[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 123 (Tuesday, July 18, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H3650-H3659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3935, SECURING GROWTH AND ROBUST 
LEADERSHIP IN AMERICAN AVIATION ACT, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF 
                  H.R. 3941, SCHOOLS NOT SHELTERS ACT

  Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 597 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 597

       Resolved, That at any time after adoption of this 
     resolution the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule 
     XVIII, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the 
     Whole House on the state of the Union for consideration of 
     the bill (H.R. 3935) to amend title 49, United States Code, 
     to reauthorize and improve the Federal Aviation 
     Administration and other civil aviation programs, and for 
     other purposes. The first reading of the bill shall be 
     dispensed with. All points of order against consideration of 
     the bill are waived. General debate shall be confined to the 
     bill and amendments specified in this section and shall not 
     exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair 
     and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure or their respective 
     designees. After general debate the bill shall be considered 
     for amendment under the five-minute rule. In lieu of the 
     amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure now printed in 
     the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute 
     consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 118-11 shall 
     be considered as adopted in the House and in the Committee of 
     the Whole. The bill, as amended, shall be considered as the 
     original bill for the purpose of further amendment under the 
     five-minute rule and shall be considered as read. All points 
     of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are 
     waived.
       Sec. 2. (a) No further amendment to the bill, as amended, 
     shall be in order except those printed in part A of the 
     report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution 
     and amendments en bloc described in section 3 of this 
     resolution.
       (b) Each further amendment printed in part A of the report 
     of the Committee on Rules shall be considered only in the 
     order printed in the report, may be offered only by a Member 
     designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall 
     be debatable for the time specified in the report equally 
     divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, 
     shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject 
     to a demand for division of the question in the House or in 
     the Committee of the Whole.
       (c) All points of order against the further amendments 
     printed in part A of the report of the Committee on Rules or 
     amendments en bloc described in section 3 of this resolution 
     are waived.
       Sec. 3.  It shall be in order at any time for the chair of 
     the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or his 
     designee to offer amendments en bloc consisting of amendments 
     printed in part A of the report of the Committee on Rules 
     accompanying this resolution not earlier disposed of. 
     Amendments en bloc offered pursuant to this section shall be 
     considered as read, shall be debatable for 30 minutes equally 
     divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority 
     member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
     or their respective designees, shall not be subject to 
     amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division 
     of the question in the House or in the Committee of the 
     Whole.
       Sec. 4.  At the conclusion of consideration of the bill for 
     amendment the Committee shall rise and report the bill, as 
     amended, to the House with such further amendments as may 
     have been adopted. The previous question shall be considered 
     as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further 
     amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion 
     except one motion to recommit.
       Sec. 5.  Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in 
     order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 3941) to 
     prohibit the use of the facilities of a public elementary 
     school, a public secondary school, or an institution of 
     higher education to provide shelter for aliens who have not 
     been admitted into the United States, and for other purposes. 
     All points of order against consideration of the bill are 
     waived. The amendment in the nature of a substitute 
     recommended by the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
     now printed in the bill shall be considered as adopted. The 
     bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. All points of 
     order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. 
     The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the 
     bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to 
     final passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour 
     of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and 
     ranking minority member of the Committee on Education and the 
     Workforce or their respective designees; (2) the further 
     amendment printed in part B of the report of the Committee on 
     Rules accompanying this resolution, if offered by the Member 
     designated in the report, which shall be in order without 
     intervention of any point of order, shall be considered as 
     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 
     division of the question; and (3) one motion to recommit.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Indiana is recognized 
for 1 hour.
  Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield 
the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. 
Scanlon), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. 
During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the 
purpose of debate only.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Indiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, last night, the Rules Committee met and 
produced a rule, House Resolution 597, providing for consideration of 
two measures, H.R. 3935 and H.R. 3941.
  The rule provides for H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust 
Leadership in American Aviation Act, to be considered under a 
structured rule with 104 amendments made in order. It provides 1 hour 
of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking 
minority member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
or their designees, and provides for one motion to recommit.
  The rule also provides for consideration of H.R. 3941, the Schools 
Not Shelters Act, under a structured rule with 1 hour of debate equally 
divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce, or their designees.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this rule and in support of the 
underlying pieces of legislation.
  H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American 
Aviation Act, was subject to a thorough committee process, one that saw 
a 2-day markup and eventually passed out of committee in an 
overwhelming fashion. This is a work product the whole House can be 
proud of.
  Chairman Graves and his team, working with Ranking Member Larsen and 
his team, have produced a comprehensive and timely bill. I am sure I am 
joined by all of my colleagues in thanking them for their hard work.
  As Chairman Cole mentioned in his opening remarks at the Rules 
Committee hearing yesterday, since the birth of flight, the United 
States has been a world leader in aviation safety and innovation. Mr. 
Speaker, I firmly believe this bill follows in and adds to that 
tradition.
  Our aviation industry needs certainty, and it needs opportunities to 
innovate. At the same time, we need to ensure that there are proper 
guardrails for safety. I believe the Transportation and Infrastructure 
Committee delivered on these goals.
  As a testament to meeting the mark, the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure has provided a lengthy list of groups in the 
aviation industry that are supportive of this bill.
  Aviation plays a crucial role in the American economy. This holds 
true in each and every congressional district represented by this body, 
whether that be large international airports or smaller regional 
airports in districts like mine.
  In preparing for the bill's passage, I have spoken to local aviation 
officials

[[Page H3651]]

in southern Indiana to gather input. One of my constituents even 
referred to the underlying bill as ``one of the best'' FAA 
reauthorization bills they have seen.
  Comments like this give me great confidence in the policies we are 
advancing and the importance of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States must remain the leader in aviation 
safety. We must preserve the United States' position as a world leader 
in providing an efficient, innovative, and safe aviation transportation 
system.
  Simply put, we must remain at the forefront of global aviation, and 
this FAA reauthorization is a strong illustration of our leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, I will move on to H.R. 3941, the Schools Not Shelters 
Act.
  I am proud to cosponsor H.R. 3941. As a member of the Education and 
the Workforce Committee, we were presented with staggering statistics 
that provide further evidence of Biden's border crisis.

