LEGISLATIVE DAY OF MARCH 19, 2026
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Floor U.S. House of Representatives
Follow its sittingsSpeaker 1
The gentlelady yields back. The chair will entertain up to five further requests for one minute speeches on each side of the aisle. For what purpose does the gentlelady from Pennsylvania seek recognition?
Speaker 4
Mister speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks.
Speaker 4
Thank you, mister speaker. Last weekend, I flew through Philadelphia International Airport where three security checkpoints are now closed. The lines were long, yet our dedicated TSA officers moved us through security with speed, efficiency, and professionalism. They are doing the work, keeping us safe even though it's been more than a month since they have been paid. The only reason their paychecks have stopped is because Republicans in Congress, led by the speaker of the house, refused to act.
The speaker could have held a vote today or a month ago to fund TSA, FEMA, the coast guard, our cybersecurity folks, all the parts of the Department of Homeland Security that are untainted by ICE's cruelty and corruption. Republicans are refusing to pay federal workers. Withholding paychecks from dedicated public servants does not make America safer. It makes us more vulnerable in our neighborhoods, our airports, overseas. Mister speaker, listen to Americans.
Hold ICE accountable and fund TSA now. Thank you. I yield back.
Speaker 1
Gentle lady yields back. For what purpose does the gentleman from North Carolina seek recognition?
Donald Davis
Mister speaker, take me out to the ballgame. Greene County residents gathered at the James r Fulgium Athletic Complex baseball field, a place dear to us and forever linked to legendary Hall of Fame coach James Rabbit Fulgium to honor his remarkable life. He earned the nickname Rabbit for his incredible speed on and off the field. As the baseball coach of Green Central High School, he led the team to five state championships, served as ADA, AD for thirty eight years, and founded our American Legion team. I will always cherish the memory in 2024 at our state championship, standing by coach and the players waving him on to the field, and he joined them in a moment of pure joy.
It was deeply moving to see his family, former players including EC coach Godwin, and the community at his funeral service held at the very baseball field, a place he's we've witnessed so many inspiring athletes and life lessons. As a community servant and man of faith, he rested at home plate. He scored his final run. The crowd sang take me out to the ball game. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his wife, Jeanette, and his family.
I yield back.
Speaker 1
Gentlemen yields back. The chair announces the speaker's appointment pursuant to section three b of the Public Safety Officers Medal of Valor Act of 02/1942 United States code fifteen two zero two, and the order of the house of and the order of the house of 01/03/2025 of the following individuals on the part of the medal to the let me let me back up. And the order of the house on 01/03/2025 of the following individuals on the part of the house to the Medal of Valor Review Board for a term of four years.
Speaker 2
Mister Jason Richardson of Gloucester, Louisiana and mister Brandon Claves of Choctaw, Oklahoma.
Speaker 7
Mister speaker, pursuant to house resolution eleven fifteen, I call up the bill h r forty six thirty eight and ask for its immediate consideration in the house.
Speaker 2
Union calendar number 355 h r forty six thirty eight. A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien who has been convicted of harming animals used in law enforcement is inadmissible and deportable and for other purposes.
Speaker 1
Pursuant to house resolution eleven fifteen, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on judiciary printed in the bill, modified by the amendment printed in house reports one one nine five five four is adopted and the bill as amended is considered read. The bill as amended shall be debated for one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the committees on the judiciary or their respective designees. The gentleman from California, mister McClintock, and the gentleman from Maryland, mister Raskin, each will control thirty minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
Speaker 7
Mister speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on HR forty six thirty eight. Without objection. I yield myself such times I may consume. Gentleman is recognized. Mister speaker, Freddie is a five year old male beagle that was found on the side of a Georgia road and adopted into the USDA's detector dog program.
In August 2023, Freddie began his current job as a CVP agriculture detector dog at Dulles International Airport. He and his handler, Melissa Snyder, worked the early morning flights arriving primarily from Central America and Africa. As of late last year, Freddie had conducted more than 590,000 searches resulting in more than 2,000 alerts that led to more than 1,800 seizures of prohibited agricultural products and almost 2,500 different pieces of quarantined material. Now it was during this important work last June when Freddie alerted the luggage on a flight from Egypt. While agent Snyder questioned the owner, this man violently kicked Freddie with sufficient force to lift Freddie off the ground.
Freddie suffered contusions to his right forward rib area. He was taken off duty for two weeks to recover. Well, it turns out the Egyptian national was smuggling a 117 pounds of meat and produce which were prohibited from entering The United States. Now the same month as Freddie's attack, leftist protesters in Los Angeles physically attacked horses used by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department for crowd control during an anti ice riot. Horses are used extensively by federal agencies for crowd control and also for access to remote areas along the border frequented by human and drug traffickers.
So congressman Calvert brings us this simple bill that says, if you're convicted of harming a law enforcement animal or you admit to doing so while you're a guest in our country, you will be immediately expelled and never be allowed to return. Now, yes, it's true. We have good laws to punish such animal cruelty. And, yes, such assaults can be defined as moral torp triplet to bar admission. But as we've discussed before on this floor, that finding can often require Byzantine legal proceedings that eat up many years and thousands of dollars of resources if they are pursued at all.
Now I know many of our democratic colleagues supported the border policies of the Biden Harris administration, which encouraged the largest illegal mass migration in history. They allowed the world's most violent criminal gangs and cartels into our communities, suppressed American workers wages, and cost taxpayers an estimated $160,000,000,000 a year to support. And I know that many are now vigorously, and in some cases violently, opposing the enforcement of our immigration laws under the Trump administration. They can't change these laws, so they seek to obstruct their enforcement and attack, harass, and threaten the law enforcement officers who are upholding them. Some Democratic state and local officials have even revived the disgraced doctrine of nullification that we all thought had died with the Confederacy in order to defy federal law.
There is a deep and irreconcilable divide between our parties that only the voters ultimately can resolve. But can't we at least all agree that kicking a five year old beagle at an airport should disqualify a foreign national from entering our country ever again? That's the entire two paragraph bill, and I hope we can put aside our differences and all support it. I reserve the balance of my time.
Jamie Raskin
Thank you, mister speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Gentleman is recognized. Well, here's what America's talking about. Donald Trump's unauthorized, undeclared war of choice, a forever war in the making, which is costing us between 1 and $2,000,000,000 every single day, and has killed already 13 Americans in uniform, wounding more than 200 Americans in uniform, killing more than a thousand Iranians, including a 170 schoolchildren who were bombed at an all girls school in Iran.
Americans are talking about the fact that gasoline now costs $3.84 a gallon. It's gone up more than 25 percent in one week because of Donald Trump's unauthorized, undeclared illegal war of choice in Iran. Crude oil now soaring to more than a $109 a barrel because Donald Trump's war planners could not have predicted that Iran would try to strangle commerce in The Strait Of Hormuz. That's what America's talking about this week. America's talking about when will there be justice for Renee Goode and Alex Preti, American citizens exercising their First Amendment and Second Amendment rights shot down in cold blood by government agents in Minneapolis.
And the most recent secretary of homeland security libeled them as domestic terrorists and refused to recant from that defamatory lie. That's what America's talking about. When are they gonna reform ICE? And when are they gonna start paying the coast card, the TSA, FEMA, and CISA? We've got a discharge petition to say, pay those people and don't let all of the illegality of ICE bring down the faithful public servants at the Coast Guard, TSA, FEMA, and other federal agencies.
That's what America's talking about this week. Well, what are mega Republicans in Congress talking about this week? They're talking about the Bow Wow Act. The Bow Wow Act? Now, how did they come up with this bill and this title?
Well, the president's poll numbers are sinking like a stone. So they needed to find something to do in Washington to put on the floor. They can't talk about Trump's ruinous tariffs that have plunged so many small businesses into oblivion and cost American consumers hundreds of billions of dollars. They can't talk about that because the Supreme Court, which they gerrymandered and sliced and diced and packed and stacked, struck it down. Even the the extremely right leaning Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump's tariffs.
We told them it was unconstitutional. We told them that only Congress has the power to impose taxes and to regulate commerce with foreign nations. But no, like Lemmings, they followed Donald Trump off of the side of the ship. And now those tariffs are not only economically ruinous for the country, they're discredited and struck down. So they can't talk about that, which was their big policy hit of the administration so far.
No. They can't talk about that. Well, they're not talking about the war in Iran. That's splitting even the mega base right down the middle because they had talked about before Donald Trump the importance of Congress actually making decisions about going to war. After all, that is what the constitution says in Article one, section eight, clause 11.
It's Congress that has the power to declare war. So, no, they're not talking about that. They're not talking about the lives that have been lost in Iran with this bizarre, impetuous war of choice that has been thrust on the country when the president promised us there would be no more forever wars and regime change wars, And they can't even settle on whether this is a regime change war or not. Some of them say it is. Some of them say it isn't.
So we don't know. So they can't talk about that. Maybe they could talk about the health care public policy, Donald Trump has been promising for more than a decade. It's a decade. If in two weeks, we'll get you our plan.
They don't like the plans that we've got under Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, which have delivered health care to millions of Americans. They've done whatever they can to dismantle those health care plans. Maybe they could come up with their health care plan. No. They're not uttering a peep about that because you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
And Donald Trump fundamentally is not interested in delivering a health care plan to America. So then someone says, well, let's go back to immigration. But they've already been told, don't talk about mass deportation. We pulled out of Minneapolis because we disgraced ourselves there, And we know that America reviles the policy of shooting down American citizens in cold blood for exercising their First Amendment and Second Amendment rights. So we can't talk about that.
