Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX, I rise to give notice of my intention to raise a question of the privileges of the House.

The form of the resolution is as follows:

H. Res. 878 submitted by Mr. Guest, providing for the expulsion of Representative George Santos from the United States House of Representatives.

Whereas, Representative George Santos is a Member of the United States House of Representatives;

Whereas, soon after his election in November of 2022, Representative Santos' background came under public scrutiny;

Whereas, on February 28, 2023, the Committee on Ethics of the House unanimously voted to impanel an investigative subcommittee (hereinafter in this resolution referred to as the ``ISC'') to review whether Representative Santos may have engaged in unlawful activity with respect to his 2022 congressional campaign, failed to properly disclose required information on statements filed with the House, violated Federal conflict of interest laws in connection with his role in a firm providing fiduciary services, and engaged in sexual misconduct toward an individual seeking employment in his congressional office;

Whereas, the ISC met nine times and, over the course of the investigation, authorized 37 subpoenas and 43 voluntary requests for information (RFIs) leading to its receipt of over 172,000 pages of documents, contacted or interviewed over 40 witnesses, and reviewed materials received from the Office of Congressional Ethics and relevant court records;

Whereas, the ISC determined in its investigation that there was substantial evidence of violations of Federal law, the rules of the House, and other applicable standards related to many of the allegations charged in the indictment and substantial evidence of additional unlawful and unethical contact not charged in the indictment;

Whereas, these additional violations relate to falsely reported loans reportedly received by his 2020 campaign and

leadership political action committee, GADS PAC, improper loan repayments to himself, systemic reporting errors in his 2020 and 2022 campaigns' Federal Election Commission filings, and substantial evidence that campaign funds were converted to personal use;

Whereas, the ISC also identified additional errors and omissions in his 2020 and 2022 Financial Disclosure Statements, as well as violations of Federal law and the rules of the House related to his unfiled 2021 and 2023 Financial Disclosure Statements, which were not charged in the indictment;

Whereas, the ISC also found that Representative Santos failed to meet his duty of candor with respect to the ISC's investigation and instead presented the ISC with misrepresentations and delay tactics;

Whereas, on May 10, 2023, Representative Santos was charged in Federal court in the Eastern District of New York with wire fraud in connection with a fraudulent political contribution scheme, unlawful monetary transactions in connection with the wire fraud allegations, theft of public money in connection with his alleged receipt of unemployment benefits, fraudulent application for and receipt of unemployment benefits, and false statements in connection with his 2020 and 2022 House of Representatives Financial Disclosure Statements;

Whereas, Nancy Marks, who served as treasurer to Representative Santos' campaign, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, falsifying records, and identity theft in connection with the Santos campaign;

Whereas, a superseding indictment was filed on October 10, 2023, charging Representative Santos with additional violations related to his 2022 campaign, including allegations of falsifying Federal Election Commission reports in connection with a $500,000 personal loan that was never made, falsifying the names of contributors to his campaign, engaging in aggravated identity theft and access device fraud, and enriching himself through a fraudulent contribution scheme;

Whereas, Sam Miele, who served as a fundraiser to Representative Santos' campaign, pleaded guilty to a Federal wire fraud charge after impersonating a senior congressional aide for the purposes of soliciting funds;

Whereas, the ISC that was established to review the allegations against Representative Santos adopted a report of its findings and submitted the report to the full committee;

Whereas, the Committee on Ethics of the House unanimously voted to adopt the ISC report based upon the investigation providing substantial evidence that Representative Santos--

One, knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission, used campaign funds for personal purposes, engaged in fraudulent conduct in connection with Redstone Strategies, LLC, and engaged in knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act as it relates to his Financial Disclosure Statements filed with the House;

Two, was a knowing and active participant in the wrongdoing; and

Three, was given an opportunity, pursuant to committee rule 17(b), to submit a signed written statement responding to the allegations raised in a complaint filed by his fellow Members but did not do so;

