Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1013) to amend the Federal securities laws to enhance 403(b) plans, and for other purposes.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Sun is coming up, and soon it will be a new day in America. The American people are the ones who are bringing the light. They voted against the chaos, the corruption, and the cruelty, and they voted overwhelmingly in red States and blue States, in small towns and in big cities, from sea to shining sea to reject this President and this failed administration.

They voted to repudiate MAGA, to rebuke Stephen Miller, Elon Musk, Kristi Noem, Kash Patel, and all the rest of the incompetent clowns empowered by Donald J. Trump.

The American people delivered their verdict on the work of this failed Republican majority here in this Congress. Come January, Republicans will no longer be in charge around here. Their incompetence, their foolishness, and their obsession with culture wars and billionaire giveaways have cost them the majority.

What is stunning to me, Mr. Speaker, is that instead of taking the hint or listening to the overwhelming majority of Americans who told them to change course, Republicans are doubling down on the same tactics and messaging they have been jamming down our throats these last 2 years. It is a perfect example of why they lost in the first place. They do not listen.

Speaker Johnson said yesterday that the voters made the wrong choice. The voters made the wrong choice? I mean, are you kidding me? Now, you might disagree with their choice, Mr. Speaker, but it is not wrong. You just ain't listening.

Then to double down even further, the failed lameduck President appointed Stephen Miller, the architect of all the cruel policies that most people hate, as his new White House Chief of Staff.

Mr. Speaker, what planet are these people living on? Republicans need to take a long, hard look in the mirror because if they don't break with this delusional thinking and actually start listening, start rejecting extremism, it is going to be a long, long, long time before they are ever in the majority again.

Let me be clear. It is not enough for Democrats simply to win power. Now we need to use that power to make a real difference in people's everyday lives and to put economic power back in the hands of everyday people instead of the rich and the powerful.

For too long, the greedy crooks and out-of-touch Mar-a-Lago billionaires have gotten away with screwing over the American people. It is time to hold them accountable for ripping us off with their corruption.

Groceries, gas, housing, and healthcare, everything costs too damn much, and people are wondering why--why in the richest country in the history of the world it has gotten so hard just to make ends meet.

Republicans chose to cut healthcare and food assistance to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. They have let corporate greed run wild. They have spent the last 2 years looking the other way while the rich and the powerful enrich themselves while the rest of America falls behind. They have let this war in Iran go on and on and on while the value of the President's own oil and gas investments goes up and up and up by tens of millions of dollars.

Are you kidding me, Mr. Speaker?

Republicans wonder why people are fed up. This whole damn system is upside down, and today, instead of doing something to address any of that, Republicans schedule a debate about a bill on investment plans that won't do a damn thing to bring down costs for ordinary Americans.

Here is the thing, Mr. Speaker: I don't think the American people voted last Tuesday just to trade one political party for another and go back to business as usual. They want things to change. They don't want us to nibble

around the edges or just undo what Republicans did and call it a day. They want us to reject the broken status quo in Washington that for too long has stolen from those with the least to give more to those with the most.

It is time for economic power in this country to return back to Main Street, to working people, and to small business owners who have been screwed over and screwed over for far too long by the rich and the powerful.

Democrats understand that. We know that through the results of Tuesday's elections, we have been entrusted with an enormous responsibility. My Republican colleagues, apparently, heard something else entirely. They can keep blaming the voters, but come January, things are going to change around here, and we are going to make damn sure that that change we fight for means something, that it means something to the people who sent us here.

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

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

Let me read the quote back to the gentleman of what I said, which was that they scheduled a bill on investment plans that won't do a damn thing to bring down the costs for ordinary Americans. Costs, costs is the keyword here. Now maybe in 30 years my friend can make that argument, but the bottom line is what people are worried about right now: the cost of groceries, the cost of gas, and the cost of housing, the cost of everything. They are worried about that today. Today.

I would say to the gentleman: Read the room. With all due respect, the American people have heard the Republican argument. They have heard the argument of the Republicans over and over and over again, and that argument never seems to address costs that people are dealing with right now.

