Directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in Lebanon.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1398 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 to revise and extend their remarks.

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

Mr. Speaker, last night the Rules Committee met and reported a rule, House Resolution 1398, providing for consideration of four measures:

H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027, under a structured rule.

The rule provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Armed Services or their respective designees, provides for one motion to recommit, and makes 312 amendments in order.

H.R. 8595, the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2027, under a structured rule.

The rule provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees, provides for one motion to recommit, and makes 29 amendments in order.

H.R. 8884, Removing Barriers to Work for Disabled Americans Act, under a closed rule.

The rule provides 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Ways and Means or their respective designees and provides for one motion to recommit.

H. Res. 1383, Commemorating the One-Year Anniversary of the Enactment of the Working Families Tax Cuts.

The rule provides 1 hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Committee on Ways and Means or their respective designees.

Additionally, the rule provides that H. Res. 1377 is laid on the table and, once the NDAA is passed, the Clerk shall add the text of S. 1383, the SAVE America Act, to the bill and transmit it, once again, to the United States Senate.

Mr. Speaker, we are here today to debate a rule on four measures.

First, H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027.

Under the leadership of Chairman Mike Rogers and Ranking Member Adam Smith, one of the top priorities of the bipartisan fiscal year 2027 NDAA is to rebuild our arsenal of freedom.

As President Reagan reminded the Nation more than four decades ago: ``It is not just immoral but unforgivable to ask the sons and daughters of America to protect this country with aging equipment and bargain- basement weapons.'' That conviction remains as true now as it was then.

This year's NDAA continues our commitment to ensuring the United States maintains the most capable, lethal, and ready fighting force in the world. This is made possible through a top-line that supports an investment consistent with rebuilding the American arsenal and revitalizing our defense industrial base.

Since the 1990s, we have seen a lack of competition in the defense sector that has reduced resiliency in supply chains, stifled innovation, and, ultimately, has increased costs for the taxpayers while decreasing readiness. This bill aims to change that.

The fiscal year 2027 NDAA strengthens America's security by expanding domestic production capacity, mobilizing private-sector investment, accelerating innovative defense entrants, cutting unnecessary regulatory barriers, and creating thousands of high-skill American jobs.

To reduce costs, this bill expands the multiyear procurement authority for critical platforms such as the F-35, F-15EX, Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, and many other weapon systems.

This enables the defense industrial base to expand and accelerate domestic production, leading to decreased costs, increased capacity, and increased jobs.

A country that cannot make its own ammunition and weapons cannot deter a war, Mr. Speaker.

In addition, the fiscal year 2027 NDAA makes another major stride in strengthening servicemembers' quality of life and revitalizing our recruitment efforts. It authorizes a 5 to 7 percent pay raise; improves military housing, education, and childcare options for military families; and invests in support systems that keep our force resilient.

The bill also tackles the Nation's pilot shortage head-on by issuing targeted aviation bonuses, expanding the training pipeline capacity, and accelerating pathways to produce and retain the next generation of military aviators.

Implementing the Peace Through Strength agenda, the fiscal year 2027 NDAA rebuilds depleted stockpiles and accelerates game-changing technologies, like quantum computing, hypersonics, and autonomous systems, while sustaining legacy platforms until future replacements become operational.

Platforms such as the F-22, F-18, A-10, and MQ-9 have been instrumental in the operations against Venezuela and the Iranian regime. Sustaining these platforms will eliminate the capability gaps created by prematurely divesting legacy platforms without a replacement platform being operational.

Peace Through Strength starts with a factory floor at Scranton, a shipyard in Newport News, a welder in Pascagoula, and our skilled workforce at Robins Air Force Base.

A stronger, more resilient defense industrial base is what turns American manufacturing capacity into credible military power. This credible military power is what convinces our adversaries that today is not the day to test the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues and the House Armed Services Committee staff for all of the work that went into creating this strong, bipartisan legislation that should pass with overwhelming support.

Second, Mr. Speaker, the rule also provides for consideration of H.R. 8595, the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2027.

H.R. 8595 advances the America First policy agenda and restores accountability to how taxpayer dollars are spent abroad.

This year's legislation provides $47.32 billion, 6 percent below the fiscal year 2026 enacted level, while still supporting a foreign policy agenda that supports our allies and counters our adversaries.

This bill restores fiscal sanity by reducing duplication, streamlining operations, and prioritizing core diplomatic functions.

Additionally it codifies President Trump's executive orders to eliminate wasteful programs in spending, strengthen oversight of foreign assistance, and ensure no funds flow to organizations that refuse to cooperate with the United States.

Further, this legislation funds efforts to counter malign influence from the People's Republic of China, denying the CCP access to U.S. factory sources and prohibiting countries from using U.S. aid to repay debts owed to Communist China. It deserves bipartisan support, and I look forward to its passage.

Third, Mr. Speaker, the rule also provides for the consideration of H.R. 8884, the Removing Barriers to Work for Disabled Americans Act.

This is a simple bill with an important goal: to make sure Americans with disabilities are not punished for wanting to go to work.

For too long our disability policies have been built around outdated assumptions, assumptions that treat work as a risk rather than an opportunity.

H.R. 8884 gives the Social Security Administration the tools it needs to test new approaches, gather real data, and design policies that support work instead of discouraging it.

This bill extends the Social Security Administration demonstration authority through 2030. Participation is voluntary and will not result in a decreased overall income for any member that elects to participate in the program.

This demonstration authority will be a gateway for the Social Security Administration to run scoped test programs which could help disabled Americans work, earn, and maintain stability without risking harm to beneficiaries.

This is commonsense legislation that everyone should support. I look forward to passing it in the House and sending it over to the Senate.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, the rule provides for consideration of H. Res. 1383, Commemorating the One-Year Anniversary of the Enactment of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act.

Nearly 1 year ago today, House and Senate Republicans delivered on President Trump's promise to cut taxes, deliver affordability, and strengthen our economy for everyday hardworking Americans.

The Working Families Tax Cuts Act is the largest tax reform passed by Congress in decades, making permanent the tax cuts passed under the first Trump administration and ensuring a tax cut for over 140 million Americans.

We saw over $324 billion in tax refunds for both individuals and families in 2025 and approximately 96 percent of the filers receiving a refund earn less than $200,000 in annual income.

Further, crucial provisions in this legislation provided numerous deductions for overtime pay, service industry workers who rely on tips, as well as deductions for car loan interest and expansion of the enhanced child tax credit.

American families and workers overwhelmingly benefited from the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, and President Trump and congressional Republicans delivered for the American people by making these tax cuts permanent.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to consideration of these measures and urge passage of this rule. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, no doubt the Democrat socialists of America believe everything that the gentleman from Massachusetts just said, but the majority of Americans are smart enough to know that those things are simply not true.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, one of the key provisions of this rule is the National Defense Authorization Act. This is a bipartisan piece of legislation that has passed every year for the last several decades and passed out of committee with a strong bipartisan vote.

I encourage the American citizens to understand this with regard to our national security and our national defense and how important this piece of legislation is. Up until 2022, in order to launch a satellite, the United States was buying rockets from Russia.

Mr. Speaker, 2022 is the last time we purchased rockets from Russia to launch satellites, and 2024 is the last time we actually used a Russian rocket to launch a satellite.

We have to invest in our defense industrial base so that we are not dependent on the enemies of the United States of America to provide for the security of the American citizens. The National Defense Authorization Act, in a very bipartisan manner, does exactly that.

Mr. Speaker, this rule needs to pass. We need to ensure that we are not dependent on our adversaries for our national security, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

A couple of things, Mr. Speaker: One is that Federal tax revenues are actually up this fiscal year over last fiscal year, and that is because the economy is doing pretty good under President Donald Trump. Again, tax revenues are up 5 percent over the last year.