Whereas, the ISC--

One, requested that Representative Santos provide all documents and information responsive to its request for information, but he did not do so;

Two, asked Representative Santos to voluntarily testify, but he did not do so, and

Three, provided Representative Santos the opportunity pursuant to committee rule 19(b)(3) to provide a statement under oath, but he did not do so;

Whereas, as a Member of the United States House of Representatives, Representative Santos must be held accountable to the highest standards of conduct in order to safeguard the public's faith in this institution;

Whereas, the Constitution of the United States of America charges the House with policing the behavior of its own Members, and the House should take action against Representative Santos commensurate with his violations of Federal law and the rules of the House, and

Whereas, given his egregious violations, Representative George Santos is not fit to serve as a Member of the United States House of Representatives.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that pursuant to Article I, Section 5, Clause 2 of the Constitution of the United States of America, Representative George Santos, be, and he hereby is expelled from the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to participate in voting on the passage of Rep. Grothman's) Part B Amendment No. 37 to the FY24 THUD bill, to reduce funding for the CDGB program by 50 percent. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 611.

Mr. Speaker, due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to participate in voting on the passage of H. Res. 845. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on Roll Call No. 622.

Mr. Speaker, due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to participate in voting on H.R. 1607 and H.R. 359. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 599, and YEA on Roll Call No. 600.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to a question of the privileges of the House and offer the resolution I previously noticed.

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

Mr. Speaker, like many of my colleagues on this floor, we were elected with a commitment to work on both sides of the aisle to represent our constituents and the American people.

Unfortunately, we learned very early into Mr. Santos' term that he was elected under false pretenses, which made it clear that he cannot represent the great constituents of Nassau County and across this country.

Since he was elected in November of 2022, we have learned about countless lies, deceptions, and 23 charges against Mr. Santos.

It is in the best interest of the constituents of New York's 3rd and all Americans that he is expelled from the House of Representatives.

The lies, the deceptions about September 11 terrorist attacks, his education, his work history, his faith, the fact that he was Jew-ish, claiming that his grandparents escaped the horrors of the Holocaust. We also saw that he pled to a crime in Brazil.

I was one of the first Members of Congress to call for his resignation, doing so in January.

In May, I motioned for an expulsion resolution to be referred to the Committee on Ethics, asking for a thorough and expedient investigation, as there were not yet two-thirds ``yes'' votes needed from this Chamber for him to be expelled.

Despite my desire to see Mr. Santos no longer serving in Congress, I believed that this would be the quickest way to rid him from the institution, and I thanked that committee. They recently released a memo interviewing over 40 witnesses, reviewing over 170,000 pages of documents, doing their due diligence.

Just weeks ago, Mr. Santos' former campaign treasurer pled guilty to falsifying campaign finance reports, including lying about a $500,000 loan that Mr. Santos claimed to have donated to the campaign himself.

Days later, Mr. Santos was charged with an additional 10 criminal counts. These charges included conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States of America, aggravated identity theft, and the indictment outlined a vast amount of evidence against Mr. Santos.

All you have to do is look at the lies and deceptions in the resolution and details of the indictments--multiple indictments--to see that Mr. Santos is a stain on this institution and not fit to serve his constituents in the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, over the last days I have heard from many Members saying that there is due process, that there is precedent.

Well, I stand before you today, Mr. Speaker, in saying that if we are going to set a new precedent today, that we are against lying fraudsters coming to the House of Representatives, then I am all for that precedent. I will add to that, Mr. Speaker, that many individuals have come to Washington, D.C., to rid us of the swamp.

Well, today, we have an opportunity to set a new precedent and to remove someone from the House of Representatives that is not properly representing

the people of New York's Third Congressional District.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaLota).

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

First, I recognize some of the comments from my colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Goldman) when he asked what has changed.

