Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the passing of a dear friend and remarkable professional, Steve Cernak.

As CEO of Port Everglades in Broward County, Florida, Steve oversaw the largest expansion in the port's history and helped Port Everglades grow to become the number one cruise port in the country.

He had a vision for the port, and he was an incredibly dedicated public servant.

Steve loved his work, community, and family.

He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, and took any opportunity to share how proud he was of his grandchildren, often sharing photos of them before meetings, to which I can personally attest.

His professionalism was unmatched, and I am grateful for his unwavering commitment to keeping Americans safe.

Although Steve is no longer with us, his legacy will live on through the institution he helped propel into the leading port in our Nation.

Steve Cernak was a selfless, compassionate, and tireless public servant, and he will be profoundly missed, but never forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding and for his leadership on the Foreign Affairs Committee. His expertise, having been elected to Congress in November, is welcomed.

It is really wonderful to be able to join him on the floor of the House of Representatives to make sure that we continue to voice our support for democracy to be restored in Venezuela and mitigate the threat that Maduro's regime poses to all of us in the Western Hemisphere.

I also extend my thanks to Mr. Engel, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Mr. McCaul, the ranking member, both of whom have really come together with the bills that were adopted earlier, and with this one, to make sure that it is demonstrated very clearly that there is no daylight in the United States when it comes to the issue of making sure that we can restore democracy to Venezuela.

Mr. Speaker, the people of Venezuela are suffering right now under the rule of a brutal despot, Nicolas Maduro. The widespread starvation, economic devastation, and public health crisis he has inflicted on his own people has been absolutely heartbreaking to witness. I saw this tragedy up close when my colleague, Representative Donna Shalala, and I traveled to the Colombian-Venezuelan border earlier this month.

The stories we heard and what we saw was gut-wrenching: easily avoidable medical tragedies; blockaded humanitarian aid; and because of a lack of access to vaccines, the rampant spread of disease cured long ago. We witnessed these tragic realities firsthand.

I also hear these horrific experiences from my own friends and neighbors when I return to my hometown of Weston, affectionately known in south Florida and around the world, quite frankly, as Westonzuela.

It is no surprise that this cruel regime has very few friends. Not surprisingly, one of them is the Kremlin. That is why the Russia- Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act is so urgently needed. This bill would require the State Department to provide a crucial threat assessment of Russia's influence in Venezuela.

Just this weekend, we saw media reports that more Russian military officials continue to arrive in Venezuela. According to the latest reports, planes brought in Russian cargo, advisers, and officials to train the same Venezuelan military apparatus that is keeping Maduro in power. This is just the latest attempt in a long-running push by Vladimir Putin to prop up this brutal autocrat.

In December, the Russian Federation sent two Tu-160 nuclear-capable bombers to Venezuela for joint exercises. The Tu-160 can carry conventional or nuclear-tipped cruise missiles with an estimated maximum range of around 3,000 miles. That same month, Russian and Venezuelan forces took part in a joint 10-hour exercise across the Caribbean with these Tu-160 nuclear-capable bombers.

This menacing Kremlin influence creates not only a hurdle to restoring a functioning, legitimate democracy to the people of Venezuela, but it also poses an imminent military threat to the entire Western Hemisphere. We not only need a detailed assessment of what kind of threat this poses but a strategy for dealing with it. Under this bill, the State Department would be required to deliver both essential diplomatic tools to Congress.

Our goal, regardless of party, is to allow for the peaceful transition to Venezuela's rightful leader, interim President Juan Guaido, and for the peaceful execution of free and fair elections. That will not happen soon enough, so long as Putin troops are helping prop up Maduro's bloody regime.

Another invaluable crutch the Kremlin has handed Maduro is pipelined through the embattled nation's oil supply. As his people suffer and protest all around him, Maduro survives inside an oil-soaked cocoon that the Russian Federation provides to his regime.

Maduro secures these lifeline loans by promising to repay the Russians with future oil exports. But amid Venezuela's economic crisis, Maduro, not surprisingly, fell behind on those payments, reports indicate, beginning in 2017. News reports suggest that the Russian state oil company Rosneft lent the Venezuelan state oil company billions of dollars, partly as a prepayment for its crude oil.

