Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to provide a history lesson. In 1598, New Mexico got its name. In 2026, Donald Trump's Presidency is the most unpopular of any President. His Iran war has pushed diesel prices to record levels, and his tariffs have cost Americans thousands.

How does he address the affordability crisis he created?

It is by slapping a New America label on the State of New Mexico. Let me give Mr. Trump a history lesson. New Mexicans are proud of our name and proudly patriotic. New Mexican soldiers fought in the Revolutionary War. We defeated the Confederacy at Glorieta Pass and stopped slavery's westward march. We fought for civil rights.

A New Mexican won the Supreme Court case declaring that Native Americans had the right to vote in every election everywhere.

While Trump makes billions off his Presidency and tries to gut Head Start, New Mexicans have universal childcare, free college, and no child will go hungry in our classrooms.

We have multicultural bilingual education that celebrates our diversity in a State that is 49 percent Latino, 11 percent Native American, and has some of the best ranchers and dairy farmers anywhere.

Hardworking New Mexicans are the opposite of the gold-collared, corrupt politicians who cater to Trump no matter how crazy he acts.

Mr. Trump, New Mexico has been New Mexico since before you got to these shores, and we will always be New Mexico.

moment of silence honoring indian boarding school victims

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize September 30, 2026, as National Day of Remembrance to honor those who were forced to attend Indian boarding schools and to recognize Indian boarding school victims and survivors.

Across New Mexico, there were 52 Indian boarding schools where Native American children were forced to relinquish their own indigenous heritage and language.

I call upon my colleagues to support H.R. 7325, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act, to formally investigate, document, and report on boarding schools, their policies, and the generational effects on Native American peoples.

We must support the healing of survivors, descendants, and Tribal communities. Many of the children never returned home to their families or their communities.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for a moment of silence for those children who did not survive, and may they never be forgotten.

honoring the life of randy lupe

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Randy Lupe, a wildland firefighter who helped protect New Mexico during the Frijoles fire.

A member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, Randy came with California Complex Incident Management Team 8 as the fire threatened rural communities. He spent 10 days supporting the response, carrying with him nearly 30 years of experience.

Randy brought laughter to long assignments and faith to difficult moments. He prayed with his crew, lifted their spirits, stood up for his fellow firefighters, and lived by a simple creed: Do what is right.

Tragically, Randy died as a result of a medical emergency while serving our communities. He is one of 61 firefighters we have lost this fire season.

Northern New Mexico mourns Randy and honors his sacrifice. He answered the call when we needed him most. We will remember him as a hero.

honoring catherine garduno

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Catherine Garduno who recently passed away in Penasco, New Mexico, at the age of 96.

Catherine embodied resilience, faith, service, and love of country. The youngest of 12 children born to a sheepherder and a cook, she became her family's first college graduate, earning an education degree from the College of St. Joseph in Albuquerque.

A letter to Senator Pete Domenici brought her to our Nation's Capital, an experience she shared throughout her 35 years as an elementary schoolteacher. She even taught my district director in third grade.

Widowed, Catherine raised six children with strength and devotion. A devout Catholic, she received the Archbishop of Santa Fe's St. Francis Award for Volunteer of the Year. Her legacy

passed down through her nephew, the late Raul Grijalva, and her great- niece, Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva. Her courage, faith, hope, and love shaped generations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to provide a history lesson. In 1598, New Mexico got its name. In 2026, Donald Trump's Presidency is the most unpopular of any President. His Iran war has pushed diesel prices to record levels, and his tariffs have cost Americans thousands.

How does he address the affordability crisis he created?

It is by slapping a New America label on the State of New Mexico. Let me give Mr. Trump a history lesson. New Mexicans are proud of our name and proudly patriotic. New Mexican soldiers fought in the Revolutionary War. We defeated the Confederacy at Glorieta Pass and stopped slavery's westward march. We fought for civil rights.

A New Mexican won the Supreme Court case declaring that Native Americans had the right to vote in every election everywhere.

While Trump makes billions off his Presidency and tries to gut Head Start, New Mexicans have universal childcare, free college, and no child will go hungry in our classrooms.

We have multicultural bilingual education that celebrates our diversity in a State that is 49 percent Latino, 11 percent Native American, and has some of the best ranchers and dairy farmers anywhere.

Hardworking New Mexicans are the opposite of the gold-collared, corrupt politicians who cater to Trump no matter how crazy he acts.

Mr. Trump, New Mexico has been New Mexico since before you got to these shores, and we will always be New Mexico.

moment of silence honoring indian boarding school victims

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize September 30, 2026, as National Day of Remembrance to honor those who were forced to attend Indian boarding schools and to recognize Indian boarding school victims and survivors.

Across New Mexico, there were 52 Indian boarding schools where Native American children were forced to relinquish their own indigenous heritage and language.

I call upon my colleagues to support H.R. 7325, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act, to formally investigate, document, and report on boarding schools, their policies, and the generational effects on Native American peoples.

We must support the healing of survivors, descendants, and Tribal communities. Many of the children never returned home to their families or their communities.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for a moment of silence for those children who did not survive, and may they never be forgotten.

honoring the life of randy lupe

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Randy Lupe, a wildland firefighter who helped protect New Mexico during the Frijoles fire.

A member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, Randy came with California Complex Incident Management Team 8 as the fire threatened rural communities. He spent 10 days supporting the response, carrying with him nearly 30 years of experience.

Randy brought laughter to long assignments and faith to difficult moments. He prayed with his crew, lifted their spirits, stood up for his fellow firefighters, and lived by a simple creed: Do what is right.

Tragically, Randy died as a result of a medical emergency while serving our communities. He is one of 61 firefighters we have lost this fire season.

Northern New Mexico mourns Randy and honors his sacrifice. He answered the call when we needed him most. We will remember him as a hero.

honoring catherine garduno

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Catherine Garduno who recently passed away in Penasco, New Mexico, at the age of 96.

Catherine embodied resilience, faith, service, and love of country. The youngest of 12 children born to a sheepherder and a cook, she became her family's first college graduate, earning an education degree from the College of St. Joseph in Albuquerque.

A letter to Senator Pete Domenici brought her to our Nation's Capital, an experience she shared throughout her 35 years as an elementary schoolteacher. She even taught my district director in third grade.

