U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives
The U.S. House debates economic and military priorities, with Rep. Pete Aguilar accusing Trump of downplaying affordability while costs rise, and Speaker Mike Johnson opening proceedings amid calls to hold Putin accountable for violating the Budapest Memorandum. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez criticizes the NDAA’s exclusion of IVF and healthcare tax credits, warning against unchecked executive power like potential Venezuela strikes, citing pardons for traffickers like Russ Ulbricht. Riley Moore pushes pro-manufacturing amendments, while Georgia reps clash over inflation blame, framing Democratic policies as key drivers. Cox highlights its role in bridging digital divides for families, veterans, and youth programs, underscoring corporate civic engagement amid partisan tensions. [Automatically generated summary]
Transcriber: nvidia/parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v2, sat-12l-sm, and large-v3-turbo
Source
Participants
Main
a
austin scott
rep/r18:47
t
teresa leger fernandez
rep/d21:48
t
tylease alli
09:12
Appearances
d
don davis
rep/d01:04
e
emilia sykes
rep/d02:04
g
george latimer
rep/d01:03
g
glenn gt thompson
rep/r01:11
j
joe wilson
rep/r01:08
m
melanie stansbury
rep/d02:53
p
pete aguilar
rep/d00:45
r
rear adm margaret kibben
01:22
r
riley moore
rep/r02:03
s
steny hoyer
rep/d01:19
s
sydney kamlager-dove
rep/d02:54
Clips
a
arthur brooks
00:20
m
mike johnson
rep/r00:27
|
Speaker
Time
Text
Advantageous Trump Appearances00:02:24
unidentified
The more that President Trump is out there, that it's advantageous to the case that you all are making about the affordability crisis, given that he's not the coax and a con.
And just what do you make of the fact that they say that he's going to be out on the road a little bit more speaking about his agenda and kind of looking to report some of the criticisms that you all have waged against him on the affordability crisis?
Sometimes it's a long 16 blocks from Capitol Hill to the White House.
Clearly, it's taken the President quite a long time to understand the affordability crisis that we're in.
I think the event yesterday was one of the first.
I've seen that the president wasn't attending a sporting event or something else.
But saying that the economy is a plus plus plus, calling the affordability crisis a hoax, these are things that the American people just know aren't true.
He's lying.
House Republicans are lying.
They know that.
They know that the affordability crisis is at their doorstep.
They know it is more difficult to live under the Trump economy than it was.
unidentified
We are going to lead this here for live gabble-to-gabble coverage of the U.S. House here on C-SPAN.
I pledge allegiance allegiance to the flag of the United United States of America and to the Republic for which stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
31 years ago, Ukraine signed the Budapest Memorandum, giving up their nuclear arsenal in exchange for territorial guarantees by America, Russia, and the United Kingdom.
Sadly, it has been murderously broken by War Criminal Putin as Soviets break all treaties.
President Donald Trump tried to deter War Criminal Putin by sending javelin missiles to Ukraine, placing troops in Poland and stopping Nord Stream II.
Ukrainian courage and determination is inspiring, affirmed by unity of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, led by President Pierre-Jean-Pons, with Ukraine's support from UK MP Chair Sharon Hudson.
In conclusion, God bless our troops as Trump is reinstituting peace through strength, revealing war criminal Putin lies, insulting Trump.
As the New York Post is editorialized, quote, Putin sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner a packing with yet more aerial assaults on Ukrainian civilians.
American public support for Ukraine is growing.
I yield back.
unidentified
The chair will receive a message.
Mr. Speaker, messages from the Senate.
Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Secretary.
I've been directed by the Senate to inform the House that the Senate has passed S-414, an act to require covered digital advertising platforms to report their public service advertisements in which the concurrence of the House is requested.
For what purposes, gentlemen from Maryland seek recognition.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great Marylander, a fellow University of Maryland terrapin, and a dear friend, Bob Mitchell, who passed away on November 12th, just days shy of his 89th birthday.
Bob built our community, literally.
An accomplished developer, he built more than 5,000 homes in roughly 40 communities throughout the capital region.
Bob was a leader in his industry, serving as president of the Maryland National Capitol Building and Industry Association, the Maryland State Builders Association, and the National Association of Home Builders.
His greatest pride, however, of course, was his family.
My prayers are with his wife, Marlene, their four children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, as they mourn this great loss.
I mourn with them.
He was a friend, a friend who I liked, who I respected, and who I learned from.
The House mourns with him.
Maryland mourns with them.
May God bless and keep Bob Mitchell.
unidentified
For what purposes, the gentleman from New York seek recognition.
Mr. Speaker, I ask for Anderson consent to address the House for one minute to revise and extend our public.
Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration's most recent attack on our children's health.
On Friday, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the panel of anti-vaxxers that Secretary Kennedy put in charge, upended over three decades of precedent on hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for babies.
Secretary Kennedy's fascination with quackery has once again set health, science, and medicine in America backwards.
The new guidance says that only babies whose mothers test positive for hepatitis B or whose status is unknown should receive the vaccine.
For every other baby, the committee has decided not to give a recommendation.
If acting CDC Director O'Neill approves this recommendation, countless babies will be at risk of liver disease and other long-lasting health issues.
I call on the administration to reject this unscientific and reckless proposal before it harms our children.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I yield back.
unidentified
For what purposes, the gentlewoman from New Mexico seek recognition.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of a new beacon of hope and belonging in our land of enchantment.
The doors of the QC, Santa Fe's first LGBTQIA center, have opened, and those doors open a space where every New Mexican can breathe freely, stand proudly, and be wholly themselves.
