This is not an official government website.
© 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
Congressional Daily Record
This section captures a floor statement or debate entry. It mentions legislation such as Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "California State Nonroad Engine Pollution Control Standards; Ocean-Going Vessels At-Berth; Notice of Decision"., committees such as Committee on Rules, members such as Michelle Fischbach.
Issued
September 15, 2026
house side of the record
People
3
Linked members mentioned in this section
Legislation
3
Bills and resolutions linked from this section
Committees
3
Committees connected to this section
Senate Holds
0
No hold activity linked here
Source Document
Connected Data
People mentioned
Bills and resolutions
Source Control
Reader mode is for comprehension. The linked government PDF is the official published source.
Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextPROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 9576, NATIONAL FRAUD ENFORCEMENT
DIVISION ACT OF 2026; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 10326, PREVENTING RIP-OFFS AND OBTAINING OVERSIGHT OF FUNDS ACT; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.J. RES. 210, PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY RELATING
TO “CALIFORNIA STATE NONROAD ENGINE POLLUTION CONTROL STANDARDS;
OCEAN-GOING VESSELS AT-BERTH; NOTICE OF DECISION”; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.J. RES. 213, PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF THE RULE ISSUED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY RELATING TO
THE “CALIFORNIA STATE NONROAD ENGINE POLLUTION CONTROL STANDARDS;
COMMERCIAL HARBOR CRAFT REGULATIONS; NOTICE OF DECISION”; AND
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF SENATE AMENDMENTS TO H.R. 5334,
SUPPORTING EARLY-CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS' DEDUCTIONS ACT
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1530 and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 1530
Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be
in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 9576) to
establish the National Fraud Enforcement Division of the
Department of Justice. All points of order against
consideration of the bill are waived. An amendment in the
nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules
Committee Print 119-41 shall be considered as adopted. The
bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. All points of
order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived.
The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the
bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to
final passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour
of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and
ranking minority member of the Committee on the Judiciary or
their respective designees; and (2) one motion to recommit.
Sec. 2. Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in
order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 10326) to
enhance information-sharing capabilities between Federal law
enforcement and State agencies to detect, investigate, and
prosecute fraud in certain Federal programs, and to protect
individual privacy. All points of order against consideration
of the bill are waived. The bill shall be considered as read.
All points of order against provisions in the bill are
waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered
on the bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage
without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate
equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking
minority member of the Committee on the Judiciary or their
respective designees; and (2) one motion to recommit.
Sec. 3. Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in
order to consider in the House the joint resolution (H.J.
Res. 210) providing for congressional disapproval under
chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule
submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to
“California State Nonroad Engine Pollution Control
Standards; Ocean-Going Vessels At-Berth; Notice of
Decision”. All points of order against consideration of the
joint resolution are waived. The joint resolution shall be
considered as read. All points of order against provisions in
the joint resolution are waived. The previous question shall
be considered as ordered on the joint resolution and on any
amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion
except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled
by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on
Energy and Commerce or their respective designees; and (2)
one motion to recommit.
Sec. 4. Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in
order to consider in the House the joint resolution (H.J.
Res. 213) providing for congressional disapproval under
chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule issued
by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to the
“California State Nonroad Engine Pollution Control
Standards; Commercial Harbor Craft Regulations; Notice of
Decision”. All points of order against consideration of the
joint resolution are waived. The joint resolution shall be
considered as read. All points of order against provisions in
the joint resolution are waived. The previous question shall
be considered as ordered on the joint resolution and on any
amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion
except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled
by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on
Energy and Commerce or their respective designees; and (2)
one motion to recommit.
Sec. 5. Upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in
order to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 5334)
to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow early
childhood educators to take the educator expense deduction,
and for other purposes, with the Senate amendments thereto,
and to consider in the House, without intervention of any
point of order, a single motion offered by the chair of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs or his designee that the House
concur in the Senate amendments. The Senate amendments and
the motion shall be considered as read. The motion shall be
debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the
chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Foreign
Affairs or their respective designees. The previous question
shall be considered as ordered on the motion to its adoption
without intervening motion or demand for division of the
question.
