Calling for the immediate release of Brittney Griner, a citizen of the United States, who was wrongfully detained by the Government of the Russian Federation in February 2022.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for giving me the opportunity to be able to speak this afternoon from the heart.

Democrats have done great things. We have certainly appreciated the Members of the other side of the aisle who have joined us on some of those. Those things include passing a very effective CHIPS bill that I hope to bring thousands of jobs to my congressional district through the production and manufacturing, using precious metals, in particular, coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

We now have families who suffer from diabetes who, shockingly, for the first time in their lives, can have insulin capped at $35. I am glad to have been a part of that.

I seek, as I did before, that Medicaid recipients can also have their insulin capped.

I am glad that working families, in this storm of inflation, can, through the Biden administration and Congress, have subsidies for healthcare and get cheaper healthcare.

I am glad that the flooding that is so intensive in places like Houston, can, in fact, now have the bipartisan infrastructure bill; and isolated communities without transportation or transit can, in fact, now have the potential of billions of dollars coming to those rural and urban centers, inner-city centers that need an infrastructure rebuild.

We need clean water, and Flint and Jackson, Mississippi, should not be the norm in the United States of America; and lead in pipes that helped destroy the cognitive genius of our children should not exist.

We have done great things. And as we go to work in our districts, listen to our constituents even more than we do when we have a moment over the weekends that we go home, we go home to hold in our hands the destiny of democracy when we fight for re-election for the purpose of ensuring the value of this Nation, as I look, In God We Trust.

We have done great things. Families of America should know that this leadership, under Nancy Pelosi, and Steny Hoyer, and Jim Clyburn, and the chair, Mr. Jeffries, and the vice chair of the Democratic Caucus, we should all know that there have been good things that were done.

So, when I go home, I have no hesitancy to be able to go and to champion the lives we have saved; the veterans who will get answers to their questions and their health conditions; the people who suffered under the burn pit, now relief, they celebrated because of this Congress, this Democratic Congress, with our friends who wanted to do what is right.

We have given hope to those burn pit victims. They can't breathe, and we have finally given relief.

This body has determined that the electoral count should be accurate, with no false electors showing up, giving false representation that they represent the States. No Vice President can do anything but ministerial.

There will be no doubt that if you vote in a Presidential election fairly and electors are selected to cast their vote for you--something, of course, that I think is a figment of our past and should not be in place, but let's make it perfect--you can now trust that the electors will do right, as they did in 2020; and they provided the final vote under the Vice Presidency of Mr. Pence that elected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

We pray to God that we will never see January 6 again; never again; never the violence and brutality, the bloodshed of our police officers, the deaths that occurred, the innocent lives lost. We hope never again.

We have done some good things. There is such a litany of them, I cannot list them all.

I am delighted to have passed the Stop Human Trafficking in School Zones, the legislation that I authored; that we have fixed the Terry fix, to ensure justice for those who were not able to come appropriately under the reduction of sentencing dealing with crack and cocaine.

I am glad to have been able to push the Victims of Crime Act to ensure better handling of victims of crime.

At the same time, I believe that it is important to assure that the American people know that we are, in fact, working hard for them. So the many amendments to help HBCUs that I have offered; the many important elements of the appropriations, including more dollars for post-traumatic stress under the NDAA and some aspects of the appropriations, as I do every year; the helping of those suffering from triple negative breast cancer; and working to ensure that the lives of our children are better by helping to create resources for safer schools; work still unfinished to get our storage laws in place; to ban assault weapons.

But we have done a great thing in passing legislation to break the cycle of violence led by Mr. Horsford; and to utilize the tools that have been given through this Congress, under the Democratic leadership, to make lives better for all Americans.

We have done some good things. As we have done some good things, there is more work to be done. I want to make sure that we see the passage of the voting rights, so that oppression of voting can cease and desist.

It is appalling that we go into this election, but we fought, as Democrats, to make it happen. I am so sorry the noes came from the other side of the aisle.

I thank my colleagues, 217-plus, who have, in fact, supported the idea of a commission to study slavery and to look seriously and thoroughly at the question of reparation proposals. I know that we will work together going forward. It is the heart of America to cure both racism and to heal and to bring people together. I have confidence. I feel well about our opportunities.

I thank the Speaker that is in the chair, to have joined me in the midst of the crisis of reproductive freedom being taken away, to support medical personnel who, right now, under the laws of the Dobbs case in America, are being arrested, could be, nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors, who are simply trying to help a desperate woman that has been raped, or a child that has been raped. I hope to pass that Protecting the Medical Personnel of America bill.

I hope to pass the legislation that I introduced to stop the stalkers who would get a bounty on women by watching what they do, calling up and saying, I think she is getting an abortion. She is over at this address; and receiving $10,000.

Can you believe it? The law of the land in the State of Texas.

We have done some good things and we are doing good things. But if this Special Order is about one issue or item, this is what I want it to be about. I want it to be about something that our psyche is just not used to.

I don't know how many times we have thought of the tens upon tens of Americans that are held hostage around the world. We learned a little bit about MIAs, people missing in action, soldiers missing in action, really, through the Vietnam War. I know they were missing in action in World War II and other wars, but in this recent generation, we learned about it because the late heroic John McCain would always remind us of the MIAs.

I joined with my colleague, Ben Reyes, and put a flag out in front of the City Hall in Houston, Texas, when I was a member of the City Council; the first MIA flag, I believe, maybe, in city councils across America.

I came here to the United States Congress, and outside my door is the flag of MIAs. We understand that.

But do we understand about Americans who have done little, have been plucked off the streets of places that are despotic, and joined the thousands of their own citizens thrown in jail with no real justice system?

So if I come to you today, I want the title of this Special Order to focus us on where we need to go.

The Plight of Brittney Griner

Mr. Speaker, when I mention Brittney Griner, I want everybody to know I am thinking of Paul Whelan, and I am thinking of the journalist in Iran, and hostages around the world, U.S. citizens.

Does anybody know that we work hard on this? When I say we, the administration works hard on this every day. On the floor today, I asked for more resources for the hostage finding team--I will just call them that.

But I want to take a moment to just show you Brittney Griner's life. She is a Houstonian; went to the schools, the public schools in the area; went to Nimitz High School in my congressional district. I met some of her classmates. Even the students there today want to do something to show their care and outrage about where she is today.

Brittney Griner, no, she was not in the United States military. I honor them. But she wore the uniform. She was an Olympian; brought a gold medal home to the United States, I believe, two Olympics, back to back. That is USA Number 42 and Number 15, numbers worn in the Olympics.

That is Brittney Griner sharing some good news, a good dunk maybe, with her teammates, and Brittney Griner, an Olympian, wearing that good-looking Gold Medal. We like that because everybody watches the Olympics.

What an unbelievable basketball player--that is a shot; I could only dream about that shot--Brittney Griner, an American, African-American young woman.

I know the Baylorites love the championships and the hard playing that she did for them at Baylor University. That is Brittney Griner. She had a life in front of her.

