ms. waters: mr. chair, i yield myself the balance of the time. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. waters: as we've heard today the entities that stand to benefit from this bill are not ordinary investors trying to build wealth but rather, the crypto firms that have chosen to register with the s.e.c. or otherwise comply with the security laws. they've already made billions of dollars novelishing or facilitating the buying and selling of crypto securities. and republicans are now proposing to reward these illegal activities by making these activities legal. this is truly preposterous. you know, mr. lynch, when he spoke, he said this was one of the worst pieces of legislation he has experienced through his entire career. and i understand why when i examine this bill and i see that

the republicans had created this new definition. and this new definition is known as the investment contract assets. now, we talked about this but, you know, even in the rules committee, while they were, you know, talking about how this bill was going to protect consumers, they did not debate us about this investment contract asset because they know that it created a void. it created a no man's land. this was created basically so that the crypto companies could be in a space without regulation. but it goes further than that. it also covers traditional securities so they can be in a space without regulation. . .

it is not enough to says this about a bad bill. this is not only a bad bill,s that bill where the crypto companies decided they didn't like the s.e.c. they do not want to be regulated. and they were going to come to the congress of the united states and they were going to use their power and they were going to use their influence to change the rules of the game. and that they were going to now go to where the commodities are regulated and they're going to take the securities over there. i explained to you that the cftc is a small agency, i explained to you that they don't have a lot of money. i explained to you how much smaller they are than the s.e.c. the s.e.c. are the experts. it is 90 years old in the development of regulations for the country. and it is 90 years old and it is respected all over the world.

we're the envy they have world because we have an s.e.c. and so when i talk about this void that has been created, there is no way that the members of this congress can allow that to happen. to allow this no man's land to exist where the same crypto companies that are now refusing to register, who are unlawful, that you're going to exonerate and then you're going to further give them the opportunity to operate without regulation. this is unbelievable. how can this happen? in the congress of the united states, in the house of representatives? where we are supposed to represent the people. we have an s.e.c. that is the cop on the block. we have an s.e.c. that is expert in securities. these -- this s.e.c. goes into the courts and they fight tough battles. these battles are long.

these battles are hard. because they're fought by the crypto companies. but they don't give up because at least they have people who can begin to work on it. we try to give them more money to do their work but they are denied additional appropriations by the opposite of the aisle. the chair: the gentlelady's time has expired. mr. mchenry: how much time do i have remaining? the chair: two minutes. ms. waters: i urge a no vote. mr. mchenry: i yield myself such time as i may consume. let me speak to this. the void is a lack of definition of what is a digital asset in federal law. this bill established it. we have no consumer protections for crypto today. this bill establishes it. the cftc with robust oversight of this industry and the s.e.c. with real clarify. that's what this bill does, provide clarity for investor, consumers and innovators.

we are falling behind europe. this bill catches up so we don't lose out on innovation policy to european to folks in the u.k., to singapore, to japan, to hong kong that all have regimes. similar to what we were doing in this bill. this is important bill. it's bipartisan work. hundreds of hours have been put into developing this with members and staff. i want to thank the great partnership they've had with french hill, on the financial services committee, and chairman g.t. thompson on the ag committee, and dusty johnson on the ag committee. but i also want to thank the great staff on the house financial services committee, allison who has shepherded this bill to this point. and paul. on the ag committee. they have worked in great partnership, in friendship, and worked through major issues. and i want to thank them for this important legislative product. we can promote american innovation, consumer protection and leadership with a clear regulatory framework for digital

assets. the next generation of technology is being written. it should be written by american innovators here in the united states. we can allow that innovation to pass us by or we can seize the opportunity and pass this bill to provide real clarity for innovation policy here in the united states. regulatory clarity and consumer protection that is f.i.t. 21. let's vote yes on this bill and establish bipartisan support for crypto in america. and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields. all time for yen delaet as -- for general debate has expired in lieu of amendments in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on agriculture and financial services, included in the bill in the nature of a substitute including the text of rules committee print 118-223, shall considered as adopted. the bill as amended shall be considered as the original bill for purpose of further amendment under the five-minute rule and

shall be considered as read. no further amendment to the bill as amended shall be in order except those printed in part b of house report 118-516. each such further amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, by a member designated in the report, shall be considered read, shall be debatable for a time specified in the report equally divide and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question. it is now in order to consider amendment number 1 printed in part b of house report 118-516. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. ka car: i have an amendment that the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 1 printed in part b of house report 118-516, offered by mr. ka car of texas. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 1243, the gentleman

from texas, mr. casar, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. casar: i yield myself as much time as i may use. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. casar: from 2017 to 2022, americans who invested in the s.s.p. index received about a 61% return on their investment. but americans who invested in one of the top 12 crypto currencies that existed during that five-year period did not make money, on the other hand, on average, they lost about half of their money. three out of every four bitcoin traders in that time period also lost money. from f.t.x. to celsius to blockchain a.t.m.'s, the industry has repeatedly lost everyday americans their money. so whether you are crypto booster or a crypto skeptic, we can all agree, based on the facts that crypto investment is a risk. and since it is a risk, we

should want more oversight to protect americans. but this bill before us today doesn't provide us more regulation, it doesn't even provide many americans the same level of regulation as traditional finance. instead it creates a light touch regulatory regime that can be manipulated by bad actors in both crypto and traditional finance. putting americans and our 90-year securities laws at risk. my amendment focuses on one key area where everyday people who would invest in crypto under this bill will in fact receive less protection than americans invested in traditional finance. the current flawed bill before us creates a crowd funding registration exemption for crypto that is 15 times weaker than the crowd funding exemption that exists in traditional finance. in the existing bill before us, someone could trod crowdfund up to $75 million from everyday americans, and those americans

would receive just the most minimal of protections. we would never allow that in the noncrypto finance world. so my amendment changes the exemption cap to $5 million. putting that cap in line with our current laws. so at the very least, americans making investments in crypto can get the same level of protection as crowd funding investors and traditional finance. i hope that whether you are for the underlying bill or against the underlying bill like me, we can agree that this commonsense amendment will help protect everyday people and i urge everyone support it. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina rise? >> i rise in opposition, i'm opposed to the amendment. the chair: the gentlemanis recognized. mr. mchenry: today digital asset issuers rely on exemptions under current secures regime. and each exemption includes its own requirements. under traditional securities law.

what we provide in this act is purpose built for digital assets. what this does, today, if you're raising money for additional asset offering, the exemptions built for those other types of securities in the space. the s.e.c.'s disclosure regime is supposed to give investors the information they need to make decisions. it's not built for additional assets. what we do in this sacramento provide certain diskilo nurse investors in digital assets such as source code, token supply, governance mechanisms and other aspects unique to crypto. that's what this bill does. what the gentleman is rising to do is limit that aperture from $75 million to $5 million of those folks who can invest in these early stage innovations. what he's doing is siphoning off, i'm sorry, restricting the opportunity for average, everyday investors to get options like high wealth

investors get today. under securities law. the original exemption for regulation crowd funding was something we put in law with bipartisan support. with maxine waters as my co-sponsor on regulation crowdfunding. this very exemption. i have enhanced this. i put additional requirements here. to make sure there are more disclosures. and we open up the aperture to $75 million so more folks can participate sound so blockchains can develop. when you make it to $5 million it makes it impossible for you to actually scale up. especially with these inflationary times that our people are facing. so what i would urge is the house reject this amendment, the gentleman's arguments against this exemption have nothing to do with the exemption but have everything to do with opposition to the by i urge a no vote. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized.

mr. casar: i yield one minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from california, ranking member waters. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. waters: thank you very much, i'd like to thank the gentleman from texas for attempting this amendment. as a matter of fact, there have been any number of members from this side of the aisle who have been attempting to amend this bill to try and make it better. and while i have great respect for all of those attempts, and if they had listened, if they had accepted, perhaps they could have made this a better bill. but at this point in time no, unfortunately, with all the work that this gentleman has done, mr. casar and others, they will not accept any amendments. they're not going to accept his amendment. they don't think that the bill can be made better and unfortunately, the bill is so bad, i don't think it can be made better either. i yield back the balance of my time.

the chair: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. mchenry: i'm prepared to close, i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. casar: i am prepared to close and yield myself the balance of the time. our securities laws were created after the great depression when this country understood that strong regulation protects americans and is necessary for innovation and for our economy to thrive. we cannot hold crypto currency to a lower standard that traditional finance. and my amendment ensures that when it comes to crowd funding crypto currency is held to the same standard. i urge all to support it. thank you and i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. mchenry: can i inquire of the chair how much time i have remaining? the chair: the gentleman has three minutes. mr. mchenry: thank you. let me close with this, mr. chairman. we have this push and pull in the financial services

committee. generally speaking, we have elected officials that say the american people's hard-earned savings are their hard-earned savings. but then we have paternalistic amendments like this one before us today. that says no, you're not smart enough to invest your own money, we have to put in these safeguards to protect you from yourself. i think that goes way too far. what we've dwoan securities laws is take average, everyday investors and dis-- disintermediate them from the greater economy. so average, everyday americans don't get the benefit of economic growth, of wall street doing great, and earnings going up in corporate america. we've separated it. we've made it harder for average, everyday folks to invest in companies, have ownership of companies. what we're tieing to do is -- trying to do is open that up a little bit. from $5 million exemption when you're raising money to $75

million. in the scope of our economy, in the scope of our capital market, in the scope of economic opportunity and innovation, that is a very small aperture we're opening here. and we've done that, we've constructed this provision with a lot of democrat input and republican input and that's how we came to the number of $75 million. it is already a compromise. but with the gentleman -- what the gentleman offers with this amendment is nothing more than saying, i'm paternalistic. and i'm therefore going to restrict your opportunity to invest your money as you see fit. reject the amendment, vote no, and vote yes on final pass fj for f.i.t. 21. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from texas. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the noes have it. the gentleman from texas. >> i'd like to request a recorded vote, mr. speaker.

the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from texas will be postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number 2 printed in part b of house report 118-516. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from colorado seek recognition? ms. pettersen: thank you, mr. chair. i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 2 printed in part b of house report 118-516 offered by ms. pettersen of colorado. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 1243, the gentlewoman from colorado and a member opposed will each control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from colorado. ms. pettersen: thank you, mr. chairman. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. pettersen: more than 20% of americans have owned or traded

cryptocurrency. despite this, the u.s. still lacks a clear regulatory structure for digital assets which is hurting american competitiveness and incentivizing some companies, unfortunately, to move overseas. while there may be disagreement about how to best establish the appropriate market regulatory structure, there is broad bipartisan agreement for preventing criminals from using cryptocurrencies for illicit purposes such as money laundering, terrorist financing and sanction evasion. my amendment would provide clarity and conformity to how the bank secrecy act and regulations safeguarding our financial system from criminals are applied to digital assets. the base bill already calls for the bank secrecy act to apply to digital assets. however, by amending the b.s.a. directly and explicitly, expanding the definition of financial institution in the b.s.a. to cover digital asset entities, we are providing

certainty to the regulators and the department of treasury in their authorities to protect our financial system. additionally, the amendment would also require a study to assess the risks posed by centralized intermediaries based in jurisdictions that lack robust anti-money laundering enforcement. while in most cases american digital asset companies are already complying with the applicable requirements under the bank secrecy act, we also have to be think being the threat of foreign companies with u.s. touch points that are not complying with the equivalent controls or reporting standards. i would like to thank the chairman, mchenry, and representative hill for working with me on this issue and their commitment to strengthening the anti-money laundering provisions in this bill. this amendment, combined with the underlying bill, will help provide more oversight into the digital asset market and support regulators' work to protect consumers and investors. while there is more work to be done to ensure the integrity of

our digital assets market, this amendment is an important step forward and i urge my colleagues to support the adoption of the amendment and the underlying bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman from colorado reserves. the gentleman is recognized. for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina rise? mr. mchenry: i claim time in opposition to the amendment although i am not opposed to the amendment. mr. chairman, i'm proposed to accept this amendment. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mchenry: -- the chair: without objection. mr. mchenry: i think it's important we have a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital asset frameworks, yes. we also have to make sure we have a consistent application of the bank secrecy act and anti-money laundering provisions in existing law. requirements on the digital asset inteer immediate years and exchanges are necessary -- intermediaries and exchanges are necessary. i want to thank the gentlewoman from colorado for her work on this amendment. she's been focused on amlbsa-related issues in the buildup to us writing this

during the markup process and the rules committee, as well as the -- the process and the financial services committee, then the process through the rules committee. and i appreciate her sincere engagement on this matter. and for coming up with a very good amendment. i urge support of this amendment and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from north carolina reserves. the gentlelady from colorado is recognized. ms. pettersen: thank you, mr. chair. i'm prepared to close and i yield myself the balance of the time. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. pettersen: i want to again thank the chairman from north carolina for working with me and others to make sure that you are able to bring a bipartisan bill with broad support to the house. i know that this has been years in the making and congratulations for getting it to this point and i appreciate your willing tons work with me -- willingness to work with me. i also want to thank my team for helping me address an issue that i have concerns about. and with that, i ask for your support. and -- is that the last thing? i guess that's the last thing

