[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 113 (Tuesday, July 9, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H4522-H4525]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REQUIRE VOTERS TO PROVE CITIZENSHIP
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 9, 2023, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Roy) for 30 minutes.
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Arizona for his
willingness to come to the floor and talk about these important issues
that, frankly, all of us should be talking about. He does so with
regularity, and it is important.
The average American is hurting because they watch the price of goods
going up and all the things that are happening as a direct consequence
of what we are doing and not doing here--as the gentleman points out,
our inability and lack of willingness or fortitude to focus on the
issues that matter.
Right now, I think something the American people need to understand,
as we head into the fall season, is that we are heading into the time
of elections.
My colleagues on the other side of the aisle come down to give a
whole lot of rhetoric about the lack of agenda or lack of things that
we are doing. We have legislation on the floor of the House this week
to ensure that only citizens vote, something we call the SAVE Act. That
legislation is necessary because anybody with eyes knows that we are
getting overrun by open borders that are endangering the American
people. We have millions of people flooding into the country and have
thousands and thousands of people who are on the voter rolls who are
not supposed to be. Those are facts. It is true.
We know States that are starting to cleanse their voter rolls are
finding people who are noncitizens and are registered to vote. We saw
it in Virginia. We have seen it in North Carolina. We have seen it in
Texas. We have seen it across the country. The truth is, it goes far
deeper than that.
The question that we have to ask ourselves is: What does it mean to
be an American? What does citizenship even mean anymore?
We have an administration--Joe Biden, the people who work for him,
and our Democratic colleagues on the other side of the aisle--that is
at war with the whole idea of American exceptionalism and what it means
to be an American. They are at war with the whole idea of what it means
to be an American citizen. They are undermining the whole purpose, the
whole intent, behind citizenship. Citizenship is supposed to matter.
This week, we are going to be voting on the floor on a bill to
require a simple thing: that we know that only American citizens are
voting in our American elections. That is what we are voting on this
week, tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, you would think that some number of our colleagues on
the other side of the aisle would be willing to work with us on such
legislation. They bemoan that they are not getting an amendment
offered. Let's be very clear: They offered one amendment--one--in the
committee of jurisdiction, the House Administration Committee. Do you
know how many Democrats were present? One, the ranking member. The
ranking member offered the amendment. It went down 6-1. There was no
real debate from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle because
the only purpose of the amendment was to gut the bill. That was the
only purpose.
Then, I heard bemoaning from our Democratic colleagues and the
ranking member of the Rules Committee when we were up in the Rules
Committee, and he said they should be able to offer this amendment.
Why? His Democratic colleagues didn't even show up to the debate in the
committee, and the whole purpose of the amendment was to gut the bill.
The bill has been strongly supported by the Speaker on down, strongly
supported by his staff, strongly supported by the people who have
worked on it hard, but none of that matters to the American people. The
only thing that matters to the American people is that it is
legislation that would protect their constitutional right as a citizen
to be the one who has a say in his or her government.
What is happening right now is we are undermining the integrity of
our elections and undermining our very Republic by allowing noncitizens
to vote. Indeed, some jurisdictions--Oakland, San Francisco, New York,
and, indeed, our Nation's Capital--are purposely registering
noncitizens to vote.
They say, wink, wink, nod, nod, don't worry about it. We are only
going to do that in State and local elections. We will not, of course,
put them over in Federal elections because that is against the law. My
Democratic colleagues want to say we don't need this bill because it is
already against the law for a noncitizen to vote in Federal elections.
True.
However, number one, then what are you worried about? Why are you
concerned? What is so problematic that you think it is bad that we try
to put procedures in place to carry out the law you say is already in
place?
The truth is you don't like that that law is in place. That is the
truth about our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. We know this
because Democratic jurisdictions across the country, as I said a minute
ago, are registering noncitizens to vote in State and local elections.