And then somebody discovered Freddie and said, there's a case at Dulles Airport with a dog. Okay? And we can at least go to the dog people with the Bow Wow Act. Now I'm co chair of the Animal Protection Caucus. And I've got one of my dogs dog hair all over this suit, even though I tried to get it off before I came out this morning.
If anybody is gonna be a sucker for something called the Bow Wow Act, it's me. And I don't vote for a lot of mega legislation, but every dog has his day. And I was willing to look at this one. Right? I was moved by something called the Bow Wow Act.
And so I looked up the incident that the gentleman from California has referenced, and it was outrageous. I was outraged to learn about what happened to Freddie. It all started when Freddie the Beagle, the canine detective at Dulles Airport who works with CBP, Customs and Border Protection, to detect smuggled agricultural products, alerted his superior officers at Dulles to the presence of over 100 pounds of prohibited food items that appeared in the baggage unloading area. So Freddie did his job, and he barked and alerted his superior officers to what was happening. And they determined that there was a guy coming over from Egypt, a foreign national named Ali Marie.
Mr. Marie, aged 70 years old, who was traveling to the airport, who had all of this illegal food, contraband. And he was foiled by Freddie's excellent detective work. And this frustrated Mr. Marie guy kicked Freddie.
He kicked him so hard, the poor dog became airborne and had bruised ribs. Now if you're a major dog person and you believe in animal protection like me, you said yourself, you've got to be kidding me. That should be illegal. Kick that guy out of the country immediately. Don't let him in.
And guess what? That's exactly what happened. He was arrested immediately. He was charged immediately. He was held by the authorities.
He was charged with one count of harming animals used in law enforcement under 18 USC thirteen sixty eight. He was convicted in trial in his second day in America. He was held overnight, arrested, charged, convicted the next day, and then removed. He was sentenced to time served. He was ordered to pay for the veterinarian bill for Freddie's bruised ribs, which the court records show was $840 And he was promptly deported right back to Egypt after the court hearing on day three.
And I'm happy to report that according to the CBP, Freddie's doing fine today. Alright. So the law worked. Imagine if Alex Freddy, imagine if Renee Good had that kind of criminal law enforcement injustice. What if their killers had been apprehended, arrested, charged, convicted in three days?
That'd be a great thing. But no. What do we hear from Pam Bondi? What do we hear from Christy Noem, the now deposed former Secretary of Homeland Security? It's under investigation.
Under investigation. Whole world saw it right on video. It's under investigation. Nothing's happening there. Freddie got justice, and we got a system that actually works there.
Mister Murray served three days in jail. His food was confiscated, taken away, and he was deported from the country. Why? Because assaulting a dog like that is a crime of moral turpitude. And under the federal laws, a crime of moral turpitude like that gets you kicked out of the country.
It all worked. Well, but they've got nothing else to talk about, so they want to double down and pass redundant legislation to say that somebody does this should be deported, which is already what happened in this case. The opportunity to propose a redundant, unnecessary, superfluous bill to score meaningless political points when the rest of the world is talking about war and inflation caused by this president proved impossible to resist for our colleagues. HR forty six thirty eight would render inadmissible and deportable any noncitizen who willfully or maliciously harms a police dog or a police horse as current law already requires. But there is one change.
It removes the requirement that immigrant that immigrants to the country, whether travelers like the doggone Mr. Marie or a green card holder, it removes the requirement that a noncitizen actually be convicted of a crime. It's enough that you'd be charged with it or you they say you admitted it or whatever, but the conviction requirement is removed. Now that has been a trend for our colleagues in this session. They've been taking things that are already crimes and saying, let's make that a matter of deporting and removing someone.
Well, they already can be deported and removed. Yeah. But now they want to excise the conviction requirement to do it without complete due process. Why would they do this? You know, Thomas Jefferson said at the time of the Alien Sedition Acts that there will be a temptation to go after the immigrants.
And he said that when you water down constitutional requirements as they apply to noncitizens, that's gonna come to affect the citizens too. A bitter lesson learned by the families of Alex Preti and Renee Goode. In other words, if you train the ICE agents that they can do whatever they want, they're beyond the law. They can put on masks and bust down people's doors and enter without a Fourth Amendment search warrant issued by a neutral magistrate. If they can do that kind of thing, if they can abuse people, as we've seen all over the internet, if they can rough people up, well, what difference does it make really if they're immigrants or if they're citizens, if they're beyond the law?
And now we've got dead Americans at the hands of our own federal agents. And nobody charged and nobody arrested, nobody being prosecuted. So they want to just get rid of the conviction requirement before people are deported. They can already be deported once they're convicted, but they want to get rid of the conviction requirement. Well, this case illustrates how completely unnecessary the bill is.
Harming animals in law enforcement, any form of animal cruelty is already a crime involving moral turpitude and has been for a long time. It's a deportable offense, and everybody knows it. If it wasn't, mister Murray would not have been deported three days after he kicked Freddie. Bizarrely, because their bill doesn't require a conviction. If this legislation had been in place and say Mr.
Marie had been deported on day two instead of day three, and there had been no trial, he never would have had to pay restitution. Think about that. Due process helps a lot of people. It's not just for the benefit of that defendant who might be innocent, as Mr. Murray was not.
But it also benefits the victims, because the victims can win restitution and fines in this way. But they wanna deport first and not have a trial. They just wanna eliminate due process. I mean, I I don't understand it. President Trump has had his experiences in the criminal justice process, and he had every right guaranteed to people under due process.
The right to a lawyer, the right to be heard, the right to introduce evidence, the right to cross examine, the right to trial by a jury of his peers. And even after going through all of that, there's still people who say that wasn't enough. It didn't really work for him. He didn't really get due process. He wasn't really guilty of committing fraud.
Well, if that's the case for someone who had every conceivable benefit due of due process, what about somebody now who gets no due process at all and no trial? That's what they're suggesting. I don't understand why, really, other than the possibility of just introducing an unnecessary redundant bill and giving them something to talk about when they don't want to talk about what's really going on in the world, what's really going on in America. With gas prices soaring out of control, people unable to pay for their health care, people unable to afford groceries. They don't want to talk about any of that.
They want to talk about Freddy. Well, there's a lot of meaningful animal protection work we can do together. And those of us in the animal production caucus would be very happy to meet with the gentleman from California about all of the things we can do to really help animals in America. But right now, Freddie is doing fine. That case worked out fine.
This bill is unnecessary. I reserve.
Speaker 7
Mister speaker, I can't blame the ranking member for wanting to talk about everything except the bill before us. I would simply remind him that this house has repeatedly voted to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security. Every Republican in this house voted to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security. It was the Democrats who have consistently opposed these bills and are holding them hostage in the United States Senate. Why?
Because they want us to stop enforcing our immigration laws, the laws that congress itself enacted. Well, they don't like these laws. They should work to change them. They're serving in the very institution that writes these laws. Instead, they block funding for the Department of Homeland Security at a particularly vulnerable time in our nation's history, and they attack the officials who are valiantly working to enforce those laws to keep us safe.
We have one democratic member of this house who's being prosecuted for assaulting an ICE officer. Another deliberately doxed an ICE officer to a violent mob, which then attacked that officer and sent him to the hospital. So it shouldn't surprise us that they'd oppose this bill to protect law enforcement animals. As the president observed a few weeks ago, these people really are crazy. I'm now pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the author of this bill, the honorable Ken Calvert of California.
Ken Calvert
I thank the gentleman. Mister speaker, I rise today in strong support of h r forty six thirty eight, the Federal Working Animal Protection Act. This legislation was inspired by a member of Customs Border Protection, Beagle Brigade, named Freddie. There's a picture of Freddie right there. Freddie is a five year old agricultural inspection beagle who works for customs and border protection.
His job along with other members of the beagle brigade is to prevent the importation of illegal agricultural products in The United States, imported foods and other products that pose significant risk to both the American farmers and the American food supply at large. Last summer during a routine inspection at Dulles International Airport, Freddie alerted his handler of suspicious luggage belonging to an Egyptian national at which point he was violently kicked and flung into the air by the man. Fortunately, Freddie has made, as was pointed out, a full recovery and is back on duty. With increased attacks of law enforcement, it's vital that our working animals receive the protections that they deserve. For that reason, I introduced the Federal Working Animal Protection Act.
This legislation would make the assault of any federal working animal by a non US citizen a deportable offense. The federal government employs a wide range of working animals. A lot of people don't know that. Not just including dogs, but horses, even dolphins. All these animals work to protect us from threats both at home and abroad.
And they should be given protection, while they're performing their duties, to keep us all safe. Mister speaker, we cannot let this be this heinous act go unanswered. If you are a foreign national in our country and you hurt a federal working animal, under this new law, you will be immediately deported. I'd like to thank the chairman, chairman Jordan, my friend, chairman McClintock, and the house judiciary committee staff for helping to bring this legislation to the the house floor, and I urge all my colleagues to approve this bill. With that, I yield back the balance.
Speaker 1
Gentleman yields. I reserve. Gentleman reserves. Gentleman from Maryland is recognized.
Jamie Raskin
Thank you very much. We want the immigration laws enforced. We also want the Constitution of The United States to be enforced. They think somehow it's been suspended, and the president of The United States can do whatever he wants. So we're trying to stand up for the rule of law in America and for our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
I'm now, proud to yield, five minutes to the distinguished general lady from Washington state, miss Jaipal.
Pramila Jayapal
Thank you, mister speaker. We also wanna make sure that the work that we do in this body reflects the priorities of the American people. And once again, this bill is nothing but an attempt to distract the American people from Republicans' failure to lower prices. You know, this morning, I went online, and I looked at what gas prices are in my home state of Washington. Over $6 for regular unleaded and excuse me.
