Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Williams for yielding me the time today and Ranking Member Velazquez, a fellow proud New Yorker, for leading this effort with me. It is a good day when Members of the same State delegation from different parties can work together to benefit New York's small businesses and small businesses throughout this great country of ours.

Mr. Speaker, our bipartisan WOSB Certification and Opportunity Expansion Act would phase out self-certified, women-owned small businesses from the governmentwide procurement goals. In doing so, this bill would achieve two main things. It will protect the integrity of the women-owned small business program, and it will prevent the abuse of Federal small business contracting goals.

Self-certification, according to the SBA Office of Inspector General and others, presents significant risks of fraud and impedes the progress of businesses which rightfully qualify. While others can self- certify, women small business owners in the SBA's women-owned small business program undergo a certification program to ensure that only women-owned firms enter.

This bill aligns the women-owned small business program with similar programs that no longer count self-certified firms in the SBA's goals. A similar provision phasing out self-certified service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses from the procurement goals passed in the

Mr. Speaker, let's add some honesty to the SALT conversation. I am from a blue State, and I am willing to concede to my red State colleagues especially that an increase in the SALT cap benefits blue States more than red States. There; I said it.

After all, it is the blue States with the highest State income taxes, sales taxes, and property taxes. At 10.9 percent, my State, New York, has the dubious distinction of having the highest taxes in this great Nation of ours.

As bloated and out of control as my State's spending and taxes are under one-party Democrat rule, it cannot be said truthfully that red States are subsidizing the blue States. The data demonstrates the opposite actually, that blue States like mine are giving far more to Washington than we get back. The opposite is true, that many red States get far more from Washington than they give.

As you can see from this chart, the home States of many of my Republican colleagues shown in red, who say SALT is a subsidy to blue States, are, in fact, the States that get much more from Washington than they give, Mr. Speaker.

Here in this chart, you can see that New York gets one of the worst returns on investment of our Federal dollars. It is the blue line down there. Yet, many red States are at the top of this list whose taxpayers are getting much more from Washington than they are giving.

Mr. Speaker, States like New York are not asking for a bailout. We are simply asking to break even. Many of my colleagues are correct to say a large part of the problem starts in Albany. Sadly, I live in that reality, and I know better than to rely on Albany Democrats to try and improve the lives of the average New Yorker. Why do you think so many are fleeing my State for States like Texas and Florida? It is not just for the weather, Mr. Speaker.

Second, I want to address some serious intellectual dishonesty and rewriting of history by my Democrat colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, Democrats had complete control of Washington for 2 years, the House, the Senate, and the White House, yet they have never signed any SALT relief into law, even though they passed several massive omnibus and reconciliation bills. They failed their constituents and mine and embarrassed themselves and are now trying to blame blue State Republicans, even though we are clearly fighting tooth and nail to deliver some sort of relief.

When they had majorities and the White House, why didn't Speaker Pelosi and New York's own Leader Schumer take action to deal with this issue?

Mr. Speaker, this is a political talking point for Democrats but a serious policy item for me and my fellow New York Republicans. Restoring the SALT deduction is not just a matter of tax policy for Long Island families. It is a crucial step toward ensuring economic fairness, supporting the middle class, and sustaining vibrant communities. The lack of a meaningful SALT deduction hurts my constituents, and we must address this injustice.

Since so many of my Democrat colleagues have been so passionate about this issue, I am sure they will have no issue, Mr. Speaker, voting to advance this legislation and voting in favor of the rule.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to support the combined rule.

Mr. Speaker, sending Federal dollars to New York City to pay for hotels and other free stuff for migrants will only make New York's migrant crisis worse. That is why I have offered the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act.

My commonsense bill will provide that sanctuary jurisdictions like New York City that refuse to cooperate with Federal law enforcement such as ICE are ineligible for Federal funds intended to benefit such noncitizen aliens.

Mr. Speaker, the migrants aren't coming to New York City for the warm weather or the Broadway shows. The reason that migrants are coming to New York City, 10,000 per month, is for the sanctuary laws and all the free stuff--free hotels, free clothing, and free healthcare.

