Monica De La Cruz

“I want the House to pass this bill. It protects housing department workers who report waste and fraud, even if their contracts were signed before 2013.”

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 4646, the Whistleblower Protection Act, which passed with bipartisan support out of the Financial Services Committee. Texas families are stretching every dollar right now while scammers are cashing in on taxpayer-funded programs. While Texas families play by the rules, scammers and corrupt leaders shouldn’t get rewarded. That is why I am working to stop the abuse and bring accountability back to Washington, and this bill brings us closer to that goal by strengthening whistleblower protections for those wanting to rightfully blow the whistle on waste, fraud, and abuse in our government. Whistleblower protections are one of the most effective tools that we have to combat waste, fraud, and abuse throughout our government. This bipartisan legislation is simple. It clarifies that whistleblower protections apply to every HUD contractor, a vital step that is necessary due to the bureaucratic implementation of congressionally enacted enhanced whistleblower protections originally passed in 2013. When Congress initially passed these enhanced whistleblower protections in 2013, known as section 4712, it intended them to apply to both contracts awarded before these protections became law and to contracts that predated section 4712 becoming law but have since been modified. Unfortunately, many HUD programs have contracts that are often decades long, meaning that there are still active HUD contracts that predate 2013 and do not include key protections from section 4712, leaving thousands of HUD contractors with uncertainty. This legislation fixes that by providing much-needed clarity to HUD and ensuring that whistleblower protections apply to every HUD contractor, regardless of when a contract was signed. This is something HUD has even asked for, most recently in their fiscal year 2027 budget request to Congress. We must never allow retaliation against people who are simply trying to act in the taxpayers’ best interests, and I will never stop rooting out corruption and cutting government waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting my bill, the bipartisan Whistleblower Protection Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.”

“I want the House to pass this bill.”

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, for the reasons I explained earlier, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. De La Cruz) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 8278, as amended. The question was taken.”

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“I want the House to pass this bill. Scammers are targeting older Americans and stealing their savings. This bill lets local, state, and tribal police use federal grant money to investigate financial scams. It also lets federal agencies help local police track stolen money online and get it back.”

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I note that although H.R. 2978 has not been reported out of Judiciary Committee, which also received a referral for the bill, the Judiciary Committee supports H.R. 2978 being considered today under suspension of the rules. I thank Chairman Jordan for his committee’s support. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2978, the Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception Act, or GUARD Act. Financial fraud is one of the fastest-growing threats facing hardworking Americans, particularly seniors and retirees who have spent decades saving for the future. Today, sophisticated scammers are using technology to target vulnerable Americans through increasingly complex schemes. The GUARD Act helps address this challenge by allowing State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies to use existing Federal grant funding to investigate financial fraud. This bill also gives law enforcement greater access to modern investigative tools by allowing Federal agencies to assist State and local authorities with blockchain tracing and related technologies. These tools can help law enforcement follow the money, identify bad actors, and recover funds that have been stolen from victims. As scammers continue to develop new ways to exploit Americans, our law enforcement agencies must have the tools and information necessary to keep pace. This bipartisan bill takes a commonsense approach by strengthening coordination between Federal, State, local, and Tribal law enforcement, while providing the resources needed to investigate and disrupt financial fraud. More importantly, the GUARD Act will help protect seniors and retirees who have worked hard their entire lives and deserve to be protected from predatory actors. I thank Representatives Nunn, Fitzgerald, and Gottheimer for their leadership on this important bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2978, and I reserve the balance of my time.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It stops the government from making pennies, which cost more to make than they are worth and lost taxpayers over $85 million last year. It also lets the government use cheaper materials to make nickels and sets rules for rounding cash payments to the nearest nickel.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Republican Conference Chairwoman McClain’s Common Cents Act. Rather than spending more money producing a coin than the coin itself is worth, this straightforward, commonsense bill ensures that Congress is a good steward of taxpayers’ dollars by providing long-term fiscally responsible solutions. Mr. Speaker, let’s look at the numbers. According to an audit of the United States Mint, it costs $3.69 to make a 1-cent penny. In fact, for 19 consecutive years, the U.S. Government has spent more than one penny to make one penny. In 2024 alone, taxpayers lost more than $85 million producing pennies. Chairwoman McClain’s bill eliminates that wasteful spending by codifying President Trump’s directive to the Mint to stop producing new pennies for circulation. However, we also need to make sure we are not solving one problem by creating another. If we stop making pennies, then Americans are likely to use more nickels, and at nearly 14 cents to produce nickels, they aren’t exactly a bargain either. That is why this bill gives the Treasury Secretary the flexibility to move a lower-cost composite for the nickel, again, saving taxpayers money. The bill also provides a clear uniform standard for rounding cash transactions to the nearest nickel when exact change isn’t available, ensuring our small businesses have the certainty they need. Importantly, the bill keeps Congress informed by requiring Treasury to notify the House and Senate and explain their reasoning before discontinuing any additional circulating coins. This is very simple. The Federal Government should not spend more money to make something than it is worth itself. We should look for savings where we can, modernize outdated practices, and ensure businesses and consumers have certainty at the register. Mr. Speaker, this is what responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars looks like. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support Chairwoman McClain’s bipartisan Common Cents Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.”