i'm supposed to say. the chair: the gentlelady from colorado yields. the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. mchenry: i'll now recognize the chair of the judicial asset subcommittee on the financial services committee, mr. hill, for as much time as he may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hill: i thank chairman mchenry. i thank the chair for the time. i want to congratulate the gentlewoman from colorado on this very effective amendment because she shares that passion that we've all had through this entire process, which is to recognize that we need to have vigorous anti-money laundering bank secrecy act and know your customer protections around digital finance, just like we do in the analogue financial services system. her bill will strengthen that. i just want reviewing -- was reviewing the treasury department's 2024 national security for combating terrorists and other illicit financing and it brings to mind what a better regime it is to have blockchain. because a blockchain, mr. speaker, has the identity

connected with the transaction. it leaves an indelible mark of those transactions, makes illicit finance easier to identify, not less. treasury points out that the top abusers, the top concern about illicit finance are misuse of cash, including bulk cash. misuse of financial products and services like money orders. easy formation and limited information required to create a legal entity. the use of casinos. that's what the treasury department says are the toughest, most challenging aspects of terror finance. and that's why this study will help us make sure that using blockchain is a more effective way to counter illicit finance in the world. so i thank the gentlewoman from colorado for her support and for being such a constructive source of dynamic support for crafting fit 21 and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. mchenry: again, i want to

echo what congressman hill just stated for the record. the gentlelady from colorado has been a sterling advocate for enhanced p.s. ampt, b.l.m. protections and that we work against illicit finance. and i want to thank her for the efforts and i'm willing to accept the amendment and urge its adoption. and i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman yields. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from colorado. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 3 printed in part b of house report 118-516. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. norman: mr. speaker, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 3 printed in part b of house report 118-516 offered by

mr. norman of south carolina. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 124 3-rbgs the gentleman from south carolina -- 1243, the gentleman from south carolina and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from south carolina. mr. norman: thank you, mr. speaker. my amendment is pretty simple. it requires the treasury secretary in consultation with the cftc and the s.e.c. to complete a study and submit a report to congress that identifies any digital asset registrants that are owned by governments of foreign adversaries. the report will determine whether foreign adversary governments are collecting or trading personal data about american citizens in the digital asset markets and evaluate where the foreign adversary governments are misusing or stealing any proprietary intellectual property of digital asset registrants. the g.a.o. is required to complete a study and sub mate

report to congress -- and submit a report to congress on the very saip issues. this amendment -- same issues. this amendment would promote transparency regarding how our nation's strategic enemies may be exploiting the digital asset marketplace to invade the privacy of americans and steal valuable intellectual property. in june of 2023, the financial services hearings that focused on the very bill that we are considering today, the c.e.o. of the first and only s.e.c.-finra approved special process broker dealer for digital asset, stated that its company and its c.c.p. partners entered into a joint agreement in december of 2018 to develop a blockchain trading system where the chinese partner took a 20% stake in promethium. in case anyone has doubts about the c. krmpt p.'s tie --

c.c.p.'s ties, the company was founded in 1969 by a former senior c.c.p. official. in 2021 the party's central committee named a national excellent communist party member. in july of 2023, several of my colleagues and i sent a letter to the s.e.c. and the d.o.j. expressing our concerns with inconsistencies in promethium's public filings and the c.c. pmpt's ownership -- c.c.p.'s ownership to operate in the united states. i followed up on this letter in september of 2023 hearing with the s.e.c.'s gary gensler where he dodged my question and did not take my concerns of the 20% c.c.p. ownership of the company seriously. the fact of the matter is that because chinese companies are genuinely -- generally required

by chinese law to share data with the chinese government, these companies present substantial risk to the united states' individual privacy and our national security. chinese-owned broker dealers like promethium operate as registered entities here in the united states and the biden administration and gensler do not seem to care, yet they attack american businesses operating in good faith with no regulatory clarity. this is simply how the c.c.p. and other foreign adversaries operate. they infiltrate our markets while the biden administration looks the other way and punishes american companies who are only trying to operate in the united states, buffets endless regulations by enforcement of the biden administration. we need to pass f.i.t.21 into law because s.e.c.'s current regulation by enforcement is putting the united states at a

disadvantage and allowing foreign adversaries to gain an advantage in our u.s. crypto markets. all while gary gensler attacks american public companies who have tried to work with the s.e.c. and come in and register. i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment to protect americans from having their personal data shared with the c.c.p. and other for other purposes adversaries. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: jacht south carolina reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? ms. waters: to claim time in opposition, although i'm not opposed. while i do not oppose this amendment, i would like to emphasize that the broad regulatory nature of the not for purpose act is such that it would severely weaken our capital markets and make us more vulnerable to bad actors, both domestic and foreign. this amendment and the underlying bill do not protect

consumers and investors. this amendment only requires a study on whether or not foreign adversaries are operating as digital asset registrants under the bill. and collecting data on the u.s. consumer or investors. we should not just be studying this issue. we should be legislating strong data privacy protections that apply all across the board. moreover, if tiktok was the inspiration for this bill, i would like to note that tiktok is not directly owned by the chinese government. the concern was that it was vulnerable to being unduliy influenced by the -- unduly influenced by the chinese community i have -- communist party. if a chinese-based company was operating as a registrant under this bill, it would not fall under this study unless it was directly owned by chinese communist party. it would be easy for our adversaries to simply stand up proxy companies that appear to have no direct affiliation with them to evades the scrutiny of

the study in the bill. so bhiel i plan to support -- while i plan to support this amendment, i don't think it provides any meaningful safeguards on consumer privacy and it certainly does nothing to fix the underlying problems of the not fit for purpose act. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlelady from california reserves. the gentleman from south carolina is recognized. mr. norman: mr. speaker, how much time do i have? the chair: 45 seconds. mr. norman: i yield the balance to congressman hill. mr. hill: i thank the gentleman from south carolina. i rise in support of his amendment. it allows me to illustrate two things. one, that promethium has not accomplished anything. it has no business. and yet it also has this partnership with the c.c.p. so there's an illustration that f.i.t. 21 would allow us to haved guidance on how to register a broker dealer and secondly i support fully mr. norman and his concerns

about the influence of foreign adversaries on people registered in the united states. it's a clear issue and we have an investigation going on why and we have recognition of why the s.e.c. hasn't recognized this itself. it's a good amendment. let's add it to the bill and pass f.i.t. 21. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlelady from california is recognized. ms. waters: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. waters: the bill's supporters claim this bill is necessary to provide legal clarity as to when a digital asset is considering a security and when it is considered a commodity but this bill is anything but clear. it is 253 pages of highly convoluted and poorly defined language. at the rules committee hearing yesterday, the republicans testifying on the panel in defense of the bill could not answer a simple question from a

fellow republican as to whether it would qualify as a security or a commodity under this bill. they pointed to their five-point decentralization test in the bill which is again anything but clear. the current test for determining whether something is a security is called the howie test. it has stood the test of time. with guidance the s.e.c. clarifying its application. in addition to decades of case law, expounding on how it applies to a variety of different assets. even the courts have agreed with s.e.c.'s interpretation of the howie test classifying digital assets as securities in a strikingly consistent matter. the five-part decentralization test in this bill has not been tested and would create a slew of new litigation trying to deshiver how it applies. and so instead of a study, we

should remember that members of congress and legal experts have struggling to agree on basic facts about what this bill would do just foreshadows the mountains litigation that this bill would result in to figure that out. this bill provides the opposite of legal clarity, as the bill supporters claim. instead it provides several more convoluted and untested definitions to replace the time-tested howie test in place today. the only thing clear about this 253-page bill is that it results in the substantial deregulation of crypto just as the crypto industry has asked for. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlewoman's time has expired. -- the gentleman's time has expired. ms. waters: i yield one minute to mr. sherman.

the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. sherman: this amendment g gives the ill leulings it won't be useful if our foreign adder adversaries. we see iran benefiting from crypto, hamas raising money and sneaking around our efforts by using crypto. we see crypto advocates viewing this bill as their ticket to move crypto into a competitor with the u.s. dollar. finally with tomorrow's bill, they try to hobble the dollar by saying it can't be digital and we can't have a better payment system in the dollar and that's their system for having crypto out-compete the dollar. the administration opposes this bill. even if you looked at it a few weeks ago it's gotten much, much worse. i want to re-emphasize, they added a new title. that allows crypto to be completely unregulated and would allow for nonregulation of our stocks and bonds. so even if you like this bill when you saw it three weeks ago,

vote no. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from south carolina. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the ayes have it. the amendment is -- ms. waters: recorded vote is requested. the chair: pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from south carolina will be postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number four printed in part b of house report 118-516. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. perry: i've got an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 4 printed in part b of house report 118-516, offered by mr. perry of pennsylvania. the chair: the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. perry, and a member omissourid each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania.

mr. perry: i offer a simple but important amendment. while the underlying legislation allows the commodities future trading commission the authority to regulate digital asset spot markets, nothing in the bill should be construed as giving the cftc power beyond digital assets. we all have seen good intentions around here and nothing is punished like good intentions around here. so let's just make clear what the strike zone is for everybody we're trying to define that strike zone. this amendment adds a sense of congress that nothing in this act or any amendment made by this act should be interpreted by -- correction, to authorize any entity to regulate any commodity other than a digital commodity or any spot market. that's it. that's the whole thing. again, this amendment simply aims to combat mission screen, if you want to call it that, somewhere outside the strike zone and maybes clear that congress' intent is only, is to only address digital asset spot

markets in this bill and no more. so the courts won't have any questions, mr. gensler can't say well, i'm not sure, they did this, they must have meant that. no. we cannot allow these agencies to take more and more power in the absence of express congressional approval. we've already seen mr. gensler aggressively pursue litigation against the crypto industry. people trying to do it the right way. while trying to rein him, in we ought to ensure the cftc knows exactly what they can and cannot do. he won't be there forever. there'll be some next person that's going to come along and say well, congress wasn't really sure. we are sure. that's what this amendment does, madam chair and i reserve the balance. the chair: the qulelt reserves. for what purpose does the gentleman from south dakota seek recognition? >> madam chair, i ask unanimous consent to claim time in opposition though i'm not in opposition to the amendment.

ms. waters: i'm oppose. the chair: prurp does the gentlelady from california rise? ms. waters: i rise to claim time in opposition. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. waters: under h.r. 4763, crypto deemed to be a digital commodity would come under the cftc's per view which would -- purview which would include a new authority for them to regulate crypto spot marks. however this amendment would ensure that this new authority for the cftc to regulate crypto spot markets does not include traditional commodity spot markets. it's already bad enough that this bill would result in mass deregulation of crypto and even some traditional securities too. this amendment takes the bill to the next level by trying to preemptively block the cftc to oversee noncrypto spot markets. the bill's supporters continue

to insist this bill is only about crypto. but it has serious implications for traditional securities and with this amendment, would now appear to have serious implications for traditional comod ities also. it is wholly unclear why republicans would place so much faith in cftc to police the spot marks of digital commodities think that this agency is unable to oversee the spot marks of everyday commodities they currently regulate like oil, wheat and livestock. excessive speculation in spot markets of tangible commodities is a real problem that can harm working family's budgets. for this reason, democratic cftc commissioner christy gold myth romero has called on the cftc to study excessive and harmful speculations in the commodities arguments, specifically she has

stated, and i quote, the cftc has an impressive surveillance program and an equally impressive cadre of commodity markets, experts to rely upon as it seeks to understand these pressures of working family, farmers, and producers. i agree with her. i urge you to stand up for working families and farmers by leaving the c 23-6rbgs tc's existing authority to protect them from speculation in the traditional securities market fully intact. so i urge my colleagues to vote no on this amendment. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognize fled. mr. perry: i yield two minutes, mr. johnson. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. johnson: i want to first commend the gentleman from pennsylvania for his thoughtful and forward-looking amendment. nowening it's important that we set the record straight.

