▶ 0:14:06The committee will come to order. Good morning and welcome to everyone um to the new year at the Ways and Means Committee. Our first bill will we will consider today, the Barcode Efficiency Act, uses modern technology to speed up IRS processing of tax returns.
▶ 0:14:26With just two weeks before the opening of the 2026 tax filing season, taxpayers will unfortunately experience the dire need for modernization [snorts] efforts at the IRS, especially those who file using paper forms. Slow processing should not be the punishment for filing on paper.
▶ 0:14:46This bill from Representatives Yodkam and Schneider speeds up IRS processing of tax returns that are prepared digitally but filed on paper, which will in turn cut down on delays in Americans receiving their tax refunds. The IRS must be focused on quickly processing returns this tax filing season.
▶ 0:15:09Workers and families are expecting the largest tax refunds in history thanks to the working families tax cuts and they need them quickly. The next set of three bills we will consider improve the health and well-being of children and families. First, by ensuring parents meet their child support obligations. Second, by creating new pathways for employment for unemployed workers.
▶ 0:15:35And third, by preserving access to critical care for women and children. The first bill toughens enforcement on parents who owe thousands in back child support payments. Under current law, non-custodial parents who owe at least in late child support can have their passports either restricted or denied for renewal by the State Department.
▶ 0:16:02Now, parents who skip paying child support ought to focus on paying what it is owed before going on an international That's why this bill from Representative Van Dy and Panetta strengthens the passport penalty to full revocation for any delinquent non-custodial parent. Our next bill helps more unemployed Americans create their own job by starting their own small business.
▶ 0:16:32The self-employment assistance program already provides Americans with a pathway to build a business while receiving an allowance identical to a regular weekly unemployment benefit. These funds give unemployed individuals the chance to transform unemployment from a setback into an opportunity. more should have that same chance.
▶ 0:16:58The No Boss Act introduced by Representative Kerry doubles the participation cap and makes programmatic changes so more unemployed Americans can become their own boss. Finally, the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, led by Representatives Fishbach and Tenny maintains access to maternal care delivered at pregnancy resource centers.
▶ 0:17:23In 2023, the Biden administration proposed an overreaching regulation that would have forbid pregnancy resource centers from receiving TANF dollars. The bipartisan law that created TANF explicitly limits the ability of the bureaucracy to issue such regulations for the TANF program.
▶ 0:17:44The Biden administration's actions were a deliberate attempt to sidestep the law to achieve a partisan political agenda by targeting pregnancy centers. This committee successfully fought this maneuver and the rule was withdrawn in the final days of the Biden administration. But it is more but it is important we make sure pregnancy resource centers do not come under such threat again from a future administration.
▶ 0:18:11These centers are one of the few places women can get the resources that they need for maternal care at no cost to them. Diapers, prenatal vitamins, transportation, parenting classes to name just a few. In 2024 alone, they served over 2 million women at more than 2700 centers.
▶ 0:18:36This bill ensures pregnant women and mothers have more control and more choice over their own health. To that end, this bill simply clarifies pregnancy resource centers are an allowable use of TANF funds by states. Let's be clear. If the Biden administration had implemented this rule, women in America would have less access to maternal care, not more.
▶ 0:19:03I want to thank my colleagues for their leadership on these bills before us today, and I'm now pleased to recognize the ranking member from Massachusetts, Mr. Nil.
▶ 0:19:11Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There's only one party in Washington that is pulling legislative levers to deliver wins for the American people, and it certainly isn't the majority. For months, Republicans slammed the door in the faces of millions of families who have needlessly and cruy been put on a path to doubling and tripling health care costs.
▶ 0:19:30They spent the entirety of 2025 offering wealthy individuals major tax giveaways, hiking costs on middle America, and a refusal to work with us as we ushered in the biggest theft of healthc care coverage we've ever seen as we pushed back on their efforts.
▶ 0:19:49As we stand and sit here this morning, we can ask rhetorically or effectively what happened to a Republican party that would not defend the Federal Reserve Board and the independence therein. Jay Powell is a very decent human being, a description we would have offered in New England as a very responsible person and most importantly an individual who has a difficult job which is based solely upon presenting the facts to the American people.
▶ 0:20:19The independence of the Federal Reserve Board should be just that, independent. Despite the obstruction from the party in control, we've never wavered in our resolve to fight for the American family. We've stayed focused, beat the odds, and forced the winning vote in the House to extend ACA tax credits. I think after that vote last week, it is clear the ACA is now here to stay. We have a chance to save healthcare for millions of the American people. We hope the Senate will act.
▶ 0:20:48The quickest way is precisely for them to do that. There remains nothing on the Republican agenda that will make American lives better. As we've noticed, as the efforts are coming from the White House to juice the economy every day, $2,000 checks, lower interest rates, and certainly the argument that if we just clip credit card rates, all will be well so people can add more to their individual debt.
▶ 0:21:11While on paper, some of the legislation we're considering today certainly makes sense, but the reality of the Trump administration means it it hampers our ability to serve that purpose. What good is a bill aimed to enhance efficiency at the IRS when our colleagues are simultaneously advancing a budget that hollows out the ability of the IRS to operate? Republicans once again are wasting time on distractions does not address the affordability crisis that the American people are experiencing.
▶ 0:21:40The majority seems to be starting 2026 operating from the same playbook that defined 2025, taking away opportunity for workforce and soaring costs that now affect the American people. And if this past week has showed us anything, it's that we're headed in the wrong direction. December's jobs report delivered the final blow to the first year of Trump 2.0, 0. The worst year for job creation since the last time the president was in office and the worst year for jobs gains outside of a recession in more than 20 years.
▶ 0:22:11Despite campaign promises to lower costs on day one, the president's policies have inflation accelerating. We got a first glance at the Republican look of what healthc care ought to be when overwhelmingly they voted against extending the tax credits. So far, it is estimated that 1.4 4 million Americans have foregone their healthcare because of these Republican hikes, which indicate that more may well come. The president's absurd escalation of his retribution campaign against J.
▶ 0:22:41Paul and the Federal Reserve Board is further threatening the financial stability of our country. One glance at history shows any attempts to politicize the central bank puts the strength and stability of our entire economic system at risk. What's troublesome this morning is our colleagues know that. on the other side. Yet, it's met by silence. Our colleagues have proven that they are not willing to stand up to the president when they disagree with him in private. They will never let it come over into public comment.
▶ 0:23:11We on this side remain committed to bringing down costs and expanding opportunities for the American family. In fact, there's more legislating being done from the minority than there is at the moment from the majority. We have shown what's possible to deliver for the American people and we intend to stand by the momentum that we continue to gain. With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back my time.
▶ 0:23:32Thank you. Before uh we go to the first order of business, I just want to wish a very happy birthday to the gentleman from Iowa, Mr. Fenstra. Um our first order of business is HR6956. the barcode automation for revenue collection to organize dispersement and enhance efficiency act.
▶ 0:23:58The Ways and Means Committee is continuing to dedicate our time and attention to ensuring American taxpayers are getting the highest level of customer service and fair treatment from the IRS. In this case, the Barcode Efficiency Act is asking the IRS to adopt technology that has been around for decades to avoid delays and mishaps in the processing of paper tax returns.
▶ 0:24:25A more streamlined and efficient process will not only save taxpayer dollars, but save taxpayers themselves from having to wait around any longer than necessary to get their muchneeded refunds. I want to thank Representative Yakam for working across the aisle with Representative Schneider to introduce this legislation.
▶ 0:24:48Representative Yakam is a leading voice in our committee's oversight efforts, particularly as it relates to modernizing the IRS to better serve the American taxpayer. I'm sure he can attest, as can many Americans, to the frustration that comes with waiting on any response or feedback from the IRS when filing returns. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I'm pleased to recognize a gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Yakam for an opening
▶ 0:25:18Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am proud to lead the bipartisan Barcode Act with my friend from Illinois, Brad Schneider. This is a simple but powerful bill that will make tax return processing faster, more accurate, and more efficient. Eiling taxes is becoming more and more common. In 2009, twothirds of taxpayers filed their taxes electronically. By 2015, it was up to 85%.
▶ 0:25:45Last year, 94% of taxpayers efiled their returns, but that remaining 6% still represents 10 million taxpayer returns for the IRS to process. There are good reasons to file a paper return. I actually found myself in that position last year. Our return was prepared electronically, but the IRS portal kept kicking it back because it thought I owed less money than I actually did.
▶ 0:26:12We kept running the numbers to see if there was something that we missed, but we kept getting the same result. So, we were at an impass. We could take the IRS's lower number and risk having to pay later with possible interest and penalties. We could fight it out over the phone with a representative, or we could print off our return and mail it in so at least we made sure we got it in on time. We chose option three. But what happened to my return when it arrived at the IRS? Did it get fe fed into a scanner?
▶ 0:26:42No. Someone at the IRS has to manually enter in, in my case, all 202 pages of my federal tax return. Now, think about that happening 10 million more times. Think about how long it takes, how a slip of the finger could result in more delays or even an audit. This is a waste of time and resources, and there are better ways to handle these returns.
▶ 0:27:09Our barcode act would require that paper returns that are prepared electronically have a code printed on the form that when scanned by the IRS converts that data into an electronic format. No manual entry needed. This technology has been recommended by the taxpayer advocate and the GAO and it's been used by state agencies for decades.
▶ 0:27:30This bill also requires the IRS to buy scanning technology that can transcribe written This will further ensure a quick and accurate turnaround for the taxpayer and a more efficient IRS. Paper returns are still necessary at times, but the IRS can do better.
▶ 0:27:51There is proven commercially available technology that can end hand entry of tax returns, increase the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of tax return processing, get tax refunds out the door quicker, and allow the IRS to deploy its people to more productive uses such as customer service. It's time for the IRS to enter the 21st century. I want to thank Mr. Schneider for his great work in getting this bill introduced.
▶ 0:28:16Chairman Smith and Chairman Schwikert for their partnership and our Senate partners, Senator Todd Young and Raphael Waro. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan common sense bill and I yield back.
▶ 0:28:27I now recognize the ranking member from
▶ 0:28:30Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me yield my time to the distinguished colleague from Illinois, Mr. Schneider. Uh thank you ranking member and I want to thank the chairman and in particular I want to thank my friend Congressman Rudy Yakam uh for working on this bill together uh in a bipartisan way. We can get it done uh when we work together. Um, each year millions of taxpayers submit their individual returns on paper.
▶ 0:28:53And I want to echo the comments of the chairman uh earlier of the frustrations paper filers, other filers, preparers have with the inability to actually get answers from the IRS to reach a person to talk to uh to get the service that they deserve. And I hope that we can uh work together on this committee to start investing in improving customer service at the IRS. And that's what this bill is all about.
▶ 0:29:23When the IRS cannot capture the data from a return electronically, as Mr. Yaka mentioned, IRS employees sit at a keyboard and enter that data manually. that manual data entry takes time and increases the likelihood of errors. It is a timely and expense or time consuming and expensive process which can result in a transcription error or significantly delay refunds going out to the taxpayers.
▶ 0:29:52There is scanning technology literally from the last century. This is not new technology. scanning technology available that can digitize this process and help the IRS work more efficiently. Many states already use 2D barcoding technology, which would add a scannable barcode containing all the return information that the IRS would then scan upon receipt and automatically capture that data without error or delay.
▶ 0:30:19A second type of scanning technology known as optical character recognition technology can help the IRS capture data automatically from the paper form, including handwritten returns without a barcode and process it electronically. This is exactly what the post office uses to read handwritten addresses on envelopes.
▶ 0:30:40To improve the speed and accuracy of processing returns at the IRS, HR6956, the Barcode Efficiency Act would require tax returns that are prepared electronically but filed on paper to include a scannable barcode that will allow the IRS to instantaneously convert that data into electronic format.
▶ 0:31:00The bill would also require the IRS to use barcode scanning technology when those returns are received and when necessary or possible use OCR technology to digitize any paper documents it receives. By implementing scanning technology, the IRS can more quickly and efficiently process paper returns and deliver refunds to taxpayers faster, more efficiently, more accurately.
▶ 0:31:23All while saving the IRS money by reducing staffing and training for manual data transcription, which then can be applied to customer service. I have long championed investing in IRS modernization to improve taxpayer service. And I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention that the IRS needs sustained funding and a sustained expert workforce to provide that service to answer taxpayer questions as they come up and to implement improvements like the ones included in this bill.
▶ 0:31:52I am proud of this common sense bill that will help modernize outdated IRS operations where it makes the most sense and reduce its backlog for the American taxpayers. I am proud that it is done in a bipartisan way. I'm grateful for Mr. Yakam and the leadership for helping us move this forward. I urge all my colleagues to vote yes on this bill and I yield back.
▶ 0:32:15Thank you. The committee will now proceed to consideration of HR6956, the Barcode Efficiency Act. Without objection, the measure will be considered as read and open for amendment at any point. At this time, I offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute, which was distributed in advance along with a green sheet explaining it. Without objection, the amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read, open for amendment at any point, and considered base text for purpose of amendment.
▶ 0:32:42I will now turn to Tom Bartal, chief of staff for the joint committee on taxation to provide a technical description of the amendment in the nature of a substitute with an emphasis on the changes made since introduction. I ask that members hold their questions until after his presentation.
▶ 0:32:58Uh thank you, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Neil, the members of the committee have before them two joint committee documents, JCX1 and JCX2, which describe HR6956 and the chairman's amendment, the nature of a substitute. As was noted in the opening statements, this legislation is about individual income tax returns, uh those of estate and gifts and those of trust does not apply to corporate tax uh tax returns. uh to tell you the scope.
▶ 0:33:28In tax year 2023, the IRS reports that slightly more than 93% of individual tax returns were uh filed electronically, meaning that slightly less than 7% were filed on paper. Well, that means that the scope is seemingly small. That's still 10 million 10 million or more returns, including uh amended returns that the uh uh that individuals may file.
▶ 0:33:54The legislation directs the secretary of the treasury to adopt uh barcode technology and optical character recognition technology to improve the uh uh administration and digitalization of these uh of these returns. U I'd like to make one note in terms of the effective uh effective date of the uh legislation.
▶ 0:34:17The proposal would be effective for individual income tax returns received on or after January 1st of the first calendar year beginning more than 180 days after the date of enactment. So that means that should this legislation be enacted before this July, the uh directive would be applicable to returns filed on or after January 1st of 2027, which means it would apply to taxpayers
▶ 0:34:48uh individual income tax returns. Uh the joint committee staff has estimated that this legislation would have a negligible effect on federal receipts over the budget period. That concludes my brief description of the legislation. I'd be happy to answer any questions that the members might have.
▶ 0:35:04Thank you. Are there any technical questions about the amendment and the nature of a substitute?
▶ 0:35:10Seeing none, we'll move to strike the last word. Does any member wish to strike the last word? Mr. Thompson. Thank you. Uh Mr. Chairman, I support this bill. uh efforts like barcodes and other modernization initiatives to make our tax system easier for taxpayer are important and they're long overdue. So I thank uh both my friends uh for uh for introducing this.
▶ 0:35:35Um, but the fact of the matter is we're we're making this minor, albeit important, uh, change at the same time that uh, this administration and our Republican colleagues are defunding the IRS in ways that undermine both enforcement and fairness. This underfunding has real effects.
▶ 0:35:58The IRS is losing the ability to audit wealthy private equity and venture capital due to a severe lack of resources and expertise. Long-term planned audits targeting complex partnerships have stalled or they've been abandoned.
▶ 0:36:16tax professionals uh and reporting has all indicated that audits of private equity and venture capitalists are being scaled back and that specialized IRS personnel have actually left the agency. This has reduced the AY's ability to enforce the law against some of the most sophisticated tax avoidance scheme there are that are known.
▶ 0:36:42I'd like to submit for the record uh this article in the uh New York Times that describes this
▶ 0:36:49without objection.
▶ 0:36:50Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Treasury has found that wealthy private equity, venture capital, and real estate investment firms exploit tax loopholes that cost the Treasury billions of dollars, widening a compliance gap that should concern every member of this committee and every taxpayer in the United States.
▶ 0:37:11Now, Democrats took historic steps in inflation reduction in the inflation reduction act to give the IRS the resources they needed to modernize and to build enforcement uh capacity, including the technology and personnel to audit these complex large partnerships and close this tax gap.
▶ 0:37:33Yet the actions of this uh majority and this administration are now pulling resources away from enforcement at the very moment when we have the tools and the technology to make the system more effective and more equitable. Reductions in enforcement capacity make it easier for highincome taxpayers and large corporations to hide income and avoid paying what they owe.
▶ 0:38:02placing an increasing tax burden on middle class Americans who play by the rules. We should be supporting technology that helps all taxpayers and we should be insisting that enforcement and compliance keep pace with modernization so that the system is fair, balanced, and works for everyone. I yield back the balance of my time.
▶ 0:38:26Does any other member wish to strike the last word? Mr. Larson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'll be very uh brief. I just want to commend our two colleagues to for working together and what is a very common sense, straightforward uh bill and uh look forward to more uh work along those lines. And with that, I'll yield back.
▶ 0:38:52Mr. Davis.
▶ 0:38:55Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I move strike the last word. At a time when health care costs are skyrocketing, everyday costs are soaring, our economy is weakening, the president is picking a war with Venezuela, and the Trump administration is crippling child care by illegally halting tens of billions of dollars in funding. The priority bill for the Republican leadership is about barcodes on tax forms.
▶ 0:39:25I strongly support the quality recommendations of the taxpayer advocate and improving tax administration. So I thank Representatives Snder and Yakum for their work. But when Americans are making the choice between health care, eating, and paying rent, this markup does nothing to address the financial strains Americans are experiencing right now.
▶ 0:39:52For the first time in nearly four years, more Americans reported that their family's current financial situation was bad rather than good. The US market and sector shrank for the 10th straight month. Inflation is up, job creation is down.
▶ 0:40:13The Republican economy is a complete And yet, Republicans still have no plan to lower cost, end Trump's tariffs, or protect America's healthc care. Then last week, the Trump administration illegally froze $10 billion in child care, social services, and family welfare funding within the jurisdiction of this committee for political revenge.
▶ 0:40:43Yet the Republican leadership did nothing. Beyond targeting Democratic le states, the Trump administration imposed harmful delays on child care funds across the country. Funds within the jurisdiction of this committee. Yet, Republican leadership has done nothing. We should be restoring the enhanced premium tax credits to bring down health care costs.
▶ 0:41:12We should be restoring the refundable tax credits that cut child poverty in half, that helped working families pay for child care, and that helped working adults escape poverty. We should enact new refundable tax credits to help with the high cost of rent.
▶ 0:41:34We should be making sure that working parents don't lose their child care and that child care providers don't go under due to the recklessness and cruelty of the Trump administration. Yes, in closing, I support this bill, but I think our committee should be focused on increasing affordability by lowering cost, ending tariffs, and protecting America's health. Thank you, Mr.
▶ 0:42:03chairman and I yield back.
▶ 0:42:05Miss Chu,
▶ 0:42:08I move to strike the last word. I want to say how disappointed I am that my Republican colleagues are choosing to spend this committee's first markup of 2026 on a handful of bills that do nothing to address the rising cost of living or the real threats people in this country are facing to their health, their jobs, and their safety and security.
▶ 0:42:29For all their talk about the cost of living crisis, my Republican colleagues still have done nothing to lower costs and make life more affordable for working families. Not only that, things have actually gotten worse under their watch. From growing energy costs to President Trump's disastrous tariffs that have raised the price of everyday necessities, American families are feeling the pressure.
▶ 0:42:55Many Americans can't find work thanks to Trump's chaotic policies during his first year in office, which resulted in the lowest annual job creation outside of a recession since 2003. And even people with jobs are struggling to pay the higher prices for food, housing, healthcare, and utilities that this administration has caused.
▶ 0:43:17But instead of pushing back against Trump's harmful policies or advancing legislation to alleviate the pressure that Americans are feeling, my Republican colleagues are doing the exact opposite. They actually tried to advance a slew of anti-worker bills on the House floor yesterday that would have literally allowed employers to pay workers less.
▶ 0:43:42And now because of Trump and Republicans leadership in action on health care, 1.4 million Americans are foregoing their health insurance coverage this year because they can no longer afford their premiums. This was completely avoidable. But this Republican majority had absolutely no plan despite years of talking about repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.
▶ 0:44:11Thanks to House Democrats resolve, we forced a vote on our discharge petition and delivered a win for the American people on the House floor last week. That marked the first time a minority party has successfully passed a discharge petition in 30 years, and we'll keep pushing to get that extension of the ACA premiums on the tax credits passed in the Senate.
▶ 0:44:38And last week, instead of helping Americans with the skyrocketing cost of child care in this country, President Trump decided to attack his political enemies by freezing $10 billion in child care and social services funding to states with Democratic governors that he dislikes, including my home state of California.
▶ 0:45:01This is funding provided by Congress to support struggling children and families, fund adult protective services, provide meals to seniors, and more. Fortunately, my constituents in California are protected from these cruel cuts by a temporary restraining order. But since these programs are under this committee's jurisdiction, we must hold this administration accountable for whipping ripping away this funding.
▶ 0:45:30This committee should also be focused on protecting our constituents from the terror this administration is unleashing on our communities. It was exactly one week ago that Trump's ICE agents shot Renee Good, a mother of three from Minnesota multiple times in the face as she drove away from the scene.
▶ 0:45:52This horrific tragedy was a direct result of Trump's reckless deployment of federal agents into our communities and his complete disregard for the rule of law. And Trump's baseless allegations about child care fraud are emboldening his followers to terrorize child care centers around the country.
▶ 0:46:15MAGA groups are publishing maps of child care centers online and are showing up to these centers to conduct so-called audits where they stand outside daycare center and film and harass workers and creepily demand to see children. That's directly endangering the babies and children my Republican colleagues claim to value.
▶ 0:46:41But the four bills we're considering today do nothing to address any of these pressing problems and it's clear where this majority's priorities lie. I yield Additional members wish to strike the last word. Seeing none, are there any amendments to the substitute? [snorts] If there are no amendments, the question was in the adoption of the amendment and the nature of a substitute.
▶ 0:47:11All those in favor signify by saying I. I.
▶ 0:47:14Those opposed say no. In the opinion of the chair, the eyes have it and the amendment in the nature of a substitute is agreed to. I will now recognize Mr. Buchanan for the purpose of offering a
▶ 0:47:24Mr. Chairman, I move the committee favorably report HR6956 as amended to the House of
▶ 0:47:32The the question is on the motion to favorably report HR6956 as amended to the House of Representatives. The clerk will call the role. Mr. Buchanan.
▶ 0:47:42Mr. Buchanan. Yes. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. Yes. Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly. Yes. Mr.
▶ 0:47:50Mr. Schwikert. Yes. Mr. Leood. Mr. Leood. Yes. Mr. Arrington. Mr. Estus.
▶ 0:47:59Mr. Estus. Yes. Mr. Smucker. Mr. Smucker. Yes. Mr. Hearn. Mr. Hearn. Yes. Mrs. Miller. Mrs. Miller, yes. Dr. Mr. Kustoff, Mr. Kustoff, yes. Mr.
▶ 0:48:19Mr. Fitzpatrick, yes. Mr. Stwie, Miss Tenny,
▶ 0:48:25Miss Tenny, yes. M. Mrs. Fishbach. Mrs. Fishbach. Yes. Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore. Yes. Miss Vanine. Miss Vanine. Yes. Mr. Fenstra. Mr. Fenstra. Yes. Miss Maliaakus. Miss Malotakus. Yes. Mr. Mr. Yakam.
