[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 140 (Tuesday, September 10, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5109-H5117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1398, PROTECT AMERICA'S INNOVATION
AND ECONOMIC SECURITY FROM CCP ACT OF 2024; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION
OF H.R. 1425, NO WHO PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS TREATY WITHOUT SENATE
APPROVAL ACT; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1516, DHS
RESTRICTIONS ON CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES AND CHINESE ENTITIES OF CONCERN
ACT; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 7980, END CHINESE DOMINANCE OF
ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN AMERICA ACT OF 2024; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION
OF H.R. 9456, PROTECTING AMERICAN AGRICULTURE FROM FOREIGN ADVERSARIES
ACT OF 2024; AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 9494, CONTINUING
APPROPRIATIONS AND OTHER MATTERS ACT, 2025
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules,
I call up House Resolution 1430 and ask for its immediate
consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 1430
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. 1398) to establish the CCP Initiative program,
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 shall not exceed one hour equally divided and
controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the
Committee on the Judiciary 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 the Judiciary now printed in the bill, an
amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the
text of Rules Committee Print 118-45 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. 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. Each such further
amendment may be offered 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. All points of order against such further
amendments are waived. 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
[[Page H5110]]
amended, and on any further amendment thereto to final
passage without intervening motion except one motion to
recommit.
Sec. 2. 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.
1425) to require any convention, agreement, or other
international instrument on pandemic prevention,
preparedness, and response reached by the World Health
Assembly to be subject to Senate ratification. 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 shall not exceed one
hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking
minority member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs or their
respective designees. After general debate the bill shall be
considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. An
amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the
text of Rules Committee Print 118-44 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. No
further amendment to the bill, as amended, shall be in order
except those printed in part B of the report of the Committee
on Rules accompanying this resolution. Each such further
amendment may be offered 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. All points of order against such further
amendments are waived. 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. 3. 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.
1516) to establish Department of Homeland Security funding
restrictions on institutions of higher education that have a
relationship with Confucius Institutes, 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
shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by
the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on
Homeland Security 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
Homeland Security now printed in the bill pursuant to Part II
of House Report 118-319, an amendment in the nature of a
substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print
118-46 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. No further amendment to the bill, as
amended, shall be in order except those printed in part C of
the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this
resolution. Each such further amendment may be offered 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. All points of order against
such further amendments are waived. 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. 4. Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in
order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 7980) to amend
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude vehicles the
batteries of which contain materials sourced from prohibited
foreign entities from the clean vehicle credit. All points of
order against consideration of the bill are waived. The
amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the
Committee on Ways and Means 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 Ways and Means or their respective
designees; and (2) 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. 9456) to amend
the Defense Production Act of 1950 with respect to foreign
investments in United States agriculture, and for other
purposes. All points of order against consideration of the
bill are waived. The bill shall be considered as read. All
points of order against provisions in the bill are waived.
The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the
bill and on any 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 Financial Services or their
respective designees; and (2) one motion to recommit.
Sec. 6. Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in
order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 9494) making
continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2025, and for other
purposes. All points of order against consideration of the
bill are waived. The amendment printed in part D of the
report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution
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 Appropriations or their respective
designees; and (2) one motion to recommit.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York is recognized
for 1 hour.
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield
the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr.
McGovern), 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
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1430 provides for consideration of six
measures: H.R. 1398, H.R. 1425, H.R. 1516, H.R. 7980, H.R. 9456, and
H.R. 9494.
The rule provides for H.R. 1398 to be considered under a structured
rule, with 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair
and the ranking minority member of the Judiciary Committee or their
designees, and provides for one motion to recommit.
The rule also provides for H.R. 1425 to be considered under a
structured rule, with 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled
by the chair and the ranking minority member of the Committee on
Foreign Affairs or their designees, and provides for one motion to
recommit.
The rule also provides for H.R. 1516 to be considered under a
structured rule, with 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled
by the chair and the ranking minority member of the Committee on
Homeland Security, and provides for one motion to recommit.
The rule further provides for consideration of H.R. 7980 under a
closed rule, with 1 hour of debate equally divided between the chair
and the ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means, and
provides for one motion to recommit.
The rule further provides for consideration of H.R. 9456 under a
closed rule, with 1 hour of debate equally divided between the chair
and the ranking minority member of the Committee on Agriculture, and
provides for one motion to recommit.
Finally, the rule provides for consideration of H.R. 9494 under a
closed rule, with 1 hour of debate equally divided between the chair
and the ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations, and
provides for one motion to recommit.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this rule and in support of the
underlying legislation. The rule before us provides for consideration
of five measures aimed at protecting the American people from the
greatest threat to our sovereignty, our national security, and
[[Page H5111]]
our prosperity: the Chinese Communist Party.
Let's start with H.R. 1398, the Protect America's Innovation and
Economic Security from CCP Act of 2024. This bill will reestablish the
CCP Initiative at the Department of Justice, an effort that was
originally established by President Trump which successfully combatted
espionage, hacking, and theft of American trade secrets.
Do you know what? It worked. Under Trump's leadership, we saw 45
individuals convicted or plead guilty to espionage, but in yet another
surrender to the woke mob, the Biden-Harris administration, with zero
justification, shut it down. They shut it down cold. They claimed it
stoked anti-Asian bias. That argument is not just wrong, but it is an
insult to every American.
{time} 1230
Shutting down the China Initiative proves that this administration
cares more about appeasing the extreme left than it does our national
security.
H.R. 1398 will get us back on track, despite President Biden's and
Vice President Harris' refusal to do so.
