Providing for Consideration of H.R. Build Back Better Act; and for Other Purposes

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the rule and the underlying legislation.

President Biden has a bold vision for getting our country back on track after a devastating pandemic and years of policies that ignored the struggles of so many Americans.

What we are doing here today is about making government work for working people.

The Committee on Homeland Security, which I lead, has used this historic opportunity to make significant long-term investments in three areas: cybersecurity; the protection of houses of worship and nonprofits from domestic terrorism and other threats; and reducing the Department of Homeland Security's environmental footprint. These are three critical challenges confronting our Nation and my constituents in Mississippi today.

Last week, we marked 3 years since the deadliest attack on a Jewish community in United States history when a mass shooting took 11 lives in a Pittsburgh synagogue.

Today, through the homeland security title of this act, we will be able to give $100 million in new funding to help protect our houses of worship.

This act also includes targeted funding to bolster the Nation's cybersecurity posture in significant ways. With the $500 million included there, we can do just that.

Finally, we include $900 million in strategic investment to help DHS reduce its carbon footprint. Such investments have far-reaching and direct impacts on our national security.

I thank Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth and Speaker Pelosi for their months of hard work and for prioritizing homeland security in this transformational legislation.

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