They want them to vote in Federal elections. The problem is, they
have this pesky little issue with the American people, 81 to 87 percent
of whom believe that only citizens should vote in American elections.
We have a bill before us on the floor of the House tomorrow that I
believe is going to be opposed by virtually all or all of our
Democratic colleagues. We will see. I kind of dare them to vote ``no''
on a bill supported by 81 to 87 percent of the American people. I dare
them to vote ``no'' against a bill that says that only American
citizens should vote in American elections. I am going to dare them to
go ahead and follow a President who has put out a policy against a
bill, the purpose of which is to guarantee citizens are the ones who
get to vote in American elections.
We will see if our Democratic colleagues want to go to the polls in
November having rejected what clearly the vast majority of their
constituents, even in the most liberal jurisdictions in the country,
believe is right. That is what is likely to occur tomorrow.
Mr. Speaker, if you believe the news, believe the accounts, look at
what the President has done, and look at the posturing of the House
Democratic leadership, they are on the precipice of staking out a
position of belief that noncitizens should be able to vote in our
elections.
That, of course, is not too surprising, given the extent to which a
number of
[[Page H4523]]
our Democratic colleagues have repeatedly talked about how it is
beneficial for them to have noncitizens--indeed, sometimes illegal
aliens--voting in elections.
The fact of the matter is, we know what has happened in the Biden
administration as the American people have been endangered, as
Americans have died, as Laken Riley has died, and as numerous
individuals have been killed, raped, murdered, and assaulted across
this country by people who have been let into this country illegally.
We know that some 8 million illegal aliens have crossed the border
under Biden's tenure. We know that some 5.3 million illegal aliens have
been released by Joe Biden. We know that we have had massive numbers of
criminal gang members, massive numbers of people affiliated with
terrorist organizations, and thousands of numbers of Chinese nationals
who have come into our country.
We know that our domestic crime is increasing. We know that we are
being endangered. We know that people are being released. We know that
we have criminals coming to our country, yet we want to do one simple
thing. We have been fighting them, trying to stop what they are doing
by releasing people into the country. We passed H.R. 2. Democrats
refused to do anything about it. They refused to move it. Chuck Schumer
refuses to do it. Joe Biden doesn't even know what we are talking
about.
Here, our Democratic colleagues are poised to reject a bill to
protect our elections, to ensure that only Americans vote in our
elections. That should give everybody in this country pause and give
them a glimpse into the soul of our colleagues on the other side of the
aisle and what they think about citizenship. They don't respect
citizenship.
Our Democratic colleagues don't believe that citizenship matters.
They don't believe that sovereignty matters because if they did, they
wouldn't do this. If our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, our
Democratic colleagues, had some small fix or even significant fix to
believe that we could make our system better, we would be all ears.
If it was a legitimate exercise to say, yes, of course, we want to
not only have it against the law for noncitizens to vote in our
elections, as is currently the case, but we also want to make sure that
we remove all Federal barriers and, indeed, improve the situation and
have requirements in place to guarantee that we can check, know, and
ensure that only citizens vote. That is not what they are doing.
The legislation that we put forward is pretty simple, the SAVE Act.
It will allow you to come forward, prospectively. If you are going to
vote this fall, you can go vote. You are in the system. If you move,
your address changes, you get married, if something changes at some
point over the next few years, we require States to clean their voter
rolls.
If you want to register to vote, take a passport, take a military ID,
take a Real ID, all of which demonstrate your citizenship. If you don't
have one of those, take your regular driver's license, get a copy of
your birth certificate, get a copy of an adoption certificate or
naturalization papers and go down to say that you can register and are
a citizen.
There are 400,000 tombstones on the other side of the Potomac River.
They either gave the last full measure of devotion or risked the last
full measure of devotion. I think you can take a few seconds to make
sure that you demonstrate your citizenship to vote.
