Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in supporting this bill. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting the life of Mayor Kennedy and her public service for the city of Tustin, California, by naming this post office after her.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support me in passing H.R. 3350, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Tom Kilday, an exemplary teacher and community leader in Loudoun County. Mr. Kilday is cherished by his students at Trailside Middle School in Ashburn, where he taught Special Education.

Mr. Kilday is known as someone who brightens everyone's day through his incredible teaching skills and the delicious treats for his students and fellow faculty members. Students and faculty affectionately refer to him as ``The Candy Guy.'' He is known at Trailside as a smart, tough, and caring educator who takes a creative approach to learning in his teaching style. His students leave his class with a better understanding of the subject matter and feel ready to conquer their next learning journey.

Mr. Kilday is an example of the outstanding teachers in the Loudoun County Public School system who work tirelessly every day to leave a positive, long-lasting impact on our younger generation. On behalf of our community, we thank him for a lifetime of service and recognize his legacy as an all-around amazing teacher, friend, and public servant.

Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of reasons why we are seeing rising costs. One reason is particularly troubling, and it is called surveillance pricing. You see, it is common for businesses to track our online activity, like searches and web browsing, and to use that to decide who to target with ads.

What if they actually used that information to charge you a higher price for something they knew you actually needed? That is surveillance pricing. It is unfortunately becoming very common.

Surveillance pricing feeds your personal information and your online activity into an algorithm. That algorithm then raises the price you see online for your purchase based on how much it thinks it can get away with charging you. If the algorithm recognizes, based on your web search history, that a family member just passed away and you need to fly across the country, with surveillance pricing, the airline can then use that information to jack up the price of your flight. It is like personalized price gouging.

It is raising the costs on everyone. It is happening with food, housing, transportation, and more. You would never know that it was happening to you.

That is why I am introducing the SLASH Prices Act. This bill requires businesses to disclose the use of surveillance pricing and requires that consumers are able to opt out of surveillance pricing. Customers have the right to know if their personal data is being used to force them to pay unfair prices.

I urge my colleagues to join me in lowering costs by putting an end to online price gouging and predatory surveillance pricing.

Data Center Overview

Mr. Speaker, there are over 5,000 data centers in this country, with thousands more planned.

Data centers could use 12 percent of the entire country's energy by 2028. Communities are being asked to host these massive centers without knowing exactly how much water and electricity they use. This can lead to irresponsible data center build-outs, electric grid instability, and high energy prices.

Americans deserve to know how much energy and water data centers actually are using and not just estimates. That is why I am introducing the bipartisan Data Infrastructure Energy Measurement and Standards Act. This bill will establish consistent and accurate measures for how much water and energy are used by data centers.

With this transparent information, communities will be able to decide if they want to host a data center. Energy infrastructure can be properly planned, away from homes and schools, and we can understand, finally, data centers' full impact on our communities.

I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this legislation so that Americans are not left guessing when it comes to data centers.

Need for Gun Safety Legislation

Mr. Speaker, every day nearly 130 people are killed from gun violence. That is 46,000 Americans every year. Far too many families, far too many friends, and far too many loved ones have to cope with a devastating loss because of gun violence.

June marks Gun Violence Awareness Month. I am proud to introduce commonsense measures to promote firearm safety and prevent more of these deaths. For instance, a lot of gun deaths could be prevented by using technology to prevent unauthorized users from using a firearm.

My first bill, the Gun Safety Innovation Opportunity Act, supports research into cutting-edge gun safety technologies, like using fingerprints to ensure that only authorized users can access that firearm. We can use this research to prevent guns from being used by bad guys or kids who don't know how to use them.

Speaking of kids, we also want to keep guns out of our schools. Current law prohibits firearms on K through 12 campuses, but it does not cover preschools, like my daughter's.

That is why I am introducing the Protect Every Preschooler Act, legislation to extend existing gun safety protections to our youngest learners at preschools and early childhood education campuses.

The time for action is now. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting these bills and renewing our commitment to keeping all of our communities safe from gun violence.

