Michelle Fischbach

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1530 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

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

Mr. Speaker, we are here to debate the rule that provides for consideration of five measures: H.J. Res. 210, the CRA relating to California State nonroad engine pollution control standards and ocean- going vessels at-berth; H.J. Res. 213, the CRA relating to California State nonroad engine pollution control standards and commercial harbor craft regulations; H.R. 9576, the National Fraud Enforcement Division Act of 2026; H.R. 10326, the PROOF Act; and a motion that the House concur in the Senate amendments to H.R. 5334, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.

The rule provides for consideration of H.J. Res. 210 and H.J. Res. 213 under closed rules, with 1 hour of debate each, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee or their designees, and provides each one motion to recommit.

Additionally, the rule provides for consideration of H.R. 9576 and H.R. 10326 under closed rules, with 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chairs and ranking members of the Judiciary Committee or their designees and provides each one motion to recommit.

The rule also makes in order a motion offered by the chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs that the House concur in the Senate amendments to H.R. 5334. The rule provides for 1 hour of debate on the motion, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee or their designees.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this rule, which accomplishes two vital needs: Protecting American economic integrity and stopping domestic fraud. By passing sanctions legislation, we strengthen our national security posturing against foreign aggression, and by passing H.J. Res. 210 and H.J. Res. 213, we are stopping California's radical maritime mandates from interrupting supply chains at our ports and

driving up the cost of everyday goods for consumers.

However, keeping America safe and prosperous also means addressing a domestic threat: the scale of fraud in our country. For 4 years under the previous administration, weak leadership, poor oversight, and open border policies turned public programs into piggy banks for bad actors, cartels, and organized criminal rings.

Nowhere has this rot been more devastating than in my home State of Minnesota, where fraud is now estimated at a staggering $9 billion. We saw the tip of the iceberg with the infamous Feeding our Future scam, the largest pandemic-era fraud in the Nation, where 70 individuals and counting have been charged for stealing $250 million intended to feed hungry children and help vulnerable families.

However, the rot did not stop there. Those same circles of corruption have infected other State-run, federally funded programs. Federal prosecutors recently unveiled the Minnesota Health Care Fraud Takedown, charging 15 individuals in connection with over $90 million in loss across childcare, Medicare, and autism care programs.

In one of the scams involving autism care, bad actors paid illegal kickbacks to parents, gave false diagnoses, and billed over $46 million for services that were never actually provided, robbing the actual children with autism of the care that they needed.

In another program meant to help adults with brain injuries live independently in their own homes, bad actors bought housing assets, stole Medicaid beneficiary information, and collected millions in unrendered services. In one tragic case, a Medicaid recipient was found deceased a day after scammers submitted claims for 24-hour care he never received.

This is the brutal reality of unchecked fraud. When scammers rob Federal programs, vulnerable people suffer, and in the worst case, lives are lost. Yet, when Federal authorities attempt to uncover this rot, State bureaucracies resist. They withhold critical data and protect bad actors instead of defending the public trust.

When Federal agencies asked Minnesota State leadership for attendance records and program data to investigate suspected childcare and SNAP fraud, State officials repeatedly refused to cooperate. If you refuse to look at the evidence and hand it over to Federal investigators, you are either grossly incompetent or knowingly complicit.

That is why the legislation before us today ends this culture of obstruction and gives Federal law enforcement the tools to find, prosecute, and eradicate fraud.

The National Fraud Enforcement Division Act codifies the Department of Justice's special fraud division. This legislation gives Federal law enforcement a permanent, dedicated mandate to target, investigate, and dismantle complex international and domestic fraud networks.

The PROOF Act directly addresses the State-level stonewalling we have witnessed in Minnesota and across the country. It standardizes Federal access to State program data, including Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, childcare, and emergency relief funds during legitimate fraud investigations. The States will no longer be allowed to hide or conceal records while billions of dollars are funneled away from families.

Importantly, the bill includes strict privacy protections to ensure law-abiding citizens' personal information remains safe during these investigations.

The American people are sick and tired of watching criminals steal their hard-earned tax dollars. The fraud ends now. We have a duty to secure these programs, protect vulnerable families, and restore public trust.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate the other side does not recognize the cost of fraud. It costs us taxpayer dollars, hard- earned tax dollars. Stopping fraud helps everyone. It

helps the American people save tax dollars and then potentially we will not have to tax them as much.

It also helps those children and those people counting on those programs that are being robbed blind by fraudsters. Stopping it is critical, and it is important to every American citizen.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Finstad).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser).

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, when fraud is exposed, there are several ways people respond. They can attack it and cover it up, minimize it, or like we have seen today, just simply talk about something else over and over.

For years, State officials tasked with managing Federal funds minimized fraud, looked the other way, and allowed Federal taxpayers' dollars to be stolen. I do hear about the fraud and the theft every single day from people.

As this fraud has come to light, House Republicans have led the charge to root out waste, fraud, and abuse from our Federal programs. We passed the Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act, the Stop Child Care Scams Act, the Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act, and we passed the Stop Fraudulent Payments Act.

I have personally fought this fight on the House Oversight Committee, waiving on to get answers from State officials about how billion-dollar fraud networks were allowed to operate unchecked in Minnesota. I have introduced legislation to protect whistleblowers who expose corruption from retaliation and legislation to stop benefit dollars meant to help vulnerable families at home from being sent overseas.

