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▶ 0:07:54good to see you e
▶ 0:08:37no as a heads up to everybody we're still waiting
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▶ 0:10:22a quorum being present the committee will be in order committee is meeting today for consideration of four measures uh the authorization and oversight plan of the committee of Homeland Security for the 119th Congress hr1000 the Cyber pivot act HR HR 113 and hres 114 without objection the chair is authorized to declare the committee in recess at any point pursuant to committee rule 7D any requests for recorded votes may be postponed I now recognize myself
▶ 0:10:52for an opening statement good morning today's order of business will be consideration to the committee on homeland securi authorization and oversight plan for the 119th Congress as well as additional measures rule 10 of the House of Representatives requires each standing committee to adopt and submit an authorization and oversight plan for the two-year period of the Congressional term the plan under consideration today highlights the committee's major priorities for this Congress first and foremost we will work to secure America's borders and support border
▶ 0:11:22patrol and other DHS components as they carry out their critical Mission we're committed to addressing the roote of many cyber insecurity ities by ensuring the workforce is prepared equipped and placed to face rapidly evolving threats to critical infrastructure and networks from nation state and criminal actors we're committed to streamlining regulations to ensure the re the regime promotes security and Rapid actionable information sharing instead of unnecessary duplicative paperwork cyber cyber security
▶ 0:11:52is something we must all prior prioritize we must work with our companies to ensure their implementing the best cyber security practices possible while communicating to them that their government is here to help when they face their Darkest Day of malicious nation state sponsored cyber attacks Additionally the committee's plan highlights the need to conduct oversight of the Department of Homeland securi structure to examine potential reforms to make DHS more efficient well-managed and effective in carrying out the homeland
▶ 0:12:22security Mission this plan will guide the work of this committee and our subcommittees during the Congress by focusing on key priority areas including counter countering terrorism and foreign nation state threats such as China improving emergency preparedness ensuring the security of our transportation systems and supporting law enforcement within DHS and our state and local Partners I encourage all members to support adoption of the committee's authorization and oversight plan as we do the work that the American people sent us here to do our
▶ 0:12:53second measure that we will consider is hr1000 the Cyber pivot act this bill will help us build a skilled cyber Workforce and Clos the Cyber Workforce Gap to meet the evolving threats that the government and American businesses face on a daily basis the Cyber pivot act seeks to Target the development of entrylevel cyber talent and expand the pipeline of trained cyber professionals who are ready to work on day one without requiring a costly 4-year degree this skills
▶ 0:13:23based approach is a critical step to ensuring that we're able to protect critical networks from cyber threats for this reason the Cyber pivot act has earned the support of many leading organizations in the cyber security and business communities and in Academia a few months ago in September we were able to report this bill with unanimous bipartisan support and it's my hope that we will be able to do so again today and Advance a practical measure to strengthening our cyber Workforce since its reintroduction in the house it has received
▶ 0:13:53widespread industry support as well as a bipartisan companion bill in the Senate finally we will also be considering two resolutions of inquiry introduced by our ranking member I now recognize the ranking member to make an statement thank you very much good morning Mr chairman uh Mr chairman today's markup is happening during unprecedented times voters ask Republicans to lower the High Cost of Living and prioritize Safety and Security
▶ 0:14:23instead Republicans are doing nothing to address the affordability crisis even though they control every branch of government inflation is up housing prices are up and the cost of eggs is through the roof if you can even find any to buy meanwhile there's nothing but chaos and nonsense coming from the White House Trump is trying to distract from his fail policies by dashing off
▶ 0:14:53useless executive orders that do nothing to address the issues Americans care about most no help at all for people trying to put food on the table make their rent or pay their light bill Americans are asking is Trump even in charge of his own Administration people are saying it seems like Elon Musk is running the country and they just might be right Trump's unelected South African co-president
▶ 0:15:24is allegedly a federal employee but he spends his time at political events rambling incoherently waving a chainsaw around for the cameras and giving the Nazi salute to his right-wing extremist friends and today evidently he's going to join the first cabinet meeting of the new Administration that's what he's up to when he's not wasting taxpayers money by demanding that federal
▶ 0:15:54employees who have actual jobs to do send him pointless emails only to have Trump's own cabinet secretaries tell the employees not to talk about inefficiency in government Trump's Administration is fighting among itself rather than doing the work of the people unfortunately Congressional Republicans are no better yesterday their lead leadership brought to the house floor
▶ 0:16:24a budget scheme that hurts everyday Americans who are already struggling in order to give $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for billionaires and deep pocket corporations also an $880 million cut in Medicaid I guess that's what happens when you put an outof touch outof control billionaire in charge of the country Americans also want their government to prioritize
▶ 0:16:55Safety and Security but instead Republicans are making it less safe Republicans are cutting our military at the same time the White House is coing up to adversaries like China and Russia that makes America less safe Republicans are giving a lawn mus and his doge lackes access to secure government systems that store Americans most sensitive data that makes America
▶ 0:17:25less safe Republicans are firing federal workers who helped secure our government networks prevent planes crashes protect our nuclear stockpile and respond to natural disasters most of those fired are veterans who sered this country honorably that makes America less safe meanwhile Secretary of Homeland secur Christian no no gome
▶ 0:17:56recently said that do should take a chainsaw to DHS the department that's supposed she's supposed to be running the department that was stood up in the wake of 9/11 to protect against terrorist attack and she wants to take a chainsaw to it again that makes America less safe none of this is what voters ask for so let's take a look at the Trump musk administration's first
▶ 0:18:26month in office protecting classified systems F preventing plane crashes F responding to disasters F meanwhile the Trump musk Administration has done an A+ job dismantling Homeland Security advancing Chinese interests and parient Russian dictator vamir Putin's propaganda it's not surprising that when
▶ 0:18:56Republican members of Congress are getting an ear fo from their constituents at town halls around the country even in overwhelming red districts Americans are rightfully upset that Republicans are failing to keep their campaign promises and have broken the people's trust on the issues they care most about secretary gome herself recently said and I quote we can't trust our government anymore
▶ 0:19:27on that I couldn't agree more that secretary the Trump Administration is the government and it cannot be trusted there is no transparency about what musk Doge gang is doing press is being shed out of the White House and administration continues to refuse to comply with basic congressional oversight about critical security matters that's why I introduced two resolutions of inquiry
▶ 0:19:58the committee will be considering today these resolutions require DHS to provide information about Trump's administrative actions that put the Department's information systems at risk jeopardize it Workforce and freezes Homeland Security grant funding I hope my Republican colleagues will join Democrats in upholding our constitutional oversight responsibility by supporting these resolutions
▶ 0:20:30hr1000 the Cyber pivot pivot act offered by chairman today I actually as you know I supported the bill last session but I'm not able to support the bill this time part of the reason is that there is strong support on the Democratic side for expanding the Cyber Workforce and making community colleges more accessible for students however a bill that condition scholarship on government
▶ 0:21:00service while the Trump Administration is firing existing cyber employees and freezing hiring of new employees is a bait and switch at best Democrats don't want to trick community college students in need who thinking that there will be a federal cyber job waiting for them after graduation and that's what this bill amounts to with Trump in office finally with respect to the committee's
▶ 0:21:30authorization and oversight plan there's room for improvement Democrats will offer amendments to the plan to strengthen key areas like combating gun trafficking and racially ethically and religiously motivated violent extremism these thoughtful amendments deserve our support with that Mr chairman i y back thank you ranking member Thompson other members of
▶ 0:22:00the committee are reminded that opening statements may be submitted uh for the record without objection and by agreement between the chair and ranking M member the committee shall use an amendment roster today Mr chairman you recognized re reserving the right to object and I will not object would the chair please explain the agreement regarding the amendment roster and I yield to the chairman I thank the gentleman and uh committee members for agreeing to use the use of an ad Amendment roster we have agreed
▶ 0:22:30that the bills be open to Amendment at any point and that we will take up amendments in the order listed on the roster the chair will anow members or will allow members to offer amendments listed on the roster out of order to the extent practicable and in a manner not prohibited by house committee rules amendments not listed on the roster may be considered at the conclusion of consideration of the roster I thank the chair for his explanation and withdraw my reservation forent
▶ 0:23:01to notice I now call up the authorization and oversight plan of the committee on homeland security for the 119th Congress the measure was circulated in advance and printed copies are available the clerk shall designate the measure authorization and oversight plan of the committee on homeland security 119th Congress without objection the first reading of the measure is dispensed with and is considered read and open to Amendment at any point does anyone wish to speak on the oversight plan Mr chairman at the appropriate time I have an amendment at the desk right
▶ 0:23:31on the oversight plan I hearing none uh it's now in order to consider Amendment one to the oversight plan offered by Mr magaziner on the roster the clerk will report the amendment Amendment to the authorization and oversight plan of the committee on homeland security 119th Congress offered by Mr magaziner without objection the reading is dispensed with the gentleman's recognized for five minutes on his thank you Mr chairman um you know even though I don't agree
▶ 0:24:01with everything in this oversight plan I want to acknowledge that there is much I do agree with I appreciate that the draft plan includes language instructing the subcommittee to examine the rise in violent anti-semitic incidents as a person of Jewish Heritage myself I'm half-jewish uh I'm keenly aware of the rise of anti-Semitism across the country today and the threat it poses but the Jewish people are not the only ones who are targeted by extremists with hate in their hearts
▶ 0:24:32my Amendment will expand the investigation of violent extremism to include all forms of racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism whether motivated by racism anti-Semitism islamophobia anti-lgbtq Prejudice extreme political views or other forms of hate violent extremists acting alone or in groups continue to be one of the greatest threats to the Homeland let's not forget the victims of recent domestic extremist attacks all of
▶ 0:25:02whom deserve to be alive today nine worshippers who were killed at a historically black church in Charleston South Carolina by a white supremacist who posted pictures with Neo-Nazi symbols and published a Manifesto espousing white supremacy 10 individuals who were killed at a shopping center in a predominantly black neighborhood in Buffalo by a gunman who left a note saying he did it quote for the future of the white race 23 people who were killed
▶ 0:25:32shopping at a Hispanic predominantly Hispanic community in El Paso by a white supremacist who said he wanted to stop a quote Hispanic invasion of Texas 49 people at the pulse night club in Orlando targeted by an extremist because they were at a club that was known to be an lgbtq plus Club the FBI and DHS have repeatedly stated that one of the most significant ter threats to the us we face today is posed by lone actors and small
▶ 0:26:02groups of individuals who commit acts of violence motivated by racism and Other Extreme beliefs according to DHS there were more than 200 of these violent incidents over the last decade that met the definition of domestic terrorism with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists committing the most violent incidents during that period so I commend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for condemning anti-Semitism and I thank you for that but we must ensure that all Americans are pre are protected
▶ 0:26:33from violent extremism I urge my colleagues to support this amendment to instruct the counter ISM counterterrorism intelligence and law enforcement subcommittee to examine all national security threats posed by racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism and I yield back gentleman yields and I'll I'll let folks know that Mr magaziner and I spoke about this and I myself am going to be supporting the amendment does anyone else wish to to speak on the amendment M Mr chairman you recognized
▶ 0:27:03yeah I understand the the the um you know the just behind it but what if if it's a violent act that's not racially ethnically or religiously motivated are we going to ignore it there are criminal laws do you want ask you're yelding Mr magaz yeah is it yeah yeld for response sure so look the over site plan covers a range of different violent activity that we want this committee to focus on and
