Floor Statements

Madam Chair, I thank the ranking member for yielding.

Madam Chair, while the bill before us attempts to address a real and serious issue, I must oppose it in its current form because it is drafted in a way that is unnecessarily broad and would have a chilling effect on research and scholarship at American universities.

Let's be clear: Intellectual property theft by the Chinese Communist Party is a serious problem that costs United States companies billions of dollars and threatens our national security. We should be working together on a bipartisan basis to address this matter as was done in the Homeland Security Committee in the 117th Congress under then- Chairman Thompson's leadership.

However, unlike the bill that passed through the committee last Congress, this bill before us today would essentially prohibit any collaboration between U.S. and Chinese universities even when that collaboration has no national security or commercial significance; for example, creative writing programs, history, anthropology, or researching lifesaving cures for diseases.

I know that is not the intent of this bill and that is why the bill needs more work.

Let me clarify. This bill uses a definition of ``Chinese entity of concern'' that is so broad that it would include any Chinese university or college that has a relationship with the Chinese Government, which is basically all of them.

By definition, ``Chinese entity of concern'' in this bill is defined as virtually any university in China. U.S. universities that collaborate with these Chinese universities, including on cultural exchange programs or engagements on subjects like history or creative writing, not related to national security, not related to U.S. commercial interests, would still be punished under this bill.

My colleagues on the other side might point out that the definition of Chinese entities of concern in this bill is the same as the bipartisan bill in the last Congress, and this is true, but, importantly, the version in the last Congress had a waiver provision to allow the Department of Homeland Security to provide exceptions to allow collaborations between American and Chinese universities that bear no risk to our country's security or commercial interests.

Crucially, the version of the bill we are being presented with today has no waiver provision.

By the way, my colleague, Mr. Pfluger, mentioned that a similar law is in effect for the Department of Defense. That is true, but guess what? That law has a waiver provision. This bill does not.

In effect, any collaboration between American and Chinese universities would be prohibited under this bill with no possibility for exceptions.

For this reason, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee so that it can be refined and improved to strike the right balance between protecting America from CCP surveillance and IP theft without stifling research and learning opportunities for American students that pose no threat.

If the House rules permitted, I would have offered this motion with this important amendment to this bill.

This amendment will include a waiver provision for DHS to waive, on a case-by-case basis, restrictions on institutions of higher education if the Secretary determines that the activities are of a benign nature, while still restricting research and development funding from going to institutions of higher education that have Confucius Institutes or other relationships with the CCP that are at risk of compromising U.S. interests.

We can strike the right balance between protecting America's security and allowing research and innovation at American universities to be competitive with the rest of the world.

Madam Chair, I include in the Record the text of the amendment.

Motion to Recommit

Offered by Mr. Magaziner of Rhode Island

Mr. Magaziner of Rhode Island moves to recommit the bill

H.R. 1516 to the Committee on Homeland Security with

instructions to report the same back to the House forthwith,

with the following amendment:

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the

following:

Madam Chair, I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Cedric Huntley, a community leader who dedicated his life to improving the lives of young people and making Rhode Island a safer place to live.

Cedric, known by many as ``Mr. Ced,'' was a powerful force for good. He served as site director of the South Providence Recreation Center, located right where he grew up on the south side of Providence and wore many hats as counselor, mentor, and listener to members of the community.

It was through his life experience and empathy for others that he connected with Rhode Islanders from all walks of life to build relationships for positive change.

He came out of retirement to lead the Nonviolence Institute as executive director to break cycles of violence that plague too many neighborhoods.

The Nonviolence Institute does crucial work in greater Providence to serve as a bridge between community members at risk from violence, social service agencies, and law enforcement to reduce crime and support victims.

When I served as Rhode Island's general treasurer, I ran the State's crime victims compensation program and had the privilege of working with Cedric and his team to help hundreds of Rhode Islanders who were victims of violent crimes get the compensation that they needed to get back on their feet.

During this time, I saw firsthand the work he did as a peacemaker and how

he worked to prevent acts of violence before they occurred.

Mr. Speaker, it was an honor and a privilege to work with him. His legacy will live on for a long time through the lives that he touched.

Mr. Speaker, I want you to take a look at this graph. There are two lines. The dark blue line is the effective tax rate paid by the 400 highest income earners in America, and the light blue line is the effective tax rate paid by the bottom half of income earners in our country.

