| Speaker | Time | Text |
|---|---|---|
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House Finishing Defense Work
00:03:11
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| As the regional headquarters for U.S. Central Command, this is in the New York Times. | ||
| It says the U.S. military has been using El Udaid since the days after September 11 attacks when it positioned planes there to target the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. | ||
| Two years later, El Udaid became the main U.S. air operations hub in the region. | ||
| U.S. commanders used the base to coordinate a wide variety of missions during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as strikes against the Islamic Project. | ||
|
unidentified
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The House is coming in now to finish work on the 2026 defense programs and policy bills. | |
| Amendment debate will continue leading up to a final passage vote. | ||
| Expected this afternoon. | ||
| Live coverage on C-SPAN. | ||
| The House is coming in now to finish work on the 2026 Defense Programs and Policy Bill. | ||
| Amendment debate will continue leading up to a final passage vote. | ||
| Expected this afternoon. | ||
| Live coverage on C-SPAN. | ||
| The House will be in order. | ||
| The prayer will be offered by Chaplain Kibbon. | ||
| Would you pray with me? | ||
| Heavenly Father, we pray not our will, but yours be done this day. | ||
| Don't answer our prayers with words we want to hear, but cause us to hear how you wish us to respond to the concerns for which we pray. | ||
| Don't listen to us when we ask for your favor, lest we be inclined to demand more. | ||
| But grant us the faith to trust in your provision when what we have doesn't seem enough. | ||
| Don't shower us with blessings we desire, but bless us with more of you that we would desire nothing else. | ||
| Don't lead us away from the challenges that lie before us, but challenge us to follow you as you lead us through them. | ||
| Don't quell our anxieties that hurt our hearts with worry, but transform our hearts, that they would seek first your righteousness. | ||
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Arlington's Milestone Celebration
00:03:27
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| Do not forsake us. | ||
| Do not be far from us, O Lord our God, but come quickly to help us this day. | ||
| For you, O Lord, are our Savior, and it is in your sovereign name we pray. | ||
| Amen. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| 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 One, the journal stands approved. | ||
| The Pledge of Allegiance will be led by the gentlewoman from Oregon, Ms. Dexter. | ||
| 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 Texas seek recognition? | ||
| Without objection, the skipper from Texas is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate a remarkable milestone for the city of Arlington, Texas. | ||
| This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. | ||
| As the city's oldest and largest business organization, the Chamber has been a pillar of the community for eight decades. serving over 1,000 members and advocating for businesses of all sizes. | ||
| The hardworking families and entrepreneurs of Main Street are the backbone of our economy, and it is vital that they have the resources they need to succeed. | ||
| For 80 years, Arlington Chamber members have worked tirelessly to address key issues facing small businesses throughout the community. | ||
| Throughout securing and expanding resources, the chamber has brought immeasurable growth to our city. | ||
| I commend the Arlington Chamber for 80 years of excellence, and I thank them for their continued commitment to serving Texas. | ||
| And God, we trust, I yield back. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I request unanimous consent to address the House for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. | ||
| Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today not just as a member of Congress, but as a proud Oregonian. | ||
| Donald Trump is once again threatening to deploy troops against American civilians. | ||
| We've already seen him abuse federal power in cities like D.C. and LA, and now he's targeting Portland. | ||
| Let me be clear. | ||
| Donald Trump is punishing cities like Portland simply for standing against his authoritative power. | ||
| This isn't about safety. | ||
| It's political retribution. | ||
| Plain and simple. | ||
| Portland doesn't need his help. | ||
| We are resilient, creative, and strong. | ||
| To my fellow Oregonians, I am standing with Governor Kotek, Attorney General Dan Rayfield, our delegation, and local leaders to defend our communities and our rights. | ||
| I will use every tool available, legislation, litigation, and public pressure, to stop this dangerous overreach. | ||
|
LaGrange College Panthers Triumph
00:02:41
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| We will not be bullied. | ||
| We will not be silenced, and we will not back down. | ||
| Because in Oregon, we fly with our own wings. | ||
| We rise, we resist, and we stand together, undaunted and unafraid. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Georgia seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I request unanimous consent to address the House of Representatives for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. | ||
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, last week I rose to recognize the dawn of the newest college football rivalry in the great state of Georgia, and today I rise to honor the winner of the inaugural clash of Highway 29, the LaGrange College Panthers, led by Coach Wes Dodson. | ||
| On Saturday night, the Panthers defeated the Point University Hawks 36-14. | ||
| I attended the game with the president of LaGrange College, Dr. Susanna Baxter, the president of Point University, Dr. Stacey Bartlett, and administrators of both schools. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, this matchup was exciting from the beginning. | ||
| On the first play of the opening drive, LaGrange converted a double pass for a touchdown, and on the ensuing kickoff, Point responded with a 90-yard kick return for a touchdown. | ||
| LaGrange's offense was led by three talented players, quarterback Henry Brodnacks, who finished with 265 passing yards and three touchdowns, kicker Landon Eker, who was perfect on the night with three field goals and two PATs, and wide receiver Damian Thompson, who in his first ever collegiate game was honored as the USA South Athletic Conference's offensive rookie of the week. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate the Panthers' victory, we also remember their teammate, Marquise Rice, who tragically passed away during the offseason. | ||
| The LaGrange College Panthers honored Marquise with an incredible performance, an indomitable spirit, and an indisputable victory on Saturday evening. | ||
| I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentlewoman from Minnesota seek recognition? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Speaker, I request unanimous consent to which I address the House for one minute to revise and extend my remarks. | |
| Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor my parents, Chris and Jack Morrison. | ||
| I'm a lifelong Democrat, but I was raised in a primarily Republican family. | ||
|
Raising Future Leaders
00:11:47
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| We debated politics and the issues of the day around the dinner table. | ||
| We didn't always agree, but we respected and learned from each other. | ||
| My brother and I were encouraged to think independently and to stand up for what we believe in. | ||
| And we knew that we were loved and that they always had our backs. | ||
| We were raised to believe in the promise of America and with the expectation that it was our responsibility to serve our community and other people. | ||
| My parents lived that ethic and led by example through serving in the military, running for office, working for nonprofits, through their many and deep friendships, through their care for our extended family, through their embrace of their son and daughter-in-law, and through their love and deep engagement with their grandchildren. | ||
| We learned that service was important and expected, and we've endeavored to live up to their example. | ||
| My parents are my heroes, and encapsulating what they mean to me in one minute is impossible. | ||
| But let me say directly to them as they are in the gallery today: I am so proud and grateful that you are my parents, and I love you very much. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
|
unidentified
|
I yield back. | |
| I will remind members that the rules do not permit references to individuals in the gallery, but it was heartfelt. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from South Carolina seek recognition? | ||
|
unidentified
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Mr. Speaker, Secretary, may I ask you an assent to address the motion one minute for extend my remarks? | |
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| President Donald Trump is cracking down on murderers who threaten American families. | ||
| Trump has signed an executive order to eliminate cashless bail. | ||
| This will prevent Democrat district attorneys from putting criminals back on the streets, murdering random citizens. | ||
| This could have prevented the merciless murder of Iranian refugee Erna Za Rutska on August 22nd in Charlotte, North Carolina. | ||
| Her killer had 14 previous arrests. | ||
| Her merciless murder was concealed for 10 days by Charlotte Mayor Lyles as she faced a primary election yesterday. | ||
| The mayor should resign, as proposed by Charlotte Area Congressman Ralph Norman. | ||
| Every other week, I am grateful to fly through Charlotte with his professional staff, but as long as Lyles is mayor, I will avoid the Charlotte airport because every passenger in Charlotte is at risk of being stabbed to death. | ||
| 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, while Putin is invading Poland with Iranian drones 100 miles into Poland yesterday from Belarus as Putin tries to resurrect the failed Soviet Union. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Rhode Island seek recognition? | ||
|
unidentified
|
I ask United's consent to address the House for one minute to revise and extend my remarks. | |
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today for the 38th time to call on the Trump administration to restore life-saving food aid for starving children around the world. | ||
| It has been eight months since the Trump administration put a stop work order into place, and as a result, there are thousands of boxes of life-saving aid meant to save the lives of starving children sitting in warehouses in Rhode Island and Georgia instead of getting to the kids who need them. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, this week, we are voting on the annual defense bill. | ||
| And I just want to point out this is a national security issue because when starvation and famine are permitted to progress unimpeded around the world, it yields terrorism, increased violence, and extremism that is a risk to our own nation's defense. | ||
| When we step back, our adversaries like China step in to save the day in the developing world, and that is bad for the United States and for democracies all across the globe. | ||
| So, Mr. Speaker, I call on the Trump administration once again, restore life-saving food aid for children, and with that, I yield back. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from North Carolina seek recognition? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to address the house for one minute to revise and extend. | |
| Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I have exciting news to share about a remarkable young woman, and her name is Mary Gray Harding. | ||
| The election results are in, and Mary Gray was elected as Spring Creek High School Student Body President. | ||
| Her victory isn't just of any win here. | ||
| Mary Gray may be one of the few, if not the only, student with Down syndrome in our state serving as her school student body president. | ||
| Her classmates elected her not because of her Down syndrome, but because they believe in her. | ||
| I've been around Mary Gray, and she's nothing but amazing. | ||
| With the news of her election, it brought tears of happiness and they flowed freely. | ||
| Congratulations, Mary Gray. | ||
| I'm sorry, Madam President. | ||
| Actually, that has a special ring. | ||
| President Hardy. | ||
| Mayor Gray, keep working hard. | ||
| Know that your congressman is praying for your successful presidency and for your school. | ||
| Your story is part of the American story. | ||
| Your community, your parents, and I am incredibly proud of you. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentlewoman from South Carolina seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I request unanimous consent to speak for one minute. | ||
| Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| When solicitors don't prosecute crimes, when judges and rogue magistrates let thugs out on the streets of America, cases like Irina Zarutska happen, murders like Irina Zarutska happen. | ||
| I want to pay special attention to a certain solicitor in South Carolina who is not doing her job, who is lying to South Carolinians, and that is Solicitor Scarlett Wilson of the 9th Judicial Circuit. | ||
| Scarlett, I want you to know that I'm watching. | ||
| When you leak evidence, when you politicize rape, and when you leak evidence of rape victims, when you leak evidence of victims who are being stalked or who've been beaten, that South Carolina is watching, that I am watching. | ||
| And if you don't do your job to protect South Carolinians, there will be consequences. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I yield back. | ||
| I will remind members to make their comments directly to the chair. | ||
| Now, for what purpose does the gentlewoman from Maryland seek recognition? | ||
| Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, on May 30th, Severna Park in Maryland's 3rd Congressional District, one of our youngest members, we lost one of our youngest members, Hugh Nee. | ||
| Hugh was not even 18 months old when he died of sudden unexplained death in childhood, or SUDC. | ||
| Hugh's parents, Eddie and Jessica, who are here today, described him as joy personified. | ||
| He loved going to the park, circle time at the library, and getting booped in the nose at bath time. | ||
| With his loved ones, Hugh read over 1,000 books and was a dear friend to our public library system. | ||
| In Hugh's memory, our community is now building Hughes Corner at the Severna Park Library. | ||
| Now, Mr. Speaker, there are approximately 400 cases of SUDC in the U.S. every year. | ||
| Without a known cause or form of prevention, the NIH research conducted on SUDC is critical and could be life-saving. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting full funding for the NIH's lifesaving work so that not another family has to experience what the knees have endured. | ||
|
unidentified
|
I yield back. | |
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Pennsylvania seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, request unanimous consent to address the House for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. | ||
| Without objection, the chairman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise today to recognize the 60th anniversary of the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program. | ||
| This is one of the oldest, most impactful senior service programs in the country. | ||
| Since 1965, foster grandparents, who are volunteers age 55 and older, have provided consistent support, mentorship, and care to children and youth. | ||
| Through this intergenerational service, they help young people thrive while strengthening communities. | ||
| Foster grandparents volunteer their time to help children through tutoring, mentoring, and sometimes providing classroom support to teachers. | ||
| These grandparents have the ability to help young people in need learn independence, self-confidence, and social skills. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, many of us have fond memories of our own grandparents, and I'm glad that for the past 60 years, the Foster Grandparent Program has helped connect seniors with young people to form these wonderful relationships. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| For what purpose does the gentleman from New Jersey seek recognition? | ||
|
unidentified
|
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. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| I rise today in memory of Sarah Katz, an empathetic, driven, and compassionate young woman whose life was tragically cut short three years ago today. | ||
| A native of Jersey City and a graduate of Elizabeth Irwin High School in New York, Sarah devoted her life to helping others, working with the American Heart Association and Children's Hospital Philadelphia to raise awareness about heart health and the importance of CPR. | ||
| She was admired by so many in our community, especially her classmates and mentors at the University of Pennsylvania. | ||
| But above all else, she was deeply loved by her family, her parents, Jill and Michael, and her sister Dana. | ||
| Amid unimaginable grief, her family turned to action, honoring Sarah's life by advocating for change. | ||
| It's been a privilege to join them in this effort, introducing the Sarah Katz Caffeine Safety Act to save lives and prevent more families from having to endure the pain that the Katz family has felt. | ||
| Every step of the way, their love for Sarah has been at the forefront of their advocacy. | ||
| I ask my colleagues to join us in this important effort and help drive change that will save lives. | ||
| May Sarah's memory always be a blessing. | ||
| Thank you, and I yield back. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentlewoman from New Mexico seek recognition? | ||
| I ask for unanimous consent to address the House for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. | ||
| Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a grateful but sad heart to honor the life of U.S. Senator Fred Harris, a tireless champion for justice, democracy, and the people of New Mexico and Oklahoma. | ||
| Senator Harris fought for Native American and civil rights, returned sacred lands to our tribes, and helped advance the Great Society programs that have lifted millions out of poverty. | ||
|
Legacy Lives On
00:02:36
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| But his impact goes far beyond his time in the Senate. | ||
| He created the Fred Harris Fellowship that has brought hundreds of UNM students to Washington, D.C. to give them first-hand experience in public service. | ||
| He was a mentor, an educator, a dear, dear friend, and a hero to so many in our state and across the nation. | ||
| And while we grieve his passing, his legacy will live on in the countless people whose lives he's touched and who continue to fight for justice and his dedication to the legacy this United States leaves behind. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| Pursuant to House Resolution 682 and Rule 18, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for further consideration of H.R. 3838. | ||
| Will the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Thompson, kindly take the chair? | ||
| The House is in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for further consideration of H.R. 3838, which the clerk will report by title. | ||
| Appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense for military construction and for defense activities of the Department of Energy to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year and for other purposes. | ||
| When the Committee of the Whole rose on Tuesday, September 9th, 2025, amendments on block number four printed in Part A of House Report 119-255 offered by the gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Rogers, had been disposed of. | ||
| It is now in order to consider amendment number 13, printed in Part A of House Report 119-225. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from South Carolina seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk. | ||
| The clerk will designate the amendment. | ||
| Amendment number 13, printed in part A of House Report number 119-255, offered by Mr. Norman of South Carolina. | ||
|
Amending EFMP for Special Needs
00:02:41
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| Pursuant to the House Resolution 682, the gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Norman, a member opposed, each will control five minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from South Carolina. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| My amendment prohibits provisions of gender transmission procedures, including surgery or medication, through the Exceptional Family Members Program. | ||
| The Exceptional Family Members Program provides resources to military families with special needs. | ||
| This program is designed for military spouses, children, or other dependent family members who require ongoing medical or educational services, such as individuals with asthma, autism, chronic respiratory illnesses, intellectual disabilities, and much, much more. | ||
| Under the Biden administration, the Air Force suggested using the Exceptional Family Members Program for families who want to help their child transition. | ||
| Democrats also introduced a bill to expand this program to include transgender dependents and specifically list gender dysphoria as a qualifying medical need to be included in the program. | ||
| My amendment ensures that we reserve this valuable program for its original intent to help families with special needs by prohibiting the use of the program for the provision or referral for gender transition procedures such as gender surgery or medication. | ||
| The Exceptional Family Members Program, otherwise known as EFMP, should be used fully to support families with special needs and chronic illnesses, not for gender transmission procedures, as has been mentioned. | ||
| The program, as it was intended, specifically identifies certain things that identifying families with special needs, which includes the following. | ||
| Potentially life-threatening conditions or chronic. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Current or chronic mental health conditions, asthma or other respiratory-related diagnoses with chronic reoccurring symptoms, intellectual or development delays, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, chronic conditions that require adaptive equipment which assistive technology devices or environmental or architectural considerations. | |
|
Amending TRICARE Coverage
00:15:08
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| Allowing gender transitioning procedures through the EFMP goes against the very intention that the program was designed to have and it provided valuable resources for families who otherwise would not have the funds to do so. | ||
| Gender transitioning is not covered under any of the criteria for identifying individuals eligible for the EFMP. | ||
| I ask for adoption of this amendment and yield the balance of my time. | ||
| Does the gentleman reserve? | ||
| Gentleman Reserves. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves, what purpose does the gentleman from Washington State seek recognition? | ||
| To claim the time in opposition to the amendment. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized for five minutes. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I yield myself two minutes. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| There's going to be five amendments now that are all targeting the transgender community. | ||
| And I want to make sure we understand a couple of really sort of broad themes why these amendments are so problematic. | ||
| Number one is the transgender community has been targeted and discriminated against aggressively. | ||
| If you troll through right-wing radio or online messaging, they're called freaks and weirdos. | ||
| They are dehumanized on a very consistent basis in a way that has led to violence and discrimination against the transgender community. | ||
| All five of these amendments just put a little exclamation point on that and encourage people to continue to dehumanize transgender people in a way that is very, very dangerous. | ||
| So that's number one. | ||
| Number two, transgender people exist. | ||
| That's just a fact. | ||
| Gender dysphoria is a medical fact. | ||
| No serious medical person disagrees on that point. | ||
| It's not even debatable. | ||
| Now, there are a couple things that are debatable. | ||
| What do you do about it? | ||
| What treatments are appropriate in a given set of circumstances? | ||
| Personally, I think it's wide open to have that conversation. | ||
| What should the medical profession do? | ||
| Second, when you have a transgender woman or a transgender man, how does that work in terms of sports and a wide variety of different things with women's sports or men's sports or anything? | ||
| You can have a conversation about how to fit that in. | ||
| But acting like transgender people don't exist further contributes to their dehumanization and the discrimination against them. | ||
| None of these amendments before us today are even remotely necessary. | ||
| They are simply an effort to take advantage of a culture war partisan issue to drive a wedge into this bill. | ||
| It doesn't belong here. | ||
| And on this particular amendment, if you are a service member who has a child experiencing gender dysphoria, what this amendment says is your child doesn't actually exist. | ||
| That's not really happening. | ||
| How is it going to make a service member feel when they're trying to take care of their child? | ||
| I have met with children who went through gender dysphoria who credit the treatments that they received, I yield myself an additional minute, who credit the treatments they've received for absolutely saving their lives. | ||
| Now, sometimes they make mistakes. | ||
| I always like to say I've had three hip surgeries, including two total hip replacements. | ||
| I probably didn't need any of them. | ||
| It was probably a mistake. | ||
| I don't see here anybody on the floor talking about banning hip replacements because occasionally you do one wrong. | ||
| That happens. | ||
| This decision should be made by doctors and patients, not by congressmen and legislators. | ||
| This is restricting health care that could be incredibly necessary for young people, also for other family members. | ||
| It is bigoted, discriminatory, and unnecessary, and I hope this body will turn it down. | ||
| I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentlemen, reserves, the gentleman from South Carolina is recognized. | ||
| Well, all I would add to that is, you know, we've got an obligation to the American people to keep this country safe and have our finest military men who are willing to risk it all in defense of America. | ||
| My friend on the opposite side of the aisle mentions hip surgery. | ||
| I think that's entirely different than a sex change operation that doesn't say that a person doesn't have it, but the military, the funding is not, that's not where the money should come from. | ||
| How about telling that child that's got asthma he has no treatment? | ||
| How about telling that child with a mental impairment there's not money to do it? | ||
| We have to have to put the money towards somebody who's not sure about what sex they are. | ||
| So it's just not a priority in the military, nor should the funding be set aside for that. | ||
| There is a set amount of dollars that have to go toward this valuable appropriation process, and it's not to determine what somebody's sex is. | ||
| He needs to decide that in other places with their own money and other times. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| General from South Carolina Reserves, gentlemen from Washington. | ||
| May I inquire as to how much time is left? | ||
| The gentleman has two and a half minutes remaining. | ||
