Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, today, Republicans are engaging in yet another impeachment scam.

Mr. Speaker, I recently joined colleagues on the House Oversight Committee in releasing a report confirming what we have known all along, that Donald Trump and his family, especially the Kushners, participated in the largest Presidential grift in history.

We have records of 20 foreign governments funneling millions through Trump properties and into Donald Trump's pockets while he was President, all in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. We have only been able to access payments and illegal gifts from four Trump properties. Trump owns hundreds of properties and businesses.

Despite the different cover-ups, we can still prove that Trump and Jared Kushner were making national security decisions while he and his family were getting bribes and paid by the same foreign powers. Millions were being spent by countries like China and Saudi Arabia, and we need immediate answers on why Jared Kushner got a $2 billion Saudi investment fund just months after leaving the White House.

We have been raising the alarm on this issue over and over. The corruption is unacceptable, and we must hold the Trump crime family accountable.

Mr. Speaker, this impeachment inquiry is a political stunt with zero evidence.

We are here today not because of any wrongdoing by President Biden but because Donald Trump wants revenge. Welcome to the Donald Trump revenge show.

He is running a campaign promising to destroy democracy and the rule of law and will soon be found guilty of serious crimes. The American people reject this toxic and disgusting agenda.

That is why Trump's allies here in Congress are trying to rescue him. They are throwing everything they can at President Biden, from misleading leaks to outright fabrications and lies. They are even trying to sell debunked Rudy Giuliani conspiracy theories.

Let's be clear: The White House has provided thousands of pages of bank records, statements from personal bank accounts, and testimony from the President's family, but none of this is enough for the extreme

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 705 and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 706.

personal explanation

Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge Jennifer Kumiyama, a talented performer, advocate, and constituent from Long Beach, California.

I am so proud that she was cast as the voice of Dahlia in the new Disney movie ``Wish.''

Jennifer was born with arthrogryposis and uses a wheelchair. She broke barriers when she became the first person in a wheelchair to actually perform on a Disney stage.

In addition to her career as a performer, she does vital work every day as the accessibility coordinator for the city of Long Beach.

In ``Wish,'' her character, Dahlia, is a courageous leader who also uses a wooden crutch to help her walk. This is a huge deal for representation. People with disabilities remain dramatically underrepresented in the media. Despite over 25 percent of American adults having some type of disability, movie and TV shows that feature people with disabilities or hire folks with disabilities are few and far between. I think we can all agree that this representation, especially for young people, is so important.

We couldn't be more proud of Jennifer for breaking barriers all across her life and for this latest performance.

Mr. Speaker, truth and justice are crucial components of a healthy and strong democracy. It speaks to the public trust we hold and the dignity of this institution.

As a freshman Member of Congress, I take the oath very seriously. I love this country deeply, and we should all have intentions to defend it.

That is why I rise today to defend the integrity of the House and to support the expulsion of Representative Santos. I wish no personal harm to the Representative from New York, and I imagine it is a difficult moment for him and for the institution. However, I believe strongly that he must be held accountable for his actions as well as his lies.

He fabricated his qualifications and his background. He lied to the FEC and participated in unemployment fraud. That is why he is under a serious 23-count indictment.

The bipartisan report is out. It is damning. It should convince all Members to vote for this expulsion.

People want better from Congress. They want good and ethical government. They deserve the truth.

I once again ask the Representative from New York to resign and save himself and the country from this vote. If not, I encourage a ``yes'' vote to restore integrity to the body and to expel Representative Santos.

Madam Speaker, it is undeniable that we have a gun problem in our country and that too many people lose their lives to gun violence every single day.

We can't take on the issue of gun violence without also addressing ammunition access for criminals and for those who are choosing to harm others across our country.

This means holding people and institutions accountable for their role in the public commercial ammunition sales that can get into the wrong hands.

Just a few weeks ago, The New York Times released a report indicating that ammunition produced at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant has also been sold widely in the civilian marketplace. Ammo from Lake City has been seized from drug dealers, violent felons, and even rioters from January 6.

Ammo from the plant has been tied to at least a dozen mass shootings, including at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh and at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

Let me be clear: This is completely unacceptable.