New York City Mayor Adams gives a heck of a lot of free stuff to migrants. Well, Mr. Speaker, it is not exactly free. It is all paid for by lawful citizens, hardworking taxpayers.

Just a few days ago, Mr. Speaker, it was revealed that New York City is giving out $53 million worth of credit cards to migrants.

New York City Democrats are literally incentivizing migrants to come to New York City and then feigning frustration when they do so. Worse, New York Governor Hochul is doubling down, offering $2.4 billion in her proposed budget to New York City to give more free stuff to migrants, while she proposes to cut funding from 44 Long Island School Districts.

It is these backwards, wrong, and self-defeating policy choices which will only make the migrant crisis worse. If we as a country want to secure the border and have cities without migrant crises, we need to remove the incentives which are causing it. No more free stuff.

Until New York repeals its shortsighted and self-defeating policies, which incentivize New York's migrant crisis, it should not be entitled to Federal funds for the migrant crisis its policies are creating.

Mr. Speaker, Congress writes the laws, and the executive branch enforces them.

Let me say that again, Mr. Speaker. Congress writes the laws, and the executive branch enforces them.

At least that is what we teach our kids, and that has been the norm throughout our Nation's history. Yet President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have refused to enforce our Nation's border security laws.

Now, as House Republicans are poised to impeach Secretary Mayorkas for his willful and systematic refusal to enforce our Nation's border security laws, President Biden feigns that Congress must pass even more border security laws before he can act.

It is a sad attempt to shift blame, Mr. Speaker. If the President truly wanted to secure our border, by a stroke of a pen, he could reinstate remain in Mexico. President Biden could cancel the mass parole of unvetted migrants into the United States. He could cease repositioning border agents away from the border, and he could resume border wall construction.

But, Mr. Speaker, we know the President is not going to do that. The President should do that, and he should start today by enforcing our border security laws, but, sadly, he won't, and he should not be able to shift blame to anybody else.

Mr. Speaker, Americans have had enough.

I rise today to call upon the House of Representatives to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and for the Senate to convict and remove him from the office he has failed to uphold.

Since being sworn in 3 years ago, Secretary Mayorkas has neglected his duty to secure the border; he has abused his power to exercise proper discretion over America's immigration process by refusing to enforce Federal laws, and he has breached the public trust and put the safety of the American people at risk.

Secretary Mayorkas is the worst Cabinet-level official in our Nation's proud history, and he has subverted our Nation's laws so many times. With respect to his impeachment and removal, I want to focus on two main points: the reassigning of Border Patrol agents away from the border, and the lack of vetting of migrants paroled into our interior.

First, Secretary Mayorkas continues to require Border Patrol agents be taken off of the border and, instead, sit behind a desk at migrant processing centers to process more and more dubious asylum claims and facilitate migrants' parole into our Nation's interior.

This is an abuse of power by the Secretary to exercise proper discretion over our Nation's immigration process. The diversion of border agents away from the border leaves the already mostly unsecured border even more vulnerable to cartels looking to illegally traffic people and narcotics, including fentanyl.

Fentanyl has been coming through legal and illegal border crossings, overwhelming our law enforcement. The open and agentless border can be tied to the death of the 73,000 Americans who were poisoned by fentanyl in 2022 alone. In redirecting personnel away from the border, leaving it wide open for tens of miles in many places, Secretary Mayorkas has neglected his duty to secure America's southern border and to keep our communities safe.

Second, Mr. Speaker, Secretary Mayorkas' scheme of paroling hundreds of thousands of migrants into the United States who have not and cannot be properly vetted undermines our national security efforts to keep America safe in a post-9/11 world.

In just 2 years in office, Secretary Mayorkas paroled and allowed 541,000 migrants to enter the United States through immigration parole authority, which gives Federal officials the power to authorize the entry of foreigners who lack visas. Moreover, while this number on its own is objectionable, the impeachmentworthy part is Secretary Mayorkas has allowed these individuals into our communities without a proper understanding of their criminal backgrounds or national security intentions.