| I yield myself one minute to make the gentleman recognize. | ||
| I'm sorry, how much time does he have? | ||
| The gentleman from South Carolina has one minute remaining. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| I yield myself one minute. | ||
| Three quick. | ||
| Number one, this does not restrict other medical treatment for anybody else. | ||
| It's got nothing to do with this whatsoever. | ||
| Second of all, this doesn't just eliminate sex change operations. | ||
| This very specifically eliminates any treatment for gender dysphoria. | ||
| A lot of times that's mental health treatment. | ||
| That's not surgery. | ||
| That's not drugs. | ||
| That's a conversation about that issue. | ||
| It eliminates it for everybody. | ||
| Third, yes, we need to put our service members in the best position to focus on their mission in our fighting. | ||
| Are a service member overseas, stationed, fighting, and you have a child who is experiencing gender dysphoria, and you are told that your child, who is in a very dangerous situation, cannot get the health care that they need. | ||
| That is not going to help that service member be the best possible fighter they can be for this country. | ||
| We should not be denying health care to the family members of our service members that they need. | ||
| And that is what this amendment does. | ||
| I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| Let me just put some numbers to this. | ||
| Over the course of five years, the Pentagon spent $15 million, $15 million in treating 1,892 transgender troops, including $11.5 million for psychotherapy and $3.1 million for surgeries, according to the Department of Defense. | ||
| The price tag for individual gender-affirming surgical procedures and other medical treatments can range from $8,000 to $100,000. | ||
| And to compare hip surgery to a sex change operation is two different worlds, two different thoughts. | ||
| That we just have a completely difference of opinion. | ||
| I think if you take a survey of any of the troops that are serving this country, they would, the vast majority would say that transgender surgeons have no place in the military. | ||
| And the public to be born with that price tag is, to be honest with you, incomprehensible. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| Gentleman's time has expired. | ||
| Gentleman from Washington is expressed. | ||
| Again, we're not talking about sex change operations. | ||
| And this is just another example of the profound ignorance surrounding treatment for gender dysphoria. | ||
| We are talking about any treatment. | ||
| And with that, I yield the balance of our time to the gentlelady from Hawaii, Mr. Takuda. | ||
| Gentlelady from Hawaii is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| My colleagues, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. | ||
| Let's be clear: the Exceptional Family Member Program does not pay for medical care. | ||
| Its purpose is simple, to ensure that military families are stationed where medical and educational services they need are available. | ||
| This amendment misrepresents the mission and it undermines it. | ||
| We ask our service members to sacrifice so much for this country, in many cases, even their lives. | ||
| As a mother, I would never, never ask them to sacrifice their child's well-being. | ||
| That's not just offensive, that's cruel and it's inhumane. | ||
| Gender-affirming care is health care. | ||
| Denying it sends a harmful message to military families with transgender children that their needs, their dignity, who they are, their very lives do not matter. | ||
| And when we harm their families, when we hurt their children, we undermine the very readiness we are so focused on as a military. | ||
| The very people that we rely on to be on the front lines defending this nation every day. | ||
| Our service is on the line. | ||
| We should do the same for them. | ||
| Vote no on this amendment. | ||
| All time expired. | ||
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from South Carolina. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed say no. | ||
| And you pen the chair, the ayes have it. | ||
| The amendment is chair. | ||
| The gentleman from Washington State is recognized. | ||
| I request a recorded vote. | ||
| Pursuant to Clause 6 of Rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from South Carolina will be postponed. | ||
| It is now in order to consider Amendment No. 14, printed in Part A of House Report 119-255. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentlewoman from South Carolina seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk. | ||
| The clerk will designate the amendment. | ||
| Amendment number 14, printed in Part A of House Report number 119-255, offered by Ms. Mace of South Carolina. | ||
| Pursuant to House Resolution 682, the gentlewoman from South Carolina, Ms. Mace, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from South Carolina. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Chair. | ||
| This is a second of five, only five, and I think there should be more amendments regarding gender-affirming care, trannies, you name it. | ||
| Castration is not a mistake, by the way. | ||
| My colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to say that castration is health care, and there's nothing more dehumanizing than going after the trannies out there. | ||
| One recently shot two young school children in Minnesota. | ||
| It is a mental illness, and it needs to stop, and we can stop it in our military right now. | ||
| So, this amendment, in last year's NDAA, we took the important step of banning TRICARE from covering medical interventions to treat gender dysphoria, which would result in the sterilization of children. | ||
| This was a strong statement by the Congress in opposition to the mutilation of kids. | ||
| However, the language allows the Department of War to continue to perform an array of gender-affirming child abuse on military dependents and to continue to mutilate our service members. | ||
| My amendment is simple. | ||
| It would prohibit TRICARE across the board from covering or furnishing the chemical and surgical mutilation of our warfighters and their dependence under the guise of health care. | ||
| Our government should not be in the business of mutilating our federal citizens, particularly our warfighters, with our tax dollars, with your tax dollars. | ||
| This does not serve to advance our national security. | ||
| It serves only to advance a dangerous and radical ideology that the American people have soundly rejected. | ||
| Not only have the American people rejected the chemical and surgical mutilation of their federal fellow citizens, but much of the science doesn't support it as well. | ||
| The science shows playing into the delusions of these individuals is not compassionate. | ||
| It's cruel. | ||
| Numerous studies have shown not only do these cross-sex hormones dramatically increase the risks of infertility and sexual dysfunction, they actually increase in depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among those or who, on those who, these medical procedures are performed. | ||
| The purpose of our military is to fight and to win wars. | ||
| It is to create war fighters, killers, not to participate in the latest progressive fad. | ||
| Under the Biden administration, we divided, we diverted money away from readiness and lethality to promote extreme gender ideology and fund sex changes in our military. | ||
| Under the Trump administration, we have finally recognized gender dysphoria for what it is, a mental illness which precludes military service. | ||
| Our armed services are not a laboratory to study the effects of irreversible surgeries or hormones. | ||
| Our service exists to provide, does not exist to provide exponential treatments to those whose conditions should be disqualifying. | ||
| These people are mentally ill and should not be serving in the United States military. | ||
| This amendment says clearly the purpose of our military is to defend the United States, not validate identity politics. | ||
| It makes sure TRICARE serves the mission of protecting health, not undermining it. | ||
| And I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back. | ||
| Or reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentle Lady reserves. | ||
| We're first to gentlemen from Washington, Stacey recognition. | ||
| Claim the time in opposition. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I yield myself one minute. | ||
| Gentlemen is recognized for one minute. | ||
| First of all, I want to thank the maker of this amendment for making it clear what the problem is. | ||
| Trannies, mentally ill, insulting transgender people. | ||
| This is exactly what these amendments are about. | ||
| It's about a right-wing culture war to try to target the transgender community and make them something less than human. | ||
| And if you listen to those comments, you get a feel for why that's a problem. | ||
| Number two, this amendment doesn't have anything to do with transgender people serving in the military. | ||
| Now, President Trump has already implemented that bigoted discriminatory policy to drive them out of the military. | ||
| This is about health care for children experiencing gender dysphoria. | ||
| And what this amendment does is it bans that health care treatment for children experiencing gender dysphoria. | ||
| I've made a series of arguments in the other amendment about why that is such a bad idea. | ||
| But the bottom line is this is a legitimate problem. | ||
|
Banning Medically Necessary Care
00:06:45
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||
| And the studies have often shown that this is beneficial treatment that is now being denied, denied by the United States Congress. | ||
| This is something that doctors and patients should describe, should decide. | ||
| You know, if we wanted to offer an amendment saying, please look at this issue, here's some studies on one side or the other, ask the medical community to reach their conclusions. | ||
| That's one thing. | ||
| But banning it doesn't make sense. | ||
| I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentleman reserves, gentlelady from South Carolina. | ||
| Mr. Sheriff, how much time is remaining? | ||
| Two minutes remaining. | ||
| Okay, thank you. | ||
| If not wanting to castrate kids is right-wing culture war, sign me up because this is not the kind of thing that should be happening to children or military dependents anywhere in our country. | ||
| And castrating kids, it's not health care either. | ||
| We're talking about something very permanent. | ||
| We don't allow our kids to be tattooed until they're adults. | ||
| We don't allow them to drink or smoke or vote until they're adults. | ||
| But you're saying that it's okay to castrate a kid because of this weirdo freak ideology. | ||
| Yes, these are weirdos. | ||
| These are freaks. | ||
| These are people who are mentally deranged, mentally ill, and this should not be funded by American taxpayers. | ||
| Thank you, and I yield the balance of my time. | ||
| John Lee yields the balance of her time. | ||
| Gentleman from Washington State is recognized. | ||
| Current law bans sterilization. | ||
| So that's just a lot of crap about what this is about. | ||
| Current law bans what she's talking about. | ||
| What is being banned here is any treatment for gender dysphoria, and that is completely wrong. | ||
| With that, I yield two minutes to the gentleman from California, Ms. Jacobs. | ||
| The gentle lady from California is recognized for two minutes. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, Mr. Ranking Member. | |
| So as you all know, President Trump has already kicked out transgender troops from the military, despite the fact that they are willing and able to serve, and despite the fact that it will cost billions of dollars and decades to recruit and train their replacements. | ||
| So this proposed ban on medical care is unnecessary and redundant for our service members because we know the goal here isn't actually about policy. | ||
| It's a symbolic punishment. | ||
| It's to send a false political message that trans health care is illegitimate, even though those of us who live in reality know that trans health care is safe, effective, and medically necessary. | ||
| It is supported by every major medical association in the U.S., representing more than 1.3 million U.S. doctors. | ||
| And let's be clear about what we mean about gender-affirming care. | ||
| We don't only mean surgery. | ||
| Sometimes it's just using the correct pronouns. | ||
| Sometimes it's mental health care. | ||
| Sometimes it's hormone therapy. | ||
| And yes, sometimes it's surgery. | ||
| This ban would also take away mental health care from the trans children of our service members. | ||
| We know that trans youth face significant mental health challenges, not because they're trans, to be clear, but because of the external factors they face, like social isolation, discrimination, lack of affirmation, the stress of not getting the care they need, having to hear colleagues of mine say horrible things about them on the House floor. | ||
| And like any parent, if a service member's child can't get the care they need, they will be distracted from their mission. | ||
| So ultimately, this ban will hurt our military readiness and likely lead service members to leave the military. | ||
| This amendment isn't only bigoted. | ||
| It's short-sighted and would hurt our national security. | ||
| So I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I yield back. | ||
| General A yields back. | ||
| She already yoga passed. | ||
| That's all right. | ||
| May I inquire as to how much time I have remaining? | ||
| Two and a quarter minutes remaining. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| This time I'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from Vermont, Ms. Ballant. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized for two minutes. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise today in strong opposition to this amendment. | ||
| If passed, this amendment would immediately prohibit TRICARE coverage of mental health counseling for transgender young people. | ||
| Let me repeat that. | ||
| This amendment would take away mental health care services for transgender kids of service members. | ||
| That's what we're talking about. | ||
| This amendment is intentionally discriminatory and result in higher rates of mental health issues and suicide for trans youth. | ||
| Kids who already experience higher rates of depression and anxiety and suicide compared to their peers. | ||
| Republicans' all-out assault on health care right now has put these people into a state of constant fear and anxiety. | ||
| Imagine that you're a service member, you're a parent, and you hear from a doctor that Congress has banned medically necessary care endorsed by every major medical association that would literally help save your child's life. | ||
| All young people in this country should have access to the mental health care that they need. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Full stop. | |
| Forcing service members to choose between being able to provide health care for their family, for their kids, or serving their country does not make our military stronger, does not make our country safer, and it will not, no matter what the member says, it will not make transgender people in this country disappear. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to vote no. | ||
| I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| The general Washington yields back. | ||
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from South Carolina. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed say no. | ||
| In the pen of the chair, the ayes have it. | ||
| The amendment is agreed to. | ||
| Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from Washington is recognized. | ||
| I request a recorded vote. | ||
| Pursuant to Clause 6 of Rule 18, further proceedings on this amendment offered by the gentlewoman from South Carolina will be postponed. | ||
|
Amendment For Women's Safety
00:15:47
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| It is now in order to consider Amendment No. 15, printed in Part A of House Report 119-255. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentlewoman from South Carolina seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. | ||
| The clerk will designate the amendment. | ||
| Amendment number 15, printed in part A of House Report number 119-255, offered by Ms. Mace of South Carolina. | ||
| Pursuant to House Resolution 682, the gentlewoman from South Carolina, Ms. Mace, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from South Carolina. | ||
| Women have fought for decades to have equal opportunity in education and athletics. | ||
| As the first woman to graduate from the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, no one understands that fight better than I do. | ||
| Unfortunately, these hard-earned rights women have fought for are now literally under assault. | ||
| Misogyny disguises acceptance, has forced mediocre male athletes into women's locker rooms, forcing women to undress in front of them, robbed women of opportunities, and left some women with lifelong scars. | ||
| My amendment would prohibit the superintendents of the service academies from allowing a cadet or midshipman who is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designed for females. | ||
| It is an indisputable fact there are significant physical, biological, I dare say science or scientific differences between men and women. | ||
| Biological men generally have greater muscle mass, bone density, cardiovascular capacity, and physical strength than women do. | ||
| This is very obvious. | ||
| Allowing men to compete in women's sports is patently unfair and robs women and girls of accomplishments and opportunities. | ||
| Over 900 medals in women's sports have been won by biological men, stolen from women who worked hard to earn them. | ||
| Women have fought hard to earn records that have been shattered by mediocre men, men pretending to be women, mentally ill men pretending to be women. | ||
| This is a travesty and discourages women from competing at all. | ||
| This was the case last year when multiple college women's volleyball teams forfeited rather than face a team with a biological male athlete, rather than face a traumatic brain injury when the next man hit him in the face with a volleyball. | ||
| There's nothing honorable about robbing women of opportunities, invading their privacy, and jeopardizing their safety in athletic competitions. | ||
| Allowing biological men to participate in women's sports is incompatible with the values of our service members, our service academies, and basic notions of fairness and good old-fashioned common sense. | ||
| I urge all members to support this amendment. | ||
| I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentlelady from South Carolina reserves a balance of time. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentlelady from New Mexico seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim time in opposition to the amendment. | ||
| The gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition today to this amendment and in defense of our nation's service members. | ||
| Our ranking member and the chairman have negotiated a bipartisan NDAA, which invests in military pay raises, quality of life, and many important aspects for military readiness. | ||
| We should be focused on that in the National Defense Authorization Act, not another amendment bullying trans people. | ||
| And if you ever needed proof that trans folks live rent-free in the minds of my GOP colleagues, then look no further than this amendment, because there are literally no known and out-transgender people serving in our academies right now because of the transgender military ban. | ||
| So what is this amendment all about? | ||
| The GOP obsession with bullying trans people is weird. | ||
| It's invasive. | ||
| It's abusive. | ||
| It's discriminatory. | ||
| And it's dangerous to our military readiness. | ||
| I want to remind my colleagues that words have power. | ||
| You are standing in one of the most powerful institutions, not only in the United States, but in the world. | ||
| And my colleagues are using this platform to bully a population that is vulnerable here in the United States. | ||
| And I have to say, If my colleagues across the aisle are so genuinely concerned about the well-being of women serving in the military and sexual violence, how about actually addressing that? | ||
| And the 45% of women who have reported that they have been sexually harassed just last year alone. | ||
| Or dare I say, if you're concerned about sexual violence and deviance, that you release the Epstein files. | ||
| How about that? | ||
| But this amendment reflects a sustained, targeted villainization of the trans community and the LGBTQ plus community that continues day after day on this floor. | ||
| The trans community represents only about 1% of the population as we understand it. | ||
| But you wouldn't actually think that listening to this chamber because they're spending time that we should be talking about military readiness and our national security to bully trans people at our service academies. | ||
| This has nothing to do with service to this great nation or our national security. | ||
| So I say to my colleagues, let's get back to work on behalf of the American people and defend this disgusting and hateful amendment. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| General Lee reserves. | ||
| Gentle Lady from South Carolina is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Chairman, how much time remains? | ||
| Jenny Lee has three minutes remaining. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Imagine being a woman on the floor of the House of Representatives screaming, I dare say screeching into the microphone to put your daughter in danger, to have your daughter's scholarships, your daughter's skills, your daughter's opportunities stolen from her because some guy, some mentally ill, deranged, | ||
| weird freak of a man thinks he's a woman and because he can put on a skirt and wave his willy-nilly around in the locker room, that he somehow is equal to a woman and that he's going to take away her rights. | ||
| We fought for so long for rights as women. | ||
| We didn't get the right to vote until, what, 1919, 1920? | ||
| And in fact, the seat of South Carolina, we didn't elect our first Republican woman to the U.S. House of Representatives to Congress until 2020. | ||
| I was sworn into office in January of 2021. | ||
| We have fought hard. | ||
| There are so many opportunities for women yet. | ||
| We've never had a female president of the United States. | ||
| I'm not going to let some guy in a skirt come around to take opportunities away from our daughters, from future leaders, a future president one day because somebody's mentally ill and thinks they can steal those opportunities away from your daughter. | ||
| It's not going to happen, not on my watch. | ||
| And we can start with the service academies and protecting these women who are going to fight valiantly to serve and protect our freedoms of our country here and abroad to make sure that opportunities are not stolen from them from the mentally ill. | ||
| Thank you, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| He reserves. | ||
| Gentlelady from Mexico is recognized. | ||
| I yield such time to the gentlelady as she may consume. | ||
| The gentlelady from Oregon is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Thank you, Representative Stansbury, for yielding. | ||
| I rise today in opposition to this amendment, which would ban transgender women from participating in women's sports, but also lead to challenges on all women's bodies, making the military and academies less safe for any women to enlist, no matter who they are. | ||
| Military personnel already undergo in-depth medical exams, and this amendment would allow for women and trans people to be subjected to increased and invasive targeting and harassment. | ||
| Athletic associations and the service academies are better prepared to understand the sport they regulate, how to provide both respect for transgender people and fairness in sports. | ||
| These associations and academies should be addressing this issue, not politicians, especially politicians who do not understand that trans people are not men who put on skirts. | ||
| Republicans have already banned trans people from the military and the service academies via executive action, so this amendment is just another backdoor attempt to discourage transgender people from enlisting in the future while making the military less safe for all women and embedding discrimination into the law. | ||
| This amendment is a classic example of politicians trying to insert themselves where they don't belong, and I urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment, and I yield back. | ||
| General Lee yields back. | ||
| Reserve. | ||
| General Lady from New Mexico Reserves, General Lady from South Carolina is recognized. | ||
| How much time remains? | ||
| One minute remaining. | ||
| Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair. | ||
| I do want to address the topic of sexual violence, particularly with my female colleagues across the aisle. | ||
| I have authored dozens of bills related to sexual violence, and very few of my Democrat colleagues will sign up and co-sponsor them in a bipartisan way. | ||
| And why is that? | ||
| It's because I don't want men in women's spaces, probably. | ||
| Because I say the word tranny, yeah. | ||
| They don't want to protect women except for when it makes good on their narrative. | ||
| And in fact, when I gave a harrowing speech for an hour on the floor of this House on February 10th, earlier this year, not a single female colleague across the aisle, | ||
| as I talked about my personal experiences with sexual violence, not one of them spoke up in defense of women who are victims and survivors of sexual violence. | ||
| I find it offensive and I yield back. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | ||
| The gentlelady's time has expired. | ||
| General Lady from New Mexico is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I just remind us that we're here to talk about the National Defense Authorization Act and to stand with our service members who proudly sign up to serve this great nation. | ||
| And we will continue to stand with our service members. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| General Lee yields back. | ||
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from South Carolina. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it, and the amendment is agreed to. | ||
| We ask for a recorded vote, please. | ||
| Pursuant to clause 6 of Roe 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlelady from South Carolina will be postponed. | ||
| It is now in order to consider amendment number 16, printed in Part A of House Report 119-255. | ||
| For what purposes the gentlewoman from South Carolina seek recognition? | ||
| I have an amendment at the desk. | ||
| The clerk will designate the amendment. | ||
| Amendment number 16, printed in Part A of House Report number 119-255, offered by Ms. Mace of South Carolina. | ||
| Pursuant to the House Resolution 682, the gentlewoman from South Carolina, Ms. Mace, and the member opposed each will control five minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from South Carolina. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | ||
| This amendment is about one thing and one thing only, restoring biological truth. | ||
| Restoring biological reality, restoring science. | ||
| For too long, my colleagues across the aisle have pushed the fiction, which says your gender is whatever you say it is, whatever you say it is, and that you can change your mind at any time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
You could be thinking. | |
| Thinking is like a gender option to some of these morons. | ||
| Under four Yong-hung years of the Biden administration, they had enshrined this fiction in every facet of our government and demanded we all play along with the lie, men can be women, women can be men, and people can be both, either, other, whatever they want. | ||