However, the American people heard the argument, and they rejected it. They rejected it.

One of the things that we must do come January 3 is focus in on how do we lower costs that people are facing today?

Life is just too damn expensive for working families in this country. People are paying more at the grocery store. They are paying more at the gas station. They can't afford rent. They can't afford to buy a house. They can't afford to do anything because everything is up through the roof. Part of it is because of this illegal war in Iran, part of it is because of these stupid tariffs that the President insists on putting in place which, by the way, I don't even think are legal.

When Democrats take over, we are going to debate these tariffs, and we are going to have votes on these tariffs on this House floor. We are going to do everything we can to overturn them so the American people can see their costs go down.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for making my point. This is about retirement plans. It is not about lowering costs today, it is not about killing tariffs, and it is not about losing the stupid, illegal, costly war in Iran, so the gentleman has made my point, and I am grateful for that.

Mr. Speaker, I want to urge that we defeat the previous question, and if we do, I will offer an amendment to the rule to provide for consideration of H.R. 1589, the American Dream and Promise Act, which would provide a pathway to citizenship to Dreamers who are undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. They were brought here as children.

Mr. Speaker, last week the American people voted to reject this administration's cruel and inhumane immigration policies, policies that resulted in tearing families apart, destroying communities, harassing citizens, and even killing American citizens in our streets. President Trump promised he would only go after violent criminals. Instead, ICE agents arrested people with no criminal records at their jobs, at their schools, at churches, and in their homes. The administration even deported individuals after the courts told them not to.

Enough is enough. The American people want solutions. This bipartisan bill is an important first step to correcting this madness. Dreamers are American in every way but on paper, and for decades they have contributed to and they have shaped the fabric of America. Yet they are currently denied their place in the American story. The American Dream and Promise Act writes them into that American story.

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, a point of order is raised after an amendment passes, and that is the appropriate time to do it. I mean, those are the procedural rules.

Parliamentary Inquiry

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

Mr. Speaker, this is so typical of the way Republicans have run this House. I mean, it is not enough that they have presided over the most closed Congress in history.

Mr. Speaker, I will point out for the Record that so far this Congress Republicans have issued 173 closed rules. That means, for 84 percent of the bills that have come to the floor, no amendments have been allowed.

Republicans have blocked 81 percent of all amendments submitted in this Congress. That is over 5,400 amendments that have been blocked, Democratic amendments and Republican amendments.

We are in the Chamber of the House of Representatives. We are supposed to be the greatest democracy in the world, and we haven't seen a single amendment made in order in 4 months.

What the heck is going on around here?

Operating the House in such a closed manner has a chilling effect on the deliberative process. It signals to Members that their ideas are not even worth submitting as amendments.

Mr. Speaker, I will further say that the objection that the gentleman just raised, again, was him trying to squelch debate on an important topic that we have raised here today. I mean, really? I don't get it.

Mr. Speaker, to discuss our proposal, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Garcia), the sponsor of this great piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas.

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

Mr. Speaker, I know the gentleman heard the word ``amendment'' and got nervous, so I know where he is coming from.

Mr. Speaker, I started this debate by talking about the message the American people sent last Tuesday, and I will end by making something very clear.

They didn't just vote to throw Republicans out. They voted for a government that actually gives a damn about them. Democrats have an obligation to deliver, and I will fight like hell to make sure that we do deliver, that we do use our power to make a real difference in people's wallets and pocketbooks.

We live in the richest country in the history of the world. We live in the richest country in history, yet we have children who show up to school hungry. We have nearly 50 million--that is 5-0, 50 million-- hungry people in America today. That is a disgrace. It is immoral. I am ashamed of that. Everybody should be ashamed of that, and that is why this election matters.

It is time for a government that cares more about hungry kids than favors for Big Oil lobbyists. I don't think that that is a radical idea. I just think it is common sense. I don't expect people to take our word for it. We have to earn people's trust by showing that we are different, by showing people that Washington can actually work for them again, by showing them that we are going to fight for an affordable America. First, we have 2 months left in this Congress where Republicans control everything: the House, the Senate, and the White House.

