Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act of 2024

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Langworthy) for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this entire Republican majority has been one gigantic, complete, total failure, a complete mess from day one with the majority in charge. It is an embarrassment.

We have 8 weeks left in the 118th Congress to do our legislative work, and instead of doing something to make life better for anyone or, hell, even the bare minimum, by stopping a government shutdown, we are considering a no-good stopgap resolution that extends funding into 2025.

My colleagues have to love this: The gentleman from New York is on the floor today trying to convince everyone to vote for the bill when Republicans cannot even convince their own Members to vote for it. Seriously, every minute I look at my phone, I see another Republican defecting.

Mr. Speaker, the Republican manager is wasting his time debating me. He needs to be debating his Republican friends who are coming out against the bill in droves. Clearly, the majority doesn't have the votes for this awful plan, so why are we wasting time here in this House on a bill that has no chance whatsoever of ever becoming law?

Mr. Speaker, this is embarrassing for the Republican side of the aisle. It is mid-September. Republicans said the majority would get all 12 separate appropriation bills done before we left for the August break. That is yet another broken promise, among a long list from Speaker Johnson, to add onto all the broken promises from Speaker McCarthy before him.

House Republicans are once again showing their deep disrespect for the veteran community by proposing a 6-month CR that shortchanges the VA Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund by $12 billion. That is morally reprehensible and just plain cruel. These are our veterans who we are talking about. How the hell can Republicans turn their backs on our veterans?

To be clear, this is the Republican playbook: a big promise, and it gets broken. Republicans promised we will have a robust, effective appropriations process, and it gets broken. Republicans promised to continue supporting our veterans, and it gets broken.

Now we are headed into another potential shutdown, all because Members on the other side of the aisle want to play political games. To make matters worse, Mr. Speaker, Republicans have jammed the SAVE Act onto the CR because why not mix up government funding with more ridiculous conspiracy theories about voter fraud?

I know why my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to bring this bill to the floor. Republicans are worried the majority won't win in November without pushing conspiracy theories.

Mr. Speaker, let's set something straight: Noncitizens cannot vote in Federal elections. Let me repeat that: Noncitizens cannot vote in Federal elections. If they vote, it is illegal. It is a crime.

Guess what? They have done studies. Even conservative institutes say there is no evidence that noncitizens voted illegally in large enough numbers to shift the outcome of any election.

We all know what this is about. It is not about voter fraud. This is part of their Project 2025 plan to undermine the vote count and take total control of the government.

Mr. Speaker, the majority wants power whether Republicans win or lose at the ballot box, and so my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will claim voter fraud, whatever happens, the facts be damned.

Do Republicans really want to talk about the threat of voter fraud?

Let me remind the American people: The only ones committing voter fraud in an attempt to overthrow an election are Republicans. We have seen this movie before. Following Trump's loss in the 2020 election, he and his cronies allegedly conspired to overturn the will of the American people by submitting fake electors to falsely certify that Trump won the election. He didn't win the election. He lost the election.

What did those efforts get them: Dozens of people across four States have been indicted over this election fraud scheme.

Republicans want to talk about the threat of voter fraud. Give me a break. Republicans are the threat.

This horrible CR will never become law the way it is structured. We are really just here wasting more time after House Republicans failed to do what they should have done months ago.

This rule before us today would also bring to the floor five bills that Republicans claim will target China, five bills that are actually weak on China, five ineffective bills that don't get the job done and don't represent a real attempt to actually address some of the very serious concerns we have about the PRC.

Mr. Speaker, I have been a critic of China's human rights record for decades, longer than some of my colleagues have been in Congress. Hell, I was sanctioned by the Chinese Government in July. I can't travel to China. My wife can't travel to China. My son can't travel to China. My daughter can't travel to China. I can't even converse with any Chinese officials.

I have written strong, effective bills that would hold the PRC accountable, and so they don't like me. They sanction me, and I wear that sanction as a badge of honor.

Let me be clear: These bills that the gentleman referred to are not about taking a strong stance against China. They are poorly written, weak bills that don't get the job done. It is like they are written for a press release. I am sorry. That is because they are meant for a press release and not about serious legislating.

Believe it or not, we can strengthen our national security. We can stand up to China on human rights, and we can support our veterans and make sure they get the care that they need.

We can fund the government. We can do all of that and more if we work together. That is what people want. They want us to behave like adults. Sadly, Republican leadership is more interested in sound bites and FOX News headlines heading into November than they are about governing.

I say they would rather put politics ahead of progress but, Mr. Speaker, Project 2025 isn't just politics. It is weird. It is shameful. It is deeply dystopian. It is dangerous stuff.

Americans are tired of this garbage, and I think they are about to make some very different choices starting November.

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

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

It is unbelievable. All we heard last night and all we are hearing now on the House floor from the other side is that it is the Senate's fault. That is the reason why House Republicans aren't doing their job and that is why they are pushing this misguided CR is because of Senate Democrats. We heard that again today.

Guess what: Even Republican Senators hate this CR plan.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include a link to an article in the Record from NewsNation titled, ``House GOP government funding plan gets chilly reception from Senate Republicans.''

The link is: https://www.newsnationnow.com/the-hill/ house-gop-government-funding-plan-gets-chilly-reception-from-senate- republicans/ Mr. Speaker, their own Republican colleagues are worried that this ``measure requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote could complicate the stopgap funding bill's path,'' and that this ``comes dangerously close to risking a shutdown.''

Here is an idea: If Republicans are so serious about the CR, maybe they should have done some work to shore up support within their own party.

However, let me just talk about how Republicans feel about this CR.