In this home of chosen family, community, and courage, Santa Feans will gather not just for events or activities, but to share joy, to be seen, to be embraced without condition.
The QC adds its own bright colors to Santa Fe's already vibrant tapestry, a testament to the leadership of the Human Rights Alliance Executive Director Kevin Bowen and the entire community's tireless passion, persistence, and commitment to equality in Santa Fe and throughout New Mexico.
It brings me great joy to know that these advocates continue to fight for equality in New Mexico and uplift members of our beautifully diverse community.
I stand in celebration with you.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back.
unidentified
For what purposes, gentlemen from North Carolina seek recognition.
Mr. Speaker, I ask for amendments consent to address the House for one minute to revise and extend.
Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute.
Mr. Speaker, many farmers and producers are in dire need of help, facing hardship because of decisions made beyond their control.
At the kitchen table, farmers are often forced right now to make unthinkable choices, like shutting down a farm that's been in their family for generations.
For farm families, relief, it is not their preference, but right now it's urgently needed for survival.
The recently announced assistance package is a step in the right direction.
But some growers, such as tobacco, are being left behind, and others are left fighting to figure it out amongst themselves.
Short-term aid only tackles part of the problem, but we need balanced trade policies and certainty, or else many farms may be at risk.
unidentified
Mr. Speaker, I yield back.
For what purposes, gentlemen from Pennsylvania seek recognition.
I rise today to congratulate the Cameron Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force for receiving the Program of the Year award from the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.
The award recognizes an outstanding health program in a rural community that uses unique, creative, innovative approaches to increase access to health care services and improve community health outcomes.
The task force addressed this need by designing 30,000 locally manufactured 988 Lifeline challenge coins, distributing 500 copies of the book 988N/End the Stigma designed by local artist and mental health advocate John Slim, installing a digital billboard on the Elk County Highway route that reaches thousands of vehicles daily.
Mr. Speaker, by bringing attention to mental health, we can help those affected seek and receive the care they need.
Resolve that at any time after adoption of this resolution, the Speaker may, pursuant to Clause 2B of Rule 18, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for consideration of the bill, H.R. 3898, to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to make targeted reforms with respect to waters of the United States and other matters and for other purposes.
The first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with.
All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived.
General debate shall be confined to the bill and amendments specified in this section and shall not exceed one hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on transportation and infrastructure or the respective designees.
After general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule.
The amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure now printed in the bill shall be considered as adopted in the House and the Committee of the Whole.
The bill as amended shall be considered as the original bill for the purpose of further amendment under the five-minute rule and shall be considered as read.
All points of order against provisions in the bill as amended are waived.
No further amendments to the bill as amended shall be in order except those printed in part A of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution.
Each such further amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report, equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole.
All points of order against such further amendments are waived.
At the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment, the committee shall rise and report the bill as amended to the House with such further amendments as may have been adopted.
The previous question shall be considered as order on the bill as amended and on any further amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit.
Section 2.
At any time after adoption of this resolution, the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2B of Rule 18, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for consideration of the bill, H.R. 3383, to amend the Investment Company Act of 1940 with respect to the authority of closed-end companies to invest in private funds.
The first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with.
All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived.
General debate shall be confined to the bill and amendments specified in this section and shall not exceed one hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on financial services or their respective designees.
After general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendments under the five-minute rule.
In lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Financial Services now printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 119-15 shall be considered as adopted in the House and in the Committee of the Whole.
The bill as amended shall be considered as the original bill for the purpose of further amendment under the five-minute rule and shall be considered as read.
All points of order against provisions in the bill as amended are waived.
No further amendment to the bill as amended shall be in order except those printed in Part B of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution.
Each such further amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report, equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole.
All points of order against such further amendments are waived.
At the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment, the committee shall rise and report the bill as amended to the House with such further amendments as may have been adopted.
The previous question shall be considered as order on the bill as amended and on any further amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit.
Section three, at any time after adoption of this resolution, the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2B of Rule 18, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for consideration of the bill, H.R. 3638, to direct the Secretary of Energy to prepare periodic assessments and submit reports on the supply chain for the generation and transmission of electricity and for other purposes.
The first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with.
All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived.
General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on energy and commerce or their respective designees.
After general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule.
The bill shall be considered as read.
All points of order against provisions in the bill are waived.
No amendment to the bill shall be in order except those printed in Part C of the report of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution.
Each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report, equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole.
All points of order against such amendments are waived.
At the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment, the committee shall rise and report the bill to the House with such amendments as may have been adopted.
The previous question shall be considered as order on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit.
Section four, upon adoption of this resolution, it shall be in order to consider in the House the bill, H.R. 3628, to amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to add a standard related to state consideration of reliable generation and for other purposes.
All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived.
The bill shall be considered as read.
All points of order against provisions in the bill are waived.
The previous question shall be considered as order on the bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on energy and commerce or their respective designees and two the further amendment printed in part d of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution If offered by the member designated in the report,
which shall be in order without intervention of any point of order, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable, shall be separately debatable for the time specified in the report, equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question, and three, one motion to recommit.
Section five, upon adoption of this resolution, it shall be in order to consider in the House the bill.
H.R. 3668 to promote interagency coordination for reviewing certain authorizations under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act and for other purposes.
All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived.
The bill shall be considered as read.
All points of order against provisions in the bill are waived.
The previous question shall be considered as order on the bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one.