Mr. Speaker, I have a simple request for my Republican colleagues: Don't use these final weeks to ram through a bunch of extreme, partisan nonsense that the American people rejected.

Keep the government open. Finish the work that we are supposed to do. Show the American people a little respect. Come January, things are going to change around here. The American people did their part last Tuesday. Now we in Congress have to do ours.

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 1650 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 have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

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

The Rules Committee met last night and favorably reported a rule providing for consideration of one measure, the Retirement Fairness for Charities and Educational Institutions Act of 2025.

House Resolution 1650 provides for consideration of H.R. 1013, the Retirement Fairness for Charities and Educational Institutions Act of 2025, under a closed rule. The rule provides for 1 hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Financial Services or their respective designees and provides for one motion to recommit.

H.R. 1013 is a bill trying to make retirement more secure for a huge swath of the population who work at nonprofit organizations, including at hospitals and public schools.

Millions of public schoolteachers, nurses, some first responders, and charity employees depend on section 403(b) tax-sheltered annuity plans for their retirement. These 403(b) plans were set up to provide a way for nonprofits to offer retirement benefits and compete with 401(k) plans and private pensions.

However, 403(b) plans have been left behind and have had more restrictive rules around which investments those institutionally sponsored plan managers are allowed to make. The bill allows these plans the option of investing in collective investment trusts if they so choose.

Collective investment trusts are similar to mutual funds but have a lower cost to its investors. To clarify, these products are sold to retirement plans and not to individual retail investors. These types of investment decisions are routinely made under the 401(k) plans, and there is no reason for nonprofit workers to be hindered in their retirement returns only because these plans aren't available to them.

The types of investments that we are talking about under this bill are already an option for 401(k) beneficiaries and for Federal employee retirement accounts.

I have heard some Members on the other side of the aisle act like each retirement plan is forced to invest in collective investment trusts. That is not so. I would also remind them that each plan manager still has to apply fiduciary rules to whatever investment decisions they make for plan beneficiaries.

I get the concern. My mother, who has since passed away, was a public schoolteacher. She was a single parent who slept on a couch in our front room so that my sister and I could each have our own bedrooms, so I understand the importance of protecting the retirement of teachers and nonprofit employees. This bill does that.

What this bill looks to do is to allow for more competition in the retirement investment market, which will hopefully lead to more plans investing in pools with lower fees and higher returns that ultimately make it more likely for retirees to get bigger payouts.

I understand the skepticism when we are looking at a distinct class of retirees. I would emphasize again, there are rules around how retirement plan managers are required to evaluate investments for each plan.

Really, what Republicans are aiming to do with this bill is to increase retirement parity and expand access to retirement benefits to people who work for nonprofits or who are schoolteachers.

I hope all Members of this House support the passage of this rule and the underlying bill. I urge a ``yes'' vote. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, when we finally got to the bill that is the order of the day, there was something that jumped out at me. I was actually planning on just reserving my time, but my colleague, and I suspect he may have gotten excited and misspoke, but he said: This bill does not do anything for ordinary Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you, since when does the average schoolteacher not count as an ordinary American?

Since when does a nonprofit worker working for some charity or hospital not qualify as an ordinary American?

I understand all the other objections the gentleman made about what has been happening and all of his concerns, but this bill lowers the price of buying a retirement product for ordinary teachers, for ordinary nurses, and for ordinary people working for nonprofits. That is what this bill does.

It is a commonsense bill. Do you know how we know, Mr. Speaker?

It is because some people can say: Well, this is just more Republican rattling going on by Mr. Griffith.

However, this bill came out of committee 43-8. It was a bipartisan bill. In fact, a majority of the Democrats on the committee who have heard this bill, 15 of them voted in favor of this measure. Only 8 chose to take the countering course. That is because those 15 understand that this actually helps ordinary Americans.

When you boil it down to what this bill is about, Mr. Speaker, it is a good bill for ordinary Americans. It helps to save money long-term for the retirement plans of ordinary Americans, and it puts them in the same place as people who work for for-profit businesses in many cases.