According to the not-so-conservative New York Times, more than 24,000 Chinese citizens illegally crossed into the United States in a 1-year time period under Secretary Mayorkas. Mayorkas then paroled a large fraction of them into the United States without any proper vetting whatsoever.

This has brought us to this week, where the Homeland Security Committee opened impeachment proceedings against Secretary Mayorkas. This was not an easy decision, but it is necessary for the well-being of our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, House Republicans' calls for the Secretary's impeachment and removal from office comes after exhausting all other efforts.

In May of last year, the House took action and passed H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, which, among other things, would counter Secretary Mayorkas' alternative immigration scheme by reinstating the remain in Mexico policy and requiring the construction of more physical barriers at the border. Yet, this bill languishes on Senator Schumer's desk.

Despite the inaction from our Senate counterparts, we House Republicans have hosted multiple public hearings to show the American people the failures of Secretary Mayorkas' alternative immigration process with the hope that he would change course. These hearings have been complemented by numerous trips to the southern border to allow Members of this Chamber to hear directly from border communities, local officials, law enforcement, and families harmed by his crisis. House Republicans understand Americans want a more secure border, as is demonstrated by the staggering 68 percent disapproval rating on the President's handling of immigration.

Mr. Speaker, to summarize, Secretary Mayorkas has, one, neglected his duty to secure the border; two, abused his power to exercise proper discretion over America's immigration process; and, three, breached the public trust.

Secretary Mayorkas is intentionally circumventing the immigration and border security laws passed by multiple Congresses and signed by previous Presidents of both parties, and I believe he holds partial responsibility for thousands of our children dying from fentanyl poisoning. The majority of Americans want accountability.

Mr. Speaker, for far too long, Long Islanders have paid much more in taxes to both Washington and Albany than we have received back in investments.

Published recently, the Long Island Regional Planning Council's 2023 Balance of Payments comparison highlights this disparity--a Long Island-D.C. deficit of $26 billion; and a Long Island-New York State deficit of $15 billion.

Mr. Speaker, addressing this injustice where Long Islanders subsidize Albany's and Washington's bloated spending is vitally important to my constituents.

To right this wrong, Albany lawmakers must implement judicious spending cuts and reduce income taxes, while at the same time providing proper investments in Long Island's infrastructure and schools.

Here in Washington, Congress must increase the State and local tax deduction cap. By increasing the cap, Congress can make a substantial impact on lowering the cost for all New Yorkers.

The collaboration between State and Federal entities on these comprehensive measures is crucial for securing a brighter and more prosperous future for Long Islanders.

Mr. Chair, had I been present, I would have vote ``aye'' on rollcall No. 698.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to address three issues in hopes of persuading my colleagues from both sides of the aisle who at this time are either against or undecided about expelling George Santos to ultimately vote ``yes.'' Those three issues are: fraud, due process, and election integrity.

Regarding fraud, Mr. Speaker, both Federal and State laws would require jail time or a monetary fine or both for any of our constituents who tricked another person into an agreement to another American's disadvantage.

Here, in the 2022 election, by his own admission, George Santos induced New York voters and donors throughout the Nation to support him by fraudulently creating an entire new person that donors and voters would support. Santos did this intentionally, figuring the uneducated, underemployed, and person of simple means he actually is could not earn the support of voters and donors.

The facts of George Santos' fraud are not in dispute. George Santos is not the person he offered to voters. He didn't work where he said he did. He didn't go to school where he said he did. He is far from rich. He is not Jewish. His mother was not in the South Tower during 9/11.

Therefore, the argument that New Yorkers voted George Santos in and that we should wait until November 2024 for voters to decide his fate is inherently flawed since voters weren't given a fair chance to determine who they were actually voting for, Mr. Speaker.

While our constituents would go to jail or be fined for similar lies, one question we have before us today is whether we are going to hold George Santos to the same standard to which our constituents are held or a lesser one.

