[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19557]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    IT IS TIME TO RESTORE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE'S FAITH IN GOVERNMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, when a married couple killed 14 people 
celebrating the holidays in San Bernardino last Thursday, President 
Obama immediately used this terrible tragedy to renew his call for 
tougher gun restrictions.
  Never mind the fact that the shooting took place in California, which 
has some of the strictest gun laws in the Nation, or that authorities 
would quickly determine this rampage was an act of terrorism that 
appears to have been inspired by the Islamic State.
  This messaging blunder led to last night's televised address from the 
Oval Office where President Obama sought to reassure the American 
people that his administration is taking the threat of terrorism 
seriously. Sadly, the only thing he revealed was he has no 
comprehensive strategy to confront and defeat ISIS. The President 
continues to cling to failing policy.
  This week the House will vote on a bipartisan bill to update our visa 
waiver program to reduce the risk of an extremist entering the country 
from abroad. However, only the Commander in Chief can provide the wide-
ranging plan that is necessary to eliminate the danger caused by 
radical Islamist terrorism.
  We need more from President Obama about what can be done with our 
military, our intelligence-gathering, and our international partners. 
We are facing a new era of violence and terrorism where danger exists 
both abroad and on American soil. We must do all that we can to 
eliminate the extremist threat.
  It is easy to see why the American people have no faith in the 
Federal Government. While the United States remains one step behind our 
enemy and Americans wonder if our country is safe, the Justice 
Department is undermining Congress' spending authority by funneling 
money to President Obama's political allies.
  The Justice Department prosecutes cases against corporate bad actors, 
and those companies agree to settlements that often include financial 
penalties. However, the Department has begun to mandate that at least 
some of that penalty money be paid in the form of donations to 
nonprofits that allegedly aid consumers and bolster neighborhoods.
  The purpose of financial penalties is to punish the bad actors and 
provide restitution to real victims. However, the list of government-
approved nonprofit beneficiaries reads like a who's who of liberal 
activist groups. An investigation by the House Judiciary and Financial 
Services Committees revealed that DOJ has used mandatory donations to 
direct as much as half a billion dollars to these activist groups.
  These payments also occur entirely outside of the congressional 
appropriations and oversight process. The Miscellaneous Receipts Act 
requires money received by the government from any source to be 
deposited in the Treasury. Directing banks to give money to third 
parties evades that statute.
  Thank goodness the House passed an amendment by Chairman Goodlatte in 
June that blocks funding for negotiating settlements that require a 
defendant to donate to an organization or an individual not involved in 
the litigation. This commonsense amendment passed by voice vote and 
should absolutely be included in the omnibus spending bill we are 
expected to vote on this week.
  It is time for Republicans to confront this administration and 
restore the people's faith in their government.

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