[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 6, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H1864-H1868]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 276, GULF OF AMERICA ACT; AND
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 881, DHS RESTRICTIONS ON CONFUCIUS
INSTITUTES AND CHINESE ENTITIES OF CONCERN ACT
Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the
Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 377 and ask for its
immediate consideration.
[[Page H1865]]
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 377
Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be
in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 276) to
rename the Gulf of Mexico as the ``Gulf of America''. All
points of order against consideration of the bill are waived.
The amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by
the Committee on Natural Resources 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 Natural Resources or their
respective designees; and (2) one motion to recommit.
Sec. 2. Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in
order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 881) to
establish Department of Homeland Security funding
restrictions on institutions of higher education that have a
relationship with Confucius Institutes, and for other
purposes. All points of order against consideration of the
bill are waived. In lieu of the amendment in the nature of a
substitute recommended by the Committee on Homeland Security
now printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a
substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print
119-2 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 Homeland Security
or their respective designees; and (2) one motion to
recommit.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Georgia is recognized for
1 hour.
Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. 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
Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. 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
gentleman from Georgia?
There was no objection.
Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, last night the Rules Committee met and reported a rule,
House Resolution 377, providing for consideration of two measures.
The first one is H.R. 276, the Gulf of America Act, under a closed
rule. The rule provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled
by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Natural Resources
or their respective designees, and provides one motion to recommit.
Additionally, the rule provides for consideration of H.R. 881, the
DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of
Concern Act, to be considered under a closed rule. The rule provides 1
hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking
member of the Committee on Homeland Security or their respective
designees, and provides one motion to recommit.
Mr. Speaker, we are here to debate a rule on two pieces of
legislation beginning with H.R. 276, the Gulf of America Act.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 276 is straightforward. It permanently renames the
Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and directs Federal agencies to
update their documents and maps to incorporate the new name.
President Trump directed the name change a few months ago, Mr.
Speaker, and there have been no issues during that time. We are simply
using our Article I authority to reflect the Gulf's importance to our
country.
Moving on, Mr. Speaker, the rule also provides for the consideration
of H.R. 881, the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese
Entities of Concern Act.
It goes without saying, Mr. Speaker, that the Chinese Communist Party
does not share our interests or our values.
Confucius Institutes were originally established in America in 2004
and marketed as a way to promote Chinese language and culture, support
local Chinese teaching internationally, and facilitate cultural
exchanges; however, it has become clear that this was not the real
goal, Mr. Speaker. The true intent was a sophisticated and global
influence campaign, allowing the CCP to conduct espionage in our
country and steal our intellectual property and trade secrets.
While there are less than five Confucius Institutes still currently
active in the United States, the Government Accountability Office has
reported that 43 of the 74 schools it surveyed still maintain a
relationship with the entity that supported their Confucius Institute.
Further, the Department of Education has shown that over $3 billion
has been collected by U.S. universities from entities connected to the
People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party.
This bill, which has been worked on and will pass in a bipartisan
manner, I believe, simply bans eligibility for DHS funding from an
institution with a relationship to a Confucius Institute, Thousand
Talents Program, or Chinese entity of concern until such a relationship
is terminated.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to consideration of these pieces of
legislation and urge passage of this rule.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, as much as it pains me to say this, we are here on the
House floor today because the House Republican majority has chosen to
prioritize debate and passage of a bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico as
the Gulf of America. That is not what my constituents think is the most
important thing Congress should tackle this week or this year, and I
bet it is not what your constituents think either.
It is easy to mock this legislation because it is so inane and
embarrassing, and we have, but its very existence and the fact that
House Republicans have chosen to waste time and taxpayer dollars to
bring it up for a vote, is worth considering.
Let's talk about the real gulf of America--the gulf in America--the
gulf between the ambitions and priorities of this White House, aided
and abetted by the House majority, and the needs of the American
people.
That is the gulf that makes Republicans think that it is more
important to give tax cuts to billionaires than to make sure that
America's children, veterans, and seniors have food, housing, and
medical services, and that we protect the air we breathe, the water we
drink, and the food we eat.
