Everywhere are drug lords taking over everywhere . I think these people would rather live in their home country and make a living where they are at. Host the house is about to gavel in for their legislative session. We will take you up to capitol hill. Live coverage here on cspan. The speaker pro tempore the house will be in order. The chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. The clerk the speakers rooms, washington, d. C. February 29, 2024. I hereby appoint the honorable dell w. Strong to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. Signed, mike johnson, speaker of the house of representatives. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the order of the house of january 9, 2024 the chair will now recognize members from lists submitted by the majority leader and minority leaders for morning hour debate. The chair will alternate recognition between the parties and the time equally allocated between the parties and each member other than the majority and minority leaders and majority whip limited to five minutes, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 11 50 a. M. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from north carolina, ms. Foxx, for five minutes. Ms. Foxx thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as our nation faces a myriad of catastrophes, one of which is an open southern border and the mass migration of illegal aliens, washingtons fiscal house sits in utter disrepair. Thats the reality we face if we dont grasp the reins soon and stamp out our nations spending our nation will suffer serious consequence that is will continue to compound. Not a penny of taxpayer money should be direcd to frivolous spending binges overseas while the southern border is sitting wide open. We should take care of our countrys needs first. American families and Hardworking Taxpayers across the nation demand that action be taken to cut spending, restore fiscal sanity, and get our country moving in the right direction. Mr. Speaker, i wholeheartedly agree with them and i have taken action to restore fiscal order in washington. To cut wasteful spending and protect taxpayer dollars from rampant abuse, i have supported commonsense amendments to the ongoing fiscal year 2024 state foreign operations and related programs appropriations package. These amendments slash funding for the United States agency for interrable development by half. Transfers millions of dollars from the peace corps budget to the spending reduction account. Eliminate millions in funding for the Global Environment facility fund. And prohibit funds from being used to implement the paris climate agreement. Our children, grandchildren, and future generations of proud americans to come deserve fiscal order in washington and our countrys needs being put first. Anything less is entirely unacceptable. In addition to my continuing efforts to uphold fiscal order and put the needs of our country first, i have also cosponsored h. R. 2445, the special Inspector General for ukraine assistance act. Legislation would establish an office for an Inspector General for ukraine assistance to oversee all funding made available in support of ukraine. Specifically this legislation requires the president s nominee to serves the special Inspector General for ukraine assistance to be confirmed by the senate. Direct the Inspector General for ukraine assistance to submit quarterly reports to congress on obligations and expenditures of u. S. Funds and the provision of military equipment, require report on the ukrainian governments compliance when anticorruption measures and comparisons of americas contribution to ukraine to those from our nato allies. Mr. Speaker, oversight of taxpayer dollars and resources should never be cast aside or abandoned. We can stamp out wasteful spending, put our countrys needs first, and ensure effective oversight of taxpayer dollars, all at the same time. My record on cutting wasteful spending is clear, and i will always fight to ensure that the dollars of Hardworking Taxpayers are not only respected but also protected. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields. The chair recognizes the gentleman from north carolina, mr. Nickel, for five minutes. Mr. Nickel thank you, mr. Speaker. On february 24, 2022, the world watched with alarm as russia invaded ukraine. Since the start of the invasion, over 100,000 ukrainians have died fighting to defend ukraines sovereignty and the broader principles of freedom and democracy. Its been two years since putins unprovoked assault on ukraine. We cant abandon them in their fight for freedom not today, not tomorrow, never. With ukraine running out of bullets, and russia advancing in ukraine, the eyes of the world are on the United States congress. Authoritarian regimes around the world like russia, china, iran, and north korea are looking closely to see if well honor our commitments and stand with our democratic ally or if well hand over ukraine to putin f ukraine falls, putin will not stop until all of Eastern Europe is within his gallonps. If Congress Fails to act, it will go down as one of the greatest Foreign Policy failures in our nations history. Lets be clear about where history will place the blame. If Congress Fails to act, history wont be kind in the judgment that House Republicans surrendered ukraine to russia. In the past, House Democrats and republicans in the u. S. Congress have united and come together in opposition to putins unprovoked invasion of ukraine. We have just seen 