I want to mention one other thing. People under the age of 18 were exempt from the changes we made in the SNAP benefits. Under 18, they were exempt. Yet, they still stand up and say we kicked children off of SNAP. Read the law. If you are under 18, you are exempt from the changes we made.

I will speak, Mr. Speaker, about one thing that is in this piece of legislation, in this rule, that is wrong that I have tried to correct for many years. If we get the chance to vote on it, I hope we will get it corrected.

I will tell you, several years ago, I went to Bethesda, and a young man I represented had stepped on a pressure plate and lost both legs in Afghanistan. I stayed in touch with the young man. A couple of years later, I was taking him hunting. I remember exactly where I was on 475 in central Georgia. He told me: I work at O'Reilly Auto Parts, but I have to be careful--at the time, it was $1,100 a month--to make sure that I don't make more than $1,100 a month or my family loses the Social Security benefits.

We talked a little while about this. I told him: When I get back to DC, I am going to meet with the lawyers because that just doesn't sound right.

When I came to D.C., I scheduled a meeting with the attorneys up here who deal with Social Security. I met with them, and I had the discussion with them. They told me that that is actually the law, that that is correct.

Here we have this young man who is combat wounded, totally and permanently disabled, who wants to go back to work. I am a firm believer that the number one thing we can do for our veterans, especially when it comes to veteran suicide and their mental health, is to get them back to work as soon as possible.

So, I wrote a piece of legislation that has had multiple cosponsors from both parties, from all spectrums of the political divide, conservative, liberal, Democrat, Republican, moderate. We haven't been able to get it through because of some of the budget rules that plague this place on good ideas.

Now, we have H.R. 8884. If it is passed, I am confident that the concept of the Purple Heart Freedom to Work Act will be put in place as a pilot project. What it would allow people to do is, for people who are combat wounded, totally and permanently disabled, it will allow them to go back to work and keep their Social Security benefits.

It shouldn't take as long as it has taken to do this and to get this passed. If this rule passes, I am confident that H.R. 8884 will pass. If we can get it through the Senate--and that is a big ``if'' with getting anything through the Senate--then, hopefully, our combat- wounded, totally and permanently disabled veterans can go back to work and not be afraid of going back to work because they would lose their Social Security benefits.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I don't have any additional speakers, am prepared to close.

I have listened a lot today, and I want to get back to the heart of this matter, which is the National Defense Authorization Act. That is what this rule is about. It is about H.R. 8884 and allowing--in the case of the legislation that I had--Purple Heart recipients, people who are wounded in combat totally and permanently having the ability to go back to work and not worrying about losing their Social Security benefits, at least for a period of time. It is about the appropriations act for our State Department and things that we do around the world.

There is a lot in this rule, Mr. Speaker, and this rule needs to pass. Yes, the SAVE America Act will be attached to the legislation when it goes across because, yes, we do think you all are letting noncitizens vote in elections. We know you are doing it at the local level, and we think that places like California ought to get their ballots counted before the end of the night, not before the end of the week.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time until the gentleman is prepared to close.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to address a couple of issues. One is he said healthcare providers can't afford their benefits. Well, that is because you turned the whole system over to a select few extremely large health insurance companies that are accountable to nobody, and they are not paying their claims. They are not.

My father was a surgeon. A lot of my friends are in the healthcare business. Let me tell you something: When you gave UnitedHealthcare and the other multibillion dollar corporations control over all aspects of our lives, you did a lot of damage, and you did that in your so-called Affordable Care Act.

If the Affordable Care Act had worked, we wouldn't be having this discussion. You want to talk about the problems in the healthcare system, you need to look in the mirror because you all wrote the bill, and now those big insurance companies aren't accountable to anybody. They own the PBMs. They own the pharmacies. They own the doctors' offices. They own the hospitals. They are huge, huge oligopolies that cater to nobody other than their shareholders.

Look at the share price of the large health insurance companies. Look who you made rich with the Affordable Care Act. It was the shareholders and the executives of all of those major health insurance companies.

When I talk about the economy, yes, I realize that the American citizens are

paying more. Inflation, which started because of the so-called American Rescue Plan--I think that is what you all called it--and your so-called Inflation Reduction Act--why did you name a bill the Inflation Reduction Act? It was because you started the inflation with the American Rescue Plan, and then you turned around and passed the so- called Inflation Reduction Act that just exponentially escalated the amount of inflation that the American citizens were having to deal with on a regular basis.

My point with the economy is this: Real GDP grew. Real GDP grew at a 2.2 percent annual rate for the full year of 2025. That beat the baseline expectations.

Yes, American citizens are having challenges. One of the reasons they are having challenges is the cost of energy.

Do you know what? I will admit, after Donald Trump tried to end the Iranian jihadist control over what was happening around the world--and he has done a pretty good job with it--and let me tell you this: Donald Trump, the President of the United States, knows exactly what he is doing with Iran. He knows exactly what he is doing with Iran, and if you would get the briefings, you would understand why.

In fact, I would point out that a U.S. Senator who doesn't like the President had a few things to say, and as soon as he went and got the briefing, he turned around and reversed his position. Instead of blaming everything on Donald Trump, you should get the facts.

However, the cost of energy is embedded in every single thing that we do and that we buy. When the Democratic Party does things like canceling the Keystone pipeline, like stopping the development of nuclear power plants, like stopping oil and gas developments inside the United States of America, it hurts the American citizens. It hurts the American citizens, and it leads to inflation.

I am sorry that we are having to deal with the inflation that the Democrats started with the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act and the pain that has come from that, and I am sorry the American citizens are dealing with the pain of the Affordable Care Act. I wish we could repeal that horrible bill, but we didn't get it done. We didn't get it done.

Healthcare providers who can't afford their benefits, they can't afford their benefits because the insurance companies that you turned the system over to aren't paying the claims.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, the Affordable Care Act created a system where the major insurance carriers are not answerable to anybody. You did this to the American citizens. It is your responsibility. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I know that you were talking about the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, who has done something that will probably never be done again in the history of the country.

He has been elected in 2016 and 2024.

I want to say this as we talk about healthcare and health insurance and the other things.

This side of the aisle recognizes there are problems, and this side of the aisle recognizes that the only way to fix those problems is to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Now, the other side of the aisle thinks that they did a perfect job.

Now, let me tell you something, Mr. Speaker. Before the Affordable Care Act went into place, UnitedHealth Group was trending at $28 a share. Today it is $415 a share, and that is after about a $140-a-share drop.

The only thing the Affordable Care Act did was make a bunch of health insurance executives rich. They are not paying their claims today.

One thing we could do, and I wish we would do, is to give the State insurance commissioners the authority to step in and make them pay their claims.

I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, my local hospital has about $15 million outstanding with the UnitedHealth Group. It is a small hospital, $15 million; a big company, a small hospital. I don't know if my hospital will ever get paid.

That is not what this one is about, Mr. Speaker. This week the House can advance four pieces of legislation under this rule. It is about H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027. It authorizes a historic $1.15 trillion to rebuild the American defense industrial base and arsenal.

This act implements the Peace Through Strength agenda and restores lethality to our armed forces by investing in modernization and multiyear procurement for weapons systems production to deter our adversaries.

It also makes a significant investment in the quality of life of our servicemembers and retention opportunities.

The fiscal year 2027 NDAA reforms key programs and saves taxpayer dollars resulting in a ready, capable, and lethal fighting force.

This legislation will deter China and counter Russia, North Korea, Iran, and foreign terrorist organizations while leveraging our alliances across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Finally, this act strengthens our nuclear deterrence, prioritizes the Golden Dome, and grows our Nation's strategic space capabilities.

This is bipartisan, must-pass legislation that every one of my colleagues should support.

Additionally, H.R. 8595, the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2027 delivers on an America First foreign policy agenda.

This protects our allies, confronts our adversaries, cuts waste, and puts American national interests first. It strengthens embassy security, fights fentanyl, defunds radical programs, and ensures every dollar advances American security and prosperity.