Over $6 for diesel and over $5 for regular unleaded, and that is an increase of over almost a buck before just in the last couple of weeks. And so I know what my constituents care about. It's the fact that they can't afford their gas. Child care right now is around $21,000 per child in the state of Washington. Health care premiums have gone crazy since Republicans have refused to extend the affordable care act tax credits.
And so what people are facing is a complete destruction of their ability to live decent lives. Are we addressing any of that here? You know, at a town hall last week, I had a constituent stand up and tell me that he was a, war veteran from the Afghanistan war. He was a sergeant in the marines. He said he spent his entire life fighting in these forever wars.
He doesn't want another one. But we're not talking about any of that here. We're not even making sure that the president does what he is supposed to do and comes to congress for authorization for this war. In fact, we just heard that the Pentagon is putting forward a request for $200,000,000,000 more for this war. How on earth are we gonna pay for that?
It is absolutely ridiculous. And so I think that this is all about trying to go back to the old playbook of trying to vilify immigrants, trying to make people blame immigrants for everything that is wrong with their lives. The reality is instead of figuring out how we can stop immigration agents from murdering US citizens on the street or arresting and imprisoning children, we are back to Republicans' favorite type of bill. Find a crime, blame an immigrant, make people deportable and inadmissible without requiring a conviction, deny them basic due process, rinse and repeat. By the way, for people who are listening, who are upset about the mass deportations that the Republicans do not wanna talk about here because they're incredibly unpopular, this is the pipeline to those mass detentions and mass deportations.
This is the way that DHS, a lawless ICE and CBP, is able to just go out and pick up anybody and continue to detain and deport people, including US citizens. But this one that's on the floor today is a new one even for us. It's moving into the arena of harming animals. Now I'm speaking as someone who has long been a champion of animal welfare, have supported bills that protect animals and prevent inhumane treatment of them. My dog, Otis, has been a loved and loving member of our family for fourteen years.
He's an incredibly resilient guy. Some of my constituents recognize him more than my spouse, because he goes everywhere with us. So I take violence against animals seriously and so do our immigration laws. The crime referenced in this bill requires someone to willfully and maliciously harm a dog or horse. This is already a crime involving moral turpitude which can render someone deportable or inadmissible from the country.
In 2018, the Board of Immigration Appeals made clear that the crime of animal fighting is a crime involving moral turpitude and that is because there is a clear intent to harm the animal. In addition to the binding precedent set by the Board of Immigration Appeals, the Ninth and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeal also found that animal cruelty is a crime involving moral turpitude. So this issue is already well covered under our immigration laws, and this bill is once again largely unnecessary. If Republicans are concerned about cruelty to animals, why not look at homeland security secretary Christy Noem who shot and killed her 14 old dog, Cricket. Unfortunately, this bill goes too far in eroding due process rights.
Under current law, a person does not need to be convicted of a crime to be inadmissible. However, under most circumstances, you do need a conviction to be deportable. Once again, as they have with so many other bills, my Republican colleagues do not require someone to be convicted of this crime to be deportable from the country. That means that a green card holder who has lived here for decades could be deported Do I have
Pramila Jayapal
That means that a green card holder who has lived here for decades could be deported from the country without even being convicted of a crime. This bill was written in response to an incident where a 70 year old man kicked a customs and border protection agriculture, detector dog at Dulles Airport. The incident was horrible, and no dog should ever be kicked or harmed. However, that man was tried and convicted in federal court before he was removed from the country, underscoring how unnecessary this law is. It has never been more important for people to have their day in court.
Look at what's happening across the country as federal immigration authorities terrorize American communities. We have seen residential communities tear gassed without a very care for the young children who have been affected. We've seen a teacher with work authorization arrested at the day care where she works, inflicting irreversible harm on the little kids that she cares for. We've seen US citizens brutalized and even killed by ICE and Border Patrol, most recently in Minnesota. And we've seen again and again how ICE has accused people of assaulting them, only to find out that it was a lie.
Pramila Jayapal
The Wall Street Journal just released an investigation finding that most accusations against US citizens for attacking immigration agents were unsubstantiated. The right to being innocent until proven guilty should be something that every single one of us in this chamber can agree to. It is a bedrock principle of fairness, of due process, and the rule of law. Republicans gave ICE tens of billions of dollars to continue the lawless assault on the American public. Republicans own this mess, but it is up to all of us to fix it.
Republicans want to pass absurd legislation like this one that only makes the system worse, not better. Oppose this bill, and I yield back.
Speaker 1
Gentle lady yields. The gentleman reserve. Gentleman reserves. The gentleman from California is recognized.
Speaker 7
Mister speaker, I don't wanna stray too far from the topic, but, I have to remind the gentlelady that, inflation peaked at over 9% under the Biden administration, specifically because of the massive spending bills that the gentlelady supported. Every dollar that you held the day that Joe Biden took office was worth just 79¢ the day he left office four years later. This administration is bringing inflation down and real working wages are rising once again. Now the Democrats have told us that, don't worry, this is already covered by the catch all ground for moral turpitude. But moral turpitude is in the eye of the beholder, often requires years of lengthy litigation.
The whole purpose of this bill is to take those years of litigation and delays and appeals and make a simple and clear statement to every guest in our country. If you are convicted of or you admit to harming a law enforcement officer, you're out of here and you're not coming back. The act itself is defined as disqualifying for entering or staying in our country. You still have to be convicted of that act or admit to that act, so you either have your day in court with all the due process rights or you waive those rights by admitting to the act. But once you've done so, there's no further room for interpretation or delay.
What is so hard for the Democrats to admit that you shouldn't kick a dog and expect to remain a guest in this country? The Democrats also tell us that this bill would require a conviction for harming an animal before the provisions of this law can take effect. Well, listen carefully. The bill does either require a conviction or an admission of guilt. It's the admission that something that the Democrats just can't accept.
So let me put it to this plainly as I can. An admission of guilt is an admission of guilt. This isn't something just blurted out in your sleep. There are already many offenses that fall under the same process and the standards are rigorous. The alien's admission has to be explicit, unequivocal, and unqualified.
The immigration judge has to find that the admission fits within the relevant statutes and that the admission is based on reasonable, substantial, and probative evidence. Nothing in this bill denies the alien due process. They can either go to trial or they can waive their right to due process by admitting guilt. The Democrats clearly aren't interested in due process. They're interested in gumming up the process so that aliens can remain in this country even after such a patently reprehensible act as kicking a five year old beagle that's assisting law enforcement.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Jamie Raskin
I thank you, mister speaker. First of all, I'm baffled and amazed that the gentleman would bring up the economy under president Biden. You know, a month before the presidential election in 2024, The Economist magazine had a cover story titled, The Envy of the World. The American economy has left other rich countries in the dust. Expect it to continue, argue Henry Kerr and Simon Rabinovich.
Okay. That was what President Biden left to Donald Trump when he took over, an economy that was the envy of the world. Inflation down, unemployment down, Small business sector roaring. The economy roaring. Opportunity for young people.
Donald Trump has taken an economy that left other rich countries in the dust, and he's covered us in mud and dirt. He's put us in the dust. Now gas prices are up 25% in two weeks. In two weeks. You know, I don't need to refute all this propaganda and disinformation.
People go to the gas station, and it refutes all the propaganda and disinformation that we're hearing from them. They're better off sticking to the Bow Wow Act. Under president Biden, we passed the bipartisan infrastructure law, a $1,200,000,000,000 investment in America, in America, in our bridges, our roads, our highways, our ports, our airports, not blowing up stuff in other people's countries, precisely what Donald Trump had promised he wouldn't do. That's where our money is going now, draining The US economy by 1 to $2,000,000,000 every day. They're spending that on an undeclared unauthorized war, and our colleagues would not even wanna have one honest debate and one honest vote in congress on whether or not to declare war on Iran.
And they won't utter a peep about it today or yesterday or tomorrow. They won't say anything about it. Nothing. But they let president Trump have their way with them. So now the gentleman says somehow accuses us of not being interested in animal rights and animal welfare.
I'm sorry, I usually don't go running to right wing mega forces for the protection of animals against animal cruelty and the industrial slaughterhouses and so on. They don't show much interest in that. But now in Freddie's case, because there was an immigrant traveler involved, they want to pass a law which is an exact echo of what the law is. The gentleman has not explained to us why we need to pass a law when Freddie's kicker was arrested, jailed, charged, prosecuted, convicted, and sent back to Egypt all within three days. He never saw anything outside of a jail cell in The United States Of America.
And yet, they tell us, we need essentially to go back and pass the law that mimics what the law is today, except now they want to sneak in a provision saying, we're going to remove the necessity of a conviction. Why would it have been better to deport Mr. Murray on day two before he was fined 800 or $900 for Freddie's veterinarian bill. Why would that have been better? The gentleman hasn't explained.
That's the only substantive change I can imagine coming from the Bow Wow bill because the Bow Wow's are already protected as we saw in this case. And I wish he could sum it up for the GOP caucus the same kind of fervor and passion and commitment they're now demonstrating for animal rights and welfare? Say summon that up for human rights and human welfare, for people like Alex Preti and Renee Goode who were shot down by out of control ICE agents in Minneapolis. And then ICE and Homeland Security say they will not cooperate with local police authorities in Minneapolis and state police in Minnesota. Why not?
All of a sudden, they care just about dogs. They wanna rewrite a law that already exists, that already protects dogs, as we saw in this case, and not explain why they wanna do it. It's an absolute diversion. It's an absolute distraction for the country. They can't talk about gas prices.