▶ 0:27:33so we talk about securing the Border we talk about going after the cartels we talk about organized crime like a whole range of different things and I appreciate the fact that anti-semitic violence is included in the current draft uh but I see no reason why we should limit ourselves to anti-semitic violence and I just call out again we're talking specifically about violent extremism often that is motivated by strains of ideology that are extreme and that expels violence so I see no reason why the
▶ 0:28:03committee shouldn't broaden our Focus to include it U would you be willing to accept an amendment that says instead of saying replace the word replacing the word violent with saying uh violent including racially ethnically and religiously motivated violent extrem extremism give me just a minute but I think so hold on right now the gentleman has yield to Mr magaziner and he's on pause so
▶ 0:28:34uh I think you guys know we like to make sausage in this committee so if we have to put the two of you in the back room I'm comfortable with that and moving on to the next yeah I I'll I'll I'll yield back and and circle back in just a minute if you give me okay let's uh give me just a second if anyone else would like to weigh in this would be a good time all right Mr chair so uh I I take it the amendment is withdrawn
▶ 0:29:04for now and going to be re worked on and then yeah we'll we'll resubmit it okay okay that sounds great well why don't we uh go to the next Amendment we'll roll this amendment to after and since it's withdrawn and and we'll go to the next one then all right uh it's now in order to consider Amendment one to the oversight plan offered by Mr swalwell on the roster the clerk report the amendment an amendment to the authorization and oversight plan of the committee on homeland
▶ 0:29:35security 119th Congress offered by Mr Goldman number two without objection the reading is dispensed with a gentleman is now recognized for five minutes on his Amendment thank you Mr chairman um on behalf of uh Mr swell we I guess offer this amendment together however it's called it um addresses one of the uh most significant problems that we are at the border um which we spoke about uh repeatedly in the last Congress uh and
▶ 0:30:05I was very happy to see that President Trump uh confirmed with the Mexican president that this is uh an issue that needs to be addressed uh and that is the outflow of americanmade firearms to the uh drug cartels and the Latin American cartels uh as many know uh there's only one gun shop gun store in Mexico uh that is very carefully and
▶ 0:30:35uh restricted and over 70% of the guns recovered at crime scenes in Mexico were made in America uh we are sending hundreds of thousands of guns to uh criminal organizations in Latin America that are using those guns uh to Terror teriz and wield power over fentanyl trafficking human trafficking human
▶ 0:31:05smuggling um and and other criminal activity it is the source of the power of the cartels and it is something that uh we have to address as we look holistically at how we're going to stop the fentel trade how we are going to secure the border and so this amendment includes um the efforts to investigate uh and disrupt the flow of americanmade firearms to the international criminal cartels
▶ 0:31:36and one thing I would just add uh for for all of um for all of my colleagues is that the Administration has now designated uh I believe it's eight criminal organizations in Latin America as foreign terrorist organizations um that designation carries with it a number of things but it open opens up a criminal statute uh which is providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations and I
▶ 0:32:06think there's no question that providing guns to a foreign terrorist organization would be material support um and I am hopeful that the administration and the Department of Justice will look at that statute uh as one way of stopping the outflow of americanmade guns to the Border and so um I would submit this uh Amendment on behalf of uh Mr swell and I yield back gentleman Y
▶ 0:32:37and I I'll just uh say that I spoke to Mr swell about this you know having forbid an aumf happens and now that the cartel has been deemed uh terrorist organizations we send American soldiers or or Sailors to take them on uh and again I'm not advocating that at this point in time but I'm I'm just saying that's a possibility now that they've been declared that means those guns will be shooting at American soldiers so I support this amendment and uh I'll now recognize
▶ 0:33:07anyone who wants to speak on it if there's no further uh debate on the question um or the question is agreeing on the to the amendment offered by Mr Goldman all those in favor say I I I all those opposed no in the opinion of the chair the nose or the eyes have it and the amendment to the amendment is not is
▶ 0:33:38to there are no well do we have the other one done yet we'll suspend suspend briefly thank
▶ 0:34:56for for
▶ 0:35:28gentleman is recognized Mr magazine or you're recognized all right so again we we've accepted uh Congressman men's uh change it basically changes the language to I'm sorry says violent incidents including racially ethnically anti-semitic and religious uh religiously motivated so sounds sounds good to me anyone want to make comment about the revised Amendment
▶ 0:35:58okay we need the clerk to report this new am version of the amendment amendment by representative Seth magaziner to the committee on homeland security oversight plan for the 119th Congress page five line 35 strike anti-semitic after incident page five line 36 insert quote racially ethnically anti-semitic and religiously motivated violent extrem extremism including end quote does does anyone wish to speak on
▶ 0:36:31amendment if there's no further debate the question is on agreeing to the amendment offered by Mr magaziner all those in favor say I I all those oppose no in the opinion of the chair the eyes haveit and the amendment is agreed to there no further amendments on the roster are there any amendments to the oversight plan the question now occurs on the adoption of the oversight plan all
▶ 0:37:01those in favor say I I all those oppose no in the opinion of the chair the eyes have it and the motion is agreed to pursuant to notice I now call up hr1000 the Cyber pivot act the bill was circulated in advance and printed copies are available the clerk shall designate hr1000 to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide for education and training programs and resources for the of the cyber security and infrastructure
▶ 0:37:32Security Agency of the Department of Homeland Security and for other purposes without objection the first reading of the bill is dispensed with and it's considered read and open to Amendment at any point I recognize myself for five minutes to speak on the bill just five short months ago we convened here to mark up HR 1000 the Cyber pivot act it's a striking coincidence that the bill number 1000 so closely Echoes our goal of training 10,000 cyber Security Professionals
▶ 0:38:02per year I'm hoping that's a good sign addressing the na nation's cyber Workforce shortage has been a top priority for me since I assumed this gavel and I know I'm not the only one passionate about this issue it is a shared priority which enabled us to pass the Cyber pivot act out of committee unanimously last year with a vote of 27 to zero cyber security is often viewed as one of the bipartisan areas where Congress can get things
▶ 0:38:32done and our committee is often complimented for the serious tone we bring to cyber discussions indeed it isn't often that a witness endorses the bill of the opposing side in the middle of a hearing something we saw just two weeks ago ranking member Thompson our level of bipartisanship on cyber security is always encouraged me and I hope we preserve this bipartisan Spirit as we mark up the Cyber pivot act again today given the bill flew through committee the last time we reint introduced the same bill
▶ 0:39:02with two small clarifications about eligibility ranking member Thompson I truly appreciate your support and collaboration on this bill as you said back in September and I quote I'm glad to see his focus on this important issue before Congress I appreciate the Chairman's willingness to consider Democratic feedback on this bill particularly with regard to making high need critical infrastructure sections eligible for the programs internship program as it progresses through the legislative process end quote
▶ 0:39:32as we heard in our last full Committee hearing rural areas are some of the most affected they struggle to attract and retain cyber security talent and often do not have the resources to ensure the implementation of basic cyber security practices expanding internship opportunities in rural areas and for high-risk critical infrastructure sectors was therefore an important inclusion that W that will make our Workforce more prepared and our na safer students will provide huge value ad to these communities
▶ 0:40:03while getting hands-on experience that they can carry into their careers and I also want to thank Mr swell for his support of the bill last Congress and the many discussions he and I have had on this subject specifically I appreciate his recognition that we must offer alternative Pathways to four-year degrees for our cyber professionals as he said Mr chairman I quote I'm Mr chairman I support support this in your efforts to try and increase the talent that we can put into the workforce and also recognizing that all
▶ 0:40:33not all cyber professionals have to have a costly college degree that there are a number of jobs in cyber that do not require a four-year degree we we need them to Simply have the technical skills and the experience to defend against 20 21st century threats end quote the Cyber pivot act ensures students receive hands-on experience through skilled based exercises right in their own communities pivot scholarships utilize community colleges technical schools and other educational institutions that offer Pathways
▶ 0:41:04for students to Pivot to cyber quickly and get them ready to work by working with Partners across all levels of government in the private sector program participants should leave with the skills they need to identify and defend us against the 21st century threats that concern all of us I'm proud of how this bill has taken shape thanks in part to your feedback and I'm proud of all the people all the support that we have gathered in the process in addition to the tens
▶ 0:41:34of organizations that supported cyber pivot during our reintroduction we have 14 additional organizations that have endorsed the bill I'd like to submit statements for the record from tenable Plymouth State University Tenny Mountain certifi certifi D 50h Consulting mace and 6p in addition to thanking Google fortnet Vanderbilt University the national cyber security Alliance ntca the rural Broadband
▶ 0:42:05Association Knowledge Management Inc KMI and safe security for their support without objection so ordered I would also like to thank my co-sponsors Representatives guest Garbarino Jimenez Higgins strong bigs Evans Gonzalez molinar Rogers and eel as as well as Senators rounds and Peters for introducing a bipartisan companion legislation in the Senate as our nation faces increased
▶ 0:42:35threats to its networks and critical infrastructure from cyber security threats there could be could not be a more urgent time to build a pipeline of professionals we're moving fast on this legislation because there is simply no time to waste I look forward to working with all of my homeland colleagues to reduce the Cyber work to reduce the Cyber Workforce Gap and I hope you will vote Yes for the Cyber pivot act and favorably refer it out of committee does anyone wish to speak on
▶ 0:43:05the bill Mr chairman rank ranking members recognized thank you very much uh Mr chairman uh when the Cyber pivot Act was marked up in September committee Democrats voted to favorably report it to the full house but as you say uh five months makes a significant difference in terms of how government is operating we did so because we agree that our nation
▶ 0:43:35must strengthen the Cyber Workforce if we are to combat the threats posed by our adversaries in particularly we must encourage service in the federal government which needs talented employees to carry out its critical cyber Mission unfortunately in the last 37 days we have with witness an unprecedented assault on the federal Workforce that renders this bill entirely unworkable as om
▶ 0:44:06director Russell Vault has made clear the administration's goal is to put the Civil Service in trauma under orders from president Trump and musk there's a hiring freeze in place employees have been pressured to resign and mass layoffs have impacted numerous a agencies just this weekend fellow employees were threatened with being fired if they did not respond to an email from a
▶ 0:44:36potentially unsecure OPM email address the goal of these efforts have just been to bully federal workers out of their jobs despite lip service to National Security exemptions these policies have impacted cyber security workers as much as anyone else making us more vulnerable to cyber attacks from China and other adversaries for example cisus terminated an
▶ 0:45:07individual with 15 years of federal exp experience who was managing the Cyber centry program a congressionally mandated initiative that detects threats to critical infrastructure like water systems and electric grid that Americans rely on every day the department also fired a woman who left a job as a contractor to work on the Cyber secur safety review board
▶ 0:45:37which until the Trump Administration disbanded it was investigating salt typhoon veterans in particular have borne the brunt of the Trump musk firing spree including one veteran who had worked at DOD and sistera had a master's degree multiple professional certifications and a lifetime commitment to public service and it isn't just DHS and sistera hemogen cyber talent agencies
▶ 0:46:07from across the federal government are terminating good performing cyber Talent including at the Department of Education the general service Administration and the veteran affairs many of these civil servants were fired with a day's notice no service and no good reason under these circumstances who would choose to participate in this kind of scholarship for service program I cannot ask people to make a two-year
▶ 0:46:38commitment to government service when the federal government is under hiring freeze and when a participant would be arbitrarily fired by a 19yearold musk Protegé even if we were to enact this bill there's no guarantee sisa would implement it the administration is currently refusing to implement existing pipeline programs including the intelligence and cyber security diversity fellowship at DHS
▶ 0:47:09why would we create new scholarships when the administration will not even carry out existing ones additionally this Bill acts cisa to take on the significant undertaking of implementing this new potentially expensive program who at cisa is going to run this program and with what money in the last couple of weeks scores of sistera employees have been laid off or placed on administrative lead