It is the gulf that causes the Speaker to bring ridiculous
legislation to the floor to flatter the President and appease his base
rather than meet the needs of the American people.
Americans want a Congress and a White House that solves problems
rather than creates them. Americans aren't asking to rename the Gulf of
Mexico. In fact, public polling, including on FOX, says that nearly 70
percent of Americans oppose that executive order and this legislation
to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
Like many Americans, I follow the news each day with trepidation.
Many folks tell me that the chaos and missteps of this administration
are too painful or upsetting to follow. They have tuned it out because
the only guarantee we have is that every day the President or his
administration will have done something dumber or more dangerous than
the day before.
Each day brings its own self-inflicted crisis with this White House,
and millions of Americans are exhausted by it. They are pleading with
their elected officials to act, to do something, anything, to bring
normalcy back to this country, to bring decency back to this country.
There was a time when American public life was guided by a genuine
sense of duty and a converse fear of shame, but today neither appear to
hold much sway.
Instead, we have a White House filled with charlatans, con men, snake
oil salesmen, grifters, billionaires, and criminals, all using the
power of the Federal Government to enrich themselves at the expense of
the American
[[Page H1866]]
people and to punish their political opponents.
Last week was President Trump's 100th day in office, a customary
benchmark by which we measure the successes and failures of a new
President's term. I think it is safe to say that Trump's first 100 days
have been a disaster. His tariff policies are likely to cause a
recession. Millions of people have seen their retirement savings
evaporate. Families don't know if they are going to be able to afford
basic goods, much less Christmas dolls. Businesses, big and small, are
paralyzed by uncertainty and reducing their spending, and many small
businesses may not survive.
To add insult to injury, when faced with these facts, the President
says: Deal with it. Those are the President's own words. The tariffs
will be painful, but it is a price that must be paid; but paid by whom?
It won't be Trump or the billionaires in his Cabinet or at his golf
clubs. No, it is going to be real people, people who work for a living,
who will have to pay the price for his ill-conceived trade war. It is
not going to be guys like Bessent and Lutnick, who have multimillion-
dollar mansions and fly on private planes. They will be just fine.
However, for working parents, according to Trump, maybe the kids will
have 2 dolls instead of 30. I don't know who has 30 dolls. Maybe the
moms who live in my district will have to pay more for the stroller
they use to transport their kids to daycare and doctors and the grocery
store. So much for the guy who said he was going to bring down prices
on day one.
It is worth noting that just yesterday in our Rules markup, our
Republican colleagues voted, once again, to keep the Trump tariffs in
place. Over a month ago, they rigged the rules of the House to prevent
Congress from voting to end the Trump tariffs. They literally voted to
stop time, to say that for the purposes of protecting the Trump
tariffs, there is only one day between now and the end of September in
order to prevent anyone from being able to force a vote on whether to
end Trump's tariffs. They are dragging down our economy and American
families with it.
That is just the terrible Trump tariffs. In these first 100 days, the
administration has cut services at Social Security, fired medical staff
at VA hospitals, and withheld aid to food banks, children's health
programs, and community violence prevention efforts. They have waged a
political war against universities and scientific research, and
illegally froze over $400 billion in congressionally appropriated
funds, including billions of dollars to FEMA, to everyone from local
firefighters to States that have been affected by natural disasters.
This White House has issued hundreds of controversial executive
orders, many of which courts have deemed illegal or unconstitutional.
Every day this administration is disappearing hundreds of people,
sending them to faraway detention centers without any due process, due
process that would expose mistakes and lies about some people who are
not criminals and, in some cases, are even citizens and, therefore,
should not be deported.
The damage that is being caused right now by this administration to
our communities, to our international standing, to our national
security and national fabric, will take years to unwind. Eager to do
their part and contribute to the chaos, House Republicans continue to
find novel ways to bring this Chamber to new lows.