Now, while the Biden-Harris administration is shutting down efforts
to prosecute spies, they are bending over backward to negotiate a new
pandemic accord with the WHO, an organization that sold out the United
States and the world to the Chinese Communist Party during the COVID-19
pandemic.
As of now, the pandemic accord the Biden-Harris administration is
negotiating with the World Health Assembly is intended to tie our
country to responsibilities and obligations overseen by an organization
that lied for and covered for the Chinese Communist Party as it
deceived the world about the origins and the spread of COVID-19.
Now, let's not forget how, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in
2020, the WHO director general visited Beijing and praised China for
setting a new standard for outbreak control.
Simultaneously, the CCP was busy arresting citizens for spreading
rumors of a COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan. That was in the first months of
2020. The WHO went along with the CCP's propaganda, and millions died
from a pandemic whose spread could have been contained far earlier.
H.R. 1425, the No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate
Approval Act, would require that any pandemic-related convention of the
WHO that purports to bind the United States must be considered and
ratified by the Senate as a treaty subject to the requirements of
Article II of the U.S. Constitution.
Mr. Speaker, hardworking American taxpayers should not be subjected
to sweeping new international agreements that could tie them to
organizations like the WHO and policies that run contrary to their own
interests without any real say in the matter.
Additionally, under the rule, House Republicans have brought forward
H.R. 1516, the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese
Entities of Concern Act. Since 2005, the Chinese Government has
sponsored Confucius Institutes at American universities, ostensibly to
teach Chinese language and facilitate cultural exchanges. However,
these institutes are a cover for the CCP's global influence and
propaganda campaign. I have seen it in my own district. This bill will
cut off homeland security funding for any university that maintains
relationships with these entities.
Mr. Speaker, let's be clear: The Chinese Communist Party's ultimate
goal is to build the most advanced military in the world by 2049, and
they are stealing our intellectual property to do so. House Republicans
simply will not stand by idly and let that happen at our higher-
learning institutions.
Next under the rule, we are considering H.R. 7980, the End Chinese
Dominance of Electric Vehicles in America Act of 2024, which would put
an end to the Biden-Harris sellout to China in the name of a Green New
Deal. The Inflation Reduction Act opened the door for Chinese companies
to profit from electric vehicle tax subsidies, leaving American
families to foot the bill for these policies while China laughs all the
way to the bank.
We have seen the Biden administration's game. They claim to be tough
on China, but behind closed doors, they are cutting deals that enrich
the CCP.
In its rulemaking on the electric vehicle tax subsidy, the Biden-
Harris administration decided that unofficial ties to the Chinese
Communist Party were perfectly fine for the Chinese entity wishing to
qualify.
Now, apparently my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and the
Biden-Harris administration have little understanding of how Communist
China works. Unofficial or official, for a company to operate and be
successful, it must be subservient to the interests of the Chinese
Communist Party.
H.R. 7980 will put an end to this asinine America-last policy and
ensure that vehicles with batteries sourced from foreign prohibited
entities, like those connected to the CCP, do not qualify for this tax
credit.
Additionally, the rule provides for consideration of H.R. 9456, the
Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act. There are
40 million acres of America's farmland in the hands of foreign
entities. As a Representative of the hardworking, family farmers in
western New York and the southern tier, I know firsthand the impact
that foreign entities gobbling American farmland can have on the
success of our domestic farmers. It is driving the entry costs of
potential new farmers to be higher with each passing year.
The land where American farmers grow our food, fuel, and fiber is
precious and should be treated as such. H.R. 9456 will ensure that the
Secretary of Agriculture has a seat on the Committee on Foreign
Investment in the United States and will require that the American
people have a full understanding of just how much investment in our
agricultural land is being pursued by China and entities connected to
the Chinese Communist Party.
This legislation, of which I am a proud cosponsor, is an important
first step in ensuring that the CCP, through its loyal entities, is not
able to buy up our most precious commodity, our land, thereby
threatening our national security, our sovereignty, and our ability to
feed ourselves. Food is security and will always be national security.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, the rule before us includes consideration of
H.R. 9494, a continuing resolution to extend government funding at
current levels through March 28, 2025. To date, the House has passed
legislation to fund more than 70 percent of our Federal Government
operations for fiscal year 2025. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats have
failed to bring a single fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill to the
floor.
This continuing resolution avoids a government shutdown, but it also
includes the SAVE Act, requiring proof of United States citizenship to
vote in Federal elections.
Democrats' open-border policies have turned our country into a
sanctuary for illegal aliens, and now my colleagues on the other side
of the aisle want them to vote. The SAVE Act ensures that only American
citizens decide America's future.
The Democrats' open-border policies have brought nothing but chaos
and destruction to our communities as millions of illegal aliens have
flooded into this country. The left's refusal to secure our borders is
deliberate and a direct threat to our democratic institutions, as a
growing number of noncitizens are registered to vote and have been
found to vote in our local, State, and Federal elections.
By allowing noncitizens to vote, Democrats dilute the voice of every
American citizen, undermining what should be a free and fair election.
Mr. Speaker, our country was built on the principles of freedom,
fairness, and justice. This administration's policies are a slap in the
face to every immigrant who has followed a legal path to citizenship,
who has respected our laws, and who has earned their right to
participate in our democracy. That is something we should all agree on,
we should all support, and we should all fight for. It is simple common
sense.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this rule, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Langworthy) for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield
myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this entire Republican majority has been one gigantic,
complete, total failure, a complete mess from day one with the majority
in charge. It is an embarrassment.
[[Page H5112]]
We have 8 weeks left in the 118th Congress to do our legislative
work, and instead of doing something to make life better for anyone or,
hell, even the bare minimum, by stopping a government shutdown, we are
considering a no-good stopgap resolution that extends funding into
2025.