{time} 1330
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Minnesota is recognized for 1 hour.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.
General Leave
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Minnesota?
There was no objection.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, we are here to debate the rule that provides for consideration of five measures: H.J. Res. 210, the CRA relating to California State nonroad engine pollution control standards and ocean- going vessels at-berth; H.J. Res. 213, the CRA relating to California State nonroad engine pollution control standards and commercial harbor craft regulations; H.R. 9576, the National Fraud Enforcement Division Act of 2026; H.R. 10326, the PROOF Act; and a motion that the House concur in the Senate amendments to H.R. 5334, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.
The rule provides for consideration of H.J. Res. 210 and H.J. Res. 213 under closed rules, with 1 hour of debate each, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee or their designees, and provides each one motion to recommit.
Additionally, the rule provides for consideration of H.R. 9576 and H.R. 10326 under closed rules, with 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chairs and ranking members of the Judiciary Committee or their designees and provides each one motion to recommit.
Committee on Foreign Affairs that the House concur in the Senate amendments to H.R. 5334. The rule provides for 1 hour of debate on the motion, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee or their designees.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this rule, which accomplishes two vital needs: Protecting American economic integrity and stopping domestic fraud. By passing sanctions legislation, we strengthen our national security posturing against foreign aggression, and by passing H.J. Res. 210 and H.J. Res. 213, we are stopping California's radical maritime mandates from interrupting supply chains at our ports and
driving up the cost of everyday goods for consumers.
domestic threat: the scale of fraud in our country. For 4 years under the previous administration, weak leadership, poor oversight, and open border policies turned public programs into piggy banks for bad actors, cartels, and organized criminal rings.
Minnesota, where fraud is now estimated at a staggering $9 billion. We saw the tip of the iceberg with the infamous Feeding our Future scam, the largest pandemic-era fraud in the Nation, where 70 individuals and counting have been charged for stealing $250 million intended to feed hungry children and help vulnerable families.
However, the rot did not stop there. Those same circles of corruption have infected other State-run, federally funded programs. Federal prosecutors recently unveiled the Minnesota Health Care Fraud Takedown, charging 15 individuals in connection with over $90 million in loss across childcare, Medicare, and autism care programs.
kickbacks to parents, gave false diagnoses, and billed over $46 million for services that were never actually provided, robbing the actual children with autism of the care that they needed.
independently in their own homes, bad actors bought housing assets, stole Medicaid beneficiary information, and collected millions in unrendered services. In one tragic case, a Medicaid recipient was found deceased a day after scammers submitted claims for 24-hour care he never received.
This is the brutal reality of unchecked fraud. When scammers rob Federal programs, vulnerable people suffer, and in the worst case, lives are lost. Yet, when Federal authorities attempt to uncover this rot, State bureaucracies resist. They withhold critical data and protect bad actors instead of defending the public trust.
records and program data to investigate suspected childcare and SNAP fraud, State officials repeatedly refused to cooperate. If you refuse to look at the evidence and hand it over to Federal investigators, you are either grossly incompetent or knowingly complicit.
obstruction and gives Federal law enforcement the tools to find, prosecute, and eradicate fraud.
of Justice's special fraud division. This legislation gives Federal law enforcement a permanent, dedicated mandate to target, investigate, and dismantle complex international and domestic fraud networks.
witnessed in Minnesota and across the country. It standardizes Federal access to State program data, including Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, childcare, and emergency relief funds during legitimate fraud investigations. The States will no longer be allowed to hide or conceal records while billions of dollars are funneled away from families.
{time} 1340
law-abiding citizens' personal information remains safe during these investigations.
their hard-earned tax dollars. The fraud ends now. We have a duty to secure these programs, protect vulnerable families, and restore public trust.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota for yielding me the customary time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this is the last week the House is in session before Americans head to the polls in November. Two weeks ago, the House was scheduled to work through the end of September. Now, Republican leadership canceled the final 2 weeks. That means whatever Republicans choose to do this week, that is it.
