the joint committee on the library and i have been chair for six days. in that time, i actually have approved the reopening of the botanical gardens. i have approved the replacement of the can sasse statue that i received a letter friday and i hope i just received the information on north carolina and i plan to work on that very hard very promptly and get a decision. so i don't think that speaks to undue delay in the six days that i have been chair of the joint library committee. . . i do think it's important that we take the step to remove these confederates and segregationists from our statuary hall. in some cases states either started the steps to remove them, but while that process is

ongoing, these individuals are on a pedestal. and we cannot forget our history , but we don't have to put segregationists and pro-slavery historical figures on a pedestal. we don't honor them. although we do remember them. and so let's adopt this measure to deal with those statues, but there's another thing. there are situations such as the statue of justice taney that were not sent here by any state and only we can remove them expeditiously. you know, we've said and we've heard from people morelle consequent than i about -- more eloquent than i about why justice taney should not be honored. in 1865, a few years before the taney bust was ultimately commissioned, the senate debated it. they debated whether to

commission the bust of justice taney for the supreme court room. and during that debate, senator charles sumner of massachusetts said this. quote, i object to that. that now an emancipated country should make a bust to the author of the dred scott decision? judgment is beginning now, and an emancipated country will fasten upon him the sigma which he deserves. now -- stigma which he deserves. now, it may have taken longer than sumner envisioned in fact 156 years, to attach the stigma that belongs to justice taney, but we will attach that stigma today if we pass this bill. in closing, i just want to say, you know, all of us are here for a few years, some longer, some shorter. but we're just here for a little slice of history.

and i feel fortunate that my little slice of history allowed me to be here the same time as the late john lewis. i can almost imagine him standing here on the floor, how fortunate i am to have served with him. and how fortunate i am to serve with our majority whip, mr. clyburn, who put his body on the line to fight against segregation and to fight for voting rights. they are leaders of our country. i'm proud to serve with them. let's show how much we honor them by voting for this bill. and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. all time for debate has expired. pursuant to house resolution 504, the previous question is ordered on the bill. the question is on engrossment and third reading of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it.

third reading. the clerk: a bill to direct the joint committee on the library to replace the bust of roger brooke taney in the old supreme court chamber of the united states capitol with a bust of thurgood marshall to be obtained by the joint committee on the library and to remove certain statues from the areas of the united states capitol which are accessible to the public, to remove all statues of individuals who voluntarily served the confederate states of america from displaying the united states capitol and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the passage of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. and the bill is passed. >> madam speaker. i ask for a recorded vote. mr. loudermilk: i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, pursuant to section 3 of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this

question are postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? mrs. maloney: madam speaker, pursuant to house resolution 504, i now call up the bill, h.r. 2662, the inspector general independent and empowerment act, and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of

the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 47. h.r. 2662. a bill to amend the inspector general act of 1978, and for other purposes. mrs. maloney: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady will suspend. pursuant to house resolution 504, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on oversight and reform printed in the bill is adopted and the bill, as amended, is considered read. the bill, as amended, shall be debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on oversight and reform, or their respective designees. the gentlewoman from new york, mrs. maloney, and the gentleman from kentucky, mr. comer, each will control 30 mints. the chair recognizes the gentleman from -- minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from new york, mrs. maloney. mrs. maloney: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative

days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert materials on h.r. 2662. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. maloney: thank you. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. maloney: i rise today to urge strong bipartisan support for my bill, h.r. 2662, the i.g. independence and empowerment act. the work of inspectors general who conduct independent oversight of federal agencies continues to be a remarkable investment for american taxpayers. for every dollar we spend on i.g.'s, we get $17 back. and this return could be even higher if we gave i.g.'s additional tools, which is exactly what this bill would do. the i.g. independence and empowerment act is a package of critical reforms to protect i.g.'s from political

retaliation and obstruction. i want to thank leader hoyer for his support and work on this bill, as well as all the other co-sponsors of the legislation. the i.g. independence and empowerment act also has the support of 14 good government groups. they wrote that the reforms in this legislation, and i quote, have been crafted to address problems with inspector general independence and authority long raised by congress, civil society and our inspectors general. we strongly urge congress to pass this legislation, to empower our independent watchdogs to serve the public even more effectively, end quote. this bill would enhance the independence of i.g.'s in several ways. most importantly, it would protect i.g.'s from being fired simply for doing their jobs. the bill would only allow an i.g. to be removed for a

documented cause based on a defined list of nonpartisan reasons, such as knowing a violation of the law, abuse of authority or gross mismanagement. these removal protections come from a bill i introduced last year, after the previous administration bullied, sidelined and retaliated against multiple i.g.'s. last april and may, in six short weeks, president trump fired or sidelined four i.g.'s and acting i.g.'s who were simply doing their jobs. on april 3, intelligence community i.g. michael atkinson was fired after he provided a whistleblower complaint to congress about president trump's now-infamous call with the ukrainian president. part of the conduct for which he

was impeached by this body. on april 7, president trump removed glen fien as eakting -- as acting defense department i.g., which blocked i.g. fien from serving as chair of the pandemic response accountability committee. a committee i helped create in the cares act to oversee trillions of dollars in federal spending in response to the coronavirus pandemic. i.g. fein was simply doing his job. on may 15, president trump removed the acting transportation i.g. and replaced him with an agency insider. he was investigating the secretary of transportation, elaine chao, at the time. and finally, that same day, president trump fired state department i.g. steve linick who at the time was investigating secretary of state mike pompeo

for abuse of power and misuse of resources and replaced him with a political crony. all for of these i.g.'s were just following the law and the facts. yet they faced blatant retaliation. this is just plain wrong. president trump's actions struck at the heart of why we have i.g.'s, to provide independent oversight and a check on executive branch waste, fraud and abuse. no president should be allowed to retaliate against an i.g. for simply doing their jobs. and the i.g. independence and empowerment act would ensure that i.g.'s are protected from this kind of retaliation. in a letter to congressional leadership, after the i.g. firings by mr. trump, nine former i.g.'s wrote, and the nine i.g.'s said, and i quote, forcing inspectors general to choose between doing their jobs with integrity and keeping their

positions is not an acceptable model of governance and oversight. we therefore urge you to pass for-cause removal protections for all i.g.'s, end quote. in addition, the i.g. independence and empowerment act would ensure temporary acting i.g.'s are independent. and qualified, by requiring the acting i.g. to be the deputy i.g. in the same office, or another senior official from the i.g. community if there is no deputy. this would protect against the appointment of acting i.g.'s with con flibblings of interest -- -- conflicts of interest or who are acting as political appointees. the i.g. independence and empowerment act would further bolster i.g. independence by requiring notification to congress before an i.g. is pushed aside and put on nonduty status so we in congress can support the independence of i.g.'s. the bill would also empower

i.g.'s by granting them the authority to speen nongovernment witnesses -- subpoena nongovernment witnesses to provide testimony. in many investigations, testimony from nongovernment witnesses is essential. so providing i.g.'s with this authority is often the only way to root out fraud or other wrongdoings. in 2016, our former colleague, mark meadows, supported a similar provision and highlighted that bill's procedural safeguards, which are essentially the same in the bill we are considering today. he stated, and i quote, this bill provides the expanded authority that the i.g.'s have asked for, but with safeguards in place to make sure that they protect against the possibility that an i.g.'s investigation would interfere with an ongoing criminal investigation or do other harm, end quote. the i.g. independence and empowerment act would also close

a loophole that prevents the department of justice i.g. from initiating investigations into professional misconduct by d.o.j. attorneys. this bill balance it's enhanced authorities and independence with new accountability and transparency measures for i.g.'s. this would require grea transparency from the integrity committee. the body set up to investigate i.g.'s. supporting i.g. independence has been a bipartisan issue. congress must act now to protect and empower i.g.'s so they can perform their duties congress has entrusted to them without being retaliated against. i strongly urge my colleagues to

support this and continue the bipartisan tradition of protecting and strengthening i.g.'s. to my republican colleagues who may say these efforts are about attacking president trump, i would respond with this, joe biden is the president now. i am supporting good government reforms under a democratic administration because i believe in accountability no matter who the president is and what party they come from come from. they were are talking about the future. this is about safeguarding taxpayers' money and protecting the integrity of our government. i hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will support these critical reforms as well. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from kentucky. mr. comer: i yield myself such time as i may consume.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. comer: thank you, madam speaker. inspector generals help improve government efficiency and effectiveness. they root out waste, flawed, abuse and mismanagement and in fact the oversight committee and i.g.'s have this common mission and arnold palmer a unique spot. they have a responsibility to their respective agencies and to congress through the notice requirements. when the political parties in the executive branch, political facts can understandably erupt. this has recently led to po litization of i.g. investigation. that takes us to today's bill. many provisions are a step in the right direction to conduct robust oversight. however, i remain concerned about some of the provisions in this bill.

title 1 in this bill would unnecessarily constrain the president's ability to remove an i.g. shifting the delicate balance between the executive branch and congress. maintaining the current balance would enable congress to use its own oversight authority if it believes there is wrongdoing by the president or agency head in the removal of an i.g. next in title 3, the majority is limiting who can be appointed as an acting inspector general if the i.g. has left office or been removed. this hinders the president's ability to appoint an i.g. with whom they have confidence. while there are concerns about i.g.'s serving multiple agencies this limits the president's authority over a subset of executive branch employees. i have serious concerns with title 5, authorizing an

inspector general to offer testimonial subpoenas to compel testimony from former federal employees. while it may be helpful to investigate certain allegations of misconduct, it provides a tool that can be abused for political purposes. for example, this authority would enable new biden inspectors general to subpoena former trump i.g.'s regardless of the real purpose of the investigation. this provision does not provide the necessary protections for former federal employees that may be subjected to the legal fees of dealing with a subpoena, instead of paying for counsel to defend against and respond to the subpoenas. without meaningful protections to ensure that authority would

not be used to seek out retribution, i cannot support this provision. rooting out waste, fraud and misconduct is one of the most important jobs of this committee and inspectors general serve on the front lines in this mission. we must ensure that our inspectors general have the tools they need to conduct robust oversight of respective agencies. republicans offered multiple amendments to address these concerns but still empower our i.g.'s. and we again offered compromised amendments at the rules committee yesterday. but my democrat colleagues have allowed one of these amendments to be made in order. i'm hopeful the democrats will take the opportunity to pass a major bipartisan bill by adopting this amendment. if they choose to continue down their partisan path, i hope the

democratic colleagues stop the apeted attacks on the trump administration. we focus on ensuring our inspectors general are focused on to conduct oversight on agency operations and spending. madam chair, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the chair lays before the following enrolled bills. the clerk: senate joint resolution 15, a joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval of chapter 8 title 5 of the united states code of the rules submitted by the comptroller of the cunchingssi relating to federal banks and federal associations as lenders. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. mrs. maloney: madam speaker, i recognize the gentleman from from the great state of maryland, the distinguished majority leader of the house, an

important leader on this legislation, steadfast leader on it and so many issues before this body, steny hoyer. . mr. hoyer: i thank the gentlelady for yielding and i appreciate her leadership on this issue and so many other issues to protect the citizens, to protect consumers, protect voters and protect, frankly, those who stand up and say there is wrongdoing. i heard the remarks of the ranking member and i appreciate his thoughtfulness, but as i was listening to him and thinking how do you make sure that somebody is not could youed by a president, any president, to is prepared to take adverse action without cause against somebody because he or she does not like the investigation they are undertaking.

as the gentleman may know, and my colleagues may know, i urged a rule that we adopted in this house, which said it was a violation of our rules to out a whistleblower. we put whistleblower protections in, but unfortunately, when we had whistle blowers come forward, most recently, they were attacked and attempted to be outed, which would have subjected them to the adverse consequences against which we tried to protect them in the very legislation we passed on whistle plowing. i see some analogy between these two. but i want to thank vice chairman gomez and chairman connolly, chairman lynch and representatives porter and lieu for working on this legislation and supporting this legislation. i was proud to introduce it with

the chair of the committee. and proud to support it. the americans deserve, madam speaker, the highest standards of ethics, transparency and accountability from their government. federal agencies and first work for the people and they must be accountable to the people. that's why the previous administration's assault on the independence of inspectors general was so alarming. this is not an attack on the specific administration, as the gentlelady and chair of the committee has pointed out, we have a democratic president now. so this is going to bind him and not bind his predecessors. if anything, certainly not anti-biden but to say, president biden, we respect you but we want inspectors general that they have the confidence to move ahead without fear of retribution. president trump trump removed

inspectors from. what kind if a president says. these watchdogs must be able to act independently and be free from political pressure or threats to their careers. seems to me that is a very commonsense rational judgment to make. we introduced our bill to address the challenge exposed by the actions of the prior administration, that's true. but that's not the only administration that has acted to undermine inspectors general. i urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation today. it will build on the provisions that i pushed to in the rules committee which protects federal whistleblowers.

those who come forward to reveal misconduct or violations of the public trust, need to be heard and must be protected from threats of retaliation. if that is not the case, it will undermine the very objective that we seek in creating whistleblowers or i.g.'s. they can go to the inspectors general under strong whistleblower protections. i hope house republicans would renew the faith in government and assure that it works for the people and determined to protect and strengthen government accountability. i hope all of us in a bipartisan way will repair to this very critical principle of accountability for the people of this country. and i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york reserves. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. comer: reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. mrs. maloney: i recognize the vice chair jimmy gomez for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. gohmert: i rise in support. this would ensure that inspectors general would have tools to conduct investigations without fear of political retaliation. many of these reforms have had strong bipartisan support for years and in particular, my bill, the i.s. subpoena authority act. this provision grants i.g.'s the authority to subpoena testimony from former employees and contractors as a tool to better uncover waste, fraud and abuse. the absence of such authority hippeders the ability to conduct

complete oversight in matters of corruption and injustice. i know my republican colleagues say there is no protection from abuse. that is not true. this includes safeguards that this authority is not abused by requiring that the subpoena must be approved by a panel of three other i.g.'s. i understand my republican colleagues may introduce an amendment that would strike the subpoena authority from this bill today. i find this interesting and confusing because this was first introduced in the 115th congress by a republican congressman steve russell with the support of chairman towns and ranking member issa and passed the house by unanimous consent. this bill has not changed substantially since the 115th congress but what has changed is the political context in which we are trying to pass this reform.