This week, Republicans are putting forward two bills, one that is
pretty much a redundant effort to counter Confucius Institutes and
another to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of
America.
The second bill may be the dumbest bill brought to the floor during
the 6 years I have served in Congress. With all of the important work
this Congress should be tackling, the Speaker and House Republicans
have chosen to indulge the President in a whim that the American public
does not support.
Frankly, if I had to vote on a bill like this, I would find it deeply
embarrassing. I know my Republican colleagues are smart people. They
are not dumb, so I have to think that they share this embarrassment,
unless they are members of a cult, a cult of personality based around a
dear leader who they are required to obey or risk retribution, and upon
whom they bestow endless compliments and praise in order to seek
personal favors.
It doesn't matter how much damage he causes, how much money he
wastes, how many lives and families he hurts. It doesn't matter if he
causes a recession. It doesn't matter if he encourages influence
peddling and grift with a Trump coin, or his Gulf of America merch, or
if he gives insider stock tips before taking executive action. House
Republicans seem to always do what Trump says.
If he wants to do something as dumb as rename the Gulf of Mexico,
Republicans apparently will fall in line. We will watch them twist
themselves into pretzels to come up with increasingly convoluted
rationales for the President's actions. Today will surely be a master
class in delusion.
Further adding to the chaos, this month, House Republicans are
expected to finish drafting the text of the reconciliation bill through
which they are planning to cut healthcare benefits to seniors,
children, and people with disabilities and cut nutrition assistance to
the poor in order to pay for a huge tax giveaway to billionaires and
big business.
Despite more than 40 years of empirical evidence showing that
Republican trickle-down economics are a resounding failure, Republicans
are nonetheless pushing ahead with their party orthodoxy. We have more
than enough evidence that trickle-down economics does not work. It
doesn't help the middle class. It doesn't create jobs. It doesn't
increase business investment, and it doesn't grow the economy.
{time} 1230
What these policies actually do is allow companies and their
shareholders to pocket more profits at the expense of everyone else. It
is because of trickle-down economics that we now have some of the most
extreme income inequality in this country in our Nation's history.
To pay for this giveaway to the rich, Republicans are going to take
away healthcare benefits and food assistance and cut critical Federal
investments in our local communities, our democracy, the environment,
and our national security, all so millionaires and billionaires can get
an extra buck. It is horrifying, immoral, and un-American.
Unlike many of my Republican colleagues, I have participated in
multiple townhalls this year to hear from my constituents. One message
that I hear consistently is that people are scared. These are good,
honest, hardworking Americans who in one way or another have been
forced to rely on Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, WIC, Head Start, Social
Security, or LIHEAP in order to make ends meet for their families, and
they are rightfully scared that Republicans are planning to gut those
programs.
We will surely hear all kinds of mental gymnastics from our
colleagues about how millionaires really need that extra tax cut or how
cutting Medicaid won't really lead to a loss of coverage or service. We
will hear tortured arguments from Republicans to hide what they are
really doing.
When you take a step back and look at everything that is happening,
this White House, in concert with Elon Musk and congressional
Republicans, have put the country on a dark and troubling path, a fear-
based path. It is leading us to a place that has more in common with
Stalin's Russia than the free society envisioned by our Founding
Fathers. It is heartbreaking to see the lengths to which some people
will go to destroy the ideas and institutions that for decades have
made this country great.
Mr. Speaker, I think it goes without saying that I rise in strong
opposition to this rule, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would just remind my
colleagues that Donald Trump was elected President of the United
States. While we are yet to put many of his policies into law, where
the Democrats left us was with an interest payment of $2.6 billion a
day.
If you took 100 percent of the money from the people that are
billionaires in this country, you probably couldn't pay the interest on
the national debt for a year.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
[[Page H1867]]
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Johnson).
Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this
complete waste of time, the Gulf of America Act.
While Americans are struggling with real problems, while Trump is
trampling over the constitutional rights of the citizens he swore to
protect, Republicans are wasting this Chamber's time with performative
nonsense.