▶ 0:47:39we don't know the total number we don't know all the roles that have been cut we don't know when the layoffs will stop but we do know these Cuts will harm Sis's ability to carry out its responsibilities we in Congress are very good at writing down our ideas sometimes we can even get those ideas enacted into law but let me remind my Republican colleagues is the dedicated civil servants under attack today
▶ 0:48:09who turn our ideals into actual programs if they are gone bills like this one are just words on a page when secretary gome promising a smaller sister with layoffs ongoing I do not see how sister can implement this program while maintaining their existing Services considering the chairman voted to cut Sis's budget by 25% it does not appear
▶ 0:48:40that Republicans are interested in providing sisa with the necessary funding either and the house just passed a budget resolution that will ultimately eviscerate State budgets so it's not clear to me how any state government will come come up with the money to hire any pivot act participant there will come a time when we need to undo the damage of the Trump musk Administration is currently inflicting on the federal
▶ 0:49:10cyber Workforce perhaps a program like this will be part of that solution though much more likely will be needed in that trust between the federal government and its employees is severely broken but today our Focus must be on stopping the bleeding not passing an unfunded mandate on sisa that may very well be nothing but a false promise to potential students if my Republican colleagues are so concerned
▶ 0:49:41about the Cyber Workforce they should speak out against a current attack on existing workers and against cuts for the these reasons I oppose the c p pivot act and encourage my colleagues to vote no and I yield back Mr Hima as you are recognized thank you Mr chairman I'm proud to be an original co-sponsor chairman green hr1000 the Cyber pivot act at a time when cyber attacks from nation state actors are
▶ 0:50:11growing in both frequency and severity we cannot neglect the importance of securing cyber space and enhancing our cyber Workforce as this committee knows our country currently faces a shortage of nearly 500,000 skilled cyber professionals we must not continue to be outnumber by our adversaries in such a critical domain the shortage of skilled cyber professionals is felt in every city county and state Across America we know that critical infrastructure in the United States is currently compromised by communist Chinese components
▶ 0:50:42we must ensure we have enough cyber professionals to curb the increasing threats to our infrastructure and networks passing the Cyber pivot Act is a good step forward in closing the national cyber Workforce Gap this piece of legislation will provide provide new opportunities to entry-level cyber Talent across our nation by expanding access to two-year programs primarily at community colleges and technical schools last Congress I was pleased that this uh bill passed through Committee in a bipartisan manner I'm
▶ 0:51:12glad that we are reconsidering this legislation I encourage all members of the committee to support uh the clean passage of the Cyber pivot act and I look forward to finding innovative ways to strengthen our cyber Workforce and with that I yield back gentlemen you does anyone else wish to speak on the uh Bill you're recognized thank you Mr chairman the cyber security skills Gap it isn't just a buzzword it's a national security threat
▶ 0:51:42it's a threat to our businesses our critical infrastructure and our personal data we need to act and we need to act now that's why the Cyber pivot Act is so crucial it's not about throwing money at the problem it's about investing in people it's about opening doors of opportunity for every American regardless of their background or their zip code I can only imagine the opportunities this legislation will create in South Carolina's Third
▶ 0:52:12District a veteran in lawen County finding a new career path a single mother in okone reaching her full potential a recent graduate in Abbyville stepping into a future filled with promise that's power of the Cyber pivot act bringing real opportunity home we're talking about apprenticeships on the job training boot camps and online certifications we're talking about focusing on Real World skills not just academic
▶ 0:52:42credentials and we're talking about building Partnerships between government industry and education to ensure that our training programs are Cutting Edge and relevant this isn't just about filling job openings it's about building a stronger more resilient America it's about empowering individuals strengthening our economy and safeguarding our national security the future of our nation's cyber security depends on action not just discussion
▶ 0:53:13I implore my colleagues to stand with me and support this legislation let's build a cyber Workforce that will not only meet the challenges of today but lead us into the future and thank you Mr chair and I you back the gentle lady yields does anyone else wish to speak on the bill you recognize Mr Evans thank you Mr chairman and I'd like to speak in favor of the Cyber pivot Act of which I'm a proud original co-sponsor I spent
▶ 0:53:4322 years in the military and law enforcement and Homeland Security and Public Safety has remained top of mind in my first seven weeks in Congress now and although it may seem invisible cyber attacks become more prevalent and more sophis sophisticated every year across every industry industries that are vital to daily operations in our states our districts and our neighborhoods local governments State entities Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries in Colorado have had to contend with aggressive cyber criminals
▶ 0:54:13and we've seen that cyber attacks on critical infrastructure have increased just 30% last year in fact I just came from meeting with a group of First Responders dispatchers who reported that in one Dispatch Center in one week they had hundreds of different cyber attacks that they were able to thwart it is critical that we provide these industries and these folks with the resources to be able to contend with these cyber attacks and the Cyber threats that we're facing because as they've told me if we don't do that it's a matter
▶ 0:54:44of when not if they fall victim the Cyber pivot act addresses this by establishing a strong scholarship program for two-year cyber security Focus degrees in exchange for service at the federal or state or local or territorial or tribal level internship opportunities in the program strengthen Real World skills for students so they're ready to serve our cyber security needs on day one knowing that everyone here agrees that cyber threats significantly endanger National Security
▶ 0:55:14and that we lack the adequate Workforce at all levels of government to counter those threats I urge by partisan support for this Common Sense legislation to provide dependable and sustainable career pathways for all Americans and to protect our nation from foreign adversaries and yield back gentleman yields does anyone else wish to speak on the bill Mr Turner you're recognized and Mr Mr chairman and ranking member
▶ 0:55:44um I looked at this bill and and I will tell you I um I can be supported I met with some college students uh two days ago in my office um and it is important um that we not create false hopes or false promises um on the scholarship for service programs
▶ 0:56:15I was seeing that under the existing cyber core scholarship for service programs um job offers are now so this is a scholarship program that currently exists which I support and you have uh students who are in these areas but the jobs they have is no more it's been sended you have
▶ 0:56:45the cyber security diversity fellowship program um that's been stop you have the Cyber talent management system that's been stopped the presidential management fellowship program that's been stopped all of these are like programs with all of the intended purposes that we are discussing today but they're being eliminated and stopped
▶ 0:57:15and then you have 130 CCE employees who will laid on so I agree that there's a tremendous need for cyber to build up the workforce but currently we're moving in the wrong in the wrong direction I think the worst thing we could do to this next generation and to those in Community College would be to say one thing and do another
▶ 0:57:46that's the worst thing we could do then they lose faith in who we are in the government that we say uh we're here to protect us them and their future that's what bothers me and then for oneir of the students and community colleges they rely on pil grants onethird of them but last night we took steps to take over $300 million out of
▶ 0:58:16the prog program that will adversely affect students in community colleges so my major objection and the reason um that I can't do it though I recognize that we have 500,000 short I agree with that um and that we need the workforce is that we can't do one thing say one thing and do another that would be the worst
▶ 0:58:46portrayal to our students and to the Um and we have scholarship programs already in existence but we're not following through with them um I think that's double talk thank you Mr chairman gentleman Ys I recognize Mr guest uh thank you Mr chairman uh first of all I want to thank you for your dedication and commitment on this particular piece of legislation you have been
▶ 0:59:17a champion for uh seeking to uh secure our cyber border um to protect our communities against cyber threats uh am a proud co-sponsor of this legislation I do proudly support what I believe is a common sense approach to dealing with the shortage that we are facing now uh and so I would again want to thank you for your leadership uh and I would like to yield the remainder of my time to you so that you can highlight the wins in this particular
▶ 0:59:47piece of legislation for the American people so with that I yield the remainder of my time to you I thank the gentleman and I'd like to enter this article from the uh Wall Street Journal yesterday the headline of the business section Starbucks to cut its office staff how often do we see uh companies all across the country doing layoffs because they get themselves in a particular difficult situation and need to do so it happens all the time workers Across America
▶ 1:00:17have to deal with this all the time but yet if you listen to the ranking member you'd think that federal employees are immune somehow look the federal government is bloated we are spending far too much money and there have been so many false statements made by members of Congress by the Press about what's happening at this Doge uh thing that it's it's it's almost people are laughing at it now
▶ 1:00:47um from from sisa 130 people 3% of the workforce it's not like Sis's been handicapped all across our government there is a deep dive going on to figure out how we can cut spending because we are broke 37 trillion in debt this is a bloated government and it's time for some layoffs and the federal employees are doing
▶ 1:01:18a great job that they're going to get to keep their job this idea that you because you have a federal job you're immune to any of the stuff that the rest of Americans have to deal with every day is a falsehood and it's time we get the spending and the bloatedness in this Federal bureaucracy taken care of and thank God for somebody willing to do it it has nothing to do with the scholarship programs the scholarship programs that are on pause or on pause they're not ended it is a misstatement to suggest
▶ 1:01:48otherwise this is political games this is somebody clawing for a piece because they got their ass handed to them six swing all the swing States they overwhelmingly every single state saw more Republican votes than ever before this guy's doing what he said when he got a mandate at the uh polls and here he goes and all they got is to De cry constitutional crisis all this other stuff much
▶ 1:02:18of which is false the security clearance that was mentioned many times when we were in our last hearing well guess what he's got a top secret security clearance we're going to continue to hear more of it it's all they got the federal government is bloated and it's time it's time to downsize and the poor people at Starbucks are going through the same thing every single American has to go through and now the federal employment the federal Workforce knows they're not immune any longer as for this cyber pivot
▶ 1:02:48act this is an opportunity to create a pipeline 500,000 empty cyber jobs in America right now this is our number one priority witness after witness has come before this committee and said we got to have a bigger pipeline Bern's equation how do you how do you create Flo increase flow through a pipeline you increase the diameter of pipeline that's what this bill is going to do you can vote Yes last year and and and no this year
▶ 1:03:19but your people are going to remember that and I certainly will with that I yield back to the gentleman from Mississippi Mr guest uh uh at that point uh I'm no further comments again thank you for your leadership on this issue now you back gentleman Ys does anybody else wish to uh we'll go to Mr Higgins and then anyone else your recognizer thank you Mr chairman I I just want to note the moment like
▶ 1:03:49there's there's no there's no righteous cause behind supporting legislation in the 118th Congress and opposing it in the 119 Congress is a genuine question Americans will ask well what happened have your core principles changed as you as what drives your vote your core principles or not so it's if it's from the change
▶ 1:04:20of of you know the loss of an election that from your then I just think we should note the moment and I fully support the bill I'm a my signature is on the bill and I appreciate the uh the chairman driving legislation we need this Workforce Development I mean there's no debate that we we certainly do
▶ 1:04:50and this is the type of legislation that normally would carry bipartisan support so it's it's not necessarily I it's not going to obstruct us you know we're going to save the country whether anybody likes it or not we're going to do what we have to do but it it's noteworthy like the absence support for a bill that carried bipartisan broad bipartisan support in the last Congress is is
▶ 1:05:20uh quite notable thank you Mr chairman I yield Jim Neel Sayes anyone else wish to be recognized Mr McKenzie you're recognized excuse Mr stand are you recognized thank you Mr chair and I yield to the ranking member my time you recognize yeah gentleman's recognized thank you very much well this notion is that uh this
▶ 1:05:51country operates as a stagnant country things Chang uh when we voted on the pivot act last year uh we were looking at creating opportunities this year all of a sudden uh we have taken a chainsaw and we have assaulted federal employees the chair just said uh and I thought was a unusual term as how he referred to this