Further, H.R. 8884, the Removing Barriers to Work for Disabled American Act, allows the Social Security Administration to test new approaches on a voluntary basis and without impacting the participants' overall income to ensure Americans with disabilities are not punished for returning to the workforce.

Finally, H. Res. 1383, Commemorating the One-Year Anniversary of the Enactment of the Working Families Tax Cuts, highlights the largest tax reform passed by Congress in decades, making permanent the tax cuts passed under the first Trump administration, and ensuring a tax cut for over 140 million Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I urge 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, this week's vote is about immediately ending all U.S. participation in the Israeli Government's violent assault against the people of Lebanon.

Over 4,200 people have been massacred since the start of the Israeli apartheid regime's brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing and territorial expansion in Lebanon, and nearly 1,000 additional people have already been killed since Congress refused to pass the Lebanon War Powers Resolution earlier this month. That is 1,000 additional people in just 25 days.

Over 4,200 beautiful souls have been taken from our Earth and from their loved ones by U.S.-funded bombs and with operational and targeting support from the U.S. military. Indiscriminate bombings continue to this day. Children, medics, journalists, parents, students--everyone wants to label them as Hezbollah, but they were civilians. They were intentionally targeted.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a June 17 report from UNICEF titled: ``Lebanon: 12 children killed, maimed daily, despite Hezbollah- Israel truce.''

[From UN News]

Lebanon: 12 Children Killed, Maimed Daily, Despite Hezbollah-Israel

Truce

More than 100 days of war reveals a shattering snapshot of

life for civilians in Lebanon amid Israeli strikes and forced

displacement, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported on

Wednesday.

Since hostilities escalated between Israel and Hezbollah

militants in southern Lebanon on 2 March, 247 children have

been killed and 992 injured, an average of 12 children killed

or maimed every day, according to the agency.

``For more than three months, children in Lebanon have

lived through experiences no child should ever endure,''

UNICEF country representative in Lebanon, Marcoluigi Corsi,

said in a statement issued on Wednesday following the 15 June

announcement that the United States and Iran had reached

agreement on a Memorandum of Understanding.

``We hope that this ceasefire will be indeed a real

ceasefire because since the declaration of the previous one,

violence against children and the conflict hasn't really

stopped,'' he told UN News.

Dozens of violations

Despite a reduction in the intensity of hostilities, UN

peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL continue to observe

trajectories since Monday and extensive Israeli military

activity, the UN Spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Their observations include Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

high-density armoured movements, sustained logistical traffic

and large-scale engineering and demolition works across the

area alongside reports of 26 violations of Lebanese airspace

by the Israeli military between midnight and 4 pm local time

and one air attack.

Key takeaways

The humanitarian situation in Lebanon remains fragile and

needs immense and severe despite the recent US-Iran agreement

and subsequent signs of regional de-escalation. Here are some

highlights from the latest flash update from the UN relief

agency, OCHA:

Returns remain limited and cautious despite reduced amount

of hostilities

Israeli airstrikes and seven renewed displacement orders

covering 37 localities across the South and Nabatieh

governorates triggered additional displacement between 12 and

14 June

3,798 deaths and 11,781 injuries since 2 March: Lebanese

Public Health Ministry

131,200 internally displaced persons remain in 644

collective shelters

Aid efforts reached over 1.1 million people through water

and sanitation services and 13.6 million meals delivered

2026 Lebanon Flash Appeal only 32.7 per cent funded, with

approximately $209.6 million received against $639.9 million

requested

UNIFIL recorded 312 trajectories between midnight and 4 pm

on Wednesday, a total of 291 attributed to the IDF and 21

attributed to Hezbollah, compared with, 174 and 189

trajectories were reported over 24 hour periods on Monday and

Tuesday, respectively.

``Outside UNIFIL's area of operations, we are aware of

reports of Israeli artillery shelling and airstrikes

targeting multiple locations, including Nabatieh, Saida and

Jezzine, as well as repeated drone overflights over Beirut

and its southern suburbs,'' the UN Spokesperson said. ``At

least one strike on a vehicle in Shukin reportedly resulted

in four fatalities and several injuries.''

Seaside security

UNIFIL reported a violation of Lebanon's maritime space by

two IDF vessels conducting a patrol roughly 600 metres off

the shores of Naqoura in southern Lebanon, which is also the

home base for UN peacekeepers, the UN Spokesperson said.

UNIFIL, and its naval ``blue helmets'', announced on

Wednesday ongoing efforts to assist the Lebanese navy in

assuming greater responsibility for securing its territorial

waters throughout 2026, based on an agreement signed last

December.

``A long-term stability on land is intrinsically linked to

security at sea,'' said UNIFIL Force Commander Major General

Diodato Abagnara.

Where is humanity?

Widespread destruction has scarred large parts of the

country, affecting homes, schools and essential services,

including water, sanitation and hygiene systems, further

compounding already severe humanitarian needs and dealing a

devastating blow to children living through the bombings and

violence.

Mr. Corsi said a meeting with teenaged girl at a UNICEF-

supported hospital remains ``stuck in my mind and my heart''.

``Collateral damage'' from an attack included the deaths of

her father and three brothers, leaving her mother alive and

the girl in a coma, he said, recalling the first two

questions she asked him while she was recovering: Where is

humanity? Where is a sense of justice?

``Those are tough questions coming from a 14-year-old child

that you cannot answer,'' he said. ``No child should go

through that nightmare.''

Mass displacement, childhood disrupted

More than 770,000 children are experiencing heightened

distress from repeated exposure to violence, loss and

displacement, with many unable to return home because of

ongoing fighting and the threat of unexploded ordnance, Mr.

Corsi's statement declared.

``Behind these staggering figures are lives cut short or

forever changed, and families facing profound loss, trauma,

and uncertainty,'' he wrote. ``Many have fled their homes

multiple times, witnessed violence first-hand, lost loved

ones and seen their schools, communities and sense of safety

shattered.''

But, the numbers alone cannot convey the full scale of the

crisis, he explained.

``Beyond those killed and maimed, an entire generation of

children has seen its childhood disrupted,'' he stated.

``Their sense of safety, one that every child needs to grow

and thrive, remains profoundly undermined.''

``The scale of physical and psychological harm we are

witnessing is unacceptable, and children continue to pay a

terrible price for this conflict,'' the UNICEF representative

said, urgently calling for a sustained cessation of violence.

The true cost of this crisis will not only be measured in

lives lost today, but in the opportunities missed tomorrow.

Give children a chance

Children must be protected from further harm and schools,

hospitals, water systems and other civilian infrastructure

urgently safeguarded, Mr. Corsi implored.

Moreover, humanitarian access must be ensured and

international law must be respected.

``Most importantly, Lebanon's children must be given the

chance not only to survive this crisis, but to recover from

it and reclaim the future that conflict has placed at risk.''

Mr. Speaker, that is an innocent child being killed or maimed every 2 hours in this U.S.-assisted invasion.

The apartheid government of Israel is intentionally killing civilians, again, in Lebanon, in Palestine, and in Iran. It is the same genocidal playbook.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a link to a June 18 report from the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry titled: ``'The essence of childhood has been destroyed': Israel's deliberate targeting of Palestinian children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 7 October 2023.'' https://www.ohchr.org/ sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/ session62/a-hrc-62-crp-2.pdf Mr. Speaker, everyone should read this horrifying report. It finds that the Israeli military deliberately targets and kills children as part of their ongoing genocide in Gaza.

When Israeli leaders talk about applying the ``Gaza model'' in Lebanon, this is what they mean. They never mention Hezbollah.

They say that we have already seen the Israeli military kill 251 Lebanese children during the U.S.-assisted invasion.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to be clear. I include in the Record a link to a June 17 report from Amnesty International: ``Lebanon: Israel radically expands use of unlawful mass `evacuation' orders and commits war crime of unlawful transfer.'' https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ news/2026/06/lebanon-israel-radically-expands-use-of-unlawful-mass- evacuation-orders-and-commits-war-crime-of-unlawful-transfer/ Mr. Speaker, more than 1.3 million people have already been forced to leave their homes or been killed, with the Israeli military telling them that they will not be allowed to return.