Recognizing Pat Reilly

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Pat Reilly, a proud Virginian and public servant who passed away on June 6th.

Pat started her career teaching English in Liberia as a Peace Corps volunteer. There, she helped design the Liberian Education Assistance Project, which sent U.S. teachers to Liberia every year.

Pat continued her work with the Peace Corps, chairing the board of the National Peace Corps Association. During the Ebola crisis, she helped raise money for communities working on prevention and treatment.

Here at home, Pat worked as a reporter and editor for five U.S. newspapers, including The Washington Post. She later served in public affairs roles in agencies across the Federal Government.

Even in retirement, she tirelessly advocated for the arts, human rights, social justice, and led her local League of Women Voters chapter.

Our community will always remember Pat's commitment to serving others, and she will be missed by her family, friends, and so many of the people whose lives she touched.

May she rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of H.R. 8463, the Pre-Payment Fraud Prevention and Treasury Data Access Act.

This bill will help prevent improper payments by requiring that agencies verify with the U.S. Treasury that payments are going to the right place before they are made. Agencies would be required to use the Treasury's Do Not Pay system to confirm that recipients, one, have a valid Social Security number; two, are not deceased; and, three, have a valid bank account.

The bill would also impose heavy fines for any misuse of the Do Not Pay system.

This is a commonsense change, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, as well.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, H.R. 8463. I congratulate the chair and ranking member on their bipartisan work, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today also in support of H.R. 6916, the Federal Program Integrity and Fraud Prevention Act.

This bill would automatically ban individuals and companies convicted of defrauding the government from receiving Federal contracts, grants, and other Federal financial assistance for 3 years.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Randall)

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

Mr. Speaker, as the sponsors of the bill mentioned, we have a responsibility to ensure that Federal funds are spent wisely and go to Americans who truly need them. I think it is pretty clear that if you commit fraud to steal from the Federal Government, you should not be rewarded with a Federal contract or grant.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today also in support of H.R. 8467, the Zeroing Out Monetary Benefits Improperly Expended Act.

The bill is simple. It would require the Treasury to develop risk assessment guidance for improper payments. It also requires Federal agencies to conduct a risk assessment and publish a prioritized list of programs at risk for fraud.

Federal agencies with the highest risk of fraud and improper payments would be required to report on the steps they are taking to resolve those risks. These are commonsense measures to help prevent improper payments and promote accountability within Federal agencies.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their work on this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsor of the bill. I commend him on his creativity with acronyms of bill names, and I urge everyone to support the ZOMBIE Act. It is very much alive. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 8466, the Taxpayer Resources Used in Emergencies Accountability Act. I am proud to be co- lead of this legislation with my colleague, Representative Biggs, and I thank him for his work on this issue.

This bill would require Federal agencies to develop internal control plans for future national emergencies. In times of disasters, pandemics, and other crises, it is crucial that the emergency Federal spending reaches the people who need it the most.

Emergency assistance can save small businesses from closing, protect public health, provide people displaced by disasters with housing, and much more.

But, unfortunately, bad actors can take advantage of these situations to commit fraud and steal funds. Every cent that is stolen doesn't reach the Americans who need it. Having an internal control plan will help Federal agencies develop strategies to mitigate those risks.

This is a commonsense, bipartisan solution that will ensure that agencies like FEMA and the Small Business Administration are better prepared for the future. That way we can ensure that emergency funds reach the people who need them quickly.

An effective response to a national emergency starts with advanced planning, and that is what this bill does. I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I thank the sponsor again for co-leading this bill with me.

I will say that I lived in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit the city, and there was a lot of fraud related to the money disbursed there afterwards. This has been a long-standing problem for many decades across Democratic and Republican administrations. I am glad that we are taking steps in a bipartisan way to address this issue to make sure there is less fraud.

These internal control plans, while they don't seem exciting, are very effective. I have done them at private companies, and I think these Federal agencies will benefit from them.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today also in support of H.R. 8340, the Taxpayer Funds Oversight and Accountability Act. This bill would make a number of improvements to the financial management at Federal agencies.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Min).