Widowed, Catherine raised six children with strength and devotion. A devout Catholic, she received the Archbishop of Santa Fe's St. Francis Award for Volunteer of the Year. Her legacy passed down through her nephew, the late Raul Grijalva, and her great-niece, Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva. Her courage, faith, hope, and love shaped generations.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time.

Chuck Edwards' behavior over the past 2 years is disgusting and horrible. The sexual harassment of two young women on his staff and his abhorrent abuse of power is outlandish and disturbing.

He not only threatened the careers and safety of his staff with his behavior, but he broke the promise he made to Americans to act with dignity and integrity.

Since he continues to show no remorse, it is obvious that Edwards refuses to understand sexual harassment or his abuse of power. If we don't take action today, there is no opportunity for these women to receive justice.

Mr. Speaker, every Member must vote to censure him.

Over the course of these 2 years, he sent two young women on his staff mountains of expensive gifts, including designer purses, personalized handguns, and jewelry. He took them on intimate dinners, trips, and sent them late-night messages, despite the women making it clear they were uncomfortable. He even skipped votes. He skipped votes to decorate one of the staffer's Christmas tree.

One of the staff, as we heard, essentially said she feared retaliation. When

she said: ``I worry about having somebody with that power against me,'' that is fear of retaliation.

Not only did he disrespect these women, he disregarded his duties to his constituents. For him, decorating a Christmas tree was more important than showing up to the vote, as his constituents expected when they sent him to Congress.

Even after this investigation, he continues to deny that this behavior was harassment. I basically do not see any remorse in his 22 pages or what he spoke today. Those 22 pages are basically a rant defending his actions.

He is someone who fails to see how what he has done has negatively impacted the lives and careers of these two young women. Because of Mr. Edwards' harassment, these two women don't work here anymore.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Committee on Ethics. I thank them for their thorough and efficient investigation. I thank the chair and the ranking member for their work. Without their investigation, we may never have known that Edwards spent years sexually harassing two young women on his staff.

This is textbook sexual harassment, and Congress must take action; but I say that the penalty should match the harassment. The precedent of censure, I believe, is not enough. These women lost their jobs because of Mr. Edwards' behavior. He should lose his.

It is time we reform the rules in Congress so abusers like Edwards are at least stripped of committee assignments or expelled if the offense calls for it--after an investigation and after a vote of the full floor--which is what we are doing today, because serving in Congress is a privilege and not an honor. It is not a right.

The American people continue to expect us to act with dignity, and if that trust is broken, there must be accountability.

We need to protect women in the House from retaliation and make sure that the men who abuse their power face real, substantive consequences. That is exactly why the Democratic Women's Caucus, together with the GOP Women's Caucus, has been working to end the widespread problem of sexual misconduct on the Hill. We are fighting to make Congress a place where our staffers feel safe coming to work.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for the censure.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the servicemembers of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base for their continued commitment to defending our Nation. Known for their mission of ``unconventional air power . . . any place, anytime, anywhere,'' the service members at Cannon are essential to our national security and air power capabilities. The 27th Special Operations Wing is made up of brave air commandos who serve in so many roles that contribute greatly to their mission, New Mexico, and the United States. From the aircrew to the engineers to the medical technicians and everyone in between, Cannon's servicemembers carry out each role with dedication and heart. Importantly, they serve their communities beyond their job titles. Clovis, Portales, and Eastern New Mexico are better because of the thousands of hours Cannon's air commandos have served volunteering at local organizations. Similarly, our students are more prepared for their shining futures because of the mentoring and tutoring the servicemembers have provided and continue to provide to local students. Today, the 27th Special Operations Wing stands ready to deploy globally in support of combat, humanitarian, evacuation, and steady-state peacekeeping operations. These brave men and women continue to hold the line.

Madam Speaker, New Mexico and Washington State rise today to honor the life of Juniper Blessing. Juniper was my constituent and attended the New Mexico School for the Arts High School.

There, Juniper's voice filled the air with hope, delight, passion, and, yes, sometimes angst. Madam Speaker, don't we all remember wondering who we are, wondering what our lives will look like beyond high school.

At that age, every joy shines brighter. Every fear cuts deeper. Every dream feels possible.

Juniper lived all of that and more. She was smart, funny, curious, energetic, and fiercely herself. She loved music, rainstorms, her dogs, her family, and the natural world.

She looked at the world with wonder and questions. She looked at Santa Fe's glorious thunder, lightning, and rainbows and said: I want to know more.

So she went to the University of Washington to study climate science and meteorology. She wanted to understand the mysteries of the atmosphere, the beauty and power of the world around us.

But for many, Juniper will always be remembered for her voice. She had the voice of an angel whose music filled classrooms, stages, and community gatherings. Her voice soared beyond the school walls and into the hearts of everyone who heard her.

I know that like so many parents, Craig and Monica Blessing sent Juniper

off to college in Washington both proud and worried. They were proud because she was becoming exactly who she was meant to be, and they were worried because loving a child means carrying their hopes and dreams alongside your own.

Through it all, Juniper lived her life on her own terms with authenticity, courage, and joy. Her family describes her as pure love.

Friends remember reassuring hugs. They remember someone who noticed when others felt afraid, different, or alone. That kind of compassion leaves a mark that never disappears, and Juniper's voice will never be silent in our memories.

While we in Congress must address the senseless violence that took her from her grieving family and community, we must also honor the blessing that is Juniper. The tragedy of her death must not overshadow the beauty of her life.

We honor Juniper in the people's House so that her voice and her memory never fade.

I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal).

Mr. Chair, I rise to speak in favor of my amendment to conduct a comprehensive study on large-scale algae production for agricultural and livestock uses.

Algae doesn't sound exciting, but the reality is it could be cheaper feed for livestock, cause fewer methane emissions, and lead to a higher conversion rate of protein. Dairy cows fed algae produce higher milk yields.

Growing algae could also help the economies of Sun-drenched rural areas like New Mexico. Our bright, yellow Sun can help grow green for our cows and our ranchers' pocketbooks.

So let's make something that is cheaper, more nutritious, and better for our planet more accessible to our ranchers. But to get there, we need better research into this feed source. Commercial algae for agriculture is an emerging frontier, and it makes sense for USDA to conduct the studies we need to make it widely available.

