▶ 0:24:15Committee will come to order. Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare recess at any time pursuant to committee rule two and house rule 11 clause two. The chair may postpone further proceedings today on the question of approving any measure or matter or adopting an amendment for which a recorded vote is ordered. I now recognize the gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Harris, to lead us in the pledge of allegiance.
▶ 0:24:43To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank the gentleman from North Carolina.
▶ 0:24:58Pursuant to notice, I call up the committee print providing for reconciliation pursuant to House Concurrent Resolution 14, the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2025 for purposes of markup and move that the committee transmit the recommendations of this committee and all appropriate accompanying materials, including minority, additional, supplemental, or desending views to the committee on the budget in order to comply with the reconciliation directive included in section 2001 of the Concurrent resolution
▶ 0:25:29of the budget for fiscal year 2025 HCRES 14 and consistent with section 310 of the Congressional Budget and Empowerment Control Act of 1974. And I think that was one sentence. A lot of comments. The clerk will report the committee print. Committee print providing for objection. The committee print will be considered as read and open for amendment at any point. The chair now recognizes himself for an opening statement. The difference between President Trump and President Biden is night and day.
▶ 0:25:59In just four years, the Biden Harris administration allowed 8 million illegal aliens into the United States. Of that 8 million, the Biden Harris administration released at least 6 million illegal aliens into American communities, while nearly 2 million evaded GOP apprehension and entered as gotaways. These 8 million include at least 99 aliens on the terrorist watch list. 99 potential terrorists were released into our neighborhoods and communities. 8 million illegal aliens.
▶ 0:26:29That's like a city the size of New York City. This unprecedented surge of illegal immigration has resulted in millions of otherwise removable aliens being allowed to remain in the United States. And understand this, this was done deliberately, intentionally starting on day one of the previous administration. Day one, the Biden administration said we will no longer have people wait in Mexico. remain in Mexico while we evaluate their claim. We will no longer build the wall. And when you get here, you will not be detained. You will be released.
▶ 0:26:58And those three intentional, deliberate decisions are what led to the 8 to 10 million entering our country. The American people gave President Trump and House Republicans a mandate to restore immigration integrity, security, and enforcement. And President Trump is carrying out what he told us he was going to do. But resources are needed to address the chaos caused by the Biden Harris administration's open border policies.
▶ 0:27:23Today, we act to improve or to provide the administration with the resources it needs pursuant to existing authorities to ensure secure borders and safe American communities. The committee's reconciliation title provides a total of 81 billion dollars in funding to the department's homeland security, justice, health, and human services and others.
▶ 0:27:45For example, the legislation provides $45 billion to ensure US Immigration and Customs Enforcements can detain an average daily population of at least 100,000 aliens. The bill provides 8 billion to fund additional ICE personnel, including 10,000 enforcement and removal officers, 1,000 Homeland Security Investigations agents, 750 support personnel, all to carry out immigration enforcement.
▶ 0:28:09The committee's reconciliation bill provides $14.4 4 billion to ICE to support the transportation and removal of at least 1 million aliens annually for the next four years. The text also provides $858 million for hiring and retention bonuses to the good men and women uh uh officers in ICE and agents and attorneys who implement and secure help secure our border. Before most aliens can be removed, they must go through an immigration court proceedings.
▶ 0:28:37So, the committee texts not only provides $1.32 billion to ICE for additional trial attorneys who represent the government and immigration courts, but also one uh and a quarter billion dollars to the Department of Justice to hire 200 immigration judge teams, as well as necessary support staff and courtroom resources. Also included in the committee bill is 500 million for the Department of Justice to combat drug trafficking, including uh fentanyl and other illegal drug use.
▶ 0:29:04In addition to finding or funding immigration enforcement, the committee's reconciliation text also raises more than $77 billion through fees. The existing fees in the immigration system have not been updated, in some cases for decades, and in many cases, fees have never been applied at all. This system has left these agencies with funding shortfalls paid for by American taxpayers. The fees included in this bill will allow agencies to achieve cost recovery and limit their reliance on taxpayer funding.
▶ 0:29:34They will also allow us to make the necessary investments in immigration enforcement in a fiscally responsible manner. For example, the reconciliation bill requires aliens who file an asylum application to pay a fee of not less than $1,000. Congressional budget office has estimated this fee will raise $748 million over 10 years.
▶ 0:29:54The bill also requires illegal aliens in the United States pursuant to temporary protected status to pay a $500 fee and those on TPS who apply to renew their employment authorization to pay a fee of $550. CBO has estimated those fees to raise 2 billion and 4.7 billion respectively over the next decade.
▶ 0:30:17The bill requires aliens who register for diversity immigrant visa lottery to pay a $250 fee, which CBO has estimated will raise billions of dollars in additional revenue. These and other resources and fees in this reconciliation text will ensure that the Trump administration has the adequate resources to enforce immigration laws in a fiscally responsible way. The committee's bill also provides resources to improve the activities of agencies in the rulemaking process.
▶ 0:30:43These resources will make agencies more efficient and effective by requiring that they adequately account for the cost imposed by rulemaking activity and by consolidating authorities that are currently spread across the government. The measures in our package are necessary to provide the resources to improve immigration enforcement and regulatory improvement. I urge all members to support the committee's reconciliation package and I yield back and now recognize the gentleman from Maryland, the ranking member for an opening statement.
▶ 0:31:13Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Um, you know, it must be tough to be an authoritarian. You promise everybody the world to get elected. Prices will go down on day one. No more inflation. We're going to end Russia's war on Ukraine. The world's going to respect us. And then you get in and even though you inherit an economy from your predecessor that's described as the envy of the world by The Economist magazine, you crash everything. The economy today is shrinking.
▶ 0:31:43The stock market is sinking. Inflation is soaring. 7 trillion dollar in American retirements and wealth has been destroyed. You've plunged us with your imbeilic tariffs into a trade war with the whole world except of course for your bosom buddies in Russia. So now only a 100 days in with a 100 unforced policy blunders. You're the most unpopular president at this point in your presidency in more than 80 years.
▶ 0:32:14Barack Obama stood at 69% in the polls. Ronald Reagan was at 73% in the polls. Truman was 87% and Franklin D. Roosevelt 68% but Donald Trump is at 39%. the lowest 100day approval rating since polling began. He controlled the agenda for 100 days. He controlled the House. He controlled the Senate. He's got everything going for him and his numbers are in the gutter.
▶ 0:32:41So now he reaches back into the authoritarian playbook. Go back and please the wealthiest people and corporations in the country. House Republicans want to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid, food assistance for mothers and children, veterans benefits, meals on wheels, Head Start, any programs that help actual people, all in order to pay for another gargantuan tax break for the president's billionaire benefactors.
▶ 0:33:09And here in the Judiciary Committee, our good friends want to help Donald Trump use his power in violation of the Constitution that we are all sworn to uphold. and defend against enemies, foreign and domestic. Every day, the administration uses immigration enforcement as a template to erode constitutional rights and liberties.
▶ 0:33:29They round up people in the street and disappear them to the torture prison of a foreign dictator without one minute of due process, sweeping up completely innocent people who have no criminal record and no criminal charges in the midst of other people who may have criminal records and criminal charges. and should stand prosecution for them if they do have charges against them.
▶ 0:33:53They're stripping college and graduate students at American universities of their visas for writing opeds that the administration disagrees with. They invoke emergency wartime powers like the Alien Enemies Act to fight a military invasion at the border while telling us that the border has never been safer than it is right now. My colleagues say all these measures are necessary to deport gang members, violent criminals, the worst of the worst. But they're not targeting the worst of the worst.
▶ 0:34:23They're arresting judges now. They're using federal agents to round up law-abiding members of the community with no criminal records. Parents of American children, husbands and wives of American spouses, people who have not been shown to pose any public safety threat at all. They're breaking into cars to arrest mothers as their children's watch in terror. They're arresting people who are coming in for their citizenship interviews.
▶ 0:34:50They're staking out people's homes and trolling through IRS taxpayer data in search of taxpaying people to deport. Look, we know how to remove people from the country who should not be here. President Biden's administration did that. We know how to do it legally, consistent with the Bill of Rights in the Constitution. But the Trump administration has discarded the rule of law.
▶ 0:35:14If he can sweep non-citizens off the street and fly them to a torturous prison in El Salvador with no due process, he can do it to citizens, too. Because if there's no due process, if there's no fair hearing, you've got no opportunity to object. And indeed, several American citizen children, including one with cancer, were flown to Honduras last week with no due process, as a Trumpappointed judge in Louisiana found.
▶ 0:35:44Now, the courts have issued more than 95 preliminary injunctions and temporary restraining orders against this reign of lawlessness. But Republicans want to enable President Trump to keep going. This judiciary committee bill seeks to strip the courts of their power to hold an administration in contempt when the president violates explicit judicial court orders. And it doesn't stop there.
▶ 0:36:10While they tried to defund the courts, they're they're forking over an astonishing $81 billion to the administration for more of these immigration roundups. The legislation includes a whopping $45 billion for ICE on top of its annual budget of $9 billion for family and adult detention centers alone. This bill is a blank check to the administration to do more of what we've already seen.
▶ 0:36:36And to make matters worse, as they race to spend more than 81 additional uh billion dollars on this, Trump's own DOJ is terminating hundreds of millions of dollars in existing grants. They're cutting funding for county, state, and local law enforcement. They're cutting funding for opioid addiction treatment programs. They're cutting funding for crime prevention. And they're cutting funding for victims of rape, sexual assault, and violent crimes.
▶ 0:37:05The grants being cut support local police in solving and preventing crime. They help the survivors of abuse and assault navigate the legal system. And yet, they're being wiped out by the Department of Justice. They're also trying to handcuff the agencies that work to make sure our food and drugs are safe and our air and water are clean. The Reigns Act is buried in here. It would prevent the government from enforcing our civil rights, protecting workplace safety, and guarding against misconduct by banks.
▶ 0:37:36It would require both houses of Congress and the president to approve every major rule from our agencies to take effect, virtually guaranteeing no effective regulatory action on any subject. They've also tucked the Midnight Rules Relief Act in here, which would allow Republicans to bundle hundreds of regulations all together into a single package and vote them down on a single jumbo resolution, which would be used to hide the most destructive deregulatory votes among
▶ 0:38:06dozens of others, completely burying it in darkness. Look, this version of an authoritarian America is not what the American people want. Please take note. This is why Donald Trump's polling numbers are in the gutter and an historic low. This is not what the American people are looking for.
▶ 0:38:24We urge our colleagues to walk back from the brink here to support many amendments we plan to offer today that will save us money, that will actually address the real problems of the country and that will protect the constitutional rights and freedoms that we cherish so much in America. This is a test. Are we going to stand up for the majority of the American people, for our Constitution and our Bill of Rights and the freedoms we fought for, or are we going to stand with a president who wants to throw it all away? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
▶ 0:38:55Uh, gentleman yields back without objection. All other opening statements will be included in the record. The chair now rec now recognized himself, excuse me, for the purpose of offering an amendment in the nature of a substitute. The clerk will report the amendment. Amendment in the nature. Without objection, the amendment the nature of a substitute will be considered as read and shall be considered as base text for the purposes of amendment. Uh the chair is recognized to explain the amendment.
▶ 0:39:14The amendment nature of a substitute makes a small change to section 70115 to clarify that the funds made available to the office of refugee resettlement may be used to transport UAC's in their custody. The amendment also makes a few technical changes such as correcting typographical errors that do not affect the substance of the committee print. I urge adoption of the amendment and yield back. Mr. Chairman who seeks rec. The gentleman from New York is recognized. Move to strike the last word. Gentleman is recognized. Mr.
▶ 0:39:42Chairman, Donald Trump was narrowly voted into office on the strength of a number of promises. He told us, quote, starting on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again to bring down the prices of all goods. He said of the war in Ukraine, quote, they're dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying, and I'll have that done. I'll have that done in 24 hours.
▶ 0:40:04He even said, quote, "I will get it settled before I even become president." And shortly before his inauguration, he bragged that the stock market had surged because of his election. He called it, quote, the Trump effect. Well, here we are 100 days later, and we're really seeing the Trump effect in action. The stock market has plunged because of of his chaotic and catastrophic tariffs. The middle class is struggling to stay afloat as prices remain high, and war still rages in Ukraine.
▶ 0:40:34With the economy teetering on the brink of collapse, our international alliances fraying, and war is tearing apart, tearing nations apart across the globe, this country is facing serious challenges that require serious solutions. So, what the House Republicans think our country most needs right now? Big surprise. Tax cuts for billionaires. It is their tried andrue answer for everything.
▶ 0:40:58Although their plan would add trillions of dollars in debt, which would put to rest once and for all the fiction that they actually care about the deficit, their plan also cuts $1.5 trillion dollars in vital programs that Americans rely on. They want to gut Medicaid, which would deprive seniors, children, people with disabilities, and working families of needed health care services. They want to cut student loan programs. and they want to slash SNAP and other nutrition assistance programs for the most vulnerable among us.
▶ 0:41:26These cuts would be on top of the near dismantling of the government currently being carried out by Elon Musk and his merry band of teenage hackers. While Doge is busy tearing apart government agencies, firing workers in mass, slashing the basic medical and other uh basic research that provides the foundation of our future economic prosperity, and slashing services for the American people, the world's richest man stands to reap billions of dollars in government contracts and massive tax cuts
▶ 0:41:57from a grateful Republican Congress. That tells you everything you need to know about the priorities of our Republican colleagues. The Judiciary Committee's contribution to this boondoggle for billionaires includes a excuse me includes a hodgepodge of items that have been on the Republican wish list for years such as a slate of anti-regulatory bills and other measures that are little more than giveaways to big business at the expense of individuals, families, small businesses, and states.
▶ 0:42:27But the lion share of this proposal would devote tens of billions of dollars to to promoting the Trump administration's cruel, inhumane, and lawless immigration policies. In just a 100 days, the administration has shredded fundamental notions of due process, attempted to rewrite the 14th Amendment, and defied courts that are holding the administration to account. It is a breathtaking assault on the Constitution, and the Republican Congress has done nothing but cheer them on from the sidelines.
▶ 0:42:55But now they want to get in on the action, helping the White House to turbocharge its extreme agenda. Instead of spending $45 billion on warehousing immigrants in detention facilities, as this bill would do, we could be shoring up Medicaid, student loans, and SNAP.
▶ 0:43:13Instead of enabling the administration's illegal and unconstitutional mass deportation scheme, we could be holding hearings on why US citizens as young as two years old are being deported with no meaningful due process, or why a fouryear-old citizen with stage 4 metastatic cancer was deported without medication or the ability to contact their doctor.
▶ 0:43:31Instead of spending tens of billions of dollars on a reckless, chaotic, and unconstitutional immigration enforcement regime, we could be working to restore more than $800 million in grants that the administration recently cut from the Department of Justice.
▶ 0:43:46These are funds to provide assistance to victims of domestic violence, trafficking, and violent crime, to support efforts to reduce recidivism, and to provide support for local police departments and correctional facilities, among other But here we are instead providing massive funds to help the Trump administration continue to separate families, decimate our economy, and strike fear in our communities. I urge my colleagues to oppose this dangerous legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time. Gentleman is back. Who seeks recommendation?
▶ 0:44:19from Gentleman from Georgia and then the gentle lady from Washington. Thank you. U Mr. chairman. Uh Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans ran for office saying that they would fight for everyday Americans who were struggling to afford rent and buy eggs. But today, they are leading a GOP spending bill that is an allout assault on working families, seniors, and anyone who is just trying to get by.
▶ 0:44:50Here in the Judiciary Committee, we are considering one part of a larger package that prioritizes tax breaks for Trump's billionaire buddies like, excuse me, like Elon Musk at the expense of the rest of us. This isn't leadership. It's betrayal.
▶ 0:45:10Americans deserve a government committed to uplifting every family, not a rigged system that takes health care and social security away from you and your loved ones so that they can line the pockets of billionaires like Elon Musk.
▶ 0:45:28Apparently Trump and mega Republicans think Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos and their billionaire buddies need another yacht or another mega mansion more than you need your insulin, your social security checks, or a nursing home for your aging parents. That's just not right.
▶ 0:45:49We must reject this budget reconciliation bill because our nation's prosperity should be measured by how well ordinary Americans thrive, not by how happy we make mega billionaires like co-president Trump. Excuse me. Well, Trump is a billionaire, too. Like President co-president Musk. I reject the larger package, but I also want to talk for a minute about the judiciary piece of this spending bill.
▶ 0:46:18There are so many ways, excuse me, we could spend money within our committee's jurisdiction that would make our lives better. We could put money towards gun violence prevention, towards finding and helping missing and exploited children, towards supporting Second Chance Act recipients who are trying to reintegrate into our communities, and towards so many other programs that would strengthen our communities.
▶ 0:46:47Instead, this is a bill aimed at shutting out all immigrants and locking up children in unlicensed private for-profit facilities for unlimited amounts of time at taxpayer expense. It's about preventing our government from going after businesses that cheat and overcharge you and they and that evade paying the taxes that they owe.
▶ 0:47:14It's about preventing the government from keeping your air clean and your water safe. And it's about making sure that Donald Trump's administration cannot be held to account when they violate the Constitution. I oppose the judiciary piece of this reconciliation package, and I will strongly oppose Trump's spending package when it comes to the floor because I support the everyday people, not Trump's billionaire buddies.
▶ 0:47:43And with that, I yield back. Gentleman yields back. The gentle lady from uh Washington is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In the 100 days since taking office, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and their department of greed and ego, have taken a literal chainsaw to our government, eliminating and threatening programs that help people in every corner of this country, both red and blue. Trump's policies are destroying the strong economy that he inherited from Democrats.
▶ 0:48:11In the last quarter of 2024, our economy grew by 2.4%. But in just the first 100 days of Trump's administration, our economy has by.3%. It is the worst quarter we've experienced since 2022. And it's no surprise that Americans confidence in our economy has dropped for the fifth month in a row and is at its lowest level since the start of the COVID pandemic.
▶ 0:48:38100 days of anxiety, chaos, and complete destruction. The bill that we're marking up today will not stem the tide. It's a betrayal of the middle class and it's going to destroy the infrastructure that every American depends on. Millions of children, low-income seniors, and people with disabilities will become uninsured and see their health costs dramatically increase. The bill includes at minimum $880 billion of cuts to Medicaid.
▶ 0:49:06And let's be clear, this isn't a red state or a blue state issue. One in three Americans depend on Medicaid for their health coverage. We're talking about nursing homes for for five out of eight seniors and stealing health care from 38 million kids across the country. That's over 800,000 kids in my home state, over three million kids in Texas, and about 1.2 million kids in Ohio. It's just cruel. Now, remember when Trump said he'd lower costs for Americans?
▶ 0:49:35This bill would cut crucial food assistance by at least 20%. Never mind that four out of five households that rely on SNAP have a child, a senior, or a person with disability. And what we're considering today in this committee would make things even worse when it comes to our ability to lower prices. This bill would eliminate the Federal Trade Commission, an agency tasked with protecting consumers and promoting competition.
▶ 0:50:02Just last year, the FTC successfully blocked a grocery store merger between Kroger and Albertson's, two of the largest supermarket chains in our country and certainly in my home state of Washington. Blocking this merger preserved competition in grocery stores throughout the country.
▶ 0:50:20If we're serious about lowering prices, we should be giving the FTC more resources to fight corporate monopolies and even the playing field so that small businesses and startups can thrive and consumers can get better services at affordable The immigration provisions in this bill just facilitate the illegal and unconstitutional actions that target immigrants of all immigration statuses, including US citizens, legal permanent residents,
▶ 0:50:50foreign students, and even US citizen children who are in the midst of cancer treatment and have been deported. And for all the talk from some Republicans on the other side, every time we have a discussion on immigration about how we love people who come here and do things legally, the so-called immigration fees that are in this bill are really fines and nothing but a cruel attempt to make immigrating to this country impossible.
▶ 0:51:19It's especially horrific in how it would treat unaccompanied children, effectively ending the US protection system for kids by blocking them from accessing life-saving anti-trafficking protections that were established in the bipartisan trafficking victims protection reauthorization act of 2008. So when we talk about how this bill is a Republican betrayal of the middle class, it's not just that. It's immoral. It's cruel. It's an allout assault on everything that we hold dear.
▶ 0:51:48It's promises made and promises broken by an administration that cares more about the for-profit prison operators that bankroll Republican campaigns than the young US citizen children who have been deported from their country of birth. That cares more about big pharma CEOs than families that rely on Medicaid. That cares more about insurance shareholders than seniors getting ripped off.
▶ 0:52:13Republicans are allowing stealing from everyday Americans just so they can lower taxes for the biggest corporations and wealthiest billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. This Republican betrayal is the largest redistribution of money from workingclass Americans to the wealthy. And it's being done on the backs of our kids, our seniors, our families, our US citizens, our legal permanent residents, people who have been here contributing to this country.
▶ 0:52:42It is unbridled greed, corruption, and cruelty, and I will be voting against it. I yield back. Gentle lady from Vermont is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move to strike the last word. House Republicans have spent the last three months insisting that they are the party of working people, that they care about the struggles of working people. And now they have control of the House. They have control of the Senate. They have control of the White House.
▶ 0:53:11And they actually could be doing something about it. And yet instead of passing legislation to make life easier and more affordable, they are doing the opposite. This bill is a betrayal of working people. It's a betrayal of the middle class. So let's let's start with the overall plan here. Republicans are proposing a massive cut to social services in this country. services that my constituents in Vermont rely on.
▶ 0:53:37I'm thinking about the nearly 600, excuse me, 164,000 Vermonters on Medicaid who are at risk of losing their healthcare. The Republican legislation means parents and grandparents who rely on Medicaid for long-term care and nursing homes for their family members, they're going to have that rug pulled out from under them. It means that rural hospitals, not just in Vermont, but in all of your rural districts, are going to close, too. It's just a math problem.
▶ 0:54:06Medicaid goes away, rural hospitals close. The Republican majority and Donald Trump want to kick working families to the curb and give people who don't need another massive tax break another leg up. The wealthiest 1% in this country do not need more advantages. They have plenty. These cuts are a c crystal clear indication of where your priorities lie. Now, let's talk about what is on the agenda for this committee specifically.
▶ 0:54:36With this slice of the reconciliation plan, judiciary Republicans will be doubling down on Trump's lawlessness and cruel immigration policies, fueling Trump's attacks on our independent judiciary and making it easier for big businesses to get away with price gouging and making it more expensive for regular people to survive.
▶ 0:55:01Today, my Republican colleagues are voting for skyhigh fees for folks who are just trying to comply with immigration laws. Does anyone really think that somebody who is fleeing to our country for relief as a refugee can afford hundreds or thousands of dollars to seek asylum or their day in court? It's nonsense and you know it.
▶ 0:55:23And with these fees leveraged on those who can least afford it, Republicans are dedicating billions of dollars to hire and empower an immigration enforcement reign of terror. They want to greenlight more masked agents, more hooded people, more unmarked cars, yanking people off the streets, deporting them without any due process. This is America.
▶ 0:55:49This is what actually sets us apart from people in the rest of the world is due process. You can laugh all you want, but if we don't stand up for due process, we are not the United States of America anymore. The bill in front of us will allow Republicans to further insulate this administration when it flagrantly violates the law and the Constitution, making it harder for courts to stop illegal actions.
▶ 0:56:17My Republican colleagues are once again using their position instead of helping working people. They're using their position to attack judges, to attack the very foundations of what makes us Americans. And you're trying to shutter the FTC, the Federal Trade Commission, making it harder for us to enforce our antitrust laws. Let's talk about fairness. Let's talk about competition. Let's talk about all my small businesses who just want a fair shot.
▶ 0:56:43Why would you go after the FTC and make it harder for small businesses to survive in this landscape? You all talk about competition. You all talk about a healthy process in this country to have competition to have a healthy economy and then you go after the FTC. It doesn't make any sense and it doesn't pass the straight face test. It's all more of the same in here. You are not looking out for working people. You are not standing up for small businesses. You're not standing up for rural America.
▶ 0:57:14You're not standing up for our rural hospitals. You're not standing up for the people who desperately need Medicaid in order to get basic health care. When I vote no on this Republican budget, I'm going to be thinking of all the working people in Vermont who sent me here to work on behalf of them, not big corporations, not authoritarians who are wouldbe dictators, to work on behalf of them.
▶ 0:57:39And I will be thinking of all of the immigrants, those who have become part of the fabric of Vermont, Vermont's economy, and our communities who are heartlessly being attacked by my Republican colleagues today. I yield back. Gentle yields back. Gentle lady from Pennsylvania is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. Gentle is recognized.
▶ 0:58:05Today, judiciary Republicans are jamming through a bill to flush billions of taxpayer dollars into the cesspool that is this administration's lawless, chaotic, cruel, and dishonest immigration agenda.
▶ 0:58:23In doing so, they're using this committee once again to vilify immigrants and push a false narrative, otherwise known as lies, that have led to the wrongful arrest and deportation of US citizens, outrageous attacks on the First Amendment rights of green card and visa holders, and the detention and deportation of longtime contributing members of our communities.
▶ 0:58:48That includes people who've been deported by mistake without due process and in some cases without cause in violation of court orders to a prison in El Salvador which is infamous for its depravity and dangerous conditions. And rather than owning its errors, this administration is refusing to bring home those it has wrongfully deported and imprisoned in that hell hole, using our taxpayer dollars.
▶ 0:59:19Meanwhile, our Republican colleagues are backing this administration's campaign of fear and lawlessness. Whether by cheering it on or turning a blind eye and a deaf ear, they're standing by as this White House attacks judges, denies people due process, defies the court, and lies about what it's doing. This is not keeping our communities safe. And it's not immigration enforcement.
▶ 0:59:46It's unamerican attacks on the truth, on people, and on the law. It's authoritarianism. And that's just it. Today, it may look like just attacking immigrants, but no one should kid themselves. It's clear the rights of every single person in this country are at stake. Because if you don't stand up and protect an immigrant's right to due process, then you don't support anyone's right to due process.
▶ 1:00:16Because if the government can deport someone based on false or unverified claims without proof that someone is a criminal or a gang member or even without proof that someone is not a citizen, then the government can jail or deport anyone, anyone, including my friends here. Without due process, every one of us is defenseless against a government that can do whatever it wants if it is not held accountable.
▶ 1:00:47The truth is that if this administration can deny the rights of some people, there's nothing stopping it from denying the rights of all people all across America. Just as there's nothing more fundamentally American than the rights and freedoms we all enjoy and should all defend, there's also nothing more American than the long and impactful history of immigration right at the heart of our nation's story.
▶ 1:01:13And it shouldn't be the work of this committee or this Congress to aid this administration's attempts under the immoral and lawless leadership of the likes of Steven Miller and Tom Hman to destroy the very liberties that make America special and strong. I deeply oppose this bill and I yield back. Gentle lady yields back. The gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Garcia, is Thank you uh Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word.
▶ 1:01:42Uh today is a shameful day in the House Judiciary Committee as Republicans move forward with their plan to trample on the Constitution and the working families so that they can give tax breaks to billionaires and large corporations. Let's take a step back and ask where our country is.
▶ 1:02:03100 days into the Trump administration, the economy is in the toilet with people losing thousands of dollars in retirement savings and no progress being made on the affordability crisis affecting ordinary Americans. The executive branch is being gutted. Nothing has been done about actual waste fraud and abuse like the nearly trillion dollar budget given to the Pentagon, which has never passed a financial audit.
▶ 1:02:33Instead, Republicans have turned over the keys to Elon Musk, who's trying to dismantle agencies that fight for workers and consumers over billionaires like him. Republicans have fought against diversity, equity, and inclusion, talking about merit. Meanwhile, Trump has anointed some of the most embarrassingly incompetent and unqualified cabinet members in our nation's history, like Peak Heads and Christine Gnome.
▶ 1:03:01And to distract the country from the incompetence and the giveaways to billionaires and corporations, this administration is terrorizing immigrant communities. They are rounding up entire families, targeting unaccompanied children and people with no criminal history. denying them due process and defying judges and shipping them to Guantanamo Bay and spending millions in taxpayer dollars to jail them in a mega prison in El Salvador.
▶ 1:03:29They're even deporting US citizen children with cancer. That is pure evil. But it doesn't stop there. Republicans know their agenda is unpopular. So they're running authoritarian crackdowns to stifle legitimate protest and dissent. They're throwing people in jail and deporting them on the basis of protected speech, attacking colleges and universities, and even going after law firms. All of this is cruel.
▶ 1:03:59It's incompetent, but it's also unconstitutional. And that's why Trump is losing in court. Over 100 court orders have been issued blocking his actions. Many by judges appointed by presidents Reagan, Bush, and even Trump himself. And the people of this country are realizing that none of this is in their interest.
▶ 1:04:21That's why Trump has the lowest 100 day approval rating of any president in the past 100 years and why he is underwater in every single issue. But Republicans don't serve working families. They serve billionaires and wealthy corporations. So here we are faced with this cruel bill.
▶ 1:04:42Instead of doing anything to tackle the affordability crisis, Republicans are using reconciliation as the vehicle to advance their cynical agenda of giving trillions of dollars in tax breaks to people like Donald Trump and Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos while cutting vital resources for our communities. things like Medicaid, food assistance, and school lunches, Pell grants for students, health care, and infrastructure.
▶ 1:05:10They're also going to gut asylum, and spend tens of billions in a giveaway to ICE, a rogue agency that's terrorizing communities and trampling on civil liberties and the Constitution itself because they've been directed to do so by this president. Just look at what's in this bill. They want people fleeing violence and persecution to pay a,000 bucks for so they can apply. They want people to pay $550 every six months to work.
▶ 1:05:38They want people to pay $900 to appeal rulings against them. They are commodifying the immigration system. And these giveaways to ICE, $45 billion for detention facilities, which in 13 years worth of their current detention budget, over $1.3 billion for the Office of Principal Legal Advisor, $40 million to screen children for tattoos and other supposed gang affiliations.
▶ 1:06:06None of this none of this makes sense for working families. I know this firsthand. My district is home to predominantly Latino immigrant and workingclass families. And my constituents are not asking for more tax breaks for Elon Marx. They're not asking for CFPB, the National Labor Relations Board, or the FTC to be gutted. They're not asking for Medicaid or food food assistance to be cut.
▶ 1:06:33So, I'm proud to stand with my district in opposing this assault on our communities. I yield back. Gentleman yields back the gentle from California. Miss Klonger Dove is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I move to strike the last word. You know, reading through this package, I was struck by how unamerican it is. As unamerican as arresting judges, trampling on our due process, deporting Americans, and terminating our federal workers.
▶ 1:07:02It is antithetical to the values of this country. We are essentially voting on a package that supports selling off citizenship to sometimes the least worthy uh while deporting babies with cancer on top of cutting Medicaid, cutting Medicare, cutting social security, cutting access to baby formula, cutting food assistance for kids.
▶ 1:07:27And then there is this fertilizer bill which I like to say which will also support terminating federal workers which includes capital police. I can't tell you how many Capitol police have come up to me and asked me how their job is at stake and what's going to happen to them. And I say well don't go ask a Republican because they are throwing you through to the wolves.
▶ 1:07:51You know, reading through this package, I think of Horatio Algers, an American author who wrote about rags to riches stories. Those from humble beginnings who made it here because of the opportunity in this country. And that is the basis of immigration. You come here, you do not have to have money. You do have not have to have a name. You do not have to have influence. But you have to have drive and grit and ideas and a diversity of thought.
▶ 1:08:18That becomes the currency that makes this country strong, that makes us unique. And what are we doing here with this package? Instead, we are saying that we don't value that kind of person anymore. We don't value diversity or strength. We don't value grit. All we care about is your check. But I'm here to tell you that is not what makes a workforce strong. That is not what make industry strong, schools strong, this country strong.
▶ 1:08:44That is not a value system based on real merit. And instead of supporting innovators, earnest people with drive and ideas like those immigrants that came here before us and helped make this country great, you are essentially saying that you're going to pay off citizenship to somebody who has the money to do so. They don't have to have any talent. They don't have to have any drive. They just have to have some kind of money in the bank. They don't have to be worthy.
▶ 1:09:13And to add some more duplicity to this fertilizer that we're going to be voting on today, Republicans talk so much about regulation. Too much regulation. We need to deregulate the economy, the environment, our financial services, because so much regulation means less progress, less creativity. according to Republicans. But this here bill is about hyperreulation. Overregulation.
▶ 1:09:38You're overregulating how many people come here, who comes here, what they have to look like, how you kick them out, and not just undocumented folks, but Americans. Hey, now. Cuz we're seeing that happen. So, I guess you have to raise enough nickels since he's getting rid of the pennies to pay for the tax cuts that you are getting to the richest of the rich on top of cutting social security, Medicaid, Medicare, things that people in my district care deeply about.
▶ 1:10:06And let me remind you that California has seven of the 10th highest enrolly districts in this country when it comes to Medicaid. And another thing, I know Republicans. I talked to Republicans. I have Republicans in my district. And real talk, there are many Republicans who have fallen in love with immigrants, who have married immigrants, who have hired and mentored and worked with immigrants.
▶ 1:10:33And not all of those folks, not all of those immigrants were wealthy or came here with a big old dowy. But they came here with some drive and they had ideas and they had earnestness. Had enough for you to want to work with them, hire them, have ideas and dream ideas with them, fall in love with them, care about them. And how many of those folks would be allowed in this country today if this thing were in place?
▶ 1:11:01So, let's just have some real talk when we are talking about voting on something that is unamerican and anothetical to all of the values that we uphold. A values that you would be upholding if the president were a Democrat instead of the one we have in office right now. So, for these reasons and so many others, I will be opposing this bill. I yield back. Gentle yields back. The chair is now recognized for a manager's amendment. Click report.
▶ 1:11:31Amendment to the amendment in the nature of objection. The amendment will be considered as read. Chair is recognized to explain the amendment. This amendment revises the ESTA, the electronic system for travel authorization fee section to lower the overall fee amount from $50 to $40 and increases the amount authorized to be transferred to Brand USA from $500,000 to $20 million. Finally, the amendment rem or excuse me, the amendment also removes a section that would consolidate uh consolidate any trust enforcement authorities and resources in the DOJ antitrust division.
▶ 1:11:59And finally, the amendment also increases the funding provided to the Secret Service for additional resources, personnel, training, and technology from 1 billion to 1.17 billion. I urge all members to support the amendment, and I yield back. We seek recognition. Gentle lady from Georgia. Thank you uh Mr. Chair. I appreciate it. Um I move to strike the last word. Ja is recognized.
▶ 1:12:29Thank you. Domestic violence shelters, protection for judges, better training and support for police officers, and rebuilding trust between law enforcement and our communities. These are just some of the things that we should be investing in to truly make America safer. This committee has 110 billion dollar budget to protect our nation.
▶ 1:12:57Instead of using it to support multiple agencies that handle safety, justice, and security, we're being asked to pour it all into just one agency, an agency that has been used to target and intimidate communities for this administration's political gain. That's not how we build real public safety. Meanwhile, our prisons, they're falling apart.
▶ 1:13:28Officers have come to my office and told me that pieces of their ceilings are literally falling on them as they work. Judges who face violent threats just for doing their jobs are left without enough protection. Just last Monday, a deputy in Texas was shot outside a courthouse.
▶ 1:13:53And did you know that it takes a victim of domestic violence on average seven tries before they escape abuser? We should be using this funding to help these victims and strengthen the agencies that support them. Right now, we are facing major safety and health problems all across this country.
▶ 1:14:18Agencies like the FBI, ATF, Federal Bureau of Prisons, US Marshalss, and our court system all need resources to do their jobs and to keep people safe.
▶ 1:14:34Yes, criminals should be arrested and they should receive their due process, but we also need to protect our judges, keep our prisons safe and functional, and support victims before the worst happens. committee and every one of us in here in this committee has the power to pass a bill that takes all of this into account.
▶ 1:15:05One that actually makes America safer for everyone and safer for everyone in this room. But focusing all this money on just one agency and targeting one group of people doesn't do that. It's not what the American people deserve and it's not the reason why you sent us here to represent and support your interests.
▶ 1:15:33We need a balanced, thoughtful approach to public safety. One that puts real protection and real first. Putting people over the partisan politics and I yield back. Gentle yields back. The question occurs on the manager's amendment. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed, no. impending the chair.
▶ 1:16:02The eyes have it and the manager's amendment is adopted. Who seeks recognition? Oh, can I do one thing real real quick here? Um, I ask unanimous consent that the letter from the Congressional Budget Office stating that the committee's reconciliation proposals comply with the instructions in House Concurrent Resolution 14 be included in the record. Without objection, they will be included in the record. Who seeks Gentleman from New York is recognized. Move to strike the last word. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 1:16:30One of the little uh little known passages sections that snuck into this bill is the very last one which is 70303 a called restriction of funds. What it does is it makes it much much more difficult for a judge to enforce a contempt order. Huh.
▶ 1:16:57wonder why the Republicans are trying to do that as two judges have threatened to hold the administration in contempt of court for defying court orders.
▶ 1:17:12Now the Republicans rather than encourage the president of the United States to follow the rule of law to follow court orders including a unanimous 9 to nothing Supreme Court ruling are actually trying to make it easier for the president to violate court orders and violate the law. And this is the judiciary committee. Most of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are lawyers themselves.
▶ 1:17:42They've their entire careers been around abiding by the rule of law. And now rather than hold the president accountable, uphold our constitution, uphold the fundamental rule of law that undergirds our entire system. No, they are trying to limit the ability courts to enforce contempt orders.
▶ 1:18:12Now, contempt orders are just simply orders by a judge holding someone in contempt when they do not follow a court's order. So when, for example, the administration continues to fly people who have had no due process to a terror prison in El Salvador after a judge has said, "Don't fly anyone there." That's
▶ 1:18:42a violation of a court order. And if that judge wanted to enforce that order, he would hold the administration in contempt. And if they do not comply with that, there are escalating penalties, financial, even jail. So that is what's going on right now. And the Kilmargo Garcia case is the best example of this because the Supreme Court has ruled unanimously.
