biden isn't because, this is what the special counsel said, he said, mr. biden's memory appeared to have significant limitations, both at the time he spoke in 2017 and as evidenced by their recorded conversations and today as evidenced by the recorded interview with our office. that's why we want the audiotape. president trump is the department being impartial? president trump is getting prosecuted. we know it's going on in miami. president biden isn't. he isn't because of that statement from the special counsel. that statement from the special counsel in light of the facts of the case. the elements of the crime have been met. mr. hur sat at that table and told us, joe biden knowingly kept classified information and knowingly disclosed classified information. special counsel told us in his report why joe biden did it. he said he had strong

motivations to release classified information -- >> continue watching the committee meeting on our free mobile app, c-span now. we'll leave it to return to the house to fulfill c-span's 45-year commitment to covering congress. members are about to debate several measures on law enforcement and border security. they'll also debate legislation to compel the biden administration to end its pause on weapons shipments to israel.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by chaplain kibben. chaplain kibben: would you pray with me.

gear us up, o god, for whatever lies ahead of us this day. equip us for the work you would have us do in the situations we will face. and do not let us take this preparation lightly. for the battles we fight are more than policies and politics. we do not wrestle just against contrary human opinions and opposing ambitions. but ours is a fight to preserve mutual understanding and respect in a world she rowedded in the dark -- shrouded in the darkness of prejudice and gripped with hatred. on each one here, you have placed a mantle of leadership for the living of these days. leadership which calls us to recover our moral bearings and uphold your righteousness. may we each live up to the responsibilities with which you have entrusted us, responsibilities that compel us to choose what is faithful over what is expedient. open our eyes to see the heavenly host that defends all that we aim to accomplish when we do so in accordance with your

will. in the strength of your name we pray. amen. the speaker pro tempore: amen. the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house her approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from utah, mr. curtis. mr. curtis: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of ameramerica and to the repubc for which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from utah seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i seek recognition for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute.

gleek, i rise -- mr. speaker, i rise today in recognition of national police week. for me, police week started solemnly. on monday i attended the funeral of a police officer, bill hoosier. sergeant hoosier is a hero killed in the line of duty by a felon with a 20-year criminal history who had no right to be on utah's roads. mr. curtis: at the funeral service, the police chief said hoosier was the best field train officer he had ever seen. his work and dedication to other officers on the force undoubtedly has kept many safe. this police week i also remember master officer joseph shiner of the provo police department who i worked alongside during my time as mayor. he was tragically killed in the line of duty in 2019. i'd like his family to know that i still keep his picture on my desk in provo and remember -- in remembrance of his sacrifice and contribution.

the provo police chief described shiner as one of his all-star officers. these men and all of our officers killed in the line of duty are heroes who gave their ultimate sacrifice to keep our communities and our families safe. we owe our deepest gratitude to police officers and their families who wonder every morning if that will be the last time they see them. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you very much, mr. speaker. i rise today with great pride to honor the life of jimmie johnson, one of the greatest corner backs in nfl history. a product of kingsberg high school, california, in high district, jimmy was a gifted athlete and rose quickly through the ranks. he was also a good student and graduated at ucla. mr. costa: he played 16 seasons with the san francisco 49ers,

was a member of the nfl's all-decade team in the 1970's. he was known as the lonesome cornerback because his opponents rarely threw in his side of the field. ask bart starr. he was clearly a class act, a leader and always respected by his teammates. he was enshrined in 1994 in the national pro football hall of fame with his brother as his presenter. what a class act, what a team. for the 49er family and his fans, we mourn the loss of jimmy johnson but his legacy will continue for the nextgen raiftion athletes and fans --

next generation of athletes and fans. jimmy johnson, a class act. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: madam speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, since its inception 56 years ago, head start has improved the lives of more than 32 million children and their families. proudly we continue to raise awareness about head start and the benefits it brings to america's children. head start gives every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, a chance to succeed in school and in life. the head start model developed over the decades has built on evidence-based practices and is constantly evolving, using the best available science and temperature -- teaching techniques to meet the needs of local communities. head start focuses on the whole child and the whole family. head start and early start programs are in small towns and big cities alike. it brings together parents, teachers, volunteers and community leaders to create a

quality program to truly give lower income children a head start in life. madam speaker, i applaud head start programs in the 15th congressional district of pennsylvania and throughout the nation for helping so many americans from all walks of life have a fair start in life. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you. today i rise to honor national police week and recognize our dedicated law enforcement officers in san joaquin county. on behalf of all of our family, thank you. i also want to take this opportunity to bring attention to and honor a vital part of our law enforcement departments, our k-9 officers. and their dogs. k-9 teams go into some of the most dangerous situations and their work saves lives. mr. harder: my community has seen this bravery firsthand. on february 19, 2023, after six

years of service, we sadly lost duke, a police k-9 for the san joaquin county sheriff's department. while apprehending an armed and dangerous suspect, duke was killed in the line of duty. duke's actions likely saved the life of one of our sheriff's deputies. this past weekend duke was remembered alongside 25 other police k-9's who gave their lives in the line of duty last year. a worthy ceremony for a brave pup. to all of our k-9 trainers and officers, thank you for the hard work you do. families in san joaquin county and across the country are safer because of your dedication and we are eternally grateful. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. lamalfa: unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. lamalfa: thank you, madam chair. california's ag sector is a powerhouse contributing to over $50 billion to the economy and all these amazing food products for u.s. consumers.

since we produce so many of these fruits and vegetables, 90%-plus, it's a key element. our nation's consumer base really depends on a strong farm bill for the products that come from california and all over the country. so in a week, the house ag committee will hold a vote on this year's farm bill. i can say from personal experience the committee has spent countless hours listening to people around the country and taking into account all the things it takes to make our food supply strong and a domestic supply. it alliance our farm -- aligns our farm safety net with the needs of producers as well as folks in need. the incentive for conservation and market access are all elements of that. i also have the privilege of chairing the subcommittee on forestry. we're focused on making our forests safer from devastating fire as we've experienced in northern california, loss of many live, as well as my dear friend, representative tokuda in hawaii with lahaina.

we have to do much better at making our communities and our lands fire-safe. unnecessary loss of unnecessary damage. the farm bill is going to be a big element going forward and improving upon that situation. so i look forward to a positive vote and success next week. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> iask unanimous consent to address the -- i ask unanimous consent to address the house and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam chair. madam speaker, i rise today to recognize and welcome the leadership of the east bay regional park district to this chamber and to celebrate its 90th anniversary. mr. desaulnier: the park district has grown to encompass 73 regional parks spanning 126,000 acres of parklands and over 1,300 miles of trails across the east bay of the san francisco bay area. even in its creation, during the great depression, residents recognized the importance of

what the park district would provide. a ballot measure to establish the park district in subsequent tax for land preservation received an overwhelming 71% of the vote in 1934. the park district's commitment to providing positive experiences in nature is truly inspiring. i am very proud and grateful for the constituents that i represent, that they can benefit from the largest regional park district in the united states. please join me in congratulating and celebrating the east bay regional park district for nine decades of commitment to preserving and protecting open space, providing safe and welcoming parks, and enhancing the quality of life across the san francisco bay area and the east bay in particular. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentlelady from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlelady is recognized for one minute.

>> this is police week where we celebrate and honor the men and women in blue who put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities and our families safe. ms. de la cruz: i am reminded of the bravery of sergeant adrian alejandro. while serving south texas, sergeant alejandro, a six-year veteran of the mission police department, encountered an individual on foot while conducting an interview, the individual pulled out a gun and shot him once in the torso. sergeant alejandro was able to return fire, striking the suspect twice. by the grace of god and his training, sangerral han -- sergeant alejandro survived this incident and i pray for his continued recovery. i am proud to stand with our police officers all across the rio grande valley and entire district who come out every day

after day to protect our communities. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from hawaii seek recognition? ms. tokuda: 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 gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. tokuda: thank you. madam speaker, every may is wildfire awareness month in hawaii and across the united states. but this year in the wake of last august's wildfires, fire prevention and preparedness are very personal and urgent for my constituents. the national interagency fire center predicts above average significant potential for wildfires across hawaii, especially in leeward communities. we must prepare for a dryer and hotter summer ahead and in just a few weeks the pacific hurricane season will begin. increasing the potential for gusty winds and dangerous climate conditions. while we cannot predict every situation, we while we cannot predict every situation, we know this is a human cause, which means we each play a critical role in preventing fires.

local, state and federal agencies must also work closely with our communities to implement prevention and mitigation measures, prepare and enhance emergency preparedness and evacuation plans, and establish better methods to monitor and respond to fires. this is essential work and planning that must be done now. sadly, as representative lamalfa and i know all too well, maui and paradise fires have showed us just how deadly and destructive these fires can be. it's up to all of us to make sure it doesn't happen again. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from nebraska seek seek recognition? >> i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. flood: i rise to salute police officers during police week. every day the men and women in blue keep our communities safe, even as respect for police has waned in some quarters, i'm proud to report that nebraska has doubled down on our support for law enforcement. in fact, nebraska is the best

place in the nation to serve as a peace officer. we're making it even better. before i came to congress, i was the proud cosponsor of the law enforcement attraction and retention act in the nebraska legislature two years ago. this bill provided a variety of cash incentives for officers to help agencies retain and recruit their workforce. last year, the legislature passed and we became the first state in the nation to provide free college tuition to police officers and firefighters and their immediate families. working in nebraska just makes sense if you're a law enforcement officer. these are just two examples of how we're leading the nation in recruiting and retaining the best peace officers in the nation. madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> i rise to address the house and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, madam speaker.

i recognize today, may 16, as the national day of light. 64 years ago, theodore mayman, an american physicist, invested the first light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, or laser. mr. morelle: since then, light-based technologies have grown to play a critical role in innovation. my community of rochester, new york, is the proud home of one of the largest optics crusters in the nation. companies employing thousands of individuals. as co-chair of the congressional optics caucus, i'm working to make certain that america capitalize on the potential of light-based technologies, from photonic to quantum computing and communications, which strengthens our economy and our national security. i hope my colleagues will join me in supporting these important efforts. thank you, madam speaker, for allowing me to shed some light on this under illuminated

celebration. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? >> i rise to address the house and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise to recognize a newly retired public servant and good friend of mine from the state of washington, representative joel kretz. mr. newhouse: since 2015, he's been dutifully serving the people of washington's seventy legislative district, as the largest and most rural district in the state. his dedication may be exemplified just in how long his commute is, over 600 miles roundtrip between olympia and central washington. he has been a champion of responsible land management, a crucial advocate for the fight for wildfire management, and a true defender of the western way of life. his legislative accomplishments, though many, are not the most interesting thing about joel. he's a true cowboy, world-class horse breeder, and the embodiment of what it means to be from rural america. he is also, did i say, a great

friend of mine. now it's time for joel to hang up his coat and tie, put on his cowboy hat and kerchief, and focus on the long, honey do list of his wife that she has waiting for him. i'm delighted for your retirement, joel. you've more than earned it. thank you, madam speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas, mccaul, seek recognition. mr. mccaul: pursuant to 1227, i call up h.r. 8369 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 8369, a bill to

provide for the expeditious delivery of defense articles and defense services for israel and other matters. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 1227, the bill is considered read. the bill shall be debatable for one hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on foreign affairs, or the respective designees. the gentleman from texas, mr. mccaul, and the gentleman from new york, mr. meeks, each will control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. mccaul. mr. mccaul: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure. cal the speaker pro tempore: witt. the gentleman is recognized. mr. mccaul: madam speaker, the october 7 massacre was a cruel, barbaric, and bloody as anything i have ever seen.

hamas unleashed pure evil on israel that day. the hamas terrorists filmed themselves committing brutal atrocities because they were so proud of their barbaric acts. in fact, in just hours, they murdered 1,200 innocent people and took over 250 hostages, including americans. i say this to remind my colleagues of the moral clarity that we as a body felt in the aftermath of these brutal attacks. it was obvious to us then that hamas was ruthless. it was obvious to us that hamas needed to be eradicated toen sure israel's security. and it was obvious to us that hamas would fight dirty and use innocent civilians as human shields. and it was obvious to us that israel had no choice but to win this war and end the perpetual terrorist threat.

we all, republicans and democrats, spent those weeks talking about our steadfast support for israel, our iron-clad commitment. in fact, mr. meeks and i introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning hamas in support of israel, which had more cosponsors than any other resolution in the history of the congress. however, today i'm deeply disappointed that for some in this country and for the administration, that that moral clarity has faded, that the iron-clad commitment apparently is not, in fact, iron clad. in an about-face, the biden administration is now withholding critical arms necessary for israel to win this war. this administration wants to dictate how israel executes the war that they were thrust into. they did not ask for this war. they did not start this war t.

hamas started this war. just recently, though, president biden said, "if they go into rafah, i'm not supplying the weapons, period." that would be similar for us, madam speaker, to say during world war ii my father's war "you can invade all the way up to berlin, but you can't go into berlin to finish the job." imagine if we had done that with our allies back then. israel is in a fight for its very existence. this administration's public break with israel has only made negotiations and victory more difficult. rafah is a final key military objective to complete the mission against hamas. israel has effectively eradicated 19 battalions throughout gaza, yet four remain

in rafah. this is the last stage of the military operation, and it keeps getting delayed and delayed and delayed. we know that hamas is exploiting this cease-fire and using the negotiation process just to buy more time. hamas has established a network of tunnels that total over 300 miles in gaza. these tunnels of terror, where they holed up, ready to strike israel at the first opportunity. their use of tunnels is why israel must use these larger bombs, to destroy their command and control centers and eliminate the terrorists that find refuge in them. by the way, contrary to what's been said publicly, these bombs, when applied with the kits, can become precision-guided weapons.

precision means just that, precise. it goes straight to the target without collateral damage. and it does indeed protect innocent civilians. we know that the head of hamas is somewhere around these tunnels, and taking him out is critical to defeating hamas. madam speaker, as the saying goes, war is hell, war is horrific, war is messy. nobody wants war. but israel did not start this war. hamas did. and sadly, civilian casualties are part of urban warfare. israel has limited this number greatly and is opening all routes for humanitarian assistance. this, is despite the fact that hamas are the ones who use human shields, hide behind hospitals and schools, and put civilians in harm's way.

