Laken Riley Act

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, we are here today to debate a rule to bring two more MAGA messaging bills to the floor.

H.R. 2799, which might as well be renamed the expanding access to fraud act, is yet another Republican attempt to help Wall Street and their friends at private equity firms, while undermining protections for retirees and other mom-and-pop investors. Republicans are just obsessed with helping their friends on Wall Street. It is pathological. They can't help themselves. They come to the floor and talk about helping regular people, but every single bill they pass is about helping the Big Oil companies, the Big Pharma companies, the hedge funds, and the lobbyists. Today is no exception.

Today, Republicans are also bringing to the floor H.R. 7511, the Laken Riley Act.

Let me be clear: What happened to Laken Riley is a terrible, terrible tragedy. A 22-year-old nursing student, who everyone says was a deeply compassionate person who spread joy everywhere she went, Laken had her whole life ahead of her. My own daughter is 22, and I can't even begin to imagine what this family is going through right now. My heart breaks for them, and they are in my prayers.

This should have never happened, and there is no question that the person responsible for her death should go to jail for the rest of their lives.

Madam Speaker, I have to say that I am appalled by my colleagues across the aisle who are using this horrible crime to score political points. It is really sick, to be honest. I think they ought to be ashamed of themselves, if they have any shame left.

The bill that we are dealing with here today was referred to the Judiciary Committee. There was no hearing, no markup. The bill wasn't even reported out of the committee of jurisdiction. I mean, my Republican friends used to say they cared about regular order. Obviously, that is no longer the case. I mean, the members of the Judiciary Committee did not even have an opportunity to be able to refine this bill or amend this bill. They just rushed it to the floor because they wanted a quick press release.

Let's call this out for what it is. We are here with this bill because Donald Trump demanded that MAGA extremists make the border their top issue ahead of the election. He wants Republicans to politicize the border at every turn, including politicizing this awful tragedy. He is calling the shots here, and he wants to use this as an opportunity to say that Democrats somehow support killers.

What a nasty, rotten thing to do, especially after Republicans are the ones who killed a bipartisan border security deal. They killed the deal, the strongest, toughest border security bill that we have ever seen come before Congress, a bill that was negotiated by a very conservative Republican Senator from Oklahoma. Rather than try to find a solution and fix the problem, Donald Trump said to them: No, I just want the issue; do nothing.

Now they have the nerve to come down here and lecture us. Give me a break.

Meanwhile, Democrats are working to actually keep our country safe. Democrats want to fix our broken immigration system. Democrats want justice for victims, and we want real solutions that help make our communities safer from all criminals. We tried to work together with Republicans in a bipartisan way, and they have rejected our attempts every single time.

By the way, Madam Speaker, I really wish our friends across the aisle would show this same passion for the lives lost to gun violence in our country every single day. Sixty people died and over 400 people were injured in Las Vegas. They were all real people: mothers, fathers, children, friends. Where was the Republican outrage then? Silence.

Nineteen kids were shot dead in their classroom in Uvalde. Nothing from my Republican colleagues, nothing at all, no action at all.

Twelve children die every day from gun violence. Where is the Republican legislation to save their lives?

If you don't want to vote for that legislation, where is the Republican willingness to allow us to bring bills to the floor to deal with the epidemic of gun violence in this country? Nothing.

The beauty of our job is that we are in a position where we can actually do something about these tragedies, Laken's and others. We could have worked together here to address this tragedy, just like we should work together to address the tragedy of gun violence. Unfortunately, Republicans only talk about crime and violence when it suits them. That is all it is: talk.

To claim that this bill is being brought forward because Republicans care about securing the border, when they tanked one of the toughest bipartisan border bills ever, is a joke. It is a joke, Madam Speaker.

Let's make something abundantly clear. This bill will do nothing to solve any of the problems at the border, not a thing. You know what this bill does? It says let's put more people in immigration detention, including those in the U.S. under a lawful status, like Dreamers and TPS recipients, but let's not allocate any more money to actually detain these people.

You have got to love these people; they are unbelievable.

Our border security already does not have the resources they need to detain everyone the law says they should detain. Why don't they have the resources to do it? Because Republicans have voted time and time again, multiple times, against providing the funding that they need. Now, the other side brings a bill to the floor not to fix a problem but to detain even more people with no new funding to do it.

You can't make this stuff up. You really can't.

These bills they are bringing to the floor, these speeches they are making about border and immigration--look at how they vote. Look at how they vote. They don't want to secure the border. They don't want to fix this issue. They want a campaign slogan for Donald Trump. That is all this is about. It has been their playbook since they took the majority last January, and it is a real shame.

Again, we have the power to do something, to actually solve some of these problems. Rather than coming together in a bipartisan way--and that is what the Senate tried to do--my Republican friends in the House have rejected every single attempt to try to find common ground to bring something forward that can actually pass the House, the Senate, and be signed into law. They are not interested in solutions; they are interested in just complaining. How pathetic.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have news for the gentleman from New York: Republicans now own this issue. Your inaction is one of the reasons why we are not making more progress on our border.

The gentleman who just spoke was in the Rules Committee last night, bragging about the fact that Republicans increased border security funding in their homeland security bill last year. He was bragging about it. Congress 101 tells us that once you pass a bill in the House, you need to send it over to the Senate for them to consider it.

The bottom line is, and maybe the gentleman has an answer to this: Why is your Homeland Security appropriations bill from last year still sitting in this House? Why was it never sent to the Senate?

Again, I say to my friends who are watching here today: Look at their actions. Don't look at their words. Look at their actions.

The gentlewoman from Indiana was talking about the negotiated bipartisan compromise in the Senate as if it was somehow a reflection of President Biden's priorities. Let me remind her that Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, said it was one of the toughest immigration border security bills that he has ever seen.

Let me also remind her that the person who was the chief negotiator, Senator Lankford of Oklahoma, is the second most conservative Member of the Senate. You can't get any more conservative than he is. By the way, the

man whom my friends are all so afraid of, Donald Trump, has said, when he endorsed Senator Lankford, that he is one of the toughest guys around on the border.

This is all about not coming up with a solution. They come to the floor and complain. They complain and point fingers, but they will not work with us on a solution. It is mind-boggling to me. It is cynical.

My friends are in charge of this place. They know that they are in charge of the House by only a small margin. They know that Democrats control the Senate by a small margin. They know we have a Democratic President in the White House.

The gentlewoman says that this is not a ploy. What else would you call it when you bring a bill to the floor that bypasses the committee of jurisdiction and no amendments can be made in order?

You bring it to the floor and know it is going nowhere in the Senate and know it will not become law. What do you call that? It is either a ploy or a total waste of time.

We spend an awful lot of time doing nothing around here, yelling and screaming, but when it comes to actually solving problems, my friends don't want to do it.

My friends, because of your inaction, because of the bills that you have blocked repeatedly, including a supplemental request by President Biden for an additional $13 billion for border security, your actions have resulted in our not being able to make more progress.

So, my friends own this issue. You own the border security issue. You own the fentanyl issue. You own all of it.

I think the American people are seeing through all of this.

The idea that you would bring a bill like this to the floor to exploit a terrible tragedy, a bill that will do nothing and a bill that you know is going nowhere, is really, really sad.