What has changed is that there are an additional 13 charges in an indictment with a campaign treasurer pleading guilty. What has changed is that when we had discussed this back in May, when he cosponsored that legislation, I made it very clear that I was in support of it, but I also know how to count and realized that we did not have two-thirds of the House. Perhaps we won't this evening.

What I do know is that the Ethics Committee has been working hard, as they issued a memo, as I referred to a few minutes ago, reviewing over 170,000 pages of documents, interviewing 40 witnesses, and issuing subpoenas. Things have changed.

I find it very hard to take advice about serving constituents, Mr. Speaker, from a gentleman who has outright supported a rogue DA like Alvin Bragg in New York City, who has turned one of the greatest cities in this country into an outright disaster. Just ask your constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler).

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

Mr. Speaker, I first would point out that constitutional due process doesn't apply here.

We have the facts. They have been outlined over the last 10 months, and the facts are that Mr. Santos actually admitted to those lies and deceptions.

He references the concern of this body and the fact that we may be losing trust. I want to let everyone in on a stark reminder. Coming from New York, New Yorkers don't agree on much of anything, but 78 percent of the individuals who live in the Third Congressional District do not want George Santos as their Representative, so it seems to me that trust has already been lost.

Like my colleagues mentioned, this is not something we want to do. In fact, I wasn't elected to Congress, nor were my colleagues here from New York, to entertain issues like this. While Mr. Santos referenced the work that needs to be done here in the 118th Congress, like fighting the out-of-control spending from the Biden administration, holding President Biden accountable for his lies and deception and failure to uphold the Constitution, securing our southern border, keeping our communities safe, making this country energy independent-- yes, that is the work that we want to do. That is the work that our neighbors sent us here to do. Each time we attempt to do that work, we are sidetracked by yet another story involving George Santos.

So you see, we are here today because we have heard all the facts. We know what is at stake, and yes, we understand that there is a precedent. But, by God, if there is ever a time that the American people want to see a new standard, want to see a new precedent set on Capitol Hill, I think now is the time. They have watched over the last 3 or 4 weeks while we tried to find our new Speaker of the House. This government was on hold, and we couldn't do the work of the American people.

Do you know what? They are looking at us and want us to be held to a higher standard. That is why we are putting this resolution on the floor, not because we want to and not for political points.

This resolution would have been put forth by me whether I represent a bright red district or the brightest of blue districts. This is about doing the right thing. It is about putting this institution first, and it is about giving the people of the Third Congressional District the opportunity to be represented.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX, I rise to give notice of my intention to raise a question of the privileges of the House.

The form of the resolution is as follows:

H. Res. 773 providing for the expulsion of Representative George Santos from the House of Representatives.

Whereas, George Anthony Devolder Santos, known as George Santos, was elected to represent New York's Third Congressional District in the House of Representatives on November 8, 2022;

Whereas, after election day, it was revealed George Santos lied about a significant portion of his background, including his education and previous employment;

Whereas, George Santos has a long history of misrepresenting his and his family's connections to major events, including the Holocaust, the September 11 terrorist attacks, and the Pulse nightclub shooting;

Whereas, on May 9, 2023, George Santos was indicted on 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, stealing public funds, and lying on Federal financial disclosure forms to the House of Representatives;

Whereas, a Federal grand jury indicted an aide to George Santos' campaign on charges of wire fraud and identity theft for defrauding potential donors by impersonating Speaker Kevin McCarthy's former chief of staff;

Whereas, on October 5, 2023, George Santos' former campaign treasurer pled guilty to falsifying campaign finance records, including lying about a $500,000 loan that George Santos claimed to have donated to the campaign himself;

Whereas, on October 10, 2023, George Santos was federally charged with an additional 10 criminal counts;

Whereas, the additional charges were serious in nature, including conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud, false statements to the Federal Election Commission, and falsifying records to obstruct the Commission;

Whereas, the indictment outlined a vast amount of evidence against Santos, including conversations he held with his former campaign treasurer outlining plans to commit the fraud he is charged with;

