Steve Cohen

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, if there was fraud, there would be arrests. There is not fraud. There have not been arrests. They are depending on the word of Mr. Musk, who took out a chain saw from the President of Argentina and waved it around, a chain saw. He took a chain saw to the budget, not a scalpel. If my colleagues want to improve something, improve it. Mr. Speaker, regarding the Kennedy Center, if they want to improve it, they want ``Hee Haw,'' have ``Hee Haw,'' but don't get rid of the Kennedy Center. There will be people who will die. This bill is good for Russia and China and undertakers because it is going to have people dying. Bill Gates said this is the richest man in the world, Musk, taking advantage of and killing the poorest children in the world. They are not going to be getting PEPFAR programs created by George Bush. They are not going to get the sustenance they need which is rotting in ships right now. Don't end it, mend it. This is a terrible bill. This is Musk's bill on drugs.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a wonderful artist, educator and delightful friend Veda Louise Reed, who passed on June 3rd at the age of 91. Ms. Reed was born in Oklahoma but moved to Memphis in 1952 and attended the Memphis Academy of Art (later known as the Memphis College of Art) where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1956. Her classmates included artists Dolph Smith and Henry Easterwood. She was appointed registrar of the Academy of Art that same year. Ms. Reed studied landscape painting in Britain and began exhibiting her work in 1957, both in Memphis and at the Morris Gallery in New York, where they were reviewed by The New York Times and other arts publications. Through the years. she worked mainly in oil on canvas and exhibited paintings at Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College), the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery (now the Brooks Museum of Art), the Alice Bingham Galleries, the Bingham Kurts Gallery and the David Lusk Gallery, all in Memphis; in Atlanta; in Little Rock; and at the Boatman Gallery in New York. At the Memphis College of Art, she taught several art forms including painting, drawing, design, fabric design, still life, and landscapes. I have three of her paintings, including one of a sunrise that I wake up to in my Washington condominium. Years ago, she and I were paired in designing a Mark Rothko-like painting at a Brooks Museum event for a charity. She retired as a senior faculty member in 1995 when she was named professor emeritus. During her tenure, her fellow faculty members included Dorothy Sturm, Burton Callicott and Ted Faiers. Her final exhibit at the David Lusk Gallery opened in January 2024. Ms. Reed brought beauty to our world and inspired hundreds of student artists. She led a life of accomplishment and will be missed.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, my plane was delayed in arriving to Washington, D.C. on June 9, 2025, and I was unable to vote on H.R. 2035, the American Cargo for American Ships Act--Roll Call 157. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA. For the vote on H. Res. 488 Denouncing the antisemitic terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado--Roll Call 158, it was my intention to vote NAY, but I inadvertently voted yes when rushing to the chamber thinking it was still the first vote. I do not support this resolution as it exploits the horrible incident that took place in Boulder Colorado on June 2, 2025, where makeshift firebombs were thrown at a crowd hosting an event raising awareness about hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. The resolution also falsely criticizes sanctuary cities and praises Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents. These issues distract from the important message of condemning antisemitism and the domestic terrorism that occurred in Boulder.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, my father was a physician. One of the main things he was taught in medical school--and I think it is part of the Hippocratic oath--is do no harm. Our budgets are doing a great deal of harm to our healthcare system. The Association of Medical Colleges came out with a statement yesterday that our healthcare is in existential crisis because of the cuts to research and the cuts to graduate medical education; that our medical schools will suffer; and the number of doctors that are produced will suffer. That is not even to mention the problems immediately to people from taking away their Medicaid, taking away their ACA, and taking away that healthcare. Do no harm. This bill is a big, deadly bill. People will die because of it because we are not putting money in the NIH that does the research to protect us from the diseases that kill us such as cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, heart disease, and diabetes. The NIH is our Department of Defense. Francis Collins did a great job. He left it in good hands. Let's keep ourselves safe. Do no harm.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Idlewild Elementary School Chess Team champions, and their coach Mark Beatty, on their impressive run of successes this year. The 15-member team won the 2025 Henry D. Sabine State Scholastic Team Chess Tournament in both the kindergarten through third grade and kindergarten through fifth grade categories. The wins qualified them for a trip to Orlando, Florida, earlier this month to compete in the National Elementary Championship hosted by the U.S. Chess Federation. Beatty founded the Idlewild team in 2013. He also coached chess teams at Grahamwood Elementary, White Station Middle School and White Station High School where his teams have won 45 state team titles. Idlewood, my elementary school alma mater and the only school in Tennessee to receive the Top Magnet School of Excellence designation, also sent teams to the national chess tournaments in 2024 and 2023. This proud tradition puts Idlewild on a short list of the Nation's best elementary schools and its students deserve our encouragement and respect. They are certainly living up to their motto: ``Children First, Excellence Always!''

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Memphis Central High School Jazz Band and Band Director Ollie Liddell for winning First Place Honors at the 30th Annual ``Essentially Ellington Competition and Festival'' at Lincoln Center in New York City on Sunday, May 11. The band was one of 127 that applied this year, competing with bands from all over the world including Japan and Spain, and was one of the 30 bands--some trained at music magnet schools or with private tutors--invited to New York. The Central High students advanced to the semifinal level where 10 were selected and then was one of the top three bands to play. Dr. Liddell has been the band's director for the past 13 years, often spending 12-hour days in the band room to give students the practice time they need--especially since many can't play in their apartment complexes or transport heavy instruments home. Overall, the band won the Best Band honors and awards for outstanding trumpet section, outstanding trombone section, outstanding rhythm section, outstanding alto saxophone soloist for student Jackson Hankins, outstanding trumpet soloist for Kingston Grandberry and outstanding trombone soloist for Marqese Cobb. The Memphis Central Jazz Band was selected to compete at ``Essentially Ellington'' in 2020 and 2021, but the competition was held virtually, so the students did not have the opportunity to travel to New York. In an interview with The Daily Memphian columnist Geoff Calkins in January, Liddell explained that many of his students arrive at the band room with no prior knowledge of jazz. He added: ``The City of Memphis is why I do what I do.'' Over the years, the numbers in the Central jazz band jumped from about 80 to the current 187. The festival in New York concluded with a concert at the Metropolitan Opera House featuring the top student ensembles and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra directed by Wynton Marsalis. Memphis is home to many talented musicians, and Central's band members have now earned international recognition--a testament to the hard work of the students and Dr. Liddell.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, President Trump was offered this $400 million airplane. He said he thought it was a ``nice gesture.'' A nice gesture is when somebody passes the salt and pepper. That is a nice gesture. A nice gesture is when somebody says, ``Good morning. Have a nice day.'' That is a nice gesture. A nice gesture is when a gentleman pulls a chair out for a lady to sit down. That is a nice gesture. To take a $400 million airplane from Qatar as the plane of the United States of America's President is cheap, demeaning, and harmful to our country that has always flown high as the finest nation on this Earth. It is also graft and corruption. Mr. Speaker, the emperor wears no clothes.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I watched the President's interview on ``Meet the Press'' yesterday. I was shocked at the lack of understanding that the man has of his job. He takes an oath to protect, preserve, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and he says he is not sure if the Fifth Amendment is applicable to people in this country and is not sure if he will stand up and protect the Constitution. This is unfathomable. Then, he comes up and tells us he wants to have a parade that will cost over $90 million on his birthday, which happens to coincide with Flag Day and the birth of the United States Army, neither of which have ever merited a parade in the past--$90 million with airplanes, tanks, and troops to appease a man's ego, to let him think for a while that he is Genghis Khan or Napoleon. He is not Genghis Khan. He is not Napoleon. He is not the Pope. He is the President of the United States, who works for us, the American people.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, Georgia has long been a great friend to the United States. I went to Georgia for their election when they elected the Georgian Dream ticket about 12 years ago, but the Georgian Dream party has turned into the Georgian nightmare. In America, Dr. King had a dream, and that dream still lives. Yet, the dream in Georgia, the country, is no longer alive and is pulling that country closer to our adversaries. The illegitimate Georgian Dream party led by Ivanishvili rigged the October 2024 election, and they truly did rig it in that situation. It has been facing mass protests ever since. Every Sunday, there are mass protests in Georgia protesting deprivation of freedoms and liberties. The Georgian Dream has orchestrated crackdowns on citizens, including banning the freedom of speech and assembly in Georgia, using violence against protesters, and abusing the court process to wrongfully imprison and charge protesters. The Georgian people have protested for over 150 consecutive days and are still protesting today, especially on Sundays. They are calling for free and fair elections and the release of political prisoners. The United States has long supported freedom in Georgia and now is no different. The MEGOBARI Act is an expression of that support. As ranking member of the Helsinki Commission, I am proud to be the lead Democrat on the MEGOBARI bill along with my friend, Representative Joe Wilson. This Act will evaluate all Georgian Dream officials for sanctions. If they are found to have undermined Georgian democracy or engaged in corruption, they will be sanctioned. It also creates a report on Russian intelligence assets in Georgia and Russia-China cooperation undermining Georgian sovereignty. What is going on is basically a revolution where Ivanishvili, who runs the party and has investments in Russia, is trying to bring them closer to Russia and Putin. Lastly, the bill envisions a stronger U.S.-Georgia relationship once Georgia returns to its traditional Euro-Atlantic path mandated in its own constitution and demanded by its people. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Joe Wilson and the other co- leads of this important legislation, Congressman Veasey and Congressman Hudson, and I urge its passage.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I was quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19 and was unable to vote on April 28 through May 1, 2025. Had I been present, I would have voted Nay on the following bills: Providing for consideration of the joint resolutions H.J. Res. 60, H.J. Res. 78, H.J. Res. 87, H.J. Res. 88, and H.J. Res. 89--Roll Call No. 105; Providing for consideration of the joint resolutions H.J. Res. 60, H.J. Res. 78, H.J. Res. 87, H.J. Res. 88, and H.J. Res. 89--Roll Call No. 106; Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the National Park Service relating to ``Glen Canyon National Recreation Area: Motor Vehicles''-- Roll Call No. 110; Congressional disapproval, of the rule submitted by the EPA relating to ``CA Motor Vehicle and Engine Pollution Control Standards; Heavy- Duty Vehicle and Engine Em Warranty and Maintenance Provisions; Advanced Clean Trucks; Zero Em Airport Shuttle; Zero-Em Power Train Cert.; Waiver of Preemption; Notice of Decision''--Roll Call No. 111; Congressional disapproval, of the rule submitted by the EPA relating to ``California State Motor Vehicle and Engine and Nonroad Engine Pollution Control Standards; The `Omnibus' Low NOX Regulation; Waiver of Preemption; Notice of Decision''--Roll Call No. 112; Congressional disapproval, of the rule submitted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service relating to ``Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for the San Francisco Bay-Delta Distinct Population Segment of the Longfin Smelt''--Roll Call No. 113; and Congressional disapproval, of the rule submitted by the EPA relating to ``California State Motor Vehicle and Engine Pollution Control Standards; Advanced Clean Cars II; Waiver of Preemption; Notice of Decision''--Roll Call No. 114. I would have voted Yea on the following bills: Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act--Roll Call No. 103; TAKE IT DOWN Act--Roll Call No. 104; TICKET Act--Roll Call No. 107; Youth Poisoning Protection Act--Roll Call No. 108; and Informing Consumers about Smart Devices Act--Roll Call No. 109.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, this is about the billionaires. It is not about the middle class. It is not about a budget deficit because the majority wouldn't have to give the money to the billionaires if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle gave it to decreasing the deficit. This is the party that is trying to kill Social Security through the DOGE boys, who are cutting out services for people who use the phone to deal with their Social Security and eliminating employees from Social Security. The majority is trying to kill Social Security. That is who it is, and Republicans want to help the billionaires and hurt the folks who live on Social Security.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, this budget is about the millionaires, the trillionaires, the people earning over $400,000 a year, and giving them a $4 trillion tax cut over the next 10 years. It is not about working people. It is about hurting working people, hurting the poor, hurting people with disabilities, and hurting children. What this Congress is looking at doing, because of Musk and Trump and the Republican colleagues here that I share this floor with, is cutting programs that help the public. In October, Elon Musk incorporated United States of America, Inc., in Texas. What that means is it shows his mentality. He thinks he owns this government. He has bought it. He has been given it. He doesn't care about anybody else. He is the only stockholder. America is not a stockholder. Americans are the people who give him the money to give it to the trillionaires and billionaires who were first in President Trump's inaugural crowd. They were first in the crowd. They are first in his mind. They are first in his heart. They are his people.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. Harold Jordan, a pioneering medical doctor and psychiatrist in my state of Tennessee who passed in December at the age of 87. Dr. Jordan became the first Black resident physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 1964 and Tennessee's first Black Commissioner of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. My father, Dr. Morris Cohen, was the Superintendent of the Western State Psychiatric Hospital (now the Western Mental Health Institute) in Bolivar, Tennessee, in the mid- 1970s, and worked with Dr. Jordan. After ensuring that every mental health facility in the state was accredited, Tennessee named a building in his honor: the Harold W. Jordan Habilitation Center in Nashville in 1979. Dr. Jordan also served for 18 years as the Chairman of the Psychiatry Department at Meharry Medical College, from which he graduated in 1962. He also served as its acting dean. He won the college's President's Award and its Humanism in Clinical Medicine Award. Vanderbilt established the Harold Jordan Lecture celebrating Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice in his honor. Born in 1937 in Newnan, Georgia, he knew by the age of seven that he would follow in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather into medicine. He graduated from Morehouse College with a degree in biology in 1958. After medical school, he married a nursing student named Geraldine, who survives him after 62 years of marriage. Family lore says they met while hiding after a bomb threat as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was preparing to speak at nearby Fisk College. Dr. Jordan and his wife raised four children in Nashville and belonged to the Clark Memorial United Methodist Church where he sang in the choir. He served as an officer in both the Tennessee National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve. Dr. Jordan and his wife retired to Los Angeles to be nearer to their children. I extend my condolences to Dr. Jordan's family, friends and many admirers. He made a profound difference in our state and his compassion, patient care and mentoring of future doctors will be long remembered.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I just find it unbelievable that we have called up a bill today to require the President to have congressional approval to stop fracking when we don't ask the President to not impound funds that have been appropriated through Article I by Congress, which is how they are supposed to be appropriated, and when we don't ask the President to not fire the IGs when legislation requires him to give 30 days' notice to Congress before he does so and to give good reason for it when the IGs are there to find fraud, abuse, and waste of government moneys. That is more important and adds up to more and more dollars that the IGs find, and there are other areas where our authority has been stepped on and violated. This is just insane that we are doing this today. Madam Speaker, I saw where one of Mr. Musk's followers resigned because he made statements that he was racist before racism was cool and that he would never marry anybody that didn't look like him and of his own race. It sounds like somebody who was inspired by pre-apartheid South Africa.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, in this House, Democrats and Republicans came together, as they appropriately should, to remember the victims of the plane crash last week. We should also come together and remind our President that we don't know what the cause of it was, and it certainly wasn't DEI. DEI has never caused deaths in this country's history. Never. We need to come together and remember we were all on this floor when it was invaded on January 6 by insurrectionists. I don't think one of my colleagues on the other side has questioned the pardons given to all the January 6 insurrectionists who tried to take over this government, nor have they stood up to a President and his aide, private citizen Elon Musk, who are doing unconstitutional duties to take over government branches, which they don't have the right to do, that only Congress can pass bills to change. Only Congress can cut out spending under Article I. They can try to change the Constitution on birthright citizenships, but only Congress can begin a constitutional amendment. We need to stand up for America. America is under attack as much as it was on January 6. God bless America, and I hope we continue to exist as a democracy.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the ``Black January'' killings, one of the most tragic events in Azerbaijan's history. On the night of January 20, 1990, approximately 26,000 Soviet troops stormed Azerbaijan's capital city of Baku in tanks and armored vehicles. The Soviet military bulldozed innocent Azerbaijanis and opened fire indiscriminately on peaceful demonstrators, including women and children. As a result of these merciless acts, 147 people were killed, about 800 were injured, 841 were arrested, and five went missing. The Human Rights Watch report ``Black January in Azerbaijan'' states that ``among the most heinous violations of human rights during the Baku incursion were the numerous attacks on medical personnel, ambulances, and even hospitals.'' I offer my thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims and to those who gave their lives to help their fellow citizens. The United States was one of the first countries to recognize independence and fully established diplomatic relations on February 28, 1992. Today, the United States and Azerbaijan are still strategic allies and share common interests in the region and globally. As the co-chairman of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, I urge my colleagues to recognize the sacrifices of the Azerbaijani people in their steps towards independence and encourage a recommitment to the democratic values for which many Azerbaijanis sacrificed their lives.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the chairman's remarks, and the gentleman is certainly an embodiment of the virtue of waivers. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 144, bipartisan legislation to promote additional transparency over the salary structure of the Tennessee Valley Authority, otherwise known as the TVA. As was said, the bill passed the House last Congress on suspension by a voice vote. The TVA is the Nation's largest government-owned wholesale power producer, supplying power to 10 million people across the States of Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky. This legislation corrects a change that was enacted in 1995 that removed the requirement for TVA to disclose the management structure and salaries of its executives. Today, TVA has approximately 13,000 employees, and the median salary is $160,000. They have, in essence, 6,500 Congresspeople on salary doing TVA's work. That is absurd. The head of the TVA, whose salary has been reported, makes $10 million a year. Mr. Lyash is a fine fellow. He is really a nice guy, and he does a good job. He was working for a Canadian firm before he got hired to run TVA, where he was making $2 million or $2.5 million. I don't know if he is four times better than he was in the state of Canada, but he is making that. The executives, whose salaries they have to disclose, are making $2 million to $6 million each annually. The public should know about these salaries, what they are getting, and the salaries that are spent at TVA. Last Congress, a fair compromise was reached between our legitimate congressional oversight responsibilities over TVA and the need of TVA to retain and maintain a pool of talented, diverse, and effective management staff and executives. This bill would help ensure that Congress has the ability to provide effective oversight of the TVA and its management and executives. My prime cosponsor is Tim Burchett. Representative Burchett has been a friend of mine since we served in the Tennessee General Assembly together, and we raised the speed limit to 70. It had been put down to 60. It didn't hurt that Mr. Sundquist had kind of a heavy foot and helped us with that. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett) for his cosponsorship. I urge passage of H.R. 144, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I am still here.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I will say that the bill has been well explained. It is an important and a good bill. All that Representative Burchett said about his father, Dean Burchett, a rich Tennessean, and Mrs. Burchett is true. They were wonderful people. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of things in here that were taken out of the compromised bill that were good for the American people and one of the things was DSH payments. We give money to hospitals to treat the least among us, the poorest people that need healthcare, and that was taken out of the bill. That is cruel, inhuman, and anti-Judeo-Christian. That is one of the main reasons why I opposed this bill because the hospitals that take care of those people are doing God's work and they need to be given the moneys they have been given in the past, a 1-year extension, and Republicans took that out. That is wrong. Mr. Speaker, I oppose the bill.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the recognition and the cosponsorship and support. Mr. Speaker, this bill came from a meeting I had in Memphis with nurses at the University of Tennessee. They were discussing human trafficking and ways that victims could be identified, and the idea came to fruition through the work of the University of Tennessee Nursing School. Human traffickers exploit tens of thousands of people in the United States. When we talk about human trafficking here, we are basically talking about sexual trafficking. I mean, the trafficking of workers, the trafficking in a variety of occupations, but these are women who are trafficked for sex. The actual number is difficult to determine, but it is one of the reasons we introduced the SOAR Act several years ago. I am pleased it passed, and it has done much good. It has shown that, when nurses are trained, they can identify victims of sexual trafficking. Oftentimes they end up in health facilities because they get beaten by the people who put them into this position. They have wounds, and they have to come to emergency rooms. The nurses are there to observe. If they are trained, they are the initial source. They can then get these women out of the human trafficking and prevent this scourge on human society. This bill expanded the training program under the Department of Health and Human Services to train these workers, health and social service providers, to identify potential human-trafficking victims, work with law enforcement to report and facilitate the communication with such victims, refer victims to social or victim service agencies and organizations, and provide victims with coordinated care tailored to their circumstances. The program has been successful. In September 2017 and September 2023, the Office of Trafficking in Persons hosted 222 events through which they trained over 263,000 healthcare professionals. After receiving the training, 91.4 percent of the participants indicated they had high or very high confidence in their ability to identify and respond to human trafficking. The SOAR to Health and Wellness Program has made tremendous strides to train healthcare professionals on the signs of human trafficking and the appropriate steps to be taken once they identify the victim. As Members of Congress, we should continue to support this program so that more people could be trained to properly identify and assist victims of human trafficking. Pass the reauthorization bill here, and let our constituents know that, if they are being trafficked or are suspicious that someone they know is being trafficked, help is available. The Homeland Security Investigations Tip Line is 866-347-2423, and the National Human Trafficking Hotline is 888-373-7888. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill to reauthorize the SOAR Act, and I thank the committee ranking member and the committee chair for bringing the bill to the floor.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to hope that about nine Republicans leave and don't vote, and I rise to a question of the privileges of the House and offer the resolution that was previously noticed.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, today I filed a bill to require the Ethics Committee to release the ethics report on former Representative Matt Gaetz, and I will give notice shortly. I don't do this to give the salacious parts of the report to the public for any purposes, such as they might have for people, and there certainly are alleged parts in there concerning sex with a minor and drug use. I do it because it is important because Mr. Gaetz said that the report was a witch hunt, and it put the House on the defensive, and it should have, by saying it was a witch hunt. The House Ethics Committee members spent a lot of time and the staff spent a lot of time, and it cost a lot of money. The House needs to defend itself, and the best way to do that is to release the report and show that it was not a witch hunt but that it was important. It also said that they would determine that he misused his office, that he converted campaign funds for personal use, and that he engaged in bribery, improper gratuities, or impermissible gifts. There are other matters in here that I don't really understand, but I think the public should know.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX, I rise to give notice of my intention to raise a question of privileges of the House. The form of the resolution is as follows: Directing the Committee on Ethics to preserve and release the records of the Committee's review of the alleged misconduct of Matthew Louis Gaetz II of Florida while serving as a Member of this honorable body of the House of Representatives. Whereas, Matthew Louis Gaetz II of Florida served in the House of Representatives from January 3, 2017, through November 13, 2024; Whereas, Clause 2 of Section 5 of Article I of the Constitution of the United States establishes that ``each House may determine the rules of its proceedings'' and ``punish its Members for disorderly behavior''; Whereas, clause 3(a)(2) of rule XI of the rules of the House of Representatives provides the Committee on Ethics the authority to investigate alleged violations by a Member, Delegate, or a Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House of the Code of Official Conduct or rule of law rule or rule, regulation, or other standard of conduct applicable to the conduct of such Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee in the performance of the duties or the discharge of responsibilities of such individual; Whereas, on April 9, 2021, the Committee on Ethics initiated a review of allegations that Representative Gaetz may have ``engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused State identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improperly gratuity, or impermissible gift in violation of the House rules, laws, or other standards of conduct'' in violation of the Federal law and the rules of the House; Whereas, on June 18, 2024, the Committee on Ethics released a statement acknowledging the committee's continued review of allegations that Representative Gaetz may have ``engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct''; Whereas, if Representative Gaetz engaged in the alleged violations while serving as a Member of the House, such conduct would affect the rights of the House of Representatives and the integrity of the legislative process: Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Committee on Ethics shall-- (1) preserve all documents and investigative materials related to any review of Matthew Louis Gaetz II's conduct while serving as a Member of the House of Representatives; (2) publicly release the committee's report, including any associated findings, recommendations, and proposed disciplinary actions, as discussed by the committee on November 20, 2024, regarding the alleged violations of the Code of Official Conduct of the House or of a law, rule, regulation, or other standard of conduct by Matthew Louis Gaetz II while serving as a Member of the House of Representatives; and (3) in accordance with the committee's practice for releasing public documents, they should hide witnesses' identities and redact any personally identifiable information of minors and victims from any House documents associated with this matter before publicly releasing them.