They can't talk about inflation. Remember president Trump said he was gonna bring down prices on day one. He hasn't done one thing to bring down prices, and now it's soaring out of control throughout the entire economy because of its illegal unauthorized war that is splitting even their own base. The most unpopular war at the beginning that we've seen maybe in American history, certainly in this century, because nobody explained why they were doing it, which is why the founders said it's gotta be congress who decides whether we go to war. James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Tom Paine, the whole founding generation knew that the kings were always plunging their countries into impetuous wars of conceit, vanity, imperial ambition, foreign intrigue, and corruption.
They didn't trust one guy with that decision. They put that decision in us. They reposed it in us whether or not we wanted it, and they're running away from it. They don't wanna make a decision about this war, which Donald Trump now caused the little excursion, the little excursion in Iran, the little excursion which has already taken the lives of 13 US citizens in uniform and wounded more than 200 Americans and killed more than a thousand Iranians, including a 170 schoolchildren who got bombed in this reckless, impetuous war. So they don't wanna talk about that.
It's the Bow Wow Act, but they have not made one good argument about why we need to add a redundant, superfluous, law in this way. I yield back.
Speaker 7
Mister speaker, nothing in this bill prevents a miscreant from being convicted and being punished for their actions. What it does is simply remove the years of delay that can prevent the deportation of an alien after they have been fined or incarcerated if they are charged. Under democratic sanctuary laws, I would remind us that the the criminal aliens who are incarcerated instead of being turned over to ICE for deportation are released back on our streets. That's the whole point of these, these sanctuary laws. With that, I'll, reserve the balance of my time, and I'm prepared to close.
Speaker 7
In that case, mister speaker, I will close. Gentle gentleman is recognized. Mister speaker, it shocked the country when not a single democrat would rise on the floor to affirm that the first duty of the federal government is to protect American citizens and not illegal aliens. It mystified us when not a single Democrat would rise on the floor to acknowledge families devastated by heinous crimes committed by illegal aliens. It shocked us when not a single Democrat would rise on the floor even to honor our war heroes or the US hockey team.
And it should astonish us that the Democrats could oppose a simple bill that says, if a guest in our country harms a law enforcement animal like a five year old beagle or a horse, they're no longer welcome here and they need to leave. But on reflection, shouldn't be surprised. After all, the Democrats are strangely tolerant of protesters kicking, punching, and attacking ICE officers as they enforce the very laws that congress has enacted. So what's an injured dog to them as long as the perpetrator is a foreign national? What's an injured dog to them as long as they're injured enforcing laws that the democrats don't like?
This isn't just about Freddie the Beagle. It's about whether we will tolerate violent predators imported into our country. If they'll kick a dog in the presence of a law enforcement officer, you can be sure they'll do far worse when that law enforcement officer isn't present or the victim is a defenseless girl on a subway. You want such people in our country. The democrats do, the republicans don't.
And the time for choosing is approaching. Until then, we'll have this vote which should be revealing as Americans consider their future. And mister speaker, I'd also ask unanimous consent that a CBO cost estimate for this bill be included in the record.
Randy Weber
Does anyone yield back? Time for debate has expired pursuant to house resolution eleven fifteen. The previous question is ordered on the bill as amended. Amended, the question is on engrossment on third reading of the bill. Those in favor say aye.
Those opposed, no. In the pen, the ayes have it. Third reading.
Speaker 2
Bills of immigration and nationality act to provide that an alien who has been convicted of harming animals used in law enforcement is inadmissible and deportable and for other purposes.
Randy Weber
The question is on passage of the bill. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The bill is before a person, the gentleman rise.
Randy Weber
Okay. The yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device.
This is a fifteen minute vote. On this vote, the ayes are 228, the ayes are a 190. The bill is passed. Without objection, a motion to reconsider is laid on the table.
Marlin Stutzman
Mister speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the house adjourns today, it adjourned to meet at 10:30AM tomorrow. And further, when the house adjourns on that day, it adjourned to meet at noon on Tuesday next for morning hour debate and 2PM for legislative business. Without objection.
Emily Randall
Mister speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from Texas, mister Craig Goldman, be removed as a cosponsor from HR one five two two.
Randy Weber
Without objection. House will be in order, please. House will be in order. For what purposes the gentleman from Alabama seek recognition?
Mike Rogers
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today with my colleagues from the state of Alabama and Ohio, to honor the lives of the six KC-one 135 crew members who tragically lost their lives in support of Operation Epic Fury on 03/12/2026. Our prayers are with the families of Major John Klinner, Captain Ariana Savina and Technical Sergeant Ashley Pruitt assigned to the sixth Air Refueling Wing performing duties for the ninety ninth Air Refueling Squadron out of Birmingham, Alabama, along with the families of Captain Seth Coval, Captain Curtis Ankst and Technical Sergeant Tyler Simmons assigned to the one hundred and twenty first Air Refueling Wing out of Columbus, Ohio. I would also like to acknowledge the total of 13 service members who have lost their lives during this conflict.
We commend their selfless sacrifice and service to our country and pray for their loved ones. Please join me in a moment of silence to honor their memory. Thank you, mister speaker. I yield back. Ohio.
Marcy Kaptur
Mister speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak for one minute and to pay tribute to patriots of our nation.
Marcy Kaptur
Mister speaker, we rise today with heavy hearts and deep gratitude to honor three courageous Ohio National Guard members who gave their lives in service to our nation. Captain Seth Koval, captain Curtis Anckst, and master sergeant Tyler Simmons of the one hundred and twenty first air refueling wing from Columbus, Ohio, one of the most difficult maneuvers in aviation. These airmen answered our country's call without hesitation. They carried America's mission far beyond our shores. They stood for something greater than themselves, defending liberty and patriotic values that define us as a nation.
They were not only skilled professionals, but patriots in the truest sense, men of honor, character, and quiet strength. Their loss is felt deeply across Ohio, in Stouttsville, in Wilmington, in Columbus, and across our grateful republic. We remember not only how they died, but how they lived with courage, duty, and unwavering devotion to The United States Of America. Their sacrifice reminds us that freedom is never free and that it endures because of heroes like them. True to the one hundred and twenty first vision to be masters of air power, safeguarding liberty and security for Ohio and The United States.
They paid tribute to the Air Force's core values of integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. These fallen heroes embody this spirit. May God bless them, bless their families, bless their colleagues, and may God bless The United States and America in the days ahead. Thank you, mister speaker. I yield back.
And I ask for a moment of silence in their memory.
Brian Jack
For what purpose does the gentlewoman from Washington seek recognition?
Kim Schrier
Mister speaker, I rise today in honor of all 13 service members who have died in service in the last couple of weeks. And I rise specifically today together with my fellow members from the Washington delegation to honor the life and service of US Air Force captain Ariana Savino from Covington, Washington who tragically passed away last week while bravely serving our country. We are all deeply grateful for captain Savino's commitment to service, for her time in the ROTC at Central Washington University, and all the way to her most recent deployment. She flew nearly 350 combat hours as both a combat systems operator and as a pilot, And her service earned her the air medal and the air and space commendations medal. Countless friends and family have all spoken about what a remarkable young woman captain Savino was, about her energy and her laughter and how she uplifted her fellow service members and paved the way for others like her and our nation and the state of Washington and the community back home in my 8th Congressional District have really all lost a true hero.
Her work and dedication and her patriotism should inspire all of us. I had the privilege of meeting her family, and as we mourn together with them and all of her loved ones, we take solace in knowing that her courage and her passion for flying and her love of country will live on through so many whom she has inspired to follow in her path. We extend our deepest condolences to her friends and family and reiterate a profound gratitude for her service to our nation. Please join all of us from Washington in a moment of silence for captain Savino. Thank you.
I yield back.
Emily Randall
Mister excuse me. Excuse me. Mister speaker, message from the senate.
Mike Rogers
I have been directed by the senate to inform the house that the senate has passed s forty one thirty eight and act to waive the sixty day notice requirement for the posthumous honorary promotion of captain Cody Cork, United States Army, in which the concurrence of the house is requested.
Mike Rogers
Mister speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the speaker's table s forty one thirty eight and ask for its immediate consideration in the house.
Speaker 2
Senate forty one thirty eight, enact to waive the sixty day notice requirement for the posthumous honorary promotion of captain Cody Cork, United States Army.
Brian Jack
Is there objection to the consideration of the bill? Without objection, the bill is read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. The chair will now entertain requests for one minute speeches. For what purpose does the gentleman from Georgia seek recognition?
Earl Carter
I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute to revise and extend my remarks.
Earl Carter
Mister speaker, I rise today to recognize Joel Leon, who was recently named as the chief operating officer at Memorial Health University Medical Center. This is a key leadership addition in Savannah's health care community, with Memorial Health being a vital bed facility serving Coastal Georgia. A seasoned hospital administrator from HCA Healthcare, Mr. Leon most recently served as COO at Florida Gulf Coast Hospital, overseeing operations and service lines like orthopedics, cardiac care, and robotics. Earlier at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, he drove $65,000,000 in facility improvements and earned Robotic Surgery Center of Excellence status.
With degrees from Florida State and the University of Florida, plus executive training, Mr. Leon brings fresh expertise to guide daily hospital operations. This appointment signals continued commitment to excellence in our region's premier medical center. I congratulate Joel Leon and wish him success leading Memorial Health forward. Thank you, mister speaker, and I yield back.
Brian Jack
Gentleman yields. For what purpose does the gentlewoman from New Jersey seek recognition?