In the 1960s, the people at the very top, the richest 400 Americans, paid about twice the tax rate that the average middle-class family did, but in 2018 during the Donald Trump Presidency and for the first time in our history, the billionaires started paying a lower tax rate than nurses, teachers, firefighters, and most other middle-class Americans who put in an honest day's work and make our economy run.

It is unfair, it is absurd, and it is wrong.

How did we get here? For years, corrupt rightwing politicians gave tax break after tax break to the billionaires and big corporations who funded their campaigns. When the billionaires and big corporations don't pay their fair share in taxes, you know who has to carry the load? Working people carry the load--working people who can't afford to pay thousands of dollars to go to Mar-a-Lago or Trump Hotel, working people who don't get to move their money overseas or hire an Army of accountants to find them tax loopholes or hire an Army of lobbyists to create new loopholes for them, working people who have their healthcare cut and their veterans benefits cut, working people who have to send their kids to crumbling schools all because the politicians tell them there isn't enough money left.

But there is always money when those billionaires come asking for more tax cuts, isn't there?

When Donald Trump and the Republicans were in charge, they passed a $2 trillion tax cut that went almost entirely to the wealthy, and then they turned around and tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act and kick 16 million Americans off their health insurance. We know what their priorities are, and we know what they will do if they return to power in this election.

Already, Donald Trump and House Republicans are meeting with industry lobbyists and billionaire donors to scheme how they can give away even more tax breaks to the people at the very top and cut the programs that working people depend on to get by.

Look at Project 2025, their policy plan for what they will do if they take control. That plan calls for cutting Social Security by raising the retirement age. It calls for repealing the Affordable Care Act, eliminating Head Start programs that provide preschool for 1 million children, eliminating the Department of Education, eliminating the National Weather Service. Republicans

propose cuts, cuts, cuts to programs that help working people, and at the same time they propose giving even more tax cuts to the people at the top who don't need it.

It doesn't have to be this way.

We can go back to a system where the tax code is fair, and working people aren't asked to pay an unfair burden. By asking the people at the top to pay their fair share again like they used to, we can do incredible things in this country.

We can ensure that Social Security benefits keep up with the cost of living and that the program's life is extended indefinitely. We can cut the cost of healthcare. We can ensure that every child receives a world-class education. We can provide tax relief to working people who actually need it.

The possibilities are right there in front of us, but we need to reverse this dangerous trend. We need to stop the corruption. We need to start working for working people, not the big donors and the lobbyists, and we need to put people over politics.

Mr. Speaker, ``Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude.'' These words spoken by President Harry Truman still ring true to this day.

Millions of servicemembers and veterans have answered the call to serve and protect the freedoms that we hold dear. Just as our Nation's servicemembers make a promise to leave no one behind on the battlefield, we must leave no veteran behind when they come home.

The PACT Act honors this promise. It is the largest expansion of VA benefits in a generation and ensures that millions of veterans who have been exposed to Agent Orange, burn pits, and other toxins during their military service receive the care that they have earned and deserve.

The PACT Act is one of the greatest accomplishments of the Biden- Harris administration, and it was made possible by the leadership of then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Chairman Mark Takano, among many others.

In Rhode Island, more than 3,200 veterans have already received PACT Act benefits with another 4,000 projected to be added to the program in the coming years. Over 1 million veterans and their families have received PACT Act benefits nationally.

I have been working very closely with my Rhode Island Second Congressional District military and veterans advisory committee to spread the word about the PACT Act and how veterans in our district can access those benefits.

However, there is still more work to be done. All too often, benefits claims sharks exploit veterans and their families with exorbitant fees. We must do more to protect veterans and their families from these predatory practices.

We must also ensure that veterans and their family members who were exposed to toxic PFAS chemicals on military bases and elsewhere receive the healthcare that they need, and I have cosponsored legislation to make that a reality.

We must always fight to ensure that veterans receive the care and benefits they deserve because they deserve nothing but the very best.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor John Murphy, a former Providence city council member, business leader, and philanthropist who dedicated his life to serving Rhode Island and helping those in need.

A son of Irish immigrants, John was born and raised in Fox Point, Providence. He graduated from Hope High School, joined the Army, and served in Korea for 2 years.