| They can be a eunuch. | ||
| So ridiculous. | ||
| Perhaps they even share the delusion people can sexually identify as an attack helicopter because apparently that is also an option for some of these maniacs. | ||
| My amendment recognizes a simple fact. | ||
| There are two genders. | ||
| They are designated at birth, and they cannot be changed. | ||
| This is basic biology, biology 101. | ||
| It's not about feelings. | ||
| It's not about ideology. | ||
| It's not about politics. | ||
| It's not about trying to make one half of 1% of the population happy for the rest of us. | ||
| Under this amendment, the Secretary of War would be prohibited from collecting information for a form or survey related to gender identity, only male and female. | ||
| Those are the only two options that should be listed for questions about sex or gender, and the Secretary would be required to reject forms which list a sex or gender other than male or female. | ||
| We are going to bring back common sense to the Department of War. | ||
| This ideology is not harmful. | ||
| It is corrosive. | ||
| It has undermined women and seeks to replace objective truths with subjective fiction. | ||
| It's told us we must reject the foundational truths our society has held for thousands of years. | ||
| This ideology has forced institutions to adopt terms like birthing persons, pronouns, which got us into this whole mess, they, them, it, as if language itself must be bent to their radicalized ideology. | ||
| They have taken what it is obvious to every civilization in human history, men are men and women are women, and turned it into a political controversy. | ||
| And I say today, enough is enough. | ||
| This amendment would put an end to it at the Department of War. | ||
| It restores common sense and the truth at the department. | ||
| And I can't believe this is even a debate we even need to have on the floor of the House. | ||
| You're going to hear opposition to science today from the people who tell you to follow science. | ||
| Women are biologically distinct from men, and we love it. | ||
| Every single one of my colleagues knows this truth, even if they are too afraid to say it. | ||
| My colleagues across the aisle have stood too silent for too long and allowed this ideology to erase women and hand over our hard-won victories to men. | ||
| This amendment ensures the Department of War recognizes these biological realities. | ||
| It's more about forms and paperwork. | ||
| It's about whether we will defend women or whether we will erase them. | ||
|
Collecting Data on Trans Experiences
00:09:00
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| It's about whether the strongest military on earth will be grounded in reality or captured by ideology. | ||
| And so I urge my colleagues to stand with the truth, stand with women, stand with our military, and vote in favor of this amendment. | ||
| And I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
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The gentlewoman reserves. | |
| The gentleman from California is recognized. | ||
| Does the gentleman from California wish to be recognized? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this amendment. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman is recognized for five minutes. | |
| Mr. Speaker, Americans understand that trans people do exist, and transgender service members have served our country with distinction and honor for almost a decade. | ||
| They were able to do this openly. | ||
| Yet this amendment seeks to erase the existence of transgender people, whether they're service members or DOD employees, by prohibiting the Secretary of Defense from collecting information about gender identity on any form or survey. | ||
| Let me be clear: trans people do exist, and their experiences matter. | ||
| Non-discrimination and inclusion are core American values. | ||
| This amendment is about exclusion and erasure. | ||
| Collecting data on the experiences of transgender people, the experience of transgender people at the Department of Defense is critical to addressing the challenges the community faces. | ||
| Every person that steps up to serve our nation in uniform, including trans people, should be treated with the utmost respect. | ||
| These service members have continuously shown that they are fit, qualified, and willing to serve. | ||
| This amendment would create real obstacles for transgender people by requiring DOD systems to list the wrong gender for transgender people. | ||
| Discrepancies between these systems and trans people's legal documents will cause a host of issues, including complicating background checks. | ||
| This administration is already forcing transgender service members out of the military just because of who they are. | ||
| The Americans I know honor everyone who has the courage to serve. | ||
| They do not support kicking people out of the military, people we've invested time and millions of dollars in training into just to score political points. | ||
| Just to score political points. | ||
| Trump's trans military ban is cruel and shameful. | ||
| Now Republicans want to add insult to injury and try to erase trans service members' existence with this amendment. | ||
| Enough is enough. | ||
| I'm proud to stand before this chamber and support all of our service members. | ||
| I want to make it clear to every trans service member currently in the process of being forced out by this administration. | ||
| My Democratic colleagues in Congress and I value your sacrifices and service to our nation. | ||
| We will and will keep fighting for you because you have put your life, you have put your life on the line for America. | ||
| You deserve the same rights and treatment as every other service member. | ||
| I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman reserves. | |
| The gentlewoman from South Carolina is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Chair, how much time remains? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentlewoman has a minute and a half remaining. | |
| Super. | ||
| I want to say that a form that you say, whether you're male or female, how you were born, what God gave you, is not an obstacle, which just goes to show just the mere comment that filling out a form, am I male or female, that it is such a huge, ornate, | ||
| objective obstacle, it's adversarial, just goes to show you how mentally ill this ideology is that filling out a form that is biologically pure, biologically true, would trigger you. | ||
| And so it goes to ask: would it trigger them so much to go shoot up a military base? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Maybe. | |
| We had a tranny shoot up a school, a Catholic school, a couple weeks ago in Minnesota, killing two beautiful, beautiful young children because they're mentally ill. | ||
| These people should not be serving in our military. | ||
| And so when they accuse us of erasing trannies in the military, yes. | ||
| If you are mentally ill, you don't have the right to serve. | ||
| We need war fighters. | ||
| We need men and women who are going to be strong on the front of our battle lines, fighting terrorism. | ||
| Iran is on the march. | ||
| China is nipping at our heels. | ||
| Russia, we need men and women who, rather than worry about, hey, am I this a eunuch, that, an attack helicopter, whatever gender dysphoria, whatever they have that day, is who are we going to make safe today? | ||
| What fighting are we freedom? | ||
| What freedom are we fighting for? | ||
| How are we going to make Americans safe here and abroad? | ||
| That is the mission. | ||
| Our national security, that is the mission for the United States military, and it will stay there with Donald Trump as president. | ||
| Thank you, and I reserve. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentlewoman's time has expired. | |
| Gentleman, California is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time remains? | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman has two minutes remaining. | |
| Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield one minute to the gentlewoman from California, my colleague, Ms. Simon. | ||
| Thank you, sir, and thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
|
unidentified
|
For the folks who are watching for the transgender community, you are loved and respected for your resilience and for your breadth. | |
| Keep pushing. | ||
| I rise today in opposition to this amendment that would prohibit the Department of Defense from collecting data on gender identity. | ||
| Data is not just numbers. | ||
| Data is a story and reflection of those lived realities of real people. | ||
| And this amendment is to stop data collection. | ||
| And it is clear, and it is an attempt to erase the existence of transgender service members at the Department of Defense without data collection. | ||
| The Department of Defense cannot adequately address the challenges of lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning service members that they may face. | ||
| Transgender employees will have a difficult time filing equal unemployment opportunity complaints without accurate data. | ||
| Employees will also have inconsistent records and incorrect gender markers in the Department of Defense systems, making it harder to access health services. | ||
| I'll yield back my time. | ||
| Thank you so much. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman from California. | |
| I reserve my reserve. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman has the only time remaining. | |
| Thank you. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield one minute to the gentlewoman from Washington State, Ms. Randall. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I was going to say some nice things about rising in support of a bipartisan NDAA that supports housing and health care and child care, but I have sat here appalled at the language that we have heard on the House floor from the other side of the aisle. | ||
| I stand in strong opposition to the person from North Carolina's amendment. | ||
| I have sat listening to her violent, dangerous, and dehumanizing vendetta against parents, children, and trans people trying to live their lives and trying to defend our country. | ||
| This is a pattern of the unhinged political war on trans people that this person from North Carolina, the Republican Party, and the president are waging. | ||
| Denying the ability of out-trans folks to serve in our military isn't enough for these people. | ||
| The person from North Carolina is trying to erase the existence of trans people from forms, from hallways, from our military, and choosing violence. | ||
|
unidentified
|
All time's expired. | |
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from South Carolina. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. | ||
| The amendment is agreed to. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I request a record of. | ||
|
unidentified
|
What purpose does the gentleman from California wish to be recognized? | |
| Request the court recorder vote, please. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Pursuant to clause 6 of Rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from South Carolina will be postponed. | |
|
Bathroom Bans and Harassment
00:12:43
|
||
|
unidentified
|
It is now in order to consider amendment number 17 printed in Part A of House Report 119255. | |
| For what purpose does the gentlewoman from South Carolina seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The clerk will designate the amendment. | |
| Amendment number 17, printed in Part A of House Report number 119-255, offered by Ms. Mace of South Carolina. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Pursuant to House Resolution 682, the gentlewoman from South Carolina, Ms. Mace, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. | |
| The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from South Carolina. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Chair. | ||
| My amendment is straightforward. | ||
| It would ensure the use of sex-specific spaces, such as bathrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms on military installations, is based on biological sex, not ideology. | ||
| Women in uniform deserve dignity, privacy, and absolute safety. | ||
| Protecting women's spaces shouldn't be partisan. | ||
| It should be common sense. | ||
| But under the Biden administration, the federal government decided to abandon common sense. | ||
| It allowed men to enter women's spaces and violate their privacy and violate their dignity. | ||
| Under President Trump, the government has restored basic biological truth. | ||
| Men are men and women are women. | ||
| I applaud the President for his commitment to protecting women, but a future administration could bring us right back to this insanity. | ||
| The Biden administration sacrificed the dignity and safety of women to appease radical gender lunatic ideology. | ||
| Our women in uniform shouldn't be forced to suffer indignities to appease the insane policies of the other side of the aisle, all the Democrats who support this nonsense. | ||
| Allowing delusional men to use women's restrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms is an affront to women, and it's reckless. | ||
| In Virginia, a registered sex offender with more than a dozen convictions was allowed to use the women's changing room by claiming he was a woman. | ||
| For six months, he exposed himself to women and kids. | ||
| This is who the left is defending today. | ||
| Pedophiles and men that want to go in women's spaces and rape them, assault them, and expose themselves to little girls and our daughters. | ||
| In California, a 17-year-old girl was terrorized by the presence of a man in her locker room while she showered. | ||
| In Georgia, a 51-year-old man pretending to be a woman undressed in the women's restroom and exposed himself to shoppers. | ||
| In Virginia, a girl was sexually assaulted by a biological male in a women's bathroom. | ||
| In Oklahoma, a young woman was beaten for daring to say she was uncomfortable sharing a bathroom with a man. | ||
| This is not theoretical. | ||
| These aren't just random incidents. | ||
| This is an epidemic. | ||
| They are the natural, predictable consequence of policies which pretend biology doesn't matter. | ||
| These are the policies of the left, the policies of Democrats that say, follow the science, except for women, we don't care about you, we hate you, we want to take everything away from you. | ||
| We won't follow the science on this one. | ||
| We've opened the door for predators to abuse women, and girls are daughters. | ||
| Our daughters are growing up with something we never had to distinguish when our generation was growing up. | ||
| We're putting our daughters in imminent danger, in harm's way, and this has to stop. | ||
| Women shouldn't be forced to share their private spaces with men, and this amendment says we're going back to reality. | ||
| Privacy and safety matters. | ||
| Dignity matters. | ||
| Women matter. | ||
| And I encourage my colleagues to protect all women. | ||
| And I urge all members to support this amendment. | ||
| I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentlewoman from South Carolina Reserves, for what purpose does the gentlewoman from California seek to be recognized? | |
| Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition to the amendment. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized for five minutes. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | ||
| I yield to myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| Trans people, including trans service members, deserve basic human dignity and common decency of safely using the restroom. | ||
| But besides that, let's take the gentlelady's point at face value. | ||
| She wants to protect women. | ||
| Great. | ||
| So do I. Bathroom bans do not protect women. | ||
| The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law even did a study on it. | ||
| And there is zero evidence that allowing trans people to use the correct bathroom increases the risk to others. | ||
| In fact, it's actually opposite. | ||
| We have seen that cis women are harassed when people try and enforce or decree bathroom bans. | ||
| Earlier this year, at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Minnesota, a server followed a teenage girl into the women's restroom and demanded she prove she was a girl. | ||
| When the server didn't believe her, she unzipped her hoodie to show she had breasts. | ||
| That is the actual reality of bathroom bans and even the idea of bathroom bans, harassment, discrimination, and body exams. | ||
| We don't need service members acting like vigilantes to enforce this policy either by surveillance, profiling, or physical inspections. | ||
| Our service women go through enough. | ||
| We shouldn't be inviting even more harassment. | ||
| And we don't need this amendment opening up the Pentagon and the entire U.S. government to a massive lawsuit. | ||
| This isn't good policy. | ||
| This doesn't protect women. | ||
| This is based on misinformation, and I urge my colleagues to vote no. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| Gentlewoman reserves. | ||
| Gentlewoman from South Carolina is recognized. | ||
| How much time remains? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Two minutes. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Chair. | ||
| Ironic that my colleague says that women are harassed going into the bathroom. | ||
| Well, that might be because nobody wants a transgender, tranny person in the bathroom with them. | ||
| No one wants biological men in women's spaces. | ||
| And because of this wacko ideology, not based in science, is now pervasive. | ||
| We're teaching it in schools. | ||
| We're forcing kids to use pronouns. | ||
| And we want to protect women because the left has gone so far. | ||
| Not just the left. | ||
| This is mainstream Democrat policy going after our girls. | ||
| And you heard my colleague say there's no evidence literally after I read evidence of incidences of trannies in private spaces assaulting women and underage girls, our daughters, kids. | ||
| They say no evidence exists. | ||
| That's because Democrats will not show you or tell you or share with you the facts. | ||
| But the average American, we see it every day now. | ||
| It's everywhere. | ||
| And people are sick and tired of it. | ||
| And if they want this harassment to stop, then the trannies need to stop harassing the rest of America. | ||
| This is not what the American people want. | ||
| It's not what they voted for. | ||
| And they say that our service members, our service women in uniform, go through enough. | ||
| You're right. | ||
| That's why we don't want this happening. | ||
| That's why we want to protect them. | ||
| And their most intimate moments in the dressing room, no man should be watching them. | ||
| And they talk about lawsuits. | ||
| We don't want more lawsuits. | ||
| I find it ironic because it's Democrats who sue states and sue Republican parties over congressional lines and apportionment and all those things that tie our U.S. elections up in lawsuits. | ||
| It's their party, not ours. | ||
| We're just fighting back and we're going to protect every woman and girl, every single daughter in the United States, but particularly for our service members, our women in uniform. | ||
| The Republican Party is a party of common sense. | ||
| We're the party of normal. | ||
| We're the party of women. | ||
| Thank you, and I yield back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentlewoman yields. | |
| The gentlewoman from California is recognized. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico, Ms. Leger Fernandez. | ||
| Gentlewoman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Republicans have a series of amendments targeting trans people and the ability of service member parents to make decisions about the health care for their children. | ||
| All of these amendments, including this one, do not do anything to make us safer or to honor our commitment to the servicemen and women who are willing to give their lives to this country. | ||
| These amendments are part of a culture war that is intended to make Americans angry, divided, and fearful. | ||
| They want to rename it the Department of War because they are in a war against the idea that the American life is something that includes all of us, that we can all belong. | ||
| Their proposed facilities ban is a huge violation of privacy and would make all women and girls less safe. | ||
| Will Republicans require menstrual monitoring, checking reproductive organs, as has happened, as my colleague pointed out? | ||
| Girls and women who are tall, strong, and gender non-conforming are already being questioned and yelled at. | ||
| Republicans seem to always want to dictate from D.C. what we can do with our bodies, and that's not freedom. | ||
| I stand with all our service members, including our trans service members, who are willing to fight and die for our freedoms. | ||
| I'm going to fight for their freedom to be who they are, to fight for an America where we all belong. | ||
| We should not be at war with each other. | ||
| We all belong. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| The gentlelady from New Mexico yields back. | ||
| The gentlelady from California is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
May I inquire how much time is left? | |
| The gentlelady has one and a half minutes remaining. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| I would just like to point out that I think it's very interesting that my colleague from South Carolina is so obsessed with the issue of trans people, using horrible slurs to talk about them when many people in this body have received gender-affirming care. | ||
| Filler is gender-affirming care. | ||
| Boob Jobs is gender-affirming care. | ||
| Botox is gender-affirming care. | ||
| Lots of my colleagues have received gender-affirming care. | ||
| And let me be clear: I think everyone should have access to the gender-affirming care that they need. | ||
| And I think we should respect everybody in this country. | ||
| With that, I yield back. | ||
| Ridiculous. | ||
| You are absolutely ridiculous. | ||
| The gentleman is now recognized. | ||
| The House will be in order. | ||
| The gentlelady and the gentleman will suspend. | ||
| The House will be in order. | ||
| The gentlelady is now recognized. | ||
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from South Carolina. | ||
| The House will be in order. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Chair, I request. | |
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewomen from South Carolina. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. | ||
| The amendment is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Chairman, I request her words be taken. | |
| Pursuing to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlelady from South Carolina will be postponed. | ||
| Recognize. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentlelady seek recognition? | ||
|
unidentified
|
I request her words be taken down. | |
| The gentlelady was not recognized for that purpose. | ||
|
unidentified
|
For debate. | |
| For debate. | ||
| The House will be in order. | ||
| There is no one that is recognized. | ||
| The chair is prepared to entertain the chair is prepared to move on and recognize the next amendment. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Moran, that's not that. | |
| Sorry, it's this. | ||
| It is now in order to consider amendment number 18, printed in Part A of House Report 119-255. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Speaker, I seek recognition to address the no-flag discretion by base commanders. | |
| The clerk will designate the amendment. | ||
| Amendment number 18, printed in Part A of House Report number 119-255, offered by Mr. Mills of Florida. | ||
|
Pride and the American Flag
00:12:03
|
||
| Pursuant to House Resolution 682, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Mills, and a member opposed will each control five minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | |
| This amendment, what passed the House, the NDAA, last year, would ensure that base commanders follow federal law by ensuring that only approved flags be flown on military installations. | ||
| Patriotic Americans understand that the American flag is to be revered. | ||
| Anybody who has served understands the sacrifice that has been made to keep Old Glory flying. | ||
| And on military basis, it is truly sacred, this symbolic altar of the nation. | ||
| During morning and evening colors, all work ceases as troops salute her, raising and lowering. | ||
| In battle, our forces carry her, wearing them proudly on their sleeves. | ||
| And she serves as the final blanket for soldiers who come home having given and paid the last full measure. | ||
| The 2024 NDAA rightly addressed this issue by codifying an appropriate list of approved flags that uphold the honor and dignity of our military is built on. | ||
| However, there is a glaring error. | ||
| A caveat built into the list gives commanders the ability to fly any flag they deem appropriate. | ||
| And since President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have taken office, the woke infiltration of our military, even at its highest leaders, continues to be exposed. | ||
| The embarrassment of these flags are hard to grasp. | ||
| Drag shows on ships and military installations. | ||
| Base security training teaching guards that pro-life bumper stickers were indicators of possible terrorism. | ||
| And taxpayer-funded gender transition and the hormone treatments that kept soldiers non-deployable for non-trainable for years. | ||
| The list goes on, but the points remain. | ||
| Even still, there are senior officials and officers that refuse to mount the portraits of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth on their chain of command due to insubordination. | ||
| Believe me, these individuals will not last long in our armed forces. | ||
| But I ask you, do you think that commanders that approved and even encouraged all of this to happen would exist or hesitate before deeming a pride trans flag appropriate for the month of June? | ||
| Of course not. | ||
| And it would likely be their idea in the first place. | ||
| Finally, I want to emphasize the power of symbolism. | ||
| Symbols serve as a representation of our values, priorities, and our identity. | ||
| When a company completes a grueling training hike and sees that flag flying over their garrison, it symbolizes home. | ||
| And I promise you that that last mile may feel like a sprint to get to that cloth. | ||
| When a platoon returns from a patrol and re-enters the wire, she symbolizes safety. | ||
| Imagine what our enemies would think that our strength and resiliency if we ever allow flags flown contrary to the principles of America. | ||
| I promise you that as much as this stands as the military standard, it also serves as a deterrence to our adversaries. | ||
| Therefore, I invite my colleagues to vote yes on this important measure and reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida reserves, for what purpose does the gentleman from California seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized for five minutes. | ||
| I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| Mr. Chairman, I do not understand why my colleagues across the aisle are so triggered, triggered by a piece of cloth. | ||
| Yet here we are, for the third year in a row, voting to ban the Pride flag from spaces at the Department of Defense. | ||
| Nearly half of the House Republicans' FY26 appropriation bills include bans on the Pride flag as well. | ||
| I don't know what they think this flag does. | ||
| The Pride flag did not make me gay, and it will not make DOD employees gay either. | ||
| And what displaying a Pride flag does do, however, is send an important signal to LGBTQI plus people that they belong. | ||
| And you know, our Department of Defense, what does it exist for but to defend America, to defend all Americans, to defend the dignity, rights, and freedom of all Americans. | ||
