AIHouse Rules markup on appropriations, D.C. tax veto, contempt resolutions, mining bill

House Rules and Floor ProcedureHouse Rules · February 2, 2026 · 119th Congress
The House Rules Committee met to set the terms of floor debate for several items: a continuing resolution/appropriations package (including the Senate amendments to H.R. Begins at ▶ 0:12:56
Transcript
Highlights

Title

House Rules markup on appropriations, D.C. tax veto, contempt resolutions, mining bill

Purpose

The House Rules Committee met to set the terms of floor debate for several items: a continuing resolution/appropriations package (including the Senate amendments to H.R. 7148), H.J. Res. 142 disapproving a D.C. Council tax measure, H.R. 4090 (the Critical Mineral Dominance Act), and two committee reports recommending that the House find William J. Clinton and Hillary R. Clinton in contempt of Congress for refusing Oversight Committee subpoenas. The meeting featured lengthy sparring between Republicans defending the funding package and border/ICE enforcement, and Democrats objecting to ICE conduct, the D.C. tax override, and the handling of Epstein-related files, before the committee ultimately postponed the contempt matter and reported a rule for the other measures. Begins at▶ 0:12:56

Who spoke

• Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC)▶ 0:12:56: Opened the meeting, outlined the day's agenda covering the CR, H.J. Res. 142, H.R. 4090, and the Clinton contempt reports▶ 0:13:12, and later managed the amendment votes and closed the hearing▶ 4:58:21.

• Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Ranking Member▶ 0:19:32: Condemned the shooting of Alex Pretzsch and killing of Renée Good during federal immigration operations and said he would vote against funding the "lawless" administration▶ 0:19:56; pressed at length on Jeffrey Epstein file disclosures and Trump's ties to Epstein▶ 0:23:40; later questioned witnesses on appropriations process and D.C. autonomy▶ 0:46:49.

• Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), Chairman, Appropriations Committee▶ 0:30:00: Testified in favor of the funding package, saying it fully funds most agencies for FY26 with a two-week Homeland Security stopgap▶ 0:30:52, and that the House acted on a bipartisan Senate-negotiated deal before the Senate altered it▶ 0:32:01.

• Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Ranking Member, Appropriations Committee▶ 0:34:15: Opposed the package, citing the administration's ICE conduct and the killing of a Minneapolis woman shot in her car▶ 0:36:13, and cited an incident at a VA hospital involving Customs and Border Protection▶ 0:38:41; said she would ultimately support the package despite objections▶ 1:56:10.

• A committee member (Rep. Buck, R-OK)▶ 0:40:15: Asked Cole about the breakdown of the earlier bipartisan agreement with the Senate and pressed on why Homeland Security funding was separated out▶ 0:40:44.

• Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX)▶ 0:51:52: Questioned Cole on flat discretionary spending over three fiscal years▶ 0:52:44 and on immigration enforcement funding, calling for hard-line enforcement including a mandatory E-Verify provision (the SAVE Act)▶ 0:58:36.

• A committee member (questioning Cole on impeachment of Secretary Noem)▶ 1:19:38: Repeatedly asked Cole whether he believed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem should be impeached, drawing a noncommittal response▶ 1:20:37▶ 1:23:24.

• Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)▶ 0:59:33: Cited cases of U.S. citizens and a four-year-old child detained by ICE, including the case of "Liam," whose father had lawfully applied for asylum▶ 1:02:34; cited a Texas federal court opinion criticizing detention practices and asked to enter it into the record▶ 1:04:40.

• Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA)▶ 1:09:20: Questioned Cole on the scope of DHS agencies affected by the CR, including the Coast Guard, CBP, Secret Service, CISA, and FEMA▶ 1:09:48, and on whether ICE has ended de-escalation training▶ 1:13:53.

• A committee member (Rep. Griffin, R-AR)▶ 1:15:09: Discussed differing state responses to ICE operations, referencing Minneapolis and Oklahoma law enforcement cooperation▶ 1:15:28.

• A committee member (Rep. Jack)▶ 1:26:05: Asked Cole to characterize what share of federal funding is affected by the CR versus a targeted defunding approach, citing 54% of government funding▶ 1:26:05▶ 1:26:28.

• A committee member (Miss Leisure/Lesher)▶ 1:32:05: Questioned Cole about why Homeland Security was separated from the other five-bill package and about ICE detention demographics▶ 1:32:34▶ 1:34:08.

• A committee member (Mr. Earnest)▶ 1:48:17: Criticized administration rhetoric on immigration enforcement and asked Cole what would happen after the proposed ten-day extension▶ 1:48:44.

• Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN)▶ 2:01:06: Testified in favor of the Clinton contempt resolutions, arguing the subpoenas carry the force of law and that the Clintons refused to comply▶ 2:01:33; also urged the committee to oppose H.J. Res. 142, calling D.C.'s tax conformity issue a home-rule matter▶ 2:06:45.

• Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA)▶ 2:13:18: Questioned Chairman Comer's staff (via Cole/Cohen exchange context) on whether the Oversight Committee had held a markup on H.J. Res. 142▶ 2:14:13 and pressed on DOJ Epstein-file production numbers, citing Attorney General Bondi's compliance with a subpoena for roughly 6 million documents▶ 2:25:37.

• Del. Robert Walkinshaw (D-DC)▶ 2:10:00: Testified in opposition to H.J. Res. 142, warning it would force D.C. to redo tax-season guidance and forms for 700,000 taxpaying residents▶ 2:10:00▶ 2:10:33.

• Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN)▶ 3:23:16: Testified in favor of H.R. 4090, citing a projected supply shortfall of up to 10 million metric tons of critical minerals and China's roughly 60% control of processing▶ 3:23:45▶ 3:24:14; described Minnesota's mining history and resources including titanium and helium▶ 3:36:57.