▶ 0:48:45Mr. Yakam. Yes. Mr. Miller.
▶ 0:48:48Mr. Miller. Yes. Mr. Bean.
▶ 0:48:51Mr. Bean. Yes. Mr. Moran. Mr. Neil. Mr. Neil. Yes. Mr. Dogget. Mr. Dogget. Yes. Mr. Thompson. Mr. Thompson. Yes. Mr. Larson. Mr. Larson. Yes. Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis. Yes. Miss Sanchez. Miss Sanchez. Yes. Miss Su. Miss Delben. Miss Delen. Yes. Miss Chu. Miss Chu.
▶ 0:49:21Yes. Miss Moore. Miss Moore. Yes. Mr. Byer.
▶ 0:49:26M. Mr. Byer. Mr. Bole. Yes. Mr. Byer.
▶ 0:49:32Mr. Byer. Yes. Mr. Evans.
▶ 0:49:36Mr. Evans. Yes. Mr. Schneider. Mr. Schneider. Yes. Mr. Petta. Mr. Petta. Yes. Mr. Gomez.
▶ 0:49:45Mr. Gomez. Yes. Mr. Horseford. Mr. Horsford. Yes. Miss Plask.
▶ 0:49:50Miss Plask. Yes. Mr. Swazy. Hi.
▶ 0:49:53Mr. Swasy. Yes. Mr. Arrington.
▶ 0:49:58Mr. Arrington. Yes.
▶ 0:50:01Dr. Murphy. Mr. Stwie, Mr. Kerry.
▶ 0:50:13Yes. Yes. Yes.
▶ 0:50:14Mr. Kerry. Yes, Mr. Moran.
▶ 0:50:19Mr. Moran. Yes. Miss Su.
▶ 0:50:29Chairman Smith.
▶ 0:50:31Chairman Smith. Yes. The clerk will report the vote.
▶ 0:50:52Mr. Chairman, the yeses are 42 and the nos are zero. There being 42 yeses and zero nos, the motion is agreed to and as amended is ordered favorably reported to the House. Without objection, I ask that staff be authorized to make technical and conforming changes to HR 6956 and that members have two additional days to file with the committee clerk supplemental additional dissenting or minority views.
▶ 0:51:19Our next order of business is HR6903, the Ensuring Children Receive Support Act, introduced by Representative Beth Vanine and Jimmy Petta. This bill is a strong example of what can be accomplished when bipartisan cooperation is focused on a simple principle. Parents must meet their obligations to their children.
▶ 0:51:41Representatives Van and Panetta have worked together across party lines to strengthen an enforcement tool that states already rely on to collect past due child support. The passport denial program is an important part of state child support agency's enforcement enforcement toolbox. Under current law, the state department has broad discretion over whether to deny, limit, or revoke a passport.
▶ 0:52:10But in practice, enforcement often occurs only at the time of application or renewal. This bill clarifies and strengthens that process by requiring passport revocation once statutory thresholds are met. I commend Representatives Van Dy and Petta for their bipartisan leadership to ensure that existing law works as intended and that children receive the support that they are owed without delay.
▶ 0:52:38urge my colleagues to support this bill and I'm pleased to recognize the gentle lady from Texas, Miss Vanine.
▶ 0:52:44Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Over the next few months, families will experience one of the largest tax refund seasons on record with an estimated 91 billion in refunds that are going to be issued as part of an an expected $370 billion refund season. On average, families can look forward to nearly $4,000 back in their pockets compared to last year.
▶ 0:53:07And families with two children earning 73 $73,000 will have no federal income tax liability. Supporting working families is more important than ever, especially now that the working families tax cuts have been signed into law. And by claiming the standard deduction and the child tax credit, families won't have to feel the pressure of putting food on the table, covering rent, or keeping up with everyday expenses, giving them immediate affordability relief when it matters most.
▶ 0:53:36Ensuring children are taken care of should be non-negotiable, particularly in joint custody households where both parents share responsibility. When child support obligations go unmet, that responsibility breaks down, leaving children without the consistent support that they deserve. And unfortunately, too many parents and guardians failed to meet their child support obligations.
▶ 0:53:59In 2024 alone, there were over 8 million unpaid child support cases, a detrimental figure at the expense of our children. And that's why stronger enforcement tools are necessary to hold delinquent parents accountable. The passport denial program administered by the state department currently allows for the denial or revocation of a passport when an individual owes more than $2,500 in past due child support and seeks consular services.
▶ 0:54:27My bill, the Ensuring Children Receive Support Act, strengthens this program by requiring the State Department to revoke an individual's passport, which may occur at the time of consular service or passport renewal and notify them of the intent to take such action. If an individual is abroad when their passport is revoked, the State Department may make an exception on an emergency basis to allow the individual to return to the United States.
▶ 0:54:52Since implementation in 1998, the passport denial program has successfully collected over $600 million in pass due child support payments and $30 million in 2024 alone. This legislation codifies existing state department practices and strengthens enforcement tools to ensure parents who deliberately evade their child support obligations are held accountable.
▶ 0:55:16With states like Texas and California reporting some of the highest child support errors in the country, I am committed to advancing this partisan legislation with Representative Panetta. This bill will hold parents and guardians accountable and ensure children receive the support that they deserve. They support that fosters academic success, meets basic needs, and provides stability for their future. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield
▶ 0:55:43I now recognize a ranking member from
▶ 0:55:45Thank you, Chairman. Let me uh yield my time to the gentleman and co-author of this legislation, Mr. Petta.
▶ 0:55:51Thank you, Ranking Member Neil, and thank you, Chairman Smith, for bringing up. And of course, of course, thank you, Representative Vanne, for your leadership on this bill. The Ensuring Children Receive Support Act would expand on existing bipartisan legislation and the universal common sense values of taking care of our children. This bill addresses one of the most somber but pressing issues we oversee on this committee and that's the services and protections that we provide to children.
▶ 0:56:20We all know that parenthood is a privilege but it's also a responsibility. Unfortunately nationwide there is more than 115 billion owed in support arars. As of fiscal year 2024, there were more than 8.7 million parents who hadn't made a payment in over five years.
▶ 0:56:43In 1996, Congress in a bipartisan fashion gave the State Department the authority to withhold passports and passport renewals to someone with unpaid child support. This passport denial program collects about 30 million a year in outstanding child support debts. But this is out of about 30 billion that we collect each year in total child support payments. That means that the vast majority of child support goes uncollected.
▶ 0:57:13Single parents struggle and unfortunately children go hung hungry. I believe we should be doing everything we can to close this gap and ensure child support is making it to the children that need it. So the ensuring children receive support act is part of that effort. It's legislation that bills on existing law by rescending passports when someone is more than $2500 in a rears for child support. Under this bill, people would get a notice that their case is being referred to the state department.
▶ 0:57:42Furthermore, and if necessary, they would be eligible for an emergency passport if they urgently need to travel while in our ears. And and they would be eligible to have their passport reinstated once they pay their child support. But above all, this bill an answers an important question, a simple one. If you aren't paying for your child's basic needs, you shouldn't be paying to travel abroad.
▶ 0:58:08With this bill, we are ensuring that the federal government is playing its part to meet the urgency that so many single parents feel and finding practical solutions to ensure child support gets paid. Again, I thank the chairman. I thank ranking member and of course, I thank Representative Van Dy for her leadership on this bill and I yield back. Thank you. The committee will now proceed to the consideration of HR6903, the Ensuring Children Receive Support Act.
▶ 0:58:36Without objection, the measure will be considered as read and open for amendment at any point. At this time, I offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute, which was distributed in advance along with a green sheet explaining it. Without objection, the amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read, open for amendment at any point, and considered base text for the purpose of the amendment.
▶ 0:58:57I will now turn to Cheryl Freeman um work and welfare subcommittee staff director to provide a technical description of the amendment in the nature of a substitute with an emphasis on the changes made since introduction. I ask that members hold their questions until after her presentation.
▶ 0:59:15Thank you, Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Neil. HR6903, the Ensuring Children Receive Support Act, modifies the Child Support Enforcement Program in Title 4D of the Social Security Act as it relates to the passport denial program and responsibilities of the Secretary of State.
▶ 0:59:33Under current law, if an individual owes more than $2,500 in past due child support, the State Department must refuse to issue that individual a passport and may revoke, restrict, or limit a passport that has already been issued. This tool is used by state child support agencies for enforcement. HR6903 modifies the statute to require the state department to also revoke previously issued passports of such individuals.
▶ 1:00:00The bill includes an exception if an individual is abroad and needs to return to the United States on an emergency basis. As reflected in the green sheet, the chairman's amendment in the nature of the substitute modifies as introduced on page two, line 19 by striking home and inserting to the United States and on page two, line 20 by inserting an effective date of October 1, 2026.
▶ 1:00:27These changes are consistent with the intent of the provisions to correct references and make conforming changes. Mr. Chairman, that completes my walkthrough. I'm happy to answer technical questions.
▶ 1:00:37Thank you. Are there any technical questions about the amendment and the nature of a substitute? Mr. Byer.
▶ 1:00:42Thank you, Mr. Chairman, very much. First, let me make it very clear that I'm very supportive of this legislation. I thank Miss Vanine and Mr. Panata for for their leadership. Miss Freeman, does this bill provide for any safeguards for individuals who missed a payment due to no fault of their own? Say if a federal contractor wasn't paid due to a time lapse in appropriations or their employer paid them on a delay or if they were victims of fraud, something that impacted their bank balance accounts as written.
▶ 1:01:10How would individuals affected by matters outside their control that led to a missed child support payment be treated in certain cases? And is there a process for addressing these kinds of
▶ 1:01:23Thank you, Mr. Byer. The bill does not change current practice at the state department and um current practice as um as the state child support enforcement agencies. There's currently in place a mechanism for uh individuals to um work with the state child support agency whether it's um to uh contest the fact that they owe child support or to uh negotiate a payment plan
▶ 1:01:53with the child support agency. And there's also um emergency basis uh actions that the state child support agency can take. The state department has a customer service team that that works directly with the individual to make sure they're connected to the right people in the state to do that. Um, we were looking a little bit at the number of emergency releases that happen.
▶ 1:02:17Uh, state department said last year three about 3,000 emergency releases were issued in response to sort of unique situations that happen.
▶ 1:02:26Great. Great.
▶ 1:02:27This bill doesn't change that.
▶ 1:02:28Thank you. That that solves my concern about there being a valid appeals process. Thank you very much.
▶ 1:02:35Are there additional members of uh technical questions? Seeing none, we will move to strike the last word.
▶ 1:02:43Mr. Thompson.
▶ 1:02:44Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I support this legislation because it reinforces a simple principle. If you have a child, you have a responsibility to take care of that child. This bill adds a safeguard to make sure parents meet their child support obligations. If you have money to travel, you have money to pay your child support. But let's be honest, kids needs kids need more from this Congress. We've seen what real support looks like.
▶ 1:03:11When we expanded the child tax credit, we cut childhood poverty in half. Yet, our Republican colleagues passed the big ugly bill, which would strip millions of children of school meals and dei deny millions more of full child tax credit. This bill is one small piece of the puzzle. Let's do more for our kids. I yield back.
▶ 1:03:36Mr. Davis.
▶ 1:03:39Thank [clears throat] Thank you, Mr. I strongly support collecting current and past due child support and I greatly respect the work of my colleague who have developed this proposed But I oppose this bill based on numerous First of all, current law already gives flexibility to the Secretary of State to limit, restrict,
▶ 1:04:09or revoke one's passport if states determine that step is needed and effective. In contrast, this bill removes judgment and consideration of circumstances by mandating revocation while excluding any lesser option that may be more appropriate, like limiting the passport.
▶ 1:04:38This inflexibility promises to impose hardship on many and to create large implementation challenges while doing very little to improve child support Our colleagues on the House Foreign Affairs Committee also raised concerns about this bill.
▶ 1:04:59This bill continues the same age-old punitive child support policy approaches that typically and harm lower income families that will not ensure non-custodial parents adhere to their orders. I strongly support real world reforms to the child support program.
▶ 1:05:25If our committee is serious about improving federal child support programs to ensure children's needs are met, families are strengthened, and both custodial and non-custodial parents are treated fairly, then we should ensure that states pass through all child support to the families. Illinois changed its law year before last.
▶ 1:05:54Dozens of states actually keep large amounts of child support rather than giving it to the custodial parents, which reduces support to families. This bill does nothing to ensure that child support payments actually go to parents.
▶ 1:06:14If we're serious about ensuring children receive support, then we should prohibit states from collecting child support from lowincome families whose children enter care. The research is abundantly clear that this punitive tax keeps children in foster care longer.
▶ 1:06:36Although most states are stopping this practice after the administration of children and families issued guidance about how the practice delays reunification and fails to serve the best interest of the children. This committee should act to stop this process that feels state coffers at the expense of poor children and families.
▶ 1:07:00If we're serious about meaningful child support reforms, then we should legislate based on the reality of the day and not on the longstanding fictional narrative that non-custodial parents don't pay child support because they don't want to. Most non-custodial parents struggling with child support lack good jobs that allow them to pay without being forced into poverty.
▶ 1:07:27If we are serious about building strong families and raising well-rounded, healthy children, then we ought to move bills that encourage investment in employment and economic upscaling for struggling non-custodial parents and parental access and visitation. We found common ground before. We found a way to reach a common set of principles and practices.
▶ 1:07:57I urge that we do that. I thank you, Mr. Chairman, and you're back to balance with my time.
▶ 1:08:04Miss Sanchez.
▶ 1:08:07Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. As a single parent, I know how difficult and expensive it can be to raise a child without financial help from the other parent. If you have a child, your first duty should be to that child, not to international travel. This bill will force parents to prioritize support for their children over everything else. I know parents that are owed tens of thousands of dollars in child support.
▶ 1:08:34And sadly, some states just don't do a good enough job of enforcing those support requirements. It is sad that we have to utilize these types of penalties when parents won't do the right thing and take care of their children. Making sure that parents provide the necessities to their children should be the highest priority of every parent. This bill ensures that there are very real consequences for those parents who sherk their responsibilities.
▶ 1:09:01And for this reason, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and I yield back.
▶ 1:09:06Thank you. Additional members wish to strike the last word? Seeing none, we'll move to movements. Does any member have We'll move to amendments. Does any member have an amendment to the nature of a substitute? Seeing um no amendments, the question is on the adoption of the amendment in the nature of a substitute. All those in favor signify by saying I. I.
▶ 1:09:30Those opposed say no. In the opinion of the chair, the eyes have it and the amendment in the nature of a substitute is agreed to. I now recognize Mr. Buchanan for the purpose of offering a motion. Mr. Chairman, I move the committee favorably report HR6903 as amended to the House of
▶ 1:09:46The question is on the motion to favorably report HR6903 as amended to the House of Representatives. The clerk will call the role.
▶ 1:09:53Mr. Buchanan?
▶ 1:09:55Mr. Buchanan? Yes. Mr. Smith of Mr. Smith of Nebraska.
▶ 1:10:02Mr. Ke Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly. Yes. Mr. Schwikert. Mr. Schwikert. Yes. Mr. Le Mr. Arrington Mr. Estus Mr. Estus Yes Mr. Smucker
▶ 1:10:20Mr. Smucker Yes M Mr. Hearn
▶ 1:10:23Mr. Hearn Yes Mrs. Miller
▶ 1:10:26Mrs. Miller yes Dr. Murphy
▶ 1:10:31Mr. Kustoff yes
▶ 1:10:32Mr. Kustoff yes Mr. Fitzpatrick yes Mr. Fitzpatrick yes Mr. Stwie. Miss Tenny. Miss Tenny. Yes. Mrs.
▶ 1:10:45Mrs. Fishbach. Yes. Mr. Moore.
▶ 1:10:48Mr. Moore. Yes. Miss Vanine. Miss. Van. Yes. Mr. Fenstra. Mr. Fenstra. Yes. Miss Maliaakis. Miss. Maliotakis. Yes. Mr. Kerry. Mr. Kerry. Yes. Mr. Yakam.
▶ 1:11:03Mr. Yakam. Yes. Mr. Miller. Mr. Miller, yes. Mr. Bean,
▶ 1:11:09Mr. Bean, yes. Mr. Moran. Mr. Moran. Yes. Mr. Neil. Mr. Neil. Yes. Mr. Dogget. Mr. Dogget. No. Mr. Thompson.
▶ 1:11:30Mr. Thompson. Yes. Mr. Larson?
▶ 1:11:35Mr. Mr. Larson. Yes. Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis. No. Miss Sanchez. Miss Sanchez. Yes. Miss Su. Miss. Delben. Miss Delben. Yes. Miss Chu. Miss Chu. Yes. Miss Moore. Miss Moore. Yes. Mr. Boille.
▶ 1:12:06Mr. Boille. Yes. Mr. Byer.
▶ 1:12:11Mr. Byer. Yes.
▶ 1:12:14Mr. Evans.
▶ 1:12:16Mr. Evans. Yes. Mr. Schneider. Mr. Schneider. Yes. Mr. Petta. Mr. Petta. Yes. Mr. Gomez. Mr. Gomez. Yes. Mr. Horseford. Mr. Horford. Yes. Miss Plask.
▶ 1:12:35Miss Plask. Yes. Mr. Swazy.
▶ 1:12:40Mr. S Swazy. Yes. Mr. Smith of Nebraska.
▶ 1:12:47Mr. Smith of Nebraska. Yes. Mr. Le Hood. Mr. Arrington. Mr. Arrington. Yes. Mrs. Miller. Dr. Murphy,
▶ 1:13:16Mr. Stwie,
▶ 1:13:22Mr. Dogit.
▶ 1:13:30How is Miss Soul recorded? Miss Su is not recorded.
▶ 1:13:35Miss Su. Yes.
▶ 1:13:42Chairman Smith.
▶ 1:13:45Chairman Smith. Yes. clerk
▶ 1:14:15will report the vote.
▶ 1:14:20Mr. Chairman, the yeses are 40 and the nos are two. There being 40 yeses and two nos, the motion is agreed to and HR6903 as amended is ordered favorably reported to the House. Without objection, I ask that staff be authorized to make technical and conforming changes to HR6903 and that members have two additional days to file with the committee clerk supplemental additional dissenting or minority views.
▶ 1:14:46Our next order of business is HR6431, the New Opportunities for Business Ownership and Self-Sufficiency or No Boss Act, introduced by Representative Mike Kerry. Representative Kerry has been a steadfast advocate for small businesses and entrepreneurs and as a leading voice on our work and welfare subcommittee has helped ensure more Americans can can experience the dignity of work. This bill reflects that strong commitment.
▶ 1:15:17The No Boss Act modernizes the self-employment assistance program to provide [snorts] more unemployed workers with the opportunity to find reemployment through entrepreneurship to better reflect how people actually create jobs today by starting businesses, taking risk, and building something of their own. This is a bipartisan common sense reform that empowers workers, supports small business creation, and strengthens local economies.
▶ 1:15:45I commend Representative Kerry for his dedication to America's small businesses, as well as his leadership in advancing work and welfare policies that help more Americans find gainful employment. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I'm pleased to recognize a gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Kerry, for an opening statement. I want to thank uh thank you Chairman Smith and uh your team for bringing this legislation, the New Opportunities for Business Ownership and Self-Sufficiency Act or the No Boss Act before our committee today.
▶ 1:16:15Before I continue, I would like to enter into the record a letter of support for this legislation from Alexandra Clark, the vice president of public affairs for Shopify. Without objection,
▶ 1:16:30I introduced the No Boss Act alongside my friend from Cincinnati, Congressman Greg Lansman, and with some of my friends on this Ways and Means Committee, Mr. Max Miller, Rudy Yakam, Randy Fenstra, and Nathaniel Moran. This bipartisan bill removes barriers at the federal level for aspiring entrepreneurs to start businesses and help grow our economy.
▶ 1:16:55It institutes common sense corrections and updates to the self-employment assistance program or C. The C program allows participants to receive unemployment benefits while focusing on full-time on starting their business instead of requiring them to actively look for a job while pursuing the American dream. Currently, the C program is underutilized in many states due to burdome burdensome requirements.
▶ 1:17:23As a result, only eight states have participated in this voluntary program with just five remaining active today. The NO Boss Act is modeled after successful state C pilot programs and incorporates feedback from individuals who have participated in this program.
▶ 1:17:43Specifically, this bill removes quote likely to exhaust benefits provisions, which implies that entrepreneurship should only be an option for those who are unlikely to find another job. That has never been the case. The American dream is open for everyone to chase. New businesses create jobs and make our economy stronger. This is common sense.
▶ 1:18:09The no boss act also clarifies that developing a business plan and conducting a market feasibility study are complimentary alternatives for entrepreneurship training while the self-employment activity requirements and it includes the requirement to certify the completion of these activities weekly. The element of this program success is what we saw in Oregon.
▶ 1:18:31The last change in this bill increases the limit on the number of individuals who can participate in the program from 5% of all individuals receiving unemployment compensation in a state to 10%. And I'm thankful to my colleagues across the aisle for working with our team to develop this legislation.
▶ 1:18:51Because of their engagement, we are adding a requirement for the Secretary of Labor to provide guidance to states on activities that meet the new uh statutory requirements for self-employment assistance, activities on best practices to verify the completion of these activities. We know this program works. In Brooklyn, New York, there are businesses offering gy gymnastics classes to children and adults, creating handcrafted artisan jewelry uh were made possible because of the sea efforts.
▶ 1:19:21More than 10 years later, their doors remain open today. Entrepreneurship empowers Americans in America for all back from all backgrounds and all stages of their professional careers to create new economic opportunities for themselves and the members of their community. I encourage all of my colleagues to support this legislation. And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
▶ 1:19:44I now recognize the ranking member. Let me yield my time to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Davis.
▶ 1:19:51Thank you, Mr. Denal, and thank you, Mr. Helping unemployed workers is a bipartisan responsibility. The new opportunity for business ownership and self-sufficiency act would encourage states to adopt or expand the optional self-employment assistance program by making more unemployed workers eligible to join the program and doubling the participant cap from 5 to
▶ 1:20:23I support the option of allowing unemployed workers to start their own businesses. We know that small businesses help our communities thrive and it is particularly important for us to pursue all avenues of helping Americans find work given the Trump economy's extremely low job creation and given the rising cost for basic In 2024,
▶ 1:20:54our growing economy created 2 million In 2025, contending with the chaos of the Trump tariffs, ICE imprisoning workers without due process, and troops being sent to sent to our cities. We had the worst year for job gains outside of a recession in over 20 years.
▶ 1:21:19However, the self-employment option is complicated for states and participants and increases the risk of unemployment overpayment and fraud. Self-employment is difficult to define and unemployment offices generally lack expertise regarding In addition with traditional job searches, states can more easily document compliance with the law.
▶ 1:21:50I thank Chairman Smith, Chairman Lehood, and Congressman Kerry for including a provision to provide model language for defining and verifying the self-employment activities in the amendment of a substitute. The model language hopefully will reduce errors and confusion.
▶ 1:22:12However, given the complicated nature of receiving while setting up a new business, I believe it is important to include a wave none fraud overpayments to protect those unemployed workers who choose the entrepreneurial path this bill encourages. And I'm disappointed that the ANS does not address that issue.
▶ 1:22:38Overpayments are likely to occur due to no fault of these small business starters [snorts] simply because of the complexity of proving you're working fulltime on [clears throat] starting a Waving non fraud overp payments is a simple way to encourage entrepreneurship while protecting these unemployed workers who choose the challenging but rewarding path of starting a small
▶ 1:23:09business from suddenly having to repay funds undermining their small business Indeed, this is why both Republicans and supported forgiving $750 billion in overpayments and unpaid loans to small businesses within the Paycheck Protection Program during the pandemic.