Because of the very poor compensation, of sorts, compared to the NBA, many women WNBA players go off to foreign countries to play. She got drafted by Phoenix and played stupendously, so many world records in basketball as a professional.

Big heart, Brittney Griner, her teammates loved her.

I visited the Phoenix arena where her team plays. Of course, Brittney Griner's locker was there waiting for her to come back.

This looks like an exciting time, some good-looking pictures of our fellow American.

Paul Whelan, a marine, had some good days serving his country.

It is just an innocent civilian, who the infractions of what she is charged with wind up suggesting and threatening and charging her as a drug trafficker, a big-time drug trafficker--no sense but nonsense.

She could have been released and directed back to the United States. But no, this is what Mr. Putin wanted to do. He felt, after the Olympics of 2022, the Winter Olympics, where his teams were embarrassed because of drugs, that he would show the United States.

Here she is. They put her in a cage, 6 feet 9 inches in a cage. The beauty of her size was to recognize such a talented person playing the sport, doing well, giving joy to the fans and getting Americans to cheer her on during the Olympics.

This is what they wanted to show Americans: We got you now. In your eye.

A young woman longs to be home, deserves to be home, with other hostages who have been brutally treated.

President Biden has indicated, as Commander in Chief, that he wants all the hostages home, and he is ready to speak to Mr. Putin if he would only have a heart, if he would only recognize that there is no justice in his injustice.

Ninety-nine percent of those who go to trial in Russia are convicted. They are, in fact, held hostage. This is a direct result of Putin's interest in saying to the United States, I guess: We got you.

Not respecting she has family, not respecting that she has done nothing wrong.

Brittney is an extension of us in Houston. She represents the quintessential American stories and qualities. She is suffering after going through a trial, the process of appeal, doing everything, offering doctors' statements as to why certain items were with her, indicating a mistake, doing everything told by her lawyers. Nothing. Denial of basic rights to Brittney Griner, because they are the

rights to which we believe all people are entitled, a trial by jury of your peers and the right to be able to be proven innocent.

We do not accept the dehumanization that is commonplace in Russia, and our values compel us to seek justice for Brittney's immediate release and return to her family and friends.

She spoke eloquently by saying: I am sorry. It was a mistake.

It seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Can it be nothing more than an attempt to humiliate her, her family, her loved ones, who cry out for the potential of what may happen?

She cried out to the President of the United States: I fear that I may be here for the rest of my life.

She is a young woman who gives away shoes and items to children without.

Her basic rights--we as Americans cannot just go quietly. We have a lot on our plate, but the only lifeline they have is the United States of America.

As a mother who has watched my children grow up, proud to see them excel, I can only imagine the gut-wrenching pain of her mother and father and her wife, and how hopeless they feel. There is no worse feeling than when someone in your family is in imminent danger and beyond your reach to help.

As a Black woman, I can say there is no greater fear through the history of our time, through slavery, through discrimination, through unequal treatment that we face in a justice system, even here, to think that there is nothing we can grab at to be able to give the defense, the explanation.

I want Americans to think of the pain of losing their children to something that is so foreign to us. They are alive, but they are held hostage.

There is much pain in this country. I have seen it through gun violence, so I don't speak to the pain of those mothers and fathers. What I speak to is that we need to do something about it.

I have gone to the Russian consulate in Houston. I have gone to the Russian Embassy. I have looked the Ambassador in the eye, at a huge, gigantic complex, and I said: Send this message to Mr. Putin. Let Brittney go. Let Paul Whelan go. Let the people of Russia, the good people who are out fighting against this vile and vicious war against Ukraine, let them go, too.

But I can't leave silently to go back to Houston without coming to this floor and saying, since February, about 2 weeks after the Olympics, she has been held.

She is not a soldier. She had nothing to do with any government activities. The only reason I say that is because her training does not lend her to these dastardly conditions, a cage, inhumane cage, ultimately to go to a labor camp where Trevor Reed suffered and Paul Whelan suffered.

She has been denied access to consular officials, and she was dependent upon Russian lawyers who mean well but simply go into the court and watch their client be convicted.

As they faked elections just the last couple of days, Brittney Griner is suffering from Putin's demonstration of power and control that stems from centuries of bigotry and hatred embodied in an autocratic leader who is the very antithesis of everything Ms. Griner represents.

If you want to know why she is incarcerated and not released, it is based upon her country of origin, something she cannot help.

Americans who are blessed to be born under this flag cannot help the values upon which we stand. We cannot help our Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. We cannot help our national anthem that calls for victory, ``The Star-Spangled Banner.''

We cannot help that we are called by nations to defend them. We cannot help that we have the freedom to travel and that we welcome people to this country, Russian students, Russian players, even on the space station. That is America.

But now we find the dastardly acts of stealing land, calling it an election, fighting people who want to be free, Ukrainians. In the midst of this turmoil is a young woman who graduated in my district from Nimitz High School, a Baylor University graduate, a two-time Olympian, and, of course, with all her friends in Phoenix, and just a basic human being.

I hope I made it clear. There are two teams in Phoenix. She is with the Phoenix Mercury, the WNBA team.

I couldn't leave this day without reminding America that if in God we trust, give some hope to these people, lonely, all over the world, shocked that they were snatched off the streets or snatched from an airport, gave every explanation. They created no outrageous, vile, terroristic act. They did nothing with guns, drugs of any amount. They were no detriment to anybody in that land, and here they are.

My colleagues, Congressmen Stanton and Allred, supported H. Res. 1132, led by Congressman Stanton out of Phoenix, calling for the immediate release of Brittney Griner.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an article from Sports Illustrated: ``Brittney Griner's Wife Has Troubling Update On How She's Doing.''

[From the Spun, by Sports Illustrated, Sept. 17, 2022]

Brittney Griner's Wife Has Troubling Update On How She's Doing

(By Andrew McCarty)

Earlier this week, President Joe Biden met with Cherelle

Griner, the wife of imprisoned WNBA star Brittney Griner.

Griner has been in a Russian prison since February, when

she was arrested for having cannabis oil in her bag at a

Russian airport. Ever since then, the United States has been

trying to get her home.

A meeting between Biden and Cherelle is a big step towards

that, but it also came with some troubling news. According to

Cherelle, Brittney's letters to her have taken an

increasingly dark tone.

Cherelle offered a larger statement following her meeting

with Biden.

``I've felt every minute of the grueling seven months

without her,'' she said. ``I look forward to the day my wife

is back home. As my family and I continue on this journey,

I'd like to thank the broad coalition of friends, leaders and

supporters who continue to stand with us and advocate for

Brittney's swift and safe return. Let's share a unified

commitment to bringing all Americans home to their families

and loved ones. Together We Are BG.''

Hopefully the United States and Russia can work together to

bring Griner home in the near future.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record two articles from CNN, one titled ``Biden set to meet with families of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan at the White House'' and an article written most recently about Brittney Griner's conditions that she is facing and what she thinks is going to happen to her life.