One hour of debate, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on energy and commerce or their respective designees, and two, one motion to recommit.
Section six, upon adoption of this resolution, it shall be in order to consider in the House the bill, Senate 1071, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas, and for other purposes.
All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived.
An amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 119-16 shall be considered as adopted.
The bill as amended shall be considered as read.
All points of order against provisions in the bill as amended are waived.
The previous question shall be considered as order on the bill as amended and on any further amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one.
One hour of debate, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on armed services or their respective designees, and two, one motion to commit.
Section seven, the chair of the committee on armed services and the chair of the permanent select committee on intelligence may insert into the congressional record not later than December 12, 2025, such material as they may deem explanatory of Senate 1071.
Section 8, notwithstanding clause 13 of Rule 1, on any legislative day of the second session of the 119th Congress before January 6, 2026, A. The Speaker may dispense with organizational and legislative business, and B, the journal of the proceedings of the previous day shall be considered as approved if applicable.
unidentified
The gentleman from Georgia is recognized for one hour.
Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlelady from New Mexico, Ms. Ledger Fernandez, pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume.
During consideration of this resolution, all-time yielders for the purposes of debate only.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.
Mr. Speaker, last night the Rules Committee met and reported a rule, House Resolution 936, providing for consideration of six measures.
Senate 1071, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026, under a closed rule.
The rule provides one hour of debate, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Armed Services or their respective designees and provides one motion to recommit.
H.R. 3898, the Permit Act, under a structured rule.
The rule provides one hour of debate, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure or their respective designees, provides one motion to recommit and makes eight amendments in order.
H.R. 3628, the State Planning for Reliability and Affordability Act under a structured rule.
The rule provides one hour debate, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, or their respective designees, provides one motion to recommit and makes one amendment in order.
H.R. 3638, the Electric Supply Chain Act, under a structured rule, the rule provides one hour debate, equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees, provides one motion to recommit and makes five amendments in order.
H.R. 3668, the Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act under a closed rule.
The rule provides one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce or their respective designees and provides one motion to recommit.
H.R. 3383, the INVEST Act, under a structured rule, the rule provides for one hour debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Financial Services or their respective designees, provides one motion to recommit and makes five amendments in order.
Mr. Speaker, we are here today to debate a rule on six pieces of legislation.
First, Senate 1071, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026.
Mr. Speaker, under the leadership of Chairman Mike Rogers and Ranking Member Adam Smith, one of the top priorities of the fiscal year 26 NDAA was to reform the defense acquisition system and equip our armed services with the technology they need to deter national security threats.
As anyone who follows this process knows, it can take more than a decade before new capabilities are finally deployed.
Yet by then, the threat has changed, the technology is outdated, and the program is over budget.
This bill cuts red tape and shifts the focus of the defense acquisition system from compliance to quickly and cost-effectively fielding new capabilities to ensure that our armed forces are the most lethal and effective fighting force in the world.
Implementing the Peace Through Strength Agenda, the fiscal year 26 NDAA codifies all or parts of 15 executive orders and 30 legislative proposals from President Trump, fully funds top defense priorities, revitalizes the defense industrial base, and grows manufacturing jobs in America, all while pressing our NATO allies to pay more for their own defense.
Building upon last year's NDAA, which focused on service members' quality of life, this bill supports a 3.8% pay raise, Mr. Speaker, for all service members, improves housing and Department of Defense schools, and expands access to health care and child care.
To defer our adversaries, the fiscal year 26 NDAA focuses on countering threats from China, bolsters Taiwan's defense, and supports Indo-Pacific allies and partners.
Additionally, this bill continues to focus on countering threats to our national security from Russia, North Korea, Iran, and other foreign terrorist organizations.
To counter emerging threats, the bill focuses on rapidly deploying new innovative technologies to our warfighters while strengthening nuclear deterrence and missile defense.
To further secure our border and fight drug trafficking, the fiscal year 26 NDAA fully funds the establishment and enforcement of national defense areas along the southwest border of the United States of America, authorizes the Department of Defense to provide additional support to customs and border protection, and authorizes over $1 billion to combat drug trafficking.
Finally, the fiscal year 2026 NDAA reforms programs and saves taxpayer dollars.
It saves over $20 billion from Doge cuts and Department of Defense workforce reforms, improves congressional oversight of Department of Defense audit results and overhauls military construction to reduce costs and expedite project delivery.
I'd like to thank my colleagues and all of the staff for their work that went into the fiscal year 26 NDAA, which should pass with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Second, Mr. Speaker, we have H.R. 3898, the Permit Act.
This bill contains targeted common sense reforms to the permitting process under the Clean Water Act, restoring the balance between the need to ensure both water quality and economic growth.
Simply stated, this bill will cut red tape, reduce costly project delays and frivolous litigation, and provide greater regulatory certainty for our nation's infrastructure builders, energy producers, farmers, homebuilders, water utilities, and small businesses.
Third, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3628, the State Planning and Reliability and Affordability Act.
This bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to require state utility regulators to consider sufficient and reliable generation when considering electric utilities integrated resources plans.
A stable supply of electricity is critical for most aspects of modern life, and peak demand growth is now higher than at any point in 20 years.
Net zero mandates and renewable subsidies have disrupted the market, causing grid reliability issues as demand grows.
This bill clarifies that reliable electricity means dispatchable baseload energy.
Reliable energy is foundational to everything, and this bill will help ensure we have reliable, secure generation that keeps the lights on.
Fourth, Mr. Speaker, the H.R. 3638, the Electric Supply Chain Act.