My colleagues have to love this: The gentleman from New York is on
the floor today trying to convince everyone to vote for the bill when
Republicans cannot even convince their own Members to vote for it.
Seriously, every minute I look at my phone, I see another Republican
defecting.
Mr. Speaker, the Republican manager is wasting his time debating me.
He needs to be debating his Republican friends who are coming out
against the bill in droves. Clearly, the majority doesn't have the
votes for this awful plan, so why are we wasting time here in this
House on a bill that has no chance whatsoever of ever becoming law?
Mr. Speaker, this is embarrassing for the Republican side of the
aisle. It is mid-September. Republicans said the majority would get all
12 separate appropriation bills done before we left for the August
break. That is yet another broken promise, among a long list from
Speaker Johnson, to add onto all the broken promises from Speaker
McCarthy before him.
House Republicans are once again showing their deep disrespect for
the veteran community by proposing a 6-month CR that shortchanges the
VA Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund by $12 billion. That is morally
reprehensible and just plain cruel. These are our veterans who we are
talking about. How the hell can Republicans turn their backs on our
veterans?
To be clear, this is the Republican playbook: a big promise, and it
gets broken. Republicans promised we will have a robust, effective
appropriations process, and it gets broken. Republicans promised to
continue supporting our veterans, and it gets broken.
Now we are headed into another potential shutdown, all because
Members on the other side of the aisle want to play political games. To
make matters worse, Mr. Speaker, Republicans have jammed the SAVE Act
onto the CR because why not mix up government funding with more
ridiculous conspiracy theories about voter fraud?
I know why my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to bring
this bill to the floor. Republicans are worried the majority won't win
in November without pushing conspiracy theories.
Mr. Speaker, let's set something straight: Noncitizens cannot vote in
Federal elections. Let me repeat that: Noncitizens cannot vote in
Federal elections. If they vote, it is illegal. It is a crime.
Guess what? They have done studies. Even conservative institutes say
there is no evidence that noncitizens voted illegally in large enough
numbers to shift the outcome of any election.
We all know what this is about. It is not about voter fraud. This is
part of their Project 2025 plan to undermine the vote count and take
total control of the government.
Mr. Speaker, the majority wants power whether Republicans win or lose
at the ballot box, and so my colleagues on the other side of the aisle
will claim voter fraud, whatever happens, the facts be damned.
Do Republicans really want to talk about the threat of voter fraud?
Let me remind the American people: The only ones committing voter
fraud in an attempt to overthrow an election are Republicans. We have
seen this movie before. Following Trump's loss in the 2020 election, he
and his cronies allegedly conspired to overturn the will of the
American people by submitting fake electors to falsely certify that
Trump won the election. He didn't win the election. He lost the
election.
What did those efforts get them: Dozens of people across four States
have been indicted over this election fraud scheme.
Republicans want to talk about the threat of voter fraud. Give me a
break. Republicans are the threat.
This horrible CR will never become law the way it is structured. We
are really just here wasting more time after House Republicans failed
to do what they should have done months ago.
This rule before us today would also bring to the floor five bills
that Republicans claim will target China, five bills that are actually
weak on China, five ineffective bills that don't get the job done and
don't represent a real attempt to actually address some of the very
serious concerns we have about the PRC.
Mr. Speaker, I have been a critic of China's human rights record for
decades, longer than some of my colleagues have been in Congress. Hell,
I was sanctioned by the Chinese Government in July. I can't travel to
China. My wife can't travel to China. My son can't travel to China. My
daughter can't travel to China. I can't even converse with any Chinese
officials.
I have written strong, effective bills that would hold the PRC
accountable, and so they don't like me. They sanction me, and I wear
that sanction as a badge of honor.
Let me be clear: These bills that the gentleman referred to are not
about taking a strong stance against China. They are poorly written,
weak bills that don't get the job done. It is like they are written for
a press release. I am sorry. That is because they are meant for a press
release and not about serious legislating.
Believe it or not, we can strengthen our national security. We can
stand up to China on human rights, and we can support our veterans and
make sure they get the care that they need.
{time} 1245
We can fund the government. We can do all of that and more if we work
together. That is what people want. They want us to behave like adults.
Sadly, Republican leadership is more interested in sound bites and FOX
News headlines heading into November than they are about governing.
I say they would rather put politics ahead of progress but, Mr.
Speaker, Project 2025 isn't just politics. It is weird. It is shameful.
It is deeply dystopian. It is dangerous stuff.
Americans are tired of this garbage, and I think they are about to
make some very different choices starting November.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would remind Members to refrain
from engaging in personalities toward nominees for the Office of the
President and also maintain decorum on choice of vernacular.
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
In case my colleague on the other side of the aisle has a case of
amnesia, earlier this year, 195 Democrats proudly voted ``no'' on the
passage of H.R. 8580, the fiscal year 2025 Military Construction-
Veterans Affairs appropriations bill.
This legislation includes $337.4 billion for the VA, $75.5 million
above President Biden's own budget requests and $30.2 billion more than
the fiscal year 2024 levels. It allocates $112.6 billion for medical
care for our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, 195 House Democrats, including my colleague from
Massachusetts, voted ``no'' on this bill, with Senate Democrats
refusing to even bring up the bill on the floor.
Every day they delay is a day that veterans across America are left
wondering if their healthcare, their benefits, and their essential
services will be there next year. This is simply unacceptable.
Senator Chuck Schumer could bring this bill forward tomorrow. We
could get this done for our veterans tomorrow, but, instead, Senate
Democrats have decided to play politics with the lives of our Nation's
heroes, labeling this vital funding as dead on arrival and offering no
alternative while the clock ticks down.