[From CNN, Sept. 16, 2022]

Biden Set To Meet With Families of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan at

the White House

President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with the families

of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan at the White House on

Friday, marking his first time personally meeting with them

since their loved ones were detained in Russia.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said

Thursday that Biden will meet with Griner's wife, Cherelle

Griner, and Whelan's sister, Elizabeth Whelan, to assure them

his administration is committed to securing the release of

their loved ones and that they remain ``front of mind.''

Biden will meet with them separately, an official said.

``One of the things that the President wanted to make clear

is, and one of the reasons he's meeting with the families, is

that he wanted to let them know that they remain front of

mind and that his team is working on this every day, on

making sure that Brittney and Paul return home safely,''

Jean-Pierre said.

The Biden administration has repeatedly said that working

to secure Griner and Whelan's release, as well as that of

Americans wrongfully detained abroad, is a top priority. In

late July, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced

that the US had put forward a ``substantial proposal'' to try

to secure the release of Griner and Whelan. Sources told CNN

that proposal included a swap for convicted arms dealer

Viktor Bout.

Griner was detained in February for carrying vape

cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. The two-

time US Olympic basketball gold medalist pleaded guilty to

drug charges and said she accidentally packed the drugs while

in a hurry. She has been sentenced to nine years, along with

a fine of about $16,400. Her legal team in Russia has

appealed the sentence.

Whelan has been imprisoned in Russia for more than three

years after being convicted on espionage charges that he

vehemently denies. He was sentenced in June 2020 to 16 years

in prison in a trial US officials denounced as unfair.

A senior administration official told CNN Thursday that

there has been ``movement but not breakthrough'' on the

efforts to secure the releases of Griner and Whelan. The

official said that the US has urged Russia to put forward ``a

serious counteroffer'' to the proposal on the table to secure

the release of the two, but ``we've not gotten a serious

response back.''

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Thursday that

``there have been discussions with the Russian government,''

but acknowledged the negotiations process ``certainly hasn't

moved with the speed we would like.'' He said he wouldn't

call the process ``stalled.''

The White House meetings come after CNN first reported

earlier this week that former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson

and his team were in Moscow and held meetings with Russian

leadership.

The details around those meetings were not immediately

clear. Richardson and his namesake center privately work on

behalf of families of hostages and detainees.

Biden administration officials have repeatedly expressed

concerns that private citizens' attempts to broker deals to

repatriate wrongfully detained Americans may end up hindering

ongoing efforts by the US government to bring them home.

Since taking office, Biden has met with the families of

other Americans who have been detained abroad.

The President in May met with the family of Austin Tice, an

American journalist detained at a checkpoint near Damascus in

August 2012. The Biden administration relayed in August that

it has engaged directly with the Syrian government to try and

bring Tice home.

Biden also met with the family of Trevor Reed in March.

Reed, an American citizen and former Marine who had been

detained in Russia since 2019, was freed and repatriated to

the US in April as part of a prisoner swap.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a press statement from my office.

[Press Statement from Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Aug. 4, 2022]

Washington, DC.--Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee condemns

the Russian Court System for their egregious sentencing of

Brittney Griner. Today Griner was sentenced to nine years in

prison by a Russian Court. This decision comes after the

House passage of H. Res. 1132 ``Calling for the immediate

release of Brittney Griner, a citizen of the United States,

who was wrongfully detained by the Government of the Russian

Federation in February 2022.''

``If I have to beg for mercy for the release of Brittney

Griner and Paul Whelan myself, I am prepared to do so,''

explained Rep. Jackson Lee. Brittney Griner grew up in

Houston, Texas, was a collegiate All American star basketball

player at Baylor University where she won a national

championship, won two Olympic gold medals as the leader of

the U.S. national basketball team, and is a WNBA superstar

playing for the Phoenix Mercury based in Arizona. Prior to

being held captive by the Russian government for several

months before having charges brought against her Griner

played in the Russian leagues in the United States' WNBA off

season.

On May 3, 2022, the United States Government declared

Brittney Griner unlawfully detained and immediately moved her

case to the Department of State under hostage negotiation.

The U.S. Department of state is a leading Government agency

which serves an

integral role in foreign policy and the advancement of the

American people. ``We thought there might be a glimmer of

hope, but we were obviously wrong,'' Congresswoman Jackson

Lee explained.

While on trial Alexander Boikov, a member of Griner's legal

team, requested Griner's acquittal stating that the

prosecution failed to prove criminal intent. Charges brought

against Griner are drug smuggling and cannabis possession,

which the prosecution has categorized as a significant

amount. Griner was in possession of less than one ounce of

cannabis oil, which demonstrates how corrupt Russia's court

system is. By padding smuggling charges, Russian courts were

able to lengthen Griner's sentence when evidence only

substantiated drug possession charges.

While playing for the Phoenix Mercury in Arizona, Griner

legally obtained and frequently used cannabis to treat

chronic pain from an injury. Griner took her career in the

Russian basketball league seriously and decided to travel to

Russia, even amidst the political unrest, so she would not

let her teammates or Russian fanbase down.

The Biden administration has offered the trade of Russian

illegal arms dealer Viktor Bout for the trade of both Griner

and Whelan. Congresswoman Jackson Lee urges Russia to act on

this deal and reassures the American people ``We are not

violating our integrity as Viktor Bout has served majority of

his sentence.'' Bout, nicknamed ``the merchant of death,''

was convicted on November 2, 2011, and sentenced, to twenty-

five years in prison on charges of conspiracy to kill U.S.

citizens and officials, and conspiring to provide aid to a

terrorist organization. Inversely, Griner is currently

imprisoned on charges for 0.702 ounces of cannabis oil and

serving a nine-year sentence. ``The American people must come

together, and ensure our citizens are brought home,''

explained Rep. Jackson Lee.

And so, Mr. Speaker, let me express my appreciation to my colleagues. I hope they see the pain that her family is feeling. None of us can stand in their shoes.

Because none of us can stand in their shoes, we have to plead to Vladimir Putin. Let our important and crucial leaders listen to this plea. Listen to our anguish. Listen and see this picture versus the ones that I have shown, this picture. Just look at them. From Olympian to a cage. The Olympian to a cage.

I am going to do everything I can.

I have asked the Embassy, and I want to know what kind of shame they are experiencing, not giving Americans visas for us to go to our embassy in Moscow?

What are they thinking that they can live in a world like this, locking people up so they can play gotcha and be inhumane and stick it in the eye of the American people?

Well, I will tell you, as I stand here today, let me take this fist, this fist, to make the promise that all of our hostages should be free. I hope the State Department's team of hostage negotiators gets the additional funding to grow the team.

But to the families of hostages who are in pain, some who don't know whether their loved one is alive, and they live with the pain every day that they have not been able to honor them if they are not.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that I have said something to ignite the conscience of the American people and to ignite the conscience, if you will, of all of my colleagues.

Free Brittney Griner now.

Free Paul Whelan.

Free Brittney Griner now.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule by which the House has passed H. Res. 1132, ``Calling for the immediate release of Brittney Griner''.

A very important component of the rule currently before the House is that it: ``Provides that House Resolution 1132 is hereby adopted.''