it was hamas that destroyed the check point on october 7, significantly impeding aid from getting into gaza. and since then, they've repeatedly attacked another check point that serves as a major artery of aid into gaza. egypt also is currently delaying aid through the rafah check point. just the other day, i sue a video of ham -- i saw a video of hamas killing their own people. palestinian children simply trying to get food out of the trucks as they gunned down their own people. until israel finishes the last major operation to remove hamas from power, to defeat the remaining battalions that are in rafah, we will never have the peaceful resolution that everybody wants. for until rafah is destroyed and hamas is destroyed, we will not be able to get to the peace

talks with the saudis and israel and the other arab nations that everyone is so optimistic about. i can only think of one purpose to withhold these weapons. this administration is more concerned about a small vocal wing of activists than the iron-clad commitment that they talked about to stand by israel. under this administration, i've noticed a disturbing trend, a trend where we turn our backs on our allies and fall short of the promises we make. that is why this legislation is so important. it will ensure the weapons are delivered to israel, and it will reassure our allies that when america makes a commitment, we keep it. think about this, madam speaker. what kind of a message is this sending both to our allies and friends and our adversaries and enemies? to our allies, it send a message

of we cannot be trusted. to our adversaries, it send a message that they no longer fear us. it does not send a message of deterrence. it send a message of weakness and invites conflict, aggression, and now, yes, war. for imagine if iran cut off its weapons to hezbollah and cut off its weapons to the houthi rebels. what would be said of iran? what would be our impression? they believe they have achieved victory, madam speaker, without a shot fired, a victory handed to them by this administration, tying the hand of israel, one hand behind its back, as it moves into the final stages of the war to complete its final mission. prime minister netanyahu says i will do this alone if i have to.

he should not have to do this alone. we need to stand with our ally, israel, stand with her, and stand with her to defeat this terrorist organization hamas and bring a final closure and a peaceful resolution to the middle east. with that, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. >> thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself as i may assume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> i strongly oppose h.r. 8369. mr. meeks: it is a cynical political exercise by my g.o.p. colleagues to attempt to sow division and use the united states-israel relationship and american security assistance to advance their own political agenda.

despite what you have heard and will hear from the other side of the aisle today, there is no bigger champion for israel's long-term security as a jewish state than president joe biden. like me, the president is committed to eliminating hamas and that is clear by what took place recently when he defended, along with other alike, israel from an iran an attack. he visited israel during war time. he has delivered unprecedented aid. and to suggest that he's abandoning or harming israel is absurd. he's been with israel as a senator, as a vice president and as a president. and to insinuate that now all of a sudden he's not with israel is

not true at all. i hear my republican colleagues arguing that lev ranging a -- leveraging a 2,000-pound ball should not have been done publicly. well, that approach has not worked. for months. the biden administration publicly and privately urged israel not to launch a major offense in rafah without credible plans to avoid mass casualties. and to try to evacuate palestinians to a safe space. the united states has also repeatedly pressed israel to cease using large warhead

ordinance that result in excessive civilian casualties in densely populated civilian areas. humanitarian, our values, to try to save independent lives. not save -- innocent lives. not saving hamas but trying to save innocent men, women and children while we pursue hamas. not cutting off all weapons. cutting off these huge bombs. that kill innocent individuals, but utilize munitions that are more appropriate for urban warfare to get hamas. to date israel has present nod plan to mitigate civilian harm. or commitment to not using the

2,000-pound bombs in rafah. and to the contrary, what we heard was prime minister netanyahu last week had repeatedly affirmed israel's plans for an all-out assault on rafah. that is when the biden administration confirmed it would temporarily hold a small number of large warhead bombs so that they would not be used in rafah. my republican friends also seem to think that president biden's actions are unprecedented. but there is a history of the united states withholding certain security assistance to israel. many of my g.o.p. colleagues call themselves reagan

republicans. so, recall that president reagan did the exact same thing based on concerns with israel's military actions on two occasions in 1981 and 1982. these 2,000-pound bombs in question can create a crater up to 50 feet wide and 36 feet deep when dropped. and they have a lethal fragmentation to a radius the size of multiple football fields. such bombs have no place in urban combat. not in gaza, not in rafah, one of the most densely populated areas on the planet. and the united states has a duty, an obligation under law to make sure our weapons are not disproportionately killing civilians. and as far as this bill, h.

h.r. 8369, prohibits the biden administration from exercising its executive branch prerogative in holding or suspending u.s. arm transfers to israel, including these large warhead munitions, and any other defense article. it also forces the administration to deliver any such item to israel within 15 days of enactment if the administration is unable to comply -- enactment. if the administration is unable to comply, it freezes significant funds at the state department and the national security council budgets. according to the defense department itself, and i quote, withholding these defense-wide operations and maintenance funds would jeopardize d.o.d.'s ability to fulfill its constitutional obligation to defend the united states of america which could cause significant harm to the united states' national security.

further, these budgetary freezes would undermine u.s. defense leadership when we are simultaneously competing in the indo-pacific, supporting ukraine in its fight against russia's war of aggression, and working with our partners in sub-saharan africa on security challenges. again, this is all tremendously dangerous for what? for our own national security. the bill also includes a blatantly political attack on military officers, hardworking civil servants and u.s. government employees by mandating inspector general investigations into individuals, not agencies or departments, and orders the withholding of their salaries in a plit sietzed witch hunt -- politicized witch hunt. all of these concerns would have been made clear had my republican colleagues not rushed this bill through without any kind of regular order, had it

been marked up in the foreign affairs committee we would have been able to highlight that this legislation undercuts a number of crucial existing united states laws that are in the foreign affairs committee's jurisdiction. including the arms export control act, the leahy law, the executive branch policies, including the conventional arms transfer policy and the national security memorandum 20. so let me repeat. president biden paused one arms shipment, one, and the president continues to focus on freeing the hostages. put the onus on hamas to reach a deal and supports israel's right to eradicate hamas. that is the position of president joseph r. biden. let's be clear about it.

so in conclusion, consider the facts. and the context. we should oppose this bill moving forward because it is not good for israel and it's not good for the united states of america. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. let me just say first, with respect to the first president, i had the honor to vote for ronald reagan. in 1982 it was concluded that israel was violating u.s. and international laws by their use of cluster ammunitions. in this case, the biden administration actually concluded in a national security memo that israel was not violating u.s. and international laws. yet the president still announced his plans to withhold all defensive weapons to israel. very different situation. and i wanted to rectify and clarify the record on that. with that, i yield five minutes to the author of this bill, the

gentleman from california, mr. calvert, the chairman of the defense appropriations subcommittee. the speaker pro tempore: jacht california is recognized. mr. calvert: -- the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. calvert: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of this act. this bill reverses president biden's misguided attempts to withhold vital security assistance to israel as they fight to defend the citizens from terrorists. just last week we observed holocaust remembrance day. commemorating the six million jews who were murdered by nazi germany. the memory of those lives horrifically taken endures 80 years since the end of the holocaust. a plaque at auschwitz states, those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. mr. speaker, we can never forget. on october 7, 2023, hamas terrorists launched a massive, unprovoked war on israel. killing 1,200 innocent people, taking 240 hostages, including american citizens.

it was the worst attack on the jewish people since the holocaust. israeli people are still reeling from the barbaric attacks on that day. unable to begin healing while still separated from their loved ones taken hostage and determined to ensure no further innocent israeli lives are taken by radical terrorists. over the past six months, israel has been repeatedly attacked by iran, terrorist proxy groups, hezbollah, hamas and the houthis. each one of these groups has vowed repeatedly to destroy the state of israel. the only reason these attacks have been unsuccessful is because of israel's robust military -- and because of their missile defense capability. honed by years of defending itself from attacks, hamas and others who seek the end of the jewish state have not run out of weapons, resources or will

power. in this unprovoked conflict they started, they are using none of these things to defend innocent civilians, preferring to use them instead as human shields. hamas has made a choice. a choice to continue the the conflict by tormenting their hostages and hiding behind civilians. it is time to stop appeasing terrorists and provide israel with the weapons and support necessary to end this war. the united states affirmed our resolve to stand with israel less than a month -- when we passed the supplemental appropriations for israel just last month with strong bipartisan support. this message could not have been clearer. astoundingly last week "the washington post" reported that president biden ordered a pause on weapons ready for delivery to israel. literally on the truck ready to be sent to israel, to the

airport and flown out to israel immediately. weapons that were previously approved by congress and the administration. these include 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 500 pound bombs that are intended to strike hamas' intensive tunnel network. it was also -- extensive tunnel network. it was also reported the administration was reviewing a planned transfer of joint attack munition kits which would bring precision to the fight and help minimize civilian casualties. the biden administration is ignoring the fact that the state of israel is surrounded by people who want to destroy them. iran does not recognize israel and called for its elimination. hamas is committed to the destruction of israel and hezbollah's primary goal is the elimination of israel. iran and its proxies are deterred through strength, which is why the u.s. must continue to provide weapons to israel.

unable to deter iran, hamas, hezbollah or any other nefarious actor seeking to attack the jew inner -- jewish state, the biden administration instead is suppressing a close ally. members on both sides of the aisle have called for president biden to reverse his decision. the administration should not ignore the will of congress, as evidenced through the overwhelming bipartisan legislative action. unfortunately the biden administration decision made it necessary for me along with the appropriations committee chairman, tom cole, state and foreign operations subcommittee chairman mario diaz-balart, financial services and general government subcommittee chairman david [newline]johns., to introduce -- joyce, to introduce this act. this bill prevents the defense and state department from withholding the delivery of weapons to israel. requires the administration to ensure prompt delivery of

weapons to israel. mandates that anything with held from delivery to israel be delivered within 15 days and withholds funds until they are delivered. requires all assistance for israel to be obligated within 30 days. requires the inspector general to report on actions by executive branch officials to withhold security assistance to israel. it also includes comprehensive reporting on weapons deliveries to israel to ensure congressional -- mr. mccaul: i yield an additional 30 seconds. mr. calvert: mr. speaker, it's appalling that this legislation is necessary. the reaction of the biden administration proves that it is. a veto threat, $1 billion of unrelated aid package, was y announced almost simultaneously once it became clear the house intended to take action on that this week. with that, mr. with that, mr. speaker, i urge support and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized.

mr. meeks: thank you, mr. speaker. let me correct the record. president biden never said, as i hear my colleagues saying that he is suspending all weapons to israel. he said specifically the 2,000-pound bombs that causes death to innocent palestinians, that is the only thing that was paused here. not all weapons. and now i yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, representative sherman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. sherman: my pro-israel efforts began long before my 28 years on the foreign affairs committee, and i believe that my pro-israel record is as long and as strong as any member of this house. i rise to oppose this pseudo pro-israel bill. it purports to deal with this issue of 2,000-pound bombs accident as the ranking members

pointed out, suspensions occurred all under reagan and ford. but more significantly, this is just a communicative act. it has no significance. israel already has such a large stockpile of 2,000 and similar weapons that the administration is going to be providing many thousands of kittle to turn those -- of kits to turn those kits into smart bombs. the chair is working with several of us on a much better response to this suspension, and i look forward to that, working its way through the committee. no one should be tempted to vote for this bill. there will be a better bill. this bill does nothing to help israel strategically, but it attacks israel at its two weakest points. the first is bipartisan support. israel has one friend in the world it cannot afford to have only one-half of one friend. we saw that bipartisan support where 85% of democrats and 85%

of republicans voted to provide israel with $14 billion of extraordinary aid, but this resolution has poison pills, including condemning biden by name in a clear incident to get as little democratic support as possible. second, this bill attacks israel's international image. israel, in fact, meets american international standards for minimizing civilian casualties. but what this bill does is it exempts israel from the similar laws. in effect, declaring from this congress to the world that israel can't meet the standard. israel is doing at least as good a job as any military in the history of urban warfare. the report from the biden administration wasn't as clear as it should be on that, but it reached the right conclusion. congress should not step forward and exempt israel from a test that israel clearly meets. that's poison on the international stage. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman's time is expired. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: i yield four minutes to the gentleman from florida, mr. d diaz-balart. mr. diaz-balart: i rise in strong support of this act. the reason we're here is because the biden administration, despite all the rhetoric, has broken its so-called iron-clad commitment to israel by halting shipments of weapons at a time when israel needs them the most. weapons not only that israel has asked for, but that president biden himself asked congress to provide. so this administration's argument is that, well, the bill undermines the president's ability to "execute an effective foreign policy." does anyone really believe that this administration has an effective foreign policy?

do i need to remind folks of what former secretary of defense, mr. gates, said of mr. biden, that he's been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy national security issue over the last four decades? you see, what the administration doesn't get, doesn't understand, mr. speaker, is what an effective foreign policy requires. it requires having the ability to distinguish allies from enemies. those fighting for their lives in self-defense versus terrorists seeking to kill, to harm, and to destroy them. israel must do what is necessary, to eradicate that deprived terrorist group hamas. hamas, a proxy of terrorist state iran, the same iran which also, for the first time ever, under the weakness of this administration, directly attacked israel. israel needs these weapons to eradicate the terrorists, who have vowed the destruction of

israel and israel needs it to protect itself and its people. withholding vital resources jeopardized not e not only israel's ability to defend itself, but also our national security by harming and weakening our strongest ally. in the biden administration's veto threat, mr. speaker, it says that the rationale was to prevent unintended consequences with no other explanation, by the way. what about the likely consequences of failure to fully support israel now when they need it? does the administration doubt that hamas will seize any opening, any opportunity to further maim and torture and kill? congress approved the supplemental in a bipartisan way, and we expect the administration to follow the law and to deliver. we cannot stand by while the biden administration tries to force israel to fight for its very own existence with one hand tied behind its back. i want to thank my colleagues,

chairman calvert, chairman cole, chairman joyce, and i want to thank the speaker and leader scalise for bringing this very important bill to the floor. it is time to tell the administration keep your word, support israel, follow the law, send the weapons that you, mr. president, and israel has requested. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. mcmeeks: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from maryland. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. hoyer: mr. speaker, i rise today in strong opposition to this political bill. this is not about policy. it's about politics. what a shame. this is not in israel's best interests. it's not in this congress' best interests.