I have news for my Republican friends: If you want to get stuff done, you have to work with us.

I get it. You are in charge. You will probably get more than I would like you to get, but the idea that somehow you are in control of everything and that this is a dictatorship--not yet. Not yet. I know that may be something we might have to deal with down the road, but not yet.

Right now, we are still a deliberative body. This is still a democracy. If you want to get stuff done, then you have to work with us in a bipartisan way.

Nonetheless, if this is all about show business and press releases, then fine. Have at it. Give more speeches, more complaints, but I am telling you, the American people are getting tired of it.

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

Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. Speaker, I have to say facts are important things. There have been no hearings on this bill. There was no markup, and there was no vote to report the bill out of committee. That is a fact.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

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

Mr. Speaker, this place is no longer a serious place. My friends are turning the House of Representatives into a debate club. None of this is serious.

The gentleman comes up and tries to claim there was regular order here, that the committee of jurisdiction actually did its job because half of the bill maybe was the subject of a hearing previously. Now my Republican friends are coming to the floor praising half regular order. I don't know. When I was in grade school, 50 percent was a failing grade. My friends are failing on regular order.

If the gentleman was serious about this and my friends on the other side of the aisle wanted to get something passed, my colleagues would conduct themselves in a different manner and actually have regular order and invite Democrats to be able to offer ideas and try to work things out to see whether the majority could have a bill that actually had a chance of going anywhere in the Senate or being signed into law, but that is not what is happening.

The gentleman comes here and starts reading the names of victims. I could sit here and read the names of the 21 victims in Uvalde who were murdered by a man with a gun. I could go right down the list and start naming all the children that were killed, all the mothers and fathers that were killed.

The real challenge for this institution is to actually try to come together in a bipartisan way and solve problems and do something. I don't know how my friends could go home and claim that they are doing anything and be able to point to anything that ever makes it past the finish line.

We are in a divided government. I wish we weren't. I wish Democrats were in control of the House, the Senate, and the White House, all at once. We would get a lot more done. When we were, we actually got some stuff done.

However, that is not the reality, and so we have to deal with the reality. The reality is, if my colleagues want to get anything done, work has to be done in a bipartisan way, and my colleagues have to respect at least some semblance of regular order. That this bill had to be rushed to the floor with not a single hearing, with no markup, no amendments, no nothing, and the committee of jurisdiction never even had a chance to report it out, it is awful.

Mr. Speaker, I urge that we defeat the previous question. If we do, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H.R. 12, a bill that would ensure every American has full access to essential reproductive healthcare, including abortion care.

Since the wrongly decided Dobbs decision, every State across America has taken action on abortion in some way. Unfortunately, many Republican-led States, cheered on by Republican Members in this Chamber, have passed laws to either ban some or all abortion care.

Republicans have made it crystal clear that banning abortion nationwide is their goal. Additionally, if trying to ban abortion care is not dangerous enough, extreme Republicans are now doubling down on their attacks on women's reproductive freedom by supporting a bill to ban IVF nationwide. That would criminalize reproductive healthcare.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Brown) to discuss our proposal.

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

Mr. Speaker, in 2021, U.S. citizens made up 86 percent of convicted fentanyl drug traffickers, 10 times greater than convictions of illegal immigrants for the same offense. Also, over 90 percent of fentanyl seizures occur at legal crossing points or interior vehicle checkpoints, not on illegal migration routes, so U.S. citizens who are subject to less scrutiny when crossing legally are the best smugglers.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record an article from the Cato Institute entitled, ``Fentanyl is Smuggled for U.S. Citizens by U.S. Citizens, not Asylum Seekers.''

Mr. Speaker, I will say to my friend from Indiana, my Republican friends now own this issue. The majority had a chance to do something, and my friends on the other side chose to not do anything. My colleagues chose to follow the orders of Donald Trump.

Let me read to you the quote from Oklahoma's own senior Senator, James Lankford, and he said this on FOX News. He said: ``Are we, as Republicans, going to have press conferences and complain the border is bad and then intentionally leave it open?'' That is exactly what House Republicans are doing, complain, complain, complain, and then say, no, no, no, we don't actually want to do anything about the border. We just want to complain.

Again, let me read that one more time. This is Senator Lankford, the second most conservative Member of the United States Senate, who said: ``Are we, as Republicans, going to have press conferences and complain that the border is bad and then intentionally leave it open?'' That is exactly what House Republicans are doing, complain, complain, complain, and then they say, no, no, no, we don't actually want to do anything about the border. They just want to complain.

Senator Tillis, hardly a progressive, who had been working on this deal, called on House Republicans as well, and he said: ``Don't pretend that the policy,'' meaning the policy they negotiated, ``isn't strong. If you want to admit you're just afraid to tell President Trump the truth, that's fine.'' But for you to take a look at this framework and say it is a half measure, you are not paying attention, or you are not telling the truth.

Mr. Speaker, again, this issue now is wholly owned by my Republican friends, and every opportunity to try to do something, from rejecting President Biden's request for additional funding for border security to telling the Senate that any border security bill is dead on arrival, that is now with you, and so my friends on the other side own this.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, let me say two things. First of all, yelling doesn't solve the problem; and, two, nobody on this side of the aisle is glossing over this issue.

I have just spent the last 30 minutes telling my colleagues how ridiculous the legislation my Republican friends are bringing to the floor is and complaining about the fact that, every chance my colleagues get to fix the problem, my friends on the other side choose not to.

By the way, it wasn't my words that I was quoting. It was Republican Members of the Senate, impeccably conservative Senator Lankford, Senator McConnell, Senator Tillis. It was my Republican colleagues.

I get it. My friend is now making it clear. It is either his way, or the highway. Well, that is not a good attitude to have when you are in a divided government, but if that is what it is, that is what it is.

I remind my Republican colleagues when they keep on bringing up their vaunted H.R. 2--by the way, I will say to the gentlewoman from Indiana, I think that is more than two words--last week, Senator Cruz from Texas basically had an amendment to the CR to bring up H.R. 2, their bill, their solution. It got 32 votes--32 votes. That is less than a third of the Senate.

I don't know about my colleagues, but I think that is a pretty good indication that H.R. 2 isn't going anywhere. It is dead. Therefore, maybe we ought to come together and figure out what we can do together. For the life of me, I don't understand why Republicans are reluctant to do that.

This is not a debate club. It is not supposed to be a debate club. This is supposed to be a place where we solve problems and pass legislation to help protect and defend this country. Instead, all we get treated to are press release bills, MAGA bills, yelling and screaming and whatever, but never, never, never a solution.

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

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

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

Mr. Speaker, despite the very real domestic and global challenges facing our Nation, House Republicans have chosen to waste time on sham impeachments, silly censures, and extreme policies that will never become law, and the two bills that this rule would bring to the floor, they fall into that category.

This is not serious legislating by any measure. Democrats have come to the

table with real solutions on the border, real solutions on immigration, and instead what we get is garbage like this.

I have said it before and I will say it again: Republicans own this issue. Their side owns this. They own the border. They own the fentanyl crisis. They own all of it because they repeatedly reject our attempts to work together. That is both on border security and nearly everything else that has been brought up in this Congress.