▶ 1:19:09And let's be real, this is not a five to four decision that is This is the three Republican justices that Donald Trump appointed to the Supreme Court. And two others who are so far to the right of them, they're off reservation agreeing that the administration violated due process and needs to facilitate the return of the person who was they admit mistakenly removed.
▶ 1:19:38What does Donald Trump say last night? I have the power to return him, but I am not going to. That is direct defiance of a Supreme Court order, a nineto- nothing Supreme Court order.
▶ 1:19:54And you would think that my congressional friends on the other side of the aisle who take an oath to uphold the constitution who understand that Marberry Matt versus Madison establishes that it is the courts not the president who gets to interpret the laws. It is the courts, not the president, who gets to determine whether someone should be deported or not.
▶ 1:20:24You would think that they would say, "Huh, let's make sure that our president is actually following court orders because if he's not following court orders, then why would anyone else follow court orders?" And our entire system breaks down. That is clearly what Donald Trump wants to do. He wants to be a king who gets to make all of these decisions himself.
▶ 1:20:51He has already grabbed willingly all of Congress's power as a check and a balance on the executive branch. Now he's going after the courts. But instead of trying to uphold our system of checks balances, my Republican colleagues want to make it easier for Donald Trump to disregard court orders.
▶ 1:21:16They are perfectly happy for Donald Trump to become a king, a dictator, and it is shameful that they put this clause in there to make it easier for him to defy court orders. And I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from Maryland is recognized. Thank you kindly, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will in the nature of objection.
▶ 1:21:47The amendment will be considered as read. The gentleman from Maryland is recognized to explain the amendment. Thank you very much. The amendment um requires the government to provide due process to anyone removed from the United States by virtue of any funding in the bill. Now, I know most Americans are out there saying, "Wait a second.
▶ 1:22:04Why do you have to inscribe due process into a budget reconciliation bill when it's already in the Constitution of the United States?" And indeed, due process is already required by the Constitution, as the unanimous Supreme Court found in Donald Trump versus JG on April 7th, just three weeks ago, in a 90 percurium opinion, uh, quote, it is well established that the fifth amendment entitles aliens to due process of law in the context of removal
▶ 1:22:34proceedings. So both citizens and non-citizens enjoy due process under the fifth amendment which says no person no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law. So why do we need this amendment indeed?
▶ 1:22:50Well, President Trump and Steven Miller and Elon Musk, a former undocumented immigrant himself, uh believe that people can be swept up out of their houses, out of their workplaces, off of the streets and sent to a torturer's prison in El Salvador without any due process at all. And and there they can remain for the rest of their lives.
▶ 1:23:16Does everybody understand that they're taking the position that no due process is required when people are swept up off of the streets? And as numerous federal judges have pointed out, if they can do it to non-citizens, they can do it to citizens, too. Because if you assert as your defense that you're a citizen, but you don't have the opportunity to get before a court, which is what a fair hearing under due process is all about, they can still get away with taking you out of the country.
▶ 1:23:47Now, and in fact, what one district um DC circuit court of appeals judge Patricia Millette remarked when the argument was made that this was a power uh that was appended to the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
▶ 1:24:05Um, even assuming that that applies, even assuming that we're at war with Venezuela when we haven't declared it, even assuming that there's an invasion of our country when the courts uh doubt it, but even assuming all that stuff, she said Nazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemies Act during World War II than has happened here. In other words, they got hearings. They got actual hearings.
▶ 1:24:28Now whether these deportations are taking place under the Immigration and Naturalization Act or the Alien Enemies Act or any other statute makes no difference at all because the Constitution is supreme to all statutes and everyone is entitled to due process. All nine justices of the Supreme Court agreed with his conclusion at I think 1 in the morning or maybe it was 12:30. So Mr.
▶ 1:24:57Chairman, why is due process such a fundamental American value? Why are these the two most beautiful words in the English language which separate our freedom from arbitrary government power? Well, the last several weeks provide vivid evidence of the profound and dangerous miscarriages of justice that can and will take place if we abandon due process. Take the case of Herse Reyes Barios.
▶ 1:25:24This is a 36-year-old professional soccer player and coach. He's an asylum seeker from Venezuela awaiting the date of his asylum hearing. But unbeknownst to his family, he was arrested and swept up and flown out of the country to El Salvador as part of the government's dragnet campaign against Trend Aragua. But he had no criminal record. There were no outstanding criminal charges against him. And he had no association with any criminal gang.
▶ 1:25:53And yet he was sent to the dictator of El Salvador because he has a tattoo on his right arm which was mistakenly associated with Trenagua. In fact, the tattoo is of a soccer ball topped with a crown which signifies his favorite soccer club Real Madrid. Had there been any kind of due process fair hearing, he would have been able quickly to explain the government's error and there being no other evidence against him, he would have been released.
▶ 1:26:24Today, right now, he remains in prison in El Salvador. Consider the case of Andre Hernandez Romero, a gay makeup artist and barber who fled Venezuela's brutal Maduro regime, which was persecuting him simply for being gay. He had passed his credible fear interview here in America in the asylum process.
▶ 1:26:45In fact, his asylum claim was pending when he was swept up in the government's campaign because of his benign tattoos of two crowns, one symbolizing his father and one symbolizing his mother. Um, which I see is has my time run out, Mr. Chairman? Yes, it has. Um, I I Mr. Chairman, gentle ladies, California is recognized. Uh I asked to strike the last word and I yield to the ranking member. The thank you very kindly to the gentle lady from California.
▶ 1:27:14Um so Mr. Romero had passed his credible fear interview which is a necessary part of the asylum process. He's waiting for his asylum claim to be heard and then he was arrested. Why? Simply again because of tattoos which uh I would remind everyone are not illegal in the United States of America. And millions and millions of citizens and non-citizens alike have tattoos. Well, he had a tattoo, one symbolizing his father and one symbolizing his mother.
▶ 1:27:42And that became the sole basis for his removal. He missed his asylum hearing because he was behind bars in this notorious mega prison um outside of San Salvador. 60 Minutes reviewed his media post going back for more than a decade. They could not find a shred of evidence, not an iota of evidence linking him to any gang activity at all. If the government has some, of course, bring him back.
▶ 1:28:12Produce the evidence. Nobody wants uh gang bangers who've committed crimes out on the streets. Bring him back and prosecute him. But you don't take an innocent person not facing any criminal charges and throw them into a torturer's dungeon in El Salvador.
▶ 1:28:29Take the finally the shocking case of 24year-old father Frankel Reyes who now sits in the same El Salvador prison of dictator President Blly where he has been falsely accused as a gang member in this completely unilateral administrative process. Frankel not only has no criminal record, no criminal history, and no connections to Trenagua, he doesn't even have any tattoos.
▶ 1:28:57Instead, he was picked up because someone else's information was accidentally pasted into his government's e file. His government e file. The document accusing him of gang membership actually lists someone else's last name multiple times and contains multiple different ID numbers. Again, they got the wrong guy. That's what due process is all about.
▶ 1:29:26making sure that the government, which is not infallible, which is not perfect, which I've heard many of my friends on the other side of the aisle say before, should not be allowed to put somebody's life, liberty, and property in permanent jeopardy. Put them behind bars forever without even the opportunity to say, "You made a mistake. That's not my name.
▶ 1:29:49That's not my ID number." This guy's behind bars in El Salvador's infamous center for the confinement of terrorism where no visitors are allowed, no rehabilitation or education programming is taking place and where prisoners are not allowed to spend any time outside. And if they can do it to non-citizens, they can do it to citizens, too.
▶ 1:30:11Because if you get swept up and you allege your citizen citizenship to try to keep from being banished to El Salvador, you've got no one to argue with if you don't get a due process fair hearing. Indeed, just last week, three US citizen children ages 2, four, and seven were sent to Honduras with what a Trump nominated judge in Louisiana, Terry Dodie, said was no meaningful due process at all. Due process are the two most beautiful words in the English language.
▶ 1:30:41They separate our freedom from the arbitrary and tyrannical power of government. And without due process, no one is safe from being falsely accused of being a gang member or a terrorist and sumearily disappeared to a foreign goolog or dungeon. I trust all of my colleagues will support me in this amendment to ensure that our laws embody this most fundamental constitutional value.
▶ 1:31:07The money that we're appropriating today, the money that is going to be going out through the uh budget reconciliation act should not be used to fly people out of America and put into somebody else's prison without due process of law. I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you. I would just add u Mr.
▶ 1:31:25chairman um a woman walking down the street, a graduate student, is approached by masked men in plain clothes, put in handcuffs, and put into a unmarked van, and shipped off to a prison miles away. No due process. That could happen to anyone. That could happen to anyone.
▶ 1:31:54And that's why due process is in the Constitution to protect the rights of every person here. We give that up at our peril and at the peril of our Democratic Republic and I yield back. Mr. Chairman, gentle lady from Washington's recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, I want to speak up strongly in support of the ranking members amendment. I think it is really important that we understand what's going on.
▶ 1:32:21I think a many times when you look at democratic backsliding and you look at authoritarians or wannabe authoritarians, what they do is they first target a population that is the most vulnerable. They target a population that they think that maybe they can win the sympathy of the American people or of any people in targeting that particular population.
▶ 1:32:44And the idea here is to show that if you can do it to that people, that group of people, then and nobody says anything, then you can go further and do it to anybody else. And I think it is very important to recognize that in this moment they are trying to say that due process does not apply to you if you're an immigrant.
▶ 1:33:08And now they've gone further than that because they're they're actually taking US citizens, legal permanent residents, people uh who are here with legal status already. So they've already moved on quickly to every person.
▶ 1:33:21And I just think it's important that we remind people that the fifth amendment's guarantee is that quote, "No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law." and it applies to every person in this country regardless of their citizenship or their immigration status. Now, the ranking member gave multiple examples of where due process was completely flaunted by the administration.
▶ 1:33:48And I think it's also important that we point out what happens when due process is provided because when you get the courts to weigh in on some of these cases, we are hearing how outrageous the judges think that these situations are. So I'll give you the example of a Venezuelan couple. This is Cesar and Norelia who had temporary protected status. This is a legal status. Had filed an asylum petition.
▶ 1:34:15And yet the administration arrested them three times. Three times. And they alleged that because Noelia's husband, who she divorced over a decade ago, is now deceased, was involved with a gang, that the couple are de facto highlevel gang members. Now, the government produced absolutely no evidence of any gang membership for the Venezuelan couple.
▶ 1:34:43And Judge Brick Bikimma of the Eastern District of Virginia said when she looked at the evidence that was presented because in this case due process actually happened. They had to go to court or they went they were forced into court and the judge looked at the evidence and quote said this is a terrible terrible affidavit. If this were before me in a criminal case and you were asking to get a warrant issued on this, I would throw you out of my chambers. I was shocked when I saw this.
▶ 1:35:12This is a direct quote from the judge. Now, in the Western District of Texas, Judge Bionis, I hope I'm saying that right, was the next judge to review the government's very scanty evidence on the couple as they were rearrested after being summoned to Texas to stand trial.
▶ 1:35:31And that judge ordered them released and quote said quote respondents asked this court to accept their claims going off of nearly nothing to substantiate their mammoth claims that petitioner is a senior member or perhaps just a member or maybe at least the affiliate of a gang. The court would not accept this evidence even in a case where only nominal damages were at stake, let alone what's at stake here.
▶ 1:36:00Beyond these shoddy affidavit and contradictory testimony, respondents haven't provided membership. They have not demonstrated to this court by a prepoundonderance of ev evidence, let alone the required clear, unequivocal, and convincing evidence that the petitioner is a member of a gang, nor that she is an alien enemy within the meaning of the TDA proclamation. And the judge actually admonished the government for wasting judicial resources.
▶ 1:36:27this I want to go through this case because it's important to understand that the government does not have evidence to present which is exactly why they are trying to bypass the courts. If they have evidence then show it. Show it. Go through the due process. Go through the courts. Have a judge look at it. There are ways you can get people to be deported and you follow the due process laws. But they don't have it.
▶ 1:36:56They don't have it for all these people they are deporting picking up with mass men and God knows who are these mass men. Can any mass man in a with an unmarked car come and pick up any US citizen, any legal permanent resident, any student that's walking the grounds? Is that what the country has come to? Is that what my Republican colleagues are allowing to happen? So, we should all support this amendment and I hope that both sides of the aisle do that. I yield back. Gentle lady yields back.
▶ 1:37:26Gentleman from California, then Georgia. Move to strike. Last word. Gentleman's They give you the TV. We are 100 days in to this administration. If this was the how it started, how it's going meme. Started with people wanting cheaper eggs. fair. Costs were going up.
▶ 1:37:57People were anxious and they wanted to see the goods that they were buying at the grocery store, at Home Depot, at Walmart. They wanted to see the cost come down. President promised that he would lower costs on day one. That is a quote. I will lower costs on day one. He is 0 for a 100red. He's 0 for a hundred. That's how it started. How it started.
▶ 1:38:27How it's going. This is how it's going. The president deported a 4-year-old American citizen with cancer. Stage four cancer. Took him away from his American citizen father and his American cancer People just wanted cheap eggs.
▶ 1:38:54And now you're deporting kids with cancer. We are so far off course from where the American people wanted this administration to go. I'm going to lower costs on day one. He's 0 for 100.
▶ 1:39:15Today we saw that the first time since 2022 the GDP is going down. Your 401ks are 2011ks. We had hoped it would just be a Trump slump, but now it's a Trump train wreck. But it's not just pocketbooks.
▶ 1:39:42It's our values that are assault. A four-year-old American deported while fighting cancer. Man, cruel. That That's just one of the worst things I can think of a government doing to its own people.
▶ 1:40:08But I guess it shouldn't surprise us that the gang that put national security secrets in the group chat or the gang fired CDC measles experts as it was raging in Texas or the gang that was laying off people at the FAA as planes were crashing.
▶ 1:40:30I guess it shouldn't surprise you that their incompetency and their cruelty would merge and bring us this on today's bill. Mr. Chairman, there was an opportunity to work with Democrats to address the immigration crisis. I want our border to be secure.
▶ 1:41:00I want security at the border. I want as many resources dedicated to that as possible because I understand that as much as my colleagues and I want comprehensive immigration reform, the American people have told us we want the border secure and the workforce crisis that we have in America to address shortages in hospitality, food and agriculture, construction. We can't do that until we secure the border.
▶ 1:41:29You have partners here who want to help you that. But you're deporting kids who are American citizens with cancer. So you not only have lost the Democrats, this was your strength. And every first 100 days poll shows that you've lost the American people.
▶ 1:41:51When I go home, I'm going to check in with a seven-year-old who's getting more and more curious about what I do at work, and I'm going to ask him, "What did he do at school?" And his response is never satisfactory, and it never is when you ask a little kid. But when he asks me what I did at work today, do you know what I'm not going to tell him? I didn't make it easier to deport an American citizen with cancer.
▶ 1:42:20What are you going to say? And I yield Gentleman yields back. The uh gentleman from Georgia is recognized. Thank you. I I move to strike the last word. Gentleman's recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You know, first they came for Latinos outside of the Home Depot trying to get work so that they could feed their families.
▶ 1:42:49and I didn't say anything about it because I'm not a Latino at the Home Depot. Then they came for the Hispanic folks wearing hats backward with tattoos and they deported them to El Salvador.
▶ 1:43:13And I didn't say anything about that because I don't wear my hair backward and um I don't have any tattoos and I don't look like a Latino. Then they came for Latinas at home taking care of the children. They scooped up the Latinas and the children some of whom were American citizens.
▶ 1:43:42one of whom was receiving treatment for cancer. They swept them up and took them off and deported them. And I didn't say anything about it because I'm not a Latina. I'm not a little child who's America who's an American citizen.
▶ 1:44:03Then they came back for the students studying on the college campuses who were here on student visas. sent jack booted thugs wearing masks to pick them up, take them thousands of miles away and put them in a private for-profit detention center where they languish at
▶ 1:44:35expense. And I didn't say anything about it because I'm not a student on a foreign visa. And then they came and arrested a white female judge, a state court judge, presiding over her courtroom and the litigants therein managing the affairs of her
▶ 1:45:07court. and they came and arrested her and perp walked her to jail. And I didn't say anything then because I'm not a judge, a white female judge, state court. But then they came for me and I looked around and there was nobody left because I had remained silent and they had taken everybody off.
▶ 1:45:35Now I just kind of paraphrased a a poem written by a um a gentleman from Germany uh which resonated back then as it does today. And it's important that the people understand what is happening with our constitutional rights in this country.
▶ 1:46:00Everyone is entitled to due process whether or not you are documented or undocumented, whether or not you are a citizen or not. You're entitled to due process. And that is what this amendment seeks to affirm.
▶ 1:46:15that is wellestablished law that is ignored along with other parts of our constitution by this lawless tyrant who is our president and so I support this amendment. I ask my colleagues to support it and with that I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentle lady from Vermont is recognized. Thank you Mr. Chair.
▶ 1:46:40I have a short video I'd like to A
▶ 1:47:27family traumatized after armed federal agents busted into their home as they were sleeping and took almost everything they own. problem is they were not the people agents were supposed to be looking for. News4 Spencer Humphrey is here with their frightening ordeal. Spencer, what's going on here? Yeah, well, get this. That family just moved here about two weeks ago from out of state. And this is how their life in Oklahoma got started.
▶ 1:47:53They say they told federal immigration agents they had the wrong people, but those agents kept treating them like criminals, even though they're all US citizens. fear cuz I did feel at times that I was going to die. So much fear. I kept praying. I said, "God, please let me live through this moment." Humiliation. I meant I was I was a zero. I was nothing. Pure disbelief. I just couldn't understand. How is this happening to us? All just for wanting a fresh start.
▶ 1:48:28Mr. Chair, on the morning of Thursday, 24th, about 20 armed federal agents broke into a home occupied by a family of US citizens in Oklahoma City who had just moved there two weeks prior from Maryland.
▶ 1:48:47ICE agents mistaking the current occupants for occupants for the former broke down the door, terrorized the family, and they repeatedly said, "We are citizens. You have the wrong people. We are citizens." It happened in the middle of the night.
▶ 1:49:08Three children at gunpoint were forced outside to stand in the rain in their underwear while their mother pleaded with these agents to tell them what was going on. They ignored the pleas. They ripped apart the entire house. They seized cash, documents, electronics, their computers as evidence.
▶ 1:49:29When the family asked when they would get their stuff back, the agents responded, "Well, it could be days or it could be months." This was all a colossal mistake. The names on the warrant did not match the people who lived in the house. This is what we have created here. This is Trump's America. These were citizens who were treated like this. This is what we want you to open your eyes to.
▶ 1:49:57If it can happen, as we've said time and time again, if it can happen to folks with green cards, it can happen to citizens. And in Oklahoma City, we see a perfect example of that. This is what we're talking about. It's not other people. It's us. It's our neighbors. It's our friends. It's people who just move from Maryland to Oklahoma for a better life and have their house destroyed. And they can't get answers.
▶ 1:50:24If we watch the rest of the the news clip there, they're asking ICE, who's responsible for this? And then they're sending them to another agency. And they're sending them to another agency. and nobody is accountable for what happened to them. This is what my colleagues are trying to fund with this bill.
▶ 1:50:44Armed federal agents breaking into homes, even of US citizens, traumatizing them, taking their possessions. This is Trump's America. That's why we continue to talk about due process. It's not some pie in the sky idea. It's what literally holds our country together without due process, without the belief in the Constitution.
▶ 1:51:15We are not Americans. That's what gives us the ability to say we are an exceptional country in the world. That everyone who lives here gets due process. And we're going to keep saying this over and over and over again for everyone who lives here.
▶ 1:51:39What happened to that family once again of American citizens in Oklahoma City should scare the hell out of all of us. And we should not be using this committee to find more money to pump into ICE so that these things can This family is all of us. That's what we're trying to say today. This family is all of us.
▶ 1:52:08And I can't believe that in our name, on our watch, this is happening to people who live in this country. Open your eyes. Wake the hell up. I yield back. Gently yields back. Question occurs on the amendment from the gentleman from Maryland. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed? No. No.
▶ 1:52:38In the opinion of the chair, the uh nos have it. Could I request a recorded vote? You certainly can. The uh clerk will call the role. Mr. Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa, Mr. Begs, Mr. Mcccleintoch, Mr. Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany. Mr. Massie. No. Mr. Massie votes no. Mr. Roy. Mr. Roy votes no. Mr. Fitzgerald. Mr. Klein.
▶ 1:53:08Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden. Mr. Van Drew. Mr. Nells. Mr. Moore. Mr. Kylie. Haggamman. Miss Hagamman. Miss Haggman votes no. Miss Lee, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Fry, Mr. Fry votes no. Mr.
▶ 1:53:39Growthman, Mr. Knot, Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Ander, Mr. Herder votes no. Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gil. Mr. Bombgardner. Mr. Raskin. I Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler. I. Mr. Ner votes I. Miss Laughrin. Yes. Miss Lofrren votes yes. Mr. Cohen.
▶ 1:54:09Mr. Johnson. I. Mr. Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallwell. Mr. Swallwell votes I. Mr. Lou. I. Mr. Lou votes I. Miss. Shyal. Miss. Shyipal votes I. Mr. Korea. Mr. Korea votes I. Miss Scandlin. Miss Gandlin votes I. Mr. Negus. Miss McBTH. Miss McBth votes I. Miss Ross. Miss Ross votes I. Miss Ballot. Miss Balant votes I. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Camer. Dove. Miss Camager. Dove votes I. Mr. Mosquitz.
▶ 1:54:41Mr. Mosquitz votes I. Mr. Goldman. Hi. Mr. Goldman votes I. Miss Crockett. Mr. Moore. You're not recorded. Mr. Moore votes no. Mr. Mr. Isa. Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Bombgardner votes no.
▶ 1:55:31Mr. Gooden votes no. Mr. Chairman, parliamentary inquiry. Mistake his parliamentary inquiry. Could we just have the current tally? The current tally is not done because the role is open while we're waiting for Oh, I just meant the existing tally. Existing tally.
▶ 1:55:59Yeah, we have a couple Republicans on their way. We're not the only committee marking up reconciliation package today.
▶ 1:56:51Mr. Hunt. Mr. Hunt votes now.
▶ 1:58:08tomorrow. I think so.
▶ 1:58:50Mr. Vandrew, you're not recorded. Mr. Vandrew votes no. You've been traveling.
▶ 1:59:44Miss Lee votes no. Clerk will report. Actually, Mr. Nails. Mr. Nails votes no. Clerk report. Mr. Chairman, there are 16 eyes and 18 nos. Amendment is not agreed to.
▶ 2:00:14Who seeks recognition? Gentle lady from Washington is recognized. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk report. Point of order reserved by a gentleman from California. Amendment to the amendment in the nature. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. The gentle lady is recognized to explain her amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, my amendment is simple and I hope that it has bipartisan support.
▶ 2:00:36It simply states that none of the funds in this bill may be used by immigrations and custom enforcement to detain or deport US citizens. Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, I hope we can all agree that US citizens should never be detained by ICE or any agency conducting civil immigration enforcement. They certainly should not be deported. This should not be a partisan issue.
▶ 2:01:04It's about protecting the most basic constitutional rights of US citizens. My Republican colleagues have love to profess their commitment to the rule of law. And yet, they remain silent as this administration tramples on the civil rights of US citizens under the guise of immigration enforcement. ICE has zero authority to even detain US citizens.
▶ 2:01:26As ISIS's own policy states, quote, "As a matter of law, ICE cannot assert its civil immigration enforcement authority to arrest and or detain a US citizen." So, I ask unanimous consent, Mr. Chairman, that ISIS's policy memo related to detaining US citizens be placed into the record. Without objection. And yet, since the second Trump administration began, a troubling pattern has emerged with US citizens being detained by immigration authorities.
▶ 2:01:53You just saw a video clip that Representative Balant played. I want to give you a couple of other examples. In late January, only days after President Trump was sworn in, three US citizens were out shopping in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a toddler, his mother, and grandmother were detained and sent to an immigration detention center by immigration agents who questioned their immigration status just because they were speaking Spanish.
▶ 2:02:21Also in January, ICE arrested a US citizen and held him for over 10 hours despite him having his identification documents on him. And just two weeks ago, a 19-year-old US citizen from New Mexico, Jose Hermosio, was detained by the Department of Homeland Security in Arizona and held for nearly 10 days. According to Mr. Hemorrhio.
▶ 2:02:45He was in town to visit his girlfriend's family when he had a seizure and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Upon his release, Mr. Hermosu approached a DHS official believing that the officer could help him. But instead, the officer accused him of being in the United States illegally and arrested him despite Mr. Hermosio saying that he was a US citizen.
▶ 2:03:11Again, he was held for 10 days until his family was able to locate him. We're talking about a 19-year-old kid who was just released after having a seizure trying to get home. This is truly horrifying. Now, states like Florida are following this administration's dangerous and unlawful deport and ask questions later approach.
▶ 2:03:34Earlier this month, a 20-year-old US citizen in Florida was jailed by local police under a state anti-immigrant law that has already been blocked by a federal judge. Following the arrest of this US-born American, ICE issued a detainer request that the local police keep him in jail, even though ICE had zero authority to detain him. And then just this past weekend, as was mentioned earlier, it appears that three US citizens were deported, aged 2, 4, and seven.
▶ 2:04:04In the case of the 2-year-old, US District Judge Terry Dowy, who is a Trump appointee, said this American child received quote, no meaningful due process. Based on reports, the child was detained unlawfully by ICE for three days until she was deported with her mom, who was undocumented. The child's father had filed a petition to get the child released into his custody but was not allowed to communicate with the mother. These are not isolated incidents.
▶ 2:04:34They are part of a broader reckless approach to immigration enforcement that is wreaking havoc across our country and it's sending a chilling message to entire communities that they are suspect in their own country solely because of their race, their ethnicity or their heritage. In fact, there is a great article by New York Magazine that discusses all of these incidents. And again, I'd like to ask unanimous consent to submit that article for the record. Objection.
▶ 2:05:04What's even scarier is where this is headed. The president has publicly suggested sending US citizens to a gulag in El Salvador with a record of severe human rights abuses. Under the guise of immigration enforcement, this administration is eroding the foundational democratic norms enshrined in our constitution. Detaining and deporting US citizens because of reckless and indiscriminate immigration enforcement is unconstitutional, dangerous, and fundamentally wrong.
▶ 2:05:30And I hope that colleagues on both sides of the aisle would support this amendment. Uh I urge every member to make it absolutely clear, no taxpayer dollars should ever be used to violate the rights of US citizens. I yield back. Gentle yields back. gentle from Pennsylvania is recognized. I just wanted to speak in favor of favor of the gentle lady's amendment.
▶ 2:05:57I mean, she laid out the due process reasons, the constitutional reasons why we should not be allowing taxpayer dollars to support the deportation of American citizens by ICE. But just looking at the dayto-day impact that we're seeing in our communities, um 11% of my district is foreign born.
▶ 2:06:17it that is a mix of people who are citizens, green card holders, visa holders, some undocumented, but they have families and their entire communities are terrified at this point because of the lawless behavior we're seeing from this administration and we're seeing the impact in our communities. We're seeing kids not going to school. We're seeing employees afraid to go to work. We're seeing shoppers afraid to shop uh in our stores.
▶ 2:06:45Um because this is a family. This is a community. People have mixed statuses within their families, within their communities. And when we have citizens who are scared, I talked to a young lady who is a citizen. She was adopted from another country. She's afraid to to have any kind of traffic infraction for fear that she's going to be scooped up and deported. I mean, what what is this doing to our country when we have this kind of willful abuse of people and emotions and the law?
▶ 2:07:16So, I wholeheartedly support my colleagues amendment and I yield back. Gentle lady yields back. Gentleman from New York is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I I I want to just put the question to my Republican colleagues. This amendment simply says that the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement shall not detain or deport a United States citizen.
▶ 2:07:46If you vote no on this, you are supporting the federal government either detaining and or deporting American citizens. I don't understand how you'll be able to look yourself in the face knowing that you voted to allow our federal government to detain and deport United States citizens simply
▶ 2:08:16because you do not want to vote against something that Donald Trump may support. Do you have a thought of your own? Do you have a belief of your own? Or is everything literally just whatever Donald Trump tells you it should be? You are going to vote no on this. We know you're going to vote no.
▶ 2:08:47And I'm interested to see if anybody asks you why you voted no on this, how you're going to spin it. You may say, "Oh, well, United States citizens aren't detained or deported." False. False. By ICE, that is.
▶ 2:09:06They have routinely been falsely detained and held and in some cases, as we now know, deported as children suffering from stage four cancer. So, that one's not really going to work very well. Then you may say, I mean, there are always the old reliables like, oh, you know, I haven't read the bill yet.
▶ 2:09:35Um, that that's a good one. But I urge any one of my Republican colleagues just to stand up and say, I voted no because Donald Trump wanted me to.
▶ 2:09:52Because we all know that's the reason why you have spent 100 days handing over every single ounce of congressional authority that you control to Donald Trump's lawlessness and recklessness.
▶ 2:10:11You stay quiet when our dep our uh immigration and customs enforcement sends masked agents to arrest people in ostensible violation of their student visa requirements because they wrote an op-ed. And let me be very clear, no one disagrees more with that oped than I do.
▶ 2:10:40But we do not arrest people because they write op-eds that we don't like. We also do not criminally investigate people because they spoke out against the I didn't hear anything about the president's executive order directing the Department of Justice to investigate two people who worked in his administration.
▶ 2:11:11And what did they do? They disagreed with him. That's how Vladimir Putin operates. That's how dictators operate. That's how kings operate. Although kings probably wouldn't even do that. And yet you just all remain quiet. You are a co-equal.
▶ 2:11:37And I say you because we all understand you are in the majority. You control what this body I can and have will write letters to every cabinet official and I'm quite confident that if it even reaches the secretary, he or she throws it in the trash. We cannot subpoena them. You can. You can. You can introduce legislation.
▶ 2:12:06We need you to introduce legislation. And yet you sit silently as the president of the United States defies court orders, denies due process, arrests American citizens, and sends our criminal justice system after people who disagree with him. Shameful. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Uh, gentleman, you want Maryland or a couple? Gentleman from California.
▶ 2:12:38The fact that Democrats and my colleague Pilipel feel the need to even introduce an amendment that says ICE cannot deport US citizens is batshit crazy. This should not even be a discussion. It is not even a question. US citizens cannot be deported by ICE. It's the law. It's the Constitution.
▶ 2:13:04I will be astounded if Republicans vote no on this. I yield back. Gentleman from Maryland's recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, first I I want to associate myself uh with the remarks of u the prior two speakers, my colleagues, uh, Mr. Lou, um, and Mr. Goldman. Um, I do want to disagree with one little thing that Mr. Goldman said. I've got a little quibble.
▶ 2:13:33I think he tucked in there that we're a co-equal branch of government. And I've heard that fifth grade dogma far too much recently. Um, first of all, co-equal is not a word. Okay, that's the first problem with that. Secondly, um, if we are co-equal, why did James Madison say in the federalist papers that that the legislative is the predominant branch of government? Why are we in article one?
▶ 2:14:00Why is the very first sentence after the preamble to the Constitution, all legislative power is vested in the Congress of the United States? Why do we have the power to impeach, try and convict a president for high crimes and misdemeanors, and he doesn't have the power to impeach, try and convict us? It's because we had a revolution against a king.
▶ 2:14:20And the founders understood the dangers of one person of whatever ideological persuasion getting into office and insisting on monarchical dictatorial powers against everybody else. Other than that, I agree very strongly with what Mr.
▶ 2:14:36Goldman uh had to say which is I don't I I really don't understand why our colleagues who we know to have dazzling brilliance and personalities and commitment to the public good would go along with this consistent trashing of our constitution and our bill of rights. It doesn't make any sense. And um you know our chairman for whom I have uh great respect and admiration. I have seen him over the years.
▶ 2:15:04How does one go from being a libertarian railing about the deep state and the FBI and the Department of Justice and the jack boot thugs coming down on the rights of the people to becoming a supine submissive authoritarian who votes against providing basic two due process rights for the people against the government. I don't get it.
▶ 2:15:27I I hope that we would never end up in such a period of partisan saturation that we completely suspend our critical thinking skills when it comes to our own party taking over the government and having someone seeking to become something like a monarch or an autocrat or a king. Now, they are rolling all over the legislative branch today and Mr.
▶ 2:15:53Goldman suggests that it is because of the cervil and the passivity, the caving in of our colleagues. And perhaps so I I perhaps have a somewhat more mchavelian interpretation. Maybe if they brought all of these things that they're being struck down on in court to Congress, they couldn't get them passed. Maybe our colleagues wouldn't want to vote for them. I know there's certainly a dozen Republicans from swing districts who are terrified by that agenda.
▶ 2:16:22They would rather be hiding under their sofa in the Rayburn building than actually having to vote on these things. But they've certainly remained extremely quiet about what's taking place. So now we've got the opportunity to put some amendments on the table to say take a stand.
▶ 2:16:40The general lady from Washington advances the most straightforward proposition in the world, which is that we should not be spending the money of the taxpayers of citizen taxpayers to detain and deport US citizen taxpayers by ICE. Now, really, does anybody disagree with that?
▶ 2:17:00Or is the gentleman from New York correct that we're just marching in ideological lock step today and we're doing what we are told when we get through this. Is it possible that people are only going to be qualified to be selling flowers and incense at Dulles airport with members of religious cults because they've just been following orders for year after year. I mean, it's a very depressing thought for the United States House of Representatives.
▶ 2:17:31So, this is an amendment that everybody should be supporting. ICE should not be deporting US citizens. ICE should not be detaining and shipping off to foreign prisons US citizens, especially children who have cancer. This is not some kind of wild hypothetical that the gentle lady has dreamed up. This happened last week. This just happened.
▶ 2:17:54So, we've got to make sure that the money that we are using from the taxpayers is used to protect the rights and the freedoms of the taxpayers. I yield back to you, Mr. Chairman. Gentlemen yields. Gentleman yields back. The gentleman from California, then to Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. Gentleman's recognized. And I'd like to yield my time to Miss Jaipal. Thank you, Mr. Koreah. I I just wanted to um pick up again on what the ranking member said.
▶ 2:18:24This is an amendment about making sure that we follow ISIS's own policy that it cannot detain US citizens. And Mr. Lou is correct that it's batshit crazy that I got to introduce this amendment. But it is also the reality that I have to introduce this amendment because it is happening. The examples that I gave, multiple examples and I could give you more are happening.
▶ 2:18:55This is happening. ICE is detaining and deporting US citizens. And so it is really important that my good colleagues on the other side vote for this amendment. And maybe I'm more hopeful for some bizarre reason than Mr.
▶ 2:19:15Goldman that maybe there's a couple of you that will maybe the chairman will maybe some of you will say that it is not appropriate for the Trump administration to deport US citizens because guess what? You all represent US citizens. That's who elected you.
▶ 2:19:37So if you vote no on this amendment, you are actually voting to be able to deport for ICE to be able to deport your own constituents. And so I just want to remind you again, remind all of us that the reason I'm introducing this amendment is not theoretical.
▶ 2:19:58It is actually happening that US citizens are being detained by ICE officials in the streets by masked men in unmarked cars in their homes. Children who are in the midst of stage four cancer treatments. It is remarkable that I have to say all of these examples and that I have to actually introduce this amendment.
▶ 2:20:26But I'm doing it because it's happening right here in the United States of America. And it's happening to your constituents. The people that are being the US citizens that are being arrested are being arrested in red states and blue states in your districts and my districts. And once again, if you can do this to one group, you can do it to any group. Well, the gentleman the gentle lady yield for a question.
▶ 2:20:55Um, I believe that you and I, I think it was two weeks ago, wrote a letter inquiring of ICE how many US citizens had in fact been picked up, detained, and deported. And I hadn't heard anything back from that, and I'm wondering if you've heard anything back. Uh, no, thank you. I I have not received a single response to that.
▶ 2:21:14Maybe the chairman would help me to uh ensure that uh the Department of Homeland Security, the Trump administration responds because you are very powerful in your current role as chairman and uh perhaps you could get an answer where the ranking member and I have not been able to. I can't imagine that anybody on the other side would want to vote no on this amendment.
▶ 2:21:36I really can't because all we're talking about is ensuring that none of the funds that we are shoveling over in giant quantities to ICE Immigration and Customs Enforcement is used against US citizens. It is actually unlawful to do that. But that doesn't seem to matter because it's happening. So, I really do hope that we have many members on the other side who actually stand up and say, "You know what?
▶ 2:22:02I'm going to fight for my US citizen constituents who elected me." Would the gentle lady yield? Yes, I would be happy to, Mr. I just want to say I think you hope in vain. Well, here we are. Uh maybe somebody on the other side will prove the eternal optimist wrong.
▶ 2:22:19But I believe that maybe there is a moment in any country's history where the threats are so severe that the spine gets stiffened and that you realize that the enemy is yourself if you don't speak up. That the destruction of democracy happens because we allow it to happen. And I hope that my colleagues on the other side I continue to hope that my colleagues on the other side recognize that and vote yes on this amendment.
▶ 2:22:51Emily yields back. Gentleman from George is recognized. Yeah. I was trying to think up all of those old horror movies that I used to watch when I was a kid. And I would just lit literally be shaking in my boots in the bed after watching one of those shows like uh you know Alfred Hitchcock or you know watching Frankenstein or um Dracula, Wolfman, uh The Birds, uh you know, The Last Man on
▶ 2:23:21Earth, all you know, all of that scary stuff. And um and I I was trying to figure out why is it that my Republican friends on the other side of the aisle today are afraid to speak up and speak out. And if there was ever an amendment to speak up and speak out about it would be this one offered by the gentle lady from uh Washington uh Miss Gyipol which is simple.