                              {time}  1230

  We learned that over 2,500 migrants are pouring into New York City 
weekly with over 87,000 migrants arriving since last spring. It is 
obvious that action must be taken.
  These statistics from our larger cities preview what could happen 
across the country if action is not taken. We know some Democrats are 
willing, even eager, to ignore Federal immigration law, and that is why 
I am concerned with proposals to house illegal migrants in our schools 
and what that means for our students and school safety all across the 
country.
  While every child should have access to all the resources they need 
to be successful in their education, K-12 facilities should be used for 
educational purposes, not as housing units for illegal immigrants. 
Colleges and university campuses should not be distracted from meeting 
the educational needs of students because the Biden administration has 
failed to secure the southern border.
  I am sympathetic to the issues created by this administration leading 
to the influx of migrants into the interior of the United States, but I 
vehemently disagree that these problems should be borne by our schools 
and their students. That is why this legislation is necessary and why I 
am, again, proud to be a cosponsor.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana for 
yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, with the two bills under consideration in today's rule, 
we have a striking example of the best and worst that this Chamber can 
produce.
  The first bill reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration for 
another 5 years. That bill is the product of bipartisan negotiations 
between the members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. 
It was debated and amended in committee with the full participation of 
all members, Republicans and Democrats, and it passed out of that 
committee with unanimous support--unanimous support.
  So this FAA bill is an example of how the legislative process can and 
should work when Members of Congress seek results and are willing to 
work together to address the interests of the American people.
  The other bill in today's rule could not be more different. It is an 
unserious, hyper-partisan proposal from rightwing extremists designed 
to sow division and fear by pushing false narratives about immigrants 
and what is happening in our public schools.
  In a truly bizarre twist for the party of small government, this bill 
would have the Federal Government dictating to our local governments 
and schools what they should do with their buildings.
  All of this is done under the guise of solving a fake crisis 
manufactured by Republicans, both by sending migrants to cities run by 
Democrats in a failed attempt to score political points and, more 
importantly, by refusing to come to the table and genuinely address the 
critical need for substantive reforms to our immigration system.
  If everyone would follow the lead of our colleagues on the 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and if our rightwing 
colleagues could drop the heated rhetoric and partisan nonsense, there 
are many solutions that Republicans and Democrats could work on 
together to serve the American people, and we would welcome that 
opportunity.
  I will return to this point, Mr. Speaker, but first let's talk about 
the two bills.
  H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American 
Aviation Act, will reauthorize the FAA for 5 years and make a variety 
of much-needed improvements to the laws governing aviation in the 
United States.
  I am encouraged by many of the policy wins that Democrats achieved in 
the bill, including policies to increase funding for airport 
infrastructure, increase the scope of projects eligible for funding, 
hire more air traffic controllers, and grow the talent pipeline for 
hiring and training the next generation of pilots, mechanics, and 
aviation manufacturing workers.
  This bill also takes some much-needed steps to improve the passenger 
experience. The bill requires airlines to reimburse passengers for 
hotel and meal costs when their flight is canceled or significantly 
delayed.
  It requires airlines to allow families to sit together, and it 
requires airlines to make accommodations for passengers traveling with 
wheelchairs or other assistive devices, and to compensate those 
travelers if their property is damaged.
  While this bill is good, it is far from perfect. I recognize that 
when you negotiate, Mr. Speaker, you don't always get what you want. 
However, Mr. Speaker, when you negotiate with this House Republican 
majority, it is not only that you don't get what you want, it is also 
that you get less than what is needed to actually fix the problem at 
hand.
  Mr. Speaker, anyone who has taken a flight knows the sorry state of 
our Nation's airports. While our country was once First in Flight, our 
airports are now collectively second and third rate, and that is a 
policy choice by Congress.
  Over the past 30 years, we have underfunded our airports, forcing 
them to get by on inadequate budgets and limited revenue streams. The 
result is crystal clear to anyone who flies: old, crowded airports, 
large backlogs in runway maintenance, and a passenger experience that 
is often unpleasant from the moment you try to check in, Mr. Speaker, 
until you arrive at your destination. We did hear a fair amount of 
commentary on that from our colleagues in the Rules Committee last 
night.
  The passenger experience at many U.S. airports is eclipsed by 
virtually every other airport in Europe and Asia, and there is no good 
excuse for that.
  Beyond the benefits of improving the flying experience for American 
travelers, having first-class airports should be a point of national 
pride. We are not putting our best foot forward when foreign tourists 
visit the United States, the richest country on Earth, and the first 
thing they experience is a crumbling, unattractive, and inefficient 
airport.

  The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act made a massive investment 
in our Nation's airports, and dozens of projects have broken ground as 
a result. However, the IIJA was a onetime investment and gives us about 
5 years of boosted airport funding. We need to build on the success of 
that bill, not rest on our laurels and pretend that this short-term fix 
was a long-term solution to decades of underinvestment.
  In addition, I would have liked to have seen stronger protections for 
workers and consumers. I strongly oppose the provision in the bill to 
raise the pilot retirement age to 67, and I would have liked to have 
seen reforms to organize and form a union and to hold the airlines 
accountable for junk fees, delays, and cancellations.
  However, Mr. Speaker, again, I recognize that any bill of this sort 
is a compromise, and in a compromise you have to work with others who 
don't share your beliefs, and you can't always get your own way.
  It is important to pass this bill in a timely way so that we are able 
to maintain and improve our aviation functions without a lapse.
  Mr. Speaker, the other bill in today's rule is the so-called Schools 
Not Shelters Act or, as one of my colleagues called it, the defund our 
schools act.
  This bill is a monumental waste of the House's time and taxpayer 
dollars.

[[Page H3652]]

It is nothing more than an attempt by House Republicans to double down 
on their demonization of immigrants. The House had this same debate 
last month when Republicans brought to the floor a poorly drafted and 
fact-free resolution to the same effect.
  Now they have turned that resolution into a bill so they can continue 
their failed efforts to sow fear of immigrants in order to score 
political points. This bill does nothing to address the needs of 
communities facing an influx of migrant families or to solve the 
problems facing our schools. It is nothing more than another vehicle to 
create division and stoke culture wars because that is the point.
  Starting with the last administration, rightwing Republicans at the 
State and Federal level have abused migrant families and children 
fleeing poverty and violence to manufacture a crisis using them as 
pawns to score points.
  For example, if Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas, was genuinely 
unable to safely shelter migrants, he could have reached out in good 
faith to State and local leaders around the country to collaborate on 
solutions instead of shipping migrant families to those places without 
any notice or coordination.
  He could have reached out to the Biden administration for additional 
resources, and he could have come to Congress and asked for emergency 
funding.
  Instead, when faced with all those options, Governor Abbott decided 
to mislead or trick migrants and ship them to other parts of the 
country with no coordination or communication to the receiving 
communities.
  One of the destinations chosen by Governor Abbott, and Governor 
DeSantis as well, was Philadelphia. I met some of those migrant 
families last winter. During the week between Christmas and New Year's 
when temperatures were at or below freezing, they sent buses of 
families and children to Philadelphia. These families arrived in T-
shirts and sandals. They had no jacket and no gloves, and they were 
dropped off on the street at 6 a.m. and in the middle of the night.
  If not for the mercy and decency of our city officials, charities, 
churches, and advocates, those poor souls would have been left on the 
street in the middle of winter.
  These are human beings. These are families with children. They are 
people escaping horrors that apparently our colleagues can't even 
imagine. I still struggle to process the willingness of those 
Republican Governors to harm people and the willingness of our 
colleagues to enable them.
  While those Republican Governors thought that everyone shared their 
contempt and disregard for the humanity of these families, they were 
dead wrong. All over the country, the cities that have received these 
migrants did so with open arms and worked in unison with their faith 
communities, with volunteers, and with advocates to find solutions 
rather than to inflict further harm.
  They refused to play this sick game. They welcomed the migrants with 
compassion. I continue to be inspired by the fundamental decency and 
kindness of the Americans who mobilized to help migrants come to our 
shores yearning to breathe free, as we have throughout our American 
history.
  We are the country we are today because of the innumerable 
contributions of immigrants from all over the world. So instead of 
debating rightwing messaging bills to posture for the Republicans' 
extremist base, we should be using our time to pass a clear, legal, and 
efficient path to work, residency, and citizenship.
  We need to pass the American Dream and Promise Act again to provide 
Dreamers with a pathway to citizenship. However, our colleagues are not 
offering solutions to our immigration challenges, they are just 
offering complaints. They don't have a single, serious proposal for how 
we can address the needs of our immigration system.
  It is particularly galling that they have tried to reframe their 
active mistreatment of migrant families as a threat to public 
schoolchildren calling to defund public schools in retaliation against 
local governments for addressing the mess that Governor Abbott created.
  As my colleague, Mr. Neguse, pointed out in the Rules Committee 
hearing last night, the House majority has made clear its priorities: 
pushing unserious bills like this anti-immigrant bill while failing to 
address the actual issues facing our public schools, including teacher 
pay, student achievement gaps, gun violence, and hunger--daily hunger--
for schoolchildren.
  Later this week when Republicans host their press conference to 
celebrate passage of this bill, all these problems will still exist.
  Mr. Speaker, I look forward to passage of the FAA reauthorization 
later this week, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Roy).
  Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I would note that my colleague on the other side of the 
aisle from Pennsylvania referred to the crisis that we are experiencing 
on the southern border as a ``fake'' crisis.
  I just want everyone in America to understand: Our colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle believe that what we are experiencing on the 
southern border is a fake crisis.
  She said: demonizing migrants. She is criticizing Governor Abbott for 
having to deal with the crisis that they call fake.
  Governor Abbott, yes, moved migrants from Texas to other parts of the 
country, just like the mayor of El Paso and just like the mayor of New 
York. The mayor of New York, by the way, exists in a sanctuary city and 
then wants to come begging the Federal Government for money. That is 
the truth.
  We know precisely what is going on along the southern border, and my 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle are not just in denial, they 
are literally making up facts. They are saying things that are 
completely untrue.
  Did the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have to appropriate $10 
billion--$10 billion?
  That is what the State of Texas had to do to make up for the fact 
that the Federal Government is not only refusing to enforce the law, 
but it is actively participating--as this President is doing and as the 
Secretary of Homeland Security is doing while he lies to me under oath 
in the Judiciary Committee--actively participating in the trafficking 
of human beings into the United States and the trafficking of little 
girls into the sex trafficking trade.
  Was it a fake crisis for the 53 migrants who were cooked in a 
tractor-trailer last August in San Antonio, Texas? Is that fake?
  Is it a fake crisis for the 856 migrants who died along the Rio 
Grande in south Texas and in Arizona last year? Is that fake?
  Is it fake for the little girl who is sitting in a stash house in 
Houston, San Antonio, New York, or Philadelphia right now being raped 
by her captors?
  Or in Fort Worth, Texas, as a Federal judge articulated in a Federal 
opinion just 2 months ago?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the 
gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for the time.
  Mr. Speaker, of course, it is not fake.
  We are having to impact the entire country, and that is why I support 
the gentleman's bill, Schools Not Shelters. Yes, we passed other 
legislation, like H.R. 2, which would address the problem but which my 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle and this President refused to 
do.
  We are doing this, of course, jointly, while we are trying to move 
the FAA reauthorization. I support that bill too, but we must include 
slots--I just want to be very clear--for the people in San Antonio and 
for cities outside of the perimeter that was created in 1966.
  It is critically important for the American people to have access to 
their Nation's Capitol--including San Antonio, with 1.6 million people, 
the seventh largest city in the country--to have access to the Ronald 
Reagan National Airport.
  So I hope we will adopt that amendment so the FAA bill can move 
strongly to the Senate and get passed.