▶ 1:06:21government uh but that was his his uh uh Speech but the notion is that all of us have heard from federal employees saying how they received emails telling them uh in no uncertain terms uh that They Were Expendable then they receive other emails tell them give me five things that you've done last week then in short order they are told no disregard it but that's
▶ 1:06:51not how we do it and when we now say all of a sudden that we want to hire people and we started pushing people out the door uh a righteous cause is one that's based on uh the facts the facts say since this Administration has taken office there's been a slashing burn approach to the Personnel who work for the government
▶ 1:07:22many of them who put their lives include the chairman here on the line to defend it but we have a lot of veterans a lot of them who've come to our office this week uh who are members of the DAV uh who work for H one of our agencies and now all of a sudden uh we're saying you're Expendable and so I'm in opposed uh to the legislation because things have changed
▶ 1:07:53uh when you look at the facts uh it is is clear that uh this Administration uh in its approach to addressing whatever the Personnel challenges are are disregarding and making us more vulnerable uh all of the people who are working in those sensitive areas have not been vetted so it's clear from my vantage point that legislation uh can't be addressed because the jobs don't
▶ 1:08:23exist in the federal government for which we're trying to do and as we cut this budget which we voted last night our states and local governments will have to cut their budgets because they will be substantially reduced too so uh it's you know we are a nation of ideas we are a nation of of differences at some point hopefully we can come together but at this point I think uh we
▶ 1:08:53differ uh I would encourage uh all of us that as we approach it just look at the facts uh you have heard from constituents in your respective District many of them who chose the civil service system for a career who are now uh actually sarily being discharged and they're not just the probationary employees uh they are people who have standing and tenue in those respective
▶ 1:09:23agencies so um important that the facts get put out uh Democrats support those federal employees uh if you have to have a reduction in force there's a process part of what we go offer uh in our resolution of inquiry is for us to get the facts we don't have any the facts all we know is that uh some guy running
▶ 1:09:53around with a chainsaw uh slashing and burning our federal government and that's not how you do it we need to facts get the facts and obviously we can uh go with the facts from there but we don't have any of the facts our year back gentlemen yon I recognize Mr McKenzie for five minutes well thank you Mr chairman I appreciate the opportunity to speak on the pivot act today
▶ 1:10:23because the the Cyber pivot Act is a crucial piece of legislation to not only protect our national security but also help grow our economy and this is a win-win piece of legislation it is a win for the employers and everybody out there who are seeking these employees to fill these 500,000 open cyber security positions across the country we have heard in this committee about the need to protect against threats from all of the malign actors around the world and
▶ 1:10:54employers are desperate to find this kind of talent and it is a win for the employees themselves for years we have talked about how it is not incumbent to get a four-year degree to make sure that you have a family sustaining career we have told students that for over a decade now we have said don't just focus on College there are lots of great opportunities out there in Career and Technical Schools you can get a great education at a 2-year program at a community college
▶ 1:11:24a technical school or anywhere else and you can actually have a great wage and a family sustaining career and do something meaningful for your community like cyber security so I think this is a great piece of legislation this is exactly what I came to Congress to do was to promote an advocate for America's Workforce and make sure that we're getting the trained skilled talent that we need for our employers so I want to thank the chairman for that and I think that it's a great piece of legislation that we should be voting yes on today so I would encourage a
▶ 1:11:54yes vote I will say this though it is very disheartening to hear the opposition to this legislation because what I am hearing is sour grapes I'm hearing people saying I'm going to take my ball and go home because I like I don't like something that is totally unrelated to America's children and our future that is so disappointing what happened to bipartisanship what happened to doing what is right for the American people for National Security and for our students that
▶ 1:12:24are out there today who are under crushing debt from going to four-year colleges and then going out into the workforce and there are no jobs on the other end this legislation does the exact opposite it provides a full scholarship to go into a field where there are 500,000 openings that's what we need to be promoting so of a no on this is incredibly disheartening because it is the exact opposite of what we have been telling young
▶ 1:12:54people for years so you want to talk about saying one thing and doing another voting against this legislation is voting against America's future and America's students so again I would encourage a yes vote on this legislation um and Mr chairman I can't thank you enough for staying in this fight and continuing this legislation because it is exactly what America needs right now thank you gentleman y does it anyone anyone else Miss Kennedy you're recognized thank you
▶ 1:13:24chairman I want to thank the ranking member for words um just a few things I I want to mention I know chairman you're you're putting in the Wall Street Journal um article I just want to note that Starbucks has been defending itself against many claims of union busting uh the nlrb is right now uh which by the way is getting gutted in the moment um looking at claims against
▶ 1:13:55Starbucks uh while the workers are trying to organize now they're one of the richest companies in the world making billions of dollars across the globe is laying off a thousand workers it's a sad day in America for those workers my heart is broken for those workers I want that to be added to the record um you know I'm hearing a lot from my colleagues across the aisle including what I just heard about the lack of bipartisanship I'm I'm curious the bipartisanship
▶ 1:14:26was in the budget hearing yesterday where 30 amendments were offered by this Democratic caucus and not one was considered and approved on the other side uh that is not bipartisanship I could go on and on uh what was voted across um the aisle by a by by a by a hair it passed the house House of Representatives that budget
▶ 1:14:56that decimated Medicaid cuts to services for our kids for the infirmed for every aspect of of of the livelihoods of the people we all represent Democrat and Republican uh there there is there is a and I know everyone in this room and everyone in this nation's capital is feeling it uh people are upset people are upset by what they're seeing coming from
▶ 1:15:27the House Majority and when I'm talking to my constituents and I'm speaking to many folks including veterans who were callously and cruy terminated without cause service disabled veterans that bled for this country that were terminated after serving in
▶ 1:15:57one case over a decade and a half as a federal worker uh took a job promotion because he took a promotion he was on probation and then he was cut and then the services that he provides to the veterans and to the American people were cut along with him and thousands and thousands of others that's what's happening right now
▶ 1:16:27so when we're talking adding another to what my colleagues across the aisle are saying is a bloated bureaucracy while they're gutting the services of the American people it is unconscionable i y back gentlemen y I recognize
▶ 1:16:58uh the former chairman of the committee Mr McCall for five minutes thank you Mr chairman I just want to maybe take a step back as an adult in the room and and express my deep dissatisfaction with the dysfunction that I see of this committee I it's not the committee I chaired I we passed the ranking member and I passed every cyber security bill in a b partisan way in fact last September
▶ 1:17:29this committee passed 27 to zero this very bill I passed a scholarship for service program which I think Mr Turner mayor of the great uh City uh Houston great State Texas has seen how well that has worked in the community um but now I see this being a partisan
▶ 1:18:00dysfunction does that mean we cannot pass any bills out of this Committee in a bipar way anymore that was the Hallmark of my chairmanship was that the ranking member and I worked together and we got things done for the American people in a bipartisan way and maybe I'm old school I think it's a good thing to work across the ey to get good things done for the country but what I see my colleagues
▶ 1:18:30on the other side of the aisle do is take a while they're complaining about a pause in the federal government to innovate and reform much needed reforms within the federal government they're going to put a pause on this committee we won't be able to pass bipartisan it's a sad day I anticipate that this will be along party lines at a committee and I think um
▶ 1:19:01you have to ask yourself this question how are you going to vote when this this will have to come to a rule vote now it will not pass on suspension on the floor rather it will come under a rule how many of your colleagues on your side of the aisle really want to vote against a bill to enhance the federal Workforce and state and private sector in one of the most
▶ 1:19:31highest threatened vironments issues that we have facing the United States and that is our cyber security elections do have consequences but I would argue the ranking member who I consider a dear friend and we work so well together you're putting your party and your members in Jeopardy by forcing them to vote against a constructive bill that simply tries to enhance our cyber Workforce
▶ 1:20:01that is so desperately needed and so uh with that Mr chairman I I yield back Jim and yields I now recognize Mr mckyer for five minutes thank you uh Mr chairman um a few things I want to respond to that uh some of my colleagues from across the aisle have mentioned um one I I do agree that it's a sad day um it was definitely a sad day yesterday I left the floor uh sad when it was a lack of B of bipartisanship when we had to
▶ 1:20:32um watch that budget pass before us um and many days before that on different bills that we've seen the lack of bipartisanship um take place bipartisanship is not a one-way Street um it's a two-way street and hopefully my colleagues across the aisle can understand that secondly we talked about how uh we're you know blow in our budget and you know we're spending too much money and there's a simple fix to that it's called tax
▶ 1:21:02the Millionaires and the billionaires in this country and we wouldn't be in the situation that we're at that's number two number three I can't tell if we want to hire federal employees or fire them from this Trifecta uh GOP government what are we doing we spoke of increasing the pipeline programs but the administration is shutting them down so I can't reconcile with this bill of what we're doing what are we saying
▶ 1:21:32uh you know what's happening here we want to increase the workforce but we're firing from multiple departments yet we're not in this committee talking about uh our own departments that fall underneath our you know uh our jurisdiction like Homeland and and other departments who are gutting people each and every day what are we doing here what are we talking about it's just it's sounds silly dep what's coming out of the White House it doesn't align I yell back gentle lady y anyone
▶ 1:22:02else wish to comment Mr fluger you're recognized for five minutes yeah thank you Mr chairman and uh to my colleague from Texas Mr McCall what what a great framing of of the issues and I know there's a lot of new members on this committee um for the for the members who have been here you've heard me talk about Angela State University uh and Mr Turner maybe you know where that is in my hometown um this is an institution that serves Rural America and we're a Hispanic serving institution we're a minority
▶ 1:22:33serving institution we also have rural folks who haven't heard in some cases of uh of these cyber opportunities um and it's just because of where they live but but this pivot Act is really important uh to them um and uh Miss mver if I can answer your question um the the instruction yesterday uh which you I think you'll be excited about um gave $90 billion to this committee which will
▶ 1:23:03be a part of hiring Federal Workforce to do the business of Homeland Security um and part of that will will be in the act of cyber defense obviously it'll be in the act of physical defense as well but um this is going to be a tough one to to vote against and go back and explain to your institutions why you don't support cyber defense and um there's going to be plenty of opportunities for for partisan acts Mr Kennedy you
▶ 1:23:33mentioned about the Amendments I'll I'll provide a history lesson on the Energy and Commerce Committee where um four years ago when we formed the the rules and I'm proud of this one chairman Thompson was was chairman in the 117th uh I believe uh Mr ranki member correct me if I'm wrong but we we had a pre-negotiated uh oversight plan uh and it went without without any drama um I think that that that chairman green has done that as well but in Energy and
▶ 1:24:03Commerce we had 120 amendments yesterday and the only reason we had that was because we did allow that that debate to happen in 117th under Democratic control there was no debate the oversight plan was deemed there was no conversation so we can go back and forth my point is not to put blame on the 117th and say we didn't have but those things have happened now here we are what do we do about this and in this particular committee
▶ 1:24:35I why wouldn't we support this something that was completely unanimously bipartisan is it because of of what my colleague Mr McKenzie said or is there actual legislative reason is there a substantive policy reason that that this is not going to be supported look we can play partisan politics all we want and we've done that very well but either we're going to make a decision to to get over those things and I don't necessarily agree with Mr magaziner uh amendment
▶ 1:25:05I think it is redundant I think it's Overkill but okay fine you know put those terms in there unless agree so what is it and maybe I'll open it up to Mr Kennedy or M mver what is it about this legislation that is that's wrong what what is it about Angelo State University that you tell me why Angela State University should not have this program if I can the gentleman yields to miss mver mver you're recognizing thank you