This is a simple bill that directs the Department of Energy to assess our country's electric grid component manufacturing capacity and determine potential problems with imported grid components.
We can't afford to fail in securing our electric supply chain, and this bipartisan common sense legislation aims to ensure we won't.
Fifth, Mr. Speaker, is H.R. 3668, the Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act.
This bill aims to speed up the consideration of pipelines by promoting interagency coordination for reviewing certain authorizations for LNG facilities and natural gas pipelines under the Natural Gas Act.
Demand for natural gas in the United States has grown by 47 percent since 2013.
Infrastructure to deliver that gas, however, has only increased by 26 percent.
Currently, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, has the responsibility of authorizing pipelines and generally, after thorough review, finds these projects consistent with the public interest.
Yet many of these federally approved projects often don't come to fruition because certain states and other agencies fail to issue the proper certifications.
Under the current process, one state has the ability to veto a multi-state pipeline project for reasons far outside the scope of water quality.
This results in reliability and affordability issues in resource-constrained areas in our country.
Natural gas is clean, affordable, and reliable.
The United States also has an abundant supply, and this bill will ensure we have the pipelines needed to keep up with the continual increased demanding for electricity generation.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, we have H.R. 3383, the Invest Act.
This is a bipartisan package containing 22 pieces of legislation that have all been reported favorably out of the House Committee on Financial Services.
This legislation will strengthen public markets, produce more opportunities for investors, and expand access to capital for small businesses.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to consideration of these policies of legislation and urge passage of this rule.
I reserve the balance for my time.
unidentified
Gentlemen and Reserves, a gentlewoman from New Mexico is recognized.
Mr. Speaker, do you remember what it was like when you were a kid waking up on Christmas hoping for a certain gift?
Maybe it was a Dr. Barbie or a new bike.
But then you ran to the tree and got socks that were itchy, a knockoff Barbie whose arms fell off and shoes that didn't quite fit.
Americans know what they need for Christmas as they worry about how they're going to make Christmas affordable.
How are they going to make it work?
Their costs are skyrocketing.
From the tariffs, increasing costs for toys, to grocery bills that are going up and up, and to those utility bills, it's hard to keep those Christmas lights on, given the raising costs of utilities.
But nothing in the bills that we are considering today makes Americans' life more affordable or merry.
Americans want us to extend the tax credits so their health care premiums don't go from $250 to $2,600 a month like they will for my constituents' family of five.
How is a parent supposed to buy Christmas gifts for their kids when they now need to spend an extra $2,000 a month for health insurance?
Instead of lowering costs, what kinds of lumps of coal is Congress working on this week?
We have a bill that rigs the energy system to make it more difficult to use clean energy.
Wind and solar are the cheapest forms of new electricity.
The studies prove it over and over.
And they're good for the planet.
But Republicans are defining energy to exclude renewables.
If it saves you money and is good for the air you breathe, why wouldn't Congress want us to use more renewable energy?
Instead of making your life better, Republicans are standing with their dirty fossil fuel campaign donors and big corporations that threaten our clean water.
The only thing that we are doing of significance today is the National Defense Authorization Act.
Indeed, the 3% pay raise for service members and reimbursements to travel to see a doctor for rural bases is really important for our service members and families.
The NDA's requirement that the Pentagon turnover footage of the boat strikes in the Caribbean is essential to accountability.
But I would argue it's not enough.
Congress must pass a war powers resolution to prevent a needless and reckless war with Venezuela and any other country Trump decides to attack on a whim.
Trump says he is going to war with drug traffickers.
This is hypocrisy of the highest degree.
While Secretary Hekset was busy blowing up boats of suspected drug dealers, Trump was pardoning former Honduran President Hernandez.
Hernandez was tried, convicted, and sentenced for bringing in 400 tons of drugs to America.
There was proof and evidence in a court of law, not random airstrikes and a declaration of a forever war that Congress has not authorized and the American people do not want.
My constituents and Americans all across our beautiful country are outraged that war crimes may have been committed in our name.
Two people clinging to an overturned boat in the ocean are not a threat to our Navy, the strongest and most powerful on earth.
Don't insult our intelligence or our pride.
But let me tell you something else Republicans really don't want us to talk about today.
Speaker Johnson stripped out a provision in the NDAA that would have provided IVF coverage for service members.
Today's Republican-led bill destroyed any hope for a Christmas miracle for the service men and women who just want to have a baby and raise a family.
I urge my colleagues to reject this rule and I reserve.
I now yield three minutes to my friend from South Carolina, Ms. Biggs.
unidentified
Gentlemen from recognized.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the gentleman from Georgia for yielding me time this afternoon.
I rise in strong support of the rule and the fiscal year 26 National Defense Authorization Act.
This year's NDAA is the legislative backbone for President Trump's peace-through strength agenda.
It delivers on the commitment to build the lethal fighting force necessary to deter our adversaries across every domain and contains provisions critical to both our domestic readiness and our global security.
As both a member of Congress and a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, I understand what it takes to keep our nation secure and I'm proud to support key priorities in this bill that deliver on that mission.
First, I secured a provision to protect the strategic rail corridor network, the backbone of how we move troops and equipment in times of crisis.
My provision ensures critical rail lines are defended from cyber and physical threats, which strengthen our ability to respond when it matters most.
Second, I advance a reform to cut outdated red tape that slows down how we deliver critical defense equipment.
My provision ensures regular reviews to clear those bottlenecks.
Now we can modernize faster, we can strengthen our readiness, and we can keep this work in the hands of American workers.