this amendment would not, as some have alleged, strip the cftc of all of its spot market regulatory authority, all of the anti-fraud and anti-manipulation powers that they currently hold would remain in place. this sense of congress simply makes it clear that within f.i.t. 21, that those do not provide the cftc with grand new authorities over nondigittal asset spot markets. and i think it's important we do that. there are clear and important differences between the traditional spot markets for commodities, think about people buying and selling barrels of oil, that's not something everyday americans are doing. but we do have everyday americans engaged in the spot market for digital assets. also with regard to digital asset commodities, we also have a number of intermediaries that would be interacting with these retail consumers. some of those intermediaries

would certainly have -- hold the cash of consumers, either pending or after a trade. that's an important situation that we need to protect for that is not exactly like that in the traditional commodity markets. so different marketplace, different threats, different set of tools, as the chair of the digital assets subcommittee, i want to make it clear i support the gentleman's amendment. i do not want any part of f.i.t. 21 to change the cftc's authority over digital or nondigittal asset commodities. i commend the gentleman for his work and i urge a yes vote on the amendment. with that, i yield back. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from california is recognized. ms. waters: at the rules committee hearing, the republicans revealed their true intentions with this bill. my friend, mr. norman stated, with regard to investors defraud by f.t.x. what he said is, i

blame the investor. i mean, would i get on an airplane with two wheels missing and one wing? they should have done their homework. end quote. representative austin scott of georgia doubled down on this kind of victim blaming saying he believed we should use a buyer beware approach. this is entirely offensive to consumers to simply say you should have known better than to get defrauded. the very definition of fraud implies that the consumers could not have been expect t.d. know or understand some facet of a contract. but i would venture to say this bill is even worse than just a buyer beware approach. this bill creates a facade of regulation designed to make ordinary investors and consumers think they are protected and that their investments are safe but in reality this bill will facilitate and legit matize fraud rather than warning consumers to beware of the risk, in addition to blaming millions of defrauding investors

republicans continue to mauve forward with a bill that exempts the same crypto firms that were unlawfully issues or facilitating crypto securities, giving them a get out of jail free card. this is what republican do. they blame consumers and investors who have been defrauded while also advancing bills to protect those same firms that are ripping off consumers and investors. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman is recognized. mr. perry: i yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from arkansas, mr. hill. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. hill: i thank the gentleman from pennsylvania home run his amendment, it's the right approach. i want to associate myself with the comments of mr. johnson on that. madam chair, colleagues, f.i.t. 21 does exactly the opposite of what has been argued by the minority today. it gives a clear regulatory

framework. it prevents fraud. it does require registration. custody. capital requirements. it gives clarity for the first time in american history to how we do securities and commodity oversight for digital assets. and the minority is also charged time and time again that somehow the great securities loophole is being offered and opened in this bill. that's not true. it's not a factual statement. the term investment contract is a fungible digital representation. it is not all these other items. in fact, the bill specifically says, the term digital asset does not include, note, stock, treasury stocks, securities, security based swaps and a whole list. it does not open the loophole that the ranking member of the financial services committee charges. i urge a yes vote, i urge a yes vote for mr. perry's amendment. let's have regulatory credibility and clarity for a

competitive united states in the 2st century. i yield back. k40eu7 the gentlelady from california is recognized. -- the chair: the gentlelady from california is recognized. mr. waters: i yield the balance of the time to the gentleman from california, mr. sherman. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for the balance of the time. mr. sherman: this amendment mr. sherman: commodity other than a digital commodity but any commodity can become a digital commodity. or you can have a contract or a derivative tied to the physical commodity that now becomes a digital coin. we're told that the bill does not allow stocks and bonds to be digital as ets but it does allow them to be defined as investment contracts and if you get defined as an investment contract, you're without regulation. as to the underlying bill, keep in mind, the administration opposes it. 3/4 of the democrats voted against it before it got much worse.

the bill got much worse a few weeks ago, so if you studied it before then, and i know the bill's been out there since july of last year, your analysis won't show you how this bill now allows digital crypto to go without regulation and opens the door to taking our traditional stocks and bonds and getting -- and taking them out from the s.e.c. vote no on the amendment but especially vote no on the bill. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from pennsylvania. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. ms. waters: a vote is requested. the chair: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? ms. waters: to request a recorded vote. the chair: the yeas and nays have been -- i'm sorry. pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18, further proceedings on this amendment offered by the gentlewoman from -- the gentleman from pennsylvania will be postponed. pursuant to clause 6 of rule 18,

proceedings will now resume on those amendments printed in part b of house report 118-516 on which further proceedings were postponed in the following order. amendment number 1 by mr. cesar of texas. amendment number 3 by mr. norman of south carolina. amendment number 4 by mr. perry from pennsylvania. the chair will reduce to two minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote after the first vote in the series. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 1 printed in part b of house report 118-516 by the gentleman from texas, mrr proceedings were postponed and on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 1 printed in part b of house report 118-516 offered about i mr. -- offered by mr. cesar of texas -- mr. casar of texas. the chair: a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered.

members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the chair: on this vote the yeas are 204, the nays are 209. the amendment is not adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 3 printed in part b of house report 118-516 by the gentleman from south carolina, mr. norman, on which further proceed, were postponed -- proceedings were poarp posted -- postponed and the ayes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk: amendment number 3 printed in part b of house report 118-516 offered by mr. norman of south carolina. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is

ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this will be a two-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the chair: on this vote the yeas are 408, the nays are --

the chair: on this vote the yeas are 411, the nays are zero. the amendment is adopted. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on amendment number 4 printed in part b of house report 118-516 by the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. perry, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes very pril -- prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redepends ate -- redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 4 priprinted in house report 118-6 offered by mr. perry of pennsylvania. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of the request for a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a two-minute vote.

[captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the chair: on this vote the yeas are 225 and the nays are 191 and the amendment is adopted.

there being no further amendment, under the rule, the committee rises. the speaker pro tempore: madam chair. >> the committee of the whole house on the state of the union has had under consideration h.r. 4663 and i report the bill as amended back to the house with further amendments. the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the committee of the whole house of the state of the union the committee has had under consideration h.r. 4763 and pursuant to house resolution reports the bill as amended by that resolution back to the house with further amendments adopted in the committee of the

whole. under the rule, the previous question is ordered. is a separate ordered reported from the committee of the whole? if not, the chair will put them engross. the question is on adoption of the amendments. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. the amendments. third reading of the bill. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. third reading. the clerk: a bill to provide for system of regulation of digital access and the securities and exchange commission and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on passage of the bill. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the bill is passed -- for what purpose does gentlelady from california seek recognition? ms. waters: requesting a recorded vote.

the speaker pro tempore: a recorded vote has been requested. those favoring a recorded vote will rise, a sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 279 and the nays are 136. the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: the house lays before the floor an enrolled resolution. the clerk: house joint less like joint resolution providing for

title 8 united statescode of the rules submitted by the securities and exchange commission of staff bulletin number 121. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek recognition? mr. hill: i ask unanimous consent when the house adjourns today it meet 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. members, take your conversations off the floor.

whose first? the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. the house will be in order. members will take their conversations off the floor. the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? >> i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. . . . . mr. newhouse: fistny furredden -- tiffany furred whon we tragically lost last month.

tiffany was a volunteer firefighter and e.m.t., as well as a member of the is a mar tan riders, a -- is a mayor tan riders -- samaritan riders, a group of motorcycle enthusiasts. the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. please continue. mr. newhouse: a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who serve the medically challenged and socially disadvantaged children throughout our region. her passion was making the world a better place. a quality which was clear in the work that she did. tiffany's death is a loss for the whole community. but her legacy will never be forgotten. meijer family and community -- may her family and community continue to be blessed with her memory and may she rest in peace. thank you, mr. speaker. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. davis: mr. speaker, with the

american flag hanging, a white hearst gradually traveled down the highway returning the remains of staff sergeant robert l. farce jr. home. he joined his family and was finally laid to rest. he was a young gunnar, 20 years old, during world war ii, when his b-17 was shot down. this past week, he was transported from raleigh, durham, international airport to new, ern, a -- new bern, a journey that took him through wilson. the local fire department and others paid special tribute to this incredible hero. there are thousands of stories like sergeant farris's. as we approach memorial day, let us honor our fallen soldiers,

p.o.w.'s, m.i.a.'s and those killed in action. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. wilson: thank you, mr. speaker. the biden border crisis rages on and american families are affected, including in their pocketbooks. at the start of 2023, the cost of illegal aliens crossing with biden was over $150 billion. the burden of illegal aliens costs each american taxpayer nearly $1,200 annually. a judge relentlessly is bigoted and objectable, earning an invitation as my guest for the trump inauguration. the invitation was hand delivered to the new york merchant office monday by south carolina attorney general allen wilson. the shameful bias and bigotry of

the judge has been, posed this -- has been exposed this week as, quote, unethical, up lawful and petty, end of quote. in conclusion, god bless our troops who successfully have protected america for 20 years in the global war on terrorism as it moves from the afghanistan safe haven to america. we don't need new border laws, we need to foarns the existing laws. biden shamefully opens borders to dictators as more 9/11 attacks across america are eminent as repiecedly warned -- as repeatedly warned by the f.b.i. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from connecticut seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. delauro: i rise today to recognize a specially crafted food that draws people from across the country to my hometown of new haven, connecticut. it is called abits after the original way, labizza was pronounced in the southern italy. for more than a century, new

haven has been home to some of the most famous pizzerias in the country. known from everything from a explain size to white clam to mashed potatoes and i proudly rise today to claim new haven as the pizza capital of the united states. while there are other states that have their own pizza traditions, connecticut has the most pizzerias of any state per capita and the most family-owned bitsrya of any -- pizzerias of any state in the country. there's something special about new haven's pizzerias. some say it is brick oives and char and the water used to make the dough. personally i believe it is the generation after generation of dedication to the craft. historic pizzerias in new haven area that continue this legacy include frank peppi, ernie's, yorkside bar, and zanelli pizza. they have accept helped to

establish a uniquely culinary experience making new haven one of the most recognized pizza destinations in the country and therefore new haven is recognized as the pizza capital of the united states. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. carter: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. carter: mr. speaker, i rise today to celebrate the achievement of the girls soccer team at frederica academy with their back-to-back state title wins. the team defended their state title with a final score of 1-0 against the westminster school of augusta. the goal was scored by freshman sophia greg who outmaneuvered her defenders in the first half of the game. greg's goal was made possible by an assist from mary ford fitzgerald. frederica's strong defense was also able to stave off every

defense made at their goal. this made them the number one ranked team in the region. congratulations to the young women of the frederica academy soccer team. i know i speak for the whole first district when i say we're very proud of you. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from michigan seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. stevens: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to highlight an extraordinary initiative in the heart of michigan's 11th district. project diamond. a groundbreaking program spearheaded by troy's automation alley and the oakland county economic development office. this project encapsulates not just the spirit of innovation but also the determination of our local communities and our industrious small to midsized manufacturers. project diamond is

revolutionizing additive manufacturing with 3-d printing, positioning michigan as a global leader and delivering 250 3-d printers to empower manufactures in the oosk, aerospace and defense sectors. this technology allows rapid prototyping, reduces lead times and integrates seamlessly into existing supply chains, advancing our national manufacturing agenda. mr. speaker, as we look to future-proof our industries, let us support and expand initiatives like project diamond. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? >> i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to celebrate the incredible success of the cincinnati saint xavier high school swimming and diving team and to congratulate them on winning their 44th state

championship. mr. owens: the dedication -- mr. wenstrup: the dedication and hard work of these athletes is second to none. they've claimed four of the last five championships and 44 out of the last 54. the saint xavier swim and dive team, the bombers, our akua bombers as they're also known, won their most recent championship with a score of 302 points, beating out the runners-up by 73 points. the bombers were led by ohio's second district native max ward who brought home first place finishes in the 100-meter butterfly and the 200-50-meter freestyle. as a member of the saint xavier long blue line and a swimmer alum, i want to congratulate the talented swimmers, divers and coaches on this incredible feat. if they made it look easy, it's because it wasn't. go bombers. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio seek recognition?

ms. kaptur: i rise today to share the inspiring story of anne trone "juice" wippes. i had the pleasure of meeting mr. williams two years ago and since then his journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. antrone is not just a dedicated athlete with the special olympics lucas county lightning but also a relentless advocate for his community. as the former president of the central residential advisory board, he tirelessly represented over 11,000 residents in lieu kas metropolitan housing -- in lieu kas doctor, -- in lucas metropolitan housing. he rose to new heights, becoming the c.e.o. and founder of the h.o.w. inc. foundation, helping others win. antrone's achievements are vast but most notable is his pioneering accomplishment as the first physically challenged man to become an independent

provider. his story is a beacon of hope for those living with physical challenges, his story is a powerful reminder that our circumstances do not define us. our spirit and determination do. onward, antrone. we are so proud of you. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, today i rise to remember the life of a true american hero, mark woods. mr. lawler: who dedicated his life to public service in the military and law enforcement and in his local community. a two-term u.s. army combat veteran, and a retired nypd detective who served on the joint terror task force, mark lived a life of service from the start. his passion for supporting fellow veterans through his role as director of the joseph p. dwyer peer to peer veteran

service program at bridges and as a veteran service officer in rockland county was revered by all in our region. mark was rightly recognized as rockland county's 2024 veteran of the year, thanks to his unparalleled efforts advocating for veterans and getting them the support and services they need and deserve. beyond his work for the veterans community, mark was a councilman and a dedicated family man. we extend our deepest sympathies to his family, specialgy his wife, -- especially his wife, and his son and daughter, who should know that mark's legacy will continue to inspire and guide all of us. on a more personal note, mark was a great friend. i was honored to swear in as councilman in january and i will miss him dearly. he was a humble and decent man whose washing woulds rooted in service to -- whose work was rooted in the service to the people of rockland county. may god rest his soul and on behalf of a grateful nation, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from oregon seek

recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today as the daughter of a vietnam veteran and the representative for oregon's sixth district. home to nearly 40,000 veterans. these brave oregonians served our country and now i have the great honor of serving them in congress. ms. salinas: they're hardworking people, some of whom carry with them scars, both visible and invisible, of their service. returning to civilian life can be challenging. mental health problems are all too common and many veterans struggle to find stable jobs and housing them. put country first -- housing. they put country first and their own comfort second. the least we can do is show them we care. that's why i was shocked to see house republicans proposing $30 billion in cuts to snap in their farm bill proposal. cutting snap was never on the table for democrats. yet my republican colleagues have chosen to move forward with this reckless plan and take away

up to two days worth of food every month from hungry veterans, kids and seniors. why must my republican colleagues deprive veterans of food when they fall on hard times? why the unnecessary cruelty? instead we need to protect snap and ensure that those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom will have the healthy nutritious food on the table. it's our job, no, our duty and responsibility to pay them back. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from indiana seek recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. mrs. spartz: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize sergeant brunfield who served in the u.s. army for three years as a member of the elite special forces. roy enlisted in the army in 1961 where he completed his tour of duty in vietnam and laos.