This is the majority's big chance. They have one last shot to look the country in the eye and make the case for why they deserve another 2 years of being in the majority, and they have absolutely blown it, Mr. Speaker, because here is the thing: There is no shortage of issues Republicans could address this week.
We have an affordability crisis. The cost of everything is up, thanks to Republicans' awful economic policies. We have technology moving faster than our government's ability to protect people. We have an illegal war that is escalating overseas.
us debating things I think most Americans would agree will do nothing to help them. There are fraud bills. Give me a break. The President of the United States pardoned fraudster after fraudster after fraudster, and you guys say nothing.
guys say nothing. I have to be honest. If this is their closing argument to the American people, lots of luck with that. Take this message home to every district in America. Good luck with that. That is because everyday people are opening their electric bills. They are filling up their cars. They are renewing their leases, and they are standing in grocery stores doing math in their heads deciding what goes in the cart and what goes back on the shelf. Every day they are wondering what the hell Congress is doing to help them.
The national average for gasoline today is more than $4.31 a gallon. Diesel is more than $6.23 a gallon, the highest national average AAA has ever, ever, ever recorded. Now let me repeat that: Diesel costs are more now than ever before in history.
Energy prices are up more than 16 percent over last year. Food prices are still climbing. Nearly 50 million people don't know where their next meal will come from in this country, and inflation is running at 3.4 percent, though I personally believe the rate is probably higher than this administration is willing to admit.
That is what people are dealing with right now. Americans know that this economy is lousy. Wall Street, the billionaires, the CEOs, and the Mar-a-Lago class are doing better than ever, but for regular people, $50 buys less food than it used to. Filling your truck's gas tank costs another $20 or $30. The rent is going up. Insurance is going up. Everything is going up. For regular people, this economy sucks.
Mr. Speaker, you would think that Republicans would want to do something about it.
Trump's trade war with Canada is killing tourism. It is killing our farmers and our small businesses, including in the gentlewoman's district in Minnesota right now.
Why isn't she worried about that?
Where is the Republican bill to lower costs?
Where is the serious effort to bring down health costs?
That is the disconnect that people are frustrated with. Congress has limited time. Floor time is valuable, and when families are getting squeezed this badly, they have every right to expect that their government will treat the cost of living like an emergency.
We can just add this: There are no opportunities for us to make any of this better, even if we tried. This is the 172nd closed rule that Republicans are bringing to the floor this Congress. No amendments are allowed. No amendments are allowed. Take it or leave it. This process is lousy, and this rule is garbage.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a “no” vote, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate the other side does not recognize the cost of fraud. It costs us taxpayer dollars, hard- earned tax dollars. Stopping fraud helps everyone. It
programs that are being robbed blind by fraudsters. Stopping it is critical, and it is important to every American citizen.
Mr. FINSTAD. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Minnesota for yielding.
fraud, waste, and abuse running rampant throughout our State and country. While we have seen the systematic failure of Tim Walz and his administration, the Trump administration has stepped up, working to investigate these matters and safeguard Americans' hard-earned taxpayer dollars.
establishing the National Fraud Enforcement Division to investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars.
Department of Justice and will appoint an Assistant Attorney General for national fraud enforcement, who will head the National Fraud Enforcement Division and perform duties laid out by the Attorney General.
establishing this permanent framework to strengthen our Federal fraud prosecution efforts.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a “yes” vote.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I can't believe Republicans would dare raise the issue of fraud or say that somehow Democrats aren't doing enough to combat fraud when the fraud that we all know exists is sitting right in the Oval Office.
have contributed $2 billion back to consumers and taxpayers who they ripped off. He pardoned all of them.
How did they get pardoned?
They paid to get pardoned. That is the way this place works around here. We have seen this pay-to-play game going on which is disgusting.
Mr. Speaker, let me tell you some of the people who have been pardoned, these fraudsters who have been pardoned: George Santos, wire fraud; Ross William Ulbricht, pardoned for fraud with identification documents.
Rod Blagojevich was pardoned. He had eight counts of wire fraud under color of official right.