Let's pass my amendment and make our ranchers, potential algae farmers, and cows happier.

I urge my colleagues to support this en bloc package and my amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of an extraordinary woman from my beautiful New Mexico, Sarah Ghiorse.

Her family and all who knew her were touched by her life and grieve her passing from cancer at the untimely age of 52.

Sarah was rooted in love, love of her family, her colleagues, her communities, and our beautiful State.

She led the amazing organization NewMexicoWomen.org with her fierce advocacy for justice. Sarah believed that the work for women and girls in these difficult political times must be rooted in and convey connection to love, that in building together in community, we all have a role and belong to this ecosystem.

Sarah was the heart of her organization, moving with ease, grace, and integrity between multiple worlds, all connected by her commitment.

She was as comfortable in staff and donor meetings as she was at ceremonies or in the streets for marches, parades, or protests.

At the same time, she was a dedicated mother, a daughter, a sister, a partner, and a friend. Her light, love, and powerful legacy will continue and live on in those who loved and cared for her.

Rest in power, Sarah.

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

President Trump has not used his first 18 months in office to reduce costs or end foreign wars like he promised--quite the opposite. Last week, he said he doesn't ``think about Americans' financial situation.''

His priorities have never been the American people. His administration's priorities are the Trump name, his wealth, his war, and his profits. Everything he does costs Americans more money and more pain.

Let's recap the administration's actions in just the last few days. They created a $1.8 billion slush fund to pay off January 6 insurrectionists, who beat law enforcement officers in this very building. Taxpayers will foot that bill. Trump toured his dream ballroom that will cost taxpayers at least $1 billion. He traded stocks worth up to $750 million and then promoted the companies he bought.

We are in the 82nd day of Trump's war that is costing Americans over a billion dollars a day. Because of his war, gas prices have skyrocketed to $4.55 a gallon. Farmers are going bankrupt, and Americans can't afford groceries.

Trump gets away with all of this because House Republicans stand hip to hip with him. House Republicans' bills this week are proof, once again, that Trump calls the shots in this House.

Some of these bills had bipartisan promise, but Republicans poisoned them. For instance, for more than a decade, a bipartisan group of our colleagues fought to establish the women's history museum and put it on The National Mall. Women led this fight. We worked across the aisle because of our shared belief that women's history is integral to our Nation's story. Then, after decades of working together on building both a women's history museum and a Latino history museum on The National Mall, Republicans suddenly changed the bill.

The White House directed Republicans to amend the bill, so Trump and

his ballroom committee could determine what the museum looks like, where it should be placed, and even what we can talk about in the women's museum.

Yesterday in the Rules Committee, I asked the Republican chair of the House Administration Committee why he gave Trump this control. He refused to answer my questions because there is no good reason.

Before they hijacked the museum, 127 Democrats proudly cosponsored that bill. Now 146 Members of Congress have signed a letter opposing it until it is restored to its original version. These Members--these Members want us to tell a story of how women marched, protested, and were jailed so that they could vote and the story of women who fought in our Revolutionary War and continue to defend our country today.

Women deserve to be the ones to tell our story, not Trump and his ballroom buddies.

My colleagues should reject this partisan bill and return to the original, bipartisan version that honors the diverse contributions that women made to this country. One man should not dictate what women's history looks like.

This rule also makes in order two bills from the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Democrats and Republicans agree that we should increase benefits for disabled veterans and their surviving family members. These soldiers gave their limbs, vision, and mobility for our Nation. We owe veterans the benefits that truly reflect their sacrifice. But we should reject Republicans' choice to pay for those benefits by making it more expensive for veterans to stay in their homes.

That is what the Republicans' Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act does. It pays for the needed increases in disability benefits by making housing more expensive for veterans. Republicans' choices are all wrong.

Now is not the time to make housing harder to get when, thanks to Trump's war, tariffs and inflation, mortgage rates are averaging at 6.75 percent, the highest rate since last July; when gas and utility bills are skyrocketing; and when more than 10,000 veterans have lost their homes since Trump's administration shut down a VA program that helped veterans avoid foreclosure. There are another 90,000 veterans currently behind on their mortgages or in the foreclosure process who, thanks to Trump's administration, won't be able to use that program.

Now more than ever, we should make it easier for veterans to keep their homes. Yet, instead of pushing back against Trump's attacks on veterans' housing, Republicans chose to make housing more expensive.

Republicans have the money for tax breaks for billionaires but not veterans' housing, money for a White House ballroom but not veterans' housing, money for a $1.8 billion slush fund but not veterans' housing. Those are Republicans' priorities, and they are all wrong.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, we think that we should do all of these. We think we should increase the disability benefits for veterans. We agree on that.

Yet, what we are taking issue with is just the additional disability compensation, if you look at the score, what do they cost? It is $1 billion.

What else costs $1 billion? It is that ballroom. What else costs $1 billion? Actually, more than $1 billion--$1.8 billion. It is their slush fund. That is where we have a disagreement. We think we should do this, but we don't think we should cut veterans' housing to pay for it.

They are willing to pay for ballrooms and slush funds, but they want to cut veterans' housing in order to provide these needed benefits. We agree that these are needed increases in benefits.

Mr. Speaker, to address this issue more fully, I suggest that if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to adopt an amendment to H.R. 6047, authored by Ranking Member Takano, which would strike the sections of the bill that would raise fees on veterans who want to refinance their homes and replace these fees with a reduction in the estate tax exemption from $15 million to $14.5 million.

There is an easy question: How do we pay for this? How about asking the millionaires to help out a teeny bit for our veterans. Yet, under this Republican-controlled government, there is always money for the tax cuts to the rich, funding illegal wars, forking over $1 billion for Trump's ballroom, or the latest insanity of creating that $1.8 billion slush fund to pay out to January 6 insurrections and other Trump allies.

Yet, none of that spending by Republicans is paid for. It is on the backs of American taxpayers. It is on the backs of our children and grandchildren. Yet, when it comes to veterans, Republicans say that we have to offset the bill's cost by jacking up their home loan fees.