the gentleman who just spoke spoke with passion and immediacy and urgency. unfortunately, house republican leadership has sought to turn it into a partisan issue on multiple occasions. this legislation is their latest attempt. they claim president biden is delaying some portion of aid. where was that outrage, i ask my colleagues, where was the outrage? when on november 2, you brought a bill to this floor with a poison pill that you knew would not pass and would not be signed by the president of the united states. if it had been a clean bill as i told you then, it would have passed with over or approximately 400 votes. but you waited seven months, not 20 days, seven months.

where was the outrage when we waited seven months to give israel aid? and by the way, we delayed on ukraine as well. where was the outrage? i was told over and over again, well, the speaker is going to bring it to the floor sometime. he says he's going to bring it to the floor. seven months. one, two, three, time went by. where was the outrage then? this is a political bill that does not help israel, does not help america, and should be defeated. i urge a no vote. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: members are reminded to direct their comments to the chair. the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from texas, m. self, a member. foreign affairs committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. self: as a special operator in the united states army, our

commitment to each other was to leave no man behind. our commander in chief does not hold to that doctrine. president biden has not only turned his back on our ally, israel, he has also abandoned the americans still being held hostage by hamas. my fellow americans, this used to mean something. u.s. citizens have been held by terrorists for over 220 days. very reminiscent of the waning days of the democrat carter administration when american hostages were left in iran for 444 days. they were releapsed just minutes after president reagan took the oath of office. i pray the hostages in gaza will not suffer at the hands of hamas for another 224 days. we don't even hear the biden administration mentioning american hostages. make no mistake, president biden

is aiding and abetting hamas terrorists instead of supporting israel. i can just imagine the tris playing an endless loop of democrat sound bites to the hostages, saying your president is on our side, with headlines like, and i quote, "biden just betrayed israel and rewarded hamas." u.s. withholding sensitive intelligence on hamas from israel. biden admin wants israeli forces to get out of gaza. pentagon chief confirms u.s. pause on weapons shipments to israel. while our commander in chief signals weakness to the world and support to terrorists, i'm here to send a message to those being held hostage. you are not forgotten.

congress must fight to get you out in spite of obstacles put in place by democrats and terrorists. we must support israel's right to eradicate hamas, and we must bring our hostages home immediately. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. members are remind to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the president. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. meeks: i proudly yield two minutes to the gentleman from illinois, the member of the house foreign affairs committee, representative schneider. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. schneider: mr. speaker, today is the 223rd day since hamas slaughtered more than 1,200 people, including 45 americans. more than 250 people were taken hose damage, 132 are still held, including eight americans. after october 7, president biden immediately stepped in to help

the jewish state. 11 days after the attacks, he traveled to israel, the first president to do so in wartime. he dispatched two carrier strike groups and sent hundreds of shipments of weapons to israel. when iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at israel, the u.s. worked with our allies to defeat that attack. president biden and secretaries blinken and austin have repeatedly clarified that u.s. support for israel is iron clad. and they continue to match those words with action. this week, they approved northerly $100 billion in armed sales to israel. while the administration is doing everything in its power to support our allies, republicans in congress play politics. the early weeks of the gaza war, they tried to condition aid to israel on republican cuts to i.r.s. funding. it took fully six months after october 7 for republicans to finally put the emergency security funding on the floor. it passed overwhelmingly with

366 votes. the delay was clearly partisan. let me be clear. it is wrong to withhold even just one shipment of weapons to israel in its fight, as it fights an existential, multipronged war. it is ok for friends to disagree, but we must not send mixed signals to israel's enemy about u.s. support for the mission to end hamas' reign of terror over gaza, to eliminate the threat to israel, and to bring the hostages home. sadly, speaker johnson's approach is different. he drafted a partisan bill with no path forward. it didn't even go through the foreign affairs committee where we could have fixed it. i can't imagine anyone in this body believing that automatically zeroing occupant the budget for the departments of state, defense, and the national security council in the case of delayed arms is a good idea. it is a terrible, dangerous idea, and it's the reason i must vote against this bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: i yield one minute to the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, and an original cosponsor of this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, on december 8, 1941, franklin roosevelt stood in this very hall and asked for a declaration of war against the government that had attacked our fleet the day before pearl harbor, and he solemnly pledged to win through to absolute victory. on october 7, hamas targeted and butchered innocent and unarmed women and children. . israel not only has a right to defeat hamas, but a moral duty to do so. it can only end with the unconditional surrender of hamas. the sooner that day comes, the better for all humanity. to hasten that day the president

requested and the congress provided the precision bombs and other munitions that israel needs to quickly bring this war to an end while minimizing civilian casualties. and now that same president is withholding that aid while sending billions of dollars of supplies into gaza before hamas has surrendered. this act is treacherous and it must not stand. this measure says so. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. meeks: let me just say this quickly, mr. speaker. the gentleman, one of the speakers before him said, democrats are against israel. that shows how political this is. democrats and republicans have always been with israel. and to try to distort and say democrats are against shows it's just partisan. argument, not for the benefit of israel but trying to play

politics with this issue. with that i yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, the ranking member of the western hemisphere subcommittee, the honorable joaquin castro. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. castro: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in opposition to h.r. 8369, because joe biden did the right thing. he made the right decision. the united states is a friend to the people of israel. the united states is not a rubber stamp to an extremist prime minister who has not prioritized the release of hostages. who has allowed for indiscriminate killings in gaza, and put his own political survival above all else. chairman mccaul said something i think was very important. after october 7, the world stood with israel. expressed support for israel. i believe all of us did. in a bipartisan way. so what has happened since then?

prime minister netanyahu has ruined the world's support. he's done so by not focusing on the hostages, but by allowing his military to bomb hospitals, ambulance convoys, people's homes. to take out journalists, aid workers, including americans. the moral compass does not bend in favor of one nation regardless of what it does. that's why the president has done what he has done. the president's leverage matters. when president biden has taken steps to exercise his leverage, we have seen immediate results. last month president biden told israel to open the crossing in northern gaza. three days ago dozens of w.f.p. flower trucks entered in the crossing bringing desperately needed food to starving

families. after the president paused a 2000-bomb shipment, less than 1% of total weapons shipment to israel, the israeli defense minister raised concerns for the first time that netanyahu has no plan to rescue the hostages or establish a functioning palestinian government in gaza. so this in many ways is our last chance. we must do the right thing ourselves. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. clyde, a member of the committee on appropriations. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia is recognized for two minutes. mr. clyde: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in strong support of h.r. 8369, the israel security assistance support act. this critical bill ensures defense articles and services are delivered quickly to our steadfast ally, israel, as they face unprecedented threats from hamas, hezbollah, the houthis,

and high ran. on october 7, iran-backed hamas terrorists brutally attacked israel, murdering, raping, and torturing more than 1,200 innocent villains and abducting over 240 others to gaza as hostages, including american citizens. the following month since this unprovoked terrorist attack, israel has continued to be under constant assault by iran and its proxies. we must support our ally, israel, and ensure that they have the weapons they need to defend themselves, including the small arms, the 50,000 rifles that the israeli government has on order that is being held up by our state department. and the precision guided munitions. it's doublespeak, it's unconscionable that the biden administration complains about civilian collateral damage when they are withholding the exact munitions that minimize civilian collateral damage. h.r. 8369 would ensure that all previously approved arms

transfers to israel can move forward without interruption. as well as prohibit funds from being used to stop or cancel the shipment of defense items to israel. in addition t. would require the timely shipment of any items that have been stopped or delayed by president biden and the biden administration to be sent within 15 days after enactment. i urge my colleagues to join me in passing this critical legislation. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. meeks: i'm proud to yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from florida, representative debbie wasserman schultz. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from florida is recognized for two minutes. ms. wasserman schultz: thank yo- ms. wasserman schultz: i rise in strong opposition to this bill, despite what the authors claim, threatening to defund our national security and torch the u.s.-israel relationship. it's being done to score cheap political points. we are accustomed to republicans

bringing up nonsensical bills from the fact they blocked vital aid to israel for six months. last week i spoke out against the delayed weapons shipment and urged the u.s. and israel to resolve this agreement privately to maintain the united front. the white house and israel are now clear that those weapons are not needed for the rafah operation. and just this week, the biden administration finalized more than $1 billion in assistance to israel. instead of coming together to show bipartisan support for israel's defense, republicans return to their political playbook, cynically exploiting israel as a political wedge issue. but this isn't another nonbinding resolution. this dangerous bill is not pro-america or pro-israel. the bill before us threatens to block funds to our military, the same armed forces which defended israel against an iran missile onslaught. this bill imbarrels our diplomats who work nonstop to get hostages released. undercut american security undercuts israel security. a plan to defund u.s. national security agencies that send assistance, share intelligence,

and help defeat hamas is how you cut off your nose to spite your face. october 7 made clear israel's needs can evolve overnight. i won't abide by republicans holding our national security hostage so they can micromanage our commander in chief and fayne how pro-israel and pro-military they are. if you don't like the president holding up one shipment for a week, i don't, you should be livid about speaker johnson holding up all military aid for six months. i wouldn't allow stunts to masquerade as bipartisan support for israel. sop the games. israel needs real consistent support, not republican users who repeatedly made it clear that israel cannot count on them. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: i yield one minute to the gentleman from california, mr. kiley. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute mr. kiley: mr. speaker, i stand in strong support of the israel security assistance support act. president biden's threat to withhold aid from israel is

reckless, unjustifiable, and indecent. it flies in the face of the bipartisan support this house recently showed for continuing support of israel. the american public understands the importance of the american-israel relationship. how it is in the national security interests of both countries. the american public understands that israel is our long-standing ally, a democracy and region that has very few of them, whereas hamas is a terrorist organization that has committed historic atrocities and would not hesitate to do so again. the president is catering to the most radical elements of his party. the sort of elements that have unleashed chaos on college campuses across this country. it is vitally important that reasonable people on both sides of the aisle come together to reassert our support for israel as it struggles against this terrorist organization. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas reserves. and the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. meeks: mr. speaker, i yield

a minute and a half to the gentleman from new york, representative dan goldman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. mr. goldman: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i rise today as a proud american jew who steadfastly supports israel's right to exist as a democratic jewish state and its right to defend itself after hamas' barbaric and unprovoked attack on october 7. the united states must continue to support israel, to defeat hamas, release the hostages, including americans stuck in gaza. and provide all funding, weapons, and intelligence necessary in order to do that. and that is president biden's clear policy as well. this bill does not do any of that. it does not support israel. it does not provide any additional funding, any add additional weapons, nor any additional support for israel. and even though republicans delayed for six months, i was pleased when this body finally

bipartisanly voted to support israel with a supplemental aid package several weeks ago. but this bill is designed to undermine that bipartisan support, which israel desperately needs. as a jew, i am frankly sick and tired of the republican party using israel as a political weapon to divide us. which aids hamas, iran, and israel's enemies. to my republican colleagues i have one simple request, if you truly care about israel, please stop using it as a divisive political pawn. just stop. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: i yield one minute to the gent the from the great e gentleman from the great state of texas, mr. pfluger, original co-sponsor of this bill.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. mr. pfluger: last month congress passed the israel security supplemental with overwhelmingly bipartisan support. now the president is holding security assistance to our ally, israel, hostage. let's not forget hamas is responsible for this massacre on october 7 with over 1,400 people being murdered in the horrific actions that they have taken place. but president biden's decision to withhold weapons from israel is a disgrace that will harm israel's capacity to defend is he. it is yet -- itself. it is another policy failure that will prolong the conflict and make things worse in the middle east. house republicans are leading and showing steadfast commitment to israel, our most important alley in the middle east. but the biden administration is choosing to betray the will of congress. the president doesn't get to pick when he chooses to follow the law and when he does not. congress acted quickly to reverse this decision and stand with israel.

support israelle against -- israel against its enemies. the united states stands with israel and i urge support of this. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. meeks: i yield one minute to the gentleman from texas, representative lloyd doggett. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from the great state of texas is recognized for one minute. mr. doggett: horrified by seeing a baby's arm blown off, the president successfully demanded israeli prime minister halt the bombing. president reagan also halted deliveries of weapons. but today's republicans don't want america to lead, they would defer the decisions about the best course for america to netanyahu and ben. they would place us on a disastrous path of isolation and greater mideast instability. they attack president biden now for halting delivery of 2,

2,000-pound dumb bombs used in ways he rightly described as indiscriminate bombing that pulverizes large areas and kills and mutilates thousands of innocent women and children. leveling gaza, starving and killing a multitude offers israel no genuine victory over hamas. no end to the cycle of violence. hamas can never be a genuine partner for peace. but netanyahu's so willing to sacrifice the hostages and protect himself. hamas can never be a genuine partner for peace. but netanyahu's so willing to sacrifice the hostages and protect himself is also obstructing peace. limiting the flow of bombs is a constructive step forward toward assuring long-term security for the families of america, israel, and palestine. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the

balance of his time. the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: i continue to reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: continues to reserve. the gentleman from new york, you are recognized. mr. meeks: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from texas, you are recognized. mr. mccaul: i may have one more speaker, sir. i do not. i'm prepared to close. and i reserve until the ranking member has closed. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from new york -- mr. meeks: how much time is left? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has 7 3/had minutes remaining. mr. mccaul: i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. i said this in the beginning.

today in this debate, it's a cynical, partisan exercise by my republican colleagues to attack the biden administration and advance their political agenda. mr. speaker, i've been here for 26 years. any time israel came up previously, we didn't play politics with it. we tried to sit down and work it out and come out unified, democrats and republicans. especially in any foreign policy, one of the things we've done, especially on this committee, is try to work together so that the other countries of the world did not see a divided america, a unified america with our allies.

