| Speaker | Time | Text |
|---|---|---|
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Resolution Impeaching Trump
00:09:24
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|
unidentified
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On Congress wanting to have a role, right? | |
| Democrats obviously want to be able to have that role and to be able to exert that authority over President Trump. | ||
| Right now, we're seeing very few Republicans wanting to sort of stick their necks out and join them. | ||
| Also, wanted to ask you about the latest on President Trump's one big beautiful bill. | ||
| It's something that is working its way through Congress. | ||
| It's supposed to have a deadline of July 4th. | ||
|
unidentified
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Watch the rest of this on our free C-SPAN Now video app as we take you now to the U.S. Capitol, where the House is gabbling in. | |
| This is live coverage on C-SPAN. | ||
| The House will be in order. | ||
| The prayer will be offered by Chaplain Kibben. | ||
| Would you pray with me? | ||
| Father of Lights, every good and perfect gift comes from you. | ||
| All that we have, our life and our loved ones, our talents and the stewardship of them, our desires and their employment, enjoyment, have all come from your generous hand. | ||
| We lack nothing. | ||
| Redeem us from the darkness in our hearts which shades us from seeing the revelations of your grace. | ||
| Save us from the fickleness of our faith, which prevents us from appreciating your divine design for our lives. | ||
| There is no variation or shadow cast by the perfect plan you reveal to us in the mercies of this day and every day. | ||
| In you, we receive everything. | ||
| Shine the light of your salvation on each one of us, on this nation, and on our world, that we would desire nothing more than to give our life, to use our talents, and to show our love to you for your glory and the coming of your kingdom. | ||
| For you deserve the praise for all things. | ||
| In your sovereign name, we pray. | ||
| Amen. | ||
| Amen. | ||
| The chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings 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 South Carolina, Mr. Wilson. | ||
| Everyone, including our guests in the gallery, please join in. | ||
|
unidentified
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I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the very honorable force of six states invisible with liberty and justice. | |
| The chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from South Carolina seek recognition? | ||
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I'm grateful at the direction of President Donald Trump, the U.S. Armed Forces have successfully destroyed the nuclear threat of Iran, defending American families. | ||
| General Dan Kane, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a VMI graduate, correctly praised this as, quote, the largest B-2 operation and strike in world history, end of quote. | ||
| Iran is the leading state sponsor of murderous terror in the world, and President Trump has successfully ended a nuclear-armed Iran. | ||
| Promises made, promises kept. | ||
| President Trump has proven his willingness to negotiations. | ||
| However, enemies of America insult this effort. | ||
| With Dictator Assad of Syria, he was warned in 2017, the Iranian regime was warned, that war criminal Putin has been warned. | ||
| In conclusion, God bless our troops as the global war on terrorism continues. | ||
| Trump is reinstituting existing laws to protect American families with peace through strength, revealing war criminal Putin lies, insulting Trump, and mocking Trump with Putin's leaders proposing Russian nuclear weapons to Iran this week. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Texas seek recognition? | ||
| To address the House for one minute to revise and extend my remarks. | ||
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, and still I rise. | ||
| And I rise today because I believe my country to be at the crossroads of democracy and autocracy. | ||
| The moment of decision is near. | ||
| We will have to decide whether we will have a country that abides by a Constitution that is meaningful or ignores a Constitution such that it becomes meaningless. | ||
| I choose to stand on the grounds laid by the founders and framers of the Constitution. | ||
| I stand today to announce that at the conclusion of this one-minute message, I will bring Articles of impeachment to the attention of the House of Representatives. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield back. | ||
| For what purposes? | ||
| What purpose does the gentleman from Texas seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2A1 of Rule 9, I rise to give notice of my intention to raise a question of the privileges of the House. | ||
| The form of the resolution is as follows. | ||
| H. Res 537 impeaching Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. | ||
| In the House of Representatives, June 24, 2025, Mr. Al Green of Texas submitted the following resolution. | ||
| Resolution impeaching Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. | ||
| Resolved that Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the Senate. | ||
| Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives of the United States of America and in the name of itself and the people of the United States of America against Donald J. Trump, | ||
| President of the United States of America, in maintenance and support of its impeachment against him for high crimes and misdemeanors. | ||
| Article 1: Abuse of Presidential Powers by disregarding the separation of powers, devolving American democracy into authoritarianism by unconstitutionally usurping Congress's power to declare war. | ||
| In his conduct of the Office of President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, in violation of his constitutional oath, faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, | ||
| and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, | ||
| Abused the powers of the presidency when he disregarded the doctrine of separation of powers by usurping Congress's power to declare war and ordered the United States military to bomb another country without the constitutionally mandated congressional authorization. | ||
|
No Imminent Threat
00:06:29
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| or notice to Congress. | ||
| Cognizant of the fact that should another country's military bomb a facility within the United States of America, it would be a de facto declaration of war against the United States of America. | ||
| On June 12, 2025, the State of Israel initiated attacks on Iran, ostensibly to target sites and individuals of importance to Iran's nuclear program. | ||
| Iran retaliated and the conflict has escalated between Israel and Iran. | ||
| Though no point, though at no point did Iran pause, pose any imminent threat to the United States. | ||
| On June 21, 2025, President Trump announced successful attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran, Furdo, Natans, and Estahan via his social media network, Truth Social. | ||
| President Trump has failed to seek prior congressionally mandated authorization for the use of military force. | ||
| Congressional leaders were not appropriately briefed or notified of the attack plans, despite foreign leaders being given advance notice of the planned U.S. military action. | ||
| President Trump's unilateral, unprovoked use of force without congressional authorization or notice constitutes an abuse of power when there was no imminent threat to the United States, | ||
| which facilitates the devolution of American democracy into authoritarianism with an authoritarian president who has instigated an attack on the United States Capitol, | ||
| denied persons due process of the law, and called for the impeachment of federal judges who ruled against him, making Donald J. Trump a threat to American democracy. | ||
| Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11 of the United States Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war. | ||
| Quote, the Congress shall have the power to declare war, end quote. | ||
| At the time, the framers of the Constitution emphasized the goal of limiting the monarchical power of any single individual person to take a country to war over personal whims and preferences. | ||
| No constitutional exception exists for a successful military action. | ||
