Providing for Consideration of H.R. Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025 and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I begin as well to take a moment to recognize Kelly Dixon Chambers, the staff director for the House Rules Committee Republicans whose last week on the Hill is this week.

There is no doubt that she is an extraordinary, exceptional, incredible public servant. I said last night in the Rules Committee, she is a master legislative strategist. She knows everything about everything about rules and procedures. She spent her time here on Capitol Hill working to improve this institution and to uphold the traditions of the Rules Committee. She has also done a lot to foster an environment of mutual respect and camaraderie behind the scenes, which we all benefit from and appreciate, especially during these very polarizing times.

In short, she is one of the most effective people I have ever worked with on Capitol Hill, and all I have to say is that I love her and I respect her a whole lot. All of us on this side of the aisle will genuinely miss her.

I also said last night that my only problem with Kelly is that she isn't a Democrat, but I don't hold that against her. In fact, she has made me sharper and better at my job because I know she always brings her A-game to everything that she does.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Kelly for all that she has done for Congress and for this country. She has put people over politics. She cares. She has accomplished a whole lot up here. She should be proud of her time serving in the people's House. For the people here who call her a friend and mentor, as I know I do, we wish her all the very best as she steps into a new chapter in her life and her career.

Moving on, let me get to the rule here.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to be managing this rule. I am glad that I am allowed to speak on the floor again. As you remember, I was silenced 2 weeks ago for simply speaking the truth.

That is right. I was muzzled from that very rostrum for daring to recite facts, and I can think of at least 34 new facts that could get my words taken down today, but I won't go there because I want to be allowed to say a few things without being canceled by the Republican majority for the high crime of merely speaking the truth.

This rule contains two bills, both of which I think are lousy.

First, is the House Republicans' Military Construction appropriations proposal for fiscal year 2025. This should be one of the least controversial funding bills Congress passes each year, but, this year, House Republicans are loading their funding bills with more culture war nonsense: the same attacks on abortion access, attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, and attacks on diversity and inclusion efforts.

We are talking about more narrow-minded, hateful MAGA riders that inject partisan politics into what should be a bipartisan bill.

This bill also holds the VA back from protecting struggling veterans who may pose a danger to themselves or others. It would hamper efforts to prevent Veterans from dying by suicide. This bill zeroes out funding for climate change and resilience projects, something that will jeopardize our national security because it means our military installations will not be prepared for the realities of the climate crisis.

At the end of the day, this funding bill is full of poison pills that endanger our national security and threaten the quality of life for veterans, those who serve, and their families.

Again, this should have been easy. This should have been a bipartisan bill where there would be very little debate or little dissension, and they turned it into this horrific culture war bill filled with things that, quite frankly, are very divisive and have no business being in the Military Construction appropriations bill.

Second on the agenda is H.R. 8282, a bill that imposes sanctions on the good people who work for the International Criminal Court and their families.

I know Members have a variety of thoughts on this measure, but, frankly, I think this is a bad, bad bill. The idea that the ICC is some evil institution is totally contrary to fact. The International Criminal Court is an important institution, and it is not in America's moral or strategic interest to attack the court for doing its job.

The U.S. recognizes the jurisdiction and the legitimacy of the ICC and cooperates with the ICC in cases ranging from Sudan to Ukraine and Russia, to the Lord's Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony.

Fundamentally, this bill says that human rights don't matter. In fact, it totally undermines the rules-based international order that America helped build.

Let me be clear: I am already being challenged to explain U.S. double standards every time I meet with representatives of foreign governments. When I meet with human rights advocates from abroad, they are gutted, first, by the brutality and the inhumanity of the war in Gaza, and, second, by America's inexplicable abandonment of its commitment of human rights and justice for all.

What better gift to China or Russia, our most significant adversaries, than for us to undermine the international rule of law and gut institutions of accountability that the U.S. helped create and worked to consolidate for more than 75 years.

What better gift than to say: Yes, it is just fine to ignore or redefine human rights and international humanitarian law for reasons of political convenience.

What should our reaction be? First, we should read the evidence contained in the ICC filing. Second, we should wait for the judges to actually rule on the warrant applications. We don't know what their decision will be. When it comes down, if we disagree with it, we can say so.

What is not okay is to attack the court's existence or threaten its personnel and their families.

Republicans are already doing that in New York. It is wrong there and it is wrong here.

Finally, we should insist on credible, independent investigations of the crimes the ICC has alleged, which include, by the way, the unspeakable crimes committed by Hamas on October 7. Surely, I hope everybody here supports the ICC's effort to hold Hamas accountable.

We should also recognize the ICC's action for what it is. It is an urgent attempt at prevention. The ICC is urging Israel to change course and to stop the carnage against Palestinian civilians. It is calling upon the independent Israeli judiciary to investigate these alleged crimes and follow the evidence, no matter where it leads, before the worst unimaginable criminal charges become inevitable.