Tom Massie on the Rules Committee tweeted: ``I am voting Hell No on the `continuing resolution and the other matter act' this week. I don't care which bright shiny object is attached to it, or which fake fight we start and won't finish.''

The gentleman from New York decided to talk about national security. Here is another news flash for the gentleman: The top Republican national security expert in the House, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Mike Rogers, says he is a ``no'' on the CR. He says it is bad for the Pentagon. He hopes other HASC members will vote ``no'' too.

That is your top guy on national security. He is voting ``no.''

It is reported from Melanie Zanona that ``Representative Cory Mills says he has informed the whip team that he is a no on the 6-month CR plus SAVE Act. Also says there are `quite a few' other Republicans who are against it who haven't said so publicly yet.''

Matt Rosendale tweets: ``1 year later, the same old theatrics by the D.C. cartel. I have never voted for a CR, and I never intend to.''

John Bresnahan reports that Representative Jim Banks is a ``no'' on the CR.

Jordain Carney reports that Representative Burchett says he is currently a ``no'' on the CR plus SAVE plan. He says there are many, many others that want to vote no.

Marjorie Taylor Greene is a no on everything, so she is no on this, as well.

I have to be honest with the gentleman, your problem isn't House Democrats or Senate Democrats; your problem is House Republicans. You can't even get consensus amongst your own Members of your own party.

This is ridiculous that we are here debating this rule to bring up a CR that is going nowhere fast.

Last night in the Rules Committee, Representative Massie said: ``This SAVE Act isn't going to save anything.''

Representative Massie, as everybody knows, is a prominent leader in the Republican caucus. He says, and particularly because ``it ain't never going to become law. It's a false promise to get all the Republicans half pregnant. Then you're going to get fully pregnant by the end of September when you vote for this CR. . . . '' That is not going to have--``I hate to break it to you, and I'm not telling you anything special. I hate to break it to the Republicans, you ain't getting the SAVE Act.''

Then he concludes by saying: But ``This is political theater,'' folks. I have to tell you, it is bad political theater, and it is pathetic.

Here we are at this late day approaching a government shutdown and we get this garbage.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez), a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.

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

My God, the Republicans must be really afraid of losing the November election if the conspiracy theories are already starting up this early.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record an article from the Cato Institute titled: ``Noncitizens Don't Illegally Vote in Detectable Numbers.''

Mr. Speaker, at a press conference on the SAVE Act, the Speaker of the House said: ``We all know, intuitively, that a lot of illegals are voting in Federal elections, but it has not been something that is easily provable. We don't have that number.''

Mr. Speaker, this body legislates based on facts, not on intuition or conspiracy theories. Maybe it is time for House Republicans to get serious about their jobs and stop making laws based off their absurd conspiracy theories.

Again, I say to the gentleman after that little rant that maybe he needs to be talking to his Republican Members, who all have basically said that the inclusion of the SAVE Act on this horrific CR is basically a gimmick. It is a gimmick to get people to look someplace else and not look at the fact that Republicans are not doing their job.

If we want to talk about an insult to our men and women in uniform, then I hope that they will join with me in defeating the previous question. If we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to include $12 billion that our Nation's veterans need for their healthcare, $12 billion that the House Republicans decided, intentionally, to leave out of their partisan continuing resolution.

Mr. Speaker, with this unserious and unacceptable continuing resolution, Republicans are not only risking disaster assistance and domestic investments, but they are also shortchanging veterans and jeopardizing their care.

An additional $12 billion is needed before the new year to maintain medical care for veterans. That is just a fact.

The House Republican bill does not include a single dollar of the $12 billion needed, shortchanging veterans and jeopardizing the medical services they need and have earned.

Mr. Speaker, our veterans deserve our support. It is our responsibility to provide the care that they have earned. This inadequate continuing resolution does not meet the moment, which is why I am giving my Republican colleagues the chance now to do the right thing and include the funding for our veterans in this continuing resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, there were lots of things that were left out of this CR, and the Republicans came up with a manager's amendment to try to address that, but they left out the $12 billion for our veterans.

They left out $12 billion for our veterans. I don't understand that. There is no explanation for that. It is so wrong.

To discuss our proposal, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Ruiz).

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

Oh, my God. I don't even know where to begin, to be honest with you. There is just so much there.

First of all, let me read from a letter that the Secretary of Defense sent to all of us here in Congress. He said: ``A 6-month CR would set us significantly behind in meeting our pacing challenge highlighted in our National Defense Strategy, the People's Republic of China. The PRC is the only global competitor with both the intent and capability to change the international order. The PRC does not operate under CRs. Our ability to execute our strategy is contingent upon our ability to innovate and modernize to meet this challenge, which cannot happen under a CR. Asking the Department to compete with the PRC, let alone manage conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, while under a lengthy CR, ties our hands behind our back while expecting us to be agile and to accelerate progress.'' That is what the Secretary of Defense sent to Congress.

Republicans are here with a bunch of fake anti-China bills that will never become law, but what they are actually doing is hurting our national security.

This approach, their CR, is hurting our national security. It is not just the Secretary of Defense saying that. As I said earlier, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee has said it, and that is why he is opposing the Republican CR, so let's get that straight.

The other thing is, on the SAVE Act, it is true that a military ID alone is not sufficient to meet the criteria of the SAVE Act. Is that how we thank the men and women who serve our country?

In fact, many Americans don't have the kind of identification required to be able to comply with the SAVE Act, but that is even beside the point because, as Republican after Republican has said, this is a gimmick. This is going nowhere. This is just a sound bite during an election. This is not real. This is all theater. That is not me saying it. It is Republican after Republican saying that.