His commitment to public service did not stop there. Shortly after returning home, John was elected to the Providence City Council, serving four terms.

In 1959, he founded the Home Loan Investment Bank, building it into a full-service retail bank, employing more than 100 people and helping thousands achieve the dream of home ownership and financial security.

Throughout his life, John Murphy made it a priority to give back with generous support for the Rhode Island Foundation, St. Joseph's Hospital, Saint Jude's Children's Research Hospital, the Boys & Girls Club of Providence, and many more worthy organizations.

He was also passionate about education and helped start the mentoring and tutoring program at URI and the scholarship program at Providence College.

In his own words, Murphy said that he wanted underserved students to know they are important. ``I don't want them to get lost or feel hopeless. I want them to know that I have walked in their shoes. I am one of them.''

He never lost sight of where he came from, and he will be remembered as a man of incredible character whose legacy will endure for generations to come. He will be missed.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

The most solemn duty that we have as Members of Congress is to keep Americans safe. Unfortunately, instead of focusing on the very real threats facing our homeland, too many House Republicans are playing politics trying to defund the FBI and the Department of Justice, refusing to take action on gun violence and cheerleading for violent extremists like those who attacked this Capitol and the people in it on January 6.

They are putting their political agendas ahead of keeping everyday American people safe.

Let's not forget that it was House Republicans who killed the bipartisan plan to secure the border because Donald Trump told them he would rather have an issue to campaign on than fix the problem. Shameful.

When asked to explain his opposition to the bipartisan border security bill, one House Republican even said, ``Let me tell you, I am not willing to do too damn much right now to help a Democrat and to help Joe Biden's approval rating,'' putting politics ahead of securing the border.

This appropriations bill proposed by House Republicans cuts funding for regional counterterrorism efforts that keep Americans safe from both domestic and foreign terrorism and cuts all funding to help States and cities manage the impact of migration.

I sit on the Homeland Security Committee, and I saw as House Republicans brought in officials from States and cities to talk about how difficult it is to deal with the challenges of migration in their communities. Guess what? If those State or city officials are watching now, this budget that the House Republicans are proposing zeros you out, cuts you off. They are saying to you that you are on your own at the State and local level to deal with these challenges.

The American people want House Republicans to stop playing political games and work together across the aisle with Democrats to secure our homeland.

For this reason, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee for further work. My amendment would secure our homeland by providing an additional $51 million to Customs and Border Protection to improve information sharing and prevent people who are on the watch list from entering our country and to enhance security at ports of entry and combat fentanyl trafficking by purchasing equipment, including license plate readers and substance detection devices.

It would also provide over $150 million to detect radiological and nuclear materials and biohazard threats, and prevent terror attacks, and it would restore funding and authorities to combat domestic terrorism, domestic extremists like those who violently attacked police officers and tried to stop the people's votes from being counted on January 6.

I ask my colleagues, let's put Americans first by working together across the aisle, the way people expect of us, to secure our homeland and keep people safe instead of advancing the extreme agenda of the former President, who, by the way, was just convicted of 34 criminal counts.

I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for the motion to recommit.

Mr. Chair, I include in the Record the text of my amendment.

Mr. Magaziner of Rhode Island moves to recommit the bill

H.R. 8752 to the Committee on Appropriations with the

following amendment:

Page 2, after line 6, insert the following:

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Stanley Goldstein, who passed away last month.

Born and raised in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Stanley came from humble beginnings before graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and serving in the United States Army.

Upon his return home in 1963, Stan and his brother Sid opened the first CVS store in Lowell, Massachusetts. He believed that success would stem from prioritizing customer satisfaction over easy profits. He was right.

By the time Stan retired as CEO of CVS in 2006, the company had become the largest drug store chain in the U.S., with over 4,000 stores. Today, CVS has over 9,000 stores and employs more than 300,000 people.

Stanley never forgot his roots. CVS is still headquartered in his hometown of Woonsocket, and he remained in Rhode Island his entire life, raising his family there.

In his retirement, he was sometimes seen digging for clams or listening to Red Sox games on the radio.

Stanley Goldstein leaves behind a legacy of hard work and dedication that has created jobs for thousands and improved the health outcomes for millions.

He will be deeply missed, but his legacy endures.