▶ 1:23:37I look forward to working with my colleagues on ways to support and protect unemployed workers. I thank you, Mr. chairman and yield back the balance of my time.
▶ 1:23:49Thank you. The committee will now proceed to consideration of HR6431, the new opportunities for business ownership and self-sufficiency act. Without objection, the measure will be considered as read and open for amendment at any point. At this time, I offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute which was distributed in advance along with a green sheet explaining it. Without objection, the amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read, open for amendment at any point and considered base text for purpose of amendment.
▶ 1:24:18I will now turn to Cheryl Freeman, work and welfare subcommittee staff director to provide a technical description of the amendment and the nature of a substitute with an emphasis on the changes made since introduction. I ask that members hold their questions until after a presentation.
▶ 1:24:35Thank you, Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Neil. HR6431, the new opportunities for business ownership and self-sufficiency act modifies unemployment insurance provisions in the Internal Revenue Code as it relates to the self-employment assistance program. SEA is a voluntary program focused on reemployment of unemployment claimants through self-employment and small business ownership. SEA was created in 1993 and currently eight states have an SEA program with about 1,400 participants nationwide.
▶ 1:25:05HR6431 modifies the program in the following ways. Increases the participation cap from 5 to 10%. Expands eligibility to all UI claimants, not just those determined to be most likely to exhaust their benefits, and adds a provision related to state approval of self-employment assistance activities participation and weekly certification.
▶ 1:25:29As reflected on the green sheet, the chairman's amendment in the nature of the substitute modifies HR6431 as introduced on page three, line 16 by inserting a new G to require the Secretary of Labor to provide guidance to states with a model list of self-employment assistance activities and best practices for verification of completion of such activities. These changes are consistent with the intent of the provisions to correct references and make conforming changes. Mr. Mr.
▶ 1:25:59Chairman, that completes my walkth through. I'm happy to answer technical
▶ 1:26:03Thank you. Are there any technical questions about the amendment and the nature of a substitute?
▶ 1:26:08Seeing none, we'll move to strike the last word. Mr. Gomez.
▶ 1:26:13Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, I support this bill. Um, but this is not the issue that my constituents um ask me about. They constantly ask me, when will Republicans grow a spine? When will Republicans actually stand up to Donald Trump, push back, fight back because they are struggling to get by in this country?
▶ 1:26:37Because everything Donald Trump has done since the beginning of his term has made it harder for working people to get by. Everything from his liberation day tariffs that have driven up prices across the board. from everything from groceries to cars to baby products. It has driven up the cost of living.
▶ 1:26:56The one big beautiful bill where they literally take from the working class from any program that that helps working people get by to give tax breaks to the billionaires in this country and the largest corporations. When are they going to stand up and be Republicans? These are the people that used to be the free traders, low government intervention, but that's not what's going on. They're acquiescing everything to Donald Trump. They are not Republicans.
▶ 1:27:25They are Trumpistas that will do whatever he wants whenever he wants. And just yesterday, we got new inflation data that has shown that inflation has been going up and up and up, that it's not under control, is not conquered like Donald Trump says. It is actually worse. The data also shows that grocery prices in December were the highest since 2022. Since 2022.
▶ 1:27:56Did they are they talking about controlling inflation, helping Donald Trump keep his promise of lowering the cost of inflation on day one? No. They're actually remaining silent or go along with his agenda. And what just happened last week? What did we just find out? We found out that Trump is trying to prosecute and go after the chairman of the Federal Reserve. The chairman of the Federal Reserve. Because he But here's the thing.
▶ 1:28:26Because the chairman, why is he doing it? Because the chairman makes his decisions on how he sets interest rates. Not on political whim, not on an agenda that can hurt the American people, but on the ideas. How do you lower inflation? How do you maximize job growth in this country?
▶ 1:28:46So when you attack the ind independence of the Federal Reserve, you're undoing what sets America apart from most other And we also had every living former Federal Reserve chair, both Republican, Democrat, denounce what is going on, and that doesn't happen often. They said, quote, "The reported criminal inquiry into Federal Reserve Chair J. Pal is an unprecedented attempt to use prosecural attacks to undermine that independence.
▶ 1:29:16It has no place in the United States, whose greatest strength is the rule of law, which is at the foundation of our economic success." End quote. The Federal Reserve is independent for a reason. It's because it's supposed to not be about winning elections. It's about protecting the interests of the American people and Donald Trump is going to put that at risk. But what are my Republican colleagues doing? Nothing.
▶ 1:29:42They're going to allow Trump to continue this attack that doesn't only hurt this one individual. It hurts interest rates, credit card rates. It's going to make it more expensive for working people to get by. So, you know, we need Republicans to act like Republicans, not like Trumpistas that do whatever he says whenever he says, because that is what's going on. He's undermining the way our system of government should function.
▶ 1:30:12And who's paying the price? Working Working people. And the the party that was going to drain the swamp be has become the swamp. The party that says they're going to be the most transparent in US history has become the least transparent in US history.
▶ 1:30:28The party that said put America first has backed an an invasion of a different country, packed a bailout of Argentina, and keeps giving out billions of dollars to uh to their friends who go along with this president. It's time for the Republicans to grow a spine and help the working class. With that, I yield
▶ 1:30:52Mr. Miller.
▶ 1:30:54Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'd like to strike the last word. I'd like to register my strong support for HR6431, the No Boss Act. This legislation would improve the self-employment assistance program, which allows unemployment insurance claimants to seek reemployment by starting a small business by increasing the participation cap from 5 to 10%. The bill also adds important accountability measures like requiring a business plan and a market feasibility study to ensure that the program actually works as it's intended.
▶ 1:31:24Mr. Chairman, I would like to submit a letter of support for HR 6431 from Shopify's small business merchants for the record. Without objection.
▶ 1:31:33Thank you. The No Boss Act is a common sense bill that strengthens our nation's entrepreneurial spirit and I urge its passage. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.
▶ 1:31:43Mr. Mr. Moran,
▶ 1:31:45I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, the Constitution grants Congress the authority to shape tax and workforce policy, but more importantly, it gives us a responsibility to ensure those policies expand opportunity and encourage self-sufficiency. For generations, Americans have proven that when given the chance, they do not just look for jobs, they create them. That principle is at the heart of Mr.
▶ 1:32:10carries new opportunities for business ownership and self-sufficiency act, the no boss act, which I am proud to co-sponsor. This legislation takes a practical bipartisan approach by improving an existing program that is currently being underutilized. The self-employment assistance program was designed to help unemployed workers start businesses while receiving unemployment benefits. Yet today, participation remains limited because states face rigid requirements and unnecessary administrative barriers.
▶ 1:32:40The no boss act removes the requirement that participants must be quote likely to exhaust their employment compensation. It updates participation criteria to allow either approved entrepreneurial training or a state approved business plan and it modestly raises the participation cap from 5 to 10%. These changes are phased in responsibly and administered by states with federal oversight through the Department of Labor.
▶ 1:33:08These reforms matter to our small businesses, which are the backbone of our local economies. I hear from laid-off workers, veterans, and skilled workers who want to turn experience into ownership. Whether that's a construction business, a repair shop, or a service company. But those folks need a bridge during those moments of transition. The No Boss Act helps provide just that bridge.
▶ 1:33:30It supports dignity through work, re rewards in in innovation and initiative, and it strengthens communities without growing long-term dependency. President Reagan often spoke about trusting people more than systems. And that spirit is interwoven throughout this bill. It trusts individuals to take responsibility. It trusts states to design programs that fit their workforce needs.
▶ 1:33:53and it respects taxpayers by focusing on independence and job creation, not permanent assistance from a nanny state. I appreciate the bipartisan work that has gone into this bill and look forward to continuing to work with colleagues to ensure Congress is empowering opportunity, empowering ownership, and empowering economic freedom. It is the pathway to hope.
▶ 1:34:17I urge all to support HR6431, the new opportunities for business ownership and self-sufficiency act. I thank Mr. Kerry for his leadership on this bill and I thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
▶ 1:34:30Mr. Kerry, Mr. Chairman, I I move to strike the last word. Uh I'm proud to sponsor the New Opportunities uh business ownership and self-sufficiency act along with my colleague, Mr. Greg Lansman out of Cincinnati and I appreciate again you bringing it up to the committee today. Uh this program is designed to allow unemployment workers the option to create their own jobs by starting a small business.
▶ 1:34:54This bill is a great example of how the government can come to the table to support enable and foster more entrepreneurship in a way that uh can rely that can really make a significant difference in our communities. The bill also adds accountability provisions to require individuals to submit a business plan market feasibility study for approval by the state and to require participants to certify self-employment assistance activities to the state agency for approval on a weekly basis.
▶ 1:35:25The NO Boss Act has received endorsements from Shopify, the Foundation for American Innovation, the R Street Institute, the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, um, and the Center for American I hope that my Democratic colleagues will join us in supporting this common sense pro small business bill. And with that, Mr. Chairman, I do yield back.
▶ 1:35:47Thank you. Are there additional members that wish to strike the last word? Seeing none, we will move to amendments. Are there any amendments to the amendment in the nature of a substitute?
▶ 1:35:58Mr. Byer.
▶ 1:35:59Yeah, Mr. Chairman, I do have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 1:36:02Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of
▶ 1:36:04A point of order has been reserved. Will the gentleman suspend while the amendment is distributed?
▶ 1:36:17Proceed. Mr. Byer.
▶ 1:36:19Uh, thank you, Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Neil. I was make clear that I support uh Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lansson's bill and intend to vote for it. My amendment to Mr. K's bill seeks to better inform Congress of recession preparedness in states across the country. This is especially important given the negative jobs reports we continue to see month after month and the administration's disruptive termination of the Department of Labor grants last year.
▶ 1:36:43These grants to states were funded by section 218 of the car's act which was one of the major accomplishments in the first Trump administration and was intended to help implement program integrity investments based on the recommendations made by the department of labor tiger teams. The abrupt cancellation of these grants before their scheduled end date prevented many states from adopting the recommendations and further invest in their recession preparedness re infrastructure.
▶ 1:37:09And it really would be beneficial to all of us to see how these grant cancellations have hindered state preparedness. What we can do to make sure that the programs that weren't carried out can now be completed. Let me remind us that I I can't remember was last year, the year before, we had a ways and means hears hearing on the $60 billion that was fraudulently spent out of the 800 billion that we spent on unemployment insurance. This was largely because so many of our states were way unprepared for a recession in their unemployment insurance.
▶ 1:37:38Um, I speak just as a Virginia. Every Thursday at 5:30 in the afternoon, the whole delegation, Democrats, Republicans, would be on the phone with the governor and the head of our unemployment uh office filled with frustration about how poorly the program was being administered. And their defense was that their systems went back to the 1980s, the software and the hardware.
▶ 1:38:00Well, the whole notion was that through the CARES Act that we're investing in the recession preparedness and this really this report gives us the information on whether the states have established or expanded their own self-employment assistance programs given the current lack of jobs for unemployed workers. I just looked it up. The Department of Labor um just noted that the JOLTS report, which is the job openings, has just hit a 14-month low. A couple years ago, we had two job openings for every unemployed worker.
▶ 1:38:28We're now down to about one and a quarter. Our states deserve to learn from the lessons of previous recessions to better address the needs of the labor force. And this is especially urgent concerning the current relatively weak position of the labor market. Last year, the US economy added 584,000 overall jobs. That sounds okay, but that's the worst for job gains outside of recession in 22 years. The last time it was that low was 2003. Unemployment rates been creeping up to 4.4%.
▶ 1:38:574% manufacturing employment is down 68,000 jobs this year. And since Liberation Day tariffs, a net 161,000 bluecollar jobs have been lost. During that same period, over 100% of the new job gains in America have been in the health care sector. So this legislation is really, really important.
▶ 1:39:17The fact is despite what you see in the stock market, our and the K the Kshaped economy we all know about our economy is on unstable footing especially for those looking to start new businesses. So our constituents may need a lot of assistance assistance in the event of a recession that could well be sooner than we think. So I encourage all my colleagues to vote for this amendment to help us make sure that our states are ready to meet the recessions head on.
▶ 1:39:44and it obviously strongly complements the uh Congressman Kerry legislation. And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield
▶ 1:39:51Any discussion on the amendment? Mr.
▶ 1:39:55Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I I really do appreciate my my colleagues um deep interest in this topic and he brings up many good points, but I I would say that this amendment uh is extraneous to the main subject matter of the underlining bill. Now, we would be extremely happy, extremely happy to work on this issue separately to seek some bipartisan solutions where we can.
▶ 1:40:20Um, and because the amendment is outside of the scope, I would uh urge my colleagues at this time to vote no and support the underlining bill. I yield back.
▶ 1:40:31Further discussion?
▶ 1:40:33Seeing none, the question is on agreeing to the amendment offered by Mr. Byer. The clerk will call the role. Mr. Buchanan,
▶ 1:40:44Mr. Buchanan, no. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. Mr. Smith of Nebraska, no. Mr. Kelly, Mr. Kelly, no. Mr. Schwikert. Mr. Schwikert. No. Mr. Leood. Mr. Arrington. Mr. Estus.
▶ 1:41:15Mr. Estus. No. Mr. Smucker. Mr. Smucker. No. Mr. Hearn. Mr. Hearn. No. Mrs.
▶ 1:41:27Mrs. Miller. No. Dr. Murphy.
▶ 1:41:34Mr. Kustoff. Mr. Kustoff. No, Mr. Fitzpatrick. Mr. Fitzpatrick. No, Mr. Miss Tenny. Miss Tenny. No. Mrs. Fishbach. Mrs. Fishbach. No. Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore. No. Miss Vanine. Miss Vanine. No. Mr. Fenstra. Mr. Fenstra.
▶ 1:42:05No. Miss Maliotakus. Miss Maliotakis. No. Mr. Kerry. Mr. Kerry. No. Mr. Yakam. Mr. Yakam. No. Mr. Mr. Miller. No. Mr. Bean. Mr. Bean. No. Mr. Moran. Mr. Moran. No. Mr. Neil. Mr. Neil. Yes. Mr. Dogit. Mr. Dogit.
▶ 1:42:35Yes, Mr. Thompson
▶ 1:42:38Mr. Thompson. Yes, Mr. Larson.
▶ 1:42:41Mr. Larson. Yes, Mr. Davis.
▶ 1:42:45Mr. Davis. Yes, Miss Sanchez. Miss Sanchez. Yes, Miss Su. Miss Delen. Miss Delben. Yes. Miss Chu. Miss Chu. Yes. Miss Moore. Miss Moore. Yes. Mr. Boille. Hi.
▶ 1:43:08Mr. Boille. Yes. Mr. Byer.
▶ 1:43:12Mr. Byer. Yes. Mr. Evans.
▶ 1:43:16Mr. Evans. Yes. Mr. Schneider.
▶ 1:43:20Mr. Schneider. Yes. Mr. Petta. Mr. Petta. Yes. Mr. Gomez. Mr. Gomez. Yes. Mr. Horseford. Mr. Horseford. Yes. Miss Plask.
▶ 1:43:35Miss Plasket. Yes. Mr. Swazy.
▶ 1:43:38Mr. Swazy. Yes. Mr. Le Hood. Mr. Arrington. Mr. Arrington. Dr. Murphy. Mr. Stwie. Miss Su.
▶ 1:44:12Chairman Smith.
▶ 1:44:14Chairman Smith. No. The clerk will report the vote.
▶ 1:44:34Mr. Chairman, the yeses are 18 and the nos are 22.
▶ 1:44:38There being 18 yeses and 22 nos, the amendment is not agreed to. Are there additional amendments? Seeing none, um the question is on the adoption of the amendment in the nature of a substitute. All those in favor signify by saying I. I.
▶ 1:44:54Those opposed say no. In the opinion of the chair, the eyes have it and the amendment in the nature of a substitute is agreed to. I will now recognize Mr. Buchanan for the purpose of offering a
▶ 1:45:03Mr. Chairman, I move the committee favorably report HR 6431 as amended to the House of Representatives.
▶ 1:45:11The question is on the motion to favorably report HR 6431 as amended to the House of Representatives. The clerk will call the role.
▶ 1:45:20Mr. Buchanan,
▶ 1:45:22Mr. Buchanan, yes. Mr. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. Yes. Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly. Yes. Mr. Schwiker. Mr. Schwiker. Yes. Mr. Le Hood. Mr. Arrington. Mr. Estus. Mr. Estus. Yes. Mr. Smucker. Mr. Smunker. Yes. Mr. Hearn.
▶ 1:45:51Mr. Hearn. Yes. Mrs. Miller. Yes,
▶ 1:45:54Mrs. Miller. Yes, Dr. Murphy.
▶ 1:46:01Mr. Kustoff.
▶ 1:46:03Mr. Kustoff. Yes. Mr. Fitzpatrick.
▶ 1:46:06Mr. Fitzpatrick. Yes. Mr. Stwie. Miss Tenny. Miss Tenny. Yes. Mrs.
▶ 1:46:16Mrs. Fishbach. Yes. Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore. Yes. Miss. Van. Miss. Van. Yes, Mr. Fenstra. Mr. Fenstra. Yes, Miss Miss Malotakus. Yes, Mr. Kerry. Mr. Kerry. Yes, Mr. Yakam. Mr. Yakam. Yes, Mr. Miller.
▶ 1:46:37Mr. Miller. Yes, Mr. Bean.
▶ 1:46:40Mr. Bean. Yes. Mr. Moran.
▶ 1:46:43Mr. Moran. Mr. Neil. Mr. Neil. Yes. Mr. Dogget. Mr. Dogget. Yes. Mr. Thompson. Mr. Thompson. Yes. Mr. Larson. Mr. Larson. Yes. Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis. Yes. Miss Sanchez. Miss. Sanchez. Yes. Miss Mr. Delben. Mr. Delen. Yes. Miss Chu. Miss. Chu. Yes. Miss Moore.
▶ 1:47:13Miss Moore. Yes. Mr. Boille.
▶ 1:47:17Mr. Boille. Yes. Mr. Byer.
▶ 1:47:20Mr. Byer. Yes, Mr. Evans.
▶ 1:47:23Mr. Evans. Yes, Mr. Schneider.
▶ 1:47:26Mr. Schneider. Yes, Mr. Petta. Mr. Petta. Yes, Mr. Gomez. Mr. Gomez. Yes, Mr. Horsesford. Mr. Horzford. Yes, Miss Plask. Miss Plask. Yes, Mr. Swazy. Mr. Swazy. Yes. Mr. Le Hood. Mr. Arrington. Mr. Arrington. Yes.
▶ 1:47:58Dr. Murphy. Mr. Stwie. Miss Su. Chairman Smith.
▶ 1:48:13Chairman Smith. Yes. The clerk will report the vote.
▶ 1:48:49Mr. Chairman, the yeses are 41 and the nos are zero.
▶ 1:48:53There being 41 yeses and zero nos, the motion is agreed to in HR 6431 as amended as ordered favorably reported to the House. Without objection, I ask that staff be authorized to make technical and conforming changes to HR6431 and that members have two additional days to file with the committee clerk supplemental additional dissenting or minority views.
▶ 1:49:16Our last order of business is HR6945, the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act. Back back when they were in charge, the Biden administration proposed a rule to block TANA funds from going to pregnancy resource centers, including potentially the three including potentially the three out of every four dollars my state of Missouri provides to such centers.
▶ 1:49:44The administration did not have the authority to create this rule and women would have lost a source of support during pregnancy and parenthood. So this committee took action. Last Congress, we considered similar legislation to the bill today to pressure the Biden administration to reverse course. That effort proved successful. We must ensure any future administration cannot similarly try to undermine access to pregnancy centers.
▶ 1:50:15The bill's primary sponsor, Representative Fishbach, has been a steady and strong prolife champion for her entire public service. She led this legislation last Congress along with Representatives Tenny and Smith who have banded together to protect access to care for pregnant women and new mothers. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and I'm pleased to recognize the gentle lady from Minnesota, Miss Fishbach, for an opening statement.
▶ 1:50:44Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act responds to the Biden administration targeting pro-life Christian organizations. In its guidance, the administration singled out pregnancy resource centers as potentially ineligible for funding, an action not taken toward any other nonprofit organization.
▶ 1:51:07This bill ensures that pregnancy resource centers cannot be discriminated against and remain eligible to receive TANNIF funds. These centers, along with alternatives to abortion programs, have long been permitted under TANF. The bill simply pushes back against biased federal tactics designed to punish organizations that do not align with the agenda of Democrat administrations. Pregnancy resource centers play a vital role in supporting women, children, and families.
▶ 1:51:37They provide family services such as pregnancy testing, counseling, parenting or uh parenting education, and essential material support like diapers and baby clothes. They connect expecting parents with prenatal care, public assistance, and community resources that promote healthy pregnancy and stable family environments.
▶ 1:51:58Their mission is to fully align with TANF's purpose to promote family stability, reduce dependency, and en encourage responsible parenthood by helping pre, strengthen relationships, and care for newborns, pregnancy centers advance the same goals TANF was created to support, helping families build the skills they need to achieve long-term economic independence.
▶ 1:52:25This bill also restores the flexibility the TANF was designed to give states. Tannif was created to allow state broad discretion in meeting the needs of low-income families. The bill simply clarifies that states may choose to fund pregnancy resource centers if they believe those organizations best advance TANF's core goals. It does not mandate funding or impose new requirements. It perver preserves state choice.
▶ 1:52:54No state is required to support pregnancy centers. It simply confirms that they are allowed to do so. Importantly, the bill also prevents view viewpoints based discrimination. No organization should be excluded from participating in state administered social service programs simply because it supports mothers and children before and after birth.
▶ 1:53:19This legislation ensures ideological neutrality and promotes states from political pressures to exclude certain providers based on their pro-life beliefs. The Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act is a common sense clarification. The bill does not expand federal authority or restructure TANNIF. It simply reaffirms the states may continue partnering with pregnancy care centers that are that are already serving families well.
▶ 1:53:47And on a more personal note, I've been to many pregnancy care centers and they are there to help people. We mentioned diapers, cribs, toys, parenting classes. I've been I've been there and seen the people that with joy and love help women, help their babies, and help them before and after birth. And I am proud to carry this legislation. And with that, I yield back.
▶ 1:54:16I now recognize a ranking member from Massachusetts.
▶ 1:54:18Thank you. Let me yield my time to the gentle lady from California, Miss Chu.
▶ 1:54:23It is shameful that instead of addressing the real crisis facing millions of Americans in this country right now, Republicans are choosing to spend this committee's time attempting to funnel taxpayer dollars to organizations that intentionally lie to, mislead, and endanger women.
▶ 1:54:46The so-called Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act completely fails to address the realities facing people who are pregnant or raising children. It takes no meaningful action to strengthen the temporary assistance for needy families program uh that more than 1 million families rely on. It does nothing to expand access to food assistance, housing stability, or child care.
▶ 1:55:13It no safeguards to ensure that the program is functioning as intended to provide real effective support to families who are struggling to make ends meet. Instead, this bill would actively harm the very people it claims to help and push us closer to Republicans true objective total control over Americans private healthc care decisions.
▶ 1:55:41Under the guise of supporting town of beneficiaries, this bill legitimizes coercive anti-abortion tactics designed to block people who are facing lifealtering medical decisions from receiving truthful medically accurate information about their reproductive health care options.