In terms of helping our veterans, let me tell you, Republicans keep talking about the $112 billion in the bill for VA care, but guess what? These dollars were already provided in last year's bill.

Both VA and OMB say that these dollars are insufficient and that they need an additional $12 billion or our veterans' care will be affected. That is what has been said to Republicans and Democrats over and over again.

Mr. Speaker, this bill provides zero additional dedicated funding for vets with toxic exposures. Zero. I don't understand why, when you are trying to fix some of the omissions in the manager's amendment that was put in in the Rules Committee, this could not have been added. These are our veterans. These are people who have served our country. These are people who have been exposed to toxic chemicals who are battling with all kinds of illnesses and diseases.

The least we can do is make sure the funding is there so they can get adequate healthcare. This bill provides none of that $12 billion. I don't understand what my Republican friends are thinking.

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

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, we have 3 weeks left to ensure that our government doesn't shut down. Instead of working with Democrats to keep the government open, what we have here is an awful, cynical, partisan continuing resolution that has exactly zero chance of becoming law. Hell, as I said earlier, it may not even pass the Republican-controlled Congress.

It is like Republicans won't even try to get the job done. They have passed 4 appropriations bills out of 12. That is it, and they want a trophy for that. I mean, it is pathetic how little work has been done in this House.

Again, they have sent a grand total of four appropriations bills to the Senate, although listening to them last night at the Rules Committee, you would think they had completed all their work and everything is wonderful. Imagine thinking 30 percent was a passing grade. It is pathetic.

At the end of the day, the Republican majority has failed the American people, and the Republican majority has failed the American people miserably. They want to condition keeping our government open on a Project 2025 pipe dream to disenfranchise millions of Americans at the ballot box. Let me be clear, the SAVE Act is not about targeting undocumented immigrants. It is about suppressing the vote of millions of American citizens.

Again, I point out what happened in the last election. The person who shall not be named by name lost but didn't want to accept the loss and instructed people to go out there and to submit fraudulent electors to try to stoke all these conspiracy theories.

Multiple people are now under indictment for trying to overturn the legitimate results of the last election. The threat to our democracy, the threat to our election integrity, is the Republicans.

My friends are willing to rip $12 billion away from our sick veterans all to play political games. What is wrong with them, Mr. Speaker? They are pursuing poorly written, bad bills that are soft on China when we could be doing the real work, teaming up across the aisle to strengthen our national security. It is a joke. It is a joke. It is embarrassing. All they bring to the table is destruction, disruption, dysfunction, and the dystopian Project 2025. Every measure before us today is a bad deal.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so we can help our veterans. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the rule and on the underlying bills.

Mr. Speaker, we have to do better. If the government shuts down because of their dysfunction, real people in this country get hurt. We need to come together and get our work done. Enough of this partisan garbage.

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

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

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 1398. This legislation, which would establish a so-called CCP Initiative within the national security division of the DOJ, is simply a rehash of the Trump administration's failed China Initiative by another name. Resurrecting this misguided program, as this bill would do, represents a clear step backwards.

When the Trump Justice Department launched what it called the China Initiative in 2018, it claimed its purpose was to counter efforts by the Chinese Government to steal American intellectual property. This might have been a laudable goal, but what actually resulted was little more than a series of unsupportable cases against Chinese academics at the height of their careers that left their reputations in tatters.

The government was forced to drop many of these prosecutions. Others failed in court. Even more were overturned on appeal. No matter how you look at the data, a postmortem analysis shows that the China Initiative was an undisputed failure. From the flimsy cases brought under this program to the so-called brain drain of scientists of Chinese descent who left American research labs, the China Initiative hurt our interests here at home.

The Trump DOJ devoted significant resources to targeting professors of Chinese descent working in the United States, diverting crucial funding and personnel that could have been used to combat actual economic espionage and trade secret theft.

However, the China Initiative did not just waste valuable resources. If you were a person of Chinese descent working in American higher education, you were a suspect. Rather than keeping America safe, the China Initiative divided workplaces, ruined careers, and contributed to anti-Asian hate at the height of the pandemic.

The resulting chilling effect hampered American innovation by discouraging foreign talent from moving to American companies and disincentivizing Chinese researchers from accepting positions at our institutions of higher learning.

It is foolhardy to punish China by harming American innovation, but by discouraging researchers from working here, that is exactly what the Trump administration did with the China Initiative. Countries around the world send their best and brightest to the United States for education and to perform valuable research in our academic institutions.

Instead of welcoming their contributions to our economy and to our society, programs like the China Initiative encouraged them to take their training and their talents elsewhere.

We cannot quantify those missed opportunities. There is no way to know what inventions never came to be, but we can realize when we made a mistake and move on. This bill would prevent us from doing so.

Despite its well documented failures, reviving the China Initiative is a key plank of the ultraconservative Project 2025 agenda, the blueprint for a potential new Trump administration. Republicans cannot credibly argue that resurrecting this program is about keeping Americans and our business secrets safe because we know that racially profiling professors of Chinese descent was unsuccessful. It did, however, contribute to an us versus them mentality that divided Americans and heightened tensions across the country.

It is particularly disappointing that we are engaging in this partisan exercise because the fact is that Democrats and Republicans largely agree that China poses a threat to the United States. There are bipartisan bills ready for markup, ones that could pass on suspension today, but instead the majority has chosen to take up bills that divide us.

