Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 82) to amend title II of the Social Security Act to repeal the Government pension offset and windfall elimination provisions.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, which fully repeals Social Security's windfall elimination provision and government pension offset.

The WEP and GPO are two Social Security policies that adjust benefits for workers who receive a pension from jobs that were exempt from Social Security payroll taxes, frequently police officers, firefighters, teachers, and other public servants. These two provisions affect around 4 percent of all Social Security beneficiaries, more than 60 percent of whom are concentrated in 10 States.

These two policies were put in place more than four decades ago to prevent workers with earnings that were exempt from Social Security payroll taxes from getting more generous treatment from Social Security than workers who spent their whole careers contributing to Social Security. Unfortunately, these policies still result in overly generous benefits for some while unfairly penalizing others.

This Congress, the Ways and Means Committee has held more hearings on WEP and GPO than any other Congress over the past 20 years.

At our first hearing, held at a fire station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, we heard directly from American retirees who have been affected by these flawed provisions, which took most of them completely by surprise.

At our second hearing, we identified that there are alternatives to the current WEP and GPO formulas, using data which wasn't available when those two provisions were put in place 40 years ago, which would provide all beneficiaries with a fair benefit based on their actual earnings.

Mr. Speaker, while the Social Security Fairness Act repeals the flawed WEP and GPO, it is far from being a perfect solution and does nothing to replace them with a fair formula.

Unfortunately, without a replacement, this bill is projected to cost Social Security almost $200 billion over the next 10 years and expedite Social Security's insolvency by about 6 months. When that happens, it is projected that all beneficiaries, not just those affected by the WEP and GPO, will receive a 20 to 25 percent benefit cut.

The WEP and GPO are flawed, but they were put in place for a reason: to try to fairly account for workers holding jobs both outside and inside the Social Security system.

I think everyone agrees they have done an imperfect job in treating all workers fairly, and that is certainly something we need to fix. However, to get rid of them without a replacement potentially trades unfair treatment for preferential treatment.

Like many of the Members who support this legislation, I share the goal of providing real relief to those who are harmed by these unfair Washington rules, which is why it is unfortunate that this legislation had to come to the floor this way. I would have much rather had a bipartisan solution that came

to the floor through regular order that both repealed this formula but also replaced it while holding retirees and current workers harmless. It is why I appreciate that while the gentleman could have filed a Consensus Calendar motion for H.R. 82 more than 460 days ago, Representative Garret Graves instead chose to work in good faith with the committee to find an alternative that is fully paid for.

Unfortunately, Democrats and key stakeholders were ultimately unwilling to come together and identify a real bipartisan solution that would protect both those harmed by the WEP and GPO and the Social Security trust fund, which all beneficiaries rely on.

Mr. Speaker, if Members don't want to be right back here next Congress, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to work with us to fix this issue moving forward and protect the retirement security of all American seniors.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), the author of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Higgins).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).

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

Mr. Speaker, America's public servants deserve to be treated fairly by Social Security, and all of America's seniors deserve access to the benefits that they have earned and to live out their retirement with dignity. These truths are not mutually exclusive.

We owe it to those Americans who dedicated their careers to serving the public that they are not treated unfairly because of a mistake Congress made decades ago. We also have a duty

to the millions of seniors on Social Security not impacted by GPO or WEP to put in place a legislative fix that protects their benefits.

I will commend my colleague and good friend, Congressman Graves, for his tireless work on behalf of these seniors and encourage all of my colleagues to consider how this legislation will affect their constituents one way or another as they vote.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

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. 9495) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to postpone tax deadlines and reimburse paid late fees for United States nationals who are unlawfully or wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad, to terminate the tax-exempt status of terrorist supporting organizations, 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 insert extraneous material on this bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 9495, brought forward by Representatives Tenney, Kustoff, and Schneider of the Ways and Means Committee, as well as Representative Titus of Nevada.

This bill is about stopping the abuse of the tax code by organizations that support terrorism and ensuring that those who are held against their will by foreign governments or terrorists don't suffer further from tax penalties when they return home to America.

In the wake of Hamas' brutal attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023, we have discovered material support for terrorist organizations like Hamas right here in the United States, much of which has been funded by tax- exempt organizations receiving money from American taxpayers.

Tax-exempt status must be denied to any entity found to have provided material support to a terrorist organization. We must starve the aggressors of the resources they need to commit more atrocities.

At the same time, Hamas is still holding hostages in Gaza, including American citizens, kidnapped by the terrorist organization on October 7 of last year. We must honor the struggle of these victims. Unfortunately, they are made to suffer unintentionally due to aspects of our tax code.

When those who are wrongfully detained around the world--whether by terrorists or by governments--finally return to America, they could be subjected to tax bills, including penalties and interest on taxes that went unpaid during their captivity.

H.R. 9495, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, is the much-needed solution to both of these problems.

Under this legislation, the IRS will be given the tools it needs to ensure that American citizens held hostage or wrongfully detained and their families do not incur penalties for late tax payments while in captivity. American victims and their families already went through a nightmare. Tax penalties just add to the harm.

This legislation would also close the IRS loophole that terrorist organizations have exploited for years. It builds on the committee's antiterror financing efforts by prohibiting organizations from maintaining tax-exempt status if they are found to have provided material support or resources to a terrorist or terrorist-supporting organization within a 3-year period.