if the reform was good government for good government then, it is reform for good government now. nothing has changed. with that, we need to make sure that the i.g. soup -- subpoena act is passed today and will strengthen and maintain accountability in our federal agencies. i thank chairwoman maloney for its inclusion as a step forward for good government. and i encourage an aye vote. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. mr. comer: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. maloney: i recognize the gentlewoman from from the state of california, vice chair of the oversight, representative katie porter for two minutes. ms. porter: the inspector general independence and

empowerment act protects our government's watchdogs. they are independent officials responsible for preventing and detecting waste, fraud and abuse and safeguard the interests of taxpayers and weed out corruption. we need stronger probings to prevent bias or unqualified acting inspectors general in assuming these vital roles. . . these provisions would forbid dual having, serving as both a political appointee and an acting inspector general at the same agency. this conflict of interest compromises the independence of the inspector general's work. american taxpayers fund these agencies, they deserve to know that those agencies are working on their behalf. they deserve inspectors general

who will fight to protect their dollars and our government's integrity. i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the inspectors general independence and empowerment act. thank you, chair maloney, for your leadership on government integrity, including this important bill, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentlelady from new york reserves. the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from new york is recognized. mrs. maloney: i thank the gentlelady for her amendment and her hard work on this bill and her leadership on the subcommittee and committee. i now recognize the gentleman from the great commonwealth of virginia, the chairman of the subcommittee on government operations and oversight, representative gerry connolly, for three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. connolly: thank you, madam speaker. and i thank the distinguished chairwoman of our committee, mrs. maloney, for her leadership on this bill.

i rise today in support of h.r. 2662, the i.g. independence and empowerment act. and want to thank again the chairwoman of the committee for her leadership, especially bringing forward this important legislation -- legislative package to bolster the independence and protection of oversight of federal inspectors general while holding them more accountable to congress and the american people at the same time. our subcommittee on government operations held a hearing in april that highlighted the need for this legislation. at the hearing we discussed how the former president, mr. trump, exploited statutory loopholes repeatedly to attack federal ag's, firing well respected i.g.'s, from investigating policies and political allies he didn't like or did like. president trump also appointed political agency officials to serve as acting i.g.'s this double having ms. porter just talked about. this legislation would address that.

we cannot allow these actions to be repeated. i.g.'s are unique in the federal government, serving to root out waste, fraud and abuse and gross miss management and they report both to the executive and legislative branches of government. this bill bolsters i.g.'s on both fronts. importantly, the bill ensures the president or an agency head can remove an i.g. only for documented cause and i think that's a very important new standard. this measure will ensure that i.g.'s can be removed when appropriate and cannot be removed simply because they speak truth to power. i offered two additional provisions included in this legislation. the first, the integrity committee transparency act, is a bipartisan provision i drafted with my ranking member, mr. hice. this provision would codify and enhance administrative reporting reforms at the integrity committee. just this week we saw how important that can be. it would also require the integrity committee to report immediately any particularly

serious or flagrant problems, abuses or deficiencies at the office of inspector general to the i.g. of that office. importantly, the provision also expands the membership of the integrity committee to include a former inspector general, increasing ac men and accountability -- ackman and -- acmen and accountability. these are critical measures necessary in the wake of cases in which the integrity committee has sometimes fallen short. in its reporting to this body, to the congress. in one recent allegation of wrongdoing, it took nearly four years for the integrity committee to complete its civil investigation and employees at that office continued to struggle under an i.g. who conducted herself with clear negligence. that case got resolved today with the announcement that that i.g. is going to retire. i.g.'s cannot afford to be poor leaders and nor can we afford to have them be poor leaders. they must be model federal employees if their credibility and integrity is to be trusted. we also champion title 7 of this

bill, enhanced whistleblower engagement act. this provision requires o.i.g. employees to undergo whistleblower training -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. connolly: and the integrity committee and requires -- could i have 30 more seconds? mrs. maloney: i grant 30 more seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. connolly: i thank the distinguished chairwoman. this measure is nearly identical to a bipartisan provision in the senate crafted by republican senator grassley of iowa. in addition to these provisions, the bill includes several other important measures to bolster the independence of our nonpartisan watchdogs. this bill is an important bill in reasserting the independence and accountability and transparency of i.g.'s. they are a critical part of making this government work and rebuilding american trust in its government. i thank the distinguished chairwoman for her leadership in bringing it to us and urge members on both sides of the aisle to support this bill. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia yields. the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. maloney: madam chair, first i'd like to recognize the hard work of the chairman of the subcommittee. he authored two proposals that were included in the bill. and was a major leader on it. i thank mr. connolly. i now recognize the gentleman from the great state of maryland, the chairman of the subcommittee on civil rights and civil liberties of the oversight committee, a member of the select subcommittee on coronavirus of the oversight committee, representative raskin, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. raskin: thank you, madam speaker. and thank you, chair maloney, for your wonderful leadership of the oversight committee. i rise in support of h.r. 2662, the inspector general independence and empowerment act . the inspectors general are a remarkable innovation in american government that have saved us untold billions of

dollars and checked the corrupt abuse of power by people controlling federal departments. they are essential to our ability to legislate as the article 1 branch and to do meaningful oversight over the executive branch of government. that's true in general, but it's especially true when we've got a president like donald trump who categorically refused to recognize congressional subpoenas, blocked members of his administration from coming to testify before congress, in unprecedented ways, and generally refused to cooperate with congressional fact finding at all. when a president refuses to cooperate with the legislative branch, when he on strubblingts -- obstructs congress at every turn, the i.g.'s are our own source of information. it is imperative that we protect our inspectors general independence and their impartiality so they will not be reduced to the level of being presidential sycophants or party

loyalists. the supreme court has recognized the importance of i.g. independence, noting that it is vital to aeffectuating congress' intent in maintaining an opportunity for objective inquiries into bureaucracy waste, fraud, abuse -- bureaucratic waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagementment this bill will ensure that -- mismanagement. this bill will ensure the that i.g.'s have the tools they need and it will -- that i.g.'s have the tools they need and it will protect them against unjust political retaliation. thank you, madam chair, thank you, madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentlelady from -- the gentlelady reserves. mr. comer: listening to the enthusiasm from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and their newfound passion for oversight. the republicans on the oversight committee have been asking for many hearings on many different areas of potential oversight, potential waste, fraud and

abuse, and mismanagement in the federal government. but thus far in this new congress, my friends on the other side of the aisle have only been interested in oversight in the previous administration. so i'm getting really excited for the taxpayers of america because i feel like today i'm hearing that my friends on the other side of the aisle are interested in ensuring that there is good government, that we have transparency, one thing that i would like to mention in this bill is the oversight committee is responsible for oversight. and we want to work with the inspectors general. we have a lot of agreement in this bill and i'll talk about that during my closing remarks, but i do believe there's the potential for us to compromise and have a bipartisan bill that actually might have a chance to

become law on down the hall. but i hope that this newfound enthusiasm for oversight will carry over and we can do what the oversight committee is supposed to do and not rely as heavily on unelected bureaucrats. with that, i yield back the balance of my time -- i reserve, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from new york is recognized. mrs. maloney: i thank the gentleman, my dear friend and colleague, for having great enthusiasm for oversight and combating waste, fraud and abuse. and i would respectfully offer to him that the best way to conduct that is to give the power to the i.g.'s to conduct legitimate investigations. what we have seen is that when there comes a legitimate investigation, they are often

moved aside or fired or retaliated against. so i welcome the gentleman's enthusiasm. i hope he'll join with me in supporting giving the powers to i.g.'s to conduct legitimate waste, fraud and abuse. as i said in my opening remarks, every dollar we spend on i.g.'s comes back in $17, really hundreds of millions of dollars back in their oversight and work. our bill, and i want to remind the gentleman, as you know from our hearings, that there is many provisions in this bill that are bipartisan. several that mr. connolly just mentioned -- mentioned, that we were working on. so i look forward to working with him and passing this bill and it should be bipartisan, oversight and accountability should be bipartisan. i hope the gentleman joins us in voting for this important bill. i now recognize an outstanding gentlewoman from the great state of california. she also is the chair of the

military personnel of armed services, and she serves on the oversight and reform committee and is also the co-chair of the democratic women's caucus, representative jackie speier, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized. ms. speier: thank you, madam speaker. thanks to my outstanding friend and chair of the oversight and government reform committee. you know, the history of whistleblowing date it's back to the founding of this country -- dates back to the founding of this country. the continental congress was committed to making sure that whistleblowers would have a voice. last year alone $2.2 billion was saved by the taxpayers because of whistleblowers in our government. so the april massacre of i.g.'s was unprecedented, an unprecedented power play by a president, a ruthless president, who somehow thought they worked for him. they don't work for him.

they didn't work for him. they work for the american people. and that's why since the founding of this country, we have been so committed to it. today's legislation will protect i.g.'s from retaliation, increase their independence, ensuring they operate free from political interference. those complaints -- those i.g. -- those complaints that those i.g.'s were looking at were brought to them by individuals. it was a political move by the president to fire them. and i'm interested that my colleague on the other side of the aisle was concerned about the costs of being represented by counsel when someone who is a federal employee is called in to testify. maybe we can work on a bill to make sure that every federal employee has that benefit. no one talked about that when ambassador was called in to testify or national security officer hill or the lieutenant. all of whom had to pick up the tab for the attorneys

representing them. last month during a hearing before the oversight subcommittee on government operations, the current chair of the council of i.g.'s testified that while they offer multiple trainings for i.g.'s, the trainings are not mandated. and i believe without mandated training, it's impossible to ensure that i.g.'s are operating at the highest level and are well equipped to car -- well-equipped to carry oith out their duties. i'm please -- to carry out their duties. i'm pleased my amendment for training i.g.'s has been included in this bill and, again, i thank the effective chair, mrs. maloney, for this measure. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentlelady from new york reserves. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. comer: reserve. the speaker pro tempore: reserves. the gentlelady from new york is recognized. mrs. maloney: may i inquire how much time is remaining? the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york has 8 1/2 minutes remaining.

the gentleman has 23 1/2 minutes remaining. mrs. maloney: first, i would like to thank my colleague, jackie speier, for her tremendous work on this bill. and one of the major provisions was a bill of hers that was incorporated in it. i now recognize the gentlewoman, a newly elected member, from the great state of north carolina. a member of the judiciary committee, representative deborah ross, for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you very much, -- ross -- ms. ross: thank you -- ms. ross: thank you very much. inspectors general are vital to the integrity, efficiency and efficacy of our government. it is crucial that they operate free from political influence. . this critical legislation includes a barpt bill i introduced, the inspector

general access act, which grants the inspector general of the department of justice the authority to investigate misconduct by d.o.j. attorneys. the d.o.j. inspector general is currently the only federal inspector general without this authority. this is simply unacceptable. d.o.j.'s attorneys wield a tremendous amount of power, including the ability to make life and death decisions. it is crucial that these attorneys are held to the highest level of professionalism and that their actions and conduct are subject to independent oversight. for this reason, i wholeheartedly support the inspector general independence act, and i urge my colleagues to do the same. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from new york is

recognized. mrs. maloney: i am ready to close. there are no additional speakers on the floor right now. if my republican colleague would like to close now. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman. >> madam speaker, we have no further speakers and i am prepared to close. mrs. maloney: go ahead. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> madam speaker, just a couple of things i want to make sure that everyone understands with respect to this bill. this bill is a combination of 10 different bills, 10 different bills. republicans support seven of the 10 bills. seven of the 10 bills we could pass pretty close to unanimously in this chamber that would strengthen the i.g.'s and not hamper a president's ability to terminate an i.g. that may not

agree with their ideology. mr. comer: no one in congress would hire a staffer that had -- that adamantly opposed their ideology. no one in private sector would have a staffer be a spokesperson or an employee that fundamentally disagreed with the direction that person wanted to lead their company. and the same should be true with the president of the united states. with respect to president trump's termination of inspectors general, i want to mention a couple of terminations that the president did. he removed the intelligence community inspector general michael atkinson because he flaunted strict whistleblower procedures to provide the ukraine whistleblower report to chairman schiff.

now, we support good government. we want to protect whistleblowers. we want to encourage whistleblowers come forward. adam schiff did more to damage perspective whistleblowers than any member of this body. and the i.g. was complicit with him in that. that was rightful termination by president trump. acting inspector general christie grim purposely released an outdated report claiming there were shortages of medical equipment at hospitals, which was found to be entirely inaccurate and likely was politically motivated. that's why president trump terminated her. so there are examples of a president rightfully terminating an inspector general, and i don't think that this bill is the right path to move forward. this is overlegislating. we're passing a lot of bills out

of this chamber that are dead upon arrival in the senate. when we pass a bill that has bipartisan support, that makes a difference in the senate. we could achieve that, and i have an amendment that goes a long way towards making this bill bipartisan. so with respect to oversight, the american people are upset over covid-19. speaker pelosi created a covid-19 select committee, which is a subsidiary of the house oversight committee. we share the same staff. we have been asking for hearings on the origins of covid-19 and had no response, no luck from my friends across the aisle. so we had a hearing today. we had a forum, and it was very productive. and i think the people of

america appreciated that. that's oversight. that's oversight. so our committee can go a lot further with respect to oversight, and i think we could come to a compromise, a bipartisan compromise to strengthen the i.g.'s without politicizing the i.g.'s, without hampering a president's ability to get rid of a bad i.g. so i strongly oppose this bill. i hope that through the amendment process it can get better, that it can pass bipartisan, we can strengthen the i.g.'s, and we can send a message to the senate that we have a bipartisan bill that you should take up and president biden can hopefully sign into law. with that, i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. mrs. maloney: thank you, madam speaker. i recognize myself for closing

statements. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. maloney: the independence is the bedrock principle of inspectors general, and this legislation would protect and enhance their critical work. as i mentioned earlier, this legislation has the support of several nonpartisan good governance group, including the project on government is over sight, the government accountability project, taxpayers for common sense, and many, many others. it also contains several bipartisan bills that are part of the overall inspector general reform bill. i ask that their support letters from the good government groups be made part of the official record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. maloney: the reforms we're considering today are only one part of the work congress needs to prevent future presidents from abusing power. i also strongly support the broad protecting our democracy

act, which chairman schiff has spearheaded, and i look forward to that bill's consideration very, very soon. i do want to say that the subcommittee on the coronavirus, unlike the description from my good friend and colleague, has held 15 hearings of oversight. they've disclosed and recovered millions of dollars of illegal spending or corrupt spending. there is a hearing tomorrow, which will be the 16th hearing of the committee, and we welcome you to join us at that subcommittee hearing if you so wish. the inspector general community, just in general, has been attacked in recent years. by passing this i.g. independence and empowerment act, congress would send a strong message in the strongest terms that no administration,

regardless of president or party, can bully or retaliate or act against an i.g. when the i.g. is doing their job. they can only be removed from just cause, such as violating the law or gross mismanagement. in passing this, we will be strengthening our democracy, and we will send a strong message that congress supports accountability and an effective government. i urge all my colleagues to vote yes on this bill. it should be a bipartisan bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. all time for debate has expired. each further amendment printed in part a of house report 117-74, not earlier considered as part of amendments en bloc, pursuant to section 3 of house

resolution 504, shall be considered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, may be withdrawn by the proponent at anytime before the question is put thereon, that shall not be -- shall not be subject to amendment and shall not be subject for demand for division of the question. it shall be in order at any time for the chair of the committee on oversight and reform or her designee to offer amendments en bloc consisting of further amendments printed in part a of house report 117-74 not earlier disposed of. amendments en bloc shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for 20 minutes equally divided and control by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on oversight and reform or their respective designees, shall not be subject