Madam Speaker, as the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks prepare to meet in game 3 of the NBA Finals, I rise to celebrate Providence College graduate Doris Burke, a trailblazer who is making history as the first woman to call a championship broadcast in a major American men's sports league.

Burke's love for basketball started at a young age and eventually brought her to Rhode Island, where she started as point guard for the Providence College Friars and led them in assists for 3 years. She was selected to the Big East All-Tournament Team twice and graduated as PC's all-time assist leader.

Later in life, she continued to pursue her passion by calling Providence women's basketball games. Not long after, she began calling games for ESPN, where she became recognized for her keen insights and encyclopedic knowledge of the game.

Throughout her 34-year career, Doris has broken one barrier after another: first woman to call a Big East men's basketball game, to call a New York Knicks game, and first woman to call the Conference Finals and NBA Finals on radio and television. It is an inspiration to see and hear Doris Burke as millions of Americans tune in to the NBA Finals.

Mr. Speaker, this week, nearly 30,000 runners from 118 countries and all 50 States came together to run the 128th Boston Marathon. That makes this a fitting week to recognize the legacy of Ellison ``Tarzan'' Brown, a Rhode Islander and member of the Narragansett Tribe.

Born in 1913, Brown's exceptional athleticism earned him the name ``Tarzan'' after the popular films of the time. He was also known as ``Deerfoot'' to his Tribe.

Despite facing adversity throughout his life, and with no formal training or proper footwear, he emerged as one of the world's greatest athletes. He was a two-time winner of the Boston Marathon in 1936 and 1939 and represented the United States at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

Brown is one of two indigenous North Americans to have won the Boston Marathon and the only indigenous person to have more than one victory.

Today, I will take this moment to honor Tarzan Brown, a legend who brought honor to Rhode Island and the Narragansett people, and to echo the words of his nephew, Chief Sachem Sun Rise: ``A lot of people leave a footprint. He left a trail.''

Mr. Speaker, we need an immigration system that is safe, orderly, and fair. We have real challenges at the southern border. I have been there, and I have seen it.

There must be a fair process for those looking to come legally, and anyone who poses a danger to our country should be removed. The American people are counting on Congress to act.

Unfortunately, House Republicans prefer a problem to talk about rather than working together on a solution.

Last year, President Biden requested $14 billion in funding for the border, including 1,300 new Border Patrol agents,

and the Senate came up with a bipartisan plan to secure the border and reform our immigration system. House Republicans refuse to even call a vote. Why? It is because Donald Trump doesn't want us to solve the problem. He wants to campaign on it.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to get serious about working together on real immigration reform, securing the border, providing a path to citizenship to those who earn it, stopping the grandstanding, and getting to work for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Terrence J. Boylan, who passed away last month at the age of 85.

Terry lived a life dedicated to public service and leaving the world in a better place than he found it. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Terry was commissioned out of Newport, Rhode Island, and served as a weapons officer aboard the USS Cromwell and USS DeLong after graduating from St. John's University.

He proudly served our country in uniform and remembered the Navy fondly as one of the best times of his life. He even married his wife, Virginia E. Mahoney, from Cranston, Rhode Island, at the Newport Naval Station Chapel. They settled in Barrington, Rhode Island, where Terry served as principal of the Henry Barnard Lab School in Providence, and later moved to Marblehead, Massachusetts, where he served as an elementary school principal for nearly three decades.

During his years working in education, Terry left an indelible mark on the next generation. The Boylans retired to Cape Cod, and after the passing of his wife in 2015, Terry returned to Rhode Island to be closer to his children and grandchildren.

I join Terry's family--Terrence Jr., Jennifer, Terrence III, and Tanner--and his loved ones in celebrating his extraordinary life.

Madam Speaker, I rise today, along with Representative Amo, to honor Rhode Island State Senator Frank Lombardo III, a devoted public servant who passed away this month following his battle with cancer.

Starting with his election to the State senate in 2010, Senator Lombardo was a champion in that body for the working people of Johnston. A successful small business owner with his own HVAC company, Lombardo & Sons, Senator Lombardo was a fierce advocate for the small businesses across our State that are the backbone of our economy.

Moreover, the values that guided his work were rooted in the town of Johnston. He championed legislation to improve public health by guaranteeing insurance coverage for pain treatments, worked to expand programming to combat climate change, and increased transparency in Rhode Island's State tax credit program.