Regarding due process, Mr. Speaker, we should clear up some things. It has been a while since I took Professor Sample's civil procedures class or Professor Ku's constitutional law class, but the due process clauses in our Fifth and 14th Amendments do not apply to House proceedings.

Rather, the constitutional proceeding which does apply here is Article I, Section 5, Clause 2, which states clearly and simply: ``Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a Member.'' It is that simple, Mr. Speaker.

While constitutional due process does not apply here, George Santos has actually been afforded every single element of it through the bipartisan Ethics Committee process. Due process requires notice and opportunity to be heard and a decision by a fair and impartial tribunal.

First, Santos got his notice when the Ethics Committee informed him of the probe into his conduct.

Second, Santos had every opportunity to be heard when the Ethics Committee invited him to confront the accusations against him, an invitation Santos rejected.

Finally, his tribunal is us, the House of Representatives, whose collective impartiality is proven every day by the partisan fights we have day in and day out.

Mr. Speaker, while this proceeding is not covered by the Due Process Clause, George Santos has indeed been afforded much more process than a person in his shoes deserves.

Mr. Speaker, let me speak on the matter of election integrity. Before I came to the House, I was my county's elections commissioner for 7 years, where I fought for more integrity in our elections. As elections commissioner, I fought for removing deceased voters from our rolls, for voter ID, against fraudulently submitted absentee ballots, and against voters being registered in two different places.

Following the 2016 and 2020 elections, Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle voted not to certify those elections, stating the results were not reliable.

Tomorrow, by voting ``yes'' to expulsion, Republicans and Democrats can stand for election integrity and against voter fraud because there is no more provable case of election fraud before this Congress than George Santos' 2022 election fraud.

Mr. Speaker, I offer that New Yorkers from Queens and Nassau Counties deserve better than George Santos, a total fraud and serial liar, representing them in Congress. Each day that Mr. Santos is allowed to remain a Member of Congress, my New York neighbors to the west are being denied real representation in these Halls. That is because their Representative is incapable of getting a bill passed, a project funded, or even sitting on a committee because he lacks the minimum amount of trust necessary to be a Member of Congress.

Today, the best way to support my fellow New Yorkers and overcome George Santos' fraud is to expel George Santos from the House of Representatives.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Protecting Our Communities from Failure to Secure the Border Act of 2023.

Since President Biden took office and Secretary Mayorkas took charge of the Homeland Security Department, the United States has seen 7.5 million encounters nationwide, 6.2 million encounters at the Southwest border, and 1.7 million known got-aways who evaded U.S. Border Patrol.

New York City is where many of these 1.7 million got-aways now live, and that is because of two policy choices: the administration's open border policy and New York's sanctuary city policies.

Instead of changing his open border policies, President Biden has decided the way they are going to fix this mess is to lease Federal land, national parks, to build tent cities.

Are they kidding me?

Mr. Chair, this is not the solution. We also need to be disincentivizing sanctuary city policies, and I believe we should end Federal funding for the purpose of aiding this crisis in those jurisdictions.

Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and fellow Long Islander, Mr. D'Esposito, for yielding me time to speak for my fellow New York colleagues who are joining us this afternoon.

New Yorkers from Queens and Nassau Counties deserve better than George Santos--a total fraud and serial liar--representing them in Congress. Each day that Mr. Santos is allowed to remain a Member of Congress, my New York neighbors to the west are being denied real representation in these Halls. That is because their Representative is incapable of getting a bill passed, a project funded, or even sitting on a committee because he lacks the minimum amount of trust necessary of a Member of Congress.

Today, the best way to support my fellow New Yorkers and overcome George Santos' fraud is to expel George Santos from the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Santos has said expelling him before he is formally charged and found guilty would create new precedent in this body, one that could have negative consequences for generations.

Respectfully, Mr. Speaker, I disagree. The consequences and precedents for not expelling him for his lies and fraud have the potential to do far more damage to this institution.

