Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of Army Private Isabella Gonzalez, a 19-year-old soldier from Carrollton, Texas, in the district I am proud to represent.

Private Gonzalez was killed in action last Friday during an Iranian strike on American forces in Jordan where she stood in harm's way to defend this Nation and the troops beside her. She had barely begun her adult life, yet she had already given everything to protect ours.

Carrollton and all of Texas grieves tonight for one of its own. We also give thanks for a young woman who chose service over safety and duty over comfort.

To her family, her fellow soldiers, and all who mourn her, this Congress stands with you, and this Nation will not forget her sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, it is no surprise that the party of defund the police is the party that also votes to defund Border Patrol for 70 days.

It is no surprise that the party who runs a Senate candidate in Texas who wants a welcome mat on the southern border is the party that will vote to defund ICE.

This is the same party that for 4 years intentionally flooded our country with millions of illegal aliens, and we hear questions like: How does this make life better for the American people?

Mr. Speaker, I will tell you that deporting criminals, murderers, rapists, and thugs out of our country makes our communities safer. Deporting illegal aliens who are clogging up our schools and our hospitals, on welfare, and using our social services makes life in America better for our people.

Mr. Speaker, I would ask: When will our colleagues on the other side of the aisle finally put the interests of our people, the people we represent, ahead of the interests of illegal aliens? I am waiting.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill because it is a great bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8463) to establish governmentwide requirements for pre- payment fraud prevention actions, to provide the U.S. Treasury appropriate data resources, to facilitate participation in governmentwide anti-fraud data sharing, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer) such time as he may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8463, the Pre-Payment Fraud Prevention and Treasury Data Access Act. I have no further speakers. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 8463, the Pre- Payment Fraud Prevention and Treasury Data Access Act.

As Chairman Comer, the bill's sponsor, explained, this legislation enhances and expands the government's financial integrity controls by codifying agency pre-payment anti-fraud risk evaluations.

This will help identify suspicious payments before they are sent out the door, stopping fraudulent or improper payments before they happen.

In fiscal year 2025, the U.S. Treasury Department reported that they have helped agencies and States prevent and recover over $11 billion in fraudulent and improper payments. They have done this by using existing tools such as the Do Not Pay system.

However, as the chairman explained, these systems are being drastically underutilized by Federal agencies and are in need of certain reforms. We can only imagine the additional savings that H.R. 8463's reforms will help achieve by increasing the pre-payment fraud prevention activities of Federal agencies and increasing the utilization of the Do Not Pay system.

I encourage my colleagues to support the bipartisan H.R. 8463 so we can protect taxpayers, ensure proper program integrity, and prevent fraud before it happens.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6916) to amend title 41, United States Code, to identify individuals who commit certain Federal felonies implicating Federal programs as an excluded source on the System for Award Management Exclusions list, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6916, the Federal Program Integrity and Fraud Prevention Act.

The Federal Government pays a substantial amount of money to contractors for services to help agencies fulfill their missions. It is a privilege, not a right, to receive a contract, grant, loan, or other form of Federal financial assistance.

Unfortunately, there are individuals who take advantage of these resources and use it as an opportunity to defraud the government.

This bill closes a glaring loophole by prohibiting individuals that are convicted of certain felonies, primarily defrauding the Federal Government, from receiving Federal awards.

Under H.R. 6916, fraudsters will no longer be able to get rich from taxpayers' hard-earned dollars. This bill requires these individuals to be listed on the General Services Administration's System for Award Management Exclusion list, thus ensuring that Federal agencies know who these individuals are to ensure they, or any entity of which they have a controlling interest, are not awarded a contract or grant.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the bill's sponsors, Congressman Keith Self and Congresswoman Emily Randall, a colleague on the House Oversight Committee, for bringing this commonsense bill to the Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this necessary and bipartisan bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Self).

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6916, the Federal Program Integrity and Fraud Prevention Act.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's extensive investigations and hearings on fraud in Federal programs have made one thing clear: If fraudsters are successful, they will continue to find new ways to steal taxpayer dollars.

Such egregious actions require proactive fraud mitigation to prevent fraudsters and criminals from taking advantage of loopholes in our government and continuing to enrich themselves with taxpayer dollars.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8467) to reform the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 to ensure executive agencies focus on fraud prevention, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8467, the Zeroing Out Monetary Benefits Improperly Expended Act.