Mr. Speaker, 81 Lebanese neighborhoods have been violently depopulated and demolished, erased from the map entirely.

I want to make this very clear. The United States is not a bystander to these war crimes. It is an active participant. The United States is currently engaged in illegal and unauthorized hostilities, supporting the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, in violation of the War Powers Act.

The Trump administration is providing intelligence, coordinating strikes, demonstrating overt command over the Israeli military decisions, including green-lighting specific Israeli attacks and operations.

The Trump administration is also providing spare parts and maintenance to keep Israeli jets in the air. Without that support, those jets cannot drop bombs to kill Lebanese children.

Congress must reassert its constitutional authority and immediately vote to end all unauthorized U.S. participation in the destruction of Lebanon.

Israeli leaders have been open about their plans. This is about seizing Lebanon's territory, expelling its people, expanding the government of Israel's borders. This is about ethnic cleansing and what they call, in their own words, their ``Greater Israel project.''

Just this past week, genocidal maniac Netanyahu has said that Israel does not plan to withdraw from the territory that they seized in Lebanon and that they will forcibly displace Lebanese and the people of Lebanon will not be able to return to their homes.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a June 24 Haaretz article: ``Netanyahu: Israel Won't Withdraw From Lebanon `As Long as I am Prime Minister'.''

[From HAARETZ, June 24, 2026]

Soldiers In, Residents Out'. Netanyahu: Israel Won't Withdraw From

Lebanon `As Long as I Am Prime Minister'

(By Noa Shpigel, Rawan Suleiman, and Yaniv Kubovich)

Defense Minister Israel Katz also said Israel will not

withdraw from the territories the IDF captured in Syria

either. `This is the security doctrine. The IDF must be on

the enemy's turf and protect the communities from within the

territory itself,' he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that

the Israeli military will not withdraw from the IDF-occupied

buffer zone in southern Lebanon as long as he is in office.

``As long as I am prime minister, we will maintain the

security zone in southern Lebanon,'' he said, speaking in

MUNIEXPO conference for municipal development. ``We will be

the first in the world to solve the explosive drones

problem,'' he added, referring to Hezbollah's primary weapon

against Israeli soldiers since fighting in Lebanon began in

March.

Meanwhile, Lebanese reports said that two people were

killed in a drone strike on a vehicle in Kfar Roummane, near

the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon. Earlier on

Wednesday, the IDF said its forces struck two armed Hezbollah

operatives in the Ali al-Taher Ridge area. The IDF later said

it struck a vehicle ``posing a threat to IDF soldiers'' in

the same area.

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of

State Marco Rubio said Israel has consistently said it has no

territorial claims in Lebanon, saying that withdrawal depends

on the Lebanese army's ability to secure its territory.

``The Israelis have been clear they don't have any quarrels

with the Lebanese people nor do they have any claims on the

territory of Lebanon,'' Rubio said. ``One of the issues

that's been discussed in these negotiations is about the

creation of pilot zones--specific, defined areas where the

Lebanese Armed Forces can go in, take control and secure that

territory, and then move on to the next pilot zone.''

According to Rubio, ``it'll be a process. This is not going

to happen overnight.'' The secretary of state added, ``The

more of the area the Lebanese Army is able to secure, the

less in Hezbollah's control and the less Israel will be in

Lebanon.''

Earlier on Wednesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz stressed

that that Israel will not withdraw from IDF-occupied areas in

Lebanon, ``even if there is an American demand to do so,''

leaving 200,000 displaced Lebanese residents ``who will not

return.''

``There will be no civilians and no terrorists,'' Katz

said. ``Why? Because what happened in the past in security

zones where there was also a civilian population was that

there were explosives and attacks against soldiers, and

therefore, we do not allow that,'' he added.

``Soldiers in, residents out. The infrastructure is

destroyed, the houses are dangerous and ruined. We are not

withdrawing,'' Katz said.

``We have significant achievements that began with a

terrible blow on October 7,'' the defense minister continued.

``Since then, the entire people, the leadership, and the army

have acted with great determination. I am not aware of any

situation in which, without that terrible blow, someone would

have gone in to deal with the tunnels in Gaza.''

Katz also said Israel will not withdraw from the

territories the IDF captured in Syria either. ``This is the

security doctrine. The IDF must be on the enemy's turf and

protect the communities from within the territory itself.''

Earlier Wednesday, the Lebanese newspaper Ad-Diyar reported

that the second round of Israel-Lebanon talks is set to take

place in Washington on Wednesday under U.S. mediation,

focused on defining the south Lebanon pilot zones to be

handed to Lebanon's Armed Forces, as well as ways to

strengthen the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah.

According to the report, the U.S. Central Command has been

tasked with establishing a military operations room to

oversee, monitor and track the situation in southern Lebanon.

The reporting suggests that this new operations room will

work with the ``deconfliction cell'' whose creation was

announced at U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland this week, paving

the way for the dismantling of the existing mechanism that

was set up in 2024 between Israel, the United States and

Lebanon.

According to Lebanese daily Al Akhbar, Israel is demanding

that Lebanon's army be stationed in the Ali al-Taher ridge

and destroy Hezbollah's facilities under U.S. supervision.

Israel is also demanding that Lebanon disclose the fate of

the Israeli pilot Ron Arad, who went missing in Lebanon in

1986, and propose an offer to return his remains before

Lebanese POWs are released, the report said.

Also according to the report, Israel is seeking to keep a

foothold in the buffer zone in southern Lebanon and is

requesting direct military coordination with Lebanon to carry

out these measures.

Israeli and Lebanese representatives are set to meet on

Wednesday at the U.S. State Department in Washington as part

of the fifth round of direct negotiations since the end of

the war with Iran.

The talks, which began Tuesday, are expected to continue

for three days under the supervision of Dan Haller, an

adviser to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Discussions

will focus on the terms of the cease-fire between Israel and

Hezbollah and the redeployment of the Lebanese army in

southern Lebanon following the IDF's withdrawal.

The U.S.-brokered efforts to stabilize the border are

complicated by a new Iran-U.S. understanding that has shifted

the regional balance and, according to officials,

strengthened Hezbollah's position while weakening Beirut's

leverage.

Beirut is pressing ahead with direct negotiations even as

the process is overshadowed by Iran's decision to insert

Lebanon into its talks with the United States, and by

concerns in the Lebanese capital that the Iran-U.S.

understanding has weakened its bargaining position and raised

doubts over the utility of the talks.

Lebanese officials have insisted that face-to-face

negotiations with Israel are the only way to secure an end to

the war raging since March 2, when armed group Hezbollah

fired at Israel in support of Iran and triggered Israeli air

and ground attacks that have killed more than 4,000 people in

Lebanon.

Israel, meanwhile, has said Hezbollah's disarmament remains

a central condition for any long-term arrangement and views

the group as the main obstacle to a durable settlement.

Opening the talks on Tuesday, Israeli Ambassador Yechiel

Leiter described the process as a ``train wreck'' and warned

it was ``in danger of going off the rails,'' saying Hezbollah

may have been ``emboldened'' by recent developments. He added

that the original premise of the talks--that Iran would

remain outside the framework--was now in question.

He added that ``there is a danger that Hezbollah has

received a boost. There is no doubt that it feels

strengthened and emboldened.'' Leiter also questioned whether

dismantling Hezbollah still remains the foundation of the

talks.

Meanwhile, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he would

accept ``nothing short of an end to the Israeli occupation in

southern Lebanon'' and added that the current round of talks

could prove ``decisive.''

According to an Israeli source, Israel is seeking solutions

that would reduce Iranian involvement in southern Lebanon.