| In starting his illegal and unconstitutional war with Iran without the constitutionally mandated consent of Congress or appropriate notice to Congress, President Trump acted in direct violation of the war powers clause of the Constitution. | ||
| President Trump has devolved and continues to devolve American democracy into authoritarianism by disregarding the separation of powers and now usurping congressional war powers. | ||
| In all this, Donald J. Trump has abused the powers of the presidency in a manner contrary to his trust as president, | ||
| has become a threat to American democracy, subverted our constitutional government, and devolved democracy into authoritarianism to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States. | ||
| Wherefore, Donald J. Trump, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial and removal from office. | ||
| I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Under Rule 9, a resolution offered from the floor by a member other than the majority leader or the minority leader as a question of the privileges of the House has immediate precedence only at a time designated by the chair within two legislative days after the resolution is properly noticed. | ||
| Pending that designation, the form of the resolution noticed by the gentleman from Texas will appear in the record at this point. | ||
|
100 Years of Service
00:09:54
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| The chair will not at this point determine whether the resolution constitutes a question of privilege. | ||
| That determination will be made at the time designated for consideration of the resolution. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Pennsylvania seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, my question is consent to address the House for one minute and to revise and extend my remote. | ||
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| I rise today to recognize and congratulate the Leachburg Rotary Club on an incredible milestone, 100 years of dedicated service to their community. | ||
| Since receiving their charter in 1925, the Leechburg Rotary has been a pillar of civic engagement, compassion, and leadership in Armstrong County. | ||
| From their very first project to placing Bibles in hotel rooms to helping pave Canal Street, building a new bridge over the Kismentis River, and championing the creation of a high school band in the 1930s, the Leechburg Rotary has always stepped up to improve life for their neighbors. | ||
| Whether supporting veterans or assisting children with disabilities or flipping pancakes for a good cause, generations after generations of Rotarians have kept the spirit of service alive. | ||
| The Leechburg Rotary Club has helped build more than infrastructure. | ||
| They built a sense of community, and for that we are grateful. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I want to again congratulate Leechburg Rotary on a century of service. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Rhode Island seek recognition? | ||
| I asked 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, I rise today for the 23rd time to ask the Trump administration to honor its word and restore funding for life-saving food aid for malnourished children. | ||
| And this is not a Democratic or Republican issue. | ||
| President Ronald Reagan expanded the Food for Peace program, calling it a way to share America's bounty with the world's most vulnerable. | ||
| President George W. Bush launched the largest global health initiative in history, PEPFAR, and strengthened food assistance as well. | ||
| President Obama increased funding for ready-to-use therapeutic food for combating child hunger globally. | ||
| Why? | ||
| Because all of these presidents, Democrats and Republicans, understood that feeding the world's hungriest is not just a moral responsibility, but also an imperative for our own national security. | ||
| If we don't do it, our adversaries will. | ||
| But now, since the Trump administration cut off this funding five months ago, factories are idle, shipments are not being made, and kids are going hungry. | ||
| The Trump administration has said they will restore this funding, but it's been five months. | ||
| They have not done it yet. | ||
| They need to honor their word and restore funding. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| What purpose does the gentleman from North Carolina seek recognition? | ||
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize an unparalleled figure within the city of Kannapolis, Mr. Wally Seyferit, who will be retiring this summer after more than 40 years of service. | ||
| Wally has been involved in the city of Kannapolis since before its inception. | ||
| In 1982, he joined with community members to begin the push for incorporation, spearheading the legal process of creating a municipality. | ||
| By 1984, he had successfully helped to guide the city into incorporation. | ||
| And in 1986, he officially became the city attorney. | ||
| Since then, he has worked tirelessly to guide Kannapolis through the complex legal opportunities. | ||
| From downtown revitalization to forming a minor league baseball team, Wally has been involved in just about every project in Kannapolis' history. | ||
| His contributions have been irreplaceable, and his legacy is in a thriving town that is home to more than 50,000 people. | ||
| Wally, thank you for your many contributions to the community, and I wish you a long and joyous retirement. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield back. | ||
| Gentleman Yields, for what purpose does the gentleman from Massachusetts seek recognition? | ||
| 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, last week, Democratic Whip Catherine Clark, Representative Ayanna Presley, and I joined the Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham to highlight the persistent problem of hunger, now made exponentially worse by policy proposals from Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress. | ||
| While President Trump and Republicans in Congress dismantle programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and WIC, stakeholders in our home state are forming new partnerships to improve food security. | ||
| Take, for example, the plant-based food pantry we visited last week at the Mass General Revere Community Health Center. | ||
| Patients can access nutritious produce and pantry staples provided by the food bank to bridge the gap between SNAP benefits that are already too low. | ||
| The pantry features a teaching kitchen so health center patients can learn how to cook nutritious meals. | ||
| Food is medicine, and while these partnerships are key to supporting the health and well-being of hungry families, they cannot make up for the draconian cuts being pushed by Republicans. | ||
| It is time to drop these cuts, better invest in basic needs programs, and end hunger now. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| Gentleman Yields, for what purpose does the gentleman from California seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, you're seeking to ask consent to address the House for one minute. | ||
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| The Forest Service is beginning the process to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule, a move that's been long overdue. | ||
| I want to commend Secretary Rollins. | ||
| She pointed out that this rule has been disastrous for the West, blocking forest-centered logging and road construction. | ||
| As you can see from the map here, about 640 million acres are controlled by the federal government across our country, about half of that in the Forest Service. | ||
| These restrictions made it harder to fight wildfires, protect public safety, and manage our forests responsibly. | ||
| When government puts up gates and keeps people out from doing forest practices that are positive or even being able to get in and fight fire because the roads are disappearing, it's a bad deal for all of us. | ||
| The rule was pushed through in the final days of the Clinton administration, backed by environmental activists in Washington, not the people that actually live near these forests and suffer from the smoke and the threat. | ||
| It's led to overgrown, unhealthy forests and prevented rural counties from using this land to create jobs and have the income to their local government for schools and roads and reduce fire risks. | ||
| Repeating the roadless rule is an important step towards restoring this entry we would need to our lands, improving wildfire response and bringing back common sense to forest management. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| Gentleman Yields, for what purpose does the gentleman from North Carolina seek recognition? | ||