This bill strengthens agency efforts to prevent improper payments that lead to financial loss to the government. Estimates made by the Government Accountability Office reveal that the Federal Government has lost $2.8 trillion to improper payments since 2003.

In fiscal year 2025, Federal agencies reported $186 billion in improper payments, an increase of about $24 billion from the previous year alone. These heinous findings prove that the status quo is not working and is unacceptable.

This bill replaces the current broken practice of conducting backward-looking annual improper payment estimates that remain unchanged year to year. Instead, it directs agencies to focus more closely on payments that result in financial loss to the government and cost savings associated with anti-fraud activity.

This bill requires agencies to comprehensively assess fraud risk management practices in their programs, such as the implementation of the Government Accountability Office's fraud risk management framework and to develop fraud risk indicators and apply key fraud risk controls and procedures.

The bill also increases much-needed regular coordination and information-sharing among government stakeholders responsible for identifying and preventing improper payments.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my Oversight Committee colleague, Congressman Gary Palmer, for leading on these important and long-overdue improper payment reforms. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Palmer).

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 8467, the Zeroing Out Monetary Benefits Improperly Expended Act, which reforms the Payment Integrity Information Act to refocus Federal agencies on proactively identifying and preventing improper payments before they happen, rather than wasting resources on backward-looking compliance activities.

Mr. Speaker, we need reforms like this bill that force agencies to focus on preventing improper payments in the first place, and this smart legislation does just that.

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

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8466) to require certain agencies to develop plans for internal control in the event of an emergency or crisis, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8466, the Taxpayer Resources Used in Emergencies Accountability Act, or the TRUE Accountability Act.

This bill takes action to ensure agencies be prepared to protect taxpayer dollars during future national emergencies when Federal agency programs and spending are often rapidly expanded by supplemental emergency spending packages advanced by Congress.

Between March 2020 and March 2021, Congress enacted a series of six laws providing over $4.6 billion in Federal funds to mitigate the economic and public health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The unprecedented expansion of government programs and lack of commensurate and adequate fraud prevention and financial management capabilities created a perfect scenario for existing program and payment integrity weaknesses to be exploited.

In short, agencies rushed to get money out the door as fast as possible and, in some cases, loosened the guardrails to make funding access easier and more efficient.

While the true extent of pandemic relief fraud may never be known, the Comptroller General of the United States observes that hundreds of billions of dollars in potentially fraudulent payments were dispersed.

The TRUE Accountability Act requires that agencies are prepared for future emergency supplemental spending legislation.

Specifically, the bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to

issue guidance and for agencies to develop plans for internal controls for use in future emergencies. It is imperative that Federal agencies and programs have strong financial controls in place from the start, rather than developing them after the fact, as funding is already flowing out the door during a national emergency. This bill will help mitigate fraud in future national emergencies.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my Oversight Committee colleagues Congressmen Andy Biggs and Suhas Subramanyam for championing this necessary and forward-looking legislation. I encourage my colleagues to support this important bipartisan bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 10 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs).

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

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 8466, the TRUE Accountability Act, which will mitigate future fraud like we have recently experienced in the pandemic-era emergency spending.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8340) to modify the governmentwide financial management plan, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8340, the Taxpayer Funds Oversight and Accountability Act.

It is no secret that weak internal controls and agency inaction on known fraud risks enables fraud.

Federal agency chief financial officers play a vital role in the financial management of their agencies. But, unfortunately, their roles are frequently undefined and their positions are often left vacant.

Stakeholders in financial management have been calling for agencies to establish clear accountability in government structures for program integrity, including designating an accountable senior official.

The Taxpayer Funds Oversight and Accountability Act ensures each agency chief financial officer is responsible for overseeing and providing leadership on risk management and internal controls.

Specifically, the bill requires chief financial officers to identify key information such as spending and reporting on improper payments and assess the effectiveness of internal controls annually. This ensures that a top-level official is responsible for effective and targeted financial management.

In the event of a vacancy, this bill enables a deputy CFO to serve as an interim CFO, an important change that allows for leadership continuity over agency financial management.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my Oversight Committee colleagues, Congressmen Dave Min and William Timmons, for championing this smart legislation. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 8340, the Taxpayer Funds Oversight and Accountability Act, which implements important reforms for improving agency financial management planning.