Because of that, because Republicans absolutely refuse to work with House Democrats, the Democratic majority in the Senate or the Democratic-held White House, because House Republican leadership continues to bow down to the most fringe, MAGA Members of their ultraslim majority, this body no longer functions under regular order.

In fact, we don't function. This is not functioning. The last bill to become law that came through the Rules Committee was 9 months ago.

Let me repeat that: The last bill to become law that came through the Rules Committee was 9 months ago. House Republican leadership has lost six rule votes since January 2023, and every week there is a legitimate question of whether Republicans even have the votes to pass their own rules and bills.

I have never seen such dysfunction. I have never seen such incompetence. House Democrats have rescued this failing House Republican majority at nearly every turn. Last year, House Democrats ensured that the U.S. didn't default on its debt. That was a big deal because if we didn't help, we would have defaulted on our debt.

House Democrats have kept the government running, despite GOP leadership wasting time pursuing unrealistic draconian spending cuts. It has been our votes that have kept the lights on since September.

We believe in governing. We believe that shutting the government down is a bad, terrible, awful idea. House Democrats have advocated time and time again for viable solutions that tackle the important issues the Americans most care about, but--and here is the sad thing--Republicans would rather play partisan politics like politicizing this horrific crime than do anything to actually keep our country safe.

There is an opportunity here. The stars are aligned. Conservative Republicans are working with moderate and progressive Democrats and working with the President of the United States to try to come to some sort of a compromise that will make a difference, and the response by the House Republicans is forget about it, my way or the highway. No. Donald Trump says we need the issue. Don't ever come up with a solution. Don't solve problems. Let's just keep the issue. Let's keep the press releases coming. Let's continue to exploit tragedy after tragedy after tragedy. Enough.

Again, this is not a debate club; this is the United States House of Representatives, and all of us, Democrats and Republicans, have an obligation to do our job, to make sure we keep the government running, to make sure we are solving problems.

I plead with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to join with us and with the conservative Republicans in the Senate. Let's do something, but instead we have got this. How pathetic.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this rule, ``no'' on the previous question, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana for yielding me the time, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, it is good to be back on the House floor with the gentlewoman from Indiana. It is great to be with her, and so far, she is allowing me to actually speak and hasn't called for me to be silenced.

The last time we debated, I stated an uncomfortable fact about he who shall not be named and the gentlewoman had me silenced, had my words stricken from the Congressional Record.

You just have to love that, Mr. Speaker. The party of free speech that rails against woke this and cancel culture that, and calls us snowflakes, can't handle it when someone comes down here and tells the truth. They try to silence the people they disagree with. It is really quite stunning.

Here is more of the truth, and let's see if I am allowed to talk this time.

Mr. Speaker, under Republican control, the House of Representatives has become a place where trivial issues get debated passionately and important ones not at all. What we are dealing with today is a bunch of weird, whacky, poorly drafted culture war nonsense.

This is all just a waste of time. These bills aren't going anywhere. It is not even political theater. It is theater of the absurd.

The government shuts down in a few days, and instead of actually working with Democrats to keep the lights on, instead of actually doing something to fix the problems that the American people want us to fix, my Republican friends are doing nothing.

The roof is on fire, and instead of calling 911, they are sweeping the floors. I mean, it is beyond nuts.

Last night in the Rules Committee, during our hearing on this rule, I had some Republican Members telling me they didn't like my tone. They didn't like the fact that I said we don't share the same values.

I am sorry I hurt people's feelings, Mr. Speaker, but the truth is the truth. We don't all believe in the same things. When it comes to my friends on the other side of the aisle in this Chamber, we really don't share the same values. I know many of my friends on the Republican side are nice and good people, but their ideas are not nice and are not good.

Let me just give you a couple of examples.

Democrats want to make sure that our kids go to college and get a good education that prepares them for the workforce, and instead of working with us, Republicans go on and on about woke this and woke that in our schools.

Apparently, anyone who wants to teach facts is woke nowadays. They want colleges to stop being ``woke,'' even though they can't quite define what that even means. It is all political BS, Mr. Speaker.

Here is another example. Democrats actually want an economy that works for everyone, and thanks to the Biden-Harris administration, we are fighting to grow the economy from the bottom up and the middle out, but not Republicans. They are talking about woke economic policies.

I don't even know what they are talking about or what they mean, but do you want to know what people back home talk to me about? They are asking me: Why are Republicans trying to cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires? Why are Republicans trying to go after Social Security and Medicare?

Another example, Mr. Speaker, is that Democrats actually care about strengthening and protecting the Violence Against Women Act, but not Republicans. A majority of their Conference voted against extending the Violence Against Women Act. Let me say that again: A majority of their Conference voted against extending the Violence Against Women Act.

Now, they have the nerve to come down here and talk about violence against women and use it as part of their sick ploy to go after immigrants. Give me a break. Their bill is so poorly written that it could hurt survivors of domestic violence.

I could go right down the list. It is obvious to me that, at some point, the RNC talking points went out to everybody, and those talking points said woke, woke, woke. Now, we have to waste time on this trash.

It is just another week of the GOP circus. As I have said before, calling this a clown show is an insult to actual working clowns.

Most of all, it is an insult to the American people for Republicans to use these hallowed Halls and to spend hours and hours of time this week on these absurd, awful bills. Again, none of them are going anywhere.

The reason to be in Congress is to help people. That means putting people over politics. It means not caving in to the most extreme members of your party. It means getting stuff done, which is a radical idea.

None of these bills, as I said, are going anywhere. Yet, here we are, playing these absurd, ridiculous games.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I enjoyed listening to the chairman of the Rules Committee, but let me just state for the record that nothing he talked about will be at all impacted by any of the stuff that we are talking about here today. None of these bills are going anywhere.

If you want to pass legislation to address some of the issues that were raised, maybe we ought to work in a bipartisan way. Maybe it ought not to be ``my way or the highway.''

These aren't serious pieces of legislation. These are press releases. Let's all be honest with the American people about that. This is not serious legislating. We haven't done serious legislating here in a long time.

Mr. Speaker, I will zoom in a little bit on this Congress in general. I just mentioned that this is the most dysfunctional Congress in history. If anyone wants proof, look no further than this resolution: five more closed rules that allow zero amendments to come to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, for folks who don't know, a closed rule means no amendments. It means: Take it or leave it. If you have a good idea and want to improve a bill, too bad.

This is how they govern in Russia and China, and that is what the Republicans are turning this place into.

With these five closed rules they are bringing to the floor today, Republicans are breaking their own record for shutting down debate. With today's vote, there will be 106 closed rules in this Congress-- 106. This is now officially the most closed Congress in the history of the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, what gets me is that my friends on the other side have been totally fooled. They were tricked by their own leadership, first by Speaker McCarthy and now Speaker Johnson.

The gentlewoman from Indiana and her colleagues on the Rules Committee were promised a more open process. They were told the Rules Committee was going to be different, more open, would have more regular order and more amendments, and more debate.

Speaker McCarthy was even blackmailed into putting members of the Freedom Caucus on the Rules Committee to guarantee a more open process, but apparently, it didn't matter because he totally broke his promise, and now Speaker Johnson is shredding it.