Mr. Speaker, it is time that my Democratic colleagues across the
aisle stop playing politics in this Chamber and in the upper Chamber
prioritize what really matters. Veterans across this Nation depend on
the services provided by the VA. Let's stop the hysteria and the
political games.
Let's pass this continuing resolution, avoid a shutdown, and continue
our work to fully fund the VA. Our veterans have given everything for
us, and I am asking my colleagues to give them the support that they
deserve.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Burgess), distinguished chairman of the Rules Committee.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Representative from New York
for yielding me the time.
[[Page H5113]]
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule. I rise in support of the
underlying bills, in particular, H.R. 9494 to provide continuing
funding for the Government of the United States for the next 6 months.
House Republicans have done the work of funding our Federal agencies.
Our Appropriations Committee has passed all 12 bills out of committee.
Five of those have passed on the floor. Over 70 percent of the funding
for the Federal Government has already been passed by the House.
Unfortunately, the Senate continues to stall. To be clear, the Senate
has not passed a single appropriations bill. Funding does expire at the
end of this month. September 30 occurs the same time every year just
like Christmas and Halloween. It should not be a surprise to the
majority leader of the United States Senate.
With funding expiring at the end of this month, it is unfortunate but
necessary to pass a continuing resolution so that the government
continues to operate while the other body continues to stall.
Here is another thing: I, frankly, do not understand why the
President of the United States would even consider vetoing this
legislative measure while Members of his own party refuse to come to
the table to negotiate with Republicans.
House Republicans will not be responsible if there is an
appropriations lapse. If there is an appropriations lapse, that falls
squarely on the shoulders of the other body and the Democrats in
charge.
This is why I will be supporting the passage of the continuing
resolution. We have to put personal politics aside and do what is right
for everyday Americans.
We also have the opportunity in this legislation to pass the SAVE
Act, which will ensure that only American citizens have a voice in our
elections. It is against the law for teenagers to buy alcohol, but
sometimes they do, or try to. That is stopped because they have to show
an ID at the counter.
We understand that it is illegal for people who are not citizens to
vote in Federal elections, and yet sometimes people try. Sometimes they
are not even aware that they are not supposed to do that, but this will
ensure that only American citizens vote in American elections.
Unfortunately, in the Rules Committee yesterday, they said the quiet
part out loud. Why would the border czar allow 12 million undocumented
individuals into this country over the last 3\1/2\ years? The answer
is, they want them to become voters. The SAVE Act prevents that from
happening.
Eighty-six percent of Americans support the concept that American
citizens only should be voting in American elections.
Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration, illegal immigrants not
only have a free pass across our border, but soon to our ballot boxes.
Election security is national security. The choice is simple: Vote for
election integrity or vote for foreign influence and rising crime.
For my part, I believe we need to pass this commonsense legislation
today. We need to pass it this week.
Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support this rule today and the
underlying legislation that only American citizens vote in American
elections.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
It is unbelievable. All we heard last night and all we are hearing
now on the House floor from the other side is that it is the Senate's
fault. That is the reason why House Republicans aren't doing their job
and that is why they are pushing this misguided CR is because of Senate
Democrats. We heard that again today.
Guess what: Even Republican Senators hate this CR plan.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include a link to an article
in the Record from NewsNation titled, ``House GOP government funding
plan gets chilly reception from Senate Republicans.''
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Duarte). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Massachusetts?
There was no objection.
Mr. McGOVERN. The link is: https://www.newsnationnow.com/the-hill/
house-gop-government-funding-plan-gets-chilly-reception-from-senate-
republicans/
Mr. Speaker, their own Republican colleagues are worried that this
``measure requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote could
complicate the stopgap funding bill's path,'' and that this ``comes
dangerously close to risking a shutdown.''
Here is an idea: If Republicans are so serious about the CR, maybe
they should have done some work to shore up support within their own
party.
However, let me just talk about how Republicans feel about this CR.
Tom Massie on the Rules Committee tweeted: ``I am voting Hell No on
the `continuing resolution and the other matter act' this week. I don't
care which bright shiny object is attached to it, or which fake fight
we start and won't finish.''
The gentleman from New York decided to talk about national security.
Here is another news flash for the gentleman: The top Republican
national security expert in the House, the Republican chairman of the
House Armed Services Committee, Mike Rogers, says he is a ``no'' on
the CR. He says it is bad for the Pentagon. He hopes other HASC members
will vote ``no'' too.
That is your top guy on national security. He is voting ``no.''
It is reported from Melanie Zanona that ``Representative Cory Mills
says he has informed the whip team that he is a no on the 6-month CR
plus SAVE Act. Also says there are `quite a few' other Republicans who
are against it who haven't said so publicly yet.''
Matt Rosendale tweets: ``1 year later, the same old theatrics by the
D.C. cartel. I have never voted for a CR, and I never intend to.''
John Bresnahan reports that Representative Jim Banks is a ``no'' on
the CR.
Jordain Carney reports that Representative Burchett says he is
currently a ``no'' on the CR plus SAVE plan. He says there are many,
many others that want to vote no.
Marjorie Taylor Greene is a no on everything, so she is no on this,
as well.
I have to be honest with the gentleman, your problem isn't House
Democrats or Senate Democrats; your problem is House Republicans. You
can't even get consensus amongst your own Members of your own party.
This is ridiculous that we are here debating this rule to bring up a
CR that is going nowhere fast.
Last night in the Rules Committee, Representative Massie said: ``This
SAVE Act isn't going to save anything.''