▶ 2:23:49It just says no funds made available by this subtitle may be used by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain or deport a United States citizen. So, I mean, she's not about undocumented immigrants having due process rights. You might disagree with that, although it is the law, but I'll respect folks who disagree and think that they should not have rights.
▶ 2:24:17But this is about United States citizens. Nobody would disagree with the fact that no United States citizen should be deported. Uh I mean that's not what we do. That's not what that's that's that's not how it is. But yet my friends on the other side of the aisle are frightened, terrorized to speak up and speak out about this uh bill.
▶ 2:24:46And I suspect that they will vote against it out of terror. And it just goes to show you the reign of terror that has been imposed on MAGA Republicans and uh Republicans. People throughout this country are living in fear.
▶ 2:25:08United States citizens, if you look like a Latino and have tattoos and wear your hair hat backwards, you you are afra and you hang out at uh Home Depot or you get caught up at Home Depot outside walking to your car, you can be scooped up and sent to El Salvador. People are literally living in fear, American citizens. And that's why unfortunately we do need this amendment.
▶ 2:25:38And uh it's shameful that uh we have to introduce it, but it has to be done. And I'm just alarmed that my friends on the other side of the aisle are terrorized. It's it's indicative of the terror, the reign of terror that has been inflicted on the country by Donald Trump.
▶ 2:25:58It manifests itself by the lack of um uh verbosity by uh members of the other side of the aisle uh in this very committee. I'm ashamed. Uh and I'll yield to the gentleman from Maryland. The Thank you very much. And I want to thank the distinguished gentleman from Georgia for his his insights there.
▶ 2:26:23Um, you know, it was suggested to me by a Republican friend that immigration is really all that they've got left. They think that immigration, the way the president's handled it, is uh very popular. Um, and of course, the stock market uh has taken this tremendous hit, $7 trillion loss. Uh, the economy is shrinking. Um, he's plunged us into this trade war.
▶ 2:26:49uh his uh polling numbers are 39% an historic record low. Um and so they think well if we all rally around immigration and we can scapegoat uh immigrants then we'll be able to work our way back. What's interesting is I I when I opened I I began with some comparisons of Donald Trump's numbers to other presidents in our history and you can look at almost any of them like take Harry Truman for example.
▶ 2:27:17He was at 87% at this point. He had double the approval ratings of Donald Trump. And here's what he had to say about due process. Okay. Moreover, the guilty as well as the innocent are entitled to due process of law in America. They're entitled to a fair trial. They are entitled to counsel. They are entitled to fair treatment from the police.
▶ 2:27:37Harry Truman would never get on the bandwagon of saying, "Let's sacrifice the rights of immigrants somehow to become popular." and that made him popular that he stood up for the Constitution and he stood up for the Bill of Rights. I I yield back to the gentleman from Gentleman yields back. The gentleman from New York is recognized. To strike the last word. Gentleman's recognized. Mr. Chairman, I understand the terror on the Republican side of the aisle.
▶ 2:28:06for the rest of it is true that we've had since Magna Carta fundamental uh guarantees of due process but this administration doesn't afford anyone due process. The president doesn't doesn't afford due process to fellow Republicans. The president has removed security has instructed the uh department of justice to prosecute.
▶ 2:28:31Imagine a president instructing Department of Justice to prosecute someone has instructed the uh Department of Justice to prosecute former uh high officials who have uh who have um um earned or somehow gotten the ill regard of the president.
▶ 2:28:51He has told the Justice Department uh prosecute I forget the names a number of people remove the protection from some from people who served in my first administration who as a result of that service and being involved in the assassination of Kasamsulmani are under threat from the Iranian government but because I don't like them anymore remove the protection.
▶ 2:29:22and he is showing through everything he's doing with deporting uh American citizens and saying well it's okay it's okay to deport citizens it's okay to deport people without due process of law without a court and Lisa Marowski senator from Alaska let let out the bag let the cat out of the bag she said we are all terrified we are all afraid well That's how you destroy liberty in a country. When you make United States senators afraid.
▶ 2:29:52When you make citizens afraid. Citizens who've committed no crime. When you break into house and ransack it and don't check because you have the right to ransack anybody's house. This is how you destroy respect for law. This is how you destroy civil rights, civil liberties. This is how you make this country a tyranny. And that's what they're trying to do. That's what he is doing and having success in doing.
▶ 2:30:20And we must if this committee means anything, we must say here we stand. Here we stop. We are the judiciary committee. We say what the limit of the law is and therefore we we put a limit on him. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from I don't know who's went the most recent. We'll go to the gentleman from California, then gentle lady from Cal. We'll go ladies first. Gentle lady from California.
▶ 2:30:51Go ahead. I appreciate you. Um, wow. This seems like such a no-brainer. None of the funds made available by the subtitle may be used by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain or deport a US And I was sitting here thinking, good lord, Republicans must be in some kind of diabolical paralysis if they are unwilling to stand
▶ 2:31:21up for the Constitution for Americans by not supporting this bill. And then I had to read it again. I said, "Maybe I'm missing something." Because, you know, I'm from California. But I was like, "Well, wow. Deport to where?" Because like if you're an American, you're going to deport an American to where? What the heck? Cuz I can't say what I'm really thinking. I'm so confused.
▶ 2:31:51And then I'm like, well then then who do you stand for? Do you only stand for Trump? Like what do you stand for? Because if you're not standing up for the constitution, which yo is also just protect you, you know, like I don't agree with you. Most of the time I am awake and half the time I'm asleep, but I still believe you have rights.
▶ 2:32:18So like if you don't even support this language, who do you stand for? Because you know the I guess what you're saying is that Americans have no rights. You have no rights and the only right you have is to obey Trump. The only right you have is to be silent and complicit in whatever comes out of this administration. But you don't have a right to your rights. You don't have a right to your civil liberties.
▶ 2:32:47You don't have a right to any freedoms. You don't even have a right to stand up and speak out. And you as an American could be deported. but I just don't know to wear. And you know, the ranking member said that he talked to Republicans who said, "Well, you know, this is a popular thing, you know, for um Republicans, this immigration thing." But and it's not.
▶ 2:33:15You know, 78% of Americans say they want a president who a who obeys the law. 88% of Americans say they want a president to certainly obey the law if the courts tell the president to obey the law. We are we are we are we have opened the door. We have walked back in to babies in cages to our neighbors, you know, our soccer teammates, our neighborhood store owners being deported.
▶ 2:33:44We have seen babies in their underwear being strip searched by people who are like, "Uh, sorry, my bad. Wrong address, but I'm still dehumanizing you, taking away all your stuff and taking away your rights and liberties." I mean, this this little sheet of paper just says, "Please follow the law and give an American citizen their rights," which you can still debate in court, but the premise is they
▶ 2:34:14have some. So, I'm just so bizarly confused. And then I'm thinking to myself, well this so then if you're going to a if you are gonna not support this then like what happens when an American, one of your constituents, one of your neighbors, heck a family member goes overseas and gets snatched. You're not going to fight to bring them home.
▶ 2:34:41I don't know what could be like on your laptop or in your book or whatever right now that has got you so hypnotized that you would not engage in this conversation with your colleagues and find a way to stand up for the Constitution and the rights of Americans even Americans that you might not agree with or don't like or don't look like or haven't met. Have you met every single representative?
▶ 2:35:11I mean, every single constituent that you represent in your district. God bless you if you have. But even if you haven't, you still have to represent them. So, if they're in trouble and they call you, you're supposed to help them. If you don't support this, you're saying, "If you call me, I'm not going to help you." What kind of representative are you? Shame. Shame. Shame. Game of Thrones. Shame. With that, I yield back. gentle yields back.
▶ 2:35:39The gentleman from California, then then Georgia. Thank you. And I'm gonna yield to our ranking member. Oh. Um well, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Um I suppose all I would say um is on the question of whether or not an anti-constitutional agenda is a popular agenda, which seems to be kind of the currency of the day among our Um, people want to see the law
▶ 2:36:09enforced, but all the laws enforced, including the Constitution, including due process, including the rights of the First Amendment and the freedom of speech. People want to see all of the laws enforced together. And this is why I come back to why Donald Trump has historically low popularity ratings now. Historically high unpopularity ratings. Uh, it's in the gutter. um because he's not delivered on any of his economic promises.
▶ 2:36:38He didn't get us cheaper eggs. He got us eggs benedict. He sold us out. He betrayed us and he's not delivering on the economy. He's crashing the stock market. He's plunged us into trade war with the whole world except for his buddies in Putin's Russia. And so now it all comes down to immigration that they think what the American people want is to violate people's rights. I don't think anybody campaigned on that. I don't think anybody wants that.
▶ 2:37:08And I think as the gentle lady from California just expressed, the polls show that the American people want due process to be observed. The American people want the president of the United States to comply with court orders and not violate court orders. The American people want us to remain a a nation where the Constitution is supreme, not where the president is supreme.
▶ 2:37:33They want us to be a nation where the Constitution and federal laws govern, not the whim and the will and the fancies of one guy. That's not what people bargain for. So, I I would beseech President Trump and anybody who's got influence with him, your numbers are in the dumps. 39%. Look at Harry Truman, 87%. And he gave a beautiful speech in defense of due process, in defense of the Constitution.
▶ 2:38:04So, if all you care about is your polling numbers, and you don't care about the Constitution, you're sworn to uphold and defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic, the polling numbers tell you what to do. Stand with the people. Stand with our Constitution. Stand with our Bill of Rights. It's much bigger than any one of us. It's much bigger than any single politician. The cats got their tongue today because they don't want to talk about the Constitution. They don't want to talk about the Bill of Rights.
▶ 2:38:34They don't want to talk about due process and freedom of speech and freedom of assembly in America. But that's what we were sent here to do. And we're going to stand up for the Constitution. We're going to stand up for the Bill of Rights. We're going to stand up for due process. We're going to stand up for the independence of the judiciary. So, no, we are not going to follow our colleagues in putting up wanted signs for judges. We're not going to follow our colleagues and saying that federal judges should be impeached because we disagree with their opinion.
▶ 2:39:04As Chief Justice Roberts said, the proper response to a district court opinion you disagree with is you appeal the opinion. You don't impeach the judge. We've impeached 15 judges in all of American history. They were impeached for corruption, for bribery, for tax evasion. One guy was impeached for habitual drunkenness on the bench. It wasn't even occasional. It was habitual. But nobody's been impeached because of the substance of their opinion, much less the correct substance of their opinion.
▶ 2:39:34Our colleagues don't even tell us which opinions they think were wrongly decided. I mean, you take uh Donald Trump's debut executive order. He's going to strip people of birthright citizenship in America. That was the first sentence of the first of the 14th amendment in 1868, reversing the Dread Scott decision, which had based citizenship on race. We replaced racial citizenship with birthright citizenship in America.
▶ 2:40:00Then Donald Trump in the year 2025 purports to overthrow it. that was struck down by four judges, an Obama judge, a Biden judge, uh a Reagan judge, and a Bush judge. And the Reagan judge said that it was the most unconstitutional thing he had seen in his four decades on the bench.
▶ 2:40:18He said it was the easiest case he ever had to decide because the first sentence of the 14th Amendment says, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States and of their state." and citizenship means something or at least it should mean something and that was the whole purpose of uh this amendment that US citizens should not be stripped of their rights and detained or deported by ICE and I yield back and thank you and reclaim my time.
▶ 2:40:49Mr. Chairman, I just want to put this offer out there for you. Um, I'm willing, if you're willing to accept this amendment and vote for it and agree that no American should be exiled or disappeared, I'll drop all my amendments. I've talked to some of my colleagues, they'll do the same. We won't vote for the bill, but we we would take the win. So, would you agree to that, Mr. Chairman? Gentleman's time is expired. We will debate each amendment. Is that a no? No, it's we're going to debate each. We're going to move in regular order. We'll debate each amendment that you guys offer.
▶ 2:41:19The gentle lady from Georgia is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair. You know, I've I've been listening to all of this rhetoric and listening to all of this discussion, and what I want to say is really, really simple. It's an example of what we are about to embark on in this country. I think it is an infringement upon our civil liberties, our civil freedoms, our right to exist. Um, I have a cousin, a first cousin.
▶ 2:41:48She's an afroamerican Mexican, right? I talk to her almost two, three times a week. And I can tell you how many times now she has said to me over and over again that there's someone who continues in her neighborhood to call and question whether or not she is actually a citizen of the United States and actually whether or not she really lives here or belongs
▶ 2:42:18here. She continues to tell me the numbers of times now that law enforcement has been moving through her community, a pretty nice community in Juliet, Illinois, and how many times she's been stopped and asked, "Do you live here? Where do you live? What is your address? What do you do?" Over and over again now.
▶ 2:42:47And so I fear that we're really beginning to fall in a very slippery slope of vigilantism here in this country based upon racial identity, based upon immigration, deportation. And my cousin is scared to death. She was born and raised in Juliet, Illinois.
▶ 2:43:08But she's afraid to walk in her own neighborhood because she is being pinpointed over and over again by someone in her neighborhood who claims that she doesn't belong here, that she doesn't live here. Born and raised right within Illinois. This is what our citizens are going to be dealing with.
▶ 2:43:31Living, breathing while Hispanic, living, breathing while black, living, breathing other eth ethnicities and always questioning whether or not you belong. If you are a United States citizen, you were born and raised here. You belong here.
▶ 2:43:56And no one should be questioning whether or not you're a criminal or questioning whether or not you have criminal intent or whether or not you belong here. And it's really sad to say that everything that we have said that my Democratic colleagues have said here today, I'm so sad. America, please understand and listen, this is falling on the deaf ears of our Republican colleagues. They're not even paying attention and they could care less.
▶ 2:44:25So, I'm just saying to you with every fiber in your being, pay attention because this is where the United States of America is headed under this administration. But I guarantee you that my colleagues and I will not sit back and let this happen without a fight. And I yield back. Gentle lady yields back. Who seeks Gentle lady from Vermont recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
▶ 2:44:52I associate myself with remarks of my colleagues and obviously I strongly support this amendment. It's very simple. We will not be using funds to deport or detain US citizens. And as others have said before me, this should be something that everyone can get behind because as my colleague from California said, what do you stand for?
▶ 2:45:22What do you stand for? What are you made of? If not this, then what? When I first ran for office to serve in Congress, I was asked, "What do I think is the biggest threat facing us in the world?" And I was unequivocal and it was immediate.
▶ 2:45:50I said the rise of authoritarianism around the globe. Democracies do not fail It happens little by little as rights are eroded, as norms are upended, as my my colleague from Georgia said, when Americans start spying on other and reporting people because you suspect they may
▶ 2:46:20not be a citizen. That's how it starts. And as my colleague who introduced this amendment has said, my colleague from the state of Washington has said, it's not as if this is theoretical. This is not, as we often say in legislative branches, oh, this is a solution in search of a problem. That's that's not where we are.
▶ 2:46:49It's happening. It's happening to American citizens. And so this should be the simplest vote that we take all year that we will not use funds and weaponize our government against citizens and create a reign of terror fear.
▶ 2:47:18So again, what is it that we stand What are we doing here if not to support and uphold the Constitution? And others have talked about Senator Marowski.
▶ 2:47:33And I think many of us were hoping that when she finally said out loud what many of us have heard from our colleagues that they'll say behind closed doors that they are afraid. that do they do not want to be targeted. They do not want their families to be targeted. They do not want the president tweeting about them. They do not want Elon Musk tweeting about them.
▶ 2:48:02They do not want people to show up at their doors. They're not just afraid of losing an election. They will tell you they are keeping their heads down so that nobody will notice. Well, here's the deal. This isn't going to go away.
▶ 2:48:29It isn't just going to fade away if we don't stand up for the things that make us Americans. If we don't stand up for due process, if we don't stand up for all of the ideals that we hold so dear, then we mean nothing. This country means nothing. We are only as good as the ideals that we uphold.
▶ 2:48:57And so again, what is it that you stand for? This is the simplest thing that we will not weaponize our government and use funds to detain or deport American citizens. Now, as somebody whose family impacted directly by the Holocaust, I can tell you that is why I'm so animated today.
▶ 2:49:26That is why I am so anxious and so angry about this. Because I know what happens because it happened to my own family. That neighbors ratted my family out. That's how it starts when we don't stand up for basic human dignity and the rights that we are afforded in this country. I yield back. Gentle lady's time's expired. Who else seeks recognition?
▶ 2:49:55Gentle lady from Texas is recognized for five minutes. I'd like to first um associate my or associate the gentle ladies my remarks with the gentle lady's remarks because some things just should not be debatable. And one of the things that we know is that um the constitution is really supposed to be a guiding light.
▶ 2:50:20And the reason that we're having to do amendments like this one and the other one and talk about things such as due process and the Constitution is because we could actually maybe detaining or sending away US citizens if we just gave them their due process rights because I'm tired of hearing, "Oh, they made a mistake." Well, guess what? That mistake may cost somebody their job.
▶ 2:50:49That mistake may cost somebody their home. That mistake may cost somebody actually being able to still have their child because authorities may be called because that person is now not showing up to pick up their child. Or some people don't have the privilege of having a salary job where whether they show up or not, they're still going to get paid. Some people need to be at work.
▶ 2:51:13And so if you care about US citizens, we know how y'all feel about immigrants, but if you care about US citizens, I don't understand why this would be debatable because if there's anybody that we're fighting for, all supposed to be fighting for, it should be US citizens. In fact, it's US citizens that are the ones that send us here, not Donald Trump. And so with that, we should be looking out. We should have their back.
▶ 2:51:39And we should say as the federal government, we will not do things that are directly going to disenfranchise our citizens. And that's exactly what this is. But if we just followed the Constitution and gave people their due process rights, then maybe they could show up and prevent some of these mistakes. And maybe these mistakes that maybe seem so small to y'all because maybe the people that are being targeted have a little bit more melanin.
▶ 2:52:09So maybe we don't care about the mistakes that happen with some of those folk. I don't understand. But I'm tired. And frankly, I think y'all should be tired, too, because I think no matter what district you come from, if you were to survey your district, there is no one in your district that would say that we should spend money on ICE.
▶ 2:52:37ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain or deport, which you can't deport, detain and kidnap or detain and uh whatever, unlawfully restrain a US citizen. Not anyone in your district would actually support that. I would put money on it. And so, this absolutely should be a no-brainer. And I thank you, too.
▶ 2:53:04the gentle lady from the state of Washington for proposing just common sense which seems like it is not so common nowadays. I will yield. Gentle lady yields. The question occurs on the amendment offered by the gentle lady from Those in favor say I. I. Those opposed say no. No. Any opinion of the chair?
▶ 2:53:33The nose have it and the amendment is not agreed. Seeking a recorded vote, Mr. Uh, a recorded vote is requested. The clerk will call the role. Mr. Jordan, Mr. Isa, Mr. Biggs, Mr. Biggs votes no. Mcccleintoch. Mr. Tiffany, no. Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr. Massie, Mr. Roy, Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Klein, Mr. Mr. Klein votes no. Mr.
▶ 2:54:03Gooden, Mr. Van Drew, Mr. Nells, Mr. Moore, Mr. Kylie, Miss Hagman, Miss Lee, Miss Lee votes no. Mr. Hunt, Mr. Fry, Mr. Gothman, Mr. Knot, Mr. Harris, Mr. Ander, Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Gil Mr. Bombgardner Mr.
▶ 2:54:33Bombgardner votes no. Mr. Raskin I. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler Miss Lofrren Miss Lofrren votes I. Mr. Cohen Mr. Johnson Mr. Swallwell I. Mr. Swallow votes I. Mr. Lou. Mr. Lou votes I. Miss Jipal. Miss. Jipal votes I. Mr. Korea. I. Mr. Korea votes I. Miss. Gandlin Mr.
▶ 2:55:03Negus Miss Mcbath I Miss McBth votes I Miss Ross I Miss Ross votes I Miss Ballot I Miss Ballot votes I Mr. Garcia Miss Camlager Dove I Miss Camlager Dove votes I Mr. Moscowitz Goldman Crockett I Miss Crockett votes I Mr. Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Schmidt, you are not recorded. Mr.
▶ 2:55:32Schmidt votes no. Mr. Growthman. Mr. Growthman votes Miss Hagman votes no. Mr. Moore votes no. Mr. Harris votes no.
▶ 2:56:07Mr. Gooden votes no. The clerk will report. Mr. Chairman, there are 11 eyes and 12 The nose have it and the amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Chairman, who seeks recognition? Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 2:56:31The gentle lady from California is It was closed. Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Laughrin. Page 16, strike line six and all that follows through line two. Valid objection. The amendment is considered read.
▶ 2:57:01Uh Mr. uh the gentle lady is recognized to explain her amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This amendment would strike the $3,500 fee imposed by this bill to sponsor an unaccompanied minor.
▶ 2:57:16Now there is a phenomena I've seen it over the years where things um are so desperate in in a country that um children including really small children show up at our border and I can re recall a number of years ago going down when a very large number of uh children including seven, eight, nine year old kids
▶ 2:57:47uh were apprehended at the southern border. Now, Congress had um and the and the courts have come up with a a protocol to deal with this situation. In 1993, the Supreme Court case Reno versus Flores set forth a preference for the release of immigrant and refugee co uh children from custody, and this is their words without unnecessary delay.
▶ 2:58:16And they recognize that the child welfare principles that support children's care uh means that they will be released in the least restrictive setting appropriate to their needs. uh as well as the rights of parents and legal guardians. I was on this committee when a bipartisan majority of the judiciary committee approved the trafficking victims prevention and protection reauthorization act.
▶ 2:58:45And that bill, the uh provides similarly that an unaccompanied alien child in the custody of the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall promptly be placed in the least restrictive setting that is in the best interest of the child. Now, what what happens when an eight-year-old shows up at the border?
▶ 2:59:10First, they're brought into the custody of the Border Patrol, but Health and Human Services is directed to look after that child until they can be placed with a sponsor. In the United States, often times that sponsor is a member of their family, but it is not unknown that the foster uh care system will be utilized for the placement of that child.
▶ 2:59:36Um it is important that children be uh maintained in an environment that is nurturing and non-custodial. And the idea that we would essentially tax people who are willing to take in a child that's been abandoned is contradictory to what our goals are as a decent nation.
▶ 3:00:00Now the immigration uh USCIS is one of the I think of only two agencies in uh the federal government that is entirely funded by fees. The other being the patent office. Uh and so fees go up and down to cover the costs of of activities and that's not wrong.
▶ 3:00:21But it would be wrong to to tax a foster family for taking in a child that has shown up at the border and is by themselves and helpless. So I understand we'll discuss a variety of proposed fees uh in in this bill, but this one is a mistake and we should not do this.
▶ 3:00:43Um, I'll just note that we've got another provision that this committee adopted many years ago that allows for a child that is who has essentially been abandoned. Uh, for a state court to find that that child has been abandoned and they become a special immigrant um in that case they can become illegal permanent res of the United States but they can never petition for their parents who abandon them.
▶ 3:01:12It just me it just creates the humanity that the United States is known for that we take care of vulnerable children that we make sure that they are kept in an appropriate environment and that we don't put barriers uh to uh their care in place. I'll note just one other thing.
▶ 3:01:35uh the fee structure in the uh immigration code is always used to support the immigration system. There's only one instance I can think of and that was a fee on B visas that was used to promote tourism and it was a very small fee.
▶ 3:01:53uh but that should not be used as precedent for this extraordinary proposal that I think would end up uh keeping children uh in custody for a long time and by the way would be costly for the American taxpayer even while being adverse to the children involved. So that's why I offer this amendment, Mr. Chairman. And I see that my time has expired. Who seeks recognition to speak on this amendment? Gentleman recognizes the ranking member. Thank you, Mr.
▶ 3:02:23Chairman, just I have a quick question if the sponsor of the amendment would yield. Um, can you tell us about um who are the people who generally act as sponsors of unaccompanied children? Is it generally family or friends or is it strangers? And um what are the risks of creating a $3,500 fee? Well, it's it's often times a family member, although not always.
▶ 3:02:53It could be um a a friend of the family. Um what should happen and what does happen is if it's a family member, there is um a an analysis that this through rapid DNA that the person actually is a family member. That's very important because these children if placed uh recklessly could be victims of trafficking.
▶ 3:03:20They could be exploited uh by uh sex traffickers. So you need to make sure that it that they're being placed with somebody who's reliable and who will look after their interests. There are times and in fact in 2014 when we had such a large number of children show up uh children were in fact placed in foster homes around the country uh foster homes that were recruited by the department of social services in cal in California.
▶ 3:03:49So in in some cases this would be a fee on local government um that has a foster uh a foster care system. But the whole system needs to be uh oriented towards protecting the child. And I sometimes people say, well, you know, these are 17-year-old kids, but you know, that when the the wave of of child unaccompanied children hit a number well about 10 years ago, um I mean there were there were three-year-olds.
▶ 3:04:20Um there were things had had become so desperate in the home countries that parents made a decision to save their children. And I saw in one instance a grandmother who brought her grandchild and the grandchild uh and the and the grandchild's um uh neighbor. The grandmother couldn't enter the US. She knew that. But she came here to save these little kids. And they they were five, eight years old.
▶ 3:04:49And um there they were in the border patrol station. they needed to be placed with a trusted family member, an aunt, uh, you know, in Chicago or a foster family.
▶ 3:05:02In fact, in Santa Clara County, uh, the board of supervisors decided that they wanted to make sure that the these children uh were were cared for and members of the community stepped forward to become foster parents uh, of of these children, ultimately adopted some of them. So, uh, there's a whole structure in place, but to put a barrier, a fee involved would disrupt that.
▶ 3:05:27And what it would end up with was, you know, you might have individuals with nefarious um, intentions, uh, trying to get these kids because they have the money. Uh, or more likely, you would end up with these kids in institutional settings at taxpayers expense.
▶ 3:05:46And one of the things we learned after the uh this the wave of unaccompanied minors and there was a lot of study of this is that putting children in these kind of grim institutional settings has a very severe impact on them throughout their lives.
▶ 3:06:05And so, uh, to to do anything that would enhance the capacity of these children being neglected essentially and being put in in a sterile sort of custodial almost uh, incarceration type of situation is not in keeping with our American values. And I hope even though we may argue about other parts of this bill, but I would hope that we would step back from this because it's really not the right thing to do.
▶ 3:06:35And I thank the gentleman for his question. And I thank the gentle lady for yielding and I yield back. Gentleman yields. Who seeks recognition? The question occurs on the amendment offered by the gentle lady from California. Those in favor say I. I. Those opposed say no. No. Mr. Chairman, I would like a recorded vote on that. In the opinion of the chair, the nos have it and the amendment is not agreed to.
▶ 3:07:03The gentle lady asks for a recorded vote. The clerk will call a vote. Mr. Jordan, Mr. Isa, Mr. Biggs, Mr. Mcccleintoch, Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany, no. Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr. Massie Mr. Roy Mr. Fitzgerald Mr. Fitzgerald votes no Mr. Klein Mr. Klein votes no Mr.
▶ 3:07:33Gooden Mr. Van Drew Mr. Nells Mr. Moore Mr. Moore votes no Mr. Kylie Miss Haggamman Miss Hagamman votes no Miss Lee Mr. Hunt Mr. Fry Mr. Mr. Fry votes no. Mr. Growthman, Mr. Knot, Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris votes no. Ander, Mr. Schmidt, Mr.
▶ 3:08:02Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gil, Mr. Gil votes no. Mr. Bumgardner, Mr. Bombgardner votes no. Mr. Raskin, Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler, Miss Lofrren, Miss Lofrren votes I. Mr. Hoen Mr. Johnson Mr. Swallwell Mr. Swallow votes I Mr. Lou Miss Jipal Mr.
▶ 3:08:32Curo I Mr. Crayo votes I Miss Scandlin Mr. Negus Miss Mcbath Miss Mcbath votes I Miss Ross Miss Ross votes I Miss Balant Miss Balant votes I Garcia, Miss Cam Loger, Dove, Mr. Moscowitz, Mr. Goldman, Miss Crockett, I Miss Crockett votes I.
▶ 3:09:03Mr. Griffin votes no. Mr. Gooden votes no. Chair votes no. Mr. Chairman votes no. Click report. Mr. Chairman, there are eight eyes and 14 nos. Amendment is not agreed to. Who seeks recognition? Have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 3:09:33The gentleman from uh California is recognized to explain his amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me. Clerk will report. Thanks. Gentleman from Wisconsin reserves point of order. Clerk will Amendment to the amendment and the nature of Without objection, the will be considered as read. The gentleman from California is recognized to explain the This amendment plainly says the Department of Justice will not fire veterans.
▶ 3:10:04So if you vote for this amendment, you're going to stand up for our veterans who work at the Department of Justice. If you vote against it, you're going to really screw him over. This would make it unlawful for an employee of the Department of Justice who held a veteran preference status to be fired for the quote sake of government efficiency.
▶ 3:10:28As many of you know, and many of you are veterans yourself, and I thank you for your service to our country, when veterans leave their service, whether they retire after a long career or after they fulfill their duty requirement, they often time continue to serve the public. And they often do it through the federal government. And one of the agencies where they do it the most is at the Department of Justice.
▶ 3:10:59However, no president has fired more veterans than Donald Trump. Not a surprise for a guy who refers to our service members, those who have paid the ultimate price, as suckers losers. Our veterans are not suckers and losers.
▶ 3:11:18And if they were hired after their service to work in the federal government under a veteran preference, they should be protected. Now, my Republican colleagues just showed that they will not protect US citizens from being deported. They just voted to allow Donald Trump to deport US citizens.
▶ 3:11:44the same week that Donald Trump deported 4year-old child citizen battling cancer. Will you treat our veterans the same way you just treated US citizens by making them susceptible to deportation by making our veterans eligible to be fired by Doge? Prove me wrong. Vote for this amendment and you protect our veterans.
▶ 3:12:14vote against it, you screw them over. I yield. Will the gentleman yield for a question? I would yield. Yes. I want to thank you for introducing this. I've been also scandalized by the fact that thousands of veterans have been targeted in these mass layoffs and firings uh across the government.
▶ 3:12:31And of course, a lot of courts have tried to stop these firings because they're not done uh with any respect for the rules of the civil service, which say you can only be fired if you yourself uh have engaged in professional misconduct or you're not living up to the uh requirements of your job, if you're not performing right.
▶ 3:12:49Um, but your amendment says that the uh um should not be firing um people who hold a veterans preference without cause. In other words, you would still allow them to be fired if they're not showing up to work, if they're not living up to their responsibilities. You're just saying vote here not to sack veterans for no reason at all. That's exactly right.
▶ 3:13:16Um, and I assume this is one where you've been able to get support from the other side of the aisle. I hope so, Mr. Ranking member, considering how many of our colleagues from the other side of the aisle are veterans themselves who represent thousands of veterans in their district. So, this is going to be a test for them. Will they stand for our veterans, or will they screw them over?
▶ 3:13:43Well, um, it seems to me we've just seen one vote where our colleagues said it would be all right for Donald Trump to detain and deport US citizens. Another vote where they said it would be okay to detain and deport people without due process. Um, you put those two together, it sounds like they're saying that citizens can be deported and detained without due process.
▶ 3:14:08Um, and now what you're saying is, uh, can we at least have some mercy on veterans who have a preference within our civil service, but who've been sacked without any kind of due process at all? That's right. And and to my Republican colleagues, I will say this. Look, you don't have to take a vote on every vote. If you want to take a walk on this one because you don't want to go home and tell your veteran constituents that you just screwed them over, now may be a good time to go get a cup of coffee or go to the bathroom. You don't want to take this vote.
▶ 3:14:38I yield back. Uh gentleman yields back. Does a gentleman from Wisconsin insist on his point of order? I I do, Mr. Chairman. Gentleman is recognized to explain. The gentleman's amendment would introduce material beyond the scope and purpose of the bill before and therefore violates House Rule 16, clause 7. I yield back, Mr. Chairman. Uh the the chair's prepared rule. The gentleman uh Mr. Chairman, may I be recognized? Yes. Sponsor of the amendment wish to be heard. Yes, Mr. Mr.
▶ 3:15:06Chairman, again, this this plainly makes it clear that a department which we have jurisdiction over, where thousands of veterans work, that those veterans will not be fired under any government efficiency act. Of course, if there is for cause, they are subject to a four cause firing as anyone else. But this amendment, which I understand why you would want a procedural trick to keep it from being voted on, stands up for our veterans.
▶ 3:15:34And I think anything less than protecting our veterans, even a procedural trick, is screwing over our veterans. Yeah. There's not I would just make clear to the the gentleman from California, not a procedural trick. We we talked with your council. We would try to get this in, but it's clear that employment status is all within the jurisdiction of the oversight committee, not not the uh not the judiciary committee. The gentleman's uh amendment does not satisfy the subject matter and fundamental purposes test. Therefore, it is not gerine and is out of order. Who seeks recognition?
▶ 3:16:07What I'd like to do is votes have been called. Um we will we will recess for votes and then uh I think we have three and then as soon as they're done if we could get back and and get started again we chair would would appreciate that. Committee stands in recess. Committee stands in recess.
▶ 4:30:13Pretty good. Pretty good line. Use it. Committee will come to order. Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York, Mr. Nadler. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will report. Gentleman from Arizona reserves a point of order. Amendment to the amendment. Without objection. The amendment be considered as read.
▶ 4:30:42The gentleman from New York is recognized to explain the amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The depth of the Trump administration's depravity seems to have no low. Under orders from this administration, hundreds of people have been effectively disappeared, often under cover of darkness, to El Salvador, a country with a reputation for torture, ruled by a brutal dictator that is housing them in a in a notorious prison for an indefinite period of time. Just repeating these facts should shock anyone.
▶ 4:31:08Even more shocking, according to reports, our government is paying the government of El Salvador $6 million to detain these people. My amendment would prohibit funds from this bill from being used to pay for the detention in a foreign country or for the or for the construction of a facility in a foreign country to be used for the detention of an individual on behalf of the United States. Absent extraordinary circumstances, when a person is removed from this country, they should be returned to their country of origin, free to resume their life there.
▶ 4:31:36But the Trump administration is rounding people up and sending them to a foreign prison without even the barest hint of due process. The president says they are criminals despite most of them having no criminal record. He says they are gang members. Maybe many of them have tattoos, but that is hardly a crime. Has his administration bothered to prove anything in a court of law? No. He says that would take too much time.
▶ 4:31:59as if due process is a mere bureaucratic hurdle to be dispensed with instead of the clear order of the Supreme Court and a fundamental tenant of the Constitution. We already know that at least one person who's being detained, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was removed in error. The Trump administration admits it. Yet, despite court rulings ordering his return, the administration plays games and practically taunts the courts with its defiance, placing responsibility for his release entirely on El Salvador.
▶ 4:32:29as if our nation is powerless to bring back someone we have wrongfully deported to a country we are paying. President Trump brags incessantly about how strong and powerful he is and how we can accomplish anything from complex trade deals to ending war in the Middle East with the snap of a finger, but he can't stand up to Al Salvador. Please. The president now seems to admit that he could bring him back, but simply chooses not to. Either way, the purpose of this whole exercise is not removal of one individual or even a few hundred undocumented people.
▶ 4:32:59It is to send a message to everyone in this country. Anyone can be dragged from their home at any time if Donald Trump says so. No due process required. And even if a court says you must be returned, he can ignore the order. And as if all of this were not bad enough, President Trump has now hinted that even American citizens could be subject to detention in foreign countries. Enough is enough. These are the hallmarks of an autocratic regime and it must be stopped. I urge all members to support my amendment and I yield back. Gentleman yields back.
▶ 4:33:33Question occurs on the amendment uh from the by the gentleman from New York. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed? No. No. In the opinion of the chair, the nose have it. Mr. Chairman, I ask for a roll call vote. The gentleman from New York asked for a roll call vote. The clerk will call the role. Mr. Jordan. Uh, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa, Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Biggs. Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. Mcccleentok. Mr. Tiff.
▶ 4:34:04Mr. Mcccleentoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany. Mr. Massie. Mr. Massie. Mr. Massie votes no. Mr. Roy Mr. Fitzgerald. Mr. Klein, no. Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden. Mr. Vandrew, no. Mr. Vandrew votes no. Mr. Nails. Mr. Nells votes no. Mr. Moore, Mr. Moore votes no. Mr.
▶ 4:34:33Kylie, Miss Hagman, Miss Lee, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Fry, Mr. Growthman. Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr. Not Mr. Not votes no Mr. Harris Mr. Harris votes no Mr. Herder no Mr. Herder votes no Mr. Schmidt Mr. Gil Mr. Gil votes no Mr. Bombgardner Mr. Bumgardner votes no Mr.
▶ 4:35:04I Mr. Raskin votes I Mr. Nadler I Mr. Nadler votes I miss Lafren votes yes Mr. Cohen Mr. Johnson I Mr. Johnson votes I Swallwell Mr. Lou Miss Jipal Mipal votes I. Mr. Korea I Mr. Ka votes I. Miss G scan. Miss Scan votes I. Mr. Negus Miss Mcbath. Miss McBth votes I.
▶ 4:35:33Miss Ross I. Miss Ross votes I. Miss Ballot. Miss Balent votes I. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Cam Loger Dove. Miss Camager Dove votes I. Mr. Mosquitz. Mr. Mosquitz votes I. Mr. Goldman, Miss Crockett. Miss Crockett I. Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Tiffany votes no. Miss Hagamman, Miss Haggman votes no. Miss Lee. Miss Lee votes no. Mr. Gooden. Mr.
▶ 4:36:03Gooden votes no. Mr. Roy. Mr. Roy votes no. Clerk will report. Mr. Chairman, there are 14 eyes and 20 nos. Amendment is not agreed to. Who seeks recognition?