Here is the choice this comes down to:
We could focus on helping 40 million Americans saddled with medical
debt, or we could rename the Gulf of Mexico.
We could ensure that the 10 million children going hungry every night
have enough food to eat, or we could rename the Gulf of Mexico.
We could address our Nation's highest maternal mortality rate, where
women are dying in this country every day while giving birth, or we
could rename the Gulf of Mexico.
We could address our Nation's lack of affordable housing, where
families are struggling to find safe shelter, or we could rename the
Gulf of Mexico.
We could make sure our veterans, who are waiting for weeks for
appointments at VA clinics, get the desperate care they need after
making such extreme sacrifices in the honor of service to our country,
or we could rename the Gulf of Mexico.
We could be protecting Social Security and Medicare, protecting
Medicaid, finding affordable childcare for the millions of children in
this country and reducing the high cost of living that so many families
in all of our districts are struggling to afford basic necessities, or
we could rename the Gulf of Mexico.
Republicans have made their choice. They want to focus on renaming a
body of water that doesn't need renaming instead of the emergent needs
of the people that we all represent. The bill's cosponsor, the woman
from Georgia, in her district one in five residents live below the
poverty line. Her district ranks near the bottom in Georgia for health
outcomes, and opioid overdose rates continue to climb. Broadband access
remains limited, and public schools are underresourced.
However, again, instead of working on bills to bring down the high
cost of healthcare, making broadband accessible for Americans all over
the country, or helping families struggling with addiction, we are
renaming the Gulf of Mexico as if it is the most important, pressing
issue facing this country.
This is not governing. It is a distraction. It is political theater,
and it is an insult to the intelligence of every American who expects
us in Congress to do the serious work of solving real problems and
making their lives better.
This bill does not achieve any of those ends. The American people did
not send us here to troll and suck up to a President. They sent us here
to legislate, lead, and make their lives better.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this stupid bill and focus on
what matters to the American people.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from
engaging in personalities toward the President.
Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to point
out that in the State of Georgia in the district that was referenced,
68 percent of the voters in that district, as patriots, voted for
Donald J. Trump to be President of the United States because they don't
believe they need the Federal Government to micromanage their life.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
In January when House and Senate Republicans punted once again on
passing a budget and instead passed a continuing resolution, they
forgot to include the funding to operate the District of Columbia.
The Senate moved to rectify that mistake and has passed a bill to fix
it, and the President has said that he will sign that bill. The Mayor
of D.C. has repeatedly spoken to House Republicans about the urgency of
fixing the city's budget. The clock is ticking, and if the fix isn't
passed, D.C. will have to lay off hundreds of teachers and police
officers and curtail critical services in the District.
While this is going on, House Republicans are instead using floor
time to prioritize removing the longfin smelt from the endangered
species list, to rename the Gulf of Mexico, and to do other, frankly,
stupid messaging bills like those we are considering today.
The Speaker may claim that it is just a matter of schedule, but once
again, clearly, the gulf in America is between what Americans--the
people who live in D.C. and most of the country--think is important and
what House Republicans are willing to do.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would remind you that the
Chinese Communist Party is no longer an economic adversary. They are an
enemy. They have been very creative in the way they have embedded
themselves into the university systems in this country. This rule gives
us a vote on kicking them the rest of the way out of this country. I
think, Mr. Speaker, that that is going to pass in a very bipartisan
manner.
With all of the antics, yelling, screaming, and pointing of fingers,
I just remind you, there is a very serious piece of legislation to deal
with the Chinese Communist Party in this rule that I believe will pass
in very much a bipartisan manner.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will
offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H.R. 2753, the Hands Off
Medicaid and SNAP Act, which will prevent the Republican budget from
cutting Medicaid or SNAP benefits.
Mr. Speaker, this week the House is voting to rename the Gulf of
Mexico as the Gulf of America. I am not joking. This is what House
Republicans are spending their time doing publicly. However, privately,
behind closed doors, according to reports, Republican leadership is
meeting with vulnerable, moderate Republicans to try to sell them on
trading devastating cuts to Medicaid for tax cuts for billionaires.