Whereas, these charges indicate that George Santos engaged in serious financial fraud throughout his 2022 campaign for the House of Representatives;

Whereas, George Santos stole over $44,000 from donors by charging their credit cards without authorization;

Whereas, George Santos directly profited from his fraudulent actions, including transferring money to his own bank account to buy luxury items and pay off debts;

Whereas, George Santos engaged in election fraud throughout his 2022 campaign by deceiving voters regarding his biography, defrauding donors, and engaging in other illegal campaign behavior; and

Whereas, as a result of these actions, George Santos is not fit to serve his constituents as a United States Representative:

Now, therefore, be it resolved that, pursuant to Article I, Section 5, Clause 2 of the Constitution of the United States of America, Representative George Santos be, and he hereby is, expelled from the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, while I appreciate the eloquent remarks from my colleague from Connecticut, I am from New York, and today we ask ourselves a very basic question: Are we voting and supporting to keep the United States of America open to make sure our government moves forward or are we drawing the line in the sand, putting Ukraine over the greatest country in the world, the United States of America?

My colleague from Connecticut also mentioned that there were only 15 minutes given to her conference. I find it startling that you need more than just seconds to make a vote in support of keeping this government open and supporting the United States of America.

This is not today a Democrat issue. It is not a Republican issue. This is an American issue. Today, we should all stand on this floor and support this continuing resolution and keeping this government open.

Mr. Speaker, just over 3 hours ago, we walked onto this floor with a plan and an opportunity to make sure that our government continues to work.

Instead of moving that plan forward, we have spent the last hour hearing from a Member on the other side of the aisle trying to gain C- SPAN ratings and I believe win a contest on how many times we could hear the term ``MAGA.''

We are here this afternoon to keep our government running. Over the last hour, I walked across the street to my office, taking calls from constituents on Long Island in New York's Fourth Congressional District whose homes and cars were destroyed yesterday after a massive amount of rain and flooding.

These are individuals who are Democrats, who are Republicans. They are not calling because they are from a political party. They are calling because they are Americans, and they are pleading with us to keep our government open. They are pleading with us to do the job that we were sent here to do and to govern.

Mr. Speaker, that is what we have the opportunity to do, is to cast a vote, cast a vote today to continue to make sure that our government continues to run, that our government remains open so that we can do the job that we were sent here to do. That is what I urge my colleagues to do on the other side of the aisle.

Today, Members are not making a partisan vote, they are making a vote in support of the United States of America. They are making a vote in support of residents back home who need our help. They are making a vote in support of moving this country forward.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, which is being observed through the end of September.

During this period of reflection, Americans from coast to coast honor our Nation's youngest warriors in their battle against pediatric cancer and recommit themselves to finding a cure for such a terrible disease.

One of those young warriors is a 1-year-old, Cooper Graham, of Oceanside, New York, who is fighting the good fight at such a young age.

Cooper is a tough little guy, always with a smile. I know that all Long Islanders are standing in solidarity with him in his fight right alongside Cooper's parents, Michael and Rachel, as well as his big sister, Rylie.

During Cancer Awareness Month, we are all Coop's troops, and we are going to stand with Cooper and all pediatric cancer warriors through thick and thin.

Cooper, if you are listening back home, we all remain Coop strong.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk as the designee of Ms. Malliotakis.

Mr. Chair, today is September 27, 2023, and because of the dereliction of duty of Secretary Mayorkas and the Biden administration, this Nation is under siege. We have record numbers of migrants coming into this country, estimated at 10,000 a day that we know of and an unknown amount of got-aways.

In places like New York City, where people like Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul have celebrated sanctuary cities, we now see, in fact, that they had no plans to be a sanctuary. They just wanted to pander.

In places like New York City, we have migrants who are coming into the United States of America through our points of entry. They are coming to the United States of America for a better way of life. They are leaving their homes, their families, risking their lives to cross this border. Instead of being given that sanctuary, they are in old hotels and empty warehouses at airports.

