| Speaker | Time | Text |
|---|---|---|
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Hear Those Who Cry
00:03:03
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|
unidentified
|
I go to work. | |
| It's early here. | ||
| I just want people to know that, you know, this was a man who, you know, who did many things outside of the presidency. | ||
| He pretty much like cured a guinea worm. | ||
| He was a pure humanitarian. | ||
| He built homes. | ||
| He was a man of faith. | ||
| And I recommend people read his books about his boyhood because a lot of his humanitarianism can stem from his experiences at home. | ||
| His mother was a nurse. | ||
| Kenneth, sorry, hold on just one moment with me. | ||
| I'm going to let you continue a conversation. | ||
| But here on C-SPAN, I'm going to tell viewers that we're going to go to the House of Representatives. | ||
| They're about to gavel in. | ||
| We will again continue our coverage over on C-SPAN 2. | ||
| The House will be in order. | ||
| The Chair lays before the House a communications from the Speaker. | ||
| The Speaker's Rooms, Washington, D.C., January 9th, 2025. | ||
| I hereby appoint the Honorable Dale W. Strong to act as Speaker Pro Tempore on this day. | ||
| Signed, Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives. | ||
| The prayer will be offered by Chaplain Kibben. | ||
| Would you pray with me? | ||
| You, O Lord, are our rock, our fortress, and our deliverer. | ||
| Be the sanctuary in which all those who flee from the deadly palisades, Hearst and Hollywood Hills, wildfires, and California can find refuge. | ||
| Be their shield against the flames which threaten to engulf them, their stronghold in the midst of destruction. | ||
| Hear all those who call to you in their distress, the street people and the screen stars, and all whose homes and livelihoods are endangered. | ||
| Hear those who cry to you for help. | ||
| Hear their voices and may their cries reach your ears, that you would shelter them from the fires raging around them. | ||
| And gird up the first responders, the firefighters, the emergency medical personnel, and the rescue teams with your strength. | ||
| Be their shield and defender, that they may be effective against in saving the imperiled. | ||
| Arm their hands for the battle before them. | ||
| Equip them with the weapons of deliverance. | ||
| Keep them from growing weary in the face of the relentless hours ahead, and protect them from all harm. | ||
| These, our fellow Americans, are precious in your sight. | ||
| Give them shelter in these days within the protection of your loving arms. | ||
| In your saving name, we pray. | ||
| Amen. | ||
|
One-Minute Recognitions
00:13:32
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| The chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceeding and announces to the House the approval thereof. | ||
| Pursuant to clause one of Rule 1, the journal stands approved. | ||
| The Pledge of Allegiance will be led by the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Luttrell. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Ladies and gentlemen, Player, I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. | |
| The chair will entertain up to five requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. | ||
| The gentleman from Pennsylvania is recognized. | ||
| For what purpose is the gentleman from Pennsylvania seeking recognition? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Speaker, request unanimous consent to address the House for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. | |
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. | |
| It is a privilege to honor the more than 800,000 sworn officers serving across the United States for their unwavering dedication to upholding the law and safeguarding our communities. | ||
| The challenges you face and the importance of your work cannot be overstated. | ||
| Since its establishment in 2015, National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day has been observed annually on January 9th. | ||
| This day provides a meaningful opportunity for our nation to express gratitude for the brave men and women who wear the badge with honor and integrity. | ||
| Thank you to the Capitol Police, the Secret Service, and the Metropolitan Police Department for their continuous efforts to keep us safe here in our nation's capital. | ||
| I'm also deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers in my home state of Pennsylvania, including the state troopers and the dedicated local police departments across the 15th District for their steadfast commitment to protecting our families and communities. | ||
| To all law enforcement officers across the United States, thank you for your selfless service and sacrifices you make every day in the defense of public safety. | ||
| Thank you, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Texas seek recognition? | ||
| You recognize Mr. Constantine. | ||
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor to pay tribute to the late Paul Reyes, a boxing legend from Fort Worth, Texas. | ||
| Paul was not only a legend in the ring, but he was also a man of humility and great faith. | ||
| And if you followed boxing in the 80s and 90s, you remembered Donald the Cobra Curry. | ||
| You remembered Pauli Ayala, world champions. | ||
| They were students of Paul Reyes. | ||
| And let me tell you, Paul's gym was more than just a place to go train for boxing. | ||
| His gym was a place to keep kids off the streets and give them a different direction to go in. | ||
| Again, he trained some of the most amazing boxers in the country and really put Fort Worth, Texas on the map for this sport. | ||
| He was a beloved member of the community. | ||
| He is going to be missed. | ||
| And I just want everyone to know what an important legend and icon this man was. | ||
| He truly changed Fort Worth and made the lives of so many young people better. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Georgia seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the House for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. | ||
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, today as our country remembers the life of the only president from my home state of Georgia, I rise to honor a few notable moments of President Jimmy Carter's legacy within Georgia's 3rd Congressional District. | ||
| President Carter was an avid fan of NASCAR and he enjoyed many races at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton. | ||
| As governor in 1971, he celebrated the 150th anniversary of Fayette County and in 1973 he visited Noonan as a part of his Operation Feedback Tour. | ||
| He traveled to Meriwether County several times and through his leadership as governor, the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation continued to care for Georgians with disabilities. | ||
| He purchased his suits from Bowden and Carroll County and he enjoyed Chick-fil-A sandwiches during his many visits to Columbus. | ||
| Following his presidency, he honored my hometown, Peachtree City, by leading our Independence Day parade in 1995. | ||
| And in 2003, working with Habitat for Humanity, President Carter built over 20 homes for Georgians in need in LaGrange. | ||
| Thank you to the Fayette County Historical Society, the Noonan Times-Herald, the Meriwether Historical Society, and the Heard County Historical Center and Museum for helping compile this research to honor the life and legacy of a remarkable Georgian, the 39th President of the United States of America, Jimmy Carter. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentlewoman from Oregon seek recognition? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the House for one minute. | |
| Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell the people of Oregon that I'm ready to deliver for them. | |
| As someone who has lived, operated businesses, and raised my four children in our community. | ||
| I know that families are struggling and feel like their voice isn't heard. | ||
| I'm here to say that I'm listening and I'm fighting for our families. | ||
| My top priorities are making sure that our kids are learning, healthy, and thriving, supporting hardworking families who feel like their government has left them behind. | ||
| And I'm working to bring new and good jobs back to Oregon, and I'll work with anyone to do it. | ||
