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Virginia Foxx

Republican

“I want to give my time to the other side so we can debate. I'm yielding 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts for debate only.”

Virginia Foxx

Republican

“I want the government to condemn socialism. I want the government to ensure secure elections for American citizens only. I want the government to support domestic mining. I want the government to prohibit colleges from boycotting Israel if they receive taxpayer money. I want the government to protect whales and fishing communities. I worked on this legislation. I want these bills to pass. I think these bills are good for America.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Committee on Rules met and produced the rule, House Resolution 1499, providing for the House's consideration of four measures: H.R. 1501, H.R. 9436, H. Res. 1490, and H.R. 4795. The rule provides for consideration of H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025, and H.R. 9436, the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act of 2026, under closed rules. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate on each bill, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Natural Resources or their respective designees and provides each bill one motion to recommit. The rule further provides for consideration of H. Res. 1490, providing for the condemnation and denouncement of socialism in all its forms, and for other purposes, under a closed rule. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on House Administration or their respective designees. The rule also provides for consideration of H.R. 4795, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026, under a closed rule. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and the ranking minority member of the Committee on Education and Workforce or their respective designees and provides one motion to recommit. Mr. Speaker, we have a strong slate of bills contained under this rule here today, bills that are as substantive as they are impactful. H. Res. 1490 makes clear the House's strong disapproval of socialism and reaffirms our ironclad support for free, fair, and secure elections that the American people can trust. These are issues of monumental importance, Mr. Speaker. We have all seen how socialism continues to encroach upon our society, our constitutional Republic. It is not some sort of ominous figure on the horizon. It is a threat standing directly upon America's doorstep. Some will argue that socialism is a good thing and that it is steeped in benevolence, fairness, and righteousness. Tell that to the millions of men, women, and children throughout history who have died because of socialism. Tell that to the people who lost their freedoms under socialism, the people who lost everything. History reminds us that socialism has always been used as a cudgel against free people, as a cudgel against individual liberty and prosperity. It must be denounced by this body in the strongest terms. This resolution also makes clear that our system of elections here in America should remain secure, and participation should be limited to only American citizens. Noncitizens have no right whatsoever to cast a vote in our elections. We saw the failures uncovered in New Jersey, where thousands of noncitizens were registered to vote in that State. Votes cast by noncitizens negate legal votes cast by Americans who exercise their civic duty at the ballot box. Why in the world would we ignore this issue? This is an issue that the American people care deeply about. They deserve the utmost confidence that their votes count and that our system of elections remains as secure as it could possibly be. H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025, would work to preserve streamlined permitting eligibility for domestic mineral production right here in the United States. We are blessed to live in a country that is teeming with resources that we can harness and use to our benefit. Energy security and the resilience of our Nation's supply chain will always be issues that we can make good progress on and build upon. We can do so by passing this legislation and adding to the progress that we have made thus far in this Congress. H.R. 4795, the bipartisan Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act, prohibits institutions that distribute hardworking taxpayers' dollars to students in colleges and universities from engaging in nonexpressive commercial boycotts of Israel. To be crystal clear, this legislation does not dictate viewpoints, and it does not prohibit anyone from expressing their opinions. Individuals remain free to advocate, protest, or engage in political speech protected by the First Amendment. Students can still choose to abstain from products made in Israel if they so choose. This legislation extends deference to the First Amendment by applying a successful model established by the State of Arkansas that has been validated by the Federal Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. What Congress cannot and should not tolerate is taxpayer money being used to marginalize Jewish people and undermine Israel's major strategic partner status enshrined in law. This bill addresses conduct that is unacceptable to a majority of Americans and sends a simple message: American taxpayers should support institutions that foster academic opportunity and international collaboration and not institutions that erect barriers and engage in discriminatory boycotts. I am proud to author this legislation and to have worked in a strong spirit of bipartisanship alongside my colleagues to help it come to fruition. Confronting anti-Semitism is an issue of our time, and we cannot afford to place it on the back burner for even a second. Finally, H.R. 9436 would allow for a more thorough review of protections for one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world. It would allow scientists, fishermen, and government agencies the necessary time to study and refine protections for the North Atlantic right whale that could better protect fishing communities and the vitality of the species. I will note that this is an issue that has received bipartisan support here in the people's House. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Virginia Foxx

Republican 11:40 a.m.