for amendment or shall not be subject for demand for division of the question. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? mrs. maloney: madam speaker, pursuant to resolution 504, i offer amendments en bloc. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will designate the amendments en bloc. the clerk: en bloc number 1 consisting of amendments numbered 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 printed in part a of house report 117-74 offered by ms. carolyn b. -- mrs. carolyn b. maloney of new york. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 504, the gentlewoman from new york, mrs. maloney, and the gentleman from kentucky, mr. comer, each will control 10 minutes. the chair recognizes the woman from new york. mrs. maloney: madam speaker, the amendment offered by congresswoman sidney axne would increase transparency when an inspector general is removed. this amendment would require the

president or independent agency head to provide congress a detailed case specific explanation when firing an i.g. the amendment would also require the president or independent agency head to provide to congress the findings from an inquiry that led to the i.g.'s removal. these requirements would enhance i.g. independence. in addition to the critical for-cause removal protections already in the bill. the amendment offered by congresswoman carolyn bourdeaux, would enhance training requirements for inspectors general. and this amendment would ensure that i.g.'s are trained in an important aspect of their oversight work over federal contractors. the suspension and debarment process provides an essential tool to hold federal contractors

accountable for waste, fraud, and abuse. federal procurement law and the suspension and debarment processes are highly complex, and it is important that all i.g.'s are well-versed on these issues. this training will help make i.g.'s even more effective and efficient and could lead to more taxpayer savings. the amendment offered by congressman tony carter would ensure i.g.'s are paid at an equitable level with senior staff in their office. though an unintended consequence in current law, i.g.'s are sometimes paid less than the senior staff in their own offices. this inequity could lead to difficulty in attracting the most qualified people to be i.g.'s. this amendment would add language to current law, providing that i.g.'s have to be paid at least the same rate of

pay as the highest paid employee in the i.g.'s office. this simple change would help ensure that i.g.'s are paid what they deserve for the critical work they perform. this amendment offered by congressman tom malinowski would balance notification to congress with the need to address an immediate threat. the base bill will require that the president or an independent agency head would notify congress at least 30 days before placing an i.g. on nonduty status. this amendment would make an exception to that requirement if any delay in that placement would mean a threat to people, property, or an ongoing investigation. this amendment would give the president or agency head flexibility in the case of a documented threat while ensuring congress is notified of any

change to an i.g. status in advanced whenever possible. and finally, an amendment offered by congressman ritchie torres, which would provide a needed review of all processes to ensure i.g.'s are held accountable. this amendment would require the government accountability office to review existing processes for investigating allegations of i.g. wrongdoing, including the processes of the integrity committee. the results of this review would provide congress critical information to know how well these processes are working and how to improve them, if needed. i.g.'s provide a critical check on waste, fraud, and abuse in the government, and their own conduct must be above reproach. i urge my colleagues to adopt this commonsense package of amendments, and i reserve the balance of my time. .

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman is recognized. mr. comer: thank you. madam speaker -- thank you, madam speaker. i rise to oppose the amendments en bloc. some amendments are helpful and improve the bill. but most are just band as is -- band-aids attempting to cover up the flawed provisions. one amendment attempts to paper over the flaws in title 1 by expanding the requirement for the president to provide his or her rationale to congress detailing why an i.g. was removed. yes, understanding the president's rationale for removing an i.g. is very important to congress. this amendment, however, fails to address the fundamental issue in this section. specifically limiting the reasons for an i.g.'s removal or transfer to only nine constraining reasons. another provision in this package seeks to amendment -- to amend title 2 but title 2 passed earlier this congress was a -- congress as a stand-alone bill. this amendment to title 2 would

undermine that broadly supported bill by creating an easy to abuse loophole for a president to remove an i.g. immediately rather than waiting the 30 days for congress to review the required notice of removal the -- removal. my democrat colleagues have stated constantly that the goal of their legislation is to ensure that it is incredibly difficult to remove an i.g. yet they support an amendment that would gut this and allow a president to circumvent the will of congress. this is what happens when the majority decides to go it alone rather than seeking to work together to craft strong bipartisan legislation. this block of amendments is the perfect analogue for this legislation. many good provisions, mixed with a few poitsen -- poison pills, which undermine the intent of the legislation as a whole. therefore i must ask my colleagues to vote against this package of amendments. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized.

mrs. maloney: madam speaker, i now recognize the gentleman from the great state of louisiana, one of our newest members of our caucus, he serves on the committees of transportation and infrastructure and small business, representative troy carter is now recognized for one minute to speak on his amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. carter: madam speaker, madam chair, thank you for your incredible leadership on this very critical and important legislation. i rise today because i support this bill and the commonsense amendment that i have for it. i want to thank the chairwoman for her incredible hard work on -- on this important issue. inspectors general play a key role in our government. they provide transparency and accountability into government programs and spending. they help prevent waste and fix mismanagement and abuse. the i.g. independence and empowerment act would make sure that they have the autonomy and

the authority to do their jobs without political interference. my amendment is simple and in line with the goals of the bill. it would ensure that the inspector general is paid commensurate to their task. currently, i.g.'s make less money than some of their senior advisors. i think the person with the most responsibility should be paid accordingly. if we want the best people to work these important jobs, we need to make sure that their pay matches their role. my amendment would fix an unintended consequence of current law and strengthen i.g. offices so that they can better carry out their essential work. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. maloney: i support all of the en bloc amendments, including mr. carter's, and i am prepared to close. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. comer: i yield. the speaker pro tempore: also yields. pursuant to -- pursuant to house resolution 504, the previous question is ordered on the amendments en bloc offered by the gentlewoman from new york. the question is on the amendments en bloc. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. mr. comer: madam chair, i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number 4 printed in part a of house report 117-74. for what purpose does the

gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr. comer: i have an amendment at the desk. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 4 printed in part a of house report 117-74 offered by mr. comer of kentucky. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 504, the gentleman from kentucky, mr. comer, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from kentucky. mr. comer: thank you, madam chair. this amendment strips out the three provisions of this legislation that do not have bipartisan support in order for the i.g. independence and empowerment act to move forward with the full support of the u.s. house. both sides of the aisle can then come back to the table to fix the remaining provisions in a manner that addresses concerns on both sides of the aisle. specifically my amendment strikes title 1, which would artificially constrain the president from removing or reassigning an i.g. to one of nine specific reasons listed in the provision -- provision. as drafted, title 1 would have

the effect of prohibiting a president from removing an i.g. who is acting in bad faith and undermining a duly elected president's policies in a purely partisan manner. my amendment also strikes title 3, which strictly limits who the president could name as the acting inspector general to the, quote, first assistant. this provision does not include any commonsense exemptions -- exceptions. creating unintended consequences. for example, it could elevate an individual to acting i.g. who may be engaged in the same misconduct, which caused the original i.g. to have been removed. lastly, my amendment strikes title 5 of the bill, which grants inspectors general the authority to issue subpoenas to compel the testimony of former federal officials, including political appointees. while i support granting i.g.'s testimonyal authority, the

current provision lax necessary safeguards and could result in it -- lacks necessary safeguards and could result in it being used in a political abusive manner. i support the goals behind these provisions as well as the other seven titles of the bill with i have strong bipartisan support. however, my amendment addresses the problematic language in these three sections. that's why i ask my republican and democrat colleagues to pass this amendment to enable us to negotiate a bipartisan solution for the inspector general community that can be signed into law. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? mrs. maloney: madam speaker, i rise in opposition to this amendment. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. maloney: this amendment would absolutely gut the bill. the amendment would strike the bill's key protection for

inspectors general against political retaliation by eliminating the protection that would only allow an i.g. to be removed only for a legitimate cause. not for political retaliation, not because a president doesn't like what they're doing or an investigation that they've started. but only for mismanagement or illegal acts for cause. we saw last year how unlimited authority can be abused. when president trump bullied and retaliated against two i.g.'s who were investigating his administration. including when he fired the state department i.g. these protections are constitutional. last month the independent congressional review service released an analysis of congressional authority to limit the removal of i.g.'s and concluded that for-cause removal

restrictions, quote, appear to be a constitutionally permissible means of encouraging independence for most i.g.'s. end quote. this amendment would also gut the protection in the bill against the appointment of acting i.g.'s with a clear conflict of interest. the amendment would strike a requirement that acting i.g.'s come from an office of inspector general. the council of inspectors general for integrity and efficiency requested this reform , proposed by republican representative porter. as one of its top legislative priorities in order to, quote, enhance the independence of o.i.g.'s, end quote. we saw serious abuses during the

last administration in both the department of transportation and the department of state. president trump named political appointees within the agency to serve as the acting i.g. overseeing the same agency. finally, this amendment would strip from the bill an important reform that would allow i.g.'s to issue a subpoena to require individuals outside of the federal government to provide testimony if needed for an investigation. this has long been a priority for inspectors general to allow thorough and complete investigations. multiple i.g.'s have reported that trump administration officials, including jeff sessions, have refused to cooperate with investigations. no federal employee should be

able to simply avoid an he is -- and escape accountability by leaving government. leaving government and saying, i just no longer will testify or participate in finding the truth. these provisions were passed by the oversight committee and house in 2018 and -- in a republican-led bill and contained carefully crafted compromises struck by chairman issa and ranking member cummings years ago. this legislation provides procedural safeguards to ensure that subpoena authority is not abused. and it does not interfere with ongoing investigations. for example, the bill will require an inspin -- an inspector general to obtain the approval of a panel of three

other inspectors general in order to issue a subpoena for testimony. a few i.g.'s, including the department of defense i.g., already have this authority. in language i authored and that the congress passed on a bipartisan basis, the pandemic response accountability committee was provided testimonial subpoena authority when it was created as part of the cares act last congress. there are many instances of former officials and nongovernment employees avoiding i.g. interviews going back over a decade. for example, i.g.'s were unable to interview retired agents in the fast and furious investigation. and nongovernment witnesses to the carter paige fisa warrant investigation. this has never been a partisan issue before and in fact the

underlying bill had many, many bipartisan pieces. so in a letter to the oversight committee department of justice inspector general has also come out against this. . i strongly urge a no vote on this amendment and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. comer: no further speakers. i'm prepared to close. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is the only person with the time remaining. mr. comer: i'll yield the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. pursuant to house resolution 504rks the previous question is ordered -- 504, the previous question is ordered on the amendment offered by the gentleman from kentucky. the question is on the amendment. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the nays have it.

mr. comer: on that i ask for a recorded vote, ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the question is on the amendments en bloc offered by the gentlewoman from malon which -- the gentlewoman from new york on which the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will redesignate the amendments en bloc. the clerk: en bloc number 1 consisting of amendments 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 printed in part a of house report 117-74 offered by mrs. carolyn b. maloney of new york. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the amendments en bloc offered by the gentlewoman

from new york. members will record their votes by electronic device. [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: for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition?

mr. gosar: madam speaker, as the member designated by mrs. boebert of colorado, pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that mrs. boebert will vote nay on the amendments en bloc. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition?

mr. franklin: madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. steube of florida, pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that mr. steube will vote nay on the amendments en bloc.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma seek recognition? mr. lucas: madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. mullin of oklahoma, pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that mr. mullin will vote no on the amendments en bloc. thank you, madam speaker.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? mr. jeffries: as the member designated by chairwoman eddie bernice johnson, pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that chairwoman johnson will vote yea on the amendments en

bloc. as the member designated by congresswoman grace meng, pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that congresswoman meng will vote yea on the amendments en bloc. as the member designated by congressman steven horsford, pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that congressman horsford will vote yea on the amendments en bloc. as the member designated by sylvia garcia, pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that congresswoman garcia will vote yea on the amendments en bloc. as the member designated by ritchie torres, pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that congressman torres will vote yea on the amendments en bloc.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from washington state seek recognition? ms. delbene: madam speaker, as the member designated by ms. sewell, pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that ms. sewell will vote yes on amendments en bloc. as the member designated by ms. strickland, pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that ms. strickland will vote yes on the amendments en bloc. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? mr. beyer: madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. cohen, pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that mr. cohen will vote yes on the amendments en bloc. as the member designated by mr. lieu, pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that mr. lieu will vote yes on the amendments en bloc. and as the member designated by mr. lowenthal, pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that mr. lowenthal will vote yes on the amendments en bloc.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. stanton: madam speaker, as the member designated by mrs. kirkpatrick, pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that mrs. kirkpatrick will vote yes on amendments en bloc. and as the member designated by mr. grijalva, pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that mr. grijalva will vote yes on amendments en bloc. the speaker pro tempore: for

what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. correa: madam speaker, as the member designated by congress member napolitano, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that congress member napolitano will vote yes on amendments en bloc. thank you. . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. lawson, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. lawson will vote yes on the en bloc amendments.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? >> as the member designated by ms. leger fernandez, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that ms. leger fernandez will vote yes on amendments en bloc.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by ms. mcclean, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that ms. mcclean will vote no on en bloc number 1.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. timmons of south carolina, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. timmons will vote nay on the maloney en bloc. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. ruiz, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. ruiz will vote yes on the amendments en bloc.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from utah rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. burgess owens of utah, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. owens will vote no on the amendment en bloc. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from illinois rise? >> as the member designated by mr. rush, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. rush will vote yes on the amendments en bloc. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. fallin from

the great state of texas, inform -- pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. fallin will vote no on the amendments en bloc. as the member designated by mr. babin, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. babin will vote no on the amendments en bloc. and as the member designated by mr. cawthorn of the great state of north carolina, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. cawthorn will vote no on the amendments en bloc. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. jacobs of new york, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. jacobs will vote nay on the amendments en bloc.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. donald payne, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. payne will vote yes on the amendments en bloc. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. young from the great state of alaska, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. young will vote nay on the amendments en bloc.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. chuy garcia, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. garcia will vote aye on amendments en bloc one. as the member designated by mr. cardenas, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. cardenas will vote aye on amendments en bloc one. as the member designated by mr. gallego, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. gallego will vote aye on amendments en bloc one. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from connecticut rise? >> as the member designated by mrs. wilson, pursuant to house

resolution 8, i inform the house that mrs. wilson will vote yes on the amendments en bloc.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. kind of wisconsin, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. kind wile vote aye on the amendments en bloc. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from new hampshire rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by ms. clark of massachusetts, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that ms. clark will vote yes on amendments en bloc. as the member designated by ms.

bordeaux, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that ms. bordeaux will vote yes on the amendments en bloc. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina rise? >> as the member designated by ms. jackson lee of texas, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that ms. jackson lee will vote yes, she will vote yes on amendments en bloc.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by representative carl of alabama, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the

house that representative carl will vote no on the maloney amendment en bloc number 1.