| It's important to me to have open communication with my constituents so they can always contact me and get updates from me by going to my website at binum.house.gov. | ||
| I thank you for trusting me, and I yield back. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from South Carolina seek recognition? | ||
| Speaker, I ask Jonas consent to address the House Republic and extend my remarks. | ||
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| The FBI defines domestic terrorism as, quote, violent criminal acts committed by individuals and or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, end of quote. | ||
| America has experienced an ongoing war, as witnessed in New Orleans and Las Vegas and a plot to kill in Florida. | ||
| The moral fabric of America has suffered with four years of Biden-Harris policies. | ||
| Dangerous open borders destroyed jobs, crushing inflation, campus anti-Semitism, woke mentality, and with the failure to lead globally and more. | ||
| Unified Republican leadership will advance the conservative agenda to make America great again. | ||
| Corrupt Judge Merchant has shamefully revealed Trump derangements scheduling sentencing. | ||
| This confirms the lawfare of backfiring, electing Donald Trump, with the corrupt judge receiving my invitation for the Trump inauguration, which he unintentionally promoted. | ||
| In conclusion, God bless our troops. | ||
| As the global war on terrorism continues, open borders for dictators puts all Americans at risk of more 9-11 attacks imminent, as warned by the FBI. | ||
| Trump will reinstitute existing laws to protect American families with peace through strength. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentlewoman from Texas seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the House for one minute. | ||
| Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and enduring legacy of Hector Serrano, beloved artist, storyteller, and visionary creator of Viva El Paso. | ||
| For over four decades, Hector brought the history and culture of our region to life through the magic of Viva El Paso. | ||
| His groundbreaking work celebrated the diverse stories of the borderland, intertwining the heritage of Indigenous, Mexican, Spanish, Anglo, and Fort Bliss communities through music, dance, and drama. | ||
| His passion turned Viva El Paso into an iconic tradition that captivated audiences, inspired pride in our shared history, and united our community. | ||
| Hector dedicated his life to the arts and uplifting his hometown of El Paso. | ||
| His commitment to preserving our cultural identity and showcasing the beauty of our beloved borderland makes him a cornerstone of the artistic and cultural fabric of El Paso. | ||
| I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing him. | ||
| We honor his life and his immeasurable contribution to our cultural heritage. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the House for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. | |
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Peter L. Foster, a proud American and distinguished commercial and test pilot who shattered a set of world aviation records in 1988. | |
| On August 31st, 1988, while flying a Lake LA 250 Renegade aircraft with an internal combustion engine, Mr. Foster broke two world records by reaching an altitude of 7,468 meters during a horizontal flight and 7,498 meters of altitude overall. | ||
| For 36 years, those records have stood unbroken and to this day have helped the United States maintain its place as a world leader in aviation. | ||
| For Mr. Foster's achievements for our country and contributions to American aviation and aerospace, we say thank you, Mr. Foster. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Massachusetts seek recognition? | ||
| I ask unanimous consent to address the House for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. | ||
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, criminals are stealing SNAP benefits from hungry families, leaving them without enough money to buy food. | ||
| That's why I work with Speaker Emerita Pelosi and leaders at the House Agriculture Committee to write a law reimbursing these families who were the victims of theft through no fault of their own. | ||
| Since the law was enacted in 2022, over 20,000 families in my home state of Massachusetts have gotten their benefits back. | ||
| That's a huge success. | ||
| Sadly, the law expired at the end of last year. | ||
| We want a hard-fought extension in the continuing resolution to ensure that no family falls through the cracks. | ||
| But this is one of the provisions billionaire Elon Musk ordered the Republicans to take out of the bill, and now families are left on the hook. | ||
| The stories are heartbreaking, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| One mother said, we aren't going to be able to survive like this. | ||
| Enough is enough. | ||
| Let's extend the law and end hunger now. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the House for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. | ||
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, Miami-Dade has a new sheriff in town. | ||
| I rise today to congratulate my dear friend Rosie Codero-Stutz on being sworn in as the first elected sheriff in Miami-Dade in over 60 years and the first woman in Hispanic to hold the position. | ||
| Sheriff Codero-Sutz has been with Miami-Dade Police Department for nearly 30 years, rising from patrol officer to assistant director. | ||
| She has what it takes to run the largest law enforcement agency in the southeastern United States. | ||
| I also wish to congratulate Juan Bar King on being sworn in as the clerk of the court and controller for Miami-Dade County. | ||
| Clerk Bar King began his career in the Public Defender's office and will now oversee the fourth largest judicial circuit in the nation. | ||
| As the watchdog for public records and taxpayer money, I have all the confidence that he will continue to do an excellent job. | ||
| Congratulations to Sheriff Codero Stutz and Clerk Bar King. | ||
| Godspeed. | ||
| And on behalf of all the residents of Miami-Dade, thank you for your service, and I yield back. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentlewoman from Indiana seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the House Republican Conference, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration. | ||
| The clerk will report the resolution. | ||
| House Resolution 21. | ||
| Resolved. | ||
|
unidentified
|
For what purpose? | |
| For this gentlewoman, seek recognition. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentlewoman seek recognition? | ||
| I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be considered as read and printed in the record. | ||
| Without objection, the reading is dispensed with. | ||
| Without objection, the resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. | ||
| The chair announces the speaker's appointment pursuant to 2 USC 2001 and the order of the House on January the 3rd, 2025 of the gentleman from Louisiana, Mr. Scalise, and the gentleman from New York, Mr. Jeffries. | ||
|
Executive Order Transmission
00:05:00
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| and members of the House Office Building Commission to serve with the Speaker. | ||
| Days before the House, a communication. | ||
| The Honorable Speaker, House of Representatives, sir, pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2H of Rule 2 of the rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, I have the honor to transmit a sealed envelope received from the White House on January 8th, 2025 at 10:40 a.m., said to contain a message from the President regarding taking additional steps with respect to the situation in Western Balkans. | ||
| Signed sincerely, Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk of the House. | ||
| The clerk will read the message. | ||
| To the Congress of the United States, pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 United States Code 1701 et Sec, the National Emergencies Act, 50 United States Code 1601 et Sec, and Section 301 of the Title III, United States Code, I hereby report that I have issued an executive order in order to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13219 of June 26, 2001, | ||