Since the end of the China Initiative, the DOJ has embraced a broader strategy to counter threats from hostile nations, not just China, but Iran, North Korea, and Russia. For example, the Disruptive Technology Strike Force has been lauded by both sides of the aisle for doing what the China Initiative failed to do. It collaborates across agencies to prevent nation-state actors from illicitly acquiring our most sensitive technology by successfully investigating and prosecuting illegal procurement networks.

We are on the right path to protecting our Nation's secrets and keeping Americans safe. This legislation would take us in the opposite direction.

I oppose this legislation. I encourage my colleagues to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson), a member of the committee.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu).

Mr. Chair, I have two comments before I call on the next speaker. Number one, I wouldn't count on the next Trump administration--maybe, but I wouldn't count on it.

Number two, during the Trump administration, anti-Asian crimes spiked, and as I recall, we passed an anti-Asian crimes bill, which was signed into law by President Biden.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey).

Mr. Chair, I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Krishnamoorthi).

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

Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Tokuda).

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

Mr. Chair, it has been said that figures don't lie but liars figure. The figures are very clear. Crime has gone down under the Biden administration. I don't care what anybody in this Chamber says. Those are the statistics. Consult the FBI and crime statistics. Crime has gone down every single year since the Biden administration took office. No one can debate that, at least no one can debate that if you believe the FBI statistics or any other statistics, unless you are getting your information from the Trump campaign or from Project 2025 or other less than honest sources.

Having said that, I urge the defeat of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Chairman, using fear and division for political benefit while pushing policies that hurt American innovation and American ideals is irresponsible and dangerous. However, that is exactly what we are doing here today.

The China Initiative was a divisive program that made Americans afraid of one another and produced zero benefits. Donald Trump and the MAGA movement had 4 years to come up with new policy solutions, but they decided to play politics instead.

Just last week, we learned that the Russian Government was paying conservative influencers in an attempt to manipulate our elections. We also know that they are not the only hostile foreign nation trying to do so.

We should be working to address that threat. We should be working to protect our elections. Instead, we are taking part in a partisan exercise that does nothing except take our eye off the ball to the real dangers to our people, our government, and our businesses.

There is so much we could do together. Under the Biden-Harris administration we enacted the bipartisan Chips and Science Act which has sparked tremendous investment in domestic manufacturing of computer chips crucial to national security. That is what actual leadership and that is what actual policy solutions look like. Unfortunately, Republicans have chosen the politics of division.

Instead of looking forward and developing new strategies for taking on the threats that face this Nation, the Republican majority wants to take us back to the failed policies of the past. The Chinese Government poses real threats, but this bill would do nothing to address them while setting back our efforts to take meaningful action.

The China Initiative failed to address any of the actual threats posed by the Chinese Government and only succeeded in ruining the careers of academics and scientists of Chinese descent while stifling American innovation.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition, even though I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, this amendment would add to the annual report a study on the impact of hacking and trade secret theft by the PRC on the United States economy.

If anything, this amendment highlights the magnitude of agreement between Republicans and Democrats on the danger from the Government of China to our economy and our security. I have no problem with the Department of Justice increasing its reporting to us. I, too, would like to know how hacking by PRC-affiliated groups impacts the United States economy.

For that matter, I would like to know how it impacts our elections and our national security, too. If this bill only consisted of its annual report section, we could all agree and move on. Agreement, however, is not a possibility under this partisan exercise.

The China Initiative is part of the Trump Project 2025 agenda not because of its potential for good bipartisan work, but, rather, when the China Initiative was an active program, it divided Americans and encouraged foreign scientists to leave our research labs.

This bill would do the same, and improving the reporting section unfortunately will not change that.

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

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

Mr. Chair, this amendment would require agencies to identify intellectual property theft of small businesses by the CCP. I have no concerns with adding this to the legislation, and I agree that it is important that we root out instances of intellectual property theft of small businesses.

Unfortunately, adding this provision to H.R. 1398 does not make small businesses any safer from IP theft by the Government of China. In fact, it puts them in even more danger.

Since the end of the China Initiative, the Department of Justice has implemented the Strategy for Countering Nation-State Threats and the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, which have been effective at rooting out economic espionage and trade theft by nation-states, including China.

The China Initiative was a total failure. Adding this well- intentioned amendment to Frankenstein's monster is not going to make this program less of a failure when we resurrect it.

Moreover, by requiring the DOJ to create a duplicate program and then attempting to impose limitations on the use of resources, this bill dilutes and ultimately reduces the ability of prosecutors and investigators to respond to the range of foreign threats faced by the United States.

Again, I support this amendment and the spirit with which it is offered, even though it would not improve the underlying bill.

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

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment would require an analysis of the use of unmanned aircraft by the PRC, as well as related elements, such as communication links and components required to operate safely and efficiently in national airspace.

I appreciate that the gentleman from Florida is curious about spying by the PRC in the United States. I think we all are. As with all of these other amendments, even if, by themselves, they were a good or even just neutral idea, they cannot make the China Initiative redux any better. I have said this repeatedly throughout this process. We agree on the threat from the government of China, so what is the purpose of bringing up a bill that divides us?

I would also note that the investigation into the PRC's use of CUAS to spy on the United States is being conducted by multiple agencies, including the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security, and the

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, this amendment would require prosecutors to investigate investments made by Chinese companies and subsidiaries listed on the Bureau of Industry and Security's Entity List and the DOD's PRC Military Companies List.

Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment primarily because the language here exemplifies the broader problem with

the entire legislation. By requiring an agency to investigate certain parties, the China Initiative did not give prosecutors leeway to prioritize cases or to choose where to expend resources. This all-or- nothing approach resulted in a culture of fear in research labs across America with few successful prosecutions to show for it.

