Waiving a requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII with respect to consideration of certain resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for yielding me the customary time, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this bill, effectively, lets the majority bring a bill from the Rules Committee straight to the floor in the same day, which would not normally be in order.

Mr. Speaker, what could be such an emergency that Republicans need to pass a special rule to give themselves the authority to jam through at lightning speed? Could it be affordability? No, nothing on affordability.

Could it be lower gas prices or ending the war in Iran? No, nothing there.

Could it be a bill to bring down housing or healthcare costs? Nope. Guess again.

They are passing a special rule to help them jam through billions of dollars more for ICE and CBP, what amounts to yet another blank check for agencies that have violated court orders, terrorized communities, killed American citizens in cold blood, and operated with virtually no accountability.

These agencies already got a massive payday in Trump's big, ugly bill. In fact--and get this--they have more money than they know what to do with. They still have $100 billion--billion with a b--sitting in the bank that they haven't spent yet. These are lawless agencies already flush with cash. For some reason, now Republicans are rushing to give them even more?

I mean, around here, that is what has become an emergency. It is not the cost of groceries and not the cost of gas. No. The emergency is that Donald Trump's immigration policies might have to wait for another blank check.

I mean, give me a damned break. This majority moves at lightning speed when Trump wants something. They move at lightning speed when billionaires want another tax cut. They move at lightning speed when corporate donors want another giveaway. Yet, when regular people need help, suddenly everything is impossible. Can't do it.

When families needed affordable healthcare, Republicans went home. When people demanded that the Epstein files be released, Republicans stalled, they delayed, and they obstructed. That continues.

When working people asked Congress to do something about Trump's tariffs that are driving up prices, Republicans blocked the vote. When we tried to force a debate on Trump's illegal war, Republicans tried to shut that down, too.

That is the pattern, Mr. Speaker. That is the pattern. When Trump says jump, they ask how high. Yet, when the American people ask for affordability, this place grinds to a halt.

This is about priorities, Mr. Speaker. Republicans want to hand tens of billions of dollars to lawless agencies that already have tens of billions of dollars, but they cannot find the same urgency for a mom trying to afford groceries, for a senior rationing medication, or for a family trying to keep a roof over their heads. Isn't that something?

Well, I think this is a rotten, lousy, immoral thing to jam through with same-day authority. I urge a ``no'' vote, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

It is hard to take this debate seriously. As I said, and I will say it again, and my Republican colleagues know this, you gave them a whole bunch of money in the big, ugly bill that you all celebrate.

In fact, they still have $100 billion that they haven't spent, $100 billion,

that is billion with a b. You just debated the Agriculture appropriations bill to cut WIC by $200 million. ICE and CBP still have $100 billion, and here we are with a bill to give them another $70 billion? I mean, there are countries in the world whose military budgets don't even equal what you have given ICE and CBP.

I mean, the priorities around this place are all screwed up. I mean, you talk about America First. Well, this is America last. This is America last. You are cutting programs that help feed pregnant mothers and their kids. You are cutting programs that make sure people don't go hungry and have enough to eat and enough access to nutrition. You are cutting programs that help working people. You are cutting programs that cut healthcare. Here we are, giving an additional $70 billion to agencies that already have $100 billion that they haven't spent.

Mr. Speaker, I would just simply say, my Republican friends, when you talk about America First, you are putting America last.

Your constituents are hurting. They are suffering right now. Prices have never been higher. Gas is through the roof. The cost of groceries is through the roof. The cost of everything is through the roof.

Inflation is up, and you can blame Joe Biden. He hasn't been President for a year and a half. That is the usual bs excuse we hear all the time.

The bottom line is, you are intentionally doing this. You are taking money away from people in need in this country, and you are giving it to agencies that have violated the law, that have killed American citizens, and that have not been held accountable. This is outrageous.

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

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

What we just heard is the same tired, old set of grievances and talking points that Republicans bring out here all the time because they don't have any solutions to any of the challenges.

It is the same old playbook: Prices are up, blame immigrants. Gas is up, blame immigrants. Trump starts an illegal war in Iran, blame immigrants. Greedy healthcare companies rip off people and overcharge people for their basic healthcare, let's blame immigrants. Grocery prices are up, blame immigrants.

This party has no solutions to any of the problems. It is just blame immigrants, blame Joe Biden, blame somebody else. They don't want to take any responsibility.

