Ending Pay-For-Play Political Gifts

Floor Speech

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Mr. CISNEROS. Mr. Speaker, Donald Trump was elected with a mandate to improve the lives of hardworking Americans, to lower housing costs, to make groceries, childcare, and medicine more affordable, and to help our seniors get the care they need.

What has he done instead? He has used his position to inflate his own wealth and pad the pocketbooks of billionaire donors, all at the expense of the very people who elected him.

Unlike every single President before him, Donald Trump has refused to divest his business interests. He didn't even put them in a blind trust. Instead, he handed them over to his family, who continues to profit.

In the past year alone, Donald Trump has doubled his fortune from $2.3 billion to $5.1 billion. He now has over $5 billion. How is he doing that? By treating public office like a personal business opportunity.

Crypto investments make up $2.9 billion of the Trump family's net worth. Just days after the inauguration, Trump announced a Trump meme coin used to funnel money into his and his family's pockets. Now, the Trump family crypto mining scheme is going public as their payouts grow larger.

This is more than a conflict of interest. It is blatant corruption. He is now considering accepting a $400 million jet from Qatar dubbed a ``palace in the sky.'' How is this even ethical? Even some of my Republican colleagues agree that not only is this wrong, but it is a national security risk.

As a Member of Congress, I can't even accept a gift of more than $50, let alone $400 million. It is a slap in the face of millions of people who work long hours just to put food on the table and afford the roofs over their heads.

He isn't looking out for the best interests of the American people. He is only looking for what is good for the Trump business.

While House Republicans are out here snatching SNAP benefits away from children, Trump is making sure his billionaire buddies get higher tax breaks.

While families stress over how to make ends meet with high costs, Trump is flaunting hotels and golf courses.

While House Republicans debate which critical funding to cut, Donald Trump is raking in the excess to expand his personal empire.

Donald Trump is making a mockery of public office by continuing to enrich himself at the taxpayers' expense. If a Democrat were in the White House, my friends across the aisle would be losing their minds right now. Wrong is still wrong, regardless of which party this President belongs to.

We need to put an end to Donald Trump's pay-for-play political gifts for the sake of our reputation, our democracy, and our future.

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