While executive branch actions and temporary task forces provide important support, they are not enough on their own. Congress must step up and deliver permanent solutions that ensure future State and Federal administrations properly oversee Federal funds.

That is why the bills before us today under this rule are so critical. By passing the National Fraud Enforcement Division Act, we codify a permanent, dedicated division with the Department of Justice to ensure investigating and prosecuting fraud remains a long-term priority. Through the PROOF Act, we fix the bottleneck in these investigations by removing State-level resistance and mandating data sharing so Federal agents can clean up Federal programs.

We have shown we will not allow State officials to ignore basic enforcement checks. Every single dollar stolen by fraudsters is a dollar taken away from vulnerable families.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this rule.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1530 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

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

Mr. Speaker, we are here to debate the rule that provides for consideration of five measures: H.J. Res. 210, the CRA relating to California State nonroad engine pollution control standards and ocean- going vessels at-berth; H.J. Res. 213, the CRA relating to California State nonroad engine pollution control standards and commercial harbor craft regulations; H.R. 9576, the National Fraud Enforcement Division Act of 2026; H.R. 10326, the PROOF Act; and a motion that the House concur in the Senate amendments to H.R. 5334, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.

The rule provides for consideration of H.J. Res. 210 and H.J. Res. 213 under closed rules, with 1 hour of debate each, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee or their designees, and provides each one motion to recommit.

Additionally, the rule provides for consideration of H.R. 9576 and H.R. 10326 under closed rules, with 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chairs and ranking members of the Judiciary Committee or their designees and provides each one motion to recommit.

The rule also makes in order a motion offered by the chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs that the House concur in the Senate amendments to H.R. 5334. The rule provides for 1 hour of debate on the motion, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee or their designees.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this rule, which accomplishes two vital needs: Protecting American economic integrity and stopping domestic fraud. By passing sanctions legislation, we strengthen our national security posturing against foreign aggression, and by passing H.J. Res. 210 and H.J. Res. 213, we are stopping California's radical maritime mandates from interrupting supply chains at our ports and driving up the cost of everyday goods for consumers.

However, keeping America safe and prosperous also means addressing a domestic threat: the scale of fraud in our country. For 4 years under the previous administration, weak leadership, poor oversight, and open border policies turned public programs into piggy banks for bad actors, cartels, and organized criminal rings.

Nowhere has this rot been more devastating than in my home State of Minnesota, where fraud is now estimated at a staggering $9 billion. We saw the tip of the iceberg with the infamous Feeding our Future scam, the largest pandemic-era fraud in the Nation, where 70 individuals and counting have been charged for stealing $250 million intended to feed hungry children and help vulnerable families.

However, the rot did not stop there. Those same circles of corruption have infected other State-run, federally funded programs. Federal prosecutors recently unveiled the Minnesota Health Care Fraud Takedown, charging 15 individuals in connection with over $90 million in loss across childcare, Medicare, and autism care programs.

In one of the scams involving autism care, bad actors paid illegal kickbacks to parents, gave false diagnoses, and billed over $46 million for services that were never actually provided, robbing the actual children with autism of the care that they needed.

In another program meant to help adults with brain injuries live independently in their own homes, bad actors bought housing assets, stole Medicaid beneficiary information, and collected millions in unrendered services. In one tragic case, a Medicaid recipient was found deceased a day after scammers submitted claims for 24-hour care he never received.

This is the brutal reality of unchecked fraud. When scammers rob Federal programs, vulnerable people suffer, and in the worst case, lives are lost. Yet, when Federal authorities attempt to uncover this rot, State bureaucracies resist. They withhold critical data and protect bad actors instead of defending the public trust.

When Federal agencies asked Minnesota State leadership for attendance records and program data to investigate suspected childcare and SNAP fraud, State officials repeatedly refused to cooperate. If you refuse to look at the evidence and hand it over to Federal investigators, you are either grossly incompetent or knowingly complicit.

That is why the legislation before us today ends this culture of obstruction and gives Federal law enforcement the tools to find, prosecute, and eradicate fraud.

The National Fraud Enforcement Division Act codifies the Department of Justice's special fraud division. This legislation gives Federal law enforcement a permanent, dedicated mandate to target, investigate, and dismantle complex international and domestic fraud networks.

The PROOF Act directly addresses the State-level stonewalling we have witnessed in Minnesota and across the country. It standardizes Federal access to State program data, including Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, childcare, and emergency relief funds during legitimate fraud investigations. The States will no longer be allowed to hide or conceal records while billions of dollars are funneled away from families.

Importantly, the bill includes strict privacy protections to ensure law-abiding citizens' personal information remains safe during these investigations.

The American people are sick and tired of watching criminals steal their hard-earned tax dollars. The fraud ends now. We have a duty to secure these programs, protect vulnerable families, and restore public trust.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate the other side does not recognize the cost of fraud. It costs us taxpayer dollars, hard- earned tax dollars. Stopping fraud helps everyone. It helps the American people save tax dollars and then potentially we will not have to tax them as much.

It also helps those children and those people counting on those programs that are being robbed blind by fraudsters. Stopping it is critical, and it is important to every American citizen.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Finstad).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser).

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.