I fought hard for passage of H. Res. 1132, introduced by Congressman Stanton, myself, and Congressman Allred, because, by raising our voices for Brittney Griner, we raise our voices for bedrock American values and priorities that are intrinsic to our national character.

H. Res. 1132 calls for the release of Brittney Griner and, in so doing, puts Congress on record emphatically defending true American values such as our devotion to human rights, respect and dignity for each person, the right to due process, and justice based on truth.

Each of these have been offended by Russia unjustifiably holding Griner, and by the Russian distortion of a judicial system that extends her detention, preventing her release to return home, without a factual or legal basis for doing so.

Brittney Griner, who grew up in Houston, Texas, is an extension of all of us. She represents quintessential American stories and qualities. The injustices inflicted upon her by Putin and his acolytes in Russia could have been imposed on any Americans within their reach.

The denial of basic rights from Brittney offends all Americans because they are rights to which we believe all people are entitled. We do not accept the dehumanization that is commonplace in Russia, and our values compel us to seek justice for Brittney, her immediate release, and her return home to her family and friends.

As a mother who has raised a family, I can only imagine the gut- wrenching pain that her parents, family, and friends must be feeling right now. There is no worse feeling than when someone in your family is in imminent danger and they are beyond your reach to help them.

As a Black woman, I can say there's no greater fear than having a loved one being wrongfully placed in a situation or environment over which there is no control.

For any of us, if we had a loved one placed in this situation, we would be doing everything in our power to ensure their prompt and safe return.

We would be calling and seeking the help of everyone possible-- including the media, the US State Department, and even allies in Russia.

We would press every politician and public figure to fight against the corrupt government of Russia to ensure that our family member is guaranteed their natural born rights to due process, a fair trial, and a prompt release from detention.

No American citizen should be detained in a foreign country for months, denied access to American consular officials, and, dependent upon the performance of a Russian lawyer, especially in absence of substantial evidence of a crime.

Ms. Griner is suffering from Russia's heinous demonstration of power and control that stems from centuries of bigotry and hatred embodied in an autocratic leader who is the very antithesis of everything Ms. Griner represents.

Ms. Griner's detention is primarily based on the country of her citizenship, in a game of political leverage. Since she was targeted because of being an American, every American should take this personally. Her detention is an offense against our country, and against our people.

Griner was detained on February 17, 2022, her initial release date was set to be May 19th, it was then shifted to June 19th, and when that date approached, it was delayed to July 2nd.

That is not justice--it's oppression. We call on Putin and the Russian government to comply with their international treaty obligations.

By passing the rule and adopting H. Res. 1132, the House insists, alongside the Griner family, that Brittney Griner must be immediately and safely released and returned home to the US.

We are unified in demanding respectful treatment and justice for her, in accordance with American values.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1204 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Madam Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the

customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Mrs. Fischbach), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.

General Leave

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Madam Speaker, earlier today, the Rules Committee met and reported a rule, House Resolution 1204, for two measures.

First, it provides for consideration of the Senate amendments to the House amendment to S. 2938, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The rule makes in order a motion offered by the chair of the Committee on the Judiciary that the House concur in the Senate amendments. It provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Second, the rule provides for consideration of the Senate amendment to the House amendment to S. 2089, the Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022. The rule makes in order a motion offered by the chair of the Committee on Education and Labor that the House concur in the Senate amendment and provides 10 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Education and Labor.

Finally, the rule deems passage of H. Res. 1132 and deems that the House concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 4346 with an amendment.

Madam Speaker, let me first say that I am so disappointed with where this school meals extension landed. We had a bipartisan, bicameral agreement in place, a measure that, in my opinion, didn't go far enough. But I was willing to support it because we have a hunger cliff looming in 6 days.

It passed the House yesterday by a vote of 376-42. Then, one Senator decided to hold up the bill, a bill to give kids free meals over the summer and provide administrative flexibilities and extra funding to schools in the fall. The objection? A provision that gave free meals at school for kids at 185 percent of poverty or below. For a family of four, that is a family with a maximum total household income of just over $50,000 a year.

What a rotten thing to do. I can't say the words I would like to use on the House floor to describe just how callous this is, so let me just say this: It takes a real jerk to take food out of the mouths of kids.

I am going to support this bill. The stakes are too high for us not to support it, and there are a lot of good provisions in here, provisions that extend the flexibilities and provide a reimbursement rate increase to schools to help them continue serving kids nutritious meals and extend universal free meals over the summer.

But I am going to continue fighting like hell at every chance to make sure that every child gets a free breakfast and lunch as part of their school day.

Food is a right. I believe it is a fundamental human right. And for kids living in poverty, school meals are sometimes the only nutritious food that they have access to.

I thank my friends, Chairman Scott and Chairwoman Stabenow, for their work in averting the hunger cliff and getting free meals to kids this summer. I thank Speaker Pelosi for her incredible leadership. I thank Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro for her persistence on this.

They are all dedicated to ending hunger, especially among children. I am going to continue to work with them until we finally end hunger in this country once and for all.

In addition, Madam Speaker, let me just say that this is a historic moment. We are on the threshold of passing the first major overhaul of Federal gun safety legislation in decades. This bill that we will soon vote on will save lives, and it couldn't come at a more important time.

As the American people are demanding that we do more to prevent gun violence, the Supreme Court is recklessly striking down gun safety laws that have been on the books for over a century.

As the American people look to Congress to take action to prevent the next mass shooting, House Republican leaders are caving to the gun lobby, whipping against a bipartisan, bicameral agreement of commonsense gun safety measures that an overwhelming majority of the American people support.

Despite what you will hear on the floor today, the American people get it. They know the terrible toll gun violence has taken on communities all across this country: over 100 per day killed by guns; more children killed with a gun in the last two decades than on-duty police officers and Active-Duty military combined; the list of mass shootings and tragedies grows longer and longer by the month.

Yet, if you talk to Republicans here in the House, you would think we are living in an alternative universe. Just this week, most Republicans voted down a bill to alert people when a mass shooting was happening near them. Let me repeat that: Just this week, Republicans voted down a bill to alert people when a mass shooting was happening near them.

Are you kidding me? What kind of people don't even want you to know which way to run if there is a shooting nearby?

I am so sick and tired of the stranglehold that the gun lobby and their blood money have on the Republican Party. Enough is enough. The time has come for action. The time has come for us to put aside politics and actually do the right thing.

I commend the many Republicans who have done just that. I don't think I could agree with Senator Mitch McConnell on where to go to have lunch, but he said that the Safer Communities Act is ``a commonsense package of popular steps that will help make these horrifying incidents less likely while fully upholding the Second Amendment rights of law- abiding citizens.'' That is Mitch McConnell.

Senator Lindsey Graham--and we are polar opposites--said: ``The legislation is not perfect, but we must not let the perfect become the enemy of the good.'' That is Lindsey Graham.

Even here in the House, some courageous Republicans have said that they will support this bill, like Congressman Tony Gonzales, who said: ``It is my duty to pass laws that never infringe on the Constitution while protecting the lives of the innocent.''

The U.S. Senate is notorious for not being able to build consensus around solutions to fix the most straightforward of problems, yet here they have come up with a reasonable, bipartisan deal on a contentious issue.