▶ 1:56:02so-called crisis pregnancy centers are fake women's health clinics designed to dissuade women from seeking abortion care by spreading misinformation. They often disguise themselves as genuine health centers, even going so far as to dress their staff in scrubs or white coats to mimic medical In Iowa, an OB/GYN has seen patients who visited these centers and were told that
▶ 1:56:33using contraceptives was the same as having an abortion. She's seen patients who've had miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies because they were misdiagnosed by these anti-abortion centers. These women were told that their pregnancies were in the early stages or that they were experiencing normal amounts of pain because the staff members they saw were not actually qualified medical professionals.
▶ 1:57:02As a result of this substandard care, these women showed up to the hospital needing emergency care and surgery to save their lives. And in Chicago, a woman seeking an abortion was dis was deliberately misled by a fake clinic, subjected to graphic videos, was told that having an abortion would make her infertile, and was ultimately coerced into carrying a pregnancy to term.
▶ 1:57:32After giving birth, she lost her job and health coverage, and the so-called clinic never offered real medical care or follow-up support. What is even worse, because they are not healthc care facilities, these anti-abortion centers can share patient information with anti-abortion networks that fund them.
▶ 1:57:55This information can and has been used to surveil, harass, pressure, or prosecute those seeking abortion care. Tannif dollars are incredible anti-poverty tools. But instead of investing in child care, employment assistance or programs to help families afford their rent, we are debating a bill today to send more public funds to these deceitful and dangerous anti-abortion centers.
▶ 1:58:25If my Republican colleagues truly wanted to assist expecting parents and lift children out out of poverty, I would welcome their partnership on our efforts to establish a national paid family leave policy.
▶ 1:58:40I welcome any any partnership to increase funding for Title 10, which is the nation's only dedicated source of family planning funding, which hasn't seen an increase since 2014, over 10 years. Or they could join us in investing in our nation's badly underresourced child care system.
▶ 1:59:04Instead, they choose to spend our valuable time on bills dedicated to further trampling women's reproductive rights after disastrous Supreme Court jobs decision. [snorts] I urge my colleagues to vote no and I yield back.
▶ 1:59:24Thank you. The committee will now proceed to consideration of HR6945, the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act. Without objection, the measure will be considered as read and open for amendment at any point. At this time, I offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute, which was distributed in advance along with a green sheet explaining it. Without objection, the amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read, open for amendment at any point, and considered base text for the purpose of the amendment.
▶ 1:59:52I will now turn to Cheryl Freeman, work and welfare subcommittee staff director to provide a technical description of the amendment and the nature of a substitute with an emphasis on the changes made since introduction. I ask that members hold their questions until after her presentation.
▶ 2:00:08Thank you, Chairman Smith and Miss Moore. HR6945, the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, modifies title four of the Social Security Act governing the temporary assistance for needy families tanniff program. The bill adds a new section to the state the statute's description of the use of grants to clarify that nothing shall prohibit a state from using funds to support pregnancy centers as reflected on the green sheet.
▶ 2:00:33the chairman's amendment in the nature of the substitute H of HR6945 as introduced on page two changes line 17 to insert other after or these changes are consistent with the intent of the provisions to correct references and make conforming changes Mr. Chairman that completes my walkthrough I'm happy to answer technical questions
▶ 2:00:56are there any technical questions about the amendment and the nature of a substitute miss
▶ 2:01:01thank you so much Mr. chairman and and good afternoon Miss Freeman. Um you say that this bill adds a section um but what can you share with the committee what are the uh purposes of the TANF grant as we as it was constructed?
▶ 2:01:22Tannif has four statutory purposes. Um, states are in terms of funding for pregnancy centers, states are not
▶ 2:01:31I'm sorry, did you say the four purposes include funding pregnancy centers?
▶ 2:01:37No, I I I'm sorry.
▶ 2:01:39Thank you. States are not required to demonstrate that a tanniff expenditure meets all four statutory purposes, but pregnancy centers meet Tannif purposes one and three by providing material supports and assistance to women in need so children can be cared for in their own home and reducing dependence on government assistance.
▶ 2:02:00Okay. your your assessment is is that pregnancy centers meet number one the first purpose being that that that it provides child care so that women can stay in their homes so these pregnancy centers provide child care to people is that what you're you're saying Freeman
▶ 2:02:20the TANF purpose that I'm referring to is to assist families in caring for children in their own home not child care per se
▶ 2:02:29okay but I'm Just saying the statute the per the purpose number one is to provide child care so that children can stay in their home. Is that correct? Am I reading that correctly?
▶ 2:02:39I my reading of that or my understanding of that purpose in the statute is not that it's exclusive to child care. So you don't see the first purpose is providing child care even though it says
▶ 2:02:51it the purpose is related to children being cared for in their own home which may not be
▶ 2:02:56and [clears throat] so these pregnancy centers you say that one of the that that they're fulfilling the purpose of enabling parents to take care of children in their own homes that's that's one of the things that they do
▶ 2:03:09I am I am saying that tanniff purposes one and three are the
▶ 2:03:14okay so purpose number Three is reducing out of widlock pregnancies. So are these women pregnant when they go to the pregnancy crisis centers?
▶ 2:03:23The purpose that I was referring to is reducing dependence on government assistance. And like a lot of tanniff expenditures, the states have discretion to uh describe in their state plan how their expenditures meet TANF purposes. And they're construed broadly. they traditionally have been construed broadly and states have a great deal of flexibility uh to to justify their expenses under tanniff to meet those
▶ 2:03:49Okay. So, um I'm not going to debate with you, Miss Freeman, because I realize you've just given us the walkthrough. Okay. So, um how much money is provided from the federal government for tanniff purposes? I have $16.5 billion. Is that the number you have?
▶ 2:04:06That's correct. federal dollars and um um so uh recently just to mention recently there's an initiative on part of uh of u of this administration to reduce funding for I think five states by 10 billion dollar and so that would leave only $6.5 of tanniff for all the other states
▶ 2:04:37plus the pregnancy centers if we were to expand the uses of this. Is that
▶ 2:04:45Yes. The administration recently acted to freeze funds in five states.
▶ 2:04:49Right. At the tune of $10 billion out of the $16.5 billion that is is is uh allocated that's appropriated for TANF. Is that
▶ 2:05:03That's correct. California and New York.
▶ 2:05:05Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And so, um, I have, as of 2024, and maybe you have some updated numbers, but as of 2024, I have 2,633 pregnancy crisis centers. Um, so this legislation would enable 2,633 pregnancy crisis centers to be funded through TANNIF.
▶ 2:05:32Is that The legislation would prohibit any regulatory or other action that would restrict the use the state's use of Tana funds for pregnancy centers and it would be at the discretion of the state to choose whether or not to do that.
▶ 2:05:47Okay. It would be at their discretion. Okay. You you also um said that I understand the whole flexibility thing and I think we had a very long discussion in this committee about the abuse of the flexibility. Um you know case in point was the former uh the football quarterback from my wonderful state Wisconsin uh Packer Brett Favre.
▶ 2:06:17And so we we've you know we see where flexibility has really uh reduced our ability to provide tanniff for the major purposes. There was also um I I think you also did you also I I think um no the author of this bill talked about the pregnancy counseling centers providing services in that are neutral that there was neutrality.
▶ 2:06:44Now, we know, for example, that the 700 or so abortion clinics are are not neutral. I mean, they'll provide counseling. Um, and I used to work in an abortion clinic, so I know I mean, I've told people, look, I'll hold your hand while you go in there and have an abortion, or I'll knit your baby a a
▶ 2:07:04We need to wrap up.
▶ 2:07:05Oh, we need to
▶ 2:07:06You're over an hour.
▶ 2:07:07Over a minute. So,
▶ 2:07:08I thought I thought I was the the chair
▶ 2:07:11You're You're definitely not the chair. You're the ranking member.
▶ 2:07:14I'm the ranking member. [laughter]
▶ 2:07:15Huh? You're gonna give me some Well, I just said these are just questions. Technical question.
▶ 2:07:20Your time is expired by a minute and 19
▶ 2:07:23Okay. Um All right. I just
▶ 2:07:26Mr. Dog,
▶ 2:07:27uh I have some technical questions.
▶ 2:07:29Oh, I think you were going to give I am
▶ 2:07:32I only need about 15 more seconds. You
▶ 2:07:34yield to her.
▶ 2:07:35Is that all right,
▶ 2:07:36Mr. Doggin? And then [clears throat] he'll yield to you.
▶ 2:07:38I'll Okay. So, I'm just wondering these pregnancy counseling centers, do do they have a neutral mission with regard to pregnancy? Thank you for the question, Miss Moore. That's not necessarily within my purview, but I can say that there's a definition in the bill of pregnancy center that references organizations that support the life of the mother and the unborn child.
▶ 2:08:03Okay. Thank you. And and thank you, Mr. Dogen. And I would uh I would yield to you, sir.
▶ 2:08:12Additional technical questions.
▶ 2:08:13Thank you, Mr. Mr. Chair.
▶ 2:08:15Thank you, Miss Moore. Um, seeing none, we'll move to strike the last word. Um, Mr. Dogget is recognized to strike the last word.
▶ 2:08:24Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, instead of addressing the true healthc care crisis that Republican anti-abortion the Republican anti-abortion crusade has created for the lives of so many women. Uh these 2,000 plus fake clinics are promoting fear and misinformation. And all of this is just part of the stepbystep effort of Republicans to impose a nationwide abortion ban.
▶ 2:08:49The type of ban that in Texas is already jeopardizing the right to life of so many women, some of whom have secured medically essential care only by fleeing our state. Last August, I chaired a congressional field hearing on reproductive health in Austin. I heard dozens of really devastating emotional stories from witnesses and written testimony.
▶ 2:09:15In Texas, these are women like Caitlyn Cash, who suffered severe hemorrhaging and nearly died during the birth of her daughter. In Caitlyn's words, quote, "I waited while blood gushed out on my hospital bed. Afterward, I learned what many Texans already know. Care that should be straightforward becomes confusing and delayed when politics wedges itself between doctors and their patients.
▶ 2:09:43Austinite Amanda Zarowski, so eager to have a child, received the crushing news of a nonviable pregnancy, she was forced to wait until she was on the brink of death with a sepsis infection before she could receive necessary care. And for many other Texans, they didn't make it. These were tough women who died because of delayed miscarriage care that physicians were too intimidated to provide.
▶ 2:10:10Their death certificate should really read that the cause of death is the Republican abortion ban. In the first two years after the Supreme Court's wrongful decision to eliminate row protections, over 300,000 women across the country have been forced to flee their states to receive an abortion.
▶ 2:10:30And for the health care providers who want to offer the best medical care and practice that their professional jud judgment indicates, Texas Republicans have placed a bounty on them as they have on everyone from counselors to taxi drivers. vigilante justice in our state. As a result, maternal and infant mortality rates are growing worse.
▶ 2:10:55Medical professions are professionals are leaving Texas and other states with such draconian bands. At a time of worsening shortages, recruitment of new physicians is just as bleak with about 60% of third and fourth year medical students across specialties saying they're unlikely to apply for residency in a state like Texas with such outrageous abortion restrictions. Meanwhile, Republicans continue their march to eliminate reproductive freedom everywhere.
▶ 2:11:25At this very moment, a Senate committee is meeting in a Republican effort to obstru obstruct access to a decades old safe and effective medication used not only for abortion care, but also in medication in miscarriages and other reproductive emergencies. For those who are struggling to start a family, many want to block access to fertility treatment, seeking a backdoor way to impose a national abortion ban.
▶ 2:11:53Some Republicans are now obstructing relief for millions of consumers facing enormous health care premium hikes unless Democrats yield to their extremist agenda. We must not abandon those who are seeking reproductive care in the fight for health care access on Obamacare or any other place.
▶ 2:12:13Under the bill that we are presented today, Republicans now also seek to waste taxpayer dollars on anti-abortion centers disguised as pregnancy crisis centers posing as healthc care facilities with intake forms of medical jordan and staff and scrubs. Most of these centers do not have a single licensed medical professional. They use fear-mongering and misinformation.
▶ 2:12:37They discourage vulnerable women facing the toughest economic circumstances from making the best medical decision for themselves. These centers often endanger patients with delay tactics and false information. They are a sham and have no right to receive a single taxpayer dollar.
▶ 2:12:56For every Texan being offered fewer rights than their grandmothers, for every expectant parent whose life is threatened by Republican political interference, I strongly oppose this bill and I yield back. Miss Tenny.
▶ 2:13:11Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move to strike last word. U only Democrats could make the miracle of life seem like a gruesome evil event. It's my opening statement. But Mr. Chairman, I am happy to once again support my colleagues, Representative Fishbach, uh, Representative Smith, uh, and help today to help lead HR6945, the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act with my colleague, Representative Fishbach, and as I said, Representative Smith.
▶ 2:13:40This vital piece of legislation would prevent any efforts to unfairly limit the ability of states like my own state of New York to spend temporary assistance for needy families funds on pregnancy resource centers. Under the Biden administration, a proposed rule was released to circumvent congressional authority and exceed the statutory limits granted to HHS by preventing TANF funds from reaching pregnancy resource centers.
▶ 2:14:03This rule would have jeopardized the thousands of pregnancy centers across the country that rely on Tana funding to support life affirming services for millions of Americas Americans. And just for accuracy on numbers, there are about 90 to 100 estimated in the state of New York with the the fourth largest state in the entire nation. Uh and just for um uh Ms. Moors, I looked up Wisconsin. If Google AI is correct, there's about 50 in the whole state of Wisconsin, not thousands.
▶ 2:14:33uh just just for clarification. Uh but this rule uh you know is just really not it's not it's it's neutral. It is not a rule about one side or another. Uh but not only do pregnancy centers provide critical precious resources uh for pregnant women seeking to bring uh precious lives into this world. They also offer pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, parental education and counseling and connections to housing and transportation. And I've been to numerous uh of these centers many times.
▶ 2:15:02I've never seen anyone in a white coat. I've never seen anyone pretending to be a doctor. I've never seen anyone trying to manipulate or coersse women. They're actually giving women a choice. Isn't that what we're talking about with Democrats? It's pro-choice, not pro-abortion, right? Uh and that's what these centers are about. So, pregnancy resource centers in my region, as I said, such as Compass Care, are critical partners in promoting life and helping parents to live their beautiful, healthy children.
▶ 2:15:29I find it unconscionable that the Biden administration attempted to restrict states from funding these centers while simultaneously supporting funding for programs connected to Planned Parenthood. Giving Americans the tools to be successful in the workplace and promoting life affirming care for women and children are causes that should garner unanimous support from Congress. It is vital that these pregnancy resource centers continue to receive funding to ensure the well-being of all families across our nation.
▶ 2:15:57We should do everything we can to promote access to all kinds of services that pregnancy centers offer, not limit them. We must do more to preserve the sanctity of life by enabling needy families to sustain life rather than promoting the horrific practice of abortion on demand, late term abortion, those things that happen every day in the state of New York by funding organizations like Planned Parenthood. I'm honored to support this bill and look forward to its passage out of this committee followed by swift consideration on the House floor.
▶ 2:16:27And with that, I thank again my sponsors for their care and their devotion to protecting the sanctity of life. I yield back. Mr.
▶ 2:16:36Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Once [clears throat] again, we're considering legislation that advances ideology at the expense of women's health. Sadly, it's part of a broader deliberate effort by Republicans to restrict access to legitimate health care for women while propping up unregulated entities that do not provide real medical services. Let's be clear about what's happening.
▶ 2:17:01Republicans are cutting women's access to actual health care while steering women toward so-called pregnancy crisis center that uh often are not licensed medical clinics, are not required to follow basic medical standards, and are not bound by HIPPA. At the same time, Republicans are gutting the health care system women rely on.
▶ 2:17:26The one big ugly law cut $1 trillion dollar out of health care largely through Medicaid cuts. In my district alone, $234,000 people rely on Medicaid, including nearly 85,000 kids. Hospitals in my district face 1.5 billion dollar in projected losses because of these cuts.
▶ 2:17:52The majority of Republicans also refuse to extend enhanced ACA tax credits. As a result, 15 million Americans could lose their health insurance and premiums are projected to spike by more than 100% In California, families will see premiums increase appro approaching 97%.
▶ 2:18:17And a family of four earning $130,000 may pay 14,000 more per year just to keep the coverage that they have. So, let's put this together. Republicans are cutting Medicaid. They're letting the Affordable Care Act premiums uh skyrocket. They're starving hospitals, especially in rural areas. And this committee is stacked with people who represent rural communities.
▶ 2:18:47They're defunding licensed providers like Planned Parenthood that serve more than two million patients each year, over half of whom rely on Medicaid. And then they turn around and tell women to go to a cris a a crisis pregnancy center that's unregulated, misleading, and offer no comprehensive medical care. That's not pro- family. It's not pro-life. It's not pro- health.
▶ 2:19:18If Republicans were serious about supporting women and families, they'd be expanding access to prenatal care, to to cancer screenings, to tellaalth, and affordable insurance, not advancing bills that prop up deceptive facilities while slashing real health care. I urge my colleagues to vote no, and I yield
▶ 2:19:43Mr. Leood.
▶ 2:19:46Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I'd like to thank uh my colleagues uh Congresswoman Fishbach and Congresswoman Tenny for introducing this important legislation that we're here today to consider. Pregnancy regreg resource centers play a vital role in empowering mothers and fathers to choose life and provide them with services and material support which were valued at more than 450 million in 2024.
▶ 2:20:10Many states use TANF funds to support pregnancy centers by providing assistance to women in need so children can be cared for in their own home and by reducing dependence on government assistance which two of the four core purposes of TANF are those two items. The Support Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act will ensure that states use TANF funds to provide free and voluntary services to expecting mothers.
▶ 2:20:40This bill helps to ensure that any future administration does not single out or target pregnancy centers or act to disallow the use of TANF for these important organizations. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and I yield back.
▶ 2:20:54Mr. Larson.
▶ 2:20:57Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And uh I want to thank the gentle lady from Minnesota. I don't question her intentions at all to do what's in the best interests as I wouldn't question anyone on this committee's intentions [snorts] to do what's in the best interest of children and their mothers.
▶ 2:21:17But here we are again where in my humble estimation we shouldn't be in the room with doctors making philosophical decisions on their behalf. Women have I want to associate myself with remarks of the gentle lady from California Miss Chu.
▶ 2:21:46There is such an incredible need out there for family and medical leave so that we can actually deal with so many in our country that needs this assistance.
▶ 2:21:59And I was proud as Senate President in Connecticut to author the first family of medical leave bill in the country and the first state to codify Ro versus Wade because we knew how important this was for women and for women to be able to make this decision with their doctors, not with the advice and admonition of
▶ 2:22:29but with doctors who understand their health Look what we've witnessed just in the last several years in terms of deaths of women. Women made to stay on life support when they were brain dead. Women who bleed to death in hospitals.
▶ 2:22:56There's nobody on this side of the aisle who really agrees with that. Nor is there anyone on this side of the aisle who does not want to see a child come to birth. But these are decisions that are not philosophical. They're medical and they should be between the woman and her doctor. That's what we should be focusing on and talking about.
▶ 2:23:25And yet here we are again down the path, no matter how well that leaves these enormous questions and concerns that people have, as Mr. Dog had pointed out, the number of people fleeing the state of Texas so that they can get medical care. And our hearts go out to these people. And this is not a decision.
▶ 2:23:54in my humble estimation that politicians should be It's a decision that doctors and medical professionals should be making with their patients. With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back my
▶ 2:24:14Mr. Stwie. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm glad that the committee is taking up this important piece of legislation. Once again, I'm pleased to be a co-sponsor of this bill that will support pregnant mothers and value the right to life by making pregnancy resource centers eligible tannif eligible for tannif expenditures. Sever several of our counterparts in this committee have claimed they defend a woman's right to choose. However, Democrats have undoubtedly made a greater investment in ensuring the right to abort than they have supporting the right to life.
▶ 2:24:41Otherwise, perhaps expecting mothers would think less about the financials of motherhood and more about the beauty of it. As such, young women should be able to utilize tanniff benefits at pregnancy resource centers. This bill makes that possible. Since the leak of the DOS Supreme Court draft ruling in May of 2022, pregnancy resource centers have seen a surge in violent attacks. The Biden administration attempted to exploit the rulemaking process to push their abortion agenda and preempt states from empowering women to utilize TANF at pregnancy resource centers.
▶ 2:25:09While this rule was ultimately withdrawn, our work in this committee to preserve the value of all life is unfinished. This bill is a clear and obvious next step to bring to prevent a future administration from hamstringing the life-saving work of our pregnancy resource centers. Free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, diapers, OBGN referrals. Uh these are some of the services that a pregnancy resource center in my district offers.
▶ 2:25:32In fact, uh the pregnancy resource center in my district has a mobile care unit that can actually go to uh the women to treat them and help them through their pregnancy. When the committee took up this bill last Congress, Democrats lamented allowing Tana for what they called deceptive, misleading, or fake services. Welfare fraud has been a priority for this committee with or without the cooperation of Democrats. It's unfortunate that only now do they voice their concerns over fraud and the integrity of public assistance.
▶ 2:26:01This committee has worked with the administration to uncover several instances of public assistance fraud so that benefits are afforded to the individuals that actually need them. In this effort, the last thing we should be doing is allowing the left to slander pregnancy resource centers under the pretense of protecting tanniff. I want to thank the committee and the chairman for marking up the supporting pregnancy pregnant and parenting women and families act and I urge all my colleagues to vote for this important piece of legislation. I yield back.
▶ 2:26:30Mr. Davis is recognized for five
▶ 2:26:32Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As we begin 2026 with Trump and Republican policies squeezing workers, spiking costs, and tanking job security, the Republican leadership advances this bill to divert money intended for poor children to dangerous anti-abortion Shifting funding to support crisis pregnancy centers is just another
▶ 2:27:02step by the Republican leadership to advance their extremist war on women. when my home state of Illinois and four other states are facing an illegal reduction of about $ 8.9 billion dollar in tanniff and social security block grant funds due to political Our committee chooses to move a bill
▶ 2:27:32restricting women's reproductive choices. When the Trump administration is illegally delaying the child care development funds across the nation, the committee moves the bill to take from families in need to fund ideological organizations that regularly deny comprehensive and accurate reproductive health care.
▶ 2:28:00If Republicans truly wanted to help pregnant and parenting families, they would fully restore the 2021 enhanced child tax credit that have child poverty in one year.
▶ 2:28:16They dramatically increase child care funding to address the child care crisis, enact comprehensive paid family and medical leave, and make it easier to get critical services like Medicaid.
▶ 2:28:34If Republicans really wanted to help parents care for their children, they would work with Democrats to ensure that Health and Human Services follows the law and immediately release the child care funds that HHS is illegally withholding.
▶ 2:28:54Illinois receives about $400 million in child care development funds and another $500 million from Tanner that help lowincome working families afford quality child care.
▶ 2:29:09Both funds are lifelines to families, providers, and Disruption to this funding will have substantial immediate and destructive to children, families, businesses, and communities. Republicans have no plan to lower costs, end Trump's tariffs, or protect American health care.
▶ 2:29:39They just lean into the same unpopular agenda. I strongly oppose this bill that tramples on women's right to choose their own best health interest. I thank you, Mr. Chairman, and yo back.
▶ 2:29:58Mr. Dalton is recognized for five
▶ 2:30:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. Pregnancy resource centers serve as incredible resources in our communities. They offer vital health care services like ultrasounds and pregnancy tests. They also provide valuable services that help expectant parents prepare for childhood and successfully provide for their families. They offer parenting classes, peer counseling, health insurance assistance, and so much more. Velvita Pregnancy Center in my district represents the best that pregnancy resource centers have to offer.
