Removing Outdated Restrictions to Allow for Job Growth Act

Mr. Speaker, I rise to a question of the privileges of the House and offer the resolution previously noticed.

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the stunning conflicts of interest are piling up as the President, his family, and his friends profit in their personal business endeavors while serving in public office.

Under rule IX, clause 1, questions of the privileges of the House are ``those affecting the rights of the House collectively, its safety, dignity, and the integrity of its proceedings.'' There is nothing more of a threat to the integrity of this House than ignoring our duty to provide a check and balance to the executive branch. To restore the dignity of the House, we must use our authority to request President Trump's tax returns and begin to give the American people the transparency they deserve. That is what we should be giving them.

Now, Mr. Speaker, it is evidence time. Today there is in The Wall Street Journal an article entitled, ``Russian State-Run Bank Financed Deal Involving Trump Hotel Partner.'' It is a very interesting article, I advise, and I want to put it into the Record with your permission.

Mr. Speaker, a letter was sent just recently from Mr. Trump's lawyers to Mr. Trump and then on to Senator Lindsey Graham. That letter was supposed to be an explanation of the President of the United States' involvement in the finances and vice versa of Russia and President Trump. It does not in any manner, shape, or form, Mr. Speaker, go into any partnership which may exist. There is nothing about that. There is nothing about the Russian state-run bank financing a deal involving Mr. Trump's hotel partner in Toronto.

Number three, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, FinCEN as it is called, which is part of the Treasury Department but independent-- independent--has independent investigative powers. They are looking into the money laundering in that situation. They are already investigating that with these Russian oligarchs--very interesting.

Also we know of what happened----

Well, I would like to know, Mr. Speaker--I am sure you would, Mr. Speaker--how foreign investments have enriched the President of the United States. That is the only way we are going to find out the conflicts of interest--the only way.

So I have heard some House leaders argue that the House should not concern itself with things outside of its control. But section 6103 of the IRS Code is very much within the control of the House, if you have read it, giving specific responsibility to the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, and the American people are demanding the Congress request the President's tax returns be exercised for several reasons.

Mr. Trump has not divested himself from his businesses as was recommended by the Office of Government Ethics.

Mr. Speaker, I think it is relevant if we look at what was produced-- remember, it is evidence time--what was produced on January 21, 2009, the ethics commitments by executive branch personnel and what has been committed and produced under this administration. They have laughed at Mr. Shaub, who is the ethics commission chairman. They have laughed at him because it is almost like Cornelius Vanderbilt: You have the law; I have the power.

On a question of privilege, Mr. Speaker----

I'm sorry to interrupt.

On a question of privilege--I am talking about the privilege of this House. I am talking about the privilege of Republicans and Democrats. We are all alike. We are all equal. Nobody is better than anybody else.

What I am saying to you tonight, Mr. Speaker, is that this goes to the very heart of the issue and why this is a privileged resolution because we have a right to know, we have a right to uphold the integrity of this institution--everybody--not just some.

Mr. Trump has not divested himself from his businesses as was recommended by the Office of Government Ethics. We need to see how our President--our President--would personally benefit from changes to our Tax Code. Tax Code changes proposed by his administration could lower his own personal tax bill by tens of millions of dollars. The American people have a right to know that.

We have learned that earlier this year the President apparently asked Mr. Comey to cease his investigation of Trump National Security Advisor Flynn. In a surprise move last week, Mr. Trump fired the Director of the FBI.

Mr. Speaker, I am saying here and very specifically, we have no way of knowing whether Mr. Trump or his firms have received Russian income. It is an insult to the integrity of this House-- Republicans and Democrats alike. We need to know this. We need to know that the President of the United States is beyond question in his objectivity with any nation, and particularly those who are pretty shaky in relationship with, like Russia.

A certified letter from paid attorneys that actually confirms the President, in fact, does have financial ties to Russia does nothing to assuage these concerns.

The legislative branch has the responsibility--it has the authority-- to check the executive branch, and section 6103(f)(1) is very clear, very distinct, the privilege of the House--the privilege of the Tax Code--which allows for an examination of the tax returns, the authority put in place specifically so Congress could examine conflicts of interest in the executive following the Teapot Dome scandal. As I mentioned before, the possible sale of public lands under this administration is not very different than the biggest scandal of the 20th century at Teapot Rock, Wyoming.

Mr. Speaker, nothing could be more of a threat to the integrity of this distinguished----

Mr. Speaker, I have only 2 more minutes. May I finish?

I am confining my remarks to the question of privileges which I said last night. Mr. Speaker, I will not yield on that issue. That is all I am doing--no more, no less. This is not a court. All I am saying is putting forth the rationale behind the resolution which I have put forth today--put forth yesterday and was read today.

We have nothing but evidence to justify an examination, Mr. Speaker. This is not hot air. If and when such conflicts are revealed, I do not want to say to our constituents that we had the power to review these conflicts, but we did nothing. I for one do not want the integrity--my integrity, the integrity of my colleagues, and the integrity of this House--to be demeaned by such a shameful failure. That goes to the very heart in their own words of what of a privileged resolution is.

