[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 9, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H4004-H4011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 8312, FRAUD PREVENTION AND
ACCOUNTABILITY ACT; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 8464, STOPPING
FRAUDULENT PAYMENTS ACT; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1335,
CONDEMNING ACTORS SEEKING TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT, AND
EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THAT
GOVERNMENTWIDE FRAUD AND IMPROPER PAYMENT PREVENTION REFORMS WILL
MEANINGFULLY IMPROVE THE FINANCIAL PROSPERITY OF THE UNITED STATES, AND
THAT FEDERAL PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY SHOULD BE VERIFIED BEFORE PAYMENT; AND
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF S. 2, SECURE AMERICA ACT
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules,
I call up House Resolution 1345 and ask for its immediate
consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 1345
Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be
in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 8312) to
establish fraud prevention and program integrity functions
and data sharing authorities within the Department of
Treasury and a permanent governmentwide Inspector General for
Fraud, Accountability, and Recovery, and for other purposes.
All points of order against consideration of the bill are
waived. The amendment in the nature of a substitute
recommended by the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform 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
[[Page H4005]]
equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking
minority member of the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform 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. 8464) to amend
title 31, United States Code, to authorize pausing and
segmenting payments, and for other purposes. All points of
order against consideration of the bill are waived. The
amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 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 Oversight and
Government Reform or their respective designees; and (2) one
motion to recommit.
Sec. 3. Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in
order without intervention of any point of order to consider
in the House the resolution (H. Res. 1335) condemning actors
seeking to defraud the United States Government, and
expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that
governmentwide fraud and improper payment prevention reforms
will meaningfully improve the financial prosperity of the
United States, and that Federal program eligibility should be
verified before payment. The resolution shall be considered
as read. The previous question shall be considered as ordered
on the resolution and preamble to adoption without
intervening motion or demand for division of the question
except one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by
the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform or their respective
designees.
Sec. 4. Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in
order to consider in the House the bill (S. 2) to provide for
reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 33. 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 the Budget or their respective designees; and
(2) one motion to commit.
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 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. LANGWORTHY. 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 New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1345 provides
consideration for four measures. The rule provides for consideration of
H.R. 8312, H.R. 8464, and H. Res. 1335 under closed rules, with 1 hour
of debate each equally divided and controlled by the chair and the
ranking minority member of the Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform, or their designees, and provides one motion to recommit for
H.R. 8312 and H.R. 8464.
The rule also provides for consideration of S. 2 under a closed rule,
with 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and
ranking minority member of the Committee on the Budget, or their
designees, and provides for one motion to commit.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this rule and in support of the
underlying legislation.
The rule before us provides for consideration of four measures that
address two of the Federal Government's most fundamental
responsibilities: Safeguarding taxpayer dollars and protecting the
American people.
{time} 1220
At a time when Americans are demanding greater accountability from
Washington, these measures represent commonsense steps to ensure that
government is carrying out the basic responsibilities that taxpayers
expect it to perform.
Mr. Speaker, every year, Washington loses hundreds of billions of
dollars, taxpayer dollars, to fraud, improper payments, and abuse.
Every year, Americans are told the same exact thing: Nothing can be
done about it. Well, if you don't try, nothing can be done about it.
Taxpayer dollars go out the door, fraudsters cash the checks,
government bureaucrats write reports about what happens after the fact,
and taxpayers are left holding the bill.
Americans are, frankly, tired of it. They are tired of watching
Washington lose track of billions of dollars while hardworking families
are expected to just pay the tab and not worry about it.
Nowhere has this failure been more visible than in the State of
Minnesota. Americans watched as massive fraud schemes ripped off
taxpayers and exposed just how vulnerable government programs become
when oversight disappears and accountability takes a back seat.
The lesson should be obvious: When government fails to verify
eligibility, fraudsters take advantage. Republicans believe that
taxpayers deserve better than that.
Mr. Speaker, the rule provides for consideration of H.R. 8464, the
Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act. The idea behind the legislation is
very simple. If government officials identify warning signs that a
payment may be fraudulent, why should taxpayers be forced to send that
money out the door anyway? Why?
No family should knowingly write a check to someone they believe may
be trying to scam them, yet that is effectively what Washington has
allowed to happen time and again for years.
H.R. 8464 helps put an end to that government mentality. Instead of
waiting for taxpayer dollars to disappear, and then attempting to chase
them down after the fact, this bill focuses on preventing fraud before
it occurs. It allows agencies to pause, segment, or stop payments that
present elevated fraud risks before taxpayer dollars are lost. That is
simple common sense.
The Federal Government should not knowingly send money to fraudsters
and hope everything works out on the back end.
Mr. Speaker, the rule also provides for consideration of H.R. 8312,
the Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act. The COVID pandemic exposed
serious weaknesses in the Federal Government's ability to protect
taxpayer dollars. In the rush to move money out the door, fraudsters
saw a cash register. Billions of taxpayer dollars were stolen.
Criminals exploited gaps in oversight, and Americans were left
wondering how can so much money disappear with so little level of
accountability.