this is true with, for example, ukraine, after many of my colleagues talked about the delay that took place to pass the supplemental. the whole idea even then was to negotiate together, to try to come out with a bill that showed unity. not play politics with it. not try to say, oh, as we've heard in this debate by that side, oh, the democrats are in cahoots with the terrorists. that's not who we are. that's not who we should be. we should be the united states congress, talking and working. we're not always going to agree on everything, but to have dialogue and conversation on an issue in a manner that is so

serious as this, as we did, as mr. mccaul said correct on october 8, we wanted to make sure that we put a resolution on this floor that over 400 members of the house of representatives, democrats and republicans could support. we didn't start out agreeing on everything in that resolution. we went back and forth and debated, and then we came up with a resolution that we could proudly put on the floor. to say that the united states congress is together, that we're not divided. that's not this bill. we didn't do that on this bill. we didn't even try.

why? politics. politics. in such a crucial time as this. with all that's going on. we will together make sure that we're working together. we were talking to our arab colleagues about normalization with israel. why? because that makes for a better middle east. it's good for israel. it's good for our los angeles lies in the region, and it's good for the united states of america. that's not what this bill is all about. this bill is not good for israel. it's not good for our allies in the region. mr. mccaul is correct when he said we want to make sure that saudi arabia plays and has normalization with israel, as well as others in the gulf area. speak to them and ask them if this will make the area better.

this bill, speak to them and include them in that dialogue. because if we want a better middle east, if we want peace for israel, the jewish state to move forward, where they don't have to worry about a threat, we need to work together, not alone. that's the dialogue and conversation we should be having. that's who we should be as leaders. that's who we should be as the indispensable nation. we should value every human life. we should be concerned when we see people starving, innocent individuals. that shows who we are. that's leadership. that brings people together. that's good for national. that's good for the united states of america, not this. not this.

people are looking all over the world. er who we? who are we? are we just going to continue to divide? are we going to be a nation to decide we can't sit down and talk and work things out? i know we can. mr. mccaul die it all the time -- do it all the time. we just happen to mark up right now 14 bills. in the house foreign affairs committee. didn't start out agreeing, but we worked it out. 14 bills today. all of them bipartisan. that's who we are. that's who we should be. you heard mr. sherman say he's working now on another bill. that we can work with together. that's who we are. that's who we should be.

let's make a difference. let's not play politics on the house floor. let's make a difference. we can do this. we're better than this. we're better than this. i saw today on our committee, and i'm proud of the committee, democrats and republicans, differences that we're talking back and forth, trying to figure out how we can change this and move that so we can pass a bill on this floor, in the committee. i was listening as we were doing certain things, and it made me proud to see how we were working together. so i say to my colleagues on the other side. let's not do this. we're better than this. especially on issues, i mean, we're going to have our political domestic issues, but not on foreign affairs.

let's not play politics here. there's too much at stake. just too much at stake. for us, for others. they expect more from us. let's give them more. let's show them we can work together. let's show them why we're the greatest country this planet has ever seen. because we are the united states of america. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. mccaul: first let me say in response, i also appreciate our friendship, our partnership, mr. we're very proud of our committee and our committee's record of working in a very bipartisan manner. mr. speaker, following the holocaust, the world said never

again. following the massacre on october 7, this body, through our bipartisan resolution, said never again. when we said that, i thought we meant that. when president biden said to israel after the attacks, "as long as united states stands, we will not let you ever be alone," i thought he meant that. and now in their moment of need, this administration has turned their backs on israel, halting shipments of weapons they desperately need to win. this administration has sowed the seeds of doubt on this nation's commitments to our allies. we abandoned afghanistan to the taliban. we slow walked weapons to ukraine, giving them just enough to bleed out, but not to win. president biden's decision to

withhold weapons approved by myself, the chairman, and the ranking member, and appropriated by congress, defied congressional intent and is tantamount to an arms employee go on. mr. speaker, red lines are meant for our enemies. red lines are not meant for our allies and our friends. but that's precisely what this administration is doing to israel. and what a terrible message to send to our allies. even more dangerous is the message that we are sending to our adversaries. this week marked the 76th anniversary of israel's independence. think about that and the timing of this. the state department released a statement saying, quote, the united states was the first country to recognize israeli statehood when israel declared independence in 1948. our history of shared democratic

values, deep cultural ties and commitment to regional security has provided the basis for our country's strong partnership and friendship, end of quote. a strong partnership and commitment to regional security means standing with our allies, not withholding vital weapons during an unprecedented war and not withholding vital weapons after iran, for god's sake, for the first time in the history of the state of israel firing endless rockets from iran directly into israel. we all want peace and stability in the region. but that cannot happen as long as hamas remains in power. israel remains under attack. and as their closest ally and partner, we must give them the tools they need to finish the job. the time is now.

we cannot wait any longer. it's been delayed enough. and only till that final military objective is completed can we begin in the other phase of this, mr. meeks and i have been looking forward to, and that is working with the saudis and the israelis on a security agreement along with the other arab nations to finally, just maybe bring peace and prosperity to a part of the world that has been at war for so many years, way too long. so i urge my colleagues to support this measure, to stand with israel in its darkest hour, and with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. all time for debate has expired. the previous question is ordered on the bill. the question is on third reading of the bill.

those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. third reading. the clerk: a bill to provide for the expeditious delivery of defense articles and defense services for israel and other matters. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? mr. meeks:ive a motion to recommit at the desk. the clerk: mr. meeks of new york moved to recommit the bill h.r. 8369 to the committee on foreign affairs. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 2-b of 19, the previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit. the question is on the motion. the noes have it. the motion ant agreed to. mr. meeks: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: those favoring a vote will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. further proceedings on this

question are postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from alabama, mr. moore, seek recognition? mr. moore: mr. speaker, pursuant to house resolution 1227, i call up h.r. 354, ask for its immediate consideration in the house. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 418, h.r. 354, a bill to amend title 18 united states code to improve the law enforcement officers safety act, and provisions relating to the caring of concealed weapons by law enforcement officers, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 1227, in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on the judiciary, printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules committee print 118-34 is adopted. and the bill as amended is considered as read. the bill as amended shall be debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the committee on the judiciary, or their respective designees. the gentleman from alabama,

mr. moore, and the gentleman from new york, mr. nadler, each will control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from alabama, m mr. moore. mr. moore: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on h.r. 3534. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. moore: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. moore: thank you, mr. speaker. h.r. 354, the law enforcement safety act, leosa, allows qualified active and retirement law enforcement officers to carry a concealed firearm in national parks, school zones, public transportation, and some federal facilities that are opened to the public. leosa was signed into law by president george w. bush in four to exempt certain active and retirement law enforcement officers from local and state prohibitions in carrying of concealed firearms. to qualify, active enforcement officers must meet several

important requirements. for example, they must be authorized to carry a firearm by their agency. they cannot be subject to disciplinary actions by the agency. they can result in the loss of their police power. they must meet certain firearm qualification standards. they cannot be under the influence of alcohol or intoxicating substances. they must not be prohibited by federal law from receiving affirm. retired law enforcement officers must meet several requirements to qualified friday under leosa. for example, they must have separate interested service in good standing and served as a law enforcement officer for an aggregate of 10 years or more. they also are required to meet certain firearm training standards. and must not be prohibited by federal law from receiving a firearm. the leosa reform act will allow these officers to carry a concealed firearm in the same manner citizens carry a firearm in their state. for example, leosa reform act

will allow law enforcement officers qualified to carry concealed firearms in national parks, federal facilities, that are opened to the public, public transportation, and in school zones, and other areas. the bill also reduces the frequency that qualified retired law enforcement officers are required to obtain certain qualification standards. many states allow state license concealed carry permit holders to carry concealed firearms in gun-free school zones and public transportation in the state which they are licensed. this bill affords certain law enforcement officers the same privilege. the legislation improves public safety. our officers face greater dangers and current restrictions hinder their ability to carry firearms. at a time when violent crimes continue to plague our nation, we must support our active and retired law enforcement officers and ensure that they are able to protect themselves and that others no matter where they are in the united states. this legislation is supported by the fraternal order of police, the federal law enforcement officers association, the national association of police

organizations, the major city chiefs association, the major county sheriffs of america, national organizations of black law enforcement executives, and many others. i urge my colleagues to support this bill. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. nadler: mr. speaker, before i speak on the leosa reform act, let me express my deep disappointment in the behavior of the judiciary committee majority. they are now considering a resolution to hold in contempt the attorney general of the united states for refusing to submit certain audio recordings to the committee. i think it's a deeply wrong request. i have expressed my opinion in

committee. i'm not going to go through it here again. but the point is we have a series of judiciary committee bills now. and the judiciary committee is meeting on that resolution now. so that members of the judiciary committee who may want to speak on this series of bills we are going to be considering now cannot because they are trapped in the judiciary committee considering the contempt resolution. i cannot vote against the contempt resolution because i'm stuck here. it is normally the practice that when you have committee business on the floor you suspend the committee meeting so that people can do their work. i very much protest that the committee is still meeting while we have committee bills on the floor so that i must choose between dealing with these bills or voting on the contempt

citation, and members of the other -- other members of the committee cannot be here to debate these bills. mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to the leosa reform act. this bill threatens the safety of all americans by advancing the republican agenda of more guns for more people in more public places. in 2004, congress enacted the law enforcement officers safety act, or leosa. which forced states to allow off-duty and retirement law enforcement officers to carry concealed weapons, even when doing so conflicted with that state's concealed carry laws. it garnered a bipartisan opposition, including from the republican chairman of the judiciary committee at the time, mr. sensenbrenner, because it supplanted the judgment of the states about the appropriate use of firearms. it was also opposed by organizations such as the international chiefs of police, which was concerned that it could endanger law enforcement

causing confusion among local police who might not be able to distinguished between a criminal and the retired officer using a firearm. other organizations opposed it because it could put police agencies at risk for liability for an officer who misuse as weapon in another state, and because the requirementses for retired officers were insufficient. despite these objections, leosa became law. importantly, it included exceptions for places like government buildings, gun-free school zones, and private property. where states have a special interest in retaining control of their gun safety laws. these exceptions have been in place for 20 years and have served as important protections. but this legislation tosses those exceptions out the window. it forces states to allow off-duty and retired officers to carry firearms on playgrounds, in government buildings, and on buses, trains, subways, and

boats. it undermines state laws limiting magazine capacity. it reduces the rights of private property owners who may not want concealed weapons on their property or in their businesses. and it relaxes training standards so that some people will be able to carry a concealed firearm even though it has been three years since their last firearms training certification. in addition, this legislation unravels -laws that kept firears out of federal facilities. it does this with federal facilities opened to the public and not classified' as security level one or two. definition that is will create significant confusion for those trying to abide by it, and for those tasked with enforcing it. for example, if a federal facility is only partially opened to the public, or only opened to the public during certain hours, does it fall within the bill's definition? we don't know.

what about a facility opened to the public so long as they are not carrying firearms? the bill does not say. and as the bill itself states, the facility's security level is determined on a facility by facility basis and may not be publicly posted. so it is virtually impossible to know what federal facilities are included in this definition. we looked for a listing of federal facilities classified at these security levels and we could not find one. members may even have offices in federal facilities that will suddenly be forced to allow concealed firearms in their doors as a result of this legislation. not only would this bill inject confusion into federal law, but it also intrudes on to private property rights, and undermines state's careful determinations on how best to protect their citizens from gun violence. i urge members to join me in opposing this misguided legislation -- misguided legislation and i reserve the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. moore: thank you, mr. speaker. i listed four organizations, there are 21 law enforcement agency and organizations around the country that support this legislation. with that i yield to a friend of mine from florida, one of the best shots i know, sheriff rutherford. the speaker pro tempore: how much time? mr. moore: five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized for five minutes. mr. r*utter ford: thank you for yielding, my friend. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of the law enforcement officers safety act. this leosa reform bill will expand the ability of qualified officers, whether active, retired, or no longer in law enforcement, to carry concealed firearms in any state or territory regardless of state or local laws. if we trust our law enforcement officers to carry guns while they are wearing a badge, why wouldn't we trust them to carry one on state and federal

property in their retirement? there is no one better trained and equipped to safely use and carry these firearms. in fact, we encourage our officers at the state and local level to carry their firearms when they are off duty. because they are never off duty. they are always required to respond if an incident occurs in their presence. and so officers carry off duty anyway. but what this does is expand that protective -- that force multiplier concept to the entire country. .. i don't see what's wrong with that. in fact, i think it makes good sense that we would want good men and womenner who qualified to carry firearms to protect those who do not. this bill also gives retired officers more flexibility in the

timing of their firearms recertification, reducing unnecessary burdens while ensuring that they are still properly trained in firearm proficiency. they must remain proficient. now, officers would be able to carry a concealed firearm if they qualify yearly or whatever their state may require up to a three-year limit. now, the leosa reform act also extends conceal carry rights into, as you heard earlier, certain federal facilities, such as post offices and social security administration offices, whether or not they're there in an official capacity. i'm not sure how that would create a lot of confusion. we carry firearms into all sorts of facilities now. this simply makes it open to

these federal facilities now. this legislation importantly, very importantly, will also exempt leosa-certified officers from state magazine capacity limits, which is very important. this will simply concede that carry officers as they travel across cities and states, ensuring that various locations, their local laws, don't interfere with operational readiness of these offices. mr. speaker, i have to tell you the former sheriff, i've seen how law-abiding citizens have used legally owned and carried firearms to protect their lives, their families' lives, the lives of others that them don't even know, in many situations, in my own hometown of jacksonville, these officers have dedicated

their lives to protecting the public. we must leverage every bit of training and skills to keep our communities safe, even when they're out of uniform. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on this important bill to keep our police officers ready to protect our communities wherever they may find themselves. this will be a tremendous force multiplier for all of our state and local law enforcement agencies. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. mr. nadler: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. moore: we're prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. nadler: i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from new york is recognizedded to close. mr. nadler: i yield myself the remainder of my time. mr. speaker, this legislation intrudes on the states' ability to make their own judgments about public safety, concealed firearms, and the regulation of their own law enforcement and would make us all less safe. we hear from the side of the aisle all the time about states' rights. but then we get legislation like this that overrules the the states, that say we know best about issues of public safety. i urge members to positive pose the bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from alabama is recognized. mr. moore: our colleagues across the aisle very often, they told us that we didn't need firearms to protect ourselves, they would send the police. last year and the year this, they were calling to defund the police. now they want to disarm retired law enforcement officers, who

could be johnny-on-the-spot in many cases and save lives. i would encourage my colleagues to support this legislation, and with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: time for debate has pursuits. pursuant to house resolution 1227, the previous question is ordered on the bill as amended. 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 amend title 18 of the united states code to improve the law enforcement officer safety act and provisions relating to the carrying of concealed weapons by law enforcement officers and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on passage of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed say no. the ayes have it. the bill is passed.