Speaker 4
Mister speaker, I rise to address the house for one minute and to advise and extend
Speaker 20
Mister speaker, I rise to congratulate New Jersey's tenth's very own Michael b Jordan for his Oscar win this Sunday. The Newark native won the Academy Award for best actor for his work in Sinners, making him the sixth black man to win this award. As an alumni of Arts High School in Newark, this weekend was a celebration for the children of the New Jersey public school system who all have the same potential for greatness as the actor they often see on the big screen. In his acceptance speech, Jordan acknowledged those who came before him, and I would like to thank him for inspiring the future generations who will follow in his footsteps. On behalf of New Jersey's tenth, I once again congratulate Michael b Jordan and celebrate the excellence being fostered in our community.
With that, I yield back.
Brian Jack
Yields. For what purposes the gentleman from Pennsylvania seek recognition?
Glenn Thompson
Mister speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks.
Glenn Thompson
Mister speaker, I rise to congratulate the State College Community Land Trust as they marked thirty years of service in April. Since 1996, Land Trust has been turning houses into affordable homes for families across State College. Through a dedicated process of purchasing and renovating properties, the Land Trust creates opportunities for individuals and families to settle in the community. Land Trust keeps homeownership affordable by owning the land. This strategy cuts cost by for families by 30%.
The organization has expanded their mission of affordability by developing energy efficient homes that help keep utility costs low. For thirty years, the Land Trust has established 57 affordable homes and helped 85 families. They played a pivotal role in ensuring State College remains a place where families can afford to live and thrive. Mister speaker, the land trust has been a pivotal in helping members of our community achieve the dream of homeownership, and I thank them for their service. Congratulations on thirty years.
Thank you, mister speaker, and I yell back the balance of my time.
Brian Jack
Gentleman yields. For what purpose does the gentleman from Vermont seek recognition? That objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute.
Becca Balint
Thank you, mister speaker. Americans do not want to live in a country where masked agents can carry you away in an unmarked car. And Americans don't wanna live in a country where innocent people are just dumped on the side of the road in freezing temperatures because ICE agents made a mistake and arrested the wrong person. And they don't want to live in a country where agents can bust down the doors to their homes without a warrant. And they don't want to be stopped while they're out shopping and have somebody in a mask and armed to the teeth asking them where their papers are.
None of these things none of these things happen in a free country. They don't. We are in a dangerous place right now. We have a choice, all of us. We can either speak out and defend the rights that are given to us in our constitution or we can watch them slip away.
Those are the stakes and we have to push back. We have to speak out and use our voices against this tyranny.
Andrew Clyde
Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks.
Andrew Clyde
Mister speaker, I rise today to congratulate the 2026 Georgia High School Association class a division one champions, the Rayburn County High School Wildcats basketball team. Last Friday, the Wildcats soundly defeated the South Macon Patriots 52 to 43, leading the team to secure their first ever state championship in program history and just the second for any team sport at Rabin County High. This wildcat squad put on an impressive performance all season long, boasting an incredible 30 to two record. Led by coach David Adcock, these young men have made Raven County and the entire 9th District proud through their undeniable talent, grit, and sportsmanship. Congratulations to coach Adcock and the entire team on clinching an exciting, impressive, and historic state championship.
Go Wildcats. Thank you. And I yield back. Gentleman yields. For what purpose does a gentlewoman from Arizona seek recognition?
Adelita Grijalva
Mister speaker, I'm asking your consent to address the house of one minute. I rise today with great pride to recognize Audrey Jimenez, a remarkable young woman, wrestler from Tucson, Arizona, graduate from Sunnyside High School in Arizona's 7th Congressional District, and is a gold medalist at the Pan American Wrestling Championships. Audrey represents the very best of our community. She is an inspirational young woman who is put in early mornings, long practices, and hard fought matches to become a champion. But what stands out more even more is her heart, her humility, her determination, and the way she carries herself as a proud Arizonan.
Audrey's a shining example of a role model who opens doors and inspires other young girls to see themselves in sports where they may not have seen themselves before. I've had the privilege of seeing how deeply our community rallies behind athletes like Audrey, and it's clear she carries that support with her every time she competes. Audrey, we are so proud of you and are excited for your continued success in the future. I yield back.
Brian Jack
Gentlewoman yields. For what purpose does a gentleman from Colorado seek recognition?
Jeff Hurd
Mister speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks.
Jeff Hurd
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the fortieth anniversary of the Business Incubator Center and its extraordinary impact on Mesa County and Colorado's Western Slope. For four decades, the Business Incubator Center has been a driving force for economic growth, supporting entrepreneurs, strengthening small businesses, and creating opportunities in communities across the region. Its work reflects the very best of local innovation and leadership. This impact is clear.
The Incubator has supported 33% of all businesses in Mesa County and has helped create more than 14,000 jobs. These are not just numbers. They're family supported, livelihood sustained, and stronger communities. Through mentorship resources and a commitment to helping others succeed, the Business Incubator Center has empowered generations of business owners to build something meaningful and lasting in Western Colorado. I congratulate the Business Inquivator Center on forty years of success and recognizing its lasting impact on the people and communities it serves.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield back.
Brian Jack
Gentleman Yilds, for what purposes a gentlewoman from Ohio seek recognition. With that objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute.
Emilia Sykes
Thank you, mister speaker. Today, I rise to recognize the archbishop Hoban girls basketball team as Ohio's thirteenth district champions of the week. For the first time since 1988, the Hoban Knights girls basketball team are the Ohio State champions. Last week, they captured the division two state title with an impressive victory over the previously undefeated Mount Notre Dame Cougars. After an early deficit, the Knights surged ahead with the dominant first quarter run.
Senior Nira Stevens with 25 points earning a game MVP honors, while Mackenzie Grant recorded a double double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Despite being undersized, the Knights the Lady Knights outworked their opponent securing a seventy two sixty four win over the Cougars. Their grit, teamwork, and determination fueled this championship performance. Mister speaker, I often call our community the birthplace of champions because of basketball greats like LeBron James and Steph Curry who were born there. But the Hoban girls basketball team has certainly proven that this legacy stands and they have immensely contributed towards it.
This team has made Akron and Ohio's 13th Congressional District proud. Again, I wanna extend my sincere congratulations to these outstanding student athletes and commend them on being named champion of the week. We are so proud of you ladies, and you have all of congress in Ohio's 13th District cheering you on as well. Thank you, mister speaker. I yield back.
Brian Jack
Gentlewoman yields. For what purposes the gentlewoman from North Dakota seek recognition? Without objection, the general woman is recognized for one minute.
Julie Fedorchak
Mister speaker, during National Agriculture Week, I rise to recognize the men and women who keep our country running, our nation's farmers and ranchers. In North Dakota, agriculture isn't just an industry. It is our way of life. It's early mornings, long days, and a commitment to see things through no matter what the conditions. As a lifelong North Dakotan, a fourth generation, and a daughter of a proud farmer and rancher, I've seen this commitment my entire life.
Our producers face real challenges, short growing seasons, unpredictable weather, and volatile markets, but they continue to deliver. They feed our families, fuel our economy, and sew together the fabric of rural America that is such a source of strength to our nation. They don't ask for much, just a chance to do their work, pass their operations on to the next generation, and compete on a level playing field. This week and every week, we recognize their contribution of our farmers and ranchers and recommit to policies that support American agriculture and strengthen it for the future. Thank you, mister speaker, and I yield back.
Brian Jack
Gentlewoman yields. For what purposes the gentleman from Virginia seek recognition?
Eugene Vindman
I seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks.
Eugene Vindman
Mister speaker, I rise today to recognize sheriff Scott Foster for his thirty one years of outstanding service in law enforcement. Sheriff Foster began his career in 1994 advancing from the rank of deputy to captain. On 09/15/2022, he was appointed sheriff of the city of Fredericksburg and was sworn in shortly afterwards. Since taking office, sheriff Foster worked to improve the Fredericksburg sheriff's office by updating operational plans, implementing policies and procedures, and improving training and record keeping. Under his leadership, he also established a career development program to support employee growth and recognize professional excellence within the department.
I want to personally congratulate and thank sheriff Foster for his dedication to ensuring our Fredericksburg communities stay safe and have access to the resources that they need. His impact on the community will be felt for years to come. Thank you and I yield back.
Brian Jack
Gentleman yields. For what purpose does the gentleman from Indiana seek recognition?
Marlin Stutzman
Mister speaker, ask for now his consent to address the house for one minute as you revise and extend my remarks.
Marlin Stutzman
one minute. Thank you, mister speaker. I rise today to recognize extraordinary achievement of Westview senior, Noah Bontrager, for becoming the first high school student to run a sub four minute mile in Indiana history. This past Sunday, Noah competed at the New Balance National Race where the country's highest performing high school athletes compete in track events. Hailing from Shipshewana, Indiana, Noah made Indiana's third district proud as he clinched first place in the one minute a one mile race.
Not only did Noah set a new record for Hoosiers, but he also made his mark by claiming the seventh fastest indoor mile time for high school students in US history. Noah has demonstrated incredible talent and his achievements indicate his level of dedication to his sport. He has done what no other Hoosier students have been able to do. Noah, congratulations on this huge accomplishment. I know you'll continue to set new records as you continue running your career at Notre Dame University this fall.
Brian Jack
I yield back. Gentleman yields. For what purpose does the gentleman from New York seek recognition?
George Latimer
Mister speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks.
Brian Jack
With that objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mister speaker.