This issue is devastating. Let me provide two examples. One U.S.- based tax-exempt organization hired a so-called journalist in Gaza, who was a member of Hamas and was literally holding Israelis taken hostage on October 7 in his own home. He was paid using tax-exempt funds. He was paid using tax-exempt funds. That organization is still operating as a tax-exempt organization here in the U.S. today. Even though the Ways and Means Committee has called for the revocation of their status, the IRS Commissioner has yet to do anything.

Another tax-exempt organization based in the U.S. financially sponsored and funded a foreign group that was just designated by Treasury as a sham charity and a funder of terrorism. The IRS once again has yet to revoke the sponsor's tax-exempt status.

This legislation is needed. It received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Ways and Means Committee. I look forward to seeing H.R. 9495 receive even more bipartisan support here on the House floor today.

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

Mr. Speaker, may the record also reflect the truth and the facts. The IRS Commissioner, Mr. Werfel, was appointed by President Biden, not President Trump. Let's get the facts straight.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Tenney).

Mr. Speaker, I cannot understand what is controversial about an organization losing their tax-exempt status if they are funding terrorism. I don't see how that is controversial, but apparently, the prior speakers believe it is controversial.

It is crystal clear. This legislation has passed out of the House with overwhelming support in the past. The Senate has been holding it up. The Democrat-controlled Senate has been holding it up. But guess what. In a couple of months, it won't be the Democrat-controlled Senate.

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

Mr. Speaker, I will say it once again: It is pretty clear this bill gives the IRS the authority it needs to revoke tax-exempt status for organizations that provide material support for terrorism. That is it. The tax-exempt organizations that aren't providing material support for terrorism have nothing to fear.

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

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

In response to the prior speaker's comments of the Senate hostage bill that was passed earlier, we had the IRS and we had the Joint Committee on Taxation that said there were flaws in how it was drafted. This bill fixes those flaws, according to what the IRS said and the Joint Committee on Taxation.

Also, the prior speaker is also a member of the Ways and Means Committee, and he knows that according to the Constitution, all revenue measures originate in the House of Representatives. That bill is a revenue measure that originated in the Senate. That is why we are doing this legislation, in order to get it accomplished to follow a very important document called the U.S. Constitution.

There is something terribly wrong when organizations that support terrorism can abuse the tax code here in the United States but American citizens who are victimized by bad actors abroad can be subjected to tax penalties when they return home to America. There is something terribly wrong when a so-called journalist in Gaza, who had been hired by a tax-exempt organization in the U.S., holds Israelis taken hostage in his own home for months.

There is something wrong when the U.S.-based, nonprofit sponsor of a designated sham charity and funder of terrorism still has not had its tax-exempt status revoked. There is something terribly wrong when families, who have already gone through a nightmare, face tax penalties when they get home.

H.R. 9495 is the answer. It received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Ways and Means Committee. I look forward to even more bipartisan support here on the House floor today.

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1455, I call up the bill (H.R. 5179) to require the maintenance of the country of origin markings for imported goods produced in the West Bank or Gaza, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

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 bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Anti-BDS Labeling Act introduced by my good friend and Committee on Ways and Means colleague, Ms. Tenney.

For years, far-left progressives have targeted Israel through the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. In fact, many of the recent campus protests that we saw that came in the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks on Israel shut down elite universities to try to force university endowments to divest from Israel. For these protesters, no step is too far to achieve their goals. The incidents of harassment, bullying, and intimidation of Jewish students are at this point too numerous to count.

The Ways and Means Committee will not stop holding these elite universities accountable until every Jewish student feels safe on campus.

This small, loud minority does not speak for the vast majority of Americans. Let me be clear: America stands with Israel.

Under President Trump, the alliance between the United States and Israel was stronger than ever before. He moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. He brokered the Abraham Accords, sending a message to Iran that Israel does not stand alone. He canceled President Obama's disastrous Iran nuclear deal. The list goes on and on. One of the items on that list of accomplishments was a move to counter the same BDS movement fueling the chaos on college campuses.

In 2020, the Trump administration's Customs and Border Protection clarified the labeling of items imported from Israel. Items coming from regions of the West Bank under Israeli authority must be labeled as coming from Israel, just as labels on items coming from Hamas- controlled Gaza or areas of the West Bank outside of Israeli control must reflect its origin as coming from one of those two areas.

This bill before us codifies this Trump rule into law and bans the use of any Federal dollars to reverse or alter it. American families should have this information in order to buy products that support Israel's economy, particularly in a time of war.

Conversely, people should know if an item comes from a region controlled by terrorists that kidnapped and killed their fellow Americans. Public reports earlier this year indicated that the Biden- Harris administration considered reversing this policy.

Once again, Mr. Speaker, Democrats are putting the demands of radical progressives ahead of our best ally and our largest trading partner in the Middle East.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my Democratic colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this legislation and join us in empowering Americans looking to show their support for Israel.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Tenney).

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, first off, this bill was marked up in committee back in April, so it wasn't like it was done yesterday, and we have been bringing this forward.

Also, Mr. Speaker, it is extremely important to note that what this bill does is it codifies current rules that were put into place by the Trump administration, but the Biden administration has rescinded almost everything of Trump's except for tariffs and this policy.

They have not rescinded it. If Democrats thought it was bad, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle would have rescinded it. I would hope the President's own party would support it, but we will see today.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, the old saying is, ``knowledge is power.'' By codifying the Trump-era rule that currently labels items coming from Israel as originating in Israel, this body can empower individual Americans to buy products supporting our ally.

I thank Representatives Claudia Tenney and Greg Steube, both of whom have been leaders on this issue, for sounding the alarm about the attempt by the Biden-Harris administration to weaken Israel.