| blocking property of persons who threaten international stabilization efforts in the Western Balkans as amended by Executive Order 13304 of May 28, 2003, termination of emergencies with respect to Yugoslavia, and modifications of Executive Order 13219 of June 26, 2001, and expanded in scope by Executive Order 14033 of June 8th, 2021, | ||
| blocking property and suspending entry into the United States of certain persons contributing to the destabilization situation in the Western Balkans. | ||
| The order is intended to provide additional prongs for targeting persons for designation under Executive Order 14033 and deter individuals from attempting to evade United States sanctions. | ||
| This includes amendments to and add attempts as a basis for designation throughout the order, add a prong for leadership of membership in a sanctioned entity, add a prong for ownership or control of a sanctioned person, and add a prong for being a spouse or adult child of a sanctioned person. | ||
| I'm enclosing a copy of the executive order I have issued signed Joseph R. Biden Jr., the White House, January 8th, 2025. | ||
| Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and ordered printed. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Mass, seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 5, I call up the bill H.R. 23 and ask for its immediate consideration in the House. | ||
| The clerk will report the title of the bill. | ||
| H.R. 23, a bill to impose sanctions with respect to the International Criminal Court engaged in any effort to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies. | ||
| The bill shall be debated for one hour equally and divided and controlled by the majority leader and the minority leader and their respective designee. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida, Mr. Mass, and the gentleman from Massachusetts, Mr. McGovern, will control 30 minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Mast. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on this measure. | ||
| Without objection, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, a bill that I am proud to have worked on with my colleague and my friend, Representative Chip Roy, a bill that sanctions international criminal court officials and their families and anybody who is assisting them. | ||
| Why? | ||
| Because they are targeting America's allies who are right now the front line of fighting to bring American hostages home from Gaza. | ||
| America is passing this law because on November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court's pretrial chamber issued warrants for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli's former Defense Minister Yeov Galant. | ||
|
Order to Stop Success
00:03:21
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| Let me explain that in a more detailed way. | ||
| America is passing this law because a kangaroo court is seeking to arrest the Prime Minister of our great ally, Israel, who is not only responding to an enemy which conducted a genocide, killing as many men, women, and children as possible, even beheading some of them on October 7, 2024, | ||
| but an enemy who still holds 100 hostages, scores of bodies of those that they murdered, including seven of my fellow Americans. | ||
| Let me say that again. | ||
| Israel is the tip of the spear in bringing the fight to an enemy who currently holds and has killed our fellow Americans. | ||
| Israel has conducted this war with as much restraint as war can allow. | ||
| In the face of horror, they have showed humanity. | ||
| We know that for Israel, any civilian dying is a tragedy. | ||
| And we know that for Hamas and the Palestinians who support them, civilians dying is quite literally their strategy for victory. | ||
| Hamas' strategy uses hospitals and schools as bases for combat operations. | ||
| Not some fighter accidentally walked into a hospital for five minutes carrying their machine gun. | ||
| No. | ||
| They build hospitals and schools into fortified launching points for attack. | ||
| In clear violation of the laws of armed conflict, Hamas deliberately targets civilians. | ||
| What the ICC is doing with their arrest warrants is legitimizing the false accusations of Israeli war crimes in order to do something. | ||
| In order to stop the overwhelming success of Israeli military operations. | ||
| Now, Mr. Speaker, I don't care if a person is a terrorist in a cave or if they are a lawyer in The Hague. | ||
| If they are getting in the way of bringing home our Americans or bringing home our allies who are, as we speak, in this very moment, bound, blindfolded, tortured, raped, enslaved, starved, facing execution. | ||
|
Clearing Hostages Immediately
00:15:37
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| If you are getting in the way of bringing them home, then we will give you no quarter, and we will certainly not allow you to be welcomed to American soil. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me thank the gentleman from Florida for his opening and congratulate him on his new chairmanship. | ||
| I hope that there will be occasions that we can work together on issues that will advance the cause of human rights and promote stability in the world, but unfortunately, today is not one of those occasions. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, of all the ways that Republicans have shown this country how messed up and backwards their priorities are, I have to say that this bill that we're debating today to sanction the International Criminal Court, the ICC, this really takes the cake. | ||
| We have a natural disaster unfolding in California right this second as 100,000 people are fleeing a climate change-driven fire that's burning up entire neighborhoods. | ||
| We have a gun violence epidemic as we see massacres in our school nearly every single day. | ||
| And families are unable to make ends meet because they're being ripped off by billionaire corporations who don't care about anything but the bottom line. | ||
| There's over 40 million hungry people in this country who don't know where their next meal is going to come from. | ||
| 40 million hungry people in the richest country on earth. | ||
| All those challenges, and this is what the out-of-touch, elitist billionaire Republican Party wants to waste time on, sanctioning the ICC. | ||
| I actually listen to people in my district, Mr. Speaker, and I ask them what they want Congress to work on. | ||
| Not once, never ever have I heard them talk about sanctioning the ICC as one of their priorities. | ||
| They talk about their bills. | ||
| They talk about health care costs. | ||
| The farmers in my district talk to me about climate change. | ||
| They talk about global problems, but they don't talk about sanctioning the ICC. | ||
| But Republicans think this is so very important, such an emergency, that we have to debate it during the first week of Congress. | ||
| During Jimmy Carter's funeral, by the way, which is offensive considering his record on actually standing up for human rights, which is the opposite of what this bill does. | ||
| No, don't worry about climate change, America, because Republicans are going to sanction the janitors at the ICC. | ||
| And while they're at it, they're going to rename the Gulf of Mexico. | ||
| That's really going to help people pay bills and keep the lights on. | ||
| All I can say, Mr. Speaker, is that this is not what America voted for. | ||
| This Republican majority is not what people asked for in the last election. | ||
| Maybe that's why Republicans lost multiple seats, because they keep bringing up lousy bills like this one. | ||
| Nonetheless, let's talk about the matter at hand. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, on October 7th, terror attacks, the October 7th terror attacks, Mr. Speaker, were unconscionable and unacceptable. | ||
| The victims on that dark day were overwhelmingly civilians, 62 of whom are still being held illegally as hostages in unknown circumstances. | ||
| And I would hope that every single member of this chamber would demand their immediate and unconditional release. | ||
| It was an attack, I think, that rises to the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity. | ||
| That is the reason that the International Criminal Court applied for arrest warrants against three Hamas leaders in May of 2024. | ||
| No one seemed to criticize the ICC for that decision. | ||
| But now, Republicans want to sanction the ICC simply because they don't want the rules to apply to everyone. | ||