This approach is what led to investigations of grant applications for paperwork errors. Rather than looking for the individuals seeking to commit trade crimes, the requirement to investigate relegated many DOJ prosecutors to the role of meter maids handing out parking tickets.

Mr. Chair, I am also opposed to this amendment because we already do something very similar. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States already looks at all pending Chinese investments into the United States.

This amendment would duplicate this work, causing a further strain on the limited resources available at the Department of Justice.

Finally, the language is unclear as to the limit of these investigations. This broad mandate for investigations into existing investments without any clear objective, again, could lead to the kind of overreach the original China Initiative suffered from.

Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment and encourage my colleagues to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 1398.

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

Mr. Chair, H.R. 1398, the Protect America's Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act focuses our attention on the single greatest threat to the American people: the Chinese Communist Party.

Our intelligence community has been raising these concerns for years, labeling China the defining threat of our generation. These concerns were also echoed in FBI Director Wray's testimony before our House Judiciary Committee back in July.

China's multipronged war against our people, economy, and infrastructure has caused the CCP to infiltrate our communities, sow disharmony, and steal our hard-earned successes. The CCP achieves this by aggressively targeting and recruiting civilians to spy on other Chinese nationals and to steal critical data from their employers.

Trade theft alone costs our economy over half a trillion dollars annually, with China behind most of it. This bill addresses this problem by creating a dedicated program under the DOJ called the CCP Initiative, prioritizing the focus on countering economic espionage.

The initiative establishes an enforcement strategy to protect critical sectors most vulnerable to the CCP's thievery: academic institutions, R&D labs, and the defense industrial base.

The rollback of the China Initiative left us lacking a dedicated approach and no oversight on issues of critical national interest. This bill fixes the administration's mistakes by adopting a clear, multifaceted approach. It builds a framework of multiagency cooperation and mutual consultation, ensuring that effective measures against our Nation's greatest threat are never compromised by an incompetent executive wing.

To ensure DOJ's cooperation and dedication of at least some resources in this area, an annual reporting requirement has been included that secures congressional oversight and involvement. The bill also requires no additional funding from Congress and has a negligible impact on the DOJ's current budget under the program.

I would like to underline that the worst affected by this rollback are people of Asian descent. People of Chinese origin in the United States, especially Chinese-American citizens, are identified and disproportionately targeted by the CCP for their schemes. The CCP ruthlessly targets and harasses people, especially those who refuse to bow down and are considered dissidents.

Letting this continue without a strong counter leaves our people extremely vulnerable to the CCP's cruelty, which emboldens China. Passing this bill will not only counter existing cases and deter new attempts to infiltrate our country but also signals that the CCP's days of targeting our communities are over.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of safeguarding our economy, our people, and our future against the greatest threat of our lifetimes. Join me in supporting H.R. 1398. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I have heard a lot about the ruined lives of intellectuals and academics. I have also heard about the conviction rate. It is true there were only eight convictions, but one of the comments made was we should focus resources on actual problems.

What happened when we did that, when we took away this China Initiative and replaced it with nothing? In the last 2 years we have only had two convictions. Our Department of Justice has really failed to protect our domestic industry. It has really failed to protect those who have been preyed on by China, and the CCP Initiative serves to correct that.

Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline).

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

I want to say first, the current DOJ, the Biden DOJ, performed their own review, and they found not a single case was handled or considered with bias or prejudice. They concluded that all decisions were borne out of genuine national security concerns. That is in response to this claim that lives have been ruined and that these were racist pursuits.

The other thing I want to say is this bill is race, gender, and nationality neutral. Investigations are conducted based on the factual reality of the situation.

Foreign nationals tend to favor recruiting people of their own origin, and that is especially so with the CCP. A full review by the current DOJ--again, this is the Biden DOJ--found not one case of bias or prejudice.

Everything we have heard today about all these racist pursuits were based in bad intentions, which was actually unfounded and proven incorrect by the current Biden DOJ. They said that there was not one single case of bias or prejudice.

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

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

I would think the Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus would want to stand against China with me, but I will do it alone on behalf of those who are willing to stand up against the Chinese Communist Party.

I denounce everything that has been said about this bill being racist. I absolutely denounce the false claims of racism. They are baseless.

I actually join with the Biden DOJ in saying that with the Trump prosecutions there was no bias, there was no racism. I actually would like to stand up for Chinese-American citizens that are being prosecuted, persecuted, searched after, and in some cases destroyed while some of our friends across the aisle do nothing. They get on the mike and say you guys are racist for pushing this legislation, and I think folks are tired of it. I really do.

I am really tired of seeing Chinese police stations in cities across our Nation. I am really tired of turning on the news and seeing that a spy in the New York Governor's office has been signing orders and doing all kinds of stuff in the name of the Chinese Communist Party. I am really tired of hearing stories about American citizens, Chinese- American citizens, living here--these are our people, these are our people--being persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party. That is what this bill seeks to do.

You can get up here and say this is racist and the last administration wasn't successful, but the facts are Republicans want to do something. We want to stand up to China, and we want to stand up for the Chinese-American citizens who in many cases are seeing their Representatives get on the microphone and say, you know what, we are not going to do anything. We are going to say that China is a threat, but we are not going to support any legislation that would do something about it.

I am really excited about this bill. I am even more excited about the Trump administration that is coming up because we are going to really go after China. Chinese Americans across the United States should really, really be excited about Donald Trump taking over as President because they will finally have an advocate in the White House after 4 years of being disregarded.