Those oily tentacles are another reason why the Russia-Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act is so vital. This bill would also require the President to give Congress an assessment of the security risks posed by any potential Russian acquisition of the U.S. energy infrastructure holdings of CITGO, which is owned by Venezuela. By monitoring the CITGO acquisition risks, we monitor one of Maduro's vital veins of sustenance.

Finally, what this bill would also do is allow the United States to use the diplomatic tools of travel to discourage further Russian- Venezuelan military entanglements. It would block travel to the United States by anyone who is acting or has acted on behalf of the Russian Government in direct support of the Venezuelan security forces.

Mr. Speaker, except in rare circumstances, this bill would allow for a ban and immediate revocation of visas from anyone working on behalf of the Russian Government to directly bolster the Venezuelan security forces.

Right now, the people of Venezuela are enduring an unimaginable onslaught of hunger, preventable medical dangers, and dire escalating economic pain. We cannot stand idly by while Putin assists Maduro in carrying out this inhumane and barbaric tragedy.

The Russian-Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act will make it harder for the Kremlin to outfit Maduro with weapons of oppression. This bill will also allow the United States to monitor and minimize the threat that Russia poses to the entire region.

Restoring democracy to Venezuela will not happen overnight. No single action alone could bring it about. But combined with the strong humanitarian aid and military export bills my colleagues have crafted that have passed on the floor tonight, the Russian-Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act will provide part of the comprehensive solution this all-encompassing tragedy needs.

The Venezuelan people, including my friends and neighbors back home, desperately need this relief.

Mr. Speaker, I have heard real stories of neighbors and friends standing in front of me, describing the Maduro regime's confiscation of their businesses, just coming in one day and taking over everything. They have wrought devastation across that land. Venezuela was once a vibrant, rich, successful democracy that he has driven into the ground for his own enrichment.

We can help bring this to an end through bills like the Russian- Venezuelan Threat Mitigation Act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their support of this critical legislation.

Mr. Speaker, one thing we are all reminded of this week is that words have power, and divisive words cause pain. Every Jewish person in America, no matter where they are from, could share a story of deeply painful anti-Semitism that they have personally experienced. For me, at its worst, Nazi-obsessed internet trolls mercilessly taunted my children with Holocaust threats too vile for me to describe on this floor.

This pain is frequently felt by all too many Americans. How you look or speak, whom you love, or where you live and pray can still invite unwanted and potentially dangerous words of hostility.

The conversation today about anti-Semitism, allegiance, and loyalty is necessary because remaining silent against hatred and bigotry is not an option.

I am a second-generation American on both sides of my family. Two generations later, it was possible for me to become a Member of the U.S. Congress--only in America. So, questioning my allegiance is painful and personal.

Unfortunately, this dual loyalty question is not isolated to Jews. Words have power. We must carefully choose our words and make sure that we use them to unite us and not to divide us.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, what we are witnessing is a President who poses a direct threat to both our military families and America's national security.

First, as we have heard, there is no border emergency. That is a fabrication. The administration's own statistics show that crossings and apprehensions are at a historic low. The vast

majority of illegal drugs come in at our ports of entry. A wall will not stop that.

Many who cross our borders are women and children. They are not running from border agents. They are seeking them out for help and for asylum.

Second, this will make life harder for America's military families, and, thus, hurt our national security. Who would ever intentionally make life tougher for the brave men and women who serve our country? It is monstrous, really, when you think about the sacrifices that they already make for this country.

As the chair of the Appropriations Committee Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcommittee, tomorrow I will hold a hearing to ask our service Secretaries exactly which projects they previously told us they really needed, but now should be sacrificed for a needless wall.

What will these leaders ask their troops to give up just so Trump can have a useless, wasteful wall? Training or intelligence facilities? Hangars for planes that cost billions? Schools for our military families' children? This is a power grab.

After failing to get his way in a funding dispute with Congress, Trump is throwing an unconstitutional temper tantrum. He is using the tools of an authoritarian, jeopardizing our military readiness to steal himself a wall that he could not get the lawful way. The dangerous precedent he will set is one that I hope all of my Republican colleagues will reject.