| And I want to be very clear here, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Prime Minister Netanyahu has an absolute right to defend his people. | ||
| But there is no international right to vengeance. | ||
| And what we are seeing in Gaza is vengeance. | ||
| I mean, where is our humanity? | ||
| Have we just given up on the idea of human rights? | ||
| At least 45,000 people have been killed in the war in Gaza. | ||
| And I fear that number is much higher. | ||
| 85% of the people there have been forcibly displaced, often repeatedly. | ||
| Last September, a group of physicians estimated 62,000 had died of starvation. | ||
| Hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, libraries, all destroyed. | ||
| Food isn't getting in. | ||
| Water is not getting in. | ||
| Medicine is not getting in. | ||
| And people are dying. | ||
| Children are dying. | ||
| Babies are dying. | ||
| Some of them from the bombs, some from starvation, some from the cold. | ||
| And the war has not shrunk. | ||
| It expanded to Lebanon, where I hope the recent truce continues to hold. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I have sharply critiqued my own government for our conduct when we have been at war, because right is right and wrong is wrong, no matter what side you're on. | ||
| And what is going on in Gaza right now is wrong. | ||
| And I especially call it out because if we stand for freedom and human rights, then we need to stand for freedom and human rights all the time, not just when it's convenient. | ||
| That's why the nations of the world set up the International Criminal Court in the first place. | ||
| This is an institution designed to make sure the horrors that we saw all too often in the 20th century do not repeat themselves in the 21st century. | ||
| We have international humanitarian law to prevent this kind and this scale of destruction. | ||
| And just because someone doesn't like the law doesn't mean they get to break the law. | ||
| As a court of last resort, the ICC can only become involved when and where a country has demonstrated unwillingness or inability to hold people to account for crimes within the ICC's jurisdiction. | ||
| When the warrants were issued, the ICC appealed to the Israeli courts to take up and investigate these charges under their own jurisdiction. | ||
| There's still time for the Israeli courts to do that. | ||
| In fact, my understanding is that the Israeli government is appealing these arrest warrants at the ICC. | ||
| Ironically, these sanctions could actually undermine those efforts. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I want the United States and Israel to have an amazing relationship and friendship. | ||
| But friendship means we tell the truth. | ||
| It means we hold ourselves and our allies to the same high standards. | ||
| And I understand. | ||
| I understand why people want vengeance. | ||
| I've been to the region that Hamas attacked. | ||
| I've met with the families of hostages and the victims of October 7th whose lives have been destroyed by what happened. | ||
| Many, by the way, who are furious at Prime Minister Netanyahu for the way he has conducted this war and for his failure to bring home their loved ones. | ||
| I have met with people in my district who have been deeply impacted by this horrific tragedy, including too many who are justifiably afraid about the rise of anti-Semitism in this country and around the world. | ||
| And the overwhelming majority of this Congress, Mr. Speaker, has voted to support basically unlimited military assistance and offensive weapons to Mr. Netanyahu. | ||
| But even if someone approves of that military assistance, they should vote against this bill. | ||
| You know, I've long considered myself a friend of Israel. | ||
| I've traveled there. | ||
| I believe Israelis deserve security. | ||
| They deserve peace. | ||
| They deserve safety. | ||
| But turning a blind eye to what is happening in Gaza and saying that all these civilian casualties are somehow okay, in my opinion, does not make Israel more safe. | ||
| It makes Israel less safe, less secure. | ||
| Sanctioning and attacking the ICC is not only bad for Israel, my colleagues, it's bad for the United States, it's bad for the world. | ||
| So I urge a no vote on this bill, and I reserve my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts Reserves, the gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, we are the People's House. | ||
| Let me translate what was just said. | ||
| It's not a priority for the People's House to do everything possible to get our people home, to include getting in the way of those that are getting in our way. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield four minutes to the genesis of this legislation, the gentleman from Texas, the lead sponsor, Mr. Roy. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| I thank my friend from Florida, the chairman. | ||
| I thank him for his support on this legislation. | ||
| I thank him for his statesmanship on this particular issue, which is critically important for not just our friendship with our ally Israel, but also our own national security and the protection of our own men and women in uniform. | ||
| Let's be clear about what is happening at the so-called International Criminal Court right now. | ||
| It has taken unprecedented action of issuing arrest warrants for the sitting prime minister and former minister of defense of our friend and ally Israel. | ||
| Let that sit in for a minute. | ||
| This is an entity, the International Criminal Court that has no jurisdiction over the people of the United States, should have no authority over our people, no authority over the Prime Minister of Israel. | ||
| Yet it is extending into the people of Israel's business and defending their interest against violent attack by Hamas, which we define as a terrorist entity, which, as the chairman just pointed out, has killed American citizens and holds American citizens hostage as we sit here today. | ||
| And somehow, it is not a priority for the people of our country that we represent for us to be here on the floor of the House defending our men and women in uniform, defending our citizens, | ||
| defending our ally Israel and the Prime Minister of Israel from a politicized witch hunt by the International Criminal Court, which again should have and doesn't have any jurisdiction over our people or the people of Israel. | ||
| I would remind the gentleman from Massachusetts that 42 Democrats voted for this legislation last year. | ||
| If this is such a crazy piece of legislation, perhaps the gentleman would like to have an inward-facing conference on his side of the aisle. | ||
| It is very clearly a bipartisan interest to protect our people and the people of our friends in Israel. | ||
| I would note that our problems aren't just the dangerous terrorist organizations like Hamas, but these international organizations given power over our citizens and our way of life. | ||
| Not just the International Criminal Court, but, for example, UNRWA and other international organizations, without which Hamas wouldn't have many of the resources it needs to conduct these violent attacks on Israel and our own people. | ||
| When the gentleman from Massachusetts talks about the plight of the people in Gaza, we should be reminded of the massive piles of pallets of food and relief that are stacked up because the United Nations is too incompetent to move those pallets and remind our friends of the extent to which Hamas has been taking those resources and not distributing them to the people in Gaza. | ||
| The fact of the matter here, this legislation is inherently America first. | ||
| We have had situations where we've had American soldiers and our people targeted by the ICC. | ||
| It will happen again if the House of Representatives and the Senate and the President don't take action to sanction the ICC to prevent this from happening again in the future. | ||
| I appreciate the support of the chairman. | ||
| I appreciate the support of virtually every member of the Republican side of the aisle. | ||
| I appreciate the support of the 42 Democrats last summer. | ||
| I look forward to a larger amount of support from Democrats when we vote on this today. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| The gentleman reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, let me yield to myself briefly. | ||