This amendment today will ensure that no funds made available by this act may be used by the Department of Defense to provide assistance to the Department of Homeland Security to house migrants or illegal immigrants or illegal aliens on military installations located in the United States of America.

Back in May, Governor Hochul sent a letter to President Biden, and cc'd members of the New York delegation, asking that he allow military installations to be utilized for housing migrants.

Just recently, we have seen that there is a deal in place for migrants to not only be housed but buildings to be erected at Floyd Bennett Field, a military installation in Brooklyn, New York. Not only is it a military installation, but like many others throughout this country, Floyd Bennett Field plays host to my brothers and sisters from the New York City Police Department, housing our aviation team, our scuba team, special operations, and more.

This simply says no funds will be utilized, given to the Department of Homeland Security, to house migrants and illegal aliens on military installations.

Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).

Mr. Chair, I am glad to see that we are all looking for solutions to the failed policies of Joe Biden.

What we are focused on today is the fact that military installations, our national parks, like Floyd Bennett Field, where military operations actually take place, are critical to defense. They are not equipped to house migrants. That is what we are focused on today, that there are no plans in place and that these plans, the ones that they are rushing to, are not the ones that we support.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, just days after the 22nd anniversary of September 11, 2001, to recognize and remember former chief, Ronald Nurnberger, Sr.

He was a member of the Island Park Fire Department, the same department that I serve, for over 40 years. He joined the department in 1977 and served as chief of department from 2001 to 2002.

Just hours after the attacks on our great Nation on September 11, Chief Ronald Nurnberger led a delegation from the Island Park Fire Department to Ground Zero, where he served and

dug on that pile looking for survivors in the days that followed the attack.

Less than a year ago, he was diagnosed with 9/11-related cancer, and just hours before September 11, 2023, Ex-Chief Nurnberger passed away from cancer he developed from operating on the pile on September 11.

He is another example as to why Members of this body and our colleagues on the other side of the Capitol must continue to fight for funding. There is no reason why 22 years later we still have survivors walking the Halls of Congress each and every year asking for money to support the issues that they are facing with health.

Ex-Chief Nurnberger leaves behind a loving wife, Sherrill; his children, who are also now part of the fire service, Ronald Jr., Brandon, Karlton, Collin, Stephen, and John-Paul; and, of course, grandchildren, Jameson, Lucas, Cody, Blakely, Brooke, and Noah.

Ex-Chief Nurnberger served the Island Park Fire Department and the village of Island Park for over 40 years, and I was lucky enough to call him a friend for the last 26 years.

Again, I rise today to remember and reflect upon a life gone too soon, another victim of the attacks on this great Nation on September 11, 2001. Ex-chief Nurnberger has answered his final alarm, and I pray that he rests easy.

Mr. Speaker, due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to participate in voting. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 388, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 389, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 390, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 391.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of the bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization plan that is currently being advanced through this House.

This sweeping package, outlined in H.R. 3935, the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, will ensure the FAA has the tools necessary to safeguard air travel throughout the United States and support our Nation's extensive air-based logistics networks.

As a New Yorker, I understand the importance of the FAA to our State's vast network of airports and how intertwined our economic success is to the free flow of goods via air travel. That is why, as a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I have been working tirelessly to ensure my Long Island neighbors saw palpable benefits in the FAA reauthorization package and that the plan protected local jobs on Long Island.

Chief among my priorities that is included in the present plan is preserving scores of air traffic controller jobs at the FAA's N90 TRACON facility located within my congressional district. I am proud that these good-paying, union jobs will be preserved on Long Island and will not be moved to other States, as was previously planned.

Not only are we preserving jobs, but this bipartisan plan includes provisions I have been advocating for that support the aviation workforce. This legislation includes important language from the Aviation Workforce Development Act, of which I am a cosponsor, as well as a provision for air traffic controller mandatory staffing targets. Providing the tools and manpower to our air traffic controllers to help them do their jobs will prevent flight delays and enhance the reliability of air travel within the United States.