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

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8107) to require the establishment of a list identifying program areas and administrative practices presenting the greatest risk to the integrity of Federal funds administered by States and local governments, as amended.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8107, the Government Audit and Accountability of Federally Funded State-Administered Programs Act.

The reforms of H.R. 8107 represent a long-overdue step to ensure that Congress is fully informed about fraud risks in Federal programs administered at the State level.

This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to assess program areas and administrative practices that present the greatest risk to the integrity of federally funded programs administered by States and local governments.

This assessment will bring together the typical program-specific assessments to help Congress and other officials better identify common risks. With this information, Congress can bolster its oversight of agencies' and States' efforts to efficiently mitigate fraud risks, including through payment integrity controls.

This legislation will better position Congress to assist Federal agencies and State and local governments to obtain the fraud prevention and investigative resources that they require.

I thank my Oversight and Government Reform Committee colleagues Congressmen Ro Khanna and Tim Burchett for championing this helpful legislation that will help lawmakers understand State-level program risks and inform future fraud prevention reforms.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan and commonsense bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the great gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett).

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

Mr. Speaker, approximately $1.1 trillion of taxpayer dollars are administered annually by State and local governments with little to no comprehensive and recurring oversight from the Federal Government or Congress.

H.R. 8107 would require the Government Accountability Office to study the specific risks associated with federally funded State-administered programs and enable Congress to track emerging fraud patterns before they become billion-dollar scandals.

Mr. Speaker, I, therefore, encourage my colleagues to support the Government Audit and Accountability of Federally Funded State- Administered Programs Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8428) to amend title 5, United States Code, to establish a mandatory antifraud and improper payment training program for Federal program administrators, to provide for the availability of such training to State and local entities administering Federally funded programs, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8428, the Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act.

Every year, billions of taxpayer dollars are lost to increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes. Unfortunately, the increase in sophistication of fraudsters and criminals is outmatching the capabilities of Federal agencies that work to safeguard taxpayer funds.

H.R. 8428 identifies this expanding challenge and helps bolster the financial defenses of our Federal programs against malicious actors.

Specifically, it authorizes the U.S. Treasury to establish a government-wide antifraud training program for agency officials, like grant managers and auditors, so they are adequately trained on best practices for preventing and addressing fraud in agency programs.

The bill also allows the U.S. Treasury to provide the training programs to State and local agencies administering federally funded programs at no cost.

This training will help ensure agency program management and State- level officials are better equipped to confront the challenges associated with fraud and improper payments by better utilizing the tools and best practices already established.

Such tools include more fully implementing agency fraud prevention frameworks in the program's administration and fully utilizing Treasury's Do Not Pay System.

This is important and forward-looking legislation, and I applaud my Oversight Committee colleagues Congressman Glenn Grothman and Raja Krishnamoorthi on these programs.

I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan and forward- looking bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).

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

I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 8428, the Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act.

In order to meaningfully address the massive scale of fraud in Federal programs, we need to implement a standardized, government-wide training program for employees administering agency programs.

H.R. 8428 helps establish leading fraud prevention training practices throughout the Federal Government so we can recognize and prevent fraud before it happens.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 428) to amend title 5, United States Code, to enhance the authority under which Federal agencies may pay cash awards to employees for making cost saving disclosures, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 428, the Bonuses for Cost- Cutters and Fraud Preventers Act of 2026.

This bill expands existing incentives for Federal employees to identify and disclose waste and abuse before American tax dollars are spent.

Without incentives to disclose wasteful spending, Federal employees who are most likely to identify and halt such spending may not speak up.

It was because of instances like these that in 1981 Congress created a cash awards program to encourage employees to take proactive action to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. This program was so successful that it was made permanent just over a decade later.

Over the years, these authorities have resulted in creative ideas coming from agency employees themselves, contributing to the saving of millions in taxpayer dollars. These cost-cutting ideas included allowing veterans to use otherwise safe, discarded medicine and eliminating wasteful printing of the Federal Register.

It is time that Congress does more to expand the cost-saving potential of Federal employees by expanding these authorities.

H.R. 428, as amended, increases incentives for Federal employees by allowing cash awards for reporting wasteful spending and improper payments before funds go out the door.

The best way to recover misspent tax dollars is to not misspend them in the first place. I support this important legislation, which helps preserve Congress' constitutional role in the appropriations process and helps reduce wasteful spending.