More than that, we put in massive safeguards. We give flexibility to
States. We say that if they want to come up with a better way to do it,
they can balance and check the Federal systems. They can sign an
affidavit as a government official saying that they believe this is a
citizen. They checked, and this is a citizen. They provided all the
information necessary. Great.
There are no barriers, no undue burdens, no restrictions on the
ability of an American citizen to vote under our plan. What it will do
is give not just increased confidence but a return of belief in our
system, a belief that they can actually trust elections, a belief that
it is, in fact, their country.
Shouldn't we want this to be our country? Shouldn't we want to be
proud and say this is our country, these are our rules, and that anyone
is welcome to come here under the terms of our invitation only and will
follow the rules. Criminals are not going to be allowed here, and they
are not going to be allowed to carry out criminal activities. They are
not going to be allowed to murder, rape, maim, or steal. However, if
someone is coming here and is hardworking and follows our rules, God
bless them, come on in, but they are going to vote only if they are a
citizen.
The fact that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle don't
want to guarantee that tells us everything we need to know. It gives up
the whole game. It gives up the fact that our colleagues don't want
sovereignty and security, and that is the truth.
There is a reason our colleagues on the other side of the aisle want
to continue to throw money at international organizations, want to send
an endless supply of funds and blank checks to the United Nations, the
World Health Organization, and all the NGOs that are funneling people
into our country, endangering our own citizens, and putting children
into the sex trafficking trade.
All of that is being done on purpose. All of that is being done
because our colleagues on the other side of the aisle want it all to
occur. There is no other explanation for it.
I am tired. I have been sitting here watching for my entire time in
Congress, watching this President--to the extent he even knows where
the hell he is--destroy this country and endanger the people who I
represent, destroy and endanger Texans. That is what has happened,
nothing less.
The President of the United States and the people who work for him
have endangered our country. The Secretary of Homeland Secretary has
endangered our country.
{time} 1900
Ask the now probably thousands, certainly hundreds of parents who are
sitting there having lost loved ones, killed, raped, or maimed, the
tens of thousands of parents who have lost their kids to fentanyl
poisoning, ask any of them. Ask the cops. Ask the Border Patrol who
want to do their job but are being told they can't and being accused of
whipping Haitian migrants. That is what is happening. Here we are
again.
We are not even talking about securing the border in this bill. We
are not talking about doing the things we should be doing as a
sovereign Nation. We are talking about doing the simplest thing if you
are a sovereign Nation, and that is ensure the integrity of your
elections and that only citizens can vote.
I am proud of the job the Republican Party has done and my Republican
colleagues have done, and the Speaker of the House has done in putting
forward legislation that will solve the problem, that follows the law,
defers where appropriate to States, sets a Federal standard where it is
appropriate with respect to Federal elections only, follows the
constitutional parameters, and lays it all out in a way to protect our
elections.
This is what we are supposed to do. We are supposed to protect our
country. We are, in fact, the guardians of our country. When we sit in
this hallowed Chamber, what on Earth are we supposed to do but do the
work of protecting the country, which leads me to another point.
Our country is in danger right now because the President of the
United States no longer has the mental capacity to carry out the powers
and the duties of the office. I get no great joy in saying that. It is
true.
It is appalling to watch the news media and my Democrat colleagues in
this Chamber, in the Senate, and in the administration ignore the
reality of the state of the President's mental acuity, endangering the
American people, and now suddenly wake up because there is an election
in a few months and suddenly go, oh, we need to do something about
this. Why? Because there is an election in a few months.
Even at that, they are unwilling to call the question. I would posit
that they are unwilling to call the question because the Democrats in
the White House, indeed, the First Lady and the Vice President of the
United States, are all complicit in covering up the lack of mental
ability of the President, covering up the health, the mental health,
the physical health of the
[[Page H4524]]
President. By doing this, they are endangering the American people.
Indeed, they are unconstitutionally calling for President by committee.