                              {time}  1245

  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I am so sorry my colleague across the aisle

[[Page H3653]]

misunderstood me. The fake crisis I was referring to was the crisis 
that this defund our schools bill is seeking to address, which is the 
use of active public school buildings to house migrants.
  That is a fake crisis. It is actually not happening across the 
country, and it was brought up only after the Texas Governor sent 
migrant families unannounced to New York State.
  Obviously, we have an issue with the amount of migration occurring 
throughout our hemisphere and the impact on our communities. I would 
gladly work with anyone to make sure that all of our communities, 
whether in Texas or New York or Philadelphia or Martha's Vineyard or 
anywhere across our country have the resources they need to feed and 
clothe the hungry and unsheltered people in those communities.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Barragan).
  Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise as chair of the Congressional 
Hispanic Caucus in opposition to H.R. 3941, which is what I call the 
anti-student, anti-family, anti-immigrant act. This bill is another 
attempt by Republicans to dehumanize migrants under the excuse of 
student safety. Give me a break.
  First, this bill does nothing to protect our students. In fact, it 
does the opposite. It cuts funding for schools that dare to provide 
shelter for those who escape oppression and seek protection in our 
country, even if the school is empty or closed down with no students.
  Republicans claim they are the party that protects children, but they 
are the same party that is directing Texas State troopers to push 
migrant children back into the Rio Grande River to drown. They should 
be ashamed.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this anti-student and 
anti-immigrant proposal.
  Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Langworthy).
  Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana for 
yielding time today.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the rule and protecting our 
communities and our public schools from paying the price for the Biden 
administration's broken border policies.
  Five counties in my district have declared a state of emergency in 
responding to the overwhelming influx of illegal immigration that 
Democrats in Washington and in my own State of New York refuse to 
address.
  Many of the communities in my district already struggle to provide 
essential services, but thanks to President Biden, Governor Hochul, and 
Mayor Adams, they are now forced to shoulder the heavy burden of 
housing illegal migrants.
  For anyone who wants to call those supportive of this effort today as 
lacking compassion, cruel, callous, whatever they want to come up with, 
I have this to say: My constituents, who are struggling to accommodate 
an influx of people who broke the law to enter this country, do not 
lack compassion.
  They are simply trying to survive in the face of an administration 
that refuses to protect this country's sovereignty and to secure our 
borders.
  Families like those in my district who have seen their loved ones die 
from the fentanyl flooding into our communities, they are not callous. 
They are desperate to see something done to stop the flow of lethal 
substances and save as many lives as possible.
  Communities across America who see what New York City is attempting 
to do by co-opting their public schools at the expense of their 
children are not cruel for wanting to stop this. They are worried about 
the safety and the well-being of our children.
  I strongly support the rule before us today and appreciate the 
leadership of my good friend and fellow New Yorker, Congressman Marc 
Molinaro, in bringing forward H.R. 3941, the Schools Not Shelters Act.
  The Biden administration has already demonstrated its callousness, 
cruelty, and lack of compassion by refusing to secure our borders and 
uphold our immigration laws. I urge my colleagues to join me in saying 
enough, and to support this rule before us today.
  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, as I suggested, this is just about 
rightwing messaging, pushing a false narrative that anybody is 
advocating for an open border--they aren't--while still refusing to 
come to grips with what do we do with the people who come here? What do 
we do with the people who are here?
  If there are solutions, we would love to work together on them. One 
of them appears to be providing enough resources for our communities to 
feed and house folks.
  Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an 
amendment to the rule to provide for consideration of a resolution 
which unequivocally states that it is the House's duty to keep our 
sacred promise to American workers and seniors to protect and preserve 
Social Security and Medicare and reject any cuts to those essential 
programs.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my 
amendment into the Record along with any extraneous material 
immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Escobar) to discuss this proposal.
  Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, this week, the House is poised to pass a 
bill threatening funding for public schools and institutions of higher 
learning if they provide shelter to vulnerable migrants.
  First, it is important to state the obvious. Migrant encounters are 
down by 70 percent, and the number of people arriving at the southern 
border has dropped significantly since the Biden administration ended 
the use of the Trump-era title 42 policy months ago.
  While my Republican colleagues want to continue their rabidly anti-
immigrant agenda instead of focusing on the needs of the American 
people, the American people should know that President Biden's efforts 
to better manage the border are working.