mr. moore: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having risen, 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 gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five

legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into h.r. 8146. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. pursuant to house resolution 1227 and rule 18, the chair declares the house and the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 8168, the chair appoints the gentleman from florida, mr. rutherford, to preside over the committee of the whole. the chair: in the committee of the whole on the state of the union for the consideration of h.r. 8146, which the clerk will report by title. the chair: a bill to require a report by the attorney general on the impact of the border crisis is having on law enforcement at the federal, state and tribal level. the chair: pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read. the first time.

general debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on the judiciary or their respective designees. the gentleman from california, mr. mcclintock, and the gentleman from new york, mr. nadler, each will control 30 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. mcclintock: yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. mcclintock: in 2021, our borders were secure. the trump remain in mexico policy cut phony asylum claims to a trickle. the border wall was nearing completion. deportations were being enforced. by the end of that day, president biden had reversed these policies and thus began the greatest illegal mass migration in history. since that day, he's allowed 6.9

million illegal migrants to enter our country and demand free food, free clothing, free legal assistance, free education, free shelter, free lodging, free phones and free cash, except, of course, it's not the least bit free. it all comes out of the earnings of american families and out of the services that we set aside for americans in need. unlike legal immigrants who obey our laws and do everything our country asks of them, the first act of these 6.9 million aliens who have illegally interested our country is to commit a federal crime. i have watched them personally taunt our border patrol at the border as they do so. woke cities and states have passed sanctuary laws that forbid our officials to turn over illegal aliens who have committed other crimes to i.c.e. for deportation as the law requires. this administration made these policies national by refusing to enforce over a million court-ordered for deportations. it shouldn't surprise us many

who are willing to violate the laws are also willing to violate the rest of our laws as well. the number of terrorists -- terrorist suspects that the border patrol has encountered has ballooned exponentially and law enforcement officials are warning that among the 1.9 million got aways, mostly single, military-age men, is likely a dangerous column who could soon launch devastating attacks within our borders. fentanyl brought in through the open border is killing hundreds of americans every day. the democrats sanctuary policies hamstring attempts to deport illegal aliens, and worst of all, the admission of untold thousands of the most vicious gang members on the planet is anyway producing a terrible butcher's bill of murders and assaults on americans. when the federation for american immigration looked at states to be reimbursed for the costs of

incarcerating aliens, they found that they're 2311% more likely to be jailed for crimes in california, 440% more likely in new jersey, and 60% more likely in texas, just to name a few. 231% more likely to be jailed in california, according to their own numbers. but you won't find that anywhere else, because it's illegal in california to otherwise report the immigration status of criminals and criminal suspects. so by their criteria, not a single crime is committed by illegals in california, yet their jails are overflowing with them. as of last december, there were at least 617,000 aliens on immigration and custom enforcements nondetained docket who have criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, yet these dangerous offenders are out on american streets free to reoffend. this past year, mr. biden removed 60% fewer criminal illegal aliens than trump did in

2019, despite an increase of illegal aliens entering our country. and we are seeing the results every day in murders and assaults on america's streets and in empty chairs in american family dinner tables. earlier this year, new york city police commissioner edward cabin declared, quote, eye wave of migrant crime has washed over our city, unquote. he should know, because earlier this year a group of illegal aliens brutally assaulted two nypd officers. new york mayor eric adams described the assault as, quote, an attack on the foundation of our symbol of safety, end quote. he then turned on the city council to consider if there should be more collaboration with federal immigration officials. well, i suppose better late than never. the bill before us today, h.r. 8146, the police our borders act, requires the attorney general to submit a report to

congress on the impact of the biden border policies on law enforcement officers. this report will document officer safety concerns that are linked to increased cross-border movement, such as fentanyl exposure and assaults on law enforcement officers. the report will also examine the overall burden of this unfolding tragedy on law enforcement capabilities and officer morale. our men and women in blue continue to protect our communities, even when our communities don't fully support them. well, we owe them better as a nation. with this measure, we declare our determination to recognize and document the threats they face so that we can enact measures to make it harder for a president to ever again unleash these threats upon the american people. i, my colleagues to support the bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. nadler: mr. chairman, yield

myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. nadler: mr. chairman, this year a republican majority has wasted time passing three different, but equally meaningful resolutions relate to the biden administration's immigration policies. this week we debated a fourth. we now move on to yet another meaningless and poorly written piece of immigration legislation. just like the four resolutions, this bill is full of empty rhetoric that will do nothing to solve the situation at the border. not a single dollar will go to help our law enforcement agents at the border as a result of this bill. want a single person will be denied entry to this country as a result of this bill. not a single community will be made safer as a result of this bill. . it is just another stale attempt to demonize and fear monger. the bill itself is an oddly

written and poorly put together reporting bill that requires a report on the, quote, biden border crisis, close quote, on federal, state and tribal entities. when it comes to reporting bills i'm usually in support. it's important to have information and reporting bills are a way to do that. unfortunately this bill is a sham and riddled with so much blatantly partisan political rhetoric masquerading as fact that i cannot support it. here's one example of how poorly written the bill is. requires the attorney general to report then imact of the so-called biden border crisis, without defining that term. without a definition the term is meaningless. and the attorney general would have no guidance on what data the report should actually contain. the obvious cheap political rhetoric exposes this

legislation as an unserious messaging bill. but beyond that, in a world where my republican colleagues consistently say that they do not trust the attorney general to carry out their intent, the lack of deaf anythings makes little sense. the bill also attempts incorrectly to paint undocumented migrants as being the primary source of fentanyl brought into the country when we know this is not true. the vast majority of fentanyl is seized at ports of entry. trafficked by u.s. citizens. over 86% of those convicted of fentanyl-related drug trafficking convictions are u.s. citizens. furthermore, cartels are not risking their product on peel who illicitly cross the border between points of entry. in fiscal year 2023, c.b.p. seized approximately 27,000 pounds of fentanyl. less than 10% of those drugs were seized by the border patrol. the vast majority, or roughly

90% of fentanyl was seized by the office of field operations which mans the ports of entry. lastly, the bill asks the attorney general to report on the resources devoted to addressing the border and the resources that are, quote, not available so law enforcement agent circumstances close quote. however at every turn it's been republicans who have voted against giving d.h.s. the resources it needs to do its job. in 2021, all but six current house republicans voted against the bipartisan infrastructure deal which provided additional funding to modernize ports of entry and allow for nonintrusive inspections to combat the smuggling of people and drugs. likewise, all but two current house republicans voted against provide roughing bust funding for customs and border protection and border security operations in the f.y. 2023 appropriations omnibus legislation. that bill provided more than $17

billion to c.b.p. including $60 million to hire an additional 125c.b.p. officers and $70 million for nonintrusive inspection technology to detect markets and firearms at ports of entry. when it comes to the president's supplemental request which would provide $14 billion for border security, we have not had a sing hear, let alone a vote on the request. the president's requested vital funds for 375 immigration judges and 1,600 asylum officers to speed up processing of asylum claims. so that people could get their asylum claims adjudicated in week, not years. the republicans are fond of talking about catch and release. that's because it takes years for someone to get an asylum case adjudicate. the president requested these funds. if he got them for the 375 immigration judges and 1,600 ai

sy lam officers as well as funds then -- you would adjudicate these cases in weeks, not years. he's also asked for funds for additional personnel at ports of entry and technology to stop drugs from coming into the country. the republicans have said no. as a final indication of just how unserious this bill is, its findings state that congress should pass and the president should sign into law, quote, strong border security legislation, close quote. never mind it was house republicans who walked away from a bill negotiated by one of the most conservative members of the senate, a bill senator mcconnell called the toughest border bill in 30 years. all because donald trump told them he wanted the issue for the election, not a solution. i know my republican friends will say there's h.r. 2, which is a better bill. i don't know whether it's a better bill but it's a bill that has -- that cannot pass. could not get more than 32 votes in the senate.

in the senate with 49 republican members. you don't get strong border security legislation by passing congressional resolutions and reports. you have to do the hard work of legislating. that appears to be far beyond the capacity of this republican majority. so instead they're reduced to pointless bills like this that accomplish nothing and are full of misleading talking points. we deserve better than this waste of time. i urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. chairman, when my friend complains about partisan republican rhetoric, i'd advise him to listen to his own constituents who are begging their representatives in new york and chicago and denver, whose social services are being overwhelmed by the tidal wave of illegal immigration that this administration has unleashed and that my friend has defended every day in this house.

he complains that the term biden border crisis isn't defined. he might want to open his eyes and look around him. or open his ears to hear the pleas of his own constituents. i'm now pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the author of this measure, mr. d'esposito. mr. d'esposito: thank you very much. mr. speaker, i'm not sure where to begin. my friend across the aisle said that we would talk about h.r. 2, but that it didn't have the votes to pass. i think we're in the same situation as the imaginary bill he talks about which never made it out of the senate and wasn't a solution, it was a surrender. and if you need a definition of the biden border crisis, let's talk about the over eight million illegal migrants that have come over this border since joe biden has taken office.

let's talk about the over 1.3 million known got-away that was come into this country that we don't know what they're doing, who they're talk to, or who they're associating with. let's talk about the record number of illegal markets that has come across the southern border. let's talk about the problems, the draining of resources, that the migrant crisis, the biden border crisis, is leaving on law enforcement across this country. i'm not going to just focus on police departments back in new york. let's start further away. let's start and talk about sheriffs and depp days long the southern bored. who have said that the biden border crisis has affected every single bit of industry. in their state or county. let's talk about sheriffs that, mr. speaker, we've visited, who have said their jails are full to capacity. why?

because of the biden border crisis. so i'm not really sure what my good friend from new york across the aisle needs more explanation about the biden border crisis, but i will tell you this. law enforcement throughout this country has made it explicitly clear, they made it explicitly clear that they need help. that they need communication. that's exactly what this bill does. it's not a messaging bill. it requires the justice department to provide to law enforcement agencies information. intelligence. explain to them the issues that are plaguing this country that the migrants are affecting so that we, congress, can provide the resources that these law enforcement agencies need. this isn't just republicans talking about this. the very city that my friend across the aisle represents, the mayor of the city of new york, eric adams, has said, quote, the migrant crisis will destroy new

york city. and i have to remind my friend across the aisle that the very department who provides him executive protection, the new york city police department, has said, that they need more information. that communication between law enforcement agencies, whether it's customs and border patrol, whether it's local agencies, whether it's other federal agencies, the communication would be better. so this is a step in the direction to make sure that law enforcement agencies throughout the country is have the ability, have the information that they need to effectively protect and serve the communities they represent. you see, h.r. 2 was a great starting point. and over a year ago, house republicans not only put h.r. 2 across the finish line in the homeland security committee, but got it across the finish line on

the floor of this house. it was voted against by democrats. it was sent over to the senate. where it has collected dust. on chuck schumer's desk. it's collected dust and in the process the crisis at our southern border, mr. speaker, the biden border crisis, has gotten worse. it's affected more people. people have died. because of the failed policies of joe biden and secretary mayorkas. and the fact that we have our colleagues on the other side of the aisle saying that this is about messaging, well, mr. speaker, i wonder if they'd deliver that same message to the family and loved ones of victims who have fallen prey though biden border crisis. you see, mr. speaker, when we are back home in our districts, we ensure our constituents, they

need to know we are committed, dedicated to fact finding. and well-researched policy. you see, the other side of the aisle, they can't support this simply because they're trying to deny that there's even a crisis. the fact that we're wondering what the definition of the biden border crisis is actually scary. it's either they're not paying attention, they're not reading the newspapers, they're not focused on the facts, or they just don't care. but what i will tell you is there is a crisis. and the crisis has gotten worse because of joe biden. we've seen migrants. in some videos that have gone viral on social media. as a matter of fact, two of the victims of some of these crimes are my guests right here at the state of the union. when two members of the nypd

were brutally attacked and midtown manhattan by illegal migrants. we know for a fact that migrants smuggle markets into this country. we know for a fact that illegal migrants have been arrested for brutal crimes. and for making communities less safe. we the for a fact -- we know for a fact that illegal migrants have been parts of burglary ring, not just in sanctuary cities but in places that surround them. like home on long island. so you see, this is a crisis. it is the biden border crisis. and this piece of legislation is common sense. it's about making sure that we provide the necessary information, communication, and resources to law enforce. agencies throughout this country. so that they can continue to do

the best with what they have. they continue to do the best with the hurdles in front of them. that they continue to do the best because they are facing, just like all of us, the historic disaster at our southern border. that is the biden border crisis. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. nadler: mr. speaker, my friend from new york talks about the biden border crisis. and he talks about the bill that failed in the senate. because the president, or former president, former president trump, told the senate, told republicans, not to vote for it. because he wanted an issue. he didn't want the problem

solved, he wanted an issue. he said it in his own words. congressman nehls said it in his own words. h.r. 2, which they claim to support, in fact, could never get more than 32 votes in a 49 republican member senate. the republicans didn't support it. never mind the democrats. the only viable bill was the bill negotiated by mitch mcconnell and senator kangford -- senator lankford, the most conservative bill in a generation, and one supported by the union representing the border patrol people. but that but that bill was killed, because president trump wanted no progress and said so, at least he was honest about it. he said, i don't want any progress in this area, i want an issue. so my republican friends are

talking about the issue. that could have been solved by now if it weren't for president trump's ordering them not to solve it. so we'll hear a lot of rhetoric about solving the problem, when they are participating in what amounts to a plot not to solve the problem by passing the strict bill that could have been passed that was supported by, and is supported by the union representing the border patrolman and could actually solve the problem. but they don't want to solve the problem. they just want to talk about the problem. i reserve. the chair: the gentleman from california is recognized. >> my friend calls it the only viable bill. well, if it's so viable, where is it? the senate bill could not be passed by the senate. h.r. 2 was passed out of this house and did ultimately receive, i believe, 47 votes in the senate.