▶ 4:36:36Gentleman from Georgia is recognized. Uh I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk report. Gentleman from Arizona reserves point of order. Amendment to the amendment. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. The gentleman from George recognized to explain the amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment would strike 70303. Let me tell you why that section is in the bill. People keep suing Donald Trump when he violates the Constitution.
▶ 4:37:01And when Donald Trump keeps losing in court and Donald Trump keeps losing in court. When Trump started disappearing people and shipping them off to El Salvador without providing evidence of a crime or allowing them to defend themselves in court, judges ordered him to stop.
▶ 4:37:20When Trump tried to withhold federal funds from public schools just because they refused to parrot his viewpoints, judges barred him from doing that. And when Trump inserted himself into elections in an unconstitutional way, a judge blocked it. And that is just within the last week. Federal judges have already issued over 100 court orders that block and pause the Trump administration's lawless and unconstitutional actions.
▶ 4:37:50And that's where this bill comes in. MAGA Republicans are trying to use this spending bill to keep Americans from using the courts to constrain Trump's illegal actions. They are saying that unless you can hand over a lot of money when Trump and his administration violate your rights, they can just keep on violating them. It's just one more way that MAGA Republicans and the Trump administration want to trample on your rights unless you're rich.
▶ 4:38:20They want to bore the courthouse door so that no one can stop Trump from acting like a king. But we cannot let them get away with that. This country is built on the rule of law and no one is above the law, not even Donald Trump. The judicial branch is essential to ensuring that the rights guaranteed under our constitution actually means something.
▶ 4:38:43That's why my amendment strikes this section of the MAGA spending bill so that anytime Trump or any other future president violates the law, Americans can go to court and stop it before any more harm is done. Remember, this country is about we the people, not about Donald Trump the king. And I urge uh my colleagues to support this amendment to protect our fundamental rights and liberties. And with that, I yield back. Gentleman back question.
▶ 4:39:12Gentleman from uh Maryland's recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to uh salute my colleague for introducing this amendment and urge of our all of our colleagues to support it. There now have been more than 100 preliminary injunctions or temporary restraining orders issued by dozens and dozens of courts across the land against the reign of lawlessness and chaos unleashed against us and uh rather than actually using our authority as
▶ 4:39:42the United States House of Representative Judiciary Committee to try to get the administration to comply with court orders and to comply with the law. this legislation would actually try to undermine the rule of law um by uh making it uh harder for the courts to actually enforce their contempt citations against the president.
▶ 4:40:07So the gentleman's uh amendment simply says um rather the gentleman's amendment is to strike the language which would uh prohibit the use of funds to enforce a contempt citation. Um and that's the very least we should be doing.
▶ 4:40:27And we really ought to be encouraging the executive branch of government and the president whose job it is to take care that the laws are faithfully executed to faithfully execute the laws. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Question occurs on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Georgia. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed, no. No. In the opinion of the chair, the nos have it. Can we request a recorded vote, please? Quarter vote being requested. The cler call the role. Mr. Jordan. Yep. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Mr.
▶ 4:40:56Isa, Mr. Iso votes no. Mr. Biggs, Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. Mcccleintoch, Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr. Massie, Mr. Roy, Mr. Roy votes no. Fitzgerald, Mr. Klein, Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden, Mr. Vandrew, Mr. Vandrew votes no. Mr. Nells, Mr. Nells votes no. Mr. Moore, Mr. Moore votes no. Mr.
▶ 4:41:26Kylie, Miss Haggamman, Miss Lee, Miss Lee votes no. Mr. Hunt, Mr. Fry, Mr. Growthman, Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr. Knott, Mr. Knotes no. Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Ander, no. Mr. Herder votes no. Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gil, Mr. Gentleman from Texas, Mr. Gil, Mr. Gil votes no. Mr. Mr. Bombgardner, no. Mr.
▶ 4:41:55Bombgardner votes no. Mr. Raskin I. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler I. Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Lofrren. Miss Laughin votes I. Mr. Cohen. Mr. Johnson. Mr. Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallow. Mr. Lou. Miss. Gyipol. M. Gyipol votes I. Mr. Korea. I. Mr. Craya votes I. Miss Scandlin. Miss Ganlin votes I.
▶ 4:42:26Mr. Negus. Miss McBath. Miss McBth votes I. Miss. Ross. Miss Ross votes I. Miss Ballot. Miss Balant votes I. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Cam Loger Dove. Miss Cam Loger. Dove votes I. Mr. Mosquitz. Mr. Mosquitz votes I. Mr. Goldman. Miss Crockett. Miss Crockett. I. Miss Crockett votes I. Mr.
▶ 4:42:55Gooden votes no. Mr. Massie, you are not recorded. Mr. Massie votes no. Miss Hegman, you are not recorded. Miss Hagamman votes no. clerk
▶ 4:43:25report. Mr. Chairman, there are 14 eyes and 21 nos. The uh the amendment is not agreed to. Gentlemen, gentleman from California is recognized. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that amendment be considered. Korea number 20. Okay, Mr. Chairman, this amendment Wait, hang on. Clerk will report amendment to the amendment in the name. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. The gentleman from Arizona reserves a point of order. Gentleman from California is recognized to explain his amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 4:43:55This amendment is a very simple one. It would ensure that no money from this legislation goes to ICE raids at elementary schools. Since 2011, ICE has barred enforcement actions at sensitive locations like schools, places of worship, that is churches, and shelters for surviving domestic or sexual survivors. Under this administration, that is no more. That is no longer the policy.
▶ 4:44:24Earlier this month, ICE agents showed up at two Los Angeles schools trying to conduct what they called wellness checks on five students. These students were from first grade through fifth grade. The ICE agents claimed that they had the permission of the students parents or guardians to speak with them. But the superintendent of LA Unified said that the parents and guidance of these students had in fact not given their consent.
▶ 4:44:53There was no permission to do so. And last month just right here in Washington DC, ICE agents wearing masks and bulletproof vests showed up at an elementary school and unsuccess unsuccessfully tried to detain a school nurse. Mr.
▶ 4:45:10Chairman, by adopting this amendment and ensuring that ICE stays out of elementary schools, we're going to make sure that students study and can learn in a safe environment without fearing ICE rates. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. And with that, I Gentleman yields back. Question occurs on the amendment from the gentleman with point of order withdrawn. Question occurs on the amendment. Gentleman from California.
▶ 4:45:40All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed, nay. In the opinion, the chair's uh the nose have it. Recorded vote. Mr. Chairman. Vote being requested. The clerk will call the role. Mr. Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa, Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Biggs, Mr. Bigs votes no. Mr. Mcccleintoch, Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr. Massie. Mr. Massie votes no. Mr.
▶ 4:46:10Roy Mr. Roy votes no. Mr. Fitzgerald Mr. Klein Mr. Klein votes no. Gooden. Mr. Vandrew. Mr. Vandrew votes no. Mr. Nells. Mr. Nells votes no. Mr. Moore Mr. Moore votes no. Mr. Kryley. Miss Haggamman. Miss Haggman votes no. Miss Lee. Miss Lee votes no. Mr. Hunt, Mr. Fry, Mr.
▶ 4:46:40Growthman, Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr. Knott votes no. Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Ander, Mr. Herder votes no. Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gil, Mr. Gil votes no. Mr. Bombgardner, Mr. Bombgardner votes no. Mr. Raskin. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler. Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Laughrin. Miss Lrren votes yes. Mr. Mr. Cohen, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Johnson votes I.
▶ 4:47:11Swallwell, Mr. Lou, Miss Gyipol, Miss Gipol votes I. Mr. Korea, I. Mr. Korea votes I. Miss Scandlin. Miss Scandlin votes I. Mr. Negus, Miss McBth. Miss McBth votes I. Miss Ross. Miss Ross votes I. Miss Ballot. Miss Balant votes I. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Camlagger Dove. Miss Camlagger Dove votes I. Mr. Mosquitz. Mr. Mosquitz votes I. Mr.
▶ 4:47:49Crockett. Miss Crockett votes yes. Clerk report. Mr. Chairman, there are 14 eyes and 20 nos. Amendment is not agreed to.
▶ 4:48:19Gentle lady from Pennsylvania is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will report. Gentleman from Arizona reserves point of order. Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee. The bill be considered as red. The gentle is recognized. Thank you.
▶ 4:48:35So my amendment would uh prohibit the use of funds made available under this bill um from being used for the implementation of or the defense of the executive order trying to end birthright citizenship. For more than a century, there have been few legal questions as open and shut as whether being born in the United States makes someone a US citizen. whether you look at legislative history or Supreme Court president.
▶ 4:49:04But that's what President Trump's executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship is doing. It's a blatant attempt to rewrite our nation's history and our Constitution. After repeatedly failing to convince the American public or to get the votes to support ending birthright citizenship, our Republican colleagues have stooped to cheering from the sidelines as this president attempts to do an end run on the Constitution with a tortured reading of the English language and more than a century of legal analysis.
▶ 4:49:35And don't just take it from me. Every court that's look at looked at this disagrees with the administration's legal and historic interpretation. All four of them. And those are judges appointed by Reagan, Bush, Obama, and Biden. Beyond that, religious leaders, including the late Pope Francis, have decrieded the cruelty and inhumanity of this effort to end US birthright citizenship.
▶ 4:49:58It's clear that this president and his right-wing allies want to dictate their opinions about who is worthy of being a citizen of our country and who isn't based on who their parents are and where their parents are from. ensuring a government that's not for the people, but for some people. So, it's the absolute antithesis of the promise of America.
▶ 4:50:20And that's why my amendment would ensure that no funds allocated under this bill can be used to enforce or defend this administration's misguided and unconstitutional attempt to end birthright citizenship. So, I yield back. Gentle lady yields back. Gentle from Washington's recognized. Thank you, Mr. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this important amendment from my colleague from Pennsylvania.
▶ 4:50:47Um, it was actually uh a judge in Washington state who was the second judge. He was the judge appointed by President Reagan um who uh issued initially a temporary restraining order and then uh a preliminary injunction.
▶ 4:51:06And I wanted to quote what he said because I think it's it was just so to the point and so important that this is again a judge appointed by a Republican president and he said it has become ever more apparent that to our president the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals. This is what Judge Coenor said.
▶ 4:51:30And then he continued, "In this courtroom and under my watch, the rule of law is a bright beacon which I intend to follow. I wish that all of our colleagues on the judiciary committee were as clear about the rule of law and the bright line that stands that is supposed to be what we are pledging our oath to.
▶ 4:51:57I wish that our colleagues on the judiciary committee would say this very simple sentence. The rule of law is a bright beacon which I intend to follow. You know, we pledge allegiance to the flag at every judiciary committee hearing. And you assume that when we pledge allegiance to the flag, that also means that we're going to pledge allegiance to uphold the Constitution.
▶ 4:52:21And yet it seems that on this committee just tonight, just this evening, Republican colleagues have voted against ensuring that everybody receives due process first and then Republican colleagues voted to allow Donald Trump to detain and deport US citizens. Now, some of them skipped out for the vote because they didn't want to be on record for it.
▶ 4:52:50But the ones that stayed here and voted, you're going to have to explain to your constituents who elected you why you voted to allow Donald Trump to allow ICE to detain and deport a US citizen, why you allowed Donald Trump to allow people to be deported with no due process.
▶ 4:53:11And so I raise this in the context of birthright citizenship because Republicans have consistently said that it's outrageous that there are these nationwide injunctions that are happening. This is targeting Donald Trump.
▶ 4:53:26In fact, here in this committee, debated laws that or bills that would eliminate the ability to have nationwide yet the reality is if you do illegal unconstitutional stuff then you should expect a nationwide injunction. Trying to repeal birthright citizenship is illegal. It's unconstitutional.
▶ 4:53:56And I think that this amendment, which just basically says no funds shall be made available to enforce executive order 1416 zero entitled protecting the meaning and value of American citizenship. If anybody really understood what it means to protect the meaning and the value of American citizenship, it should be that you understand you got to stand up for the Constitution.
▶ 4:54:19You got to stand up for, as the Reagan appointed judge John Kuanor said, you got to stand up for the rule of law as a bright beacon. I think that his observation that it's more and more apparent to our president that the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals. Those are his words.
▶ 4:54:39I would like to see some of my Republican colleagues actually be willing to say that they're not going to allow uh the rule of law to just be an impediment. We are the judiciary committee after all. We should be even more conscious of this than any committee in this Congress. But that is clearly not been the case so far. I was waiting for somebody on the other side to prove me wrong on the US citizen piece.
▶ 4:55:09um and vote with us to ensure that no funds were used to allow ICE to deport and detain US citizens. But that didn't happen. So, I'm going to continue to hold out hope, but be uh not disappointed when we see nobody on the other side willing to stand up here um for the Constitution and the and the right to have birthright citizenship. So, I thank you, Miss Scandlin, for introducing this amendment.
▶ 4:55:39Um, and I I I am proudly supporting it. I yield back. Gentle lady yields back. Gentleman from Maryland. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I just want to make two quick points in support of Miss Scandlin's excellent amendment here. One's one's about the past and one's about the future.
▶ 4:55:58And the historical point is that um people who would trifle with the modern foundational principle of birthright citizenship really need to consider what they're standing for because uh in the Dread Scott decision, the Supreme Court said that the enslaved people and their descendants, African-Americans, could never be citizens within the meaning of the diversity jurisdiction clause of the Constitution.
▶ 4:56:27So Dread Scott, remember, was trying to sue to say that he had actually become a free man when he was brought into Missouri during the time of the Missouri Compromise. And the the uh Tony court said no. Um he couldn't even get into court. He didn't have standing because he wasn't a citizen because an African-American could never be a citizen. There the Supreme Court proclaimed a racial definition of citizenship in the United States.
▶ 4:56:54Well, after the civil war and during the writing of the reconstruction amendments, the very first sentence of the 14th amendment was all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States and the state where in which they reside. Okay.
▶ 4:57:12So the very first sentence of the 14th overturned dread the DreadScott decision to that extent and it replaced a racial concept of citizenship with a birthright concept of citizenship.
▶ 4:57:26So this attack on birthright citizenship which is obviously blatantly unconstitutional is essentially an attempt to resurrect a discredited invalidated concept of what it means to be a US citizen which was based on race uh rather than based on being a member of the national community across the lines of race and gender.
▶ 4:57:50But the other thing I want to say is this is actually an important effective amendment that the gentle lady from Pennsylvania advances because um the administration has talked about trying to effectuate their mistaken concept of citizenship by denying US citizens whose whose parents were not US citizens certain rights under the Constitution, such as the right to be enrolled in social security or even the
▶ 4:58:20right to get a passport. So by saying that we're not going to make funds available for this purpose, we're actually preserving the constitutional notion of birthright citizenship and we're going to be saving a lot of money and a lot of resources and more humiliation for the administration which keeps losing in court on a daily basis.
▶ 4:58:42Um I think now um they have more than 200 executive orders but more than a hundred judicial injunctions striking down executive orders and executive actions that are in conflict with the constitution. So, let's at least save that particular disgrace if they try to go down the road of preventing people uh who were born in the United States, who've been citizens their whole lives suddenly the right to be in social security or to get a passport.
▶ 4:59:12With that, I yield back to you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chairman, rather gentlemen, gentleman yields back from New York. I want to promote you, Mr. Chairman. I uh I asked to strike last word. Gentleman's recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This uh attempt by the Trump administration to deny birthright citizenship is an attempt to deny what has been clear since Magna Carta.
▶ 4:59:39Magna Carta was based on use solely, the law of the land and said that you were a citizen if you were on the land. That's what use solely means. When the Dread Scott decision came down, it sought to say, "Okay, everybody is a citizen of the United States, born here, except for black people, because they have no rights at all. They're not people." That was the Dread Scott decision.
▶ 5:00:08The Civil Rights Amendment, the Civil Rights Act of 1866 was passed specifically to change that. In the Civil Rights Act of 1866, Senator Trumbull, its author, said, Lyman Trumbull, that well, he drafted it to say that you're a citizen of the United States if you were born here or um unless you were children of you a child of diplomats stationed
▶ 5:00:38here or Indians not taxed. When they drafted the 14th amendment, they simply took those two phrases, put them together to say um subject to the jurisdiction thereof. But the legislative history is clear that they meant children of diplomats here uh representing a foreign government or Indians not taxed. The Indians not taxed was changed by the Doors Act of 1924.
▶ 5:01:02So the attempt by the administration to change all this is an attempt to change the history of the United States to change the constitutional rights of the United States to change the rights of Englishmen recognized back to Magna Carta. This will not stand. It must not stand. It is the first thing along with due process. If there are two things that define us as a free country, it is this and due process. This administration is trying to do away with both of them.
▶ 5:01:32We cannot permit that. This is why we must support this amendment. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Question occurs on the amendment offered by the gentle lady from Pennsylvania. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed? No. No. Can you the chair of the nose have it? I'd request a record. Gentle lady request recorded vote. The clerk will call the role. Mr. Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa, what would you have like? Mr. Biggs. Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. Mr. Mcccleintoch. Mr.
▶ 5:02:02Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr. Massie, Mr. Massie votes no. Mr. Roy, Mr. Roy votes no. Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Klein, Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden. Mr. Gooden votes no. Mr. Vandrew. Mr. Van Drew votes no. Mr. Nells, Mr. Nells votes no. Mr. Moore, Mr. Moore votes no. Mr.
▶ 5:02:29Kylie, Miss Haggamman, Miss Haggamman votes no. Miss Lee, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Fry, Mr. Growthman, Mr. Knott, Mr. Knott votes no. Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Herder, no. Mr. Herder votes no. Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gill, Mr. Gil votes no. Mr. Bombgardner, Mr. Rascin, I. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler.
▶ 5:03:00Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Laughrin. Miss Lofrren votes I. Mr. Mr. Johnson. I. Mr. Johnson votes I. Mr. Mr. Lou. Miss Gyipol. Hi. Miss. Jipal votes I. Mr. Korea. I. Mr. Korea votes I. Miss. Scandlin. I. Miss. Scandlin votes I. Mr. Noose. Mr. Noose votes I. Miss McBTH. Miss McBth votes I. Miss Ross. Miss Ross votes I.
▶ 5:03:30Miss Ballot. Miss Ballot votes I. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Cam Loger Dove. Miss Cam Loger Dove votes I. Mr. Mosquitz. Mr. Mosquitz votes I. Mr. Goldman. I. Mr. Goldman votes I. Miss Crockett I. Miss Crockett votes I. Mr. I not recorded. Make me a no. Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Mr. Fitzgerald, you are not recorded. Mr.
▶ 5:03:57Fitzgerald votes Mr. Gman votes no. Clerk report. Mr. Chairman, there are 16 eyes and 20 nos. The amendment is not agreed to. Who seeks?
▶ 5:04:32Gentle lady from George is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will report the amendment. Amendment to the amendment and the nature of a substance. Without objection, gentleman from California reserves a point of order. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. The gentle is recognized to explain the amendment. Thank you.
▶ 5:04:54Uh my amendment simply would require that one half of 1% of the more than $81 billion dollar made available under this title be used for oversight. Accountability is the cornerstone of trust in our government. Federal funds are not abstract. They're not theoretical numbers, whether allocated to law enforcement, victim services, crime prevention, or immigration enforcement.
▶ 5:05:24They are real taxpayer dollars. And taxpayers expect to see how their hard-earned money is being spent and expectation that this is being spent efficiently and effectively and for its intended purpose.
▶ 5:05:42As we've seen with the recent abrupt terminations of DOJ Office of Justice Program grants, the absence of rigorous oversight leads to chaos, careless mistakes, and harm, particularly to the most vulner vulnerable that are within our communities. And as the cost of everyday goods and services continue to rise, corporations are being downsized and federal employees are bearing the brunt of reductions in force.
▶ 5:06:13And the expenditure of more than $81 billion in taxpayer dollars requires transparency and nonpartisan oversight. It's a very simple amendment and I hope that my colleagues all my colleagues would find common sense in this piece of legislation and I I yield back. Gentle lady yields back. Mr. Speaker, gentleman from New York. Uh, Mr. Chairman, I withdraw my orders withdrawn. Gentleman from New York is recognized.
▶ 5:06:43Moves to strike. Last word. Gentleman's recognized. Mr. Mr. Chairman, I very much support uh this amendment, not only for the reasons uh stated uh by uh m Mrs. McBath, but the fact is that um I'd like to know how the net effect of Doge. We were told initially that Doge would save us $3 trillion and they went around like maniacs destroying all kinds of government departments.
▶ 5:07:12Then we were told successively lower and lower amounts until it's now $150 We know that a lot of the scientific uh uh a lot of the scientific uh conduct that they have stripped will will really hurt our competitiveness in the future and will destroy our ability to because today's science is tomorrow's products uh will destroy our ability to um compete with China and and it's it's
▶ 5:07:43and it's shifting uh lots of uh students to China from here. So, I'd like to know and I think this will will tell us how much has Doge saved us or net cost us. I suspect that Doge has very much net cost this country a lot of money and a lot and has done a lot of damage and I'd like to know how much and I and that that's another reason to support this amendment. I yield back. Gentleman yields back.
▶ 5:08:12Question occurs on the amendment from the lady uh from Georgia. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed, no. No. The chair, the the nos have it and the amendment is not adopted. Chair, I request a recorded vote. Recorded vote has been requested. The clerk will call the role. Mr. Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa, Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Bigs. Mr. Mcccleintoch. Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr.
▶ 5:08:41Massie, Mr. Massie votes no. Mr. Roy Mr. Roy votes no Mr. Fitzgerald Mr. Klein Mr. Klein votes no Gooden Mr. Vandrew Mr. Vandrew votes no Mr. Nells no Mr. Nells votes no Mr. Moore Mr. Moore votes no Mr. Kylie Miss Haggamman Miss Hagaman votes no Miss Lee Mr.
▶ 5:09:12Hunt Mr. Fry Mr. Growthman Mr. Growthman votes no Mr. Not Mr. Not votes no Mr. Harris Mr. Harris votes no Mr. and Mr. and votes no Schmidt Mr. Gil Mr. Gil votes no Mr. Bombgardner Mr. Raskin Mr. Raskin votes I Mr. Nadler I Mr. Nadler votes I miss votes I Mr.
▶ 5:09:42Cohen, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Johnson votes I. Swallwell, Mr. Lou, Miss Jipal, Mr. Jipal votes I. Mr. Mr. Korea votes I. Miss Scandan. Miss Gandlin votes I. Mr. Negus. Mr. Negus votes I. Miss Mcbath. Miss McBth votes I. Miss Ross. Miss Ross votes I. Miss Ballot. Miss Balant votes I. Mr.
▶ 5:10:12Garcia, Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Camlagger Dove. Miss Camlagger Dove votes I. Mr. Mosquitz. Mr. Mosquitz votes I. Mr. Goldman. Miss Crockett. Miss Crockett I. Mr. Gooden votes no. Mr. Schmidt. Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Fitzgerald, you are not recorded. Mr. Fitzgerald votes no.
▶ 5:10:50Mr. Goldman, you are not recorded. Mr. Goldman votes I. Court report. Mr. Chairman, there are 16 eyes and 19 nos. The amendment is not agreed to seeks recognition. Who seeks recognition?
▶ 5:11:27I won't wait a whole lot longer, but someone wants to go. I I have an amendment at the desk. Okay. Okay. Gentle lady from California, Ross. Then I'll go to North Carolina. I'm sorry. Or you go down the line. Okay. I have an amendment at the desk. Well, I thought I'll come back to you. I'm sorry. I recognize Miss Lafrren. No, I'll defer to Miss Okay. You want to go in certain? Okay. Gentle lady from North Carolina is recognized. You're okay. Miss Lofrren's going to love my amendment. I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk report. Gentleman from California reserves point of order.
▶ 5:11:57Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substance. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Gentle lady from North Carolina is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment is simple. It would ensure that ICE cannot use any of the funds in this bill to terminate the legal status of student visa holders without providing them with reasonable notice and an opportunity to challenge the termination. A minimum requirement for due process.
▶ 5:12:23The Trump administration is turning university campuses into places of fear, including my own NC State University. NC State and universities like that are places of learning with many, many students. Using immigration enforcement as a weapon to stifle free speech, restrict due process, and attack legal immigration is an attack on knowledge and progress.
▶ 5:12:54ICE has been um manually terminating students illegal status in the student exchange visitor information service CIS a web-based system used for foreign students to track their visa status. In some cases, ICE does not even notify students in universities of these terminations, leaving students vulnerable to sudden apprehension with no explanation for why they are being targeted.
▶ 5:13:23Students are not only having their legal status terminated because of political views, but even for minor infractions like speeding tickets or a fishing citation. These terminations by li by ICE are unlawful. And that's why federal judges around the country have issued more than 40 emergency orders blocking ICE from unilaterally terminating the legal status of hundreds of students.
▶ 5:13:52On April 25th, the Trump administration abruptly changed its mind and backed down, announcing in court that it will restore the legal status of thousands of students who had their status terminated in CIS and that ICE would work on developing its policy for these terminations. I have no faith that this policy will be any better than the previous blatantly unlawful attempts to terminate status.
▶ 5:14:22The stress and disruption these policies cause many of our international students is permanent. Many have already left the United States and are fear fearful to return to their studies here. These are the sorts of people our country should be attracting. soon to be scientists, researchers, and engineers. And instead, the half-baked policies of this administration are driving them away from our worldrenowned universities.
▶ 5:14:53Congress should have a say here. ICE should never again be able to attack our educational institutions like this. If ICE is going to terminate the legal status of a student, it must provide reasonable notice and an opportunity to challenge that ter termination. I urge the committee to support this amendment and I yield back. Gentle lady yields back. Gentle lady from Washington is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 5:15:21Um, I rise in support of this amendment. I don't know if anyone else on this committee has ever been on a student visa. Anybody? I don't think so. I I have I've been on a student visa. That's how I came to the United States as a student. And I just want to tell you what it's like because it takes a lot of work first of all to apply for the visa, to get the visa. It h it's enormous financial obligation.
▶ 5:15:50Um, and this incredible sense of excitement, you know, for me as I was 16 years old when I came to the United States to go to college. And the whole process was terrifying. Like literally terrifying. I would have to stand in line at the US embassy and you don't know what they're going to say. You don't know what they're going to ask. You've got everything prepared. You've done all the work. You have made sure you have great grades.
▶ 5:16:15You have done all the things that you hope will allow you entry to this great country and then you get on plane and when you get to the airport in the United States, you have no idea if they're going to still say yes or no. So the entire flight, you are in fear. I just want you to try and imagine this.
▶ 5:16:38you are literally in fear that you're going to be turned back because you know that when you get a visa there's no guarantee that you can get in. You have the approval, but anybody at the border could say, "Nope, you're not going to get in." So, I would get panic attacks, anxiety attacks on the plane because I'm 16 years old. I'm coming to a brand new country. My parents are there. They've used everything that they have. Every dollar, 5,000 bucks is what they had in their savings account. And they used it to send me here.
▶ 5:17:07and you don't know what's going to happen and you're putting everything that you have into this visa. And then you get here and you do everything you can to make sure you're getting good grades, that you're doing what you need to do, that you're, you know, in my case, paying it forward, responding responsibly to what my parents sacrificed.
▶ 5:17:29And imagine then if in the middle of that all the money you've put in, all the effort, all the sacrifices that have been made, all the contributions you're making, if suddenly you were told you get a letter that says you have to leave the country, we're revoking your visa and you have to leave the country. I think it was within 48 hours. I I believe that's correct in the letters. And there are some people cuz I know them.
▶ 5:17:58They called me from outside of the country who were terrified and thought that the Trump administration had the legal authority to do that. And so they left even though it was illegal and it was challenged in court over and over again. And it was the courts courts 40 40 courts said you can't do this and those visas supposedly are going to be reinstated. We'll see.
▶ 5:18:27But for the people who left, some of them left, all of their stuff here, they were so terrified. And so I just want this committee to understand that these are real people we're talking about. And listen, I got lots of amendments tonight because this stuff matters. It matters. I don't think there's a single member on this committee, or certainly not one in the room, that has been through the immigration system.
▶ 5:18:52There's only 19 of us that are naturalized citizens that serve in the United States House of Representatives today. And so when we talk about immigration, I hope that my Republican colleagues will understand that those of us who came to this country to study, to become US citizens, maybe to be fortunate enough to serve in the United States Congress, this is real for us because we believe so much in the United States of America.
▶ 5:19:20So when the United States of America reigs on its promises and says to thousands of foreign students who have been gracing universities, gracing our our research, our innovation, our creativity and says all of a sudden the Trump administration says nope, you don't get your visa anymore.
▶ 5:19:45Even though it's illegal what they're doing, it has struck fear into the hearts of so many people. And I'll tell you, Mr. Chairman, I think you know, I was just in India. On my way back, I had the names of Hakee Jeff. I had your phone number in my phone, too. I would have called you. I wasn't sure what would happen to me when I got to the border.
▶ 5:20:08And I had that same sense of like what happens if I'm at the border and they suddenly say, you know, I'm going to detain you, which is the the amendment that I had about US citizens. And so I just want you to know that this is not theoretical and it is really impacting and terrorizing people across this country.
▶ 5:20:30And I hope that we can support this amendment of Miss Ross's because it is so important to who we are and what we do to draw people here to the United States of America. I yield Yields back. Mr. Chairman, question. Mr. Chairman, I'd like to strike the last word. Ladies recognized.
▶ 5:20:52Um, I enjoyed listening to uh the ranking members uh comments about her experience from the point of view of a student. I'd like to take a different perspective which is the point of view of the American economy. Idaho National Labs indicated that over 80% of growth in GDP in the United States for the past several decades has been tied to science and technology.
▶ 5:21:21And so we damage our science enterprise at our peril. Our economy will pay a price. This issue of student visas is part of that whole mosaic. Nearly 50% of the Americans who've won a Nobel Prize in the sciences are Americans born in another country, Americans by choice.
▶ 5:21:46And most of them came here as students and then they they did their research and then they got their Nobel Prize and they science. Without science there's no technology.
▶ 5:22:00Um so if you couple the fear actually applications for student visas has dropped precipitously and I think we're going to see an acceleration of that not only because of the revocation but because of the public p publicity of certain students being arrested and detained and you know brutalized and so if we and then there's the cuts in science funding there's actually been a decline
▶ 5:22:31among many universities of the admission of graduate students in the hard sciences because they can't figure out how they're going to pay for the research. So if you put it all together, people students being afraid to come because of what might happen to them, cuts in research funding so less students are being admitted to graduate programs, student visas being arbitrarily removed for no apparent we're going to have less science
▶ 5:23:01and we're going to have less technology and our economy is going to pay a price. So, this doesn't solve all of those problems, but it solves part of the problems. And I think we should take seriously and on a bipartisan basis, frankly, the need to remedy this situation that we found ourselves in because the the we saw today the economy is moving in the wrong direction.
▶ 5:23:25We're the only nation that a developed nation that has an actual decline in GDP this year. You go look at Europe. They're they've got growth. They've got GDP growth. So, we ought to pay attention to the building blocks that we need to have to turn that around. This is part of that. And I I thank Miss Ross for introducing it.
▶ 5:23:49And I hope that we might begin the steps here on a bipartisan basis on the committee to start turning this decline around because not only will we pay for it, but our children and grandchildren will pay for it. The damage that's being done is not going to be easy to unwind. And if we don't put a stop to it soon, we're we may never be able to reverse it. Already we're seeing some of the best minds in the world going to other countries instead of us.
▶ 5:24:20And the people who the country that owns AI, that owns quantum computing, that owns fusion is going to own the future. They are going to dominate the world economy. And if it's not us, if it's China instead of us, we will deeply, deeply regret it. So with that, Mr. Chairman, uh, I would yield back. Gentle yields yields back. The gentleman from George is recognized.
▶ 5:24:43Yeah, we're letting chainsaw destroy our country. And it's deeply disturbing that because folks are in fear of crossing the guy who is wielding the chainsaw, they are allowing our country to be destroyed. And they know better.
▶ 5:25:11our children's future is at risk. And it's just deeply disturbing that uh we're not we're not addressing the harm that is being done. Everybody can see it. Everybody knows it. Uh but nobody wants to stop it except for those who don't have the power to do so.
▶ 5:25:35We as Democrats don't have the And so we can't stop it uh legislatively. The harm that's being is almost um unfathomable and it's un almost unalterable.
▶ 5:25:57I I I have abundant hope in the future of mankind and in the future of America, but I'm really fearful about where we're headed now. We've always been a nation of immigrants. It's immigrants. People who came to this country who have made this country what it is. And we were all immigrants to country. Each and every one of us.
▶ 5:26:21Now, black folks were uh um brought over here slaves. And uh but we are citizens now. We may have bought come John Lewis used to say we came over on different ships but we're in the same boat now.
▶ 5:26:40And so all of us uh are suffering as a result of this chainsaw maniac who is dismantling destroying our country. And I'm just deeply disturbed about it. And I think we should all uh think about it and and I think we should all have the courage to take responsibility for doing something about it even if it costs us seats.
▶ 5:27:10Even if it causes us to be unpopular among the people who elected us, we still have a responsibility to the nation that made us so prosperous and free. We have a responsibility to preserve to protect and preserve that for our children.
▶ 5:27:31We don't want our children to be coming up under authoritarian rule like they do in China, like they do in Russia, like they do in other places across this world. We've got to remain at the vanguard. We've got to remain the leaders of the free world.
▶ 5:27:51But we are sawing the limbs off and uh we're hurting ourselves and it's it's never too late for us to to um turn the corner and start doing the right thing and I urge my colleagues to uh to do that. The gentleman yell. I will. Thank you so much for those thoughtful remarks, Mr. Johnson.
▶ 5:28:14I just want to add something to what you've said and to what Miss Lofrren said before and I thank Miss Jaiple for kicking us off by giving us the students view of this and Miss Lofkran talked about the economy and um I thought I'd just say a word about the academic institutional perspective on this because I was uh you guys know I was a law professor for a long time but I was also a dean for a while and the international students are a really critical force in the school intellectually and socially.
▶ 5:28:44and culturally, but also financially. Um, and I I just looked it up. There were 1.2 million foreign students in America last year contributing more than 42 billion dollars to the American economy. Um, and um, you know, I think we take it for granted that everybody loves America. They love our music. They love our movies. They love our culture. They love the openness and boundlessness of this society.
▶ 5:29:12But if we keep sending messages of hostility and indifference to people's rights and we start getting the word out there that we're a closed society and we're not interested anymore in getting people from around the world, we're going to see those numbers slide really quickly. And this is not just in blue states and blue districts.
▶ 5:29:32We got universities and colleges all over the land who are going to suffer if we send the message to foreign students that they're not welcome here or we could yank their chains uh if we don't like the way they think or what they speak or what they're doing or if we just decide to start messing around with them. So I I'm into big open boundless America. I want an America that invites people in.
▶ 5:29:59and the the chairman and I have always talked about the first amendment being speech and counter speech and let a thousand flowers bloom and that should be our approach as opposed to cracking down on students for for no real reason. So would the gentleman yield? It's no longer my time. Mr. Johnson, Mr. Chairman, uh thank you.
▶ 5:30:18I just wanted to quickly uh emphasize how important that point was because there are already people that I that have contacted me telling me that they are choosing to abandon their research projects here that they don't want to come to this to school here that they're going to go to Germany. They're being courted by people all over the world and they're abandoning the idea of coming to America precisely because of what they see happening. I yield. Thank you. Gentlemen, time gentle from New York is recognized. I move to strike the last word. Gentleman's recognized.
▶ 5:30:48Mr. Chairman, I want to build on what M. Dryal just said about students not wanting to be here. The United States has been dominant economically because of our dominance scientifically, but that wasn't always true. At the beginning of the last century, in 1900, 20 uh I'm sorry, um 36% of the Nobel prizes in science went to Germany. Now 20% went to England, 6% went to the United States.
▶ 5:31:18That got reversed by three developments. First, Hitler. Hitler chased out the Jews. The Jews were 1% of the German population, but about 40 or 50% of the German scientists. And those people like Albert Einstein and a lot of other people came here because this was a place of refuge. Secondly, World War II. World War II left everybody else decimated.
▶ 5:31:46The United States was the only country that wasn't uh decimated. And a decision was made by the United States government in 1945, a very intelligent decision to invest in research. For the government to invest in research and not dictate it.
▶ 5:32:04We would invest billions of dollars, give it to the universities with no strings attached and expect that eventually the society would be paid back in scientific uh uh progress and techn and uh prosperity. And that's exactly what happened. It's exactly what happened. And now where are we? Now the Trump administration is reversing that. They're making the foreign student we always had foreign students come here.
▶ 5:32:33Chinese students came here and still do and they get trained here and a lot of them stay here and contribute to our economy. Now the Trump administration is making foreign students feel unwelcome and China is doing everything to bring them to China and China will end up where we are dominant where we are now but won't be very much longer. They will be dominant in science.
▶ 5:33:02they will be dominant in technology and they will be dominant in military power because of the science and the technology. So we are making a very very bad mistake and the general ladies amendment would go some way toward reversing this mistake and I certainly hope we adopt it because this country we want this country to stay prosperous.
▶ 5:33:25We want to stay strong and we don't want it to be subservient uh to China and we don't want our prosperity to go away because we have to pay through the nose for Chinese technology and products. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Question occurs on the amendment from the gentle lady from North Carolina. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed? No. No. Opinion of the chair. The nose have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Uh gentle lady requests a roll call vote. The clerk call the role. Mr. Mr. Jordan, no.
▶ 5:33:55Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa, okay, sir. Mr. Bigs, Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. McCcleintok, Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr. Massie, Mr. Massie votes no. Mr. Roy, Mr. Roy votes no. Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Klein, Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden, Mr. Vandrew, Mr. Van Drew votes no. Mr. Mr. Nells. Mr. Nells votes no.
▶ 5:34:25Mr. Moore Mr. Moore votes no. Mr. Kylie. Miss Higgman. Miss Hagman votes no. Miss Lee. Mr. Hunt. Mr. Fry. Mr. Growthman. Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr. Knot. Mr. Knotes no. Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Ander. Mr. Ander votes no. Mr. Schmidt. Mr. Gil. Mr. Mr. Gill votes no. Mr. Bombgardner, Mr.