▶ 2:30:31Currently, they serve about 200 individuals in Knox, Indiana. They support parents throughout their pregnancy journey and into parenthood. They offer everything from maternal health support to providing diapers and car seats to families. Additionally, they offer counseling services to women who have chosen to have an abortion. These are valuable resources, especially for families who may have nowhere else to turn. I am proud to be a co-sponsor of Congresswoman Fishbox Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act.
▶ 2:31:01This bill clarifies that pregnancy centers are eligible to use funds through the temporary assistance for needs family program or TANIF. Pregnancy resource centers completely align with the goals and intent of TANIF. However, Democrat administrations consistently tried to regulate pregnancy resource centers out of receiving these funds because they do not offer abortion Expecting mothers should be given the opportunity to access the best resources available to them, not just pushed towards having an abortion.
▶ 2:31:33Pregnancy resource centers offer valuable services to families in need, ranging from health care services to life skills. We need to ensure that these centers are not cut out of government funding because of their stance to protect life. I'm proud to co-sponsor this bill and encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of this important legislation. And with that, I yield back.
▶ 2:31:55Miss Moore is recognized for five
▶ 2:32:02Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. And I I just want to thank the authors and all my committee members for um the good intentions I think of this bill. But I just want to be clear about something. A few things. This does not comport with the original intent of tanniff. It doesn't meet any of the four purposes. And that is why we are here.
▶ 2:32:29And the and the amendment and the nature of a substitute modifies the purposes of tanniff in order for it to fit in. And so all the criticisms about the Biden administration uh and not allowing it is because it didn't Okay.
▶ 2:32:50Secondly, we've heard a lot of discussion about um you know, you know, if abortion clinics are going to get funding, then this this uh these pregnancy uh uh centers ought to get it, too. There's not one dime of tanniff money that goes to abortion clinics. Not a single dime. So be clear about that.
▶ 2:33:15The other thing that I'd like to talk about is the sort of the notion that somehow this gives women choice and that it's neutral. It is not neutral. the purpose of these centers and they're often stood up by our many denominations that we belong to uh to our great Lutheran and Catholics and other religious organizations, right? And all of us have religious affiliations.
▶ 2:33:44And these centers are stood up by people who are definitely trying to counsel women uh into continuing the pregnancy despite their health, their underlying health, despite their financial circumstances, despite their mental health, despite their not having a second parent to support them through it, and despite not having perhaps the economic capacity to raise a out.
▶ 2:34:14Um the other thing that I want to bring up is that um there as of 2024 there were 2,000 633
▶ 2:34:25pregnancy counseling centers. this the actual and this bill has not a single appropriation, not one dime does this bill have in it to support these these extra activities that the TANIF legislation um has to put on. There's $16.5 billion appropriation that is made to TANIF. And guess when that appropriation occurred?
▶ 2:34:53I was right there at the scene of the crime when it was appropriate. $16.5 billion was appropriated in 1996. You all have staffers out here, I certainly do, that weren't even born when that when that 16.5 billion dollars was allocated.
▶ 2:35:13What in the world are people and states going to do about administering the TANF program for its purposes, its actual purposes to enable people to stay in their home with the children that they have, the independency through work and to reduce out of wedlock pregnancies and to encourage two uh two family homes.
▶ 2:35:37How are they going to do it when they have 200 2,633 pregnancy counseling centers and certainly more are going to pop up after this bill passes that could subsume all of the money that are appropriated to um to this bill. And in terms of we have had discussions on flexibility.
▶ 2:36:03And it's not just Brett Favre, the former Green Bay Packer uh uh uh star. Uh but I have seen uh it being used to balance state budgets, to provide infrastructure improvements for luxury apartments on Lake Michigan.
▶ 2:36:23And um and so instead of reigning in some of the flexibility, we are actually expanding it to this purpose which is which puts at risk uh really really needy women and children who are desperate for some sort of support uh when they have found themselves uh pregnant.
▶ 2:36:49And so I can see that my time is expiring and uh I just want to thank you all for listening. Um I I know that this bill is going to pass anyway, but I just want you to know I object to taking the few dollars that this program has and diverting it to an ideological mission of of stopping women from uh discontinuing a pregnancy. And I yield back.
▶ 2:37:15Mr. Schneider is recognized for five Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. Crisis pregnancy centers, pregnancy resource centers, pregnancy help centers. You can call them whatever you want. My Republican colleagues will twist themselves into pretzels trying to convince people these centers help women. Let me be clear, they do not help. They trick women. They're a scam, plain and simple.
▶ 2:37:46Pregnancy centers frequently use deceptive tactics to coersse, mislead, and intimidate women. They're not medical clinics, but you wouldn't know that looking from looking at their ads. Does anyone think that if there were clinics pretending to offer care to anyone besides these clinics offering care to pregnant women, advertising and misleading women into thinking there were real licensed doctors purporting to offer anything outside of reproductive health care?
▶ 2:38:17That these clinics wouldn't be immediately shut down. Because when it comes to health care in any other area for any other population, fraud is unacceptable. But when it comes to tricking women, tricking pregnant women in particular, my Republican colleagues think, well, the trick is okay. My colleagues are praising these centers for deceiving and conning women.
▶ 2:38:45As if that weren't enough, they're here today to ensure that no future administration can ever prevent a state from funneling Tana funding to these sham crisis centers. There's no reason why taxpayer dollars should go to such scams. And it's despicable that my Republican colleagues are giving their seal of approval to their constituents being conned.
▶ 2:39:10And I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that as we speak, this administration is illegally holding up $10 billion in federal funding, including Tana funds from my home state of Illinois and California, New York, Colorado, and Minnesota. All because this president has a personal vendetta against anyone or any state that doesn't bend the knee to his demands.
▶ 2:39:38We are making up the we are marking up this bill today to ensure tanniff funding goes to fraudulent clinics while this administration illegally holds up billions of dollars in tannup and other funds from families in Illinois, California, New York, Colorado, and Minnesota. This is absurd. I yield back.
▶ 2:40:01The gentleman yields back. Does anyone else wish to strike the last word?
▶ 2:40:06Miss Su is recognized for five minutes.
▶ 2:40:11Thank you. I move to strike the last word. I am disappointed with this committee's failure to improve the safety net programs uh for working families and mothers. This Republican bill does nothing but divert temporary assistance for needy families funding to centers that do not provide women with necessary medical care to improve health outcomes in our communities. Only 7% of Alabama families live uh in poverty receive a tenth cash benefit.
▶ 2:40:40This means only about 23,000 families were able to access this assistance. This number is far below the 325,000 Alabama families living in poverty. For those families that do need TANUP benefits, the state of Alabama only provides an average of $344 a month for a family of three, which is a small increase from the $215 a month these families previously received.
▶ 2:41:07This is one of the lowest cash benefits amounts in our country. I cannot support legislation to allow for a diversion of already limited Tanner funds to these so-called crisis pregnancy centers while Alabama families in my state go without access to this cash benefit. Many Americans are currently unable to afford basic necessities due to the rising costs of food, housing, health care, and so much more.
▶ 2:41:36Without TANF assistance, families would be unable to provide basic necessities for their children. Quite frankly, we need to provide more direct support to give working families in our districts the ability to climb out of poverty. On average, only 12 million out of the 196 million of the TANF funds in Alabama go to direct cash assistance to families.
▶ 2:42:00If we divert limited TAN of funds to these so-called crisis pregnancy centers that do not provide comprehensive handson health care for women, then states like Alabama will continue to bypass providing families living in poverty with needed assistance. We must ensure that the funding we are responsible for overseeing solves the problem that it intends to address when Congress created the program.
▶ 2:42:26I urge my colleagues to vote no on HR6945 so that we can focus on legislation that will tangibly improve health care for expectant mothers. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
▶ 2:42:38Others wishing to strike the last word and I recognize Mrs. Fishbach.
▶ 2:42:45Thank you, [snorts] Mr. Chair. And it has been a really interesting discussion from the other side. And I will tell you what the mission of pregnancy care centers is. Their mission is to help women and children. Their mission is to help families and making assistance available to them to help them lift themselves up during a difficult time. And I find it interesting that the opposition say choice, choice, choice.
▶ 2:43:14But here they are trying to prevent women from having the ability to choose a a pregnancy care center to get support from and help They try very hard to make pregnancy care center sound like villains and sound like horrible horrible places. But just because you say it and repeat it over and over and over doesn't make it true. I have to ask again, have you ever been to a pregnancy care center? Have you ever been there? Talk to the people. Talk to the women and the children.
▶ 2:43:43talk to the women that are being helped because what I have seen I have been there I know and I've talking to other members on this side of the um desk they've been to pregnancy care centers and what I find women and men who are there to help. They're providing diapers. They're providing blankets. They're providing parenting classes, guidance and support to these women during a difficult time.
▶ 2:44:12That's not that's what what they are talking about is not what a pregnancy care center is about. They need to go they need to see a pregnancy care center and understand you know in addition to that pregnancy care centers do a lot of fundraising and a and spend money that they fund raise to help women to make sure they have cribs to make sure they have blankets. And this bill this bill makes sense.
▶ 2:44:40This bill makes sense to help women and this bill will help women and children. Mr. Chair, I yield.
▶ 2:44:49Gentle lady yields back. Are there any amendments to the amendment in the nature of a substitute?
▶ 2:44:57Mr. Davis.
▶ 2:44:58Chairman, I have an amendment at the
▶ 2:45:01Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of
▶ 2:45:06Okay. Delenny go first.
▶ 2:45:08M. Stel Benny is recognized.
▶ 2:45:10Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the
▶ 2:45:13If you'll suspend, I reserve point.
▶ 2:45:15We'll suspend while the amendment is distributed. A point of order has been reserved. Clerk will distribute the amendments and I ask the gentle lady to suspend while the clerk distributes.
▶ 2:46:29lady may proceed.
▶ 2:46:30Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, to quote my Republican colleague, Representative Arrington, quote, "Fraud against the federal government isn't a victimless crime. It's theft of hardworking Americans tax dollars." End quote. I wholeheartedly agree and would add that it can also result in life-threatening consequences.
▶ 2:46:51That's why I'm introducing an anti-fraud amendment that would simply prohibit temporary assistance for needy families or TANF funds from going to any pregnancy center that has engaged in deceptive or misleading practices or endangered the health of a woman seeking care.
▶ 2:47:10I'd like to share the experiences of three different women who were affected by Sham Health Clinics and request to insert their stories into the Without objection, so order.
▶ 2:47:23Thank you. The first story comes from Representatives Fit Patrick, Kelly, and Smucker's home state of Pennsylvania, where a pregnant woman sought care at what she thought was a medically certified clinic. During her appointment, the staff informed her that she had already miscarried and sent her home. As time went on, this woman continued to experience symptoms of pregnancy.
▶ 2:47:47She subsequently visited a licensed doctor who informed her she was still pregnant and had been previously provided with false information. As a result, this woman did not seek the initial medical care that she needed, increasing her risk of experiencing pregnancy complications. The second story comes from Julia, a woman in Georgia who sought care from an unregulated clinic that offered free ultrasounds and medical device and medical advice.
▶ 2:48:17During that visit, the ultrasound tech incorrectly informed Julia that her baby's kidneys were filled with water and she needed to see her primary care doctor. Thankfully, Julia's doctor found that diagnosis to be incorrect, but not before the stress severely impacted the mother.
▶ 2:48:37To quote this mother, she said, "The irony in all this is that they could have caused me to lose a perfectly healthy pregnancy." The last story comes from Kentucky where Susan, a postpartum nurse with 20 years of experience, was motivated by her faith to give back and volunteered at a crisis pregnancy center.
▶ 2:48:59During her training, Susan learned that the center was not only using expired disinfectant to sanitize its ultrasound equipment, but medical researchers had also warned that this type of disinfectant is ineffective against human paploma virus or HPV, which causes 90% of cervical cancers. After several attempts to address these problems with the clinic, Susan quit and filed whistleblower complaints with the state.
▶ 2:49:27However, nothing was ever done highlighting the lack of accountability at these centers. These stories are horrifying, outrageous, and irresponsible. Providing federal funds to these kind of facilities erodess trust between the public, the medical community, and the federal government.
▶ 2:49:47Patients should be able to trust self-proclaimed health professionals who are who they say they are and who will provide them with accurate information and safe medical care no matter what their political beliefs. Tannif was created by Congress to assist low-income families and help lift children out of poverty, not support medical grifters.
▶ 2:50:10Every dollar we allow to go to a deceptive facility comes at the direct expense of proven critical programs that help support young families like parenthood [snorts] classes and child care support. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this amendment and I yield back.
▶ 2:50:29Mr. Dakum is recognized for five
▶ 2:50:33Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And my Democrat colleagues are very quick to push a narrative that pregnancy resource centers are unhelpful to women and that they don't provide adequate health care. Based on the way they're talking, I'm assuming that none of them have utilized services at a pregnancy resource center.
▶ 2:50:51Have you
▶ 2:50:53have I have you?
▶ 2:50:5517 years ago, my wife and I found that she was expecting our first child. We were at home and she realized that she thought that she had a problem with our pregnancy. We had not yet set up a doctor and an OB. We didn't know where to turn.
▶ 2:51:17She called one of her friends who said, "You can go down to a pregnancy resource center and maybe they could help you." We walked in. They welcomed us with loving and open arms.
▶ 2:51:32They gave her an ultrasound and at approximately seven weeks of pregnancy showed us a child about the size of a peanut and half of that child made up a beating heart. They walked us through the issues that we saw that we were having and said, "You and your baby are going to be okay. you're going to be fine.
▶ 2:52:03When we walked out, we had we had very limited money at that time. When we walked out, I just had one How much do we owe you? And they said, "Sir, the services we provide here are free. You owe us nothing.
▶ 2:52:29my friends on the other side of the aisle would want to deny people like Sally Yakam the care that she needed in her time of need is beyond me. And here we sit 17 years later and my daughter L who's a junior in high school is beautiful and smart and grateful for the services that we provided.
▶ 2:52:58So to answer the the question from the my colleague on the other side of the aisle when I started yes we have used the resources from a pregnancy resource center. Yes, I have visited these pregnancy resource centers who help the constituents that I serve in Indiana's second district. And yes, I am grateful for the services that they provide and you should be too.
▶ 2:53:25Major pregnancy resource centers abide by the commitment of care and This commitment was formally adopted by major US pregnancy uh health affiliation organizations and clearly expresses their commitment to provide a safe, open and honest environment for their clients. Mr. Chairman, I ask that the Heartbeat International's commitment of care and competence be entered into the record. Without objection,
▶ 2:53:51my Democrat colleagues need to stop misrepresenting pregnancy resource centers. These centers provide a valuable resource to our community and they need to ensure that they have the resources that they need to continue supporting women and families. I'm strongly opposed to this amendment and I urge my colleagues to prop to oppose as well. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
▶ 2:54:12Gentleman yields back. I now recognize Mr. Larson for five minutes.
▶ 2:54:16Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield my time to Miss Delbeni.
▶ 2:54:20Miss Delbeni is recognized.
▶ 2:54:21Um, thank you. Um, and I'm grateful that my colleague, Mr. Yakaman, and your wife found a center that helped you. Um, I encourage you to actually read the The amendment says if a state medical board has found that a pregnancy center has provided misleading or deceptive medical information, including information about a service offered by the pregnancy center or put at risk the health of a woman, the pregnancy center shall be ineligible to receive
▶ 2:54:52any funds pursuant to this part. Read it says if someone has done something deceptive, they should not receive money. I don't understand um this effort from Republicans to say that just blanket every pregnancy center is doing a great job. Um we have examples where that's not true. So let's agree that if there is fraud or abuse, they should not receive money and that's simply what this amendment does.
▶ 2:55:19So again before just commenting read the legislation and let's talk about the legislation of preventing fraud and abuse um so that people don't have experiences and are not getting the misinformation that's there. You would expect that that uh that type of um certification that type of clarity and any other type of medical information you should be willing to stand up against fraud here too. I don't think that's inconsistent. I yield back.
▶ 2:55:49Gentle lady yields back and I recognize Mr. Gomez.
▶ 2:55:57Thank you. Um, Mr. Chairman, I'm in I support um the gentle lady's amendment. Um, but I want to talk about the overall bill. Republicans introduced this bill and it's quote the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act. Sounds great and I'm glad they talk about supporting women and children and making sure that we have healthy families. But I don't want the American people to be gaslit by the majority.
▶ 2:56:26And when I say about gas lit, just last year in July when they passed their one big beautiful bill, let's not forget about that. That you cut Medicaid by almost a trillion dollar slash uh SNAP benefits by $200 So you talk about caring about families and children, but Medicaid is the one thing that helps reduce the maternal mortality rate in our country.
▶ 2:56:5540% of all births in our country are to individuals and children on Medicaid, but you cut it. And it's actually um more severe in Republican states. 60% of all births in Louisiana are on Medicaid. On Medicaid. The states with the top 10 states with the highest maternal mortality rates are Republican states except for one except for one state.
▶ 2:57:23But then you want to cut all that funding to make sure that women have postpartum care from not 60 days but for a full year. That's what happens. And what ends up happening is you impact the lives of these individuals. the the most chronic way of uh mothers who die is after they give birth. 75% of all day uh deaths happen postpartum.
▶ 2:57:50It happens especially when it comes to uh pre uh postpartum because this is something that a lot of people don't watch for. It's a silent killer and it often disproportionately lower income folks. But yet you guys care about families, you care about mothers and children, but you cut the program that has the most impact the most impact on these individuals.
▶ 2:58:21So if we want to talk about the the pro- family party, it's the Democratic party because we actually care what happens to them. Not just at um not just at the book ends of a person's life, not just at their birth and not at their death, but every chapter in between.
▶ 2:58:38So if you want to actually show that you care about working people, about mothers and children's, restore the cuts and stop with this nonsense that is not going to do anything to actually help working people, mothers and children. With that, I yield back.
▶ 2:58:57I recognize Miss Chu for 5 minutes. I strongly support my colleague, Representative Delbenny's amendment, which would ensure that federal dollars are not going to facilities that lie to patients seeking care or deliberately misrepresent medical information. This amendment is simple and common sense.
▶ 2:59:18If an organization is masquerading as a health center but is not providing accurate evidence-based medical information, it should not receive a single federal dollar. The scale of deception at these centers is staggering.
▶ 2:59:34A major study of more than 600 anti-abortion centers across nine states found that nearly twothirds promoted patently false or biased medical claims and fewer than half reported having a licensed medical professional on staff.
▶ 2:59:51Yet these centers continued to receive millions in public funding with little or no oversight or For example, a woman nearly died after an unqualified staff member at one of these centers conducted an ultrasound and failed to detect an ectopic pregnancy. She was sent home believing her pregnancy was healthy when in reality it was lifethreatening.
▶ 3:00:16In my home state of California, the attorney general previously filed suit against an anti-abortion organization operating multiple centers for falsely advertising that they offer so-called abortion reversal. That claim is medically false and has been widely condemned by the medical community, including the American College of Obstitricians and Gynecologists and the New England Journal of Medicine.
▶ 3:00:44In fact, the only rigorous study designed to test this so-called procedure was halted early because multiple women experienced severe hemorrhaging and had to be rushed to the hospital. Many of these centers are not licensed medical facilities. They are not covered by HIPPA.
▶ 3:01:04They collect deeply sensitive personal health information under false pretenses and then face virtually no consequences for how that information is used, stored, or disclosed.
▶ 3:01:18If Congress is going to allow federal dollars to flow to these unlicensed non-medical facilities, then the absolute minimum we owe the public is a guarantee that these dollars are not funding medical misinformation that endangers patients lives. But this does exactly that. I urge my colleagues to support it and I yield back.
▶ 3:01:44Miss Moore is recognized for five Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I um certainly uh support Miss Del Benny's amendment and I want to associate myself with her comments and the comments of of Mr. Gomez.
▶ 3:02:01Listen, we can look at this amendment and I think that this body would unilaterally um unanimously support this bill if we were to strike out the word pregnancy center and put anything else in there. Um, we would prohibit a medical clinic from receiving money if the state board finds that they provided misleading or deceptive medical information or services or endangered the health of a woman.
▶ 3:02:29I mean, just you could just choose anything. And so, you know, this is, you know, I I don't get it. I don't what is wrong with this amendment with regard to to disallowing an unllicensed center from and prohibiting them from providing misleading information.
▶ 3:02:53And I want to associate myself with the comments of Miss Chu uh as well who of these centers that have uh that have given women deceptive medical information or services.
▶ 3:03:12I also want to take this time to reiterate something that I made when I struck the last word before is that you know if in fact the authors of this bill think that this service is so important then why don't they seek an appropriate funding source for it?
▶ 3:03:33has not had funding has not increased for 30 years and the poverty level among women and children has done nothing but rise. And so the ability of states to provide the basic services for which TANF was authorized will be severely compromised by these unaccountable unlicensed uh quasi medical services to
▶ 3:04:04be provided. I just want to add this. As a mother, as a grandmother, as a greatg grandmother, I I certainly support any kind of institution that wants to support women and children along the journey uh uh the parenthood journey. I mean, at every single step, it is a challenge.
▶ 3:04:31And my only objection here today is that there is no money to do this separately. It's going to undermine tanniff. And secondly, this second point is that there is what Miss Dell Benny's amendment would address that these uh clinics are misleading and they put women's uh women uh in jeopardy.
▶ 3:05:00Uh, and so that I would yield back unless Miss Del Benny would like a little more time.
▶ 3:05:05Miss Del Benny is recognized.
▶ 3:05:08Thank you. Again, this is a very simple amendment. If a state medical board has found that a pregnancy center is providing misleading or deceptive information or put at risk the health of a woman, they shouldn't be receiving this funding. How can we not all agree on that? You talk about how you think everything um there are great services. Um well it we have story after story where people have provided deceptive information.
▶ 3:05:38So let's agree that if that happens the money shouldn't be there. Uh this common sense. It is something that should be extremely bipartisan. And as my colleague Miss Moore just said, um if it was a bill on anything else, you would be talking over and over how important it was to have accountability. But somehow when it comes to women's health, accountability isn't required.
▶ 3:06:04Um so let's change that right now and vote yes on this amendment. I yield
▶ 3:06:10Question is on agreeing to the amendment offered by Miss Delen,
▶ 3:06:14Miss Fishbach, excuse me, Miss Fishbach. is recognized for 5 minutes.
▶ 3:06:18Thank you, Mr. Chair. I didn't wave enough that you caught I caught your eye, but I I just wanted to um as we finish up this amendment, I just wanted to make sure that we all understood what the bill actually does. Um there's a lot of discussion about um you know, we're going to destroy programs and we're doing all kinds of things. All that this bill does, it doesn't expand any kind of federal authority or restructure TANF.
▶ 3:06:44It simply reaffirms that states may continue partnering with pregnancy centers that are already serving families. So, this isn't there's no mandate. There's no um all kinds of uh things that are coming from the other side. I I just feel like they don't understand the underlying bill which it would allow states. It doesn't mandate.
▶ 3:07:08it doesn't require um and and so I'm going to oppose this amendment because I just don't think that um they understand the underlying bill that it simply allows states to partner with these uh pregnancy care centers. Thank you. I yield back.
▶ 3:07:24Miss Su is recognized for five minutes.
▶ 3:07:26I'd like to yield my time to Representative Doinn. this amendment should be very clear. I don't understand the opposition. You're saying that money should go to centers that provide disinformation that put a woman's health at risk. You're saying that's okay. It's not a big deal. Um, just let this money go. We don't need to don't don't look more closely.