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

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

Mr. Chair, I am sorry that my colleagues are amused because Republicans are horrified. We are sickened by what China is doing to Chinese Americans. If the Asian Pacific American Caucus would love to put their sign up there while they denounce this fantastic bill, if they would like a member of their caucus who will fight for and on behalf of Chinese-American citizens, then I would be happy to join. Get me an application. However, until that happens, until all Members of this Chamber wake up and realize that China is the real threat here and realize that the main talking point, what they do as they come, and any time someone stands up against China, they start playing the race card because they know if they play the race card, they will get folks to shut up.

China just loves it. I am sure they are watching this debate in Beijing and laughing every time someone gets up and calls this policy racist. I am sure they are just loving it to see folks get up and talk about the China Initiative that the Biden DOJ so fantastically got rid of and what a success it was for China.

The Biden DOJ has even said since then that there was no bias and there was no racism.

So everything we are hearing today is just false. I am not going to call someone a liar, but I am going to tell you that what we are hearing today, Mr. Chair, is false. I heard from Mr. Nadler before he reserved a while ago. He said crimes against Asian Americans were up in the Trump era.

What person with a brain in America thinks that Donald Trump is the reason crime is up anywhere?

Joe Biden is the reason, and Kamala Harris is the reason that crime is through the roof in this Nation. Americans are unsafe.

Mr. Nadler said: I wouldn't count on a Trump victory.

Frankly, I am not going to count on anything in the days we live in, but I can count on the American people to not hold Donald Trump responsible for the crime epidemic that we are experiencing in this Nation.

I am baffled by the opposition to this bill and the silliness on the other side that insinuates Donald Trump as somehow behind some kind of crime spike. Give me a break. The American people know who is behind this crime, and they are going to watch her talk about it tonight. If she won't talk about it, then I hope Mr. President, Donald Trump, will, as I know all Americans believe he is the one to stand against this spike in crime that I am so happy Democrats acknowledge exist.

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

Mr. Chair, I will just say this: If you believe that crime is down under Joe Biden, then you probably believe the border is secure.

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

Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, fear and division is what the Chinese Communist Party hopes that we will become all about.

This bill seeks to stop China and the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to destroy this Nation. That is their ultimate goal. Every time a Member of Congress gets up and says that any effort to defeat China is a racist effort is really unfortunate.

However, I do believe that common sense will prevail. I do believe we will pass this tomorrow, and I want to thank everyone for their support.

This bill is an important tool. It is one of many tools we are passing this week.

We are spreading the word and sharing with the American people that Republicans are serious about standing up to China, that Donald Trump is serious about standing up to China. Despite the fact that we have taken the last 4 years off and let China climb ahead, and we have opened our borders and said send as many millions of folks that you want, I do believe the American people deserve better, and I think they will vote for better. We have let the crime rate spike, we have just let it happen, and it is a real shame.

Mr. Chair, I appreciate my colleagues' consideration, I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition, even though I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. Chair, the amendment would require the annual report to Congress in this bill to include a description of the level and effectiveness of coordination and information sharing between government entities and private companies about economic espionage threats.

American companies and innovation have led the way for over a century, and the first line of defense to preventing economic espionage and intellectual property theft is the vigilance of the owners of this property. Including this information in the report will ensure that Congress can adequately oversee the CCP Initiative and ensure that it is meeting its objectives.

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

Mr. Chair, this amendment would require the annual report to Congress in this bill to include a description of the CCP's financial intelligence capabilities.

The CCP has decided that the fastest way to catch up to the technological leadership of the United States is to steal U.S. intellectual property. This theft is not only an economic issue but also a national security issue.

Technological success often leads to financial success. By engaging in financial intelligence activities, the CCP can ascertain which companies and entities have the most valuable intellectual property.

To appropriately counter the economic and national security threats posed by the CCP, we need to understand their ability to conduct financial intelligence activities.

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

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1430 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), 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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1430 provides for consideration of six measures: H.R. 1398, H.R. 1425, H.R. 1516, H.R. 7980, H.R. 9456, and

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

In case my colleague on the other side of the aisle has a case of amnesia, earlier this year, 195 Democrats proudly voted ``no'' on the passage of H.R. 8580, the fiscal year 2025 Military Construction- Veterans Affairs appropriations bill.

This legislation includes $337.4 billion for the VA, $75.5 million above President Biden's own budget requests and $30.2 billion more than the fiscal year 2024 levels. It allocates $112.6 billion for medical care for our veterans.

Mr. Speaker, 195 House Democrats, including my colleague from Massachusetts, voted ``no'' on this bill, with Senate Democrats refusing to even bring up the bill on the floor.

Every day they delay is a day that veterans across America are left wondering if their healthcare, their benefits, and their essential services will be there next year. This is simply unacceptable.

Senator Chuck Schumer could bring this bill forward tomorrow. We could get this done for our veterans tomorrow, but, instead, Senate Democrats have decided to play politics with the lives of our Nation's heroes, labeling this vital funding as dead on arrival and offering no alternative while the clock ticks down.

Mr. Speaker, it is time that my Democratic colleagues across the aisle stop playing politics in this Chamber and in the upper Chamber prioritize what really matters. Veterans across this Nation depend on the services provided by the VA. Let's stop the hysteria and the political games.

Let's pass this continuing resolution, avoid a shutdown, and continue our work to fully fund the VA. Our veterans have given everything for us, and I am asking my colleagues to give them the support that they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), distinguished chairman of the Rules Committee.

Mr. Speaker, we heard a lot of fiction there. We have heard false and frankly ridiculous claims that the SAVE Act makes it harder for certain Americans, including our servicemembers, to vote.