George Latimer
I rise to recognize the community asset in the South End Of New Rochelle that serves so many residents, the New Rochelle YMCA. The Y was established in 1899 and became the owner of the current site on Wayman Avenue in 2006, assisted by legislation that I sponsored as a member of the New York State Assembly. And over the last twenty years, it has expanded its programs for close to 5,000 members with healthy living programs, aquatics programs, and childcare services. The renovated pool and gymnasium are constantly in use and the classes that are offered features after school programs and universal pre k programs to assist those with chronic disease, Zumba, Tai Chi, Yoga, Balance, Strength and Conditioning and so many more programs. The leader, the CEO of the Y is Jennifer Ryan Saffsell, a dynamic energetic professional with years of non profit management.
She's ably assisted by a capable team, Lisa Tadone, Dawn Carter, Daphne Jinn, Jaish Young, Tanista Miller, so many others along with the president of the board, Raymond T. Hall, and members of the board including state senator Ruth Hassell Thompson. From the floor of the House of Representatives, we honor the New Rochelle YMCA. Thank you, mister speaker, and I yield back.
Brian Jack
Gentleman yields. For what purpose does the gentleman from Tennessee seek recognition? Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute.
John Rose
Mister speaker, I rise today to congratulate White County, Tennessee, one of 19 counties I'm proud to represent in congress. Their county fair was recently named the 2025 champion of champions by the Tennessee Association of Fairs. It's a designation earned by showcasing excellence in agriculture, education, and community participation. And in a rare dual honor, White County is also home to TAF's fairest of the fair, Hannah Haley. This is a statewide title earned from weeks of practice.
It requires talent, discipline, and a lot of time. I want to congratulate Hannah on the fruits of her dedication. I have no doubt that she will continue to be the great ambassador for White County and for all of Tennessee. I am proud to support Tennessee's many agricultural affairs including the White County Fair. They bring together the best of our communities from every corner of Tennessee.
Thank you, mister chairman, and I yield back.
Brian Jack
Gentleman yields. For what purposes a gentleman from Rhode Island seek recognition?
Seth Magaziner
Mister speaker, big corporations continue to make billions and billions of dollars while working people can't afford the essentials, can't afford groceries, can't afford health care, can't afford to keep a roof over their heads. And this happens because politicians in Washington let it happen. If we wanna do something about the fact that the oil and gas companies are making hundreds of billions of dollars a year while people can't afford their electric bills, if we wanna do something about the drug companies making billions and billions of dollars while people can't afford the medicine they need to live, then we need to clean up our own house. Because until we get dark money out of elections, until we pass my bill to ban stock trading in congress, until we take anti corruption seriously, then too many politicians will continue to work for the big powerful corporations instead of for the American people who sent us here. It is time for a change, and I yield back.
Brian Jack
Gentleman yields. For what purpose does the gentleman from Nebraska seek recognition?
Mike Flood
to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks.
Mike Flood
Mister speaker, I rise today to recognize the selfless service of our brave men and women in uniform during operation epic fury and to honor the life of one of Nebraska's own, sergeant first class Noah Tiejens of Bellevue, Nebraska. Earlier this month, sergeant Tiejens lost his life while supporting operation epic fury. Continuing a proud family tradition of military service, he began his career in 2006. Through the years, sergeant Teigen earned numerous awards for his leadership and courage, including the Purple Heart, the Materious Service Medal, and more. From his time managing a local Hardee's to his patriotic service in our armed forces, sergeant left a lasting impact on all who knew him.
I know Nebraskans from across the state are grieving alongside their family. We are praying for his wife, Shelly, and their son, Dylan. Sergeant Teigen's service and sacrifice will forever be a testament to his heroic decision to answer the call to serve our country. Thank you, mister speaker.
Brian Jack
I yield back. Gentleman yields. For what purposes a gentleman from Illinois seek recognition?
Jonathan Jackson
Mister speaker, I'm asking unanimous consent to address the body for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks.
Jonathan Jackson
Thank you, mister speaker. Mister speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable American, mister Kamran Khan. Kamran Khan came to this country at the age of 18 with faith, determination, and a belief in the promise of America. He built a beautiful life with his lovely wife, doctor Hamed Khan. They raised six children and devoted himself not only to his family's success, but to the cause of dignity, equality, and inclusion for others.
Mister Carmen Khan understood something fundamental, that America is strengthened when every faith is respected and every community is seen. At a time when Muslim Americans had never seen Eid recognized at the White House, he helped change that. Kamran Khan, alongside with other American Muslim leaders, helped push forward a simple but powerful idea. Eid should be recognized in the White House just as faiths have had their holidays recognized and celebrated. So on 02/20/1996, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton welcomed guests to what she called, and I quote, the first Eid celebration ever at the White House.
And in those same remarks, she thanked mister Cameron Khan personally by name, and she said, for all of his help in creating this occasion. This historic achievement is an affirmation that Muslim Americans too belong fully in the civic and spiritual life of this nation. It helped establish a tradition of recognition that will continue for the years that followed. During this Ramadan, Kamran Khan deserves our gratitude, our admiration, and our praise. His life remind us that history is not shaped, not only by those in higher offices, but by citizens of conviction who quietly insist that America live up to its ideals.
I honor mister Karman Khan today for his vision, his leadership, and his enduring contribution to our country. Mister speaker, I yield back.
Brian Jack
Gentlemen, you yield for what purposes a gentleman from Nevada seek recognition? Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute.
Dina Titus
Well, thank you. We are seeing in real time how global instability can come home to hit our working families. President Trump's war of choice in Iran is not just a foreign policy blunder, it's also exacerbating the Trump slump. When conflict disrupts oil supply, it drives up energy prices. And this is not just at the pump, but we have seen it in Las Vegas.
In just one month, the price of gas has gone up a dollar a gallon. These high oil prices push inflation higher, slow economic growth, and directly feed into affordability for families. When energy prices spike, it's not just as the pump, as I said, it means higher prices for food, transportation, and basic goods. It also has a real hit on tourism which makes a difference in the economy of towns like Las Vegas. What were Trump's big promises during the campaign?
No new wars and cheaper prices. Well, in one fell swoop, he has reneged on both of those. Thank you, and I yield back.
Brian Jack
Gentleman yields. Under the speaker's announced policy of 01/03/2025, the gentleman from Ohio, miss Capter, is recognized for 60 as the designee of the minority leader.
Marcy Kaptur
Thank you. Mister speaker, on February 28, president Donald Trump made a unilateral decision to take The United States and the American people to war against the nation of Iran. Iran is a nation of 93,000,000 people with sophistication and fundamentalist religious leaders that imbue Iran's actions intergenerationally. Iran holds influence across millions of adherents even across its borders. Religious ties, affinities, and memory and memories linger across borders in that undemocratic region of the world.
Without any consultation and in direct violation of congressional war powers in our constitution that belongs to the people of The United States, not just the president, our nation is now at war with a religious state. Valiant members of our armed forces have been sent into battle in one of the most complex and combustible regions of the world. Never in the entire history of our nation has any such consequential decision to take our military and the American people to war than made solely by any former president without a vote of congress and valiant members of our armed forces are being killed. We as members of congress must offer consolation to their families and the communities from which they come, and we must pay tribute to their bravery and sheer patriotism. But like their families, we remain stunned as we too were unaware they were being deployed into war in territory we know to be very dangerous.
Last week, senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was quoted as saying he would oppose any Iran supplemental. He said he is hearing from farmers in his state impacted by rising costs on everything including oil that stemmed from the war. He thinks congress should focus on domestic issues. Well, we just can't do that. But I do agree with senator Rand Paul, the war places a tourniquet on global energy supplies and prices on almost everything will continue to rise.
I can comment that as planting season is upon us, diesel and fertilizer costs are through the roof and our farmers, producers, and growers are really feeling it. Now the Trump administration says that it seeks congress to appropriate and get ready for this 200,000,000,000 more dollars. 200,000,000,000 more dollars of additional financial support for this undeclared war. No member of congress would abandon our troops in harm's way. I wanna repeat that.
No member of congress would abandon our troops in harm's way. But here are vital questions that must be asked by the American people and this congress and answered by the administration. What does victory look like? What does it look like? Which nations are our allies in this struggle and are placing troops on the ground?
How many troops in each adjoining nation are already on the ground? How will the Trump administration raise the funds to pay for what will likely be a half trillion dollars or more, not just for the war but for the rebuilding of a very troubled difficult region. So there will be a lingering instability that could pose more unrest in that region. Chaos is a possibility. The president has already in his first and now second administrations added over $6,000,000,000,000 to America's debt and it is rising.
Does the president intend to borrow the funds necessary and from whom? Indebting the American people for generations to come, trillions of dollars is a lot of money. To conduct this undeclared war on Iran and apparently adjoining countries, the Trump administration is increasing our debt and borrowing even more money from China to spend against Iran. China, look at our debt accounts, can ask for payment on those bonds at any time. I don't like the prospect of that.
At the same time, with the billions of defense dollars being spent in The Middle East, too many of our global assets are being repositioned from The Pacific and the European NATO commitment. The president relatedly announced he's going to lift oil sanctions on Russia. That means he's empowering Russia, the fiercest foe of liberty at the same time as he's enriching China. Did liberty in our world just turn upside down? Have key Trump officials forgotten the difference between liberty and tyranny?
Pay attention, America. Pay attention. Now let us be serious about the accounting of these ongoing war efforts. The first week alone was reported to cost $11,300,000,000, not a penny of that brought before the respective congressional appropriations committees for approval. Just in the first week, $11,300,000,000.
At a pace of $2,000,000,000 per day, that means we are spending $23,000 per second. At this pace, spending could reach $1,000,000,000,000 more by November 2027. I can guarantee you our defense appropriation subcommittee has not approved a single penny of this spending for the war on Iran. This is a war of presidential choice. Billions have been spent as of today.