Brian Kelsey was pardoned. He was basically convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Trevor Milton, securities fraud, two counts of wire fraud.
Carlos Roy Watson, cofounder of Ozy Media, Inc., conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, pardoned.
concerning programs receiving Federal funds, honest services mail fraud, and honest services wire fraud, honest services mail fraud, three counts of honest services wire fraud, pardoned.
fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. to obstruct and impede the Internal Revenue laws.
{time} 1350
bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. to obstruct and impede the internal revenue laws.
Lawrence S. Duran: Conspiracy to commit 11 counts of healthcare fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and to receive and pay healthcare kickbacks. Again, pardoned by Donald Trump.
gentlewoman so she can see for herself. How do you defend this when you go home to your district? How do you defend this to people who are right now struggling to pay grocery bills and to say, hey, all these rich people, all these fraudsters, got pardoned by the President of the United States.
What is the Republican response? Nothing. Not a peep. Not a word. You don't say anything. Don't lecture us on fraud. You have no standing.
disgusting. I don't know how many of you saw “60 Minutes” the other night. They did a big piece on the pay-to-play schemes that are going on, where 9 to 10 of the people who are being pardoned don't even go to the Justice Department. They make a side deal. They donate to this cause or that cause, or they make a big political contribution, and guess what. They get pardoned. They get pardoned.
I am sorry. People are sick of the Mar-a-Lago class living by one set of rules and everybody else by a different set of rules. It is time to restore some integrity in our government. You want to get serious about fraud, then you have to focus on fraud that is going on in the Oval Office.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman).
Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1530. If we pass this rule, the House will vote on legislation to continue to root out rampant fraud and deliver crucial deregulation to the benefit of the American consumer.
resolutions offered by Representatives Gallagher and Fong, and I thank them for their leadership on this issue.
achieve a truly bold deregulatory agenda. The two joint resolutions this rule tees up are part of this strategy. If this rule passes, the House will be able to terminate two more California Clean Air Act waivers approved by the EPA.
emissions, preempts all State emission standards. California, however, is not preempted. It can develop its own emissions standards and request a waiver that the EPA must approve, subject to limited disqualifying conditions.
these California standards, which 17 States and the District of Columbia have done.
economies, vehicle manufacturers abide by their overly stringent standards, as it would not be economical to make certain vehicles for the California market and others for the Wyoming market.
authorities and Federal law to subject us to climate lunacy policies with devastating consequences for consumer choice, safety, and prices.
pending, one of which I have cosponsored, that Congress must act upon to meet the moment.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support House Resolution 1530 and the underlying legislation.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
That is kind of the problem around here. People just read talking points and, again, not a word in response to all of these fraudsters that Donald Trump pardoned, as the gentlewoman leaves and tries to not address any of this stuff. I understand it because this is indefensible.
The taxpayers of this country have been denied over $2 billion in compensation because of these fraudsters
getting pardoned. These pay-to-play schemes are indefensible. Again, I don't want to hear any lectures about fraud from that side. You guys are enabling this fraud to happen on a regular basis. It is right in our faces. Everybody can see it, and it is disgusting.
Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to provide for consideration of H.R. 10032, the No Payoffs for Pardons Act, which would prevent President Trump, or any future President, from giving out pardons in exchange for money, bribes, or political favors.
Mr. Speaker, our Founding Fathers gave the President the pardon power as a last-ditch safeguard against injustice, not as a tool for self- enrichment or political favoritism.
profit business, letting millionaires and Republican allies out of jail for crimes like Medicare fraud, crypto money laundering, and tax evasion.
named Michele Fiore in Nevada after she stole money earmarked for a statue to honor a slain police officer. She used that money for her plastic surgery. She deserves a pardon? What the hell is wrong with you people? This is crazy. This is insane.
corruption must end, I urge you to vote with Democrats to defeat the previous question.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record, along with any extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Newhouse). Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Massachusetts?
There was no objection.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, to discuss our proposal, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Morelle), the chairman of the House Administration Committee and the sponsor of this proposal.
Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, my dear friend, the once and future chair of the Committee on Rules. I appreciate his passion and his energy around this issue.
As many of us witnessed in this weekend's explosive “60 Minutes” report, the White House continues to betray the public's trust and abuse the pardon power for personal gain.
To combat this rampant corruption, I recently introduced H.R. 10032, the No Payoffs for Pardons Act. This legislation will bring desperately needed transparency and accountability to the Presidential pardon process. It will prevent Presidents from exchanging clemency for financial or political favors. It will restore the trust that has been systematically eroded since this administration's term began.
pardon to the violent cop-killers who attacked this very building, this Chamber, on January 6, 2021, many of whom have gone on to commit subsequent serious violent crimes.
their life savings and retirement funds, depriving them of any chance whatsoever for justice or restitution.
as a safeguard against injustice, as an instrument for mercy, not as a tool for personal enrichment or political favoritism. Yet, President Trump has repeatedly used the clemency power to benefit only political allies, wealthy associates, and well-connected individuals, while at the same time cheating those who truly, truly deserve justice and mercy.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their remarks to the Chair.
{time} 1400
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser).
Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman, Michelle Fischbach, for her leadership here.
somehow or another, pardons have anything to do with fighting fraud? That is the excuse to not help us fight fraud, which, of course, nothing was done before.
By the way, Mr. Speaker, I don't recall hearing about Hunter Biden and others receiving pardons from their father, and also pardons given to those who weren't even accused of crimes but could be one day. I don't remember any of that being raised.
consider two important pieces of legislation that improve the Federal Government's ability to combat taxpayer fraud. You would think that this would be something that would be bipartisan, combating taxpayer fraud, which is in excess of $254 billion that we have uncovered so far.
If we have to do it on our own, we will, Mr. Speaker, because that is what we are about. We are about straightening things out, correcting all the wrongs, particularly the last 4 years. This is a big part of it.
The Task Force to Eliminate Fraud has uncovered, as I said, $245 billion in taxpayer fraud. We have seen it in Los Angeles. I heard this morning in a CMS meeting that the level of hospice fraud that existed was in the multibillions.
them called to complain that they were being shut down, that they couldn't serve their so-called providers anymore. Guess what. This is under the jurisdiction of Democrat leadership that this is all occurring. Nothing was done on fraud for 4 years during the Biden administration, during the Pelosi reign, during the time when these gentlemen and others had the gavels.
What kind of nonsense is this? We are calling on pardons as a reason not to be going after fraud? By the way, I have constituents having fraud committed on them. We have fraud in Philadelphia. We have fraud in Minneapolis, the learning center. Has anybody come out on the other side and denounced that, Mr. Speaker? This is outrageous.
top priority. We have introduced legislation to establish an overpayment czar to help State-level fraud prevention. We have supported commonsense reform.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this rule.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, the speakers before the gentleman didn't address the fraud. The gentleman just defended it, and I am shocked. I am just stunned by the defense of this.
simply saying is that, right before our eyes, we have a President who is pardoning fraudsters.
I will read some more names:
Robert Henry Harshbarger, Jr., guilty of healthcare fraud, pardoned by Donald Trump—the gentleman is leaving; he doesn't want to hear it, and I get it; Joseph Lewis, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, pardoned by Donald Trump; and David Gentile, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, security fraud, two counts of wire fraud, pardoned by Donald Trump.
Here is the deal: It has caused victims to lose over $2 billion in compensation. That may not mean anything to the gentleman or to the Republicans, but people who have been screwed over by these fraudsters deserve compensation. Now, those victims don't get any compensation because Donald Trump pardoned everybody.