Here is the deal: The agencies that we are talking about have $100 billion that they have not spent--$100 billion. What could you do with $100 billion? You can help a lot of people in this country get through this lousy Trump economy, but, no, $100 billion is not enough. We have a bill to bring another $70 billion to these agencies--$170 billion.

I mean, this is crazy, Mr. Speaker. What the hell is wrong with these people, Mr. Speaker, that this is where their priorities are, putting more money into agencies that do not obey the law, that have killed American citizens, that have basically set up concentration camps in some of our States in which immigrants are being mistreated?

We have American citizens who are being picked up and detained by ICE. We all agree that if people commit crimes--I don't care whether they are an undocumented immigrant or a legal citizen. If you commit a crime, you ought to be held accountable. Nobody disagrees with that.

That is not what this is about. This is about pouring billions and billions of dollars into agencies that already have more than enough.

Where is the compassion? Where is the outrage when my friends bring an appropriations bill to the floor to cut $200 million from WIC? I mean, not a word, not a word. I mean, where is the concern about the fact that people cannot afford their groceries? Nothing. Or that people can't afford to fill up their cars with gas? Nothing. Nothing.

Blame immigrants, and then, for good measure, throw in Joe Biden. I mean, that is what we hear all the time.

Again, these agencies have $100 billion already, and we are cutting programs that help provide people with nutrition and housing. We are cutting programs to help communities rebuild their infrastructure. We are cutting moneys and programs that help people with protecting open- space land.

I should say, they are cutting, not we. We are opposing those cuts, Mr. Speaker, because we think they are immoral, and we think they are outrageous.

But here we are, moving Heaven and Earth, again, not to bring a bill to the floor to help lower costs for anybody, but bringing a bill to the floor beyond the normal process to give agencies that have $100 billion, $70 billion more. I mean, really? I mean, this is outrageous.

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

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

If we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H.R. 8914, which prohibits the use of taxpayer money to create a slush fund to compensate January 6 rioters, MAGA sycophants, senior government officials, and members of the President or Vice President's family.

Mr. Speaker, following President Trump's settlement of his bogus lawsuit against his own IRS, he tried to commandeer nearly $1.8 billion in taxpayer funds to bankroll a slush fund for January 6 insurrectionists and other aggrieved MAGA loyalists.

After the obvious outcry at this ludicrous use of taxpayer dollars, Acting Attorney General Blanche said yesterday they weren't moving forward with this fund. Then later, the same day,

President Trump, when asked if the fund was dead or just on hold, said: ``I don't know. I don't know.''

I don't know? Really?

He also said: ``I love it. I think it's so important.''

So it is now clear that the only way to end this corrupt scheme--and it is a corrupt scheme--for good is for Congress to act.

And as the newly free-to-speak-his-mind Senate Whip Senator Cornyn said: ``The way to ensure the Trump retribution fund is more than mostly dead would be for Congress to put a stake through it.'' That is Republican Senator John Cornyn.

That is exactly what I am offering every Member of this House today, a chance to vote on if they want to kill this slush fund for good or not.

Do my Republican colleagues want millions of dollars to go to the January 6 rioters? I mean, I was here that day. Many of my Republican colleagues were here that day. I was in the Speaker's chair that day. I was the last person off the House floor. I saw those maniacs beating up cops. I will never, ever forget it.

And the fact that they have been pardoned by this President is outrageous. But the idea that they would be financially rewarded? Oh, my God, what is wrong with this place?

So with the vote we are calling for here right now, we can end this slush fund once and for all. And maybe we could take that money and put it toward issues to deal with the affordability crisis, maybe to make law-abiding Americans' lives a little bit easier.

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, this debate boils down to priorities. Republicans have shown that they are willing to move mountains when they want to. They can move mountains for Donald Trump. They can move mountains for billionaires. They can move mountains for corporate donors. And today, they are moving mountains to spend $70 billion more on ICE and CBP.

But for regular people, they are doing nothing. They have done nothing, and they are doing nothing. Families are getting crushed by grocery prices. Workers can't afford rent. Parents are struggling to pay for childcare. Seniors are worried about healthcare. Kids are hungry. Republicans don't care. That is the story of this majority. They have all of the urgency in the world for the worst priorities and no urgency at all for people who actually need help.

They will rush to fund agencies that separate families, that violate rights and bow down to Donald Trump's illegal orders; but they refuse to lift a finger to ease the burdens on working people. It is everything and anything for those at the top, and to hell with everyone else.