The President says a wall will keep Americans safe, but stealing funds from military families makes us all less safe. Bypassing Congress and the Constitution, and starving military families of funding is not patriotism. It is everything that true patriots fight against.

Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I honor the distinguished career and retirement of Dr. Robert Atlas.

Dr. Atlas has served our nation for more than 40 years as a federal employee. He retires as the Director of NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), where he has transformed AOML into a world class scientific organization focused on NOAA's mission and national needs.

Dr. Atlas received his Ph.D. in Meteorology and Oceanography in 1976 from New York University. Throughout his career, he has served our nation as head of the NASA Data Assimilation Office and as Chief Meteorologist at NASA GSFC. He was also a key member of the team that first demonstrated the significant impact of quantitative satellite data on numerical weather prediction.

Dr. Atlas has been committed to diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity, and under his leadership, AMOL has received several NOAA awards and is the most diverse of all NOAA laboratories.

I have had the pleasure of working directly with Dr. Atlas to inform the public of the upcoming Hurricane Season each year. His professionalism is unmatched, and I am grateful for his unwavering commitment to keeping Americans safe.

I am proud today to honor his leadership and wish him and his family well on his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support this bipartisan agreement which, while not perfect, keeps our government open and funds many essential, crucial needs. It also passes sound policy, like one preventing our government from using asylum-seeking children to be used as bait to arrest immigrants seeking to sponsor them.

I urge all Members to vote for this important compromise.

However, I cannot stay silent on the President's threat to declare a national emergency to pay for his boondoggle of a border wall. This lawless end-run around Congress is a craven act built on lies and distraction.

The President would steal funds we use to support our brave young soldiers just to pay for an ancient monument to waste. Rather than own up to his lie that Mexico would pay for it, Trump would degrade our national security to try to steal his way to his totem to vanity and hate.

Will Trump ever look our soldiers and veterans in the eye and tell them that it is they who will pay for the wall of waste? Of course not.

If this President wants to compromise our military with this tin-pot authoritarian tactic, he is going to have to come through this Congress to do it.

I urge my colleagues to vote for this agreement and reject Trump's big national emergency lie.

Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise to honor the life of Jack Shifrel, a distinguished Army veteran, former Broward County Public Schools school board member, fierce veterans' advocate, and most importantly, my friend for 30 years.

Mr. Shifrel served as president of the Broward Veterans Coalition and was always on the front lines in responding to the critical needs of our community. He worked tirelessly to make sure the men and women who served our Nation maintained their dignity and well-being.

Jack was an indomitable civic force and had a lifelong passion for politics, serving 10 4-year terms as a Democratic Party committeeman in Broward County.

He was a passionate advocate for the underserved, a defender of civil rights, and someone who helped make Broward County a kinder, more compassionate community.

He was a dear friend and embodied the best of what it means to give back to your country and your community.

Although Jack is no longer with us, his legacy lives on through veterans that he served with, and the countless individuals whose lives he changed for the better.

Jack Shifrel was one of a kind, a selfless, compassionate, and tireless advocate for others in Broward County. He was a patriot in the truest sense, and will be profoundly missed, but never forgotten.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this essential emergency supplemental appropriations bill.

H.R. 268 totals $12.14 billion in emergency disaster appropriations funding to provide relief and recovery assistance for Americans affected by recent hurricanes, typhoons, wildfires, and other natural disasters, especially in my home State of Florida.

The MILCON-VA portion of the bill provides $860.4 million for Department of Defense military construction needs and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Specifically, the bill includes $115 million for the Marine Corps to begin planning for construction projects related to the devastation left behind by Hurricanes Florence and Michael on Marine Corps facilities in North Carolina at New River, Cherry Point, and Lejeune.

The Marine Corps is planning facility consolidation efforts as a result of the severe damage, and this funding represents the first step in a vital rebuilding process for the Marine Corps.

Mr. Chair, the bill also includes $700 million to begin the rebuilding of Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida's Panhandle. This funding will support the relocation of the F-22 mission and the bed- down of F-35s, along with the planning for new facilities there.

