Providing for Consideration of H.R. Department of Defense Appropriations Act, Providing for Consideration of H.R. Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. AMO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Neguse for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, to my Republican colleagues, I ask the question: Why choose hate?

Why use our budget to attack the LGBTQ community?

We should be coming together to support America's commitment abroad. Instead, Republicans are pushing horrific bills that treat LGBTQ people as less than their fellow Americans.

Mr. Speaker, we know that the GOP majority is bent on restricting the fundamental freedoms of the LGBTQ community, but they refuse to even debate my amendment on the House floor.

Again, why are you choosing hate?

Mr. Speaker, my amendment is simple. It would remove bigoted, homophobic, and partisan riders from the State and Foreign Operations bill. It would strip out provisions that are cruel and callous on our neighbors at home and to those in the LGBTQ community abroad.

My amendment advances the work of the Equality Caucus and the legacy of my predecessor, Congressman David Cicilline.

Our budget is a statement of values. Our budget is a statement of values, and Republicans are, once again, showing us that they value a hate-filled agenda.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this rule.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia.

My colleague from Colorado didn't give me a chance to answer the question, but the bottom line is, with the proper policies in place, you don't have to spend as much money.

H.R. 2 would secure the border, and if H.R. 2 were signed into law, you might actually be able to reduce the spending under this appropriations measure, but I am not positive about that. I believe if H.R. 2 were the law, the border would be secure. We would be removing people who are violent criminals who are illegally in this country.

You have to admit that a lot of these other countries have been very smart about emptying the worst of their society into the United States of America. I am not saying that everybody who comes here illegally is a bad person, but I am saying the leaderships of countries are sending the worst of their country into America. It has to be stopped.

If the policies of H.R. 2 were put in place, then you could actually reduce the spending. $35 trillion in debt, and $2\1/2\ trillion deficit--yes, we had deficits under President Trump. We did things like the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. In very rapid time, we bought crops like corn from farmers, who I personally know, because they didn't have anybody to sell to. We actually gave it to Americans who would have starved if we hadn't done some of those things during the COVID emergency.

We are not in a healthcare emergency. We are not at war. President Biden is still running a $2\1/2\ trillion deficit for the year.

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