  Second, it is important for the American people to understand what my 
Republican colleagues are really trying to do.
  Last December and early again this spring, members of the media 
descended on my community of El Paso, Texas, to film and interview 
hundreds, and at some point, thousands of migrants sleeping on the 
streets of El Paso.
  During that coverage, my community told the country that our shelters 
were full. My community, like others across the country, sprang into 
action, and with the help of Federal funding, El Paso's Office of 
Emergency Management provided emergency shelter for vulnerable 
migrants, and because other shelters were full, had to use empty 
schools on a temporary basis.
  My Republican colleagues aren't trying to help us find solutions, 
which, by the way, could be done if we could get bipartisan 
comprehensive immigration reform done. Instead, they are using 
legislative action to harm migrants and harm communities like mine.
  Earlier this year, Republicans worked to eliminate funding to NGOs 
and receiving communities, and now they are deliberately trying to 
create a humanitarian catastrophe by further limiting options for 
receiving communities. This is what they want: a humanitarian 
catastrophe.
  By prohibiting the use of schools for emergency shelter, my 
Republican colleagues are creating a situation where migrants may not 
have anywhere else to go except the streets of communities like mine if 
we were to see numbers climb again.
  Unfortunately, the Republican Party of today is gripped by troubling 
extremism. Instead of seeking real solutions, again, like passing 
comprehensive immigration reform on a bipartisan basis, they are 
instead seeking to appease the extremists among them in their ranks.
  If they want to deal with challenges inside our schools, how about 
they work with us on gun violence or teacher shortages.
  Democrats, on the other hand, remain focused on solutions and will 
continue to fight for the needs of Americans. One of those areas of 
concern in districts across the country has more to do with ensuring we 
protect key programs that help everyday Americans,

[[Page H3654]]

which is why if we defeat the previous question, Democrats will bring 
up a resolution affirming our commitment to protecting Social Security 
and Medicare.
  These are vital programs that have a profound impact on the lives of 
millions of Americans. Both programs serve as a cornerstone of 
retirement security and affordable healthcare coverage for our seniors, 
people with disabilities, disabled workers, and survivors of deceased 
workers.
  In my district, many El Pasoans rely on Social Security and Medicare 
to help them meet their basic needs such as housing, preventative care, 
prescription drugs, doctors' visits, and daily expenses.
  This inhumane school defunding bill does nothing to truly address any 
real challenges we face, and I urge my colleagues to defeat the 
previous question so we can instead bring up important legislation 
affirming our commitment to the American people.
  Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Mrs. McClain).
  Mrs. McCLAIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Schools Not 
Shelters Act. This bill will protect our student safety and our 
schools, ensuring that they are used for learning.
  I don't know if anyone has recently looked, but the scores of math 
are down. The scores of reading are down. This bill will make sure that 
our schools--I will say it again--are used for learning, not to house 
illegal aliens crossing our southern border.
  The decision of local officials in New York City and elsewhere to 
house illegal aliens at school threatens the safety of our students.
  We wouldn't need this bill if President Biden did his job and secured 
the southern border. See, I am open to talking about immigration 
reform, but we must secure our southern border. They are not one and 
the same. They are different.
  Schools should never let a stranger come into a school without ID. I 
know when I go into my daughter's school, I have to show ID.
  What is happening now is we are letting illegals into our schools 
with no idea who these illegals are. They haven't been vetted at the 
border. Background checks haven't been run. We don't know who is coming 
into our schools. Could we at least employ the same type of 
verification that we do for legal American citizens? I mean, it doesn't 
make sense. Schools are not hotels. They are for education.
  When declaring New York's status as a sanctuary State, New York 
officials should have been a little bit better prepared for the mass 
number of migrants in a different manner and not throw the problems on 
our children's schools.
  I find it funny how they have an opinion on the southern border, but, 
yet, when the sanctuary city receives illegal migrants, oh, my 
goodness, they are all up in arms. They receive those migrants at a 
much lower rate than the border cities.
  Democrats are playing politics with people's lives instead of 
providing a quality education, and they are more focused on spending 
your taxpayer money on illegals and telling your kids what pronouns 
they should be. We have a math and reading problem. Perhaps we should 
focus our attention on education.
  Pass this bill today, protect our children, and keep criminals out of 
our schools.
  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I find myself in complete agreement that we 
should be addressing the actual issues, like student achievement, that 
are impacting our students, but, obviously, this bill does none of 
that.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico 
(Ms. Leger Fernandez), a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.
  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I completely agree as well that we 
do have an issue that we must address in terms of improving our 
education system, investing in our students, investing in our schools, 
but does this bill do this? Absolutely not.
  Last night in Rules, we actually had the debate about the fact that 
in the Education Committee, what has come out so far is nothing that 
addresses reading, math, STEM.
  What has come out so far is the kitchen sink of culture wars, and our 
families do not want culture wars in our schools. They want us to focus 
on learning, on making sure that our students cannot just survive but 
thrive.
  So here we are, standing on this floor once again to debate a bill 
that would defund our schools and dehumanize asylum seekers and 
immigrants.
  I remind my colleagues that one of the first asylum seekers that we 
know about was when a mother put her young baby into a raft, into a 
basket, and sent that baby down the river, and he was saved. His name 
was Moses.
  Asylum seekers today are doing the same. They are trying to flee 
incredible violence and get refuge here in the United States.
  Republicans stated last night that the academic success and safety of 
our students must always be placed first. No exceptions.
  If it is no exception, then why are we not addressing gun violence 
which is the biggest cause of death and injury for children in school, 
and, sadly, also in their neighborhoods?
  This bill does nothing to address gun violence even though more than 
344,000 children directly experience gun violence; even though in just 
6 months this year, we have already had 188 school shooting incidents 
with 143 victims in our schools. When will you take up saving our 
children in our schools by addressing gun violence?
  So rather than making sure our students can thrive and stay alive in 
schools, this bill would defund our schools with an empty gym. That is 
all we are talking about; an occasionally empty gym used on the coldest 
winter night or hottest summer day to shelter asylum seekers who have 
already been processed through the system. At this point in time, they 
are actually around. They have a legal pathway that they are seeking.
  Republicans have decided to politicize the border and immigration. 
They ignore the fact that apprehensions at the southern border are down 
by 70 percent. They are down by 70 percent because of Biden's policies.

                              {time}  1300

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the 
gentlewoman from New Mexico.
  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Yes, we have a broken immigration system, but 
whose fault is that?
  Last Congress, we passed several bipartisan immigration bills, 
including the American Dream and Promise Act and the Farm Workforce 
Modernization Act.
  Did any of the Republicans pushing this bill vote for those, vote for 
the problem solvers? No.
  I will end with this: Matthew 25:35 reminds us: ``For I was hungry 
and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a 
stranger and you welcomed me.''
  I ask my Republican colleagues to show the same humanity in this bill 
and vote against it.
  Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I will note that new laws will not keep guns from criminals any more 
than the current ones that we have.
  This legislation does not defund schools. I think there is a 
disconnect from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle because we 
have before us legislation that would simply say that schools need to 
be focused on education and not on housing illegal migrants--migrants 
that the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. McClain) pointed out have no 
background checks--and that they have no ability to verify and 
determine if they would be safe.
  Meanwhile, parents of students in my school corporation have to have 
background checks to go in for classroom parties.
  We are not defunding schools. We are simply saying that schools 
cannot house these migrants as a matter of safety for our children.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Van Orden).
  Mr. VAN ORDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rules package.
  The United States has long been recognized as a global leader in 
aviation safety, and each day, thousands of men and women work 
tirelessly to ensure smooth operations at our Nation's airports. 
However, in recent months, we have witnessed a concerning increase in 
fatalities of our ground crews, especially in rural airports like those 
in my district.