• A witness testifying in opposition to H.R. 4090 (Natural Resources Committee representative)▶ 3:27:48: Argued the bill hands mining regulatory authority to industry and cited water contamination risks and lack of tribal consultation▶ 3:28:40▶ 3:56:52; raised concerns about administration officials' financial ties to mining companies, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's son and a deal involving Trilogy Metals▶ 3:30:52▶ 3:31:13.

• Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM)▶ 3:33:27: Questioned witnesses on whether the bill's benefits could inadvertently aid Chinese-linked companies buying stakes in U.S. mining firms▶ 3:34:08; later offered an amendment barring mining projects owned by entities linked to a "foreign entity of concern"▶ 5:05:25.

• Rep. Kat Cammack / a committee member (Rep. Fischbach, R-MN)▶ 3:45:56: Cited an estimated $1.818 billion in federal revenue and tax benefits from a proposed Minnesota mine, plus royalties for local school districts▶ 3:46:26.

• A witness/member discussing utility bill increases▶ 3:54:39: Argued rising electricity prices stem from decades-long "war on fossil fuels" policy rather than recent decisions, describing a coal facility given a 50-year life extension before being shut down▶ 4:01:12▶ 4:02:40.

• A committee member questioning on NEPA/Clean Water Act▶ 4:03:40: Clarified that H.R. 4090 does not alter the Clean Water Act or Endangered Species Act requirements during permitting▶ 4:04:08.

• Del. Kaniela Ing / Rep. (offering amendment on ICE funding, "Miss Randall")▶ 4:08:40: Offered an amendment to bar funding for ICE and named officials Stephen Miller and Gregory Bovino, calling for accountability over incidents in Minneapolis and demoting Bovino's salary to $1▶ 4:09:06▶ 4:10:45; also raised a separate amendment on releasing frozen FEMA disaster funds▶ 4:13:21.

• Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC)▶ 4:18:55: Weighed in during discussion of a South Carolina-related amendment, questioning its rationale▶ 4:18:33.

• A committee member (Miss Scanlon)▶ 5:00:33: Offered a rule amendment on the Senate amendments to H.R. 7148 related to SNAP/SSI recipients and immigration detention limits▶ 5:00:57.

Key moments

• McGovern alleged Jeffrey Epstein "wrote" that Trump "knew" of his trafficking activity and cited Trump's Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and advisers as having visited Epstein's island, using this to argue the administration is covering up files▶ 0:24:09▶ 0:24:32.

• Cole and Buck described a broken bipartisan Senate deal on the six-bill appropriations package, with Homeland Security separated out for a short-term stopgap after the Senate altered terms negotiated with the House▶ 0:32:01▶ 0:41:13.

• DeLauro detailed the killing of a woman in Minneapolis, shot while driving with her dog, and said federal officials falsely labeled the shooter a domestic terrorist▶ 0:36:13▶ 0:36:45.

• Jayapal presented the case of "Liam," a four-year-old detained with his father in a Texas facility despite the father having no criminal record and a pending lawful asylum application, and cited a federal court opinion critical of the detention procedures▶ 1:02:34▶ 1:04:40.

• Scott and Cole confirmed that a Homeland Security continuing resolution would hold spending $600 million below the level the House itself had passed, marking the second consecutive year of flat spending▶ 0:52:44▶ 0:53:04.

• Repeated, unresolved exchange over whether DHS Secretary Kristi Noem should be impeached, with a Republican member declining to answer directly while criticizing her handling of the department▶ 1:20:37▶ 1:23:24.

• Garcia and a Republican member disputed DOJ's Epstein-file production: Republicans said roughly 6 million documents exist and over 3 million were released, while Democrats argued only a small fraction had actually been produced to Congress and that survivors' information was being exposed while abusers' names were shielded▶ 2:26:04▶ 2:29:21.

• Cohen argued the Oversight Committee's subpoenas of Bill and Hillary Clinton were bipartisan and carry the force of law, while McGovern countered the Clintons had agreed to sit for interviews and called the contempt push a "political exercise"▶ 2:01:52▶ 2:19:31; the committee ultimately postponed further consideration of the contempt matter▶ 4:55:37.

• A witness opposing H.R. 4090 alleged Trump administration officials, including relatives of Howard Lutnick, personally profited from mining-related stock deals tied to policy actions such as fast-tracking the Ambler Road project, citing a roughly $70 million share-value increase▶ 3:30:52▶ 3:31:13.

• The committee adopted, on a party-line vote, an amendment to H.R. 4090 barring mining projects tied to a "foreign entity of concern," after debate over whether the underlying bill could inadvertently benefit Chinese-linked investors▶ 5:05:25▶ 5:07:44.

Metadata

Official titleH.J. Res. 142 – Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the D.C. Income and Franchise Tax Conformity and Revision Temporary Amendment Act of 2025.; H.R. 4090 – Critical Mineral Dominance Act; H. Res. ___ – (H. Rept. 119-468) – Report to accompany the Resolution Recommending that the House of Representatives find William J. Clinton in Contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena duly issued by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; H. Res. ___ – (H. Rept. 119-469) – Report to accompany the Resolution Recommending that the House of Representatives find Hillary R. Clinton in Contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena duly issued by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; Senate amendments to H.R. 7148 – Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026
CommitteeHouse Rules
Chamber / CongressHouse · 119th Congress
DateFebruary 2, 2026
TypeMeeting
Witnesses
(none listed in event metadata)
Videoyoutube
Transcript495 caption blocks · 19,357 words · 5:09:26 runtime
EventCongress.gov 118839