▶ 5:34:55Rascin, hi. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler, hi. Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Lofrren I. Miss Lafrren votes I. Mr. Mr. Johnson. I. Mr. Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallwell. Mr. Lou. Miss. Gyipol. I. Miss. Dry votes I. Mr. Koreah. I. Mr. Korea votes I. Miss. Scandlin. Miss. Scanland votes I. Mr. Miss McBath. Miss Mcbath votes I.
▶ 5:35:24Miss Ross Miss Ross votes I. Miss Balot. Miss Balent votes I. Mr. Garcia Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Camelager Dove. Miss Camlager Dove votes I. Mr. Mosquitz. Mr. Mosquitz votes I. Mr. Goldman. Mr. Goldman votes I. Miss Crockett. Miss Crockett votes I. Mr. Isa, you're not recorded. Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Mr. Fitzgerald, you're not recorded. Mr. Fitzgerald votes no. Mr.
▶ 5:35:54Gooden votes no. Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Schmidt votes no.
▶ 5:36:25Clerk report. Mr. Chairman, there are 15 eyes and 20 nos. Amendment is not agreed to. Now, who seeks recognition? The gentle lady from Vermont's recognized. I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will report. Gentleman from Arizona reserves. Amendment to the amendment. Objection. The amendment be considered as read. The gentle lady from Vermont is recognized.
▶ 5:36:59Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I want to uh keep this brief. I know we've been here a long time, but um my amendment is simple. Uh, none of the funds made available by this subtitle may be used by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain or remove an alien under section 237A4C of the Immigration and Act. Mr. chair.
▶ 5:37:28On April 14th, Mosen Madawi, a green card holder and Vermont resident for over a decade, entered a local US citizenship and immigration services office for what was supposed to be his interview. Instead, he was arrested and detained by masked hooded agents and taken into an unmarked vehicle. It was all a setup.
▶ 5:37:56He was lured there under the guise of it being the last step in his citizenship process. He followed all the rules. And yet, it didn't matter. Makmu Khalil, another green card holder, was snatched away in front of his pregnant wife and sent away to an ICE detention facility in Louisiana, hundreds of miles away from his family and home in New York.
▶ 5:38:23These abductions are the stuff of authoritarian nightmares, straight from the book of dictators. The underhanded and deceitful nature of Mosen's arrest is an affront to the values of fairness and decency. It's against our constitution. It's unamerican.
▶ 5:38:43The Trump administration has twisted a Cold War era statute to deport individuals because of their protected views and their protected speech. Yesterday, I led my colleagues in demanding Mosen's release in front of the State Department.
▶ 5:39:00And this morning, we were elated to hear that a federal judge has ordered his release on bail, saying that quote, "Two weeks of detention so far demonstrate great harm to a person who has been charged with no crime." Today, I offer this amendment to ensure that no taxpayer dollars are used for illegal abductions.
▶ 5:39:25The administration is relying on vague language in the immigration and nationality act to claim that Mr. Madawi and Mr. Khalil's speech related to Israel and Palestine has somehow had adverse foreign policy consequences on the United States. But no one has provided any evidence of the adverse foreign policy consequences resulting from Mosen's or Makmoud's speech in in support of peace.
▶ 5:39:54And the Trump administration does not allege that either person has committed a crime. They have not been charged with a crime. The Constitution guarantees the right to speak freely without fear or retribution from our government. This right belongs to everyone on American soil. Donald Trump and his enablers are attacking the rule of law under the guise of immigration enforcement.
▶ 5:40:25Whether or not you agree with the political views of Mahmood or Mosen, their kidnappings should terrify you. We, Congress, we have a duty to act. We must take action to stop this administration from silencing us. I'm not going to stay silent. I know my colleagues on this side of the aisle are not going to stay silent. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to hold this administration accountable for these illegal kidnappings.
▶ 5:40:55I yield back. Gentle lady yields back. Question occurs on the amendment. M Mr. Chairman, gentleman from Maryland is recognized. Um there is a very great federal judge named Maryanne Trump Berry uh who declared this section to be unconstitutional on its face.
▶ 5:41:21Um and it of course is uh hopelessly vague and overly broad and so it basically indulges in every particular first amendment sin. And I think we're seeing today the danger of having a provision like this on the books. I think Judge Trump Barry had it right. It is unconstitutional on its face.
▶ 5:41:44And um you know uh as we've often said this shouldn't be about trying to judge the underlying speech. It should be taking a principled approach to the first amendment and people's right to speak um in the country. And so uh I strongly favor this amendment and I hope we can all support it. Gentleman yield for your question. Yes, by all means. Is uh Judge uh Trump Barry by any chance related to the president? Oh, there's that.
▶ 5:42:14Uh Maryanne Trump. I believe she's his sister. Yeah, that I think that that might be President Trump's sister and and a very fine judge indeed. All right, I yield back to you, Spider brother. Yes. Gentlemen yields back. Question occurs on the amendment offered by the gentle lady from Vermont. All those in favor say I. I. I. Those opposed? No. No. In the opinion of the chair, the nos have it and the amendment is not agreed to. Could we have a recorded vote on that, please? Recorded vote requested. The clerk will call the role. Mr.
▶ 5:42:44Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa. Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Biggs. Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. Mcccleintoch. Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany. Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr. Massie. Mr. Massie votes no. Mr. Roy. Mr. Roy votes no. Mr. Fitzgerald Mr. Klein, Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden, Mr. Gooden votes no. Mr. Vandrew, no. Mr. Vandrew votes no. Mr. Nells, Mr. Nells votes no. Mr. Moore, Mr.
▶ 5:43:14Moore votes no. Mr. Kylie, Miss Haggman, no. Miss Haggamman votes no. Miss Lee, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Fry, Mr. Growthman, Mr. Knot, Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Ander. Mr. Herder votes no. Mr. Schmidt. Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gil. Mr. Gil votes no. Mr. Bombgardner. Mr. Raskin.
▶ 5:43:45Hi. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler. I. Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss. Laughofrin. I. Miss Laughron votes I. Mr. Cohen. Mr. Johnson. I. Mr. Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallwell. Hi. Mr. Mr. Swallow votes I. Lou, Miss Gipol, Miss Gry votes I. Mr. Koreah, Miss Scandlin. Miss Scanland votes I. Mr. Nagus, Miss McBath, I.
▶ 5:44:15Miss McBth votes I. Miss Ross. Miss Ballot. I. Miss Balot votes I. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Camlager Dove. Miss Camlager Dove votes I. Mr. Mosquitz. Mr. Mr. Mosquitz votes yes. Mr. Goldman. Mr. Goldman votes I. Miss Crockett. Miss Crockett votes I. Miss Ross, you're not recorded. I. Miss. Ross votes I. Mr. Knot. Mr.
▶ 5:44:45Knot no. Mr. Growthman. Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr. Chairman, there are 15 eyes and 19 nos. Amendment is not agreed to. Who recognition? Mr. Chairman, gentleman from Illinois.
▶ 5:45:16I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk report. Point of order reserved by gentleman from Arizona. Amendments to the amendment in the nature. Objection. The amendment will be considered as read. Gentleman from uh Illinois is recognized. Thank you uh Mr. Chairman. Uh this amendment is simple. It says that ICE cannot use funds in this bill to conduct civil immigration enforcement actions at houses of worship.
▶ 5:45:40For 30 years, presidents of both parties restricted ICE from conducting immigration raids at sensitive locations like churches and schools. A recent poll showed that twothirds of Americans opposed raids at houses of worship. But when Trump took office for a second time, he reversed this policy. Several ICE raids at or near churches followed shortly after.
▶ 5:46:06These actions have sold fear in many religious communities, particularly Christian communities. Some churches have even moved their services online because people fear going in person. I've listened to my Republican colleagues talk about faith. Many of them frequently emphasize their commitment to Christianity and other religions. So I would ask, how does ICE raids at houses of worship advance freedom of religion?
▶ 5:46:38And it reminds me of the late Pope Francis who urged us to, and I quote, give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant refugee brothers and sisters. So he urged us not to give into that. I urge my colleagues to respect the freedom of religion, to respect houses of worship, and to support this amendment.
▶ 5:47:09Gentleman yields back. Question occurs on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Illinois. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed, no. No. Opinion of the chair, the nos have it and the amendment is not agreed to. Gentle lady from Vermont requests record a vote. The clerk will call the role. Mr. Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa, Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Biggs, Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. McCcleintok, Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr.
▶ 5:47:38Tiffany, Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr. Massie, Mr. Roy, Mr. Roy votes no. Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Klein, Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden, Mr. Vandrew, Mr. Vandrew votes no. Mr. Nells, Mr. Nells votes no. Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore votes no. Mr. Kylie. Miss Hagamman. No. Miss Hagman votes no. Miss Lee. Mr. Hunt. Mr. Fry.
▶ 5:48:09Mr. Growthman. Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr. Knott. Mr. Knott votes no. Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Hder. Mr. Ander votes no. Mr. Schmidt. Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gil. Mr. Gil votes no. Mr. Bombgardner. Mr. Mr. Raskin. Mr. Nadler. I. Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Laughrin. Yes. Miss Laughin votes yes. Mr. Cohen. Mr. Johnson. I.
▶ 5:48:39Mr. Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallwell. Mr. Swallow votes I. Mr. Lou. Miss. Gryal. M. Dryal votes I. Mr. Korea. I. Mr. Korea votes I. Miss. Scandlin. I. Miss. Scandlin votes I. Mr. Miss Mcbath Miss McBth votes I. Miss Ross Miss Ross votes I. Miss Balot I. Miss Balant votes I. Mr. Garcia Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Camlagger Dove. Miss Camlager Dove votes I.
▶ 5:49:09Mr. Mr. Mosquitz votes I. Mr. Goldman. Mr. Goldman votes I. Miss Crockett. Miss Crockett votes yes. Mr. Raskin, you are not recorded. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr.
▶ 5:49:29Gooden votes no clerk report. Mr. Chairman, there are 16 eyes and 18 nos. Amendment is not agreed to. Gentle lady from uh California is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 5:49:58Clerk will I reserve point of order from the gentleman from California. Amendment to the amendment in the nature. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. The gentle lady from California is recognized to explain the amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh this amendment is simple. My amendment would prohibit funding to hire anyone who participated in the January 6th attack, even if pardoned. It applies to all DHS hiring under the judiciary reconciliation title.
▶ 5:50:27You cannot break into the capital, beat police officers, and then apply for a government job enforcing immigration law. Full stop. This amendment is about protecting the integrity of our institutions. DHS employees wield enormous power and that power should never be in the hands of someone who tried to destroy democracy, tear up the capital, assault Capitol police officers who are law enforcement.
▶ 5:50:58Those should be disqualifying factors in fact for working for DHS. Pardon or no pardon, there should be consequences for such dangerous and anti-democratic behavior. These individuals are a national security risk. They demonstrated that they are willing to use violence to overturn lawful elections. And we are not saying that people can never rebuild their lives.
▶ 5:51:25But we are saying that they cannot rebuild them on the federal payroll, enforcing laws they once tried to nullify by force. Hiring insurrectionists to enforce federal law is not rehabilitation. It is a betrayal of democracy and it is unsafe for people, including Americans and citizens, especially those you just voted to detain, deport, have seized and kidnapped and not returned.
▶ 5:51:54So why should we vote for this simple amendment? Well, one of these people is in fact an alleged sex offender. And while alleged is an important word, taking precautions when hiring law enforcement is also important because these people conduct searches. They conduct property searches and they conduct body searches. And why am I saying this? Because we know that a 2-year-old was just deported, US citizen.
▶ 5:52:22A four-year-old with stage four cancer, US citizen deported. A seven-year-old US citizen deported. a pregnant mother deported and all of them certainly had to undergo body searches. As my colleague from Vermont also recounted, ICE recently raided a wrong home in Oklahoma City. They stole money. They seized phones and laptops and other devices.
▶ 5:52:50And they forced a mother and her three little girls in their outside. and they were also searched. So, I don't think any of us would want anyone involved in the destruction of this capital and involved in an insurrection and possibly an alleged sex offender to be searching a woman, any woman or little girls. So, please support this amendment.
▶ 5:53:21Please support voting against having people who've tried to destroy this capital with having the authority to search women and little girls with impunity. Uh please vote for democracy. And with that I yield back. Gentle yields back. Mr. Chairman move to strike the last word. Gentleman from New York is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 5:53:42And I thank my colleague from California for offering this amendment which like so many of the amendments that are being offered today uh should not even be on our radar. Of course, 1,500 plus convicted criminals should also not have been pardoned on day one uh simply because the president wants to whitewash what happened on January 6th.
▶ 5:54:10Uh, I actually am a new enough member. I was not here on January 6, but I know that many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle were, and in fact, many spoke out uh against the president at that time, recognizing that he incited a mob to invade the capital in order to try to overturn a lawful election.
▶ 5:54:34And I say lawful very intentionally because notwithstanding all of the allegations, allegations being the important word here, there has never been any proof that the election was in any way fraudulent. So of course over the course of four years, the inflamer chief decides that, oh, let's rewrite history. and on day one pardons 1500 plus.
▶ 5:55:04But the worst part about that is that he pardoned about 500 convicted criminals who violently assaulted law enforcement are fine men and women of the Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department who were simply here to defend the Capitol against violent insurrectionists, rioters, people who had tasers.
▶ 5:55:34who beat police officers, who caused heart attacks and strokes, who caused law enforcement officers to have significant surgeries and have to go ultimately on disability. Will the gentleman yield for a question right here, Dan? Yes, Mr. Now, since any of these individuals were pardoned, violent criminals were pardoned by the president, any chance that they reaffended, any any new reoffenses?
▶ 5:56:04And I'm just thinking of an Indiana incident where someone pulled a a gun on a deputy and thankfully the deputy shot and killed that individual. Has that happened? Well, that's happened. Other crimes have happened by number of these people. And who would have guessed? Who would have thought it?
▶ 5:56:24And and especially when you have some of these convicted criminals who were convicted of sedicious conspiracy, which is a charge so rarely brought that because of its heightened burden of proof and its heightened legal requirements that you have to conspire to overthrow the government by force in order to be convicted of that.
▶ 5:56:50Now, you may say, "Oh, I'm sure it was some leftist judge that ultimately convicted him." Oh, no, no, no. It's our jury system. Our jury system where 12 individuals, 12 unanimously had to vote to convict beyond a reasonable doubt. This is not a low standard. And yet, several were convicted of sedicious conspiracy.
▶ 5:57:19But the president did not distinguish between any of them. Mr. Swabble, I'd like to yield to you a question. If 1,500 people were convicted of violently invading the capital at the behest of do Donald Trump, many of whom were acknowledged members of domestic violent extremist groups.
▶ 5:57:44Is it more or less likely that they would answer the call for violence from a president who pardoned them uh than a president who had not pardoned more likely because those individuals would believe that they have a free pass, a green light, a permissive lane to commit violence because the dude that said what you did was okay,
▶ 5:58:15he's going to have your back again. And Dan, Mr. Goldman, do you think it's more likely that a guy who would pardon 1500 people who committed violence in his name would also imprison 1500 of his enemies? Yeah. Well, only if it's somebody who has already directed the Department of Justice to criminally investigate his political enemies for disagreeing with him. My time is up, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 5:58:45I'm sure Mr. Swallow would like to take some more time so we can continue this colloquy. The question is on the adoption of the amendment in the nature of a substitute. Oh, I'm sorry. Was there someone else that sought recognition? The gentle lady is I completely support this amendment. It It is one of the most shameful acts of this president.
▶ 5:59:17to issue pardons those first few days for over a thousand riers. And I get asked this a lot from my constituents. How is this possible? How is it possible that President Trump pardoned people who attacked and desecrated our capital, who violently attacked police officers. 140 officers assaulted that day, five of whom died as a result of their trauma. My constituents want to understand this.
▶ 5:59:47How is it possible that your colleagues across the aisle do not see how aborant this is, how outrageous this is, how absolutely unamerican this is. And this bill appropriates $8 billion to ICE to hire personnel. And I think we want to be sure that we're hiring people for those positions that were not people who part participated in the attack on this capital.
▶ 6:00:16And at least one of those pardoned January 6 insurrectionists was spotted impersonating an ICE agent here on Capitol Hill while he was harassing Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn. And I just need to say once again, we cannot get the speaker of the house to agree to hang up a plaque in honor of our officers who defended the capital on that day.
▶ 6:00:46So we we have seen, as we've talked about here, a rash of bad actions from ICE agents over the past few months. agents smashing windows of cars to arrest people for whom they didn't have a warrant, breaking down doors of homes, harassing US citizens. Even when they were informed that the police, the people that they were looking for weren't even there, that they had moved.
▶ 6:01:12We've seen them arresting teenagers even when they recognized that they were actually in fact looking for a different individual. So, we already have concerns about what ICE is doing.
▶ 6:01:27And this seems like a very straightforward no that of course every single member of this committee would not want someone who participated in the January 6 insurrection to be eligible to work for And I was just just brought to my attention that one one of the folks who convicted was an Indiana man,
▶ 6:01:57an Anthony Vo, I think his name was. He he crossed the border illegally to Canada and then was not granted asylum. So, I think we want to make sure that people like this do not have an opportunity to work for the federal government. I I know for me, I would not feel like ICE was in good hands with people like that. And will the gentle lady yield for a question?
▶ 6:02:27I will. I I just want to make sure I understand uh what this bill is talking about. Is it true that the Department of Homeland Security is charged with keeping our homeland safe? Yes.
▶ 6:02:42And so would would we want people convicted of invading the most sacred monument in our homeland to be then responsible for keeping our homeland safe? Is that what this bill prevents? That's what this bill prevents, Mr. Goldman. All right. Thank you. I I yield back. I will yield. Yes, Mr. Mosquitz.
▶ 6:03:09I I just want to even make it a little clearer because I I just want some imagery, I think, because my my colleagues across the aisle don't seem to be engaged. So, this bill would prevent the the J6 shaman, right? The guy who wore the That's right. You know, the with the big headdress. Is that who you mean? Yeah. This would prevent like Secretary Gnome from hiring him. in Homeland. That's right. And before you say like, "Oh, Jared, don't be ridiculous." Like, she would never I mean, she shot a puppy in the face.
▶ 6:03:39I mean, you know, the shaman seems like fair game. Agreed. Okay. This bill would prevent that. Yes. Okay. Move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, the gentle lady yields back. The gentleman is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Chairman, I I'm thrilled to see that Mr.
▶ 6:04:04Van Drew is here because I I think he is one of the honest debaters on your side who is engaged with us on a lot of spirited debates. And so I wanted to ask Mr. Vandrew because earlier he did not speak when we put an amendment forward that said you can't deport an American citizen and you guys voted to allow it. Mr. Andrew, I know you think that's wrong.
▶ 6:04:26And if you want to be silent, I'm going to take your silence as you agreeing with me that that's Okay. So, Mr. Vandrew silent. I'm going to check it off that he agrees that deporting US citizens is wrong. Then the Mr. The chair will note that the gentleman did respond. I'll yield to you, Mr. Vandrew. Go ahead. The gentleman did not seek recognition. Okay. So, Mr.
▶ 6:04:51Andrew, we also discussed and had an amendment that said firing veterans is wrong and you shouldn't do that and you didn't speak up then and I'm going to take your silence now as you agree firing veterans is wrong. So I'm going to put a check next to Mr. Vandrew being with us on that. We just talked about January 6 riers not joining the Department of Homeland Security. And Mr. Vandrew, you're a good person. You're a dentist in your community. Um you stand with law enforcement.
▶ 6:05:20So, you have not spoken up. So, I'm going to take your silence to mean you agree with us that we should not hire January 6 riers in the Department of Homeland Security. And Mr. Vandrew, we also said that it's probably wrong to deport a 4-year-old with cancer who is a US citizen. And you didn't say anything, but again, I think you're a good person. So, I'm going to take your silence to mean, Mr. Vandrew, that you agree with us that that is also wrong. And I'd yield to anyone else who has questions for Mr. Vandrew.
▶ 6:06:03I yield back. The gentleman yields back. The question is on the adoption of the Whoops. The question occurs on the amendment offered by the gentle lady from lady from California. Those in favor say I. I those opposed. No. Clearly in the opinion of the chair, the nos have it. The nos have it. We would like to seek a recorded vote. The gentleman seeks a gent many seek a recorded vote. The clerk will call the role. Mr.
▶ 6:06:33Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa, no. Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. McCcleintok. Mr. Tiffany. Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr. Massie, Mr. Roy, Mr. Fitz, Mr. Roy votes no. Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Klein, Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden, Mr. Gooden votes no. Mr.
▶ 6:07:04Mr. Vandrew votes no. Mr. Nells, Mr. Nells votes no. Mr. Moore, Mr. Moore votes no. Mr. Kylie, Miss Haggamman, Miss Hagamman votes no. Miss Lee, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Fry, Mr. Growthman, Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr. Knot, Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Ander, Mr. Ander votes no. Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr.
▶ 6:07:34Gil, Mr. Gill votes no. Mr. Bombgardner, Mr. Raskin, Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler, Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Lofrren Miss Lofrren votes I. Mr. Cohen Mr. Johnson Mr. Johnson votes I. Swallwell Mr. Swallwell Lou Miss Jipal. Mr. Jipal votes I.
▶ 6:08:04Mr. Korea I. Mr. Korea votes I. Miss Scandlin. Miss Scandlin votes I. Mr. Mc Goose. Miss Mcbath. Miss Mcbath votes I. Miss Ross I. Miss Ross votes I. Miss Ballot I. Miss Ballant votes I. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Camlager Dove. Miss Camwager. Dove votes yes. Mr. Mosquitz. Mr. Mosquitz votes I. Goldman. Miss Crockett I. Miss Crockett votes I.
▶ 6:08:37Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Swallow, you're not recorded. Mr. Swallow votes I clerk will report. Mr. Chairman, there are 15 eyes and 17 nos.
▶ 6:09:06Amendment is not Gentleman from Florida is recognized. Mr. Chairman, thank you. Uh Fox News. Oh, I have an amendment at the desk. Mr. Chairman report. I ap I'm just trying to get you guys out. You know, you don't seem thrilled. Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the commission. Without objection. The amendment be considered as read. The gentleman from California reserves a point of order. The gentleman from Florida is recognized to explain his amendment. All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 6:09:35So Fox News asked the White House press secretary Caroline Levitt the other day, would the president ever arrest a Supreme Court justice? Seems a pretty straightforward answer. She could have just said no, but she didn't answer the question. She left the door open. So I thought that this would be an opportunity for some bipartisanship to close the door on that possible question. And so I I wrote a very simple amendment, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 6:10:04It reads, "No funds made available and this title may be used for the arrest, detention, or criminal prosecution of any Supreme Court justice on the basis that that justice has ruled against the executive branch in any case or controversy before the justice." So, it doesn't say if they committed a crime because no one's above the law, of course. It just says they won't be arrested if they rule against the administration. This should seem to be very simple. It seem to be you should want to take it.
▶ 6:10:33To be clear, Caroline Levit couldn't be. This is your opportunity to to clear that up that we're not going to arrest, you know, Justice Thomas, even though he goes on planes and does stuff with Jenny, right? But we're not going to arrest him, right? We're not going to go arrest him. You should you should want to vote for that, right? You know, he goes on yachts and, you know, does all We're not going to arrest him, right? You know, because we want to make sure that it's clear. So, I just figured I'd give you the opportunity, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 6:11:00That's the I wave back. I I yield to I yield back. I mean I mean unless you want to talk about it. Gentleman yields back. Um question occurs on the amendment. A gentleman from Georgia. Yeah.
▶ 6:11:22Even though it seems to be nonsensical, it's actually a very sensible uh amendment, which I support. Um just last week, we had the attorney general and the FBI to go out and arrest a sitting judge, a state court judge out of Milwaukee. Per walked her to jail.
▶ 6:11:49They could have asked her to turn herself in, but the charges are dubious. She was just simply administering the affairs of her court, and they have charged her with preventing the apprehension of a uh of a uh alien that that ICE wanted to deport out of her courtroom and courthouse.
▶ 6:12:14And because she took action to continue the operations of her courtroom and the rendition of justice in a uh manner that was suitable for the state courts.
▶ 6:12:29She has been charged uh with uh crime and uh the and that was meant to send a message not just to state court judges but to federal court judges and indeed to Supreme Court justices.
▶ 6:12:49And so it's not outlandish to think that a president who is violating all of the norms would go so far as to arrest a justice who spoke out against him and who ruled against him. And so I think this is a very common sense uh amendment and it uh is a no-brainer. It's not going to cost anybody anything to support this.
▶ 6:13:16To go on record and say that we do not support the arrest of a sitting Supreme Court justice. There's nothing wrong with this amendment. I I would urge my colleagues to uh support it. I do. And um and vote yes and I yield back. Gentleman yields back.
▶ 6:13:42Who seeks Question occurs on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Florida. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed? No. No. The chair. The nos's have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Recorded vote being requested by the gentleman from Florida. The clerk will call the role. Mr. Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa. Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Biggs. Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. Mcccleintoch. Mr. McCcleinto votes no. Mr. Tiffany. Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr.
▶ 6:14:11Massie Mr. Roy Mr. Roy votes no Mr. Mr. Klein votes no Mr. Gooden Mr. Gooden votes no Mr. Van Drew no Mr. Van Drew votes no Mr. Nells Mr. Nells votes no Mr. Moore Mr. Moore votes no Mr. Kylie Miss Haggamman Miss Haggamman votes no Miss Lee Mr. Hunt.
▶ 6:14:41Mr. Fry. No. Mr. Fry votes no. Mr. Growthman. Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr. Knot. Mr. Knott votes no. Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Ander. Mr. Ander votes no. Mr. Schmidt. Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gil. Mr. Gil votes no. Mr. Bombgardner. Mr. Bumgardner votes no. Mr. Raskin. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler. Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Lofrren Miss Lofrren votes I. Mr.
▶ 6:15:13Cohen Mr. Johnson I Mr. Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallowwell Mr. Swallwell votes I. Lou Miss Gyipol Miss Gyipal votes I. Mr. Korea. Mr. Korea votes I. Miss Scandan. Miss Scan votes I. Mr. Negus. Miss Mcbath. Miss McBth votes I. Miss Ross. Miss. Ross votes I. Miss. Ballot. Miss Balant votes I. Mr. Garcia.
▶ 6:15:41Miss Cam Lagger. Mr. Moscowitz. Yes. Mr. Mosquitz votes yes. Mr. Goldman. Miss Crockett. Miss Crockett votes yes. Clerk will report.
▶ 6:16:13Mr. Chairman, there are 13 eyes and 20 nos. Amendment is not agreed to. Who seeks recognition? Gentle from Texas is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will report. Gentleman from California reserves point of order. Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. The gentle lady from Texas is recognized to explain the amendment. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 6:16:39Um, this is a very simple amendment that is actually about public safety, public safety of everyone involved, ICE agents as well as the community at large as well as those that potentially are going to be apprehended by ICE. And simply it would require that ICE identify themselves and ensure that they do not wear masks except if medically necessary or if necessary to preserve the integrity of undercover operations in order to use funds for civil ICE enforcement actions.
▶ 6:17:09With every day that passes in this administration, we are seeing more and more ICE officers rounding up people off the streets into vehicles. And honestly, some of them look like they are supposed to be my criminal defendants in court. It looks like people are getting robbed. It looks like people are about to endure a carjacking. And in fact, I have a video to describe what I'm talking about.
▶ 6:17:34Shocking video showing the moment ICE agents smashed a car window and forcibly removed a man in New Bedford. 29-year-old Juan Francisco Menddees has no criminal record and was went viral earlier this week after police say Johnson impersonated an ICE officer. You got caught. Mo, where you from? Mexico. You're from Mexico. Now, this is what we have going on in our country. The sad part is that honestly both of them look like they could be part of the same team.
▶ 6:18:04Um, and unfortunately, you have people and in both of those situations, the first situation when the officers were busting out their windows to be clear, there was no record. There was no reason to go after the people that were in that car. And then in the second situation, you had someone that literally took their car keys and you're talking about people sitting there in fear because they literally don't know if this is somebody who is authorized to do this.
▶ 6:18:33So, this is about safety. And let me tell you about safety. Now, I know Lance Good is running around here somewhere. Now, Lance Goodness from Texas like I am. Chip Roy is from Texas like I am. Any of us can tell y'all about how we do it in Texas. we carry. And when I say we, all of us. I'm licensed to carry as well as I'm sure a number of my colleagues on that side of the aisle are licensed to carry. And essentially, we have a stand your ground law in the state of Texas.
▶ 6:19:04We have seen officers, police officers that have gone in under no knock raids. This is legislation that I carried when I was on the state level trying to make sure that I could keep law enforcement safe. Because when you go into a home and you haven't identified yourself, it is the most dangerous time for law enforcement agents. And I know that we have some former law enforcement on this side of the aisle as well.
▶ 6:19:28In fact, I had a number of law enforcement agencies that were backing my no knock bill because they understood how dangerous it was. So, one of the things that we always do typically in criminal law before we can charge anybody with evading arrest or failing to ID is we have to make sure that people even know that it was law enforcement.
▶ 6:19:51When you have somebody that say does something like this, like busting my window out, you try that in Texas, it may not turn out too well. It needs to be that we are all on the same page and we say you need to be properly identified as a ICE agent if we are going to fund what you are doing.
▶ 6:20:13As we are looking around, there are so many people that believe that their communities are now plagued with crime because they see ICE agents that are not clearly identified and they are disappearing students on campus on the sides of streets. They don't know what's going on. And honestly, if we're not even just talking about stand your ground, in a lot of states, if you see someone that is committing what you believe to be a heinous crime against somebody else, you're allowed to take action.
▶ 6:20:41We are talking about putting not only the people, which half of them are innocent in the first place, cuz we love to grab up uh some citizens wrongfully. We know it happened down in Florida. Y'all may not care because we're Florida, but it happened down in Florida. where we had a US citizen that was sitting in jail for 48 hours because of yet another mistake of ICE.
▶ 6:21:00In Milwaukee, we had three citizens, a toddler and his mother and the grandmother that were detained and sent to an immigration detention center after they reportedly uh were overheard speaking Spanish. In short, what we don't want is to create even more issues, and that's what we're I would never imagine, and I'mma be honest, I have never seen law enforcement, now I haven't had to deal with cases that involved ICE.
▶ 6:21:30I'mma be honest about that. But I have never seen a police officer, whether he was city or whether he was a county sheriff's deputy, do the kind of things that I've been seeing, busting out windows, kicking down doors. And to be perfectly honest, if that's the operations of of ICE, we probably need to work on that as well. But at the end of the day, if if this is what they are going to do and how they are going to conduct themselves, I can tell you I'm sorry. I just this is about safety. Sorry.
▶ 6:21:59I will yield. Gentle lady yields back. Question occurs on the amendment from the gentle lady from Texas. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed, no. Opinion of the chair. The nos's have it. The amendment is not agreed to. I'd ask for a recorded vote. Uh the clerk will call the role. Mr. Jordan, no. Mr. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa, Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Biggs, Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. Mcccleintoch, Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr.
▶ 6:22:30Massie, Mr. Roy, Mr. Roy votes no. Mr. Mr. Klein, Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden. Mr. Vandrew, Mr. Vandrew votes no. Mr. Nells, Mr. Nells votes no. Mr. Moore, Mr. Mr. Moore votes no. Mr. Kylie, Miss Haggamman, no. Miss Haggamman votes no. Miss Lee, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Fry, Mr. Fry votes no.
▶ 6:23:00Mr. Growthman, Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr. Knot, Mr. Knot no. Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Ander, Mr. Ander votes no. Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gil, Mr. Gil votes no. Mr. Bombgardner, Mr. Mr. Bombgardner votes no. Mr. Rascin, I. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nodler, I. Mr. Nodler votes I. Miss Lofrren. Miss Offran votes yes. Mr. Cohen. Mr.
▶ 6:23:31Johnson. Mr. Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallwell. Mr. Swallow votes I. Mr. Lou. Miss. Gyipal. M. Dryal votes I. Mr. Korea. Mr. Korea votes I. Miss Scandlin. No. Miss Scandlin votes I. Mr. Negus. Miss McBath McBth votes I. Miss Ross. Miss Ross votes I. Miss Ballot. Miss Balant votes I. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Camager Dove.
▶ 6:24:01Mr. Mosquitz. Mr. Mosquitz votes I. Mr. Miss Crockett. Miss Crockett votes I. Mr. Gooden, you're not recorded. Mr. Gooden votes no.
▶ 6:24:33Cler report. Mr. Chairman, there are 14 eyes and 20 nos. Amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Gentleman from New York is recognized. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Report. Gentleman from Arizona reserves. Amendment to the amendment. Objection. The amendment will be considered as read.
▶ 6:25:03The gentleman from New York is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would prohibit funds in this section of the bill from being used to transport migrants to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I have long argued that the extrajudicial nature of holding prisoners in Guantanamo without due process is abhorentt and a stain on our national honor. I criticized President George HW George Bush George W. Bush for this type of abuse during his pres presidency.
▶ 6:25:30In fact, I said on the House floor on June 21st, 2005, quote, "This assertion of the right to hold people forever with no specific evidence and no due process has not been asserted in an English-speaking country since before Magna Carta 800 years ago until this president had the nerve to bismerch the good name of the United States by making such an assertion. This is not how America became the shining city on a hill so admired by people the world over.
▶ 6:26:00No executive should be permitted the power to lock people up forever without ever having to prove their guilt. That is a power that I would trust to no man, no king, no dictator, and no president. End quote. 20 years later, another president, President Trump, wants to build on the ugly legacy of Guantanamo and begin using it as a detention center for migrants. We should not add insult to injury and hold even more people there offshore, illegally, and in secret.
▶ 6:26:30The horrific conditions, questionable legality, unlawful detention, and torture that has occurred on this base are well known. No one should be held there. And yet, that is exactly what Trump tried to do.
▶ 6:26:43On January 29th, President Trump issued a memo to the secretaries of defense and homeland security directing the expansion of the migrant operations center at Guantanamo Bay to quote full capacity, which unquote which can accommodate up to 30,000 immigrants at once. Pursuant to the executive order, the Department of Defense rushed to put up nearly 200 tents in anticipation of holding migrants there. Fortunately, thus far, the tents had never been used.
▶ 6:27:14Instead, the Trump administration has detained a grand total of 400 migrants in the base's hardside facilities, costing American taxpayers over $40 million. There are regularly five staff on the base for every migrant that was detained there. Where is Elon Musk when you really need him? Talk about inefficient. Talk about a waste of taxpayer money. It is time to stop wasting money we don't have on projects we don't need. It is time to end this national embarrassment.
▶ 6:27:43Perhaps the administration sees the error of its ways. Reports indicate that in early March the administration was reconsidering the plan and by March 13th a spokesman for the US Southern Command confirmed that no b that no migrants were currently being held at Guantanamo. I ask unanimous consent to include in the record this article from the voice of America dated March 12th 2025 entitled US clears out remaining migrants from Guantanamo Bay without objection.
▶ 6:28:11I also ask unanimous consent to include in the record this article from the BBC dated April 17th 2025 entitled migrant tents removed from Guantanamo Bay satellite images Images show without objection. This article states, quote, "On 28th March, a group of five Democrat senators visited the base.
▶ 6:28:29In a statement, they said they were quote, "Outraged by the scale and wastefulness of the Trump administration's misuse of our military," close quote, and described the camp as quote, "smingly designed to undermine due process and evade legal scrutiny." Mr. Chairman, it was always a bad idea to hold people secretly in offshore prisons without due process. And now we have a chance to do something about it. We should not be wasting another penny holding migrants on this base. This amendment would ensure that we won't.
▶ 6:28:58I urge my colleagues to support it and I yield back. Gentleman back. Question occurs on the amendment offered by the gentleman from New York. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed, no. No. The chair, the nose have it. Roll call. Roll call requested. Clerk will call the role. Mr. Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa, Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Biggs. Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. McCcleinto, Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Massie, Mr.
▶ 6:29:28Roy, Mr. Roy votes no. Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Klein, Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden, Mr. Gooden votes no. Mr. Mr. Vandrew votes no. Mr. Nells Mr. Nells votes no. Mr. Moore Mr. Moore votes no. Mr. Kylie, Miss Haggamman, Miss HGamman votes no. Miss Lee, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Fry, Mr. Fry votes no. Mr. Growthman, Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr.
▶ 6:29:59Knot, Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Ander, Mr. Ander votes no. Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gill, Mr. Gil votes no. Mr. Bombgardner, Mr. Bombgardner votes no. Mr. Raskin I. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler I. Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Lofgrren. Miss Lafgrren votes I. Mr. Cohen. Mr. Johnson. Hi. Mr. Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallwell. Mr. Swallow votes I. Mr.
▶ 6:30:29Lou. Miss. Gyipal. Hi. M. Dryal votes I. Mr. Korea. Mr. Korea votes I. Miss Scandlin. Miss Scanland votes I. Mr. Nigus. Miss McBath Miss McBth votes I. Ross Miss Balant Miss Balant votes I. Mr. Garcia Miss Cam Lagger Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Cam Lagger Dove Goldman's not here yet. Mr. Moscowitz. Yes. Mr.
▶ 6:30:58Mosquitz votes I. Mr. Goldman. Miss Crockett. I. Miss Crockett votes I. Mr. Tiffany. Mr. Tiffany votes no.
▶ 6:31:31Mr. Chairman, there are 13 eyes and 19. No. Amendment is not adopted. Seek recognition. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Gentleman from New York's recognized or excuse me, the clerk will Point of order preserved by the gentleman from California. Amendment to the amendment. Objection. Amendment will be considered as read. Gentleman's recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 6:31:54This uh amendment uh is designed to uphold the promises that uh our government has made to taxpayers in this country. And in this case, the taxpayers are undocumented immigrants uh who in some uh some by some uh contribute nearly 10 mil billion dollars a year in taxes.