During the first 9 months under Speaker Johnson, we saw 64 closed rules, even more than the 42 closed rules we saw under Speaker McCarthy. They traded a bad Speaker for an even worse one. Republican leaders have blocked 5,799 amendments from even coming to the floor. Mr. Speaker, 5,799 amendments have been blocked from coming to the floor by the Republican majority.

By the way, they are not just Democratic amendments. They blocked Republican, bipartisan, and Democratic amendments. They blocked an amendment to disrupt the smuggling of U.S. firearms across the Mexican border. They blocked an amendment to combat fentanyl trafficking at ports of entry.

Holy hell, Mr. Speaker, they even blocked my amendment to protect food for seniors who participate in the Meals on Wheels program. They have even blocked over half of their own Republican Members' amendments.

Let me say that again. Most Republican amendments have been blocked by this Congress. These amendments have been prevented from even seeing the light of day or getting a debate on the House floor. There have been 98 amendments that Rules Committee Republicans had either authored or supported that have been blocked by their own majority.

When you are on the Rules Committee, you like to have a little juice, but 98 of your amendments, Republican amendments, have been blocked by your own party. That is almost 100 amendments, and that is just Rules Republicans.

I am sure they would have loved to have had the opportunity to debate their amendments on the floor. If Rules Committee Republicans can't get amendments, how the hell do you think the rest of us are doing?

Republicans said they wanted an open process in this Congress. They want an open process, my foot, Mr. Speaker.

Under this majority, the Rules Committee has become a place where democracy goes to die. Their Members should be outraged with the Speaker and this leadership just as much as Democrats should be. Again, 106 completely closed rules blocked all amendments--a shameful statistic, an all-time authoritarian high set under this Republican majority.

Let's look at the results. Look at what they have to show for it. Republicans had the most unproductive Congress in the history of the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, 26 days we went without a Speaker because they were fighting with each other. Weeks were wasted with failed rule votes while they argued among themselves instead of negotiating with Democrats.

There were broken promises on the appropriation process where they kicked the can down the road with another failed CR, bringing us to the brink of catastrophic debt default and then asking Democrats to bail them out. Mr. Speaker, 10 months of passing no legislation through the Rules Committee that ever became law.

I congratulate my friends. In addition to being the most incompetent, dysfunctional, unproductive Congress in American history, they now have also presided over the most closed Congress in American history. Well done, well done, and they are not done yet. We have to live through 3 more months of this. God help us.

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

Mr. Speaker, again, I reiterate what the gentleman from South Carolina just said. We have different viewpoints and different values.

I am sorry that he feels he lives in a wrecked country. I don't believe that. I think the United States of America is the greatest country on this planet, and I am proud to serve in Congress to try to help the people of this country. I would never refer to this country as a ``wrecked country.''

Again, the gentleman who just spoke, I thought when he was appointed to the Rules Committee, he was appointed to make sure that we had a more open process.

I regret to inform the gentleman that 106 closed rules slipped by him this Congress. I appreciate him standing in the breach.

By the way, when he refers to all the amendments that were rejected as being dumb, 50 percent of them were Republican amendments.

I think 27 of your amendments were denied. I wouldn't classify them as dumb, even though I may disagree with the intent.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record a list of the 106 closed rules issued by the Republican majority in the 118th Congress.

Mr. Speaker, beneath all these statistics about closed rules are actual ideas that are being blocked from being debated on the House floor.

These are thoughtful proposals that Members have worked hard to develop, ideas to help actual people, and they deserved a debate in an up-or-down vote.

They are proposals like this: An amendment to disrupt the smuggling of U.S. guns across the Mexico border to help cartels, an amendment authorizing funding for DHS to combat fentanyl trafficking at our ports of entry, and an amendment to prevent cuts to Meals on Wheels.

Those are home-delivered meals to seniors, Mr. Speaker, and that was my amendment, by the way, so I can assure you that it was a very, very good idea.

They even blocked an amendment to provide postpartum mental health information to pregnant students, and that was a Republican amendment.

Mr. Speaker, Republicans haven't just blocked amendments by reporting out closed rules. Their structured rules, the rules that allowed a few amendments, have also continually blocked thoughtful, rule-complied amendments.

They seem especially focused on blocking Democratic ideas from a debate in an up-or-down vote on the floor. A quarter of their structured rules--get this--blocked all Democratic amendments.

Now, let me quickly just list a few ideas that Republicans were either too afraid to debate or couldn't spare 10 minutes for consideration on the House floor: An amendment to protect children from getting asthma; amendments to ensure the regulation of dark money in politics, and to prevent corrupt pay-to-play political donation deals with Federal contractors; and an amendment to provide cancer screenings to Federal firefighters as part of their DOD annual physicals, when we know they are exposed to cancer-causing chemicals as part of their jobs. There is simply no excuse for this, Mr. Speaker.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, after listening to the gentlewoman from Minnesota, I was confused when she said, you don't offer alternatives. That is what amendments are. They are alternative ideas.

I just went through a list of some of the alternatives we wanted to offer dealing with firefighters and cancer screening, dealing with children with asthma, and dealing with making sure senior citizens have adequate access to nutrition. Those are alternatives. Those are ideas.

My friends, unfortunately, are in control of this place, so they get to bring the bills to the Rules Committee.

We try to present alternatives through the amendment process, but here is another alternative. If we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H.R. 16, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2023.

Mr. Speaker, the bigoted hatred that we are seeing directed at immigrants in Ohio and across the country is sickening. According to research done by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, there has been a rise in conspiracy theories that stigmatize minorities and promote hatred of ethnically diverse communities.

Get this. Politicians' use of bigoted rhetoric can also play a role in hate crime incidents. It is sad, but to be frank, we didn't need researchers to tell us this.

We can see and we can hear it from the Republican Party every single day, and it does a grave disservice to the Dreamers, to TPS holders, and to DACA recipients in this country who only know America as their home.

These are taxpayers, small business owners, educators, and critical parts of our communities. Dreamers were brought to the United States as children through no fault of their own, and it is past time to grant them the pathway to citizenship that they rightly deserve.

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to fix our broken immigration system and secure our border, but unlike the messaging bills before us this week, this is a bill that actually does something, and it is actually bipartisan. It sends the message that we are sick of the vitriol and hate crimes against this community and that we value their many contributions that make this country a better place.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Escobar), a great leader, to discuss our proposal.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Garcia), who will also speak on the importance of defeating the previous question.

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

You have got to love when Republicans try to talk tough about immigration reform. I just want to remind my colleagues that one of the most conservative Senators in the United States Senate is from Oklahoma. He wrote a comprehensive immigration reform bill that has some very tough provisions in it. Their standard-bearer, the man who I cannot name on the floor for fear that my words will be taken down, told Republicans to not allow it to come to the floor for debate or a vote.

They would rather have a campaign issue than to solve a problem. I mean, let that sink in. Let that sink in.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record an article from the National Institute of Justice titled: ``Undocumented Immigrant Offending Rate Lower Than U.S.-born Citizen Rate.''

Mr. Speaker, all day long, Republicans spout hateful rhetoric about undocumented immigration and crime because they want us to be scared and they want to divide us, but their claims are simply not rooted in truth. In fact, undocumented immigrants are less likely, not more, than U.S.-born citizens to commit crimes, including violent crime.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record an article by the CATO Institute titled: ``Sanctuary Jurisdictions in Florida Do Not Have Higher Crime Rates.''