This funding is a crucial first step to begin the necessary rebuilding of Tyndall, which we will rebuild.

Mr. Chair, I also want to point out that this funding for Tyndall and North Carolina is just a down payment. Congress is going to need to provide much more support to get these locations back on their feet, and this administration should take the time to address these real emergencies and not the ones they have manufactured.

Finally, this bill includes a continuing resolution to reopen our government, which is now in its 26th day of being shut down. Mr. Chair, as I said just yesterday, the Trump shutdown is continuing to inflict serious financial pain and anxiety on families, businesses, and communities across the United States.

Opening the government is not a poison pill. It is our duty. This legislation will enable the areas affected by the hurricanes to begin to rebuild the communities and military installations that are vital to our national defense and those local economies, as well as provide relief to 800,000 Federal workers and their families who are living under a cloud of economic insecurity right now.

Mr. Chair, I urge all Members of this body to cast a yes vote.

Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

As a fellow Floridian, I support the need to rebuild Tyndall, as I just mentioned in my opening statement, and support the Air Force's next-generation aircraft. It is important to ensure that our airmen and their families have state-of-the-art facilities that support the new mission.

I look forward to working with Mr. Dunn and Ranking Member Granger as we begin the process to ensure future funding is available to continue this vital reconstruction of Tyndall Air Force Base.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to reopen the Federal Government and end this destructive Trump shutdown. For 25 days now, the Trump shutdown has inflicted financial pain and anxiety on families, businesses, and entire communities across the United States.

This week, I spoke with a room full of these victims. Aviation safety experts detailed for me how the Trump shutdown has eroded an air travel system that, for now, is safe, but they are growing worried and concerned.

I heard from Federal workers who told me that the changes to tax laws ushered in during the Republican tax scam have left citizens scrambling for answers, yet workers are not there who can shepherd them through those changes.

A local leader who represents domestic violence shelters warned me, if the Trump shutdown drags on, as many as a third of the Florida facilities that women count on for refuge when they are victims of domestic violence could find themselves cutting services.

Democrats in the House have done our job. We have passed half a dozen bills to reopen the government, yet Senate Republicans have decided to hide behind President Trump and his border boondoggle refusing to take ``yes'' for an answer that could end this irresponsible shutdown.

While they are busy bowing to the President, Senate Republicans recklessly ignore that public safety is at stake. They downplay, and even dismiss, that 800,000 families are now living without a paycheck today.

Businesses, farmers, veterans, restaurant workers, domestic violence victims, and many more are all feeling real pain from this unnecessary shutdown. We need to do our jobs. We need to work together and actually be the coequal branch of government that the Constitution describes.

So today, House Democrats will do just that and give Senate Republicans another option to get us out of this latest Trump trap and offer this bill that would reopen all closed Federal agencies through February 1. This bill would allow time for us to negotiate border security and immigration reform, but without inflicting further economic harm on our families and our businesses. It is the smart, reasonable, and compassionate thing to do.

I ask my colleagues to pass this bill into law without delay.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge Congress to pass the Inspector General Access Act of 2019. This act, I am pleased to underscore, enjoys broad bipartisan support from this body now and has in the past, but its approval is more urgent now.

The actions, for example, of former U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta have drawn intense scrutiny since new revelations surrounding a plea deal he offered to a serial pedophile came to light.

Based on newly reported documents and a group of brave women who came forward to share their stories, it appears that Acosta gave a sweetheart deal to a wealthy and well-connected sex offender and hid it from his victims, some of whom were still in the midst of coming forward.

Acosta is now the U.S. Secretary of Labor, a position that handles workplace harassment and sex trafficking policies, yet he has refused to discuss the new allegations. This IG Access Act would explicitly allow the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General to investigate allegations of such alleged misconduct.

It is a power that the IG office--as has been pointed out by both the chair and ranking member here, it is a power that the IG office already has when it comes to investigating allegations made against any of the DOJ's many law enforcement agents, from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to the U.S. Marshals Service.