H.R. 8312 helps ensure that the Federal Government never again starts
from scratch when confronting large-scale fraud. The bill establishes a
permanent, governmentwide antifraud capability, preserves the
successful oversight tools developed in response to taxpayer spending
and scamming, and strengthens the ability for inspectors general and
watchdogs to identify fraud before billions more taxpayer dollars
disappear.
Fraudsters are constantly adapting, and government oversight should
not remain stuck in the distant past. This legislation ensures future
administrations have the tools necessary to protect taxpayers when the
next emergency inevitably arrives.
Mr. Speaker, the rule also provides for consideration of H. Res.
1335. At its core, this resolution recognizes a simple truth: Fraud is
not a victimless crime. It says fraud should be condemned. It says
Congress should stand on the side of the taxpayers rather than
fraudsters trying to exploit the system.
Taken together, these measures represent a clear change in approach
by government. Instead of chasing taxpayer dollars after they
disappear, Republicans are focused on preventing fraud before it
happens. Instead of looking the other way when billions of dollars are
lost and stolen, Republicans are demanding accountability.
Mr. Speaker, whether it is protecting taxpayer dollars from fraud or
protecting communities from criminals, cartels, traffickers, and
dangerous narcotics, the principle is exactly the same: Government has
a responsibility to do the job that the American people expect it to
do.
[[Page H4006]]
That brings me to the importance of fully funding Customs and Border
Protection and immigration enforcement. Mr. Speaker, the rule also
provides for consideration of S. 2, the Secure America Act. One of the
most significant success stories in the last year-and-a-half has been
the dramatic improvement in security at our southern border.
The border crisis that President Trump inherited was not by accident.
It was the direct result of deliberate--deliberate--policy decisions
made by the Biden administration. For 4 years, Americans watched the
cameras at the southern border as the Federal Government abandoned
proven enforcement policies, weakened deterrence, and expanded catch
and release practices and allowed millions and millions of illegal
immigrants to enter the country. It was nothing short of an invasion.
Human traffickers profited, and fentanyl flowed into our communities
across the country. Border Patrol agents were forced to process
migrants instead of securing our border. The result was one of the
worst border crises in our Nation's history.
Under President Trump, we have reversed the course. It started
instantly. The border was closed. Since taking office, illegal
crossings have fallen dramatically. Border encounters have plummeted,
and law enforcement officers have once again been empowered to enforce
the laws already on the books. No new laws have been passed. We are
enforcing the laws on the books.
The results speak for themselves. In April, southern border
apprehensions were 94 percent lower than the monthly average
experienced under the Biden administration. At the same time, CBP has
seized significantly more dangerous narcotics attempting to enter our
country, helping keep deadly drugs out of our backyards, our American
communities.
Those improvements did not happen by accident. They are the result of
stronger enforcement, better policies, and President Trump's commitment
to restoring the rule of law at our border.
However, success doesn't mean the mission is complete. The cartels,
they haven't disappeared. Human traffickers have not disappeared.
Criminal smuggling networks continue to operate every single day. That
is why the funding provided in this legislation remains necessary.
Mr. Speaker, Customs and Border Protection serves as one of the most
important first lines of defense for our Nation and for our homeland
security. Whether securing our borders, facilitating lawful trade and
travel, or stopping dangerous narcotics before they reach American
communities, CBP plays a critical role in both our national security
and our economy.
I represent a district in western New York that shares a border with
Canada. In my district, the border plays a part of everyday life. It
supports jobs, commerce, tourism, agriculture, and cross-border trade
through western New York and the southern tier.
In districts like mine, border security and economic security go hand
in hand. The same officers helping lawful travelers and commerce move
efficiently through our ports of entry are also stopping dangerous
narcotics, criminal activity, and other threats before they reach our
communities.
If we expect CBP to continue delivering results that we have seen
over the last year and a half, Congress must ensure the agency has the
support necessary to sustain those efforts.
Mr. Speaker, the legislation also provides critical funding for
Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Too often, people hear the name
ICE and think only about immigration enforcement, but ICE's mission
extends far beyond that. Every day, ICE agents combat human
trafficking. They investigate gang activity. They dismantle narcotics
trafficking organizations. They protect children from exploitation.
They also work alongside State and local law enforcement to keep
dangerous individuals off of our streets.
Much of this work happens outside of the spotlight, but it directly
impacts Americans every single day. My district recently saw an
example, a clear example of why this work matters. Just last week, a
violent stabbing occurred in Cattaraugus County involving an illegal
immigrant. Thanks to cooperation between the Cattaraugus County
Sheriff's Office and ICE personnel in Buffalo, law enforcement
uncovered additional violations and ultimately took a dangerous
individual into Federal custody.
{time} 1230
Keeping communities safe requires cooperation between local, State,
and Federal law enforcement. Criminal organizations do not care about
county lines, State lines, or international borders. Law enforcement
must be able to coordinate, share information, and work together to
ensure that dangerous individuals do not fall through the cracks.
Mr. Speaker, whether it is protecting taxpayer dollars from fraud or
protecting communities from dangerous criminals, traffickers, cartels,
and drug smugglers, Americans expect government to carry out its most
basic responsibilities.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this rule and this
underlying legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this rule and to
the underlying bills.