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

Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman from California mentioned, this is a great accountability bill. It requires the Federal Government to create a governmentwide financial management plan every 4 years and increases the responsibilities of agency CFOs to implement those plans.

It is common sense and bipartisan, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of H.R. 8107, the Government Audit and Accountability of Federally Funded State- Administered Programs Act.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna).

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

Mr. Speaker, this bill is an important step toward preventing fraud and improper payments before they happen. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

I rise today in support of H.R. 8428, the Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act.

This bill would establish programs to train Federal workers to identify the risks of fraud and improper payments.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Krishnamoorthi).

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

Preventing improper payments and fraud starts with a well-trained workforce. I thank my colleagues for their work on this important legislation.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H.R. 428, as well, the Bonuses for Cost- Cutters and Fraud Preventers Act 2026. This bipartisan bill would increase the maximum cash bonus awarded to Federal employees who report waste, fraud, and abuse, from $10,000 to $20,000. Increasing this award will encourage more Federal workers to come forward and report on waste and improper spending. It will reward employees for acting in the best interest of American taxpayers.

The bill also requires agencies to report on the wasteful and improper spending reported by employees, promoting transparency.

I thank my colleagues for their work on this bill.

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

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

Increasing the bonus for identifying waste, fraud, and abuse will save taxpayer dollars, make government more efficient, reward honest workers, and increase accountability.

I thank my colleagues again for this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding.

H.R. 7726 is supposedly intended to address fraud in childcare programs, but all it actually does is give the administration more power to withhold childcare funding as political retribution.

This is happening particularly at a time when the cost of childcare is skyrocketing. I am so glad we are talking about fraud because this is an administration that has embraced waste, fraud, and abuse.

This is a President who tried to steal taxpayer money by suing his own government and then set up a $1.8 billion slush fund for his friends and allies, and his family has made billions from pay-to-play business deals all around the world.

That is not all, because he has used his pardon power to pardon fraudsters left and right, including white-collar criminals convicted of money laundering; corrupt politicians who stole millions in public funds and even trafficked drugs; and even insurrectionists, including one who was later charged with child sex abuse and molestation.

These pardons have wiped out over $1.5 billion in compensation owed to actual crime victims. The administration has made sure there is no one left to investigate this fraud because the Department of Justice office in charge of investigating corruption used to have 40 attorneys in it, and now it has 2.

That is why, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this bill back to committee.

If the House rules had permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment to this bill. My amendment would prevent the bill from taking effect until the Department of Justice provides a list of all the individuals pardoned by the President of the United States who were convicted for committing fraud.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record immediately prior to the vote on 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, this past Memorial Day, my office joined the Loudoun community in honoring the 50th Anniversary of the Sterling American Legion Post 150 Memorial.

It was 50 years ago that Post 150, led by committee Chairman Jack Kapp, established the park on Memorial Day 1976. They recognized that our community needed a place to remember those who served and those who never returned home.

As part of this important anniversary, my office was proud to provide four American flags that will now fly over the memorial next year.

For 50 years, the Sterling American Legion Post 150 Memorial has stood as a reminder that freedom is never free and that the sacrifices of our fallen must never be forgotten. The members of Post 150 continue that mission every single day through their support for veterans and military families.

Places like this memorial preserve the service and sacrifice of our fallen heroes for future generations. They must also serve as a reminder that actions are just as important as words and symbols. That means supporting our veterans and military families here in Congress.

Mr. Speaker, may we always remember and recognize those who made the ultimate sacrifice for this Nation.

Delaying USAID Retirement Benefits

Mr. Speaker, over the past year and a half, 10,000 USAID employees were forced out of their jobs. Many of them were my constituents, and many with decades of diplomatic experience were pushed into retirement as the agency was illegally dismantled.

That was bad enough for them and for our country's security and safety, but now former USAID constituents are reaching out, saying that they aren't getting their full and accurate retirement annuities.