|
unidentified
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Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to address the House for one minute to revise an extend. | |
| objection the gentleman's recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the United States Air Force, truly the greatest as we see over and over and over again. | ||
| To ensure our status as the strongest and most effective Air Force in the world, it's imperative that we invest in highly mission-capable fleet of first-line fighter jets. | ||
| That's why I've introduced H.R. 4027, the Frontline Fighter Force First Act. | ||
| The legislation mandates that we prioritize combat-coated fighters, evaluating both the immediate and future needs of vital fighters like the F-15E Strike Eagle at places such as Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and next generation air dominance. | ||
| Air power and superiority are must-have assets in modern warfare, which is why I call upon my colleagues in Congress to pass the frontline fighter first act without delay. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
|
unidentified
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I yopat. | |
| Gentleman yields. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Utah seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I seek your 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, I'm grateful for the time you've granted me to acknowledge a stunning accomplishment by one of our high school athletes in Utah's 3rd District, Jane Hedingren. | ||
| Jane runs track for Temphview High School in Provo, Utah. | ||
| In an invitational meeting in St. Louis, Missouri on June 5th, she swept the field by more than 12 seconds, setting a national high school women's and national women's one-mile record for those under 20 years old of 4 minutes and 23.5 seconds, only 0.04 seconds over the women's collegiate mile record. | ||
| Just three days later, she broke her own national high school two-mile record by 17 seconds. | ||
| She has also set national records for high school women in the 2K, 3K, and 5K. | ||
| Forbes magazine recently said of her, quote, is this Utah teenager the best girls track athlete in history? | ||
| She certainly looks the part, unquote. | ||
| Jane's post-graduation plans include running for the BYU Cougar women's track and field and cross-country teams during the upcoming school year. | ||
| Congratulations, Jane. | ||
| Good luck and much success. | ||
| We're excited to see what the future will hold for you. | ||
| With that, Mr. Speaker, thank you. | ||
|
House Resolution 530 Consideration
00:15:55
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| I yield back. | ||
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Georgia seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, by the direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 530 and ask for its immediate consideration. | ||
| The clerk will report the resolution. | ||
| House Calendar No. 34, House Resolution 530. | ||
| Resolve that any time after adoption of this resolution, the Speaker may, pursuant to Clause 2B of Rule 18, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for consideration of the bill H.R. 3944, making appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30th, 2026, and for other purposes. | ||
| The first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. | ||
| All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. | ||
| General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on appropriations or their respective designees. | ||
| After general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. | ||
| An amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 119-5 shall be considered as adopted in the House and in the Committee of the Whole. | ||
| The bill, as amended, shall be considered as the original bill for the purpose of further amendment under the five-minute rule and shall be considered as read. | ||
| Points of order against provisions in the bill as amended for failure to comply with clause 2 of Rule 21 are waived. | ||
| Section 2, A. | ||
| No further amendment to H.R. 3944 as amended shall be in order except those printed in the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution, amendments on block described in Section 3 of this resolution, and pro forma amendments described in Section 4 of this resolution. | ||
| B. Each further amendment printed in the report of the Committee on Rules shall be considered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report, | ||
| equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment except as provided by Section 4 of this resolution and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole. | ||
| C. All points of order against further amendments printed in the report of the Committee on Rules or against amendments on block described in Section 3 of this resolution are waived. | ||
| Section 3. | ||
| It shall be an order at any time for the chair of the Committee on Appropriations or his designee to offer amendments on block consisting of further amendments printed in the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution not earlier disposed of. | ||
| Amendments on block offered pursuant to this section shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 20 minutes, equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Minority Member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designes, shall not be subject to amendment except as provided by Section 4 of this resolution and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole. | ||
| Section 4. | ||
| During consideration of H.R. 3944 for Amendment, the Chair and Ranking Minority Member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees may offer up to 10 pro forma amendments each at any point for the purpose of debate. | ||
| Section 5. | ||
| At the conclusion of consideration of H.R. 3944 for Amendment, the Committee shall rise and report the bill as amended to the House with such further amendments as may have been adopted. | ||
| The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill as amended, and on any further amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit. | ||
| Section 6. | ||
| Upon adoption of this resolution, it shall be an order to consider in the House the bill H.R. 275 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to publish on a monthly basis the number of special interest aliens encountered attempting to unlawfully enter the United States 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 Homeland Security, 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 one. | ||
| One hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on homeland security or their respective designees and two one motion to recommit. | ||
| Section seven upon adoption of this resolution it shall be an order to consider in the House the bill H.R. 875 to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that aliens who have been convicted of or who have committed an offense for driving while intoxicated or impaired are inadmissible and deportable. | ||
| All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. | ||
| The amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on the Judiciary 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 one One hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on the judiciary or their respective designees and two one motion to recommit. | ||
| Section eight. | ||
| Upon adoption of this resolution, it shall be an order without intervention of any point of order to consider in the House a resolution, House Resolution 516, condemning the violent June 2025 riots in Los Angeles, California. | ||
| 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 the judiciary or their respective designees. | ||
| The gentleman from Georgia is recognized for one hour. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts, Mr. McGovern, pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. | ||
| Without objection. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, last night the Rules Committee met and reported a rule, House Resolution 530, providing for consideration of four measures. | ||
| H.R. 3944, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2026 under a structured rule. | ||
| The rule provides one hour of debate, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the committee on appropriations or their respective designees, provides one motion to recommit and makes 32 amendments in order. | ||