▶ 6:32:24Now obviously they don't have social security numbers. So, undocumented immigrants uh who want to comply with the law, who want to come to this country and work and build a life, uh perhaps they are seeking asylum and they are trying to comply with the lie with the law and so they have obtained tax identification numbers so that they can pay income tax.
▶ 6:32:56The promise that they get under our laws 6103 is that the IRS will not divulge their personal information.
▶ 6:33:10However, this administration has completely upended and betrayed those promises by agreeing to share taxpayer information with our immigration services with the Department of Homeland Security so that they can use that information to potentially arrest them and deport them.
▶ 6:33:36Now, we may agree on some aspects of immigration policy disagree certainly uh I agree that those who are convicted criminals should be deported, that there's a process to seek asylum. We ought to be spending money on streamlining that process.
▶ 6:33:57But you others may disagree and I would disagree with you, I'm sure, on on many of uh of the provisions that that you would like. But it seems to me that we agree that promises made to undocumented immigrants about their taxpayer personal identific identification information so that they can pay income tax into the United States Treasury
▶ 6:34:28should be honored. That seems pretty straightforward. you. We are essentially asking people to voluntarily pay taxes simply with the promise that we won't use that taxpayer information to deport them. And yet, that is exactly what this administration has done.
▶ 6:34:51In fact, three IRS commissioners have resigned their post since President Trump took office 100 days ago. three, largely because uh the Department of Homeland Security and this administration is violating the promises that the IRS made and what the law actually requires.
▶ 6:35:18The law to reveal taxpayer information is much stricter than other laws. Even when you're a prosecutor, you have to uh you have to file a separate motion to obtain a separate order uh almost akin to a search warrant just to get taxpayer information.
▶ 6:35:39And here the IRS, pursuant to an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, is forced to give our immigration enforcement services taxpayer information. Now, maybe I understand my Republican colleagues do not care about promises that are made to induce people to actually pay into our coffers.
▶ 6:36:04Uh, I'm sure there's some explanation that they're undocumented immigrants, so they're effectively less than human and therefore should get no rights um in this country, which of course is not the way our country works.
▶ 6:36:18But for a party that talks so much about reducing the deficit, it seems odd to me that you, the Republican party, would want to engage in conduct that will inevitably lead to much less revenue from taxpayer Maybe we can agree that we can lower the deficit by agreeing to
▶ 6:36:48this amendment so that undocumented immigrants can trust that their identification information will be kept private as they were promised. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentle lady from Washington's recognized. Thank you.
▶ 6:37:04Um, I rise in strong support of this amendment and I just want to add to the gentleman from New York's excellent description of what happens to revenue by saying one more thing, which is I think most Americans don't connect the taxes that undocumented immigrants pay, which by the way is very carefully tracked because either you have an ITIN number um, if you're undocumented and you're paying your federal taxes or you have a social security number that doesn't match
▶ 6:37:34and then it goes into what's called the social security suspense fund. So you can actually look at the total amount that undocumented immigrants are contributing into taxes um and into programs that by the way they can never gain the benefits from. So they don't collect any benefit from contributing their federal taxes on social security or anything else. And they're sort of in a no-win situation because people are always saying they don't pay taxes. Not true.
▶ 6:38:02They do constantly, but lies keep being told about how undocumented immigrants don't pay taxes. They absolutely do. And they are then being essentially incentivized by this by the Trump administration to not pay taxes because they're going to use this data, this information to go after them.
▶ 6:38:23But the point I wanted to make was that I think a lot of people don't know that essentially the taxes that undocumented immigrants pay are a subsidy for US citizen social security benefits that are paid out. And so social security is financed in part by the taxes that undocumented immigrants pay and never collect on.
▶ 6:38:47And so just as one example, the estimate is billion in social security taxes annually are paid by undocumented immigrants. Now, if you take that amount away, or if you follow through on Donald Trump's mass deportation plans, if he really were able to deport 11 million people, as some people in this committee seem to want to do, you would actually dramatically decrease
▶ 6:39:18Social Security's solveny. And so, I wonder, Mr. Roman if part of the intent here is actually to decimate social security because the more you can say that social security is insolvent the more you can then cut social security benefits for US citizens and for people who have been paying into social security with the assurance that that they're going to get a retirement benefit.
▶ 6:39:44And so to me, there's even a more dastardly notion to this which goes along with the idea that the government has the Trump administration has been shutting social security offices around the country. That's what they did in Washington state in Seattle. They shut the regional social security office down. That's 200 employees who had to be farmed out to other places. Those folks actually service a fivestate area of social security offices.
▶ 6:40:10So that meant that all of a sudden there was nobody to take care of the websites to do all of these different things. I feel like this attempt to use taxpayer data has two really horrific goals. One is to go after immigrants obviously in the mass deportation scheme.
▶ 6:40:30The other is perhaps just perhaps to also reduce the amount of money that immigrants are paying into social security and to undermine the confidence of any taxpayer frankly who's paying in who says I don't want to share my data which Mr. Chairman and I have have long I thought shared this notion that our data should be protected right Mr.
▶ 6:40:53chairman, but all of a sudden it seems like maybe I mean maybe you want to co-sponsor this amendment, vote for this amendment because to me this is like a we're allowing people to go after our data and we've both taken on our own parties over the years on this question of privacy and uh privacy of our data. But this to me does feel like maybe part of this is decimate social security which Elon Musk said was one of his top goals.
▶ 6:41:23This was the big one. The entitlement that they wanted to get rid of is social security. And this certainly would. Yes. General yield. Yes. For a question. So I I just want to make sure I understand this. So undocumented immigrants pay social security tax. Is that right? That's correct. And there's no assurance, of course, that they will ever get any of that money back. No, they're they're actually not allowed to get money. They can't claim any benefits because they're not they're not eligible.
▶ 6:41:51They would have to become eligible, which means some degree of documentation. That's correct. So, here they are voluntarily paying it in with no guarantee of getting it back. And that might, you're saying, reduce the possibility of other American citizens who've also paid into it from getting their benefits. Exactly. Because it's a subsidy to pe to US citizens, to others who have paid into Social Security, are eligible to receive their benefits.
▶ 6:42:18They're getting subsidized by undocumented immigrants who are paying into Social Security with with no ability to ever collect on on those benefits. I think my time is expired. I yield back. Gentle lady yields back. Mr. Chairman, gentleman from California is recognized. Move to strike the last word. Gentleman's recognized. Mr. Chairman, where's Kevin Kylie? I'm a little worried about him. We've been going since 2:00.
▶ 6:42:47I think we've had Mr. Raskin, you could help me. Probably 10 amendment votes. More. How many amendment votes have we had, guys? 15. Now, Mr.
▶ 6:43:02Chairman, your members have not spoken on anything and we can take their silence as an admission that it's wrong to deport US citizens and it's wrong to deport kids with cancer. But Mr. Kylie has missed every single vote that we've taken. And I think it's fair to do a welfare check on Mr. Kylie. He's tweeting. He's been tweeting during this hearing, but he's not voting.
▶ 6:43:33So, I just for the good of the committee. Where's Kevin? Does anyone on your side know? Have you seen him? Is he in the room? Is he in the room? Just a wave or like a Hey, proof of life for Kevin Kylie because these are pretty important votes.
▶ 6:43:57deporting US citizens, firing veterans, deporting kids with cancer. I would expect that my neighbor to the north would want to be here, but he hasn't voted on any of this. So, if anyone has seen Kevin Kylie, hey, just tell him there's a hearing going on and his constituents want to know how he would vote on any of this. Maybe if he wants to tweet at me that he's okay. I would accept that. I'd yield. Uh, do you want to suggest that maybe Mr.
▶ 6:44:26Van Drew go look for Kevin Kylie. So we don't know Mr. where Mr. Kylie is. Will the gentleman yield for a question? Yes.
▶ 6:44:38I I want to follow up for a moment on on your sort of silence uh what their silence of our Republican colleagues means because you are correct that we've been here since 2:00 and not a Republican on this committee has spoken on any amendment and they have uniformly and unanimously voted down every single amendment.
▶ 6:45:08including as you mentioned uh deporting US citizens. Apparently uh that is okay. But my question for you though is you know our job in Congress here is to vote right our job we can say whatever you want to say but ultimately you are judged on your votes.
▶ 6:45:32So, I guess my question to you is, is it better to say that their silence means that they agree with our amendments or their vote against our amendments means that they disagree with all of them? How would you know? I don't know. We could only know if they were here to defend it. So, we'll let their constituents draw a conclusion. But, Mr. Kylie.
▶ 6:45:57The reason I bring him up is under the Republican budget plan, the 32,000 people who receive coverage under the Affordable Care Act in Kevin Kylie's district would see their average premium go up by $3,000 a year. That's 121% increase. And many families would face an even steeper consequence. A 60-year-old couple with a household income of $85,000 in Folsam, the heart of Mr.
▶ 6:46:22Kylie's district would see their health insurance increase by $22,560 a year, a 312% increase in premiums. So, with all seriousness, like where's Kevin Kylie? He's missed every single vote. I stepped out to talk to my kids to miss I think maybe one or two amendment votes. That's that's fine. Um people have things come up, but he hasn't been here all day. So, if you're his friends, go find him or Kevin, just tweet at us and tell us you're okay.
▶ 6:46:51And with that, and maybe tell your constituents how you'd vote on these important amendments. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Question occurs on the amendment offered by gentleman from New York. Uh all those in favor say I. I. Those opposed, no. No. Opinion of the chair. The nos have it. The um recorded vote is requested. The clerk will call the role. Mr. Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Mr. Isa, no. Mr.
▶ 6:47:21Isa votes no. Mr. Biggs, no. Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. McCcleintok. Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr. Massie, Mr. Roy, Mr. Roy votes no. Mr. Mr. Klein. Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden. Mr. Gooden votes no. Mr. Vandrew. Mr. Van Drew votes no. Mr. Nells, Mr. Moore, Mr. Moore votes no. Mr. Mr.
▶ 6:47:50Kylie, Miss Haggamman, Miss Haggman votes no. Miss Lee, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Fry, Mr. Growthman, Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr. Knott, Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Ander, Mr. Ander votes no. Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gil, Mr. Gil votes no. Mr. Bumgardner, Mr. Bumgardner votes no. Mr. Grasin, hi. Mr.
▶ 6:48:19Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler. Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Laughrren. Miss Lofrren votes I. Mr. Cohen. Mr. Johnson. I. Mr. Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallwell. Mr. Swallwell votes I. Lou. Miss. Gyipol. Miss. Gyipol votes I.................... Mr.. Kah. I. Mr. Korea. Votes. I. Miss. Scandlin. Miss Scandlin votes I. Mr. Nagus. Miss. McBath. Miss. McBth votes I. Mr. Ross.
▶ 6:48:50Mr. Ross votes I. Miss Balant. Miss Balant votes I. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Camlocker Dove. Mr. Moscowitz. Mr. Goldman. Mr. Rositz votes yes. Mr. Goldman. Mr. Goldman votes I. Miss Crockett. Miss Crockett votes yes. Mr. Nells votes no. Mr. Fry votes no. Mr.
▶ 6:49:19Fitzgerald votes no. Clerk will report. I look at this every time I know without my counting days. We got a bunch of check marks. Mr. Chairman, there are 15 eyes and 20 nos. Amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Chairman, Miss Liner, the gentle lady from California is recognized. Yes, I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk report. Gentleman from Arizona reserves.
▶ 6:49:51Amendment to the amendment. Objection. The amendment be considered as read. LA is recognized. Thank you. This amendment would prohibit the use of funds to detain or remove agricultural workers unless they are a threat to public safety.
▶ 6:50:07According to the US Department of Agriculture as well as the National Agricultural Workers Survey or NAS somewhere between 50% to 70% of all farm workers in the United States are unauthorized immigrants.
▶ 6:50:24What that means is that approximately 1.5 to 2.1 million agricultural workers in the US could be lost under a mass deportation effort that the Trump administration has promised. Now, let me just give you an example of what that would mean.
▶ 6:50:42Uh, in my district in 2022 in the 18th congressional district of California, there were 1,800 farms on 1.6 million acres, nearly uh 3,500 egg producers, and tens of thousands of farm workers. What this means is that we have one of the most productive agricultural areas in the United States.
▶ 6:51:10In fact, if you had a salad today, chances are that the leafy greens in that salad came from the Valley. You know, allowing funds to be used for mass deportations of farm workers is going to drive up costs for American families and it will increase our deficit.
▶ 6:51:31It would deprive agricultural businesses of critical labor, raise prices at the grocery store, and we expect those shelves to soon be empty of uh imported produce because of the tax uh uh the import tax that has been imposed. It would reduce tax revenue.
▶ 6:51:51And it has been estimated by the um American Immigration Council that this could cost taxpayers up to $315 billion. Now, with the Republican party lining up yet another tax cut for billionaires and corporations, working families are going to have to pay the cost.
▶ 6:52:11Instead of funding the deportation of these farm workers, a more rational and logical option would be to stabilize the agricultural sector by fixing our broken employment system. And the co the house has tried to do that. My bill uh introduced uh with uh bipartisan co-sponsors, the farm workforce modernization act has passed the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support.
▶ 6:52:39first in the 116th Congress and then in the 117th Congress. This program, I would remind you, would uh allow for agricultural workers in the United States to get a special uh agricultural worker uh card uh and then later if they chose they could also apply to become legal permanent residents.
▶ 6:53:04background checks obviously and strict criminal national security bars would apply. I just think you know for the farm workers who uh are in my district it is hard work and in and in a way I think it's really not fair that these individuals are out there in the fields in the worst climate in the heat uh and looking over their shoulder. That's their perspective.
▶ 6:53:32But I want to address my colleagues on the other side of the aisle on what it means for other people, what it means to America at large. If we have a food shortage in this country, it'll because be because we don't act on something like this. I will say that throughout CO, we never ran out of food because the farm workers kept showing up and the farmers kept showing up.
▶ 6:53:56If we disrupt that fine uh pattern of service uh in the farms of America by by deportations, we will be very sorry. I I I am I promise you this. We will regret this. We need to and we will be reintroducing the Farm Workforce Modernization Act next week with bipartisan support.
▶ 6:54:20But and while that bill is working its way through the the Congress, we ought to take steps to prevent the deportation of farm workers. If we do not do that, there'll be a price to pay, a heavy price to pay in the agricultural sector. So I urge adoption of this amendment, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back. Gentle lady yields back. Mr. Chairman, gentleman from New York. I move to strike the last word. Gentleman's recognized. Thank you.
▶ 6:54:46I uh I very much support this amendment uh from my colleague from California uh who comes from a state as we know that is uh vital to our agricultural development.
▶ 6:55:02And I often hear from some of our colleagues in Congress um this desire to make things in And I I guess I have a couple of questions for my colleague if if she uh would indulge me. Um we're talking about agricultural workers who work on American farms. Is that right? That is that is correct.
▶ 6:55:33Okay. And I think what you said and and the uh data really backs this up is American farms are extremely reliant on migrant workers, many of whom do not have documentation. Is that right? That is correct. At least half of the farm workers in America lack documentation. Could be up to 70%. We don't know for sure, but it is a majority. And I'm not sure if you know the answer to this.
▶ 6:56:03Um, but I certainly am under the impression that our Republican colleagues represent a lot of districts that have a lot of farmland. Is is that right? Well, there are representatives on both sides of the aisle who have agricultural areas, but certainly if you look at a map and the red areas on that map, there's a lot of egg in in those. Yeah, there certainly is a lot of agriculture.
▶ 6:56:30So, it would seem to me that if we take this uh this issue to its logical conclusion that numerous of our Republican colleagues have constituents that will be very negatively impacted by deporting agricultural workers. Is that fair to say?
▶ 6:56:54I I would say not only were will the uh employers in their districts be negatively impacted but as food disappears from groceries every American will feel the impact of this certainly. So there will be less produ less produced which of course based on basic economic supply and demand will mean that prices will go up.
▶ 6:57:18Now, I assume that there's the possibility since we're we're trying to uh reduce um our trade uh deficits, even though I don't think uh our president understands what that means, but presumably we could import uh agricultural produce to make up for the reduction in the production here. Is that is that right? Well, there's a couple of issues with that.
▶ 6:57:46First, we've imposed tariffs on egg producers, so that will mean higher grocery prices, but we've also reduced the inspection of food. And so, right now, there's a very robust inspection system so that food produced outside the United States, we know it's safe when imported. So, with those inspectors gone, there will be higher prices and riskier produce uh as a result of this, right? So, safety as well as actual prices.
▶ 6:58:15But I I just want to get back to what you mentioned about the tariffs for a second because um I hear from our president that the foreign countries are going to pay for the tariffs, but you said that the prices would go up. Can you explain why that is? Well, it's an import tax. It's not I mean I think we ought to say what it is. This tariff is confusing.
▶ 6:58:40It's a it's a tax on imports and for the most part that will be passed along to the people who are purchasing those imports whether it's toys at this Christmas and it's going to be a lot less toys in America or whether it is uh bananas uh we don't produce bananas in this country but whether it's produce whether it's meat um you know the price of meat is going through the roof already I when I go to the grocery store as I did over the weekend it's is shocking
▶ 6:59:11the increase in price in meat and we do import lamb for example from New Zealand and beef from Australia that's going to be even higher and of course if we uh reduce the capacity to produce in the United States by deporting the workforce this is not a pretty picture for American consumers right so we'll have less produce here that will raise prices and it's actually the consumer that pays the tariff tax.
▶ 6:59:40It's not the federal government. That is a complete lie. So prices will go up on imported goods. And perhaps that explains why in part grocery prices have gone up nearly 3% since Donald Trump took office. Egg prices are at a high of more than $6 per dozen on average.
▶ 7:00:05Um, so clearly we're going to get we're going to jam the working American from both ends if our agricultural workers are are uh deported. But I just want to go before we finish up here.
▶ 7:00:20Um, you know, I saw an article today um where and perhaps it was from a clip that the president uh in response to a question about um what will happen to Christmas presents if these tariffs continue? Because Christmas presents are ordered around now in advance of Christmas. uh what's going to happen to Christmas?
▶ 7:00:51And the president said that what would happen is that instead of kids getting 30 dolls per kid, that they would only get two dolls per kid. Um Miss Lorren, is it your understanding from talking to your constituents that uh their children get 30 dolls per year? Well, you know, the president's a billionaire, so maybe his grandchildren get that amount of toys, but most most kids do not, and certainly my grandchildren do not.
▶ 7:01:20That's what I yield back. I I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Question occurs on the gentle lady from I have a UC gentle lady make her request. Thank you so much. Uh this is a time.com article that says, "In fight with Bezos, White House calls Amazon showing tariffs cost a hostile act." Without objection. Question occurs on the amendment offered by gentle lady from California. Gentle lady miss the gentle lady from California. Uh all those in favor say I. I. Those opposed?
▶ 7:01:50No. No. And you the chair the nose have it. I'd like a recorded vote please. Clerk call the role. Mr. Jordan. No. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa. Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Biggs. Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. Mcccleintoch. Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Tiffany. Mr. Massie, Mr. Roy, Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Fitzgerald votes no. Mr. Klein, Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden, Mr.
▶ 7:02:20Gooden votes no. Mr. Vandrew, no. Mr. Vandrew votes no. Mr. Nells, Mr. Moore, Mr. Moore votes no. Kylie, Miss Hagaman, Miss Lee, Mr. Mr. Hunt, Mr. Fry, Mr. Growthman, Mr. Knot, Mr. Not votes no. Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Ander, Mr. Ander votes no.
▶ 7:02:51Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gill. Mr. Gill votes no. Mr. Bumgardner. Mr. Rascin. I. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler. Hi. Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Laughofrren. Miss Laughrim votes I. Mr. Cohen Mr. Johnson I Mr. Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallow. Mr. Swallow votes I. Mr. Lou Miss Gipol. M. Dryal votes I. Mr. Korea. Mr.
▶ 7:03:21Korea votes I. Miss Scandlin. Miss Scanland votes I. Mr. Negus. Miss Mcbath. Miss Mcbath votes I. Miss. Ross. Miss. Ross votes I. Miss. Ballot. Miss. Ballot votes I. Mr. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Camloer Mr. Moscowitz. Mr. Mosquitz votes I. Mr. Goldman. Mr. Goldman votes I. Miss Crockett I. Miss Crockett votes I.
▶ 7:03:50Miss Haggman, you are not recorded. Miss Hagman votes no. Mr. Nells votes no. Mr. Gman votes no. M. Mr. Bombgardner votes no. Mr. Fry votes now. CL report.
▶ 7:04:22Mr. Chairman, there are 15 eyes and 19 nos. Is not adopted. Gentleman from George is recognized. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will report reserve. Point of order reserved by gentleman from California. Amendment to the amendment. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Gentleman can describe his amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 7:04:49I offer my amendment which would allow funds to be used to provide lawyers for unaccompanied immigrant children. This amendment just makes sense. We do not allow children to represent themselves in any other legal proceedings and immigration court should be no different. In these cases, the government is represented by a lawyer.
▶ 7:05:10How can we expect kids without lawyers to assess their own eligibility for humanitarian relief, prepare their own cases, and advocate for themselves during an adversarial hearing. I mean, we're talking about a 2year-old. We expect toddlers to clutch a teddy bear or swing on a playground, but we don't expect them to act as lawyers representing themselves.
▶ 7:05:38It is absurd to require them to themselves in a complex legal proceeding or in any legal proceeding for that matter. The data bears this out. Unaccompanied children without lawyers are almost 100 times less likely to have a good outcome than unaccompanied children who have lawyers. Plus, providing representation leads to an orderly judicial process, which is sorely needed in our backlogged immigration courts.
▶ 7:06:0998% of children with attorneys appeared for their court dates. And according to the National Association of Immigration Judges, it helps them get through their cases. These judges wrote that they conduct proceedings more expeditiously and resolve cases more quickly when children are represented by attorneys.
▶ 7:06:31And I thought we all agreed that we don't want immigrants stuck in limbo for years without a judge telling them either way they can stay or they must leave. Plus, there has been longstanding bipartisan support for efforts to provide legal counsel to unaccompanied children, including in the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and the Victims Protection Act of 2008.
▶ 7:06:57This is because Congress has realized for years that legal representation is absolutely essential to ensure that children have meaningful access to asylum and other protections. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and I yield back. Gentlemen yields back. Gentle lady from Pennsylvania is recognized. Thank you. Um yeah, I'm strongly in support of of this bill.
▶ 7:07:23Having worked for years trying to provide representation for folks in the immigration system, the plight of children has always been um top of mind. Not only are the children unable to represent themselves in the complex im immigration system, but it does a real disservice to our immigration judges. What are they supposed to do when faced with a toddler, with an infant, someone who is completely unable to represent themselves?
▶ 7:07:49So, it is not just the benefit of the particular individual subject to um our immigration laws, but also to make sure that our courts are able to effectuate justice. So, I I strongly support this amendment and I yield back. Would the gentleoman yield? Would the gentleoman yield? Happy to yield to you. Thank you. Uh, thank you. I I also strongly support this amendment.
▶ 7:08:13In fact, today, Representative Norma Torres, uh, Robert Garcia and I introduced a bill um called the Fairness to Freedom Act that would provide legal counsel for immigrants who are detained. And I think most Americans don't know that you are not entitled to provided legal counsel when you are an immigrant in the civil immigration detention system. Um you're you can have one, but you have to be able to afford one. You have to be able to find one.
▶ 7:08:43And there's decades of research that shows that immigrants with representation are 10 times more likely to obtain relief from deportation than those without. and that detained immigrants with representation are three and a half more times three and a half times more likely to be granted bond enabling their release from detention. And what the Trump administration is doing right now is taking the very bipartisan funds that you mentioned, Mr.
▶ 7:09:11Johnson, that had been allocated to provide attorneys for kids and decimating those funds. They're slashing those funds. And so in my district uh we have a very important organization called kids in need of uh in need of defense kind and it's a nonprofit and it represents kids in court.
▶ 7:09:30It does what Miss Scandal probably was doing as well and they are closing their entire office because of Trump's elimination of funding that Congress has historically authorized. So that means that 250 kids just represented by that organization alone have just lost their lawyer.
▶ 7:09:51And nationwide, it's 26,000 kids that have lost their attorneys because of these funds that used to be bipartisan that have now been slashed by the Trump administration. So how are kids supposed to defend themselves? How are they supposed to represent themselves in court? And in fact, what's happening is they're not. And you can see even with the US citizen kids that were that were deported, there was no due process there, there were no attorneys to advocate for them.
▶ 7:10:19Um, and so I just think that this is a very important amendment and I thank the gentleman from Georgia for offering it and I'm strongly in support. I yield back. Thank you. Mr. Um, you just raised uh you just raised an important point about uh what a difference representation makes when someone has legal rights to be enforced when when there's an attempt to have compliance with our laws.
▶ 7:10:45We've heard the president in recent days say that he can't provide due process to all of the people who is trying to deport because that would take forever. Well, justice um may not always be as swift as we like, but you know, democracy, its inconveniences are far outweighed by its benefits. Um democracy versus efficiency, we always should come down on the side of democracy.
▶ 7:11:15Dictatorships are efficient, but they're also deadly, corrupt, and unfair. So, I think this is a situation where Mr. Johnson's amendment is extremely well taken and I hardily support it. I yield back. Gentle yields back. Gentleman from New York recognized. Moves to strike the last word. Gentleman's recognized. This is um a an excellent amendment that really should be above and separate from any partisanship.
▶ 7:11:44I I think we can all agree that children have little to no control, certainly young children have no control over the life that they're born into or the direction that their parents, loved ones, or whoever uh takes care of them uh has to direct them towards.
▶ 7:12:06and to withdraw funding for lawyers who can help a young child doesn't speak our language, doesn't doesn't understand the law, obviously most Americans don't understand our immigration law.
▶ 7:12:25um to wade through an incredibly scary process would seem to be the kind of compassionate, empathetic uh thing that every American can get around. We we all have children. There are many children and uh certainly we recognize that they are not able to fend for themselves especially in a legal a legal proceeding on on the uh in a different language.
▶ 7:12:55And so this amendment I think is uh should be a supported by everyone who has basic humanity to care about children. uh because I think it's clear if you care about children, you would want to make sure that a child does not have to an unaccompanied child does not have to go through a court process alone.
▶ 7:13:17And in fact, I know that this is bipartisan because I introduced one of the rare bipartisan immigration bills in the last Congress and look forward to doing it again this Congress that is called the Children's Court Act, which creates a separate court directed solely focused on children.
▶ 7:13:43And it would not only in have attorneys for these children, but it would have judges who are trained to deal with the various different issues that uh come with unaccompanied children being uh going through immigration proceedings, which of course, as I know my Republican colleagues know, includes child trafficking and other uh smuggling.
▶ 7:14:12And in fact, I I have heard over and over and over again over the last couple years my Republican lambasting the Biden administration for not knowing where children were who crossed over the border.
▶ 7:14:30Uh, so I know you care about that because I know you wouldn't just use children as a political pawn and a partisan weapon and that you do care very much about children. And so since this is a bipartisan issue and we can should all be able to agree that innocent children uh unaccompanied or deserve a special treatment since they certainly did not make any of the decisions that arrived there.
▶ 7:15:00And since we know that child trafficking is such a huge problem in our immigration system, that having trained lawyers and judges who can identify trafficking would be very helpful to our country and to humanity at large.
▶ 7:15:23And so I I I very strongly support this uh this amendment and I I hope that we can find some common ground here. And in just my last minute, I I wanted to follow up with my uh colleague Pennsylvania. Oh, who has uh who has left? I want to talk to you. Okay. Um yield to me. I I will uh I'll come back to her and I'll yield to uh my friend from Texas. Thank you so much.
▶ 7:15:50Really quickly, I think this is one of those issues that really perplexes so many Democrats. And when I say Democrats, I'm not just talking about the elected. We have a party that continuously goes out and says that they are the voice of unborn fetuses.
▶ 7:16:10But when it comes to an actual living child who needs an advocate, you are okay with no one speaking up for that baby. A baby that actually exists and unfortunately is having to exist in a world in which they may not understand the language whatsoever.
▶ 7:16:31So, I just ask you, if you want to be a voice and an advocate for an unborn fetus, then I ask that you care about the fetus when it arrives, regardless of the language that it speaks or the country that it comes from, and you be okay with speaking up for them as well. And I will yield back to the gentleman from New York.
▶ 7:16:57Time is Question occurs on the uh amendment offered by gentleman from Georgia. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed? No. No. Opinion. The chair. The nose have it. The court vote requested. The clerk will call the role. Mr. Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa. Mr. Biggs. Mr. Mcccleintoch. Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany. Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr. Mr.
▶ 7:17:28Massie, Mr. Roy, Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Fitzgerald votes no. Mr. Klein, Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden, no. Mr. Gooden votes no. Mr. Vandrew, no. Mr. Vandrew votes no. Mr. Nells, Mr. Moore, Mr. Moore votes no. Mr. Kylie, Mr. Kylie votes no. Miss Hegman, no. Miss Hegman votes no. Miss Lee, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Fry, Mr. Mr.
▶ 7:17:57Growthman, Mr. Knot, Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Ander, no. Mr. Ander votes no. Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gil, Mr. Gil votes no. Mr. Bombgardner, Mr. Rascin, I. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler, hi. Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Lofrren, Miss Lafrren votes I. Mr. Cohen, Mr. Johnson, I. Mr. Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallwell, hi. Mr. Swallow votes I.
▶ 7:18:27Mr. Lou. Miss Gyipal. Miss Gry votes I. Mr. Korea. Mr. Ka votes I. Miss Gandlin. Miss Gandlin votes I. Mr. Negus. Miss. McBath. Miss. McBth votes I. Miss. Ross. Miss. Ross votes I. Miss. Ballot. Hi. Miss Balant votes I. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss. Camlager. Dove. Mr. Moscowitz. Mr. Goldman. Hi. Mr. Goldman votes I. Miss. Crockett I. Miss Crockett votes I.
▶ 7:19:00Mr. Nells votes no. Mr. Bombgardner votes no. Mr. Fry votes no. Mr. Not votes no. Click report. We're coming back.
▶ 7:19:24We're down by 26. All this stuff. I've got some questions.
▶ 7:20:14Mr. Chairman, there are 14 eyes and 18 Is not agreed to. Who seeks recognition? Mr. Chairman, gentleman from California is recognized. I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will report. Gentleman Arizona California uh reserves. Amendment to the amendment in the nature of objection. The amendment will be considered as read. Uh the gentleman from California is recognized to explain the amendment. Thank you. Uh Mr.
▶ 7:20:43Chairman, my amendment plainly says um let's keep classified information out of the signal chat. But Mr. Chairman, I did earlier note that our colleague, Mr. Kylie, was not present during any of the votes. And he's here now. And I think that's important. And because I did call him out, it's only fair if I ask him how he would have voted on the votes he missed. And so I would like to know, Mr. Mr.
▶ 7:21:08Kylie, if you would like to tell us how you would have voted on banning the deportation of US citizens. I think your constituents should know how you would have voted on that. We also voted on prohibiting the hiring of January 6 writers. Mr. Kylie, you weren't here for that vote and now I'm offering you the opportunity to speak. I'd yield to you that. Mr. Kyla, we also voted and discussed whether the DOJ should be able to fire veterans.
▶ 7:21:39And if you want to stand up for your veterans in your district, I would yield to you right now to stand up for the veterans in your district. We also talked about whether kids with cancer who are US citizens, particularly a four-year-old who was recently deported, should have been deported. And Mr. Kylie, again, you're here now. You didn't vote on anything related to that, but I would yield to you. And if you don't want to discuss this, I understand, but we would just take it as an admission that you support all of that.
▶ 7:22:08And I think that's how your constituents would interpret that. Um, Mr. Goldman, do you have any questions? Well, I I thank you for yielding to to my friend from California. I I I want to go back just for a second to the um to the amendment that you just introduced because um signal is a very common form of uh it's encrypted and uh I
▶ 7:22:39guess I I just wh why why is it so bad to share classified uh that would actually subject someone to criminal penalties for its unlawful and knowing disclosure? Why is it I don't understand what it's encrypted. So why is it bad to to do that? Why what is the point of this amendment? Well, Mr. Goldman, let's start our own little group chat. Mr.
▶ 7:23:08Moscowitz, welcome to the group chat. What do you think? I no classified, please. I think some of the things that were in that signal chat make excellent pieces of clothing like pound fire fist firefly. I got to get the chairman this tie, right? Get it. Get it in the rotation. I know you love yellow. You love yellow. Red sometimes.
▶ 7:23:34Sometimes But Mr. Moscowitz and Mr. Goldman, anyone else who wants to join the signal group chat the report I appreciate. Yeah. So, I appreciate Mr. Hexath's commitment to transparency by like putting war plans in a group chat. But Miss Crockett, what do you think about should we ban classified information from be being discussed in a signal group chat?
▶ 7:24:01We absolutely should, especially with your significant others or when we have the reporters in the room that are going to report out and and thank God for the good reporters, you know. Thank God we still have the First Amendment and some people that understand what it is to do true reporting because honestly if this administration had their way, I'm sure that that reporter would not even be allowed to report on this mishap.
▶ 7:24:27But more importantly, as I was stating earlier today, this isn't just about whether or not we as Americans are going to be safe because clearly we don't care. But I mean, we are talking about our allies. Our allies are not going to want to share stuff with us when all we doing is putting it in a group chat with the brother-in-law, the wife, and everybody else. Will the gentleman yield for questions? Yeah. Yeah. Also, it was reported that uh the secretary of defense, Mr. Hexf, installed a makeup room in the Pentagon.
▶ 7:24:56And I was just wondering if you had any insight based on things that get discussed in the chat if you were aware of what foundation or what cover up he used. Yeah. He tried to conceal that story, but it got out. Conceal. Oh, he he uses concealer. He uses concealer. He did. Um, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Go back to this for a second. What? He I'm I'm not following this. The Secretary of Defense has a makeup room.
▶ 7:25:22Did he use government funds create that makeup room? It It's unclear. I'm just saying in that room is where he does the concealer and the cover up. I actually don't have any problem with anybody that needs to get their makeup. If he wants that, he should have it. That's okay. Especially if they want to wear their lashes. I was going to say, do you think Mr. Hedith has special lashes? I forget who has the time, but whoever has it is it has Um, who seeks recognition?
▶ 7:25:54The gentleman from Maryland is Thank you very much, uh, Mr. Chairman. Um, I've got an amendment at the desk. We're still on. Oh, we're still there. I I yield back. You You went off for a different amendment. Is that correct? Okay. Question occurs on the amendment offered by the gentleman from California. All those in favor will say I. Those opposed, no.
▶ 7:26:24No. Opinion of the chair, the nos have it. The gentleman from Maryland is recognized. Miss Oh, I'm sorry. The gentle lady from Washington is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, I have an amendment at the desk. We made our Yeah. gentleman from Arizona reserves point of order.
▶ 7:26:51The clerk will uh report amendment to the amendment in the nature of without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. The gentle lady from Washington is recognized to explain the amendment. Mr. Chairman, um this is a very important amendment. Um the important and everyone's been simple, so keep we got that. That's what we've been trying to point out, but I don't know. You all aren't uh you're sitting on your hands over there.
▶ 7:27:15This administration's immigration policies are extraordinarily harmful and traumatizing, and the bill would increase that harm immensely, giving ICE a $45 billion slush fund for detention. Just to put that into context, ICE's annual budget for immigration detention is less than 3.5 billion. So, this is a massive increase. And the increase alone is bad.
▶ 7:27:38But I just want to point out something very important, which is that the policy changes that the majority is trying to slip into their so-called funding bill are even worse. So my amendment would strike the provision that allows for families to be detained indefinitely. This provision would overturn the Flores settlement agreement, which has helped protect children in government custody for nearly 30 years.
▶ 7:28:06The Flores settlement agreement's principal purpose is to ensure that children are released from immigration detention as quickly as possible. Recognizing the harm to children, children in the custody of the DHS have to be placed in the quote least restrictive setting and they are not allowed to be detained for more than 20 days.
▶ 7:28:30But this bill actually makes a very important policy change and it gets rid of that requirement. It allows families to be detained throughout their immigration proceedings through their removal if they're ordered removal. But with the immigration court backlog, that means that families could be stuck in detention for years.
▶ 7:28:52Now, family detention has historically been used only for arriving families, but now Trump is incarcerating families who have already been living in our communities as friends and neighbors for years. One of the youngest children being detained is only one year old. One year old child being put into detention.
▶ 7:29:15That is unacceptable, especially considering that much of the families detained under this provision and much of the new money provided for immigration detention is going to go straight to private for-profit prison companies. For-profit privatelyowned prison companies are incentivized to make as much money as possible, often at the expense of the health and protection of individuals forced into their care. Private immigration detention facilities lack necessary oversight.
▶ 7:29:45They're often unsafe. And time and time again, that has led to a lack of sufficient health care and resources for detained individuals. Some of the most egregious abuses that we hear about of immigrants happen in detention facilities that are run by these for-profit private companies. unnecessary medical interventions, forced labor, abuse of solitary confinement, um, and intimidation have run rampant. You might remember a case in Georgia. Mr.
▶ 7:30:15Johnson was with me when we went to visit where, uh, immigrant women were being forced into sterilization procedures. Experts hired by the DHS office, that detention center, by the way, we were able to shut down thanks to our advocacy. Experts hired by the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, an office that the Trump administration closed without any congressional input or consent, conducted secret inspections of these detention facilities.
▶ 7:30:44Their investigation contains over 1,600 pages detailing conditions in these facilities which they describe as quote barbaric and negligent. Private prison companies owe their first duty to their shareholders, not to the people they detain. They prioritize profits over people in care.