| First of all, to the gentleman from Texas, yeah, I don't know how the vote on this will come out, and I'm sure some Democrats may vote for it. | ||
| But actually, on our side, we actually welcome debate, and we welcome ways to improve the legislation. | ||
| I'm told that there were negotiations going on to try to actually improve this legislation, and then the Speaker made a unilateral decision to go with the most extreme version. | ||
| And this was not marked up in committee, and there were no amendments to this. | ||
| It didn't come to the Rules Committee, so nobody can offer an amendment. | ||
| Nobody can make a suggestion. | ||
| Take it or leave it. | ||
| I mean, that is the way, I guess, the way the Republicans are going to want to run the House. | ||
| And to the distinguished chairman of the committee, he said, I think he must have misinterpreted me. | ||
| He said something like, this is the people's house, so let me translate what the gentleman, meaning me, just said in my opening remarks. | ||
| He said, bringing the hostages home should not be a priority. | ||
| Now, I know I'm from Massachusetts and you may have a tough time understanding my accent, but the bottom line is that is not what I said. | ||
| And in fact, I said very clearly that the taking of hostages is a war crime. | ||
| What I said very clearly is that the hostages should be released immediately and unconditionally. | ||
| And I have said that over and over and over again. | ||
| I don't think, like many of the families of the hostages have expressed to me, that increased bombing is going to result in getting their loved ones home. | ||
| That is the message that many of them have delivered to me personally when they have visited here in Washington. | ||
| So again, please don't kind of manipulate what I have said here today. | ||
|
Supporting Sanctions on ICC Officials
00:15:41
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| The taking of these hostages is horrific and they must be released immediately and unconditionally. | ||
| I hope that nobody disagrees with that. | ||
| With that, I reserve my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts Reserves, the gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| What the gentleman did say very clearly was that this legislation is not a priority. | ||
| And this legislation is meant to get in the way of those that are getting in our way from getting our Americans home. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee, Mr. Burchin. | ||
| The gentleman from Tennessee is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Chairman, thank you and Mr. Roy for bringing this important piece of legislation to us. | ||
| Let's be clear. | ||
| H.R. 23 is very clear. | ||
| The International Criminal Court, the ICC, they don't believe Israel has the right to defend itself from terrorists or those that threaten to destroy Israel's way of life. | ||
| The United States and Israel are not members of the ICC for good reason and without accident. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, it's a deadgum sham court, is what it is. | ||
| These decisions by the IC are reckless and they not only put Israel at risk, they put Americans at risk as well. | ||
| The United States, with our new Congress and new administration, is not going to put up with these international organizations putting us and our allies in harm's way. | ||
| Hamas chose war and dadgummit, Hamas got war. | ||
| The ICC prosecutor Kareem Khan has made a parody of justice and he needs to find his place or we will help him find it. | ||
| And I know when I get back to the office, I'm going to get text or contact from people saying that my APAC handler told me to do this and I'll probably get my APAC handler in trouble, but I don't even know who the heck he or she is. | ||
| The truth is, this is right. | ||
| America should be on the side of the right. | ||
| And for anyone to stand in the way of this important piece of legislation, I think, owes the American public an explanation, and it owes especially your Jewish constituency. | ||
| I fully support H.R. 23, and I look forward to passing it here shortly. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I yield back. | ||
| The gentleman from Tennessee yields. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, again, I want to respond to the chairman of the committee. | ||
| Yeah, we do disagree on the impact of this bill. | ||
| I disagree that this bill is going to do anything to get the hostages released. | ||
| Every time we have seen hostages released, it's been during a ceasefire and not in the middle of intense bombing. | ||
| So again, as many families of the hostages have expressed to me directly, they worry very much about the Prime Minister's continued policy of all in in terms of military attacks in Gaza because they worry very much that it decreases the likelihood that their loved ones will be freed. | ||
| And with that, I reserve my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts Reserves, the gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield two minutes to the Patriot from New York, Mr. Lawler. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | ||
| I would note the gentleman from Massachusetts is talking about the Prime Minister. | ||
| What about the President of the United States? | ||
| We have seven Americans still being held hostage. | ||
| Four deceased, three presumed living. | ||
| Where is Joe Biden? | ||
| Where is the President of the United States to make sure that American hostages are being brought home? | ||
| It is shameful the way this administration has allowed these hostages to languish. | ||
| They have not put adequate pressure on our allies. | ||
| They have failed miserably in the responsibility to get Americans home. | ||
| And when, in fact, there have been ceasefires and when, in fact, hostages have been released, Americans have not. | ||
| It is shameful. | ||
| So I rise in support of the illegitimate Court Counteraction Act to reimpose sanctions on officials working for the International Criminal Court. | ||
| This institution has continually abused its authority and demonstrated blatant hostility toward our allies and American values. | ||
| As Israel has continued to defend itself against terrorists in the Middle East over the objections of this administration, by the way, let's be clear, Sinoir and Nasrallah would still be alive if Netanyahu listened to this administration. | ||
| The ICC has joined the UN in showing a clear bias against Israel. | ||
| This culminated in the ICC seeking arrest warrants of the Prime Minister and other members of his cabinet. | ||
| The Israelis have been working tirelessly for over a year to rescue hundreds of hostages still held by Hamas and defend their own people from further attacks. | ||
| The ICC's actions amount to little more than a political smear campaign cloaked in the veneer of international law. | ||
| This pattern of behavior from the ICC is not new. | ||
| This is the same body that has repeatedly targeted the United States and our service members, attempting to investigate and prosecute Americans who have risked their lives to defend our freedom around the world. | ||
| So I urge my colleagues to support this critical measure and ensure that the U.S. remains steadfast in defending our allies, protecting our citizens, and upholding the tenets that have belonged to the United States. | ||
| The gentleman has yielded an additional minute. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| And upholding the tenets that have long defined our leadership on the world stage. | ||
| And with that, I yield back to the Chairman. | ||
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| The gentleman reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| And I just say to the gentleman that that was a great speech for social media, but it will do nothing to get the hostages released, just like this bill. | ||
| I reserve my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time we have remaining? | ||
| The gentleman from Florida has 18 minutes. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts has 19 minutes. | ||
| And, Mr. Speaker, I would remind everybody that every time my colleagues across the way rise, they rise to oppose legislation that would get in the way of those getting in our way of bringing Americans home. | ||
| That's what they're standing against. | ||