Scaling back the estate tax exemption by $500,000 after Republicans tripled it in their big, ugly bill isn't going to make a big difference to the heirs of all of those wealthy parents, but that alone would fund the benefit increases for disabled veterans and survivors in this bill without penalizing veterans who are just trying to stay in their homes and afford their mortgages.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record, along with any extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. Speaker, to discuss our proposal, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), the sponsor of this important amendment and the ranking member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from California.

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record the April 6, 2026, NPR article, ``Trump's VA killed a home loan program. Vets are now losing their homes because of it.''

Mr. Speaker, this is exactly the issue we have. We are supportive of increasing disability benefits. We started out with that. We believe this is long overdue. Our problems are with the choices Republicans make. Now, at a time when veterans are losing their homes--90,000 veterans are headed toward foreclosure--is not when you should actually make it more expensive for them. This comes after a yearlong debacle inside the Department of Veterans Affairs has whiplashed thousands of vets between various enacted and canceled programs.

Trump's VA is really beating up our veterans as they have tried to stay in their homes. These are the choices they are making: Let's make it harder on them. We shouldn't be doing that. We should make it easier on our veterans to stay in their homes. What happens? Are we going to kick them out? Are they going to be shivering? Are they going to have to be moving in with others? That is not the answer.

The answer is what we propose. There are other ways to pay for this, but Republicans won't go there because they are always protecting the wealthy.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Landsman).

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the Rules Committee, Republicans voted down Ranking Member McGovern's amendment, which was intended to stop what might be the most dangerous corruption scheme in modern American politics, the abuse of the Judgment Fund, the little known government account that is now being turned into a political slush fund.

Yes, I am talking about the $1.8 billion, you know, almost twice as much as we need to pay for the disability benefits. It is a $1.8 billion slush fund.

Before yesterday, most Americans might never have heard of the judgment fund. It is something that was created that is funded by the taxpayer, so I want Americans to know a little bit more about this.

It is intended to fund legitimate legal settlements, but Republicans are now blessing a system where a President and his own Justice Department, his Attorney General, his private lawyer, can create a law, make a deal, settle that lawsuit, and then send Americans' money wherever they want without congressional oversight.

That is what we were saying yesterday. It is like, no, Congress, under our Constitution, controls the purse. We are the ones who decide where America's money goes because we have to stand up in front of them every 2 years and explain ourselves. Well, Republicans never have townhalls, so they never stand in front of their constituents, but we do.

What they have just done is say: No, we are going to bypass that, and we are going to send $1.8 billion to Trump's allies. We control the money. You don't have a say, and we are going to make all of those men and a couple of women who came in here, who beat our law enforcement officers, the same people you walk before every day--those Capitol Police were beaten, and 140 of them

went to the hospital. Now, we are giving them money because we created the system.

I think it is important that Americans know what they are blessing. They are blessing a slush fund that any President can just make up a lawsuit, enter a settlement, and have collusion. This is how the Mafia works. You hand out money. The problem is that the Mafia, in this sense, is getting their money from your taxpayer dollars.

Let's sound the alarm. This is corruption of the most egregious manner. We should not operate like a Mafia in the United States.

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

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

We are debating today what Republicans' priorities are and what we are going to be voting on this week in the House.

That is the question I ask: Where are Republicans' priorities? Their bills highlight where their priorities are, and what is coming up this week highlights where their priorities are.

We have already talked about how they are going to be taking from Peter to pay Paul, except Peter and Paul are veterans who deserve both their housing and their disability benefits.

They are also going to be bringing to the House floor this week--not through this rule, but probably another one--maybe $72 billion worth of spending that is not paid for.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget's May 5, 2026, article: ``CBO Scores FY 2026 Reconciliation at $72 Billion.''

Mr. Speaker, the article details that the Congressional Budget Office--they are the ones that tell us how much everything costs--estimates the bill would add $72 billion to the deficit over the next decade--actually, about $94 billion with interest.

Part of that is the ballroom, so I think it is important to say where they are willing to spend the money. Are they willing to spend the money on disability benefits or on a ballroom? They have just told us they are willing to spend money on a ballroom, with interest, that is not paid for, but not on disability benefits.

These are where we get to where the issues are that we are addressing and what we are going to take up on the House floor. They are not taking up the issues that Americans are facing, which are the economic failures of this administration and of these Republicans.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record a May 17 Time magazine article titled: ``Americans Sour on Trump Over Inflation and the Iran War.''

Mr. Speaker, the new polling data and the story show that Americans have caught on. Republicans promised to lower costs on day one. Where are costs? Up.

Gas is up. Groceries are up. Inflation is up. Look at the numbers. America is hungrier and sicker, deeper in debt, and deeper in war than the day Donald Trump took office.

The nationwide average for gas is $4.55 a gallon. That is $1.35 higher than last year. For families in Santa Fe, Farmington, or Roswell, in my district, that means filling up your pickup truck costs $147.

Do you know how many times we have to fill up our trucks to be able to get around our district to check on the cattle, to deliver feed, to actually just maybe even take the trash to the dump? We use our trucks, and they are costing us so much money just to fill up, let alone how much it takes when we get to that grocery store and buy those groceries that cost so much. From meat to poultry to everything else in between, it is more expensive because of the policies of the Trump administration.

Are we addressing that? No.

I think I can quote Donald Trump. His quote was: ``I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody.''

Clearly. The 57 percent of the people who now say his economic policies have made their families worse off, who is thinking about them?

Millions of American families have been kicked off their health plans. Healthcare premiums have risen constantly because of decisions that Republicans have made that have been signed into law by President Trump that he trumpeted.

Mr. Speaker, 88 percent of the largest corporations, including Tesla, paid zero, nada, in Federal income tax last year, thanks to Trump and Republicans' tax giveaway in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Their billionaire-first policies are driving up costs for American families at the fastest rate in years, and it is affecting everybody, including our veterans.

Republicans said they would lower costs. Instead, they raised them through the roof. Now, our families are paying for their incompetence and greed.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, let's go through sort of where we have Trump's name.

Trump's name is now on the Kennedy Center without congressional approval. Trump's name is now on the United States Institute of Peace, and Trump has destroyed part of the White House without congressional approval, and he is putting up his ballroom.

Do you know what, Mr. Speaker?

