Providing for Consideration of H.R. Secure the Border Act of Providing for Consideration of H.R. Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, we are about to debate H.R. 2, a horrible immigration bill that betrays our values, hurts our farmers, and makes it easier to put fentanyl on our streets.
We are told it was rewritten in a back room in the Speaker's office. I have yet to see the rewrite. In fact, I haven't even heard a description of what was changed. I will say, for the record, from a process standpoint, this is as bad as it gets. My friends should be ashamed of themselves.
But wait. There is even more. I wasn't planning to speak today, but I have to point out the ridiculous hypocrisy of what is going on.
Republicans are here on the floor with straight faces acting like unemployment insurance fraud is one of the top problems in America. They ignore billionaires who pay no taxes, but they want us to believe there is an unemployment insurance crime spree, and so here we are.
They are going after farmers and veterans. They are going after workers and families that needed help during the pandemic while, at the same time, a sitting member of the House Republican Conference was indicted in Federal court this morning for unemployment fraud.
Let me repeat that. We have a Member of this body, a member of this Republican Conference, a key swing vote on their debt ceiling bill, a key swing vote to secure Kevin McCarthy's speakership who, this morning, was in Federal custody for--let me quote this from the indictment: ``Falsely claimed to have been unemployed'' while he was making $120,000 a year.
I mean, is this a joke? George Santos allegedly stole almost $25,000 in unemployment benefits.
Here is the part that you can't make up. This is too absurd to be true, but it is. Their bill defunds the program that catches people who commit this kind of fraud.
I have a letter in front of me from the Department of Labor, which I will insert into the Record, that says, their bill defunds the program that helps them catch fraud.
Now, maybe that is why George Santos cosponsored it. Of course he did. If this becomes law, maybe he would have gotten away with it. I think we should rename this the George Anthony Devolder Santos fraudster protection act.
What is that old horror movie saying? The call is coming from inside the house. You are going after fraud, but the fraud is coming from inside the Republican Conference. Deal with that.
Here is the bottom line: The modern GOP has become the party of corruption and crime. It is all about power for them. They put their own power above the people we represent.
Their frontrunner for President is a sexual abuser and has been indicted for his illegal hush money payments to cover up his affair. They won't denounce it.
Their key swing vote was in Federal custody for allegedly stealing unemployment benefits and lying to Congress, and they won't kick him out.
They want to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics, and they want to make it easier for rich people to cheat on their taxes. Now they want to pass a bill that would make it easier for George Santos to get away with fraud.
Forget honor. Forget principles. Forget integrity. All they care about is power at any cost. It is disgraceful, it is shameful, it is wrong, and I urge a ``no'' vote on this rule and the underlying bill.
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