[[Page H3655]]

  First and foremost, it is crucial to understand and acknowledge that, 
historically, the United States has been a leader in aviation safety. 
For decades, we have set the standard for the rest of the world with 
safety protocols that have undoubtedly saved countless lives.
  Nonetheless, we cannot ignore the disturbing trend that has emerged 
in recent months. Close calls in our airspace and tragedies in our 
airports have become alarmingly frequent. These incidents remind us 
that we cannot be complacent on issues that threaten the safety of my 
constituents who work in rural airports and who spend their days 
helping Americans get from point A to point B.
  I am proud to be the first cosponsor to this amendment that was 
introduced by the gentlewoman from the great State of Oregon (Ms. 
Hoyle), my Democrat colleague, because it just makes sense. It requires 
the FAA to develop and publish safety training materials for airport 
ground crew workers, including supervisory employees.
  This amendment will help incidents involving aircraft engine 
ingestion and jet blast hazards decrease, and it is critical to keeping 
the airport workers in Wisconsin's Third Congressional District safe.
  The 2023 FAA reauthorization is bold and necessary, and it takes 
steps toward protecting the men and women who make it possible for most 
of us to travel to this Chamber so we can serve our constituents.
  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  As I was listening to some of the prior speakers, I started to 
understand why we have this defund the schools bill before us today. It 
is based upon a whole bunch of misunderstandings.
  The idea that migrants who are in the position where they are 
potentially being housed in our communities, these folks have, in fact, 
been vetted by our immigration agencies.
  Second of all, no Federal school funding can be used for that 
purpose. That funding is already restricted, and if it were to be used 
for the purpose of housing migrants, it could be immediately clawed 
back.
  Again, this is a bill that accomplishes nothing and is based on a 
series of alternative facts, and I strongly urge that we reject it and 
the rule.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Molinaro).
  Mr. MOLINARO. Mr. Speaker, let me first clarify. I live in the State 
of New York where Mayor Eric Adams and the city of New York decided to 
declare itself a sanctuary city. It opened its arms to individuals from 
across the globe.
  The city of New York decided to transport individuals--treating them 
not as human souls but simply as property--to be displaced to upstate 
counties. There is no screening. There is no criminal background check. 
In many cases, there is no monitoring or any coordination between the 
city of New York and those other communities, communities that made no 
such decision, no such choice.
  Earlier, my colleague across the aisle suggested that the Governors 
who engage in similar activities should simply coordinate and 
communicate with those other cities. Well, how about the city of New 
York communicating and coordinating with the rest of the communities?
  My colleague suggested that Governors should merely turn their 
attention to the President and simply ask for assistance. Ironically, 
Mayor Eric Adams made exactly that request and was met with deafening 
silence.
  My colleague across the aisle suggested that this is a manufactured 
crisis. It is a humanitarian crisis at our border that too many of my 
colleagues in power, by the way, for several years chose not to pay 
attention to. The President ignored the situation, and now communities 
across the country are faced with a humanitarian crisis.

  I am sponsoring the bill not because I don't care about the souls. I 
spent 12 years locating and identifying real shelters for individuals, 
unaccompanied minors.
  I sponsored the bill because families and communities in New York 
State and in New York City know their schools are not empty. These are 
centers of education, academics, and athletics. During the summer 
months, these are the places, by the way, that single moms send their 
children to get the services and support they need. Lunches are 
provided.
  For kids like my own, therapies for those with disabilities are 
provided. For 2\1/2\ years, we turned our back on those very children. 
These families are frightened, upset, and agitated by a government that 
doesn't pay attention to the concerns they have and instead displaces 
their children when the city of New York and the President and the 
White House have the capacity to address this problem where it exists.
  Mr. Speaker, I was intending to speak on a number of provisions 
within the FAA reauthorization, and I would like to try to get to just 
two.
  Within this FAA reauthorization bill, the Access and Dignity for All 
People Who Travel Act, which I lead, ensures those with disabilities 
who need special seating accommodations receive them. Too often, those 
with disabilities are ignored. This bill rectifies that.
  Another bill within the FAA reauthorization is the Future of Aviation 
Act.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the 
gentleman from New York.
  Mr. MOLINARO. Mr. Speaker, this allows public airports that received 
funding to use the additional funding for the use of advanced air 
mobility, including eVTOLs and electrical aircraft charging, and 
additional building out of their infrastructure.
  Lastly, the bill includes AAM that will help reconnect rural 
communities, reinvigorating tourism, improving ease of movement, and 
connecting rural communities to regional airports.
  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we heard the gentleman describing parents of 
schoolchildren being frightened, upset, and agitated because their 
school needs, their education needs, their needs for food or remedial 
education, are not being met.
  I remind my colleagues that they hold the majority. They are able to 
bring forward those bills and have the committee work to address those 
needs, but, again, the bill before us today does none of that.
  We would love to work together in a bipartisan manner, as the 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has done, to present a 
really good, forward-looking bill to address our Nation's aviation 
needs. We would just like to extend that ability to work on solutions, 
as opposed to culture wars, throughout the work before us for the good 
of the people.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
New York (Ms. Malliotakis).
  Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3941. I am 
proud to cosponsor this legislation with Congressman Marc Molinaro, who 
is also from the State of New York.
  There are two people who are truly responsible for the crisis that we 
see of 7 million illegal immigrants who have come to the United States. 
Firstly, there is our President, who decided to open the borders 
without any type of process, any type of order, and, quite frankly, in 
violation of our own Federal laws. Then, you have Mayor Adams in New 
York City, the city in which I reside and represent, who decided to 
misinterpret New York City's right to shelter law, which was intended 
for American citizens, not citizens of other countries who just came 
over the border last week.
  The problem is, if you look at New York City right now, you will see 
that there are more illegal immigrants being housed in our shelters 
than American citizens. Walk down the streets of the city, and you see 
homeless New Yorkers, people who have substance abuse issues, people 
who have mental health issues lying on the streets of our city while 
the mayor has gone head over heels and has done everything possible to 
house citizens of other countries who chose not to follow our rules, 
who chose not to follow the proper process, and have come into our 
country. We don't vet them properly, and we don't know what their 
intentions are.
  I am the daughter of immigrants. I think that many people are coming

[[Page H3656]]

here for the right reasons. They do want to have a better life. 
However, there are many others who are not. We need to differentiate 
between them. People who come illegally need to follow our process.
  Two-thirds of the people who are heard in court are not legitimate 
asylum seekers. That means they are in this country illegally. The 
mayor insists that New York taxpayers have to continue to foot the bill 
of billions and billions of dollars while taxpayers are trying to keep 
roofs over their own heads. They are trying to pay their mortgages and 
pay their property taxes, which he keeps raising that levy. They are 
having their own difficulty, thanks to Bidenflation, in keeping a roof 
over their head, and now the mayor wants them to house these 
individuals, as well.
  On top of it, they want to add schools, which is where children 
should be learning. They have lost 2 years of socialization, of 
physical fitness, of interaction thanks to COVID, and now he wants to 
take away the school gym.
  If anyone says it is a manufactured crisis, look at New York City 
because it is happening there. The people of New York know it. The 
people of this country know it, and they know that it has to stop.
  House Republicans put forward, by the way, a proposal to stop this, 
to secure our borders, and every single one of the Democrats voted 
against it.

  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to 
close.
  Mr. Speaker, what we are seeing this week is a tale of two 
Congresses, one that is capable of working across the aisle to solve 
real problems but one that is increasingly held hostage by forces more 
interested in culture wars and punching down on vulnerable people to 
score political points.
  I ask my House colleagues, again, to follow the example set by the 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as well as the House Armed 
Services Committee. I think this building and our country work a lot 
better when Members put their heads down and work on solutions to the 
problems facing the country. I would like to think there are many 
Members in both parties who would agree with that view. However, we 
learned a lot last week from Kevin McCarthy and the most extreme 
members of the Republican Party.
  Since the first day of the 118th Congress, particularly on the Rules 
Committee, we have heard countless lofty speeches from our Republican 
colleagues about the need for more transparency in our processes, for 
more amendments to be considered on the floor, for more debate, and for 
more rank-and-file Members to have their priorities considered by the 
whole House.
  Last week, House Republicans had the chance to stand behind those 
words and instead blocked over 1,000 amendments submitted to the NDAA.