These places don't belong to Trump or any President. They belong to the American people. As Judge Leon said when he ruled against the White House ballroom construction: ``The White House does not belong to any one man--not even a President.''

I think that the women's history museum does not belong to Trump. It belongs to the American people and the women whose blood, sweat, and tears paint the picture of America, and to the Haudenosaunee Clan mothers who controlled decisions over war and the economy.

Mr. Speaker, for those of you who don't know who those are, that was the Iroquois Federation. They were the inspiration for our Constitution. The only thing that was different was our Constitution didn't include and recognize women the way that the Haudenosaunee Clan mothers were recognized.

I want to have a museum where Deborah Sampson, a woman who disguised herself as a man to fight in the Revolutionary War, is discussed, not divided, but discussed about this was the fervor of those women during the Revolution who served as spies, who served as soldiers, and who served to actually win our Revolutionary War.

I want to honor Jeannette Rankin of Montana, the first woman to serve in Congress who served before women were even allowed to vote.

Do you know what, Mr. Speaker?

She was a Republican. Let's honor her.

Their stories deserve to be told, but they deserve to be told in a museum that is designed, that is built, that is located, and that talks about issues that the women of America have decided, not any one President.

That is why we are rejecting their partisan proposal and we are urging a return to the original bipartisan bill.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, earlier this morning we heard my colleague talk about the fact that Republicans seem to be trans-obsessed. He said they had 126 bills, trans-obsessed bills, and this is one of them.

The women's history museum bill was a simple bill that said: Let's make sure that the museum is placed on The Mall. You all amended it, not just to address your trans-obsession, but then to also give the authority to President Trump's committee to decide where it should go and what it should look like. We do not agree with that. We do not agree with that, which is why you have 146 Members who have signed a letter in opposition to the amendment.

It was a simple bill. You kind of ruined it with your trans-obsession and your culture wars.

Why don't we go back to the simplicity of what the bill was: Put the women's museum on The Mall, and let's move forward.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, this week has been about what Republicans value and who they are willing to hurt to give Trump more power and more money.

In July, Republicans found money for billionaire tax breaks when they passed the big, beautiful bill. They found money for another war in the Middle East. Now, they want us to vote for a billion dollars for Trump's ballroom and more money for ICE's terror campaign, but when we need to increase benefits for disabled veterans, Republicans say veterans have to pay for it themselves.

When women want a museum that tells their own story, Republicans hand control to Donald Trump. When families struggle with groceries, rent, gas, and utility bills, Trump says he doesn't even think about their financial situation.

That is the Republican agenda: everything for Trump, everybody else on their own.

Republicans in Congress refuse to stand up to Trump. They refuse to stand up for their constituents. They have no courage.

Now, Republicans want to give Donald Trump power over where the Women's History Museum should be located, what it looks like, and what we talk about.

A museum dedicated to the story of American women should not be controlled by a man who is mentioned more than 38,000 times in the Epstein files. It should not be controlled by a man who was found guilty of sexual abuse.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of Cora Vigil Gomez, one of the first women on the Tribal Council for the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

She lived a life of passion, self-reliance, service to the community, and hard work. As one of the Tribal Council members, she was instrumental in the lawsuit against corporations who said that you can't tax them. She attended the United States Supreme Court hearing, and that Nation established the sovereign right of Tribes to impose taxation to fund their government.

She started an elderly meal program where she actually butchered the sheep herself and then delivered the meals. It eventually became federally and State funded and is now still serving the people of the region.

In the 1980s, she was one of only four Native American representatives from New Mexico for Title IV of the Older Americans Act, which commenced the Federal funding of Tribal programs for elders.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to have represented Cora Vigil Gomez and her Nation as an attorney and as her Representative.

I honor Councilwoman Gomez, and am so sad for all of us now that she has passed, but I am so glad that we can remember and be inspired by her for generations to come.

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

Mr. Speaker, six Americans are dead, and bombs are falling on our consulates and bases and allies because Trump has started what he has now said could be a, in his words, forever war. This is the same President who said: ``I am not going to start wars. I am going to end them.''

This is a President who has said America First means no more wars. This is a President who has betrayed--he has betrayed those people who voted for him expecting him to keep us out of wars.

He started this war as a matter of choice because he wanted to. We have heard over and over again that there was no imminent threat, which is the legal criteria. There was no congressional authorization.

Trump betrayed his own commitments, his own voters. Trump betrayed them and betrayed those Republicans who thought he was going to keep us out of war, so you would think that Republicans who control this House would bring us back into a session so we could address this war, so we could discuss: Is it legitimate? What can we do? How do we exercise our Article I power?

Why don't you all want to exercise the power that was given to you by your voters? That is not what we are doing today. Instead, we are here on a rule that has one bill, and that bill is so important. That is the only thing we are going to cover. But guess what. We already did it.

This is a rerun of a bad movie. It is a rerun because there is nothing in this bill that is not already in the bill that, as the gentleman pointed out, was already passed.

The only thing that has changed from when we last passed this very same bill a few weeks ago was that ICE and CBP have killed, arrested, detained, and terrorized more American citizens.

When we last passed this bill, Alex Pretti was alive. Alex Pretti had not been killed. Alex Pretti's Second Amendment rights were still being honored. That is what has changed. What has changed is more people have died in ICE custody.

What has changed is it has gotten only worse. We have seen ICE officials have to walk back their lies about their encounters with citizens who they have shot and beat up and arrested. That is the only thing we have seen since this bill was last passed.

The reality is that the only way to get DHS funded all together in a single bill is for the White House, Senate, and House to come to an agreement. They are in negotiations to do that, but this is the kind of thing where even though negotiations are going on, the House just wants to do the same thing over and over again.

Do you know what, do you remember that quote of when you do the same thing over and over again with the same results, it is actually a little bit of madness?

I put up this letter because, while House Republicans kind of don't understand where Americans are, this 7-year-old named Connor does. Connor sent me this letter where he says: ICE, no money. He put a whole bunch of zeros after it. He doesn't realize they get a lot more than the $1 billion that he set out here. As my colleagues noted, they are already fully funded. They have all that money from H.R. 1.

What Democrats have suggested is, since they already acknowledge--he said it on the floor--that they are fully funded, why don't we just pass a bill that funds FEMA, that funds Coast Guard, that funds these critical agencies over which there is no debate, no controversy, and no need for negotiations?