To restore the dignity of the House, we must use our authority to request President Trump's tax returns and give the American people the transparency they deserve.

My concluding statement is this, Mr. Speaker: I mentioned Vanderbilt before because that is a very powerful statement he made--a very rich guy. He felt he could do anything: The law? What law? I am all the power.

This is not the United States of America, this is not our democracy, and this is not what Republicans and Democrats have fought for since they have been in this House and before. I stand with us in only getting what we deserve, and then we decide whether we will communicate it to the American people through the Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you for your courtesies.

Mr. Speaker, I appeal the ruling of the Chair.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1177) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to release on behalf of the United States the condition that certain lands conveyed to the City of Old Town, Maine, be used for a municipal airport, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1177, Removing Outdated Restrictions to Allow for Job Growth Act.

In the early 1980s, the city of Old Town, Maine, purchased land from the Federal Government to be part of the Old Town airport. The deed included a use restriction, as required by a 1941 amendment to the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act of 1937, limiting use of the land to a municipal airport or other public use.

Old Town has invested heavily in this land in order to attract businesses, but the outdated deed restriction needs to be lifted before further economic development can occur.

H.R. 1177 provides for the removal of the deed restriction on the parcel of land around the Old Town airport to allow for business development. The bill allows the City of Old Town to send a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture detailing which lands it would like released from the deed restriction and directs the Secretary to release that land to the city of Old Town.

Passage of this commonsense provision will allow economic development in Old Town to move forward, creating as many as 200 much-needed jobs. This legislation will provide certainty to private investors in the community and help the local economy thrive.

I would like to thank the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Poliquin) for addressing this issue, and our chairman on the

House Agriculture Committee, Chairman Conaway, for moving this bill forward.

This is a good government bill that eliminates red tape to unleash private investment. At a time when rural America is struggling--it is people like Representative Poliquin and all of us--we must do all we can to encourage growth and development in rural communities, many that we all serve, but also the one that Representative Poliquin serves in Old Town, Maine. I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Peterson) for supporting this legislation.

I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Poliquin), who actually was the one who brought this bill to the attention of the House Agriculture Committee and to the floor here today. It is his hard work, and there are not many in this institution who work harder than Representative Poliquin in addressing the needs of rural America.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support passage of this commonsense legislation, H.R. 1177.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for those kind remarks.

I am so proud to represent the most honest and hardworking Americans you can find anywhere. Maine's Second Congressional District is, if not the largest, the second largest congressional district east of the Mississippi River. It is about an 8-hour drive from Fryeburg to Madawaska, and you are going to spend about half your time dodging moose and other critters on the road. We are tough, we are rugged, but we need jobs. We need jobs.

We have had a situation in our State for the past 30 years where many of our paper mills and sawmills and textile mills and leather tanneries have closed. We have a handful left. And right smack in the middle of our State is the great city of Old Town, Maine, just a little bit north of Bangor. Old Town has also suffered the closure of a significant mill--or two, actually.

Ron Harriman, who is the economic development director of Old Town, reached out to our office and said: Bruce, we have a problem here. We have a terrific piece of property surrounding our airport. We have gone through extensive work and cost to the town to extend utilities to this piece of land. But lo and behold, there is a Federal deed restriction on that land that dates back decades that doesn't allow us to sell the land and develop it for more jobs.

I don't doubt at the time, Mr. Speaker, that the Federal Government that was buying up local property across the country, reclaiming it and turning it into agricultural land, I don't question the purpose of that and the good intentions of that; but that was a long time ago.

We now have a situation where the city of Old Town needs to be able to sell this property in order to attract other investment and other jobs to help our families in central Maine. Removing this deed restriction will allow that to happen.

I am asking everybody in this Chamber, Republicans and Democrats--and I thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Peterson)--please support H.R. 1177. There are many times, Mr. Speaker, when all the government needs to do is get out of the way. This is one example. Let the Federal Government get out of the way. We know how to create jobs in the State of Maine. Let's remove this red tape. Let's let this land be sold for folks who want to create jobs. I would be very grateful for everybody in this Chamber to support H.R. 1177 and let the people of central Maine live better lives with more jobs and more freedom.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1177 is a bill that will allow the city of Old Town, Maine, to move forward with economic development plans that have been hampered by Federal red tape. H.R. 1177 removes the current deed restriction on the land surrounding the Old Town airport. This will allow the city to implement economic development initiatives that will create jobs and spur economic activity in the area.

As a pilot, I am glad to see that the airport will not be impacted by this change and will continue to meet the region's air transportation needs. Again, H.R. 1177 is common sense, reasonable legislation. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call Vote No. 259, I would have voted Nay on ordering the previous question on H. Res. 323, providing for consideration of H.R. 115. On Roll Call Vote No. 260, I would have voted No on agreeing to H. Res. 323, providing for consideration of H.R. 115. On Roll Call Vote No. 261, I would have voted Nay on tabling the ruling of the Chair. On Roll Call Vote No. 262, I would have voted Yea on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 1177, Removing Outdated Restrictions to Allow for Job Growth Act.