Congress should not even have to debate this topic, but the Customs and Border Protection rule in question provides no special treatment to Israel, but it does extend fair treatment to their exports. After more than 3 years in office, the Biden-Harris administration has not changed this policy.

Unfortunately, reports earlier this year indicated that the Biden- Harris administration was preparing to overturn this policy. Such a change could still happen at any time unless Congress acts.

This proposed reversal would hurt both American consumers and our ally. Israel's economy is slowing from the strain of a war it didn't start. The last thing Israel needs as it fights to end this war are trade barriers that make it harder to choose Israeli products.

The loss of revenue from American businesses and consumers would only magnify the harm done to Israel by this war. More importantly, this proposed reversal of sound policy seems to be driven more by political pandering than a consideration for Israel's ability to defend and provide for itself while under attack.

House Republicans have made our commitment to supporting our friend and ally crystal clear. We have not left Israel wondering and worrying whether Republicans will support them.

This bill is a clear opportunity to stand with Israel and empower American families, and I hope that the minority will join us in sending a clear message that Congress and America will support our ally.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5861) to extend reemployment services and eligibility assessments to all claimants for unemployment benefits, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the BRIDGE for Workers Act to help more Americans who are out of work find employment faster.

Currently, only those deemed most likely to exhaust their unemployment benefits are eligible for job placement services provided through the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments program. That unfairly limits resources to a small subset of UI recipients, when thousands of others could be back in the workforce sooner with this assistance. This bill levels the playing field and extends these services to every American on unemployment benefits.

These services are critical for helping Americans find work compatible with their experience and skills to help them get back to earning a paycheck again.

Members of Congress have heard over and over again about a labor shortage and ``help wanted'' signs dotting storefronts across the country. This legislation will help address this shortage by helping more unemployed Americans get back into the workforce sooner.

After fraudsters and criminals stole over $100 billion of unemployment benefits during COVID, the bill before us will also strengthen program integrity by ensuring claimants are complying with eligibility rules. Claimants must be able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work.

This legislation was a bipartisan effort sponsored by the chairman and ranking member of the Ways and Means Work and Welfare Subcommittee, Representatives LaHood and Davis. I thank them both for their leadership in helping the unemployment insurance program fulfill its mission of supporting unemployed Americans who are seeking stable work.

The BRIDGE for Workers Act passed out of committee with every single Republican and Democrat voting for it. I hope we can have a repeat performance of strong bipartisan support in favor of this legislation today.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), the chairman of our Work and Welfare Subcommittee.

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

This bipartisan legislation will help more Americans in a rough patch get back on their feet quickly and back into the workforce.

Communities across the country are currently in the middle of a multiple-year labor shortage. We know this from the companies of all sizes and in all industries that have warned what the lack of available workers is doing to their business. Some are cutting hours of operation or increasing customer wait times, while businesses forfeit opportunities to expand and grow because of the lack of labor.

This shortage makes business less productive, slows down our economy, and adds to our national debt. Ultimately, families pay the highest price when able-bodied workers can't or don't find new employment.

This bill takes steps to tackle the labor shortage by expanding needed job placement services to individuals receiving unemployment. This bipartisan bill is an easy, commonsense win for America's workers and small businesses.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to vote to advance this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8292) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase penalties for unauthorized disclosure of taxpayer information, 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 the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in favor of the Taxpayer Data Protection Act. When Americans file their taxes, they expect their personal data and tax information are confidential.

Between 2017 and 2021, Charles Littlejohn, who worked as a contractor for the IRS, stole taxpayer information, and he stole a lot of it. He gave it to The New York Times and ProPublica, who published articles containing that confidential tax information about President Trump and other notable figures. Mr. Littlejohn then destroyed evidence and obstructed law enforcement investigations.

Despite his efforts to cover up his crimes, Mr. Littlejohn admitted that he was ``aware of the potential consequences'' and, in fact, made his decision ``with the full knowledge that [he] would likely end up in a courtroom.''

Current law failed to deter Mr. Littlejohn from stealing and leaking private and sensitive taxpayer information. Moreover, the Department of Justice only charged Mr. Littlejohn with a single count of unauthorized disclosure of private tax information.

Given this lackluster charge, Republicans wrote the judge urging the court to sentence Mr. Littlejohn to the maximum sentence for the crimes he committed, particularly given the number of taxpayers impacted by his actions.

Mr. Littlejohn ultimately received the maximum sentence available, but the court was limited to the single count that the Department of Justice brought charges on.

This bipartisan bill ensures that the punishment fits the crime. Current law states that any violation shall be a felony punishable by a fine in any amount not to exceed $5,000 or imprisonment of not more than 5 years or both.

This bill increases the maximum penalty for the unauthorized disclosure of returns and return information to include a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of not more than 10 years or both. It also ensures that prosecutors can consider each taxpayer impacted by a disclosure to support a separate and distinct violation of the law.

Increasing the punishment for this crime will result in better deterrence for potential criminals and fewer crimes of this sort being committed.

I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation and send a very clear message that Congress will not tolerate the theft and leak of taxpayer information.

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

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

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

Every taxpayer deserves to have their data protected from theft and illegal disclosure. Our voluntary tax filing system depends on trust, a trust that was betrayed by a criminal with political motives who calculated that the crime would be worth the current punishment.

Simply put, he knew the crime he was committing, he knew the likelihood he would end up in prison for just a few months or years, and he decided the risks were clearly worth his reward.