I think it is shameful, quite frankly, that GOP Leader McCarthy and his team are parroting the gun lobby's talking points. But what I find even more disappointing, frankly, are the crocodile tears about bipartisanship from the GOP when they vote time and time again against substantial bipartisan deals like this one.

Please spare us the lectures. Nothing in this bill is new. Nothing in this bill is controversial. These ideas have been around for decades, and they are what the American people want.

If people are worried about backlash back home, this is an opportunity for you to correct the record. Go home and tell the truth that this bill does nothing to infringe on the Second Amendment, and it doesn't punish law-abiding gun owners.

This country is crying out for action. Americans are begging us to work together to protect our kids and our communities.

I know I am asking you to vote against your party's leadership. I know that is a tough spot to put some of my Republican friends in. But I think at the end of the day, you owe it to yourself to consider this one idea: What if this bill stops even one mass shooting from happening? Is a ``no'' vote worth the lives of your constituents?

Don't listen to those who are spreading crazy conspiracy theories, saying that this is going to lead to everyone's guns getting taken away. We hear it over and over and over again. Listen to your GOP colleagues who helped write this bill and who passed it over in the Senate. Listen to the American people who overwhelmingly support this bill, and then listen to your conscience.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, let me just say that it is a little frustrating to kind of hear my colleagues imply that somehow we are moving too fast, after decades of inaction, of doing absolutely nothing, after massacre after massacre after massacre, doing nothing. Now we are being accused of moving too fast.

Want to talk about the process? We have had countless hearings on gun violence and on measures to combat gun violence in a variety of committees here. We had a committee hold a hearing with a young girl from Uvalde who told Members of Congress that she had to cover herself with the blood of her dead classmate and pretend that she was dead in order to escape being killed herself.

We have heard from law enforcement officials. We have heard from grieving parents. Nothing in this bill is controversial. People have seen--the text of this bill has been available since Tuesday. It is not that complicated.

So when people say: Process, oh, we just need more time, and we should do more hearings, and we should do this and we should do that-- no. I mean, this is put up or shut up time for all of us. This is an opportunity that we cannot miss.

So the choice for Members on both sides is simple. I mean, we are either going to do something--again, this is way more modest than anything that I would suggest that we do. But we are either going to do something, or we are going to do the same old same old, nothing.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon), a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.

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

Let me just say a couple of words in response to the gentleman from North Carolina.

He just said that Democrats and Republicans should come together. Well, they did. I mean, Mitch McConnell is a Republican. Lindsey Graham is Republican. Tony Gonzalez is a Republican. I mean, Republicans and Democrats have come together like they never have before on this issue. Maybe my Republican friends ought to get together with their Republican friends to try to work it out on their side. But Democrats and Republicans have come together.

I am having trouble following the gentleman's logic when he basically implies that if we can't do something to stop all shootings, then maybe it is not worth doing anything. Nobody is saying that what we are doing today will prevent every shooting. What we are saying today is that it will prevent some. What we are saying today is it will protect lives.

In the aftermath of Uvalde and Buffalo, people all across this country, regardless of their politics, were so horrified. They are demanding that we act. Again, as I said at the outset, I would have preferred that we do more. I understand that we can only get done what we can get done in the reality in which we are living here in the Congress; and in the Senate you need 10 Republicans to get permission to have a cup of coffee. The fact of the matter is, there is a process over there that has prevented even a debate on gun safety legislation because of the filibuster. But a number of Republican Senators came together because they listened to their constituents, and I think they finally said we have to do something.

No one is saying this will stop every shooting, but under that logic, why do we have fire departments?

We have fire departments but there are still fires.

Why do we have seatbelt laws?

There are seatbelt laws and there are still people that get killed in car crash fatalities.

I mean, the bottom line is, we have them because they save some lives, and it is worth it. As I said at the outset, for every item in this bipartisan package there has been a hearing on at some point. None of these ideas are new. So there has been a process.

But what I find particularly ironic is that as we are being lectured about, oh, we need more time, we need more hearings, the gentlewoman says that we should bring up the gentleman's bill and consider it immediately with no hearings, with no process. I mean, I get whiplash just trying to follow the logic of my friends from the other side.

Madam Speaker, the bottom line is either we are going to do something, or we are not. And those who are arguing for delaying this more and more and more are the same people who will never vote for it.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Madam Speaker, I just want to take a moment to recognize and thank a longtime Rules staffer who will be leaving us next week for the Department of Commerce as their director of legislative affairs.

Rose Laughlin, who is next to me, has been with the Rules Committee for 8 years, starting as an intern with the late Congresswoman, Chair Louise Slaughter. Rose was Ms. Slaughter's right-hand woman.

Rose, I know that Louise was terribly proud of all of your accomplishments and your dedication to the people of this country.

Madam Speaker, I think it is fitting today that Rose is here because this will be her last rule on the House floor. It is fitting that she is here because this is a historic bipartisan measure on gun reform that will actually make it to the President's desk. No one on this committee has worked harder or more thoughtfully over the years for gun reform than Rose.

Her dependable, resourceful, collaborative attitude has made this work easier for us all. This institution, and those we serve, are better off because of her dedication to public service.

Rose, you always will have a home here at the Capitol. We are going to miss you, but we are excited about continuing to work with you in your new role, and we are very proud of you.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, to vote for this bipartisan bill. It is not that long, and people have had it since Tuesday. It has been posted since Tuesday.

As I said, it is not everything that I think needs to be done. Certainly, it is not everything that we have passed in this House, but it is a start. If we pass this and send it to the President for his signature, and it becomes law, it will save lives. It is what the American people want.

Madam Speaker, I have talked to so many families who have lost loved ones to gun violence. I have watched the hearings in which grieving parents and brothers and sisters have talked about how horrific it was to lose a loved one to gun violence, begging us to do something so that no other family has to go through that.

For years, all of those pleas have fallen on deaf ears. When we have even tried to get anything done here, modest legislation, we send it over to the Senate and couldn't get the 60 votes to even have a discussion on the Senate floor. That just changed.

It changed, I think, because people are so horrified about what just recently happened, but also what has been happening time and time again in this country.

I know the question for everybody here is not about: Does this violate the Second Amendment, or is this taking away guns from lawful gun owners? It is not. That is all garbage. It really is. That is not what this is about.

I get it. The gun lobby is making phone calls and threatening to hold back checks if people somehow don't frustrate this bill so that it can't get to the President's desk.

We were elected to help people and to protect people. In the Senate, we have this remarkable bipartisan collaboration, and in the House, we have Republicans who have supported sensible gun safety legislation.

Madam Speaker, I hope this is an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote in the House. I know that it may not be because the leadership here has urged Republican Members to oppose this. I regret that very much.

When people say that this is somehow a leftwing bill--I mean, Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham? Give me a break. This is a truly bipartisan bill. It is a compromise.

To suggest that we need more hearings on a bill on a compromise that every single topic in this compromise has had hearings on before, to suggest to do that by people who don't want this to move to begin with, come on.