| And so what the flag does do is send an important signal that LGBTQI people belong. | ||
| Displaying pride flags is a way for service members and DOD civilian employees to show that they are committed to creating an affirming and inclusive environment for LGBTQI plus people or a way to celebrate their own identity. | ||
| It does not indicate to exclude anybody else for what they may believe in. | ||
| And at a time when the LGBTQI plus community is under attack, displaying a pride flag is especially important. | ||
| It is particularly offensive that Republicans are seeking to ban this flag at DOD, given that one of the earliest pride flags was created by a former U.S. military officer, Gilbert Baker. | ||
| Mr. Chairman, I believe the American people are fair. | ||
| They support inclusion, and I think they view amendments like this, dictating to federal employees and troops what flags they can have at their workstations, as both ridiculous and extreme government overreach. | ||
| We should be focused on strengthening our military readiness, not censoring the LGBTQI plus community and our allies. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman from California reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining? | |
| The gentleman has two minutes remaining. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | |
| The only thing that was just said by our colleague across the row that I can actually agree with is inclusivity. | ||
| And what is more inclusive than the American flag, the flag that we all honor as American patriots? | ||
| The one thing that we know about the Pride flag is it represents only one portion of those who serve. | ||
| That is not called inclusivity, sir. | ||
| That is called division. | ||
| That is why this is the first time since the previous administration took over, we've actually hit our recruitment numbers in every single branch. | ||
| Something you can't say when it comes to the last administration's efforts. | ||
| So what I look at is this, the 1777 Flag Act, the fact that we actually stand for something that unifies us, not divides us, the fact that we need to get back to meritocracy, not division, through diversity, equity, and inclusion. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, this is very simple. | ||
| It's a patriotic stance. | ||
| The very flag which stands behind you, that stands proud in this capital, are the same ones that sits over our presidents, over our fallen soldiers, and over our military installations. | ||
| That's not division. | ||
| That's not recognition of others' sexual preferences. | ||
| That's the actual acknowledgement of what we fight for day in and day out as Americans. | ||
| With that, I reserve the rest of my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from California is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, thank you. | ||
| I would say in response to the gentleman, the pride flag does not replace the American flag. | ||
| It is flown at certain times of the year. | ||
| And it affirms a huge portion, a significant portion of our military. | ||
| And yes, I agree the American flag is inclusive, but we can also show that we can include an often disparaged minority. | ||
| I'd like to yield one minute of time to my colleague, the gentleman from Oregon, Ms. Dexter. | ||
| The gentlelady from Oregon is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise in opposition to this cruel and callous amendment. | ||
| There are 20 days until the government shuts down, eight legislative days. | ||
| And what are Republicans focused on? | ||
| Flags. | ||
| Pride flags. | ||
| Republicans are spending valuable floor time, time that could be used by the government to lower costs for working families. | ||
| The gentlelady will suspend. | ||
| Does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | ||
| For what purpose? | ||
|
unidentified
|
To identify the fact that that flag violates our House rules by flying any other flag but the American flag. | |
| The chair will remind members who has announced policy, Rohib's flag waving on the floor. | ||
| I am not waving it, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Speaker, simply not waving it. | |
| Time that could be used to fund the government or lower costs for working families trying to ban the display of pride flags in any workplace or common area at the Department of Defense. | ||
| This obsession with attacking, dehumanizing, and villainizing our LGBTQIA plus community is as sick as it is a waste of time. | ||
| Trump is using the same tired playbook authoritarian regimes have used throughout history. | ||
| He is dehumanizing our most vulnerable to divide us and distract us from the fact that his failure to meaningfully improve the lives of the people he was elected to serve. | ||
| We see this for what it is, and we choose to let them win. | ||
| We will not erase the LGBTQIA community. | ||
| Time has expired. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| The gentleman from Florida is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
I want to be very clear in this. | |
| They on the other side may think that we can out-pronoun our enemies and that's going to keep our adversaries at bay, but we can he him, they, them, she, her all day long. | ||
| That is not what makes us strong as America. | ||
| It is the flag in which we wear, the training in which we have, and the meritocracy which should always exist. | ||
| I will continue to fight for every member of our armed services and every single person to know that it is the American flag which will fly high and proud, and we will defend her against all enemies, foreign and domestic. | ||
| With that, I yield. | ||
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| The gentleman from California is recognized for one minute. | ||
| You have one minute remaining. | ||
| I have one minute remaining. | ||
| Oh, thank you. | ||
| Let me just say that I don't understand why the other side believes that LGBTQ people are such a threat to recognize their service in the military, to acknowledge, to allow a flag to be displayed at a workstation or to be flown during Pride Month in certain areas. | ||
| We are a country of inclusion. | ||
| We are a country home of the land of the free and home of the brave. | ||
| And that should include all of us. | ||
| And there's no reason why to think that the fact that we had a policy of inclusion, that we had pride flags at the Department of Defense, that that was the reason why we were falling short of our recruitment goals. | ||
| There was something else going on there. | ||
| This is all crazy talk, and that's why I think more and more Americans think it's the Republican Party that has gone too far with its very extreme views about LGBTQI plus people and the fence. | ||
| I yield back, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| All time for debate on this issue has expired. | ||
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Florida. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Aye. | ||
| Those opposed say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. | ||
| Record a vote. | ||
| Pursuant to clause six of Rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Florida will be postponed. | ||
| The chair understands that amendment number 19 will not be offered. | ||
| It is now in order to consider amendment number 20 printed in part A of House Report 119-255. | ||
|
Amendment to Prohibit Lab-Grown Meat
00:15:26
|
||
| For what purpose does the gentlelady from Georgia seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise as the designee for the gentleman from Ohio, and I have an amendment at the desk. | ||
| The clerk will designate the amendment. | ||
| Amendment number 20, printed in part A of House Report number 119-255, offered by Ms. Green of Georgia. | ||
| Pursuant to House Resolution 682, the gentlelady from Georgia and a member opposed each will control five minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentlelady from Georgia, Ms. Green. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I rise today on behalf of my friend and colleague, Congressman Warren Davidson from Ohio, who's a proud Army Ranger. | ||
| And I am offering his amendment to prohibit the Department of War from researching or procuring lab-grown meat. | ||
| This amendment prohibits the Department of War funding from being used on the research, production, advancement, or enhancement of cell-cultured meat, which is fake meat. | ||
| It's not even real meat. | ||
| Over the years, climate activists have tried to push experimental food alternatives on the American public. | ||
| The latest product they are peddling to us is cell-cultured fake meat. | ||
| What's worse is they have been trying to push this experimental product on our U.S. service members like they are lab rats, all in an attempt to put America's ranchers and farmers out of business. | ||
| Our great men and women in our military are not lab rats, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| In 2024, the Defense Department announced up to $500 million in grant funding for the development of lab-grown meat products. | ||
| In case anyone at home is wondering if this is real, yes, it was real and it happened. | ||
| Last year, small farms and mom-and-pop operations across the country raised their voices in outrage against this ill-considered initiative. | ||
| We won and got the DOD to back off on trying to put our farmers out of business while trying to feed our soldiers fake, poisonous garbage. | ||
| It is now time to codify this win into law, and it's important to do so with the fiscal year 26 NDAA. | ||
| That's why this amendment is so important. | ||
| A product this experimental has many unresolved safety and environmental concerns. | ||
| These products are not yet approved for retail sale in grocery stores. | ||
| It should not be tested on our brave service members who put their lives at stake for this country. | ||
| I urge the adoption of this amendment, and Mr. Speaker, I reserve the remainder of my time. | ||
| The gentlelady from Georgia reserves the gentlelady for what purpose does the gentlelady from California seek recognition? | ||
|
unidentified
|
I rise to claim the time in opposition to the amendment. | |
| The gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | |
| I rise today in opposition to Amendment 20, which would place blanket statutory ban on any DOD research, development, procurement, or promotion when it comes to cultivated cell-based meat. | ||
| Let's be clear. | ||
| This isn't about whether the Pentagon is going to serve cultivated meat tomorrow. | ||
| It's about whether we let our military continue doing what it has always done best, and that's preparing for the future. | ||
| Readiness has always been America's edge. | ||
| Our military leads the world because we don't close doors, we open them. | ||
| We evaluate every tool, every technology, every option that might keep our service members better supplied and better prepared for future missions. | ||
| This amendment does just the opposite. | ||
| It ties our hands. | ||
| It says don't even consider it. | ||
| Meanwhile, China has already made cultivated meat a national priority in its five-year plan, scaling up production, while countries like Singapore, Israel, Australia, and the UK are moving forward as well. | ||
| If cultivated meat helps deliver cheaper, scalable protein solutions, do we really want China setting the standards, dominating the intellectual property, and reaping the jobs this burgeoning industry creates? | ||
| I have spoken directly with senior DOD officials who have shared with me the potential benefits cultivated meat could bring to readiness, from operating in harsh bases to sustaining missions where supply lines are contested or disrupted. | ||
| Keeping the option open for DOD research and evaluation ensures we remain competitive and ensures U.S. leadership in the broader protein biotech space that underpin global supply chains. | ||
| Voting no on this amendment preserves the military's discretion. | ||
| Let me say that again, preserves the military's discretion to explore a technology that could strengthen readiness, create U.S. jobs, and help maintain our competitive edge. | ||
| This ban doesn't save money. | ||
| It doesn't improve readiness. | ||
| All it does is close off technology others are racing to develop while handing China a free lane in a strategic biotech domain. | ||
| So I urge my colleagues to vote no on this amendment to ensure DOD can test, validate, or reject technology on the merits, not because of short-sighted anti-science ideology. | ||
| I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentlelady from California reserves her time. | ||
| The gentlelady from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| You know, it's so interesting to listen to my Democrat colleague across the aisle talk about China and how China made cultivated meat a national priority, and so we should too. | ||
| That's pretty shocking. | ||
| Don't forget that the COVID virus was made in Wuhan, China, released upon the world. | ||
| And look at the consequences from that. | ||
| Never forget it was the Democrats that were all about forcing poisonous vaccines into people's bodies against their will. | ||
| And we saw the devastating impacts on that on many military members. | ||
| Myocarditis, nerve conditions, heart problems, heart attacks, and many reported issues, not just on the military, but the American people. | ||
| As a matter of fact, there's vaccine injuries and deaths that have not been investigated to this day. | ||
| But now Democrats want to continue to force our great men and women in the military to eat fake, lab-grown meat. | ||
| That's repulsive and disgusting. | ||
| I can tell you right now, myself, along with my Republican colleagues, want to feed our great men and women in the military ribeyes and those that are grown right here on good old USA farms. | ||
| I think our men and women in the military, in order to quote my colleague across the aisle, to have readiness, to be ready and prepared for war, they need to be as healthy and fit as possible. | ||
| And I would argue that lab-grown, disgusting fake meat is not going to make them ready, not going to make them healthy, not going to make them fit, and not going to make them the best possible shape they can be in to go to war. | ||
| God forbid they go to war. | ||
| I don't want to see them go to war either. | ||
| You know, they talk about this fake meat being a tool or an option to keep them better supplied. | ||
| I think it's repulsive. | ||
| I think it's an insult. | ||
| And I can't imagine anyone signing up for the military saying, I can't wait to eat a big old portion of nasty lab-grown fake meat. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I reserve. | ||
| Lady from Georgia reserves. | ||
| The gentlelady from California is recognized for informational purposes. | ||
| You have one and a half minutes remaining. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | |
| I will just say that, yes, I want to be competitive with China's military and their readiness, first and foremost. | ||
| Second, our DOD officials are talking about the future. | ||
| They're not talking about today. | ||
| They're talking about preparedness for the future. | ||
| If you want a ribeyed steak, cultivated meats can create that, and I assure you, it will be delicious. | ||
| And they will love it. | ||
| They will not know the difference. | ||
| Our military will not know the difference. | ||
| Look, if we take this even out of the military, this is about investing in a new industry in our country that both Democrats and Republicans support because it is an opportunity for us to move and lead this as opposed to having China or Singapore or Israel or Australia already leading in this. | ||
| We want to be competitive in the global marketplace. | ||
| We want our military to be ready. | ||
| This is about the future. | ||
| This is about research. | ||
| This is about science saying it's either good or it's bad. | ||
| But to move forward with the research so that we know what our options are for the future for our military who might be deployed on an offshore island somewhere where there's no access to food whatsoever except for what they can develop. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| The gentlelady from California yields back. | ||
| The gentlelady from Georgia is recognized for her one minute remaining. | ||
| My Democrat colleague across the aisle just said it's about the science. | ||
| Boy, where have we heard that one before? | ||
| I think everyone in the country remembers the past few years of forced mandated COVID vaccines. | ||
| When it becomes about the science and not about feeding our men and women in the military good, cultivated real meat, then it's a serious problem. | ||
| Being competitive with China, according to the Democrats, means being just like China, a communist country that America should never be like at all. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I'll finish this. | ||
| When Democrats are saying that they won't know the difference when they're being fed fake meat versus real meat and they'll love it, I think that's the most terrifying thing we can hear. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this amendment and I yield. | ||
| The gentlelady from Georgia yields back. | ||
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlelady from Georgia. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Request a recorded vote. | |
| Pursuant to Clause 6 of Rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlelady from Georgia will be postponed. | ||
| It is now in order to consider Amendment 21, printed in Part A of House Report 119-255. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Georgia seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk. | ||
| The clerk will designate the amendment. | ||
| Amendment number 21, printed in part A of House Report number 119-255, offered by Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia. | ||
| Pursuant to House Resolution 682, the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Scott, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| First, I want to thank my friend Mr. Panetta and Mr. Carverhall from the Democratic Party for being a sponsor of this amendment as well, making it bipartisan. | ||
| My amendment authorized the Secretary of Defense to carry out a security assistance program known as the Baltic Security Initiative for purposes of expanding security cooperation with the Armed Forces of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. | ||
| This assistance program has been in existence since the first Trump administration in fiscal year 2020. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield one minute to my friend Salud Carbajal. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| The gentleman from California is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Representative Scott. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| In the spirit of bipartisanship, I rise to speak in support of my colleague from Georgia's amendment to authorize the Baltic Security Initiative. | ||
| This amendment comes up at a crucial time. | ||
| Just last week, the administration announced the U.S. would be pulling out of all security assistance programs for Europe, including the BSI. | ||
| I have had the privilege of traveling to the Baltics. | ||
| When you speak with the people there, it is not a question of if Russia will invade. | ||
| It's a matter of when. | ||
| Now is the time to stand firm in our support of these allied nations to detour Russian aggression. | ||
| What type of signal does cutting support send to the Kremlin? | ||
| Cutting off the BSI is a massive gift to Putin. | ||
| Deterring the war between Russia and NATO is in our best national security interest. | ||
| I urge a yes vote. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| The gentleman from California yields back. | ||
| The gentleman from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I'd like to yield one minute and a half to Mr. Turner from Ohio. | ||
| The gentleman from Ohio is recognized for one and a half minutes. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | |
| I want to thank Representative Scott for offering this amendment. | ||
| This is incredibly important to secure the funding for the Baltic Security Initiative. | ||
| The Baltic Security Initiative, which has assisted the states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, important NATO allies, which have contributed well above the 2% NATO benchmark and who have committed to reach the 5% GDP of defense spending in the upcoming years are vulnerable NATO allies. | ||
| We are debating this amendment at a time where Russia's bombs have just fallen upon NATO ally Poland. | ||
| It is important that we secure this funding. | ||
| The Baltic states have contributed about $10 for every dollar of U.S. funding that has gone into the Baltic Security Initiative. | ||
| Why this is important is this is the U.S. portion of funding for training that has been the U.S. participation as part of Baltic exercises in the area that has ensured and been a part of deterrence to say to Russia, we will be there. | ||
|
NATO's Stand Against Russia
00:06:18
|
||
|
unidentified
|
We're part of the NATO alliance and ensuring that the Baltics will be secured. | |
| It has also been a statement against Russian aggression as we've been trying to secure and make a statement as they have been attacking with their murderous attacks against Ukraine, as we've also been trying to stand up and ensure that as they look to expand and threaten Poland that we'll be there for them. | ||
| I yield. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| The gentleman from Ohio's time has expired. | ||
| The gentleman from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I reserve. | ||
| The gentleman from Georgia reserves. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Missouri seek recognition? | ||
|
unidentified
|
To speak upon the amendment. | |
| Does the gentleman wish to speak in opposition to the amendment? | ||
|
unidentified
|
No. | |
| Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is not recognized with, does the gentleman from Georgia, may I inquire how much time is remaining? | ||
| The gentleman has two minutes remaining. | ||
| Okay. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman from Missouri technically claimed time in opposition to the amendment, without objection, he could then speak in favor of the amendment. | ||
| I claim the time in opposition, though I am not opposed. | ||
|
unidentified
|
I claim the time in opposition, though I am not opposed. | |
| Without objection, the gentleman from Missouri is recognized for five minutes. | ||
|
unidentified
|
We must continue to stand with our Baltic allies who remain on the front lines of Russian aggression. | |
| Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are strong democratic partners that contribute significantly to NATO's collective defense. | ||
| What we saw last night is a reminder of why this amendment is so critical. | ||
| Vladimir Putin's aggression will not end with Ukraine. | ||
| His goal is to reassert control over the former Soviet spear, including NATO allies like the Baltic states. | ||
| Yet what is concerning is the current administration has already announced plans to suspend key European security programs, including the Baltic Security Initiative. | ||
| And this is not peace through strength. | ||
| It is weakness that plays directly into Putin's hands. | ||
| Turning our backs on NATO allies would embolden dictators and further undermine American credibility. | ||
| Walking away would send a dangerous signal to Putin and Xi Jinping. | ||
| We cannot strip away resources from allies confronting Russian aggression or leave a vacuum for our enemies to exploit. | ||
| Instead, we must reaffirm our commitment, strengthen our alliances, and provide the tools our partners need to deter aggression and defend democracy. | ||
| I am proud to co-sponsor this bipartisan amendment. | ||
| I am proud to stand with our Baltic allies and with Ukraine in the fight for freedom and global democracy. | ||
| Does the gentleman yield back? | ||
| The gentleman reserves, the gentleman from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I now recognize Mr. Bacon, the gentleman from Nebraska for a minute and a half. | ||
| The gentleman from Nebraska is recognized for a minute and a half. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I 100% support the Baltic Security Initiative. | ||
| All three countries are our best friends. | ||
| They embrace freedom, democracy, free markets, and the rule of law, and no one has embraced our values like these Baltic states. | ||
| These countries are on the front lines with Russia. | ||
| They see the treachery of the Russia's invasion of Ukraine and know very well they could be next. | ||
| Why don't the political appointees of the Pentagon see this? | ||
| It is clear to most that this is the case. | ||
| Every family in the Baltics knows someone shot by the Soviets or sent to Siberia to die. | ||
| They have this experience. | ||
| And the Baltic people know the harsh reality of living under the Russian thumb and know that they could be next if Ukraine falls. | ||
| The Baltic leads the way on defense spending. | ||
| They spend more defense per GDP than the United States. | ||
| They spent more on Ukraine per GDP than us. | ||
| This amendment is necessary because there are some appointees in the Pentagon who've embraced a foolish policy of decoupling from Europe and weakening our leadership in NATO. | ||
| And we've got to stand up to we need to do our Article I powers a day and be counted what we believe in. | ||
| What happens if we withdraw from the Baltics? | ||
| Well, first, no one will be more happy than Russia's Putin. | ||
| Secondly, deterrence will be weakened and war in Europe becomes more likely if we withdraw. | ||
| So strong support for the Baltic Security Initiative is a vote for deterrence. | ||
| It's a vote to stand by our allies and to oppose a dictator who's invading its neighbors. | ||
| I yield. | ||
| The gentleman from Nebraska yields back. | ||
| The gentleman from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I reserve. | ||
| May I inquire how much time is left? | ||
| The gentleman has 30 seconds left. | ||
| The gentleman from Georgia reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Missouri is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
I reserve. | |
| The gentleman from Missouri reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, this is an extremely important program. | ||
| It was originally done in fiscal year 2020 under the Trump administration. | ||
| Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, they deserve our support. | ||
| And if you look at what happened last night with the Russian incursion of drones into Poland, I think it is now more than ever necessary that we make sure that these countries have what they need to defend themselves from Vladimir Putin's aggression. | ||
| Does the gentleman yield back? | ||
| The gentleman from Georgia yields back. | ||
| The gentleman from Missouri is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
I urge my colleagues to support the amendment, and I yield back. | |
| The gentleman from Missouri yields back. | ||
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. | ||
| The amendment is agreed to. | ||
| It is now in order to consider Amendment No. 22, printed in Part A of House Report 119-255. | ||
|
Ukrainians Defending Ukraine
00:13:23
|
||
| For what purpose does the gentlewoman from Georgia seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk. | ||
| The clerk will designate the amendment. | ||
| Amendment number 22, printed in Part A of House Report number 119-255, offered by Ms. Green of Georgia. | ||
| Pursuant to House Resolution 682, the gentlewoman from Georgia, Ms. Green, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Georgia. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| My amendment will provide, my amendment prohibits the assistance to Ukraine and the NDAA. | ||