We have an opportunity to deter similar actions from happening again in the future by making the punishment match the crime.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for the Taxpayer Data Protection Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3784) to amend title VII of the Social Security Act to provide for a single point of contact at the Social Security Administration for individuals who are victims of identity theft, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3784, the Improving Social Security's Service to Victims of Identity Theft Act.

In 2022 alone, there were over a thousand data breaches which exposed the private data, such as names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of millions of Americans, putting their identities and financial well-being at risk.

We all know someone who has been a been a victim of identity theft, and we have seen how difficult and time consuming it is for those individuals to take back control of their credit and financial well- being.

The longer it takes to resolve an issue like the loss or theft of a Social Security number, the longer fraudsters have to compromise or exploit an individual's identity.

This Congress, the Ways and Means Committee held a hearing that underlined exactly why this bill is needed. We heard from Margaret, a new mother, who testified about her 9-month-old daughter's Social Security number being compromised and the stress associated with such a situation. She testified that having a single point of contact at the Social Security Administration to talk to about her case would have made a world of difference. That is exactly what this bill does.

H.R. 3784 will streamline the process of addressing concerns with lost or stolen Social Security numbers by reducing the burdens on victims and ensuring a more efficient resolution of their issues.

I thank my colleagues, Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Drew Ferguson and Ranking Member John Larson for their bipartisan work on this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Ferguson), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security.

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

Mr. Speaker, a Social Security number is the gateway to taking control of an American's identity and finances. Congress owes it to the American people to do everything that we can to ensure their identities are protected and that the process for taking back control of their identity when their Social Security number is compromised is streamlined and easy. We especially owe it to the almost 1 million children who were victims of identity fraud in 2022 through no fault of their own.

H.R. 3784 is a long-overdue step forward in streamlining the Social Security Administration's process and alleviating the burden on victims.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1146) to amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to identify obstacles to identifying and responding to reports of children missing from foster care and other vulnerable foster youth, to provide technical assistance relating to the removal of such obstacles, 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 the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, every year, thousands of families open their hearts and welcome into their homes children who have suffered abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Right now, there are nearly 400,000 children in foster care.

Youth in the foster care system often have experienced serious trauma and are at high risk of going missing or running away from their foster care placements, which increases their likelihood of experiencing homelessness, human trafficking, and other exploitation.

Over the past year, the Committee on Ways and Means has been hard at work reforming aspects of our child welfare programs. The Find and Protect Foster Youth Act, introduced by Senator John Cornyn and Representative Tony Gonzales, will bring us one step closer to realizing that goal.

This legislation requires the Department of Health and Human Services and States to improve tracking for children in the foster care system who have run away or gone missing at some point, including screening youth for signs of human trafficking or other trauma.

Under Federal law, States are required to report missing foster children within 24 hours to law enforcement, yet some States still struggle to implement those protocols. This means that in some cases, kids missing from foster care are not being tracked or reported as missing in a timely manner.

This legislation also requires HHS to evaluate State protocols for shortcomings and share that information with Congress so we can implement the changes to better track and protect youth in our foster care system.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, our foster care system is a lifeline for thousands of children who have been displaced, abused, and neglected. Many of these children are at risk for going missing or running away from their foster homes, which puts them at risk of experiencing homelessness and human trafficking.

As Members of Congress, our responsibility to protect foster youth doesn't end once they are placed in a home. We must ensure that States have the tools and guidance to locate these children when they go missing in a timely manner and work to make sure every child has a safe and loving home.

This legislation will strengthen communication between States and the Federal Government to help them find and protect missing foster youth who are in crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and 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. 9076) to reauthorize and modernize part B of title IV of the Social Security Act to strengthen child welfare services, expand the availability of prevention services to better meet the needs of vulnerable families, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, title IV-B of the Social Security Act provides critical resources to protect the safety and well-being of children in foster care and gives States, Tribes, and territories flexibility to invest in prevention services to keep vulnerable families together whenever possible.

Unfortunately, this program's authorization expired in 2021, and the program has remained largely unchanged since 2008. We have a responsibility to make sure programs are meeting the current needs of families and children who need it most. This reauthorization modernizes title IV-B child welfare and increases accountability.

Right now, there are nearly 400,000 children in foster care and over 20,000 who age out of foster care each year.

The Ways and Means Committee has worked over the last year to conduct a top-to-bottom review of America's child welfare system. We have held four hearings and numerous meetings with stakeholders to better understand where there are gaps and how to bring this program up to date to better serve America's children.

I represent one of the poorest congressional districts in the country, and before I came to Congress, I practiced family law and saw firsthand how our child welfare system can put undue strain on families.

That is why I particularly appreciate the opportunity to have worked with Representative Gwen Moore in introducing legislation, included in this bill, that prevents child services from taking children away from their families simply because they live in poverty. I think about the families separated in Missouri over the years not because of abuse or neglect, but because they could not afford to pay a bill or new clothes for their kids. It is not right, and this bill corrects that.

The bipartisan legislation before us today is the result of those efforts. It will not only help address the needs of children in foster care but also support early intervention to help families stay together. The Protecting America's Children by Strengthening Families Act, introduced by the chair and ranking member of our Work and Welfare Subcommittee, Darin LaHood and Danny Davis, reauthorizes title IV-B for 5 years and makes significant reforms to modernize the program.

Specifically, this bill reduces the administrative burden by dialing back paperwork and reporting requirements that are hamstringing caseworkers.

It streamlines funding to improve access for Indian Tribes.

It helps to prevent abuse and neglect and ensures that children are not separated from their parents solely on the basis of poverty.

It addresses the caseworker crisis by improving access to training.