This bill also includes noise abatement strategies for communities near airports, a request of mine and the constituents who I represent.

The team that has been working on this crucial legislation has made security of air travel a priority and included several provisions under that front. Two that I have personally been advocating for include ``Zero tolerance for near misses, runway incursions, and surface safety risks,'' as well as provisions that support the implementation of secondary cockpit barriers to protect pilots.

Mr. Chair, the list goes on. I am proud that included in this package is the language from a bill I introduced to promote domestic drone production here in the United States. This is a key legislative priority of mine that will create American manufacturing jobs and decouple the drone industry from our adversaries like China.

In addition to all of these great inclusions in the bill is a sweeping set of proposals intended to support the passenger experience, improve airport infrastructure across the country, and address environmental concerns, including implementing noise abatement strategies for communities near airports.

The FAA reauthorization plan is a win for the United States of America, a win for Americans, a win for New Yorkers, and a win for those who call Long Island home. It is also a win for those who rely on air travel throughout this country.

Mr. Chair, I am proud of this plan, and I urge all of my colleagues to unite behind it.

Mr. Speaker, I am a little confused by my colleague's comments when he said that Members on this side of the aisle were ``deathly afraid.'' No one is deathly afraid. What we are, though, is we are in support of my good friend from New York, Mr. Molinaro's Schools Not Shelters Act, to safeguard American children and prevent American schools from being forced to bear the burden of the Biden administration's ongoing migrant crisis.

I am proud to cosponsor this important bill that will prohibit schools that receive Federal funding from being used as shelters for migrants, which is a misguided policy being advanced by Governor Kathy Hochul, Albany Democrats, and many other progressives across this great Nation.

Due to the dereliction of duty by Secretary Mayorkas and the overall mismanagement of the Department of Homeland Security by the Biden administration, the United States has seen a record number of migrants cross into this great Nation.

This deluge has placed a significant particularly strong strain on sanctuary States, such as New York, where Governor Hochul continues to place the interests of migrants ahead of students who we want to keep safe.

The Hochul administration has made housing migrants at schools a priority, a fact that troubles many parents, educators, and students alike. Housing migrants whose histories are murky and intentions unknown at schools from the elementary level to the collegiate level endangers youth learners and puts students in a potentially dangerous situation of interacting with adult migrants in spaces that should be reserved for students.

The fact that migrants are currently being housed in school gyms, particularly in New York City, is absolutely ridiculous. Instead of recognizing that this is a problem, Governor Hochul is seeking to expand this policy to SUNY campuses.

You see, parents send their kids to school to be in a safe zone, and it is incumbent on the Federal Government to do everything possible to stop it. For this purpose, I support the Schools Not Shelters Act and encourage my colleagues to support this legislation I have cosponsored.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solidarity with thousands of my neighbors in New York's Fourth Congressional District who are united in opposition to a proposed large-scale offshore energy project that, if completed, would drastically alter the landscape of several Nassau County communities.

The development being advanced by the Norwegian energy company, Equinor, would see nearly 150 massive offshore wind turbines constructed within view of land off the coast of Long Beach in my congressional district.

This project would include a landing site in the city of Long Beach where high-voltage cables would make landfall from the turbines and wind through residential areas to connect with a substation in my hometown, the village of Island Park.

Residents of these communities could play host to an environmental disaster. New York officials are keen to see this project progress, even in the face of local concern. In fact, Governor Hochul even went so far as to enlist the assistance of Brooklyn lawmakers to ram through State legislation to support the project, even as local neighbors raised concerns.

My neighbors rightfully have questions related to the impacts. I will stand with my neighbors and fight for the hardworking south shore communities. We will stand tall in the face of this hostile takeover by Equinor.

Mr. Speaker, Equinor is not welcome in our south shore communities.