At its core, this Republican reconciliation budget bill is a
statement about priorities, and the priorities reflected in this bill
could not be more out of step with the needs and values of the American
people.
Families across this country are struggling to afford housing,
groceries, childcare, and healthcare. Americans are dealing with rising
costs, economic uncertainty, and the consequences of another unending
war in the Middle East.
Americans were promised lower prices and stability, but instead, they
are watching gas prices climb back up to $5 a gallon while inflation
continues to rise and squeeze household budgets.
Against that backdrop, Republicans have decided that what the country
really needs is to spend another $70 billion on ICE and Border Patrol.
This is on top of the roughly $140 billion Republicans already provided
to those agencies last year, much of which remains unspent.
Taken together, Republicans are proposing to spend nearly a quarter
trillion dollars, all deficit spending, to expand detention camps, fund
mass deportation, increase surveillance, and accelerate an immigration
crackdown that has already caused enormous harm across our country.
Republicans are doing this while simultaneously claiming that America
cannot afford investments in schools, housing, nutrition assistance, or
healthcare.
Let's be honest about what this reconciliation bill represents.
Republicans spent years pretending to be deeply concerned about
deficits and debt, claiming to be the party of fiscal responsibility.
They have attacked virtually every Democratic proposal to help working
Americans and families, saying that those measures are fiscally
irresponsible, but they have used their control of Congress and the
White House to add trillions with a t, trillions of dollars, to the
debt by giving tax cuts to their wealthy friends and corporate donors.
Now, Republicans are adding hundreds of billions more in debt to put
more masked and armed ICE agents on our streets and to build out a
nationwide network of corporate detention camps. Apparently, deficits
only matter when tax dollars are used to help everyday Americans
instead of Trump's billionaire buddies.
Mr. Speaker, it is also telling that Republicans are using a
completely partisan process to ram through this S. 2 legislation. Once
again, they are using the partisan reconciliation process to pass a
budget because they have refused to negotiate through the normal
appropriations process. Specifically, they have refused to enact any
reforms to address the lawless behavior of ICE and Customs and Border
Protection under the Trump administration.
Democrats proposed bipartisan funding solutions for DHS. We proposed
reforms, accountability measures, and guardrails after repeated abuses
by ICE and CBP resulted in chaos and death on American streets. We
asked for basic transparency and oversight after the killings by
Federal agents of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, American citizens. We
asked that ICE and CBP be
[[Page H4007]]
held to the same standards as every other responsible law enforcement
agency in this country.
Republicans said no. They said no to everything. There is not a
single provision in this bill to rein in these rogue agents at DHS.
The Senate rejected amendment after amendment that would have imposed
even minimal constraints on these agencies. The House bypassed
committee consideration altogether. Why? It is because Republicans know
the American people do not support the chaos that this administration
is inflicting.
They know Americans don't want masked and armed Federal agents
rampaging through their neighborhoods, at their kids' schools and
soccer games, and in shopping malls and workplaces.
They know Americans are alarmed when lawful residents, law-abiding
community members, and even citizens, are roughed up or detained by
ICE.
They know people are questioning why the Federal Government is
building expensive detention camps across the country, capable of
imprisoning tens of thousands of people, while Americans can't find
housing and their kids don't get enough to eat.
The reports of what is happening in those detention camps are
increasingly horrifying. In the past year, there have been
unprecedented numbers of deaths and suicides; reports of inedible and
inadequate food; hunger strikes; lack of medical care leading to
serious injury and death; and children, babies, suffering extreme
mental and physical illness.
Republicans know that Americans are increasingly recognizing that
this administration is not arresting and deporting these so-called
worst of the worst. Instead, it is using immigration enforcement as a
political weapon to distract and scare people so they don't see how
this administration is selling our future to the highest corporate
bidders.
This bill isn't just about funding levels. It is about whether our
Republican colleagues are willing to place any limits, any limits
whatsoever, on immigration agencies that, under this administration,
have repeatedly demonstrated contempt for our Constitution, for basic
American values like fairness and decency, and for the dignity and
humanity of immigrants, even those who are in this country legally.
The administration's record here should concern every American
regardless of party. We have seen our government target protesters and
political opponents. We have seen our government spy on citizens
opposing its unlawful tactics.
We have seen people with no criminal record deported to dangerous
countries that they have never lived in, based on hearsay or lies.
We have seen the expansion of child and family detention, despite
decades of evidence that it permanently injures children.
We have seen Americans exercising their First Amendment rights to
object to these cruel and unlawful policies. We have seen them be
falsely labeled as domestic terrorists.
We have seen government agents invade our homes and arrest citizens
with no warrants.
Of course, we have seen those agents detain and even kill American
citizens with no due process in the most grotesque violation of our
fundamental liberties and rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness.
Congressional Republicans appear okay with this chaos, so today, they
plan to give ICE another $70 billion to supercharge these abuses
without making any reforms to the agencies that have inflicted them.
Paired with this awful reconciliation bill is a package of so-called
anti-fraud bills. For the last 1\1/2\ years, Republicans have lectured
the country about waste, fraud, and abuse while doing nothing to
address the real fraud that plagues government programs and turning a
blind eye to blatant corruption coming from this White House, or
whatever is left of it.