Senator Lombardo was also deeply involved in the community, particularly in the Boy Scouts of America. He was an Eagle Scout with Troop 4 in Greenville and was also a camp counselor for 2 years at Yawgoog Boy Scout Camp.

He was a passionate and hardworking public servant who will be deeply missed by all who knew him. I join Frank's friends, family, and the entire State of Rhode Island in mourning this loss.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Amo).

Madam Speaker, we stand united with the Shiloh Gospel Temple congregation and Rhode Island's Black community in the face of this heinous attack. Churches are more than just a place of worship. They are a place of refuge and community. They are safe spaces and sacred spaces, and no one should fear going to their place of worship or anywhere for that matter and in particular because of their race.

Let me be clear. This attack on Rhode Island's Black community is an attack on all of us and an attack on the principles and values that we believe in as Rhode Islanders.

I am thankful that a suspect was apprehended quickly and charged. Nonetheless, we must recognize that this is a part of a larger trend and an alarming rise of white supremacist violence across the Nation. We have seen too many racially motivated attacks across the country in recent years from Buffalo to Jacksonville to Charleston.

As ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, I am committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do everything we can to root our domestic violent extremism in Rhode Island and across the country.

Our hearts are with Pastor Perry and the entire Shiloh Gospel Temple congregation. There is no place for hate in Rhode Island or anywhere.

Madam Speaker, the time has come for the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, to make a decision.

Madam Speaker, 2 years ago, the Russian Army, at the direction of Vladimir Putin, invaded Ukraine, a peaceful Nation, a democratic Nation, an ally of the United States.

Putin's missiles rained down on schools and hospitals. His bullets took the lives of children and the elderly.

This is not the first time Vladimir Putin has invaded another country, slaughtering thousands of innocent people for no purpose other than his own selfish ambition. If he is allowed to succeed in Ukraine, he will not stop there.

We must continue to support Ukraine, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because if the United States abandons Ukraine, we endanger our own national security.

After the attacks on this country on September 11, more than 50 nations, including Ukraine and all of our NATO allies, came to America's defense in the war on terror.

The strength of our military is multiplied by the strength of our alliances, and if we turn our backs on our ally, we weaken ourselves.

This week, the Senate passed a bill that will give Ukraine the supplies and ammunition it needs to win the war.

Now, the decision and the fate of millions rests with just one man, the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. We know what will happen if Speaker Mike Johnson calls a vote on Ukraine funding.

The bill will pass the House by an overwhelming margin. This is undisputed. It will pass the House by an overwhelming margin, and then the President will sign it.

American factories and workers will produce the ammunition and supplies the Ukrainians desperately need. Once again, America's industrial might will arm the cause of freedom, as we have so many times before.

When the Ukrainians receive that ammunition and those supplies, they will continue to use them to great effect and fight bravely as they have for the last 2 years.

We know all of this will happen if Speaker Johnson allows us to vote on the bill. If we do not vote on the bill, if Ukraine falls and millions of people have their freedom violently ripped away from them, and the light of democracy in the world glows a little less bright, and Vladimir Putin turns his menacing gaze to the democracies of Europe, and dictators around the world rejoice that the United States has retreated from its position of global leadership, it will be because one man, just one man, Speaker Mike Johnson, had the power to call a vote and didn't.

Madam Speaker, 77 years ago a young veteran named John F. Kennedy entered this Chamber for the first time as a newly elected Member of the House of Representatives.

In his book ``Profiles in Courage,'' Kennedy predicted: `` . . . in the days ahead, only the very courageous will be able to take the hard and unpopular decisions necessary for our survival in the struggle with a powerful enemy . . . ''

Now is the time for courage. History is watching. The cause of freedom and the hopes of millions are on the line. What will Mike Johnson do?

Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Funding

Madam Speaker, we have a moral duty to help survivors of violent crime by ensuring that they have access to the care and support they need. That is why I rise today in support of robust funding for the Victims of Crime Act, also known as VOCA.

VOCA is one of the most important sources of funding for victims of crime and particularly survivors of sexual assault.

VOCA funds rape crisis centers, emergency shelters, mental health services, and forensic labs to process DNA casework and help law enforcement bring criminals to justice.

During my time as Rhode Island's general treasurer, I managed our State's crime victims compensation fund, which is funded, in part, by