| This bill provides approximately $700 million in funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative over fiscal year 2026 and 2027 for training, equipment, lethal assistance, supplies and services, and intelligence support to the military and national security forces of Ukraine. | ||
| The administration has even raised strong objections against extending the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and authorizing additional funding for it. | ||
| Yet somehow the NDAA contains $700 million. | ||
| The administration said, and this comes from the letter from the office of the OMB, the administration strongly objects to sections 1223 and 1227 as these provisions extend the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and authorize additional funding. | ||
| Similarly, the administration objects to Section 1224, which requires the creation of depot-level maintenance plan in conjunction with the Ukrainian government. | ||
| Furthermore, the administration strongly objects to Section 1228, which usurps the administration's authority to dictate the terms of its intelligence support to the Ukrainian government. | ||
| These four provisions do not advance the administration's objective to end the conflict in Ukraine. | ||
| That's the key point. | ||
| The administration wants to end the conflict in Ukraine. | ||
| Ukraine is not a NATO member nation. | ||
| We are not contractually bound to provide their protection. | ||
| And need I remind everyone here that we're $37 trillion in debt, $37 trillion. | ||
| We should not have to be sending more American tax dollars over to defend Ukraine and the people of Ukraine when Ukrainians themselves are coming to our country and getting murdered on trains, subway trains. | ||
| Irina Zarutska was brutally murdered by an American man as she was riding on a subway train. | ||
| Yet we're sending $700 million more dollars to Ukraine. | ||
| The American people would like that $700 million spent here to keep people safe and stop senseless, insane murders. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I reserve. | ||
| The gentlelady from Georgia reserves. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Washington seek recognition? | ||
| I rise to claim the time in opposition. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized for five minutes. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I yield myself one minute. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| This amendment would be very destructive to achieving peace in Ukraine. | ||
| I agree with the gentlelady. | ||
| That should be the goal. | ||
| But what has been clear for quite some time is that Putin will only stop his war when it is clear that he cannot achieve his objectives in Ukraine. | ||
| President Trump showing weakness on that issue, literally rolling out the red carpet for Putin, has only made the war worse. | ||
| Ever since President Trump has tried to blame the war on Zelensky and Ukraine, Putin has ramped up the war, launching more aggressive attacks than he ever has in the three and a half years of the war, and most recently, sending drones over Poland as well. | ||
| Weakness invites aggression. | ||
| And I know the proponent of this amendment says that many, many times, but apparently doesn't recognize weakness when she sees it. | ||
| That is what cutting off Ukraine does. | ||
| You want to stop the war, back the 53-nation coalition that is supporting Ukraine, and making it clear to Putin he's not going to win. | ||
| That forces him to the peace table. | ||
| Showing weakness, backing off, undermining the coalition only extends the war. | ||
| Please defeat this amendment. | ||
| I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman reserves. | ||
| The gentlelady from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, the American people have war fatigue, not just war fatigue. | ||
| They're absolutely fed up, absolutely fed up with funding foreign wars, defending foreign nations' borders. | ||
| While here in America, many cities are completely unsafe, and senseless murders go on and on. | ||
| My amendment would reorient defense policies and priorities to America only by prohibiting all assistance to Ukraine. | ||
| This lines up completely what Trump's administration has asked for. | ||
| For some reason, Congress has decided they want to keep funding the war, funding the killing in Ukraine. | ||
| To date, Congress has provided that, I'm sorry, not Congress. | ||
| U.S. taxpayers have provided over $175 billion in assistance to Ukraine, including direct military aid, funding for their government, and essentially funding for their entire economy. | ||
| Mind you, this was while American businesses were shut down during COVID lockdowns, and our border was completely overrun. | ||
| Everyone needs to understand it wasn't Putin killing Americans. | ||
| It was the cartels killing Americans and insane murderers and criminals on our own city streets in our own country. | ||
| I'm going to remind everyone, the American people are broke, and the people in this room are responsible for that on both sides of the aisle. | ||
| $37 trillion in debt is no joke. | ||
| And I say that on behalf of my children's generation, and they're all in their 20s. | ||
| So I want to know how deep are we going to continue digging the grave to bury our children and our grandchildren? | ||
| I'll have no part of it. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| The gentlelady from Georgia reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Washington is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Chairman, sadly, the gentlelady has had a big part of it, just voted for a budget that would add $4 trillion to the debt. | ||
| So I don't know that's a particularly consistent position. | ||
| But with that, I will yield one minute to the gentleman from Nebraska, Mr. Bacon. | ||
| The gentleman from Nebraska, Mr. Bacon, is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I stand 100% opposed to this amendment. | ||
| I'm a Reagan and Eisenhower Republican, a post-World War II conservative. | ||
| I believe in peace through strength, strong allies, and we're the world's leader in defense of freedom. | ||
| And we do not cower to bullies. | ||
| Russia invaded Ukraine because it wants what they call little Russians to be their vassal state. | ||
| Ukrainians have suffered for decades and centuries under Russia. | ||
| Four million Ukrainians killed alone in the 1930s purposefully. | ||
| A Ukrainian victory is in our national security interests. | ||
| A thriving Ukraine that is a democracy with free markets is in our national security interest. | ||
| If Ukraine falls, and you can assume Moldova, Georgia, and others will also fall. | ||
| Russia will also threaten the Baltic countries. | ||
| Our military aid is necessary and cost-effective. | ||
| If we lose here, it will cost a lot more. | ||
| We have to remind ourselves the Russians are bombing cities every single day, kidnapping kids, murdering POWs. | ||
| We've got to stand on the right side of this issue. | ||
| We are on the side of freedom. | ||
| It's not conservative to appease Putin, nor is it conservative to have a lack of moral clarity who's at fault at this war. | ||
| And it's not a conservative position to embrace isolationism. | ||
| So with that, I stand with two-thirds of America, and I oppose this amendment. | ||
| The gentleman from Washington is recognized. | ||
| Does the gentleman reserve? | ||
| Well, I would inquire as to how much time is left. | ||
| The gentleman has two and three-quarter minutes remaining. | ||
| Does the gentleman reserve? | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| The gentleman reserves. | ||
| The gentlelady from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I will push back on what my Republican colleague just said. | ||
| Ukraine is not our national security interest. | ||
| Our national debt is a matter of national security for United States of American citizens. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| Gentlelady from Georgia reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Washington is recognized. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I yield one minute. | ||
| The gentleman from Connecticut, Mr. Courtney. | ||
| The gentleman from Connecticut is recognized for one minute. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | |
| Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment, which would have our nation turn its back on the brave people of Ukraine in their greatest hour of need by cutting off all military assistance. | ||
| As we stand here today, Russia's illegal invasion, which is now in its fourth year, is intensifying to the highest levels of the war, despite all the oily, phony, happy talk coming from Vladimir Putin about seeking peace. | ||
| On Sunday, Russia launched the largest drone assault of the war with 805 drones, 13 cruise missiles, killing five people and hitting the Ukraine cabinet ministry. | ||
| The Tuesday before, a glide bomb killed 23 Ukrainians. | ||
| Just last night, Russia and Belarusian drones made 19 hits in sovereign Polish airspace, scrambling NATO F-35s and F-16s to fend off civilian casualties. | ||
| It was Ukraine's Air Force that alerted their neighbors in Poland to these blatantly illegal incursions, demonstrating Ukraine's commitment to protecting not only their own population, but to the rest of Europe. | ||
| If this amendment were to pass, it would cripple not only Ukraine's legal right to defend itself, but also our NATO treaty allies. | ||
| I yield. | ||
| The gentleman yields back. | ||
| The gentleman from Washington is recognized. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| The gentleman reserves. | ||
| The gentlelady from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I missed that part in my civic lessons and pretty much every single United States map I've ever seen where Ukraine is the 51st state. | ||
| In fact, it's not. | ||
| And it's shameful that in the United States House of Representatives, more United States members of Congress fight for money and fight for the defense of a foreign country than they actually fight for their own people. | ||
| I think members of Congress should have to wear sponsors like NASCAR race cars have to wear for which country they represent and which industry that they are shilling for. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of my amendment, no more money to Ukraine. | ||
| Let's end the war. | ||
| I yield. | ||
| The gentleman from Washington is recognized. | ||
| No more money for Ukraine will not end the war, and this is absolutely in the interests of United States national security. | ||
| And with that, I yield one minute to the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Turner. | ||
| The gentleman from Ohio is recognized for one minute. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Speaker, I oppose this amendment. | |
| Russia is murdering innocent civilians in Ukraine. | ||
| Our support to Ukraine opposes Russia's murderous aggression. | ||
| Ukraine is fighting on the front lines against Russian aggression. | ||
| Vladimir Putin is threatening NATO's eastern flank, including the Balkans. | ||
| Russian drones have flown over Poland. | ||
| It is unbelievable that after Poland has been threatened, that today we are even debating this amendment. | ||
| It has been warned that U.S. disengagement in Ukraine would fracture NATO unity, undermine deterrence, and invite broader conflict in Europe. | ||
| We should oppose this amendment. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| The gentleman from Ohio yields back. | ||
| The gentleman from Washington is recognized. | ||
| You have 30 seconds remaining. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I'm prepared to close. | ||
| I agree with all the arguments that were made. | ||
| I think the most crucial point here is the United States of America is the most economically powerful country in the history of the world. | ||
| That has been the case since the end of World War II. | ||
| A large part of that is because of our efforts to work with the rest of the world to maintain peace and security. | ||
| Sadly, it just doesn't end at our borders. | ||
| Peace and security in the world is in the best interest of the American people, and we see the economic prosperity we have enjoyed because of it. | ||
| That is what Ukraine is about and why we should continue to support them. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| The gentleman yields back. | ||
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Georgia. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. | ||
| Mr. Chair. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Washington seek recognition? | ||
| Request a recorded vote. | ||
| Pursuant to clause six of Rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlelady from Georgia will be postponed. | ||
| It is now in order to consider amendment number 23 printed in part A of House Report 119-255. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentlelady from Georgia seek recognition? | ||
|
Amendment Stripped Funding
00:15:20
|
||
| Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk. | ||
| The clerk will designate the amendment. | ||
| Amendment number 23, printed in part A of House Report number 119-255. | ||
| Offered by Ms. Green of Georgia. | ||
| Pursuant to House Resolution 682, the gentlelady from Georgia, Ms. Green, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentlelady from Georgia. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| My amendment strikes funding for overseas humanitarian disaster and civic aid program. | ||
| My amendment strikes $115 million in foreign aid funding to the overseas humanitarian disaster and civic aid programs of the Department of Defense. | ||
| I'm sorry, the War Department. | ||
| You see, the United States government is not a charity, and the American people are some of the most generous people in the world, all by themselves, without the government taking their hard-earned tax dollars and sending it to wherever they want. | ||
| You see, this account funds three different programs. | ||
| Humanitarian assistance helps nations with disaster preparedness, public health support, basic infrastructure support. | ||
| Humanitarian Mine Action Program provides assistance to nations to help them safely eliminate unexploded mines. | ||
| Disaster relief supports disaster relief in foreign countries. | ||
| 2023 and 2024, the department provided support for responses in Haiti, Turkey, northern Syria, Philippines, Libya, and Gaza. | ||
| And while we're compassionate to people around the world suffering from national disasters and many other issues, think of our own national disasters and problems that we face here in our own homeland. | ||
| Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton, the Lahaina wildfires, the LA wildfires, the Texas flooding, the opioid epidemic, and in northwest Georgia, the drinking water is also polluted with forever chemicals. | ||
| These are the issues that the American people care about. | ||
| These are the issues that the American people pay their taxes for. | ||
| And $115 million shouldn't be sent to go sit in an account somewhere ready to go pay money off to every foreign country and every foreign country need. | ||
| We're $37 trillion in debt, and I cannot believe that we can't cut spending here in this body that has created that debt. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I reserve. | ||
| The gentlelady from Georgia reserves, for what purpose does the gentleman from Washington seek recognition? | ||
| To claim the time in opposition. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized for five minutes. | ||
| I yield myself two minutes. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Basically, what this amendment says, as the gentlelady was saying, we are a compassionate nation. | ||
| She's saying she wishes we weren't, basically. | ||
| We need to stop being a compassionate nation. | ||
| And this is $115 million. | ||
| I will remind everybody that the budget bill that the gentlelady and the sponsor of this amendment voted for added $4 trillion to the debt. | ||
| Why don't we start there? | ||
| There's a basic argument here. | ||
| Why does the U.S. engage in foreign aid? | ||
| There's four real arguments to that. | ||
| Number one, economics. | ||
| We, again, are the most economically powerful nation in the world. | ||
| We have the largest economy. | ||
| We've benefited the most. | ||
| If we can help other countries generate economies, we have access to those markets. | ||
| They will buy our stuff. | ||
| It grows our economy. | ||
| It has worked spectacularly well for 80 years. | ||
| Number two, disease and health. | ||
| Sadly, those things don't know borders. | ||
| Ebola, a variety of different other diseases can spread and come back here. | ||
| So if we work with the rest of the world to prevent it before it comes here, that is to our benefit. | ||
| Third is a matter of national security and safety. | ||
| 9-11 happened because things were going wrong in other parts of the world and they came here. | ||
| And it absolutely impacted people in the United States of America. | ||
| The idea that this has no impact on our citizens doesn't matter just fails to recognize it is not the 19th century anymore. | ||
| It is a globally connected world that impacts us. | ||
| And the last argument I would make: make America great again. | ||
| We're supposed to be the most compassionate nation. | ||
| We run around the world telling everybody how great we are, how much we're better than everybody else in the world. | ||
| And this amendment basically says, screw you, we don't care. | ||
| We should be a great nation. | ||
| We should be willing to set aside $115 million in a $14 trillion economy to help other parts of the world that are less fortunate than us. | ||
| If we want to make that claim, then we ought to live up to it to at least this tiny, tiny little degree. | ||
| This is a heartless, uncompassionate amendment. | ||
| Please defeat it. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| The gentleman reserves, the gentlelady from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, we're $37 trillion in debt. | ||
| Fiscal year 2024 was the first year that the U.S. spent more on interest payments than on national defense. | ||
| Spending on interest was more than all the money spent on veterans, education, and transportation combined. | ||
| That's for America, not the rest of the world. | ||
| Interest costs will keep rising, crowding out other priorities, and not only burden future generations, but cripple them. | ||
| 300 Americans die every single day from drug overdoses. | ||
| And in 2024, 17.6 veterans committed suicide every single day. | ||
| And there were over 30,000 homeless veterans. | ||
| These are American problems. | ||
| These are the issues we should be spending Americans' hard-earned tax dollars on instead of shoving them off and just saying, we can't wait to give American money to the rest of the world for whatever they need. | ||
| But yet we kick Americans right in the face and say, no, no money for you. | ||
| According to the Department of Education, 85% of black students lack proficiency in mathematics and reading skills. | ||
| 40% of high schools in Baltimore did not have a single student score proficiently in math in 2023. | ||
| Not a single student. | ||
| But we got to send another $115 million for somebody else's flood or problem or issue because, you know, God forbid, the government not jump in and send money to foreign countries. | ||
| This is a shame, and this is hurting America. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I reserve. | ||
| The gentlelady from Georgia Reserves, the gentleman from Washington is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Chair. | ||
| I yield one minute to the gentlelady from California, Ms. Jacobs. | ||
| The gentlelady from California is recognized for one minute. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| The Overseas Humanitarian Disaster and Civic Aid Account empowers the U.S. to be a global first responder, advancing our humanitarian goals and strategic interests at the same time. | ||
| This fund makes humanitarian responses possible that otherwise wouldn't be. | ||
| It enables the quick delivery of food, water, shelter, medical supplies, and transportation during natural disasters or humanitarian crises in areas that are too hard for NGOs and other U.S. agencies to reach as quickly. | ||
| That means more lives saved. | ||
| This account also is used to fund the removal of dangerous landmines and other unexploded ornaments that could harm civilians, something I know the amendment sponsor has been vocal about in the past. | ||
| And this fund helps showcase the U.S. military in a positive light, leading with our values and capabilities while strengthening partnerships and alliances. | ||
| For example, just a few years ago, Odaka provided critical humanitarian assistance to Afghan special immigrant visa applicants after the collapse of the Afghan government. | ||
| Compared to the rest of the defense budget, the Odaka's budget is modest, but its impact is huge. | ||
| It yields massive returns in lives saved, crises stabilized, and partnerships strengthened. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment. | ||
| The gentlelady from California yields back. | ||
| The gentleman from Washington is recognized. | ||
| The reserve. | ||
| The gentleman from Washington reserves. | ||
| The gentlelady from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, $115 million is a lot of money, especially when our interest is bigger than our own military budget. | ||
| We have a serious crisis right now, and it's our national debt. | ||
| And the American people have been through unbelievable crises, hurricanes have been through wildfires, every kind of national disaster you can imagine, natural disaster you can imagine, but also disasters caused by our own government. | ||
| And yet the people in this room are tone deaf, absolutely tone deaf. | ||
| If it were up to my Democrat colleagues, they would just keep digging the hole of debt and sending all of the hard-earned money here in America overseas for every single issue there is. | ||
| I'll reiterate, Americans donate more money to worldwide charities than any other country on earth. | ||
| And so if Americans want to be able to check a box on their IRS tax return that says, send here some extra money, I want to send over for humanitarian aid, by God, let them do it. | ||
| But they shouldn't be forced to do it at gunpoint, and this body should not force them to do that. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield the remainder of my time. | ||
| Gentlelady yields back. | ||
| The gentleman from Washington is recognized. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I yield myself the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| I mean, there's two aspects of this. | ||
| One is a budget debate. | ||
| And it's fascinating. | ||
| We're having this passionate debate about $115 million. | ||
| And we didn't apparently have that debate when we passed the budget resolution that the sponsor of this amendment voted for that added $4 trillion to the debt. | ||
| All those passionate speeches about the debt, the deficit, and its impacts, absolutely real. | ||
| But how can you ignore that? | ||
| Vote for the $4 trillion debt, and they are all passionate about $115 million. | ||
| Also, it is not true that we do nothing for the American people. | ||
| It's somewhere around $6.5 trillion budget. | ||
| That's $115 million. | ||
| So let's not act like we're not funding those other priorities. | ||
| We are funding those other priorities. | ||
| And then the second piece of this is: does this benefit the United States of America to spend this money to help the rest of the world deal with disasters? | ||
| As I explained earlier, it 100% does. | ||
| Would it make sense for us to do as the gentlelady has suggested we're doing to fund every single crisis all around the world? | ||
| No, it wouldn't. | ||
| And we don't. | ||
| We spend $115 million to try to help the rest of the world with public health disasters and natural disasters, which does benefit us. | ||
| So all of the arguments about the debt and the deficit, please don't take those seriously from a group of people who just voted for increasing the debt by $4 trillion. | ||
| This is $115 million that is absolutely in the best interest of the United States of America. | ||
| It will help us. | ||
| Please defeat this amendment. | ||
| And with that, I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Washington yields back. | ||
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlelady from Georgia. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. | ||
| Mr. Chair. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Washington seek recognition? | ||
| I request a recorded vote. | ||
| Pursuant to clause six of Rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlelady from Georgia will be postponed. | ||
| It is now in order to consider amendment number 24, printed in Part A of the House Report 119-255. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentlelady from Georgia seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk. | ||
| The clerk will designate the amendment. | ||
| Amendment number 24, printed in part A of House Report number 119-255. | ||
| Over by Ms. Green of Georgia. | ||
| Pursuant to House Resolution 682, the gentlelady from Georgia, Ms. Green, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentlelady from Georgia. | ||
| My amendment strikes the funding for Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. | ||
| This amendment would strike $1 billion in military assistance to Taiwan. | ||
| This funding will be used to provide a wide variety of assistance, including planes, drones, missile defense, munitions, and more. | ||
| However, this is an increase of $700 million from the fiscal year 25 NDAA, which authorized only $300 million. | ||
| So this is quite a jump in funding. | ||
| The entire defense budget of Taiwan is less than $20 billion. | ||
| We've given Taiwan over $2 billion in funding and munitions over the last two years. | ||
| Increasing foreign aid to Taiwan will only increase their reliance on the U.S. | ||
| And increasing funding by $700 million to $1 billion when our own interest on our debt is over our entire military budget is America last. | ||
| The United States is $37 trillion in debt, and in fiscal year 24, the government spent over $1.8 trillion more than it took in. | ||
| And the interest alone on our debt has exceeded $1 trillion. | ||
| We can't afford to fund other countries' militaries and secure other countries' borders. | ||
| Before we start worrying about Taiwan's borders or Ukraine's borders, we should focus on deporting every single illegal alien who invaded our borders, broke our laws, raped our women and children, and murdered our people. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I reserve. | ||
| Gentlelady from Georgia Reserves, for what purpose does the gentlelady from Hawaii seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I yield myself two minutes in opposition. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I claim my time in opposition. | ||
| The gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| I rise in strong opposition to this amendment to striking funding for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. | ||
| Coming from Hawaii on the front lines of the Indo-Pacific, I know firsthand how critically important it is to keep our ties in this region strong. | ||
| The Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative is not just another line item. | ||
| It is a vital provision that enables Taiwan to maintain its self-defense capabilities and sends a clear message to both Taipei and Beijing that the United States is serious about deterrence. | ||
| It keeps us out of that war that the sponsor of this amendment is so concerned about. | ||
| Cutting this funding would only invite Beijing to push harder, not pull back. | ||
| We say we want to be tough on China, yet here we are entertaining whether to cut one of the clearest demonstrations of our strength and our resolve. | ||
| The fact that this amendment has even been made in order undermines us. | ||
| Just giving this amendment airtime sows seeds of doubt in Taiwan as to our support and further emboldens Beijing. | ||