Even if we only look at DHS, ICE, and CBP, the scale of fraud and
abuse is staggering and should require close examination by Congress
before dumping another $70 billion on those agencies. Of the $140
billion given to ICE and CBP last year in the big, ugly bill, over $100
billion remains unspent. We are supposed to believe that it is a good
use of taxpayer dollars to give these agencies another $70 billion when
they already have more money than most standing armies in other
countries and more than they apparently can responsibly use.
At a minimum, Congress needs to look at where that money is going.
That is because, as the gentleman from New York suggested, when the
government spends that amount of money, the fraudsters take note.
The scale of money involved in this legislation and last summer in
the big, ugly bill is staggering. A great deal of it already has and
will, inevitably, flow to politically connected contractors and private
prison corporations that have spent years cultivating influence within
the Republican Party.
Perhaps that is why our Republican colleagues have no interest in
oversight of the beneficiaries of their quarter-trillion-dollar
spending spree. Companies like GEO Group and CoreCivic, both major
donors to Trump's Presidential campaign and congressional Republicans,
have received multibillion-dollar no-bid contracts to operate ICE
detention facilities, building a massive private prison camp system
across our Nation.
GEO alone has reported an 800-percent increase in its profits. Just
last week, a watchdog group reported that GEO had made a quarter-
million-dollar dark money contribution to a super-PAC aligned with
Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, one of the bill's biggest boosters.
In addition, DHS has purchased dozens of warehouses to be used as
detention camps, with the government paying grossly inflated prices, in
some cases, several times over the assessed market value of the
property by hundreds of millions of dollars, and paying this to
investors with direct financial ties to the President and his
administration.
{time} 1240
Furthermore, most of those facilities were not designed to house
people, leading to additional taxpayer costs to renovate them and
imposing massive burdens on local infrastructure, governments, and
services.
Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and her special adviser, Corey
Lewandowski, awarded hundreds of millions of dollars to their friends
and associates through costly contracts, including a $200 million ad
campaign funneled to their friends, tens of thousands of dollars spent
on hairstylists and makeup, $20,000 to rent a horse, and hundreds of
millions of dollars spent on multiple luxury jets.
While we agree with our Republican colleagues that we should all be
concerned about and investigate fraudulent government spending, we
wonder whether they will ever acknowledge that fraud and corruption are
the defining features of the Trump administration and whether they are
going to leave Americans holding the bill.
This administration has increasingly erased the line between public
policy and political patronage. Americans see it in the contracting
process. They see it in Trump's pardons to donors and allies, including
corporate criminals who stole taxpayer dollars and seniors' investment
funds. They see it in the President's proposed slush fund to give
himself and the election deniers and rioters who attacked this Capitol
on January 6 $1.8 billion. He wants to give $1.8 billion to cop-beaters
and conspiracists, Proud Boys, pedophiles, insurrectionists, election
deniers, and even the MyPillow guy.
Republicans may argue that Trump has backed off this plan, but we
know this is a charade. Once this reconciliation bill passes, I
guarantee you the President will revive his fund. Just 2 days ago, the
President doubled down on his support for his slush fund. You would be
naive to think it is dead.
Mr. Speaker, the White House and congressional Republicans are openly
using government power to punish and divide people and to enrich
themselves and their friends. Republicans have shown no real interest
in solving the problems facing Americans at their kitchen tables and in
the real world or in combating fraud, waste, and abuse by the most
corrupt administration in our Nation's history.
People want affordable housing. They want stable jobs and good wages.
They want functioning schools and safe communities. They want competent
government and a basic sense that their
[[Page H4008]]
elected officials are trying to improve their lives, not pad their own
pockets.
The scale of spending here can't be ignored. It is nearly a quarter
trillion dollars. That amount of money could transform entire sectors
of American life if it were directed toward public needs instead of
ideological crusades.
Congress could dramatically expand affordable housing. We could
stabilize struggling hospitals and community health centers. We could
strengthen public schools, modernize infrastructure, reduce child
poverty, provide affordable childcare, or lower healthcare costs for
millions of Americans. We could even reduce the deficit that our
Republican colleagues claim to care so deeply about.
At some point, Americans are entitled to ask a very simple question:
When does this administration actually start improving people's lives?
Mr. Speaker, the country deserves better than this. We deserve
leadership focused on solving problems instead of manufacturing fear
and diverting taxpayer dollars. We deserve a Congress that lowers costs
instead of inflaming divisions. We deserve immigration policies rooted
in law, accountability, and humanity, not political theater and
authoritarian tactics. We deserve fiscal responsibility. This
reconciliation bill fails every one of those tests.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this rule, reject this
reconciliation bill, and reject this dangerous vision for our country.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman fails to recognize the reason that we
have to advance this funding. It is because their party time and again
has obstructed and shut down our government instead of paying the
employees of this government, all in the name of their politics. It is
their last gasp in attempting to take us back to the era of a
borderless country where we didn't defend our country from invasion.
They did this.
