Suhas Subramanyam

“I want the House to pass artificial intelligence safety bills this week. AI is becoming dangerous enough to hack systems and duplicate itself without human control. We already have bipartisan bills ready to make AI safer, and we cannot wait for the next Congress to act.”

“Mr. Speaker, I sat down with some of the leaders in the AI industry. They told me that there were going to be dire consequences if we didn’t put AI safeguards in place and that there would be massive implications for our country and for the world if we didn’t act. That meeting was 10 years ago. I was in the White House as a technology policy adviser, and the AI leaders were saying then that we needed to act now. Here we are today. We have AI frontier models with the capability to wreak havoc. We are getting to a place where AI can self-improve and duplicate itself. The stuff that was theoretical 10 years ago is now happening. We have swarms of AI chatbots working together in a Machiavellian way to hack and undermine systems. We must act now. There are commonsense ways that security researchers, industry experts, and even Members of Congress here agree can make this safer, like auditing, information reporting, transparency, building safety throughout the AI development process, and real containment strategies, so that AI models don’t escape their sandbox during development. This is common sense, and we need to act now. My colleagues and I have already put forward bipartisan legislation, like the FRONTIER Act, led by Representatives Obernolte and Trahan, and other bills. It is because voluntary standards are not a true safeguard, and sitting on the sidelines is not a safeguard. Even President Trump, despite what he just said online, is not a safeguard for the rapid development of AI and what it can cause. We need action now. We need to put legislation on the floor this week. We cannot wait until the next Congress.”

“I want to restore funding to USAID. Past budget cuts hurt programs that warn people about natural disasters and keep regions stable. Spending money on foreign aid now saves American lives and stops costly wars later.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia for having this Special Order hour tonight. Mr. Speaker, when the Trump administration slashed USAID funding and fired its dedicated employees, they said it was a crowning achievement of fiscal responsibility because why spend money abroad, spend it on everyday Americans instead. Well, they didn’t spend the savings on Americans. They gave tax cuts to the wealthiest corporations and cut Americans’ health benefits and food assistance instead. Because of the cuts to USAID, we are now seeing how it actually puts American lives and American dollars at massive risk. If you think foreign aid doesn’t affect you, let’s look at the most recent example, because more than 70 Americans, including 9 Virginians, some in my district, are missing right now in Nepal because of the catastrophic floods that happened there last week. Over a thousand people are dead. USAID was running a natural hazards program to monitor and identify landslides, disasters, and climate events in Nepal and the project’s former director said that the cuts to that program undermined ``landslide situational awareness.’’ Imagine how many lives, and yes, even how much money we could have saved, and all the damage we could have prevented. It is more than just that. USAID was America’s frontline defense against global chaos by building peace, providing clean water, and stabilizing unstable regions. It aimed to stop humanitarian crises from exploding into violent conflicts, crises that affect Americans at home and abroad. Look at the trillions of dollars being spent on wars right now. We can spend pennies on the dollar instead to prevent them. In fact, Jim Mattis, Trump’s old Secretary of Defense said: ``If we don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition ultimately.’’ Let’s refund USAID. It will save American lives and, yes, it will save money, too.”

“I want the House to hold this witness in contempt of Congress. For more than two years, he has refused our orders to appear before the Ethics Committee. If we do not enforce our subpoenas, people will keep ignoring our investigations.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and the ranking member for bringing this to the floor today. Whenever I tell people I am on the Ethics Committee in Congress, people tend to ask me the same questions: Why doesn’t the Ethics Committee move faster? What is taking so long? Why are these investigations taking so long? Justice delayed is justice denied. Well, Mr. Speaker, one of the reasons is because a lot of times witnesses and people with information string our committee along. Even their lawyers tell them to ignore our subpoenas, ignore our inquiries, or delay us as much as possible. This subpoena, in particular, was issued September of last year, and that was after a very long process of trying to get this witness in, going back to before I was even in Congress. That was more than 2 years ago. There have been multiple requests, multiple failures to appear. If we don’t enforce these subpoenas, then everyone will ignore our investigations. They will string us along, and they will draw out these investigations for months or sometimes years, like in this case, and the American people will lose faith in this body’s ability to investigate our own. The Ethics Committee will never be as fast as the news cycle, and we will afford everyone due process. Today’s vote is a message that we, as a committee, do intend to move swiftly in these investigations. It is a message that Congress does intend to hold people accountable if they don’t comply with our subpoenas, whether it is Members or people with information. I thank the chair and ranking member for their leadership on this, and I ask the body to support this motion.”