So vote ``no'' on this rule. Vote ``no'' on this blank check. These agencies already have $100 billion--$100 billion, billion with a b. They don't need an additional $70 billion. I would urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``no'' on these rotten priorities. Let's get back to work and do the work that the people actually sent us here to do. Let's try to do things that actually improve people's lives, not screw them over.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1336 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, the Rules Committee met yesterday and produced a rule, H. Res. 1336, providing for same-day authority when the House considers the forthcoming reconciliation measure from the Senate.

Granting same-day authority will allow the House to advance this legislation to President Trump's desk for his prompt signature and fulfill our commitment to fully fund CBP and ICE so that they can continue their mission of defending the homeland.

Yesterday at the Rules Committee, we heard all sorts of chapter and verse that funding ICE and CBP isn't an emergency. We heard that we should focus on all sorts of other things besides funding law enforcement. It doesn't surprise me given the pitiful record on both backing the blue and securing the border.

As opposed to listening to the rhetoric on the other side, let's look at their record. During the Biden administration, CBP recorded more than 2 million got-aways. That is almost double what was tracked during the previous decade. That is 2 million people who were able to cross into our Nation without any record of who they are.

The Biden administration granted more than 1.3 million inadmissible

aliens mass parole. Under the Biden administration, more than 150,000 children went missing, likely due to trafficking. Thankfully, it was the Trump administration that located more than 120,000 of these children.

The record of Republicans in standing for border security, national security, and the rule of law is crystal clear. Republicans understand the threats posed by our Nation's adversaries, and we are the ones leading the charge to confront those threats, protect the homeland, and protect the American people.

Following the joint military action against Iran and the subsequent regional attacks, there is significant increase of potential threats and retaliatory terror attacks on U.S. soil. We know terrorists are in our country. That isn't rhetoric. It isn't hyperbole. It is a fact, a fact made even more real when more than 380 individuals on the terrorist watch list crossed the open border under Joe Biden's watch.

As Americans face increased threats, it is as important now--more than ever before--to fund ICE and CBP so that the Nation remains safe. Funding these two agencies is a mandate on the part of Congress, not some sort of suggestion that we are to take lightly. Fund ICE. Fund CBP. Protect the homeland now.

That is what Republicans will do. That is the mandate that we will uphold.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague on the other side of the aisle is saying: What is the emergency? Why are we here today?

Dare I say I agree with my colleagues on the other side. We should not have to be here debating about providing funding for the agencies that secure the borders of the United States of America. Since their creation in 2003, neither ICE nor CBP has ever gone an entire fiscal year without congressional funding through the regular appropriations process.

We should not have to be here right now providing operation funding for two of the most critical agencies in securing our national security. So, what happened?

Congressional Democrats made this an emergency. The only reason we even need this reconciliation legislation is because of Democrats' reckless extremism in completely defunding our ability to secure our Nation's border.

Democrats broke the appropriations process because they want to reopen the southern border, defund Federal law enforcement, and leave American communities vulnerable to violent criminals, potential terrorists, illicit drugs, and deadly contraband.

By expediting the process to pass the Secure America Act, Republicans are proving our top priority is to provide for the public safety and security of American citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oklahoma (Mrs. Bice).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Fine).

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

Mr. Speaker, the Biden-Harris administration abandoned our Border Patrol agents and refused to enforce our sovereign borders. This destroyed morale and increased attrition throughout the front lines of law enforcement who want to do what they signed up for: secure our borders.

It is crucial to our national security that ICE and CBP have the resources and pay they need to accomplish their critical and legal missions of preventing illegal aliens and other public safety threats, narcotics and other contraband from entering our communities, and removing criminal illegal aliens from within our country.

It is not sufficient to hope that we can use the funding from H.R. 1 to fully fund these agencies.

Our colleagues talk about money that Homeland Security has in its budget, but they are quite well aware that the money allocated in H.R. 1 provided supplemental funding to finish building the border wall that was abandoned under the Biden administration, provide funding for additional well-paid frontline personnel to accomplish their Homeland Security missions, and invest in advancements in technology to close exploitable gaps and enhance border interdictions to keep our communities safe. Yes, there is money, but it is mostly for the wall and for technology.