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 219, the nays are 184, the amendments en bloc are adopted. without objection, a the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will come to order. the house will come to order. the speaker: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. wasserman schultz: i ask

unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker: without objection. the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. wasserman schultz: i rise today with a grieving but hopeful heart in the wake of an unimaginable tragedy. as we gather miami-dade rescue teams are joined by israel and mexico to look for the towers. since that unprecedented collapse, engineers, grief counselors have worked nonstop to assist in the search and rescue providing support for the workers. for those still trapped, we hold out hope for those. for those who lost loved ones, we send our condolences and

pledge support in solidarity. so many in our communities fled nations where they faced danger. this makes this tragedy all the more painful. we are resilient. we will be there every step of the way for the families of those missing in the rubble, but we know we cannot do this alone. i thank the biden administration for the federal resources and the mayors for their steadfast leadership in this unprecedented crisis. and our deepest thanks for the remarkable, relentless first responders who are still on that pile. searching around the clock in the hope of finding even one survivor. madam speaker, the agony that these families are going through is beyond comprehension. on behalf of the missing, those

who perished and their families, i ask unanimous consent that the house please rise and pause for a moment of silence and in honor of those who have been struggling through this crisis. the speaker pro tempore: ask all members to rise in remembrance of the collapse of the tours building in surfside, florida.

the speaker: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, unfinished business is on question of amendment 4 house report 117-174 offered by the gentleman from kentucky on which further proceedings were postponed and the yeas and nays were ordered. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 4 printed in part b offered by mr. comer of kentucky. the speaker: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from kentucky. members will record their votes by electronic device. [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: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from washington seek seek recognition? as the member designated by ms. sewell pursuant to house resolution, i inform the house that ms. sewell will vote no. >> as the member designated by mr. jacobs of new york, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. jacobs will vote yes on comer amendment number 4.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from washington seek recognition? >> as the member designated by ms. sewell pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that ms. sewell will vote no. as the member designated by ms. strickland pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that ms. strickland will vote no. >> as the member designated by mr. fallon from the great state of tech as, i inform the house that mr. fallon will vote yes on thesomer amendment number 4. as the member designated by number 4, i inform the house that mr. babin will vote yes. as the member designated by mr. from the state of north carolina pursuant to house resolution, mr. cawthorn will vote yes on

amendment number 4. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from. mr. jeffries: as the member designated by chairwoman eddie bernice johnson, she will vote no. pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that congresswoman meng will vote no. as the member designated by mr. horsford pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. horsford will vote no. as the member designated by congresswoman sylvia garcia, pursuant to h. res. 8, will vote no. as the member designated by ritchie torres, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. torres will vote no.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, as the member designated by mr. timmons of south carolina, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. timmons will vote yes on the comer amendment. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition?

mr. connolly: mr. speaker, as the member designated by mr. kind of wisconsin, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. kind will vote aye on the -- excuse me, will vote nay on the comer amendment. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. young from alaska, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. young will vote yes on comer amendment number 4.

mr. stanton: as the member designated by mrs. kirkpatrick, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that she will he vote no. as the member designated by mr.

grijalva, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. grijalva will vote no. >> as the member designated by by representative karl of alabama, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that representative karl will vote no on the passage of h.r. 2662. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. ruiz, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. ruiz will vote no on the comer amendment. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. steube of florida, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. steube will vote yes on thesomer amendment. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does gentlelady from illinois seek recognition?

ms. underwood: as the member designated by mr. rush, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. rush will vote no on the comer amendment. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. owens of utah pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. owens will vote yes. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady seek recognition? >> minutemen ms. leger fernandez, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that ms. leger fernandez will vote nay on the comer amendment. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? >> as the member designated by ms. boebert of colorado, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mrs. boebert will vote yea on the comer amendment.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by congress member napolitano, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that congress member napolitano will vote no on the comer amendment. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma seek recognition?

>> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. mullin of oklahoma, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. mullin will vote yes on the comer amendment. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from new hampshire seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by ms. clark of massachusetts, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that ms. clark will vote no on the comer amendment. as the member designated by ms. bordeaux, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that ms. were doe -- ms. bordeaux will vote no on the comer amendment. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mrs. mcclane of

michigan, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mrs. mcclane will vote yes on comer amendment number 4. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. cardenas, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. cardenas will vote no on the comer amendment. as the member designated by mr. chuy garcia, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. garcia will vote no on the comer amendment. as the member designated by mr. gallego, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. gallego will vote no on the comer amendment. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. lawson, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. lawson will vote no on the en bloc thank you.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. cohen, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. cohen will vote no on the comer amendment. as the member designated by mr. lieu, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. lieu will vote no on the comer amendment. as the member designated by mr. lowenthal, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. lowenthal will vote no on the comer amendment.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> as the member designated by ms. jackson lee of texas, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that ms. jackson lee will vote no, she will vote no on the comer amendment. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. donald payne, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. payne will vote no on the comer amendment. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from connecticut seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mrs. wilson, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mrs. wilson will vote no on the comer amendment.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> as the member designated by representative carl of alabama, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that representative carl will vote yes on the comer amendment en bloc number 4.

the speaker pro tempore: on this question, the yeas are 182, the nays are 220. the resolution is not -- the amendment is not adopted. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the question comes on the engrossment and third reading of the bill. the previous question is ordered on the bill as amended. the question is on enrollment and third reading of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it.

third reading. the clerk: bill to amend the inspector general's act of 1978 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 gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. >> request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. [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: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> as the member designated by congress member napolitano, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that congress member napolitano will vote yes on h.r. 2662. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. timmons of south carolina, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. timmons will vote nay on h.r. 2662. as the member designated by mr. norman of south carolina, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. norman will vote nay on h.r. 2662. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? mr. jeffries: pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that

chairwoman johnson will vote yes. as the member designated by grace meng pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that congresswoman meng will vote yes. as the member designated by congressman horsford pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that congressman horsford will vote yes. as the member designated by garcia, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that ms. garcia will vote yeah. and as the member designated by congressman torres, punt to h. res. 8, i inform the house that congressman torres will vote yes . the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> as the member designated by by representative karl of alabama, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that

representative karl will vote no on the passage of h.r. 2662. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? mr. connolly: as the member designated by mr. kind of wisconsin, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. kind will vote aye on h.r. 2662. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from utah arise? >> as the member designated by mr. owens of awe tow, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. owens will be a no vote on h.r. 2662. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> as the member designated by mr. ruiz, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. ruiz will vote aye on h.r. 2662.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona rise? >> as the member designated by from mrs. boebert, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mrs. boebert will vote nay. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman

from california rise? >> as the member designated by mr. garcia, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. garcia will vote aye on h.r. 2662. as the member designated by mr. guy ago, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. guy ago will vote aye on h.r. 2662. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan arise? >> as the member designated by mrs. mclean of michigan, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform

the house that mrs. mclean will vote no on h.r. 2662. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona rise? mr. stanton: as the member designated by mrs. kirkpatrick pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mrs. kirkpatrick will vote yes on h.r. 2662. as the member designated by mr. grijalva, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. grijalva will vote yes on h.r. 2662. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does gentlelady washington arise? >> as the member designated by ms. sewell, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that ms. sewell will vote yes on h.r. 2662. as the member designated by ms. strickland pursuant to h. res.

8, i inform the house that ms. strickland will vote yes on h.r. 2662. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? mr. pallone: as the member designated by mr. donald payne, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. payne will vote yes on h.r. 2662.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. lawson of florida, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. lawson votes yes on passage. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does gentlelady from illinois rise? ms. underwood: as the member designated by mr. rush, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. rush will vote yes on h.r. 2662. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does gentlelady from california rise? >> as the member designated by by ms. hernandez, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that ms. hernandez will vote yes on

h.r. 2662. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does gentlelady from connecticut rise? >> as the member designated by ms. wilson pursuant to h.res. 8, i inform the house that ms. wilson will vote yes on h.r. 2662.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? mr. beyer: as the member designated by mr. lowenthal, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. lowenthal will vote yes. as the member designated by mr. cohen pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. lowenthal will vote yes. as the member designated by mr. lieu, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. lieu will vote yes. the speaker pro tempore: flop the gentleman from florida rise? >> as the member designated by mr. steube of florida, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that mr. steube will vote no. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise?

>> as the member designated by mr. cardenas, i inform the house that mr. cardenas will vote aye. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina rise? >> as the member designated by ms. jackson lee of texas, i inform the house that she will vote yes on h.r. 2662.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. mullin of oklahoma, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that pl mullin will vote nay.

thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does gentlelady from new hampshire rise? >> as the member designated by ms. clark of massachusetts, pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that ms. clark will vote yes on h.r. 2662. and as the member designated by ms. bourdeaux pursuant to h. res. 8, i inform the house that ms. bourdeaux will vote yes on h >> 2662

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. fallon of the great state of texas, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. fallon will vote no on h.r. 2662. as the member designated by mr. babin from the great state of texas, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. babin will vote no on h.r. 2662. and as the member designated by mr. cawthorn of the great state of north carolina, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. cawthorn will vote no on h.r. 2662.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. jacobs of new york, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. jacobs will vote nay on h.r. 2662. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. young from alaska, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. young will vote nay on h.r. 2662.

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 221, the noes are 182. the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the unfinished -- unfinished business is the vote on passage of h.r. 3005, on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3005 a bill to

direct the joint committee on the inauguration to -- of the library, to replace the bust of roger brook taney to be replaced with a bust of thurgood marshall and to remove certain statues from the area of the u.s. capitol which are accessible to the public, including statues of individuals who voluntarily served the confederate states of america, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on passage of the bill. members will record their votes by electronic device. [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.] for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mrs. kirkpatrick, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mrs. kirkpatrick will

vote yes on h.r. 3005. as the member designated by mr. grijalva, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. grijalva will vote yes on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from utah rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. owens of utah, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. with owens will vote no on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from washington rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by ms. sewell, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that ms. sewell will vote yes on h.r. 3005. as the member designated by ms. strickland, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that ms. strickland will vote yes on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. timmons of

south carolina, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. timmons will vote nay on h.r. 3005. as the member designated by mr. norman of south carolina, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. norman will vote nay on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. ruiz, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. ruiz will vote yes on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mrs. boebert of colorado, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mrs. boebert will vote nay on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from new hampshire rise?

>> madam speaker, as the member designated by ms. clark of massachusetts, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that ms. clark will vote yes on h.r. 3005. and as the member designated by ms. bordeaux, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that ms. bordeaux will vote yes on h.r. 3005.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by representative carl of alabama, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that representative carl will vote no on the passage of h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? >> as the member designated by mr. chuy garcia, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. garcia will vote aye on h.r. 3005. as the member designated by mr. cardenas, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. cardenas will vote aye on h.r. 3005. as the member designated by mr. gallego, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house

that mr. gallego will vote aye on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. fallon of the great state of texas, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. fallon will vote no on h.r. 3005. as the member designated by mr. babin of the great state of texas, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. babin will vote no on h.r. 3005. and as the member designated by mr. cawthorn of the great state of north carolina, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. cawthorn will vote no on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. lawson of florida, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house

that mr. lawson will vote yes on final passage. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by ms. mcclain of michigan, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that ms. mcclain will vote no on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. cohen, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. cohen will vote yes on h.r. 3005. as the member designated by mr. lowenthal, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. lowenthal will vote yes on h.r. 3005. as the member designated by mr. lieu, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. lieu will vote yes on h.r. 3005.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman

from florida rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. steube of florida, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. steube will vote no on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. donald payne, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. payne will vote yes on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. young from the great state of alaska, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. young will vote yea on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from illinois rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. rush, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. rush will

vote will yes on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. mullin of oklahoma, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. mullin will vote nay. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from connecticut rise? mrs. hayes: as the member designated by ms. wilson, pursuant to h.r. 8, i inform the house that ms. wilson will vote yes on h.r. 3005.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? >> madam speaker, as the member designated by mr. jacobs of new york, pursuant to h.r. 8, i inform the house that mr. jacobs will vote yea on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: and for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? mr. jeffries: thank you, madam speaker. as the member designated by chairwoman eddie bernice johnson, pursuant to h.r. 8, i inform the house that chairwoman johnson will vote yea on h.r.

3005. as the member designated by congresswoman grace meng, pursuant to h.r. 8, i inform the house that congresswoman meng will vote yea on h.r. 3005. as the member designated by congressman horsford, pursuant to h.r. 8, i inform the house that congressman horsford will vote yea on h.r. 3005. as the member designated by congresswoman sylvia garcia, -- pursuant to h.r. 8, i inform the house that congresswoman garcia will vote yea on h.r. 3005. as the member designated by congressman ritchie torres, pursuant to h.r. 8, i inform the house that congressman torres will vote yea on h.r. 3005.

mr. connolly: as the member designated by mr. kind, pursuant to h.r. 8, i inform the house that mr. kind will vote aye on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from california rise? >> as the member designated by ms. leger fernandez, pursuant to h.r. 8, i inform the house that ms. leger fernandez will vote yes on h.r. 3005.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina rise? mr. butterfield: as the member designated by ms. jackson lee, pursuant to h.r. 8, i inform the house that ms. jackson lee will vote yes on h.r. 3005. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california rise? mr. correa: madam speaker, as the member designated by congress member napolitano, pursuant to h.r. 8, i inform the house that congress member napolitano will vote yes on h.r. 3005.