Representative Massie, as everybody knows, is a prominent leader in
the Republican caucus. He says, and particularly because ``it ain't
never going to become law. It's a false promise to get all the
Republicans half pregnant. Then you're going to get fully pregnant by
the end of September when you vote for this CR. . . . '' That is not
going to have--``I hate to break it to you, and I'm not telling you
anything special. I hate to break it to the Republicans, you ain't
getting the SAVE Act.''
Then he concludes by saying: But ``This is political theater,''
folks. I have to tell you, it is bad political theater, and it is
pathetic.
Here we are at this late day approaching a government shutdown and we
get this garbage.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from New
Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez), a distinguished member of the Rules
Committee.
Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member McGovern for
pointing out what we heard last night.
This is all political theater. That is what we heard last night. That
is what we are hearing on the floor today, but is that what I heard
when I was in New Mexico? No. In New Mexico, what I heard in the fields
and at the markets was ranchers and farmers actually anxiously asking
about the farm bill. What I heard was veterans who marched in the Bean
Day parade describing how their health would suffer dramatically if we
don't pass the VA supplemental. Families told me they want Congress to
work together on a bipartisan matter, which this is not. They want us
to work together to make their lives better.
[[Page H5114]]
We have 12 legislative days to do Congress' basic job: Fund the
government, fund veterans' programs, fund emergency programs, pass a
farm bill.
Instead of funding our Nation's obligations, the Republicans are
toying with a government shutdown, yet again. Instead, the Republicans
Armed Services Committee chair called this temporary funding terrible.
Your own chair of Armed Services called this terrible.
Their CR also fails to fund disaster relief as wildfires, hurricanes,
and floods devastate the countryside. Businesses and neighbors in New
Mexico and across the country won't get the emergency relief
they deserve unless Congress funds FEMA.
Instead of living up to their obligations, Republicans are using this
funding deadline to make it harder for American citizens to vote. They
have included their voting restriction bill as a poison pill on this
CR.
What is the real-life consequence of their voting restriction bill?
With a military ID, you can fight and die for this country, but
Republicans won't let you use it alone to register to vote.
Why would House Republicans make it harder for servicemembers, for
recently married or divorced women, for Native Americans, and for rural
Americans to register and vote?
Republicans and their Presidential campaigners are fabricating a lie
that noncitizens vote to sow fear and distrust of our elections. They
are pushing their Project 2025 agenda today.
New Mexicans don't want us to make it harder for them to vote. They
are concerned about how hard it is to live. Yesterday, in the Rules
Committee, a Republican witness said we could wait until later to take
care of veterans funding. Why wait?
Instead of do-nothing messaging bills and a politicized CR that is
going nowhere, we should prioritize our veterans now. We should
prioritize disaster relief funding now. We should pass a farm bill that
helps our rural communities now.
Mr. Speaker, this rule fails our military. It fails our veterans,
families, and neighbors. I urge a ``no'' vote now on this rule.
{time} 1300
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, we heard a lot of fiction there. We have
heard false and frankly ridiculous claims that the SAVE Act makes it
harder for certain Americans, including our servicemembers, to vote.
If my Democratic colleagues took the time to actually read the bill,
they would see that under the SAVE Act, servicemembers can show their
passport, birth certificate, military ID, record of service, or any
combination of these other options as proof of citizenship.
There is absolutely nothing in this legislation that restricts or
complicates voting for our servicemen and -women. To suggest otherwise
is just patently false, but it is also insulting. It implies that those
who serve our country, those who risk their lives to defend our
freedoms, are somehow less capable of meeting these simple and
straightforward requirements.
Mr. Speaker, our servicemen and -women deserve better. They sacrifice
for our Nation, and we owe it to them and to all Americans to uphold
the integrity of our elections by enforcing the laws of our land.
Instead, Democrats across the country are unwilling to do so.
Take my own State, New York. A noncitizen can register to vote
without a Social Security number, without an ID. Before coming to
Congress, I fought against New York City's outrageous attempts to allow
noncitizens, including illegal aliens, to vote in local elections.
In the face of what States like New York are doing, what the District
of Columbia has tried to do, and with millions of illegal aliens
flooding into our country under the Biden-Harris administration, we
need these safeguards in place today.
Just last month, the State of Texas announced it had removed 6,500
noncitizens from their voter rolls, with nearly 2,000 of those
noncitizens recorded to have a voter history. Virginia also removed
6,000 noncitizens from their voter rolls.
Mr. Speaker, we cannot take the issue of voter fraud lightly. We
cannot rely on the honor system, as much as the other side of the aisle
thinks it is A-OK to not require a photo ID in this country to vote.
We can't take the honor system for our Federal elections, especially
when we have millions and millions of illegal immigrants residing in
this country and thousands of noncitizens registered to vote across
this country.
Make no mistake, the flood at our southern border, the 10 million
encounters at our southern border, isn't by accident. It was at the
stroke of 94 separate executive actions with Joe Biden's pen, with
Kamala Harris cackling in the background, that this has happened.
Bet your bottom dollar that if somehow, by some miraculous effort,
they have the White House, the Senate, and the House next year, they
are going to get to work lickety-split on the biggest amnesty plan this
country has ever had. They will all be voters, mark my words.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
My God, the Republicans must be really afraid of losing the November
election if the conspiracy theories are already starting up this early.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record an
article from the Cato Institute titled: ``Noncitizens Don't Illegally
Vote in Detectable Numbers.''
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Massachusetts?
There was no objection.