If my Democratic colleagues took the time to actually read the bill, they would see that under the SAVE Act, servicemembers can show their passport, birth certificate, military ID, record of service, or any combination of these other options as proof of citizenship.

There is absolutely nothing in this legislation that restricts or complicates voting for our servicemen and -women. To suggest otherwise is just patently false, but it is also insulting. It implies that those who serve our country, those who risk their lives to defend our freedoms, are somehow less capable of meeting these simple and straightforward requirements.

Mr. Speaker, our servicemen and -women deserve better. They sacrifice for our Nation, and we owe it to them and to all Americans to uphold the integrity of our elections by enforcing the laws of our land. Instead, Democrats across the country are unwilling to do so.

Take my own State, New York. A noncitizen can register to vote without a Social Security number, without an ID. Before coming to Congress, I fought against New York City's outrageous attempts to allow noncitizens, including illegal aliens, to vote in local elections.

In the face of what States like New York are doing, what the District of Columbia has tried to do, and with millions of illegal aliens flooding into our country under the Biden-Harris administration, we need these safeguards in place today.

Just last month, the State of Texas announced it had removed 6,500 noncitizens from their voter rolls, with nearly 2,000 of those noncitizens recorded to have a voter history. Virginia also removed 6,000 noncitizens from their voter rolls.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot take the issue of voter fraud lightly. We cannot rely on the honor system, as much as the other side of the aisle thinks it is A-OK to not require a photo ID in this country to vote.

We can't take the honor system for our Federal elections, especially when we have millions and millions of illegal immigrants residing in this country and thousands of noncitizens registered to vote across this country.

Make no mistake, the flood at our southern border, the 10 million encounters at our southern border, isn't by accident. It was at the stroke of 94 separate executive actions with Joe Biden's pen, with Kamala Harris cackling in the background, that this has happened.

Bet your bottom dollar that if somehow, by some miraculous effort, they have the White House, the Senate, and the House next year, they are going to get to work lickety-split on the biggest amnesty plan this country has ever had. They will all be voters, mark my words.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I am going to reiterate the fact. It is very simple. House Republicans have passed their Veterans appropriations bill. We passed it above the request of President Biden or whoever is drafting the President's requests at this hour.

The people who have had a lot to say in this Chamber today, they all decided to vote ``no.'' They voted ``no'' for our veterans' healthcare. They voted ``no'' for opportunities to expand veteran benefits.

They did it for politics. They did it because it wasn't their idea. This House Republican majority has funded the VA above and beyond President Biden's request for the last 2 fiscal years, and we are very proud of that fact, and we will continue to do so.

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues across the aisle have expressed outrage over the inclusion of the SAVE Act in today's continuing resolution, but let's be clear: The American people overwhelmingly disagree with their position.

According to a 2022 YouGov poll, nearly two-thirds of Americans support requiring proof of citizenship to vote in elections, and even more telling, 48 percent of Democrats--yes, Democrats--agree that proof of U.S. citizenship should be required.

In 2022, a Gallup poll further underscored that 79 percent of Americans favor photo identification requirements to vote, and that includes 53 percent of Democratic voters.

Just this year, the Pew Research Center found that 81 percent of Americans want all voters to show government-issued photo identification to cast a vote, and 69 percent of Democrats back this commonsense safeguard. Why won't they? That is the question. What are they afraid of to require someone to prove who they say that they are?

These aren't poison pills. This isn't partisanship. They are overwhelmingly bipartisan views shared by a vast majority of commonsense Americans.

Yet, my colleagues would rather cater to a fringe element in this country within their party than listen to the clear will of the American people. Instead of supporting reasonable safeguards to protect our elections and prevent foreign interference, they continue to block widely supported measures. They claim to be defenders against foreign interference in our election, yet today, they turn their back on protecting the sanctity of the vote.

The numbers don't lie, though. Under the Biden-Harris administration, at least 4.6 million illegal aliens have been released into our country, with 1.8 million got-aways. We don't know where they are. We don't know who they are. We don't know why they are here. Those are just the ones that we are aware of.

With millions of illegal immigrants, including violent criminals, now residing in the United States, we cannot afford to ignore the critical need to ensure that only American citizens decide the future of our Nation.

This isn't just about policy. It is a moral imperative to protect the foundational rights of American citizens.

It is time for our Democratic colleagues to put aside their partisanship and listen to 81 percent of the American people who support this and stop

threatening a shutdown over commonsense election safeguards.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

These accusations, Mr. Speaker, are not just dishonest, they are a pathetic act of desperation. In their scramble to smear Republicans, they have dug up some obscure policy document that was never endorsed by President Trump, or any House Republican for that matter.

Now they have thrown everything they can against the wall, hoping to scare the American people with their usual tactics of lies, deception, and paranoia. This, Mr. Speaker, is the Democratic playbook for 2024. When you are failing, manufacture some more fear.

The reality is stark. Democrats are in complete disarray. They are heading into November on a runaway train. Mr. Speaker, it would be laughable if their policies didn't have such dire impact on the American people.

Now, in a desperate, flailing attempt to distract from their catastrophic record of the last 3\1/2\ years, they are trying to shift the focus away from the wreckage they have left in their wake. Their policies have bankrupted this country, emboldened our enemies, thrown our borders wide open, and crushed the American people under the weight of skyrocketing costs and economic insecurity.

Here is the thing, Mr. Speaker: Americans are just smarter than that. No matter how much they try to spread their undiagnosed cases of Trump derangement syndrome, no matter how many obscure documents they try to pin on House Republicans, they can't run from their abject record of failure. The American people see it. They feel it every day at the gas pump, at the grocery store, when they are

paying their insurance bill, when they are trying to buy a new car, when a young family is trying to get into their first home. In their wallets, in their communities, in the safety of their communities, they feel it. Democrats can't hide from the disaster they have created, and no amount of finger-pointing is going to change that.