Mr. Speaker, there is no evidence, none, either in Florida or in the rest of the country that sanctuary cities result in more crime. There is none, zero. However, that won't matter to Republicans because they are unmoved by the facts.

Mr. Speaker, earlier I listed some examples of ideas that Republicans blocked from even being considered on the floor. Here are a few more. I just want people to appreciate this.

An amendment that would protect access to IVF for Federal employees, they blocked it.

They blocked an amendment to require a study for Tribal consultations before enactment of an oil and gas bill that could affect their subsistence resources.

An amendment to make critical targeted investments in small-town police departments for the recruitment, retention, mental health support, and training they need to protect themselves and their communities, they blocked that, too.

They blocked an amendment to ensure continued access to emergency care for pregnant servicewomen at military treatment facilities.

Maybe Republicans don't believe in IVF or any of these other ideas, but they can just vote ``no.'' Why block these ideas from even being debated unless they are afraid they would pass?

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

Mr. Speaker, I am not prepared to close yet. There may be someone else.

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

I want to get back to this extraordinary closed House. I just want everybody to appreciate how awful this process is.

Here are yet more examples of ideas that were too scary, too revolutionary, too controversial to even be debated on the House floor, according to this Republican majority:

An amendment to provide grants to organizations that are helping to transition servicemembers to civilian life, including job recruitment training, they blocked that. I mean, what are they thinking? Who does that?

They blocked an amendment to ensure that students with dietary restrictions like lactose intolerance can have an alternative to whole milk at lunch. Is lactose intolerance now woke? I mean, I don't get it. That was blocked.

They blocked an amendment to ensure that a bill wouldn't cause our domestic energy prices to increase.

I ask, again, what is the majority afraid of? I mean, we have our differences. We ought to have substantive debate on the floor and then have votes. I am willing to bet there are some thoughtful Republicans who would support some of these amendments that I mentioned here.

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

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

We have heard a lot about wokeness here today, but I want to focus on the woke Democratic ideas that Republicans have blocked in this record- breaking closed Congress. I mean, ideas like protecting IVF, fighting fentanyl trafficking, and making sure lactose-intolerant students have something nutritious to drink at lunch. Wow. I mean, that those ideas are woke is crazy.

There have been 106 closed rules. That is a big number, a record- breaking number, but much more important is what that number represents. These ideas and all the other blocked amendments I highlighted would have helped everyday Americans. Is that woke? Is it woke to try and keep kids from getting asthma, to provide job training to veterans? To provide cancer screenings to firefighters, is that woke?

Mr. Speaker, I don't know what my Republican colleagues are afraid of. Maybe they are afraid to vote ``no.'' Maybe they are afraid to vote ``yes.'' This is Congress, Mr. Speaker. We are here to take hard votes. This record-breaking number of closed rules is a disservice to the people the Republicans represent.

Mr. Speaker, while Republicans want to talk about being woke, I wish instead that they would wake the hell up and do the people's business. For example, I don't know, maybe pass a bill to prevent a government shutdown. What we are doing today is merely a political exercise. Their obsession with trying to inject politics and culture wars into everything is getting really old, almost as old as the Presidential nominee.

Let me just say I love this place, and I love all the different things that we have been called on to do. I will just say this, Mr. Speaker: I want everybody to join with me and let's end this. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1052 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Madam 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

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

Madam Speaker, last night the Rules Committee met and produced a rule, House Resolution 1052, providing for the House's consideration of several pieces of legislation.

The rule provides for H.R. 2799, the Expanding Access to Capital Act, to be considered under a structured rule. It provides for 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Financial Services or their designees and provides for one motion to recommit.

Additionally, the rules provide for H.R. 7511, the Laken Riley Act. H.R. 7511 would be considered under a closed rule, and it also provides for 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on the Judiciary or their designees and provides for one motion to recommit.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this rule and in support of the underlying pieces of legislation.

I begin with H.R. 2799, the Expanding Access to Capital Act. Madam Speaker, as a member of the Financial Services Committee, I am glad to see this important legislation before us today. I am also glad this rule makes in order a number of amendments, including all of the bipartisan amendments that were submitted.

In the last few years, we have seen fewer and fewer companies take advantage of opportunities to raise capital, largely due to burdensome compliance costs and regulatory obstacles.

It is crucial that American entrepreneurs have the tools they need to grow their businesses and that we create opportunities for individuals to invest and save for the future.

This bill aims to strengthen our public markets, expand options for companies to raise capital, and empower Americans, giving them more choices to invest and grow their wealth.

By cutting the red tape and creating new avenues for economic growth, we can create jobs and opportunities for American workers, businessowners, and investors. We can put America back on a path to prosperity and safeguard our future.

I am proud to have one of my own bills, the Regulation A+ Improvement

Act, included as part of this bill package. The bill would raise the cap for Regulation A and allow for more small- to mid-size companies to raise money from everyday investors.

At a time when many Americans are feeling the effects of inflation, this legislation could not be timelier. It can help create jobs and grow the economy. Our capital markets in these United States are the cornerstone of our economy and among our greatest strengths.

This bill ensures that entrepreneurs and investors can take full advantage of what our markets have to offer. Through this, we can give small businesses and investors alike all the tools necessary to achieve the American Dream.

Madam Speaker, unlike the previous bill I discussed, I am deeply saddened to be on the floor discussing the situation at hand and angry that we find ourselves here. It is unfortunate we must have this necessary conversation, driven by the tragic events such as the senseless murder of Laken Riley.

This legislation and the underlying rule are in response to the brutal murder of Laken Riley, a college student in Georgia, whose life was cut short by a suspect who was an illegal immigrant with prior arrests in both New York and Georgia before allegedly committing this crime.

This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to issue a detainer to any alien inadmissible to the United States who has been charged with, arrested for, or convicted of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.

As ICE describes it themselves, detainers are ``an effective tool in keeping criminals out of local communities by allowing ICE officers to take custody of criminal noncitizens within the confines of a jail.''

If the alien is not in custody at the time of the detainer, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is required to promptly take custody.

Additionally, H.R. 7511 allows States to bring civil action against the Federal Government for failing to enforce immigration laws, including parole, detention and removal, and visa sanctions that we know this administration is not enforcing. Simply put, this gives States standing in court and recourse for their constituents who are victims of the enforcement decisions, or lack thereof, by this administration; decisions that have consequences like the very ones we are talking about today.

The Biden administration's failure to secure our southern border has emboldened the criminal cartels, leading to increased drug trafficking and overdose deaths, human smuggling, and the influx of dangerous individuals into the country.

These threats extend far beyond border States, affecting every corner of our Nation. Every State is now a border State.

Unfortunately, Laken's story is not unique. Speaker Johnson recently documented over 100 similar situations where American citizens have been victims of crimes committed by illegal aliens, underscoring the urgency of addressing our border security crisis.

The border is no longer a matter for debate. It is a pressing issue, and it demands immediate action. We cannot simply hold hearings and discussions in Washington. We need real solutions to protect the American people. The President must take decisive action to secure our border, starting with signing this critical bill into law.