“I want people to vote against this bill. It is too weak, and it adds rules that make it harder for people to vote. We need a real ban that stops lawmakers, the president, and their families from owning or trading stocks.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding. Mr. Speaker, the American people have lost trust in this institution, and banning stock trading in Congress and in the administration is actually one way to fix that. In 2025, Members of Congress and their families executed over 13,000 trades. President Trump’s own family trading has helped add billions to their net worth. That is why we should be debating a real stock trading ban like the Restore Trust in Government Act, one that would ban Members of Congress, the administration, and their families from owning, buying, or selling individual stocks. Instead, House Republicans only allow us to vote on a toothless, watered-down stock trading bill. Plus, to make sure that this fake stock trading ban doesn’t move in the Senate, they throw in the SAVE America Act, which would disenfranchise millions of Americans. I ask: Why are we afraid to put a comprehensive stock trading ban on the floor and have it apply to the President, too? Let’s vote on a real stock trading ban and vote ``no’’ on this fake ban with voter suppression.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It gives federal contract workers the same protections as government workers when they report waste, fraud, or danger. It also protects them if they refuse to follow illegal orders.”

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5578, the Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act. Whistleblowers are crucial to our ability to conduct congressional oversight. They are key to identifying and stopping waste, fraud, corruption, and abuse of power. Millions of workers performing critical jobs for the U.S. Government are contractors, not Federal civil servants, but they don’t have the same whistleblower protections as civil servants right now. As a result, contractors are less likely to report wrongdoing, especially since they fear retaliation or mistreatment. This bill would strengthen protections for contractors. It protects them from retaliation for refusal to participate in illegal activity. It also ensures that contractors are legally able to disclose waste, fraud, abuse, and dangers to public health and safety. This bill will help us do our job to uncover abuses of power. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill. I thank the ranking member for his leadership on this issue. Especially at a time when a lot of folks in Federal civil service and Federal contractors are concerned about coming forward, we need to protect whistleblowers more than ever. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It makes federal agencies tell Congress about any project that is five years late or one billion dollars over budget. This will help us track how taxpayer money is spent.”

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I, too, rise in support of H.R. 1722, the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act of 2025. Congress has a duty to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently, transparently, and with real accountability for results, but Federal programs often fall behind schedule or go way over budget without Congress’ knowledge. This bill would require that Congress be notified of any project that is more than 5 years behind schedule or $1 billion over budget. The report would include explanations of any changes to the project scope, cost estimate, or completion date. This will help Congress perform critical oversight on behalf of the American people. It will also keep projects on time and on budget. This is a bipartisan fix to increase fiscal responsibility. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.”

“This bill lets federal agencies pay moving costs for their workers in one simple payment instead of paying them back later. It also lets workers appeal decisions about these payments.”

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise regarding H.R. 6330, the Federal Relocation Payment Improvement Act. As mentioned, the bill would allow Federal agencies to pay for employee relocation costs through a simple lump-sum payment. It also directs the government to establish an appeals process for employees to dispute reimbursement decisions. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It lets government agencies buy new technology and software faster, and it helps small businesses get federal contracts. It will also save taxpayers millions of dollars.”

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4123, the Federal Improvement in Technology Procurement Act of 2025. I am proud to be co- leading this legislation with the gentleman, and I thank him for his leadership. I am glad this bill is bipartisan. Madam Speaker, one of the things we focused on in the Oversight and Government Reform Committee is improving government efficiency and modernization, and the FIT Procurement Act delivers on that goal. It raises the micro-purchasing threshold and the simplified acquisition threshold. These thresholds have not been updated in a very long time. They don’t reflect how much things cost these days, and these changes will finally allow agencies to move faster to purchase innovative technologies. The bill also allows Federal agencies to prepay for information technology subscriptions, including cloud computing. Prepaying for IT subscriptions will make a huge difference in government access to cutting-edge tools. The bill will also open the door for more small businesses to participate in Federal contracting, and, most importantly, it is estimated to save taxpayers millions and millions of dollars. This is common sense, and everyone wins. I urge my colleagues to join me and Representative Burlison in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.”

“Prices are going up quickly, and people should know how the government spends their money. I want the House to pass this bill.”

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purposes of closing. Madam Speaker, costs are skyrocketing, and people deserve to know how their money is being spent. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.”

“I want the House to pass this bill.”

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Missouri for this bill, and I encourage my colleagues to support it. I yield back the balance of my time.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It lets the government pick contracts based on the best overall value, not just the lowest price.”

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1118, the Value Over Cost Act of 2026, as well. The GSA maintains a list of goods and services that they can order from vendors called the Multiple Award Schedule. This simplified process allows the government to make orders quickly and get discounts for bulk purchases. The Value Over Cost Act would clarify that the government can choose these contracts based on best quality, not just lowest cost. These are known as best value contracts. This is a commonsense bill that will make sure the Federal Government spends its dollars wisely while delivering for the American people the services they need. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.”

“I want to congratulate the American Telugu Association on its 19th annual conference in Baltimore. The group is celebrating Telugu culture and recognizing leaders in science, business, and the arts.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate the American Telugu Association on its 19th annual ATA Conference & Youth Convention. This year’s conference in Baltimore brings together leaders from across the country to celebrate Telugu heritage. The conference recognizes all of ATA’s achievements in the fields of science, business, technology, literature, and public service, as well as the arts, while showcasing live performances and Telugu culture. I extend my congratulations to ATA, including its president, Jay Challa, and all of the organizers, and I wish everyone a successful and meaningful conference in Baltimore.”