| That's what they're rising against. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield two minutes to the gentleman from California, Mr. McClintock. | ||
| The gentleman from California is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, the unprovoked and barbaric attack on Israeli civilians on October 7th presented Israel with a fundamental moral obligation to annihilate the forces that had unleashed such depravity. | ||
| Ironically, the United Nations was conceived in the aftermath of the Holocaust precisely to stand behind the civilized nations of the world when the forces of evil threaten. | ||
| Tragically, it has become grotesquely perverted. | ||
| UNRWA staff actively participated in the attack of October 7th, and its ICC has now become a kangaroo court waging lawfare against Israel's wartime leaders. | ||
| The ICC has thus made a mockery of every hope and dream that gave birth to the United Nations and is declared by its own obscene acts to be itself a threat to world peace, international order, and the rule of law. | ||
| I wholeheartedly support this bill sanctioning anyone who gives it aid and comfort in pursuing its twisted agenda. | ||
|
unidentified
|
I yield back. | |
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts is recognized. | ||
| I reserve, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Weber. | ||
| I thank the gentleman. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my fellow Texans in calling for sanctions on the International Criminal Court officials who dare dare to target U.S. citizens or our allies, especially our ally, Israel. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, the ICC is nothing more than a kangaroo court. | ||
| Their absolute blind obsession in pursuing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, notwithstanding Hamas's unspeakable atrocities, reveals the ICC's true loyalties. | ||
| Their actions signal a dangerous complicity with terrorist groups like Hamas, as well as others, I might add. | ||
| The ICC's ignorance of reality disqualifies them from passing judgment on those defending themselves against pure evil. | ||
| I can't say that strongly enough. | ||
| Against pure evil, it's that pure and simple. | ||
| The ICC doesn't get it. | ||
| I've been to Israel since the horrific October 7 attacks, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| On the other hand, the ICC has not only not witnessed firsthand, as I have, the devastation and terror inflicted on innocents' lives, they've not been there. | ||
| So our message is clear. | ||
| The ICC is a disgrace. | ||
| It's a sham, and its officials need to find real jobs. | ||
| They have no authority to target Americans or our allies, especially Israel, and we won't stand for it. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I look forward to passing this bill and encouraging the Senate to pass it in time for President Trump to sign it on day one. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| The gentleman from Texas yields. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts is recognized. | ||
| I reserve, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from Arizona, Mr. Biggs. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Chairman, for yielding time to me. | ||
| Neither the United States nor Israel recognized the legitimacy of the ICC. | ||
| We're not members. | ||
| The ICC has no authority to violate the sovereignty of either of those nations. | ||
| This bill is essential for protecting American citizens, service members, our allies, especially Israel, from these politically motivated, putative prosecutions by the ICC. | ||
| Israel and its leaders have an inherent right to defend themselves against these terrorist attacks that occur from Hamas, and they get to also attempt to rescue these hostages. | ||
| But the ICC's attempts to interfere with Israel's self-defense and issue arrest warrants from the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and their Minister of Defense undermines justice. | ||
| As the only member of Congress who actually attended the Rome Conference that formulated the ICC document in the summer of 1998, I can attest that the ICC is hopelessly biased and is illegitimate. | ||
| It claims authority it does not have. | ||
| It attempts to claim jurisdiction and issue sanctions against Israel, as we could have predicted, and many of us did who were at that conference watching this ICC formed. | ||
| The ICC is an institution without a mandate from the international community, and the ICC must understand that the United States will not allow its overreach to harm U.S. citizens or our allies. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida Reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, just for the record, I just want the record to reflect that, I mean, I remember hearing widespread support from many of my Republican colleagues when the ICC issued a warrant against Vladimir Putin for the kidnapping of Ukrainian children, as well as when they issued a warrant against Bashir for the genocide in Sudan. | ||
| So I guess what we're hearing here is that we want to pick and choose on their side how we're going to react to the ICC based on what they do. | ||
| I mean, the bottom line is this is the beginning of a process. | ||
| It is not the end of a process. | ||
| And again, this bill will do nothing to help get the release of our hostages, including those Americans who are held hostage. | ||
| And it will isolate us within the world community, especially with many of our allies. | ||
| I reserve my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts yields back. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I would remind my friends across the way that Americans are being held and tortured. | ||
| Get with the American team and get in the way of those that are getting in our way. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Miller. | ||
| The gentleman from Ohio is recognized for two minutes. | ||
| Thank you, Chairman, and thank the gentleman for yielding. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| It's very clear that the gentleman from Massachusetts is well out of his depth when it comes to military warfare and how to conduct an operation. | ||
| I'll let that speak for itself. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this legislation. | ||
| In November of 24, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Golland on baseless and reprehensible charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. | ||
| These charges are not only morally indefensible, but a blatant bias of justice. | ||
| Israel does not deliberately target civilians as terrorists harbor them in mosques, churches, and schools, and hospitals, and so many more. | ||
| The Israeli government has taken unprecedented steps to minimize civilian harm during conflicts, a commitment that's unparalleled by any other nation facing terrorists. | ||
| The accusation that Israel uses starvation as a weapon of war is a blatant lie, ignoring the immense humanitarian aid Israel has proven and provided to Gaza despite ongoing attacks. | ||
| This illegitimate attack on Israel emboldens terrorist organizations like Hamas. | ||
| Both President Biden and President Trump have rightly condemned these charges, recognizing their destructive implications. | ||
| This critical legislation, which has previously passed this body, was strong, strong bipartisan support, sends a clear and unequivocal message the United States will not tolerate the ICC's abuse of power against our allies or our citizens. | ||
| Once again, the ICC has no jurisdiction over the United States of America or the people of Israel. | ||
| They need to call this what it is. | ||
| Anti-Semitism. | ||
|
Condoning The ICC
00:04:43
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| That's what this is. | ||
| That's what the ICC is going after, and that's what you're condoning from the gentleman of Massachusetts. | ||
| And I see the support on the other side of the aisle with all your colleagues sitting next to you fighting right alongside. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| The gentleman yields back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman from Florida Reserves, the gentleman from Massachusetts is recognized. | |
| Two things, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| To the gentleman who just spoke, the reason why my colleagues are not here is because the Republicans scheduled this debate during President Carter's funeral, which I find to be incredibly disappointing given President Carter's stature in this country and is committed to human rights. | ||