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

Mr. Speaker, let me make it clear. This is a bill about retirement investment plans. It has nothing to do with tariffs. Just so everybody understands, it is not about tariffs, and it lowers costs today. Now, it is true that the money may not be reaped until the future, but it lowers costs today because it is anticipated that this bill will lower the fees on the retirement plans that many of our nonprofit workers and our schoolteachers use for their retirements.

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

Objection.

Mr. Speaker, I raise a point of order. The amendment, as I heard it being discussed, has no relevancy and, therefore, is not germane to the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman referred to it as an amendment and asked that the text be placed into the Record. Then, if the previous question is defeated, then it would be brought forward, as I understood it. Maybe I misunderstood it.

Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. Speaker, is the gentleman correct that the appropriate time to raise the objection would be if the amendment passes?

All right. In that case, I would withdraw my objection.

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

Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting. I enjoy playing by the rules. I love the rules. As Jefferson's Manual states--I am going to have to paraphrase because I couldn't pull it up fast enough--there is nothing that tends to throw more power into the hands of the administration of a legislative body than a failure to follow the rules.

While my esteemed colleague would have you believe that I am attempting to squelch debate, I am actually just trying to make sure that we are following the rules.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this rule and adoption of H.R. 1013, the Retirement Fairness for Charities and Educational Institutions Act of 2025.

Congress should not continue to deny firefighters, public schoolteachers, and charity workers the cost of effective investments enjoyed by private-sector employees.

All this bill does is puts those nonprofit workers and schoolteachers on a level playing field with private-sector employees.

Again, this measure passed the Financial Services Committee 43-8, 15 Democrats supporting the measure in committee. It was also incorporated in the strongly bipartisan INVEST Act, which passed the House 302-123 with 87 Democrats in support.

This should be an easy vote to help make retirement more affordable and more secure for millions of people who work at nonprofit organizations.

Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I ask that everybody vote for this rule and for the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move the previous question on the resolution.

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

An Amendment To H. Res. 1650 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. 1589) to

authorize the cancellation of removal and adjustment of

status of certain aliens, and for other purposes. 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 rule XX shall

not apply to the consideration of H.R. 1589.

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

that the House has passed H.R. 1589 no later than three

calendar days after passage.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend Mr. McGovern for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question so we can offer an amendment to bring my bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act to the House floor.

Dreamers were brought to this country as children. Most DACA recipients arrived here at the age of 7 years old. They have grown up here. They went to our schools, built careers, raised families, and contributed to our economy.

When they take the Pledge of Allegiance, they take it because in their heart, in their soul, and in their mind, they are American, as Mr. McGovern said, except on paper.

Temporary protected status and deferred enforced departure holders have also spent years, even decades, building their lives here. These folks left their countries because of violence, human trafficking, and horrific political conditions to find a place here in our country.

They are all people who have followed the rules. They have done everything we have asked of them, and now their lives have been turned upside down by Trump's mass deportation machine.

Families are being torn apart, and the urgency could not be greater than now. Even Trump has said he is willing to work with Democrats on immigration reform. He said that this very weekend. He told Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to work with Democrats on immigration reform, and Mullin himself suggested Congress could consider a pathway to permanent legal status for DACA recipients.

Mr. Speaker, the President has a chance now because the Dream and Promise Act does exactly that. We have a bipartisan bill before us. We don't have to wait until the next Congress to act.

We can do it now and send it quickly to the Senate. I am assured that they are prepared to take it up over there immediately.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question so we can move together on this piece of legislation, which could be the foundation of the immigration reform that we need in this country.

Mr. Speaker, I was necessarily absent and missed the following votes. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 317, Motion to Refer H. Res. 1655--Impeaching Peter Brian Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, for high crimes and misdemeanors; NAY on Roll Call No. 318, Motion on Ordering the Previous Question; and NAY on Roll Call No. 319, H. Res. 1650--Rule providing for consideration of

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained today during Roll Call No. 317 on the Motion to Refer Impeaching Peter Brian Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, for high crimes and misdemeanors (H. Res. 1655). Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 317.

Stated against: