Lauren Boebert

Ms. BOEBERT

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer my amendment on behalf of the thousands of Native Americans who deserve a quality education that respects their culture, history, and identity. These students face unique challenges and opportunities in their communities, and they need our support to achieve their full potential. The Federal Government has a trust responsibility to provide educational services to Tribes and their members as established by treaties, statutes, and court decisions. However, for far too long, this responsibility has been neglected and underfunded, resulting in poor outcomes and inequities for Native students. According to the Office of Indian Education, there are 183 bureau- funded elementary and secondary schools located on 64 reservations in 23 States, serving approximately 42,000 Native students. These schools are often in remote and rural areas with limited access to resources, technology, and qualified teachers. Many of these schools are also in dire need of repair and renovation, posing health and safety risks to students and staff. Mr. Chair, I believe that education is the key to empowering opportunity and prosperity for all Americans. I also believe that we have a moral and legal obligation to honor our commitments to Tribes and their members and to respect their sovereignty and self- determination. By redirecting wasteful spending in this bill to Native Americans' education, we can make a difference in the lives of Native students and in the strength and resilience of Tribal communities. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to transfer funds from the Department of Education bureaucracy to the Indian Education account. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BOEBERT

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer my commonsense amendment to transfer $2 million from government bureaucracy to the Office of Inspector General to combat waste, fraud, and abuse. As a proud member of the House Oversight Committee, I am a firm believer in holding our government accountable to the people we serve. Honest, hardworking American citizens should be able to trust that their tax dollars are being spent responsibly and for their intended purpose. The Department of Education Office of Inspector General must have adequate resources and funding to uncover waste, fraud, and abuse to ensure that the Department can focus on providing for the education of America's children. Ever since the passage of the Inspector General Act of 1978, inspectors general have uncovered billions of dollars of fraud and exposed numerous instances of criminal wrongdoing. The Department of Education is no exception. According to this year's semiannual report, the Department of Education Office of Inspector General ``closed 32 investigations involving fraud or corruption and secured more than $41.92 million in restitution, settlements, fines, savings, recoveries, and forfeitures. As a result of this work, criminal actions were taken against numerous people, including current and former school officials and service providers who cheated students and taxpayers.'' The inspector general accomplished these feats in only half a year. In fiscal year 2023, the Department of Education had a budget of a whopping $271 billion. The American people should be able to trust that these funds are being used to support the education of their children and for no other purpose. My commonsense amendment will ensure that the inspector general has the funding and resources they need to ensure that the Department's funds are being used responsibly. We have a sacred duty to ensure that Department of Education funds are used to further the education of our children, and we must not tolerate any wrongdoing that defrauds America's children, students, and families. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to increase funding for the Department of Education Office of Inspector General, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BOEBERT

Ms. BOEBERT. I have seen this administration use all sorts of funds to protect illegal aliens, and this is precautionary to ensure that it will not be used.

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. BOEBERT. That is precautionary.

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer my straightforward amendment that prohibits funds within this act from being used in violation of Federal immigration law for sanctuary city policies. The concept of sanctuary city policies directly violate the rule of law. Article I, Section 8, Clause 4 of the United States Constitution gives Congress clear jurisdiction on immigration matters. A nation of laws must enforce established laws and not seek ways to circumvent them. These sanctuary cities are disregarding Federal statutes by harboring thousands of illegal immigrants and providing a safe haven for violent criminals. My amendment prohibits the use of funds that are appropriated by this act from being used in contravention of section 642(a) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. This Federal law prohibits sanctuary policies that obstruct law enforcement officials from sharing information regarding a person's immigration status within the Immigration and Naturalization Service. More than 200 State and municipal jurisdictions across the country have established policies that directly violate the law and shield criminal illegal aliens from enforcement. There is a complete and total invasion taking place at our southern border due to the Biden administration and the left's radical open border agenda. Since Biden has taken office, Border Patrol has encountered more than 6.3 million illegal aliens who have illegally entered America, released nearly 2.9 illegal aliens into our communities, and let more than 1.7 million known got-aways evade Border Patrol and enter the country with no record or knowledge of who these people are. The number of illegal aliens who have entered the interior of the United States under the Biden administration now is greater than the population of at least 22 States, as well as Washington, D.C. It is not just illegal immigrants coming across the southern border, but enough fentanyl to kill every American 15 times over. This drug, mostly imported from China and continuously smuggled through our southern border, is killing children and destroying families throughout the country. Equally concerning is that in the last fiscal year alone, the FBI stopped more than 172 illegals on the terrorist watch list. Our porous southern border is literally a major national security risk. These open borders and sanctuary city policies are destroying America. Cities like Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York have continued to beg the Federal Government for more money to handle the unprecedented influx of illegal aliens rather than changing their illegal alien policies that have exacerbated the problem. Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman and the committee for their work on this bill. I respectfully ask that my colleagues join me in support of the rule of law by voting in favor of my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BOEBERT. It is not my time.

Ms. BOEBERT. I have reserved. You are free to speak.

Ms. BOEBERT. Sure. Ask your question.

Ms. BOEBERT. I am sorry. I couldn't hear the gentleman. I was getting clarification. This is precautionary.

Ms. BOEBERT. There are sanctuary city policies that are in place that are allowing the refuge of illegal aliens into these cities, and there is an influx in crime and drugs into these cities.

Ms. BOEBERT. There is no way for these folks to even report what is taking place because they are protected under this fake policy that has been created that is subduing the actual rule of law that we have in the Constitution of the United States.

Mrs. BOEBERT

Mrs. BOEBERT. I do not trust this administration with any of the taxpayer funding that they are handling. They are mishandling our taxpayer funds. If the gentleman says that there are no funds and agrees that this is precautionary, then I would urge that you support this amendment.

Ms. BOEBERT

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Chairman, I want to state one more time that the White House has had a reputation of spending funds to protect illegal aliens who have broken our Nation's laws to illegally enter our country. I want to make very clear in this financial services bill that these funds cannot be allocated in that way. If we don't put the cuffs on this administration somewhere, they will continue to go rogue and waste the taxpayer dollars that are being brought in by the hardworking Americans to fund these services for illegal aliens and to protect them in these sanctuary cities. I am putting the handcuffs on the Biden administration with this commonsense amendment. If the gentleman, as I said, agrees that there are no funds, then there should be no problem to say we cannot allocate funds to protect these sanctuary cities and these illegal aliens. Mr. Chair, I have spoken my piece on this amendment. I am prepared to close, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer my amendment to the Financial Services and General Government Appropriation Act for fiscal year 2024 to prohibit performance awards or bonuses for Senior Executive Service employees at the IRS. Joe Biden has weaponized the Internal Revenue Service against the American people. He started off with a Big Brother proposal directing the IRS to snoop on the American people's bank accounts to monitor transactions of $600 or more. He then spent $80 billion to build an army of 87,000 armed IRS agents to target middle- and low-income families and small businesses with a flood of audits and draconian enforcement activities. It is clear the IRS has long lost its touch with its mission, which is to serve taxpayers. American families don't need more audits and red tape. My amendment helps return the IRS to its original mission and ensure hardworking taxpayers receive satisfactory customer service without having to fear a supercharged IRS. We need to protect the taxpayers, rein in an unaccountable Federal agency, and reverse course from this dangerous path of growing bureaucracy and heavy-handed Federal Government. I have a message to all of my colleagues here today: If you disapprove of the IRS leaking tax information about the President's political opponents, then support my amendment. If you disapprove of the IRS targeting conservative groups for their political beliefs, then support my amendment. If you disapprove of the IRS ignoring congressional subpoenas, then support my amendment. If you disapprove of this agency stonewalling Congress, destroying evidence, and lying to the American people, then support my amendment. Finally, if you disapprove of IRS senior executives receiving bonuses for their work, then support my amendment. Again, I thank the chairman and ranking member for their continued work on the committee. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I have never been more thrilled to be a part of the Republican Party. I would much rather stand with the American people than stand in this Chamber and defend 87,000 armed IRS agents. I have seen the recruiting requirements that say you must carry a firearm and be prepared to use deadly force. This amendment is straightforward, saying we don't want to give more money to IRS agents. We do not want to give bonuses to IRS agents who target conservative groups, who release tax information about the President's political opponents, or who ignore congressional subpoenas. We have had IRS whistleblowers before the Oversight Committee who said that they were told that they must protect Joe Biden's son. That is why they became whistleblowers. They said enough is enough. We are here for justice. We want what is fair. We are not supporting a particular party. They saw the rot within the IRS and came forward. I am proud to stand with the American people and say that we should not issue bonuses to IRS agents. Taxation is theft, and arming 87,000 IRS agents to go after the hardworking middle class is just flatout armed robbery. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BOEBERT

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Sergeant First Class William Montgomery, a true American hero who has finally been awarded the Purple Heart for injuries suffered in the line of duty in service to our great country. The price of freedom is not free, and I am overjoyed that my office can help heroes like Sergeant First Class Montgomery receive the recognition they so richly deserve. Sergeant First Class Montgomery was born in Tucson, Arizona, and graduated high school in Spring Creek, Nevada. He enlisted in the U.S. Army as a 19D Cavalry Scout and attended One Station Unit Training in Fort Knox, Kentucky, graduating with honors. His long and distinguished military career includes deployments in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, where he earned numerous awards and accolades including the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Valorous Unit Award, and the Iraq Campaign Medal with 3 Stars, reflecting his exceptional service to our country. He has now earned the Purple Heart, an award reserved only for those who are wounded or killed in service to our nation. In July of 2015, Sergeant First Class Montgomery was medically discharged from the United States Army and now resides in Colorado's Third District with his six wonderful children: Rain, Porter, Lexington, Izabella, Kai, and Koda. Mr. Speaker, Sergeant First Class Montgomery's service is a shining example for all Americans. His distinguished career has been marked with selfless courage and an unwavering willingness to put everything on the line for our nation and everything it stands for. I urge all Americans to join me in congratulating Sergeant First Class Montgomery for receiving the Purple Heart and for being a beacon of American pride and inspiration for Colorado's Third Congressional District and America.

Ms. BOEBERT

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Mr. Sepp Kuss, a native of Durango, Colorado, and the champion of the 2023 Vuelta a Espana. Sepp's historic victory made him the first American to win a Grand Tour event since 2013 and earned him the nickname ``The Eagle of Durango.'' Sepp's journey began in Durango, Colorado, where he initially began cycling as a form of cross-training for his passion of cross-country skiing. He credits his upbringing in Durango with giving him the unique advantage of having so many outdoor opportunities and having a supportive community beside him each step of the way. He entered this race as a support rider for his team, Jumbo-Visma, and emerged as the champion. Sepp's journey from cross-country skiing in the mountains of Colorado to standing atop the podium in Madrid is an inspiration to all Americans. He has shown that with hard work, dedication, and a little Southwestern Colorado grit, anything is possible. Mr. Speaker, Sepp Kuss's victory is a shining example of American excellence. Sepp has become an outstanding role model for young athletes in Durango and across the United States and has shown them that dreams can come true. I urge all Americans to join me in congratulating Sepp Kuss for his historic victory at the Vuelta a Espana and for being a beacon of American pride and inspiration for Colorado's Third Congressional District and America.

Ms. BOEBERT

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and honor Bosq, an exceptional restaurant in Aspen, Colorado, for being awarded the coveted Michelin star. This honor puts Bosq among the finest restaurants not only in Colorado, but in the entire world. Bosq joins the ranks of just over 200 restaurants in America to have this great honor. The Michelin star represents years of hard work, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to culinary excellence. Michelin stars are a hallmark of fine dining and coveted honor by many of the world's top chefs and restaurant patrons. Not easy to obtain, the stars are awarded to restaurants that are the absolute best in a given city. Restaurants gain immense prestige and exposure as a result of this honor. An Aspen native, Barclay Dodge and his wife Molly have created a dining experience that is nothing short of exceptional. Bosq offers four, five and nine course menus. Bosq is the only restaurant in Colorado's Third Congressional District to earn the Michelin star. Bosq is set apart not only by its exceptional cuisine but its commitment to our Colorado community. The restaurant collaborates with local farmers and ranchers to ensure that the food is as fresh as it is delicious. They embody the very best of Colorado excellence and have brought a world-class dining experience to Colorado's Third Congressional District. Bosq is a beacon of what can be achieved when talent, dedication, and love for one's community come together, and I am incredibly proud to represent this outstanding establishment. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating Bosq for being awarded the Michelin star and redefining culinary excellence in Colorado's Third Congressional District.

Ms. BOEBERT

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.