| Additionally, the rule provides for consideration of H.R. 275, the Special Interest Alien Reporting Act of 2025, under a closed rule. | ||
| The rule provides one hour of debate, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security or their respective designees and provides one motion to recommit. | ||
| Further, the rule provides for consideration of H.R. 875, the Jeremy and Angel Say and Sergeant Brandon Mendoza protect our communities from DUI's Act of 2025 under a closed rule. | ||
| The rule provides one hour of debate, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary or their respective designees and provides one motion to recommit. | ||
| Lastly, the rule provides for consideration of HRES 516 condemning the violent June 2025 riots in Los Angeles, California, under a closed rule. | ||
| The rule provides one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the committee on the judiciary or their respective designees. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, we're here today to debate a rule on four pieces of legislation beginning with H.R. 3944, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2026. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3944 supports those who have sacrificed for our country and maintains our commitment to the well-being of both service members and veterans. | ||
| It provides a total of $453 billion in overall funding, including a discretionary allocation of more than $152 billion, which is nearly $5 billion above the previous year's enacted levels. | ||
| It fully funds veterans' health care programs, including medical care for toxic exposure. | ||
| It fully funds veterans' benefits, VA programs, and supports President Trump's effort to combat veteran homelessness by investing in the new Bridge Rental Assistance, Bridging Rental Assistance for Veteran Empowerment Program. | ||
| It protects the Second Amendment rights of veterans by preventing the VA from sending information on veterans to the FBI without a judge's consent. | ||
| Further, it syncs with President Trump executive order on no funds for DEI, gender-affirming care, and protects the hide-like language at the VA. | ||
| Additionally, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3944 continues support for the Garden Reserve, providing more than $1.2 billion for Garden Reserve facility construction. | ||
| It includes $2 billion for military family housing with a focus on child development centers to improve the quality of life of our military families. | ||
| It provides robust funding for military construction, which enables continued investment in the Indo-Pacific region and the infrastructure necessary to support U.S. advanced weapons systems. | ||
| Furthermore, it prohibits the VA from purchasing resources directly or indirectly from the People's Republic of China. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, this bill provides significant investments and supports our veterans, service members, and their families, and it should pass in a bipartisan manner. | ||
| Moving on, Mr. Speaker, the rule also provides for the consideration of H.R. 275, the Special Interest Alien Reporting Act of 2025. | ||
| It goes without saying, Mr. Speaker, that the situation at our southern border has improved significantly under the Trump administration. | ||
| However, under the previous administration, illegal aliens from over 170 different countries, including Iran, the People's Republic of China, and Russia, came across our borders. | ||
| H.R. 275 would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to publish a monthly report on the number of special interest aliens, people who pose a significant threat to our national security, based on analysis of travel patterns who have been encountered while attempting to illegally enter the United States. | ||
| This bill is common sense, and the American people have a right to know. | ||
| Additionally, Mr. Speaker, the rule provides for consideration of H.R. 875 that Jeremy and Angel Say and Sergeant Brandon Mendoza Protect Our Communities from DUI's Act of 2025. | ||
| This bill is simple and necessary. | ||
| It closes a loophole in U.S. immigration law and ensures that aliens who endanger communities by driving while intoxicated are inadmissible to and deportable from the United States. | ||
| All three of the individuals included in the title lost their lives in automobile crashes caused by illegal aliens who are driving under the influence. | ||
| We should honor their memory and work to keep the American people safe by passing this bill in a bipartisan manner. | ||
| Finally, Mr. Speaker, the rule provides for consideration of HRS 516, condemning the violent June 2025 riots in Los Angeles, California. | ||
| The First Amendment to the Constitution protects the right to peacefully protest. | ||
| However, it does not protect against riots and violence. | ||
| This resolution recognizes the right to assemble and protest peacefully while condemning the riots and violence against law enforcement. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I look forward to consideration of these pieces of legislation and urge passage of this rule. | ||
| I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Georgia Reserves. | ||
| I now recognize the gentleman from Massachusetts. | ||
| Boy, that was riveting. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. | ||
| I yield myself such time as it may consume. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, contained in this rule are two immigration bills, one of which Congress already passed, another of which directs the administration to do something they already have the power to do. | ||
| There's a non-binding resolution here to condemn rioting. | ||
| We had an interesting conversation in the Rules Committee last night, and I don't remember Republicans offering a non-binding resolution to condemn the riots that occurred outside this building on January 6, 2021. | ||
| We can't even get the Speaker of the House to hang the plaque expressing gratitude to the law enforcement officers who protected us that day that a law says he has to hang. | ||
| So please forgive me if I think this one rings a bit hollow. | ||
| And then we have an appropriations bill that continues this trend towards privatizing VA services and blocks women who are veterans from being able to get abortion services at the VA in most cases. | ||
| Republicans are trying to restrict the freedoms of the people who are willing to fight and die for our freedoms. | ||
| You guys are unbelievable. | ||
| I'm glad that we are here on the floor debating, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I just don't think we're debating what 90% of Americans want us to be talking about right now, which is the chaos and confusion that this administration has created and the fear, real fear, that Americans have about this country being dragged into another quagmire in the Middle East. | ||
| The bottom line is that this administration is acting insane. | ||
| The president yesterday said there was going to be a ceasefire forever between Israel and Iran. | ||
| Well, they're back to bombing each other this morning. | ||
| The ceasefire he bragged about didn't even last a day. | ||
| And he's inserted us into this war with zero thought to the consequences. | ||
| We're bombing Iran. | ||
| Iran is bombing us. | ||
| The risk of miscalculation is massive. | ||
| And the entire Republican Party is just going along for the ride. | ||
| Stephen Miller, a top administration official, is on TV talking about Donald Trump like he's Kim Jong-un. | ||
| It's creepy. | ||
| They say they're not in a cult. | ||
| Now's your chance to prove it. | ||
| Trump is doing literally the exact opposite of what he promised to do on his campaign. | ||
| And instead of having the courage to say something, 99% of these guys suddenly decided they are in favor of endless wars. | ||
| The mental gymnastics that takes is nuts. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, if it looks like a cult, if it acts like a cult, maybe, just maybe, it's a cult. | ||
| You know, I thought Republicans said that they were going to lower food prices. | ||
| Food is just as expensive as it was six months ago, and now we're dragged into another war in the Middle East. | ||
| This isn't America First. | ||
| This is not even normal. | ||
| It's nuts. | ||
| This is an administration in way over its head who thought ending a war was as easy as ranting on true social. | ||
| And now American troops and taxpayers are paying the price for their stupidity and carelessness. | ||
|
Middle-Class Tax Cuts Exempt?