| And to the chairman of the committee, I was a little bit startled. | ||
| He says, get with the American team. | ||
| Well, because we have a disagreement that somehow I'm not with the American team, last time I checked, we're still a democracy, at least for the time being. | ||
| And, you know, and you can have disagreements on this issue. | ||
| And we can still respect each other's point of view. | ||
| But if I thought for one second that this bill that we're debating today would help get the release of the hostages and the American hostages, I'd be with you. | ||
| But it won't. | ||
| It complicates things even further, and it isolates us in the world community at a time, quite frankly, when we need allies. | ||
| And we need everybody working to try to resolve the conflict in the Middle East and to get all the hostages released and to ensure that Israel has its security and to ensure that the Palestinians have a future as well. | ||
| With that, I reserve my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts Reserves, the gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| The gentleman across the aisle is right. | ||
| We need everybody working to get hostages home to get this resolved. | ||
| And that means not giving an iota of recognition to kangaroo courts like the ICC who are trying to prevent Israeli military success, who are conducting their brand of anti-Semitism against Israeli leaders, preventing Americans and our allies from being returned home. | ||
| Again, Israel is the tip of the spear in bringing American hostages home, and anybody who gets in their way is getting in our way. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have remaining? | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman has 10 minutes remaining. | |
| Mr. Massachusetts is not here. | ||
| Since I have 10 minutes remaining, since I have 10 minutes remaining, I'm going to sit here in silence for 120 seconds and see if my colleague from Texas shows up. | ||
| Right behind the mic. | ||
| It's a good lesson. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thanks. | |
| I'll remain standing here. | ||
| Handle it that way. | ||
| And I will reserve the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman from Florida Reserves, the gentleman from Massachusetts, is recognized. | |
| Let me close for us. | ||
| I yield myself the remaining time, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, as we close debate, I want to reiterate my opposition to this misguided legislation. | ||
| The International Criminal Court exists to hold the world accountable, to prevent atrocities, and to serve as a reminder that no one is above the law. | ||
| Abandoning the ICC, as H.R. 23 proposes, undermines our values, undermines our alliances, and undermines our credibility on the world stage. | ||
|
Sanctioning the ICC?
00:14:02
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| This is a moment to reaffirm our commitment to human rights, to international law, and to the partnerships that have defined American leadership. | ||
| And this bill fails that test. | ||
| By sanctioning officials of the ICC and anyone who has done business with them, this bill would have a chilling effect on America's work to support human rights and rule of law around the world. | ||
| It would hamper the ICC's efforts to prosecute serious atrocities that have wrecked lives and destabilized countries in many places around the world, from Ukraine to Uganda to Darfur. | ||
| NGOs would be chilled from sharing evidence of the grave crimes committed in these places. | ||
| Many of us celebrated in March of 2023 when the ICC's judges issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and another senior Russian official for abducting thousands of Ukrainian children. | ||
| Congress even passed legislation to enable the United States to provide financial support to and share information with the ICC to investigate and prosecute Putin and his regime for their heinous crimes in Ukraine. | ||
| This bill we are considering today would undermine that work and rob it of its legitimacy. | ||
| If passed, this misguided legislation would bluntly curtail our ability to engage the ICC, to advance our interests in supporting justice and accountability, and crucially to share relevant information with our partners and allies. | ||
| Speaking of our allies, this bill is so absurdly broad that it would sanction our own allies. | ||
| This would sanction our own allies. | ||
| Read the bill. | ||
| Read the bill. | ||
| Our allies would be sanctioned for supporting the ICC if this were to pass. | ||
| The largest funders of the ICC are America's closest allies, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan. | ||
| As drafted, the leaders of these countries would be sanctioned for providing material assistance to the ICC. | ||
| That's truly nuts. | ||
| It doesn't make any sense to me. | ||
| The legislative bodies of these countries could also be sanctioned for appropriating funds to the ICC. | ||
| And by some interpretations, interparliamentary travel to Europe could become a sanctionable activity. | ||
| Did anybody think this through? | ||
| Is sanctioning the leaders of our closest friends and allies really the best we can do here? | ||
| Not only that, this sanctions over 900 members from approximately 100 countries at the court, from judges and prosecutors to administrative staff, including nationals of close U.S. allies and partners who collectively work to prosecute war criminals all around the globe. | ||
| The language in this bill is so broad that even cafeteria workers and janitors, even their families, could be construed as having, quote, supported or materially assisted in these prosecutions by providing services to the ICC. | ||
| This is nuts. | ||
| This is nuts. | ||
| And what would happen next? | ||
| I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, American companies would be banned from doing business with the ICC if its top officials are sanctioned. | ||
| And the Chinese and their Chinese competitors would rush in to fill the gap. | ||
| Not only does this undermine America's interests, it bolsters Russia and it helps China. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, this is a bad bill. | ||
| Not only is it a bad bill, but nobody had any opportunity at all to amend it. | ||
| This is being brought to the floor under a completely closed process. | ||
| So all the faults that I have just outlined, we can't address them. | ||
| We can't address them because of the way this majority is bringing this bill to the floor. | ||
| Zero amendments are allowed because Republicans brought it up under a closed rule. | ||
| Again, another wasted opportunity. | ||
| So we can do better, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| And in my opinion, behind-the-scenes diplomacy with the International Criminal Court, alongside our partners, is far more likely to yield a result than the approach put forward by this bill. | ||
| You know, I oppose this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. | ||
| And I reserve my time. | ||
| And the gentleman from Massachusetts Reserves, the gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| The gentleman from the other side's statement is as untrue now as it was when he gave the same speech a few months ago on this very floor. | ||
| And I would say the message is clear to everybody. | ||
| Don't get in America's way as we are trying to work with our allies to get our Americans home and our allies home. | ||
| I'm proud to yield two minutes to the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Jackson. | ||
| Gentleman from Texas is recognized for two minutes. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, on October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists brutally murdered and kidnapped hundreds of innocent Israelis. | ||
| Over a year later, Hamas still holds hostages, some dead but many alive. | ||
| Israel, in response to these truly horrific attacks, has defended itself from Hamas and other Iranian terrorist proxies. | ||
| I would have expected the international community to unequivocally condemn these barbaric terrorist attacks by Hamas and support Israel's fight for survival. | ||