I heard the former Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson; I
have heard numerous current administration staffers; I have heard
numerous Democrat colleagues in the House and the Senate talk about:
Don't worry. The President has some good people around him. Don't
worry. There are a lot of really good people that are advising him.
There are committees of people.
First of all, I am not blown away by the quality of the people
surrounding the President. Second of all, that is not how it works.
The Founders firmly rejected, from memory, I think it is Alexander
Hamilton in Federalist 70, the notion of President by committee, that
it would endanger us, that you needed an executive, you needed a
Commander in Chief to make the decisions.
A brief note to my colleagues on this side of the aisle who are
saying Chip, shhhh. Don't say anything. Don't bring it up. We are in
election season. They are falling on their own sword. They are blowing
up. Let them blow up.
What I am concerned about blowing up is our country if we are
attacked and we have a President in the White House who can't respond.
That job is not just from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This matters. It matters
that the President of the United States is, at best, questionable to
make decisions when it matters.
It is why the 25th Amendment exists, which, of course, requires the
Vice President to take action, which I do not believe the Vice
President will do because the Vice President knows she is complicit in
having hid from the American people the mental state of the President
of the United States for years.
This is not a political statement. As I have just noted, some people
on my side of the aisle would rather I not say it. Shhhh. Let's just
get to November. I just want our country to get to November. I want our
country to get to December. I want our country to get to the next
century.
When the President of the United States can't carry out the powers
and the duties of the office without a committee of staff around him,
when the press secretary at the White House today literally answered
the question when asked by a reporter what would happen at 11 p.m. if
nuclear weapons were fired at the United States, and her answer was:
Well, there are some really good people around him that would come and
talk to him. That gives me a lot of pause.
All of us who are in elected office have advisers, people we trust,
seek their advice, seek their counsel, but I can promise you, when you
know what hits the fan, if I have to come down here and make a
decision, I walk down here and make a decision because that is what we
are hired to do. When you have to have a vote, you have to vote. When
you have to come down and take action, you have to take action. The
President of the United States is uniquely in that position.
The fact of the matter is this administration has been propped up,
effectively, a Manchurian candidate, being propped up with committees
of people around the President, hiding and obfuscating the truth,
making decisions. That, frankly, should give all of us pause.
It is no wonder that the country is in such bad shape at the moment.
Our country is being impoverished by the day. The Bureau of Labor
Statistics found over the last year almost a million native-born
Americans lost jobs on net.
Americans are spending over $12,800 more annually to buy the basics
because of the inflation under this administration. Mortgage rates are
up to 7 percent. Housing affordability has plummeted to record
lows. Gasoline is up 55 percent, eggs up 40 percent, flour up 35
percent, electricity up 29 percent, baby food up 29 percent, breakfast
cereal up 25 percent, bread up 25 percent, chicken and poultry up 25
percent, lunch meat up 24 percent, eating out up 23 percent, rent up 21
percent, used cars up 20 percent. Americans have lost over $4,400
paying higher energy costs under the President.
The Biden administration announced they paused all non-FTA exports
for liquefied natural gas. What do you think that does? It doesn't help
us. We are involved in endless conflicts, funding them. Nobody in this
Chamber wants Ukraine to lose to Russia, but nobody in this Chamber
wants to continue to fund a perpetual war by an administration that is
out of touch while the American people are suffering. Biden has sold
off more than 40 percent of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and in
2023, the SPR stockpile plunged to 40-year lows.
The fact of the matter is this administration is failing the American
people. Republicans have for the last 18 months in this Congress for
sure, if not the duration of the Biden administration, but certainly
the last 18 months been putting forward responsible, strong policies
that the President of the United States and my Democrat colleagues are
rejecting.
We have worked hard to put forward Limit, Save, Grow, which would
dramatically turn around the economic situation, dramatically reduce
spending, dramatically reduce the size of the bureaucracy, dramatically
improve our energy prices and competition around the globe, which, by
the way, which would have had an impact in Ukraine, which would have
helped us push back on Russia.