▶ 1:25:35so much um one thing I'll say is all of the probationary period folks got fired across multiple departments they lost their job this program that we are that the chairman is putting forward these folks would be probationary period workers as well what stops them from getting fired if we're gutting the federal government and looking for so much efficiency ask let me ask you a second question can if you can't can we back forth because are you are you against looking at
▶ 1:26:05efficiencies in the government absolutely not it's the process of how do that fair enough so yeah we so maybe today we commit to saying this pivot Act is a good thing for our country let's make sure that that our cyber Workforce is healthy that we actually develop these 16 17 18 year olds and give them something to look at as they enter that next level of Education um because I think this is going to be a tough one guys I think Mr McCall is absolutely
▶ 1:26:36right it's going to be tough to go back and defend why why you're a no vote on something for a Hispanic serving institution in my district I I can't I don't know what to tell people of of why this this was a no vot I'll I'll yield you the last 24 seconds I would I just want to say quickly I would love to support a program like this for from our district love to but there are mixed messages and signals that we're talking about when we're firing probationary periods and firing federal workers across the you have the chance now to to set that
▶ 1:27:06right and to say and this is what I stand for and I'll yield back gentleman yields does anyone else wish to speak on the amendment chairman that's is me Mr Ramirez is recognized for five minutes I appreciate it chairman you said we're broke chairman you started talking about workers I don't know how many of you here know what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck I do so does my family my mom and dad both are in Medicaid and you
▶ 1:27:36want to come here and act like you care about Working Families but then you do everything you can to defend the richest man in this country who has access to all our data and you're talking about cyber security but you're not talking about the controls and the systems you're going to put in place so that Elon Musk doesn't have access to breach all our data and use it to become even richer I mean I know biblically we talk about
▶ 1:28:07how the rich should give away their riches and support the poor but here we're talking about how we're broke yet we want to make sure that billionaires have all the power and and you know what's most hypocritical to me is that you're saying well live your principles live out your values well I'd like to see budgets that Center Working Families that do in fact create jobs for our communities for the HBCU and for the hsis you know these diverse schools that really promote equity and
▶ 1:28:37inclusion I want to see that yet yesterday in a budget resolution some of you who are in your phone the entire time you're here as a freshman um voted to defund Medicaid Ramirez my name is Ramirez if you were looking for it um voted to defund Medicaid when 22% of your district is on Medicaid voted to defund healthcare $880 billion in cuts for Medicaid and
▶ 1:29:07ACA $10 billion in cuts to infrastructure Investments that's what this budget resolution had but you know what it also had it had $4.5 trillion in tax cuts to the wealthy let me say it again 4.5 TR trillion dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy if we didn't make those cuts to the wealthy we wouldn't be broke I am disgusted that I'm in a room with people who are clearly super wealthy
▶ 1:29:38or their billionaire boss Elan Moss told them that they'll never have to worry about money ever again that have the cynicism to come into this room and try to tell us oh you voted this way you voted that way you're Hypocrites you do whatever Donald Trump tells you to do Center Working Families let's create jobs but don't tell me that I'm going to fire federal workers because they're not worthy other their jobs and so I want to hire more federal workers because they're worthy gent lady hold on just a second uh you need to direct your comments to the chair that is the rules
▶ 1:30:08then I I I'm I'm directing this to you then I want to say to you we we can't be hypocritical you're saying I'm hypocritical I am telling you that the biggest threat hypocritical you're accusing me of being I'm the chair of this committee I reclaim my time chairman go I reclaim my time what I am saying to you is that I find it hypocritical that we're talking about creating jobs in this committee what we're willing to fire left and right federal workers who have dedicated their life to service
▶ 1:30:39particularly those that are veterans and then we are saying that we care about Working Families but we're willing to defund Medicaid Health Care infrastructure and budget resolutions as you did last night I find that hypocritical and you may I'm directing it to you but I'm also saying this to entire country to hear us really loud and clear there is dissonance in this moment and you may not like it you may not like what I'm saying to you but there is no way that you talk about
▶ 1:31:09hiring people at the very same time you're talking about firing people that is what I'm saying in this moment you can't tell me that you care about working families and be willing to defund Medicaid that actually benefits your constituents in your District so I'm going to yield back and I'm going to tell you that I am not voting for bills of hypocrisy until we actually address the biggest threat to National Security and his name is Elon Musk I yeld
▶ 1:31:39back that's a nice clip okay uh anyone else want to speak on the bill Miss Johnson and we'll end it after end debate after this go ahead thank you Mr chairman um you know to me uh I I think the concept of this bill is excellent we have to encourage Workforce Development we have to encourage our young people to go to school and to come out with trades that our country so desperately
▶ 1:32:11needs the issue that I'm having is it seems like it's a little all hat and no cattle in that the hat is yeah we have this job we have this bill but the cattle is that we don't have any money to pay for it and I think that that is really the concerns that we're trying to express is where's the funding in our budget to pay for this program and what are Republicans doing to make sure that we have the funding
▶ 1:32:41to pay for this program um I think this program is necessary and I think this program is important for our young people but what I also see that's happened when we talk about a pause of programs like this that have already been voted on and approved is we have young students who went to school to get a into a program of security who have were relying on the support of the
▶ 1:33:11federal government for their internship whose now's monies have been paused what does that mean that means they don't have the money to pay their rent that means they don't have the money to pay their electric bill that means they don't have money to pay their tuition because the federal government has paused their commitment to these young students in programs just this so I think that that's really the the the rub where the rubber meets the road issue that Democrats
▶ 1:33:41are trying to express concern about it's not do we need to fill cyber security jobs because we absolutely do and it's not that we don't want to provide young people educational Pathways and career Pathways because we absolutely do but the problem is we passed a budget yesterday that doesn't have any funding for this program we passed a budget that has violated the promises to previous students in
▶ 1:34:12programs like this promises that the federal government made to them that if you go into programs we're going to provide you internship opportunities we're going to provide you Pathways to work the federal government has violated those proc those promises so are we going to create another pathway of promises to yet violate again because where is the I haven't heard one comment and I'm a I'm a freshman here I'm new to this building but I'm not new to legislating
▶ 1:34:42and I haven't heard one single comment from anyone here to say how this is going to get paid for where is this in the budget how is the federal going to fulfill its promise to these young students that we so desperately need in this field where's that promise and based on the budget that was passed all we see is violations of promises is breach promises breached
▶ 1:35:13not Promises Kept and and so um you know that's that's where we're seeing is a budget that was passed yesterday that doesn't address the debt I'm very worried about the debt I think our debt level is outrageous but how can we say we're supporting debt remediation when instead we're providing $4.5 trillion dollars less Revenue that's not going to the debt that makes American people don't reconcile
▶ 1:35:43that so just a second and then um so that's the issue is that talking about hypocrisy there's hypocrisy throughout this building that that's absurd and people want us to stop being in that space playing political games but it happens on both sides of the aisle let's all be honest about that this Purity that's happening on the other side is disingenuous as much as some there's things on our side that's disingenous let's all need
▶ 1:36:13to call it for what it is but at the end of the day how the hell are you going to pay fulfill the promise to 500,000 cber security young people when you're breaching the promises of the of the premises of the other students you've already committed to that's my question I agree the program's necessary the pro the program is important but there's too many games being played in too many areas that make all of this all hat and no cattle I think
▶ 1:36:43Mr fluger has a question oh I have three seconds sorry I'm think very well the Gent recorded vote has been requested with a um the clerk shall call the role we're not using electronic because we're you can only use electronic when you roll a vote so we'll call the roll Mr McCall I Mr McCall votes I Mr Higgins Mr Higgins votes I Mr guest
▶ 1:37:13I Mr guest votes I Mr Jimenez I Mr Jimenez votes I Mr fluger Mr fluger votes I Mr Garbarino Mr Garbarino votes I miss green Mr Gonzalez I Mr Gonzalez votes I Mr Latrell Mr Latrell votes I Mr strong Mr strong votes I Mr
▶ 1:37:45Beren Mr Crane Mr Crane votes I Mr ogles I Mr ogles votes votes I Mrs bigs I Mrs bigs votes I Mr Evans I Mr Evans votes I Mr McKenzie I Mr McKenzie votes I Mr not I Mr not votes I ranking member Thompson ranking member Thompson votes no
▶ 1:38:15Mr sell Mr kareah Mr tanar no Mr tanar votes no magaziner Mr Goldman Mrs Ramirez Mrs Ramirez votes no Mr Kennedy no Mr Kennedy votes no Mrs MacGyver no Mrs mver votes no Miss Johnson Miss
▶ 1:38:46Johnson I Miss Johnson votes I Mr Hernandez Mr Hernandez votes no Miss Poe Miss Poe votes no Mr Turner Mr Turner votes no are there other members in the room who wish to have their vote recorded how am I recorded chairman is not recorded chair votes I
▶ 1:39:16the clerk will report to tally Mr chairman on that vote there was 17 eyes and eight nose the eyes have it and the motion is agreed to without objection the motion is to reconsider is laid on the table pursuant to notice I now call up HR hres 1113 the measure was circulated in advance and printing copies are available the clerk shall designate the measure hres 1113 directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to transmit
▶ 1:39:46to the House of Representatives certain documents relating to the Department of Homeland Security policies and activities related to to the security of Department information and data and the Recruitment and Retention of its Workforce without objection the first reading of the bill is dispensed with and it's considered read and open to Amendment at any point the gentleman from Mississippi Mr Thompson has recognized for five minutes to speak on the measure thank you very much uh Mr chairman this is a resolution of inquiry uh that's about
▶ 1:40:17accountability when I joined the committee 20 years ago in the wake of the most lethal terrorist attack back in history Democrats and Republicans work together to build the Department of Homeland Security to prevent another 911 at that time I did not always agree with our partners in the Bush Administration however I never doubted their commitment to the mission to the men and women who worked across the department or the state and local First Responders to Department
▶ 1:40:47supported the Trump mus Administration is different during the first term Donald Trump burned through seven secretaries and failed to fill important leadership roles critical to dhs's work he largely ignored anything at DHS that didn't deal with the Border then he lost an election and decided to blame cisa for refusing to promote a conspiracy theory four years later president
▶ 1:41:17Trump is on a revenge tour piece by piece he appears intent on dismantling the Department of Homeland Security he's turned the task over to a group of unvetted Staff handpicked by Elon Musk some of whom weren't even alive in 911 Trump wants to decimate FEMA probably because his poll numbers never really recovered from his abysmal management of hurricane
▶ 1:41:48Maria despite having signed legislation authorizing sisa into law Trump has turned the agency into a scapegoat for his failure to win reelection in 2020 and Trump has subjected DHS to the same halfhazard indiscriminate Doge policies that cut 20% of the staff at the World Trade Center's health program office and Frozen its Grant programs
▶ 1:42:18although the World Trade Center health program employees have report reportedly been rehired DHS employees have not been so lucky we know that hundreds of DHS employees have been terminated so far but the department has been unwilling or unable to provide detail information about which rols were cut and how these Cuts would impact operations and I have no confidence that Donald
▶ 1:42:49Trump Elon Musk or the Doge team are making any efforts to understand how Personnel Cuts will impact the Department's critical Mission Meanwhile my Republican colleagues are either too afraid to raise their concerns about the chaos the Doge cuts are causing or they callously support it just yesterday those committee chair Margaret Taylor green said that federal jobs
▶ 1:43:20are not quote real jobs quote she went on to say quote federal employees do not deserve their jobs federal employees do not deserve their paychecks unquote No one who intends to protect dhs's Mission from ignorant erratic do terminations or engage in any meaningful oversight would make such a statement dhs's Workforce 25%
▶ 1:43:50of which are veterans secures AB planes help disaster survivors rebuild their lives and protect critical infrastructure from malicious hackers the safety of our constituents rest on Congress being a consistent check on Do's uninformed terminations and we cannot delay doge is currently in the process of developing Auto riff a software to allow the Trump mus Administration