I look forward to the House completing its consideration of both pieces of legislation, and I urge the passage of this rule.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, you know what is a joke? The joke is that the bill that Democrats proposed in the Senate, with some Republican support, was the strongest border bill in history. That is the joke. That bill would do nothing more than codify Joe Biden's broken border policies.

Republicans in the House won't codify asylum seekers crossing multiple countries to get to the United States. Republicans in the House won't codify letting illegal aliens into our country in record numbers. We will not normalize the broken border policies that have led us here to this point today.

My colleague claims that this is just a political ploy and that we are doing whatever Donald Trump wants us to do. We are doing what the American people want us to do. Donald Trump didn't make this a top issue for American voters. Joe Biden did. By failing to secure the border and failing to protect Americans, he has failed on every measure on this front.

Given the Biden administration's reluctance to issue any detainer requests, this bill, H.R. 7511, mandates that ICE issue a detainer and take custody of aliens who commit crimes.

In Riley's case, the suspect was arrested in Georgia for theft and fingerprinted at a time when ICE was made aware of his crime through NICS. Had this bill been in effect, ICE would have been required to issue a detainer for the suspect and assumed custody. Or if the alien had already been released by State or local law enforcement, they could have apprehended him. The suspect in the Riley case was not detained and was paroled, violating provisions in the existing Immigration and Nationality Act.

H.R. 7511 would give States standing to sue the Biden administration on behalf of its citizens for the harm caused by their failure to enforce existing immigration law.

This is not a political ploy. This is a response to a tragedy and an attempt to prevent further tragedies.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my friends on the other side of the aisle: What will it take? What will it take to get Democrats to care about actual border security? How many Americans have to die of fentanyl overdoses or become victims of violent crime? What will it take?

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Langworthy).

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to comment on my colleague's comments about this not going through a regular process. That is just not really correct.

The House Judiciary Committee has held seven hearings on the state of our southern border. They also held a hearing specifically on criminal aliens and the Biden administration's lax immigration enforcement in the interior of the country. In addition, section 4 of H.R. 7511 was marked up in February.

We heard a lot from my colleague on the other side of the aisle.

I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts.

Mr. Speaker, my colleague on the other side of the aisle says that this is on us, on Republicans, because of our inaction, but we passed H.R. 2, the actual strongest border bill that we have ever seen. We passed H.R. 2 8 months ago, maybe more, and 211 House Democrats voted ``no'' on that bill. That bill has been sitting in the Senate unmoved ever since.

Senate Republicans even rejected the disastrous border bill ultimately that originated over there that codified all of Joe Biden's terrible border policies.

Mr. Speaker, I ask: Why would this bill go nowhere? Why would we not want to hold illegal aliens accountable? Why would we not want to detain illegal aliens who commit crimes such as theft, larceny, and violent crimes? Why would we not want to move this bill forward in the Senate?

I hope that my colleagues in the Senate on both sides of the aisle would support this.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record an article dated October 28, 2022, in Fortune magazine by the Associated Press entitled, ``Fentanyl and related drugs are killing more people than guns and cars combined. Many victims don't realize they're even taking it.''

Mr. Speaker, even in 2021, there were double the amount of overdose deaths than firearm deaths in the United States, and the dramatic increase in overdose deaths, particularly due to fentanyl, are a direct result of Joe Biden's broken border policies.

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

Mr. Speaker, I just have two words to say. H.R. 2, we passed that 8 months ago. That was the Secure the Border Act. The Democrats own that. Mr. Speaker, 211 Democrats voted against that legislation.

I would also note that, since Joe Biden took office, we have had record numbers of crossings. There has been 7.5 million people who have crossed into the United States illegally and been paroled into the United States under Joe Biden's watch, and that has been going on for 3 years under the Biden administration. Therefore, it is not Republicans that own this issue, but it is Democrats.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).

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

Mr. Speaker, we have before us the opportunity to move legislation that could unleash growth and increase prosperity for Americans across the country in the Expanding Access to Capital Act. This bill empowers Americans with the tools they need to grow their small businesses and secure their financial futures.

We need to focus on initiatives that strengthen our economy and combat inflation. However, time and time again, this administration's policies seem to hinder rather than facilitate business in America and it defies logic.

In contrast, this legislation streamlines regulations, expands opportunities for economic growth, and enables more Americans to invest in their future.

Turning to H.R. 7511, the Laken Riley Act, it aims to strengthen our immigration laws.

In H.R. 7511, we mourn the death and honor the life and memory of Laken Riley and other victims of the Biden administration's open-border policies, and we denounce President Biden's open-border policies.

We are not politicizing. This is a response to a tragedy in the hope that we would prevent a similar tragedy moving forward. No family should have to endure what Laken's family has experienced. We owe it to Laken's parents and parents nationwide to ensure something like this never happens again.

This border crisis is real. It has devastating consequences. Laken's story is sadly not unique. As the Speaker has documented, there are over 100 stories across the country just like Laken's.

Mr. Speaker, I hope the House can speak with one voice on this bill and together do what the American people have been asking us to do, which is secure the border and institute policies that will protect Americans and American families.

I look forward to moving these bills out of the House this week, and I ask my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on the previous question and ``yes'' on the rule.

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

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 to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, last night, the Rules Committee met and produced a rule, H. Res. 1455, providing for the House's consideration of seven pieces of legislation.

First, the rule provides for H.R. 3724, the End Woke Higher Education Act, to be considered under a structured rule.

Second, the rule provides for H.R. 4790, the Prioritizing Economic Growth Over Woke Policies Act, under a closed rule.

Third, the rule provides for H.R. 5339, the Protecting Americans' Investments from Woke Policies Act, under a closed rule.

Fourth, the rule provides for H.R. 5179, the Anti-BDS Labeling Act, under a closed rule.

The rule provides for H.R. 7909, the Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, and H.R. 5717, the No Bailouts for Sanctuary Cities Act.

Mr. Speaker, I support this rule and the underlying legislation, beginning with H.R. 3724, the End Woke Higher Education Act.

As a Member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, we have spent countless hours addressing the serious issues within higher education under the Biden administration, where activism is often prioritized and differing viewpoints are silenced.

These conversations have become increasingly necessary, as we have seen waves of anti-Semitic protests where students are supporting terrorist organizations, and these protests are sweeping the Nation.

Too many institutions of higher education have cowered to the mob of protesters, often compromising the safety and well-being of their students. Freedom of speech is under attack on our campuses nationwide, and it is our students who are paying the price.

This mindset weakens what has historically been the strength of America: free-flowing and open debate at our institutions of learning. We must not let campus activists, woke faculty, and partisan administrators turn post-secondary education into DEI indoctrination camps. Denying speech undermines the very fabric of the Nation and is against everything our Founders intended.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad this legislation includes my Students Bill of Rights Act of 2024, which aims to address the erosion of First Amendment rights faced by students, and provides protections for academic freedom and expression.

Our students should never feel afraid to express their point of view or fear retribution or negative consequences for their future.

This woke mind virus doesn't stop there, which brings me to H.R. 5339, the Protecting American Investments from Woke Policies Act. It protects the retirement savings of workers, retirees, and their families by rolling back woke ESG requirements that have nothing to do with the bottom line.