Mr. Speaker, from protecting our rail lines at home to ensuring our allies can rapidly acquire the weapons they need to restoring the warrior ethos of dedication, resilience, and sacrifice, the NDAA is a win for our warfighters, our security, and for our hardworking Americans whose skills power our defense.
I urge support for the rule and the underlying bill, and I yield back the remainder of my time.
Today I rise in support of my proposed amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026.
Ohio's 13th congressional district has long been known as the rubber capital of the world and both my amendments uphold that legacy by investing in American manufacturing to ensure this vital industry remains globally competitive and in the United States.
Drawing from the Retreaded Tire Job Supply Chain Security and Sustainability Act of 2025, this amendment would ensure that the U.S. government uses retreaded tires wherever possible rather than using cheap foreign imported tires.
This amendment would support more than just my neighbors in Ohio's 13th District as retreaded tires make up the largest remanufacturing sector in the United States while employing over 51,000 American workers.
This Commonson's amendment is good for both the economy, the environment, and the United States government while protecting good paying manufacturing jobs right here in the United States.
Ohio's 13th District has long been a trailblazer in polymer science and polymer engineering and Akron's polymer manufacturing ecosystem provides a local pipeline from education and training to the workforce.
To build on Akron's generations of success, my second amendment requires the Secretary of Defense to establish an initiative to accelerate the research and development of innovative sustainable polymer processing and manufacturing to support generational technologies built on resilient polymer supply chain.
This amendment will support the incredible work of partners like the Akron Sustainable Polymer Tech Hub that is performing groundbreaking research and development that can revolutionize industries across the country and around the world.
Further, it will ensure Northeast Ohio remains a global leader in polymer science and polymer engineering, reaffirming our district's legacy as the rubber capital of the world.
From sustainable tires to sustainable polymers, the next generation of rubber and plastics production will probably be made in Ohio in our 13th congressional district.
Additionally, I have submitted three additional amendments to create jobs, lower costs, and protect our national security in American innovation and manufacturing.
I want to congratulate the gentlelady from Ohio on the success of her amendments in the legislation.
The National Defense Authorization Act is something that I'm proud to work on year-round on the Armed Services Committee.
I want to give a lot of credit to Ranking Member Adam Smith and Chair Mike Rogers and the members of the House Armed Services Committee for working together in very much a bipartisan fashion to make sure that American citizens are protected, not just here in America, but that our troops have the resources they need around the world to protect themselves so that we can be free here in the United States of America.
Mr. Speaker, I also applaud the idea of innovation and research, and we should be doing the same in our military, but we should also be doing the same in every aspect of our economy.
And that's why it is so disturbing that Republicans continue to want to look backwards rather than forwards with regards to our energy future.
They refuse to engage and invest and celebrate the innovation that is going on with regards to renewable energy and how they are indeed the cheapest forms of energy.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to enter into the record an article from June 17, 2025 in Scientific American titled, Wind and Solar Energy are cheaper than electricity from fossil fuel plants.
Even without subsidies, renewable energy is staying competitive, close quote.
So H.R. 3622 does not address the fact that energy prices are rising 13% higher since Trump took office.
And Trump has called the affordability crisis a democratic hoax.
He insults our intelligence once again every time you open your utility bill.
When you opened that notice about what your health care premiums would be next year, when you go to the grocery store, you know the affordability crisis is not a hoax, but it was created by Trump and his policies,
his tariffs, and all of those cuts to our medical programs that Republicans jammed through this summer and their refusal, their refusal to put before the floor the extension of those tax credits.
And in the area of renewable energy, they also continue to close their eyes to how we make life more affordable for Americans.
And with that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from California, also a member of the Democratic Caucus Executive Committee, Ms. Kamlager Dove.
With the NDAA before us, we had an opportunity to do right by the Afghan allies who risked their lives to protect American service members throughout our 20-year involvement in Afghanistan.
After months of bipartisan work and real progress, a key provision of my Enduring Welcome Act, legislation that passed the Foreign Affairs Committee with strong bipartisan support, was set to be included in the NDAA.
The amendment is straightforward.
Re-establish the office of the coordinator for Afghan relocation efforts that the Trump administration dismantled earlier this year.
It would simply allow the CARE Office to continue the critical work of helping our Afghan allies escape retaliation, death from the Taliban.
But just days before it was set to become law, Republicans quietly stripped this amendment from the NDAA, breaching standard legislative procedure so they could sell out our Afghan allies to protect themselves politically from Trump's wrath.
They threw our allies and our military under the bus.
Trump's weaponization of the horrific shooting of the National Guardsmen before we had even gathered the full facts to scapegoat Afghan allies and immigration communities has been repugnant.
The administration swiftly suspended asylum decisions, halted the issuance of special immigration visas, and prioritized Afghans for deportations.
And Republicans, who have just last year spent every day ending in Y, criticizing the Biden administration for not doing enough to protect our Afghan allies, where are they now?
Silent and compromising their principles without a fight, just like they have done time and time again this Congress.
Some of these very colleagues served in Afghanistan themselves and uniquely understand the profound debt we owe to our Afghan allies, Afghans who saved American lives.
Abandoning them at the 11th hour is shameful, unprincipled, unchristian, and un-American.
Honoring our promise to Afghan allies is not only a moral responsibility, it is a matter of national honor and global credibility.
And if we fail to uphold that promise, we put the future safety of our service members at risk by sending a dangerous message to the world that the United States cannot, should not be trusted.
So I will be voting no on the rule for many reasons, but chief among them is the cowardice my colleagues have showed when they placed blind loyalty to the president above American principles, obligations, and safety.