▶ 1:44:20to execute more mass faster in the midst of the chaotic terminations at DHS unvetted Doge employees have been granted unchecked access to the Department's information system dhs's Doge team Leed by Edward Big Balls Corin and Kyle sh have set up shop at cisa and FEMA no one seems to know
▶ 1:44:50if these individuals were vetted what information they are accessing what they plan to do with that information how they will secure the information if they move it to DHS information systems or how their activity is being monitored but here's what we do know cortin was fired from a cyber security internship last year for leaking secrets to a Ral company has been linked to a cyber crime syndicate
▶ 1:45:21the Comm and Alle ly sought out a hacking service to carry out a Cyber attack currently as of 2022 he has access to sensitive information at DHS like disaster relief applications and the results of risk and vulnerability assessment sister has conducted for state and local governments and critical infrastructure owners and operators and secretary gnome is absolutely comfortable
▶ 1:45:51with Corine and his fellow Musketeers running a muck at the department despite the multiple concerns raised by security exp experts about do access to sensitive information she currently has no plan to serve as a check on the do is doing with the information system she responsible for since no one at DHS appears willing to protect
▶ 1:46:22its mission from elon's mus Doge team this committee must step up I've devoted my career to making sure DHS has the resources staffing and authorities to necessarily prevent another 911 and protect American public from other emerging threats effective oversight is Central to that goal HR 13 demands documents related to the Trump administration's ill-conceived
▶ 1:46:53policies to weaken DHS by indiscriminately shrinking its work PS and giving those unfaded access to sensitive data stored in its information systems again we just passed an oversight plan that talks about access to information I urge my colleagues to support this resolution so we can ensure dhs's continues to meet the Mi mission of making Americans safer and more
▶ 1:47:27secure gentlemen yields does anyone else wish to speak on the HR Mr thanedar are you recognized uh thank you chairman green and thank you ranking member Thompson I'm deeply concerned about Do's unlawful access to sensitive information and Trump's Reckless decision to freeze funding and and recruitment for important programs at DHS
▶ 1:47:57the Trump Administration has operated with such absurdity and uncertainty that I am unable to evaluate the effectiveness of the Cyber P act since the chairman wants to expand hiring of federal cyber security workers while the president is firing them 50 years ago in the Watergate scandal Republican goons illegally broke into private property to access private information in hopes of finding
▶ 1:48:27intelligence to further their political ambition but the Republicans did not learn their lessons within days of this new Administration Elon Musk and his goon orchestrated a breakin into the databases of DHS and many other government agencies that hold sensitive information in a bit to advance their so-called waste and fraud agenda 20 years ago in the aftermath of 911 attacks Congress found
▶ 1:48:57a DHS and charged it with the responsibility of maintaining public security to prevent further disasters from happening but Republicans again failed to learn from the past with the flick of a finger musk introduced induced the resignation of 75,000 federal employees and purged many more from DHS depriving DHS of the Manpower necessary to protect the public these ill-considered moves have left a
▶ 1:49:28trail of confusion destruction and Devastation Doge leak sensitive classified intelligence and censored public information that the do delinquents deem not needed morale among federal employees it at alltime low and many with Stellar backgrounds have been forced to leave rather than collude with with this corrupt and dangerous Administration The Brain Drain resulting
▶ 1:49:58from the delinquent Republican Administration exposed our country to threats from foreign adversaries and terrorist organizations and to make matters worse the Administration has operated with an unprecedented level of opacity nobody except a select few around musk knows the size of the master mination the amount of Sensi and classified data that has been compromised and the reasons behind suspending
▶ 1:50:28programs that have effectively supported public security well the reason other than that the agency being attacked by Doge are the ones that regulate Elan musk's businesses the lack of transparency is shocking and has prude us from overseeing the government in accordance with the Constitution for these reasons I strongly support house resolutions 113 and 114 led by ranking member Thompson
▶ 1:50:58in order to give us an opportunity to comprehend the chers that has ensured since January 20 and exercise the oversight power of this office delegated to us to perform thank you Mr chair and I back gentleman NE does anyone else wish to come in Mr chairman give me just a second just make sure okay uh Mr magazine are you thank you chairman I move to strike the last word Elon Musk and his army of unvetted interns
▶ 1:51:29poses a clear and direct threat to the safety of the American people as we speak Elon and the Doge kids continue to pour through the personal data of every American citizen they are going through the systems that Treasury Department the IRS and the Department of Health they can see your social security number bank routing numbers tax returns and personal health information the biggest cyber breach in American history is being conducted right now by Elon Musk and
▶ 1:51:59a group of interns who have never gone through a background check but now we finally know who some of these people are who Elon Musk has going through your personal data so let's meet them Marco ellz 25 years old Elon Musk gave him access to the US Treasury payments system that processes trillions of dollars of payments and has the personal financial information information of nearly every American so who is this promising young man scrolling through all of our personal data
▶ 1:52:29in July he wrote online quote I was racist before it was cool in September he wrote normalize Indian hate and you could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity I could keep going with Marco's racist tweets there are dozens more who feels good about having Marco get access to all of your constituents personal data here here's another Edward Corin age 19 online he goes by the nickname Big Balls
▶ 1:52:59he was given access to databases at the Department of Homeland Security including to sensitive us intelligence and guess what in his previous job at a cyber security company 19-year-old Big Balls was fired for leaking company secrets to a competitor so Elon Musk gave this 19-year-old who was fired from a company for leaking sensitive information access to databases at the Department of Homeland Security
▶ 1:53:29we feeling good about that these are just a couple of the people Elon Musk has hacking into the most sensitive systems in the federal government going through everyone's personal data and if that weren't bad enough Elon and his interns are gutting the agencies that are tasked with keeping Americans safe now at our last hearing my Republican colleagues assured us that they had it on high High Authority that sisa and other important agencies at Homeland Security would be exempt from elon's Mass
▶ 1:54:00firings including the fork in the road initiative but wouldn't you know it that turned out to be false Elon and the Doge kids humiliated our colleagues by going ahead and taking the wrecking ball to sisa and other homeland security agencies anyway that keep Americans safe so far they have hired hundreds of people at Homeland Security including at least two 200 at FEMA 250 at the TSA and 130 at sisa the nation's leading cyber security agency
▶ 1:54:31what is the process that Elon musk's interns are using to decide who to fire are they going out into the field to see what is happening on the front line are they speaking with supervisors to see who's performing well and who isn't studying which jobs are essential or not no they're not doing any of that there is a 19-year-old sitting behind a computer screen in Washington DC firing Homeland Security employees all across the country with no transparency
▶ 1:55:01and no Rhyme or Reason to it and at the last hearing our Republican colleagues also told us don't worry about it these are geniuses we don't know who they are but they must be smart how smart are they this is the same group who fired 350 people whose job is to protect the country's nuclear Arsenal and then had to scramble to unfire them who accidentally fired USDA workers working on bird flu and then had to unfire them who fired staff at the Veterans Crisis Hotline and
▶ 1:55:31then had to unfire them one dangerous mistake after another and we're supposed to trust that they're going to get it right at Homeland Security of course we can't trust that they are operating with no transparency and have no idea what they are doing so we need answers we need to know how much harm is being being done to the safety of the American people from Elon and his interns accessing the personal data of Americans and firing people across
▶ 1:56:02the agencies that keep us safe it is time for this committee to do its job and conduct oversight on behalf of the American people let's issue some subpoenas let's get them in there to tell us get them in here to tell us what they're up to and have them explain under oath what the hell they're doing I yield back would anyone else wish to speak on the measure Miss mckyer you're recognized thank
▶ 1:56:32you so much chairman and thank you to the ranking member I request recognition to speak on hr13 I would like to also enter into the record the record testimony from April 2021 from from an April 2021 hearing before the emergency ma management and Technology subcommittee formerly known as the emergency preparedness response and recovery subcommittee from the former head of New Jersey's office of Homeland Security Jared Maples
▶ 1:57:02this testimony highlights the importance of DHS grants to my community Mr chairman without without objection so order okay um Mr chairman ranking member I rise in support of ranking member Thompson's hr13 13 because what we are witnessing is nothing short of Reckless and dangerous governance on January 20th 2025 president Trump signed executive
▶ 1:57:3414158 creating the so-called Department of government efficiency or Doge but let's call it what it really is a trojan horse for dismantling our federal Workforce and putting our national security at risk under the this executive order the US digital service was rebranded as the US Doge service yourselves Elon Musk is now at the helm even though the White House says he's not he has stacked
▶ 1:58:04the department with an inexperienced unvetted Workforce who now have access to some of the most sensitive government systems storing critical data on our agencies federal employees and millions of Americans the risk is tremendous what has Doge done with this they've started digging through information systems at FEMA and the cyber security infrastructure Security Agency instead of stepping in Secretary gnome has rolled out the welcoming
▶ 1:58:34red carpet for them giving Doge free Reign Over systems that protect our homeland as if that weren't enough on the same day he signed this executive order president Trump slamed the brakes on all federal hiring including cyber security personnel at DHS sisa and the FBI let's be crystal clear at a time when cyber threats are at an alltime high this Administration this Administration has chosen
▶ 1:59:04to gut our defenses pending hires have been halted FBI agent classes cancelled and DHS has yet to provide any answers on what positions have been frozen then just days later the office of personnel management sent out an email TI forking the road dangling a buyout for federal employees to leave their jobs in exchange for payment through September and while some DHS components were exempt
▶ 1:59:34FEMA the agency responsible for Disaster Response and Recovery was left wide open for resonations let me be blunt this isn't about efficiency not at all this is about dismantling the very very institutions that keep Americans safe it is reckless it is dangerous and it demands congressional action I urge my colleagues to support hr13
▶ 2:00:04before it's too late I yield gent lady yields does anyone else wish to comment okay you're recognized thank you ma'am thank you Mr chairman um as a new member I was proud to be appointed to serve on this committee to protect our homeland
▶ 2:00:35against threats from Iran Russia China terrorist groups and others but I never could have predicted the threats from coming right from inside the White House Donald Trump has led Elon Musk run wild firing Homeland Security employees who keep our country safe and rumaging through Americans
▶ 2:01:06private data this puts the infrastructure we rely the most transit systems emergency services and even our nuclear reactors at risk and they're opening and they're opening our country's most sensitive data to hacks from foreign Nations and Bad actors
▶ 2:01:36this committee deserves answer on who has access to what personal data and how that data is being used and protected thank you Mr chairman man I yield back gentle lady yields Mr chairman sorry okay you you you're you you're next if you want to yeah if I can go ahead and absolutely M Ramirez is thank you
▶ 2:02:06thank you chairman and ranking member um it's been over 30 days um of the unelected president muskin Trump who a White House's ex account here called King on February 19 2025 it's been 30 days of inexperienced Bad Bosses disrespecting traumatizing and demeaning our federal Workforce Trump fired qualified inspector
▶ 2:02:37generals without the necessary Congressional notification and charged a billionaire who makes everything he touches worse with government efficiency let's be clear musk's leadership record does not Inspire confidence and I'm going to tell you why he bought and crashed a popular social media platform turned it into a platform for the alter right hate bigotry extremism and misinformation he has millions of dollars in government contracts that are plagued
▶ 2:03:07by investigations by the Department of Labor the Department of Justice the national highway traffic safety administration the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau usaid and the EPA and his car start on fire musk himself even before his attempt at a hostile government takeover was a walking national security threat but back to our 30-day recap Trump issued a hiring freeze on all federal civilian employees
▶ 2:03:37including including cyber security employees across the government at agencies like dhss cyber security infrastructure and Security Agency or what we call cesa Trump also issued an executive order attacking diversity equity and inclusion programs at federal agencies in a blatant attempt to clean house of qualified competent civil servants and replace them with Trump musk loyalists kind of like some of the ones that my colleague here showed