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the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 285, the nays are 120. the bill is passed. without objection, a motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will now be in order. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from louisiana seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, 28 years ago earl michael ellis was born in louisiana. when he was 14 years old, his sister, rachel, died of cancer. he went on to go to catholic high, my high school, went on to l.s.u. and in 2018 got engaged

to his wife, rachel. excuse me, his wife, megan. he and megan got married just last year. in order to honor his sister rachel's death, he said he was going to run a 100-mile ultramarathon and did so earlier this year in key west, florida. unfortunately, madam speaker, that effort to honor his sister rachel's life resulted in his death. the day after the ultramarathon, michael ellis at the young age of 27 passed away. madam speaker, i just want to honor his life. mr. graves: our best wishes and thoughts and prayers to his mother, crystal, his father, earl, his brother, nicholas, and his wife, megan. madam speaker, i ask that we have a moment of silence to honor his life.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady from new jersey seek recognition? for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for one

minute. rhode island is recognized for one minute. mr. langevin: i rise today to speak? strong support of the invest act , the three instrasfruck -- infrastructure programs in rhode island's second district. this will improve roads in charleston, increase accessibility along the scenic highways, smooth the commute for rhode islanders traveling across the state and connect a key stretch of the east coast greenway to boost tourism. create jobs and spur economic development. rhode island's roads and bridges desperately need repair. according to the white house 148 bridges in over 860 miles of highway are in poor condition in rhode island earning our state the great of c-minus on our infrastructure report card. investing in our aging infrastructure will create good-paying jobs and make our roads safer and less congested

that is true of rhode island and every state across the country. supporting the invest act and the important projects within it is a no brainer. as my new england patriots always say, do your job. to my colleague, let's do our job so americans can get on with theirs. thank you, madam speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized for one minute. >> madam speaker, i stand in solidarity with the majority of americans that oppose taxpayer funding of abortions. mr. grothman: despite how clear americans are on the issue, president biden and democrats in congress are attempting to force americans to pay for abortions. the most recent proposal is to

remove the hyde amendment. congressional democrats have committed to removing the hyde amendment and other long-standing pro-life provisions. we must not allow long-standing i aabortion funding prohibitions that are widely supported by the american people to be gotten rid of at the whims of pro-abortion radicals. with that, madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the committees on energy and commerce, ways and means and judiciary be discharged from further consideration of h.r. 18 and ask for its immediate consideration by the house. the speaker pro tempore: under guidelines consistently issued by successive speakers as recorded in section 956 of the house rules an manual, the chair is constrained not to entertain the request unless it has been cleared by the bipartisan floor and committee leadership. the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new jersey seek

recognition? without objection, the gentlewoman from new jersey is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker. i rise today to recognize some of the amazing track tall frent the 12th district. this past weekend, a'teem mo dominated her race, nearly breaking a record despate an early collision on the track. she's finally getting the recognition she worked so hard for. mrs. watson coleman: and no less compelling was sydney mclaughlin who broke the record for the 400-meter hurdles becoming the first william to run the race in under 52 seconds. we've known about these extraordinary young women for quite some time back home but now america has had the opportunity to see them in

action and new jersey is just so proud of them. i can't wait for them to show the world what they will do at the olympics. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman from california is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker. i rise to condemn the chinese communist party for 100 years of human rights violations. this centennial is not a cause for celebration but a time to reflect on the millions of people who have been repressed, tortured and killed at the hands of the communist regime. from the suppression of a free

press in hong kong to the mass internment of uighurs, the human rights carried out by c.c.p. is as horrific as it is wrong. we must hold the chinese munist party accountable. as a member of the congressional commission on china, i am committed to working with my colleague to hole china responsible for their abuse. i stand with those fighting for freedom and democracy. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from indiana seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from indiana is recognized for one minute. >> madam speaker, i rise today to honor officer thomas czar of

the hammond police department who heart breakingly passed away earlier this month after a five-week battle with covid-19. his life's work was one of public service. after serving the united states air force during tours in iraq and afghanistan, he went on to serve for another 23 years with the hammond police department. the first responders of northwest indiana and across our nation run toward danger at a moment's notice. in our times of greatest need. and our communities will forever be grateful for the selfless service of officer czar. mr. mrvan: as officer czar continued to contract this disease in the line of duty let us continue to recognize its ever-present danger and how we must act to keep ourselves and our neighbors safe. my thoughts and prayers continue to be with his wife mary and all his family and friends in this difficult time. madam speaker, i yield back my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the chair announces the speaker's appointment pursuant to 22 u.s.c. 3003 and the order of the house of january 4, 2021, of the following members on the part of the house to the commission on security and cooperation in europe. the clerk: ms. moore of wisconsin, mr. cleaver of missouri, mr. veasey of texas, mr. gallego of arizona, mr. wilson of south carolina, mr. aderholt of alabama, mr. hudson of north carolina, and mr. fitzpatrick of pennsylvania. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 4, 2021, the gentleman from new york, mr. suozzi, is recognized for 60

minutes as the designee of the majority leader. mr. suozzi: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. suozzi: tonight, over the next hour, i along with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle will rise to advocate for the repeal of the unjust and unfair salt cap and a full restoration of the salt deduction. there are five basic arguments i, along with my colleagues, will flesh out over the next hour. one, the salt cap was specifically and unjustly targeted against the residents of new york, new jersey, california, connecticut, illinois, massachusetts, maryland, minnesota, michigan, oregon, pennsylvania, virginia, rhode island, hawaii, and other congressional districts with high tax -- high state and local taxes.

two, middle class families which in these states can earn between $100,000 and $200,000 per year are disproportionately impacted in a negative way. three. these same middle class families as well as wealthy families are incentivized by the loss of the salt deduction to leave our states with high state and local taxes, thereby leaving a gaping hole in the revenues that are used by the same states to fund their programs. when wealthy individuals and families leave our states because they've been incentivized to leave because of the los of the salt deduction, it is middle class and low income people who are left behind to hold the bag. because of the gap in revenues they'll either face higher taxes which is unacceptable or unsustainable or reduce services which is unlikely. fourth, the salt cap is an anti--- is anti-union because one of the main reasons that taxes are higher in salt states is because we pay our teachers, our public safety and our civil servants significantly higher

wages than our low tax competitive states. five, many states with high state and local taxes that have been negatively affected by the salt cape are net donors to the federal government. that is, these states contribute more to the federal government in income taxes than they receive in federal programs and contracts. they are donor states. why are the taxes higher in new york and california and other salt states? and why are the taxes low for the florida and texas and other low tax states? the reason for our higher taxes is because we ensure -- we insure our children. new york state and california have some of the lowest rates of uninsured children in the nation while texas and florida have some of the highest rates of uninsured children in our country. we adopted the affordable care act and they refused to. our low tax competitors don't like union, they a pose them, they have right to work law, they don't pay their teachers well.

in states like new york we have one of the greatest mass transit systems in the world, delivers the lowest carbon footprint in the world. in california they've been implementing policies to address climate change for decades. in low tax states they have no mazz trance it to speak of and are still debating with climate change is a hoax. secretary yellen said we need to stop the international race to the bottom by creating a global minimum corporate tax. well, we need to discourage a race to the bottom right here in the united states of america. it's cheaper not to insure your children. it's cheaper to use nonunion labor. it's cheaper to have lax environmental regulations and to have utilities that shut down in cold weather or septic tanks instead of sewers that cause red tide. each state, each laboratory of democracy, has decided how they want to govern, what services they want to provide and what taxes they want to collect.

by removing the salt deduction, the first deduction in the federal income tax code, a deduction that's been in place for over 100 year, by stopping this deduction we're crippling the states that are the economic engines of our nation. by capping the salt deduction the long arm of the federal government is reaching into our states and local governments to try and determine what programs they should provide, how much they should collect in taxes and they're breaching the covenant of federalism that's been in place for over 100 years. that's why tomorrow we'll be holding a press conference with the u.s. conference of mayors, the national league of cities, and the national association of counties, to showcase how the salt cap is devastating our local governments. last week, we held a press conference with unions to show how they're negatively impacted by the salt cap. that's why tonight so many of my colleagues are here to gin me in our call to repeal the unfair and unjust salt cap. now i will yield to my friend from california who has taken a leadership role from the other side of the aisle, ms. young

kim, to talk to us about salt. mrs. kim: thank you. i want to thank my friend, representative suozzi of new york, for yielding. i want to thank you for working with me in a bipartisan push to repool the cap on salt deductions that is hurting american workers and families. californians in the 39th district which i represent and across our state have been burdened enough by high state and local taxes in addition to high cost of living and housing. the last thing they need is to be hurt even more for these high state and local taxes at the federal level. i've heard from many of my constituents about the burdensome taxes that they have to pay as a result of the salt cap. these are workers, business owners and families who are struggling to survive due to the covid-19 pandemic. it is estimated that in the year 2022 tax year, california's 39th

district will pay on average $600 million more in taxes. in 2018 alone, californians paid an additional $11.2 billion in federal taxes because of the salt cap. that translated into 55,000 fewer jobs and a loss of $3.4 billion in wages. assuming a middle of the road rate of 25%, an average taxpayer who claims itemized deductions would have saved 6 -- $6,521 in taxes if the salt deduction were not capped at $10,000. these high tax rates are on top of the skyrocketing housing prices across the state. in fact, according to the national association of realtors, the median price for a single family home in california has increased by more than 39% in the past year alone.

surfacing that $800,000 threshold for the first time in april of this year. that's why it's a top priority of mine in congress to make life more affordable for californians and repeal the salt cap that is hurting my constituents and many middle class americans across the nation. i was proud to join my friend, representative suozzi, as an original co-sponsor of the salt deductibility act. this bill would simply repeal the cap on salt deductions and send a message. no more to burdensome taxes and yes to our families keeping more money in their hands. i'm also proud to serve as a co-chair of the bipartisan salt caucus as we continue to work together to repeal this cap and help lower taxes for my constituents and businesses. and i will continue to do all i can to deliver results for california's 39th district.

thank you, representative suozzi, for organizing this special order, and for your leadership to repeal the salt cap. with that, i yield back the balance of my time back to you. mr. suozzi: thank you so much. we appreciate you being here this evening. you've been hearing about the salt cap and the affect on your constituents. have they been talking to you about this a great deal? mrs. kim: yes, on a regular basis. we've had town halls and we've had regular meetings throughout my business round table discussions and they've brought this issue up over and over. swozzswozz are people talking about -- swawsswaws are people talking about leaving the -- mr. suozzi: are people talking about leaving the region? mrs. kim: we've had many thousands of californians leaving to other states like in texas. and i have to literally go over there to meet my friends and listen to these problems. so, yes, this is a major issue and i will continue to swork with -- work with you to repeal the salt cap. mr. suozzi: thank you, congress wop. at this time i'd like to --

congresswoman. at this time i'd like to to recognize my friend from new jersey, who has been outspoken ever since 2017 on this issue. we're grateful to him. i'd now like to yield four minutes to mr. pascrell from new jersey. mr. pascrell: thank you, mr. suozzi. when talking about the salt deduction, we're not griping about something that came about yesterday. the salt deduction goes back to the civil war. we're talking about 150 years of history when president lincoln had to fund a brand new army, to crush the traitor states in the south. so we must use the 150-year history as a baseline for our tax policy when discussing reform. it's not low-hanging fruit. as it was in 2017. when they looked for the money

for the false tax cuts and they got slammed out of office in 2018. go to the facts. abe knew what he was doing. how it took money away from the states. they couldn't build hospitals. they couldn't build schools. they couldn't build roads. he knew what he was doing. the states needed money too. republicans targeted blue states. they bragged about it. i couldn't believe it. i couldn't believe my ears. when i heard them on the floor of the house openly admitting, they made no qualms about it. they targeted these blue states when passing their 2017 tax scam. talk about a hoax. they bragged about it.

its motivations alone are disqualifying. but its impacts are worse. salt was a lifeline to the middle class. despite half truths and outright falsehoods, salt is about the middle class and if they can't stand up for the middle class, you shouldn't be here. in 2017, 42% of new jersey taxpayers, nearly two million people, deducted their state and local tax, averaging over $19,000 per household. that's a $9,000 increase in taxes. those phonies did it. that's why they got smashed in 2018. more than 81% of those who deducted salt learned less than $200,000.

naysayers claim this deduction only benefits the well-off. do not recognize the cost of living in our states. the same people that voted for the tax cuts that helped the 1%, the 1.5%, they felt badly about that, rich people. who one clown went to jail in new york state, before -- he said we had to take care of our donors. he said it. i didn't. i mean, he didn't go to jail for saying that. he played the stops. middle income in emergency is not the same as oklahoma or south dakota. housing, food, child care, transportation costs are much lower there. our middle class taxpayers are the pack mules of the u.s. tax system. and as one of our brothers from new jersey would say, we are tired of being the lackeys for

these other states. look who's paying federal taxes. our middle class taxpayers will no longer sit idly by. this cap dumped even more weight on the backs of my constituents in my district, the ninth district of new jersey. i appreciate the growing recognition relief is needed. senator sanders' budget draft is an important step in the right direction but we have to think big. we demand relief now for our states and our middle class constituents. they are the backbone of biden's administration's coalition. just last week we stood shoulder to shoulder with working class firefighters, police officers and teachers who support our salt demands. our urgency is absolute. we won't allow our neighbors' pain to be taken for granted. i will close with just four words. no salt, no deals.

and i will close that abraham lincoln, one of the greatest presidents in the history of the country, a true patriot, he stood behind the middle class. he knew what the states went through. this is the oldest deduction on the books. and they've criminalized it. and if anything i've reported here is not right, i hope they stand up and say that's not right. i got the other facts here. what other facts are you talking about? mr. suozzi: thank you very much, mr. pascrell. i want to mention that you served as the mayor of your hometown. mr. pascrell: yes, i did. mr. suozzi: you talk about president lincoln, and when the federal tax code was first adopted, the idea was that we didn't want the federal government stopping local governments and state governments from being the laboratories of democracy. mr. pascrell: a fact of life, yes.

mr. suozzi: so they put a deduction in place for state and local taxes so state and local governments could govern the way they wished. mr. pascrell: and they could build their hospitals and the churches and -- rather -- the schools and the roads. where were they going to get the money if the federal government took all the money to fight the war? mr. suozzi: i know you've always been a strong proponent for law enforcement, for the firefighters and the public safety sofingses and they're very dramatically negatively affected by this. mr. pascrell: and many of the first responders come out and supported this bill last week. mr. suozzi: thank you very much, mr. pascrell. i would now like to introduce a very good friend and someone who is leader not just on this issue but in congress, the congresswoman from the state of california, anna eshoo. esch esch -- we're going to yield three minutes to you at this time. ms. eshoo: i thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. and certainly for your wonderful leadership on this issue.

anyone that's tuned in this evening from across the country is hearing a lot of passion spilling over at the podium here. and for very good reason. in 2017, despite the opposition of every single democrat in the united states house of representatives, and some republicans, congress passed the tax law that bulldozed the state and local tax deductibility. this hurts a lot of people. now, that was a -- close to a $5 trillion package. so why was this bulldozed? they went through the tax code looking for things that were deductible, to lower the price tag of a highly inequitable tax package.

and the salt deduction, as it's known, was then capped at $10,000 for both individuals and then for married couples filing jointly. i viewed this then as i do today. as an assault on the middle class of our country. and it was one of the main reasons that i voted against the 2017 tax law. now, i think that if you ask the question of 435 members of the house, do you support the middle class, they'd all say yes. but the record shows something else. we know that everyone aspires to get into the middlele class and we know that -- middle class and we know that the middle class, as my father always used to say, is made up of extraordinary, ordinary people that are the backbone of this country.