mr. mcclintock: the democrats love to talk the senate bill. that bill would not have ended biden's open border policies. it would have institutionalized them. current law gives the president full authority to secure our border. trump proved that. it requires asylum claimants to be detained. trump did that. this bill that he talks about would leave future presidents powerless to secure the border until illegal immigration reaches 4,000 a day. 1.5 million a year. it would have required they be released into our country. that's the democrats' idea of border security, a guaranteed 4,000 illegal aliens being released into our country every day. and with that, i'm very pleased to yield five minutes to the gentleman from nebraska, mr. bacon. mr. bacon: thank you to my colleague and friend from california. i want to speak on h.r. 354, the

leave bill we just debated on. it's my legislation that i worked on for seven years am it's the law enforcement safety officer reform act. what does this bill do? if you're retired law enforcement officer or off duty law enforcement officer and you maintain your gun qualifications, you can carry your sidearm. leosa was standardized in all 50 states. over the last decade, it's gotten very uneven, it's been chipped away at in various states. we want to level the table again for all of our law enforcement officers. i talked to our county sheriffs, and i have three of them, this is their number one priority. their number one ask is to get leosa passed again. when i talk to our federal law enforcement, it's also with a top request that they have. why is it called the safety act, law enforcement safety bill? because just picture if you're in a theater. someone that's deranged starts

shooting their weapon at people. hurting or killing innocent people. who would you want to have in there? i would want to have an off-duty policeman or a retired policeman that's maintained their qualifications, that's been trained to respond to these kind of incidents. this is what leosa allows, it improves the safety of wherever we're at with these retired policeman or off-duty policemen. i've talked to federal agents who have arrested serious narcotics dealers, and they have a price on their head. they have a bounty, if you will. when they're retired, they want to carry as well to defend themselves and their family. i hope we can have a bipartisan vote on this bill. it is one of the top requests of law enforcement officers at the local, state, county, and federal level, for us to get this done. and this would be a way to say thank you to the law enforcement who serve of day, who put their lives on the line, and who still want to serve when they're retired and be there when and if

needed. with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from california serves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. nadler: i yield such time as i may consume to the gentlelady from new mexico, representative stansbury. ms. stansbury: thank you, mr. speaker. as it is national police week, i want to begin by thanking all of our law enforcement for their service and their sacrifice on behalf of our communities. as we do so, we honor and we remember those who have passed in the line of duty, including so many in new mexico. new mexico state with a pole know that justin, a patrol officer who died in the line of duty just this year. i stand to oppose this bill, but i also stand deeply proud to serve new mexico's first

congressional district, which includes albuquerque metro area, seven counties, two tribal nations, and dozens of state county tribal and local law enforcement and emergency service agencies and federal law enforcement. from sandoval and valencia counties in the north, torrance, lincoln, chavez in the south and east, our state, county, and local law enforcement agencies care for our communities and keep them safe every day. likewise, our federal law enforcement work overtime in new mexico to crack down on cartels and keep drug traffickers and dangerous drugs off our street. and we thank you for your service and your sacrifice. we know that public safety and the fentanyl crisis are ravaging our communities. and you are on the front lines. that is why i have worked since day one in office to help secure millions in funding for law

enforcement for tools, technology and equipment to support their work and fought for funding for recruitment and retention, millions in state funding i helped to secure during my time in the legislature, millions i helped secure in congress for state police to detect and tackle fentanyl. 18 million for law enforcement equipment and vehicles. new emergency fire stations for other counties, and more than 17 million dollars for behavioral and mental services. but we know that fighting the fentanyl crisis, fighting the public safety and behavioral health crisis, will take more than just stopping the flow of drugs and other materials into our communities. it requires that we also face the realities of addiction. and the people who are hurting in our communities. it requires that we listen to and support the people who are facing the realities and the relentless challenges of the

opioid crisis,er who struggling with addiction and the daily tragedy that is overwhelm our first responders and emergency rooms, and the thousands that have died in new mexico alone from this problem. that's why i have also been working to help secure millions for behavioral health, to expand clinics and housing opportunities in albuquerque, veterans transitional housing, the first nation clinic healthcare for the homeless, and other vital programs. and it is why i am also sponsoring legislation to stop pill presses from being used to dump dangerous drugs in our communities and to get emergency overdose medicine into public venues. these are the realities of how we deal with the fentanyl crisis. this is what our law enforcement are asking us to do. new mexico is a border state. new mexico is on the front line of the fentanyl crisis.

but we have to do much more. it takes resources to fight these challenges. we have to invest in technology, tools, and staffing to stop the flow of drugs into this country. it means we have to fund and support our state, local, and tribal law enforcement so that they can actually protect our communities. and it means that we have to take seriously and make a sustained investment in our broken healthcare and behavioral health system. and most importantly, above all else, it means stop playing politics with the lives of our people. because we already know the solutions to these problems. we don't need another messaging bill here on the house floor. we need solutions. while you're sitting here lecturing us on your messaging

bill, the speaker of the house and members of the house majority are standing in front of a federal courthouse in new york city in matching outfits defending a sex offender in his hush money trial. so, you know, it's a very brave statement to stand on the house floor today while that's going on and lecture us about solutions for our communities, when half of their caucus isn't even present here in the chamber. now, we already tried to pass a bipartisan solution. in fact, the senate tried for months. in fact, it was led by a senate g.o.p. member, and it was single-handedly blocked by donald trump because he told members of this chamber and others that he thought it would be bad for his campaign. is this the party of law and order? is this what the american people are asking us to do?

our families and our communities are not a political joke. they are not a political bargaining chip. this is about real people. people like one of my closest friends who died from a fentanyl overdose with two young children at home. and the thousands of others who are suffering with addiction and suffering from the challenges that our communities are facing. so stop wasting our time. stop offering false and empty words. and please join us for real solutions to help our communities. with that, i yield back. the chair: pursuant to house rule the chair will remind the gentlelady from new mexico and all members to refrain from engaging in personalities toward resuch active nominees for the office of president. the jam from washington --

controls the remainder of the time. the gentlewoman reserves. the gentlelady from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: in response toe that tirade, let me just remind the gentlelady, 6.9 million illegal i will grants admitted into our country in violation of our immigration laws since this administration took office. the gentlelady speaks of all the taxpayer money that she generously volunteers to pour into our social services. well, i've got news for her. that safety net has been shredded by their open border policies. the federation for american immigration reform estimates that just in the last year the cost to our public schools is $70 million, sorry, $70 billion just to educate the children of the illegals that they have admitted into this country. $22 billion in costs to our hospitals.

now, i submit to you that if republicans were to suggest we should cut $70 billion from public education or $22 billion from our public hospitals, there would be a complete outrage on the other side of the aisle, and yet that is exactly what their open border policies are costing us right now. that is a travesty. there's one way to solve this, and that is to secure our borders as we had accomplished under president trump. and that's why there are so many members over there right now to defend a president who actually was serious about defending our borders. with that, mr. speaker, i'm ready to close when the gentlelady is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady is recognized. mr. jayapal: how much time do i have remaining?

the speaker pro tempore: 15 minutes remaining. ms. jayapal: i'm prepared to close. mr. chairman, while you may not know it from some of the language that's being used to today, we are debating a poorly written, quote reporting bill," that will do nothing. this bill is full of empty rhetoric, makes no policy changes to address the outdated immigration system, and it provides no funding of any kind. all this bill does is attempt to produce a one-time politically motivated report on the so-called biden border crisis. just one report, that's it. give me a break. and even though the entire bill is focused on reporting requirements related to the quote biden border crisis, the bill doesn't define the term. as if we needed any more proof this is not serious legislation and is more about messaging than

congressional oversight of the executive branch. why are we continuing to waste our time marking up these meaningless messaging bills? i've said this before, and i'm going to say it again, because the same resolutions keep coming up over and over again. so i feel like i need to repeat myself. the situation at boredder is directly linked to the fact that the legal immigration system has not been modernized in 30 years. it has been left in chaos, because it has not been updated to meet the needs of our country today. when the legal process is so outdated that it takes decades for green card holders to get their children into the country or when employers simply can't get visas for the people this they need to hire because two million people are in processing back logs, or when we have so few immigration judges that asylum seekers wait over eight years to get their cases heard, well, then people turn to

unscrupulous actors, including the cartels. . cartels promise people they can escape dangerous situations by promising to get them in to seek safety across the border. if my colleagues on the other side were serious about addressing the situation they would work with us to fix the immigration system to provide people with workable ways to immigrate. that would disempower the cartels. it would ensure the integrity of the border. it would give us what we all want, which is order at the border that is fueled and made possible by a legal immigration system that works. a legal immigration system that provides pathways for people to come and work here. to be with their families. to contribute to our economy. that's what we need right now. but, here we are. instead of that, we are defending a bill with no chance of becoming law or solving a

problem. republicans are showing clearly what we democrats have been saying over and over again. that they don't want to do anything that would help fix the broken immigration system. instead of solving the problem, republicans want to continue to weaponize the border as a political issue for this election year. rather than debating meaningless bills, we should be exploring how to meaningfully reform the broken immigration system to expand lawful immigration to the united states, given the very clear and documented benefits that that brings. in 2021 alone, daca recipients paid $6.5 billion in taxes. refugees paid almost $28 billion in taxes. and t.p.s. holders paid $2.2 billion in taxes. like weiss, in 2021, undocumented immigrants paid approximately $18.6 million in federal income taxes and $12.2

billion in state and local taxes. recently, the department of health and human services released a study demonstrating that refugees and asylees generated $124 billion in fiscal benefits over 15 years and the congressional budget office, a nonpartisan entity, recently released a report finding that recent immigrants who joined the work force will actually add $1 trillion of revenue to our country's g.d.p. between 2023 and 2034. it's also estimated that putting undocumented immigrants on a road map to citizenship would not only increase u.s. g.d.p. by $1.7 trillion over the next decade that action would also raise wages for all americans and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. unfortunately, republicans talk a big game when it comes to immigration and border security.

but instead of trying to pass thoughtful, bipartisan legislation to address the problems in our immigration system, they waste our time on bills like the one before us today. and listen, you don't have to just take it from me. the fact is that the second most conservative republican senator in the united states senate crafted a bill with some democratic support to put forward for us on immigration reform. and republicans decided that they didn't even want to consider that bill or vote on that bill. you know why? because donald trump told them not to because it would take away what they see as an election issue. i believe the american people are smarter than that. i urge my colleagues to oppose this meaningless bill. and to see very clearly that republicans are not interested in solutions, they're not interested in governing, they're just interested in meaningless messaging bills that try to divide us when really we should

be celebrating the tremendous benefits that immigrants contribute to our country. every single day. with that, i yield back. the chair: the gentlelady yields. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. mcclintock: mr. speaker, i begin my close by yielding time. >> thank you, i rise in support of the police our border act. i'm proud to join my colleagues debating on the floor and holding hearings to discuss the dedication and sacrifice of our first responders. mr. pfluger: it's so important for us to recognize and honor those who put their lives on the line every day. there's no denying our law enforcement has fallen under attack in recent years as democrat governments cave to the

defund the police movement. the crisis at our southern border affects every state, every town, every congressional district and it certainly affect ours law enforcement heroes as we heard during testimony this week. congress should be using every tool and resource available to support our officers. with enough fentanyl coming across the border each year to kill every american seven times over, criminal illegal aliens being let free to roam in our communities, community resources being handed out to individuals who have been deported multiple times and women and children being raped and killed, the crisis has reached a breaking point. federal, state, and local and tribal law phonersment are dealing with the cries aand -- crisis and need this bill now. this bill will hold the administration accountable and ensure we are showing up for ow law enforcement. not just showing up, but that we show them our support throw our voting here in congress. it is with that, that i hope and

ask for my colleague's support on this very important act and i yield back. mr. mcclintock: to sum up, without law enforcement, there is no law. and without law, there is no civilization. without immigration enforcement, there are no borders. and without borders, there is no country. this is where the woke left is taking us. it's time for americans to decide how much farther we want to allow them to take us down this dismal and dangerous road. i think the american people are entitled to ask this administration and its apologists in this congress, how do we make our streets safer by making it all but impossible to deport criminal illegal aliens as the law requires? how do we make our families safer by flooding our communities with deadly fentanyl? how do we make our children safer by not vetting every person who enters our country to keep the criminals out?

how do we make our neighborhoods safer by refusing to prosecute criminal illegal aliens@fullest extent of the law? how do we make our highways safer by creating the conditions of deadly high speed chases and drunk driving? how do we protect our country as untold numbers of terrorists enter among the 1.9 million gotaway who was entered under joe biden's nose. how do we make our communities safer as criminal gangs and criminal cartels set up shop in our cities for their lethal business of child trafficking, drug trafficking, extortion, and crime. these are the questions that have gone unanswered since this administration took office. and with which our local law enforcement officials must grapple every day. at the peril of their own lives, in order to protect ours. the democrats just don't seem to care. but america cares. americans are dealing with this

entirely preventable crisis every day and our law enforcement officers are the heroes who protect our families and our communities every day. we owe it to them to document the truth, to acknowledge it, and to act on it. that's what this bill would do. i urge the house to adopt it. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields. all time for general debate has expire. pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. the amendment in the nature of a substitute reck mended by the committee on the judiciary printed in the bill shall be considered as adopted. the bill as amended shall be considered as original bill for the purpose of further amendment under the five-minute rule and shall be considered as read. no further amendment to the bill as amended shall be in order except those printed in part b of house report 118-511. each susm further amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read,

shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question. the chair understands that amendments one and two will not be offered. it is now in order to consider amendment number three printed in part b of house report 118-511. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? mr. molinaro: i rise -- >> i rise as the designee of the gentleman from new york and have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: amendment number three printed in pows report 118-511, offered by mr. d'esposito of new york. the chair: the gentleman from new york, mr. d'esposito, and a member opoached -- opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york, my good

friend, mr. d'esposito. mr. d'esposito: this amendment offered by our good friend and fellow new yorker, mr. molinaro, would add an important provision to my legislation. if adopted it would ensure that my bill, in addition to measuring things like exposure to fentanyl, injuries, and morale, would also measure the biden border crisis effects on recruitment. in my capacity as a member of the house homeland security committee, we have taken time to interview countless law enforcement professionals from all across this nation and at every rank. mr. speaker, we have heard time and time again that today's political climate, both in terms of the demands made of law enforcement, but also the flagrant lack of respect and appreciation for our law enforcement by many of the other side of the aisle has made it difficult to recruit and retain law enforcement officers.