| This is not by any means a serious amendment. | ||
| In this very same bill that we are debating, we are considering bipartisan provisions that strengthen our defense relations with Taiwan, expanding DOD's annual readiness assessments, even Republican-led amendments to invite Taiwan into RIMPAC and bolster its energy security. | ||
|
Amendment Against Deterrence
00:09:52
|
||
| These are the kinds of amendments that are aligned with the United States interests. | ||
| These are the kinds of amendments that foster deterrence, not instigate and facilitate Chinese propaganda, as this one would. | ||
| Because when we question our support for Taiwan outright, as this amendment does, onlookers will wonder, what else are we willing to walk back on? | ||
| Who else will we abandon on the line? | ||
| That is not the message we should be sending. | ||
| This amendment is nothing more than a political stunt that should never have seen the light of day. | ||
| Beijing is watching, my friends. | ||
| Passing this amendment is a win for China. | ||
| Do not be fooled. | ||
| I yield back my time. | ||
| Does the gentlelady reserve or yield back? | ||
| Reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentlelady reserves. | ||
| The gentlelady from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I think everyone has to be honest in here and admit to the fact that our United States military has a strong presence in the Indo-Pacific. | ||
| The United States is not backing down to China. | ||
| However, we shouldn't have to fund Taiwan's security and military at $1 billion. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, our reserve. | ||
| Georgia Reserves. | ||
| The gentlelady from Hawaii is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Chair. | ||
| At this time, I would like to yield one minute to the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. McCormick. | ||
| The gentleman from Georgia is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Colleagues, I rise today in strong opposition to Ms. Green's amendment to eliminate funding for Taiwan's Security Cooperative Initiative. | ||
| I know that my colleague is trying to save money and put America first, and I respect that. | ||
| But the funding support to Taiwan that were requested by the Trump administration has consequences that would do exactly the opposite of what I believe the gentlelady is trying to achieve. | ||
| Peace through strength saves money, saves lives, and puts America interests first. | ||
| President Trump recognized that, which is why he requested Congress double the funding for this program to preserve peace in a critically important region. | ||
| Trade in the Indo-Pacific accounts for about 40% of the world's GDP. | ||
| 21% of the global trade passes through the Taiwan Straits, including 40% of the world's container fleet. | ||
| Taiwan's semiconductor manufacturing company produces 90% of the world's AI chips, which are crucial to the American economy. | ||
| A war in this region would be a global catastrophe. | ||
| Our Taiwanese allies are already awaiting overdue delivery of American military supplies. | ||
| The gentlelady has two minutes remaining. | ||
| I can give you 30 seconds. | ||
| The gentleman from Georgia is recognized for an additional 30 seconds. | ||
| They're waiting for supplies they have already paid for, and this amendment sends the wrong signal at the worst time. | ||
| A withdrawal of our support would defeat Trump's initiatives to show up this critically important part, save us money, save us ultimate deficit spending in defense of a region that we need to critically supply. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| With that, I yield. | ||
| The gentleman from Georgia yields. | ||
| The gentlelady from Hawaii is recognized. | ||
| Reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentlelady from Hawaii reserves. | ||
| The gentlelady from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, not only have I introduced amendments to defund Ukraine, defund $115 million in humanitarian assistance for foreign countries, defund $1 billion from Taiwan, I've also introduced amendments to defund money to Israel, Syria, Iraq, and the border security for Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, and Pakistan. | ||
| But those amendments were not made in order, so I didn't get to debate those today. | ||
| And the reason why I introduced those amendments is because I believe our funding for our United States military should be for our country only, because it's the defense of our country only that should matter, and that's what matters to the American people. | ||
| They're absolutely fed up. | ||
| And every single one of my colleagues can go back home to their districts and face their constituents, and their constituents will tell them, we're sick of the foreign wars. | ||
| We're sick of the foreign aid. | ||
| That's a matter of fact. | ||
| And I'll tell you why. | ||
| It's because the American dream has become unattainable today. | ||
| The median age of first-time homebuyers is 38 years old compared to 29 in the 1980s. | ||
| Cost of college tuition has increased by about 130 percent in the past two decades. | ||
| Graduates leave with massive amounts of debt and are unable to find jobs. | ||
| The youth unemployment rate is at 10.8 percent. | ||
| The average health insurance premium for a family has risen by 22 percent since 2018 and 47 percent since 2013. | ||
| This America lasts Congress, and this is every single Congress. | ||
| And as we debate these bills, it's always about sending more money to more foreign countries for their foreign causes because every foreign country has a plead and a request and a reason to ask America to write them checks. | ||
| And so, Mr. Speaker, I yield. | ||
| I'm sorry, I don't yield. | ||
| I reserve my time for just a minute. | ||
| So, the gentlelady from Georgia reserves and the gentlelady from Hawaii is recognized. | ||
| Madam Chair, I yield one minute to the gentleman from Alabama. | ||
| Chair Rogers. | ||
| The gentleman from Alabama is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Madam Chair. | ||
| In recent years, China has increased the size, scope, and complexity of its drills around Taiwan. | ||
| As Admiral Poparo has said, these are not exercises. | ||
| They are rehearsals for a forced reunification. | ||
| President Trump understands that supporting Taiwan's self-defense now is the surest way to deter CCP aggression, and I agree. | ||
| That's why the President and the Pentagon requested $1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative in FY26. | ||
| This bill fully funds President Trump's budget request. | ||
| To do otherwise would put peace and security in Taiwan at risk. | ||
| Therefore, I oppose this amendment and urge my colleagues to vote no. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
| The gentleman yields. | ||
| The gentlewoman from Hawaii is recognized. | ||
| I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentlelady reserves. | ||
| And the gentlelady from Georgia is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| The issue here is it's always about another country, and it's always America last. | ||
| We're $37 trillion in debt, and I can tell you right now, there is becoming a big difference between how young Americans feel versus how older Americans feel. | ||
| And this body is absolutely tone-deaf when it comes to spending and priorities. | ||
| When young Americans today are hopeless for the future, don't believe that they'll be able to afford to buy a home, can't afford the cost of living, but yet here in Congress, the debate goes on and on about how much more money we should send to more foreign countries around the world. | ||
| The United States Congress is absolutely losing the support of the American people, and that goes for both political parties. | ||
| I urge the support of my amendment, and I yield the remainder of my time. | ||
| Lady Yields, the gentlelady from Hawaii is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Madam Speaker. | ||
| You've heard strong voices from both sides of the aisle that this is a bad, reckless, dangerous amendment. | ||
| Every dollar and day we spend supporting Taiwan is another day we keep our service members, our children, and our grandchildren, out of war. | ||
| This is about putting Americans first. | ||
| It's a very simple decision, my colleagues. | ||
| Vote no. | ||
| Thank you, and I reserve the remainder of my time. | ||
| They yield. | ||
| The gentlelady yields. | ||
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Georgia. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those in opposed, say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, the no's have it. | ||
| The gentlelady from Georgia I ask for a recorded vote. | ||
| Pursuant to Clause 6 of Rule 18 for the proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Georgia will be postponed. | ||
| It's now in order to consider Amendment No. 25, printed in Part A of the House Report 119-255. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Georgia seek recognition? | ||
| I have an amendment at the desk. | ||
| The clerk will designate the amendment. | ||
| Amendment number 25, printed in part A of House Report number 119-255, offered by Mr. McCormick of Georgia. | ||
| Pursuant to House Resolution 682, the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. McCormick, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia. | ||
|
Amending Fact Check Policies
00:13:15
|
||
| Thank you, Madam Chair. | ||
| I rise to offer an amendment to H.R. 3838. | ||
| Mr. Chair, I rise and offer my amendment number 25 to H.R. 3838, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026. | ||
| My amendment expands on language already in law in this bill and in the Senate NDAA to combat the indirect censorship of conservative news outlets in the Department of War. | ||
| Section 1555 of the fiscal year 24 NDAA required that the DOD, when contracting with organizations that place military recruitment advertisements, must certify that an organization does not place advertisements based on political bias or the determination that a media outlet spreads so-called misinformation. | ||
| The language is necessary because the DOD, or now the Department of War, has contracted with organizations such as NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index. | ||
| According to the Media Research Center, the average NewsGuard score for the left and lean left outlets was a Greenshield rating of 91 of 100, while the average rating for the right and lean right outlets was a low of 66 of 100. | ||
| A Global Disinformation Index reports on the online news list the 10 riskiest online news outlets as the New York Post, the Federalists, The Blaze, The Daily Wire, Newsmax, One American Network, The American Spectator, The American Conservative, Reason Magazine, and Real Clear Politics, all conservative. | ||
| Left-leaning sites like ProPublica.com, NPR.org, New YorkTimes.com, WashingtonPost.com, BuzzFeedNews.com, and HuffingtonPost.com were among the 10 lowest-risk online news sites. | ||
| We should not be excluding large swaths of the Americans simply because they watch or read conservative news, especially when considering that recruiting is hard enough without excluding this demographic. | ||
| My amendment adds language to clarify that the standards on what exact bias looks like, as well as by striking the one-year sunset, including in subsection C. | ||
| This language is already in the Senate NDAA, and I thank Senator Tubberville for his leadership in pushing this forward. | ||
| And I ask for my colleagues' support on amendment number 25. | ||
| Thank you, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman in reserves, and for what purpose does the gentleman from Washington seek recognition? | ||
| To claim the time in opposition. | ||
| Recognize for five minutes. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| I yield myself two minutes. | ||
| The gentleman is recognized. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| We've dealt with this issue on a number of levels. | ||
| That's already in the underlying bill. | ||
| This expands it to any organization that is deemed to be engaging in fact-checking. | ||
| But basically, what this amendment has done, and it is in law from last year, now we're making it permanent and expanding it, is basically: if you are an organization that checks for factual accuracy, we don't want to do business with you, which is just a remarkable statement in terms of how we approach this. | ||
| I think we should want people to check facts. | ||
| And just for example, it's not the Department of War, it's the Department of Defense. | ||
| It's in statute, it's the law. | ||
| The President can say whatever he wants to say, but the law still says it is the Department of Defense. | ||
| So, if he wants to put into the law that he's going to change that, that's fine. | ||
| But it is factually inaccurate to say that it is the Department of War. | ||
| And yes, the statistics seem to show that right-wing news agencies score lower on factual accuracy. | ||
| There are two reasons possible for why that happens: one is the bias that the gentleman, the maker of the amendment, says. | ||
| The other is that they are more likely to be factually inaccurate, which seems to be the more likely outcome. | ||
| And I also want to make clear: we're not excluding anything. | ||
| In fact, this amendment is what excludes things. | ||
| If you are an organization that checks facts, we are going to exclude you from who we're going to do business with. | ||
| I mean, I would just let out a heavy sigh at this moment about how do you engage in that sort of conversation. | ||
| You know, if you want to take a close look at this and say, the way you are checking for factual accuracy, we think it's wrong. | ||
| We don't think you're being fair. | ||
| We think you're doing this right. | ||
| Okay, fine. | ||
| But no, we're just going to say, don't look, don't check, don't think about it. | ||
| It's your truth. | ||
| We're going to go, well, I guess that the left-wing version of this is the your truth is as much truth as anybody else's. | ||
| And the right-wing version of this is we're going with alternative facts. | ||
| I still want to live in the factual universe. | ||
| And if you join me in that cause, let's defeat this amendment. | ||
| I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentleman Reserves. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia. | ||
| I find it rather distracting that my peer on the other side of the aisle thinks that one person controls the truth and that, by and large, he thinks that conservative media is lying and that liberal media is telling the truth. | ||
| The fact of the matter is during the Biden administration, when all this came to be, where we start fact-checking, recruiting went down miserably. | ||
| We had a recruiting problem we've never seen in America since the Vietnam War. | ||
| We had a problem getting the Army up to par. | ||
| The only service that made their recruiting goals was the United States Marine Corps. | ||
| I'd like to say it's because they're amazing commercials, but I'm sure it's far more than that. | ||
| What we know is they have a job to do. | ||
| You're hurting the recruitment efforts by taking out a demographic based on your idea of what's accurate and truthful rather than doing your job of bringing people into the military to make sure that we are sustaining a lethal force moving forward. | ||
| That is our goal, and that is as American as you get, and it's not a partisan issue. | ||
| Trying to figure out which news agency should be advertised on based on your idea of what the truth is is really a side note argument that should be kept in this room, not on the political front in front of the future soldiers, Marines, and sailors and airmen that we need to sustain our force. | ||
| And I would say, since we instituted this bill last year, guess what? | ||
| Maybe it's because we have a new president, or maybe it's because we can now advertise the people who are most likely to join our armed services. | ||
| And with that, I reserve. | ||
| Gentleman, reserves. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington. | ||
| Thank you, Madam Chair. | ||
| Just a couple of quick points. | ||
| First of all, I am not remotely saying that the left is right and the right is wrong or anything like that. | ||
| This amendment says we're not even going to examine the question. | ||
| That's the problem I have. | ||
| I fully admit the left is wrong frequently. | ||
| I think we ought to factually check that. | ||
| Here we're saying don't factually check that. | ||
| And while we're on the subject of facts, COVID played a little bit of a role in our recruitment problem. | ||
| And I don't think anyone who is being fair about analysis would dispute that. | ||
| And yet here we hear, oh no, it wasn't COVID. | ||
| It was the fact that where we advertised, we didn't place it here. | ||
| Come on. | ||
| You know, COVID is what impacted our recruitment, which is why I think we should allow people to check facts. | ||
| Not that the left is always right. | ||
| They're frequently not. | ||
| Believe me, I live those arguments back home in my district, and I argue the other side of it. | ||
| I just think we should at least try and figure it out. | ||
| And with that, I yield two minutes to the gentleman from California, Mr. Cesneris. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from California. | ||
| Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this amendment. | ||
| I want to thank the gentleman for recognizing me right now. | ||
| This highly partisan amendment would prohibit DOD from contracting with entities that perform fact-checking for recruitment purposes. | ||
| Explain to me how we are enhancing national security, deterring our adversaries, and most importantly, increasing service member quality of life needs by going after a contract. | ||
| In my previous role, I oversaw recruiting for the military services, and never did one of them ever come to me stating they can't recruit because of this tool. | ||
| As the gentleman said, it had to deal with COVID, and it had to deal with because the services weren't putting money into their recruiting budgets. | ||
| That's why recruiting went down. | ||
| It's amendments like this that not only put our national security at risk, but makes this bipartisan process crumble before us in the House. | ||
| You know who loves to feed disinformation through non-fact-checking sites? | ||
| Russia, Iran, the People's Republic of China, and other adversaries. | ||
| Republican leadership has continued to fail the American people by making this bipartisan bill a right-wing culture war process. | ||
| When we should be debating the administration deploying active duty service members on U.S. citizens in our cities or managing the destructive mess Hegseth and Trump have turned the Pentagon into, we are dealing with this nonsense. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to vote no on this amendment, and I yield back. | ||
| Gentleman Yields. | ||
| The gentleman from Washington Reserves. | ||
| May I inquire as to how much time is left on both sides? | ||
| Three seconds. | ||
| What's that? | ||
| Three seconds. | ||
| 30. | ||
| I might have said three for one second there. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Very much. | |
| The gentleman from Georgia has one minute. | ||
| I can close and then you have the right. | ||
| I believe the gentleman from Georgia has the right to close. | ||
| No. | ||
| The gentleman from Washington has the right to close. | ||
| My bad. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| Okay. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia. | ||
| I love the fact that the other side just said that it's factual that COVID is the reason we couldn't recruit. | ||
| When I remember when I came into Congress and we had the President of the United States say we can take off masks, the pandemic is over for the first two years of my service here in Congress. | ||
| The pandemic was over, and yet we could not recruit. | ||
| So therefore, I want to point out that the gentleman literally put misinformation in his argument, which proves my point. | ||
| Should I censor him from being able to present his case right here in front of the American people? | ||
| No, I would say not. | ||
| He's allowed to give us misinformation like he just did. | ||
| COVID was over. | ||
| We couldn't recruit. | ||
| And then we changed the law. | ||
| We changed the president. | ||
| And we have mass recruiting efforts being reinforced. | ||
| It was a downright misinformation just to say that COVID didn't allow us to recruit. | ||
| We've seen that in recent history. | ||
| Pandemic's been over for over two years now. | ||
| It didn't change until we had a new president, new laws. | ||
| That was misinformation. | ||
| To my point, you interpret your misinformation. | ||
| I interpret mine. | ||
| With that, I yield. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Yields. | |
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington. | ||
| I yield myself the remainder of my time. | ||
| Actually, you make my point. | ||
| You just fact-checked me. | ||
| Good for you. | ||
| I disagree, which I'll get to in a second, but you fact-checked me. | ||
| What your amendment does is it doesn't allow that. | ||
| It just allows it to hang out there. | ||
| You can't fact-check it. | ||
| Facts are recruitment picked up a year before Trump came back in office. | ||
| We all know this. | ||
| Recruitment's been a long time. | ||
| And there was a bit of a lag time. | ||
| Yes, until 2022-2023. | ||
| They caught up with the lag. | ||
| Recruitment improved for a year before Trump showed up in office. | ||
| Now it continues to be well, which I would say argues that it was, in fact, COVID that drove the review. | ||
| But I would love to have that discussion. | ||
| I would love to have people check facts and have a debate, not cut off all fact-checking. | ||
| Please oppose this amendment. | ||
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. | ||
| Purposes, the gentleman. | ||
| So pursuant to the clause of rule of clause six of Rule 18 for the proceedings of the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia will be postponed. | ||
| Chair, I understand that amendment number 26 will not be offered. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Next just one second. | |
| It is now in order to consider amendment number 29, printed in part A of the House Report 119-255. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Arizona seek recognition? | ||
| I have an amendment at the desk. | ||
| The clerk will designate the amendment. | ||
| Amendment number 29, printed in part A of House Report number 119-255, offered by Mr. Biggs of Arizona. | ||
|
Endangered Species Act Controversy
00:15:30
|
||
| Pursuant to House Resolution 682, the gentleman from Arizona, Mr. Biggs, and the member opposed, each will control five minutes. | ||
| The chair now recognizes the gentleman from Arizona. | ||
| Thank you, Madam Speaker. | ||
| Our brave servicemen and women stand ready to defend this nation against any threat, but they cannot prepare for tomorrow's battles if today's training grounds are shackled by outdated, overreaching regulation. | ||
| The Endangered Species Act, once intended as a shield for vulnerable wildlife, has morphed into a weapon wielded by radical activists and unelected bureaucrats that cripple our military's readiness in draining billions from our defense budget. | ||
| Consider this. | ||
| The War Department manages nearly 27 million acres of land, waters, and airspace, which are vital for testing cutting-edge technologies, honing combat skills, and ensuring our forces remain the world's finest. | ||
| Yet as many as 550 threatened or endangered species call these areas home, which triggers endless ESA restrictions that hamstring essential training and operations. | ||
| At Fort Huachuca in Arizona, for example, the Sonoran tiger salamanders designated critical wetland habitat requires strict protection measures. | ||
| That means environmental reviews, limits on land use, construction, water manage, and all those delay vital infrastructure projects and constrain training exercises during breeding seasons. | ||
| On top of that, Fort Huachuka must carry out ongoing monitoring, predator control, habitat management, all under ESA guidelines, which impose onerous constraints on our ability to train and be ready for our warriors. | ||
| The same could be said about Berriam Goldwater Range, also in Arizona. | ||
| But it's not just Arizona. | ||
| This happens to Guam as well, for instance. | ||
| Guam's military installations face extreme ESA-related challenges from the invasive brown tree snake, which has devastated native wildlife and forced costly, elaborate migration mitigation programs. | ||
| On Guam, the military must deploy snake-proof fencing, trap-and-bait programs, train detection dogs to prevent brown tree snake incursions on military equipment and cargo, significantly complicating logistics, readiness, and training activities. | ||
| This forces the Department of War to divert funds to wildlife management while mission-critical activities grind to a halt. | ||
| Activist groups exploit the ESA through relentless litigation and red tape, imposing critical habit designations that do precious little to actually recover species, but everything to block land use and weaken our defenses. | ||
| They're a direct assault on our national security. | ||
| And after more than 50 years since its enactment in 1973, the ESA's track record is abysmal. | ||
| Fewer than 2% of listed species have been delisted. | ||
| That isn't a success story. | ||
| That's proof of a flawed perpetual regulatory machine that prioritizes special interest agendas over sound science and our soldiers' needs. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| Gentlemen, reserves. | ||
| The gentlelady from Maryland is recognized. | ||
| This is the gentlewoman. | ||
| Seek recognition. | ||
| Madam Chair, I rise to claim the time in opposition to the amendment. | ||
| Thank you, Madam Chair. | ||
| House Natural Resource Democrats strongly oppose the Biggs Amendment No. 29, which seeks to weaken the Department of Defense's work to conserve habitats crucial for military readiness and recovering vulnerable species. | ||
| The DOD covers millions of acres, spanning a vast array of natural habitats, and providing that realistic backdrop for training and testing. | ||
| Healthy and well-managed natural ecosystems play an essential role in maintaining the readiness of our military troops, an advantage that is unique to the U.S. military. | ||
| The military has even used ESA-listed wildlife to add complexity to training exercises, treating them as sensitive infrastructure to avoid, as they would for schools or hospitals in another environment. | ||
| This amendment not only erodes this long-standing work, but it doesn't reflect what the DOD actually needs. | ||
| The DOD has not now or ever before requested this language. | ||
| I strongly urge my colleagues to reject this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
| The Gentlelady of Reserves, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| And let me reiterate. | ||
| Activist groups exploit the ESA through relentless litigation and red tape, curtailing and preventing full training and preparation by our military. | ||
| This amendment is non-negotiable. | ||
| It draws a clear line. | ||
| Military and National Guard lands cannot be arbitrarily designated as critical habitat if the Department of War deems them essential for national defense. | ||
| And I want to take the same argument that was just used on the last bill when Mr. Cisneris of California said, good grief, our adversaries don't care about this question of censorship. | ||
| And I'm telling you, our adversaries don't care about this question of environmental and the ESA. | ||
| It exempts our personnel from ESA prohibitions during defense-related operations. | ||
| That's what's happening. | ||
| Even if incidental harm occurs, because in the heat of preparation for real world threats, we cannot afford to pause for paperwork. | ||