When are we going to help improve Americans' lives? Well, I have to
ask: How about the parents of Laken Riley who don't have a daughter
because she was stolen. Her life was extinguished by an illegal
immigrant that came here and killed her.
This is what this funding is here to do, to protect Americans. We
need to advance multiple years of funding so that those employees
actually get paid and they don't get held hostage in the political
games of the Democratic Party.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr.
Schweikert), my distinguished colleague.
Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Mr. Speaker, I first came up here to talk about three
of the bills, which were in waste and fraud, but I will make a simple
point being from a border State.
The chaos that was allowed to happen in my State and other border
States for functionally 4 years, millions and millions and millions and
millions, you didn't think there was ever going to be a societal cost,
a government cost?
We have done entire presentations here on data from the Joint
Economic Committee. Take a look at the Social Security actuary report
of the suppression of working people's wages because of the importation
of low-skill populations.
If you care about people and economics and wage growth, take some
responsibility for the chaos you brought to my State and so much of
this country.
Mr. Speaker, we are on a battle right now trying to explain the term
so many of us all use, which is ``waste and fraud.'' We have got three
bills on this. It is wonderful. Now, we need to actually add some of
the definitions and the mechanics of how we are going to take it on.
Those of us on the Joint Economic Committee have been producing some
reports that basically say that we have access to technology today so
that the fraudulent checks never ever go out the door.
I will argue that the model we use today is perverse. Pay someone and
then let's hire lots of auditors, lots of lawyers, lots of law
enforcement, and let's chase it down. How often does someone ever go to
prison? How often do we ever get any of the money back?
Mr. Speaker, my first request is, as we move forward on this agenda
of taking on waste and fraud--this shouldn't be partisan, but it is
technology. We need to take that on.
The second thing--and this one I have an absolute passion for because
it is a level of immorality that the criminals are producing all over
the world. There are headlines and stories. Have you read the stories
of basically the enslavement of thousands of people in these scam farms
where they are basically locked up and their job is to scam the elderly
in the United States, to scam working people all over the Western
world? This is an article from just a couple days ago. We have the
technology.
Mr. Speaker, the Joint Economic Committee, Republican and Democrat,
sent a letter to the big telephone companies, the ISP providers,
saying: Moving forward, are you providing us with the technology that
would stop the scam farms from being able to call grandma and do the
evil of stealing billions and billions and billions? This is a
bipartisan approach, and it exists.
If you have actually seen some of the videos of the misery these
fraudsters and these criminal organizations are doing to people, being
collected off the streets all over the South Pacific region and being
locked up in scam farms in Cambodia--
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentleman from Arizona.
Mr. SCHWEIKERT. I am trying to talk fast. I had a lot of coffee.
This is the hardest part here. When we say waste and fraud, the waste
is often the way we have designed programs where the rent seekers,
whether it be in Medicare Advantage, whether it be in Medicare, whether
it be the stories of the hospice fraud of New York where the visitation
is actually the fastest growing job production in New York City over
the last 5 years.
We are going to have to also take on pieces of legislation that we
have passed and stop the scammers from scamming us on that.
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am so glad that my colleague from Arizona brought up
the impact of immigration on our Social Security system. The fact that
immigrants pay into our Social Security system but are not eligible to
take benefits out has actually acted to extend the life of that system
and is a very important component of keeping that system working, in
addition to all the benefits that immigrants bring to our country.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Simon).
{time} 1250
Ms. SIMON. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member McGovern and Ms.
Scanlon for the time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the rule and to the
dangerous Republican reconciliation bill.
One of my colleagues just talked about taking us back. One of the
things that I think folks can agree with all over this country is that
the Republican Party is, indeed, taking us back to a Jim Crow America
and to a space where sworn officers are taking folks off the streets
who are American citizens and detaining them without due process.
The majority wants an egregious $40 billion more for the Trump
immigration enforcement machine.
Let's not forget how we got here. People have been murdered, and
communities have been traumatized. The priorities are clear. Instead of
demanding accountability for the murder of two American citizens in
Minnesota, Republicans are rushing to hand these agencies a blank
check. Instead of working across the aisle to govern responsibly, my
colleagues are pushing through billions of dollars to unaccountable
agencies while cutting access to your healthcare. Instead of addressing
affordability and investing in the well-being of our families, our
children--
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentlewoman from California.
[[Page H4009]]
Ms. SIMON. Republicans would rather separate these families. Instead
of investing in and revitalizing communities, Republicans would rather
invest in racist lawlessness.
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Haridopolos).
Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Mr. Speaker, Laken Riley, 22 years old; Jocelyn
Nungaray, 12 years old; Rachel Morin, a mom of five--all preventable
tragedies.
Every person in this room knows the pain when you lose a son or
daughter, and that is what we are talking about today. The most
fundamental responsibility of a government is to protect life and
property.
For 4 years, too many bad people were allowed to enter this country
illegally. We are having a great struggle today rounding up rapists and
murderers who committed crimes against these innocent Americans. That
is not to mention human trafficking. That is not the right word. The
word is sexual slavery. These are what these animals were doing who are
transporting young boys and girls across the border.