00:15:38
|
||
| So let's be crystal clear. | ||
| These strikes were illegal, unauthorized, and unconstitutional. | ||
| No debate, no vote, no evidence of an imminent threat. | ||
| That is not how this should work. | ||
| If we're going to drop bombs and put American lives in danger, Republicans in Congress should be willing to come down here and have the courage to vote yes or no so that people know where they stand. | ||
| Meanwhile, while families are bracing for gas prices to go up and dealing with food prices that never came down, these guys want Congress to ignore all of that and rubber stamp their big, ugly tax scam. | ||
| A scam that hands tax breaks to billionaires while ripping food off kids' tables and health care out of seniors' hands. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, these guys do not know what the hell they are doing, and America is paying the price. | ||
| Trump said there would be a ceasefire forever, and it lasted one day. | ||
| He said the big, ugly bill won't touch Medicaid and won't screw over middle-class families. | ||
| The bill cuts 16 million people off their health care and ransacks the food budgets of working people. | ||
| Guess what? | ||
| You can't trust him. | ||
| You can't trust a word this administration says. | ||
| We should be debating a war powers resolution. | ||
| We should be talking about their awful, ugly bill that's working its way through the Senate. | ||
| And instead, Republicans want business as usual, endless wars and tax cuts for the rich. | ||
| Enough is enough. | ||
| I urge a no vote and I yield back. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| Gentleman from Massachusetts Reserve. | ||
| I now recognize the gentleman from Georgia. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. | ||
| I know it pains my colleagues to say that, President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, for his decisive action. | ||
| And I want to thank him for taking calling both sides out on the ceasefire. | ||
| And I want to just point out to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that as of right now, the ceasefire is holding. | ||
| And most of the world wants that ceasefire to hold. | ||
| And when you want to talk about a cult, the cult would be the people who hate Donald Trump so bad that they want the ceasefire to fail. | ||
| And with that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance for my time. | ||
| Gentleman from Georgia Reserves, and I'll recognize the gentleman from Massachusetts. | ||
| Yeah, Mr. Speaker, let me just remind my colleagues again about what's happening here. | ||
| Trump said he would end the war in Ukraine on day one. | ||
| He didn't. | ||
| Last time I checked, it's still going on. | ||
| He said he wouldn't get us into another war. | ||
| He just did. | ||
| He said there was a ceasefire that would last forever. | ||
| There wasn't. | ||
| And he said his bill won't kick people off of Medicaid, and it will. | ||
| 16 million people are about to lose their health care. | ||
| And it's going to adversely impact rural areas even more so because of what he's doing. | ||
| And you know what he's been doing since midnight? | ||
| He's been on Truth Social. | ||
| He's posted nearly 30 times since midnight on Truth Social. | ||
| First of all, declaring victory and everything is beautiful and then retweeting posts, you know, calling for him to get the Nobel Peace Prize. | ||
| He's more interested in getting an award than he is in protecting people's health care, than making sure that people in this country have enough to eat, that children don't go hungry. | ||
| I mean, these priorities, maybe they're your priorities. | ||
| They're not my priorities. | ||
| I think they're all screwed up. | ||
| And Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H.R. 2753, the Hands-Off Medicaid and SNAP Act, which would block the Republicans from cutting Medicaid or SNAP benefits and kicking people off these life-saving programs as part of their reconciliation bill. | ||
| Last month, House Republicans jammed through their multi-trillion dollar tax scam by a one-vote margin. | ||
| And as a reminder, this bill includes the largest ever cut to food assistance and will strip health care from 16 million Americans, all while adding $3.3 trillion to the debt. | ||
| I mean, some Republicans didn't even know what was in the bill when they voted for it. | ||
| Yet, when they had the chance for a revote two weeks ago, because they screwed it up the first time, they voted to cut Medicaid and SNAP again. | ||
| Now, as we stand here debating unrelated immigration measures, Senate Republicans are moving forward with their version of the big ugly bill. | ||
| And because House Republicans broke so many rules when they passed their bill the second time, they're going to have to vote on it a third time when it comes back from the Senate. | ||
| Now, miraculously, miraculously, due to their own ineptitude, Republicans have given themselves yet another opportunity to protect health care and SNAP for millions of Americans. | ||
| Let's see if they vote this time to bring up the Hands-Off Medicaid and SNAP Act. | ||
| 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. | ||
| Without objection. | ||
| And, Mr. Speaker, to discuss our proposal, I yield two and a half minutes to the gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Figures. | ||
| Gentlemen, it's recognized. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak of the critical importance of both SNAP and Medicaid, not just to Alabama's 2nd District, but in every congressional district across this country. | ||
| When I took this position like all of my colleagues, I took an oath, not just for this position, but I took an oath to the people that I represent, and that's to not forget where I come from. | ||
| I took an oath to places like Mobile and Montgomery and Phoenix City and Evergreen and Greenville. | ||
| I took an oath to the neighborhood I grew up in in Tommyville, to not forget the type of district that you come from. | ||
| And for me, what that district looks like is about one in four households rely on SNAP benefits. | ||
| Over 200,000 people, almost a third of the population in the state of Alabama, is enrolled in Medicaid. | ||
| Individual median income in my district is just about $31,000 a year. | ||
| I come from a district that is not the wealthiest, not even close to the wealthiest or well-off in this country. | ||
| And so these aren't just statistics. | ||
| These are real people that I see when I go home to my district. | ||
| These are children. | ||
| These are seniors. | ||
| These are working parents and people with disabilities. | ||
| These are neighbors. | ||
| These are people who I grew up in church with. | ||
| These are people who I went to school with who depend on these programs to survive. | ||
| Not because they want to, but because they have to. | ||
| And cutting these benefits would force impossible choices among some of these people between food, medicine, utilities, between housing and overall stability. | ||
| But it wouldn't reduce the need because the need would still be there. | ||
| The hunger would still be there. | ||
| The poverty would still be there. | ||
| It would just shift the cost on to our hospitals, to our schools, and to emergency services. | ||
| And Alabama SNAP does more than just provide food for people. | ||
| It also supports, as it does across this country, supports our local grocers, supports our local grocery stores. | ||
| All of the statistics show us that SNAP is a positive, net positive return on the local economy. | ||
| And so we have to recognize, recognize that Medicaid keeps working families healthy. | ||
| 61% of Medicaid recipients in the state of Alabama are working. | ||
| The majority of the remainder are either children or people with disabilities. | ||
| These programs are not luxuries. | ||
| They are lifelines that people need to get by. | ||
| So let's stop pretending that these are just numbers in a budget and that these are not real people. | ||
| Protecting SNAP and Medicaid, it's not about politics. | ||
| It's not about priorities. | ||
| We're not in a position where we can't afford it. | ||
| We're spending almost $4 million every trip Donald Trump takes to Mar-Lago. | ||