[From the CATO Institute, Nov. 25, 2020]
Noncitizens Don't Illegally Vote in Detectable Numbers
(By Alex Nowrasteh)
One of the most frequent and less serious criticisms that
comes across my desk is that immigration is bad because non-
citizens vote illegally in such large numbers that sway
elections. A new report by James D. Agresti, pushed by some
news outlets, argues that the number of noncitizens who
illegally voted in 2020 substantially increased Biden's vote
share but did not affect the outcome of the election. It has
been illegal for non-citizens to vote for federal elected
officials since 1996, so these noncitizen voters would all be
breaking federal law. Is the Agresti paper reliable? Are
large numbers of noncitizens voting in federal elections to
such an extent that several states voted for Biden as a
result?
No, but to understand why you have to follow how the
Agresti paper arrived at its conclusion. The Agresti report
relies on a peer-reviewed academic paper by political
scientists Jesse T. Richman, Gulshan A. Chattha, and David C.
Earnest that was published in 2014 that estimates the rate at
which noncitizens voted for president in 2008. Their paper
relies upon responses to the Cooperative Congressional
Election Study (CCES) for the 2008 election that found a
substantial proportion of noncitizens voted in that year. The
Agresti paper combined two figures from the Richman, Chattha,
and Earnest paper to get their primary estimate that 15.8
percent of noncitizens voted in 2008. Agresti then apples
that 15.8 percent rate to the non-citizen population in swing
states in 2020 to reach their conclusion.
The big problem, as explained in two succinct pieces, is
that non-citizens voting illegally is a small subset of a
small population of Americans measured in the CCES survey. In
the CCES survey, as in any survey, a certain number of
respondents click the wrong box. Thus, some respondents will
incorrectly click that they are non-citizens by accident and
that they voted. Or they will make any number of other
errors. This general problem is called measurement error and
it afflicts every survey. These errors are common in surveys,
but if it surveys enough people and there isn't a tragic flaw
in design that causes large numbers of people to make the
same error, then it doesn't matter much for the final result.
The problem is that the authors focused on a small number
of non-citizens in a very large survey that likely
accidentally said they were noncitizens who voted when they
were really citizens who voted. The CCES survey asked about
20,000 people how they voted and about 19,500 of them said
that they were U.S. citizens. Since the CCES is about federal
elections, it oversamples citizens who can vote and under
sample non-citizens who can't vote. In fact, the number of
reported non-citizens in the CCES survey who said they voted
in a federal election is just about exactly the number who
should have misidentified themselves as non-citizens in such
a large survey:
This problem arises because the survey was not designed to
sample non-citizens, and the non-citizen category in the
citizenship question is included for completeness and to
identify those respondents who might be non-citizens. We
expect that most of that group are in fact non-citizens (85
of 105), but the very low level of misclassification of
citizens, who comprise 97.4 percent of the sample, means that
we expect that 19 ``non-citizen'' respondents (16.5 percent
of all reported non-citizens) are citizens who are
misclassified. And, those misclassified people
[[Page H5115]]
can readily account for the observed vote among those who
reported that they are non-citizens [emphasis added].
Survey misuse, misdesign, and misinterpretation is a
serious problem that we all witnessed right after the 2020
election. This strain of research appears to be another
instance of that. There are likely many problems with
America's voting system and there is no doubt that a non-zero
number of non-citizens illegally voted, but there is no good
evidence that noncitizens voted illegally in large enough
numbers to actually shift the outcome of elections or even
change the number of electoral votes.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, at a press conference on the SAVE Act, the
Speaker of the House said: ``We all know, intuitively, that a lot of
illegals are voting in Federal elections, but it has not been something
that is easily provable. We don't have that number.''
Mr. Speaker, this body legislates based on facts, not on intuition or
conspiracy theories. Maybe it is time for House Republicans to get
serious about their jobs and stop making laws based off their absurd
conspiracy theories.
Again, I say to the gentleman after that little rant that maybe he
needs to be talking to his Republican Members, who all have basically
said that the inclusion of the SAVE Act on this horrific CR is
basically a gimmick. It is a gimmick to get people to look someplace
else and not look at the fact that Republicans are not doing their job.
If we want to talk about an insult to our men and women in uniform,
then I hope that they will join with me in defeating the previous
question. If we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment
to the rule to include $12 billion that our Nation's veterans need for
their healthcare, $12 billion that the House Republicans decided,
intentionally, to leave out of their partisan continuing resolution.
Mr. Speaker, with this unserious and unacceptable continuing
resolution, Republicans are not only risking disaster assistance and
domestic investments, but they are also shortchanging veterans and
jeopardizing their care.
An additional $12 billion is needed before the new year to maintain
medical care for veterans. That is just a fact.
The House Republican bill does not include a single dollar of the $12
billion needed, shortchanging veterans and jeopardizing the medical
services they need and have earned.
Mr. Speaker, our veterans deserve our support. It is our
responsibility to provide the care that they have earned. This
inadequate continuing resolution does not meet the moment, which is why
I am giving my Republican colleagues the chance now to do the right
thing and include the funding for our veterans in this continuing
resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include the text of my
amendment in 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
gentleman from Massachusetts?
There was no objection.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, there were lots of things that were left
out of this CR, and the Republicans came up with a manager's amendment
to try to address that, but they left out the $12 billion for our
veterans.
They left out $12 billion for our veterans. I don't understand that.
There is no explanation for that. It is so wrong.
To discuss our proposal, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from California (Mr. Ruiz).
Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Republican-
led, 6-month continuing resolution that will devastate veterans and
jeopardize their care.
In 2022, when I helped lead the passage of the Honoring our PACT Act
through Congress, we promised veterans with exposures to toxic burn
pits and other toxins that they would be taken care of. In fact, just
last week, I hosted my annual Veterans University, and I heard from
veterans directly about the life-changing impact PACT Act benefits have
had on their lives.