222 republicans in the 22 republicans in the senate willing to vote country over party on this issue. I believe there are republicans in the house willing to do the same. As we look ahead, House Republicans have a choice, are they prodemocracy or proputin. House republicans can choose country over party or russia over the United States. House republicans can stand with our allies or stand with donald trump and the proputin wing of the republican conference. House republicans can either stand with democratic nations like ukraine, israel, and taiwan, or they can bend the knee to authoritarian regimes like russia, china, iran, and north korea. The longer we delay sending aid to ukraine, the more powerful putin and other authoritarian regimes become. We cant abandon them in their fight for freedom. Thats why im calling on the speaker of the house, mike johnson, to bring the Bipartisan Senate passed Security Package to the floor of the house for an immediate vote. Many of my constituents rightly question the high cost of this aid package. Support for ukraine and our allies is in our national interest. Its a National Security issue for the American People. While the costs are high, well spend 100 times more money containing an aggressive russia around the globe if we do nothing. We must stand with our allies. This will be a vote where members will be forced to choose between democracy and authoritarianism. As i voted now for speaker of the house 19 times, i have learned how incredibly panel our democracy is fragile our democracy. We must pass an aid package and stand with ukraine. We can either stand with democracies like israel and ukraine, or bend neat to putin and other authoritarian regimes around the globe. Democracy should never be taken for granted. We must be vigilant and proactive to protect it here and around the worrell. History is watching what happens next. Lets come together not as democrats or republicans, but as americans and stand with our ally, ukraine. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The chair recognizes the gentleman from tennessee, mr. Rose, for five minutes. Mr. Rose mr. Speaker, we recently learned that the department of education would be shifting another 1. 2 billion in Student Loan Debt from borrowers to the taxpayers of this country. This is yet another example of president Bidens Administration abusing whatever regulatory lever they can find. Every executive action he can think up to usurp congress and continue this unjust bailout scheme. And, unfortunately, the scheme is working. In recent months, tens of billions of dollars in borrowed money are no longer due for repayment. Lets be clear, Student Loan Debt cant be forgiven. Its simply being transferred to the hardworking american taxpayer. Most of whom never went to college or took out Student Loans. These tactics come despite what happened last summer when the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the Biden Administrations previous student loan handout plan. Totaling more than 400 billion. The high court found in laymans terms that a president cannot spend billions of dollars, hundreds of billions of dollars with the stroke of a pen. This is one of the most regressive ideas that i have seen in my time in congress. It does nothing to solve the ballooning cost of a College Education in this country. It simply adds to our National Debt which already, of course, sits at more than 34. 2 trillion. We know that 43 million out of 255 million adults in the United States have some kind of Student Loan Debt. We also know that 1. 7 trillion in Outstanding College debt is disproportionately held by those earning the highest incomes in this country. It makes no sense for a blue Collar Worker in tennessee to be forced to pay off the college debt of a harvard educated doctor or lawyer. We have the freedom to choose whether to pursue Higher Education in this country. You can choose to forgo a fouryear degree as millions of Successful Americans have do. But this administration would have you pay for the fouryear degrees of others regardless of your choice. More than 100 million americans have built a life without taking on debt. In fact, i represent thousands of tennesseans who earn a good living without having borrowed money to do so. Why should they foot the bill for those who chose to go to college . This sends a terrible message to an entire generation of undergraduates and soontobe undergraduates. Perhaps more importantly this unjust and wrongheaded action on the part of President Biden incentivizes universities universities to continue raising tuition with impunity because students can now borrow the money to pay these outrageous tuitions without having to pay it back. Furthermore, and possibly the worst aspect of all of this, is that every College Graduate and every parent of a College Graduate who did the honorable thing by paying off their Student Loans often at great sacrifice is now being harshly punished for having done so. Its also an ugly affront to the families across this country struggling to stay afloat amid record High Consumer prices as a result of biden nation. There are already programs on the books to help those struggling to repay their Student Loans like income driven repayment plans in which roughly 40 of borrowers are already enrolled. I urge the white house to end this cycle of adding billions to our debt with the stroke of a pen. Just as the Supreme Court determined last june, this kind of policy must be approved by congress before it can be implemented. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland, mr. Hoyer, for five minutes. Mr. Hoyer mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Hoyer two years. Two years the world has watched as ukraine defends freedom and democracy and international law. Disgracefully. This house has failed to pass additional supplemental aid to that effort for 427 days. More than half the length of this war. Our inaction is an abandonment, not only of our allies, but of our values of liberty, demo democracy, and international law. We are the leaders of the free world. Not by choice but by necessity. We ought to be ashamed. We ought to be disgusted. Indeed, most of us are. As our congress sleeps, the enemies of freedom rain hell upon the defenders of democracy they do so with greater furry this congress will do nothing to stop them. Recently we watched Russian Forces take back the city. Putins regime killed russian Opposition Leader navalny, silencing a heroic principleled voice against putin and his invasion of ukraine. Yet speaker johnson brings no bill to this floor. Ukraine soldiers now face a 10 to one disadvantage in artillery. They report watching Russian Forces approach and having to decide in the moment how many grenades they can afford to launch, how many shells can they afford to fire . And how many bullets can they afford that calculation ought to be selfevident as many as it takes. But it is not. The world is watching what is happening in the trenches of Eastern Ukraine but the people of ukraine is watching what is happening on the floor of the United States house of representatives. How can we rationalize that that we stand silent without action. The first question that they ask journalists is, whats happening in washington. What is happening in the house. Whats happening when the speaker does not bring to the floor a bill to respond to the threats to us, to democracy, to freedom. Ukranians know that the only america that can provide them with the aid on a scale and timeline necessary to achieve a victory. Elsewhere on the front lines, other soldiers told a reporter, you, americans have to decide whether you want to remain a global power. Think in your heads as to whether we want to do that or in not doing so will cause debate danger to the glebal community and ourselves. Mr. Speaker, bring this bill to the floor. Let us act. The votes are here to pass that bill in a bipartisan fashion. The majority of members that addition is clear, we must help ukraine as well as our allies in israel and beyond. As i said over 300 votes are on this floor to do just that, a bill to defend democracy, a bill to strike fear in the heart of putin and action is of evil and a bill to restore americas reputation. Speaker johnson cant fund our government. Managing multiple priorities is the most basic part of his job, its disgraceful that speakers from 23 parliaments, our allies and friends have written to us and said, america, america, america, respond, as you have in the past to defend democracy, defend freedom and defend the fighters for freedom. Its disgraceful that they had to write us. But perhaps the speaker needs that reminder. Leaders ought to lead. Speakers ought to speaker up and the United States congress ought to stand united in defense of freedom. Mr. Speaker, history is watching at this pivotal moment. America ought not to be absent without leave. This is not a partisan issue, this is an issue for the leader of the free world, america. Lets act. Mr. Speaker, bring the bill to the floor. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. Lamalfa, for five minutes. Mr. Lamalfa the other side of the aisle is fixated on ukraine when our u. S. Borders are causing so much harm to our American Economy and losing american lives such as laken riley most recently. We have been fairly generous to ukraine since the problems started with russia. The amount of mop they received is even more than what we are talking about that would secure our southern border. President biden will be chasing former President Trump to stabilize his plementinging poll numbers. Todays visit, much like bidens visit will be a photo op. He will be visiting brownsville, texas has had nonexistent activity compared to all the other places along the border and see tens of thousands of people coming across. Distract here by going over there. This is nothing more than a smoke screen and attempt to attempt to stop the chaos. President biden has ignored the crisis at the border and directly response i believe for it. Since the first day, he worked his own failed policies to turn every town in the country a border town and destroyed countless American Families that we have to talk about it on the floor because the media doesnt cover it well. There are actions that undermine our nations Border Security. First things he did was to get rid of the procedures and the policies that President Trump had put into place and now yelling at republicans that you need to back some of our border policies. Really . Put back the policies, these eight items. He could do all of these without having Congress Fund or come to an agreement in a bipartisan fashion on any of them. End catch and release,s instate the remain in mexico policy, enter into asylum agreement. End parole releases. Detain aliens. Re inch n taxpayer benefits. Wouldnt that be a relief. Issue a proclamation to restrict entry in the United States. Those are actions he can take on its own without having to about the will on bo