In many cases, USAID retirees have received no benefits at all since July of 2025, benefits that they earned and are legally entitled to. This also includes discontinued health insurance, as well, making life hard for them and their families.

As a result, according to the recent surveys of these USAID employees, 85 percent of them have experienced negative financial impacts, and 76 percent report negative impacts on their mental health.

When people try to contact USAID's H.R. office for help, staff there have reportedly been directed to ignore emails and calls and funnel all outreach into a single ticket system. It is almost deliberately inefficient. When our constituents try to call to speak to a live staff member, they aren't able to.

Questions are going unanswered, and people are left in the dark, waiting without pay while facing mortgages, college tuition payments, and rising costs of groceries and gas.

Not paying retirees their earned benefits is a slap in the face to the people who dedicated their careers to public service and making America strong and secure through their work abroad.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the administration to stop breaking the law and stealing from USAID employees. They must immediately fix this. That means issuing all owed retirement benefits to every eligible USAID employee.

USCIS Policy Abandons 70 Years of Law and Precedent

Mr. Speaker, on May 22, USCIS released a policy memo that it would grant adjustment of status from within the United States only in extraordinary circumstances.

This broad policy abandons over 70 years of law and precedent. It is pulling the rug out from under families who have worked to be together and from businesses that thought their workers would continue to be able to work.

It is effectively forcing hardworking students, family members, and entrepreneurs on a pathway to a green card to leave the country for many years while they wait for their status to change. Almost immediately, my office was flooded with inquiries about what this will mean for families.

Over a week later, USCIS has tried to clarify their original memo. One spokesman said that people who provide an economic benefit will likely be able to continue on their current path. With no specific details, families are left with more questions than answers.

Yesterday, I sent a letter to USCIS seeking clarification on how they plan to implement this policy but also urging the agency to immediately reverse it.

Our immigrant communities that are doing everything right should not be punished. Our businesses, already struggling under the economic chaos of this administration, should not suddenly be told that many of their employees won't be able to continue working. These policies are undermining our greatest strength by driving away talent, innovation, and leaders in communities across the country and across the world.

Mr. Speaker, these policies signal that the United States cannot be trusted to keep the promises it makes to immigrant communities and, really, to anyone. I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this USCIS policy.

Mr. Speaker, as I was saying before, what do you do when people in your administration constantly break the law? Do you clean house of all corruption and self-dealing or increase transparency and accountability?

Well, this administration decided to go the opposite direction and just announced a plan last week to require all Federal workers to sign NDAs.

The new message: If you see something, don't say something, even if that something is against the law.

These NDAs aren't just meant to cover sensitive, internal deliberations or classified information.

They apply to nearly everything going on inside the administration, even the illegal stuff.

This is about silencing whistleblowers.

This is about punishing people who speak out about waste, fraud, and abuse.

This is about putting loyalty to the President above service to our country and the Federal workforce.

If you want to fight waste, fraud, and abuse in government, if you actually want to put our country first, then join me in fighting these Federal worker loyalty NDAs.

Mr. Speaker, on May 12, 2026, Oversight Committee Democrats convened the first-ever hearing to solicit testimony from survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes. The hearing, ``Survivors Fight for Justice: Exposing Epstein's Crimes in Palm Beach and Across the World,'' marked a critical step forward in the fight for justice and accountability.

On behalf of all the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes, I rise to include in the Record the testimony offered by Sky and Amanda Roberts:

My name is Sky Roberts, and I am the little brother of

Virginia Roberts Giuffre. I'm here today because without

Virginia's courage and her story, we would not be having this

conversation about accountability. In the summer of 2000,

just steps away from this courtroom, at Mar-a-Lago, Virginia

was recruited by convicted trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. She

was only 16 years old, a child who had just finished 10th

grade, when she began being trafficked.

Before her passing, Virginia gave sworn testimony exposing

this for what it truly was: a global trafficking operation

enabled, protected, and funded by powerful people.