I can go on. I have pages of names here, of fraudsters that he has pardoned. I will read a couple more: Adriana Isabel Camberos, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, seven counts of wire fraud, and aiding and abetting; Julio M. Herrera Velutini, two counts of honest-services wire fraud; and David Levy, conspiracy to commit securities fraud.
a result of their pardons, victims have lost billions and billions of dollars in compensation.
to offend Donald Trump in any way because he might want retribution. We are supposed to be Members of Congress here. We are supposed to uphold the Constitution. We are supposed to do the
Mr. Speaker, there are so many other things that we should be working on this week to help the American people, and the Republicans have just kind of walked away from that.
emergency that we find ourselves in. Last week, a handful of AI safety researchers publicly sounded the alarm on the very real existential threat superintelligent AI poses to the future of humanity. There are credible claims that these major AI firms estimate a greater than 10- percent chance that AI could cause human extinction within a decade. Let me repeat that: There are credible claims that these major AI firms estimate a greater than 10-percent chance that AI could cause human extinction within a decade.
Let's pause for a moment. We are talking about a greater than 10- percent chance we could all be dead soon if we don't do something to radically change the way we regulate and oversee AI.
companies need to slow down before AI spirals out of control. They are calling on this government to help them do it. Anthropic's CEO, OpenAI's CEO, and even Grok's CEO, Elon Musk, agree that the government must step up to increase oversight of their companies. I don't necessarily trust these guys as far as I can throw them. Maybe they are calling our bluff. Either way, we clearly need to act.
when they hear these things: nothing, nothing, not a damn thing. The Speaker of the House is sending Congress home 2 weeks early. Trump is saying that communities that do not want data centers will end up “backwards and poor.” I mean, he actually said that.
I mean, seriously, these data centers are driving up energy costs. Big tech is making record profits. We have an existential threat from AI. People are begging us for action.
What has the President done? He said data centers are great. What has Congress done? Not a damn thing, nothing. The Speaker is sending us home early, so we don't even have an opportunity to maybe debate these issues or come up with some sensible regulation, nothing.
I think we need a national moratorium on these data centers. We need to immediately stop construction until Congress passes comprehensive legislation. People are begging us to take this on with full force.
them, to defend the ultrawealthy who are getting rich off AI at the expense of the rest of us and our future.
Get this: Just yesterday, Trump said that the only guardrail we need for AI is “a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT.” I mean, let that sink in.
Well, I hate to break it to you, Mr. Speaker, but we don't have one of those. We don't have one of those, nor do we have a high-functioning Republican majority. If anything, Republicans here in the House of Representatives are more interested in jetting off to their next vacation than they are in solving the AI crisis or any other problem, for that matter.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, before we finish, I want to bring this debate back to something very basic and speak directly to the American people. Are you better off now than you were 2 years ago? I think most people would say they are worse off, and the numbers back that up.
for a gallon of gas was about $3.12. Today, it is more than $4.31. Diesel, the fuel that moves our food, building materials, packages, almost everything we buy, is now above $6.23 a gallon. That is the most expensive it has ever been in the history of the United States of America.
began. The latest number is 3.4 percent. Again, I think that is an undercount. Americans are estimated to have spent nearly $2,000 more last year, thanks to Trump's stupid tariffs and his illegal war.
disconnected from what is happening outside this building. I mean, we hear enormous promises. For example, Trump is promising $5,000 payments to American adults after the election if Republicans win, and only if Republicans win. Even Speaker Johnson has acknowledged that such payments would require congressional approval.
{time} 1410
Needless to say, these $5,000 checks are never going to happen. We all know that, but I guess that is to be expected from a President who is the king of broken promises.
everything he could to hide them from the public, likely because he and his administration knows he is in them. Again, where is the pressure from the Republican leadership on the Epstein files? Nothing. It takes my breath away how my Republican friends just kind of turn their backs on what the right thing to do is.
Trump said he would end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours. That is what he said directly. That was clearly untrue. This is now year four of a full-scale conflict.
He said he would end wars, not start wars. Yet we are over 6\1/2\ months into the war with Iran, and nobody believes there is an end in sight.
He said he would balance the Federal budget. Because of the tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires and because of this unpaid, reckless, illegal war, the debt just surpassed $40 trillion, and not a peep from Republicans. They don't care.
He said he would end inflation and lower prices “on day one.” Inflation is up. Prices are up. The economy has only gotten worse.