The source said that during the negotiations, the Israeli

team is expected to present a framework for a phased IDF

withdrawal from parts of southern Lebanon, to be followed by

the deployment of Lebanese army forces to those areas under

U.S. backing.

The source added that it remains unclear whether an IDF

withdrawal from the Beaufort Castle area is being considered

at this stage.

Last month, Israeli troops captured a strategic mountain

topped with a Crusader-built castle in southern Lebanon. The

military said it intends to remain there until further

notice, signaling a shift from previous operations in the

area that were temporary.

The capture of Beaufort Castle near the city of Nabatieh

came after days of intense fighting and airstrikes in nearby

villages, where Israeli troops fought Hezbollah members in

the rugged area. The Israeli push came despite a nominal

cease-fire that has been in place since April 17. Israeli

troops previously captured the castle in 1982 and held it

until they withdrew from Lebanon in 2000.

Mr. Speaker, what a great slogan for his campaign.

Israeli defense minister said that, in villages in south Lebanon: We are going to be destroying all the houses. The residents will never see them standing before their eyes again.

He never mentions Hezbollah.

The Israeli national security minister, in his own words said: All of Lebanon should burn . . . all of Lebanon should become our playground.

Since the beginning, Mr. Speaker, the Israeli political and military leaders have repeatedly stated that their aim is to implement the ``Gaza model'' in Lebanon.

Over the past 4 months, we have seen these horrific threats become a reality. This is a genocidal government that we are arming and supporting as they ethnically cleanse the Lebanese people.

Prominent figures in both Israel and the Trump administration are now openly rooting for the new Lebanese civil war to further destabilize the country and prolong this invasion. It is sickening.

Mr. Speaker, to the Lebanese Government, I say: Learn the lessons of the countries before you and the lessons of Lebanon's own history. The

Israeli Government does not abide by any agreements. They have violated every single cease-fire in all the so-called peace agreements.

Time and time again, a cease-fire with Israel means: You cease; they fire.

Wake up. The so-called agreement is not protecting Lebanese people. This is about apartheid government and structure expanding into your country. Do not abandon your land and your people and become another subcontractor for the Israeli occupation.

Shame on those who separate Beirut with south Lebanon. Lebanon is Lebanon. They are one people. Letting outsiders divide your people will only lead to greater instability and another civil war.

Meanwhile, Mr. Speaker, on the ground, Lebanese people continue to endure horrific violence. The Israeli Government has killed 10 more Lebanese in the past 24 hours as we speak on this floor. The destruction of Lebanon continues with U.S. military support.

We must act now to save lives, no matter faith. We must end U.S. support for these atrocities and force an end to the Israeli Government's invasion and illegal military occupation of Lebanese territory.

This vote is not only about ending the invasion of Lebanon. It is about bringing an end to the disastrous war with Iran. It is connected. Israel's ongoing military occupation and campaign to destroy Lebanon threatens to undermine any chance of success for a peace deal and bring our troops home, to end the war with Iran, a war which has killed countless civilians and has caused extreme economic suffering for ordinary Americans right here at home, who are already struggling to make ends meet.

The American people are tired of watching their tax dollars fuel death, destruction, and endless war. They are tired of hearing that we don't have money for healthcare or childcare at home--

--while watching U.S. bombs.

This vote on the Lebanon War Powers Resolution is clear.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding me the customary time, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, let me begin by asking: Do Republicans even have the votes to pass this rule? Because, if not, what on Earth are we doing here? Wasting more time?

Even your own Members are fed up, Mr. Speaker--every week wondering if someone is going to throw a fit; if Donald Trump is going to post something crazy and blow everything up; if Mike Johnson is going to bring something to the floor when he doesn't have the votes. The chaos and the dysfunction around here is unhinged.

We wasted hours and hours at the Rules Committee last week debating

and voting on a rule that never came to the floor. And for what? Because Congress passed a bipartisan housing affordability bill, and the President had a temper tantrum, refused to sign it, and derailed everything? I mean, really? And why? Because he is still busy trying to fraudulently claim that the 2020 election was stolen, and now he wants to use that as an excuse to try to rig the midterms.

Let me remind my colleagues: This is the United States of America. It is still the United States of America. We are not China, or Russia, or some two-bit dictatorship.

This is insane what is going on here. Families cannot afford rent. Folks are priced out of buying a house. Donald Trump is asked about the bipartisan housing bill yesterday, and he says: `` . . . it's so unimportant . . . `' he says: `` . . . it's so unimportant . . . `' then he says: ``I made a lot of money with housing.''

The American people are not asking whether Donald Trump made a lot of money in housing. They are asking why they cannot afford it. They are asking why his economy sucks, why their prices are going up, and nobody in this Republican administration seems to give a damn.

So, now, we are back with another rule. Maybe it passes. Maybe it doesn't. Who knows anymore. This rule includes a National Defense Authorization bill with a trillion--that is with a t--dollar price tag.

I should tell my colleagues that we already spend more on our military than the next six countries combined. It is an astronomical amount. Over another trillion dollars on our military budget? Boy, that is so wild and extravagant, even Dr. Strangelove would be impressed.

Now, Mr. Speaker, let me get this straight: Republicans want to give Donald Trump over a trillion dollars for the Pentagon? Donald Trump who started an illegal war? Donald Trump who got 13 American servicemembers killed because he started a war to distract from the Epstein files? That is who they want to give a trillion dollars to? I mean, get real.

The State and Foreign Operations bill is a mess, too. It guts all the programs that actually prevent crises before they explode. When the next war, famine, pandemic, or global breakdown knocks on our door, just remember it was Republicans who set the stage, just like they did when they cut funding for screwworm protection.

There is the Social Security disability bill that hands more authority to an administration already targeting programs that working people rely on.

Then, we get to this Republican self-esteem exercise, yet another nonbinding resolution, praising Republicans for the big, ugly bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have a secret for you. I checked with my staff. Not a single person has called my office saying: Congressman, I think Republicans should spend time congratulating themselves on a bill they passed last year that took away my healthcare and is directly responsible for raising my bills. I haven't got a single call about that.

What exactly is it that my Republican friends are congratulating themselves for anyway? You passed the big, ugly bill a year ago. Since then, gas prices have gone up. Grocery prices have gone up. There is a new war in the Middle East. Healthcare is more expensive, and fewer people have it. Child hunger has gone up. The tariffs are crushing farmers and driving up costs.

That is what you guys are doing a victory lap over? Really? I mean, really? Never have we seen so much inequality between the rich and the poor in this country. Regular people are getting screwed while the top 0.001 percent saw their incomes go up by--get this--$20 million last year.

You guys could not be more out of touch if you tried, Mr. Speaker.

There might be hours of floor debate on these crummy bills this week, but right now we are here to talk about the Republicans' agenda, their plan for the week. The truth is that their bills are just more of the same old status quo nonsense that people back home are sick and tired of.

The Republican agenda is a nightmare for this country. The American people are in an economic crisis right now. They are getting screwed by the policies of this administration. Their wallets and their pocketbooks are getting cleaned out by this President and this majority's billionaire-forced agenda.

Then, they turn on C-SPAN today--and God help them if they do--and what do they see Republicans bringing to the floor? Not a bill to help deal with rising inflation and economic uncertainty--no, no, no. Their focus this week is a resolution to congratulate themselves on a bill that they already passed last year. In case they haven't noticed, for most people, things have gotten worse since then, not better.

People are looking to this place and wondering whether anybody at all on the Republican side has any idea what their life is actually like. They believe that this Republican majority is just out of touch, out of sync with where regular people are. If people look at these awful, lousy bills, the answer is obviously no.

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

Boy, that was a good retort.

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

Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to strike the section adding the SAVE America Act to the NDAA during engrossment.

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. I think the SAVE Act is an awful bill. It is not about election security. It is about relitigating Donald Trump's loss in 2020--and he did lose. He lost big. It will make it harder for American citizens to vote if this SAVE Act ever becomes law.