This act has received broad bipartisan support, both in successive Congresses and from the Government Accountability Office, but because of an unusual carve-out, the DOJ's inspector general is believed to be, as the ranking member said, the only Federal agency that has no explicit power to review the conduct of its own attorneys.

If professional misconduct was involved in Acosta's handling of Jeffrey Epstein's plea deal, potentially dozens of victims of this connected multimillionaire have a right to know. Acosta's seemingly unethical decision to drastically reduce the criminal penalties against this vile sexual predator and to shield his other coconspirators is simply unacceptable.

The American people and the victims of these horrific crimes deserve to know why justice was not served in this disturbing case, and the lack of transparency still cloaking it is deeply disturbing.

Giving the DOJ's inspector general more explicit and independent power to pull back the cloak of secrecy on Acosta's sweetheart deal goes to the heart of transparency and accountability that this office stands for and that this bill would insist upon.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support this appropriations bill, which provides funding for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and related agencies.

This bill would provide vital funding for water infrastructure, State drinking water systems, national parks, and

Everglades restoration projects. Yet we have been locked in a nonsensical shutdown because President Trump continues to insist on his ineffective and offensive border wall scheme.

While the President throws a tantrum, people are suffering and our environment is suffering.

Many of us have seen the pictures of the piles of garbage. Our environment cannot withstand this onslaught. They are overflowing in many of our national parks.

Our national parks are the crown jewels of our Nation's natural heritage. In 2017, the National Park System drew more than 330 million visits, including more than 10 million in my home State of Florida.

These visits are not just from Americans, but also from people all around the world who came to see the natural wonders America has to offer.

In 2017, national parks contributed $35.8 billion to the Nation's economy and $613 million to Florida's economy, and they supported 306,000 jobs nationwide. Yet, today, many are closed or short-staffed, and a diminished law enforcement presence puts the well-being of visitors and wildlife at risk.

This is not the only major consequence of President Trump's and congressional Republicans' efforts to block funding for the shuttered agencies that would be restored by this legislation.

EPA has stopped making inspections of drinking water systems, hazardous waste management sites, and chemical facilities. During the last long shutdown in 2013, EPA stopped inspecting more than 1,200 sites of environmental importance and concern.

Now more than ever, we need the EPA to provide rigorous guidance and support for State drinking water agencies.

No one knows this more than the residents of Flint, Michigan, whose water is still not safe to drink. And closer to my home, Floridians in Ocala face the contamination of their water by harmful fire retardants used at the nearby fire college. Halting inspections leaves communities like these more vulnerable. These cuts can truly impact the people we are elected to serve.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill so that the Senate can once again pass it and the government can be reopened.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge Congress to pass this bill, which would fund agricultural and nutrition programs that are vital to our Nation's farmers and well-being. I also rise to ask that my colleagues refrain from turning millions of hardworking SNAP recipients into pawns in a shutdown fight over a feckless border wall.

While the President continues to insist on shutting down key agencies like the USDA, our Nation's farmers are facing uncertainty. Every month, USDA releases the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, which provides important information about the size of crop harvests. However, due to the shutdown, the USDA is unable to send out this highly anticipated report, casting doubt on the agricultural commodities markets.

Even worse, the shutdown has forced USDA to stop providing assistance to

the thousands of farmers feeling intense pressure from President Trump's ridiculous trade war. Agriculture is the number two economic driver of Florida's economy.

This shutdown could also potentially affect our public health. The FDA cannot accept any new regulatory submissions during the shutdown. This means that food and drug manufacturers can't provide documentation to the agency to verify compliance with safety regulations.

The FDA has also been forced to cut back inspections of food processing facilities, putting public health at risk. Essential inspectors are working without pay. The FDA sets targets for inspections, and the shutdown will prevent the agency from meeting those targets.

Finally, we must pass this bill to avoid potentially disastrous effects on Americans suffering from food insecurity. SNAP, also known as food stamps, is a crucial program that helps these Americans put food on the table, but SNAP is estimated to have only enough funding to last until February. After that, Federal law requires USDA to ration any available funding among SNAP recipients.

