.
  However, I think it is essential that migrants are brought and 
allowed into the country through legal immigration.
  I am a strong proponent of humanitarian aid efforts in the 
immigration context, from preventing the breakup of individual families 
as a result of a wrongful deportation to ensuring that victims of civil 
wars and national disasters around the globe receive a temporary 
protected status under the U.S. immigration laws.
  We should not condemn the use of public elementary or secondary 
schools provide shelter for non-U.S. nationals who are not admitted 
into the United States.
  I acknowledge that school are places of learning and development for 
students, but there are time periods when school campuses are not being 
used, such as during school breaks.
  Because of this, the space could be used for humanitarian aid 
purposes, such as allowing migrants to stay there while they wait for 
legal processing and paperwork to conclude.
  Other exceptions need to be reviewed, such as whether migrants could 
stay at schools when school is in-session, but humanitarian aid should 
not be overlooked in the immigration context.
  As a leading country on the global stage, it is our duty and 
responsibility to assist who we can in a legal manner.
  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Malliotakis).
  Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding 
me some time.
  Madam Speaker, as a Representative in New York City, I am all too 
familiar, unfortunately, with this situation. Quite frankly, this is a 
problem that was created by two people. First, our President decided it 
was a good idea to open our borders and allow millions of individuals 
to come in without the proper vetting, without knowing exactly what 
their intentions are.
  Some, yes, are applying for asylum, but they should still be doing so 
through the proper channels. They should be doing so from the next safe 
country, not coming to the southern border.
  With that said, we look at court documents and we see that roughly 60 
percent of those individuals are having those court cases denied under 
this administration, which tells you that the majority of people coming 
over our southern border are not legitimate asylum seekers.
  Secondly, I blame the problem in New York City on my mayor, Mayor 
Eric Adams, because he is misinterpreting New York City's right-to-
shelter law. That was a court decree under Mayor Ed Koch that was 
agreed to to address the issue of homeless New Yorkers.
  It was always intended to provide support and housing for homeless 
New Yorkers, citizens of New York, not individuals who just strolled 
over the border last week.
  Think about this: By the mayor's logic, everyone in New York City is 
entitled to shelter whether they are a citizen or not. If all 6 million 
people who came over our border came to New York City, they would be 
entitled to free shelter.
  If 8 billion on the planet came to New York City, they would be 
entitled to free shelter. Clearly, the mayor's interpretation is 
nonsensical.
  The mayor has now resorted to using all sorts of facilities meant for 
our citizens, including our children, to be used to house these 
migrants.
  Now, first of all, I think it is clear--and I see that there is 
bipartisan opposition to schools and their gymnasiums being taken away 
from children who suffered under COVID. They lacked physical education. 
They lacked socialization. Now, to take away their gym for this housing 
is absolutely ridiculous.
  The mayor has reversed course on that after there was so much 
opposition from the people in the city of New York, but he is still 
using old schools. Facilities that were previously Catholic schools 
that have closed that were perhaps going to to be utilized as public 
schools, that has now stopped because the mayor is choosing instead to 
house migrants in those old schools.
  Now, the greatest plan or, I should say, the most ridiculous plan we 
have heard to date is now he is going to use taxpayer money to pay New 
Yorkers to house individuals in their homes. We are talking about 
billions and billions of dollars a year. Hardworking taxpayers are 
getting pummeled in New York City, because property taxes are 
increasing year after year. People can't afford their own rent. They 
can't afford their own roofs. He is saying you have to pay for 
individuals who cross into our country illegally.
  It is a disgrace. We should be stopping it and make sure not another 
Federal dollar, not a penny, goes to fund the expansion of this 
program. The mayor needs to comply with the actual laws and tell the 
President to secure the border and stop this nonsense.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici), the ranking member of the Early 
Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee.
  Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H. Res. 461, a harmful 
resolution that condemns public schools for showing humanity in helping 
vulnerable people.
  Listening to this debate, it sounds like my colleagues are interested 
in working on some bipartisan migration reform. We would welcome that--
policies that would help our immigration

[[Page H3092]]

system run more smoothly and effectively--but that is not what we are 
doing here today.
  Throughout this Congress, I have heard my colleagues on the other 
side of the aisle claim that American education is in crisis. Are there 
needs in our public schools? Absolutely. We need more mental health 
counselors, we need resources to address mislearning and policies to 
address gun violence, but is that what the majority is focusing on? No.
  When my Republican colleagues felt threatened by the accurate 
teaching of history, they passed legislation that provides a blueprint 
for book bans. When my Republican colleagues felt threatened by the 
Biden administration's inclusive interpretation of Title IX, what did 
they do? They passed legislation to ostracize trans students and allow 
discrimination in sports. When my colleagues felt uncomfortable about 
reducing the crushing debt burden faced by students who choose to go to 
college, they passed legislation to wipe out relief and plunge more 
borrowers into financial distress.
  What is their focus today? Picking on desperate people who are 
fleeing war, violence, and abject poverty in search of a better life 
for themselves and their children.
  Now, the Republicans are threatening Federal funding to schools. That 
is funding that is intended to support all students. I won't support 
the harmful scapegoating of migrants and repeated attacks on 
marginalized communities, and I won't support actions that delegitimize 
our public schools.
  These are the only schools that have an obligation to serve all 
students and families, regardless of race, ethnicity, disability 
status, ability to pay, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, 
or any other characteristic. Our public schools are for everyone.

  What I will support and what I repeatedly expressed an eagerness and 
enthusiasm to work on are substantive, positive evidence-based 
solutions that make schools safer, improve opportunities for students 
from all backgrounds, and enhance the quality and frequency of parents' 
and families' involvement in their children's education.
  Madam Speaker, I welcome those conversations. I am disappointed that 
we keep finding ourselves engaged in culture wars with the majority 
putting politics over people instead of passing policies that help 
students, their families, and our communities.
  At a time when we have an opportunity to demonstrate compassion and 
empathy, this resolution takes us in the wrong direction. I strongly 
urge all of my colleagues to reject this resolution. Let's put humanity 
first. Let's focus on what really truly helps public education.


                             General Leave

  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H. Res. 461.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1230

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of 
my time.
  Madam Speaker, it is unfortunate that House Republican priorities for 
K-12 education are focused entirely on distractions. Instead of 
devising ways to meaningfully address learning loss or gun violence in 
schools, here we are, threatening to withhold Federal funds from K-12 
schools that do not adhere to the extreme MAGA agenda.
  The reality is that H. Res. 461 does nothing to address the real 
issues confronting students today. This is a nonbinding resolution, so 
it does nothing to fund education. It doesn't even prevent schools from 
being used to house undocumented immigrants.
  One thing that we have to come to grips with is complaining about a 
problem doesn't solve the problem. Complaining about immigration policy 
doesn't solve the problem. Complaining about schools doesn't address 
any of the underlying problems. It doesn't fix anything. What this 
resolution is, is an opportunity to complain, but it doesn't do 
anything.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose the resolution, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Madam Speaker, to sum up the debate, H. Res. 461 does four things. It 
sends a clear message about our values. It condemns lawbreaking where 
Democrat politicians have failed to do so. It tells parents that we are 
on their side. Most importantly, it reiterates that public school 
facilities should be used for educating children, not housing illegal 
immigrants, because the academic success and safety of America's 
students must be put first.
  Therefore, I urge the House of Representatives and Congress to pass 
H. Res. 461, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
  Pursuant to House Resolution 524, the previous question is ordered on 
the resolution and the preamble, as amended.
  The question is on adoption of the resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question are postponed.

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