▶ 3:07:51We should agree that if money is going anywhere, federal dollars can go anywhere, then um we should make sure that it's not putting women's health at risk. This is a very straightforward amendment um and is not inconsistent with making sure that we are protecting um the communities we're trying to serve and is should be a should have been a core part of this bill frankly to begin with.
▶ 3:08:15So again um despite what we hear kind of objections to actually making sure that we have uh have guard rails in place and that people are providing accurate medical information. Again, um I urge my co Republican colleagues to actually stand up and make sure that folks aren't getting money who are deceiving women and putting women's health at risk. I yield back.
▶ 3:08:37Gentle lady yields back.
▶ 3:08:40Question is on agreeing to the amendment offered by Miss Delben. The clerk will call the role.
▶ 3:08:48Mr. Buchanan,
▶ 3:08:51Mr. Buchanan, no.
▶ 3:08:53Mr. Smith of Nebraska,
▶ 3:08:56Mr. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. No. Mr. Kelly. Mr. Schwikert. Mr. Leood, Mr. Arrington, Mr. Estus.
▶ 3:09:26Mr. Estus. No. Mr. Smucker. Mr. Hearn. Mr. Hearn. No. Mrs. Miller. Mrs. Miller. No. Dr. Murphy. Mr. Kustoff. Mr. Kustoff. No. Mr. Mr. Fitzpatrick.
▶ 3:09:58Mr. Stwie. Mr. Stwie. No. Miss Tenny. Mrs. Fishbach. Mrs. Fishbach. No. Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore. No. Miss Vanine. Miss Vanine. No. Mr. Fenstra. Mr. Fenstra. No, Miss Maliaakis. Miss Maliaakis. No, Mr. Kerry.
▶ 3:10:29Mr. Kerry. No, Mr. Yakam. Mr. Yakam. No Mr. Miller.
▶ 3:10:36Mr. Miller. No. Mr. Bean.
▶ 3:10:39Mr. Bean. No. Mr. Moran. Mr. Moran. No. Mr. Neil.
▶ 3:10:47Mr. Neil. Yes. Mr. Dogit. Mr. Dogit. Yes. Mr. Thompson. Mr. Thompson. Yes. Mr. Larson.
▶ 3:10:55Mr. Larson. Yes. Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis. Yes. Miss Sanchez. Miss Sanchez. Yes. Miss Su.
▶ 3:11:04Miss Su. Yes. Miss Delben. Miss Delben. Yes. Miss Chu.
▶ 3:11:09Miss Chu. Yes. Miss Moore.
▶ 3:11:11Miss Moore. Yes. Mr. Boille.
▶ 3:11:14Mr. Boille. Yes. Mr. Byer.
▶ 3:11:17Mr. Byer.
▶ 3:11:19Yes. Mr. Evans.
▶ 3:11:20Yes. Mr. Evans, yes. Mr. Schneider,
▶ 3:11:25Mr. Schneider, yes. Mr. Petta,
▶ 3:11:28Mr. Petta, yes. Mr. Gomez.
▶ 3:11:34Mr. Horford.
▶ 3:11:36Mr. Horford. Yes. Miss Plask. Miss Plask. Yes. Miss Mr. Swasy.
▶ 3:11:43Mr. Swazy. Yes.
▶ 3:11:48Mr. Kelly.
▶ 3:11:50Mr. Kelly, no. Mr. Schwiker,
▶ 3:11:55Mr. Schwikert, no. Mr. Le Hood. Mr. Le Hood. No. Mr. Arrington. Mr. Arrington. No. Mr. Smucker. Mr. Smucker. No. Dr. Murphy. Miss. Tenny. Miss. Tenny. No, Mr. Gomez.
▶ 3:12:22Mr. Gomez. Yes.
▶ 3:12:27Chairman Smith. Chairman Smith. No.
▶ 3:13:32Clerk will report the vote.
▶ 3:13:36Mr. Chairman, the yeses are 19 and the nos are 24.
▶ 3:13:40There being 19 yeses and 24 nos. The amendment is not agreed to. Are there additional amendments?
▶ 3:13:46Uh, Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 3:13:48Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of
▶ 3:13:50A point of order has been reserved. Will the gentle lady suspend while the clerk My amendment is straightforward.
▶ 3:14:10It would prevent any additional federal dollars from going to so-called crisis pregnancy centers unless the controller general of the Government Accountability Office certifies that diverting people from seeking abortion care to those centers has no negative impact on their health, safety, or future well-being.
▶ 3:14:32If my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are truly confident that these centers benefit people seeking care, this would be an easy amendment to Since the disastrous DOS decision at the Supreme Court, we've heard countless stories of the horrific impact that delaying abortion care can have. And in fact, it can be fatal.
▶ 3:14:59And yet, crisis pregnancy centers tactics often intentionally create delays that leave people unable to access abortion care in their communities in the hopes of forcing them to continue their pregnancies.
▶ 3:15:16This is particularly pronounced in states with gational age The staff may cite high rates of miscarriage as a reason to wait and see before seeking an abortion, which can delay and perhaps altogether prevent a person from seeking and accessing care.
▶ 3:15:35In many states, the delay in care can affect people in horrendous ways, like Tiara Walker, a 37year-old mother from at San Antonio who died after being repeatedly denied medical care under Texas's extreme abortion ban. Tiara was experiencing a pregnancy complication that was pushing her towards organ failure.
▶ 3:16:03She asked her doctors over and over again whether she could end the pregnancy to save her life. More than 90 physicians saw her, but no one felt safe providing the standard medical care she needed because Texas law threatens doctors with jail time for doing what medicine demands. There was nothing uncertain about her condition. Tiar should be alive today.
▶ 3:16:27Her death was preventable and it was caused by a lie, a law written to criminalize care, no matter what the Evidence shows that women denied abortion care also face longlasting economic, physical, and safety consequences.
▶ 3:16:46Those denied care are more likely to fall into poverty, struggle to afford food, housing, and transportation for years, and experience increased financial instability compared to those who received care. They're also more likely to experience physical violence from the man involved in the pregnancy. Violence that decreased for those who were able to obtain an abortion. Their children suffered as well.
▶ 3:17:11Children already in the household experienced worse developmental outcomes when their parent was denied abortion care. So I ask my colleagues, how many more women have to needlessly suffer? How many more have to die? How many more children have to grow up without their mothers?
▶ 3:17:31How many more parents have to lose their adult daughters before Republicans finally do what's right and protect women's basic freedom and health care to survive their own pregnancies? This is a real world of impact of laws that deny timely abortion care and funnel patients away from qualified medical providers.
▶ 3:17:55This is a context in which Republicans are asking to con continue directing federal dollars to non-medical facilities that delay care, spread misinformation, and divert patients away from qualified providers. My amendment does not ban funding. It simply asks for proof that sending women to these centers does not harm patients health or futures.
▶ 3:18:24If that proof exists, this amendment should pass easily. If it does not, then this committee has no business funding practices that cost women their lives. I urge my colleagues to vote yes and I yield back.
▶ 3:18:40Further discussion on the amendment. Miss Fishbach. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And um again, I just have to say to the other side, please, please go visit a pregnancy care center. That's the proof. You will see the kinds of things that they are able to do, the good things that they do. They help women. They help babies. But other than that, I am just going to say I oppose this amendment.
▶ 3:19:10But I am asking you please go see go see to a pregnancy care center.
▶ 3:19:16Mr. Schneider.
▶ 3:19:20Uh thank you Mr. Chairman. And uh um just with respect to pregnancy centers, I'd like to submit three um items uh for the record. The first is a issue brief from the American College of Obst obstitricians and gynecologists on crisis pregnancy centers. just treat a little bit of it. What are CPC?
▶ 3:19:41CPC is a term used to refer to certain facilities that represent themselves as legitimate reproductive healthcare clinics providing care to pregnant people, but actually aim to dissuade people from accessing certain types of reproductive health care, including abortion care and even contraceptive options. Staff members at these unregulated and often non-medical facilities have no legal obligation to provide pregnant people with accurate information and are not subject to HIPPA or required by law to maintain client confidentiality.
▶ 3:20:10Many CPCs are affiliated with national organizations that provide funding, support, and training to advance a broad-scale anti-abortion agenda. Again, this is from the American College of Obst Obstitricians and Gynecologists, a very reputable organization. Uh the second is from the American Medical Association's Journal of Ethics uh article of March uh 2018, why crisis pregnancy centers are legal but unethical.
▶ 3:20:39And I think the title speaks for itself. And the third is a editorial from women's health reports uh submitted by a number of uh doctors. Uh the abstract reads the prevalence of crisis pregnancy centers. Their false claims and the real harm they create necess necessitate public education about their unethical practices. Also called pregnancy resource centers and pregnancy support centers.
▶ 3:21:06CPCs are non-medical institutions designed to deceive women seeking comprehensive pregnancy care as their volunteers are instructed to pedal misinformation about reproductive health care. I am not a doctor doctor but the author of these articles all are and I'll let them speak for themselves. I request to submit them for the record.
▶ 3:21:26Without objection. Further discussion on the amendment. Seeing none, the question is on agreeing to the amendment offered by Miss Chu. The clerk will call the role.
▶ 3:21:38Mr. Buchanan,
▶ 3:21:40Mr. Buchanan, no. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. Mr. Kelly. Mr. Schwiker Mr. Leood Mr. Le Hood No Mr. Arrington Mr. Estus Mr.
▶ 3:22:08Smucker Mr. Hearn Mr. Hearn No Mrs. Miller Mrs. Miller. No. Dr. Murphy. Mr. Kustoff. Mr. Fitzpatrick. Mr. Stwie. Mr.
▶ 3:22:39Stwie. No. Miss. Tenny. Miss. Tenny. No. Mrs. Fishbach. Mrs. Fishbach. No. Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore, no. Miss Vanine, Miss Vanine, no. Mr. Fenstra, Mr. Fenstra, no Miss Malotakus, Miss Malotakus, no Mr. Kerry. Mr.
▶ 3:23:09Kerry, no. Mr. Yakam, Mr. Yakam, no Mr. Miller.
▶ 3:23:16Mr. Miller, no. Mr. Bean. No.
▶ 3:23:20Mr. Bean. No. Mr. Moran.
▶ 3:23:28Mr. Neil.
▶ 3:23:29Mr. Neil. Yes. Mr. Dogget. Mr. Dogget. Yes. Mr. Thompson.
▶ 3:23:36Mr. Thompson. Yes. Mr. Larson. Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis. Yes. Miss Sanchez.
▶ 3:23:50Miss Sanchez. Yes. Miss S.
▶ 3:23:54Miss S. Yes. Miss Delben.
▶ 3:23:57Miss Delben. Yes. Miss Chu
▶ 3:24:02Miss Chu. Yes. Miss Moore.
▶ 3:24:08Miss Moore. Yes. Mr. Bole.
▶ 3:24:13Mr. Bole. Yes. Mr. Byer. Yes,
▶ 3:24:17Mr. Byer.
▶ 3:24:19Yes, Mr. Evans.
▶ 3:24:23Mr. Evans. Yes,
▶ 3:24:25Mr. Schneider.
▶ 3:24:27Mr. Schneider. Yes, Mr. Petta. Mr. Petta. Yes, Mr. Gomez.
▶ 3:24:36Mr. Gomez. Yes, Mr. Horseford. Yes,
▶ 3:24:40Mr. Horford. Yes, Miss Plask. Mr. Swazy. Mr. Swazy. Yes. Mr. Smith of Nebraska.
▶ 3:24:57Mr. Smith of Nebraska. No. Mr. Kelly.
▶ 3:25:02Mr. Kelly. No. Mr. Schwiker.
▶ 3:25:06Mr. Schwikert. No.
▶ 3:25:11Mr. Arrington.
▶ 3:25:13Mr. Arrington. No Mr. Estus Mr. Estus. No Mr. Smucker Mr. Smucker. No Dr. Murphy. Mr. Kustoff, Mr.
▶ 3:25:35Fitzpatrick, Mr. Mr. Moran, Mr. Larson, Mr. Larson. Yes, Miss Plask.
▶ 3:26:12Chairman Smith.
▶ 3:26:14Uh, no. And how is Mr. Kustoff recorded?
▶ 3:26:18Chairman Smith, no. Um, Mr. Kustoff is not recorded.
▶ 3:26:24Mr. Kustoff, no. Clerk will report the vote.
▶ 3:27:04Mr. Chairman, the yeses are 18 and the nos are 23.
▶ 3:27:08There being 18 yeses and 23 nos, the amendment is not agreed to. Are there additional amendments, Mr. Davis?
▶ 3:27:18Thank you, Mr.
▶ 3:27:18Chairman. I reserve a point of order.
▶ 3:27:20A point of uh point of order has been reserved. Will the gentleman um suspend while the clerk distributes the
▶ 3:27:33Proceed, Mr. Davis.
▶ 3:27:35Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Trump administration has illegally halted tens of billions of dollars in essential child care funding from families across the nation. funds needed so parents can work and so child care providers can operate.
▶ 3:27:56Further, in an apparent act of revenge against Democratic governors, the Trump administration has illegally withheld billions of dollars in social services and welfare funding to five targeted further undermining child care, as well as weakening child protective services and undermining the health and financial well-being of children, families, people
▶ 3:28:26with disabilities and the elderly. The Department of Health and Human Services, RHHS, has no statutory or constitutional authority to prevent states from accessing these funds.
▶ 3:28:43The statutes governing the child care and development fund, the social services block grant, and the trans tempmporary assistance for needed families outline clear specific processes for how to identify and sanction non-compliance and the administration followed none of them.
▶ 3:29:07And although they keep slandering our states, HHS has not documented any fraud or even provided specific examples of misuse of funds. This reckless and cruel action will inflict substantial harm on children and families in Illinois and across the country.
▶ 3:29:31In Illinois alone, it will harm hundreds of thousands of individuals and devastate several hundred nonprofits and small businesses. When families cannot afford child care, their parents cannot work, businesses experience and loss of employees, and child care providers cannot operate.
▶ 3:29:56Withholding federal child care, welfare, and social service will make the lives of children and families worse, not better. It also increases the risk for child welfare involvement because research shows that material hardship increases the risk of child to protect children, families, the elderly, persons with disabilities, nonprofits,
▶ 3:30:26and businesses. My amendment would provide a new specific HHS penalty for the illegal action of preventing states from drawing down funds. While the law already requires HHS to pay these funds and specifically bars them from requiring state actions not specifically authorized in the law, HHS's current defiance of the law seem to call for
▶ 3:30:57additional remedies for states that are wronged. Unfortunately, mandating future penalties will not prevent the harm to children, families, and vulnerable individuals served by these funds that would happen without the court's temporary restraining order. So, I s strongly support the current legal action.
▶ 3:31:20My amendment would provide affected states partial financial Specifically, my amendment would penalize HHS for illegally withholding payments of temporary assistance to needy families.
▶ 3:31:38Child care entitlement to states or social services block grant funding if the agency fails to pay an amount due to a state within 5 days by requiring the agency to make a monthly payment of the amount of dues plus interest.
▶ 3:31:58HS HHS should be held accountable for harming individuals, families, and businesses by illegally withholding critical federal funds. I encourage all my colleagues to support this amend amendment. I thank you, Mr. Chairman, and your back.
▶ 3:32:23Further discussion on the amendment. Uh, Mr. Byer.
▶ 3:32:28Mr. Chairman, thank you very much. Mr. Chairman, I constantly hear from my Republican friends that they want to tackle fraud and want to make sure that our taxpayer dollars are not going to fraudulent behavior. And yet, here we are today with a bill that actually stops states from fighting fraud. I very much appreciate the idea of a genuine child pregnancy center. You good, honest women and men helping pregnant women in crisis.
▶ 3:32:54This should be loving, compassionate, not proabortion, but certainly not forced birth either. But there's abundant evidence that these crisis pregnancy centers provide misleading and inaccurate information about themselves, their services, and about medical options.
▶ 3:33:09Let me just quote the CPC, child protection prevention centers, pregnancy centers in general are widely considered to be unethical by medical associations like the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, and the American College of Obstitricians and Gynecologists. These are not woke organizations. These are doctors who have given their careers to help birthing mothers.
▶ 3:33:35The very last thing a woman with a wanted pregnancy who is in crisis should be turning to for help is an organization that can't help her. There could be a critical delay in care funding a fraudulent organization with federal funds when it should be spent wisely for families with children experiencing poverty. This is a gross misuse of funds. Already this program has a declining ability to reach and support families in poverty and allowing the diversion of funds for fraudulent behavior is the worst case use case for taxpayer dollars.
▶ 3:34:05If you care about families and children escaping poverty, it's the last thing to do. I don't expect OM Director Rose Russ vote to care about America's kids, but I do expect the noble members of the Ways and Mins committee to care about our kids. And if we care, then this committee should be focused on restoring states access to tanniff and childcare funding, not on this tortured conserv conversation to ensure fraudulent organizations can misuse taxpayer dollars. I yield back.
▶ 3:34:33Mr. Le Hood.
▶ 3:34:34Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, I going to speak against the amendment. One of our biggest obligations and responsibilities as part of this committee is to make sure that federal taxpayer money is being spent correctly. And the Trump administration's current investigation and action on welfare fraud is long overdue and it should be a wake-up call for a number of our states.
▶ 3:35:00And so while there is a current pause on um on funding to a number of states, um I I think it's necessary a critical welfare dollars are being diverted to in some cases illegal aliens, domestic crime rings, and violent criminals. And states are simply being asked to provide verification and justification to ensure proper stewardship of federal funds.
▶ 3:35:26This amendment would allow a status quo of fraud and abuse to continue and at the expense of poor families and vulnerable children. I would just point out um when we think about the concerns of welfare fraud um in my home state of Illinois, I I just want to point out a couple of examples of welfare fraud um and that are concerning and certainly could signal potential for additional fraud.
▶ 3:35:53In 2024, under the Biden administration, um the Department of Justice at the time run by Merrick Garland, there was a prosecution of a Chicago daycare owner who was found guilty uh of a fraud scheme of stealing $3.4 million in federal child care As a part of that uh case, the owner of five Chicago area child care centers pleaded guilty after submitting hundreds of falsified
▶ 3:36:23subsidy applications and stealing more than $3.4 million in childcare funds, which she used the defendant as part to in part to buy a Bentley SUV and a house. Uh again, that prosecution uh ended in uh the the them pleading guilty on August 8th of 2024.
▶ 3:36:46In in a separate case in uh last August, August of 2025, the Department of Justice found a Chicago grocery store owner guilty of a SNAP EBT card fraud scheme of more than $8 million.
▶ 3:37:01Another investigation again under the Biden administration that then carried over to the Trump administration DOJ found a fake foster care corruption ring that was able to divert 3.2 million in federal child welfare funds. And um so this is unfortunate that this continues to happen. But going back to my original statement at the beginning, we have a responsibility and an obligation to make sure these dollars are being spent correctly.
▶ 3:37:29proper oversight needs to continue to be exercised here. And so the current pause on these funds um will hopefully weed out um some if there is criminal activity and I think we owe that to taxpayers. I yield back.
▶ 3:37:44Miss Malitakus.
▶ 3:37:46Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Since some of uh my colleagues on the Democrat side continue to turn a blind eye to the rampant fraud and abuse in our federal welfare programs, I want to take a moment to highlight just a few examples of this rampant fraud occurring in my state, New York, and other places.
▶ 3:38:05In one case, a New York City employee was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for a fraud and cocaine traffic for fraud and cocaine trafficking after stealing over $600,000 in tanniff assistance funds.
▶ 3:38:20In the state of California, there were 15 individuals arrested for withdrawing $181 million in public assistance benefits, including tannif benefits meant for lowincome In California, there was also the president of a learning center that was sentenced to 27 months in prison for stealing $3.7 million in stolen child care benefits.
▶ 3:38:48in Minnesota, president of two nonprofits, was sentenced to one year in prison for stealing nearly 500,000 from the state of Minnesota in tanniff funds that were for person that he used for personal expenses, including mortgage and car payments.
▶ 3:39:05And then in Illinois, an owner of five child area child I'm sorry, Chicago area child care centers pleaded guilty after submitting hundreds of falsified subsidy applications and stealing more than 3.3 million in Illinois child care funds which she used to buy a Bentley SUV and a house. Now this committee has repeatedly exposed fraud, right?
▶ 3:39:30We we had initially exposed 27 billion dollar for fraudulent payments to those enrolled fraudulently enrolled into the Affordable Care Act, we exposed over a hundred billion dollars in unemployment fraud and COVID related fraud.
▶ 3:39:48For example, during COVID, a Brooklynbased gang member pleaded guilty to an unemployment insurance fraud scheme, fraudulently obtaining more than $800,000 in And of course, we saw the fraud in Minnesota that was rampant.
▶ 3:40:08In 2023, a nonprofit uh uh facility in Brooklyn, the leaders were indicted in a multi-million dollar voucher fraud scheme, diverting $2.8 8 million in program funds by searing these federal ch child care dollars through sham nonprofit arrangements. And then just the other day, there was a report in the New York Post, $1.2 billion dollar in New York health money, healthcare money that went to scammers.
▶ 3:40:39Governor Hokll herself has called the program one of the most abused programs in the history of New York. Yet, the state continues to pump billions of tax dollars into the same program with no Now, despite these alarming facts, New York and other Democrat-run states have actively refused to provide basic welfare recipient data to the federal government and have even gone so far as to sue the administration simply for asking questions and
▶ 3:41:09for this If there truly is no fraud, which we know that's not the case based on the examples I've laid out, and these are just a handful. I mean, you can Google it and see tons and tons of fraud all across the board of federal programs. Why are they refusing to provide the data? The answer is simple.
▶ 3:41:33I believe it's because blue state dem uh Democratic governors like Kathy Hokll and Tim Waltz would rather shield and protect fraudsters and foreign criminals than be transparent and accountable with taxpayer dollars. They would rather protect those abusing the system than the poor and needy families these programs were created to serve. Republicans want to protect the integrities of these programs.
▶ 3:41:57We want to make sure that these tax dollars are going to the families who truly need them, not to fraudsters gaming the system. In my district specifically, I can give other examples of different types of fraud in the federal In 2024, New York lost 61.5 million in stolen SNAP benefits with more than fraudulent transactions identified.
▶ 3:42:25Over the summer, New York City residents sued the state to implement more secure chip cards and to take other security measures uh as the to combat this type of crime. That's what they're asking for the states to do and we should require states like New York to do that. I'm putting in a bill uh to make sure that we use that chip technology to protect these benefits.
▶ 3:42:46But look, we have a fiduciary responsibility of the taxpayers to ensure that their dollars are going to where they're intended for to help the people who rely on these programs. That's why we're doing what we're doing in terms of tackling this waste, fraud, and abuse. And I'm glad the Department of Justice is really taking significant action to prosecute these criminals. I yield back,
▶ 3:43:11Mr. Schneider. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. I want to thank uh Ranking Member Davis for offering this amendment.
▶ 3:43:26Uh Nelson Mandela famously said, "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul, the way it treats its children." The Trump administration has frozen more than $10 billion in child care, child welfare, and other critical social services funding, targeting five Democratic states for revenge.
▶ 3:43:46The Trump administration is punishing our nation's children, our nation's children, because it doesn't like what's happening or the way governors of certain blue states are treating him. I'm proud to support com Congressman Davis's amendment to penalize Department of Health and Human Services for illegally preventing states from accessing their temporary assistance to needy families, child care entitlement estates, and social services block grant funding.
▶ 3:44:15It is only right that HHS makes a monthly payment of the amount due plus interest. While this won't prevent the im immediate harm that children and families in our state of Illinois, California, New York, Minnesota, and Colorado are facing, it will rightly hold to account HHS for its illegal actions. This administration thinks it can illegally deny funding for children and families in need and get away without account. They're wrong.