An additional $12 billion is needed before the new year to maintain
this medical care for veterans, but this CR bill provides zero dollars
for veterans' medical services and restricts access to the medical care
they earned and deserve.
According to the Office of Management and Budget, without the $12
billion, the VA would have insufficient funding to maintain medical
care operations for veterans through fiscal year 2025.
The additional funds requested for the toxic exposure fund is largely
due to the overwhelming increase in PACT Act enrollment. Our veterans
need the medical care.
The success of the PACT Act has been evident in my district alone,
where over 5,200 veterans have filed a claim.
Without this funding, the VA needs to begin addressing any potential
shortfall as early as the first quarter of fiscal year 2025.
This continuing resolution pulls the rug from under the feet of
veterans who are finally receiving access to care and benefits that
they have fought for for almost a decade.
The extreme House Republican majority seems uninterested in those
commitments to veterans, and they are shortchanging veterans $12
billion.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question.
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am going to reiterate the fact. It is very simple.
House Republicans have passed their Veterans appropriations bill. We
passed it above the request of President Biden or whoever is drafting
the President's requests at this hour.
The people who have had a lot to say in this Chamber today, they all
decided to vote ``no.'' They voted ``no'' for our veterans' healthcare.
They voted ``no'' for opportunities to expand veteran benefits.
They did it for politics. They did it because it wasn't their idea.
This House Republican majority has funded the VA above and beyond
President Biden's request for the last 2 fiscal years, and we are very
proud of that fact, and we will continue to do so.
Mr. Speaker, my colleagues across the aisle have expressed outrage
over the inclusion of the SAVE Act in today's continuing resolution,
but let's be clear: The American people overwhelmingly disagree with
their position.
According to a 2022 YouGov poll, nearly two-thirds of Americans
support requiring proof of citizenship to vote in elections, and even
more telling, 48 percent of Democrats--yes, Democrats--agree that proof
of U.S. citizenship should be required.
In 2022, a Gallup poll further underscored that 79 percent of
Americans favor photo identification requirements to vote, and that
includes 53 percent of Democratic voters.
Just this year, the Pew Research Center found that 81 percent of
Americans want all voters to show government-issued photo
identification to cast a vote, and 69 percent of Democrats back this
commonsense safeguard. Why won't they? That is the question. What are
they afraid of to require someone to prove who they say that they are?
These aren't poison pills. This isn't partisanship. They are
overwhelmingly bipartisan views shared by a vast majority of
commonsense Americans.
Yet, my colleagues would rather cater to a fringe element in this
country within their party than listen to the clear will of the
American people. Instead of supporting reasonable safeguards to protect
our elections and prevent foreign interference, they continue to block
widely supported measures. They claim to be defenders against foreign
interference in our election, yet today, they turn their back on
protecting the sanctity of the vote.
The numbers don't lie, though. Under the Biden-Harris administration,
at least 4.6 million illegal aliens have been released into our
country, with 1.8 million got-aways. We don't know where they are. We
don't know who they are. We don't know why they are here. Those are
just the ones that we are aware of.
With millions of illegal immigrants, including violent criminals, now
residing in the United States, we cannot afford to ignore the critical
need to ensure that only American citizens decide the future of our
Nation.
This isn't just about policy. It is a moral imperative to protect the
foundational rights of American citizens.
It is time for our Democratic colleagues to put aside their
partisanship and listen to 81 percent of the American people who
support this and stop
[[Page H5116]]
threatening a shutdown over commonsense election safeguards.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Oh, my God. I don't even know where to begin, to be honest with you.
There is just so much there.
First of all, let me read from a letter that the Secretary of Defense
sent to all of us here in Congress. He said: ``A 6-month CR would set
us significantly behind in meeting our pacing challenge highlighted in
our National Defense Strategy, the People's Republic of China. The PRC
is the only global competitor with both the intent and capability to
change the international order. The PRC does not operate under CRs. Our
ability to execute our strategy is contingent upon our ability to
innovate and modernize to meet this challenge, which cannot happen
under a CR. Asking the Department to compete with the PRC, let alone
manage conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, while under a lengthy
CR, ties our hands behind our back while expecting us to be agile and
to accelerate progress.'' That is what the Secretary of Defense sent to
Congress.
Republicans are here with a bunch of fake anti-China bills that will
never become law, but what they are actually doing is hurting our
national security.
This approach, their CR, is hurting our national security. It is not
just the Secretary of Defense saying that. As I said earlier, the
Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee has said it,
and that is why he is opposing the Republican CR, so let's get that
straight.
The other thing is, on the SAVE Act, it is true that a military ID
alone is not sufficient to meet the criteria of the SAVE Act. Is that
how we thank the men and women who serve our country?
In fact, many Americans don't have the kind of identification
required to be able to comply with the SAVE Act, but that is even
beside the point because, as Republican after Republican has said, this
is a gimmick. This is going nowhere. This is just a sound bite during
an election. This is not real. This is all theater. That is not me
saying it. It is Republican after Republican saying that.
In terms of helping our veterans, let me tell you, Republicans keep
talking about the $112 billion in the bill for VA care, but guess what?
These dollars were already provided in last year's bill.
Both VA and OMB say that these dollars are insufficient and that they
need an additional $12 billion or our veterans' care will be affected.
That is what has been said to Republicans and Democrats over and over
again.
{time} 1315
Mr. Speaker, this bill provides zero additional dedicated funding for
vets with toxic exposures. Zero. I don't understand why, when you are
trying to fix some of the omissions in the manager's amendment that was
put in in the Rules Committee, this could not have been added. These
are our veterans. These are people who have served our country. These
are people who have been exposed to toxic chemicals who are battling
with all kinds of illnesses and diseases.