it is for that reason that i'm proud to offer in support mr. molinaro's amendment to my bill. it is in the interest of the american people that we learn all the effects of this tragic biden border crisis on law enforcement, including and especially this crisis' affect on recruitment. mr. speaker, i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from washington seek recognition? ms. jayapal: i claim time in opposition. the chair: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. jayapal: thank you. this amendment furthers the major drafting problems in this legislation by asking the attorney general to report on house the so-called biden border crisis impacted law enforcement recruiting. now as i said earlier, there is no definition for the, quote, biden border crisis, and this amendment highlights just how unserious this legislation is.

how on earth is the attorney general supposed to determine how the border impacts law enforcement recruitment? our lo -- are local law enforcement agencies going to have to go to all the candidates who turned down job offers and ask them if their decision was influence by the border? this bill is a huge waste of time. and this amendment serves only to make this poorly drafted bill even more incomprehensible. i therefore oppose its adoption and i encourage my colleagues to oppose it as well. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlelady has the only time remaining. does the gentlelady wish to yield her time? ms. jayapal: i yield. the chair: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from new york. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 4 printed in part b of house report 118-511.

for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? mr. nun: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number four printed in part b of house report 118-511, offered by mr. nun of iowa. the chair: pursuant to he rule the gentleman from iowa, mr. nunn and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from iowa mr. nunn. mr. nun: the ad-- mr. nunn: the administration's failure to secure our southern border has allowed an influx of over eight million illegal migrants and more than 27,000 pounds of deadly fentanyl. that's just what we know of to enter into our country. earlier this year, fentanyl hurt so many of our families. i invited folks right from my

district. derek and kathy kidd joined me to hear what our country could do during the state of the union to help fight the fentanyl crisis. the synthetic drug, made in china, that enters into our country illegally, primarily through our southern border that so far has been left completely unprotected. we honor the loss of their son. at 17, he lost his life and became one of 150 americans every day dieing from the fentanyl crisis. we looked for answers from the administration. to close the border. that they could do on day one. to be able to stand up and make sure that stop and release is ended. and to reinstate remain in mexico. the administration chose to do none of those things, and they put our law enforcement on the front line of defending our communities, not just from local policing, but from the threat posed by this deadly drug.

mr. speaker, no family should experience what the kidd family did. this, in their own words, could and should have been prevent. but unfortunately, it remains. most recently interstate 35 that extends from mexico north right into my district in iowa was the site of the largest seizure of fentanyl near des moines. a 35-year-old male traveling from the southern border was intercepted not by border patrol or federal law enforcement, but by local police. in that they seized 30,000 fentanyl pills in his car. let's not forget, one teaspoon is more than enough to kill an entire community. luckily, our law enforcement officers were able to intercept these drugs and make sure they should not have made it to our state and were not on our streets. there's no doubt that we must secure our border to prevent drugs from flowing into our country, but we also need to address the strain that this places on families and our local

first responders. in conversations with sheriffs and po police departments, i tad with too many officers who shared their work and how it's been consumed by the fight against fentanyl. the bottom line is local law enforcement officers should not be overloaded with these issues when we have a federal responsibility to assist them. to better understand how big of an impact fentanyl is on our communities, my amendment would require the department of justice to detail how much states have spent on local law enforcement efforts to investigate, intercept, and process fentanyl that's been trafficked across u.s. borders. by understanding the root of this challenge, we can better allocate resources and make sure our local law enforcement has the support they need. i urge my colleagues to this amendment and the underlying bill by representative d'esposito. thank you, mr. chair, and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: for what purpose does the gentlelady from washington seek recognition?

ms. jayapal: he requires a report to amount each state trafficked through the border. i do not oppose this amendment because it does not repeat the same misleading talking points that republicans often use when discussing fentanyl, and i am grateful to my colleague across the side of the aisle for that. i did want to make a couple of points on this, because i think fentanyl is such an important issue in all of our districts. it is a scourge on all of our districts, all of our communities. we are all seeing the effects of fentanyl that is coming into this country. we know that fentanyl is being smuggled into our country and that some of it comes through our southern border. but i do want to make clear that fentanyl is seized primarily at the ports of entry. in fiscal year 2023 approximately 27,000 pounds of fentanyl was seized, less than 10% of the drugs were actually seized by border patrol. the vast majority, roughly 90%

of the drugs, were seized by the office of field operations, which is the entity that mans the ports of entry. and i wanted to make clear that the evidence does not show in any way that asylum seekers are bringing drugs to our shores. in fact, increasingly drug car tells are being very smart about this. they're recruiting american citizens to bring drugs across the border through ports of entry. in 2022, over 89% of convicted fentanyl traffickers were american citizens. and so if my republican colleagues were serious about stopping the flow of fentanyl, the flow of drugs across the border, then i think we should be giving additional resources to the agencies that are manning those ports of entry. instead, all but six current house republicans voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which provides additional

funding to ports of entry to combat smuggling of people and drugs. all but two current house republicans voted against providing robust funding for border security operations in the 2023 appropriations omnibus legislation, which provides more than $17 billion to customs and border protection, including funding for additional 300 border patrol agents. the omnibus also included $60 million to hire 125 officers and $70 million for inspection technology to detect narcotics and firearms at ports of entry. that is exactly the kind of technology that our border patrol agents are asking us for. republicans have also refused to consider president biden's emergency supplemental funding request for additional border resources, which included $239 million to hire 1,000 additional

c.p.b. officers to stop fentanyl and other contraband from enters the united states. it included $100 mill your phone i.c.e., homeland security to investigate and disrupt trans national criminal organizations and drug traffickers. and it included $849 million for cutting-edge detection technology at ports of entry. this is the work that democrats have been doing to try to address the scourge of fentanyl that's coming across our southern border and coming into our country by supporting law enforcement in stopping that fentanyl. so fentanyl is a huge problem in our communities. it's important that we support our law enforcement in fighting against it. this amendment would simply inform congress about how much states are spending to combat fentanyl, and therefore, i see no reason to oppose it. yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlelady yields. the gentleman from iowa is recognized. mr. nunn: thank you, mr. chair. i yield one minute to the

gentlewoman from the state of indiana. the chair: the gentlelady is recognized. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i rise in support of my good friend from iowa's amendment and in the underlying bill by mr. d'esposito, h.r. 8146. the nunn amendment will provide policy makers with the information we need to better support our local and state law enforcement officers. ms. houchin: this is important given the strain it's placed on our local communities, like the ones we are privileged to represent in iowa and indiana and new york. biden's border crisis has made all districts across the country battle grounds where police are fighting the scourge of fentanyl every day, an epidemic funded by china, driven by the drug cartels, and assisted by biden's disastrous border policies. during national police week and every week, we should be doing everything in our power to support the men and women in blue. that's why i'm grateful to the gentleman from iowa for his leadership and the gentleman

from new york and encourage all of our colleagues to support the nunn amendment and mr. d'esposito's bill, the police our border act, h.r. 8146. with that, mr. chairman, yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from iowa is recognized. mr. nunn: i recognize the gentleman from new york for 30 seconds. the chair: mrs. d'esposito is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. d'esposito: everyone knows the reality of the crisis at the southern border. we know terrorist groups are exploiting president biden's weakness to import record amounts of fentanyl into the united states. just two milligrams of fentanyl, the size of a few grains of sand, is a heatal dose. seizures of this drug by law enforcement agencies has doubled, if not tripled, in some places. we are catching only a fraction of the fentanyl entering our nation, and more data on this issue is the first step toward stopping that. i encourage all of my colleagues

to support mr. nunn's amendment. i yield. the chair: the gentleman from iowa has five seconds remaining. mr. nunn: i want to know this is a bipartisan solution and impacts all of our communities, all of our cops, all of our families. i urge passage. the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. the question is on the amend. those in favor say aye. those opposed say no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. it is now an order to consider amendment number five in part b of house resolution, for what purpose does the gentleman from iowa seek recognition? the clerk: amendment number five, printed in part b of house report number 118-51 offered by mr. nunn of iowa. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 1227, the gentleman from iowa, mr. nunn, and a member oppose ready each control five minutes. the chair recognizes mr. nunn from iowa. mr. nunn: thank you, mr. chair.

the een flux of fentanyl at the southern border has truly impacted every american community. since 2021, overdose losses due to fentanyl have exceeded 200,000. and friends, we are losing over 150 neighbors, community members, and children due to this deadly drug. it is truly a weapon of mass destruction. produced in china, and sent to the united states, with a clear result of killing our country. this crisis has persisted, and due to the open border policies of the administration and the mass import of fentanyl, this is resulting in more and more of not only communist china's ability to influence, but mexican-based cartels to enter and terrorize every american community. it is a flood of drugs that's costing every single community

more. the lack of enforcement at our sorry boredder to deal with this flow of fentanyl is being felt most poignantly by our frontline defenders, the brave men and women in uniform, our first responders, who many of them are already facing staffing shortages back home. so i want to thank mr. chair, the men and women who are both the front line and now the last line in the battle against fentanyl in our communities. i do a lot of ride alongs with my sheriffs and my local law enforcement. i've seen firsthand how fentanyl has hollowed out communities and created great pain for so many. there is more that we can do, and our officers are left thinly spread out. our constituents under siege. and our communities literally dying as a result of failed policy. we need to better understand the full scope of the fentanyl crisis, including the impact

that are incuring for our local law enforcement. my amendment to this bill would require the department of justice to report to congress on how many law enforcement officers have been reassigned, how many local resources have been reallocated, how many community policing programs have been reprioritized or in some cases not prioritized because fentanyl has become the number one issue that so many of our local law enforcement has had to address. visibility where our local officers are, spending their time, prioritizing the threat, and appropriately separating and addressing the issues at the state and federal levels respectively is not only imperative, it is simply prudent. i'm proud to offer this amendment and urge my colleagues to support it. thank you, mr. chair, and i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: does reserves. for what purpose does the gentlelady from washington see? mr. jayapal, i claim time in

opposition although i'm not opposed. the attorney general will report on offers and resources to be allocated to combat fentanyl traffic through the borderment i do not oppose the amendment because the amendment itself, like the previous amendment, does not repeat the same misleading talking points, but unfortunately, i was ready to give my colleague side of the aisle some credit again, but unfortunately, the same misleading talking points were just repeated in talking about the amendment. fentanyl is not coming across the southern border because of some failed border policy. it is coming across the southern border primarily carried by american citizens, primarily at ports of entry. this is about providing resources to our law enforcement officers on the southern border to be able to have the technology to detect that fentanyl. it's about providing enough people so that they can actually do the kind of monitoring that they're asking for. it's about providing the resources that democrats put

forward as the answer to this question, and republicans oppose time and time again. so i want to be very clear that i appreciate the data that we are getting, because fentanyl is a scourge. i have gone out with my local firefighters across seattle multiple times, and i will tell you, 99% of their calls are responding to fentanyl overdose, to opioid overdose. and it is heartbreaking to see what is happening. in fact, i worked in my first year, i worked with then-speaker mike johnson on a bipartisan allocation of money to provide other ways of dealing with overdose due to opioids and fentanyl on the streets by actually providing supportive services for law enforcement, so law enforcement wasn't having to deal with all of the. i don't think that this is something that the majority of our law enforcement members want to be dealing with in our cities. so i just want to be clear. we should be fighting the

scourge of penalty nell. we should be doing it in a byway. we should not be doing it as part of some legislation that is meaningless that puts the blame for what is happening with fentanyl on some, quote biden border policy that has failed. combating fentanyl should be a priority for all of. we should not repeat the talking points that are divisive and untrue in talking about this issue. fentanyl seizures shot up during the trump administration, have continued to rise during the biden administration. it is a biproblem. fentanyl poisoning is killing so many beloved members of our communities, and we have to do everything to stop it. . republicans often assert without any evidence that asylum seekers are bringing fentanyl to our

shores. the vast majority of fentanyl seized coming into this country are seized at ports of entry, smuggled in by united states citizens. playing politics about such a deadly substance is extraordinarily irresponsible. fortunately, the amendment itself is straightforward. and it sames -- it aims to get more data about combating fentanyl so we can be better informed about how it's impacting our communities. the underlying legislation, on the other hand, and some of the talking points that are used by my colleagues across the aisle, is not. that the underlying legislation is poorly written. it's misleading. the talking points are misleading. but the amendment is clear. and so because of that, i see no reason to oppose it. i reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from iowa is recognized. mr. nunn: i thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. i think we can all agree that

fentanyl is a challenge, that it's killing americans at an unprecedented rate. fentanyl now kills more americans my daughter's age to my age, and i'm getting to be an old man. we should not be in this position. the reality is that our frontline defenders have become our local law enforcement. and collectively, i think we absolutely agree that this should never have happened. this amendment moves forward with the ability to identify this and help prioritize these resources. i will say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle there is a way to end this. we recognize immediately that fentanyl comes largely from china we recognize immediately that it is coming across our southern bored. in this, there is no dispute. shut down the border. should be a great mantra for all of us to be able to save lives. today, the administration can do that. it can end the catch and release program. it can reinstate a remain in

mexico policy. it can ensure that the drugs flowing across our scorn border are intercepted there so they don't entd up being intercepted on the streets, in our hometown, in the heart of the heartland of communities like mine in iowa. i don't want to see another child, friend, or neighbor die because we at the federal level have failed to do our job. by prioritizing these resources, we can better identify what other services are being left behind and what other communities are in danger because their first priority has to be intercepting fentanyl. with that, mr. chairman, i encourage passage of the amendment and the underlying bill and i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman's time has expired. the gentlelady from washington. ms. jayapal: here i was coming to the floor thinking i could support an amendment that made sense to me about fighting the scourge of fentanyl. and i do support the amendment because i think data is good for

us. i just would say to the -- to my friend across the aisle, shutting down the border is not going to fix this problem and by saying that, by continuing to use those divisive talking points, you are moving us away from a solution to the really dire issue of fentanyl that's killing our communities. let's work together in a bipartisan way to actually deal with the scourge of fentanyl. let's not put it on the border. let's not pretend that shutting down the border is going to help. because as i said, fentanyl poisoning rose under the trump administration and donald trump did try to shut down the border until the courts prevented him from doing that. so the reality here is, we have a real problem. we have a real problem. i was willing to come to the floor and support this amendment because i think the data is important. and i hope my colleague across the aisle will recognize that sticking to the fact, as he did in his amendment is the most important thing to actually addressing the issue of fentanyl.