And I urge my colleagues to vote no and I yield back.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the rule and yes on the underlying piece of legislation, especially the National Defense Authorization Act.
I do want to address a couple of things since, as usual, the Democrats continue to blame President Trump for everything.
Just as a reminder, the Democrats controlled the House, the Senate, and the White House until January of 2023.
They controlled the Senate and the White House until January of 2025.
And every state in this country has a public service commission.
And so it doesn't make any sense to blame President Trump for what is happening with energy prices when if you look, it is the states that are controlled by Democrats that have the highest energy prices.
So I would suggest that we just have a little honest reflection here as we talk about different types of things and where the inflation come from and remind my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and the American citizens of the deficits that they ran when they had the House, the Senate, and the White House, the Inflation Reduction Act, the American Rescue Plan, as they call it, trillions upon trillions upon trillions of dollars.
And by the way, it was the Democrats that chose not to extend the subsidies beyond this year when they had the House, the Senate, and the White House.
Not the Republicans, it was the Democrats that did that.
You voted for it, not me.
Not me.
So let's just be honest.
President Trump is doing a good job.
He is making sure that the rules of engagement are set so that the American citizens are protected and the pangas go to the bottom of the ocean.
And with that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, Americans know what kind of job the President is doing because they are paying those bills every month.
And every month, they know that the tariffs are causing this inflation.
And it is a self-inflicted wound.
It wasn't Russia invading Ukraine.
It wasn't a pandemic.
It was Trump and his tariffs that are not rooted in any kind of true economic policy.
But, Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to provide for consideration of H.R. 6074, which would extend the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits for three years through 2028.
Yes, they are extensions of time.
We'd like to see them permanent.
But in negotiations, we have always worked on extensions so that we can address issues together in a bipartisan manner.
Millions of Americans are already receiving those notices of health plans where they're going to skyrocket.
I get stopped on the streets where people tell me what they are seeing when they open those bills, and they are drastic.
Some it's a few hundred dollars, but others it's a thousand dollars, two thousand dollars.
They wonder how they are going to either pay just for health insurance, what happens when something goes wrong and they have to pay that doctor's bill.
And there are only eight days left to fix this problem.
But Republicans still have no viable health care plan of their own.
We heard that they took out a chalkboard and started throwing ideas on there.
None of the ideas were to extend the tax credits, which is the quickest and easiest way to make sure that Americans don't see those skyrocketing plans.
Instead, they want to maybe get rid of the Affordable Care Act.
They want people to be forced into junk plans, which could force Americans into bankruptcy.
And by the way, Trump made sure that if you don't pay your health care bill, it will go on your credit report.
He actually went out of his way to make sure that happens.
The PQ vote today will be Republicans' 22nd opportunity to vote to prevent the health insurance costs of over 20 million Americans from rising significantly.
I hope they finally decide to side with their constituents.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the record along with any extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.
Mr. Speaker, to discuss our proposal, I yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois, the author of this legislation and a champion in this regard, Ms. Underwood.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today because in just three weeks, the Affordable Care Act tax credits that help millions of Americans afford their premiums will expire.
These tax credits have been a lifeline for families and small businesses across the country.
They have allowed people to see their providers, to fill their prescriptions, and get the procedures that they need.
These tax credits are enormously popular because they work.
Our uninsured rate is lower than ever.
That's why Democrats have been fighting for months to extend these successful tax credits and prevent health care costs from skyrocketing.
Every House Democrat has signed onto a discharge petition to extend these tax credits for three years.
And if we defeat the previous question, we can vote on that extension today.
But if Republicans let these tax credits expire, premiums will soar and health care will be out of reach for tens of millions of Americans.
Families will be forced to go uninsured or make incredibly tough choices just to make ends meet.
This is life or death for people.
Health care should be a right for everyone, not an unaffordable luxury for the wealthy.
I urge my Republican colleagues to vote no on the previous question and join us in extending these tax credits today.
Okay, first of all, if you're over 65, you're not eligible for the tax credit.
If you or your spouse works for somebody that even offers health insurance, you're not eligible for the tax credit.
People on chips are not eligible for the tax credit.
People on Medicaid are not eligible for the tax credit.
And if you think that expanding this tax credit is going to fix the problem, let me just give you a couple of examples from my personal life.
I'm covered under the Affordable Care Act today.
Do you know what I do when I go to the pharmacy?
I don't file it on my health insurance.
I pay cash because the cash price is less than the copay on my health insurance.
The plans, for the most part, are junk.
It's junk.
And we're not going to continue to send billions upon billions of dollars to the insurance companies.
The President has made it very clear.
We will give the people money to help them purchase their health insurance, but we need more competition in the system so that people can actually buy a good plan that works for them instead of this junk that I have.
Mr. Speaker, 20 million people rely on those tax credits.
So the fact that my colleague doesn't need to rely on and that he has enough cash so that he can go and buy the prescriptions outright is great for him.
But what about those 20 million Americans, many in his district, who rely on the Affordable Care Act tax credits?
And not only that, but Americans want us to do this work.
If he were listening to the constituents in his district, and by the way, a lot of those Republicans aren't having town halls because their constituents are speaking out.
74% of Americans want us to extend those tax credits.
And I think it's the easiest thing, the quickest thing.
We're not saying we shouldn't continue to make improvements.
In fact, I have bigger ideas of how we should fix the health care system, but this is the system we have today with weeks left.
And it's easy.
It's an easy vote.