I would submit today that we have an opportunity to set a new standard, a new precedent, that if a candidate for Congress makes his entire life up in order to defraud voters and donors and subsequently those voters reasonably rely on that candidate's lies to elect him or her, that we, the House of Representatives, will exercise the authority given to us in the Constitution to expel that Member.

George Santos' lies are more widespread than even the most untrustworthy politicians, and these lies were necessary to get him elected.

George Santos didn't just lie about his family's business dealings, like President Biden did, Santos lied about everything about his professional background, from his family's wealth to working for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.

Santos committed this fraud, this election fraud, to create an entirely new persona that voters and donors could support. Santos' treasurer, his conspirator, recently pled guilty to their criminal conspiracy, which included faking a six-figure loan to the campaign to induce more contributions.

George Santos didn't just lie about attending a school on full scholarship or finishing in the top half of his class, like President Biden did, rather, Santos went much further.

To defraud voters and to swindle donors out of millions, George Santos lied about his entire education; not that he graduated in a certain part of his class, not that he received a specific award. Those lies are reserved for other slimy politicians and are worthy of different kinds of rebuke, less than expulsion.

George Santos lied about attending and graduating from Baruch College, meanwhile, he never attended Baruch. He never took one class. The fabulist even made up an entire fictional story about how he was a star on the school's volleyball team.

George Santos thinks that we are fools, Mr. Speaker. George Santos didn't just lie about being at Ground Zero on the day after September 11, like President Biden did, George Santos went much further, saying that his mother was in the south tower on 9/11 and escaped only to later die from a 9/11-related illness.

Santos lied about his association with 9/11 to win over Long Island families, families of cops and firefighters and other innocent people who died on 9/11, and whose hearts were ripped out that fateful day.

He did it as part of a broader scheme to defraud voters and donors to get him elected to Congress.

To further defraud voters and swindle donors out of millions, George Santos even lied about being Jewish. Like his lies about his association with 9/11, Santos lied about being Jewish as part of a calculated attempt to win over voters in the district that Santos is attempting to trick who has a strong Jewish population.

George Santos says the decision of whether he should remain in Congress should be left up to the people of New York's Third District.

I would argue that these New Yorkers were robbed of this opportunity when they were duped into voting for a fictitious candidate to represent them in Congress.

George Santos has stated himself that he lied about several parts of his life, including his education, and his mother dying as a result of 9/11. Today, 78 percent of his constituents support his expulsion from Congress.

George Santos also falsely claims that his expulsion is barred by the Constitution's 5th and 14th Amendment's due process clauses. Yet, the due process clauses do not apply to House proceedings such as expulsions. Moreover, the Constitution more broadly affords the accused the knowledge of the accusation against him, the opportunity to be heard, the ability to confront his or her accuser, and to be afforded a speedy trial.

Mr. Speaker, as of today, each of those conditions has been met. Nothing in the Constitution gives George Santos the right to endlessly stall and to abuse his office to seek a more preferable conviction or a plea deal.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Santos' behavior has shown a consistent disregard for the principles of bipartisanship, servant leadership, good governance, and civil discourse. He has shown no interest in being a serious Member of this Chamber or to do the people's work.

A Member of Congress should be committed to the betterment of the Nation and willing to compromise for the greater good. His actions and statements have demonstrated a concerning lack of this commitment.

Mr. Speaker, let's get the people of New York's Third District some decent representation. Let's raise the bar here in the House of Representatives. Let's hold one of our own accountable. Let's expel George Santos.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of United States Navy Lieutenant Ridge Alkonis, who, for the last 365 days, has been unjustly jailed by the Japanese Government.

The State Department and the Department of Defense need to demonstrate strength and exercise leverage and bring Ridge home and bring him home now.

America needs to bring Ridge home for justice's sake. America needs to bring Ridge home to send a message to the 50,000 troops we have stationed in Japan that the brass, bureaucrats, and politicians have their backs.

America needs to bring Ridge home to demonstrate to the Japanese that we are the United States of America, the world superpower, and our commitment to their defense against China and North Korea comes with a few conditions, and one of them is to treat our troops fairly.