while evacuating special forces base in laos under intense enemy attack, he managed to grab an american flag and keep it from falling into enemy hands. he has retained and treasured this flag for more than six decades. after his time in the army, roy went on to serve his community for 27 years as a police officer with the anderson police department. in 1973 he also studied the police athletic league in anderson for disadvantaged youth. in recognition of his brave service to our nation, it was my honor to represent sergeant roy springfield with the national defense service medal in the armed forces expeditious medal in 2024. i am extremely grateful for roy's bravery and humbled to express our appreciation on behalf of the american people and indiana's sixth congressional district. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 9,. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy

of january 9, 2023, the gentleman from connecticut, mrs. hayes, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. mrs. hayes: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to submit extraneous materials into the record on the topic of this special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. hayes: thank you, mr. speaker. and thank you to my colleagues who have joined me for this extremely important snap special order hour. hunger continues to be a pervasive issue in america. according to the usda in 2023, over 42 million people rely on the supplemental assistance program known as snap and 40% of those households have children. snap benefits are modest, averaging only about $6.20 per person per day or about $2 per person per meal. snap benefits average $6.20 per

person per day or about $2 per person per meal. the benefits of snap are highly targeted to focus on those with the greatest needs. 92% of snap benefits go to households with income below the poverty line. and 54% go to households at or below half of the poverty line. additionally, every dollar spent on snap benefits generates as much as $1.54 to the local economy. house republicans are putting forward a farm bill which would end the usda's authority to increase the thrifty food plan. the thrifty food plan is used to determine the amount of benefits a snap recipient receives. usda calculates the thrifty food plan using the mathematical model based on the cost of food, the nutrients in the food, nutritious guidance and what the americans are actually eating. the thrifty food plan goes further than a simple adjustment for inflation to better ensure

people have access to food. the 2018 bipartisan farm bill directed usda to regularly re-evaluate the thrifty food plan and snap adjustments as food prices and other standards shifted over time. the farm bill put forth by house republicans would result in roughly $30 billion in benefit cuts according to the congressional budget office. that would impact every snap household in future years, including children, older adults, and people with disabilities. it would mean that the cost of the thrifty food plan would be frozen no matter what the science says about the cost of a healthy, normal diet. in the last 50 years, the thrifty food plan has only been updated three times, in 1983, 1989, and 2006. but these updates did not increase snap benefits. as a result of the 2021 update,

the benefit amounts were increased and the purchasing power of the plan to 21%. this led to $1.40 per person per day increase in snap's average benefits, or about 70 cents per meal. this is not a lot of money to begin with. this update -- however, this update lifted over two million snap benefits over the poverty line including one million children. according to the urban institute, the 2020 thrifty food plan reduced poverty for black and hispanic people, suggesting re-evaluation was addressing long-standing systemic racial issues. additional lirks a 2023 data for progress poll found 66% have a favorable view of snap, including 83% of democrats, 62% of independents, and 52% of

republicans. all americans benefit from this anti-hunger program. a majority of americans support increasing funding for snap, not cutting it. the total cut to snap and related nutrition programs under the house republican proposal is roughly $30 billion. the average per person snap benefit would be roughly $7 less per month between 2027-2031 and jump to $15 less per month in 2032 and 2033. according to the budget and policy priorities, this cut would affect nearly six million older adults, four million people with disabilities, and nearly 17 million children, including five million children under the age of 5. hunger is a policy choice and snap is our most important anti-hunger program and we must protect the thrifty food plan in the farm bill. thank you. additionally, i'd like to submit four letters into the record in

opposition of the house republican farm bill from the american federation of teachers, the national education association, aflcio and ask me. all letters disapprove of the nearly $30 billion cut to snap. thank you. and with that, i would yield two minutes to the gentlelady from ohio, ms. brown. ms. brown: thank you. i'd like to thank rep hayes for organizing the special order on snap. today i rise because tomorrow the house ag committee will vote on the g.o.p.'s partisan farm bill. if passed, it will force severe cuts to the snap program that would risk benefits for years to come. snap, the supplemental nutrition assistance program, formerly known as food stamps, is a vital resource to families and individuals who have fallen on hard times. in ohio's 11th congressional district, almost one in four

households rely on snap benefits to put food on the table. these are our friends, our family, neighbors, and my constituents. it shouldn't be controversial to want members of your community fed. on the house ag committee, i'm committed to making that known but this farm bill will see the largest cut to snap benefits in over 30 years, taking nearly $30 billion in food out of the mouths of people who really need it. being poor isn't a condemnation of morals, but republicans have shown they want to treat it that way, which is why i urge my republican colleagues to reconsider their extreme proposal and to join democrats as we continue to put people over politics. and with that, i yield back. mrs. hayes: thank you. i now recognize the gentlelady from pennsylvania, representative wild, for three minutes.

ms. wild: thank you. i'm grateful to the gentlelady from connecticut for convening us this evening to discuss an issue that affects every corner of our nation, food insecurity. in blue, red, and purple districts alike, too many families struggle to afford the food they need to keep themselves and their families healthy and fed. throughout my time in congress, i've used my voice and my vote to support nutrition programs because i'm determined to ensure that in our nation, the richest in the history of the world, no one goes hungry. as part of this effort, i'm prioritized key nutrition programs. in 2018, my very first vote was to re-authorize the farm bill which funds many critical nutrition assistance programs that people in our community rely on. these programs include the supplemental nutrition assistance program known as snap, meals on wheels, women,

infants and children, nutrition assistance, school breakfast programs and summer meal programs. now, extreme members of the house have put forward a farm bill that includes devastating cuts for snap participants that so many in our community rely on to feed their families. their proposed bill would cut nearly $30 billion in snap benefits that families rely on to put food on the table every night. in 2023, one in eight households, roughly 44.2 million americans, experience food insecurity or lack of access to an affordable, nutrition diet. in my district, pennsylvania seven, the high valley area, nearly 40,000 households, or 13% of households in our community, rely on snap to feed themselves and their families. in the richest nation in the world, no one should go to bed hungry because they can't afford

to eat. and no one should have to worry about having enough food for their kids because politicians decided to play games with the necessary benefits that they rely on every single day. this is a moral imperative of the highest priority. children's physical and cognitive development depends on proper nutrition. quite simply, adequate food sets them up for success in school and throughout life. we cannot, we must not abandon families in our communities that struggle with food insecurity. this should not be a partisan issue, and it is deeply disappointing to me that members on the other side of the aisle would put forth a bill that so severely cuts snap benefits. i will always stand up to efforts to strip benefits away from the most vulnerable members of our society, children. and i hope to work with my colleagues on both sides of the

aisle on a bipartisan path forward that protects critical nutrition programs, including snap, in the upcoming farm bill re-authorization. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. mrs. hayes: thank you, representative wild, for those powerful words. i now recognize the gentlelady from illinois, representative schakowsky, for two minutes. ms. schakowsky: let me thank my colleague, congresswoman hayes, for bringing us together today to talk about something so important. we do live in the richest country in the world at the richest moment in history. and the very idea that we would tolerate and even think about adding to hunger in america is beyond belief. it is a moral issue. but also, how could we even think about cutting the

opportunity for our children, for our families, for older americans, for people with disabilities, for people who simply can't afford to put food on the table? this is not because we have a shortage of the food that is available. it is not because there's not the funding to make sure that we take care of those in need. this is the beginning pretty soon of the hunger season, i say, because many schools now that have provided school lunch programs, school breakfast programs may not be working in the months to come over the summer. and yet these children and families need to eat. and so i just say, how can anyone think about cutting the

snap program? 60 million people in the united states, half of whom are children? no. it is just not tolerable. and so i just beg that we are going to make sure that everyone in the united states of america who is hungry will have food on the table. and i yield back. thank you. mrs. hayes: thank you. i now recognize the gentleman from california, representative vargas, for two minutes. mr. vargas: mr. speaker, i sincerely thank the gentlewoman from connecticut for bringing us together tonight to defend the snap program. in america, no child should go to bed hungry. no family should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. snap is the most important and effective tool we have to stave off hunger in our country. it is our first line of defense.

and yet house republicans have proposed the largest cut to the program in decades. this is cruel. plain and simple. these proposed cuts stand to harm more than 40,000 families in my district, california, and over 40 million families nationwide who benefit from this program. almost 80% of the people who benefit from snap are children, seniors, people with disabilities, and veterans. snap also boosts our local economies. every dollar spent on snap benefits generates roughly $1.50 for economic activity. too many people in our country, making ends meet is a daily battle. programs like snap are vital tools for ending hunger and helping those most in need. they provide americans with the help they need to find the footing in tough times and to

make life better for themselves and their children. we should be expanding these programs, not cutting them. with that i yield back. thank you. mrs. hayes: thank you. i'd like to add, $18 billion of the cuts would affect households with children which in a typical month would include nearly 17 million children. and with that, i'd like to recognize the gentlelady from california, representative barragan, for two minutes. ms. barragan: are you a disabled veteran who receives food assistance or snap? how about a part-time college student or single mom on snap? know that house republicans are coming after your food benefits. the house republicans farm bill would make the largest cut to snap in the food assistance program in 30 years. many american families are on the brink. they rely on snap to put food on the table. .

. 86% of benefits go to households with children, or older americans or those with disabilities. as chair of the hispanic caucus, i'm concerned about the harm snap cuts will bring to communities of color, including latinos. 40% of latino adults report not having enough food to eat, more than any other racial or ethnic group. right now a single person will receive at most $9 in snap assistance for food per day. to those in need, $9 cap determine whether they can eat that day. three square meals a day should not be a partisan debate without snap, hungry americans will be forced to choose between food to eat and necessities like eelect electricity, running water or medication. it's a cruel and inhuman choice we shouldn't force on american people. house democrats will continue to fight to preserve and expand access to snap so no family goes hungry.

i urge my republican colleagues to put people over politics and join house democrats to protect snap. we must stand together for compassion, dignity, and the well being of all americans. thank you and i yield back. mrs. hayes: thank you. i'd like to add into the record that $9 billion of cheats would affect households with preschool age or children or children under 5 which would include about 5 million young children. i recognize the gentlelady from michigan, representative tlaib. ms. tlaib: thank you so much, my wonderful, amagses, dedicated, committed colleague from connecticut who is today as we say in detroit, speaking truth to power when it comes to our most vulnerable in the united states. we have heard it over and over again, but we are in the richest country in the world. millions of children, even though we live in the richest country, millions of children live in poverty. lacking access to necessities like food, housing and health care.

it's shameful. more than 44 million people in our country face hunger. including over 5% in the largest counties in my district, wayne county. snap is essential food assistance program that's been a key tool in combating hunger in our most vulnerable communities. now my republican colleagues want to cut the sensual program that so many families rely on to feed their children. shameful. the g.o.p. farm bill would make the largest doubt snap in nearly 30 years. the bill threatens $27 billion in snap benefits for low-income families. it's utterly shameful. we must stand together strongly in support of expanding the social safety net and increasing funding programs like snap and other child nutrition programs. these are essential in creating healthy, thriving communities. it is time to protect programs to combat hunger, not make extremist cuts. working families in our country

should not have to worry about where their next meal is come frsmg in this body we see over and over again that we seem to find money for endless wars like this. but we can't seem to find the same resources to end child hunger in our country. you know, the first african-american woman ever to serve in congress was shirley chisholm and she used to say, children can't learn if they're hungry. children should, and must, have sakes to snap benefits to experience long-term positive outcomes like better health, improved learning and higher success as adults. i don't think people realize the trauma of what people in our most vulnerable, not just only our children but our most vulnerable among us. the trauma they go through going to sleep hungry. access to nutrition meals is essential for every child's health and development. we knowthis why make these

extremist cuts? we must continue to invest in universal school meals and so much more. i'm proud to co-sponsor the universal school meals program and proud to say to all of my folks in the 12th congressional district, i'm not going to back down. i'm not going to back down until we fully fund snap benefits. it's the least we can do, mr. speaker, in this congress. it's not just our children. it's our disabled neighbors. it's our seasoned residents. it's our veterans. working class folks who are working hours and hours a day and still can't put food on the table. we must do better. thank you again to my colleague in connecticut for bringing us together today to discuss the importance of protecting snap. i yield. mrs. hayes: thank you. $5 billion of cuts will affect older adults, that means more than six million individuals age 60 or older whose benefits would be cut. i now recognize the gentleman from illinois, mr. jackson, for four minutes.