Since January, when we had a deal, by the way, with the Democrats to
fund this, they have played politics with people's lives.
The fundamental of every society is trust. Where fraud is permitted
to flourish, that foundation will crumble. That is where we are at
right now. To put a dollar amount on a person's life, I find it
unacceptable.
I keep hearing these allusions to how things were better a few years
ago. I serve on the Financial Services Committee. I asked the chairman
of the Fed Board, who the other side of the aisle champions every day.
I asked him a simple question. It is all on the record. Why do we have
such inflation, meaning higher gas, rent, and food prices? He said it:
The government spent too much money.
Now, we have to spend more money because, for 4 years, the other side
was derelict in their responsibility to actually defend the border and
allow these animals who committed the crimes against the individuals I
speak of today to come into this country.
When they didn't allow local law enforcement, because 40 percent of
the country is surrounded by sanctuary cities, we brought in ICE agents
because they wouldn't do their job.
Mr. Speaker, I am here to stand up for Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray,
and Rachel Morin. I am glad we are finally passing legislation to
secure our border.
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and Ruben Ray Martinez are all
American citizens killed by Federal agents in our names, and our
colleagues are unwilling to stand up and do anything to prevent that
kind of senseless death in the future.
Instead, they try to get sympathy, which naturally should be provided
to anyone who has suffered a family member's loss, but they can't
lecture us that this is about human trafficking when DHS and the
Department of Justice have pulled the resources from human and drug
trafficking prevention and corporate crime prosecution. They have
pulled those resources to direct them toward their massive deportation
and detention effort. Eighty percent of the people they are detaining
have no criminal records. It is all distract and divide.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Mrs.
Fletcher).
Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule and the
underlying bill. This rule reflects the utter failure of this Congress
to do its job, to listen to the voices of the people of the United
States, and to bring them to this Chamber to address their concerns and
needs.
For months, people who live in my district have been calling my
office every day, deeply concerned about the actions of ICE and CBP.
They are calling for reforms, accountability, and the United States
Congress to recognize the American citizens who have been killed at the
hands of ICE and CBP agents this year, and the thousands and thousands
of families living in this country whose lives have been torn apart and
are living in fear because of the immigration policies and practices,
the lawlessness, of this administration.
None of that has happened here. Instead, this Congress has willfully
refused to even discuss those calls to action on this floor or anywhere
else debates are supposed to take place.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the
gentlewoman from Texas.
Mrs. FLETCHER. Through this bill and others like it, this Congress
has increased ICE and CBP's authority and decreased their
accountability to the Congress and to the citizens of this country.
Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I am voting ``no,'' and I urge all
Members who believe that the people should have a say here to do the
same.
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Iowa (Mr. Nunn).
Mr. NUNN of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I am one of the last Members of
Congress still serving in the Reserves, as a colonel in the U.S. Air
Force. I have spent the last two decades serving in the intelligence
community and the national security community.
It doesn't take an intel expert to let us all know what we see before
us. This bill is important for the safety of our country.
It does one simple thing: It funds the men and women who defend our
country and help secure our border. That is it: clean funding for the
agencies that stop fentanyl, clean funding for those who check the
ports, clean funding for those who help immigration claims, and clean
funding for those who remove criminals from our communities.
For months, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have refused
to join us in funding law enforcement. Those officers who are keeping
our Nation safe and who are keeping our mothers, daughters, and
children from being killed, what we have seen too tragically here in
the last 4 years.
Now, we are ready to pass a clean bill, but my friends are lining up
on that side to say no. That tells you the objectives were never about
the details. They were about our mission: border apprehensions are down
94 percent; 12 consecutive months of zero releases at the border, the
securest border in America's history; over 100 million lethal doses of
fentanyl seized this year. It is the number one killer of kids my
children's age up to my age, and we are stopping it.
Let's move forward. The other side is lined up against these
policies, and these policies are delivering results. Let us fund law
enforcement on the frontline.
It is the same story on the other side, on fraud. The nonpartisan
Government Accountability Office estimates that the Federal Government
loses up to $500 billion a year to fraud. That is money being bled out
of the country that hurts America's families.
I encourage everyone watching to pay close attention to those who
vote to close loopholes like we are doing and stop the bleed out of tax
dollars, and those who are voting for the status quo of fraudsters
taking your hard-earned dollars.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to listen to the American people
and pass the Secure America Act.
{time} 1300
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am so glad to hear my colleague from Iowa express
support for the safety of our law enforcement officers, and I would
like to offer him and the whole caucus the opportunity to live up to
that sentiment.
Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an
amendment to allow the House to take an up-or-down vote on an amendment
to S. 2 authored by Ranking Member Raskin, which would prohibit anyone
who was convicted of or pleaded guilty to assaulting a law enforcement
officer on January 6, 2021, from receiving a settlement payment from
the Department of Justice.
This taxpayer-funded slush fund to compensate insurrectionists and
Trump allies is a disgrace. Even though the DOJ has paused this effort,
the President on Sunday said he loves the idea and doesn't know what is
going to happen to it. Since my Republican colleagues seem unwilling to
kill this slush fund outright, maybe they will at least accept some
restrictions on who can get legal settlement money from
[[Page H4010]]
the Federal Government and from taxpayers.