▶ 3:44:42The Ways and Means Committee is the committee of jurisdiction for this funding. These states are entitled to this funding because the laws in our committee's jurisdiction, because of laws we drafted, we marked up and we enacted. The administration is denying funding that our committee provided. I ask all of us, how can anyone on this committee think that that is okay? We will continue to fight this and ensure that funding for our states, the funding that is owed is paid. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I yield back.
▶ 3:45:12Mr. Thompson.
▶ 3:45:15Yield to Mr. Let me thank Mr. Thompson for yielding. I've listened to my colleagues talk fraud and abuse and I think of myself as being a public [snorts] guardian.
▶ 3:45:36Throughout every part of my career, I have always sought and believed strongly in protecting Individuals who are bad actors should in no way go
▶ 3:45:58Round table on housing
▶ 3:45:59and in many instances they do. So I agree with my colleagues who have expressed about fraud and abuse. My amendment does not deal with that in one way.
▶ 3:46:18My amendment deals with the illegal of state agencies not distributing resources that have been appropriated, agreed to provided for beneficiaries of those services.
▶ 3:46:42And so fraud and is one thing and we need to do everything in our power to prevent it and make people pay for it. But I didn't that fraud and abuse of recipients came from the Department of Health and Human Services.
▶ 3:47:05These are agencies that are authorized to distribute the resources that are appropriated to come through their agencies. Define to eligible recipients is not my amendment.
▶ 3:47:31My amendment is to make sure that the laws are implemented the way they have been crafted according to the Constitution of the United States of America. And so I I thank you, Mr. Thompson. and yield back.
▶ 3:47:54Miss Sanchez,
▶ 3:47:57I think it's interesting that my Republican colleagues are so spun up about waste, fraud, and abuse when they just in the last amendment had an opportunity to have oversight over pregnancy crisis centers that commit waste, fraud, and abuse and malicious practices. You all voted unanimously against that amendment which would have provided oversight and transparency and some accountability.
▶ 3:48:23But I guess you know waste, fraud, and abuse is in the eye of the beholder because when it's your favorite pet project, you don't want to have any oversight or accountability or transparency. Um I find equally interesting all these arguments about oh the waste, the fraud, and the abuse.
▶ 3:48:40Um, I [clears throat] would remind my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that if we're so concerned about waste, fraud, and abuse in our health care system and in social services, I would just remind them that Donald Trump has pardoned or commuted the sentences of several individuals convicted of health care and Medicare related fraud and financial crimes. And I haven't heard any outcry from from y'all. Um, Philip Es as Formis.
▶ 3:49:08He's a Miami Beach healthc care mogul who was described as the king of healthc care fraud. Convicted in one of the nation's largest Medicare fraud schemes over 1 billion dollars. We're not talking pocket change here. A billion dollars. Trump commuted his prison sentence in December of 2020.
▶ 3:49:26Um, Paul Wzac, sorry if I mispronounced that, a former Florida nursing home executive who pleaded guilty to tax crimes involving the embezzlement of over $10 million in employee payroll and Medicare taxes using the funds for a lavish lifestyle. Trump granted him a full pardon in May of 2025.
▶ 3:49:52Joseph Schwarz, a former nursing home operator who pleaded guilty to a scheme that withheld approximately $39 million in payroll taxes, including Medicare taxes, from employees. Trump pardoned his federal conviction in November of 2025, so just a couple months ago, after Schwarz had served only three months of a three-year sentence. The pardon also eliminated a $5 million restitution order to the federal government.
▶ 3:50:22So, we're out that money as well. John Davis, a former CEO of Comprehensive Pain Specialists, a chain of pain management clinics who accepted illegal bribes linked to fraudulent Medicare bills. Trump pardoned him as well. And finally, we have Shalam Weiss sentenced to an 835year prison term. 835 years. You don't get 835 year prison terms for for minor crimes.
▶ 3:50:51I mean, this was substantial for massive racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering scheme involving a health insurance company's collapsed. He received a pardon from President Trump as well. So don't be casting espersions on everybody else if you're not willing to look within your own house and call out the waste, fraud, and abuse that happens there.
▶ 3:51:16But I guess, as I said, when it's your own pet projects or your own rich buddies, you don't want to look for the waste, fraud, and abuse. you want to turn your head the other way and avoid having to do the self-reflection that says, "Hey, if somebody broke the law, they should be convicted and they should do their time to to pay off their debt to society, they should pay their ret uh restitution to the victims and to the federal governments." And these are no small potatoes, guys.
▶ 3:51:43These are billions and millions, tens of millions of dollars um that Trump just seems to say, "Well, it's okay. He's not a bad guy, so we're just going to commute the sentence or we're just going to pardon him. Um, and with that, I think uh uh uh uh example of hypocrisy, I will yield back the balance of my time.
▶ 3:52:07Further questions on the amendment?
▶ 3:52:11Miss Fishbach.
▶ 3:52:13Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I would just like to ask for unanimous consent to enter into the record um the Office of the Inspector General's um off Office of Audit Services a May 2025 document uh entitled Minnesota could better ensure that child care assistance providers comply with attendance requirements.
▶ 3:52:34I just want just want to mention that, you know, last May in an audit um of the Minnesota Childcare Assistance Program and the HHS OIG found that Minnesota did not comply with federal and state attendance documentation requirements for some of the payments made under its child care assistance program for 2023.
▶ 3:52:52And and I and I will keep it short to keep it brief because um I I know that Minnesota has all kinds of things going on right now with fraud and they are investigating it and um but I do think but but what strikes me about the discussion is that um we have gone far far a field from the underlying bill and so I am just going to say um I oppose the amendment.
▶ 3:53:16Thank you.
▶ 3:53:16Without objection. So ordered. Um, further discussion on the amendment. Seeing none, the question is on agreeing to the amendment offered by Mr. Davis. The clerk will call the role.
▶ 3:53:29Mr. Buchanan,
▶ 3:53:31Mr. Buchanan, no. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. No. Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly. No. Mr. Schwikert. Mr. Le Hood. Mr. Le Hood. No. Mr. Mr. Mr. Estus. Mr. Estus. No. Mr. Smucker. Mr. Smucker. No. Mr. Hearn. Mrs.
▶ 3:54:02Miller.
▶ 3:54:03Mrs. Miller. No. Dr. Murphy. Mr. Kustoff. Mr. Kustoff. No. Mr. Mr. Mr. Stwie. No.
▶ 3:54:18Mr. Stwie. No. Miss Tenny. Miss Tenny. No. Mrs. Fishbach. No.
▶ 3:54:26Mrs. Fishbach. No. Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore. No. Miss. Van. Miss. Van. No. Mr. Fenstra. Mr. Fenstra. No. Miss Malotakus. Miss Malotakus. No. Mr. Kerry. Mr. Yakam. Mr. Yakam. No. Mr. Miller. Mr. Miller. No. Mr. Bean.
▶ 3:54:54Mr. Bean. No. Mr. Moran. Mr. Moran. No. Mr. Neil.
▶ 3:55:01Mr. Neil. Yes. Mr. Dogget. Mr. Dogget. Yes. Mr. Thompson. Mr. Thompson. Yes. Mr. Larson. Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis. Yes. Mrs. Miss Sanchez. Miss Sanchez. Yes. Miss Su. Miss Su. Yes. Miss Delben. Miss Delben. Yes. Miss Chu. Miss Chu. Yes. Miss Moore. Miss Moore. Yes. Mr. Bole.
▶ 3:55:33Mr. Byer.
▶ 3:55:34Mr. Byer. Yes. Mr. Evans.
▶ 3:55:37Mr. Evans. Yes. Mr. Schneider.
▶ 3:55:40Mr. Schneider. Yes. Mr. Petta. Mr. Petta. Yes. Mr. Gomez. Mr. Horseford. Mr. Horsford. Yes. Miss. Mr. Swazy. Mr. Swazy. Yes. Mr. Schwikert. Mr. Schwikert. No. Mr. Arrington.
▶ 3:56:10Mr. Arrington. No, Mr. Hearn Mr. Hearn. No Dr. Murphy. Mr. Fitzpatrick. Mr. Kerry. Mr. Kerry. No. Mr. Larson.
▶ 3:56:31Mr. Larson. Yes. Mr. Boille.
▶ 3:56:34Mr. Boille. Yes. Mr. Gomez. Mr. Gomez. Yes. Miss Plask.
▶ 3:56:55Chairman Smith.
▶ 3:56:58Chairman Smith. No. The clerk will report the vote.
▶ 3:57:22Mr. Chairman, the yeses are 18 and the nos are 24.
▶ 3:57:27There being 18 yeses and 24 nos, the amendment is not agreed to. Are there additional amendments?
▶ 3:57:34Miss Sanchez. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 3:57:38Mr. Chairman, I reserve point of order.
▶ 3:57:40Point of order has been reserved. Will the gentle lady um suspend while the clerk distributes the amendment?
▶ 3:57:56Proceed. Mr. Sanchez.
▶ 3:58:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It's no secret that I don't think the pregnancy centers outlined in this bill are good use of TANF funds. And without oversight, they can pretty much do whatever they want to do. Um, but that doesn't matter because President Trump is illegally stripping these TANF funds from the very same constituents in Congresswoman Fishbach's district.
▶ 3:58:22As every member on this deis knows, last week the Trump administration illegally froze 10 billion dollars in social service funds to five Democratically led states. This includes states that the ways and means Republican colleagues represent. Congressman Leah Hood, Congresswoman Tenny, Congresswoman Fishbaw, and Congresswoman Van Dyene all had their state's TANPI funds illegally frozen.
▶ 3:58:47Courts filed an emergency injunction after only after Democratic attorney generals filed suits. To my colleagues across the aisle, I would just ask, when will it be enough? Will you join me in voting for an amendment to support your own constituents? These funds grant our constituents access to things like disability services, foster care, and child care. unsubstantiated allegation of fraud.
▶ 3:59:17No specific allegations of fraud based on whistleblowers on YouTube and Twitter should not be enough for you to sell out your most vulnerable constituents. Like Congressman Davis's amendment, my amendment would require HHS to pay interest on any payments that they do not make to states. It also exempts the money that HHS owes states from the state's maintenance of effort requirement.
▶ 3:59:45This allows states to have additional money on hand. When our states can't withdraw funds for these vital programs, it's our own constituents and neighbors who suffer. My amendment would make sure that HHS is penalized when they don't pay states what these states are legally owed.
▶ 4:00:07Republicans seem to have so much cognitive dissonance that they can't reconcile the fact that their own president illegally cut the very funding that they are using to push their anti-abortion propaganda. Yet, they failed to recognize that, yeah, your funding has been cut illegally for these PEP programs. I'm looking forward to hearing the court's final ruling in these cases, but until then, my amendment is simple.
▶ 4:00:34HHS should be penalized for not delivering congressionally authorized funds. I urge my Republic my Republican colleagues to vote for this amendment and hold not just this administration but any future administration accountable for not delivering congressionally approved funding to our states. And with that I yield back. Further discussion on the
▶ 4:01:06Miss Chu, I strongly support my colleague Representative Sanchez's amendment which would ensure that the Department of Health and Human Services faces consequences when they fail to make TANF payments to states full and on time.
▶ 4:01:24Last week, the Trump administration illegally froze $10 million in congressionally authorized and appropriated funding for child care and special services uh in five states with Democratic governors, including my home state of California. That freeze included more than $7 billion in TANF funds nationwide. Tannif is a lifeline for millions of low-income families in this country and a vital source of child care and child welfare funding. in many states.
▶ 4:01:54In fact, TANF provides over 1/4 of child care funding in this country. This reckless funding freeze rips away childcare access from our most vulnerable families and will devastate the entire child care industry by force forcing countless centers to shut their doors. And let me be clear, these payment freezes are completely illegal under current law. The Trump administration keeps saying they're freezing these funds due to fraud.
▶ 4:02:24Yet, in the letters HHS sent to five Democratic states identifying them of the freeze, um HHS did not provide a single piece of evidence. Not one actual specific example of fraud to back up their claim.
▶ 4:02:43If the Trump administration really cared about fraud, they would not have withdrawn the Biden administration's demand that Mississippi repay the millions of tanniff dollars they illegally spent on wealthy individuals pet projects like Brett Favver's daughter's college volleyball stadium instead of on poor families. That fraud led to actual criminal convictions. And yet the Trump administration won't hold Mississippi accountable. So that tells us everything we need to know.
▶ 4:03:14This was never about fraud. It's about President Trump's petty political agenda and his desire to attack and punish blue states. But even if there was any fraud in any of these programs, Trump's HHS did not take any action to investigate the I also want to make clear that federal law does not give HHS any authority to suspend these funds in the absence of an independent audit. And of course, no such audit has taken place.
▶ 4:03:44As the committee that has jurisdiction over these programs and their authorizing statutes, we must be clear that the administration's actions to withhold funding are in stark violation of current law. And as we await further action on these matters in the court, the least we can do here is to ensure that Congress uh in Congress is to ensure that any administration illegally withholding congressional authorized funds will face consequences.
▶ 4:04:14I strongly support this amendment and I yield back. Further discussion on the Seeing none, the question is on agreeing to the amendment offered by Miss Sanchez. The clerk will call the role.
▶ 4:04:29Mr. Buchanan,
▶ 4:04:31Mr. Buchanan, no. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. Mr. Smith of Nebraska? No. Mr. Kelly? Mr. Kelly? No. Mr. Schwikert. Mr. Schwikert? No. Mr. Le Hood? Mr. Leood? No. Mr. Arrington? Mr. Arrington? No. Mr. Estus? Mr. Estus. No. Mr. Smucker. Mr. Smucker. No. Mr. Hearn.
▶ 4:04:57Mr. Hearn. No. Mrs. Miller.
▶ 4:05:01Mrs. Miller. No. Dr. Murphy. Mr. Kustoff. Mr. Kustoff. No. Mr. Mr. Stwie. Mr. Stwie. No. Miss. Tenny. Miss. Tenny. No. Mrs. Fishbach. Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore. No. Miss Vanine. Miss Vanine. No. Mr. Fenstra. Mr. Fenstra. No.
▶ 4:05:31Miss Malotakus. Miss Malotakus. No. Mr. Mr. Yakam. Mr. Yakam. No. Mr. Miller. Mr. Miller. No. Mr. Bean.
▶ 4:05:45Mr. Bean. No. Mr. Moran.
▶ 4:05:48Mr. Moran. No, Mr. Neil. Mr. Neil. Yes, Mr. Dogget. Mr. Dogit. Yes, Mr. Thompson.
▶ 4:05:59Mr. Thompson. Yes, Mr. Larson.
▶ 4:06:02Mr. Larson. Yes. Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis. Yes. Miss Sanchez. Miss Sanchez. Yes. Miss Su. Miss Su. Yes. M. Albennet. Miss Delenet. Yes. Miss Chu. Miss Chu. Yes. Miss Moore. Mr. Bole
▶ 4:06:21Mr. Bole Yes Mr. Byer
▶ 4:06:24Mr. Byer yes Mr. Evans Mr. Schneider Mr. Schneider yes Mr. Petta Mr. Petta yes Mr. Gomez
▶ 4:06:39Mr. Gomez yes Mr. Horford Mr. Horsesford Mr. Suazi, Mr. Swazy. Yes, Dr. Murphy. Mr. Fitzpatrick. Mr. Kerry. Mr. Carrie. No. Miss Moore.
▶ 4:07:11Miss Moore. Miss Moore. Yes. Mrs. Fishbach.
▶ 4:07:22Mrs. Fishbach. Mr. Evans. Chairman Smith.
▶ 4:07:34Chairman Smith. No.
▶ 4:08:01Clerk will report the vote.
▶ 4:08:04Mr. Chairman, the yeses are 18 and the nos are 24. There being 18 yeses and 24 nos, the amendment is not agreed to. Are there additional amendments? Miss Moore.
▶ 4:08:19Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the
▶ 4:08:22Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of
▶ 4:08:24A point of order has been reserved. Will the gentle lady um suspend while the amendment is distributed? You can proceed, Miss Moore. Did I get my copy?
▶ 4:08:55Thank you, uh, Mr. Chairman. Um, this is a very simple amendment. that would allow states to use tanniff dollars for security at child care facilities and to gather evidence of harassment of childc care providers to give to local law
▶ 4:09:18Do you yield back the rest of your time?
▶ 4:09:20No sir, I do not.
▶ 4:09:21Okay. I just big boss m Mr. Chairman, you know, we have um shoehorned a purpose into the tanniff restrictions to allow these uh pregnancy crisis centers to receive funding. And I don't even know that we need this amendment to allow tanniff dollars to be used for security at child care facilities since child care is the number one purpose of TANIF.
▶ 4:09:49It's listed as the four purposes and child care is mentioned as one of the number one purposes. We've had some serious discussion about um about the 10 billion dollars that are being withheld by the administration because of supposed fraud uh most notably uh in Minnesota that has led to the of monies 10 billion dollars from five six different
▶ 4:10:19states. But the issue that I'm trying to address here is the fact that these influencers have have uh their reaction to the fraud that they have noted has been to show up at child care centers, harass the employees, even demanding that they be allowed inside the centers um uh with helpless, vulnerable children who who are not
▶ 4:10:50their children there. Now, these people are not law enforcement people who are demanding entrance into child care centers. They're not uh people from uh uh child protective services that are demanding entrance there. They they're not uh uh people from the health department demanding to come in and check the conditions. They're not people from HHS that are there to do audits regarding the use of funds.
▶ 4:11:18They are They are harassers that are coming in. And you know, we we didn't necessarily anticipate the need for security at child care centers.
▶ 4:11:33Um but it is very very clear that that u has become a critical need um with regard to uh to the operations of these centers and to uh um the safety of the children and employees. Certainly uh none of the other uh purposes of tanniff can be fulfilled without child care.
▶ 4:12:01Uh parents are required to go to work. They're required to meet work requirements. And so they have to take their kids to daycare. And who wants to take their children to daycare and put them in an environment where uh influencers are allowed to harass the staff, corner them, and to demand access to the children in care.
▶ 4:12:27Um I um I think this is a uh this is a very simple amendment and since we are shoehorning other purposes for the use of tanniff, I think this is an entirely appropriate use of those ta tanniff dollars um particularly uh where we see this uptick of harassment and um I will I will yield back. Sanchez.
▶ 4:12:52Further discussion on the amendment. Miss Sanchez. Thank you. I strongly support uh Miss my colleague Miss Moore's amendment. The use and the access of TANF funding is in her amendment is directly relevant to ensuring that it can fulfill its core mission which is to provide child care for parents who need it.
▶ 4:13:20So I join Miss Moore in supporting the amendment that would allow for security at these child care centers. We have seen uh complete chaos of people just showing up and demanding entrance into a place that should be uh very protective of young children. So I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and I yield back the balance of my time.
▶ 4:13:50Further discussion on the amendment. Seeing none, the question is on agreeing to the amendment offered by Miss Moore. The clerk will call the role.
▶ 4:13:58Mr. Buchanan. Mr. Buchanan. No. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. No. Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly. No. Mr. Schwiker. Mr. Schwiker. No. Mr. Le Hood. Mr. Arrington. Mr. Arrington. No. Mr. Estus. Mr. Estus. No. Mr. Smucker. Mr. Smucker.
▶ 4:14:28No. Mr. Hearn. Mr. Hearn. No. Mrs. Miller. No.
▶ 4:14:34Mrs. Miller. No. Dr. Murphy. Mr. Kustoff. Mr. Kustoff. No. Mr. Mr. Stwie. Mr. Stwie. No. Miss Tenny. Miss. Tenny. No. Mrs. Fishbach. Mrs. Fishbach. No. Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore. No. Miss. Van Dyene. Miss Vanine. No. Mr. Fenstra. Mr. Fenstra. No. Miss Malotakus. Miss Malotakus. No.
▶ 4:15:04Mr. Kerry. Mr. Kerry. No. Mr. Yakam. Mr. Yakam. No. Mr. Miller. No.
▶ 4:15:12Mr. Miller. No. Mr. Bean.
▶ 4:15:15Mr. Bean. No. Mr. Moran.
▶ 4:15:18Mr. Moran. No. Mr. Neil.
▶ 4:15:23Mr. Neil. Yes. Mr. Dogget. Mr. Dogget. Mr. Thompson. Mr. Thompson. Yes. Mr. Larson. Mr. Larson. Yes. Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis. Yes. Miss Sanchez. Miss Sanchez, yes. Miss Su, Miss Su, yes. Miss Delben, Miss Delben, yes. Miss Chu, Miss Chu, yes. Miss Moore.
▶ 4:15:54Miss Moore. Yes. Mr. Boille.
▶ 4:15:56Mr. Boille. Yes. Mr. Byer.
▶ 4:16:00Mr. Byer. Yes. Mr. Evans. Mr. Schneder.
▶ 4:16:07Mr. Schneider. Yes. Mr. Petta. Mr. Panetta. Yes. Mr. Gomez. Mr. Horford. Mr. Horford. Yes. Miss Miss Plask. Yes. Mr. Swazy.
▶ 4:16:34Mr. Swazy. Yes. Mr. Arrington.
▶ 4:16:46Mr. Le Hood.
▶ 4:16:53Mr. Le Hood. No.
▶ 4:16:57Dr. Murphy. Mr. Fitzpatrick. Mr. Evans. Mr. Gomez. Chairman Smith.
▶ 4:17:15Chairman Smith. No. The clerk will report the vote.
▶ 4:17:40Mr. Chairman, the yeses are 17 and the nos are 24.
▶ 4:17:44There being 17 yeses and 24 nos, the amendment is not agreed to. Are there additional amendments?
▶ 4:17:55Mr. All right. Um before I represent the gentleman um uh from Illinois, I want to inform members that votes have been called on the House floor and I intend to call a recess following um Mr. Schneider's five minutes and then to call the committee back to order immediately following the vote series. I now recognize Mr. Schneider. Mr.
▶ 4:18:17Chairman, I reserve your point of order.
▶ 4:18:20A point of order has been reserved on the amendment. Would the gentleman suspend while the amendment is distributed? I will don't leave. I want you to hear what I have to say.
▶ 4:18:29Yeah. All right.
▶ 4:18:36Okay. Proceed, Mr. Sn.
▶ 4:18:38All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, it's worth repeating Nelson Mandela's famous quote. There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in with which it treats its children. and Republicans and Democrats should both take pride in the past in what Congress has done in the past to support American families.
▶ 4:19:00From the temporary assistance for needy families tanniff program to the child care entitled to state CCC ccees to the social services block grant SSBG. Congress has established programs that have made great strides in lifting American families and in particular America's children out of poverty out of abject poverty.
▶ 4:19:23I will note that instead of seeking to cut these programs or withholding funds from states as the Trump administration is doing, we should be building on these programs and ensuring that every American child has a fair shot at the American dream. My amendment would require the Department of Health and Human Services to report to Congress monthly on the amount each state is legally owed under the temporary assistance for needing families, the child care entitlement to states, and the Social Security's block grant programs.
▶ 4:19:52and how much of that funding they have requested but have not been permitted to draw down. These programs deliver essential funding for to states for child care and family assistance services. These programs fund child care that allow parents to work, foster care services, child protective services, and cash assistance to low-income families.
▶ 4:20:13The Trump administration has been illegally withholding more than $10 billion in funding to states California, Colorado, New York, Minnesota, and my state of Illinois. In Illinois alone, the administration is holding up around $1 billion. 150,000 children receive child care supported by that funding. Let me be clear, this payment freeze is unlawful. These payments are legally required under law.