They rejected that amendment last night because if they really cared about funding these critical agencies, they would say let's fund them, and let's take up the issues of how we make sure that ICE and CBP protect Americans.

Not only is Connor worried, but a parent told me when I was back home that her child asked her two questions as they drove home from school one day. One question was: Mom, are elves real? The second question was: Mom, what do I do if ICE comes for me? What do I do if ICE comes for you?

This is a little Latina student, a citizen, somebody whose family has been in this country for generations, but they are terrified because if you look Latino, you are at risk.

They are unwilling to put any protections in to protect our families. They are unwilling to put any protections in to say: Don't go into our schools. Don't go into our hospitals. Don't go into our churches. Preserve the places where people should be able to go to feel safe.

For example, in Clovis, New Mexico, ICE broke a car window at a health clinic, a health clinic, and dragged the father away. The mother had to run into the health clinic to make sure that there were no glass shards on the baby's skin because that window had been shattered.

This is the kind of activity that they are condoning. That baby was lucky because we know that there are babies like 2-month-old Juan Nicholas in Texas who was sick in detention with bronchitis and almost near death and who was deported across the border without any money, without any people who he would know.

Thank heavens the goodness of the American people helped that baby out.

I could tell story after story that should make anybody who has a heart, conscience, or moral values based on any of our faith traditions cry and say: This is not an America we believe in.

At least 3,800 children under age 18, including 20 infants, were held in detention under the Trump administration in 2025 alone.

The cruelty continues far beyond those thousands of kids, and it is not just that they killed--they killed--citizen Alex Pretti and citizen Renee Good. This is a pattern and practice of ICE hurting our communities and violating the Constitution. Americans who believe in law and order, respect for constitutional rights, and who don't want government overreach should be and are, indeed, outraged.

However, today, Republicans are, once again, demanding more money for the Department of Homeland Security's ICE and CBP which they acknowledge has already been fully funded. In fact, we know that $150 billion of

the money that we already sent to DHS remains available to them. However, now, as we heard, they are trying to justify funding DHS by pointing to a war that this President started without a clear strategy and without the support of the American people.

Trump's chaos is everywhere. Trump's chaos comes with a price. It is Americans who pay that price. There is chaos abroad, chaos Congress did not authorize, and chaos at home.

Let's be clear about what is happening. While families are worried about rising costs and while servicemembers' lives are at risk, Republicans want to write another blank check to an agency that is already operating with historic, unprecedented funding.

How much is this chaos costing us?

That is the question we should be asking. We know just one piece of this war: The three F-15 aircraft shot down cost $300 million.

Mr. Speaker, do you know what that $300 million could do?

It could fund 23 years of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program, 3 years of childhood cancer and birth defects for just those three F-15s that they put at risk. It would fund the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for 1 year to connect Americans with lifesaving services and a compassionate counselor. Three of those planes would pay for another year of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, a fund that Trump wanted to zero out. He wanted to zero out this fund.

Think about it, Mr. Speaker.

What do those CDFIs mean?

They are your credit unions, the places where you get your loans for your cars and for your appliances or to help with your home. That is what he is willing to do because everything comes at a cost, and they are willing to pay money for this war of choice. That money could be better spent at home bringing down the cost of living for Americans.

We know that 60 percent of Americans support redirecting ICE funding to Medicaid because people want healthcare and stability, not raids, abuse, and chaos.

Republicans keep burning money. They keep burning money. They have that $4 trillion debt from their big, beautiful bill. We know the last time a Republican took us into war in the Middle East it cost trillions in our deficit. They are doing it again.

There they go. They are at it again.

What Democrats are asking for before we send more ICE funding is what all law enforcement uses: mandatory body cameras and judicial warrants before you break down somebody's door.

Every law enforcement in America does that.

Why can't they?

Democrats ask for no masks.

What law enforcement officers go around in masks except for theirs?

Democrats want no targeting of schools, hospitals, houses of worship, or polling places.

These are sensible, community-driven policies.

We are also asking that ICE follow the same constitutional principles that every other law enforcement agency follows.

Mr. Speaker, you can't just beat up, shoot, and kill people. It is not just Democrats saying this. Catholic bishops from border States and beyond are pleading with Congress to restore protections at places of worship, schools, and healthcare facilities so families can seek care, learn, and pray without fear.

If Republicans truly cared about security, then they would support these kinds of reforms.

Mr. Speaker, why don't you want to let people pray without fear, I ask?

Trump wanted the Department of War so he could wage war. Now he wants a reckless ICE to have dangerous amounts of money. However, Americans don't have to choose between national security and safety and constitutional protections. We can have all three. It just takes courage. It takes courage over chaos, not blank checks and not endless wars.

It is time to restore accountability before we write another blank check with a lot more zeros than poor Connor can even imagine.

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

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

Now that we are on the point of thank-yous, my colleague suggested that I get up and thank them for bringing this bill again.

I do think it is a waste of House resources doing the same thing over again.

However, I do thank the gentleman because we are able to make the point again to the American people about how bad ICE is. The American people agree with us that what ICE is doing is not American. It is not American to kill us point-blank--murders--for doing nothing more than using a phone to video what they are doing.

Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H.R. 7481, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026, a bill which fully funds law-abiding agencies under the Department of Homeland Security and not the unlawful actions of ICE and CBP. That is because we agree that we need to fund FEMA, TSA, and the Coast Guard. There is no reason to have these important agencies tied to the funding for Trump's ICE cruelty agenda.

Indeed, Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro introduced a bill to fund FEMA, TSA, and the Coast Guard. Last night, at Rules, I tried to make her bill in order so the House could vote on it, so the House could say, yes, we believe in these agencies, and we want to fund them. Every single Republican in the committee voted against it.

Let's be honest about who is voting against funding for the Coast Guard, for TSA, and for these agencies. It is Republicans. Republicans voted against it last night, but we are going to ask Republicans once again: Will they vote to fund the Coast Guard, FEMA, and TSA? We will ask whether they will vote for that because we are going to give them another opportunity to do that. We are going to do that.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record along with any extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee and the sponsor of this bill, to discuss our proposal further.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Connecticut.