This is the put-up-or-shut-up moment for people here. We either do something, or we are going to do nothing. We have been doing nothing for years.

I urged in my opening that people think long and hard before they vote. Consult your conscience.

I can't go back and talk to parents who lost loved ones to violence and say: ``Oh, we tried, but it wasn't perfect.'' I could easily go back and say: ``I wish it were bigger and more. It is not perfect, so I am not going to support it.'' I am supporting this because it is something, and it is going to save lives.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to please support this. I urge a ``yes'' on the rule and a ``yes'' on the previous question.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and move the previous question on the resolution.

Madam Speaker, let my thank the chairman very much for yielding, and for the expeditious way in which the Committee on Rules realized that we are in crisis.

Let me just start by saying to stop the carnage and the bloodshed, I rise in support of the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. And since I know that this Congress has vision and it has passion to move, as well, the Protect Our Kids Act as we go forward in the future.

I realize that this bipartisan effort is historic, particularly in light of the Supreme Court decision which took history and literally shredded the constitutional privileges of life and liberty by suggesting that laws that under Heller were legal, could not be in place. Legislation that is going to come before us will, in fact, emphasize that we want to save lives.

Madam Speaker, I support this effort going forward because I want to say to the grieving families of Buffalo, the grieving families of Mother Emanuel, the grieving families in Uvalde, the parent who spoke to me just two nights ago whose daughter bled out, that we are listening.

I also rise today to support H. Res. 1132, which says to the world that the United States Congress calls on the Government of Russia, the Russian Federation, to immediately release Brittney Griner.

This bill was introduced by myself, Congressman Stanton and Congressman Allred, because we realize this young woman who grew up and was born in Houston, Texas, who, was a two-time Olympian, who is a renowned WNBA player, is now wrongfully detained in Russia. She has had a prolific collegiate career and went to Nimitz High School and Baylor University.

She is someone who has been known to be generous in her community by providing an outstanding program that helps young people. She has the Heart and Soul Shoe Drive. She is an American's American.

We ask that you support this H. Res. 1132 to release Brittney Griner now.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the rule which brings to the floor S. 2938, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and H. Res. 1132, ``Calling for the immediate release of Brittney Griner''.

Both the bill and the resolution addressed by this rule advance bedrock American values and priorities that are intrinsic to our national character.

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act provides reasonable, common- sense measures to enhance safety and reduce gun violence that is increasingly inflicting unspeakable pain and suffering on American families.

I have never met an American who does not want to keep their children safe, and especially protect them from gun violence. The bipartisan nature of the bill emphasizes the universal desire to protect our children and families.

When modest, reasonable measures can be taken to protect lives and avert tragedy, it is our responsibility to embrace that opportunity.

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act will surely save lives. Even if it prevents just one mass shooting--or even if it only saves one life-- its worth will be proven.

Consider what America would think if, without enactment of this bill, children were murdered in a mass shooting, and it were determined that the killer would have been prevented from their heinous acts if only this bill had become law. For those families in mourning, Congress's failure to act would be unforgiveable.

Instead, by advancing this legislation, we will be averting the most painful tragedy that a family could experience, and many families will be spared that devastation.

The bill's reasonable steps will have a positive impact on public safety and family security for years to come.

H. Res. 1132, which is also addressed by this rule, calls for the release of Brittney Griner and, in so doing, puts Congress on record emphatically defending true American values such as our devotion to human rights, respect and dignity for each person, the right to due process, and justice based on truth.

Each of these have been offended by Russia unjustifiably holding Griner, and by the Russian distortion of a judicial system that extends her detention, preventing her release to return home, without a factual or legal basis for doing so.

Brittney Griner, who grew up in Houston, Texas, is an extension of all of us. She represents quintessential American stories and qualities. The injustices inflicted upon her by Putin and his acolytes in Russia could have been imposed on any Americans within their reach.

The denial of basic rights from Brittney offends all Americans because they are rights to which we believe all people are entitled. We do not accept the dehumanization that is commonplace in Russia, and our values compel us to seek justice for Brittney, her immediate release, and her return home to her family and friends.

As a mother who has raised a family, I can only imagine the gut- wrenching pain that her parents, family, and friends must be feeling right now. There is no worse feeling than when someone in your family is in imminent danger and they are beyond your reach to help them.

As a Black woman, I can say there's no greater fear than having a loved one being wrongfully placed in a situation or environment over which there is no control.

For any of us, if we had a loved one placed in this situation, we would be doing everything in our power to ensure their prompt and safe return.

We would be calling and seeking the help of everyone possible-- including the media, the U.S. State Department, and even allies in Russia.

We would press every politician and public figure to fight against the corrupt government of Russia to ensure that our family member is guaranteed their natural born rights to due process, a fair trial, and a prompt release from detention.

No American citizen should be detained in a foreign country for months, denied access to American consular officials, and dependent upon the performance of a Russian lawyer, especially in absence of substantial evidence of a crime.

Ms. Griner is suffering from Russia's heinous demonstration of power and control that stems from centuries of bigotry and hatred embodied in an autocratic leader who is the very antithesis of everything Ms. Griner represents.

Ms. Griner's detention is primarily based on the country of her citizenship, in a game of political leverage. Since she was targeted because of being an American, every American should take this personally. Her detention is an offense against our country, and against our people.

Griner was detained on February 17, 2022, her initial release date was set to be May 19th, it was then shifted to June 19th, and when that date approached, it was delayed to July 2nd.

That is not justice--it's oppression. We call on Putin and the Russian government to comply with their international treaty obligations.

By passing the rule bringing H. Res. 1132 before us, Congress insists, alongside the Griner family, that Brittney Griner must be immediately and safely released and returned home to the U.S. We are unified in demanding respectful treatment and justice for her, in accordance with American values.

I also rise in support of the rule by which the House has passed H. Res. 1132, ``Calling for the immediate release of Brittney Griner''.

A very important component of the rule currently before the House is that it: ``Provides that House Resolution 1132 is hereby adopted.''

I fought hard for passage of H. Res. 1132, introduced by Congressman Stanton, myself, and Congressman Allred, because, by raising our voices for Brittney Griner, we raise our voices for bedrock American values and priorities that are intrinsic to our national character.

H. Res. 1132 calls for the release of Brittney Griner and, in so doing, puts Congress on record emphatically defending true American values such as our devotion to human rights, respect and dignity for each person, the right to due process, and justice based on truth.

Each of these have been offended by Russia unjustifiably holding Griner, and by the Russian distortion of a judicial system that extends her detention, preventing her release to return home, without a factual or legal basis for doing so.

Brittney Griner, who grew up in Houston, Texas, is an extension of all of us. She represents quintessential American stories and qualities. The injustices inflicted upon her by Putin and his acolytes in Russia could have been imposed on any Americans within their reach.

The denial of basic rights from Brittney offends all Americans because they are rights to which we believe all people are entitled. We do not accept the dehumanization that is commonplace in Russia, and our values compel us to seek justice for Brittney, her immediate release, and her return home to her family and friends.