The bill ensures that financial institutions are focused on maximizing returns in retirement plans rather than advancing the Biden- Harris administration's radical agenda at the expense of American workers. Forcing often underperforming and relatively high-risk investments on our seniors is not what they are asking us to do in this Chamber.

In this spirit, I am glad the bill includes one of my pieces of legislation, the Retirement Proxy Protection Act. The bill ensures that fiduciaries prioritize economic interests of plan beneficiaries when voting on shareholder proposals.

Finally, the rule also provides for consideration of H.R. 4790, a comprehensive bill package targeting unelected bureaucrats.

Time and time again, this administration has prioritized, again, an ESG agenda and initiatives that are against the well-being of workers and American businesses.

Democrat-appointed bureaucrats are attempting to use regulation to create climate and social policy in our financial markets, ultimately raising costs and limiting growth.

This legislation aims to stop unnecessary political reporting requirements for companies, make Federal regulators more transparent, and reduce the SEC's power over shareholders.

I am proud that another one of my bills, the No Expensive, Stifling Governance Act, or No ESG Act, is included as part of this package.

I will also touch on a bill brought forward by the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaLota), my friend, H.R. 5717, the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of this bill. Despite the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 clearly stating that no restrictions can be placed on communication between local or State authorities and Federal immigration officials about someone's immigration status, many cities still choose not to comply.

We have known for years that sanctuary cities create incredible challenges for Federal law enforcement, and in doing so, public safety is endangered.

Let's take Aurora, Colorado, for example. They are experiencing unprecedented gang violence due to a neighboring sanctuary city.

We also know that the Biden-Harris administration has been a master class in how to not handle border security. This administration has totally failed, alongside the sanctuary cities, in enforcing our immigration laws because the crime that finds a home in a sanctuary city spreads to other jurisdictions.

If sanctuary cities choose to operate this way and endanger their own communities, neighboring communities, and, ultimately, the entire Nation, then they must be forced to balance their irresponsible choices with the loss of other Federal support. It is pretty simple: If you fail to comply with the law, you should not expect support.

Our constituents understand and also demand that their tax dollars not support sanctuary cities that actively undermine their public safety and our immigration law.

The rule also provides for consideration of H.J. Res. 136 to push back on EPA overregulation, H.R. 5179 to end anti-Israel boycotts, and H.R. 7909, the Violence Against Women Act, which would crack down on crime caused by the Biden-Harris administration's open-border policies.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to consideration of these important bills, and I urge the passage of this rule.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), my colleague and the chair of the Rules Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I note that what my colleague, the ranking member, does not note is that this House has passed under Republican leadership more than 300 bills out of the House of Representatives with 92 percent bipartisan support. Many of these bills go to the Democrat- controlled Senate where they die.

The ranking member also likes to criticize this majority when he knows full well just last Congress when he was chair, the Rules Committee was no bastion of an open process.

For the record, here are some statistics that might help paint a better picture and provide context for the cherry-picked numbers the Member rattled off.

It is true there have been more closed rules, but this majority has reported nearly twice the amount of bills in the last Congress. Considered as a percentage, this majority has reported fewer closed rules than when he had the gavel.

Even more, over a third of the closed rules were because no amendments

were offered, making the rule closed by definition.

Not considering those closed rules brings us still at roughly the same rate as a percentage of closed rules from the last Congress but with significantly more bills offered.

I also remind this body that the previous Congress saw the use and abuse of partisan en bloc amendment votes, which created omnibus-style amendments designed to defeat Republican, or tough amendments, and had the practical effect of stifling the Republican minority.

Even with this procedural atrocity, the ranking member still can't claim a higher ground on making minority amendments in order.

We also needed to keep up with the onslaught of regulations from the Biden-Harris administration that they have unleashed on the American people from unelected bureaucrats.

We have considered numerous disapproval resolutions, which traditionally are carried closed because of how they are written. The ranking member carried on this tradition when he had the gavel.

While the ranking member wants to talk about how we are stifling Democrat amendments, this majority has actually made more minority amendments in order as a percentage than the previous Congress when he was calling the shots.

While the ranking member shakes his finger at the majority for the way this Congress has gone, I point out that he understands the unique difficulties and the tough decisions the Rules Committee is tasked with in moving the majority's agenda.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to my colleague from South Carolina (Mr. Norman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Mrs. Fischbach).

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

The other side of the aisle won't even deport violent criminals. That is against the very safety of American citizens. In New York City, under Bill de Blasio, they passed a series of sanctuary city policies between 2014 and 2018 that prohibit the New York Police Department and correction and probation departments from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents except under very limited circumstances.

However, now, more than 100,000 migrants have passed through New York City since the spring of 2022, and 58,000 still remain in the city's care. Current Mayor Eric Adams and the Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, have said: ``We don't have capacity.''

For years, ICE has warned that sanctuary cities create a public safety threat, and they are one of the biggest impediments to public safety efforts. However, under the Biden and Harris administration, the crisis at the southern border has only worsened the consequences of sanctuary policies and made enforcing current immigration laws even more difficult.

H.R. 5717, despite mischaracterizations from my friends on the other side of the aisle, creates an incentive for local jurisdictions to cooperate with Federal immigration officials by prohibiting Federal funds from being used to provide sanctuary for illegal aliens going to sanctuary jurisdictions. Under current law, it creates a perverse incentive for sanctuary cities to willingly flout the law.

H.R. 5717 holds sanctuary cities accountable for exacerbating the Biden-Harris border crisis and flouting Federal immigration law by prohibiting the use of taxpayer dollars to fund housing, healthcare costs, and other benefits for illegal immigrants in such municipalities.

Taxpayers who are at risk due to the border crisis should not be funding local governments not interested in upholding the rule of law. No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities corrects these perverse incentives and ensures that taxpayers are not on the hook for this lawlessness.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inquire if the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) is prepared to close.

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

Despite what my colleagues on the left have to say, the American people know that the Biden-Harris administration has been a relentless, woke assault on the American economy, the education system, and even Americans' retirement accounts.

The American people know the Biden-Harris administration has resulted in crippling inflation, a wide-open border, decreasing public safety, and increasing drug overdose deaths.

With the bills before us today, we continue to deliver for the American people. House Republicans are fighting at every turn to secure our borders, restore our economy, and protect free speech and free markets.

The Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act and the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act are commonsense bills that would immediately make our communities safer, something the Biden-Harris administration has repeatedly failed to do. I would hope that our colleagues on both sides of the aisle would support these important bills.

I look forward to moving these bills out of the House this week, and I ask my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on the previous question and ``yes'' on the rule.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to start by expressing my deepest condolences to Laken Riley's family. The pain of losing a child is something no parent should have to go through. The alleged perpetrator should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

By all accounts, Laken was a kind and gentle soul, beloved by everyone around her. May her memory be a blessing.

Unfortunately, instead of coming together to express our sorrow for Laken's tragic loss, the majority appears to be exploiting her death for yet another partisan political stunt.

Rather than approaching this tragic event in a thoughtful manner, Republicans appear to have just thrown together language from existing unrelated bills that target and scapegoat immigrants to score cheap political points in an election year, while doing nothing to address the situation at the border.