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have made it clear that they would rather play political games as we work to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. They would rather hoot and holler about spending levels in one department than vote for a commonsense appropriations bill or to create a stopgap so that we can continue our work and make sure that we don't have a shutdown. They would rather stand in full-blown opposition to straightforward provisions that would deter voter fraud and ensure our elections are fair, free, and protected as a fundamental right of real American citizens.

My colleagues would also like to stand before us today and oppose commonsense legislation that ensures that we put America first in our dealings with our greatest adversary, China, and any entity or international organization that is connected or subservient to the Chinese Communist Party.

We must do what the Biden-Harris administration has time and time again refused to do in its policies toward China--put the interests and the needs and the security of the American people absolutely first.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the rule before us today.

Mr. Chair, I rise as the designee for the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Donalds), and I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gooden) for crafting this legislation that protects America's innovation and economic security from CCP activity.

I rise today in support of this bill, as well as to offer an amendment on behalf of Congressman Byron Donalds, my fellow Florida man.

This amendment would modify the underlying bill to include an analysis of the national security risks of the CCP's unmanned aircraft and associated elements in the national airspace system.

Chinese drones are accounting for about 70 percent of the global drone market and 90 percent of the U.S. drone market. Additionally, Chinese drones have actively been undercutting U.S. Government contracts and U.S. companies by at least 50 percent.

Federal, State, and local governments use these Chinese drones for activities that include highly sensitive information for evaluating critical infrastructure and military operations.

Data stored from Chinese drones are subject to Chinese cybersecurity law, which requires New York operators to store select data within China and allows Chinese authorities to receive critical data notification.

China also dominates in critical manufacturing parts, including the semiconductors and communications equipment that are found in almost every drone today.

China has been known to have the capabilities to track and affect flights of the CCP drones, which could become problematic even to American aircraft.

If you haven't picked it up yet, the Chinese drones are a major national and economic security risk to the United States. This amendment will provide a crucial analysis of CCP unmanned aircraft and associated elements in the national airspace system, which will enable the United States to craft solutions to defend ourselves from these national and economic risks.

Congressman Donalds is right to be concerned with the proliferation of Chinese drone technology and the security threats which they pose. I am proud to offer this amendment on behalf of the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Donalds), and I urge all Members who want to protect America's innovation and economic security to join me in supporting it and the underlying legislation.

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

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) for his support, endorsement, and also understanding that I hear what the gentleman is saying, but I say one thing: We must be reminded of the China Initiative established in 2018, which was eliminated by the Biden-Harris administration in February of 2022, where over $500 billion prior to that had been stolen by the Chinese CCP and the PRC.

I want to caution the fact that support for H.R. 1398 does, in fact, help us and is not considered to be an anti-Asian bill, as Members on the other side of the aisle tried to establish.

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

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I thank, once again, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gooden), for yielding me the time and putting together this important bill, the Protect America's Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of this legislation as well as to offer an amendment to it.

As has been noted, the annual cost of intellectual property theft is estimated to be around $500 billion annually. What are we doing about it?

The Trump administration created a program to counteract this espionage and prosecute individuals that were taking advantage of American ingenuity and innovation. However, the Biden-Harris administration canceled yet another program that was working.

It is ironic how this has happened so many times, Mr. Chairman. Trump policies at the border are keeping Americans safe; we better cancel them.

Trump policies are working to grow the economy and people's paychecks; we better cancel them.

Trump policies are promoting peace around the world. We can't have that.

Following the Biden-Harris shutdown of the Chinese Initiative, there were zero, I repeat, zero, new economic espionage cases that were opened in 2022. It reminds me of the progressive DAs in Democrat-run cities that have stopped prosecuting crimes and that are saying: Look, crime is down. You are safe with me now.

Well, we are not safe in this country, Mr. Chairman, nor are we safe from the threats abroad with the Biden-Harris administration.

My amendment is very straightforward. When the DOJ prosecutes bad actors linked to the Chinese Communist Party, and they certainly will, they are directed to share that information with the Department of Defense and the Department of Commerce so they can update their blacklist and further protect American companies.

This includes down to the subsidiary level where CCP entities get caught trying to evade detection through corporate proxies. For example, we have seen, when the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, also called AVIC, and the China Airborne Missile Academy was placed on the DOD's Chinese military companies list. While the DOD and defense contractors are prohibited from acquiring materials from AVIC, equipment made by the sanctioned company continues to find its way into our defense supply chains through a subsidiary company and part of

Mr. Chair, I appreciate the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) sharing his concerns. I argue that whatever the 2018 China Initiative had actually rendered with regards to the amount of investigations or findings is still far better than what the Biden- Harris administration has done, where they have had zero, Mr. Chairman, since 2022, when they canceled this.

I also remind everyone that this is a simple thing for us. What are we asking for here? We are asking for the DOJ to do their job, to prosecute bad actors of the Chinese Communist Party, not something that seems unreasonable, and to direct the shared information to the Department of Defense and the Department of Commerce.

Mr. Chair, if CFIUS works so well, then I would have argued that they would have blocked the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel to allow us to have an actual advantage and control our resources and economic capabilities, but they don't.

That is why I offer this amendment in an area to ensure that those companies that have been blacklisted can no longer circumvent the system and that the Department of Defense and the Department of Commerce are aware of the investigations that should be held by the Department of Justice.

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