We estimate about 40,000,000,000, the twentieth day of president Trump's war. The president is erasing money from other accounts, I guess, in order to put it into this undeclared fateful military engagement. Erasing it from accounts he has to, like health insurance, food for children. So we are asking for where has the president emptied the accounts to pay for this war? Our debt gets worse every day and since he took office fourteen months ago, our national debt has ballooned to $39,000,000,000,000.
That is $3,000,000,000,000 more than just over a year ago. That translates into a growing tax on generations to come, and that is wrong. The president must present to congress his plan to pay for his war of choice. Otherwise, our ship of state is going to be tilting in ways that harm the American people. They're already seeing it in the price of essentials like food, gas, fertilizer for our farmers, medical care, diesel, energy prices, water prices are going up, housing is unaffordable and rising every day.
I can guarantee you the American people are feeling the raw pinch of this already. And I have questions. Who exactly will be president Trump's emissaries to negotiate a lasting peace in The Middle East. What background do they have in that part of the world? And what qualifications do they have to offer in the way of expertise?
It's obvious the ones that he assigned, his son-in-law and mister Witkoff had no success. They had no experience in that part of the world. They had no experience in negotiating peace. It is obvious the current negotiators were unable to prevent war. The only president of whom I am aware who made consequential peace in The Middle East was president Jimmy Carter, a man I served nearly half a century ago.
He worked diligently for months and months and I dare say years at that astounding achievement of a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel. I would urge president Trump's associates to contact the Carter Center and identify some of those who are currently living and participated in that extraordinary achievement. Seek their advice. This is not a simple engagement and it will have lasting repercussions. Recall, it was president Trump during his first term that pulled the rug out from Afghanistan in 2018 when he withdrew from that deal.
And as we watched greater instability grow, he actually made a deal with the Taliban who were our enemies and then our allies in Afghanistan collapsed. He precipitated The US withdrawal, not Joe Biden. When Joe Biden took office, the damage had already been done. As I view the road forward, who will be the diplomatic corps that will be necessary to follow on this major invasion with negotiations for a just and lasting peace. In the national interest, partisanship has to be put aside and the most intelligent and experienced people in our country must be drawn together to find a way forward.
Levelheaded people with foreign policy experience and budgetary know how must be brought to the forefront. This heedlessness on multiple fronts cannot continue. Our people deserve a White House focused on resolution and here at home, affordability for the American people. Not another endless foreign war with no strategy and no way out. And what is truly troubling to me as I watch this engagement, I don't see some of the richest tyrannies in The Middle East like Saudi Arabia, The UAE.
Just take a look around. Where are their troops on the ground? They're not there. We need a clear path forward for the American people, and the president needs to come to congress as we attempt to negotiate the ship of state toward a stable Middle East, engaging countries around the world who are also suffering from this decision. Thank you, mister speaker, and I yield back.
Brian Jack
Gentleman Yeats. Under the speakers' annexibility of 01/03/2025, the gentleman from Wisconsin, mister Grothman, is recognized for sixty minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
Glenn Grothman
Thank you. On today, fly out day, I wanna leave the body with some thoughts regarding some issues that I don't think enough attention has been paid paid to. First issue I wanna talk about is the issue regarding sheltered workshops or community rehabilitation providers. Maybe some of you have taken tours of these wonderful facilities. They are largely places in which people who have different abilities work.
Perhaps they have Down syndrome. Perhaps they have spina bifida. Perhaps they're even quadriplegic. These facilities, however, offer opportunities for employment for people, people who years ago had no employment and were stuck sitting at home, perhaps with their parents, perhaps in a group home, without the opportunity to share in the satisfaction of work and without the ability to supplement their other income, frequently that other income amounts to some sort of Social Security disability payment. In any event, I have a bill introduced which I hope becomes part of the WIOA package in the education committee.
And under that bill, we're gonna try to stop the the current trend of closing down these facilities. People who wanna close down these facilities do it in part by saying people have to try and fail and work three times in the and get fired three times in the community before they're allowed to work in these facilities. That's really just a horrible thing, and as a practical matter, makes it very difficult for people to work in these sort of facilities. Secondly, right now, it creates a situation in which these folks do not have the ability to get outside of what I'll refer to as day services. Right now, and I encourage all my colleagues to tour facilities like this, Right now, if you work in a facility like this, you have the joy and satisfaction of getting a paycheck, just like perhaps the siblings of these people do.
There is a great deal of satisfaction in buying your own clothes, in buying gifts for your relatives, which is why it's so important we keep the facilities open and stop the attack of people who are trying to shut down these facilities. You might ask, why would anybody shut down these facilities? First of all, people don't like the fact that in these facilities, people are frequently making less than minimum wage, which is true. However, people with some abilities, if you look at the the light work they're doing, it's hard to imagine that a profit making business or any sort of business could operate paying some folks like this over $7.50 an hour. Upon touring them, you'll immediately see why some of these folks make $6 an hour or $4 an hour or $3 an hour.
The other criticism of them is they feel it's segregating people to put them in another in a facility with other people who have handicaps. That, of course, is ridiculous. First of all, sitting in facilities like this, you have what I'll refer to as management or sometimes people working part time so that they can ramp up the amount of production in these facilities. But in any event, they may get to know these folks for ten or twenty or thirty years, not only the people with disabilities themselves, but again, people in management. That is much less turnover than if these folks got a job in the community for five or six hours a week at a fast food enterprise where there's a great deal of turnover.
And like I said, it would be very difficult to find anybody in the community that frequently can provide a thirty or thirty five hour a week job that you really need if you're going to feel like a working member of the community. So I strongly encourage this body, when we do pass the WIOA Act out of the, education committee that we pass a bill with it strengthening these facilities and stopping the foolish regulations that right now are closing, sadly, many of these facilities to close. And I, one more time, ask my colleagues, even if you just are doing it to get reelected, why don't you take a tour of these community rehabilitation providers and watch the enjoyment that these employees get in working just like everybody else in society and the huge social benefits they get by establishing lifelong friends in these facilities who they enjoy spending time with. After all, for these folks, it's even more important than other people to socialize with people they work with. All of us to a degree socialize with our fellow employees.
But again, people who have Down syndrome, spina bifida, I think their parents frequently worry what type of friends they're gonna have when they're gone. These facilities provide those lifelong friendships that are so important. The next thing I'd like to address is soon we are gonna be taking up a budget and begin to taking up appropriation bills for the year beginning September 1. We also may be taking up some sort of bill dealing with the hostilities in Iran. Given that, I wanna remind people we recently hit $39,000,000,000,000 in debt in this country.
We are borrowing about 25 or 26% of our budget. I think all of you back home ought to stop and think. Can you imagine what it's like borrowing 26% of your budget? I mean, it's just utterly reckless for anybody to do that in their in their life or in their business, but that will that's what we're doing right now. Right now, about 14% of your tax dollar that's sent to Washington goes to interest already.
And obviously, that's the beginning of the downward spiral towards bankruptcy when 14 of your budget is on interest. So what I'm gonna ask, I'm sure we are gonna be asked to spend money on a supplemental for the war in Iran, and I'm prepared to do that. But I do ask leadership to step up to the plate and pass a reconciliation bill or appropriation bills that are a little more responsible than the irresponsible ones in the past. After all, if it's worthwhile to spend billions of dollars, tens of billions, maybe hundreds of billions of dollars in Iran, it's certainly worthwhile that maybe we don't reduce spending to cover all of that, but reduce spending to a degree. Doge, which people have begun to forget about, pointed out the huge number of excessive employees in all government agencies.
But in the department of defense right now, we still have just under 700,000 people who are non uniformed personnel. In other words, people sitting in front of a computer for the Department of Defense. I don't think anybody can argue that that number is high. We reduced the number mildly by providing buyouts for people, and we reduced the number by putting in hiring freezes so that if people get people retire, they don't get replaced. But that only reduced the employment by 60 or $70,000 or 60 or 70,000 people.
I think if you ask around, will find people who know through their relatives or people in their apartment building or people in their church that there are still probably hundreds of thousands of people who are working there unnecessarily. And before the Department of Defense comes back with or at the same time they come back with requests for a supplemental to spend more money, I think it's important for the Department of Defense to come back and explain to us what they have done to reduce the number of employees there. And for the administration overall to look at the number of employees in all other agencies as well as programs in other agencies and say, this is what we have to cut if we're going to begin to fund the Iran war. I'm not even asking for a dollar for dollar or a dollar cut for every $2 spent. Maybe a dollar reduction for every $3 spent would be appropriate, but I hope they don't insult the next generation by just asking for additional spending.
The next issue I'd like to address is one that doctor Oz got in the paper for, and that is the transgender situation in this country. I frequently hear conservative commentators, Fox News in particular, who talk about boys and men's sports, we shouldn't have boys and or boys and girls sports. We shouldn't have boys and girls sports. However, I think that kind of implies that if we solve that problem, we solve the transgender problem. And that is not true.
Recent studies have shown a dramatic reduction in the number of people who claim to be transgender. I think for people like me, that is not a surprise at all because I think a lot of people who are being transgender are being transgender because they're egged on by psychiatrists or egged on by school counselors or even more egged on by popular culture as a way to find a peer group and as a way to kind of be, you know, the cool rebel. But doctor Oz has taken on the medical groups, including the American Psychiatric Association, who have been in favor of identifying people as transgender and even giving them puberty blockers and worse, giving them surgeries before 18. Now I don't know how anybody, any medical professional, anybody with a wit of common sense would give somebody any surgery before 25 years old because you know that people change their mind about things. And obviously, if you have one of these traumatic surgeries and realize later you made a mistake, it's gonna result in huge psychiatric problems.