It strengthens the support systems for the 2.5 million grandparents and relatives who provide kinship care to children who might otherwise enter foster care.

It also improves outcomes for youth transitioning from foster care into adulthood.

This bill also includes important legislation from Representative Hern of Oklahoma that would strengthen the tools available to States and Tribes to ensure millions of families receive the child support that they are owed. That bill would prevent the IRS from blocking State child support agencies from using contractors to administrator their child support enforcement program.

Representative Hern's bill, the Strengthening State and Tribal Child Support Enforcement Act, will harmonize Federal laws so States can continue carrying out necessary child support payment collections and allow Tribal child support agencies to direct access to the same tools. This bill avoids additional significant costs that would be incurred by both States and Tribes should the IRS policy go into place as it is scheduled to do on October 1.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Work and Welfare.

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

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, it is not often that you find this many Republicans and Democrats voting together on a bill, but when it comes to supporting children and families, we are in strong agreement.

Reauthorizing title IV-B is a first-in-a-generation win that will refocus the child welfare system on keeping families together and preventing abuse and neglect.

Don't take our word for it. The title IV-B coalition, made up of 22 different national, State, and county organizations, has endorsed this legislation. The National Foster Youth Institute, the Child Welfare League of America, and the National Indian Child Welfare Association have all come out in support of this legislation.

I also give a special thanks to Paris Hilton for personally coming to Capitol Hill and testifying about her lived experience and in support of reforms to this program.

The legislation from Representative Hern that is also included in this bill will fix the disconnect between Federal laws that are currently setting up State and Tribal child support agencies for failure.

The child support enforcement program is one of the most highly successful, cost-effective Federal programs that millions of families across the country rely upon each month. The program produces $5 in benefits for every $1 spent on administration. Nearly 13 million children, representing 18 percent of all children, are affected by this program.

Twenty-six States from the National Governors Association have endorsed this legislation, along with the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Association of Counties, and the National Association of Tribal Child Support Directors.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join them in supporting this important legislation, and 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. 8314) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to impose penalties with respect to contributions to political committees from certain tax exempt organizations that receive contributions from foreign nationals, 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 submit extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, as the world's leading democracy, America is an example for other nations to follow. Unfortunately, we are also a target for foreign actors seeking to influence and undermine our elections.

Over the last year, as the Ways and Means Committee has been investigating concerns about the dangerous influence of foreign money in our elections, it has become clear that loopholes exist in our tax code that foreign donors are able to take advantage of so they can influence the American electoral process.

Under current law, foreign nationals are prohibited from making contributions directly to election campaigns, but there is nothing that prohibits overseas cash flowing from foreign nationals, including from adversaries of the United States such as China, through tax-exempt organizations and then into the hands of super-PACs.

The committee's investigation discovered a particularly disturbing example: A foreign national from Switzerland has given over $100 million through his tax-exempt organization to the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a 501(c)(4), which subsequently distributed $63 million to super-PACs to try to persuade the American voter. According to The New York Times, the Sixteen Thirty Fund is a leading vehicle for dark money on the left.

The American people shouldn't be subjected to TV and digital ads financed by the Chinese Communist Party or other nations seeking to influence the vote or undermine our elections. I think we can all agree that our election should be free of foreign interference.

For my colleagues on the left who spent years talking about foreign election interference, this should be a no-brainer. If they care about our electoral process and making sure it is open and fair, then we need to make sure foreign money can't drown out the voices of American voters.

The legislation before us today, sponsored by Representative Malliotakis, the No Foreign Election Interference Act, was approved in May by the Ways and Means Committee 39-1. Her bill closes this loophole in the tax code by restricting tax-exempt organizations from donating to super-PACs after receiving foreign gifts or contributions, and it revokes the tax-exempt status for organizations that repeatedly violate this law.

This bill is not aimed at program service revenue or member dues but clearly focuses on contributions and gifts made to tax-exempt organizations that then make donations to super-PACs.

When it comes to our elections, the American people, not wealthy foreign donors, should decide the future direction of our country.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Representative Malliotakis for her leadership on this issue, and I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill so that we can maintain the integrity of our election system.

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

Wow, Mr. Speaker. This is about as swampy as you can get in Washington. This bill passed out of the House Ways and Means Committee 39-1, including the gentlewoman from California who voted ``yes.''

The only difference between when it passed out of the committee to where we are today is that some outside interest groups, who apparently control the voting cards and the opinions of a lot of people, said this is a bad bill, so now we are a ``no.'' That is very, very unfortunate.

I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Malliotakis).

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

Mr. Speaker, I think it is noteworthy to know that whenever we did the markup on this bill in committee, the other side did not present one amendment to protect what they are suggesting now that they should have done in amendment. Guess what? They voted 39-1 for this bill.

Those penalties that the gentlewoman from California was pointing out that she didn't like, that hasn't changed. That was in the bill, and they passed it. She voted for it.

This bill is about making sure American elections are decided by American voters, not foreign nationals who want to tip the scales in favor of their preferred candidate or policy.

The 2020 elections were the most expensive elections in history with election spending totaling more than $14 billion, an amount surely to be surpassed in 2024.

The American people deserve to know that the commercials and ads that are being pumped through their TVs and phones are free from foreign influence.

Representative Malliotakis' bill will close a loophole that allows wealthy foreigners to exercise outsized influence in our U.S. elections through donations to tax-exempt organizations who then flood our airwaves through super-PAC spending, emboldened with foreign dollars-- not American dollars, foreign dollars.