i yield back. the chair: those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the seament agreed to. the amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number six printed in part b of house report 118-511. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from pennsylvania seek recognition? ms. houlahan: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number six pointed in part b of house report 118-511, offered by ms. houlahan of pennsylvania. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 1227, the gentlewoman from pennsylvania, ms. houlahan, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the woman from pennsylvania. ms. houlahan: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of my

amendment that would remove unnecessary and partisan language from the legislation that is under consideration, the police our border act. let me read what my amendment says because it's only two lines. page two, strike line 17 and all that follows through line 19, and redesignate succeeding provisions accordingly. strike the term biden each place such term oappears. let me tell you what line 17 through 19 says. the southwest border crisis created by the biden administration has made every state a border state. i also want, before i can't on, to thank ranking member nadler for his leadership on this issue on the judiciary committee. the reason i read that amendment and this -- the lines that it refers to is, it's really important that people, americans, know that the situation at our border requires our action. i agree. we agree. the vast majority of congress agrees.

but if you listen to this chamber and many of you all have lately, you would think that this is not a bipartisan issue. unfortunately, this is intentional. i want to let the american people know, and -- and in on an important and poorly kept secret, that too often bills are written to be intentionally inflammatory and divide republicans and democrats. my amendment seeks to bring us together, back to the middle, to the middle ground that we all share, because real, substantive and durable action needs the support of both of our parties. we know our police and law enforcement need and deserve support we know our border needs and deserves to be addressed. we know that fentanyl is an issue requiring our attention. but bipartisan action is what's required and what is demanded by us of our bosses. and our bosses are the electorate. we in congress must be doing a better job than just these simple partisan hacks, political

reporting with no chance of ever making it past or to the president's desk. the american people, our bosses, deserve be which is why this amendment, my amendment, plainly just asks for data on the facts and facts alone a report like the one in the bill proposed work my proposed changes, is important. not only for our law enforcement but also for the american people as well. it will allow us to take a step forward understanding things such as the estimated dollar amount of all the resources that would be devoted to addressing the situation at the border and the extent to which such resources are not available to law enforcement agencies. it would help us understand the exposure to and possible injury as a result of the fentanyl crisis on our law enforce pt officers with this data we can finally address these issues. as is demonstrated by the way this legislation is written my colleagues on the other side of the aisle my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are likely to claim that president biden is boasting of an open

border. but this ignores the fact that under numerous administrations, democrat and republican, the situation at our border has worsened and this is not just about republican or democratic administrations. it's also about the congresses that have not addressed this issue either. record migration to our southern border, coupled with a woefully inadequate and overwhelming process -- processing system here in the u.s. has caused existing challenges to get progressively worse over time and we know that our law enforce. agencies have faced many new challenges as a result. this is a serious issue. which we must address with serious legislation. and i believe if my amendment passes that you will find many of my colleagues on this side of the aisle will find it in their ability to be able to vote for the underlying bill. and i would encourage you on that side of the aisle too find it within your heart to see not everything as a partisan issue. i urge my colleagues across the aisle on both sides of the aisle, to ject the deeply cynical and deeply political option in the current text and

to instead vote yes on my amendment that will enable the underlying bill to move forward in a bipartisan fashion. i reserve my time. the chair: the gentlelady reserves. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. mcclintock: claim time in opposition. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. mcclintock: mr. chairman, who does the gentlelady think she's kidding? and who does the gentlelady suggest we assign responsibility for this catastrophe that is over-- that has overwhelmed our country and its social service, its criminal justice system, and its citizens. on january 20, 2021, the border was secure. the trump policies were working. on that day, our laws didn't change. the presidency changed. and on that day, the trump policies were reversed. by one person, joseph biden. with that, i'm pleased to yield

two minutes to the gentleman from new york, mr. lalota. mr. lalota: i thank my friend for yielding. what the heck, mr. chairman? when he was president, president truman had a placard on his desk, the buck stops here. it was a sign of responsibility that the commander in chief, the chief executive of our great country wouldn't pass off as an excuse any responsibility that he was responsible for. yet what my colleague proposes to do is disassociate the border crisis from the chief proponent of it and to pass the buck to somebody else. 64. not one, not two, not 10, not 20, 64 different actions the president has taken to undermine border security. through executive orders and other administrative actions. which have opened the border wide. which have canceled mass parole. which have positioned border agents away from the border

which has caused crises in cities like new york. it's the president's border crisis. there should be no renaming of this. there's one individual in our great country who can today work a stroke of the pen, start to solve this crisis, undoing the same executive orders he issued to get us into this crisis. it's president biden. i'm in strong opposition to this amendment. bipartisanship does not mean behind. does not mean we need to be ignorant to the facts that the commander in chief, president biden, is the sole person responsible for this border crisis. i reserve. the chair: the gentleman from california reserves. the chair will remind all persons in the tbalry that they are here as guests of the house and that any manifestations of approval or disapproval of proceedings is in violation of the rules of the house. the gentlelady from pennsylvania is recognized. ms. houlahan: may i inquiesh how much time i have remaining? the chair: the gentlelady has one minute remaining.

ms. houlahan: it's rebuttals and comments like these i find deeply distressful. they are nothing but finger pointing. the politicization of this body and this government. my colleagues are self-defeating in their efforts to try to put the words into this piece of legislation that require us to assign one single point of blame when there clearly is quite a lot to go around and it's gone around for a very long time. by politicizing this issue in this way, it's self-defeating. we have no ability to actually pass this piece of legislation so in and of itself, this becomes a self-defeating effort. i believe if my colleagues truly wanted the information that this bill purports to want if they truly wanted to understand what is causing the border issues and what it -- what could be doab to be helpful, they'd work with us as democrats to make that indeed happen. that we would then be able to pass this bill h in the house and as is the custom with our constitution and with schoolhouse rock, send it to the senate and send it to the president's desk for signature.

here we have no opportunity to have this happen. and with that, i yield. the chair: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from california. mr. mcclintock spy yield one minute to the gentleman from new york, mr. d'esposito. mr. d'esposito: my colleague on the other side said our bosses deserve better. and she's right. the american people do deserve better. because over the tenure of joe biden he has made this country less safe. like my friend from new york mentioned, by the stroke of a pen, president biden can begin changing the course of this country. but unfortunately, he won't. because he doesn't want to and as a matter of fact, in his first days in office, he used that same pen to create this disaster that we are dealing with right now. an unprecedented, historical amount of migrants, illegally

coming into the united states of america. some involved in terrorist organizations. smuggling. illegal markets into this country. so you are correct. our bosses do deserve better. the american people do deserve better. and i encourage you to encourage your side of the aisle -- the chair: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. d'esposito: to have joe biden use that pen and put this country back. the chair: members are reminded to direct their remarks to the chair. the gentleman has the only time remaining. mr. mcclintock: thank you. mr. chairman, this is not a question of incompetence and it's not a question of this is a deliberate policy by this administration and we should have the courage and candor to say so. and my democratic colleagues should have the courage to look their constituents in the eye and admit what they have brought upon this country.

people ask me all the time, how could this be happening? election have consequences and that's what we are facing. this catastrophe will end when this administration ends and that will be done by the american people at the ballot box. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from pennsylvania. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the noes have it. ms. houlahan: i would like the yeas and nays, please. choirmt does the gentlewoman request a recorded vote? ms. houlahan: yes, i do. the chair: further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from pennsylvania will be postponed. it is now in order to consider amendment number 7 printed in part b of house report 118-511. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> i rise as the the designee of

the the gentleman from florida and i have an amendment. the clerk: amendment number 7 printed in part b of house report 118-511 offered by mr. lalota of work. the chair: the gentleman from new york and member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from new york. >> the cartels have more control over the u.s.-mexico body in cochise county. that's what law enforcement officers have the tucson sector on america's southern border told me on my fourth trip to the southern border recently. the cartels have more control over our border than we do. and what are the cartels do with that? people and drugs cross it every day and we could blame the cartels. they are vicious and ruthless and look closer to home to plame

and look at the person creating the disaster at the southern border and look to the very person who, when he took office, repealed 64 very effective policies keeping our border safe, cancelling border wall construction, mass parole system, taking border agents away from the border to process more and more migrants into the interior of the country. who is responsible for the disaster at the southern border? not climate change. it's illegal immigration best friends. president bide and and secretary mayorkas. they have allowed 10,000 pounds of fentanyl to enter the united states. and led to 200,000 fentanyl deaths in the united states since president biden started

repealing those policies. fentanyl is the leading cause of death for ages 18-45. in response to president biden's open policies, my good friend, congressman d'esposito would modify the requirements for reporting on the impacts on the border crisis. the language is to better understand when law enforcement is exposed to fentanyl. this legislation is critical to understanding the challenges law enforcement officers face every day while giving further insights into the crises at our southern border caused by president biden. i along side with congressman gymin eases would further get to the root of the fentanyl crisis. it requires the nationality of a migrant be included in the report when said migrant exposes

a law enforcement officer to fentanyl at the border. it is imperative wry collect more information on who and where these drugs are coming from so we can put an end to the fentanyl scourge. most of the fentanyl is produced in mexico and china's producing it on their own and sending it across the southern border as well. fentanyl is contained in other substances which multiplies the risk and range of its impact. 75,000 americans died in 2022 due to the scourge of fentanyl. enough is enough. i would ask my colleagues to support this amendment that would identify where the fentanyl is coming from. and i reserve. the chair: members are reminded

to not engage in permits against -- personalities against the president. mr. nadler: this amendment would update the requirement to include the nationality of any noncitizen who expose a law enforcement officer to fentanyl during an encounter at the border and in the united states. just like the underlying bill, this amendment is to incorrectly paint undocumented migrants as the prime source of fentanyl. we already know that the vast majority of fentanyl is he seized at ports of entry trafficked by u.s. citizens. in fiscal year 2023, c.b.p. seized 20,000 pounds of fept nil. less than 10% of these drugs seized by the border patrol. 90% of fentanyl were seized by the office of field operations which mans the ports of entry.

they respond this is the case of ports of entry have resources to interdict the drugs. this is wrong, because republicans refuse to adequately fund ports of entry. and only 16% of vehicles are inspected. we would like to capture more drugs if c.b.p. had the resources it needed. republicans have voted to vote against c.b.p. this bill is so full of misinformation. i will not oppose this amendment. i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new york. >> i reserve. the chair: the gentleman from new york. mr. nadler: i yield back. >> my colleague to the west of me in new york says how most of the fentanyl is being seized at

the ports of entry. i would hope that the gentleman would criticize the president for repositioning border agents away from those places where vehicles and people are coming to traffic the drugs across and repositioning those same agents at crossing -- processing centers. if the gentleman sincere for his concern of fentanyl coming in at ports of entry, he must call on the president to top repositioning those agents away. the chair: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from new york. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to. it is now in order to consider amendment number 8 printed in part b of house report 118-511. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois seek

recognition? >> mr. chairman, i rise as a designee of the the gentleman from tennessee. and i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 8 printed in house report 118-511 offered by mrs. miller of illinois. the chair: the gentlewoman from illinois, mrs. miller and a member opposed each will control five minutes. mrs. miller: since joe biden took office, 10 million illegal aliens have entered our country and untold americans have been murdered by people who should have never been here. to the americans watching, joe biden does not care about you or your family. for him, it is worth letting hundreds of thousands illegals in every month and hundreds of foreigners on the f.b.i.

terrorist watch list if it means the democrat party's base turns out in november. the purpose of this amendment is that president biden already has existing authority to secure the border and he needs to use it but doesn't want to because he is afraid of the far left base. president biden is choosing to keep our border open and allowing the american people to be kept in harm's way. i yield back. the chair: the gentlelady reserves. the gentlelady yields back. members are reminded to engage in personalities towards the president. mr. nadler: i claim the time in opposition. the chair: without objection. mr. nadler: this amendment bough update to include a provision that states that it is in the best interest of law enforcement officers and communities they serve for president biden to use

section 212-f to secure the southern border. to be clear, the president does not have the authority to shut the border, president biden cannot use section 212-f of the immigration and nationality act to prevent immigrants from crossing the border. when president trump tried to do that in 2018 he was shut down by the courts. enforcement-only solutions don't work. the best way to secure the border is to extend local pathways and fund the immigration system. we have not updated our legal immigration system in over 30 years. the more broken legal immigration system is the more people will come to the border. this notion that the president has the authority not to mention the resources to solve it with the stroke of his pen is a fantasy. congress must provide the legal tools and resources necessary to

address the border crisis. i know there are democrats willing to put in the hard work but we have yet to find house republicans. this amendment is unserious as the underlying bill. i will oppose both and urge my colleagues to do the same. i reserve. the chair: the gentleman reserves. does the gentlelady ask unanimous consent to reclaim her time? mrs. miller: yes. president biden does have authority to secure the border and he did use his pen to open the border. i yield back. the chair: the gentlelady yields back. mr. nadler: i yield back. the chair: the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from illinois. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it, the amendment is agreed to. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek

recognition? >> i move that the committee do now rise. the chair: the question is on the motion that the committee rise. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the ayes have it. the motion is adopted. accordingly, the committee ri rises.mr. cha irman. the chair hasexamined the journal of the last day's proceedings the committee of the whole house on the state of the union having had under consideration h.r. drebts me to report it has come to no resolution thereon. the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports that the committee has had under consideration h.r. 8146 and has come to no resolution thereon.

pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house