| So it's not a question of resources. | ||
| It's a question of priorities. | ||
| And with that, I yield back, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Gentlemen. | ||
|
unidentified
|
I reserve. | |
| Gentleman from Massachusetts Reserves, and I'll recognize the gentleman from Georgia. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I just want the American citizens to know: anybody under the age of 18 is exempt from changes. | ||
| Anybody over the age of 64, meaning 65 or above, is exempt from the changes. | ||
| Anybody who is disabled is exempt from the changes. | ||
| But if you are an able-bodied working-age adult not taking care of a dependent, we believe that it's in your best interest to be at work. | ||
| And that's what our policies do. | ||
| And with that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves, and I'll recognize the gentleman from Massachusetts. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, the reality is that everybody is going to be adversely impacted by the big ugly bill. | ||
| Senior citizens, children, and everybody in between. | ||
| In the gentleman's district in Georgia, it is estimated that a total of 41,718 people will lose their insurance. | ||
| It is estimated that 33,400 will be losing Affordable Care Act coverage and that 8,318 will be losing Medicaid coverage. | ||
| I don't know how Republicans go back to their districts and meet with their constituents. | ||
| Well, I guess they don't meet with their constituents anymore. | ||
| I know the Speaker of the House has said that Republicans shouldn't be doing town halls, but at some point you're going to have to face them. | ||
| And how do you tell them that you just voted for a bill that's going to adversely impact them? | ||
| I mean, the cuts in SNAP alone are going to increase hunger in this country substantially. | ||
| We should be talking about how you end hunger. | ||
| And instead, Republicans are moving legislation to increase hunger. | ||
| We shouldn't want to have a country where everybody has health care coverage. | ||
| And instead, they're pushing a bill that will throw people off of health insurance. | ||
| I don't know how people do that and how you go home and talk to constituents about the fact that you're here fighting on their behalf. | ||
| I thought our job, no matter whether we're a Democrat or Republican, was to fight for things to improve the quality of life for everybody in this country. | ||
| And that's not what this big, ugly bill is about. | ||
| And I really, I have to say, Mr. Speaker, the Senate has actually made the Medicaid provisions worse. | ||
| I mean, if that was possible, even more people are going to lose it. | ||
| And that's not me saying it. | ||
| It's the government, it's the government, I'm sorry, the CBO, the Congressional Budget Office is saying that. | ||
| It's not Jim McGovern or Democrats saying it. | ||
| It's the Congressional Budget Office saying it. | ||
| It talks about not only how many people are going to lose their health care coverage, how many people are going to lose their SNAP benefits, but it also talks about how much is it going to add to the debt? | ||
| Trillions, trillions. | ||
| The people who tell you that they want their deficit hawks, they all talk a good game, right? | ||
| They're going to be tough on the budget they're going to cut to make sure we could balance the budget, except they don't. | ||
| They add another $3.3 trillion basically to give tax breaks to billionaires. | ||
| Like, who does that? | ||
| Who thinks that's a good idea? | ||
| I don't know. | ||
| I don't know many any, I don't think I even know any billionaires, but I'm hard-pressed to find somebody out there who's a billionaire who says, I really need another tax cut. | ||
| I really need another tax cut. | ||
| I mean, we ought to reject this big, ugly bill that they pushed through the House that's on its way back from the Senate. | ||
| And with that, I reserve my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| Gentleman in Reserves. | ||
| Now I'll recognize the gentleman from Georgia. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I'm laughing because I honestly don't even know if a billionaire lives in my district. | ||
| And the idea that we would be up here doing a bunch of tax cuts for billionaires as they've continued to repeat, I guess they think if they say it enough times, then everybody will start to believe it. | ||
| Let me talk about Massachusetts II. | ||
| Massachusetts II has 524,530 taxpayers. | ||
| The average taxpayer in that district will see a 20% tax hike if the piece of legislation is not passed. | ||
| And a family of four making $95,000 in the district would see a $2,100 tax increase if the piece of legislation doesn't pass. | ||
| 89,000 Massachusetts II families would see their households' child tax credit cut in half. | ||
| 89% of Massachusetts taxpayers would see their guaranteed deduction cut in half. | ||
| 64,380 small businesses in Massachusetts II would be hit with a 43.4 percent tax rate if the 199A small business deduction expires. | ||
| 22,427 of those citizens would be impacted by the return of the alternative minimum tax. | ||
| 1,780 family-owned farms in Massachusetts II would have their death tax exemption slashed in half next year. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, they keep using the word billionaires. | ||
| The bottom line is they're trying to raise taxes on everyday Americans that deserve better. | ||
| They work hard for their money, and candidly, the government takes too much of it from them anyway. | ||
| Let's give it back to them. | ||
| They earned it. | ||
| With that, I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| Georgia Reserves, the gentleman from Massachusetts, is recognized. | ||
| So, Mr. Speaker, my question to the gentleman is: if you don't represent any billionaires, then why are you for tax cuts for billionaires? | ||
| You know, why are Republicans for tax cuts for billionaires? | ||
| Maybe because they write out big campaign contributions. | ||
| And that's really the cynical thing. | ||
| That's what's at the heart of all of this. | ||
| You know, the gentleman said, you know, that taxes will go up for middle-class families in Massachusetts. | ||
| No, I mean, we actually gave you a chance to the Rules Committee. | ||
| We're for middle-class tax cuts. | ||
| We're for extending them. | ||
| And in the Rules Committee, I offered a number of amendments to exempt billionaires from the tax cut. | ||
| And every Republican, the gentleman included, voted no. | ||
| They wanted to make sure that the billionaires got the tax cuts. | ||
| Then we said, what about millionaires? | ||
| Let's exempt millionaires. | ||
| Let's keep the tax cuts for the middle class and exempt millionaires. | ||
| Everybody in the Rules Committee, including the gentleman, voted no. | ||
| So, I mean, come on. | ||
| And by the way, just so people want to know what's going on here, this is the cuts to SNAP alone are $300 billion. | ||
| The cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act are $1 trillion. | ||
| The tax cuts for people with incomes in the top 5%, in the top 5%, it's $1.6 trillion. | ||
| $1.6 trillion. | ||
|
Yield to the Gentleman
00:05:30
|
||
| You know, I mean, the numbers don't lie, but it kind of shows what this debate is all about. | ||
| This is about a transfer of wealth from those in the middle to those at the top. | ||
| It's about rewarding and enriching those who are well-off and well-connected and punishing those in the middle and those fighting to be able to just get by, to put food on the table, to make sure they go to the doctors if they get sick or their kids get sick. | ||
| So please. | ||
| And Mr. Speaker, at this time, I'd like to yield two and a half minutes to the gentleman from California, Ms. Simon. | ||
| Gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Congressmember McGovern. | ||
| I appreciate you very much. | ||
| As a representative of California's 12th congressional district representing the East Bay, I rise today in opposition of H516. | ||
| This resolution is a partisan, disproportionate response to the ICE protest in Los Angeles. | ||
| You see, Republicans are intentionally misleading the public on the scale of the violence in attempt to justify their blatant overreach of federal power. | ||