Here is another thing that is clear to everyone, or should be. This little maneuver by the Speaker is a nothing burger. It is a shell game. It is the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain pretending to do magic. Here is the truth: The SAVE Act will not become law. Even if this rule manages to pass, the Senate will not pass an NDAA with the SAVE Act included. They have already said that, and Leader Thune, 5 days ago, already filed cloture on the Senate's own version of the NDAA without the SAVE Act.

At the end of the day, it is very simple. Republicans are using procedural tricks to try to make it harder for people to vote because they can't win elections the old-fashioned way. They can't win them fair and square. It is offensive. In the case of this MIRV scheme, it is downright stupid.

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, to discuss our proposal, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell), the sponsor of this amendment.

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

Mr. Speaker, I remind the gentleman and others that we already spend more than six of our nearest competitors in terms of military spending combined. We are talking about $1.5 trillion--trillion with a t--going to the defense budget this year.

I have to tell you that I really think we ought to have a debate in this Congress about the definition of national security, and I think it ought to include things like healthcare. My Republican friends cut $1 trillion from healthcare. People are losing their healthcare left and right, but if you don't have healthcare, you don't feel very secure.

The definition of national security also ought to include the quality of education we provide our young people.

It ought to include things like ending hunger in this country. We are the richest country in the history of the world, and we have 48 million Americans who don't know where their next meal is going to come from.

It ought to include housing and whether people can afford housing. We have an affordability crisis right now that we tried to address in a bipartisan way, but Donald Trump had a meltdown.

It ought to include supporting our veterans and cleaning up our environment.

It ought to include things like investing in our workforce.

All of those things are sources of our national strength that are getting shortchanged here, so forgive us if we are not getting excited about this massive increase in military spending at a time when the average American is getting screwed.

Enough. Enough.

When you go back to your districts and you talk to people in coffee shops, they are not worried about whether we are spending $900 billion or $1.5 trillion on our military spending, most of which goes to defense contractors. What they are worried about is whether they can afford their groceries, whether they can afford their rent, and whether they can afford the gas for their car.

Those are things that are real. Whether they can send their kids to college, all of those things matter.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Magaziner).

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

Mr. Speaker, I have to admit I was taken a little bit aback by the gentleman's statement earlier when he said the economy is doing ``pretty good.'' I think those are his exact words.

I am kind of stunned by that because inflation is up. The price of groceries is up. The price of gas is up. The price of housing is up. The price of everything is up. People, by every poll that has been conducted, whether it is on the left, on the right, or in the center, say the same thing: People are not satisfied with this economy. They do not think it is pretty good, no matter what their party affiliation is. They do not think it is good.

Now, maybe if you are Republican in the House of Representatives and you hang around with the Mar-a-Lago class, maybe they think it is pretty good. I mean, Elon Musk is now the first trillionaire. I guess he thinks it is pretty good.

If you are the average worker, whether it is in Massachusetts or Georgia or California or South Dakota, you don't share that view because it isn't. Things are actually pretty bad. Things are pretty bad.

The gentleman said that poor kids are not losing their SNAP benefits. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record an article titled: ``Over 700,000 Poor Kids Across 12 States Have Lost Food Aid Under Trump-GOP Budget Law.''

Mr. Speaker, this article appeared in May 2026. That number is now estimated not at 700,000 but at 800,000 in this country.

Think about it. The economy is doing pretty good, and in this country that we live in right now, the United States of America, we have close to 50 million Americans who don't know where their next meal is going to come from, who are hungry. I don't think they think the economy is pretty good. In fact, the majority of these people are working families. They are working harder than ever, but because everything is going up, they can't afford groceries.

Go to any grocery store in this country, and you will see people actually putting groceries back on the shelves because their paychecks don't stretch as far as they used to because prices are going up.

By the way, it is not just the big, ugly bill. It is the President's stupid tariff policy, which is raising prices all across this country, and the war in Iran that--I don't even know if he knows what the hell he is doing. It just goes on and on and on. Again, we are spending countless dollars on this war, again, which is resulting in energy prices going through the roof.

No, people do not think the economy is pretty good. They do not. I suspect that that is what is behind this effort by Republicans to try to rig the midterm elections, because they know that the American people are not happy with where things are.

It is not just Democrats, not just independents, but a whole bunch of Republicans. A whole bunch of Republicans are also dissatisfied.

I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to go to coffee shops, to go to diners, to go to grocery stores, and to go to VFW halls in their districts and listen to what people are saying. They are not happy. They are very concerned about the state of the economy. They are not confident that things are going to get better.

They do not think that the person running this country right now has any clue about what the reality is for working families. He lives in a different sphere altogether. He is worried about reflecting pools, building monuments in his honor, and redoing the East Wing that he said would cost nothing but is going to cost us billions when it is all said and done--cost the taxpayers billions. That is what he is consumed about.

They want a Congress and a government that cares about them.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I am not yet prepared to close, but I do want to remind the gentleman that it was the Republicans that put into this rule a bill to congratulate yourselves on the big, ugly bill, and it was the gentleman who said that people think this economy is doing pretty good, and I take issue with that.

There are people who are losing their healthcare. Republicans like to pretend that their big, ugly bill, which cut Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act by more than $1 trillion, didn't actually hurt anyone. I mean, there are lots of real stories of people being hurt.

Kathy and Jeffrey Many, who live in Brandon, Vermont, are owners of a garage door installation repair business. They said that their premium was jumping up from $625 a month to nearly $2,670 per month, and the cheapest alternative they could find was still nearly $2,000. Kathy and Jeffrey ended up dropping their coverage. The economy is not working good for them.

Eric and Lisa Frankenfeld, a chiropractor and his wife, who live in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, said their premium was set to skyrocket to $1,928 per month, up from $340 per month, so they decided to go without coverage this year. Lisa said: We are healthcare providers who cannot afford benefits. Oh, the irony.

Katelin Provost, a 37-year-old single mom and social worker from Henderson, Nevada, saw her premium jump from $85 to $750 a month. She said she would likely drop her own coverage in order to keep insurance for her 4-year-old daughter.

I mean, these are real-life stories. I can go on and on and on and read them here. The economy is not pretty good for them. The economy is lousy for them, and there is nothing that is in this rule that we will consider that will help any of them.

In fact, there is nothing that this Republican Congress has done to help any of them. Instead, you have made their lives worse. The economy is not doing pretty good. The idea that you are going to congratulate yourselves on the passage of the big, ugly bill, well, I just have a difference of opinion.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, it is rich to be lectured about healthcare from my Republican friends. Let me tell you what Democrats did with the Affordable Care Act. By passing it, it stopped health insurance companies from charging sick people more premiums than healthy people. It kept health insurance companies from denying coverage to pregnant women and people with preexisting conditions. It demanded insurance companies cover more preventive services. It allows young adults to stay on their parents' insurance until they are age 26. I could go on and on and on.

What did my Republican friends do? They cut $1 trillion from healthcare. By the way, I should remind the gentleman that Republicans control the House, Republicans control the Senate, Republicans control the White House, and healthcare prices are going through the roof under your watch.

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 to close.

Mr. Speaker, I could go on and on about healthcare all day. I just urge those who are in the gallery and those who are watching, I mean, look at your own healthcare bills, look at your own healthcare coverage now after nearly 2 years of Republican control of the government. The bottom line is: People are losing their healthcare benefits. In this country, that is unconscionable.

Mr. Speaker, I have served here a long time, and I have seen majorities struggle before. I have seen close votes. I have seen disagreements. This is something else entirely. This is a majority that cannot function unless Donald Trump is lucid and in a good mood, and even then it is a coin flip.

I mean, Americans need cheaper housing. They need a raise. They need healthcare that doesn't break the bank. They need a government that lowers prices and brings down inflation and protects them. Instead, what they are getting is a Republican administration that raises prices, increases inflation, and protects the Epstein pedophiles.