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

Mr. Speaker, we can get DHS open if Republicans would vote to return this bill so that we could, indeed, fund FEMA, the Coast Guard, and the other agencies.

Let's talk a little bit about FEMA because what we are seeing this President do is use this moment to make life more miserable for Americans. FEMA has $4 billion in Disaster Relief Fund. Even though it has that money, DHS is shutting down assistance to victims. It is doing that even though it has the money.

This is just like what Trump did last time where he had the money for nutrition assistance to fund SNAP and he said no. I would prefer that children go hungry, even though I have the money in the bank.

This shouldn't be surprising given Secretary Noem's record. She has put roadblock after roadblock to actually let FEMA do work. She says anything over $100,000 has to come to my office. That didn't stop her from giving away several millions of dollars in ad funding to somebody related to her because this is, indeed, a corrupt administration. There is corruption at the highest level, and we see that over and over again.

When we talk about U.S. citizens harmed, let's talk about U.S. citizens harmed by our own agency.

Marimar Martinez was a teaching assistant. She was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in October. She was in a car. That agent said, bragging: ``I fired five rounds, and she had seven holes.'' He had to recant their allegations that she had done anything wrong.

George Retes, a former Army infantryman and disabled veteran, pulled out of his car telling ICE: I am a veteran. I am a citizen. He then spent time in detention. He came to the House and was a guest for the State of the Union Address. We got to meet him.

Peter Yazzie, a Navajo Nation, our first Americans, and Laguna Pueblo member, was detained by ICE members. He told them: I am a Native American. I have my Certificate of Indian Blood. He was detained, arrested, abused in that moment.

Jose Roberto ``Beto'' Ramirez, 20-year-old member of the Ojibwe Nation, was yanked from the passenger's seat of his aunt's car, slammed on the hood, handcuffed, and held in custody.

Aliya Rahman is a disabled social activist. She had her windows broken, pulled out by force, and experienced shooting pain.

These are citizens. These are citizens, and they don't seem to care. It is something when you can't control the horrible actions.

We condemn the terrorism. We condemn the Ayatollah. We condemn all of that. We don't control them, but we sure should control our own agents and our own agencies.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) to discuss more about this bill and what all this means. He has led and inspired us in so many different times, and I look forward to listening to him.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record this MSN article titled: ``Kash Patel's latest firings ousted agents with expertise in Iran.''

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

Mr. Speaker, we also know the Trump administration, in addition to getting rid of those with expertise in Iran, also appointed a 22-year- old to head DHS' counterterrorism office.

When we talk about making America less safe, it is the Trump administration that is making America less safe. It is the Trump administration, by going to war in Iran after promising he

would not do that, that is making America less safe.

We can also talk about how he is also betraying not just his promise of no foreign intervention and wars, but he is betraying his promise to lower costs because now we are seeing gas prices surge. Americans know this.

It is this administration. It is the Trump administration that is making their gas prices go up. It is his tariffs that are making their gas prices go up. He is costing Americans money, and he is making their world less safe.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to include in the Record the February 2026 PBS News article titled: ``Poll: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say ICE has gone too far in immigration crackdown.''

Mr. Speaker, we just heard from another Republican saying that ICE is already fully funded. So what they should do is take up the Democratic proposal to fund the other agencies. They have acknowledged it over and over again today.

All that we need to do to fund the TSA, Coast Guard, and FEMA is to take up our proposal. They are refusing to do so. When they refuse to do so, they are causing the shutdown because I must say it again: What Democrats are asking is simply that ICE follow the Constitution.

Not only are Republicans inflicting harm on FEMA, TSA, and others, but they are refusing to follow the Constitution. They are refusing to have their law enforcement comply with law enforcement everywhere.

That is why Democrats are saying ``no.'' We are with Americans when we say that this terror that ICE has inflicted on Americans has to stop.

We are also saying that Congress should do its job and step in and say that we insist that they not violate our Constitution. We should step in and do our job of saying that we insist that Congress discuss and decide whether we should enter into a costly war in the Middle East, which is what they are allowing to go forward.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this bill, vote against the rule, and vote for the Democratic proposal to fund FEMA and the Coast Guard.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, Black History is New Mexico History. From Estevanico, an enslaved man who was the first, that we know of, non-Indigenous person to step foot in New Mexico after an adventure through the Americas that should be legend, to the Buffalo Soldiers who stood watch across this territory, and to the families who built Blackdom out of dust and determination.

While the Black community in New Mexico may be small in number, it has never been small in impact. Our state's story cannot be told without them.

Before statehood, before the railroads, and before the border crossed us, Black history here has been a story of people who kept showing up. They showed up when there were only 22 Black residents counted in the territory. They showed up when hotels were segregated and yearbooks placed Black students in the back pages. They showed up when banks would not lend and schools would not welcome them. Now, we are all showing up together.

There are forces right now that want to erase this history, to whitewash it and ban it from schools, and to call conversations about race ``divisive.'' They have even posted racist videos attacking the Black excellence of a former President and First Lady. They attack Black culture, immigrant culture, and Native culture--as if the richness of our heritage is something to be feared.

It may feel like they are winning. But in New Mexico, we know our cultures are not threats. They are treasures. We will not stand by while anyone tries to diminish them. As John Lewis reminded us: ``The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democratic society.'' He also reminded us that ``democracy is not a state. It is an act.''

We believe democracy works best when everyone participates. We come from builders. They built culture. Culture is power. Culture is how people survive what was meant to break them. Black culture will survive this.

We will organize. When they try to intimidate voters, we will mobilize. When they try to erase history, we will teach it louder. When they try to tear down our cultures, we will build them up.

Mr. Speaker, we keep hearing from the other side that we need to mine in America, and we just heard the ranking member talk about how if we are going to mine in America, if we are going to mine anywhere, we should make sure that it is done free of corruption. He didn't use that word, but that is the word that we are worried about.

What I am going to talk about today is that we should make sure where those minerals are going if we are mining in America. That is the question I keep asking: Where are they going? The reality is, because they keep refusing amendments that I bring up, those minerals are going overseas, and those minerals are going to China.

Under our outdated mining laws, a foreign corporation can set up a shell company to stake a claim. Guess what. They get U.S. minerals for free, zero royalty.