                              {time}  1315

  Today's rule and the amendments allowed on it were negotiated behind 
closed doors--not between Democrats and Republicans but between 
Republicans and the most extreme members of that party.
  Next week, Kevin McCarthy has already signaled that he is abandoning 
his commitment to consider appropriations legislation under an open 
rule.
  It has become increasingly clear what the real deal is. It is an open 
rule for the rightwing Freedom Caucus and a closed rule for everyone 
else, including many Republicans who do not endorse the chaos and 
antidemocratic impulses pushed by the far-right members of their party.
  Despite the griping about regular order and empowering individual 
Members, this Congress remains enthralled by a power grab--plain and 
simple--by the most extreme members of the Republican majority.
  We can now expect Speaker McCarthy to fold at the first sight of 
trouble, meaning that the House is now run by its loudest and most 
extreme Members.
  Beyond being an embarrassing way to run a democratic institution, 
this arrangement only serves to weaken the House and all but guarantees 
that the Senate will jam us on big legislation like appropriations, the 
NDAA, and the FAA reauthorization.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose the previous question and 
the rule, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  We face another week of big legislation under consideration for a 
vote on the House floor to better the lives of everyday Americans.
  Both the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation 
Act and the Schools Not Shelters Act are important steps in delivering 
on our promise for a nation that is safe.
  Republicans are keeping our Commitment to America.
  With the passage of these two bills, we can continue to lead in 
aviation safety and innovation and keep the promise to our students 
that schools are a place dedicated to learning and safety.
  I look forward to moving these promises out of the House this week, 
and I ask my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on the previous 
question and ``yes'' on the rule.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in strong 
opposition to the Rule for H.R. 3941, ``Schools Not Shelters Act of 
2023''.
  This bill is an absurd measure to condemn the use of elementary and 
secondary school facilities that provide shelter for people caught up 
in emergencies, just like we do for other disasters.
  Using the facilities of a public elementary or secondary school to 
provides shelter for non-U.S. nationals who are not admitted into the 
United States should not be politicized, as this is humanitarian issue 
and failure of our broken immigration system.
  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 find a lasting 
solution to 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 
because 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.
  More importantly when it comes to schools in America, we should be 
addressing critical issues that are truly impacting our educational 
system--namely, the hostile state takeovers of majority-minority school 
districts--as is what is happening in my district with the Texas 
Education Agency takeover of the Houston Independent School District.
  State takeovers in other districts have led to school closures, 
layoffs, and no improvements in test scores.
  The vast majority of school districts that have been taken over by 
state agencies (TEA included) have not improved but declined.
  With data ranging back to the late 1980s, researchers found that most 
state takeovers don't translate to academic improvements.
  We have to stop the State from intermeddling and overstepping into 
our educational systems--causing further harm and damage to our 
communities,
  That is why I have called upon President Biden and the Department of 
Education to investigate and take immediate I action to address the 
recent systematic and dangerous efforts underway by state and local 
officials in Texas seeking to undermine and undo decades of civils 
rights protections and advancements in educational institutions and 
student populations.
  And so, I am here today to say that these are the issues that the 
American people truly care about and want us to be fighting for, for 
the protection and preservation of their educational rights .
  Emergency response agencies have always used school facility 
sheltering to provide emergency services to affected individuals and 
communities; the use of these facilities as a

[[Page H3657]]

temporary shelter for migrants puts no students in danger.
  These school facilities have always been used as emergency shelters 
during disasters such as weather-related events.
  No colleges or public K-12 schools should lose federal funding 
because they provide temporary relief to migrants.
  If Republicans are really concerned about measures needed to ensure 
school safety, they should support all measures that address gun 
violence prevention and mental health issues.
  If my colleagues genuinely want to address students' safety, they 
should join with us to focus on the real causes of violent deaths in 
our country--guns.
  Gun violence is decimating our families and communities--mass 
shootings in schools, places of worship, shopping malls, concerts, and 
urban neighborhoods.
  A majority of Americans, including parents, teachers, students, and 
educational workers support common sense and meaningful actions that 
address the surging violence in our schools and colleges.
  All that this bill does is to punish schools that Republicans think 
are helping migrants.
  By singling out emergency use for migrants, this bill is only about 
Republicans' continuous opposition to any effort that provides support 
for the migrant community.
  That is why I had offered the following amendments to be considered 
by the Rules Committee:
  Jackson Lee Amendment 13 would simply prevent the enactment of H.R. 
3941 until we actually address and enact comprehensive immigration 
reform in the United States such that the Federal immigration system 
operates efficiently and offers a fair, humane, and orderly pathway to 
citizenship.
  Jackson Lee Amendment 15 would also prevent enactment of this bill 
until my bill the ``Grant Relief for American Children's Elevation 
(GRACE) Act of 2023'' is implemented such that the ``exceptional and 
extremely unusual hardship'' term as defined in Section 240A(b) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 12229b(b)) is amended, to 
include hardship resulting from separating a family member who is a 
United States citizen, a lawful permanent resident or an individual 
lawfully admitted to the United States and a family member who is 
subject to deportation or removal from the United States.
  A study on Facts and Fictions of Race and Family in U.S. Immigration 
Policy found that the United States governing framework of family 
sponsorship is rooted in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, 
also known as the Hart-Celler Act.
  The act eliminated the 1924 national origins quotas while maintaining 
the principle of numerical restriction by specifying annual caps as 
well as per-country limits on immigration.
  Under the act, ``immediate family,'' specifically spouses, minor 
children, and the parents of U.S. citizens, are admitted without 
numerical quotas.
  After that, there is a system of hierarchical preferences in which 
the claims of U.S. citizens are placed above those of legal permanent 
residents.
  There is also a ranking of the family relationship that is based on 
assessments of familial proximity and of age, especially in the case of 
parents and children.
  The dominant political narrative of the 1965 act at the time of its 
passage was one of national values, family unity, and the American 
commitment to ending racial discrimination.
  However, according to the Washington Post, the Trump administration's 
immigration policies separated more than 5,400 children from their 
families, sending families to Mexico to await the chance to make asylum 
claims and seeking the chance to detain children indefinitely.
  My amendment, the ``Grant Relief for American Children's Elevation 
Act'' or ``GRACE Act,'' would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act 
to establish certain family separation as an exceptional and extremely 
unusual hardship.
  The American Academy of Pediatrics has noted that ``highly stressful 
experiences, like family separation, can cause irreparable harm, 
disrupting a child's brain architecture and affecting his or her short- 
and long-term health.
  This type of prolonged exposure to serious stress--known as toxic 
stress--can carry lifelong consequences for children.''
  Just last year, two pediatricians wrote in the Houston Chronicle that 
``this kind of stress makes children susceptible to acute and chronic 
conditions such as extreme anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress 
disorder, hypertension and heart disease.''
  As we take into consideration the long term negative psychological 
effects of family separation as the result of immigration, it becomes 
abundantly clear that we cannot move forward until this cycle is 
stopped.
  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 find a lasting 
solution to the current immigration crisis.
  However, I think it is essential that migrants are brought and 
allowed into the country through legal immigration.
  Under the Jackson Lee Amendment 15, the Immigration and Nationality 
Act would have no longer subjected human beings to extreme trauma by 
separating a family member who is a United States citizen, a lawful 
permanent resident, or an individual lawfully admitted to the United 
States and a family member who is subject to deportation or removal 
from the United States.
  And the Jackson Lee Amendment 16 strikes one word--``not'' from Sect. 
2(a) such that it reads as follows:

  In General.--As a condition on receipt of Federal financial 
assistance under applicable program by a public elementary school, a 
public secondary school, or an institution of higher education, the 
facilities of the school or institution may [not] be used to provide 
shelter or housing for specified aliens.