| However, corrupt international organizations like the International Criminal Court have issued arrest warrants against Israeli officials for simply trying to defend themselves and defend their country. | ||
| The ICC's anti-Semitism speaks volumes. | ||
| This is an unacceptable attack against our greatest ally and the United States must make it clear that those who participate in this illegitimate prosecutions from the ICC are subject to the strongest possible sanctions. | ||
| America needs leadership and this is where we need it. | ||
| I urge you and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand with Israel and to vote for H.R. 23. | ||
| And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back. | ||
| The gentleman from Texas yields back. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida Reserves. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I'm prepared to close if the gentleman yields back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman from Florida Reserves, the gentleman from Massachusetts, is recognized. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, if the United States of America stands for anything, we need to stand out loud and force square for human rights. | ||
| And that means we have to hold ourselves accountable, we have to hold our allies accountable, and we have to hold our adversaries accountable when they don't live up to those standards. | ||
| And the International Criminal Court is there to hold countries accountable and to hold entities accountable when they commit human rights crimes. | ||
| They're there to investigate and they're there to prosecute. | ||
| And for us in Congress to get involved in sanctioning the ICC because We don't like the fact that they're pointing out some of the serious issues in Gaza committed by one of our closest allies. | ||
| For us to sanction them because of that undermines the court, undermines our credibility in the world, undermines our credibility on human rights. | ||
| Why would we do that? | ||
| This bill does nothing to help get the hostages released. | ||
| Nothing at all. | ||
| And again, let me be clear, all of us should be saying as loudly as we possibly can that all the hostages should be released immediately and unconditionally. | ||
| And Hamas is, you know, they have arrest warrants out for the leadership of Hamas precisely because of what happened on October 7th. | ||
| The ICC wants to hold them accountable. | ||
| But what we're doing here, it doesn't make any sense to me. | ||
| It doesn't make any sense to me. | ||
| And again, the bill, as it is written, is so flawed. | ||
| Again, if it maybe went through regular order, if you brought it to the Rules Committee and we made a few amendments in order, we might actually have, we might be able to fix some of the flaws that I pointed out. | ||
| But instead, keeping to the tradition of this Republican leadership, which oversaw the most closed Congress in the history of the United States in the last session, I guess we're going to expect more of the same. | ||
| Take it or leave it, my way, the highway. | ||
| You know, this is about a soundbite, I guess, more than it is about trying to achieve peace in the Middle East or trying to get the release of our hostages or trying to uphold a high standard of human rights. | ||
| I find this really disappointing. | ||
| I really do. | ||
| And again, I said at the opening of my statement to the new chairman, I hope that we can find areas where we can work together to help improve the quality of life for people all around the world. | ||
| But this bill is not going to do that. | ||
| And I think we could do so much better here. | ||
| And, you know, this is not about whether you support Israel or not. | ||
| This is a whole different discussion that we're having here today. | ||
| This is about whether you want to delegitimize the International Criminal Court. | ||
| A court, by the way, which many Republicans supported when it went after Bashir and Darfur and Putin for kidnapping Russian children. | ||
| Again, we're entering a very dangerous time where we're bringing legislation to the floor to demagogue issues rather than to be constructive. | ||
| We've got to take a deep breath around here because some of the stuff that's come to this floor really is beneath this institution. | ||
| And I, again, I regret that we're doing this here today. | ||
| I urge everybody, I urge everybody, and I hope some of my Republican colleagues will join with us in opposing this legislation. | ||
| We can do better. | ||
| We need to do better. | ||
| And with that, I yield back my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts yields back. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, this bill sends an incredibly important message across the globe when we make this law. | ||
| Do not get in the way of America or our allies trying to bring our people home. | ||
| Don't get in our way. | ||
| You will be given no quarter. | ||
| And again, you will certainly not be welcomed to American soil. | ||
| This bill is even more urgent today than when it was first passed back in June of last year. | ||
| In June, the ICC's prosecutor had just only requested warrants. | ||
| The warrants had not yet been issued or approved. | ||
| There was still time for the ICC to abandon this shameful effort. | ||
| Instead, the ICC's attempt to obstruct Israel's right to defend itself has only prolonged the war and prevented the release of American hostages by boosting the morale of Hamas. | ||
| If you're boosting the morale of Hamas, you are on the other team. | ||
| And in November, the ICC's pre-trial chamber approved the arrest warrants. | ||
| We have to pass this bill today to prevent this travesty from moving any further and to deter any more illegitimate actions by this kangaroo court to halt or stall the military success of our allies trying to bring hostages home, both American and Israeli and others. | ||
| For that reason, I call on every single one of my colleagues to put America first by voting for this legislation today, and I yield the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentlemen yields back. | ||
| All time for debate has expired. | ||
| Pursuant to House Resolution 5, the previous question is ordered on the bill. | ||
| The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chairs, the ayes have it. | ||
| Third reading. | ||
| A bill to impose sanctions with respect to the International Criminal Court engaged in any effort to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies. | ||
| The question is on the passage of the bill. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed, no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chairs, the ayes have it. | ||
| And the bill is passed. | ||
| For what purpose, does the gentleman report us? | ||
| I request the yays and nays, please. | ||
| The yays and nays are requested. | ||
| Those favoring the votes for the yays and nays will rise. | ||
| A sufficient number having arisen, the yays and nays are ordered. | ||
| Pursuant to clause 8 of Rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. | ||
| Pursuant to clause 12A of Rule 1, the chair declares the House in recess subject to the call of the chair. | ||
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And the House expected back at 1145 Eastern Time to vote on the bill requiring the President to sanction international criminal court officials for bringing charges against leading Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for their conduct of the war against Hamas. | |
| The House passed the bill during the last Congress, but it was never considered by the Senate. | ||
| Watch live cover to the House when members gavel back in here on C-SPAN. | ||
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Love's Legacy
00:00:39
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As we take you live to the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter now, underway at Washington National Cathedral, a tribute from former President Gerald Ford read by his son, Stephen Ford, underway. | |
| Live here on C-SPAN. | ||
| We both married way above ourselves. | ||
| Way above. | ||
| With Jimmy, every step of the way was his first lady from plains. | ||
| In a life rich with blessings, none was greater for Jimmy than the love he shared with Rosalynn and the love the two of them shared with their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. | ||