I urge my colleagues to stand with American voters who shouldn't have their voices silenced by billionaires from overseas. I ask and encourage this body to support this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1432) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for the deductibility of charitable contributions to certain organizations for members of the Armed Forces, 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 the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1432, the VSO Equal Tax Treatment Act, or VETT Act, introduced by my Ways and Means colleague, Dr. Brad Wenstrup, and Representative Jimmy Panetta.

In short, this legislation makes it easier for those looking to support our veterans to do so through donations to the veterans service organization of their choosing.

Right now, certain VSOs are prohibited from accepting tax-deductible donations if over 10 percent of the members in their organization are not considered ``wartime veterans,'' but this prohibition is outdated.

As our veteran populations age, this needlessly restrictive definition excludes veteran populations who joined the service following the Vietnam war and before the Persian Gulf war.

An estimated 2.4 million veterans living today do not meet the definition of wartime veterans, including some of the men and women who bravely served this country in Iraq and Afghanistan.

VSOs provide critical services to our Nation's veterans. They help with filing service-connected claims with the VA. They provide other types of assistance when it comes to navigating the confusing web of government programs our veterans rely on.

They also stand in support of our military families, the moms and dads, the husbands and wives, and the sons and daughters of our veterans.

Under this legislation, our tax code will no longer discriminate among our veterans service organizations. Charitable contributions to all federally chartered, tax-exempt organizations that serve current and former members of the military will be tax deductible.

The Ways and Means Committee approved this legislation unanimously. I urge all my colleagues to follow our bipartisan lead and vote ``yes'' on this commonsense bill to support our veterans, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, there is a reason this bill passed the Ways and Means Committee 42-0. There is no denying this is the right thing to do. I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3800) to codify Internal Revenue Service guidance relating to treatment of certain services and items for chronic conditions as meeting the preventive care deductible safe harbor for purposes of high deductible health plans in connection with health savings accounts, 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 the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, 6 in 10 Americans live with at least one chronic disease, such as heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. Nearly 90 percent of the $4.1 trillion in annual healthcare spending in this country goes toward the treatment of patients with chronic diseases.

Part of improving the delivery of healthcare in America must be expanding the opportunity for folks to better manage their chronic health conditions so that they can live longer, healthier lives, and we can bring down the financial impact of healthcare on individuals, families, businesses, and the government.

The Chronic Disease Flexible Coverage Act, introduced by Ways and Means colleagues Dr. Wenstrup and Representative Blumenauer, will expand treatment and disease management options by allowing employers that offer high-deductible healthcare plans to also offer predeductible coverage, otherwise known as first-dollar coverage, for 14 chronic healthcare services.

Those services include beta blockers for patients with congestive heart failure, blood pressure monitors for patients with high blood pressure, inhalers for patients with asthma, and cholesterol drugs and testing for patients with heart disease. The list does not have to end there. In fact, the bill also allows for that list of covered services to be expanded in the future.

The Chronic Disease Flexible Coverage Act actually codifies a Trump administration policy that will incentivize employers to offer coverage for these services so that they can lower healthcare costs for their workers and their businesses.

High-deductible health plans are a great option for employers and employees looking for more affordable coverage, and this bill will make them even more beneficial to individuals with chronic disease.

Flexibilities like these in care delivery and coverage options are key to improving patient outcomes, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to

the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Wenstrup).

Mr. Speaker, this legislation was approved by the Ways and Means Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support, and I hope we can show that same level of support here today. I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1430, I call up the bill (H.R. 7980) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude vehicles the batteries of which contain materials sourced from prohibited foreign entities from the clean vehicle credit, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles in America Act introduced by my good friend and Ways and Means colleague, Mrs. Carol Miller of West Virginia.

For years, the Chinese Communist Party has been doing everything it can do to dominate the electric vehicles market from the critical minerals needed to build EV batteries to the vehicles themselves.

Through forced labor practices, market distorting subsidies, and illegal trade mechanisms, China for years has manipulated the global marketplace for electric vehicles and their components. Instead of using the critical minerals in our own backyard to compete, the Biden- Harris administration has put an effective ban on recovering those materials and minerals in the U.S., furthering China's competitive advantage.

To make matters worse, pushed by their radical environmentalist base, the Harris-Biden administration is now using American taxpayer dollars to further China's dominance of the EV market.

When Vice President Harris cast the deciding, tiebreaking vote for the inflation expansion act, she and every Democrat in Congress handed a massive gift to the Chinese Government and its cronies.

While the letter of the law, as written by Senator Manchin, states these tax handouts are off-limits to foreign entities of concern like China, the Harris-Biden administration wrote ridiculously weak implementation regulations that every Chinese businessman should love.

The foreign entity of concern regulations for the inflation expansion act's EV credits, put out by the Department of the Treasury, are insulting. They are insulting to every American who cares about national security and who doesn't want to see their tax dollars flow to China.

One has to ask: Why not copy the exact same regulations that the Department of Commerce put out when implementing the semiconductor grants in the Chips and Science Act?

If they were good then, why not now?

If the Harris-Biden administration was concerned enough about China accessing U.S. tax dollars that they wrote language prohibiting any Chinese national from having a 25 percent stake in a U.S. company receiving grants, then why not do the exact same thing here?

Why, instead, write a massive implementation loophole that allows any Chinese billionaire with unofficial ties to the Chinese Communist Party to receive U.S. taxpayer subsidies?

The answer is simple. The current occupants of the White House are conflicted. They are conflicted between pretending to be tough on China and being responsive to the radical environmentalists who control their party.

It is time we put the brakes on giving taxpayer money to Chinese billionaires and the Chinese Communist Party.