▶ 7:31:03And that is clear from a recent report in which medical experts determined that 95% of in custody deaths that ICE reported between 2017 and 2021 were actually preventable. And of the 15 immigration detention centers with the highest number of deaths during this period, 13 are run by private prison companies, including a facility near my district, the Geo Run Northwest Ice Processing Center.
▶ 7:31:30I'm sure it's a total coincidence, but in 2024, GEOG Group's PAC gave nearly $4 million to Republican campaign groups, and they're poised to make hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money from the bill's detention expansion. The Flores settlement agreement has guided our government's policies for detaining children for over a quarter of a century. And I want to be clear about what it looks like for kids.
▶ 7:31:55Before when the Flores case was filed in 1985, children were held in indefinite detention in poor conditions without access to basic medical treatment. They were handcuffed. They were strip searched, subjected to body cavity searches, and required to sleep in areas and share bathrooms with adults that they didn't know. I can't imagine that that's something that anyone on this committee would want. And I would ask for the support of our Republican colleagues to prevent the overturning of Flores.
▶ 7:32:25I yield back. Gentle lady yields back. Gentle lady from Pennsylvania's recognized. I would I move to strike the last word. Gentle is recognized. Um I wholeheartedly endorse Representative Jipal's amendment. Um, anyone who has worked with kids who've been caught in the immigration system, anyone who has met children who've been held even briefly in a detention center know how much damage that does to these children.
▶ 7:32:55Liflong trauma. We've heard testimony before this committee in the past when there were efforts to detain children in violation of the Flores agreement. So, we can just go back to this committee's own records and testimony from Homeland Security officials. This is not something that the United States of America should ever be a party to. And so, I I would urge adoption of this amendment. Would the gentleman would the gentle lady yield? Yes. I just have a question.
▶ 7:33:25I'm wondering if you think that everyone on the committee has actually read this bill because this is a policy uh this is a policy provision that's being slipped in as uh you know as part of a funding bill and I'm just curious whether whether you think our colleagues on the other side have read I mean none of them are talking tonight otherwise I would yield to anybody on the other side to answer that question.
▶ 7:33:51That sounds like it could be problematic on the Senate side with the bird rule. Well, exactly right. I think that uh there's a really important question about what happens in the Senate, but I I would just urge my I I can't believe any of my colleagues on the other side would want to detain kids. Um I don't know if uh anyone over there wants to respond. Doesn't seem like anybody is talking tonight. I think the Mr.
▶ 7:34:19Van Drew is looking like he really wants to, but he is trying to sit on his hands. Mr. Vanrew Van Drew has never stayed this quiet for this long. No, I mean's got to buy me a drink for this. Well, you know, I I mean, I I want to come back to just the serious question of whether you all think that kids should be detained because the Flores agreement has existed for decades.
▶ 7:34:41And it existed specifically because we had kids who were being handcuffed and stripped, strip searched and subjected to body cavity searches and required to sleep in areas and share bathrooms with adults that they didn't know.
▶ 7:34:57And I'm thinking that because I'm the eternal optimist that maybe some of you over there don't want to vote for that and would vote with me on my amendment to, you know, make sure that we do not overturn the floor's amendment in this and and that we actually preserve this important agreement. I don't know, Miss Scandlin, it's your time, but I'll yield back to you. But I I just uh I don't know if there's any other way to get people over there to answer the question about whether they've actually read the bill.
▶ 7:35:27Well, and and I think there's been a fundamental misunderstanding about what is the Flores agreement. The Flores agreement came out of a a lawsuit about what was appropriate treatment for children. That's right. And it was a way of the US dealing with the fact that the treatment that was being afforded to children before the Flores agreement was unconstitutional, was a serious violation of not just their rights, but of their physical and mental health.
▶ 7:35:55I mean the the testimony that we've heard about children being held in inappropriate situations that are not appropriate for anyone but much less a Um again it is just not something that I think the United States of America should be party to. Will the gentle lady yield? Yes.
▶ 7:36:13because there's a an additional problem on top of this which uh I think Miss Jipal very uh incisively got to which is that by increasing the budget for immigration detention I think you said from 3.5 billion to 45 billion what is clear is our government does not have anywhere close to enough prison beds to use all that money.
▶ 7:36:43So that money designated for immigration detention of children is going to be outsourced to private prisons. So children are going to be indefinitely imprisoned in private prisons built for profit with substandard uh conditions.
▶ 7:37:08certainly not at all prepared for children or organized and arranged and oriented for children. And so we have so many multiple levels of problems here with this bill that this amendment would solve which I think is very important for us to consider. I yield back. Mr. Chair, time of the my time expired.
▶ 7:37:35Gentle gentle lady from Vermont is recognized. I move to strike the last word. I yield to my uh colleague from um Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania. I'm just getting tired. Pennsylvania, Miss Galan. Thank you. Well, I just wanted to note, I think Mr. Goldman has raised a really interesting point.
▶ 7:37:56to the extent that this billion and billion of dollars of slush fund then becomes available to fund private prisons through companies like GEO. Isn't this another instance where we may have to start monitoring monitoring our colleagues stock purchases?
▶ 7:38:16because I think I recall that that once these executive orders started going into effect, we started seeing uh more stock purchases by our colleagues across the aisle of GEO and these other Yeah.
▶ 7:38:30Another one, if I may uh if I may request the time, is Palunteer, which is a uh large tech company um that is uh was started by um you know, some of the supporters of the president who are close with other uh billionaires who've been put in uh the administration uh and clearly are advising the president on just about
▶ 7:39:00everything. And a certain member of the Republican party from Georgia uh purchased uh Palunteer stock. And as I understand the fact pattern, I could be wrong. Um that's why we have due process because, you know, I would not be the one who would determine whether this is right or wrong.
▶ 7:39:25Um, a couple weeks after making this purchase, this Palunteer company entered into a $30 billion agreement with the Department of Homeland Security. This Republican member from Georgia sits on the Homeland Security Committee, which is the committee that oversees the Department of Homeland Security, which entered into this $30 billion.
▶ 7:39:51My understanding is at last check that stock had increased by 48% since that deal was announced. And so since we have a a slush fund going from 3.5 billion to 45 billion that will almost all go to private prisons.
▶ 7:40:14Certainly, this is something we would need a strong inspector general to oversee, right? To make sure that uh the Department of Homeland Security is not procuring that money uh in any wasteful, fraudulent or abusive way. Is that your your view as well, Miss Gandlin? Absolutely.
▶ 7:40:36I mean the combination of of the possibility that the money would go to those kind of private interests that have been so you know making all those donations to the president and his inaugural fund and everything or funding more placements in El Salvador or other um inhumane uh prisons. I think for all those reasons we should be cutting off this funding. And may I ask another question? You you mentioned the funding for the El Salvador prisons.
▶ 7:41:05Um, I assume that you're referring to the fact that this administration is using taxpayer money to pay for El Salvador to uh undocumented immigrants who were removed from our country uh without any court appearance and without any due process. And one of them, as we all know, has gotten a lot of attention is Kilargo Garcia.
▶ 7:41:33The reason he's gotten a lot of attention is because there was a withholding order on his deportation order that specifically said he could not be deported to El Salvador because there was a legitimate fear of persecution if he were sent to El Salvador and he has subsequent he was sent there. Uh my understanding is the administration admitted that he was sent there in error.
▶ 7:42:03I think they called it a mistake, quote unquote. Um and the courts all the way up to the Supreme Court have uh ruled that it was a violation of the fundamental right to due process and the Supreme Court said that the administration must facilitate his return. And Miss Ganlin, my question for you, since you mentioned the the payment, the taxpayer money that is going to pay for Mr.
▶ 7:42:30Abrego Garcia to stay there, is would it qualify in your view to facilitate if the administration told El Salvador that they would not pay for Mr. Arbrego Garcia to stay there anymore? Uh that would seem to make sense and it would certainly be consistent with the reporting we're seeing that um it it's not consistent with the conditions that even the El Salvador government had agreed to in that case. So I thank the gentle lady for the time.
▶ 7:43:01Gentle lady's time is expired. Gentle lady from California is recognized. Thank you. I move to strike the last word. I would like to continue to engage in this questioning. Um, and I have a question for uh uh the gentle woman from Pennsylvania. You know, in um California, there are actually instances where uh dozens dozens maybe even hundreds of unaccompanied minors are in detention centers.
▶ 7:43:27that in fact you know we have been told although the federal government is being very evasive uh in allowing us access uh but we have been told that they've been trying to force uh cities my city um to continue to hold these young children and I don't believe they have been provided um access to representation uh welfare checks are not being allowed there's no kind of adult supervision of these young children.
▶ 7:43:57Um, and so I was just wondering uh a concern that this administration is trying to force uh cities and states into collusion with it uh with this illegal, unconstitutional and dangerous behavior, especially when we're talking about young children.
▶ 7:44:15Um, and can you talk about, you know, how really disastrous this would be for the country and and and why supporting your kind of amendment uh would allow folks to stand up to what this administration is doing when it comes to young children? And I'm so curious about this because in the last uh the first term of this administration, they seem to not want to continue to show images of children in cages.
▶ 7:44:44and yet they are still doing that to young children. Um, but they don't want anyone to talk about it. You know, I I think we we've talked quite a bit about what happens when you are detaining children when you're not providing them with the appropriate supports, mental health supports, food, um, clothing, and emotional support.
▶ 7:45:08I mean it's the kind of thing that uh the international treaty on the rights of the child um which almost every nation in the world has affirmed except for the United States. Um it's the kind of thing that that is designed to prevent um so that we are not damaging children who aren't able to fend for themselves. Thank you. Yields back.
▶ 7:45:34Question occurs on the amendment offered by the gent gentle lady from Washington. Um the question all those in favor say I. Those opposed. No. No. Recorded vote. Mr. Trim. Recorded vote is being has been requested. The clerk call the role. Mr. Jordan. No. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa, Mr. Bigs. Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. Mcccleintoch. Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany Mr. Mr. Tiffany votes no.
▶ 7:46:06Massie, Mr. Roy, Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Fitzgerald votes no. Mr. Klein, Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden, Mr. Gooden votes no. Mr. Vandrew, Mr. Vandrew votes no. Mr. Nells, Mr. Moore, Mr. Moore votes no. Mr. Kylie, Mr. Kylie votes no. Miss Hegman, Miss Lee, Mr.
▶ 7:46:36Hunt, Mr. Fry. Mr. Fry votes no. Mr. Growthman, Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr. Knot, Mr. Knott votes no. Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Ander, no. Mr. Ander votes no. Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gill, Mr. Gil votes no. Mr. Bumgardner, Mr. Bombgardner votes no. Mr. Raskin. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Lofrren Miss Lofrren votes I.
▶ 7:47:06Mr. Cohen Mr. Johnson Mr. Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallwell Mr. Swallow votes I. Mr. Lou Miss Gyipol. Miss Gipol votes I. Mr. Mr. Korea votes I. Miss Scandlin. Miss Scandlin votes I. Mr. Nagus. Miss McBath. Miss. Miss McBth votes I. Miss Ross Miss Ross votes I. Miss Ballant I. Miss Balant votes I. Mr. Garcia I. Mr.
▶ 7:47:36Garcia votes I. Miss Camlagger Dove. Miss Camlager Dove votes I. Mr. Moscowitz. Yes. Mr. Mosquitz votes yes. Mr. Goldman. Mr. Goldman votes I. Miss Crockett. Miss Hagman. Miss Hagman votes no. Miss Crockett, you are not recorded. Miss Crockett votes yes. Mr.
▶ 7:48:04Curry, you are voted recorded as I Mr. Isa, you are not recorded. Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. nails votes now.
▶ 7:48:42I mean, excuse me. Clerk will report. Mr. Chairman, there are 16 eyes and 21 nos. Amendment is not agreed to. Who's next? Mr. Chairman, gentleman from California is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk number 24. Clerk will report reserved by gentleman from Arizona. Amendment to the amendment in the nature. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. The gentleman from California is recognized to explain it. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
▶ 7:49:11First of all, let me begin by thanking all the veterans in this committee for their service to our country. This amendment deals with deported veterans. Committee will come to order. Gentleman from California is recognized. Gentleman's recognized. Thank you, Mr. This amendment deals with deported veterans.
▶ 7:49:37Number of years ago, I had the opportunity to go south of the border to visit with a colony of uh deported veterans. These are u formerly green card holders that served our nation honorably were discharged with honor and for some reason or another their green card status was removed. remember meeting this one young man probably in his late 20s.
▶ 7:50:04Okay, told me his story about serving in Afghanistan, numerous tours, okay? A lot of firefights, saw a lot of bad stuff. Told me one day he woke up and he was choking his wife. Of course, he was convicted of aggravated assault. His green card was taken away and he was summarily deported. My amendment is simple.
▶ 7:50:29It's essentially today ICE is supposed to consider a veteran service history when making a removal decision. Recent GAO study found that they failed to do so. So, what my amendment will do is make sure ICE andor an immigrant judge do consider a veteran veteran's length of service, awards, honors, disability, or health status related to their military service.
▶ 7:50:57And of course, their family and community ties before they are removed. And I got to point out to if I can have your attention here, a lot of the times these immigrants are actually recruited by their recruiting officers. They are promised automatic citizenship and of course no such thing happens and so when these individuals get into trouble their green cards are removed.
▶ 7:51:27Today about 45,000 immigrants serve in our active armed forces. These individuals when they get out honorably discharged are still not citizens.
▶ 7:51:43All I'm asking is when they get in trouble that they be given the courtesy of due process that their service to this great country be considered and be part of the judgment so to speak upon their status in this country. We can do better for our immigrants. And by the way, it's not all that bad.
▶ 7:52:08These these deported citizens, since they were discharged, they have earned the right to be buried in a VA national cemetery. So, their bodies can actually be brought back to the US and buried in a national cemetery. Guess that's a consolation Folks, I ask you, please look at this amendment.
▶ 7:52:37Let's do the right thing for our veterans. I ask you to vote I on this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield. Gentleman yields back. Question occurs on the amendment from the gentleman from California. All those in favor say I. Those opposed, no. No. Opinion of the chair. The nos have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Quarter vote request. The clerk will call. Mr. Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa, Mr. Isa votes no. Mr.
▶ 7:53:06Biggs, Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. McCcleintok, Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr. Massie, Mr. Roy, Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Fitzgerald votes no. Mr. Klein, Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden, Mr. Gooden votes no. Mr. Mr. Van Drew votes no. Mr. Mr. Nells. Mr. Nells votes no. Mr. Moore Mr. Moore votes no. Mr. Kylie. Mr.
▶ 7:53:37Kylie votes no. Miss Hagman. Miss Hagamman votes no. Lee. Mr. Hunt. Mr. Fry. M. Mr. Fry votes no. Mr. Growthman. Mr. Growthman. Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr. Knister votes no. Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Hder. Mr. Ander votes no. Mr. Schmidt Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gill Mr. Gil votes no. Mr.
▶ 7:54:07Bumgardner Mr. Bumgardner votes no. Mr. Raskin I. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler I. Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Laughrren. Miss Lrren votes I. Mr. Mr. Johnson. I. Mr. Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallow. Mr. Swallow votes I. Mr. Lou. Miss Griipal Miss Triabal votes I. Mr. Korea I Mr. Korea votes I. Miss Scandan. Miss Scandan votes I. Mr.
▶ 7:54:38Negus Miss Mcbath. Miss McBth votes I. Miss Ross. Miss Ross votes I. Miss Balent. Miss Balant votes I. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Cam Logger Dove. I Miss Cam Loger Dove votes I. Mr. Moscowitz. Mr. Mosquitz votes I. Mr. Goldman. Mr. Goldman votes I.
▶ 7:54:58Miss Miss Crockett votes I clerk
▶ 7:55:38report. Mr. Chairman, there are 16 eyes and 21 nos. Uh, the amendment is not agreed to. I'll take one. Gentleman from Maryland is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I've got an amendment at the desk. Clerk will report the amendment. Point of order reserved by gentleman from California.
▶ 7:56:05Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by objection be considered as read. The gentleman from Maryland's recognized to explain the amendment. Thank you kindly. Look, um, as we race to spend more than $81 billion dollars in this bill, primarily for ICE and uh, the Department of Justice just terminated hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to groups working in all of our communities,
▶ 7:56:36cutting funds for state, local, and county law enforcement. cutting funds for opioid addiction treatment programs, cutting funds for crime prevention programs, cutting funds to support victims of rape and sexual assault. Um, and this move is baffling. These are grants that support our local police in solving violent crime. They help survivors of abuse and sexual assault navigate the legal system.
▶ 7:57:06They provide drug addiction treatment services and overdose prevention services. They're working with young people. I'm going to submit some um documents for the record, Mr. Chairman, that will help spell this out. Here's an article entitled Trump delivers massive blow to youth justice programs. Objection. April 29th.
▶ 7:57:28Um here is a letter that we all received um from the conference of chief justices in the state courts administration expressing deep concerns about the termination of department of justice grants to our communities. And I also ask unanimous consent to enter the record a letter dated April 25 from the Council of State Government's Justice Center to express profound concerns and strong opposition to the termination of Department of Justice grants totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
▶ 7:57:57I raise this because Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I raise it because, you know, some of our colleagues um well, they've been quite inscrutable in their reaction to what we've been talking about tonight. Sometimes it seems like it's I'm in a Quaker meeting house or a, you know, a mega mime troop or something because I'm trying to read people's facial expressions and their body language to see how they're reacting. But a lot of what we've been voting on are constitutional principles like due process and free speech and birthright citizenship.
▶ 7:58:28But this is something that really should unify all of us. And I want to warn all of my colleagues, Democrat and Republican, that there will be danger back home if you do not vote to restore these grants that have just been categorically cut. I've been so upset about it after I've spoken to some law enforcement uh from my state that I tried to track down where did this come from? And it didn't come from the House of Representatives. There was nobody pushing it here. As far as I can tell, it didn't come from everybody in the Senate.
▶ 7:58:57Nobody in the executive branch is identified with it except for someone who works for Doge and I see a picture of him in a bow tie. uh is the name is Tarak Makita and uh Tarak Makita is the author of the Excel spreadsheet that destroyed hundreds of these grants to local law enforcement in our communities to local victims and survivors groups in our communities to
▶ 7:59:28anti-gang efforts to um to juvenile um assistance work and so on. And so I was just able to look look Tarak Tarak Makita up online and the um this is a Doge employee. The uh the bio on um this employees website goes back basically to Tesla from 2017 to 2019.
▶ 7:59:57They worked at Tesla in various roles including head of strategic planning Tesla energy, chief of staff, North America sales and delivery and global finance lead, working capital and supply chain. Most recently, they've been the vice president of vice of finance and operations at Sky Safe since 2022. They attended the University of Texas and so on.
▶ 8:00:18Well, look, um, this person has essentially dismantled a lot of the infrastructure of funding to combat crime and violence and to assist victims in all of our districts. And so, this amendment is simple. I I don't know that any member of this committee or Congress would be saying, "If they if this person had not simply wiped out all of this funding, we should be wiping out that funding." But this person did it.
▶ 8:00:47Um, and that doesn't seem like a very sensible way to proceed procedurally. And I know that all of us are going to hear about it from people in our districts if you've not already heard about it. And I don't want anybody to plead complete ignorance. This is our chance to reverse the damage right now. and especially for people who don't want to get into gun safety regulation.
▶ 8:01:10This is money that goes actually to try to create peace in the community to fight gangs, to get kids off the streets. All that money is being cut right now. Um and so what this amendment does, Mr. Chairman, is simply to restore all of these cuts that were made by this individual as far as I can tell. I thank you and I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Mr. Chairman, gentleman from New York. I move to strike the last word. gentleman is recognized.
▶ 8:01:35I I just want to um emphasize a couple of points that the ranking member uh so eloquently made and uh make sure that my Republican colleagues who uh talk very much about caring about public safety and caring so much uh about fighting crime and law and understand that the grants that were yanked away
▶ 8:02:06from many of so many of these organizations makes our communities less safe. It makes fighting violent crime, gangs, guns, drug trafficking much, much more difficult. That's what these grants do. These grants in various different ways. Some of them go to local law enforcement.
▶ 8:02:34Some of them go to local organizations that uh keep kids out of gangs that keep uh guns off of our streets that reduce demand for guns. These are proven proven to be effective programs. And it's not even just that we decide, okay, in the future we're not going to fund these grants.
▶ 8:02:59It is actually grants that have already been appropriated, have already been obligated, and in some cases, uh, have already been spent down because they're in the budgets of these organizations. and yet they're just yanked away uh by an administration that talks so much about public safety.
▶ 8:03:22And uh we hear over and over apparently, you know, of the uh you would listen to the president of the 5 million uh undocumented immigrants who came over the border in the last four years.
▶ 8:03:37I think the way he talks it's got to be 4,950,000 of them must be criminals or drug dealers or rapists because uh certainly everybody I hear about is a uh you know a violent criminal. Obviously the data doesn't bear that out. In fact, the data shows that Americans commit a much higher proportion of crimes than immigrants do.
▶ 8:04:07But if you want to make our country safe, I think there's an expression uh make make America safe again. Isn't that one of the uh the the expressions? You would think that you would want to invest in programs in law enforcement that actually do make us safe.
▶ 8:04:30But once again, this president, this administration, and the complicit Republicans in the House are all talk, no action. Because if you truly wanted to put your vote where your mouth is, you would 100% support this amendment and ensure that our communities are kept safe by these critical critical programs. Will the gentleman yield? Yes, of course I will yield.
▶ 8:04:59And thank you for that powerful statement you just made. Uh my amendment would require DOJ to reinstate grant funding to hundreds of groups. Here's one of the ones that contact in my office, the National Policing Institute, and they have um a program where they provide critical support to local and county law enforcement under the quote rural violent crime reduction initiative. So, they're able to take the money and put it into rural areas to fight violent crime.
▶ 8:05:30And they've gotten the grant. They were expecting the grant. They were counting on the grant. And whoever this person is, not the House of Representatives, not the Senate, I'm not hearing anybody in the cabinet taking credit for it, but whoever this person is in Doge, which sometimes fashions itself a fourth branch of government, just slashed all of that money. Is there a single member of Congress who knew this was going to happen?
▶ 8:05:54Is there a single member of Congress who wanted this to happen and now they're going to be showing up in our offices saying we had a whole program for fighting violent crime in rural areas which is gone now. We had a whole program for reaching out to young people with an afterchool program and now it's gone. And what are we going to say? Uh well, we didn't know anything about it.
▶ 8:06:20I'm afraid at this point we are burdened with the knowledge that Doge has done this and so I thank the gentleman for yielding. I hope everybody can support this amendment. Gentleman yields back from Texas recognized. I'd move to strike the last words. Gentle is recognized. Thank you so much. Um I just want to say that this is such an important amendment for so many reasons.
▶ 8:06:46you know, um there have been actual full-blown bills because of literally one incident of a crime victim. And here it is. We have an opportunity to restore and reinstate grant funding, say for programs such as um a program that would enhance access to crime victim services for persons with disabilities, including a grant that provided American Sign Language interpretation
▶ 8:07:16services to domestic violence victims with disabilities. My question is, are we really that cruel? I mean, y'all have done full-blown bills where y'all have, you know, taken away everybody else's due process rights and things like Lance Gooden, Mr. Texas, next door to me. Are are you okay with victims not being able to have access to resources? You're my next door. You you mute because you always talking to Okay, you going to be mute. Okay, that's fine. Uh, I also am curious.
▶ 8:07:46Lance Lance Gooden, Texas. Mr. Goodton. Okay. All right. Well, I'mma just say that you know that I know what I'm talking about. So I that's that's what you mean by sitting there. Did you also realize that while we are going through reconciliation because this supposedly is about saving money and supposedly the Republicans are more fiscally responsible than we are. So we think that victims should have access to resources cut in something like this.
▶ 8:08:15But the report came out today. Did you see the news lance about about President Trump? How uh he spent 220 billion that's what it be? Billion more dollars in his first 100 days than guess who? Joe Biden did in 2024. Imagine that. And and last time I checked, Joe Biden is Democrat.
▶ 8:08:39So I I I just I just want to say that as we go through reconciliation in all seriousness, what is so frustrating for us on this side of the aisle is that we all agree that we should get rid of waste, fraud, and abuse. I think it's how we have defined it. And it seems like if you're talking about victims, then it's okay. It seems like if you're talking about putting law enforcement in an even worse situation, then it's okay.
▶ 8:09:05It seems like if our communities are going to be overrun, then it's okay. It seems like it's okay if it means that um we are going to deport US citizens. It seems like it's okay if we are going to round up babies and tell them that they won't have judges. It seems like it's okay to cut funding for all of that so long as we don't touch the budget as it relates to somebody spending time down in Miraago and golfing. I mean, this is about our priorities.
▶ 8:09:36And right now, we on this side are prioritizing health care. We're prioritizing humanity. We're safety. I'm just saying when y'all have to go home, I I don't know if your constituents are and Lance, your constituents are like right next door to mine. I I don't know if they're going to appreciate some of these votes. With that, I will yield back. Yields back.
▶ 8:10:02Gentleman from Colorado move to strike the last word. Gentleman's recognized. I thank the chairman. I thank the ranking member for the amendment. I think it's a reasonable amendment and I would relish the opportunity to debate the amendment with my colleagues on their side of the aisle. I am very confused by the strategy that they seem to have adopted.
▶ 8:10:24Uh, and I guess I just wanted to test it for myself because I, as I walked in here, one of my colleagues said, "No, if you if you offer to debate them in any way on any subject, they'll refuse to engage with you. They won't respond that there's some sort of, I don't know, tactic that they've adopted." And I said, "There's just no way that that's true." So, I I because I of course serve with Mr. Roy, for example, on the rules committee, and we engage in wholesome debate on that committee. And I just can't believe that this would be a tactic uh he of all people, my friend from Texas, would adopt. Mr.
▶ 8:10:55Roy, seriously, is it you won't you won't respond? We can't have any conversation. Join us. Well, I'm glad to be here. I'm delighted. Would you be willing to debate this particular amendment with me? Because I'd be interested in your What was that? What was that? What was that? It's your time, sir. No, I know. I'm offering you the opportunity.
▶ 8:11:21I I assume you're against this amendment, and I just wonder if you might engage with me for a few moments on why. Nothing. Mr. Roy, come on. I Because here's the thing. I know for a fact you disagree with this strategy. Like, I don't know what Chairman Jordan said to all of you to compel you to say, "We're just get this gag order. You're not allowed to talk for 24 hours." I mean, it is insanity. This is not elementary school. What are we doing, Mr. Tiffany? We serve together on the public lands subcommittee. You're the chairman. We had a wholesome hearing yesterday.
▶ 8:11:51Hours of debate. Do you have any comments on this amendment? I I assume you have a position on it. I would yield. What was that? I don't know. The cameras could capture it. I don't I I think some sort of gesture. I again I cannot believe cannot believe that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have debaced them themselves in this way. I mean, I don't this committee has long been known as a committee that engages in rigorous and robust debate. Mr.
▶ 8:12:22Chairman, could I indulge you? Would you be willing to just debate with me for a moment on this amendment? Nothing. This is probably the only time in the seven years I've been in Congress that Chairman Jordan has refused to bring in. Maybe he'll do make a comment. No, let me do that. Really? I'm happy to yield a moment to you. Would you comment? Do you support this amendment that Mr. Raskin has offered? The simple and straightforward amendment for the What was that? It's a simple and straightforward amendment. Exactly.
▶ 8:12:52That's what he's That's what every amendment I think. No, but this one is a particularly simple and straightforward. I mean, look, here's the thing. This amendment very simple, very straightforward. All it says is that the grants that the Department of Justice has allocated pursuant to the authority that we have given that department for police departments in Ohio in the chairman state that those grants be held harmless.
▶ 8:13:16That these grants that that Doge had managed to cut to local police departments that they be reinstated. That's it. That's all this amendment does. Nothing else. Will the gentleman yield for a minute to one of my Republican colleagues or is it n sorry on the dem Yeah. Well, yeah. I mean, there's not a single Republican colleague of mine that'll engage in any way.
▶ 8:13:39Again, I just think this is it falls short of the standards of this August body and this committee. And Mr. Chairman, I get it. I know you want this hearing to end early. I understand. But why not why not live up to the the the values of this committee and the expectations of this committee and let's let's have a healthy exchange of views back and forth and and we can then let the chips fall where they might.
▶ 8:14:08So I I'll give you one last opportunity on this one. You must come on. You're a kind man. Well, I'll yield to my colleague from Well, I was just going to suggest that um we see if Mr. Van Drew is back there. He's been chomping at the bit to say something. I don't think he's ever spent this many hours uh without speaking. So, I don't know if he's back in the uh the anti room over there, but that certainly that might be your best bet.
▶ 8:14:37Yeah, I look I think he's in hiding and you know it's it's consistent with the approach that my colleagues have regretfully taken over the course of the last couple weeks. Most of them not holding town halls. Constituents can't find them. And lo and behold, now here in the committee where we're supposed to be debating these kinds of amendments and you know aren't willing to say a word. And I we've been here before. I mean we had the reconciliation debate of course when Democrats were in the majority. I served on this committee and we had a debate.
▶ 8:15:03There was never an order from the chairman to say you're not allowed to say a single word for 24 hours. That just that was never an edict that came down from chairman Nappler. I don't think I don't recall that. So anyway, uh I see I'm out of time. Certainly not. Thank you. Gentleman's time is expired. The gentle lady from Georgia is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
▶ 8:15:22I want to uh speak in support of this amendment, but I just want to just say I was really privileged to join a letter uh campaign with the ranking member and other august members of this uh body in supporting of you know the grant funding for a lot of the initiatives that have now been deemed unjustified and terminated by Trump's Department of Justice.
▶ 8:15:48One of them I want to talk about in all serious seriousness now because this is really serious business and I know that we've kind of been able to banter back and forth but honestly this is really serious because the American people need to really pay attention to what's happening here tonight. What's been happening here all day long is an inability of our Republican colleagues to take this seriously and to care about the welfare, the protection and the safety of the Justice Department.
▶ 8:16:17your public safety and what's going to happen in this country if we do not stand and defend democracy, civil liberties, and defend you. And so, let's even talk about the Valor program. It was a program that is now defunct that was aimed at supporting law enforcement. And you claim to be the party that supports enforcement. It supports officer wellness and officer safety.
▶ 8:16:43something surely that I hope that you all would want to support. It provides state and local and tribal law enforcement with in-person and web-based training and technical assistance to directly affect officer safety and wellness. Now, if you're going to call yourselves the party of supporting our men and women in blue, then this should be something that you should really want to reinstate.
▶ 8:17:10You cannot continue to be the party that says one thing and does another because trust me, the American people are watching. And this has not been funny business all day long. We have been seriously trying to have constructive debate with you. The American people deserve that. They deserve far better than what they've been getting today.
▶ 8:17:31And it is a tragedy that we're wasting taxpayer dollars because this system is not working the way it was designed to work. And shame on us. Shame on us for sitting here and playing with the American people's civil liberties and their rights and they are on the line.
▶ 8:17:54And for everybody that is watching in America, I hope you're really paying attention to the direction that this country is going in under this administration. So, I know that everyone has had time to banter and laugh about this, but this is serious business. So, let's work on reinstating the funding for these critical initiatives that it's something that all of us should be supporting.
▶ 8:18:17So I urge my colleagues to take this seriously, have constructive debate, do not underserve the American public because this is what you've been doing today. And I yield back. Well, will will the gentle lady yield just for a moment? Yes, I'm more than happy to yield to the gentleman from I want to thank the the very distinguished gentle lady from Georgia for those powerful remarks that I hope uh give everybody uh a moment to pause and think about what's been happening here.
▶ 8:18:45Uh we've been in session for eight hours now. Um I believe that uh the members of the minority have advanced a whole series of amendments on the weightiest of topics including due process and uh birthright citizenship and freedom of speech and so on. We have tried to advance arguments um in a thoughtful and deliberative way. We've tried to keep good humor with all of our colleagues.
▶ 8:19:12We've obviously gotten the silent treatment today uh from our friends across the aisle. Um the reason the Constitution protects our speech and debate is because the framers wanted us to engage in speech and debate. There are profound things going on in America right now. Very serious, heavy things taking place with the Trump administration. We need to be talking about them.
▶ 8:19:36It'd be one thing if they were listening to all of these eloquent evidence-based speeches on this side and the voting with us, but our friends have listened to all of them and just voted against us without uttering a peep.
▶ 8:19:49they've been uh exercising their privilege against political self-inccrimination perhaps under the first and the fifth amendment because perhaps they don't really want to be associated with what Donald Trump is doing but they also perhaps don't want to take a stand against Donald Trump um within their own caucus but for whatever reason they seem to be tied up in knots today I feel proud of our members here who have taken a very serious position on behalf of freedom liberty the
▶ 8:20:19rule of law and community resources for law enforcement in America. Thank you for yielding and I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentle lady from Vermont is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh I move to strike the last word. Gentle is recognized.
▶ 8:20:40Like my colleague from Georgia, uh I'm deeply concerned about other programs that are being cut because of this, you know, cut that is being carried out by someone. We we don't even know who this person is. Nobody in here called for these cuts as as the the ranking member has said. Not anyone in the House, not anyone in the Senate, nobody in the White House is taking responsibility.
▶ 8:21:08So somebody in Doge makes the decision to make these cuts and one of the things that's also going to be cut or has been cut rather it's already happened correct it's already happened is the comprehensive opioid abuse sitebased program now nearly onethird of Americans know somebody who's died of an overdose can you imagine a third of this country, you know,
▶ 8:21:38somebody who's died. I know in my hometown of Broad, Vermont, we've had many people who have died from substance use disorder, have been impacted so horribly from the opioid epidemic. And this this cutting of these funds is going to have a devastating impact on these organizations that are working to bring us back from the brink of this destruction.
▶ 8:22:06This this is meant to reduce opioid abuse, reduce the number of overdose overdose fatalities, mitigate the impact on crime victims by supporting comprehensive collaborative initiatives. And I know every single member in here, every single district has been touched by the opioid crisis.
▶ 8:22:31And it's just shocking to me that we can't engage in a conversation here about these programs that have been cut and we can't even identify where it's even come from. That some rogue person in Doge who has no accountability has made these decisions for our communities. And I just I absolutely support this amendment. I am shocked that we can't have a conversation about programs that our constituents that our communities desperately need.
▶ 8:23:00And you're right to the to the member from Georgia. This is not a joke. This is deadly serious. Will will the gentle lady yield? Absolutely. Um I just wonder if the gentle lady is aware that um as we've seen in prior similar cases, certain people who have the right political juice have been able to get to Doge to get some of these restored, but others have not. That's right. So, as far as I can tell, the opioid grants have not been restored. the juvenile justice grants have not been restored.
▶ 8:23:30But other people, if they know the right person, then suddenly it's no longer waste, fraud, and abuse. Suddenly, it's an urgent expenditure by uh co-presidents Musk and Trump. And this is just an absurd way for us to proceed. Um Congress is allocating the money and they got the money, they distributed the money, and now Doge gets rid of all of it, but then it restores it to the people who have an inside political track. That's exactly right.
▶ 8:23:57And and let's let's talk about that kind of grift, that kind of corruption that some members of Congress can pull the strings to get funds for the people in their district, but others do not. What kind of country is this that you can pull the strings, you can go behind the scenes, you can make a call to somebody important that can release those funds for your district? It's obscene. If the gentle lady would indulge me, one more question.
▶ 8:24:26I understand that Senator Grassly was able to get a program restored, but I saw that he went to a town hall meeting and his constituents were actually fighting for everybody, saying that DOE should not be allowed to sabotage all of these programs across the country. They weren't doing special pleading.
▶ 8:24:43But now we have certain politicians who say, "I don't have the courage necessarily to take on Doge and Elon Musk and to actually challenge Trump, but I will try to use uh my inside track to get grants restored in one community or one district." And that's just a dishonorable way to go. It is dishonorable. And I agree with the ranking member that this is not what Americans want there.
▶ 8:25:05his constituents were pissed about what he had done because they knew that we are supposed to be a a collection of states that are we are looking after each other. We're looking after each each Americans regardless of what zip code they live in. And it's just absolutely patently wrong that you could have a member or a senator be able to work their way around to get a program reinstated for their district but not for everybody else. That's not how it's supposed to work in this country.
▶ 8:25:35I yield back. Gentle lady yields back. Gentle lady from Washington's recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, I wanted to seek unanimous consent to introduce into the record an article from the New York Times called Republicans love Trump spending cuts, just not in their states. Objection.
▶ 8:25:54I think this is really an important point that's happening here because with the silence of my Republican colleagues across the aisle, what you're hearing is a constant uh essentially bowing down to things that you may or may not agree with. I really have no idea because nobody will speak on that side of the aisle. I mean, it's really stunning in the judiciary committee that we can't get anybody to say why they oppose or support an amendment. We really don't know.
▶ 8:26:24But at the end of the day, what's happening is behind the scenes, people are going and advocating for money to come back in even when publicly they are allowing for that money to be cut. They're actually advocating for the money to be cut publicly because they're so afraid of Donald Trump that they got to do everything Donald Trump says, at least not speak out about it publicly.
▶ 8:26:50but then going behind the scenes in a sneaky little way to say, "But please don't cut it in my district because actually my constituents need it." And so it becomes uh a real hypocrisy actually um in terms of what we're doing here. Do you support it or do you not? Do you support it for everyone? Do you support these cuts for everyone or do you not?
▶ 8:27:14And are we going to allow to the ranking members point, are we going to allow somebody that nobody knows who they are to just unilaterally take the power away from members of Congress who appropriated those funds? And that's another thing throughout this whole debate today that has just stuck with me. Will the gentleman lady yield for one question? Yeah, you bet.
▶ 8:27:38So you you make a a serious point about the individual hypocrisy of people who are unwilling to challenge it in public but go behind the scenes to do some special pleading. But systemically, wouldn't you say that it turns us into something like a tinpot dictator kind of state where if you're politically aligned with the inroup, you can get money for your people. That's right. But then nobody else gets it. And so that is also a major assault on the rule of law.