All we need is for Republicans, for Republicans to have the courage to stand up for their constituents.
Whether we see that or not is yet to be seen.
They send tweets out.
We see Republicans signing letters that they want the ACA extended.
But we don't see them doing what counts on the floor of the House, which is sign your name to that discharge petition and vote for your constituents and health care that is affordable for all Americans.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to say thank you to the gentlelady.
I could not agree more that we need a fix to health care now, not tomorrow, not next week, not next month, today.
So put your cards on the table, my friends.
We want to see your fix to health care.
We are ready to pass an extension of the ACA, and the people of this country cannot wait.
I rise today in opposition to the rule on the floor.
There is so much going on in this rule, the NDAA, the Invest Act, a bunch of so-called permitting bills that would gut environmental protections.
But I rise in particular to advocate for an amendment that I submitted to this package to stop the president from bulldozing more public buildings, including further changes to the White House that they are planning right now.
The President has already bulldozed the East Wing of the White House, a public treasure visited by millions, to build a private ballroom for himself and his billionaire friends.
No hearings, no public input, no regard for the law.
And now the White House is quietly soliciting bids to repaint another White House building and to demolish four more historic federal buildings here in Washington, D.C. They're shopping our shared heritage to the highest bidder.
And yes, those bidders just happen to be some of the president's personal friends and campaign donors.
This is corruption happening in broad daylight right in front of our eyes.
And these federal properties belong to the American people, not to Trump's real estate empire.
My amendment, which is based on a bill I will file in the coming days, is urgent.
It stops the president and any federal official from unilaterally demolitioning, selling, remodeling, or giving away the buildings that we own as the American people.
It restores enforcement and accountability that existing laws already provide, but this administration is ignoring and increases the penalties to ensure accountability.
My friends, the Supreme Court is on the verge of overturning 80 years of precedent, stripping away independent agencies of the power to say no to a president.
When that happens, the guardrails will disappear.
And so we want to stand here on the House floor and say to the executive branch in the people's house, you do not have this authority.
You do not have it now.
You did not have it then.
And we will make sure that the law is clear.
We are reaffirming the separation of powers before the Supreme Court attempts to dismantle it, and we cannot wait another day.
And so I urge every member who believes in co-equal power on both sides of the aisle, vote yes to this amendment, stand up for the Constitution, stand up for our shared history, and stand up for the American people.
I want to make sure my colleague understood what I said and meant when I said that when I go to the pharmacy, I pay cash instead of use my insurance card.
The retail cost of the drug is less than the copay on the insurance.
Now that's just the reality of the system that Americans are forced to live in.
I thought I might share with you another bill that I kept where my charge, the total charge was $111.
My copay, and as I said, I'm covered under the Affordable Care Act, my copay for that doctor's visit was $60.
The insurance provider and adjustments were a total of $51.
Of that, the insurance company paid $7.99 and just discounted the doctor's bill by $43.01.
So again, on a $111 charge, I paid $60, the doctor got beat down by $43, and the insurance company paid $7.99.
Let me just tell you, the Affordable Care Act needs to be replaced with something that actually works for the American citizens.
I think the worst thing that has ever happened is when it obtained the name of Obamacare, because then it became about President Obama instead of about what the actual law and the flaws in the piece of legislation is.
And let's just be clear.
If we could fix it, we would.
But giving more cash to the health insurance industry, who's already got record profits and record stock prices, is not going to reduce the premium for the American citizens as a whole, or is it going to improve the quality of care?
We have to get competition back into the market.
And if it wasn't named Obamacare, we might have been able to fix it.
We might have been able to fix it.
But the Dems are so scared to do anything because they're primaries to change Obamacare.
They're sure not going to give President Trump a vote to fix the mess that they made.
They don't want him to get the credit for fixing the mess that they made that they simply won't vote for anything that would actually work.
Now, Mr. Speaker, I want to get back to some other issues.
I want to get back to the National Defense Authorization Act.
It's a dangerous time in the world right now.
It's a dangerous time with all of the things happening in China, with all of the aggression of Russia, with all of the things happening in the Western Hemisphere.
The National Defense Authorization Act is probably the most important piece of legislation that we pass on an annual basis in this country.
We have two good leaders, Adam Smith and Mike Rogers, and we have a committee that has been able to work together in a bipartisan fashion to put this piece of legislation on the floor of the House of Representatives.
It's time to pass this rule.
It's time to pass this bill.
As you've heard from some of my Democrat colleagues, they have amendments that they are very proud of in this legislation.
I am glad it is a bipartisan piece of legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I wish that my colleague would have been around to hear from Brick.
Brick lives in Utah.
He's a constituent of Representative Kennedy.
He doesn't have the luxury of being able to go into a pharmacy and pay with cash.
Because under the Affordable Care Act, his life is saved every day because he has a rare genetic disease.
It would cost him $150,000 to pay for the infusions that he needs to receive on a regular monthly basis or else he dies.
It would not help to go in and try to pay for cash when you talk to the worker who I met with.
Her son needs transfusions or else he would not be able to play as a regular kid because he would bleed to that.
And she cannot afford that either.
The Affordable Care Act, how it is structured, I am willing to take it out.
Let me tell you, I am a Medicare for all girl because I think we should get rid of the insurance companies, but we have it now and I am not going to pull the work out of Brick or Julian or any of those other people who rely on it.
And let's talk about what the Affordable Care Act did before we had it.
Once we got the Affordable Care Act, RET stopped insurance companies from charging six people more in premiums than healthy people.
Let's talk about pre-existing conditions.