“I want to talk about our government spending your money. I like our policies. These policies will help young Americans. Our government will pay businesses to train young workers. We will give more money to students so they can borrow more. Our government will spend money on housing and food for children. Families will pay less for some things. This is good for the economy. Our government has many plans to spend money. We need workers. Our country has many resources. Other countries want to buy them. We need more investments. Our government has a plan. This plan will be good for Americans.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in the 119th Congress, the House has been the most aggressive, successful, and productive since the 80th Congress in 1949. Total measures passed by the House are 899. Tax relief was $82 billion across all filers this tax season with 97 percent of all tax filers receiving a tax cut last year, and the 3 percent who didn't were the highest earners in the country. Regulations lifted by Congress are 23. When you place these three points within historical context, they reveal that this Congress is the most successful and productive since 1949. Now, obviously, the House cannot control the actions of the Senate. The statistics demonstrated by the House of Representatives this Congress are truly historic. I would put them up against the abysmal record of sleepy Joe Biden and his enablers every day. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Virginia Foxx

Republican 11:50 a.m.

“I want to talk about all the good things my party has done. We passed a big tax cut. That was good. We did many other things. We expanded accounts. We helped farmers. We helped small businesses. We gave money to seniors. We changed the child tax credit. We changed many taxes. We ended some taxes. We repealed some subsidies. All of these things are good. There are too many good things to list. My party did a lot to help people.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I will continue to talk about the accomplishments of the 119th Congress. House Republicans, so far in the 119th Congress, have passed the Working Families Tax Cut Act, which delivered the largest middle- and working-class tax cuts in U.S. history. That cannot be refuted, Mr. Speaker. It cannot. Anyone who tries to do that is themselves living in an alternate universe. We expanded 529 education accounts. We saved American farms by allowing farmers to spread tax payments on sales over 4 years if the land continues to be used for agriculture purposes. We doubled the small business expensing limit. We permanently extended the small business deduction. We delivered a $6,000 bonus deduction to seniors on Social Security. We eliminated the tax on auto loan interest for American-made cars. We permanently increased the child tax credit to $2,200. We eliminated the tax on overtime. We eliminated the tax on tips. We created Trump accounts to help children begin saving for their future. We permanently allowed businesses to immediately deduct domestic R&D expenses. We permanently doubled the death tax exemption. We permanently increased the standard deduction. We ended taxation of suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns. We repealed the green corporate welfare subsidies. Mr. Speaker, we don't have enough time in the time allotted for this rule debate today to list all of the wonderful things that this House of Representatives and this Congress have done to improve the lives of the American people. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Virginia Foxx

Republican 12:00 p.m.

“We passed a lot of bills. I like them all. We made it harder to be an immigrant. We made it easier to deport people. We stopped fentanyl. That's good. We stopped people from coming here. We saved money. We stopped sex trafficking. I don't like gender-affirming care. I want you to know that's bad. We also protected kids online. We did a lot in Congress. I want you to know that.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, in order not to allow Americans to be misled by statements being made here on the floor, I am going to continue to list items among the dozens that were in H.R. 1 that could have been stand-alone bills but for efficiency's sake were included in H.R. 1. We permanently secured our Nation's borders, funded the construction of the border wall, and provided funding for additional Customs officers and Border Patrol agents. However, in addition to that, we passed the Laken Riley Act as a stand-alone to require detention of illegal aliens who commit theft. The Working Families Tax Cuts included provisions that make illegal immigrants who are convicted of or who have admitted to sex offenses or domestic violence inadmissible and deportable. The Working Families Tax Cuts creates a new criminal offense for operating a vehicle within 100 miles of the southern border while fleeing Border Patrol agents. The Jeremy and Angel Seay and Sergeant Brandon Mendoza Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act makes driving while intoxicated or impaired grounds for deporting an illegal alien. The Kayla Hamilton Act requires background checks for criminal history or gang affiliation before unaccompanied alien children are placed in American communities. Not a single illegal alien has been released into the U.S. in 16 months. Four hundred thousand illegals who were charged with and convicted of a crime have been deported. Emergency rooms have reported significant reductions in illegal immigrant visits, freeing up critical resources to better serve American citizens in need of urgent medical care. Fentanyl trafficking at the southern border has been reduced by 56 percent in FY 2025. The HALT Fentanyl Act permanently schedules fentanyl and fentanyl analogues as schedule I drugs. More than 146 migrant children have been rescued from sex trafficking and child labor. We hear about this every week on the news. Another act, the SUPPORT Act, reauthorizes support and treatment programs for opioid use disorders and other substance abuse disorders. We lowered costs by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse in our country. We protected children by passing legislation that would end gender- affirming care--gender-affirming care, what a distortion of the American language--for minors, and we banned biological males from girls' and women's sports. Mr. Speaker, if we have done nothing else, that is a huge accomplishment, but we have done so many other things. We passed the KIDS Act that protects children online by holding Big Tech accountable and requiring stronger safeguards to protect kids from predators, exploitation, and harmful online contents. Again, we could go on and on, and I will, to correct the record of what we have done in this Congress. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Virginia Foxx