The least we can do is make sure the funding is there so they can get
adequate healthcare. This bill provides none of that $12 billion. I
don't understand what my Republican friends are thinking.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have
remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Massachusetts has 6
minutes remaining.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to
close.
Mr. Speaker, we have 3 weeks left to ensure that our government
doesn't shut down. Instead of working with Democrats to keep the
government open, what we have here is an awful, cynical, partisan
continuing resolution that has exactly zero chance of becoming law.
Hell, as I said earlier, it may not even pass the Republican-controlled
Congress.
It is like Republicans won't even try to get the job done. They have
passed 4 appropriations bills out of 12. That is it, and they want a
trophy for that. I mean, it is pathetic how little work has been done
in this House.
Again, they have sent a grand total of four appropriations bills to
the Senate, although listening to them last night at the Rules
Committee, you would think they had completed all their work and
everything is wonderful. Imagine thinking 30 percent was a passing
grade. It is pathetic.
At the end of the day, the Republican majority has failed the
American people, and the Republican majority has failed the American
people miserably. They want to condition keeping our government open on
a Project 2025 pipe dream to disenfranchise millions of Americans at
the ballot box. Let me be clear, the SAVE Act is not about targeting
undocumented immigrants. It is about suppressing the vote of millions
of American citizens.
Again, I point out what happened in the last election. The person who
shall not be named by name lost but didn't want to accept the loss and
instructed people to go out there and to submit fraudulent electors to
try to stoke all these conspiracy theories.
Multiple people are now under indictment for trying to overturn the
legitimate results of the last election. The threat to our democracy,
the threat to our election integrity, is the Republicans.
My friends are willing to rip $12 billion away from our sick veterans
all to play political games. What is wrong with them, Mr. Speaker? They
are pursuing poorly written, bad bills that are soft on China when we
could be doing the real work, teaming up across the aisle to strengthen
our national security. It is a joke. It is a joke. It is embarrassing.
All they bring to the table is destruction, disruption, dysfunction,
and the dystopian Project 2025. Every measure before us today is a bad
deal.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so
we can help our veterans. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the
rule and on the underlying bills.
Mr. Speaker, we have to do better. If the government shuts down
because of their dysfunction, real people in this country get hurt. We
need to come together and get our work done. Enough of this partisan
garbage.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would remind Members to refrain
from engaging in personalities toward nominees for the Office of the
President.
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to
close.
These accusations, Mr. Speaker, are not just dishonest, they are a
pathetic act of desperation. In their scramble to smear Republicans,
they have dug up some obscure policy document that was never endorsed
by President Trump, or any House Republican for that matter.
Now they have thrown everything they can against the wall, hoping to
scare the American people with their usual tactics of lies, deception,
and paranoia. This, Mr. Speaker, is the Democratic playbook for 2024.
When you are failing, manufacture some more fear.
The reality is stark. Democrats are in complete disarray. They are
heading into November on a runaway train. Mr. Speaker, it would be
laughable if their policies didn't have such dire impact on the
American people.
Now, in a desperate, flailing attempt to distract from their
catastrophic record of the last 3\1/2\ years, they are trying to shift
the focus away from the wreckage they have left in their wake. Their
policies have bankrupted this country, emboldened our enemies, thrown
our borders wide open, and crushed the American people under the weight
of skyrocketing costs and economic insecurity.
Here is the thing, Mr. Speaker: Americans are just smarter than that.
No matter how much they try to spread their undiagnosed cases of Trump
derangement syndrome, no matter how many obscure documents they try to
pin on House Republicans, they can't run from their abject record of
failure. The American people see it. They feel it every day at the gas
pump, at the grocery store, when they are
[[Page H5117]]
paying their insurance bill, when they are trying to buy a new car,
when a young family is trying to get into their first home. In their
wallets, in their communities, in the safety of their communities, they
feel it. Democrats can't hide from the disaster they have created, and
no amount of finger-pointing is going to change that.
Mr. Speaker, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have made
it clear that they would rather play political games as we work to fund
the government and avoid a shutdown. They would rather hoot and holler
about spending levels in one department than vote for a commonsense
appropriations bill or to create a stopgap so that we can continue our
work and make sure that we don't have a shutdown. They would rather
stand in full-blown opposition to straightforward provisions that would
deter voter fraud and ensure our elections are fair, free, and
protected as a fundamental right of real American citizens.
My colleagues would also like to stand before us today and oppose
commonsense legislation that ensures that we put America first in our
dealings with our greatest adversary, China, and any entity or
international organization that is connected or subservient to the
Chinese Communist Party.
We must do what the Biden-Harris administration has time and time
again refused to do in its policies toward China--put the interests and
the needs and the security of the American people absolutely first.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the rule before us today.
The material previously referred to by Mr. McGovern is as follows:
An Amendment to H. Res. 1430 Offered by Mr. McGovern of Massachusetts
In Section 6, after ``accompanying this resolution'' insert
``and the amendment specified in section 7 of this
resolution''.
At the end of the resolution, add the following:
Sec. 7. The amendment referred to in section 6 is as
follows:
``Page 23, after line 5, insert the following new section:
In addition to amounts otherwise available for such
purposes, there are appropriated, out of any money in the
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for investment in the
delivery of veterans' health care associated with exposure to
environmental hazards, the expenses incident to the delivery
of veterans' health care and benefits associated with
exposure to environmental hazards, and medical and other
research relating to exposure to environmental hazards, as
authorized by section 324 of title 38, United States Code,
$12,000,000,000, which shall remain available until September
30, 2029.''
Mr. LANGWORTHY: 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.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this question are postponed.
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