Under their plan, they have to cut $880 billion from Medicaid and
$230 billion from food assistance just to make the math work for their
disastrous reconciliation bill. Mr. Speaker, what is worse is they
continue to argue that they aren't doing that, but the math doesn't
lie. They can't reach the levels of billionaire tax cuts they want
without gutting vital programs like Medicaid and SNAP, programs that
the most vulnerable in our country rely upon.
Republicans are publicly claiming that they won't make those cuts, so
today I will give them a chance to prove that to the American people by
putting their money where their mouths are and voting to ensure those
devastating cuts can't move forward in this House.
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 myself the balance of my time to
close.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question. The
country deserves better leadership, leadership focused on the common
good and public service rather than culture wars and private profit.
The United States faces enormous challenges, and the American people
want Congress to act on their behalf. They want us to lower the cost of
groceries, rent, and healthcare. They don't want Congress wasting time
on performance, on pointless legislation like the bills we are debating
today.
The American people want real solutions. They want their elected
officials to collaborate, to govern with decency and discipline in ways
that benefit the American people, not deep-pocketed donors. They don't
want politicians who chase headlines or who try to flatter the whims of
erratic leaders with insane ideas like renaming the Gulf of Mexico,
invading Greenland, annexing Canada, or reinstituting Alcatraz.
While many Americans are struggling just to get by, the last thing
they want is a Republican tax bill that guts their healthcare and
denies food and housing to children and seniors so that millionaires
can pay less in taxes. It is obscene.
[[Page H1868]]
If Republicans carry out their stated plans, it will be one of the
largest government handouts in American history, paid for by those who
can least afford it and delivered to those who need it least. Talk
about corporate welfare.
While the rich will get their tax cut, working families will be stuck
footing the bill for Trump's tariffs. It is not too late for
Republicans to change course. I pray that enough of them find the
courage to push back against this plan, to listen to their
constituents, and to do the right thing.
We don't need to slash Medicaid and SNAP, and we can move forward
with a sensible tax bill that invests in families and the middle class,
not just billionaires and the Fortune 500. I urge my colleagues to vote
down this resolution, reject these unserious bills, and join us in the
business of governing for the public good, the common good.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance
of my time for the purpose of closing.
Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot over the last few minutes about the
$2.6 billion a day interest payment that the Democrats, under Joe
Biden's lead, left the United States citizens with. Now we hear their
demand that we allow the current tax rates to expire, thereby raising
taxes on virtually every American citizen.
It is very convenient that they say billionaires. Now, they have
acknowledged millionaires, but just factually speaking, if the tax
rates are allowed to expire, virtually every American that works would
receive a tax increase. We as Republicans are committed to stopping
that.
Today, and this week, the House has the ability to advance two pieces
of legislation under this rule:
H.R. 276, the Gulf of America Act, which simply reflects the Gulf's
importance to our country, the United States of America, and H.R. 881,
the DHS restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of
Concern Act which puts our national security first and bans eligibility
for DHS funding from an institution with a relationship to a Confucius
Institute, Thousand Talents Program, or Chinese entities of concern
until such relationship is terminated.
Mr. Speaker, the Chinese Communist Party is our enemy. That is a
decision that they have made. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting
``yes'' on the previous question and ``yes'' on the rule.
The material previously referred to by Ms. Scanlon is as follows:
An Amendment to H. Res. 377 Offered by Ms. Scanlon of Pennsylvania
At the end of the resolution, add the following:
Sec. 3. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the
House shall proceed to the consideration in the House of the
bill (H.R. 2753) to amend the Congressional Budget Act of
1974 to provide for a point of order against reconciliation
measures that cut benefits for Medicaid or the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program, 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 Rules or their respective designees; and (2) one
motion to recommit.
Sec. 4. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the
consideration of H.R. 2753.
{time} 1245
Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. 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 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
____________________