▶ 2:04:07you and while all that was happening musk went into our agencies and stole American data creating a dangerous security breach that every Republican in this committee has decided to just ignore I could go on and on and on but let me be honest my time is short and the tact the tactics to assault our national security are very long and while several other executive orders and memos have been halted by courts or have since been rescinded my constituents continue to express their grave concerns and the impacts this Administration
▶ 2:04:38has had on the federal Workforce and the programs that protect the American people it's why this resolution of inquiry is not just timely but it is incredibly necessary in the past few weeks this committee has been heavily focused on cyber security Workforce which I find cynical because let me let me spare the performance when an illegitimate fake entity Doge has allowed private civilians to access and publish confidential information above our citizenship as a member
▶ 2:05:08of the subcommittee on oversight I'm not requesting I am demanding transparency we should be asking the questions and demanding answers like why was Doge allowed in the building what data were they gather gaing who was gathering the sensitive data and where is that data now is it data they access being used to pad their pockets to direct government contracts or serve their conflicts of interest additionally who have they terminated folks and why
▶ 2:05:38why is the agency's plan to ensure the continuity of programs for National Security and important Miss and disinformation work post determination of ceson employees where is that plan I cannot be more clear that we have a responsib ability to protect our constituents and everyday Americans from cyber attacks and Bad actors foreign and domestic and we have to ensure that agencies have a qualified competent personel needed to deliver these services that is why I'm in full support of ranking member Thompson's house resolution
▶ 2:06:08113 and I'd like to enter a couple of Articles to the record Mr chairman before I my time is up and just say what they are and then I'll I'd like to first uh the tweet from the president Donald Trump that says congestion prices is dead Manhattan and all of New York is saved long live the king W to be king um I also would like to enter into the record here um this article how Elon Musk uses his ex social media platform to amplify right-wing views I also would
▶ 2:06:38like to enter into the record the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau here that proves U the CFB Plains complaints by date received by the cfpb since Elon Musk took control um I'd like to also enter into the record uh the epa's report article here US EPA settles with Tesla over Clean Air Act violations at Fremont California facility and finally I'd like to enter into the record um this article that says us Autos safety agency upgrades probe into Tesla power steering loss so ordered
▶ 2:07:09thank you with that I yield back gent lady yields now I recognize Mr right yeah that's what I said yeah it's a Southern accent man I got it thank you Mr chairman and uh it's always tough to follow my colleague Ramirez because she's so eloquent and and she put all our concerns so so concretely U I'm the representative of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico is probably the largest or one of the largest FEMA disaster relief projects in history
▶ 2:07:39and FEMA has the private information of thousands maybe millions of Puerto Ricans of thousands of Puerto Rican businesses and probably if anyone wanted to get a I don't I I I don't want to give it away to to to hackers but if anybody wanted to get access to all of Puerto Rico's important data they would just have to go through FEMA so protecting the data privacy of Puerto Ricans and protecting the privacy of FEMA's data is very important for my people for
▶ 2:08:09my economy and for the larger people and economy of the United States and for that reason I urge all my colleagues to support hr13 as well thank you I yield back the remainder of my gentlemen yons I now recognize Mr swell for 5 minutes it's been about 35 days since this experiment and I went into the experiment open-minded I hate
▶ 2:08:40government waste I have a constituency where 40% of the people I represent were born outside of the United States and for most of them to go through a pathway of citizenship they have to do it almost entirely through paper and pen it's insane paper in pen hundreds of pages that the federal government makes you fill out send in and if you make the tiniest mistake they send it back to you they don't
▶ 2:09:10proceed they freeze and you have to refile by paper and pen it's maddening it's not the way that we should have an immigration system and actually it allows many on the right to weaponize against us that we can't process the best immigration cases and make sure that we get rid of the ones that don't meet our standards we should digitize entirely the immigration system entirely they would expedite
▶ 2:09:42it for people going into senior service government it can take up to 80 hours to out the employment qualifications and paperwork many of it by paper and pen and that's a disincentive to get the best to want to serve I hate inefficiency I hate government waste I want to find savings Elon Musk has invented technologies that have benefited
▶ 2:10:12my constituents the Tesla plant is in the city of Fremont the city that I represent the plants just outside the part of the city that I have he's a brilliant scientist SpaceX Tesla I'm excited to see where neuralink goes starlink has helped many people in rural areas but Elon musk's job has always been a duty to investors
▶ 2:10:43and shareholders it's not been to people who need the help that the government delivers Health Care security Economic Security he's never had to do that I'll put aside what his motives are for wanting to be so deep into our treasury payment system and we'll Reserve judgment for a later day whether it's through Attorneys General who investigate or
▶ 2:11:14lawsuits that are brought or a Democratic majority to understand whether he was financially benefiting as this happens I'll put those motivations aside and just say he's not qualified and doesn't understand what people expect from government so I hate to say this but it's time to ditch Doge or the dad joke in me would say for Doge it's time to go it's not working
▶ 2:11:44it's not keeping us safe they made cuts to the CDC as we have a measles outbreak in Texas and people are dying they made cuts to the FAA as planes keep crashing and there was a near Collision just yesterday they cut the bird flu monitors as bird flu is running rampant and the cost of eggs keep going up they cut the forest Service as California continues to suffer from wildfires they actually cut nuclear scientists leaving our nuclear
▶ 2:12:14weapons vulnerable they've cut FBI agents as we started the year with an awful terrorist attack in New Orleans they're forcing resignations at the CIA the very individuals who are supposed to be Guardians and on watch for terrorism across the world they made cuts to sisa as our small businesses are being ransacked by ransomware actors our Veterans Services are being cut my friends our veterans are not
▶ 2:12:44waste and yesterday in this building in the spirit of Doge at 00 billion do of cuts largely to health care services that 32% of Americans rely on it's time to ditch Doge it's not made us safer it's endangered us more we haven't seen any savings while there are a lot of questions about whether individuals
▶ 2:13:14who are in charge of Doge are benefiting and with that Mr chairman I yield back gentleman yields does anyone else wish to speak on the measure okay are there any amendments to measure I need to Miss Kennedy you recognize and yield to the ranking member yield my time to the ranking member uh I thank you gentlemen uh I ask unanimous consent
▶ 2:13:44to submit for the record a resignation letter sent by 21 Doge Tech technical experts to the white house chief of staff it states in part we will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems jeopardize American sensitive data or dismantle critical Public Services unquote that objection so ordered
▶ 2:14:15Mr Kennedy uh I yeld back Mr Kennedy yields are there any amendments to the measure hearing none the question is on reporting the measure H res 113 to the house with an unfavorable recommendation all those in favor say I I all those oppos say no no in the opinion of the chair the eyes have it and the motion is agreed to M chair recognized ask for recorded vote recorded
▶ 2:14:45vote is requested pursuant to committee rule 7D further proceedings on this question are postponed poned pursuant to notice I now call up hr14 the measure was circulated in advance and printing copies are available the clerk shall designate the measure house resolution 114 directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to transmit to the House of Representatives certain documents relating to Department of Homeland Security policies and activities related to domestic preparedness and Collective response to terrorism
▶ 2:15:15and the Department's cyber security activities without objection the first reading of the bill is dispensed with and it's considered red and open to Amendment at any point the gentleman from Miss Mississippi Mr Thompson is recognized for 5 minutes to speak on the measure uh thank you uh Mr chairman uh HR 114 uh is uh actually talks about domestic preparedness and this Committee in its responsibility uh should have access to
▶ 2:15:45it so one of our most chaotic days of the Trump presidents it was January 27th when the White House issued a careless and sloppy memo telling federal agencies to stop providing Federal grant funding to State and local governments across the country the memo was so bad that courts had to intervene to prevent it from taking effect and after publicly defending it the White House rescinded the memo
▶ 2:16:16even with court intervention and the White House attempting to resend the memo there are still reports that federal grants are being withheld from our communities I introduce hr14 a resolution of inquiry to demand transparency on the impact of blocking critical Department of Homeland Security grants actions that directly threaten National Security by cutting vital funding
▶ 2:16:46for First Responders disaster recovery and committed safety programs creating chaos and undermining our preparedness this committee needs to know who from the Department of Homeland Security thought it was a good idea to jeopardize this funding and their rationale and research if any on the implications of doing so because right now none of that has been sha shared
▶ 2:17:16with the committee or the public Donald Trump's decision to block congressionally authorized federal grants has halted critical funding for programs like the urban area security initiative the state Homeland Security program the nonprofit security grant program the state and local cyber security grant program each vital for emergency response terrorism prevention and law enforcement support chaotic
▶ 2:17:46eruption of Grant funds leave the boots on the ground in alert undermine the goals of the grant programs and is an attack on National Security for any of my Republican colleagues who doubt the impact of grant funding freeze memo I suggest that you reach out to your state and local governments and First Responders and ask them about the impact of Donald Trump's threat to take away DHS
▶ 2:18:17funding the grant funding freeze means that States local and First Responders may not get reimbursed for the millions they have already spent to protect and support our communities dollars promised to them by the fellow government at a minimum the payments will be delayed and communities can't afford to go months or years without being paid back due to a disorganized and shot a memo from Donald
▶ 2:18:47Trump they should not have to the DHS grants that are under Threat by the Trump Administration are ones that this committee has supported in a bipartisan fashion for years we should all be alarmed that with a push of a button without even a conversation or a letter to Congress the Trump Administration tried to undermine our support for First Responders back home Democrats on this committee are committed to
▶ 2:19:17safeguarding National Security and I hope my colleagues across the aisle will join us in protecting the American people by quickly sending this resolution to secretary gome with that Mr chairman I yeld back gentleman Yi would anyone else like to comment on the resolution mrz you recognized thank you Mr chairman uh for weeks now the Administration has obstructed Federal funding that Congress has already appropriated
▶ 2:19:48funding that our own communities our First Responders and our Emergency Management Systems depend on this isn't just political theater it's a direct attack on public safety and National Security and nowhere is that clearer than in Puerto Rico we know the reality Puerto Rico faces economic instability as a result of hurricanes earthquakes and power grid failures we have seen time and again how delayed federal aid means Devastation for families who cannot wait for Washington's dysfunction to be sorted out FEMA
▶ 2:20:18grants DHS Security Programs and critical disaster preparedness funds are essential to keeping people safe ensuring hospitals have backup power and making sure First Responders have the resources they need when an emergency strikes our fear is not hypothetical our fear is real if a hurricane hit tomorrow would our emergency response systems be fully operational if another earthquake shakes our Island will hospitals have the power to keep people
▶ 2:20:48alive right now because of of the administration's Reckless funding freeze the answer is unclear and that is unacceptable last month I met with local female officials to discuss how Federal funding supports emergency preparedness disaster recovery and infrastructure development they need stability not chaos from Washington I urge my colleagues to support house resolution 114 and demand
▶ 2:21:21we cannot play politics with disaster preparedness and Public Safety thank you Mr chairman I yeld back gentleman yields I now recognize Mr magaziner for five minutes thank you chairman I move to stri the last word Elon Musk and his unvetted army of interns is not just going through the sensitive personal data of all Americans and not just wreaking havoc in agencies that keep Americans
▶ 2:21:51safe they are also withholding funding from States cities and nonprofit organizations Homeland Security funding for no legitimate reason these are grants that keep Americans safe from natural disasters Terror attacks and organized crime blocked by elon's interns nonprofit security grants have been cut off this grant program that elon's interns are withholding protects organizations at high risk
▶ 2:22:21of Terror and extremist attacks in Rhode Island alone right now elon's interns are blocking 22 organizations from getting their nonprofit security funding including four churches one synagogue one Hindu temple six schools five medical facilities and Three Boys and Girls Clubs among others states have also had their funding cut off from the state Homeland Security Grant this