This next vote is very simple. Democrats want to vote to enshrine the
following language into law: ``The Department of Justice may not use
taxpayer funds to make settlement payments to individuals convicted of
or who pled guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers at or around
the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.''
These individuals beat and injured dozens of law enforcement officers
with bats, bike racks, fire extinguishers, and flag poles on January 6.
They should not receive taxpayer-funded payouts.
If there are just a few Republicans who agree and are willing to join
us in defeating the previous question, we could fix this right now.
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 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), the ranking member of the Committee on
Rules, to discuss our proposal.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, we have given Republicans several chances
to defeat the previous question so we can kill Trump's insurrectionist
slush fund. They have refused time and time again. We are giving them
another chance. Let's defeat the previous question so we can consider
Ranking Member Raskin's amendment to prevent taxpayer dollars from
being used as a payout for anyone who assaulted a police officer on
January 6.
Trump wants to turn convicted cop beaters into MAGA millionaires. It
is disgusting. These aren't people who supposedly got caught up in the
crowd and somehow found themselves in the Capitol. They are people who
assaulted police officers, seriously injuring many of them. They pled
guilty or were convicted. Donald Trump not only pardoned them, but now
he wants to give them your taxpayer money, America.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to corruption
coming out of this administration: a super pardon for Trump and his
family, bribes to pardon well-connected fraudsters, crypto schemes,
pump-and-dump stock purchases, weaponizing the Department of Justice to
go after his political opponents and a sexual assault survivor, handing
out massive contracts to his wealthy friends, appointing unqualified
lackeys to important National Security and Department of Justice jobs,
and the list goes on and on and on.
Mr. Speaker, I am ashamed at what Republicans have done to this House
of Representatives. We are not debating issues on affordability. We are
not debating lowering gas prices, controlling healthcare costs, or
anything that matters to people. Instead, they have turned the
Committee on Rules into the Protect Donald Trump Committee.
Last night in the Committee on Rules, I offered three amendments to
go after this slush fund, $1.8 billion. I offered three amendments, and
every single Republican, including the gentleman from New York, voted
``no.'' They voted ``no'' to allow us on the House floor to have a
debate and to vote on this matter.
This is a pattern that Republicans have. Remember the Epstein files?
Do you know how we ended up getting a vote on the Epstein files? It
wasn't because Republicans wanted one. Democrats offered a gazillion
amendments in the Committee on Rules to bring a bill to the floor to
release the Epstein files, and the gentleman from New York and every
Republican on the Committee on Rules voted ``no.''
It wasn't until we had a discharge petition and we forced a vote that
all the sudden Republicans saw the light, and they came down here, and
they voted with us. It wasn't until we had a supermajority where the
President couldn't veto it that the President signed it into law, but
here we are, the President still isn't releasing the files, and there
is silence from the other side.
People are sick and tired of this President's corruption and his
lying. They are sick and tired of Republicans going along to get along.
We are talking about $1.8 billion going to cop beaters. I hope my
Republican friends will vote with us and defeat the previous question
and do the right thing for a change.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Stutzman). Members are reminded to
refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman
from North Dakota (Mrs. Fedorchak).
Mrs. FEDORCHAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule
providing for consideration of the Secure America Act.
After 4 years of chaos at our southern border under President Biden,
House Republicans and President Trump have restored order and delivered
the most secure border in history.
Illegal crossings have plummeted. Cartel activity has been disrupted,
and law enforcement finally has an administration who is willing to
enforce the law again.
Maintaining that progress requires more than strong leadership. It
requires resources, and it requires certainty. This bill does both.
More importantly, it sends a huge message that Congress stands with the
men and women who serve on the front lines every single day.
ICE and Border Patrol agents put themselves in harm's way to stop
fentanyl trafficking, to dismantle human trafficking networks, to
remove criminals and terrorists from our country, and to protect
American families.
These officers deserve to know that Congress has their back.
Unfortunately, the only reason we are here today is because of
congressional Democrats. They don't want now--and apparently never did
want--a serious agreement to fully fund the Department of Homeland
Security.
We made good-faith efforts to negotiate reasonable reforms and
funding solutions: body cams, more training, and the like, but
Democrats refused. Instead of working toward a compromise, they dragged
out negotiations for political purposes.
At the same time, frontline officers and employees were left with
long-term uncertainty. Time and again families have been left wondering
whether they would get paid. That is irresponsible.
Border security--our national security--should not be partisan.
Protecting our homeland should not be a partisan issue.
The Secure America Act fully funds ICE and Customs and Border
Protection through fiscal year 2029. It gives these agencies the tools
they need to continue securing our border and protecting our
communities. It modernizes border technology, strengthens operational
support, and prevents future Democrat obstruction efforts that put
national security at risk.
This bill sends a simple message: Republicans stand with law
enforcement. We stand with border security, and we stand with the
American people.
I urge my colleagues to support the rule and support final passage of
the Secure America Act.
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Alabama (Mr. Moore).