mr. jackson: thank you, honorable congresswoman hayes from the great state of connecticut. i rise because it is an imperative that this body move with all deliberate speed to pass a farm bill that's both responsible and enriching for the american people. the farm bill is one of the most fundamental pieces of legislation that we enact as a government. and not simply because of the dollars we dedicate, but more so because of the amount of people who are supported by the passing of this indispensable law. unlike most of the bills we pass, the farm bill is not a dry and deep personalized legislative act. there are names and faces attached to food. there are real people in dire situations, associated and connected to the success of this by unlike most of the appropriations we allocate in this body, the farm entail moral document that reminds us we yes each other as human beings. it brings us back to the fundamental things.

it reminds us the politic os they have future means nothing in the stomach of a child who is hungry. and to be sure this bill compels us to move forward. this bill moves us beyond politics of blame so we might embrace a more excellent way. in fact i would go so far as to say that the farm bill someone of the few manifestations of the social contract this government makes with the american people. the snap program alone is a moral accomplish. that we have to reach for. over 300,000 people make up my district in illinois. almost 73,000 of those households receive snap benefits. almost 40% of these households have a child in them and almost 45% of those children have some sort of disability. in fact, i would go so far as to say that the bill is one of the few manifestations of the social contract of this government that the american people deserve. the snap program alone is our moral achievement and i say this

because all of us know that 86% of the snap benefits go to the household of women and children. mr. speaker, we have to move with speed. ask not what you can do for your country, but what your country can do for you. let me tell you, there's a neutrality -- a mutuality in this contract. we have to understand that the state has to support the people, not simply the people, the state. the farm bill helps people in need when their backs are against the wall. does this bill achieve that? no, mr. speaker. taking food off children's places is not the best of the american ideal. we say our prayers. we pray for the food we are about to rewe do not pray for the food that's been remove frowrd table by our government. we must indeed fight for the rights of all those women and children, disabled families, who need our help. this is important because the time when we ignore cities and emerging farming centers is over. in the district that i

represent, we celebrate community gardens an urban farms because inas much as i believe -- ina ms. as i believe we must do whatever we can to ensure our families have the sustenance and nutrition for flourishing and the possibility of a great life. ladies and gentlemen, i would like to say in close, we need a farm bill that's responsible, taking food out of the mouths of the most desperate and those of the least this lost, and the left behind cannot stand. i will be opposing this farm bill until it's more responsive and we leave snap alone and ensure that every family is well fed in america. i yield back my time. i thank the honorable congresswoman hayes for picking up this fight. mrs. hayes: thank you, representative jackson. we appreciate everything you said and thank you for your words. i now recognize the gentleman

from mississippi and the chairman of the house democratic nutrition task force, representative thompson. bennie g. tompson. mr. thompson: thank you very much. i appreciate the gentlelady giving me some time. first of all, i'm one of those members who represent a significantly agricultural district who actually has its economy based on agriculture. i also represent the district that former congressman jamie witten represented and ultimately he framed the farm bill such that it did not pit rural america against urban america. this bill pits rural america against urban america. and that's not the purpose of a farm bill. and let's talk a little bit about it.

you can't penalize the needy for the greedy. and what i'm saying in that respect is, so many of people in this country are in need of nutrition benefits. that's why we have a farm bill. a substantial majority of the farm bill is devoted to nutrition. and rightfully so. so let's talk a little bit about where i am with it. former congressman -- several congresspeople. this is my fourth farm bill. i've gone through all of it. i've seen everything that's been had with it. but the important part is, i serve as the chair of the 21st century agriculture and nutrition task force, appointed by leader jeffries. we went all over the country, we

heard from people saying look, there are important things for the farm bill, but it's all about compromise and working together. so what did we hear people say? first thing they said, that food is medicine. if you're worried about health care in this country, if people don't have nutrition, that is a problem. today, the cost of food is steadily rising which means americans cannot afford to purchase health and nutrition -- healthy and nutritious meals. in going around the country, there were a number of things that we heard from east, west, north, south. it said we must not eliminate the hot food ban for snap recipients. snap recipients should have the benefit of hot meals. we must address the hunger among college students. we should protect snap against harmful cuts to eligibility rierpts.

now you talk about eligibility requirements. most people don't know that if you are on social security and medicare, that counts against seniors' eligible for nap benefits. but also in doing that, in looking at it, our veterans are also penalized in the qualification for snap benefits. but we also have those individuals who have made a mistake, they've come out ineligible for snap benefits. we always talk about second chance people. so why shouldn't formerly incarcerated people be eligible for food stamps? those are things that we heard. but more importantly, this $30 billion cut, totally unreasonable. it makes no sense. and again, it puts -- penalizes

people over politics. i hope when this issue is taken up, mrs. hayes, tomorrow, democrats will stand firm in opposition against it. if republicans are genuinely interested in making this work, we can do that. but from the nutrition standpoint, don't penalize people who need help. demonstration of their help is already here. i look forward after this issue is defeated, coming back together. putting people together, working through all the logistics. and not be cute about how we fund certain programs and defund other programs. mrs. hayes, i yield back. mrs. hayes: thank you, mr. chairman. and i just want to amplify the point that we have to have a farm bill that works for everyone. i often hear people say we need

a farm bill that represents farmers. i would challenge that we need a farm bill that represents everyone. members often ask me, do you represent a farming community? and my response is, we all represent communities where people eat and that has to be a part of the conversation as well. i now recognize the gentlewoman from massachusetts, representative pressley, for three minutes. ms. pressley: thank you, congresswoman hayes. before we begin this special order hour, i approached congressnd -- congresswoman hayes to say thank you for putting this together, she said you're welcome but i'm sorry we have to do this at all. as am i. as are we all. i thank you for your work on this to eradicate hunger and for convening us this evening. i rise in solidarity with the

57,000 snap recipients in my district and the millions across the country. parents who choose to go hungry because there's not enough to feed both themselves and their children. they'd rather make that sacrifice rather than threaten the cognitive development and nutrition that their children need to thrive and certainly to support their readiness to learn. i rise in i rise in solidarity with the families who given the high cost of housing and food who struggle because income is not keeping pace. mr. speaker, food insecurity is on the rise but it doesn't have to be. congress shouldn't advance a farm bill that cuts $30 billion in snap funding. now, to be clear, we're the not here due to a deficit of resources for snap. we are here due to a deficit of empathy, a deficit of empathy for those who are food insecure,

a lack of empathy for our most vulnerable and marginalized neighbors. this republican cut to our nation's largest nutrition program will disproportionately harm our seniors, children, adults with disabilities, and working families. in my home state of massachusetts, this could impact one in six residents, over one million people, people who depend on snap to put healthy food on the table. that alarming statistic is worse for black and latino families who are twice as likely to face food insecurity. for decades, snap has been a critical tool to reduce hunger for low income people and lifting others out of poverty and improving your health and well-being. food is medicine. food is life. we should not tolerate the suffering of our neighbors as they live in anxiety and fear wondering where their next meal will come from. republicans need to stop playing with people's lives. hunger is a humanitarian crisis,

a moral failing, and a policy choice. i urge my colleagues to choose compassion and care over cruelty and callousness and support full funding of snap. thank you. i yield. mrs. hayes: thank you, representative presley. i would like to just add that children and some of our most vulnerable communities don't have lobbyists but they do have members of congress. and it is our job to make sure we are actively working to improve their lives. with that, i recognize the gentlewoman from minnesota, representative omar, for one minute. ms. omar: thank you so much, representative hayes, for your tireless effort. and yes, you are right. children, the poor, the elderly, and the downtrodden do not have lobbyists, but they have us. mr. speaker, i rise in

opposition to chairman thompson's partisan farm bill. hunger is rising at an alarming rate among u.s. households. in minnesota alone, over 500,000 people are facing hunger, including over 180,000 children. snap serves as the first line of defense against hunger for children, for the elderly, for veterans, for those who have disabilities. yet last week, republicans unveiled the largest cuts to snap in nearly 30 years. this extreme proposal would slash snap funding which provides food benefits for low-income families by approximate $30 billion over the next decade, impacting every participant. and instead of proposing this

unacceptable policy, we should be passing my universal school meals program. we should be funding -- fully funding snap. we should be fully funding w.i.c. enacting this bill without dramatic changes would push more people below the poverty line and exasperate hunger. i urge my colleagues to reject this proposal and prioritize our constituents over making political points. and i yield back. mrs. hayes: thank you. i'd also like to add that in 2023, 1.2 million veterans participated in the snap program. i really don't understand why in this congress, whenever we have to make tough policy choices, these are the people that are always targeted. last year during the debt ceiling negotiations, the program that was targeted and cut was snap and nutrition programs. in september when we went back

for the appropriations budget, the program and the hard lines that were targeted were once again feeding and nutrition programs. when will this end? at this point, i recognize the gentlelady from vermont, representative ballot, for two minutes. >> thank you. you've been a champion on this issue and is so glad you convened us here tonight. ms. balint: more than 40 million depend on snap to feed their families. snap benefits reach millions of americans every day. no state, no community, no congressional district in our nation is immune to hunger and food insecurity. and paradoxically, in rural areas that grow most of our nation's food, many households face real struggles with hunger. it's not just in metropolitan areas. and we know poverty is the root cause of hunger, and it's often acute in rural communities like

in my home state of vermont with 15% of households in rural areas facing food insecurity. millions of working families, veterans, people with disability, seniors, children in rural communities cannot always afford enough food to keep themselves and their families healthy. simply put, too many americans are going hungry every day. but we have a vital program that actually helps address this program, the snap program. it provides monthly benefits to low-income families and individuals to help them to buy food. now, republicans attack, and it's just the latest attack on this essential program, and would slash the program by $30 billion over the next decade. if enacted, the bill would make the largest cuts to snap benefits in 30 years at a time when we have gross wealth

inequality in this country. slashing anti-hunger programs that we know work is stupid. it's inhumane. and it's also shortsighted. even if you don't think we have a moral responsibility to feed the children of this nation and make sure they don't go hungry every night, even if you don't think it's a moral imperative, which i do. but if you don't, there are real consequences for individual americans and for our health care system. when americans don't have enough food, this greatly impacts the health of those who go hungry. food insecurity can lead to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity. the gentlewoman from connecticut and i are both former teachers. we know children who go hungry struggle in school. they have health problems.

americans who are food insecure are more likely to struggle with psychological and behavioral health issues. this year's farm bill should be providing more benefits to americans. we should be expanding and protecting snap benefits. instead, what are we doing? once again, demonizing the poor. it's time that house republicans drop their extremism and work alongside democrats to pass a truly bipartisan farm bill and actually help feed the american people. i yield back. mrs. hayes: thank you, representative balint. as my colleague stated, we're both former educators. and i really wish that before members of congress cast their vote on these cuts to programs like snap that they are forced to sit in a classroom on a tuesday morning after a long weekend and count the number of

kids who have their heads down on their desk. i wish that members were forced to sit in a classroom on any given day, as a kid said they had a headache third period, and you realize because they hadn't had breakfast. i wish members of congress were forced to stand with you at the after school program when a kid hung behind and asked if they could take something home for their little brother who has been home all day and they know they haven't eaten. i wish every member of congress and everyone in this chamber were forced to do that before these proposals were put into a bill like the farm bill and before members voted on these things. and with that, i recognize the gentlelady from michigan, representative stevens, for two minutes. ms. stevens: thank you to my good colleague, the gentlewoman from connecticut. and i reflect on this farm bill from a standpoint that at this period in time, americans are paying more of their earned

income for food than they have in the last 30 years. our president's f.t.c. chair has notified us that grocery stores, big grossers -- big grocers are price gouging. if you're middle class, if you are poor, if you're trying to save for college for your kid, if you're trying to save up for an unexpected occurrence, food is squeezing the middle class and working families of this country. and we have a responsibility to pass a farm bill that addresses the needs of the hungry and addresses the needs of our middle class. we have got to get real. because what we do is we say oh, you know what, we'll cap you with this income level. and if you're a single mom and you're raising your kid and

you're $500 over that income level, you don't get the snap benefits. i am sick of this type of governance. i am sick of this type of means testing. we did this in the pandemic. it wasn't hard. steve mnuchin, you know, he was able to give everybody a capped unemployment level. but when it comes to food and you have a democratic caucus over here fighting over and over again, free and reduced lunch in our schools, thank you to the governor of michigan for actually getting that done. we'd like to see that here in the united states of america. this is real stuff. and kids are going to school hungry and kids are ashamed when they're carrying in those meal cards and parents are worried. so you know what we've got, we've got over a trillion dollars of credit card debt because people can't go to the grocery store. they can't take their kids out to eat because it costs $50 for

a family of four. you can't get lunch for under $15. so what are we litigating here? you know, just filling the pockets of the grocers and big business and the this and the that when we don't actually have a real north star here in this chamber? just one last fact. the maximum benefits of snap right now fell 19% short of covering basic meal costs. one study revealed that in 98% of counties, snap benefits did not cover the cost of a modestly priced meal. so we're not even meeting the bear minimum, my friends. we're not even doing the bear minimum. and the house democrats are going to continue to stand up to this wrong-minded package that will not be serving the american people. thank you. mrs. hayes: thank you. i can't help but reflect on the

irony of us hearing every day about inflation and the rising cost of food and basic things that people need while also proposing cuts to the most vulnerable people on an anti-hunger, anti-poverty program. i now recognize the newest member of our democratic caucus, representative tim kennedy, the gentleman from new york, you are recognized for two minutes. mr. kennedy: thank you. i want to start by thanking congresswoman hayes for leading this effort. mr. speaker, on behalf of the 62,000 households in new york's 26th congressional district that rely on the snap program, i rise to urge my colleagues to oppose the changes in the thrifty food program in the farm bill. in new york state alone, these cuts would result in the loss of