Republican 12:10 p.m.

“I want to talk about socialism. I don't like it. The other side likes it. I think that is bad. Their ideas are bad. I think people should look at the manifesto. It has bad ideas. I don't want those ideas. I think those ideas are dangerous. I want people to vote for my bill. My bill is good. It will help people.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are saying we are wasting our time here when we talk about all that we have accomplished in this session of Congress. They especially don't like it when we talk about socialism. I encourage the American people to go online and look at this manifesto from the Democratic Socialists of America. It is out there for all the world to see. This is an expanded version from the first one that I saw that looked like it was written by a seventh grader. This one really fills out what these people want to do, and it is why we are bringing one measure today, under this rule, to condemn what these people want to do. It is abhorrent to all Americans. Its goals are repugnant to the principles that form the foundation for American constitutional liberties that benefit all Americans. There is simply no way to reconcile what the DSA envisions for America with the Constitution that protects us all. For example, the DSA's stated long-term goals, to completely replace the Presidency and the Supreme Court, threaten the foundation of separation of powers and the stability of American democracy. The DSA seeks to centralize State power. We all know that expanding State control crowds out civil society and individual choice. Even under a ``Democratic'' banner, hyper-centralized authority diminishes opportunities for dissenting views and personal freedoms. The DSA seeks to abolish national boundaries. Think about that. The chaos we experienced when President Biden allowed millions of illegal immigrants to enter the U.S. will seem like child's play in comparison. We know of the security risks caused by President Biden's open borders. Murderers, child rapists, and other criminals were granted carte blanche to terrorize American communities. Think about the implications of a permanent absence of borders. We know the financial costs caused by President Biden's open borders. In one sanctuary State alone, emergency housing for illegal immigrants surpassed $1 billion in FY 2025. Providing such services on a permanent, ongoing basis would bankrupt every State. Let me just quote from a few pages of this manifesto. They want to have ``publicly owned energy and transit infrastructure. Phase out the use of fossil fuels. Reclaim and repair our Earth's resources for all.'' This sounds like free buses in New York that have been promised. ``Feminism for All: Socialist feminism fights for queer liberation and the freedoms for all working-class women.'' ``Healthcare for All: Guarantee universal healthcare at no cost to individuals, including complete access to reproductive and gender- affirming care.'' What does that mean, Mr. Speaker? That means abortions at any point in the child's life. They want housing for all: ``Build new, publicly owned social housing, strictly regulate investment properties, establish universal rent control, and guarantee right to counsel for all tenants.'' Mr. Speaker, this is dangerous. There are people who are going to be in this Congress in the next session who support these programs. Again, I encourage the American people to look at this manifesto from the DSA. They are called Democratic Socialists of America. That is what they are called. That is what is asked for here, Mr. Speaker. As I said at the outset of the debate, we have a solid slate of bills contained under this rule. They are substantive, impactful, and address pertinent issues occurring across the Nation like this manifesto. We can and should pass this rule and each of the underlying bills to continue our work in service to the Nation and to the American people. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the previous question and ``yes'' on the rule. The material previously referred to by Mr. McGovern is as follows: An Amendment to H. Res. 1499 Offered by Mr. McGovern of Massachusetts

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Providing for Consideration of H.R. 1501, Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025; Providing for Consideration of H.R. 9436, Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act of 2026; Providing for Consideration...

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