Mr. MOORE of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, for 4 years the Biden
administration opened the door to illegal immigration, drug
trafficking, cartel activity, and violent crime. American families paid
the price while Washington looked the other way.
President Trump changed that on day one. He restored the will to
enforce the law and put law enforcement back in the fight. Now Congress
has a simple choice: to fund the mission or stand in the way of those
carrying it out.
A sovereign nation must be willing to enforce its own laws. Border
security is not optional. It is a fundamental responsibility of
government.
Alabama may not sit on the Rio Grande, but the consequences of an
open border reach every corner of our State.
In my hometown of Enterprise, Angel and Jeremy Seay, a newlywed
couple I knew personally, were killed when an illegal alien driving
under the influence crashed into their motorcycle. Their lives were cut
short by a tragedy that never should have happened.
We also have seen cartel-linked fentanyl trafficking reach Alabama
communities. Families in Birmingham,
[[Page H4011]]
Mobile, Huntsville, Dothan, and across our State deserve a government
that puts their safety first. Fentanyl does not stop at the border, and
neither do the criminal networks bringing it into our country.
S. 2 backs ICE, Border Patrol, and local law enforcement officers who
have been left to deal with the consequences of Washington's failures.
These men and women do not need more speeches. They need the resources,
technology, and support necessary to do their jobs. The cartels do not
fear press releases. They fear consequences.
I choose law and order. I choose secure borders. I choose families in
Alabama who are tired of being put last.
President Trump set the mission. S. 2 helps fund it. Vote ``yes'' on
S. 2, back law enforcement, secure the border, and protect American
families.
{time} 1310
Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, underneath all the rhetoric we have heard today, this
debate comes down to a very simple question about what kind of country
we want to be and what we believe government should do for the people
it serves.
As Americans struggle with rising costs, economic uncertainty, and
the consequences of this reckless and expensive war in Iran,
Republicans have chosen to spend nearly $210 billion in taxpayer
dollars on ICE and CBP.
At every turn, this Republican majority says that there is no money
for housing, for schools, for healthcare, for SNAP, for WIC, or for
food for infants and children. Yet, somehow, there is always enough to
fight forever wars, to give tax cuts to the wealthy, and to drive chaos
and division into our communities.
The tragedy is that Congress could choose a different path. We could
invest in our communities instead of detention camps. We could lower
costs for working families instead of enriching lobbyists, consultants,
and private prison companies. We could protect constitutional rights
and strengthen public trust instead of rewarding agencies that have
repeatedly abused both.
We could implement humane and sensible immigration policies that
support, rather than suppress, our economy and economic development,
and that don't scare away foreign visitors, whether from Niagara Falls
in the Buffalo area or from Independence Hall in my district, where we
are seeing the direct impact of bad immigration policy on visitors for
our 250th anniversary and for the World Cup.
These are the choices before this House. This legislation is not a
serious attempt to solve problems. It is an ideological project built
around fear, division, and the concentration of executive power.
Think about what this bill will do. Republicans are about to spend
exorbitant sums to put more masked agents on our streets, to spy on
their political opponents, and to build a sprawling network of
detention camps, private corporate detention camps, capable of
imprisoning tens of thousands of who? Political enemies? It doesn't
take a lot of imagination to see where this authoritarian project is
going.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous
question and demonstrate their support for law enforcement by denying
payments from the President's slush fund to the people who attacked law
enforcement officers here at the Capitol on January 6, and I urge my
colleagues to reject this dangerous waste of taxpayer money.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, for years, Americans have watched as Washington
tolerated waste, fraud, and abuse while millions of illegal immigrants
crossed our border and dangerous criminals exploited weaknesses
throughout our system.
The American people knew better. They lived with the consequences,
and they voted for a President and a Congress committed to restoring
accountability, enforcing the law, and putting taxpayers first.
Fulfilling that promise means preventing fraud before taxpayer dollars
disappear, securing our border, and ensuring government carries out the
basic responsibilities the American people expect it to perform.
I strongly support the rule before us today.
The material previously referred to by Ms. Scanlon is as follows:
An Amendment to H. Res. 1345 Offered by Ms. Scanlon of Pennsylvania
Strike section 4 insert the following:
Sec. 4. Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in
order to consider in the House the bill (S. 2) to provide for
reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 33. 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 the Budget or their respective designees; (2)
the amendment specified in section 5 of this resolution, if
offered by Representative Raskin of Maryland or a designee,
which shall be in order without intervention of any point of
order, shall be considered as read, shall be separately
debatable for 10 minutes equally divided and controlled by
the proponent and an opponent, and shall not be subject to a
demand for division of the question; and (3) one motion to
commit.
Sec. 5. The amendment referred to in section 4 is as
follows:
Insert, at the appropriate place, the following:
SEC.__.
PROHIBITION ON DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FROM USING TAXPAYER
FUNDS TO MAKE SETTLEMENT PAYMENTS TO
INDIVIDUALS CONVICTED OF ASSAULTING LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ON JANUARY 6, 2021.
The Department of Justice may not use taxpayer funds to
make settlement payments to individuals convicted of or who
pled guilty to assaulting law enforcement officers at or
around the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.
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 on the resolution.
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.
____________________