and that's why this policy is so wrong. and it's so hurtful. this is a very important deduction for the middle class. middle class, you file long term, you have four areas that you can deduct. mortgage interest deduction, charitable contributions, health care expenses, and state and local taxes and they wiped that out. now, you tell me whether that's fair or not. i don't think so. and i don't think people across the country do either. capping the salt deduction affects nearly 200,000 families in my congressional district. i'm not talking about the whole state of california. i'm talking about california's 18th congressional district. and it's raised taxes on over a million households in the state of california. and prior to this harmful cap,

my constituents, hold on to your seat, hold on to your hats, deducted an average of $63,083 in state and local taxes. wiped it out. may i have another minute? thank you. sir, my friend. so, some have unfairly, i think, maligned the salt deduction as a benefiter of the wealthy. i think it's an essential deduction for taxpayers in high-cost, high-tax states like california. and that's been spoken to earlier. that's a very important legitimate case to be made. in the bay area, the beautiful bay area of california, northern california, the cost of living is really very eblings pensive. and it keeps -- expensive. and it keeps going up. and it's so high that the economic policy institute estimates that a family of four

needs to earn more than $100,000 to earn a modest but adequate standard of living. it's simply a fact. so prior to the law, more than three million households in california with an income of less than that that annually claimed this deduction. as did nearly 1/3 of taxpayers nationwide. . we can, each one of us, outline why this is wrong, why the deductibility needs to be restored. congress needs to reform our tax code. and when we do, so should the restoration of this deductibility be restored? why? because middle class is the backbone of america. we should not be assaulting them but assisting them. i thank the gentleman for

leading this effort this evening. it's a worthy one. swawsswaws i thank the -- >> i thank the gentlewoman and i would like to introduce the gentleman and now he wants to tell us how salt is affecting his district. >> madam speaker, covid really devastated my community but salt landed a devastating punch. and this you issue, this issue is about proud californians that pay more of their fair share of federal taxes. and other states like california. california today is still the largest state in the united states in terms of population

and economic activity. and for years and years, california has been a net donor state to to the united states. let me repeat, for years and years, california has paid more federal dollars than it gets back from the federal government. we in california, we work hard. we live in a state that generates tremendous economic and we have a high cost of living. we pay more than our fair share of taxes proudly. we pay our taxes proudly. i ask why does the federal government not being fair to states like california? why do we have a law that ash temporarily caps our state and local taxes on our federal taxes? this salt cap hurts.

it hurts our friends and neighbors and middle class families in california. in my state, the used house, middle house is close to $80000. why would we make it more difficult, more expensive for a middle class family to buy a home. i say to all of you, both sides of the aisle, let's be fair and be equitable to the middle class. join me in thanking states like california for paying more than their fair share of federal taxes. join me in eliminating the salt cam -- cap. and i say no salt, nor deal. i yield.

swawsswaws we hear a home -- and they think that person must be rich and don't seem to understand in my state and your state, those are middle class home values. the country is not the same all off. if you make $150,000 and top 20% . if you make $150,000 in your district you are not a rich person. if you are making that in oklahoma, you have to recognize those differences. and you pointed out so clearly that we are, in fact our state and net donors. >> we pay more than our fair share of federal taxes year after year.

>> i travel now to new jersey, someone who served in the u.s. military, a navy helicopter pilot who has been one of the fiercest advocates, congressman sherrill. ms. sherrill: i'm proud to be rising alongside to declare that the time has come to finally address the state and local tax deduction cap where families have been slapped with this in four long years. we pride making investments necessary to sustain our top tire public schools and support ar prevailing wage our. that's why families stay for generations. when the salt deduction when the

trump tax bill was instituted, our ability was threatened. the salt deduction cap impacts families made up of teachers, first responders and public servants. for my constituents, the bottom line is you don't have to be a millionaire to be impacted by salt. it has impossibled a double tax and created a marriage penalty. with the cap in place, they are cutting pack on education and prevailing wages, infrastructure, environmental probings and services for seniors. the federal government decided to tax new jersey families twice. more money is going to the federal government instead of

being invested. the result will be less spending over time which would be a detriment to ensuring our economy works for everyone. i have been fighting to repeal the salt deduction cap and i i feel confident that they understand this issue and why we repeal it, because of the work and members of the speaking here. we need to keep it up. now is the time to deliver relief for families across new jersey who are impacted by this harmful double tax. last week, i declared the summer assault to make it clear, we will do everything to make it happen. there isn't another option for

new jersey families. >> you mentioned in your remarks about this being a double tax, can you tell us about that? >> people in my district funds and new jersey has the best public school system. types of things like that, and now the federal government is taxing that money and getting taxed twice in new jersey who put downward pressure. >> you are getting taxed on the taxes you already paid. a family that is paying $20,000 between property taxes and income taxes and leaves them with $80,000. and in a although-tax state and only pay $5,000, they have

$95,000 and being taxed the same at the federal level. >> not able to deduct that. >> i go to congressman michelle steel from california who is being acustody by her constituents. mrs. steel: you are leading this tax matter and very important. taxpayers in california, 48th congressional district, which i'm proud to represent were responsible for 14.9% of all salt deductions in 2019. the loss in my district was $ 28,000 382. in orange county where we pay some of the highest taxes in the

country, this cap takes more money from hardworking families. there are great and making the corporate tax rate more on par with other nations. but it also chose winners and losers. and unform those high cost of living states like new york and california are paying the price. this is a bipartisan issue because we know how much this affects hardworking families. i do think we can make progress on this, but not at the cost of raising taxes or american businesses, especially at a time when we are working to rebuild our local economies and get our businesses back open. this is a bipartisan issue. we can't muddy the water by

adding to legislation that will pass on party line only. i don't want to see additional tax gimmicks come before congress. i want the deduction back on the table. i am proud to support the legislation that will repeal the salt cap, one bill by my mike garcia and the other one by new york congressman thomas swawsy. our -- it be longs to them and not the federal government. i'm proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to continue calling for a repeal of the salt cap. i yield back my remaining time to the congressman. approximately >> thank you for speaking out.

at this time, i would like to go to the state of illinois where my good friend who serves on the ways and means committee on is one of the brightest minds in congress who wants to speak to us about the salt deduction and its effect on his district. >> i'm grateful for holding this and in particular on our efforts to repeal the onerous cap on the salt deduction. mr. schneider: they capped the cap at $10,000. the deduction was bad policy. it raised the tax deduction for small business owners. in the 10th district, 42% of families rely on the sament

deduction. one in three taxpayers rely on the salt deduction and this deduction is not a tax break on the wealthy. 85% of those who file are middle income, individuals and families. i have heard from constituents and they want to move out of illinois because their taxes are too expense i have. our schools, our parks and public places, communities that make a difference and a great place to raise and someone would not live in the 10th district because of an unfair decision to punish states. the salt cap makes it harder to go provide it harder for police and fire and libraries and public health. these services are the back

bones of our community. the pandemic has strained our budgets. finally, it is no accident which states are affected. these are the states. illinois, new york, new jersey, california. these states have made the decision to invest in their communities, to invest in their people. they have invested in their children, their schools, their infrastructure. we should not be double taxed because we have decided we want to continue to pay to make our community stronger. this is a decision about fairness. a federal tax on income already paid to state and local governments is double taxation. we have the responsibility to stand up for our families, small businesses and we feed a tax

system that is fair and gives our children the future we want them to have and reinstate the full salt deduction and reduce the tax burdenen. and i yield back to the congressman. >> you hit on the top ig of fairness and many of our states and local governments have relied on this deduction for literally 100 years and was taken away for 2017. can you touch on fairness one more time. . . >> in 2017 the decision of the republicans was to specifically attack these states, these blue states, like illinois and new york. and it is unfair to these communities that are investing in schools, investing in public services, fire departments,

police departments. mr. schneider: making the decision to responsibly pay for them and then have their residents told they have to pay a second time with the federal tax. to add on top of that, these are the states, like new york and illinois, who pay more to the federal government than they get back. so not only are we getting double tad, -- double taxed, we have a burden of subsidizing the states that are attacking us now. so this is absolutely unfair. it's unfair to the states but more importantly it's unfair to the family it's we represent -- families we represent. mr. suozzi: thank you, congressman. it gals me sometimes when i hear people boast -- golf balls me sometimes when i hear people talking -- galls me sometimes when i hear people talking about leaving their state. so thank you so much for your leadership on this this issue. we're very thankful to you. at this time i'd like to to bring forward one of the most progressive members of the united states congress, also one of the greatest intellects who is -- has been so passionate about this issue and has some very interesting things to share

with us. the congresswoman from california, katie porter. ms. porter: thank you very much. i'm here today to champion tax fairness for every american across the country, across the party, across parties, and across the aisle. we are here tonight to talk about what does it mean to have a fair tax system. since coming to congress, i have repeatedly heard from my constituents about how the trump tax bill doubled the taxes they owe due to an arbitrary cap on allowable state and local tax deductions, often called salt. in the last year, before this arbitrary $10,000 cap was imposed, nearly two in five taxpayers in my district claimed the salt deduction. and their average deduction was $22,000 per household. they were paying $-- an average

of $22,000 in state and local taxes. capping the salt deduction created double taxation on those families and it penalized millions of middle class families, republicans, democrats and independents alike, based solely on the state where they live. it is an unfair federal tax system to penalize people based solely on their state of residence. and yet that is what this arbitrary salt tax cap does. given the rising costs of housing, prescription drugs, college, child care, every dollar counts. -- counts for american families and families in orange county. and this is so especially true after a year of financial hardship during which millions of families across the country are struggling to stay afloat. i urge my colleagues across the

country and across the aisle to restore the state and local tax deduction, to create a fairer tax system for every american. mr. suozzi: i ask you, please go into it a little bit further. about this concept of double taxation. we've heard it several times here tonight. just explain what you mean by double taxation. ms. porter: so the basic principle of an income tax is that you are taxed on the money that you have available to purchase things, to purchase goods and services. to invest. to save. you are taxed on that. that's what a progressive system of taxation means. when you are having taxes take be out of your paycheck or you -- taken out of your paycheck or you owe taxes to your state and local government, you do not have that income left over. so let's use an example. if someone earns $100,000 and they pay, as is typical in my

district, $20,000 in state and local tax, that is not optional. they must pay that $20,000 under the law. what they have left to provide for their family, to save for college, to pay for housing, to do other things, is $80,000. that is the amount that the federal -- that's the amount of income that the federal government should tax. what this salt cap does is say to the family earning $100,000, you can only deduct $10,000, a completely arbitrary number, and what that does is say to a family that only has $80,000 left, they had to pay the county and the city and for fire services and school services and they pay that money because they're proud of their community and they want our communities to thrive, but then they are taxed

as if they have $90,000 available to them. but they don't. they only have $80,000. so this whole idea of capping the state and local tax deduction is completely contrary to the entire basic theory of an income tax. which is you pay tax on your available income. and if you owe money to the state and county government, whether it's for property tax or state or city taxes, you do not have that money left. and in effect these families are being asked to pay money and find money that they do not have relative to their piers in other parts -- peers in other parts of the country and that's simply an unfair tax system. mr. suozzi: it's very important you what point out. that this is a mandatory payment. this is not your spending the money -- you're spending the money to go on vacation, you're not spending the money to go out to dinner. you're not building an addition onto your home. this is a mandatory expense that you must pay to, as you said,

your county, your village, your state, that is no longer available for you -- to you. and in other states where the overall income is exactly the same, but the mandatory taking is much smaller, the tax bill is not as burdensome. ms. porter: that's right. so the state and local tax deduction is really about saying that two families trying in two different states, trying to support themselves on the identical amount of income ought to owe the same amount of federal tax. that's what we're here to champion today. and i'm proud to be doing it with colleagues from across the country and across the aisle. thank you so much. mr. suozzi: congresswoman, i want to thank you so much for being here. we've had some republicans across the aisle here tonight, we've had some moderate democrats here tonight. and we have progressive democrats such as yourself here. and i think it's important that we point out that actually the salt deduction is in keeping with progressive policy, because it supports those states that

want to promote progressive policies within their states. ms. porter: that's right. cities and counties depend on the resources from state and local taxes to be able to pay for schools, to do a good job educating every single child, to make investments in roads and bridges, to pay first responders fair wages for putting their lives on the line to protect us. these are the kinds of policies that progressives champion. and we cannot ask our cities and our states and, most importantly, our fellow americans to make those kinds of investments at the city, county, village, local level and then have the federal government treat them unfairly solely because they are trying to do right by each other and their community. mr. suozzi: thank you so much. we appreciate you being here this evening to talk about. this i now want to go back across to the other -- about this. i now want to go back across to the other side of the country, one of my neighbors and friends from the state of new jersey, he serves as the chair of the

problem solvers cause -- caucus, he's been one of the strongest advocates for the reinstatement of the salt deduction and the repeal of the salt cap. my good friend, congressman josh gottheimer. mr. gottheimer: thank you so much, mr. suozzi. and, madam speaker, we're here today representing tens of thousands of middle class families like those back in my home district in northern new jersey who got whacked when the 2017 tax hike bill, which gutted our state and local tax deduction with a disastrous $10,000 cap. it's high time that congress and the rest of the country heard just how badly these hardworking families had been hurt by the salt cap. it is something i know we heard about a lot tonight and i really want to thank my dear friend, tom suozzi, for his excellent leadership on this issue. you know, the usual naysayers continue to try to honor -- undermine our efforts to reinstate sustainable tax deduction or salt by claiming it's just a giveaway to

wealthier americans. but anyone who actually lives in my district in northern new jersey knows that a $10,000 cap has hit middle class families hard, many of whom were already struggling with high costs. it's also -- also caused residents and jobs to leave our state. and it's threatening our best in class schools, teachers, law enforcement, firefighters and our state services for hard-pressed families. the cap on the deduction does not impact the highest earners. it's increased taxes on scores of middle class families and it's a very important point to understand because in bergen county, the largest county i represent, for instance, before the cap was put in place, the average salt deduction was above $24,000 a year. put another way, a married couple in bergen county, a teacher and law enforcement officer making a typical salary could have had a salt deduction of more than $17,000. according to reporting from new jersey star ledger, if we

reinstated the state level tax deduction, nearly 1/3 of new jersey's residents, almost three million people, would get tax relief. yep, they'd get a tax cut that they so desspreatly need. as many as 8 to% of them have incomes -- 80% of them have income of $260,000 or less. that's a firefighter and a teacher. that's hardly the 1%, especially in a high-cost of living area like new jersey. i know the same thing is true of california, like we heard about from katie porter, or tom suozzi's district in new york. we know that when taxes go up, it leads to an exodus of middle class and higher earners from states like ours. in fact, according to the united van lines, ever since the salt cap, new jersey's been the number one outmigration state in the entire country. new jersey's losing its highest earners. and the disproportionate taxes they pay. to states like florida, north carolina, and texas. that has only been exacerbated during the pandemic. the salt cap is literally draining the tax base out of states like jersey that offer far better schools and government-supported services to

middle and lower-income families than our counterparts in other parts of the nation. for instance, i mentioned $15,000 median property tax in bergen county in new jersey, you go to mississippi and they're median property tax is $550 a year. "the new york times" editorial board even once reiterated this point that i'm trying to make where we have good services for hard-pressed families in states like mine, and of course other states that i mentioned like mississippi or alabama, they don't have the resources to offer those kind of services. so "the new york times" editorial board made this point when they said that states like new jersey and new york, quote, generally do a better job of providing for health and welfare of their citizens and are more willing to pay for institutions that are good for society as a whole. right? this is the difference between states like ours and moocher states like mississippi and alabama that tend not to give back to the people they represent. thankfully there is real bipartisan work taking place here in congress to reinstate the salt deduction.