$2 billion in snap benefits over 10 years, and the loss of over $3.5 billion in total local economic activity, at a time when our overall food insecurity in new york state is increased from 11.4% to 13.5% and child food insecurity increased from 15.4% to 18.8%. the absolute last thing we should be doing is cutting snap benefits. these changes to the thrifty food program will negatively impact benefit levels for summer a.b.t. and funding for food banks. . . this is simply unacceptable. instead congress should pass legislation to expand access to

snasm that's why i co-sponsor the enhance access to snap act, which would eliminate work for food requirements and expand benefits for millions of college students. in my district, our primary food bank, feed more western new york, has seen the need for food assistance in the community triple since the pandemic. and the number of people served today has already exceeded 10-year growth projections. as a nation, we have an obligation to eradicate hunger. this bill will do just the opposite. i urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation as written. i yield back. mrs. hayes: thank you. i now recognize the gentlelady from new mexico and the leader on the rules committee,

representative leger fernandez. for three minutes. ms. leger fernandez: thank you so very much representative hayes for organizing, and for giving me this time. because i am here on behalf of my good friend and the ranking member of the rules committee, jim mcgovern, who republicans silenced today for simply telling the truth about a criminal trial. imagine that. on this house floor, we cannot state a fact about a trial. here's another fact about the former president that represents a policy choice democrats oppose. president trump supported cutting snap by nearly 30% within 10 years. mr. mcgovern stands for the opposite. he stands up every week on this house floor, with this poster, end hunger now. if republicans hadn't silenced him he would have spoken tonight against the farm bill because of its impact on farmers.

if republicans hadn't silenced him he'd have spoken up for families who do not have enough food to eat. similar to me, mr. mcgovern represents a districtthane cleudz thousands of farms and farmers who benefit from snap because they sell their produce into the program but also farmers need to use snap because they don't make enough money. so we are starving the people who are raising the food for us. mr. mcgovern, like me, represents a district where, in my district, actually one in five new mexican we see -- receive snap benefits. the highest of any state. this republican majority silenced him so i'm hear to read the remarks that the republican majority may not want to hear from mr. mcgovern. these are his remarks. mr. speaker, republicans are advancing a bill that cuts snap, our nation's first line of defense against hunger, by an astounding $30 million. he would have probably raised his hands and said you can't

make this up. maga republicans included a provision in their extremely partisan farm bill that will prevent snap benefits from ever being increased, even if a scientific review says they should be. the last re-evaluation in 2021, which was the first update in 50 years, gave families an extra, wait for it, $1.40 per person, per day, to purchase food. that extra help has meant families can access more nutritious food. it has meant fewer skipped meals. it has meant better food security. mr. speaker, i urge all of my colleagues to oppose this maga republican farm bill which would cut future benefits and increase hunger for kids, senior, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable adults. those are jim mcgovern's remarks. while house republicans silenced

him today, they will never sims the truth that he speaks. we must end hunger now. we must answer the call. when i was hungry, you gave me to eat. when i was thirsty, you gave me to drink. thank you, representative hayes for your advocacy in bringing us together to heed this call. mrs. hayes: thank you. i now recognize the gentleman from new york, representative goldman, for two minutes. mr. goldman: thank you to my colleague from connecticut. i rise today alongside so many of my colleagues to make one thing very clear. republicans proposed funding cuts to snap are unconscionable and will send millions into poverty and food insecurity. snap is an essential lifeline that working families across america rely on to put food on the table. in new york city alone, where i come from, more than 1.7 million

people rely on snap benefits to help them feed their families. nationwide, there are more than 41 million snap recipients. according to the center for budget and policy priority, 92% of snap benefits go to households with income below the poverty line. and a shocking 54% go to households at or below half of the poverty line. so it begs the question. what do my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have against working families doing their best to succeed? do you not care if our children go without food? it is just simply unacceptable. food is a basic necessity. in the wealthiest country in the world, it should not even be a question whether our government is going to make sure that everyone, especially innocent

children, have basic necessities. our budgets show where our priorities lie. so let's reverse these draconian cuts to snap. let's not cut taxes on the wealthy. and let's put our families and children first. thank you, i yield back. mrs. hayes: thank you. i'd like to take a moment to thank all my colleagues who participated in tonight's snap special order. and i'd like to just close by saying that these cuts will affect summer e.b.t. which is how most families feed their children other the summer, by $500 million in this farm bill. i'm not really sure if there's a full appreciation of who is affected by these cuts. i've been very transparent about my story and the fact that i grew up in a house theeld received food stamps. as a young college student and single mom, i was working two job, attending community

college, and still qualified for benefits. i promise you that my story is the same as every single member of -- a constituent in the district of every single member of congress who just wants a shot. who just wants a chance at raising their children with dignity. who just wants a chance at moving their family from poverty into being contributors to society. every single one of you has someone in your district just like me. hundreds of families going through the same thing. working families that will be affected by the $11 billion in cuts that would affect their household and their earnings. i urge my republican colleagues to rethink these proposals, to come back to the table and let us work on a bipartisan farm bill that helps everybody in america. of all the things that we can say that we've done, i don't want taking food out of the mouths of children to be one of them.

tomorrow we'll go into a markup on this farm bill and we'll review it title by title. there are 12 titles. the thrifty food plan which is what most of us have spoken about tonight, which is the mathematical system by which benefits are evaluated and based upon, was moved from title 4, which is the nutrition title, to title 12, miscellaneous and others. nutrition is not miscellaneous. it is something that should be a priority in this country. it is something that we have the ability to do. once again, it is a policy choice. i hold out until i saw the text because i prayed about it and i hoped and i wished that the cuts were not as bad as i had read about in the papers and heard talk about, but they are. $30 billion in cuts are devastating to a program that is the most effective anti-hunger program that we have. i urge my colleagues to really

consider their votes on this farm bill. and the impact that it will have on children and families. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker' announced policy of january 9, 2023, the gentleman from utah, mr. moore, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. moore: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their rashes and include extraneous material on the topic of this special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. moore: thank you. today, house republicans, this week in fact are advocating for the american people and protecting them from bureaucratic overreach. we are pushing legislation that will protect american's right to financial privacy. and create a regulatory framework for digital asset markets so american industries can thrive. i'm grateful to the financial services and agriculture committees for prioritizing this important issue and i'm grateful to have my friend and colleague from arkansas here to share more

about his work on this. i think one interesting element to this is, we had a very strong approach and bill on this regulatory framework with regarding these various digital assets and we garnered an incredibly strong, bipartisan vote today that i think it's important to recognize, this is not a messaging bill in any way, shape, or form. we are trying to make sure we do the thing that we are elected to do, and that is take care of this type of very important work, legislatively, and not cede this power to the bureaucratic state and the regulators. that's something we accomplished here and we're accomplishing this week. it's incredibly important to recognize that we're doing this through legislation, and not just through an administrative state. with that, i look forward to hearing from an authority on this, the gentleman from

arkansas, mr. hill. mr. hill: i thank my friend from utah for sharing some of the time tonight to talk to the american people about some of the important priorities that house republicans have put on the floor for consideration in this house this week. house republicans believe strongly that capital formation, jobs, careers and opportunities are essential to economic growth in our nation. and look, america's economic growth leads the world right now. we're so blessed to have relatively low unemployment, and ample work. but we're also leading in technology. and that's at the heart of what house republicans have had on the floor today. first, let's talk about the internet. what has been more forceful in our lives, all of our lives, for the past three decades? the internet. and back in 1996, in this

chamber, in this house, former congressman chris cox of southern california, a -- later an s.e.c. chairman, securities and exchange commission chairman, chris cox was on this floor and he said, you know, we should not try regulate or tax the internet. the internet is just a computer program. it's a computer platform. let's tax and regulate the kinds of activity that take place on the internet. and so this house took the decision, the senate joined them, to leave the internet as an open platform for collaboration. think about that. in the last three decades. if we had not had the cle telecommunications act of 1996 and that resolution to not overregulate and hamstring the internet by federal intervention, you wouldn't have the smart phone technology in your pocket, you would not be

shopping and having your dog food come to your house. delivered every month. it's been amazing to see what the protocols written on the internet as an open source technology benefited our cou country. so after email it allowed us to set up our own marketing plats on the the internet. so-called web 2, where we set up up website we had interactivity with our customers, we sold product we serviced product, and we took payments. now it's time for people to have an opportunity to write applications on a blockchain. what we call web 3. we want to own our own data. we don't want our data to be owned by google or facebook or by big tech. ideally we'd like to own our own data, have our own data privacy, and all that is made easier and more effective by writing

applications on a blockchain. and so today in the house, we had a big vote. we have 435 members here in the house. 279 members voted in favor of the republican's proposal for a regulatory framework for digital asasset technology. this is setting up the regulatory framework that you want to write an application on blockchain and you want to raise money around that, do venture capital, effectively, right now there are no rules of the road for that. zero. there's a regulatory gap. and that regulatory gap is in the per view of the -- in the purview of the securities and exchange commission. right now we have people who want to do web 3 application they want to write programs for blockchain, they want to raise money for that and have that technology expand, but they're stymied by the existing laws and regulations of the securities

and exchange commission. . our f.i.t. 21 directs the commodities future and trading commission what to do, to have the right laws and right regulations so people can trade digital assets, like bit coin, it's a digital commodity, a crypto currency. this affects, as i say, the future of technology and developing new forms of financial services that will lower costs for consumers, give people more choice, let people own their own data, have greater privacy and less intrusion from big tech, own more of what they take, get paid for sharing what they create, and all that, in my judgment, is at the heart of web 3 of the internet development.

and the bill today supported overwhelmingly by the the republicans and 71 democrats that joined us for a total vote of 279 votes on this house floor mean that once again, there's a bipartisan consensus that we want america to lead in technology. it's just like that bipartisan consensus back in the 1990's led by chris cox. so long ago that gave us the ability to have competitive new technology for cellular telephones and for an open internet so we could creatively use it to build our businesses. so i want to thank some people that have helped make this a success over the past year and a half working on this. g.t. thompson of pennsylvania, the chairman of the house agriculture committee, patrick

mchenry, the chairman of the house financial services committee. if we didn't have patrick and g.t.'s leadership, this wouldn't have been a priority on this house floor. working with majority leader steve scalise, speaker mike johnson, it became a priority for this house. so my hat's off to chair mchenry and chair thompson for their leadership. may sound like a small thing when you don't work here but to see two large authorizing committees of the u.s. house of representatives, agriculture and financial services, working seamlessly together, it's a big deal. and they produce this bill, and i was proud to work on it with them with my colleague on the ag committee who does digital assets on the agriculture committee, dusty johnson of south dakota. so the four of us led this effort. but we had help from our whip tom emmer of minnesota and warren davidson who have been

leaders in decentralized finance and fintech and block chain for years, long before this bill came to the floor. they were essential to that effort. and now from our friends on the other side of the aisle, jim hymes of connecticut, ritchie torres of new york, josh gottheimer of energy, brittany peterson of colorado, ms. caraveo of colorado. these are democratic leaders who worked tirelessly with republicans to draft this law to convince the american people that we do work together on this house floor, we do put america first, we do put american leadership and technology first. and a vote of 279, as i say, is a big vote on the house on a bipartisan priority to set the right course for a regulatory framework for digital assets. who benefits?

consumers. investors. inventors. people who want to create new ways for you and i to do financial services, to do health care together on a block chain. i think this is an exciting prospect and an important step for the house. the second bill we'll be debating tomorrow is also led by republicans, and it again says that the private sector should lead, not the public sector, not big government when it comes to digital payments. many in the democratic party support something called a central bank digital currency where you would actually end up banking at the federal reserve bank and your lack of privacy, your private information could be compromised because you'd be embedded in this large digital

payment system called a central bank digital currency. republicans are opposed to that. we prefer the private sector innovate in payments. as you see today in your own life, venmo, zelle, peer-to-peer payments, those are products of the private sector, writing a check, product of a private sector, making a debit payment or credit card payment, a product of the private sector. we believe that's also the case when it comes to a tokenized payment stable coin. we believe that should be a product of the private sector and not of the federal reserve or central government. so tomorrow you'll see house republicans come to this floor and say that we do not want this administration or any administration to move forward with a central bank digital currency without a direct authorization of the congress because we believe, as i say, so strongly in the private sector

leading the way in payments and in the innovation for block chain technology. we'll probably come to this house floor later in the year with a private sector-driven payment stable coin bill led by mr. mr. mchenry of north carolina. so my friend from utah, i want to say those are some of the highlights today that i think show that on a bipartisan basis that republicans are leading in technology in this house. and with that, let me yield back to my friend for a moment so i can get a drink of water and then i have a couple more things i'll say and then i'll yield back to the gentleman. mr. moore: we're here for you, sir. i will echo the comments on much of the financial services packages that we're putting on the floor this week. but your comments this is a big

deal, i would hope that folks could recognize we're at a time where it's unknown, there are no rules in place for this innovation that's taking place in the financial market, and it has to be. it's good for every american and it's good for our economy and good for our industries to have that structure and we're putting that forward today. the big deal about this is that this is something that should pass as soon as it goes over to the senate. it has got strong bipartisan support and, you know, folks can recognize the importance of this moment and house republicans are leading to make that happen, to make that possible. we're not just, again, engaging in messaging bills on this type of stuff. this is legitimate, and it had a really strong vote today, not as strong, i might mention, from my committee on the ways and means with the tax package, but it's not a competition.