Madam Speaker, our government has negotiated for the release of other Americans who have done far less for our great Nation than an Active- Duty naval officer. America needs to bring Ridge home. A year in prison is far too long.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding leadership of Dr. Doon Gibbs, who has dedicated his 40-year career at Brookhaven National Laboratory to advance science and technology to secure our Nation's future.

Brookhaven National Laboratory is one of 17 national laboratories overseen and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Lab has yielded seven Nobel Prize-winning discoveries and countless advances in science, transformative technology, and pioneering research.

Dr. Gibbs joined Brookhaven National Laboratory as an assistant physicist in 1983 and became the Director in 2013. Under his leadership, construction of the National Synchrotron Light Source II was completed on time, under budget, and with increased scope. Dr. Gibbs was also instrumental in overseeing the design and construction of the Lab's Center for Functional Nanomaterials.

Dr. Gibbs's vision and leadership has enabled our nation's scientists to efficiently address challenges that are of critical importance to our national security. I thank Dr. Gibbs for his many years of service at Brookhaven National Laboratory and I wish him the best in his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to a critical veterans program that has been helping veterans in my district for years. The PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program is a program that helps veterans deal with the invisible scars of war, including PTSD.

This program was named after Iraq war veteran Army Private First Class Joseph Dwyer, a native of Mount Sinai, New York. After years of struggling with PTSD and addiction, PFC Dwyer passed away. He tried to seek help, but it was never enough.

As a Navy veteran myself, I understand the difficulties many of our servicemembers face when they return home.

I recently introduced the PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program Act to help nationalize an important program that has been incredibly successful in my district. This program has a proven track record of success in helping veterans deal with their mental health issues in a safe and welcoming environment among their fellow veterans.

My bipartisan bill would provide grants for State and local entities across the country to make the program easily accessible to all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this commonsense bill to help our veteran community.

Calling for the Release of Kai Li

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on the Chinese Communist Party to release Kai Li of Huntington Station, who has been unjustly held as a prisoner by the CCP since 2016.

Mr. Li immigrated to the United States from China decades ago and soon after became a United States citizen.

For years, Mr. Li visited China to see relatives and conduct business, never having an issue. Yet, in 2016, while Mr. Li was visiting Shanghai for the anniversary of his mother's passing, he was apprehended by Chinese police at the Shanghai airport. Mr. Li's secret trial ended in just an hour, and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Li is being detained unjustly and for purely political reasons.

On March 17, I sent a letter to Secretary Blinken urging him to do everything possible to bring Mr. Li home. I again urge President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and Ambassador Burns to bring Kai Li home. He and his family have suffered long enough. Let's bring him home.

The Threat of the Chinese Communist Party

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the growing threat coming from the Chinese Communist Party.

For too long, the Chinese Communist Party has been allowed to grow and spread its influence throughout the world. They have encroached on Taiwan's territorial sovereignty. They have developed in and around the Paracel and Spratly Islands, continuing to falsely claim their control over the South China Sea. They have supercharged the Belt and Road Initiative to spread their influence. They continue to lie to the world about COVID-19. The list goes on, Mr. Speaker.

Every day, we read stories of the CCP's attempt to become the dominant power in the Indo-Pacific and around the world.

Mr. Speaker, we must act in a bipartisan manner to address the threats from the Chinese Communist Party before it is too late.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet on Monday next, when it shall convene at noon for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of International Women's Month and the important protections given to women and girls under Title IX.

As a father of three young and wonderful girls, all of whom play sports, I understand the importance of celebrating female sports and the incredible opportunities and protections under Title IX.

Unfortunately, some people want to erode these important protections by allowing biological men to compete alongside and against women and girls.

A young woman having to compete against a biological young man who is often built different and bigger just isn't fair. It deprives young women of a fair sense of competition. It deprives them of the confidence that comes from practicing and winning.

Mr. Speaker, Congress must act to protect our daughters; to give them a fair chance to compete; and to uphold the protections granted to them by Title IX.