  Thus, my amendment strikes the very language preventing the use of 
school facilities for the purpose of providing shelter or housing to 
individuals as defined by section 101(a) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)) who has not been admitted (as so 
defined).
  I am a strong proponent of humanitarian aid efforts in the 
immigration context, from preventing the breakup of individual families 
because 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 to provide shelter for non-U.S. nationals who are not admitted 
into the United States.
  Whenever appropriate, space in our schools should be made available 
for humanitarian aid purposes, such as allowing migrants to stay there 
while they wait for processing and paperwork to conclude their legal 
residency status.
  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.
  More importantly, when it comes to schools in America, we should be 
addressing critical issues that are truly impacting our educational 
system--namely, the hostile state takeovers of majority-minority school 
districts--as is what is happening in my district with the Texas 
Education Agency takeover of the Houston Independent School District.
  State takeovers in other districts have led to school closures, 
layoffs, and no improvements in test scores.
  The vast majority of school districts that have been taken over by 
state agencies (TEA included) have not improved but declined.
  With data ranging back to the late 1980s, researchers found that most 
state takeovers don't translate to academic improvements.
  Republicans provide no evidence that the academic progress of 
students is negatively impacted simply by attending a school which 
houses migrants.
  H.R. 3941 is distractive, it is uninformed, it is pointless, 
provocative, inflammatory, and at best, an absolute waste of time.
  Using the facilities of a public elementary or secondary school to 
provide shelter for non-U.S. nationals who are not admitted into the 
United States should not be politicized, as this is a humanitarian 
issue and failure of our broken immigration system.
  Instead of denying innocent people temporary humanitarian relief we 
should focus on stopping the State from meddling in and overstepping 
the boundaries of our educational systems--causing further harm and 
damage to our communities.
  Lastly, the Jackson Lee Amendment 19 was offered to add the word 
``freeze'' to be included in the definition of ``specified disaster''.
  This definition is particularly important to signify the dangers of 
deadly and disastrous weather conditions without snow.
  In February 2012, my home state of Texas experienced an unprecedented 
deep freeze that crippled our state as temperatures dropped to as low 
as six degrees.
  The freeze triggered the worst energy infrastructure failure in Texas 
state history, leading to shortages of water, food, and heat.
  More than 4.5 million homes and businesses were left without power, 
some for several days and at least 246 people were killed directly or 
indirectly, with some estimates as high as 702 killed during the 
crisis.
  These Jackson Lee Amendments 13, 15, 16, and 19 would have ensured 
that unaccompanied minors and migrants in need of temporary relief may 
be provided emergency shelter or housing using institutional facilities 
where appropriate.

[[Page H3658]]

  It is a shame that we not made in order, and that we here with such 
an offensive and counterproductive bill, and that we are spending time 
on ineffective efforts instead of focusing on real immigration reform 
and resolutions for our nation's broken pathways for citizenship.
  The text of the material previously referred to by Ms. Scanlon is as 
follows:

   An Amendment to H. Res. 597 Offered by Ms. Scanlon of Pennsylvania

       At the end of the resolution, add the following:
       Sec. 6. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the 
     House shall proceed to the consideration in the House of the 
     resolution (H. Res. 178) affirming the House of 
     Representatives' commitment to protect and strengthen Social 
     Security and Medicare. The resolution shall be considered as 
     read. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on 
     the resolution and preamble to adoption without intervening 
     motion or demand for division of the question except one hour 
     of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and 
     ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means or 
     their respective designees.

Sec. 7. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the consideration of 
                              H. Res. 178.

  Mrs. HOUCHIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I 
move the previous question on the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering the previous 
question.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, the Chair 
will reduce to 5 minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote on 
the question of adoption of the resolution.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 213, 
nays 207, not voting 13, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 331]

                               YEAS--213

     Aderholt
     Alford
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Babin
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bean (FL)
     Bentz
     Bergman
     Bice
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (NC)
     Boebert
     Bost
     Brecheen
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Burlison
     Calvert
     Cammack
     Carey
     Carl
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Chavez-DeRemer
     Ciscomani
     Cline
     Cloud
     Clyde
     Cole
     Collins
     Comer
     Crane
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Curtis
     D'Esposito
     Davidson
     De La Cruz
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Donalds
     Duarte
     Duncan
     Dunn (FL)
     Edwards
     Ellzey
     Emmer
     Estes
     Ezell
     Fallon
     Feenstra
     Ferguson
     Finstad
     Fischbach
     Fitzgerald
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Flood
     Foxx
     Franklin, C. Scott
     Fry
     Fulcher
     Gaetz
     Gallagher
     Garbarino
     Garcia, Mike
     Gimenez
     Gonzales, Tony
     Good (VA)
     Gooden (TX)
     Gosar
     Granger
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Greene (GA)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Hageman
     Harris
     Harshbarger
     Hern
     Higgins (LA)
     Hill
     Hinson
     Houchin
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Hunt
     Issa
     Jackson (TX)
     James
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson (SD)
     Jordan
     Joyce (PA)
     Kean (NJ)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kiggans (VA)
     Kiley
     Kim (CA)
     Kustoff
     LaHood
     LaLota
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Langworthy
     Latta
     LaTurner
     Lawler
     Lee (FL)
     Lesko
     Letlow
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Luna
     Malliotakis
     Mann
     Mast
     McCaul
     McClain
     McClintock
     McCormick
     McHenry
     Meuser
     Miller (IL)
     Miller (OH)
     Miller (WV)
     Miller-Meeks
     Mills
     Molinaro
     Moolenaar
     Mooney
     Moore (AL)
     Moore (UT)
     Moran
     Murphy
     Nehls
     Newhouse
     Norman
     Nunn (IA)
     Obernolte
     Ogles
     Owens
     Palmer
     Pence
     Perry
     Pfluger
     Posey
     Reschenthaler
     Rodgers (WA)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rose
     Rosendale
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Rutherford
     Salazar
     Santos
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Self
     Sessions
     Simpson
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smucker
     Spartz
     Stauber
     Steel
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Steube
     Stewart
     Strong
     Tenney
     Thompson (PA)
     Timmons
     Turner
     Valadao
     Van Drew
     Van Duyne
     Van Orden
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Waltz
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Williams (NY)
     Williams (TX)
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Yakym
     Zinke