▶ 2:22:51program is essential for the public safety of every state it funds state and local efforts to prevent terrorism and prepare for National threats and Hazards I encourage all of you here to talk to your state Emergency Management agencies and ask them what state Homeland Security funding is being blocked by Elon Musk and his army of interns in Rhode Island this grant includes funding for the state HazMat team which response to disasters
▶ 2:23:21involving dangerous substances the port security camera system which monitors ports and bridges for illegal activity the Rhode Island Statewide Public Safety radio system used by emergency responders in every city in town in the state to communicate with each other during emergencies the state Fusion Center and the state police bomb squad among others Elon Musk and Doge have also cut off Rhode Island's access to the Emergency Management preparedness Grant which
▶ 2:23:51funds emergency operation centers that are used to maintain oper uh situational awareness during major events like national disasters over $10 million in funding for Public Safety cut off for no clear reason so understand what's Happening Here Elon musk's interns who are making these choices about which funding to cut have no background in homeland security not one of them as as far as we can tell no background
▶ 2:24:22in public safety at all they are not doing any research on why these grants are important they are not talking to anyone on the ground they are not talking to Emergency Management agencies or First Responders they are cutting off funding and people could lose their lives and they are doing it with no transparency and no Rhyme or Reason to it no one should be okay with this no one we all want to find Savings in government but this is not the way to
▶ 2:24:52do it people's lives are being put at risk because these interns of Elon Musk have no idea what they are doing they fired people Staffing the Veterans Crisis Hotline and then had to rehire them they fired people guarding the national nuclear stockpile and then had to rehire them they fired people working to contain bird flu and then had to them how many mistakes are we going to let these 19-year-olds make before people get killed
▶ 2:25:23there needs to be transparency that is why I support ranking member Thompson's resolution of inquiry because as a committee we need to conduct oversight find out what Elon and his doge team are doing and why and bring transparency and some coherence to this process and in the meantime these Homeland Security grants for states and cities and nonprofits need to be released immediately
▶ 2:25:54they were appropriated by Congress they have already been obligated withholding them is most likely illegal and we need answers from the administration about why these inexperienced Tech Bros with no experience in public safety or Homeland Security have been empowered to cut off funding from Public Safety all across the country with no accountability I yield back the gentleman y I now recognize Miss po oh wait Miss Johnson for
▶ 2:26:24five minutes thank you Mr um I offer my comments in support of ranking member Thompson's resolution um the nonprofit security grant program also known as nsgp plays a critical role in protecting religious institutions and other nonprofits from the rising threat of violence including anti-semitism this program has allowed congregations and organizations to secure their facilities enhance
▶ 2:26:54their safety protocols and provide peace of mind to their members as evidenced by Rabbi Charlie Citron Walker's testimony before this committee given the alarming increase in attacks on places of worship such as synagogues churches and mosques it is essential for faith faith organizations to have the resources to maintain secure environments for their congregants this ensures that all Americans can practice their faith freely and without fear as promised by the First Amendment the impact of these security measures is evident by the lives
▶ 2:27:24they have saved in recent years we have seen track tragic events like the shooting at tree life Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and the hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel in cville Texas very near to my district in these instances enhanced security allowed law enforcement to respond quickly and effectively minimizing casualties without access to these critical resources that support these efforts many communities would be left vulnerable and these horrific events would have been even
▶ 2:27:55worse security funding from the nonprofit security grant program is quite literally a matter of life and death as a member of this committee I call on the president to act immediately to unfreeze unfreeze the funds ensuring religious institutions can maintain and enhance their security protecting congregants and safeguarding their rights of worship this is not just about installing security cameras it's about protecting people's lives and ensuring that they can practice their faith without fear securing religious
▶ 2:28:25spaces is also an essential step in safeguarding the broader social fabric of our nation places of worship are not only sacred spaces they are Community hubs where individuals come together to connect support one another and celebrate their shared values these institutions often provide critical social services such as food pantries counseling and Outreach to marginalized groups ensuring the safety of these spaces allows communities to thrive knowing that they can gather and grow without fear of violence moreover
▶ 2:28:55the need for religious institutions to have the means to protect themselves is a matter of National Security as well the rise in targeted violence against places of worship reflect a broader broader wave of domestic extremism which only makes the funding provided by the nspg that much more urgent protecting religious communities through national security measures helps maintain social and promotes resilience in the face of rising threats the nonprofit security grant
▶ 2:29:25program is a proactive way to prevent tragedies from occurring and to foster a sense of trust between religious institutions and law enforcement the fight against religious intolerance requires Collective effort of lawmakers communities and leaders across this country ensuring that all congregations a matter of their size have access to security resources will make an important step toward a safer future for all at the same time time it is essential to continue working together to combat hate in all of its forms we
▶ 2:29:55cannot afford to be passive in the face of growing violence and discrimination so once again I call to the end this authoritarian and illegal freeze on funding which Congress has already approved it is imperative that we as lawmakers do our part to ensure people of all faiths can gather at their place of worship with peace of mind as our nation's Constitution intended thank you and I yield back gentle lady yields I now recognize Miss Poe for uh five
▶ 2:30:26minutes thank you Mr chairman I rise in support of franking member of Mr Thompson's uh house resolution 14 114 regarding the DHS uh Grant freezes Public Safety is a top priority for in my district as I am sure it's it is the case for all of my colleagues here so I am deep disturbed by the president's action to free Security Federal funding to our
▶ 2:30:56communities this funding which was provided by Congress supports local police Transit and Port author uh Security First Responders House of worships and so much more how can we keep our communi safe when the federal funding they have been promised is ripped away by Donald Trump and Elon Musk this illegal
▶ 2:31:27funding freeze is confusing disruptive and makes us all less safe I join my colleagues in demanding answers on Donald Trump's actions to freeze funds for S safeguarding the Homeland and I call for this funding to be restored as Congress intended than thank you Mr chairman I yield back the gentle lady yields would anyone else wish to comment Mr Kennedy
▶ 2:31:57you're recognized thank you chairman like so many I'm Gravely concerned about how this Administration continues to mishandle National Security for this Administration to hastily and sloppily issue a memo in January to freeze grant funding going to our communities funding that supports First Responders and keeps us all safer is a blatant national security threat Department of Homeland Security Grant programs provide needed resources to
▶ 2:32:27our communities our fire departments police departments First Responders across the board in uh May on the 14th of May we'll celebrate the anniversary of a racist supremacist terrorist attack on my city where 10
▶ 2:32:57people were stolen from us because of the color of their skin at a grocery store on a Saturday afternoon a horrific incident one that will forever Define my community and um it was on that day like so many days in our respective districts and across the country including on 911 also in New York the Inception
▶ 2:33:28the Genesis of this committee uh where our First Responders into the fire on May 14th they ran into fireing First Responders we know are sacrificing so much for our community so at a bare minimum the federal government has to honor commitments to our local fire and police departments and make sure that no Administration can turn off congressionally
▶ 2:33:58approve Grant dollars on whim and be free of congressional oversight so this committee should have more information from this Trump Administration about the implications of the grants funding freeze how it's impacting each and every one of our communities especially our First Responders and so I fully support ranking member
▶ 2:34:28Thompson's resolution and hope my colleagues will support it as well thank you chairman I you back gentleman yields I now recognize Mr Turner for five minutes thank you Mr chairman and rank member Thompson uh the resolution of inquiry 114 before us will force the Department of Homeland Security to reveal the devastating implications that halting the dispersement of DHS Grant funds would have on our national security These funds are some of the most vital resources
▶ 2:34:59we have to ensure the safety and security of our nation local police departments like Houston rely on DH funding quite a bit a failure to provide those grand funding will make our cities less safe some could would argue that the without providing these grants that we are defunding our police programs like the state and local security grant program nonprofit security grant program Transit security Grant
▶ 2:35:29programs and the port security grant program all play major roles in safeguarding critical infrastructure protecting vulnerable communities and enhancing our response to emergency threats across the country mass transit programs passenger rail bus programs are all directly impacted in fiscal year 2024 the Port of Houston received significant funding through the port significant grant program to purchase several boats that would
▶ 2:35:59help protect the seamless flow of trade through one of the busiest ports in the nation a free on federal grants by the Trump Administration would not only harm the Port of Houston but ports Nationwide jeopardizing our economy and the security of critical trade infrastructure but the impacts of freeing DHS grants extend far beyond just supp ports these grants support law enforcement First Responders and local governments our first line of
▶ 2:36:29defense against disastrous terrorism and cyber threats the Trump's Administration willingness to freeze these vital funds signal to me a dangerous disregard for the safety and stability of our nation this isn't a political issue this is a matter of National Security and we cannot afford to to let ideological decisions put us at risk Mr chairman I back gentleman Ys are there any other members who'd like to make comments
▶ 2:37:00on resolution are there any amendments to measure hearing none the question is on reporting the measure measure H res 114 to the house with an unfavorable recommendation all those in favor say I I all those oppose no no no the opinion of the chair the eyes have it and the motion is agreed to let chair a recorded vote is requested yes pursu uh pursuant
▶ 2:37:30to committee rule 7D further proceedings on this question are propos postponed the committee will now stand in recess until 2: p.m. at which time there will be recorded votes on these two measures we are adjourned are in
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▶ 4:04:18the committee will come to order uh pursuant to committee rule 7D proceedings will now resume on questions previously postponed in the following order hrz 113 and hrz 114 the committee postponed further proceedings on the recorded vote to report hrz 113 to the house with an unfavorable recommendation on which the eyes had prevailed by voice vote the clerk will open the
▶ 4:05:05vote beened what's that
▶ 4:05:59are there other members in the room who wish to have their vote the the clerk will report to tally Mr chairman on that vote there were 13 eyes and eight NOS the eyes have it and the motion is agreed to without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table
▶ 4:06:29the committee postponed further proceedings on the recorded vote to report H resz 114 to the house with an unfavorable recommendation on which the eyes have prevailed by Voice vote the clerk will call or everyone will vote open the vote okay yeah I read I read what was WR
▶ 4:07:37are there other members in the room who wish to have their vote recorded clerk will report to tally Mr chairman on that vote there were 13 eyes and 10 NOS the eyes have it and the motion is agreed to without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table without objection staff is authorized to make any required technical or conforming
▶ 4:08:08changes to reflect the actions of the committee this concludes the consideration of the bills noticed by the comme for today Mr chair you're recognized Mr chairman uh Republicans have voted down two resolutions of inquiry that would have provided much needed transparency on what Donald Trump and Elon Musk are doing at DHS earlier this month I sent you a letter requesting that you schedule a hearing with
▶ 4:08:38the secretary by m March 14th I ask unanimous consent to submit that letter for the record without objection so ordered uh is there uh any idea when you anticipate uh the secretary coming before us uh we will talk to the secretary and figure out a time but uh I know she has to come for the annual worldwise threats briefing and we'll get that scheduled for sure uh Mr chairman pursuant
▶ 4:09:08to Clause 2L of rule 11 I request that members have two calendar days to file with the clerk of the committee supplemental additional or minority views on the measures audit reported by the committee today without objection so ordered there being no further business with without objection the committee stands adjourned thank you all thank
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