This approach is fundamentally unserious. As if to emphasize the point, the author of this legislation spent the weekend promoting anti- Semitic memes on Twitter.

At base, this bill is a rinse and repeat of the majority's unserious attempt to keep immigration in the news: pick a crime; paste it into a template bill with sweeping, unrealistic immigration consequences; and then require detention and deportation of certain immigrants merely accused of committing such a crime--no due process required--all so that you can demonize immigrants and sound tough without actually making this country safer.

The legislation before us today would subject to mandatory detention any undocumented immigrants merely arrested or charged with committing an act of theft, larceny, or shoplifting, along with those who are convicted or who admit to committing such acts.

Let's think about that. Someone who is arrested and who was never even charged with a crime is now going to be subject to mandatory immigration detention?

The case of Laken Riley is a tragedy, but as is often said, hard cases make bad law.

Under this bill, committing a misdemeanor shoplifting, or even committing no crime at all, can result in a DACA or TPS recipient, someone who may have been in this country for decades, being subject to mandatory detention.

Sadly, there are countless real-life examples of people getting arrested because of mistaken identity through erroneous witness identification, biographical similarities to perpetrators, and errors caused by faulty facial recognition technology.

In a markup we had in the Judiciary Committee last month, Mr. Massie discussed how mistaken identification can deprive someone of their constitutional rights. He noted very real concerns about racial disparities in the development of artificial intelligence and facial recognition tools. These tools have led to numerous erroneous arrests, mostly of people of color.

For example, just over a year ago, a Detroit woman was arrested for robbery and carjacking after she was improperly identified as the perpetrator by automatic facial recognition search. She was 8 months pregnant when she was arrested. After being held by the police for 11 hours, she was released on a $100,000 bond. It took a month and two hearings for the case against her to be dismissed.

Under this bill, however, if this woman had been on DACA or TPS status, ICE would have been required to detain her upon release, and her U.S. citizen son would have been born in immigration detention even though she had committed no crime.

Mandatory detention of innocent people is not a reasonable or sensible policy choice. This is not where we should be focusing our limited enforcement resources.

It is important to remember that this bill would subject more people to mandatory detention at a time when Republicans refuse to give the Department of Homeland Security the resources it needs to carry out its policies.

The Biden administration is currently detaining 39,000 people a day. That is 5,000 more people than Congress has even provided funding for it to detain.

Congress has never appropriated, and no administration has ever requested, sufficient resources to detain all noncitizens who fall under the ``mandatory detention'' categories. Even former President Trump never tried to detain all migrants subject to mandatory detention.

House Republicans know this, but instead of facing that reality and providing the resources necessary to address weaknesses in the immigration system, they would prefer to demagogue the issue, and they bring us measures like this.

If that wasn't bad enough, this bill also purports to give State attorneys general standing to sue in court for perceived violations of certain sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act, hoping to convince the judicial branch to impose draconian immigration policy preferences that MAGA Republicans have failed to get through

the political branches of the Federal Government.

This bill simply declares that States have standing to sue so long as the State or its residents suffer almost any degree of harm, no matter how trivial, appearing only to exclude financial harms that are less than $100.

We should note that this provision is almost certainly unconstitutional. Just declaring that there is standing does not make it so.

Just last year, the Supreme Court addressed the issue of States' standing to sue the Federal Government over immigration enforcement matters, which this bill appears to be a half-baked attempt to circumvent. In an 8-1 decision, the Court held that Texas and Louisiana lacked Article III standing to bring suit against the Federal Government over its alleged violation of some of the very same immigration statutes that this bill would purport to grant standing to the States to sue over.

In rejecting the States' standing argument, the Court noted, among other things, that lawsuits alleging insufficient arrests or prosecution run against the executive branch's Article II authority to enforce the law, which includes the discretion to determine enforcement priorities in the face of lack of resources and shifting public safety and public welfare needs.

This bill also goes directly against the Supreme Court's settled precedent in Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, which explicitly states that a statutory right to sue does not constitute an injury for purposes of standing.

Be that as it may, settled precedent, much like responsible governance, doesn't seem to matter much to the majority. Time and again, Republicans have refused to engage in bipartisan immigration reform. At the behest of Donald Trump, Republicans dismissed out of hand a bipartisan Senate border bill that Senate Minority Leader McConnell called the strongest border bill in 30 years.

In October, the Biden administration sent Congress a supplemental funding request, which included an additional $14 billion for border security. House Republicans refused to schedule a vote on this funding request, which would provide the Biden administration the resources it needs to secure the border and would provide additional support for communities receiving migrants.

Both these bills would have allowed the Biden administration to hire thousands more asylum officers and asylum and immigration judges, so asylum hearings happen in weeks, not years. This would help put an end to what my Republican colleagues refer to as catch and release.

That is the procedure in immigration law that has been used by every administration for decades. What they mean by that is you catch someone, but because of lack of resources, his court date is 3 years from then, so you have to release him pending the court date because he has a credible claim to asylum. However, with the appropriation that the Biden administration had requested, it could be done in weeks, not years, and we wouldn't have the problem of the so-called catch and release.

All they can point to is H.R. 2, which last week had a grand total of 32 ``yes'' votes in the Senate when it was brought up for a vote.

Instead of rushing yet another partisan stunt to the floor, the majority should work with Democrats to pass bipartisan solutions to address the situation at the border. That would be a far better way to truly honor the lives of those we have tragically lost.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ivey), a member of the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. Speaker, the previous speaker said that illegal aliens who committed crimes should be detained, and, indeed, they should. However, this bill says that illegal aliens who somebody thinks may have committed a crime should be detained mandatorily. That is un- American.

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

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Scalise and the other Republicans are not serious about solving the problem we all talk about. Mr. Scalise says the solution is H.R. 2, a bill so serious it received 32 votes in the United States Senate, a body with 49 Republican Senators.

If the Republicans were sincere and serious about solving this problem, they would vote for the $14 billion that the President has requested to hire more Border Patrol people and more judges so that asylum decisions can be made in weeks and not years, and he wouldn't have the problem of catch and release.

If Republicans were serious, they wouldn't have tanked the Senate bill developed in negotiations with principally Senator Lankford, who is considered the second-most conservative Senator in the Senate, and that bill was going to be agreed to until President Trump decided-- former President Trump and hopefully never again President Trump-- decided that he would rather have an issue for the campaign than solve the problem, so he told the Republicans to tank the bill that they had just written.

Let's talk about hypocrisy. That is what we are hearing in this Chamber. That is what we hear all the time from a Republican Party that loves the rhetoric, that loves to use the victimhood of people like Laken Riley for political purposes, but this is a Republican Party that does not want to solve this problem, will not take any serious step to solve this problem, and is trying to create a fraud on the American people by pretending that it cares about this problem.

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.

Mr. Speaker, I want to close where I began, by expressing my deepest condolences to the family of Laken Riley. I only wish that we were debating a bill worthy of her name. Instead, we have the latest Republican press release, a bill that serves as an excuse to target and demonize immigrants while making our country no safer. I hope that my Republican colleagues will change course and choose to work with Democrats and with the administration in a constructive manner that improves our immigration system and makes our border more secure.

Until then, I must urge Members to oppose this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.