When Democrats controlled Washington, they opened the door for China to take billions from hardworking taxpayers.

Under Republican leadership of the House of Representatives, we are fighting back on the side of American taxpayers and for the security and prosperity for our Nation, not for the Chinese Communist Party.

This legislation shuts down the loopholes that the Harris-Biden administration have created that allow Chinese billionaires and manufacturers to profit from American taxpayer dollars.

America's working families should not be forced to subsidize a nation whose decades of unfair trade practices and government subsidies have led to lost jobs, shuttered factories, and hollowed-out communities right here at home.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and join me in telling China that the days of fleecing American taxpayers are over.

Madam Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Miller).

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

Madam Speaker, the language from this bill comes directly from the U.S. Department of Commerce. It is nothing new.

Democrats are accusing, as we just heard, Republicans of having hateful motives, that this bill codifies a standard set forth by their own administration, the Harris-Biden administration. If this language is xenophobic, that is an issue that should be taken up with President Biden's Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimondo.

What this language does do is recognize that the Chinese Communist Party's influence extends beyond government officials listed on government rosters. Its control over its people and economy is less transparent than in Western democracies. That boils down to the fact that Republicans think it is

our responsibility to make sure that taxpayer dollars are not being sent directly to our adversaries, while Democrats will spare no cost forcing everyone to drive an electric vehicle.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Moolenaar), the chair of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

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

Madam Speaker, the only time a surrender white flag is waved in this country to China is whenever the Democratic Party that is controlled by the environmentalists will not allow Americans to use their own critical minerals and natural resources in this country for the products that we should deliver.

Banning the opportunity for Americans to be able to mine our own critical minerals is what empowers China, is what surrenders the flag to China.

Until the Democratic Party pushes back at the environmentalists that control them, the American people will suffer and the Chinese will benefit.

For my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who continue to claim that the 2017 tax relief only went to the wealthy, I would like to remind them that the Trump tax cuts applied across the board and mostly went to individuals and families. In fact, if those tax cuts expire next year, 70 percent of the tax increases will fall on households earning less than $500,000 a year. Let's contrast this with Democrats' green energy welfare.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record this analysis from the Joint Committee on Taxation showing that big corporations with more than $1 billion in sales are receiving over 90 percent of special interest electricity subsidies like those in the inflation expansion act, which Vice President Harris was the tiebreaking vote to become law.

Congress of the United States,

Joint Committee on Taxation,

Washington, DC, March 31, 2023.

Memoradum

Tentative Energy Credits by Industry

This memorandum is in response to your request for data on

claims for certain energy credits by industry, including

credits claimed by management companies. Below we report the

tentative claims for credit under Code section 45, the credit

for electricity produced from certain renewable resources,

and the tentative claims for credit under section 48, the

energy investment credit, by C corporations for the 2019 and

2020 tax years. The amounts reported are the tentative claims

for credit before any limitation that the taxpayer might face

and before any audit adjustment that might occur. For each of

section 45 and section 48 we report the dollars of credit

claimed by industry using the North American Industrial

Classification System (``NAICS'') code level. Presenting

these data at a finer level of detail potentially would

create concerns of disclosure of information specific to

taxpayers. For example, for section 45 we removed 2020 data

for the wholesale and retail trade industry as the sample

size became too limited.

Madam Speaker, big banks received three times more benefits from these tax credits than any other industry.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Tenney).

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

I could not disagree more with the prior comments. In fact, the best way to define my opinion of the prior comments would be to justify something we use where I come from. I come from the Ozark Hills, and we refer to that as hogwash because this bill right here will actually protect American autoworkers instead of Chinese autoworkers.

It is delusional to think any other thing because, if you are subsidizing the Chinese and not the American resources, the American manufacturer and the American worker lose.

Mr. Speaker, since the prior speaker is actually from the State of Michigan and Michigan has had a lot of conversations about a company that is coming in called CATL, that is a Chinese battery company that has partnered with Ford. They partnered with Ford, even though it is a Chinese battery company, to get these resources.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record this article reporting that the founder of CATL, that leading Chinese battery company, said: ``CATL's partnership with Ford Motor on an electric vehicle battery plant in the U.S.,'' which is in Michigan, ``will not be affected by the White House's new rules on Chinese involvement in such projects.''

He also continued in this and said: ``The plant structure was designed under the definition of the foreign entity of concern, so there will be no impact''--that there will be no impact--``on further implementation.''

With these EV handouts, China wins, and the American manufacturer and the American worker lose.

[From Nikkei Asia, Dec. 7, 2023]

CATL Says Ford Project on Track Despite New U.S. Battery Rules

(CISSY ZHOU, Nikkei staff writer)

Hong Kong--CATL's partnership with Ford Motor on an

electric vehicle battery plant in the U.S. will not be

affected by the White House's new rules on Chinese

involvement in such projects, Zeng Yuqun, the founder of the

Chinese battery giant, told Nikkei Asia.

``The plant structure was designed under the definition of

the foreign entity of concern (FEOC), so there will be no

impact on further implementation,'' Zeng said.

In February, Ford announced it would start producing low-

cost lithium-ion batteries by 2026 at its plant in Michigan

using technology licensed from CATL, the world's biggest

maker of EV batteries.

The move has drawn fire from U.S. lawmakers over concerns

that American subsidies and grants under the U.S. Inflation

Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law would

flow to a Chinese entity.