For years, survivors have been asked the same question:

``Who were the names?'' The truth is, many survivors stay

silent because many of these individuals still hold power,

wealth, and influence in our society. Point blank, Period,

that is dangerous. No survivor should have to risk their

safety just to be believed. But Virginia, she did it anyway.

She stood up when others were afraid, told the truth under

oath, and faced people she knew were powerful.

Today, we lean on her courage once again, because she

believed accountability should reach everyone involved, no

matter their status or influence. If Virginia were here

today, she would say these words herself. Since she cannot, I

will say them for her as her little brother. With that, I'd

like to share Virginia's own words from her sworn deposition

dated May 3, 2016:

``They trafficked me to many people.

Ok, please name a person that Ghislaine Maxwell directed

you to have sex with.

Prince Andrew.

Ok, who else?

As a whole, they both trafficked me to many people.

Ok, Can you please tell me to whom Ghislaine Maxwell asked

you to go have sex with another person.

Glenn Dubin.

Who else?

Well, [Redacted] is another one.

Ghislaine Maxwell asked you to have sex with [redacted]?

And Glenn Dubin and Steve Kauffman were, like I said, the

first people I was sent to after my training.

And where does Alan Dershowitz fit into this group of

people?

Same. I can't tell you piece by piece by piece who. I know

Glenn Dubin was first.

Ok.

And I know Steven Kauffman was one of the first that I was

sent to. Alan Dershowitz could have been between there--

between, sorry, between Glenn and Steven.''

This is only a small sample of the thousands of stories

that still remain untold. But the question today is no longer

whether names exist. The question is: What will Congress and

the Department of Justice do about it? Even if only a handful

of names are known publicly, will there finally be

investigations and accountability?

With that, I'd like to turn it over to my wife, Amanda

Roberts. First, I want to thank this committee,

Representative Garcia, and everyone who continues to fight

for accountability, transparency, and truth in the Epstein

case and most importantly, for standing with survivors.

Virginia's story was harrowing, but her courage was

extraordinary. We are talking about millions of files: sworn

testimony, depositions, emails, flight records, bank records,

photographs, videos, and evidence collected over decades.

Evidence that points to a network, not just two people who

trafficked and abused over 1,200 victims. Epstein and Maxwell

did not act alone. So when the Department of Justice says

there is ``nothing to see here,'' survivors know what that

sounds like. It sounds like a cover-up.

Virginia wrote in Nobody's Girl ``Don't be fooled by those

in Epstein's circle who said they didn't know what Epstein

was doing.'' That sentence should guide this committee's

work. Because ``I don't recall'' is not enough. When people

like Les Wexner are asked about Epstein's finances and

alleged connections to this network, the public deserves real

answers. When Howard Lutnick has given changing accounts

about his association with Epstein, that deserves scrutiny

and resignations. When Former Prince Andrew denied knowing

Virginia, despite evidence and testimony surrounding that

encounter, that deserves scrutiny and investigation. And when

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Ghislaine

Maxwell, a convicted sex trafficker accused of perjury, and

shortly afterward she was moved to a minimum-security prison,

that demands answers.

So today, we ask for four things. First: Congress must hold

the Department of Justice accountable, including contempt

proceedings as the record has shown that the DOJ has Violated

the law.

Second: state investigations must continue and expand--in

New Mexico, New York, Florida, the Virgin Islands, and

everywhere this network operated.

Third: this committee must issue further subpoenas and

require alleged co-conspirators, enablers, financiers, and

witnesses to testify under oath.

Fourth: follow the money. The financial records are not

secondary--they may be the key to exposing the full network.

Suspicious payments, shell entities, possible tax violations,

money laundering, and transactions connected to trafficking

and abuse must be investigated aggressively. Because

financial crimes can lead to real prosecutions.

And finally: The Epstein and Maxwell investigations must be

reopened. Not partially. Not quietly. Fully. Survivors and

the public deserve the truth, and enablers must no longer

hide behind wealth, power, or silence.