▶ 4:20:41It's illegal to pause or freeze or review payments that are legally required to go to the states as established by this Congress. The laws governing these programs include detailed processes for the administration to follow if they have concerns about state management and HHS did not follow any of them. They are hiding behind false claims and unauthorized administrative barriers and they have not answered any of our questions about which states can access their funding and when.
▶ 4:21:11As the president tries to inflict pain on states that he personally dislikes, like in Illinois, I think it's important that the administration tells Congress exactly what they are doing. My amendment would require the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to report to Congress every month on how much is owed to the state under TAN, CCS, and SSBG.
▶ 4:21:32how much of the funding states have been able to access, to tell us what the standard for payment access was and if it is the same for all states, and to find out more about the supposed review that HHS is doing during the illegal payment freeze. Requiring transparency will not prevent the immediate harm being done to children and families, but it will help us understand the scope of the harm and fight back.
▶ 4:21:55I think it's well past time that my Republican colleagues stand up against this administration's illegal denying of funding for children and families. Our children and our families we are here to represent. Families that are in need. My Republican colleagues from Illinois, from New York, and on this committee. The Trump administration is actively harming your constituents today, punishing the children in your states, the children you are supposed to be here to represent.
▶ 4:22:23With all respect, I don't understand how you can defend the administration's actions here. The administration is illegally withholding billions of dollars in child welfare and child care funding from our states. The administration needs to pay these states what they are owed. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and I yield
▶ 4:22:43Thank you. We'll recess right now and we'll reconvene immediately following
▶ 4:49:18Committee will come to order. Is there discussion on Mr. Schneider's amendment? Mr. Horseford.
▶ 4:49:26Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move to strike their last word. And I rise uh in support of Mr. Schneider's amendment. As he explained, his amendment would require the Department of Health and Human Services to report on a monthly basis on how much it legally owes each state in critical child care and family support program funding and how much of that funding is outstanding.
▶ 4:49:51More commonly due in part to this administration's seemingly endless assault on the middle class nowadays. For states like Nevada, accessible and reliable child care is really foundational to their survival. Parents cannot work. Employer employers cannot retain staff and communities cannot grow when child care providers are left in limbo unsure whether promised federal dollars will ever arrive.
▶ 4:50:21I've met personally with these child care providers. They do everything that they can to keep uh safe and um quality child care services available and to retain their employees. And like every other state represented on this dis Nevada's child care providers rely on federal funds to keep their doors open and their communities functioning. When that funding is disrupted, the consequences are immediate and far-reaching.
▶ 4:50:51However, instead of focusing on strengthening early care and education or expanding access, which is what we should be doing, my office has seen reports of local providers being forced to divert limited time and resources towards contingency planning in recent weeks, driven by uncertainty and conflicting messaging coming from this administration. That uncertainty undermines providers. It destabilizes families and it puts children at risk.
▶ 4:51:22And it p it is precisely why an amendment like Mr. Schneider's is so important. This amendment seeks transparency and accountability, principles that I know many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle regularly champion. States deserve to know what they are owed, what is being held up, and why. especially when the livelihoods of working families and the stability of child care programs are on the line. I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment.
▶ 4:51:51Thank you and I yield back.
▶ 4:51:53Further discussion on the amendment,
▶ 4:51:56Miss Fishbach.
▶ 4:51:58Thank you, Mr. Chair. And you know, I I understand that there's uh concerns about what HHS is doing and what's uh what's happening right now, but we really need to let this play out. I'm from Minnesota. you know, there's a lot going on there. Um, and but maybe it is, you know, it's an opening uh for us to work on tanniff reform.
▶ 4:52:17There are a lot of um a lot of my colleagues have bills on tanniff reform and um but but in reality we strayed very very far from the topic of the bill and so I don't support this amendment. Um but I welcome the opportunity if someone wants to work on tanniff reform certainly members of the uh uh ways and means committee will work with you. Thank you. I yield back. Further discussion on the amendment.
▶ 4:52:43Seeing none, the question is on agreeing to the amendment offered by Mr. Schneider. The clerk will call the role.
▶ 4:52:50Mr. Buchanan,
▶ 4:52:52Mr. Buchanan, no. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. No. Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly. No. Mr. Schwikert. Mr. Leood. Mr. Le Hood. No. Mr. Mr. Estus. Mr. Estus. No. Mr. Smucker. Mr. Hearn. Mr. Hearn. No. Mrs. Miller. Mrs.
▶ 4:53:22Miller. No. Dr. Murphy. Mr. Kustoff. Mr. Kustoff. No. Mr. Mr. Stwie. Mr. Stwie. No. Miss. Tenny. Miss. Tenny. No. Mrs. Fishbach. Mrs. Fishbach. No. Mr. Moore. Miss. Van.
▶ 4:53:52Miss. Van. No. Mr. Fenstra. Mr. Fenstra. No. Miss. Maliaakis. Mr. Carrie.
▶ 4:54:04Mr. Kerry. No. Mr. Yakam Mr. Yakam no Mr. Miller Mr. Bean Mr. Bean no Mr. Moran Mr. Moran no Mr. Neil Mr. Neil yes Mr. Dogget Mr. Dogit yes Mr. Thompson Mr. Thompson yes Mr. Larson Mr.
▶ 4:54:33Larson yes Mr. Davis. Miss Sanchez. Miss Sanchez. Yes. Miss Su. Miss Delben. Miss Delen. Yes. Miss Chu. Miss Chu. Yes. Miss Moore.
▶ 4:55:05Miss Moore. Yes. Mr. Boille. Mr. Boille. Yes. Mr. Byer.
▶ 4:55:15Mr. Byer. Yes. Mr. Evans.
▶ 4:55:24Mr. Schneider.
▶ 4:55:27Mr. Schneider. Yes. Mr. Petta. Mr. Petta. Yes. Mr. Gomez.
▶ 4:55:36Mr. Gomez. Yes. Mr. Horseford. Mr. Horseford. Yes. Miss
▶ 4:55:44Miss Plask. Yes. Mr. Swazy.
▶ 4:55:50Mr. Swazy. Yes. Mr. Schwiker.
▶ 4:56:00Mr. Schwiker. No. Mr. Arrington. Mr. Smucker. Mr. Smucker. No. Dr. Murphy. Mr. Fitzpatrick. Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore.
▶ 4:56:30No. Miss Maliotakus, Mr. Miller, Mr. Davis,
▶ 4:56:47Mr. Davis. Yes, Miss Su. Mr. Evans. How is Mr. Arrington recorded?
▶ 4:57:05Mr. Arrington is not recorded.
▶ 4:57:08Mr. Arrington, no.
▶ 4:57:18Chairman Smith,
▶ 4:57:20Chairman Smith, no. How is Miss Soul recorded?
▶ 4:57:41Miss Soul is not recorded.
▶ 4:57:45Miss Su. Yes. Clerk will report the vote.
▶ 4:57:57Mr. Chairman, the yeses are 18 and the nos are 22.
▶ 4:58:00There being 18 yeses and 22 nos, the amendment is not agreed to. Are there additional amendments?
▶ 4:58:07Miss Soul.
▶ 4:58:08Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of
▶ 4:58:10A point of order has been reserved. Will the gentle lady um suspend while the amendment is distributed? Proceed.
▶ 4:58:28Miss, Mr. Chairman, um I have an amendment at the desk today.
▶ 4:58:53Today I offer an amendment to HR6945 to provide affordable access to health care for all women of reproductive age. This amendment will prevent states from using TANF funding for crisis pregnancy centers without first ensuring essential services such as prenatal care uh STI testing and uh gological services which will be funded through the states.
▶ 4:59:20Access to health care and health equity remains one of my top health priorities on this committee and this bill fails to account for health care funding needs uh to address women's health outcomes. Since the DOS decision, access to health care for women in my state, which includes uh Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, my hometown of Selma and the Black Belt, has dramatically declined. Since November 2023, four maternity wards in Alabama have closed.
▶ 4:59:49Unfortunately for my district, every maternity ward closure has negatively impacted my constituents reducing access to safe prenatal health options. This makes the need for maternal health care resources a major necessity for citizens in my district. West Alabama's women's center located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is a perfect example of a health center in my district providing vital medical services to women.
▶ 5:00:16Yet, the center has been experiencing operational challenges due to political and policy decisions within the state that leaves that center unable to access state funding. The West Alabama Women's Center serves about 1,000 patients annually and provides tangible health care services, including prenatal care and other testing. Um, the center has a full-time doctor on staff and offers doula services to patients to assist with labor and delivery.
▶ 5:00:44West Alabama Women's Center provides much needed access to prenatal care, which has been the C center's focus following the DOS decision. Perhaps their most valuable contribution is providing medical treatment for patients without any form of insurance, which is a key in my state that did not expand Medicaid.
▶ 5:01:04The treatment covered by the center often includes diabetic care, STD treatment, heart monitoring, prenatal care, and all other necessary components of positive uh positive maternal health outcomes. In all, West Alabama's Women's Center is offering countless tangible medical services to the most vulnerable patients in my district without any funding from the state of Alabama.
▶ 5:01:32While we're considering funding crisis, While we're considering funding crisis pregnancy centers, which by contrast do not offer comprehensive access to medical services, we should also think about uh the the we should also make sure that they have the full access to the full comprehensive maternal health care that they deserve. Um we must ensure facilities within our districts like West Alabama Women's Center are properly funded.
▶ 5:02:00These centers, which are providing vital medical care to our constituents, must have access to federal funding to keep their doors open. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment. It's critically important that we make sure that every center has comprehensive um prenatal and maternal health care. With that, I'll yield back the balance of my time.
▶ 5:02:20Discussion on the amendment. Miss Tenny.
▶ 5:02:24Thank you, Mr. Chair, and uh thank you to my colleagues. Uh actually the underlying bill does support access to health care and if you support access greater access to health care for women then you would support the underlying bill. And just a couple of facts over nearly 3,000 pregnancy resource centers across the country aided nearly 3.8 million almost 4 million people in person and virtually in 2024. Pregnancy resource centers provide free services and counseling for women struggling with unplanned pres pregnancies.
▶ 5:02:54They outnumber abortion clinics 3 to1 nationwide, a ratio that will grow as more states shutter abortion clinics following the DOS decision. Not New York where we have late term abortion uh on demand. Uh the services provided by centers include free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, testing for sexually transmitted infections, counseling on all options for pregnancy, parenting education, job training, diapers and baby clothes, assistance with housing and utilities, transportation support, and other material assistance.
▶ 5:03:25It's also worth noting that pregnancy resource centers are primarily privately funded and have cost savings of about $452 million annually for tax of taxpayer dollars. So I urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment and vote for women's healthcare in the underlying Miss Chu,
▶ 5:03:46I strongly support my colleague Representative Sule's amendment, which would require states to fully fund family planning programs before diverting scarce tanniff dollars to these so-called crisis pregnancy centers. This amendment recognizes a basic truth. Our nation's family planning and reproductive health infrastructure is already stretched dangerously thin.
▶ 5:04:10And we should not be weakening proven evidence-based care in order to fund ideological organizations that do not provide real medical services. Family planning programs are woefully underfunded, including Title 10, which remains the only dedicated funding stream on the federal level for comprehensive family planning services. Even before the fall of Row, Title 10 providers were struggling to meet the demand.
▶ 5:04:40And that strain only has been worsened by the repeated attacks on Title 10 by the Trump administration. Under President Trump, Title 10 has faced funding cuts, harmful rule changes, and deliberate efforts to undermine providers that offer comprehensive evidence-based care. All while anti-abortion centers have been steered um public dollars with little accountabil accountability. That's not an accident. It is a choice. And patients are paying the price.
▶ 5:05:11Today, Title 10 health centers serve four million people each year. For so many patients, Title 10 is their only access point to health care. It's clear we're not doing enough to support it. And now, with the lack of reproductive rights afforded to millions of women in the 41 states which have enacted abortion bans since the fall of Row, ensuring access to family planning services is more critical than ever.
▶ 5:05:39That's because family planning programs provide the care that people rely on throughout their lives. Contraception, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, and preventive services, um, which has been proven to so dramatically reduce the risk of HIV transmission. The services work. They are evidencebased.
▶ 5:06:00They improve maternal health outcomes and they save public dollars in the long Representative Su's amendment simply says that before TANF dollars are siphoned away from struggling families, states must first meet their responsibility to fund legitimate family planning services that people depend on every day. I encourage my colleagues to vote for this amendment and I yield
▶ 5:06:29Further discussion on the amendment.
▶ 5:06:35Thank you, Mr. Chairman. and I yield time to Miss Su.
▶ 5:06:38Thank you so much, my colleague from um Washington State for uh giving me uh some time. Uh I want to also thank uh Congresswoman Chu for her eloquence on this amendment. I think it's critically important to note that states like Alabama uh a red state, but a state nevertheless that does not fully fund comprehensive maternal uh health care.
▶ 5:07:00Uh it is truly uh to me mind-boggling that we would defer uh or or divert funds that were meant for comprehensive health care for women uh and uh and and and give it directly to these uh crisis pregnancy centers when they're they're few and far between in my state. And most importantly, we've seen closure after closure of rural hospitals uh and the first thing that seems to go is the obstetrics ward.
▶ 5:07:27And the fact of the matter is that so many of my constituents have to travel long distances in order to even be seen by a doctor, let alone for their own comprehensive u maternal care and that that of their prenatal care that they need. So I I wanted to also just reiterate that the section 10 uh funding and and or title 10 funding is critically important and states like Alabama don't have to fully fund it.
▶ 5:07:52So the reality is unless we are making sure that the services are get are delivered to all people irrespective of their ability to pay um I don't think that we should be diverting muchneeded TANF uh resources away uh from needy families. Um I said before that um we have over Alabama families that live in poverty and yet only 7% of them receive cash benefits from TANF.
▶ 5:08:20So diverting any funds from TANIF away from needy families and those that live below the poverty line to me is inexcusable. Let alone if you're going to offer um services uh then uh women services you should offer comprehensive women's services. So with that I just want to reiterate that that's simply the only thing that my amendment does is ensures compreh comprehensive services before we actually start diverting um money away from uh TANF.
▶ 5:08:50With that, I'll yield back the balance of my time.
▶ 5:08:52Miss Moore.
▶ 5:08:56Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. And let me thank uh the gentle lady from Alabama for introducing this amendment. Um I I think that it's extremely important. The point that I want to focus on is is something I think that Miss Tenny said.
▶ 5:09:14I mean she confirmed what I have said earlier in the debate that there are three times as many pregnancy crisis centers as there are abortion clinics and the you know allowing these 2366 pregnancy crisis centers to get tan of dollars clearly undermines the dire payments
▶ 5:09:44and other services that are authorized under this act. Um, I want to point out that again that not one dime, not one dime of Tannis money goes toward these abortion clinics where, by the way, you can actually get health care uh by professionals that are trained by doctors. I worked in an abortion clinic and we had a doctor there every single minute that the clinic was open.
▶ 5:10:13uh unlike these pregnancy crisis centers that the this new provision, these modifications that we have made to TANNIF really has the potential to crowd uh child care uh uh job connecting uh uh opportunities that TANIF agencies provide without offering any real health care And as Miss Tenny
▶ 5:10:43pointed out, we have 2,633 of these. And now that we have passed this amendment, this is bound to increase exponentially. Uh, and again, the tanniff appropriation was put in place 30 years ago.
▶ 5:11:05Um, and of course we're experiencing inflation, but imagine the deflationary potential of that $16.5 billion uh 30 years later in order to provide the core the core elements of a TANF program. Uh, I just think this is very dangerous.
▶ 5:11:28I think that we'll find ourselves funding uh these nonprofit uh non-medical uh facilities at the expense of being able to provide child care so that women can go to work at the expense of helping people connect, get actually get off welfare and get jobs in order to fund our favorite uh little projects with regard to these pregnancy counseling centers.
▶ 5:11:56Um uh unless uh Miss uh Su would like the remaining time. Yes.
▶ 5:12:04Thank you for that. Um I want to thank all my colleagues for speaking on our amendment and just want to reiterate how important it is um that that any federal funds that are going for these kinds of um maternal uh pregnancy centers should have comprehensive health care.
▶ 5:12:21And the fact of the matter is that the only way so many of my constituents who don't live near a rural hospital, don't have these counseling centers nearby, they're driving long distances, they don't have maternity wards. And oh, by the way, a lot of them receive their health care through the ACA and we're not offering subsidies, tax subsidies, so they actually can afford it. So many have dropped their healthcare insurance.
▶ 5:12:45the combination of all of that uh in addition to the fact that Tannif um dollars, federal dollars should go to help needy families and um and so before we divert one single dollar from TANAN uh for any of these uh uh pregnancy centers, we should make sure that we have essential health care uh for women and children. And um and that's all that this amendment does.
▶ 5:13:10So with that, I just want to again thank my colleagues for speaking on my amendment and urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment. Thanks.
▶ 5:13:19Further discussion on the amendment. Seeing none, the questions on agreeing to the amendment offered by Miss Soul. The clerk will call the role.
▶ 5:13:28Mr. Buchanan?
▶ 5:13:30Mr. Buchanan? No. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. No. Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly. No. Mr. Schwikert. Mr. Schwikert. No. Mr. Le Hood. Mr. Leood. No. Mr. Arrington. Mr. Estus. No. Mr. Estus. No. Mr. Mr. Smucker. No. Mr. Hearn. Mr. Hearn. No. Mrs. Miller. Mrs. Miller. No.
▶ 5:14:00Dr. Mr. Kustoff. Mr. Kustoff. No. Mr. Fitzpatrick. Mr. Stwie.
▶ 5:14:13Mr. Stwie. No. Miss Tenny. Miss. Tenny. No. Mrs. Fishbach. Mrs. Fishbach. No. Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore. No. Miss Vanine. Miss. Van. No. Mr. Fenstra. Mr. Fenstra. No. Miss Malotakus. Miss. Malotakus. No. Mr. Kerry. No.
▶ 5:14:37Mr. Carrie. No Mr. Yakam Mr. Yakam. No Mr. Miller. No
▶ 5:14:45Mr. Miller. No Mr. Bean Mr. Bean. No Mr. Moran Mr. Moran. No Mr. Neil. Mr. Neil. Yes. Mr. Dogget. Mr. Dogget. Yes. Mr. Thompson.
▶ 5:15:04Mr. Thompson. Yes. Mr. Larson.
▶ 5:15:07Mr. Larson. Yes, Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis. Yes, Miss Sanchez. Miss Sanchez. Yes, Miss Su.
▶ 5:15:15Miss Su. Yes, Miss Delenny.
▶ 5:15:18Mr. Delben. Yes, Miss Chu.
▶ 5:15:20Miss Chu. Yes, Miss Moore.
▶ 5:15:23Miss Moore. Yes, Mr. Boille.
▶ 5:15:26Mr. Boille. Yes, Mr. Byer.
▶ 5:15:28Mr. Byer. Yes, Mr. Evans.
▶ 5:15:33Mr. Schneder.
▶ 5:15:35Mr. Schneider. Yes. Mr. Mr. Petta. Mr. Petta. Yes. Mr. Gomez.
▶ 5:15:41Mr. Gomez. Yes. Mr. Horsford. Mr. Horford. Yes. Miss Plask. Miss Plask. Yes. Mr. Swazy. Mr. Arrington.
▶ 5:16:04How is Mr. Arrington recorded? Mr. Arrington is not recorded. Mr. Arrington, no. Dr. Murphy.
▶ 5:16:19Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Evans, Mr. Swazy, Chairman Smith.
▶ 5:16:34No. Chairman Smith. No.
▶ 5:16:52How is Mr. Swazy recorded?
▶ 5:16:55Mr. Swazi is not recorded.
▶ 5:16:58Mr. Swazy, yes.
▶ 5:17:01clerk will report the vote. Mr. Chairman, the yeses are 18 and the nos are 24.
▶ 5:17:12There being 18 yeses and 24 nos, the amendment is not agreed to. Are there additional amendments? Seeing none, um the question is on the adoption of the amendment in the nature of a substitute. All those in favor signify by saying I. I.
▶ 5:17:31Those opposed say no.
▶ 5:17:32No. In the opinion of the chair, the eyes have it and the amendment in the nature of a substitute is agreed to. I will now recognize Mr. Buchanan for the purpose of offering a motion.
▶ 5:17:41Mr. Chairman, I move the committee favorably report HR6945 as amended to the House of
▶ 5:17:49The question is on the motion to favorably report HR6945 as amended to the House of Representatives. The clerk will call the
▶ 5:17:57Mr. Buchanan,
▶ 5:17:58Mr. Buchanan, yes. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. Mr. Smith of Nebraska. Yes. Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly. Yes. Mr. Schwiker. Mr. Schwiker. Yes. Mr. Le Hood. Mr. Le Hood. Yes. Mr. Arrington. Mr. Estus.
▶ 5:18:19Mr. Estus. Yes. Mr. Smucker. Mr. Smucker. Yes. Mr. Hearn. Mr. Hearn. Yes. Mrs. Miller. Mrs. Miller. Yes. Dr. Mr. Mr. Kustoff.
▶ 5:18:37Mr. Kustoff. Yes. Mr. Fitzpatrick.
▶ 5:18:41Mr. Fitzpatrick. Yes. Mr. Stwie.
▶ 5:18:44Mr. Stwie. Yes. Miss Tenny. Miss. Tenny. Yes. Mrs. Fishbach.
▶ 5:18:51Mrs. Fishbach. Yes. Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore. Yes. Miss Vanine.
▶ 5:18:58Miss. Van. Yes. Mr. Mr. Fenstra. Mr. Fenstra. Yes. Miss Malotakus. Miss Malotakus. Yes. Mr. Kerry. Mr. Kerry. Yes. Mr. Yakam. Mr. Yakam. Yes. Mr.
▶ 5:19:18Mr. Miller. Yes. Mr. Bean.
▶ 5:19:21Mr. Bean. Yes. Mr. Moran.
▶ 5:19:24Mr. Moran. Yes. Mr. Neil. Mr. Mr. Neil, no. Mr. Dogget, Mr. Doug, no. Mr. Thompson.
▶ 5:19:40Mr. Thompson. No. Mr. Larson. Mr. Larson. No. Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis. No. Miss Sanchez. Miss Sanchez. No. Miss Su Miss Su. No. Miss Delen. No, Miss Chu Miss Chu. No, Miss Moore.
▶ 5:20:05Miss Moore. No, Mr. Bole.
▶ 5:20:08Mr. Bole. No, Mr. Byer.
▶ 5:20:11Mr. Byer. No Mr. Evans.
▶ 5:20:18Mr. Schneider.
▶ 5:20:20Mr. Schneider. No. Mr. Petta. Mr. Petta. No. Mr. Gomez. Mr. Gomez. No. Mr. Mr. Horford. No. Miss Plask. Miss Plask. No. Mr. Swazy.
▶ 5:20:38Mr. Swazy. No.
▶ 5:20:43Mr. Arrington.
▶ 5:20:46Mr. Arrington. Dr. Murphy.
▶ 5:20:55Mr. Evans. Chairman Smith.
▶ 5:21:03Chairman Smith.
▶ 5:21:23The clerk will report the vote.
▶ 5:21:26Mr. Chairman, the yeses are 25 and the nos are 18.
▶ 5:21:30There being 25 yeses and 18 nos, the motion is agreed to in HR6945 as amended is ordered favorably reported to the house. Without objection, I ask that staff be authorized to make technical and conforming changes to and that members have two additional days to file with the committee clerk supplemental additional dissenting or minority views. There being no further business before the committee, the committee stands adjourned.