| The ESA was not meant to become a tool for endless lawsuits, environmental extremism, or regulatory overreach that jeopardizes our ability to deter adversaries. | ||
| Madam Speaker, now is the moment for bold action and clarity. | ||
| National Defense must eclipse this misguided focus on the ESA. | ||
| The ESA has only delisted 2% of the hundreds and thousands of species that is listed. | ||
| You cannot handcuff America's military. | ||
| Our enemies are not waiting for environmental impact studies. | ||
| They're advancing relentlessly. | ||
| We're choosing. | ||
| We're choosing, if you vote against this, we're choosing endangered species over war preparedness and defending this country. | ||
| This amendment isn't essential. | ||
| It is a lifeline for our security. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to stand up with our troops and pass the measure today. | ||
| I yield. | ||
| The gentleman from Maryland is recognized. | ||
| Madam Chair, I'm pleased to yield one and one-half minutes to the gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Beyer. | ||
| Recognized. | ||
| Madam Chair, as co-chair of the Congressional Endangered Species Caucus, I rise today in opposition to this amendment. | ||
| I can't believe that we're here again considering this unpopular amendment. | ||
| It was brutally defeated last year. | ||
| It was crushed the year before, both times with bipartisan support. | ||
| The Endangered Species Act has wide popularity, but our current biodiversity outlook has really worsened. | ||
| Our scientific community continues to scream from the rooftops that the biodiversity shrinking is a danger to humanity. | ||
| In the meantime, our national defense is in no way endangered by the endangered species. | ||
| Amazingly, this is a basic attack on the Endangered Species Act that the Department of Defense has never asked for. | ||
| It's a solution in search of a problem. | ||
| The Department of Defense already has a robust collaboration with the Department of Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service. | ||
| They do management plans everywhere. | ||
| And military lands are already excluded from designation as a critical habitat when there are management plans in place for listed species. | ||
| So wholesale exempting the Department of Defense and its many contractors from compliance with the ESA puts our nation's natural legacy at needless risk. | ||
| To date, as the member from Arizona has mentioned, 99% of the species listed under the ESA have been saved from disappearing forever, making this one of the most successful pieces of legislation in American history. | ||
| Action to protect these species do not hinder national security. | ||
| And managing endangered species in balance with our mission is something the Department of Defense already does very well. | ||
| I urge my colleagues once more to reject this unwanted, unnecessary amendment. | ||
| The gentleman's time has expired. | ||
| The woman from Maryland is recognized. | ||
| May I inquire as to how much time our side has left? | ||
| Half minutes. | ||
| Two and a half minutes. | ||
| And then I will please to yield one and one half minutes to the gentlewoman from Hawaii, Mr. Kuda. | ||
| The gentlelady is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Madam Speaker. | ||
| I rise in opposition to this amendment, which would create broad exemptions from the Endangered Species Act on military and National Guard lands. | ||
| In Hawaii, this would be akin to a taking. | ||
| The idea that protecting endangered species and maintaining readiness is mutually exclusive is simply false. | ||
| Across the country, including in Hawaii, the Department of Defense has shown it can partner with conservation experts and local communities to safeguard fragile ecosystems while still meeting its mission. | ||
| We should be doing more to hold the Department of Defense accountable and strengthening these efforts, not giving it a blank check to disregard environmental laws whenever it claims national security. | ||
| In Hawaii, where trust around military land use is damaged, quite frankly, and lease negotiations are ongoing, accountability is not optional. | ||
| And a backdoor taking of our land is 100% unacceptable. | ||
| Allowing this amendment to pass would set a dangerous precedent, undue decades of progress, and most importantly, erode community trust. | ||
| Protecting our environment and ensuring national defense are not opposing goals. | ||
| They are shared responsibilities that we must uphold together. | ||
| I strongly urge my colleagues to reject this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| Gentlelady yields. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentlelady from Maryland. | ||
| I'll reserve my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Arizona has no time remaining. | ||
| Okay, I will claim the balance of my time. | ||
| Madam Chair, I'll disclose by saying, reiterating that the Department of Defense has not nor ever before requested this language, and over 20 of my Republican colleagues recognized this, very real truth, voting against this exact language and understanding that responsible conservation and strong national defense go hand in hand. | ||
| And in closing, I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment, and I yield the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentlelady yields back. | ||
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. | ||
| The gentlelady from for what purpose does the gentlelady from Maryland seek recognition? | ||
| Madam Chair, I request a recorded vote. | ||
| Pursuant to Clause 6 of Rule 18 for the proceedings of the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona will be postponed. | ||
| The Chair understands that Amendment No. 31 will not be offered. | ||
| Chair understands that amendment number 32 will not be offered. | ||
| It is now in order to consider amendment number 33, printed in part A of the House Report 119-255. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from North Carolina seek recognition? | ||
|
unidentified
|
To speak on the amendment at the desk. | |
| The chair will designate the amendment. | ||
| Amendment number 33, printed in part A of House Report number 119-255, offered by Mr. Rauser of North Carolina. | ||
| Pursuant to House Resolution 682, the gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Rauser, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. | ||
| The chair now recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you, Madam Speaker. | |
| I rise in support of my amendment to include the Lumbee Fairness Act in the bill before us today, providing the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina the full federal recognition they have been unfairly denied for decades. | ||
| Throughout recorded history, the Lumbee Tribe, comprised of nearly 60,000 members, has called southeastern North Carolina home. | ||
| Despite their long history and cohesive culture, the Lumbee have never had access to the same federal benefits enjoyed by every other federally recognized tribe. | ||
| During what's referred to as the termination era, Congress passed the Lumbee Act of 1956, recognizing the tribe, yet denying them the federal rights and protections afforded to other federally recognized tribes. | ||
| Beginning in 1978, the federal government began rectifying the damage done during this era. | ||
| Since then, Congress has stepped in, reversed its previous actions, and recognized 23 tribes through legislation reestablishing their relationship with the federal government. | ||
| Legislation to rectify this for the Lumbee tribe has been introduced in Congress more than 30 times with broad bipartisan support. | ||
| In the past two Congresses, in fact, the House passed this legislation under suspension, most recently on December 17, 2024. | ||
| Outside of Congress, the Lumbee Fairness Act has the support of 236 tribes across the country who have repeatedly cited the unfair treatment of the tribe under the 1956 Lumbee Act. | ||
| Today, Congress can take a major step forward to end the unfair and unjust treatment of the Lumbee tribe once and for all. | ||
| So I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time. | ||
| What purpose is the gentleman from North Carolina? | ||
| Do you remember seeing it? | ||
| Most. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Mr. Speaker. | |
| Without exception, the gentleman from Washington is recognized. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Reserves, gentlemen from North Carolina. | |
| I thank the Speaker. | ||
| I'd now like to provide up to one minute for my good colleague from North Carolina, Mark Harris. | ||
| Gentleman from North Carolina is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Thank you so much for your leadership on this and for granting the time. | ||
| For far too long, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has been wrongfully denied full federal recognition, but today is a chance to make it right. | ||
| With over 55,000 individuals, the Lumbee people are a core part of my district and the great state of North Carolina, and I'm honored to be their advocate in Washington. | ||
| I know firsthand that they are salt of the earth, hardworking patriots who deserve access to federal services like their tribal counterparts. | ||
| We must take legislative action to fix this problem and amend the 1956 law that currently prohibits this access. | ||
| Last Congress, members across the aisle, as is already mentioned, overwhelmingly voted to restore these rights to the Lumbee tribe, but there wasn't time for the bill to clear the Senate. | ||
|
Yield to Justice
00:13:51
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||
| And today is our opportunity to get this crucial issue finally across the finish line. | ||
| A vote today for the Lumbee people will fix a historic injustice, and I urge support of this amendment. | ||
| And with that, I yield back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman yields. | |
| The gentleman from Washington is recognized. | ||
| I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman from Washington yields. | |
| Gentleman from North Carolina is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I'd like to yield up to one minute for my friend Addison from North Carolina. | ||
| North Carolina is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, my home state of North Carolina has recognized the Lumbee tribe since 1885. | ||
| Yet for more than 135 years, their fight for full federal recognition has been blocked by red tape and indifference. | ||
| In 1956, Congress acknowledged the Lumbee tribe, but cruelly denied them the services and the benefits afforded to other federally recognized tribes. | ||
| That mistake has never been corrected. | ||
| But finally, Congress has the opportunity to right its wrong. | ||
| The Lumbees are more than 55,000 strong, making them the largest tribe east of the Mississippi. | ||
| They have defended this nation in uniform. | ||
| They have contributed to our economy and preserved a proud heritage that strengthens our state and our country. | ||
| Today, this House has an opportunity to finally deliver justice for the people of the dark water for North Carolina. | ||
| I strongly urge my colleagues to vote yes, and I yield back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman yields. | |
| Gentlemen from North Carolina. | ||
| Gentleman in reserves. | ||
| Gentleman reserves. | ||
| Gentleman from North Carolina has the only time remaining in the debate. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I yield up to one minute to my good friend Tim Moore from North Carolina. | ||
| Gentlemen from North Carolina is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| We are not here today to recognize the Lumbee tribe of North Carolina because the Lumbee tribe were already recognized by the United States Congress in 1956. | ||
| We are, however, here today to right a wrong, to end the termination era of Indian policy and to take the Lumbee out of the legal limbo that they have been in for almost 70 years. | ||
| It is the job of this Congress to right the wrongs of the past. | ||
| During the early 1900s, the Lumbee had numerous Indian agents sent by the U.S. government to go to the homelands, to study them, to collect data, and determine if they were in fact Indian. | ||
| And each time the Indian agents returned to the District of Columbia, they reported back that these were indeed Indian people, Indian people who had survived disease, warfare, and colonization. | ||
| I know the Lumbee personally. | ||
| They are a resilient, strong, and proud people. | ||
| The Lumbee have served this country in every branch of the military. | ||
| They contribute to our society. | ||
| The Lumbee have a strong faith in God. | ||
| They are good friends who value education, hard work, and community. | ||
| I am proud to stand with the Lumbee and urge this body to vote today to end a decades-long wrong with that reserve. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Expired. | |
| Gentleman from North Carolina, his time has expired. | ||
| You have 15 seconds. | ||
| Use it wisely. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| No, I am ready to yield back. | ||
| The gentleman yields back. | ||
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from North Carolina. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those in opposed say no. | ||
| In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it. | ||
| The amendment is agreed to. | ||
| It is now in order to consider Amendment No. 34 printed in Part A of House Report 119-255. | ||
| For what purpose does the gentleman from New York seek recognition? | ||
| I have an amendment at the desk. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The clerk will designate the amendment. | |
| Amendment number 34, printed in part A of House Report number 119-255, offered by Mr. Meeks of New York. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Persuading to House Resolution 682, the gentleman from New York, Mr. Meeks, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. | |
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from New York. | ||
| I give myself such time as I shall use. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentlemen, I may proceed. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | ||
| I rise in strong support of my amendment to the NDAA, which would finally repeal both the 2002 and the 1991 authorizations for use of military force, or AUMFs. | ||
| These AUMFs are long obsolete. | ||
| By remaining on the books, these AUMFs only risk abuse by administrations of either party to sanction military force that Congress has not considered or approved. | ||
| It is time for Congress to reclaim its constitutional authority over matters of war and peace. | ||
| It's Article 1, war powers, by removing these open-ended AUMFs once and for all. | ||
| And I'm thankful to my colleagues who have worked to pass these repeals, having nearly passed both chambers in the 117th and the 118th Congress. | ||
| And I'm particularly thankful to Representative Roy and Massey, along with many co-sponsors who have joined this bipartisan effort. | ||
| This amendment is going to pass because a clear majority of this House agree it's time to close these chapters of endless wars. | ||
| And I'm prepared to fight in conference to get this over the finish line. | ||
| It's time to, for once and for all, end these forever wars. | ||
| And I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentlemen from New York Reserves, for what purpose does the gentleman from Florida seek recognition? | |
| Good. | ||
| I rise in opposition. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentlemen. | |
| Is recognized for five minutes. | ||
| I rise in opposition to this. | ||
| I'm going to say for procedural reasons, but there are procedures that are important here, and the ranking members should know this. | ||
| As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, we have sole jurisdiction over powers of war. | ||
| What goes on abroad with war is not flippant activity. | ||
| It affects the lives of soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen that are stationed abroad in Europe, in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East. | ||
| And while I agree with a lot of the comments that the ranking member just made about reasons to say there should be sunsets on AUMF, and I didn't hear everything that my colleague Mr. Roy said on it, but I'm sure undoubtedly we have agreement on why there should be sunsets on these things. | ||
| It cannot be done without bringing in the CENTCOM commander and this commander and this commander and this commander saying, what are your thoughts on this? | ||
| What effects does this have on our ability to react or deploy? | ||
| What effects does this have on those downrange in counterterrorism operations as we speak? | ||
| What needs to be put back in place in order for us to not be afoul of something that we're doing right now? | ||
| And these are questions that were not asked and the answers were not given. | ||
| And this goes beyond just our generals in the Pentagon. | ||
| It goes to our secretaries. | ||
| It goes to others. | ||
| And absolutely questions that I'm committed to asking and answers that I'm committed to finding the answer to and in a timely way. | ||
| I consider it to be vitally important. | ||
| Again, we have, I think, probably large agreement on reasons to sunset things, but it should not be done in absence of doing something of this gravity in the proper way. | ||
| And in that, I thank you for giving me time to rise in opposition as much as we find matters of agreement and opposition. | ||
| So thank you. | ||
| I yield. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman yields. | |
| Purpose New York. | ||
| Gentleman from New York is recognized. | ||
| Thank you. | ||
| And in response to the chairman, I just want to say we ask those questions in the 117th and 118th Congress. | ||
| You know, we continually ask the same questions. | ||
| We've got the answers. | ||
| And I think it's time to move on and get this done. | ||
| And so I'm pleased to yield one and a half minutes to the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Roy. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman from Texas is recognized for one and a half minutes. | |
| I thank the gentleman from New York. | ||
| Proud to work with him and others, my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, to stand for a simple proposition that 23 years after this chamber authorized force, at a time when most of the members who did so aren't even here, at a time when numerous facts have changed, after Saddam Hussein was captured in 03, was executed in 06, | ||
| when troops were withdrawn and the hostilities were over in 11, and then we went back in regarding ISIS and then out by 21, that we should not be operating under a 23-year-old authorization of the use of military force. | ||
| We can do better than that. | ||
| We are not touching 01. | ||
| We're not touching 01. | ||
| We are touching 02 and 1991. | ||
| Come on. | ||
| Look, we don't need to have Congress effectively modern day declaring war and leaving it in place for a quarter of a friggin century, or in this case, 34 years since 1991. | ||
| We can do better. | ||
| We want to actually authorize force, deliberate, vote, and authorize force. | ||
| But Article 1 has to mean something. | ||
| Please support this bill to end an endless authorization of force. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman yields. | |
| The gentleman from New York is recognized. | ||
| You have the only time remaining. | ||
| I reserve. | ||
| Gentleman from New York. | ||
| The gentleman from New York has the only time remaining. | ||
| I yield one minute to the gentlelady from California, Ms. Jacobs. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentlelady from California is recognized for one minute. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | ||
| These AUMFs were literally voted on when I was two years old and 13 years old, respectively, and now I'm old enough to be a member of Congress. | ||
| Let's be clear, presidents from both parties have abused these AUMFs, and my generation is tired of these endless forever wars. | ||
| But we know that President Trump will exploit and break any law. | ||
| The courts have even said it. | ||
| And that's why this body should leave no ambiguity, no wiggle room, no daylight about our congressional intent and congressional authority. | ||
| Congress has the sole constitutional right to declare war, not President Trump or any other president. | ||
| And yet we've already seen this president take unauthorized military strikes in places like Yemen and Somalia and Syria and Iraq. | ||
| And earlier this year, he launched strikes on Iran without congressional authorization. | ||
| And right now he's weighing military strikes on cartels in Venezuela and hasn't sought congressional authorization. | ||
| This body should not sit idly by while the president makes a mockery of our Constitution and our laws. | ||
| We, only we, have the power to declare war. | ||
| So I urge my colleagues to pass our bipartisan amendment and repeal these outdated AUMFs. | ||
| Just members are reminded to refrain from engaging personalities toward the president. | ||
| New York is recognized. | ||
| How much time do I have left? | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman has three quarters of a minute remaining. | |
| I yield. | ||
| I heard Mr. Mills. | ||
| Did you want time? | ||
| I yield to Mr. Mills the remainder of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman from Florida is recognized for three quarters of a minute. | |
| Thank you so much. | ||
| As my colleagues have pointed out, it's very simple. | ||
| Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11 through 13 is the war powers of Congress granted to us and given to us. | ||
| It states very clearly Congress shall have the power to declare war, grant letters of marquee reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water. | ||
| But the key thing is that Congress shall have power, not abdicating our roles and responsibilities, not continuing endless wars that spend trillions of dollars in thousands of American lives. | ||
| We need to bring the power back to Congress to ensure that it is not being abused by anyone within the executive authority, regardless of who's in the actual seat. | ||
| This is very simple, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| We have abdicated and abdicated and abdicated to where the Article I section of the Constitution no longer has its intended powers and purposes that it initially had. | ||
| We must get that back, and I support this and thank you for this time. | ||
| The gentleman yields back. | ||
| All time has expired. | ||
| The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from New York. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Aye. | ||
| Those opposed say no. | ||
| in the opinion of the chair the ayes have it the amendment is the gentleman requesting the gentleman floor has requested a recorded vote persuaded to clause 6 of rule 18 Further proceedings of the amendment offered by the gentleman from Florida will be postponed. | ||
|
Gentleman from Tennessee Persuades
00:06:47
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||
|
unidentified
|
It is now in order to consider amendment number 253, printed in part A of House Report 119-255. | |
| For what purpose does the gentleman from Tennessee seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The clerk will designate the amendment. | |
| Amendment number 253, printed in part A of House Report number 119-255, offered by Mr. Rose of Tennessee. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Persuade to House Resolution 682, the gentleman from Tennessee, Mr. Rose, a member opposed, and a member opposed, will each control five minutes. | |
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee. | ||
| Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the record. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman's request is covered by General Leave. | |
| Mr. Chair, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman is recognized. | |
| Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment to H.R. 3838, the Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026. | ||
| My amendment is intended to address the Janet Mello fraud case, the Army civilian who was indicted and pleaded guilty to stealing over $100 million that were intended for the 4-H military partnership grant program. | ||
| The 4-H Military Partnership Program serves 4-H clubs that are in many military installation youth centers. | ||
| These programs include 4-H positive youth development programming, engaging in hands-on learning in day and overnight summer camps, including military teen adventure camps. | ||
| We as a nation, we as a nation ask so much of our military families. | ||
| Frequent moves can be essentially difficult for children, especially difficult. | ||
| However, the 4-H military partnership program can serve as a lifeline to military families by providing continuity, as it is often the case that a family can move from one installation to another and maintain active participation in 4-H programs because they are located at so many military installations. | ||
| Janet Mellow ruthlessly plundered more than $100 million from this program meant to support the children of our military heroes. | ||
| This calculated betrayal was not only a staggering act of theft, but a cruel assault on the very families who sacrifice the most for our nation's freedom. | ||
| By draining critical resources, she robbed military children of the opportunities and security promised from the 4-H. | ||
| The American people deserve answers, and they deserve to know how such a monumental fraud was allowed to fester in the shadows for so long. | ||
| My amendment requires a report on how this fraud was missed, what red flags were ignored, and what fixes are needed to prevent this from ever happening again. | ||
| The House passed my amendment last Congress, but unfortunately it was not included in the final bill. | ||
| I'm proud to reintroduce this amendment again this Congress with slightly adjusted reporting requirements. | ||
| I would also note for my colleagues that my office sought and received technical assistance on this amendment from the Office of the Secretary of Defense Comptroller. | ||
| Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a press release from the Department of Justice describing this fraud in greater detail. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman's request is covered by General Leave. | |
| Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentlemen from Tennessee reserves, what purpose gentleman from Washington seek recognition? | |
| To claim the time in opposition, though I am not opposed. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentlemen's objection, the gentleman is recognized. | |
| Thank you. | ||
| I have no opposition to the amendment. | ||
| And with that, I yield back my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman from Washington yields. | |
| The gentleman from Tennessee is recognized. | ||
| Mr. Chair, I have no speakers, and I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman from Tennessee has the only time remaining. | |
| I yield myself the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentlemen may proceed. | |
| In closing, I thank Congressman Fulker for co-sponsoring this amendment and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting accountability by ensuring that we get answers to how this fraud was able to steal from military families and taxpayers undetected from 2016 through 2023. | ||
| I urge members to vote yes on my amendment and I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentlemen from Tennessee yields the questions on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Tennessee. | |
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those in favor, opposed say no. | ||
| Pre-recorded vote. | ||
|
unidentified
|
In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. | |
| The amendment is agreed to and the gentleman asks for recorded, persuade to clause six of Rule 18. | ||