                               NAYS--207

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Allred
     Auchincloss
     Balint
     Barragan
     Beatty
     Bera
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bowman
     Boyle (PA)
     Brown
     Brownley
     Budzinski
     Bush
     Caraveo
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson
     Carter (LA)
     Cartwright
     Casar
     Case
     Casten
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Cherfilus-McCormick
     Chu
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Craig
     Crockett
     Crow
     Cuellar
     Davids (KS)
     Davis (IL)
     Dean (PA)
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     DeSaulnier
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Escobar
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Evans
     Fletcher
     Foster
     Foushee
     Frankel, Lois
     Frost
     Garamendi
     Garcia (IL)
     Garcia (TX)
     Garcia, Robert
     Golden (ME)
     Goldman (NY)
     Gomez
     Gonzalez, Vicente
     Gottheimer
     Green, Al (TX)
     Grijalva
     Harder (CA)
     Hayes
     Higgins (NY)
     Himes
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Hoyer
     Hoyle (OR)
     Huffman
     Ivey
     Jackson (NC)
     Jackson Lee
     Jacobs
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Kamlager-Dove
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kim (NJ)
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster
     Landsman
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lee (CA)
     Lee (NV)
     Lee (PA)
     Leger Fernandez
     Levin
     Lieu
     Lofgren
     Lynch
     Magaziner
     Manning
     Matsui
     McClellan
     McCollum
     McGarvey
     McGovern
     Meeks
     Menendez
     Meng
     Mfume
     Moore (WI)
     Morelle
     Moskowitz
     Moulton
     Mrvan
     Mullin
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neguse
     Nickel
     Norcross
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Omar
     Pallone
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Peltola
     Perez
     Peters
     Pettersen
     Phillips
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Porter
     Pressley
     Quigley
     Ramirez
     Raskin
     Ross
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Ryan
     Salinas
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scanlon
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Scholten
     Schrier
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Sewell
     Sherman
     Sherrill
     Slotkin
     Smith (WA)
     Sorensen
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Stansbury
     Stanton
     Stevens
     Strickland
     Swalwell
     Sykes
     Takano
     Thanedar
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tlaib
     Tokuda
     Tonko
     Torres (CA)
     Torres (NY)
     Trahan
     Trone
     Underwood
     Vargas
     Vasquez
     Veasey
     Velazquez
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Watson Coleman
     Wexton
     Wild
     Williams (GA)
     Wilson (FL)

                             NOT VOTING--13

     Buck
     Davis (NC)
     Deluzio
     Gallego
     Jackson (IL)
     Joyce (OH)
     Kelly (PA)
     Loudermilk
     Luttrell
     Mace
     Massie
     McBath
     Tiffany


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (during the vote). There are 2 minutes 
remaining.

                              {time}  1339

  Ms. BROWN changed her vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
  Mr. POSEY changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
  So the previous question was ordered.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.


                             Recorded Vote

  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
  A recorded vote was ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 213, 
noes 206, not voting 15, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 332]

                               AYES--213

     Aderholt
     Alford
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Babin
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bean (FL)
     Bentz
     Bergman
     Bice
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (NC)
     Boebert
     Bost
     Brecheen
     Buchanan
     Buck
     Bucshon
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Burlison
     Calvert
     Cammack
     Carey
     Carl
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Chavez-DeRemer
     Ciscomani
     Cline
     Cloud
     Clyde
     Cole
     Collins
     Comer
     Crane
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Curtis
     D'Esposito
     Davidson
     De La Cruz
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Donalds
     Duarte
     Duncan
     Dunn (FL)
     Edwards
     Ellzey
     Emmer
     Estes
     Ezell
     Fallon
     Feenstra
     Ferguson
     Finstad
     Fischbach
     Fitzgerald
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Flood
     Foxx
     Franklin, C. Scott
     Fry
     Fulcher
     Gaetz
     Gallagher
     Garbarino
     Garcia, Mike
     Gimenez
     Gonzales, Tony
     Good (VA)
     Gooden (TX)
     Gosar
     Granger
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Greene (GA)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Hageman
     Harris
     Harshbarger
     Hern
     Higgins (LA)
     Hill
     Hinson
     Houchin
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Hunt
     Issa
     Jackson (TX)
     James
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson (SD)
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Joyce (PA)
     Kean (NJ)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kiggans (VA)
     Kiley
     Kim (CA)

[[Page H3659]]


     Kustoff
     LaHood
     LaLota
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Langworthy
     Latta
     LaTurner
     Lawler
     Lee (FL)
     Lesko
     Letlow
     Loudermilk
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Luna
     Malliotakis
     Mann
     Mast
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McClain
     McClintock
     McCormick
     McHenry
     Meuser
     Miller (IL)
     Miller (OH)
     Miller (WV)
     Miller-Meeks
     Mills
     Molinaro
     Moolenaar
     Mooney
     Moore (AL)
     Moore (UT)
     Moran
     Murphy
     Nehls
     Newhouse
     Norman
     Nunn (IA)
     Obernolte
     Ogles
     Owens
     Palmer
     Pence
     Perry
     Pfluger
     Posey
     Reschenthaler
     Rodgers (WA)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rose
     Rosendale
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Rutherford
     Salazar
     Santos
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Self
     Sessions
     Simpson
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Stauber
     Steel
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Steube
     Stewart
     Strong
     Tenney
     Timmons
     Turner
     Valadao
     Van Drew
     Van Duyne
     Van Orden
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Waltz
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Williams (NY)
     Williams (TX)
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Yakym
     Zinke

                               NOES--206

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Allred
     Auchincloss
     Balint
     Barragan
     Beatty
     Bera
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bowman
     Boyle (PA)
     Brown
     Brownley
     Budzinski
     Bush
     Caraveo
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson
     Carter (LA)
     Cartwright
     Casar
     Case
     Casten
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Cherfilus-McCormick
     Chu
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Craig
     Crockett
     Crow
     Cuellar
     Davids (KS)
     Davis (IL)
     Dean (PA)
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     DeSaulnier
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Escobar
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Evans
     Fletcher
     Foster
     Foushee
     Frankel, Lois
     Frost
     Garamendi
     Garcia (IL)
     Garcia (TX)
     Garcia, Robert
     Golden (ME)
     Goldman (NY)
     Gomez
     Gonzalez, Vicente
     Gottheimer
     Green, Al (TX)
     Grijalva
     Harder (CA)
     Hayes
     Higgins (NY)
     Himes
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Hoyer
     Hoyle (OR)
     Huffman
     Ivey
     Jackson (NC)
     Jackson Lee
     Jacobs
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Kamlager-Dove
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kim (NJ)
     Krishnamoorthi
     Landsman
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lee (CA)
     Lee (NV)
     Lee (PA)
     Leger Fernandez
     Levin
     Lieu
     Lofgren
     Lynch
     Magaziner
     Manning
     Matsui
     McClellan
     McCollum
     McGarvey
     McGovern
     Meeks
     Menendez
     Meng
     Mfume
     Moore (WI)
     Morelle
     Moskowitz
     Moulton
     Mrvan
     Mullin
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neguse
     Nickel
     Norcross
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Omar
     Pallone
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Peltola
     Perez
     Peters
     Pettersen
     Phillips
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Porter
     Pressley
     Quigley
     Ramirez
     Raskin
     Ross
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Ryan
     Salinas
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scanlon
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Scholten
     Schrier
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Sewell
     Sherman
     Sherrill
     Slotkin
     Smith (WA)
     Sorensen
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Spartz
     Stansbury
     Stanton
     Stevens
     Strickland
     Swalwell
     Sykes
     Takano
     Thanedar
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tlaib
     Tokuda
     Tonko
     Torres (CA)
     Torres (NY)
     Trahan
     Trone
     Underwood
     Vargas
     Vasquez
     Velazquez
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Watson Coleman
     Wexton
     Wild
     Williams (GA)
     Wilson (FL)

                             NOT VOTING--15

     Davis (NC)
     Deluzio
     Gallego
     Jackson (IL)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kuster
     Luttrell
     Mace
     Massie
     McBath
     Smucker
     Thompson (PA)
     Tiffany
     Veasey
     Weber (TX)


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (during the vote). There are 2 minutes 
remaining.

                              {time}  1345

  So the resolution was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  Stated against:
  Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I was not present for one vote during the 
vote series this afternoon. Had I been present, I would have voted 
``no'' on rollcall No. 332.


                          Personal Explanation

  Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I missed votes due to a 
death in the family. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``nay'' on 
rollcall No. 331, the motion on ordering the previous question on H. 
Res. 597; and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 332, H. Res. 597--rule providing 
for consideration of H.R. 3941 (Schools Not Shelters Act) and H.R. 3935 
(Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act).

                          ____________________