I'm a breast cancer survivor and I know so many other survivors and guess what?
I would not be able to get health insurance because you could not get insured if you had a pre-existing condition.
And let's face it, they were treating being a woman of childbearing age as a pre-existing condition until we had the Affordable Care Act.
The Affordable Care Act demands that insurance companies cover the most preventive services.
It gives states the flexibility to expand their Medicaid programs, which 40 states have.
And you know what?
Americans want us to keep the Affordable Care Act right now, and they want us to extend those tax credits.
And we should do that.
And we should do that because the other thing it covers is IVF.
Right?
I know that my colleague has a wonderful family who he loves.
His daughter is participating in a cheerleading competition.
And I truly appreciated, I need to tell you, Representative Scott, I appreciated your comments last night with regards to the IVF provision.
Because it should not be the case that a provision that has been negotiated by both chambers by the leadership of the committees of jurisdiction is overturned merely because leadership, I think that means Speaker Johnson, decides to strip it.
As we noted earlier, 13% of couples say they need fertility service to help them become pregnant or prevent a miscarriage.
Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to enter into the record the article.
Open quote, military families face unique barriers to fertility care, and new legislation aims to close the gap.
Mr. Speaker, that new legislation was just torpedoed by the Republican Speaker of the House.
So what he did was eliminate the possibility of the joy that comes from bringing a new baby into this world.
He dashed that hope.
What kind of leader is Speaker Johnson when he ignores the Senate, his own members, his own rank and file, the committee chairs, to support his own limited view of what a family should be?
And what about President Trump?
He said he was the IVF president.
I don't see any outrage from him about Speaker Johnson torpedoing Congress's work to benefit military families.
In Congress and in the White House, making a statement on social media like Trump did about IVS is pointless if it isn't combined with legislation and votes.
Republicans, Johnson's your leader.
You have the power to push him on this.
You have the power to give this gift of possibility to military families.
Don't let him push you around.
Our service members will give their lives for our country, but Speaker Johnson will deny them the possibility of a child.
Mr. Speaker, I want to go back to the issue of the forever wars that President Trump is leading us down into.
You know, as I said in my opening, he says it's to combat drug trafficking.
And I agree.
We should be arresting and putting these drug dealers away for life.
I don't like the President of Venezuela.
He's an authoritarian.
He's a dictator.
He's the opposite of what democracy should be around.
But let's face it, this isn't about drug dealing because Trump keeps pardoning convicted drug dealers.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record the December 8, 2025 article titled, quote, Trump Pardons Major Drug Traffickers Despite His Anti-Drug Rhetoric.
The President has granted clemency to about 100 people accused of drug-related crimes during his time in office, a post-analysis shows.
Mr. Speaker, this week the House can advance six pieces of legislation under this rule.
Senate 1071, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026, significantly improves the defense acquisition system.
This bill implements the Peace Through Strength agenda and restores the lethality to our armed forces.
It further secures America's borders and improves the quality of life of our service members.
The fiscal year of 26 NDAA reforms key programs and saves taxpayers' dollars, resulting in a ready, capable, and lethal fighting force.
This legislation will deter China, defend Israel, and counter Russia, North Korea, Iran, and other foreign terrorist organizations.
Finally, this bill strengthens our nuclear deterrence, supports the Golden Dome Initiative, and grows our nation's strategic space capabilities.
This is a bipartisan, must-pass piece of legislation that all my colleagues should support.
H.R. 3898, the Permit Act, contains targeted balanced reforms to the permitting process under the Clean Water Act that will cut red tape, reduce project delays, and provide regulatory certainty.
H.R. 3628, the State Planning for Reliability and Affordability Act, will require state utility regulators to ensure we have reliable, secure, baseload energy that keeps the lights on.
H.R. 3638, the Electric Supply Chain Act, will direct the Department of Energy to ensure we are securing our electric supply chain.
H.R. 3668, the Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act, aims to speed up the consideration of pipelines by promoting interagency coordination for reviewing certain authorizations for LNG facilities and natural gas pipelines under the Natural Gas Act.
And H.R. 3383, the Invest Act, which will strengthen public markets, produce more opportunities for investors, and expand access to capital for small businesses.
The bills before us this week give this body the chance to provide for our defense to make energy more affordable and reliable and provide opportunities and access to capital.
They are all worthy of support, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting yes on the previous question and yes on the rule.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and move this previous question on the resolution.
A sufficient number having risen, the yays and nays are ordered pursuant to clause 8 of Rule 20.
further proceedings on this question will be postponed.
Okay.
Pursuant to clause 12A of Rule 1, the chair declares the House in recess for a period no less than 15 less than 15 minutes.
unidentified
The House returns shortly to vote on a rule governing debate on six bills scheduled for floor debate this week, including the final version of the 2026 Defense Programs and Policy Bill, known as the NDAA.
Live coverage here on C-SPAN.
Today, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell gives an update on interest rates and the U.S. economy after the Fed's open market committee meeting.
The Fed could cut interest rates again this week for the third time this year.
We'll have Fed Chair Powell's news conference live at 2.30 p.m. Eastern on C-SPAN 3.
C-SPAN Now, our free mobile app, and online at c-span.org.
Watch America's Book Club, C-SPAN's bold, original series, Sunday, with our guest best-selling author, Arthur Brooks, who has written 13 books about finding purpose, connection, and cultivating lasting joy.
His books include Love Your Enemies, Build the Life You Want with co-author Oprah Winfrey and his latest The Happiness Files.
He joins our host, renowned author and civic leader David Rubinstein.