Republicans promised they would lower prices on day one. It is now year two. They have been in complete and total control for almost 18 months. They run Washington.

If you go home and ask people in small towns, in big cities, in suburbs, in rural communities, and in States across this country how things are going with Trump and Republicans in charge, they will tell you the truth, which is that things are getting worse because Trump's economy sucks.

He swore he would end inflation--end it. Those are his words, not mine. He said he would end wars. He is starting them. He promised gas would be cheap. The national average is nearly $4 a gallon.

The only people who are doing great right now are the billionaires, and now a trillionaire, and the greedy corporations that helped Republicans get elected because that is whom they work for.

I think people are sick and tired of it. They are sick of watching Congress lurch from crisis to crisis. They are sick of Republicans spending more time managing their own egos than lowering anybody's bills.

Let me just end with this. As we celebrate our country's 250th birthday this weekend, we have so, so much to be proud of as Americans. We have so much to celebrate and be thankful for. Each new generation that has fought to expand the circle of our democracy and make real the promise of our founding has brought us closer to the dream of a more perfect Union. That is what makes America great.

I am looking forward to spending this Fourth of July with families and friends back up in Massachusetts, the birthplace of America, where our citizens came together to overthrow the most powerful army in the world and establish a government of, by, and for the people.

However, the truth is that right now too many people feel as if this country is run by, of, and for the powerful, the wealthy, and the well- connected.

Do you know what, Mr. Speaker?

They are right. People see the corruption, the greed, the self- dealing, and the self-enrichment of this President's family and his crooked administration, and they are fed up with it. I believe that patriotism means calling your country to a higher standard. Patriotism means telling the truth, Mr. Speaker, and the truth is that Americans are hurting, costs are too high, and our democracy and freedoms are under assault by an out-of-control, lawless administration run by a President who thinks he is a king.

Republicans are either too busy pledging allegiance to Trump to notice or too distracted fighting with each other to care.

We can do better than this, we should do better than this, and we must do better than this. Reject this rule. Stop acting like a cult. Let's bring back bills that actually help people, and, for God's sake, let's start acting like America.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on this rule, a ``no'' vote on the underlying bills, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to order of the House of June 29, 2026, I call up the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 108) directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in Lebanon, and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I oppose this resolution. However, I will say that I am very glad to hear the debate offered by my colleague, Ranking Member Meeks. He spoke about Hezbollah. We went through an entire debate several weeks ago where the opposition refused to mention that Hezbollah even existed, so I am glad to hear Ranking Member Meeks bring that up.

Hezbollah specifically targeting civilians with their every action, that is their MO. Israel specifically targeting terrorists, that is what is going on here.

Now, as it relates to this piece of legislation, we have done this exercise before, and I am glad to hear the ranking member acknowledge that the United States is not engaged in any hostilities in Lebanon against Hezbollah. The U.S. is not at war in Lebanon. The U.S. is not engaged in hostilities in Lebanon. There are not U.S. combat forces conducting operations or engaged in hostilities in Lebanon.

They are training the Lebanese Armed Forces. Why are they training them? Because there are at least 40,000, probably more, Hezbollah terrorists spread across the south of Lebanon that are actively engaged in targeting Israel and have been doing so for many years. Israel is over there doing a good job working to wipe those terrorists out right now, but this resolution is impossible to implement. Even if it passed, could the author explain to me which forces would be removed? If we don't have combat forces there, what forces are being removed? That is a very commonsense question. I don't think we will get an answer to it, Mr. Speaker.

I will say something else that I am glad about in today's debate: The really stupid mistake that was made in the last attempt to do this was removed, where the author was seeking to remove the marines from our embassies, from the gates, from the front doors. I am glad that that was removed from this one, thankfully.

This resolution still is not any less ridiculous than the last one. Again, the U.S. is not at war in Lebanon.

Since we are here, let's address something today that this resolution fails to mention and what the author of this bill I think wants to avoid.

Hezbollah is one of the world's most capable and dangerous terrorist organizations. They have killed hundreds of Americans, which makes it interesting to me that my colleague, who opened the remarks saying that it is not in our national interest to address them, they have killed hundreds of Americans. That is a pretty damn big national interest to me.

As a U.S. servicemember, as an American, as somebody with teenagers that will hopefully put on a uniform in defense of this country at some point, I would say it is in our national interest. But, again, they are one of the world's most capable, dangerous terrorist organizations who have killed hundreds of Americans and attacked U.S. diplomatic and military personnel over and over again.

I am not sure why my colleagues don't want to talk about that, and especially, again, the author of this bill last time failed to even mention the word ``Hezbollah'' or refused to mention the word ``Hezbollah'' because this resolution is a win for terrorists. That is what it is.

If you are trying to decide who should have control of Lebanon, who should it belong to, should Lebanon belong to the Lebanese or should Lebanon belong to the terrorists, this resolution is a win for Lebanon to belong to terrorists.

Let's also be clear that Hezbollah is the one holdout that is standing in the way of peace between Israel and Lebanon.

The Lebanese Government wants the fighting to stop. Israel wants the fighting to stop. Who is it that wants the fighting to continue? That would be the one entity that is supported by this resolution, and that is Hezbollah.

This is not about U.S. Forces. As was acknowledged already by my colleague, the ranking member, there are no U.S. Forces engaged in hostilities, and we all know that. Again, there are no forces fighting in Lebanon.

This resolution is to undermine our national security. It is to embolden Hezbollah, which it absolutely does. Just its presence on the floor here, just its mere being brought up here emboldens Hezbollah and other terrorists, and all for the sake of political messaging.

I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill. It is just as ridiculous--well, it is not quite as ridiculous this time as it was last time, given that it did finally remove that we wouldn't have to take our marines out of the embassy. It is not quite as ridiculous, but it is still significantly ridiculous.

I urge a ``no'' vote, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, as we look at the attacks that go on, where is it that all of these Hezbollah terrorists--where is it that they hide? Where is it that they choose to encamp themselves? In the middle of civilians, on purpose.

There is no desire at any point for any one civilian casualty in any circumstance. I have seen it play out on the battlefields that I was a part of. ``Regrettable'' is not a strong enough word. It is well beyond regrettable every single time that anybody trying to live their life becomes a victim of a catastrophic attack because of what they are adjacent to: the terrorists that are surrounding their community.

But that is exactly what Hezbollah does by design: embed themselves into schools, embed themselves into places of worship, embed themselves into the bedrock of any community that they can go forcefully take over.

That is the way that they operate with purpose and operate specifically to create civilian casualties everywhere--civilian casualties around them and civilian casualties around where they launch their attacks. That is their MO.

Mr. Speaker, as I look at Hezbollah, I look at, again, what are our interests? We have labeled them and have designated them a foreign terrorist organization. That has gone on since, I want to say, the mid- 1990s that they were designated a foreign terrorist organization.

More than 60 countries across the globe, including the EU, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council, have all designated Hezbollah as part of a terrorist organization. They are a scourge. They are a direct arm of Iran, directly funded by Iran, receiving targets from Iran, and receiving benefits from Iran when they hit targets that Iran tells them to hit.

Everything that can be done and the work that Israel is doing to destroy this scourge is something that we should be supporting through the training of the LAF and supporting through our intelligence resources that are being offered.

This bill is meant to drive a stake between allies. It is meant to drive a wedge between allies. It is not meant to drive a stake into the hearts of our enemies, into the hearts of terrorists. That is the unfortunate part about it. It is meant to hurt our allies. It is not meant to hurt terrorists. That is beyond regrettable on this floor.

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

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot to unpack right there. I think I would start with this: The word ``genocidal'' was used. I would remind the floor that there was only one person on this floor right now who has been reprimanded for calling for genocide. That person is walking out as we speak. That person didn't want the transcript of that allowed into the Record last time. It was the person that was just speaking.