| Further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Tennessee will be postponed. | ||
| Does the gentleman from Alabama seek recognition? | ||
| Mr. Chairman, pursuant to H.R.I.S. 682, I offer amendments on block. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The clerk would designate the amendments on block. | |
| On block number five, consisting of amendments numbered 26, 31, 32, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, | ||
| 264, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, | ||
| 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288, 289, 290, 291, 292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 297, and 298, printed in Part A of House Report No. 119-255, offered by Mr. Rogers of Alabama. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Persuade to House Resolution 682. | |
| The gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Rogers, and the gentleman from Washington, Mr. Smith, each will control 20 minutes. | ||
| The chair recognizes the gentleman from Alabama. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | ||
| At this time, I'd like to yield four minutes to my friend, the chairman of the Financial Services Committee, Mr. Hill of Arkansas. | ||
|
Chairman Hill's Caution
00:12:23
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unidentified
|
Hill from Arkansas is recognized for four minutes. | |
| I thank the Chair and I thank Chairman Rogers for the opportunity to visit on this en bloc. | ||
| I appreciate your leadership guiding the NDAA once again successfully on a bipartisan basis through the House. | ||
| And while I will support this en bloc set of amendments, I'd be remiss if I didn't bring to light an amendment that's included in this en bloc that I believe needs more deliberation. | ||
| I appreciate the intentions of the sponsor, but I believe we need to carefully consider some of the details. | ||
| This amendment nearly duplicates the vast powers of the Defense Production Act, which is something that the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee are in the midst of a thorough reauthorization, including happily and proactively consulting with our colleagues on the Armed Services Committee and our members throughout both sides of the Hill. | ||
| I note that I say the amendment nearly duplicates the DPA because there's significant differences that should raise concerns about the text in this amendment. | ||
| Over the course of 75 years, Congress has built in crucial safeguards to the Defense Production Act. | ||
| The amendment does not include these safeguards. | ||
| Here are just a few examples. | ||
| Under the Defense Production Act, the Pentagon is limited in its use of financial assistance to domestic industry as well as certain entities located in our five eyes partner countries. | ||
| Even in those countries, our closest, most reliable allies in the world, the DPA has strong oversight language to prevent offshoring to foreign companies. | ||
| This amendment, if enacted into law, would allow the Pentagon to use subsidies and purchase commitment in 190 countries around the globe, including, Mr. Chairman, Venezuela and Cuba. | ||
| We must carefully evaluate these policy choices at a time when we are working to bring jobs back to the United States and reverse decades of manufacturing decline. | ||
| Under the previous administration, President Biden sought to use the DPA for things like making more baby formula and residential heat pumps. | ||
| The amendment would only ensure such efforts in future administrations. | ||
| And this is just not a likelihood, but it's a certainty that it could in fact be used outside the defense arena. | ||
| These are only a handful of my concerns, and I think it would be better for this debate to happen more fulsomely between the committees in a conference process. | ||
| So, Mr. Chairman, I'd invite you to commit to addressing these concerns by working with our Financial Services Committee members through the NDA process. | ||
| And I thank you for yielding me some time today. | ||
| I agree with Chairman Hill that our committees have a lot of ground to cover on authorities to strengthen the defense industrial base. | ||
| Mr. Mesmer's amendment is a good attempt to break through some of the bureaucracy that has hampered those efforts. | ||
| I commit to Chairman Hill that we will work with him and his committee on the defense industrial base matters that arise in the conference on the NDA. | ||
| I've reserved about some of my time. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman from Alabama, the gentleman from Washington is recognized. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Chair. | ||
| I yield one minute to the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Davidson. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman from Ohio is recognized for one minute. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | ||
| And really to the Chairman and Ranking Member, thank you for your work for keeping the NDAA bipartisan. | ||
| There's such a vital focus on national security here, and there are some truly good reforms. | ||
| But as Mr. Hill highlighted, the Defense Production Act has broader implications than just the Department of Defense. | ||
| And this turf war is frankly as old as the Defense Production Act back since 1950. | ||
| When Chief of Staff James A. Baker III was navigating this, he highlighted that tension. | ||
| And since then, all kinds of things have taken place with the Defense Production Act. | ||
| This year is the first opportunity to reauthorize it since the COVID pandemic. | ||
| So HHS has been used. | ||
| There's a lot of thoughtful work underway as we seek to modernize and reauthorize this. | ||
| I look forward to future collaboration. | ||
| Chairman, thank you for your commitment to Chairman Hill. | ||
| And as Chairman of the National Security Illicit Finance Subcommittee, this authorization does go through my subcommittee here. | ||
| And happy to work with colleagues across the spectrum here to get a good product across the finish line. | ||
| I am opposed to this en bloc because of this amendment. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Chairman yields our responsibility. | |
| Gentleman from Alabama is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | ||
| This time I'd like to yield one minute to the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Self. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Gentleman from Texas. | |
| Mr. Self is recognized for one minute. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my amendments 476 and 478. | ||
| We are at an inflection point in American history. | ||
| China is investing heavily in AI, integrating it into its military and economy. | ||
| America cannot afford to fall behind. | ||
| My first amendment expands AI pilot programs in logistics, cyber defense, intelligence, and maintenance. | ||
| AI is a vital force multiplier, cutting costs, speeding decisions, keeping our warfighters ahead. | ||
| It also mandates regular reports to Congress for swift, informed action to maintain our edge. | ||
| My second amendment ensures an immediate pay raise for Department of War blue-collar workers, the mechanics and technicians who keep our bases and equipment ready. | ||
| These Americans have yet to receive a 2025 pay raise because the fully partisan committee that was supposed to represent these blue-collar workers failed in its mission and had to be dissolved. | ||
| I look forward to working with the Department of War on implementing recommendations to make sure these crucial workers are paid what they deserve. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Chairman Yields. | |
| Gentleman from Alabama Reserves. | ||
| The gentleman from Washington is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Chair. | ||
| I'm now pleased to yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania, Ms. Houlhan. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentlelady from Pennsylvania is recognized for three minutes. | |
| Thank you. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this bill. | ||
| I was very proud of the markup that passed out of the Armed Services Committee. | ||
| The bill that we delivered to this floor this week was overwhelmingly bipartisan. | ||
| It supported our men and women in uniform and it strengthened our national defense. | ||
| It was an honor to work so closely with Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith on that bill. | ||
| Unfortunately, the toxically amended bill that is here before us is no longer that. | ||
| Not only have a number of very difficult amendments been added to the original markup, but also since the markup, this administration has recklessly and dangerously deployed the National Guard to American cities without the request or permission of either state or local officials. | ||
| For good reason, the governor of each state makes the decision about when and where to deploy National Guard, not presidents who are trying to score cheap political points and who are trying to divide our nation. | ||
| I am very proud to be a veteran, and as ranking member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee, it is my responsibility to make sure that we're taking care of our troops and deploying them responsibly and legally. | ||
| But you don't need to be a veteran or a member of a military family to see what this administration has done with our military. | ||
| It's divisive, it's shameful, and it's irresponsible. | ||
| It's divisive, shameful, and irresponsible for us to ask our soldiers to act as local police officers, a role that undermines our readiness for actual conflicts. | ||
| It is divisive, shameful, and irresponsible that we force them to leave their families and their jobs for an uncertain period of time with uncertain pay and benefits. | ||
| And it is most certainly divisive, shameful, and irresponsible when we force them to spend their days picking up trash at a cost of millions to the taxpayer. | ||
| Our National Guard is designed and trained, indeed purpose-built to serve key roles in domestic emergencies, natural disasters, and in deployment overseas. | ||
| When we stray from that mission, we put our national security at risk and we disrespect these men and women. | ||
| For these reasons, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee. | ||
| If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill. | ||
| This simple amendment to require that the state governor must consent before the National Guard can be deployed. | ||
| I know that many of my colleagues may agree with me, including some who are indeed running for governor of their home state. | ||
| So I ask these members and all of those who believe in federalism and states' rights to have the courage to support this important amendment today. | ||
| At the end of this debate, I will insert into the record the text of this amendment. | ||
| I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for this motion to recommit. | ||
| I yield back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman from Washington? | |
| I reserve. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Reserves. | |
| The gentleman from Alabama is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | ||
| This time I'd like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota, Mr. Stauber. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman from Minnesota, Mr. Stauber, is recognized for three minutes. | |
| Thank you, Mr. Speaker. | ||
| I want to thank the leadership, Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith, on this important piece of legislation. | ||
| I rise today in support of this on-block package, which contains four of my amendments. | ||
| The first requires the Secretary of the Air Force and the Director of the Air National Guard to work together to modernize the Air National Guard's fighter fleet. | ||
| Last year's NDAA required a similar report, but this report did not fulfill several requirements, like consultation from the Director of the Air National Guard and recapitalization plans for all fighter wings. | ||
| It was entirely inadequate. | ||
| The average age of our fighting fleet has grown from 10 years to 30 years, and 51 percent of the Air Force's service-retained fighting force is in the Air National Guard. | ||
| We need to act to modernize our fleet. | ||
| My second amendment will provide a two-year funding mechanism for the state sponsorship program. | ||
| This is a key security cooperation program that enables our National Guard units to train with United States allies and increase the interoperability, compatibility, and overall readiness of the National Guard. | ||
| Budget volatility has brought fiscal uncertainty to this program, putting its future in jeopardy. | ||
| A two-year funding mechanism will bring much-needed stability to the program. | ||
| My third amendment will require the DOD to increase the efficiency of the funeral honors program. | ||
| The funeral honors program helps the families of fallen veterans give their loved ones the dignified and respectful barrier that they have earned. | ||
| This program relies on local veteran service organizations to provide these funeral honors, and VCSOs or correction VSOs receive stipends for costs incurred. | ||
| Last year it was brought to my attention that some VSOs had their stipends withheld due to budgetary shortfalls and the National Guard's operational needs taking priority. | ||
| My amendment will require the DOD to identify best practices and cost-effective ways to protect the operational needs of our National Guard while ensuring VSOs are supported in their selfless dedication to our nation's heroes. | ||
| My last amendment will require the DOD to address our crippling reliance on Communist China for critical minerals. | ||
| We currently rely on Communist China for roughly 80 percent of our critical minerals. | ||
| These minerals are used to produce everything from cell phones to fighter jets. | ||
| With the flip of a switch, Communist China could cease all exports of critical minerals to the United States. | ||
| In fact, they have already started reducing their exports. | ||
| Further, we have turned a blind eye to the atrocities committed by our supplier. | ||
| Communist China owns 13 of the 19 industrial mines in the Congo, and they utilize child slave labor and follow zero environmental laws. | ||
|
Exercise Oversight
00:12:23
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| My amendment will require DOD to help develop a strategy to reshore critical mineral production and end our reliance on Communist China. | ||
| I urge my colleagues to support this on-block package, and I yield back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
High reserve. | |
| The gentleman from Alabama Reserves, the gentleman from Washington, is recognized. | ||
| And I am prepared to close. | ||
| May I inquire, are you done with speakers at this point? | ||
| I'm done with speakers, gentlemen. | ||
| Prepared to close as well. | ||
| I yield myself to Washington is recognized. | ||
|
unidentified
|
Thank you. | |
| I yield myself to the balance of my time. | ||
| Three things I want to do in the closing here is: first of all, really recognize the efforts of all of the staff that were involved in bringing us to this point to get the bill to the floor. | ||
| Certainly, the House Armed Services Committee staff, the bipartisan staff, ably leaded on both led by both sides of the aisle. | ||
| This is a long process. | ||
| Thousands of amendments are generated, thousands more ideas that they have to work their way through to get the bill through the markup, get it to the floor. | ||
| Certainly, the Rules Committee staff works overtime processing all of those amendments and the floor staff. | ||
| Thank you all very much for putting up with this. | ||
| This process was not as bad as it's been in the past. | ||
| So I'm not sure that's a good thing. | ||
| But there was a lot less stuff that came out here. | ||
| But everyone's got to do so much work on this to make this happen. | ||
| So I really thank the staff for their incredible work. | ||
| It is a fine testimony to how vital government employees are to making our country run, and I really appreciate that. | ||
| Second, I really want to thank Chairman Rogers, all of the members of the House Armed Services Committee and the respective staffs for the product that we produced out of committee. | ||
| It was a bipartisan product that really focused on what we needed to do to make the Defense Department better and make sure that we supported the men and women who serve in the military. | ||
| There are all manner of external issues that really are focused more on partisan advantage one way or the other that typically get thrust at us. | ||
| We resisted that and stayed focused on the policy. | ||
| And it's not that there aren't disagreements on that policy, even partisan disagreements, where Republicans tend to be in one place and Democrats tend to be in the other. | ||
| But it was all around the focus of what is the best way to run the Department of Defense. | ||
| And that is a legitimate debate to have. | ||
| Chairman Rogers handled that incredibly well. | ||
| It's a very fair debate, fair discussion, and we produced what I think was an excellent product. | ||
| And it's worth remembering what's in that base bill. | ||
| Single biggest thing is acquisition reform, which is every little bit as important as it is boring to talk about. | ||
| It's hard to dive into the details of who's making this decision, the other decision. | ||
| The bottom line is it just takes too long now to buy the equipment, to update, and get the innovative technologies that we need in the modern world. | ||
| The pace of change has never been this rapid. | ||
| AI, drones, counter-drones, all manner of different technologies. | ||
| We have got to get those in the hands of the warfighter vastly more quickly and vastly less expensively than we currently do. | ||
| And the focus in this bill is absolutely right to deal with this. | ||
| We also continue to prioritize quality of life issues for the men and women who serve in our military and their families, as well as we should. | ||
| There's a lot of very good provisions in that bill, and we produced that product. | ||
| The rules process was a different thing. | ||
| It was a very, very partisan exercise, in which if Republicans made a request, they got them, including the weird little thing that we just went through with some financial services issue that I don't understand why that's in our bill. | ||
| It shouldn't be. | ||
| Well, I do understand why it's in our bill, because the Speaker has a very difficult time saying no to people that he ought to say no to. | ||
| We need to work on that. | ||
| But that created a partisan process out of what was a bipartisan process. | ||
| In and of itself, that's problematic, because what it means is Democrats do not get to adequately participate in the process. | ||
| We didn't get any of the amendments in the debates that we wanted, not a single solitary one. | ||
| Meanwhile, all manner of different issues that are pure culture war partisan issues were allowed in. | ||
| I fear that many of those are going to pass. | ||
| We will see. | ||
| If those amendments are defeated, we'll wind up in a different place. | ||
| But if they pass, we will have a bill that is no longer bipartisan. | ||
| And this year, as Ms. Houlihan just highlighted, there's one particular thing that was problematic. | ||
| And that is we are not exercising oversight of the chief executive in the manner which we should. | ||
| We have become vastly more partisan in that regard as well. | ||
| I've served under, I'm going to lose track of how many presidents, I think it's five now. | ||
| Every single one of those, Republicans would always have complaints about a Republican president, and Democrats would have complaints about a Democratic president. | ||
| Now, not as many as would go the other way, to be sure, but there were always efforts when we went on a bipartisan basis to say, yeah, no, the executive branch shouldn't do that. | ||
| We're going to stand up for Congress. | ||
| This is the first term I've ever seen that completely silenced. | ||
| There is no effort whatsoever for Congress to criticize anything the President does. | ||
| That's a problem that upsets the balance of power, the checks and balances that were put in place by our founders to make sure that we continue to be a constitutional republic, a nation based on the Constitution and laws, not on any one individual. | ||
| And we see that played out most starkly with the way the United States military is currently being used in our cities. | ||
| In Washington, D.C. was used in Los Angeles. | ||
| And even the specter of the president threatening the city of Chicago that he will invade them like a scene from Apocalypse Now, that should trouble everybody. | ||
| I don't care whether you're conservative, Democrat, Independent, Republican, Liberal, whatever. | ||
| All right. | ||
| You should be troubled. | ||
| Even if, by the way, as I do, you have profound concerns about crime in our areas. | ||
| And I have profound concerns about the way some of those cities are using the criminal justice system. | ||
| I have concerns in my own area. | ||
| The answer to that is not sending in the United States military. | ||
| The way I've come to sum it up is crime is a problem. | ||
| Fascism isn't the answer. | ||
| More police and stronger communities. | ||
| That's the answer. | ||
| We need to exercise oversight on that because it violates the law. | ||
| It also undermines the readiness of the United States military. | ||
| They are supposed to be trained to defend us against our enemies and adversaries, not to engage in domestic law enforcement. | ||
| We should have a conversation about that and exercise oversight. | ||
| We also have the problem with the whole signal gate thing where classified information was shared in a way that it should not be shared. | ||
| And there should be no disagreement on that. | ||
| We didn't exercise oversight on that either. | ||
| So stepping aside from all these issues, simply letting the president do what he wants to do, and then internationally, last point, this attack on that boat down in the Caribbean is incredibly problematic. | ||
| This is an expansion of the war powers of the president we've never seen before. | ||
| If the president has the power on his own, without even notifying Congress, with much less with us exercising any oversight of it, to declare war on any drug cartel in the world whenever he wants to, then our Constitution, Article I, pretty much ceases to have meaning. | ||
| We just had an amendment offered to repeal the AUMFs. | ||
| I listened to some of those arguments. | ||
| I support that amendment. | ||
| I think it was a good argument. | ||
| An argument was for Article I, for the United States Congress playing a role. | ||
| We have abdicated that role at this point in a way that we have never done before. | ||
| That is a problem, and it's something that the Rules Committee should have permitted us to really debate through a series of amendments on the floor, and they did not. | ||
| And I am troubled by that. | ||
| So we'll see how the amendment process goes. | ||
| Again, beneath all of that is a really good bill that a lot of very good people worked very hard to produce. | ||
| I hope when we get through the end of this process and we actually pass the bill and send it off to the President, we get that bill back because it's really important that we pass it. | ||
| Thank you very much. | ||
| I yield back the balance of my time. | ||
| The gentleman from Washington yields. | ||
| The gentleman from Alabama is recognized. | ||
| Thank you, Mr. Chairman. | ||
| I yield myself such time as I may consume. | ||
| Gentleman is recognized. | ||
| I support this bipartisan en bloc amendment that was worked in advance with a minority. | ||
| And I also want to take a minute to completely footstop what my friend the ranking member just said about the staff. | ||
| Not only the House Armed Services Committee staff on both sides of the aisle who just done incredible work, but the floor staff here and the Rules Committee staff in moving what is the biggest bill that this Congress has to move each year in such an expeditious fashion. | ||
| So you're all to be commended. | ||
| Thank you very much. | ||
| And I can't overstate how much I appreciate the ranking member and his partnership and leadership in this process. | ||
| He is, as you can tell, a thought leader in this area, but also just a great partner in advancing this very important piece of legislation. | ||
| And this is a good bill. | ||
| It's a very important bill. | ||
| It reforms the Pentagon's broken acquisition system, continues historic improvements in the quality of life of our service members and their families, builds a ready, capable, and lethal fighting force necessary to deter global threats, and it enacts President Trump's peace-through strength agenda. | ||
| The House will work its will on the amendments before us today, but I urge all members to support final passage of the bill. | ||
| It's critical we get this bill to conference and ultimately to the president's desk. | ||
| The threats we face today are more complex and precarious than at any point in the last 80 years. | ||
| The department needs the authorities this NDAA provides to stay ahead of these threats. | ||
| I urge all members to support this on-block amendment and the underlying bill. | ||
| And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The gentleman yields. | |
| The question is on the amendments and block offered by the gentleman from Alabama. | ||
| Those in favor say aye. | ||
| Those opposed say no. | ||
| In opinion of the chairs, the ayes have it. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The on-block amendments are agreed to. | |
| Mr. Chairman, I do now move that the committee rise. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The question is on the motion that the committee rise. | |
| All those in favor say aye. | ||
|
unidentified
|
All those opposed say no. | |
| The ayes have it. | ||
| The motion is adopted. | ||
| Accordingly, the committee rises. | ||
| Mr. Speaker, the committee of the whole House and the State of the Union, having had under consideration H.R. 3838, directs me to report that it has come to no resolution thereon. | ||
| The chair of the committee of the whole House on the State of the Union reports that the committee has had under consideration H.R. 3838 and has come to no resolution their own. | ||
| Clause 12A of Rule 1, the chair declares the House in recess for a period of less than 15 minutes. | ||
|
unidentified
|
The House is continuing work on 2026 defense programs and policy legislation. | |
| Members are also considering whether to send three spending bills to negotiations with the Senate on their version of appropriations for military construction and veterans affairs, agriculture, and the legislative branch. | ||
|
Charter Communications Support
00:01:54
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unidentified
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| THURSDAY MORNING. | ||
| Watch C-SPAN's live all-day coverage of the commemoration ceremonies marking the 24th anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. | ||
| Coverage begins at 7 a.m. Eastern on C-SPAN's Washington Journal and then at 8.30 a.m. Eastern, we'll take you to the remembrance ceremony at the 9-11 Memorial in New York City with Vice President JD Vance in attendance. | ||
| At 9 a.m. Eastern, the observance ceremony from the Pentagon with President Donald Trump. | ||
| And at 9.45 a.m. Eastern, the Flight 93 National Memorial Ceremony in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. | ||
| Watch live all-day coverage of the commemoration ceremonies marking the 24th anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. | ||
| Thursday morning, beginning at 7 a.m. Eastern on the C-SPAN networks. | ||
| Welcome back. | ||
| Joining us now is Tara Kopp. | ||
| She is Pentagon correspondent for the Washington Post. | ||
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Tara, welcome to the program. | |
| Thank you for having me. | ||