Should this bill pass, it would completely isolate us internationally, including and especially from our closest allies. It would deepen accusations of hypocrisy that have already caused a mind- boggling level of damage to the reputation of the United States, our diplomacy, and the entire range of our soft power capabilities.

I am just completely astounded by how little my Republican colleagues seem to even care about the massive ramifications of this bill. There was no hearing. There was no hearing at all. There were no witnesses, no markup, no nothing.

The Republican who testified last night in the Rules Committee had no clue what was even in the bill. He told us he wasn't on the committee of jurisdiction but he is. He didn't even know what the text of the bill was because the text kept on changing multiple times.

Is that how you conduct business in the people's House?

My Republican colleagues have turned this place into a joke. They are making a complete and total mockery of the committee process. On top of it all, we have another closed rule. How pathetic.

I mean, I get that the Republicans may not care about the implications of some of the things that they say or what they bring on the floor, but at least try to go through the motions. Let's at least have a hearing. Let's have witnesses. The Republicans could make believe they care about the facts and that they are serious about legislating.

Again, it is sad that this is the process that brings this bill to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Pennsylvania made a point when he got up that I was somehow trying to hide behind process. It is clear he wasn't listening to my very substantive speech in which I actually talked about the policy implications of what my Republican friends were doing.

Since he brought up process, and I think this is an important point to emphasize here because we are on the Rules Committee, I want to point out that sometimes I call the Rules Committee, under the Republicans, the break the rules committee.

Let's look at some of the rules that are being ignored today. This is from the official Republican Committee Report. Maybe the gentleman doesn't read it, but I do.

Let me quote: This waives ``all points of order against provisions in H.R. 8580, as amended,'' which includes ``Clause 2 of rule XXI, which prohibits unauthorized appropriations or legislative provisions in an appropriations bill.''

The gentleman who just spoke routinely talks about how he is opposed to unauthorized appropriations and appropriations bills, yet that rule was waived by the Republicans.

``Clause 5(a) of rule XXI, which prohibits a bill or joint resolution carrying a tax or tariff measure from being reported by a committee not having jurisdiction to report tax or tariff measures.'' That was ruled waived.

Here is the big one: ``Clause 12 of rule XXI, which prohibits consideration of a bill or joint resolution pursuant to a special order of business reported by the Committee on Rules that has not been reported by a committee.'' That is what is known, for my friends on the other side of the aisle, as the McGovern rule.

When I was chairman of the Rules Committee, we actually put this in place, that bills that come before the Rules Committee ought to have a hearing and a markup by a committee of jurisdiction. We weren't always perfect, but we really tried to be. We really tried to be.

Why did they waive the McGovern rule? The reason why is because they short-circuited the legislative process. There were no hearings and no markup on the ICC bill, none, not at all, and no one can amend it, as well. No amendments are made in order.

Again, what was really puzzling to me was the Republican witness who came before the Rules Committee couldn't even tell us what the accurate text of the bill that we were considering was because it had been changed so many times. It was astonishing to watch this in action.

Rules and process matter because when you ignore the process, you get lousy bills, and nobody even knows what the implications of the ICC bill are.

Again, you didn't have time for a hearing? You could have done an emergency hearing in the committee of jurisdiction. You could have done an emergency markup before it came to the Rules Committee. You bypassed everything and kept on changing the text of the bill.

That is a lousy way to legislate. I will tell you, I can't wait until after November and my friends are no longer in charge because we can then demonstrate not only to my Republican friends but to the American people how a legislative process should work, how to get things done, how to be effective. This is irresponsible legislating.

Mr. Speaker, let me respond to the gentleman from Pennsylvania who commented on my last comments where I conceded that we weren't perfect in following the McGovern rule, but I thank him for conceding that we followed it the overwhelming majority of the time.

Again, I find it really stunning that on a bill that has implications that my friends can't even respond to, they decided to not only forgo a hearing and a markup, but they kept on changing the text at the last minute.

He also was critical of President Biden and his foreign policy, but I want to correct the record on that as well. When the other guy was President, I will remind the gentleman, Iran didn't just attack Israeli troops, they attacked U.S. troops. They attacked us.

The gentleman wants to talk about supporting our allies. His side held up aid for Ukraine for 9 months because their side bought into Kremlin propaganda. They were more interested in pleasing Vladimir Putin than they were in standing by our allies in Ukraine.

It was their side, a Republican President, who went to North Korea and tried to get a brutal dictator to like him. He tried to kowtow to Kim Jong-Un. It was their side, a Republican President, who tried to extort our Ukrainian allies by withholding U.S. aid, and then he was impeached over that.

It was his Republican candidate for President who praises Putin, fawns over Xi Jinping, says Viktor Orban is fantastic, and sends love letters to Kim Jong-Un.

It was a Republican President, the previous guy, who stood with America's adversaries. Contrast that with President Joe Biden. President Biden rallied the world to Ukraine's defense. President Biden has defended our ally Israel and their airspace, and President Biden has rebuilt America's image on the world stage by standing up for democracy and human rights. I am happy to compare President Biden's record to the other guy who they seem so in awe of and afraid of every single day of the week.