Last week, the Biden administration proposed new guidelines

regarding a concept known as a foreign entity of concern

(FEOC). The guidelines are aimed at addressing what

Washington sees as America's overreliance on EV batteries

manufactured in China--a powerhouse in the field, commanding

significant control of various parts of the supply chain. Six

of the world's 10 largest EV battery manufacturers are

Chinese.

Under the new rules, which take effect in January, a joint

venture would be classified as an FEOC if a company from one

of four designated countries--China, Iran, North Korea and

Russia--holds a stake of 25 percent or more, or if a company

entered into a licensing agreement with another entity that

entitles the latter to exercise ``effective control'' over

the production of the battery components. An FEOC would be

ineligible for tax credits and grants.

CATL, meanwhile, is continuing its research and development

push. On Thursday, it announced plans to establish its

international headquarters in Hong Kong and to set up an R&D

center in the city. The company currently has more than

18,000 researchers and over 22,000 patents, a number that is

increasing by more than 7,000 each year, according to Zeng.

The investment will be worth over 1 billion Hong Kong

dollars ($128 million) and create more than 500 jobs,

according to Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan.

With a global market share of 37 percent, CATL supplies

batteries to major automakers including Tesla, Volkswagen,

BMW and Nissan Motor.

Zeng, the founder, said CATL will intensify its development

efforts, particularly by establishing a strong R&D center in

Hong Kong. The products generated by the R&D center will be

patented, and CATL will license these patents for a fee.

Additionally, it can provide services to outside companies

for a fee, according to Zeng.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Williams), the chair of the Small Business Committee.

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

Mr. Speaker, Congress has a choice to make today: Do we stand with America's taxpayers, or do we follow the lead of the Harris-Biden administration and stand with the Chinese Communist Party? This bill will undo and block harmful policies that allow Chinese billionaires and manufacturers to pocket American taxpayer money.

We wouldn't have to be here today, stopping China from taking that money, if Vice President Harris had not chosen to cast the tiebreaking vote for the inflation expansion act. It significantly expanded tax credits for luxury vehicles and has been implemented to allow for loopholes and giveaways so that foreign entities of concern, along with the wealthy and the well-connected, are the ones who are benefiting.

For decades, China has used every morally and ethically questionable tool in its toolbox, including illegal practices, to gain an unfair advantage in key industries. It is doing the same exact thing with electric vehicles today.

Yet, the Biden-Harris administration thinks American taxpayers owe China a helping hand. Workers in auto factories, battery plants, miners in idle critical mineral mines, and everyday taxpayers will be the ones who pay the price, Mr. Speaker.

I hope that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will join us in standing up for American workers, American manufacturers, and American taxpayers and vote ``yes.''

In the end, we are asking you to vote for what you said you were voting for in your own law just 2 years ago in the inflation expansion act. To do otherwise is to keep putting more taxpayer money into the pockets, Mr. Speaker, of Chinese billionaires and the Chinese Communist Party.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 4 p.m. on Monday, September 16, 2024, and further, when the House adjourns on that day, it adjourn to meet at noon on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, for morning- hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Kelly for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in remembering the life and legacy of our good friend, our colleague, Mr. Pascrell.

I had the honor of working with Bill over the years as a member of the Ways and Means Committee, and I can tell you that no one brought more passion or more of a presence in our committee room than Mr. Pascrell.

Anyone who has been on the right side or the wrong side of a point of view or opinion that Bill had knows what a tireless advocate he was for the communities that he represented. His life was dedicated to service, from his time in the New Jersey General Assembly, to mayor of his hometown of Paterson, to a senior Member of this House of Representatives.

While he and I certainly did not always see eye to eye on a lot of the policy debates we had in the Ways and Means Committee or here on the floor of the House, Bill was not shy or afraid of working across the aisle to find common cause.

I know I speak for the entire Ways and Means Committee when I say that Bill will be profoundly missed, not just for his passion and friendship but for his knowledge of the issues.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bill's family and his staff during this difficult time. His service to this Nation and his passion and commitment to those he served will continue to be an example for us all.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5863) to provide tax relief with respect to certain Federal disasters, 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 the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5863, the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, introduced by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Steube), my Ways and Means Committee colleague.

This legislation was approved last year by the Ways and Means Committee 38-0 because families and communities across the country who suffered disasters need support. In fact, bipartisan support for this legislation was so strong that it was approved a second time by the Ways and Means Committee as part of the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act.

This legislation not only helps victims of disasters but also provides broad and immediate tax relief for American workers, farmers, families, and small businesses, which is why the House of Representatives passed it with 84 percent support earlier this year. I encourage my Senate colleagues to take up that legislation to support disaster victims and help the millions of Americans treading water in today's economy.

The Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act provides assistance to communities across the country, bringing relief to those recovering and rebuilding after tragic floods and tornadoes, like those that affected communities in my home State of Missouri in the winter of 2021 and the summer of 2023, hurricanes like Hurricane Ian that claimed countless lives in Florida, wildfires like those that devastated communities in California and Hawaii, and the train derailment and toxic chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio.

I commend Representative Steube for his leadership on this issue. His passion started with his desire to provide help to the families he represents who were devastated by the hurricane. In the interest of getting this done, he broadened his relief effort to include over 300 storms in 45 States.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill so that we are standing with and supporting our fellow neighbors when they are most in need. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Thompson for his advocacy as well on this legislation and helping move it through our committee in a very bipartisan effort.

I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Steube), the author of this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I once again commend the great work and advocacy of Mr. Steube, Mr. LaMalfa, and Mr. Thompson. I can tell you they have been advocating since I have been chairman that this is an important piece of legislation to get across the finish line, and let's hope that the United States Senate does the same thing.

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

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