I thank Congressman Chuck Fleischmann for bringing this creative solution to preventing fraud to the Oversight Committee and for working with the committee to expand it to address improper payments.

I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisanship bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann).

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 428, Bonuses for Cost-Cutters and Fraud Preventers Act of 2026, which establishes additional incentives for Federal employees to identify wasteful expenses or improper payments.

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

Mr. Speaker, fraudsters are robbing the American people.

In Ohio, hundreds of shell companies, operating out of empty office buildings, billed the Federal Government for over $250 million for home health services that couldn't even be verified. We believe the full scope of this scandal, in fact, reaches into the billions of dollars.

These are programs that required no medical training, had no verification that services were actually provided, and had no spending caps, but they enriched fraudsters at the expense of the American people.

That is why Chairman Comer created the Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses, to go after corrupt institutions that steal from taxpayers, abuse our immigration system, silence Americans, and bury illegal discrimination. It is my honor to lead this task force.

This week, we sent a letter demanding answers from the Ohio Department of Medicaid, and we are going to get them. The era of zero consequences is over. We are coming for every single institution that thinks otherwise.

Mr. Speaker, I vehemently oppose this backdoor amnesty bill that would allow hundreds of thousands of Haitians who entered our country illegally to be given de facto amnesty.

Temporary protected status, as its name implies, was originally designed to be just that, temporary. Yet, it has metastasized into what is effectively a permanent amnesty program for unvetted foreigners all over the globe. That is exactly what this bill extends.

Who are these people that this bill applies to? There are roughly 350,000 Haitians covered under temporary protected status in the United States. Of those, an estimated 91 percent entered this country illegally. An estimated 69 percent came in under the Biden administration.

In other words, what this bill does is codify the open borders of the previous administration that the American people overwhelmingly rejected in the last election cycle.

Mr. Speaker, no serious country tolerates virtually unlimited numbers of foreigners breaking and entering. Yet, that is what this bill does.

More fundamentally, Mr. Speaker, the purpose of our immigration system is to benefit our people. It is for the benefit of Americans. We have no obligation to allow anybody from any part of the globe to come into America. When they do, they come in on our terms, for our benefit.

Let's ask ourselves: Does mass migration from Haiti benefit the American people? The answer is obviously no. Sixty-five percent of nonimmigrant Haitian-headed households are on welfare. Does that make America stronger, more prosperous, or more wealthy in any way? Of course, it doesn't.

Yet, we are being asked to give them amnesty and make these absolutely horrendous years of open borders effectively permanent.

Mr. Speaker, the central thesis of the last election cycle was the American people rejecting mass migration. That is why they gave the President the popular vote. That is why Republicans have a trifecta, and we ought to listen to them.

The American people want their country back. The American people are tired of sending their kids to school where an unlimited number of children are speaking foreign languages or schools that are flooded with fentanyl because of open borders.

Mr. Speaker, we want to live in America. That is why I reject this bill, and I hope my colleagues will, as well.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6310) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3570 Olney Laytonsville Road in Olney, Maryland, as the ``Edward L. Ramsey Olney Post Office Building''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill which would rename a post office in Olney, Maryland, after Edward L. Ramsey.

Mr. Ramsey was a dedicated public servant, retired Army sergeant, and valued member of the Olney community. Even into retirement, Mr.

Ramsey continued to serve his community by working at his local post office in Olney.

This bill would rename that post office where Mr. Ramsey tirelessly supported his neighbors.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, renaming this post office after Mr. Ramsey will ensure his service to our Nation and his community in Maryland will survive for generations.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1431) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2407 State Route 71, Suite 1, in Spring Lake, New Jersey, as the ``James J. Howard Post Office''.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would rename a post office in Spring Lake, New Jersey, for Congressman James J. Howard.

Howard served our country in the U.S. Navy before beginning a career in education, where he worked his way up from teacher to acting principal in Wall Township, New Jersey.

In 1964, Howard was elected to represent New Jersey's Third Congressional District. During his time in Congress, Congressman Howard became known for his strong advocacy for his district and the environment.

As chairman of the House Public Works and Transportation Committee, Congressman Howard championed important legislation related to highway safety and antidrunk driving.

He passed away in 1988 and is survived by his wife, Marlene, and his three daughters.

I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill naming a post office for Congressman James J. Howard. I yield back the balance of my time.