▶ 8:28:08That's right. No, you're you're absolutely right. And I think it is I mean I also just can't imagine because we have some really smart people on the other side of the aisle, people I've worked with on a lot of issues, including the chairman, including many others. And what I don't understand is why would you voluntarily give up your power as a member of Congress? I mean, why run for Congress?
▶ 8:28:33Why be here if you actually can't do anything that you think is right for your constituents? So much so that you have to go behind the scenes and advocate privately for something that publicly you said you supported. Some cut that you publicly supported, but now you can't actually support that cut because it's not good for the people who elected you, who rep who you represent. And so you got to go behind the scenes and say and plead with somebody that you don't know to please restore your cuts.
▶ 8:29:02And then maybe that buys your silence for the next time. Um maybe that's part of this as well is that you're getting the benefit of going and advocating and and not saying anything publicly so that you can get that benefit for yourself.
▶ 8:29:16So, I just think this this article is is really really important because it outlines all of the ways in which Republicans and it specifically names people um uh senators and House members who did this who who publicly opposed who publicly supported cuts and then went and tried to salvage programs that were cut because they were so bad for their district.
▶ 8:29:46So maybe you all should check this article out, see if you're in here. Um because I think this this is serious. You know, why why be a member of Congress if you aren't going to say anything for let's see 8 hours and 15 minutes that we've been here and you're not going to say anything publicly to oppose the very cuts that privately you're trying to make sure don't happen in your district. That seems like a travesty and cowardly.
▶ 8:30:14Um, frankly, which is not something I would expect from all of the members on the other side of the aisle. I I yield back. Gentle lady yields back. Question occurs on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Maryland. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed, no. No. In the opinion of the chair, the nos have it. Could I request a recorded vote, please? The clerk will call the role. Mr. Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa, Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Biggs, Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr.
▶ 8:30:44Mcccleintoch Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no Mr. Tiffany Mr. Tiffany votes no Mr. Massie Mr. Roy Mr. Roy votes no Mr. Fitzgerald Mr. Fitzgerald votes no Mr. Klein Mr. Klein votes no Mr. Gooden Mr. Gooden votes no Mr. Vandrew Mr. Nells Mr. Moore Mr. Moore votes no Mr. Kylie Mr. Mr. Kylie votes no. Miss Hagamman, no.
▶ 8:31:13Miss Hagamman votes no. Miss Lee, Mr. Hunt. Mr. Fry, no. Mr. Fry votes no. Mr. Growthman, no. Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr. Knott, Mr. Knotes no. Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Hder, no. Mr. Herder votes no. Mr. Schmidt. Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gill. Mr. Gill votes no. Mr. Bumgardner, no. Mr. Bum Garner votes no. Mr.
▶ 8:31:41Raskin, Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler, Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Lofrren, Miss Lafrren votes I. Mr. Cohen, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Johnson votes I. Swallwell, Mr. Swallwell votes I. Mr. Lou, Miss Gyipol, Miss Gipol votes I. Mr. Korea, Mr. Caro votes I. Miss Scandan. Miss Scandan votes I. Mr.
▶ 8:32:10Negus Mr. Negus votes I. Miss Mcbath. Miss Mcbath votes I. Miss Ross. Miss Ross votes I. Miss Ballant. Miss Balent votes I. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Camel Dove. Mr. Moscowitz. I. Mr. Mosquitz votes I. Mr. Goldman. I Mr. Goldman votes I. Miss Crockett. Miss Crockett votes I. Mr. Mr. Nells votes no. Mr.
▶ 8:32:39Van Drew, you are not recorded. Mr. Van Drew votes no. Clerk will report. Mr. Chairman, there are 16 eyes and 22 nos. The amendment is not agreed to.
▶ 8:33:13is gentleman from California, Illinois. Illinois, excuse me, Mr. Garcia. Uh, chairman, I have a an amendment at the desk. Clerk will report reserve point of order reserved by the gentleman from Amendment to the amendment. Objection. The amendment will be cons. Gentleman from Illinois is recognized. Thank you, uh, chairman. Uh, this amendment should be an easy yes for every member of the committee.
▶ 8:33:41All it says is ICE cannot use this funding to detain or remove DACA recipients. People have who have DACA meet a long list of requirements. They came to the US as children. They resided in the US continuously from 2007 until the time they filed for deferred action. They passed the background check.
▶ 8:34:06They have no criminal history and have already been found to pose no threat to national security or public safety. These are people who have protection against deportation. They go to school. They work. They pay taxes. There is ongoing litigation against the DACA program, but as of today, it remains active and DACA recipients are protected from removal.
▶ 8:34:31So, all this amendment does is ensure that ICE doesn't deport people who already have deferred action. Polls show the public overwhelmingly supports protections for DACA recipients. So, ensuring that we protect these people is not only moral, but it's popular. I urge all my colleagues to support DACA recipients and to vote for this amendment. I yield back. Gentlemen yields. Gentleman yields. The question occurs on the gentleman's amendment.
▶ 8:35:01Gentleman from uh Illinois's amendment. All those in favor say I. Those opposed? No. No. Opinion of the chair. The nos have it. The clerk will call the role. Mr. Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa. Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Biggs. Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. Mcccleintoch M. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr. Massie Mr. Roy Mr. Roy votes no. Mr. Fitzgerald Mr. Fitzgerald votes no. Mr.
▶ 8:35:31Klein Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Gooden. Mr. Gooden votes no. Mr. Vandrew. Mr. Vandrew votes no. Mr. Nells. Mr. Nells votes no. Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore votes no. No. Mr. Kylie. Mr. Kylie votes no. Miss Hagamman, no. Miss Haggamman votes no. Miss Lee, Mr. Hunt. Mr. Fry, Mr. Fry votes no. Mr. Growthman, Mr. Growthman votes no.
▶ 8:36:01Mr. Knott, Mr. Knott votes no. Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Ander, Mr. Ander votes no. Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gill, Mr. Gill votes no. Mr. Bombgardner, Mr. Mr. Bombgardner votes no. Mr. Raskin I. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler I. Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Lren. Miss Lingring votes I. Mr. Cohen. Mr. Johnson. Mr.
▶ 8:36:30Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallow. Mr. Swallow votes I. Mr. Lou. Miss Jipal. Mr. Eyipal votes I. Mr. Korea. Mr. Kao votes I. Miss Scandan. Miss Scanland votes I. Mr. Mr. Noose. Mr. Negus votes I. Miss Mcbath. Miss McBth votes I. Miss Ross. Miss Ross votes I. Miss Ballot. Miss Balant votes I. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Cam Logger Dove.
▶ 8:37:01Miss Camlagger Dove votes I. Mr. Mosquitz. Mr. Moscowitz votes I. Mr. Goldman. Mr. Goldman votes I. Miss Crockett. Miss Crockett votes I.
▶ 8:37:32Mr. Chairman, there are 17 eyes and 22 nos. The move is not agreed to. Gentleman from Florida. Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have four amendments that I would like to consider uh on block. They are amendments Mosquitz 35, Mosquitz 34, Mosquitz 36, and Mosquitz 39. Without objection, only if they're straightforward and simple. They Yeah, that's fine. It's math.
▶ 8:37:58The clerk will report Well, they're cutting school uh school funding, so maybe they can amendment to the amendment and the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Moscowitz of Florida.
▶ 8:38:23Without objection, the amendments will be considered the amendments in the amendments will be considered in bunk and considered as red and the gentleman from Florida is recognized to explain his four amendments. All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. All right. Judiciary after dark. Uh so 100 days into the administration, Mr. Chairman, the golden age. Some are saying, many perhaps that even William Henry Harrison had a better 100 days. Um but I want to talk about the economy because that will explain uh my amendments.
▶ 8:38:53Goldman Sachs is now saying the United States will have the lowest economic growth and the highest inflation of any developed country, all related to tariffs. The Dow's down 3,000 points. consumer sentiment has fallen 32% since Trump took office. The largest decline since the '9s. Um, and then you know there's this like you know Trump in January 29, 2024 after inauguration says this is the Trump stock market. It's his stock market.
▶ 8:39:22And then on April 30th happened and he says this is Biden's stock market, not Trump's. So anyway, uh and then today what he said was even even more interesting. He said and even the next quarter that will sort of be Biden's also kind of telling us that it's going to get it's going to get worse. So Mr. Chairman, listen. In the spirit of Doge, I present to you four amendments that have over 900 million.
▶ 8:39:52Some people would say that's a billion, okay, of savings to the American people. I decided to dozege your budget. Uh even though the Doge caucus in Congress is dead, it met twice. I know. I was there. It did nothing. It was never included. Uh instead, what we got was a executive branch Doge program that fought fell 80% less lower than their goal. Uh they left the E out in Doge. They didn't do anything that was efficient. They've not helped government become more efficient, just the dog part.
▶ 8:40:22Um and and so what I did, Mr. chairman is I use the exact same metric that Elon Musk used. I just made it up. So, let's go with page. Let's just go with page 70. Okay. On page 70, you want to put $700 million into the IT budget. I propose we make that 600 million. Save the American people $100 million. 600 million for computers, Mr. Chairman, sounds like a lot of money.
▶ 8:40:49Uh my next amendment in there is on page 75. You guys want to spend $1.3 billion dollar to hire lawyers? You guys starting a law firm? I mean, did didn't Trump get like billions of dollars of like pro bono work out of all of the law firms? So, what I would propose what I propose, Mr. Chairman, is instead of 1.3 billion, we just spend a billion. How about a billion on lawyers? That sounds like a lot of money.
▶ 8:41:19A billion on lawyers. Uh oh. New cars. Homeland needs new cars. So, you guys want to spend $250 million on new cars? I propose$125 million. Feel like they could probably get away with 125 million in in new cars. Not not 250. I know cars are more expensive because of the tariffs, but at the end of the day, I feel like 125 million is a lot of money. And then this one's my favorite.
▶ 8:41:45I don't know if you know this, but you guys have $858 million. again, almost a billion, okay, of money to give out bonuses to to people. And so, listen, bonuses are great when people do good work, but 858 million sounds like a lot of money. That's like a $40,000 bonus to every employee in all of in all of ICE. So, I would How about 500 million? How about 500 million to to the for bonuses? Okay, we can do this together.
▶ 8:42:13We can show the American people there's a there's like a little bit of waste here. Little bit of waste. So, I can help you capture, Mr. chairman, $93 million. We can save a billion together, show the American people we're serious. Well, will the gentleman yield for a question? Of course I will. Um, you raise a profoundly serious point in your inimitable way, Mr. Moscow. It's um what the the bonuses that that is a huge bonus budget. What does that work out?
▶ 8:42:40Have you done the math to see what that works out in terms of bonus per ICE $42,000 for every employee in a bonus in addition to their salary. A $42,000 bonus. 42,000. And and I because you and I sometimes are symbiotic. You're probably going to ask me what is the average bonus for the American worker in this country. Do you know what that is? It's $2,500. That's the average Christmas bonus is $2,500.
▶ 8:43:10The average Christmas bonus because Christmas is back. The average Christmas bonus is $2500, but they want to give 42,000. And what I would suggest in my amendment is instead of 42,000, they get 25,000. That sounds like a lot of money. Well, it seems to me you've probably hit upon the one thing we really could effectuate a compromise on. Although, I don't know that we're going to be able to talk to them about it, but maybe they'll just vote for it. I mean, listen, if listen, if if no one there wants to talk, bring in Comr. He'll definitely talk to me.
▶ 8:43:45Gentleman's time has expired. Uh and I see the hands coming up. Okay. Gentleman from California I think was the first one up. Thank you, Chairman. Um the silence. I want to talk a little bit more about the silence. I'm going to invite Professor Rascin in on this.
▶ 8:44:05Um, professor, we have alleged that this legislation which would further deport kids with cancer who are American citizens, that would deport and exile American citizens, that would allow the firing of veterans who work at the Department of Justice, that would allow the hiring of January 6th writers at the Department of Justice.
▶ 8:44:29We've alleged that that is cruel and My colleagues across the other side have said nothing. We we've given them multiple opportunities to defend it. Now I do my CLLE, my continued legal education, but I'm a little rusty. I've been here for 13 years. You're not rusty. In the law, I remember something called like an adoptive admission.
▶ 8:44:58So if I say to the other side, what you're doing is cruel. What you're doing is incompetent. And it's just like zip, heads down. Kind of like like what my kids do when you catch them with their hand in the cookie jar and they don't want to talk about it. What is an adoptive admission? What does it mean that they're being so silent? And what could you conclude in the law that they've been accused of being cruel and incompetent and deporting kids with cancer who are citizens and they say nothing? What's an adoptive admission?
▶ 8:45:28Well, an adoptive or a constructive admission as it's sometimes called means in certain contexts that you can construe someone's silence as agreement with a particular proposition. Um, in criminal court, of course, you can't do that. If someone chooses not to testify in uh criminal court, the privilege against self-inccrimination under the fifth amendment means that the uh prosecutors can't get up and say, "I'm going to challenge you though, professor.
▶ 8:45:56Now, say somebody's accused of murdering their wife and it's not in court and it's, you know, proceedings have not happened yet. They're a suspect and you say very publicly to that person, "You murdered your wife." And you say in front of like 10 people and they just put their head down. Doesn't the law say that an ordinary innocent person in that environment, not in court, would defend themselves and say, "No, I didn't do that." A absolutely.
▶ 8:46:19And in fact, in civil court, um, a refusal to testify can be used against you and your silence can be uh, ascribed to your agreement with the proposition. Okay, let me try it one more time.
▶ 8:46:35Your bill will deport more kids who are American citizens with I don't think they want to answer that.
▶ 8:47:03The silence is defining tells us everything we need. Would the gentleman yield? Yes. Let's do it a different way. How about this? Raise your hand if you do not think children with cancer who are American citizens should be deported. Do not do nothing.
▶ 8:47:32Looks like it's all the Democrats and none of the Republicans. Now I Mr. Swallow if I could just continue and ask a question because um you raised an interesting interesting point on the sort of abdoptive or constructive admission especially the distinction between a criminal investigation and a civil investigation.
▶ 8:47:59So, if a president orders the Department Justice to criminally investigate uh his former administration officials because they spoke out against him, does that mean in a criminal context that they if they are asked a question and they remain silent that it can or cannot be used against In a criminal
▶ 8:48:29context, it cannot be used against I see. Okay. So, so they really benefit, I guess, from being under criminal investigation for speaking out against the president. Um, dissenting as they say. So, luckily for them, and I guess unluckily for our colleagues over there who are not under criminal investigation, they could just speak up and say something. They could they could and they don't get. Okay. Thank you. I yield back. Yield back.
▶ 8:49:00Time of the gentleman has expired. Who seeks recognition? The gentle lady from California. Thank you. I Mr. Chair, I move to strike the last word. You know, I am rusty uh when it comes to new math. And so I would like to yield my time to my colleague from Florida so he can continue to educate us on um this budget and the savings and the dog, the doge, all of that. Oh, thank you uh to the to the gentle lady from California. Yes.
▶ 8:49:30So again, these are very simple, straightforward amendments like the chairman like the chairman left. I'll do it. I'll do it again. We'll do it quickly. You guys with no justification want to spend $250 million on new cars for ICE in a time in which we're telling the American people we have to spend less. In the time we're telling the American people that we have a $ 36 trillion deficit, we're going to go buy new cars, probably Teslas, maybe.
▶ 8:50:00Yeah, I'm not it's unclear, but $250 million new. I just think $125 million. I'm not I'm not zeroing the line item out. There could be a need, but I think $125 million is enough. Again, it Okay, so they need new laptops, right? They need new MacBooks. Not Not a problem. Instead of 700 million on it, why is 600 million not enough?
▶ 8:50:24You provide zero justification on why we need $700 million new network IT computers, modems, flip phones. I I have no idea what we're buying. There's no justification. So I say 600 million. That's a lot of money. 600 million is a lot of money to go to the Apple store. It It's a lot. Okay. And then again, lawyers. You guys are going to spend $1.3 billion on lawyers.
▶ 8:50:54What is the justification for 1.3 billion on lawyers? What's wrong? I'm giving you a billion dollars. You can't take yes for a billion. Hey, like how how many lawyers can you even hire for a billion dollars? I don't even know the answer to that. But you want 1.3 billion. No justification why we need to spend that. And again, back to the bonuses. No justification. 858 billion. Why is it 858? 850 wasn't enough.
▶ 8:51:22paid 58 billion on bonuses. Okay, for people in ICE, I'm giving you 500 million. We could save a billion dollars right now. Show the American people we're serious about cutting waste. Will the general lady yield to, you know, I would yield even though I thought it was curious when you talked about the law firms considering this administration is also asking all of these law firms to do all of this legal all they got tons of proono work. Oh my god, everyone's bending over backwards to give them proono work.
▶ 8:51:51But now we need $1.3 billion dollars. We spend less going to the moon. I yield to the congresswoman from Texas. I think I have some ideas about why we need all those lawyers because when you start deporting, say, US citizens and and you leave them in random countries, uh it will cost you some money when you have to defend why and how somebody didn't get their due process. I think a billion dollars is a lot of money to go to El Salvador. Well, okay. I agree.
▶ 8:52:20Um, but I I wanted to ask you about that last part because as we sit here and the hour is now 10:40 p.m. We have been here all day and I am looking in the faces of these tired staffers that are sitting around. Are you guys getting a bonus? I don't see a bonus in here for you. So that's so that's the that's the part that I'm curious about. You said that on average the average person would get a bonus of $44,000.
▶ 8:52:50Did you realize that in the house these staffers that are working have to put all these boards together because you like to have your your boards and stuff? our staffers. Do you know that the least amount that a staffer can be paid for the entire year, not in a bonus, but right here in the house, the people that are doing the hard work for each and every one of us $45,000. 45.
▶ 8:53:17That's what some people are going to get for doing what I put up on the video, breaking people's windows out, which is last time I checked, the criminal code was a crime. But nevertheless, why would we be rewarding people that are going and snatching children and they are snatching the wrong children half the time. And then the children that they are snatching, they probably shouldn't be snatching them either. And then we got people that are literally busting people's windows out. Another reason they need the law the the lawyers.
▶ 8:53:48We've got them doing all of that and literally they're going to get a bonus that is equivalent to what the lowest paid staffers in the house make. Make that make sense for me and I'll yield. Gentle lady yields. Whoever had the time yields back. Uh the question occurs on the four amendments offered in bonk by the gentleman from Florida. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed no. No. Pain of the chair. The nos have it.
▶ 8:54:18You want to record? You want to record? Yeah. Yeah. No. Yeah. No. Tammy. Okay. Uh, independent chair. The nose have it. The amendments are not adopted. The from Texas. I'll read it real fast. Um, anyway, that's interesting. Thank you. I have an that clerk will report the amendment.
▶ 8:54:48Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute. The amendment will be considered as read. Point of order reserved by a gentleman from California. Gentle from Texas is recognized to explain the amendment. Just uh Mr. Chairman, my amendment today strikes the provision of the bill that uses federal taxpayer dollars to quote conduct an examination of the AC unaccompanied alien child for gang related tattoos and other gang related markings.
▶ 8:55:13Since I was sworn into Congress, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle continue finding new ways to engage in this strange obsession with having adults and the federal government examine children's bodies. First, it was the trans kids. Now, it's the immigrant and the unaccompanied kids. So, really, it's any kid that looks different or looks like they were born in a different part of the world.
▶ 8:55:40These are the kids they want to force having to go to undergo traumatic strip search and quote examinations. Kids as young as 12 years old. And let's be clear, these kids are in sixth or seventh grade during vulnerable pre-teen years who will experience a violation of their body in addition to the already traumatic experience of being detained alone in a country they don't know.
▶ 8:56:05So, what I'm trying to do with my amendment is protect these kids, a group of vulnerable people whom my Republican colleagues continuously say they are always wanting to protect our children. I know there are colleagues here in this room, Republican and Democrats who have children. I am not one.
▶ 8:56:24I can bet that none of you would ever want to allow anybody to look at your 12-year-old child's body to have them stripped down and exposed and inspected by strangers and government officers. And to be very clear, tattoos don't prove that someone's in a gang.
▶ 8:56:45In fact, more and more people have been falsely targeted for having a tattoo recently by this administration despite having no gang affiliation or criminal record. And I will point out for the record that um y'all's favorite secretary uh y'all Secretary Pete, he got upset about the questions that he got about the tattoo that he had when he was going through his confirmation hearings.
▶ 8:57:11and there were questions about whether or not they were associated with white supremacy. We also have Mr. Alvarado, a Dallasbased baker who was detained by ICE and sent to the terrorism confinement center without due process solely because of his tattoo of a colorful autism awareness ribbon. And we are still barely within autism awareness month right now. Mr.
▶ 8:57:39Alvarado's so-called gang tattoo was a puzzle piece to honor his brother with autism. That tattoo ultimately was what sent him to the notorious mega prison in El Salvador. I want to be very clear, my amendment doesn't prevent DHS from requesting a kid's criminal record or having HHS evaluate that kids aren't a danger to themselves or others. What this is about is preventing kids from unnecessary strip searches and being traumatized in the process.
▶ 8:58:09I urge my colleagues to adopt this amendment and I yield the remainder of my time to the ranking member. Um, thank you. Um, would you I wonder if you would restate for everybody what the fundamental importance of this amendment is and then I think I've got an example that might be able to help. I mean, the fundamental importance of this is honestly privacy.
▶ 8:58:34I don't know why we want to traumatize children and take them through strip searches and truly violate them. And when we think about how vulnerable some of these children are that have made this trek, we have already discussed the fact that these are the children that a lot of times potentially are most vulnerable to being trafficked in the first place. So why would we then as the federal government engage in this type of behavior when it comes to children?
▶ 8:59:05Is it your understanding that the purpose of these physical exams is primarily to look for tattoos? It is primarily to look for tattoos. Yeah. Um th this whole tattoo thing is kind of astonishing how it's gotten out of a h gotten out of hand because it seems like in a lot of the cases of people who've been falsely deported.
▶ 8:59:28Um I mean of course we doubt that there's any authority just to take anybody without due process but um a lot of people who are suffering from a case of completely mistaken identity uh are there because of tattoos. Yeah. Um, and the idea that this could be happening to children, to young people, seems pretty appalling to me. So, I I thank you for introducing the amendment.
▶ 8:59:52And absolutely, and we could solve some of this if we just had due process as well, so people could explain this is autism in case you don't know. But yeah, gentle ladies uh yields back. The question occurs on the amendment offered by the gentle lady from Texas. All those in favor say I. Those opposed. Are you d all those opposed you dying to talk Mr. Negus? You just have to very insistent. All right.
▶ 9:00:21Very consistent. God bless you. We'll hold off on that vote. The gentleman from Colorado is recognized. I I thank the chairman. Uh I just know that Mr. Van Drew is back and I want to make sure I gave him an a chance or an opportunity to defend his his name and he was mentioned in several debates and exchanges and colloquies previously and I just want to make sure he has an opportunity to respond. What was that? What's special about those?
▶ 9:00:50Why why not What was that? No, no, no, no. The time below the gentleman from Colorado is the chairman. You're directing Mr. Vandrew not to talk. No, no, no. He was responding in I was directing Mr. Biggs not to jump in on your time. Oh, I if Mr. Biggs wants to jump in, I'm happy to. I'm I know he's Well, I wasn't directing Mr. Lett Mr. Biggs know that the time belonged to the gentleman from Colorado.
▶ 9:01:21So, no one. Okay. Mr. from Mosquit for sure. Okay. All right. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. It was important we took that a minute and 10 seconds right there for the gentleman from Colorado. Uh the question occurs on the amendment from the gentle lady from Texas. All those in favor say I. Those opposed, no. No. In the opinion of the chair, the nose have it.
▶ 9:01:50Mine is ask for a recorded vote. Recorded vote is requested. Go. The clerk will call the role. Mr. Mr. Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa, Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Biggs, Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. McCcleintok, Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr. Massie, Mr. Roy, Mr. Roy votes no. Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Fitzgerald votes no. Mr. Klene, Mr. Gooden, Mr. Gooden votes no. Mr. Vandrew, Mr.
▶ 9:02:20Vandrew votes no. Mr. Nells, Mr. Moore, Mr. Kylie, Miss Haggamman, Miss Lee, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Fry, Mr. Fry votes no. Mr. Growthman, Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr. Knot, Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Herder, Mr. And votes no. Mr. Schmidt, Mr.
▶ 9:02:50Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gil, Mr. Gil votes no. Mr. Mr. Bombgardner. Mr. Bombgardner votes no. Mr. Rascin. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler. Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Laughrin. Miss Lofrren. Miss Lofrren votes I. Mr. Cohen. Mr. Johnson. Mr. Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallwell. Mr. Swallow votes I. Mr. Lou. Miss. Gyipol.
▶ 9:03:20Miss. Gyipol votes I. Mr. Korea. Mr. Korea votes I. Miss Scandlin. Miss Scanland votes I. Mr. Negus I. Mr. Nagus votes I. Miss. McBth. Miss McBth votes I. Miss. Ross. Miss. Ross votes I. Miss. Ballot. Miss Ballot votes I. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss. Camel. Dove. Miss Camlager. Dove votes I.................... M.................... Moss. Hi. Mr. Mosquitz votes I. Mr. Goldman. Miss Crockett. I. Miss.
▶ 9:03:48Crockett votes Mr. Moore, Mr. Moore votes no. Mr. Klein votes no. Mr. Not votes no. Mr. Kylie votes no. Mr. Nells votes no. Miss Haggman votes no.
▶ 9:04:33Clerk report. Mr. Chairman, there are 16 eyes and 22 nos. Amendment is not agreed to. I'm told this is the last one from our good friends on the Democrat side. The gentle lady from Washington is recognized. Well, I don't know. I think it depends on depends on what happens. uh I I know you're going to be shocked to hear this, but I have a very simple and straightforward straightforward simple amendment. The clerk will report amendment to the amendment.
▶ 9:05:03Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Uh the gentle is recognized plain amendment point of order reserved by the gentleman from California. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My uh simple and straightforward amendment um says that none of the funds can be used to conduct civil immigration enforcement actions at shelters for women who experience domestic violence.
▶ 9:05:25One of the very first actions that the Trump administration took was to cancel a policy that had been put in place in 2011. So, it's been in existence for 14 years that prohibits ICE from conducting enforcement actions in domestic violence shelters. That policy stated, this is a quote, that particular care should be used with any organization assisting victims of crime or abuse.
▶ 9:05:55Ending protections for people trying to escape domestic violence only empowers abusers. And I can't imagine that my colleagues across the aisle want to encourage abusers. Trump's lack of enforcement priorities and attacks on all immigrant communities is having a devastating impact.
▶ 9:06:12And specifically, if you look at domestic violence organizations, organizations that I've been involved with for a very long time, during the first term in office, during Trump's first term in office, organizations working with domestic violence survivors reported that nearly 80% of immigrant victims were scared to report their abuse to the police.
▶ 9:06:34Workers at domestic violence shelters reported traumatized women afraid to come forward out of fear that they would be separated from their children or deported. And they also reported that women were no longer coming to the shelter after the first or the second incident of domestic violence and instead they would only come to the shelter after they were so severely beaten that they were running for their lives.
▶ 9:07:00Now, we're starting to see the same pattern emerge again, except this time it's even worse. The Trump administration gutted the Division of Violence Prevention at the CDC and placed the head of HHS's Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services on leave. Those are two offices within our government that work to prevent domestic violence.
▶ 9:07:22Funding for nonprofits that help support survivors of domestic violence has been frozen while the administration evaluates if their mission quote aligns with the president's agenda. So I guess if you're working on domestic violence prevention somehow you don't align with the president's agenda. My question is does it align with the agenda of those across the aisle that are sitting here tonight?
▶ 9:07:47Is it okay to have domestic violence uh not be able to report their abuse and to be beaten severely? It is incredibly disturbing to think about what is happening to our survivors of violence. In addition to Trump's broader attacks on the support network for survivors of domestic violence, the administration has also gone after immigrant survivors.
▶ 9:08:14There are several of the thousands of students who had their visas canled by the administration that were survivors of domestic violence. One in particular, she and her partner were both arrested after he assaulted her. This is a common occurrence in domestic violence situations. And as the victim, she wasn't charged with a crime, but because of that interaction with the police, ICE arbitrarily canceled her visa. These are the very stories that empower abusers.
▶ 9:08:42There's a much older case that I wanted to call your attention to. An abuser called ICE to go after his victim who was hiding at a domestic violence shelter. And after the local police chief called the shelter director to explain that ICE just wanted to ask the victim questions, the shelter director allowed ICE agents to enter. And ICE immediately then arrested the victim and put her in removal proceedings.
▶ 9:09:09So, in the midst of all of everything that's happening tonight, I want to bring into the room the survivors of domestic vi uh domestic assault, domestic violence that are absolutely terrified. And I want to ask each of you to think about what that might mean for a survivor of domestic violence.
▶ 9:09:27To know that prosecutors are now reporting that women who had been cooperating with them to bring cases against their abusive spouses have now gone silent because nobody on that side of the aisle is speaking up to say we need to pro protect victims and survivors of domestic violence. Nobody is speaking up for these women who are so terrified that if they go out and confront their abusers that they are going to be deported.
▶ 9:09:57And that just makes it impossible for law enforcement to gain the trust of victims. And it allows violence against women to proliferate and make our communities less safe. So this is a sensible, sane, simple amendment. I say that with no joke at all. It is actually pretty simple to stand up for victims of domestic violence.
▶ 9:10:22And so I'm asking for your support for this amendment to ensure that ICE cannot go in and raid domestic violence shelters. I yield back. Gentle lady yields back. I'd move to strike the last word. Lady from Pennsylvania is recognized. Thank you. Um, I just want to applaud this simple and straightforward amendment that addresses a very real problem that I know Rep. Jipal's familiar with from her work with this community.
▶ 9:10:47I think other members um on the committee who've actually done work with respect to survivors of domestic violence and have done work with respect to immigration. And there's a really disturbing overlap between um those two areas of law because often we see the abusers using our immigration laws against the people they're abusing. It's a method of control. They can report them and try to get them deported if these if these folks stand up for themselves.
▶ 9:11:18So rather than enabling abuse, um preventing abusers from further weaponizing um our immigration laws and abusing the system that is designed to protect survivors, um this this amendment would address that very real problem.
▶ 9:11:37And of course, we do have in our law provisions that allow people who are victims of crime to apply for visas, to apply for relief based on the recognition um that Congress has made that we should be able to support folks who are victims of crime in order to promote law and order in this country by people who are present in this country. So, I think it's a very welltaken, simple, straightforward and effective amendment.
▶ 9:12:06and I would urge that we all support it. Question is on adoption of the uh amendment offered by the gentle lady from Washington. All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed, no. No. Opinion, the chair, the nos have it and the amendment is not agreed to. The qu recorded vote requested the clerk call the role. Mr. Jordan, no. Mr. Jordan votes no. Mr. Isa, Mr. Isa votes no. Mr. Biggs, Mr. Biggs votes no. Mr. Mcccleintoch, Mr. Mcccleintoch votes no. Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Tiffany votes no. Mr.
▶ 9:12:35Massie Mr. Roy Mr. Roy votes no Mr. Fitzgerald Mr. Fitzgerald votes no Mr. Klein Mr. Klein votes no Mr. Gooden Mr. Gooden votes no Mr. Vandrew Mr. Vandrew votes no Mr. Nells Mr. Nells votes no Mr. Moore Mr. Moore votes no Mr. Kylie Mr. Kylie votes no Miss Hagamman Haggman votes no Miss Lee Miss Lee votes no Mr. Hunt. Mr. Fry. Mr.
▶ 9:13:05Fry votes no. Mr. Growthman. Mr. Growthman votes no. Mr. Knott votes no. Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris votes no. Mr. Ander. Mr. Herder votes no. Mr. Schmidt. Mr. Schmidt votes no. Mr. Gil. Mr. Gill votes no. Mr. Bombgardner. Mr. Bombgardner votes no. Mr. Rascin. Hi. Mr. Raskin votes I. Mr. Nadler. Hi. Mr. Nadler votes I. Miss Laughofrren. Miss Lofrren votes I. Mr. Mr. Cohen, Mr. Johnson, Mr.
▶ 9:13:35Johnson votes I. Mr. Swallwell, Mr. Swallwell votes I. Mr. Lou, Miss Gyipel, Miss Gipol votes I. Mr. Korea, I. Mr. Korea votes I. Miss Scandlin, Miss Scandlin votes I. Mr. Negus, I. Mr. Negus votes I. Miss McBth. Miss McBth votes I. Miss Ross. Miss. Ross votes I. Miss Ballot. Miss Ballot votes I. Mr. Garcia. Mr. Garcia votes I. Miss Camelagger Dove.
▶ 9:14:05Miss Camelager Dove votes I. Mr. Moscowitz. Mr. Moscowitz votes I. Mr. Goldman. Mr. Goldman votes I. Miss Crockett. Miss Crockett votes I. Clerk will report. Mr. Chairman, there are 17 eyes's and 23 nos. The amendment is not agreed to.
▶ 9:14:35The question is on the adoption of the gentleman from Texas is recognized. So, I was going to offer an amendment. Um, but in the spirit of the night and not to disappoint my colleagues on other side of the aisle, I will not do so. Uh the amendment that I was going to offer was because there are a number of states represented in this room, both sides of the aisle, that have had to endure significant additional expenses as a result of the issue we're dealing with tonight.
▶ 9:15:05Significant on border spending and so forth. My colleagues from Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas. Um there are important issues that I think need to be dealt with that have not been dealt with yet in the judiciary product nor in the Homeland Security product that I think need to be addressed in the process of the reconciliation. Um, and I just want to make sure it's clear that uh to to all those uh as we go through the reconciliation process that that is a critical thing to to um do because Texas, for example, has had to spend upwards of 12 billion.
▶ 9:15:3612 billion out of our own budget to deal with the crisis at the border. I know my friends from Arizona in particular have had similar uh experiences with the amount that they've had to deal with. And um I believe this needs to be dealt with in due course over the course of the um over the course of the reconciliation process. I appreciate the indulgence of the chairman and I will not offer the amendment at the time. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield? The question is on the adoption of the amendment in the nature of a substitute. Chairman, I'd like to submit an amendment followed immediately by a chairman if I might.
▶ 9:16:07I'd like to offer an amendment because I Colorado would be impacted by this same issue that Mr. Roy described. So I'd like to offer an amendment consistent with the language that Mr. Roy just described. I'm happy to happy to put that in writing and we're putting that in writing right now. The Roy amendment should be prepared momentarily. Question is on the adoption of the amendment nature of a substitute. This will be followed immediately by a vote on transmitting the committee print to the budget committee. All those in the amendment won't be Mr. Chairman I.
▶ 9:16:33Those opposed no I mean it depending the chair the eyes have it and the amendment the nature's time is still going. The question is on The question is on transmitting the committee print as amended and all appropriate accompanyment. Chairman, a point of order. It was an active amendment that I had offered. It's being aduced to writing. There's there's no there's no amendment. It's being it's being drafted as we The question is on transmitting the committee print as amended and all appropriate accompanying materials to the committee on the budget.
▶ 9:17:03All those in favor say I. I. Those opposed no. No. Opinion of the chair. The eyes have it and the committee print is ordered to be transmitted to the budget. I'd like to seek a recorded vote if we can. Vote being requested. The clerk will call the role. Mr. Jordan. Yes. Mr. Jordan votes yes. Mr. Isa. Mr. Isa votes I. Mr. Biggs. Mr. Biggs votes I. Mr. McClinintok. Mr. McCcleinto votes I. Mr. Tiffany. Mr. Tiffany votes I. Mr. Massie. Mr. Roy. Mr. Roy votes I. Mr. Fitzgerald. Mr.
▶ 9:17:32Fitzgerald votes I. Mr. Klein. Mr. Klein votes I. Mr. Mr. Gooden. Mr. Gooden votes I. Mr. Vandrew. Mr. Vandrew votes yes. Mr. Nells Mr. Nells votes yes. Mr. Moore Mr. Moore votes yes. Mr. Kylie Mr. Kylie votes I. Miss Hagaman. Yes. Miss Haggman votes yes. Miss Lee. Miss Lee votes I. Mr. Hunt. Mr. Fry. Mr. Fry votes I. Mr. Growthman.
▶ 9:18:03Hi. Mr. Growthman votes I. Mr. Not Mr. Not votes yes. Mr. Harris Mr. Harris votes I. Mr. Ander Mr. Herder votes I. Mr. Schmidt Mr. Schmidt votes I. Mr. Gil Mr. Gil votes yes. Mr. Bumgardner Mr. Bombgardner votes I. Mr. Rascin Mr. Raskin votes no. Mr. Nadler Mr. Nadler votes no. Miss Lafrren Miss Lafrren votes no. Mr. Cohen Mr. Johnson Mr. Johnson votes no.
▶ 9:18:34Swallow. Mr. Swallow votes no. Mr. Lou. Miss Gyipol. Miss Gyipol votes no. Mr. Mr. Korea votes no. Miss Scandan. Miss Scandlin votes no. Mr. Noose. Mr. Noose votes no. Miss Mcbath. Miss McBth votes no. Miss Ross. Miss. Ross votes no. Miss Ballot. Miss Balant votes no. Mr.
▶ 9:19:05Mr. Garcia votes no. Miss Cam Logger. Miss Cam Loger Dove votes no. Mr. Moscowitz Mr. Moscowitz votes no. Mr. Mr. Goldman votes no. Miss Crockett Miss Crockett votes no.
▶ 9:19:37Cler report. Mr. Chairman, there are 23 eyes and 17 nos. The eyes have it and the committee print is ordered to be transmitted to the budget committee. Members will have two days to submit views without objection. The committee print will be transmitted as a single committee print incorporating all adopted amendments and staff is authorized to make technical and conforming changes. This concludes the committee's business for this meeting. The meeting is adjourned. Thank you and good night.