| I want to be clear, there was no doubt there was some violence. | ||
| I'm from California, present at some of the protests, but the scale was unworthy of federal condemnation and certainly the scale unworthy of presidential overreach. | ||
| It was the president who overstepped his authority and escalated and instigated chaos, sending the National Guard and our Marines against the will of my governor and the mayor of Los Angeles and the people of California. | ||
| The Trump administration has made it clear that they do not believe in the right of Los Angeles to exist as it has done since its founding as a multicultural, vibrant, and working-class city. | ||
| The violence was less than three to five blocks. | ||
| And with that, I think the resolution is an attempt to rewrite history in real time to prescribe an extreme violence onto the people of Los Angeles, California, who were exercising their First Amendment right to free speech. | ||
| This resolution is in no way, no way sufficient. | ||
| It is a rollback to free speech. | ||
| And let's be clear, we do not have a democracy if we erode the right to free speech. | ||
| We will not have a democracy if the President of the United States continues to abuse his power and push authoritarian measures. | ||
| Thank you, and thank you, sir. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the president. | ||
| Gentleman from Massachusetts Reserves, gentleman from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, a picture is worth a thousand words, and peaceful protests do not include assaults of law enforcement officers or burning vehicles. | ||
| I would also like to point out to the American citizens that when you hear them talk about the top 5%, the top 5% are not billionaires. | ||
| According to the Tax Foundation, the top 5% are people that make above $252,000. | ||
| With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve. | ||
| Gentlemen Reserves, gentleman from Massachusetts is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I, and I think everybody on the Democratic side opposes violence and criminality, and people who commit violence ought to be held to account. | ||
| But I'm happy to yield to the gentleman if he would join with me in publicly condemning the pardon of all those who committed such heinous crimes and so much violence here on the Capitol on January 6th. | ||
| I'm happy to yield to the gentleman if he wants to condemn that, condemn the pardons, because I can tell you one thing, Governor Newsom is not going to pardon those who looted stores or committed violence or attacked law enforcement. | ||
| But Donald Trump pardoned the people who attacked the men and women who are protecting all of us here and our staff and all the people who work here. | ||
| But I'm happy to yield to the gentleman if he wants to condemn the pardons that Trump gave to all those who committed these terrible crimes on a horrific day. | ||
| Yeah, silence, right? | ||
| I mean, we can't even get the Speaker of the House to hang a plaque honoring the men and women in law enforcement who defended us. | ||
| Like, what is wrong with this place? | ||
| I mean, violence is wrong no matter who it is committed by. | ||
| But the difference here is Governor Newsom will not pardon people who committed violent crimes. | ||
| And again, Mr. Speaker, you know, you know, as we're gathered here today, we have a president who all he seems to want to do is tweet. | ||
| As I said before, he's posted nearly 30 times since midnight. | ||
| He took credit for a ceasefire, which by this morning was broken. | ||
| Oh, he attacked Fed Chair Powell. | ||
| He attacked Representative Ocasio-Cortez. | ||
| And he attacked Representative Thomas Massey. | ||
| Again, I think attacking Massey may replace golf as the president's favorite pastime. | ||
|
Week of Debating Ridiculousness
00:02:59
|
||
| And of course, while talking about Representative Massey, Trump had to pat himself on the back for winning elections in Kentucky. | ||
| He also posted multiple times about the Nobel Peace Prize. | ||
| That's what he cares about. | ||
| I mean, getting an award. | ||
| It's all about him. | ||
| Not saving health care, not ending hunger, getting an award. | ||
| I mean, we need serious people working to solve real problems. | ||
| And what we have is a reality TV show, White House, with a stream of consciousness press operation. | ||
| And it is supported by a Republican Congress that thinks it is a debate club rather than an equal branch of government. | ||
| And this Congress doesn't even debate real things. | ||
| The President sent our troops to bomb another country this week. | ||
| And that's not what we're here debating this week. | ||
| We're debating a meaningless resolution and bills to further demonize immigrants. | ||
| I mean, enough. | ||
| I mean, let's try to work on something, anything, anything that will help real people. | ||
| I mean, this is not the way government is supposed to operate. | ||
| It's not working. | ||
| People are being hurt. | ||
| And while we're having this discussion here today, this big, ugly bill is winding its way through the Senate to come back here to the House. | ||
| And I, you know, and I predict that my Republican friends, as always, you know, they'll say, oh, I'm really concerned about the cuts in Medicaid. | ||
| I'm really worried about people who will lose their health care. | ||
| Yeah, no, I wish they weren't cutting SNAP so deeply. | ||
| Oh, yeah, I really care about this and care about that. | ||
| And then you know what they do? | ||
| They come here and they cave. | ||
| They get in line because they're afraid of even asking a question about what this president is doing and what this administration is advocating. | ||
| We need to do so much better around here. | ||
| And I have to tell you, this is ridiculous that this is what we're doing this week when there's so much happening in the world. | ||
| And by the way, again, let's make sure everybody understands this. | ||
| This big, ugly bill that is coming here is about a tax break for billionaires. | ||
| I just showed you the figures. | ||
| The majority, I mean, you know, there's more money going to billionaires than anybody else in the tax bill. | ||
| And they're cutting programs like SNAP and Medicaid. | ||
| It really is shameful. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves, the gentleman from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Might I inquire as to how much time each side has remaining? | ||
|
Trump's Quest for Peace
00:10:08
|
||
| The gentleman from Georgia has 21 and a half minutes. | ||
| The gentleman from Massachusetts has eight minutes remaining. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I don't think that the Military Construction, Veteran Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act is ridiculous. | ||
| I think it's necessary. | ||
| I think our veterans have earned it. | ||
| I think it is a good piece of legislation. | ||
| And ultimately, Mr. Speaker, I expect it will probably pass in a bipartisan manner. | ||
| And I want to say this: President Trump wants peace between Israel and Iran. | ||
| He took decisive action, and without that decisive action, that peace would not have been possible. | ||
| He wanted peace with India and Pakistan. | ||
| And he wants peace with Ukraine and Russia. | ||
| He wants peace. | ||
| Now, you may disagree with the way he goes about it, but to attack him and say that he doesn't want a resolution that ends the killing, you just don't know the man if you think that about him. | ||
| He wants peace. | ||
| And sometimes peace requires strength. | ||
| And it requires a leader that has the mental capacity to make the decisions to carry out the actions necessary to bring about that peace. | ||
| And I'm thankful that we have a president that has the ability to make those decisions. | ||
| And with that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves, the gentleman from Massachusetts is recognized. | ||
| So a couple of things, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I mean, the gentleman's had 30 minutes, and he couldn't spend 30 seconds to condemn the Trump pardons of those who viciously attacked law enforcement on that terrible day of January 6th. | ||