and i would like to yield back to mr. hill as he addresses the house for whatever time he may consume again. mr. hill: thank you. i thank my friend from utah. i think that's an important comment that this vote of 279 sends a strong message to the senate that this house has done their home work, this house is prepared to advance technology that protects consumers, offers opportunities for investors, lets america lead, brings capital back to the united states that has left the u.s. due to the uncertainty and lack of leadership from the securities and exchange commission and the lack of authority in the commodity future trading commission. so i hope that this is a sign we can work together with our friends in the senate and that we can make law in this financial technology advance, and as you say, not just have a messaging bill. mr. speaker, small business is at the heart of each of our

communities, and i wanted to rise today to recognize the efforts of a good friend, a great entrepreneur, and one of my constituents, julie goodknight and her bakery, julie's sweet shop in mr. conaway, arkansas. she began her career in the baking industry at the age of 17 and worked in her father's shop. she liked how it provided a place for local veterans to meet and share stories over a cup of coffee and a doughnut. beginning at ed's in 1990, she worked to honor the local heroes by celebrating them with an annual veterans day event. and when julie finally got that amazing opportunity that every american entrepreneur dreams of, opening her own shop on veterans day in 2013, she tipped this amazing family tradition.

since founding julie's sweet shop, it's honored a thousands local veterans at its annual veterans day celebration. i have had the honor of celebrating every event at julie's and i see firsthand the impact she makes on our community. i want to thank julie's sweet shop for her service to our veterans and the veterans in arkansas and wish them continued success in all of their endeavors. mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate the syrian emergency task force, a nonprofit based in central arkansas. in may, the university of central arkansas awarded the setf with a 2024 community partner of the year award for their work to relieve the suffering of those in syria from al-assad's deadly regime. in 2011, the syrian emergency task force was created in response to the syrian government's war on its own citizens, many of which were

targets -- many of the targets of which were innocent kids. it was called the syrian emergency task force because they thought it would be a short-term emergency in 2011. here we are a decade later, and they're still hard at work on behalf of ordinary people in syria. last summer, i was honored to visit the beautiful children at setf's sponsored school for orphans, the wisdom house, in northwest syria. while there, i heard devastating stories from these children who endured and continue to endure continuous bombardment by the al-assad regime, the russian or iranian co-conspirators resulting in more orphans on the street and more families displaced. under u.c.a. graduate and director must tougha --

mustafa's leadership, they work to bring the voices of the syrian people to the international stage. they are determined to create a safe and free syria away from the assad dictatorship. i want to say thank you to president davis and many other leaders at the university of central arkansas for their support of satf and their support of the organization's efforts to make a difference in the lives of the syrian people suffering at the hand of assad's barbarism. the satf is more than deserving of this award and proud to work alongside of them in congress in combating the assad regime and helping being a strong advocate for helping the innocent people regain their freedom, regain their country. mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize these scouters from

the natural state council who have been awarded national recognition in 2024. the silver antelope created in 1942 honors scouters who demonstrated exceptional character and provided distinguished service in one of scouting's 16 territories across our country. the natural state council is excited to see the recognition of anthony dylan of little rock and anthony sites of mr. conaway as winners of the silver antelope award. the boy scouts would not exist without the foundational help of their volunteers. they make scouting successful. the responsibility for ensuring that our youth receive mentorship and guidance that they need to develop as strong leaders rests with volunteers like ray and tony. i congratulate them both on this national recognition of their decades of service.

mr. speaker, i rise today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the national guard professional education center in north little rock, arkansas. in 1974, then governor dale bumpers recognized the need for a place to train national guardsmen and women across the country and knew arkansas would make the perfect place for such a facility. beginning with an inaugural class of 30 soldiers from 12 states, the p.e.c. serves national guard members around the country at their base every year in little rock, arkansas. for 50 years the professional education center has been committed to the important work of ensuring the readiness of our national guardsmen to solve the challenges of today and the unknown challenges tomorrow. it is a credit to arkansas and the nation and i thank the p.e.c. for their service and dedication and i know the next 50 years of our professional

education center on camp robinson will be absolutely just as productive and successful. . i yield back to my friend from utah and i thank him for the time this evening. ms. moore: thank you to my good friend and colleague from the state of arkansas and encapsulate what you have accomplished. they are a very big deal as you mentioned. and look forward to sharing a few thoughts of my own as we wrap up here. but thank you for the tireless work. it is hard for folks to understand and takes the real work of congress to do this. as i mentioned, house republicans are pushing legislation to protect consumers and americans' right to financial privacy. values i believe everyone can support and we witnessed that

today with a strong bipartisan vote on this issue, the financial innovation and technology for the 21st century act will protect consumers by creating a regulatory framework through legislation, not through regulators. one of the most common frustrations that i get back in the 1st district of utah is concept of why does the administrative state have so much influence and so much executive overreach. they are frustrated with all of president biden's policies and executive actions, the student loan repayments or the inability to implement solid policies at the border and all the things that he removed in protections there. they are so frustrated at executive overreach in general

and i think you see that play out new york congress has low approval ratings. today was the day that we are pushing back against that. we can blame the administration but we have to look at ourselves and say what are we doing to find a path forward and get something accomplished and we had several of these moments in this house majority and republican majority in the 118th congress and today was one of these days. we are making it the executive branch is going to work the way they are supposed to. this legislation should go to the senate and get a vote and garner the same bipartisan support and signed into law. as digital assets and block chain technologies, fit 21 takes a step towards market certainty.

rather than regulation, fit 21 will establish lines between the s.e.c. and cftc to have a pathway. fit 21 would protect consumers and the ecosystem to have requirements including digital developer to provide information about comb ownership and operational structure and system for digital asset institutions to serve customers in the market and ensuring that customer facing brokers broi disclosures and take steps to reduce those con flits of interests. we have seen what these policies can help industries thrive. i thank chairman thompson and members of committees for their

hard work on this legislation as we heard earlier from mr. hill. this is hard work, finding consensus to move something forward is the tough work of congress. we are supporting are leading efforts legislatively in supporting the cbdc antisurveillance act to stop creating. cbdc could allow a china-like reality and our financial security as the government tracks tr customer behaviors. implementing is simply un-american and few things that could infringe on our freedoms and autonomy more than currency. and more than a currency that could be closely tracked,

withheld and weaponized based on our pavers, causes and political leanings. this bill ensures congress maintains its authority over cbdc so if it was authorized, it would receive vetting. i can't stress enough with the way that this digital currency is trending and see it from other nations the ability to closely quickly track, trectly offends our right to privacy on this important aspect of our financial freedom. and we are taking steps today with the republican house majority to find a path forward and do it the way the constitution envisioned we would work here, to make this into law and address these issues. it's a world that is difficult

to understand and that's why this is such tough work and i commend the members on the financial services and agriculture committee to get this right and put forth legislation and receive bipartisan support and send it over to the senate and get passed into law soon. thank you to my colleagues who participated and successful week we are having back here and legislative session in the month of may. we look to forward advancing legislation tomorrow and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 9, 2023, the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. roy, for 30 minutes. mr. roy: i thank the speaker. anybody who is watching the world events unfolding today is well aware that our dear friend in israel are under attack, but they are not just under attack

by hamas. they are under attack from the antiwestern civilization radical progressives across the globe and in particular at the international criminal court. and in all ways with respect to this attack on israel, on western civilization and on our own values and abuse of the international organization with no legitimacy, the united states should have israel's back. let's look pack at october 7 and what israel is dealing with with a long history of being under attack and facing foes in the middle east and living under constant fear of attack and living under the technology provided under a mutual and iron dome and how many americans would like to be sitting in

manhattan, d.c., dallas, or any other part of this country and be sitting there knowing that the only reason they are sitting there is that the missiles that are being fired at them are being taken down by technology. i don't think that would sit too well. i don't think most americans would sit back if rockets were being fired from juarez boo el paso. and keep firing missiles, we'll put up a shield. i think we will do something about it and it would be pretty violent. look at october 7 for our friends in israel. let's start with the fact that 22 american citizens were killed. add to it, 1,000 israelis or more were killed. almost 3,000 injured. 4, 500 rockets were fired in by

gaza into israel. 1300 targets were struck. not since the holocaust has this large number of jews been killed in a single day. that's the truth. hamas beheaded at least 40 babies. let that sink in for a minute. hamas beheaded at least 40 israeli babies. hamas terrorists raped and murdered women and forced others to watch. we know this occurred. a compilation of those atrocities captured on videos showing them shooting into dead bodies and militants in the process of beheading a body with

a hoe and burnt corpses turned into a dump steer. to be afraid for your kids' life and your life is a survivor of the attacks on october 7 said. quote, i just waited pretty much they would murder me. my wife and kids inside our house. i thought they would kill me and leave my family aside. another one, it was the worst horrific war scenes that you see. another, the gun fire was nonstop and you hear the weapons and no one is here to stop. another, a woman who was there, the fear is endless. can't be described in words to be a woman in captivity is to be in can't fear but the men also

undergo abuse said one who was abducted. there remain over 100 hostages being held. and the i.c.c., international criminal court. when president trump came into office he recognized the threat of the international criminal court. the international court was created under prosecuting the world's most serious crimes. but actually represents a significant threat to our nation's sovereignty. in 2020 when president trump came into office, he punished anyone at the i.c.c. that goes after the united states, united states servicemembers or our allies such as israel. what did president biden do?

he revoked those sanctions and giving the i.c.c. a free pass to target united states citizens and our allies, such as israel. they made an unprecedented step just recently threatening to issue illegitimate arrest warrants for prime minister netanyahu and other israeli officials for alleged war crimes in gaza. the application makes the first time that the i.c.c. has sought to prosecute israel or an ally. what you are seeing is an assault on western civilization on israel and our sovereignty as america. now we do this court as an illegitimate court. it has no authority over america. technically we are a signatory to the court but p did not sign

it to the senate and has no legal force but do you think i.c.c. will target americans? you bet they will. if we don't act right now to quash what is occurring with the i.c.c. targeting the prime minister of israel -- think about that. an international court with nor real legal authority in the united states is targeting the prime minister of israel for responding with military force to the attacks, rockets, murders, rapes, beheadings, levied against the citizens he represents as the prime minister, levied against them directly from hamas, a nation, by the way, israel, which has taken the step in history to give warnings to citizens,

civilians in gaza. two weeks advanced notice and dropping leaflets across gases ad to warn them we are going to take out these hamas facilities. leaving text messages and voicemails and taking every step possible to warn civilians to move away from hamas targets. this is going to be studied for years to come for israel to combatant civilian casualty and we believe it is somewhere between one and two, well below the united nations talked about and the historic norms even for the united states. .. this must be stopped because

when they're going after the prime minister of israel, they're going to go after us. even put that aside. we can't stand by and allow a international tribunal to be targeting our ally and friend israel for simply defending itself against attack. this is why i was proud to join with representative mast from florida and representative stefanik from new york to introduce the illegitimate counterattack to impose sanctions on the i.c.c. officials that seek to go after u.s. citizens or our allies, modeled very similar to the trump executive order. also mirrored in legislation offered by senator tom cotton from arkansas over in the united states senate. as i've stated, the i.c.c., the international criminal court, is an illegitimate court. it represents a threat to the united states and our sovereignty.

frankly, we should be more aggressive than what we've put in this legislation. but we're seeking to move quickly in a world in which the current administration is at war with israel while they're trying to contend that they're allies. in 2021, president biden reportedly ignored a request for a phone call with the israeli foreign minister. earlier this month president biden threatened to cut off israeli military aid while they're fighting a war against hamas and now is actively criticizing israel's military strategy on the world stage. in a politico article, top officials calling israel's strategy in gaza likely defeating and able to open the door to hamas.