The trouble with these lies, Mr. Speaker, is that some people believe them. Some families may hear the President promise them $5,000 and then actually plan around that money. Maybe they are now planning to get that medical procedure they otherwise could not afford or believe that they will finally be able to pay rent or pay off their credit card and have enough food to feed their family for the next month.
says something, that it is truthful, and we all know that they can't rely on that because he has broken promise after promise after promise.
It is wrong to make an empty promise like that. It is just cruel when the economy is this bad. There is no $5,000 check in this rule. There could be if Republicans think it is such a good idea. They could have done that if they wanted to, but they didn't. There is nothing about that.
address the housing crisis or to help people afford basic, everyday things. I don't know what the gentlewoman hears when she goes home, but I hear about the cost of living all the time. I hear about issues of affordability all the time, and constituents are asking me when Congress is going to do something.
de Trump or about a reflecting pool. They want to know when their grocery prices are going to go down.
not by slogans, not by promises, not by press conferences, or what somebody says might happen someday. That day is today.
Republicans are in complete control. They have the House, the Senate, and the White House. They could do something right now to help people if they wanted to. The thing is, they don't care. They don't care that people are hurting.
that are going into effect that cut Medicaid by $1 trillion and cut SNAP by $200 billion. It is astounding. It takes my
breath away, but that much is made clear by their agenda this week.
than to fight the necessary battles here in the Capitol to actually help folks.
We need an economy, Mr. Speaker, where getting to work doesn't break the budget, where buying groceries doesn't require a calculator or getting sick doesn't mean going into debt, and where an honest day's work is enough to build a decent life. It is definitely not too much to ask for. It just isn't. That ought to be the standard around here.
Republicans time and time again fail to meet that mark. The American people see through the blatant corruption and the outright lies that Washington has become known for. It is time to hold this President, and especially the Republicans here in Congress, responsible for steering our economy off a cliff and driving our country into the ground.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, when fraud is exposed, there are several ways people respond. They can attack it and cover it up, minimize it, or like we have seen today, just simply talk about something else over and over.
minimized fraud, looked the other way, and allowed Federal taxpayers' dollars to be stolen. I do hear about the fraud and the theft every single day from people.
charge to root out waste, fraud, and abuse from our Federal programs. We passed the Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act, the Stop Child Care Scams Act, the Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act, and we passed the Stop Fraudulent Payments Act.
waiving on to get answers from State officials about how billion-dollar fraud networks were allowed to operate unchecked in Minnesota. I have introduced legislation to protect whistleblowers who expose corruption from retaliation and legislation to stop benefit dollars meant to help vulnerable families at home from being sent overseas.
important support, they are not enough on their own. Congress must step up and deliver permanent solutions that ensure future State and Federal administrations properly oversee Federal funds.
critical. By passing the National Fraud Enforcement Division Act, we codify a permanent, dedicated division with the Department of Justice to ensure investigating and prosecuting fraud remains a long-term priority. Through the PROOF Act, we fix the bottleneck in these investigations by removing State-level resistance and mandating data sharing so Federal agents can clean up Federal programs.
enforcement checks. Every single dollar stolen by fraudsters is a dollar taken away from vulnerable families.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote “yes” on this rule.
The material previously referred to by Mr. McGovern is as follows:
An Amendment To H. Res. 1530 Offered By Mr. McGovern of Massachusetts
At the end of the resolution, add the following:
Sec. 6. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the
House shall proceed to the consideration in the House of the
bill (H.R. 10032) to amend title 18, United States Code, to
reform executive clemency. All points of order against
consideration of the bill are waived. The bill shall be
considered as read. All points of order against provisions in
the bill are waived. The previous question shall be
considered as ordered on the bill and on any amendment
thereto to final passage without intervening motion except:
(1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the
chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on the
Judiciary or their respective designees; and (2) one motion
to recommit.
Sec. 7. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX and clause 8 of rule XX
shall not apply to the consideration of H.R. 10032.
Sec. 8. The Clerk shall transmit to the Senate a message
that the House has passed H.R. 10032 no later than three
calendar days after passage.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering the previous question.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question will be postponed.