| We have a Speaker of the House who won't hang a plaque that he is supposed to do under law, honoring the law enforcement who are here protecting all of us, who were beaten right outside that door. | ||
| It's crickets on the other side. | ||
| You can't bring yourself to condemn that. | ||
| Can't say that the pardons were wrong. | ||
| You know, I mean, I don't get it. | ||
| And yeah, I mean, I look at, I've spent my entire life fighting for peace. | ||
| And I'm, you know, and when Trump says he wants peace, I'm like, where's the peace? | ||
| He said that he was going to bring peace to Ukraine on day one. | ||
| And instead, what he has done is he has constantly given comfort to the Russian leader. | ||
| I mean, who he has lambasted Zelensky in the Oval Office and can't say nice things about Vladimir Putin. | ||
| That's not my idea of peace. | ||
| That's capitulation. | ||
| That's giving in to a vicious aggressor. | ||
| So I'm sorry. | ||
| I don't, maybe if the gentleman thinks that that's peace, we have a very different opinion of that. | ||
| And again, we all hope and pray that things de-escalate in the Middle East. | ||
| But here's what we know. | ||
| We don't know whether Iran still has nuclear material. | ||
| And we also know that they've been lobbing bombs at each other still. | ||
| And we know that there's tremendous unrest in the Middle East. | ||
| And we don't really know what the end game is. | ||
| And that's why we should have a debate, right? | ||
| And that's what Congress, that's why Congress has a role to play in that. | ||
| And I, again, you know, you may think all that Donald Trump is doing is fabulous. | ||
| Great. | ||
| But you know what? | ||
| You should also, as a member of Congress, want to defend the powers of the legislative branch and understand that we have a role in this too. | ||
| And that sometimes through debate, you know, if people decide they want to support the president's policies, well, that just strengthens his hand. | ||
| But if people have real questions, you know, then maybe we have to take a different course. | ||
| You know, I was around here when we rushed to war in Iraq. | ||
| We did have a debate, but we were given faulty information by the administration at the time. | ||
| We were lied to. | ||
| There were no weapons of mass destruction. | ||
| And look at what that cost us in terms of life and treasure and credibility around the world. | ||
| And so, look, again, you know, I think there are things that we should be focused on here right now that are much more pressing than the items that are before us here today, and I reserve my time. | ||
| The gentleman reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I certainly have thanked before and want to thank again all of the law enforcement, the men and women that keep us safe at this Capitol. | ||
| And I appreciate what they do for us. | ||
| I am prepared to close. | ||
| If the gentleman's prepared to close, we don't have any additional speakers. | ||
| The gentleman reserves. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have left? | ||
| You're not long. | ||
| Five minutes. | ||
| Okay, thank you. | ||
| I yield myself the remaining time. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Yeah, let me just say to the gentleman, you know, you say that you support and respect the men and women who protect us here, the law enforcement that protect us here, but yet you can't bring yourself to condemn the action that pardoned those individuals who viciously attacked law enforcement. | ||
| That nobody on the Republican side will demand of the Republican Speaker of the House to hang the plaque that by law he's supposed to hang honoring the law enforcement who defended us on that day. | ||
| I mean, yeah, I think that's a lack of respect. | ||
| That's a lack of respect for law enforcement. | ||
| You know, I mean, the Republicans can't even condemn the rioters that were here on January 6th. | ||
| So what the hell is wrong with this place? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I will close with this. | ||
| Congress alone has the power to declare war, not Donald Trump, not his truth social account, not his campaign donors. | ||
| This administration cannot be trusted with that power. | ||
| They have no plan. | ||
| They have no strategy. | ||
| They have no clue. | ||
| Just follow him on True Social. | ||
| And every day they stoke chaos abroad to distract from the misery that they're causing at home. | ||
| Does anyone remember the last time a Republican president misled the nation about WMDs using vague evidence to drag us into a war in the Middle East? | ||
| He stood under a mission accomplished banner. | ||
| And then we were at war for nearly a decade. | ||
| And it cost trillions of dollars and thousands of lives. | ||
| And I guess the 2025 version of a mission accomplished banner is a true social post telling everyone that this was a spectacular military success. | ||
| Give me a break. | ||
| 2003 called, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| They want their foreign policy back. | ||
| Republicans want to keep everyone divided and distracted. | ||
| They want to distract us from their big, ugly bill, a tax scam so cruel and corrupt that it actually makes working families poorer just to make billionaires richer. | ||
| They want to distract us from the fact that under Trump's watch, grocery bills are sky high, farmers will suffocate under tariffs, and now families are bracing for a spike at the pump because this president started a war and he has no clue how to end it. | ||
| Well, I won't be distracted. | ||
| We see this chaos for what it is, reckless, stupid, and dangerous. | ||
| And we see this tax bill for what it is, greedy, immoral, and bad for working people. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I urge this House to stop rubber stamping chaos. | ||
| Stop rubber stamping corruption. | ||
| Let's do our constitutional duty. | ||
| Stop this illegal war, end this rotten tax scam, and stand up for the people we work for. | ||
| With that, I yield back. | ||
| Yields back. | ||
| Gentleman from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance. | ||
| Myself, the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, this week the House has the ability to advance four pieces of legislation under this rule. | ||
| H.R. 3944, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2026, which provides significant investments and support for our veterans, service members, and their families, as well as military construction. | ||
| I expect and hope it will pass in a bipartisan manner. | ||
| H.R. 275, the Special Interest Alien Reporting Act of 2025, which provides transparency by publishing a monthly report on the number of special interest aliens attempting to enter the U.S. and includes the encounter location and their country of origin. | ||
| Information that the public has the right to know. | ||
| H.R. 875, the Jeremy and Angel Say and Sergeant Brandon Mendoza Protect Our Communities from DUI's Act of 2025, which works to keep the American people safe by closing a loophole in U.S. immigration law that ensures that aliens who drive while intoxicated are inadmissible to and deported from the United States. | ||
| Again, Mr. Speaker, I hope and expect it will pass in a bipartisan manner. | ||
| And HRS 516, condemning the violent June 2025 riots in Los Angeles, California, which recognizes the right to assemble and protest peacefully while condemning the riots and violence against law enforcement. | ||
|
Yea Nay Vote
00:00:51
|
||
| I urge my colleagues to join me in voting yes on the previous question and yes on the rule. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and move the previous question on the resolution. | ||
| The question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Aye. | |
| Those opposed, no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, for what purpose? | ||
| This is the gentleman from Massachusetts. | ||
| I ask for the yays and nays. | ||
| The yeas and nays are requested. | ||
| Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. | ||
| A sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. | ||
| Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. | ||