Right now, CBP does not have the personnel that it says it needs. That is why the reconciliation legislation provides supplemental investments in closing the personnel gap throughout CBP; bolstering recruiting, training, and education; and addressing attrition and the morale crisis by funding retention bonuses.

H.R. 1 funding is not sufficient for the everyday operations of securing our Nation's borders, and as our colleague from Oklahoma said, there was an agreement to do this in the Homeland Security bill, and at the last minute the Senate balked and refused to do it.

Mr. Speaker, providing expedited consideration of the forthcoming reconciliation measure will allow us to fund these two mission-critical agencies and the people who support them. Let's move forward, pass this rule, and advance the reconciliation measure that will soon come before us.

I support the rule, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and a ``yes'' vote on the rule.

The text of the material previously referred to by Mr. McGovern is as follows:

An Amendment To H. Res. 1336 Offered By Mr. McGovern of Massachusetts

At the end of the resolution, add the following:

Sec. 2. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the

House shall proceed to the consideration in the House of the

bill (H.R. 8914) to amend section 1304 of title 31, United

States Code to restrict payments for compromise settlements

or awards. All points of order against consideration of the

bill are waived. The bill shall be considered as read. All

points of order against provisions in the bill are waived.

The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the

bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage without

intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally

divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority

member of the Committee on the Judiciary or their respective

designees; and (2) one motion to recommit.

Sec. 3. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX and clause 8 of rule XX

shall not apply to the consideration of H.R. 8914.

Sec. 4. The Clerk shall transmit to the Senate a message

that the House has passed H.R. 8914 no later than three

calendar days after passage.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will endeavor to do a better job of following the rules and addressing my comments to you than seems to happen by those who are supposed to know the rules.

I would say this: You hear in this debate that the concern is about affordability, the affordability of housing for Americans, the affordability of healthcare for Americans, the affordability of insurance for Americans, and the affordability of education for Americans.

Democrats say they care about these things, but they do not because the number one thing we can do to make America affordable again is to deport the tens of millions of people who should not be in our country.

Twenty million people living in houses they shouldn't be in drives up housing prices. Twenty million people going to emergency rooms that are being paid for by the taxpayer drives up healthcare costs. Twenty million people sending their kids to school, which costs $10,000 to $20,000 per student in Florida, drives up education costs.

Go look at your auto insurance bill. That line of uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance, that might as well be called illegal immigrant insurance.

When we do these things, we protect our border and make America affordable again, but we also make America safe again.

In my district alone, I want to tell you about three people who have been deported.

Rafael Hayas Salgado from Cuba committed the crimes of homicide, larceny, burglary, flight escape, and resisting an officer.

Alejandro Diaz Torriente from Cuba was arrested for stolen property, burglary, forced entry-residence, forgery of checks, and selling cocaine and marijuana.

Lioneleo Silva-Garcia from Mexico's crimes were lewd or lascivious acts with a minor and sexual assault.

When we don't fund these agencies, we don't find these people, and we don't send them home. Our objective here is not only to make America safe again, but it is to make America affordable again. Passing this rule to fund these agencies will do exactly that.

That is why I will be proud to support the rule and proud to support that reconciliation package when it comes to the floor later today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the rule to allow for consideration of the Senate's forthcoming reconciliation bill.

The legislation comes after Democrats backed out of a bipartisan Department of Homeland Security bill all the way back in February.

As a sitting member of the Appropriations Committee, it was shocking to me that we were able to get all of our appropriations bills across the finish line and to the President's desk, except for Homeland Security. In that moment, Democrats chose to play political games with the safety and security of this Nation.

Thankfully, President Trump used emergency measures to ensure that the Coast Guard, Border Patrol, TSA, and others received pay, but Democrats proved they were more than willing to hold more than 260,000 employees who work at DHS hostage.

While most of the agency was funded in May, additional resources for Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are still needed. This is why the legislation is so important. It fully funds these agencies for the remainder of the Trump administration.

The difference couldn't be more clear: Under the Biden administration, more than 10 million illegals crossed the southern border. This included drug smugglers, human traffickers, criminal organizations, and even terrorists on the FBI watch list.

This has all changed thanks to President Trump. During the last year, there have been zero releases at the border, and apprehensions in April were 94 percent lower than the monthly average under the previous administration.

Under my friend and fellow Oklahoman, Secretary Markwayne Mullin, I know the Department will continue to ensure our border is closed, ultimately protecting our homeland.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this rule.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 201 and YEA on Roll Call No. 202.