If President Trump continues to refuse to reopen the government, almost 3.7 million people in Florida may lose the assistance that helps feed their families. That would be a shameful situation for the wealthiest nation on Earth.

The longer the shutdown goes on, the bigger the impact will be on our Nation's food safety and health. I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill because people's livelihoods and well-being are on the line.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support this appropriations bill, which would fund the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.

Air travel is fast becoming one of the most disturbing points of contention in this shutdown fracas.

The world's largest pilots' union recently warned in a letter to the Trump administration that air safety could be threatened by the shutdown.

About 10,000 FAA air traffic controllers have been deemed essential and asked to perform a vital public safety function without pay.

These men and women are dedicated, hardworking professionals. But this situation is unfair and untenable.

Soon, many of these vital air safety workers will begin to face financial hardship. We cannot reasonably expect them to work without pay.

On top of this, the FAA has fewer safety inspectors on the job than are needed to ensure that our air traffic control system is operating maximally.

On the ground, state transportation projects are being halted because the federal government often pays up to 90 percent of road projects.

With the Department of Transportation shuttered, road projects nationwide are stalling as federal payments to states are delayed.

Americans who rely on the Department of Housing and Urban Development may face hardship, too. Due to the shutdown, HUD has stopped conducting inspections at assisted housing units.

Residents of these housing units depend on these inspections to ensure proper upkeep of their homes. They are important for ensuring the maintenance of sanitation and safety.

Even more alarming, more than 1,000 contracts for government-funded housing properties for low-income renters have expired because HUD is shut down.

Because funding has lapsed, thousands of low-income renters may face eviction.

I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill, because the integrity of our airspace and transportation systems depend on it. And so do thousands of Americans who depend on HUD for housing.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 221, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act, and thank our bipartisan cosponsors for moving it forward.

This bill would elevate the position of Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism to the rank of ambassador, with nomination by the President and confirmation by the Senate. Sadly, this bill is very much needed.

A report last year published by the Kantor Center at Tel Aviv University found an increase in anti-Semitic harassment and abuse worldwide, including in schools and online. The report recounts abuse against Jews in dozens of countries around the world.

Yet, despite its clear findings, the Trump administration has yet to even fill the position of Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti- Semitism. This is simply shameful and inexplicable. It is particularly shameful given this President's unabashed embrace of the alt-right, a movement which was linked to the murderous attack on the Tree of Life synagogue, the deadliest attack on a Jewish community in American history.

Talk is cheap. If President Trump genuinely cared about the Jewish community, he would have made this appointment a priority--and he has not.

I thank my colleagues who are moving this bill forward on both sides of the aisle. I urge us to pass this bill, again, and send it to the Senate and eventually to the President's desk so that America can lead by example by filling this vital role that demonstrates our commitment that Jews and people of all faiths are free to practice their religion without fear or harm.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the bill and, in particular, opposition to section 407, which would, essentially, repeal the Johnson amendment. The Johnson amendment protects the integrity and independence of charities and houses of worship by ensuring that they do not endorse or oppose political candidates.

One of the characteristics of American religious institutions that has made them so sacred is that they are separate from government and separate from campaign profits.

If Americans want to get involved in partisan elections, we know how to do that, but what we are seeking when we attend church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or any or house of worship is something quite different.

This distinction has long been reflected in how our law treats religious institutions differently than political institutions, to preserve their sacred place in American society, houses of worship must stay above the political fray, and refrain from endorsing candidates for political office.

Current law strikes as balance, and it is important to emphasize what houses of worship with tax-exempt status can do: they are permitted to advocate for policies that are consistent with their values, and they can help their members become engaged in the political process by organizing events, registering voters, and getting them to the polls. They just can't tell people who to vote for.

It is no surprise that a wide array of religious organizations and faith leaders support the Johnson amendment and oppose section 407 of this bill, out of an understandable concern that political parties and candidates seeking power would be empowered to use their congregations as tools and pressure them for their endorsements.

I think we can all agree that Americans have had enough of political partisanship. They do not want more of it, and they certainly don't want it in their houses of worship where so many seek refuge from the tumult and chaos of their day-to-day life.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on the bill for this and many other reasons.