to get more money back in the pockets of jersey middle class families, and to help stop residents from moving out and eroding our state's tax base. along with congressman suozzi, i introduced the salt deductibility act, a bipartisan bill to fully restore the deduction. the salt caucus with congressman bass cell, we are working -- pascrell, we are working in a bipartisan way with more than 30 members to find a way to get this done and to get tax relief for the middle class families we represent. i'm very proud to co-chair that bipartisan caucus. this tax cut of reinstating salt can be a win-win for everyone. let's get the salt deduction fully reinstated so that millions of americans and families nationwide can finally get some relief. working together in a bipartisan way i believe we really can get this done so that our best days are always ahead of us. thank you and i yield back my time to mr. suozzi. mr. suozzi: congressman gottheimer, thank you so much for pointing out all those important points. i want to go back to one thing

that you've mentioned here tonight. we've heard from senator mcconnell and from others the concept of a blue state bailout. the idea that this is some sort of advantage, the salt deduction is some sort of advantage for blue states. but you talked about how your state is actually a net donor to the federal government. can you tell us a little bit more about that? mr. gottheimer: i'd be happy to. one of the biggest challenges that people don't realize of states like new jersey and new york and connecticut and california is how much we pay into the federal government from our -- that our taxpayers pay, and historically how we get back less in return than some of the other states in the country do like mississippi, for every $1 they send to the federal government, gets $4.38 back. alabama, i believe $4.32 back. the state of louisiana starts their budget every year with half coming from the federal government. states like jersey, we get back $6 -- 67 cents on the dollar.

that means that we pay lots of money to washington and people like me are fighting to claw more back to jersey but we know that other states benefit more. when the tax -- when the tax hike bill passed in 2017, and the red states gutted the state level tax deduction and capping it at $10,000, what they did was shift actually even more of the tax burden over to blue states like ours and the red states benefited even more. . it reit rates the importance of ry instating the tax deduction. not only because it has been around since 1913 or before for exactly this purpose, but it's because we recognize that some states pay more than others and we have to find wades to balance it out. and we will lose people to

states like florida and other red states and it's why we it is so important to make sure they can afford to live in our states and have a tax base and have great schools, firefighters and others. >> we are grateful to you pointing that out. in my case in the state of new york, new york has sent $150 billion than they received in federal services whereas mitch mcconnell's state, in the same period rgs they received $150 billion services more in services. we are grateful for you. >> madam speaker, we appreciate the time we have had here tonight to make these different

points and this is about fairness. it's not fair. it's not fair that the state and local tax deduction has been in place for over 100 years and state and local governments have relied on this deduction in order to fund the programs we have. it's not fair that people are being taxed on taxes they have already been paid. and not fair that the taxes that are being paid in these states are not longer deductible on people's tax returns. it's not fair on relying on this deduction that it is no longer in place. my colleagues have been boasting about people leaving my state and going to their state and we are subsidizing those very states. this is a battle that will continue hopefully over the next few months and we will build a coalition of democrats and

republicans who recognize that this fairness has to be addressed and restore this for the residents of my state and people of america that are relying on basic fairness. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy, the gentleman from arkansas, mr. hill, is recognized as the designee of the minority leader. mr. hill: i rise in support of strong national security policies the remain in mexico and immigration law and the key miles of fencing and technology that protects our southwest border, policies, that president biden removed on his first day

in office without any plan to replace them. president biden and the democrats and the senate supported ending those trum-era policies. those policies were working to stem the flow of illegal immigration and the result, fewer political theater because those were trump policies and while they were working, president biden stopped them. now president biden apointed vice president harris to be the border czar and one would think she would replace those policies that were working under the administration and president biden. not only did she not present solutions to the hundreds of

thousands of immigrants, but she has refused to visit the border for nearly 100 days. she laughed at the idea of visiting the border comparing it to taking a trip to europe. after cries from the american people and she did agree to take a trip to the border. now madam speaker, i have been to the border seven times, more recently in april and i traveled to the rio grande sector and the conditions i found there were worse than i have seen there in my previous trips. the cartels in mexico, the drug cartels in mexico nade $400 million in nebraska alone in human trafficking.

think about that, $400 million in one month by charging to traffic hundreds of thousands of people. some innocent, some not. and drugs and human trafficking challenges are just part of the crisis at the border. because when border control and they are working on the elements of this crisis, drugs are coming across the border and criminals are coming across the border. we have interdicted in the first six months of this year, enough fentanyl to kill 500 million -- i mean kill all americans. it's shocking that we have sbrl difficulted that it could kill everyone in this country because only the amount in a sweet and low pakistan, madam speaker,

that much could kill 500 million americans. the vice president chose to visit el paso. el paso is nearly 1,000 miles west of the rio grande valley where this crisis has its epicenter. if she went to the center and holding cam presidents struggling -- so regardless of who designed the policies, the biden administration should be for stronger national security policies. but the bidin border crisis is out of control and go to go take more than a visit to el paso to fix it. i encourage the administration

to come to the house and implement strong national security borders and reform our broken illegal broken immigration system. i rise today to announce that the congressional task force on americans wrongfully detained has been by ted deutch. to form this task force was a former resident of arkansas who is traveling to where he was wrongfully detained and held in syria every since. i'm dedicated to bring him home safely. having a loved one being detained is unimaginable and heartbreaking for any family. we created this task force not

to to help these families but a resource as there are over 50 families in america who are struggling with a member of their family held abroad and we want to help their constituents rm cope with this issue. every channel should be working to bring these americans home and to diss incentivize the wrongful detention by state actors or nonstate actors. i'm committed to bringing him home and we are using this task force to bring americans home into the arms of their loved once. a century ago, the chinese communeest took control.

the chinese communist party marks this month a century since the descent into author torian anymore. as they used violence to impose its will during the chinese civil war and uses that threat of violence to crush any dissent. we saw this last summer when the c.c.p. silenced the voices of hong kong and marching troops to stop demon strayings for freedom. beijing has ignored the terms of its treaty with the united kingdom and ignored hong kong's legislature and arresting activists and lawmakers and crushing a long history of oppressed freedom with the

recent closing of apple. and one million uyghurs have been for reeducation and families have been straight separated and lives destroyed in the name of the mag knife sent chinese communityist property. the respect for human rights. and continued suffering of the uighurs, the citizens of hong kong and speech, privacy and religious pleff are trampled by the chinese communist party. there is no celebration here on the house floor. the american people stand with the hard-working people of china, the congress of the united states standards with the hard-working people of china and

we will advocate of people of freedom, assembly, pleff and press in china. madam speaker, i rise in recognition of the dedication of the members of the f.b.i. in seizing 2.3 million from the hacker group responsible for the colonial pipeline ransomware attack. they paid the hackers ran some and with the money lost forever due to bit coin encryption, they recovered more than half. i'm proud to recognize the f.b.i. conducted 800 arrests thanks to an app due to a sting operation on international

crime. just as encrypted have become pervasive and how it operates on a criminal scale, ransomware is on the vulnerable of our businesses and strurk often with little hope, recovery or justice. i applaud the methods of the investigating agents and encourage their efforts to ensure the safety in our digit age. madam speaker, i rise in support of my resolution, h. res. 117 which calls on the egyptian government to end impunity on attacks of christians and undertake the arrest, prosecution of individuals who carry out attacks on cops and other individuals. i was on the lead in previous

congresses and i appreciate the support i received from my david cyst sill lynney of rhode island and -- cicilline of rhode island. egypt and the united states are important partners in the fight against. this is led to the closest ties between egypt and israel in their history. and we are grateful for the recent between hamas and the gaza strip and the government of israel. i respect the president and his good relationship with the pope and attended mass. he has had some churches re construction and the largest in the middle east in the new center in egypt.

and president is relentless for holding them. people all around the world regardless of their religious affiliation deserve the practice toll practice their chosen religion. the respect for religious rights is a tenet of american foreign policy. i will continue for all egyptians who together take their water from the nile. . . madam speaker, i rise today to urge all arkansans to check the status of their passports well before traveling. due to backlogs in the state department, passport renewals by mail are taking longer than usual. there's a backlog of up to 10

weeks for their expedited service and 18 weeks for their regular service. this lag in service at the state department is affecting our arkansans wantsing to travel on a mission trip, study abroad or take a family trip in the aftermath of the pandemic. so far my who was has helped 70 people this year receive their passports and we've opened more than 90 cases in the past six months. and this compares to opening cases and receiving passports of only about 200 in the five previous years. so to my friends in arkansas, check your passport prior to your trip and if it's expired, get it renewed as soon as possible. i encourage everyone to stay up to date on passport services and travel advisories and to check local covid-19 protocols, masks, testing, quearnt issues before you travel -- quarantine issues before you travel.

madam speaker, i rise today to encourage all arkansans who are not currently vaccinated for covid-19 to consult with their doctor about getting the covid-19 vaccine. the best way to combat the spread of these covid variants is by receiving the vaccine. as more information and research develops around the delta variant of the coronavirus, i want to ensure arkansans -- ensure that all arkansans stay safe and remain healthy as we prepare for this spread. the only way we can fully reopen our economy and get truly back on our feet is with more people being vacts nated for covid-19 -- vaccinated for covid-19. each f.d.a. conditionally approved vaccine is backed by science and doctors who have worked hard over the past year to develop, manufacture and distribute these critical vaccines. so work with your physician,

help protect your family and the arkansas community by getting a vaccine shot soon. madam speaker, i rise today to recognize that june is great outdoors month. and recognize the great conservation work of my colleagues in arkansas, in the governor's office and at the arkansas department of parks and tourism. as a life-long outdoorsman living in the natural state, i have a lot of pride in recognizing june as the great outdoors month. for nine generations my family has lived in arkansas and enjoyed the extraordinary natural beauty throughout our state. i agree with many of the earliest conservationists that in protecting our wildlife and our wild places, that can be done through reasonable and realistic means. and i'm proud to continue my work in central arkansas. just last week i joined the governor and secretary of parks

and tourism in announcing the new office of outdoor reak reaction and the addition of a great new -- -- outdoor recreation and the addition of a great new outdoor space, just west of rattlesnake ridge. blue mountain will be a new opportunity for hiking, mountain biking and enjoying the extraordinary view of a lake from nature conservancy and the arkansas department of heritage's latest partnership to expand outdoor recreation. in the same announcement, the governor announced that our parks and tourism department would work with the washitaw national forest and open up lake sylvia recreational area and the old camp to year-round participation by arkansas ans. this is a great partnership -- arkansans. this is a great partnership. between the federal and state

government to offer more outdoor recreational opportunities for our families to enjoy in the natural state. madam speaker, i rise to bring awareness to the difficulty for many to obtain a critical document for our veterans. that's their form, dd-214. you can't do anything as a veteran without a copy of your dd-214. this paperwork is required to verify for our service members their benefits, how to obtain a disability claim, funeral service, research about lost medals. we need a copy of your dd-214. well, the pandemic has not been good for this need for the millions of veterans in our country. the national personnel record center shut down and as we come out of the pandemic, when our veterans need these resources, they're still terribly, terribly behind. despite congress appropriating

more money. it's critical that the national personnel record center go digital so that we can properly verify these service members and give better service for those who have served their country in such a valuable way. it should not be difficult for our veterans to get their dd-214 to pursue their benefits or a claim or health care at our veterans administration. it shouldn't be a burden to a spouse, to a family of a fallen veteran to have the proper paperwork, to have a proper funeral. so i urge my colleagues to join me and continue to press the national archives to improve their service for these bravest men and women and their families. madam speaker, i rise today to recognize the accomplishments and retirement of catholic high school teacher and long-time friend, mr. steve wells.

mr. wells has been teaching at catholic high school in little rock, arkansas, for 38 years. his decision to end his long service at the school, having graduated there in 1973, is recognized by many as the end of an era at c.h.s. steve's a native of north little rock and came back to the school as a substitute english teacher in 1983. the teacher for which he was substituting never returned and steve wells has been teaching there ever since. when you walk in to our beloved catholic high, there's a quote that's above the front door. it says, come, boys, so that you may become men. mr. wells just did exactly that. and he served as a teacher and role model for generations of students throughout the years.

i congratulate my friend, steve wells, on a dedicated career of helping boys become men and wish him the very best in his retirement. today, madam speaker, i rise in honor of women's armed services integration act. i was proud to recognize the more than 20,000 women veterans in arkansas. women that have been serving in the military in different capacities for more than a century. women like deborah sampson who fought in the revolutionary war. and loretta walsh, america's first official enlisted woman of any service. they pioneered the way for women to serve in the united states armed forces. and with more women serving now than ever before, at any time in our history, actions being taken to continue to build a positive environment for women in the armed services. further, our veterans administration continues its

efforts to enhance families, facilities and services for our growing number of female veterans in arkansas. i thank the women of our armed services for their dedication and service to our country. madam speaker, i rise today to recognize four incredible young women on the clinton, arkansas, future farmers of america team. together gracie lee, alisa huey, randy and catherine mills made history by being the first all-female team to win not one, but two state competitions in electricity. due to the pandemic, the team was allowed to compete in the state contest a second time, making them back-to-back state champions in electricity. this team serves as a great example to all the young arkansans that are committed to

working hard and being pioneers in their fields. i applaud them for their diligence and determination. this team demonstrated that great dedication, and i'm incredibly proud to represent these history-making young women and young arkansas ans in central -- arkansans in central arkansas. madam speaker, i rise today to recognize the determination of little rock nativ melvin williams. a terrible and unfortunate injury in high school ended his football dreams. his grades slipped, and melvin dropped out of school. years later, melvin had earned his high school diploma through a program at goodwill industries. the excel center at goodwill is a fully accredited and cost-free public high school in little rock for adults 19 and older. not only is mr. williams now

working toward a business degree at the university of arkansas, pulaski tech, he's one of goodwill's newest employees. he's in charge of recruitment and retention at goodwill. goodwill industries of arkansas c.e.o. brian marsh says melvin is exactly who we need for this role. i'd like it congratulate melvin on his accomplishments and for being a wonderful representative for goodwill industries. madam speaker, i rise today to congratulate ms. ellie freely on being a resilient of the congressional award gold medal. the congressional award gold medal requires the recipient to complete a minimum of 400 hours, excuse me, 400 hours of volunteer service, 200 hours of personal development, and 200 hours of physical fitness and

five days of exploration or expedition. ms. freele cites the most challenging obstacle in completing the requirements of being a gold medalist as her five-day wilderness expedition. due to restrictions from the pandemic, ellis had to make adjustments that taught her patience and flexibility. she serves as a wonderful asset to her hometown of bryant, arkansas, her college campus at the university of arkansas, and to arkansas' second congressional district. madam speaker, i rise today to recognize the finalist from central arkansas in the fifth annual arkansas state coding competition. and a finalist for the arkansas computer science educator of the year award. the team taking third place at the state coding competition