The Critical Mineral Dominance Act--these titles they have are always the opposite of what they do--this act that they are trying to sell the American people today, is yet another handout to multinational mining companies that will do nothing to stop our adversaries from shipping our publicly owned critical minerals overseas.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to recommit this

bill back to committee. If the House rules permitted, I would have offered the motion with an amendment to prevent Federal agencies from fast-tracking and approving mining projects if they are at least 10 percent owned or controlled by a foreign adversary like China.

In a hearing last year, I described legislation similar to what I am proposing to Trump's Secretary of the Interior Burgum. His response: ``I don't think we should be allowing foreign adversaries to mine critical minerals in our country.''

Sadly, Republicans must disagree with Secretary Burgum because they keep opposing every one of my amendments to protect American minerals from foreign adversaries.

With every rejection, they are telling the American people that they care more about big international mining corporations than they care about you, about your clean water, about your working conditions.

This bill would allow our adversaries to fast-track permitting, and the people who pay for that are United States citizens who those regulations are meant to protect.

It doesn't make any sense, except, as I mentioned earlier, that Republican bill titles are always the opposite of what the text says. This bill doesn't give the United States dominance. It opens the door for foreign ownership of our critical minerals.

Republicans always seem to stand with the richest corporations instead of Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record immediately prior to the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, if my Republican colleagues really cared about stopping China's dominance, they would vote for the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I came to the floor to offer an amendment so that we could prevent our foreign adversaries from mining American resources for free and taking them across the ocean to their lands. When we let our foreign adversaries take our resources away for free, it doesn't do any good for American dominance or for American taxpayers.

My opponents in this argument have decided to attack New Mexico's oil and gas and mining interests. Let me remind the gentleman that in New Mexico--and I am pleased that in New Mexico we have a lot of oil and gas production, including in my district--we have wind and solar production, including in my district; we have mining, including in my district, but we do it with sensible regulation so that our clean water and air and the economic interest of our citizens are protected.

What I am suggesting to him is that the environmental protections that we have in New Mexico apply across the country because there was a time when it wasn't like that.

That is because there was a time when it wasn't like that. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, that in my backyard, where I played, where I drank water, and where we fished as children, those waters were destroyed by mining. That was because there wasn't enough regulation.

Guess who had to clean up that mining? It was taxpayers, taxpayers in the State, and not so much the Federal Government.

What we are trying to do is protect the taxpayers from these mining companies that will put profit above planet and will put profit above the interests of the communities that live there. It is because when they mined irresponsibly, they destroyed water and destroyed jobs.

They destroyed things I care about. They destroyed fishing, and they destroyed farming. I am downstream. I own land. I own farmland that is downstream from those mining companies' destruction. I am trying to protect that. I am trying to protect everybody who relies on clean water, who is downstream from mining companies.

Mr. Speaker, let me tell you, there are 50 million gallons a day of contaminated water that is put into our groundwater and our streams from mines that didn't have regulation. That is what we are trying to do, to avoid an increase in that 50 million gallons a day of dirty water.

We cannot afford to destroy our water. We cannot afford to fast-track mining companies that aren't going to do the right thing by the American people. We cannot afford to send our resources overseas to China.

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 speak up against Kristi Noem's Department of Homeland Security. Speaking up is what we must do when we see that the Constitution is violated and the moral fabric of our Nation is brutalized the same way that they are brutalizing our communities and killing our citizens.

Whether it is in New Mexico or Minnesota, fear has become a policy for ICE and CBP, and cruelty has become their strategy. They take money that is taxpayer money that could be used for affordable housing, healthcare, and bringing down the cost of living, and they are spending it to terrorize our communities.

Following the Constitution, respecting the First, Fourth, and 14th Amendments should not be optional. It should never be up for negotiation. We should make it a requirement and make sure that they do not have immunity because then they act with impunity. We should not give another penny to the Department of Homeland Security until we get accountability.

Mr. Speaker, I urge that we vote against this rule.

Mr. Speaker, this week marks the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a decision that allowed women to make their own decisions about what to do with their bodies without the interference of politicians.

It allowed women to make those decisions in consultation with their own faith, their own doctor, and the people they love. Roe v. Wade proved that when women have that freedom to make our own healthcare decisions, we live healthier and fuller lives.

Sadly, after Roe v. Wade was overturned, 22 States implemented full or partial abortion bans. We have seen women bleed to death or become infertile after the onset of sepsis because they couldn't get care for miscarriages or other pregnancy-related complications.

House Republicans today are joining the effort to limit women's access to full reproductive healthcare and information. Instead of acting to lower healthcare costs, we are in a healthcare crisis. Instead of addressing the affordability crisis, they are trying to pass laws to siphon funds away from needy families and offer a skewed vision of what a pregnant student should hear from her university. Republicans are using this moment to remind us just how little they respect women's lives or our choices.

As chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus, I know that pregnancy can be joyful. As a woman who almost died on an operating table when I was pregnant, I also know how complicated pregnancies can be. That is why I am so mad about these bills.

Republicans' so-called Pregnant Students' Rights Act pretends to help pregnant students. It provides no childcare, no diapers, no formula, no housing, nothing pregnant students actually need. What it does do is it controls. Republicans seem to be always about controlling women, controlling people in their doctor's offices. It is about control.

It requires schools to tell students about carrying a pregnancy to term but not about what resources might be available for miscarriage, not about abortion, and not about the full range of medical care that they might need to access.

If a doctor only tells a person about one treatment option which might not be the best for them, that would be malpractice. Here on the House floor, it is called Republicans' priorities.

Then we get the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, which is another nice name but another ugly attack on women. This bill allows red States to siphon cash assistance meant for food, rent, and childcare into unregulated crisis pregnancy centers, places that masquerade as medical clinics. They spread misinformation, delay care, and shame women who may choose to have an abortion.

Mr. Speaker, what is worse is their bill blocks the Federal Government from monitoring States' use of TANF dollars for those anti-abortion clinics. They don't want accountability on those clinics.

I would tell my Republican colleagues not to lecture us about waste, fraud, and abuse when they refuse to monitor anti-abortion clinics and when they stay silent when Trump pardons over 44 people convicted of fraud. That is a conviction of fraud, not just a suggestion.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this rule.