the biden administration betrayed israel and frankly, our own well-being as a nation at the united nations earlier this year when america abstained from a vote, abstained from a vote, when the united nations was calling and demanding an immediate cease-fire which would have been a one-sided cease-fire, hamstringing israel in its defense against hamas. the united nations lowered its flag to mourn the recent death of the butcher of tehran, the president of iran. the united states deputy ambassador to the united nations, robert wood, stood for a moment of silence in honor of the former president of iran. this is what this administration is doing. they're taking steps directly to undermine israel. we've never seen this kind of unprecedented undermining of one of, if not our closest ally at a

time when they most need our support. and look, i am not one to believe in blind support. i've in fact voted against funding here because i thought the funding was foolish and misguided because it included funding that would go to hamas. we voted for i think about $16 billion for aid to israel, something i generally supported, but included $9 billion in humanitarian aid, which we knew based on history, common sense and experience, would go to hamas, and in fact it is. we should not blindly support anybody. we should not just write blank checks. we should not pat ourselves on the back for support. but when you have an international criminal court that has no legal force in the united states, when you've got an international criminal court threatening to go after the

prime minister of our very close, if not closest ally for defending itself when it's having rockets fired at itself against enemies that beheaded 40 of their own babies, i'm sorry, that criminal court needs to be forcefully condemned by the united states. but at the same time this is all going on, at the same time this is all going on -- look, i hope we'll bring forward this legislation forthwith. it is a good bowl with i think 60 co-sponsors and growing a cross section of the conference. i hope we bring this bill forward when we get back from memorial day recess. i want to complement the speaker of the house, mike johnson, for trying to move this forward. i want to compliment the chairman, michael mccaul, working to get legislation to condemn the international criminal court, pass sanctions, force them to understand that if

they're going to act against their ally, if they're going to take an unprecedented step of issuing warrants against the prime minister for alleged war crimes that we will sanction them and that they will have no welcome mat in the united states. by "sanctioning" we mean all the actors involved would not be welcomed here, their families would not be welcomed here, their visas would be revoked, and other penalties and measures including any funds that potentially flow from the united states to get to the international court which are not supposed to occur but do through these various n.g.o.'s, that we take all the steps we can to undermine an international criminal court that has no basis. but while that is going on, remember this, at every stage of the war from october 7, the regime of egyptian president al

ceci has undermined israel's war effort in an effort to help the jewish state from defeating hamas. the financial interest of the family appear to have been advanced significantly through cooperation with hamas efforts to build tunnels across the border with egypt. now, how do we know that? well, in the last 10 days or so, going back to may 11, israel revealed during the early stages of the i.d.f., the israeli defense force's operation in rafah -- thank yous for a second. the -- now pause for a second. all the geniuses in the world said israel can't go into rafah. they were adamant. these are war crimes and you can't go into rafah. there are civilians there. israel has been going into rafah. they need to rout out the battalions there. they need to kill more hamas. they need to destroy hamas,

leveling it to the ground, minimize civilian casualties and find every way they can to destroy their enemy. we would want nothing less as americans, i assure you. israel revealed that during the early stages of their operation in rafah, i.d.f. forces discovered more than 50, 50 underground tunnels that traverse the international border between egypt and gaza. this story is not getting nearly the attention it deserves. what is it that the international bodies, what is it that the people in palestinian and gaza and the people that associate with hamas and are enemies of israel, what is it that they didn't want us to know? the scope of the cross border tunnel project indicates that egyptian authorities were not merely aware of hamas' operation, they were supporting it. they were partners. they were making money.

all by the way there are all sorts of existing international agreements dating back to 1979 between egypt and israel. how much american money is flowing to egypt? how much american money is flowing to the very countries and enemies attacking israel? and here they didn't want people to go to rafah. they didn't want israel to go in. why? because they knew the game was going to be given up. that there is a concerted coordinated effort throughout the middle east region to find ways to dismantle, disrupt, attack, and destroy israel. that's the truth. and this president is effectively supporting it, pulling back on the resources given to israel, undermining diplomacy, calling for one-sided cease-fires, funding iran, lifting sanctions on iran, allowing billions of dollars of their oil money to flow to china which is enriching iran and

empowering china, undermining our national security, undermining our ally israel. that's all occurring right now, all while the international criminal court is targeting the prime minister of israel. now look, there's nothing new, egypt tried to undermine israel's efforts. egypt has blocked humanitarian aid entering gaza while accusing israel of genocide at the international court of justice. egypt wants to tie it to israel, bowing to pressure not to operate in rafah. egypt waged political warfare against israel, the united nations and other international arenas. there is nothing new here except we now notice right in front of us the new information about egypt reveals what we've known about the region's attack and

assault on israel. 50 tunnels and they keep counting them. bodies of hostages have been found in the tunnels. it's been clear that there's been the movement of weaponry through the tunnels. but this is just more of the same from and ad administration that is endangering america on the world stage. undermining the safety and security of the american people. a disastrous radical regime in the white house. basically all that regime is is propping up the president and using him as a puppet to carry out the radical leftist agenda. there's been no accountability for the disastrous afghanistan withdrawal. there's been no justice for the 13 service members who died there. no accountability for the billions in military equipment left behind. this administration has created the worst border crisis in the

history of our nation, endangered our citizens. authorities in this country apprehended an illegal alien just this week with a van they call a rape dungeon on wheels. they found children's toys inside with condoms and ropes. this is your country. this is happening in your back yard. there are little girls getting sold into the sex trafficking trade while we speak. an illegal yell alien from nicaragua is accused of blindfolding and attempting to assault a 12-year-old. the illegal crossed the border in 2021 and was released. 80 known or suspected terrorists have been encountered in the southwest boredder in fiscal year 2024. more than all of those encountered in fy-2017 to 2021

combined. meanwhile, we've sent $175 billion for a proxy war in ukraine. we have no clear strategy and no oversight on spending. this administration is endangering the citizens it is supposed to be taking care of under the constitution and defending our borders and securing us against enemies foreign and domestic. that's the truth. there is no defense. if organizations like the i.c.c., the international criminal court, and organizations like the united nations and organizations like the world health organization and the rest of them actually cared about human rights, they'd be going after the real war criminals. they don't care about hamas' crimes. yeah, they say in the i.c.c. they're issuing warrants for hamas. but they're trying to constrain israel from going out and attacking and destroying hamas.

what they care about is attacking and tearing down everything great and good with western civilization that's done more for people around this world than any other civilization in history. whether the president knows it's going on or not, that's what the biden administration's actions have all been driving towards these past three years. they're destroying our sovereignty and weakening us on the outside while pushing chaos, economic ruin, and moral disintegration. i hope my colleagues will support the i.c.c. sanctions bill. it's important. i hope we all will support it. but i have to address one other thing, which is why i think we'll have unity among republicans in pushing back on this international criminal court that's undermining our sovereignty and targeting our friend and ally israel. and while i hope that we will be

able to speak with one voice when we get back on that subject, there's another thing that's going on consistently here in this town. 18 months ago some of us set out to change the institution. we set out to change the rules and open up the process to be able to have more amendments, have more voice for the entirety of the majority in the decisionmaking of the leadership and for a while, that resulted in some changes. last year we're able to get republican and broad support for what we call the limit safe and grow act, limiting the increase in debt while expanding fiscal responsibility. it was good legislation. . passed the strongest border security bill. it had no amnesty and it had been rejected by democrats and

by which it would secure the border of the united states and the killer who was paroled in the united states by the biden administration would not have been able to kill laken riley. we passed that bill. we passed that bill as republicans, uniting to do that. we passed seven appropriations bills and 1100 amendments and move the ball forward to get this train back on track to do the appropriations process the right way. but there are many people in this body, particularly among my republican colleagues who want to hide behind rules, taking down rules, to say that we're not actually carrying out regular order. what does that mean? there are people in this town who want every excuse possible

for blowing the wracking up debt and sending more money overseas for endless wars and crying to us saying we don't get it. we don't get it, you see. we are supposed to agree to all the rules. does it matter what is in the rule? what good is unity if your unity is for a stupid and destructive purpose? what good is unity if unity is going to destroy our budget and empower tyrrants and take away liberty and allow people to die and empower china, send money to ukraine, what good are promises you are going to secure the border of the united states and do knowing of the sort? what good are rules that carry out that as the result? when you hear a republican

decrying the fact that some of us want to say no and yelling stop to quote william f. buckley, ask them what they have done. ask them what they have done to cut spending, secure the border, do anything they have said they have done. ask them to prove it and show their votes. because nothing is going to change in this town as long as people bow down to the power brokers hotel you. i will state on the floor of this chamber, i answer to god, the constitution and the 750,000 people who sent me here. i answer to no committee chairman. i answer to no speak speaker. i answer to no colleague. i answer to following the law. my election certificate is as

valuable as anybody else's here. if you want to go home and why they settled with democrats and want to try to explain their votes, go ahead. explain the kill switches on cars that you voted for. explain the republicans who voted against voting three weeks before israel was attacked. explain that. the american people sent us here to change this place. i had a colleague a meeting and said we have done nothing of the things we set out to do. amen. we have an obligation as members of this body to actually do the things we said we would do. i believe that the efforts that we set out to do 18 months ago

resulted in positive change and i'm not going to let go. we did hold nondefense spending flat and it was paid for out of the covid money and passed the best border security bill. and we put caps in place, which have already been busted. we started to push this place in the right direction and that is the direction we ought to go back to. over the next five or six months the american people have choices to make. i believe they return to return a republican majority in the house and senate and put donald trump in the white house. but none of that if republicans aren't willing to come here and put every ounce of your certificate on the line to say you would do because we didn't

come here to sit around for two years talking about how we get re-lepghted. we came here to save the country. i hope that is what we will focus on doing. and i hope some america will watch my friend from arizona's detailed explanations of where this country is headed if we do not seek not just fiscal responsibility but as he will say, smart ways that we can do to save this country with mountains of debt piling up, which we can deal with if we have the courage to do it instead of talking about the next election. once we get elected, we should do something. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the speaker's announced policy of

january 9, 2023, the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona, mr. schweikert from arizona. mr. schweikert: your entry was brilliant and try to do something this evening that is going to make a whole bunch of people really cranky. and that is we are going to talk about -- mr. speaker, let's see if i can frame this in a way that i don't sound like a jerk. week after week after week after week i come to the floor and walk people through ok, the blue here, that's the portion we get to vote on and every dime, every dime a member of congress votes on is borrowed money. this is all borrowed plus a portion of your medicare, if you look at the map is actually

borrowed and interest this year is gross interest is $1.2 trillion making its second biggest expense. one of the arguments is trying to find moral effective ways that we can save ourselves that you could actually impact this remarkable amount of debt and hovering about borrowing every second of every day, we are just below that. and then the really uncomfortable is when you walk through the data, it's interest and health care. and i'm not a doctor, i'm good at math. the good lord gave me, i'm good at math, but i thought i would try something new and exciting. how about if i brought my friend who is benefited with a medical

school education and we'll call you dr. harris, and talk aboutful health care is the primary driver of u.s. sovereign debt. why not engage in the morality of a society that is healthier, that could be more vibrant and i have come here and we have talked about diabetes, diabetes being 33% of u.s. health care and 30% of medicare spending, the cascade of conditions that come from obesity in america and the fact that the morality of loving our brothers and sisters and having a healthier society and my economists, right now working on a reply to the president's budget.

and we are vetting all the math and highlighting things. but a preliminary view -- and we are still two more weeks from our publication, we estimate that will obesity will result in anywhere between 8.2 and # .1 trillion incompetents -- in excess over the next decade. maybe the most thing we can do and burying your retirement, our grandchildren and great-great grandchildren is working on policies to make us a healthier society. you get the benefits of the morality and really good math. and i just happen to have a medical doctor a member of congress who is on the appropriations committee, who

has an expertise that i don't have and can talk about things that i can't say, but understand, we mean this from a portion of optimism. there is a path here. but we got to do something that is brutally uncomfortable for us. we have to tell the truth. is that a fair setup? mr. harris: i thank the gentleman for yielding some time. the gentleman, to those who see the gentleman virtually every week come up and talk about the economics of the united states and our dibt problems and today we are going to take a different view because we are going to talk about something that doesn't have to do with economics but with providing a healthier america and america where, yes, we would save money if we were healthier, but the

other benefits are so tremendous. we are doing this because we think this is the right approach for americans and there are a couple of diseases. if you look at the cost of health care, 70% is to take care of chronic diseases and that is hypertension, diabetes. cancer is an acute disease but chronic diseases that are costing hundreds of billions of dollars in the united states. and today we are going to focus on obesity. folks on diabetes and -- and the reason why it is so important is the amount of spending, as the gentleman indicates, is tremendous. the last time -- and i'm going to pull some data from the milken institute, america's

obesity crisis from october, 2018, but it is subject titled the health and economic costs of excess weight. because they are both costs. again not just dollars and cents. they count. but the fact that life is just not as good for someone who has a chronic disease. the first thing you have to do is say what is the history of obesity in the united states. if people look around and people are honest, i have been on this earth 67 years and i will tell you it has been noticeable that more americans and it's through throughout the world that more americans are obese and overweight and if you are higher than the normal range of weight, you are overweight if you are slightly higher and obese few

are higher than that and severe obesity and we would call it morbidly obese as well. using these definitions, the same definitions, in 1962, 3.4% of adults were considered obese, 3.4%. it's not overweight but obese. and in 2000, from 1962, 2000, 30.5%. in 2016, 39.8%, eight years ago, 39.8% and the latest data that is from 2017 to 20, 41.9%. 41.9% of americans classified as obese. why is that c