this year was from east elk high school in my hometown of little rock. the three-person team included lee liegea king, spencer knight -- elijah king, spencer knight and sergio marken. each student received a 529 college savings plan worth $500, in addition to winning $400 for their school. also, a special congratulations to kimberly ralph for being a finalist in the 2021 computer science educator of the year award. she teaches at conaway high school and she received a $2,500 award for being named a finalist. congratulations to these students and to ms. ralph on their awards and a special thank you to the university of arkansas at little rock for hosting this event. it's events like this that allow our central arkansas students to showcase their coding and stem talents, to show the importance of computer science for our

youth. now, madam speaker, i bring birthday greetings to our beloved nation. i rise today to celebrate freedom and independence and democracy right here in the united states. 245 years ago our brave founding fathers gathered together in philadelphia to sign the declaration of independence. and on that hot july, in that stuffy room in philadelphia, they came together to change world history, to change history here in the united states and to open up a lifetime of opportunity for generations of americans yet unborn. and, madam speaker, what amazes me about that time is that small committee of benjamin franklin, thomas jefferson, john adams, thinking through how would we break with great britain, how would america leave great britain? and jefferson was concerned,

madam speaker, in his rough draft he said of great britain and the united states, we might have been a free and great people together. those words are not placed in the final copy of the declaration of independence, but it shows the struggle that the founding fathers had and thomas jefferson had as the principal author of how to make that break with a people they had respect for and a king and the king's policies they despised. we might have been a free and great people together. but think of the momentous feelings they had, the prayers they had every day on their knees for strength to take on the most powerful country in the world, with the most powerful navy and military in the world. when as jefferson said, it

becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another. to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. jefferson, while he didn't include that statement about being partners as a free people going forward, he argued, we have appealed to their -- the british -- native justice and magna anymority, and they were rejected. and so those founders came together, madam speaker, and said in the final closing words of the declaration of independence and think of the bravery here, the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we, the signs of the declaration, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

and they did that for those generations of americans unborn in this great land. so 245 years later, we have proven our reliance -- our resilience and our strength once again. in coming through the pandemic. defeating covid-19. i'm optimistic about the future of our beloved country. while it's been challenging over the last year and a few months, compared to the challenges those founders faced, compared to the challenges this country has faced, many, many times before, we show our strength. we show our true mettle, we pull through as one nation under god, many times before. so on this fourth of july, i invite all americans to celebrate our country's birthday with their friends and family. honor our cherished freedoms.

and may we never forget the sacrifices of those generations before us, in public service, in uniform, on the battlefield, who have sacrificed so much so that we may enjoy those freedoms that we have today. so god bless each of you and god bless our great country and madam speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 4, 2021, the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from new york, ms. tenney, for 30 minutes.

ms. tenney: thank you, madam speaker. i rise before you today to share the heartbreaking stories from americans around the country, including my own district, who were cut off from their loved ones in long-term care facilities during the covid-19 pandemic. for the next several moments in this chamber i'll share harrowing testimonies submitted to my office from these families. essential care workers were prohibited from entering nursing homes, group homes and other long-term care facilities to provide an extra level of care and love which is so desperately needed and desembd by those who call these facilities home. over the past year, long-term care facility residents suffered in isolation. alone, many lost the will to live. many others deteriorated physically and mentally. but we cannot go back in time to fix what has been done.

we can take steps today to prevent this ever happening again. if congress fails to act, we could see thousands more americans die or suffer in isolation again. i've introduced the bipartisan essential caregivers act to fight for the rights of our seniors, our constituents living in group homes with disabilities, and anyone who resides in a long-term care facility. this also includes young children with developmental disabilities. under federal law, residents in long-term care facilities have a right to receive visitors at any time. but during the pandemic this right was curtailed pleat compleethly. many residents, including children with disabilities and seniors, were not aloud access to loved ones who had been caring for them prior to the pandemic. this took a tremendous toll on them. my bipartisan bill address this is issue by striking a commonsense compromise. it implements a new federal standard that will end this indignity. this bill permits each facility

resident to designate up to two essential caregivers who will be provided safe, reasonable and transparent access to residents during any future public health emergency. the essential caregivers act is a compassionate step to ensure the most vulnerable among us never suffer alone again. why is this so important? because essential caregivers aren't just visitors. they are, as the name implies, caregivers who help with activities of daily living and provide emotional support and companionship. this care enriches the lives of residents, enhances their well being, and helps them thrive personally and socially. without it, residents ultimately suffer. this is exactly what we saw in the 15-month lockdown. the importance of the essential caregivers in no way diminishes the critical role facility staff play in resident lives which in

this pandemic was nothing short of heroic. essential caregivers supplement the care provided by facility staff. they are a force multiplier that enhances the ability to have residents to thrive and live their lives fully. importantly, this bill upholds strict safety and health standards to protect residents, staff, and caregivers. any essential caregiver must comply with whatever health standards are put in police by a facility. this includes requirements for testing, p.p.e., and social distancing. in my home state of new york, one of the greatest tragedies of the covid-19 pandemic was the suffering of those living in nurse and group homes. first they suffered because of governor cuomo's policy to return covid positive patients to long-term care facilities. then they suffered by not being able to access the caregivers they depended on for so many years. today, i want to tell their stories. not only those from the

constituents i represent in new york, but also from those around the country who similarly suffered. first, we remember the life of anna martinez. vivian zaos and alex rivera are the co-founders of voices for seniors. their mother is anna martinez who was supposed to undergo a few weeks of physical therapy in west islip, new york, but because of governor cuomo's mandates vivian and alexa were unable to tell their mother good-bye. vivian and alexa have made it their life's mission to to ensure no one else entchires hardship they endured being cut off from their own mother. we remember the life of danielle alvino. tracy is the daughter of daniel. daniel is a veteran and football

fanatic. his family meant the world to him. his laugh was the highlight of all of their holiday parties. in march, 2020, daniel was placed into a rehab facility in a new york nursing home after having neck surgery. under cuomo's nursing home mandate, tracy had no access to her father far significant period of time. daniel fell ill and had to be rushed to a hospital and placed on a ventilator. on april 14, 2020, he passed away at the age of 76. it wasn't until a year later that his family finally held his funeral to commemorate his life that was cut far too short. this evening, we remember mr. elvino. we also remember the life of john daley. john was a husband, father of five, grandfather of nine, an a marine veteran who served on the frontlines in korea. he and his wife mary were together for 63 years until the

day he entered the ger win jewish nursing home and rehabilitation center at the time lockdowns were put in place. he spent 20 days at the facility after being hospitalized with pneumonia. having suffered a minor stroke previously, john had limited use of his left arm and needed assistance. his wife was the one who normally was there to help him in the facility but she was cut off from him completely. she was no longer able to see john and received only infrequent phone calls. once his rehab was over, the family picked him up to find he was no longer able to walk. his condition had deteriorated significantly. in a matter of days, the family had to choose between hospice or fighting for his life. for this life. they chose to fight. sadly, because of the isolation he faced, john was not eating enough to live. john sadly lost his life on may 24, 2020. the family feels strongly that

if his wife had been by his side giving him love and care that he needed, he would be with us today. this evening, we remember john daley. we also remember the life of rosemary abraham. cara abraham conley is the daughter of rosemary. rosemary was admitted to a long-term care facility in september of 2019. before the pandemic, carla was by her mother's side as a caregiver. she took her to lunch, brought her to family dinners and provided help with day-to-day activities. when march, 2020, arrived, carla was cut off from her mother completely. after months of isolation, speaking only over the phone, carla noticed the toll it was having on her mother's health. window visits were brutal and confusing for her mother. carla's mother simply did not understand why carla wasn't allowed in to see her. as they spoke over face time, carla watched her mother deteriorate and only after carla pleaded for someone to care for

her mother she was eventually sent to the emergency room due to poor health. rosemary abraham sadly died seven days later on october 4, 2020. she died from isolation, failure to thrive and neglect. if car ha had been allowed to be in the facility with her mother she would likely be alive today. this evening, we remember rosemary abraham. and remember cara -- carla abraham conley is one of the people who inspired us to put together and draft the essential car givers' act. we also recognize the suffering of susan wilson. robert wilson is married to susan wilson. she's a retired pediatric nurse who suffered a major hemorrhagic stroke that left her paralyzed on the right side. her speech was limited as was her ability to perform daily living activities. she did not get covid nor did she die in a long-term care facility but she's suffered severe damage by the extended

lockdown. for a full seven months she was excluded from seeing her, even though she was in an excellent nursing home, her care and her emotional, physical, and mental state deteriorated significantly. no staff, no matter how good, can provide only what an essential caregiver can provide. his wife was admitted to the hospital twice. her speech deteriorate. she lost the ability to use her nondominant hand. she lost progress on relearning how to walk. and is now confined to a wheelchair. in his formal testimony robert said, i'm not a visitor. i'm susan's voice. her only voice. she should never have been subjected to the isolation and you all had the ability to keep it from happening again. unquote. this evening, we recognize susan's suffering. the essential caregiver's act would have protected susan's rights and aloud critical access for john to continue her care. we also recognize the suffering

of gina zancheli. do lohrs rewas the caretaker of her mother gina who lied in a nursing facility in long island, new york. do lohrs revisited every day to provide extra care the facile wasn't able to provide this allowed her the chance to monitor her mother closely. once lockdowns went into effect she was cut off from her mother who became depressed. physical therapy stop and the necessary air she'd kneaded was deemed up se en-- unessential. do lohrs reand her mother were limited to video calls in he lockdown. after do lohrs rewent through a rigorous process she was able to have three socially distanced visits over 13 months, about 10 to 15 minutes each. but the isolation had already taken its toll. gina's rights were viled and the damage that resulted had been

irreversible. in do lohrs re's words, this should never be allowed to happen again. this evening we recognize the we recognize the suffering of sorry if i pronounced that wrong. she had never been away from her son. he was 32 when covid shut down the long-term and he was born with a syndrome and right side of his brain to control seizures. he moved into a long-term care facilities. his mother has been a hands-on mom and she would spend hours with her son, eating meals with him. some nights, she would go over to get ready for bed.

in march 2020, the facility was closed. her heart dropped. over four months, she saw him through a window. when she was allowed to see lynn. the distance took its toll. there is one way to ensure that any resident of long-term care never faces this again. madam speaker, these are heart-wrenching stories why we need to pass the essential caregiver act. they would have not suffered alone and the caregivers would provide the care that is so critical. individuals we lost may have been with us today. this pill is protecting the rights. madam speaker, the stories i

shared with you only scratch the suffering of families endured ruined of the country. i have received hundreds of pages and this is some of the testimony of families who have been through circumstances fighting for their loved ones' rights, to read it. i will post every and the need for this body to pass the act. i will mace each of these stories and try to get them through with another year and a half to get them through special orders so these people can be properly recognized. i want to share additional names of people who submitted stories. bill borelli, ta march ave

holland, debbie mannederville. elmer a care giver, tim eastman and ginger buick cuss to va ross, essential caregiver. john to his wife patricia. karen clink to her mother. katie to her uncle jack. and lore et wire to her mother in law. lurey, louis eel to her husband

jack. amy saunders to her mother mother. cindy essential caregiver to her father. denise, essential caregiver to her husband. die an to her mother joe an. and emmy essential caregiver. fell is yeah to her mother joyce. margaret to her mother and martha rhodes to her 91-year-old mother. and maxine schwartz, essential caregiver.

melanie, essential caregiver to her husband bill. and mindy to her father, nancy to her son. rachel sanchez. regular evena essential caregivers to their sister. veronica to her husband, sam essential caregiver to her grandmother. sandra waters. and sherry to her special needs daughter, summer to her mother, susan essential caregiver to her husband. use and, essential caregiver to her mother for tonia, freddie

and. and to her father. bridget to her mother. i'mey to her mother, berne dean chapman to her brother, courtney, essential care depiffer to her mother, sipt think yeah hayden to her father. john to his mother, lynn norman, essential caregiver to their mother. denise to their mother. sali rock, essential caregiver to her 90-year-old mother. and amy maguire to her mother. rick winter throughout. and karen essential caregiver to

her husband. irma, essential caregiver to her older sister. and stacy, essential caregiver to her mother and late father. katherine carlton in north new jersey. and cindy gibson essential caregiver to her family. kathleen. cindy, essential caregiver to her 91-year-old mother. and crystal, essential caregiver to her son. and essential caregivers to their mother.

miriam essential caregiver. essential caregiver to her mother ruth. . and similar own kramer, essential caregiver, and tim wall, essential caregiver for his mother and essential cafere giver for his mother. and charles for his father chad. each of these individuals submitted testimony to my office that is compelling of the seven stories. i will post these testimonies on my website and we will be able to speak about these people who have given essential care and

the loss that these people have suffered. i encourage to take time to read these stories and read the pleas. the elected members of congress can do something to prevent these tragedies from happening together. we support passage of the essential caregivers act and will protect these individuals and their loved ones. i want to close by thanking congressman larson and i want to thank the bill's other co-sponsors. tomorrow morning, i will be joined by caregivers at the capitol steps to call for the house to take up our bill and

make right this injustice. no individual deserves the indignity of suffering alone. may god bless suffer all of those essential caregivers. we are grateful to you. i yield the floor, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 11-fwnch of house l the bill replaces a bust of roger taney with one of thurgood marshall. the other bill passed gives federal inspectors general more protection from being fired by the president. on wednesday and thursday the house plans to vote on a bill

creating a temporary committee to investigate the january 6 attack on the capital and a five-year authorization for transportation and water projects across the country. we will have live coverage when members return on c-span. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. funded by cable television companies and more, including. >> broadband is a force for development. that is why charter has invested billions upgrading technology, empowering opportunity, in communities big and small. charter is connecting us. >> charter communications supports c-span as a public service along with these other providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> coming up tonight on c-span, fema administrator the end criswell testifies on her

agency's readiness. then president biden speaks in wisconsin about his bipartisan infrastructure deal. after that, debate from the u.s. house on removal of confederate statues from the u.s. capitol. >> c-span's washington journal. every day we are taking your calls live on the air on the news of the day and discussing policy issues that impact you. wednesday morning, virginia republican congressman rob wittman, a member of the armed services committee, joins us to talk about the recent u.s. airstrikes on iranian militants in iraq. and john sarbanes on issues of the day. then we continued the discussion of u.s. defense current events including the latest on efforts to repeal the 2002 authorization for the iraq war with defense one senior pentagon correspondent tara copp.

watch "washington journal" live at 7:00 eastern wednesday morning and be sure to join the discussion with your phone calls, facebook comments, and tweets. fema administrator deanne criswell, the first woman to hold the position, testified before the house homeland security committee on the readiness of the agency. she started her statement -- he also addressed disaster relief fund distribution and the impact of climate change. this is two hours 35 minutes. >> the committee on homeland security will come to order. the committee is meeting to receive