I would, again, remind my colleagues that the bill on the International Criminal Court had no hearing, no markup, no witnesses, no amendments, closed rule, nothing, and they can't even explain it. They couldn't even explain it in the Rules Committee last night.

Leger Fernandez), a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. Speaker, we are different. I would just say to the gentleman that is why I am glad the ICC is actually going after Hamas and holding Hamas accountable. That is a good thing. I am sorry the gentleman doesn't agree with that.

As far as his numbers go on the rules, that was the most roundabout, crazy characterization and reconfiguration of numbers to essentially say and justify the fact that the Republicans are so ineffective and incompetent in the Rules Committee. I mean, they have lost seven rules. That has got to be a record. Seven of their own rules--they are in charge--have gone down. It is amazing when you listen to the gentleman try to rationalize all that is so irrational about the way the Republicans are running this place.

I would also say, Mr. Speaker, I am very concerned now because I was admonished, again, for referring to the former President and mentioning a process that the United States Congress actually put forward. I don't even know what I can say anymore when it comes to the former President because everything is out of order. My friends on the other side of the aisle can say whatever they want about President Biden. They can say whatever they want about anything they want, and there seems to be no accountability. I am just referring to facts, and I get admonished. I don't understand this.

In any event, Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to make in order an amendment from the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) which is germane and is compliant with the rules. That amendment would strike anti-trans, antigay, and anti-veteran provisions from the MILCON-VA appropriations bill.

Mr. Speaker, it is estimated that over 1 million American veterans are part of the LGBTQ+ community, including 134,000 veterans who are transgender. We know the Republicans have been fighting to kick trans people out of the military. Now it is 2024, and it is Pride Month, and what are House Republicans focused on? They want to deny these veterans, after they have selflessly defended our Nation, from receiving the medical care and support that they need.

They are spending time trying to prevent the VA from flying Pride flags. With all the discrimination members of the LGBTQ community have had to endure, Republicans in this bill protect those who discriminate against same-sex marriages. Of course, this is happening during Pride Month. The cruelty is the point, Mr. Speaker.

My amendment would simply allow a vote in the House to strike these backward policy riders from this legislation.

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, enough with these Republican attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. Enough with the bigotry. Enough with the hate. Enough with the MAGA extremism. We are better than this.

I say to the gentleman, again, we are talking about today, and my point was that we have a bill that the witnesses that came before the Rules Committee couldn't even accurately describe what was in the bill.

They had no idea because it changed so many times, couldn't really respond to questions about what the implications of the bill would be, and we are simply pointing out the fact that there was not a single hearing in the committee of jurisdiction on the legislation, not a single markup, no witnesses.

My friends bring this to the floor under a completely closed process so nobody can amend it. Nobody can change anything. Nobody can change a comma.

That is how the Republicans are running this House of Representatives, and it is pathetic, quite frankly. It is not the way the people's House should be run, and it shows disrespect for this institution. They do that day in and day out.

Mr. Speaker, once again, the contrast is very clear for the American people. Democrats stand up for traditional American values like freedom, and Republicans are going all in on authoritarianism.

Democrats want to fight for our democracy. We believe it is worth fighting for and preserving. Republicans want to attack LGBTQ rights, women's rights, civil rights, and voting rights. Now they even want to attack IVF in their quest to control women's bodies. We had a Republican come before the Rules Committee advocating for that last night. It was scary, quite frankly.

Democrats believe in science, and Republicans spent the day yesterday spreading conspiracy theories about COVID and attacking Dr. Fauci.

Democrats stand for our Constitution and the rule of law. Republicans are falling over themselves to get in the good graces of their presumptive nominee, a candidate for President who brags on social media about how he wants a unified Reich. Who says that?

This is a candidate I can't even tell the truth about on the House floor because he is being treated like a king.

Now, we know someone was convicted of 34 felonies, but we aren't even allowed to say who. Republicans are spending so much time circling the wagons around he who must not be named that they are neglecting the job that the American people sent them here to do.

This Republican Party is totally lost. They are totally disconnected from what this country is about, and it is a national embarrassment.

Democrats are putting people first. It is as simple as that. Republicans are putting politics first, and they are running one of the most incompetent, ineffective sessions of Congress, maybe in American history, and certainly since I have been here.

Mr. Speaker, I don't know what else to say. I am afraid to say anything more because I am afraid my words will be taken down, and I will be silenced because this place is becoming so controlled, we have to be very, very careful of every single word we say here.

I will just conclude by saying this is an awful process. These bills that are being brought before us are not worthy of all this time and attention.

They are poorly drafted, and the appropriations bill, which should be totally bipartisan, they have loaded up with all kinds of MAGA extremist garbage, and we know it is going nowhere. What a waste of time. What a waste of time.

I urge a ``no'' vote on the rule, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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