We passed responsible appropriations bills. We got caps enacted and
put in place. The defense bill is funded. The increase in defense
spending is funded out of taking cuts to the IRS expansion the
Democrats wanted to foist on hardworking Americans and we took money
out of remaining COVID funds. Nondefense was then held flat.
We passed H.R. 2, a responsible border security bill, which would
have ended the release of people into the United States. It would have
tightened down on parole and asylum. It would have ended the release of
unaccompanied children. It would have treated them responsibly. It
would have reduced the power of cartels. It would have reduced sex
trafficking, and it would have kept people like Laken Riley alive. We
did that. We passed H.R. 2. Our Democrat colleagues opposed it. They
opposed it in the Senate, and they opposed it here.
This Republican Conference has passed appropriation bill after
appropriation bill to be rejected by our colleagues on the other side
of the aisle. We have passed thousands of amendments. We passed seven
appropriations bills last year. We passed a number of appropriations
bills this year, and we are continuing to pass them.
We are doing the work the American people sent us here to do with
zero help from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, and,
frankly, I am proud of the work that we have been putting forward that
has been rejected by our Democrat colleagues.
I haven't always agreed. I have been very clear on this floor. You
have to deliver results. You have to get some things across the finish
line. You have to be willing to hold the line and fight and use the
power of the purse. There is more that we can do but make no mistake
about it. We have been putting forward good bills to make our economy
stronger.
If our legislation had been adopted by our colleagues on the other
side of the aisle and the President, inflation would be down. The
border would be secure. People would be enjoying much more affordable
energy. Job creation would be up. People's lives and quality of life
would be better. More Americans would be secure on the streets.
This week, we have on the floor a bill that would protect voting and
ensure that only citizens vote. Again, if our colleagues on the other
side of the aisle would work with us, we could do that. We could
restore belief in our system. These are all the things that we have
been working on, working to try to do.
Right now, our Democrat colleagues are wrapped around the axle trying
to figure out what to do about their President because with all due
respect, they are not putting America first. The President of the
United States right now is not putting America first. The Vice
President of the United States is not putting America first. The
Cabinet is not putting America first.
If you were going to put America first, if you were going to put
Americans first, then you would call it like you see it. You would act.
You would lead. You would do what everyone in America knows needs to be
done.
[[Page H4525]]
Everyone with eyes who has been watching the President--and again, I
take no joy in saying it. He is our President. I disagree with him a
lot, but he is our President, and the President of the United States
needs to be strong and coherent and capable and able to lead in an
increasingly dangerous world.
Notwithstanding the horrible policies that have been promoted and
pushed by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, can we not just
agree that the President of the United States should be mentally aware
and competent to carry out the powers and duties of the office?
Will our colleagues on the other side of the aisle and in the
administration not look at this the way every American is seeing this
right now?
Even the most politically biased people in the media and around the
country are looking at this and throwing their hands up and saying what
is going on?
Admittedly, it is because they are panicking about the election in
November when what it should be is that they are panicked about the
state of our country and whether or not we can be safe and secure.
In the Book of Acts, it is noted that Paul was a Roman citizen. The
Roman authorities put him in chains and were about to flog him without
a trial, but when he said that he was born a citizen, they let him go
even though he was spreading the message of hate and distrust of a
religious minority, but citizenship meant a great deal.
One of the things that eventually led to the downfall of the Roman
Empire was the fact that over the next few centuries after that,
citizenship meant less and less and less until it meant almost nothing.
Its people no longer knew how to preserve the civilization their
ancestors had built. We cannot let the same thing happen here.
{time} 1915
Citizenship matters. Being a citizen of this country matters. It
matters in observing the White House. It matters in citizens voting in
elections. It matters in the policies we put forward to put the
American people first. Citizenship has to matter again.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from
engaging in personalities toward the President.
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