Maybe that is not the best person--or maybe that is a good person to give us definitions on genocide, but I don't think she has read them.

What kind of ethnic cleansing takes place from a country, a leadership, or a military that warns people to get out? That doesn't sound like ethnic cleansing: Get out. Get out if you are a civilian. Get out of this area. There are attacks coming to kill terrorists.

That is not what ethnic cleansing looks like. That is not a genocidal attack, as was the accusation.

Clearly, the individual has no real interest in debate because the individual left. I think, as much as we heard conversation about civilians, there was not one mention of the actual targeted civilian population, Israelis. That is the targeted civilian population, day in, day out, by Hezbollah. There was no mention of that.

Again, the gentlewoman does not seek to have a debate about her own resolution, which is an odd thing, to not want to debate your own resolution.

I would have asked the individual over there if she supports the Lebanon-United States-Israel framework for peace that is going on right now.

As was mentioned, I believe that, in the remarks that she gave, she doesn't support the Lebanese Government. I am not trying to put words in her mouth. I am trying to recall everything that was stated.

If she is not supporting the Lebanese Government, maybe she doesn't support the framework for peace, and she wants people to fight. Maybe she wants people to fight instead of peace. I am trying to unpack a lot of what was put there.

In the end, I think the most significant reason to vote against this resolution is a couple of the following: Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. They are directly targeting civilians constantly in Israel. It is their day-to-day way of life. There are probably at least 40,000 of them, as we speak, in the south of Lebanon.

There are not U.S. forces engaged in hostilities in Lebanon, but the resolution demands that we remove all U.S. forces from hostilities in Lebanon. It is an impossible thing to do. The ranking member has acknowledged there are no U.S. forces engaged in hostilities in Lebanon.

Again, it is important to support our ally in their combat operations against this foreign terrorist organization that was responsible for killing 63 people, 17 Americans, in the U.S. Embassy bombing in Beirut. The Marine barracks bombing, which killed 241 U.S. servicemembers, was, again, one of the deadliest terrorist attacks against the United States of America prior to 9/11.

In the TWA Flight 847 hijacking, Hezbollah terrorists hijacked the aircraft and brutally tortured and murdered a U.S. Navy diver, Robert Stethem. In hostage campaigns, Hezbollah would continually take hostages over and over again. There are too many stories of that to list.

Repeatedly targeting civilians, civilian infrastructure, diplomatic facilities, and commercial aviation, that is the M.O. of Hezbollah. Since October 2023, Hezbollah has launched thousands of rockets, missiles, drones, and anti-tank missiles into Israel, which is holding the largest American population anywhere in the Middle East. Those are attacks against Americans indiscriminately, forcing tens of thousands of civilians to evacuate the area, and many have been killed.

Hezbollah deliberately targets not only military objectives, but civilians, diplomatic facilities, aviation, population centers, malls, cafes, buses, anyplace that they can target. Where there is an innocent civilian, that is their goal as a place to target, not military targets, but innocent civilian targets. Again, this is juxtaposed to Israel, which is conducting operations against terrorists specifically who hide among civilians, very unfortunately, but whom they give a warning to over and over again to try to get any civilians exposed to any danger out of that danger zone.

Mr. Speaker, I am sure we can talk more about this, but I will let the ranking member speak about what he wants. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, as we speak, we have the best chance for peace between Israel, Lebanon, and the United States of America that has existed in decades. There is a framework in place that has been met between Israel, Lebanon, and the United States of America. The one holdout is Hezbollah.

This resolution does absolutely nothing to help garner that peace. This resolution only seeks to embolden Hezbollah. That is the only thing that it does because, again, as was pointed out by my colleague-- and I appreciate him saying this very firmly; he was very clear about this--there are no U.S. forces engaged in hostilities.

Do we train Lebanese armed forces? Yes, we do. Do we provide intelligence? Yes, we do. We don't have forces engaged there, but we are working for a peace that has evaded the world for decades, and we are closer than ever.

Mr. Speaker, I would encourage a ``no'' vote against this resolution because, again, it is simply undermining the peace process and really, actually serves no purpose because it asks that we remove forces that are not present.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 108. While I voted against a previous iteration of this resolution, I believe this updated version has corrected the flaws of H. Con. Res. 84.

The updated text is an important legislative assertion of Congress' constitutional authority over matters of war and peace that will not infringe upon America's national security interests in Lebanon, while ensuring we stay out of another forever war that is not in our national interest.

We consider this resolution in the wake of the recently announced trilateral framework between Lebanon, Israel, and the United States. I welcome this agreement, which represents a critical step away from continued escalation and violence.

However, what comes next is most critical: Ensuring a ceasefire is indeed observed by all, fully disarming Hezbollah, and preserving Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Since the start of Trump's illegal war of choice with Iran, civilians in both Lebanon and Israel have suffered the consequences of continued strikes by both Hezbollah and the Israeli military.

Now, I strongly condemn violence against civilians in all forms and support efforts by both the Israeli and Lebanese Governments to ensure the safety and security of their people.

Every government has a right and a responsibility to protect its citizens, and Israel has a right to defend itself. However, this does not justify disproportionate airstrikes which have killed too many civilians, including medical workers and journalists, as well as destroyed civilian infrastructure throughout Lebanon.

As I continue to condemn Hezbollah's drone and rocket fire into Israel, I note with deep concern the Israeli Defense Minister's public pronouncement to destroy all homes in southern Lebanon border villages and ``follow the Rafah and Beit Hanoun model in Gaza'' where the Israeli military systematically destroyed thousands of Palestinian homes and civilian infrastructure. These are not words of self-defense. They are the language of collective punishment, and that must be condemned.

As we look to efforts to deescalate and move toward peace and stability for both Israelis and the Lebanese, I will state for the record that, to my knowledge, United States Forces are not currently engaged in any active hostilities in Lebanon with the Israeli military. Nonetheless, this resolution ensures that does not change without congressional authorization. We must not enter another illegal, reckless, and counterproductive war in the Middle East.

While this resolution prohibits U.S. Forces from engaging in hostilities in Lebanon, it makes clear it shall not prevent or in any way limit the important mission that the United States Armed Forces are engaged in with Lebanon; that is, the longstanding training and support of the Lebanese Armed Forces, also known as the LAF, which are critical to Lebanon's stability and that of the region.

In my many meetings with both Lebanese and Israeli leaders over the years, I deeply understand and appreciate the importance of supporting building up Lebanon's Armed Forces--a goal which successive administrations, both Republican and Democrat, have furthered. Protecting that mission, which has enjoyed bipartisan support across administrations, is precisely why this resolution is carefully drafted to preserve it.

This resolution stands on the side of ending forever wars and ensuring U.S. forces are not drawn into hostilities in Lebanon.

Any colleague who believes Congress must reassert its constitutional authority over matters of war and peace should stand with us today.

Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution, and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib), the sponsor of this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, while I have zero confidence this administration will be transparent with Congress, let me restate clearly that I have seen no information to indicate United States Armed Forces are engaged in combat hostilities on the ground in Lebanon.

Nevertheless, this resolution is a timely and important assertion of Congress' constitutional authority, one that requires the administration to come to Congress before sending U.S. forces into another war.

Conflict in Lebanon is not new. In 1975, Lebanon's Civil War began a conflict that would kill over 150,000 people in a country with a population of just several million.

The United States sent troops to the country as part of a multinational force. On October 23, 1983, terrorists drove two truck bombs into our Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, killing 241 of our soldiers. It was the deadliest day for our Marines since World War II. President Reagan made the right call and pulled out our Marines within 4 months.

We must not, Mr. Speaker, repeat the failures of the past, be they 40 years or 40 days ago. We must not allow this administration to undermine the fragile cease-fire now in place, drag our troops into another conflict, or hand Congress' warmaking authority to a President who has shown no interest in wielding it responsibly.

Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution and encourage all of my colleagues to do so, as well. I yield back the balance of my time.

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