We are demanding oversight, not just over this plant, but the commercial sales of ammunition that is subsidized by the U.S. Government and then is turned around and used in mass shootings across the country.

We also need to pass my bill, along with Senator Elizabeth Warren's bill, the AMMO Act to regulate ammunition sales across the country. This is a serious challenge. People are losing their lives.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX, I rise to give notice of my intent to raise a question of the privileges of the House.

The form of the resolution is as follows:

H. Res. 114. Resolved, that, pursuant to Article I, Section 5, Clause 2 of the Constitution of the United States, Representative George Santos be, and he hereby is, expelled from the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I was unfortunately unable to be present at votes on November 6 due to travel reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 599, and YEA on Roll Call No. 600.

Mr. Speaker, we all know that Social Security and Medicare are core promises that we make as a country to every American. More than 66 million seniors, people with disabilities, and children rely on Social Security, but make no mistake, my colleagues in the majority are committed to cutting these programs down to the bone.

In 2020, even our new Speaker wrote a budget proposal that called for raising Medicare and Social Security eligibility ages. It called for $2 trillion in cuts to Medicare and $750 billion in cuts to Social Security. It would be devastating to millions of people, including 8 million veterans who rely on Social Security and Medicare every single day and middle-class people across the country who would see their benefits cut. Cost of living increases that seniors rely on would also be slashed.

The new Speaker is calling for a commission, which would be empowered to slash Social Security and fast-track his extreme proposals through Congress.

Speaker Johnson is so out of touch that he also claimed Roe v. Wade and reproductive rights now require us to make more cuts to Medicare and Social Security. This is not the agenda the American people accept or support.

Congress should come together to pass H. Res. 178 and commit to protecting Social Security and Medicare for all Americans. No cuts and no stripping benefits away from the people who work for them.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so we can bring up this important legislation.

Madam Speaker, just last week on the House floor, I called this body to investigate the clear corruption and grift of Jared Kushner.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge House Republicans to investigate one of modern America's biggest scandals and political cons.

Why did the Saudi Government give Jared Kushner $2 billion just months after he left the Trump White House?

Kushner, who oversaw Middle East policy for his father-in-law, has enriched himself and his family in what is clearly an enormous grift and likely serious conflict of interest crimes.

Let's review: First, Jared Kushner conned his way to a cushy White House job with no clear job description and no experience. Then he took it upon himself to prioritize pushing out the U.S. Secretary of State so he could cozy up to the Saudi Government.

Once he was close enough to the Saudis, we have records of a $110 billion arms deal between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia that was inflated at the direction of Jared Kushner.

Mere months after Kushner exits the White House, what happens? The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia overrules his own advisers and sends $2 billion to Kushner's company bank account.

In the exact words of Republican Chris Christie, who I will quote: ``The grift from this family is breathtaking. It is breathtaking. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Kushner walk out of the White House, and months later get $2 billion from the Saudis.''

Some colleagues from across the aisle have explicitly said the Kushner family has engaged in business dealings that may have crossed the ethical line, and I agree, yet they refuse to act.

Is this the same party that is obsessed with President Biden's family?

The American people deserve answers, and I urge my colleagues across the aisle to answer our calls and subpoena Jared Kushner's company once and for all.

Mr. Speaker, I am a proud cosponsor of Medicare for All here in the House.

Medicare for All isn't controversial or radical. It is commonsense policy to ensure that our healthcare is not dependent on where we work. We all know that Medicare already works in this country for so many older adults.

When I was mayor of Long Beach, I was proud to have cofounded the Mayors for Medicare Coalition which brought together leaders from across the country to support Medicare for All. As mayor, I saw the impact every day that barriers to healthcare can have on a community. That is why over 100 local cities and jurisdictions support Medicare for All nationally.

Medicare for All isn't just a commitment to address injustices in the healthcare system. It is an investment in the American people. We owe it to our country to prioritize healthcare, and Medicare for All is the way.

Healthcare is a human right. Let's pass Medicare for All.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on H.R. 4470. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 366.

Mr Speaker, I was unable to vote on rollcall 367. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 367.