As a mother who has raised a family, I can only imagine the gut- wrenching pain that her parents, family, and friends must be feeling right now. There is no worse feeling than when someone in your family is in imminent danger and they are beyond your reach to help them.

As a Black woman, I can say there's no greater fear than having a loved one being wrongfully placed in a situation or environment over which there is no control.

For any of us, if we had a loved one placed in this situation, we would be doing everything in our power to ensure their prompt and safe return.

We would be calling and seeking the help of everyone possible-- including the media, the U.S. State Department, and even allies in Russia.

We would press every politician and public figure to fight against the corrupt government of Russia to ensure that our family member is guaranteed their natural born rights to due process, a fair trial, and a prompt release from detention.

No American citizen should be detained in a foreign country for months, denied access to American consular officials, and dependent upon the performance of a Russian lawyer, especially in absence of substantial evidence of a crime.

Ms. Griner is suffering from Russia's heinous demonstration of power and control that stems from centuries of bigotry and hatred embodied in an autocratic leader who is the very antithesis of everything Ms. Griner represents.

Ms. Griner's detention is primarily based on the country of her citizenship, in a game of political leverage. Since she was targeted because of being an American, every American should take this personally. Her detention is an offense against our country, and against our people.

Griner was detained on February 17, 2022, her initial release date was set to be May 19th, it was then shifted to June 19th, and when that date approached, it was delayed to July 2nd.

That is not justice--it's oppression. We call on Putin and the Russian government to comply with their international treaty obligations.

By passing the rule and adopting H. Res. 1132, the House insists, alongside the Griner family, that Brittney Griner must be immediately and safely released and returned home to the U.S.

We are unified in demanding respectful treatment and justice for her, in accordance with American values.

Madam Speaker, I rise to oppose the previous question so that we can immediately consider my bill, H.R. 7966, the STOP II, Secure Every School and Protect our Nation's Children Act.

It is an honor to be here today. In fact, what an honor that the people of North Carolina's Eighth Congressional District have bestowed upon me to allow me to be their Representative here in the United States Congress.

As I walked the Halls of this Capitol building this morning, I couldn't help but think of the great American patriots who have served here before us.

I think about the patriots who came before, who pledged their lives, their property, and their sacred honor so that we could live in the freedom and prosperity we enjoy today. People like Patrick Henry, who famously said: ``Give me liberty or give me death.''

The courage of our Founders, the faith, the strength of their convictions, the belief in an ideal--indeed, an idea--that all people are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights. And they devised a Constitution that protects and guarantees these rights. It is an incredible thing to think about, the legacy they have left in the hands of this, the 117th Congress. Each one of us swore an oath when we accepted this office. It wasn't an oath to a person or a political party. It was an oath to defend the Constitution.

The issue before us today is what can we do--no, what should we do when faced with the challenge before us, this epidemic of children taking the lives of other children in our schools?

Every single one of us grieves for the lives taken. As the father of an elementary school child, my heart aches for the lives lost and the unimaginable pain and grief felt by those who love them. Neither party cares more about this. Neither political party has a monopoly on wanting to do something.

That is why Republicans have come to the table with ideas that will actually get to some of the root causes of this violence. More than 12 pieces of legislation have been introduced by Republican Members of this House to strengthen background checks, to improve law enforcement coordination and response, to address the mental health needs of our children, to make schools safer, and to prevent this violence.

To date, my colleagues across the aisle have been unwilling to engage with us, to seek consensus, to work together to solve this problem.

Just a few weeks ago, the majority party brought forth a package of gun control measures. This legislation targeted the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. This legislation did nothing to address the security in our schools. It did nothing to provide better mental health resources to improve the ability of school officials and law enforcement to intervene with these children in crisis. But it did let a lot of people around here feel better, because they could go home and say: We did something.

Over in the Senate, they aren't even considering this reckless package of bills. But Republicans and Democrats in the Senate did attempt to work together to find a solution, and there are many things that I like about this Senate legislation. In fact, I am flattered that they use much of the mental health and school safety provisions from my legislation. But as much as we feel the need to do something to tackle this problem, we cannot forget that oath that we all took on the first day of this Congress.

Our highest calling as a Member of Congress is to defend the Constitution. And that is where this legislation sent to us by the Senate falls short. This open-ended gun control legislation opens the door to Federal funding of State red flag laws. First of all, these laws don't work.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a list of 12 mass shootings that have taken place in States that already have red flag laws.

``Red Flag'' Failures

May 14, 2022, Buffalo, N.Y.

Payton S. Gedron, 10 fatalities

New York's ``Red Flag'' law went into effect August 24,

2019

May 26, 2021, San Jose, Calif.

Samuel Cassidy, 9 fatalities

California's ``Red Flag'' law was enacted in 2016

April 15, 2021, Indianapolis, Ind.

Brandon Scott Hole, 8 fatalities

Indiana's ``Red Flag'' law went into effect in 2005

March 31, 2021, Orange, Calif.

Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez, 4 fatalities

California's ``Red Flag'' law was enacted in 2016

March 22, 2021, Boulder, Colo.

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 10 fatalities

Colorado's ``Red Flag'' law went into effect January 2020

December 10, 2019, Jersey City, N.J.

David N. Anderson and Francine Graham, 4 fatalities

New Jersey's ``Red Flag'' law went into effect September 1,

2019

July 28, 2019, Gilroy, Calif.

Santino William LeGan, 3 fatalities, 12 injured

California's ``Red Flag'' law was enacted in 2016

February 15, 2019, Aurora, Ill.

Gary Martin, 5 fatalities

Illinois's ``Red Flag'' law went into effect January 1,

2019

January 23, 2019, Sebring, Fla.

Zephen A. Xaver, 5 fatalities

Florida's ``Red Flag'' law took effect March 2018

November 7, 2018, Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Ian David Long, 12 fatalities

California's ``Red Flag'' law was enacted in 2016

September 12, 2018, Bakersfield, Calif.

Javier Casarez, 5 fatalities

California's ``Red Flag'' law was enacted in 2016

November 14, 2017, Rancho Tehama, Calif.

Kevin Janson Neal, 5 fatalities

California's ``Red Flag'' law was enacted in 2016

Madam Speaker, the State with the most mass shootings is California. California has the most restrictive gun laws in America. California already has a red flag law. But more important to this debate, red flag laws subvert due process protections and threaten the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.

Why would we agree to borrow more money that we don't have so the Federal Government can give it to States to enact laws that don't work and that actually threaten the rights of our citizens?

Why would we do that?

Second, this legislation singles out law-abiding citizens under the age of 21 by giving the government discretion to delay, for any reason, their constitutionally protected right to a firearm--a right, by the way, affirmed, yet again, by the Supreme Court just yesterday.

We all want to keep firearms out of the hands of people that shouldn't have them, and I am willing to consider ways to better identify people with mental health challenges, but I can't help but think about that 20-year-old paratrooper stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Our Nation entrusted him to defend us with an automatic weapon or a multimillion-dollar-weapon system, but we can't trust him with a semiautomatic weapon to defend themselves in their own home?