So I strongly encourage doctor Oz to get more involved in this. I strongly encourage this body to lower their opinion of members of the American Psychiatric Association because these people who have spent a long period of time in school apparently have a complete and utter lack of common sense and one wonders why we are listening to them or why we are required to give them money for their ridiculous ridiculous efforts on behalf of early surgeries on transgenders. In any event, I hope that all conservative commentators, when they talk about the transgender thing, In addition to talking about the relatively tiny number of men who participate in women's sports, go after the psychiatrists and psychologists who are giving puberty blockers and even more giving outright surgeries on our young people that in the I would bet in very, very many cases, they will regret and they will regret listening to the professionals who went to school at length for such a preposterous preposterous endeavor. The next thing I'd like to point out is I'd like to thank congressman Owens for introducing a bill that we recently dealt with in the education committee. You know, over time, certainly in Minnesota but across the country, we are finding shocking amounts of money being wasted on income transfer programs.
And we found another one here. We are right now giving aid to students that may not even exist. And maybe some of that money winds up with colleges and universities towards tuition, but a lot of the money winds up with what we'll call ghost students, students that don't exist except for on paper and somebody winds up stealing money that the government is printing. First of all, one more time, it gives a lesson as to why things ought to be handled on a state and local level because I think state and local governments are gonna be much quicker to pick up on the fact that they are being taken advantage of than the unwieldy federal government. But secondly, it is continuing a trend we have in this country of encouraging the crooks in society to take advantage of the federal government and get wildly rich.
We are, in this bill, going to make it a much more difficult thing and require the government to look into this matter and into the students who are getting these aid payments so things in one more program don't wind up completely out of control. And I strongly encourage this body to pare back on any of these programs that are fraught with fraud. I think a conclusion that ought to be dealt with once you get done looking at fraud for food stamps or fraud for Medicaid or fraud for earned income tax credit is that if you let the federal government do anything, there'll be tons of fraud in it. And the less of these programs, the better. Doesn't mean that people can't be helped, but the people should be helped by either private charity or they should be helped by state and local governments.
My final thing I'm gonna point out, and I recently had a meeting on this with the vice president, but what I think is the biggest problem in the government right today, which is further related to all these income transfer payments, is the fact that right now in this government, and really for the last sixty years, we have been penalizing couples who have children in wedlock. This has been a long time dream of getting rid of the nuclear family. It was Karl Marx's dream. It was Kate Millett, the mother of the women's studies department dream. Families without men.
And all sorts of families can succeed. I certainly know many single parents who've done a fantastic job of raising their children. Nevertheless, as they work towards their goal of keeping men out of the family, it statistically overall does hurt the children to a degree. It's not something that we should be encouraging. I sit here and listen to hearings about educational achievement.
I listen to hearings about crime problems, hearings about depression, hearings about drug use. And to a degree, I think the answer is never brought up in these hearings. The answer is stronger families. But if this government is gonna pay 25 give a $25,000 a year bonus or penalize somebody $25,000 a year for getting married before they have children, it is obviously, first of all, unfair on its face or grotesquely favoring one lifestyle over another lifestyle. And secondly, we are reducing the number of children who do have a mother and father at home.
I strongly encourage vice president Vance and president Trump to step forward and appoint some sort of committee or commission to recommend what we should do instead of dramatically penalizing couples who decide to get married. And I will point out, you're hurting the children, which is true. I think you're hurting the mothers, which is true. But according to expert sociologists like George Gilder, you're hurting the the prospective husbands or fathers because the way society is built up, the the primary purpose of most men in in in the country is supposed to be to take care of their wives and children. And when you have the government, as an Indian immigrant friend of mine says, when you have the government marrying the marrying the woman, it kinda leaves the man out of the picture, and he he loses what is supposed to be his natural purpose in life.
So I strongly encourage speaker Johnson, majority leader Thune, and president Trump to establish some sort of committee in which we can look at all of these programs. And there are about 70 programs out there in which we penalize people for getting married. Pell Grants, you know, it's it's much easier to get a a college scholarship if you are a single parent than a married parent. Food stamps, low income housing, earned income tax credit, day care subsidies. Like I said, about 70 programs, and it looks to a certain extent the way they were put together.
Their design was to cause the breakdown of the American family. So I hope that is something that can be done over the next couple months. I thought it would be done today, but I think the war in Iran is taking everybody's focus. But I would like to see us by the time June rolls around, to have these committees or commissions at work preparing recommendations so we no longer exhibit this hatred we apparently have in this country who people of people who decide to get married before they have children. Thank you very much.
I yield the remainder of my time.
Brian Jack
The gentleman yields. For what purpose? I'm sorry. Under the speaker's announced policy of 01/03/2025, the chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas, mister Green, for thirty minutes.
Al Green
Thank you, mister speaker. Mister speaker, and still I rise. And I rise today, mister speaker, with a very special topic. I rise today, mister speaker, because I am a liberated, unbought, unbossed democrat. I not only speak truth to power, I speak truth about power.
You speak truth to power by simply saying power, there's a problem. Let's solve it. Great thing to do. But when you speak truth about power, you say power. There's a problem, and you're it.
So today, I'm going to speak truth about power. I'm going to do so because I will not allow the power that I'm to speak about to intimidate me. I insist on having the full benefit of my free speech rights and I will take advantage of them. And if it should cost me, I will pay the price. But I plan to speak truth not only to power, but also speak truth about power.
Today, I am going to embrace the topic that has caused a good deal of consternation in this congress, a topic that many people would say it would be injudicious to embrace because of the consequences. But there comes a time when you have to take a stand. Consequences are things that have to be considered. But when it comes to my country and when it comes to the American consumer, I'm willing to take those consequences on. I'm willing to do what I believe to be not only the right thing but the righteous thing.
So today, I will embrace the topic, why the crypto industry is spending mega millions of dollars to control Congress? Why is the crypto industry spending mega millions of dollars to control Congress? Not to have debates in Congress, not to allow the American people to hear all sides of issues, but to control Congress to the extent that but one side is going to be presented. So today I stand and I speak for all of those people who agree with me. I don't speak for people associated with any party.
I don't speak with people associated with any caucus. I speak for everybody that agrees with me and there are good many, not all will say what I say, but they agree with me. And by the way, I say what I say and I don't expect others to say what I say because I think I'm uniquely qualified to say what I say. I sit on the financial services committee. I have chaired the subcommittee on oversight investigations for financial services.
And I'm proud to say that I've lived under the leadership of the honorable Bonnie Frank and the honorable Maxine Waters. And I am proud to say that at some point, I believe that we will have the leadership on that committee again. And this is why the crypto industry is so concerned about members who might take the position that I take. So the topic again, why the crypto industry is spending mega millions of dollars to control congress? Well, let's start with what is actually happening right now in congress.
The congress is the house and the senate. We are in the house of representatives, but it's the house and the senate. The senate has passed a piece of legislation that deals with housing. It is styled the twenty first century road to housing act, and I have a section by section breakdown. I'm not going to go through every section, but I can tell you that there is language in here that if implemented will be of great benefit to people in the area of housing, people who are in need of housing, people who are in need of a place to call home.
There's language in here that I support. But I also want you to know that in this bill that deals with housing, the crypto industry decided that something was germane that I totally, absolutely, and completely disagree with. The crypto industry decided that over near the very end of the bill on the last page of the document that I have, after having topics styled rental assistance demonstration program, increasing housing in opportunity zones, whole home repairs act, and many other things that are beneficial, The crypto industry, this is on the very last page of the summary that I have. The crypto industry found reason to believe that what I'm about to articulate is germane. I don't think it's germane, but it's in the bill.
The crypto industry has included language in section one zero zero one, section one zero zero one styled central bank digital currency, crypto industry, central bank legislation in a housing bill. And here's what it would do. This section pauses the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency. Pauses. Pauses.
Pauses for approximately five years, pauses it. Well, that pause is not good enough for some people. There are some people who want a permanent ban on a central bank issuing a digital currency. Now I have to give some edification to many people who are listening. Let's start with this.
Right now, if you desire to, you can transfer with crypto dollars, cryptocurrency I should say, money from one person to another without without it going through any other entity or going to any other person, one person to another without going to any other person. Friends, that kind of transference is beneficial in many ways to many people. Some people who would do dastardly deeds are indeed enthralled with this methodology. They're enthralled with it because when they can transfer from one person to another, if they want to transfer funds to someone engaging in some sort of illicit activity, they can make that transfer and remain anonymous. There is something called pseudo anonymous.
They are pseudo anonymous. They have pseudo anonymous positions that allow them to be secret secreted within the transaction. It's called pseudonymity. They have pseudonymity. Well, this pseudonymity allows people to do dastardly things and not be recognized for their dastardly deeds.
It makes it very difficult to catch them. For example, someone who wants to send money to a terrorist organization. You can do this anonymously. You have pseudonymity. Also, you might recall some time ago, not so long ago, there was a a a group of people, maybe one person, I'm not sure, who wanted to extort money from a very notable family.
And they wanted that money to be transferred in crypto dollars, crypto fashion, digital currency. They wanted it to be transferred digitally because they knew that it would prevent them from being caught. Now maybe they would be caught, maybe there's some super super means of spying and finding out, but their chances of being caught were very slim if they could have the money transferred from one person to another, not go through a central bank, and as a result claim their ill gotten gains, go off into the world unknown to people as the criminals they would be. It's great for those persons who want to extort money, this direct transfer of money from one person to another. Now it would be against the law to do this, but it would also be up to the law to find some means by which you can prevent this or you can at least arrest the people who do this.
But with this pseudonymity, they have the ability to do this and not be caught. If they are caught, it would be very difficult to accomplish the the actual act of catching
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