What about the 20-year-old spouse back home in Spring Lake, North Carolina, alone because our paratrooper has deployed in service of our Nation. Are we to tell this spouse that the government doesn't trust you to defend your home?

Instead, we are going to delay your purchase for 10 days. At the end of the 10 days, the government doesn't even have to get back to the gun owner or the gun store. Let that gun dealer decide if they want to take a risk on selling you this firearm while an FBI investigation is still open.

No, this is a de facto ban on gun sales to law-abiding citizens under the age of 21.

Third, this legislation also broadens firearm prohibitions for misdemeanors and nonviolent offenders. I think most of us can agree, someone convicted of beating up their spouse ought to be put on the background check system. The law extends this to misdemeanor assault on a spouse or someone with whom you share a child. But we have to be careful when we are talking about taking away a constitutionally protected right over other misdemeanors.

The language of this bill is so broad it can include nonviolent offenders, and I am concerned that the due process protections are simply not there.

So what are we proposing today? Let's set aside these controversial unconstitutional provisions that divide us. Let's unite around the idea that we are going to tackle the real causes of this violence. These school shootings are almost always done by a young male, often from a single-parent or no-parent home. They have experienced some trauma in their life. Most are likely on some behavioral medication, and they have shown plenty of signs of being in crisis. Yet, effective intervention and mental health treatment did not happen.

So let's start there. Today, I rise to propose we defeat this previous question and replace the Senate language with H.R. 7966.

This legislation builds on the STOP School Violence Act signed into law in 2018 by providing a billion dollars in grants to hire more school resource officers. It provides $1 billion to hire mental health guidance counselors so that schools have the resources to intervene with these children in crisis.

Imagine, if we had been able to intervene with the shooter in Uvalde before he dropped out of high school.

This legislation includes $5 billion to fund STOP School Violence programs to make schools safer, to provide active shooter training to law enforcement, and to better equip school officials and students and law enforcement to intervene before one of these students reaches the breaking point. This $7 billion is paid for by redirecting unspent COVID-19 funds that have already been approved.

Also, under my legislation, schools can apply for a threat assessment to identify weaknesses in their security and to assess the mental health services at the school. We would also codify a clearinghouse at Homeland Security to collect and share best practices for school safety. These are practical, commonsense solutions that we should all be able to agree will have a real impact.

Madam Speaker, I agree with my friend. Now is our moment. Today, we can come together--Republicans and Democrats--and really address these issues in a meaningful way. We can do this while at the same time keeping the promise made by the sacrifice and the courage of our Founders by upholding our pledge on the first day in office to defend this Constitution.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against the previous question so we can immediately consider this important legislation. God bless you.

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

I thank the Representative from Massachusetts and the distinguished chair of the Rules Committee for yielding me the customary 30 minutes.

Madam Speaker, S. 2938, as amended in the Senate, is at its core an effort to chip away at the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. It has received no hearings, no committee process, and has only recently been released in bill form for the public to review. It came to us very early this morning after the Senate passed it late last night, and my colleagues expect us to vote on this bill later today, despite the egregious procedural violations. Unfortunately for the American people, that is not a unique development here in Congress. I am disappointed that this is the way the majority has chosen to proceed with legislation, with no hearing and no public input.

The bill provides $750 million over 5 years in Federal Byrne JAG grant funding to States for crisis intervention proceedings, including State-level red flag programs. However, this bill fails to provide explicit due process requirements. We have seen in places where red flag laws have been adopted that these types of laws always infringe on the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners. This ambiguous language contains insufficient guardrails to ensure that the money is actually going toward keeping guns out of the hands of criminals or preventing mass violence.

Vague red flag laws are ripe for abuse and can become extremely dangerous. For example, a person could have just gotten out of an abusive relationship and has a firearm to defend themselves against their ex-partner. Their abusive partner could report this individual and have their firearm taken away, putting the victim at even greater risk.

This bill also includes provisions that will lead to enhanced scrutiny of certain adults based on their age before they can exercise their constitutionally guaranteed rights. There are no other constitutional rights in which we require enhanced screenings of certain adults based solely on their age.

There is also surprisingly little in this bill that actually focuses on making our schools safer. The bill does nothing to help provide for additional school resource officers. I suspect this is due to the fact that some of my Democrat colleagues are still incapable of supporting funding for additional law enforcement officers, even in our children's schools.

Lastly, we know that this is just the tip of the iceberg. President Biden and my Democrat colleagues have made it abundantly clear that this is just a ``small step'' toward their larger gun-grabbing agenda. The actions of this administration's Department of Justice, FBI, and ATF have completely whittled away the confidence of gun-owning Americans that the provisions in these bills will not be abused beyond their stated scope.

House Republicans are committed to identifying and solving the root causes of violent crimes and bolstering school security, but doing so must not infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. For example, just earlier this week, we voted on the bipartisan Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act. This bill contains the bulk of the mental health care provisions included in the Senate bill, without infringing on Second Amendment rights.

In this case, the bill we are considering under this rule is not only a blatant infringement on lawful gun owners' Second Amendment rights, but an unnecessary duplication of the bipartisan work we have already done.

Madam Speaker, for these reasons, I oppose the rule, ask Members to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I would just like to mention that my distinguished colleague repeatedly talks about how this is not controversial. If it is not controversial, then committee hearings held by the majority should not be a problem. So I would ask again that we follow the procedures of the House.

Madam Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to immediately consider Congressman Hudson's STOP II Act, critical legislation that addresses two issues that both sides of the aisle should be able to agree on, hardening for schools and active-shooter training, law enforcement, and mental health funding.

I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record, along with extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Madam Speaker, House Republicans are committed to addressing the tragedy of these school shootings, but we cannot and should not impede the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. This is not a matter of Democrat or Republican; it is a matter of what is in the Constitution.

Congressman Hudson's legislation is something we can pass right now, today, that will have immediate positive effects, keeping students safe while getting Americans the mental health resources they need.

Many of these solutions are included in the bill we are considering under the rule, but Congressman Hudson's solution achieves the same outcome without infringing on our Second Amendment rights.

Madam Speaker, I yield 10 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson), to speak further on the amendment.

Madam Speaker, I wanted to point out to the gentleman from the Massachusetts that the majority solely holds the power to give the bill a hearing. And I am sure I can speak on behalf of the gentleman from North Carolina that he would be happy to be granted a hearing on his bill and would love to have that done given that you are in control of those hearings.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber).

Madam Speaker, we join the chairman in wishing Rose the best in her future endeavors. Thank you for that.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, House Republicans want to ensure that our schools and communities are safe, but today the lack of hearings, the lack of public input, and the lack of procedure offends our duty to our constituents and our oath to defend the Constitution.

We are not willing to subvert constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans, like this bill would do. There are solutions to prevent tragedies like we have seen without affecting law-abiding gun owners. We can pass those today, and that, both sides can agree on.

Unfortunately, the legislation provided under the rule attaches these solutions to unconstitutional and misguided policies that are a ``small step'' in the Democrats' broader gun control agenda.

Madam Speaker, I oppose the rule, and I ask Members to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.

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